RTHK: Kim Jong-un holds key meeting in North Korea

North Korea opened a key political conference Monday to review past projects and discuss new policies amid the pandemic and a diplomatic deadlock with the United States.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-un presided over a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party.

The report did not carry any remarks by Kim.

The meeting approved unspecified agenda items and went into the discussions of them, KCNA said.

The report said the meeting would review major polices this year and decide on the strategic and tactical policies and practical tasks for dynamically guiding the struggle of our party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory.

The plenary meeting is one of the highest-level decision-making bodies in North Korea.

Kim has previously used plenary meetings to announce his positions on relations with the United States and South Korea or his countrys nuclear programme.

Its not known how long this weeks meeting may last.

The meeting comes as Kim is marking 10 years in power.

Since his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong-ils death in December 2011, Kim Jong-un has established absolute power at home and fortified North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals.

The economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, UN sanctions and mismanagement, but few experts still question his grip on power. (AP)

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: A great tree has fallen  President Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to try emulate and celebrate the life of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

The President was speaking to the media after a visit to Tutus home following the Archbishops passing on Sunday morning.

President Ramaphosa confirmed that Tutu would be buried in a "class one funeral with religious characteristics".

A huge tree has fallen and it is a tree under which we as Africans and as the children of this great country found refuge, found shade, found protection and this tree has now fallen.

But it is for us to now pick up the branches of this tree and march forward seeking always to try and hold up the branches of this tree so that the spirit that [he] represented can infuse us to do much more. We should use this opportunity to celebrate his life and to try and draw as much as we possibly can from the various good things that he sought to impart to us, he said.

President Ramaphosa said although his passing is a loss, Tutus life was one well lived.

We are enormously diminished by his passing but at the same time we are filled with a celebratory moment. Celebrating a life well lived and a life that is so gigantic which straddles many epochs in the life of our country where the Archbishop ledmillions of our people in the struggle against Apartheid and when Apartheid was defeated, also led the process of reconciliation.

He [also] became concerned about some of the errors of the governing party [and] he spoke out. He was brave and he was forthright and we loved him just for that because he was a voice of the voiceless. He was the one person who campaigned for justice, for people living with HIV, for the LGBTQI+ community and for the dejected and oppressed people not only in our country, the President said.

President Ramaphosa said the outpouring of condolences for the Tutu family from across the globe is a testament to the calibre of leader he was.

His global status, the lovethat he is being showered with from across countries in the world speaks volumes about what he stood for and what people saw in him as a great leader.

So he really as an outstanding religious leader really exuded love, embraced our people as a nation right across the various racial groupings in our country, embraced them and participated in the building of the South African nation and if there ever was one person who promoted social cohesion, it was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Ramaphosa said.

Meanwhile, the Anglican Church and family have announced the following details ahead of and during Tutus funeral:

The Archbishop will lie in state in St Georges Cathedral on Friday.

The funeral will take place from 10am at St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town on Saturday. His ashes will also be interred at the cathedral.

The cathedral bells will be rung for 10 minutes at midday every day until Friday.

On Wednesday, a memorial service will be held in Pretoria led by The Anglican Diocese of Pretoria and the SA Council of Churches.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: International trade law benefits HK

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng

The National 14th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong to enhance its status as an international trade centre. In international sale of goods, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) has been described as the most successful substantive uniform commercial law treaty. Yet, notwithstanding China is a contracting party to the CISG since 1988, the CISG is currently not applicable to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In line with international practice and the National 14th Five-Year Plan, it is in the best interest of Hong Kong to implement the CISG.

The Sale of Goods (United Nations Convention) Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council in September this year in order to apply the CISG to the Hong Kong SAR. The ordinance is envisaged to take effect in around the third quarter of 2022. Businesses and their legal advisors are advised to get ready for this important development in our law on international sale of goods.

Major trading partners are contracting parties to the CISG

CISG has 94 contracting states at present, including more than half of Hong Kongs top 20 trading partners by total trade value. Businesses of Hong Kong need to be familiar and able to adopt the CISG as the guiding rules for their sale of goods contracts as it provides them with a fair and level playing field. This will also avoid the choice-of-law question when they are doing business with different commercial law regimes.

45% of Belt & Road Initiative countries are contracting parties to the CISG

Apart from the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Belt & Road Initiative is another major policy launched by our country. About 45% of the countries and regions participating in the Belt & Road Initiative are also contracting parties to the CISG. Therefore, extension of the CISG to Hong Kong allows for a uniform law to govern the bulk of Hong Kong businesses international sales transactions, providing more certainty and predictability, which will in turn facilitate more deals and transactions.

Reduce costs of doing business

Without the adoption of the CISG, parties to an international sale of goods need to decide on the law which governs the transaction. Very likely, the answer will be the domestic sales law of one of the parties. The need to deal with different laws involving different jurisdictions will increase legal costs and business risks. The CISG is able to address the applicable law issue by providing a modern and uniform regime for contracts with multiple countries for international sale of goods.

Enhance development of legal and dispute resolution sectors

With national policies expressly supporting Hong Kong to develop a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services, there will be an increasing demand for practitioners who are qualified for offering advice on international commercial transactions. Extension of the CISG to Hong Kong will encourage more practitioners to enhance their capability in handling international trade disputes, reinforcing our position as an international legal hub.

It is noteworthy that the CISG does not apply to transactions within China, including those transactions between the Mainland enterprises and the Hong Kong SAR enterprises. We are in discussion with the Central Peoples Government to arrive at an arrangement for reciprocal application of the CISG rules to such transactions. This approach has been successfully adopted in the context of enforcing arbitral award under the New York Convention.

In order to enable the business and legal sectors to get ready for the application of the CISG, the Department of Justice will roll out a series of events, including two seminars jointly organised with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce on January 19 and 26, as well as a webinar and a workshop respectively on January 24 and February 21 both jointly organised with the Asian Academy of International Law, with a view to promoting a more in-depth understanding of the CISG and practical tips for cross-border sale of goods in light of its application to Hong Kong. Details of the events will be announced later.

You are also welcome to visit the departments dedicated webpage on the CISG for more practical information on the convention.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on December 28.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Customs clarifies false posts

Customs today clarified that it has never arranged a public auction by means of a social media platform and website to sell confiscated items and reminded the public to be alert to avoid being scammed.

The department made the clarification as it noticed earlier that two Facebook dedicated pages under the names of "Matiny" and "Yimi-shop" published posts with hyperlinks of two websites registered in the US and Canada, which falsely claimed that Customs was making arrangements for selling confiscated items by means of a public auction.

One of the websites even made an untrue claim that proceeds from the auction would be used for charity purposes.

Customs said the two dedicated pages conveyed false information that conspired to mislead members of the public.

It also suspected intellectual property right infringement and noted that there may be offences under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance and Copyright Ordinance of Hong Kong.

Noting that it has already requested the social media platform's operator to remove the messages and hyperlinks as soon as possible, the department said it will also contact the International Criminal Police Organization for follow-up action.

Customs reiterated that confiscated items will be handled strictly in accordance with the established guidelines upon the completion of legal procedures.

Those suitable for placing on public auction will be co-ordinated and handled exclusively by the relevant government department in Hong Kong. Customs never works with any external individuals or bodies to make a public auction.

The department also stressed that it has all along been concerned with illegal online sales activities.

While striving to combat unfair trade practices and infringing activities on websites, it also maintains close co-operation with law enforcement authorities of other countries and regions to combat cross-boundary infringing activities and protect the rights of consumers and legitimate traders.

Customs emphasised that a follow-up investigation will be conducted if the infringing activities involve local people.

If the relevant platform is located outside Hong Kong but is involved in local criminal infringing activities, the department will refer the cases to law enforcement authorities outside the city for joint follow-up actions.

Consumers are reminded to stay vigilant when shopping online and buy products at reputable shops. They should not purchase items of unknown sources at suspicious websites or social media platforms and should contact trademark owners or traders for enquiries in case of doubts.

Call 2545 6182 or send an email to Customs to report suspected unfair trade practices or infringing activities.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Finland bans unvaccinated travellers to fight Omicron

Finland announced on Tuesday it would block entry for foreign travellers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, as it steps up its fight against the highly mutated Omicron variant.

Only foreign travellers with a negative Covid-19 test who can prove full vaccination or past infection will now be allowed to enter, the interior ministry announced after a government meeting.

A border guard spokesman confirmed that unvaccinated foreigners would be turned away unless they were on a list of exceptions that includes Finland residents, essential workers and diplomats.

The measure also affects EU nationals.

"Regardless of the foreign citizen's origin, everyone must present a vaccination certificate and a negative test less than 48 hours old," said Tomi Kivenjuuri of the border guard.

The measure came into force at on Tuesday and follows weeks of toughening border measures across the European Union. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: HK strives to maintain zero infections

Chief Executive Carrie Lam

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has caused the global COVID-19 epidemic situation to become severe again, with a number of countries recording the highest daily number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago. Some countries that have earlier decided to adopt the strategy of living with the virus and completely relaxed their entry restrictions and social distancing rules have had to consider retightening their measures recently. As for Hong Kong, by adopting stringent measures against the importation of cases, we have managed to maintain zero local infection in the past few months, which has not only allowed our citizens to largely resume normal daily life, but also created conditions for the gradual and orderly resumption of normal cross-boundary travel with the Mainland. While Hong Kong has been doing well so far, in the face of the threat from virus variants, our vaccination rate must go up further in order to provide sufficient protection for the community.

The latest epidemic situation

Over the past month, the local epidemic situation has remained stable, and no local cases have been recorded for 80 consecutive days. Yet, with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases worldwide, we have seen an increase in imported cases. For example, 25 imported cases were recorded in a single day on December 25. Under Hong Kongs stringent measures to guard against the importation of cases, most imported cases were detected through testing upon arrival in Hong Kong or during compulsory quarantine, and have not entered the community. As for the very few cases involving aircrew members who were exempted from quarantine and an airport worker detected during regular compulsory testing, the Center for Health Protection has taken immediate action, including putting the relevant people under compulsory quarantine, conducting compulsory testing and tracing close contacts. So far, no community infections have occurred as a result of these cases.

While the local epidemic situation has remained stable, the situation globally is less optimistic. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the number of confirmed cases in different places has been on the rise since mid-October, and over 800,000 cases were reported in a single day on December 22. The number was close to the peak in April this year and appears to be on an upward trend. Europe accounted for more than 450,000 of these cases, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic, with the UK alone recording a staggering daily caseload of over 100,000 cases.

One reason for the rebound of the global epidemic situation is the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Omicron cases have been detected in more than 100 countries around the world. In Hong Kong, we have recorded more than 50 imported cases involving Omicron so far. According to the observations of experts, Omicron appears to be spreading at a faster rate than other COVID-19 mutant strains, and following this trend, Omicron is set to replace Delta as the dominant COVID-19 variant. Although some believe that Omicron tends to cause a lower rate of severe illness, certain countries are seeing a continuous rise in hospitalisation due to the substantial increase in confirmed cases, which is putting considerable pressure on their healthcare systems. According to reports, some countries that have previously adopted the strategy of living with the virus have had no choice but to consider tightening their social distancing measures again, stirring controversy in society.

Anti-epidemic efforts

Hong Kong has been taking very stringent measures to guard against importation of cases with a view to maintaining zero local infections. In the face of the fierce onslaught of Omicron, we need to be even more vigilant. Hence, as from last month, places having detected Omicron cases are listed as Group A specified places, and specific Group A specified places are subject to enhanced surveillance. In addition to the existing measures, including restricting non-Hong Kong residents from entering Hong Kong and the full vaccination requirement for Hong Kong residents, we have put in place more stringent quarantine and testing arrangements for inbound arrivals having stayed in such Group A places with enhanced surveillance. These arrangements include undergoing compulsory quarantine at Pennys Bay Quarantine Centre for the first few days, during which they have to undergo daily tests and their health conditions are monitored by healthcare professionals. They are then transferred by designated transport to finish the remaining days of compulsory quarantine at their pre-booked designated quarantine hotel. Also, we have recently tightened the passenger flight suspension mechanism and shortened to 48 hours the lead time for specimen collection for pre-departure nucleic acid tests for people boarding Hong Kong-bound flights. While we realise that these measures will cause inconvenience to travellers, we hope they will understand that amid the severe global pandemic situation, it is necessary for us to take stringent measures to reduce the risk of variants entering the community. This ensures that the anti-epidemic achievements made by Hong Kong people will not be wasted. It also creates conditions for resumption of quarantine-free travel and, most importantly, safeguards the health of the community.

At the same time, this month, the requirement to use the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app was extended to all catering business premises and scheduled premises under regulation as planned, and the operation was generally smooth. The Hong Kong Health Code system has also opened for registration, allowing members of the public to familiarise themselves with the systems functions as soon as possible to prepare for the reopening of borders. So far, about 700,000 people have registered for an account. Considering that some citizens, especially the elderly, are relatively new to digital technology, the Home Affairs Department and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) have recently reached out to the community to introduce the Hong Kong Health Code and LeaveHomeSafe mobile apps and provide technical support to the public. The OGCIO has held briefing sessions for district/clansman associations and charity groups to enable them to assist their members and service users in using the apps. Moreover, we welcome the Jockey Club, in collaboration with social welfare agencies and local mobile network operators, to distribute smartphones pre-equipped with a data plan to eligible elderly people at grassroots level for free. I hope that every sector of the community and even every citizen will play a contributing role, such as by helping elderly people around us to familiarise themselves with relevant technologies, to bridge the digital divide in the city. This will not only enhance the overall effectiveness of the societys anti-epidemic efforts, but also make it more convenient for the elderly to go about their daily lives. The major anti-epidemic measures introduced are set out here in chronological order:

Date Event November 26 The Government announced tightening of measures to prevent importation of cases in response to the detection of cases involving a new variant (later named Omicron) in southern Africa. December 3 The COVID-19 Mobile Vaccination Station was launched. The mobile vaccination vehicle would first operate at Sha Tin, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tuen Mun to provide BioNTech vaccination services. December 6 The BioNTech vaccination pilot scheme was launched at a total of 24 vaccination venues of eight private healthcare institutions so as to expand the vaccination network of the BioNTech vaccine. December 8 In view of the latest global developments of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Government required all transit passengers from overseas places and Taiwan to present negative result proof of nucleic acid test when boarding a flight for Hong Kong. December 9 The requirement to use the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app was extended to all catering business premises and scheduled premises under regulation. December 10 The Hong Kong Health Code system opened for registration. December 10 COVID-19 Vaccination Stations were set up in Princess Margaret Hospital and Ruttonjee Hospital. Additional vaccination stations would be set up in Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po and Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan on December 30. By that time, the number of COVID-19 Vaccination Stations at public hospitals will increase to 13. December 20 The Government announced that, in view of the rapidly worsening global epidemic situation due to the Omicron variant, strengthened measures were implemented to further guard against the importation of cases. December 21 The Government announced that the testing requirements for government employees who had not received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine would be tightened from once a week to once every three days starting from December 28, and all government employees would be required to present their COVID-19 vaccination record when they enter government buildings and offices starting from mid-February next year. December 24 The Government announced that the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme would be expanded starting from January 1, 2022 to provide a third dose vaccination service to all people having received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine with the second dose received six months ago; a second dose vaccination service to persons having recovered from previous COVID-19 infection; and a second dose BioNTech vaccination service to persons aged 12 to 17.

Vaccination

Although Hong Kongs inbound control measures against the importation of cases have thus far yielded desirable results, virus variants continue to wreak havoc around the world and it cannot be ruled out that the virus can break through the anti-epidemic barrier, putting our community at risk. We must seize the time made available to us by the inbound control measures to raise Hong Kongs vaccination rate to enhance the overall immunity of the community. The Governments COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has already been rolled out for more than 300 days, and the minimum age of taking the Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines has been lowered to 12. However, the overall vaccination rate is only 72%, with less than half of those aged between 70 and 79 having been vaccinated and the vaccination rate of the group aged 80 or above is only about 20%. Due to the higher infection risk of the elderly, the current vaccination situation is far from desirable. I hope that people would encourage elderly friends and family members, including those living in residential care homes, to get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, as the virus variants have undermined the protection of vaccines, it is necessary to arrange booster doses for the public. The Government has announced that from January 1 next year, people who have received two doses of the vaccine at least six months ago and aged 18 and above, no matter whether they are the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines, can receive a third dose of the vaccine. People who have specific needs (for example, outbound travel) and have received the second dose at least three months ago can visit the Community Vaccination Centres, where staff members would arrange for them to take the third dose of the vaccine earlier on a case-by-case and discretionary basis. Immunocompromised persons are required to bring along a medical certificate when they receive the third dose of the vaccine four weeks to three months after receiving the second dose. As for adolescents aged between 12 and 17 who have received one dose of the BioNTech vaccine at least 12 weeks earlier, they can make an appointment to receive the second dose of the BioNTech vaccine from January 1.

Hong Kong is one of the places that provides the most convenient vaccination services, with multiple channels for people to receive vaccination. Apart from the Community Vaccination Centres with extended opening hours, members of the public can also get vaccinated at the COVID-19 Vaccination Stations at public hospitals, designated clinics under the Hospital Authority, private clinics providing the Sinovac vaccine, private healthcare institutions that have enrolled in the BioNTech Vaccination Pilot Scheme and the COVID-19 mobile vaccination stations. What is lacking now is the willingness of a minority of people to receive vaccination. In addition to using various means to encourage more people to get vaccinated, we will consider the timely introduction of "vaccine passports", where all members of the public, save for those who have not been vaccinated owing to health reasons, will be required to present vaccination proof to enter designated premises or participate in specific activities. Among them, a vaccine bubble arrangement at government buildings and offices will be implemented in mid-February next year, under which government employees entering such premises for work-related purposes will be required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Exceptions will be made for people who can provide valid medical certificates to prove that they are unfit to receive vaccination due to their health conditions.

Getting vaccinated can protect ourselves and others. It will also create favourable conditions for the resumption of cross-boundary travel with the Mainland, which is eagerly awaited by members of the public, and enable us to emerge from the epidemic. I once again sincerely appeal to members of the public to get vaccinated in line with the Governments arrangements.

With the New Year around the corner, I wish everyone in Hong Kong good health and happiness in 2022.

Postscript: In my anti-epidemic report for July this year, I introduced the contributions made by the application of technology in the fight against COVID-19 in Hong Kong. I am pleased that two of the government-led anti-epidemic projects, namely Achieving Zero-COVID with the Integrated Hong Kong Digital Health Platform and the StayHomeSafe home quarantine monitoring system, were among the winners at the 20th Asia Pacific Information & Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards announced in mid-December.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued this article titled Guarding Against Virus Variants Striving to Maintain Dynamic Zero Infection on December 28.

This story has been published on: 2021-12-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Posted on Dec 28, 2021 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Tank Duel takes to the Desert  Tank Duel Expansion 1 North Africa and Tank Pack 1  Board Game Review

Rick Martin

Tank Duel Expansion 1 North Africa Board Game Review. Publisher: GMT Games Designer: Mike Bertucelli Price $70 and Tank Pack 1 $38

Passed Inspection: beautiful components, new rules for the North African environment, new rules for infantry and anti-tank guns, night combat, open topped vehicles, recon units, multi-gun tanks, updated solo rules

Failed Basic: nothing at all

Box Art

The crew of the Marder II worked like a finely oiled machine as the driver put the tank hunter in to a hull down position near a depression in the desert. The commander spotted a Crusader moving at cruising speed in the distance. Probably on a scouting mission or maybe it got separated from its unit after the sandstorm cleared, thought the commander. He and his crew were green but were trusted enough by his unit to put his Marder on an over watch mission. Load AP. he said. AP loaded answered the loader. Target Mk II Crusader. 900 meters. Fire when ready he ordered. His gunner fired but the shot fell short. Suddenly the Crusader turned towards them throwing up a dust cloud as the fast cruiser tank zigzagged to avoid being targeted. The Marders gun fired again and missed. The Crusader was closing and looked like it would outflank them. If it got a shot into the open, unarmored back of the tank hunter, he and his men were doomed. In the distance, about a mile away, the Marder commander could see a larger dust cloud being thrown up by over a dozen Allied tanks. Wait for him to get a little closer then destroy him so we can get out of here said the commander. At 500 meters the Crusader slowed as it tried to get the Marder in sight. Fire! ordered the commander. The shot hit true and the Crusader exploded. Its turret flying into the air. Good kill, now back up and head back to base full speed. His green crew had their first battle victory and would celebrate if they made it back to their base alive.

Marder v Crusader

So played out one small skirmish in my play of Tank Duels new North Africa expansion.

The base set of Tank Duel was reviewed last year and was one of my favorite games of 2020. It put you right in the action of the Russian Front during World War 2. (See the review of the base game by clicking on this link : http://armchairgeneral.com/tank-duel-puts-you-right-in-to-the-action-gmts-tank-duel-board-game-review.htm ) But North Africa was always my favorite theatre of the war probably because I knew an American and a German who served there and they had shared hours of stories with me over the years. Now GMT Games has rolled out the North African expansion and Im loving it.

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So what in the box you ask? Let me tell you!

Components

The components include the following British, German and Italian tanks, tank hunters and armored cars:

Cruiser Mk. IV

Crusader Mk. II

M3 Grant

Matilda Mk. IV

Sherman Mk. III

Valentine Mk. II

Valentine Mk. III

M13/40

Semovente da 75/18

Marder II

Panzer III H

Panzer IV E

Panzer IV F/2

Sd. Kfz. 232 8-rad

Italian and British crew counters.

Tons of status counters.

103 new cards representing North African terrain and conditions

24 page rule and scenario book

Tank Duels North Africa Expansion adds in rules for the terrain you encounter in that specific theater and since the view on the cards allows you to see what it may look like from inside your tank, you also get building views from North Africa.

A Tommy in the Gun Sight

Additionally new rules include expanded rules for infantry and anti-tank guns (yes you can attack them now which was one of my few criticisms of the base game), special ammunition, heat, sandstorms, soft sand, night time battles, blowing dust and vehicle dust, heat haze, crew fatigue, land mines, recon patrols, multi-gun tanks, rates of fire, open topped vehicles (like the Marder mentioned above), scenario creation and expanded solo rules. There is a lot packed in to those 24 pages!

There are also 11 scenarios which walk you through the new rules.

The components are all first rate and the artwork and graphic design is a work of art! As with the base game, the rules are very understandable and presented in a logical manner.

The Grant

Semovente

8 Rad

Now lets look at the Tank Duel Tank Pack 1 which gives you 8 new tanks usable with both the base game and the North Africa Expansion.. The pack also includes 6 more scenarios and some special rules.

The 8 new tanks are:

KV-1

T-26

M3 Stuart Mk II (Honey)

Churchill Mk IV

Panzer IV F/1

Panzer III G

Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma

More Tigers!

Tank Pack 1

More Tanks

But Wait Theres More

Whats not to love? Well maybe they could include a King Tiger?

These two expansions are first rate. If you are a World War 2 tank head as I am, you must give Tank Duel a test drive. I guarantee you wont regret it!

Armchair General Rating: 100% (1% is bad, 100% is perfect)

Solitaire Rating: 5

(1 is not suitable, 5 is excellent solo play)

About the Author

A college film instructor and small business owner, Richard Martin has also worked in the legal and real estate professions, is involved in video production, film criticism, sports shooting and is an avid World War I and II gamer. He designed the games Tiger Leader, The Tiger Leader Expansion and Sherman Leader for DVG and has designed the solo system for Forsage Games Age of Dogfights. Currently Rick is designing T34 Leader for DVG. In addition, Rick can remember war games which came in plastic bags and cost $2.99 (hes really that old)!
Third COVID-19 jab to be completed by Q1 2022, says Health Ministry

The Ministry of Heath has requested that all localities nationwide complete the injection of the third round of COVID-19 vaccinations for adults by the first quarter of 2022.













Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son addresses the meeting (Photos: Suc khoe & doi song)



The request was made by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son during a meeting on December 27 to celebrate International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.



Son noted that second shots for people aged 18 and above, particularly those suffering from chronic diseases and individuals over 50, must be completed no later than December 31, while those between the ages of 12 and 18 must be done in January 2022.



In line with the current vaccination process, Son stressed that Vietnam will complete its first-dose coverage for 100% of the population aged 18 and above, and achieve a second-dose coverage of 90% by the end of the year.



Furthermore, children aged 12 and above will also receive enough basic doses by the end of the year.



As of December 24, roughly 144 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered throughout the country.


Vietnam reports first Omicron infection

A person who recently arrived in Hanoi from the UK has been found infected with the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which is Vietnam's first Omicron infection, the Ministry of Health announced Tuesday.

Vietnam reports first Omicron infection. Photo for illustration





According to the Ministry, the person arrived at Noi Bai Airport on the QH9028 flight on December 19. They had positive results for SARS-CoV-2 using quick testing and were sent to the 108 Military Hospital for quarantine and treatment. Here they took another test using RT-PCR method which confirmed their Covid-19 infection.



Genetic sequencing on December 20 and December 21 showed that the person is infected with the Omicron, or B.1.1.529 variant, the ministry said.



This is the first Omicron infection case confirmed in Vietnam so the ministry has reported the case to the government for instructions on preventive measures.



The Omicron was first identified in late November and has raised concerns in many countries due to its higher transmissibility. So far more than 80 countries and territories have detected the variant, including some Asian countries like Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Culture-tourism village to celebrate New Year 2022 with jubilant activities

Jubilant celebration activities will be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the Dong Mo Tourism Area in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, from January 1-3, 2022, to welcome in New Year 2022.









Culture-tourism village to celebrate New Year 2022 with jubilant activities (Photo: VNA)

The programme will highlight the craft of brocade weaving, a traditional craft of ethnic groups at the village. In addition to being introduced to the typical features of brocade weaving, visitors can also explore the techniques and processes of making a piece of brocade, including carding, dyeing, spinning, and weaving.



The craft plays an important role in the spiritual life of ethnic people, including the Bahnar in Gia Lai Province and the Ta Oi in Thua Thien Hue Province, as brocade is an indispensable part of their traditional rituals.



The festival-goers to the village can join a New Year banquet, which brings together typical dishes of ethnic groups, and enjoy folklore songs and dances along with interesting puppetry performances staged by artists from the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre.



Traditional cake making contests, exciting folk games, and tours to Khmer pagodas and Cham towers in the village will also be organised within the framework of the programme.
Signs of disunity prompt concerns about EU solidarity

Xinhua) 08:09, December 28, 2021

People walk past the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

As 2021 draws to a close, the unfolding consequences of Brexit, speculations over a Polish exit from the EU, and the lingering migrant crisis have continued to weigh heavily on EU member states' sense of cohesion and solidarity.

The European Commission has proposed to make 2022 the European Year of Youth, hoping the younger generation will strengthen European solidarity and build a better future -- a mission already taken by some.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Europe has persevered through a year of challenges in 2021, in the wake of Brexit and amid painstaking efforts towards economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the year draws to a close, the unfolding consequences of Brexit, speculations over a Polish exit from the European Union (EU), and the lingering migrant crisis have continued to weigh heavily on EU member states' sense of cohesion and solidarity.

THORNY POST-BREXIT ISSUES

In one of the most heart-breaking headlines, 27 undocumented migrants died in an English Channel boat accident on Nov. 24 while trying to reach the UK from France. The accident triggered a squabble between the two countries, which blamed each other for the tragedy.

The channel shipwreck further aggravated Anglo-French relations, which had already been strained following London's signing of the AUKUS pact with the United States and Australia in September, and the dispute over licenses for French fishermen to fish in British waters after Brexit.

Another major post-Brexit row concerns the Northern Ireland protocol, a deal agreed by the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods.

But the arrangement has led to checks on goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, creating a barrier to trade within the UK. After six months of unfruitful negotiations, the row will continue in 2022.

Analysts interpret Brexit as a warning sign for European integration, following which new divisions could be created between EU member states, notably between Eurozone and non-Eurozone countries, net-payers and net-recipients from the EU budget, and between member states in the north and south, and east and west.

"The threat of European disintegration following Brexit has reversed the seemingly irreversible course of 'ever closer union'," said University of Cambridge PhD candidate Ugur Tekiner in an article, adding that the EU needs effective leadership to set a clear trajectory for the integration process.

An EU flag is seen in front of a UK flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

"POLEXIT"?

Poland was in the limelight again in October after its top court ruled primacy of national constitution over EU law -- a ruling that challenged the supremacy of EU law, considered as a central pillar of European integration.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the ruling called EU foundations into question, "a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order."

Critics of Poland's government feared the ruling would push the country further on the way out of the EU, though the government dismissed the idea as "fake news."

As the absolute majority of Poland's citizens strongly support its EU membership, only a few believe that the country, the largest beneficiary of EU funding, is leaving the EU.

The Polish government, led by the conservative Law and Justice party, has been in conflict with EU officials since it took power in 2015. The dispute is mainly over changes to the Polish judicial system, which give the ruling party more power over the courts.

Polish authorities say they aim to reform what they describe as a corrupt and inefficient justice system, whereas the European Commission believes such changes erode the country's democratic system of checks and balances and is holding up billions of euros to Poland earmarked in a pandemic recovery plan.

The commission announced last week that it was taking legal action against Poland for violating EU law and compromising judicial independence of Polish judges, prompting a rebuke from Warsaw.

People walk near the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, May 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

MIGRANT CRISIS

Meanwhile, a months-long standoff at the border between Poland and Belarus lasted from summer into winter. The border crisis escalated last month, when large groups of migrants tried to cross from Belarus into the EU, raising the specter of a humanitarian emergency.

The EU blamed Belarus for sending migrants over the border as retaliation for EU sanctions, whereas Minsk denied the accusation.

The European Commission put forward a set of temporary asylum and return measures to assist Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, three EU members bordering Belarus, in addressing the emergency. According to the proposal, migrants could be held in closed camps at the border for up to four months and faster deportations will explicitly be authorized.

The move, however, came under immediate criticism from some members of the European Parliament and rights groups, who said the new approach was unacceptable and "putting politics over people's lives," especially at a time when Belarus had already evacuated the main camps at its border with Poland and expatriated hundreds of asylum seekers.

The EU's -- and its individual member states' -- approach to migration has created what appears to be a permanent crisis of solidarity. This is a heated and increasingly divisive issue within the bloc and even within the member states, prompting the EU to tackle the crisis from its root.

The European Commission has proposed to make 2022 the European Year of Youth, hoping the younger generation will strengthen European solidarity and build a better future -- a mission already taken by some.

Since the age of 18, British humanitarian aid worker Mary Finn has been involved in sea rescue operations for migrants off the coasts of Greece, Turkey and Libya. Now at 24, she bears witness to the situation of refugees in Europe and its consequences on European politics.

"We are not alone, there is a generation of young people who are not willing to stand by and watch humanity and our planet fall apart," she said in an Instagram posting after the premiere of a documentary on the experience of herself and her peers at Cannes Film Festival in July.

A child is seen at a refugee camp near the Belarusian-Polish border in Belarus, Nov. 14, 2021. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China shortens negative lists for foreign investment for 5th straight year

Xinhua) 08:10, December 28, 2021

Staff members weigh raw materials at a solids workshop at Bayer HealthCare Company Limited Qidong Branch in Qidong, east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday unveiled two shortened negative lists for foreign investment, as part of efforts to further open up the economy and promote high-quality economic development.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that the world's second largest economy has revised its national negative list and pilot free trade zone (FTZ) negative list.

The number of items that are off-limits for foreign investors will be cut to 31 in the 2021 version of the national negative list from 33 in the 2020 version, according to a statement jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Commerce.

The number of items on the pilot FTZ negative list will be reduced to 27 from 30 in the 2020 version.

The two new negative lists will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

According to the new lists, foreign ownership caps on passenger car manufacturing companies will be removed. All manufacturing sectors will be open to foreign investors in the pilot FTZs.

Foreign investors' access to the service sector in pilot FTZs will also be widened. Foreign investment will be allowed in the social survey industry, but ownership by foreign investors should be no more than 33 percent and the legal representatives should have Chinese nationality.

For those industries that are not included in the negative lists, foreign-invested enterprises should be given national treatment, said an official with the NDRC.

China has remained steadfast in opening up wider and further facilitating foreign entry to the country over the past few years, as well as in improving its business environment. The number of sectors prohibited to foreign investors has been markedly reduced.

Meanwhile, a number of major opening-up measures have been introduced in industries including finance and automobiles, creating broader room for foreign investment.

Bucking a sharp drop in global cross-border investment, China attracted 149.34 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investment in 2020, maintaining its status as the world's second biggest recipient of foreign investment.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Commentary: U.S. containment of China's tech gains little

Xinhua) 08:11, December 28, 2021

The U.S. efforts to contain China's tech is akin to two cyclists racing uphill. The leader stops and casts his bike aside, choosing instead to set up roadblocks to slow down his closing competitor. (Xinhua/Pan Hongyu)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government has redoubled its efforts to blacklist Chinese tech startups and research institutions. It is paying a great price for little reward.

One can find in the ever-expanding Entity List, made by the U.S. Department of Commerce, China's supercomputer makers, quantum tech pioneers, 5G-tech suppliers, robot producers, AI camera manufacturers and many STEM colleges that train skilled technicians for the world's factory.

It is hard to ignore, beneath its shiny veneer, the top tech powerhouse's increasing angst over losing its tech supremacy, despite its empty cries of national security threats, potential dual-use, intellectual property theft and human right abuses.

Wanting to secure its tech supremacy is understandable. But the only tactics the U.S. government brings to the playing field are blocking and blacklisting. Washington is quick to scapegoat China, but rather slow to revitalize its domestic infrastructure that props up emerging technologies.

It is akin to two cyclists racing uphill. The leader stops and casts his bike aside, choosing instead to hurl a monkey wrench at his closing competitor.

The latest example is that the United States has managed to form a clique of allies in developing 6G, the next-generation wireless technology, in an attempt to outmaneuver China.

A 6G landscape without China will be forever incomplete. Nikkei Asia, after surveying around 20,000 patent applications for nine core 6G technologies, found that China topped the list with over 40 percent of all 6G patent filings.

A world with two telecom standards would surely hamper global economic growth and also deprive U.S. companies of plentiful business opportunities in China.

The U.S. tech companies have suffered in their domestic market as well. As the telecom equipment provided by Chinese suppliers was banned in the country, small U.S. telecom providers are struggling to survive, threatening even the basic broadband services in the country's remote areas.

The tremendous efforts by the United States to churn out bills and executive orders to curb China's technological advances could have been redirected at serving the people.

China's 5G network is expanding to sustain its digital prosperity. But it is developed with the domestic market in mind, not some imagined foreign enemy.

China's tech ambition is also open to global participation. Its space station under construction will become an important near-earth lab in the coming decade.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Newsweek in September that he wished China would cooperate with the U.S. space agency. However, the Wolf Amendment passed by U.S. Congress in 2011 is removing any possibility for collaboration.

Now, the blacklist makes cooperative prospects even worse. It brings few benefits to the United States, only helping to pick out, as a side effect, the most vibrant industries in China, contrary to the list-maker's initial intention.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Chinese defense minister holds video talks with Japanese counterpart

Xinhua) 08:33, December 28, 2021

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Monday held talks via video link with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, at the invitation of the latter.

Wei said that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties. The two sides should adhere to the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, enhance strategic mutual trust, properly handle conflicts and differences, and achieve win-win cooperation, he said.

Chinese and Japanese defense authorities should strengthen high-level exchanges and practical cooperation, jointly manage risks, prevent the escalation of conflicts, and continuously boost defense cooperation, Wei said.

Kishi said Japan is willing to work with China to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen strategic communication and crisis management, and make joint efforts to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Chinese defense minister urges Japan to learn from history, after Japanese forces' mock drills concerning Diaoyu Islands

By Liu Xuanzun (Global Times) 08:38, December 28, 2021

Wei Fenghe (Photo/MOD)

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Monday that Japan should face squarely up to and learn from history, and that China will resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the East China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands, shortly after Japanese media reported that Japan recently conducted an exercise under the assumption that "foreign forces" occupied the Diaoyu Islands.

The drill, exposing Japan's right-wing militarist ambitions and its failure to reflect on history, was obviously a provocation targeting China, as Japan tries to play a role in the US' attempts to contain China, analysts said.

During the video conference on Monday in an arrangement with Kishi, Wei said that China and Japan should enhance strategic mutual trust, deal with contradictions and differences properly, and realize win-win cooperation, according to a statement the Chinese Defense Ministry released on Monday.

On the issues concerning the East China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands, China will resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Wei said, noting that both countries should have their eyes on the overall situation of bilateral relations, and make efforts to keep the East China Sea situation stable.

Japan must face squarely up to history and learn lessons from history, and this is the right attitude and the smart choice, Wei said.

Chinese and Japanese defense authorities should enhance high-level exchanges and practical cooperation in order to manage risks and prevent the escalation of differences, Wei said, as he also explained China's principles and positions on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue.

Kishi said that enhancing defense exchanges and cooperation between the two countries are of significance to the development of bilateral ties and maintaining regional stability, as Japan is willing to build constructive, stable Japan-China relations together with China.

The meeting comes shortly after Japan's Kyodo News reported on Monday that Japan's Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard and police held a two-day drill from November 20 at an uninhabited island in Nagasaki Prefecture with land features resembling one of the islets that makes up the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

The exercise was aimed at improving the cooperation among organizations including the Self-Defense Forces and the coast guard to prepare for "gray zone" situations that stop short of full-fledged military attacks on Japan, Kyodo News reported, citing several Japanese government sources.

Citing the Japanese government, the report said the exercise was "not intended for a specific island or a country."

However, Chinese experts said the drill obviously pointed at China, as the Diaoyu Islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times.

Recently, the China Coast Guard organized normal patrol missions within the 12 nautical miles of the Diaoyu Islands to safeguard China's sovereignty, and Japan wanted to deter the Chinese coast guard vessels with the drill, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the Naval Research Academy of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told the Global Times on Monday.

Near the Diaoyu Islands, Japan normally only uses coast guard ships to face China's coast guard ships, but it added warships of the Self-Defense Forces in the mock drill, Zhang pointed out, noting that this is a provocation aimed to threaten China.

However, Japan cannot achieve its goal, and China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang said.

Japan has been ramping up military preparations against China.

On Wednesday, vessels from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard held a joint exercise near the Izu Islands, in which the Japanese ships "prevented" Chinese vessels from approaching the simulated Diaoyu Islands, Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday.

Japanese and US militaries have drawn up a draft joint operation plan that would enable the setting up of an attack base along the Nansei island chain in the country's southwest in the event of a Taiwan contingency, Kyodo News reported on Thursday.

Not only that, the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved Friday a defense budget of 5.40 trillion yen ($47 billion) for fiscal 2022, setting a record high for the eighth consecutive year, to advance the development of new technologies to face China, Kyodo News reported on the day.

Japan's right-wing forces are aiming to hype the "China threat theory," so the country can expand defense funding, while also strengthening the US-Japan Alliance in the US' Indo-Pacific strategies, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

China needs to pay attention to Japan's aggressive attempt at military expansion, and be careful if its right-wing forces launch a Pearl Harbor-like surprise attack, Wei Dongxu warned.

Another Chinese military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday that Japan is trying to follow the US' lead in containing China by hyping the Diaoyu Islands issue and actively attempting to interfere in the Taiwan question in order to gain more US support, using this excuse to develop its military strength and break away from the pacifist constitution.

Japan should reflect on history, and it should not allow militarism to revive and repeat the disaster of World War II, the expert said.

The PLA Navy's Liaoningaircraft carrier battle group apparently just wrapped up its far sea training in the West Pacific after it was spotted returning to the East China Sea via the Miyako Strait on Saturday, Kyodo News said in a separate report on Monday, citing Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff.

According to Japanese reports, the Chinese aircraft carrier groupcrossed the Miyako Strait and entered the Pacific Ocean on December 16, where it conducted intensive exercises involving takeoffs and landings of vessel-based fighter jets and helicopters in international waters southeast of Japan, before returning.

Chinese military experts reached by the Global Times said the aircraft carrier Liaoning's exercises are routine and don't target any third party, but at the same time, the drills must have been carried out in a realistic combat scenario.

The West Pacific is an important potential battlefield if foreign forces like the US and Japan militarily interfere in the Taiwan question, as Chinese aircraft carriers could take positions in that area and fend off foreign forces, while also surrounding the island of Taiwan from the east, analysts said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's Shaanxi reports 651 COVID-19 cases in latest resurgence

Xinhua) 08:43, December 28, 2021

XI'AN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has reported a total of 651 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases from Dec. 9 to Sunday, in the latest resurgence.

Of the total, 635 cases were reported in Xi'an, the provincial capital, Zhang Bo, deputy director of the Xi'an municipal health commission, told a press briefing Monday.

On Sunday, the province reported 152 local COVID-19 cases, with 150 in Xi'an. Of the 150 in the city, 67 were found through mass nucleic acid testing and 82 were found among those in quarantine in designated places, while the remaining case was detected when the person sought medical help, Zhang said.

Local authorities will strive to contain COVID-19 in the shortest time with the help of lockdown measures and the support of local residents, said Ma Guanghui, deputy director of the provincial health commission.

The province has placed 16,798 close contacts of the cases and 34,291 secondary close contacts under medical observation.

Authorities in Xi'an have upgraded epidemic control and prevention measures starting Monday, ordering all residents to stay indoors and keep away from gatherings except when taking nucleic acid tests.

Health authorities in the city have launched the fifth round of mass nucleic acid testing starting Monday noon in a bid to weed out as many infections as possible.

The provincial center for disease control and prevention has finished the whole genome sequencing of 137 cases and found they are highly homologous with imported cases aboard an inbound flight on Dec. 4.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Canada urged to adopt objective view of China

Xinhua) 08:52, December 28, 2021

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Canada should replace its wrong perception of China with an objective and rational view, and work with China to bring bilateral relations back onto the right track of development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday.

Zhao made the remarks when asked to comment on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that like-minded nations must show a united front against China's "coercive diplomacy" and moves to play democratic countries off one another.

The remarks made by the Canadian leader are inconsistent with facts and full of misunderstanding and misjudgment about China, Zhao said.

China is committed to the path of peaceful development and seeks peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with all countries. China's diplomacy is aboveboard without any involvement of coercion or acts of sowing discord, Zhao said.

"In fact, China is a victim of 'coercive diplomacy' carried out by the U.S. and other Western countries," he said, citing examples that the U.S. government plotted the Meng Wanzhou incident in an attempt to contain and suppress China's high-tech industry.

He also said a handful of countries led by the United States wantonly interfered in China's internal affairs on issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang in the name of human rights and democracy, trying to impose their "rules" on China.

"This is flat-out coercive diplomacy," Zhao said.

Noting that the China-Canada relations are at a crossroads, Zhao said Canada must think clearly "whether it regards China as a partner or a rival."

He said that China attaches importance to developing ties with Canada and stands ready to develop bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit.

"Canada should abandon its wrong perception of China, adopt an objective and rational view of China, pursue a positive and pragmatic China policy, and work with China to bring bilateral relations back onto the right track of development," Zhao said.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Two hospitals in Xi'an resume outpatient, emergency services during COVID-19 resurgence

Xinhua) 09:08, December 28, 2021

Patients wait in lines at the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 27, 2021. Two hospitals affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University have resumed outpatient and emergency services with strict epidemic prevention and control measures, as the city is coping with a recent resurgence of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
U.S. attempt to hinder Xinjiangs development under guise of human rights doomed to failure

09:31, December 28, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

For some time, some U.S. politicians have repeatedly spread rumors about issues related to northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to create trouble for China under the guise of upholding human rights.

Recently, the U.S. signed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law, continuing to maliciously confuse right and wrong and defame the human rights situation in Xinjiang in total disregard of facts.

A tourist rides snowmobile at a ski resort in Hami city, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Dec. 25, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Li Hua)

The move constitutes a flagrant provocation against the basic conscience and justice of humanity and gross interference in the internal affairs of China, and has seriously violated international law and the basic norms governing international relations. China is indignant at and strongly opposed to it.

Relevant actions of the U.S. have nothing to do with human rights, but are completely political manipulation and economic bullying. By imposing sanctions upon enterprises in Xinjiang, the U.S. vainly attempts to cause forced unemployment and forced poverty for the region, drag people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang into poverty, seclusion and backwardness, and eventually destabilize the region and impede Chinas development.

Such misdeeds that violate market rules and business ethics will only sabotage the stability of global industrial and supply chains, disrupt international trade order, and damage the interests and credibility of the U.S. itself.

The essence of Xinjiang-related issues is the issue of countering violence and terrorism, de-radicalization, and anti-separatism. The so-called allegations of genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang are nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces in the West, including the U.S.

At the 48th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, nearly 100 countries voiced their support for Chinas position regarding Xinjiang in various ways, including releasing joint statement, making separate speeches, and sending joint letter, stressing that Xinjiang-related issues are purely Chinas internal affairs that should not be interfered in by any other country and expressing opposition to interference in Chinas internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

These sonorous and forceful voices of justice have proven again that justice naturally inhabits peoples hearts.

Tourists ride snow bicycles in Wugongtai township, Hutubi county, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Dec. 18, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Tao Weiming)

The absurd accusations made by the U.S. against Xinjiang are clearly scotched by the fact that people of various ethnic groups in the region are enjoying unity, harmony, common progress, and happy lives.

At present, Xinjiang is in an optimal period for development in its history. People of all ethnic groups in the region are closely united as family members, just like pomegranate seeds that stick together, and working together to create a better and happier life.

Every family living in the vast areas both north and south of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang has stable livelihood and steady monthly income. Meanwhile, the income of people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang has increased continuously, their living standards have been improved with each passing day, and their sense of gain, happiness, and security has been significantly enhanced.

Just like what international personages who have visited Xinjiang and witnessed the regions development said, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are equal and united, and they jointly develop and build the region and share a happy life; the traditional cultures of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are rich and splendid, and the local peoples freedom of religious belief is protected and respected; and Xinjiangs human rights development and progress are obvious to all.

No human right is more important than the right to a happy life, and employment is pivotal to peoples wellbeing.

In recent years, Xinjiangs policy system that protects peoples employment and labor rights has been further improved, while the regions scale of employment has expanded constantly. Besides, the regions employment structure is continuously optimized, and its workforce quality has witnessed a significant increase.

From 2014 to 2020, the total employed population in Xinjiang grew from about 11.35 million to 13.56 million, up by 19.4 percent.

While vigorously boosting local employment, Xinjiang safeguarded peoples legitimate rights and interests strictly according to law, such as workers equal right to employment, right to remuneration for labor, right to social insurance and welfare, right to rest and holiday, and right to occupational safety, constantly strengthening the protection of the rights and interests of workers.

The accusation of forced labor in Xinjiang has no credibility at all, said Zamir Ahmed Awan, deputy director of the Center for Chinese Studies, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan.

Photo taken on Dec. 9, 2021 shows people reading books at a public library of Lop county, Hotan prefecture, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Recently, Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co., Ltd. donated books to the library. (Peoples Daily Online/ Ainiwaer)

Xinjiang has well-established employment policies, said Awan, who has visited Xinjiang many times.

Acting as human rights preacher and judge, some people in the U.S. always make irresponsible remarks on the human rights situation of other countries in a condescending manner. Ironically, it is the U.S. that is a habitual criminal repeatedly committing the crime of forced labor.

Its several hundred years of trafficking, abusing and discriminating against black slaves has made forced labor an indelible stain on its history of pursuing prosperity. Even to this day, there are still about 500,000 children working in the agricultural sector in the U.S., and between 240,000 and 325,000 women and children are victims of sexual slavery in the country.

During the past five years, up to 100,000 people were trafficked into the U.S. for forced labor annually.

By falsely accusing China of the crimes and evil deeds the U.S. itself has committed, the U.S. is gauging the heart of a gentleman with its own mean measure out of ulterior motives.

Xinjiang-related issues are purely Chinas internal affairs that brook no external interference. No matter how hard the U.S. tries to cook up lies about and stir up trouble in Xinjiang, it can never stop the resolute steps of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang toward a better life or hinder Chinas firm strides along its development path.

The Chinese government and people have unswerving determination to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests. The U.S. side must correct its mistakes immediately and stop spreading rumors about Xinjiang, otherwise it will eventually pay dearly for its arrogance.

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

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Spokesperson slams Western politicians, media for biased views on HK issues

Xinhua) 11:30, December 28, 2021

Photo taken on Nov. 24, 2021 shows a view of Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson with China's central government on Monday slammed some politicians and media comments from the United States and other Western countries for their biased and narrow views on Hong Kong-related issues.

Their incapability of getting a clear understanding of Hong Kong-related issues is pathetic, said the spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

Refuting some politicians and media opinions, the spokesperson said their assertion that "the UK secured universal suffrage for Hong Kong" is nothing but fictitious.

No mention is made of universal suffrage or democracy in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the spokesperson said, stressing that for the good of Hong Kong's long-term development, the Chinese government set as the ultimate goal that the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be selected and the legislature constituted by universal suffrage.

It is the anti-China forces in Hong Kong that obstructed the goal of electing the chief executive by universal suffrage, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the national security law in Hong Kong only targets an extremely small number of people damaging national security, noting that only some 150 people were arrested on suspicion of violating the law.

The improved electoral system excludes nobody but those anti-China elements in Hong Kong, and all Hong Kong residents living up to the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" have the opportunity to stand for election, said the spokesperson.

The just-completed election of the seventh-term Legislative Council of the HKSAR saw unprecedented diversity of the background of candidates, and the nominees come from different political groups and factions, the spokesperson added.

The white paper on the development of democracy in the HKSAR released by China's State Council Information Office presents a comprehensive review of the birth and development of democracy in Hong Kong with detailed facts and data, and expounds on the principle and stance of the central government, said the spokesperson, calling on the U.S. and Western politicians and media outlets to learn speaking with facts.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
U.S. Xinjiang-related act based on lies, misinformation: Uygur scholars

Xinhua) 13:33, December 28, 2021

A technician checks the quality of products at a garment company in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug 25, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

URUMQI, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States' signing of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law was based on lies and misinformation concocted by certain anti-China forces, said scholars at a symposium in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The attendees said that this so-called act ignored Xinjiang's tremendous efforts to promote the employment of people of all ethnic groups, and aimed to strip the people of their right to pursue a better life.

"Due to harsh natural conditions and a weak industrial foundation, there was a serious surplus of rural labor in southern Xinjiang in the past," said Gulnal Ederas, associate professor at the law school of Xinjiang University. "Therefore, rural residents in southern Xinjiang, who had difficulties hunting for jobs, had long been trapped in poverty."

Over the years, governments at all levels in Xinjiang have strived to help the poor shake off poverty by transferring workforce across the region to other provinces and municipalities, noted Gulnal Ederas.

"Over the years, many ethnic minority workers in Xinjiang have worked in developed areas in eastern and central China. They've mastered new skills, broadened horizons and improved their living standards," Gulnal Ederas said.

But these effective measures were vilified by the U.S. government and some western media as "forced labor." "Ethnic minorities in Xinjiang work out of their own free will, and it is their right and freedom to pursue a better life," said Sabina Mutallip, a lecturer at Xinjiang Normal University.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Protest against increasing crime staged in U.S. Chicago Chinatown

Xinhua) 14:00, December 28, 2021

People take part in a protest in Chicago, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2021. Hundreds of residents and business owners and employees Monday afternoon staged a two-hour silence protest against increasing crimes targeting local residents and businesses in Chicago. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

CHICAGO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of residents and business owners and employees in Chinatown on the South Side of Chicago staged a two-hour silence protest Monday afternoon to protest against increasing crime targeted at local residents and businesses.

Businesses in Chinatown closed for two hours as the protestors walked around the community in silence, holding banners "Crime is Crime" and "Stop Asian Hate".

A flyer circulated to bystanders read: "The community we once lived and worked in peace is now shrouded in fear and danger. In a country known for the American dream and freedom, our lives and property are under unprecedented threats. By keeping our heads down and hoping for the best, our situation will not change."

The flyer called on people to display their frustration and get united. "When our voices are ignored, we can express our protest in silence."

In the latter half of this year, robbery, grabbing of cars, smashing of businesses' doors and windows for burglary have become normal and even an everyday event in Chinatown. On Dec. 9, a 71-year-old man of Chinese origin was shot 22 times in broad daylight on the street in Chinatown, out of nothing.

The violence harassing Chinatown is just an epitome of Chicago struggling with rising crime rate. Crime in Chicago is not limited to certain districts today, it is a phenomenon in most areas of the city.

Jack Lavin, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said in mid-December that Chicago is "at a crossroads" because of rising crime and "skyrocketing" commercial property taxes. Crime is paramount, so is the perception of public safety and the rampant fear that Chicago is no longer a safe place to live, work, shop and visit, he said.

According to city data, Chicago tops the nation in violent deaths so far in 2021, with homicides in the city topping 780, up nearly 60 percent from 2019, the year before the current national wave of urban violence began.

By Dec. 14, at least 4,328 people had been shot in Chicago this year, compared to 4,013 shooting victims in 2020 and 2,556 in 2019. Carjackings went up 31 percent from last year's troubling levels, from 1,303 to 1,707. In 2019, Chicago recorded 554 carjackings during the same period.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
A year of self-reliance: China's sci-tech highlights in 2021

Xinhua) 14:47, December 28, 2021

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- For Chinese scientists and engineers, the past 12 months have been a year like no other.

With the pandemic still raging, scientific and technological self-reliance took center stage, bringing in advances in frontiers like space exploration, quantum science, and the battle against COVID-19.

At the Beijing Aerospace Control Center this year, Zhang Rongqiao and Sun Jun were no strangers to the "big red screen." The giant display turns red when a mission is declared a success.

On May 15, Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's first Mars exploration mission, wiped tears from his eyes as Mars probe Tianwen-1 landed safely on the red planet. It was the country's first successful Mars mission and a giant leap for deep space exploration.

Launched on July 23, 2020, Tianwen-1 arrived at Mars in February and landed the lander and rover in May. Since then, the rover Zhurong has traveled more than 1,200 meters on the planet and is currently heading toward a region that might have been the coastline of an ancient ocean, looking for clues about Mars' evolution.

Earlier this month, Zhang was included on Nature's list of 10 people who were part of big stories in science in 2021. He said the landing gave him a taste of the old Chinese saying, "it takes 10 years to sharpen a good sword."

Sun Jun understands exactly what Zhang means by the old Chinese saying.

Sun, chief engineer of the space mission at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, started with his colleagues in 1995. "We didn't have a single line of software code or computers, never mind a ready-to-use guidebook," he recalled.

This year, Sun and his colleagues witnessed "big red screen" moments multiple times: the launch of the space station core module Tianhe, two launches of the cargo freighters Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3, two crewed flights of Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13, the safe return to Earth of the Shenzhou-12 crew, four extravehicular activities and a live class from the space station.

"Now we can say that we can safely and freely build, control, operate, and maintain the space station," Sun told reporters this month.

Like space research and engineering, quantum research also continued to gain momentum this year. The quantum research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) again hit the highlight list of the year.

Last year, China's quantum computer, Jiuzhang, performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would take a supercomputer 2.5 billion years to complete.

Critics say it's unclear whether the problem a U.S. quantum computer solved was indeed beyond the capabilities of a conventional machine, and Jiuzhang is not easily reprogrammable to solve more than one problem.

In an interview with Outlook Weekly under Xinhua, Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei said it took the team 20 years to make the breakthrough of Jiuzhang in 2020. They achieved a series of innovations on concepts and technologies this year, and Jiuzhang 2.0 arrived to address various issues.

In the 2021 "Highlights of the Year" story, the American Physical Society said "the USTC results stand out because they provided compelling arguments that a computer had finally achieved quantum primacy," a quantum system's ability to outperform the best possible classical computer in a given task. "The researchers observed exceptional quantum computational speedups that made the claim of quantum primacy hard to dispute."

As space and quantum researchers reap the rewards from years of dedication, Chinese vaccine producers and drug developers have earned plaudits from racing against the clock to fight COVID-19.

Throughout the year, China has been promoting mass vaccination along with the global vaccination plan. Earlier this month, two COVID-19 medicines were granted emergency approval, China's first approved COVID-19 virus-neutralizing antibody combination therapy with independent intellectual property rights.

Self-reliant innovation never ends, noted Sun. "Core technologies can only come from a country's own innovation," he said. "You'd better hold the safety rope yourself, rather than leave it to others."

Although tensions and the pandemic limited international cooperation, China has never forgotten to share its achievements and make encouraging commitments to the international community.

The country has delivered on its promise to make vaccines global public goods and made continued efforts to improve vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries. Over 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been provided to more than 120 countries and international organizations.

In March, China announced that its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, the world's largest single-dish radio observatory, can be accessed by astronomers worldwide.

On Dec. 1, Tianwen-1 and the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft successfully performed an in-orbit relay communication test. As the relay communication equipment interfaces of Zhurong and Mars Express match and conform to international standards, the Tianwen-1 and Mars Express teams will cooperate further in scientific data relay communication.

China has pledged to make its space station an open platform for international cooperation. A total of 17 countries will participate in the experiments aboard China's space station, covering aerospace medicine, life sciences and biotechnology, and astronomy.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
China leads world in 4 scientific fields

16:55, December 28, 2021 By ZHANG ZHIHAO ( China Daily

China is leading the world in four scientific fields in terms of the total number of citations generated by the country's international academic papers published over the past decade, according to annual reports published on Monday by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Technology.

These four fields are materials science, chemistry, engineering technology and computer science, with computer science being added to the list this year, the reports said. China also holds second place in 10 other fields, including agricultural science, biology and biochemistry, and environmental and ecological sciences.

The data for the reports was collected from global scientific literature databases including the Science Citation Index, Scopus and Ei Compendex.

Academic citation is one of the key indicators of a paper's quality and influence, and a country's total number of citations in a scientific field is commonly seen as a reflection of its overall research capability in that discipline.

Last year, China published 1,833 research papers and articles in 15 of the world's top scientific publications, including Nature, Science and Cell. This feat placed China two spots higher on the ranking than 2019, reaching second place last year behind the United States.

Zhao Zhiyun, director of the institute, said these achievements meant China's scientific literature has made noticeable progress in producing an increasing number of high-quality papers with global influence.

"We hope our reports can provide timely insights for science workers, administrators and policymakers to identify the latest trend in China's scientific literature and publication sector," she said.

Experts said that China climbed in the global ranking partly due to Chinese scientists publishing a large quantity of papers regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as co-authoring and publishing more papers with international peers.

Among them, Huang Chaolin, president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, published a paper in January last year in the journal The Lancet that described the clinical features of patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province. It had been cited over 13,000 times as of September, Zhao said.

Last year, Chinese scientists co-wrote around 144,500 scientific papers, 14,400 more than in 2019, with collaborators from 169 countries and regions. China's total number of co-authored papers had increased by 11.1 percent in 2020 compared with the previous year, with the US being China's biggest partner in scientific literature.

China also published 485 megacollaboration scientific papers last year, each involving at least 100 scientists and 50 research institutions, in fields such as particle physics, astrophysics and nuclear physics.

Guo Tiecheng, deputy director of the institute, said that from 2011 to October, China had published over 3.36 million international scientific papers, and these papers had been cited over 43.32 million times within that period. The US remains the world's top producer of scientific papers and has the largest number of citations.

However, China's average number of citations per paper is around 12.8 within the 10-year period, which is lower than the global average of 13.6, Guo said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe holds talks with Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto via video link on November 30, 2021. (Photo by Li Xiaowei)

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe holds talks with Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto via video link on November 30, 2021. (Photo by Li Xiaowei)

BEIJING, Nov. 30 -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe on Tuesday held talks with Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto via video link.

Wei said that President Xi Jinping and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries jointly announced the establishment of China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership lately, which has injected strong impetus into strengthening strategic mutual trust and all-round cooperation between the two sides.

Wei pointed out that, as important neighbors to each other, in recent years, China and Indonesia have witnessed cooperation in various fields has been expanded and the comprehensive strategic partnership deepened, the two countries should jointly oppose hegemonism and the Cold War mentality, properly handle existing contradictions and problems and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wei stressed that the Chinese military is ready to work with the Indonesian military to strengthen high-level communication, improve cooperation mechanisms, carry out closer multilateral coordination and advance anti-epidemic cooperation, so as to promote further development of military-to-military relations.

Prabowo said that Indonesia and China are friendly neighbors sharing weal and woe. He thanked China for providing Indonesia with valuable assistance in economic and trade exchanges and fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prabowo continued that the Indonesian military is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with the Chinese military, strengthen cooperation and multilateral coordination in such areas as joint exercises and training and personnel training, constantly upgrading the level of relations between the two militaries.

The two sides also briefed each other on their domestic situations and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.
Photo taken on December 25 shows technicians of Anhui Jinshengda Bioelectronic Technology Co., LTD observing theirplant factoryin Maanshan Economic Development Zone, east Chinas Anhui province. Since the beginning of this year, the Maanshan Economic Development Zone has been strengthening an innovation-driven development mode by energetically promoting the upgrade of the industrial base and the modernization of industrial chains. The annual output of the Jinshengda's self-developed biological lighting systems has now achieved 600,000 pieces, a large quantity of which were exported to European and American markets. (Photo by Wang Wensheng) (Translated by Li Ruichuan)
China is leading the world in four scientific fields in terms of the total number of citations generated by the country's international academic papers published over the past decade, according to annual reports published on Monday by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Technology. These four fields are materials science, chemistry, engineering technology and computer science, with computer science being added to the list this year, the reports said. China also holds second place in 10 other fields, including agricultural science, biology and biochemistry, and environmental and ecological sciences. The data for the reports was collected from global scientific literature databases including the Science Citation Index, Scopus and Ei Compendex. Academic citation is one of the key indicators of a paper's quality and influence, and a country's total number of citations in a scientific field is commonly seen as a reflection of its overall research capability in that discipline. Last year, China published 1,833 research papers and articles in 15 of the world's top scientific publications, including Nature, Science and Cell. This feat placed China two spots higher on the ranking than 2019, reaching second place last year behind the United States. Zhao Zhiyun, director of the institute, said these achievements meant China's scientific literature has made noticeable progress in producing an increasing number of high-quality papers with global influence. "We hope our reports can provide timely insights for science workers, administrators and policymakers to identify the latest trend in China's scientific literature and publication sector," she said. Experts said that China climbed in the global ranking partly due to Chinese scientists publishing a large quantity of papers regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as co-authoring and publishing more papers with international peers. Among them, Huang Chaolin, president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, published a paper in January last year in the journal The Lancet that described the clinical features of patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province. It had been cited over 13,000 times as of September, Zhao said. Last year, Chinese scientists co-wrote around 144,500 scientific papers, 14,400 more than in 2019, with collaborators from 169 countries and regions. China's total number of co-authored papers had increased by 11.1 percent in 2020 compared with the previous year, with the US being China's biggest partner in scientific literature. China also published 485 megacollaboration scientific papers last year, each involving at least 100 scientists and 50 research institutions, in fields such as particle physics, astrophysics and nuclear physics. Guo Tiecheng, deputy director of the institute, said that from 2011 to October, China had published over 3.36 million international scientific papers, and these papers had been cited over 43.32 million times within that period. The US remains the world's top producer of scientific papers and has the largest number of citations. However, China's average number of citations per paper is around 12.8 within the 10-year period, which is lower than the global average of 13.6, Guo said.
By Li Weixin, Shui Lin and Wei Longgang

The new apartment buildings stand in the barracks of a border defense regiment of the PLA Army in the Ali plateau in Chinas Xizang autonomous region. (Photo by Danzeng Lunzhu)

One day in mid December, at the Ali Kunsha Airport in Xizang autonomous region , a car bound for an army border defense regiment pulled out slowly. Sitting in the car, military wife Wu Jieqiong was full of expectations.

"I only brought some clothes with me this time, is that okay?" Wu called her husband Liu Xiaodong by phone about her landing and reconfirmed the condition of the new apartment she was about to move in.

The new barracks of the regiment were put into use at the end of last year. To improve the living conditions of visiting family members of officers and soldiers, the regiment launched the indoor fitting-out project of apartment buildings with high standards.

"Come here to spent the Spring Festival. We have brand new apartments, brand new facilities with all household items." When Liu told his wife about the good news, Wu did not immediately say yes.

Six years ago, Wu traveled all the way from her hometown in inland China to the Ali area on the Qinghai-Xizang plateau to get married with Liu Xiaodong, who was serving in a frontier defense regiment of the PLA Army, making her mind to settle down there for a long time. However, on her way from the airport to the barracks, all she saw was bumpy and dusty roads and a few scattered houses, it was almost a wasteland. "This is quite different from the photo you sent me!" Wu questioned Liu after getting out of the car.

"There is only one bed and one cabinet in the apartment, with not even a kitchen," Wu recalled the first apartment she moved in six years ago. Back then, she was in tears when thinking of living there for a long time.

Although everything was different from what she had imagined, Wu still stayed in Ali. She said: "I have been prepared mentally to endure a lot of hardship from the moment I decided to marry a border defense soldier."

Wu left Ali because of pregnancy in March 2019. Now, everything in front of her exceeded her expectations after two years.

This time, through the car window, Wu saw the white snow mountains and the newly built asphalt road. "The change is quite big!"

"Wow, that's great!" The new apartment building immediately attracted Wu's attention when she entered the barracks. Stepping into the apartment, she saw sofa, TV and coffee table, etc., all brand new. In the kitchen she was welcomed by various cooking facilities including refrigerator, gas stove and microwave oven.

Wu said, "The new apartment is well-equipped and even oxygen-supply device is directly connected to the bedroom." In addition to improved accommodation conditions, shopping, healthcare and communication are much more convenient than before.

The No.1314 road marker on National Highway 219 was the first "scenic spot" Liu took his wife to visit when she came to Ali in October 2015. The Chinese pronunciation of the number 1314 sounds like the pronunciation of lifetime, the newly married couple took a group photo beside the road marker to mark their lifelong love. They revisited it with a lot of emotion this time. Wu said that she felt like "going home" this time and felt very warm at heart.

One of the well-furnished apartment suites for troops and their family members in an apartment building in the barracks of a border defense regiment of the PLA Army in the Ali plateau in Chinas Xizang autonomous region (Photo by Danzeng Lunzhu)
A senior Chinese diplomat called for expanding consensus, "properly handling" differences and jointly promoting breakthroughs during the ongoing eighth round of the Iran nuclear talks, which resumed in Vienna on Monday.

"On the Iran nuclear issue and related nuclear non-proliferation issues, 'pragmatism' and double standards should not be adopted in pursuit of selfish interests," said Wang Qun, the Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed concern over a pact among Australia, Britain and the United States (AUKUS) under which Washington and London will support Canberra in building nuclear-powered submarines, marking the first time a non-nuclear weapons state is acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

"Sanctions should also not be used for threatening casually and new sanctions should not be introduced against Iran during the negotiations," Wang said.

The Iranian national flag flutters in front of the International Center building which houses the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. /CFP

The Joe Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions on two Iranian government agencies and several officials on December 7 during the previous round of talks.

The eighth round of negotiations during the Christmas and New Year holidays reflected the sense of urgency on all parties to resume negotiations, Wang said.

Since early April, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran have held seven rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital, with the United States involved indirectly.

A meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission is held in Vienna, Austria, June 20, 2021. /Xinhua

The parties have forged a new "common text" on nuclear issues and a "common understanding" on lifting sanctions, Wang said, adding that they agreed to keep negotiating thoroughly, with a focus on these key points during the eighth round of talks.

All these consensuses laid a solid foundation for this round of talks, he added, and all parties concerned should focus on them, especially the existing ones, and work hard to expand to new areas while "properly" handling the differences.

"We hope that all parties can take practical measures to jointly safeguard the current momentum and atmosphere of the negotiations and push for an early conclusion of a package solution," Wang said.

China will continue to firmly support the resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran on implementing the agreement, participate constructively in the follow-up negotiations, and work with all parties to push for results, said the Chinese envoy.

The U.S. government under Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019.

(With input from Xinhua)
By Li Xingchao and Wang Yidi

BEIJING, Dec. 28 -- In mid December, a brigade with the PLA 78th Group Army held an artillery live-fire assessment, which not only focused on the fire rate and accuracy, but also examined whether the actual damage effect of shells meets expectations.

According to the brigade commander, the previous artillery live-fire assessment just required excellent hit, which led to the troops one-sided pursuit of shooting speed and range, while little attention was paid to the damage effect. In an assessment last year, although an artilleryman hit all targets, the damage effect was quite limited, and the target weapon systems were still capable of combat.

To this end, evaluation on damage effect is highlighted this time. They studied the fatal points of various targets, and set up specially designed targets equipped with steel plate, or fortifications made of different materials, with the possible damage effect being classified into three levels, namely, hit, damaged and destroyed. Meanwhile, they also inspected the damage effect of the weapons and equipment in batches and ordnance types, and established a database to provide a reference for the formulation of damage effect assessment standards.

As shown in the assessment field, when a vehicle target popped up, a soldier quickly sighted in and fired at it with precise hit. Next to the target, a camera captured the explosion scene, and sent it back for damage effect evaluation in real time. Then, the assessment team comprehensively judged the soldiers shooting performance based on the damage effect evaluation report.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of ignoring its obligations under outer space treaties, exposing Chinese astronauts to danger.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian has confirmed that satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a division of Tesla founder Elon Musk's SpaceX aerospace company, had two "close encounters" with China's space station this year.

The two encounters took place on July 1 and October 21, according to a document China submitted to the United Nations (UN) Office for Outer Space Affairs in early December.

China's under-construction space station, which had three taikonauts on board during that period, was forced to take evasive actions to avoid collision with the satellites, Zhao said.

According to The Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967, astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind, and all counties should respect and protect their safety and report any life-threatening situation for astronauts to the secretary-general of the UN and other contracting nations, Zhao pointed out.

The treaty also states that "states shall be responsible for national space activities, whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities."

The U.S. keeps claiming the so-called concept of responsible conduct in outer space, but it ignores international treaty obligations on outer space and poses a serious threat to the lives of astronauts, Zhao said. "This is a typical double standard."

China urges the U.S. to act responsibly, the spokesperson stressed.
Korea has taken back another four military bases from the U.S. and agreed to shoulder the cleanup cost for the often heavily contaminated sites.

The two countries have also started negotiations about the process of returning the old U.S. Forces Korea headquarters in Yongsan in central Seoul to Korea. Seoul will foot an estimated W110 billion bill for their cleanup (US$1=W1,193).

At a meeting on the Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. at the new USFK headquarters of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the two countries agreed to speed up a long-delayed handover plan.

The four obsolete bases are camps Eagle and Long in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Camp Market in Bupyeong, and Camp Hovey in Dongducheon, both in Gyeonggi Province.
Satellite images suggest that a uranium plant in Pakchon in the North Korean province of North Pyongan, which was neglected since 2002, has been reactivated recently.

Jacob Bogle, an American analyst of satellite images, pointed out the developments signs on his blog AccessDPRK last Saturday based on satellite images shot in March 2012, February 2019, and September this year.

"When I first wrote about the site in 2019, I noted two buildings that were either being demolished or that had been left to fall apart. Since then, commercial satellite imagery from Sept. 14, 2021 shows that one of those buildings has been completely reconstructed. Additionally, a repaired section of roof on the main milling building can be identified," he said.

"The imagery also shows that the complex's administrative section has seen construction and that the waste material reservoir is still being used."

The Pakchon plant is one of five nuclear facilities former U.S. President Donald Trump asked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to dismantle during their second summit in Hanoi in February 2019. Its reactivation after the recent restart of the Yongbyon nuclear facility suggests that Pyongyang is going all out to increase its nuclear capabilities.

During a party congress back in January, Kim ordered officials to make nuclear weapons smaller and lighter and develop tactical nuclear bombs.
The United States and Russia will hold talks in January about nuclear arms control and tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told reporters the two sides would meet Jan. 10, followed by Russia-NATO talks on Jan. 12 and a meeting on Jan. 13 with Russia, the United States and other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," the spokesperson said."There will be areas where we can make progress, and areas where we will disagree. That's what diplomacy is about."


Price of Chilean cherries to go down

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-27 17:27

Prices of Chilean cherries will go down soon! The first shipment of nearly 200 containers and 4000 tons of Chilean cherries by sea arrived in China to meet the market demands in the coming holiday seasons.

It is reported that the export of Chilean cherries in this production season will grow by 2.6% to 362,000 tons, nearly 90% of which will be shipped to China.

The wholesale price of large cherries is 140 yuan per kilogram, and 60 to 90 yuan for ordinary size, about 20 yuan cheaper than air freight. After the New Year holiday, there will be more shipments and the average price of cherries will be halved.

Due to the pandemic, Chile has strengthened relevant health measures. The country also set new standards for its exported cherries to China. Starting from December 2021, the minimum size of a cherry exported to China has to be 24 mm in diameter.

(Photo/CFP)
Internet firm holds conference in metaverse

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-28 14:56

The era of man-machine symbiosis is coming, and creators will usher in a golden 10 years of artificial intelligence in China, said Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, at Create 2021 which was convened on a metaverse-related app called Xirang (Land of Hope).

The conference, held on December 27, was the first in China to be held in the metaverse. As Robin Li said, in the next decade, AI will become a powerful tool to change the world, as thousands of industries will be intelligently reconstructed, and people's living space will be significantly expanded.

In his speech, he expounded on how AI can help with industrial development, expand the boundaries of human capabilities, and better benefit mankind. Smart transportation, as he believes, will be a major change that will affect the next 10-40 years. In five years, China's first-tier cities will no longer have to limit purchases of cars and make traffic restrictions, and in ten years, traffic congestion problems will be basically solved.

So far, the Internet company has cultivated over one million AI professionals, said Li at Create 2021, adding that it will cultivate five million more professionals in the coming five years.
Community police officer Han Yu: anti-fraud and epidemic prevention bring her closer to residents

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-28 18:06

(Editors note: In the remaining days of 2021, Eastday.com will tell the stor of five people in Shanghai, who epitomise the citys transformation and its future. In the second article, we sat down with Han Yu, a community police officer.)

2021 has been a "busy year" for Han Yu, who has been a police officer for 17 years. For the residents living in the area under her jurisdiction, it has also been an unprecedented and challenging year.

As the smallest unit of urban management, the community carries the important mission of primary-level governance. In this year, countless workers like Han Yu rooted in the community, taking care of everything.

"The more detailed the way in which I do my jobthe closer I can feel to the residents," said Han Yu.

Anti-fraud promotion, no one should be left behind

"Hello, I am the community police officer, have you downloaded the anti-fraud app named National Anti-fraud Centre?"

Officer Han (left) gives an anti-fraud message to residents

"Perhaps you would assume that our anti-fraud promotion is focused on the elderly. Of course not!" said Han Yu. She revealed that not only the elderly, but also young people aged 25-35 are their key targets in the community's anti-fraud promotion.

Young people are more exposed to all kinds of information than the elderly, and many of them are highly educated. Therefore, they tend to be confident that they could never fall victim of a hoaxwhich leads to greater challenge in convincing them of the need of the app. For different community groups, community police officers also use different methods to help Shanghai residents to secure their own property.

The anti-fraud promotion posted on the courier cabinet in the community

Epidemic prevention & control brings community police closer to residents

In 2021, epidemic prevention and control continues to be a priority for all walks of life, and this is no exception for Han Yu.

As an important part of the epidemic prevention and control, community police officers take on the duty of communication and coordination.

Not long ago, the 14-day closed-loop management ended at No.186 Mudan Road Residential Area in Han Yu's jurisdiction. During this period, she was always on the front line of epidemic prevention and control. She said that the community police officers priority in epidemic prevention and control is to spare no effort to meet the reasonable needs of the residents.

Han Yu said that her work is going more and more smoothly through gaining a deeper and closer relationship to the residents."Making local residents satisfied is always the highest pursuit of a community police officer," Han said.



Officer Han (left) is checking the communitys CCTV

"I wish I could have more energy"

Officer Han has a keen and earnest outlook toward the future."I hope that my energy will be more vigorous in the new year. Because my husband is also a police officer, we usually are both very busy at work. As a wife and mother, I need to shift a little bit more towards my family. But sometimes it just feels like there's not enough energy. Therefore, I wish I could have more energy and could better balance the relationship between work and family," said Han Yu.

In 2021, Han Yu, a "young" community policewoman, is working among the residents and learning from them. We believe that countless community workers like Han Yu will continue to make a difference at the primary-level governance in Shanghai in the future.

Q&As

Q1: What is the major achievement of you in 2021

Anti-fraud promotion, fire hazard inspection and epidemic prevention and control are the top priorities this year, and these will always be a part of our daily work in the future.

Q2: Looking back into 2021how do you feel about your work and life

There has not been a single occurrence of telecommunications fraud in the area under my jurisdiction this year, which means that the residents' awareness of prevention has been raised and my anti-fraud promotion has been effective. In addition, the prevention and control of the epidemic has brought me closer to the residents.

Q3: What are your prospects for the coming year?

We hope that residents will continue to be vigilant and not let scammers have the chance to commit fraud. I also hope that the epidemic will end soon. In addition, I wish that I will have more time to take care of my family and balance work and life.

Story by Dong Juncheng, Wei Yifei, Dong Haofan and Bian Yinghao

Translated by Zhao Chunyuan


BEIRUT, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Tuesday for a national dialogue among the different governing political parties to discuss Lebanon's ties with Gulf countries, the National News Agency reported.

"We need to reach an understanding to strengthen Lebanon's ties with Arab nations, especially Gulf countries, by not offending them or interfering in their internal affairs," Mikati said in a televised speech.

Mikati emphasized the need for Lebanon to disassociate itself from problems in the region to be able to preserve its ties with the Arab world and the international community.

Mikati added that he has been working on securing a meeting for the council of ministers to deal with the country's economic crisis.

Mikati's speech comes one day after an address by Lebanese President Michel Aoun who called for a national dialogue to put an end to the governmental paralysis, getting through important legislation, in addition to holding an urgent dialogue on a financial recovery plan, administrative and financial decentralization, and the defense strategy. Enditem
by Sanaa Kamal

GAZA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Local residents in the Gaza Strip have expressed their aspire to live in peace in the upcoming year of 2022, after long period of suffering due to unstable political and economic situations.

Mahmoud Abu Jibara, a young Palestinian from al-Shati refugee camp in northwestern Gaza, told Xinhua that the year of 2021 was challenging for him primarily because of the tensions with Israel.

Jibara, who studies computer engineering at the Islamic University, said that life was completely stopped during the war. "When it finished, we witnessed destruction, unclear future and instability in many spheres."

"I live in one of the largest refugee camps, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Most of the people here live under the poverty line," said the young man.

Al-Shati refugee camp is overcrowded and limited in space, as shelters are built close to each other, and there is a lack of public recreational and social facilities.

But Abu Jibara expressed his hope that 2022 will bring changes, mainly achieving peace with Israel, which would help the people to overcome their ongoing crises.

Kamal Mahdy, a Palestinian child from Gaza city, also said he would like to live a normal and peaceful life in the Gaza Strip, just as others do in other parts of the world.

Standing in front of a residential building destroyed by Israeli air raids in the recent round of tensions, the ten-year-old boy said that he was happy that the war was over and he was able to go back to his normal life.

"Now, my siblings, friends and I can go to schools and play together," the child said, adding that he hopes all the destroyed buildings would be reconstructed as soon as possible to allow the Gazans to live in a safe area.

"We want to live like children in other countries who can play in playgrounds instead of hiding from bombs. We want Gaza to be a safe and beautiful place where we can live in peace," he said.

Samaha Hana, 29-year-old mother of three from Rafah city in the south of the Strip, told Xinhua that they are looking forward to achieving real peace with Israel that would end the blockade against them.

She called on the Palestinian factions to cooperate with the Egypt, Qatar and international community to reach a peace deal with Israel.

The year of 2021 has not been easy for Gazans who continue to suffer from the unstable political and economic situations, she stressed.

Israel announced that it would ease the situation in Gaza in a bid to keep calm, including allowing the workers to enter its territories to work inside Israel.

Since 2007, the Palestinians have been suffering from internal division, with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) taking control of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority ruling the West Bank.

Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has launched four large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people.

The last round of tensions that took place in May 2021 has been considered as the most intense one since 2014, according to many residents that Xinhua interviewed. The bloody conflict left more than 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. Enditem
by Xinhua writer Guo Yage

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- For most Europeans and Americans, the annual Christmas season is a festive period for happy family reunion and joyous holiday travel. But they could not find much to have a good laugh about together this year, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant has triggered another explosion of infections and deaths in their homelands.

While many in the Western society are mournfully changing their holiday plans after airlines and railways cancelled more services at the last minute, experts worldwide are urging rapid re-imposition and upgrade of control measures, as well as broader vaccination efforts, to slow down the spread of the virus and keep the COVID-19-related burden manageable.

SURGING INFECTIONS

According to data published on Thursday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the 50th week of 2021 witnessed 2,644,836 more cases and 26,179 new deaths registered in Europe.

The 14-day notification rate of reported cases per 100,000 population in Europe has hit roughly 629.2, the ECDC data showed.

France, one of the worst-hit European countries by Omicron, reported on Saturday 104,611 new cases, the highest daily record since the pandemic broke out in the country, bringing its cumulative caseload to 9,088,371, said the French Public Health Agency.

Local media reported around 20 percent of the new cases in France are related to Omicron.

Official figures released Friday showed that Britain had reported another 122,186 cases in the latest 24-hour period, breaking the record of 120,000 daily cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It also reported a further 137 coronavirus-related deaths.

The country had altogether registered some 700,000 cases and 810 deaths in the week ending Friday, up by 48.2 percent and 2 percent respectively from the previous week.

Also on Friday, Spain reported 72,912 new cases, a record high for the third day running. Italy reported 44,595 infections on Thursday, the highest daily count it has ever registered.

Also dire is the situation in the United States. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that more than 69,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Christmas Eve.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Dec. 21, a new high since Jan. 8. About 2,200 new deaths were reported on Dec. 22, the highest single-day increase since Oct. 8.

The CDC has announced that Omicron is the cause of 73 percent of new infections across the United States, and even of 90 percent in some parts of the country.

TRAVEL CHAOS

For many Europeans and Americans, a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant has thrown a wrench into their holiday season plans, as they are still painfully processing the fact that they have to cancel flights, hotels and other holiday bookings.

FlightAware, a flight tracker website, noted that 46 flights from British Airways were canceled on Monday alone. According to media reports, German airline Lufthansa announced that it will cancel 10 percent of its winter flight schedule amid the pandemic. Railway authorities in the Netherlands and Belgium have both decided to cancel daily trains because of rising staff illness or quarantine.

Besides, FlightAware also noted that a total of 1,033 Monday flights within, into and out of the United States were canceled and 2,982 faced delays due to crew shortages and disrupted operations. A combined 1,700 flights had been canceled on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

"The cancellations come at the busiest time of year for air travel," and major U.S. travel hubs were "among the hardest hit," ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, experts and officials are warning the conditions could be even worse in the future. In its weekly epidemiological update published Monday, the ECDC said an increasing number of infections have been reported within Europe, including as parts of clusters and outbreaks, indicating possible community spread.

The spread of Omicron "is extremely rapid, especially among the 20-29 years olds," noted Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist and member of the French Scientific Council. "In January, we are expecting hundreds of thousands of new cases a day."

Given the rising cases in Britain, experts said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day, with many being missed by the system.

As Germany is also bracing for a new wave of the pandemic, Ute Teichert, chairwoman of the Federal Association of Public Health Service Doctors, said a large proportion of public health departments in Germany already stopped contact tracing for people infected with COVID-19 due to overload.

"Because of the Omicron variant, we are running into a situation in Germany where health departments will eventually not be able to compensate for sick staff," she said.

Silvio Brusaferro, president of Italy's National Health Institute, has also noted in a statement "the great rapidity of the variant spread, which seems to produce large outbreaks in a short time, and it is expected to become predominate, as it is already occurring in several other European countries."

In the United States, health officials have been warning that Omicron threatens to overwhelm hospitals and healthcare workers. Many hospitals are already overburdened, especially with patients who remain unvaccinated and those who have delayed necessary care during the pandemic. The surging infections and deaths have also created COVID-19 testing shortages.

"Every day it goes up and up. The last weekly average was about 150,000 and it likely will go much higher," Anthony Fauci, U.S. President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, was quoted as saying by ABC News on Sunday.

TOUGHER RESTRICTIONS

Surging cases and deaths have already prompted some European countries to consider tightening control measures.

In a video posted on social media by Downing Street, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged caution and suggested people should take a test before meeting elderly relatives.

The country's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid reiterated his call for citizens to get vaccinated, tweeting, "If you're eligible for the jab, please come forward as soon as possible."

Germany has added Britain, Denmark, Norway and France to its list of "areas at particularly high risk of infection." Travelers entering Germany from risk areas must quarantine for 14 days, including those who are vaccinated or who recovered from the virus, said the country's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

The Netherlands has reintroduced a full lockdown, which will remain in force until Jan. 14. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a press conference that "Omicron is spreading even faster than we feared, so we must intervene now."

According to media reports, Spain, Greece and Italy have also reintroduced outdoor mask mandate amid the Omicron surge.

Meanwhile, the United States has shortened the isolation period for healthcare workers infected with COVID-19, due to hospital staff shortages. The CDC said in a new guidance that those workers who had received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters, do not need to quarantine at home following high-risk exposures.

The new guidance was immediately condemned by the New York State Nurses Association, which called the CDC's decision "inconsistent with proven science."

"It makes no sense not to take every measure which would reduce risk of healthcare worker infection," it said in a statement.

Amid busy marketing authorization of various vaccines and urgent call worldwide for promoting vaccination, the World Health Organization stressed that "vaccines can offer protection but it is also essential to wear a mask and avoid large crowds to keep COVID-19 away during the holiday season."

"It is not yet known how easily Omicron spreads, how serious symptoms are or how it affects protection from vaccines," it tweeted Monday, adding that to protect oneself and others, it is also necessary to open windows and clean hands. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Tan Jingjing in Washington, Xing Jianqiao in Paris, Guo Shuang in London, Zhang Yirong in Berlin, Zhou Xiaotian in Rome, and Wang Xiangjiang in The Hague also contributed to the story.)
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Emory President Gregory L. Fenves sent the following message to the Emory University community on Dec. 28.

Dear Emory Community,

I hope youre celebrating the holidays and getting some needed time to enjoy the break after the fall semester.

In recent days, communities across the nation have seen significant increases in COVID-19 cases because of the spread of the Omicron variant. The university has been monitoring the latest data and consulting with Emorys public health experts and epidemiologists to understand the trajectory of the virus. More than 97% of our Emory community members have been vaccinated and all students, faculty, and staff are required to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 19, which is the best protection against serious illness and hospitalization.

While the campus will open as planned on January 4, we know there will be positive cases within our community. Therefore, to continue all aspects of our academic mission, undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses will start the spring semester in a remote format, excluding clinical and research activities, School of Medicine courses, and other select activities. Classes will transition back to in-person learning on January 31, should conditions permit. Most undergraduate courses will be canceled on January 27 and 28 to accommodate students returning to the Atlanta or Oxford campuses. Deans will provide further details about spring semester plans to their respective schools.

An Emory Forward message this afternoon will have more information about the remote start, new COVID-19 protocols, and what you can expect for the spring semester. Information will also be available on the Emory Forward website. Here is a high-level overview:

Students: More information, including how to document re-entry testing requirements and the upcoming booster requirement deadline , can be found on Emory Forward.



Residence halls will remain open to begin the spring semester. While residential s tudents are not required to change their move-in plans and may return to campus throughout the remote period, all are encouraged to delay their return to campus, if they are able to do so, to help reduce on-campus density during the surge. Additional campus housing information will soon be communicated directly to residential students.



Students who return to campus before in-person classes resume should prepare for a reduced on-campus experience with limited activities, few co-curricular events, modified grab-and-go dining, and changes to isolation and quarantine protocols.





More information, including how to document re-entry testing requirements and the upcoming booster requirement deadline can be found on Emory Forward. Residence halls will remain open to begin the spring semester. Additional campus housing information will soon be communicated directly to residential students. Students who return to campus before in-person classes resume should prepare for a reduced on-campus experience with limited activities, few co-curricular events, modified grab-and-go dining, and changes to isolation and quarantine protocols. Faculty and Staff: Campus will remain open to all employees. Faculty and staff whose duties require them to be on campus should continue working in person and are strongly encouraged to use the screening testing options available at Emory. Units may offer additional flexibility for remote work when operations allow. Employees should consult with their supervisors about their school or units approach to flexible work arrangements. All faculty and staff are encouraged to conduct meetings remotely when able.





Campus will remain open to all employees. Faculty and staff whose duties require them to be on campus should continue working in person and are strongly encouraged to use the screening testing options available at Emory. Units may offer additional flexibility for remote work when operations allow. Employees should consult with their supervisors about their school or units approach to flexible work arrangements. All faculty and staff are encouraged to conduct meetings remotely when able. Researchers: Research activities will continue as scheduled with the appropriate safety precautions currently in place.

I understand that beginning the semester with remote learning and teaching is inconvenient, particularly for students and families who have already made travel arrangements, faculty who have planned in-person coursework, and staff who have made countless adjustments to their protocols throughout the past two years. But we must be adaptable during this surge so we can continue our important worklearning, teaching, creating, and discoveringin the face of this ever-evolving pandemic.

As previously mentioned, please review the Emory Forward message later this afternoon. I also hope you will attend a virtual Town Hall on January 6, where I will be joined by Emory Healthcare experts and Amir St. Clair, associate vice president and executive director for COVID-19 response and recovery, to answer questions about the spring semester. Further information about the Town Hall will be shared with the community soon.

With all that we have faced since March 2020, we know that we can effectively teach and learn remotely at Emory. We also know how special the on-campus experience is. That is why we are making this decision nowso that we can carry out the rest of the spring semester on our wonderful campuses in Atlanta and Oxford.

Sincerely,

Gregory L. Fenves

President
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An artist's impression of a free-floating planet. Using observations and archival data from several of NSF's NOIRLabs observatories, together with observations from telescopes around the world and in orbit, astronomers have discovered at least 70 new free-floating planets  planets that wander through space without a parent star  in a nearby region of the Milky Way known as Upper Scorpius OB stellar association. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva

Using observations and archival data from several of NSF's NOIRLab's observatories, together with observations from telescopes around the world and in orbit, astronomers have discovered at least 70 new free-floating planets -- planets that wander through space without a parent star -- in a nearby region of the Milky Way.

This is the largest sample of such planets found in a single group and it nearly doubles the number known over the entire sky.

Researchers have discovered a group of free-floating planets -- planets not orbiting a star -- in a nearby region of the Milky Way known as the Upper Scorpius OB stellar association. At least 70, and as many as 170 of these Jupiter-sized planets have been found by examining data from over 20 years of observations [1]. The first free-floating planets were discovered in the 1990s, but the latest findings have almost doubled the total number known.

To find these planets, the study's first author, Nuria Miret-Roig of the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, at the University of Bordeaux in France, with a team of astronomers, used observations and archival data from a number of large observatories, including facilities from NSF's NOIRLab, telescopes of the European Southern Observatory, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and the Subaru Telescope, amounting to 80,000 wide-field images over 20 years of observations.

Herve Bouy, an astronomer at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, and project leader of the research, says that the discovery of so many free-floating planets would not have been feasible without access to NOIRLab's Astro Data Archive and Astro Data Lab Science Platform operated at the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC).

The data include 247 images from the NEWFIRM extremely wide-field infrared imager at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona, 1348 images from the same NEWFIRM instrument after it was relocated to the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, 2214 images from the Infrared Side Port Imager that was previously operating on the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at CTIO, and 3744 images from the Dark Energy Camera.

"The treasure trove available in the NOIRLab Astro Data Archive has been fundamental to this study," Bouy says. "We needed very deep and wide-field images in both the optical and near-infrared, spanning a long time baseline. So the Dark Energy Camera and NEWFIRM were very appealing for our project because they are among the most sensitive wide-field cameras in the world."

One of the highest-performance, wide-field CCD imagers in the world, the Dark Energy Camera was designed for the Dark Energy Survey funded by the Department of Energy (DOE). It was built and tested at DOE's Fermilab, and was operated by the DOE and National Science Foundation (NSF) between 2013 and 2019. At present the Dark Energy Camera is used for programs covering a huge range of science. The analysis of data from the Dark Energy Survey is supported by the DOE and the NSF.

"This project illustrates the incredible importance of providing access to archival data from different telescopes, not just throughout the US, but worldwide," says Chris Davis, Program Officer at the National Science Foundation for NSF's NOIRLab. "This is something NOIRLab and specifically the CSDC has been working hard to enable over a number of years, and continues to do so with support from NSF."

The free-floating planets lie in the Upper Scorpius OB association, which is 420 light-years away from Earth. This region contains a number of the most famous nebulae, including the Rho Ophiuchi cloud, the Pipe Nebula, Barnard 68, and the Coalsack.

Free-floating planets have mostly been discovered via microlensing surveys, in which astronomers watch for a brief chance alignment between an exoplanet and a background star. However, microlensing events only happen once, meaning follow-up observations are impossible.

These new planets were discovered using a different method. These planets, lurking far away from any star illuminating them, would normally be impossible to image. However, Miret-Roig and her team took advantage of the fact that, in the few million years after their formation, these planets are still hot enough to glow, making them directly detectable by sensitive cameras on large telescopes. Miret-Roig's team used the 80,000 observations to measure the light of all the members of the association across a wide range of optical and near-infrared wavelengths and combined them with measurements of how they appear to move across the sky.

"We measured the tiny motions, the colors and luminosities of tens of millions of sources in a large area of the sky," explains Miret-Roig. "These measurements allowed us to securely identify the faintest objects in this region."

The discovery also sheds light on the origin of free-floating planets. Some scientists believe these planets can form from the collapse of a gas cloud that is too small to lead to the formation of a star, or that they could have been kicked out from their parent system. But which is the actual mechanism remains unknown.

The ejection model suggests that there could be even greater numbers of free-floating planets that are Earth-sized. "The free-floating Jupiter-mass planets are the most difficult to eject, meaning that there might even be more free-floating Earth-mass planets wandering the galaxy," says Miret-Roig.

It is expected that Vera C. Rubin Observatory could find many more free-floating planets when it begins scientific operations this decade.

Notes

[1] The range in the number of free-floating planets occurs because the mass of the objects is not measured directly in this study. Objects larger than 13 Jupiter masses are not likely to be planets. An upper limit on the mass of the objects was inferred from their brightness, which is dependent on their age. Since the age of the stellar association in which these planets reside is only known to a given certainty, the exact number of planets is also uncertain.

More information

This research was presented in a paper "A rich population of free-floating planets in the Upper Scorpius young stellar association" to appear in Nature Astronomy.

The team is composed of Nuria Miret-Roig (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, France (LAB); University of Vienna, Department of Astrophysics, Austria), Herve Bouy (LAB), Sean N. Raymond (LAB), Motohide Tamura (Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan; Astrobiology Center, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Tokyo, Japan [ABC-NINS]), Emmanuel Bertin (CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, France [IAP]; Sorbonne Universite, IAP, France) David Barrado (Centro de Astrobiologia [CSIC-INTA], Depto. de Astrofisica, ESAC Campus, Spain), Javier Olivares (LAB), Phillip Galli (LAB), Jean-Charles Cuillandre (AIM, CEA, CNRS, Universite Paris-Saclay, Universite de Paris, France), Luis Manuel Sarro (Depto. de Inteligencia Artificial, UNED, Spain) Angel Berihuete (Depto. Estadistica e Investigacion Operativa, Universidad de Cadiz, Spain) & Nuria Huelamo (CSIC-INTA).

NSF's NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the international Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC-Canada, ANID-Chile, MCTIC-Brazil, MINCyT-Argentina, and KASI-Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory (operated in cooperation with the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du'ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai'i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O'odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively.



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The seven-member Expedition 66 crew is going into the final week of 2021 with a host of science experiments exploring numerous space phenomena benefitting astronauts in space and humans on Earth.

NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron worked on a pair of space farming studies during Monday afternoon exploring a variety of plant characteristics. Vande Hei set up components for the MVP (Multi Variable Platform) Plant-01 experiment inside the Harmony module. That study is investigating how a plant's molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks adapt to weightlessness. Barron worked inside the Kibo laboratory module and configured the Plant Habitat-05 investigation which will observe the regenerative capacity of a variety of cotton genotypes.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn started Monday morning transferring research samples to science freezers in the Kibo lab. Chari then moved on and updated emergency checklists while also collecting and stowing his blood and urine samples for later analysis. Marshburn serviced the station's oxygen generation system then unpacked medical gear from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon vehicle.

Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) spent his day working throughout the orbiting lab on a variety of research gear. Maurer first swapped science freezers inside the Unity module. Next, he installed the BioSentinel radiation exposure study in the Kibo lab. Finally, the astronaut from Germany worked in the Columbus laboratory module thawing research samples for the Cytoskeleton experiment before uninstalling the Kubik incubator.

The station's commander, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, recharged computer tablets inside the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship while also working on Russian life support maintenance throughout the day. Russian Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov checked out electronics gear in the morning before joining Shkaplerov in the afternoon and replacing components on the Zvezda service module's treadmill.

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan has highly appreciated the role of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in the implementation of projects on the reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems.

The relevant statement was made at a meeting between representatives of Azerbaijans Azersu and the Tokyo Engineering Consultants companies.

The meeting was held within the framework of the small cities water supply and sewerage systems project between the Azerbaijani government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Azersus Deputy Chairman Etibar Mammadov noted that Japanese companies are actively involved in the infrastructure projects implemented in the country.

Tokyo Engineering Consultants representative Naota Toda emphasized the successful implementation of the project and noted that it had improved the population's social well-being and living conditions.

It should be noted that the drinking water supply and sewerage systems in Gusar, Khachmaz, Khizi, Gobustan and Naftalan were reconstructed as part of the project. New water sources were created in these cities, as well as reservoirs, main lines, drinking and sewage networks, collectors and treatment facilities were built.

Currently, Azerbaijan and Japan are cooperating in different fields of economy. Japanese companies in Azerbaijan work in the fields of oil and gas as well as agriculture. Last year the trade turnover between the two countries exceeded $200 million and the growth of this sector is forecasted to increase up to four times in the near future. In addition, Japan has invested $7.1 billion in Azerbaijan, during the entire period of cooperation between the two countries.

It should be also noted that 2022 will be the year of friendship between Azerbaijan and Japan.

Additionally, earlier this year, Azerbaijans Energy Ministry and Japans TEPSCO company signed an agreement on the establishment of the green energy zone in the newly-liberated lands. The agreement envisages the effective use of renewable energy potential such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and bioenergy on the liberated territories. It considers the establishment of a green energy zone based on modern energy management approaches to supply the region with energy.

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $228.1 million in the first 10 months of 2021.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani poets and writers have been awarded in Baku.

First Deputy Minister of Culture Elnur Aliyev addressed the awarding ceremony held at the National Library.

In his speech, Elnur Aliyev stressed that the country hosts numerous events and publishes many works within the Year of Nizami Ganjavi.

The Deputy Minister also noted Nizami Ganjavi International Forum that brought together scientists and experts from different countries studying Nizami's poetry.

He emphasized the great role of writers in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.

In his speech, People's Writer Chingiz Abdullayev stressed that Nizami Ganjavi is an Azerbaijani poet, and we are all proud of this. Chingiz Abdullayev said that, unfortunately, one has to deal with various falsifications.

The London Victoria and Albert Museum has recently distorted the fact about the Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi.

Chingiz Abdullayev added that a letter had been sent to the Victoria and Albert Museum in this regard.

People's Poet, MP Sabir Rustamkhanli, People's Poet Vahid Aziz and others spoke about the significance of Nizami's legay and shared their vision of the development of publishing and literature in Azerbaijan.

Further, the writers and publishers were presented with commemorative badges "880th anniversary of Nizami Ganjavi (1141-2021)" and certificates. The awarded figures expressed their gratitude to the Culture Ministry.
By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov has urged extra vigilance and improved combat activities on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border and the territories under the temporary Russian peacekeeper control, the ministry has reported.

An official meeting held at the Central Command Post under Col-Gen Hasanov's leadership on December 27 analyzed the current situation on the state border and the territories where the Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily stationed.

"The minister ordered to improve service and combat activities, especially to increase vigilance during the upcoming holidays," the ministry said.

The meeting was attended by the deputy defence ministers, commanders of types of troops, chiefs of the ministry's main departments, departments, and services. Commanders of the Army Corps and formations stationed on the liberated territories and other officers also joined the meeting via videoconference.

Hasanov conveyed to the meeting participants the tasks set to the Azerbaijan army by President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev during his visit to Hadrut settlement.

The minister positively assessed the exercises held in the troops and charged the attendees with the task to conduct various exercises and practical training in line with real combat conditions at nighttime and in the daylight hours to increase the combat capability of the units.

It was noted that due to the winter period, special attention was paid to the logistics and engineering support of units. Moreover, service conditions were improved and the military personnels medical support was strengthened, and servicemen are timely provided with warm clothing and food.

Hasanov also instructed the officials to carry out educational work in a planned manner, to further strengthen the ideological work and moral-psychological support so that the troops are always ready to perform combat missions.

Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed the second war after the latter started firing at Azerbaijani civilians and military positions starting September 27, 2020. The war ended on November 10 with the signing of a trilateral ceasefire deal by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.

The ceasefire agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops.

The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on 10 November 2020.
By Trend

On 26 December, Rossiya-1 TV channel's Vesti Nedeli [Weekly Highlights] program broadcast a report about President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Azerbaijan as a whole.

Trend presents the report.

Host: On 24 December, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev celebrated his 60th birthday. He has been head of state for more than 18 years. During this period, Azerbaijan has made significant achievements in the economic and social spheres. Ilham Aliyev himself has gained great authority in the international arena. The peculiarity of Aliyev's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is that they both keep their words to each other. This is a valuable quality in our times.

President Ilham Aliyev celebrated his birthday in Shusha, a city declared the capital of culture by his own order. There were no official ceremonies with the participation of many people. He spoke briefly on television, thanked for the messages of congratulation and visited a mosque.

Recently, our special correspondent Sergey Zenin visited Azerbaijan. His report is dedicated to the Russian language in Azerbaijan. As a matter of fact, according to a recent study by the A. S. Pushkin Institute of Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Azerbaijan is ahead of other republics of the Caucasus in terms of the education system, occupying a very worthy place in terms of the prevalence of the great and powerful Russian language.

Correspondent Sergey Zenin has sent this report from Baku.

Resident: Greetings from the natives of Baku to natives of Moscow.

Sergey Zenin: Ancient city. The smell of the sea blends with the aroma of freshly baked bread and thyme tea here. This is the heart of Baku, the place of nostalgic feelings.

These streets are built like this. Tourists must stop on this cobbled street, slide up and have a picture taken as a memento. Because at a time when everyone felt comfortable, a famous Soviet film was shot here.

Could you please tell us if people slip up often here?

Resident: This happens every day. We have a lot of fun.

Sergey Zenin: In the past, people from a huge country visited this street, paved with pebble stones, like the Red Square. Where did you come here from?

Female tourist: We are from Estonia. We are very happy that we have finally been able to come to this country.

Sergey Zenin: It is difficult to find middle-aged and older Azerbaijanis who do not speak Russian. In the capital, this is generally considered as bad manners. Several bookstores in Baku sell books by Russian classics and modern Russian writers.

Director of the Russian Book House Israfil Ismayilov: The windows of the Russian Book House reflect almost the entire center of Baku, and this is actually quite symbolic. Because, as we know, it was the Word that came into being first. The Russian Book House is not only a bookstore, it is also a cultural center for those who respect the Russian language.

Sergey Zenin: The Russian Book House regularly hosts autograph sessions and master classes. Lower grade students come here to listen to a well-known writer. Their acquaintance with the Russian language begins with a fairy tale, and this should be the case.

Writer Solmaz Amanova: When I was six, I was asked: How many words do you know in Azerbaijani? At that time, I knew only six words. For example, watermelon because we lived with the Russians.

Sergey Zenin: There is a competition for admission to Russian-language secondary schools, just like at the institute. The most famous and prestigious Russian-language school is No. 6. President Ilham Aliyev himself studied there.

Gulshan Orujova, principal of School No. 6: Even the parents not speaking Russian want to send their children to the Russian department, because, in their opinion, they may have lost a lot in their lives because they did not learn Russian well. So now they want at least their children to know Russian.

Sergey Zenin: The situation in the field of higher education is similar. The Russian language has gained authority also thanks to teachers from Moscow. With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, branches of prestigious Moscow universities have been opened in Baku.

Rector of the Baku branch of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Nargiz Pashayeva: In my view, it is the dream of every scientist and every student to communicate with Moscow University.

Sergey Zenin: Educational buildings were established only 12 years ago, but the main goal has been achieved during this period. There is the spirit of Moscow State University in these corridors. You cant mistake it for anything else. Thanks to the rector's efforts, the spirit of MSU was brought here along with the valuable knowledge. The library of the branch, books with the names of world-famous authors and well-known scientists. The starting point of knowledge, the place of gathering strength is right here in this hall.

A very rare publication of the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries  Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. Four volumes, 1855, St. Petersburg. This is a rare publication: Zarya Vostoka, April 1870. All this is available at the Baku branch of Moscow State University. Can you imagine how important that is? How cultures mingle with each other!

Teachers from Moscow work here on a rotating basis. They are frequently replaced, but this does not affect the training program. Because this issue is approached from the position of a classical university. This is only for the benefit of the students. They have a unique opportunity to learn from Russian professors at MSU.

Alexey Romanov, associate professor at the Chair of Chemistry of MSU: This develops the relations between our countries, creates a reliable basis for cooperation and partnership between states, and, in general, allows for the establishment of relations between ordinary people.

Sergey Zenin: The branch of the Sechenov Medical University is located in the center of Baku. Rector Aziz Aliyev is a professor of medicine and an oncologist. He knows what to expect from each student.

Rector Aziz Aliyev: I always tell my students, whether they are surgeons, therapists or radiologists, that a doctor should learn all his life. Because medicine develops fast.

Sergey Zenin: The system is the same as at the MSU branch. Teachers from Moscow work in shifts. The students we see listening to a lecture seem to be paying attention to every single word.

Professor of Sechenov Medical University Marina Boychenko: Students ask everything precisely. Sometimes they ask about every letter. They ask questions to find out the truth.

Sergey Zenin: Outside classes, teachers dedicate their time to tourism. There are many places to visit in Azerbaijan. These vineyards were planted a few years ago. Delicious organic wine is already made here. Buyers from all over the world line up to get it.

We are heading for Ivanovka village, one of the most interesting places in Azerbaijan. Russians have lived there for centuries  the Molokans who do not accept icons and crosses. But their main book is the Bible.

Sergey Kazakov, pastor of the Christian Malakans of Ivanovka village: The meaning of our life is exactly this. We take everything we do from here.

Sergey Zenin: The only collective farm in the entire post-Soviet space is located in Ivanovka. The decision to keep its name and not to change the principle of its operation was made during the presidency of Heydar Aliyev.

Chairman of the collective farm Vasily Novoseltsev: We are Russians. Our faith is Molokan. But all people are conscientious workers.

Sergey Zenin: Andrey's ancestors were also cattle breeders. This art was passed down to him from his father. He does not want to go to the capital. He is a leading worker at the collective farm. Do you like your work? You're a young boy.

Andrey Kharitonov: We are used to dealing with the cattle. Our whole life is associated with cattle. We deal with cattle since we are born. There is cattle in every house. So livestock is in our blood.

Sergey Zenin: The food here is only local and natural. The bread is as plentiful as the sights. In Soviet times, every collective farm had to have a club. Especially in a with a population of 2,700 people. This is not a club, it is a center of culture.

This is only a part of the Ivanovka choir. Before the New Year, many of them went to visit Azerbaijani and Russian friends and relatives. It doesn't matter what your nationality is. Everyone has a passport.

Mefodiy Efendiyev, Chief Priest of the Archangel Michael Temple in Baku: Everyone lives together. Everyone understands that this country is our common home for the citizens of Azerbaijan.

Sergey Zenin: The design of the temple in Ivanovka is truly amazing. After his birth, a Muslim artist converted to Christianity and devoted the rest of his life to designing the Orthodox Church. He passed away before finishing his work. His friends and relatives continued his work.

Artist Batukhan Hagverdiyev: It was important for him to complete this work. He left a large number of manuscripts and sketches.

Sergey Zenin: Baku is not discouraged despite the COVID restrictions. Exhibitions are held in galleries and culture centers. Azerbaijan is not only multinational, but also multicultural. They develop it to the maximum here. Today, the Heydar Aliyev Center hosted an exhibition by a contemporary Brazilian artist.

Cafes and restaurants in Baku have a variety of wonderful dishes.

Culinary expert Farhad Ashurbayli: In the Middle Ages, Azerbaijan was always located on the Silk Road  the main logistical artery. That is why groceries from all over the world were brought here.

Sergey Zenin: In Icheri Sheher, you can drop in at any house and in five minutes you will feel perfectly at home there.
By Trend

Trend's exclusive interview with the ambassador of Azerbaijan to France and concurrently to the Vatican Rahman Mustafayev.

Question: Recently the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan handed over another note of protest to the French Foreign Ministry in connection with the illegal visit of Khankandi by a group of French politicians led the head of the Ile-de-France region, Republican Party candidate in the upcoming presidential election Valerie Pecresse. What reaction do you expect from the French side?

Answer: This visit is an unprecedented and openly hostile action against Azerbaijan, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It violates not only the international and bilateral obligations of France but also its national legislation, the relevant articles of its Constitution, the General Code of Local Authorities and the Circular signed on May 24, 2018, by the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, which defined the legal framework for the international activities of local authorities.

The last two documents clearly state what local authorities, prefects, should do in case of violation of the law. They must appeal against the visit in court and invalidate all statements and agreements made during it. In other words, we expect that the official France, which talks so much about the "rule of law" and the "law-based state", will respect and observe at least its legislation.

Local authorities have no right to interfere in foreign policy, defense, and security issues, which are the exclusive areas of competence of the president. This principle is enshrined in constitutional and legislative terms. And this principle is not passive, but active, that is, it presupposes a legal, judicial reaction to any violation of it. Therefore, the lack of reaction of the prefects to this provocative visit will mean that the French legal system is directly dependent on electoral and lobbying campaigns. This is very dangerous, first, for France itself.

Question: What consequences will this provocative visit have on the image of France and bilateral relations with Azerbaijan?

Answer: Obviously, this visit had a negative impact on the reputation of France and the peacekeeping efforts of its president, who recently took a successful initiative in Brussels to organize an informal Armenian-Azerbaijani meeting, which was held in a rather constructive atmosphere. As for bilateral relations, everything depends, as I have already noted, on the actions or inaction of the respective prefect and the subsequent statements and steps of the official authorities. But in general, it will not affect our principled line with respect to Paris.

It is based on a combination of a tough reaction to France's crossing of our "red lines" and a constructive, pragmatic approach to the development of dialogue and cooperation with this country where possible and where it is beneficial to us. We constantly emphasize to our partners here that the responsibility for the preservation and development of bilateral relations lies with both sides. That is why they are called "bilateral".

Question: 2021 was a challenging year in relations with France. What, in your opinion, are the main achievements of this year?

Answer: In the past year, our relations have developed in extremely difficult, I would say, "stormy" conditions. The ideological and information war against Azerbaijan, unleashed by the "republican hawks" last fall, does not subside. Many leading figures of the "Republicans" seem to have returned to the era of religious military campaigns of the 11-13 centuries.

Provocations and pressure on our country from the "clients" of Armenia and the local Armenian diaspora continue at all levels of the central, local, and legislative authorities of France. The authorities, based on pre-election considerations, have taken the position of outside observers and do not interfere in this situation. Although they must intervene, since, I stress again, the national legislation of France is being violated.

But at the same time, due to the new regional order that has emerged in the South Caucasus, the firm position of the president, and the diplomacy of Azerbaijan, French policy is slowly but nevertheless adapting to the post-war, post-conflict situation. Elements that correspond to our new agenda have appeared in it - the readiness to assist in solving such urgent tasks for us as mine clearance, the search for missing citizens of our country, the reconstruction of the liberated territories, delimitation and strengthening of confidence-building measures.

I will single out another important shift in the position of Paris. On November 11, the French Foreign and Defense Ministers in their joint statement stressed the importance of concluding a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I will also note the successful visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Paris on November 10-11 and the positive results of his meetings and talks at the Elysee Palace and the French Foreign Ministry. I cannot fail, either, to mention the more balanced position of the new French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the post-conflict situation in our region.

It is obvious that many problems in our relations caused by French policy have not been resolved, but on the whole, positive dynamics are observed in its position. The main thing is that in Paris there is a growing understanding of the fact that there will be no return to the previous agenda of "conflict settlement" and that France's positions in our region in the post-conflict period will largely depend on its relations with our country.
By Trend

Everyone clearly understands in the current situation in the South Caucasus in relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia that the peak of the Karabakh conflict has already passed, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Situational Analysis Center at the Institute of International Economy and Foreign Relations under the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Alexey Malashenko told Trend.

Touching upon the possible meeting of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan within the traditional informal meeting of the leaders of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States in St. Petersburg on December 28, Malashenko said that during this meeting the president and prime minister will speak about improving the relationships and situation.

"Obviously, the issue related to the Zangazur corridor will be discussed. The situation is stabilizing and everyone roughly understands what they want and what they can do. A peace treaty and unblocking of communications - these issues will be gradually resolved because these are objective processes, the expert noted. Its time to reach an agreement, although its very difficult. When people tell me that there will be another war, I dont believe it. There may be some provocations, but in general, even in Armenia people understand very well that this conflict has been put to an end.

Moreover, it seems that in Armenia more people understand that its necessary to think first of all about the economy, the solution of socio-economic issues, and this requires consolidation," he further said.

Malashenko reminded that this year the CIS celebrates its 30th anniversary, and at the meeting of the leaders of the CIS member states, the discussion will focus on the need for cooperation, interaction, and other issues.

The most interesting is the bilateral contacts that will take place because Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet separately with each representative of each country. The interesting will be his talk with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, and also President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon due to different positions with regard to Afghanistan, he noted.

"Of course conversation [of Russian president] with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will be also very interesting. The presidents wont discuss economic issues, because there are ministers and relevant officials for this, and where the situation is acute enough, the presidential word is important," he added.
Vladanka Andreeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

"Excellency,

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team in Azerbaijan, allow me to convey my heartfelt congratulations for your 60th birthday and wish you the best of health and happiness.

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has made progress in all spheres of life, improving the welfare of its people. Azerbaijan is also playing a very active role in multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, demonstrating its strong commitment to multilateralism and shared responsibility.

The United Nations has always enjoyed excellent cooperation and partnership with Azerbaijan. Next year, we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the UN-Azerbaijan partnership, which is going to be important milestone and opportunity to reflect on the collective achievements, as well as prospects for future collaboration. We are looking forward to continuing our support to the Government of Azerbaijan in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the letter said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed condolences to relatives and loved ones of Albert Likhanov.

I was deeply saddened by the news of the death of Albert Anatolyevich Likhanov, a classicist of child and youth literature, a renowned public figure and a big friend of the people of Azerbaijan.

A universal personality, a talented writer and pedagogue and a man of a great heart, who has devoted his entire life to the noble mission of protection and support of children and moral education of the growing generations, has left us. Albert Anatolyevichs selfless activities as the head of the Russian Childrens Fund for long years have gained everyones respect and sympathy not only in Russia, but also in the entire world.

Albert Anatolyevichs mindful attitude towards his joint work with Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev has always been highly appreciated in Azerbaijan. As a result of this joint effort, the Soviet Childrens Fund was established. Being a true friend of our country, Albert Likhanov has made an important contribution to strengthening humanitarian relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.

The memory of this nice person and renowned personality will always live in our hearts.

Please, accept my sincere condolences on this irreplaceable loss, the letter said.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijans Land Forces Operations Commando military unit has conducted tactical and special drills, the Defence Ministry reported on December 28.

The drills were held under the combat training plan, the report added.

According to the collected intelligence data, the region where the imaginary enemy's sabotage group was meant to perform a provocation was identified in line with the exercise plan.

In order to suppress the sabotage groups provocation, the commandos left the places of their permanent deployment on alert and moved to the operational area, the ministry said.

In severe climates and places with difficult terrain, several redeployment methods were utilized.

During the operation, the commandos ambushed by the subversive group of the imaginary enemy made a quick decision and trained the rules of repelling the ambush and conducting reconnaissance in the area, the report underlined.

It was noted that the drills were aimed at improving the personnels tactical skills in the conditions of day and night visibility, as well as further advancing the commandos operational capabilities.

The participants demonstrated high professionalism during the exercises and accomplished all the assigned tasks successfully, the report concluded.

On December 24, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and their son Heydar Aliyev visited the liberated Khojavand region's Hadrut village to open a military unit of commando forces. Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan will create many commando brigades across the country. President Aliyev described the creation of the commando brigade unit in Hadrut as a significant event of strategic importance.

Experts described the creation of commando brigades in Azerbaijan as a new stage in the national army building. It was also assessed as a clear message for supporters of revanchist ideas in Armenia.




By Trend





The traditional informal meeting of the leaders of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will take place on Dec. 28 in St. Petersburg, Trend reports.

This event will be another opportunity for a meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

The last meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in Brussels on December 14 at the initiative of the President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel. Following the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev stated that the discussions with the prime minister of Armenia, which lasted for about five hours, were held in a constructive atmosphere.

The meeting of the heads of state of the CIS will possibly provide the two countries with another platform to move forward in resolving the remaining issues.

According to Darya Grevtsova, a political scientist and deputy director of the Russian Institute for Political Studies, the leaders' participation in the summit of the CIS countries will help them sum up the year and specifically discuss joint plans for next year.

"Of course, there are many questions, first of all, the challenges that countries have faced this year - the coronavirus and the fight against the pandemic. In this matter, joint efforts have big importance," she said.

Grevtsova noted that most likely within the framework of the event a meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will take place.

We know that recently Pashinyan stopped denying the signing of a peace treaty, that he is ready to open communications and discuss specific issues on the demarcation and delimitation of borders, and possibly also incidents at the border to prevent them next year," Grevtsova further said.

According to the Russian political scientist, Pashinyan, on the one hand, wants economic growth and development for Armenia, so he understands this possibility only through lifting the economic blockade and opening all communications.

"Therefore, it will be so important for him to build normal relations with both Azerbaijan and Turkey. However Pashinyan also wants to appear in front of the West as a pro-Western politician, she said. Apparently there will be some kind of two-sided game  he will show that hes ready to cooperate with Russia, to fulfill any requirements, and simultaneously wants to cooperate with the West, to receive certain preferences and loans from it.

That is, we can say that Pashinyan wants to sit on two chairs. This is certainly difficult, but let's see how much and what will be more profitable for him next year because, without cooperation with Russia, the economic development of Armenia is very difficult, Grevtsova also noted. Its main neighbor, as well as a huge Armenian community, lives in Russia, which sends funds to Armenia to its relatives, therefore there are a lot of ties with Russia. So contacts with the West are of course important, but without Russia, it will be difficult for Pashinyan to fulfill the goals he would like to achieve - the economic growth and economic development of Armenia," added the expert.

According to the well-known Russian political expert, director of the Institute of Contemporary State Development Dmitry Solonnikov, at present, the CIS is no more a structure created for a civilized divorce or an opportunity to divide the legacy of the USSR and disperse to "homes" as it was said when the organization [CIS] was created.

"Now the CIS is more likely an integration institution, which is considering the possibility of creating some unified rules for regulating relations between states that have formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In this regard, the expectation from the meeting is more likely related to these issues. The meeting will be held on the eve of the New Year, and therefore, of course, no principled, tense and painful issues will be raised there, but there will be discussed issues in several areas - first of all, what is on the agenda now is the tension on the external borders of the CIS, Solonnikov said.

There will probably be three main vectors - the situation in the West, what no doubt worries Belarus, the situation on the border with Afghanistan, what worries the countries of Central Asia, as well as the difficult situation with Iran. These are three tense issues that undoubtedly concern everyone, including Russia, the expert noted. Although neither the first, nor the second, nor the third directly border Russia, its painful for Russia when its allies, countries belonging to a friendly association, have border problems. Therefore, the security of external borders will, of course, be discussed.

As he emphasized, the development of integration ties may be discussed at the meeting, and in this regard, the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is one of these program points.

"The fact that Pashinyan has already said that Armenia supports the trend towards signing a full-fledged agreement with Azerbaijan shows that the painful knot in the South Caucasus will also be resolved, and movement in this direction will be realized, Solonnikov also noted. This will require to undertake a lot of measures mentioned earlier and at the trilateral negotiations, including the demarcation of the border, the work of specialists in the Russian General Staff, where accurate maps from the Soviet period have been preserved, describing the borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and after that work on the ground, apparently in the spring and summer, will be conducted. How all this will be technically organized, it will be possible to talk about it at the meeting on December 28.

According to the expert, the meeting parties will also discuss large infrastructure projects in the CIS.

"Its expected that the meeting will be held in a positive manner. 2022 is expected to be a year of positive decisions, and the meeting before the New Year will be aimed at them," Solonnikov concluded.

The CIS is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and at the meeting of the leaders of the Commonwealth countries, the discussion will focus on the need for cooperation and interaction. In particular, at a possible meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the talk can be about improving relations and the situation between the two countries. The Azerbaijani side is always open to political dialogue and welcomes such contacts. The position of Azerbaijan in terms of the realities of the post-conflict period has been repeatedly voiced by its president also on international platforms. In this context, a meeting that may be held in St. Petersburg will create additional opportunities.
Board of the Eurasian Regional Center of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his 60th anniversary.

"The Honourable President, on the occasion of Your Excellency's 60th anniversary, it gives us an utmost honor and privilege to extend to Your Excellency our cordial congratulations together with the warmest and sincerest wishes for every success in Your important mission," the message said.

"Your Excellency's firm stand in boosting the development of youth of the OIC countries indicated in your generous and critical support in holding the Founding General Assembly of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) in Baku, in 2004, continuing strong support toward the institutionalization and development of the ICYF as international institution affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and hosting of the Eurasian Regional Center of ICYF (ICYF-ERC) in Baku by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan serves as prime example for leaders in our region," the message said.

"We are very proud of Your Excellency's referring to the establishment of ICYF as the solid contribution of the Republic of Azerbaijan towards the OIC," the message said. "We, the board of ICYF-ERC are proud of Your Excellency's trust, support and leadership and try our best to match the level of dedication drawn by Your Excellency."

According to the message, as a result of the successful domestic and foreign policy of the Victorious Commander-in-Chief, Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation and put an end to the 30-year-long injustice.

"This victory is celebrated not only by the people of Azerbaijan but also all the Muslim youth," the message said. "We are also impressed by Your Excellency's well-willed aspirations and commendable stance towards the revival of the liberated territories."

"On this special occasion, we have the honor to express once again the best wishes for your noble activities in support of the OIC solidarity and for development of the people of brotherly Azerbaijan together," the message said. "Praying for the best of health, success and prosperity for you and your family, please, the Honourable President, accept assurances of our highest consideration and continuing best regards."
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani International Relations Analysis Center Chief Farid Shafiyev has said that Armenia knows the importance of normalizing ties with Azerbaijan, Trend has reported.

Shafiyev made the remarks at a press conference dedicated to the center's activity in 2021.

[Armenian Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan and his entourage understand that Armenia's prospects are limited and the only way is to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, Shafiyev stressed.

He underlined the positive outcomes of Azerbaijans foreign policy reminding the trilateral meeting held between the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders on November 26, 2021, in Russia's Sochi.

Moreover, Pashinyan made positive messages at the recent press conference. But we should not forget that he is a populist, he added.

At his online press conference held on December 24, Pashinyan said that the final status of the Karabakh region should be resolved in line with the Azerbaijani Constitution.

This is important because if the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is registered, then its final status must be clarified in accordance with the Constitution of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said.

Commenting on the peace negotiations between the former Armenian and Azerbaijani governments on the final status of the region, Pashinyan stressed that Karabakh couldnt have been completely Armenian land.

Based on those negotiations, it was clear that the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was going to have Armenian and Azerbaijani populations. Would there be a legislature in Nagorno-Karabakh? Yes, there would be a legislature, but it wouldnt be fully Armenian. There would be an Azerbaijani quota and an Armenian quota. Would there be local self-government bodies? Yes, but there would be not only Armenian but also Azerbaijani local self-government bodies, Pashinyan stressed.

It should be noted that during the Sochi meeting Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders agreed on unblocking the communication lines in the region, as well as delimitation of the state borders, which have not been fulfilled over the past 30 years due to Armenias territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also welcomed the results of the Sochi meeting stating that it fully reflects Azerbaijans position.

The statement stressed the speedy implementation of projects aimed at revealing the economic potential of the region, including the opening of railways and highways.

In the post-war period, Azerbaijan called for the full implementation of trilateral statements, the opening of all communications in the region, the start of the delimitation process between the two countries and the normalization of relations on the basis of international law.

It was emphasized that Azerbaijan will continue to take appropriate steps to implement the relevant points reflected in the November 26 statement.

During the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel on December 15, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.
By Trend

Some 47,556 Azerbaijani citizens visited Turkey in November 2021, which is 18 times more than the same period last year, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

According to the information, the share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in November amounted to 2.7 percent.

The ministry reports that 413,420 Azerbaijani citizens visited Turkey in 11M2021, which is 87.57 percent more than the same period in 2020.

The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey during the reporting period amounted to 1.81 percent.

It is noted that a total of 3.763 million tourists visited Turkey in November, which is 11 times more than in the same month in 2020.

Also, it is noted that 25.819 million tourists visited Turkey 11M2021, which is 89.61 percent more than in the same period in 2020.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

A lion cub has been recently born in the Baku Zoo. Founder and head of the IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva got acquainted with the living conditions of the lion cub.

The lion cub is kept separately from its mother, who cannot care for it.

Currently, the lion cub is in a specially equipped warm room under constant supervision of a doctor and zoo staff.

The number of lions which are kept in the zoo reached five after an approximately three-kilogram lion cub was born.

As is known, the Baku Zoo was reconstructed upon the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva. The zoo opened its doors to visitors in October, 2021.

More comfortable cells, an aqua terrarium, a petting zoo, an artificial lake, swimming pools and a veterinary clinic have been built for the animals which are kept in the zoo.

The cells where animals are kept have been expanded and prepared taking into account the specific needs of each species.

Baku Zoo focuses on turning into an educational, research and conservation center capable of informing visitors about wildlife, in particular, the fauna of Azerbaijan.

All favorable conditions have been created for the increase and reintroduction of the species which are included in Azerbaijans Red List of Threatened Species.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day has been celebrated in Moscow.

The event was held on the initiative of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora and youth associations of Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as officials attended the event.

In her speech, the head of Humanitarian Programmes Department at the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Tamilla Ahmadova touched upon the activities of Azerbaijan Youth Association of Russia (AMOR) in the humanitarian area under the leadership of Leyla Aliyeva. She praised the active participation of the young members in humanitarian events.

AMOR executive secretary Jeyhun Huseynov, on behalf of the chairman of the Association Leyla Aliyeva, congratulated the guests on the upcoming World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day and the New Year. He also provided insight into the activities of the organization in 2021.

It was noted that under the leadership of Leyla Aliyeva, AMOR has implemented a number of new projects and successfully cooperated with public associations and higher educational institutions in Russia.

Next, the most active Azerbaijani clubs in the Russia`s higher scientific institutions were awarded.

The event was followed by a concert that featured traditional dances and music.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans Yashat Foundation, which was set up to help families of soldiers killed and injured during last year's 44-day Karabakh war, continues to send seriously injured war veterans to Turkey for treatment.

Three more veterans - Saleh Khalilov, Gudrat Aliyev, and Orkhan Babayev will receive treatment in Turkey.

The foundation will monitor the veterans' treatment until their full recovery.

To date, 157 war veterans have been sent to Turkey for treatment. The treatment of 116 of them has already been successfully completed and they have returned home. In addition, the foundation also provides medicines for the treatment of wounded war veterans.

Set up by the presidential decree in December 2020, the foundations work covers the families of servicemen killed or got disabled during the war and also the families of employees of state bodies (institutions) who became disabled or lost their lives while serving in the liberated lands or while removing the consequences of military operations in the liberated lands.

It was earlier reported that the foundation had spent AZN 32.4 million ($19.1M) on the improvement of housing conditions, AZN 458,478 ($269,692) on education, vocational training and development of creative potential, AZN 5.4 million ($3.1M) on repayment of consumer and other loans and AZN 11.1 million ($6.5M) on treatment and psychological support.

From early 2021, meetings were held with 16,393 citizens, of which, 2,916 were members of martyrs families and 5,010 were wounded servicemen. Their needs were clarified and 15,834 applications of 10,875 people were considered and approved.

Yashat receives donations made through voluntary financial aid provided by Azerbaijani citizens, Azerbaijanis living abroad, other individuals and legal entities, as well as other sources not prohibited by law.

As of December 28, the foundation has collected over AZN 65.2 million ($38.4M).
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Since the Russian invasion of the South Caucasus in the early 19th century Azerbaijani people had been deprived of their rights to serve in the army or pursue a military career for a long time. Only by the end of the century, members of the local nobility were allowed to join the imperial army and attain high military ranks.

Later, the emerging Azerbaijani military elite played an exceptional role in the formation of the National Army, which officially was established on June 26, 1918. As Azerbaijans first Minister of War, General Samad bay Mehmandarov was one of the main architects of the national army building.

The outstanding general not only created a well-disciplined army of 40,000 but also restored and revived the nations centuries-old military traditions, which have been an inseparable part of its self-defence.

Early life, career

Born in Azerbaijan's Lankaran on October 16, 1855, Mehmandarov was educated in a gymnasium in Baku, and at the age of 16 entered the II Konstantinovka Artillery School in St. Petersburg.

In 1875, he received the lieutenant colonel military rank and was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav of the third degree. He was promoted to captain in 1890, lieutenant-colonel in 1898, colonel in 1901, and major general in 1904. In 1908, Mehmandarov received the full artillery general rank for his courageous services in the Russo-Japanese War.

During the First World War, he was in the direction of the Warsaw operation, where the Russian troops won a complete victory over the Germans.

National army-building process

After resigning from the Russian army, Mehmandarov came to Baku in September 1918 and started working in the Ministry of War as the first defence minister of the newly-established Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Under his leadership, the ensign school in Ganja, on the basis of which the first military school of Azerbaijan was organized, moved to Baku in early 1919.

The military paramedic schools in Baku, as well as a militarized railway school in Ganja were established during this period. In January 1920, a special military-oriented cadet corps was formed to prepare students for these schools.

Of course, if Azerbaijan had not been occupied by the Bolsheviks in April 1920, Mehmandarov would have been able to fully implement his plans to create a strong and organized army. Unfortunately, the April occupation left his and his friends' dreams unfulfilled.

Soviet period

On June 3, 1920, the 64-year old artillery general was arrested for his albeit involvement in the Ganja uprising to overthrow the Bolshevik government in Azerbaijan but was released due to the lack of evidence.

After the establishment of the Soviet government, he continued his military activity and taught at the school of military commanders established in Azerbaijan in 1921-28. General Mehmandarov took an active part in the wide-ranging military reforms and events carried out in Azerbaijan in 1924-27.

He was also the chairman of the Military-Scientific Society operating in the Baku House of Officers. In 1928, the general was dismissed from the army due to ill health and was granted an individual state pension.

The colonel-general was one of the prominent personalities of his time. He was fluent in Turkish and Persian. For the last three years of his life, he studied Islamic history and philosophy. Samad bay Mehmandarov died on February 12, 1931, in Baku.

There are hundreds of archival documents, memoirs and other materials written about him by prominent personalities of his time, which testify to the large-scale activity of Mehmandarov as the military minister of the independent republic and his historical services. His contemporaries called him a unique artilleryman.

Probably, future researchers will talk about his life and deeds in more detail and thoroughly, as a great example to future generations.

The 160th anniversary of Samad bay Mehmandarov, who rendered exceptional services to Azerbaijan by writing golden pages in its military history, was solemnly celebrated in 2015.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Domestic violence cases against women in Azerbaijan have dropped, Azertag has reported.

The State Committee for Family, Women, and Children, which exercises control over ensuring gender equality in the country, said in its report made at a parliament session on December 27.

The committee's report stressed that 10,587 illegal actions were prevented by efficient response measures after reports of domestic violence were received.

Despite the increase in the number of crimes against women in most countries of the world due to the global pandemic, the number of such acts in Azerbaijan, including crimes related to assault, decreased by 9 percent compared to 2019.

In 2020, 5,176 crimes against women were registered in the country, including 2,067 cases of assault. Out of these numbers, 2,414 people committing these crimes were brought to justice. Some 973 crimes were committed due to jealousy, family conflict, and other cases of domestic violence, the report added.

Azerbaijan cooperates and implements various programs, to ensure womens rights, with different international institutions, especially with UNDP.

Protection of womens rights and expansion of all opportunities created for them are included in the priorities set by the Azerbaijani president in the state policy.

Currently, women are represented in almost all the leading spheres of Azerbaijani society, and in some cases occupy leading positions. Some 48.2 percent of women actively participate in the social and economic life of the country.

As of 2020, women account for 80.7 percent of teachers in general education schools, as well as for 78.9 percent of teachers in specialized secondary schools, for 54.7 percent of teachers in universities, and for 48.8 percent of university students.

In addition, 66 percent of doctors and 64.9 percent of judges in the country are women.

Women constitute 58.2 percent of the total number of researchers in Azerbaijan. The number of women, who received PhD degrees has increased by 2.5 times for the last 10 years, and the number of those, who have a PhD degree in philosophy has increased by 2.2 times. At the same time, women make up 28.5 percent of government officials, 21.7 percent of entrepreneurs, and 42.6 percent of athletes.

Some 16 percent of the deputies of the Parliament, including the Speaker, are also women.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Mirshahin Aghayev, director of the Real Analysis and Information Center and head of Real TV channel, has described the new law On media as far more liberal than the previous one.

Aghayev made the remarks during the discussion of the bill at a joint meeting of the legal policy and state-building and the human rights parliamentary committees.

He stressed that the deal here is not only about the bill, but also about very serious information security:

"This should be a law that protects not only the independence of the Azerbaijani media but also the independence of the Azerbaijani state," Aghayev said.

He noted that some people are trying to misinterpret the bill.

"They do not want us to be strong. They want to stay in the old environment, they know that after the adoption of this law, they will not be able to do what they want," Aghayev added.

In Azerbaijan, the media bill was adopted 20 years ago. Certain changes were made, but some points remained open.

In December 2021, the Azerbaijani parliament adopted a new law On the media. It determines the general rules of the organization of media activities, the legal and economic bases of these activities, as well as the receipt, preparation, transmission, production, and dissemination of mass information. The document consists of nine chapters and 78 clauses.

The new bill is expected to play an important role in eliminating a number of shortcomings that exist today in the media sphere and to pave the way for the creation of a regulatory framework that meets the latest global standards.

It provides for all the details, from raising the level of professionalism of journalists to solving their social problems. This creates the necessary legal framework for better protection of information security in Azerbaijan.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

First Deputy Health Minister, Acting Minister Teymur Musayev has said that to date, no person has been infected with the omicron strain of COVID-19 in Azerbaijan.

He made the remarks at a briefing of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers on December 28.

Musayev noted that the Azerbaijani government is currently considering the purchase of new types of drugs to treat COVID-19.

"The end-decision will be made as the results of the research on these drugs is studied," he said.

The deputy minister added that relevant drugs and medicines cannot substitute the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition, during the briefing, it was reported that another 377 people tested positive for coronavirus in Azerbaijan on December 28.

the story will be updated.
Rounding off an eventful 2021, which saw Boursa Kuwait excel across all facets of its operations, the firm has won five international awards in recognition of its efforts to develop a more transparent and solvent capital market.

The awards celebrate the companys outstanding contributions to the Kuwaiti capital market, marked investor relations performance, and remarkable support to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Boursa Kuwait was also voted the sustainable stock exchange of the year in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), in addition to being honoured for its endeavours to cultivate a culture of learning in the organisation.

The awards reflect Boursa Kuwaits commitment to operational excellence and its role in developing a strong and efficient financial market with liquidity and transparency that effectively brings together issuers and investors enabling them to seize investment opportunities and capture high returns on investment.

Throughout the past year, the company continued to strive to create a robust capital market that sets new benchmarks in the region and is attractive to investors worldwide.

Boursa Kuwaits Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Saud Al-Osaimi said: Boursa Kuwait continues to blaze a path towards a progressive operation, responsible for driving engagement, growth and innovation in the Kuwaiti capital market in an effort to transform it into a world-class, attractive investment destination for international investors. The awards we won this year are a confirmation of our efforts, evidence of the progressive milestones we have achieved. The awards will also motivate us to aspire to even more accomplishments in the future. We look forward to providing market participants and those interested in listing even more investment products and solutions to further develop the market and elevate its status.

Sustainable Stock Exchange of the Year  Mena 2021: Boursa Kuwait was chosen for the Sustainable Stock Exchange of the Year award in the Middle East and North Africa by Pan Finance Magazine, a print and online journal providing worldwide intelligence on finance, economics, and global commerce.

The Pan Finance team announced the nomination on their website, commending Boursa Kuwaits commitment to corporate sustainability for itself and the Kuwaiti capital market. It is worth noting that the company published an ESG disclosure that aims to support listed companies to report on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues, and to meet the growing needs of various stakeholders, including investors, customers, suppliers, and regulators for transparent and regular information.

The guide includes recommended sustainability metrics and a set of indicators that assist market participants understand where they currently stand as well as how to improve and set future goals.

Furthermore, the recommended sustainability metrics include indicators that are simultaneously corresponding with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and the pillars of Kuwaits 2035 Vision.

Armed with its ESG readiness and its well-thought-out Corporate Sustainability strategy, Boursa Kuwait has remained at the forefront of the efforts to promote environmentally conscious business practices in Kuwaits capital market, which has been witnessing growth in the adoption of Corporate Sustainability and an increasing inclination towards sustainable and climate-integrated investments.

Boursa Kuwait aims to build on its success in sustainability in the coming years and plans to publish its first ESG report in 2022, highlighting the companys accomplishments in Corporate Sustainability as well as outlining its strategy for ESG reporting and implementation.

Outstanding Contribution to Capital Market Development  Kuwait 2021: Boursa Kuwait was chosen by Global Business Outlook Magazine for its Outstanding Contribution to Capital Market Development award in 2021. Global Business Outlook Awards seek to recognise and reward excellence in businesses around the world and are designed to facilitate the outstanding work of businesses and business leaders across industries.

In 2021, Boursa Kuwait continued its role as the crown jewel of development in the capital market apparatus, facilitating the listing of three companies into its Main Market and introducing Tradable Rights Issues, which are tradable or waivable Securities that grant its owner priority to subscribe in an Issuers share capital increase pro rata to the number of Securities he owns in the Issuers share capital.

The company intends to build on this success and continue on its strategy to create an attractive investment environment. It has implemented many steps to keep pace with international practices and standards, forging ahead towards a bright future in which Kuwait is a regional and global investment destination.

Best Investor Relations Company - Kuwait 2021: Boursa Kuwait was chosen for the Best Investor Relations Company award by Global Banking & Finance Review, a leading online and print magazine for informative and independent news within the financial community.

Since their inception in 2011, the Global Banking and Finance Review Awards reflect the innovation, achievement, strategy, progressive and inspirational changes taking place within the global financial community and were created to recognise companies which are prominent in particular areas of expertise and excellence within the financial world.

As an organisation that strives to advance a sustainable capital markets ecosystem in Kuwait, Boursa Kuwait has long recognised the importance of the IR function to establish and maintain meaningful relationships between the various capital market participants, which include listed companies, institutional investors, private investors, analysts, and the general public.

The company has undertaken several initiatives to raise awareness of the many benefits of a robust IR function among businesses in Kuwait and has intensified efforts to promote IR practices in response to the growth of the issuer and depth of investor base that came as a result of its extensive market developments and plans.

Best Culture of Learning 2021: Boursa Kuwait was chosen for the Best Culture of Learning award for employers below 500 employees within the Middle East Region 2021 by LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with nearly 800 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

In line with its commitment to continue to develop the knowledge and skills of its workforce despite the unique circumstances of this year, Boursa Kuwait continued its partnership with LinkedIn Learning in 2021 to provide access to a wide range of virtual training programmes.

All Boursa Kuwait employees were assigned specific training programmes, based on their unique job profile and technical competences, which were tracked towards their training KPI. In total, 2707 hours of training was conducted through this innovative learning channel during the year.

The company intends to build on this success by continuing to leverage LinkedIn Learning to enhance the knowledge, skills and competencies of its workforce moving forward, making an investment in its greatest asset: its people.

Second Place in the Best Annual Report  Print Category for Small Cap Companies  Middle East 2021: Boursa Kuwaits 2020 Annual Report was voted second best annual report in the print category for Small Cap Companies in the Middle East by the Middle East Investor Relations Association (Meira), an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the Investor Relations (IR) profession and international standards in corporate governance whose mission is to enhance the reputation, efficiency, and attractiveness of the Middle East capital markets.

Boursa Kuwaits ongoing partnership with Meira seeks to promote IR best practices and international standards in corporate governance in the Kuwaiti capital market.-- TradeArabia News Service
DP World's flagship Jebel Ali Port has received MV Atlantic Pioneer, the first vessel from Kaiso Line, an Indonesia-based shipping company, at its container terminal.

The call demonstrates how Jebel Ali Port is a vital link in the global trade network, connecting markets in the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent (ISC) and South-East Asia (SEA).

The vessel had left Jakarta on November 26, 2021 and reached the UAE on December 11, 2021. The vessel and its crew led by Captain Tsyganenko Ruslan were welcomed by DP World officials, who handed over a plaque to the Master of the vessel.

The new KPG liner is the first direct service by Kaiso Line from Indonesia to ISC and Arabian Gulf ports. The service will call Jakarta (Indonesia), Nhava Sheva (India), Karachi (Pakistan), Jebel Ali (the UAE) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia), offering direct connectivity to and from Indonesia, with Jebel Ali Port being the transhipment hub.

The shipping line is scheduled to deploy more vessels in 2022 to reach a weekly departure within every single port and further expand the connectivity of key markets in South East Asia to the Middle East.

Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director, DP World UAE & Jafza said: As the Middle East's largest transhipment hub, Jebel Ali has become one of the most preferred ports of call for several shipping companies. The arrival of the first vessel from Kaiso Line reflects the confidence of our stakeholders in our capabilities and our growing portfolio. The new service will not only strengthen ties between the UAE and Indonesia, but will also support traders in SEA and ISC, giving them access to economies in the Middle East.

Bin Damithan added: DP World recognises Indonesias potential as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This development will further boost our efforts in supporting the logistics sector in the country and we are confident that it will help to eliminate port inefficiencies and foster a robust shipping network. Furthermore, the new line and the departures scheduled for 2022, will support the UAEs recent economic agreement with the country, aiding economic development and recovery from the pandemic.

Billy Iskandar, Managing Director of Kaiso Line stated: Indonesia is growing at a rapid pace, given the opportunities and favourable investment policies by the government, along with several bilateral ties the country has globally. With Kaiso Line, we connect Indonesia and South-East Asian countries to the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East through our direct service. The Jebel Ali Port is our hub in the Middle East, given the first-class infrastructure and the connectivity and access that DP World provides at their terminals.

Connecting to 150 ports globally, Jebel Ali Port has regional market access to 60 weekly connections to the Middle East and ISC.

With its service innovation, disruptive logistics technologies, safety principles and expansive global network, the Port has consistently built on its position as a global maritime hub and one of the fastest-growing ports in the region. The port is strengthened by its high degree of specialisation in the storage and handling of all kinds of cargo including bulk, breakbulk, and RoRo.-- TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the worlds largest smelter ex-China, has launched its new website to offer an up-close and user-friendly experience after unveiling its new Vision, Mission and Values in January this year during the CEOs Annual Majlis.

Albas custom-made website translates the companys brand image and reflects what it stands for in line with its new Vision, Mission and Values, said the statement from the aluminium giant.

Commenting on the new website, CEO Ali Al Baqali said: "Gone are the days when websites were just a source of information; today, it is more than an experience - it is a journey. We wanted to have a dynamic website that reflects our Vision for growth and expansion while at the same time defines who we are."

It has a modern look, an easy-to-navigate design, improved on-site navigation system, a range of new content and greater emphasis on visuals, videos and infographics. The website can be accessed via http://www.albasmelter.com.

"We are also pleased to have teamed-up with Boxon Brand Visionaries, a Bahraini branding design and consultancy, for redesigning our website, which underlines our Sustainable Procurement Policy that focuses on partnering with local companies," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Omans Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, in cooperation with the British University of Southampton and the Western Australian Museum, has launched the book Maritime Archaeological Survey of Oman.



The book includes 349 pages, comprising 7 chapters and 8 appendices, besides a number of bibliographic references and geophysical survey maps of some underwater cultural heritage sites, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



It also talks about the study of archives of countries with ancient trade relations with Oman such as India, Portugal, China and Britain.
Help India!



An interfaith conference was held by the Islamic Information Centre at the exhibition ground in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The topic of the conference was Religion does not teach enmity with each other, which was attended by various leaders and representatives of different religions.

TCN NEWS

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NEW DELHI  Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice President Prof. Salim Engineer and other interfaith during a meeting in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh to condemn growing communal hatred, hostility and hate speeches (against Muslims) in the country.

An interfaith conference was held by the Islamic Information Centre at the exhibition ground in Aligarh, UP. The topic of the conference was Religion does not teach enmity with each other, which was attended by various leaders and representatives of different religions.

Addressing the gathering, the JIH Vice President stated that one who commits violence in the name of faith is an enemy of his own religion.

Pointing out that religion is not the root cause of hatred and violence in the society as all faiths teach against hatred, oppression and violence, Prof. Salim termed the supremacist mentality and the misuse of religion for political gains as its main reason.

Some people and groups think of themselves as superior and see others as inferior. However, Islam considers all human beings as a family of God. At all times and everywhere in the world, prophets and messengers came from God with a message to establish peace and justice on earth, he said.

Emphasising on sharing joy and sorrow with each other, he urged people to establish direct and one-to-one relationships instead of social media.

Underlining that nothing should be imposed on anyone and everyone should be free to seek truth while no religion should be used to commit violence and atrocity, Prof. Salim reminded the people that there can be no peace without justice in a society.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rajeev Prachandiya, editor of Jai Kalyan Shri (Aligarh edition) said, The title of the conference is not just a slogan but it is an idea. No religion endorses mutual fighting and hatred.

Advocating social equality and justice, Giani Prabhajot Singh Ji of Gurdwara Masoodabad, Aligarh said, There is no caste or community and everyone will depart back to their Lord as they came from their mothers womb.

Buddhist Society of Indias Jai Singh Suman said that Gautam Buddha always talked about equality and love while Buddhism tried to eradicate untouchability from the society.

Hare Krishna Bhakti Kendras Deepak Sharma said that all human beings are the children of the same God, according to the teachings of Sanatan Dharma.

Reverend Lawrence Das of the Church of the Ascension Aligarh said, If we have love, peace and humbleness in our hearts for others, then mutual enmity and hatred cannot arise among us.

Delivering the concluding speech, JIH UP West President Ahmed Aziz Khan said, As the man is becoming more developed and educated today, he is committing more shameful acts, which are defaming humanity. God has made man a vicegerent on earth. However, he is committing heinous crimes like murdering girls in the wombs, even before their birth.

If a man does not bow down to his Creator in this era of revolutionary development, then he cannot be useful for human society, Aziz Khan added.

In his inaugural address, Junaid Siddiqi reminded that people of all faiths worked together to nurture and beautify the country and they jointly fought for its freedom. It is the responsibility of all the people to take out the society from the prevailing hateful and hostile atmosphere, he added.

At the end of the programme, Islamic books were gifted to interfaith leaders
Help India!

Ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by its charismatic and controversial leader Asaduddin Owaisi has made waves in the restive north-Indian state. This TCN Ground Report looks at what the entry of Owaisi in electoral politics of Uttar Pradesh means for the states Muslims, and how he is seen and looked at by various sections of the political divide.

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Aas Mohammed Kaif | TwoCircles.net

MUZAFFARNAGAR, UTTAR PRADESH  Fifty-two-year old Irfan Mansoori lives in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He is active in the state-level politics of the state. Mansoori started his political career by being an activist of the National Loktantrik Party (NLP). He later joined the Peace Party. At present, he is a spokesperson for the Meerapur Assembly of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)the party led by the firebrand Asaduddin Owaisi.

Mansoori is in the news after he expressed strong displeasure with his nephew Naeem after he (Naeem) had made a controversial comment on Asaduddin Owaisi. Naeem had called Owaisi a broker of BJP. This got Mansoori very upset with his nephew.

Owaisi Sahab is a true leader of the community and I cannot hear a word against him, even if the one making the comment is from my family, Mansoori told TwoCircles.net.

His nephew Naeem, however, said that he has a right to his political opinion. I respect Mr Owaisi but he is not doing well. If Mr Owaisi comes to my house, I will feed him, I will respect him, I will stand in his service, but I will not vote for him. My vote is for changing the government and Mr Owaisis candidates do not look like they can do that, Naeem said.

What is not surprising about this incident is that discussions like thison Owaisiare taking place in almost every Muslim household in Uttar Pradesh. With the Assembly elections around the corner, every house has a parliament. Every house has more than one axis. Asaduddin Owaisi and Akhilesh Yadav are two political personalities that are being talked about. Interestingly, in western Uttar Pradesh, it is the elders who are inclined towards Owaisi, while in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi is a hero among the youth. Muslim youth in western Uttar Pradesh are standing in opposition to Owaisi. It must be counted as Owaisis success that in the last few months that his name is discussed at the dining tables of the people of Uttar Pradesh. Among Muslim families, at least one member is a staunch supporter of Owaisi. They find Asaduddin Owaisis point of view right and advocate of having own community leadership.

Commenting on this, AIMIM leader Tahir Ansari said, This is our success.

Muslims need own political leadership

Sixty-five-year old Tahir Ansari of Charthawal, Muzaffarnagar has spent all his life dreaming about having community leadership. He has been fighting for this leadership in western Uttar Pradesh for the last forty years. He finds promise in Asaduddin Owaisi after having been with Maulana Abdul Jalil Faridi, Dr Masood and Dr Ayyub.

I am sure of only one thing now. Muslims need to have their own leadership, he said.

Ansari said that he has always advocated for Muslim community leadership.

It doesnt matter whether the leader is Dr Masood, Dr Ayyub or Mr Owaisi, he said.

Tahir said Dr Masood and Dr Ayub Saheb have done great work in Uttar Pradesh, especially Dr Masood.

However, the popularity of Asaduddin Owaisi has increased due to being a big and national face. We have to stick to the agenda of our leadership. Will stand wherever there is hope, Ansari said.

Talking about the good performance of AIMIM in Bihar, Ansari said that, We can win 5-6 seats and will also register our strong inflow.

Tahir insists that he will get more than ten thousand votes in at least 25 assembly seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.

Main election battle will be between BJP and SP

The election whistle is about to blow in Uttar Pradesh, with less than 90 days left for the grand electoral fight. Every political party is campaigning hard. The main battle appears to be between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). Outfits like Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress are fighting for survival. The other small parties are campaigning to strengthen their influence.

Electoral observers maintain that the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) whose charismatic founding leader Chaudhary Ajit Singh passed away last yearcan pull off a surprise with its performance. The RLD is led by Ajit Singhs son Jayant Chaudhary, and the party mainly does politics on the issues of farmers. RLD is considered to be strong in western Uttar Pradesh. Jayant Chaudharys grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh has been the Prime Minister of India.

Other small parties who will be fighting the elections will be Rajbhar Party, Apna Dal, Nishad Party and Mahan Dal, Peace Party and Ulema Council in Purvanchal. Out of these, Rajbhar Party, Peace Party and Mahan Dal are with Samajwadi Party. Apna Dal has two factions, one is with Samajwadi Party and the other is with BJP. Nishad Party is with BJP but their leader Sanjay Nishad has expressed anger at the recent Gorakhpur rally.

The two popular parties in the state are Bhim Armyan Ambedkarite and Dalit rights party led by Chandrashekhar Azad and AIMIM led by Owaisi. Reports said that there are discussions going on between Bhim Army and SP.

Is AIMIM looking for expansion in UP?

Confident after winning five seats in Bihar, AIMIM is coming to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh with confidence. Electoral observers maintain that parties like AIMIM will fight Uttar Pradesh elections to register their presence. AIMIN may not win but it is keen to make its presence felt in Uttar Pradesh.

Is AIMIM considering expansion is a question that is on everyones mind, including its rivals.

However, after talking to their leaders, the intention does not seem to be just expansion.

Sceptical about AIMIMs expansion, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader and political affairs expert Ajmal Rehman referred to AIMIM contesting only 8 assembly seats in Telangana. It was in alliance with KCR there and contested only on Muslim majority seats, Rehman said.

They (AIMIM) are talking about contesting 100 seats in Uttar Pradesh and asking for the post of deputy chief minister in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, Rehman said and questioned, What they cannot do in Hyderabad, how can they do in Uttar Pradesh?

His concern is not wrong. AIMIM has all its organisational setup, infrastructure and workers in Telangana. They dont have any base in Uttar Pradesh. AIMIM did not have an organizational base in West Bengal, and we saw their performance during the elections there, Rehman said.

Rehmans concern is not unfounded. Voters in Uttar Pradesh understand what will happen if votes are divided.

AIMIMs politics is understandable. Before 2012, they were with Indian National Congress, but with the change of power at the centre, AIMIM changed track. It is being said that Owaisi will not be able to win seats but he will strengthen BJPs Hindutva politics and give an opportunity to the majority community to unite.

AIMIMs action plan to contest elections also proves as if they are contesting elections only on Muslim majority seats. These are those seats where more than 30 per cent are Muslim. At these places, they will fight only Muslim candidates, will make emotional arguments and help in polarization, Rehman remarks.

AIMIM is going even further than what Rehman points out. At some places, the party is betting on caste maths and effective candidates. AIMIM game is that it is doing research on such Muslim leaders whom the Samajwadi Party cannot give tickets, but, who are strong leaders. An entire team of AIMIM is in touch with more than a dozen leaders, reports said.

Wherever Owaisi goes, he keeps his hand on the same pulse. He taunts the helplessness of the local leaders and challenges their self-confidence, observers said.

Preparations to get the wife or son of AIMIM Bahubali leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) Ateeq Ahmed to contest elections in Meerut are part of such a plan. Ateeq Ahmed comes from the Gaddi community among Muslims. The community is involved in the milk business and their population in Meerut city alone is nearly fifty thousand. Ateeq Ahmed is a resident of Allahabad, 650 kilometres away from Meerut.

According to Shoaib, an AIMIM worker from Meerut, This is not happening for the first time.

Shoaib points out that Mohsina Kidwai and Avtar Singh Bhadana have also come to Meerut from outside and become MPs. Ateeq Ahmed is a strong leader. His family members have a right to contest any election, he said.

Wasim Ahmed, a Samajwadi Party worker in Meerut, told TwoCircles.net that AIMIM will not influence anything but will allow for a BJP win and defeat the Samajwadi Party candidate.

To this, Shoaib of AIMIM said that It is not our contract to get the candidate of the Samajwadi Party to win.

We did not contest the elections in 2017 then why did the Samajwadi Party lose, Shoaib reasons.

Wasim is of the view that AIMIM is fighting elections only to defeat the Samajwadi Party. His (Owaisis) speeches directly target Akhilesh Yadav while the government in the state is of BJP. The Samajwadi Party is being targeted because it is the only party that can defeat the BJP. Since the result will be a close one in the twenty Muslim majority seatsif the votes are divided, the BJP will win, he said.

Understanding figures

Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh is 20 per cent. In at least 145 Assembly seats, the Muslim population comprise 20 to 50 per cent. In these 30 seats, 40 to 50 per cent are Muslims. Of these, 15 seats are from the Moradabad division only. It has Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal and Rampur. There are more than 50 per cent Muslim voters in 2 assembly seats. One of these seats is from Rampur. Apart from this, there are Amroha, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli.

In western Uttar Pradesh, there is 37 per cent Muslim population in Saharanpur, 34 in Muzaffarnagar, 30 in Shamli, 26 in Meerut, 28 in Baghpat, 49 in Bijnor, 48 in Moradabad, 51 in Sambhal, 50 in Rampur, 14 in Ghaziabad, 13 in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 26 in Bulandshahr, 22 in Aligarh, 26 in Agra, 35 in Amroha, 11 in Mathura, 19 in Firozabad, 33 in Bareilly, and Badayun has about 28 per cent Muslim population.

Uttar Pradesh has a total of 403 Assembly seats. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the maximum80 per cent Muslim vote went to Samajwadi Party and the party won 47 seats.

What is interesting and cause of concern for Muslims voters in the state is that if there is complete communal polarization in the state, the Muslim voters can choose their MLAs on only 2 Assembly seats. At present, the total number of Muslim MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly is 25.

AIMIM leader Syed Farhan isnt keen on talking about numbers.

Dont talk about numbers. When the Muzaffarnagar riots took place, there were more than twice MLAs than the current lot, but no one did anything. There were more than a dozen Muslim ministers but no one said anything. We dont want crowds, we want men of work. Even Yazid had a big army but we want people like Hussains, Farhan told TwoCircles.net.

Recently, Asaduddin Owaisis statement on Imam Hussain has been in news. During its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said that those who fought against Hussain were also Muslims. His workers are now propagating that theyre Hussainis (followers of Imam Hussain) and those opposing him are Yazeedis (followers of Yazid). There have been many reactions to this statement.

Mohammad Shaheen called it a shameful statement, saying, How can Asaduddin Owaisi equate himself with Hussain? Earlier his brother Akbaruddin was talking big in his dream. The sting of their honesty is ringing all over Telangana where they have captured land worth thousands of crores, he said.

What can Owaisi do?

What is obvious is that partition is visible in Uttar Pradesh regarding Asaduddin Owaisiwith some supporting him wholeheartedly and others strongly opposing him.

But the question is what can Owaisi do in this political atmosphere?

Going by past trends, NLP and the Peace Party had contested elections to have a stake in Uttar Pradeshbut instead, they had failed and weakenedeven though these parties had their bases in the state.

Considering the pre-election mood in Uttar Pradesh and what the voices on the ground reveal, it looks like AIMIM is not in a position to win even a single assembly seat in upcoming elections.

Although Owaisi is drawing crowds to his rallies, questions have been raised about his participation and what it means to the Muslim vote share in a state like Uttar Pradesh.

In his speeches during rallies, Owaisi raises concerns and questions that make secular parties uncomfortable. This is a concern felt by people across the region.

Farhad Gada of Saharanpur likens Owaisi to Jinnah. Before independence, a barrister had come who did the work of dividing us. Another one has come but this time we will not be divided, he added.
China's new large carrier rocket Long March-5B blasts off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province, May 5, 2020. China's new large carrier rocket Long March-5B made its maiden flight Tuesday, sending the trial version of China's new-generation manned spaceship and a cargo return capsule for test into space. (Photo by Tu Haichao/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 -- In 2021, China's space launches have set new records by exceeding 50 times. Wu Yanhua, vice administrator of China National Space Administration (CNSC), said in an interview recently that multiple carrier rockets are under development, which will make their maiden flights in the next few years as scheduled.

According to Wu, China is currently developing a heavy carrier rocket with a low-Earth orbit (LEO) carrying capacity between 50 tons and 150 tons. It can send a 150-ton spacecraft into LEO, the same weight of the Tiangong space station, and space vehicles as heavy as 30 tons to the moon, four times the weight of the Chang'e-5 lunar probes. In the near future, it's supposed to undertake China's major space programs such as deep space exploration and manned landing on the moon. At present, the rocket is already in the stage of program deepening demonstration and critical technology tackling.

Meanwhile, a type of new-generation manned rocket is also under development based on the Long March-5. Two five-meter-diameter boosters will be added to both sides of the Long March-5 core stage. The propellant to be used is liquid oxygen/hydrogen and liquid oxygen/kerosene, non-toxic and pollution-free. Relevant data has shown that the new rocket will be 90-meter-tall, possessing 2,211 tons weight-at-launch and capable of sending a payload of 27 tons to the lunar transit orbit.

China's new-generation rocket family has now taken shape, said Wu. In the future, reusable rockets are bound to be developed and join the Long March rockets family
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Good question. Doctors are seeing this happen more often than they would expect, and theyre still trying to figure out the answer, Landon said. Among the most likely explanations: A fully vaccinated person could have a high viral load on Monday  and test positive on the antigen test. But two days later, the viral load could already have decreased to a point where even the more sensitive PCR test would not detect it. Both tests would be accurate, but for different moments in time. Human error could also be a factor, with some people  both home-testers and medical professionals  failing to collect a good sample.
This is where Udo Kier comes in. As the head of a murderous cabal (Americans, mostly) on a grim human safari expedition with a license to kill, Kier  as he has for decades on screen  lends an air of cosmic strangeness to the story. Even so, Bacurau settles for more familiar and increasingly gory plot developments in its second half. Its more about dread than it is about suspense or surprise; the audience gets out pretty far ahead of the sympathetic characters dominating the films excellent first half.
The technological and archival undertaking behind this re-shaped Cotton Club tells a fascinating story in itself. Coppolas own Betamax outtakes from the $58 million production were the stuff of legend, for decades. Not long after the films initial release, Broadway director and performer Tommy Tune told me about the footage hed seen of the Hoofers Club sequence, featuring Tunes My One and Only co-star Charles Honi Coles. Tune cried at how little of the dance footage ended up in the nervous, abbreviated, gangsters-first release version.
The good thing is, in the context of our show, were still able to continue, said Byrd, who complimented the shows stage management team for keeping them safe throughout the production. No matter what goes wrong, we are always safe. And that is such an important thing. Were able to get up there and just kind of willy nilly launch our bodies off of sets and at each other and yell and scream and throw things and fall on the floor.
As I was leaving she said, Do you want to meet for a drink later? And I was thinking, oh no, I cant afford to go home and come back; it was all about money then, it was constantly how you were arranging your day. And in England, public transport is pretty expensive. So I was thinking, oh God, Im going to have to hang out in Soho for the next four hours, which I did. And then when we had a drink, we sat down and she looked at me and said, Would you do me the honor of playing Mina for me.
Im thrilled that we are able to welcome back our New Years Eve fireworks and hope to continue this tradition into the future, Lightfoot said in the statement. Importantly, the display can be viewed outdoors where the spread of COVID-19 is less likely, so our residents and visitors should feel comfortable while masking up and social distancing or even watching safely from home. I look forward to welcoming a happy new year.
Chicagos National Weather Service office reported 1.5 inches of snow fell at OHare International Airport as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, which marked the citys first day of measurable snow of this winter and is the reference point for the record Chicago officially broke on Dec. 21 for having gone the longest time into the cold season without measurable snow. The previous record was set in 2012.
The CDC recommends that people should refrain from traveling if they are not fully vaccinated, have tested positive for COVID-19, and have not yet ended isolation, or are awaiting results of COVID-19 tests. People who have been fully vaccinated and have made a full, 90-day recovery from COVID-19 are allowed to travel.
Iris Chavez has been seeking information about what happened between the time of her sisters arrest and her death. She said she tried reaching the manager of the Jeffrey Pub but had no luck. The bartenders there had no information.
Brewer and Henderson said they had not yet been served with eviction papers but were expecting a knock on their door soon. They are considering loans and asking for help, and plan to apply for the most recent round of rental assistance. But they are worried about how much time the process takes.
In the early 2000s, Stump, 37, joined Fall Out Boy, which was formed in Wilmette. Today, he is based in Los Angeles, where he and his wife have owned several homes over the years. In 2005, Stump paid $425,000 for the Glenview house, which means they sold it over the summer for a meaningful loss.
Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region recorded around 261.8 billion yuan (about 41 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign trade with the European Union countries in the first 11 months of this year, up 30 percent year on year, the local customs said on Monday.



According to Urumqi Customs, Xinjiang's exports to the EU hit 197.9 billion yuan, up 27.7 percent year on year in the January-November period, while its imports rose by 37.6 percent to reach 63.9 billion yuan.

Sun Tao, deputy director of the statistics and analysis department of the customs, attributed the robust figures to the booming China-Europe freight train services via ports in Xinjiang, the trade growth of mechanical and electrical products and the surge in the export of clean energy equipment and products.

In the first 11 months, a total of 11,156 China-Europe freight train trips were recorded by land ports in Xinjiang, a year-on-year increase of 26.8 percent. The total freight volume hit 1.1 million tonnes, up 30.2 percent year on year. Significant increases in trade have been seen with Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France and Hungary.

During the period, Xinjiang ports exported 158 billion yuan of mechanical and electrical products to the EU, up 32.9 percent year on year, accounting for 79.9 percent of the total exports. Meanwhile, Xinjiang ports also saw a 29.2 percent increase in the import of mechanical and electrical products from the EU, accounting for 65.5 percent of the total imports.

"During the period, the exports of raw plastics, electric vehicles and polysilicon have doubled. Among exported labor-intensive products, plastic products, shoes and furniture have seen significant growth," Sun said.
A train set off from Hanzhong City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Sunday bound for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, marking the launch of a new China-Europe freight train service from the city.

The train by way of the provincial capital of Xi'an carried 767 tonnes of merchandise including baby carriages, clothes, stationery, ceramic tea sets and sanitary wares. It is expected to leave China via the land port of Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region en route to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

In the future, freight train services via Hanzhong City are expected to be used to facilitate more Chinese exports of agricultural products such as tea, rice and oranges, according to a local logistics firm involved in freight train transport.

Since March this year, Hanzhong City has exported tea to a number of countries including Russia and the Netherlands via China-Europe freight train services.
Successfully riding the digitalization tide in 2021 is the Chinese yuan, which is attracting more users to its digital version.

According to the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, more than 140 million personal digital wallets for e-CNY have been created and another 10 million company digital wallets were opened as of Oct 22. More than 150 million transactions have been made via digital wallets, with the total transaction value approaching 62 billion yuan ($9.73 billion).

Meanwhile, over 3.5 million application scenarios for e-CNY accounts have been explored. A growing number of brick-and-mortar stores in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as online retailers like JD, are getting themselves connected to e-CNY payments.

The proliferation of digital wallets indicates a much bigger market. HuaAn Securities expects that software and hardware upgrades related to the application of e-CNY can be translated into a market value amounting to over 140 billion yuan, of which 5.1 billion yuan is contributed by transformation of banks' core systems, 50.7 billion yuan from ATM upgrades and 19.2 billion yuan derived from improved card readers.

Mu Changchun, head of the PBOC's Digital Currency Research Institute, said substantial progress in the application of digital yuan has been made in the second half. The number of newly opened personal digital wallets has increased by 6.7 times in less than four months since the end of June, which is one snapshot of the explosive expansion of the e-CNY market.

The progress was not realized overnight. As early as 2014, a special team has been set up to study the framework, key technologies and circulation of the e-CNY. Mu's institute was founded two years later to build the first prototype of the digital yuan. As approved by the State Council, the PBOC launched development of the e-CNY by working with commercial institutions in 2017. Top-layer design, standards, functions and joint tests of the e-CNY were finished in early 2020.

In a white paper released by the PBOC in late July, the central bank laid out the background and purpose of introducing the e-CNY, which included the country's transition toward a digital economy, the decline of the use of cash, the rapid rise of cryptocurrencies and the development of central bank digital currenciesor CBDCaround the world.

Similarly, the Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank made a joint call in early July for global cooperation in the development of CBDC to address the potential macro-financial consequences that CBDC might cause.

While addressing to the 30th Anniversary Conference of the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economics in early November, Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, said that the design and use of digital yuan should be further advanced.

Mu of the Digital Currency Research Institute said more diversified smart and tailor-made digital yuan wallets will be introduced. Security and risk management mechanisms should be optimized by introducing independent supervision measures over the use of e-CNY, Mu added.

Meanwhile, the digital yuan will facilitate the development of green finance and help achieve China's goal of reaching carbon neutrality.

Third-party services provider Meituan started a campaign in nine Chinese cities in September by supplying free bike-sharing services to people using e-CNY. In late December, the industry giant moved ahead by granting e-CNY bonuses to those who refrain from using disposable dishware and bring their own bags when shopping.

"Faced with the issues of our time such as peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and realizing carbon neutrality by 2060, we think e-CNY is one of the best solutions to address such issues," said Bao Ta, vice-president of Meituan.

Cheng Shi, chief economist at Hong Kong-based ICBC International, said the digital yuan will help remove obstacles regarding the internationalization of the renminbi.

The e-CNY not only helps to improve payment efficiency, but also lowers intermediaries' exposure to credit and liquidity risks, Cheng said.

"Given China's competitive edge in digital economy, the renminbi will seize the best opportunity to become a global payment currency by combining payment and multiple frontier digital services. This will fundamentally enhance the renminbi's global competitiveness and lower the renminbi's reliance on the global banking system dominated by the US dollar," he added.
Smart electric vehicle venture Jidu Auto, a joint venture that tech giant Baidu Inc and carmaker Geely Holding Group set up in March, plans to unveil its first concept robocar with level 4 autonomous driving ability in the first half of 2022, Baidu said.



Baidu, a Chinese online search pioneer that evolved into a full-fledged tech player, said mass production of robocars will start in 2023.

Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, said the robocars need no human intervention, and are capable of self-learning and self-improvement.

Li made the remarks at the company's annual flagship developers' conference Baidu Create, which is also China's first metaverse symposium, on Monday via its metaverse platform called Xirang.

The Xirang platform, which translates as the "land of hope", enables up to 100,000 online attendees to interact simultaneously in the same space.

According to Li, intelligent transportation will witness a significant transformation in the next 10 to 40 years and influence people's daily lives. It will lift the purchase restrictions on private cars in China's first-tier cities within five years and solve the urban road congestion within 10 years, Li said.

Smart mobility can also reduce road accidents by 90 percent and help reduce carbon emissions, Li said. AI is a powerful tool that can reconstruct various industries and benefit humanity by expanding the boundaries of what is possible for mankind, he said.

Baidu's autonomous driving capabilities have made rapid progress in recent months. With 115,000 rides provided in the third quarter of the year, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go has become the world's largest autonomous mobility service provider.

The company aims to expand the robotaxi services to 65 cities by 2025 and to 100 cities by 2030.

Li said AI's cognitive and control capabilities will find broad applications in the aerospace industry. Earlier this month, Baidu formed a strategic partnership with China's lunar exploration and aerospace projects. The two sides will carry out cooperation in space and AI technologies in the field of lunar and planetary exploration.

Baidu will continue to promote the cultivation of AI talent in the future and nurture 5 million AI specialists within five years, Li said.

"Baidu has accelerated its steps in the vehicle-to-everything infrastructure construction across the nation, in a bid to promote the commercialization of autonomous driving technologies," said Zhang Xiang, a researcher at the Automobile Industry Innovation Research Center, which is part of the North China University of Technology in Beijing.

V2X is a key technology that allows vehicles to communicate with moving parts of the traffic system around them. It also enables automatic safety functions in vehicles and the collaborative management of roads.

Zhang said fully self-driving vehicles still have a long way to go before they can reach the mass production stage or be used commercially, considering the current technological limitation.

Yang Diange, a professor from the School of Vehicle and Mobility at Tsinghua University, said L4 self-driving technology enables a vehicle to drive itself under most circumstances without a human backup driver.

It will be first deployed in taxis and trucks in some designated areas. Large-scale application of such technologies in private vehicles might happen by 2030, experts said.
Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has reported a total of 651 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases from Dec. 9 to Sunday, in the latest resurgence.

Of the total, 635 cases were reported in Xi'an, the provincial capital, Zhang Bo, deputy director of the Xi'an municipal health commission, told a press briefing Monday.

On Sunday, the province reported 152 local COVID-19 cases, with 150 in Xi'an. Of the 150 in the city, 67 were found through mass nucleic acid testing and 82 were found among those in quarantine in designated places, while the remaining case was detected when the person sought medical help, Zhang said.

Local authorities will strive to contain COVID-19 in the shortest time with the help of lockdown measures and the support of local residents, said Ma Guanghui, deputy director of the provincial health commission.

The province has placed 16,798 close contacts of the cases and 34,291 secondary close contacts under medical observation.

Authorities in Xi'an have upgraded epidemic control and prevention measures starting Monday, ordering all residents to stay indoors and keep away from gatherings except when taking nucleic acid tests.

Health authorities in the city have launched the fifth round of mass nucleic acid testing starting Monday noon in a bid to weed out as many infections as possible.

The provincial center for disease control and prevention has finished the whole genome sequencing of 137 cases and found they are highly homologous with imported cases aboard an inbound flight on Dec. 4.
2021 has been another year of global upheaval. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause disruption and geopolitical tensions flaring up and causing uncertainty, China has continued to step up efforts to reform and open up its path of greater integration and connection into the global economy, while creating a modern, dynamic, and professional system at home.



Contemporary China sees its future as part of the world instead of being isolated from it. This is what defines the signature statement of a "community of a shared future for mankind." In turn, one of its clearest messages in recent years has been that international affairs, cooperation, and trade should never be treated as a "zero-sum" game. That means countries should work together rather than try to score points over each other. In turn, it has called out counterproductive and dangerous practices such as protectionism, so-called decoupling, as well as Cold War or bloc politics.

China's actions only serve to vindicate these positions. Throughout 2021, the country has exported a total of 1.6 billion vaccines, while donating over 130 million  a higher combined total than any nation on earth. As Dr. Zhong Nanshan noted, nobody is safe until everybody is safe. Likewise, it has made considerable efforts to deepen its engagement with others, including the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest trading bloc in the world, which will come into action in January. It also applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), while finalizing a bilateral trade plan with Cambodia. Moreover, it continues to work on the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with European countries. It also comprehensively lowered import tariffs for more developing countries.

New infrastructure successes are only deepening China's free trade bonanza. This year, the China-Laos railway was completed, opening up a new chapter in economic ties between the two neighbors, and China-Europe freight trains reached a record high of 4,500 this year, up 25% year on year. The China-Myanmar Railway, offering a link from the country's border straight to Chengdu, also opened. All around the world, China is forging new infrastructure links which symbolically and literally construct new "bridges" which create new opportunities between nations. The Belt and Road Initiative is not just about "reform and opening up" domestically, but about development on a global scale.

At home, China is refining its economy and continuing to expand opportunities for businesses all over the world. As one example, the Hainan Free Trade Port has made significant progress, becoming a new icon of China's "opening up" strategy, with data showing that a total of 1,649 foreign-funded companies established businesses in Hainan in the first 10 months of this year, up about 153.7% year on year. Meanwhile, the actual use of foreign capital on the island province reached approximately $3 billion, surging 414.1% year on year. New laws and regulations in the Shenzhen and Shanghai Pudong special economic areas are likewise making it easier to set up businesses.

In addition, China is continuing to expand and integrate its capital markets with foreign investors. As one example, the China-London stock connect recently increased the scope of its participation, allowing offshore companies to raise fresh capital under the scheme, which will expand to include Germany and Switzerland. In addition, big financial firms such as Goldman Sachs, CitiGroup, and JPMorgan all set up their first wholly-owned foreign securities business within the country this year, while UBS Group and BNP Paribas are currently in talks to do the same.

2022 will only see this trend continue. While the year has been disruptive owing to the ongoing pandemic and obstacles to the international freedom of movement, China is nonetheless continuing forwards, accelerating its own development through a positive and "win-win" spirit. So much has already been achieved, and so much more is yet to come.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for global solidarity to stop infectious diseases.

In his video message for the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which falls on Dec. 27, the UN chief said that building global solidarity would "give every country a fighting chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks."

COVID-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly "an infectious disease can sweep across the world," pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN chief said.

"It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others," said the secretary-general.

"And it reminded us that the world remains woefully unprepared to stop localized outbreaks from spilling across borders, and spiraling into a global pandemic," he said.

Noting that infectious diseases remain "a clear and present danger to every country," Guterres maintained that COVID-19 would not be the last pandemic for humanity.

Even as the world responds to this health crisis, he spelled out the need to prepare for the next one.

"This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country - especially the most vulnerable," he said.

"It means strengthening primary health care at the local level to prevent collapse... ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions, like vaccines for all people and ... achieving universal health coverage."

The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on Dec. 27, 2020, was called for by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.
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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism cooperation between Brunei and China continues to strengthen, Haji Ali, Brunei's minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, said on Monday.

During the closing ceremony of Brunei-China Year of Tourism 2020 held virtually, the minister said in a pre-recorded remarks that as the two countries embarked into the "new normal," tourism activities were organized via online platforms, including a virtual training program held in November 2020 for Brunei's local tour guides and tourism professionals to further improve their Chinese and communication skills.

He said the country is also grateful to the support extended by the Chinese government for Brunei's national carrier Royal Brunei Airlines to operate in China's Beijing, Changsha, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanning and Shanghai.

"These connections have further led to increased economic activities and opportunities in the areas of tourism, agriculture, construction, maritime and others," the minister said.

"With over 74,000 tourist arrivals in 2019, China has always been regarded as one of the top three source markets for Brunei. We hope to welcome more tourist arrivals once travel resumes in the near future," the minister added.

Yu Hong, Chinese ambassador to Brunei said at the ceremony that the event would bring a successful conclusion to this year's series of celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as well as the China-Brunei Year of Tourism 2020.

"Although the pandemic has hindered us from celebrating face-to-face, it cannot stop the kind wishes of both peoples to deepen mutual understanding," the ambassador said.

According to a press release from Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, the Brunei-China Year of Tourism 2020, which had been postponed due to the pandemic, provided a unique platform to increase tourism cooperation through people-to-people exchange, enhance bilateral cooperations, capacity building and furthering collaboration and partnership between both countries.

The joint initiative has proven successful in improving the understanding between both countries, encouraging more Bruneian and Chinese people to discover and appreciate each other's cultures and traditions, and stimulating new business and investment opportunities between the two countries," the ministry said.
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Three teenagers were killed and another one was injured in a shooting at a gas station in south central U.S. state Texas over the holiday weekend, police said Monday.

The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was arrested on Monday afternoon, said Police Chief Jeff Bryan in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

In surveillance video of the shooting, which took place on Sunday night, the shooter got out of the passenger side of a pickup truck, walked up to the front door and opened fire into the gas station convenience store from the doorway. Police said he fired more than 20 rounds from a .40 caliber pistol.

The shooter then got back into the pickup and fled with a male driver, whom police said they are still searching for.

The dead were three boys aged 14, 16 and 17, police said. The youngest, identified as Xavier Gonzales, was ordering tacos for his family when he was killed. Bryan said it appears Gonzales was just in the wrong place at this wrong time.

The wounded, a 15-year-old store employee who just started to work at the taqueria in the store last week, was now hospitalized in stable condition, said the police.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive, according to local media reports.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday his country will not oppose a "good" nuclear deal between Iran and other countries.

However, Bennett voiced skepticism that the ongoing negotiations in Vienna between Iran and several countries, which were resumed on Monday, will yield such a deal.

"After all, of course there can be a good deal," Bennett said during an interview with Israel's Army Radio. "Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed," he said.

He said Israel "will always maintain its right to act and to defend itself by itself."

Israel does not participate in the renewed negotiations on resuming the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Vienna. But over the past weeks, senior Israeli officials have called world leaders to take a harder line on Iran and not to lift the nuclear sanctions.

Bennett, like his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, believes that Iran will secretly attempt to obtain nuclear weapons.

Tehran has maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. Enditem
DHAKA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Railway has signed a deal with a Chinese firm to purchase 580 wagons to expand its freight train service capacity.

Bangladesh Railway and CRRC Shandong Co., Ltd. signed the deal at a ceremony held in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday.

Bangladesh's Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, representatives from the Bangladesh Railway and the Chinese firm, among others, attended the ceremony.

The minister said the new railway wagons will help Bangladesh Railway further enhance the quality of domestic rail freight services.

Under the deal, the Chinese firm will provide the railway wagons for the Bangladeshi side for a sum of around 3.2 billion taka (about 37 million U.S. dollars). Enditem
ANKARA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces on Tuesday detained at least 21 suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Five suspects, including two foreign nationals, were detained in simultaneous operations in the capital Ankara after the police received information that the IS group was planning attacks on New Year's Eve, said the Ankara police department in a statement on Tuesday.

Videos shared on social media and Internet channels were examined as part of the investigation, said the police.

In a separate operation based on the northwestern Balikesir province, 16 suspects were detained across six provinces and the police are seeking three others, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The operation aimed at the disclosure of financial resources of the IS group, said the statement. Enditem
HONG KONG, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- As the commencement date of Jan. 1, 2022 approaches for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), lawmakers-elect have vowed to enhance Hong Kong's sound governance at this new starting point.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam will administer the oath-taking ceremony for members of the seventh-term LegCo on Jan. 3, 2022.

Lam said earlier she is confident that the seventh-term LegCo can effectively enhance the governance efficiency of the HKSAR.

She hoped to cooperate with the members of the new LegCo to promote Hong Kong's economic development, its integration into the overall development of the country, and improve people's livelihoods, so as to build a better Hong Kong.

Ninety members of the Hong Kong legislature, elected by the Election Committee constituency, the functional constituencies, and the geographical constituencies, are ready to get down to business. Xinhua interviewed several lawmakers-elect with different backgrounds to learn about their vision and plans.

PROBLEM SOLVER

Zhang Xinyu won a seat from the New Territories North geographical constituency without any experience in politics. Born and raised in the Chinese mainland, Zhang finished higher education and developed his career in Hong Kong. He is a station manager of public transport operator MTR Corporation.

Zhang, known as being pragmatic and solution-oriented, believed that Hong Kong residents who are tired of the vicious political battles in the past have voted for the interests of the whole society and the development of the next generation in the seventh-term LegCo election on Dec. 19.

As a directly elected LegCo member, Zhang pledges to bring the voices of New Territories North voters into the new LegCo and actively promote the development of the region. Issues over the construction of the Northern Metropolis are among his top concerns.

According to the 2021 policy address by Carrie Lam, Hong Kong will develop a new metropolis in its northern part, which adjoins the boomtown of Shenzhen in neighboring Guangdong Province, to accommodate 2.5 million people and better integrate the financial hub into the overall development of the country.

It is hoped that policy resources will be tilted towards the New Territories North to make up for the gaps in local infrastructure development. Zhang said he looks forward to establishing a mutually beneficial relationship between land release, housing, and industrial development and the well-being of local residents.

SUPER-CONNECTOR

Under Hong Kong's improved electoral system, a new functional constituency has been created for the LegCo election. The name of the group is HKSAR deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), HKSAR members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and representatives of relevant national organizations.

Chan Yung has served two terms as an HKSAR deputy to the NPC, China's top legislature. He won the only seat from the new constituency and wants to serve as a super-connector between central authorities' policies and Hong Kong residents.

To that end, he said he wants to better expound and explain the central government's overall planning and favorable policies for Hong Kong to the LegCo and local communities.

Chan also looks forward to serving as a bridge between the expectations of Hong Kong residents and the central authorities, and facilitating communication between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Only by taking the initiative to fully integrate into the overall development of the country can Hong Kong gain better development opportunities, he said.

DEVELOPMENT BOOSTER

Ophthalmologist Lam Shun-chiu won a seat in the Election Committee constituency. He said he is happy to have the opportunity to serve Hong Kong and the country, but at the same time he also felt a heavy responsibility.

He said he would conduct in-depth discussions in the LegCo on issues such as housing, wealth gap, healthcare, and integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"The Greater Bay Area will certainly take off in the future; Hong Kong must be integrated into the area and the overall national development," said Lam, who began tapping into the regional opportunities to grow his business in 2013.

The lawmaker-elect said he wants to serve as an example of success in leveraging the Greater Bay Area to encourage more Hong Kong residents to prosper in mainland cities of the area.

"I am very confident that the new LegCo will promote good governance and open a new page in the history of the HKSAR," he said. Enditem
Photo shows an interior view of a triage center in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2021.

A triage center has been opened in the main hospital in Jalalabad city, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported Tuesday. (Photo by Hamidullah/Xinhua)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A triage center has been opened in the main hospital in Jalalabad city, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported Tuesday.

The medical facility was built at a cost of 100,000 U.S. dollars with the financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO). It has the capacity to accommodate 15 patients at one time, said the report.

Afghan health authorities have vowed to do their best to facilitate access to health services for the Afghan people, the report added. Enditem

Photo shows an interior view of a triage center in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2021.

A triage center has been opened in the main hospital in Jalalabad city, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported Tuesday. (Photo by Hamidullah/Xinhua)
KHARTOUM, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council on Monday asked the concerned authorities to investigate rape allegations against female protesters in Khartoum on Dec. 19.

During a regular meeting for the Transitional Sovereign Council, held at the Republican Palace in Khartoum and chaired by the council's Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the council directed "the concerned authorities to investigate into what is being circulated in the media regarding the rape incident," according to a statement released by the council.

On Dec. 21, the United Nations (UN) human rights office called for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into allegations of sexual violence including rape and gang rape during protests in Sudan on Dec. 19.

Liz Throssell, the spokesperson for the UN human rights office in Geneva, said they received reports alleging that 13 women and girls were raped or gang raped; and that women were reportedly sexually harassed while fleeing the area around the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25 and dissolved the sovereign council and government.

On Nov. 21, Al-Burhan and the then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating Hamdok as prime minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the street. Enditem




NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League

Dec. 28, 2021



NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio:

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's last day in office is New Years Eve. What he has done to the world's greatest city is incalculable: he has been an unmitigated disaster.

He is often compared to Mayor David Dinkins, but the comparison is unfair. While Dinkins did great damage, which was undone by Rudy Giuliani, he was merely incompetent. De Blasio's war on New York City was deliberate, a clear example of what happens when a Marxist takes over.

De Blasio's life has been built on a series of lies. He was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. in 1961. When he graduated from New York University in 1983, he changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm. In 2002, he changed his name again, settling on Bill de Blasio. More important, he never stops bragging how he is the champion of the poor, yet when he ran for mayor in 2013, he accepted $50,000 from a group of slumlords.

When the New York Times nailed him for his allegiance to "democratic socialism" (which is an oxymoron), he said he never used those words. When shown the proof that he had, he answered, "It doesn't matter."

The lying is not confined to politics. De Blasio lied to his own children about where he and his wife honeymooned: he said they went to Canada, when in fact they went to Cuba, which was illegal. This made sense. After all, he had previously traveled to Nicaragua to support the Communist Sandinista regime, so why not break bread with Castro's Cuba?

Marxists hate religion, especially Catholicism. After de Blasio was elected in November 2013, he appointed 60 New Yorkers to his transition team, all of whom represented the various demographic constituents. The clergy selected included every prominent group, except for Catholics, even though Catholics are a majority of the population.

Just three weeks into his first term, de Blasio's love for abortion rights was evident when he supported "100%" what Gov. Andrew Cuomo said about so-called extreme conservatives. Those who are "pro-life," the disgraced former governor said, "have no place in the state of New York, because that's not who New Yorkers are." Spoken like a true liberal advocate of women's rights.

Two-and-a-half months into his administration, de Blasio told Irish Catholics to take a hike: he refused to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, falsely claiming that homosexuals were barred from participating. Yet in 2017, the Marxist millionaire applauded when the Puerto Rican Day Parade chose to honor a known thug, Oscar Lopez Rivera, co-founder of the FALN, a terrorist organization.

De Blasio is the unmitigated enemy of the poor. Blacks and Hispanics want charter schools and support school choice initiatives, but the mayor has done everything in his power to stop them from having the same choices afforded white affluent New Yorkers. He has also worked against elite public schools, even though his son attended one of them. Under his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, failing public schools were shuttered. Under de Blasio, they were awarded additional funding.

Crime has exploded in New Yorkmurder has skyrocketedyet de Blasio says there are less arrests for other crimes. That's true. When the cops are told to stand down, muggers can do whatever they want, with impunity. There is little in the way of law and order in the city, thanks to de Blasio. The biggest victims, or course, are blacks.

When some Black Lives Matter protesters rioted in 2020, often joined by Antifa, another band of urban terrorists, de Blasio cheered them on, and did nothing to help the police or crime victims. He also gave the rioters a dispensation from his social distancing edictthey could march hand in hand. Yet he tried to close down houses of worship during the pandemic.

When de Blasio took over on January 1, 2014, he gave his "Tale of Two Cities" address, condemning the "economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love." He failed. Indeed, he made things worse. As the New York Times said on December 14, 2021, "The city's unemployment rate of 9.4 percent is more than double the national average."

The new mayor, Eric Adams, has his work cut out for himself. We wish him well. De Blasio is finished. He should do us all a favor and move to a place where he would be right at home. North Korea comes to mind.
Healthcare data storage is a software solution used by clinics, diagnostic centers, hospitals to record patient data for future use. These software solutions are used by healthcare companies to store data about manufacturing products and their processes.

Research Methodology:

The healthcare data storage market has been analyzed by utilizing the optimum combination of secondary sources and in-house methodology, along with an irreplaceable blend of primary insights. The real-time assessment of the market is an integral part of our market sizing and forecasting methodology. Our industry experts and panel of primary participants have helped in compiling relevant aspects with realistic parametric estimations for a comprehensive study. The participation share of different categories of primary participants is given below:

The factors responsible for the global healthcare data storage market growth can be termed as increasing clinical trials, increasing information of patients due to the increasing number of surgeries, and research activities to develop innovative products. Also, decreasing paper use to maintain patient information has increased the demand for healthcare data storage solutions. Somehow, the key aspects such as cyber-attacks, data violation, and expensive costs incurred in healthcare data storage solutions which are restricting the market growth.

The Healthcare Data Storage Market is expected to reach $7.44 billion by 2026 from an estimated value of $3.27 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of ~14.7% during the forecast period.

The segmentation of the Healthcare Data Storage Market is given in detail below:

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By Deployment

On-premise

Remote

Hybrid

By Type

Magnetic Storage Magnetic Disks Magnetic Tapes

Flash & Solid-state Storage

By Architect

Object Storage

File Storage

Block Storage

By End-User

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, CROs, and CMOS

Academic & Government Institutes, Research Centers and Clinical Research Labs

Hospitals, Clinics, and ASCs

Diagnostic & Clinical Laboratories

Other

By Storage System

Direct-attached Storage

Network-attached Storage

Storage Area Network

By Region

North America

Europe

APAC

RoW

Based on storage type, the market is categorized into magnetic storage and flash & solid-state storage. The flash & solid-state storage segment covered the largest share of the market in 2019 and is expected to record the highest CAGR within the healthcare data storage market during the forecast period. Compared to magnetic disks and their decreasing costs, the high capabilities of flash & solid-state drives happened to increase the demand for them by end-users.

Based on the deployment model, the market is subdivided into remote, on-premise, and hybrid solutions. The on-premise model is expected to cover the largest share of the market. On-premise solutions are the most-widely accepted storage solutions in the market. The localized storage deployment model can make use of multi-vendor architecture and minimize risks associated with external attacks and data breaches. Moreover, users can have their on-premise storage and can control their deployment, backup, and data recovery systems. These benefits are propelling the growth of the on-premise solutions market.

Based on the end-user, the medical market is subdivided into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, CROs, and CMOs; research centers, academic & government institutes, and clinical research labs; hospitals, clinics, and ASCs; diagnostic & clinical laboratories; and other end users. The segment comprising pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, CROs, and CMOs, earned the largest share of the market in 2018. This high revenue share can be attributed to the fact that extensive research on drug discovery is done in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, which creates a massive amount of data.

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Based on the architect, the medical market is segmented into Object Storage, File Storage, and Block Storage. Object storage obtained the largest share. Object storage can serve as unstructured data with relative ease. Therefore, it is aptly suitable for the big data needs of organizations in finance, healthcare, and beyond. File Storage is an old method to store data using a simple approach. Many companies demand centralized, easy to use, and accessible ways to store files. It is commonly demanded by small businesses as it is low-cost contrast to other data storage approaches. Block Storage or block-level storage is a facility that stores data in singular blocks. Block storage is largely favored where efficient and fast transportation of information is needed.

Based on the storage system, there are three types; the Direct-attached Storage, Network-attached Storage, and Storage Area Network. Storage Area Network is the largest segment. As the name implies, a storage area network is a network of disks that are connected to a number of servers through fiber optics, whereas network-attached storage is a single server that shares its storage over the network.

In 2019, North America covered the largest share of the market. Rapid technological advancements, coupled with an unsynchronized approach, led to an increasing volume of unstructured healthcare data. This disarray of information in the wake of consumer awareness and growing cyber threats increased demand for secure, reliable, and cost-efficient storage infrastructure in North America. The RoW is growing fast with increasing IT penetration and is estimated to rise at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The major vendors analyzed in the Healthcare Data Storage market report are Fujitsu, Samsung, Drobo, Tintri, Cloudian, Dell, IBM Corporation, NetApp, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Pure Storage, Hitachi, Toshiba, Western Digital, Scality, and Huawei.

The data storage is playing a vital role not only in one domain but in all sectors. This report explains how the data storage market is penetrating in the healthcare sector and also gives the analysis based on market segments.
billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. Factors such as growing patient size and declining compensation rates rising significance of refutation management are fuelling the market growth. However, the high cost of deployment is hampering the market.

Among delivery mode, the cloud-based delivery mode segment has a significant growth during the forecast period due to the relatively lower capital costs and operational costs incurred in this model, beside its scalability, litheness, and affordability.

By Geography, North America is expected to grow at the significant market share during the forecast period due to the factors such as increasing HCIT investments in the region, rising digitalization and approving funding initiatives by the Canadian government.

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Some of the key players in global Back-end Revenue Cycle Management market are DST Systems, Gebbs Healthcare Solutions, Mckesson (Now A Part of Change Healthcare, Inc.), Cerner, GE Healthcare, Optum, Inc. (A Subsidiary of Unitedhealth Group Inc.), Athenahealth, Nthrive, Conifer Health Solutions, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Eclinicalworks, Quest Diagnostics, The SSI Group, Ram Technologies, Context 4 Healthcare, Plexis Healthcare Systems and Health Solutions Plus (HSP).

Delivery Modes Covered:

 Cloud-Based Delivery Mode

 On-Premise Delivery Mode

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Product & Services Covered:

 Software

 Serivices

End Users Covered:

 Healthcare Providers

 Healthcare Payers

Regions Covered:
Scanning Electron Microscopes Market Growth & Trends

The global scanning electron microscopes market size is expected to reach USD 6.5 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 8.52% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising demand for nanotechnology-based research and growing R&D innovation in application areas are anticipated to serve as key growth drivers. Rapid growth witnessed in application areas, such as semiconductors, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and nanotechnology, globally is among the key factors responsible for the significant growth of the SEM market.

Technological advancements in SEM improves the quality control procedures of research laboratories in a wide range of industries, such as semiconductors, automobiles, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Scanning electron microscopy plays a critical role in the imaging and elemental analysis of products. However, the advanced SEMs offer advantages, such as rapid analysis, compact size, and efficient results with higher resolution and 3D imaging. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to increase the sale of SEMs.

Due to the growing prevalence of communicable diseases, the market is expected to observe substantial growth over the coming years. Market participants are entering into partnerships and collaborations to prove their technical capabilities. For instance, in November 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. partnered with Nanoimaging Services (NIS)-a provider of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) services. The partnership helped Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. obtain better accessibility to NISs cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) technology for pharmaceutical applications and biotechnology.

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Scanning Electron Microscopes Market Report Highlights

Application of SEM in life science is expected to account for a share of 24.77% by 2028 owing to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases leading to increased R&D expenditure and demand for digital microscopes in the fields of life sciences and medicine

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028 due to the presence of world-class manufacturers in this region and increasing usage of SEM for elemental analysis and imaging

Growing demand for advanced SEMs for the range of material research is expected to boost the market growth in Latin America, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% over the forecast period

Mergers & collaborations and product developments are the key strategies being undertaken by the market players

For instance, in January 2020, ZEISS and RIKEN Innovation entered into a partnership agreement. The partnership was aimed at expediting bioengineering innovations and bringing change in healthcare

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Scanning Electron Microscopes Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global scanning electron microscopes market on the basis of application and region:

Scanning Electron Microscope Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Material Science

Nanotechnology

Life Science

Semiconductors

Other Applications

Scanning Electron Microscope Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America US. Canada

Europe UK. Germany France Italy Spain

Asia Pacific China Japan India

Latin America Brazil Mexico

Middle East & Africa (MEA) South Africa



List of Key Players of Scanning Electron Microscopes Market

Bruker Corp.

Danish Micro Engineering (DME)

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Hitachi High Technologies Corp.

JEOL Ltd.

Leica Microsystems

Nanoscience Instruments, Inc.

Nikon Corp.

Olympus Corp.

Carl Zeiss

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.
San Francisco, 28 Dec 2021: The Report Surgical Masks Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Basic, Fluid/Splash Resistant), By Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2028

The global surgical masks market size is anticipated to reach USD 685.5 million by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2019 to 2028. The market growth is associated with the increasing demand for respiratory protection in the healthcare industry, during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising awareness regarding healthcare-associated infections.

Rapid development in medical diagnostics and an increasing number of operations and medical procedures performed throughout the world are factors projected to boost the demand for surgical masks. Furthermore, rising awareness pertaining to the protection provided by these masks against airborne illnesses is expected to supplement the market growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected several countries globally, owing to which the demand for various PPE products, including medical face masks, has increased significantly. Thus, to cater to this increased demand, several manufacturers have increased their production capacities.

Companies focus on integration across various stages of the value chain to gain a competitive edge in the market. In November 2020, Medline Industries, Inc. announced its plans for manufacturing face masks in North America. The company is modifying its Lithia Springs, Georgia-based manufacturing plant and began its production in January 2021.

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Surgical Masks Market Report Highlights

The basic surgical masks segment accounted for 43.3% of the global revenue share in 2020 on account of the easy availability of the product, increased demand for respiratory protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, and extensive use in the healthcare sector

North America accounted for 25.9% of global revenue share in 2020 owing to the growing healthcare costs, an aging population, rising awareness of hospital-acquired infections, and increased medical tourism

The online end-use segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 11.0% from 2019 to 2028, owing to increased e-commerce adoption in developing nations, as well as customer convenience and simplicity of delivery

In China, the market is likely to witness a CAGR of 14.1% over the forecast period owing to the aging population, rapid urbanization, improving standards of living, and expanding healthcare infrastructure in the country

In April 2020, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. partnered with Cummins Inc. to provide critical material used for manufacturing N95 respirator masks for healthcare professionals, which aid in filtering various airborne particles

List of Key Players of Surgical Masks Market

3M

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Ansell Ltd.

O&M Halyard, Inc.

Medline Industries, Inc.

Cardinal Health

Crosstex International, Inc.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

AlphaProTech

Dynarex Corporation

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Global Automotive Wheel Bearing After Market is valued approximately USD 176.18 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 5.8 % over the forecast period 2020-2027.

Wheel bearings are safety components designed to sustain radial and axial loads caused by gravitation, acceleration, breaking & cornering forces, so they need to be replaced when they stop working properly. Wheel bearing is an essential component of automotive parts. The demand for automotive wheel bearings is surging owing to the rapid production of passenger and commercial vehicles with the increase in demand of vehicles among population. Thus, the demand for global automotive wheel bearings increased. Further, the production of passenger vehicles has increased worldwide due to high demand. This has also fueled the demand for global automotive wheel bearings. Furthermore, rapid industrialization in developing and under-developed economies is also boosting the market for global automotive wheel bearings. The demand for commercial vehicles has significantly increased over the past few years. Due to this, the global automotive wheel bearings market is experiencing substantial growth opportunities However, maintenance and installation of automotive wheel bearing are expensive, thus, impedes the growth of the market over the forecast period of 2020-2027. Also, there is increase in consumer preference to keep their old cars as second vehicles, increases maintenance demand, in turn, fueling the demand.

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The regional analysis of global Automotive Wheel Bearing After market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. East Asia is the leading/significant region across the world in terms of market share owing to The increase in automotive production and presence of well-developed manufacturing units are catering to the growth of East Asia automotive wheel bearing aftermarket. Whereas, Europe is also anticipated to exhibit highest growth rate / CAGR over the forecast period 2020-2027. Factors such as the presence of a highly developed commercial sector coupled with the rise in number of manufacturing hubs is driving growth in Europe. Increase in purchasing luxury vehicles in the countries such as the UK, France, Russia, and others would create lucrative growth prospects for the global Automotive Wheel Bearing aftermarket across Asia-Pacific region.

Major market player included in this report are:

Federal  Mogul Corporation (Tennenco Inc.)

Schaeffler AG

Mahle GmbH

Continental AG

The Timken Company

NSK Ltd.

JTEKT Corp

NTN Corporation

Rheinmetall AG

NRB Bearings Ltd.

The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:

By Sales Channel:

Original Equipment Supplier

Independent Aftermarket

By Vehicle Type:

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Passenger Car

Light Commercial Vehicle

Heavy Commercial Vehicle

By Product Type:

Ball Bearing

Precision Ball Bearing,

Roller Bearing

Tapered Roller Bearing

Others

By Application:

Rear

Front

By Region:

North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

UK

Germany

Frarence

Spain

Italy

ROE

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

Australia

South Korea

RoAPAC

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of the World

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Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market size was valued at USD xx million in 2019 and is expected to reach US $ xx million by 2026, at a CAGR of xx% during a forecast period.

Vacuum mixing of bone cement has been used in cemented hip-joint replacement procedures to improve the mechanical properties of bone cement.

The report covers the current estimated and forecasted data for the Vacuum Mixing Devices Market on a global and regional level. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Vacuum Mixing Devices Market for the period 2019  2026, wherein 2019 is the base year and the period from 2020 to 2026 is the forecast period.

Data for 2016- 2018 has been included as historical information. The study provides a detailed perspective on market growth, throughout the above forecast period in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ MN), across the different geographies, which include North America (NA), Europe (EU), Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America (LATAM).

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The report provides qualitative and quantitative insights on the Vacuum Mixing Devices industry trends and a detailed analysis of market size and growth rate of all segment in the market. The global vacuum mixing devices market is segmented by Product by Modality, End User and Region.

Key Players Operated in Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market

Zimmer Biomet, Heraeus Holding, Stryker, DJO Global Inc., Johnson and Johnson, MDM Medical, Summit Medical Group, Merit Medical Systems, Malcom, Reitel, Morita, Cardinal Health, Exactech Inc., Smith & Nephew plc, Cook Group Incorporated, Biopsybell S.R.L.

Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market Dynamics

The growing applications of vacuum-mixing devices in clinical research help in expansion of the global market, as it is in relation to its growth by growing adoption rate among professionals. Benefits associated with an advanced form of vacuum-mixing devices provide a suitable environment for mixing bone cement.

Companies involved in the vacuum-mixing devices benefited by growing their product portfolio, which provides advance features and suitable environment. Clinical difference that omit such harmful conditions play a significant role in the expansion for their product line in terms of sales.

Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

The top players contribute a significant share to the global vacuum mixing devices market by their presence in most of the developed and developing economies, as well as the premium cost of the products offered by them and the comparably high adoption rate. The vacuum-mixing devices market consists of several small- to medium-sized companies that compete with one other, and only a few large enterprises.

Global vacuum mixing devices market penetration through various sales channels is also expected to remain a prominent strategy, wherein manufacturers choose influential marketing to turn consumer decisions to their favor. Large-scale promotion of their products through press conferences and advertising campaigns are to be prioritized the market players to sustain revenue growth.

Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market SEGMENT ANALYSIS

By Modality

Vacuum mixing devices manufacturers are focusing on increased production of portable formats, by making more investment from bench-top to portable. Competitive pricing of the products and endeavouring launch of reusable vacuum mixing devices to successfully lift up their profit pools, drive the global vacuum mixing devices market in the forecast period.

In addition, the global vacuum mixing devices market key players are shifting their focus toward development of vacuum mixing devices offering high computability with samples of varying viscosities. This move does not only have a profound contribution to the relevance of their product portfolios but also gives these players an edge over their potential competitors.

By End User

Ambulatory surgical centers commended the largest market share of global vacuum mixing devices market, by evolution of vacuum cement mixing systems and vast clinical applications.

Ambulatory surgical centres are among the prominent end-user of the vacuum-mixing devices market. Proven results of using vacuum mixing technologies have generated confidence amongst end-users, this leads to grow the global market in the forecast period. Growing commercial applications of vacuum mixing devices as well as influence of mixing systems to reduce porosity and mechanical strength of bone cement foster the global vacuum mixing devices market by forecast 2019-2026.

Rise in the number of traumatic cases and dental cases, which require the use of vacuum-mixing devices, is among the main factors driving the growth of the vacuum-mixing devices market in the region. Presence of market leaders with premium pricing for their vacuum-mixing devices is the opportunity for global market to increase revenue. In developing countries of North America, end users tend to prefer products from local or regional manufacturers over branded products from international players. And the adoption of reusable vacuum-mixing devices is comparably more in developing regions. These all factors drive the global artificial disks market in North America.

Global Vacuum Mixing Devices Market Key Players

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 Zimmer Biomet

 Heraeus Holding

 Stryker

 DJO Global Inc.

 Johnson and Johnson

 MDM Medical

 Summit Medical Group

 Merit Medical Systems

 Malcom

 Reitel

 Morita

 Cardinal Health

 Exactech Inc.

 Smith & Nephew plc

 Cook Group Incorporated

 Biopsybell S.R.L.

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The global Protein Degeneration Therapy Market research report, published by Value Market Research, is designed to offer various market framework such as market size, portion, trends, growth path, value and factors that impact the current market dynamics over the forecast period 2020-2027. Most importantly, this report also provides the latest significant strategies adopted by major players along with their market share.

The research report also covers the comprehensive profiles of the key players in the market and an in-depth view of the competitive landscape worldwide. The major players in the protein degeneration therapy market include Baxter International, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, AbbVie, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck, Generex Biotechnology, Amgen, Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, Abbvie Inc., Csl Behring L.L.C. (CSL Limited), Johnson & Johnson, Biogen Inc., Merck & Co. Inc. This section consists of a holistic view of the competitive landscape that includes various strategic developments such as key mergers & acquisitions, future capacities, partnerships, financial overviews, collaborations, new product developments, new product launches, and other developments.

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Market Dynamics

The incidence of chronic diseases has been rising, indicating that the market will be in high demand. Furthermore, with the growing population ages, the number of conditions in each age group is expected to rise, driving the market at a substantial rate.

People are becoming more aware of the profitability of protein degradation methods, which has resulted in a surge in demand for the industry. Protein therapies have become a significant part of the healthcare industry.

Pharmaceutical corporations have begun to participate in the creation of drugs for therapeutic needs. At a global level, superior technology innovation appears to be driving the market. Protein degeneration is a pharmacological topic that pertains to the creation of novel drugs. Researchers are continually exploring and engaging in bifunctional protein breakdown, which would be appropriate for humans to log into specific viruses. Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, acute myeloid leukaemia, myelofibrosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and supranuclear palsy are some of the clinical disorders for which targeted protein degraders are being developed. Thus, constant research and development are likely to propel the protein degeneration therapy market forward.

The research report covers Porters Five Forces Model, Market Attractiveness Analysis, and Value Chain analysis. These tools help to get a clear picture of the industrys structure and evaluate the competition attractiveness at a global level. Additionally, these tools also give an inclusive assessment of each segment in the global market of protein degeneration therapy. The growth and trends of protein degeneration therapy industry provide a holistic approach to this study.

Browse Global Protein Degeneration Therapy Market Research Report with detailed TOC at https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/report/protein-degeneration-therapy-market

Market Segmentation

This section of the protein degeneration therapy market report provides detailed data on the segments at country and regional level, thereby assisting the strategist in identifying the target demographics for the respective product or services with the upcoming opportunities.

By Product Type

 Degronimids

 Immuno-Modulatory Imide Drugs(Imids,)

 Selective Androgen Receptor Degraders(Sard)

 Selective Estrogen Receptor Degraders(Serd)

 Specific Bromodomain And Extra-Terminal Motif ( Bet)

 Dub Inhibitors

 Protacs

By Application

 Inflammatory

 Neurology

 Oncological

 Respiratory

 Others

By Route Of Administration

 Oral

 Intravenous

 Others

Regional Analysis

This section covers the regional outlook, which accentuates current and future demand for the Protein Degeneration Therapy market across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Further, the report focuses on demand, estimation, and forecast for individual application segments across all the prominent regions.

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Value Market Research was established with the vision to ease decision making and empower the strategists by providing them with holistic market information.

We facilitate clients with syndicate research reports and customized research reports on 25+ industries with global as well as regional coverage.

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Plastic products are supposed to degrade our environment at a rapid rate. Manufacturers are looking forward to sustainable alternatives to plastic. Straws are widely used among people for drinking beverage, juice or other drinks. Consumers all over the world use plastic straws. Nowadays, manufacturers are inclined towards the introduction of sustainable products which reduces the usage of plastic. One such product is bamboo straw, thus preventing plastics from entering and polluting the environment. These bamboo straws are anti-bacterial and reusable.

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In its upcoming business report, FMI details the historical and current scenarios of the global Bamboo Straws market in terms of production, consumption, volume and value. This report studies the market into different segments, regions and players based on demand patterns and growth prospects.

The vital information and forecast statistics covered in the Bamboo Straws market report will provide established and emerging market players with the insights they need to formulate long-term strategies and maintain business continuity during crises such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Bamboo Straws Market

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has negatively impacted various markets in the packaging industry, and the bamboo straw market is no exception. Products classified as necessities continued to record strong sales, while demand for non-essential products plummeted.

In response to government action, particularly social distancing rules and stay-at-home orders, companies operating in the bamboo straw market have stopped production. In addition, movement restrictions and supply chain disruptions have created a logistics nightmare for market participants, resulting in severe product shortages in global markets. Several market players plan to shift their supply chains from China, the first epicenter of COVID-19.

FMIs report contains an interesting chapter about the preliminary impact of COVID-19 on the Bamboo Straws market. This helps both major and emerging market players to understand market scenarios during crises and make sound decisions to gain a distinct competitive advantage.

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Bamboo Straws Market: Segmentation

The valuable information covered in FMIs Bamboo Straws market report has been segmented into major segments and sub-segments.

On the basis of length, the global bamboo straws market is segmented into:

up to 9 cm

15cm

20cm

On the basis of Application, the global Bamboo Straws market is segmented into:

drink

juices and drinks

Etc

On the basis of end-use industry, the global bamboo straws market is segmented into:

restaurant

hotel

Bar & Cafe

Etc

Bamboo Straws Market: Competitive Analysis

FMIs research provides a comprehensive analysis of global, regional, and country level players operating in the Bamboo Straws market. The competitive information detailed in the Bamboo Straws market report is based on each market players innovative product launches, distribution channels, local networks, industry penetration, production methods, and revenue generation. Additionally, growth strategies and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities related to players are included in the Bamboo Straws market report.

The key players covered in the report are:

straw free

bamboo straws

Anji Wuyuan Bamboo Products Factory

bamboo straws around the world

john bamboo straws

simply a straw

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Important Questions Answered in Bamboo Straws Market Report

Who will remain the highest revenue contributors in other regional markets?

At what rate did the global Bamboo Straws market expand during the forecast period?

What will the global Bamboo Straws market look like by the end of the forecast period?

What innovative strategies are adopted by Bamboo Straws market players to stay ahead of the market?

What are the restrictions affecting the growth of the global Bamboo Straws market?

Highlights of the report

Growth Drivers and Opportunities: Comprehensive analysis of growth drivers and opportunities for market players in various regional markets

Recent Trends and Forecasts: A detailed assessment of the latest trends, technological developments and forecasts over a 5- or 10-year period.

Segment Analysis: What differentiates the role of these segments in an extensive analysis of each segment and market revenue forecasts and growth rate analysis

Regional Market Forecast: A thorough analysis of each regional market to provide stakeholders with the information they need to make important decisions

Competitive landscape: Comprehensive insights into leading and emerging players competing for a portion of the Bamboo Straws market

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About us :Future Market Insights (FMI), is an ESOMAR-certified market research and consulting market research company. FMI is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries; its market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition.
Child specialists say parents should play a proactive role to encourage their wards aged between 15 and 18 to take Covid19 jab without fail, as the new variant is spreading. (Representational Image/ DC)

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government would administer Covid19 vaccine to nearly 24 lakh teenagers aged between 15 and 18 from Jan. 3. The Centre recently issued directions to the states and Union Territories to do this.

Jabs will also be given to those aged above 60 years with comorbidities from Jan. 10 as part of the efforts to contain the highly infectious Covid19 variant, Omicron.

Already, the Union health ministry issued directions on registrations for taking Covid-19 jab for teenagers on CoWIN app from Jan. 1. As AP has already registered six cases of Omicron and the number is going up, the state health authorities have sent samples of 67 international travellers and their 12 contacts who tested Covid positive, for genome sequencing at CCMB in Hyderabad.

Child specialists say parents should play a proactive role to encourage their wards aged between 15 and 18 to take Covid19 jab without fail, as the new variant is spreading and can affect the health of their parents and grandparents suffering from health complications.

They say that though the new variant is spreading fast, the symptoms are relatively mild so far  mild fever, body pain etc, which can be tackled with regular doses of medicines like paracetamol. Hence, the death rate is relatively less with those infected with Omicron.

The AP unit secretary of Indian Academy of Pediatrics Dr Pawan Kalyan said, Parents should take the responsibility to ensure their children aged between 15 and 18 go for the Covid-19 jab. It is better to start Covid19 jabs to even the children aged three years up.

Meanwhile, the AP branch of Indian Medical Association has sent an advisory to the state government on the preparedness for the third wave of Coronavirus pandemic, by asking it to keep stocks of all essential medicines especially cocktail infusions and tocilizumab along with steroids, oxygen and other medicines. It wants the government to focus on hospitals rather than isolation and quarantine centres, to expedite vaccination and cover 80 per cent of targeted population and give booster dose to all frontline workers on a war footing.

IMAs state unit president Dr Srinivasa Raju said, We appeal to the government to enforce Covid19-appropriate behaviour among the people strictly, so as to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the state.
Hyderabad: Overall crime in Cyberabad police commissionerate jumped by 13.24 per cent, with 30,954 cases booked this year as opposed to 27,336 cases last year. Police Commissioner Stephan Ravindra said their staff demonstrated flexibility and an empathic approach towards people during uncertain times this year and he was truly thankful and proud of the work they had done throughout the year.

As I reflect on the year, it makes me proud to see how Cyberabad police served our citizens and the industry. It has been an unsettling year, marked by many uncertainties, and this has had an impact on all of us. We faced many challenges head-on this year with the pandemic, but our personnel were resilient. The Cyberabad police played a pivotal role in ensuring compliance and adherence to the government guidelines. Ongoing development of Greater Hyderabad through the creation of new municipalities and municipal corporations has resulted in the acceleration of urbanisation, which resulted in us requiring to take up additional responsibilities of effective policing and to provide support to industry growth across IT, pharma, health, financial services and travel/hospitality and other ancillary industries. Telangana state contributes 5 per cent of India's GDP, with Cyberabad Commissionerate area driving a significant portion of the state's GDP. As we reflect on 2021 and look to 2022, I am excited about all that we can accomplish, he said.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has appointed an amicus curiae to inspect the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kottoor in Thiruvananthapuram district and submit a report about the facilities available there.

The direction by the high court came on a plea initiated by it in 2018 based on news reports about the sad plight of an elephant by name 'Sasthamcotta Neelakandan' of Sasthamcotta Sree Dharma Sastha Temple.

The tusker was taken to the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre on the orders of the high court and died there while undergoing treatment.

Subsequently, the court found that there was "shortfall and shortcoming in the matter of providing treatment and care" to the tusker during rehabilitation at the Kottoor Centre.

The court had also observed that it was highly essential to improve the facilities available in Kottoor Centre, which is the only Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Kerala.

Thereafter, the state government informed the court that the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kottoor was being upgraded and would be spread over an area of 51 hectares where the best facilities in respect of housing, veterinary care, exposure to wild foraging and facilities for socialising and group behaviour of elephants would be provided.

On upgradation, the rehabilitation centre would have 50 mahouts and 50 assistant mahouts 24 hours a day for all seven days of the week, the government had said and had added that the construction work was on in full swing.

Taking note of these submissions made by the state, the court asked the amicus curiae to conduct the inspection of January 15, 2022 and listed the matter for further hearing on January 21.
Hyderabad: A government girls school that was adopted by minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav three months ago continues to present a pathetic picture given the utter lack of facilities.

With no progress of any level, despite its powerful patron, the students, left in the lurch, continue to bear the brunt.

The government girls high school located in West Marredpally was adopted by the minister on September 24. Students complain of bad odour from the open urination in the schools vicinity. Demanding an end to this nuisance and seeking beautification of the compound wall, they are seeking strict action against pasting and display of adult film posters on their school wall. Nor any other disgusting graffiti for that matter, they state.

The school, the premises of which also house a junior college for girls, has an overall strength of around 1,800 students.

We seek that the wall be painted colourfully with plant saplings along the wall. It is very disturbing to walk with the foul smell from the drain that runs along the wall, which is a serious health hazard, they said.

Incidentally, the Secunderabad cantonment board (SCB), under whose jurisdiction the school falls, is ranked seventh among 62 cantonments in Swachh Survekshan.

School headmistress Kasturi Geetha said it was very challenging to run the school without facilities.

We are relying on private staff for maintenance of toilets as SCB is not taking any responsibility. The girls are at a serious health risk, she said.
HYDERABAD: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar seems to have set his eyes on Schedule Caste (SC) reserved constituencies. He asked his party activists to target all 19 constituencies reserved for SC candidates under Mission -19 programme and to ensure the partys win in the next Assembly elections. This is crucial for the party to form the next government, he said, adding that a Bahujan Padayatra would be taken out on April 14, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.

Speaking at a party workshop held here on Tuesday, Sanjay Kumar said the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) legislators in reserved constituencies were facing the peoples anger and they were looking at the BJP as an effective alternative to the TRS. With a robust action plan, the BJP has fair chances in winning in all these constituencies in the next elections, he said.

Analysing previous results, Sanjay Kumar said the Congress formed the government in 2009 as it won 10 SC seats. Similarly, the TRS won 13 SC seats in 2014 and 16 in 2018 which made it a formidable party to form the government. Going by the same analogy, Sanjay Kumar said the BJP needed to win maximum number of reserved seats.

Sanjay Kumar said there was strong resentment against Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao as he had backtracked on the promises of making a Dalit the Chief Minister, Dalit Bandhu scheme and others hence the SCs were looking at the BJP as a vehicle to realise their political aspirations.

Citing a recent survey conducted by the party in all SC reserved constituencies, Sanjay Kumar said the BJP was in a strong position and what was needed was to make a concerted effort to turn the peoples aspirations into concrete votes, he said.

Stressing the need to win in all the SC reserved constituencies, Sanjay Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been implementing the Constitution envisaged by Dr. Baba Saheb in letter and spirit. Though the Congress tried to distort the facts by saying that the BJP was anti-Dalits, it was able to win 46 seats reserved for Dalits across the country while the Congress was limited to just five seats.

The BJP president announced an action plan at the meet on Tuesday on the request of the party cadre. Observers would be appointed constituency wise and they would tour the constituencies from January 5 till January 25, he said. Taking up padayatras in respective constituencies and holding protests and dharnas to raise issues of public importance and other agitations would continue, he said.

BJP leaders N Indrasena Reddy, Dr Vijaya Rama Rao, G. Vivek Venkata Swamy, G. Premendar Reddy and SC Morcha president Koppu Basha and others participated.
In the last few years, many tech startups have been founded. Some have even become so-called 'unicorns', privately owned tech companies valued at over $1 billion. It's the dream of every founder of a tech startup... But while we tend to read a lot about the startups that have become big success stories, there aren't always a lot of stories about the startups that fail. Because, unfortunately, that's also often the case! To be honest... most startups fail, actually. According to data, about 90% of all startups fail. 10% in the first year, and around 70% in years two through five. That's why it's super important to have a good business plan before starting, and to be on top of your funding.

But anyway: some startups do make it! And in this article, we tell you everything about how to make sure yours doesn't fail.

Reason: running out of cash

Startups are known to have liquidity problems. Often, they try to get their name out by being very aggressive with advertisements and promotions. Because of this technique, they spend a lot of money on online and offline advertising and often, they don't even break even. According to research, in the first few years, only two out of five startups are profitable. Most are trying to secure funding from external investors so they can keep their liquidity good enough to continue their operations.

Make sure you have a great business plan that focuses on both securing funding and trying to keep the overspending in check. If you don't have any experience with money management, be sure to hire someone who does. Get an accountant to stay on top of your finances and alarm you when you're spending too much or when debtors aren't paying their bills. A debt collection agency (Dutch: incassobureau) can hire a bailiff (Dutch: deurwaarder inschakelen) to seize their assets, so you receive your hard-earned money.

Reason: market problems

Just because you think you've found the golden egg, doesn't mean the market agrees. Many startups find out that their incredible idea isn't all that well liked in the market. True - there are startups that have literally 'created' markets for their products and services, but it's hard. That's why we always recommend intensive market research to see whether your product or service is interesting to one or more groups of people. While your tech friends and/or parents might be super enthusiastic about your idea, that doesn't mean the general public will be, unfortunately.

Reason: a bad management team

Like mentioned above: most companies don't fail in their first year of business, but they fail later. One of the reasons that can happen, is because the management team isn't equipped to manage a company. Often, the management team are the first employees of a startup. Or the founder's friends. And while people can learn a lot while being on the job, they can't know everything... That's why it's important to also hire skilled people to join your management team. Something that we also often see, is that CEO's/founders step aside for CEO's with years of experience building other brands. The founder then stays on as an advisor that has a say in things, but doesn't have to take the big decisions anymore.

Good luck with your tech startup!
Due to Joe Biden's loss of Afghanistan, the Kremlin will look for openings to further concessions from the US leader despite declarations that America is back. Failure of US policy led to the quick downfall of the government in just a short period.

The debacle of Kabul has led leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping to disregard all the posturing of the US leader.

Russia threatened with Ukraine's growing ties with the West

Russian troops are stationed on the Ukraine border even as the Western allies demand fewer troops, but Moscow says it is for protecting the borders, according to the Express UK.

In a vain attempt to pressure Putin, the US leader caved despite talking to EU leaders. The Kremlin getting NATO and the bloc out of the picture got reversed.

According to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Afghanistan is the US president's 'Achilles heel,' weakening his stand. The former secretary of state mentioned that Putin is a veteran politician who knows what he's doing. The states of Estonia, Latvia are too weak to attack Russia. He is concerned about an invasion and those countries he does not trust.

Pompeo said that he created the tension and the situation. But he added that the Biden administration has fault too. The spectacle of Kabul's fall and the death of 13 American soldiers laid bare to the Kremlin how weak the US leader is, cited the Head Topics.

Furthermore, the former Trump official said if the Nord Stream 2 could be finished, the completion would control Germany. Biden's loss of Afghanistan is one of the reasons why Moscow has more clout than ever.

Read Also: US, Russia Configures Cold War Tension; European Union Locked Out From Preventing Ukraine Conflict

All the moves seen from the enfeebled administration and its sheer incompetence came from slow pressure built upon Washington. The White House did not even do something about it.

Putin pressures the Biden administration

Aiming for concessions via threats and coercion, he won't commit to military means. The Biden administration will be subject to the worst pressure from the Kremlin. Putin will test the limits to see what else he can score.

NDTV reported that about 10,000 Russian troops were sent back by Moscow after a long presence at the border in Ukraine.

Russia held drills in Ukraine, Crimea annexed in 2014, and the southern Russian provinces of Rostov and Kuban. The west and Kyiv feared a rollout over the border of the Russian juggernaut that would run over the defenders efficiently without western help.

But the Kremlin says that it's not real, but a conspiracy because NATO expansion is to the east is a concern. Ukraine's request to join NATO will be a problem for Russia.

Based on the intelligence of the US, there is about 60,000 to 90,000 close to the Ukrainian border. As many as 175,000 troops could be at the border too. That number worries the allies with artillery and armor stationed, even missiles because the Western Alliance cannot be trusted as far as the Russians think.

The drills by the forces and their display of arms dwarf what NATO can field, so the US is needed, but it is said they will send no team to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin sees that Joe Biden's loss of Afghanistan is a sign of weakness that will cost the US a lot in world politics, with a push in Asia by China.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Asks the West to Stop Provocations at the Ukraine Border That Might Lead to Conflict

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President Joe Biden promised on Monday to address a COVID-19 test shortage as the Omicron variant expanded across the United States this holiday week, threatening to overrun hospitals and impede travel plans.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is urging the White House to speed up the supply of rapid COVID-19 tests, telling President Joe Biden on Monday that testing availability has become a "serious difficulty" due to the Omicron-fueled rise of cases.

Biden meets governors as Omicron variant fuels surge

Hutchinson, a Republican who is presently the head of the National Governors Association, spoke with Biden at the start of a teleconference between governors and the White House COVID-19 response team and commended the federal government's work with governors on test manufacture.

Per POLITICO, he warned that a new initiative to acquire and distribute 500 million free rapid tests might conflict with state-level measures to expand supplies currently underway. In his opening remarks, Biden praised his administration's efforts to expand testing options and curb the spike, citing a planned 500 million-test buy as well as a separate project that would soon force private insurance to pay the cost of at-home tests.

Later, a White House official clarified that the federal government's test purchases would come from a mix of new manufacturers and extra production capacity to "minimize disruption of existing production capacity of these tests, supply to retail, or existing manufacturers' commitments states or organizations."

Biden recognized the shortages that impacted some states ahead of the holidays at his meeting with governors, referring to "long lines" seen throughout the country and admitting that he had not done enough to prepare for the increased demand.

Biden said his government is taking initiatives to leverage the Defense Production Act to enhance at-home test production and make it simpler to discover a local testing facility using the Google search engine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the recommended period of isolation for Americans with COVID-19 had been reduced to five days, down from ten days before.

Officials in the United States and states are braced for a surge of new cases following the Christmas break, with hospitalizations increasing as the New Year neared. Thousands of flights were postponed during the Christmas weekend due to an increase in virus cases among flight workers. As the more transmissible variant took root, additional plans were hampered by shortened trips and fewer testing opportunities.

US airlines canceled roughly 1,000 flights on Monday, the fourth day of cancellations in a row, denting travel-related companies. According to a Reuters count, the average number of new cases has increased by 55 percent in the previous seven days, reaching an average of nearly 205,000 new infections every day.

Read Also: Joe Biden's Net Worth: Facts You Need To Know About the 46th US President's Wealth

Biden makes 31st trip to Delaware

Meanwhile, Biden returned to Delaware for the 31st time since entering office on Monday, canceling his plans for a post-Christmas holiday in Puerto Rico due to the growing Omicron variant of COVID-19. Biden will spend his vacation with first wife, Jill Biden, and his new first dog Commander at Rehoboth Beach, as per NY Post.

The president spent Christmas with his extended family in the White House and had planned to visit Puerto Rico for New Year's Eve, a departure from a family custom of spending the holiday in the US Virgin Islands. Biden frequently spends the holidays in St. Croix or on Water Island, off the coast of St. Thomas, where his brother, Jim Biden, has a home.

Although the vast majority of Americans have been vaccinated, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has thrown the country back into crisis, with record-high new infections in New York City, Washington, DC, and other sections of the country.

Related Article: FDA Authorizes New COVID-19 Treatment, Pfizer Pill for At-Home Use in Major Advance

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A Colorado district court judge has scheduled truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to a hearing for Jan. 13 that aims to reconsider the suspect's lengthy 110-year prison sentence after he was convicted in an interstate crash that resulted in the death of four people.

The situation also comes as a petition for the reduction of the individual's sentence has gained the support of millions of people, calling the sentence excessive. First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said that her office was looking to recommend a reduced sentence that would keep the suspect for about 20 to 30 years, less than a third of the original sentence.

Trucker Scheduled for Resentencing

Judge A. Bruce Jones, at a status hearing on Monday, sought to resolve procedural questions given the unprecedented nature of Aguilera-Mederos's case. In which, the prosecution initiated the request for a lower sentence, rather than the defense. The trial has drawn widespread attention due to the length of the sentence.

On one hand, Jones said that he was unable to change the length of time that he sentenced the suspect because of state sentencing guidelines. Both the prosecution and the defense said at a Monday hearing that they wanted to ensure any resentencing decisions during the new trial will not interfere with the defendant's right to appeal, CNN reported.

King said that the jury found the suspect to have knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction. However, he said that the planned reduced sentence was a sentencing range that reflected an "appropriate outcome" for the suspect's conduct.

Read Also: Fauci Weighs in on Pandemic's Effect on Air Travel as More Than 7,300 Flights Delayed, Canceled Due to Omicron Surge

Mandatory Minimum Sentence

It was on Dec. 13 when District Court Judge Jones imposed the 110-year sentence against the suspect after it was found that it was the mandatory minimum term set forth under state law. During the hearing, he said that if he had the discretion, he would not be giving Aguilera-Mederos that lengthy of a sentence.

While Colorado law allows for sentences for crimes deemed violent to be modified in a case with "unusual and extenuating circumstances," they cannot take effect until after 119 days since the suspect enters prison, Fox News reported.

Jones said that one of his concerns for the new hearing would be people trying to turn it into a "circus." He said that he would immediately call for the person's removal from the courtroom if there were any outbursts in the courtroom.

While the judge said that he preferred to hold the hearing in person, he also wanted it to be available online. Jones anticipated that they would be doing it in person unless the coronavirus situation changed his mind.

In his defense, Aguilera-Mederos said that the brakes of the truck that he was driving malfunctioned while he was traveling through Interstate 70. However, videos captured the incident and showed that he may have missed a runaway truck ramp along the highway that prosecutors said he could still have reached.

The victims of the fatal crash were identified as 24-year-old Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 61-year-old Doyle Harrison, 69-year-old Stanley Politano, and 67-year-old William Bailey. Gage Evans, the wife of Bailey, said that while she believed the sentence should not be commuted, sentencing laws should be reviewed due to the excessive length of prison time given to the suspect, Yahoo News reported.



Related Article: Viral Photo Claims People Were Jailed For Not Wearing Face Masks During the Spanish Flu

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At least 35 people died in what reports alleged to be a massacre in the eastern parts of Myanmar.

a high-ranking United Nations official said he was "horrified" of the incident where civilians were killed and burned.

Two workers of Save the Children, a non-profit group, were still missing after the vehicle they were riding in was found among several others that were attacked and burned in Kayah state. One monitoring group and local media outlets have put the blame for the incident on military soldiers.

Myanmar Massacre

In a statement released on Sunday, the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said that he condemned the actions in the "grievous incident" as well as all attacks targeting civilians in Myanmar, which was prohibited under international humanitarian law.

"I call upon the authorities to immediately commence a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident so that perpetrators can be swiftly brought to justice. Moreover, I call upon the Myanmar Armed Forces and all armed groups in Myanmar to take all measures to protect civilians from harm," said Griffith, Aljazeera reported.

Photographs of the scene of the incident showed charred remains of victims inside torched vehicles. The images circulated on social media in Myanmar and became viral, with activists saying that more than 1,300 people have died since the military junta took the power of the country's government on Feb.1.

Read Also: Joe Biden Outlines Plan To Confront Omicron Variant Surge; President Meets With Governors as States Brace for Holiday Spike

In a statement released on Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar called the killings a "barbaric attack" and said that it would work to press accountability for the ones responsible for the despicable attack and the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of the country.

Security forces in Myanmar allegedly rounded up civilians in Mo So, a village found in the eastern state of Kayah, during Friday's attack. It was reported that military offensives and encounters with armed groups displaced people in the area, The Washington Post reported.

Similar Horrific Killings

The recent incident is similar to one that was reported earlier this month where 11 villagers were believed to have been killed and burned after being captured by government troops in the northwestern parts of the country. Immediately, the controversy caused widespread outrage on social media like photos and accounts of the alleged incident spread.

Charred corpses could be seen in photos and videos of the scene in Done Taw village in the Sagaing region. The images were believed to have been taken shortly after the individuals were killed and their bodies set ablaze.

While the government has not commented on the allegations and the involvement of military personnel, if confirmed, it would be one of the incidents that marked the increasingly bitter struggle of people in Myanmar against the military junta. The army's coup was initially met with non-violent street protests. However, when police and soldiers began using lethal force against demonstrators, violence in the region quickly spread as people opposed to the military rule took up arms to defend themselves from the rising threat of the soldiers, the Associated Press reported.



Related Article: New York Son Shoots Mother in Head, Father in the Back on Christmas Day at Long Island Mansion

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Somalia residents fear the possibility of political violence after the country's president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo, suspended Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble over the latter's corruption allegations against the region's leader.

The situation has prompted calls from the United States and the United Kingdom urging for the officials to calm down. In a statement released on Monday, the presidential office said that the prime minister was accused of "an ongoing investigation on corruption and abuse of public land."

Threat of Political Violence

The statement added that the prime minister's duty and powers will remain suspended until the conclusion of the investigations. On top of the president's allegations against Roble, the country's leader also said that the prime minister tampered with the investigation by pressuring the country's defense minister who was leading the investigation.

In a response post on Twitter, the Prime Minister's office said that Farmajo's actions were a complete "violation of the constitution and other laws." The statement added that Roble was carrying out his constitutionally mandated day-to-day duties and was fully committed to fulfilling his national responsibility to "conduct an acceptable electoral process that culminates in a peaceful transition of power," CNN reported.

The power struggle between the two officials has been going on for some time and the recent allegations made by President Farmajo were called "outrageous'' by Roble's office. In a Facebook post, assistant information minister Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala, an ally of the prime minister, said the president's actions were an "indirect coup."

Read Also: Joe Biden Outlines Plan To Confront Omicron Variant Surge; President Meets With Governors as States Brace for Holiday Spike

In a statement, the United States Embassy urged the two sides to de-escalate the situation, calling on them to take immediate steps to mitigate tensions in Mogadishu and avoid provocative actions and violence, the Daily Beast reported.

Refusal to Acknowledge

Roble refused to acknowledge or follow Farmajo's order and said he would continue being the region's prime minister. He also accused the president of deploying troops to attack his office and those of the cabinet to prevent them from carrying out their formal duties.

The growing fears were echoed by foreign governments and international observers on Monday, who argued that the recent incident could stoke another cycle of violence after Somalia has already endured decades of fighting.

In April, the simmering political impasse transitioned into violence in the streets after the president signed a law that extended his term in office by two years. Farmajo's rivals and his Western allies denounced the decision, with some residents saying it could reverse the minor progress in democracy within the country.

In the end, Farmajo asked Parliament to nullify the extension and request that Roble assist in organizing the delayed elections. On Monday, the premier called Farmajo the "former president" and said that the president's mandate technically lapsed in February of this year.

The country of Somalia is driven by clan politics, with analysts saying that the rift between the president and the prime minister threatens to escalate and become full-on violence. They fear that it could involve not only their supporters but also their clansmen since they belong to different clans, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: 14-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead by Stray Bullet After Police Fire at Armed 24-Year-Old Male Suspect

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Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that vaccination and mask mandates during domestic travels can help lessen the increasing number of omicron cases in the country.

During a recent interview, Fauci said that requiring travelers to get vaccinated can be an incentive for those that don't want to get inoculated to get the jab finally.

The health expert acknowledged that Joe Biden hasn't announced vaccination mandates for domestic travels but said that the POTUS and other state leaders should consider it.

"When you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered," he said via the Huffington Post.

Dr. Anthony Fauci wants mask mandates to be imposed

During another interview, Fauci said that travelers should also be required to wear masks on planes even though most aircraft already have advanced filtration systems.

He also said that omicron spreads rapidly across the United States, and the only way to prevent the virus from spreading is by imposing vaccination and mask mandates. After all, no one wants to announce another hard lockdown on any of the states.

Fauci also expressed concerns for the unvaccinated individuals because even if omicron is less severe, the number of confirmed cases per day can threaten hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The health expert later clarified that a vaccine mandate wouldn't be imposed anytime soon. But the idea is on the table, and they are considering it to help prevent the spread of omicron in the United States, according to Axios.

Read Also: Alabama Doctors Respond to Joe Biden's Initiatives To Combat Omicron After POTUS Announces He'll Send Free At-Home Tests to Americans

Travel industry opposes vaccine mandates for domestic flights

But according to CNBC, the travel industry expressed their opposition to vaccine mandates for domestic air travel when Fauci made a similar suggestion in September.

As of press writing, travelers are already required to wear masks to board planes, and they cannot remove them throughout the duration of the flight.

International travels are required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test to be able to board a US-inbound flight.

Omicron is the dominant strain in the US

Omicron is also the most dominant strain in the United States, and it will continue to be the most dominant strain in the coming weeks or even months.

The first case of omicron was detected in the United States in November, and the numbers have been growing since then.

As of late, there are hundreds of confirmed omicron cases in the country. Earlier this month, 32 states already detected the variant, and the figures have only risen in recent weeks.

According to Deseret, at least one active omicron case has been detected in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and more.

Michael Osterholm, director for the Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said that the country would continue to experience a viral blizzard in the next three to eight weeks. And the thousands of Americans with omicron can reach millions.

Related Article: New York City Department of Correction in Crisis Due to Surge in COVID-19 Cases; Less Than 50% of Inmates Are Vaccinated

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New York is required by law to install crosswalk signals on 9,000 intersections following a lawsuit that was filed last year.

At the time, a nonprofit organization representing people with visual impairments filed a lawsuit against the city for not giving those in need the protection they deserve while crossing the streets.

US District Judge Paul Engelmeyer rules in favor of blind people

A year later, US District Judge Paul Engelmeyer ruled that most crosswalks in New York indeed violated laws protecting people with disabilities. He is urging the city to install crosswalk signals to aid blind people and those with poor eyesight from crossing the streets.

Engelmeyer is also asking the city to install the crosswalk signals within a span of 10 years. However, city officials argued that they could only install 500 crosswalk signals yearly.

But the judge didn't heed their request and argued that the cost of crosswalk signals on 9,000 streets is around $672 million based on city estimates, according to Fox 5.

Most pedestrian crosswalks have visualized communication

Last year's ruling also stated that out of the 13,200 signalized intersections in New York, only 443 communicate crossing in visual and audio format. The rest of the signalized intersections communicate visually, which is of no help to blind people and those with visual impairments.

"The near-total absence of the city's signalized intersections of crossing information accessible to blind and low-vision pedestrians denies such persons meaningful access to these intersections," the ruling states via the New York Post.

Read Also: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Announces Suspension of Elective Surgeries in Westchester County Due to Rising COVID-19 Cases, Declares State of Emergency

Statements released after judge's ruling

Plaintiff lawyer Torie Atkinson also released a statement following the judge's ruling and said they are thrilled for all New Yorkers who want safer streets.

American Council for the Blind of New York president Karen Blachowicz also said they are pleased with the judge's verdict.

And Laura Freyer, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, said that they are committed to making the streets of New York safe and accessible for everyone regardless of whether they have disabilities or not.

However, it still took an entire year before New York finally acted on the judge's ruling to install the crosswalk signals on 9,000 streets.

Mayor Bill de Blasio didn't act on ruling immediately

According to the NY Daily News, part of the inaction had to do with Mayor Bill de Blasio. The local official decides to freeze all infrastructure work on the nearly 13,000 intersections without APS technology.

De Blasio also refused to issue construction permits until the issue with the APS technology was resolved.

The publication pointed out that a moratorium has been created, so construction work isn't duplicated. And since there is a dig once build once policy for most private companies, it's challenging to have APS technology installed after construction has already commenced in certain locations.

In the end, the mayor's office is left with no other choice but to get the ball running and have the crosswalk signals installed within the next ten years. After all, refusal to follow the judge's ruling can cause an even bigger problem in the city.

Related Article: New York City Department of Correction in Crisis Due to Surge in COVID-19 Cases; Less Than 50% of Inmates Are Vaccinated

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At least five people were reported dead, including the suspect, after a Colorado gunman went on a shooting rampage, killing four people, including a police officer, before being fatally shot by officers during a shootout.

The incident occurred in the Denver area on Monday and was perpetrated by what police considered as a lone gunman. Officials did not immediately identify the suspect, who was immediately fatally shot in an encounter with police.

Denver Mass Shooting

The brutal incident, where several shootouts occurred, was spread across locations in and near Denver, the capital of Colorado. Authorities also said that the criminal's motive was not immediately known.

During a news conference, Denver police chief Paul M. Pazen told reporters that it was not normal for the community to experience such horrific crimes during the holiday season. The shooting started shortly after 5:00 p.m. in central Denver. Pazen said that initially, two women were fatally shot while a man was injured, the New York Times reported.

The police chief added that officials noted four significant locations where gunfire took place in the region. At the second scene, an adult male was the fatal victim while at the third, there were no reported injuries or fatalities.

Read Also: Joe Biden Outlines Plan To Confront Omicron Variant Surge; President Meets With Governors as States Brace for Holiday Spike

Denver police later identified a vehicle that was associated with the incident and immediately pursued the suspect. The chase later resulted in an exchange of gunfire between the perpetrator and police officers but Pazen said no member of the force was injured in the encounter.

"We believe the individual, after disabling the police car, fled into Lakewood," said Pazen. Police in the area where the suspect fled said they received a call of shots fired at a business shortly before 6:00 p.m., said John Romero, the spokesman for Lakewood Police, CNN reported.

Threat to the Community

Pazen later said that police believe that the individual responsible for the horrific crimes was working alone and that there was no longer a threat to the community after the suspect's fatal shooting. When the suspect fled from his vehicle, he reportedly shot a clerk inside a Hyatt hotel.

The victim was immediately taken to a hospital to be treated for their wounds but their condition was not immediately known by police. A short time later, officials said an officer was shot and was later admitted to surgery.

Several witnesses said they saw the man confront a female officer, describing him as a tall man with blond hair and wearing a trench coat. They said the female police officer yelled at the suspect and told him to put his gun down before turning around and firing at the law enforcement personnel, Fox News reported.

The recent incident comes as several mass shootings have been witnessed in Colorado since two students at Columbine High School shocked the nation in 1999 when they killed a teacher and 12 classmates. In March, a gunman was responsible for killing 10 people at a Boulder grocery store, including a police officer. Two months later, a suspect fired at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, fatally shooting six people before committing suicide.



Related Article: Suspects Involved in Plotting To Kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Seek Dismissal With Their New Creative Defense

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After winning her three-year High Court privacy battle against a British newspaper, Meghan Markle could be in line for a pay raise of up to $2.7 million (1.5 million).

The Duchess of Sussex, 40, has won her copyright case against the Mail on Sunday, which published a part of a private letter she wrote to her father Thomas Markle Sr, and the publisher has agreed to pay "financial remedies."

Meghan Markle could receive $2.7 million in privacy battle

Meghan's legal fees have been estimated at $2.7 million, with half due in 14 days, according to The Sun. However, the judge ordered the publication to pay $835,000 in charges first.

The former Suits actress has filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which also publishes MailOnline, for five articles that included excerpts from a "personal and private" letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.

Meghan won the case earlier this year when a High Court judge ruled in her favor without a trial, and the newspaper's challenge was later dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Meghan wrote a five-page letter to her father on August 27, 2018, and the gist of it was published in a Mail on Sunday and MailOnline piece on February 9, 2019. The legal team for the Duchess of Sussex contended before London's High Court of Justice that the letter's publication was a breach of copyright, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Associated Newspapers appealed her case, claiming it should have gone to trial, although she won it via summary judgment earlier this year. However, Meghan had "a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private," according to the complete verdict of the January 19-20 hearing.

Judge Lord Justice Warby also ordered The Mail on Sunday and The Mail Online to issue a statement regarding the outcome. The court decided that Associated Newspapers had infringed on the copyright of the Duchess of Sussex, according to statements published on the front page of The Mail on Sunday and the homepage of MailOnline on Christmas Day.

Read Also: Queen Elizabeth's Intruder Uses Rope Ladder To Enter Windsor Castle, Threatens To Assassinate Her Majesty

Newspaper's publishers release front-page apology

The Associated Newspapers infringed on Markle's copyright by publishing excerpts of her handwritten letters to her father on both The Mail on Sunday and the website Mail Online, according to the 84-word story on Mail Online.

It also stated that "financial remedies have been agreed" and released the full ruling as well as the Court's report from the January 19-20 session. The Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, are contentious personalities in the United Kingdom, and they have left the country. Following their departure from frontline Royal duties, they headed to California.

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made disparaging remarks about the British royal family, sparking a debate over the institution and racism.

Buckingham Palace issued a statement after the interview aired, saying, "The problems presented, particularly those of race, are disturbing; while individual recollections may differ, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

The Duchess of Sussex won her copyright action against the newspaper's publisher, according to a statement on the front page of the Mail on Sunday, which also stated that "financial remedies have been agreed."

Per The Independent, the publisher's attorneys contended that new information from Jason Knauf, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's former communications secretary, proved Meghan penned the letter knowing it would be leaked. The appeal, however, was dismissed by Court of Appeal justices earlier this month.

Related Article: Meghan Markle May Testify in Prince Andrew's Case; Virginia Roberts' Lawyer Says Duchess Might Know the Truth

@YouTube

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Synchron, a brain computer interface company, made a massive breakthrough in their microchip implants earlier this week. The team helped a paralyzed man "write" his first-ever tweet using direct thought to the computer!

According to Mirror, the man who pulled of this feat is Philip O'Keefe, a motor neurone disease patient who had a microchip implant on his brain. Philip had his chip implanted in April 2020, and he finally "shared" his thoughts to the computer on December 23.

To spread the amazing news, CEO of Synchron Thomas Oxley lent his Twitter account to Philip.

Microchip Brain Implant: Philip O'Keefe's First Tweet

Philip announced the breakthrough with a simple tweet. He said "hello, world! Short tweet. Monumental progress."

hello, world! Short tweet. Monumental progress.  Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

A lot of people on the internet were definitely surprised. Dr. Christopher Kellner even asked how Philip could control which thought he would type. Philip promptly replied, "through bci (brain computer interface)."

Through bci  Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

Philip later elaborated he did not need keystrokes or voice prompts. Instead, the whole tweet was made "just by thinking it."

no need for keystrokes or voices. I created this tweet just by thinking it. #helloworldbci  Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

Philip also shared that he hopes his experience could pave the way for "people to tweet through (their) thoughts" in the future.

my hope is that I'm paving the way for people to tweet through thoughts phil  Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

So Philip could take a break, Oxley regained control over his Twitter account shortly afterward. He thanked Philip's participation, who made a total of seven tweets and a few likes on the duration.

Thank you Philip! You are inspiration to us and absolute legend! We have loved working with you. Thank you to everyone for joining. Phillip made 7 tweets, as well as several likes. Hes taking a break now and his daughter Bianca will try to get to the rest of the questions   Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

Oxley also released a follow-up tweet about Philip's motor neuroprosthesis. He linked a detailed article about the topic.

Curious about how phil tweeted yesterday? check out how our motor neuroprosthesis works, including a demo from Phil: https://t.co/iZGydIVUOr #helloworld #bci  Thomas Oxley (@tomoxl) December 23, 2021

Read Also: CES 2022 Registration: Event Date and Schedule, How to Register to Watch Online Show Amid COVID-19 Omicron Fears

Synchron Stentrode Brain Computer Interface

This new breakthrough is definitely something worth celebrating. It should be emphasized that technology like this can help patients who suffer from paralysis.



Once a person gets paralyzed, they lose a lot of independence for themselves. They are unable to engage in work-related activities because they are unable to move their limbs.

Note that motor neurone disease will vary on a case-to-case basis. Some lose control over their mouth and speech, while others experience it in their legs. The most common complaints refer to issues on the shoulders, arms and hands. Keep in mind that any of these conditions can make it hard for a patient to communicate their thoughts.

Mirror pointed out that Philip was the first person to successfully message the world on social media by direct thought. This happened thanks to the Stentrode brain computer interface or microchip implant that analyzed his brain signals and helped carry out the commands.

Microchip Implant as COVID-19 Vaccine Passport

Microchip studies have grown over the last couple of years. Aside from neurology, some researchers are also proposing to use this technology as a solution for COVID-19. Experts from Sweden emphasized this could be a quick and affordable method to actively monitor the spread.

For now, the studies are still progressing. More details about the topic are available in this article.

Related Aritcle: Microchip Implant as COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Draws Privacy Concerns: Can It Track Your Location?
SK ecoplant CEO Park Kyoung-il speaks during a shareholders' meeting earlier this month in Seoul. Courtesy of SK ecoplant





By Anna J. Park







SK ecoplant plans to distribute stock grants to all of its employees in order to bolster company morale prior to its IPO scheduled in 2023.







The construction and waste-management company recently said it plans hand out 376,940 common shares to its 4,559 employees. The company also intends to award around 300 million won worth of its stocks to the firm's CEO Park Kyoung-il, who took the leading position in October this year.







The firm had previously sold some of its own shares to the company's employee stockholders' association, but this is the first time it will distribute its stocks for free. Compared to stock options, which accords employees the right to purchase company shares at a given price within a specific timeframe, stock grants are a stronger motivational tool, as they are given free to employees.







"The company plans to raise employees' morale ahead of its IPO by distributing company shares to them for free as stock grants. From a mid- and long-term perspective, the company aims to share the fruit of company growth with its members," an official of SK ecoplant said.







Part of the reasons behind bestowing the stocks is that it plans to reduce resistance stemming from employees of its previous plant business divisions.







In August, SK ecoplant decided to spin off its plant business under the name of BLH Engineering, which is a subsidiary of SK ecoplant. The newly-created subsidiary's 50.01 percent stake was then sold to a consortium of Mirae Asset Securities and EUM Private Equity at some 450 billion won in October, while the remaining 49.99 percent stake is maintained by SK ecoplant. BLH Engineering will again merge with SK ecoengineering, a new spinoff from SK ecoplant in early January next year.







Those employees who were affected by the spin off from SK ecoplant have protested against the company, asking for a guarantee of the same level of salary and compensation. They will also receive SK ecoplant's stock grants in a move which looks to be aimed at appeasing them.


Kyobo Life Chairman Shin Chang-jae / Korea Times file

By Anna J. Park



Kyobo Life will speed up its planned initial public offering (IPO), after a local court dismissed an injunction suit filed by Hong Kong-based private equity firm Affinity earlier this week.



Affinity filed the injunction suit at the Seoul Northern District Court in early October, demanding Kyobo Life carry out its obligation to repurchase the company stakes that Affinity planned to sell through exercising its put option, as stipulated in their investment contracts signed in 2012.



However the Seoul court dismissed Affinity's request, giving Kyobo Life the green light to proceed with its IPO plan within the first half of next year.



"With the win in the injunction suit, Kyobo Life's IPO is expected to gain further momentum," a Kyobo Life official said.



The roots of the years-long legal battle between Kyobo Life and Affinity go back to 2012, when a consortium of financial investors led by Affinity Equity Partners purchased 24 percent of Kyobo Life's shares with the condition of a put option.



The financial investors' contract with Kyobo Life stipulated that Affinity could exercise the put option of selling its Kyobo stake back to Chairman Shin Chang-jae, if the insurer failed to go public by 2015. After Kyobo Life failed to reach the deadline, Affinity announced in late 2018 that it would exercise the put option, asking Shin to repurchase the stake in accordance with the contract.



However, Kyobo Life said that the price of the put option exercise  409,000 won ($344) per share - which is almost double the initial investment price of 245,000 won per share  had been calculated unreasonably, and thus was invalid.



Kyobo Life refused to repurchase the stake on the grounds that it was based on an unreasonable stock price. Affinity, unable to exercise its put option, filed an arbitration case to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in March 2019. The ICC announced its verdict in September of this year, in which it said that, while the investor consortium is within its rights to execute the put option, the price should be readjusted, bringing a de facto victory to Shin.



Meanwhile, a criminal case involving allegations the Certified Accountant Act was violated by three accountants from Deloitte Anjin and two executives from the financial investors' consortium is still ongoing at the Seoul Central District Court. They're allegedly being accused of violating the act in their estimation of the put option price. The verdict is scheduled to come out in early February, and prosecutors have sought prison terms of a year or a year and a half for them.




Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol speaks during a National Assembly audit in Seoul, Oct. 15. Joint Press Corps-Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The Bank of Korea (BOK) is set to face a leadership vacuum after Governor Lee Ju-yeol ends his term at the end of March 2022, as his replacement is unlikely to be announced before the country's next president takes office in May.



President Moon Jae-in should, in principle, appoint the next leader of the central bank sometime as early as February, so that the potential candidate can have a National Assembly confirmation hearing and start his or her term on April 1.



But the plan will not proceed as scheduled due to the March 9 presidential election. The incumbent administration is unlikely to do so, as a political gesture to respect the decision of the next president and his administration, experts said.



Another reason that increases the likelihood of there being a leadership vacuum is that no specific figures inside or even outside of the central bank have so far been considered as favorites for the position.



Lee started his term back in March 2014, following former President Park Geun-hye's appointment, and President Moon decided to extend Lee's term in 2018. As he cannot serve a third term, financial market watchers expect a BOK deputy governor to fill the void by serving as an interim leader of the central bank for a couple of months before the next administration comes into power in May.



The possible absence of BOK leadership comes at an inopportune moment when the central bank should be busy mapping out post-pandemic monetary policies after the Korean economy entered a cycle of monetary tightening by increasing its key rate in August of this year.



The BOK also plans to make a set of crucial monetary decisions throughout 2022, when the U.S. Federal Reserve will also start raising its key rate after ending its tapering by the end of the first quarter.



The climbing COVID-19 infection caseload and the emergence of new variants here and abroad are also expected to escalate financial uncertainties next year, for which Lee underscored the need to step up the monitoring of global financial markets in real-time, so as to take quick action if any signs of economic crisis are detected.



This situation sparks concerns that the months-long leadership vacuum will hinder the timely decision making of the central bank. As the BOK's monetary decisions are generally in line with those from the Fed, calls are growing that a new leader should be appointed on time to minimize the vacuum and nimbly keep track of the financial situation here and abroad.





The Bank of Korea's headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over the plenary of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee in Pyongyang on Dec. 27, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Dec. 28. Yonhap



North Korea has kicked off a key ruling party meeting to decide on "strategic and tactical policies," its state media said Tuesday, amid expectations the session could serve as a venue to unveil Pyongyang's major policy directions for the New Year.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the plenary of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee held the previous day, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



"The plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021 and discuss and decide on the strategic and tactical policies," the KCNA said.



The meeting "approved the agenda items and went into the discussion of them," the report said without further elaboration, indicating that the event may continue for multiple days.



The North's previous plenary meetings were held for one to four days.



The meeting has drawn keen attention from the outside world, as it may offer a clue to the reclusive regime's next step amid a prolonged stalemate in its nuclear negotiations with the United States.



The North has remained unresponsive to U.S. overtures for talks after the countries' no-deal Hanoi summit in 2019, demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its regime.



The KCNA did not provide details on the plenary's agenda items, but the economy is also expected to be high on the list as the North is struggling from crippling sanctions and a protracted border closure due to COVID-19.



Experts say this week's plenary could replace Kim's annual New Year's Day address.



Kim has skipped such speeches in the past two years, opting instead to unveil key messages via major party sessions around the turn of the calendar.



At the end of 2019, Kim presided over a four-day party plenary session and accused Washington of "hostile acts" against Pyongyang. This year, he convened a rare party congress in January and called the U.S. the North's "principal enemy."



Eyes are also on how the North will mark the 10th anniversary of Kim's rise to power, which falls this Thursday on the occasion of the party event.



Kim officially took the helm of the North on Dec. 30, 2011, with the "supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army," 13 days after his father and former leader Kim Jong-il died.



On Monday, Seoul's unification ministry urged North Korea to "start the New Year by opening the door for dialogue" and "take a step forward for engagement and cooperation." (Yonhap)






South Korea plans to embark on a civilian-military project next year to design a solid-fuel space launch vehicle under a broad initiative to develop the country's space defense industry, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday.







At a policy forum, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) unveiled the initiative consisting of 24 key tasks aimed at locally developing cutting-edge technologies, nurturing the space industry and strengthening civilian-military cooperation.







The initiative entails a plan to transfer the solid-fuel space rocket technology currently under development to the civilian sector in phases, which will pave the way for civil-military cooperation on the rocket development.







The state-run Agency for Defense Development has been working to develop the technology in point.







"If the technology transfer project proceeds successfully, we will be able to begin a full-fledged commercial space launch service in the mid-2020s, under which a homegrown satellite atop a space launch vehicle produced by our enterprise would lift off from our soil," DAPA said.







South Korea's military has recently been stepping up efforts to build space security capabilities, as the United States, China and other major powers beef up their presence in the emerging security realm. (Yonhap)


Members of the public remain under observation to check for any serious side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccine booster shots at an inoculation center in Gwangju in this Nov. 15 photo. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Receiving a booster shot to defend against COVID-19 has become a necessity rather than an option as the government has made the vaccine pass system mandatory in order to access multiuse facilities within a six month expiration date window.



However, many office workers are complaining about the additional dose because most companies are now not providing any vaccine leave, unlike during the first round two-shot vaccination drive.



Decisions such as this are not only seeing workers voicing their frustration but also are having the counterproductive effect of making them reluctant to get the third shot.



Kim Tae-yeon, a teacher at a private day care center in Seoul's Jungnang District, hasn't decided yet whether to get the booster shot.



The head of the day care center told the teachers that she can't give them vaccine leave for the booster shot, so teachers should receive the vaccine in the morning and then go to work.






A view of Jongno and Bosingak in the early 20th century Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



In Korea, the iconic symbol of New Year's Eve is the ringing of the bell at Bosingak in downtown Seoul. In the recent past, the streets surrounding the bell were filled with revelers who welcomed the New Year as the bell was struck 33 times. It was the Korean equivalent of the ball dropping at New York's Times Square.



It isn't clear when New Year's Eve on the solar calendar became popular in Korea but we do know that in the early 1890s it was celebrated by Western and Japanese residents at the open ports  Jemulpo (modern Incheon), Fusan (Busan) and Wonsan  as well as in Seoul.



On New Year's Eve 1890, one early visitor to Jemulpo recalled having to dodge intoxicated Japanese revelers as he made his way through the noisy, crowded streets. "It was enough to drive anybody crazy," he complained. "Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass hibachi, where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and clapping their hands to their hearts' content." He also noted that the geisha were in high demand.



Undoubtedly, the sailors and merchants (Western and Japanese) also celebrated with a great deal of alcohol and revelry, but (unsurprisingly) they did not write about their exploits nor were their indiscretions worthy of being immortalized in the diaries and letters of their teetotaling peers  the missionaries.



The "first ball" to be held in Jemulpo was given on Dec. 31, 1896, at the fine residence (almost castle-like) of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wolter. According to the local newspaper, "there were six ladies and ten gentlemen present [and] the new year was greeted by fire crackers and an appropriate speech by the genial host. The guests retired at a late hour."



I am pretty sure alcohol  wine, champagne and beer  were served at this ball but I cannot imagine any of the guests staggering home through the streets



The Western community in Seoul was, for the most part, comprised of missionaries and diplomats and their celebrations were rather modest and held on Jan. 1. Throughout the day, people would make short visits to their friends and neighbors  stopping only long enough to present their card and maybe a small gift, drink some coffee or tea and have a slice of cake before bidding their fondest wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.



While the solar New Year may not have been celebrated by the average Korean, it was still recognized by the Korean court. According to one American resident:



"The King, Queen and Crown Prince sent us more presents yesterday  three times as many as usual because she and her son added their gifts with the King's, for instance we always get 2 hundred eggs each time, now yesterday we got 6 hundred and so on with so many things, beef, pheasants 30 in number, nuts, chestnuts and English walnuts, dried persimmons & etc. We are always glad to receive them."



This seems to have been the norm for the Korean royal family throughout the 1890s as the number of eggs and pheasants remained the same each year, but some of the other items varied  sometimes beef, other times fish, bags of walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts and Korean cherries.



In her diary the American wrote, "I am very much obliged to them [the royal family] for the very liberal gifts."



The monarch was not the only one to send gifts. Many officials sent small gifts of live pigeons and chickens, dead pheasants, oranges, nuts and "a quantity of a delightful [Korean] dish, some kind of cake with honey and other things which are mixed [into] them." She was so pleased with these cakes that were nibbled on all throughout the day and was concerned that she would not be able to eat the fruit roll that she had ordered her cook earlier that morning to bake.



The New Year was also observed by some of the Korean Christians who sent gifts of pheasants, eggs and chestnuts. Merchants of all nationalities capitalized on the event by sending gifts of small cakes, oranges and other little treats along with a calendar and card. Naturally the calendars and cards acted as advertisements for their goods and services  a wish for a happy and prosperous new year for them and their customers.



In some cases, the New Year also served as a diplomatic or political tool. In 1895, the monarch and crown prince  along with most of the male members of the Korean court  were compelled to get haircuts. Their top-knots (a symbol of manhood) were shorn from their heads  some [foreign residents and Koreans] viewed it on the same level as emasculation while others saw it as a step forward into the modern world. Within weeks the capital was paralyzed as food and firewood became scarce  the merchants and porters refusing to enter the city out of fear their top-knots would be cut off. The reformers eventually capitulated and the males were allowed to keep their hair.



The 1902 edition of the Korea Review (a magazine published in Seoul) reported that "on New Year's day His Majesty received the diplomatic and consular bodies, and the foreign employees of the government in audience." It is a rather benign observation until we pair it with an account from Horace N. Allen, the American representative to Korea. He claimed that the diplomats, angered by the policies of the Korean government, refused to attend the audience  their refusal was "withdrawn on compliance with their request."



As for the famous bell at Bosingak  it has long been a representative of time and hope. Since the late 14th century at the dawn of the Joseon Kingdom, the toll of this bell (the original and its replica) signaled the opening and closing of the city gates, as well as curfews and emergencies.





This seems to have been a popular spot to take photographs of the bell in the early 20th century. Robert Neff Collection
Lee Jae-myung, left, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, attend an award ceremony hosted by the Local Press Korea Association at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps





By Kang Seung-woo







Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) are sparring over when to hold debates.







Lee, known as a skilled conversationalist in political circles, is urging Yoon to hold head-to-head debate sessions as often as possible to show voters their respective policies, visions and philosophies, as a way to establish his superiority to Yoon in terms of debating. Yoon, who has often found himself in the hot seat for slips of the tongue, is questioning the validity of debating Lee.







The lack of agreement came to the fore following Yoon's Saturday interview on a YouTube channel, during which he explained his skepticism about holding a presidential debate, saying it could only lead to a quarrel.







"It is difficult for candidates to articulate their thoughts (during a debate) as they get into offensive or defensive arguments. I don't think it's very helpful to have a policy discussion to verify a candidate's way of thinking or other things in order to select the top decision-maker for the government," Yoon said at the time.







"During the PPP primary, we had 16 debates, but I don't think they drew a sizable audience."







In response to Yoon's apparent objection, Lee said, Sunday, Yoon's remarks show his lack of understanding in regards to the essence of democracy and politics.







"The essence of politics is about coordinating interests. If the coordination process is avoided, politics will cease to exist," Lee said in a TV interview.







"Yoon has lived his whole life as a prosecutor and has experienced a lifetime of holding authority, so he thinks he is right, but this kind of thinking can lead to a dictatorship even if just one thing goes wrong."







Lee said in another TV interview that if Yoon tries to avoid arguments and compromises, it means he isn't' truly participating in politics, advising Yoon to openly join debates even though it may be uncomfortable.







Along with Lee, the ruling party has joined hands in pressuring Yoon to accept the debate offer.







"Candidates who avoid a debate are disqualified," former Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok wrote on Facebook, Monday.







"While people are becoming more apathetic to the presidential election due to the onslaught of mudslinging and smear campaigns, the only means by which to bring their focus to the election is to increase opportunities for candidates to engage in debate."







Amid the growing DPK attacks on his reticence to participate in debates, Yoon struck back, claiming that if Lee first accepts a special counsel investigation into a lucrative land development project linked to him, he will be ready to debate.







Lee has been accused of having handed out business favors to Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, a key investor in the development project, in the past while serving as mayor of Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province.







The PPP believes Lee was the mastermind behind the corrupt scheme and has repeatedly called for an independent investigation into the case.







Lee and the DPK have agreed in principle but differed on the details, including the scope of the investigation, saying it should also cover alleged irregularities committed by Yoon.







According to the election law, presidential candidates must participate in three nationally televised debates organized by the National Election Commission, and the DPK said it would seek to revise the law to increase the number of sessions to at least seven.


Kim Jin-wook, head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, heads to his office at the Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap



Foreign correspondents' phone records examined



By Jung Da-min



An independent agency that is supposed to investigate corruption cases involving high-ranking officials is facing allegations of poring over the phone logs of opposition lawmakers as well as journalists, including their family members.



The investigative body, called the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), is also the target of mounting criticism for resorting to "Big Brother" tactics, engaging in the random surveillance of citizens.



According to an official at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC), Tuesday, two journalists who are members of the club discovered that the CIO searched through their phone records in July and August.



An SFCC official told The Korea Times that the organization is reviewing the case and collecting the opinions of its members to decide how to deal with the incident, including whether to issue a statement of protest.






Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, delivers a speech at Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, on Tuesday expressed opposition to granting a pardon to former President Lee Myung-bak, saying it could hamper national unity in the long term.



After the government decided to pardon former President Park Geun-hye last week, some conservative supporters have been demanding that Lee, currently serving a 17-year prison term over embezzlement and bribery charges, should also be released.



"We first need to think about whether it helps the national unity and whether we have seen enough result of retribution," the former Gyeonggi governor said of Lee Myung-bak's pardon during a debate hosted by the Korean Local Journalists Club in Seoul. "We also have to consider whether we have achieved the criminal punishment's goal of preventing crimes."



The reaction differs sharply from when the government decided to pardon Park. At the time, Lee said he respects the decision, though he demanded a sincere apology from Park.



"I do want to try things like politics of integration that do not divide friends and foes as well as forming a pragmatic cabinet," he said. "But I do not think there is unity when you condone, overlook and get over problems like nothing has happened."



Asked whether he would consider a coalition with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) if he wins the March 9 election, Lee said he wants to do it if the PPP does not oppose it.



"Although there seems to be very little possibility, it looks right," he said. "In fact, I heard that the current government also wanted to use people from the opposition bloc but was rejected." (Yonhap)






A National Assembly committee on Tuesday approved a bill on lowering the age of candidacy for parliamentary and local elections, in a move to woo young voters ahead of next March's presidential election.







Under the move, the age of candidacy for parliamentary and local elections will be lowered to 18 from 25, according to officials at the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform.







If the National Assembly's plenary session approves the bill later this week, a Cabinet meeting will endorse the bill in January.







If so, an 18-year-old can run for a by-election for lawmakers on March 9, when South Korea simultaneously holds a presidential election.







Rep. Cho Hae-jin of the main opposition People Power Party, head of the Special Committee on Political Reform, told Yonhap News Agency by telephone that people aged 18 or older could run for a by-election on March 9.







In case of a presidential election, the age of candidacy is set at those aged 40 or older. (Yonhap)


By Javier Solana





MADRID  Liberal democracy is still alive, but showing clear signs of weakness. According to Freedom House, the world has experienced 15 consecutive years of global democratic backsliding.



In an attempt to tackle the rising tide of authoritarianism, U.S. President Joe Biden recently invited more than 100 world leaders to a virtual summit aimed at strengthening democracy globally. For a Spaniard of my generation, there are powerful reasons to highlight the value of democracy.



Having lived part of my life under Francisco Franco's dictatorship, I know what it means for a country to choose openness and prosperity. La Transicion, Spain's political process of regime change from dictatorship to constitutional democracy, was a historic feat, entailing the establishment of new representative institutions, the development of a welfare state, and integration into Europe.



But defending democracy as a moral, just, and practical political system should not make us define the international environment as merely a clash between democracies and autocracies. After all, there is nothing wrong with countries that have different political systems meeting to address concrete global problems. What matters is that these gatherings contribute toward solving them.



Although the Summit for Democracy participants made commitments to extremely important causes, such as protecting human rights, the event will be remembered more for its symbolic value than for its results. Proof of this is Biden's decision to invite Taiwan, which will have done little to de-escalate tensions with China.



On the other hand, the need for effective global governance is more urgent than ever in today's unpredictable and dangerous world. In addition to the nuclear threat that emerged in the last century, we must now contend with challenges such as cyberattacks, the weaponization of migration, the growing investment in military technology, and the malign potential of artificial intelligence.



Dividing the world into two ideologically opposed camps, as Biden's recent summit appeared to do, thus entails a major geopolitical risk. A split between free countries and autocracies could spill over into key international organizations, which are fundamental to resolving or managing global problems.



For example, the World Trade Organization long ago ceased to be functional, as a result of its inability to create international trade rules that accommodate different economic systems. Adding an element of ideological separation between democratic and non-democratic countries to the existing divisions within the WTO will only make it more difficult to find solutions.



Settling these disputes is vitally important if we are to avoid the dire consequences of an economic decoupling between the United States and China. Building the multilateral system after World War II was a historic achievement, but its institutions lack the tools to cope with an increasingly interdependent, complex, and dynamic world.



The COVID-19 crisis has made this clear. Humanity was unprepared to combat the pandemic, and the World Health Organization was clearly underfunded. When former U.S. President Donald Trump recklessly announced that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was poised to become the organization's largest single contributor.



So, rather than emphasizing their ideological differences with other countries, democracies should instead recognize their responsibility to themselves and the world. In particular, they must address two critical, overdue tasks in order to revive their domestic and international legitimacy.



The first task is to reduce domestic economic inequalities. Democracy proved itself after World War II by creating a welfare state that helped to ensure economic growth and social cohesion. But this cohesion has suffered major setbacks in recent decades, and was badly weakened by the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.



The socioeconomic inequalities that characterize our societies are a threat to democracy, because living increasingly separate lives makes collective political participation more difficult. Ultimately, inequality erodes our ability to act as citizens.



Democratic backsliding in many countries stems in part from the dissatisfaction of citizens who have lost confidence that the political system can reverse the long decline in economic security and living standards they have experienced. The resulting political disenchantment has been a major source of support for populist nationalism.



Democracies' second task is to take a clear lead in creating the socioeconomic conditions necessary for the further development of the Global South. This could also facilitate adherence to democratic values in developing countries.



As the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant has shown, we have a moral and practical imperative to ensure the equitable global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination rates in Africa are dishearteningly low. While many citizens in rich democracies can now receive a third COVID-19 vaccine dose, only 8 percent of Africans are fully vaccinated.



Moreover, there could be no more effective global advertisement for democracy than enabling rapid vaccination of people in the most vulnerable countries. Given that vaccinating 70 percent of the world's population would cost only 0.13 percent of the G7's GDP, wealthier democracies have a golden opportunity to increase their international legitimacy.



Democracies could help their cause further by mustering the political will to fulfill their pledge to help the Global South finance its green economic transition. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the richest countries promised to provide $100 billion per year to developing countries to help them meet the cost of mitigation and adaptation. But advanced economies have not kept their word.



By fulfilling his 2020 presidential election campaign promise to convene a Summit for Democracy, Biden has shown that he is no Trump. But that may prove to be insufficient. Cooperating with someone who is ideologically like-minded is complicated enough. Doing so with someone who has a different worldview, perhaps even contradicting one's own, is far more difficult.



While we clearly need to strengthen democracy, our fundamental values should not prevent us from working with other countries to resolve the most urgent global challenges. I sincerely believe that this is what democracy requires.





Javier Solana, a former EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain, is president of EsadeGeo  Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Unilateralism could undermine bilateral alliance



A former commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has invited criticism over his recent remarks which were seen as belittling South Korea's defense capabilities. Robert Abrams, a retired four-star general, told Voice of America last week that South Korea's military capabilities were not sufficient to take over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States.



Abrams, who led the USFK from 2018 to 2021, expressed his opposition to the planned OPCON transfer. He is, of course, free to put forward his views on any defense issues concerning the two allies. But his remarks have raised questions about their relevance. He seemed to go too far in advocating only U.S. interests without considering the peculiar geopolitical situation facing South Korea.



He also claimed that the Moon Jae-in administration dismissed his repeated proposals to upgrade the joint South Korea-U.S. wartime operational plans to prepare for potential nuclear and missile attacks from North Korea. He pointed out that the Seoul government finally accepted the U.S. demand for the upgrade belatedly, on Dec. 2 at the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).



In response, South Korean officials expressed their displeasure, dismissing his remarks as personal views. "While South Korea and the U.S. came up with tangible results from their latest Security Consultative Meeting through close coordination between the allies, we cannot figure out his intentions," defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said.



Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, refuted Abrams' remarks indirectly by saying that South Korea has emerged as the world's sixth-strongest military power. "I am confident that the Moon administration has worked harder on boosting military capabilities than any other government, as illustrated by Korea being the world's sixth-most powerful military and its nurturing of the local defense industry," he wrote on Facebook.



What Abrams said should not be used to start a dispute over the security alliance between Seoul and Washington. Both sides need to strengthen their joint wartime operational plans to better cope with the growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, as finally agreed upon at the latest SCM meeting. They also must make sincere efforts to implement the OPCON transfer plan, to which the allies agreed in 2014. Now it appears to be impossible for President Moon to keep his promise to complete the plan before his term ends in May 2022, due to a lack of adequate assessment on the conditions-based transfer amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the U.S should not try to undo the plan.



Another problem is that Abrams wanted South Korea and the U.S. to work out a joint wartime operational plan to respond to potential military threats from China. Seoul, for its part, cannot accept such a plan because South Korea cannot serve as a frontline to help Washington contain a rising China. The Biden administration should understand its Asian ally's position that it has long relied on the U.S. for security, while depending on China for its economic growth. The alliance should be based on mutual respect and benefits. Any unilateral move will do more harm than good.


By Bernard Rowan





I'm writing about the professor in Korean culture and to thank my professors. The "kyosunim" is a central Korean institution. The respect for professors is higher in Confucian cultures, including Korea, than elsewhere. Too many Americans think professors occupy the ivory tower. Aligning the learned with the leadership in Asian cultures is closer than in European cultures.



Here, the military man or the person of business stands above the scholar or priest. In Korea, on the other hand, it isn't unusual to find professors as well as businesspeople in high governmental positions. That's a real advantage. Societies need good ideas borne of empirical and theoretical knowledge to guide an all-too-often troubled world and to capitalize on social possibilities.



Professors in Korea, or scholars more generally, have advised political leaders throughout history. Not always valued, they have at times fled to the hills when Confucian and Buddhist rivalries and worse prevailed. Scholars sat for state exams, and they earned state positions carrying honor and respect. Today in a society where most adults have education beyond high school, and over a third have a college degree or higher, this attitude and practice of respect for higher education shows its real potential in Korea.



I am happy to know Korean professors as colleagues and students. Several of my friends are Korean professors. When I'm in their company, I marvel at the closer association they share with students. They are more akin to uncles and aunts rather than just teachers. Teachers in elementary and high schools also work in this way.



This produces a different "line" between professional role and personal role than in the United States. The "seonbi" combines pedagogy and andragogy in his or her work. Students understand and expect their professors to give them advice and guidance in a way American education often reserves to counselors, mentors or other kinds of professionals.



My decision to live as a professor came from having professors with whom I cultivated what I'd today call the Confucian potential in human nature, even in an American context. I had rich experiences that built my knowledge and learning but also my happiness as a person and my personal development, through extended work in undergraduate and graduate school, at all three institutions I attended.



Additionally, as a young professor, I benefited directly from my work with American and Korean professors. They helped me access teaching and research experiences and build my career. As a result, I've shared and encouraged such learning experiences with many students.



Recently, my senior mentor at my present institution passed away. Magne Olson was a man of Lutheran and Norwegian extraction from Minnesota, a different part of the world to my native Tennessee. Professor Olson gave me a chance to live as a professor and to earn a living in my third decade of life. His knowledge of history coincided with his knowledge of the academy and professional relations for growth.



He answered his phone with a single, sonorous "Olson," but his counsel was patient. Professor Olson shared with me of his time and advice, and he never missed the mark. He taught me to acquire patience, prudence, and consideration in all things. Of late when I walk to my commuter train, I think of him as the North wind greets me, as a familiar friend and voice to call on in good times and bad.



A professor knows information and insight about a subject that can inform individual and community learning for survival and progress. His or her training and dedication to the practices of learning deserve respect for the obvious goods education continues to provide civilization and its discontented.



The path of education has lifted people and societies out of poverty, ignorance and superstition for millennia. Progressive societies must work to generalize higher education for their people. The world languishes much because higher education needs general provision, not just for the few. Professors save lives, and professors make life more worth living.



I am grateful for the professors in my life, and I am privileged to be a professor. Which professors do you remember and follow in what you do today?



Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.


Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, shakes hands with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun at an event at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, western Seoul, in this file photo. Korea Times file



By Kim Yoo-chul



The global automotive industry has been slowed down due to the grave scarcity of semiconductors since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many major vehicle manufacturers halting their assembly lines.



This growing challenge in the global automotive industry has struck fiercely at the backbone industries of the United States, the world's largest economy, from automobiles to smartphones. This issue pushed U.S. President Joe Biden and members of Congress to make collective efforts with leading allied countries in order to address supply bottlenecks, enabling an expanded role for Korea, given the country's long-time leadership in the memory chip sector.



Because semiconductors, vaccines and batteries  all areas in which Korea holds a competitive advantage  are increasingly being viewed as matters of national security, the Korean government is hoping top-tier homegrown technology companies will work together to level up the commitments, despite their history of competition with each other in many ways, in order to strengthen the country's overall resilience.



In a rare request, President Moon Jae-in told the chiefs of Samsung and Hyundai Motor of the necessity for mutual collaboration in the field of automotive semiconductors. Moon's proposal came during his meeting with the chiefs of the country's leading conglomerates at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. President Moon previously indicated that logic chips, the hydrogen-related value chain, electric vehicles and OLEDs were some of Korea's future growth engines.



Interestingly, upon the request of the President, the two companies were ready to respond.



Historically, the relationship between Samsung and Hyundai has been stagnant based on Samsung's failed attempts to advance into the car industry, dissatisfying the latter, as the country's top automotive company. Despite Samsung's repeated denials that it has no plans to reenter the car industry, earlier thoughts were that Hyundai was maintaining a rather defensive stance before Samsung, as the legacy thinking by senior Hyundai management was that Samsung was a company that has actually tried to threaten its primary business.



But opportunities for collaboration have recently improved, with Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Euisun visiting Samsung's local battery plant, and with Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong speaking to Chung about key operational information at its battery business.



Industry officials and sources familiar with the issue said Tuesday that the top management at Samsung and Hyundai Motor is said to have asked the relevant business units to seek the best possible ways to level up their partnerships in the automotive semiconductors business. Representatives at the companies declined to comment.



But from a business standpoint, the most viable scenario is that Hyundai Motor may procure some custom telecommunication chips, infotainment processors and display driver chips  the components that are considered vital for use in vehicles and classified as "system or logic chips," in which Samsung has a weakness, and thus has been prioritizing.



"Given Samsung's recent releases of Exynos-branded automotive and infotainment chips, if Hyundai Motor decides to use the Samsung products in its vehicles, then that will be very impressive, and this scenario is very plausible and does make sense," said a senior executive at a local automotive firm by telephone, Tuesday.



Simply, Samsung's wish is to test the compatibility and affordability of its logic-based automotive semiconductors by supplying them to trusted automakers. From that viewpoint, Hyundai is the right option. For Hyundai Motor's position, if it increases its procurement of Samsung chips, then that will help it save costs and launch joint marketing.



As a long-term plan, while it's too early to say if Samsung will provide its foundry service to Hyundai Motor by manufacturing Hyundai-designed automotive chips at Samsung's local semiconductor plants, this is the scenario that Samsung wants, said officials. Driverless cars with Level-3 technology require more than 2,000 chips and this complexity has forced Hyundai Motor to explore possibilities for effectively bringing its chip production in-house via its affiliates.



"Well, from a supply chain standpoint, it's required for the two to have an expanded business partnership. Korea truly has a role in terms of contributing to an easing of supply bottlenecks," said the executive. Samsung aims to achieve the global top position in system semiconductors by 2030. It is trailing Taiwan's foundry king, TSMC, in foundry chips. But Samsung Electronics' global share in the foundry chip segment isn't currently comparable to that of the Taiwanese company.






Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, left, speaks with American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) CEO James Kim during an event held in Seoul, Tuesday, to discuss ways to strengthen Korea-U.S. business ties. Courtesy of AMCHAM



By Kim Hyun-bin



Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol has stressed the importance of strengthening economic cooperation with the U.S.



"The Korea-U.S. alliance is a key pillar of the global economy and security. There are still unstable factors such as the spread of the Omicron variant and supply chain disturbances, but we must cooperate to turn these crises into opportunities," Yoon said at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), Tuesday.



He stressed that the two countries can be reborn as partners to strengthen cooperation in high-tech industries such as nuclear power, AI, biotechnology, semiconductors and next-generation batteries.



"In order to attract active investment from companies, it is important to remove uncertainties related to government policies, to ensure stability in the decision-making process. We will do our best to improve unreasonable regulations that hinder market efficiency," Yoon said.



Yoon's comments came during a talk with AMCHAM Korea CEO James Kim and other U.S. company representatives at the Conrad Hotel Seoul, Tuesday, in which they discussed future policies, as well as his vision for creating a global investment environment to enhance South Korea's competitiveness and boost trade between the U.S. and Korea.



"We hope that Mr. Yoon will play an important role in promoting foreign direct investment and establishing policies to make Korea the headquarters of many companies in Asia. Active support from the Korean government is needed in areas such as labor, taxation and the regulatory environment. Now is the right time for such discussions," Kim said. AMCHAM is a non-political and non-partisan organization.



During the event, Yoon emphasized the importance of foreign investment and the need to create a fair corporate environment that meets global standards.



He pledged to actively create a global investment environment where creativity, efficiency, innovation and entrepreneurship are respected, while also seeking to explore measures to further promote trade between the U.S. and Korea, as well as create a global business environment to position Korea as the regional R&D headquarters for Asia, by utilizing Korea's excellent ICT environment, infrastructure and human resources.



Yoon also addressed various other global issues and trends, such as calling for stronger ESG practices and climate change initiatives, as well as improving diversity and inclusion and addressing the gender pay gap.



The event was part of AMCHAM's meeting series with major candidates of the upcoming presidential election, slated for March 9.


Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, and Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrive to participate in the White House COVID-19 response team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus, in Washington, Dec. 27. AP-Yonhap



U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.



The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the Omicron variant.



Early research suggests Omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected  and therefore having to isolate or quarantine  threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.



CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of Omicron cases.



''Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic,'' she told The Associated Press on Monday. ''We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.''



Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.



Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent.



The guidance is not a mandate; it's a recommendation to employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC's guidance for health-care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.



It's possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the shift. ''It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance'' that others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky said.



The CDC's guidance on isolation and quarantine has seemed confusing to the public, and the new recommendations are ''happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance,'' said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert.



Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.





People skate at a skating rink at Bryant Park during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Dec. 27. Reuters-Yonhap



Isolation



The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted.



They say:



The clock starts the day you test positive.



An infected person should go into isolations for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10.



At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere  even at home around others  for at least five more days.



If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.





Two healthcare workers work at a new makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Times Square subway station as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in New York City, Dec. 27. Reuters-Yonhap



Quarantine



The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but not infected themselves.



For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted to they may have been exposed to the virus.



Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.



Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.



That's a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated  which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine  could be exempt from quarantine.



Now, people who got their initial shots but not boosters are in the same situation as those who are partly vaccinated or are not vaccinated at all: They can stop quarantine after five days if they wear masks in all settings for five days afterward.





U.S. President Joe Biden and his COVID-19 response team hold their regular call with the National Governors Association, in Washington, Dec. 27. Reuters-Yonhap
This handout picture released by Nicaragua's presidency press office shows Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, right, speaking next to his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, in Managua, Nicaragua, Nov. 7. AFP-Yonhap



The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.



President Daniel Ortega's government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.



Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.



But Ortega's government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.



The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that the attempted donation was a ''manuever and subterfuge to take what doesn't belong to them.''



Taiwan's Foreign Relations Ministry condemned the ''gravely illegal actions of the Ortega regime,'' saying the Nicaraguan government had violated standard procedures by giving Taiwanese diplomats just two weeks to get out of the country.



It said Taiwan ''also condemns the arbitrary obstruction by the Nicaraguan government of the symbolic sale of its property to the Nicaraguan Catholic church.''



Msgr. Carlos Aviles, vicar of the archdiocese of Managua, told the La Prensa newspaper that a Taiwanese diplomat had offered the church the property, saying, ''I told him there was no problem, but the transfer was still in the legal process.''



The Central American country said in early December it would officially recognize only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.



''There is only one China,'' the Nicaraguan government said in a statement announcing the change. ''The People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.''



The move increased Taiwan's diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the island has stepped up official exchanges with countries such as Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country. Now, Taiwan has 14 formal diplomatic allies remaining.



China has been poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies over the past few years, reducing the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation. China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy. The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.



Taiwan depicts itself as a defender of democracy, while Ortega was reelected in November in what the White House called a ''pantomime election.''



''The arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation rigged the outcome well before election day,'' U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement in November.



Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in the 1990s, when President Violeta Chamorro assumed power after defeating Ortega's Sandinista movement at the polls. Ortega, who was elected back to power in 2007, had maintained ties with Taipei until now. (AP)


Ukrainian servicemen walk to their position at the frontline with with Russia-backed separatists outside Verkhnotoretske village in Yasynuvata district of Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Monday. AP-Yonhap



The United States and Russia will hold much-anticipated talks in early January on European security and the Ukraine conflict after Moscow demanded NATO halts its eastward expansion.



A spokesperson for the US National Security Council told AFP on condition of anonymity late Monday that the talks with Russia will take place on January 10.



Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday confirmed the date and said that the talks will take place in Geneva, where US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met for their first summit in June.



The Kremlin has grown increasingly insistent that the West and NATO are encroaching dangerously close to Russia's borders.



Moscow earlier this month presented the West with sweeping security demands, saying NATO must not admit new members and seeking to bar the United States from establishing new bases in former Soviet republics.



"The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia," the National Security Council spokesperson said.



"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well."



Moscow and NATO representatives are then expected to meet January 12, while Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States, will meet January 13, the spokesperson added.



The talks come after weeks of heightening tensions, with Washington accusing Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops around ex-Soviet Ukraine and plotting a winter invasion.



The January 10 meeting will be held as part of the Strategic Security Dialogue initiative launched by Biden and Putin at their June summit.



While that format is mostly consecrated to resuscitating post-Cold War nuclear arms control treaties, the talks will also cover the standoff over Ukraine, where Russia has deployed a large combat force on the border, a senior White House official said, also on condition of anonymity.



The NATO-Russia Council meeting and the talks between Moscow and the OSCE's Permanent Council are slated to focus on Ukraine.



The OSCE was founded during the Cold War as a forum between Russia and the West.



Ryabkov said that Moscow expects the talks with the United States to focus on Russia's security demands.



"January 10 will be the main day for bilateral Russian-American consultations, which, we hope, will transform into negotiations on our draft agreements," Ryabkov told Russia's state news agency TASS.



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow in the talks would take a "hard line" aimed at defending its interests and avoiding "concessions".



Ukraine has been seeking to break from Moscow's sphere of influence and eventually join the NATO alliance.



Russia already occupies a swath of its neighbour in the Crimean peninsula and is accused of fomenting a separatist pro-Moscow rebellion in the industrial east of the country.



Deployment by Russia of tens of thousands of troops to the border sparked fears in Kiev and among its Western allies of a wider war, possibly including further seizures of Ukrainian territory.



Putin denies planning to attack the neighboring country, saying the troop movements are to defend Russia against an encroaching Western military.



The United States and its European partners have threatened to impose harsh economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine, while also offering to hold negotiations.



The National Security Council spokesperson said Ukraine's interests would not be ignored in cutting any deal with Russia.



Negotiations will include "nothing about our allies and partners without our allies and partners, including Ukraine," the spokesperson said.



"President Biden's approach on Ukraine has been clear and consistent: unite the alliance behind two tracks  deterrence and diplomacy. We are unified as an alliance on the consequences Russia would face if it moves on Ukraine."



There was no immediate word on who would represent the two sides on January 10. (AFP)


Journalists gather in front of a screen with a live broadcast of a hearing of the Russian Supreme Court to consider the closure of the human rights group International Memorial, in a court building in Moscow, Monday. REUTERS-Yonhap



Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the country's best-known human rights group, Memorial, must be liquidated for breaking a law requiring groups to register as foreign agents, the RIA news agency reported.



The move caps a year of crackdowns on opposition movements and rights groups, which has also seen the top Kremlin critic jailed, his political movement banned and many of his allies flee the country. Moscow says it is simply enforcing laws to thwart extremism and shield the country from foreign influence.



The Interfax news agency quoted a lawyer for Memorial - which has said the lawsuit was politically motivated - as saying that it would appeal, both in Russia and at the European Court of Human Rights.



Established by prominent dissidents in the final years of the Soviet Union, Memorial initially focused on documenting the crimes of the Stalinist era, and has more recently spoken out against repression of critics under President Vladimir Putin.



The authorities placed the group on an official list of "foreign agents" in 2015, a move that entailed numerous restrictions on its activities.



Last month, prosecutors accused the Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Centre and Memorial International, its parent structure, of violating the foreign agent law, asking the court to shut them down.



Prosecutors have said in particular that Memorial International breached the regulations by not marking all its publications, including social media posts, with the label as required by law.



They also accused the Moscow-based centre of condoning terrorism and extremism.



Speaking at the final hearing on Tuesday, a state prosecutor said Memorial had organised large-scale media campaigns aimed at discrediting the Russian authorities, according to the TASS news agency.



The group has denied any serious violations and called the lawsuits a political decision. It has said its members would continue their work even if it is dissolved.



Putin also said this month Memorial had defended organisations that Russia considered extremist and terrorist, and its list of victims of political repression had included Nazi collaborators.



Much of Memorial's work has focused on repressions carried out by Soviet state security bodies, including the KGB where Putin once served as a spy abroad. (Reuters)




Pro Legacy Place Dedham , Massachusetts , United States Apple Retail Summary

Posted: Dec 20, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200326636 Do you want to help grow Apple's community? We seek perfection. We are idealists and problem-solvers. Forever tinkering with products and processes, always on the lookout for better. A job at Apple will be demanding. But it also rewards forward-thinking, original thinking, and tenacity. And none of us here would have it any other way. Are you highly skilled at presenting elegant solutions that simplify the complex? Are you an extremely knowledgeable salesperson? As a Pro, you understand how Apple can help customers discover their passions, and how our products differ from our competitors. You have an eye for opportunity and demonstrate your breadth of expertise in technology to craft unique value propositions and insights that differentiate Apple solutions in the market. You provide authoritative recommendations of Apple's products that build loyalty and improve the customer experience, and help drive skills and knowledge of technology across your team. Key Qualifications Extensive track record of top performing sales and customer experience results maintained over extended periods of time.

Mastery of Apple services and products as well as third-party solutions across different industries and fields, for personal, business, educational, and creative professional use.

Knowledge of business solutions and industry trends. Description You drive sales by designing complete solutions with Apple and complementary product-service offerings. You demonstrate and advise how customers can integrate technology into their homes and scale solutions across small to medium size businesses and educational institutions. You demonstrate a real passion for technology to become the go-to resource across the store for our Hardware, Software, and Services. You use knowledge about Apple technology, technical expertise, and creativity to meet customer needs and stay up to date on new information, product and service offerings, and company initiatives, by using internal tools and resources, on-the-job experiences, and peers. You partner closely with store leadership, Global Retail Support, and peers within your Region. You contribute to success across all store areas and flex appropriately to meet business needs. You will identify emerging technology and consumer trends and share how the team can use those insights to develop new sales opportunities and maintain technology industry knowledge and macro-movements within verticals to anticipate how technology can be utilized. You will lead and assist with briefings, provide recommendations for deployment and set up, and identify when to pull in additional support. The Pro mentors others in the Product Zone on specialized product knowledge and purchasing options, including financing and carrier contracts and shares practices on ownership and customer loyalty within the Product Zone and with the larger store team. You maintain expertise in all Apple products and services (in store and online), our ecosystem, and many third-party products to offer complete solutions while actively approaching and engaging with our customers to understand their needs and present customized solutions. You set up the customer's newest Apple products. The Pro brings Apple solutions to life through demos, personalization, and answers to customer questions. Build memorable experiences that showcase the benefits of Apple products. You will provide troubleshooting advice and introduce the advantages of shopping with Apple - often to multiple customers at the same time. You will support peers at the Genius Bar as needed to share knowledge and assist in providing ownership options all while providing world-class customer service to customers, and maintaining accuracy in all operational duties and transactions. Note: Apple benefits programs vary by country and are subject to eligibility requirements. Education & Experience Additional Requirements

Able to effectively communicate and work with business owners and C-level executives.



Self-starter and able to achieve individual goals while also influencing the success of the overall team.



Able to collaborate cross-functionally within the store and among key partners.



Familiar with a CRM.



Superior teamwork, interpersonal, and customer service skills.



Drive for results, and make things happen.



Can tackle customer concerns using composure, listening, and presentation skills.



Strong time management and multitasking skills.



Curious to seek out information and share with the broader team.



Flexible about work, often performing multiple activities simultaneously.



Able to prioritize tasks effectively.



Provide and receive feedback from others.



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Home > 2022 > Left Smiles in Chile | Bhabani Shankar Nayak

by Bhabani Shankar Nayak *

In the age of rising tide of neoliberal authoritarianism and populist reactionary religious politics, the electoral victory of left brings smiles to all progressive forces beyond Chile. The people of Chile defeated Jose Antonio Kast-a committed follower of the countrys former dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet who established neoliberal authoritarianism in Chile before it spread worldwide. The decisive victory of Mr Gabriel Boric is a celebration of peoples power beyond the borders of the Andean nation. History repeats itself yet again. The victory of Chilean left brings hope that working class people can defeat authoritarianism and their neoliberal reincarnations. Mr. Boric rightly said that if Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave.

The victory of left in Chile in a record majority is not a symbolic victory. It has reinforced the idea of class consciousness, class organisation and class struggle encompassing issues of human and animal rights, individual freedom and dignity, gender justice, environmental justice rights of indigenous communities over their land, forests, water and natural resources. Gabriel Boric-Chiles 35-year-old President elects victory speech covers all these universal ideals. The victory has shown that deepening of democracy depends on struggles on the streets with a clear agenda that rebuilds the politics of trust among the masses.

In terms of GDP, Chile is the richest country in Latin America, and it outperforms other countries in the region, but Chilean income inequality is highest among the OECD countries. The income share among the poorest in Chile is lowest in the world. The Chilean economic conditions are not very different from the rest of the world. These economic conditions are direct outcomes of neoliberal authoritarianism. The mining led capitalist industrialisation has enabled various forms of Pinochet regime to maintain its control over the state and government for decades, which comes to an end now. Gabriel Boric vows to end the mining projects that destroys environment. It includes $2.5 billion dollar worth of controversial Dominga iron, copper and gold mining project. Boric government is going to be a government of the people and planet.

But the bourgeoisie agencies are on over drive to demean the Chilean left victory as forward march of corruption and misery. These far-right reactionary forces have started their strategic mobilisation to prevent radical transformation of Chilean society and economy that works for the masses. The bourgeoisie media brands the victory of left in Chile as Latin American abyss. Such ideological onslaught on working class electoral victory shows that bourgeoisie fear the power and wisdom of people and their abilities to reclaim their rights during turbulent times. It is only left politics which can not only defeat neoliberal authoritarianism but also can provide sustainable alternative for the people and planet. Chilean left shows the way to the left forces worldwide to reclaim the lost decades for a sustainable future. In lefts victory, hope trumped despair in Chile.

(Author: Bhabani Shankar Nayak is associated with University of Glasgow, UK)
: marryha123 (), : WaterWorld

 : Born to cheat

: BBS  (Mon Dec 27 22:38:09 2021, )



Jin Yong old gentleman's swordsman novel "smiling swordsman's lake" in there

is a very classic is Yue Buqun in the "sunflower treasure book" after, full

of practice into the greatest magic eager desire, open martial arts secrets

, but see secret title page wrote two sentences "to practice this power,

will first from the palace." Yue Buqun practice this magic before many ideas

before The King did not describe in detail in the novel, but since the

palace of yue Buqun and failed to practice a unique magic, but ended up a

traitor, the end of the devil is really well-known. It is said that art

comes from life and is higher than life. When Kim wrote his novel, he never

thought that a few years later, an old cheater would lead a contemporary "if

you want to practice this skill, you must first self-palace!" Farce, that

is the recent ant bandit on the hubbub by Guo Wengui launched the century

scam - "like" money.



"Closed for three years, in and out." Recently, under the manipulation of

guo Wengui, the old cheater, "Happy" currency is growing happily, even in

complete violation of the law of the world's currency, in the case of a

digital currency depression down, made a brilliant performance, of course,

the reason why there are such results, The main reason is that "hi" currency

is completely Guo Wengui in order to accumulate wealth and created without

any legitimate license game currency plus air currency, up and down by the

old liar nonsense. When a mouth is really opened, it is all made up

afterwards. In such a false prosperity, a lot of silly ants are naturally

stimulated by the dazzling results of the air currency to red eyes, eager to

cash.



But Guo Wengui this old liar itself is born to cheat, their own money is not

enough to spend, nature is absolutely refused to helplessly watching ants

will have invested in the money put forward in cash, and they have to take

more. So when the small ants in accordance with guo Wengui's commitment

letter, in a hurry to launch cash but see but see Guo Wengui sent out his

first magic weapon - to cash, will first pull people! "Xi" coin grows very

well, deceives elder brother to receive money to receive very happy, the

ants naturally also think oneself will earn full pot full bowl. However, in

order to make the money invested in real cash, we must in accordance with

the deceives brother's argument, to pull more people to buy air coins. Only

when the buyer has accumulated a certain amount can he apply for withdrawal.

People who have a little bit of brain can see that this is a thriving

pyramid scheme in China for more than ten years. If you want to make money,

you have to pull people and you have to develop crazily. But those who join

MLM organizations, after years of hard work, end up with lost wives,

deserted families and even mountains of debt. So simple and clear means of

pyramid selling, and even silly ants for the so-called urine explosion

revolution and anti-communism and the moth, willing to become Guo Wengui

human cash machine. It's crazy to jump into a trap when you know it's a trap.





--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 103.]


State

AFSPA repeal in Nagaland likely by New Year

Rio along with Patton and Zeliang addressing the media on December 26 in Dimapur. (NP)

Spl. Correspondent/ Staff Reporter NEW DELHI, DIMAPUR, DEC 27 (NPN) | Publish Date: 12/27/2021 1:00:22 PM IST

Following a meeting, convened by union home minister Amit Shah on December 23 with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma including deputy chief minister Y. Patton and NPF leader T.R. Zeliang, the Centre instituted a committee to examine withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland and to submit its report within 45 days.

Though the panels terms of reference were yet to be notified and publicised, officials said that Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Vivek Joshi will head the five-member committee and additional secretary (NE) in the Home Ministry Piyush Goyal will be its member-secretary. The other members will include chief secretary and director general of police of Nagaland, the IGAR (North) and representative from CRPF.

According to a communique issued jointly by the UDA government chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief minister Y. Patton and NPF legislature party leader T.R. Zeliang, the committee will submit its report within 45 days and that the withdrawal of Disturbed Areas Act and AFSPA from Nagaland will be based on the recommendations of the committee.

The Centres response to calls for repeal of AFSPA came as an unexpected development even as chorus for its repeal from the entire region continue to grow louder since the Oting massacre on December 4. It may be recalled that 13 innocent civilians were gunned down by a unit of the 21 Paras (Special Forces) based at Jorhat. Another was killed in Mon during the massive public protest against the Security Forces/Assam Rifles.

The demands for repeal of AFSPA an Act that gives sweeping powers to the armed forces to arrest without warrants and even shoot to kill in certain situations in disturbed areas  from Nagaland and other north-eastern states have been growing louder since the December 4-5 incidents. Over the last few weeks, the state witnessed massive protest rallies in eastern districts as well as capital Kohima for the law to be scrapped.

Right after the December 4 incident, Rio had called for its repeal stating that Nagaland had always opposed AFSPA. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma had also demanded its total repeal from the north east in a tweet on December 6.

A special one-day session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly was convened on December 20, where members under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) unanimously resolved to demand the repeal of AFSPA. After returning from Delhi, the three signatories held a joint press conference where they issued a signed statement.

According to the statement, the three-- chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief minister Y.Patton and NPF legislature party leader T.R. Zeliang expressed gratitude to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for taking the matter with utmost seriousness. They also expressed appreciation of the Centre for taking the required steps to ensure justice and positively responding to the voices of the people.

According to the statement, the Armys Court of Inquiry (CoI) set up, will initiate disciplinary proceedings against the army unit and personnel, directly involved in the Oting incident that action will be taken immediately on the basis of fair enquiry. The communique also said The identified persons who will face the enquiry will be placed under suspension with immediate effect.

As per the deliberations with the union home minister, it was also decided Nagaland would provide government jobs to the next of the kin of the deceased. The statement also disclosed that in order to initiate the process, the deputy commissioner, and the superintendent of police of Mon district, will carry out necessary procedures in consultation with the concerned village councils and government jobs will be given on compassionate grounds on the basis of eligibility.

Meanwhile, the state government has appealed to all sections to remain calm and to continue to maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

The democratic and peaceful nature of the civil society groups, tribal hohos and mass based organisations in our collective quest for justice and truth has been well received and has created a positive image of the Naga people to the rest of the global community, it said.

AFSPA is partial in Arunachal Pradesh and in force only in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh including some police station under Namsai district bordering Assam.

Manipur extended the Disturbed Area status in the entire state, barring the Imphal municipal areas, for a period of one year from December 1,2020.

AFSPA was totally withdrawn from Mizoram in 1997, Tripura in 2015 and Meghalaya in 2018 respectively.

To a query about Amit Shahs response on removal of AFSPA, Rio said that AFSPA will be lifted in areas as recommended by the committee. As per the recommendation of the committee it (AFSPA) will be lifted where it is recommended and not only in Nagaland but also the Northeastern states.

Rio said that once AFSPA is removed from those areas, the state police forces will handle the law and order situation.

With regard to jobs/compensation to be given to the next of kin of the deceased, Rio said that the compensations have been given to all and the state government would be providing jobs as well and not the Central government.

For this, Rio said that the deputy commissioner Mon and the superintendent would be contacting the family. Jobs will be given to the next of kin according to their eligibility, he said, adding, that once the offices open the process will start.

To a query about the demand for removal of Assam Rifles from Mon, Rio said it was positive.

T.R. Zeliang responded saying that the Assam Rifles personnel currently posted in Mon will be replaced by another unit.

Konyaks demand justice without delay

Konyak Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) placed several demands before the government of India in their quest for justice for the families of the victims of the Oting Massacre on December 4.

In a joint statement, Howing Konyak, Ponglem Konyak and Noklem Konyak, presidents of Konyak Union, Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong and Konyak Students Union respectively also expressed dismay for non-inclusion of representatives from ground zero in the inquiry committee instituted to review repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

They pointed that only representatives from ground zero would be able to portray the untold sufferings of the civilians for so many decades under AFSPA.

While appreciating union home ministrys efforts to ensure justice in the Oting massacre, besides applauding the initiative of chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief minister Y Patton and leader of NPF legislature party leader TR Zeliang in Delhi on December 23, the unions also expressed skepticism over non-inclusion of representatives from ground zero while meeting union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi, to authenticate and portray the real incidents/stories about the Oting massacre incidents.

They further appealed to the committee to consider the value of human lives while framing its report. They alleged that human rights and values had been ignored for many decades and atrocities committed upon the civilians, thereby causing them much pain.

Urging the committee members to understand that people on ground zero had endured AFSPA for so long, the trio said time has come to say enough is enough. Hence, they declared that if any eventualities arose in future, they should not be held responsible.

Demanding clarification from the Indian Army, which issued a statement saying justice for all, the unions said it was a biased assurance but confusing at the same time while the Konyaks are demanding for direct action against those Indian Army that had massacred those 14 innocent Konyak youths.

The CSO said that the Friends of the Hill People was nothing but a wolf in lambs skin.

The unions therefore asked the army to clarify its real stance on the Oting massacre.

They also asserted that replacement of Indian armed forces from Mon district was no solution as people had suffered immensely for many decades where villages and the granaries were totally burned down, people forced to starve, our sisters were raped and our innocent brothers were killed brutally without any premeditated interventions.

The CSOs out-rightly declared that it requires no security who fails to provide security to its citizen.

Mere replacement of the forces would not mitigate the sufferings of the people of Mon district, they pointed out.

They also announced that they would allow Indian Army investigation team at ground zero, but without uniforms and guns. They also requested the State government to make necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of the inquiry team.

Issuing a final call, the unions further questioned the State government why Tiru police outpost was still not being manned. Reminding that it had given five days time to the government to act, the CSOs said that there was no official action till date.

Considering their memorandum to President of India and the subsequent 30-day ultimatum that would expire on January 10, 2022, the CSO salso resolved not to rest until those involved in killing the civilians were booked under civil laws and the action taken report brought to the public domain by January 10, 2022.

Asserting that justice delayed was justice denied, they said they would be compelled to convene a Konyak Summit on January 18, 2022 to discuss further course of action if justice is delayed.

Hence, it is time for the Government of India to prove whether we are its citizen or not, the CSOs stated.

Congress demands Amit Shahs resignation

All India Congress Committees (AICC) Nagaland in-charge Dr Ajoy Kumar has demanded the resignation of Union home minister Amit Shah for his alleged negligence of the Oting killings and for misleading Parliament and the nation in alleging that the victims had tried to flee. Informing this in a statement, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie alleged that an AICC delegation was prevented from meeting the aggrieved family members, though BJP ministers did not even bother to visit. He said AICC has demanded Rs one crore as compensation for the next of kin of deceased and Rs 10 lakh to those injured, besides reiterating the call for forming a judicial enquiry commission headed by a sitting high court judge. We shall continue to pursue till justice is delivered, Therie said. According to him, the committee to study Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) had nothing to study as there were no terrorist and secessionist forces in Nagaland. He reiterated that AFSPA was not required in Nagaland. In our understanding, AFSPA has nothing to do with justice to Oting massacre victims. The application of AFSPA does not arise with peaceful people, he stressed. Referring to the joint meeting decisions (between Amit Shah, chief ministers-- Neiphiu Rio and Himanta Biswa Sarma, deputy CM Y. Patton and NPF legislature party leader TR Zeliang in Delhi) Therie said he strongly suspected the Oting massacre to be the result of a collaboration between the Centre and the chief ministers of Assam and Nagaland to derail the ceasefire and delay implementation of a negotiated settlement. Now they are all trying to escape through AFSPA, he alleged. Demanding an all-party parliamentary committee, Therie explained that AICC has demanded judicial probe headed by a sitting judge of the Gauhati High Court, because the subjects were above the spectrum of Special Investigation Team (SIT) or court of enquiry, adding that they cannot enquire into their masters. Pointing out that law and order was a State subject, he asserted that the chief minister and home minister were answerable to the people. He said there were hundreds of questions that required answers like why 21 Para was called in to slaughter sons of the soil and why Nagaland Police, which appeared to be in the dark as per the FIR filed at Tizit against 21 Para, was kept in the dark. This is the reason why an independent enquiry commission was required, Therie stated. Mentioning that money could not buy life, Therie said if the chief minister and home minister were aggrieved, they would not accept Rs 5 lakh for the loss of lives in a mistaken identity. Besides demanding compensations for the deceased and the injured, NPCC also demanded that permanently disabled person(s) out of injury to be given pension adequately.
International

Iran insists on crude exports as Vienna talks resume

FILE - Palais Coburg, where closed-door nuclear talks take place in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 17, 2021.

TEHRAN, DEC 27 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 12/27/2021 1:53:59 PM IST

Iran insisted on Monday that the United States and its allies promise to allow Tehran to export its crude as negotiations on restoring the tattered nuclear deal were to resume in Vienna.

The remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian signal that Iran is pressing its position ahead of the negotiations over reviving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. The talks have struggled to make headway and were adjourned earlier this month after a round marked by tensions over new demands from Tehran.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Amirabdollahian said Iran wants the upcoming round of talks to focus on its sanctions-hit oil industry. The aim is to get to the point where Iranian oil is being sold easily and without any barriers and its money arrives in Irans bank accounts, he said.

Tehrans landmark accord with world powers granted the nation sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran, including against its oil sector  the lifeline of its economy. Irans crude exports plummeted and international oil companies scrapped deals with Tehran, weakening its economy.

As the parties to the atomic deal prepared to convene, Amirabdollahian said Iran wanted to be able to enjoy full economic concessions under the nuclear deal.

Guarantee and verification (of the removal of sanctions) are among topics that we have focused on, he said.

The new, conservative administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly demanded the removal of all economic sanctions before Iran reins in its nuclear advances.

Separately on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said it would be intolerable for the West to demand anything from Tehran beyond compliance with the original deal.

Iran has steadily abandoned all of the accords limits since the American withdrawal and is now enriching uranium to 60% purity  a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. It spins ever-more advanced centrifuges also barred by the deal.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful. But the countrys significant nuclear steps have alarmed regional rivals and world powers.

Diplomats have warned that time is running out to restore the deal as Iran maintains a hard line in putting the onus on the U.S. to lift sanctions.

The talks involve all the parties to the original nuclear deal  Iran, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Iran refuses to talk directly to American envoy, who is engaging through the other signatories.
Regional

Manipur govt likely to propose lifting of AFSPA

N. Biren Singh

IMPHAL/SHILLONG, DEC 27 (IANS) | Publish Date: 12/27/2021 1:30:52 PM IST

In view of the persistent demand from various parties, including the ruling allies, the BJP government in Manipur is likely to propose to the Centre to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the entire state, officials said on Monday.

Ruling BJPs two vital allies  Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and National Peoples Party (NPP)  and the main opposition Congress in Manipur have been demanding to withdraw AFSPA from entire Manipur.

A top Manipur government official said that the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh would meet in a day or two to formally adopt a resolution proposing the Central government to withdraw the special act from the entire state.

Before the cabinet meeting, the state government would take the views of the senior security officials about the possible consequences if the AFSPA is lifted from the state, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Keeping in view the violent activities by militant outfits, the Union Home Ministry in consultation with the state government had imposed AFSPA in Manipur on September 8, 1980.

The erstwhile Congress government led by then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had proposed the Centre to withdraw AFSPA from seven of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state and the Union Home Ministry at that time had withdrawn the special act from the plain areas under the seven Assembly segments.

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committees working president Keisham Meghachandra has been urging the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the Centre to repeal the AFSPA..

Meghachandra, also an MLA, said on Monday that the Congress government had earlier removed AFSPA from seven Assembly constituencies in Manipur, and if the party returns to power in the ensuing elections, it would propose to withdraw AFSPA from the remaining areas of the state.

According to political pundits, AFSPA is likely to be a top issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in Manipur scheduled early next year.

Meanwhile, NPP President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has been demanding to repeal AFSPA from the entire northeastern region.

Welcome the move of GOI, Amit Shah ji for approval to set up a panel to review imposition of AFSPA in Nagaland. The panel should examine the whole of Northeast, Sangma had tweeted on Sunday night.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Sunday that a committee has been formed to look into the demand of withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland and the panel would submit its report to the government within 45 days.

The committee was formed after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting in New Delhi on December 23, which was attended by the Nagaland Chief Minister, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and Naga Peoples Front (NPF) legislative party leader T.R. Zeliang.

The meeting also discussed the present scenario in Nagaland and the decision about formation of the committee was taken in that meeting. On December 20, the Nagaland Assembly in its day-long special session had unanimously passed a resolution demanding the Centre to repeal AFSPA from the entire northeast, especifically from Nagaland, to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue.

AFSPA, which allows the army and other Central para-military forces to conduct raids, operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice or arrest warrant, is in force in entire Nagaland, Assam, 53 of the 60 Assembly constituencies in Manipur and certain districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Tripura is the only state in the northeastern region where AFSPA was withdrawn in May 2015 by the then Left Front government led by Manik Sarkar after terror activities were tamed. AFSPA was also lifted from the bordering areas of Meghalaya in 2018.
International

New UN Myanmar envoy says deeply concerned by escalating violence

Myanmar has been in turmoil since February, when civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in a military coup.

UNITED NATIONS, DEC 27 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 12/27/2021 1:52:52 PM IST

The new United Nations special envoy to Myanmar on Monday said she was deeply concerned by escalating violence in the country and called for a new year ceasefire between the military and its opponents.

Nationwide protests against the February coup have been met with a bloody crackdown, with more than 1,300 people killed and over 11,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis led by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have made little headway so far, with the generals refusing to engage with opponents.

Special envoy Noeleen Heyzer is deeply concerned by the continued escalation of violence in Kayin State and other parts of Myanmar, she said in her first statement since taking on the role.

She also called for all parties to... allow humanitarian assistance to be provided to those in need, including those forced to flee the violence, and for all sides to come to a new year ceasefire.

On Sunday, a UN official said he was horrified by credible reports that at least 35 civilians were killed and their bodies burned in an attack on Christmas Eve in eastern Myanmar, and demanded the government launch an investigation.

Two workers for non-profit group Save the Children remain missing -- their vehicle was among several that were attacked and burned in the incident in Kayah state.

The military reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burned their bodies, it said in a statement.

The charity said Monday it was still investigating the incident.

There have also been fresh clashes in recent days between ethnic rebels and the military in Kayin state -- also known as Karen state -- sending thousands fleeing into neighbouring Thailand.

A junta spokesman told AFP last week that the military had carried out air strikes against Karen National Union fighters and members of local Peoples Defence Force groups that have sprung up to fight back against the putsch.
International

South Africa mourns death of Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid hero

Desmond Tutu

By Nagaland Post | Publish Date: 12/27/2021 1:54:35 PM IST

CAPE TOWN, DEC 27 (AGENCIES): South Africa is holding a week of events to mark the passing of the anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday aged 90.

The plans include two days of lying in state before an official state funeral on 1 January in Cape Town.

Tributes have been pouring in from leaders around the world, including Queen Elizabeth II, US President Joe Biden and Pope Francis.

Tutu was one of the countrys best known figures at home and abroad.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that Tutu had helped bring about a liberated South Africa.

A contemporary of Nelson Mandela, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in the struggle to abolish the apartheid system enforced by the white minority government against the black majority in South Africa from 1948-91.

On Sunday, South Africans of all ages and backgrounds stopped by Cape Towns St Georges Cathedral to lay flowers and pay tribute to the countrys national hero.

In honour of Tutu, the bells of the cathedral, the oldest in South Africa, will be rung daily at noon local time until Friday.

His significance supersedes the boundaries of being an Anglican, mourner Brent Goliath told AF, breaking down in tears.

I was very emotional this morning when I heard that hed passed away. I thank God that he has been there for us, Mr Goliath said, adding that he had met Tutu several times.

World leaders have also paid tribute. President Biden said he was heartbroken to learn of the passing of a true servant of God and of the people, adding that Tutus legacy transcends borders and will echo through the ages.

Former US President Barack Obama described Tutu as a mentor, friend and moral compass.

In a message of condolence, Queen Elizabeth II said she remembered with fondness her meetings with him, and his great warmth and humour.

Archbishop Tutus loss will be felt by the people of South Africa and by so many people in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and across the Commonwealth, where he was held in such high affection and esteem.

Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta said Tutu had inspired a generation of African leaders who embraced his non-violent approaches in the liberation struggle.

The Vatican said in a statement that Pope Francis offered heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

Mindful of his service to the gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native South Africa, his holiness commends his soul to the loving mercy of almighty God.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Tutus contributions to struggles against injustice, locally and globally, are matched only by the depth of his thinking about the making of liberatory futures for human societies.

He was an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd.

Tutus death comes just weeks after that of South Africas last apartheid-era president, FW de Klerk, who died at the age of 85. It is impossible to imagine South Africas long and tortuous journey to freedom - and beyond - without Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Ordained as a priest in 1960, Tutu went on to serve as bishop of Lesotho from 1976-78, assistant bishop of Johannesburg and rector of a parish in Soweto. He became Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and was appointed the first black Archbishop of Cape Town the following year. He used his high-profile role to speak out against oppression of black people in his home country, always saying his motives were religious and not political.

After Mandela became South Africas first black president in 1994, Tutu was appointed by him to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to investigate crimes committed by both whites and blacks during the apartheid era.

He was also credited with coining the term Rainbow Nation to describe the ethnic mix of post-apartheid South Africa, but in his latter years he expressed regret that the nation had not coalesced in the way in which he had dreamt.
People are seen in downtown Nicosia, Cyprus on May 10, 2021. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

Petros Karayiannis, a leading member of the scientific team advising the government, said that the number of infections in the next three days will play a crucial role in decisions over further restrictions.

It is only a matter of time before the Omicron variant becomes the dominant one, he added.



NICOSIA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Warning of fresh restrictions, Cyprus' health authorities announced a record 1,925 new coronavirus infections on Monday, more than double the number reported on Sunday.

Health Minister Michalis Hadipantelas said possible new restrictions are under consideration. These would depend mostly on the number of new infections, and the number of people admitted into hospitals, he added.

Most restrictions currently in force relate to unvaccinated people, and are meant to force them to receive the jab.

A woman wearing face mask is seen at the crossing point of Ledra Street, the main thoroughfare of the old part of Nicosia, Cyprus on June 4, 2021. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

Petros Karayiannis, a leading member of the scientific team advising the government, said that the number of infections in the next three days will play a crucial role in decisions over further restrictions.

Karayiannis also expressed concern that about 27 infections out of a total of 60 cases attributed to the highly contagious Omicron mutation were found in the community and were not related to travel.

It is only a matter of time before the Omicron variant becomes the dominant one, he added.

The first Omicron cases in Cyprus were related to travelers returning from the United Kingdom. 
People demonstrate on a street demanding civilian rule in Khartoum, Sudan, Dec. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

KHARTOUM, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council on Monday asked the concerned authorities to investigate rape allegations against female protesters in Khartoum on Dec. 19.

During a regular meeting for the Transitional Sovereign Council, held at the Republican Palace in Khartoum and chaired by the council's Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the council directed "the concerned authorities to investigate into what is being circulated in the media regarding the rape incident," according to a statement released by the council.

On Dec. 21, the United Nations (UN) human rights office called for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into allegations of sexual violence including rape and gang rape during protests in Sudan on Dec. 19.

Liz Throssell, the spokesperson for the UN human rights office in Geneva, said they received reports alleging that 13 women and girls were raped or gang raped; and that women were reportedly sexually harassed while fleeing the area around the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25 and dissolved the sovereign council and government.

On Nov. 21, Al-Burhan and the then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating Hamdok as prime minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the street.
An employee works at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Turkey, which has large boron deposits, aims to develop cooperation and establish partnerships with China, mainly in the production of new generation batteries and carbon zero products.

ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications.

The Istanbul-based Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) has been synthesizing the boron mineral and producing borophene for the last one and a half years. It recently directed its studies to energy applications.

Mert Umut Ozkaynak, Vice Director and Head of Strategy and Business Development at SUNUM, said Turkey, which has large boron deposits, aims to develop cooperation and establish partnerships with China, mainly in the production of new generation batteries and carbon zero products.

Mert Umut Ozkaynak, Vice Director and Head of Strategy and Business Development at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, speaks in an interview with Xinhua in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Ozkaynak said the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd (CATL), China Aviation Lithium Battery Co., Ltd (CALB), and Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer EVE Energy are specifically on the radar of SUNUM.

"At this point, we really want to be a part of their product development processes and have relations with the Chinese industry," Ozkaynak told Xinhua at the laboratory on the Asian side of the city.

Ozkaynak pointed out that China is the market leader in EV and lithium-ion battery production, and SUNUM is good at producing borophene, which has the potential to meet the material needs emerging in energy systems.

"With the collaboration (of Turkey and China), we can have carbon zero efficient products and more valuable outcomes," he stressed.

An employee works at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Shadati)

SUNUM is also interested in boosting cooperation with some Chinese companies already operating in Turkey, like Huawei, one of the major global companies investing in R&D in the country.

"We can work together to have clean 5G technologies and also faster and long-life batteries," Ozkaynak noted, speaking of the collaboration possibilities with Huawei.

The assistant director also argued that the location of his country is offering remarkable possibilities for Chinese investors in helping them open up to other parts of the world through Turkey.

"The supply chain is now in a critical situation, and it is the main problem of the world," he continued. But Turkey, located between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, has the potential to ease this problem, being a transit hub and a gate to the rest of the world, Ozkaynak added.

SUNUM, founded in 2010, was selected as one of the four National Research Infrastructures in 2017 in Turkey and continues its activities under the Industry and Technology Ministry.

Ozgur Ekin Felek, business development executive of Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, speaks in an interview with Xinhua in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Ozgur Ekin Felek, business development executive of SUNUM, said borophene created quite a stir in the technology world and was described as a "new super material" due to its features.

"The main application area is in the energy sector. It can be used in batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen storage and also in micro-nano sensors, and various defense industry applications," he told Xinhua.

According to Felek, SUNUM researchers observed that the specific capacity of lithium-ion batteries increased by 20 to 30 percent when they added 3 percent of the borophene to a standard graphite-based battery system.

With the addition of 10 percent of the borophene to supercapacitors, the specific capacitance increases by 75 percent.
HANOI, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has detected its first COVID-19 case of Omicron variant in a quarantine facility in the capital Hanoi, the country's Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday.

The patient arrived in Hanoi on Dec. 19 from Britain and tested positive for COVID-19. He was immediately transferred to a quarantine center under a hospital in the capital while his sample was sent for genome sequencing test. The result achieved on Dec. 21 confirmed that he had the Omicron variant, according to the ministry.

Health authorities will continue to closely monitor the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in general and the infectivity of the Omicron variant in particular, the ministry said, calling people to adhere to COVID-19 prevention and control measures and get fully vaccinated.

The government of the capital Hanoi on Monday mandated that everyone arriving in the city from the countries and regions, where the Omicron variant has been detected, should be put under quarantine regardless of their vaccination or recovery status.

Hanoi, currently the nation's coronavirus epicenter, has also instructed laboratories to conduct gene sequencing tests to detect the variant.

By Monday, Vietnam had confirmed a total of 1,666,545 COVID-19 infections, with over 1.66 million cases detected in the current wave which was triggered by the contagious Delta variant since late April, according to the health ministry. Enditem
BOGOTA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 28 injured, eight in critical condition, after a bus fell into a ravine in the Colombian municipality of San Luis in the northwestern department of Antioquia, local authorities reported Monday.

The accident occurred early Monday morning, and hospital emergency networks were immediately activated and firefighters began to rescue people, said Jaime Ramirez, the traffic and highway police commander of Antioquia.

According to a report by authorities, the bus came from the capital Bogota and was heading to the municipality of Monitos in the Caribbean department of Cordoba.

San Luis Mayor Henry Suarez said that 22 of the injured were taken to medical centers in the town and another six to the neighboring municipality of Puerto Triunfo.

Suarez said that there was no "clear" information regarding the causes of the accident, and an investigation was underway. Enditem
Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2021 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. A China-aided medical building at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh successfully passed the completion inspection on Dec. 28, the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said in a news release. (Photo by Zhang Chao/ Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A China-aided medical building at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, successfully passed the completion inspection on Tuesday, the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said in a news release.

The 11-story building has 400 beds and is equipped with high-tech medical equipment, the news release said, adding that it is divided into different units, including surgery, outpatient services, emergency, medical technology, hospitalization, and logistics.

Construction work on the project started in October 2018.

The construction project technical team's leader, Shi Xiaoguang, said the medical building was developed under the Chinese government's grant aid, aiming at helping improve health services in Cambodia.

"It will become the first hospital in Cambodia with a modern medical concept of low energy consumption and high quality," he said.

"And it will also become a modern public general hospital with the highest level of medical technology in the country, and will provide Cambodian people with a higher level of medical services," he added.

Shi said the hospital will deepen the bond of friendship between the peoples of China and Cambodia, and will also contribute to further promoting the cooperation between the two countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in June during a visit to the construction site that the project was a huge achievement in the kingdom's health sector and thanked China for funding it. Enditem

Chinese technical experts inspect the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia on Dec. 22, 2021. A China-aided medical building at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh successfully passed the completion inspection on Dec. 28, the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said in a news release. (Photo by Zhang Chao/ Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 21, 2021 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. A China-aided medical building at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh successfully passed the completion inspection on Dec. 28, the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said in a news release. (Photo by Zhang Chao/ Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2021 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. A China-aided medical building at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh successfully passed the completion inspection on Dec. 28, the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said in a news release. (Photo by Zhang Chao/ Xinhua)
A bottle of hand sanitizer is seen placed at a chocolate shop in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

An employee sanitizes a customer's hand at a store in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People line up to enter a store in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People walk past a poster of mandatory wearing of face masks in the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People walk in the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People do shopping at the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People visit the Mont des Arts in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People walk past a closed Christmas market in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 27, 2021. Belgium has imposed extra measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is causing a spike in cases across Europe. From Dec. 26, indoor Christmas markets, cinemas, theaters and concert halls are closed, but museums and libraries stay open. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
TRIPOLI, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A committee of the Libyan House of Representatives on Monday called for a new roadmap to hold successful elections and form a new executive authority, following the elections were postponed.

"A new roadmap must be drawn up, set with durations and stages and not with dates, within a constitutional framework, in order to hold a successful electoral process and to ensure acceptance of its results," the committee said in a report.

The committee stressed the need to "initiate the amendment of the draft constitution through a technical committee appointed by the House of Representatives with fair participation of the High Council of State."

It also highlighted the demand to "restructure the executive authority to achieve stability, which the current authority (Libyan Government of National Unity) has been unable to achieve."

The High National Elections Commission has announced a proposal to postpone the presidential elections to January 2022, instead of Dec. 24, 2021.

Thus, the House of Representatives formed a committee to propose a roadmap after Dec. 24, aimed at considering several proposals to address the failure to hold the elections on time, in addition to determining the fate of the current interim government.

The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), in order to restore stability in Libya following years of political division and insecurity. Enditem
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By SA Commercial Prop News

An artists impression of Secunda Value Centre in Mpumulanga showing Builders Warehouse. The project has been funded by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance at R69.3 million.



Nedbank Corporate Property Finance has approved R69.3 million funding for the development of the 8722m first phase of the Secunda Value Centre, Mpumulanga.

The bank continues its commitment to the development of areas outside South Africas major centres, this time in partnership with Neotrend Khala Cose Developers (Pty) Ltd for the first phase of a new value centre in Secunda, Mpumulanga.

DAnvo Jones, Regional Head at Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Pretoria says the value centre will be anchored by a stand-alone Builders Warehouse, a 2300m Westpack Lifestyle Centre and a drive-through free-standing Burger King, supported by several line stores and an assortment of home furnishing retailers.

The developer has acquired neighbouring land and will be constructing a further two phases of the value centre, adding an additional 12868m of retail and office accommodation.



Offering ample open parking, the centre is well located along a busy arterial road within the Govan Mbeki Municipality, P.D.P Kruger Road. The property is within close proximity of the Secunda CBD and is less than one kilometre from the new Secunda Mall.

Construction commenced this year and is expected to start trading in April this year.



Jones says that the bank was particularly attracted to funding the development because of the demand for retail property in Secunda.

According to the Govan Mbeki Integrated Development Plan, Secunda is by far the most active business zone in the municipality, underlined by the fact that 45% of the financial, administrative and professional concerns are situated here.

Govan Mbeki Municipality is highly urbanised, with 82% of the population located in urban areas. In addition, the annual population growth of 2.84% between 2001 and 2011 has been higher than the national average of 1.4% (Source: Stats SA). These location and population factors bode well for the foot traffic into retail centre.



The Neotrend Group is one of the heavyweights in this particular sector of the retail market and Nedbank Corporate Property Finance is proud to partner with them once again to bring the Secunda Value Centre to market. In addition, the long leases signed by Burger King and Builders Warehouse make for an attractive investment and offer destination shopping to the broader community.



The Neotrend Group offers property development, investment and management services and has over 30 years experience within the challenging property development industry. Current projects include the Summit Place mixed use development, the 10 000m Lynnwood Lane Centre near Equestria, the 12 000m Silver Stream Retail Centre near Silver Lakes, all in Pretoria; and the Secunda Corridor Retail Development.



This is the second retail development supported by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance in the area, following the finance provided and equity stake taken in the development of the 52393m Sasol Secunda Mall in 2013.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to defer the implementation of GST rate hike on textiles and footwear.

The proposal is to increase the rate of tax from 5 per cent to 12 per cent on textiles and footwear.

In a letter to the minister, CAIT termed the move as 'illogical' and 'beyond the canon of GST tax structure', particularly at a time when the domestic trade in the country is on the verge of recovery from the colossal damage caused due to the last two spells of Covid-19.

"It is noteworthy to mention that the GST collection across the country is increasing every month and as such any increase in tax rates without consulting the stakeholders will run contrary to the 'ease of doing business' call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the letter read.

"Therefore, we shall request you to defer the implementation of tax rate hike for certain period and meanwhile constitute a task force under the chairmanship of the Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes, comprising representatives of trade and senior officials of the government to discuss the issue at length and arrive at a consensus," it added.

According to CAIT, there was no tax on textile or fabrics for a number of years.

"This increase in tax rate will not only hamper the domestic trade, but will also affect the exports adversely. Already the textile industry is not at a competent status with countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh and China. On the one hand the government talks about 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', while on the other hand levy such high taxes creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and gloom."

The letter also asked for an extension of income tax return filing date.

"The new portal of income tax is suffering from various glitches and filing of one return is taking more than a couple of hours. Further, the staff of the tax practitioners are to be trained to understand the new portal and its utilities.

"Not many professionals are well versed with the frequent changes being made on the portal, very less time has been provided after the introduction of the new portal, frequent changes in various 'Forms' and their utility is resulting in duplication of work, due to which a lot of time gets wasted. Many technical glitches are being faced on the portal due to which a lot of time gets wasted. Overlapping of dates for various compliances like due date of filing of income tax returns, GSTR 9, GSTR-9C are another complex issue," CAIT said.
In another heroic effort, the Mumbai Fire Brigade rescued more than 40 persons trapped on the terrace of a building which caught fire here on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The conflagration is said to have erupted in the electric metre room on the ground floor of an old seven-storied MHADA building in Jankalyan Nagar in Kandivali west suburb around 10.15 a.m., according to BMC Disaster Control.

As the flames and smoke spread upwards, many of the panicky residents climbed up and ended up on the terrace while the fire brigade was summoned.

The MFB firefighters hoisted ladders and rescued at least 40 persons trapped on the terrace and others continued battling the blaze.

Another five persons suffered suffocation injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals, while the cause of the fire is being probed, said the officials.
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Bir Lehlou (Saharawi Republic) 27 December 2021 (SPS)- The President of the Saharawi Republic and Secretary General of Frente Polisario, H.E. Brahim Ghali, sent a letter of condolences to the President of South Africa, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, presenting his condolences on the passing of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died yesterday.

We have learnt with heavy hearts of the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who has contributed enormously in the struggle against the evil of Apartheid, and has played a significant role in the democratic dispensations of post-Apartheid South Africa, global peace and the apostolic and faith based community, President Ghalib regretted.

He extended to President Ramaphosa his most heartfelt condolences, to you personally, to the people of South Africa, the government of South Africa, and to the family of the Archbishop the letter reads.

He affirmed that Archbishop Tutu will be always remembered for his fight for justice, peace and reconciliation.

He further asserted that the Saharawi government and Polisario Front will be ever grateful for his stand with the Saharawi people and for freedom and human rights in all the world. May he rest in eternal peace with honour and glory.

The late Archbishop is a great African spiritual leader most known for his support of all just causes around the world, and mainly in Africa. He strongly supported African struggles against Apartheid and colonialism of all its sorts, including in Western Sahara. (SPS)

090/500/60 (SPS)
Having failed to pacify farmers protests, despite use of excessive force, BJP government was forced to repeal the controversial farm laws. The repealing of laws seriously affected invincibility of Modi thus increasing challenges for BJP.

by Tanvir Ur Rehman

BJP after killing more than 750 farmers and injuring thousands of them, failed to break their will and ultimately submitting to their demands. BJPs submission to farmers has not been liked by Sang Pariwar. Therefore, they are using extra constitutional means to cause sacrilege of their sacred religious places to hurt the sentiment of Sikhs. BJP considers Sikhs as main proponent of their failure, hence Sikhs are facing the wrath of BJP which is likely to intensify until they are marginalized. BJPs highhandedness would not restrict to Punjab but they will target Sikhs diaspora abroad.

Bomb blast at Ludhiana by a sacked policeman, is RAWs machination to defame the Sikhs movement. RAW also desires to create fear in the minds of Sikhs inland and abroad with a view to suppress their voices on Human rights and Khalistan issue. Indian government is intentionally creating chaos in Punjab to marginalize Sikhs with a view to create space for their Hindutva policies. Repealing of farm laws was an eye wash for electoral gains. Sikhs understand the intent of Modi govt.

Having failed to pacify farmers protests, despite use of excessive force, BJP government was forced to repeal the controversial farm laws. The repealing of laws seriously affected invincibility of Modi thus increasing challenges for BJP. Now Hindutva backed BJP government is at odds with farmers / Sikh community and they are planning to dent the unity among them.

Modi government is feeling embarrassed due to bad performance in UP & Punjab and is also fearing humiliation in upcoming state elections. It is also under increased pressure due to Khalistan referendum as well as growing internal security concerns in Punjab. There are also apprehensions in Indian political as well as security circles about hijacking of farmers protests by separatist elements. Few days back Sanyukt Kisan Morchas (SKM) announcement to convene a national convention on 15 Jan 2022 to review governments commitments indicates that SKM has leverages in its hand as elections in Punjab and UP are around the corner. Announcement of SKM (Punjab unit) to float a new political outfit has further infuriated BJP.

Perturbed by demands of referendum, Indian establishment, using RAW and other tools is working on a deliberate plan to repeat the episode of operation Blue Star. In such circumstances, possibility of India using Army to oppress the Sikhs peaceful struggle cannot be ruled out. Sikhs need to be aware of Indian machinations and world community must take notice of Indian high-handedness.

Perplexed by resolve of Sikh diaspora abroad, India is trying to use the bogey of false flag operations to malign Sikhs movement. Indian political leadership will buildup case on the plea of false flag operation against Sikh for Justice and other pro Khalistan setups abroad. India is using its discredited media to establish link of Khalistan movement with Pakistan. Indian history is replete of such false flag operations. World community should take a notice of it.

Reputational hurt to Modi due to protracted farmers movement is non-digestible, hence Modi will take revenge using multi-pronged strategy to politically engineer elections, discredit Sikhs in information domain, use judicial lever for forging cases against prominent Sikhs and farmers movement leaders. On the pretext of Khalistan separatism, he might use security forces to break the will of those having dissenting views with the center. He will also utilize Godi Media for political advantage of BJP. He is also planning to use his charisma of personality to influence foreign governments against prominent NGOs working for the cause of Sikhs and minorities.

Saffaronized institutions have polarized the society and trust of common citizen has vanished away. People prefer to settle the scores through violence over engagement with courts. It has undermined the basic structure of Indian judicial system. Blast in Delhi court by a DRDO scientist and a constable in Ludhiana court complex point towards growing disappointment of people from the government institutions. India with corrupt judicial system will continue to face this challenge until Hindutva policies are in place.

Dismissal of Head Constable Gagandeep Singh and other Sikhs might be a deliberate effort to reduce the representation of Sikhs in Security Forces. Head Constable Gagandeep Singh is one example where he was so much frustrated with machinations against minorities that he resorted to violence through bomb blast. Continued oppression of Sikhs is increasing the concerns of 20% Sikhs soldiers within Indian Army. Any operation directed against Sikhs will lead towards split within Indian Army. Despite concerns of Army, BJP is likely to continue its flight on the path of extremism and ultra-Hindu Nationalist policies.

Hindutva mindset and extremist BJP policies directed against Sikhs have increased their frustration and is forcing Sikhs to take up arms/ resort to bomb blasts to attain their basic rights. Ludhiana blast is a signal for Hindus to end their oppressive activities directed against minorities. Sikhs can go to any level against the Hindutva driven policies.

BJP is orchestrating law & order situation in Punjab to delay state elections. Increased turmoil in Punjab will give BJP time to manipulate / forge alliances, thereby undermining farmers and Sikhs.

At last but not least I would like to divert your attention towards the only solution which every government in India likes to adopt in response to all the problems and that is Blaming Pakistan. Without putting their own house in order they simply blame Pakistan for every bad happening and start drum beating. Without properly investigating the issue, they simply blame Pakistan and when asked to provide evidences, India always failed to do so. Same happened with the Khalistan Referendum and Ludhiana blast as well. India tried to put the onus on Pakistan but Sikhs in Punjab refused to eat the bait. The Jathedar Hawara Committee has termed the bomb blast at the court complex Ludhiana near the polls as a politically motivated incident to defame Sikhs at international level. Similarly, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Chairman Indian Congress Punjab and a prominent Sikh leader while talking to Media stated that With the blast and blame game after that, it is a clear indication that a particular community is being targeted for polarization purposes. Instead of following democratic way, hooliganism is introduced to create fear, which is very dangerous for Punjab. This raises doubts about role of agencies being used as puppets. This is being done to destroy the socio-economic fabric of Punjab.

India, before blaming Pakistan, should put her own house in order, and rather than playing mere blame game, should come up with concrete evidences of any foreign involvement. International community must urge India to either provide evidences of any foreign involvement or should stop playing such dirty games.

The writer is a PhD scholar from Islamabad, Pakistan. Views are persional
Poor economic situation would simply agitate and instigate the Afghan people against the prosperous world around them and compel them to grab and snatch all that prosperity by using force.

by Ali Sukhanver

The economic and security crisis coupled with the onset of winter has forced the closure of more than 2,000 health facilities. Helplessly the hospitals in Kabul and other parts of the country are still accepting patients though the staff has not been paid its salaries for months. This horrible economic crisis has compelled the patients to buy their own medication. said the Red Cross in a recent report, The healthcare system in Afghanistan is struggling to cope with the freezing of international aid following the August 15 Taliban takeover. The FRANCE 24 also pointed out the same situation a few weeks back. It said, The health facilities in parts of Afghanistan have been shut down and in the capital, Kabul, hospitals are functioning without electricity or water supply as the country suffers a humanitarian crisis following the Taliban takeover and suspension of international aid. The World Health Organization also expressed its serious reservations on worsening health conditions in Afghanistan in a report released last September. It said, Afghanistans health-care system is on the brink of collapse as a lack of funding left thousands of health facilities struggling to buy medical supplies and pay their staff.

After their visit to Kabul, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmed Al-Mandhari said in a joint statement, Unless urgent action is taken, the country faces an imminent humanitarian catastrophe. Things are no doubt far more horrible than reported in media there in Afghanistan. The basic reason behind this entire catastrophic scenario is that after Talibans taking charge of the war-torn Afghanistan, most of the donor countries have suspended aid to the country while the U.S. has frozen all Afghan financial assets saved there in U.S. Now this country heavily dependent on international funding has no other way out to provide its citizens even the basic needs of life. This poor economic situation would simply agitate and instigate the Afghan people against the prosperous world around them and compel them to grab and snatch all that prosperity by using force.

Now there is only one way to save the world from the rage and wrath of the helpless people of Afghanistan: the world must provide them financial support so that they might be able to live a peaceful life. Another important thing that must be kept in mind is that whatever fate the people of Afghanistan are facing today is not the result of their own actions; this all has been imposed on them; they are forced to be the part of that entire disastrous situation. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Imran Khan also expressed his fears on Afghanistans worsening economic situation in a recent statement. He said that Afghanistan could potentially become the biggest man-made crisis in the world if action was not take immediately. He emphasized that instability in Afghanistan would not be in anyones interest as it could lead to refugee exodus from the war-ravaged country and a heightened terrorism threat particularly from the militant Islamic State group. Just to help the Afghan brothers out of that turmoil of helplessness, Pakistan recently made things possible for the arrangements of 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad on 18th December 2021which was attended by special representatives on Afghanistan from the United States, Russia, China and European Union along with the foreign ministers from the OIC member states and international observers.

The whole credit of bringing all stake holders onto one page and one platform goes certainly to Pakistan and this marvelous effort won high appreciation from all over the world as the OIC has been referred to as a Dead Horse for the last many years; now Pakistan has given it a new life. US State Secretary Antony Blinken in his statement after the meeting thanked Pakistan for hosting that extraordinary session. He said, We thank Pakistan for hosting this vital meeting and inviting the global community to continue cooperating to support the Afghan people. The Arab News said commenting on the meeting, The meeting was the biggest conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August and the Taliban returned to power. The decisions taken in that meeting include setting up a Humanitarian Trust Fund and Food Security Programme to deal with the rapidly aggravating crisis. It was also decided in the meeting that a team of international Muslim scholars would be asked to engage with the Taliban on issues such as tolerance and moderation, equal access to education to all men and women and womens basic human rights.

Formerly known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the OIC was founded in 1969. It consists of 57 member states. Though the OIC is ranked as an international organization and has a lot of resources but unfortunately the member countries badly failed in winning the required position and status for this organization. The reason behind this failure is nothing but the petty conflicts and baseless differences among the member countries. The major thing all Muslim countries lack is nothing but unity. Be it the Kashmir issue, the massacre in Myanmar or human rights violations in Palestine, these Islamic countries never stand united and this is the only reason that the OIC could never play a vibrant role in world politics.

Now Pakistan has done a marvelous job by giving a new life to the dead-horse of the OIC. The most important thing in this whole context is that the Afghanistan issue must not be dealt as an issue of the Islamic world; it is a purely a global matter and could be disastrous and destructive for the whole world if not properly taken care of. Hopefully things would get better in Afghanistan if the made-decisions are materialized in true letter and spirit. In the larger interest of the world peace, all leaders must remember, realize and accept one very important point that the habit of looking at every issue from a religious point of view could never bring people closer. Priority must always be given to humanity to some specific caste or creed.
Sri Lankas visa process for foreign spouses is already burdensome enough, without the added nuisance of the Defence Ministry now getting involved.

This past weekend it was revealed that from 1 January, foreigners wishing to marry a Sri Lankan citizen would require a Security Clearance Report from the Ministry of Defence. The move, which understandably has gone down about as well as a lead balloon, has been defended by the Government as one in the name of national security.

To be specific, the Government believes the move will go a long way in curbing money laundering and drug trafficking, as they claim to have information that suggests foreign nationals marrying Sri Lankans makes up a significant portion of such activity.

This, coming from the very same Government that passed a Tax Amnesty Bill earlier this year, allowing for the repatriation of previously undisclosed funds located abroad  a move that was itself widely criticised for benefitting money launderers.

So unsurprisingly, just a day removed from the requirement being revealed, a legal complaint has already been filed against it on human rights grounds, while social media has been rife with condemnation of the move.

Sri Lankas visa process for foreign spouses is already burdensome enough, without the added nuisance of the Defence Ministry now getting involved.

Indeed, it resurfaces the conversation surrounding the heavily belaboured spousal visa process, which as it stands requires foreign nationals to renew it every two years  and that too only after five years of marriage.

This would not be an issue in and of itself if the process for renewing a spousal visa was straight forward; however, the red tape involved, and the general disorganised nature of the process, makes it quite tedious. This is something that has long been a grouse off foreign nationals married to Sri Lankans.

In some instances, if the visa renewal is unable to be completed in time and the foreign spouse in question is abroad while the visa expires, while re-entering the country to renew is not an issue, local bank accounts under the foreign spouse may nevertheless be frozen as per bank protocols.

None of this would be half as inconvenient if there was a straightforward path for foreign nationals to gain citizenship; however, that too is not forthcoming; as it stands, dual citizenship is only an option for Sri Lankan citizens who wish to gain citizenship in another country.

As for the reasoning behind such a convoluted visa system, the Government is fond of citing security concerns. However, even nations as vigilant security-wise as India have far more welcoming visa processes  in Indias case, a foreign national can apply for an Overseas Citizenship of India once married to an Indian national; this process can be completed through a consulate, and then does not need further renewal, subject to the continuance of the marriage.

In this context, adding a further layer to the process for foreigners looking to marry Sri Lankans seems counterproductive to its goals as a country.

In the experience of Singapore, India, Vietnam and most other dynamic economies, three channels of knowhow transfer stand out: FDI, immigration and diaspora networks. All these are linked to the free movement of people, and if Sri Lanka continues to make it hard to allow people from around the world to live and work in Sri Lanka, in limited numbers obviously, achieving growth could be slower.

Just this year, a Digital Nomad Visa was announced to be in the works, which was hailed as a forward-thinking move. However, when paired with regressive offerings such as security clearance reports for potential foreign spouses  which should really be covered by the immigration department, such as in countries like the US  muddled, confused and pointless seem far more apt descriptors of present Government thinking.

Daily FT
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

December 28, 2021





Honorable Senators and Honorable Representatives of the Republic of Liberia

Lawmakers of the Republic of Liberia

Capitol Building,

Monrovia, Liberia December 28, 2021 Honorable Senators and Honorable Representatives of the Republic of LiberiaLawmakers of the Republic of LiberiaCapitol Building,Monrovia, Liberia December 28, 2021

Re: Open letter to our Honorable Lawmakers of the Republic of Liberia

Dear Honorable Lawmakers of the Republic of Liberia:

I am kindly appealing to you for the Legislature of the Republic of Liberia to visit the idea that the World Bank should choose between being Liberias premier economic adviser and at the same time Liberias biggest creditor. This idea is not new.

Many years ago, former employees of the Bank asked Dr. Jim Yong Kim, former President of the World Bank (from 2012-2019) to focus on profits, as per Mr. Andrew Rices article called Is Jim Kim Destroying the World Bank-or Saving It From itself? (www.foreignpolicy.com). Would a profit-seeking institution willingly reconsider a legal venture? Not really. Moreover, the Bank has and continues to assert that the activities of the five subsidiaries are separate and independent, hence, there is minimal overlapping of interest, and/or minimal benefits such as the economics of scale and/or functional integration of values that might be accrued from the synergies of subsidiaries.

The World Bank was organized in 1943 to fight poverty, etc. by using contributions from member countries. But, as per the information below, its five subsidiaries activities are undermining Liberias development.

1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): a) Generates revenue from Liberia to provide advisory services in negotiating concessionary agreements, for example. (See page # 3 of 2020 IBRD Annual Report). b) Generates revenue from lending money to Liberia. (See page # 10 and # 14). Did IBRD play a role when Liberia awarded 66 fraudulent concessionary agreements of the 68 since big business owned 82% of the assets of IBRD? (See page # 2).

2020 IBRD Financial Statements: In 2020, $391M was left to fight poverty.



Revenue/expense 2020 2019 2018 Loan Interest revenue, Net $2,414 $2,267 $2,161 Total Administrative Expenses: 2,023 2,057 2,049

In millions of U.S. dollars. (Page # 10 and page # 14).

2) International Finance Company (IFC) a) Generates revenue from lending money to profit-making entities. b) Generates revenue from gold mining, but Jessica Evans, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, was disappointed when the gold activities of New Liberty Gold affected residents in Kinior, Liberia. c) Liberia Electricity Corporation paid IFC as a principal adviser for helping to reform LEC, according to IFC representative to Liberia, Jumoke Jaqun-Dokunmu. Also, did IFC play a role in selecting the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) (i.e., an affiliate of Millennium Challenge Corporation-American Institution) to manage LEC from 2015 through January 20, 2021? Sadly, MCA has failed to publish a financial report. 3) International Development Association (IDA) a) Generates revenue from lending money to poor countries. b) Receives money from IBRD and IFC c) Receives donations from member countries

2020 IDA financial statements: In 2020, expenses more than revenue.



Revenue/expense 2021 2020 Loan Interest revenue, Net 2,050 1,684 Total Administrative Expenses: 2,174 2,142 Grants (IBRD, IFC and Partners) 2,830 1,475

In millions of U.S. dollars. (Page # 14 and page # 18)

In 2021, IDA had $36 billion for lending and grants: It gave $23.9 billion as loans to poor countries and gave $12.1 billion as grants. Note, grants are given  once all conditions are met, generally at the time of disbursement. IDA charges fees for grants.  Commitment charges earned on loans and grants (if any) are reported as non-interest revenue in the Statement of Income. Moreover, IDA gives a significant portion of the grants to IGNOS (i.e., IDA does not remit grants directly into the bank accounts of governments). Worse, INGOs do not provide financial report. For instance, IGNOS did not report for donors USD 5B given to Liberia, according to Liberian Citizens Guide 2012/13 through 2018/19.

4) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

MIGA helps investors mitigate the risks of restrictions on currency conversion and transfer, breach of contract by governments , expropriation, war, and civil disturbance, as well as offering credit enhancement on sovereign obligations. Has MIGA question ArcelorMittal Steels underpayment of the $3M to Bassa, Nimba, and Bong?

5) International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID):

ICSID provides, through its specialized rules of procedure, world-class facilities, and expert legal and administrative support, unparalleled dispute resolution services to States and investors. What is the view of ICSID concerning the ownership of the railway and port of Buchanan? Should Liberia give the railway and port of Buchanan to ArcelorMittal Steel?

The Lawmakers of Liberia should organize a committee to review the activities of the five subsidiaries of the World Bank, specifically to visit the idea of increasing Liberias revenue from operating gold mines and diamonds creeks. Liberias revenue has been around USD 500 million since the fiscal year 2016/17.

Thanking you in advance for your understanding.

J. Yanqui Zaza

New York State Certified Public Accountant (NYS CPA), MPS

Tel: +231-776491322 Email: jyanqui@aol.com

VOA Paynesville, Liberia

References

2020 IBRD FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/521601597072122154-0340022020/original/IBRDFinancialStatementsJune2020.pdf

2020 IFC Financial Statements

https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/89ed5720-0a49-4584-aede-ccce7b811817/Annual+MD%26A+and+FS+Document_FY20+Q4.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=nx6aCl4

2020 financial statements of IDA

https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/55ac1406fd9fe61a56e6e5d097ef8251-0040012021/original/IDA-Financial-Statements-June-2021.pdf

2020 financial statements of MIGA

(https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/89ed5720-0a49-4584-aede-ccce7b811817/Annual+MD%26A+and+FS+Document_FY20+Q4.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=nx6aCl4

2020 Financial statements of ICSID

(https://icsid.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICSID_AR20_CRA_Web.pdf)

(https://icsid.worldbank.org/news-and-events/news-releases/icsid-publishes-2021-annual-report)

PRO-POOR AGENDA PREPARED BY CONGRESS FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (CDC)

(https://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/Pro-Poor%20Agenda%20For%20Prosperity%20And%20Development%20book%20for%20Email%20sending%20(1).pdf%20-%20Compressed.pdf)

Page # 61 of the PAPD: Private Sector Finance Fund: Government intends to collaborate with the International Finance Corporation (IFC)investment opportunities in the economy. The PSFF will finance companies that have more than 100 employees and need capital equipment for large investment in road construction, energy, ICT, and Water and Sanitation.
MBABANE The curtain finally falls on what has been a dramatic 2021 this coming Friday.

For Eswatini, it is hard not to mention 2021 and unrest in the same sentence. The unrest made the year a disastrous one for both businesses and families as lives and livelihoods were greatly affected. Bigwigs in the business and corporate world were also lost and they included Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) Chief Executive Officer Langalakhe Dlamini and Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC) Vice President Hezekiel Mabuza. Every cloud has a silver lining. We reflect on some of the highs and lows of 2021 below.

THE HIGHS

Eswatini off tax grey list

The European Union announced a revised tax haven blacklist. The list is used by the member States to tackle external risks of tax abuse and unfair tax competition. Eswatini no longer appears on the recent list of jurisdictions deemed to be non-cooperative for tax purposes, particularly where it comes to sharing tax information.



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Agri-business on Eswatini Nation Land

Agriculture is a critical sector in the countrys economy. When a Bill to promote the promotion of agriculture on Eswatini Nation Land was gazetted in November, it meant a giant step towards boosting the sector and achieving food security. The Bill provides for demarcation and allocation of Eswatini Nation Land for agri-business. The Bill will be tabled in Parliament before it is passed into law.



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Commercial Court established

The country took a giant leap towards improving the ease of doing business. This was through a decision to finally establish the Commercial Court. One of the key pillars/indicators of doing business is enforcing contracts and it calls for the introduction a specialised court dedicated to hearing commercial cases.



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Eswatini digital currencies

International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that Eswatini was one of few African countries that were allowed to issue digital currencies under existing laws.

The five African countries on the list are Eswatini, Ghana, Madagascar, Tunisia and South Africa.The IMF came out with a report showing that close to 80 per cent of the worlds central banks were either not allowed to issue a central bank digital currency under existing laws, or the legal framework was not clear. Digital currency is any means of payment that exists purely in electronic form.



THE LOWS

E182m revenue loss

The late June violent protests characterised by looting and torching of businesses across the country will result in about E182 million revenue loss for government.

What started off as rampant political protests in June this year following governments decision to ban the delivery of petitions largely by the youth to their Members of Parliament at the Tinkhundla Centres, escalated to unprecedented riots which spread all over the country. There was looting, property damage and road closures affecting the countrys main economic arteries, particularly Matsapha. From available data, the revenue loss due to the unrest was estimated at E182 million. The affected tax lines include Value Added Tax (VAT) due to loss of business days, company income tax (CIT),which is forfeiture of revenue resulting from losses of business days and the damage to property. Also affected was the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) as a result of job losses and fuel tax caused by the shortage of fuel as a result of low volumes sold.



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Swazi Spa liquidation

It is still unbelievable. The High Court of Eswatini issued a final order for the liquidation of five companies under Sun International Management Limited. The affected companies include Eswatini Stock Exchange-listed Swazi Spa Holdings, which was operating SwaziSpa Hotel and Casino, Lugogo Sun and the Ezulwini Sun. The unexpected move resulted in massive job losses while a giant in the hospitality industry disappeared.



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Sugar industry threat

While Southern African Customs Union (SAC) member States, especially Eswatini, have raised concerns about South Africas master plans affecting mainly the sugar and textile industries, the neighbouring country was pressured to go ahead with the implementation. The master plan simply calls for the reduction of sugar imports in South from countries that include Eswatini. Sugar is the countrys main export commodity and Eswatini is the fourth largest sugar producer in Africa and the 25th largest producer in the world. Sugar production accounts for over half of Eswatinis agricultural output and contributes about E4 billion to the countrys gross domestic product.



***

NMC subsidy programme

There was a lot of drama surrounding the government input subsidy programme which is delivered through National Maize Corporation (NMC). Not only were the number of agro dealers benefiting from the programme cut, but the list was released belatedly. These derailed farmers who wanted to plough early and the scarcity of some of the inputs, mainly fertiliser, worsened the situation. While the shortage was not government and the NMCs fault, releasing the list of agro dealers on time would have helped the farmers to know which inputs were available early.
MBABANE- Tee and Jay Woodworks (PTY) Limited, one of the countrys leading furniture manufacturing companies, has been placed under provisional liquidation.

Liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and its assets and property are redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation. In its application for liquidation, the company informed the court that it had reached a position where its liabilities exceeded its assets and that it was unable to pay its debts. It further brought it to the attention of the court that the above scenario had further deteriorated to the point that as at the end of October 2021, the company had no monies to pay any creditors, raise funds or pay its employees.

Averred

The applicant (Tee and Jay Woodworks) averred that if it continued to carry on business, it would incur further debts which would be impossible to pay due to lack of funds. In his founding affidavit, the Director and Chief Executive of the company, Thembinkosi Mndzebele submitted that the company was incorporated on August 10, 2001, with a share capital of 100 shares of E1 each. He told the court that the applicants main business objectives were to inter alia, carrying on business of manufacturing, designing, selling and distributing furniture of all kinds.

Mndzebele submitted that the applicant was indebted to the following; Eswatini Revenue Service in the amount of E5 560 828.03, Swaziland Scrapyards (PTY) Limited in the amount of E215 374.50, Eswatini National Provident Fund in the sum of E32 347.88 being penalty charges as at April 28, 2020, salaries for 25 employees for the month of October 2021 in the aggregate sum of E62 099.87 and Interpark Swaziland (PTY) Limited in the amount of E730 513.92. In light of the above, the applicant humbly submits that it is unable to pay its debts and that it should be wound up, in order to enable a liquidator not only to take charge of the company but to more importantly realise its assets under the machinery of the winding up for the sole benefit of the creditors and the applicant, contended Mndzebele.

He also submitted that creditors had been demanding payment and the applicant had been unable to settle the debts. It was also his argument that the company was unable to meet its financial obligations, including payment of its creditors and debts as they fell due in the ordinary course of business. Mndzebele informed the court that the directors of the company had after due consideration of their fiduciary duties, concluded that there was no prospect of saving it from possible liquidation by disgruntled creditors.

I have been advised and accept that in terms of Section 288 of the Company Act, a company shall be deemed to be unable to pay its debts if inter alia , it is indebted to a creditor for an amount no less than E5 000 and such creditor having demanded the payment of such sum due, the company, after 21 days, neglects to pay such sum to secure or to compound for it to the reasonable satisfaction of the creditor, submitted Mndzebele.

Contended

He contended that it was evident from the documents attached to the application for liquidation that the amount due to the applicant, as set out in the letters of demand, deed of settlement and summons was more than the said minimum sum of E5 000. Once the provisional order is granted, all such applicants assets, property, affairs and/or finances shall be deemed to be in custody of the Master of the High Court who can then appoint a liquidator and confirm him, said the director. The company was represented by Sifiso Maseko of SM Maseko Attorneys in Mbabane.
The reports of the burning of Minister Cruiser Ngcamphalalas home would have pained the late Desmond Tutu.

Peace is one of the most valuable assets any people can have but very easy to lose and very hard to find. King Sobhuza II and the parliamentary resolution which led to the 1973 decree gave emaSwati one of the greatest gifts of peace during a difficult time. We can say all we want about His Majesty King Mswati III but we had peace until June 28 2021. There are those who are quick to say as an oppressed nation our peace has been an illusion but lets take a moment and really think about that and look around us.

We take things for granted and think that peace will always be there. Mozambique suffered through colonial oppression for hundreds of years and got their independence with the help of Marxist Russia. The colonialist master had changed their name and surnames and destroyed their cultural heritage. At independence, the winning political party was FRELIMO (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique), which immediately introduced a communist government. This meant that property ownership and religion were banned.

Their colonial master took away their culture, African names and surnames including their African identity. And their new liberator, Frelimo, took away their property rights and their right to worship God. Churches were closed and all religious activities prohibited. The life of an ordinary Mozambique citizen was now communist as their sponsor to liberation was Russia but some felt that at least they had democracy and political parties.

A few Mozambique citizens used their freedom to form another political party called RENAMO (Mozambican National Resistance) which they based on the capitalist economic system with the support of South Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), apartheid South Africa and the United States of America. RENAMO was established in 1976 by the Rhodesian security services, primarily to operate against anti-Rhodesian guerrillas based in Mozambique. South Africa subsequently developed RENAMO into an insurgent group opposing FRELIMO. This led to the death of millions of Mozambique citizens in the most brutal civil war. Hands we cut off, pregnant womens stomachs cut open for voting for the wrong political party.

However, Mozambique finally got a constitutional government headed by President Joaquim Chissano who was elected in the countrys first constitutional multiparty elections in October 1994. The largest opposition party, RENAMO, made a strong showing in the elections, winning majorities in the countrys five most populous northern provinces. President Chissano and the leadership of his party, Frelimo, which has ruled the country since independence in 1975, won the rest of the country and continued to control policymaking and implementation. The peace was just not there. Civil war continued and the economy and the people suffered.

Peace agreement

Finally there was peace as Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi and RENAMO leader Ossufo Momade joyfully embraced amid loud cheering after signing a peace treaty on August 6, 2019. It was a sight for sore eyes. The peace agreement put an end to a resurgence of the armed conflict between the FRELIMO-led government and the largest opposition party and former guerrilla movement RENAMO, based in central Mozambique. It was a third attempt at silencing the guns after the peace agreement of 1992, which put an end to 16 years of a brutal civil war and another deal for the cessation of hostilities was agreed in 2014. The year before, a new round of confrontations had started, at low level and gained some momentum when RENAMO rejected the results of the October 2014 elections. Peace has been elusive and the people have continued to suffer.

Human development index

His Majesty King Sobhuza II gave emaSwati peace amid civil unrest throughout the region and King Mswati IIIs administration has allowed us to have this peace and a chance for peaceful human development. What is meant by human development index (HDI)? The HDI is a summary composite measure of a countrys average achievements in three basic aspects of human development: health, standard of living, long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth. Knowledge, as measured by many years of schooling and expected years of schooling etc. Eswatini is rated 14th in the human development index which is above big African countries like Ghana and Kenya. The country has done reasonable well even though we can do better; we must acknowledge our achievements. Eswatini poverty is bad at 63 per cent but South Africa is at 55.5 per cent and Botswana fell back to 59 per cent in October 2020.

Death of emaswati

The death of emaSwati at the height of the unrest was wrong at any level. The Human Rights Commission must be commended for their investigation and report. They must now look into compensation and reconciliation. The armed forces are trained to preserve life at all cost and must be fully investigated and given fair trails for their action in a fully democratic Eswatini.

Every head of State in every country is a commander-in-chief of the armed forces and indirectly responsible for any action of the armed forces but in a democratic country they are innocent until proven guilty. The Marikana massacre of April 16, 2012 cost the lives of 34 South African citizens killed in cold blood, with 70 injured and President Jacob Zuma was the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces and his deputy, Cyril Ramaposa, was also a non-executive director and shareholder of the mine.

Ramaposa had full knowledge of the situation and is alleged to have used bad language against the miners, giving his Board and the police commissioner instructions to handle the situation speedily. Does this mean that President Ramaposa, who is the head of the SADC Troika, has no authority to handle the dialogue because he has blood on his hands too, according to some? The answer is no. As leaders have to make hard decisions which sometimes cost lives but they must always be accountable, not to social media but to a court of law. That is in a democracy with the rule of law which the Eswatini pro-democracy movements should be all about.

Changes without violence

Eswatini democratic forces must strive for peace and not violence to achieve their goals. The country has achieved political changes through peaceful means in the past. We got direct parliamentary elections and the Constitution through workers demonstrations and strikes but all were peaceful. We dont need to burn homes to bring about political change. Violence will divide the country and even if the pro-democracy forces win, the pro-monarchy forces will use the same violence to burn homes of their ministers and political leaders. The circle of violence will never end. Political dialogue must be given a chance without prejudice; with emaSwati fully represented to forge their future together. septembereswatini@gmail.com
NGCOSENI  February 4, 2022, has been announced as the day for a cleansing (siwasho) ceremony for Melika Jericho Church in Zion.

However, this time around, the church Bishop, Khanyakwezwe Vilakati, made it clear that no one would be going to the sacred dam due to COVID-19. The man of God was addressing the church congregants during a Christmas vigil held at the church headquarters at Ngcoseni in Mankanyane. Instead, he said the date had been set aside for other church activities such as ordainment of preachers (bashumayeli) and evangelists at Enkhabeni Church, in Gege. As you all know that we are living at a time when the world is affected by COVID-19, we will not be able to go to the sacred dam for the cleansing ceremony next year as you are all aware that we are a big congregation and we congested during the event. We should not be seen breaching the COVID-19 regulations put in place by the Ministry of Health. The angels of the church will forgive us for that, he said.

Ordainment

The bishop invited all church leaders (bafundisi and bashumayeli) to participate during the ordainment, which he said would be held on Saturday. He mentioned that some preachers would be elevated to the position of evangelists on the day. Meanwhile, the bishop condemned disputes among members of the church. He said the church had learnt with concern about the ongoing disputes among some churches, something he said had put the church into disrepute. Vilakati said when the founder of the church, Melika Gadlasenyama Vilakati, was called by God, the sole purpose was to unite all nations. The principle of the church is clear. It was founded so that people would unite and be one in spirit. It is disturbing to hear that some members of the church are involved in disputes, he said.

The bishop stated that as a result of the ongoing disputes, the church had set up a committee to resolve the animosity at community level. He said the headquarters would only deal with any matter referred to it by the selected committee. We should not erase the mark that was left by God and revealed to the founder of the church. Erasing the mark will invite trouble for the church, he said. He added that some people had homesteads, jobs, families, good life because of the mark. On another note, the bishop warned members of the church against any initiative that was not embodied in the church policy.The bishop advised members of the church to consult the headquarters on any initiative.

He said it would be after the consultations that the elders would decide whether the initiative should be incorporated into the church policies. We have received reports to the effect that some church members have started new initiatives in the churches without informing the headquarters. We have heard that some congregants contributed towards maintenance of their leaders and widowed women in the church. This is a good initiative but it is not in line with the policies and principles of the church which we should always stick to, he said.

Caring

The man of God said in as much as caring for church leaders and widowed women was the right thing to do, the initiatives should be looked into holistically to ensure that they did not cause trouble in the future. Stop these initiatives and engage the headquarters for a way forward. Remember that God left a mark which was revealed to the Founder of the Church, Melika Gadlasenyama Vilakati. This means we should consult with the angels of the church if we want to add new initiatives to the mark. The angels will guide us and reveal the possible challenges, he said.

The bishop stated that the headquarters was not expecting to hear announcements concerning the new initiatives pending the finalisation of the issue. He invited all members to come forth with their initiatives so that they could get approval and blessings. On another note, the bishop smelt a rat on some gifts directed to some of the pastors who were sent to conduct the passover meals. He stated that he had received reports that some pastors received valuable gifts such as cows and money just for attending a passover meal.

Worth noting is that, some church leaders (bafundisi) are selected by the headquarters to conduct the passover meals across the Jericho churches across the country. Their duty is to conduct the passover meal and send a report back to the headquarters. They also take the offerings directed to the ongoing construction of the multimillion churches to the headquarters.

However, some of the church leaders confided in the bishop that they received gifts such as cows and money from some of the visited churches. One of those who confided in the bishop was his elder brother, Jeremiah Vilakati. In his brief remarks, Jeremiah shared that he had received more than one cow from some of the visited churches. I am still asking myself what is it that I have done that deserves a cow. Why would one just give me a cow without doing anything? Im still shocked and afraid because I am asking myself what next after receiving the cow, Jeremiah said.
MBABANE  The year 2021 has been hailed as a historic moment in the countrys political sphere.

This is an assertion that was made by some of the countrys pro-change organisations in their end-of-year press statements, which they issued on different days since last Thursday. Worth noting was that, in most of the statements, the organisations lamented how it was still a long road ahead in their quest to achieve political change.

In its statement, the Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) stated that its formation was a milestone in the struggle for freedom and democratisation of the country.

This pro-democracy movement has been able to coalesce towards unity of purpose and unity in our diversity is the cherry on top. While we should acknowledge that the MSF was born out of a crisis, it is important that the crisis gave the pro-democratic forces an opportunity to decisively command the way forward towards democratisation in our lifetime. As we celebrate the Christmas holidays, we should remember that there is a huge task that lies ahead, reads part of the statement. The organisation advised its members to not just enjoy the Christmas holidays but remember the two incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube and those in exile, including former MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane.

Struggle

We shall not rest until the struggle is won, and our people are free of all forms of oppression, said the organisation. Also issuing a statement was Sive Siyinqaba through its acting Chairman, Matoni Ngomuyayona Gamedze. The organisation noted that the festive season took place under a cloud of uncertainty where the countrys political framework was undergoing serious strain having experienced the worst calamity since independence, where civilians were killed. The organisation stated that not even the heavy rains showering the country daily, would wash away the stains and stigma.

Our hope is that the international justice system is processing the matter. For us, at Sive Siyinqaba, the celebratory mood is subdued, since the mourning period is not over yet. Too many lives were lost. Nevertheless, we wish the peace-loving emaSwati, particularly those who are not oblivious to the events of the recent past, a Merry Christmas, it was mentioned in the statement. Not to be left out, the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) also issued a statement through its Secretary General (sg) Wandile Dludlu.

PUDEMO said the year 2021 had been a historic period that earned a well-deserved space in the history books of the Eswatini nation, particularly with regard to the peoples struggle. It also highlighted how the year marked 38 years since the organisation was formed. PUDEMO finds it morally and ethically correct to take this time to salute the dozens of unarmed people who were mercilessly killed. May their souls rest in peace. Your memory lives on in our hearts and we promise you that we will do everything possible to keep your ultimate surrender alive for many years to come, reads part of the statement. The organisation also expressed appreciation to a team of lawyers it said volunteered their time and expertise to represent over 700 people who were arrested during the political unrest.

Valuable

It highlighted that the lawyers taught the organisation a valuable lesson that serving fellow brothers and sisters was possible if one was willing to do so. As PUDEMO, we also want to categorically state it in black and white that no public donations were requested to cover the legal fees for the lawyers and none have been received from any individual. The lawyers provided their services free of charge. PUDEMO cannot downplay the contribution of every person to the liberation of the people of Swaziland (Eswatini), it stated.

Also, the organisation said it appreciated the role played by the two incarcerated MPs and that of former MP Simelane. We also salute the work done by Nkilongo MP and other progressive MPs in raising pertinent issues in Parliament. You have inspired many people and for that as PUDEMO we acknowledge your role in the struggle. PUDEMO salutes the youth of this beautiful country for driving the calls for democracy from all the four corners of the country. It also appreciated other organisations such as the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), Political Party Assembly (PPA) and progressive NGOs for the role they have played.

Pledge

We have worked with all those who want change and pledge to join hands with all those who want to see meaningful democracy in Swaziland (Eswatini). The phase we are in now demands superior organisational machinery beyond slogans. This is not the time for cheap politics and claiming easy victory. The time to campaign will come. Let us join our hands in fighting the elephant in the room. This period requires strategic planning and execution of the liberation project, PUDEMO said.

The organisation reminded its fellow parties that their role was to sensitise and empower the people on the grassroots to organise and reclaim the right to choose how they wished to be governed. It called upon the people to prepare for decisive action in the year 2022 and expect bigger and tougher challenges.
MANZINI  Motorists were limited in the Manzini Region as most filling stations had dry bowsers and public transport workers claim that their services could be limited if the challenge is not sorted.

The long Christmas weekend was gloomy for some motorists, especially taximen and public transport workers, as there was a fuel shortage in the hub. Some filling stations had signs which advised motorists that they had run out of fuel. This resulted in people having to travel long distances to get fuel in containers. It was gathered that the fuel shortage was reportedly caused by lack of supply.

According to Sanele Dlamini, a taximan, the challenge in fuel supply proved to have affected their services because they could not work under the current circumstances. Dlamini said he had to travel from Ngculwini to get fuel at Puma Filling Station around Moneni, as he ran out of fuel while on the way. He alleged that even when they got to the filling stations, they were required to pay bribes for buying fuel. These are really trying times because as it were, the price of fuel has recently been increased. Worse still, there are no customers because people are home for the Christmas holidays. It is really bad, said the taximan. When drawn for comment on the challenges in fuel supply, Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) member, Shaun Carmichael attributed it to Galp not being able to supply its retailers.

Reasons

He said what was happening now was that Puma and Galp filling stations were having a problem sourcing fuel for unknown reasons, creating a snowball effect and in turn, Total and Engen filling stations were battling to keep up with the demand because other companies did not have fuel. Its not really a shortage, the reason is that the demand is high at this time of the year, Galp and Puma are having a problem, Carmichael said. He elaborated that if they (filling stations) had fuel, this challenge would not have existed. However, Carmichael said he was aware that Galp Filling Station was in constant communication with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy to address the challenge.

The fuel shortage is not new in the country as recently, there was a lack of supply following violent protests which culminated in looting and vandalism of properties in the country, ultimately making it hard for fuel retailers to get supply from their suppliers. The same happened a few months back and one of the reasons was the burning of a fuel depot in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, among other things, resulting in government services being disrupted in the process.

This included ambulances being grounded and police vehicles failing to reach some areas to attend to out to emergencies.
MANZINI  The police have stopped a mass meeting that was to be convened by public transport workers in Manzini and SWATCAWU says it would not be responsible for what would happen next.

Public transport workers were supposed to have a mass meeting at the Manzini Bus Rank yesterday at 11.30am where the leadership of the Swaziland Transport Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) was supposed to deliver a 2021 report. Thereafter, the workers would have then mapped a way forward regarding their grievances which they tabled to government in October 2021. SWATCAWU Acting Secretary General Sticks Nkambule said when they were preparing for the meeting; they were invited by the police for a meeting. He said during their meeting, which was held yesterday morning at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters, the police told them that they had received an instruction that they should not allow the anticipated gathering to take place.

The police also demanded to see a permit from the Municipal Council of Manzini, which permitted us to meet at the bus rank, the acting secretary general said.

He said this shocked them because the bus rank was a workplace of the public transport workers. As a result, he said they asked them if they applied for a permit to meet at the police station, which was their workplace. Thereafter, the unionist said they told the police that they should not call them if something happened or if the public transport workers do something. In fact, he said they told the police that they would not be responsible for anything which would happen after the halting of their meeting.

Our aim was to make the situation better for the workers, government and stakeholders. We wanted to try to control the situation because the workers want answers to their demands, Nkambule said. He said after tabling the demands to government, the administration set up sub committees to work on them (demands). However, he said until now, they did not have something tangible to give the workers as feedback as the subcommittees had been allegedly making empty promises. Following the fact that the police stopped their meeting, the acting secretary general said they would use other channels to convey the message to the workers and get a mandate from them on what they should do going forward.

On the same note, SWATCAWU President Vusi Nkambule said going into 2022, they wanted to make sure that the workers in the sector were treated like other workers, like being members of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) and earn better salaries. Currently, some of the workers in the industry are not members of ENPF and they earn about E2 000 on average. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the conveners of the meeting did not have a permit. However, it is worth noting that Prince Simelane, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development banned local governments from issuing permits for marches.
MBABANE  Patients and medical staff had to run for cover when a group of about 10 men, who were avenging a friends death, invaded the Mbabane Government Hospital and caused destruction to property on Friday morning.

The men were armed with bush knives and other weapons. This happened during the wee hours of Christmas eve, around midnight, after a night of fun at Yemfo Bar in Mbabane city centre. A man, identified as Sabelo Dlamini (25), was stabbed with a knife in the left side of his upper abdomen. The man was rushed to the Mbabane Government Hospital only to be declared dead upon arrival. The over 10 men, including the deceased, were reported to be part of a gang known as emaBenjamin, a notorious gang from Mvutjini in Ezulwini.

According to impeccable sources, the group arrived at the Casualty Department of the hospital with their friend and requested for assistance from the nurses on duty. Upon attendance, the doctor and nurses confirmed the man dead, which was when chaos erupted. The group of men began harassing the healthcare workers, demanding that their friend be resuscitated as they believed that the medical practitioners could have saved his life had they attended to him earlier. Some of the healthcare workers who were on duty, in fear for their lives, used windows to escape at the Casualty Department. This is after the gang, who were infuriated at the time, attempted to forcefully gain entry into the consultation room, where only staff is allowed, by kicking and damaging the glass door using the bush knives and other weapons.

An insider confided that one of the healthcare workers strained himself while escaping through a window. One of the healthcare workers managed to call the police, who swiftly responded. He narrated that upon arrival, the police had to fire several warning shots to disperse the gang. After hearing the gunshots, the source said the gang ran in different directions and the police managed to arrest two of the assailants, who are currently detained at the Mbabane Police Station.

They are expected to appear at the Mbabane Magistrates Court today, facing charges of malicious injury to property.

It was quite bad. The men, who seemed to be gang affiliates, insisted that the nurses on duty resuscitate their already dead friend and threatened to cause commotion, which they did, said the source. In a questionable state of sobriety, according to the insider, the men are said to have damaged property belonging to the hospital, which included a glass door and terrorised the patients who were also being attended to on the night at the Casualty Department.

Gripe

The main gripe the men had was the death of one of their own and they took it upon themselves to terrorise everyone at the casualty room simply because they wanted their friend to be brought back to life. What made the situation worse was that they were armed with all sorts of weapons and the harassment went on for quite some time, said the source. It was further gathered that while some of the men were terrorising those inside the hospital, others were waiting outside seething with anger over the death of one of their own.

This scenario played itself out for two hours as they insisted that they would not leave without their friend being brought back to life. When reached for comment, the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, confirmed that a group of men had invaded the government hospital on December 24, 2021, and she also made her way to the hospital to assess the damage. Through a statement released on December 25, 2021, the minister stated that the ministry was deeply concerned about the safety of staff and the smooth running of hospital casualty departments that were in high demand during the festive season.

We strongly condemn the actions that occurred at Mbabane Government Hospital in the early hours of December 24, 2021, where healthcare workers of the facility were attacked and robbed of their belongings, while doors and windows of the facility were vandalised and a patient traumatised by a mob that terrorised the facility for two hours. She further requested everyone to respect those who gave up their time with family to serve the nation. There is never an instance where violence and vandalism should happen in hospitals, let alone a national referral hospital that receives all the complicated cases from across the country. We are deeply concerned for patient safety as everyone should feel safe when seeking healthcare, stated the minister.

She thanked all the affected workers within the Mbabane Government Hospital for the professionalism they showed by returning to work after such a traumatic experience. Following the incidence at the hospital, the facility will apply more stringent security measures to improve the safety of healthcare workers, patients and property in and around the hospital. EmaSwati are humbly requested to bear with us in this regard, concluded the statement. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent PhindileVilakati said two arrests had been made so far.

One was arrested in connection with malicious injury to property at the hospital while the other, a 36-year-old man, for having a hand in the murder, she said.

In 2020, an almost similar incident happened in the same hospital, when a doctor was attacked by relatives while on duty. The incident is said to have occurred in full view of members of the public with no security personnel in sight. The issue of the lack of security at the hospital was once forwarded to the Health Ministry, through a petition that was delivered by nurses last year.
UAE-based Azizi Developments has signed a supply deal with Eaton, a global power management firm with operations in over 175 countries, for its key waterfront development Riviera in Dubai.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Eaton is a leading provider of energy-efficient products, and services that assist clients in managing electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power more effectively, efficiently, safely, and sustainably.

As per the deal, Eaton Corporation, the sole distributor of sustainable power management technologies in the UAE, will supply its innovative switchgears for the premium off-plan, completed, and soon-to-be-completed residential and commercial developments throughout its Riviera project.

On the key partnership, CEO Farhad Azizi said: "We are delighted to integrate cutting-edge switchgear into our projects, highlighting our commitment to safety and efficiency."

"Eaton's products are among the best on the market, with a reputation for handling and solving some of the most difficult electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power management challenges around the world," he added.

Azizi also signed up UAE-based Tree Ring Floors for supply of its WPC decking and WPC pergola units at Riviera.

Tree Ring Floors is a key brand in flooring business that uses cutting-edge tools and equipment to deliver the best flooring that lasts the test of time, said the top official.

"Through its exceptional track record and reputation for timely and quality flooring projects, Tree Ring Floors, has won our flooring installation needs at Riviera," stated Azizi.

"We are thrilled to welcome its efforts, as well as that of all of its highly skilled local and international partners, to our Riviera buildings, which will deliver a significant added value in the form of higher-quality flooring," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Tamkeen, Bahrains labour fund, has announced the suspension of applications as of January 10, 2022, until the gradual relaunch of the updated version of its business development programme in February 2022.



Applications for other programmes including the training and employment support programmes will remain open, and customers may continue to apply as usual during this period, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



Hussain Mohammed Rajab, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, confirmed that this is a step towards the launch of an enhanced and improved version of the business development programme, stating that: Since inception, Tamkeen has always been vigilant in keeping pace with the economic changes as well as developments in the labour market, and continuously developing targeted support programmes and services to cater to the ever-changing requirements of the private sector.



Rajab added: We have witnessed significant changes in the market recently, and are determined to keep track of the long-term impact of these developments, in order to accordingly develop plans and programmes designed to empower the economic contribution of private enterprises in the kingdom of Bahrain. This is also aimed at supporting the transformation of their business models to prioritize productivity, growth, competitiveness and innovation.



Moreover, Rajab highlighted Tamkeens collaboration with key players in the private sector from various economic sectors in addition to relevant partners and government entities in the development of these programmes, which was achieved through a series of consultative sessions that took place over the past period.



The key objective of these sessions was to ensure the inclusiveness and efficiency of the proposed support plans and their suitability for todays market needs, and opportunities presented to market sectors, taking into consideration the priorities of the national economic recovery plan.



Furthermore, Tamkeen has recently announced plans for a comprehensive transformation of all its programmes and services with the ultimate aim of driving more impact towards performance, and productivity of private enterprises and increasing their participation in creating valuable job opportunities for Bahrainis, and empowering local talents to become the preferred choice for employment in the labour market.
Unesco has underscored the historical responsibility of developed nations to help developing nations adapt to climate change, while reaffirming its faith in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) to lead the way.

This can be done through knowledge and technology transfer, as well as in the process of bringing wide-scale climate adaptation, said Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, Unesco, when GECF Secretary General Yury Sentyurin paid an official visit to the Unesco Headquarters to review the progress made on a Memorandum of Understanding inked in December 2020.

During the meeting, the existing stream of collaboration and new areas of cooperation in the months ahead, particularly as the UN embarks on an International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development in 2022 have been in the spotlight.

At the outset of the meeting, Sentyurin shared with Nair-Bedouelle an update on GECFs activities, specifically those pertaining to the Forums involvement in the UN events, including the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy, UNFCCCs COP26, and UNECE sessions, as well as those related to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our 18 members, representing more than 70% of the proven natural gas reserves, have placed climate action at the forefront of their priorities by recognising the climate challenges, valuing the manifold efforts taken by the international community to counter the environmental issues and cementing role of natural gas complementing the expanding intermittent renewables in compliance with all major energy scenarios earnestly backcasting the achievement of sustainable development goals, pointed out Sentryurin.

The Unesco official highlighted the commitment of the Natural Sciences division in building skills and competencies, the substance and mission of the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development initiative, the role of science in overall progress, transition of technologies and knowledge, as well extension of support to the developing countries, particularly in Africa.

Although the extent and speed of decarbonisation are different for countries, depending on the national circumstances, there is a real need for the energy industry to adapt and increase effort to mitigate its carbon footprint. The gas industry strives to improve its resilience and reduce its environmental impact, attested Sentyurin in this regard.

In the area of research and development, the GECF official illustrated the work of the recently-established GECF Gas Research Institute in Algeria and its Scientific Committee. He noted that from its inception, the GRI received a total of 29 ideas out of which three are being researched for the past year.

Additionally, the Forums official pointed out that the GECF Global Gas Outlook 2050, a flagship annual publication, now carries a dedicated Technology Advancement Scenario, amongst others, and opined that this scenario allows observers to gauge the direction and impact of technology on the global society.

On the theme of science education and support to youth, Sentyurin recalled the efforts of his Secretariat to institute regular internships for qualified students, in addition to inviting young researchers and scientists to several of Forums events.

He highlighted the recently-held 4th GECF Annual Workshop on Promotion of Natural Gas Demand, which had earmarked a dedicated session to young voices.

The GECF Secretary General emphasised cooperation with the Saint Petersburg Mining University (SPMU), a premier education institute of higher and post-graduate education for the oil and gas as well as mining specialists, which also houses the Unesco International Centre for Competence in Mining Engineering Education. He suggested that a three-way GECF-Unesco-SPMU collaboration will create common approaches to educational standards and implementation of joint projects.

Amongst the several priorities of Unescos mission are development in Africa and gender equality  themes that resonate with the GECF. The Forums active role in Africa has won it plaudits for advocating the cheaper, cleaner, and abundant natural gas for Africas development trajectory.

Meanwhile, the GECFs Secretariat in Doha, Qatar enjoys gender parity and it is working towards influencing its member nations to reflect gender balance in the energy industry.

The GECF-Unesco MoU, signed in December 2020, seeks to bring the competencies of two organisations together in the areas of climate action, natural resources management, capacity-building, technical support, and sharing of expertise. In respect to Rigs-to-Reefs concept as part of protecting biodiversity and the environment, being covered by the MoU, Sentyurin highlighted a Coral Management Programme being undertaken by GECF Member Country of Qatar on protecting coral reefs.

The Secretary General invited Unescos Natural Science division to support efforts to standardise GHG emissions measurement, which is currently gnawing at the industry in the absence of a unified methodology. He stressed that Unescos leadership role and international nature could be of great use for success in this noble mission.

Summarising the discussion, the two sides agreed to work out the joint work plan for 2022 which will facilitate the directions of cooperation and specific projects.-- TradeArabia News Service
In addition to its electric vehicles, Qatars transport firm Mowasalat (Karwa) has acquired a fleet of diesel vehicles with Euro 5 Standard.

They are equipped with one of the latest filtration systems to remove particulate matter from exhausts, reducing it to the equivalent of one grain of sand per kilometre driven.

The company has also stepped up its eco-efforts with the introduction of the first AdBlue filling station for large-scale bus operations  a first-of-its-kind in the region.

AdBlue is an agent that is injected into the exhaust pipeline of diesel fuelled buses. In a chemical reaction it additionally reduces the release of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.

The expansion of the companys conventional filling stations to include AdBlue pumps combine the normal fuelling with a regular refill with the agent.

This is convenient, streamlines operations for hundreds of buses and helps Karwa to support the States environment policy, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Ahmed Al Obaidly, Mowasalat (Karwa) Chief Operating Officer, explains: With the guidance of the Ministry of Transport, we are constantly working towards a greener and healthier environment in Qatar. This project is a natural continuation of our sustainability initiatives. It is our mandate to lead the way in the transition from conventional towards emission-free engines in the public transport network. For the time being we will utilise this best-in-class diesel Technology until we ultimately reach a full electrification of our fleet.

Karwa has deployed the new vehicles during international events and will gradually replace the old rolling stock until 2023.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Council of Arab Ministers for Communications and Information announced that Muscat will be the Arab Digital Capital for 2022, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



The decision was announced at the conclusion of the 25th session of the Arab minister's council hosted via videoconferencing by the Arab Leagues technical secretariat general of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information, said the BNA report, citing Oman News Agency (ONA).

Said Hamoud Al Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said that the decision reflects the confidence of Arab countries in the digital and legal capabilities of Oman, the latest of which the Council of Ministers endorsement of the National Digital Economy Programme.



The Arab digital capital is selected on an annual basis to host successful initiatives and models.






Uzbekistan has inaugurated its $3.6 billion state-of-the-art GTL (gas-to-liquids) plant, one of the largest and most advanced plants of its kind in the world, in the Qashqadaryo Region.

Full operational capacity is expected in the first half of 2022 when Uzbekistan GTL will process 3.6 (billion cubic metres) bcm of gas annually.

Using the latest technology and engineering, Uzbekistan GTL (UzGTL) converts domestic natural gas into clean, high-quality liquid fuels and products with import substitution potential estimated at over $1 billion annually.

When fully operational, the plant will produce over 1.5 million tonnes of high quality, environment-friendly synthetic liquid fuel annually, under the brand name Oltin Yo'l GTL (Golden Way)  a symbol of the new path Uzbekistan is taking towards a more sustainable, prosperous, and environment-friendly future.

The project, designed using modern gas and petrochemical technologies from such leading companies as Sasol (South Africa), Haldor Topsoe (Denmark) and Chevron (USA), was implemented by a consortium including Korean companies Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and Uzbekistans Enter Engineering.

Opening the plant, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said: With the launch of the plant, 1,300 specialists will be provided with permanent high-paying jobs. It is especially pleasing that about 80% of the specialists who participated in the construction of the plant are our local people, including young people who are striving to work in a new way, full of strength and energy. These youth are the youth of New Uzbekistan.

Visiting dignitaries were shown around the facility and briefed on the plants immense potential as a key contributor to the countrys economic future. Among them were President of Hyundai Engineering Kim Chang Hag, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprombank Alexei Matveev and President of Air Products and Chemicals Seyfi Gasimi.

Marking this important milestone for the energy sector and the whole country, Minister of Energy, Alisher Sultanov, said: Uzbekistan GTL is a testament to a truly international effort and a great example of our commitment to build a new Uzbekistan with a cleaner environment and self-reliant economy, - a country our children would be happy to live in.

Our main goal is to expand Uzbekistans capacity for the deep processing of domestic natural gas; significantly decrease imports of hydrocarbons; satisfy local demand for high-quality and environment-friendly fuel; and provide the market with strategic value-added products made from our own raw materials.

Together with all our partners, licensors, lenders, EPC contractors, legal and financial advisers, state officials, workers, suppliers, some of whom are here today, we are proud of this huge accomplishment.

Uzbekistan GTL General Director, Fakhritdin Abdurasulov said: Today is the culmination of several years dedicated work by representatives from many countries, all united in a joint effort to complete the project on time and on budget. We look forward to continuing our cooperation through the commissioning and operational phases and delivering high quality fuels and products to domestic and international markets for decades to come. Uzbekistan GTL will become one of the jewels of our economy, offering employment to thousands, bringing significant revenues to the country and producing many important value-added products.

Shukhrat Arziev, Project Director for Enter Engineering, said: We are honoured to be part of this truly international project of such magnitude, not only for Uzbekistan but the whole region. As with any modern and technologically complex construction project, UzGTL has not been without its challenges, and the last two years were particularly testing due to the global pandemic. In July 2020, only 244 working personnel were present at the construction site due to imposed restrictions. As of December 2020, there were over 13,000 people and 810 pieces of equipment. In our work, challenges come with the territory; we are delighted with the result and very grateful to our team and everyone who contributed to our joint success.

Besides producing cleaner fuels including synthetic kerosene, diesel, aviation jet fuel and LPG for the transport and aviation sectors, the plant will also supply synthetic naphtha from UzGTL to the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex, which will be expanded in the near future. The creation of a local petrochemical cluster will make it possible to produce an additional line of products and organise waste-free production with maximum local processing.

Some installations have already been commissioned and several pre-commissioning works, as well as the testing of pipelines and equipment are under way in all technological zones of the complex. The plant's central control panel and the central laboratory are undergoing national and international accreditation.-- TradeArabia News Service
Wiko, one of Europes fastest growing smartphone brands, has launched its unique products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.



Established in the southeastern coastal French city of Marseille, the brand is driven by the ethos of make smartphone technology accessible to all which is embedded within Wikos design and engineering teams based in France and Shenzhen in China.



Wiko is driven by obsession to create and innovate while staying true to the French aesthetics and design philosophy. There is no brand like Wiko and the people who use the devices know they get cutting edge technology in stylish designs that meet the daily needs no matter the scenario, a company statement said.



Wiko focuses on delivering excellent products that immerse users in finely tuned experiences. The companys development team works hard to make its products as accessible to the widest audience as possible while maintaining powerful smartphone performance through advanced hardware. This includes large capacity batteries, fastcharging and powerful imaging systems.



This is made possible with Wikos meticulous attention to detail that strikes a delicate balance between the need for minimalism and performance. That is why the company has paid close attention to crafting camera modules and rear cover textures that help form a cohesive whole.



Wiko products are not boring and do not blend into the background. Instead, they are bold and feature avant-garde colour schemes that proudly embody its French heritage. As a result, Wiko smartphones are usually brightly coloured, high-performing, and highly affordable. In fact, the Wiko logo was redesigned in 2019 to feature the now iconic W letter and a bold blue-green "bleen" colour.



In addition, the brand understands that technology products must be more than fashion statements, they should be easy to use in daily life. This is why all Wiko devices provide users with excellent grip with many featuring a graceful arc design that gives users an ergonomically friendly look and feel.



Wiko is a young and vibrant brand that places the young tech savvy consumer at the heart of experience. Young people are the creative driving force that can take the world in exciting new directions and with Wiko they will have the tools they need to collaborate and innovate while staying connected to family and friends.



The brand also ensures that its products are priced affordably, so as many users as possible can enjoy the benefits of premium features especially the young. With existing operations in more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Africa, the company is well established across the world.



In 2018 it became a top 5 player in Western Europes highly competitive smartphone market with its distinctive identity capturing the imagination of consumers across the continent. With 2,500 employees around the world, three production plants, and six research and development centres across the globe, Wiko is committed to its vision and has the resources to deliver exciting consumer products, the statement said.  TradeArabia News Service
Hyderabad, Dec 28 (UNI) Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said on Tuesday that with the reduction of excise duty from 30 per cent to five per cent on oil palm seeds, the companies have been able to save Rs 260 crores so far.

Asking the Centre that the companies should be empaneled on supply of seeds, Mr Kumar said that subsidy should be extended to drip irrigation.

Stating that the state has a capacity to bring 20 lakh acres of land under oil palm cultivation in the next three years, the Chief Secretary said that this would increase the farmer's income four times. Mr Kumar also appreciated the Centre for conducting the National Mission on edible oil-oil palm summit.
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(The Center Square)  Half of Louisianas 42 public defenders offices spent more money than they took in during the last fiscal year, according to a new report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.

COVID-19 and weather disasters were blamed for the deficit spending because they diminished the amount of traffic tickets administered by local authorities  a main source of public defender funding.

Traffic tickets represent the bulk of conviction and user fees (CUFs), the report said, which go directly to public defender offices on a monthly basis in the judicial districts where the so-called revenues were generated.

Such revenues have declined every year since 2009, the report said, forcing state taxpayers to make up the difference.

Our experience tells us that traffic filings decline and don't bounce back up, State Public Defender Remy Starns said in a statement included in the audit report. The singular event of the first COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020 devastated collections but continued new outbreaks along with periodic weather disasters have prevented an expected rebound.

After failed efforts to improve local funding through increasing the court costs per ticket, state funding is becoming a greater proportion of the overall district funding, the statement continued.

Starns sits on the Louisiana Commission on Justice System Funding, a 30-member bipartisan group tasked with overhauling how the states justice system is paid for. Reform advocates said funding Louisianas justice system through fines, fees, charges, ticketing and other costs creates perverse incentives, often indebting those who can least afford it.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, the most-recent information contained in the report, 22 of the 41 public defenders offices that submitted financial reports to the LAA had negative financial balances.

All public defender revenues during the period totaled $56 million, auditors said, while statewide combined expenses totaled $55.4 million. Calcasieu (-$499,146), Bossier/Webster (-$269,328) and Vernon (-$217,632) parishes had the largest deficits.

The legislative auditor recommended overdrawn districts submit corrective action plans to the state Public Defender Board, which would then provide financial guidance.

The Board should continue to monitor the fiscal operations and financial position of all public defenders, auditors said.

In a response letter, Starns recounted how diminished local revenues have led to increasing shares of state financial support over the previous decade. The Board also keeps an emergency fund to manage district shortfalls, he said, but there is every possibility that sharp declines may overtax this fund.

Starns said relying on traffic tickets and other CUFs is unreliable, unpredictable and unsustainable and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it worse.

The Justice Funding Commission is slated to produce a reform report for state lawmakers ahead of the 2022 regular legislative session. In recent meeting, Starns said, Identifying a stable funding option is the whole game here.
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The love for literature has inspired Ashraf Frough, a disabled Afghan writer, to continue writing and publishing books, though his country is mired in dire economic straits due to the U.S. freezing of Afghan assets.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Tsitsi Machingauta, Founder and National Coordinator of the Women's Farming Syndicate (WFS), shows handicrafts made by women in Domboshava, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

by Tafara Mugwara

HARARE, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Early in the morning in Domboshava, a village near Harare, two women were gathering herbs in a lush green forest.

A branch at a time, the women carefully pruned the shrubs, making sure they leave the plants in good health.

Locally known as Zumbani, or Lippia Javanica by its botanical name, the plant is believed to possess medicinal value, and has become widely sought after during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is believed to be helpful in treating flu-like symptoms.

A stone's throw away, by a rocky mountain edge, two women could be seen plucking flowery plants from the ground.

As clouds gathered from a distance, they continued picking the herbs before dashing back home with their treasured collections.

At their workstation, two elderly women sorted dried plant roots from traditional handmade weaved baskets. Another woman effortlessly pounded some baobab fruit seeds using traditional handcrafted wooden mortar and pestle.

The women are members of the Women's Farming Syndicate (WFS), an organization that aims to eradicate poverty among rural women through sustainable agribusiness and the use of traditional knowledge systems.

Their wide range of products include traditional herbs, tea, spices, traditional handicrafts and various products made from wild plants and fruits.

The products are natural with no artificial additives and are handmade by rural women.

Tsitsi Machingauta, Founder and National Coordinator of WFS, said the goal of the organization is to create value by harnessing resources widely available in the community.

"As the Woman's Farming Syndicate we are using what is readily available within our environments to create products that are marketable both locally, and internationally to actually generate sustainable livelihoods for ourselves," Machingauta told Xinhua.

Inspired by her grandmother, who had vast knowledge of plants, Machingauta said the idea to commercialize traditional knowledge systems came about out of a need to find a sustainable income.

While indigenous knowledge systems in treating diseases remain one of the most valuable intellectual resources owned by rural communities in Zimbabwe, Machingauta said it has been the least mobilized resource for sustainable development.

"So I realized that if we then leverage on these traditional knowledge systems to have sustainable livelihoods for women, it means that women can actually have decent lives where they are, with what they have within their communities, at their fingertips," Machingauta said.

"Through this initiative, the women's farming syndicate has enabled women to have decent livelihoods and to have a living wage, through the traditional knowledge systems, and through being able to commercialize it," she added.

PRESERVING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Local people have a long history of plant usage for medicinal purposes.

In most cases, practitioners, who are usually senior citizens, provide services based on traditional medicinal knowledge of local plants free of charge, or for a small fee.

Despite the increasing acceptance of traditional medicine, the rich indigenous knowledge is not adequately documented and is mostly passed on from generation to generation.

While the Zimbabwean government formally recognizes traditional medicine, traditional healers have remained largely marginalized in most medical circles.

Machingauta said indigenous knowledge systems are a valuable national resource. Therefore, ensuring their protection should be a national priority.

She said China offers valuable lessons on how traditional knowledge systems can be used in the modern era, saying the Asian country has managed to preserve traditional knowledge for centuries.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Machingauta believed that the best way to preserve the natural environment is to ensure that ordinary people reap economic benefits from their immediate surroundings.

She said since the community started to financially benefit from her initiative, people have started to cherish their natural environment.

And this also encouraged people in local communities to also start to appreciate the value of forests, traditional fruits, and vegetables, because they are now generating an income for the community, Machingauta said.

"We are key custodians of the environment, and this really shows that we are key players in decision making," she said.

Machingauta said given the benefits of traditional knowledge systems, it is imperative that they are promoted for wider use. Enditem

Members of the Women's Farming Syndicate (WFS) roast baobab fruit seeds in Domboshava, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

Members of the Women's Farming Syndicate (WFS) prepare traditional herbs in Domboshava, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

Tsitsi Machingauta (2nd L), Founder and National Coordinator of the Women's Farming Syndicate (WFS), pounds traditional herbs in Domboshava, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

A woman pounds traditional herbs in Domboshava, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)
Wang Zhenmi (2nd L), head of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University, Han Dayuan (2nd R), professor at the Renmin University of China, and Zhi Zhenfeng (1st R), a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attend a briefing on a white paper on Hong Kong's democratic progress in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 27, 2021. The white paper, titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems," was released by China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20. (Photo by Liu Jian/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The prospects are bright for democracy in Hong Kong, experts said on Monday at a briefing on a white paper on Hong Kong's democratic progress.

Zhi Zhenfeng, a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that there was no democracy in Hong Kong under British colonial rule. During more than a century of colonial rule, Britain's role in Hong Kong was always as an obstacle, destroyer and spoiler of democracy, he added.

Citing the white paper, Zhi told the briefing that the return of Hong Kong to China ushered in a new era for democracy.

Zhi noted that the white paper said the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government designed, created, safeguarded and advanced democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The central government has always upheld the policy of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law, and supported the orderly development of democracy in the HKSAR in accordance with the law, stressed Zhi.

The white paper reiterates its principles and position on the development of democracy in the HKSAR, said Wang Zhenmin, head of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University. "Hong Kong's improved, democratic electoral system has not come easily and should be cherished and consolidated," said Wang.

On the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong, Han Dayuan, professor at the Renmin University of China, noted that the success of the election not only lies in the turnout rate, but also depends on whether those elected can serve the development of society, especially the overall interests of Hong Kong and the public.

The white paper, titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems," was released by China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20. Enditem
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R, front ), also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), waves to journalists and staff members at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, June 11, 2013. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Eight years ago, during a live-stream, Wang Yaping was playing with her food. Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the Chinese taikonaut as she reached out to spin a floating "zongzi," a leaf-wrapped rice dumpling, in zero gravity whilst on board the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft. The idea to include this snack on the space mission's menu came directly from President Xi Jinping.

Zongzi is traditionally eaten during Duanwu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. In 2013, the festival coincided with the Shenzhou-10 manned space mission. Before the launch, Xi said that the taikonauts should be able to celebrate the festival, too, and requested that zongzi be added to the spaceship pantry.

Combo photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, holding a conversation at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (L) with three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo stationed in the country's space station core module Tianhe (R), on June 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi, Yue Yuewei)

Every time Xi has held video calls with the country's orbiting taikonauts, their well-being has been his priority. He discusses their health, work and living conditions, and is sure to tell them, "We all care about you very much."

On June 11, 2013, not long after entering office as the Chinese president, Xi visited Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, to see off the Shenzhou-10 mission taikonauts. Three years later, despite being overseas on official business, Xi sent congratulations after the successful launch of the Shenzhou-11 mission.

Xi may have his feet firmly on the ground, but he has his eyes on the stars. In a letter replying to veteran scientists in 2020, he recalled the day 50 years ago China launched its first man-made satellite Dongfanghong-1. He wrote: "I was thrilled when the news reached me in Liangjiahe," referring to the small, rural village in northwestern China, where he spent part of his formative years.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, greets staff members after holding a conversation at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center with three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo stationed in the country's space station core module Tianhe, on June 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

"The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger," Xi said eight years ago during his first video call to orbiting taikonauts. "With the development of space programs, the Chinese people will take bigger strides to explore further into space."

In the years since this statement, China now has its own global navigation satellite network; its moon probe brought back lunar samples; it landed a rover on Mars, and its taikonauts are currently constructing a Chinese space station.

"You [taikonauts] represent all those who are striving to make China a strong aerospace nation," Xi has told orbiting taikonauts.

This respect and passion is shared by millions who, when they look to the skies every night, see that their dreams are in reach. 
BEIRUT, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun has called for a national dialogue among different governing parties in the country to put an end to the governmental paralysis, a statement by Lebanon's Presidency reported.

"The deliberate and unjustified disruption that leads to institutions dismantling and the dissolution of the state must stop," Aoun said in a televised speech on late Monday, adding that these practices may lead to the "ruin of the state."

Aoun called on the parliament to pass important legislation, including the capital control law, and hold an urgent dialogue on a financial recovery plan, administrative and financial decentralization, and the defense strategy.

Lebanon has been going through the worst financial crisis in its history, exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak and the Beirut port blasts.

Lebanon is currently negotiating a deal with the International Monetary Fund to unlock billions of U.S. dollars in foreign aid. Enditem
DAMASCUS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States is stealing natural resources from Syria and imposing illegitimate sanctions, Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in an interview aired late on Monday.

The U.S. forces, with the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, continue to steal the Syrian oil, wheat, and cotton, Mekdad told the national TV.

He said the SDF, with the assistance of the U.S. forces, is holding 60,000 people in the al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria, noting that the SDF is stealing the aid that is sent to the refugees.

Meanwhile, Mekdad claimed that U.S. sanctions against Syria are "illegitimate" and aimed at destabilizing the country. Enditem
JERUSALEM, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that Israel is heading toward an "unprecedented" wave of coronavirus infection led by the Omicron variant.

"We are going to see very high levels of infections, which have not seen in Israel before," Bennett told the state-owned Kan Bet Radio.

The Omicron variant is "unusually contagious," he said.

"We are a moment away from a blizzard of infections, it will happen and we cannot prevent it," he added.

The remarks came as the cabinet was tightening restrictions, including imposing the "green pass" scheme on large shops. The scheme only allows vaccinated people to enter certain public venues.

Israel, a country with a population of 9.2 million, is reportedly facing the fifth wave of the pandemic caused by the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Israel on Saturday reported 591 new cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which raised the country's total Omicron cases to 1,118 then, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Finance have allocated 4.05 billion yuan (about 635.51 million U.S. dollars) from the 2022 central government funding to support programs that provide work for people in need as a form of relief, the NDRC said Tuesday.

The advance allocation will mobilize 500 million yuan worth of local government funding, support over 1,200 work-relief programs, and help stabilize employment and increase income for nearly 100,000 rural residents who have got rid of poverty and low-income earners, said a statement on the website of the NDRC.

More support will go to Henan, Shanxi, and other provinces hardest hit by torrential rains and floods this year.

Rural residents who have been lifted out of poverty and low-income earners will be encouraged to participate in these work-relief programs to help them find jobs and boost incomes in places close to their homes. Enditem
Workers at the final assembly workshop of an automobile company in the new energy vehicle town of Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 17, 2021. (Photo by Hu Xiaofei/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Earlier this month, China's top economic planner published a list of 18 typical cases of local governments and authorities setting up illegal market barriers that curb fair competition.

The list is the first of its kind compiled by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), following which investigations into violations of the negative-list-based market access regime will be intensified and a regular report system of the typical violations will be established.

The cases involve some local governments and authorities erecting market access barriers by adding extra administrative licenses, imposing illegal administrative charges, and demanding enterprises to set up subsidiaries locally, among others. Irregularities in all 18 cases have been rectified, the NDRC said in a statement.

The negative list for market access, acting as an important "traffic light" for capital at the market entry point, outlines sectors, fields and businesses off-limits for investors, and concurrently gives the green light to all other areas.

The negative list for market access and the negative list for foreign investment jointly form a unified legal system for market access in China. Both domestic and foreign investors only need to consult the negative list to know whether they can invest in their industries and fields.

The negative list system of market access is not only a key part of the modern market system but also an important means of stabilizing investment and expectations, said Guo Liyan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

Revised on an annual basis, the 2020 negative list for market access trimmed the number of items to 123 from 131 in 2019 and 151 in 2018. Besides, the number of items that are off-limits for foreign investors will be cut to 31 in the new 2021 national negative list from 33 in the 2020 version.

The revision of the negative list is conducive to further easing market access, boosting fair competition, and promoting the better integration of an efficient market with a capable government, said Meng Wei, an NDRC official.

The negative list approach is just one endeavor among the country's efforts to clear the roadblocks on the way toward a market-oriented and law-based business environment for all market players.

China has recently announced in a tone-setting economic meeting to set up "traffic lights" for capital, in a bid to give full play to the positive role of capital while effectively reining in its negative effects.

As a crucial tool for regulating traffic flow, the "traffic light" metaphor sends a clear message that China will step up efforts in smoothing the passage for orderly capital flow and steering it toward stable and healthy development to foster fair competition.

Efforts will be made to abolish the regulations and rectify practices that hinder the building of a unified national market to ensure fair competition, said Lian Weiliang, NDRC deputy director, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Problems including local protectionism should be addressed to support China's dual circulation development paradigm, in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay, Lian noted.

The country has also formulated high-standard policies, including implementing a guideline for improving the business environment and enacting the Foreign Investment Law, to establish long-term and law-based mechanisms to ensure that problems that have been tackled do not recur.

China has witnessed an increase in the number of new taxpaying market entities in the first nine months. A total of 9.7 million new market entities handling tax-related business were registered during the period, up 16.1 percent from the same period last year, data from the State Taxation Administration showed.

In 2020, China was placed 31st among 190 economies in the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, rising from 91st position in 2012, according to a white paper titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity."

The country will continue to provide better support and service to market entities, create a fair market environment, protect intellectual property rights, and coordinate efforts to solve the practical problems encountered by enterprises, Lian said. 
JERUSALEM, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel's exports of hi-tech industries services, excluding start-up companies, rose by 21.8 percent in the first ten months of 2021, according to a report published by the state's Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

Exports of Israel's hi-tech industries services increased from 28.44 billion U.S. dollars in January-October 2020 to 34.65 billion dollars in the same period in 2021, said the report.

Export of services refers to the sale and delivery of intangible products such as computing, advertising, telecommunications, construction, and accounting.

Meanwhile, Israel's exports of services from start-up companies totaled 2.16 billion dollars in the first ten months of 2021, up by 209 percent year on year, the report said.

Total Israeli exports of services rose by 32.6 percent in the first ten months from 43.83 billion dollars to 58.1 billion dollars, it added. Enditem
Fire is seen after an Israeli missile attack at the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Dec. 28, 2021, A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. (Str/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The Israelis fired their missiles from the Mediterranean against the commercial port of Latakia, hitting the container terminal and igniting a fire, SANA quoted a military statement as saying.

The attack caused big damage as firefighters are working to put out the fire, it added.

It is the second such attack on the port this month. The previous one was reported on Dec. 7.

Israel usually fires missiles on Syria on the pretext that it targets positions of the Iranian-backed militia, mainly those affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Enditem

Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli missile attack at the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Dec. 28, 2021. A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. (Str/Xinhua)

Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli missile attack at the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Dec. 28, 2021, A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. (Str/Xinhua)

Smoke rises after an Israeli missile attack at the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Dec. 28, 2021, A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. (Str/Xinhua)
CAIRO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from Egypt, Jordan and Palestine discussed on Monday a number of proposals aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

During a meeting in Cairo, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the Palestinian minister of civil affairs, and the heads of the three countries' intelligence services held talks to coordinate positions and visions on how to follow up on the results of the tripartite summit held here in September, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

On Sept. 2, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II met for a tripartite summit, during which they stressed the importance of reviving the peace process and resuming negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel in accordance with international legitimacy references.

During Monday's meeting, representatives from the three countries discussed the recent developments in the Palestinian cause, ways to improve relations, advances in the peace process, and efforts to consolidate Palestinian national unity.

The officials assessed the situation in Palestine in light of the continued measures that undermine the chances of achieving a just peace in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and the consolidation of a comprehensive truce and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.

The meeting also focused on establishing a political horizon for achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which would result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, as per international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.

On May 21, Egypt sponsored a truce agreement between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions, led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). The truce ended 11 days of fighting that led to the death of more than 250 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel.

Peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis have been suspended since March 2014, after nine months of talks sponsored by the United States that did not yield any achievements. Enditem
VIENNA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese envoy called for expanding consensus, properly handling differences and jointly promoting new breakthroughs in the eighth round of Iran nuclear talks which resumed here on Monday.

"On Iran nuclear issue and related nuclear non-proliferation issues, 'pragmatism' and double standards should not be adopted in pursuit of one's selfish interests," said Wang Qun, the Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed concern over a pact among Australia, Britain and the United States (AUKUS) under which Washington and London will support Canberra in building nuclear-powered submarines, marking the first time for a non-nuclear weapons state to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

"Sanctions should also not be used for threatening casually and new sanctions should not be introduced against Iran during the negotiations," he noted.

The Joe Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions on two Iranian government agencies and several officials on Dec. 7, on the sidelines of the last round of talks, which aimed at bringing the United States back to the Iran nuclear deal.

The parties resume the eighth round of negotiations during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and this in itself fully reflected the sense of urgency on all parties to resume negotiations, said Wang.

Since early April this year, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran have held seven rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital, with the United States involved indirectly.

Despite different interpretations of the seventh round of negotiations, China, like most of the participants, believes that the negotiations have achieved positive results, Wang noted.

The parties have forged a new "common text" on nuclear issues and a "common understanding" on lifting sanctions, Wang said, adding that the parties agreed to keep on negotiating thoroughly, with a focus on these key points, during their eighth round of talks. All these consensuses laid a solid foundation for this round of talks, he said.

At present, all parties concerned should focus on consensus, especially the existing ones, and work hard to expand consensus on this basis, Wang said, stressing that differences must be properly handled.

"We hope that all parties can take practical measures to jointly safeguard the current momentum and atmosphere of the negotiations and push for an early conclusion of a package solution," Wang said.

China will continue to firmly support the resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran on implementing the agreement, participate constructively in the follow-up negotiations, and work with all parties to push for results, said the Chinese envoy.

The U.S. government under Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019. Enditem
Photo taken on Jan. 28, 2021 shows Apple store employees assisting customers at the Westfield World Trade Center shopping mall in New York, the United States. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Apple required all of its customers in the United States to wear masks around two weeks ago.



NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Apple closed all of its stores to in-person shoppers in New York City on Monday as new COVID-19 cases spiked in recent days, according to multiple media reports.

Customers are only allowed to pick up online orders at 16 stores across the city and it's not clear how long the temporary measure would be in place, according to a report by Bloomberg.

"We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees," Apple said in a statement on Monday.

Photo taken on June 17, 2020 shows a staff worker talks with a customer outside an Apple store on Fifth Avenue of New York City, the United States, June 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

New York City added 18,368 new COVID-19 cases on Monday with the 7-day average positive rate of COVID-19 testing hovering at 12.63 percent on Sunday, according to data issued by New York State on Monday.

Apple recently closed some stores in Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, Texas and other places due to concerns over COVID-19 infections.

Apple required all of its customers in the United States to wear masks around two weeks ago.



In early 2020, Apple once closed all of its retail stores in the United States at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced protective measures after reopening. 
BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Earlier this month, China's top economic planner published a list of 18 typical cases of local governments and authorities setting up illegal market barriers that curb fair competition.

The list is the first of its kind compiled by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), following which investigations into violations of the negative-list-based market access regime will be intensified and a regular report system of the typical violations will be established.

The cases involve some local governments and authorities erecting market access barriers by adding extra administrative licenses, imposing illegal administrative charges, and demanding enterprises to set up subsidiaries locally, among others. Irregularities in all 18 cases have been rectified, the NDRC said in a statement.

The negative list for market access, acting as an important "traffic light" for capital at the market entry point, outlines sectors, fields and businesses off-limits for investors, and concurrently gives the green light to all other areas.

The negative list for market access and the negative list for foreign investment jointly form a unified legal system for market access in China. Both domestic and foreign investors only need to consult the negative list to know whether they can invest in their industries and fields.

The negative list system of market access is not only a key part of the modern market system but also an important means of stabilizing investment and expectations, said Guo Liyan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

Revised on an annual basis, the 2020 negative list for market access trimmed the number of items to 123 from 131 in 2019 and 151 in 2018. Besides, the number of items that are off-limits for foreign investors will be cut to 31 in the new 2021 national negative list from 33 in the 2020 version.

The revision of the negative list is conducive to further easing market access, boosting fair competition, and promoting the better integration of an efficient market with a capable government, said Meng Wei, an NDRC official.

The negative list approach is just one endeavor among the country's efforts to clear the roadblocks on the way toward a market-oriented and law-based business environment for all market players.

China has recently announced in a tone-setting economic meeting to set up "traffic lights" for capital, in a bid to give full play to the positive role of capital while effectively reining in its negative effects.

As a crucial tool for regulating traffic flow, the "traffic light" metaphor sends a clear message that China will step up efforts in smoothing the passage for orderly capital flow and steering it toward stable and healthy development to foster fair competition.

Efforts will be made to abolish the regulations and rectify practices that hinder the building of a unified national market to ensure fair competition, said Lian Weiliang, NDRC deputy director, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Problems including local protectionism should be addressed to support China's dual circulation development paradigm, in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay, Lian noted.

The country has also formulated high-standard policies, including implementing a guideline for improving the business environment and enacting the Foreign Investment Law, to establish long-term and law-based mechanisms to ensure that problems that have been tackled do not recur.

China has witnessed an increase in the number of new taxpaying market entities in the first nine months. A total of 9.7 million new market entities handling tax-related business were registered during the period, up 16.1 percent from the same period last year, data from the State Taxation Administration showed.

In 2020, China was placed 31st among 190 economies in the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, rising from 91st position in 2012, according to a white paper titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity."

The country will continue to provide better support and service to market entities, create a fair market environment, protect intellectual property rights, and coordinate efforts to solve the practical problems encountered by enterprises, Lian said. Enditem
Kamal Mahdy, a Palestinian child from Gaza city, stands in front of a residential building attacked by the Israeli warplanes in the Gaza-Israel conflict in May, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua)

by Sanaa Kamal

GAZA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Local residents in the Gaza Strip have expressed their aspire to live in peace in the upcoming year of 2022, after long period of suffering due to unstable political and economic situations.

Mahmoud Abu Jibara, a young Palestinian man from al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza city, sits in his house in the refugee camp on Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua)

Mahmoud Abu Jibara, a young Palestinian from al-Shati refugee camp in northwestern Gaza, told Xinhua that the year of 2021 was challenging for him primarily because of the tensions with Israel.

Jibara, who studies computer engineering at the Islamic University, said that life was completely stopped during the war. "When it finished, we witnessed destruction, unclear future and instability in many spheres."

"I live in one of the largest refugee camps, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Most of the people here live under the poverty line," said the young man.

A child looks out through a hole in a blanket at her house al-Zaitoun neighborhood one of the poorest areas in Gaza City, on Dec. 2, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)



Al-Shati refugee camp is overcrowded and limited in space, as shelters are built close to each other, and there is a lack of public recreational and social facilities.

But Abu Jibara expressed his hope that 2022 will bring changes, mainly achieving peace with Israel, which would help the people to overcome their ongoing crises.

Kamal Mahdy, a Palestinian child from Gaza city, also said he would like to live a normal and peaceful life in the Gaza Strip, just as others do in other parts of the world.

Standing in front of a residential building destroyed by Israeli air raids in the recent round of tensions, the ten-year-old boy said that he was happy that the war was over and he was able to go back to his normal life.

"Now, my siblings, friends and I can go to schools and play together," the child said, adding that he hopes all the destroyed buildings would be reconstructed as soon as possible to allow the Gazans to live in a safe area.

Palestinian workers remove the rubble of al-Jawhara Tower which was targeted by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, on Dec. 13, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)



"We want to live like children in other countries who can play in playgrounds instead of hiding from bombs. We want Gaza to be a safe and beautiful place where we can live in peace," he said.

Samaha Hana, 29-year-old mother of three from Rafah city in the south of the Strip, told Xinhua that they are looking forward to achieving real peace with Israel that would end the blockade against them.

She called on the Palestinian factions to cooperate with the Egypt, Qatar and international community to reach a peace deal with Israel.

The year of 2021 has not been easy for Gazans who continue to suffer from the unstable political and economic situations, she stressed.

Palestinian fishermen go fishing in Gaza City, on Dec. 4, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Israel announced that it would ease the situation in Gaza in a bid to keep calm, including allowing the workers to enter its territories to work inside Israel.

Since 2007, the Palestinians have been suffering from internal division, with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) taking control of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority ruling the West Bank.

Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has launched four large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people.

Photo taken on May 15, 2021 shows rockets being fired towards Israel from the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

The last round of tensions that took place in May 2021 has been considered as the most intense one since 2014, according to many residents that Xinhua interviewed. The bloody conflict left more than 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. 
Video: Europe and the United States brace for surging COVID-19 infections and travel chaos during the holiday season. (Xinhua)



Officials with various airline unions said that their members are stressed to the "breaking point" by work conditions because of understaffing. Many pilots and flight attendants said they're having trouble getting the hotel rooms they need to meet the government-mandated rest requirements while working.



NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Airlines continue to cut flights as rising numbers of staff are infected by the Omicron coronavirus variant and bad winter weather disrupts parts of the United States.

As of Tuesday morning, 2,182 flights set to depart that day have been canceled, and the cancellations have amounted to about 13,000 since Friday morning, according to figures from the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Of Tuesday's cancellations, 675 -- just under a third -- were flights within, into, or out of the United States. United Airlines has canceled 115 flights, or 5 percent of its total flights for the day. Alaska Airlines has canceled 50 flights scheduled for Tuesday, or 8 percent of its flights, and JetBlue has canceled 75 flights, or 7 percent of its schedule, according to the website's data.

"The highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 has fueled a rising wave of infections across the U.S. and caused significant disruptions to holiday travel," reported CBS News, noting that from Friday to Monday, more than 5,400 flights in the country were canceled and thousands more were delayed, with airlines citing staff shortages caused by COVID-19 infections among pilots, crew and other airline workers out sick.

Meanwhile, Delta, Alaska, and SkyWest said that harsh weather conditions in parts of the United States, including heavy snow in Washington state on Sunday, were also to blame for some cancellations, reported Business Insider. Delta has canceled 81 flights on Tuesday, or 3 percent, and Spirit has canceled 69, or 8 percent. SkyWest has canceled 139 flights on Tuesday, or about 6 percent of its scheduled flights.

Photo taken on Dec. 4, 2021 shows a passenger wearing a face mask taking the escalator at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)



EXACT REASONS

"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," CNN quoted a United memo as saying. Delta also said the cancellations are due to multiple issues including the Omicron variant. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans," Delta said in a statement.

Airlines were already having trouble finding enough crew to meet the surge in demand for travel, said the report. "Omicron is making that labor shortage even worse. Staffing shortages are leading to overworked flight crews and most of the canceled flights. Less choice in flights has led to higher ticket prices. And altercations over masks have been the cherry on the top of a miserable year for travel," it noted.

Officials with various airline unions said that their members are stressed to the "breaking point" by work conditions because of understaffing. Many pilots and flight attendants said they're having trouble getting the hotel rooms they need to meet the government-mandated rest requirements while working, according to the report.

American Airlines and Southwest blamed service meltdowns in October and November on lacking enough pilots and flight attendants to adjust for weather-related cancellations. Pilots at American Airlines have held informational pickets in recent weeks to complain about work conditions, and the airline unions correctly predicted that the problems would get worse with the pick-up in travel over the holidays, it added.

Photo taken on Nov. 24, 2021 shows travelers walking at LaGuardia Airport in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

MORE RULES

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, told MSNBC on Monday that "when you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered."

"Omicron is different ... It has extraordinary capability of transmitting very efficiently from person to person," he said. The United States already requires foreign visitors to show proof of vaccination to board an international flight to the United States, but there is no such rule for domestic travelers.

However, in a CNN interview Monday evening, Fauci said that he doubted the U.S. administration would call for vaccine mandates for domestic flights "in the reasonable foreseeable future."

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters on Monday, declined to say whether he endorsed a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel. The president has previously said he did not consider them necessary. 
TOKYO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government will consider providing COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all people in the country as much as possible, Kyodo News reported.

Kishida said in an interview with Kyodo News that the country's anti-virus measures will be made as fully operational, so people can feel safe.

Japan has started giving third shots to health care workers since the beginning of December, and senior citizens will follow from February next year, and then the general people later.

The rate of those finishing two shots reached 77 percent at the end of December.

Infection cases with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has not showed a surge in Japan, but community infection cases have been confirmed in some areas such as Osaka and Tokyo.

The government has offered free PCR and antigen testing in such areas and barred new entries by foreigners from abroad since November.

"Besides 31 million health care workers and elderly people, we'd like to consider bringing (the schedule for third shots) forward as much as possible," Kishida said. Enditem
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

A man visits the exhibition hall of the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 28, 2021. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows city wall bricks displayed at the exhibition hall of the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows the inside view of the exhibition hall of the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

People visit the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 28, 2021. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows the city wall museum of Nanjing and its surrounding landscape in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

A woman visits the exhibition hall of the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 28, 2021. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

A docent introduces an item displayed at the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 28, 2021. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

People visit the city wall museum of Nanjing in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 28, 2021. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows the city wall museum of Nanjing and its surrounding landscape in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The Nanjing city wall museum opened for trial service here Tuesday. It will showcase the historic and cultural value of the Nanjing city wall from various aspects. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)
Kalemie (Tanganyika Province)  The Democratic Republic of the Congo today launched a massive cholera vaccination campaign targeting 2 million people aged one year and above in three provinces in the east of the country to halt an ongoing outbreak.

The campaign is being caried out in Haut-Lomami, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces--the most affected by cholera since August--and will cover 13 health zones with about 4 million doses delivered by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control. World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund and other partners are supporting the health authorities to roll out the campaign. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provided operational funding.

Around 3600 health workers including vaccinators and community mobilizers have been deployed to carry out the campaign which will run for six days. Since the start of the year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported at total of 8279 suspected cholera cases and 153 deaths in 16 of the country's 26 provinces.

"Cholera is a dangerous infection that can kill within hours if untreated, but it is predictable and preventable. In addition to the vaccines, which are one of the effective measures against the disease, we are also providing clean water and reinforcing hygiene and sanitation to prevent the outbreak from spreading further," said Dr Amedee Prosper Djiguimde, WHO Officer in Charge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The ongoing vaccination is the second massive campaign in the country this year. In March and July, more than 1.4 million people were vaccinated against cholera in Haut-Katanga province in the south-east of the country.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease transmitted through contaminated water or food. It causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration that must be treated immediately to prevent death, which can occur in just a few hours, and to prevent the disease from spreading on a large scale in a high-risk environment.

Disease surveillance, improved water, sanitation, and hygiene services as well as early detection, treatment and vaccines are crucial in preventing cholera and containing infection spread. Coverage with a full two-round dose of oral cholera vaccine provides up to a five-year protection.
As the year comes to an end, we all tend to start doing some soul searching and both looking back at 2021 and see where the ups and downs where, whilst at the same time, looking forward to 2022 to try and assess what the next 12 months hold in store. Typically, this type of soul searching is done on a personal level, however it can be done with every aspect of our lives.

In the last couple of years we have seen unprecedented changes when it comes to international taxation. Every year the number and impact of those changes seem to increase considerably, and keeping track of all that is going on, from a direct and indirect taxation level has become rather challenging. This is not to mention all the domestic changes which tax advisors need to also keep track of - the challenge is real!

What should we expect during the next 12 months?

Arguably, one of the greatest international agreements which was reached, from a tax perspective, during the last couple of years, was the Global Minimum Tax deal which was agreed during 2021. Whilst the impact of this agreement will be seen in 2023, as this is the year during which the legislation should come into force, 2022 will be an extremely important year to understand the details of this agreement.

The main catalyst of this deal was definitely the US, with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen being the face of the deal and actively pushing with all 136 signatories to get this deal signed in a record time. They were indeed successful in getting the deal signed, the issue and the big question mark, is whether the Global Tax agreement will be agreed to in US Congress. If this will not be achieved, this will be a major blow for the Biden administration and could possibly jeopardise the entire global agreement.

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Apart from the US, there will be a number of other, politically-related, moves during 2022 which will set the scene for its implementation in 2023.

As we have seen during the last ten to fifteen years, transparency will continue to be high on the agenda from an international tax perspective.

From an EU perspective, following the introduction of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC 6), we will see the introduction of the new digital platform reporting rules (DAC 7) by the 31st December 2022. DAC 8, which will be applicable to Crypto Exchanges, is expected to come into force over the next 12 to 18 months.

From a domestic perspective we will see less manoeuvring around with the corporate tax rates in view of the fact that the above-mentioned global minimum tax places most companies on a level playing field. We will see countries continue to look at ways to broaden the tax base and increase their tax revenues for various reasons looked to their long term economic policy.

What is certain is that 2022 will prove to be a year full of changes from a direct, indirect, international and domestic tax persperice where the only constant is change.

The writer is a co-founding partner of Seed, an international research driven advisory firm with offices in Europe and the Middle East.

www.seedconsultancy.com |

nicky@seedconsultancy.com
Over the past years, the Made in Rwanda initiative has contributed both to Rwanda's economic growth and the trade balance in particular. The development has seen a number of products increasingly become popular in the local market.

Apart from the traditional items such as agaseke baskets, imigongo, themed outfits, beads, wall baskets and banana leaf bags, the five-year campaign has reduced the number of imports in the country. In 2021, these are some of the items that rose to popularity in the local market.

Women's sandals

Walking around any city in Rwanda including Kigali, it is common to come across ladies in locally made sandals made of leather and elastic bands.

According to many ladies we spoke to, the sandals are preferred due to their comfort and compatibility to almost any outfit.

Josiane Uwera, a sandals saleswoman in Kigali adds that the sandals are cheap and stylish with different shapes, which makes them eye-catching.

Uwera sells them at Rwf 4000 and she sells around 150 pairs in a month.

Men shirts/ Women dresses

If you are a user of Instagram or other Social Media platforms, you must have come across images of events in Rwanda and in the Diaspora, where men and women are dressed in imigongo themed outfits.

Most producers of the outfits swear the outfits to be of high quality, well-designed in response to demand by locals to promote their own.

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"It feels good wearing your own and not only that, they come in different shades and look fashionable than the old usual styles" says Robert Muvunyi a frequent wearer of the shirts.

According to the designers, a shirt costs from Rwf 25000 and above, while a dress costs Rwf30,000 and above.

Hygienic products

Locally made hand sanitizers, paper towels and liquid soap have increasingly been receiving a sizable market share with most local producers citing limited capital for further expansion.

According to Lillian Uwamwezi Karangwa, the Marketing Director at Pure Homebase Ltd, based in Kicukiro District, they normally receive about 3000 orders of hand sanitizers in a month.

Sonia Mukamana, a wholesaler in Nyabugogo market says they sell about 400 bar soaps in a month.

These products became popular especially this year as most of the local entrepreneurs started operations last year.

Kimono Jackets

The Kimono jackets are the classic T-shaped, full-length with square sleeves and rectangular body jackets that can be worn casually.

They are compatible with different outfits and shoes thanks to unique fabulous design and comfortableness. These also increasingly became popular in 2021 due to affordability and different shades produced locally.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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A new report dubbed "The Future of Africa's Agriculture - An assessment of the role of Youth and Technology" has established that despite having 45 per cent of youth being engaged in agriculture, only 18 per cent of them use agri-tech innovation in Rwanda.

The survey conducted by Heifer International interviewed 29,954 youths, 299 smallholder farmers and 110 agri-focused organizations in eleven countries namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In Rwanda, the survey was conducted on 3,362 respondents.

The survey says that innovators have begun to rely on technology such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, geographic information software, virtual reality, drone technology, application programming interface technology and precision technology to provide an accurate measure of rainfall, pest control, soil information, soil productivity, and farm size and productivity potential.

However, on a large scale, the findings showed that despite the potential of technology to change Africa's agriculture sector, the continent's smallholder farmers continue to face challenges in incorporating technology in their agricultural practices.

The survey found that only 23 per cent of youth engaged in agriculture use any form of agricultural technology such as an Apps, SMS, website, software among others in surveyed countries.

"Overall, technology adoption in Africa is quite low. Ghana, Senegal and Zambia have the lowest Agri-Tech adoption rate, while Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria have the highest adoption rates," says the report.

Lack of access to land

The survey found that access to land or ownership is a major cause of concern as 59 per cent of youth surveyed indicated they lack both in 11 countries.

The report shows that 70 per cent of youth have no access to land in Rwanda.

"Most youth in Africa do not have access to land for agriculture. Fifty-nine per cent of youth surveyed do not have access to or own land. Land ownership amongst young people is lowest in Ghana, Zambia, Senegal and Rwanda. Youths in Malawi seem to have access to land with only 14% having no access, the lowest among countries surveyed," reads part of the report.

Funding, training and access to agriculture technology are the three key areas to support youth to encourage their involvement in agriculture, recommends the report.

At least 39 per cent of surveyed Agric-focused organizations said that the best way to engage youth in agriculture in Africa is through technological innovation, 32 per cent suggested government support for young farmers 21 percent suggested inclusion of youth in agric policy.

It indicates that 37 per cent of youth surveyed reported that access to finance as a key barrier to youth engagement in Agriculture in Africa while 14 per cent and 12 per cent respectively say that lack of access to land and lack of training are key barriers.

What causes low adoption of technology?

Smallholder farmers and agric-focused organizations surveyed suggested that literacy, socio-economic status and inadequate as well as lack of extension services are the key reasons for the low adoption of technology.

Smallholder farmers indicated that enlightenment, information and affordability will encourage them to embrace technology innovation.

At least 30 per cent of respondents said that adverse weather conditions have negatively impacted farmers' productivity as 17 percent attributed poor yield to insects, pests and disease while 14 percent attribute it to technology barriers.

The coronavirus outbreak affected 40 per cent of agric-focused organizations as they had to temporarily close business, 38 per cent experienced a reduction of average purchase amount per customer and 36 percent do not have the financial capital to grow back their businesses.

Ten out of 11 countries, with the exception of Tanzania agreed that the most important support required is funding.

When placed in context, training and mentorship are seen as more important than funding in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

More youth stressed the need for support in the area of access to market in Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Youth in Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana prioritized the need for support in Agric-Tech while access to land was an acute need in Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia.

"The role of youth participation as well as the adaptation of smart, African centered Agri-Tech is a key determinant to supporting the agriculture sector. Encouraging innovation by supporting programs geared towards accelerating agric-tech startups, youth-owned agriculture businesses, and other business stakeholders along the agriculture value chain will catalyze economic development in Africa," recommends the report.

Dr. Octave Semwaga, the Director General for Agriculture Modernization in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources reiterated that youth are needed on board to boost agricultural productivity adding, " If not we could reach where we have no farmers."

"Agriculture is the backbone of the economy, when it grows other sectors also grow," he said explaining why youth should be engaged.

Due to shortage in land availability, the Government of Rwanda is promoting intensification as a strategy to increase production and farmers' incomes according to officials.

According to the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTAIII), the long term goal is to move Rwandan agriculture from a largely subsistence sector to a more knowledge intensive, market-oriented sector, sustaining growth and adding value to products.

Need for hands-on skills

Semwaga said that in order to increase youth's hands-on skills in agriculture, the government is sending some to Israel to learn how to transform Rwanda's agriculture sector.

So far he said since 2012 at least 1,139 attended 11-months training and came back to Rwanda adding 193 youth are attending the same training.

"After coming back, some create their own companies to serve farmers," he noted.

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Elisee Kamanzi, Country Director for Heifer International Rwanda said that addressing the barriers expressed by the youth could boost agricultural productivity in Africa to meet food demand and reduce unemployment among the youth.

"We are in a situation where our farmers are at an average of almost 62 years old. If we look at 2050 vision, then with this situation of aging farmers maybe we will not have people who may feed us. We believe if we understand what makes youth not find agriculture a desirable profession and livelihoods, we will have trouble in the future," he said.

He said that youth need agricultural technological solutions that are easy to adopt as suggested by 30 per cent of respondents.

Ritha Tumukunde, the Agriculture Socio Economy Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources said they are working with different stakeholders to develop youth employment in agriculture food system strategy.

"The study will inform what we are doing to develop this strategy," she said.

Victor Muvunyi, the Emerging Technologies senior technologist at Ministry of ICT and Innovation said that more agricultural technological solutions are being developed although the uptake is still low.

"We want to become an ICT hub and need a vibrant innovation ecosystem," he said, adding that Africa is a youthful continent and therefore should engage in agriculture with innovations.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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DAR ES SALAAM Special Zone Police Force on Monday issued a 24-hours notice to Efatha Church Bishop Josephat Elias Mwingira to report for interrogation over gross allegations including a conspiracy by state officials to assassinate him.

The police's statement came barely hours after the Home Affairs Minister George Simbachawene tasked the Zone Commander, Jumanne Muliro to summon the cleric who had bragged on a series of accusations over the previous administration.

"Given the seriousness of the allegations made by the Bishop, he must be found as soon as possible and questioned in detail on every aspect, the force considers to be indicators of criminality," Muliro said in a public statement.

The Special Zone Police Chief warned that the police are on the watch-out and will institute all necessary actions including arresting and interrogating anyone who abuses the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
Global Communications Specialist and Senior Vice President at Philip Morris International (PMI), Marian Salzman, has disclosed that, as of October 2021, only six billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered and almost half the world's population has at least one jab.

Marian has since described the year 2021 as "brutal" and dampened by the pandemic that has claimed millions of lives worldwide.

" I think the only thing stopping us from wholly embracing the promise of January 1, 2021 is a gut-wrenching fear that events and circumstances might actually worsen. This definitely puts a damper on New Year's Eve party planning," said Marian when she presented her report during a Webinar on December 8, 2021.

Marian observed majority of the people did not go for the vaccine because of the fear that it will interfere with their human DNA. She challenged scientists to come up with empirical evidence to prove the efficacy of the doses thereby dispelling disinformation and misinformation surrounding the vaccine.

She expressed great concern that with small numbers of people getting vaccinated against the pandemic worldwide, countries may have challenges to contain the disease in the near and distant future.

The global thinker and motivational speaker expressed these sentiments on December 8, 2021, when she presented her annual trends report via Webinar.

In the trends report, Marian explores 11 insightful future trends that promise to influence people's life choices and behaviours as they progress into what will ultimately become their next normal.

Marian said as people approach the new year, there is uncertainty about the future and whether it is too late to change their present course.

"We're feeling emotionally out of touch with one another--and hungry for physical touch. We're fearful of the destruction we're collectively wreaking on the planet and clinging to the hope that our small acts of mindfulness will go some way toward reversing the damage. We're frantic to slow down the spiralling changes long enough to take a restorative breath and want reassurance that it's not too late to figure out a path to a better, more stable future--for us individually and for society as a whole," she said.

She added that coming off the great pause of the pandemic of 2020, global communities should expect more "zooming in on our local communities, scrambling long-held notions of time and space, devising ways to reclaim real estate from the virtual realm, and making peace with uncertainty."

"Resilience and adaptation will be the order of the day--and year. And as we near the close of 2021, I think the sense of me over we, is more omnipresent than ever. We all know now that 2021 was not the year of miracles. Despite vaccines, we still struggle with Covid-19, including the emergent Omicron variant," she said.

Marian further observed that the global population remains divided along political, economical as well as racial lines and that misinformation paired with far flung conspiracy theories continue to accrue power often crowding out science-backed expertise.

She said the year 2021 brought more headache and angst among people, as there was evidence that a "great positive 202o truly didn't spark a great research."

"More of us are thinking that actions, which are personalized in which the society and communities and countries are headed. We have seen this great so-called resignation in the US, in Europe and elsewhere, as one result of the people reassessing their priorities, seeking change," she said.

On mental health and wellness, Marian predicted that the people's second pandemic is the diseases of despair.

She emphasized that as the world gets wiser to mental health, the time is ripe for widespread adoption of programmes, tools, and technologies that tackle anxiety and depression and foster good mental health - including in the workplace.

She said something different from how it was before is likely to be the answer for many, as immediate channels have been filled with stories about a great number of resignations.

The predictor observed that not everyone has the luxury of leaving their job so instead some people are looking for compromises that they can feel good about; earning less in exchange for more flexibility or corporate goals that go beyond profits.

"In 2022, many will be still trying to figure out what they want from work. Remote and hybrid arrangements will be part of the new corporate flexibility, e.g. PMI's SmartWork to enable greater flexibility. So, one thing I am observing is the rise of skill squads and cohesion cultivators.

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"Savvy companies are identifying skills gaps and finding smart ways to bring employees' skills up to date quickly and cost-effectively. As organizations and employees experiment with infinite permutations of hybrid working, cohesion agents will bring the scattered parts together in new and fruitful ways - either from within the organization or as external consultants.

"New technologies are going mainstream - Zoom, VR, AI, cryptocurrencies to name a few, giving rise to new fortunes and new cultures. And economies are near to bursting with pent-up consumer demand.

"One of the most noteworthy shifts of the pandemic is that we are now seeing other people in ways we rarely did before. Those of us who had the luxury of sheltering in place last spring became acutely aware of those "essential" workers who afforded us that privilege. The grocery store clerks and delivery drivers. The warehouse workers and mail carriers. First responders and medical personnel.

"Many of us paid attention--in some cases, for the first time--to how these people were being compensated, taking note, for instance, of which employers actually had humane and human centric policies," said Marian.
column

When Owelle Rochas of Okorocha was the governor of Imo State between 2011 and 2019 he acted like the lord of the manor. He became what they called in Igbo parlance, eze onye agwalam (the King that cannot be advised).

He acted as if he knows it all and with impunity. His behaviour was a far cry from the legacy of inclusive governance left behind by the amiable and charismatic Sam Mbakwe, the former governor of Imo State of blessed memory whose legacy still mocks the incompetency of governors of the state after him.

It is written, whatever a man sows he shall ripe, the legacy of impunity that Okorocha left in Imo State is being taken to the next level by his successor, Governor Hope Uzodimma. We will get back to that later.

Okorocha's tendency for impunity was legendary and few examples suffice. Recall that sometime in 2014, the leadership of South East Progressives Assembly, SEPA, had accused Governor Rochas Okorocha of high-handedness, impunity and imposition of his acolytes as party executives of All Progressives Congress, APC. The group, in a statement signed by Okorocha's former media aide and SEPA president, Mr Ebere Uzoukwa, fumed that the governor's excesses led to the shocking resignation of the state chairman of APC, Prince Marshal Okaforanyanwu.

"Okaforanyanwu merely received his own dosage of the toxic concoction of Okorocha's use and dump and almajiri politics, which many that equally worked to secure his first electoral victory in 2011, had taken before deserting him", the group said.

SEPA officials accused Okorocha of completely refusing to pay former political office holders, including those he personally appointed into his administration, their statutory and constitutionally prescribed entitlements, as well as introducing vindictive politics in Imo ostensibly to erase the achievements of his predecessors in office.

"Why did he dismantle the provisions of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) just to shortchange his political appointees? Why did he subject contractors to execute government projects with borrowed funds only to dump and deny them at the point of payment? Governor Okorocha cannot claim to be unaware that some of the contractors had lost their lives and valuables to banks on account of his failure to pay for work done!"

We all were living witnesses how Rochas Okorocha tried unsuccessfully to impose his son-in-law Uche Nwosu as the APC governorship candidate in Imo State in 2019, an action which sowed the seed of the crisis in the APC in the state. Imo State has never recovered ever since.

The reign of Okorocha was traumatic to the good people of Imo State. The actions and inactions of the man left many disheartened. One of the calamities that befell Imo people was Okorocha's ruthless demolition of the famed Eke-ukwu Owerri Market, in spite of a subsisting court order. Justice S.I. Okpara had restrained his government from demolishing the market, pending the determination of a suit filed by the stall owners, but Okorocha ignored the court order.

Hundreds of soldiers and policemen were deployed to pull down the market and pummel protesting traders. By his action, Okorocha demolished the honest means of livelihood of these hapless people in the name of a dubious urban renewal project. A 10-year-old boy, Somtochukwu Igboanusi, died during this attack on harmless civilians.

People in positions of authority should not display shameless impunity as Okorocha did while in power. He demonstrated a high disdain for the rule of law and the lives of his people. As governor he forgot that political power is ephemeral. Those who occupy government positions and believe that they will be there forever are deluding themselves.

The demolition of the market depicted the stark decrepitude in which our nation had been plunged into, and the patent impunity displayed by people in positions of power. The hapless people affected were neither given adequate notice nor was compensation discussed or paid before bulldozers were sent to destroy their properties. There was so much unruliness in the state with government officials showing the lead.

Given the economic situation in the country, the demolition was done in the most inappropriate time. It was not time to destroy the houses of people or destroy structures that house their means of livelihood without adequate alternative arrangement. Many agreed that multiple lane roads are desirable but it should not be achieved by suddenly throwing hapless citizens into homelessness, joblessness and excruciating economic pains from which they may never recover. And many never recovered.

At the time it was alleged that Okorocha's demolitions was self-serving under the guise of urban renewal project. What was witnessed in Imo State at the time was a self-interested and uncoordinated urban renewal project that consists largely of the demolition of private properties and transfer of recovered plots of lands to cronies for private development. Many believed that a responsive and responsible government would undertake a process that minimised hardship and disruption to the economic and social life of the citizens. But not Rochas Okorocha. Rather he embarked on uncivilised, reckless, thoughtless and disrespectful model of governance.

Okorocha's authoritarian administration was characterised by dictatorial power. It is also pertinent to note that Imo, under Okorocha, became a failed state, with its government unable to meet its basic responsibilities to the citizens. Facilities in the health, education and other sectors had collapsed, civil servants were not paid salaries for years. Retirees wallowed in poverty, due to enormous unpaid annuities. All these had resulted in so much poverty in this largely civil servant state. The limited resources of the state was also squandered amid poverty.

A good example was when Okorocha suddenly came up with an aircraft, said to have been acquired with the funds of the suffering masses of the state. He then went about celebrating, with the impression that this was capable of turning around the fortunes of the state. The impact of Imo Air was never felt. A white elephant project! Obviously, the struggling masses of Imo State have no business with air travel. So sad that funds that ought to have gone into improving the lives of the masses of the state was diverted to the acquisition of an aircraft. Imo is still paying the price for such reckless investment with their money.

Who would forget in a hurry how Rochas Okorocha demolished the building belonging to a former minister of interior, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, for the second time in the guise of urban renewal project?

Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri branch at the time, Lawrence Nwakaeti, had berated Rochas Okorocha, for demolishing the building belonging to the former minister. Many had described the act as petty, which proved that Okorocha was on vendetta mission against the former minister, who also contested the governorship position during the 2015 general elections against him. His action drew wide condemnation and he was warned that it could lead to anarchy in the state.

Today the seed sowed by Rochas Okorocha has lead the state to a state of anarchy where gunmen have been let loose and many could not return home for Christmas. Okorocha is now having a taste of what it means to be on the side and he had a good student in Governor Hope Uzodimma.

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The incumbent governor appears not to have learned anything from Okorocha, which is that power is ephemeral. On Sunday December 26, the police ostensibly sent by the Imo State government invaded a church and whisked away the son-in-law of Rochas Okorocha, Uche Nwosu. Initial report was that the man was kidnapped. It was later when the video of the abduction went viral that the police owned up and admitted that Nwosu was with them, even though no explicit reason was given for his arrest. Imo governors in the past 10 years have taken impunity to a new high and it is not good for democracy.

Expectations For Year 2022

In the next few days, we would enter 2022 with great expectations as a nation. 2021 had been tough, very tough for most Nigerians. No money was the cry of most, coupled with the alarming insecurity that had claimed many lives. Since Year 2022 would lead us into the election year of 2023, it is expected to be full of political activities, beginning with the APC National Convention. 2022 is the year that the contentious Electoral Act Amendment Bill may be signed into law for use in the 2023 election cycle. It is the hope of most Nigerians that the insecurity would be permanently tackled so that Nigerians can once again, sleep with their two eyes closed while farmers would feel safe enough to return to their farms.

It is the projection of this column that 2022 will indeed be tougher unless our political leaders reverse the plunge powered by their misgovernance and inordinate quest for power!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Aluta Continua!!
Mr Malami says the electoral bill had excessive cost implications, and hence would not be signed by the president.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, says the amended electoral bill, which President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent to will worsen insecurity and political instability if allowed to stay.

The minister, who made this position known in a phone in programme on Radio Kano, monitored in Abuja, also maintained that the electoral bill had "excessive cost implications, and hence would not be signed by the president".

The amended bill had many innovations that would improve the electoral fortunes of the country and allow it to be at par with global standards.

But President Buhari, who had vowed to reform the electoral process, after clinching the presidency in his fourth attempt, declined his assent over an aspect of the bill: direct primaries for parties as against indirect primaries which allowed governors more latitude to influence the electoral process.

It is not yet clear if the nation's lawmakers would override the president's veto as the constitution allows.

But according to Mr Malami, the new electoral bill "has not captured the interest of all Nigerians". He said signing it into law by the president will further create more crisis in the political space.

He said: "What you should understand about leadership of the country most especially as it regards President Muhammadu Buhari on any law presented to him for signing, the president is entitled to certain rights.

"When you talk about politics he has rights, if you talk about economy the business community also have rights on him, if you are talking about 60 per cent of Nigerians that are not politicians, if you talk about the economy he also has rights.

"if you are talking about security, there is also what is expected from him. The president has to consider laws that are sustainable.

"The job of the president is that of politics, economy, business, security, legislations, politicians and non-politicians.

"This is because the leadership of the country is not for the politicians alone, it is a leadership that affects social life of the people, their religion, economy, security and others.

"This is contrary to the leadership of the legislators which is solely political."

According to the minister, "the lawmakers are only concerned about their political inclination while the president is concerned about the entire lives of Nigerians made up of politicians and non-politicians."

He said any bill signed into law by the president must be in the interest of all Nigerians irrespective of their inclinations.

"He is after satisfying the interest of the over 200 million Nigerians he is serving and not a particular sector," he added.

On the financial burden in the new electoral bill rejected by the president, Mr Malami said:

"Today INEC requires N305 billion for the 2022 general elections. Now if the general election, which is not the newly proposed electoral system, will cost this much, how much will it cost to do the same election in the APC? It might cost at least N200 billion because it will involve everyone.

"Although the good side of the law is that INEC is required to monitor it.

"Therefore if it is assumed that every political party will spend N200 billion, how much will then be spent in conducting the same primary election in 18 political parties just to produce a qualified candidate?

"Let's assume there are about 60 million politicians in the country, what about the remaining over 160 million Nigerians who have nothing to do with politics? Are you fair to them?

"All the people want are good projects, good road from Abuja to Kano, potable drinking water, good education, school feeding programme and the rest of them.

"Are you fair to the 160 million Nigerians using their wealth just to conduct primary election to produce a party candidate, despite other demands by the public?

"My answer to this is that, to spend this N305 billion that will be given to the INEC and the about N200 billion to be given to the political parties is not fair to the remaining 160 million Nigerians who have no business about politics and political appointments.

"Their business is just a better life in Nigeria. This is the issue of cost implications."

The minister also spoke on the untiring efforts of the Buhari administration to safeguard and rescue the nation's economy from collapse in 2015, saying the president rescued the situations via implementation of transformative policies and programmes.

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He recalled that state governments were also rescued through the provision of numerous bailout funds by the Buhari administration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Chairman, Nigerian Governors' Forum, Kayode Fayemi, on December 21, visited the Presidential Villa Abuja to thank President Buhari, on behalf of his colleagues, for addressing economic challenges facing state governments through the provision of financial assistance.

He also saluted the president for his efforts towards ensuring peace and stability across all troubled states in the country.

Mr Malami said Mr Buhari did not stop at assisting the state governments but also introduced programmes such as N-power and COVID-19 interventions that provided employment opportunities to many Nigerians.

Despite the rising insecurity and killing across the country, Mr Malami also narrated "the various efforts of the administration towards addressing the nation's security challenges."

"Before Buhari came, there were so many challenges in the security sector, but now, we have succeeded in preventing the attacks. It's been long that I heard about attack in markets, worship places and so on," he added.

NAN
The political rift between two of Somalia's top leaders worsened Monday when President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed announced that he is suspending Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

A spokesman for President Mohamed, popularly known as Farmajo, said he took the action due to an investigation into an illegal purchase of public land involving Prime Minister Roble.

Roble's suspension comes a day after the prime minister accused Mohamed of sabotaging parliamentary elections.

Reuters is reporting that security forces have been deployed around Roble's offices, which the country's assistant information minister has described as "an indirect coup."

The feuding leaders had reached an agreement earlier this year that would allow 101 delegates to select members of parliament, who would choose the next head of the state.

Observers warn the feud between Farmajo and Roble could distract the government from the ongoing threat from the violent al Qaida-linked al Shabab insurgent group, which has fought the central government in a bid to seize power and impose sharia law in Somalia, which has been plagued by decades of chaos and conflict since the overthrow of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
The United Kingdom (UK) has backed backed the National Consultative Council (NCC) meeting which was scheduled to kickoff Monday in Mogadishu.

In a brief statement, UK ambassador to Somalia said the forum is key where grievances and issues should be addressed.

"We continue to support calls for an in-person National Consultative Council meeting in Mogadishu," UK ambassador to Somalia, Kate Foster said.

"Dialogue is critical to tackling problems, addressing observed shortcomings and expediting Somalia's electoral process." The ambassador added.

On December 21, Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble called for national consultative talks aimed at speeding up the electoral process which has faced delays across the country.

Somalia has been conducting dragged elections for the Lower House, one of the chambers of the bicameral federal parliament, and which is also known as the House of the people since November.

This chamber is supposed to be filled with 275 legislators, from the five federal states as well as northern regions also known as Somaliland.

Among the leaders invited to attend the NCC by PM Roble were the five-Federal Member States.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has suspended Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble over alleged corruption amid fresh political division between the two leaders.

In a statement issued in the wee hours of Monday, the president accused the premier of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.

The statement said investigation has been launched to address the allegations against the premier who is spearheading the elections in the Horn of African nation.

"All government officials are urged to refrain from misappropriating public funds and to abide by the laws and regulations of the country." the head of the state said in a statement.

The president said the suspension of powers would remain in place until conclusion of the investigation.

He urged government officials urged to refrain from misappropriating public funds and abide by the country's law and constitution.

There was no immediate comment or response from the PM or his office.

The move came barely less than 24 hours after the prime minister reshuffled his cabinet and appointed Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur who was previously Minister of Justice as the new Minister of Defence.

Hassan Hussein Haji who was the Defence Minister was returned to his previous docket, Ministry of Justice.

The two top leaders have in the past days engaged in political divisions accusing each other of obstructing the ongoing parliamentary elections.
Tunis/Tunisia  Soumoud coalition called for closing illegal Quranic schools and urged the government to act swiftly and to take on its role of protecting the country against radicalisation and terrorism.

"There is need to freeze the activities of these hotspots across the country, investigate their funding and prosecute them," the coalition added in a press release.

The coalition exhorted democratic forces - civil society and political actors - to "mobilise and take effective action on the ground to denounce the ongoing activities of these illegal schools and exert pressure to have them shut down."

Political Islam, especially Ennahdha, undertook during the past decade to change the Tunisian moderate and tolerant societal model by disseminating an extremist ideology. This was possible through an effective strategy premised on Quranic schools, theology institutions and the Union of Muslim Ulama.

"These are lawless institutions which seek to infiltrate our society to disseminate the terrorist ideology through education," the coalition further said.

"These radicalisation hotspots carried out their activities during the past decade despite the civil society's endless calls, while enjoying the protection of successive governments which pledged allegiance to Ennahdha, and managed to radicalise thousands of youths and make of Tunisia the biggest exporter of terrorists in the world," Soumoud highlighted.

The coalition reminded that the main July 25 demands include the investigation of terrosism cases, political assassinations, the sending of terrorists to conflict zones and illegal Quranic schools. The issue of Quranic schools falls within the competence of the Prime Ministry.
Three persons were reportedly killed on Sunday after gunmen suspected to be bandits invaded some communities under Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

An unspecified number of villagers, mostly women, were said to have been kidnapped during the assault.

Some of the villages said to have been attacked include, Geba, Tsakuwa, Gidan Kada, Gidan Kaura, and a couple of others, all within Gusau LGA.

A witness from one of the affected communities who spoke under anonymity explained that the bandits, who were on motorcycles, were moving from village to village on Sunday looting shops and houses, looking for food items, and also abducting people, mostly women.

According to him, the bandits operated for several hours within the villages without the intervention of security agents who were not around during the attacks.

"They were in the area for many hours where they searched from house to house, looking for food items and other valuables," the witness stressed.

It was gathered that the majority of the people in these villages have started leaving their communities to Gusau, the state capital, for safety.

Further confirming the attacks, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, said that contrary to reports, only Geba community was attacked on Sunday.

Dosara also said that three persons were injured during the attack and nobody was killed because of the quick intervention of security agencies deployed to the area.

"The only attack we got information yesterday was in Geba community where three people were injured and immediately went got the report, we alerted the security agencies, particularly the brigade commander who disperse his men that were already drafted in the area to rescue the situation," the commissioner explained.

He also denied claims by some residents that security operatives did not intervene, stressing that soldiers have gone to Geba village and the bandits have been chased away.,
When the Super Eagles of Nigeria begin the quest for another AFCON glory from January 11 in Garoua, in the Northern part of Cameroon, Nigeria's High Commissioner in the country, Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, assured that everything has been put in place to make the National team feel at home in the Group D centre of the tournament.

The Nigerian High Commissioner, Olonishakin, who was a retired Army General and also a former Chief of Defence Staff, met with the Governor of Northern Region of Cameroon which capital is in Garoua and thereafter met with the Nigerian community in city to prepare for a comfortable as well as garner support for the Super Eagles who are programmed to play their three group matches in the city which is also the home town of former CAF president, Issa Hayatou.

If the Super Eagles top the group which also have Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau, they will play an additional match there before moving southward as the tournament progresses.

In interview an interview last night in Garoua, Olonishakin, said that the reason for his being in the Northern city was to sensitize the people about the Super Eagles and gather support for the team hoping to win the Africa Cup for the fourth time.

He also appreciated the Governor of the Northern Region for the support they have been given to the Nigerian community.

He also checked the facilities and rated them as excellent. He said that the Super Eagles have strategies for each of their three group opponents and that no team is being underrated.

"In competitions like this, there is no team that is a pushover. Surprises can be sprung up. So, we take each match and each team as they come.

"We are preparing for the Egyptian team as a strong side, the same will be the case for Sudan and Guinea Bissau."

"I met with the Nigerian community on Sunday and sensitize them on the need to give the Super Eagles a rousing welcome and to support the team for all their matches.

"We hope to top the group and play a fourth match in Garou and further more before we exit the city to reach the semi-finals. That means, we are playing about five matches in Garoua," Olonishakin noted.
Senator Sani Musa is not the only serving member of the National Assembly who aspires to lead the All Progressives Congress, but the Senator representing Niger East has a deep conviction that is irresistible.

One of the hottest political contest to which attention is currently directed is the race for the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national executive. After many postponement, a tentative period of next February has been announced. But no date has been fixed yet, leaving room for wild guess.

Not minding the open date, contenders for various offices, particularly the office of the National Chairman, have since been revving their political engine, while engaged in various aspects of campaign to position themselves as the best choice for the APC elite set.

Although critics doubt the sincerity of Governor Mai Mala Buni, Chairman of the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator Sani Musa representing Niger East in the National Assembly believes there is no reason to be anxious. " I believe we are ready and we are going to have a hitch free convention that other parties will even emulate. So far, I believe that all the indications for the conduct of the National convention of our party are positive. As you're aware, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu had earlier disclosed after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House that the convention will hold in February 2022.

This is enough time for the States that are yet to hold their congresses at the State level to do so. The APC reconciliation committee is also working round the clock going from state to state to find solutions to all grievances either before or after the congress. So I am optimistic that we are on the right course, and the convention will be a success come February 2022."

Musa's interest in the leadership of the APC is a surprise to many who think he is brilliant legislator and should continue to make his contribution to nation building at that level of participation. His response may not be satisfactory to all, but he is convinced that the APC national chairmanship is where he needs to be next in his political career. "The desire to be for everyone is one of the cardinal reasons that sees me aspiring for the head of the All Progressives Congress.

Before I was elected a Senator, I have worked in the public and private sector. I have been a leader in the APC since 2014 and served as a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) from 2019 to date. If you look at the antecedents, you will notice the consistency. As a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing the good people of Niger east Senatorial District and Chairman Committee on Senate Services. I have served my people well as a first term Senator, and it has been an amazing experience.

So my interest in the chairmanship of our great party, the APC is another call to national service just like my current position as a Senator of the Federal Republic. You must bear in mind that as a Chairman of the APC I can leverage on my experience here in the Senate to push the manifesto of the party to the National Assembly more efficiently. It will also give me vantage position to deliver reconciliatory leadership which the party needs now to navigate out of its present challenges.

And my leadership of the party will reinforce our commitment to keep the towering legacy and leadership of our amiable President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, whom has given our party an ideology and presence in the international community, his democratic ideals and work within the sub-region and Africa, fight against corruption and his efforts at providing security. Hence the need to have a leader that will continue to give full support and attention to such progressive efforts. There's going to be a continuation and all of my efforts will be directed to support the deepening of democracy in Nigeria. It is a necessary sacrifice I must make to build our party in particular and the nation in general."

Trying to interrogate Musa's support base brings out the fighter in him. "It's been overwhelming, " he said of the myltiplying numbers that sign up for his aspiration everyday. Deep in his heart, he believes he is the party's best choice.

" Across the leadership of the party at the State level, down to the grassroots and back to the Federal level, those who are sincere will tell you I am the candidate to beat. Even my opponents know in the recesses of their hearts that I am a better candidate based on my pedigree, my contribution to the party and my sincere commitment to ensure the stability and success of the party."

Comfortable with the thought that he will defeat other contestants, Musa is convinced delegates to the APC national convention will be looking for the qualities of a good leader to influence their choice. " When you're able to develop strong leadership attributes, you're positioned to inspire your entire organization, team or country. Right from the inception of our campaign, we have always been reaching out to party leaders and members at every level. I will surely triumph even in a highly contested election."

Everytime he has the opportunity, Musa talks about the reforms he hopes to bring to the APC when he becomes national chairman. "If given the opportunity to lead the party I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party. I will be adaptive to participatory and affiliative work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party. my reform agenda for the party is expressed in what I call the three Rs for success, that is, Reconciliation, Reorganisation and Redirection.

We need to immediately reconcile aggrieved members of the party on a sustainable basis. We need to reorganize the party in such a manner that it is able to effectively mobilise all segments of the country from youths to women groups for elections. And thirdly we must redirect our efforts towards winning elections and nation building and not wrangling. We'll run an inclusive leadership that is devoid of the habitual grain of the entrenched political culture of dynastic politics, sectionalism, favouritism, money politics, parasitism on the public pay roll, cronyism and patronage. We'll run a party that will preserve the legacy of our founding fathers to build a strong country that is more tolerant, more prosperous and fairer by giving every member of the party equal opportunity."

Talking about the threat that the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may pose to the APC in the 2023 national elections, Musa sounded dismissive. The PDP, he contended is a shadow of its former self and remains a toothless bulldog.

Regardless of the fact that the PDP has concluded what was widely applauded as a successful and rancour free national convention, Musa said the main party "cannot even offer credible stiff opposition which is expected of it under the present circumstances of our democracy. Since PDP was defeated at 2015 general elections it has not recovered from the shock of the defeat and it is obvious in all that the umbrella does at the moment. They are now going about with a very scandalous mantra to " rescue and rebuild " Nigeria.

I would have said the mantra itself is ludicrous but I would rather say it is embarrassing. Embarrassing because how can a party like PDP forget about its atrocities so fast? In less than eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC has transformed the country into an infrastructural hub with critical infrastructures in every part of Nigeria. The moribund rail sector has been resuscitated; our airports are now world standard, roads are being rehabilitated, social investment programmes permeating every home and individual in Nigeria and even with the intractable security situation, supports are given to our gallant security forces. All these put together makes the party the court bride every day.

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Nigerian economy was not only going to cripple under PDP they did everything possible to undermine democracy especially free and fair elections. Today, PDP is gaining from the free and fair electoral process entrenched by the APC and has the audacity to promote that insensitive mantra to "rescue and rebuild."

Unperturbed by multiple crises that the party is engulfed in many states, Musa believes that once he emerges as the chairman of the APC, his reform agenda will address most of these challenges and reposition the party for the better.

"Diisputes," he argued, "are indispensable in democracy because democracy allows for different shades of opinions. This in itself is not a disadvantage because it allows people to learn from such disputes and even matters that end up in courts afford the judiciary the opportunity to expound and develop the law regarding issues in dispute which serve as precedents for the future. So I don't see how disputes will affect the convention.."

QUOTE

Given the opportunity to lead the party, I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party. I will be adaptive to participatory and affiliative work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party. my reform agenda for the party is expressed in what I call the three Rs for success, that is, Reconciliation, Reorganisation and Redirection. We need to immediately reconcile aggrieved members of the party on a sustainable basis. We need to reorganize the party in such a manner that it is able to effectively mobilise all segments of the country from youths to women groups for elections
Khartoum  Sudan's military authorities released Lt Col Ali Rizgallah, aka El Safana, a prominent member of the Revolutionary Awakening Council (RAC)* on Sunday, after five years in detention.

El Savana was captured in November 2017, after fierce military battles with the militiamen of the ousted National Congress Party in the vicinity of the Kawra Mountains in North Darfur. He was transferred to the military prison in Khartoum, where he remained until his release on Sunday, in implementation of a decision of the Judge of the Military Court.

At the time of his arrest in 2017, Rizgallah was the leader of a faction that defected from the Border Guards, a militia armed by the government in Darfur, that officially fell under Sudanese military command. Its members were affiliated with former janjaweed leader Musa Hilal, until Hilal distanced himself from the government in mid-2013.

Both Hilal and Rizgallah strongly opposed the planned integration of the Darfur Border Guards into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan's main paramilitary force, as part of a disarmament campaign in Darfur and Kordofan.

Musa Hilal, the former janjaweed leader and head of the RAC was released by Sudanese authorities in March this year following more than three years in detention.

* RAC

In early 2003, when Darfuri rebels took up arms against the government, Khartoum assigned Musa Hilal, chief of the Arab Mahameed clan in North Darfur, as the main recruiter of militant Arabs (popularly called janjaweed) in Darfur. With the full backing of the government, his militiamen targeted unarmed African Darfuri villagers, but they rarely came near forces of the rebel movements.

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Hilal's stance towards the government changed over the years. Mid 2013, he returned from Khartoum to his base in North Darfur, where his fighters, mainly members of the paramilitary Border Guards, began to attack government forces and allied militias.

Hilal established the RAC, consisting of native administration leaders and militants from various tribes in north-western Darfur, in Saraf Omra in March 2014. According to a UN Security Council report in April this year, he and his men are profiting from vast gold sales in Darfur.

In July, the Sudanese government announced a nationwide disarmament campaign, to be started in Darfur and Kordofan. The army and the allied RSF militia have been tasked with collecting illegal arms and unlicensed vehicles from civilians in both regions.

According to the RAC, the disarmament of civilians in Darfur "clearly targets Sheikh Musa Hilal and his tribe". The Border Guards have opposed the plan from the start. They have also rejected plans to dissolve the various government militias in the country and integrate the members with the RSF.
Khartoum / Port Sudan / Kosti  The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reports that at least 235 demonstrators were injured in the Marches of the Millions in Sudan on Saturday. Most of the injuries, 173, occurred in Khartoum, as Sudanese security forces responded to the anti-coup demonstrations with volleys of live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades, as protestors converged on the Republican Palace. A litany of other violations has been reported during demos across Sudan, with forces raiding hospitals and neighbourhoods, in what the Sudanese Professionals Association called "a frenzied campaign".

In a statement on Sunday, the doctors' committee say that six of the injured sustained bullet wounds, three of them are unstable and one is in intensive care. The committee announced that 20 demonstrators were injured by tear gas canisters, including an unstable case, and a case of amputation of fingers as a result of being hit by a stun grenade. This is in addition to 32 other cases of head injury as a result of beating with batons.

The Khartoum Security Affairs Coordination Committee said that 58 policemen were injured while dispersing the Marches of the Millions in Khartoum on December 25, and 114 demonstrators were detained.

The committee said in a statement yesterday that the police forces dealt with the demonstrators "using the minimum amount of force to contain the situation, in particular in Khartoum North, where protesters attempted to attack the main police station, smashing the windows of four patrol cars, and destroying advertising boards and traffic signals".

Hospital raids

In a separate statement, the Joint Doctors Office reported that police stormed the Port Sudan Teaching Hospital in search of demonstrators. They detained a wounded activist and a number of medical personnel who confronted them.

In Khartoum, security forces attacked the Khartoum Teaching Hospital, beat medical staff and patients, and fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades in the hospital campus.

The Joint Doctors Office also listed other violations, including preventing ambulances and medical personnel from crossing bridges, and cutting off all means of mobile communication.

Political forces, civil society organisations and activists condemned the closure of the Mak Nimir Bridge between central Khartoum and Khartoum North with large freight containers, in "a dangerous precedent that occurred for the first time in Sudan".

Telephone, internet restored

Telephone and Internet service returned to Sudan at 22:00 on Saturday, after a 12-hour interruption. The security authorities had ordered the telecommunications companies to cut off the Internet and telephone services at 10:00.

In a statement, the Forces of Freedom and Change condemned the cutting off of internet and communications services. The FFC affirmed working with all the revolution's forces, especially the United Popular Front, to meet the requirements of the current situation, and to confront and overthrow the coup.

Port Sudan

The authorities in Port Sudan, capital of Red Sea state, detained 47 demonstrators on December 25, and its hospitals received four cases of head and leg injuries from tear gas canisters, including a young woman.

Lawyer Mohamed Abdelhamid told Radio Dabanga that the security forces detained demonstrators in various places in the city, and filed complaints of disturbance and breach of public safety against them. He explained that most of the detainees were released on the same Saturday evening with personal pledges, except for a doctor who opened a complaint under Article 99 and was released on bail.

In Kosti in White Nile state, dozens of activists were held, including minors. Four demonstrators were wounded in the chest and legs by tear gas canisters, Mahmoud Habiballah of the Kosti Resistance Committees told Radio Dabanga. More than 25 cases of fainting occurred due to the use of heavy tear gas against the demonstrators. He said that the security forces detained dozens of protesters, including minors, and some of them were still in police custody on Sunday.

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The Sudanese Professionals Association said on Saturday evening that security forces launched "a frenzied campaign" in many cities and towns in Sudan, where they raided neighbourhoods and randomly detained people and abused them, transferred them to detention centres and police stations, and at the same time prevented wounded protesters from being treated and transported to hospitals.

In a press statement, the Association called on lawyers and jurists to move quickly to detention sites and police stations, to confront the campaign of detentions and illegal practices by the so-called militias, to support the protesters and to work for their release.
President Paul Kagame has said that continental and regional integration remains at the forefront of Rwanda's agenda.

In the state-of-the-nation address, the Head of State partly credited Rwanda's continued progress to its strong collaboration with partner institutions and countries.

"A significant factor in Rwanda's continued progress is our strong collaboration with partner institutions and countries," he said, on Monday December 27 in a recorded address, which was relayed on Rwanda Television.

Regional and continental integration, he said, remains at the forefront of our agenda.

"We are strengthening existing bilateral ties, with countries in our region and beyond, as well as exploring new, mutually beneficial areas of cooperation."

Citing the country's endeavours to help address security challenges in the Central African Republic and Mozambique, Kagame said Rwanda is able to pursue these forms of cooperation because the security and stability of our country is assured, and it remains a top priority.

"Part of this is ensuring that anyone who threatens the safety and security of Rwandans is brought to justice, and held accountable," he said.

2021 has seen a number of top militia leaders fighting against Rwanda brought to book.

For instance, the country witnessed trials ranging from Paul Rusesabagina's that made big headlines in both local and international media, to that Ignace Nkaka and Jean-Pierre Nsekanabo, two former FDLR officials.

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Similarly, in October, the Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) arrested 13 persons linked to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who were allegedly planning to conduct terror attacks in Kigali.

They are currently being tried for the crimes.

Rwanda's efforts to address security challenges in Africa in 2021

In July, at the request of the government of Mozambique, Rwanda deployed a 1,000-person contingent of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Cabo Delgado, a Mozambican province that was being seriously affected by terrorism and insecurity.

Since then, working together with the Mozambican forces, the RDF has successfully fought against the insurgents, eliminating them from key territories of the province.

In the same manner, in August, the RDF deployed an additional Infantry Battalion of 750 military personnel to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Central African Republic.

Kagame also issues an update on the country's Covid-19 situation as well as its economic outlook.
President Paul Kagame has said that Rwanda's early investments in digitalisation have proven to be an asset in preventing the country from being crippled by Covid-19 and future pandemics.

He said this during his 2021 state-of-the-nation, which was relayed on the national broadcaster on Monday, December 27.

The Head of State said that Covid-19 has emphasised the interdependence between technology and economic growth, hence, rallying citizens, especially the youth to continuously bring up innovations that offer solutions to the country's challenges.

Rwanda's economy experienced strong growth in 2021 thanks to prudent decisions made this year, Kagame, signalling that the growth trajectory will be sustained.

Among the decisions taken to revive businesses activity and safeguard jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 was the Economic Recovery Fund (ERF), which totals Rwf100 billion.

"It has allowed the most affected businesses, including the tourism and hospitality sector, to remain open and keep Rwandans employed," Kagame told Rwandans.

He disclosed that the government has mobilised additional funds for the second phase of the ERF to support existing investments and new ones.

In October, Rwanda signed a loan agreement worth Rwf110 billion with European Investment Bank for the two-year facility to support small and medium businesses.

The funding is designed to address the gender gap in economic recovery by allocating a minimum of 30 per cent of the total fund to female economic empowerment.

Kagame also commended taxpayers for their contribution to the country's economic recovery.

"I want to take this opportunity to commend our taxpayers, who continue to contribute to Rwanda's economic development, despite the pandemic," he said.

He also had special mention to the farmers whom he said had demonstrated resilience during the pandemic, pointing out that the agriculture sector contributed 25 per cent to the country's economy in 2021.

"Rwanda remains food secure, with sufficient reserves," he stated.

Among other highlights made by the President include, students who sat for national examination while the country was under a lockdown and the election of local leaders to whom he tasked to improve service delivery to citizens.

'Way forward'

"Going forward, we must be more self-reliant, and better prepared for future shocks," Kagame said.

This is why we are partnering with the African Union, the European Union, as well as companies like BioNTech, to manufacture vaccines and other pharmaceuticals in Rwanda, starting next year."

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In October this year, Rwanda signed an agreement with BioNTech for the construction of a manufacturing plant for mRNA-based vaccines.

To be set up in the Special Economic Zone, in Gasabo District, the facility will start by producing 50 million vaccines, according to health officials, and the production will increase as per demand.

In addition to that, the development goes along with the creation of African Medicines Agency, a specialised agency of the African Union (AU) intended to facilitate the harmonisation of medical products regulation throughout the AU in order to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products on the continent.

Despite the new Omicron variant of coronavirus that continues to spread quickly around the world, prompting governments to reintroduce strict preventive measures, the year ends on a positive note on the basis of dealing with the virus.

Kagame said that 80 per cent of Rwandans aged 12 and above have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

And, over 40 per cent are fully vaccinated, an achievement by the country to hit the target set by the World Health Organisation for countries to fully vaccinate 40 per cent of their population by the end of this year.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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Most parents in Douala took their children out to the different amusement sites in town.

By midday Saturday 25 December 2021, the streets of Douala were full again with mostly children accompanied by their parents heading to different directions of the town. While some set out to visit family members, others were heading to different amusement parks. Most bakeries in town provided temporary shelter and chairs with games and assorted toys for children to have fun. The Camtel Bepanda complex that was playing host to a trade fair was full to the brim as parents lined up with children from the road just to have access into the trade fair. This caused huge traffic at this stretch of the road forcing people to trek a good distance before boarding a taxi or motorbike.

While at Douche municipale in Akwa, it was a real playing ground for children, the fountain was a great attraction for the kids who pose for pictures or jump from one end to the other to their satisfaction. Be it at Salle de fetes Akwa, Feu rouge Bessengue, Rond point Maetur, Rond point Petit Pays, all the roundabouts were well decorated with Christmas colours and attractive games for children that transform them into amusement parks. At the different sites, children could be seen jumping from one end to the other under the watchful eyes of their parents.

10-year-old Joel Paul told CT that his parents left him and his younger brother at round point Maetur at 4pm and promised to pick them by 6pm. "I love the place and I have met many children here and we have become friends. I will love to come here on New Year's Day", he wished. Anesthesia Welleng took her four kids to Douche Municipal. "I brought my kids here because it is airy and free of charge. It has permitted them to play around and make new friends", she said.

Alongside, paparazzis couldn't miss the day to make good quick cash as they struggled to take pictures of every single child that showed up. Pickpockets were also around to snatch any valuable from visitors.
Cape Town  South Africa has started a week of mourning for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90. Cape Town's St George's Cathedral will toll its bells every day at noon through Friday in honor of the anti-apartheid hero before a Saturday funeral service.

The bells at St. George's Cathedral rang out for 10-minutes on Monday. It was here that Archbishop Tutu gave refuge to many during the dark days of apartheid.

His non-violent campaign won him international recognition including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He was also greatly loved by his countrymen and women. Veteran journalist Ayesha Ismail explains.

"You know as a South African and as a journalist when I think about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I think about love, I think about justice, I think about peace and I think about compassion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the one who opened the doors of this cathedral when we were fighting the apartheid regime during the height of apartheid and during the state of emergency, we were teargassed, we were sjambokked and it was the archbishop who opened these doors for us to come and seek refuge. He will be deeply missed and I think I can safely say that South Africa has lost its moral compass," said the journalist.

Once democracy was established in South Africa in 1994, Tutu continued to campaign for human rights, championing all kinds of causes around the world.

In recent years, he also spoke out against the African National Congress which is in power in South Africa. He was outraged by the unchecked corruption within the party.

Children and young people were close to his heart. He was a patron of many trusts. The CEO of one of them, Jason Falken, said even when Tutu was ill, the archbishop was in email contact with him so they could work out a plan to ensure funding came in after he passed on.

"Not only for the trust but for our beneficiaries the Tygerberg Children's Hospital it's been immense. You know the arch and Ma Leah their many visits to the hospital were always filled with joy and laughter and the kids really look out for that. But over and above that, the arch was also very instrumental, especially in the early years of the trust in raising significant funds specifically for the purpose of much-needed medical equipment which ran into the hundreds of thousands of rand," he said.

The assistant priest at St. George's Cathedral, Marcus Slingers, said it was a great privilege to have visited Tutu at his home in Milnerton, a Cape Town suburb, for about 40 minutes each day.

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"We are all saddened by this great loss. The dean and I and others, you know in these last few months, had the opportunity of celebrating the eucharist with him every day and that was part of his life and I've just been privileged to have been part of it. And what a man of God and humble," he said.

The archbishop's 66-year marriage to Leah Tutu was admired by many. They had four children: Trevor, Thandeka, Naomi and Mpho. Father Marcus said on his visits to Tutu, Mrs. Tutu would tell him stories over cups of tea about how they supported each other.

"And how the two of them had just done things together. Everything that they've done, they've done together and our hearts and our prayers, our thoughts are with her and the rest of the family," he said.

A number of events are planned for this week, including a memorial service which the South African Council of Churches will host on Wednesday.

Archbishop Tutu's body will lie in state at St. George's Cathedral on Friday. His funeral will take place there on Saturday.
Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram announced on Monday that Egyptian expatriates will be able to be covered with insurance services as of January 1, 2022 for the first time ever.

The minister made the announcement at a press conference with Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority Mohammed Omran.

Makram said an e-platform was launched to receive requests from expats willing to make use of this service, pointing out that the fees will be EGP 100 a year.

She noted that this move aims to meet the needs of Egyptian expats, particularly in the Gulf countries, to compensate them in cases of death, transfer of dead bodies or accidents.

The minister stressed that the Egyptian citizen tops the priorities of the political leadership in the new republic.
The Ministry of Health has approved the use of a Covid-19 booster shot as the country braces for a new wave of the pandemic. The announcement was made by Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng.

By Henry Mugenyi

The Ministry of Health has approved the use of a Covid-19 booster shot as the country braces for a new wave of the pandemic. The announcement was made by Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng.

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The ministry has approved Covid-19 booster shots for people aged 50 yrs and above and those with co-morbidities to further enhance their immunity after a period of six months from their primary vaccination.

The ministry of health says that it has evaluated evidence in reducing /waning immunity between 6-8 weeks after full vaccination elsewhere in the world, giving it solid stand for the booster doses.

In a letter signed by Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the ministry approved the mix and matching of covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturers for both the second and booster shots.

So far, three types of vaccines are considered in the mix and match.

1. Viral Vector Vaccines which contain instructions for making coronavirus antigens e.g. AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson

2. mRNA vaccines which use a code from SARS CoV2 to prompt an immune response in recipients e.g. Pfizer and Moderna

3. Inactivated vaccines where the SARS CoV2 is inactivated or killed using chemicals, heat or radiation e.g. Sinopharm and Sinovac

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With the ministry of health highlighting the benefit of enhanced protection and run to in times of scarcity of one type.

To date, country has registered 135,091 cumulative cases of covid-19, of which 98,287 have recovered and 3,280 have succumbed to the deadly disease with more than 69 active cases admitted in various public health facilities with 73 cases of omicron variant officially registered by the ministry of health.

According to the ministry of health, for the period between October and December 11th, 2021, the country had completely controlled the disease at a consistent positivity rate of 5% a rate that indicates control of the pandemic.

In the past two weeks, the country has observed a surge in the number of confirmed covid-19 cases with an average of 173 cases per day registering an increase in the positivity rate currently standing at 12.3% with Wakiso and Kampala highlighted as the most vulnerable districts.

To-date, the country has received a total of 32,696,440 doses of vaccines of which 20,039,066 doses have been utilized country wide with 12,657,374 doses in the distribution line.
Troubled Pastor Aloysius Bugingo of House of Prayer Ministries has denied ever being introduced as the husband of longtime lover Susan Makula.

Bugingo and Makula held what was assumed to be a customary marriage ceremony on December 7 where Susan officially introduced Bugingo to her parents at their home in Kawuku, Entebbe.

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However, this angered many including some of his fellow pastors who accused him of embarking on a new marriage before he had fully dissolved the one with his legal wife Teddy Naluswa. Many had since then called upon the police to question the pastor about his actions.

But now while appearing at a police station in Kampala, the controversial pastor denied the allegations saying he had only honoured an invitation as a guest and that he was in no way introduced by Makula.

"My visit to Susan Makula's home was just a casual visit and not traditional marriage ceremony," Bugingo said as quoted by Kampala Sun.

The development comes at a time Bugingo is facing a lawsuit filled by city lawyer Male Mabirizi who accuses the pastor and Makula of participating in a customary marriage despite both being aware of the subsisting marriage between the former and Teddy Naluswa.

Mabirizi recently told NBS that Bugingo and Makula contradicted the customary marriage law with their ceremony.

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The lawyer warned that the pair risked facing a five-year jail term each for contradicting section 50 of the Marriage Act CAP, 251.

Legally, Bugingo is married to Teddy Naluswa despite the former having on several occasions tried to divorce the latter to pave way for a new marriage with Makula.

However, Naluswa has always made it clear that she will never give Bugingo a divorce saying she is not ready to break the vow the two made in December 2003, when they tied the knot.
Police have arrested 21 more people over their involvement in the activities of a newly formed rebel group that targets police posts to rob guns to extend their activities.

Following a series of attacks on police posts mostly in Kiboga and Mityana districts where officers are killed and their guns taken, security last week announced they had made a breakthrough into the activities of Ugandan Coalition Forces of Change (UCFC), a new rebel group whose motive was to cause the change of government in Uganda using the power of the gun.

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Addressing journalists on Monday, Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said in another operation, a total of 21 more suspects were arrested over their connection to the group.

"We expanded our operations to arrest more 21 people to bring the total number of suspects to 29. The 21 were got from Kiboga, Mityana and Kassanda and on interrogation it was found out they had undergone training in the group's camps," Enanga said.

According to Enanga, most of the suspects had been recruited from Wakiso district and taken for training before joining the rebel ranks in Mityana where they were promised heaven on earth after overthrowing the current Ugandan government.

The police spokesperson however noted that security organs will not rest until all members of the new rebel group are arrested and taken to face the wrath of the law for declaring an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government.

He also warned youths against being duped into joining such rebel activities, noting that they will face consequences.

"Those asking you to join rebel activities have their own selfish interests. You should shun them. We shall continue carrying out operations against such rebel or terrorism groups,"Enanga said.

He also dismissed claims that certain groups of people are being targeted because of their faith or religion ,noting that only those involved in criminal activities are the security focus.
Foreign Ministers and heads of Intelligence services of Egypt,Jordan, and Palestine held a meeting in Cairo on Monday 27/ 12/2021 to discuss ways of enhancing relations and developments related to the peace process, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

"A number of proposals aimed at breaking the current deadlock in the peace process were studied," the statement said.

The meeting also tackled the efforts to consolidate Palestinian unity, and assess the situation of the State of Palestine in light of the continuation of Israeli illegal measures that undermine the chances of achieving a just peace in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the statement added.

They also discussed means of consolidation of the comprehensive truce between the Palestinians and Israelis and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

The Foreign Ministers and head of the intelligence bodies talked about ways of finding a political horizon to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution that embodies the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of June 4, 1967, the statement continued.

The meeting reflected the desire of the three countries to intensify the level of continuous coordination and unify efforts regarding the developments and challenges facing the Palestinian cause, and in implementation of the decisions of the tripartite summit held in Cairo on September 2, 2021, the statement said.

The ministers also discussed the contacts made by the three countries at the regional and international levels, the statement said.

Egypt Today
In line with the Egyptian Presidential vision for national education, and with the support of the Minister of Planning and Economic Development H.E. Dr. Hala ElSaid, Mobica Investment is so proud to have started a journey alongside our most esteemed partners - the Sovereign Wealth Fund and Gems Education.

"On Monday 20th December we committed to paper our plans for building premium national schools (I-Learn) dedicated to integrating technology into student learning from KG1 , " Mobica Investments said in a statement.

"We strongly believe that embracing technology shouldn't be limited to higher education and tech-focused interests and industries, but rather should shape the way students learn and empower their talents and dreams," it added.

With all the impressive advancements the company is seeing in block chain technology, the meta verse, and most importantly Web 3.0., "We believe that the world is about to embark on a new revolution - one that is currently on an incredibly fair playing field and every country has the opportunity to come out ahead - let's put in the work to make Egypt ready to learn and then ready to lead," it said.

Mobica Investments, together with Gems Education and the Egyptian Government will begin building two schools enrolling 5,000 students in 6th October that we expect to be up and running by 2023. We will be seeking strategic partners to create a well-rounded environment for I-Learn students during their enrollment and especially post-graduation.

For example, One Stop will aide in career development and worthy job placements for the prospective esteemed students. With your trust and your support, we believe that we can take this system from two schools to twenty in the foreseeable future - building a generation that can leave their mark on the world.

Egypt Today
On Monday 27/12/2021 President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inspected the Benban Solar Energy Park in Aswan governorate and inaugurated a number of projects in the electricity sector in Upper Egypt.

The Spokesman for the Presidency stated that the Benban Solar Energy Park is the world's largest solar power complex, and was established in partnership with the private sector and specialized international expertise.

It is also one of the most important infrastructure projects in Egypt to generate electricity from new and renewable energy.
UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) have ousted scores of militants from the embattled town of Boyo, in the south of the country.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR, known by its French acronym MINUSCA, launched an operation on Saturday to expel from Boyo, in Ouaka prefecture, around 200 members of the armed group Unity for Peace in Central Africa (UPC).

Boyo in crosshairs

According to MINUSCA, Nepalese and Mauritanian battalions arrived to support ground efforts, forcing the UPC combatants to vacate the town.

They had taken over numerous homes, including the mayor's residence.

The Mission drew attention to more than a dozen civilian fatalities on 6 and 7 December in Boyo, which also prompted the displacement of nearly 1,500 people.

The UN peacekeepers were able to intervene to protect civilians and continue their operations throughout the city with robust patrols.

MINUSCA sent out a warning to the UPC against any attempt to re-occupy Boyo and reaffirmed its determination to ensure the protection of communities in accordance with its mandate.

"Our reinforcements are already in place and we are warning the elements of the UPC against any return to the city", tweeted Mankeur Ndiaye, UN Special Representative in CAR and Head of MINUSCA.

Seleka versus anti-Balaka

One of the poorest countries in the world, the CAR descended into conflict in 2013 when then-President Francois Bozize was ousted by a rebel coalition called the Seleka, drawn largely from the Muslim minority.

The coup triggered a sectarian bloodbath between the Seleka and anti-Balaka militias, comprised mainly of Christian and animist elements.

Last December, on the eve of presidential elections, rebels launched a new offensive against President Faustin-Archange Touadera's regime.

The president won re-election, and his army has now reconquered the lost territory.
"El retorno de Petroperu a las actividades de produccion de petroleo y gas, despues de 25 anos, con la operacion del Lote I de la Cuenca de Talara, es un hecho de enorme trascendencia" afirmo el presidente @PedroCastilloTe en la ceremonia de recepcion del Lote I de Talara. pic.twitter.com/bB9oy4NFXG
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Recently, the delegation led by the Head of the Ile-de-France Regional Council and French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse, visited Armenia.

A few days prior to that visit another French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour had arrived in Armenia.

If the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received Mrs. Pecresse at his Residence, in the case of Zemmour, such a reception or meeting did not take place.

In response to the question of ARMENPRESS , the Office of the President informed the following: The RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France Mrs. Hasmik Tolmajyan applied to the Office of the President with an offer and request to officially organize the meeting. The RA Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan accompanied the delegation led by Mrs. Pecresse and was present at the official meeting with the RA President Armen Sarkissian. It should be noted that this is not a matter of meeting with a presidential candidate of the French Republic, but the visit of an official delegation from France headed by Mrs. Valerie Pecresse, the current head of the regional council of Ile-de-France, one of the largest regions in France. We have decades of effective cooperation with that region. In the case of the French journalist and commentator Eric Zemmour, the Office of the RA President has not officially received such an application or offer of a meeting.
The winter COVID-19 surge did not slow down over Christmas weekend in Cayuga County.

The Cayuga County Health Department reported 188 new COVID cases in three days, increasing its December total to 1,437  the third-most of any month during the pandemic. There were no new cases on Christmas because the department was closed to observe the holiday.

Cayuga's active case count (346) is down to its lowest point in two weeks. During that time period, there were several days with more than 400 active cases. On Wednesday, there were 432 people in isolation.

The seven-day average positivity rate is 12.36% in Cayuga County, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID hospitalizations have been slowly increasing, although the total number of hospitalizations is lower than it was at this point last year. The health department said Monday that 26 residents are hospitalized with COVID-related illnesses in central New York hospitals. On this day one year ago, there were 41 COVID patients in Auburn Community Hospital. The tally did not include individuals being treated at other hospitals in the region.

Cayuga County will resume its vaccination effort this week with clinics from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Fingerlakes Mall Event Center. More information about the clinics, including how to register for an appointment, can be found at cayugacounty.us/health. Click on the link for COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

The CDC says 59.4% of Cayuga County residents ages 5 and older are fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates are higher among other age groups, including 18 and older (64.4%) and 65 and older (78.7%).

More than one-third of residents who are fully vaccinated have received booster shots, according to the CDC. Nearly two-thirds of fully-vaccinated residents ages 65 and older have been given their booster shots.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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The Central New York Land Trust is receiving a $6.442 million state grant, the largest in its history.

In a press release, the land trust said the grant will provide the resources needed to acquire and protect significant tracts of land in the Skaneateles Lake watershed to implement a series of mitigation measures.

Awarded by the state of New York under Round XI of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) competitive process, the $6.4 million grant will enable the Central New York Land Trust to protect and improve water quality in the Skaneateles Lake watershed. This award will help protect and restore over 380 acres in the Skaneateles watershed. It will help mitigate soil erosion and stormwater runoff of sediment and nutrients into Skaneateles Lake, the primary drinking water supply for the city of Syracuse.

We are deeply gratified by Governor Hochuls historic and far-sighted investment in protecting the Skaneateles Lake watershed," said land trust president and CEO Albert Joerger in the release. "This investment acknowledges not only the critical role of this watershed in the environmental and economic vitality of the region, but also the important role of a land trust the Central New York Land Trust in particular  in serving the public good by safeguarding this treasured jewel in our region.

The REDC grant is not only the largest grant in the 50-year history of the land trust, but will also trigger protection for the greatest number of acres ever as part of a single project in the organizations history.

The Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program is administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and funds projects that directly address documented water quality impairments or protect a drinking water source. Supported in part by the State's Environmental Protection Fund, WQIP projects include municipal wastewater treatment upgrades, non-agricultural nonpoint source abatement and control, land acquisition projects for source water protection, salt storage construction, aquatic connectivity restoration, and marine habitat restoration.

The WQIP grant awarded to the Central New York Land Trust represents both the 10th largest WQIP grant throughout the state of New York as well as the largest such grant to a non-profit organization anywhere in the state.

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New York was the only state in the U.S. that did not allow air ambulances to carry blood for transfusions  until now.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation authorizing air ambulances, such as Mercy Flight, to carry blood that could be used to administer transfusions in emergencies. The bill received bipartisan support in the state Legislature.

The new law took effect immediately.

While Hochul signed the bill, she issued an approval message revealing an agreement with the state Legislature "to ensure that air transport ambulance service providers store and administer blood products in accordance with the state's safety standards and regulations."

Under the agreement between Hochul and lawmakers, air ambulances must notify the state Department of Health that it intends to store and distribute blood.

Before the change, New York was the lone holdout that didn't allow air ambulances to carry blood. It mystified legislators who questioned why the medical helicopters weren't permitted to administer potentially life-saving treatments.

State Sen. Pam Helming, who co-sponsored the legislation, described the policy as "an arcane state law."

"A blood transfusion can be the difference between life and death," said Helming, a Canandaigua Republican. "In our rural areas, where residents may live far from the nearest trauma center or tertiary care center, it is especially important that trained air medical professionals be able to respond with the necessary resources to treat critically ill or traumatically injured patients."

One of the air ambulance providers that advocated for the legislation is Mercy Flight. Jeff Bartkoski, president and CEO of Mercy Flight Central, believes the new law will have a positive impact on communities.

"In the past several years, we have transported many patients in hemorrhagic shock, most of which would have benefited from the administration of blood products in the pre-hospital environment," he said. "The ability to carry and administer blood products while in flight is not only the next step to a higher level of pre-hospital medicare care but it will improve outcomes and save lives of the patients that we serve."

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Dec. 28, 2006

CATO  Since Pam Bort took over as the children's librarian at Stewart B. Lang Memorial Library in Cato, she has made it her mission to make the library experience a more interactive one for children of all ages.

I always try to do something for the younger kids, pre-kindergarten and elementary school at least a couple of times a month, Bort said. We always try to do things that are fun for them to get them reading and to make it fun with arts and crafts that go with the books, things like that to make it a more exciting experience.

With this in mind, Bort decided that it was time to do something for the older children that visit the library.

Bort said she regularly looks into the books that children are reading and tries to build a day of activities around those books and themes that they encompass.

Among the older elementary school children and early middle schoolers, Star Wars and the extensive collection of novels and graphic novels that accompany the popular film series have been among the most checked out books among young readers.

We have a pretty good collection of Star Wars books, Bort said. The kids really seem to enjoy those books and it is great to see kids that age enjoy reading and being enthusiastic about it, so we decided to do something around the Star Wars' theme for older kids.

A dozen children gathered Wednesday in the basement of the library, eager for a day of perusing the books as well as watching one installment of the epic saga, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

I thought it would be fun, April Fisher, 13, said. A lot of my friends were going to come here, so I thought it would be a fun way to get out and hang out with them and watch the movie and have fun.

Some, like Nate Marcano, 10, were decked out in their best Star Wars gear, with full Darth Maul face paint.

I really like Star Wars, Marcano said. And I really like the books; they are different than what you'd expect them to be, there is a lot more going on in them. I love to read about the Clone Wars, so this is a lot of fun, I think they should do it a lot more often.

 Compiled by David Wilcox

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Evergrande Auto, property giant Evergrande Group's electric vehicle firm, recently held a ceremony for connecting all linkages of assembly lines at its Tianjin plant, according to a local media outlet.

Hengchi 5 LX; photo credit: MIIT



The Hengchi 5 LX will roll off the assembly line in early 2022 as the first Hengchi-branded mass-produced model, according to the media channel, citing a person with Evergrande Auto.

The Hengchi 5 LX appeared in MIIT's announcement which shows the names of the new models the government plans to grant production permits. However, the Hengchi-branded model failed to enter the final official catalogue released in early Dec.

Positioned as a compact SUV, the Hengchi 5 LX measures 4,725mm long, 1,925mm wide, and 1,688mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,780mm. It is said to be driven by an electric motor from UAES, that can churn out up to 150kW. The lithium iron phosphate battery pack may render the model a NEDC-rated range of 700km.

The Hengchi 5 LX is engineered to compete with the likes of the BYD Song PLUS EV, the WM Motor's W6, and the Volkswagen ID.4.

Evergrande Auto released two announcements in Nov. about the placing and subscription agreements it signed to raise funds. Per the agreement, the company would place a total of 1.075 billion shares through top-up placing, intending to raise HK$3.2 billion.

The EV manufacturer said it intended to dedicate the proceeds on the R&D and production of new energy vehicles (NEVs), paving the groundwork for putting Hengchi-branded NEVs into production.

On the heels of the second shares placement, shares in Evergrande Auto grew 5% from opening on Nov. 22 in Hong Kong.


Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The passenger vehicle (PV) joint venture between Jiangling Motors Co.,Ltd., (JMC) and Ford Motor was formally incorporated on Dec. 27, meaning the two parents resolve to cement their cooperation on PV business.

Ford Everest; photo credit: JMC



According to the corporate information platform Tianyancha, the new joint venture, named Jiangling Ford Motor Technology (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd., involves a registered capital of 200 million yuan ($31.394 million) and is 51/49 held by JMC and Ford Motor respectively. It is permitted to operate businesses like the sales of oil-fueled vehicles, new energy vehicles, auto parts, PHEV-dedicated engines, charging piles, centralized fast charging stations, battery swap facilities, and the facilities for NEV production testing.

JMC announced three months ago the intention to build a joint venture with Ford Motor. Located in Shanghai, the new entity would primarily engage in distributing Ford-branded complete vehicles manufactured by JMC. The service can also be offered through dealerships or in direct-sale model.

In November, JMC-Ford Motor PV joint venture showcased five Ford-branded models at the Auto Guangzhou 2021, making its debut at a motor show with an independent booth.

Xiang Dongping, vice president of JMC, said for the sake of sound development of the new joint venture, JMC and Ford Motor would strengthen the collaboration in the SUV segment of China, and the capability of sales channels.

Tianyancha's data show that Ford Motor currently holds 32% stake in JMC, versus 30% the U.S. automaker initially controlled when it was introduced by JMC in 1997 as a strategic investor. Before the Everest SUV, the first Ford-branded PV model manufactured by JMC's facilities, was launched in 2015, the two parties' partnership had only focused on commercial vehicle business for 18 years.
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.



FAW Group files for trademarking terms linked to the metaverse

According to Qichacha, a Chinese corporate data platform, FAW Group has filed several trademark applications in relation to metaverse. Registrations are still under application condition.

Leapmotor puts 2022 T03 onto market

On Dec. 28, the 2022 Leapmotor T03 hit the market, boasting the sensor equipment of 3 cameras, 1 millimeter-wave radar, and 11 ultrasonic radars, and Level 2 intelligent driver assistance features. Guiding prices of five trim levels range from 68,900 yuan ($10,815) to 84,900 yuan ($13,330).

Dongfeng Motor's premium brand VOYAH ships first OTA for FREE REEV

On Dec. 27, VOYAH, the premium NEV brand of Dongfeng Motor, for the first time launched an OTA for the FREE, its first mass-produced models.

XPeng's financial leasing subsidiary records surge in registered capital

According to Qichacha, registered capital of Guangzhou Xiaopeng Automotive Financing Lease Co., Ltd. has rocketed to $125 million from $50 million. Founded in 2018, the company is co-held by Guangdong Xiaopeng Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd. and XPeng (Hong Kong) Limited. Business scope covers car leasing service and residual value processing and maintenance of leased property.

Geely Holding builds investment holding subsidiary in Hainan

On Dec. 27, Hainan Geely Investment Holding Company Limited was incorporated in Sanya city, Hainan province, according to Tianyancha. Involving a registered capital of 100 million yuan ($15.697 million), it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. It is permitted to engage in investment activities with own funds, management of enterprise headquarters, and R&D of dynamic regeneration system.

JMC, Ford Motor's PV joint venture registered in late Dec.

The passenger vehicle (PV) joint venture between Jiangling Motors Co.,Ltd., (JMC) and Ford Motor was formally incorporated on Dec. 27, meaning the two parents resolve to cement their cooperation on PV business.

Auto design master James Hope joins China's Baoneng Motor

China's property and financial services conglomerate Baoneng Group welcomed vehicle design veteran James Hope to its automobile arm, Baoneng Motor, heading its BAO brand's styling and the Shenzhen Styling Center.

China sets plan for L3 and higher-level advanced autonomous driving application

China's Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission released the informatization plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) (the Plan), including plans for V2X and autonomous driving development within the country.

Evergrand Auto's assembly lines at Tianjin plant ready for production

Evergrande Auto, property giant Evergrande Group's electric vehicle firm, recently held a ceremony for connecting all linkages of assembly lines at its Tianjin plant, according to a local media outlet.

ZTO, Juzhen Technology jointly test driverless delivery vehicles on motor lane

China's express delivery giant ZTO has started application scenario tests for China's first auto-grade driverless delivery vehicle developed by Juzhen Technology in ZTO's headquarters on December 27th.

China's auto parts supplier Huayu sells stake in joint venture with Valeo

Shanghai SIIC Transportation Electric Co., Ltd. (STEC), a subsidiary of Chinas automotive parts supplier Huayu Automotive Systems Company Limited, signed a stake transfer agreement with VALEO INTERNATIONAL HOLDING B.V., Huayu announced on Monday.

China to remove caps on foreign ownership of local PV ventures from Jan. 1, 2022

China will scrap a limit on foreign ownership of passenger vehicle (PV) ventures starting Jan. 1 2022, according to the 2021 version of the Special Management Measures for the Market Entry of Foreign Investment (Negative List) issued by Chinas National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), aiming to further opening up the world's biggest car market.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinas Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission released the informatization plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) (the Plan), including plans for V2X and autonomous driving development within the country.

Photo credit: MAXIEYE



First of all, according to the Plan, the government plans on promoting V2X application innovative demonstration. The specific measurements include building V2X pilot zones on a national level, accelerating the construction of intelligent connected vehicle road infrastructure and 5G-V2X demonstration network, improving the synergetic capability between human, vehicle, road, cloud, network through onboard intelligent equipment, road-side communication equipment, road infrastructure and intelligent control infrastructure, realizing L3 and higher levels of advanced autonomous driving application.

Secondly, the innovative application demonstration regarding intelligent port systems is also encouraged. The Plan listed several measurements, including building port information infrastructure based on the 5G network, Beidou Navigation Satellite System, and IoT technologies, forming a comprehensive perceptual and connected port-vehicle synergetic intelligent system. Moreover, expanding the application of automated container wharf operation systems and remote operation technologies is also applauded.

The reformation of new-generation autonomous port and storage yard is promoted. In order to enhance port linkage, the government plans to further the autonomous driving demonstration for container trucks within the harbors and under collecting and distributing scenarios.

Additionally, an energy network is also included in the Plan. Specifically, the government aims to build an optimized and balanced energy management system, allowing real-time monitoring, online analysis, and dispatch for regional energy information. The government will push forward the mutual interaction between electric vehicles and intelligent grid, forming an intelligent and efficient charging infrastructure system with ample charging piles.
In November 2021, China's monthly insurance registrations of locally-made new energy passenger vehicles (NEPVs) reached 365,298 units, accounting for 21.4% of total new PV registrations and surging 107% year on year, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC).

The Nov. homegrown NEPV registrations consisted of 295,202 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), 70,095 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which included 15,803 range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), as well as 1 fuel cell vehicle (FCV).

Among startups (including Tesla), the U.S.-based EV manufacturer still outperformed its Chinese rivals with a significant lead. With 32,168 China-made vehicles registered in Nov., Tesla also scored a 132.5% month-on-month surge. Among all auto brands, it was honored the second runner-up in terms of Nov. locally-made NEPV registrations, following BYD and Wuling.



With 23,419 units registered, the Model Y was credited the runner-up among both China-made SUV models and NEPV models in November.

Since the delivery kicked off in January, the Model Y has so far recorded monthly registrations topping 10,000 units for six months. In September, it transcended the Haval H6 first the time to become the best-selling SUV model in China.

Model Y



According to the CBIRC's data, there were 1,069 units of the Model Y AWD Performance version registered last month. With delivery beginning in late Nov., the Performance version features a NEDC-rated range of 566km and can zip from 0-100km/h within only 3.7 seconds. Its advent is expected to further drive the sales of the China-made Model Y.

The Model 3's lineup also had a new member last month. On Nov. 19, the upgraded Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+) was launched with its name changing to the Model 3 RWD. Compared to the previous SR+, the new version's range grew to 556km under CLTC (China light-duty vehicle test cycle) from 468km under NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) due to the use of 60kWh battery pack. According to Tesla Chinas official website, the fresh version is expected for delivery in the first quarter of 2022.

Tesla's Shanghai Giga is amid rapid production growth as it not only serves the domestic market, but also strives to meet the demands of export. The company plans to invest 1.2 billion yuan ($188.45 million) in revamping the assembly lines of its Shanghai factorys first phase, according to a document dated Nov. 26 on a governmental website of Shanghai enterprises and public institutes' environmental information. The project was expected to start in December this year and be completed in April next year. The retooling work aims to develop the Giga Shanghai into the worlds largest EV manufacturing factory with annual capacity of 1 million to 1.5 million vehicles.



Three Chinese NEV startups recorded new vehicle registration of over 10,000 units in Nov. Compared to October, XPeng and Li Auto still occupied the first two spots, while NIO climbed one place to the third.

As for year-to-date performance, XPeng was still outsold by NIO, but the difference was only 259 units. Thus, it is still too early to decide the final winner of the No.1 Chinese NEV startup.

XPeng's monthly registrations hit all-time highs of 14,919 units in November. Two of its three production modelsthe G3 and the P5met their highest-ever monthly volume as well.

The P7 made up 50% of XPeng's total new vehicle registrations last month, ranking 13th among all locally-made NEPV models. The G3i contributed 97.8% of the G3's Nov. registrations. The biggest driving force was from the P5, whose monthly registrations in Nov. rocketed 422.3% from the previous month.

XPeng P7; photo credit: XPeng



XPeng said it is dashing with all its might to cope with the challenges of global supply chain, expand production capacity, and sales and service network. The company revealed at the latest quarterly earnings call that its Zhaoqing plant was ramping up outputs under two shifts. To support robust sales growth, XPeng planned to build over 350 sales outlets and more than 600 own-brand supercharging stations in China by the end of 2021. The target for supercharging network has been hit ahead of schedule with 661 stations deployed as of November.



With only one mass-produced model for sale, Li Auto saw its monthly registrations achieve record highs of 13,452 units. The Li ONE ranked third among China-made NEPV models by Nov. registrations and was the first Chinese startup-owned model to hit 10,000 units of monthly insurance volume.

Li ONE; photo credit: Li Auto



Priced above 330,000 yuan ($51,820), the 2021 Li ONE REEV 6-seater is the only version Li Auto is selling, according to the company's website. The single-version structure resulted from the startup's decision to stop selling the 7-seater variant for the 2021 Li ONE after the company learnt that the majority of its users preferred the 6-seater seating arrangement through a survey. It also reflects Li Auto's strategy for only reserving what consumers really demands.

Li Auto is about to launch its second production model, the X01 REEV, in the second quarter of 2022 with deliveries starting in the third quarter next year.

To ramp up the outputs of the Li ONE and the yet-to-be-launched model, Li Auto said it planned to double the annual capacity of its Changzhou manufacturing base to 200,000 units per year by 2022.



After being outsold by HOZON Auto in October, NIO climbed one spot to the third place in Nov. on the list of Chinese NEV startups, scoring a 165.3% leap month-over-month.

NIO ES6



NIO currently has three models for volume delivery, while none of them cracked the top 20 NEPV models rankings by Nov. registrations. The best-selling NIO-branded model, the ES6, only ranked 25th.

As part of endeavors to increase production capacity, NIO had revamped and upgraded the production lines at the JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center, and the installation of the first batch of manufacturing facilities commenced last month at its second production base, located in the Hefei-based NeoPark. The new factory is about to start production in the third quarter next year.

Once the two plants become fully operational, NIO's total capacity would be lifted to 600,000 vehicles per year, said William Bin Li, Chairman and CEO of NIO.

The CBIRC's data show that three NIO ET7s were registered last month. The company confirmed at the NIO Day 2021 the model will be available for delivery from March 28 next year.

HOZON Auto dropped one spot to be the No.4 Chinese startup in Nov., while its monthly registration volume hit a highest-ever level. Its biggest sales contributor, the NETA V, immediately followed the Li ONE and the XPeng P7 as the third hottest-selling model owned by a Chinese startup.



NETA U



HOZON Auto is rapidly expanding its circle of friends with leading technology developers and auto parts suppliers. Aside from the external aids of 360 Security, Huawei, and Horizon Robotics, HOZON Auto last month struck a deal with CATL for the strategic cooperation on technology R&D and supply chain business, and confirmed the introduction of CATL as an investor of its D2 round. The move came only 11 days after the close of the D1 funding round.

Both Leapmotor and WM Motor achieved their best-ever monthly registrations in Nov. as well.



About 77% of Leapmotor's Nov. registrations were contributed by the T03. The C11, the startup's third production model with registration beginning in Sept., saw its insurance volume zoom up to 1,146 units last month.

WM Motor's registrations jumped 27.3% over a month ago to 4,196 units in Nov., 2,252 units of which were registered for car rental service.
LOS ANGELES  Lovense, a leading sex tech company, on Tuesday invited everyone to take part in its New Year's Orgy on Twitter to celebrate the New Year with thousands of people around the world. The orgy will start on December 31 at 23:30 UTC+14 and will last 26 hours, covering all time zones worldwide.

For the fourth incarnation of this online event, the orgy will last more than 24 hours. Participants can sync with thousands of others and celebrate the New Year with pleasant vibrations of Lovense toys anywhere in the world.

Joining the orgy is easy. All Twitter users have to do is simply tweet or retweet the official hashtag #LovenseNewYearOrgy, and it will activate the vibration of thousands of orgy participants' toys synced in real time. Lovense toy owners will be able to join the orgy via the Lovense Remote or Lovense Connect apps, by tapping the special join the orgy button.

Lovense New Year's Orgy is our gift to all those who feel lonely on New Year's Eve, or want to add some spice to the celebration, said Dan Liu, Lovense CEO. The Lovense Orgy is a wonderful occasion to unite the whole world and festively celebrate the New Year together.

The orgy will start on December 31 at 23:30 UTC+14, celebrating the first New Year on the planet with the residents of Kiribati, moving west through New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Russia and India, Europe and Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA and ending with the latest New Year in American Samoa. At the same time, the official Lovense Twitter account will navigate the movement of the Earth and announce the New Year in each time zone, congratulating all local residents on the holiday.

The complete rules of the orgy are available on the event page at https://www.lovense.com/p/PROrgy. Follow us on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Lovense to join the Lovense New Year Orgy. Must be 18+ to participate.
FLAGSTAFF  A U.S. Air Force airman who was convicted of killing a Mennonite woman after kidnapping her in New Mexico and taking her to Arizona will be sentenced next month.

An Arizona judge during a status hearing on Tuesday scheduled Mark Goochs sentencing for Jan. 19. His attorney and the prosecution agreed they were ready to proceed and asked the judge to schedule the sentencing as soon as possible.

Gooch, 22, faces up to life in prison.

Jurors in October found Gooch guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder in Sasha Krauses killing. The two didnt know each other and lived hundreds of miles apart but shared an upbringing in the Mennonite religion. Krause committed to the church, while Gooch did not.

Krause, 27, was last seen in January 2020 at the church in her tight-knit Mennonite community outside Farmington, where she was gathering material for Sunday school.

Her body was found more than a month later in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff, nearly 300 miles away. A camper collecting firewood spotted Krause face-down among pine needles near a national monument. Krauses wrists were bound, and she had been shot in the head.

During the trial last fall, jurors heard 10 days of testimony from those who knew Krause and investigated her disappearance. They heard from ballistics experts who disagreed on whether the bullet taken from her skull was fired from a .22-caliber rifle Gooch owned.

Goochs attorney, Bruce Griffen, tried to raise doubt by pointing to a lack of forensic evidence and to testimony about another car seen in the Mennonite community the day Krause went missing. He said Gooch was peaceful and volunteered information to a detective who interviewed him at Luke Air Force Base in metropolitan Phoenix, where he was stationed.

Authorities used cellphone and financial records as well as surveillance video to tie Gooch to the crimes.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Local historian and author Jim Babbitt has been selected to receive the Platt Cline Humanitarian Award in 2021, in recognition of his contributions to the Flagstaff community. His appreciation for the area could be seen through his participation in restoration work and his sharing of both his family's and Flagstaffs history.

Babbitts wife, Helene Babbitt, said the award was fitting, as Jim Babbitt had a longtime fascination with history, joining various organizations and writing several books and articles on the subject.

Its really appropriate for him to get the Platt Cline award because Platt Cline was the historian for Flagstaff, she said.

Helene described her husband as a lovable luddite, wearing rimless glasses, using a fountain pen almost exclusively and driving a 1986 Ford 150 for 25 years until it wouldnt work anymore. He even shaved using an old-fashioned cup and brush, she said.

Jim was from Flagstaff and had a deep family history in the area, which Helene said was probably what first sparked his love of history. She also said he loved the city, though not so much its growth.

Really what he wanted was for people, when [Flagstaff] grew, to remember what we were historically and to grow accordingly, she said, referencing the Dont PHX FLG bumper stickers that he created and can still be found around town.

She said Flagstaff was much smaller when Jim was born in 1948 -- Helenes mother-in-law told her of wooden sidewalks the city had at the time and the familys wood-burning stove.

The two of them met in California, where Helene grew up and Jim lived for a short time after graduating from Stanford University (six or seven years, Helene said). He began his studies in art history and anthropology at Notre Dame, and transferred partway through.

Mutual friends introduced the pair one May and, after what Helene referred to as a whirlwind, the two married that September. Helene said what drew her to Jim was that he was a real steady, lovable person. They had been married 48 years when he died in November.

Jims first job was in San Francisco, working as an archivist and art curator for the Bank of America. Helene said in addition to arranging exhibits, Jim would put on a monthly art show in the lobby.

The pair moved back to Flagstaff in 1979, so that Jim could work for the Babbitt family business. He held a number of positions there over the years, from personnel director to running the trading posts and eventually became vice president, according to Helene.

Babbitts has a long partnership with Pendleton Woolen Mills, as one of their original customers. Jim purchased the distribution of Pendletons in Arizona from his family in 1999, Helene said, which their son, Charlie Babbitt, now runs. He lives in Flagstaff with his wife and four daughters.

Jim designed a special edition of Pendleton blankets to commemorate Babbitts 100th anniversary. These were based on the traditional Navajo storm pattern and came in a number of colors and designs.

Through the years, he made limited editions in five different color ways and designs. Because they have certain elements, you can always recognize this is a storm pattern, Helene said.

Jim later worked with a local graphic artist to create the Shared Spirits design, which was featured in the Daily Sun in 2009 and is still part of the Pendleton catalogue.

His restoration work has also been featured by the company, with a Babbitt Brothers wagon he restored displayed in one of Pendletons Oregon stores after years of use in the Flagstaff Christmas Parade.

The wagon was driven at Pendletons rodeo to celebrate the companys 100th anniversary and was featured in its annual non-motorized parade, with Jim in the passenger seat.

Their move to Flagstaff was also around the time Jim started writing, Helene said.

Moving back here, being around family, friends, got [him] more involved in history, she said. ...His own family was very interesting to him, Flagstaff, that history.

Among his publications were three books (including 2009s "Flagstaff" with John G. DeGraff), a guide to the Grand Canyons Bass Trail and at least eight articles in places such as the Arizona Journal of History and Plateau Magazine. He also loved writing letters to the editor, Helene said, which can be seen in the seven published by the Daily Sun since June 2020 alone.

Jim also served on the board of several history-focused organizations throughout his time in Flagstaff -- most recently the Grand Canyon Trust and the Wilderness Land Trust. Before then, he had been involved in the Arizona Historical Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Friends of Flagstaffs Future, the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Flagstaff branch of the Coconino County Library.

Helene described Jim as having a passion for historical preservation that he brought into his work and his writing. Even his hobbies included history -- he collected old printing presses (Helene said shes still counting them, but he had at least 10 stashed away) and liked to photograph the sites of historic photos, placing the images side-by-side.

He loved old stuff and would restore stuff,'' Helene said of her husband.

Jim restored furniture, and as part of his work with the family company, a trading post at Tuba City in the octagonal shape of a traditional hogan. He also built a modern trading post near the one in Red Lake and led a 1985 project to erect a flagpole next to Frances Short Pond, one possible site of the original for which the city is named.

More recently, he and some partners had been restoring other downtown buildings they bought on the south side of Aspen Street.

The Red Lake trading post is now old, but he was responsible for trying to upgrade things, Helene said. He was a steward of those things.

In the 1990s, Jim was also involved in the restoration of Heritage Square and the Babbitts building next door.

The whole block was Babbitts and it had been modernized with aluminum siding and a big sign, Helene said. ...[When] Babbitts went out of business, sold the block.somehow there was a big, open pit, so all of Heritage Square was a big, open pit.

Jim was also involved in the restoration of the Babbitts building, which was done in stages with the Babbitt Brothers' Trust.

He got that restored and it looks like old-fashioned Flagstaff in the 80s and 90s,'' Helene said. ...[Theres] a big pressed metal cornice thats painted white and he figured out where the original was made, he got a replica made [and] put that up at one point in the process.

His influence on Heritage Square can be seen in the little flourishes, she said.

Those benches that are so cute and they have train wheels for legs, he had seen them somewhere and thought they were perfect for Flagstaff, that sort of thing. ...He was very sentimental about downtown, she said.

This can also be seen in a project he had begun recently, writing longhand on a steno pad about the house his father had been born in.

Its Queen Anne Revival architecture "stood in stark contrast to the much more modest, mostly wood and shingle homes prevalent in Flagstaff at the turn of the century," he wrote. "The mansion was destroyed by fire and was demolished...and has been the site of Theatrikos and the Doris White Playhouse for nearly 50 years."

A few other of Jim's hobbies, Helene said, were playing the banjo, making sourdough bread and teaching others his recipe.

Jim was also known to care about conservation, with his love for hiking taking him on many trips in the Grand Canyon.

He was a fan of Teddy Roosevelt and told his brother (Bruce Babbitt, who was then Secretary of the Interior) that no place in the Grand Canyon was named for the former president. This is the origin of the North Rims Roosevelt Point, according to Helene.

Over the last 20 years, Helene said, a lot of the walking they did was on vacation, visiting places across the world. He especially loved Switzerland, she said.

It just was the nicest way to vacation, going on these hiking trips, she said. ...He loved to walk through a country rather than go to the cities."

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BT- Cong tac tuyen chon, goi cong dan nhap ngu nam 2022 ang buoc vao giai oan nuoc rut. ay cung la thoi iem cac the luc thu ich, phan ong tang cuong su dung mang xa hoi, internet lan truyen nhung bai viet phan ong, bay cach tron tranh thuc hien quyen nghia vu quan su. Thuc trang nay a anh huong khong nho en cong tac tuyen quan.
Three new doctors joined the staff of the Beatrice Community Hospital in the late summer and early fall: Hannah Painter, in family and internal medicine; Lindsey Kostal, a pediatrician, and Jamie Zillig Kielian, in family medicine at the Gage County Medical Clinic.

Eric Trusty, senior executive for clinic services, said the hospital was eager to hire and work alongside all three of them. Trusty said they all bring their own sets of unique gifts, but they also have one important and easily overlooked thing in common: theyre all Nebraska natives.

They were easy recruits, he said.

Though, the process of hiring a new doctor is always arduous, Trusty said.

Youre looking at anywhere from one to three to five years as far as that recruitment process, he said. Its identifying potential candidates. And within that, its building relationships with them.

In Kostals position as pediatrician, the hospital had been searching for a replacement for around five years. Trusty said all three hires were replacements for retired doctors and dont reflect a burgeoning hospital staff.

Trusty said for any healthcare provider, patient relationship should be a priority. He said their roots in Nebraska helps them form and foster those relationships.

Having some ties to family that is somewhat close typically will keep them here longer, he said. Were more apt to retain them, and theyre more apt to be part of the community.

Two of the three, Zillig Kielian and Painter, during their residency, participated in a 2019 program which allows rotations through Beatrice and other small-town hospitals.

The Combined Outstate Residency Experience is a joint program between UNMC Family Medicine residency, Lincoln Family Medicine residency and Nebraska Rural Training Tracks, Diane Vicars, senior executive for marketing communications, said in an email. Each of the participating medical residents spends several weeks to a couple of months with Beatrice Community Hospital (and other hospitals) rotating between departments and clinics. This residency program gives the doctors experience working in smaller community hospitals, and allows hospitals to showcase their facility and employees.

All three attended the University of Nebraska College of Medicine for medical school and had known each other before coming to BCH.

Dr. Hannah Painter

Painter started her family medicine practice in August.

Originally from North Platte, Painter said she knows all about small-town Nebraska. That knowledge led her to buck the trend of brain drain, even after attending Dartmouth College for her undergraduate degree. She returned to UNMC for medical school and set out to work in a rural practice.

I wanted to be a part of combatting that [brain drain], Painter said. People are just a little friendlier here. People want to know their neighbors. They want to know everyone in the town.

Painter is in clinic four days a week from 8 to 5. She tends to deal with acute needs and sick visits, but her work varies.

I never know what could be walking through the door, she said.

Painter grew up on a farm and ranch. Early on, she fell in love with the science and care involved in raising Angus cows.

I always loved caring for living things, she said.

Her relationships with her small-town doctors also inspired her step toward medical school.

In these small towns, the family medicine doctor stays their whole career, knows everyone, is that person people can go to at any age or stage of life, she said. Thats always the kind of doctor I wanted to be. It was to be someone whos there for people in any time of need, good times and bad. The fact that I have that opportunity and that Im doing it now is just crazy. Its wonderful. And I feel really luck to be doing it here in Beatrice.

Dr. Lindsey Kostal

Kostal started her practice as a BCH pediatrician in September.

Going into college, Kostal debated between working in medicine or interior design. Ultimately, her desire to help others weighed more heavily on her scale, so she took the long, uphill road of medical school.

Her love of children, born from years spent working in a daycare right down the street from where she grew up in Omaha, led her to specializing in child care.

Ive always loved kids, she said. Kids are so resilient. Ive gone into lots of rooms that kids look awful, where you can tell theyre really sick, but a lot of times theyre still happy still. That blows my mind.

Kostal said the lows of child care can be lower than other practices, but the highs can also be higher. Instead of lumbering through chronic pain with their patients, pediatricians focus more on preventative care, something Kostal said she enjoys.

Right now, she spends her days helping families and kids fight Respiratory Syncytial Virus and other illnesses common during flu season.

Its getting a lot busier, she said.

Kostal, who did her residency in Kansas City, said she enjoys the stability of having family nearby. Her in-laws, the Kostals, have longstanding ties to the Odell community. She also said Beatrices sense of community helps make for better relationships.

That was one thing about residency. There wasnt a huge opportunity to build relationships with people because you change rotations every month, she said. Here, I feel like Im starting to get to know my patients and building relationships with them. The more they know you, the more they trust you. Here they get to know you and trust you more.

Dr. Jamie Zillig Kielian

Zillig Kielian started her practice in family medicine for BCH at the Gage County Medical Clinic in August.

Her work varies from day to day, but she usually sees patients in the morning from 8 to 11 and then later in the afternoon.

Zillig Kielian said her favorite aspect of family medicine is building relationships with her patients.

I like getting to know patients, she said. You get to know them for more than for what their medical problem might be Theres also a lot of variety in family medicine.

Zillig Kielian grew up in Lincoln and gravitated to medicine during college.

My passion for science and helping others led me to medicine, she said.

She said it was never a question whether she was going to settle in Nebraska.

We have family here, she said. We didnt really consider going anywhere else.

Zillig Kielian participated in a residency rotation that brought her to BCH for awhile. She said she greatly enjoyed that experience and became interested in staying for the long haul. She favors Beatrices smaller setup over hospitals in Omaha and Lincoln because she said she could more easily interface with patients.

The patients are very involved and interested in their healthcare, she said. Theyre very involved. They want to know what their problems are and why. It still has a smaller community feel. Its more personal. You can provide better patient care if you build those relationships.

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He was wearing short sleeves the day Charlie Starkweather shot him.

Don Wendling was 7, growing up next door to a service station at 14th and Dakota streets in what was, then, the far southwest corner of Lincoln. His classmate, Bobby Starkweather, lived near 17th and Pawnee.

During their second grade year, Wendling would detour to the Starkweather house to pick up his friend, so they could walk the final few blocks together to Saratoga Elementary School.

Wendling always waited outside. I was afraid of his dad. I could hear him yelling at his wife and he sounded like someone I didnt want to be around.

The boys werent best friends, but they were close enough to run around together one summer, and spend some of their after-school hours in the Starkweather yard. There was a walnut tree back there, Wendling remembers, and he and his friend would smash the shells with rocks.

Theyd had their fill on a warm day in 1951, and had started walking down the driveway.

Charlie Starkweather would have been about 13 at the time, about a half-dozen years before his murder spree that would leave 11 people dead.

The garage was the future killers fort, his clubhouse.

Charlie yelled out, Dont come back here, Wendling said. Bobby and I kept walking, and he (Charlie) shot me with a BB gun.

Wendling didnt hear the shot, but he felt it. And then he saw it, blood beginning to escape from his upper right arm.

It really hurt bad, he said. I ran home crying and told my dad.

His father, the state penitentiarys purchasing agent, called the police. And later that day, a cruiser pulled up in front of their house.

Starkweather sat in the back seat.

They asked, Is this the boy that shot you?

Wendling identified him, and learned later from his father  whose job at the pen gave him law enforcement connections  that Starkweather had to surrender his BB gun and serve juvenile probation.

After that day, he never saw another Starkweather again; his parents forbid it. His arm healed and the scar disappeared. And that should have been the end of that, a childhood story Wendling would have likely forgotten if Charlie Starkweather hadnt made history seven years later.

Wendling ran all the way home from school that day in late January 1958, after the bodies of C. Lauer Ward and Clara Ward, and their housekeeper, Lillian Fencl, were found in their home just a block from Irving Junior High.

Everybody elses parents, they were picking them up, he said. But my dad couldnt make it.

His father did return home in time for Wendlings after-school paper route, following his son as he delivered the Lincoln Evening Journal down 13th and 14th streets, Van Dorn to Lake streets.

On the front page, the newspaper carried news about Starkweather.

In his car, his father carried a rifle and pistol.

By then, several days into the spree, much of Lincoln was armed and in fear, its residents emptying hardware stores of guns and ammunition. People bought anything that would shoot, a salesman told The Lincoln Star. They werent even particular about what they bought.

But the Wendlings had a tangible concern: That Charlie Starkweather would target them for calling the police in 1951.

We were real worried he would remember this incident when he shot me, and he would come looking for me.

But the 19-year-old Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, were already headed out of the city and out of the state in the Wards' 56 Packard, about to be arrested in eastern Wyoming.

Now Wendling had a childhood story that he couldnt forget: I was the first guy that ever got shot by Starkweather.

It wouldnt define him, but it would give him something to talk about  because people would never stop talking about Starkweather and Fugate, even decades after he was executed and she was imprisoned and later paroled.

He watched book after book get published about the murders and their aftermath. And he read them.

I thought, They dont have the whole story.

He tried telling it publicly only once, when an Omaha TV station announced it was interviewing the latest Starkweather author. Wendling left messages but never heard back.

Earlier this month, the retired manager of Burden's Surplus Center posted a short account on his Facebook page about that day 70 years ago, when Charlie Starkweather pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger.

He knows nobody can corroborate it. Theyre all gone now. His parents, the police officers. He recently tried to find his old friend, Bobby Starkweather, to see what he remembered. He came up empty.

But hes not worried. He remembers feeling the pain and seeing the blood.

Its my story; it happened to me. It was an odd thing: Someone goes on to kill 11 people, and I was the first one he shot.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter

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As Montanas tally of new COVID cases neared 1,000 each day in September, Shelly Stanley-Lehman worried about when the virus would reach her daycare in Billings.

She wanted to have COVID tests on hand to help prevent an outbreak from sweeping through her business, but stores were sold out. She spent days making calls and searching online. When Stanley-Lehman finally got her hands on a box of tests later that month, it was too late  a childs family member, unknowingly infected, had exposed the day care to COVID. The virus quickly spread to four others, including kids and staffers.

We got the tests just in time to close down, Stanley-Lehman said.

Rapid antigen tests for COVID have emerged as a public health tool that can help keep schools and businesses open. They are less accurate than polymerase chain reaction tests, known as PCR tests, which must be sent to a laboratory for results. However, the rapid tests turnaround time of as little as 15 minutes can spot cases early and, through quarantines and isolation, prevent infected people from spreading the virus at schools, businesses and other workplaces. But a box containing two at-home BinaxNow tests, made by Abbott Laboratories, costs $24 at a retail pharmacy  and they are often in short supply.
Commissioner Pat Tabor said he had no problem with the changes, noting the Big Hole and Beaverhead were being considered at the same time in August which may have led to some miscommunication.

I feel the vetting did occur, we did the entire process, it was just that the two rivers got lumped together and inadvertently the Big Hole got subject to that extra thirty days which created an unnecessary penalty and didnt really accomplish anything biologically, he said. So were making this correction.

Brown trout numbers are declining in streams across southwest Montana and fisheries biologists are unable to pinpoint any specific cause. Rather its believed to be a combination of factors ranging from warm water, low flows and increased fishing pressure. On the Big Holes most popular section near Melrose, adult brown trout numbers have fallen from 1,800 to 400 in the past six years.

Commissioner K.C. Walsh said he wanted to let the public know that similar regulations on the Dickie Bridge to Jerry Creek section of the Big Hole would be considered in the future with an opportunity for public comment.
Commissioners

As the commissions representative on the newest work group established to address Madison River crowding, Commissioner K.C. Walsh said he and the appointees are committed to reducing traffic if at all possible. He said the group is also considering caps on commercial use while developing some control mechanisms for noncommercial use on the river.

Walsh said he personally agreed with the majority of the work group that the now-repealed rules werent the proper solution to the problems. He committed to come up with alternatives we believe will be more effective.

Commissioner Pat Byorth, the only remaining member of the last commission that approved the two rules, explained the intent was to test how the changes might affect use, adding they werent set in stone.

Now with six of seven commission members appointed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, and a new work group, the process has begun yet again.

Commissioner Pat Tabor, who works in the outfitting business, hailed the repeal and new efforts saying the commission is seeking fair and balanced solutions that do not favor one constituency trying to get everything for themselves.
MIAMI (AP)  Florida reported 39,000 new COVID-19 cases on Monday from the Christmas weekend, as thousands of people waited in lines for tests following holiday gatherings and flights on crowded airplanes.

Florida reported 17,955 new cases from Sunday and another 21,040 cases from Christmas Day, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida has seen a sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases in the past week. Last Friday, it added more than 32,000 cases, a day after reporting 31,000 in one day as well.

Following the Christmas weekend, thousands of Floridians around the state lined up sometimes for hours Monday to get COVID-19 tests. At a testing site on the east side of Orlando, some people waited three hours for their turn.

I feel terrible. I feel like I wanna be at home in bed, take a cold shower. Its getting tough out here, Irma Bernabe told Orlando television station WESH.

At Miami-Dade County libraries, workers handed out 90,000 free take-home COVID tests, according to the Miami Herald. The county also distributed more than 12,000 tests at its libraries on Christmas Eve.

The number of new COVID-19 cases even forced the cancellation of the latest performance of George Balanchines The Nutcracker by the Miami City Ballet.

The dance company said it had to make the difficult decision, and only announced it publicly about an hour before the Sunday afternoon show at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.

These are challenging times for all and we truly appreciate your support and understanding as we navigate the necessary changes, said the statement posted on the company's Instagram page.

The Miami City Ballet has not yet announced whether the final performances slated for Wednesday and Thursday in West Palm Beach will go on as planned.

Follow APs 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.
A driver with a history of traffic offenses won't be charged in the death of a Bismarck pedestrian in September.

Leora Herrmann, 64, was crossing on the 2000 block of River Road to enter Pioneer Park in Bismarck on Sept. 18 when she was struck by a pickup driven by 79-year-old William Dethloff, of Bismarck, according to police.

Herrmann suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. She died later the same day.

Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer said the attorney who was assigned the case declined prosecution earlier this month.

"The analysis was that we couldnt prove negligence or recklessness on the part of the driver, who had the right of way at the time of the crash. Therefore there was no criminal culpability on the part of the driver," Lawyer told the Tribune.

Police said traffic crash investigators did not believe Dethloff was impaired.

Dethloff has a history of driving-related offenses. In the 1990s, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of operating an unsafe vehicle, and paid $200 in fines. Since 2018, his record includes violations for speeding, failing to wear a seat belt and overtaking where prohibited.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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George Keiser dedicated a large portion of his life to public service. Whether people agreed with his politics or not, he earned their respect with his approach to the office.

Keiser died Wednesday after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or as its better known, Lou Gehrigs disease. The U.S. Army veteran was 75.

Keiser was a native of Salt Lake City, but when he came to Bismarck in 1980 it didnt take him long to make an impression. He owned Quality Printing Service in Bismarck, and his business acumen would prove beneficial to the state.

He served on the Bismarck City Commission from 1988-92. He was elected to the North Dakota House as a Republican in 1992 and had announced this month he wouldnt seek another term. He had spent 20 years on the Bismarck Renaissance Zone Authority until stepping down recently. The board focused on the revitalization of downtown.

Keiser represented District 47 in the Legislature, where he was chairman of the House Industry, Business and Labor Committee. He was known for his knowledge of insurance policy and was involved with the National Council of Insurance Legislators.

He also was recognized for his efforts on workforce safety, health care reform, health insurance and transparency in prescription drug costs. More importantly, he was able to work with colleagues from both political parties. He was more focused on policies and issues than on party.

The last several legislative sessions the Republican Party has held such large majorities it could determine policy. Veteran legislators such as Keiser were relied on for helping develop sound legislation. During the next election, the Legislature will be losing some key lawmakers because of retirements and redistricting.

Keisers institutional knowledge will be missed. He not only understood the issues, but he knew how to get legislation passed. He participated in Novembers special session despite battling ALS. The growing infighting in the Republican Party indicates how big of a void will be created without the presence of veteran legislators such as Keiser.

Its not easy to run a business while spending more that three decades in public office. It requires not just a lot of time, but also sacrifice. Keiser gave a lot to Bismarck and North Dakota, and we owe him a big thanks.

Sometimes we take the service of elected officials for granted and forget their accomplishments. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., summed it up well when he said:

He improved life for many North Dakotans through his thoughtful approach to legislating.

Short and simple, but powerful. George Keiser improved our lives.

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ITAI
A 32-year-old gentleman with a history of felonies landed himself in the pokey after shooting his own leg.

After his mishap, Jonathan Michael McGuire, from Indiana, had his wounded leg treated at a hospital, where he was uncooperative with investigators, according to Yahoo!. He was then "charged with Level 4 felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon."

From Yahoo!:
"Some monsters are real. Some are imagined. And some are made by the US government." Sounds like a movie movie trailer voiceover! But there is a research thread in cryptozoology that explores the history of government agencies intentionally (or unintentionally) creating lasting monster myths. Author Nick Redfern has been tracking fascinating examples of these strange projects including a horrifying vampire hoax conducted by US Air Force Major General Edward Lansdale to freak out a communist guerrilla group in the Philippines. From Mysterious Universe:

Back in the early 1950s, Lansdale  who rose to prominence during the Second World War, while working with the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner of the CIA  spread rumors throughout the Philippines that a deadly vampire was wildly on the loose. Its name was the Aswang, a blood-sucking monstrosity, of which the people of the Philippines lived in complete dread. The reason for Lansdale's actions was as bizarre as it was simple. At the time, specifically 1952, the Philippines were in turmoil and chaos, as a result of an uprising by the Hukbalahap  or Huks, as they were also known. They were vehemently anti-government rebels and did their very best to oust the president of the Philippines, Elpidio Rivera Quirino, with whom Lansdale was friends. And when the major general was asked by Quirino to help end the reign of terror that the Hukbalahap had generated, he quickly came on-board.

One of the first things that Lansdale noted was that the rebels were deathly afraid of the vampiric Aswang and its nocturnal, blood-drinking activities. So, he came up with a brainwave, albeit a grisly one. It was a brainwave that was kept secret for decades, until Lansdale, himself, finally went public, long after his prestigious military career was finally over. As the major general recalled: "To the superstitious, the Huk battleground was a haunted place filled with ghosts and eerie creatures. A combat psy-war squad was brought in. It planted stories among town residents of an Aswang living on the hill where the Huks were based. Two nights later, after giving the stories time to make their way up to the hill camp, the psywar squad set up an ambush along the trail used by the Huks." That same psywar squad then did something that was very alternative, but which proved to be extremely effective. They silently grabbed one of the Hukbalahap rebels, snapped his neck, and then  using a specially created, metallic device  left two, deep, vicious-looking puncture marks on the neck of the man. But that was barely the start of things: they then quietly tied a rope around the man's ankles, hung his body from a nearby tree, and let just about as much blood as possible drain out of the body. After several hours, the corpse was lowered to the ground and left close to the Hukbalahap camp, specifically to ensure it was found by his comrades. They did find it. And they fled.
Prescotts Provisions, 40 E. Niagara St., Tonawanda, has earned its spot on my short list for effective splurge night dining. From popovers with prosciutto to one of the best steaks in town, Vinny Thompson and his crew have gotten the range, and are firing at will. The Brussels sprouts with bacon and pickled mustard seed, grilled chicken sausage with giardiniera and polenta, and gnocchetti with wild boar ragu loom large.

Southern Junction, 27 Chandler St. Ryan Fernandez has extended the menu and hours of his groundbreaking fusion of Texas barbecue and Keralan Indian influences. Theres no dining room, but people line up to carry away the best barbecued brisket in town, smoked fried cauliflower, and cherry-smoked chicken bathed in spiced coconut oil, curry leaves and caramelized onion.

Taqueria los Mayas, 3525 Genesee St., Cheektowaga, has kept its momentum of Mexican excellence going throughout the year, remaining so busy that the only way to get guaranteed takeout is ordering in person. Birria tacos con consomme, griddled mini-quesadillas meant for dipping in intense beef broth, sausage-powered choriqueso made with real cheese, and the Los Cuates burrito duo in housemade rojo and verde sauces get me every time.
Kevin Brun, a member of the committee of unsecured creditors, expressed frustration that it has taken so long to get to this point.

"For God's sake, what have we accomplished in two years for seven million dollars?" he said. Brun said he was speaking only for himself and not on behalf of the committee.

He also was concerned that Bucki chose a local mediator over recommendations for mediators that were put forth by the committee and opposed by insurers. Brun said the diocese used retired local judges to determine compensation amounts for abuse victims who participated in an Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program that was heavily criticized by defense attorneys and survivors.

"In my personal view, this doesn't bode well for survivors going forward," he said.

The diocese identified more than 70 insurers that have potential responsibility in covering the cost of defending against child sex abuse allegations and paying for claims, and it has twice sued in bankruptcy court to get the insurers to pay up.
As prosecutions connected with racial justice protests in Buffalo last year continue to make their way through the courts, a majority of those facing local charges had their cases dismissed.

There were 57 arrests made in protest-related cases between May 31 and Aug. 28, 2020, handled in Buffalo City Court, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Of those, 35 cases were dismissed, while 12 people were given adjournments in contemplation of dismissal. Three people pleaded guilty and one case was transferred to Erie County Family Court, while the rest are pending, the District Attorney's Office said.

Cases against at least eight people remain open in local and federal courts, with several individuals facing charges in both.

Two of the six people charged federally have had their cases resolved.

One of the people charged both locally and federally is Courtland M. Renford.
"There's pent-up demand to get out," Brown said. "We want to let people come out and enjoy New Year's Eve, enjoy themselves. But they have to be part of the effort to do it responsibly."

He said there will be no enforcement of those guidelines. "It is an honor system," Brown said.

New York City, host to a much bigger and more famous ball drop, is requiring people coming to Times Square to show proof of vaccination and limiting the number of people who will be let in.

Brown said that's not logistically possible in Buffalo.

+3 How to spend New Year's Eve in the Buffalo area Buffalo has options for everyone to be satisfied and comfortable this year, from outdoor and virtual events for those concerned about crowds to glamorous, glitzy indoor parties with open bars.

"We would have a real challenge in trying to limit the number of people coming down to the ball drop in Buffalo," Brown said. "In New York City, they have over 30,000 police officers. We don't have quite the same level of personnel here in Buffalo. And throughout the course of the pandemic we have seen the public in Buffalo and Western New York be reasonably responsible and we're asking people to be responsible on New Year's Eve here in Buffalo as well."

Vazquez, speaking at the news conference, urged the unvaccinated to stay away from the festivities.
The California Department of Justice is also investigating.

We at the LAPD would like to express our most heartfelt condolences and profound regret for the loss of this innocent victim, Valentina Orellana-Peralta. There are no words that can describe the depth of the sorrow we feel at this tragic outcome, Spell said in the video.

LAPD officers have shot people 38 people  18 of them fatally, including the shooting Sunday of a man with a knife  in 2021, 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.

Mourners left flowers and a votive candle outside the store on Christmas in a memorial for Orellana-Peralta. Her family said she earned good grades, even though English was her second language and she'd only been in the U.S. for about six months.

Her father, Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, already had purchased tickets to relocate to the U.S. when he learned of his daughters death. They were planning to go to an NBA basketball game  she was a fan of star LeBron James  and see a favorite band perform, he said.
It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged during his opening statement. But he maintained that investigators didnt seriously consider other possible suspects, including people who had either been evicted, sued or fired by RJR.

The defense also argued that police failed to check out the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Fakler.

I wanted you to know that these four individuals were wonderful people, Jackie Fakler said to Isaak. I thoroughly loved my husband and I forgive him.

In asking the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole, prosecutor Gabrielle Goter said Isaak is a danger to the community who hasnt shown any remorse for the crimes, which she said were preplanned and premeditated. The judge agreed.

Prosecutors during trial showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup truck from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the killings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer had planned out the attack.
Buffalo is facing a housing crisis. Even before the pandemic, nearly half of local renters spent more on rent than they could afford; since, the situation has reached a breaking point, with many households facing significant arrears. The situation mirrors a statewide emergency in which soaring housing costs are harming vulnerable New Yorkers in every community. Now, with Washington stalling and the end of the eviction moratorium looming, all eyes are on Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The task ahead may seem daunting, but an ambitious new plan to stimulate the economy, meaningfully address affordability and promote racial justice is within reach. It starts by dedicating, over five years, $6 billion to statewide housing production to address needs from Niagara Falls to the South Bronx.

This is smart progressive policy. Those dollars would drive affordable housing construction, creating jobs and generating tax revenue while providing homes for low-income residents, leveling the economic playing field, and helping address long-standing racial injustices. Financed via long-term bonds, this plan would have marginal impact on the states debt service.
We have an old, yellowing newspaper clipping that shows military men in uniform performing. Supposedly he was one of the men in the photograph. He did see some fighting. One of my clearest memories is of the scarring on his face and hands from the mustard gas that got him while he was fighting in the trenches. He later settled in Buffalo, and I think he never did learn to speak much English.

He worked as a bodyguard for Admiral Thomas Kinkaid and served in the Philippines. He said it was a beautiful country, and he knew that someday hed live where it was hot like that. He told me some pretty horrific stories. He remembered seeing a gunners arms and hands holding onto the guns on his ship, but the body was gone. He also said that when he and his buddies were sitting around a campfire, the guy next to him lit a cigarette. My father claimed that he felt the wind off the bullet as it flew past his face. He also reported that they got the sniper. There was also the time he swam in the ocean with a friend who emerged with octopi stuck all over him. The local women rushed over to take them off him to sell or eat themselves. Eventually he got his wish to live in a more tropical climate when he moved to Florida, and on his wall was a painting I remembered being fascinated with as a child. It was an oil painting of swirly water that became a shark. He bought that painting all those years ago when he was in the Philippines.
COVID-19 practice closures lead to a 10.9% decrease in surgical procedures

WEST LEBANON, N.H., Dec. 28, 2021 /CNW/ -- The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) released the results of its annual Global Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures today, which showcased the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aesthetic plastic surgery procedures worldwide throughout 2020.

(PRNewsfoto/International Society of Aesthe)

Highlights

Plastic surgery procedures for aesthetic purposes decreased by 10.9% overall in 2020, with 77.8% of surgeons globally experiencing temporary practice closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonsurgical procedures (primarily fillers and hair removal treatments) continued to increase, but by lower proportions than seen in previous years (5.7% in 2020, compared to 7.6% in 2019). This resulted in an overall decrease of 1.8% for all procedures.

Dr. Arturo Ramirez-Montanana, Chair of ISAPS' Global Survey Committee said, "This downward trend is in line with our survey findings of lower patient demand due to safety and financial concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, many of us have also experienced an increase in demand due to patients' increased flexibility, the opportunity for a more private recovery and, particularly for facial procedures, the so-called 'zoom effect'. This has limited the impact of COVID-19 on overall procedures."

Aesthetic Procedures

The most common surgical procedures worldwide remained the same during 2020, with breast augmentation making up 16% of all procedures, liposuction 15.1%, eyelid surgery 12.1%, rhinoplasty 8.4% and abdominoplasty 7.6%.

The top five nonsurgical procedures also remained consistent: botulinum toxin (43.2% of all nonsurgical procedures), hyaluronic acid (28.1%), hair removal (12.8%), nonsurgical fat reduction (3.9%) and photo rejuvenation (3.6%). Around 85% of nonsurgical procedures were performed on women.

In spite of the overall reduction in surgeries, rhinoplasty and brow lift surgeries continued to increase, and nonsurgical facial rejuvenation showed a 13.9% increase compared to a decrease in both 2019 and 2018.

Story continues

Overall, nonsurgical procedures increased, except for botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid, and micro-ablative resurfacing (decreasing by 0.9%, 6.1% and 11.3%, respectively).

The most common surgical procedures in men continue to be eyelid surgery, liposuction, gynecomastia, rhinoplasty and ear surgery.

Looking at the age distribution for different procedures, 19-34-year-olds made up the highest proportion of those undergoing rhinoplasty (67.9%) while 35-50-year-olds accounted for the majority of botulinum toxin procedures (50.2%).

At the time of this survey, only 45% of surgeons had seen a return to pre-pandemic patient volume. Dr. Ramirez-Montanana said, "Despite the terrible pandemic we are living through, it seems that most aesthetic plastic surgeons are getting back to near-normal practice and I am optimistic about 2021, both for the plastic surgery industry and for surgical and nonsurgical procedures."

Country Statistics

The USA saw an increase in both surgical and nonsurgical procedures, consolidating its position as the number one country for surgical procedures performed worldwide (14.7% of total surgical procedures) and taking the lead from Brazil with most nonsurgical procedures performed worldwide (22.1% of total nonsurgical procedures).

The top 10 countries for procedures in 2020 were the USA, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Russia, and India, followed by Spain, Greece, Colombia and Thailand.

Mexico, Turkey, and Colombia saw the highest proportion of foreign patients: 28.2%, 25.8% and 21.8%, respectively in 2020. Thailand, which held the number one position last year, was fourth highest at 20.9%.

Hospitals continue to be the primary facility where surgical procedures are performed (43.8% worldwide), apart from the USA where office facilities (45% of procedures) and free-standing surgical centers (34.3%) are more commonly used.

Survey Methodology

Survey participants completed a questionnaire that primarily focused on the number of specific surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed in 2020, along with some ancillary questions related to the impact of COVID-19, surgeon demographics and the prevalence of medical tourism. This questionnaire was sent to approximately 25,000 plastic surgeons in ISAPS' database. Data from a total of 1,081 plastic surgeons were compiled for this survey. The results were compiled, tabulated and analyzed by Industry Insights, an independent research firm based in Columbus, OH. ISAPS is the only organization to collect this type of cosmetic data annually on a global scale. For a copy of full results, please visit https://www.isaps.org/medical-professionals/isaps-global-statistics/.

About ISAPS  The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) is the world's leading professional body for board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeons. Founded in 1970, ISAPS provides an open forum for the exchange of aesthetic plastic surgery knowledge worldwide. ISAPS sponsors and endorses scientific meetings throughout the world, and offers its members up-to-date training and continuing education. Today, ISAPS membership includes over 5,100 of the world's most respected aesthetic and reconstructive surgeons in 110 countries. Patients looking for an aesthetic plastic surgeon can use our Find a Surgeon feature to find a qualified and experienced surgeon with a demonstrated commitment to ethical practice and patient safety.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2020-global-survey-from-isaps-sees-significant-changes-in-aesthetic-procedures-during-pandemic-301450475.html

SOURCE International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2021/28/c2911.html
Actors in Antigone in a performance in Sicily, Italy - 2021

In our series of letters from African journalists, Ismail Einashe attends a classic drama seeking to overturn prejudices on the Italian island of Sicily, now home to many African migrants.

Short presentational grey line

An audience eagerly awaits outside a theatre on the outskirts of Palermo for the opening night of Greek tragedy Antigone - with a Sicilian twist.

Inside, a troupe of Italian and African migrant actors - a mixture of professionals and amateurs - are finishing their last rehearsal of the production.

Sophocles' play, written around 441 BC, is about the clash of loyalties between family and state in the aftermath of a civil war sparked by the death of the exiled king of Thebes, Antigone's father.

Antigone goes against the command of the new monarch, who declares one of her brothers a traitor and orders him to be left on the battlefield to be eaten by vultures.

She defiantly performs funeral rites and is punished - and eventually dies.

The cast involves professionals and amateurs and a mix of nationalities

This modern retelling, co-authored by award-winning Italian-Somali novelist Ubah Cristina Ali Farah and Italian theatre director Giuseppe Massa, is about such defiance, about standing up to attitudes in a society sometimes frightened by the recent influx migrants.

They wrote it after holding acting workshops in Sicily within migrant communities.

Massa says the play serves as a warning about how those in power can oppress those they rule.

It challenges people to consider what is morally unacceptable in society - and how to deal with refugees.

Multi-lingual performance

Among those on stage at the Cantieri Culturali Alla Zisa cultural centre - dressed in bright pink robes - is Kate, an 18-year-old born to Nigerian parents in Palermo.

It is the first time she has starred in a play - and she gets to speak in Pidgin and English, at one point saying: "When are you going to notice me, when are you going to know I exist?"

Fatima arrived in Sicily as a teenager without her parents

The line echoes Kate's own experiences of growing up as a black person in Palermo.

Next to her is Fatima from The Gambia, who has been in several theatre productions in Sicily in recent years.

Story continues

She is from Serekunda, the largest urban area in The Gambia and arrived in Sicily on her own as a teenager four years ago.

Now in her early twenties, she says she loves being part of this modern version of Antigone, but wishes her mother was able to come and watch her.

The two young women make up the Chorus - who narrate the whole story as none of the main characters appear in this retelling.

The Chorus represent the citizens of Thebes - or for Massa, the people of Palermo.

To reflect Palermo's "linguistic and cultural diversity", the director decided to incorporate different languages, including Italian, Mandinka, French, Pidgin and English, into the performance.

African drumming and music were also used to illustrate the mesh of cultures in Sicily.

The chorus tell the story of Antigone and her struggles as well as the issues facing women today

Massa believes that theatre plays an important role in helping to bring migrants and refugees into the artistic fabric of society and creating a feeling of belonging.

By centring on their voices, languages and experiences he also wants to challenge anti-migrant sentiments.

He says Sicilians forget that the island has a long history of multiculturalism, and those coming now from places like Senegal, Nigeria and The Gambia are adding to the mix.

The all-female chorus chant in unison to demonstrate the commonality of Palermo's residents.

Their role is to also challenge the status of women in Sicily today by shouting out about such issues as abortion, according to Ali Farah.

Love and acceptance

When the lights go down for the start of the play - about 70 people are in attendance, captivated for the next hour and a half.

The character of Antigone appears right at the end of production before her death

The performance ends with the first appearance of Antigone, who is played by a young Nigerian actress called Happy.

She walks through the auditorium on to the stage, crying and wailing with music thundering and lights blaring to mark her death.

The audience break out into repeated rounds of clapping as the actors line up looking extremely proud.

Afterwards I catch Kate and Fatima outside, both beaming with big smiles and giddy excitement.

Fatima tells me it was "amazing" - before they both dash back into the theatre to enjoy pizzas with the rest of the cast.

For Massa, Antigone is a play that calls for acceptance and love in society - something his production certainly achieved in its short run in Palermo.

More Letters from Africa:

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
FILE PHOTO: The logo for LinkedIn Corporation, a social networking networking website for people in professional occupations, is shown in Mountain View

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corp's LinkedIn of inflating the number of people who watched video ads so the networking platform could overcharge hundreds of thousands of advertisers.

In a decision on Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen said that while some LinkedIn statements may have been misleading, the plaintiffs failed to show their legal remedies were inadequate before suing under two California laws that offered only equitable relief such as restitution.

The San Jose, California-based judge also said LinkedIn had no implied duty to provide "accurate ad metrics," citing its disclaimer that it was not responsible for click fraud or illicit third-party activity that could affect ad costs.

Advertisers in the proposed class action accused LinkedIn of inflating its metrics by counting video ad "views" from users' LinkedIn apps, even when videos played only off-screen because users scrolled past them.

The lawsuit began after LinkedIn said in November 2020 https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog/linkedin-news/2020/how-we-re-working-to-improve that its engineers had fixed software bugs that may have led to more than 418,000 overcharges, most under $25. LinkedIn said it provided credits to virtually all affected advertisers.

Judge van Keulen had in August dismissed some of the advertisers' claims while letting others proceed https://www.reuters.com/technology/linkedin-must-face-narrowed-us-lawsuit-claiming-it-overcharged-advertisers-2021-08-04.

Monday's dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit led by advertisers TopDevz Inc of Sacramento, California, and Noirefy Inc of Chicago cannot be brought again. LinkedIn is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Lawyers for the advertisers did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment. LinkedIn and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The case is In re LinkedIn Advertising Metrics Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-08324.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Ferran Torres has completed a move to Barcelona from Manchester City and penned a five-and-a-half year contract.

The move will cost an initial 55m (47m) fee which could rise to more than 60m (51m), while the Spain internationals buyout clause has been set at 1 billion.

The player will be presented at the Camp Nou on 3 January and becomes the first signing of the Xavi era. Torres is also the most expensive Spanish signing in Barcelonas history.

City have made a significant profit on Torres, who only joined in a 20.9m move from Valencia during the summer of 2020 and has missed the last two months with a foot injury.

The 21-year-old had become frustrated with a perceived lack of playing time under Pep Guardiola, having made a total of 43 appearances since his arrival.

Ferran Torres celebrates with his City teammates (Getty)

Guardiola has also dismissed suggestions that a replacement signing for Torres will be made next month.

No, were not going to bring in any striker in January, said manager Guardiola at a press conference when asked if this could now be a possibility.

I want the happiness of my players. If we had just two or three attacking players then maybe Ferran would think he had more chance to play and stay longer. But always I have the feeling that when Barcelona or Real Madrid knock on the door of players then it is difficult to say no.

They are still the strongest teams in the world in terms of fashion, cities and many reasons. He is from Spain, Barcelona knock and I understand why he wants to leave. I cannot convince the players to do something when their mind isnt here. It makes no sense. Other clubs make them stay, I dont agree with that.

The signing of Torres has been completed despite Barcelona's well-documented financial problems, which led to the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain and the imposition of a 97m (82m) salary cap on the club by La Liga.

Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti are among the players that Barcelona are hoping to offload during the January window in order to ease their financial issues.

Story continues

Torres scored 13 goals from 36 appearances in all competitions for City last season and has three goals in seven games this term.

While his move to City has coincided with an impressive run of form for his country, including an important role for Spain in their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. Torres has contributed 12 goals in 22 caps to date, with Barcelona evidently valuing his potential to become a cornerstone for La Roja over the next decade.

Torres leaves the Etihad having won the Premier League and Carabao Cup, while also part of the side that finished runner-up to Chelsea in last seasons Champions League.
J&K signs MoU with UCB to facilitate UT students

IANS, Jammu || Published : December 23, 2021

The Jammu and Kashmir government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University College Birmingham (UCB) at India Global Forum, Dubai, to explore potential progression opportunities through institutional partnership with vocational colleges and universities in J&K.

For the first time, UCB has decided to set up an office in Jammu and Kashmir to tie up with local educational institutions, facilitate academic exchange programmes and enable students to secure admissions at reduced fees.

Director of Industries and Commerce, Jammu, Anoo Malhotra, and Director Marketing, Admissions and International Recruitment, University College Birmingham, Eileen Pryer, signed the MoU in the presence of Counsel General of India, Aman Puri, during the India Global Forum event held at Taj Dubai.

"We have signed an MoU. We will be exchanging educational programmes and doing many things together. I am inviting her to J&K. We will be providing her with some office space. We will start work as soon as possible," said Anu Malhotra.

Eileen said it is an incredible opportunity for the University College Birmingham.

"This provides a great opportunity for things to explore, make partnerships with universities and provide wider opportunity for students who may not able to go straight to our programmes. So it is an incredible opportunity. We have a very positive experience," she said.

The objective of the MoU is to provide a framework within which the parties will seek to develop a formal relationship in exchange of undergraduate/graduate students, technical programs, academic mobility, teaching and research programs. The document would be valid for a period of three years.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27)  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is targeting to release the final list of candidates for the May 2022 general polls on January 7.

We expect the list will be final by January 7. Target natin (Thats our target), said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in a press conference on Monday.

Jimenez said that they expect all the cancellation of certificates for the declaration of nuisance candidate cases would already be resolved by then. But Jimenez clarified that disqualification cases are not included yet since it will require a longer period to be resolved.

Yung mga pwedeng i-resolve dito dapat na-resolve na dapat by then (Those that can be resolved should have been resolved by then)...Yung mga kaso na that would have resulted in the removal of the name from the list, for example, like cancellations and nuisance candidates, natanggal na dapat yan (That should have been resolved), he said.

But for other cases, just like a disqualification case, where the issues are more complicated and probably will take longer to resolve, hindi sila matatanggal (they will not be removed from the list). But they will be able to proceed because there would be nothing hindering their candidacy at that point, Jimenez added.

The poll body earlier said that it would release the final list by December.

According to the tentative list of candidates released by Comelec on Dec. 24, presidential aspirants were narrowed down to 15 from 97 and vice-presidential hopefuls are now down to 9 from 29.

Comelec is also targeting to start the printing of ballots on January 15.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The Department of the Interior and Local Government wants President Rodrigo Duterte to create an inter-agency task force that will evict and relocate residents living on coastal easements, as ordered by the chief executive.

Not a single agency can do this on its own. Medyo mabigat ito (This is quite heavy) considering that we have one of the longest shorelines in the world, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, DILG spokesperson, told CNN Philippines Tuesday.

And there are many people living within the 40-meter easement so this will have to be done by an inter-agency task force and we will need the support of many agencies to get this happening, he added.

Malaya said the department will make the recommendation to the Office of the President after the holidays.

Assessing the aftermath of Typhoon Odette in a command conference last week, DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano lamented the violation of the no-build policy within the 40-meter easement in coastal communities. In response, Duterte suggested the summary eviction of residents from the shorelines, even saying theres no need to wait for a court order.

Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal said Monday there's a legal basis to the Presidents directive, but a process must be followed. Under the Urban Development and Housing Act, local government units (LGUs), in coordination with the National Housing Authority, should provide relocation or resettlement sites for persons living in danger areas like shorelines.

So, if hes (Dutertes) going to say summary eviction, he would better have something, a resettlement site ready for these people that hes going to be evicting, Batongbacal said in a separate interview with CNN Philippines.

In his latest Talk to the People Monday night, the President softened his tone and clarified there would be no demolition without relocation sites.

Malaya said the proposed task force will implement a whole-of-government approach, starting with a survey to determine the number of residents on coastal easements, and which of them should be relocated first.

It's a collective problem of the Filipino people. Kasi alam mo naman ang ugali ng mga Pinoy di ba they will build anywhere (Because you know Filipinos, they have the tendency to build anywhere), Malaya said.

Its a problem of the citizens itself because alam naman nila na nasa ano sila (they know they are in a), danger zone but they continue to live there; its a problem of LGUs that continue to tolerate them staying there; its a problem of law enforcement, he added.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau said its geohazard map is up to date, and this was used by disaster officials in preparing for the onslaught of Typhoon Odette  considered the strongest storm to hit the country this year. Chief geologist Liza Socorro Manzano of the MGB-Lands Geological Survey Division said even an early warning system does not guarantee zero casualty.

Coastal flooding, storm surge tsunami So if we can remove people from harm's way and provide them a better place to stay and still they have their livelihood, why not? Manzano said.

Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, is urging local governments to use geohazard maps to move people away from areas that are highly susceptible to flooding and landslides. The DILG admits its a tall order, with a few months left under the Duterte administration.

"We will never be able to complete this within the Duterte administration. This is such a large undertaking so whats important is we plant the seed," Malaya said.

The next President should make resettlement top priority to avoid yet another disaster, Batongbacal said.

Weve known for years that we will be experiencing more extreme weather events so theres no excuse to be still unprepared despite all of this time and all of that foreknowledge, he stressed.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The husband of the country's fourth Omicron case has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in isolation, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

"We have already traced the contacts of this person. Her family, for one. Her husband turned positive also. He is currently in the isolation facility," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines' The Source.

Vergeire said the sample of the 37-year-old spouse, a Filipino citizen, will undergo genome sequencing.

The official added the department is still determining who the couple came into contact with on the plane that brought them to the Philippines. They arrived in the country from the United States on Dec. 10 via Philippine Airlines flight PR 127.

According to Vergeire, both the wife, 38, and husband were tested on the same day and subsequently isolated upon release of positive test results. After the 10-day isolation, both were discharged and labeled as being asymptomatic. The wife was later found to have the Omicron variant. She also remains in isolation at home and will undergo another swab test within the day. The husband will also be retested based on existing protocols.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The OCTA Research group warns of a potential rise in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the capital region's daily positivity rate - or the percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed that turned out to be positive - rose on Monday to more than 5% for the first time since October.

The seven-day positivity rate is at 2.4%, he added.

Metro Manila's reproduction number - or the number of individuals an infected person can pass the virus to - also increased to 1.03 as of Dec. 25, and may still rise to 1.39 if the current trend continues.

David also said at least 400 new infections are expected to be recorded in Metro Manila, and around 1,200 nationwide by Wednesday.

"There is now concern that this is not just a holiday uptick," David said.

According to the World Health Organization, countries or regions may reopen borders if they are able to maintain positivity rates of below 5% for at least 14 days. However, the country has has kept restrictions tight due to the threat of the more infectious Omicron variant.

The country has started to record more than 400 daily COVID-19 cases since Christmas Day, majority of which are from Metro Manila.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergiere earlier mentioned some cities like San Juan, Las Pinas, Manila, Makati, and Paranaque - which saw increases in COVID-19 cases from Dec. 13 to 26.

OCTA researchers advised to people to continue following minimum public health standards.
(CNN)  A suicide bomber struck a restaurant in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern city of Beni on Saturday, killing at least eight people as well as himself, officials said.

The explosion took place at INBOX bar where people were celebrating Christmas, according to a security official in Beni.

Twenty people were wounded, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said Sunday.

The attack marks the latest violence in a region where Congolese and Ugandan forces have launched a campaign against suspected Islamists.

"The suicide bomber, prevented by security guards from entering a crowded bar, activated the bomb at the entrance of the bar," the regional governor's spokesman, Gen. Ekenge Sylvain, said in a statement.

Two women and a teenage girl were among those killed, said the security official.

Sylvain said that insurgents from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group aligned with the Islamic State, had activated a "sleeper cell" in Beni to target citizens, but he did not provide evidence connecting them to the explosion.

The ADF did not immediately claim responsibility.

On Saturday night, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement on Twitter that he "strongly condemns" the "odious" attack.

Congo and neighboring Uganda launched a military campaign in the area at the end of November against the ADF, with Uganda mounting air and artillery strikes against their bases and sending thousands of troops across the border. Officials have previously blamed the group for bombings in the region.

Beni's mayor, Narcisse Muteba Kashale, earlier told local radio that a bomb had exploded in the city center. "For safety, I'm asking the population to stay home," the mayor said.

A Reuters journalist nearby said he heard an explosion around 7 p.m. local time, just after the afternoon Catholic mass, near the city's main road, followed by gunshots.

Police spokesman Nasson Murara said that officers fired live rounds to disperse an angry crowd that attempted to bar investigators from accessing the scene of the explosion. No one was injured, he said.

Images shared on social media showed dozens of green chairs scattered across a road, some melted or smoldering. At least four bodies, including that of a small girl, could be seen among the wreckage.

Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.

The joint Congolese and Ugandan campaign, launched on November 30, had planned to target four ADF camps, including two in the Beni area, a Ugandan general said earlier this month.

Beni was rocked by two explosions in June at a Catholic church and at a busy intersection. No one was killed in either blast except the suspected bomber, who was killed by the second explosion.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Suicide bomber kills at least 8 at east Congo restaurant."
(CNN) -- Elon Musk's rocky year in China is ending on another sour note.

The tech billionaire's SpaceX satellites are catching heat in the country after Beijing complained that two satellites launched by the American aerospace manufacturer endangered Chinese astronauts.

In a report sent earlier this month to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, China claimed that two SpaceX satellites flew too close to the country's space station this year, forcing the station to make evasive maneuvers to avoid collision.

The two encounters "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station," according to the report, which said the incidents happened in July and October.

China filed its complaint to the UN early this month. But the episodes didn't gain widespread attention in the country until this week.

Chinese State media scrutinized the incidents, which involved satellites that are part of SpaceX's Starlink constellation  a project that promises to beam high-speed internet across the entire planet. The Global Times, a state-run tabloid, cited an expert Monday who speculated that SpaceX may have been "trying to test China's capability and response awareness in space."

The topic also attracted some 90 million views on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media service in China. Users criticized the "US Starlink satellites." One person decried the network as a "rogue project" and a "kind of monopoly in the space race." Another accused the United States of "provoking trouble."

Asked about the incident on Tuesday, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the United States to "take immediate measures to prevent such incidents from happening again."

"It is a typical double standard for the US to proclaim the concept of 'responsible conduct in outer space' while ignoring its obligations under international treaties on outer space and posing a grave threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Zhao Lijian told reporters.

SpaceX did not respond to a request from CNN Business for comment about the document that China filed with the UN, nor to questions about whether the company was able to communicate with Chinese authorities during the incidents.

The UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs did not immediately respond to a request from CNN Business for comment. In its report, China asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to remind countries of the organization's treaty governing outer space activity.

The US military's Vandenberg Space Force Base, which monitors space traffic and attempts to track potential collisions, did not respond to a request for comment about the UNOOSA report.

A space traffic problem

People across the United States are already using the new Starlink network, and it's rapidly expanding across the globe as SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites and expands its service into new countries.

SpaceX's Starlink constellation already includes roughly 2,000 satellites, and it promises to far surpass that amount.

But that satellite constellation, other similar planned projects and increasing commercial and government activity in space has contributed to a growing problem: how to manage traffic in space.

Near-misses between objects in space happen all the time. And the apparent close calls documented in China's report to the UN may be symptoms of a larger problem plaguing space-faring nations: There is not a perfect, international solution for tracking and coordinating objects in space.

Concerns about potential collisions will likely keep growing, and activities in space will become more dangerous as humans launch more objects into orbit.

It should also be noted that Russia and China have conducted anti-satellite, or ASAT, military tests that have essentially blown up satellites in orbit and created massive plumes of debris in space. That debris whips uncontrollably through orbit, threatening any spacecraft, space station or satellite that might cross the debris field's path.

Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, pointed out that the International Space Station has had to maneuver out of the way of debris created by China's 2007 ASAT test several times in recent years.

In other words: Every party involved shares a bit of the fault for how crowded Earth's orbit has become.

"This is another symptom that we're in a new era  a new space age that is both much busier much tenser," McDowell told CNN Business.

It's not clear whether the Starlink satellites mentioned in the UN report attempted to move out of the way of China's space station on their own. During October's close encounter, according to China, the satellite's "maneuver strategy was unknown and orbital errors were hard to be assessed," prompting the space station to evade the satellite and "avoid a potential collision."

The Starlink website, though, says that autonomous collision avoidance technology is embedded into its satellites, allowing them to automatically duck out of the way if they detect a potential crash with an oncoming piece of space junk, a space station or any other space-faring object.

McDowell told CNN Business that based on his data, the Starlink satellite that made a close approach to China's space station in July made a slight adjustment to its path that could indicate the autonomous system was working.

But he added that those systems are hardly effective if there's not more coordination.

"If I'm in China  even if I know that SpaceX has an autonomous system  I don't know that it's going to work this time," he said. "I don't know if it's switched on."

Musk's reputation in China

The controversy could hurt Musk's reputation in China.

Musk spent years winning over authorities and Chinese citizens alike as his electric carmaker Tesla made inroads where other foreign firms could not.

Tesla was the only foreign manufacturer without a local partner to win a big tax break for its cars in 2019, and Musk famously danced on stage during the debut of the Shanghai-made Model 3 early last year, which went viral on Weibo. Premier Li Keqiang once even said he would be happy to give Musk a "China green card" after the American entrepreneur said he "loves China very much."

But Musk's reception in the country has been damaged over the last year by a run of bad publicity, including a recall of virtually all of the Tesla cars that have been built in Shanghai. The company also faced protests by Telsa owners at this year's Shanghai auto show over poor car quality and various safety concerns flagged by Chinese regulators.

Musk, who has long shown an affinity for Chinese culture, has in the meantime been on a monthslong charm offensive.

In July, he applauded the government on the 100th anniversary for the ruling Chinese Communist Party, tweeting: "The economic prosperity that China has achieved is truly amazing, especially in infrastructure! I encourage people to visit and see for themselves."

That came months after the world's richest man appeared for a rare interview with a Chinese state broadcaster, heaping praise on Beijing and saying that China would "become the biggest economy in the world." Musk has also predicted that the country will eventually become Tesla's most important market.

And his many utterances have often created buzz within the country. In November, Musk cryptically tweeted an ancient Chinese poem that is famous in the country, and which refers to a spat between brothers. It swiftly became a trending topic on Weibo.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites catch heat in China over close calls with space station"
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27)  The uptick in reproduction rate in Metro Manila will not lead to hard lockdowns as more Filipinos secure their COVID-19 shots, an expert said Monday.

In a virtual briefing, Guido David of OCTA Research said there is no reason as yet to impose stricter restrictions in the capital region, adding that the rise in the reproduction number could have been driven by social gatherings during the holidays.

The reproduction rate in the region is now at 0.85, doubled from last week's 0.42.

READ: OCTA flags 'slightly concerning' increase in NCR positivity rate, reproduction number

"It could just be a holiday uptick," he said, saying the number of cases and positivity rate would eventually go down.

The small increase in cases, he added, is "expected" as this had been also observed in December 2020.

David said the situation is not yet "alarming", noting the public will see a clearer picture by January.

"I don't think babalik tayo sa panahon na kailangang mag-lockdown dahil marami na tayong bakunado sa NCR (National Capital Region) and many of the metropolitan areas," David added.

[Translation: I don't think we will go back to the time when we have to lockdown because NCR and many of the metropolitan areas have high vaccine coverage.]

The whole country is under Alert Level 2 until the end of this year. The pandemic response task force also assesses areas by their COVID-19 vaccination coverage before imposing a new alert level.

Metro Manila has the highest vaccination coverage, having administered at least one shot to over 100% of its target population.

Meanwhile, in a separate briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the increase is "not significant yet".

"But it is an alarm, it is a warning for all of us that cases might start to increase so kailangan magtulong-tulong tayo lahat ngayon (so we all need to work together now)," she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The Department of Trade and Industry said "inquiry letters" have been issued for instances of overpricing in areas affected by Typhoon Odette.

"Nakapag-issue na rin tayo, base sa mga ni-report sa atin, mga 50 na explanation letters, inquiry letters. At ang kasunod po noon ay kaso pagka ito po'y hindi talaga sa atin na-explain 'yung pagtaas ng presyo na 'yun. At after na-apprehend sila, kino-correct nila (ang presyo)," DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said during President Rodrigo Duterte's weekly Talk to the People address.

[Translation: We have issued, based on reports, around 50 explanation letters, inquiry letters. Cases would follow these if they cannot sufficiently explain why they raised prices. And after they are apprehended, they correct the prices.]

In his report, Lopez said 50 letters were issued in Bohol and two in Cebu. Another eight were issued in Northern Mindanao, while seven show cause orders were issued in Misamis Oriental.

Lopez did not say what the current status of these letters are.

Apprehensions were also made, Lopez added, mentioning instances of overpricing in Bohol and Cebu but said once caught, sellers corrected their prices.

On Dec. 21, President Duterte declared a state of calamity in six regions in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. A state of calamity would allow local governments to tap their respective calamity funds to help typhoon-hit communities. It would also automatically freeze the prices of basic goods in these areas.

Lopez also said that during visits to regions affected by the storm, assessments were made to determine which small businesses needed the most help.

"Ang estimate namin mga 2,000 ang magiging beneficiary per province... Estimate po mga 20 million allocation per province. So, total po, immediately mga 100 to 150 million ang ating magiging initial assistance," he said.

[Translation: We estimate around 2,000 beneficiaries per province... The estimate is a P20 million allocation per province. So, the total immediately is a P100 to P150 million initial assistance.]

Lopez said they can immediately give 8.2 million for livelihood assistance and would start with 300 profiled micro businesses in Siargao to receive livelihood assistance worth P8,000 per beneficiary.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he is against evicting families from "no-build zones," or areas deemed dangerous to reside in, including during typhoons, unless relocation sites have already been identified.

In a meeting with Cabinet officials on Monday night, Duterte told Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Roger Mercado to ensure that the affected residents are resettled first before the government can clear their homes.

I do not want to dismantle or destroy houses unless there is a relocation site, Duterte said.

Im not in favor of starting to dismantle the houses kasi [because], Secretary, ito 'yung mga [these people have] nowhere to go, he added, noting that their only fault for being in the restricted areas is that they are poor.

Duterte also asked the DPWH to coordinate with local government units to address the issue.

Earlier, the President proposed the summary eviction of those living along coastal easements, as he cited the need to protect people following the deadly Typhoon Odette. The storm  the strongest to hit the country this year  has killed nearly 400 people, based on the latest data from the government's disaster management agency.
(CNN)  As the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread, some experts say it's past time to reconsider your face mask options  especially if you're still wearing the cloth variety.

"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, on CNN Newsroom Tuesday.

"This is what scientists and public health officials have been saying for months, many months, in fact," Wen added in a separate phone interview.

"We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask," she said, which is also known as a disposable mask and can be found at most drugstores and some grocery and retail stores. "You can wear a cloth mask on top of that, but do not just wear a cloth mask alone."

Ideally, in crowded places, "you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask," which can be as inexpensive as a few dollars each, Wen added. By having a better fit and certain materials  such as polypropylene fibers acting as both mechanical and electrostatic barriers, these masks better prevent tiny particles from getting into your nose or mouth and must be fitted to your face to function properly.

Changing guidance

During the first several months of the pandemic, health experts discouraged the general public from buying N95 masks, since medical professionals were facing a shortage of personal protection equipment. But it has "been many months since supply of N95s (has been) an issue," Wen said.

Yet the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent guidance on selecting, properly wearing, cleaning and storing face masks recommended people avoid N95 masks and instead choose masks with two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric  which Wen called "a major mistake."

"If we're going to go as far as to say that masks are required  when we don't come from a mask-wearing culture and people don't like wearing masks  at least recommend that they wear the most effective mask," Wen said.

Other countries, including Germany and Austria, have "switched their standard to say that a face covering in public must be at least a medical-grade surgical mask" in certain settings, she added.

CNN reached out to the CDC about its recommendations regarding N95s and cloth masks and is still awaiting comment.

Another factor driving change in mask recommendations is a better understanding of Covid-19 and how it spreads, said Erin Bromage, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. "It's taken longer for people to appreciate the nature of airborne infection  that this isn't necessarily a hybrid infection, say with influenza, where it can both be spread by droplets, inhaled a little bit, on surfaces and infect that way," he said. "It appears ... the primary driver of (coronavirus) infection is shared air."

Cloth masks  encouraged earlier in the pandemic  can filter large droplets, while more effective masks, such as N95s, can filter both large droplets and the smaller aerosols or particles potentially laden with airborne virus if infected people are present, Bromage said. A cloth face covering also has 75% inward and outward leakage, which the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists defines as the "percentage of particles entering the facepiece" and the "percentage of particles exhaled by a source exiting the facepiece," respectively.

Properly fitted N95 respirators that are approved by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health can filter up to 95% of particles in the air, according to the CDC. Surgical or disposable masks are around 5% to 10% less effective than N95 respirators, Bromage said, depending on their ASTM International categorization -- with types 1, 2 and 3 ranking just surgical masks from least to most effective.

Why the Omicron variant has been so successful at quickly infecting many people is "unknown at the moment," but it only underscores the role quality masks can play, Bromage said.

"If it is less virus needed, or if it is a person who's infected is putting more virus out, then the role of a mask in this is if we can cut down the amount that you're actually breathing in, you get more time," he added. "If you needed 1,000 viral particles to infect you and you're wearing something that cuts 50% of things down, it's now going to take twice as long to get to that 1,000. If you're wearing one that is a 90% efficient, it's going to take at least 10 times as long before you get infected when you're around somebody (who is infected)."

"We need to be promoting better high-quality masks everywhere, because right now a single-layer cloth mask just isn't cutting it against Omicron," said former US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams Thursday on CNN's AC360. "We need more testing. We need better masking. That's how we get through this."

Swapping out your cloth masks

The National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety has a list of approved N95 respirators, which can be found at some home improvement stores, retailers and drugstores. These masks should have a cup, flat fold or duck bill shape; two straps that go around your head; an adjustable wire nose bridge; and appropriate markings indicating NIOSH approval, the CDC says.

The agency also has resources for determining whether an N95 respirator is counterfeit, and for properly putting it on, taking it off and performing a respirator seal check.

The difference between N95 and KN95 respirators is where the mask is certified, according to Oklahoma's state health department. The US certifies N95s, while China approves KN95s. About 60% of KN95 respirators in the US are counterfeit and don't meet NIOSH requirements, the CDC says. The CDC has a list of signs a KN95 respirator hasn't been approved by NIOSH.

"If they're made to the standard and certified by the appropriate boards in their country like NIOSH here, they all do basically the same thing," Bromage said. "But there is a ton of knockoffs that are not certified in the KN95 side of things, that may meet the standards but they're not certified to meet it. And there's others that clearly don't."

These experts' recommendation to wear better masks isn't a suggestion to trash your cloth masks or go "maskless" when you don't have a medical-grade mask available.

In studies of various face masks, cloth masks with multiple layers and higher thread counts "have demonstrated superior performance compared to single layers of cloth with lower thread counts," but are still less effective than medical-grade masks, according to the CDC. Wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, as Wen suggested, can better protect you and others by improving fit and therefore filtration capacity, the CDC says.

"If all you have is a cloth mask, it's still better than nothing," Wen said. "But you are not well-protected, and you should know that you're not well-protected. And so if you're going to a crowded indoor setting and all you have is a cloth mask, don't go."

If you're unable to buy medical-grade masks for whatever reason, go to locations that are requiring masks and providing them for free  such as some train stations, grocery stores or businesses  and ask for a surgical mask, Wen suggested.

This story was first posted on CNN.com, "Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads"
(CNN)  On Monday, cathedral bells tolled at midday in Cape Town as South Africa began a week of mourning for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday.

As his country marks Tutu's life and death, people around the world are doing the same, including many from groups he supported, from LGBTQ communities to Palestinians and climate justice advocates.

While Tutu was best known for helping to end decades of institutionalized segregation and racism in South Africa, and for heading the truth and reconciliation commission that came in its aftermath, he was also celebrated for lending his voice to other injustices and oppression globally.

"Anywhere where the humanity of people is undermined, anywhere where people are left in the dust, there we will find our cause," Tutu said in a 2013 interview.

LGBTQ advocacy

The respect Tutu had garnered as South Africa's moral compass made him one of Africa's most important LGBTQ allies.

Joni Madison, the interim President of the Human Rights Campaign -- a prominent LGBTQ advocacy group -- said Tutu's "powerful allyship will never be forgotten."

"We are forever grateful," Madison tweeted.

Tutu was a vocal opponent of gender discrimination and supporter of the LGBTQ community. He was an active participant in the United Nations' Free & Equal campaign and often compared the struggle of those singled out for their sexual orientation to apartheid.

In a 2007 interview with the BBC, he said: "If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God." Years later he added, "I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven ... I mean I would much rather go to the other place," referring to hell.

Speaking about gender-based discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people, Tutu said: "I cannot keep quiet when people are penalized for something about which they can do nothing," adding "I oppose such injustice with the same passion that I opposed apartheid."

Tutu's own daughter -- Mpho Tutu van Furth, an Anglican minister herself -- was forced to resign her post after she married a woman in 2016.

She told the Guardian shortly after her marriage that the situation was "painful."

"My father campaigned for women's ordination, and so every time I stand at the altar I know that this is part of his legacy," Tutu van Furth said. "It is painful, a very odd pain, to step down, to step back from exercising my priestly ministry."

Same-sex relationships and homosexuality are frowned upon in many of Africa's more conservative corners. South Africa is the only country on the continent that has legalized gay marriage, and same-sex relationships are not legal in 32 of Africa's 54 countries, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Senegal and Ghana are both debating bills targeting the gay community.

Palestinian rights

Tutu was also vocal advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people, and politicians in Gaza and the West Bank mourned the late archbishop as an ally in their struggle.

"We will always remember Desmond Tutu as one of the most courageous and principled warriors for human rights and equality in South Africa and Palestine," said Husam Zomlot, the head of Palestinian Mission to the UK.

Former Palestinian Minister of Higher Education Hanan Ashrawi tweeted that Tutu's "humanity and compassion were equaled only by his courage and principled commitment in our shared struggle for justice and freedom."

"His support for Palestine was an embrace of love and empathy," said Ashrawi.

Tutu tried to use his moral authority to get both Israelis and Palestinians to seek a path of nonviolence. During the 2014 war, when Israel launched an operation to stop the militant group Hamas from firing rockets into Israeli territory, Tutu accused Israel of employing "disproportionately brutal response" and called for both sides to abandon violence in favor of dialogue.

By the time a stable ceasefire was reached after several weeks, more than 2,200 Gazans had been killed in the fighting. About half of them civilians, including more than 550 children, according to a United Nations report. The UN said 71 Israelis were killed, 66 of whom were soldiers.

"We are opposed to the injustice of the illegal occupation of Palestine. We are opposed to the indiscriminate killing in Gaza. We are opposed to the indignity meted out to Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks. We are opposed to violence perpetrated by all parties. But we are not opposed to Jews," Tutu wrote in Haaretz, one of Israel's biggest English-language newspapers, at the time.

"We know that when our leaders began to speak to each other, the rationale for the violence that had wracked our society dissipated and disappeared," he said. "We also know the benefits that dialogue between our leaders eventually brought us; when organizations labeled 'terrorist' were unbanned and their leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were released from imprisonment, banishment and exile."

However, his unique view on the power of truth, absolution and reconciliation sometimes landed him in hot water. His sermon on the importance of forgiveness after visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Israel in 1989 drew the ire of Jewish activists, including fellow Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

"For anyone in Jerusalem, at Yad Vashem, to speak about forgiveness would be, in my view, a disturbing lack of sensitivity toward the Jewish victims and their survivors. I hope that was not the intention of Bishop Tutu," Wiesel said at the time.

Tutu, over the years, said that he was opposed to oppression and violence on both sides of the conflict. But his frequent comparisons of Israel's treatment of Palestinians to that of Black South Africans and his support for boycotts of Israel drew the ire of many Israeli politicians, especially those that were more hawkish on defense issues.

"Tutu, like many in the South Africa struggle against apartheid, had a natural affinity for the Palestinians and a world view that they were similar," Arthur Lenk, Israel's former ambassador to South Africa, told the Jerusalem Post. "He (Tutu) wasn't a friend of Israel, but that said, he was a man of great achievement, heroism and bravery. And anyone who celebrates democracy knows that he's at the top of the list of people who should be honored, even if he didn't see our issue the way we would have liked him to."

Climate and environment

Tutu was a firm believer in the power of international boycotts, divestment policies and sanctions. He saw the global push to economically punishment and isolate South Africa as crucial factor in ending apartheid.

Though he retired from public service in 2010, Tutu advocate for the international community and individuals themselves to consider such boycotts to stop the climate crisis in the final years of his life. He lobbied to former President Barack Obama to stop the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would have carried oil from tar sands in Canada to the United States. In 2014, Tutu traveled to Canada assess the project on his own and hear from its supporters and opponents.

Canada's former environment and climate minister, Catherine McKenna, called Tutu an "incredible force -- not only leading the fight against apartheid but also fighting for racial equality, climate justice and LGBTQ+ rights."

Tutu wrote multiple pieces in prominent newspapers across the world calling for action. He asked the international community to put in place an "apartheid-style boycott to save the planet" in a 2014 op-ed in the Guardian -- which Greta Thunberg tweeted to acknowledge his death -- and called the climate crisis the "apartheid of our times" in the Financial Times in 2019.

"Over the 25 years that climate change has been on the world's agenda, global emissions have risen unchecked while real-world impacts have taken hold in earnest," Tutu said in a lecture put on by his foundation last year. "Time is running out. We're already experiencing loss of life and livelihood because of intensified storms, shortages of fresh water, spread of disease, rising food prices and the creation of climate refugees."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "As South Africa mourns Desmond Tutu, so do LGBTQ groups, Palestinians and climate activists."
(CNN) -- US and Russian officials have agreed to sit down for security talks on January 10, a spokesman for the US National Security Council confirmed Tuesday, amid tensions over Ukraine.

Russia had amassed troops near the Ukraine border over the last few months, which US intelligence has assessed as preparation for a full-scale invasion in early 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Saturday that 10,000 troops had return to their permanent bases after completing training near the Ukrainian border.

The Biden administration has repeatedly warned Russia and threatened economic sanctions over a potential invasion of Ukraine, saying that the US is "ready to act if and when we need to," while the US also pursues diplomatic engagement with Russia. President Joe Biden appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month to de-escalate tensions.

Russia has been demanding security guarantees from the US and NATO, including a binding pledge that NATO won't expand further east and will not allow Ukraine to join the military alliance.

Biden has previously signaled that the US will not make any concessions on either NATO or Ukraine's future.

"President Biden's approach on Ukraine has been clear and consistent: Unite the alliance behind two tracks: deterrence and diplomacy. We are unified as an Alliance on the consequences Russia would face if it moves on Ukraine. But we are also unified in our willingness to engage in principled diplomacy with Russia," the NSC spokesman said in a statement.

Russia and NATO also intend to hold a separate meeting on January 12, both the NSC spokesman and a NATO press officer confirmed to CNN.

Both sides are also expected to engage during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe scheduled for January 13, according to the US spokesman.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," the NSC spokesman said. "We will adhere to the principle of 'nothing about our Allies and partners without our Allies and partners, including Ukraine.' There will be areas where we can make progress, and areas where we will disagree. That's what diplomacy is about."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US and Russia to talk Ukraine and security issues next month"
Over the past three years, the Nebraska National Guard has helped Nebraskans through floods, fires, and a global pandemic. Through it all, the Guard has proved time and again how vital they are to the citizens of our state in times of need. As Commander-in-Chief of the Nebraska National Guard, I could not be more proud of these men and women.

While generations of Nebraskans have served in the Guard, its mission changed significantly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Twenty-five years ago, individuals joining the Nebraska National Guard didnt expect to be deployed. Airmen and Soldiers usually werent called on to support overseas missions. Now, they receive a much higher level of training and preparedness than in years past. Todays young women and men who join the National Guard not only know they will be deployedthey want to be deployed. Theyre eager to take the fight to the enemy. Theyre looking for opportunities to serve their fellow citizens. Theyre trained to do so.

The Guard has shown its versatility and value during the disasters of the past few years. It stepped up in heroic ways when Nebraska endured the 2019 floodsthe most widespread natural disaster in our states history. Members of the Guard dropped sandbags to protect homes and businesses from rising floodwaters. They delivered hay so that ranchers could feed their livestock.

The Guard also conducted daring rescue missions to save Nebraskans. Helicopter pilots told me the rainy and windy conditions of the flood were every bit as hazardous as flying in combat. During the floods, the National Guard saved 112 Nebraskans66 by helicopter hoistand 13 pets. A Nebraska National Guard crew won the DUSTOFF Award for performing the 2019 Rescue of the Year after pulling seven first responders out of the cold, surging waters of the Elkhorn River.

After the floods of 2019, the Nebraska National Guard again swung into action in 2020 to help their neighbors through the coronavirus pandemic. Members of the Guard volunteered to conduct coronavirus testing at Test Nebraska sites in multiple cities, seven days per week. They served as medics, oversaw decontamination procedures, and managed traffic flows at drive-thru sites.

The Guard distributed PPE to first responders and healthcare workers across Nebraska. In total, the State delivered 18.6 million masks, 39 million sets of gloves, 5 million surgical gowns, and over 50,000 gallons of hand sanitizer. The Guards logistical support helped Nebraska become the first state in the country to accumulate a 120-day supply of critical PPE.

The Guard also played a key role in supporting coronavirus vaccination. Members of the Guard directly administered nearly 70,000 vaccine doses to the public. Their work greatly boosted capabilities of our local health departments.

Additionally, Airmen and Soldiers supported the Food Bank of Lincoln and Food Bank for the Heartland to distribute food to pantries throughout the state. Over two months in the spring of 2020, Guard members helped package and deliver over 400,000 pounds of produce and packaged food. This work helped families around the state put food on the table during the peak disruption period of the pandemic.

The Guard plays a leading role in the States firefighting efforts as well. In November, I called on the National Guard to help contain the Buffalo Creek wildfire in Banner and Scotts Bluff counties. The Guard flew two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to the blaze and dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on the hottest spots of the fire. Their aerial firefighting capabilities played a big role in our success putting a stop to the fire before it harmed anyone. This wasnt the only wildfire the Guard helped fight in 2021 either. Helicopter crews provided aerial assistance to combat wildfires in Holt County in June, the Hackberry wildfire near Harrison in August, and September fires south of Crawford and west of Scottsbluff.

The fantastic job done by the Guard in Nebraska is only part of its work. The Nebraska National Guard also deploys around the world to serve our country on missions vital to national security. This spring, the 179th Cyber Protection Team returned to Nebraska after over a year of guarding the U.S. from virtual threats while stationed in Fort Meade, Maryland. About 200 Soldiers based in Columbus and Grand Island are helping to manage the humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border. We also have soldiers of the 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade serving in Africa, as well as the 1057th Military Police Company and 734th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion serving in Kuwait and Qatar. Members of the 192nd Military Police Detachment returned to Nebraska just in time for Christmas after a 10-month deployment to Jordan. Were grateful to have them home for the holidays, and we pray for the safe return of all the women and men still on mission out of state.

The Nebraska National Guard is carrying on the tradition of service, sacrifice, and honor that have made this the greatest country in the history of the world. Major General Daryl Bohac, Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard, is doing great work to prepare his Soldiers and Airmen for whatever comes their way in 2022. On behalf of all Nebraskans, thank you to members of the Guard for your dedicated service to our state.

The Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward tells the stories of brave Soldiers and Airmen whove served Nebraska since before the Civil War. I encourage you to make a visit. For museum hours and information go to nengm.org. If you have any questions about the Nebraska National Guardor any other matterplease email pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or call 402-471-2244.

Pete Ricketts is the governor of Nebraska.

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Its been quite some time since Ive visited El Rodeo. Years ago, I would patronize the one on Jonestown Road. Since then, theyve added a few. You can now dine at El Rodeos in Lancaster, York, Lemoyne, Hanover, Carlisle and Mechanicsburg.

My husband and I decided that we would brave the Christmas traffic on the Carlisle Pike to have lunch at their Silver Spring Township location last Saturday. When we arrived around noon, we were surprised to see only a few cars out front, but quickly learned that they have ample space in the back for parking as well.

We were acknowledged immediately upon entering and led to a booth. The restaurant is a fun feast for the eyes, with brightly colored booths and terra cotta ceramic pendant lamps in hues of burnt orange with green highlights. Carved into tables are cheerful suns, flowers and more. Tropical birds and other vibrant scenes direct ones eyes up to the top of each booth where more wood carvings appear. A hacienda hides a beverage station and painted murals depict Mexican scenes.

It didnt take long for a waiter to take our order. I was happy that I had made up my mind in advance on what I planned on eating, because the menu is rather extensive and runs the gamut when it comes to Mexican specialties. Youll find tacos, burritos, taco salads, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos and fajitas, all with various choices of protein. There are also 14 vegetarian options, with items like a vegetarian quesadilla with beans, onions, tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms; or a low-fat vegetarian fajita with a selection of squash, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes served on a sizzling skillet with tortillas, refried beans, guacamole and a small salad.

Little ones are also included in the sizable menu. Children, 10 and younger, can choose from among a dozen selections. Listed is American fare like hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese and mini cheese pizzas, and Mexican fare like tacos, burritos and quesadillas, all for less than $6. Adults with a small appetite can order off the childrens menu as well, for an additional $2.

I dont eat a lot of fried food, but decided that its the holiday season, so why not splurge? I ordered a specialty of the house. The chimichanga was described as deep-fried flour tortillas filled with a choice of protein and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese and guacamole, served with beans and rice ($8.75). My husband ordered the Huevos con Chorizo, listed on the menu as scrambled eggs served with rice and beans and two flour tortillas ($7.95).

We waited for our food for about 20 minutes and were both pleased with our respective dishes. My chicken chimichanga was tasty and fairly spicy, so the ice cold beer I ordered hit the spot (this El Rodeo has a full bar), but I was wishing for some water too and probably should have asked for it when ordering. The rice and refried beans were tasty as well.

My husband enjoyed his Huevos con Chorizo. He said the sausage mixed with the scrambled eggs was delicious and was wondering if it was perhaps made on-site.

The amount of food served for lunch was reasonable so we didnt end up taking home leftovers, but we were too full for dessert. On the dessert menu is fried ice cream, flan, sopapillas, churros, a chocotaco and a dish known as xango: a cheesecake wrapped in a fried pastry tortilla.

As we finished our meals, we waited for the check, but somehow our waiter went MIA shortly after our food was delivered. At one point, another employee noticed us, cleared the table and presented the check. One of my pet peeves is what I call the long goodbye, and we were forced to experience it here, which is a shame because everything else was good and seamless up until then. We eventually dug up enough cash to lay the payment on the table to avoid additional waiting.

I have to say we enjoyed everything at El Rodeo until the end, but sometimes we have to give the benefit of the doubt to the service industry nowadays, with staff shortages and all. I can recommend El Rodeo for those who enjoy good Mexican food and have ample time to linger.

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Not many workers stay with the same employer for nearly half a century. In this day and age, Lyle Gramling is an anomaly. After 48 years with Presbyterian Childrens Homes and Services (PCHAS), he will hang up his hat as special projects manager Dec. 31.

Gramling has worn multiple hats during his career at PCHAS and has been instrumental in growing the agency to operate 14 programs across three states. In 1973, he joined the staff of the Presbyterian Home for Children in Farmington as a youth care worker and case manager.

In 1981 he became the first director of the agencys Stubbins Memorial Regional Family and Youth Center in Moberly, near Columbia. When the organization adapted to the needs of its communities and expanded, Gramling was called upon to direct the human resources department as a vice president. Five years ago, PCHAS asked Gramling to manage special projects, including aspects of a merger.

Lyle has been steadfast in caring for children and families in need, said David Thompson, president and CEO. His insight and commitment have helped us weather many adjustments over the years and we have all learned a great deal from his practice of servant leadership.

A native of Iowa, Gramling earned his first degree in social work from Wartburg College and a masters degree in child and youth care administration from Nova Southeastern University.

It has been an incredible journey with PCHAS, and I thank God for the wonderful experiences and memories I have of kids and families, colleagues and supervisors, and auxiliary, advisory board and board of trustee volunteers, he said. Thanks to all who have enriched my life and helped me along the way.

Gramling met his wife, Judy, when they worked together in Farmington, and they have been married for 45 years. The couple looks forward to enjoying more time with their family.

PCHAS is a nonprofit that serves children and families in 28 locations across Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana. Programs include foster care and adoption services as well as early interventions such as counseling, mentoring and sufficiency programs for at-risk parents and young adults. Email info@pchas.org or call 800-888-1904.

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The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill will be funneling $43 million to Oregon airports, including nearly $450,000 for operations in the mid-valley.

The Corvallis Municipal Airport will receive $295,000 and the Albany Municipal Airport is getting $159,000, according to news release issued by the offices of Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.

DeFazio played a pivotal role in the bill from his position as chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Wyden and Merkley noted their strong support of the bill that emerged in the Senate.

The funding announced by the Federal Aviation Administration will help fund upgrades to airports across Oregon, both large and small, DeFazio said. Im pleased the Biden administration is moving swiftly to get our state and the nation the resources needed to rebuild.

Having safe and sustainable airports benefits Oregonians who want to stay connected to out-of-state loved ones, and businesses that rely on the airways to expand economic opportunity, Merkley said.

Added Wyden: Ill keep battling for Oregon to get our fair share of federal resources for these airports as well as for additional infrastructure needs in our states rural, urban and suburban communities.

Corvallis and Albany officials are not sure yet how the new funds might be spent. Part of the issue is that with such a wide variety of federal assistance coming to states because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be a challenge to keep up.

This release was news to staff, Matt Harrington, public information officer for Albany, said about the Dec. 17 announcement.

Harrington added, Albany will use this allocation of funds to advance projects in our Airport Master Plan to modernize and improve the airport facilities.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Corvallis City Manager Mark Shepard originally said he thought the funding already had been received by the city and would be applied to an ongoing runway lights project.

A day later Shepard advised that it was in fact new funding that had no strings attached.

The allowable uses are pretty broad, so city staff will be evaluating the highest and best use for the funds to support the airport operations, Shepard.

More than 50 airports received funding, topped by Portland International at more than $20 million. The smallest grants were for $110,000.

In addition to PDX large grants went to Eugene ($3.89 million), Rogue Valley in Medford ($3.8 million) and Roberts Field in Redmond ($3.6 million).

The new funds must be spent in the next fiscal year, with a total of approximately $210 million overall set to come to Oregon air facilities in the next five years.

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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Events

Tuesday

Fourth Annual Ornament Hunt and Sweepstakes, through Saturday, 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.

Holiday light string collection; drop off lights at the Republic Services office, 1214 SE Montgomery St., Albany. Through Monday.

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 Friday. The addresses are also posted on the Albany Explorer App. Participants' lights are on from 5 to 10 p.m. through Saturday, or beyond.

Pastega Christmas Display, 5 to 10 p.m. daily through Friday, 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 Friday; information is available at https://www.pastegachristmasdisplay.com (click on the "Volunteer" button).

Saturday

Guided 2022 First Day Hikes, 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 Saturday 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.

Oregon State Chapter of FarmHouse Fraternity Christmas tree pick-up, through Jan. 15, Corvallis. Members will collect trees for a $5 donation; all proceeds will benefit Be the Match, a bone marrow registry that every year helps thousands of people diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. For more information or to schedule a pick-up: 503-662-6636 or stablesj@oregonstate.edu.

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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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Ghanas telecom market has undergone several changes in recent years, following the privatisation of the incumbent telco Ghana Telecom and its rebranding as Vodafone Ghana. Two of the key players merged to form AirtelTigo in 2017, though in mid-2020 the parent companies of the operator decided to exit the market. The sale and transfer of AirtelTigo to the state was completed in November 2021.

In the mobile sector, MTN Ghana remains the dominant player. To address this, the regulator has imposed a number of measures since mid-2020 aimed at reducing the companys market share and so improve the competitive environment.

Although LTE services are widely available, only MTN Ghana has thus far signalled a willingness to invest in 5G. This reticence is in part due to the existing potential of LTE and LTE-A networks, which are likely to be able to manage anticipated data traffic growth in the short term. The relatively high cost of 5G-compatible devices also inhibits most subscribers from migrating from 3G and LTE platforms.

The pandemic has had a noticeable effect on the m-money market, with the number and value of transactions having increased sharply since early 2020.

BuddeComm notes that the pandemic 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:

State takes ownership of AirtelTigo;

Government issues the first of 350,000 laptops as part of the One Teacher One Laptop program aimed at improving teachers ICT skills;

Delayed SIM card registration program to be completed by March 2022;

Regulator allocates additional spectrum to Vodafone Ghana and MTN Ghana to address increases in data traffic;

Vodacom South Africa assumes management of Vodafone Ghana;

Eastern Corridor project is completed;

MTN Ghana lists on the Ghanaian stock exchange;

Report update includes the regulators market data to April 2021, statistical bulletin for Q1 2021, telcos operating data to Q2 2021, 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: Ghana - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: November 2021

Analysts: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 171

Companies mentioned in the report: Vodafone Ghana (Ghana Telecom, OneTouch), Capital Telecom, Globacom, MainOne, VoltaCom, Phase3 Telecom, Suburban Telecom, AirtelTigo (Tigo Ghana, Airtel Ghana), MTN Ghana, Expresso Telecom (Sudatel, Kasapa), Globacom (Glo Mobile), Thuraya, Network Computer Systems (NCS), InternetGhana, Africa Online, Busy Internet, Linkserve, IDN, Infinite Stream Ghana, Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG), Cactel Communications, O3b Networks, Internet Solutions

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$1390

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Ghana-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
Angolas telecom sector in recent years has benefited from political stability, which has encouraged foreign investment in the sector. The government and regulator have also set in train mechanisms to open up the telecom sector to new competitors, with Africell having secured a universal licence and in so doing becoming the countrys fourth MNO.

The MNOs were slow to develop LTE services, instead relying on their GSM and 3G network capabilities. Angola Telecom did not launch LTE services until mid-2018. This tardiness was partly due to the relatively high cost of LTE-capable handsets, which has discouraged users from upgrading. As a result, there has been slow progress in LTE network development, with only a small proportion of the country covered by network infrastructure. Despite the evident remaining usefulness of LTE and 3G in relation to current data demands, there has been some progress made with 5G. The Ministry of Telecommunications in early 2021 set up a 5G hub to assess 5G user cases, while Unitel and the new MNO Africell since mid-2021 have contracted vendors to provide 5G-ready transmission networks

The government has continued to develop telecom infrastructure to help diversify the countrys economy and lessen its dependence on offshore crude oil production, which accounts for almost all exports and up to 80% of tax revenue. By extending and upgrading telecom networks the government expects businesses to become more efficient and for e-commerce to become a more prominent feature of economic growth. In addition, networks will facilitate rural access to education and health care. However, there is much progress to be made if the country is to improve the business climate and attract investors.

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:

Africell aims to launch commercial services by the end of 2021;

Angola and the DRC agree to coordinate spectrum at their borders;

New data centre is opened, quadrupling capacity in the country;

Government cancels plans for an IPO for Multitel, deciding instead to offer its 90% stake in the operator via a tender;

Government ITC and Communications ministries merge to form the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Social Communication;

Tender is launched for an operator to manage Angola Telecoms national backbone and metropolitan networks;

AngoSat-2 satellite expected to be ready in late 2021;

INFOSI aiming to connect an additional 160,000 people to free Wi-Fi;

Regulator again cracks down on informal SIM card sales;

Report updates include the regulator's market data updates, 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: Angola - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: October 2021

Analysts: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 112

Companies mentioned in the report: Angola Telecom, Movicel/MoviNet, Unitel, Mercury Telecom (MS Telecom), Telesel, Nexus, Mundo Startel (Telecom Namibia) , Wezacom, Main One, Angola Cable, Angola Communication Systems (ACS), Snet, Multitel, Maxnet, Net One, Internet Technologies Group (ITG), TV Cabo (Visabeira), Portugal Telecom

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/Ghana-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
Indian telecom equipment manufacturer HFCL (formerly Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited) has been recognised as the Trusted Source by the National Security Council Secretariat (Trusted Telecom Cell), a part of the National Security Council, who advises the Prime Ministers Office on matters of national security and strategic interest.

With this approval, the company has become the Trusted Source for all Indian telecom service providers (TSPs) for sourcing their telecom active network products and infrastructure.

Earlier, the government of India had launched the Trusted Telecom Portal in June under the cyber wing of the NSCS to bring enhanced supervision and effective control over nationwide telecom networks. The development of the portal has come following the governments efforts to ensure the security of telecom networks, especially with fifth-generation (5G) service on the anvil.

HFCL's Promoter & Managing Director, Mr. Mahendra Nahata said, "The development will lead to cement HFCL's position further in the Telecom sector thereby amplifying the growth opportunities for HFCL. Our inclusion in the select list as one of the trusted sources is a distinguished achievement and reinforces our commitment to delivering Make in India world-class products/solutions and contribute to further accelerating our Hon'ble PM's vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat with greater zeal."

Over the last three decades, HFCL has been serving the telecom sector with its innovative, customized products and solutions. In the last few years, HFCL has emerged as an OEM of various wireless products including Wi-Fi, Point-to-point Radios in various frequency bands, L2 and L3 switches. These "Made in India" products have already been deployed in India and several countries abroad.

HFCL with its recent foray in the development of SG transport and radio products based on open RAN standards intends to address the ever-growing need for ubiquitous and affordable data connectivity. Backed by strong innovation and R&D capabilities, HFCL is working to expand its portfolio of telecom products and supply its next-generation products not only to Indian TSPs but also to global telecom players.
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According to Hinds, common misconceptions surrounding blood donations and COVID-19 are also contributing to the low blood supply.

One misconception is that if you have had COVID or a vaccine of any sort, you are not able to donate blood, Hinds said. This is incorrect. You can give blood if you have fully recovered from COVID and are symptom-free. You can also still donate if you have had a vaccine, and there is no waiting period after receiving it. This is all FDA regulated.

All blood types are needed, and people can donate every 56 days.

We appreciate any blood type, but we really encourage people who are O negative because its universal and most commonly used in emergency situations to stabilize patients when their blood type is unknown, Hinds said.

Hinds encourages businesses, schools, and churches to host blood drives to give back to the local community.

We will bring our bloodmobile to them and create flyers for the drives, Hinds said. All they have to do is allow their employees, students, or members to donate and help get the word out.

Anyone interested in donating blood or hosting a blood drive should visit www.lifesouth.org or local donor centers which are open seven days a week.
About once a week over the past year, Alabamas Department of Environmental Management has received complaints about a stench emanating from land treated with waste sludge from chicken rendering and processing plants.

The sludge, applied as fertilizer, contains particles of dead chickens and other waste from the plants. And the complaints about the stench involved one company, Denali Water Systems, which began spreading the poultry waste sludge last year on land across eight Alabama counties.

Theres great disagreement among complaining residents, clean waterway advocates, ADEM officials, and representatives of Denali, who said the content of the sludge is virtually the same thing contained in a chicken nugget meal.

It appears that such a controversy would be easily addressed by more stringent ADEM requirements for testing and treating food processing sludge, and more restrictive regulations on disposal.

Meanwhile, residents ability to enjoy life around their own homes is negatively affected by the horrific odor of decaying organic chicken flesh.
A health worker collects coronavirus test samples from a passenger at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

A person arriving in Hanoi from the U.K. has been confirmed as Vietnam's first Covid-19 case with the Omicron variant, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said the person arrived nine days earlier and has been quarantined upon arrival at the 108 Military Hospital.

"The health ministry has informed about the case to the government," Son said.

The infected person landed at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on December 19 and tested positive for the coronavirus. They were taken to the 108 Military Hospital soon after.

Genetic sequencing on December 20 and December 21 confirmed that the person is infected with the Omicron, or B.1.1.529 variant, said the ministry.

Omicron, first identified in late November, has raised fresh alarms due to its high number of mutations and higher transmissibility.

Around 80 countries and territories have detected the variant, including many in the Asia-Pacific like Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) says regular international flights will resume next month to Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia and the U.S.

As of Tuesday, it has reached agreements with aviation authorities in these five destinations to implement the plan approved by the government earlier this month to resume regular international flights from Jan. 1, 2022, the CAAV said.

For the Japan route, the CAAV has granted licenses to Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and All Nippons Airways. The first flight will be launched by Vietnam Airlines on Jan. 5, followed Vietjet Air and All Nippons Airways on Jan. 6.

Flights from Japan cannot start as early as Jan. 1 because Japanese agencies will be on New Year's holidays and passengers cannot be tested according to regulations, the administration said.

Taiwan has also agreed with the flight resumption plan but suggested raising the number of flights on each route in each direction to at least five per week instead of the four Vietnam has planned.

For now, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have been granted permission to fly to Taiwan's Taipei.

On the Singapore route, Vietnam Airlines will operate two flights per week while Vietjet Air will do so once a week.

Vietnam Airlines has been allowed to conduct four flights per week to Cambodia.

The national flag carrier is currently the only airline that has been licensed by the aviation authorities of both Vietnam and the U.S. to operate regularly, and it can deploy flights as planned.

The government approved plan allows the resumption of international flights from Jan. 1 to nine destinations.

However, South Korea, Laos and China are yet to share their plans and Thailand has suggested more discussions and exchanges.

The CAAV has also proposed that the Transport Ministry adds more flights on the South Korea and Taiwan routes.

As planned, in the first phase that is expected to last two weeks, there will be four flights per week on each route in each direction. The flight frequency will be increased to seven on each route in each direction later.

Vietnam grounded international flights in March last year, for a long time allowing in only its nationals, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers coming by special flights.
ELKO  Active cases of COVID-19 continued to decline in Elko County over the past week, and hospitalizations were down as well.

The county reported 72 active cases on Monday, a decrease from 86 cases a week ago.

The case rate per 100,000 people over the past 30 days dropped from 429 a week ago to 342 this week. The governors restrictions call for the level to drop below 200 before masking is unnecessary.

Hospitalizations are down from 15 a week ago to 12 this week. The number has varied between 11 and 15 over the past three weeks.

Deaths held steady at 123.

Elko Countys vaccination rate increased from 34.42% a week ago to 34.75% this week.

Elsewhere in Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Clark Countys case rate jumped sharply over the holiday weekend but there were no new deaths.

Hospitalizations increased significantly, from 552 on Thursday to 658 on Monday, the newspaper reported.

The only county currently meeting all three COVID benchmarks is White Pine, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

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ELKO  Elko County Commissioners voted Dec. 27 to join a lawsuit filed over Nevadas redistricting maps that the Nevada Legislature passed in a special session in early November and Gov. Steve Sisolak approved.

The lawsuit filed in Carson City Nov. 17 by John Koenig, a former Nye County commissioner, and Assemblyman Gregory Hafen II, R-Pahrump, protests the redistricting that split Nye County and accuses the state of gerrymandering.

Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney Rand Greenburg, who was asked by commissioners on Dec. 1 to look at potentially joining the lawsuit, said that he talked with Hafen and his attorney, and they were eager and excited for us to join.

Commissioner Rex Steninger said on Dec. 1 that Koenig and Hafen were looking for others to join the suit at no cost to Elko County.

In addition to joining the lawsuit as the Elko County board, the individual commissioners can join the lawsuit, and Greenburg said they could let him know later if they want their names on it.

Hafen and Koenig filed the lawsuit because redistricting maps split Nye County into three Assembly districts and Pahrump into two districts. Then they reached out to extend the lawsuit.

Elko County Commissioners are concerned about the redistricting because Assembly District 33 represented by Assemblyman John Ellison, R-Elko, now extends roughly the length of the state and includes a split along Independence Highway with District 32.

The redistricting map also gives District 32 coverage of Duck Valley Indian Reservation.

The lawsuit complains that the process was hurried, lacked transparency, and allowed for few questions to be answered. It also argues that dividing counties violates state laws and dilutes the voting power of rural residents.

The lawsuit also says that diluting the voting power is counter to the one person, one vote concept in the federal Voting Rights Act, according to an Associated Press report after the Nov. 17 filing.

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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idahos population keeps growing at a faster clip than other states.

The state has led the country in population growth for the fifth year in a row. From 2020 to 2021, Idahos population grew 2.9%, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

Idaho welcomed 53,000 new residents, bringing its population up to about 1.9 million, the Spokesman-Review reported. The main reason was people moving from other states.

Neighboring states Utah and Montana ranked just behind Idaho, growing 1.7% each. Washington ranked 23rd, gaining about 0.3% in population.

The growth in Idaho, Utah and Montana follows trends in the West.

Nationally, the U.S. population grew about 0.1%, the slowest growth since the country was founded. The U.S. Census Bureau attributes that to decreased international migration, decreased fertility and increased mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Population growth has been slowing for years because of lower birth rates and decreasing net international migration, all while mortality rates are rising due to the aging of the nations population, Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau, said in a statement.

Now, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this combination has resulted in a historically slow pace of growth.

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EMERY, Utah  A Greyhound bus crashed late Monday on I-70 in Utah, injuring at least 20 people, KSL-TV reported.

About 11:47 p.m., the bus was driving west near Emery when it veered off to the right side of the road and traveled about 100 yards before overturning, the Utah Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The bus was carrying 37 passengers and a driver, 20 of whom were taken to hospitals "with injuries varying from serious condition to minor," the Utah authorities said.

None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, according to the statement.

Uninjured passengers were taken to a church in Emery after the crash. Troopers from across the region responded, as well as sheriff's deputies and agents from the State Bureau of Investigation.

The bus had been traveling from Green River to Las Vegas. Crews were working to remove it from the area Tuesday morning.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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This battle is not over, President Biden vowed at South Carolina State University.

He was not speaking about his Build Back Better bill, the $2 trillion spending measure thats been blocked by Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who holds veto power over the presidents legislative agenda. Rather, Bidens promise refers to two critical proposals that would restore and protect fundamental rights: to vote freely and to have your ballot counted fairly.

Build Back Better is a wish list of liberal aspirations, from expanding child tax credits to offering incentives for green energy options. None of those measures, however worthy, are absolutely essential to a healthy functioning democracy.

Protecting voting rights, however, is essential. Without fair elections, the whole system fails. As Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado told Dan Balz of the Washington Post: Voter disenfranchisement threatens our entire democracy ... all your other rights are dependent on your right to vote.

Bidens words are especially urgent because Republicans are conducting a deliberate and destructive campaign to undermine voting rights. As the Brennan Center for Justice reports, In an unprecedented year so far for voting legislation, 19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote.

Ive never seen anything like the unrelenting assault on the right to vote, Biden thundered at South Carolina State. Never.

That assault is particularly pernicious because its based entirely on a Big Lie: that the presidency was stolen from Donald Trump and future elections are jeopardized by voter fraud. It cannot be said often or clearly enough: THAT IS NOT TRUE. Countless Republican officials  governors, election monitors, federal judges appointed by Trump, even his own attorney general, Bill Barr  all agree that the election was honest, that fraud was minimal and that Biden won fairly and squarely.

There is simply no explanation  none  for the new laws, except for one: Republicans want to suppress Democratic votes and make it easier for themselves to win. Its now Democrats who should be shouting Stop the steal!

Heres the problem, however: Democrats have only 50 votes in the Senate, but they need 60 to overcome Republican filibusters, and the GOP has repeatedly stonewalled all attempts to bring the voting rights reforms to the floor. And so far Manchin, with the support of Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, has refused to consider changes in the filibuster rules that would free the voting bills from limbo.

Now, Manchin makes a good point: Changes in Senate rules are best done through bipartisan consensus, otherwise the basic culture of the chamber is threatened with chaos. Sinema adds, correctly, that if Democrats abrogate the filibuster to pass voting rights, a Republican majority could easily roll back those changes in the future and pass even more draconian voting restrictions.

Indeed, Democrats have already seen the risks of tampering with the rules. In 2013, they amended the filibuster so it could not be used to shelve President Obamas picks for federal judgeships. So, four years later, Republicans felt free to end the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Do you think Democrats regret not having the leverage to stop Trumps choice of Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the last months of his presidency? You betcha.

But politics always involves a balancing of costs and benefits. And since Republicans have changed the basic ground rules, the potential rewards of altering the filibuster now outweigh the risks.

The odds are stacked heavily against the Democrats, but there are a few flashes of hope. For one thing, while Manchin denounced the substantive provisions of Build Back Better, he actually supports voting rights reforms. Sinema, too, says she favors the measures; she just opposes the process needed to pass them.

The filibuster rule is hardly immutable, however. It has been changed more than 160 times. Key measures like budgets, trade bills and even military base-closing proposals are exempt from the filibuster. Just recently, the Senate again abrogated the rule to allow an increase in the national debt ceiling.

The Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, has vowed to press the issue of voting rights early in the new year and consider changes to any rules which prevent us from debating and reaching final conclusion on important legislation.

Manchin, Sinema and other moderate Democrats  including Biden himself  have rightly been reluctant to weaken the filibuster and possibly shred the remnants of Senate civility. But the Republican attack on voting rights really does threaten our entire democracy. And that threat has to be thwarted by a decisive response.

Steven Roberts teaches politics and journalism at George Washington University. He can be contacted by email at stevecokie@gmail.com.

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Headlines:

- Average social security benefit expected to increase $92 to 1,656.03

- Initial unemployment benefits increase by 7,000 to207,000 the week ending on 1 January

- Mitt Romney renews push for his version of the Child Tax Credit, which some progressive groups have rated better than Biden's proposal.

- ADP National Employment Report shows US private firms added 807,000 jobs in December

- Sen. Manchin on the Child Tax Credit: "There is no negotiation going on at this time."

- Five states are offering unemployment compensation for workers who defy federal vaccine mandate

- Figures show that the expansion of the Child Tax Credit in 2021 reduced child poverty in America by 40%

- Fourth stimulus check seems unlikely, despite the impact of Omicron on US economy

- $8,000 stimulus payments available to some households in 2022

Useful information & links:

Child Tax Credit

- What now for the Child Tax Credit after Build Back Better negotiations stall?

- Why is Senator Manchin against the Build Back Better bill?

Stimulus checks

- 2022 tax season could yield a stimulus check for new parents

Social Security

- When does COLA 2022 take effect for Social Security benefits?

- Will social security recipients get an additional $200 in January?

- How much difference will the 5.9% COLA increase make to Social Security benefits?

Latest articles:
Update: Maxwell found guilty

Following three days of deliberations, Tuesday saw the jury in the sex abuse trial for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell's reconvene. So far the jurors have reviewed testimony from four women who said Maxwell set them up for abuse, while a curious essay was also part of the evidence against her.

GMax essay: will it affect jury decision?

Although Maxwell herself chose not to take to the stand, evidence was brought by the prosecution to demonstrate how close Jeffrey Epstein and her were. In a short essay from 2002, written in the third persons and under the name GMax, said to be the defendant, the following was shared.

Jeffrey and Ghislaine have been together, a couple, for the last 11 years. They are, contrary to what many people think, rarely apart  I almost always see them together.

Jeffrey and Ghislaine complement each other very well and I cannot imagine one without the other. On top of being great partners, they are the best of friends.

Alison Moe, for the prosecution used the essay in her closing argument. Does that sound like a personal assistant compartmentalised from Jeffrey Epsteins life? Of course not.

What Maxwell described in this essay is the relationship you heard throughout this entire trial. Close partners who operated together.

The defense team attempted to throw doubts over whether GMax was indeed Maxwell and claimed that there were other people with access to the computer on which the essay was written and where the FBI also found numerous photographs also used in the case. This included pictures of the couple being very close while on holiday together, in one both naked in a pool, as well as tens of thousands of nude women and underage girls.

Ghislaine Maxwell: awaiting verdict

Maxwell, 60, is accused of recruiting and grooming the four women to have sexual encounters with the late financier Epstein when they were teenagers. Over a three-week trial, jurors heard emotional and explicit testimony from the women, three of whom said Maxwell herself touched their nude bodies. The daughter of late British media baron Robert Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sex trafficking and other crimes. Her lawyers argue prosecutors are treating her as a scapegoat for Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.

Deliberations in Manhattan federal court began on the afternoon of 20 December and resumed on Monday after a four-day break for Christmas, during which U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan pleaded with jurors to be careful given the surge in covid-19 cases in the New York area driven by the Omicron variant.

Nathan on Monday asked jurors to consider deliberating until 6 p.m., one hour later than usual, beginning on Tuesday if they have not yet reached a verdict.

"I don't mean to pressure you in any way," she said. "You should take all the time that you need."

During deliberations, jurors asked Nathan for transcripts of the four women's testimony, as well as the testimony of other witnesses prosecutors called to corroborate their accounts.

Maxwell's defense repeatedly questioned the women's credibility during cross-examination, arguing their memories had become corrupted over the years and that they did not mention any involvement by Maxwell in earlier stories of their abuse by Epstein.

Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?

Maxwell, 59, is the youngest child of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991 after apparently falling overboard from his 180-foot yacht - which he had named Lady Ghislaine after his daughter - while it was cruising off the Canary Islands.

Full screen Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell pulls down her mask to sip from a cup as deliberations extended into a second week. JASON SZENES (EFE)

Ghislaine, who moved to the US after her fathers death, is a former girlfriend of Epstein. After their romantic relationship came to an end, reportedly at some point in the 1990s, she became "something more akin to [] a close friend, confidante and personal assistant" to Epstein, a Guardian profile said.

She has been named in several lawsuits filed by woman who say they were victims of sexual abuse. One accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has alleged that she was coerced by Epstein and Maxwell into having sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.

Giuffre, who says Maxwell recruited her to work as Epsteins masseuse when she was 15, alleges that the disgraced financier paid her $15,000 to have sex with the prince, who denies the claims and says he has "no recollection" of meeting his accuser.

In 2015, Giuffre sued Maxwell over the socialites claims that her accusations were lies. During the defamation case, which was settled two years later, Giuffre said she was "forced to have sexual relations" with Prince Andrew "in three separate geographical locations".

FBI investigation lead to Maxwell arrest

Maxwell was arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire in July 2020.

We have been discreetly keeping tabs on Maxwells whereabouts as we worked this investigation, said William Sweeney, the assistant director of the FBIs New York office, at the time.

"More recently, we learned she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims lived with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago."
Honoring pledges, delivering results high on nation's agenda for common development

"Actions" has stood out as a keyword in President Xi Jinping's speeches at key global and regional conferences this year, illustrating China's consistency in honoring words with deeds when pursuing a global vision.

At the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo on Nov 4, Xi said that "China is a firm believer in honoring its words with actions", and the measures he announced at the third CIIE for further opening-up "have mostly been implemented".

When Xi first unveiled the Global Development Initiative on Sept 21, "staying committed to results-oriented actions" became the last point of his six-point proposal for countries in the world.

In particular, Xi named eight priority areas for the global community to step up cooperationpoverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said, "China underscores actions at a time when global development may be dragged down by two factors: some nations' potential return to poverty because of the pandemic's impact, and developing countries' possible failure to further prosper in the coming stage of development."

To deliver tangible results benefiting everyone, the initiative has also been designed to be highly open and inclusive, and it is intended for all countries in the world to join, Ruan said.

Stephen Bainous Kargbo, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's representative to China, said the world is in great need of reinvigorating actions for boosting sustainable development.

Kargbo said China has been a good example in "controlling the pandemic and supporting other African nations to also help themselves out of this".

He hailed the initiative's focus on poverty alleviation and industrialization among priority areas for cooperation. "China has lifted the largest number of people from poverty. Industrialization was part of this story," he said.

"And China has expressed its willingness to work together as an equal partner as well as its willingness for all parties to win, which is fundamental in any development cooperation," he added.

During his speeches at conferences and virtual meetings with leaders in recent months, Xi also underscored China's readiness to synergize the initiative with visions including the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Adopted in 2015 by the UN General Assembly, the 2030 Agenda is "a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity", and it includes 17 detailed Sustainable Development Goals.

Siddharth Chatterjee, the United Nations development system resident coordinator in China, said the initiative "is fully aligned with and can give momentum to the Sustainable Development Goals", the UN will offer support, and its eight priority areas "offer great scope for cooperation".

"China is advancing the global development agenda precisely because of what it has achieved, and we hope to be sharing its knowledge and experiences with other parts of the developing world," he said.

During his state visit to Greece in 2019, President Xi visited the Piraeus Port, a key hub in the Mediterranean run by China's COSCO Shipping, where he expressed his hope that the two sides could achieve the goal of making the port a regional logistics distribution center.

Amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, the port has not only remained a role model of the two nations weathering storms together, but has also achieved new breakthroughs in its operations, standing out as an example of China's commitment to deliver action for global development.

Yu Zenggang, chairman of the Piraeus Port Authority, said, "Aside from its steadfast container operations, the Piraeus Port has witnessed a rapid recovery in the volume of cruise ship, ferry and car terminal operations, and more cruise ships are expected to arrive next year."

Xiao Junzheng, China's ambassador to Greece, said, "The Piraeus Port has contributed to Greece's economic recovery as an example of both countries weathering storms together, and it effectively helps to stabilize the global supply chain.

"It epitomizes China's ability to deliver results in building a global community of development with a shared future, and it shows China's global vision and great credibility in advancing connectivity and common prosperity in the world," said Xiao.

Addressing a symposium in Beijing on Dec 20, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will "push for the implementation of the GDI" next year.

He said the country will follow through on cooperation in the GDI's eight priority areas, reinvigorate global development cooperation, and "leave no country or individual behind".

Muhammad Zamir Assadi, a Pakistani political commentator and journalist with Independent News Pakistan, said, "Through its actions, China has never hesitated in extending its hand of cooperation."

China providing international development assistance with no strings attached "has also attracted huge applause and support from other countries who have really benefited from the genuine help of China", he said.

President Xi's call to build a global community of development with a shared future shows "China's commitment toward the common pursuit of happiness for all, and that is the real commitment of the country toward its international obligations", added Zamir.

Liu Hua, director of the World Intellectual Property Organization's Office in China, hailed the role of China in shoring up multilateralism and countries' concerted actions.

"Multilateralism is the key to solving global risks and challenges such as the pandemic and climate change, which cannot be solved by individual countries but require collective action," she said.

Liu noted that "China has made remarkable achievements in the field of economic and social development", has eradicated absolute poverty and has set its goal of peaking carbon dioxide emission before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.

"All of these will pave the way for and provide best reference to realizing sustainable development on a global scale," she added.
Photo for illustration (Source: baodautu.vn)

Of which, the output of tra fish, a major foreign currency earner, stood at 1.5 million tonnes, equivalent to last year's figure, said the Vietnam News Agency.



The directorate predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic may continue developing complicatedly in 2022, directly affecting logistics and subsequently production and business activities of the fisheries sector. Processing firms may face material shortages in the first quarter of next year.

Given this, MARD will order localities to press on with farming so as to ensure sufficient supply of materials for processing in 2022, the directorate added.

This years aquatic product exports are estimated at US$8.89 billion, posting a year-on-year increase of 5.7%, data from the Directorate of Fisheries show.

Airfares for commercial flights to Japan sold

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines began selling tickets on December 26 for commercial flights on the Vietnam-Japan route which is scheduled to take off on January 5.

The price of a one-way ticket will start from VND9 million, equivalent to US$391.3, per trip, Vietnam Airlines announced, reported the Voice of Vietnam.

Accordingly, flights running between Hanoi and Narita will take off on every Thursday and Sunday, whilst flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Narita and vice versa will be held every Saturday.

Photo for illustration (Source: congthuong.vn)

Vietnam is scheduled to resume regular international flights on a trial basis since the COVID-19 outbreak on January 1.

However, on December 23 the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) came out to state that only Japan had officially agreed with the Vietnamese plan to resume regular international flights starting from next year with four weekly flights.

Japan also announced that two of their airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA), will be operating flights to Vietnam and back.

Vietnam Airlines noted that it is also preparing to reopen international routes to Europe and Australia, where there remains a huge demand from overseas Vietnamese who wish to return or visit the country, especially with the traditional lunar New Year holiday, known internationally as Tet, drawing near.

Over 1,000 Vietnamese agricultural and food products eligible for export to China

The General Administration of Customs of China recently approved a list of 31,988 product codes for foreign enterprises to export their agricultural and food products to China, including 1,045 product codes for Vietnamese enterprises.

Photo for illustration (Source: laodong.vn)

According to the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam), the General Administration of Customs of China is continuously updating the list of enterprises that are allowed to export agricultural and food products to this market, said the Nhan Dan newspaper.

Previously, the Chinese customs agency approved a list of 20,172 product codes for foreign enterprises, including 320 codes licensed for Vietnam.

Each product exported to the Chinese market is assigned a code, thus, an enterprise can be granted multiple product codes.

Enterprises will have to print the commodity codes granted by China Customs or authorised agencies of Vietnam both in and on the product packages exported to China from January 1, 2022.

SPS Vietnam recommended enterprises stay updated with information about the codes so as not to affect the shipment to China. They can update information through the address https://ciferquery.singlewindow.cn/.

Photo for illustration (Source: baodautu.vn)

Any exporters who havent applied for code licenses can submit their applications to competent agencies of China or via the websites http://cifer.singlewindow.vn/ and http://singlewindow.cn/.

Vietnams exports to EU forecast to increase next year

Vietnam's goods exports to the European Union (EU) market are expected to get brighter than in 2021 as Vietnamese businesses are better taking advantage of incentives of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), according to trade experts.

They also said that after 2 years of the COVID-19 outbreak, both Vietnam and the EU are adapting better and better to the pandemic and speeding up the vaccination of basic and booster shots, said the Vietnam News Agency.

In particular, the Vietnam - EU economic and trade ties with a solid foundation from the EVFTA will enjoy many promising opportunities after the pandemic, thus bringing practical benefits to the business communities of both sides.

Thee EVFTA officially became effective on August 1, 2020, marking an important milestone during 30 years of cooperation and development between the two sides, and opening up a new promising stage for the bilateral comprehensive partnership.

Photo for illustration (Source: baoquocte.vn)

Statistics from the Vietnam Customs show the trade turnover between Vietnam and the EU reached 51.3 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2021, up 13.8 percent over the same period of 2020; of which exports hit 35.96 billion USD, up 12.6 percent and imports 15.34 billion USD, up 16.6 percent. In particular, Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 20.6 billion USD, up 9.8 percent compared to the same period last year.

According to trade experts, in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected all trade and investment activities of the world as well as Vietnam, the implementation of the EVFTA is of significance to help offset the economic downturn and bring more diversified market opportunities for businesses and create post-pandemic growth momentum.

This is also an opportunity for businesses to join new supply chains to replace the traditional ones that have been interrupted or stalled due to the long-lasting pandemic.

At present, the EU is the world's second largest import market with the value of around 2.16 trillion VND in 2020. Meanwhile, the market share of Vietnamese exports in the EU is only about 2 percent, and the import and export structure of Vietnam and the EU is also mostly complementary and not directly competitive.

Therefore, room for Vietnams exports to the EU remains large in the coming time, when the EU economy recovers and grows again and its demand for import of goods increases./.
Da Nang City Standing Vice President Ho Ky Minh talks with Mr. Parshutkin Evgeny. (Photo: TDO)

On December 27, during a visit to congratulate the Russian Consulate General in Da Nang on the occasion of the New Year 2022, Standing Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Ho Ky Minh wished that the Russian Consulate General would continue to be a bridge to support the city to promote friendly relations and cooperation with localities and Russian partners in the fields of economy, culture and society.

On behalf of the city's leaders, he sent his best wishes to Mr. Parshutkin Evgeny, the third Secretary in charge of the Russian Consulate General, and all officers and employees of the Consulate General, wishing them a peaceful and prosperous new year 2022, and wishing that the long-standing and good friendship between the two countries Vietnam - Russia in general, between Da Nang City and localities of the Russian Federation in particular, develop to new heights.

According to Mr. Minh, if the COVID-19 epidemic situation is well controlled, in 2022, the city will organize a working delegation led by senior city leaders to visit and work in localities of the Russian Federation, in order to boost promotion activities and connect businesses, investors and Russian tourists with Da Nang City.

Mr. Parshutkin Evgeny expressed his affection, interest and thanks for the active and enthusiastic support of the Da Nang City for the Russian Consulate General in 2021.

He also expressed his hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon be controlled in 2022, creating favorable conditions for exchange, connection and contact activities to promote cooperation and investment between Da Nang and localities and partners of the Russian Federation./.
The request was made in a plan issued by the City Peoples Committee on December 27, responding to the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Hanoi requires strengthening supervision of people on entry at the Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA)

Accordingly, the city asked for strengthening supervision, detecting and organizing timely isolation of cases on entry with symptoms of fever and cough, especially passengers or flights to/from countries where cases of Omicron have been recorded; strictly implementing regulations on international medical quarantine, especially, requiring entering passengers to have a negative test within 72 hours from entry into Vietnam; and strengthening the control of the certificate of negative test results, and passengers medical declaration on entry.

The City Peoples Committee also requested relevant agencies to strengthen the review of passengers coming from countries and regions where the new variant has been recorded and spread, such as southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique).

For flights originating from or with passengers arriving from countries where the Omicron variant is present, it is mandatory to carry out centralized isolation for people entering from these countries, regardless of their history of being vaccinated or being infected with COVID-19 before.

In addition to the request to strengthen supervision and early detection of suspected cases of Omicron variant in residential areas, agencies, enterprises and businesses, the City People's Committee also proposed to organize health monitoring activities at medical facilities, in the community, at agencies, units and businesses, especially in cases related to immigrants.

The City People's Committee also requires laboratories to proactively detect early cases of Omicron variant infection through tests.

In addition, it is possible to organize random surveillance of some other suspected cases depending on the pandemic situation in the country and in the world.

Under the direction in the plan, if the city detects the first cases of Omicron variant infection, it will focus on investigating and tracing the initial source of infection and close contacts to promptly deal with them and cut off the chain of infection./.
Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo (Photo: VNA)

So said Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Head of the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the UN and representative of ASEAN, ahead of the end of Vietnams term as non-permanent member of the UNSC on December 31.

According to Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, the fact that Vietnam was elected and assumed the position of a non-permanent member of the UNSC in the past two years is not only a strong development step for Vietnam, but also for the whole ASEAN community. Having both Vietnam and Indonesia together as non-permanent members of the UNSC last year (2020) has greatly enhanced ASEAN's position, especially in contributing to solving international problems. Taking the position of a member of the UNSC, especially as the rotating chair of the UNSC, Vietnam has really brought many benefits to the ASEAN community, and at the same time helped strengthen the relationship between the UN and ASEAN. Vietnam has made very active contributions to other countries, especially ASEAN countries.

Among the initiatives that Vietnam has proposed at the UNSC, Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo highly appreciated the initiatives to strengthen the cooperation relationship between the UN and ASEAN, as well as regional organizations that Vietnam has launched. He emphasized that with Vietnam as a member of the Security Council, the cooperation agreement between the UN and ASEAN has been raised to a new level. Vietnam has exerted a real influence when the UNSC discussed international issues, especially regional issues in Asia.

Sharing more clearly about the importance of Vietnam's initiative to strengthen cooperation between the UN and regional organizations in solving international problems, Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo emphasized that when Vietnam raised the ASEAN issue on the agenda of the UNSC, Vietnam helped raise the image of ASEAN to a new height, raising the level of relations of regional organizations with the UN, especially the UNSC. With such a very important step, regional organizations have a much larger voice and role in solving world problems such as global security or climate change, and the issues of the region were addressed in a more satisfactory manner.

Assessing that Vietnam has fulfilled its commitments when it was trusted to be elected to the UNSC, Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo affirmed that Vietnam is a very loyal member of ASEAN and when it was elected to the UNSC, Vietnam has often regularly updated information to ASEAN on issues being discussed in the UNSC so that countries can better understand related decisions./.
Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/)



Speaking at the handover ceremony of 783,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by Australia at Phnom Penh International Airport on December 26, Hun Sen said that Cambodia had detected another 15 cases of the Omicron variant on the same day.



All the new cases were imported, bringing the total of Omicron infections to 31, of them three have already fully recovered.



The Cambodian PM re-appealed his compatriots not to panic, but to continue to stick to the existing health and safety measures, especially the three dos and donts, with the same strong care and responsibility.



Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Cambodia has considered vaccination as a "strategic weapon" in the fight against the pandemic.



He took this occasion to thank Cambodian people, friendly countries and development partners for their support for the Southeast Asian nations COVID-19 vaccination campaign./.
XI'AN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A train set off from Hanzhong City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Sunday bound for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, marking the launch of a new China-Europe freight train service from the city.

The train by way of the provincial capital of Xi'an carried 767 tonnes of merchandise including baby carriages, clothes, stationery, ceramic tea sets and sanitary wares. It is expected to leave China via the land port of Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region en route to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

In the future, freight train services via Hanzhong City are expected to be used to facilitate more Chinese exports of agricultural products such as tea, rice and oranges, according to a local logistics firm involved in freight train transport.

Since March this year, Hanzhong City has exported tea to a number of countries including Russia and the Netherlands via China-Europe freight train services.

Editor: WXL
An employee works at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications. (Xinhua/Shadati)

by Zeynep Cermen

ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications.

The Istanbul-based Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) has been synthesizing the boron mineral and producing borophene for the last one and a half years. It recently directed its studies to energy applications.

Mert Umut Ozkaynak, Vice Director and Head of Strategy and Business Development at SUNUM, said Turkey, which has large boron deposits, aims to develop cooperation and establish partnerships with China, mainly in the production of new generation batteries and carbon zero products.

Ozkaynak said the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd (CATL), China Aviation Lithium Battery Co., Ltd (CALB), and Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer EVE Energy are specifically on the radar of SUNUM.

"At this point, we really want to be a part of their product development processes and have relations with the Chinese industry," Ozkaynak told Xinhua at the laboratory on the Asian side of the city.

Ozkaynak pointed out that China is the market leader in EV and lithium-ion battery production, and SUNUM is good at producing borophene, which has the potential to meet the material needs emerging in energy systems.

"With the collaboration (of Turkey and China), we can have carbon zero efficient products and more valuable outcomes," he stressed.

SUNUM is also interested in boosting cooperation with some Chinese companies already operating in Turkey, like Huawei, one of the major global companies investing in R&D in the country.

"We can work together to have clean 5G technologies and also faster and long-life batteries," Ozkaynak noted, speaking of the collaboration possibilities with Huawei.

The assistant director also argued that the location of his country is offering remarkable possibilities for Chinese investors in helping them open up to other parts of the world through Turkey.

"The supply chain is now in a critical situation, and it is the main problem of the world," he continued. But Turkey, located between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, has the potential to ease this problem, being a transit hub and a gate to the rest of the world, Ozkaynak added.

SUNUM, founded in 2010, was selected as one of the four National Research Infrastructures in 2017 in Turkey and continues its activities under the Industry and Technology Ministry.

Ozgur Ekin Felek, business development executive of SUNUM, said borophene created quite a stir in the technology world and was described as a "new super material" due to its features.

"The main application area is in the energy sector. It can be used in batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen storage and also in micro-nano sensors, and various defense industry applications," he told Xinhua.

According to Felek, SUNUM researchers observed that the specific capacity of lithium-ion batteries increased by 20 to 30 percent when they added 3 percent of the borophene to a standard graphite-based battery system.

With the addition of 10 percent of the borophene to supercapacitors, the specific capacitance increases by 75 percent.

Ozgur Ekin Felek, business development executive of Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, speaks in a interview with Xinhua in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Mert Umut Ozkaynak, Vice Director and Head of Strategy and Business Development at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, speaks in a interview with Xinhua in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications. (Xinhua/Shadati)

An employee works at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Mert Umut Ozkaynak, Vice Director and Head of Strategy and Business Development at Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, speaks in a interview with Xinhua in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 20, 2021. Turkey's leading nanotechnology laboratory has been striving to join forces with its Chinese counterparts within a win-win framework in the commercialization of the boron mineral, especially in the field of energy storage applications. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Editor: ZAD
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Monday held talks via video link with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, at the invitation of the latter.

Wei said that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties. The two sides should adhere to the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, enhance strategic mutual trust, properly handle conflicts and differences, and achieve win-win cooperation, he said.

Chinese and Japanese defense authorities should strengthen high-level exchanges and practical cooperation, jointly manage risks, prevent the escalation of conflicts, and continuously boost defense cooperation, Wei said.

Kishi said Japan is willing to work with China to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen strategic communication and crisis management, and make joint efforts to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations.

Editor: WXL
Wang Zhenmi (2nd L), head of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University, Han Dayuan (2nd R), professor at the Renmin University of China, and Zhi Zhenfeng (1st R), a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attend a briefing on a white paper on Hong Kong's democratic progress in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 27, 2021. The white paper, titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems," was released by China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20. (Photo by Liu Jian/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The prospects are bright for democracy in Hong Kong, experts said on Monday at a briefing on a white paper on Hong Kong's democratic progress.

Zhi Zhenfeng, a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that there was no democracy in Hong Kong under British colonial rule. During more than a century of colonial rule, Britain's role in Hong Kong was always as an obstacle, destroyer and spoiler of democracy, he added.

Citing the white paper, Zhi told the briefing that the return of Hong Kong to China ushered in a new era for democracy.

Zhi noted that the white paper said the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government designed, created, safeguarded and advanced democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The central government has always upheld the policy of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law, and supported the orderly development of democracy in the HKSAR in accordance with the law, stressed Zhi.

The white paper reiterates its principles and position on the development of democracy in the HKSAR, said Wang Zhenmin, head of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University. "Hong Kong's improved, democratic electoral system has not come easily and should be cherished and consolidated," said Wang.

On the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong, Han Dayuan, professor at the Renmin University of China, noted that the success of the election not only lies in the turnout rate, but also depends on whether those elected can serve the development of society, especially the overall interests of Hong Kong and the public.

The white paper, titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems," was released by China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20.

Editor: WXY
Farmers were seen fishing in a pond in Jinyuan Village, Changning City, central Chinas Hunan Province. Ponds in the village have been rent out by contract to encourage external professionals to help drive the local fishing industry, bringing wealth to villagers. (Zhouxiu Yuchun/Guangming Picture)

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A survey of 101 tax experts from the companies that are members of the European Business Association (EBA) in the framework of the Tax Index Survey 2021 showed a slight improvement in the assessment of the situation with taxation - 3.01 points with a maximum of 5 compared to 2.9 points in the previous wave of the survey, which covers the second and third quarters of 2020.

"For the first time in the decade-long Index history, its integrated value has reached the neutral plane with 3.01 points out of 5 possible. In the previous period, the tax index amounted to 2.90 points," the report says.

"The increased integrated value is largely due to a significant improvement in the fiscal pressure evaluation as one of the index components. Survey participants rated the situation regarding fiscal pressure at 3.63 points out of 5 possible. Thus, the number of respondents who did not notice any displays of pressure on their company has doubled compared to last year and amounted to 36% in 2021. Another 14% reported that fiscal pressure was almost absent," it reads.

"The number of respondents who reported significant displays of pressure also decreased slightly to 19% (32% in the previous period). In this regard, businesses experienced most often the unreasoned interpretation of tax legislation by regulatory bodies and baseless information requests," according to the document.

"On the other hand, the quality of tax legislation received the lowest score among the index components with a slight decrease compared to last year  2.71 points out of 5 possible. The tax administration and tax reporting were also given moderate evaluations. Only 12% of respondents consider this procedure easy. Another 28% believe that it is complex, although the majority of respondents, namely 64%, rate it satisfactorily," it says.

"The main negative factor to the easiness of tax administration and reporting is the rapid implementation of new rules and lack of time for adaptation as reported by the business. Although previously the factors of the amount of time spent on taxes and the number of payments prevailed," the release says.

"I would like to note that the survey was conducted on the eve of the mass blockade of VAT invoices in December, so the Tax Index does not reflect the full picture for 2021. In particular, companies have begun to actively seek help and support in unblocking VAT invoices, and also, we have all witnessed several high-profile tax decisions based on the results of inspections. So, we would like to point out that despite the general improvement in the situation with fiscal pressure, business is still facing blatant abuses from the tax service at the end of the year," Svitlana Mykhailovska, the EBA Deputy Director for Advocacy, said.

"The number of respondents who believe that the current tax regime has contributed to the development of their business remains dramatically low. These are only 6% (7% last year). As for the tax areas that need improvement, the experts put personal income tax as the first priority, then corporate income tax, and finally the value-added tax," the report says.
Key Ukrainian milk producers have turned to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky with a request to set a tariff for natural gas at UAH 32,000 per 1,000 cubic meters, since its rise in price for 2021 from UAH 4,900/1,000 cubic meters to UAH 59,000-62,000/1,000 cubic meters made milk production unprofitable and could cause the halt of the industry's enterprises.

The corresponding open letter to the president was posted on the website of the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine.

According to the organization, in January 2021 the price for 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas amounted to UAH 4,900, while in January 2022 energy suppliers offer it to enterprises for UAH 59,000-62,000. Such a rise in the price of more than 10 times for the energy resource, which is accounts for about 25% of the cost of milk production, will lead to a deep crisis in the dairy industry and the impossibility of dairies to continue working.

"Milk processing enterprises cannot cover the extremely high gas tariffs by increasing selling prices for their own products, because the purchasing power of the population is at a low level. In addition, retail chains refuse to re-sign new contracts, which provide for a significant increase in prices for dairy products," the report says.

According to the organization, the energy crisis will lead to a reduction in production, while a number of dairies have already reduced the purchase of raw materials from agricultural firms.

"The effective intervention of the state can prevent such a threat, in particular, the establishment of a preferential tariff of UAH 32,000 per 1,000 cubic meters. The specified tariff will allow milk processing enterprises to continue producing dairy products and avoid a food crisis," it says.

The organization also noted that since 2013 the dairy industry has been in a crisis situation due to the devaluation of the hryvnia by 3.5 times, the reduction in duties on the import of finished dairy products from the EU, the elimination of the special VAT regime for milk producers and the rise in the cost of feed ingredients for cows.
Since the beginning of the day on December 27, nine violations of the ceasefire have been recorded by Russian-occupation forces in Donbas, one of them with the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, according to the Facebook page of the Joint Force Operation (JFO).

"As a result of the enemy's actions, two servicemen of the Joint Forces were wounded. The soldiers are in medical facilities. Their state of health is grave," the JFO said.

In the direction of the village of New York (Donetsk region), the enemy opened fire three times from automatic and heavy grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms.

Near Novozvanivka (Luhansk region), Russian-occupation forces used anti-tank missile systems.

Not far from the village of Hnutove (Donetsk region), the enemy deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle, with the help of which VOG-17 shots were dropped.

In the area of Novoluhansk (Donetsk region), the enemy fired using automatic easel grenade launchers, and near Maryinka (Donetsk region) using mortars of 120 mm caliber.

In the vicinity of Krasnohorivka and Travneve (Donetsk region), Russian-occupation forces opened fire from automatic heavy-duty grenade launchers.

"The Ukrainian defenders opened fire in return, without using weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, and forced the enemy to stop shelling," the JFO said.
Two regions of Ukraine, Volyn and Zaporizhia, may be withdrawn from the "red" zone of epidemic danger. This was announced by government representatives at a conference call chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

"Taking into account the incidence rates, last week the 'red' level of epidemic danger was canceled in Zhytomyr, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions. In the near future, issues of a possible abolition of the 'red' level of epidemic danger in Volyn and Zaporizhia regions will be considered," the press service of the head of state said.
The mobile operator Vodafone Ukraine plans to actively develop the smartphone market in Ukraine.

"If until now we were focused only on mobile communications in the field of telecom services, now we are becoming a converged operator, which will also provide home Internet and TV services ... We also plan to invest about UAH 500 million to bring our fixed-line business to the proper level," Olha Ustynova, CEO of Vodafone Ukraine, said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The operator plans to expand the infrastructure using GPON technology, which allows providing the most active users with stable high-speed gigabit Internet.

"It is convenient for people when all wired and wireless communication services are provided by one provider, which is called 'from one source.' Clients will receive a single bill, a guaranteed level of service, customer service and technical support," Ustynova said.

According to her, in the next two to three years, Vodafone Ukraine plans to reach a subscriber base of 1 million customers in the fixed segment.

Vodafone Ukraine is the second largest mobile operator in Ukraine.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended on Thursday the Christmas mass ceremony held by the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church at the Nativity of the Christ Cathedral at the New Administrative Capital.
A Lebanese mountain town home to 70,000 Syrian refugees declared a "fuel emergency" Thursday, warning that soaring heating fuel prices would spell tragedy as winter starts to bite.
Egypts Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Morsy discussed on Monday with Deputy CEO of Chinas Shandong Heavy Industry Group Sun Ju cooperation in the production of green modes of transport and gas cylinders in Egypt, the Ministry of Military Production announced.

Egypt is keen to localise modern technologies in its companies in cooperation with Egyptian and international corporates, said Morsy.

The meeting was held in accordance with presidential directives to use clean, renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels and to localise the vehicles industry, he added.

Morsy stated that the ministry is currently working to convert 2,262 Public Transport Authority buses in Cairo and Alexandria to run on natural gas instead of diesel fuel, in cooperation with the ministries of petroleum and local development and Egypts Geyushi Motors.

Sun stated that the Chinese state-owned Shandong group was the main supplier of natural gas engines used in converting the Public Transport Authoritys buses in Cairo and Alexandria, adding that his group was one of the leading companies in producing eco-friendly means of transport.

The meeting was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Cairo Liao Liqiang, CEO of Egyptian Geyushi Motors Mohie Geyushi, Mohamed Salah El-Din, vice chairman and managing director of the National Authority for Military Production, and a number of Egyptian officials.

Morsy also witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between Sun, Salah El-Din, and Geyushi to produce natural gas cylinders.

The Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea had earlier attended the signing of two cooperation agreements between Geyushi Motors and Shandong in the field of bus manufacturing and the distribution of generators, engines, and power stations.

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Award-winning Egyptian designer Naiema Agamy, who worked over decades with the best-known directors and the most successful theatre troupes, died on Monday in Cairo after a struggle with illness.

Following news of her death, many Egyptian theatre makers expressed their sorrow on social media.

Director Eslam Emam, one of the artists who worked with Agamy in recent months, praised the designer for her boundless effort, dedication, humanity, and the endless love she gave to her work and the team.

Playwright and director Hassan Saad referred to Agamy as "respected, distinguished, and strong" when speaking of the costume designer's uniqueness in Egyptian theatre.

Film and theatre actor Mahmoud Ezzat said that Agamy's departure leaves a void in the hearts of artists, while actress Marwa Abdel Moneim underscored Agamy's creativity and boundless devotion to the theatre.

While many theatre makers from older generation praised Agamy for her artistry and high sense of theatre aesthetics, the younger artists also look up to her as a source of wisdom, at times referring to her as "our beloved grandma."

Agamy was born in the Cairo district of Saraya El-Koba to a family that was not linked to artistic field. Since early childhood, she was interested in visual arts. By the time she was finishing her secondary education, Agamy's passion for drawing, especially drawing costumes, was evident.

Despite her father's hopes for Agamy to become a doctor, she, encouraged by her mother, enrolled at the Fine Arts Academy and focused on set designs for theatre. At the time, the academy did not have a section dedicated to costume design, so set design was the closest that Agamy could get to her passion.

In a televised interview that aired earlier this year, Agamy revealed that most of her practical knowledge of costume design was the result of her own initiative. Following her graduation, she insisted on continuing to work in theatre.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Egyptian theatre placed importance on scenography, yet, as Agamy clarified, costume design was not supported with equal strength. Even if the designs served the play's purpose, Agamy's creativity introduced materials that were not commonly used in Egyptian theatre.

This unique view on costumes was first discovered by Samir Al-Asfoury, who chose to work with her in his plays. As such, Agamy's first design for theatre was for Al-Asfoury's Ya Antar.

Ever since, numerous directors expressed their interest to work with the young designer. The following decades she created costumes for many known theatre plays staged on state and commercial theatres.

She worked in Ya Mesafer Wahdak (1998), one of the first plays brought renowned actress Mona Zaki to the spotlight before her entry to cinema.

Other well-known plays that saw Agamy's costumes include The Black Rabbit (Al Arnab Al Eswed, 1999), directed by Essam El-Sayed; King Lear (2019), directed by Tamer Karam and starring Yehia El-Fakharany; Leila Mn Alf Leila (One of a Thousand Nights), a 2015 play also starring El-Fakharany and directed by Mohsen Helmi; Mahadet El-Kohl, directed by Intessar Abdel-Fattah; Al Motafael (The Optimist), directed by Eslam Emam, Al-Touq wa Al-Aswara (The Necklace and the Bracelet), an adaptation of Yehia Al-Taher Abdullahs novel with dramaturgy by Sameh Mahran and directed by Nasser Abdel-Moneim; to name but a few.

Apart from the abovementioned directors, Agamy also worked with other well-known figures in Egyptian theatre such as Hani Mutawa, Ahmed Abdel Halim and Khaled Galal, who represent different generations.

The works that Agamy participated in always gathered the best names in Egyptian Theatre. For instance, one of her recent costume designs was for the childrens theatre play Alice in Wonderland, where she worked with renowned set designer Hazem Shebl and puppet and mask designer Mohamed Saad.

Agamys designs were awarded at a number of theatre festivals in Egypt, her latest award being at the 14th National Festival of Egyptian Theatre, which was held in October this year.

This award was in recognition of her designs for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a play directed by Nasser Abdel-Moneim at Taliaa (Avant Gard) Theatre. This was the second time Agamy worked on a play based on Victor Hugo's famous novel. In the 1990s, she designed costumes for a different take on The Hunchback, a play based on movement only, directed by Sherif Sobhy and also staged at Taliaa Theatre.

Apart from her work in costume design, Agamy held a number of important positions in the Egyptian theatre: as director of promotion in Taliaa Theatre, stage design director at Taliaa Theatre, stage design director at National Theatre, and supervisor of costume design at the Egyptian Creativity Centre, among other administrative posts.

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Syria said Monday that Israel's plans to double the number of settlers living in Israeli-annexed Golan Heights are ``dangerous and unprecedented'' and only perpetuate its occupation of the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday a multimillion-dollar plan meant to double the number of settlers living in the region that Israel captured from Syria more than five decades ago.

The US recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan in 2019. The rest of the international community regards the territory as Israeli occupied.

``Syria strongly condemns the dangerous and unprecedented escalation from the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and its persistence in settlement policies and grave and methodological violations that rise to the level of war crimes,'' a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement said the Syrian government remains committed to the Syrians living in the Golan ``who are steadfast in their resistance to the Israeli occupation and their rejection of the decision to annex the Golan.''

Entrenching Israeli control over the territory would complicate any future attempt to forge peace with Syria.

Bennett made his announcement during a special Cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights. His office said the government would i nvest some 1 billion shekels (over $300 million) into developing the Golan, including the establishment of two new settlements.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed the territory. Bennett said Syria's decade-long war made the idea of Israeli control of the territory more acceptable to its international allies, adding that the alternative would be much worse.

Some 50,000 people live in the Golan Heights _ roughly half of them Jewish Israelis and half in Druze Arab villages that formerly were part of Syria. Some of the Druze population opposes Israeli control.

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Somalia's allies expressed alarm over the intensifying row between the country's president and prime minister as heavily armed factions patrolled parts of Mogadishu on Tuesday, raising fears that the political crisis could erupt into violence.

Soldiers loyal to the premier took up positions near the presidential palace, a day after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, announced the suspension of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who accused him of an "attempted military takeover".

Relations between the pair have long been frosty, but the latest developments have sparked concerns for Somalia's stability as the country struggles to hold long-delayed elections and fight a jihadist insurgency.

On Tuesday, pro-Roble troops paraded the streets, fuelling fear among Mogadishu residents weary of armed confrontations.

"They are not far away from the main security checkpoints of the presidential palace, they are armed with heavy machine guns and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades)", Saido Mumin, a resident, told AFP.

Another local, Abdukadir Ahmed, said that although the situation appeared to be calm, he was "really worried" about the potential for violence.

International observers have urged both sides to resolve the festering dispute while some Somali traditional elders and politicians have also sought to calm tempers.

"Some politicians and elders (have) started going between the two sides to de-escalate the situation, but these efforts are yet to... bring about a formal resolution", a source in the office of the president told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Africa Bureau of the US State Department warned Monday that Washington was "prepared to act against those who obstruct Somalia's path to peace."

"The attempted suspension of @MohamedHRoble is alarming & we support his efforts for rapid & credible elections. All parties must desist from escalatory actions & statements," it said on Twitter.

Farmajo has accused Roble of interfering with a probe into a land-grabbing case and withdrawn his mandate to organise elections.

Roble in turn has accused Farmajo of attempting to carry out "a military takeover against the government, the constitution, and the rules of the country" and sabotage the vote.

International alarm

International observers and allies, including the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, released a statement late Monday, expressing "deep concern" over the crisis.

"We call on Somalia's leaders to put the country's interests first, to de-escalate rising political tensions, and to refrain from provocation or use of force that could undermine peace and stability," the statement said.

"International partners have repeatedly expressed growing concern over procedural irregularities and delays in the Somali electoral process."

Analysts say the election impasse has distracted from Somalia's larger problems, most notably the Al-Shabaab insurgency.

The Al-Qaeda allies were driven out of Mogadishu a decade ago but retain control of swathes of countryside and continue to stage deadly attacks in the capital and elsewhere.

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A rocket and gunfire targeted the premises of a Chinese oil services company in southern Iraq at dawn on Tuesday, without causing any casualties or damage, officials said.

Six people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack, said a security official in the restive, poverty-stricken province of Dhi Qar.

"The headquarters of the Chinese company ZPEC, which operates in the Al-Gharraf field north of Nasiriyah, was targeted with a rocket and live ammunition," said Karim al-Jandil, spokesman for the state oil company in Dhi Qar.

Another security official said the rocket failed to explode and that the only damage to the site was bullet holes on a nearby trailer.

The Chinese company is in charge of drilling wells in the Al-Gharraf oil field.

The attack was motivated by "blackmail" to put pressure on the company and secure jobs for locals, an official of the state oil company alleged.

The province of Dhi Qar, including its capital Nasiriyah, has been hit by bloody protests against corruption and unemployment since the second half of 2019.

Iraq is the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and oil accounts for more than 90 percent of its revenues.

In November, the country exported more than 98 million barrels of crude that brought in more than $7.6 billion, the oil ministry says.

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Egypts agriculture sector has seen unprecedented progress over the past seven years, Agriculture Minister El-Sayed El-Quseir said on Tuesday.

In a speech during an inspection by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at the Kima Ammonia and Urea Complex in Aswan, El-Quseir said the advancement in the sector is in line with the states goals for Vision 2030 and its sustainable development goals for enhancing food security.

The progress involves improving nutrition, reducing poverty, especially in rural areas, enhancing competitiveness for exports, and adapting to climate change, he said.

El-Quseir added that it also involves creating job opportunities for youth and women, improving income and living standards and promoting sustainable agriculture.

El-Qusier also highlighted a future vision for fertilisers in the agriculture sector, which have not been modernised since 1980, stressing the strategic importance of meeting the needs of the agriculture sector with various fertilisers and promoting clean and organic agriculture.

The strategy also includes maximising the use of natural resources, providing export quotas and increasing foreign exchange through nitrogenous and phosphate fertilisers, he said.

El-Qusier said several decisions have been taken to ensure continued support for small-scale farmers in light of the current vagaries of the fertiliser market.

The decisions include requiring companies to supply around 55 percent of production under the distribution system supervised by the ministry and raising the price of supplying nitrogenous fertilisers to 4,500 per ton, he said.

On the ministrys efforts in other sectors, the minister said the state is focusing on sugar cane in Upper Egypt, which sees the highest production, adding that the state has added 15 million seedlings and will increase them to 50 million for additional crop production.

He said the ministry has recently established centres for locust control in agricultural lands, and 25 new centres for milk collection under efforts to support and develop livestock.

The ministry also disbursed compensations estimated at EGP 33 million in Upper Egypt for livestock mortality, he said, adding that it has also zoned eight areas in Upper Egypt to invest in poultry.

On fish stocks, he said the ministry has undertaken several steps to raise fish production through the release of 225 million tilapia fish to the Nile.

Around EGP 2.2 billion in debt has been cancelled for farmers, the minister said, with some 148,000 farmers benefiting from the initiative.

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The Taliban, who were unseated as the country's rulers by a US-led coalition after the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago, could not be stopped by a collapsing Afghan military and Western-backed government that fled. They quickly took power back in mid-August asked, The Associated Press has revealed, by former President Hamid Karzai to help keep Kabul from falling into chaos and deadly violence.

Four months into Taliban rule, Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe. Billions of dollars' worth of the country's assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased.

The world is waiting before extending any formal recognition to the new rulers in Kabul, wary the Taliban could impose a similarly harsh regime as when they were in power 20 years ago ,despite their assurances to the contrary.

The Taliban urge patience but some signs are worrisome: For instance, girls are not allowed to attend high school in most provinces, and though women have returned to their jobs in much of the health care sector, many female civil servants have been barred from coming to work.

However, security has improved under the Taliban, following their crackdown on crime, and humanitarian organizations say they can now reach parts of the country that were previously no-go areas.

Here, Associated Press reporters who covered the Taliban's lightning sweep across the country and the subsequent fallout reflect on the story and their own experiences.

KATHY GANNON, news director, Afghanistan and Pakistan:

This last year has been a particularly tumultuous one. It began really with the announcement by President (Joe) Biden that the last of the US soldiers and NATO's soldiers would leave Afghanistan, but I'm not sure that anyone thought that it would result in such chaos and such real misery for so many. Even Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, I think, was really taken by surprise that the Americans were leaving, that NATO would leave. I don't think that he ever felt that they would actually. And certainly we talked at the time to many people within the army, people within the government who were really surprised at the announcement. Even though the US had been talking to the Taliban, had negotiated the agreement, had said that as of May 1st, they would begin this withdrawal, there really was a belief among many Afghans that it would not happen.

Even before the Taliban took power, in 2018 there was a Gallup survey, and it showed that barely 2% of the population had any faith in their future in the next five years. And that was years before the Taliban took power. So the groundwork was already there. People were very frustrated. The poverty level was quite high already. There were very few jobs for people. People felt really discouraged with the future of their country.

So then when the Americans were leaving and then embassies were announcing they were going to close, it was almost like a snowball, gaining, gaining momentum. Rumors spread on social media that said, "the Americans will take anybody who shows up at the airport. Just arrive. You don't even need to have your national papers.'' Well, for many Afghans, I think this was seen as their opportunity for a better life. Their opportunity to go to America, to go to the West, to have a future that they really had not seen as being a possibility in their own country even before the Taliban arrived.

And then, with the arrival of the Taliban, of course, there was tremendous apprehension and tremendous fear, particularly among the young generation who had not been there when the Taliban last ruled between 1996 and 2001. So I think that that all of that led to this massive surge toward the airport in Kabul, and no one was prepared for it.

And for me, in many ways, that really was a bit of an indictment of the last 20 years, that there was such a lack of hope and faith in the future. And the civil society, on whom so much faith had been put, seemed to be the first ones to make this rush to the airport because they feared for their lives, they feared for the future. They feared for the future of their children.

So that really contributed to that chaos in those iconic images of young men rushing the C-17 aircraft, hanging on to the wheels, trying to get into the aircraft. All of this uncertainty and fear contributed to that. And really the last 20 years, that didn't give them much hope for the future.

But I want to say there was no evidence from when the Taliban last ruled, that there would be widespread retribution killings. Sadly, though, revenge killings have been a hallmark of every regime change in Afghanistan. There were scores of retribution killings when the Taliban were overthrown in 2001 by US backed Afghan allies, and human rights groups have reported upward of 80 revenge killings, particularly of former military people, by the returning Taliban rulers. However, until now there has been no evidence of systematic retribution.

The fact that the Taliban are here and that the world seems surprised seems a little bit in and of itself surprising, given that there were two years of negotiations with the Taliban, with the plan that at the end of these negotiations, there would be an agreement that would include them in power. And I think the future is still a mystery. The jury is still out on whether the Taliban will make good on some of their promises to guarantee education for girls. Whether they will open up their ranks, whether they will include more people. And I think that there still is not a clear picture of what that will look like. But what there is a clear picture of is that Afghans are desperate for help. The U.N. has said that 98% of Afghans by the end of this year will be in desperate need, and it's still not clear that the world is ready to rise up to the occasion.

FAZEL RAHMAN, senior television producer, Afghanistan:

The biggest surprising and shocking moment for me this year came in the middle of night: Gunmen knocked on the AP bureau's door, looking for us and they were threatening us with death. But we were very, very lucky. Fortunately, they were not able to harm anyone. We don't know who they were. The Taliban's spokesman Suhail Shaheen was notified right away about these people knocking at the AP door. Taliban officials within two days had come to the office, and after looking around, assured our AP people no one would or should enter our premises without our permission. Should anyone do that we were told to call the officials. We have certainly been cautious, but we have not had Taliban or others unlawfully enter our premises.

As an Afghan, I see my people losing their hopes. They lost the achievements of 20 years, two decades, overnight. You know, my daughter cannot go to school. My boys are leaving the house, and she is not able to.

Unfortunately, because the Taliban came to power again, you know it's very difficult for them to leave again, at least for a short time. The good thing is, we have winter ahead of us, which is not usually a fighting time in Afghanistan. And I think we have chances of negotiation.

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Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated Tuesday the first phase of New Aswan City, the latest in a series of projects opened in Aswan governorate this week as part of an inspection tour of development projects in Upper Egypt.

Located on the West Bank of the River Nile , 12 km away from Aswan city, New Aswan city is established on 22,000 feddans to host nearly 850,000 people according to the New Urban Communities Authority.

President El-Sisi inaugurated the Nile Corniche of the project and inspected the villas and the residential units sections of the city.

There are several service buildings that have been implemented, including nurseries, a post office, mosques, a school, health units, a market and a bank branch as well as a police unit.

Infrastructure projects such as water treatment plant and wells, a sanitation project , and an electricity plant were also implemented.

Following the inauguration, President Sisi visited an exhibition of the handmade textile products projects at the new city.

During the visit, the president called on the government to revive the traditional crafts and industries in Egypt and to give the citizens the opportunity to have access to these products through specialised exhibits and outlets.

Sisi also gave his direction to allocate some of the returns of the "Long Live Egypt" fund to support and market the heritage crafts and products of the Nubian community in Aswan.

100,000 units for youth and newly married couples

President El-Sisi announced the state was going to build 100,000 fully furnished residential units for rental for youth and newly married couples as part of the state's strategy to counter irregular construction.

El-Sisi reiterated that the illegal land encroachment must be stopped. The president stopped the presentation to comment on a picture showing the non-furnished red-brick buildings constructed illegally on agricultural lands saying that the state entered the construction field not for competition but to stop ugly construction.

"The state won't allow construction till there is an organised construction mechanism including construction license and permit," he said.

Sisi also warned of investing in buildings as citizens have been buying or building units as investment or as savings instead of living in them, which has increased the illegal constructions.

During the inauguration of New Aswan, El-Sisi inaugurated several new urban communities projects and residential units via video conference in Upper Egypt including New Qena City, New Assuit City and New Minya City.

Wrapping up the presidential tour of Upper Egypt, President El-Sisi attended a short ceremony held at the Amphitheatre at New Aswan city.

The ceremony featured musical segments as well as a presentation for Aswan governorate's new visual identity project carried out by a team from the German University in Cairo (GUC).

The president gave his directives to the ministries of defence, interior and housing to work on adopting the new visual identity of Aswan in the government by 15 January. He also honored the GUC team for their role in the ceremony.

El-Sisi also honored a number of Egyptian officials and volunteers who participated in the development projects in Upper Egypt as well as in Aswan and New Aswan city.

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Egypt's acting Health Minister and Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar discussed on Tuesday in Cairo with the General Manager of Sinovac Life Sciences Co. Gao Qiang cooperation to expand in producing vaccines including Covid-19 vaccine, polio vaccine and influenza vaccine in Egypt.

According to the Health Ministry, Abdel-Ghaffar and Qiang discussed cooperation between Egypt's VACSERA and Sinovac to produce vaccines at VACSERA factory in the 6th of October city .

The Egyptian health minister discussed the expansion in cooperation in the framework of turning Egypt into a main vaccine production hub in Africa.

Since Summer Egypt has already started producing Sinovac vaccine locally at its VACSERA factory for domestic consumption as well as for export to African countries.

Sinovac is already among the vaccines Egypt uses in its public coronavirus vaccination campaign.

During the meeting , Qiang briefed Abdel-Ghaffar on Sinvoac's plan to develop a vaccine to face the new Covid-19 variants especially Omicron as well as the plan of the company to establish fully-automatic system vaccine-storing facilities at VACSERA factory complex with a storage capacity of 150 million doses of vaccines.

The two sides also tackled the timeline for transferring the technology of manufacturing Sinovac vaccines to VACSERA in 2022.

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African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Ambassador Bankole Adeoye discussed with Director General of Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peace building (CCCPA) Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif in Cairo on Thursday ways to strengthen cooperation between the AU and CCCPA.

The meeting came within the framework of Adeoye's visit to Cairo for the launch of the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC-PCRD).

The CCCPA, founded by the foreign ministry in 1994 and re-chartered in 2017 by a decree from the prime minister, is specialised in training, capacity building and research in the security and peace fields in Africa and the Middle East.

During the meeting, Commissioner Adeoye expressed his appreciation of Egypt's pivotal role in supporting peace and stability in Africa and the valuable efforts undertaken by CCCPA in the fields of peace building and post-conflict reconstruction and development.

He also stressed AUs keenness to benefit from the extensive expertise of the Center in the fields of training and capacity building in order TO start the AUC-PCRDs activities and enable it to carry out its tasks.

From his side , Ambassador Abdel-Latif presented to the commissioner the Centers various programs which aim to build the capacities of African countries in the areas of peace and security, particularly conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peace building, disarmament demobilization and reintegration (DDR), as well as preventing radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism (PRELT) and enhancing the role of women in peace and security, as well as climate change and its implications on security and development.

He also highlighted the long-standing fruitful cooperation with the AU, noting that CCCPA is an AU Center of Excellence, and the focal point for training of the North African Regional Capability (NARC) of the African Standby Force.

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In a stormy session on Tuesday, Egyptian MPs slammed Minister of Education Tarek Shakwi, accusing him of failing to solve the chronic problems of schools. MPs complained that Shawki's bizarre policies have made school curricula difficult for students to understand.

They referred in particular to the fourth grade curriculum in elementary schools, insisting it is very difficult for students to study and for teachers to teach.

MPs also complained that Shawki's "shocking decision" to cancel the division of high school's third year into science and mathematics departments took them by surprise and resulted in confusion for Thanaweya Amma (high school) students and their families.

MP Magdi Seif said most Egyptians have lost confidence in Minister Tarek Shakwi because of his bizarre and shocking policies. Seif also accused Minister Shawki of ignoring the fact that the government schools are in a pressing need for 36,000 teachers, and instead of solving this problem, Minister Shawki took all by surprise by imposing very difficult fourth grade curriculum in elementary schools, a policy which forced families to spend a lot of money on private tutors.

MP Amal Abdel-Hamid also accused Minister Shawki of squandering a lot of public money on buying "tablet computers." "This policy did nothing to reform or advance the agenda of education in Egypt because most schools lack adequate internet infrastructure to be able to use these tablets. It was better for Minister Shawki to employ teachers rather than buy tablets."

MP Amal Zakria complained of the exorbitant fees of private schools. "Though families asked Minister Shawki several times to solve this problem, he did nothing, giving private schools a free hand to double fees as they like," said Zakaria.

MP Hanaa Farouk also charged that the education ministry has increased school fees beyond the financial capacity of low and average-income families.

MP Ali Dessouki accused Minister Shawki of ignoring the problem of overcrowded classrooms. "In the new school year, a classroom includes between 60 and 85 students, and within 10 years this number will increase to 130 students per classroom," said Dessouki.

MPs Maha Abdel-Nasser and Sanaa El-Said also criticized the poor financial conditions of school teachers, the crumbling state of most school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and the chronic shortage in the number of qualified teachers.

MP Abdel-Nasser said the education ministry should be held responsible for the poor quality of meals offered to students in government schools. "Several students in a number of governorates were taken to hospitals last month after easting poisoned school meals," said Abdel-Nasser.

MP Mohamed Abdel-Aziz criticized Shawki for instructing the ministry not to give books to students unless they pay the school fees first.

Shawki blames ministries of finance and planning for lack of funds

Responding to questions, Minister Shawki insisted that "the fourth grade curriculum is excellent and I advise student families not to worry too much about the exams of the fourth grade." "I advise them to let their sons and daughters learn from the information contained in the school books and understand them as much as possible," said Shawki, adding that "if there is a lack of teachers capable of teaching the fourth grade curriculum, let students turn to education TV channels which teach the curriculum in an excellent way."

Shawki said "his reformist policies" are based on scrapping the old system of memorising and learning by heart. "We do not want students to learn the curriculum by heart in order to be just able to pass the-end-of-the-year exams, but we want a new generation who can understand and gain information," said Shawki, adding that "the objective of the new curriculum is to allow Egyptian students what students in Japan and America learn and understand."

He said "he began his reform policies by modernising the first, second and third grade curriculum in elementary schools." "All the fuss I see right now about fourth grade curriculum is because the books in this grade have a lot of pages," said Shawki.

Shawki also said the education ministry should not be blamed for the shortage of schools teachers. "We are not responsible for not hiring 36,000 school teachers because it is a problem of lack of funding and I think that you should direct your questions in this respect to ministers of finance and planning, and not to the minister of education," said Shawki, revealing that "right now, we are in a dialogue with the ministry of finance and planning on forging a three-year or four-year plan that can solve this problem which is really critical to the education sector."

Shawki also said his ministry is not the institution responsible for distributing "meals" among schools students. "If some complained that some school students received "poisoned school meals" last month, they should direct these questions to the ministry of health," said Shawki, adding that "we do not have official reports about "poisoned meals"." "These meals are offered to as many as 12 million students and we do not have any official reports that any of the students get poisoned because of these meals," said Shawki.

At the end of the debate, speaker Gibali said as many as 140 questions have been directed to minister Shawki about education policies and his responses during today's session will be referred to the House's Education Committee who will file a report.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has reiterated on Tuesday his call for the participation of the private sector in new projects with the public sector.

In a televised talk during his inspection of Kima Ammonia and Urea Complex in Aswan, El-Sisi lauded progress in the complex, yet warned of a return to a deterioration of factories due to a failure of management.

He set pricing, management and governance as elements of success for new projects, stressing that past management in the past 40 years by public enterprise companies has proven inefficient.

The private sector is welcome to contribute in new projects and factories. I repeat [my invitation] for the fourth time. We need the private sector. We have been proven incompetent in management in the last 40 years, he said.

He added that new factories would collapse again if the same course of borrowing for development continues.

We do not want to return to devastation, El-Sisi said, referring to the states conditions in the past in 2011.

He said the country was only saved by God from the devastation and destruction, stressing that Egyptians should never forget [what happened] in 2011.

He vowed the inviolability of workers rights during the reform process in public enterprise companies, adding that the state Is bearing the burdens of reforms being implemented in the companies.

El-Sisi's statements came during his inspection of Kimas Ammonia and Urea Complex in Aswan as part of an extensive inspection tour since the start of the week to Upper Egypts developmental projects.

The EGP 12 billion mega plant has a production capacity of 1,200 tonnes and 1,575 tonnes per day of ammonia and urea respectively.

It aims to fill the gap in the ammonia market, and establish an integrated industrial city in Aswan.

Public enterprise minister Hisham Tawfik said Egypts the sixth biggest producer and fifth biggest exporter of urea, with production estimated at 6.7 million tons of urea annually, with local consumption set at 2.9 million tons and exports at 3.8 million tons.

He said local production of ammonium nitrate was estimated at 1.1 million tons in 2020, with consumption of 1 million tons locally.

Egypts exports of fertilizers is estimated at approximately nine percent of total exports, he said.

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The conflict in Syria killed 3,746 people in 2021, a monitor said , significantly fewer than in 2020, which had already seen the decade-old war's lowest death toll.

According to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1,505 of them were civilians and among those 360 were children.

The figure is by far the lowest tally since the start of the war in Syria and confirms a downward trend that saw 6,800 people killed last year and just over 10,000 in 2019.

The Observatory, an NGO based in the UK but with a network of sources in all regions of Syria, said 297 people were killed in 2021 by landmines and various explosive remnants.

The Landmine Monitor said in November that Syria had overtaken Afghanistan as the country with the highest number of recorded casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The fighting, which erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government protests, has abated over the past two years.

Russian-backed government forces still sporadically strike targets in the northwestern rebel enclave of Idlib but a ceasefire deal has largely held.

Fighters from the Islamic State group who went underground after their "caliphate" was crushed in 2019 have also carried out deadly hit-and-run attacks in eastern Syria.

The war in Syria has killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.

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Private Turkish and Qatari companies have agreed to jointly operate five airports in Afghanistan, although they are still waiting to reach a final deal with the Taliban, officials said Tuesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that a "memorandum of understanding" had been inked in Doha earlier this month, covering Kabul and four other airports in the war-ravaged country.

Cavusoglu said the United Arab Emirates, which operated the civilian part of Kabul airport before the Taliban stormed back to power in August after two decades of war, had also expressed an interest in joining the Turkish and Qatari companies.

He said the issue was discussed during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's visit to the Turkish capital Ankara in late November.

"They said 'maybe we can run work trilaterally' but there was never any concrete proposal," said Cavusoglu.

"We haven't presented any proposal to them either. But operating the airport briefly appeared on the agenda."

Turkish and Qatari officials have said little about the details of the memorandum of understanding, refusing to say which companies were to be involved.

Responding to mounting speculation that a deal may be imminent, Afghan civil aviation ministry spokesman Imamuddin Ahmadi told AFP on Tuesday that "no deal has been signed yet".

The Taliban have already rejected Turkey's offer to provide security for Kabul airport, which offers an escape route for civilians seeking to flee the impoverished country, as well as a way for humanitarian aid to reach Afghanistan.

Cavusoglu has stressed that no deal can be reached until the hardline Islamist group allows a trusted foreign operator to secure the airport terminal while the Taliban protects its perimeter.

"Our teams went to Kabul to present our proposals and then our friends in Doha continued the discussions," Cavusoglu said on Monday.

"It is natural for different countries to make bids in this process," Cavusoglu added.

"The Taliban administration had stated it would receive proposals from different countries."

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A Jordanian parliament session debating constitutional reforms saw verbal altercations that turned into scuffles between some deputies on Tuesday.

The parliament was discussing the amendment of Article VI of the constitution, which adds the feminine noun for a Jordanian citizen in Arabic to the phrase: Jordanians shall be equal before the law. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards to their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion.

The feminine noun for a Jordanian raised the ire of some deputies, with several angrily disputed the amendment as "useless", in the session broadcast on Al-Mamlaka television channel.

Parliament Speaker Abdelkarim al-Daghmi suspended the session for half an hour in a bid to calm the situation.

However, after the session was resumed the altercations continued, prompting al-Daghmi to postpone it until Wednesday morning.

Among other constitutional reforms to be discussed are the creation of a "National Security Council", and the halving of the house speaker's mandate to one year from the current two-year terms.

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Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Tuesday for a national dialogue among the different governing political parties to discuss Lebanon's ties with Gulf countries, the National News Agency reported.

"We need to reach an understanding to strengthen Lebanon's ties with Arab nations, especially Gulf countries, by not offending them or interfering in their internal affairs," Mikati said in a televised speech.

Mikati emphasized the need for Lebanon to disassociate itself from problems in the region to be able to preserve its ties with the Arab world and the international community.

Mikati added that he has been working on securing a meeting for the council of ministers to deal with the country's economic crisis.

Mikati's speech comes one day after an address by Lebanese President Michel Aoun who called for a national dialogue to put an end to the governmental paralysis, getting through important legislation, in addition to holding an urgent dialogue on a financial recovery plan, administrative and financial decentralization, and the defense strategy.

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The humanitarian group Save the Children said Tuesday it has confirmed that two of its staff were among at least 35 people, including children, who were killed in eastern Myanmar on Christmas Eve in an attack it blamed on the country's military.

It said the two staff members were caught up in the attack in Kayah state as they were traveling back to their office after conducting humanitarian activities in a nearby community.

``Violence against innocent civilians including aid workers is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law,'' the group's chief executive, Inger Ashing, said in a statement.

``This is not an isolated event. The people of Myanmar continue to be targeted with increasing violence and these events demand an immediate response,'' Ashing said.

The army seized power in February, ousting the elected government and arresting top officials. Its action was met by nonviolent nationwide demonstrations, which security forces quashed with deadly force, killing nearly 1,400 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Peaceful protests have continued, but an armed resistance has also grown amid the severe crackdown, to the point that UN experts have warned the country could be sliding into civil war.

Save the Children called on the UN Security Council to respond to the army violence with steps including an arms embargo.

It also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to press for the implementation of an agreement reached in April with Myanmar's leader calling for the cessation of violence in the country and mediation by an ASEAN special envoy.

Photos of the attack have spread on social media in Myanmar, fueling outrage against the military.

The photos show the charred bodies of over 30 people in three burned-out vehicles who were reportedly shot by government troops as they were fleeing combat.

On Sunday, the US Embassy in Myanmar said it was appalled by the ``barbaric attack in Kayah state that killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children.''

``We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma,'' it said, using Myanmar's previous name.

A villager who said he went to the scene told The Associated Press that the victims had fled the fighting between armed resistance groups and Myanmar's army near Koi Ngan village, which is just beside Mo So, on Friday.

He said they were killed after they were arrested by troops while heading to refugee camps in the western part of the township. His account could not be immediately verified.

A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Saturday said the fighting near Mo So broke out on Friday when members of ethnic guerrilla forces, known as the Karenni National Progressive Party, and those opposed to the military drove in ``suspicious'' vehicles and attacked security forces after refusing to stop.

The newspaper said the seven vehicles they were traveling in were destroyed in a fire. It gave no further details about the killings.

Earlier this month, government troops were also accused of rounding up villagers, some believed to be children, tying them up and slaughtering them. An opposition leader, Dr. Sasa, who uses only one name, said the civilians were burned alive.

Save the Children said it has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing healthcare, food, education and child protection services. It said it has suspended operations in the region of the attack.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

A defense official said Tuesday that the change in the schedule of the USS Harry S. Truman, and the five American warships accompanying it, reflects the need for a persistent presence in Europe.

It is necessary in order to reassure US allies and partners in the region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military deployment details.

The US and Western allies have watched as the buildup of Russian troops near the border grew to a peak of an estimated 100,000, fueling fears that Moscow was preparing to invade Ukraine.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after threw its support behind a separatist rebellion in the country's east.

Over more than seven years, the fighting has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraine's industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.

Russia has denied any intention of launching a new invasion and instead has accused Ukraine of hatching plans to try to use force to reclaim control of the territories held by Moscow-backed rebels. Ukraine has rejected that claim.

The Truman strike group includes five US ships _- the cruiser USS San Jacinto and the guided missile destroyers USS Cole, USS Bainbridge, USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham. Also with them is the Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen.

The Truman left its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on Dec. 1, and entered the Mediterranean Sea on Dec. 14. It had been scheduled to continue on into the Gulf region.

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In 2021, the government continued the roll-out of universal health insurance despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic

This year saw the roll-out of Egypts ambitious system of universal health insurance (UHI) in Ismailia, Luxor, and North Sinai, reports Reem Leila. The three governorates followed Port Said, where a UHI pilot project was implemented in 2019. The first phase of UHI implementation is also slated to include the governorates of South Sinai, Aswan, and Suez and, according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, who chairs the UHI Authority, should be completed by the end of the current fiscal year.

UHI is the flagship project of the New Republic, the foundations of which were laid by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, Maait said in October. Priority in implementing the system is being given to Egypts poorest governorates. Rolling out the system across the whole of Egypt will take 10 years, with Cairo included in the sixth and final phase, and when complete the UHI will ensure all citizens, regardless of income or location, have access to quality healthcare.

Egypts 2014 constitution placed health services at the heart of the development agenda, mandating a minimum budget allocation of three per cent of GDP. Though it was originally envisaged that a nationwide roll-out would take 15 years, the system, says Maait, is now on track to become fully operational within a decade.

The overall cost of the first phase of the rollout, according to Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the minister of higher education and scientific research and acting health minister, is LE51.2 billion, which covers improvements to health facility infrastructure, medical and non-medical equipment, and three months operating and administrative costs.

In addition to primary healthcare, UHI will cover more than 3,000 medical services, including surgery, analysis, radiology, tumour treatment, organ transplants, prosthetic devices, visual and audio aids, dental treatment, therapeutic foods, and other supplements.

A 2015 World Bank paper, A roadmap to achieve social justice in healthcare in Egypt, identified the expansion of priority services and population coverage, and the reduction of out-of-pocket expenditure, as key to implementing universal health coverage.

During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, patients in areas where UHI has been rolled out have been able to access remote consultations, including information on how to prevent infections and advice on how best to isolate, and the elderly and those with chronic conditions can have medications delivered to their door free of charge.

The World Bank paper said the expansion of family health services to all Egyptian citizens by 2030, with a focus on disadvantaged populations, was central to realising universal health coverage, and stipulated that such services should cover maternal and child health, reproductive health, family planning, the prevention, screening, and treatment of noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and nutrition.

Expanding mandatory social health insurance to all citizens by 2030, with an initial focus on disadvantaged populations, will ensure that Egyptians receive financial protections in an equitable manner, the World Bank concluded, and that no Egyptian will be pushed into or kept in poverty by paying for healthcare.

UHI is overseen by three regulatory authorities supervised by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Auditing Organisation. The General Authority for Accreditation and Health Control sets quality standards, accredits healthcare providers, and regulates compliance; the General Authority for Healthcare oversees the provision of services, and the UHI Authority distributes funds.

Employees contribute to the system to the tune of one per cent of their salary, with employers required to pay three per cent. The government steps in to cover the payments of anyone unable to pay contributions, including widows and those with special needs, both of whom are exempted from insurance payments. The system will also receive 0.25 per cent corporate tax revenue, a portion of the duty levied on cigarettes, and some of the income generated by toll tickets and driving licence renewal fees.

Medical staff, nurses, administrators, quality and infection controllers, and second-line administrators, are already receiving training in advance of the planned national roll-out of UHI.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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East Africa had a gruelling 2021 as the countries of the region reeled beneath a range of complex crises with interwoven local, regional and even international dimensions that combined to jeopardise some of the states concerned.

In addition to the extraordinary circumstances they still have to endure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic and political repercussions, the East African countries are facing problems of a severity that threatens their stability and security. The outgoing year offers plenty of evidence to support this grim prognosis.

On 4 November, the Ethiopian War entered its second year after seeing radical transformations. It began as a limited operation dedicated to upholding the law but quickly escalated into a full-scale war engaging warplanes and air strikes. The theatre of operations was supposed to have been limited to the northernmost Tigray region of Ethiopia, but by autumn it had expanded southwards and eastwards into the Amhara and Afar regions.

Although the conflict was originally between the Ethiopian federal government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), other factions took advantage of the fragile security situation in the country to reignite fronts in the Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. In the absence of a central authority to restrain them, other ethnic and political fault lines reopened, for example in the long and complex border conflict between the Afar and Somali peoples.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially billed the central governments campaign against the TPLF as a limited operation that would last no more than a few weeks. His premature declaration of victory after fewer than four weeks ran up against the reality of the volatility of the situation, fuelling a spiral into a protracted war with no end in sight. Nor did Ahmed foresee how the tables would turn after seven months. Not only did the TPLF succeed in recapturing the Tigray capital Mekelle, but it also shifted to the offensive on several fronts.

However, perhaps the most consequential of the many transformations in the Ethiopian war was structural. This occurred with the creation of the United Front of Ethiopian and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF), a coalition of nine groups that was officially launched on 5 November. The development put paid to the prime ministers long-held claim that Addis Ababas campaign targeted an illegal terrorist group ensconced in the north.

Other East African countries continued to be rocked by destabilising events and circumstances in 2021. In Sudan, the transitional phase increased in complexity with the entrance of a third partner into the civilian-military power-sharing arrangements in accordance with the Juba Agreement between the Sudanese authorities and five main Sudanese rebel forces. The latter was instrumental in splitting the civilian Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and in propelling the army into sidelining the civilian forces.

The transitional process was further jeopardised by a resurgence of tensions in eastern Sudan and by the fact that the Juba arrangements did not include two of the most powerful rebel factions, one led by Abdelwahid Mohamed Nour in Darfur and the other led by Abdulaziz Held in the Blue Nile state. These complications formed the backdrop of the crisis that came to a head on 25 October when the armed forces arrested Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and several ministers, after which military leader Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan announced a state of emergency, dissolved the countrys Sovereignty Council and cabinet, dismissed the governors of the states and froze the activities of the Empowerment Removal Committee that had been formed to combat corruption.

Al-Burhan also announced that he would form a new government of technocrats that would run the country until general elections set for July 2023. His actions precipitated an international outcry, and following several weeks of intense foreign pressure he backed down. On 21 November, Al-Burhan and Hamdok signed a framework agreement to relaunch the civilian-military partnership in Sudan, reinstating Hamdok as prime minister and charging him with forming a non-partisan government.

Regarding the stability of the federal government in Ethiopia, although national elections were held in the summer of this year after several postponements, they offered little hope of reconciliation. The Tigray region held separate elections in 2020, which was one of the issues that sparked the conflict to begin with. Addis Ababa was unable to hold the second round of the elections in September as planned due to security breakdowns in other regions. Ahmeds political future now hangs in the balance due to uncertainties surrounding the war and its repercussions.

Somalia has also been suffering from a governmental crisis that has persisted since the end of the constitutional term of the president and the federal parliament at the outset of the year. The country has been unable to hold new elections despite the fact that the international community has approved its indirect electoral system along the lines of previous models used in 2004, 2009, 2012 and 2017.

Progress with the electoral arrangements is still painfully slow, despite pressure by Somalias international partners to step up the process. The sense of urgency has been heightened by complicating factors with major security implications. Not the least of these are the approaching end of the mandate of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the drought in the south of the country.

The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen group continues to pose a grave security threat in Somalia as well as to neighbouring countries, despite drone strikes by US forces. During the past year, this Somali terrorist organisation carried out a series of attacks that enabled it to seize control of road networks in northeastern Kenya. It also staged terrorist attacks against the Ugandan capital, Kampala, in October and November.

Terrorist organisations in East Africa have also expanded their scope of operations further down the Indian Ocean coast, especially since the emergence of the Islamic State-Central Africa Province (IS-CAP), which includes fighter groups from Mozambique. This organisation posed such a threat to the government in Maputo that it was forced to seek help from Russian, Rwandan and SADC (Southern African Development Community) forces.

Aside from such terrorist hotspots, other East African countries are vulnerable to the spread of terrorism in the future, as evidenced by the discovery in Khartoum of an IS-affiliated cell that Sudanese security forces managed to eliminate.

Meanwhile, after years in which internal strife has dominated conflicts in Africa, conventional warfare between national armies over disputed territory has once again begun to rear its head. The confrontation between Sudan and Ethiopia over the Fashqa region in eastern Sudan is a salient example. Several skirmishes between armed groups from Amhara in Ethiopia and Sudanese farmers escalated into deadly clashes between the Ethiopian and Sudanese armies. Heavy weapons were used and the hostilities claimed casualties on both sides.

The dispute over Fashqa has been fuelled by tensions between Khartoum and Addis Ababa over other issues, especially Ethiopias Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project and the fallout from the conflict in Tigray, which has generated waves of displaced civilians in the direction of Sudan.

To the east, Kenya and Somalia began to face off following an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in October in favour of the latter in their dispute over the demarcation of their maritime border in an area rich in natural gas. So far, the level of violence has been limited, in large measure due to the presence of Kenyan forces in the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). However, border skirmishes in which the Kenyan army inflicted civilian casualties on Somalia do not augur well for the future.

What makes the above-mentioned trends more ominous is the fact that the demand for conflict-prevention and resolution mechanisms in the region has not been adequately met. The proposed conventional and unconventional dispute-containment and settlement mechanisms have little chance of working effectively in this complex environment, considerably reducing the chances of success of any foreign attempt to intervene.

The writer is head of African studies at the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for sustained efforts from the National Theatre of China to keep pace with the times and innovate on the basis of past achievements, in a bid to make greater contributions to the prosperity and development of literature and art in the modern era while enriching people's cultural life.

An exhibition marking the development of the National Theatre of China opened to the public on Dec. 25, 2001. [Photo: China Plus]

The president made the remarks on Saturday in a letter replying to contemporary Chinese artists on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the theatre's establishment.

Sixteen artists who perform at the theatre recently sent a letter to President Xi expressing their resolve to contribute to excellent productions in order to boost the nation's cultural output.

Also to mark the theatre's 20th anniversary, Chinese celebrities including trending starlet Guan Xiaotong sent their blessings in a video, during which Guan described joining the theatre this year as a great honor.

"I'll learn from excellent predecessors and continue to work hard, holding firm my belief in the power of theatre," the young actress said.

Guan is one of 25 new talents the theatre has introduced this year, occupying a range of positions including actor, prop master, storywriter, and director.

Meanwhile, veteran artists Xi Meijuan, Huang Lei, and Hu Ge each earned the title of honorary performer from the nation's most prestigious theatre.

The National Theatre of China, formerly a youth art theatre of Yan'an, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was upgraded to its current status on Dec 25, 2001.

An exhibition marking the development of the National Theatre of China opened to the public on Dec. 25, 2001. [Photo: China Plus]
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

A middle school principal walks the empty halls of his school as he speaks with one of his teachers to get an update on her COVID-19 symptoms on Friday, Aug., 20, 2021, in Wrightsville, Ga. On Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. [File photo: AP/Stephen B. Morton]

The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.

Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected  and therefore having to isolate or quarantine  threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases.

"Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic, she told The Associated Press on Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science."

Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and dont have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent.

The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.

The CDCs isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance, said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert.

Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as COVID-19 cases spike.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, wears a face mask as he arrives for the the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington. [Photo: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]

Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief science adviser on the pandemic response, said such a mandate might drive up the nation's lagging vaccination rate as well as confer stronger protection on flights, for which federal regulations require all those age 2 and older to wear a mask.

When you make vaccination a requirement, thats another incentive to get more people vaccinated," Fauci told MSNBC. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think thats something that seriously should be considered.

The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel. Two officials said Bidens science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement to the president.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said a vaccine mandate on planes could trigger a host of logistical and legal concerns.

The U.S. currently mandates that most foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, though citizens and permanent residents only need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of boarding.

Federal rules dont require people travelling by air within the U.S. to show a negative test. Hawaii requires travelers to test or show proof of vaccination to avoid a mandatory quarantine.

Biden did not respond to questions on whether he was considering implementing a domestic air travel vaccination requirement, but he told reporters the subject was discussed on a call with the nation's governors Monday morning.

They asked Dr. Fauci some more questions about everything from whether or not he thought he was going to move to test at home  I mean, on air flights and that kind of thing, Biden said of the call before departing the White House for his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

During the virtual meeting with governors, Biden pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests that dominated headlines over the holiday season.

My message is: If you need something, say something, and were going to have your back any way we can," Biden said. He acknowledged long lines and chaotic scenes as Americans sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather with family and friends over the holiday.

Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do, he said. He referenced his administrations plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans beginning next month through an as-yet-to-be-developed website.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the National Governors Association chairman, raised concerns Biden's plan could get in the way of state efforts to boost supply of tests.

That dries up the supply chain for what we might offer as governors, he said, saying the lack of supply has become a real challenge.

Biden assured Hutchinson that the federal effort wont interfere with state actions. This gets solved at the state level, he said.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 28, 2021 - 20:44 | All, Japan

Prosecutors said Tuesday they decided not to indict former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over allegations his camp illegally paid for dinner receptions held for supporters, officially bringing to an end a high-profile political scandal that came to light two years ago.

It is the second time the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office's special investigations unit has made such a decision since lawyers and scholars filed a criminal complaint against Abe in May last year.

The dinner events cost 23 million yen ($200,000) over a five-year period through 2019, much more than the amount collected from attendees, many of whom were voters in Abe's constituency in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.

The costs were partially covered by a group managing Abe's political funds, although he initially denied this. Abe later said he was unaware that his group had shouldered some of the costs.

In December 2020, the prosecutors decided not to press charges against Abe over the allegations because of insufficient evidence while indicting his state-paid secretary, who was later fined, for failing to report handling of funds related to the dinner functions between 2016 and 2019.

An inquest body concluded in July that the prosecutors should reopen the case to see whether Abe was engaged in the act of endowment at the dinner events. The body also alleged he was negligent in supervisory responsibility.

"I believe prosecutors made the decision as a result of impartial investigations," Abe said in a statement.

Opposition parties demanded that Abe explain the matter in parliament.

"Many people are still voicing disbelief. (Abe) should fulfill his responsibility of explaining (what happened) in parliament," Chinami Nishimura, secretary general of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told a press conference.

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By Yuka Nakao, KYODO NEWS - Dec 28, 2021 - 12:17 | All, Feature, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese economy is expected to accelerate its expansion in fiscal 2022 following a sharp turnaround toward the end of 2021 as private consumption continues to recover thanks to subdued coronavirus infections.

Analysts predict the world's third-largest economy will see an annual real 2 to 4 percent growth in fiscal 2022 starting April, even though concerns remain about a COVID-19 resurgence and the lingering global semiconductor shortage.

After the economy shrank a record 4.5 percent in fiscal 2020 with the coronavirus outbreak, it began to pick up in the fall of 2021 as vaccinations progressed and economic restrictions were lifted.

The government predicts a 2.6 percent growth in fiscal 2021, followed by a 3.2 percent increase in fiscal 2022. Among other major economies, growth in calendar 2022 is forecast by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to reach 3.7 percent in the United States and 5.1 percent in China.

Economists say strong growth is expected especially in the first half of 2022 in Japan, thanks to restaurants and bars and other hospitality businesses returning to normal operations and the government's stimulus initiatives, including the "Go To Travel" domestic tourism subsidy program which it envisages resuming around February.

Taro Saito, executive research fellow at NLI Research Institute, said consumption, kept at subdued levels by the pandemic with increased savings, should lead to robust private spending going forward.

"As long as people can move freely, considerable spending can be expected," Saito said.

Japan's household assets hit a new record in 2020 and have continued to rise since, according to Bank of Japan data.

At the end of September 2021, Japanese households held a record 1,999.8 trillion yen ($17 trillion), with cash and deposits increasing 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 1,072 trillion yen. Assets held in securities were also higher, helped by rises in stock prices.

But economists say factors that stood in the way of the economic recovery through a large part of 2021 will not entirely go away in 2022. For one, the recently spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus could dampen private spending, which accounts for more than half of the country's GDP.

Mizuho Research & Technologies, which estimates the annual growth rate at 2.7 percent based on the premise that the next wave of infections -- the sixth since the outbreak in 2020 -- will occur in summer, forecasts an annualized 2.9 percent contraction in the July-September period.

Saisuke Sakai, senior economist at Mizuho, said, "If a sixth infection wave is caused by the Omicron variant, we expect private expenditure to drop in early 2022."

The highly-contagious Omicron variant has already caused a resurgence of infections in the United States and some European countries, forcing them to restrict social activities and cancel festive events. While the total number of confirmed cases involving Omicron remains low in Japan, community transmission is showing signs of increase in urban areas including Tokyo.

But the decline in spending will likely be smaller than during previous waves when states of emergency were issued to ask people to stay at home and restaurants to close earlier, Sakai said, as the government is pushing its so-called "vaccine and test package" to support economic activities.

Under the program, people certified as vaccinated or with negative tests would not be discouraged from traveling across prefectural borders and restaurants would be allowed to serve alcohol even during states of emergency if they check customers' vaccine and test statuses.

Sakai said the economy may also enjoy stronger-than-expected boosts from the benefits of oral COVID-19 drugs developed by Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. and an expansion of vaccine use to children.

A global chip shortage will also continue to be a concern, economists say.

A recent gradual recovery in car production is a positive development for the Japanese economy after automakers cut output since summer due to supply chain disruptions in Southeast Asia.

Many economists say the speed of the auto production recovery will remain mild, however, as global chip demand is expected to continue outstripping supply even if the COVID-19 situation in Southeast Asian countries, a key manufacturing hub for automakers, keeps improving.

"Even if automakers could boost production briefly, it will be difficult to keep doing so to get back to their normal output level," said Yasunari Tanaka, a researcher at Mitsubishi Research Institute which forecasts the chip drought will be resolved in 2023 or later.

Chip industry body World Semiconductor Trade Statistics forecasts semiconductor demand will grow 8.8 percent to a new record of more than $600 billion in 2022 following a 25.6 percent leap in 2021.

Domestically, chipmaking capacity has surpassed its pre-pandemic level and little room is left for additional expansion, according to MRI.

"I think it has become a main scenario, rather than a potential risk, to expect a prolonged global semiconductor shortage," Tanaka said.

The currency market is another headache for the Japanese economy, Tanaka said. Although export-oriented automakers and chip-related companies can benefit from the recent weakness of the yen against the U.S. dollar, it is a headwind for Japan given its reliance on imports of natural resources such as crude oil, he said.

Transportation and restaurant businesses, already hard-hit by the pandemic, are major consumers of crude oil and may remain under pressure, he said.

Even though the Japanese economy is set to recover to its pre-pandemic level in early 2022, it will take a full year or longer to return to its recent peak marked in the April-June quarter of 2019, which was before the consumption tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent later that year.

"For 2022, the main goal for the Japanese economy would be achieving a 'with-corona' new normal, striking a balance between keeping the economy running and curbing infections," Mizuho's Sakai said.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 28, 2021 - 20:10 | All, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday urged South Korea to abide by a 2015 bilateral agreement concerning the issue of wartime "comfort women" amid frosty ties between Tokyo and Seoul.

"At least the promise between states must be kept, or any discussion from now on will be meaningless," Kishida told Kyodo News in an interview. As then foreign minister, he played an instrumental role in reaching the agreement that settled the comfort women issue "finally and irreversibly."

"Comfort women" is a euphemistic term for women from the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere forced to work at wartime Japanese military brothels.

The issue, along with a dispute over wartime labor compensation, has sent relations between Japan and South Korea to the lowest point in years. Tuesday marked the sixth anniversary of the bilateral agreement.

Based on the 2015 accord, Japan paid 1 billion yen ($8.7 million), and the money was distributed through a foundation to former comfort women and the families of those who died.

In 2019, however, the foundation was dissolved after the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae In concluded that the deal, reached under a previous government, failed to properly reflect the women's wishes.

Earlier this year, a South Korean court ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to former comfort women, drawing a protest from Japan.

Kishida held a phone conversation with Moon days after taking office in October, urging South Korea to take "appropriate" action. Japan has taken the position that the ball is in South Korea's court.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Tuesday that Seoul "will not either nullify or renegotiate it" as the agreement is an official one.

But the ministry said the agreement cannot resolve the comfort women issue, urging Japan to make continuous efforts "sincerely" to recover the honor and dignity of the victims and heal their wounds.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 28, 2021 - 22:02 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government will consider bringing forward COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all people as much as possible, amid concern about a further spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

In an interview with Kyodo News, Kishida said he will make the country's antivirus measures "fully operational" so people can feel safe at a time when there are still unknowns about the new variant.

Japan has already started giving third shots to health care workers, followed by senior citizens early next year.

Japan has not seen a surge in Omicron cases, but the government remains on alert, barring new entries by foreigners from abroad and offering free PCR and antigen testing in some areas including Tokyo, where community spread of the new coronavirus variant has been confirmed.

"Besides 31 million health care workers and elderly people, we'd like to consider bringing (the schedule for third shots) forward as much as possible," Kishida said.

Over 77 percent of the population has received two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine. The government is shortening the interval between second and third shots from eight months to six for health care workers and older people.

The vaccines by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. have already been approved in Japan as booster shots. The drugmakers have said third shots will enhance protection against the Omicron variant.

The health ministry approved U.S. pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co.'s orally administered COVID-19 drug last week, the first such pill to be used in Japan.

Kishida has said there is a need to prepare for a worst-case scenario and that the nation's border control measures, one of the most stringent among advanced economies, will remain in place for the time being.

Nationwide, 385 daily COVID-19 infections were confirmed Tuesday with Osaka reporting the most among all areas at 51, followed by Tokyo at 46 and Okinawa at 29. The health ministry said a record 69 people coming from abroad had been confirmed to be infected with the virus at Japanese airports.

Osaka Prefecture the same day confirmed that five people at a nursing home had contracted the Omicron variant in what is believed to be Japan's first cluster infection of the heavily mutated strain.

A team led by Hiroshi Nishiura, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Kyoto University, estimates that the Omicron variant will account for over 90 percent of new infections in Osaka by the middle of next month.

During the interview, Kishida said he wants to carefully examine the infection situation during the year-end and New Year holiday season.

"I will then make a judgment on what to do," he said, while expressing hope the outlook will be positive.

Since taking office in October, Kishida has prioritized bolstering the COVID-19 response while seeking to revitalize the pandemic-hit economy.

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Workers load a container onto a train at Urumqi China-Europe Railway Express Hub in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

URUMQI, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region recorded around 261.8 billion yuan (about 41 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign trade with the European Union countries in the first 11 months of this year, up 30 percent year on year, the local customs said on Monday.

According to Urumqi Customs, Xinjiang's exports to the EU hit 197.9 billion yuan, up 27.7 percent year on year in the January-November period, while its imports rose by 37.6 percent to reach 63.9 billion yuan.

Sun Tao, deputy director of the statistics and analysis department of the customs, attributed the robust figures to the booming China-Europe freight train services via ports in Xinjiang, the trade growth of mechanical and electrical products and the surge in the export of clean energy equipment and products.

In the first 11 months, a total of 11,156 China-Europe freight train trips were recorded by land ports in Xinjiang, a year-on-year increase of 26.8 percent. The total freight volume hit 1.1 million tonnes, up 30.2 percent year on year. Significant increases in trade have been seen with Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France and Hungary.

During the period, Xinjiang ports exported 158 billion yuan of mechanical and electrical products to the EU, up 32.9 percent year on year, accounting for 79.9 percent of the total exports. Meanwhile, Xinjiang ports also saw a 29.2 percent increase in the import of mechanical and electrical products from the EU, accounting for 65.5 percent of the total imports.

"During the period, the exports of raw plastics, electric vehicles and polysilicon have doubled. Among exported labor-intensive products, plastic products, shoes and furniture have seen significant growth," Sun said. 
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in the Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani speaks to reporters after a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, on Monday urged the parties to Vienna nuclear talks to attend the negotiations with the "determination to reach a good agreement."

Talking to reporters during his weekly press conference, Khatibzadeh said that Iran will not accept the demands beyond 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and will persist on its interests within the accord.

Calling for "serious plans "of the European troika of Britain, France and Germany, during the imminent meetings, he said that if Iran's interests are met within the JCPOA framework, "we will see a good result in this round."

Asked about the threats by Israel against Iran's nuclear program, Khatibzadeh said Iran's response to the military threats of Tel Aviv is the recent military drills of "Great Prophet 17" in Iran's southern coasts.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) staged 5-day military drills last week, with its commanders calling the goals of the drill a display of Iran's responsive power to Israel's threats.

The seventh round of nuclear talks, which began on Nov. 29 in Vienna after a nearly six months of hiatus, has been the scene of intense discussions on two proposals from Iran. The eighth round of talks is scheduled to begin on Monday. Enditem

Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, speaks to reporters after a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
The Long March-7 Y4 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-3, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 20, 2021. China launches cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3 to deliver supplies for its under-construction space station. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- For Chinese scientists and engineers, the past 12 months have been a year like no other.

With the pandemic still raging, scientific and technological self-reliance took center stage, bringing in advances in frontiers like space exploration, quantum science, and the battle against COVID-19.

At the Beijing Aerospace Control Center this year, Zhang Rongqiao and Sun Jun were no strangers to the "big red screen." The giant display turns red when a mission is declared a success.

On May 15, Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's first Mars exploration mission, wiped tears from his eyes as Mars probe Tianwen-1 landed safely on the red planet. It was the country's first successful Mars mission and a giant leap for deep space exploration.

Zhang Rongqiao (R), chief designer of China's first Mars exploration mission, talks with Wu Weiren (2nd L), chief designer of China's lunar exploration project, at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, after China's first Mars rover, Zhurong, drives down from its landing platform to the Martian surface, May 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Launched on July 23, 2020, Tianwen-1 arrived at Mars in February and landed the lander and rover in May. Since then, the rover Zhurong has traveled more than 1,200 meters on the planet and is currently heading toward a region that might have been the coastline of an ancient ocean, looking for clues about Mars' evolution.

Earlier this month, Zhang was included on Nature's list of 10 people who were part of big stories in science in 2021. He said the landing gave him a taste of the old Chinese saying, "it takes 10 years to sharpen a good sword."

Sun Jun understands exactly what Zhang means by the old Chinese saying.

Photo released on June 11, 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows a selfie of China's first Mars rover Zhurong with the landing platform.(CNSA/Handout via Xinhua)

Sun, chief engineer of the space mission at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, started with his colleagues in 1995. "We didn't have a single line of software code or computers, never mind a ready-to-use guidebook," he recalled.

This year, Sun and his colleagues witnessed "big red screen" moments multiple times: the launch of the space station core module Tianhe, two launches of the cargo freighters Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3, two crewed flights of Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13, the safe return to Earth of the Shenzhou-12 crew, four extravehicular activities and a live class from the space station.

"Now we can say that we can safely and freely build, control, operate, and maintain the space station," Sun told reporters this month.

Like space research and engineering, quantum research also continued to gain momentum this year. The quantum research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) again hit the highlight list of the year.

Last year, China's quantum computer, Jiuzhang, performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would take a supercomputer 2.5 billion years to complete.

Critics say it's unclear whether the problem a U.S. quantum computer solved was indeed beyond the capabilities of a conventional machine, and Jiuzhang is not easily reprogrammable to solve more than one problem.

In an interview with Outlook Weekly under Xinhua, Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei said it took the team 20 years to make the breakthrough of Jiuzhang in 2020. They achieved a series of innovations on concepts and technologies this year, and Jiuzhang 2.0 arrived to address various issues.

In the 2021 "Highlights of the Year" story, the American Physical Society said "the USTC results stand out because they provided compelling arguments that a computer had finally achieved quantum primacy," a quantum system's ability to outperform the best possible classical computer in a given task. "The researchers observed exceptional quantum computational speedups that made the claim of quantum primacy hard to dispute."

A participant views a quantum computing prototype model during the 2021 Quantum Industry Conference in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

As space and quantum researchers reap the rewards from years of dedication, Chinese vaccine producers and drug developers have earned plaudits from racing against the clock to fight COVID-19.

Throughout the year, China has been promoting mass vaccination along with the global vaccination plan. Earlier this month, two COVID-19 medicines were granted emergency approval, China's first approved COVID-19 virus-neutralizing antibody combination therapy with independent intellectual property rights.

A batch of COVID-19 vaccine donated by China arrives at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Self-reliant innovation never ends, noted Sun. "Core technologies can only come from a country's own innovation," he said. "You'd better hold the safety rope yourself, rather than leave it to others."

Although tensions and the pandemic limited international cooperation, China has never forgotten to share its achievements and make encouraging commitments to the international community.

The country has delivered on its promise to make vaccines global public goods and made continued efforts to improve vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries. Over 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been provided to more than 120 countries and international organizations.

Aerial photo taken on March 29, 2021 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

In March, China announced that its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, the world's largest single-dish radio observatory, can be accessed by astronomers worldwide.

On Dec. 1, Tianwen-1 and the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft successfully performed an in-orbit relay communication test. As the relay communication equipment interfaces of Zhurong and Mars Express match and conform to international standards, the Tianwen-1 and Mars Express teams will cooperate further in scientific data relay communication.

China has pledged to make its space station an open platform for international cooperation. A total of 17 countries will participate in the experiments aboard China's space station, covering aerospace medicine, life sciences and biotechnology, and astronomy. 
People walk past the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

As 2021 draws to a close, the unfolding consequences of Brexit, speculations over a Polish exit from the EU, and the lingering migrant crisis have continued to weigh heavily on EU member states' sense of cohesion and solidarity.

The European Commission has proposed to make 2022 the European Year of Youth, hoping the younger generation will strengthen European solidarity and build a better future -- a mission already taken by some.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Europe has persevered through a year of challenges in 2021, in the wake of Brexit and amid painstaking efforts towards economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the year draws to a close, the unfolding consequences of Brexit, speculations over a Polish exit from the European Union (EU), and the lingering migrant crisis have continued to weigh heavily on EU member states' sense of cohesion and solidarity.





THORNY POST-BREXIT ISSUES

In one of the most heart-breaking headlines, 27 undocumented migrants died in an English Channel boat accident on Nov. 24 while trying to reach the UK from France. The accident triggered a squabble between the two countries, which blamed each other for the tragedy.

The channel shipwreck further aggravated Anglo-French relations, which had already been strained following London's signing of the AUKUS pact with the United States and Australia in September, and the dispute over licenses for French fishermen to fish in British waters after Brexit.

Another major post-Brexit row concerns the Northern Ireland protocol, a deal agreed by the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods.

But the arrangement has led to checks on goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, creating a barrier to trade within the UK. After six months of unfruitful negotiations, the row will continue in 2022.

Analysts interpret Brexit as a warning sign for European integration, following which new divisions could be created between EU member states, notably between Eurozone and non-Eurozone countries, net-payers and net-recipients from the EU budget, and between member states in the north and south, and east and west.

"The threat of European disintegration following Brexit has reversed the seemingly irreversible course of 'ever closer union'," said University of Cambridge PhD candidate Ugur Tekiner in an article, adding that the EU needs effective leadership to set a clear trajectory for the integration process.

An EU flag is seen in front of a UK flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)





"POLEXIT"?

Poland was in the limelight again in October after its top court ruled primacy of national constitution over EU law -- a ruling that challenged the supremacy of EU law, considered as a central pillar of European integration.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the ruling called EU foundations into question, "a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order."

Critics of Poland's government feared the ruling would push the country further on the way out of the EU, though the government dismissed the idea as "fake news."

As the absolute majority of Poland's citizens strongly support its EU membership, only a few believe that the country, the largest beneficiary of EU funding, is leaving the EU.

The Polish government, led by the conservative Law and Justice party, has been in conflict with EU officials since it took power in 2015. The dispute is mainly over changes to the Polish judicial system, which give the ruling party more power over the courts.

Polish authorities say they aim to reform what they describe as a corrupt and inefficient justice system, whereas the European Commission believes such changes erode the country's democratic system of checks and balances and is holding up billions of euros to Poland earmarked in a pandemic recovery plan.

The commission announced last week that it was taking legal action against Poland for violating EU law and compromising judicial independence of Polish judges, prompting a rebuke from Warsaw.

People walk near the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, May 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)





MIGRANT CRISIS

Meanwhile, a months-long standoff at the border between Poland and Belarus lasted from summer into winter. The border crisis escalated last month, when large groups of migrants tried to cross from Belarus into the EU, raising the specter of a humanitarian emergency.

The EU blamed Belarus for sending migrants over the border as retaliation for EU sanctions, whereas Minsk denied the accusation.

The European Commission put forward a set of temporary asylum and return measures to assist Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, three EU members bordering Belarus, in addressing the emergency. According to the proposal, migrants could be held in closed camps at the border for up to four months and faster deportations will explicitly be authorized.

The move, however, came under immediate criticism from some members of the European Parliament and rights groups, who said the new approach was unacceptable and "putting politics over people's lives," especially at a time when Belarus had already evacuated the main camps at its border with Poland and expatriated hundreds of asylum seekers.

The EU's -- and its individual member states' -- approach to migration has created what appears to be a permanent crisis of solidarity. This is a heated and increasingly divisive issue within the bloc and even within the member states, prompting the EU to tackle the crisis from its root.

The European Commission has proposed to make 2022 the European Year of Youth, hoping the younger generation will strengthen European solidarity and build a better future -- a mission already taken by some.

Since the age of 18, British humanitarian aid worker Mary Finn has been involved in sea rescue operations for migrants off the coasts of Greece, Turkey and Libya. Now at 24, she bears witness to the situation of refugees in Europe and its consequences on European politics.

"We are not alone, there is a generation of young people who are not willing to stand by and watch humanity and our planet fall apart," she said in an Instagram posting after the premiere of a documentary on the experience of herself and her peers at Cannes Film Festival in July.

A child is seen at a refugee camp near the Belarusian-Polish border in Belarus, Nov. 14, 2021. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)
-- According to data published on Thursday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the 50th week of 2021 witnessed 2,644,836 more cases and 26,179 new deaths registered in Europe.

-- For many Europeans and Americans, a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant has thrown a wrench into their holiday season plans, as they are still painfully processing the fact that they have to cancel flights, hotels and other holiday bookings.

-- Surging cases and deaths have already prompted some European countries to consider tightening control measures.

by Xinhua writer Guo Yage

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- For most Europeans and Americans, the annual Christmas season is a festive period for happy family reunion and joyous holiday travel. But they could not find much to have a good laugh about together this year, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant has triggered another explosion of infections and deaths in their homelands.

While many in the Western society are mournfully changing their holiday plans after airlines and railways cancelled more services at the last minute, experts worldwide are urging rapid re-imposition and upgrade of control measures, as well as broader vaccination efforts, to slow down the spread of the virus and keep the COVID-19-related burden manageable.

SURGING INFECTIONS

According to data published on Thursday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the 50th week of 2021 witnessed 2,644,836 more cases and 26,179 new deaths registered in Europe.

The 14-day notification rate of reported cases per 100,000 population in Europe has hit roughly 629.2, the ECDC data showed.

France, one of the worst-hit European countries by Omicron, reported on Saturday 104,611 new cases, the highest daily record since the pandemic broke out in the country, bringing its cumulative caseload to 9,088,371, said the French Public Health Agency.

People walk near a fast COVID-19 testing tent near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Local media reported around 20 percent of the new cases in France are related to Omicron.

Official figures released Friday showed that Britain had reported another 122,186 cases in the latest 24-hour period, breaking the record of 120,000 daily cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It also reported a further 137 coronavirus-related deaths.

The country had altogether registered some 700,000 cases and 810 deaths in the week ending Friday, up by 48.2 percent and 2 percent respectively from the previous week.

Also on Friday, Spain reported 72,912 new cases, a record high for the third day running. Italy reported 44,595 infections on Thursday, the highest daily count it has ever registered.

Also dire is the situation in the United States. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that more than 69,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Christmas Eve.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Dec. 21, a new high since Jan. 8. About 2,200 new deaths were reported on Dec. 22, the highest single-day increase since Oct. 8.

The CDC has announced that Omicron is the cause of 73 percent of new infections across the United States, and even of 90 percent in some parts of the country.

TRAVEL CHAOS

For many Europeans and Americans, a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant has thrown a wrench into their holiday season plans, as they are still painfully processing the fact that they have to cancel flights, hotels and other holiday bookings.

FlightAware, a flight tracker website, noted that 46 flights from British Airways were canceled on Monday alone. According to media reports, German airline Lufthansa announced that it will cancel 10 percent of its winter flight schedule amid the pandemic. Railway authorities in the Netherlands and Belgium have both decided to cancel daily trains because of rising staff illness or quarantine.

A passenger wearing a face mask is seen in a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Dec. 4, 2021. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

Besides, FlightAware also noted that a total of 1,033 Monday flights within, into and out of the United States were canceled and 2,982 faced delays due to crew shortages and disrupted operations. A combined 1,700 flights had been canceled on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

"The cancellations come at the busiest time of year for air travel," and major U.S. travel hubs were "among the hardest hit," ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, experts and officials are warning the conditions could be even worse in the future. In its weekly epidemiological update published Monday, the ECDC said an increasing number of infections have been reported within Europe, including as parts of clusters and outbreaks, indicating possible community spread.

The spread of Omicron "is extremely rapid, especially among the 20-29 years olds," noted Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist and member of the French Scientific Council. "In January, we are expecting hundreds of thousands of new cases a day."

Given the rising cases in Britain, experts said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day, with many being missed by the system.

As Germany is also bracing for a new wave of the pandemic, Ute Teichert, chairwoman of the Federal Association of Public Health Service Doctors, said a large proportion of public health departments in Germany already stopped contact tracing for people infected with COVID-19 due to overload.

"Because of the Omicron variant, we are running into a situation in Germany where health departments will eventually not be able to compensate for sick staff," she said.

Silvio Brusaferro, president of Italy's National Health Institute, has also noted in a statement "the great rapidity of the variant spread, which seems to produce large outbreaks in a short time, and it is expected to become predominate, as it is already occurring in several other European countries."

A COVID-19 notice board is seen at Galleria Alberto Sordi in Rome, Italy, Dec. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

In the United States, health officials have been warning that Omicron threatens to overwhelm hospitals and healthcare workers. Many hospitals are already overburdened, especially with patients who remain unvaccinated and those who have delayed necessary care during the pandemic. The surging infections and deaths have also created COVID-19 testing shortages.

"Every day it goes up and up. The last weekly average was about 150,000 and it likely will go much higher," Anthony Fauci, U.S. President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, was quoted as saying by ABC News on Sunday.

TOUGHER RESTRICTIONS

Surging cases and deaths have already prompted some European countries to consider tightening control measures.

In a video posted on social media by Downing Street, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged caution and suggested people should take a test before meeting elderly relatives.

The country's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid reiterated his call for citizens to get vaccinated, tweeting, "If you're eligible for the jab, please come forward as soon as possible."

Germany has added Britain, Denmark, Norway and France to its list of "areas at particularly high risk of infection." Travelers entering Germany from risk areas must quarantine for 14 days, including those who are vaccinated or who recovered from the virus, said the country's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

The Netherlands has reintroduced a full lockdown, which will remain in force until Jan. 14. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a press conference that "Omicron is spreading even faster than we feared, so we must intervene now."

According to media reports, Spain, Greece and Italy have also reintroduced outdoor mask mandate amid the Omicron surge.

Meanwhile, the United States has shortened the isolation period for healthcare workers infected with COVID-19, due to hospital staff shortages. The CDC said in a new guidance that those workers who had received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters, do not need to quarantine at home following high-risk exposures.

People wait in line for COVID-19 tests at a mobile testing site on Times Square in New York, the United States, Dec. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The new guidance was immediately condemned by the New York State Nurses Association, which called the CDC's decision "inconsistent with proven science."

"It makes no sense not to take every measure which would reduce risk of healthcare worker infection," it said in a statement.

Amid busy marketing authorization of various vaccines and urgent call worldwide for promoting vaccination, the World Health Organization stressed that "vaccines can offer protection but it is also essential to wear a mask and avoid large crowds to keep COVID-19 away during the holiday season."

"It is not yet known how easily Omicron spreads, how serious symptoms are or how it affects protection from vaccines," it tweeted Monday, adding that to protect oneself and others, it is also necessary to open windows and clean hands.

(Xinhua reporters Tan Jingjing in Washington, Xing Jianqiao in Paris, Guo Shuang in London, Zhang Yirong in Berlin, Zhou Xiaotian in Rome, and Wang Xiangjiang in The Hague also contributed to the story.)(Video reporters: Xie E, Zhang Mocheng, Xu Jianmei, Sun Xin; video editors: Wang Houyuan, Li Qin)
New Delhi :

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) working president JP Nadda on Sunday said that elections will be conducted in Jammu & Kashmir, which has been made a Union Territory, only after delimitation. He also said that Schedule Tribe (ST) will be provided political reservation which in turn will benefit the Gujjar and Bakarwal community of the state. Gujjar and Bakerwal communities were given Scheduled Tribe status long ago in the state but were denied benefits of being STs.

J&K has been made a Union Territory but they have been given the powers of a legislature. There will be elections, but before that, there will be delimitation, ST seats will be reserved for Gujjars and Bakarwals in both Valley and Jammu, Nadda was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

J P Nadda, BJP Working President in Thane: J&K has been made a Union Territory but they have been given the powers of a legislature. There will be elections, but before that there will be delimitation, ST seats will be reserved for Gujjars and Bakarwals in both Valley and Jammu. pic.twitter.com/gx5CyAhQOV  ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2019

Recently, Nadda met retired Army officers - who have served in Jammu and Kashmir, as part of the BJP's outreach campaign on scrapping Article 370.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader visited the home of Lt. General (retd) Vishambhar Singh, where he met some other retired officers as well.

"The issue was continuing for years. Separatism flourished in Jammu and Kashmir due to the Article 370 status, he told reporters later, referring to the recent abrogation of J&K's special status.

Nadda was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria, BJP state unit's organisational general secretary Chandra Shekhar and former state unit presidents Arun Chaturvedi and Ashok Parnami.

The BJP has embarked on a month-long 'Sampark and Janjagran Abhiyan' exercise to seek people's support on the decision to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, with its leaders and workers asked to fan out across the country to hold meetings.

The Union government on August 5 abrogated provisions of Article 370, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

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Mumbai:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday expressed confidence that the BJP will come back to power in the state with an unprecedented mandate after the upcoming Assembly polls.

Fadnavis said his ongoing Mahajanadesh Yatra has so far covered over 3,000 km and reached out to over 100 constituencies (out of the total 288) in the state.

Wherever we go, the yatra is being welcomed by people and getting a huge response. Looking at the peoples support, we are sure that we will get an unprecedented victory in the Assembly polls, he told reporters here.

Fadnavis on Saturday visited some tehsils in Pune as part of the third leg of his mass outreach campaign.

Taking a swipe at NCP workers protest in Baramati town here against his yatra, Fadnavis wondered if Article 370 (that earlier granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir but was recently abrogated) was imposed in Sharad Pawars bastion so as to not allow any other party to hold a rally there.

His remarks came when reporters asked him about some NCP workers allegation that police used lathi-charge when they shouted slogans during Fadnavis mass outreach campaign in Baramati on Saturday.

The police earlier denied that lathi-charge was used.

My first question about the protest was how many people (NCP workers) were there...there were only seven people, and is there any need for police to resort to lathi-charge for seven people? Fadnavis asked.

When the police chased them, they ran away, he said.

I would like to ask them, will it be okay if our party workers create ruckus in public meetings held by Sharad Pawar...is it the way? he said.

He asked if there was a rule that nobody from other parties should hold a public rally in Baramati.

Is there an Article 370 imposed in Baramati or is Baramati separate from Maharashtra? he quipped.

Fadnavis said if the opposition parties come to BJPs strongholds for public meetings, his party would help them.

What is the problem...ultimately we live in a democracy, and in a democratic system, everybody has the right to hold public meeting, but what kind of a way it is that the chief minister should not enter their (NCP) town and hold a meeting? he asked.

Asked about the alleged multi-crore irrigation in which NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawars name has cropped up, he said the case was in the last phase as its final hearing was underway in the Bombay High Court.

Whatever proofs and reports we have, we are submitting them in the court in the form of affidavits...all the things before the high court are crystal clear, he said.

On some NCP leaders saying that Sharad Pawar had to face problems because of Udayanraje Bhosale, the party MP who joined the BJP on Saturday, Fadnavis said it now appears to be a case of sour grapes.

When Bhosale was in the party, the NCP projected him and sought votes. When their Shiv Swarajya yatra (a pre-poll mass contact programme) was announced, the NCP wanted that he should lead it and an announcement was made about it,he said.

Now (that) he has left, he has become bad...I think people of Maharashtra will give a reply to the NCP in the elections, the chief minister said.

Bhosale, a descendant of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Saturday quit his Lok Sabha membership from Satara to join the ruling BJP.

Fadnavis expressed confidence that Bhosale will win the by-election from Satara with a huge margin.

Talking about his agenda for next five years if his party comes back to power, Fadnavis said in the last five years, his governments thrust was on watershed management.

In the next five years, our focus will be on making the state drought-free by diverting excess rainwater to scarcity-hit and rain-deficit districts, he added.
New Delhi:

The Indian Army on Saturday destroyed an 120 mm live mortar shell which was found in the proximity of houses near Balakote village in Mendhar Sub-Division of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. However, no loss of life or property have been reported in the incident till the time.

"Army in a secluded place destroyed 120 mm live mortar shell which was found in proximity of houses in Balakote village in Mendhar Sub-Division on September 14," the news agency ANI reported along with the video of the exercise.

READ | 21 Indians Killed In 2,050 Ceasefire Violations By Pakistan This Year: MEA

#WATCH Poonch: Army in a secluded place destroyed 120 mm live mortar shell which was found in proximity of houses in Balakote village in Mendhar Sub-Division on September 14. No loss of life or property reported. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/J0bmRuo2eG  ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2019

The incident comes days after the Army shared a video of a failed infiltration attempt by a squad of Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) along the LoC in Keran sector on the intervening night of July 31 and August 1. In the about two-minute video, at least four bodies could be seen, which the Army sources said, were of Pakistani intruders.

READ | Indian Army Warns Of Terror Attack In South India After Abandoned Boats Found In Sir Creek

The Army had earlier said that five to seven Pakistani intruders were killed when it foiled the attempt by the Pakistani BAT team. The BAT generally comprises special forces personnel of the Pakistani Army and terrorists.

At least four bodies, possibly of Pakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG) commandos or terrorists, were seen in close proximity of an Indian post in the sector, the sources said.

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Chandigarh:

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday said it is in Pakistan's interest to hand over PoK to India as several reports suggest people in the occupied territory are unhappy and want to be part of this country.

"Narendra Modi is a dashing prime minister. He took a historical decision to scrap Article 370. Pakistan has been unable to digest this and has tried to unsuccessfully rake up Kashmir issue once again. Pakistan should now hand over PoK to us and it is in Pakistan's interest to do so," Athawale, who was here to review his ministry's schemes, told reporters.

"If they hand over PoK to us, we will set up many industries there. We will also help Pakistan in trade and help fight poverty and unemployment," said the minister of state for social justice and empowerment.

He said there are several reports point out that people in PoK are unhappy and they want to be part of India. Athawale, also the chief of Republican Party of India, a BJP ally, said Pakistan should not indulge in war-mongering and also not issue veiled threats.

"Our Army is strong and we have defeated them in wars like Kargil they thrust upon us," he said.

Athawale said after Article 370 was scrapped and Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union territories, there is complete peace in the Valley.

He said the move will accelerate the pace of development in Jammu and Kashmir as Central schemes and laws, which could not be implemented earlier, will now be enforced.

The minister said the UT status of J&K is temporary and the statehood will be restored once the situation fully normalises.

"The UT status in J&K will not be a permanent feature," he said.

Replying to a question on whether his party will fight Haryana Assembly polls, Athawale said they will contest on ten of the 90 seats.

"Elections are shortly going to be held in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, RPI has sought ten seats out of 288 seats. In Haryana, we have a small presence but we are getting support of various communities like Rajputs and Muslims.

"As RPI is not very strong in Haryana, BJP will not leave any seats for us. But we want to contest ten seats in the state and we will fight these number of seats. At other places, we will support BJP," he said.

Asked if his party will put up candidates against ally BJP in Haryana, he evaded a direct reply, saying, we will fight against the Congress.

Asked if his party will then act as BJP's B team, Athawale said, If our candidates stand in contest, the BJP will benefit. And those candidates of ours who will be elected will support the BJP government. We are not going to put up candidates in Haryana to cause loss to the BJP, but it will be for their gain.

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New Delhi:

In a jolt to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), its former vice-president Ashok Arora, along with other leaders of the party are set to join the Congress in New Delhi on Sunday evening, according to sources. On Tuesday, Arora and his supports had resigned from the primary membership of the INLD.

With a political career of over 35 years, Arora had remained president of the Haryana unit of the INLD for more than 20 years. He announced his decision to resign from the party at a meeting of his supporters and associates called at the 'Punjabi Dharmsala'.

Besides Arora, INLD MLA Pradeep Chaudhary, former Haryana minister Subhash Goyal and Independent MLA Jaiprakash are likely to join the Congress, the sources added.

Arora had said he was leaving the party with a heavy heart as INLD patriarch Om Prakash Chautala had given him love and affection equal to his own sons. He said political circumstances have forced him to take the decision.

"In the present political scenario, regional parties do not have much role to play so joining a national party has become the need of the hour," he said.

There were reports that Arora may join the Congress, but when questioned, Arora had said he would take the decision after assessing all aspects.

He said he was not like politicians who first remained with Chautala, then with Congressmen Kuldeep Bishnoi and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and finally joined the BJP.

According to political observers, if Arora joined any other party than the BJP, it would not only affect the results in assembly segments of Kurukshetra district but many constituencies in the state as he was considered a strong leader of the Punjabi community.

The INLD had been going through rough times ever since the party split.

Arora was elected four times from Thanesar constituency. Besides being senior minster in Chautala's cabinet, he was the speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly. The assembly polls in Haryana are slated for October this year.
Mumbai:

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has finalised names of 55 candidates for Maharashtra Assembly Elections slated later this year. The decision was taken in the meeting of the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) which was organised to discuss election preparations in the state. The meeting  which was chaired by Gandhi, who was appointed party chief recently  was attended by senior party leaders and state leaders.

According to sources, all the sitting MLAs will be given tickets and Gandhi has emphasised that party will try to field maximum numbers of bigwigs in the Assembly polls.

Former Maharashtra chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Muttemwar, Nitin Raut, Nana Falgunrao Patole are some of the names that have been finalised, sources added.

Mallikarjun Kharge, partys general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, told News Nation that another meeting of screening committee and election committee have been again called on September 17 and September 18 respectively to finalise the names of remaining candidates.

On the issue of an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party, Kharge said that Congress and NCP are working on 125-25 seat-sharing deal in the 288-member Assembly, while the remaining seats will be given to their allies.

In the 2014 elections, the Congress and the NCP bagged 42 and 41 seats, respectively. The BJP came to power by winning 122 seats in the 288 member Assembly, while the party's ally Shiv Sena won 62 seats.

The Congress and the NCP are now looking for a comeback in the state but both the parties have faced deserting from several senior party leaders. Recently, actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar, who contested unsuccessfully from North Mumbai, quit the party. After Matondkar, former Minister and senior Congress leader Kripa Shankar Singh also quit the party.
New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump declared on Monday said it "looks" like Iran was behind the explosive attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. However, Trump ruled out any military retaliation for now to the strike against a key US Mideast ally. Earlier, Trump said Iran was likely to blame, fanning new fears of conflict in the Gulf region.

We have a lot of options, Trump told reporters. Im not looking to get into new conflict, but sometimes you have to, he said. That was a very large attack, and it could be met by an attack many, many times larger.

Drones attacked the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and an oilfield operated by Saudi Aramco on Saturday, sparking a huge fire at a processor crucial to global energy supplies. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in Buqyaq and the Khurais oil field, though Yemen's Houthi rebels previously launched drone assaults deep inside of the kingdom.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo while blaming Iran on Sunday had said there is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen and points the finger at Tehran.

"Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the worlds energy supply," he added.

Pompeo says the US calls on all nations to condemn Irans attacks.

He added, the United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression.

The plant has been targeted in the past by militants. Al-Qaida-claimed suicide bombers tried but failed to attack the oil complex in February 2006.

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the rebels since March 2015. The Iranian-backed Houthis hold Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and other territory in the Arab world's poorest country.

The war has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The violence has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and killed more than 90,000 people since 2015, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, which tracks the conflict.

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New Delhi:

British MP Bob Blackman on Sunday said India has a sovereign right over the entire Kashmir region and asked Pakistan to leave PoK. He was addressing a UK-based Kashmiri Pandit gathering organised in London. "The entirety of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is part of sovereign India, and people that ask for UN resolution to be implemented ignore the first resolution, which is that Pakistani military forces should leave Kashmir to re-unite the state," Mr Blackman said at the "Balidan Divas" or Day of Sacrifice event held in London.

Organised by the Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society and All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), the event involved a theatre production titled ''We Remember: The Journey of Kashmiri Pandits''.

"A powerful performance by all the children in the play and the Bharatanatyam dance. Appreciate your commitment and support Bob Blackman," Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam said in a tweet.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated ever since the Narendra Modi government abrogated the Article 370 of Indian Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status.

Islamabad had demanded that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) set up a commission to look into what it termed as Indian brutality" in the region.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

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New Delhi:

National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah was detained under Public Safety Act (PSA) on Sunday night. The act allows detention for up to two years without a trial. The order came just before the Supreme Court was to hear MDMK chief Vaikos habeas corpus petition on Abdullahs detention. The place where Abdullah senior will be housed has been declared a temporary jail, through an order.

Farooq Abdullah has been under house arrest at his Srinagar residence since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.

Public Safety Act was first brought into force when Farooq Abdullahs father Sheikh Abdullah.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to present Farooq Abdullah on September 30. The plea was heard by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A Bobde and SA Nazeer. Vaiko is said to be a close friend of Abdullah for the past four decades. He has said that constitutional rights conferred on the National Conference leader had been deprived of on account of "illegal detention without any authority of law".

Tensions are high in Kashmir after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmirs special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 5.

On the day Parliament was debating the abrogation in New Delhi, Abdullah appeared before media in Srinagar. That was the only time he was seen in public. While Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government had not detained Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference leader said that that the leaders, including him, have been placed in the House Arrest. " I have a problem of blood pressure & I am arrested in the House. Whatever Home Minister has said is baseless. No one is allowed to enter my house," Abdullah was quoted as saying.



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New Delhi:

Stepping into the shoes of other opposition leaders, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a dig at Centre's mega plan to push Hindi across the country, stating that India's many languages are not her weakness. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi gave a mention about 23 Indian languages, flaunting the linguistic diversity in the country. The languages he wrote about include Oriya, Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, English, Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Konkani, Malayalam, Telegu, Assamese, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Nepali, Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Santhali and Manipuri.

"India's many languages are not her weakness," the Congress leader tweeted along with the list of some spoken languages across the country.

READ | Kannada 'Principal' Language Of Karnataka, Says CM Yediyurappa Amid Centre's Mega Hindi Push

YYOriya YY Marathi

YY Kannada YYHindi YYTamil

YYEnglish YYGujarati

YYBengali YYUrdu YYPunjabi YY Konkani YYMalayalam

YYTelugu YYAssamese

YYBodo YYDogri YYMaithili YYNepali YYSanskrit

YYKashmiri YYSindhi

YYSanthali YYManipuri...



Indias many languages are not her weakness.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 16, 2019

Protest voices were raised across the country, specially in South, with opposition leaders from different political parties slamming Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his statement on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on Saturday. Shah said it was Hindi which is spoken the most and can unite the country. "While diversity in languages is India's strength, a national language is needed so that foreign languages and cultures do not overpower the country's own," he added.

READ | Hindi Diwas 2019: History, Significance Of World's Fourth Most Spoken Language

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu-based Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga (DMK) has upped the ante against "Hindi imposition", announcing protest demonstrations across the state on September 20 to condemn Shah's Hindi pitch. The agitation was to nip in the bud the "adverse effects" of "Hindi imposition on "mother Tamil" and the mother tongues of people of other (non-Hindi speaking) states," a resolution adopted by the party said.

Briefing reporters, DMK chief MK Stalin said the agitation was the first phase of protest on Hindi issue and the further course of action will be decided on the basis of Central government's response and consultations with like-minded parties.

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New Delhi:

Gold prices were down in morning trade in futures trade on Tusday, September 17.

The rates of Gold and Silver climbed on Monday on a weak rupee and higher oil prices, which led to investors opting for safe haven commodities. Gold price rose Rs 460 to Rs 38,860 per 10 gram in the national capital, according to HDFC Securities. In the bullion market, gold prices for 24 Karat rose to Rs 38,860 per 10 grams from Saturdays closing price of Rs 38,400 per 10 gram, according to the data. Silver also zoomed Rs 1,096 to Rs 47,957 per kilogram. In the previous trading, silver closed at Rs 46,861 per kilogram.

Globally, gold was trading in the green at USD 1,504 an ounce in New York, while silver was also quoting with gains at USD 17.87 an ounce.

International gold prices rallied on safe haven buying amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, he added.

Here are the expected rates of Gold and Silver in India today:

Today 22 Carat Gold Rate Today in India (INR)

1 gram: Rs 3,680

10 gram: Rs 36,800

100 gram: Rs 3,68,000

Today 24 Carat Gold Rate Today in India (INR)

1 gram: Rs 3,780

10 gram: Rs 37,800

100 gram: Rs 3,78,000

Gold Rate Today in Indian Cities (INR)

City: 22 Carat Gold Today, 24 Carat Gold Today

Chennai: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Mumbai: Rs 36,800, Rs 37,800

Delhi: Rs 37,000, Rs 38,100

Kolkata: Rs 37,470, Rs 38,670

Bangalore: Rs 35,550, Rs 38,740

Hyderabad: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Kerala: Rs 35,100, Rs 38,250

Pune: Rs 36,800, Rs 37,800

Vadodara: Rs 36,710, Rs 37,490

Ahmedabad: Rs 36,710, Rs 37,490

Jaipur: Rs 37,000, Rs 38,100

Lucknow: Rs 37,000, Rs 38,100

Coimbatore: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Madurai: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Vijayawada: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Patna: Rs 36,800, Rs 37,800

Nagpur: Rs 36,800, Rs 37,800

Chandigarh: Rs 36,300, Rs 38,100

Surat: Rs 36,710, Rs 37,490

Bhubaneswar: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Mangalore: Rs 35,550, Rs 38,740

Visakhapatnam: Rs 36,260, Rs 39,510

Nashik: Rs 36,800, Rs 37,800

Mysore: Rs 35,550, Rs 38,740

Today Silver Rate Per Gram/Kg in India (INR)

1 gram: Rs 48.80

10 gram: Rs 488.00

100 gram: Rs 4,880

1 Kg: Rs 48,800

*All rates courtsey goodreturns (with PTI inputs)

(Disclaimer: This story is based on information available in the market and News Nation is not responsible for any difference from the market rate)

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New Delhi:

At a time the NCP is plunged into a crisis due to a string of desertions ahead of the high-stake Maharashtra Assembly polls, party patriarch Sharad Pawar has made controversial remark after praising Pakistan for its hospitality. I have visited Pakistan and received hospitality there. Pakistanis believe that even if they cant go to India to meet their relatives, they treat an Indian as their relatives, Pawar said on Saturday during a special event for minorities at party headquarters in Mumbai.

"People here say Pakistanis are facing injustice and are unhappy but it is not true. Such statements are being said only for political gains without understanding actual situation in Pakistan. Ruling class here is spreading false things for political benefits, Pawar added.

The veteran politician speaking on the Centre's recent decision of abrogation of Article 370 said, by scrapping Article 370, the government wants to convey that they are opposing a minority state and, in the process, this action of theirs will lead to more terrorism in the Valley. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated ever since the Narendra Modi government abrogated the Article 370 of Indian Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status.

Pawar is setting out on a state-wide tour beginning September 17 to reach out to people. Pawar will visit ten districts of Solapur, Osmanabad, Beed, Latur, Hingoli, Parbhani, Jalna, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar and Satara in the first phase of the tour, the NCP said on Twitter.

The NCP had managed to retain its 2014 tally of four LS seats in Maharashtra. Recently, former ministers Ganesh Naik, Sachin Ahir and Jaydutt Kshirasagar, MLAs Shivendrasinh Bhosale, Sandip Naik and Vaibhav Pichad to name a few switched their allegiance to the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena.

The NCP is fighting the upcoming Assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and some smaller parties. In the assembly elections held in 2014, the Sharad Pawar-led party had won 41 out of the total 288 seats.

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highlights The teenager was on her way to a temple when she was abducted by three men.

She ran half a kilometer in naked state after a shopkeeper reached to help her.

Police have arrested the accused persons and registered a case under relevent sections.

New Delhi:

A teenage girl in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan ran half a kilometre naked as she tried to escape from the custody of three men, who had abducted and raped her. The incident had taken place on Monday evening and all the three accused have been arrested by the police.

According to reports, the girl, her cousin and a friend were on their way to a temple when three men chased them. While her cousin and the other friend managed to escape, she was abducted by the accused, who then took her to a deserted location and allegedly gang raped her.

Her cousin, who escaped the attackers, told people about the incident and asked a local shopkeeper for the help. The shopkeeper then went to the spot where he saw the accused thrashing the girl in the naked state. After seeing the shopkeeper, the accused fled the scene.

However, the traumatised teen ran half a kilometre naked until convinced by the shopkeeper that he was not one of the accused and came there to protect her. Giving details about the incident, a senior police official said that the girl and her two friends were on their way to a temple when three men, who were drinking by the road, followed them.

"While her friends escaped, the teenage girl was abducted and taken to an isolated place and raped," a news website called NDTV quoted Bhilwara police officer Harendra Mahwar as saying.

The police have filed a case under POCSO Act and atrocities against Scheduled Castes. The statements of the shopkeeper and her two friends have been recorded by the police. The investigators have also collected crucial evidence, including collected broken bangles, liquor bottles and blood stains from the crime spot.

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highlights Rajasthan State Cooperative Bank has released recruitment notification 2019 for Manager, Banking Assistant, Computer Programmer and other posts.

All eligible and interested candidates can apply for the respective posts through the online mode.

Candidates can apply by visiting the official website of RSCB, i.e. rscb.org.in.

New Delhi:

Rajasthan State Cooperative Bank has released recruitment notification 2019 for Manager, Banking Assistant, Computer Programmer and other posts. All eligible and interested candidates can apply for the respective posts through the online mode. Candidates can apply by visiting the official website of RSCB, i.e. rscb.org.in. The online application for various posts in RSCB will close on October 6, 2019. The Rajasthan State Cooperative Bank is going to fill 715 vacancies for various bank posts through this recruitment drive.

RSCB Recruitment 2019: Eligibility Criteria

In order to apply for the respective posts at RSCB, candidates need to fulfil the following requirement:

Candidate must be a graduate from a recognized university for Banking Assistant and Manager Posts. Apart from this, for Stenographer post, candidates need to have done graduation and should possess knowledge of typing.

In order to apply for Computer Programmer Post, candidates should be graduate or should have MCA, B.Tech. Or M.Sc. degree with relevant experience. Further, candidates must have MBA Degree from a recognized university for the Senior Manager post.

Candidates must be Graduate and Law Graduate for the posts of Banking Assistant and Manager (Manager Apex Bank/CCB) respectively.
New Delhi:

Vistara airline on Saturday announced it will start a daily flight on Delhi-Indore route from October 26. With this, Indore becomes 30th destination on its network.

According to Vistara, the flight will depart from Delhi airport at 6.55 am daily and arrive at Indore airport at 8.20 am. The return flight will leave Indore at 8.55 am and arrive at Delhi airport at 10.25 am daily.

READ | GST: Aadhaar Verification To Be Mandatory For New Dealers From January 2020

Vinod Kannan, the chief strategy officer, Vistara, said, "A key manufacturing centre that's now also emerging as a major SME hub, Indore has seen a significant spike in demand for greater air connectivity to the rest of the country".

The airline connects 30 destinations, including three internationals, and operates over 1,200 flights per week using 32 aircraft in its fleet.

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Beirut:

A car bomb near a hospital in a town held by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels in northern Syria killed 11 civilians on Sunday, a monitor said. The blast struck in Al-Rai near the Turkish border, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing near the town's entrance, the second such deadly blast in the wider rebel-held area since June. A member of the rebel security forces, Osama Abu al-Kheir, told AFP that a refrigerator truck blew up outside a healthcare centre.

Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels launched a military operation against both the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in 2016, seizing Al-Rai and the nearby town of Azaz. In June, another car bomb killed 19 people near a bustling market and mosque in Azaz.

Ankara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and it backs Syrian rebels serving as police officers. Turkish troops and Syrian rebels also seized the northwestern enclave of Afrin to the west of Al-Rai from Kurdish fighters last year.

The Kurds have established a semi-autonomous region in the northeast of the country during Syria's eight-year war, but Ankara considers their fighters to be "terrorists". Ankara and Washington last month said they would work together to set up a buffer area inside northeastern Syria along the Turkish border after Kurdish fighters had withdrawn.

A first joint Turkish-US patrol surveyed the area to the east of the Euphrates River last week. IS lost the last of its territory in Syria to a US-backed Kurdish-led offensive in March, but the jihadist group has since claimed deadly attacks in the northeast.

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New Delhi:

All cases lodged against Rampur MP Azam Khan would be withdrawn if the Samajwadi Party comes to power, its president Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister Santosh Gangwar, who termed the assertion an "unrestrained gossip".

According to a statement issued by the Samajwadi Party, Yadav made these remarks at Rampur, where he met Khan's family at his residence and visited Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Urdu Gate and Rampur Public School International.

He assured the party's full support to Khan, who is facing several police cases including those related to alleged land-grabbing. Authorities claim that the gate of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, established by Khan in 2006, is built on government land.

Addressing reporters in Rampur, Yadav said, "Once the Samajwadi Party is voted back to power in UP, all the cases lodged against senior SP leader and Rampur MP Azam Khan will be withdrawn.

"The relationship with Azam Khan is that of family and not of politics," the statement quoted him as having said.

Yadav said that he would meet Governor Anandiben Patel in this regard, if necessary. "I will inform her about the atrocities unleashed by the administration. Copies of all the FIRs lodged against Khan will be taken and a report compiled."

He showered praise on Khan. "He has established fine Ali Jauhar University. He has fulfilled his dreams, and has made this institution for the bright future of children."

"Today, education has become very expensive and this university will help the youth from and around Rampur to get quality education. Azam sahaab has done a good job of securing the future of the children," he said.

Hitting out the ruling BJP, the former chief minister said, "The BJP is indulging in politics of vendetta. It is diverting people's attention from real issues."

He said that after the Lok Sabha elections, people were hopeful that the government will usher in development, but it failed.

"The Defence Budget, which was meant for Defence Corridor, is going to foreign countries through Apache and Rafale. Make in India cannot be seen anywhere."

"The BJP is taking the country towards fear and hatred. First, the statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was vandalised in Saharanpur, and then a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in Jalaun," he alleged.

Samajwadi Party workers accorded him warm welcome at various places from Lucknow to Bareilly and Rampur, the party statement said.

Meanwhile, in Bareilly, Union minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment, Gangwar said, "Akhilesh's difficulties are going to increase. Hence he is afraid and indulging in unrestrained gossip against the government, while siding with Azam Khan."

Addressing a press conference over completion of 100 days of the Modi government, Gangwar said, "Azam Khan's sympathisers would have perhaps forgotten that during his tenure as a UP minister, he had punished an officer in Bareilly by asking him to squat and hold his ears.

"Rampur is our neighbouring district. Who else better than us would know about Azam's misdeeds?"

On Friday, before leaving for Rampur, Yadav had said in Sitapur, "Our party leader MP Azam Khan been been targeted by the government. Over 80 cases have been lodged against him within a month. These cases include of goat and buffalo theft."
New Delhi:

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will host a rare interaction with foriegn media on September 24. The purpose of the intercation is to clear foriegn media's "misconception" towards RSS and give them the firsthand account of our's perspective, RSS spokesperson Rajiv Tuli told Newsnation.in.

"We felt that there is a curiosity in media, national and foriegn, to know about the RSS. We organised a series of interactions for national media in the past but foreign media left out. So we decided to organise a special session of international journalists with our chief Mohan Bhagwatji," Tuli said.

The RSS spokesman said that all the information international media has about the organisation was based on the secondhand account, thus there is a misconception about the Sangh.

"They (foriegn media) doesn't have much of clarity about us. So we want them to have a clarity about RSS and who else would be better than the Sarsanghchalak himself. Also, they have a lot of misconceptions about RSS. What ever infromation they ahve about us is based on secondhand account. that is not directly from Sangh," he said.

In a one hour interaction, first Mohan Bhagwat will give journalists from across the world a perspective of the Sangh and then will take questions from them. The proceedings will be without camera and reporting of the interaction will not be allowed.

Many, including the Opposition Congress, consider RSS, the ideological mother of the ruling BJP, as a radical right wing organisation that promotes hatred and intolerance in the coutnry. In order to get rid of the image, it has been making concious efforts over the last few years.

Earlier last year, the RSS had organised a three-day lecture series - "Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective" - for a select audience comprising prominent citizens of the country. During the series, Bhagwat had presented RSS' perspective on various issues or national importance. In similar efforts, the Sangh had also invited former president and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee at its Nagpur headquarters.

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highlights A Chennai Techie was crushed death after a hoarding fell down on her scooty.

Madras High Court directed AIADMK Govt to pay Rs 5 lakh to her family.

The court said that it has lost faith in the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.

New Delhi:

The Madras High Court on Friday came down heavily on the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government over the issue of illegal hoardings on roads, endangering the lives of the people. Referring to the heart-wrenching accident of a Chennai techie after an illegal hoarding put up by a ruling AIADMK functionary crashed down on her, the high court asked the government to take a firm stand against such banners.

"How many more litres of blood the state government needs to paint the roads with?" a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee asked, while directing the state government to pay Rs 5 lakh as interim compensation to the victims family. The court also gave the liberty to recover the money from erring officials.

Terming the incident "sheer bureaucratic apathy", the high court said that it has lost faith in the Tamil Nadu government and asked whether state Chief Minister K Palaniswami would now issue a statement against such unauthorised hoardings.

"There is zero respect for lives in this country. We have lost faith in this government," the court said and directed the government to take appropriate action against concerned officials from the police department and the Corporation of Chennai.

The observations by the Madras High Court were made while hearing a plea by social activist 'Traffic' Ramaswamy, bringing to the courts notice the 23-year-old Chennai Engineers death on Thursday. The woman, riding a two-wheeler, was crushed to death by a water tanker as she lost balance after an illegal hoarding fell on her.

"Just imagine (what) the girl could have contributed to the GDP of this nation. Couldnt that politician have conducted the family marriage without banners?" the court asked. At least now the political parties must start a movement against such illegalities, it added.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday came out to aware netizens against escalating dengue and chikungunya across the capital, as part of his government's "10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute" campaign, launched on September 1. Under the "10 Weeks-10 O'clock-10 Minutes" campaign, a mass awareness programme, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader every Sunday inspects his residence to check if there is any stagnant water, which can lead to the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes that spread such vector-borne diseases.

While conducting the exercise at his residence today, the chief minister also spoke to News Nation and said the state government is taking all possible steps to tackle dengue and pollution in the city. When prodded on BJP Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari's letter over Odd-Even scheme, Kejriwal did not seem bothered and asserted that let them do all these. Tiwari on Saturday dashed a letter to Kejriwal, asking him to reconsider his plan to roll out 'odd-even' again this November and termed the scheme as a "gimmick".

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In a bid to curb pollution during the upcoming winter season in the national capital, Kejriwal on Friday announced his government's seven-point 'Parali' Winter Action Plan. The measures to check pollution in Delhi includes distribution of masks, mechanised sweeping of roads, tree plantation, a return of the much-debated odd-even car-rationing scheme and special plans for 12 pollution hot spots in the city.

During today's campaign to aware people against mosquito-borne diseases, the chief minister also addressed various regional problems raised by the natives. Earlier, the AAP leader appealed to all ministers, MLAs and the public to begin the mega-campaign from their own homes and spend 10 minutes every Sunday to make sure there is no stagnant water in and around their homes.

READ | Odd-Even Scheme Not Needed In Delhi: Nitin Gadkari On Arvind Kejriwals Grand Announcement

Besides, the Delhi government is also planning to partner with over 3,000 RWAs across the national capital to intensify its ongoing '10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute' campaign. The RWAs, who pledge their support will be urged to participate in the campaign by carrying out checking in their respective areas, especially the common areas like parking, terrace and etc.

As part of its anti-dengue campaign, Kejriwal will address a gathering of resident welfare associations on September 24. On Saturday, the government signed MoUs with RWA apex bodies - URJA and Citizens Alliance - to reach out to RWAs across Delhi in a "big way". The '10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute' campaign will be carried out every Sunday till November 15.
NEW DELHI: The Aluminium Association of India (AAI) has urged the Finance Ministry not to impose anti-dumping duties on Caustic Soda imported from Japan, Iran, Qatar, and Oman, which are all friendly nations.

In a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Association stated that no anti-dumping tax should be levied because of the existing tariff and non-tariff obstacles on Caustic Soda imports, and because it is in the best interests of the Indian Aluminium Industry.

"At this point, with the economy recovering and post-pandemic industrial activity resuming, any further restrictions on one of the major raw materials for aluminium will jeopardise the Indian Aluminium industry's economic viability, potentially leading to the closure of operations and affecting the overall economy. Any new tariffs will be detrimental to the Aluminium industry's long-term viability and cost competitiveness since, unlike other industries, it is unable to pass on the cost increases to end consumers because worldwide Aluminium prices are set by the London Metal Exchange "said the association

According to the AAI, caustic soda imports are already restricted in India due to a range of tariff and non-tariff restrictions, including the requirement to use the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards and conformance to BIS Standards.

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President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil stated on Monday that he will not vaccinate his 11-year-old daughter against COVID-19, maintaining his strong anti-vaccine position that has drew criticism from public health professionals and hurt his poll scores.

The country's health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, will reveal on Jan. 5 how Brazil will carry out its coronavirus vaccine campaign for 5 to 11-year-olds, which was approved earlier this month, according to the right-wing politician. He told reporters in Santa Catarina, Brazil's southern state, that "children have not been dying in a way that justifies a vaccination for children."

Vaccination of children has been a contentious issue in Brazil, as Bolsonaro's core supporters have been vocal in their opposition to the practise, despite the fact that the great majority of the community supports it. Anvisa, the national health regulator, claimed in October that its employees had received death threats as a result of the situation. When Anvisa authorised vaccines for children aged 5 to 11, Bolsonaro sparked outrage by stating that he wanted the identities of the authorities who signed off on the decision to be made public.

The health minister, Queiroga, sparked more debate on Dec. 23 when he stated that the number of COVID-19 fatalities among minors did not merit an emergency permission. Later, he stated that children's coronavirus immunizations would require a doctor's prescription, which state health secretaries immediately refuted.

"This is something I've discussed with Queiroga. On the 5th, he should issue a memo outlining how children should be vaccinated "Bolsonaro stated his position. "I'm hoping there won't be any legal wrangling. I'm hoping for the best. Let me state unequivocally that my daughter will not be vaccinated."

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New Delhi: The mastermind of the bomb blast in Punjab's Ludhiana court has been arrested from Erfert in Germany. Jaswinder Singh Multani is a member of a terrorist organization called Sikh for Justice (SFJ). There have been some important revelations after the arrest of Jaswinder Singh Multani. He was reportedly plotting to carry out bomb blasts in important cities of the country other than Ludhiana. Most prominent of them were metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

Security agencies have suspected Jaswinder Singh Multani of actively working to carry out bomb blasts plots in various cities of India including Ludhiana. Jaswinder Singh Multani hails from Mukeria in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. According to the information received, Multani has two brothers who run a shop in Germany. Did Multani go to Pakistan or not? He is being questioned by investigating agencies in this regard. But its strings are certainly linked to Pakistan.

He has been involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition from across the border into Punjab. According to information provided by an official, Multani was recently on the radar of security agencies with the help of Pakistan operatives for arranging consignments of weapons containing explosives, grenades and pistols from across the border. Jaswinder is said to be a special associate of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and has been involved in separatist activities.

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NEW YORK: A total of 1,033 flights were canceled and 2,982 encountered delays as of 1:20 p.m. East Time, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, as the recent Omicron-fueled Covid-19 surge has resulted in crew shortages and disrupted the operations of some airlines.

SkyWest had 264 cancellations on Monday, Alaska Airlines had 141, United had 93, and American had 84. According to Xinhua, 1,700 flights were cancelled on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. According to report, "the cancellations came at the busiest time of year for air travel," with major US travel hubs "among the hardest hit."

"On Monday, more than 2,500 flights were grounded due to an increase in Covid-19 cases around the world. 1,000 of the over 2,500 cancelled flights were within, into, or out of the United States." Over 6,000 flights were cancelled worldwide on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.

With more than 250 cancellations, SkyWest was the US carrier with the most. The Utah-based airline blamed the cancellations on weather at hubs as well as "an increase in Covid cases and quarantines among crew members," apologising for the inconvenience and promising to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

Indonesia opens new hospital to develop Bali into global medical tourism destination

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Turkish-Armenian envoys hold first meeting in Moscow: Turkish FM
Tel Aviv: Israeli government is mulling to lifeits travel ban on 55 countries. The Israel's travel prohibition will be lifted for 55 nations, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday. The relaxation, which is subject to cabinet and parliamentary committee approval, will take effect on Thursday, December 30, according to the ministry.

The majority of African countries, as well as some European countries such as Germany, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, and Norway, would be removed off the prohibition list, according to the statement.

Mexico, however, will be added to the list and assigned the colour "red," joining the UAE, the US, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Hungary, Tanzania, Nigeria, Spain, Portugal, France, Canada, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Israelis coming from the blacklisted nations, including those who have been vaccinated and recovered, must spend at least seven days in quarantine.

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JAKARTA: The first locally transmitted Omicron case was reported in Jakarta on Tuesday, prompting the government to step up its surveillance of the new Covid-19 variant.

"This patient is a 37-year-old male with no recent history of overseas travel or contact with international visitors," said Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health's Covid-19 vaccine programme, in an online press conference.

The patient arrived in Jakarta on December 6 from Medan in North Sumatra province, and he and his wife went to a mall in Jakarta's Sudirman Central Business District on the same day. He was infected with coronavirus after an antigen test at a hospital before travelling back to Medan, and on December 26, the results of a laboratory test proved that he was infected with the Omicron strain, whereas his wife was negative for the virus.

Authorities are currently tracing the patient's close friends and conducting swab tests on visitors to the mall and hospital, as well as the patient's flat in North Jakarta. With the addition of this additional patient, the total number of Covid-19 Omicron variant cases has risen to 47, including 45 international travellers and a quarantine centre worker.

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SEOUL: Starting 2022, South Korea will be the ninth-largest contributor to the UN's regular and peacekeeping budgets, according to the Foreign Ministry.

According to sources from Korea, the UN General Assembly adopted the budget commitments for 193 member nations on December 24, setting South Korea's portion at 2.57 percent of overall funding for the year 2022-24. The ratio increased from 2.27 percent for the 2019-21 period, boosting the country's ranking from 10 th to 11th.

According to the Ministry, South Korea's assessed contribution for the next three years has been increased to reflect the country's economic progress in recent years.

Budget responsibilities for UN member states are calculated using a complicated formula that takes into account gross national income and population. In the next three years, the United States and China will continue to be the world body's top two financial donors.

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Ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the freedom of the people there has been snatched away. His life has become difficult. Restrictions on freedom have forced citizens to live in suffocation. Now the Taliban has taken out a new rule. Under which the long distance road trip of single women has been banned. Internet sensation alias Javed has condemned this move of Taliban.

Criticizing this ban of the same Taliban, Urfi wrote in Insta Story  I pray for the early fall of Taliban. Stop imposing your religion on others. Even before this, Urfi Javed has been condemning such incidents. Urfi Javed herself is trying to understand Hinduism. She does not believe in Muslim religion. Recently, Urfi Javed had said in one of his interviews that his mother and brother follow Muslim religion. They don't even force them to accept it.

Also, Urfi Javed had said that she neither believes in Muslim religion nor will marry any Muslim boy. Urfi Javed has become very popular due to her outspokenness. The actress had revealed that she is currently reading Bhagavad Gita and trying to learn Hinduism. The same Urfi remains in the headlines due to her bold outfits like her outspoken statements. Urfi Javed is trolled for his fashion sense and unusual dress up. In the past, the actress appeared in a cutout dress, after seeing which people said whether the dress was munched by a mouse.

Shraddha danced in bikini, video went viral

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Television actress Shraddha Arya has arrived in the Maldives to celebrate her honeymoon with her husband Rahul Nagal after marriage. The two were very busy after the wedding due to which they could not go on honeymoon. But now with the time, Shraddha and Rahul are spending quality time with each other in Maldives. Shraddha Arya recently shared several photos from Maldives but now she has shared a video which is going viral like fire on social media.

Shraddha shared a video on her Instagram account where she is seen in a bold avatar. She is wearing a white bikini. The video shows her dancing on the poolside. She is wearing bangles in her hands and she is swaying in fun. Fans are stunned to see Shraddha's bold look in the video and is calling her hottie, gorgeous and hot in the comment section.

Shraddha Arya tied the knot with Rahul Nagar, who is a Navy commander, on November 16, 2021. The wedding photos and videos of the two went viral on social media. The wedding event was attended by 'Kundli Bhagya' co-stars Anjum Fakih, Supriya Shukla and 'Balika Vadhu' star Shashank Vyas and other stars.

Alia Bhatt signs 'RRR' for this reason

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Alia Bhatt arrives on Kapil Sharma's show with these South stars
Today we are going to tell you a shocking incident which is going viral at the moment. This incident is from Algeria. Here, a 73-year-old woman found a 'stone baby' in her womb. The doctors came to know about it after x-ray as per the information received in the case. The stone was reportedly in the woman's womb for 35 years. An examination conducted by the doctors revealed that the stone was a seven-month-old foetus.

According to a report, the woman has been treated before but doctors have never come to know about it. However, this time when the woman approached the doctors complaining of stomach ache, the shocking incident came to light after examination. It was discovered that she had an embryo in her womb. It is being reported that 4. The seven-month-old foetus, weighing 5 pounds, was in the woman's stomach for 35 years, although the foetus did not harm her. But sometimes there was a slight pain.

In this case, doctors say that it is a Lithopedian formed when pregnancy is formed in the stomach instead of a pregnancy. He said that usually when there is no supply of blood in pregnancy, the embryo does not develop, due to which the body has no way to flush out the foetus. The body then gradually converts the embryo into a stone using the same immune process . That is why the foetus found in the woman's stomach was called a 'stone baby'.

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With the year-end fast approaching, the wellbeing of a particular group of people will be at the forefront of Chinese President Xi Jinping's mind and actions.

China is home to 286 million migrant workers, who, after a year of hardwork in cities, are usually heading home for the year-end and Spring Festival celebrations. In early December, Xi chaired a key Party leadership meeting, at which the issue of migrant workers' wage payment was being stressed again.

Throughout his career, Xi has shown tremendous respect for migrant workers and acknowledged the part they have played in China's economic miracle. In November 1999, when Xi was deputy Party chief and acting governor of Fujian Province in east China, he received an anonymous letter, signed-off simply with "an ordinary migrant worker."

The writer complained about the institutional difficulties faced by the children of migrant workers when enrolling in schools in the province's capital city of Fuzhou.

The letter received an immediate response from Xi. "More attention should be paid to migrant workers' lives, to create an environment where their enthusiasm can be better brought into play," Xi instructed local government.

Within a month, a new set of measures had been implemented to improve migrant children's access to education in the city. The letter's author, Su Renshou, and his fellow workers rejoiced that their worries had been finally addressed.

Letters are just one way that Xi has listened to the voices of migrant workers over the decades. From panel discussions with migrant worker deputies at the "two sessions" or casual conversations during inspections, he has aspired to listen to the people.

"When formulating policies, we should put ourselves in the shoes of migrant workers and focus on issues that need our attention and support the most," Xi once said.

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Riding a motorbike is fun as it is both exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping. Going on long tours on a motorbike past winding roads is something that one can only experience in a place like Nepal. This country has it all for the bikers  from smooth blacktop roads passing through national parks to dusty off-road tracks up in the mountains. Motorbiking in Nepal is something every biker should experience as the country offers you several interesting motorbiking destinations.

But, choosing the right tour to go on can be tricky. Today, we bring you a list of motorbiking destinations  from intermediate to extreme  which you can opt for if you want to hop on a bike and ride on the wild highways of Nepal.

1. Mustang

A motorbiker on the way to Mustang, one of the best motorbiking destinations in Nepal. Photo: Lelish Maharjan

A road trip to Mustang is something everyone in Nepal dreams of. While getting there in a car is also quite fun, the motorbike trip to the forbidden kingdom is just another experience. The road from Beni to Jomsom is brutal and will test a riders patience and skills as it is mostly off-road. From Jomsom, the road does get a bit better until Muktinath, but from then on, it is all off-road as you ride past waterfalls and huge cliffs. The view is quite magical too in the rain shadow area from where you get to see mountains like Dhaulagiri, Tukche and Nilgiri. It is better to take an off-road bike, but any other bike will do too. Just make sure you call and find out how the roads are before you go as it is prone to landslides despite being one of the best motorbiking destinations.

Difficulty: Moderate

2. Rara

File: Rara Lake

Getting to Rara on a bike is challenging, but this challenge makes it one of the best motorbiking destinations. This ride will take you into the wilderness and on roads that are raw and wild. The first part is quite easy, but the trail gets technical as you take the road north from Kohalpur. As the area sees a lot of lorries, the roads are treacherous, and if you are not used to riding on slippery roads, it is better to avoid this route that needs one to be extremely careful. It is guaranteed that you will be shattered by the time you get to Rara, but when you get there, all your tiredness will go away. While Nepalis do take all kinds of bikes, if you really want to enjoy the trip, take an off-road bike to this motorbiking destination.

Difficulty: Hard

3. Manang

A road that leads to upper Manang. Photo: Sergey Ashmarin for Wikimedia Commons.

Manang is the gateway to heaven. But, to get there, it is going to take a lot of mental strength as the road from Besi Sahar to Chame is beyond rideable, especially the section before Dharapani. The road is almost exclusively uphill upto Pisang, after which you will start seeing some flats here and there. The view though is just magical throughout the trip. As the trail gets up to Humde, you can zoom through up to upper Manang with the mighty Annapurna range to your left. Although the road ends at Khangsar, it is recommended you stop in upper Manang and enjoy a few days in one of the best motorbiking destinations in the country before you head back down to Besi Sahar.

PS: Make sure you stay at Tal.

Difficulty: Hard

4. Eastern Nepal

Kanyam, Ilam. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Riding around eastern Nepal has its own charm with several motorbiking destinations. You are mostly driving within the clouds. Whether it is strolling around Ilam or getting high up to Pathibhara, you have a road for the need to all types of riders. The trip starts from winding through the picturesque BP Highway up to Bardibas from Kathmandu, after which the road gets a bit boring until you get to Itahari. After that, you have the choice to either go north to Dhankuta and Hile or east towards Ilam. The road to Dhankuta is similar to the winding roads of the BP Highway but only bigger. The road to Ilam is a fun ride too, but make sure that you rest as riding from Kathmandu to these areas can be tiring.

Difficulty: Easy

5. East-West Highway

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The longest highway in Nepal also offers some motorbiking destinations for hard-core tarmac lovers. Also known as the Mahendra Highway, the 1,000-kilometre stretch is the best way to travel all over Nepal. Even though going through the mid-hill highway is more fun, that road is currently under construction. Hence, the East-West Highway is a great alternative to experience Nepal from the east to the west. It passes through all provinces of Nepal except Karnali.

This might seem easy, but it is not as easy as you would think it is. The road is mostly single carriageway and full of lorries and busses with the odd wide roads in some sections. But, many love the challenge of riding through them as the sun sets magically towards the west. Even though it might not look long, it is ideal to take a couple of days and stop at best motorbiking destinations that you have never been to because who knows when you will get a chance again

Difficulty: Easy
Kathmandu, December 28

Nepal Police says it received complaints against 367 personnel and officials in the last five months (mid-July till mid-December 2021). In the same period, the national police organisation has taken action against 1,145 personnel and officials.

Nepal Police says the complaints were received via its own online channels, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Hello Sarkar among other mediums.

Of them, 138 complaints are still under investigation, says Nepal Police spokesperson Basanta Bahadur Kunwar.

In this period, the organisation took disciplinary action against 1,145 employees including three SPs, 4 DSPs, 12 inspectors, 46 SIs, 46 ASIs, 305 head constables, 675 constables and 14 lower-level staff.

Meanwhile, 1,980 employees were rewarded in this period for their performance.
Home  Just In  Tecno Pova 2 in Nepal: New brand gets itself better for the budget category

Tecno Pova 2 is yet another release from Tecno mobiles here in Nepal.

The authorised dealer of Tecno phones in Nepal, Mahalaxmi Mobiles has been very consistent about the release of Tecno phones in Nepal these past months. Previously, it has launched Phantom X, Camon 17P and Spark 7T.

Well, Tecno Pova 2 is a power-packed phone and some of the features it provides are matched by none in this price range. Although previous releases from the company received critical reviews, this latest one can be one of the best smartphones that you can purchase for under Rs 25,000. Lets get into the details of the phone.

Specifications

Dimension Height: 173.3mm

Width: 78.8mm

Thickness: 9.62mm Display 6.90-inch IPS LCD, 480 nits Sim Dual sims Resolution 1,080*2,460 pixels OS Android 11, HIOS 7.6 Chipset Mediatek Helio G85 (12nm) GPU Mali-G52 MC2 Storage 64GB/128GB SD card slot Yes RAM 6GB Camera Front: 8MP, f/2.0

Rear: 48MP, f/1.9

2MP,

2MP, (macro)

2MP, (depth) Sound Loudspeakers, 3.5mm headphone jack Battery 7000mAh, Li-Po, non-removable

Fast charging 18W Sensors Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass Colours Polar silver, power blue, and dazzle black Price Rs 23,990

Design and display

Photo: tecnomobile

Tecno Pova 2 comes with a glass front, plastic back and plastic frame build. It is a good-looking phone. The specially crafted texture effect on the back of the phone looks unique and cool. The back also houses the camera panel and it looks cool as well. The sparkling design of the camera is likely to get the attention of the people.

Tecno Pova 2 is a huge phone that has a thickness of 9.62mm. It also has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The phone also features probably the largest display on a smartphone right now with 6.90 inches of IPS LCD display. It has a maximum resolution of 1,080*2,460 pixels while reaching a peak brightness of 480 nits. The huge display has a 180Hz touch sampling rate which provides a faster screen response. It also has a face unlock feature.

Cameras

Photo: tecnomobile

Tecno Pova 2 features a quad-camera set-up. The main 48MP camera on the back is accompanied by a 2*2MP depth sensor and another 2MP macro sensor. The camera can record videos in 1440p while the frame rate is limited to 30fps regardless of the resolution. There is also super night mode for night photography and 2K time-lapse photography mode on the phone.

On the front, there is an 8MP camera that can record videos in 1080p resolution.

Performance and battery life

Photo: tecnomobile

Tecno Pova 2 runs on Android 11 with HIOS 7.6 on top. It is powered by a Mediatek Helio G85 chipset. It has an Octa-Core CPU while the graphics are handled by Mali-G52 MC2.

Photo: tecnomobile

Giving power to the phone is a mammoth 7,000mAh non-removable Li-Po battery. This is also probably the largest in the segment and on a smartphone that is available in the Nepali market. It supports 18W fast charging. The power should be enough for days for normal use while it can be great while binge-watching, streaming or watching movies as well.

Storage, connectivity and other features

Tecno Pova 2 currently only has a single variant. It comes with 6GB of RAM whereas the internal storage of the phone is 128GB. The memory can be expanded with the help of a microSD card and the phone has a dedicated slot for it.

The phone supports two sim card networks as well as dual-band Wi-fi. It comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and supports a USB Type-C 2.0 cable. The phone also supports FM Radio and is NFC enabled. For audio connectivity, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Photo: malaxmimobile

Like most of the Tecno phones, Pova 2 also provides its peek proof feature and Vault 2.0 for privacy.

The price of Tecno Pova 2 is Rs 23,990.

Verdict

Well, this might be the best smartphone offered by Tecno mobiles to date. It has a beautiful design, 180Hz touch sampling rate, probably the largest battery backup and probably the largest display on a smartphone. It also features a 48MP quad-camera setup. There is a moderate processor on the phone, but it is almost the same with others in this price category. There is nothing much to complain about the phone as it offers a lot of unique features for this price category.
" " Don't you hate when the jigsaw is finished, except for just one piece? HowStuffWorks

People have been enjoying jigsaw puzzles for nearly three centuries  ever since map engraver John Spilsbury affixed one of his maps onto a piece of wood in 1762, then cut out the countries. (He wanted to help local schoolkids with their geography lessons.) Today, nearly half of all Americans regularly puzzle, as it's called, with one-fifth tackling one at least monthly.

Yet despite puzzling's popularity, assembling one can be frustrating. No big surprise there; it's a puzzle, after all! But since making puzzles is supposed to be fun, check out these eight tips that puzzling pros say will enhance your skills.

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1. Take Care in Your Set-Up

It's tempting to open a puzzle and dump out the pieces on your kitchen or dining room table. But don't. You'll probably need to use your kitchen table before the puzzle is finished, for one thing. And while a dining room table might work, you first need to assess the size of the puzzle compared to your table. You want plenty of room for the puzzle to fit, plus extra space beyond the border for the pieces. Extra space also helps prevent puzzle pieces from being knocked to the floor while you're working on it, or even passing by.

Experts recommend placing the puzzle on a piece of vinyl  not directly on your table top  so you can move the pieces around more easily. Alfonso Alvarez-Ossorio, president of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation, also favors a white surface, which distributes the light better. "Set up the puzzle in an area of your home where there's natural light, which helps prevent reflections," he adds.

Finally, don't dump out the puzzle pieces onto your carefully chosen surface. If you do, you'll likely end up with a shower of puzzle dust in addition to the pieces. Instead, remove the pieces by hand, then shake the dust into the garbage.

2. Sort Smartly

Many people neglect to do much sorting when they make a puzzle. After all, it's time-consuming and boring. But taking the time to do so can pay big dividends when it comes to the assembly. Pros recommend having several sorting trays on hand, then placing pieces of the same color or pattern in the various trays. The border pieces should also go into a separate container. If center pieces have no defining color or pattern, they should go into a miscellaneous tray.

Finally, reserve one container for special pieces. Special pieces are those that belong to a very obvious part of the puzzle. They may have words on them, for example, or a color or pattern that's found only in one small spot. Special pieces also include any "whimsies" that might be part of your puzzle. Whimsies are pieces cut into shapes that match the theme of the puzzle. A barnyard scene, for example, might include a few puzzle pieces shaped like barnyard animals.

3. Don't Automatically Start With the Border

It often makes sense to first assemble a puzzle's border. That's because there are a limited number of pieces in it, and the border gives the rest of the puzzle a frame. But starting with the border isn't always best. "The general rule is to select a group of easily identifiable, contiguous pieces and proceed to assemble them," says Alvarez-Ossorio. While this rule often applies to the border, you may be better off starting with your puzzle's bright, yellow sun or the fluffy, white dog standing in the dark woods.

" " Rather than starting with the border, it's better to do a group of easily identifiable pieces first, which may be in the middle of the puzzle. KidStock/Getty Images

4. Concentrate on Small Areas

Some people like to pick up pieces that look appealing, then figure out where they go. But that's inefficient. Experts recommend working on small sections at a time, such as a boat or animal. Once you've completed one, set that section inside the border in its approximate place. Visually, this may help you assemble other portions. You also may be surprised at how few pieces it will take to connect this section to the border.

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5. When You Get Stuck, Do Things Differently

Sometimes all you need to do to place a piece is walk around the table and look at the puzzle from a different angle. Taking breaks gives your mind a rest, too. And consider further sorting by shape. Most traditional puzzle pieces have what are called "knobs" and "holes." Within each of your sorting trays, separate the pieces into piles with two holes, three knobs, etc. This gives you more information for your search. Instead of merely looking for an all-white piece to fit into a cloud, for example, you may know you're searching for a white piece that has at least two adjacent knobs.

6. Maintain Order

You've spent a lot of time separating and arranging your puzzle pieces, so don't let all of that hard work go to waste. "If you are not correct when placing a piece, return it to the same place," says Alvarez-Ossorio. He also recommends separating it within the subgroup of pieces from where you took it, so as not to re-test the same piece in the same place, thus repeating your error.

7. Don't Waste Time Looking for One Piece

One of the biggest errors puzzlers make, experts say, is to search for one piece for long periods of time, especially if the piece you're looking for is the final one required to fill a gap. It's tempting to finish an area, for sure. But the piece may be missing, a not-that-uncommon occurrence. Even if it's not, it will eventually appear when there are fewer pieces left.

8. Have Fun!

You tackle puzzles because they're fun to make, and finishing a puzzle gives you a feeling of accomplishment. If your puzzle begins to frustrate you because you can't find a piece or the lighting is bad at the time you're working on it, just walk away. When you return, you'll likely come back refreshed and in a better frame of mind, which will make the puzzling easier and more enjoyable.

NOW THAT'S BIG The largest commercially made puzzle in the world is Ravensburger's "Memorable Disney Moments." Guinness World Records confirmed it's the largest by both the number of pieces  40,320  and overall size of 22.3 feet by 6.2 feet (6.8 meters by 1.9 meters). The puzzle weighs about 44 pounds (20 kilograms) and is estimated to take 600 hours to complete.
(Adds South Korea comment)

By Josh Smith

SEOUL, Dec 28 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week opened a key ruling party meeting, state media reported on Tuesday, a forum he has previously used to make major New Year policy announcements.

The 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was convened on Monday, state news agency KCNA said.

The gathering of party and government officials comes as North Korea grapples with compounding economic crises caused by an anti-pandemic lockdown, international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme and natural disasters.

It also comes as North Korea marks the 10th anniversary of Kim assuming supreme command of the military after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

"The plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021," the report said.

The meeting would also discuss and decide on strategic and tactical policies and practical steps for "dynamically guiding the struggle of our Party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory," KCNA said. Around the new year, Kim has often made major policy announcements, including in 2018 when he announced a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and in 2019, when he discussed his desire to continue talks with then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Kim has used speeches around the new year holiday in the past to make friendly overtures to the U.S. and South Korea, but also to reveal nuclear weapon developments and other military plans," NK News, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, said in a report https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/policy-bombshells-and-nye-concert-what-to-expect-as-north-korea-wraps-up-2021 on Monday.

North Korea has said it is open to resuming talks, but only if Washington and Seoul take steps to end "hostile policies" such as sanctions and military drills.

South Korea's unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said on Monday it hoped North Korea "will start the new year by opening the door for dialogue with the international community, and take a step forward for engagement and cooperation." (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Alistair Bell and Dan Grebler)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Setia Awan Group's Astrum Ampang Sdn Bhd and The Ascott Limited (Ascott) have entered into an agreement for the management and operations of Citadines Astrum Ampang Kuala Lumpur.

(L-R) Ng Teck Hua, executive director of Setia Awan Central Region, and Mondi Mecja, Ascott's country general manager for Malaysia at the signing ceremony recently

Citadines Astrum Ampang Kuala Lumpur houses 230 serviced apartments with facilities dedicated for patrons only, such as a swimming pool, gymnasium, residents' lounge, meeting rooms, and food and beverage outlets. The establishment will also have its own dedicated lobby complete with a drop-off area exclusive for the patrons. The project is slated to open its doors in 2026.

Setia Awan central region executive director Ng Teck Hua said, "Ascott is a preferred partner for this venture as it is a global lodging company with a strong track record and reputation. We certainly look forward to working closely with Ascott and to leverage on both parties' expertise in catering to a new generation of patrons and residents."

Demand for short-term stays at hotels and serviced residences is healthy, especially in properties such as the Astrum Ampang development, which are located within the city centreas well in close proximity to business centres and embassies.

Citadines Astrum Ampang Kuala Lumpur, which is nearby to retail, lifestyle as well as food and beverage options, is ideal for both business and leisure guests with long- and short-term needs.

"Citadines is one of Ascott's fastest-growing brands globally and the addition of Citadines Astrum Ampang Kuala Lumpur will further strengthen Ascott's position as one of the largest international lodging owner-operators in Malaysia, providing guests with more accommodation options," commented The Ascott's country general manager for Malaysia Mondi Mecja.

Located within the bustling vicinity of Jalan Jelatek and Jalan Ampang, Astrum Ampang offers an unobstructed view of the Petronas Twin Towers. Standing amid a breathtaking skyline, the development is conveniently located close to notable landmarks including Gleneagles Medical Centre, Great Eastern Mall, Intermark Mall, Ministry of Defence, and numerous businesses, embassies, private and public schools.

Via a proposed covered pedestrian bridge, residents, and patrons of Astrum Ampang will be connected to Jelatek LRT station (Kelana Jaya Line) and four train stations away from KLCC LRT station. At the station, they leverage the numerous public transportations networks available in the Klang Valley, including LRT, MRT, KLIA Express and KTM InterCity Lines, and the upcoming LRT 3, MRT Lines 2 and 3, and the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL).

SOURCE Setia Awan
NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2021 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until February 22, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG), if they purchased the Company's shares between May 5, 2020 and November 1, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Chegg 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/nyse-chgg/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by February 22, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Chegg and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 1, 2021, the Company announced its third quarter financial results, the first quarter in which students returned to campus across the United States, disclosing fewer than expected online enrollments due to the Covid-19 pandemic and failed to provide guidance for 2022.

On this news, shares of Chegg fell nearly 50%.

The case is Leventhal v. Chegg, Inc., No. 21-cv-09953.

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.

Story continues

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





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/679969/CHEGG-SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-BY-FORMER-LOUISIANA-ATTORNEY-GENERAL-KAHN-SWICK-FOTI-LLC-REMINDS-INVESTORS-WITH-LOSSES-IN-EXCESS-OF-100000-of-Lead-Plaintiff-Deadline-in-Class-Action-Lawsuit-Against-Chegg-Inc--CHGG




NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 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 18, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Citrix Systems, Inc. (NasdaqGS:CTXS), if they purchased the Company's shares between January 22, 2020 and October 6, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Citrix 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-ctxs/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by January 18, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Citrix and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On July 29, 2021, the Company disclosed that its transition to cloud-based services had not been as successful as the Company had led investors to believe, citing to "the need to evolve our sales strategy to deliver more predictable results" as well as a major restructuring of its sales leadership in order to "enhance [its] focus on" cloud migration.

On this news, shares of Citrix fell 13.6%, from $114.55 per share to $99.00 per share.

Then, on October 6, 2021, post-market, the Company disclosed that its President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") had stepped down.

On this news, shares of Citrix fell 7.2% over the next two days, from $105.96 per share to $98.32 per share.

Story continues

The case is City of Hollywood Police Officers' Retirement System v. Citrix Systems, Inc., 21-cv-62380.

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





View source version on accesswire.com:

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New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - December 27, 2021) - Recently, a platform called CogeCoin proposed the mission of saving poor animals all over the world.

Image 1

To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit:

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CogeCoin is a cryptocurrency that helps animals in need around the world

Throughout history, humans have had a close relationship with animals. Humans have even kept them as pets and treated them with the same affection as they would toward their family members. However, despite the bonds humans have with animals, their rights are still taken lightly. Their habitats are being destroyed and pets around the world face abuse and abandonment on a daily basis.

This is where CogeCoin comes in. CogeCoin is a cryptocurrency that donates 20% of its total issuance to animal welfare organizations. The purpose of CogeCoin is to help animals in need around the world. CogeCoin also wants to help protect the environment while providing value to holders of $COGE.

Overview of $COGE

$COGE is a token issued on Ethereum. In the spirit of being fair to everyone, project launched $COGE without a presale of its tokens, with a total of 100 trillion being issued at launch.

$COGE is currently listed on Uniswap, Bitrue, and MEXC.

The token allocation is shown in the image below.

Image 2



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Sponsorship NFT and Metaverse

NFTs have been gaining a lot of attention over the past year, with the market being worth approximately $320Billion. NFTs are no longer regarded as just an image, but a tool to use when expressing a user's personality as a 3D avatar in the Metaverse. Big companies are starting to take notice too, with Twitter making it possible to set an NFT as a profile picture. As time goes on, humans are expecting to see NFTs expanding into more and more games and virtual spaces as its popularity increases.

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Based on this popularity, CogeCoin is developing an original initiative that combines NFT and animal sponsorship. In the conventional sponsorship model, sponsoring an animal gives users a few pictures of the pet they're supporting, designed to show the impact they've made. However, CogeCoin feels like not enough sponsorships are being made and wants to give those who are generously helping these poor animals something extra. What CogeCoin came up with were Sponsorship NFTs. With NFT technology, users will have the chance to keep digital avatars of the animals they're supporting as pets in a virtual space.

Some exciting images about CogeCoin's NFT project are available below.

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Pet Insurance

"InsurTech," a combination of the words Insurance and Technology, is a rapidly growing sector that aims to make the conventional insurance market more efficient and affordable for customers. CogeCoin aims to eliminate the intermediary step and provide P2P insurance coverage, eliminating the extra fees that insurance companies charge as commission. P2P insurance would be more transparent, have lower fees, and improve user-friendliness. China's Alibaba is attracting attention in many countries such as Japan, with its P2P health insurance service now having millions of users.

But what about pet insurance? Insurance companies and VCs have begun to offer many pet services, meaning there is a lot of excitement toward the pet insurance market. Both trending and in-line with people's values, CogeCoin plans to offer pet insurance that provides medical care for all animals.

To be more specific about pet insurance, users can choose a basic insurance plan and can customize it to their liking. The user will have to stake the $COGE into an insurance-only pool, which will vary depending on the insurance coverage. Pet insurance is also considering using AI to find the right insurance for users and have the pool participants vote on various applications.

The entire insurance process will be made more transparent by using blockchain. Blockchain will also increase accessibility, as people without bank accounts can simply use their smartphone instead to take advantage of insurance services.

A portion of the revenue generated from project insurance services will be donated to animal charities and organizations to help create a healthy environment and fund further development.

$COGE Approach to Pet Commerce

Another use of $COGE is the ability to purchase pet food and goods. CogeCoin wants to solve an existing industry problem that faces pet food. Against the backdrop of mass production, there is an overabundance of cheap, low-quality pet food, the nutritional value of which is sub par to say the least. CogeCoin aims to change this by developing high-quality pet food and operating a regular delivery service that can be paid only with $COGE. The same goes for pet goods. Since many designs are tasteless and use inexpensive materials, CogeCoin plans to provide an e-commerce site with social features. This will allow users to request custom designs and create a mechanism for communication between producers and buyers.

Future initiatives for Defi, GameFi and DAO

CogeCoin plans to develop a pet insurance system, create an e-commerce site, create Defi systems, implement Game functions, work on creating a DAO and take part in the expansion of the Metaverse. CogeCoin will continue to make various efforts to save all the unfortunate animals around the globe and make the world a better place for everyone.

VISIT COGE

Contact person: Danny Hong

Emailsales@cogecoin.org

Website : https://cogecoin.org/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/cogecoin

Telegram : https://t.me/Cogecoin_org

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108532
NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BizVibe has made available 1,000+ company profiles for the lacquer manufacturers and suppliers category on its B2B platform. Companies listed in this product category are primarily engaged in manufacturing or supplying various types of lacquer products (such as furniture lacquer, heat seal lacquer, etc.).

Snapshot of BizVibe's lacquer supplier profiles and categories.

Get Free Access to These 1,000+ Profiles

Each profile is free to view and packed with high-quality insights, providing businesses with detailed company information. Users can take advantage of these insights to identify, target, and connect with the right lacquer manufacturers and suppliers. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more.

Free Insights Included for all Lacquer Manufacturer and Supplier Profiles:

List of product and service category offerings and primary operating industries

Risk of doing business score across four different metrics

List of key executives and their roles within the company

Company financials and general organizational information

Global, national, and regional competitors

List of key clients

Top trends and challenges within operating industry and expected influence on business impact

Latest company news with the ability to sign up for timely news alerts

Get Started to View Free Company Insights

Lacquer Companies on BizVibe

BizVibe's platform contains 30M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 1,000+ company profiles related to lacquer manufacturers and suppliers on BizVibe, covering 15+ product and service categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects.

Examples of lacquer manufacturer and supplier company profiles that can be discovered on BizVibe include:

Heat seal lacquer manufacturers

Furniture lacquer suppliers

Acrylic lacquer auto paint suppliers

Nitrocellulose lacquer suppliers

Story continues

Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories

Company Profiles for Buyers and Sellers

BizVibe's modern B2B platform is designed to help both global buyers and sellers. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe provides outstanding product features for both category managers and sales professionals.

Features for Buyers:

Quickly discover the right suppliers

Create short lists and custom alerts

Mitigate supplier risk and evaluate suppliers

Send RFIs/RFPs

Learn how BizVibe helps buyers: https://www.bizvibe.com/find-suppliers

Features for Sellers:

Target the right sales prospects

Qualify leads

Analyze buyer potential

API integration and data enrichment

Learn how BizVibe helps sellers: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers

About BizVibe

BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today.

Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: jesse@bizvibe.com

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

BizVibe (PRNewsfoto/BizVibe)

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SOURCE BizVibe
(Edited by James Rubin)

Good morning. Heres whats happening:

Market moves: Bitcoin broke $52,000 briefly, while its supply outside of exchanges reached record highs.

Technicians take (Editors note): Technicians Take is taking a holiday hiatus. In its place, First Mover Asia is publishing a column by CoinDesk Chief Content Officer Michael Casey.

Catch the latest episodes of CoinDesk TV for insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis.

Prices

Bitcoin (BTC): $50,866 +.09%

Ether (ETH): $4,043 -0.8%

Markets

S&P 500: $4,791 +1.38%

DJIA: $36,302 +0.9%

Nasdaq: $15,871 +1.39%

Gold: $1,811 +0.2%

Market moves

Bitcoin, the oldest cryptocurrency, remained at the $51,000 level after it briefly broke above $52,000 during U.S. trading hours on Monday. At the time of publication, bitcoin was hovering just below $51,000. Ether was down slightly just above the $4,000 mark.

But trading activities were mostly muted, as the trading volume of the No. 1 cryptocurrency by market capitalization across major centralized exchanges was only slightly higher than it was on Sunday. Bitcoins low-volume rally came as stocks in the U.S. also rose in a week thats traditionally marked by light but bullish trading.

Credit: CoinDesk/CryptoCompare

Meanwhile, as the market enters the end of the year, the so-called sovereign supply of bitcoin  total coins held outside of exchange reserves  reached an all-time high, according to blockchain data firm Glassnode.

(Glassnode)

The growth of bitcoins sovereign supply came as its long-term holders saw their ownership stake increase by 4.8% to reach 74.8% of all sovereign supply over the past year, Glassnode noted in its Dec. 27 newsletter. Short-term holders bitcoin ownership dropped from 28% this past January to 25.2% now.

Such on-chain behavior is more typically observed during bitcoin bear markets, which in hindsight are effectively lengthy periods of coin redistribution from weaker hands, to those with stronger, and longer-term conviction, Glassnode wrote.

Story continues

Column

5 Ways Money Was Reimagined in 2021: Michael Casey looks back at a tumultuous year for money. (By CoinDesk Chief Content Officer Michael Casey)

It was the year of crypto!

For this, the first of two holiday editions of this Money Reimagined column, we frame this remarkable year in terms of how, in different ways, money was reimagined in 2021. We look at five themes, with links to past newsletters and podcasts.

Youre reading Money Reimagined, a weekly look at the technological, economic and social events and trends that are redefining our relationship with money and transforming the global financial system. Subscribe to get the full newsletter here.

In 2021, money became

A meme

Whether it was the mania for dogecoin, the surge of interest in non-fungible tokens or the capacity for Wall Street Bets to set the price of meme stocks like GameStop, we witnessed a strange merging of finance and popular culture. As incredulous as people were in both traditional financial and Bitcoin circles, we at Money Reimagined felt somewhat vindicated. The trend underscored a theme weve explored in both the newsletter and the podcast: that monetary systems require a shared belief in their common value. This era of reimagined money is bound to see the deployment of art, iconography, stories and other cultural products to bolster the sense of belonging and belief among communities that form around these new systems.

A politicized idea

For the past century, no one really questioned the nature and structure of our systems of money. Money was issued by governments and it was run by banks. End of story. With the emergence of Bitcoin, there was suddenly a new way to think about things. But for most of its existence, the political class felt it could simply ignore it.

In 2021, that blissful ignorance suddenly became impossible. We first saw this with the debate over the infrastructure bill, most importantly in the U.S. Senate, when the impositions of a contentious tax reporting provision for cryptocurrency sales had the ironic effect of demonstrating that crypto had arrived in Washington. The fact that legislators wanted to tax crypto was a sign that it was recognized as a long-term prospect, a reliable source of tax revenue. Just as importantly, the crypto lobby, though ultimately unsuccessful in its bid to force changes to those more draconian parts of the provision, showed its clout on Capitol Hill has grown significantly. It forged a large, bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to support its preferred amendments and showed it will be a force.

Around the same time, the conversation around stablecoins as alternatives to central bank digital currencies started taking on greater appreciation in Washington. Randal Quarles, who was vice chairman of the Federal Reserve until he resigned from the post in November, even argued that stablecoins could bolster U.S. power overseas by tapping into private sector innovation that central banks inherently wont have access to. That set the stage for an intense debate on stablecoins through the summer and fall, particularly around whether issuers of stable tokens such as USDC and PAX should be required to get banking licenses.

Finally, in December, a crypto hearing in the House of Representatives revealed something that none of us would have predicted a year ago: some very well-informed questions from lawmakers. It seems that many in Congress have finally done their crypto homework. We had Nik De, CoinDesks managing editor for global policy and regulation, on the podcast to discuss it.

A global dollar (CoinDesk archives)

A matter of geopolitical importance

Even if it took federal politicians some time to wake up to the political ramifications of cryptocurrencies and of the central bank-led alternatives they helped spawn, Chinas rapid development of the latter had caught the attention of academics and think tanks. They recognized that Beijings deployment of its Digital Currency Electronic Payments (DCEP) system, which went in for heavy testing in 2021, has the potential to disrupt U.S. dominance of the global financial system.

What few saw coming was that China would also forfeit a dominance of bitcoin mining that it had for many years by launching a crackdown against such operations around the country. That led to a massive drop in the Bitcoin networks capacity, as about half of the global hashrate, or computing power, shut down. But that hash power soon moved elsewhere, and especially to the U.S. By October, the U.S. had become the biggest mining location in the world. Already people are talking about what this increased role for the U.S. in a decentralized currency means for the U.S. as China pushes its centralized monetary solution on the world.

A speculative force for social innovation

In 2020, the speculative fervor around decentralized finance fueled such a powerful flywheel of investment capital and innovation that it helped frame our look back on the 12 months that preceded the one-year anniversary of the Money Reimagined podcast this past October. In 2021, the phenomenon was taken to a new level as speculation around non-fungible tokens fueled a flurry of ideas around the future of media, art and collectibles, which in turn kept attracting more and more money into the space. It all felt very much like a bubble, but it was also clear that speculation in this case was a feature, not a bug, a powerful driver of change  even if we dont yet know where that change is ultimately taking us.

A dinner party conversation

Perhaps the biggest theme of 2021 was simply how mainstream crypto had become in terms of public awareness. With the NFT zeitgeist, soaring token prices, the fact that Washington was more interested to learn about it and the ideas that swirled around bitcoin being a bet against a failing monetary system, crypto was suddenly everywhere. Everyone wanted to understand it. Meanwhile, plenty of people who did understand it, as well as many who didnt, formed strong views on cryptos pros and cons. So, be warned as you sit down for a holiday dinner with family, you may be asked to explain yourself.

Happy holidays!

Important events

8 a.m. HKT/SGT (12 a.m. UTC): Spain retail sales (Nov. YoY)

1:55 HKT/SGT (5:55 a.m. UTC): U.S. Redbook index (Oct. YoY)

2 p.m. HKT/SGT (6 a.m. UTC) U.S. Housing price index (Oct. MoM)

CoinDesk TV

In case you missed it, here are the most recent episodes of First Mover on CoinDesk TV:

Grayscales 2022 Outlook, A Shift in Bitcoin Demographics, End-of-Year Taxes

First Mover dove into crypto markets and end-of-year taxes. Joining the show to discuss are Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary, head of investor relations at Grayscale, and Mark Steber, chief tax information officer at tax firm Jackson Hewitt. Plus, First Mover looked at shifting bitcoin demographics and their implications for crypto markets in 2022. Grayscale is owned by Digital Currency Group, which is also CoinDesks parent company.

Latest headlines

Indian Ruling Party-Aligned Group Takes Stance on Crypto Regulation: The group is unlikely to have much influence on government policy, analysts said.

Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Lays Out 2022 Plans: Hoskinson said the creation of a formal open-source project structure for Cardano is on the cards, among other developments.

Binance Gains Bahrain Approval to Become Crypto Asset Service Provider, Registers in Canada: Bahrains in principle approval still requires the crypto exchange to complete the application process for a license from the central bank.

Decentraland, Luxury Marketplace UNXD to Host Metaverse Fashion Week: Decentraland and UNXD are calling on fashionistas to have their virtual collections ready to show in the metaverse.

Longer reads

10 2022 Predictions From PwCs Henri Arslanian: El Salvador. The metaverse. Web 3 catalysts. Ethereums future.

Todays crypto explainer: What Is a Decentralized Application?

Other voices: Who Goes Crypto? (Mother Jones)

Said and heard

Decentralized application (dapp) ecosystems in alternative smart contract blockchains, such as Solana and Binance Smart Chain, will continue to grow as bridges increase cross-chain access to liquidity and developer platforms make it easier to launch dapps on other chains. (Pantera Capital Partner Paul Veradittakit for CoinDesk) ...Many large private banks disregarded bitcoin as not a serious asset (not having crypto-related products to sell probably did not help!). But we should expect most to do a 180 and introduce crypto offerings in 2022.(PwC Crypto Leader Henri Arslanian for CoinDesk) ... When you make vaccination a requirement, thats another incentive to get more people vaccinated. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think thats something that seriously should be considered. (Dr. Anthony Fauci as quoted by the New York Times) ... THE SPEED of the economic bounce-back from the enormous recession of 2020 has taken many forecasters by surprise. Output across the 38 mostly rich OECD countries combined probably surpassed its pre-crisis level a few months ago. The average unemployment rate across the club, at 5.7%, is in line with the post-war average. (The Economist)...So much of AI is about compressing reality to a small vector space, like a video game in reverse. (Tesla founder Elon Musk)
AMSTERDAM, December 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Representatives from science and technology parks around the world took part in the Global Science City Dialogue, a cloud-based global exchange hosted by Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau (CSTB) recently. The event saw representatives from China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the UK share views on a range of topics related to science cities, including science city development and operation amidst the pandemic and global cooperation in science and innovation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211227005136/en/

Global Science City Dialogue highlights role of science cities in fostering international innovation and collaboration (Photo: Business Wire)

In the 21st century, more and more cities have created special zones or "science cities" to attract talent, technology, and capital and to integrate research, education, and production, so as to encourage collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

"Since the establishment of Western (Chengdu) Science City, it has grown into an innovation powerhouse for Western China and contributed to the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle," said Chen Xu, Deputy Director of CSTB.

During the Dialogue, experts offered diverse perspectives on the growth of global science parks and how they function as platforms to connect resources and foster international cooperation. Mike de Vries, COO of the Sino-German Hi-Tech Park, said, "Heidelberg, where our park is located, is at the forefront of German industry and research and together with the University of Heidelberg, have provided Chinese partners with high-quality cooperation opportunities across various fields."

In 2021, CSTB has been active in promoting cross-border cooperation despite the pandemic and has held seven "International Twin-City Chain Cloud Matchmaking" events featuring over 200 science and technology innovation projects from around the world, resulting in more than 20 cooperation agreements.

Story continues

Dialogue participants also emphasized how science cities bring companies and talent together, allowing them to interact through various activities, and ultimately cooperate with each other. Gu Haiwen, Vice President of the China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, described how China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City has become a "globally-influential science city focused on the knowledge economy" by attracting high-end talent and tech-oriented enterprises.

Moreover, science cities also play an important role in embedding cities into global networks of innovation and production. For example, at the "New Economy" event held in Chengdu on 26th April, 2021, over 200 new innovation applications were showcased and 248 new products were launched. These innovations will further integrate Chengdu-based industries into global industrial, supply and value chains.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211227005136/en/

Contacts

Wei WANG

highthill@hotmail.com
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2021 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Berkeley Lights, Inc. ("Berkeley Lights" or "the Company") (NASDAQ:BLI) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities between July 17, 2020 and September 14, 2021, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before February 7, 2022.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Berkeley Lights' primary instrument, the Beacon, suffered from a considerable number of problems ranging from manufacturing defects and breakdowns to high error rates. The Company received many customer complaints not only on the instrument's effectiveness, but also on its design and production quality. The actual market for the Beacon instrument is a small percentage of the $23 billion the Company touted to the market due in part to these design and production problems. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Berkeley Lights, investors suffered damages.

Story continues

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

www.schallfirm.com

Office: 310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm





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NU Media has been awarded a Tier 1 national-level grant by the Small Business Administration through the Community Navigator Pilot Program

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2021 / Since its humble beginnings in 2019, NU Media has always been about helping it's community. As a former small business, NU Media understands the importance and impact of small business in the community. When the company first started, it was created with the idea of using digital marketing to help spread the word about local business.

From nail spas, to gaming, to high end dining, NU Media has been able to help all types of businesses grow and become the best the most successful they can be. While the bigger clients are great to work with, the company takes pride in helping the small local businesses grow.

NU Media's dedication to it's community has not gone unnoticed. NU Media has partnered with the USPAACC to become a tier 1 grantee as a part of the U.S. Small Business Administration Community Navigator Pilot Program.

NU Media CEO Ada Hu comments on this accomplishment, excitedly stating "we are honored to receive this award and look forward to aiding small businesses with our digital marketing expertise."

Over the course of the next two years, NU Media will receive funding to help local businesses. The goal of the Community Navigator Pilot Program is to even out the playing field for American entrepreneurs who are at a disadvantage. The program puts an emphasis on helping both women and minorities which aligns perfectly with NU Media's values.

It's not surprising that NU Media was granted this amazing opportunity, as a minority and women owned business NU Media is the perfect business for the job.

For more information please visit https://www.nu.marketing/

About NU Media

Headquartered in New York City, NU Media is a digital marketing agency that specializes in purposeful storytelling. With a highly diverse and creative team, NU Media labors to meet and exceed client needs from in-depth planning to exceptional performance. The agency is committed to developing brands, making lasting connections and delivering impactful results.

Story continues

Media Contact

Amanda Curtis

amanda@nu.marketing

713-865-1552

SOURCE: NU Media





View source version on accesswire.com:

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COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high over the holiday weekend in Monroe County according to data from the Department of Health.

Over the course of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 26, Monroe counted 1,069 cases of COVID-19 in the county, further escalating case increases week-over-week that were noted earlier in the month.

The peak of the week came on Christmas day itself, with a record-setting 212 cases reported on Saturday; while the lowest count came on Tuesday, Dec. 21, with 95 cases reported.

December has seen some of the highest daily counts of the pandemic in the Poconos, amounting to a total of 25,125 cases of COVID-19 and 407 deaths linked to the virus.

Local health care networks are feeling the pain as well: 77 COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized in Monroe as of Monday afternoon; 15 are in the intensive care unit, and four are on ventilators.

The most recent variant of concern, omicron, has become the predominant strain of COVID-19 in just a few weeks, escalating from just a few cases across the commonwealth to the bulk of the cases reported in the mid-Atlantic region. Several of the first reported cases of omicron in Pennsylvania came from the nearby Lehigh Valley.

With the recent spike in mind, Lehigh Valley Health Network has taken to tightening its visitor policy. LVHN is requesting all visitors be vaccinated, with a limitation of two guests per patient throughout their entire stay. Visitation times have been limited from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and masks are an absolute requirement.

Taking additional visitation precautions is vital to help safeguard patients as well as physicians, nurses and other caregivers in all hospitals in the health network, Dr. Alex Benjamin, Chief Infection Control and Prevention Officer at LVHN, said. We know the restrictions may pose challenges and inconvenience for some, but theyre necessary under current conditions.

St. Luke's University Health Network implemented similar policy changes just last week, though visitors are required to be vaccinated in their facilities.

Story continues

"The decision to restrict visitors to only individuals who are vaccinated is out of concern and for the protection of our most vulnerable population as well as our health care staff whose ability to work at this time is critical," a statement from SLUHN reads.

Within Monroe County, 12,677 individuals are partially vaccinated against COVID-19, while 89,777 are fully covered, and 27,236 have received an additional dose as of Tuesday.

 Brian Myszkowski covers the COVID-19 pandemic in northeastern Pennsylvania and is based at the Pocono Record. Reach him by emailing bmyszkowski@poconorecord.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: COVID-19 count spikes on Christmas Day in Monroe County
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadets from the Nevada Civil Air Patrol will have an opportunity soon to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will air live at 11 a.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 4, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

NASA Logo. (PRNewsFoto/NASA) (PRNewsFoto/) (PRNewsfoto/NASA)

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari will answer prerecorded video questions from the cadets. As the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol has served the nation since World War II with its all-volunteer force of more than 60,000. The cadet program aims to build the next generation of aerospace leaders through training and curriculum for students ages 12 to 18.

The event will be held virtually. Media interested in covering should contact Maryan Tooker at: 775-240-2456 or maryan.tooker@nvwg.cap.gov.

This will be the first in-flight education downlink of the new year. In 2021, NASA hosted more than 26 downlinks between astronauts and students. See NASA's video highlighting the nine most memorable downlink moments of 2021 at:

https://youtu.be/O0o9NjpJDL4

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).

For more than 21 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers  the Artemis Generation  ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.

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See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

-end-

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SOURCE NASA
TAIPEI, Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 Cathay Sustainable Finance and Climate Change Summit took place on December 7 with a record high participation through online stream. More than 1,500 persons and over 800 companies and organizations registered, which is over four times more than the numbers in 2020. Publicly listed companies that registered for the event account for 76% of Taiwan's stock market value, including 39 of the 50 largest Taiwanese corporations by market value. Companies that registered also account for 51% of Taiwan's total carbon emissions. This year, attendance at the Summit was recognized as continuing education credits for board directors and supervisors at listed companies. 247 board directors and supervisors representing 363 listed companies participated in the event. In addition, this year not only marked the first time six world-recognized ESG experts accepted invitations to participate, but key representatives from Taiwan's industry, government, and academia were also on hand, making the event an important platform for communication focusing on Taiwan's ESG trends and experiences.

News photo 1. 2021 Cathay Sustainable Finance and Climate Change Summit was unveiled on December 7 th. Chairman Tien-Mu HUANG of the FSC and Chairman Hong-Tu TSAI of Cathay FHC jointly spoke up for sustainable finance and climate change issues.

Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd. (Cathay FHC) Chairman Hong-Tu TSAI noted during the Summit that 2022 will mark the Cathay's 60th anniversary, and said he has gained a deep understanding that to ensure long-term survival, a company must attain both sustainability and profitability. Organizing the Summit for the fifth straight year is one of Cathay's sustainability efforts. Cathay has turned the influence of its assets into a force for pressing companies to respond to CDP, the world's largest platform for disclosing information on carbon emissions. As of the end of 2020, Cathay had implemented 670 in-depth engagements with companies, and 65% of the companies successfully engaged by Cathay as the lead investor improved their CDP score the following year.

"Through this Summit as well as Cathay's engagements, we have called for immediate sustainable actions from investees and borrowers. We hope that Taiwan can perform well and this will be recognized by the international community," said Hong-Tu TSAI.

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Cathay itself has achieved a number of ESG milestones in Taiwan. Cathay Life Insurance, Cathay United Bank, and Cathay Century Insurance led the way in voluntary compliance with sustainability standards such as the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), and Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI). Cathay is also the only Taiwanese financial firm to participate in a number of international climate-related initiatives, including Climate Action 100+ and the Asian Utilities Engagement Program. Cathay has also applied to join RE100, and committed for all its business operation sites in Taiwan will utilize 100% renewable energy by 2030, and achieve net-zero activities by 2050.

The Summit was enthusiastically received, and the reason was the same as Cathay's reason for proactive promotion for sustainability: for corporations, climate change has become a matter of survival. From the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to COP26 resolutions, this environmental issue has already metamorphosed into an economic, political, and societal challenge, and elevated companies' ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) strategies from one limited to the CSR domain to their entire operations.

Five keys in implementation of a sustainability strategy

During his opening remarks, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Chairman Tien-Mu HUANG stressed that policy implementation is critical to climate change mitigation and sustainable finance, asserting that attention must be given to five key points. First, consistent targets; second, adjustments must be made in response to ongoing change; third, government policy must adhere to principles of fairness and proportionality given that companies differ in scale; fourth, assistance must be given to disadvantaged groups and companies with fewer resources; and fifth, goals must be achievable. Companies must propose workable strategies, and become responsible participants for sustainable finance and climate change mitigation.

"Climate change mitigation or sustainable finance is a high-level policy aspiration, but for individual companies, it is an important opportunity for organizational reform. For example, performing a carbon footprint inventory is an important decision for a corporate board," said Tien-Mu HUANG.

Director-General Brenda HU of the FSC's Department of Planning stated that in order to firmly establish sustainable finance practices, the FSC is studying the EU's approach and drafting a standardized taxonomy of sustainable activities. It will first be tested in three major industries--manufacturing, construction and real estate, and shipping and warehousing--providing the financial industry with a basis for assessing investment and financing opportunities. The taxonomy encompasses six major environmental goals--climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, water and marine resources, circular economy, pollution prevention, and biodiversity--as well as social protections (of human rights, worker rights, and social development). Business activities must satisfy at least one environmental goal and not hinder other goals, while also achieving social protection--only then are they in line with sustainability.

Climate action strategies to leverage companies' transition to green operations

Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Wen-Sheng TSENG said that the Ministry of Economic Affairs will help companies reduce carbon emissions by first designating carbon footprint verification tools. Second, it will formulate regulations on wholesale purchases of commercial renewable energy, which is currently limited to Taiwan's state-owned power utility, so that more companies can buy low-carbon energy. Lin-Yi TSAI, Director of the Climate Change Office at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) stated that in response to the European Union's CBAM, the EPA will simplify administrative procedures to help small and medium-size enterprises to perform carbon footprint inventories. The Climate Change Response Act currently being drafted will include a carbon tax, with rates taking into consideration the level of domestic economic development and using a phased approach to implementation.

International sustainability standards are gradually taking shape. Robert G. ECCLES, Visiting Professor of Management Practice at the University of Oxford, noted that the International Sustainability Standard Board (ISSB) was established during COP26, and will define ESG information disclosure standards for global financial markets, providing a framework for corporate sustainability reports. Rebecca Mikula-WRIGHT, CEO of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), said that companies must set a timetable and approach for achieving net-zeroemissions. Of the 33 companies with the highest carbon emissions in Asia tracked by Climate Action 100+, 14 have made the commitment to achieving net-zero emissions/carbon neutral by 2050. These companies include Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, and China Steel Corporation, which all shared their approaches during the Summit.

From "three leaks" to "three carbons", major carbon emitters accelerate reduction efforts

This year, Taiwan announced that it would achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which means that companies must take action at an accelerated pace. China Steel Corporation President Shyi-Chin WANG relates that since the end of last year, he has been aware of pressure from "three carbons": carbon neutral, carbon taxes, and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. As a result, he has lent greater force to carbon reduction efforts. In the short term, China Steel plans to reduce carbon emissions by 1% every year before 2030. To achieve carbon neutral by 2050, it will collaborate with academia to research and develop necessary technologies, and plan for allocating resources to adopt hydrogen as an energy source. Formosa Plastics Group President Sang-Chih LIN said that as early as the 1990s, Formosa adopted the 5S methodology for workplace organization (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain) and implemented a policy to eliminate three types of leaks (oil, water, and gas). In addition, it has pursued circular economy practices that encompass water, energy, raw materials, and waste recycling across Group companies and production sites. Its carbon emissions in 2020 represented a 15.7% reduction from the peak in 2007, and using 2007 levels as a baseline, Formosa aims to reduce 20% and 35% carbon emissions by 2025 and 2030 respectively, before achieving carbon neutral by 2050.

The representatives of Taiwanese companies who participated in the Summit also shared their experiences with promoting ESG and a transition to low-carbon operations. Chun-Chi CHOU, Founder of Sinyi Realty Inc., said that in addition to continuing the setup of sustainable realty offices, Sinyi purchased a small Malaysian island where it is planting trees and marine algae, and restoring coral reefs to create a zero emissions island. It is providing outstanding carbon credits to the parent company to help achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. TSMC meanwhile is the world's first semiconductor company to join RE100, and has set 2050 for achieving net-zero emissions and create a sustainable supply chain. Hon Hai has likewise set 2050 for achieving net-zero emissions, and also made ESG a key performance indicator for both internal performance assessments and supplier evaluations.

No ESG, no business. No ESG, no money.

As a critical player in the global supply chain, Taiwanese industry sensed customers' high ESG expectations early on. Along with regulatory drivers, the transition to sustainable development is no longer a choice that companies can make, but an inevitability. Hong-Tu TSAI described the global supply chain as declaring "No ESG, no business", while the financial industry calls for "No ESG, no money", both conveying that it is no longer enough for companies to do well themselves, but that all stakeholders must also be enabled to make progress together.

Hong-Tu TSAI provided the best summation of the event's spirit, "No ESG, no Taiwan".

Cision

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SOURCE Cathay Financial Holdings
Investment company Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii (Current Portfolio) buys United Natural Foods Inc, Ranger Oil Corp, Ranger Oil Corp, Ranger Oil Corp, Elevate Credit Inc, sells BlueLinx Holdings Inc, Modine Manufacturing Co, MYR Group Inc, Del Taco Restaurants Inc, Boyd Gaming Corp during the 3-months ended 2021Q3, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii. As of 2021Q3, Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii owns 152 stocks with a total value of $4 million. These are the details of the buys and sells.



New Purchases: UNFI, ROCC, ROCC, ROCC, ELVT, CCJ, HCC, NOG, DSX, TDC, REI, BAK, SPTN, MGY, WFRD, LOMA, VEDL, AMX, SIRI, YPF, ELP, DGICA, JBSS, NMIH, WWE, KR, CARS, CCK, SPSC, WOW, BRBR, CAMP, SIFY, IHRT, OTIS, INSE, TNET, NSP, CMRE, PANL, DT, PRDO, DSKE, AXON, TGH, CDNS, RDWR, CNTY, LTRX, LSCC, GGG, SWBI, LITE, FICO, AVID, ESNT, AGS, TX, EFX, POOL, SYNA, HLI, QRVO, DK, STGW, RLGT, TSCO, NOW, ZIXI, QLYS, SKY, ACLS, SSTK, ECOM, SIG, EZPW, SIMO, DBX, AUD, AUD, REV, SNPS, MANH, CROX, GPI, TBI, CPRT, ASX, HDSN, WDAY, AVY, ZIM, SCVL, KLIC, ON, QUAD, YETI, TPR, TER, BNED, DECK, MPWR, BBW, IMOS, CONN, DDS, BBBY, VSCO,

Added Positions: SPY, CBD, RRD, TRUE, AVYA, QRTEA, EA, GLNG, ORN, JACK, AXL, SUP, WLKP, VRSN, VSTO, LRCX, CVLT, GNTX, PFSI, BZH, TTM, SBGI, SUN, CSTM, TRTN, CRUS, CURO, NOK, DFIN, FAF, SGMS, EPAM, GNRC, MSCI, RLGY, STC, GRMN, AMPY, MIME, EVC, DIOD, CSV, RRR, GCI, TPX, ATEN,

Sold Out: BXC, MOD, MYRG, TACO, BYD, MCY, MTDR, SXC, VGR, ACGL, AGYS, AMAT, CGNX, EBAY, EXTR, KLAC, NAVI, NCMI, PDCE, STKS, TTEC, VIRT, WBA, ACCO, BC, CAPL, DHI, DKS, GLP, HRB, JBL, BBWI, LW, OC, PFGC, PII, SAH, SCI, SID, SPH, TMHC, VALE, WHR, HWM, BHF, NEXA, CARR, ATVI, CBOE, CDW, COLM, CPLP, FLEX, ZD, LMRK, NSIT, NXPI, ORLY, OSBC, PRFT, TRMB, TTWO, UCTT, AFG, ALLY, ANET, ARCO, ARW, AVT, BAH, BRO, BWXT, CCS, F, FCN, FNF, G, GDDY, ICL, INFY, KMPR, KNX, LDOS, MUSA, ORI, PGR, PHM, RWT, SNX, TGT, THG, TLYS, TPH, VVV, WIT, WSM, YUM, SBOW, VST, FTNT, ODFL, RBBN, SSNC, CLS, LUMN, DLB, HLF, RDN, CASA,

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For the details of Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund's stock buys and sells,

go to https://www.gurufocus.com/guru/counterpoint+tactical+equity+fund/current-portfolio/portfolio

These are the top 5 holdings of Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund

S&P 500 ETF TRUST ETF (SPY) - 2,265 shares, 24.18% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 12.41% United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI) - 541 shares, 0.65% of the total portfolio. New Position Amplify Energy Corp (AMPY) - 4,360 shares, 0.58% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 29.92% Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC) - 863 shares, 0.57% of the total portfolio. New Position Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC) - 863 shares, 0.57% of the total portfolio. New Position

New Purchase: United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in United Natural Foods Inc. The purchase prices were between $31.61 and $50.87, with an estimated average price of $35.41. The stock is now traded at around $50.610000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.65%. The holding were 541 shares as of 2021-09-30.

New Purchase: Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in Ranger Oil Corp. The purchase prices were between $14.8 and $26.67, with an estimated average price of $19.76. The stock is now traded at around $29.340000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.57%. The holding were 863 shares as of 2021-09-30.

New Purchase: Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in Ranger Oil Corp. The purchase prices were between $14.8 and $26.67, with an estimated average price of $19.76. The stock is now traded at around $29.340000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.57%. The holding were 863 shares as of 2021-09-30.

New Purchase: Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in Ranger Oil Corp. The purchase prices were between $14.8 and $26.67, with an estimated average price of $19.76. The stock is now traded at around $29.340000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.57%. The holding were 863 shares as of 2021-09-30.

New Purchase: Elevate Credit Inc (ELVT)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in Elevate Credit Inc. The purchase prices were between $3.4 and $4.13, with an estimated average price of $3.59. The stock is now traded at around $3.060000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.56%. The holding were 5,421 shares as of 2021-09-30.

New Purchase: Warrior Met Coal Inc (HCC)





Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii initiated holding in Warrior Met Coal Inc. The purchase prices were between $16.43 and $26.45, with an estimated average price of $20.25. The stock is now traded at around $25.770000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.55%. The holding were 952 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: Companhia Brasileira De Distribuicao (CBD)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in Companhia Brasileira De Distribuicao by 150.68%. The purchase prices were between $4.69 and $7.77, with an estimated average price of $5.93. The stock is now traded at around $3.950000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.29%. The holding were 4,214 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: R.R.Donnelley & Sons Co (RRD)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in R.R.Donnelley & Sons Co by 103.67%. The purchase prices were between $4.05 and $6.78, with an estimated average price of $5.35. The stock is now traded at around $10.720000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.28%. The holding were 4,275 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: TrueCar Inc (TRUE)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in TrueCar Inc by 107.83%. The purchase prices were between $3.84 and $5.77, with an estimated average price of $4.65. The stock is now traded at around $3.390000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.26%. The holding were 4,828 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: Avaya Holdings Corp (AVYA)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in Avaya Holdings Corp by 101.21%. The purchase prices were between $18.75 and $27, with an estimated average price of $22.1. The stock is now traded at around $20.290000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.25%. The holding were 1,000 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: Electronic Arts Inc (EA)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in Electronic Arts Inc by 73.91%. The purchase prices were between $126.4 and $146.6, with an estimated average price of $140.49. The stock is now traded at around $133.040000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.24%. The holding were 160 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Added: Golar LNG Ltd (GLNG)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii added to a holding in Golar LNG Ltd by 73.62%. The purchase prices were between $10.21 and $13.79, with an estimated average price of $11.58. The stock is now traded at around $12.590000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.24%. The holding were 1,724 shares as of 2021-09-30.

Sold Out: Modine Manufacturing Co (MOD)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in Modine Manufacturing Co. The sale prices were between $10.95 and $17.58, with an estimated average price of $13.98.

Sold Out: BlueLinx Holdings Inc (BXC)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in BlueLinx Holdings Inc. The sale prices were between $37.3 and $63.15, with an estimated average price of $50.35.

Sold Out: Vector Group Ltd (VGR)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in Vector Group Ltd. The sale prices were between $12.16 and $15.26, with an estimated average price of $13.78.

Sold Out: Mercury General Corp (MCY)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in Mercury General Corp. The sale prices were between $55.67 and $65.75, with an estimated average price of $59.8.

Sold Out: SunCoke Energy Inc (SXC)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in SunCoke Energy Inc. The sale prices were between $6.02 and $7.92, with an estimated average price of $6.88.

Sold Out: Matador Resources Co (MTDR)



Northern Lights Fund Trust Iii sold out a holding in Matador Resources Co. The sale prices were between $25.59 and $38.4, with an estimated average price of $30.72.





Here is the complete portfolio of Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund. Also check out:



1. Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund's Undervalued Stocks



2. Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund's Top Growth Companies, and



3. Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund's High Yield stocks



4. Stocks that Counterpoint Tactical Equity Fund keeps buyingThis article first appeared on GuruFocus.


NEW YORK & LONDON & HONG KONG, December 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Options Technology, the leading Capital Markets services provider, backed by Abry Partners, today announced the achievement of VMware Cloud Verified status in their East Coast NY5 data center.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211228005067/en/

Options Achieves VMware Cloud Verified Status in NY5 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The accomplishment follows the VMware Cloud Provider Principal Partner Status awarded to the firm for their London facility earlier this year.

The Cloud Verified designation indicates that a provider offers a complete VMware-based, software-defined data center infrastructure delivered as a service. VMware Cloud Verified partner services enable customers to achieve unmatched levels of consistency, performance, and interoperability for traditional and containerised enterprise applications with the confidence that the service received is based on the most advanced VMware cloud technologies.

Options President and CEO Danny Moore said, "By achieving VMware Cloud Verified status in NY5, we extend our best-in-class multi-Cloud platform to a second region. Alongside our recent achievement of VMware Cloud Principal Partner status in Europe, todays achievement reiterates Options commitment to delivering industry-leading expertise in multi-Cloud services. We are excited to expand this offering further across the globe in the coming months."

Todays news comes as the latest in a series of strategic announcements for Options, including the acquisition of ACTIV Financial, a Fourth Microsoft Gold Partner Status, and an industry-first partnership with Code Willing.

In 2019, Options received investment from Boston-based Private Equity Firm, Abry Partners. This investment has enabled Options to accelerate its growth strategy and develop its technology platform whilst expanding its global reach in key financial centres.

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About Options (www.options-it.com):

Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems.

Founded in 1993, the firm began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. Today, the company provides high-performance managed trading infrastructure and cloud-enabled managed services to over 200 firms globally, providing an agile, scalable platform in an Investment Bank grade Cybersecurity wrapper.

Options clients include the leading global investment banks, hedge funds, funds of funds, proprietary trading firms, market makers, broker/dealers, private equity houses and exchanges. With offices in 8 key cities; New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Belfast, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, Options are well placed to service their customers both on-site and remotely.

In 2019, Options secured a significant growth investment from Abry Partners, a Boston-based sector-focused private equity firm. This investment has enabled Options to considerably accelerate its growth strategy to invest further in its technology platform and expand its reach in key financial centres globally.

Options has been named among the UKs leading growth companies in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table.

For more on Options, please visit www.options-it.com, follow us on Twitter at @Options_IT and visit our LinkedIn page.

About Abry Partners (www.abry.com)

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211228005067/en/

Contacts

Press: Page McLaughlin

Email: page.mclaughlin@options-it.com
NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 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 18, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NasdaqGS:PTON), if they purchased the Company's shares between December 9, 2020 and November 4, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

What You May Do

If you purchased shares of Peloton 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-pton/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by January 18, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Peloton and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 4, 2021, the Company disclosed a shocking cut to its full-year revenue forecast by up to $1 billion from a prior forecast of $5.4 billion to a range of $4.4 to $4.8 billion due to deteriorating demand for its home fitness equipment as customers were increasingly free to pursue other fitness options outside the home. Further, the Company disclosed that inventory totaled $1.27 billion, a 35% increase over the prior quarter, 91% of which were "finished products" still held by the Company.

On this news, shares of Peloton plummeted $30.42 per share, or over 35%, from a closing price of $86.06 per share on November 4, 2021, to a closing price of $43.68 per share on November 5, 2021.

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The case is City of Hialeah Employees' Retirement System v. Peloton Interactive, Inc., et al., 21-cv-9582.

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





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/679948/PELOTON-SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-BY-FORMER-LOUISIANA-ATTORNEY-GENERAL-KAHN-SWICK-FOTI-LLC-REMINDS-INVESTORS-WITH-LOSSES-IN-EXCESS-OF-100000-of-Lead-Plaintiff-Deadline-in-Class-Action-Lawsuit-Against-Peloton-Interactive-Inc--PTON




VERONA, Italy, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A conference "Ukraine - Donbass: possible domino effect" examining the escalation of the conflict in South East of Ukraine was held in Verona, Italy on December, 18, 2021. Experts examined the possibilities of further escalations that could draw Russia and NATO countries into a major military conflict as a result of ongoing propaganda and possible provocations, as well as the impact of globalist powers in fueling tensions between Europe and Russia.

Palmarino Zoccatelli, president of the Veneto  Russia Association" (PRNewsfoto/Veneto  Russia Association)

Editor in chief of "Controinformazione" Luciano Lago noted that "Western propaganda is likely to distort the actual situation as it is quite persistent in focusing on the presence of the Russian troops at the border with Ukraine being a threat of invasion. In reality they don't mention that the Russian forces remain within the territory of Russia, while at the same time a tremendous increase of USA, UK and Canadian military presence has been seen in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states. The key point to argue about here is who is posing the actual threat outside of the propaganda narrative."

Lago claimed that the USA and NATO are provoking Ukraine into a conflict with Russia in order to isolate Russia from Europe, especially Germany, through destruction of all the forms of economic cooperation, using sanctions and blockage of the North Stream 2 project. In his opinion, the United States has been doing whatever it takes to prevent Russia and EU to get closer and shape a common Eurasian political and economic space.

"Starting from 2014, when Maidan protests took place and the following and the military conflict has started in Donbass region, the civil population is doomed to live under war conditions, especially in the villages located close to the front line" - says the president of Veneto-Russia Association Palmarino Zoccatelli. "Despite ceasefire agreements, the Ukrainian army keeps bombing infrastructure objects and frontline villages, causing more destruction and casualities," he adds.

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Representative of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic Eliseo Bertolasi in Turin said that Euromaidan events can be interpreted as a coup-d'etat supported by external forces. Bertolasi highlighted that NATO is interested in pulling Ukraine into the alliance to increase pressure on Russia. "If Ukraine was a full scale NATO member, in case of a military conflict with Russia the famous Article 5 on collective defence could have been applied, which means that each alliance member 'will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area'." He also pointed out that the EU is now acting within the framework of globalist logic of the USA and supports the conflict with Russia against its pragmatic interests.

Discussing the EU Eastern Partnership program, Bertolasi drew attention to the fact that "the EU is not really willing to give out funds to its members. Despite that, for the countries of the Eastern Partnership the funds are available even for such vague goals as support of democracy." At the end of his speech he emphasised the current situation in the region: "Today we are facing a real threat of a war starting with a false flag operation or provocation, the consequences of which could be terrifying. The situation remains very tense, and even if the dialogue becomes less and less probable, it has to be the key priority for diplomacy."

Palmarino Zoccatelli, president of the "Veneto  Russia Association"

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1716706/Veneto_Russia_Palmarino_Zoccatelli.jpg
Wednesday also looks to be cloudy with showers but temperatures will rise into the 60s once again. That stationary front will be pushed north of the Fredericksburg area by the next system approaching from the west. Liquid amounts with this midweek event will be a bit higher than Monday or Tuesdays showers, but total rainfall will still be scanty and wont help much with the drought situation.

Happy Monday!

The last week of 2021 will be mostly warm but showery for Fredericksburg.

This warm La Nina winter continues as the jet stream track remains north of Fredericksburg, taking the major storm systems with it (see graphic). However, today  Monday  will a bit cooler and cloudier locally than the holiday weekend just past. A cold front which moved through the area Saturday night has settled across the Carolinas. With high pressure centered over eastern Canada this overall setup resulted in a cold air damming wedge (www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/050/index.html) over the Virginia Piedmont.

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Navy veteran Mikkayla Bias of Stafford has a lifelong desire to build her own home someday, too, and she came to the mill last month with a passion for building things made from wood. Now getting ready to attend her third workshop this coming weekend, she said shes glad she found Lintz through social media.

It can teach the person self-worth, essentially, and youre also learning patience and youre learning you can accomplish things, said Bias.

Lintz said workshop students use wood from donated trees Lintz picks up and hauls directly to his mill. During the workshop, Lintz not only teaches students details about types of wood, but he also emphasizes how it is possible, through patience and care, to create something beautiful out of something thats originally rough around the edges.

Laura Emberson, a Navy veteran and government worker who lives in Fredericksburg, said when she first came across Lintz offer for a free workshop, she couldnt believe it. She emailed Lintz who replied with a message explaining who he was and why he was trying to help others through the craft that helped him get his own life back.
About 600 migrants, according to the Belarusian Red Cross, are living at the Bruzgi logistics center as of late December. It is a warehouse facility where they have set up a makeshift camp, placing mattresses and tents in the rows that once housed shipping containers. Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian Red Cross have provided them with food and other necessary supplies.

Poland took a tough stance against the migrants illegal entry, reinforcing the border and pushing those attempting to get in back into Belarus. The Polish approach was largely met with approval from other EU nations, who want to stop another wave of migration, but has also been criticized by human rights groups.

Belarusian authorities have also criticized Poland and other European nations for mistreatment of the migrants, while playing up their own efforts to return them to their home countries and to create decent living conditions for those staying at the border crossing at Bruzgi.

But as temperatures fall below freezing, life at the border becomes more and more challenging. In the heated warehouse, its still so cold that people inside are keeping their outerwear on.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan's new redistricting commission approved congressional and legislative maps Tuesday, ones that are fairer to Democrats than when the process was controlled by the Republican-led Legislature the past two decades.

The landmark votes capped months of work by the 13-member panel, which voters created to stop partisan gerrymandering.

It really is a history-defining day. We've adopted fair maps that are fair to both parties and fair to the people of Michigan. That's a big deal, said commissioner Anthony Eid, one of five members unaffiliated with neither major political party. The commission of citizens who were selected randomly following an application process also has four Democrats and four Republicans.

In the U.S. House delegation, there could be 7-6 splits in favor of either party if it is close statewide, with three highly competitive seats in the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Flint/Saginaw areas.

The battle for the majority in the state Senate, where the GOP has a 22-16 edge due to gerrymandering despite Democrat Gretchen Whitmer winning the governorship by nearly 10 points in 2018, will become much tighter.
But David said that won't stop the staff of roughly three dozen from rolling out the welcome mat at the clinic, founded four decades ago specifically to assist Southeast Asians after the Vietnam War. Most of the nurses, assistants and other staff are immigrants or former refugees themselves, and understand the shock of starting over in a new country.

Medical interpreter Jahannaz Afshar welcomes Farsi speakers at the front door even before they check in for their first visit. In a windowless office, she explains what to expect over at least four visits as part of a comprehensive health assessment, which includes updating immunizations and checking for infectious diseases. A medical exam is required of all refugees.

But Afshar, who moved from Iran in 2004, also explains cultural differences, such as the American preference for personal space and chitchat. She'll tell newcomers how to take the bus or use the public library, and reassure them that in the U.S., people help without expectation of getting anything in return.

Most staff members are bilingual, and come from a number of countries, including China, Myanmar, Sierra Leone and Mexico, said Mylene Madrid, who coordinates the refugee health assessment program. But staff can help even without speaking the same language.
On Monday, a crew found what appears to be a copper box under the northeast corner of the pedestal that once held the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond. The box, believed to be an 1887 time capsule, will be opened Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Department of Historic Resources lab, according to a news release from Gov. Ralph Northam.

According to an 1887 newspaper account, the box could contain:

 A picture of Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin donated by Pattie Leake;

 A history of Monumental Church donated by George Fisher;

 A collection of Confederate buttons from Cyrus Bossieux;

 A copy of Carlton McCarthys Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia given by J.W. Randolph & English publishers;

 A guide to Richmond with a map of the city and a map of Virginia;

 Three bullets, a piece of shell and a Minie ball lodged in a piece of wood from a Fredericksburg battlefield, given by Frank Brown;

 A Bible from Thomas J. Starke;

 Statistics of the city of Richmond from J.B. Halyburton;

 A battle flag and a square and compass made from a tree over Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jacksons grave from J.W. Talley;

 A $100,000 Confederate bond from John F. Mayer;

 An English penny from 1812 from W.T. Moseley;

 Oct. 26, 1887 edition of the The Richmond Dispatch.

1:12 Workers believe they've found the 1887 time capsule where Richmond, Virginia's Lee statue once stood Once again, workers believe they have found the 1887 time capsule that was put under the Robert E. Lee pedestal, said Michael Spence, the construction supervisor.
Bad School Board rhetoric carries a cost

We are greatly saddened by the decision of the prestigious Dr. Scott Baker to leave his position as superintendent of schools in Spotsylvania. I have been inspired and honored to learn of Dr. Bakers work during my short tenure as a resident of Virginia.

Prior to moving here, I worked as an elected school board member for 12 years, including serving on statewide school associations as well as being a member of the National School Boards Association.

Dr. Baker notably served as a key leader and was very active, often attending local events and graduations hosted at the University of Mary Washington.

Our community and parents need to know this character is rare among many top-ranking school superintendents that I have voted to hire and knownover NYS and across the U.S. We all feel the social loss; few understand the financial loss.
Born and raised with a ranch and feedlot background in Broadwater, Jaslyn Livingston has always enjoyed working with cattle. After graduating high school, she initially intended to study veterinary science at the University Nebraska-Lincoln.

Plans changed when Livingston had an opportunity to observe a veterinarian working to repair a major injury on her horse and she was unable to handle the scene well. Realizing she wanted to change her path, Livingston enrolled in Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis for two years followed by completing an online bachelors degree through UNL.

I was calving and doing the ranch work and doing homework at night, but I got my bachelors degree and have been here ever since, Livingston said.

Livingston particularly enjoyed the genetics course she took and was inspired to bring that knowledge back to the family ranch. She began focusing the ranchs breeding program with a specific goal in mind: achieving the marbling effect that gives consumers the best meat experience while maintaining growth on the cattle to manage their marketing time.

During her time in Curtis, Livingston was able to complete an artificial insemination (AI) course. She explained that was when she started to amp up her cow herd by purchasing 80 heifers to AI, half would be retained for her future herd base and half would be finished in the family feedlot.

Her working strategy is to maintain an all-black, crossbred 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 complement 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 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.

Livingston began working Wagyu genetics into the herd three years ago by AIing a portion of her composite herd to Wagyu bulls. Some of those half-blood Wagyu heifers were kept in the herd to possibly explore quarter-blood Wagyu traits, but the remainder of the cross-bred offspring were fed out in the Livingston family feedyard.

The Wagyu feeder calves are fed out under the same Beef Quality Assurance and nutritional standards the Livingstons have for all of their feedlot cattle. Held to the same standards as all other cross-bred feeder calves, Livingston has noticed, Wagyu crossed calves take several more months to reach finishing condition but have a phenomenal amount of marbling throughout all the cuts of meat.

The (Wagyu cross calves) are kind of crazy and if you looked at them, they would not be the type to take to your county fair. But the dressing percentage was phenomenal compared to the rest of the contemporary group. They were all out of the same calf crop, their moms were sisters and the only difference was the dads. (Wagyu cross calves) were consistent and better, Mark Livingston, Jaslyns dad commented.

Once finished, the Wagyu beef are sent to a USDA certified packing plant in Pierce, Colorado, where the meat is dry aged for 14 days for an additional processing cost to the Livingstons. Dry aging is a process in which the butchered beef is stored in a temperature-controlled environment before it is trimmed and cut. The aging process is well known for producing beef cuts that are more flavorful with exceptional tenderness.

From this point, the meat cuts are ready for individual sale out of the industrial cooler on the Livingston ranch or from contacts through Aubri Squires, Jaslyns wife. Squires is a travel nurse usually working in the Denver area and spending her time off work on the Broadwater ranch. Colorado has proved to be a niche for the Livingston Wagyu cross beef product.

The key right now is finding people and changing the perception of consumers right now. Small farms like this that are raising this meat for people are right here, Squires said.

Squires and Livingston are filling their days with nursing work and ranching together, but the pair enjoy cooking and entertaining friends.

Though the couple prefer a dry rub and searing their Wagyu percentage cuts, a coveted roast recipe shared by them that they enjoy serving friends is Mississippi Pot Roast:

- 1 packet ranch seasoning

- 1 packet au jus seasoning

- 1 can pepperoncinis

- 1 Livingstons chuck roast

- 1 stick butter

Mix all in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours

Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  Its a miraculous moment.

Thats how Nebraska 1st District Rep. Jeff Fortenberry last Thursday described President Joe Bidens signing into law the legislation he sponsored to transform research and treatment for ALS patients.

Biden signed the bill, known as ACT for ALS, in a ceremony at the White House.

Its been a long, tough road to this miraculous moment, said the Republican congressman, whose district includes Cass County.

With this transformative public policy, we can break through faster for those who have suffered so much.

According to Fortenberrys office, the law will funnel $100 million annually between 2022 and 2026 into research into what is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrigs disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and similar diseases.

It will also create grant programs and provide early access to promising treatments for patients who arent accepted into clinical trials, his office said.

Fortenberry said ACT for ALS represents a monumental shift for those suffering from neurodegenerative conditions by transforming disease research and regulation while creating a new pathway to promising new treatments.

It drives the hope, he added.

According to Fortenberry, ALS patients for decades have submitted themselves to tests and trials, therapies and placebos, in accordance with the rules of the current health care policy framework with uneven, even debatable progress, along with serious impediments to new treatments.

Now, there is a new pathway that will speed progress, he said.

Fortenberry was the original author of ACT for ALS and its lead co-sponsor in the 117th Congress, his office said.

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The year was 2013, Stephen Krotseng said, and he and Taylor Barstow were two lonely singles living in Chicago.

With nothing to lose, we both signed up for OkCupid to see what all the online dating fuss was about, he said.

After kissing many digital frogs, they both were starting to lose optimism. Even when their profiles matched, they had low expectations given their experiences thus far.

Stephen threw out the idea of taking Taylor to a fancy speakeasy because he thought she would be impressed. Taylor, hoping for a low-key dive bar experience and therefore unimpressed by the fancy plan, showed up anyway.

As we hugged and sat next to each other, we quickly realized there was quite a bit of chemistry, Stephen said. The time melted away as we talked about our families, discovered our shared interests and gained a sense of each others personality.

Taylor called her parents right afterward and said shed met someone exceptional. Stephen did the same.

Seven years, two apartments and one city later, they became engaged. After re-planning their wedding twice because of the pandemic, they were finally lucky enough to celebrate with 145 loved ones.

ENJOYING THE VIEW

Stephen invited Taylor to go on a walk in Buena Vista Park near their apartment in San Francisco. When they got to a quiet part of the park with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Stephen distracted Taylor by giving her binoculars to enjoy the sights. While she was looking at the view, he got down on one knee and popped the question.

Afterward, they walked to the top of the hill where a picnic was waiting for them to have lunch and celebrate as a couple before sharing the news with friends and family.

Although they were legally married on Oct. 16, 2020, on their one-year anniversary they planned a bigger event later in Omaha. They both love history, travel and design and decided the Durham Museum would be the ideal location for their celebration.

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Hearing Taylors parents, the maid of honor and the best man recount their experiences with them were at times hilarious and always heart-warming, the couple said.

We appreciated that they let their personalities shine through the writing and retelling, and shared things we hadnt remembered or noticed about our love.

After a month of dance lessons, they felt intimate and connected during their first dance to a 10-piece band while showing off some rudimentary swing dancing moves.

It was a lovely moment to share some of our joy with our guests.

UNIQUE TOUCHES

Parents of the bride, Holly and Bruce Barstow, retrieved family wedding dresses from storage and they were on display at the reception, paying homage to the brides sister-in-law, mother, late aunt and grandmothers.

Seeing the grandmas look at their dresses and photos, recognizing their gowns and reflecting on their big days, was a really special moment.

Holly and friend Patricia Longacre created a dessert buffet, with to-go boxes for guests. Dinner tables were named after the couples favorite places: the national parks.

Avoiding numbers removed some of the stress of guest placement, they said.

They made themed cocktails  the Locomotive (a twist on an old fashioned) and the Caboose (a twist on a margarita) that were a huge hit.

TURN TO EMAILS

If nervous about guest comfort and safety, especially during a pandemic, communicate openly with guests early and often. Thanks to their parents advice, they kept in mind that the tone of an event is established in any communication (digital or print) so using care and time to craft intentional messages was crucial.

Sharing with guests our multiple wedding date changes, vaccination/testing requests and in-event masking ideals beforehand made us less nervous and hopefully helped the guests feel more comfortable, they say.

Google Sheets were the key to all of their planning, execution and accountability success while sticking closely to their budget.

PERFECT FOR THEM

Stick by your partner, physically, all day of the ceremony.

Imagine a rope tying you together. If you get separated, its really easy to not see each other again for 30 minutes because of how many conversations you get pulled into, and you dont want to spend your wedding night apart from your spouse, they said.

Nothing is going to go perfect, so they say embrace the chaos and live in the moment.

Theyre grateful for the way Holly and Bruce helped to put together the wedding ceremony and reception. They call it the ultimate gift.

They made us feel supported and worthy throughout the planning process. We cannot thank them enough for actualizing a wedding celebration two years in the making.

Theyre also grateful to the grooms parents, Richard and Kathryn Krotseng, for a wonderful welcome evening and Sunday brunch. Folks who funded their Amtrak trip from Omaha back to San Francisco gifted them a memorable and relaxing ramp back to real life, they say.

STILL FRESH

They put a lot of thought into writing their vows, they said.

Though performative, sharing and hearing our sentiments in front of loved ones felt surprisingly romantic and appropriate given the symbolism of the event.

Even after being together for eight years, Taylors curiosity, open-mindedness, adventuresome spirit and sense of wonder about the world make Stephen feel young and in love, he said.

Taylor said Stephens emotional intelligence and commitment to building an intentional life captured her heart right away.

I admire the way he cultivates relationships, approaching kinship with curiosity. His growth mindset and zest for life inspire me to be more present for lifes daily joys, Taylor said.

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Abdul Kabir Wakil Khan traveled from Kazakhstan to the Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif in July to help his family members -- all ethnic Kazakhs -- relocate to their ancestral homeland.



Instead, Wakil Khan became stranded in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in the war-torn country in August.



Wakil Khans parents and several of his relatives were in the process of being cleared for resettlement by the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul, the Afghan capital.



They were among scores of Afghan nationals seeking to relocate through a special Kazakh government program that helps ethnic Kazakhs from abroad to immigrate to the Central Asian nation.



But the Taliban takeover put those relocation plans on hold. The Kazakh Embassy in Kabul has restricted its operations, passports applications have been disrupted, and most international flights have been suspended.

Unable to leave Afghanistan, Wakil Khan has been trying to secure visas for his family members to travel to Kazakhstan. The 58-year-old, himself born in Afghanistan, moved to Kazakhstan some 15 years ago.



There is a group of people who gather in front of the embassy these days, Wakil Khan told RFE/RLs Kazakh Service. Like me, many of them traveled from Kazakhstan to obtain visas for their relatives.



Kazakh authorities claim there are only around 200 ethnic Kazakhs remaining in Afghanistan. But ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan estimate the number is much higher.



Many members of the ethnic Kazakh community are believed to be the relatives of those who arrived in northern Afghanistan from Central Asia in the 1920s and 1930s.



Many of them speak Dari or Uzbek and live among ethnic Uzbek communities in northern Afghanistan. Most of them reside in rural areas and are engaged in livestock farming.



According to official figures, some 13,000 ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan have immigrated to Kazakhstan since the early 1990s.



Kazakhstan offers citizenship to ethnic Kazakhs who emigrate to their ancestral homeland from abroad.



About 1 million ethnic Kazakhs from Uzbekistan, China, and other neighboring countries have moved to the oil-rich Central Asian country since the 1990s.



The Kazakh government offers financial incentives, subsidized housing, and other benefits for them. But those state benefits come with a precondition. They must move to sparsely populated northern regions of Kazakhstan where there is a shortage of workers.

Not everyone wants to move to the north, which is notorious for harsh winters. Those who stay elsewhere in Kazakhstan do not receive support from the government.



'Documentation Issues'



Kazakh authorities have said they are committed to helping ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan.



Shortly after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on August 15, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev ordered his government to organize the evacuation of ethnic Kazakh Afghan nationals from Kabul.

On September 9, Kazakhstan evacuated 35 ethnic Kazakh onboard a special flight from Kabul to Almaty.



But the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said last week that the evacuation of ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan had been "suspended," citing the political situation as well as documentation issues in Afghanistan.



When the Taliban seized power, dozens of Afghans claiming to be ethnic Kazakhs pleaded the Kazakh Embassy for help to resettle in Kazakhstan.



The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in late August that it had established a special commission at the embassy to investigate each case.



But Kazakh officials have said many Afghan applicants have difficulty proving their Kazakh roots.



Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said many applicants were unable to provide any documents to prove their Kazakh ethnicity or reveal when their relatives first moved to Afghanistan.



Some of them dont even have basic knowledge of the Kazakh language, Smadiyarov told reporters in late August.

Amanullah Nazari, an Afghan who resettled in Kazakhstan in 2019, said many ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan are illiterate and often live in remote rural areas. He said that many members of the community are probably not even aware of the resettlement program.



The lack of travel documents has also hampered the resettlement of ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan, from where hundreds of thousands of people have fled in recent months due to Taliban repression and a devastating humanitarian and economic crisis.

Passport offices across Afghanistan have frequently suspended their operations since August.



But even those who obtain passports and foreign visas find it difficult to leave Afghanistan. International flights have come to a near-complete halt since the Taliban takeover.



A family of Afghan Kazakhs living in the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent told RFE/RL that their relatives -- a total of 38 people -- were set to relocate from the Afghan province of Faryab to Kazakhstan in July.



After their resettlements documents were approved, they were making travel plans when the Taliban seized power.



We sent them money [for their flights], but it wont be enough anymore, said Hangama Abdul Karim, a Kazakh citizen who has relatives in Afghanistan. We cant afford to pay for their travel with connecting flights [through other countries].
Denver has extended its indoor mask order, the city announced Tuesday morning, as omicron surges through the metro area and the state.

Denver's order, which was initially set to expire next week, will now run through Feb. 3, the city's Department of Public Health and Environment announced Tuesday morning.

Businesses in Denver can still apply to go mask-free if at least 95% of staff and patrons are fully vaccinated. The order was first instituted just before Thanksgiving, as hospitals in the metro and statewide were pushed to the limit of their capacity.

That wave had subsided steadily through much of December, and Denver's average positivity rate "dropped to below 5%," the city wrote in its announcement Tuesday. But the rapid emergence of omicron, the latest, highly transmissible variant, has reversed gains made in infection rates in short order.

"In November, Denver and much of the metro area took the necessary steps to curb the rising spread of COVID-19 and reduce the dangerous pressure on our hospital systems. Our efforts were not in vain," Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said in a statement. "As the Omicron variant continues to spread during this holiday season, and hospital capacity remains strained, we simply cannot afford to let up now."

Bob McDonald, the executive director of the Denver health department, said in an interview that the decision to extend the order was made in the past few days, in conjunction with the other area health departments. He said the city was not considering any public health measures.

"As long as we have a very infectious variant that's driving case rates up, it would be irresponsible to lift a face-covering order right now," he said. He stressed that vaccines - and boosters in particular - are still effective at protecting against severe disease and illness. As of Tuesday morning, 80% of COVID-19 hospital patients in Colorado are unvaccinated.

More than 13.5% of COVID-19 tests in Denver have returned positive over the past week, according to city data. On Dec. 14, Denver's one-week incident rate was 184.7 cases per 100,000 residents. As of Tuesday, it had shot up to 565.7. McDonald said case rates are the highest they've been in a year.

The past 21 months have shown the impossibility of predicting the virus, he added, but his "sense is that (omicron is) going to go through the community very, very quickly, and then it'll drop very, very quickly."

"I think the worst is yet to come," McDonald continued. "But then once we see that peak, my sense is, especially going into springtime, my sense is that it'll go down quickly."

Other counties in the area with mask orders  Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson and Arapahoe  are also continuing their orders, according to the Denver health department and a news release from the Colorado Health Institute. Boulder has had a face-covering order for months; Broomfield's requirement applies only to city- and county-owned buildings; and Jefferson's order is pegged to certain pandemic metrics made far more difficult to achieve because of omicron.

Adams and Arapahoe counties, under the umbrella of the Tri-County Health Department, still have mask orders through next week or until ICU capacity increases, according to the agency's website.

With the exception of Boulder, whose order predated the rest of the area by nearly three months, those metro counties all moved in near-lockstep last month to institute face-covering orders. They had urged Gov. Jared Polis to mandate masks statewide, and when he refused, they did so together.

Wearing masks indoors slows the spread of respiratory viruses, Dawn Comstock, the executive director of Jefferson County Public Health, said in a statement. Last months COVID-19 surge was reduced because people in our communities wore masks and got vaccinated, including booster doses. Continuing these strategies will save lives as we experience the rapid growth of the omicron variant as well as increasing influenza cases. We cannot become complacent.

The counties instituted their mask orders in large part to help prop up hospitals, which were teetering amid a crush of COVID-19 patients, staffing shortages and sicker patients overall. While that pressure has alleviated somewhat after the orders were put into place, omicron brings a new threat, McDonald said.

"Hospitals are certainly at risk, perhaps more than ever, and it's not just because omicron is very infectious," he said. "It's that hospital staff are being infected, too."

Even though hospital workers are required to be vaccinated, and thus their cases are likely to be more mild, they are still required to isolate if infected, he said. That's going to further stretch an already thin workforce.
A shooting spree that began in Denver and ended in Lakewood Monday night left five people dead, including the suspected shooter.

Three others, including a Lakewood police officer, were also wounded, according to Lakewood and Denver police officials, who provided a joint news briefing following what they described as a large-scale, active shooter incident.

In Denver, two women and a man were killed, and another man was injured, in a series of shootings that began sometime after 5 p.m., according to Denver police Chief Paul Pazen.

Pazen said there was a total of four shootings in Denver:

At East First Avenue and North Broadway, two women were shot and killed, and another man was injured

At 12th Avenue and North Williams Street, one man was shot and killed

At West 6th Avenue and Cherokee Street, police believe a gun was fired, but no injuries were reported

At 8th and Zuni, police pursued the suspect in his vehicle, and gunfire was exchanged. Pazen said a police cruiser was disabled, but no officers were injured.

Police believe the shooting suspect then fled to Lakewood in his car, where he allegedly killed another person, and injured two others, including a Lakewood police officer.

John Romero, public information officer with Lakewood police, said officers responded to reports of a shooting at a business at the 1500 block of Kipling Street just before 6 p.m., where they found one person dead.

Police identified the suspected shooter and the car he was driving. When officers attempted to stop him, gunfire was exchanged and the shooter then fled on foot to the Belmar shopping center in Lakewood, Romero said.

Romero said the shooter "felony menaced" one business, before fleeing to the Hyatt Place hotel, where he allegedly shot and injured a hotel clerk. The clerk was taken to the hospital. Police did not have additional information about the person's condition.

The shooter fled again, before encountering and shooting a Lakewood police officer. That officer was undergoing surgery at the hospital, Romero said. No further information on the officer's condition was immediately available Monday night.

Officials said the suspect again exchanged fire with Lakewood police, and died sometime during the shootout, though it was not clear if he was killed by officers, Romero said.

Police have not identified a motive for the shootings, describing the scene as "active" and "fresh" Monday night. Officials believe there was only one shooter, and said there is no additional threat to the public.

Some businesses in Lakewood remained locked down following the shootings.

At 9:15 p.m., Colorado State Patrol tweeted that troopers were in the Belmar shopping area assisting, and that numerous businesses still had customers and employees inside. State Patrol also reported that SWAT teams were "clearing a very large area inch by inch."
'No federal solution': Biden's COVID-19 tone shifts away from shutting down the virus
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Colorado Springs is on track to mark one of its warmest years on record following a mild fall that has yet to bring any measurable snowfall to the city, breaking the previous record for the latest first snowfall by nearly a month and counting.

The year is still winding down, but the data show 2021 could rank as the fourth, fifth or sixth warmest year on record for the city, said Mark Wankowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Warm years are based on an average of the daily high and low temperatures, he said.

"The last half of the year was extremely warm," Wankowski said.

The temperatures during the second half of the year offset the relatively cold and wet first few months. Colorado Springs saw 43.2 inches of snow from January through May  10 inches above normal, he said.

So far this season, the city has yet to see measurable snowfall at the Colorado Springs Airport, where the weather service collects data. The city is breaking the record for the latest first snowfall by 25 days so far. The previous record for latest measurable snowfall was set on Dec. 2, 2016 when .2 inches fell.

The next best chance for snow is Friday, but Wankowski said he expects the storm to split and miss the city.

The mild conditions have given Colorado Springs city operations employees, who would normally be plowing snow, the opportunity to catch up on street maintenance, such as crack sealing to extend the life of the roadways, said Clint Brown, street operations manager. The freeze-thaw cycle of a Colorado winter can damage pavement as the water seeps into road cracks, freezes and then expands.

"Crack sealing is vital to the health of the roadway surface," he said.

The department, which includes about 140 people, is also catching up on vehicle maintenance and preparing for storms when they do hit, he said. For example, needed sand and salt is well stocked around the city, he said.

"It's been a great opportunity for our department to sort of catch our breath," Brown said.

The department is down about 19 drivers qualified to drive a snowplow because of the labor shortages, so when a snowstorm hits residents may need to be patient, he said. For employees that don't have commercial driver's licenses, the city has Ford F-550 trucks to help clear smaller streets, he said.

"We will catch up to a storm; it is a matter of time," Brown said.
East Coast gems  Off the beaten track | Such a Fine Sight to See
Winter weather is expected to continue through much of the week in southern Colorado, according to the National Weather Service.
A Mason City man who was accused of kidnapping and raping a woman at knifepoint has died in prison.

Kenneth Ray Sharp was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 6:55 p.m. on Sunday in a hospice room of the Iowa Medical and Classification Center where he had been housed due to chronic illness. Sharp was 54 years old.

Sharp had been serving a life sentence. He was convicted of felony first-degree kidnapping in 1995 and began serving his life sentence in December of that year.

He appealed and the conviction was upheld by the Iowa Court of Appeals in 2008. Sharps appeal contended that his trial counsel was ineffective on three different issues.

In its decision, the Court of Appeals noted that Sharps version of the facts is directly contradicted by the record and that he had not made the minimal showing of the potential viability of this claim necessary for the appeal to be addressed.

An appeal to the state Supreme Court by Sharp himself was dismissed because it did not comply with appellate court rules. Sharp had asked to be assigned an attorney to file the appeal but the district court ruled he did not provide sufficient evidence to merit an appeal and representation by counsel.

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A St. Ansgar man and his son will likely plead guilty to charges that they were involved in the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

A trial status conference for the two, initially scheduled for Jan. 25, was canceled Tuesday and a plea hearing was instead scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 4, in District of Columbia District Court, according to court documents. The documents do not say to what charges the Johnsons will plead guilty.

Daryl Johnson and his son Daniel, of Austin, Minnesota, were arrested in mid-June by the FBI and charged with one count each of entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

The FBI received a tip through its online portal that the Johnsons were both inside the Capitol building during the riot that took place on Jan. 6, according to charging documents released by the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Columbia.

Daryl Johnsons Facebook page was found to have several references in comments to being present at the Capitol during this time. Several of his comments claimed, I was there.

Investigation by the FBI found videos and photographs of Daryl Johnson and Daniel Johnson inside the Capitol building. Subjects identified both of the men in the footage.

Several articles of clothing that Daryl Johnson was wearing in posted photographs to Facebook were compared to the Capitol footage to further identify him.

The FBI received three additional tips that the Johnsons were involved at the Capitol on Jan. 6. One tip mentioned Daniel Johnson posting a video inside the Capitol to his Snapchat account. Another was from a St. Ansgar police officer who recognized Daryl Johnson as the son of that city's former mayor.

Daniel Johnsons Facebook page also had multiple posts relating to being at the Capitol. A post on Jan. 7 showed the crowd near the U.S. Capitol and captioned Couple thousand??? Lol try like 4 million people!!!

The Johnsons were two of six Iowans charged for their involvement in the riot.

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Heading into 2022, the city of Clear Lake is keen on making some serious infrastructure improvements.

In a Clear Lake City Council workshop last week, officials began taking the first steps toward allocating the money received via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), with infrastructure taking center stage.

Clear Lake received approximately $1.1 million from ARPA, a federal grant program launched by President Joe Biden to help communities recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the program, the money received can only be used for specific purposes, such as public health, revenue replacement and negative economic impacts.

Clear Lake has decided to zero in on infrastructure, with an emphasis on making storm sewer and wastewater improvements.

According to Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory, there are three projects, specifically, that have caught the council's eye.

The first, upgrades to the city's storm-sewer collection system and water distribution system improvements. Flory noted during the workshop that this is a project already underway, but the cost of it would be eligible to be covered by ARPA.

The second, upgrades to the water treatment plant's water pumps, and safety improvements to its chlorine room.

Lastly, improvements to the geographic information system (GIS) mapping of water and to the sanitary sewer and storm sewer infrastructure.

"These may not be the most flashy improvements," Flory said. "But they are integral to public health and quality of life."

According to Creighton Schmidt, Clear Lake Director of Finance and Administrative Services, the cost of the three will total approximately $1.1 million, the entirety of Clear Lake's ARPA funding.

The largest chunk of that dollar amount is taken up by the distribution upgrades, at an estimated cost of $700,000, with the other two projects each costing approximately $200,000.

"The Clear Lake City Council has always placed a high priority on infrastructure," Flory said. "So it is not surprising that is where we are opting to devote these resources."

A secondary reason for the council focusing in on infrastructure, according to Flory, is due to the restrictions to which communities must adhere when spending ARPA money. Flory said that he and Schmidt decided to key in on infrastructure projects in an effort to be in compliance with ARPA, and not risk having to return any of the money given.

Clear Lake has only received half of its $1.1 million in ARPA funding, with the other half expected to arrive in the spring or summer of 2022.

Cities and counties have until Dec. 31, 2024, to allocate ARPA funding and until Dec. 31, 2026, to spend funds, according to the National League of Cities.

Iowa cities and counties received nearly $1 billion for funding from ARPA from the $130 billion in total allocated for local governments.

Zachary Dupont covers politics and business development for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at 641-421-0533 or zachary.dupont@globegazette.com. Follow Zachary on Twitter at @ZachNDupont

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(CNN) -- One Virginia family received the keys to their new 3D-printed home in time for Christmas.

The home is Habitat for Humanity's first 3D-printed home in the nation, according to a Habitat news release.

Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process.

The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms and two full baths and was built from concrete.

The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home.

April Stringfield purchased the home through the Habitat Homebuyer Program and is moving in with her 13-year-old son.

"My son and I are so thankful," Stringfield said in a live feed streamed on Habitat's Facebook page. "I always wanted to be a homeowner. It's like a dream come true."

To purchase the home, Stringfield logged hundreds of hours of sweat equity, one of the requirements for homebuyers through the program, Green told CNN.

"Every Habitat affiliate in the nation and worldwide sells homes to partner families who have low to moderate incomes," Green said. "They must have and maintain good credit and be willing to partner with us."

"I'm excited to make new memories in Williamsburg and especially in a house, a home," Stringfield told CNN affiliate WTKR. "Some place I can call home and give my son that backyard that he can play in and also for my puppy to run around the yard."

The concrete used in the house's 3D construction has many long-term benefits, such as the ability to retain temperature and withstand natural disasters, like tornadoes and hurricanes.

Stringfield's home also includes a personal 3D printer that will allow her to reprint anything she may need, everything from an "electrical outlet to trim to cabinet knobs," Green told CNN.

While this is the first 3D home for Habitat for Humanity in the U.S., it certainly won't be the last. Green told CNN it hopes to continue partnering and developing the technology used with the printing.

"We would love to build more with this technology, especially because it's got that long-term savings for the homeowners," Green said.
The visceral pain many Black Virginians felt after the unearthing of a racist photo in Ralph Northams medical school yearbook, and the personal and political crisis into which the scandal plunged the governor, might have easily marked the end of Northams political career.

Instead, for a number of reasons, including his own sheer will to remain governor, he says he will leave public office next month a better person, and Virginia a much more open and inclusive state.

So goes the latest turn in the winding path of Virginias 73rd governor: a guy from the Eastern Shore who grew up on a farm; the descendant of slave owners who came to fully reject the glorification of the Confederacy; a state senator who once toyed with the idea of joining the Republican Party and who a decade later could be described as one of Virginias most progressive governors.

Northam is leaving office on Jan. 15 to return to pediatrics after four years as the nations only doctor-governor, leading the state through a once-in-a-century pandemic. He is closing out his administration with high approval ratings and handing the keys to Republican Glenn Youngkin, who ran on promises to take Virginia in a new direction.

In an exit interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Northam seemed pleased with the sum of the parts that made up his unpredictable and at times chaotic four years in office.

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.

I explained to him the history of blackface, and the look on his face, as I was explaining minstrel shows, how blackface was used to demonize Black people ... the look on his face was one of shock. That began the awakening of Ralph Northam.

Northam initially apologized for appearing in the photo. The next day, during a news conference at the Executive Mansion, Northam said he is not in the photo, but he admitted to having worn blackface while dressing as Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance contest in San Antonio. A host of Democrats called for his resignation, including Virginias senior Democratic leaders, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-3rd.

Northam says now that three things led to his decision to stay in office and resist calls for his resignation from across his party, including from longtime political allies. One was self-confidence; two, conversations with people of color who chose to help me out when they didnt need to; and three, the loyalty of his Cabinet and staff.

A rush of departures would have left Northam unable to run the government. As he remained in hiding, grappling with the political fallout, a lot of responsibility shifted to his top officials. (Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring were embroiled in different scandals during the Democrats February firestorm. Two women had accused Fairfax of sexual assault. After urging Northam to resign, Herring admitted he had worn blackface as a teenager while dressing as a rapper for a party at the University of Virginia.)

Weve got to have a way forward, Northams finance secretary, Aubrey Layne, told The Times-Dispatch in an unpublished interview on Feb. 5, 2019. Nothings getting done around here.

Layne said at the time that he was considering resigning. Instead, he urged Northam to try to get back to running the government even as the governor weighed how to move forward. So began Northams reliance on the restricted-access tunnels that connect the Executive Mansion to other parts of Capitol Square.

It was a precarious time, recalled former House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk. He said he worked with Layne and other assembly budget leaders to reassure national bond rating agencies that the ship was going to be steadied.

I viewed Aubrey Layne as the anchor of that ship, Jones said.

Meanwhile, Northams promised listening tour was hitting false starts. Ultimately, it became a series of mostly private meetings carefully planned by the administration around the state, not a public mea culpa tour.

Northam credits these meetings with reframing his agenda into one focused on racial equity, including successful proposals like ending the death penalty in Virginia, which has been disproportionately levied on Black men. In March, Northam signed legislation ending four centuries of capital punishment and making Virginia the first Southern state to abolish the death penalty.

The eyes cant see what the brain doesnt know. And so there was a lot regarding racism that Ralph Northam didnt recognize, the governor said. Since this happened, my eyes have been opened much more widely and so Im a better person because of that.

Northams trajectory will be chronicled in a book by author and longtime journalist Margaret Edds, whose most recent book, We Face the Dawn, told the story of Virginia civil rights icons Oliver Hill Sr. and Spottswood Robinson, key members of the NAACPs legal team that challenged racial segregation. Northam is cooperating with the book, two people close to him said.

The origins of the photo remain inconclusive, but Northam now emphatically denies he is in it. McClellan recalled thinking that regardless of who is in the photo, the fact that it surfaced and became plastered across the state caused significant damage.

When he owned that picture, he owned 400 years of trauma that Black people have been suffering across the country and here in Virginia, she said. My thinking at the time was, I cant make you leave. But if youre going to stay, Im going to expect you to help undo the inequity in Virginia. I would say he owed it to us.

Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, said he was one of the voices advocating for a reshaped agenda, even as other Black leaders, including local NAACP chapters, derided Northam for hiding from the public for months.

He could do this tour and talk to Black folks, but I didnt think thats how his time would be best spent, Bagby said. Lets put some things in place and take action to reverse these 400-plus years of practices that have impacted Black Virginians.

Hes the governor for Gods sake.

Almost exactly nine months after the scandal erupted, Virginia voters handed Democrats near-unilateral control of the state. Whatever goals Northam came into office with, he now owed his political future to Black Virginians who supported him or gave him a chance to make his power work for them.

In the former capital of the Confederacy, Virginia became the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty, legalize recreational marijuana and enact major voting reforms that expanded Virginians ability to vote and added protections against discrimination.

Virginia also moved to address the disparate rate at which women of color die during childbirth, among other things, making it easier for low-income women of color to access doula services, which studies have shown improve outcomes.

Administratively, Northam pushed for a review of the states laws to extract racist laws from the Virginia code, even if they were no longer in effect. That work expanded into a study of current laws that result in racial inequity.

Northam expanded his Cabinet to include a chief diversity officer, a job that is now codified in Virginia law and that oversees an office with a small staff. Any future governor will be forced to fill the job and its office, or send a message by creating a vacancy.

Northam also led a push to reform his alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute, backing an investigation that eventually found VMI had tolerated a racist and sexist culture.

Retired Army Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III resigned as VMIs superintendent in October 2020, writing in his resignation letter that Northams chief of staff had conveyed that the Governor and certain legislative leaders had lost confidence in my leadership. In April, VMI chose Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins as its first Black superintendent.

That was hard for him, McClellan said. There are a lot of people that hate him for it. But he didnt hesitate.

After a white police officer murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, leading to months of protests in Richmond and around the country against racial injustice, Northam responded by calling a special session on police reform. The state made it easier for police to be removed from the job for misconduct. But Northam faced criticism from some Democrats for not going further to reimagine the role of police in Virginia.

Northam and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney also ordered the removal of Confederate statues along Monument Avenue. Following a protracted court fight, workers on Sept. 8 removed the 12-ton, state-owned bronze equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee from the pedestal where it had stood since 1890. Workers also are removing the pedestal, and the city of Richmond will take ownership of the state land on which the statue stood.

Northam is also leaving vulnerable key work on marijuana legalization. The legislature has addressed resentencing for people incarcerated for offenses that are now civil penalties. Northams proposal for making sure that people who were impacted by the War on Drugs benefit from the new legal market will be left in the hands of Republicans. Retail sales are currently expected to start in 2024.

Bagby said that part of undoing the states inequity was addressing the needs of working-class Virginians.

On Jan. 1, Virginias minimum wage will increase to $11 an hour  far from the $15 workers advocates here have called for, but higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which hasnt moved since 2009, years before Northam took office.

Bagby said Northams outgoing proposed two-year budget, which would reframe tax cuts to benefit working-class people, is a reflection of that ongoing effort. Northam said this month that white-collar workers either benefited or were not hurt financially by the pandemic, while hourly workers bore the brunt of the economic crisis.

Not only he has, but weve all grown and doubled down on helping individuals that need help the most, Bagby said.

Other pieces of legislation backed by groups advocating for workers remain on the table as Northam and House Democrats cede power. Paid family leave and paid sick leave, for example, remain elusive for working-class Virginians after failed attempts in the legislature.

March 12, 2020, the last day of Democrats first legislative session in control of both chambers, would have been a celebratory occasion for liberals in Virginia if it hadnt also been the day Northam declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the nations only doctor-governor, Northam is leaving behind a state that has fared better than most in rates of infection and death, and that ranks 10th among states in people who are fully vaccinated.

Virginia has not deployed its plans for overflow hospital sites, and the state became a model for eviction and renter relief.

But as The Times-Dispatch previously reported, the states response wasnt without significant shortcomings, and a look back shows a lack of preparation and swift action left Virginians vulnerable at critical junctures.

In the beginning, a lack of coordination with private testing vendors stunted the states ability to test enough Virginians for the virus, which left the state in the dark about its spread and about deadly consequences in nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the state.

Throughout 2020, the state faced criticism from the business community over restrictions that it thought changed too suddenly, and without much clarity. Virginians left jobless by businesses that shut down or downsized were left to deal with an unemployment insurance agency that struggled to staff up  and that to this day does not offer equitable access to workers whose primary language is not English.

The state later stumbled as it began to distribute vaccines at a slower rate than any of its neighbors and almost every other state  despite months of planning. That came at the detriment and to the frustration of vulnerable Virginians  particularly the elderly. Consistently, people of color had a harder time accessing resources and information to fend off illness or economic struggle.

Dr. Norman Oliver, the states health commissioner, says that despite bumps in the road, Virginia fared much better than states to its south, thanks to a governor who understood and was inclined to follow guidance from health experts.

I think Governor Northam was much more inclined to understand and follow the public health recommendations than some other governors who did not have that physician and science background, Oliver said. He understood the science.

Northam said having the background of a physician and an Army doctor made him more empathetic to the perils of the virus.

I have sat at the bedside, more than one would want to, when patients died, he said. Every death, thats someones loved one  a mother, father, an uncle, a child, Northam said. (More than 15,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Virginia.) As governor, youre taking care of 8.5 million people. Especially during COVID-19, this job has been like being on call 24/7.

Northams personal insight on COVID includes his own case. He announced in September 2020 that he and first lady Pam Northam had tested positive. Northam has said his case cost him his sense of smell.

The pandemic highlighted a key early victory of the Northam administration, one delivered through bipartisan outreach when Republicans held power in the legislature: the expansion of the states Medicaid program. Since Virginia expanded eligibility on Jan. 1, 2019, more than 615,000 Virginians have enrolled in the program.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, had tried with Democrats to expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act for six years, but Republicans in the House of Delegates had been a political firewall to block it until they almost lost their majority in the same 2017 elections that brought Northam to power.

Hanger worked closely with Del. Jones, then House Appropriations chairman, to expand Medicaid through the budget in a hard-fought special session in 2018. Northams mild personality helped smooth the way, but part of the deal was a work requirement that the new governor later abandoned after Democrats took power, which dismayed his Republican allies.

I was certainly disappointed when they walked away from the work requirement, but not surprised, Jones said. To me, that was a breach of faith.

Hanger thinks Northams greatest accomplishments were bipartisan, including his management of the pandemic and the states finances, but he was critical of the governor for allowing the assembly to take the state on a sharp leftward turn after Democrats took power in early 2020.

When the Democrats got full control, he didnt do a whole lot to restrain them, he said.

Northam worked closely with Republican legislators in his first year to win the coveted bid for Amazons East Coast headquarters, a $2.5 billion investment in Arlington County that promises to create at least 25,000 jobs. The winning bid was clinched by an incentive package that committed to investing $1.1 billion in higher education to train talent for Amazon and other high-tech companies.

The governor also played a key role in Virginia becoming the only state to be ranked best state for business by CNBC in consecutive rankings  the first in 2019, when he had to overcome concerns about the blackface scandal, and the second in 2021, when non-discrimination laws to make the state more inclusive to minorities were the difference in beating neighboring North Carolina for first place. (CNBC did not release rankings in 2020 because of the pandemic.)

Without that, we almost certainly would not have repeated in the top spot, said Stephen Moret, president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership during Northams term.

Moret, who is leaving the job at the end of this month, said he will most remember Northams kindness, shown when the governor was one of the first to call him after his wife, Heather, was diagnosed with cancer last year.

It just made the whole thing more bearable, he said.

Northams biggest break with Republicans came over gun violence after 12 people died in a mass shooting at Virginia Beachs municipal government center on May 31, 2019, and 9-year-old Markiya Dickson was shot and killed in crossfire during a Memorial Day weekend cookout in a public park in South Richmond.

That July, he delivered a fiery speech in a rally at a Black church in Richmonds East End two days before the Republican-controlled General Assembly met in a special session for less than two hours and adjourned without acting on dozens of bills proposed to reduce gun violence.

These things do affect you, Northam said in an interview the day of the session, which he contends cost Republicans their legislative majority. I do get emotional.

After Democrats took control of the legislature, Northams package of gun control proposals drew an estimated 22,000 protesters to the state Capitol and vicinity in January 2020.

The legislature passed and Northam signed a series of gun violence measures. They included bills to require background checks on all gun sales, to restore Virginias restriction on handgun purchases to one a month, and to bar possession of firearms by people subject to protective orders. Northam also sought a ban on assault-style weapons, but the measure failed in the state Senate.

Bipartisan cooperation was far from Democrats minds heading into the Nov. 2 elections. Democrats appeared poised to remain in power in a state that Joe Biden had won by 10 points in 2020.

On Nov. 5, 2019, the night that Democrats took control of the legislature, a jubilant Northam had declared: Virginia is officially blue!

Two years later, his party was trounced, losing close races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general as well as control of the House of Delegates. Virginia voters essentially asked Northam to hand over the Executive Mansion to a successor from the opposite party.

The governor asserted that the outcome of the election was not a rejection of the Democratic agenda or how his administration handled the pandemic. Instead, he thinks Democrats didnt emphasize their recent accomplishments enough in favor of a messaging strategy  heavy on former President Donald Trump  that didnt work.

Beyond talk of progressive victories, Northam said, Democrats kitchen-table achievements on such things as transportation and education got almost no play.

In Hampton Roads, the state funded an expansion of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and a big investment at the Port of Virginia to jump-start a new offshore wind industry with great economic promise for the region. Northam used his budget amendments in the 2019 veto session to secure $2 billion in improvements to Interstate 81, a vital lifeline for western Virginia.

There was also the $3.7 billion deal with CSX Corp. and Amtrak to expand passenger rail service throughout Virginia, but especially between Richmond and Washington.

Environmentalists werent happy with Northams refusal to block construction of two proposed natural gas pipelines, but Sarah Francisco, the Southern Environmental Law Centers Virginia director, called him a leader on many environmental issues, such as promoting offshore wind and reducing pollution from power plants.

Virginia also expanded funding for government-backed preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and rolled out a free community college program for low- and middle-income students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields.

I think what weve accomplished over the last four years could have been talked about more. Its like, lets get out and promote these things, Northam said. But the election seemed like it got more nationalized, talking a lot about Trump.

As the election neared, Northam said, the momentum just wasnt on the Democrats side the last few weeks.

Northam declined to directly weigh in on his successor, Glenn Youngkin, or the Republicans proposals, saying its not what governors should do. But he was emphatic on two points.

He said that when Youngkin talks about Virginias economy being in the ditch, I dont know what kind of ditch youre talking about.

Northam staffers proudly made T-shirts highlighting the states two Top State for Business rankings from CNBC, and the administration recently announced that Virginias November unemployment rate was 3.4%, lower than the national average of 4.2%.

Second, Northam noted that the pandemic is still raging, and Youngkin will take office as the omicron variant surges across the country.

I dont know what his policies are gonna be. Hes gonna have to make decisions on how to best keep Virginians healthy, Northam said. I dont know how anybody can sit back and not take that seriously.

Northam describes his ascent to the Executive Mansion as an unexpected series of events for a guy who was generally shy and satisfied with practicing medicine. When asked if Jan. 15 will mark the end of his life in politics, Northam starts by saying that becoming lieutenant governor in 2014, much less becoming governor, almost seemed antithetical to who he was.

The day he decided to run for lieutenant governor, Northam had spent most of the day in the lab, reading electroencephalograms  scans looking at babies brain waves. He said hed gotten a few calls from party leaders asking him to run, mostly because they wanted someone who was from rural Virginia and also had experience in health care.

Growing up on a farm, being a bit shy and always kind of staying to myself ... did I ever think Id be a governor of Virginia? No, Northam said.

Our lives take interesting twists and turns. And for me to be sitting here, Im not sure how exactly this happened, he added. So will I ever be on another ballot? I dont think so. But I wont ever say never.

When he sat down with Richmond Times-Dispatch recently, his office was far from packed: memorabilia still loaded the shelves, the bed for his Labrador retriever, Pearl, still flanked his desk.

His immediate plans are to return to practicing medicine, to go back to studying childrens brains. Hes especially keen on epilepsy and disorders affecting the connections between the brain and the rest of the body.

The ripples of the blackface scandal will carry on with him into this next stage, too.

I like to teach, and I can really bring a lot of what Ive experienced, and what Ive learned, into my teaching moving forward, Northam said.

Northam said that might be talking one-on-one with patients and their families, talking to students at a college or university, or going into a boardroom to talk about the importance of embracing diversity.

I think I can help in that regard because discussions on race have often fallen on people of color, and I think it probably is a good idea that maybe people that look like me be part of the discussion as well.

(804) 649-6254

Twitter: @MelLeonor_
Once again, workers believe they have found the 1887 time capsule that was put under the Robert E. Lee pedestal. But this time, the details are a closer match.

At 11:41 a.m. Monday, a crew led by Team Henry Enterprises found what appears to be a copper box underground in the northeast corner of the foundation, just as the newspapers at the time described, said Michael Spence, construction superintendent.

Once the box was out of the ground, conservator Kate Ridgway of the Department of Historic Resources covered it in bubble wrap and placed it in the back seat of a black Honda, and it was driven to their lab.

The box won't be opened today but could be opened Tuesday, said Julie Langan, director of DHR.

What began Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. was the third attempt to find the time capsule, which newspaper accounts said holds 60 artifacts largely from the Confederacy, including a potentially rare image of Abraham Lincoln in his grave.

A masonry crew spent 12 hours looking in the northeast corner in September only to come up empty. Then, two weeks ago, the crew made a discovery while disassembling the 40-foot plinth. They found a time capsule halfway up that paid homage to the creators of the Lee statue  the capsule included a book written by one of the two men and an image of the other.

It quickly became apparent that it was a different time capsule  the box was the wrong material, the wrong size and in the wrong location.

So after the masonry crew had removed every stone of the pedestal Wednesday  all 632 of them, Spence said  the search resumed. The foundation of the statue  rocks, mortar and boulders  still remained.

On Monday morning, a crew returned and slowly picked away at the foundation. At the bottom of the northeast corner, they found harder, fabricated material.

"Obviously it was trying to protect something," Spence said. "That was our theory."

Using an excavator, they slid a 3,000-pound stone to the side, and there it was, the other time capsule. Devon Henry, the project's contractor, called for all the workers to stop. Spence, who was standing near the perimeter at the time, walked bristly  you never run on a construction site, he said  to see what had been discovered.

What they found isn't a perfect match to what the 1887 newspapers described, but it's close.

The newspapers described a 14 x 14 x 8-inch copper box placed under the pedestal's corner stone. Henry's team found what appears to be copper, measures 13.5 x 13.5 x 7.5 inches and was located beneath what Spence called a capstone.

"It's another victory for Team Henry and the commonwealth of Virginia and everyone that's a history buff," Spence said.

Given that the box was found in a puddle of water, it's likely the contents are damaged, said Sarah Driggs, a historian and author of "Richmond's Monument Avenue."

Paper is the most susceptible to the elements, Ridgway said last week. Textiles and coins are most likely to survive.

A newspaper in 1887 published a complete list of the materials placed inside, including:

 A picture of Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin donated by Pattie Leake;

 A history of Monumental Church donated by George Fisher;

 A collection of Confederate buttons from Cyrus Bossieux;

 A copy of Carlton McCarthy's "Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia" given by J.W. Randolph & English publishers;

 A guide to Richmond with a map of the city and a map of Virginia;

 Three bullets, a piece of shell and a Minie ball lodged in a piece of wood from a Fredericksburg battle field, given by Frank Brown;

 A bible from Thomas J. Starke;

 Statistics of the city of Richmond from J.B. Halyburton;

 A battle flag and a square and compass made from a tree over Stonewall Jackson's grave from J.W. Talley;

 A $100,000 Confederate bond from John F. Mayer;

 An English penny from 1812 from W.T. Moseley;

 Oct 26, 1887 edition of the The Richmond Dispatch.

Historians have described the articles as Confederate propaganda. The image of Lincoln in his coffin was one more way for the South to spite Union and carry on the idea of the Lost Cause, said Dale Brumfield, an author and historian who has studied the capsule's history.

Only one genuine photo of Lincoln after his death exists, Brumfield wrote in a 2017 Richmond Magazine article. It was taken in 1865 in New York by Jeremiah Gurney while Lincoln's body was on its way for burial.

Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of the president, had demanded that no photos be taken of her husband's corpse, and Gurney was ordered to destroy his photo.

But Edwin Stanton, secretary of war, held on to the photographic plate and hid it in his office. It was largely forgotten until 1952, when it was rediscovered in a box in Lincoln's presidential library.

No other photo of a deceased Lincoln is known to exist. If the picture in the time capsule is an original photographic print form 1865, it could be worth $250,000, appraiser Cliff Krainik said.

But the chances of that are rare. It's more likely the picture is an illustration or a fake  multiple fabrications were published following Lincoln's death.

Photographer Eva Russo contributed to this report. ekolenich@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6109 Twitter: @EricKolenich
Hamid has been able to receive assistance from the Interpreting Freedom Fund, which aims to help former Afghan interpreters and other allies fleeing to Charlotte. One specific program Hamid was able to receive help through is Operation Connect Vet, a nonprofit that takes former interpreters who have arrived in the United States, and connects them back to military personnel that they worked with overseas.

I really appreciate them, Hamid said. They came yesterday to the airport and they had a really good welcome and then they brought us to our new home today and spent the whole day with me, and took me everywhere so Im really happy for that.

We got to do better

For many such as Vincent, taking that first step toward getting help can be difficult, especially when there are cultural barriers.

I never really necessarily went in talking to somebody the way I should have, but it was hard because back when I was 21, I did not know where I could actually get the resource, Vincent said. I didnt even really know that I had these things going on.
Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the virus are most infectious in the first few days.

Louis Mansky, director of the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Minnesota, agreed there is a scientific basis to the CDCs recommendations.

When somebody gets infected, when are they most likely to transmit the virus to another person? he said. Its usually in the earlier course of the illness, which is typically a day or two before they actually develop symptoms and then a couple of days to three days after that.

Research, including a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in August, backs that up, though medical experts cautioned that nearly all of the data predates omicron.
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss an indictment charging four alleged leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to attack the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly rejected defense attorneys' arguments that the four men  Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Charles Donohoe  are charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

Kelly said the defendants had many nonviolent ways to express their opinions about the 2020 presidential election.

Defendants are not, as they argue, charged with anything like burning flags, wearing black armbands, or participating in mere sit-ins or protests," Kelly wrote in his 43-page ruling. Moreover, even if the charged conduct had some expressive aspect, it lost whatever First Amendment protection it may have had."

Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe were indicted in March on charges including conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding. All four of them remain jailed while they await a trial scheduled for May.
The pharaoh also had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair, and mildly protruding upper teeth, Saleem said. Their study didn't uncover any wounds or disfigurement that would explain the cause of his death.

Amenhotep I ruled Egypt for about 21 years, between 1525 and 1504 BC. He was the second king of the 18th Dynasty and had a largely peaceful reign during which he built many temples.

The researchers also found that the mummy had suffered from multiple postmortem injuries likely inflicted by ancient tomb robbers, which, according to hieroglyphic texts, priests and embalmers subsequently tried to repair in the 21st Dynasty -- more than four centuries after he was first mummified and entombed.

Before studying the mummy, Saleem had thought these priests and embalmers mentioned in the texts might have unwrapped the mummy to reuse some items like amulets for later pharaohs, which was a common practice at the time. But that was not the case, she said.

"We show that, at least for Amenhotep I, the priests of the 21st dynasty lovingly repaired the injuries inflicted by the tomb robbers, restored his mummy to its former glory, and preserved the magnificent jewelry and amulets in place," Saleem said in the statement.
Some off-reservation casinos do exist. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has said that for such a casino to operate, it must be within commuting distance of the reservation and the Secretary of the Interior must find that the casino would not be detrimental to the community and would benefit the tribe.

The bill is a strong win for the tribe but isnt a deviation from where things currently stand. The U.S. Department of Interior announced last year that it found that the Catawba tribe stretched into six counties in North Carolina and placed the land in Cleveland County into a trust for the Catawbas. That allowed the tribe to hold a soft opening for the Catawba Two Kings Casino in July with 500 machines in a trailer surrounded by excavated dirt just off an exit ramp in Kings Mountain. The casino was so successful the tribe expanded to 1,000 machines last week on the same day the NDAA passed Congress. That put the tribe at odds again with the Cherokees who, until then, operated the only casinos in North Carolina. Harrahs Cherokee Hotel and Casino boasts video gaming, table games and more than 1,000 slot machines.
The articles, which spread across Google search results, were part of a disinformation campaign by China, The New York Times reported.

In recent months, Baric has been more forceful in his denunciations that his lab had anything to do with the origin of the virus  especially after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky accused him of making super viruses.

We never created a supervirus, Baric told the MIT Technology Review in July. Thats a figment of his imagination and obviously being used for political advancement. Unfortunately, the way social media works today, this fabrication will be repeated many times.

Pauls comments came while he criticized so-called gain-of-function research, which Baric has drawn some criticism for.
I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud and was buried in the blizzard. A peoples dream died there. It was a beautiful dream. And I, to whom so great a vision was given in my youth  you see me now a pitiful old man who has done nothing, for the nations hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.
These responses are not likely to have much influence on Paul or his fellow travelers. Republican politicians are becoming more and more comfortable with bad-faith arguments intended to undermine legitimate election outcomes  no doubt in preparation for any losses they suffer in 2022 and 2024.

And if none of that works, theres always the threat of violence.

All of this because of an inability to accept the reality of defeat.

Earlier this month, the conservative group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, concluding a 10-month investigation into its 2020 election results, stated it found no evidence of fraudulent ballots or widespread voter fraud. It joins a long list of election officials and organizations, from Arizona to Georgia to the U.S. Attorney Generals office, that affirm President Bidens 2020 election victory. Indeed, no legitimate investigation has proved otherwise.

Nevertheless, two-thirds of Republican voters reportedly still believe the Big Lie. Last month, 16 N.C. legislators signed a letter, along with about 150 other state legislators, asking for an audit of every state to look into claims of a corrupted 2020 presidential election.
Mail disorder

What is going on at the U.S. Postal Services Greensboro distribution center? I know were smack dab in the middle of the holidays, but Ive been tracking two packages and a priority envelope. All three were mailed on Monday, Dec. 13. The two packages coming from different areas of the country arrived at the Greensboro distribution center midweek and instead of being transferred to the local post office for delivery, they were sent to Anderson, S.C. Over the weekend they have arrived back in Greensboro. Where they will go next is anyones guess.

The two-day priority envelope arrived in Greensboro around the same time and sat until Friday and finally was delivered Saturday. I can only imagine the excuses, but something is not right and needs to be looked into. I dont see it happening on outbound packages Ive mailed. I hope this is not the new normal for Greensboro.

Charles Hertlein

Greensboro

Hateful leaflets

Regarding the antisemitic fliers recently dropped in some Greensboro yards and driveways:
Blatant hypocrisy

I was responsible for the lives of 18 precious children when I taught kindergarten. I recently watched an anti-abortion rally at the Supreme Court on television. Visions came to my mind of covering the window on my classroom door and having to keep the blinds closed for fear of an assailant. We had already had a lockdown because a student shot a teacher at the adjacent high school. I wondered if these same people who cared so deeply about the unborn child would ever consider the safety and well-being of the child.

Many anti-abortionists continue to vote for politicians in Congress who refuse to implement the most rudimentary gun laws such as background checks.

These same people vote for individuals preferring to feed their own ambitions with contributions from fossil fuel companies. They stand by and watch as children lose their homes to floods, fires and tornadoes.

Look at the faces of slain children and see your own children and grandchildren. Look at destroyed homes and children around the world who have become skeletons from famine. See the world your descendants will have to endure. Stop the hypocrisy and protect the born child as well.

Toni Lindahl
The statement of the Women's Office of the Democratic Society Movement came during the annual meeting for the year 2021, held, Tuesday, in the city of Qamishlo.

The statement of the office indicated that, with its attacks on the region, Turkey wants to complete its colonial project, abuse the defenseless and steadfast people of the region, displace them and work on demographic change and the destruction of archaeological monuments to obliterate the identity of the region.

Adding: "Today, it is adding to its criminal record and its cross-border terrorism with a new crime, which is its barbaric bombing on the steadfast border line of Kobani and Sarin, which has shown the most wonderful heroic epics in confronting ISIS terrorism."

On the 25th of this December, the Turkish occupation launched a drone attack, targeting a house that included members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement and the Young Women's Union, which resulted in the martyrdom of 5 members of the movement and the union.

The office's statement clarified the reason for targeting the young group by the Turkish occupation; Because they are the core of building the future of the nation, and it is the most powerful, able to build and defend its people.

It continued, "Yes, it is the criminal policy of Erdogan's government and its mercenaries that have committed and are still committing the most heinous crimes against humanity, including the destruction of villages, forced displacement, kidnapping, rape and depriving our people of their most basic rights to live in peace and security, they want to extinguish the light of freedom in north and east Syria."

In its statement, the office called on the international community and international human rights organizations to deter this "barbaric arrogance and investigate these crimes committed against our defenseless civilian people, and all the crimes of the Turkish occupation, and refer them to international courts, all of which are war crimes against humanity.

In conclusion, it called, "We demand our great people to escalate their struggle and strengthen their unity in the face of the Turkish occupation state."

T/S

ANHA
And "Fourth Division" of Damascus government brought military reinforcements to Palmyra, east of Homs, after reports were received of ISIS mercenaries intention to launch an attack on the city, the checkpoints and military sites of Damascus government forces and Iranian groups in the vicinity of the city, coinciding with the celebration of the end of New Year's Day, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, Russian warplanes bombed with about 8 air strikes, this morning, locations where ISIS mercenaries are hiding, in Rasafa desert, northeast of Raqqa.

Sh-S

ANHA
The East Helena Police Department imploded in 2021, culminating in former Police Chief William Daly Harrington admitting to distributing child pornography via social media in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Dec. 7.

Harrington pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. The government will seek the dismissal of two additional counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography if the court accepts the terms of a plea agreement in the case.

Harrington faces a mandatory minimum of five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and set sentencing for April 13, 2022. Morris will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The government alleged in court documents that in September 2020, a Lewis and Clark County sheriffs deputy, who is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, investigated a tip that Facebook Messenger had reported one of its accounts distributed child pornography to another account. The investigation determined that the Facebook Messenger account distributing child pornography belonged to Harrington.

Account records showed that on Dec. 17, 2019, Harrington sent 11 images using Messenger to another account. Some of the images depicted child pornography.

On Jan. 27, 2021, a search warrant was served on Harringtons residence in Lewis and Clark County. Law enforcement seized Harringtons cellphone, which was found to contain images and videos of child pornography. Harrington admitted that he owned and used the Facebook Messenger account that distributed child pornography.

Harrington resigned from his position March 5 following separate allegations of sexual assault, which the Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation later determined were unfounded.

Harrington had been on paid administrative leave since Feb. 3.

A report filed by a Great Falls attorney tasked with investigating workplace culture within the East Helena Police Department detailed an environment of isolation, stress, burnout and inappropriate surveillance of employees.

City payroll records indicate that in 2020, Harrington reported working more than 4,200 regular hours and nearly 500 hours of overtime, meaning by Harrington's account, he averaged more than 81 hours of work a week.

Harrington, an hourly employee of the city, grossed $134,890 in wages last year. By comparison, the chief of police position in Great Falls was recently posted at $120,000 annually.

Harrington claimed the long shifts were the result of empty positions within the department. Officers and East Helena Mayor James Schell claimed to have confronted Harrington about why hiring for the open positions was not moving forward, and Harrington claimed he was not receiving qualified applicants.

After Harrington resigned and his office and desk were cleaned out, more than 20 job applications were discovered.

Harrington also reportedly engaged in questionable surveillance of his employees. He installed cameras in the department that he could monitor remotely and installed GPS devices in each patrol car set up to alert him when the vehicles engaged in various actions.

"(Department employees) noted he would often make comments about the things they had done in the office, which he would only have been aware of if he was watching them on video," the attorney's report states.

With its police force in shambles, East Helena engaged in negotiations with the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office to provide law enforcement services in the city for a three-year period, which would give the city time to shore up its force and hire a new chief.

The agreement would have provided full-time staffing and leadership within EHPD, including the addition of a sheriff's deputy and sergeant to its ranks. The sergeant would have acted as an interim chief.

The agreement would also have provided shift coverage within the city limits.

It also called for the establishment of a public safety committee that would be used to address potential disputes under the agreement that the sheriff and mayor could not resolve.

Those negotiations have stalled, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.

East Helena officials have not responded to multiple requests for comment on the state of their police force. It is unknown how the city intends to proceed with staffing its police department.

Editor's note This story is part of a 10-part series on the biggest local stories of 2021.

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Road to recreational cannabis After the medical marijuana industry navigated a winding route of regulatory overhauls, federal raids and Supreme Court rulings, Montanans started the next part of the states journey when 58% of voters approved recreational cannabis in the 2020 election. For this seven-part series, the Montana State News Bureau's Seaborn Larson and Thom Bridge have documented the route providers, local regulators and law enforcement have taken as they prepare for the new cannabis landscape in Montana. The series will conclude with a first-day look at recreational sales on Jan. 1

GLENDIVE  Kaari Fulton took a big gamble in November 2020 when Montana voters legalized recreational cannabis use by a wide margin. Following the election, Fulton and her husband cashed out his retirement fund to license and open Armadillo Buds, a medical marijuana dispensary, outside of town here.

But then the state Legislature upped the ante and put their investment into jeopardy.

In framing the state's cannabis regulations in the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers set up a system in Montana similar "dry counties" in relation to alcohol. Cannabis use and possession remains legal statewide, but whether counties allow recreational cannabis sales now depends on whether or not that county approved legalization in the 2020 election.

The result split the state's 56 counties, with 28 "green" counties and 28 "red" counties.

Recreational cannabis legalization failed in Dawson County in the 2020 election by 341 votes, with 54% of the county voting against the initiative. That meant Armadillo Buds would have to sell off its inventory by February 2022 or pick up and move to a green county.

The arrangement was part of a series of compromises between GOP lawmakers who were conflicted about cannabis legalization but needed to reach a consensus. If they failed to pass a bill, the ballot initiative's language would set the terms of regulation in Montana, and some Republicans thought the initiative didn't go far enough.

Medical marijuana providers already located in red counties were "grandfathered in." Eighteen counties have no licensed dispensaries  all but one of those counties voted against recreational legalization in 2020  so the final landscape didn't change much with the red-green dichotomy.

Lawmakers did leave one option for Fulton and the six other shops in the same position: voters in red counties could hold an election to turn green. That would allow Armadillo Buds to continue operating as a medical marijuana dispensary until the end of the moratorium in mid-2023.

"I could not sit back and watch (my husband) lose everything on this," Fulton said.

Following the state's new rules, Fulton gathered 1,398 signatures  three more than she needed  forcing a special election on Dec. 23 to flip the county green. On Thursday, Dawson County voted 55% to allow recreational cannabis sales.

"We had to change the minds of 341 people," Fulton said. "I can stay in the house we've been in for 56 years."

Community concern

Fulton said Glendive, the town that raised her, had long rejected cannabis providers from its community fabric. City zoning ordinances have effectively kept dispensaries on the fringes of town. Fulton, too, was opposed cannabis use until recently.

"I grew up with that propaganda: 'Here's your brain, and here's your brain on drugs,'" Fulton said.

A massage therapist for 31 years, Fulton saw how her clients had responded to medicinal marijuana for their chronic pain. While she could offer improvement to their muscles, she had heard and seen how cannabis had helped them physically, with chronic pain, and mentally, with PTSD.

"When I look at my own values, the way I think about this plant  I use hundreds of essential oils, from what? A plant. Why am I eliminating a plant that is actually helping?" Fulton said.

Even before Montana legalized recreational cannabis use, Fulton and her son, Lance Haugen, started mulling a bid into the business. Haugen is a medical patient, and he saw a community with few options in the region. After the 2020 election, the family agreed to dive in head-first.

Montana passed Initiative 190, legalizing possession and use, on Nov. 3, 2020. Fulton called the state health department the next day to sign up as a medical provider, and was fully licensed by Nov. 30.

At that time, according to the rules in the ballot initiative, Fulton and Haugen would start business as a medical marijuana dispensary and be allowed to sell recreational cannabis when the market opened Jan. 1, 2022.

But then the Legislature rewrote the rules in the last hurried month of its 2021 session. Lawmakers retroactively set the new deadline to enter the market as Election Day 2020. The change was intended to keep Big Weed from slipping into Montana's marijuana market ahead of the moratorium. But it also caught Fulton's family in limbo, with her husband's retirement account hanging in the balance.

"We actually considered, you know, possibly going to the western side of the state," Fulton said. "But when you really think about the cost and the cost living over there, we're better off just kind of hanging out here."

According to the Department of Revenue, seven providers, including Armadillo Buds, were caught in the same snare.

Dawson County Commissioner Dennis Zander lived in Denver for a brief time that straddled Colorado's shift to recreational sales. He doesn't oppose medical marijuana use, or the medicinal environment in which that industry operates, but said he didn't like the character recreational cannabis sales brought to his corner of Denver.

"It just totally turned it into a cesspool," Zander said. "A lot of people hanging around that don't have a purpose other than trying to panhandle and it just brought people from a different area to that nicer part of downtown.  It was pretty instantaneous."

Joe Sharbono, another county commissioner, also approves of medical use, albeit he's sure people who don't have medical needs have been gaming the system to access the cannabis. He didn't support the campaign to flip the county green.

"I just don't want to see it legalized where anybody can get it," Sharbono said. "Personally I think it's a gateway drug."

Youth drug use and impaired driving were both examples cited by lawmakers in the 2021 session who wanted to ratchet up regulations on cannabis. In Colorado, increased marijuana use after legalization was accompanied by a rise in the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to acute marijuana intoxication, according to a 2016 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study conducted by two Colorado doctors. Youth cannabis use was once higher in Colorado than any other state, but in two years after legalization, that rate fell to the state's lowest level in a decade, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Teen alcohol, tobacco and heroin use also fell sharply in that same timeframe, the Washington Post reported.

State Sen. Ken Bogner, a Republican whose district covers six red counties in Eastern Montana, was one of the first lawmakers to raise the alarm about the red-green county split during the 2021 session. People who may transport cannabis from green counties to red presented a potential danger on the state's highways, he said, as well as interstate transportation into Montana's bordering states, none of which have legalized recreational cannabis use.

Locally, the dynamic sets up opportunity for the black market alone, he said.

"If you can use and possess it, but you can't buy it, it just opens up a market that can't be filled legally and the black market is going to move in," Bogner said in a recent interview.

But the Miles City Republican has since come around to the deal, which he notes still allows people to flip the county if the black market becomes an insurmountable issue.

"I'm still concerned about it," Bogner said about the black market dynamics, "but I'm glad we did do the red and green counties as a compromise."

New revenue

The green counties make up roughly 90% of the state's population, according to figures from the Governor's Office of Budget and Program Planning. Since most of Montana lives in green counties, the Legislature's framework meant at a statewide level the potential windfall from tax revenue wasn't cut in half the same way the red and green scheme divided the state map in half. Revenue from a 20% tax included in the initiative is estimated to be about $130 million in the coming year and climb to nearly $200 million by 2023.

Communities can also add their own taxes. Along with flipping the county green last week, 79% of Dawson County voters also approved an additional 3% local sales tax.

Neither Zander nor Sharbono were particularly entranced by the prospect of a new stream of tax revenue. Sharbono believes the county will spend more money on "dealing with the problems" than revenues would bring in. But he's also glad the decision on whether to allow recreational cannabis sales can be made locally through the green-and-red system.

All three county commissioners, all Republicans, had spoken with the Armadillo Buds family and told them they were against recreational marijuana. Still, Zander and Sharbono said they understood the predicament Fulton had fallen into.

"The goal posts were kind of moved on them," Zander said.

But once Fulton had gathered the requisite signatures to trigger a special election, she had the commission's attention. The commissioners decided to earmark the potential tax revenue for public safety, "to help address some of the problems that (recreational cannabis) may cause," Zander said.

Whether those concerns percolated throughout the community is harder to tack down. The Glendive Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture never endorsed or opposed recreational cannabis legalization in the special election, but executive director Terra Burman said the local business community never raised concerns about petty crime. Meth and opioids have already created those issues, she said, and local infrastructure is thirsty for new funding.

"We support any legal, local jobs and growth development here," Burman said. "We felt that (cannabis sales) would be a great opportunity for new tax revenues."

Glendive, like the rest of the state, has seen a wave of new residents buying property sight unseen. Meanwhile, a mold remediation project at the Lincoln Elementary School gym in August uncovered additional problems with the roof drains and waste drains, the Glendive Ranger-Review reported. Burman said Makoshika State Park is a big draw for tourists, and Glendive could use any help it can to bring travelers to its downtown shops, restaurants and hotels.

In fact, Glendive's business community offered a hand to Armadillo Buds' campaign, Burman said, leaving Fulton's petition out at restaurants and shops for patrons to sign.

"A lot of small businesses really came together," Haugen, Fulton's son, said. "They understand business. They don't let their personal beliefs get in the way of making changes that better something."

Fulton, her son and the community came up at deadline with 1,398 signatures, just three over the required number to force a special election. On Dec. 23, voters approved recreational cannabis use by 336 votes, nearly the same number that prevailed against cannabis in 2020.

After the votes were tallied Thursday, Fulton said she could hardly process the win.

"It was so surreal, and it's not just for me," she said Monday. "When (travelers) come on I-94 they're going to come through the greatest state in this county; they're going to go to Billings and Glacier and don't forget about Makoshika State Park. I don't think our community knows the amount of foot traffic that's going to be in their stores, uptown, the motels, the convenience stores.  That's going to boost our community."

Read Wednesday: Law enforcement's position in a new world of recreational cannabis, educated by a generation of medical marijuana in Montana.

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As Montanas tally of new COVID cases neared 1,000 each day in September, Shelly Stanley-Lehman worried about when the virus would reach her daycare in Billings.

She wanted to have COVID tests on hand to help prevent an outbreak from sweeping through her business, but stores were sold out. She spent days making calls and searching online. When Stanley-Lehman finally got her hands on a box of tests later that month, it was too late  a childs family member, unknowingly infected, had exposed the day care to COVID. The virus quickly spread to four others, including kids and staffers.

We got the tests just in time to close down, Stanley-Lehman said.

Rapid antigen tests for COVID have emerged as a public health tool that can help keep schools and businesses open. They are less accurate than polymerase chain reaction tests, known as PCR tests, which must be sent to a laboratory for results. However, the rapid tests turnaround time of as little as 15 minutes can spot cases early and, through quarantines and isolation, prevent infected people from spreading the virus at schools, businesses and other workplaces. But a box containing two at-home BinaxNow tests, made by Abbott Laboratories, costs $24 at a retail pharmacy  and they are often in short supply.

The tests are much more accessible for those who are part of Montanas state-run, free rapid test distribution program, which gives away at least two types of BinaxNow rapid antigen tests and a third non-antigen test called Abbott ID Now from the same manufacturer, Abbott. This fall, the state delivered as many as 113,000 antigen tests to hospitals, health clinics, government offices, local health departments and others.

But communication on how to access tests has been inconsistent, such as with certain detention centers and child care providers. While some jails are screening symptomatic inmates with tests from their local public health department, other law enforcement officials hadnt heard of the availability of the states rapid tests at all.

Tina Bets His Medicine, assistant to the sheriff in Roosevelt County, said jail staffers there had not received rapid tests from the state or been trained on how to use them. Were definitely interested, she said. That would eliminate some problems for us. Because we certainly dont want people sick in our jail.

The state has communicated with schools and local health officials about the program, but it hasnt been more broadly publicized in the past two years. Of the states COVID-19 public service announcements, none advertise a supply of rapid BinaxNow tests or explain how to apply for shipments.

Eligibility requirements for the free tests can be complex. Some school districts are ordering recurring shipments of tests for students and staff members. But private child care centers and private employers have to obtain a federal waiver to administer certain kinds of tests. And others who are eligible either dont know about the tests, dont want them or are stretched too thin to add another burdensome COVID task.

The result is an uneven distribution of the states free tests. State officials cited several reasons for that, including the federal waiver restrictions. A limited national supply chain also means officials must prioritize recipients.

But some public health officials see the gaps in test distribution as another indicator of an overwhelmed and under-resourced public health system.

Drenda Niemann, Lewis and Clark Countys public health officer, said many children and families in her county can get tested through school districts while other residents have few options when pharmacies sell out.

Its really hit-or-miss and were just doing the best with the resources that we have, Niemann said. Theres no consistency.

Montanas Department of Public Health and Human Services said it distributed nearly 550,000 BinaxNow rapid tests from October 2020 through this October. DPHHS sent 45% of those to hospitals and health clinics, according to a Montana Free Press and KHN analysis of the states data. An additional 13%, or about 73,000 tests, went to assisted living and long-term care facilities.

But only 5%, or 26,500 tests, went to a category titled Other, which includes group homes, services for people with disabilities and child care centers. That comes to slightly more than 70 tests a day for that entire category, statewide. During the same period, fewer than 2% of all tests distributed, approximately 11,000, went to dozens of state corrections facilities and jails.

Other states, comparatively, have swung open the gates to testing. Tennessee created a program for interested businesses to obtain COVID test kits, free of charge, with guidelines on how to qualify. Colorado is shipping BinaxNow rapid tests directly to homes free of charge. Around the Washington, D.C., region, libraries offer them at no cost.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have encouraged widespread distribution of rapid tests. The Biden administration aims to boost testing by increasing supplies to 200 million rapid tests a month.

In an ideal world, you would have readily available testing much like we see in countries in Europe, where families can get 10 tests a day for their home, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

In ordering Abbott BinaxNow tests, Montana is careful not to stockpile more than it can deliver before the tests expire after 12 months. It sent 51,200 tests to Colorado in May that were close to their expiration date. The state doesnt track how many tests go unused after theyve been distributed.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte spokesperson Brooke Stroyke said that testing is an important component of the states pandemic response and that the state distributes tests to eligible vulnerable and underserved populations based on local health officials input.

After all, local leaders know the needs of their communities best, Stroyke said.

Missoula County is using rapid Abbott ID Now tests, the third kind of rapid COVID test the state is distributing. The Abbott ID Now is not an antigen test but a molecular test similar to PCR tests. The state has distributed an average of 3,120 of those tests a month.

Those tests can be more reliable, county officials said. Brian Chaszar, its COVID-19 operations section chief, said his county has access to plenty of tests and is able to get the word out about whats available.

He said some businesses and groups are bound to get missed in a large county and not every place will opt to receive tests, whether its because of the workload or potential backlash against COVID precautions, particularly in some school districts.

I have no envy for principals of those schools, Chaszar said. Some parents really want masking and testing, other parents want to have nothing to do with it and refuse to participate in it.

With the rise of the contagious delta variant this fall, the state increased distribution of tests to public and private K-12 schools that asked for them.

We would like as many K-12 schools to tap into these resources to help schools to stay open and be safe, Todd Harwell, the state health departments public health and safety administrator, wrote in a September email to local and tribal health officials.

But DPHHS spokesperson Jon Ebelt said supplying rapid tests directly to private businesses is complicated by federal regulations that require each business to receive a waiver to administer them.

Ebelt said most of the state-distributed tests are tethered by those federal rules, which he said offer better reporting and quality control and are less expensive.

One of the two types of antigen tests the state receives from Abbott doesnt need a federal waiver, but it has a far more limited supply of them. Since June, the state has doled out about 18,000 of those at-home tests. Ebelt said the states limited stock of the less-regulated, at-home tests has been prioritized for other entities, such as local health departments.

We were very concerned that we would not be able to secure enough tests from our supplier to expand distribution, Ebelt said. Although some businesses such as child care providers could apply for federal waivers to access more tests, Ebelt said DPHHS did not think that was the best route because of the additional work for those already understaffed groups.

One former DPHHS official disagreed with the departments interpretation of federal rules. Jim Murphy, formerly the states lead epidemiologist, said the state could find a way to distribute tests to day cares and other businesses if it provided proper training and oversight.

Ideally, Murphy said, the public health philosophy for navigating the pandemic should be focused on solutions rather than hurdles.

We shouldnt find obstacles here, he said. We should find ways to get these tests in the right hands.

One workaround offered by health officials in Montana has been to connect child care centers with a federal PCR testing initiative operated through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the same program Stanley-Lehman of Billings used to order tests for her child care facility. Ebelt said the department knew of nine Montana child care providers that had signed up to work with that program by early November. As of this year, Montana had nearly 1,200 licensed child care facilities.

Montanans access to tests varies by county, partly because of how many tests local officials request and how they are used. Joe Russell, health officer for the Flathead City-County Health Department, said that he knows people are struggling to find tests but that its not all on the state to advertise that tests are available.

Sometimes it will fall to us, the county, and sometimes its the responsibility of the business, you know, to push forward and ask, Russell said.

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Jefferson Davis was -- and still is -- a key figure in American history. West Point graduate in the early 19th century, distinguished service during the Mexican War, Secretary of War during Franklin Pierces presidency in the 1850s, U.S. Senator from Mississippi, the first, and only, president of the Confederate States of America.

But just being very important and notable does not mean places in Montana should bear his name. After all, he remains the primary face behind the ill-fated insurrection to shred the Union in the 1860s; to this day, he stands as a textbook definition of the term seditionist. After the Civil War he languished for two years in a federal prison, having been indicted for treason against the United States. Until his death in the 1880s he remained an unapologetic white supremacist and helped perpetuate the lingering myth of the lost cause -- that the South fought for a noble cause (states rights), a cause its all-white leaders felt enshrined by the Constitution itself, as the regions increasingly beleaguered white residents sought to preserve their fundamental, God-given rights against a rising tyranny of a Northern majority.

The bedrock rested, however, on the Souths fervent desire to maintain perpetual human bondage via American slavery, a system that ultimately provided American freedom for a select racial and economic group and the lingering racism that system produced continues to confer privilege and divide society today. At one time Davis and his brother owned and trafficked nearly 400 humans who worked and died on their profitable Mississippi plantation solely to benefit the brothers and their families. After the war he never set foot in Montana.

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 Davis 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?

My suggestion: lets remove Jefferson Davis from the various places that bear his unsavory name in western Montana and replace them with Salish names that honor the true and collective history of our state. And lets only consider that a starting point. We still have much work to do here to ensure the names on maps -- especially on public lands -- are in keeping with our history and make folks feel welcome. Taking a hard look at place names and replacing the most egregious among them with indigenous names, offers us a good start.

Keith Edgerton is a professor of history at Montana State University-Billings where he teaches courses focusing on Montana and American history.

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DECATUR  Police are so used to trouble erupting in the parking lot of downtown Decaturs Masonic Temple they were keeping a wary eye on the place early Sunday and ended up arresting two men on weapons charges, a sworn affidavit said.

The Decatur police affidavit said the temple at 224 W. William St. is now on the police radar because it has been the scene of repeated gun-related and other types of violence in the wake of events held at rented space in the facility.

Officers knew the Masonic Temple had hosted several large parties and the Decatur Police Department had responded to multiple calls for service for aggravated battery with firearms, shots being fired, large fights and disorderly conduct ... said Officer Timothy Wisniewski, who signed the affidavit.

On Nov. 28 DPD responded to a subject shot in the neck in the parking lot at the conclusion of a party at the Masonic Temple, he added. Police later told the Herald & Review that surgeons working on the wound werent sure if the man in that incident had been shot or stabbed.

Working with police

A spokesman for the temple told the Herald & Review Monday that staff were aware of the problems and doing their best to work with the police to minimize trouble and keep the venue safe.

Wisniewski said on Sunday officers had been approached at 1:45 a.m. by a woman who warned them a man in the temple parking lot was armed with a gun. The officer said police then heard yelling and arguing coming from another area of the lot, and the woman started screaming that the man involved in this disturbance was the same man who was armed, and she identified him by name.

Officers said they then approached the 27-year-old suspect who ignored commands to stop and was seen ducking briefly into a parked white Cadillac car before ducking out again and obeying instructions to stay where he was.

A DPD officer observed a handgun lying in plain view on the floorboard in front of the passenger seat as (the man) was being patted down by another officer, Wisniewski said.

The officer said the 9mm handgun was loaded and fitted with an extended magazine and a second 9mm gun, loaded with 16 rounds, was also recovered from under the vehicles armrest.

During an interview (the woman) stated that just prior to police making contact with (the man) he was in some sort of physical altercation on the property of the masonic temple, Wisniewski said. (She) stated she observed him open his coat revealing what she believed to be a gun immediately after the altercation. (She) stated she was only able to view a long black magazine when he did so.

The man was booked on preliminary charges of being an armed habitual criminal, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. A check of Macon County Circuit Court records shows he was sentenced to 30 months probation in 2018 and 18 days in jail after pleading guilty to the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of illegal drugs with intent to deliver.

The driver of the Cadillac, also 27, was booked on charges of the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. He was also charged with possession of a stolen firearm after one of the guns had been reported stolen sometime on Christmas Day by a Decatur woman.

A check of Macon County Jail records show the driver remained in custody Monday with bail set at $100,000, meaning he must post a bond of $10,000 to be released. The other man also remained in custody, this time in lieu of bail set at $250,000, which requires a bond of $25,000.

All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state's attorneys office.

Measures in place

Timothy Klein, a spokesman for the temple, said the building utilizes security officers for its events and participants are electronically checked with wands to make sure they are not armed when they enter the interior. He also pointed out that the parking lot is monitored by surveillance cameras, as is the inside of the building.

Asked why trouble seems to dog temple events, Klein said a reason was hard to isolate, but pointed out there have been problems at other Decatur venues as well. "Every time there is a large event in the Decatur area, there seems to be an issue," he added. "But in our case it's not an issue in our building," he said of previous problems. "It's more of an issue as people go to their cars outside."

Klein said a major effort was underway to refurbish the historic temple building and preserve it for future generations. He said pending organizational changes will hopefully lead to it having to rely less on hosting external events for the funds needed to support and maintain the iconic structure.

"We've had four U.S. Presidents at the masonic temple," he said of the building's 92-year history. "We bring a lot of positivity to the community."

Looking back at previous incidents of trouble noted there, the newspapers own archives show that in March 2020 Matthew L. Rice was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to opening fire during a fight in the temple parking lot following an event hosted at the facility.

In July of 2020 a victim needed hospital treatment after he had a bottle smashed over his head during a fight that spilled into the parking lot. In March of 2017 a rapper with the stage name Boosie Badazz had to stop a concert hosted at the temple after fighting broke out.

Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid

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DECATUR  With another rise in the number COVID-19 cases, Decatur testing facilities are expecting to be busy the next few weeks.

Weve learned patterns, said Tanya Andricks, CEO of Crossing Healthcare. And weve learned that after theres gatherings, several weeks later, we do start to see a pretty significant increase in the numbers in a local community. I wouldnt expect that to be any different now.

Each testing site is different, according to the healthcare professionals. Some offer drive-through options, while others accept walk-in patients. Nasal swabs are utilized to administer the test. Others use the saliva based test.

According to Emily OConnell, health educator for the Macon County Health Department, more facilities have been able to offer COVID-19 testing in the community during the past year.

Some locations are offering the Illinois SHIELD Testing (Crossing Healthcare and Richland Community College) which is a saliva-based, non-invasive COVID-19 test, she said.

The testing process can take approximately 15 minutes. Results from the test average 24 hours. Crossings lab is located in Decatur. That allows us to turn those over relatively rapidly, Andricks said about the results.

Two different tests

The tests are categorized as antigen tests and the PCR tests, which are different from each other.

The PCR test is a diagnostic test that actually evaluates for, and looks for, genetic material from the coronavirus itself, said Dr. Tricia Scerba. It is a very accurate test, particularly when people are in their first stages of infection.

The antigen test is not as accurate as the PCR test, according to Scerba. The antigen test looks for signs that your body is showing some sort of response to the injection from the COVID virus, she said. Its not looking for the virus itself. Its looking for the bodys response to the virus.

PCR tests have been available for COVID and other illnesses for years.

Healthcare professionals continue to encourage masks, social distancing and hand washing. Although COVID is a concern, the winter and holiday months are also cold and flu season. It is very difficult at first glance to tell the difference between all of those infections, Scerba said. That brings with it extra additional stress and concern.

Health professionals are expecting the number of COVID-19 cases may increase due to holiday gatherings as well as the omicron variant.

On Monday, the health department reported 328 new positive cases from Dec. 23-26, and three deaths  a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s and a woman in her 90s.

Long lines regularly

The team at the nonprofit Free COVID Care drive-through facility, located at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Eldorado Street, has consistently had a long line of patients waiting in cars to take tests since the holiday season began weeks ago, said Quin Jackson, outreach coordinator for the facility. We are swamped, due to the rise in COVID and the omicron variant and the holidays, she said.

Jackson and her staff send the tests to Chicago before the patient receives the results 48 to 72 hours later. The nonprofit organization is not associated with the health department.

According to Jackson, more positive test results have come back recently. You can still be asymptomatic and still have the virus, she said.

Home tests have been a popular alternative, according to the health department. Rapid COVID-19 tests are a great tool if someone believes they may have COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19, OConnell said. However, a negative home test result means that the test did not detect the virus and they may not have an infection, but it does not rule out an infection.

Health professionals suggest repeating the test within a few days, with at least 24 hours between tests, or using a PCR test to increase the confidence that you are not infected.

The state plans to ramp up staffing and assistance to local health departments to increase the availability of COVID vaccines, booster shots and testing in Illinois. The move comes as the state has the highest surge of COVID cases since the pandemic started.

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer in a press conference Monday announced the response after a wave of new cases attributed to the omicron variant. The changes include expanding the states Community Based Testing Sites, including ones in Bloomington and Champaign, from operating four days a week to six.

The state is seeing an average of 500 new hospital admissions a day, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said. The number is double from roughly a month ago.

There have been 177 omicron cases since the variant was detected in Illinois within the last few weeks, according to the state data. The variant arrived in the U.S. around Thanksgiving and is now the dominant coronavirus strain, although data suggests a higher rate of transmission hasnt led to more hospitalizations or deaths.

COVID-19 testing sites in Decatur Crossing Healthcare 990 N. Water Street Richland Community College 1 College Park (West Wing of Campus) HSHS Medical Group 5285 E. Maryland Street, Suite A Memorial Express Care 3131 North Water Street 4455 E. US Route 36 CVS Pharmacy 570 N. Fairview Avenue 2990 N. Monroe Street 1595 E. Cantrell Street Walgreens 4995 E. US Route 36 420 W. 1st Drive 1331 N. IL Route 48 625 W. Pershing Road 225 E. Ash Avenue Vero Clinic 1192 E. Pershing Road Harmone Labs 1622 S Taylorville Road Free COVID Care 426 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive 985 W. Pershing Road For more information about testing for COVID-19, visit the IDPH website about the different types.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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Our next frontal system arrives tomorrow, bringing another round of widespread precipitation to the area.

While it will be all rain across Southern Illinois, a period of snow is expected during the early morning hours Tuesday in Central Illinois, especially around the Bloomington-Normal area. Any snow accumulation will be less than 1 inch, and it will all melt later in the day.

After 10 a.m., it should be all rain across Central Illinois as well until it comes to an end in the late afternoon. Rain showers may linger in Southern Illinois through the early evening.

With pockets of heavy rain and snow expected, driving conditions will be less than ideal, especially in the morning. If you're headed to work, give yourself a few extra minutes to get there.

Tonight's Forecast

Decatur/Mattoon

Mostly cloudy, 20% chance rain/snow late

Low temperature: 35

Bloomington/Normal

Mostly cloudy, 10% chance snow late

Low temperature: 32

Tuesday's Forecast

Decatur/Mattoon

Rain/snow early AM, then scattered rain, cloudy

Total snow: 0-0.25

High temperature: 46, breezy: gusts around 25 mph

Bloomington/Normal

Snow early AM, then scattered rain, cloudy

Total Snow: 0.10-0.75

High temperature: 43, breezy: gusts around 25 mph

Tuesday Night's Forecast

Decatur/Mattoon

Partly cloudy

Low temperature: 34

Bloomington/Normal

Partly cloudy

Low temperature: 30

Matt Holiner covers weather and climate across the Midwest. Holiner has seven years of professional meteorology experience and has forecast every type of weather for cities across the country. He holds the National Weather Association's Seal of Approval.

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Law enforcement officials identify the body found near the Guadalupe River as Benjamin Tank Loera, 16, of Vanderbilt, Tx. Loera was reported missing on Oct. 26, 2021. Police arrested two people and detained a third in connection to his disappearance.
Both local school districts sent voters to the polls in 2021 looking for support for plans that they say are needed to deal with the explosive
Anyone who lived in New Braunfels and Comal County anytime in the last decade could tell the area was experiencing explosive population growth.
The victim is literally cut into pieces, Pesci said in court. His head is cut off.

Holland fled from police in an allegedly stolen truck and then got into another allegedly stolen vehicle before he was arrested, the prosecutor said.

Police later found receipts in the vehicles for items purchased from a home improvement store where Pesci said Holland was seen on security cameras pushing a cart with a saw in it.

This is an individual who literally had the body cut up into pieces in that car that he flees from the police (in), he told the judge, who has felonies spanning four decades and a current case pending.

Outside court, Pesci said Holland and Miller knew each other, but he didn't know the extent of their acquaintance.

Holland had been sought since May 2019 on an arrest warrant in a 2018 case in Las Vegas accusing him of embezzlement, identity theft, issuing false checks and theft, according to court records. He had posted $5,000 bail in that case.

KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported that court records showed Holland was accused in 2018 of stealing a truck and selling it.
An on-duty Pulaski County sheriffs deputy was arrested on Christmas Eve and charged with intoxicated driving, officials announced Monday.

Lemmie L. Sanders III, 35, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after Virginia State Police were called in by the county sheriffs office, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a statement. The sheriffs office had received a 911 call about a deputys erratic driving, state police said.

State police were called at about 7:13 p.m. and a trooper found the deputys vehicle in the 6100 block of Warren Newcomb Drive in Fairlawn. It had hit a curb and sustained minor damage, Geller said.

Sanders was on duty at the time and was taken into custody. Online jail records said that he was taken to New River Regional Jail but released after posting bond.

Court records did not yet show a hearing for Sanders.

Besides working for the sheriffs office, Sanders has been an officer with the Pulaski and Radford police departments. In 2009, he was credited with rescuing a family from a house fire in Radford.
However, all but one of those five locations are truly possible, and will be carried forward, due to this past Mays announcement of the Virginian Line purchase, according to the New River Valley stations project page. The previously preferred location near the Christiansburg Aquatic Center on North Franklin Street was struck from consideration due to its location on the N&W line.

Work led by the New River Valley Regional Commission recommended some years ago the spot near the aquatic center, and the town bought land in that area primarily for that purpose. Town officials, however, did say at the time that the land bought for just under $400,000 could be used for additional aquatic center parking should a rail station at that location not materialize.

Christiansburg officials previously said a big reason the town bought the land  which occurred a few years before the return of rail to the region was formally announced  was to show it would be ready to accommodate passenger rail operations.

One key reason the previously targeted site near the aquatic center was recommended was its central location in the area and convenient access point for the bulk of the anticipated ridership, people involved in the campaign to return passenger rail to the region previously said.
We were pretty maxed out (on wastewater capacity), Brown said. We were to a point where if a huge industry had come to us, we wouldnt have been able to take them. We had to set ourselves up and this agreement with the city of Hickory is going to revolutionize Claremonts wastewater capacity for 40 years.

Brown is expecting more business growth to come out of the citys efforts, he said.

Theres things in the cooker now that I cant discuss publicly, but they are going to be good, Brown said. And there are things being worked on that, over time, will become public that are going to be good.

In a small city like Claremont, the tax dollars that come out of businesses investments and expansions make a big impact. Those investments in Claremont mean a lower tax rate for residents and better services, Brown said. The city was able to repave nearly all city-owned streets, add sidewalks and grow a successful fire department with a low insurance rating, Brown said.

It truly is giving the amenities of a larger city on a smaller scale, Brown said. And it is that industrial base that allows us to do that. It really does.
In December 22nd, an explanation session of investment fair for overseas Chinese held in Zhuzhou. New policies regarding overseas investments were explained. Also, services provided by Zhuzhou government for overseas Chinese were presented to attendants.

In 2021, there are investments worth of 5 billion RMB which come from overseas Chinese. Overseas Chinese had made nine proposals through the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese in Zhuzhou had organized many events to engage with public affairs. For instance, the federation had donated medical resources for COVID-19 to hospitals. Also, it had donated three million krill in order to restore local ecology.
It quickly became apparent that it was not the time capsule historians expected to find. The box was the wrong material, the wrong size and in the wrong location.

So after the masonry crew had removed every stone of the pedestal Wednesday  all 632 of them, Spence said  the search resumed. The foundation of the statue  rocks, mortar and boulders  still remained.

On Monday morning, a crew returned and slowly picked away at the foundation. At the bottom of the northeast corner, they found harder, fabricated material.

"Obviously it was trying to protect something," Spence said. "That was our theory."

Using an excavator, they slid a 3,000-pound stone to the side  and there it was, the other time capsule. Devon Henry, the project's contractor, called for all the workers to stop. Spence, who was standing near the perimeter at the time, walked bristly  you never run on a construction site, he said  to see what had been discovered.

What they found isn't a perfect match to the 1887 newspaper descriptions, but it's close.
A meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) has been postponed until Thursday, December 30, 2021.

"Due to the fact that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expanded the list of issues that are included in the agenda of the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the meeting will take place on December 30, 2021," the NSDC said on its website.

Earlier, a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was scheduled for Wednesday, December 29.
Dr. Robert Easter must be shaking his head. Smiling somewhat. Chuckling possibly. And maybe even grimacing in frustration, remembering all the trips he made to China to teach that nations pork industry that soy protein was needed to raise hogs.

Now, president emeritus of the University of Illinois, hes probably not looking to reprise his efforts of past decades, but he is needed.

Here is a nation with over one billion lovers of pork and expect it to be in nearly every meal. Here is a nation that raised soybeans thousands of years before North America got in the way of trade between Europe and the Orient. But for some reason, China just cant connect the dots.

Stability has been an issue for China. The leaders and the politburo know their tenure depends on keeping the populace well-fed. Hungry people are unhappy people, and unhappy people tend to take matters into their own hands. Chinas leaders dont want that to happen, but they are having a great problem between the farm and the fork.

The demand for protein is the overriding need in China, primarily from pork and then from poultry. Not so much beef, but the citizenry got a taste of prime U.S. beef in the past year when China had to import millions of tons of meat from the United States. That was when African swine fever decimated the Chinese pork industry.

AFS is the swine version of COVID, but hogs dont understand masks and social distancing, so mortality set in and the pork industry had to rebuild. But AFS is still present in spots, and China has been unable to deliver a stable supply of pork to the markets.

One of the reasons is the need for soy protein to feed hogs, as China learned from Easter. But Chinas soybean production is about 10% of its demand, and recent years have seen importation of nearly one billion bushels of soybeans from the United States and twice that volume from Brazil. China wants whole beans so its large soybean crushing industry can capture the margin from higher values of oil and protein meal.

But swine fever was a pothole in the road and a couple wheels came off. The crushing industry has not recovered from the diminished demand for soybean meal. The pork industry ramped up quickly and over produced, with small profit margins for producers. The politburo member who raises 18 million head of hogs, Qin Yinglin, says hes cutting protein feed in half and all other Chinese pork producers should also to save money.

While that saves money for Muyuan Foods and Mr. Qin, there is no guarantee savings will be passed on to consumers, unless all other producers match prices. Another bruise is what it does to the soybean crushing industry if soybean meal demand declines. What is known, is that China has cut back 30% on its importation of soybeans, both from the United States and Brazil.

Hows that plan working out? Yup, we thought so!

Stu Ellis is an observer of the Central Illinois agriculture scene. In addition to his weekly column, you can view his From The Farm and Harvest Heritage reports on WCIA 3 News.

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CHARLESTON  Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation is pleased to announce the award of $26,980.78 to the Charleston Carnegie Public Library in the last round of funding from the Southeastern Illinois COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The Charleston Carnegie Public Library has been awarded the funds for Coles County COVID-19 Assistance Program beginning January 2022. The goal of the new program will be to connect county residents to the resources available to them, while also creating an impactful internship position for EIU students.

The program will also serve as a conduit between the various service organizations and resources throughout Coles County, with the hope of helping everyone better reach and better serve the residents of Coles County.

The program will be overseen by Library Director Chris Houchens and will be run by students from Eastern Illinois University, as this program will create a paid internship or paid independent study with departments at EIU, including the College of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health. Houchens will work with these colleges and departments to select graduate or undergraduate students working toward a degree that will be a version of the work this program encompasses.

Houchens states: With the physical location that the library has within Charleston, we are poised to immediately begin helping individuals within the county. We will establish new relationships and solidify existing ones with the social service organizations within the county to ensure we are able to provide the most accurate information and referrals as possible. As the public library, we have preexisting relationships with a variety of service organizations in our area, and we will be able to utilize those relationships to help launch and establish this program.

Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, in partnership with Lumpkin Family Foundation, established the Southeastern Illinois COVID-19 Relief Fund to support organizations directly serving residents and families most affected by the pandemic. A fund advisory committee manages the Southeastern Illinois COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation manages more than 180 affiliated funds for the immediate and long-term benefit of communities in southeastern Illinois.

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MATTOON  Williams Elementary in Mattoon recently donated $543 to the SBL Regional Cancer Center in honor of an employee who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer.

The school conducts an annual Thanks and Giving day in which they raise money for a cause. Williams Elementary families were asked to bring a dollar to school on Nov. 22 as an homage to Todd Morton, a supervisor at the school.

Todd finds joy in every circumstance he finds himself in, and thats a great example to set for the kids, McLain Schaefer, Williams Elementary principal, said.

Aaron Ifft of Edward Jones matched the money, bringing the total donation to $1,086. Ifft was intrigued by the opportunity to get kids involved in charitable causes while supporting the SBL Regional Cancer Center.

The Thanks and Giving project generates a conversation that you can have with your children about purpose, Ifft stated.

Morton stays positive despite his diagnosis by organizing playground kickball and greeting students in a costume every morning. He feels lucky and inspired to work with the Williams Elementary students.

Right now, these kids are seeing so many bad things in the world. So, I try to put a smile on their faces every day. The best part of my day is seeing them run up to the school and their reactions to my wigs or costumes, Morton explained.

The funds donated will help cover items associated with care for those patients who have no insurance or limited ability to pay.

We are impressed by Todds optimistic attitude through his diagnosis and are so grateful for this donation that will help our neediest SBL Regional Cancer Center patients, Kim Lockart, special events officer, said.

For more information about the SBL Regional Cancer Center, please call 217-258-2250. For more information about charitable giving to SBL, please call the SBL Foundation at 217 258-2511.

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CHICAGO  The state plans to ramp up staffing and assistance to local health departments to increase the availability of COVID vaccines, booster shots and testing in Illinois. The move comes as the state has the highest surge of COVID cases since the pandemic started.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a press conference Monday announced the response after a wave of new cases attributed to the omicron variant. The changes include expanding the states Community Based Testing Sites from operating four days a week to six. That includes the site at the Market Place Shopping Center in Champaign, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, starting Jan. 3.

More than 100 workers will be sent to regional vaccination sites.

Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital President Colleen Kannaday joined the governor virtually to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Ive heard many people say that theyre healthy, I want to ask you at this time to please think of your neighbor, she said.  Please think of your neighbors because this could be their child.

The state is seeing an average of 500 new hospital admissions a day, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said. The number is double from roughly a month ago.

There have been 177 omicron cases since the variant was detected in Illinois within the last few weeks, according to the state data. The variant arrived in the U.S. around Thanksgiving and is now the dominant coronavirus strain, although data suggests a higher rate of transmission hasnt led to more hospitalizations or deaths.

In Coles County, there have been 898 new cases reported in December. That is the fourth highest monthly total since the pandemic began, with four days remaining. The month with the highest positive case total was November 2020, with 1,213 cases.

There are a total of 142 deaths in the county and currently there are 252 active cases.

Testing opportunities still exist in Coles County.

The community testing sites include the Sarah Bush Lincoln Mattoon Walk-In Clinic, 200 Dettro Dr., which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and the Carle Mattoon Drive-Thru Clinic, 200 Lerna Road South, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Both locations are by appointment only.

To make an appointment at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Mattoon Walk-In Clinic people should call 217-238-3000 and to make an appointment at the Carle Mattoon Drive-Thru Clinic people should call 217-258-5900. These are nasal polymerase chain reaction tests and they provide results in 36 to 72 hours.

Other testing sites include the Sarah Bush Lincoln Walk-In Clinics in Charleston, Effingham and Tuscola but are only available to individuals experiencing COVID or flu-like symptoms. Retail sites like CVS and Walgreens are also available around Coles County. These sites are not free to the community.

I feel like weve never really slowed down, said Lauren McCain, office assistant at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Mattoon Walk-In Clinic.

Gloria Spears, director of environmental health at the Coles County Health Department, said the health department does not handle COVID testing as much and mainly focuses on contact tracing.

What we see is an increase in positives, Spears said, and those numbers could be higher because the health department doesnt track or monitor home test results, its hard to know what the exact numbers of confirmed positive cases are in the county.

The state will be providing surge staffing to local health departments and hospitals to help with vaccination, testing and care efforts, Pritzker said. That includes using the states existing contracts of surge health care staffing. There is also the possibility of utilizing U.S. Army medical personnel, something that has been done in other states but not so far in Illinois.

Hospital administrators from across the state joined the governor and Ezike, either in person in Chicago or virtually. All said they were seeing a surge of cases and hospitalizations in their systems and a continued emotional toll on health care workers.

Kannaday hopes the strength of Central Illinois communities will help encourage people to get vaccinated to keep their neighbors safe, she said.

The rise in COVID cases has state health experts worried. The increase means that there is less space and staff for those who come to the hospital for non-COVID reasons.

Every single event being held during this holiday season, will have one or two uninvited, unwanted guests: delta and/or omicron. One or both could be there, she said. "I'm not saying this to scare. I'm just saying this for people to be aware, but how we entertain that guest depends on us."

Said Pritzker: If we are forced to move to a crisis standard of care in our hospitals, it will be because massive numbers of unvaccinated people chose to let others go without quality care, (and) even more people will die. If you are choosing not to be vaccinated for some non-medical reason, please change your mind.

While early data from outside the state suggests the omicron variant may tend to cause less severe illness, that is not a reason to not take steps against contracting it or spreading it, Ezike said.

Lets try to prevent that hospitalization in the first place, whether its a mild one or a severe one, she said.

The Chicago Tribune and Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Forsyth status

As of noon Dec. 22, Forsyth was listed with 607 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began, with 382 occurring in 2021 compared with 225 in 2020.

Overall, Forsyth has seen a total of 56,881 cases. In recent weeks, the countys new-case count has ranged from 40 per day to a nine-week high of 169, reported Dec. 2.

DHHS lists COVID-19 cases and deaths on the day they are confirmed by medical providers and public health officials, so individuals may have been infected or may have died days or weeks before their cases were counted.

The positive test rate in Forsyth was at 9.1% as of noon Dec. 22.

Forsyth health director Joshua Swift expects the countys daily case count to remain elevated through New Years, and potentially two to three weeks afterward.

Since early July, the vast majority of the COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths locally and statewide have been among unvaccinated people, according to local infectious diseases experts and state public health officials.

There also have been deaths among vaccinated people who were immunocompromised or who had other health issues.
Although there were disputes about which officials said or did what, the bottom line for tenants was that, if they wanted to get help applying for the rental assistance, they had to connect with a social worker in the hallway outside of the small claims court in the Forsyth County Government Center.

Fairly certain

A lot of the COVID-19 attention focused on the city and county responses to masking, and in no arena did that draw more attention than with the annual fair.

As hard as it is now to believe, there was a time in May when it looked like life was moving more or less back to normal. Cases were down, vaccinations were rising, and on May 13, the Centers for Disease Control said people with their shots could go mask-free in most situations, with local governments following suit.

It didnt last: By July, COVID-19 cases were surging and mask restrictions started coming back. That put the city in a serious bind: The 2020 fair had been cancelled because of the pandemic, and the city was looking to bring back the fair in 2021.
It is in our communities and rapidly spreading, Priest said.

A person with the omicron variant will infect three to five other people around them. It also seems to have a shorter incubation period, as short as three days.

In the rest of the 14-county Triad and Northwest N.C. region, the positive test rate as of Sunday was 12.6% in Alamance, 18.1% in Alleghany, 13.9% in Ashe, 12.4% in Davidson, 15.8% in Davie, 11.2% in Guilford, 11.5% in Randolph, 11.1% in Rockingham, 17.2% in Stokes, 14.6% in Surry, 9% in Watauga, 11.5% in Wilkes and 16.3% in Yadkin.

Key masking metrics

With Tuesdays report, Forsyth averaged 43.7 cases per 100,000 people over the most recent two-week period, while Guilford is at 38.7 per 100,000.

One reason those case and positive test-rate totals are important is that Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines has said he would use two criteria in deciding whether to lift the citys mask mandate: the city must have a COVID-19 positive test rate of 5% or less for at least two weeks, and must average fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 people over five days.
Ratio Christi sought $1,500 from the fund to bring former UNL professor and current University of Notre Dame philosophy professor Robert Audi to speak on campus last spring. Ratio Christi ultimately paid to bring Audi to campus after he reduced his fee.

The lawsuit claims the university failed to distribute money in a fair, viewpoint-neutral manner and ultimately discriminated against Ratio Christi.

UNL is reviewing the lawsuit, according to spokesperson Leslie Reed. The university has yet to file a response.

All viewpoints are welcome at the university, and multiple sources of funds are available at UNL to host speakers from across ideological, religious and political spectrums, Reed said in an email. Since it was established on campus in 2018, Ratio Christi twice received money from the University Program Council to bring speakers to campus.

UNL and the other defendants, which include the NU Board of Regents and other university officials, have until Jan. 7 to respond to the complaint.

ADFs lawyers have been involved in some of the nations highest-profile court cases in the last few years. Take the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case as an example.
It wouldnt define him, but it would give him something to talk about  because people would never stop talking about Starkweather and Fugate, even decades after he was executed and she was imprisoned and later paroled.

He watched book after book get published about the murders and their aftermath. And he read them.

I thought, They dont have the whole story.

He tried telling it publicly only once, when an Omaha TV station announced it was interviewing the latest Starkweather author. Wendling left messages but never heard back.

Earlier this month, the retired manager of Burden's Surplus Center posted a short account on his Facebook page about that day 70 years ago, when Charlie Starkweather pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger.

He knows nobody can corroborate it. Theyre all gone now. His parents, the police officers. He recently tried to find his old friend, Bobby Starkweather, to see what he remembered. He came up empty.

But hes not worried. He remembers feeling the pain and seeing the blood.
In West Seattle, Keith Hughes of the American Legion Hall Post 160, said his warming center can welcome about a dozen people  its capacity limited by lack of volunteer staff.

Officials: Nearly 25% of Navy warship crew has COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AP)  About two dozen sailors on a U.S. Navy warship  or roughly 25% of the crew  have now tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the ship sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba Monday, according to U.S. defense officials.

The USS Milwaukee has a crew of a bit more than 100, and it was forced to pause its deployment late last week because of the coronavirus outbreak. The defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the outbreak, said the number of infected sailors is staying relatively constant at this point.

The USS Milwaukee, a smaller, stealthier combat ship, is the first Navy ship this year to have to interrupt its deployment at sea.

It began its deployment from Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 14, and had stopped for a scheduled port visit. The ship was heading into the U.S. Southern Command region.
He expects the Omaha area to receive 300 to 400 more students as more evacuees reach Nebraska from U.S. military bases around the nation.

Wali, 12, arrived in Omaha almost three months ago, and his cousin and uncle arrived in mid-November. All three live in an apartment in northwest Omaha with another person from their Afghan neighborhood.

Families typically spend a month in an Airbnb before getting placed in a permanent residence in Omaha, Sahil said. The children arent allowed to enroll in school until they have a permanent address.

The parents are actually calling in to enroll their children as soon as possible, Sahil said. They are getting bored at home. The kids are telling their moms and dads that they want to go to school.

The students arrive with varied educational backgrounds, and they usually speak little to no English.

Sahil said one of his clients has a teenage son who had never gone to school in Afghanistan but needed to enroll in an OPS high school because of his age.
The importance of transportation to Nebraska consumers and the economy, including sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, cannot be overstated. Located with access to key markets in the Midwest and beyond, Nebraska plays a key role in U.S. and international supply chains.

These systems have come under increased pressure in recent months, causing Americans to better understand the complexities of how goods get to market while unfortunately feeling the pain of increased prices, in part, due to logistics constraints.

Federal policymakers like President Biden and Sen. Deb Fischer have rightly turned their attention to finding ways to improve the situation and empower private businesses to better deploy their resources. Unfortunately, the White House is also pursuing regulations that would hinder progress, particularly as it relates to private freight railroads that have a major presence in Nebraska and that make the states economy hum.

Put simply, President Biden and his team must stop efforts that would overregulate freight railroads like BNSF, Union Pacific and others.
Theres going to be a lot of different things were going to have to do to reach each individual and, if theyre not working for whatever reason, get them back into the workforce." Gov. Pete Ricketts, on efforts to battle historic low unemployment and get vacant jobs filled.

"We are currently equipped with more tools and treatment options than before, and we are using them to reduce the spread of the virus and its variants." -- Pat Lopez, Lincoln-Lancaster County health director, announcing an end to the mask mandate in Lancaster County.

"I can't think of worse timing." -- Dr. James Lawler, co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, commenting on the loosening of COVID restrictions under the current climate.

We are lifelong Nebraskans, and there are just a lot of interesting things, places and people in our state. The more passport sites that weve visited in the state, the more enthralled we were in our great state and all the things that are in it." -- Bob Marshall, a four-year participant in the Nebraska Passport program, which designates 70 sites each year for tourists to visit.
Free market evangelist F.A. Hayek believed that unfettered capitalism is the absolute best economic model. Throughout history, nations have thrived during periods of lax governance. Governments that exercise absolute control over a nations economy, its electoral politics or its moral code ultimately stagnate and fail, losing out to the more dynamic systems possessed by their more purely capitalistic competitors.

Whatever Trumpism is, it aint free market capitalism. Fortunately, there's a name for it: mercantilism, the same system employed by modern China. The Trumpist system  one of top-down economic protectionism, erratic populist leadership and imposed morality  would effectively strangle Americas economic and social dynamism, rendering it stagnant and uncompetitive at a time when its economic superiority is facing ever more serious challenges from the outside world.

The parallels between Trumpism and the modern Chinese regime are striking: trade barriers, a distrust of expertise, the silencing of scientific and academic specialists, a fondness for extreme nationalism and xenophobia and the elimination or manipulation of free and fair elections.
BURLINGTON  As the days turn colder, red kettles pop up with the familiar ringing of bells. Each year, a group of Burlington students answers the call.

While the D.R.I.V.E.N. students couldnt ring the bells last year in their usual fashion, they were back in full force this year. Their previous record was around $2,000 in about 6 hours. This year, according to Burlington High School teacher and D.R.I.V.E.N. co-advisor Matt Nie, they raised $4,126.96.

Finally, those D.R.I.V.E.N. students can be out there singing at the top of their lungs, outside with a auto mask, Nie said. Finally, that student can, you know, be able to really bring light to the eye of a resident thats walking into the grocery store, and that its a combined synergy between the student having been stunted in their ability to go and interact in that way and then probably the community member that is just willing to give back back much more.

D.R.I.V.E.N. is a student leadership club at the high school that initially, at its inception about 10 years ago, was created as a mentorship program for incoming freshmen. Sophomores, juniors and seniors apply, and while there is a minor academic requirement to make sure students will be able to take on the extra responsibility, Nie said the most important pieces are the teacher recommendations for the initial application at the end of freshman year.

The program has expanded well beyond the mentorship and character building D.R.I.V.E.N. students deliver to their underclassman counterparts. Juniors involved in the program plan and implement their own service projects while seniors have the option of again planning a project or helping the juniors with theirs. The program also puts on what it bills as the largest Easter egg hunt in southeastern Wisconsin as well as A Night to Remember, a dance for special-needs students which Nie said they are hoping to pick back up again this school year.

These projects also include the extensive bell ringing for Love, Inc.

Through a partnership with Salvation Army, 86 cents of every dollar stays with Love, Inc. in Burlington, according to volunteer coordinator Pat Yakes, who has been in the position for six years.

The money raised by D.R.I.V.E.N., Yakes said, goes to support Love Inc.s mission of providing services to locals in need. This can range from assisting with utilities to finding temporary housing. Each year, Yakes said, D.R.I.V.E.N. students make their time ringing bells fun.

So it kind of warms our heart because the kids are driven, not to put a play on words, but they really are driven, Yakes said. They make it fun and I think thats why there was such a large amount (of donations).

While students managed to break the groups record for money raised for Love, Inc., they also were raising spirits. The group splits its time between bell ringing and spending time at Arbor View Assisted Living, where members play bingo, sing carols and do holiday crafts with residents. The students also spend time with those in the memory care center.

While many of those in memory care may not verbally share their excitement, Nie said, there are always plenty of smiles to go around. He and Yakes noted what they called a misconception of high school students.

Its so amazing to see that level of empathy and, and willingness to give back, Nie said. Young people, I think sometimes, get a bad rap in terms of what a typical teenager is, because I have a lot of hope for this next generation, when theyre in charge.

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KENOSHA  In the immediate aftermath of the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, 2020, many areas of Kenosha became a battleground for rioters and looters who left a wake of mass destruction in their paths.

But in the social media age, there wasnt any shortage of video or other types of surveillance footage that recorded those who ran the streets that week with bad intentions.

A little more than 16 months have passed, and many of those identified by police or through other means have been charged, convicted and sentenced for their roles that week.

But the work continues for the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office.

Through last week, more than 60 people have been criminally charged, according to District Attorney Michael Graveley, with more than 90 separate charges being filed. Among them, 70 were for felony crimes, six involved juveniles and 18 were misdemeanor cases.

Among the felony counts, 56 were for burglary/looting, eight for some kind of assaultive behavior, two for destruction of an ATM and one for making a threat against the police and national guard.

Eleven cases are currently in warrant status, with 29 that have pending court hearings coming up in 2022, Graveley said.

The rough estimate is were about halfway done, he said. Its been now more than a year. A couple things are really significant to me. These are 94 cases that have some kind of place on us, that other counties dont have, that we wouldnt have had in a different year.

Thats a substantial number of additional cases to bring into the justice system into one year, Graveley said. The other significant piece are the cases that are still unidentified. At this point, the Kenosha Police Department does not have new, active leads, so its time to ask the public for as much assistance as they can give.







New website coming

Whos been charged, convicted

Graveleys report also detailed each of the cases related to the rioting. The following are persons charged, age, home address, the criminal charge or charges filed and outcome of the case:

Davonte M. Musgrove-Miller, 23, Jacksonville, Fla.; felony burglary to dwelling; warrant issued, July 15.

Jaquan D. Terrien, 22, 1600 block of 56th St., Kenosha; felony burglary to building; 30 months probation.

Jason T. Arriaga, 18, 2300 block of Roosevelt Road, Kenosha; felony burglary to building; four years probation.

Naganda J. Irby, 21, 6700 block of 23rd Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building; four years probation.

Travian T. McGloun, 25, 1600 block of Taylor Avenue, Racine; felony burglary to building; three years initial incarceration, four years extended supervision.

Xavier K. Sawyer, 23, Milwaukee; possession of firearm by convicted felon (jury trial); 18 months initial incarceration, three years extended supervision.

Adonis E. Renderos, 26, Janesville; felony burglary to building; three years probation.

Jaquan D. Moore, 24, Madison; felony burglary to building; 15 months initial incarceration, three years extended supervision.

Darnell F. King, 25, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; felony use of a dangerous weapon; four years initial confinement, four years extended supervision.

Jordan L. Ford, 20, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution, Waupun; felony possession of firearm by convicted felon; two years initial confinement, four years extended supervision.

Coy A. Freeman, 22, 400 block of 11th Street, Racine; felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; 15 months initial confinement, three years extended supervision.

Kevin L. Manchester, 27, 3400 block of 6th Avenue, Racine; felony receiving stolen property; two years initial confinement, three years extended supervision.

Deveon D. Robbins, 21, 2400 block of LaSalle Street, Racine; misdemeanor carrying concealed weapon; time served (79 days).

Stephan R. Pyskir, 32, Milwaukee; misdemeanor carrying concealed weapon, failure to comply with emergency management order of state or local government; fine imposed.

Michael J. Utterback, 37, 10900 block of 60th Street, Kenosha; misdemeanor disorderly conduct (two counts); 180 days jail and fine.

Bradley M. Shaw, 25, Zion, Ill.; felony burglary to building; sentencing Jan. 20.

Tyran Ward, 25, Cudahy; felony burglary to building; warrant issued, Oct. 13, 2020.

Joshua J. Ziminski, 36, 3400 block of Ivy Lane, Racine; felony arson, misdemeanor disorderly conduct, misdemeanor obstructing; jury selection Jan. 31.

Antonio C. Rhinehouse, 27, 1700 block of Birch Road, Kenosha; felony attempted burglary to building, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; warrant issued, June 30.

Dessorrae M. Brown, 35, 4500 block of 18th Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, felony theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, felony destroy computer (ATM) equipment, misdemeanor disorderly conduct; jury selection Feb. 7 (two separate cases).

Inocente N. Garcia, 44, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution, Waupun; felony burglary to building; three years initial confinement, four years extended supervision.

Kenneth M. Harmon, 19, 4700 block of 37th Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; pending, status conference Feb. 23.

Jermaine D. Hubbard, 30, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution, Plymouth; felony burglary to building, felony theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; jury trial March 21.

Lauren A. Lott, 31, 4800 block of 20th Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony destroy computer (ATM) equipment, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, misdemeanor disorderly conduct; final pre-trial Jan. 12 (two separate cases).

Wayne Maddox, 62, Indianapolis, Ind.; felony burglary to building; 12 months probation.

Antoine Simpson, 26, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; felony burglary to building, felony theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; three separate cases, status conference Jan. 27.

Felina I. Gamez, 35, Burlington; misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; four months jail, fine, four years probation.

Isaiah J. Gamez, 18, Burlington; misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, misdemeanor entry into locked building; fine imposed on all three counts.

Domnic A. Willis, 20, Waukegan, Ill.; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; warrant issued, Jan. 29.

Michael A. Brewer, 21, 3900 block Colorado Court, Racine; felony burglary to building; 45 days jail, fine.

Michael L. Ketterhagen, 21, 2500 block 22nd Avenue; felony burglary to building; 45 days jail, fine.

Mischawn D. Billups, 27, Illinois, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; felony theft; 18 months initial confinement, three years extended supervision.

Nakita, S. Billups, 29, Round Lake Beach, Ill.; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony criminal damage to property; warrant issued, Jan. 27.

Kevin A. Bryant, 22, Waukegan, Ill.; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony criminal damage to property; warrant issued, Jan. 27.

Sara S. Weeks, 32, Waukegan, Ill.; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony criminal damage to property; warrant issued, Jan. 27.

Dale L. Wells, 30, Ankeny, Iowa; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony criminal damage to property; judicial pre-trial hearing, Feb. 2.

Angelina D. Adkins, 19, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Jail; two counts each felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; plea hearing, Jan. 27 (two separate cases).

Anayah M. Brewer, 20, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Jail; felony burglary to building; two years probation.

Dezarea M. Flores-Weyrauch, 20, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; two counts felony burglary to building; three years probation.

Stephanie Garcia-Gomez, 22, 6200 block of 75th Street, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; pre-trial conference, March 18.

Arthur S. Patton, 23, 4300 block of 6th Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building; three years probation.

Clyde J. McLemore, 63, address sealed by court; felony attempted battery or threat to judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer, misdemeanor disorderly conduct; motion hearing Feb. 28.

Maurice L. Gayles Jr., 26, currently incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution, Waupun; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; status conference Jan. 27.

Jermaine D. Hubbard, 30, currently incarcerated at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institute, Plymouth; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; jury trial, March 21 (two separate cases).

Wayne Maddox, 62, Indianapolis, Ind.; felony burglary to building; one year probation.

Rhyanon R. McNab, 24, 5800 block of 16th Avenue; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; status conference, Jan. 27.

Vanessa Y. Rivera, 23, 1200 block of Lathrop Avenue, Racine; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; status conference, Jan. 7.

Alezier J. Simon, 24, 200 block of Memorial Drive, Racine; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; motion hearing, Jan. 12.

Edward J. Spates Jr., 33, Kenosha, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; status conference, March 17.

Marcus R. Starks, 36, 2000 block of 62nd Street, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; case pending, no future court date listed.

Gloria K. Webb, 52, 1900 block of 63rd Street, Kenosha; two counts each felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; status conference, Jan. 27 (two separate cases).

Antwon D. Smith, 28, 1800 block of Roosevelt Avenue, Racine; felony burglary to building, felony theft, felony criminal damage to property; adjourned initial appearance, Jan. 25.

Paris D. Holmes, 26, Chicago, currently incarcerated at Kenosha County Detention Center; felony burglary to a building (two counts), felony criminal damage to property, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, misdemeanor disorderly conduct; final pre-trial Jan. 29 (two separate cases).

Indiria E. Hudson (Clark), 22, 6600 block of 32nd Avenue, Kenosha; felony destroy computer (ATM) equipment; 30 months probation.

Steven Bialas-Schooler, 29, 3500 block of 67th Street, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; pre-trial conference, Feb. 9.

Erik C. Thomas, 31, Kankakee, Ill.; felony burglary to building, felony criminal damage to ATM/other machines, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; warrant issued, Sept. 10.

Hosea W. King Jr., 38, 4900 block of 16th Avenue, Kenosha; felony burglary to building, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal damage to property; adjourned initial appearance, Jan. 6.

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Though everyone likely hoped the pandemic would be over in the new year, COVID-19 remains prominent and is even surging.

Especially in Racine County, where most areas were listed under a high risk of transmission category by the Centers for the Disease Control back in March  and Racine County Public Healths jurisdiction still remains as such, according to crchd.com/covid-19.

Heres a recap of how the ongoing pandemic has affected the county throughout the year.

Late winter/spring

The first few months saw the initial vaccine rollout to the most at-risk groups, including hundreds of Racine Unified School District teachers and staff members and officers of the Racine Police Department.

RUSD employees called it the responsible thing to do as buildings made the transition into in-person learning after almost (or over, depending on which school) a year of virtual schooling.

It became commonplace to take selfies or pictures of a bandaged arm after getting the vaccination.

Hospitals and pharmacies of all sizes were distributing the vaccination and met with high demand. Hometown Pharmacy, 3900 Erie St., became one of the best spots for the elderly to book a vaccination appointment because they could do it just by walking in or making a call while others required access to technology.

Jeremy Laffin, the owner pharmacist at Hometown, was at one point administering 100 vaccines a day on his own. He would even schedule at-home visits for vaccinations, proving that small pharmacies were tiny but mighty at the beginning of the rollout.

On April 29, the City of Racine began allowing businesses to operate at 100% again, more than 13 months after restrictions first went in place.

Summer

Summer began with some great news: the mask mandate for the City of Racine ended on June 1.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason warned, however, that the lift didnt mean the pandemic is over. Health officials still encouraged wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.

The delta variant of COVID-19 was also, and still remains, a concern.

But business owners were up in the air about how to handle their practices. Without the mask mandate, if a business owner wasnt comfortable with allowing unmasked customers in, what would they do?

Michael Scamarcia, owner of Douglas Avenue Diner in Caledonia, said he expected a large wave of COVID-19 to hit after the mask mandate was lifted. Although it cannot be shown definitively one way or the other how much more masking up could have made a difference, that wave has come and is still coming.

At this point in the year, there were talks of whether vaccines would be mandated, and if proof of vaccination would be required when entering any building. Scamarcia said he and other business owners needed more guidance, not wanting to police whether people had their vaccine cards.

It would create a massive backlash  I dont want to police that, he said in August. If I have to start asking, it affects our business.

On the upside, high school seniors were able to have a proper send-off. They danced the night away at Rotary Post Prom at the Racine County Fairgrounds and held in-person ceremonies with families in tow.

Fall/early winter

Up to date According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Dec. 22, the state is nearing the end of the year at a rate of about 62% of residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 58% of residents completing their vaccine series. On a 7-day average, there are about 3,400 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. As of Monday, Dec. 27, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, across the state's 136 hospitals, there are fewer than 100 available intensive care unit beds out of 1,343 total.

Right before fall, masks were mandated again in the City of Racine. RUSD students also had their first day of the school year in person, with mask policies still up in the air.

The Halloween holiday saw lots of trunk-or-treat options, but kids were mostly able to go back to their regular door-to-door routine for trick-or-treating.

As reported earlier this month, the omicron variant was shown to have made its way into Wisconsin after wedding guests from California tested COVID-19 positive with the variant. A few days later, state hospitals reported that they had no capacity for any upcoming wave of cases.

COVID-19 testing will continue into the new year at Festival Hall, administered by the National Guard.

As we head into the holiday, similar to last year, we are already seeing a surge in cases of COVID-19. It is critically important that before people gather with friends and family this holiday season that they both get vaccinated and get tested, stated Dottie-Kay Bowersox, public health administrator for the city.

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Dont come to the hospital.

Thats what a local woman said she was told by an emergency room nurse at Ascension All Saints, 3801 Spring St., on Christmas Eve when her 11-year-old son, Judah, who is fully vaccinated but also has asthma, got sick with COVID-19.

He had a fever, sore throat and breathing problems, the mother, Sarah Majewski, told a reporter. I could hear him struggling to breathe while sleeping when I was in the other room.

Three days prior, Majewski had spent 3 hours at a walk-in clinic for her own, self-described, pretty nasty COVID symptoms.

On Christmas Eve, when the 11-year-olds symptoms arrived, Majewski said: I called All Saints pediatrics immediately and was informed that normally they would say go to the ER immediately. But due to shirt staffing they wanted me to call the ER nurse first.

She called, and the ER nurse told us to not come in. That if the symptoms seemed manageable I should treat at home. This is where she informed me of the reality of the hospital. There were no beds in the ER, there was no doctor to see him. The nurse and nurse practitioner would set him up in the waiting room and see him/treat him there  (but) the idea of him on a cot in the waiting room made me very uncomfortable, Sarah said.

Her sons condition remained manageable and has improved over the last three days, she said: It is now days later and he still has symptoms but is making a full recovery. Im glad it didnt get any worse, because we would not have been able to treat him.

There are countless tragic stories recently of loved ones being denied hospital beds because their conditions werent severe enough, considering the limitations of staffing and bed space  Wisconsin had been facing a nursing shortage before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Dangerously close

While the phrase breaking point has been thrown around a lot over the past 22 months, Madison-based UW Health says it actually is close to it, as are other health care networks.

When hospitals are as full as ours is right now, access to doctors and a bed when you have a heart attack, a stroke or a car accident are a major concern, Dr. Jeff Pothof, UWs chief quality officer, said in a statement Tuesday. Were dangerously close to the point where there just arent resources for all of those cases. You think it cant happen to you, but it can if we continue to stay on this trajectory.

On Dec. 2, Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health, told reporters that one of Preveas Green Bay hospitals turned away 28 would-be patients, including three stroke victims, in one day  sending them to other hospitals, including one that was more than 200 miles away.

Racine Alderman CJ Rouse donated his gall bladder and 65% of his liver in August. He was supposed to be getting follow-ups every few months at UW Health in Madison over the following two years. But all of those follow-ups have been canceled. He went in for one quasi-appointment, but they didnt do any of the scans I needed to ensure he was healing properly because the staff was stretched so thin.

This was months before vaccine mandates led to minimal resignations of health care staff around the state. Advocate Aurora Health reported that only 0.587% of its staff of 75,000 lost their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated.

This is the No. 1 hospital in the state and I couldnt even get in for an appointment, Rouse said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

Vaccines work According to November data from the state Department of Health Services: Unvaccinated people are five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than the vaccinated in Wisconsin.

Unvaccinated people are more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people by a ratio of 11 to 1.

For every one vaccinated person who dies of COVID-19, 12 unvaccinated people are dying in Wisconsin.

The COVID-19 factor

From Nov. 28-Dec. 28, across Advocate Auroras 16 hospitals in Wisconsin, the number of COVID-19 inpatients increased by 48.9%, from 294 to 438. Over just the past week, the number increased from 408 to 438, a 7.9% increase.

The desperation has not really been seen in Wisconsin for a year.

The Journal Times in January told the story of Gary Butch Haarsma, a Racine native who died in October 2020 at the Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay after he had been denied hospitalization four times while sick with COVID-19. His family said they believe their patriarch could have lived had he been treated faster.

But during last years surges, there were not vaccines available. Haarsma could not have gotten the shot if he wanted it.

Now, very few vaccinated people are dying or being hospitalized. Hospital beds are being filled by unvaccinated people, even though the vaccine has been freely available since the spring.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 15% of American adults are unvaccinated.

According to polling with the Census Bureau, 42.4% of the unvaccinated say they dont trust the COVID-19 vaccine and 49.6% say they are concerned about possible side effects, even though serious side effects have been shown to be considerably less likely from the vaccines compared to actually getting sick with COVID-19 while not vaccinated.

For example: Rare heart inflammation cases  around one in 6,000  were reported in teenagers after their COVID-19 vaccination. These cases have been mild and self-resolving. However, the chance of developing severe illness and death after a COVID-19 infection is much higher (2-10%). There is a higher risk of myocarditis from COVID itself than there is from the vaccine, cardiologist Nayereh Pezeshkian of the University of California-Davis wrote in September.

Terri Renguette of Racine said she was told by her doctor to go to an Ascension facility in Franklin instead of the one in Racine. There, she spent five days in the hospital, where she saw Nursing staff is in very short supply, she posted on social media Tuesday. At one point she pushed the button to call a nurse to her room and said it took two hours for a nurse or aide to arrive. She was receiving the drug remdesivir via an IV. Nurses have too many patients to take care of. Nurses are so overworked. They have to help the sickest ones first. And I wasnt as sick as others, she wrote. I was placed in the ICU (intensive care unit) because thats where an open bed was, but I was not an ICU patient.

Taking care of COVID-19 patients is also more work-intensive than most other patients, compounding the staffing issues. As Renguette put it: Everyone has to completely gown up before they can come in your room. Then ungown and regown up to go in the next room.







Getting the word out

In trying to communicate the dire nature of the situation, Advocate Aurora bought full-page ads in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Green Bay Press-Gazette that stated in massive block print We Cant Stop COVID Without You. It continued: Beds are full. Wait times are long. And the strain on our health care team, undeniable  more than 90% of all COVID inpatients are unvaccinated or due for a booster. This is preventable.

SSM Health did the same, buying a full-page ad in Sundays Wisconsin State Journal  the second-most widely read Wisconsin newspaper  that also urges vaccination. The words Our hearts are heavy and our hands are full appear above photos of worn out medical professionals. Below the photos: COVID-19 is exhausting. Our hospitals are crowded and we need to care for all. We are doing everything we can to take care of you when youre sick but were running out of room. What will happen to you or someone you love if you suffer a stroke? A heart attack? A car accident?

Help us help you. Get vaccinated against COVID-19. Get a booster. Get a flu shot.

David Wahlberg of Lee Newspapers contributed to this report.

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After shifting Wisconsins State of the State address online earlier this year due to the ongoing pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers plans to return to the Capitol for next years speech.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate President Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, sent Evers a joint letter Monday inviting the governor to hold the 2022 State of the State address live and in-person during a joint session of the state Legislature in the Assembly chambers at 7 p.m. Feb. 15. The letter comes after Evers sent the Republican leaders a letter last week requesting a joint session for the purposes of holding the annual address.

The speech will be Evers final state of the state address before his run for a second term next November.

Evers said last week he plans to focus much of his reelection campaign on the successes of his first term as governor, including increased spending on roads and broadband expansion, as well as income tax cuts in the 2021-23 biennial budget drafted by Republicans and signed by Evers.

I will be running on things that weve accomplished, and have we accomplished this with the help of Republicans? Yes, yes we have and thats an important distinction, Evers said. We have to focus on what the people of Wisconsin want.

Earlier this year, Evers became the first governor in 74 years to not be physically present in the Capitol to deliver his address, which he delivered in a video message. Legislative Republicans viewed Evers address at the Capitol last year, with Vos delivering the GOP response from the Assembly dais where the governor usually speaks, another break from tradition.

Evers dedicated last years speech to the 5,000 Wisconsin residents who had died from the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Monday, the pandemics death toll had risen to 9,928 Wisconsinites, according to the state Department of Health Services.

In the letter to Evers Monday, Vos and Kapenga pointed to the states ongoing labor shortage challenges as one of the biggest struggles across our state.

We welcome your input on how you plan to best address the challenges facing the state of Wisconsin, the lawmakers said. In addition, citizens would like to get an updated balance of the federal dollars under your unilateral control.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development announced earlier this month that the states unemployment rate had dropped to 3% in November, according to preliminary data, matching the previous record low set in November 2018.

Wisconsin received close to $2.5 billion in federal relief funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. All told, the state has been allocated more than $4.5 billion in federal coronavirus stimulus funds.

Of those funds, more than $2 billion has been spent on state emergency response efforts, public health measures and economic support programs, according to a breakdown provided by the governors office in August.

Other announced or planned ARPA allocations include $200 million for infrastructure projects such as broadband expansion, $650 million in small-business grants, just over $100 million for the tourism industry, $130 million for workforce and unemployment programs, $510 million for economic recovery programs and $80 million to update the states unemployment system.

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1. Crime. Too much violence, too many shootings. Police have to get a handle on it.

2. Coronavirus. The omicron variant and others to follow threaten the community.

3. Roads. Killeen-area roads are still a mess after last years storm  a serious problem.

4.Government. Elections are on the horizon, and voters will have hard choices to make.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say which single issue will stand out at this point.

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Fueled by the super-contagious omicron variant, new coronavirus cases in the city have rocketed from an average of about 3,400 a day in the week that ended Dec. 12 to 22,000 in the week that ended Sunday. Hospitalizations also have risen, but not as sharply.

Under the city's new rules, many more private employers will have to verify and keep a record of each workers proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Workers who have received only one shot must get a second within 45 days. Companies must display a sign affirming they're complying with the rule in a conspicuous location," under the city's mandate.

Businesses aren't required to discipline or fire non-compliant workers, but they must keep them out of the workplace. Workers seeking an accommodation on religious grounds can come to work while their request is pending.

My hope is that the city goes light on the enforcement of this because its a new mandate  it certainly is going to require some transition  and employers are dealing with a myriad of other challenges right now, said Randy Peers, the president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
At the Hanny Arram Center for Success, we are serving our middle and high schools and giving them a nontraditional educational experience. One of the things we pride ourselves on is we meet our students where they are at, and we help them get to where they want to be. That is one of the main principles we guide ourselves on here, said Principal Jason Owens. Every kid comes here at different places either educationally or social/emotionally, we meet them at that point and help them devise a plan to help them get to where they want to be and where they want to go.
Jacobson realized the hat had writing on the band. His friend Dalton Morris was quickly able to use the internet to track down the initial social media post from Katy.

I counted the hat as long gone, and then there was a post saying I found it, call me, but he didnt leave a number, Katy said. I felt like it was a scam, but I wrote back trying not to get too excited.

Morris and Jacobson were in Vegas working at the National Finals Rodeo. I knew we needed to find the owner of this hat, Morris said. Thats what cowboys do  we help each other out.

Jacobson said, Im glad the guy gave it to us. He could have thrown it away. Rodeo is a family. Everyone tries to help everyone, so we were glad to hold that hat and be able to get it back to that little girl.

Katy, unable to believe someone in Nevada had Kaycees cowboy hat, asked Matt to call Morris. Matt recalls Morris answering and explaining that he was set to entertain at the NFR in two minutes but he would find a way to get the hat back to Nebraska.
QUESTION: My teacher said that President Lincoln and President Kennedy had some diseases. Is that true?

ANSWER: Yes, your teacher is correct. President Abraham Lincoln suffered from Marfans syndrome, and President John F. Kennedy had Addisons disease.

Marfans syndrome is a rare inherited degenerative disease of the connective tissue. Marfan syndrome is named after Antoine Marfan, a French pediatrician who described the condition in 1896.

Marfan sufferers can have deformed chests and curvature of the spine (scoliosis). The bones grow abnormally long, so people with Marfan syndrome tend to be unusually tall. Sometimes these people will have heart murmurs because of defects of the aorta and heart valves. The lungs may be affected. The dural sac around the spiral cord may be challenged. Marfan syndrome people tend to be very nearsighted.

Scientists discovered the gene that is responsible for the Marfan syndrome in 1989. They found that the syndrome is inherited by a dominant trait, carried by the FBN1 gene on chromosome 15. Being a dominant gene, a person with Marfan syndrome can inherit the gene from either parent.

Marfan syndrome is diagnosed by a series of tests, including echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, and a slit lamp eye test. The slit lamp eye test helps the doctor determine if the lenses in the eyes are dislocated or out of place. A CT scan or MRI of the lower back can also help in the diagnosis. Marfan suffers might have lung capacity issues.

President Kennedy had a long history of illnesses. He missed two-thirds of kindergarten due to sickness. When he reached adulthood, he had hormonal pellets injected in the thigh every two months, the prevalent treatment in those years for Addisons disease. He collapsed regularly and received the last rites twice. Big shot politicians and the press in Washington D.C. knew he was ailing during the 1960 campaign, but Kennedys handlers misled the public through cleverly worded statements.

Addisons disease ruins the adrenal glands and depletes the body of cortisol. There are two adrenal glands, one sitting atop each kidney. They produce more than a half dozen hormones, the important ones being cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol ensures that the bloodstream has enough glucose, a sugar essential to brain function. One of the most common symptoms of Addisons disease is fatigue.

A common side effect of Addisons disease is a bronze skin, which supplied Kennedy with his vivacious and telegenic tan which went over well on television. Kennedy was treated for Addisons disease when he had back surgery in 1954.

Doctors discovered in the 1800s that Addisons disease is a side effect of tuberculosis. Treatment these days consists of daily replacement with adrenal hormones, or prednisone. Today, people with Addisons disease can expect to lead healthy, normal lives.

Sources: WebMD, Mayo Clinic.

Larry Scheckel is a retired Tomah High School physics teacher.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  The county attorney prosecuting the case of two southeast Iowa teens charged with murde r in the death of their high school Spanish teacher said in court documents they surveilled her pattern of life, ambushed her along her daily walk and dragged her into the woods, returning later to better hide her lifeless body.

Those additional details of the death of Nohema Graber in early November were revealed in a Dec. 23 filing in the case of Jeremy Goodale, 16, of Fairfield. He is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder with classmate Willard Miller, also 16. Attorneys for both teens have asked a judge to move their case to juvenile court.

Hearings on the requests are scheduled for Jan. 27.

In court documents filed Dec. 23, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncy Moulding offered the additional details of Graber's death.

Graber, 66, was reported missing Nov. 2 and her remains were found later that day in a park. Authorities earlier confirmed she had suffered inflicted trauma to the head" and her body was found concealed under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties at the Chautauqua Park in Fairfield, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) southeast of Des Moines.

Authorities have not released a motive. Both teens attended Grabers Spanish class at Fairfield High School, where she had taught since 2012.

Moulding argued trying Goodale as an adult is the only appropriate plan because he would be released at age 18, less than 24 months, if he is tried and convicted in the juvenile court system.

This prosecuting attorney cannot fathom any combination of programming at any Iowa juvenile facility which could appropriately treat or rehabilitate the defendant if adjudicated as a juvenile, he said.

Millers attorney has made a similar request and Moulding resisted for many of the same reasons.

Miller and Goodale are being held on $1 million cash bond in juvenile detention facilities awaiting trial. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Moulding charged them as adults with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The sentence in Iowa would be life in prison for first-degree murder as an adult, although a 2016 Iowa Supreme Court ruling requires juveniles to have a chance of release when given life sentences.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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With COVID-19 hospitalizations remaining high in Wisconsin and Dane County, and the easily spread omicron variant expected to increase cases amid holiday gatherings and travel, Madison hospitals say their facilities and staff are being pushed to the limit.

The crunch affects all kinds of patients, not just those with COVID-19, hospital leaders say. They urge the unvaccinated to get immunized and those who havent received boosters to get them.

Our staff have been incredible, and they continue to provide the best care even in these difficult circumstances, but ultimately we are struggling to accommodate the volume of patients were seeing, and that volume is increasing, Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Hospitals chief quality officer, said Tuesday in a statement.

When hospitals are as full as ours is right now, access to doctors and a bed when you have a heart attack, a stroke or a car accident are a major concern, Pothof said. Were dangerously close to the point where there just arent resources for all of those cases. You think it cant happen to you, but it can if we continue to stay on this trajectory.

UW Health said it is reducing the number of nonessential procedures it schedules and converting spaces to accommodate more COVID-19 patients.

Statewide, 1,672 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Thats down from a recent high of 1,714 on Dec. 13 but up from 1,520 on Sunday.

In Dane County, 111 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Public Health Madison and Dane County. Thats down from a recent high of 133 on Dec. 18 but considerably higher than a month ago. The totals include patients who live in Dane and other counties.

Wisconsin reported 5,758 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, for a daily average of 3,622. Health officials say the number could grow as the highly transmissible omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the United States amid holiday get-togethers. Early data suggest omicron may typically cause less severe illness in individuals than other strains, but the sheer number of expected cases could still result in more hospitalizations, especially among people who arent vaccinated, officials say.

Omicron accounted for an estimated 59% of coronavirus infections last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday, up from 22.5% the week before. The variant has spurred the daily average of new cases above 240,000 nationwide, double the level from two weeks ago.

Madison hospitals have placed ads in the Wisconsin State Journal highlighting the pandemics toll on health care workers.

Our teams mental health and resiliency is being strained, said a full page ad by UnityPoint Health-Meriter in Sundays newspaper. They are frustrated and right now feel forgotten. Our healthcare team is also fighting misinformation and lack of trust in their expertise.

In a full-page ad Sunday and in ads atop other days front pages, SSM Health says, Our hearts are heavy and our hands are full. The ads say the organizations hospitals, including St. Marys Hospital in Madison, are crowded. They urge people to get vaccinated, including booster shots against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin reported 47 additional COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, for a daily average of 23 and a total since the pandemic began of 9,980.

In November, unvaccinated people were about five times more likely to get COVID-19, 11 times more likely to be hospitalized for it and 12 times more likely to die from the disease than those fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health Services.

Statewide, 61.8% of residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and 58% are fully vaccinated, though not necessarily with booster shots. Everyone age 5 and older is eligible for the vaccine, while boosters are available for everyone age 16 and older.
A snowstorm will hit all of Wisconsin on Tuesday, with snowfall rates possibly reaching an inch per hour for southern Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon, causing significant travel impacts, according to forecasters.

The snow will move into southwest Wisconsin around mid-morning and then expand northeast through the afternoon, when the heaviest snow will fall, the National Weather Service said.

Some light icing totaling a few hundredths of an inch also will be possible, mainly Tuesday evening, northwest of a line from Dodgeville to Madison to Fond du Lac.

Areas near Lake Michigan and across far southeastern Wisconsin may change to a rain/snow mix by afternoon, cutting down on snow totals in those areas, said Andy Boxell, Weather Service lead forecaster.

Madison is under a winter weather advisory from 11 a.m. to midnight, with snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches during the day and less than a half-inch at night expected.

La Crosse is under a winter weather advisory from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Eau Claire is under a winter weather advisory from noon. to 9 p.m., with snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches during the day and less than a half-inch at night expected.

Green Bays winter weather advisory extends from noon to 6 a.m. Wednesday, with snow accumulation of less than half an inch Tuesday and an inch overnight expected. Some parts of central Wisconsin could see up to 4 inches of snow.

Racine is under a winter weather advisory from 11 a.m. to midnight, with snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

The Weather Service said areas of dense fog may form Tuesday evening into the overnight due to light winds and melting snow cover.

Later in the week, another system could bring some accumulating snow for New Year`s Day.

In Madison on Tuesday, snow is expected to fall mainly in the afternoon, with a high near 34 and east winds at 5 to 10 miles per hour, gusting as high as 25 mph.

Overnight, theres an 80% chance of precipitation in the form of rain and snow before 11 p.m., then freezing rain between 11 p.m. and midnight, with areas of fog before 4 a.m., and a low around 22.

Theres a 30% chance for snow Wednesday after 3 p.m. and a 40% chance for snow Wednesday night before midnight, with mostly cloudy skies, a high near 25 and a low around 15.

The Weather Service said snow chances return at 30% Friday night, 50% Saturday, and 20% Saturday night.

Skies over Madison should be partly sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly cloudy Saturday, mostly sunny Sunday, and sunny Monday, with highs near 29, 29, 23, 16 and 25, and lows Thursday night through Sunday night around 14, 14, 2 and 2.

27 Storm Track meteorologist Blaise Keller forecasts 2 to 5 inches of snow across its viewing area around Madison on Tuesday, beginning in the late morning and lasting through the overnight, ending in a rain/snow mix with some fog possible; an isolated snow shower or two possible on Wednesday; isolated snow showers possible Friday with at most minor accumulations; and a chance for light to moderate snow Saturday into Saturday night.

Tsaparis said highs for Madison Tuesday through Monday should be near 33, 24, 30, 27, 24, 15 and 24, and overnight lows around 20, 16, 18, 18, 6 and 2.

Mondays high in Madison was 38 at 3:36 p.m., 9 degrees above the normal high and 12 degrees below the record high of 50 for Dec. 27, set in 1946, 2003 and 2018.

Mondays low in Madison was 23 at 11:59 p.m., 8 degrees above the normal low and 49 degrees above the record low of 26 below for Dec. 27, set in 1886.

Officially, 0.04 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Monday, boosting Madisons December and meteorological winter (December through February) precipitation total (rain plus snow converted to liquid) to 1.38 inches, 0.08 inches below normal. For the year, Madison has received 22.51 inches of precipitation, 14.45 inches below normal.

Madisons record precipitation for Dec. 27 is 2.54 inches, set in 1904.

After 2.3 inches fell on Sunday, officially 0.2 inches of snow was recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport on Monday, giving Madison a December and meteorological winter total of 2.9 inches, 7.5 inches below normal. For the snow season (since July 1), Madisons total rose to 3.5 inches, 10.5 inches below normal.

Madisons record snowfall for Dec. 27 is 7 inches, set in 1904.

Madisons snow depth is 2 inches.

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UW-Madison retained its top-10 rank in research spending among hundreds of institutions, according to the latest figures released Monday by the National Science Foundation.

Since the federal agency started surveying universities on their research spending activity in the 1970s, UW-Madison ranked among the top five every year. But the university was bumped to sixth place in 2015 and fell even further, down to eighth, in 2018. Officials at the time attributed the drops to steep state budget cuts and the loss of senior faculty members.

The university retained its No. 8 rank in 2019 and again in the most recent rankings that include 915 public and private institutions that responded to the survey in the 2020 fiscal year.

While the rankings may sound like simply bragging rights, the numbers are closely watched by institutions. The higher a university ranks, the easier it is to attract the brightest minds, build more cutting-edge facilities and compete for additional research money.

With nearly $1.4 billion in annual research spending, up 5.1% from the previous year, UW-Madison vice chancellor for research and graduate education Steve Ackerman said in a statement that the university continues to be an innovation leader.

Nearly half of UW-Madisons research money comes from the federal government, with additional support coming from other sources such as the state and local government, nonprofit organizations and foundations that support the university.

Seven institutions spent more than UW-Madison in the most recent survey: Johns Hopkins University; the University of Michigan; the University of California-San Francisco; the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Washington; UC-San Diego and UCLA. Rounding out the top 10 were Harvard University and Stanford University.

The universitys level of industry research continues to significantly lag behind these schools. Business funding among others ranged between $50 million at Harvard University and $176 million at the University of Pennsylvania. UW-Madison spent about $30 million.

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The Bekkum library will be closed Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The library will re-open on Monday, Jan. 3, for our regularly scheduled hours.

Here are some of the recent arrivals in our adult fiction collection to consider for your holiday reading:

Autopsy by Patricia CornwellThe 25th book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders.

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia as the chief medical examiner, the state where she launched her storied career. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, shes inherited not only an overbearing secretary, but also a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.

Just weeks on the job, shes called to a scene by railroad tracks where a womans body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine, and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.

At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top-secret laboratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she works the first potential crime scene in space remotely, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home (synopsis from Amazon.com).

Wish You Were Her by Jody PicoultDiana OToole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. Shes an associate specialist at Sothebys now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. Shes not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagosdays before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: Its all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Dianas dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel theyd booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her fathers suspicion of outsiders. In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herselfand wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different (synopsis from Amazon.com).

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Snow will return to Southern Wisconsin later today and with it will come travel problems.

Precipitation will begin as snow during the late morning hours and will continue through the early evening while transitioning to rain. The transition to rain will begin to the south and east sooner than locations to the north and west. This will result in higher snow totals in areas like La Crosse and Baraboo versus Racine and Kenosha.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for most of the state through the evening hours. During the afternoon in particular, snow will be heavy in spots. This will reduce visibility and make for slick spots on roads.

If possible, driving should be avoided during the afternoon today. If you must travel, use caution and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.

Tuesday's Forecast

La Crosse

Scattered snow AM, snow likely PM

Breezy: Gusts around 20 mph, high temp: 32

Madison

Isolated snow AM, snow likely PM

Breezy: Gusts around 20 mph, high temp: 34

Racine/Kenosha

Isolated snow AM, rain/snow mix likely PM

Breezy: Gusts around 25 mph, high temp: 38

Tuesday Night's Forecast

La Crosse

20% chance rain/snow mix early, partly cloudy

Snow total: 2-4

Low temperature: 10

Madison

30% chance rain/snow mix early, mostly cloudy

Snow total: 2-3

Low temperature: 20

Racine/Kenosha

40% chance rain early, mostly cloudy

Snow total: 0.25-1

Low temperature: 28

Wednesday's Forecast

La Crosse Partly cloudy, 10% chance snow in the afternoon

High temperature: 19 Madison Partly cloudy, 20% chance snow in the afternoon

High temperature: 26 Racine/Kenosha Partly cloudy

High temperature: 35

Matt Holiner covers weather and climate across the Midwest. Holiner has seven years of professional meteorology experience and has forecast every type of weather for cities across the country. He holds the National Weather Association's Seal of Approval.

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New Program to Help Black Students Sees Success

An initiative in Owensboro to connect Black students with industry mentors, their peers and school faculty had a successful first run, officials said.

Owensboro Black Expo, Owensboro Public Schools and the Owensboro Community & Technical College partnered to launch the Academic Career Exploration program in August and it just completed its first cohort with positive outcomes, the Messenger-Inquirer reported.

The program was offered to Owensboro High School and Owensboro Innovation academy students this year, but plans call for it to expand to the county school system, said Sharmy Davis, program organizer and director of cultural diversity at the community college.

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These are good, active students, Davis said, adding that it has also given students a chance to have deep discussions around race and other national issues. Last month at City Hall, we had them looking at issues in their neighborhoods and had them brainstorming how they would address those issues.
Procession, Festival Mark Start of Kwanzaa

The 45th edition of what organizers say is the worlds oldest Kwanzaa procession was held today in South Los Angeles to mark the start of the seven-day African-American festival.

The KwanZaa Gwaride began at Adams and Crenshaw boulevards, then headed south on Crenshaw Boulevard to Leimert Park, where a festival was held. It included pouring libation, the blessing of the grounds and drumming, jazz and spoken word performances. The festival concluded with the lighting of the Umoja candle.

This is our celebration. This is our new year, RW Akile, president of Kwanaa People of Color, which organizes the procession, told CBS2. The 2021 theme of Kwanzaa is Practicing Kwanzaa and the Seven Principles: Ensuring the Well-Being of the World.

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As a pan-African holiday with ancient agricultural origins, Kwanzaa celebrates the good of the earth and carries within it a commitment to protect, preserve and share this good, Maulana Karenga wrote in his annual founders message. And Kwanzaas modern origins in the Black Freedom Movement commits it to the achievement of liberation and social justice.

Thus, in Kawaida philosophy, out of which Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba were created, environmental justice and social justice are inseparably linked in the moral imperative to achieve and ensure African and human good and the well-being of the world. Karenga, chair of Africana Studies at Cal State Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966 in what he called an audacious act of self-determination.

Karenga describes the holiday as a celebration of family, community and culture and celebrated by millions throughout the world African community. Kwanzaa brings a cultural message, which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. Kwanzaas focus is the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles  unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

During the week, a candelabrum called a Kinara is lit, and ears of corn representing each child in the family are placed on a traditional straw mat. African foods such as millet, spiced pepper balls and rice are often served. Some people fast during the holiday, and a feast is often held on its final night.

A flag with three bars  red for the struggle for freedom, black for unity and green for the future  is sometimes displayed during the holiday. Kwanzaa is based on the theory of Kawaida, which espouses that social revolutionary change for Black America can be achieved by exposing Blacks to their cultural heritage.

Nightly Kwanzaa celebrations and workshops will be held at the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Pasadena will conduct its 33rd annual Kwanzaa celebration from 11 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. Tuesday through Zoom. Registration can be made at pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5106.

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To Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell, the best ways for people to celebrate Kwanzaa is to educate themselves about Kwanzaa, understand its seven principles and what Karenga was focusing on in those principles in terms of self-determination and community, how to build community, how to support community and how to support family. It really is about community and to have the opportunity to talk about and think about yourself and your role in the community, said Mitchell, who studied under Karenga at UC Riverside.
Santa Monica Offers Housing to Families Displaced by Highway

The city of Santa Monica will offer affordable housing to Black families forced out during freeway construction and other urban renewal projects of the 1950s, according to a newspaper report Sunday.

Some 600 families lost their homes when Interstate 10 was built through the Pico neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Starting in January, those former residents and their descendants will be offered priority access to apartments with below-market rents in the hopes that theyll come back to the coastal city in Los Angeles County.

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Affordable housing will also be available for families removed when they city bulldozed another Black area, Belmar Triangle, to build the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Children and grandchildren of those who were displaced will be eligible.

We will be able to right a historic wrong, Santa Monica City Councilwoman Kristin McCowan told the Times. Eventually, were going to do that for more and more people. And if other communities start to do their share, you can see a real tidal wave potentially across the country.

The city program initially will be open to 100 displaced families or their descendants who earn limited incomes, but city leaders hope their efforts will grow into a national model to address past racist policies.

Santa Monicas act of civic penance is an attempt to recognize the harm done to largely Black communities during the post-World War II era of freeway building and urban renewal, the Times said.

The program is part of a nationwide movement to compensate residents for racist harms related to housing and property. In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that authorized the return of shorefront land known as Bruces Beach to the descendants of a Black couple who were run out of Manhattan Beach nearly a century ago.

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Nichelle Monroe, whose grandparents were forced out of the Pico neighborhood, told the Times that she has mixed feelings about the new housing program and the citys other recent efforts to recognize Black history. Monroe believes the city should be making it easier for her family to actually buy a home in the community.

But what else is there? Monroe said. The theft is still there. The generational wealth is still gone.

Nationwide, more than 1 million people lost their homes in just the first two decades of interstate construction alone, according to the Times. Early on, highway planners targeted many Black neighborhoods for destruction, and displaced families often received little compensation.
Firefighters work at the scene of the attack at the seaport of the coastal city of Latakia

An Israeli air raid has struck Syrias Mediterranean port of Latakia for the second time this month, causing significant material damage, according to Syrian state media.

At around 3:21am (05:21 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression with several missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean  targeting the container yard in Latakia port, SANA state news agency cited a military source as saying on Tuesday.

Live footage aired by state television showed flames and smoke in the container terminal. Later on Tuesday, the Syrian governments media office said emergency services brought under control fires that had broken out in the ports container storage area.

The missile attack also wrecked the facades of a hospital, some residential buildings and shops, according to SANA.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the attack, which activated Syrian air defences, it said.

Israeli missiles fired from the Mediterranean struck the port of Latakia early Tuesday, igniting a fire in the container terminal, Syrian state media said, in the second attack on the vital facility this month.

Since the outbreak of Syrias war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out air raids on its strife-torn neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

A reporter for the state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV in the area said the explosions could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city more than 80km (nearly 50 miles) south.

Asked about the raid, an Israeli army spokesman said: We dont comment on reports in foreign media.

Latakia is Syrias main commercial port.

Russia, which has been President Bashar al-Assads most powerful ally during the war, alongside Iran, operates an airbase at Hmeimim, some 20km (12 miles) south of the city.

Routine air raids

On December 7, Israel carried out raids on the port in Latakia, located in al-Assads western Syrian heartland, without causing any casualties.

That earlier attack, which was the first on the facility since the start of the war, targeted an Iranian arms shipment and triggered a series of explosions, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor with a wide network of sources in Syria.

In November, three soldiers and two Syrian fighters affiliated with Hezbollah were killed in Israeli raids, according to the monitoring group.

While Israel rarely comments on individual attacks it carries out on its northern neighbour  with which it is officially at war  it has confirmed hundreds since 2011.

According to a report by the Israeli army, it hit about 50 targets in Syria in 2020.

In the deadliest operation since the raids began, Israel killed 57 Syrian government soldiers and allied fighters in eastern Syria overnight on January 13, 2021.

In a shadow war, Israeli forces have targeted Irans military sites in Syria and also carried out a sabotage campaign inside the country against its nuclear programme.

Iran has been a key supporter of al-Assad in the conflict. It finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the regular armed forces, including Hezbollah.

The war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it started a decade ago with the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.

Source: Al Jazeera
Early data suggests that people infected with the Omicron coronavirus are 50 to 70 percent less likely to be hospitalized than those with the Delta, Britains public health agency announced Thursday, December 23rd.

The new finding on COVID-19 disease was a small ray of sunlight, said one researcher.

The data adds to growing evidence that omicron produces milder sickness than other versions of the virus. But scientists warn that reductions in severity must be weighed against the fact that omicron spreads much faster than Delta.

Based on cases in Britain, a person with omicron is estimated to be 31 percent to 45 percent less likely to go to a hospital emergency department compared to someone with Delta. And the same person is 50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital, the agency said.

The British Public Health Security Agency said the finding has a high level of uncertainty. It said it was based on a small number of omicron patients in hospitals and that most of them were in younger age groups. As of December 20, 132 people had been admitted to U.K. hospitals with confirmed omicron. Fourteen of them died, all between the ages of 52 and 96.

Experts not involved with the research called it promising.

To me, its a small ray of sunlight among all the dark clouds, said Dr. Jonathan Li, director of the Harvard/Brigham Virology Specialty Laboratory.

The signs that omicron may cause less severe disease support lab data suggesting omicron does not grow as well in cells of the lungs, Li said.

The findings add to similar data from South Africa, added Dr. Bruce Walker. He is director of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.

Walker said there are still unknowns, such as the relative severity of omicron in someone vaccinated compared with someone who had COVID-19 before or someone who is unvaccinated and has not had the disease.

Vaccination remains critical, he said. Walker is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press Health and Science Department.

The British agencys research said the protection a vaccine booster shot gives against symptomatic omicron infection appears to lessen after about 10 weeks. Protection against hospitalization and severe disease is likely to last longer, it said.

The announcement came after two studies, from Imperial College London and Scottish researchers, found patients with omicron were 20 to 68 percent less likely to require hospital treatment than those with Delta.

Information from South Africa, where Omicron was discovered, has also suggested omicron might be less severe there. Salim Abdool Karim is an infectious disease expert in South Africa. He recently said that the rate of admissions to hospitals was far lower for Omicron than it was for Delta.

Our overall admission rate is in the region of around 2% to 4% compared to previously, where it was closer to 20%, he said. Karim added that, although there are a large number of cases, fewer are being admitted to the hospital.

Im Anna Matteo.

Laura Ungar and Mike Stobbe reported this story for the Associated Press. Caty Weaver was the editor for VOA Learning English.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

___________________________________________________

Words in This Story

data -n. facts about something that can be used in calculating, reasoning, or planning

ray -n. a beam of radiant energy (such as light) of small cross section

mild adj. moderate in action or effect

relative adj. compared to someone or something else or to each other : seeming to be something when compared with others

booster -n. a substance or dose used to renew or increase the effect of a drug or immunizing agent: such as

symptomatic adj. showing that a particular disease is present : relating to or showing symptoms of a disease

region n. a part of a country, of the world, that is different or separate from other parts in some way

previously adv. existing or happening before the present time


In the United States, debates over issues like reopening, masks, vaccines and racism played out all over the country in 2021. And it was no different for schools.

As vaccines started being distributed to teachers and school officials in January, Americans were hopeful schools could start returning to normal. The pandemic forced many school systems to give up in-person classes in 2020. Many American students were still learning remotely as 2021 began. Research from last year showed how students learning slowed, largely due to the change to online learning.

Masks and Vaccines

In the winter and spring, schools slowly started bringing students back in-person. And as the new school year began in the autumn, it appeared that schools were ready for a return to full-time in-person classes.

But officials, politicians, families and students could not seem to agree on how to safely return to class. The highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus started spreading in the U.S. just before the new school year, and plans quickly changed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance in August recommending that all students, teachers and school workers wear masks in schools. But some state lawmakers policies on masking went against school and public health officials opinions on what was safe.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banned schools in the state from requiring masks. He called mask-wearing a choice that parents should make and not the government. He also claimed that masks prevented children from learning and communicating.

But some school systems in the state chose not to listen to the governors order. One was Leon County, where the state capital of Tallahassee is located.

Sara Lee is a mother of two children attending school in Leon County. She said wearing masks did not prevent her kids from learning, as DeSantis has suggested. I was relieved when our school board went against our governor, Lee told VOA.

The state of Texas also banned masks. But schools in the cities of Austin and Dallas chose to ignore the ban.

As vaccines for children became available in April and May, schools made efforts to get them shots. Public health experts say vaccines are the most effective way to prevent severe illness from COVID-19.

But there continues to be plenty of misinformation on the vaccines safety and effectiveness. And some lawmakers have tried to prevent schools from vaccinating students.

In Tennessee, the health department ended vaccination events aimed at children. Republican lawmakers accused the health department of pressuring children to get the vaccine.

Children are at lower risk of getting severe COVID-19 infection and being hospitalized. However, the risk remains. They can also still spread the disease to school workers and family members.

Teacher and worker shortages

Like in many areas of the economy, the pandemic has led to teacher and worker shortages in schools. Teachers have been retiring or leaving their jobs at high rates. Many have experienced burnout. Districts have faced shortages before, but many now say it is the worst it has ever been.

The National Education Association questioned 2,690 educators in June. Thirty-two percent said the pandemic drove them to leave teaching earlier than expected. Another survey by the Rand Corporation found that teachers had high levels of stress and were three times more likely than adults in other professions to experience depression.

This is the worst shortage of labor we have ever had, said Tony Wold. He is the superintendent of a school system in California's West Contra Costa County. We opened this year with 50teaching positions open. That means students are going to 50 classrooms that do not have a permanent teacher.

There is also a shortage of cleaners, food service workers and others, Wold said.

Debates over teaching race

Schools, parents and lawmakers also disagreed over ways to teach about racism, and critical race theory, or CRT, in schools.

Critical race theory is a way of thinking about Americas history through race. It argues that racism is a part of all of Americas government and businesses and more than just individual discrimination.

Some ideas related to the theory are being taught in public schools.

Tassie Zahner teaches American history in Montgomery County, Maryland. She said it would be very hard to teach her class without using some CRT ideas, like Americas history of racism.

In order to teach (a) U.S. history class correctly you have to talk about those things, she said. You cant prepare studentsif youre not teaching the truth about U.S. history.

Teaching race in schools has become an important cause for conservatives. Many Republican-controlled states have passed legislation restricting how history and race can be taught in public school.

The issue of Critical Race Theory helped Virginia Republican Glenn Youngkin win the election for governor. He argued that CRT amounted to a kind of reverse-racism that taught white students to feel guilty about the nations history.

Adu is a high school student in Chicago. Her class learned about The New York Times 1619 Project. The well-known and controversial project released in 2019 is about slaverys effects on modern-day America.

She told VOA she sees a connection between states trying to control how to teach racism and George Floyds murder and the nationwide protests for racial equality.

They dont want us to know the effects of slavery are still going on, Adu said. When George Floyd was killed, that kind of showed that even though slavery is over this is the remnant of it.

Omicrons impact

The quick spread of the Omicron variant of the pandemic threatens schools ability to stay open. Many school systems around the country changed to fully online classes ahead of the holiday break.

New York City has the countrys largest school system. On December 20, one-fifth of the citys students did not attend class, likely out of concern about the virus.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul promised to keep schools open.

She said last week: We believe that its critically important that our children not end up in that same situation they were for so many months, when they were so displaced from their normal environment.

Im Jill Robbins.

And Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

Quiz- 2021: Schools Debate Pandemic Restrictions, Race Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



_________________________________________________

Words in This Story

mask  n. a covering for your face or for part of your face

variant  adj. different in some way from others of the same kind

relieve  v. to make a problem less serious

board  n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization

burnout  n. the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time

stress n. the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time

depression  n. a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way

reverse  n. something that is opposite to something else

remnant  n. the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone

displace  v. to move so that it is no longer in its original or regular location or position
Wymore wrote that Ventura, to the districts knowledge, is not familiar with the Cozad school district in anyway and he has never visited or reached out to discuss his concerns, prior to making his own determination about our intentions and sharing it widely, and this is why respect and discourse, and not assumptions, are so critical at this time in our country.

The Cozad School District is proud of our student body, and in particular is proud of the FFAs decision to support the children of fallen veterans. Wearing red, white and blue is an entirely appropriate way to honor fallen veterans and to raise funds to support scholarships for their families, Wymore wrote.

Ventura was reached out to for comment, but did not respond by press time.

In response to the situation, several Cozad residents parked their vehicles outside the high school on Monday morning, with many of them sporting the Stars and Stripes, other vehicles carried signs stating, Cozad Cares.

In the end, the Cozad FFA raised around $2,000 for Folds of Honor.

2: Lexingtons Pizza Hut closes permanently
LEXINGTON  The Two Rivers Public Health Departments COVID-19 risk dial was slightly decreased but remains in the severe red zone.

The red zone means there is a severe level of risk for contracting the virus and becoming ill from it. The dial has been in the severe zone for 14 weeks, the longest span, since the pandemic began on March 20, 2020.

The dial, released Thursday Dec. 23, reflected the 224 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the districts seven counties Dec. 15-21.

Around 10 percent of all tests recorded in the district are positive.

More than 50 percent of all tests outside long-term facilities in Holdrege were positive in the last month, compared to 15 percent of tests in Lexington and 20 percent of Kearney, respectively.

Two Rivers Public Health Department is prohibited by the state from revealing the number of new cases in each county, but according to Wednesdays New York Times COVID map, 207 new cases were confirmed in these counties:

Buffalo -105

Dawson - 45

Phelps - 40

Kearney -11

Gosper - 4

Harlan -2

Franklin - 0
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Despite the Wisconsin Elections Commissions statutory duty to administer and ensure compliance with election laws, it has become clear that WEC has taken a number of actions in recent years that have violated state statutes. That is why I recently introduced a resolution in the Legislature calling for the removal of the WEC officials responsible for the agencys unlawful activities.

Before going further, it is important for me to be clear about what is and is not at issue in this resolution. Most importantly, it is not about relitigating the specific outcomes of any particular election, including the 2020 fall election, because the appropriate time for addressing any such concerns was in the days and weeks immediately following the vote, and the results are settled. It is vital that we can avoid conflating debates about the outcomes of any given election with our ability to critically evaluate the processes and systems underpinning our government. At its core, this resolution is fundamentally about both holding accountable a state agency that has been egregious in its disregard for the laws written by the Legislature and signed by the governor, and helping to restore proper constitutional balance between the branches of government.
Saving for retirement in a 401(k) is one of the smartest moves you can make. That's because Social Security most likely won't provide enough income for you to live on.

The monthly benefit you collect from Social Security will probably replace about 40% of your former paycheck, assuming you're an average earner. But chances are, you'll need a lot more money than that to keep up with your bills as a retiree, and also, enjoy the freedom that comes with not having a job to report to.

But while socking funds away in a 401(k) plan is a great way to accumulate wealth for your future, you may find that you're not seeing the amount of growth in your retirement account that you'd like. If that's the case, these could be some of the reasons why.

1. You're not snagging your full employer match

Many employers that sponsor 401(k) plans also match worker contributions to some degree. But if you're not putting in enough money to snag your match, then you're not only leaving free cash on the table, but also, setting your 401(k) up to potentially fall short.

Imagine you pass up $1,200 a year in free 401(k) dollars by not claiming your full employer match. Let's also imagine you do this over a 30-year period. For a 401(k) plan invested at an average annual 7% return, you're talking about missing out on $113,000 when you factor in not just that lost money, but a lost opportunity to invest it.

2. You're investing too safely

Many people worry about investing in the stock market because it's known to be volatile. But if you load up on bonds in your 401(k) rather than stocks, you may end up very disappointed in the extent to which your savings are able to grow.

The 7% return we used in the example above is a bit below the stock market's average. Now, say you sock away $500 a month in your 401(k) over 30 years at an average annual 7% return. You'll end up with about $567,000, which is a decent-sized nest egg.

If you play it too safe and stick with bonds, you might average a 4% annual return instead. That would leave you with about $337,000 in retirement. That's not a negligible sum, but it also gives you a lot less buying power than $567,000.

3. You're losing money to fees

Not all 401(k) funds are created equal when it comes to the fees you'll pay to invest in them. Actively managed mutual funds employ people to hand-pick investments. And so if you load up on them, you'll be charged hefty fees to help pay their salaries.

Index funds, by contrast, are passively managed. All they aim to do is match the performance of the different benchmarks they're tied to. As such, the fees you're charged to invest in index funds are generally minimal, and much lower than what actively managed mutual funds will charge.

Most 401(k) plans offer a mix of actively managed funds and index funds for enrollees to choose from. If you've been paying expensive fees, it may be time to change things up so you don't lose out on money needlessly -- especially since many index funds perform just as well as their actively managed counterparts, if not better.

Don't sell yourself short

Once you retire, you may become quite reliant on the money in your 401(k). So don't limit yourself to a smaller balance. Instead, make sure to claim your full employer match every year, invest in a reasonably aggressive fashion (at least while retirement is still many years away), and avoid losing money to fees when there's an alternate option.

The $16,728 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

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TWIN FALLS  Social media lit up Monday morning with photos of pristine snowfall, followed by hazardous-road advisories.

Our deputies have been busy all morning long with slide offs, abandoned vehicles in the middle of the road, and crashes, a post on the Twin Falls Sheriffs Office Facebook feed said.

From mid-day Friday through Monday, about two-thirds of an inch of precipitation fell at Joslin Field, Magic Valley Regional Airport. But total inches of snowfall is hard to tally from drift to drift across the valley.

Twin Falls County Sheriffs Sgt. Jeff Haskell told the Times-News that he got stuck helping a slide-off victim at 3300 North and 2950 East, south of Twin Falls.

Its been pretty crazy, Haskell said. Weve had a lot of slide-offs. I even had two deputies stuck and had to be towed.

Eastern Twin Falls County and western Cassia County awoke Monday to find U.S. Highway 30 closed from near the Hansen Butte to Burley, according to the Idaho Transportation Departments 511.idaho.gov website. The highway reopened mid-afternoon after shutting Murtaugh down tight.

To the southwest, traffic on U.S. Highway 93 was light until a semi-truck crashed and blocked both lanes south of Hollister.

Many in Hollister cant get out of their driveway, resident Sheila Owens said Monday morning. Its still snowing like crazy. There are 8-foot drifts out back and our driveway is socked in.

Owens said her husband, Doug, spent the wee hours of the morning helping drivers out of drifts near Nat Soo Pah Hot Springs.

By early afternoon, the Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office posted a request for drivers to stay off 17 Mile Road, Three Creek Highway and Rock Creek Road, and out of the Salmon Dam area in general, so that snowplow drivers could do their work.

Soon after, Three Creek School District posted that the Three Creek Highway was closed, leaving residents of Three Creek, Murphy Hot Springs, and Jarbidge, Nevada, officially snowbound. Joe Keele with the Three Creek Highway District had reported more than a foot of snow with winds.

The National Weather Service posted a Winter Weather Advisory for western Twin Falls County warning drivers of slippery road conditions and blowing snow until 8 p.m.

A special weather statement from the weather service said snow is expected to end and temperatures plummet after 8 p.m. Monday. The cold spell is expected to last through Thursday in the Treasure and Magic valleys, with high temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees.

If theres any good news to be found, most winds will stay below 10 mph during the coldest periods, the statement reads.

The Camas Prairie, however, will have dangerous wind chill near 25 degrees below zero, with a significant risk of frostbite.

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BOISE  A strange complaint came into the Idaho Attorney Generals Office in 2000. A business called Sound Health Society said it could diagnose medical problems, using only a persons blood or saliva sample  sent in by fax. It also sold sound wave machines to cure terminal illnesses, including cancer.

Idahos top consumer protection lawyers opened an investigation. They smeared a bit of ketchup on a piece of paper and faxed it in. The ketchups diagnosis: an iron imbalance.

The Idaho Attorney Generals Office later sued Sound Health Society and its now-deceased proprietors from Nampa, among other parties involved in the alleged scheme, saying they violated Idahos consumer protection laws and bamboozled multiple Idahoans.

Twenty years later, the attorney generals consumer protection division is one of few blockades against health misinformation in Idaho.

During the pandemic, it investigated people who claimed to have treatments or prophylactics for COVID-19, taking one to court.

Since the pandemic began, Idahoans havent been sure whom to trust. They want to survive, be healthy and make the right choices for themselves and their family.

The vast majority of people want to do the right thing, said Maggie Mann, director of the Southeastern Idaho Public Health department. It boils down to a question of who do you believe? Who do you put your trust in?

As nurses and doctors interviewed by the Sun have said, nobody theyve encountered chose to ignore public health advice because they wanted to be critically ill or die  or infect their loved ones.

My advice to our health system, and my advice to health care workers, and my advice to people of goodwill who want to see this thing put behind us, is to direct your frustration and your anger where its more healthy, and that is at the people who are selling the misinformation, said Dr. James Souza, chief physician executive for St. Lukes Health System and a pulmonologist and intensive care physician.

Please remember that when the people who are being misinformed get this infection, and they take the false treatments offered by these doctors, and then they get really sick, who do they come to? They dont go to them. They come to us, Souza said.

False cures, false warnings, false information

David Flowers in Payette runs a website and Facebook page called True Wisdom True Immunity. It claims to be the only source using the body, its immune system, organs, glands, and natural ability to self-heal and self-repair. It seems to us, everyone else in the current healthcare industry is simply selling products with no regard to the (bodys) healing capacity.

The Facebook page has nearly 10,000 followers.

The Attorney Generals Office won a lawsuit last year against Flowers over his claims. Flowers told the Sun in a phone interview that he plans to let sleeping dogs lie instead of complying with the courts order to cease doing business and pay $15,000 in penalties.

Theyve maintained that the science is the end all, be all, and theres nobody else capable of coming up with better information or understanding of health care, outside of science, and theyd be wrong. So thats where it sits, Flowers said.

Stephanie Guyon is the deputy attorney general who worked on that lawsuit, and many others, to enforce laws protecting consumers from unscrupulous practices.

When a licensed or unlicensed health care provider makes a false claim, it doesnt just cost the patient money and time, it can damage their health directly  and indirectly, if it keeps them from getting evidence-based medical care.

For example, Guyon sometimes notices advertisements for ionic foot bath cleansing treatments, which claim to remove toxins by pulling them out through a persons feet.

Those kinds of claims trouble her.

How did we get here? This is the final of three stories from the Idaho Capital Sun on health misinformation, vaccine hesitancy and distrust in Idaho. The Idaho Capital Sun interviewed dozens of people, asking how the state ended up on a path to catastrophe  and what, if anything, can turn it around. State legislators, public health officials, lawyers, health care workers and a media scholar all described one common theme: distrust, fueled by forces within Idaho and beyond. Read the previous stories at Magicvalley.com or IdahoCapitalSun.com.

Treatments without solid evidence to back them up are certainly not going to cure your childs autism, Guyon said in a June interview.

Its not going to cure cancer. Its not going to help your back pain, she said. But people who are in pain, people who have problems with any parts of their body, theyre desperate. They want to believe that they can take a pill, they can get a treatment that is going to relieve their pain, and they are willing to pay for it.

The coronavirus offered an opportunity to Idahoans who peddle false cures or make unfounded claims about health: a new, unpredictable virus that challenged even the worlds top scientists and medical providers.

Steven Baker, a chiropractor in Meridian, has claimed to have answers.

Before the pandemic, he developed a large social media presence, with a Facebook page that has since been removed. He shared videos that cited, for example, misleading information about child vaccinations.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, currently affects less than 0.1% of the population, Baker says in one video, urging people to move away from states that require vaccinations for public schools, and highlighting that Idaho allows exemptions. Youre worried about something that affects  less than 0.1% of babies that are born, he says.

Pertussis was once a common illness. Because of vaccinations, it is now rare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, cases do occur, and the bacterial infection can be deadly in infants. Between 2000 and 2017, the CDC recorded 307 deaths from pertussis, with newborns making up 84% of those deaths.

In the school year before COVID-19 arrived, 7.7% of Idahos kindergarten, first- and seventh-grade students had an exemption for at least one vaccine  a total of about 5,600 children in those grades. That exemption rate was 6.4% two years earlier, Idaho Ed News reported.

Reached on the phone Wednesday, Baker did not answer the Suns questions about his videos or his chiropractic practice.

Your opinion doesnt matter, and your opinion of what I say doesnt matter, so you can print whatever, he told the Sun.

Baker has been licensed as a chiropractor in Idaho since 2009 with no disciplinary actions on his record.

Some who spread health misinformation gain from the pandemic

Baker attracted national attention last year for claiming that silver could prevent coronavirus infections.

Bakers Facebook page has just over 70,000 followers, while his Instagram account hovers at about 6,000, BuzzFeed News reported in April 2020. The videos he has been publishing during the pandemic have seen the highest engagement rate of anything hes posted, according to data from social media analysis firm CrowdTangle.

Facebook took down his page.

His Instagram account remains active, now with more than 53,000 followers. On Instagram, he directs people to buy supplements from his website, which sells an immune bundle of several products that cost $22 to $59 each.

An Idaho doctor also became a leading figure in the COVID-19 anti-mask and anti-vaccination movement  while making money from coronavirus tests.

Dr. Ryan Cole has called the COVID-19 vaccine a clot shot, needle rape, an experimental drug and a poisonous attack on our population that must be stopped. His unsupported claims include that the vaccines open a door to cancer and other diseases, that COVID-19 survivors are now immune, and that children should not receive the vaccine.

He advocates, in interviews and public comments, for unproven methods of avoiding illness and death from COVID-19.

Local emergency physicians said in sworn affidavits that patients with severe COVID-19 came to their emergency rooms after taking Coles prescriptions and advice. Their complaints are among several made this year against Cole to Washingtons medical licensing board.

Cole has told the Sun that he went into debt to offer COVID-19 testing, in an effort to aid Idahoans in the early stages of the pandemic.

Cole Diagnostics performed more than 100,000 coronavirus tests as of summer 2021, according to paperwork Cole submitted to Ada County. The Sun estimated a gross income of nearly $10 million for those tests, based on the labs out-of-pocket price and typical reimbursement rates for testing.

Cole said in text messages that the labs income was much less than half of that amount.

Keep in mind that we spent over $2 million on supplies and equipment and that Cole Diagnostics also had staff wages and overhead, he said. The pandemics toll on preventive care such as cancer screenings took a toll on his business, too, he said.

Cole Diagnostics relied heavily on COVID-19 testing for income, according to public records obtained through a request to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Idaho Medicaid is one of the states largest health insurers. Many low-income Idahoans with Medicaid got their COVID-19 test results through Coles laboratory.

The Idaho Medicaid program paid Cole Diagnostics more than $282,000 for COVID-19 testing claims between March 2020 and September 2021. That was about 45% of the labs income from Medicaid during that time period. (The other 55% was for cervical cancer test results, blood tests, insulin and hormone levels, and sexually transmitted infection tests, among other things.)

My personal net income last year was zero. (I took home a stipend to pay food, lights, heat and mortgage), Cole wrote in a text message to the Sun. I did what I did to serve my fellow citizens and patients, at great risk to the edge of insolvency, during a health crisis.

As COVID-19 vaccines open up to children, misinformation builds

Health disinformation, myths and vaccine hesitancy go back decades in Idaho.

It just feels like it, its on such a  huge scale now. You can feel that anger really quickly now, with the tools we have with the internet. But vaccine misinformation  its really not new, unfortunately, said Idaho Immunization Program Manager Sarah Leeds. It can gain so much traction as legitimate, so quickly.

It has been six weeks since Idaho officials announced the states first death of a child  an infant  from COVID-19, and only 13% of Idaho children ages 5 to 11 received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Those daily vaccination numbers have already begun to slow down.

The topic of child immunizations is an open wound in Idaho. Instead of healing the wound, the pandemic has left it weeping and raw.

Hundreds of people submitted public comments on Idahos vaccine rules in 2019  many of them part of Health Freedom Idaho, a nonprofit organization formed in 2016 to oppose vaccination requirements, among other things.

The group has organized mask protests, events with anti-vaccination speakers and advocacy campaigns in Idaho during the pandemic. It also helped to spread false and misleading information on COVID-19 and vaccines.

In a meeting this month of the regional public health board he was appointed to last summer, Cole addressed questions to Dr. Kenneth Bramwell, medical director of St. Lukes Childrens, Idahos only childrens hospital.

Cole repeated a claim to Bramwell, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor, that kids are more likely to be hospitalized from the vaccine than from COVID-19.

Cole cited no source for his claim, which is false.

More than 280 Idaho children have been hospitalized with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, more than 89,500 Idaho children have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 22. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System shows only three instances of Idaho children being hospitalized at some point after vaccination. (Those reports do not imply a child was hospitalized because of the vaccine. While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness, the systems disclaimer says. The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable.)

DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide into your nebulizer

Health Freedom Idaho and other groups have used the internet and various media platforms to amp up their advocacy efforts, as well as to spread misinformation.

As Idaho went into a never-before-seen crisis in its hospitals this fall, the group sent out a mass email that claimed breathing in a mist of hydrogen peroxide was a simple remedy for COVID-19.

A Michigan family doctor has successfully treated over 200 patients with what has become my favorite intervention for COVID-19 and other upper respiratory infections, namely nebulized hydrogen peroxide, the email said.

A month later, fact checkers and health organizations such as the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America warned the public not to try inhaling hydrogen peroxide for COVID-19.

DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide into your nebulizer and breathe it in, the AAFA said. This is dangerous!

That email from Aug. 21 also advertised several large gatherings  and an email campaign to county commissioners in support of Cole.

That week, according to federal and state data, Idaho hospitals admitted 455 adults and nine children with COVID-19. They saw nearly 2,300 patients for COVID-19 in the ER. And 69 Idahoans died from the disease.

Where do we go from here? The approach that Idaho Gov. Brad Little and several other Idaho leaders have taken in the pandemic is not to force compliance with public health advice. In states where theres already a lot of support for the measure, its easier to do a mandate and  its going to work, said Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho state epidemiologist. But in states where theres not support, it can actually be counterproductive. Instead, leaders have encouraged people to listen to experts and choose to get vaccinated, to wear masks and to protect themselves and others. But what happens when people arent listening to experts? What happens if theyre consuming misinformation? Experts in medicine, the law, public health and media literacy were almost unanimous on how to combat the polarization of facts in public health: I dont know. What changes it? I dont know. Youre talking about changing an attitude, a belief system, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center, co-inventor of the RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine and a vaccine safety adviser to the Food and Drug Administration. I think, in a better world, people care about their neighbor. Americans have a right to speak their minds The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, and sources interviewed by the Idaho Capital Sun agreed that its crucial to American society. However, there are limits to free speech. It is a felony in Idaho to spread any false statement, rumor, or suggestion, written, printed or by word of mouth about a financial institution, if it causes a bank run or otherwise harms the bank. If youre saying something that you either know isnt true, or youre totally reckless in disregarding whether its true or false  and people are injured by that, you should be accountable, said John Culhane, a law professor, fellow in constitutional law and co-director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute at Widener University Delaware Law School. Accountability through the courts? Culhane recently spearheaded a project to research and examine the sources of misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines by talking with survivors and people who lost a loved one to COVID-19, and evaluating whether they could merit legal recourse. If you say something negligently, like you dont do the full research, I dont think people should be liable for that, Culhane said. But if you deliberately are lying, (or) you have no idea what youre talking about, you just are spouting nonsense, that should be actionable if people rely on it to their detriment. And I would say, if theyre dying from COVID, thats to their detriment. And their family members should be bringing wrongful deaths. Idaho Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, lost his mother in September to COVID-19. She was 74 and unvaccinated. I dont think a mandate would have made my mother more likely to get vaccinated, he said in an interview. I think she would have dug in more and resisted, more, getting the vaccine. But, with accurate information, he believes she would have chosen differently, he said. Chaney, who is an attorney, said creating some kind of civil liability for people who spread misinformation might be warranted. There is no appetite for that in the Idaho Legislature now, though, he said. Accountability at the polls? Idaho legislators themselves have spread false information. For example, Rep. Greg Ferch, R-Boise, falsely claimed on the House floor that there appears to be some credible evidence that Pfizer executives were hiding the fact that there were aborted fetus cells were used in the production of the vaccine, the Sun previously reported. Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, last year claimed that an Idaho nurse who died of COVID-19 actually died from a heart attack and has shared false and misleading information about COVID-19 treatments and masks. On his Facebook page, Rep. Chad Christensen, R-Iona, often shares conspiracy theories about the pandemic. He refers to the COVID agenda as a planned health crisis to destroy small business and erode freedoms. He shares baseless claims about the coronavirus  that variants like delta and omicron must be manufactured  and about the COVID-19 vaccine. I think, in a big way, we as Idahoans need to hold politicians accountable for spreading misinformation, Chaney said. Maybe it happens in 2022, maybe it doesnt happen until 2024. We need to go to the ballot box, and we need to remember how opportunistic and damaging some of these comments have been. Care and compassion for your community Idaho Public Health Division Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch, who has overseen project after project during the pandemic, worries that the problem runs deep  that, maybe, people just dont care about others. Whats been really striking to me, throughout the course of this pandemic so far  whether its wearing a mask, or any of the measures that weve taken, is that people are so stuck in their (stance of) But this is affecting me, personally, she said. If thats all you can see and hear is just  how it impacts you and relates to you, as opposed to your care and compassion for your community, for the greater good, how do you shift that?
A series of recent reports make clear that Idaho needs to thoroughly reform its child protective services system. It should be a top priority for the next legislative session.

The child protective services system is necessarily one of the most opaque bureaucracies in the state. It is necessary to protect the privacy of vulnerable children. But that lack of transparency has serious downsides.

When the system fails, those failures take place outside the public eye. That means things can reach a crisis level without many people outside the system knowing.

And when a family finds itself caught in the system, it can feel like they have no means of appeal, as reporter Nicole Blanchard recently documented in her story about 12-year-old Logan.

Logan was traveling through Idaho with his mother to Utah, where they planned to settle. He was taken into state custody after a welfare check on his mother led to a mental health hold. He remained in the foster system for several months, including being sent to a Utah facility where he was allegedly physically abused.

Idaho is one of only 11 states that do not have a designated mediator that families can turn to when they think the system has gone wrong. That leaves the only means of appeal for a family like Logans is directly to the department to change its decision, or attempting a court challenge, which could drag on for months or years, during which they are separated from their children. An ombudsman could provide a neutral arbitrator to help ensure that cases like his are not repeated.

An ombudsman could also provide lawmakers with a neutral perspective on a department that is in the midst of a severe, systemic crisis, as recent reporting from Kelcie Moseley-Morris of the Idaho Capital Sun makes clear.

Her recent series detailed a linked set of crises in the child protective services system: severe understaffing and a growing shortage of foster placement capacity. As she noted, these problems have led to 44 kids being housed in hotels or short-term rentals this year.

Idahos child protective services system is also significantly underfunded and understaffed. The average caseworker is carrying roughly twice as many cases as they should, and caseworkers are burning out and leaving.

The problem has been escalating for years. Back in 2017, citizen review panels said child protective services was understaffed by between 57 and 77 caseworkers. The staff has grown by only nine since then, partly because not enough positions have been asked for, and partly because of caseworkers quitting. Vacancy rates for social workers are between 40% and 50%, and in 2021 the turnover rate for midlevel social workers was 36%.

These are all signs of a system that is grossly, tragically underfunded. These are signs of a state that does not put adequate value on children at serious risk.

This can lead to the removal of children in cases where a family could be reunified, or the return of children to families where they are in danger of abuse or neglect. Any time either one of these things happens, lives are irreparably damaged. As Moseley-Morris noted, there was one case where it took

44 reports that a child was in danger before action was

taken.

When the legislative session convenes next month, lawmakers should draft legislation to mandate the hiring of an ombudsman, and they should make a large increase in appropriations  well above what the agency requests  for social worker staffing. We have a large surplus, and this is a small agency. Theres plenty of money; the only question is whether there is the will to fix the problem.

Children at risk cant be responsible for themselves  because theyre kids. And some kids are born with parents who cant or wont take care of them, so we cant expect those parents to be responsible for them.

In situations like that, were responsible for these kids. We need to start taking that responsibility seriously.

Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members J.J. Saldana and Christy Perry.

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Under staff guidance, the students will become familiar with early childhood classroom expectations, routines and working with young children, said Head Start Director Karey Dulaney. Head Start provides the opportunity for students to decide firsthand if early childhood education is a career path they would be interested in for the future.

Since 2017, more than 12 early childcare students at the high school were hired by Head Start after participating in the job shadowing and intern programs available.

Once the pre-apprenticeship option became available, it was a no-brainer to have our students participate, said Finley. This is another excellent example of the great partnerships we have in McDowell County and what outcomes can be made by everyone working together.

A signing ceremony was held on Nov. 17 for these students and included guests, ApprenticeshipNC Consultant Charlie Milling and NCDPI Family and Consumer Sciences Consultant Valerie Williams. These students were also honored at the December McDowell County Board of Education meeting, where Finley added that McDowell and Buncombe were the only counties in the state to have this pre-apprenticeship program for early childhood education so far.
Old Fort will have its first ever New Years Eve celebration this Friday night.

Local disc jockey Doug McCraw is helping organize the celebration, which will start at 8 p.m. on New Years Eve. The festivities will be located around the Arrowhead Monument next to the Old Fort Depot, he said.

They will include a performance by McDowells own Le Petit Dancers. There will also be a Native American dance performance. McCraw said representatives from the Cohari and Lumbee tribes in eastern North Carolina will perform authentic tribal dances with colorful regalia.

Its going to be really something for people to see, something different, McCraw told The McDowell News.

The New Years Eve celebration will feature a doggie costume contest. McCraw said this contest will not have judges. Rather, the public can vote on whichever dog has the best costume by putting loose change or a dollar in for that particular pup. The money collected will go to help a local animal rescue group.

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There will be free train rides and free bouncy houses for the kids. Mustards Last Stand will have hamburgers and hot dogs for people to eat. Anna's Sweet Treats will have snow cones, funnel cakes and lemonade.
He was an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd: in unison with reactions from around the world, the Mandela Foundation described the loss of Desmond Tutu as immeasurable, for which a week of mourning is being observed, from Monday until the funeral on Saturday in Cape Town.

On Sunday evening, Joe and Jill Biden, saying they were heartbroken, said in a statement that the example of the Anglican archbishop who died on Sunday at the age of 90 transcends borders and will resonate through the ages. The U.S. presidential couple also spoke of the power of Desmond Tutus message of justice, equality, truth and reconciliation.

Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had expressed his deep sadness after the death of this unparalleled patriot. His death is a new chapter of mourning in our nations farewell to a generation of exceptional South Africans who bequeathed us a liberated South Africa, he said, referring to a man of extraordinary intelligence, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid.

The UN also paid tribute to Desmond Tutu, a source of inspiration for generations around the world and whose death leaves a huge void, in the words of its secretary general, Antonio Guterres.

Former US president Barack Obama, the nations first Black leader, called Tutu a mentor, a friend, and a moral compass who could find humanity in his adversaries. A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere, said the fellow Nobel Peace laureate in a statement.

Queen Elizabeth II paid her tribute to Tutu and called him a man who tirelessly championed human rights in South Africa and across the world. I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humour, she said in a statement.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was a guiding light for countless people globally. His emphasis on human dignity and equality will be forever remembered. I am deeply saddened by his demise, and extend my heartfelt condolences to all his admirers. May his soul rest in peace, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. Pope Francis salutes a man Mindful of his service to the gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native South Africa, his holiness commends his soul to the loving mercy of almighty God.

We are all devastated, said Mary Robinson, chair of The Elders, a group of global leaders working for peace and human rights that Tutu co-founded.

He inspired me to be a prisoner of hope, in his inimitable phrase, said Robinson, a former president of Ireland. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Tutu a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new South Africa.
The DRC wants to launch a new airline. It will be called Air Congo and will not replace Congo Airways, to date the only Congolese national airline. The new company is a joint-venture developed with the African giant Ethiopian Airlines. The ambition is great, but the challenges are enormous.

The Congolese government is optimistic. The process is moving forward and the company could be launched in the first quarter of 2022.

The share of each party is known in this joint venture. 51% for the DRC and 49 for Ethiopian Airlines. The Ethiopian company will also contribute its know-how in several sectors including maintenance and training.

The fleet of the new company will initially include seven aircraft. Air Congos ambition is not only to cover the national network, but also to approach international destinations that are not subject to restrictions.

However, in order to consider flying to Europe, for example, it will be necessary to fight to get the country off the EUs blacklist of high-risk companies.

The government is considering renewing the navigation aids, and modernizing the runway and terminals.

The country has only about 50 airports while it has the potential to host more than 200 airports, aerodromes and landing strips in order to open up the country by air, says the Minister of Transport Cherubin Okende. To reach this level, the government prioritizes the public-private approach.
In the early morning hours of December 11, the Criet, the Court of Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism, pronounced its verdict against the opponent and former Minister of Justice, whose candidacy for the April 11 presidential election had been rejected. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 50 million CFA francs.

She was arrested a few weeks before the election. Reckya Madougou had 15 days to appeal, and would have been retried by the same court.

Yet she did not appeal her 20-year prison sentence for terrorism.

Because her detention is political and the Court of Repression of Economic Offenses does not fulfill the guarantees of an independent jurisdiction, she said to herself, and this is legitimate, that it would be giving false hope to her family to appeal, said Renaud Agbodjo, one of her lawyers.

If, despite the vacuity of the case, she was convicted by the Criet, then any appeal before the same court is almost doomed to failure. Therefore, she believes that she does not have confidence in the justice of her country, explains her lawyer.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Adding abiraterone to the standard treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer, where the cancer has a high chance of spreading, could halve the risk of death from the disease.

The researchers suggest that hormone therapy using abiraterone with prednisolone, could significantly reduce prostate cancer deaths and improve outcomes for thousands of people every year.

Using abiraterone for this group of people is now being considered for use in NHS England based on this research. If successful, it could be rolled out to patients immediately.

The study, published today in The Lancet, is part of the STAMPEDE trial and was led by a team at University College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London and funded by Cancer Research UK and the MRC. The study followed patients over a six-year period.

Abiraterone for earlier-stage prostate cancer

More than 52,000 people are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK, and around 22,000 patients are considered at "high-risk" of their cancer spreading.

Abiraterone is currently being used for patients with advanced prostate cancer which has spread to other parts of the body. It's also given to men who have stopped responding to standard hormone treatment. The drug is given in combination with a steroid called prednisolone.

However, there have remained questions over its benefits and impact on survival in earlier-stage disease.

A total of 1974 patients were enrolled across two arms of the trial. 988 were given the current standard treatment, while 986 patients were given the standard treatment combined with abiraterone. Around half of those in the abiraterone group were also given enzalutamide, another hormone therapy.

'Could extend lives and prevent cancer from spreading'

After 6 years of monitoring, adding abiraterone alone, or with enzalutamide to standard prostate cancer treatment improved survival and decreased the chance of the cancer spreading. 7 percent of people receiving abiraterone died from prostate cancer during the 6-year follow up period, compared with 15 percent of those receiving standard care.

Around half of the people in the abiraterone group (527/986 men) also received enzalutamide, another type of hormone drug. However, using this combination of drugs did not further improve outcomes beyond those receiving abiraterone on its own, and caused an increase in side effects.

These results indicate that using abiraterone to treat earlier stage prostate cancer could extend lives and prevent the cancer from spreading.

The STAMPEDE trial is based at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and led in collaboration with researchers at UCL Cancer Institute and The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) with funding from Cancer Research UK discovered abiraterone and developed it with colleagues at The Royal Marsden. In 2012, Cancer Research UK lobbied to make abiraterone available on the NHS and its now used to treat thousands of patients with prostate cancer that has spread.

Preventing unnecessary deaths

Study co-leader Professor Nick James, Professor of Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and chief investigator of the STAMPEDE trial, said:

"STAMPEDE continues to deliver practice-changing results. Currently, abiraterone is only given to patients with very advanced prostate cancer. Our latest findings are the first to show the drug can also benefit men whose cancer is at an earlier stageimproving survival and reducing the chance of progression. The next step is for NICE to consider and implement our findings, so that men can benefit from abiraterone before their cancer has spread, drastically improving their quality of life and preventing many unnecessary deaths."

Study co-leader Professor Gert Attard, UCL Cancer Institute said:

"This is the first time we've seen a treatment for this kind of prostate cancer that can do more than extend life. We're seeing clear and convincing evidence that some people who would have died of prostate cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the UK, will no longer die from it."

Yet more people could soon benefit from this research

Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, said:

"These results are the latest in a long line of practice changing findings from our STAMPEDE trial. It's recruited over 10,000 patients and has led to 29 changes in clinical practice across the world, directly influencing the treatment of people with prostate cancer. It's great to see that yet more people with prostate cancer could soon see benefit from this innovative research."

Ken was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 and was offered the chance to be part of a separate part of the STAMPEDE trial, looking at a hormone treatment for prostate cancer called Zoladex. He said:

"My treatment would not have happened but for someone before me taking part in a clinical trial, so I just wanted to give something back. Knowing that people with prostate cancer might have better odds in the future in part because of what they learnt from my trial feels like I've paid it forward."

Five years down the line, Ken is enjoying life. He continues to be monitored and has been able to have phone consultations every three to six months throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Explore further Prostate cancer treatment: An encouraging combination therapy

More information: Gerhardt Attard et al, Abiraterone acetate and prednisolone with or without enzalutamide for high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of primary results from two randomised controlled phase 3 trials of the STAMPEDE platform protocol, The Lancet (2021). Journal information: The Lancet Gerhardt Attard et al, Abiraterone acetate and prednisolone with or without enzalutamide for high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of primary results from two randomised controlled phase 3 trials of the STAMPEDE platform protocol,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02437-5
Credit: shutterstock/supermao

"We don't want to be tripping over Zimmer frames all the time," said John*, 73. He clearly felt frustrated and had a strong objection to the older, more frail residents in his retirement village. John and his wife, Jean, had moved to the retirement village about a year ago. They were clearly not expecting to encounter really elderly people when they moved in. "It's depressing," he continued, "to see these people, who really ought to be in a nursing home, or in care."

In our researchpublished in The Gerontologistwe carried out 80 in-depth interviews with older people about their experiences of living in retirement villages across the UK and Australia. We were particularly interested in why people sought out retirement living and how their needs matched or contradicted those of other residents. We did not expect to find such high levels of resentment among residentsbut we did.

Retirement living is big business. It is estimated that around 5% of Australians, 6% of Americans, and 1% of UK citizens over 65 live in a retirement village. Researchers have argued that one of the problems with retirement villages is that they tend to treat "older people" as a homogeneous category, as more or less "the same" simply because they are over 60. The reality is that residents have extremely diverse needs and span up to three decadesfrom 60 to over 90.

Contrasting and conflicting needs

Some of the people we talked to (we called them the "Peter Pans") clearly chose retirement living to keep the perils of old age at bay and prolong midlife for as long as they could. David, 76, and his wife, Pam, 73, had moved to a retirement village in the midlands because they wanted to maintain a sense of being active, fit, healthy and independent. David told us: "We are still reasonably fit, you see. We've got a strong stable background of family and friends. We hope this is a place which will be easy to live in and where we can do the things we want to and feel fit and healthy."

In contrast, others chose the same retirement village because they were concerned about increasing frailty and deteriorating health and sought a community that they felt could support them in these challenges.

Peter, 78, and his wife Sue, 76, had moved to the village to cope with Sue's increasing dependency due to a dementia-related illness. Peter told us: "Well, it all stems really from Sue's illness and the problems that have occurred, and we thought this would be the answer I was under the impression that's what we would find by moving here."

Ageism in the 'old'

These contrasting sets of needs were often in conflict. People who had moved to retirement villages to prolong midlife and to feel part of an active, independent community, were not always accepting of frailer residents.

Jane, 72, from a UK retirement village, suggested that "the older people make you feel older. They can't do as much we do help them, but we can't be living our life around them."

Paul, 74, called for a more selective sales process. He told us: "I don't think the people [here] are vetted enough. I think the main criteria is you've got the money. I don't necessarily think there ought to be more supportI think there ought to be less people who require support here."

Some people who had moved to feel more supported in their vulnerability and frailty sometimes felt marginalised and unsupported. Peter told us, tearfully, that it hadn't turned out as he and his wife had hoped. "In some ways, now, I just feel she's a bit like a leper reallybecause no one actually wants to get close to her here," he said.

But there were others who demonstrated a more accepting attitude towards older residents. Ralph, 72, recognised that he might be more frail himself in the future and welcomed support from fellow residents: "We are currently the people to whom the neighbours say, 'can you help with this or do that?' Take me somewhere or do that?' But I think one day it will work the other way round. I think maybe when we get older, we will become dependent on others here too."

Cultural geographer, Kevin McHugh has argued that retirement communities reflect and sell compelling narratives about successful ageing. These narratives, he argued, are "defined as much by the absent image (old, poor folks) as by the image presented: handsome, healthy, comfortably middle-class 'seniors', busily filling sun-filled days".

A lot of these retirement communities are often so vaguely defined that they appear to offer all things to all people. But they can only be a desirable model if they recognise and accommodate the diverse needs of that community.

As Swedish gerontologist, Hakan Jonson, has argued, it makes little sense to resent more frail, vulnerable older peoplewhy should we resent a percentage of the population that we will probably be part of in the future?

Explore further Gays and lesbians who feel supported are more certain about retirement prospects

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral drug invented by scientists at Emory University, has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of COVID-19.

The EUA authorizes the use of molnupiravir for "the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate."

"Molnupiravir was discovered at Emory because of the tremendous vision of George Painter and Dennis Liotta, and the incredible work of so many in our research community," says Gregory L. Fenves, president of Emory University. "Emory's mission is to serve humanity, and throughout this pandemic our faculty, researchers, staff, students, and alumni have stepped up like never before to heal, treat, discover, and share knowledge to save lives. Molnupiravir is yet another example of what Emory can do when we unleash our ambition and expertise on a global challenge to improve life for communities around the world."

"This drug is a direct intervention at a time when this pandemic is not yet over," says George Painter, CEO of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE) and the director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development (EIDD). "When you look at the daily death toll, and you think that this can helpit doesn't require enormous medical infrastructure to give, can be distributed easily and self-administeredyou begin to think about the impact and all that could have. It's overwhelming."

Emory University has discovered and advanced some of the world's most important and valuable drugs such as belatacept for kidney transplants, Obizur for hemophilia, and Emtriva for HIV, successfully taking treatments from bench to bedside. More than 90 percent of HIV patients in the United States take drug combinations that include one of the drugs invented by scientists at Emory.

"Over the years, Emory has invested millions in foundational funding to build a world-class infrastructure to develop early-stage drug candidates for viral diseases of global concern by utilizing the expertise and resources of the university's renowned research enterprise while leveraging industry expertise," says Ravi V. Bellamkonda, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Emory University. "In this way, Emory increases the probability that promising drugs will be sufficiently advanced to be licensed by industry and developed for the ultimate benefit of the global community. Molnupiravir represents not just Emory's research innovation, but Emory's innovative mindset and foresight in advancing life-saving drugs in a university setting."

Emory University has been involved in the testing of all three of the vaccines cleared for emergency use in the U.SPfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). The university is still conducting vaccine clinical trials with adults and pediatric populations as well as those related to variants and mix and match boosters. Studies are also ongoing to evaluate new treatments and therapeutics for COVID-19. As the most comprehensive academic health center in Georgia, Emory remains focused on research, drug discovery, and clinical care to improve health outcomes for patients and those it serves.

"Emergency use authorization of molnupiravir is another significant step forward in protecting global public health in the fight against COVID-19," says Dr. Jonathan S. Lewin, executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of Emory Healthcare. "Research conducted at academic medical centers is critical to finding the next scientific discoveries and breakthroughs to improve lives and provide hope now and into the futureI am proud that Emory is part of that future."

The discovery of molnupiravir at Emory was supported in part by funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

"The invention and development through the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) of molnupiravir shows the strength of our system," says Painter. "The federal government funded Emory and we moved the drug quickly into the hands of biotech companies who swiftly guided it through Phase 1 showed proof of principle and then advanced its development."

Explore further A new oral antiviral drug for COVID is being tested in humans
Photo illustration of paper and cloth masks. Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

The great mask debate is back. With the highly contagious omicron variant driving a surge in infections around the globe this winter, many people are trying to figure out how to best protect themselveswithout returning to the isolation of the pandemic's early days. In addition to vaccines, masks have been touted as an important tool to shield ourselves from spreading or being exposed to the coronavirus.

But not all masks are created equal. Must we don N95 masks for every social interaction or shopping trip? Or do cloth face masks offer enough protection in some situations?

The answer, says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice, associate chair of the department of health sciences, and director of the master of public health program at Northeastern, is that it depends.

"There are three things you want to think about with a mask: Fit, filtration, and function," he says. "With omicron, all three of these are important. But what's vital is fit and filtration."

Those two pieces can go hand-in-hand, Maniar says. The poor fit of a mask can negate its ability to filter out harmful stuff, like viral particles.

And it's not just a slight difference, according to research by Loretta Fernandez, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern. Fernandez and colleagues have tested many different kinds of maskscloth and medical grade aliketo see how many particles of a similar size to those of the coronavirus could make it through to a wearer's mouth and nose.

To test the effect that fit had on filtration, the researchers pulled a nylon stocking over their heads, on top of a mask, to eliminate gaps. With the nylon, many masks performed about 25% better, and a few masks even performed nearly 50% better.

Fernandez isn't suggesting that you cut up stockings to wrap around your head. But the lesson is clear. "Improving the fit of a mask is going to protect you better," she says. It gives the mask a better chance of removing the particles that might otherwise sneak through the gaps.

Those gaps can easily be identified, she says. Notice whether you can feel your breath on your cheeks, nose, or neck outside your mask when you breathe out heavily.

The concept of layering might still be helpful, Fernandez says, even if you're not using a stocking. "That's where double-masking comes in. If you put something else on top that's going to seal up the gaps, that is going to improve the particle removal in most cases," she says.

"In the cases where it doesn't improve the removal, it's because the material itself isn't blocking the stuff."

And that's where filtration matters.

The goal of a mask is to be a barrier, Maniar says. But a mask through which we must also breathe can't block absolutely everything. So researchers hunting for the best masks to mitigate coronavirus particles are studying whether particles of the same size can make it through the material.

Viral particles are just 0.1 microns in size. A micron is one-millionth of a meter. So they are tiny.

Certified N95 or similar respirators are considered the gold-standard face coverings for blocking viral particles. Fernandez's research found that a N95 that was properly fitted was about 99% effective at keeping out particles of the same size as the coronavirus particles.

But not everyone has access to a N95 mask that fits properly and can be worn every day. So what's the next best thing? What makes one mask better than another?

While medical masks are often considered better filters of viral particles, Fernandez found that some cloth masks can actually rival the looser, ear-loop-style disposable procedural masks that many people wearremoving anywhere from 50% to 75% of particles. But cloth masks have a lot of variability.

It may seem as though a tighter weave makes for a better mask. And that's true, Fernandez says. But it's not the whole picture.

Think of a mask as if it's a maze that a viral particle has to navigate in order to infect the wearer. The more obstacles it encounters, the better for that person.

In addition to fit and weave, the shape of the mask's fibers can matter, too. Cotton, for example, Fernandez says, has bristly fibers, whereas synthetic fibers are quite smooth. The rough surface and extra filaments of cotton provide more impediments against the viral particles.

"It's making the particles have to travel a more tortuous path," she says. "So if you have more fibers, you have more chances of removing the particles."

What it comes down to is surface area on that microscopic level, says Steve Lustig, associate professor and the associate chair of research in chemical engineering at Northeastern.

Lustig also conducted experiments with nanoparticles to see which household materials might be used to make a mask that approaches the effectiveness of a N95 respirator. Two layers of terry cloth from a towel, he found, could do the trick.

"The terry cloth made a lot of sense to me," he says. As part of Lustig's research, in addition to testing how readily nanoparticles moved through different household materials, he and his colleague explored the different fabrics under magnification. "If you look at the pictures of the terry cloth, there are all these loops in the fabric," he says. "It's more surface area to get in the way."

Layering up is also crucial, both Lustig and Fernandez found in their studies. Additional layers of material in a mask added even more obstacles and surface area to block out viral particles.

Another way to use layering to improve a mask's filtration is simply to double-mask.

It's kind of like Swiss cheese, Maniar says. "If you have one layer of Swiss cheese, you're going to have a bunch of holes, right? So you're going to have some degree of permeability. If you have two layers of Swiss cheese, then you're kind of stalling up some of those holes and you have a better layer of protection."

Maniar suggests wearing a surgical or procedural mask underneath a cloth mask.

Another aspect to consider, Lustig says, is whether your mask has waterproof properties. And that's not just because it's uncomfortable to wear a moist scrap of fabric all day.

"When you get sprayed, because someone sneezes on you or someone coughs, or you cough, you're loading this mask material with all this liquid," he says. "And if that liquid permeates all the way across the mask, well, then you could be imbibing the virus just because it flows by liquid."

Waterproof material isn't the only way to avoid that damp disaster, however. The researchers found that duckbill-shaped masksmasks that are shaped and stiff enough to stay away from touching your mouthare more effective, too. And you're also much less likely to accidentally lick the inside of those masks.

Although fit and filtration are key in preventing exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Maniar says it is still important to consider the third factor, function.

"Masks offer an important barrier between us and the virus, both in terms of transmitting the virus and in terms of catching the virus," Maniar says. But when choosing a mask, he adds, it's also important to ask, "How well does it work for you? You want something that's also going to allow you to be able to comfortably engage in whatever activities you're doing while wearing the mask. And that's why there are different options for different scenarios."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as COVID-19 cases spike.

Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief science adviser on the pandemic response, said such a mandate might drive up the nation's lagging vaccination rate as well as confer stronger protection on flights, for which federal regulations require all those age 2 and older to wear a mask.

"When you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated," Fauci told MSNBC. "If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered."

The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel. Two officials said Biden's science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement to the president.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said a vaccine mandate on planes could trigger a host of logistical and legal concerns.

The U.S. currently mandates that most foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, though citizens and permanent residents only need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of boarding.

Federal rules don't require people travelling by air within the U.S. to show a negative test. Hawaii requires travelers to test or show proof of vaccination to avoid a mandatory quarantine.

Biden did not respond to questions on whether he was considering implementing a domestic air travel vaccination requirement, but he told reporters the subject was discussed on a call with the nation's governors Monday morning.

"They asked Dr. Fauci some more questions about everything from whether or not he thought he was going to move to test at homeI mean, on air flights and that kind of thing," Biden said of the call before departing the White House for his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

During the virtual meeting with governors, Biden pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests that dominated headlines over the holiday season.

"My message is: If you need something, say something, and we're going to have your back any way we can," Biden said. He acknowledged long lines and chaotic scenes as Americans sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather with family and friends over the holiday.

"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," he said. He referenced his administration's plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans beginning next month through an as-yet-to-be-developed website.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the National Governors Association chairman, raised concerns Biden's plan could get in the way of state efforts to boost supply of tests.

"That dries up the supply chain for what we might offer as governors," he said, saying the lack of supply "has become a real challenge."

Biden assured Hutchinson that the federal effort won't interfere with state actions. "This gets solved at the state level," he said.

A White House official said the new tests would come from new manufacturing capacity and wouldn't interfere with existing supply chains.

Earlier this year the White House explored a domestic vaccination requirement for flights, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test. But officials have not been eager to mandate vaccination for domestic air travel because they expected it to face immediate legal challenges, mitigating its potential effectiveness as a tool to drive up vaccinations.

Pressed last week on why Biden had not mandated vaccinations for domestic air travel, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC that "we know that masking can be, is, very effective on airplanes."

"We also know that putting in place that additional restriction might delay flights, might have additional implications," she added. "We would do it, though, if the health impact was overwhelming. So we rely always on the advice of our health and medical experts. That isn't a step at this point that they had determined we need to take."

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 241 million Americans, about 77% of the eligible population age 5 and over, have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Officials believe, though, that there is some overcount in the figures due to record-keeping errors in the administration of booster shots.

Since the summer, the Biden administration has embraced various vaccination requirements as a way to get unvaccinated Americans to roll up their sleeves. It has instituted requirements that federal workers, federal contractors and those who work in health care get their shots, and that employers with 100 or more employees institute vaccination-or-testing requirements for their workers.

Those vaccination requirements have been mired in legal wrangling, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments Jan. 7 in cases seeking to overturn them.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Registered nurse Megan Chamberlain gives a flu shot to Anthony Devitt, of Marlboro, Vt., during a flu vaccine clinic on Route 9, in Brattleboro, Vt., that was hosted by Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. Credit: Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP, File

The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.

Last year's flu season was the lowest on record, likely because COVID-19 measuresschool closures, distancing, masks and canceled travelprevented the spread of influenza, or because the coronavirus somehow pushed aside other viruses.

"This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season," said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are "unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. It's a sad reminder of how severe flu can be."

During last year's unusually light flu season, one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.

In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven. In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.

The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

Last year's break from the flu made it more challenging to plan for this year's flu vaccine. So far, it looks like what's circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but it's "really too early to know" whether that will blunt the vaccine's effectiveness, Brammer said.

"We'll have to see what the impact of these little changes" will be, Brammer said. "Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu."

There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year. With hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, it's more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.

"Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if you're sick," Brammer said. "If you do get flu, there are antivirals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital."

Explore further Only thing certain about flu season: you need to get your shot

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
An Israeli health worker tests an unvaccinated ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary student for COVID-19 at a coronavirus testing center in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. The student, who declined to give his name, said he didn't want to get vaccinated because he previously had COVID-19. Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel have yet to receive their COVID shots. The group has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country despite being pummeled by the virus throughout the pandemic. Credit: AP Photo/Oded Balilty

Yossi Levy has repeatedly booked and canceled his coronavirus vaccine appointment. The 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife. But a combination of lethargy and procrastination has prevented him from following through and getting inoculated.

"It isn't something pressing. I'm not opposed to it. It's just laziness," he said.

Levy is among the hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who have yet to receive their COVID-19 shots. The group has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country despite being hit hard by the pandemic.

Facing the new coronavirus variant omicron, officials are now scrambling to ramp up vaccination rates in a population that has so far been slow to roll up their sleeves.

"We are going on the offensive with the issue of vaccinations," said Avraham Rubinstein, the mayor of Bnei Brak, the country's largest ultra-Orthodox city.

It has been one year since COVID-19 vaccines became available, yet vaccine reluctance persists even as deaths mount and the highly contagious omicron variant spreads around the globe. An unconventional cadre of people has stepped up to promote vaccination with efforts that traditionally have been the realm of public health officials.

Israeli officials have appealed to the community's prominent rabbis, who serve as arbiters on all matters, to promote vaccination. They are deploying mobile clinics. And they are beating back a wave of lies about the vaccine that has washed over parts of the community.

The vaccination rate is low in part because half of the ultra-Orthodox population is under 16 and only recently made eligible for vaccination. Also, many ultra-Orthodox were already infected or believe they were and don't think they need the vaccine.

The outreach effort has had mixed success. Officials hope to raise the vaccination rate with a new mobile-clinic campaign at religious schools and a media blitz stepping up pressure on parents to vaccinate children.

Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population late last year and the first to give booster shots. But the campaign has lagged in recent weeks and hundreds of thousands of people remain unvaccinated or without a booster as the specter of an omicron surge looms.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a coronavirus vaccination center, in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Oded Balilty

While vaccination rates for the second dose among the general population hover around 63% and the booster at 45%, in the ultra-Orthodox community the number is around half of that. The community's immunity shoots up somewhat when the 300,000 or so of those who are known to have recovered are included, but Israel's Health Ministry recommends those who were infected to get at least one shot if six months have elapsed since the infection.

The low vaccination rate stands in stark contrast to the heavy price the community paid during the pandemic. The ultra-Orthodox were hit hard from the start, with the community's 1.2 million people often leading the country's morbidity rates and losing hundreds to the disease. The ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's 9.3 million population.

There are societal reasons for the quick community spread. The ultra-Orthodox tend to live in poor, crowded neighborhoods, with large families in small apartments, where sickness can quickly spread. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together to pray and socialize in small spaces.

The particular way of life of the ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, has made driving up vaccination rates a unique challenge for health officials.

The cloistered community has long been separate from mainstream Israeli life, with children studying scripture but very little math and English. The community typically shuns the internet, doesn't watch secular TV and tends to live separately from non-religious Israelis. It is suspicious of secular state authorities and many of the trappings of modernity.

"For Haredim, there is a double fear: fear of the state and fear of science. There is no basic trust in these entities," said Gilad Malach, who heads the ultra-Orthodox program at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. He said that skepticism has allowed unfounded claims about the vaccines to spread in the community.

Avi Blumenthal, an adviser to the Health Ministry on the ultra-Orthodox, said vaccine information is disseminated to the ultra-Orthodox public through its local media as well as in biweekly messages posted on community notice boards, known as "pashkevils." He says these means reach the overwhelming majority of Haredim.

The ultra-Orthodox follow a strict interpretation of Judaism and rely on rabbis to guide them in many life decisions. While some rabbis have actively encouraged vaccination, others have taken a less aggressive approach and their followers have been less enthusiastic about getting inoculated.

Blumenthal, who himself is ultra-Orthodox, said the Health Ministry recently held a conference at the country's largest hospital, inviting prominent rabbis to converse with doctors about the importance of the vaccine. The head of the government's coronavirus advisory panel has repeatedly met with important religious figures, urging them to spread the word on vaccines.

"We go by the Jewish sages," said Dvora Ber, 27, a Bnei Brak resident and mother of four who is vaccinated. "What they tell us, we do."

Explore further Israel approves coronavirus vaccines for younger children

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Nearly nine out of ten doctors in primary care think a decision on sickness absence is improved if they are in touch with the patient's employerbut only four out of ten are. A University of Gothenburg thesis highlights several challenges for doctors when certifying sickness for patients with common mental disorders.

"Doctors think it's difficult, and with good reason. It's a complex task in which they don't get the full support they need," says Paula Nordling, MD, Ph.D., at Sahlgrenska Academy's Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, University of Gothenburg.

Her thesis includes a review of international qualitative studies in which doctors describe how they assess patients' work capacity. The basis is the clinical investigation, but other, job-related and private factors in the patients' lives also affect their fitness for work. These factors may be hard for the doctor to assess. Especially problematic is assessing common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders, in which symptoms and their impact on functional capacity may be difficult to verify.

One piece of the puzzle that is often missing is information about the patient's work situation. Based on a major questionnaire survey from Karolinska Institutet, Nordling examined how often 4,228 general practitioners (GPs) in Swedish primary care were in contact with sick-listed patients' employers, and whether they were satisfied with these contacts.

As many as 86 percent of the GPs considered that getting in touch with patients' employers was important for the quality of their own work with sickness certification. On the other hand, only 39 percent reported that they had been in touch, either personally or through other health and medical staff, with these employers.

Communication and trust

GPs who collaborated with other health professionals at their clinics, or with the person who coordinated rehabilitation measures, were in contact with patients' employers to a greater extent. The GPs' satisfaction with the employer contacts was, in turn, connected to whether they experienced support from their managers and sufficient resources in their work with sickness certification.

In an attempt to facilitate contacts among GPs, patients and employers, Nordling developed a simple communication support, "The Capacity Note" (Resurslappen), which was used in a randomized study in primary care.

Some of the approximately 20 questions were answered jointly by the patient and the GP, and some by the patient together with his/her manager or supervisor. According to the users, the approach could contribute to improved communication about the patient's health and work situation, and to an enhanced understanding of how common mental disorders can affect work capacity.

Participating patients emphasized the value of their situation being given legitimacy, and some were helped in their decisions about their sick leave and work situation. Overall, the users stressed the importance of honest communication, trust and time properly set aside for the discussion about mental ill-health and work situation.

Individual and organizational support

According to Nordling, the results reported in her thesis indicate that initiatives are necessary at both individual and organizational level to strengthen GPs' work with sickness certification.

"Doctors need more training in insurance medicinenot only how to write certificates, but also knowledge of the complex interplay between individual and context in the sick-leave situation. Unfortunately, to date, the scientific knowledge about this is very limited when it comes to common mental disorders," she says.

"Doctors also need the right organizational prerequisites to enable them to do a good job with sick leave cases. Specific resources such as time, guidelines, support from management, and scope for cooperation both within and outside the clinic can facilitate GPs' assessments of patients' work capacity and need of sick leave."

Explore further Many prolonged sick leaves for COVID-19

More information: "Physicians' practices in sickness certification for common mental disorders: Assessment of work capacity and communication with the patient's workplace" is found at "Physicians' practices in sickness certification for common mental disorders: Assessment of work capacity and communication with the patient's workplace" is found at hdl.handle.net/2077/69675
The coronavirus in culture. Credit: Dr Julian Druce VIDRL, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

An at-home nasal spray treatment for COVID-19 will be put to the test by Melbourne biomedical researchers, as the University of Melbourne and Monash University receive $4.2 million to establish a six-month clinical trial lead by Northern Hospital in collaboration with Oxford University.

Heparin, a widely used blood-thinning drug to treat or prevent blood clots forms the base of the nasal spray treatment that is simple to administer, stable at room temperature and available globally.

Director of Lung Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne Professor Gary Anderson said the spray will be easy to use, with two puffs in each nostril, three times a day.

"Basic science studies revealed that intranasal heparin may be an effective way to prevent COVID-19 infection and spread. COVID-19 first infects cells in the nose, and to do that the virus must bind to Heparan Sulfate on the surface of nasal cells lining the nose," Professor Anderson said.

"Heparinthe active ingredient in our sprayhas a structure that is very similar to Heparan Sulfate, so it behaves as a 'decoy' and can rapidly wrap around the virus's spike protein like a python, preventing it from infecting you or spreading the virus to others.

"Importantly, this nasal spray should prove effective for all COVID-19 variants because the Heparan Sulfate binding site is essential for infection, and is likely to be preserved in new variants. Heparin binds avidly to the Omicron variant currently sweeping through the country."

Anderson celebrated the efforts of the University and affiliated institutes, adding that this work is a great example of how the University can catalyze translation research by speeding the passage of basic science into the hands of clinicians to find solutions in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In this project, the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and University affiliated hospitals Northern, Royal Children's and St Vincent's all contributed their expertise to get this treatment to the clinical trial stage. We also worked with colleagues at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences on the formulation and spray device and Oxford University," he said.

"It is now essential that we test the actual effectiveness of Heparin in the rigorously designed, double blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial as this will provide definitive evidence. If the treatment is proven to work in the setting of preventing progression and spread within homes, it would support using the spray to protect highly vulnerable populations such as the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weak immune systems.

"It may also prove useful to protect our front-line health care workers from illness and to preserve capacity in the health care system. It must be stressed that heparin would be used on top of vaccination and would not replace vaccines."

The IntraNasal HEpaRin Trial (INHERIT) will be led by the Northern Hospital, using an innovative monitoring and treatment platform that allows researchers to access and remotely treat patients within 24 hours of their diagnosis, speeding up treatment and providing monitoring through portable oximeter devices that measure oxygen levels in blood.

Northern Health medical divisional director Don Campbell sparked the innovation, entertaining the possibility that the blood-thinning drug heparin could stop the virus growing in cells the early months of the pandemic.

With the help of University of Melbourne, Monash and Oxford University researchers, the team has confirmed Heparin can block the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent infectionmaking way for clinical trials to begin.

Clinical trials are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2022.

Explore further Researchers working on nasal spray to block COVID-19
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again due to the omicron variant, and with many adults and children worldwide already experiencing pandemic fatigue from the continuing disruptions caused by the coronavirus, more people may be at heightened risk of toxic stress and other mental health problems, says Illinois social work professor Tara Powell. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

Tara L. Powell is a professor of social work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who researches the impact of disasters on youths, health care workers and first responders, and assesses interventions for strengthening their coping skills. Powell spoke with News Bureau research editor Sharita Forrest about U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy's recent advisory warning of a looming mental health crisis among youths in the U.S. caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The surgeon general's mental health advisory indicates that pandemic-related disruptions may lead to the development of toxic stress in young people. What is toxic stress?

Toxic stress is when a child experiences sustained adversity without the presence of protective relationships. Such adversity may include abuse, neglect, poverty, the death of a close friend or family member, parental divorce or community violence.

Toxic stress impacts a child's physical and mental health due to prolonged activation of the stress response cyclethe "fight or flight" system that tells us when there is a perceived threat. The stress response cycle releases hormones causing symptoms such as an increased heart rate, shallow breathing and the release of cortisol.

Over the short-term, this cycle can be useful and trigger us to swiftly react to a threat. Toxic stress, however, results in the continuous activation of this cycle without the opportunity to recover or return to normal.

What are the long-term effects of toxic stress on children and adults?

Children who experience toxic stress are at risk for a host of challenges such as learning disabilities and emotional or behavioral dysregulation. In adulthood, they are at increased risk for physical ailments such as cardiovascular disease and mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety and substance use disorder.

Many young people have experienced the loss of loved ones, family adversity, economic hardship and social isolation during the pandemic. Prolonged pandemic-related stressors can overwhelm a young person's coping capacity, leading to continuous activation of the stress response cycle.

Protective factors such as safe and supportive relationships with family and peers, however, can buffer the impact of these stressors and help a child overcome these pandemic-related challenges.

With experts forecasting a difficult winter ahead due to the omicron variant, what safeguards might employers put in place to promote resilience in workers and help those who need additional support?

With the omicron variant projected to overwhelm the already fatigued health care system, it is likely that we will continue to see rates of burnout escalate. Additionally, the ongoing pandemic has led to emotional exhaustion among the general public, making it crucial for employers to support workers in all industries.

Burnout is related to an array of factors such as the transition from in-person to remote work, increased caregiving responsibilities at home, and ongoing pandemic-related threat, loss and uncertainty. There are several steps employers can take to increase individual and workplace resilience as the pandemic continues to cause disruptions, including:

Encouraging work-life balance. Remote work has created challenges separating work and personal life. Employees have noted that during the pandemic, employer expectations have risen and nontraditional work hours have become the norm. Practices that promote a work/life balance include reviewing workloads, encouraging breaks and urging workers to take time off when needed.

Establish community. Social and professional support is critical to workplace wellness and resilience. Employers should establish and/or promote activities for workers to connect and receive support from each other.

Create clear expectations. Lack of clear expectations is a sizable contributor to worker burnout. Collaboratively setting clear, realistic and measurable goals and providing meaningful feedback are a few steps to increasing worker well-being and motivation.

Provide support and empathy. Most individuals have experienced both personal and professional hardships over the course of the pandemic. Having a supervisor and colleagues who provide empathy can help a person persevere through challenging times. Some ways to provide empathy include checking in, practicing active listening and showing interest in the needs of employees.

What are signs or symptoms that might indicate someone is becoming overwhelmed or experiencing trauma and may need professional help?

You may not always know when someone is experiencing distress, but there are a few indicators that an individual could benefit from professional support. Subtle signs of distress or trauma can include:

Withdrawal from friends or colleagues.

Heightened frustration or loss of patience.

Emotional outbursts such as crying or yelling.

Increased substance use.

Not feeling understood.

Physical changes such as rapid weight loss or gain.

More noticeable signs include:

Suicidal statements or thoughts.

Anger, rage or aggression toward others.

Extreme anxiety or panic.

Bizarre, paranoid or irrational thinking.

A person may be suffering and not have anyone to turn to. If you notice any of these signs of distress in someone, it is important to check in to see how they are doing. Additionally, connecting a person to a mental health professional could reduce stress and trauma symptoms over the short and long terms.

Explore further Physical activity may curb health care worker burnout
Credit: Shutterstock

As we head towards the end of the year, office get-togethers, Christmas lunches and New Year's parties are upon us. It seems like a prime opportunity for young people to be drinking the night away.

But something unexpected has happened since the start of this century. Young people in Australia, the UK, Nordic countries and North America have, on average, been drinking significantly less alcohol than their parents' generation did when they were a similar age.

During COVID lockdowns, some surveys indicate this fell even further.

Our research suggests this is unlikely to be due simply to government efforts to cut youth drinking. Wider social, cultural, technological and economic changes seem to be key to these declines.

Researchers conducting interview-based studies with young people in a range of countries have identified four main reasons for declining youth drinking.

These are: uncertainty and worry about the future, concern about health, changes to technology and leisure, and shifting relationships with parents.

Uncertain futures

What it's like to be young in developed countries is very different today than it was for previous generations. From climate change to planning a career and being able to afford a house, young people are aware their futures are uncertain.

Pressures to perform academically are starting earlier and rates of mental ill health are on the rise.

Many young people are thinking about the future in ways previous generations didn't need to. They are trying to gain a sense of control over their lives and secure the futures they aspire to.

A couple of decades ago, getting really drunk was widely regarded by many young people as a "rite of passage" into adulthood and a good way of taking time out from the routines of work and study.

Now, young people feel pressure to present as responsible and independent at an earlier age and some fear drinking to intoxication, and the loss of control it entails, will jeopardise their plans for the future.

This emphasis on the future means young people limit how much time they spend partying and drinking.

Young people are health conscious

Health and well-being also seem to be increasingly important to young people.

Research from 15-20 years ago found young people viewed the consequences of heavy drinking (vomiting, unconsciousness) positively, or at least ambivalently.

More recent studies suggest this has changed, with young people expressing concerns about risks to mental health and long-term physical health related to their alcohol use.

However, Australian and Swedish research also found some young people regard the social benefits of drinking as important to their well-being.

For many young people, however, this seems to involve moderate alcohol consumption, in place of the "determined drunkenness" observed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

What if my employer sees that?

Technology has reshaped how young people socialise, with contradictory effects on youth drinking.

Social media provides new (less regulated) avenues for alcohol companies to promote their products. Holding a drink is de rigueur for a photo on social media celebrating a night out.

Yet, young people are also careful to manage their online images.

Our research found young people worry about who might see images of them drunk on social media (such as friends, family and future employers), a risk that is unique to this generation.

The internet exposes young people to a wider range of possibilities for their lives, including new perspectives from which to reflect on their drinking choices.

It also offers social alternatives that are less likely to involve drinking, including video games and other digital media.

Changing family relationships

Styles of raising teenagers and managing their introduction to alcohol have evolved over a generation.

Many parents monitor their children on a night out and appear to oversee their drinking more closely than in previous generations, which is enabled by the mobile phones most young people in high-income countries now possess.

Young people also spend more time with their parents, potentially developing more communicative relationships that reduce their need to drink and rebel.

Binge drinking not as 'cool' anymore

There are also a host of other reasons why young people limit alcohol consumption, including culture and religious affiliations, health conditions and personal motivations.

Altogether, these changes mean many young people do not regard heavy intoxication as "cool" and no longer see it as a key marker of independence and adulthood.

Alcohol abstinence has become more socially accepted among young people, along with choosing to consume alcohol moderately.

These factors play out differently for young men and women. Some research points to loosening of gendered expectations of drinking, with new opportunities for men to demonstrate masculinity without drinking heavily.

Yet, differences remain in how young men and women use alcohol, with women having to navigate a range of gendered risks (such as unwanted sexual attention) and being judged more harshly when they are seen to be drunk (including online).

Of course, some young people continue to drink a lot and there will always be blips in alcohol use around holidays such as Christmas and New Year's Eve.

But whether alcohol consumption among young people continues its overall decline may have more to do with the wider contexts of their lives than the sometimes poorly selected policies their governments implement.

Explore further Teens and young adults increasingly using alcohol and cannabis together, exacerbating negative consequences

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ambassador of Belarus A.Rzheussky meets the Minister of State for External Affairs of India

On December 28, 2021, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of India Andrei Rzheussky met with the Minister of State For External Affairs of India Meenakashi Lekhi.

During the conversation, the parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of Belarusian-Indian cooperation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian fields, as well as the schedule of visits at various levels next year.

A special attention was paid to the preparation of joint events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and India.

The parties confirmed their mutual interest in giving further impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

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TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News)  People who test positive for COVID-19 or who are exposed to the virus but have no symptoms will no longer have to isolate or quarantine for as long a time period, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

Instead of 10 days, the isolation and quarantine time periods in such cases are now five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others, the agency recommended in updated guidelines.

The move comes as disruptions to daily life have soared while the highly transmissible Omicron variant starts to surge across the country. Virus-related staffing shortages have wreaked havoc on holiday travel, prompting the cancellations of thousands of flights, and disrupted the normal workings of the health care industry, restaurants and retail.

Still, the CDC stressed the change was prompted by science demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs one to two days before symptoms surface and two to three days after symptoms start.

The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDCs updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives.

Under the new recommendations, people who test positive for the virus should isolate for five days. If they are asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they continue to mask for five days to minimize the risk of infecting others, the agency said.

The CDC also updated the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19.

Recommendations vary for those who have received a booster compared to those who are unvaccinated. Individuals who have received their booster do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask for 10 days after exposure.

People who are not vaccinated or for whom it has been more than six months since they received their second mRNA dose or more than two months after their Johnson & Johnson dose and they have not gotten a booster should quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for another five days, the CDC said.

If that is not possible, they must wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.

Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather," Walensky said.

The best practice would be to take a COVID-19 test five days after the exposure, the CDC added.

Having COVID-19 symptoms does change the advice. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19, the CDC said.

New data from South Africa and the United Kingdom have shown vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine to be approximately 35%. A COVID-19 vaccine booster dose restores that effectiveness to about 75%, the CDC noted.

The agency strongly encourages vaccination for everyone 5 and older and boosters for everyone 16 and older because vaccination dramatically decreases the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Still, only 62% of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated and only 32% have gotten booster shots, CDC data shows.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on COVID-19.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Dec. 27, 2021

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TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal cord injuries in childhood are devastating no matter how they happen, but new research suggests that kids felled by gunshots are even worse off than those who suffer such an injury nonviolently.

About 13% of spinal cord injuries in U.S. children are gun-related.

"Gunshot-related spinal cord injuries have serious social and economic consequences in adulthood well beyond physical disability and reducing them has not been a research priority, nor an adequately investigated public health concern," said lead author Dr. Jessica Pruente, an assistant professor of pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan Health's C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital.

In this study, the researchers interviewed 45 adults with childhood spinal cord injuries, including 23 who were injured by guns. Nearly 90% of the study participants with nonviolent injuries had at least some college education, compared with fewer than 60% of those injured by guns.

More than two-thirds of those injured by guns earned less than $25,000 a year, compared with 26% of those with nonviolent injuries. That amount is below the U.S. poverty line for a four-person family, the study authors noted.

The researchers also found that nearly 81% of those with gunshot-related spinal cord injuries were from minority backgrounds, compared to 15.8% of those with nonviolent injuries, according to the study published recently in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine.

"Black and Hispanic children have a higher risk of gun-related injuries and can also experience poverty, limited access to health care and discrimination," Pruente said in a hospital news release.

"Those are the same factors that continue to affect people as they get older and place them at risk for poor health outcomes. The lifetime costs of these types of injuries lends weight to the fact that primary prevention needs to be key here," she said. "If we can stop a 3-year-old from getting injured, that is much better than trying to rehab them after the injury."

The study did not prove these injuries cause later hardships; it only found an association between the two.

When treating patients with gun-related spinal cord injuries, "we need to be more aware of these long-term risks of not going to college or earning as much and provide them with extra resources like vocational rehab, counseling and school modifications, Pruente said.

Even though adults with gun-related spinal cord injuries have lower levels of education and lower incomes, their life satisfaction wasn't significantly affected, the study found.

As clinicians, we would like to think that the rehabilitation work they went through contributed to maintaining quality of life, but the reasons are unclear, Pruente said. These patients were able to cope with their injuries and find life satisfaction, which is great news for our patients and their families.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on spinal cord injury.

SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, Dec. 22, 2021

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TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News)  Just how SARS-CoV-2 eludes the human immune system has mystified scientists for close to two years, but now they've uncovered an important clue.

Turns out the virus that causes COVID-19 has some stealth moves that allow it to spread from cell to cell, hiding from the immune system, new research reveals.

Its basically an underground form of transmission, said study author Shan-Lu Liu, of the Center for Retrovirus Research at Ohio State University in Columbus.

And, he added, this cell-to-cell transmission is not sensitive to antibodies from prior COVID infection or vaccination.

The new study compares SARS-CoV-2 to an earlier coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak, and it sheds light on how viruses spread and resist a person's immunity.

It also helps explain why the first outbreak led to much higher death rates and lasted only eight months, while the current pandemic has persisted for two years with many cases being symptom-free  and no end in sight.

Cell culture experiments showed that SARS-CoV-2 limits release of particles that can be inactivated by a person's antibodies. Like a stealth warrior, it stays tucked within cell walls and spreads from one cell to another.

SARS-CoV-2 can spread efficiently from cell to cell because there are essentially no blockers from the host immunity," Liu explained.

That familiar spike protein on the virus' surface enables the cell-to-cell spread. Neutralizing antibodies are less effective against the virus when it spreads through cells.

In comparing the two viruses, research found that the 2003 virus is more efficient at cell-free transmission. This is when freely floating viral particles infect target cells by binding to a receptor on their surface. That virus remained vulnerable to antibodies produced by previous infection and vaccines.

But the cell-to-cell transmission of the COVID-19 virus makes it harder to neutralize with antibodies.

For the study, researchers used non-infectious pseudoviruses, with both kinds of coronavirus spike proteins on their surface.

The spike protein is necessary and sufficient for both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV cell-to-cell transmission because the only difference in these pseudoviruses were the spike proteins, said Liu, also a director of the Viruses and Emerging Pathogens Program in OSU's Infectious Diseases Institute.

Researchers also found that the COVID-causing virus is better able to fuse with a target cell membrane, another key step in the process. Better fusion, but not too much, is a key reason for its efficient cell-to-cell transmission. Too much can actually interfere with cell-to-cell transmission.

The team also investigated the role of a protein on cell surfaces known as the ACE2 receptor, the gateway for entry of the COVID virus.

They were surprised to find that the virus can penetrate cells with low levels of ACE2 or none on their surfaces. The result: Robust transmission from cell to cell.

Cell-to-cell transmissions resistance to antibody neutralization is probably something we should watch for as SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to emerge, including the most recent, Omicron," Liu said. "In this sense, developing effective antiviral drugs targeting other steps of viral infection is critical.

Many unknowns remain, including the exact mechanism the virus uses to spread from cell to cell, how that may influence individuals responses to infection, and whether efficient cell-to-cell transmission contributes to the emergence and spread of new variants.

The research was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has information on COVID-19 testing.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Dec. 23, 2021

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A Florida woman whose leg had to be amputated because of an infection after a pedicure has reached a $1.75 million settlement with the nail salon, her attorney said.

An employee at Tammys Nails 2 in Tampa cut Clara Shellmans foot during a pedicure in September 2018, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The cut became infected and spread quickly, partly because Shellman had severe peripheral arterial disease, a circulatory condition that causes narrowed blood vessels to reduce blood flow to the limbs, the newspaper said.

Shellman, 55, lost her home after being burdened by medical expenses from the amputation, the newspaper quoted her lawyer, Paul Fulmer, as saying. She needed help caring for herself and now is living with relatives, Fulmer said.

Court documents indicate the settlement was reached Dec. 16. The documents didnt list the amount of the settlement, but Fulmer disclosed the amount to the Times.

She was stunned, shocked, crying and giddy, all at the same time, Fulmer said.

According to the lawsuit filed in May 2020, the salon worker used tools and equipment that were so dirty they posed a danger to customers, a claim the business initially denied. The lawsuit claimed the company failed to follow its own policies, train its workers and properly maintain equipment.

Tammys Nails 2 said in an answer to the lawsuit, filed a month later, that Shellman was at fault because she didnt immediately seek medical care or take reasonable efforts to prevent the development of infection.

Fulmer said he and his client were surprised the salon agreed to the full settlement because of Shellmans preexisting condition.

There could have been a very strong argument from the defense with this, Fulmer said. We would have been happy with at least half what we received.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.).

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TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A stint behind bars can significantly shorten the life expectancy of Black Americans, but not their white counterparts, new research has found.

Black Americans who have spent time in jail or prison are 65% more likely to die prematurely, even if it's been years since their incarceration, according to an analysis of data from a decades-long federal study.

However, jail time did not appear to have any meaningful impact on the long-term health of white former inmates, researchers recently reported in the journal JAMA Network Open.

"That is on top of the fact that Black individuals are much more likely to become incarcerated in the first place than white individuals," said lead researcher Dr. Benjamin Bovell-Ammon, a visiting fellow in general internal medicine at Boston Medical Center.

"Those two factors combined suggest to us that mass incarceration could be contributing to the overall disparities in life expectancy that we see between Black and white individuals," he added.

The United States puts more people behind bars than any country in the world, with its incarcerated population quadrupling over the last four decades, researchers said in background notes.

Black people and those in other minority groups have been disproportionately affected by mass incarceration, with a stint in prison during young adulthood as common among Black men as college graduation is for white men, the researchers said.

Previous studies have suggested that jail time itself might be harmful to people's long-term health. To examine that possibility, Bovell-Ammon's team analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a study run by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) since 1979.

The BLS study recruited more than 7,900 people between 15 and 22 years of age in 1979 and followed them through 2018. About half were male, and 38% were Black.

"This is the first generation of Americans coming of age in what many call the era of mass incarceration, which started to take off in the '80s," Bovell-Ammon said. "These individuals would be approaching 60 years of age, so any deaths that have occurred are by definition premature."

During an average follow-up of 35 years, 478 people had been jailed at least once and 818 had died. The BLS data did not track how long each person spent behind bars or their cause of death, Bovell-Ammon said.

Black people had a higher death rate after they'd spent time imprisoned, the researchers found. On the other hand, white former inmates lived as long as they would have otherwise.

The way prisons are run could have something to do with this increased rate of death, said Bryan Sykes, an assistant professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California-Irvine.

Solitary confinement has been shown to harm a person's long-term health, and simply being housed with so many others in close quarters increases the spread of infectious diseases, said Sykes, who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study. Prison food is lousy and meager, often prompting inmates to load up on unhealthy junk food from the commissary.

Inmates in poor health also can expect to receive poor medical care, Sykes added.

Prisons "tend to be highly inequipped -- the medical personnel and medical expertise, even just medical supplies -- to deal with immediate health concerns while incarcerated," Sykes said. "For some inmates, they have to wait considerable lengths of time before they can even see a medical professional because sometimes the medical professional comes once a week."

Bovell-Ammon suspects that the stress Black convicts face upon their release from confinement probably has even more to do with their long-term health than their treatment behind bars.

"When applicants are applying for jobs, a white individual with a criminal record is more likely to get a call back than a Black individual without a criminal record," he said. "Blacks already face limited opportunities that get even worse after spending time in prison and carrying a criminal record."

Black people re-entering society after serving their time also must deal with disruptions in their social networks, educational opportunities and ability to access programs like low-income housing and food stamps, Bovell-Ammon said.

Further, Black people are less likely to have enough money on hand or enough connections to successfully pick themselves up and become a productive member of society, compared with white people, he said.

"If you or your family have some sort of cushion of wealth to fall back on or a family or social network where there is access to opportunity, there's just much more opportunity to bounce back from a setback like incarceration," Bovell-Ammon said.

Criminal justice reform is needed to protect non-violent offenders against these long-term health effects, Bovell-Ammon and Sykes said.

Policymakers and legislators need to "review whether or not all the people who are in confinement actually need to be in confinement, because there are other diversionary options than incarcerating them in a local jail or a state prison," Sykes said.

Bovell-Ammon agreed that these findings should prompt the public and policymakers to think more critically about public safety and what it means.

"If our policies to address crime and to try and promote safety are actually reducing the health and safety of some individuals, are there ways to address crime that don't disproportionately cause undue harm to various communities, particularly communities that are already marginalized?" Bovell-Ammon asked.

More information

Health Affairs has more about incarceration and health.

SOURCES: Benjamin Bovell-Ammon, MD, MPH, visiting fellow, general internal medicine, Boston Medical Center; Bryan Sykes, PhD, MA, assistant professor, criminology, law and society, University of California-Irvine; JAMA Network Open, Dec. 23, 2021

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Although I've only been with the Missoulian since May, it was still challenging to narrow down my top five favorite stories from this year. In
As the legal battle surrounding the purchase of Mountain Water appears to be nearing closure, Missoula is going to have to pay up.

An arbitration panel found last month that Missoula will be responsible for legal bills stemming from a lawsuit the city filed claiming the Carlyle Group backed out of a deal with the city government to purchase Mountain Water. The news was first reported last week by the Daily Montanan.

All eight claims the city made against Carlyle were dismissed with prejudice. In an interview with the Missoulian, Mayor John Engen said a separate process detailing just how much the city will have to pay will likely take place in the summer of 2022.

It is not clear how much the city will have to pay, but the number is expected to run into the millions. Prior to the acquisition, Missoula was the only large municipality in Montana that did not own its own water system.

"We are, of course, disappointed in the arbitration panel's decision, but they made the decision and, at least for the time being, we are going to hang tough until we understand sort of the second phase as they have yet to decide what they want to do about legal fees," Engen said Monday. "In the meantime, we will continue to own the water system forever. None of this changes that."

The award document details the long process leading up to the purchase. Mountain Water Company had owned Missoula's water system for years and had no interest in selling to the city, the document said.

When Mountain Water Company did decide to sell the system, the expectation by the city was that if Carlyle did buy it, Missoula would be in line to purchase it. Once Carlyle purchased the water company  along with two others as part of a package deal  the city did submit an offer of around $65 million.

That deal was rejected by Carlyle in 2013 and the city eventually offered the same sum of money again with the possibility of condemnation. Carlyle then sold all three water companies to Liberty Utilities for around $327 million.

The city's main claim is that Robert Dove, a managing director at Carlyle at the time, made a verbal agreement with the city to sell the water system.

"Irrespective of the length and vigorous efforts of Mayor Engen to acquire the system for the City, there is little evidence that he or anyone else acting for the city reached an enforceable verbal agreement with Dove or anyone else acting for (Carlyle) regarding the acquisition by the City of Mountain Water, and substantial evidence that no such agreement was reached," the interim award document said.

The city was eventually able to purchase the system and went through a variety of legal processes stemming from the condemnation. Missoula bought the asset itself for around $84 million from Liberty Utilities, but legal fees so far have pushed that number to around $100 million.

Engen said at the time of purchase, approximately half of the water pumped by the system was getting lost due to leaks.

"We'd do it over," Engen said. "In my opinion, despite the arbitration panel's ruling, Carlyle is, once again, getting away with it. I think anything we could do to ensure that they thought twice before dealing unfairly with another municipality or any entity they dealt with was worth the fight."

While Missoula is close to being done with legal issues stemming from the purchase, frustration remains. Outgoing City Councilor Jesse Ramos has been vocal about the legal costs associated with the purchase and said City Council has not seen details associated with the legal fees.

He, along with councilors John Contos and Sandra Vasecka, have made a point to vote against any agenda item including legal bills associated with the Mountain Water purchase.

"Separate completely from the city owning its own water, there's the issue of the greed of the lawyers that we've seen time and time again, where the lawyers see the city as essentially a piggy bank where they can just draw money out whenever they want," Ramos said Monday. "All they had to do was pull a couple of heartstrings on the majority of the city council and the mayor and make it seem like they're doing something noble. At the end of the day, they're like any other business and are going to take advantage of anybody else."

He continued: "I want to know why the money was spent, what it was used for, what cases they were working on and why we are getting charged whatever rate we're getting charged. The council has not seen any of those."

Engen said on Monday that once the legal process is complete, the documents associated with legal spending will be available.

"For anything our lawyers consider privileged, once all those proceedings are done, I don't have a problem with those being out in the light of day," Engen said. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be embarrassing there. It's the cost of the transaction for trying to get justice for the people I serve."

Engen also said he does not anticipate the city raising taxes or water rates further to pay for the legal fees.

"I don't know what (the) full consequences (will be), but anticipate being able to deal with it without causing pain for the folks I serve," Engen said.

Jordan Hansen covers news and local government for the Missoulian. Shout at him on Twitter @jordyhansen or send him an email at Jordan.Hansen@Missoulian.com

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SEATTLE (AP)  Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast.

Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens and forecasters said an arctic blast would last for several days. Sundays snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) across the Seattle area.

The National Weather Service said Seattles low Sunday was 20 degrees F (-6.7 C), breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F (-12. 8C), three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County  home to Portland  about a half dozen weather shelters were open. Seattle city leaders also opened at least six severe weather shelters starting Saturday through at least Wednesday.

In West Seattle, Keith Hughes of the American Legion Hall Post 160, said his warming center can welcome about a dozen people  its capacity limited by lack of volunteer staff.

Volunteers, this is a problem for myself as well as everyone else in town, its really hard to get with COVID going on, he said.

Winter weather led to canceled flights in Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed key highways, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeleys Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall has smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches (4.6 meters), set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches (4.9 meters) as more snow is expected.

The Northstar California Resort in Truckee closed its mountain operations on Monday amid blizzard conditions. The ski resort has received more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over the last 48 hours, according to the resort's Facebook post.

Search and rescue crews are looking for a missing skier who was last seen Saturday morning on a lift at the ski resort, KCRA reported.

The snowpack in the Sierra was at dangerously low levels after recent weeks of dry weather but the state Department of Water Resources reported on Monday that the snowpack was between 145% and 161% of normal across the range with more snow expected.

In Nevada, freezing air and blinding snow blasted across the northern part of the state on Monday, affecting travel and business, closing Sierra Nevada highway passes, delaying airport flights and shutting state offices.

Interstate 80 remained closed due to poor visibility and heavy snow from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California. An avalanche blocked a state route that connects Tahoe City to some ski resorts in Olympic Valley and authorities urged motorists to avoid nonessential travel.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered nonessential state workers other than public safety and corrections personnel to remain home due to the storm.

Weather and travel advisories stretched to northeast Nevada and Elko due to the possibility of blowing and drifting snow.

The storms that have been pummeling California and Nevada in recent days also brought rain and snow to Arizona. A record inch of rain in one day was reported at the airport in Phoenix Friday when 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow fell at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort just outside Flagstaff. Another 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow were recorded in the 24 hours ending Monday morning.

More storms are expected to hit the desert state starting Monday afternoon and continuing throughout the week.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm in parts of the Southern Plains, including in Arkansas, where several cities broke records on Christmas Day for daily high temperatures.

But forecasters warned that severe storms were possible midweek when a storm system moves through the Deep South, with Alabama and Mississippi at greatest risk for bad weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Heavy snow will start winding down by Monday evening in Californias Sierra Nevada and the area is expected to get a break from the cold snap by Thursday, said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures in western Washington and Oregon arent forecast to rise above freezing until at least Thursday, and possibly not until the weekend, forecasters said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Two rules that were set to take effect in 2022 on the Madison River in an attempt to understand and control overcrowding were repealed by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Monday.

While rejecting the rules, the commission also specifically reinstated currently existing regulations allowing only walk and wade fishing on the section from Quake Lake to Lyons Bridge and from Ennis Bridge to Ennis Lake.

Confusion over whether repeal of the rules would not result in reversion to existing regulations had confounded some anglers, so the commission made it apparent in its motion that regulations would stay the same as in 2021 regarding the walk-wade sections.

The other repealed rule would have established a rest-rotation system for commercial use from Raynolds to Lyons on Saturdays and Sundays from June 15 to Sept. 30.

Background

The rules were crafted as a compromise between two competing petitions submitted to the previous commission, one from outfitters and guides and the other from a coalition of Butte-area sportsmens groups. These were the latest attempts in a long-running debate over the best way to manage the popular waterway.

Representatives of both sides still disagree, with the executive director of the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana endorsing the commissions rejection of the rules, while a sportsmens advocate spoke in opposition to the repeal.

The clash is the latest example of how changes to fishing regulations on the Madison River have been confounded for years by sometimes divisive disagreements between user groups about how to proceed. The previous commissioners also rejected a proposal developed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff to address overcrowding.

Steve Luebeck, who represents the conservation group petitioners  the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Anaconda Sportsmans Club and the Skyline Sportsmens Association  said the commission was voting in opposition to public comments. According to tabulation of the comments received by Fish, Wildlife & Parks' staff, 198-15 opposed repealing the rest-rotation rules and 196-122 opposed repealing the walk-wade rules.

It doesnt seem youre acting in the public interest, he said.

Helena angler Hugh Zackheim also read through the public comments but saw them differently, with opposition focused on the loss of the walk-wade restrictions. Calling the situation confusing he nonetheless endorsed the repeal.

Commissioners

As the commissions representative on the newest work group established to address Madison River crowding, Commissioner K.C. Walsh said he and the appointees are committed to reducing traffic if at all possible. He said the group is also considering caps on commercial use while developing some control mechanisms for noncommercial use on the river.

Walsh said he personally agreed with the majority of the work group that the now-repealed rules werent the proper solution to the problems. He committed to come up with alternatives we believe will be more effective.

Commissioner Pat Byorth, the only remaining member of the last commission that approved the two rules, explained the intent was to test how the changes might affect use, adding they werent set in stone.

Now with six of seven commission members appointed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, and a new work group, the process has begun yet again.

Commissioner Pat Tabor, who works in the outfitting business, hailed the repeal and new efforts saying the commission is seeking fair and balanced solutions that do not favor one constituency trying to get everything for themselves.

And there has been a history, particularly on this river, to be so focused on the commercial elements to not really take in totality the amount of use, and quite often abuse, by the noncommercial environment, Tabor said. And that happens on public land everywhere. So if youre looking for a true balanced approach you have to look at all user groups and look at it in totality instead of just carving out a section of it, which remarkably at times, doesnt even represent the majority of the use but is perceived to be the majority of the use.

So for me as a commissioner this is an important step of letting the work group do, not a politically charged solution, but one that really looks at all user groups and looks for balance so we can all get along and protect the resource instead of just focusing completely on trying to limit the usage of just one set of users on the river.

Walsh, who is president of a Montana-based fishing products company, noted that commercial use is not just the guide, there are two members of the public fishing in most of those boats. Many of those people are resident anglers from the state of Montana. So were trying to do our best to accommodate resident and nonresident anglers.

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I wiped down tables at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric unit when the intercom rang. A few minutes later, four adult security guards arrived. Their purpose? To restrain an enraged teen.

I felt conflicted, unsettled yet aware that the teenager posed a risk to self and others. I also wondered how these escalated situations were prevented in the past, recalling moments when a trusted staff member calmed patients on the verge of outburst. Unfortunately, personalized preventive measures like this are less feasible as mental health care workers for youth are in short supply across the U.S.

In October, a group of professional pediatric organizations declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Last week, the U.S. surgeon general added to these calls by announcing an advisory on the mental health crisis facing our countrys youth  one that emerged prior to the COVID-19 pandemic yet undoubtedly exacerbated by it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 2009 to 2019, teens experienced increased rates of mental distress, from feelings of helplessness to depression and suicidal ideation. Tragically, suicide rates among youths age 10 to 24 increased too, by 57.4% from 2007 to 2018.

No silver bullet exists to solve this mental health crisis, but one foundational step is having an adequate group of mental health professionals to support our youth. However, significant shortages remain. Comparing the supply of behavioral health practitioners in 2013 to demand and projected supply in 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects a shortage of clinical, counseling and school psychologists by 57,490 individuals; mental health and substance abuse social workers by 48,540; and school counselors by 78,050.

Yikes.

These are daunting numbers, but some school districts are working to address the issue. As Mila Koumpilova reports for ChalkBeat, Chicago Public Schools will add 64 counselors by 2023 to meet student needs. Beyond local school districts, we must ask what it would take to recruit more individuals to the mental health workforce and to reduce turnover in a demanding profession.

One answer is adequate compensation.

In Social Work Today, Daniel Do, a doctoral candidate at the Boston University School of Social Work, says mental health workforce attrition stems partly from inadequate compensation: We have seen agencies try to increase their access to mental health providers over the years, and yet the pay is sharply lower when compared with other health professions such as nursing and primary care providers.

This idea is echoed in a 2019 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, or NASEM, that describes institutional barriers that may limit the adequate payment of social workers, gerontologists and other social care workers.

One institutional barrier is the billing landscape that funds our mental health care system. The same 2019 report by NASEM describes how under Medicare, social workers are defined as mental health providers, which means that the full scope of their work, including care management and education, is not billable. Billing and coding are unglamorous, but they represent an opportunity to target the structural roots of our workforce deficit.

Efforts include the American Psychological Associations work to increase billing options for psychologists. Legislative efforts exist too. The bipartisan proposal Improving Access to Mental Health Act would allow clinical social workers to be reimbursed 85% of a physicians fees as opposed to 75% under the current Medicare reimbursement rate.

Additional legislation includes the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act, which would increase the number of certified community behavioral health clinics, or CCBHCs, across the U.S. Based on findings from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, these clinics offer timely and affordable mental health services while expanding coverage to underserved populations. They also compensate social workers more adequately. As Chuck Ingoglia, president of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, explains, CCBHCs bill for the anticipated cost of care, which allows them to build capacity in supporting patients.

Detractors say CCBHCs receive greater payments for similar services provided at other clinics, and CCBHC officials have described staffing challenges given funding uncertainty. Nonetheless, this criticism ignores the care coordination that distinguishes CCBHCs from other clinics, as detailed by Rebecca Farley David, a senior adviser at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Moreover, even amid staffing challenges, CCBHC officials have described how higher salaries have reduced staff turnover while assisting with recruitment.

In addressing our mental health care deficit, these bills are necessary but not sufficient. Nonetheless, urging your legislators to adopt both pieces of legislation is one action we can take toward building an adequate mental health workforce. In completing my medical training, I hope to become one of many other future individuals tending to the mental health needs of our youths, to make sure they are cared for before having to visit an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Tony Liu is an M.D. candidate at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

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On Dec. 17, NCDHHS said that in the coming months the omicron variant is expected to cause the greatest surge in COVID-19 infections to date. Health officials said early evidence suggested that omicron variant is two to three times as contagious as the delta variant, making it four to six times as contagious as the original COVID-19 virus. The state said data collected showed more rapid waning of protection after the primary vaccination series than was seen with delta or other variants, although vaccines are still effective at preventing severe disease.

Local and state health officials have been pleading with residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to get a booster shot if eligible.

Adults in the state who are fully vaccinated remains at 69% and adults who have had at least one dose is 74%, according to NCDHHS.

In Burke County, 45% of the population, which includes those 5 years old and up, are fully vaccinated and 47% have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

Multiple pharmacies throughout the county are administering vaccines, as well as the county health department.
I remember just freezing, being  in the back of my head, Im like, Oh, how do I say no politely?' Because in my head, if I said no, hes going to take it out on the detail. And now Im on the bad list, she told investigators, according to James' report.

So, she said, she told him, Sure. He kissed her on the cheek, while saying something like Oh, Im not supposed to do that, or Unless thats against the rules, she told investigators.

A male colleague told investigators he witnessed the episode, the attorney general's report said.

The trooper hasn't been publicly identified. A message seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for her.

In the other incident that Westchester prosecutors examined, Cuomo allegedly greeted a woman by grabbing her arm, pulling her toward him and kissing her on the cheek without asking whether that was OK. She was attending a press conference he gave at White Plains High School in June 2018.

I smiled nervously afterward. I had to endure comments from people in attendance, the woman, Susan Iannucci, told reporters at a virtual news conference in August.
You might have made it more inclusive, but as far as my testimony, as far as the people who I represent and the people I testified for, they didn't do us any good, they didn't make it any easier, Martinez said in an interview.

Out of 1.5 million Hispanic or multiracial Hispanic residents in Pennsylvania, or almost 12%, just four Latinos serve in the 253-seat Legislature, Martinez said.

Thats under 2%. Proportional representation would be more like 29 seats.

The commission chair, former University of Pittsburgh chancellor Mark Nordenberg, describes the new maps as being drawn with eight minority opportunity districts that are particularly attractive because no incumbents live in those districts.

Seven are in the House and one is in the Senate.

However, only one has a majority Latino population. That district, the Allentown-based 22nd House district, actually shrinks the Latino population from the current 22nd, Martinez said.

Even an existing Latino-majority district in Reading went from 60% Latino to 50% Latino, Martinez said.
The U.S. House already passed the Freedom to Vote Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act. In the Senate, they enjoy the support of a narrow majority, but so far have been blocked by a Republican filibuster.

Calls for modifying the filibuster rules to get these voting rights measures passed into law are mounting, with even President Joe Biden speaking out. This will be the decisive fight of 2022, with consequences that likely will reverberate for decades to come.

If the election results are close, state-level Republicans will attempt to overturn those that dont go their way using bogus claims of election fraud as the pretext.

Stop the Steal efforts are being coordinated across states by a network of pro-Trump election lawyers, touting their goal of reining in election fraud, despite the reality that no meaningful record of election fraud exists.

Voter fraud conspiracy theories have been widely debunked by election officials, legislative hearings, academic scholars and the courts. Most recently, three Trump supporters from a Florida retirement community were charged with voting more than once. But the wild notion that voter fraud is pervasive and affected the 2020 election results is accurately known as the Big Lie.
The recent disclosures of text messages sent by the hosts of two leading shows on Fox News Channel to the chief of staff to President Trump urging a speech to the nation at the height of the Jan. 6 assault on the U. S. Capitol has again raised ethical questions over personal involvement in presidential decision-making.

Both Sean Hannity and his colleague Laura Ingraham sent frantic messages to chief of staff Mark Meadows, imploring a presidential address urging the protestors to leave the Capitol.

Their messages warned the riot was inflicting major damage on Trump and would destroy his legacy.

Both justified their private messages as nothing different from what theyd already said repeatedly on the air. Why, then, did each feel it crucial to use private back channels to offer advice if not for a self-serving desire to play a significant role in a history-making  albeit disgraceful  event?

Granted, neither Hannity nor Ingraham went as far over the line as Cuomo, but their efforts to insert themselves into the center of the riveting events swirling around them smacked of personal aggrandizement and self-promotion.
Big Hole River anglers fishing between Maiden Rock and Brownes Bridge will be able to get on the water earlier in 2022 but have to get off sooner.

The change comes after the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission decided on Monday to alter a decision it had made in August.

In August the commission had approved new regulations to try and protect brown trout during their fall spawning season by closing fishing from Maiden Rock to Brownes Bridge from Nov. 1 through the third Saturday in May. This section of water has the highest density of brown trout, according to research conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists.

On Tuesday, due to continued public input, the commission decided to alter the dates.

The commissions revision will now close the Maiden Rock to Brownes Bridge section earlier, starting on Sept. 30, to reduce angling impacts to spawning brown trout and minimize disturbance of spawning redds, according to FWPs agenda item. Redds are fish spawning beds. Most brown trout spawning in the Big Hole occurs in this section in October. The season will open April 1 instead of the third Saturday in May.

Commissioner Pat Byorth questioned whether opening earlier was safe considering that brown trout would be in poor condition after winter and because rainbow trout spawn in the spring.

So are we just shifting pressure onto the spawners and post-winter brown trout in a way to accommodate more opportunity? he questioned.

Eric Roberts, fish management supervisor for FWP, said opening earlier is not controversial because water flows may be high and fishing pressure low resulting in little biological consequence. Closing the section of water earlier in the fall provides protection that reduces a stressor during the peak spawning season, he added.

However, Roberts did say the advisory group considering changes to protect brown trout across southwest Montana did not authorize this specific change. Given that situation, Byorth said he thought the public hadnt had enough time to weigh in on the proposal.

When we go through these motions and we think through them and listen to public comment, reversing them a month later based on some scant public comment isnt always a good move, Byorth said.

Clayton Elliott, of Montana Trout Unlimited, said his group supports the change but also felt like the public should have had more time to weigh in.

Commissioner Pat Tabor said he had no problem with the changes, noting the Big Hole and Beaverhead were being considered at the same time in August which may have led to some miscommunication.

I feel the vetting did occur, we did the entire process, it was just that the two rivers got lumped together and inadvertently the Big Hole got subject to that extra thirty days which created an unnecessary penalty and didnt really accomplish anything biologically, he said. So were making this correction.

Brown trout numbers are declining in streams across southwest Montana and fisheries biologists are unable to pinpoint any specific cause. Rather its believed to be a combination of factors ranging from warm water, low flows and increased fishing pressure. On the Big Holes most popular section near Melrose, adult brown trout numbers have fallen from 1,800 to 400 in the past six years.

Commissioner K.C. Walsh said he wanted to let the public know that similar regulations on the Dickie Bridge to Jerry Creek section of the Big Hole would be considered in the future with an opportunity for public comment.

That was good news for Butte angler Paul Siddoway who said that section was also highlighted by the brown trout focus group in its discussions.

Noting the Big Holes brown trout population has taken a catastrophic drop, he encouraged greater protection of the resource.

We have to always remember that the fish in the river are a gift and need to be treated accordingly, he said.

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On the Dec. 21 winter solstice  the darkest day of the year  Montana wildlife officials opened additional areas to wolf trapping across the state, including in wilderness areas and public lands bordering Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.

This decision is sickening, and yet it doesnt even begin to tell the whole horrific situation that imperiled wolves and grizzly bears have faced all year in Montana. And the stakes are only getting more dangerous as a long, cold winter descends.

This years start of the wolf trapping season was delayed in parts of western Montana to give threatened grizzly bears more time to safely reach their dens. Despite this, threatened species like grizzlies were not spared from the brutality of indiscriminate trapping.

Earlier this fall, a family of grizzly bears living near Glacier National Park stumbled upon two traps  baited with a dead fox  that a trapper set to kill coyotes. The traps snapped shut, gripping tightly around the feet of two bears. Wildlife managers were able to dart and release one bear, but its believed the other trap may still be on the other grizzly bears foot. Trapping is a disgusting practice  using a dead fox to bait a trap just makes it more atrocious.

By New Years Eve, wolf trapping will be opened statewide to satisfy the bloodlust of Montanas Republican governor and state legislators, who are intent on brutally slaughtering up to 450 wolves  40 percent of the wolf population in the state  in just six months. Forty percent!

Thankfully, most grizzly bears should be denned up by then. Grizzly Bear 399 the worlds most famous mama bear  recently made it safely into her Greater Yellowstone den with her four cubs. Sadly, the safety of a den is no refuge for some of Yellowstones most famous wolves and wolfpacks, as 15 Yellowstone wolves have already been slaughtered this year, including seven from the Junction Butte pack, the most watched wolf pack in the park.

Winter is a time for nesting, denning, and reflecting. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, but it also marks a return of the light.

At WildEarth Guardians, we want to end the year focusing on gratitude and all the successes we accomplished together this year for wildlife and wild places. But we also cant shy away from telling the dark stories that continue happening. We are standing up against these injustices and for the beauty and wildness that still remains.

Above all, nature is cyclical and we know that our fight to protect the natural world will contain both moments of despair and darkness and moments of exhilaration and exuberance. Just as the winter descends, spring will also rise.

In a few months, Grizzly Bear 399 and her four cubs will emerge from their den. Lets do everything in our power to ensure that the world they walk out into is one that values coexistence and reveres the cycle of life.

John Horning is executive director of WildEarth Guardians.

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MUSCATINE  The annual Nationwide New Years Day hike is meant to encourage people to get outside and enjoy the countrys state parks, but in Iowa there has always been a friendly rivalry between the parks to see who can draw the most people.

After holding a self-guided hike at the beginning of 2021 because of the COVID-19 health crisis, the tour of Wildcat Den State Park is returning.

In the top five of the 50 participating state parks as far as attendance in the four years it held tours, Wildcat Den hopes to keep its record this year.

During the 2020 hike, hundreds of people attended. The 2022 hike will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday from the Upper Picnic Area. Before the hike, hot chocolate will be served and a fire will be lit in the shelter for a social time.

Its a chance to get everyone outside and get exercise and promote the park, Karri Rutenbeck, the natural resources technician at the park, said. It started as the First-Day Hike initiative, so it is a nationwide initiative that started about 20 years ago. It isnt just Iowa participating in this, but the other state parks across the nation as well.
MUSCATINE  As one local family tries to get through a tragedy, others are doing what they can to help.

On Dec. 26, a GoFundMe campaign was created by local resident Rachel Reed in order to support the Summitt Family. On Christmas morning, Muscatine High School sophomore student Cameron Summitt died unexpectedly.

The cause of Camerons death has not been publicly announced, nor have any arrangements been announced. Reed, who is best friends with Camerons parents  Capt. Andy Summitt of the Muscatine Fire Department and Jefferson Elementary School teacher Heidi Summitt  said they wanted to do what she could to help with the familys funeral expenses and anything else they needed.

Obviously with it being an unexpected loss, our hope is just to help them cover the expenses that the funeral will entail, Reed said. Our biggest hope is to show our support and help two people (Camerons parents) who serve our community in the way that they do, and to have our community pull together for them and show our support and love."

Within the first 24 hours, the campaign raised more than $43,000.
WAPELLO  With construction of a new combination Dollar Tree/Family Dollar store already started in Wapello, several resolutions and other actions tied to financial incentives related to that store were approved by the city council on Thursday.

The major action taken by the council was passing a resolution establishing the 2021 Wapello Urban Renewal Area. Establishing an urban renewal area allows communities to provide tax increment financing (TIF) support to developers.

According to a map that accompanied the resolution, the urban renewal area includes all the area within the city lying west of U.S. Highway 61 between 100th Street and Locust Street, with the exception of most of the Industrial Park. The proposed area also includes several blocks east of the highway.

The council approved the resolution following a public hearing where officials said there had been no comments on the proposal. During the public hearing, Wapello School District Superintendent Mike Peterson assured the council the district had no significant concerns with establishing the area.

I talked with my people in Des Moines and the information I got back was that any impact on property tax owners moving forward will be minimal, he reported.
Iowa schools reported rising enrollments and declining test scores in 2021, as students and teachers recover from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Education released several reports this month which gauge how Iowa schools have recovered from widespread disruptions in the spring and fall of 2020. The state found that over two dozen schools had fallen from top rankings based on standardized test scores, and more had dropped to the lowest two categories.

But, more students have enrolled in Iowa schools after a significant drop in the 2020-2021 academic year. Plus, the department released its first report on classroom violence.

2021 school rankings

Dozens of Iowa schools reported declining standardized test scores this spring, according to a new report from the Department of Education.

The Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) is administered every spring at Iowa public schools, testing students in reading, writing and math. A full database of results is available on the Department of Education website.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP)  An Iowa woman and a Nebraska teenager have been charged in connection with a hatchet attack on a man in a Sioux City apartment building earlier this month.

Sioux City police said the attack was carried out on Dec. 18 to retaliate against the apartment's occupant because that man had previously kicked the 52-year-old woman out of the apartment. The Sioux City Journal reports that Mary Blair was arrested Saturday on several charges, including burglary and assault. The teen was arrested on similar charges Monday.

Court documents say Blair let the 16-year-old into the locked apartment building and then knocked on the door of the victims apartment before stepping aside to let the teen enter.

Prosecutors say the 61-year-old victim suffered a broken shoulder and had to have a chest tube inserted because of blood in his lung after he was struck several times with a hatchet. He also had to have surgery, but he has since been released from the hospital.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has submitted an application to the Pretoria High Court for a declaratory order that would give South African municipalities exclusive rights to administer, distribute and sell electricity throughout South Africa.

There are eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities in South Africa, the boundaries of which extend wall-to wall across South Africa.

This means that municipal areas cover the entire landmass of South Africa.

If successful, the Salga court action would require Eskom to obtain permission from and to enter into service delivery agreements (SDAs) with each of the municipalities in which the national electricity utility currently owns and operates its electricity transmission and distribution networks.

Eskom says it will vigorously defend its rights in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA).

As South Africas national electricity utility, Eskom has had transmission and distribution licences from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) ever since the Regulators inception.

Eskom supplies electricity directly to about 6.9-million customers in South Africa. These include about 6.7-million residential customers, 53,000 commercial customers, 3,560 mining and industrial customers, 78,500 agricultural customers and 470 rail customers across the country.

Other organisations also hold distribution licences from Nersa, and are named as respondents alongside Eskom in the Salga application to the Pretoria High Court.

These include Sasol, AECI, South African National Parks, Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency, West Rand Power Distributors, Vleesbaai Dienste, Damplaas Kragbron and Ithala SOC.

It is also known that a number of mines in remote areas of South Africa are supplied with power direct from Eskom for their own use, and that some of these mines also distribute electricity to associated local employee and mining community residential areas.

The ministers of Mineral Resources & Energy, Public Enterprises and Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs, and the Regulator, Nersa, are also named as respondents in the Salga application.

Salgas court application seems to ignore the fact that many municipalities across South Africa are in fact failing in their service delivery obligations.

At grass-roots level, there is deep dissatisfaction by residents with service levels and quality of supply in these municipal areas, as evidenced by widespread and ongoing protests and civil unrest.

Many municipalities are in a state of dire financial distress, with associated failures in municipal administration, billing, revenue collection and asset protection.

Domestic and business customers receiving power from municipal electricity distributors complain of exorbitant mark-ups on electricity procured from Eskom, and extensive and ongoing power supply outages as a result of old and poorly maintained municipal electricity distribution infrastructure.

The weak financial and administrative state of many municipalities across South Africa is such that not only are they unable to collect revenue adequately from their customers, but they are also unable or unwilling to pay for the electricity they procure from Eskom.

Currently, municipal arrear debt to Eskom by municipalities exceeds R40-billion, and this is rising unabated, at a rate of about R8-billion a year.

As a result, Eskom has been forced to engage in what is euphemistically known as load reduction.

This involves cutting electricity supply to offending municipal areas during certain hours of the day, both as a credit control mechanism, and to avoid overloading of Eskoms power system by customers who do not pay for the electricity they use.

All of this is proving massively disruptive to the operations of businesses receiving power from municipal electricity distributors, and results in loss of revenue, productivity and jobs, and an inability to grow and adequately serve South Africas needs for economic recovery and growth following the Covid-19 pandemic.

It appears quite clear that Salgas application is motivated primarily by the ambitions of local government structures to raise the price of electricity across South Africa to the levels charged in municipal electricity tariffs.

Furthermore, municipalities want to be able to apply levies and surcharges on the sale of electricity across South Africa, including on direct electricity sales by Eskom.

Salga acknowledges that commercial and industrial customers supplied directly by Eskom get electricity at significantly lower prices than electricity provided by municipalities. Salga complains this undercutting of municipal tariffs by Eskom is discriminatory.

Eskoms customers often pay less for electricity than their counterparts who receive electricity from municipalities. The total revenue forgone by municipalities in 2019, for example due to Eskoms supply within the municipalities [area of] jurisdiction, is R162,36-billion, says Salga.

What this means on a business level is that a business in an Eskom supplied area will pay less for electricity than one that is in an area supplied by a municipality. Effectively the former business will operate at an unfair advantage over one that is supplied by the municipality, continues Salga.

Salga further complains that municipalities lose out by not being able to apply levies and surcharges on sales of electricity by Eskom to its own customers, as municipalities do when supplying electricity to their own customers.

In 2019, municipalities lost an opportunity to generate almost R6-billion in surcharges because of Eskoms direct supply, it says.

Salga also bemoans the fact that municipalities cannot cut off electricity as a credit control measure against customers in Eskom areas of supply who may be in arrears on their municipal rates, water and sanitation accounts.

This, says Salga, causes lower revenue collection levels by municipalities for these other municipal services, and results in a loss of overall municipal revenue.

It would seem, if one is to believe Salga, that the answer to all this is to require Eskom and all other licenced electricity distributors to fall under the executive control of the relevant municipality in which electricity customers reside.

This would give municipalities the right to require an SDA from all electricity distributors, and to charge Eskom and other licences electricity distributors for the right to operate in municipal areas (i.e. throughout South Africa).

It would also enable municipalities to apply levies and surcharges on the sale of all electricity in South Africa to fund and cross-subsidise all manner of municipal costs, activities and services.

Salga indicates that municipal and local government structures have been trying to get Eskom to agree to this since 2013.

However, Salga says the national electricity utility has blown hot and cold on the issue of SDAs with municipalities for years, and has been recalcitrant by failing to conclude and enter into SDAs.

Regrettably, all these engagements were futile because of disagreements between Salga and Eskom officials, says Salga.

While Eskom, Sasol, AECI and other licenced electricity distributors have indicated their intention to oppose Salgas application, it appears that, to date, none have actually submitted their opposing papers to the court, which according to Salgas notice of motion, should have been done by mid-October 2021.

Furthermore, the spokespersons of the ministers of Minerals & Energy, Public Enterprises and Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs, and of the Regulator, Nersa, all remain shtum when asked whether, as named respondents, they will be opposing Salgas application.

This matter is clearly such a hot potato, with massive financial impacts on the South African economy, and on electricity customers both large and small currently supplied directly by Eskom, that none of the relevant ministries and Regulator are prepared to grasp it.

From the extended silence, it seems pretty clear that machinations are now underway behind the scenes, and that no-one is willing to stick their necks out publicly with a statement on the issue, least of all to actually make a decision or allow the court to rule on the matter with a declaratory order.

Perhaps the political solution will be to kick the can down the road for another decade or so.
An American Canyon police officer noted a car with extremely dark window tint and the resulting traffic stop led to the discovery of arms and ammunition.

It happened at 10:36 a.m. Tuesday on the 3900 block of Broadway, which is Highway 29. The dark window tint violated the California vehicle code.

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The officer found the driver had a suspended license. The driver consented to a search and the officer found controlled substances, drug paraphernalia and a room key to a local hotel, an American Canyon Police Department release said.

Officers searched the car and found a box of ammunition, a handgun with a loaded magazine, loaded magazines, controlled substances, a pill press that can be used to produce controlled substances and a digital scale, the press release said.

Keeping in mind the local hotel room key, officers searched the drivers hotel room. They found another loaded firearm. Since the driver had a prior felony conviction with firearms charges, he should not have had firearms and ammunition, the press release said.

Officers arrested Jordan Varner Jr., 35, of Fairfield on suspicion of possessing a concealed firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, driving with a suspended license, possession of a large-capacity magazine, possession for sale of a controlled substance, and other charges, the press release said.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com.

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The Yerevan Council of Elders has convened a special session Tuesday, and there are 22 matters on the agenda.

This is the first sitting of the Yerevan city council after Hayk Marutyan was dismissed from the post of mayor. At the December 22 special session, the ruling majority "My Step" Faction of the council had expressed no confidence in Marutyan.

The matter of appointing the First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan is also on the agenda of todays sitting. Levon Hovhannisyan, a member of the Council of Elders, will be nominated for this position. Previously, this position was held by incumbent mayor Hrachya Sargsyan.
IOC confirms dates of Beijing Winter Olympics

WHO head gives forecast for global vaccination

Sony reveals its first 4K quantum OLED TV

Kazakhstan ministry of internal affairs says they will destroy those who refuse to lay down their arms

Russian Defense Minister holds talks with Pentagon head

Blinken discuss with Kazakhstan FM situation in republic

Kazakhstan President thanks CSTO for sending peacekeeping forces

Aeroflot cancels all flights to and from Kazakhstan on January 6 and 7

Armenian Embassy in Kazakhstan recommends not to leave place of stay

Kazakhstan MFA denies information on suspension of foreign citizens entry into country

EU takes note of Kazakhstan's appeal for help to CSTO

Shooting in Kazakhstan's Alma-Ata

CSTO Secretary General discuss Kazakhstan situation with Armenian PM

Yerevan-Aktau flight scheduled for today is canceled

Kazakhstan suspended entry of foreign nationals into the country

Lavrov supports efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia

President of Artsakh attends Christmas Holy Liturgy

Yerevan-Aktau flight scheduled for today is canceled

Saakashvili welcomed protests in Kazakhstan

Gibka-S missile systems to be delivered to Russian forces in 2022

Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss the situation in the Caucasus

First plane with Russian CSTO contingent arrives in Almaty

Georgia PM: I congratulate our Armenian compatriots, brotherly Armenian people on Christmas

Russian peacekeepers secure entry to Karabakh for 5,000 vehicles carrying pilgrims

Armenia sends about 70 servicemen to Kazakhstan

Politico: US Senate unlikely to approve sanctions against Nord Stream 2

1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh

134 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

12 law enforcement officers killed in Almaty

Razm.info: At least 78 casualties in Azerbaijan armed forces become known in 2021

Armenia MFA on Kazakhstan events: We are convinced it is not way for solving political issues

CSTO sends peacekeepers to Kazakhstan

Armenia President: May your hearts and homes be filled with peace, goodness

More than 1,000 people injured in Kazakhstan unrest

Catholicos of All Armenians serving Christmas Divine Liturgy

MFA: No Armenia citizens at the moment among those affected by Kazakhstan events

Blinken, Israel FM discuss Russia, Ukraine, Iran

Christmas and Revelation: Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Nativity and Baptism of Christ

Dozens neutralized during attempts to attack administrative buildings of Kazakhstans Almaty

Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan leaders discuss situation in Kazakhstan

Kremlin website posts Armenia PM statement on CSTO decision to send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan

Armenia PM: CSTO will send peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan

Airport of Kazakhstans Almaty freed during special operations

8 police and military killed in Kazakhstan: 317 more wounded

Protesters in Kazakhstan tear down Nazarbayev's monument

Special representatives of Armenia and Turkey meeting to take place on January 14 in Moscow

Azerbaijani defense ministry denies news of servicemen deaths

State of emergency introduced throughout Kazakhstan

EU calls on all sides in Kazakhstan to avoid escalation and violence

Azerbaijan starts receiving Turkmen gas through Iran

Prime Minister Pashinyan congratulates Armenians on Christmas

Protesters seize Almaty airport in Kazakhstan

Andranik Grigoryan is the CEO of Converse Bank, Chairman of Executive Management

France intends to help Azerbaijan in search of missing persons during 1st Karabakh war

Aeroflot cancels flight to Almaty: Aktau airport not working

Arnak Avetisyan appointed Armenian State Property Management Committees chair

Armenia appoints new ambassador to Russia

Christmas Eve liturgy takes place in Armenia's Etchmiadzin

Attempts to demolish a monument of Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan

Armenia deputy PM Mher Grigoryan to co-chair intergovernmental joint commission with Iran

Media: Internet cut off in Nursultan and Almaty

Armenia Prosecutor General to head for Moscow

Armenia premier to send 10-member delegation to Russia

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Kazakh president delivers new speech to nation

Kazakhstan protesters disarm police: Mir TV channel's office vandalized

Kazakhstan presidential residence set on fire

Almaty commandant: More than 500 civilians are beaten

OSCE calls for de-escalation of Kazakhstan situation

Protesters try to break into residence of Kazakhstan's president

Kazakh security forces take the side of protesters

Kazakh protesters seize Kazakh president's residence and destroy TV channels premises

Baghdad military base hit by missile attack

Armenian traces destroyed in occupied Shushi

Prosecutor's office building is on fire: State of emergency in Almaty

Azerbaijan declares 2022 year of occupied Armenian city of Shushi

Justice minister not commenting on arresting Armenian captives returned from Azerbaijan

Yerevan homeless shelter residents picketing in front of Armenia labor, social affairs ministry

Hong Kong imposes ban on flights from 8 countries due to COVID-19

Protesters in Almaty riot hospitals and clinics

PM: I have hard time imagining how Omicron variant cannot enter Armenia

New council of Armenias Parakar does not convene first session, new village mayor not elected

7 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Armenia cargo transportation via railway drops but passengers increase in 2021

Government hands over Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine certified rights with 15% Armenia-owned shares

Borrell says EU cannot be a neutral spectator in talks with Russia

Armenian PM urges to throw plastic bags out of life

Oil prices stabilize after jump

Premier recalls that anti-tobacco law has entered into force in Armenia as of January 1

129 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Kazakhstan President accepts governments resignation

Armenia State Property Management Committee dismissed

Armenia PM: We are entering 2022 with quite serious start to reforms

New council of Armenias Parakar convenes first session, village mayor election on agenda

New York prosecutor drops sex crime case against ex-governor Cuomo

England, Wales to make taking pictures of breastfeeding mothers in public illegal

Paraguay presidential guard dies after being impaled by deer while on duty

Flights delayed at Kazakhstan's Aktau airport as rallies continue

NATO foreign ministers to hold videoconference ahead of meeting with Russia

Ford to double production capacity for electric version of F-150 pickup
The remains of 1,704 servicemen killed after the truce have been found, the press release of the State Service of Emergency Situations of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) reads.

From December 20 to 26, the 911 alarm center of the State Service of Emergency Situations received 657 calls. The fires were put out on time, and necessary assistance was provided to the population. There were no victims.

The searches for the remains of servicemen killed or missing during the third war in Artsakh continue.

The remains of a total of 1,704 servicemen have been found and removed since the truce.

To find and destroy various types of ammunition and of different calibers, sapper groups and their partnering organizations carry out reconnaissance works in all regions of the republic all day long, the press release also reads.
YEREVAN.  Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: An extraordinary situation has been created in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]. The political elite, from the opposition to the authorities, rebelled against the RA leadership. Will [Artsakh President] Arayik Harutyunyan take this situation to the end, starting from Artsakh the process of [Armenia PM Nikol] Pashinyan's rejection? Or is the threat against him [i.e., Harutyunyan] already neutralized and the state interest of Artsakh is no longer important?

Let us recall that at his [Facebook] press conference [last week], Pashinyan stated that he had received such an inheritance of [Karabakh peace] negotiations [from his predecessors] that he could not say whether Artsakh is Armenian. However, he did not publicize any document that would be the proof of this and would not be perceived as his own plan to Azerbaijanize Artsakh, which Pashinyan attempted to bring to fruition in the past one year, especially in recent days.

The thing is that the RA Prime Minister has attempted to implement a plan to oust Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan through [Artsakh former defense minister and Defense Army commander, and ex-secretary of the Security Council] Samvel Babayan. First, to thwart the adoption of the budget, then to express impeachment against the Artsakh President. As a result, Artsakh would be deprived of its subjectivity and would no longer be able to elect a president.

However, Arayik Harutyunyan was informed about this conspiratorial plan, [and] as a result of consultations with the opposition, he managed to prevent the first part of this plan; the budget was adopted.

It is not ruled out in Artsakh that we will soon witness the second series of this. Babayan will attempt, through some circles, to generate protests against Harutyunyan.

By the way, after the adoption of the draft budget on December 23, Babayan tried to meet with Harutyunyan, but his proposal was rejected.
President Artur Tovmasyan of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly has issued a congratulatory message on the 30th anniversary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Supreme Council of the First Convocation. The message reads as follows:

30 years ago, on this day, as a result of the elections held on December 28, 1991, the legislative body of the newly created republic was formed - the Supreme Council, which at its first sitting on January 6, 1992, adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Proceeding from the inalienable right of the people to self-determination, relying on the free will of the people of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

On this occasion, I warmly congratulate the legislative body chairmen, vice-chairmen, chairmen of committees, heads of factions, deputies of all convocations and wish them health, peace and a dignified future.

Azerbaijan responded to the declaration of independence with three wars. During the first Artsakh war 11 deputies of the first convocation of the Supreme Council enlisted in the army and sacrificed their lives. Eternal glory to them, to all the heroes who died for the homeland, I bow to their sacred memory.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the NKR Supreme Council, the Artsakh Parliament intended to convene a special sitting on December 28. However, due to the widespread national quarantine announced in the Republic, no session was convened.

Nowadays, Artsakh, though shrunken, has a statehood, and its independence is indisputable. Next to the final settlement of the conflict is the issue of international recognition of the Artsakh Republic and its borders, and is unconditionally set.

The existence and salvation of the Armenian people who struggled in the crossroads of history was always conditioned by the unity and unanimity of the Armenians.

With our way of life and confidence, we must stand up for our homeland and fight for the protection of our rights. Our will and goals are unshakable, they are not subject to compromise.

We call on all Armenians for unity, mutual understanding and tolerance.
I would not accept the term "staff massacre" in relation to the Ministry of Defense; but yes, a major and extensive personnel change must be made in the Ministry of Defense. Armen Khachatryan, an MP of the majority "Civil Contract" Faction, told this to reporters Tuesday at the National Assembly of Armenia.

"We have gone through the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war [last year], we have seen in practice where there are problems. Major personnel changes must be made in the army, there must be personnel in the army who are in tune with today and can play a major role in the formation of a new [Armenian] army in today's conditions," he said.

The lawmaker stressed that now Armenia has new challenges, and in the latters conditions the countrys army needs to have new staff, a new way of thinking.

"We must form a personnel institute armed with new knowledge very quickly so that we can move forward. With the old methods, we will not achieve results for a long time; therefore, personnel change is very much in demand. () the people who have the vision for those reforms should be in the [military] service.

We cannot be content with what there is [in the Armenian army]. What was there brought us to disaster, and we saw quite serious problems in the war ()," Khachatryan added.
The Inecobank branch located in the very heart of the capital has reopened. From now on, the branch at 18 Abovyan St., loved by customers, will welcome its visitors in more comfortable conditions.

Modernization of branches is one of the continuous initiatives at Inecobank aimed at perfecting the quality of customer service. In times of rapid development of digital banking, when only 10% of financial transactions are physically carried out in branches, financial advice through live communication continues to remain in demand by customers. Along with the development of online tools, Inecobank will continue the process of modernizing its branch network, providing all the necessary conditions for high-quality customer service.

From now on, financial advice in the reopened branch will be available until 20:30, which will provide customers with additional convenience to visit the bank after working hours. And the self-service terminals located in the bank area will be available to customers 24/7 for making payments, withdrawals and account replenishment, providing additional flexibility for conducting banking transactions.

Gevorg Mamikonyan, head of the bank's Personal Banking Department stated that the modernization and expansion of the branch network will be continuous for the convenience of each customer.

"Although about 280,000 users carry out almost all their transactions through the InecoOnline system or InecoMobile application today, the most digital bank of Armenia will nonetheless be happy to see its customers in this reopened branch and to introduce all the financial solutions that will help them achieve their goals," Gevorg Mamikonyan noted.

By the way, to make the upcoming holiday season warmer, customers visiting the branch at 18 Abovyan St. before the end of the year have the opportunity to become a Secret Santa for children who live in need in distant communities and dream of New Year miracles. Inecobank employees have been joining the World Vision Armenia donation campaign for four years incessantly, and this time the Bank calls on customers to take part in the initiative by donating money in boxes placed in the reopened branch, promising to complement the donations made by visitors here.
Even after the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war [last year] when [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan started talking about the era of peace, we were saying that he was going to start a flirtation with Turkey. Artur Khachatryan, a member of the opposition "Armenia" Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, told this to a press conference Tuesday.

"Turkey's preconditions [for normalizing relations with Armenia] are known: the acknowledgment of the territorial integrity of Turkey and Azerbaijan; the suspension of work aimed at the [international] recognition of the [Armenian] Genocide. And now they have added the provision of a land route [via Armenia] between Turkey and the Turkic world. From the point of view of the [Armenian] state, the road is not expected to have any positive impact. When we ask the [Armenian] authorities, Have you made any economic assessment [in this regard]? They do not answer. They have not even calculated not only the road, but also the Armenian-Turkish trade and economic relations. If Turkish companies invade Armenia, local producers will face a terribly difficult situationat least in the sector of textiles, primary agriculture," Khachatryan added.

According to the lawmaker, a broad opposition front is being formed against the Armenian authoritiesand in various domains.

"We use all the means available to the parliamentary opposition to inform about Pashinyan's nation-betraying programs, and offer our alternative programs. Also, we show in the parliament what we would do if we were in power.

We have started the resistance movement, we are mobilizing people on the spot; a vivid proof: the [recent] local elections. Of course, somewhere we have defeat, somewherevictory. But if we look prior to our running [in these elections], defeat was everywhere. The local elections showed that they [i.e., the Armenian authorities] are losing their [approval] rating. We are ready for broad discussions with our compatriots, too" Artur Khachatryan emphasized.
Criminal prosecution against leader of the opposition With Honor Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, leader of Homeland Party Artur Vanetsyan has been dismissed due to absence of corpus delicti. This is stated in the statement issued by Vanetsyans defense attorneys Lusine Sahakyan and Yervand Varosyan.

One year, one month and ten days

This is exactly how long former Director of the National Security Service of Armenia, leader of Homeland Party, deputy of the National Assembly, leader of the With Honor Faction Artur Vanetsyan was subjected to illegal criminal prosecution for preparing the assassination of a statesman [Nikol Pashinyan] and usurping power.

Alongside criminal prosecution, Vanetsyan was detained, a motion was filed with the court to select arrest as a pre-trial measure, after which the attempts to arrest Vanetsyan continued in the Court of Appeal and Cassation Court. Searches were conducted in not only his apartment, but also in his parents apartment and in the office of the Homeland Foundation for Development. A video with a horrifying voice telling about the group preparing the assassination of Nikol Pashinyan was broadcast on television from time to time. During this whole period, there was a pre-trial measure against Vanetsyan, and his movement was restricted.

Since the very first day of examination of this criminal case, it was clear that we are dealing with allegations that are phony and not sufficiently grounded. Even the decision of the court on rejecting the motion for selecting arrest as a pre-trial measure against Vanetsyan confirmed that there is no substantiated suspicion that Vanetsyan might be linked to the acts ascribed to him.

And in such conditions, only by the decision rendered by an investigator of the Investigation Department of the National Security Service of Armenia of 24 December 2021 was the criminal prosecution against Vanetsyan terminated under a particular article of the Criminal Code of Armenia, due to absence of corpus delicti, and the selected pre-trial measure was lifted. The rendered decision shows that there was no preparation for the assassination of Nikol Pashinyan or preparation for usurpation of power at all, the statement reads.
Zero-Covid 'unsustainable' on road to reopening

Yuen Kwok-yung says now is the perfect time to further boost the local vaccine take-up rate. File Photo: RTHK

A prominent microbiologist has outlined a timetable for Hong Kong's reopening while arguing the city's current zero-Covid strategy is unsustainable and its inoculation rate must be further boosted.



Speaking on a radio programme, Yuen Kwok-yung said it is high time that vaccine passports be introduced, among other measures.



If you announce the policy now, by March everyone should have received two doses. People cannot go to work or school if they're unvaccinated, he said, adding that Hong Kong could gradually resume international travel when its vaccination rate exceeds 90 percent.



By next summer, he said, the SAR could fully reopen if 99 percent of its people have been triple-jabbed.



Yuen also noted there would inevitably be a "transitional period" of more than two months that would see a surge in deaths and infections, which happened in many other parts of the world as well such as Singapore.



He said the virus would spread among unvaccinated elderly people here after the resumption of international travel, leading to 1,000 or more deaths.



But Yuen stressed its a phase that the city must go through after reopening, adding that it's best for it to happen in the summer when infections tend to be less serious.



He said the government should act now or it would miss an important opportunity for people to resume normal lives.



The scientist also described the emergence of the Omicron variant as a chance for Hong Kong to reopen to the world, as the symptoms of vaccinated people would mostly be mild even if they are infected.



He said with good preparation, public hospitals would be able to cope with the wave of infections.



He expressed hope that with such a plan, life in Hong Kong would return to normal by the end of next year.
UK virus cases hit another record

Masked theatregoers queue for a performance of Les Miserables in London's West End. Photo: AP

Britain reported a record 129,471 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not bring in new restrictions to limit the spread of the virus this year.



The data did not include figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland due to differences in reporting practices over the Christmas holidays.



The 12,378 cases reported for Wales included data that would normally have been reported in previous days.



The previous record high of daily infections was 122,186 on December 24.



Johnson said on Monday he would not introduce new restrictions in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all tightening their rules, as have other European countries facing a surge in Omicron cases.



British ministers are waiting for more evidence on how the health service is able to cope with high infection rates after early data suggested last week that the Omicron variant carried a lower risk of hospital admission.



The government said there had been 18 new deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test  well below the recent trend of more than 100 per day. The figure has previously been lowered by public holidays. (Reuters)
"Intel - welcome to India," tweeted Union Minister.

The minister was replying to a tweet by Thakur congratulating India over incentives extended by the central government for semiconductor designs and manufacturing.

"Congratulation to Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Rajeev Chandrasekhar for Semiconductor design and manufacturing incentives for India as hub for electronics and semiconductors,' tweeted Thakur.

"Glad to see a plan laid out for all aspects of the supply chain: talent, design, manufacturing, test, packaging and logistics," he added.

Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet led by PM Modi approved a budget of Rs 76,000 crore for designing and manufacturing semiconductor chips in India.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a historic decision in the field of electronics in which the development of a complete ecosystem could take place within the country including design, fabrication, testing and packaging. It would take investment of Rs 76,000 crore. Today we have reached USD75 billion in electronics manufacturing in 7 years. With the pace that we are moving at, in the next 6 years, we will reach USD300 billion in electronics manufacturing, " Ashwini Vaishnaw had said earlier.

Intel Foundry Services deals with designing and manufacturing assured integrated circuits by establishing and demonstrating a semiconductor IP ecosystem to develop and fabricate test chips on Intel 18A, Intel's most advanced process technology. (ANI)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): Occupier confidence has improved in the latter half of 2021 with occupiers closing large office deals, cementing the resilience of the sector and the underlying importance of offices. Occupiers remain focused on enhancing the well-being and experience of their employees as they plan to return to the office, chasing lucrative leases while realigning long-term plans. Developers are determined towards asset enhancement through requisite retrofit to remain relevant and retain tenants. "The year 2021 was a watershed moment for India's real estate sector. Even when the going was tough, the sector not only remained resilient but also emerged stronger than expected. India's office sector is coming out of the woods, with demand back to pre-record levels. The year 2022 will even be better, even if marred by the new Covid-19 variant. We have now learned to live with uncertainty. Gross absorption in 2022 should be about 15-20% higher than this year as occupier confidence is back in the market. In terms of global capital chasing real estate, the office will continue to remain a dominant sector, but residential and industrial & warehousing will strengthen in 2022 aided by strong business fundamentals," said Ramesh Nair, CEO, India and Managing Director, Market Development, Asia, Colliers. From the second half of 2021, technology players and flex space operators have been taking large spaces. Occupiers who had earlier focused on renewing deals are now looking at new leases. As employees return to the workplace, next-generation offices replete with health and wellness features are a top draw for occupiers. Segments that beat market expectations During the year, some segments surpassed market expectations, led by a tectonic shift in preferences and behaviour of occupiers, homebuyers and investors. Here is a look at some of the segments that have emerged strongly in 2021. Flex space growing, but not just in top cities Flex workspaces are leasing spaces backed by occupiers' back-to-work plans and pre-commitments. Flex spaces have come to the fore after a gap of a year, to occupy a significant share in leasing at 16-18% in 2021. Total flex stock in metro cities is likely to rise to about 40 million sq feet in 2021. Tier-II cities are witnessing increased growth of flex spaces. Flex spaces stock in tier II cities is estimated to have grown more than two-fold this year to 5.5 million sq feet. Investments in residential make a comeback Residential segment saw strong recovery gains led by government stimulus, market-led price discovery, new demand. Investment volumes in the residential sector made a comeback in 2021. In the first nine months of the year, investments in the residential sector stood at USD420 million, surpassing the volumes seen in the whole last year. Investors are seeking a buy-in in the asset class, especially in the near-completion stage. Investments are spurred by renewed residential demand, led by a higher inclination to own homes, low home loan rates and steady prices. Industrial investments inch towards USD1 bn The industrial segment is likely to see investments inching towards USD1 billion in 2021, led by large global investors buying ready and greenfield warehousing projects. Since last year, investors have been exploring industrial space. While data centers gained traction this year from developers and investors, this year also saw the maiden investments deal in the life sciences sector. "Despite a devastating second wave, investments into the real estate sector have been unwavering, especially from global investors. Interestingly, investors are also betting on new-age sectors like life sciences and data centres. As per a recent Colliers survey, industrial and logistics assets will be the most sought-after real estate assets in the APAC region, with more than 20% of investors anticipating capital value gains of 10%-20% in value-add assets in 2022, supported by tailwinds and large-scale economic transformation. This shows the immense potential. Moreover, the centre's new warehousing policy has the potential to transform the warehousing sector to make it more competitive. Overall, the sector's resilience and growth will give way to more innovation next year, in accordance with the changing times we live in," says Vimal Nadar, Senior Director and Head of Research, Colliers India. Overall, the real estate sector will see stakeholders pivoting to different models, resetting to the new way people work, live and entertain. Developers, investors and buyers will work towards bringing in sustainability and cutting carbon emissions. The market will also see gains from sectors such as Electric vehicles, solar panel manufacturing, etc in the coming years. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 28 (ANI/NewsVoir): The BabyChakra Change Makers list 2021 celebrates 10 inspiring and influential Indian women who are not only super moms and super achievers, but are also an unstoppable force in their field. Founded by Naiyya Saggi, BabyChakra is India's most trusted parenting platform that merged earlier this year with Personal Care & Beauty Unicorn The Good Glamm Group. The BabyChakra Change Maker is a mom who seamlessly balances her caregiving responsibilities with her professional life. Her role as a mother has moulded her into a better leader and an empathetic boss, thanks to the shared responsibilities of raising a family. These women have set their priorities right, multitasked, led, and delegated effectively-making them worthy to be celebrated and lauded, especially now more than ever. As we all know, mothers have been the most impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It brought about many challenges that women, as mothers, had to face-globally. These change makers have proved with their "Go, get it!'' attitude that there is nothing that can stop one from achieving what they want. This power list celebrates moms who have overcome challenges and have become an inspiration for millions of other mothers in the process. Which is why they've made a place for themselves in the BabyChakra Change Makers List 2021. After extensive research by the editorial and marketing team of BabyChakra and nominations from the 25 million strong community of BabyChakra moms, these names were collated from diverse domains and sectors. The criteria for their selection was their unstoppable approach to help others, unparalleled leadership, and inspiring actions. With a mission to celebrate the achievements of these power moms and share their stories to inspire our young generation, BabyChakra finalized these 10 incredible women for the Change Makers 2021 list. We celebrate their spirit to overcome all challenges and their commitment to help others as well as carve a niche for themselves. "We are thrilled to be launching the BabyChakra Change Makers List 2021: the only list Globally that celebrates mothers who have defied the norm. In a world where we are still fighting men on panels (manels) and questions are directed at women about work-life balance and managing ambition with motherhood; this is our way of sharing their stories and voice. It is our way of celebrating path breaking women who have fired the imagination and ambitions of millions of other men and women by shaking things up and challenging stereotypes. It's a privilege to celebrate these women and their courage and determination," says Naiyya Saggi, Founder & CEO, BabyChakra. The BabyChakra Power Mom List 2021 features Falguni Nayar, CEO, Nykaa; Dr Duru Shah, President PCOS Society; Kareena Kapoor Khan, Actor and Author; Neerja Birla, Indian Philanthropist; Divya Gokulnath, Co-founder, Byju's; Anupama Kumar, Founder, Vriksham; Sameera Reddy, Actor; Harpreet Suri, Motherhood, Lifestyle Beauty Influencer; Meena Ganesh, CEO, Portea India and Niru Kumar, Board Member of Election Commission. BabyChakra salutes these women for their determination and being an inspiration to others. BabyChakra is India's most trusted parenting platform. The platform has a community of 25 million moms and 10,000 doctors from across India. The Website (www.babychakra.com) and App (play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.babychakra.babychakra) provides expecting & new parents with relevant information via intelligent communities & personalized content. It also creates a unique care network through access to trusted doctors and experts. BabyChakra is co-creating baby products with Mom's and Doctors on its platform. 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]/ Hechingen [Germany], December 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): Translumina, a global developer and manufacturer of innovative cardiovascular medical devices used in interventional cardiology, performed the foundation stone laying ceremony of Asia's Largest Heart Valve manufacturing facility at Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ) in Vizag. "It is a moment of great pride for all of us to enter the market of Transcatheter valves. We have partnered with some of the best institutions and physicians around the world to create next-generation heart valve technologies to offer better clinical outcomes at an affordable cost for all kinds of valve disorders." said Gurmit Singh Chugh, MD and Co-founder, Translumina. Heart valve disorders which traditionally were treated by an open-heart Surgery, are prevalent significantly worldwide. However, in the last few years, Transcatheter Heart valve Implantation (using a catheter without opening the heart) has made the procedure simple, safe and effective with a minimally invasive approach. However, the prohibitive cost of the transcatheter valves, along with niche indications, have made therapy limited to very few patients. "We plan to complete the facility by December 2022 with more than 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space with the state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure," said Punita Sharma Arora, Co-Founder, Translumina. Translumina has an excellent track record of creating path-breaking technologies bundled with high quality and robust clinical data. In 2020, Translumina became the only company in the world to publish 10-year follow-up data on two DES technologies. Last year, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) published 10-year follow-up data on Translumina's dual-drug polymer-free Drug Eluting stent (DES) VIVO ISAR. In 2018, Translumina became the first company in the world to present 10-year follow-up data on Yukon in a head-to-head study against Xience (Abbott Inc. USA). The study, called ISAR-TEST 4 trial, was presented at the 2018 American Heart Association meeting, and was simultaneously published in Circulation. "We are pleased to welcome Translumina to AMTZ Family for developing Asia's largest Valve manufacturing facility. Translumina over the years, has created various cutting-edge technologies of very high quality for global markets and I am sure that this endeavour will also disrupt the market of Transcatheter Valves by combining innovation, quality and affordability," said Dr Jitendra Sharma, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ), Vizag. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
London [UK], December 28 (ANI/NewsVoir): We're delighted to announce that AP Insider Business Award has been awarded iEnergizer for Best Global Business Process Outsourcing Company 2021. These business awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the outsourcing sector and judged by the panel of carefully selected industry specialists. The AP Insider Business Award recognises the Global Business Process Outsourcing Company that has most consistently provided exceptional services to their customers throughout the past 12 months. We're thrilled to have been awarded, in a year when we've enjoyed some incredible recognition of our work from the sector. In August, we received the Excellence in Outsourcing at the 7th National Award by World HRD Congress, and this was followed by the BPO Organization of the Year at the Asia's Employer Brand. Adarsh Kumar, MD & COO of iEnergizer, commented, "The biggest challenge for our business this year has been adjusting to huge changes in the market. We've swung from the supply-rich environment we saw at the height of furlough, to a landscape of acute talent scarcity and supply chain crises. Throughout all this, our people kept the customer experience at the heart of their decision-making, acting quickly to ensure nobody was disadvantaged by the shift to remote processes - and keeping that all-important human touch despite a reliance on software and screens. I'm so pleased for, and proud of, the team for this recognition, this is a fantastic achievement for all at iEnergizer." AsiaPac Insider, United Kingdom, 2021 - APAC Insider Magazine has announced the winners of the 2021 APAC Business Awards programme. APAC Insider is hosting the Business Awards programme for its consecutive year and takes great pride in awarding businesses from all industries, big or small, new start-ups or established across the APAC region. Many industries and economies within the APAC region have suffered greatly at the hands of Covid-19 but businesses have shown determination and have worked hard to make sure that their customers and clients do not have to suffer as a result. Our Business Awards programmes is designed to acknowledge the achievements of businesses covering the APAC region and have demonstrated a sense resilience and have persevered to reach new heights of success despite the troublesome times. Following on form the announcement of the winners, our Awards Coordinator, Katherine Benton has commented, "It was an absolute pleasure hosting the Business Awards this year and I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to all of the winners who have been recognised by APAC Insider. I wish all the winners all the best for the new year!" To find out more about these prestigious awards, and the dedicated professionals selected for them, please visit www.apac-insider.com/awards/business-awards where you can view our winners supplement and full winners list. iEnergizer has significant experience in providing world-class omnichannel customer service as well as technical support services to Fortune 500 partners who are working to disrupt their respective industries. We have over 20 years of experience, integrated into our contact center services that support the entire customer lifecycle. Out highly trained 20000 plus resource, spread over 8 delivery centers, provide services to over 70 partners in various business verticals. By combining high quality people with state-of-the-art technology and proven business methodologies, iEnergizer collaborates with partners to help them excel in their respective industries, while maximizing their customers' lifetime value. For more information, please visit www.ienergizer.com. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Income Tax Department has conducted raids on various locations of two business groups based in Rajasthan. The search action has covered more than 50 premises of the two groups spread over various locations including Jaipur, Mumbai, and Haridwar, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday. The one group is engaged in the business of manufacturing electrical switches, wires, LEDs, real estate and hotel business in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand whereas, the other group is engaged in money lending business in Jaipur and nearby cities, the Finance Ministry said without disclosing the names of the business groups. "A large number of incriminating documents and digital data have been found and seized during the search action," it alleged. The search and seizure operations were carried out on December 22. A preliminary analysis of seized evidence reveals that several entities, engaged in the business of manufacturing switches, wires, LEDs, etc., have been selling such goods which are not recorded in the regular books of account. During the investigation, it was also noticed that they were claiming bogus expenses to reduce taxable income, it alleged. "The trail of receipt of cash component on unaccounted sale of goods has also been found. In the case of this group, the search team has detected transactions evidencing undisclosed income of more than Rs.150 crore. The key person of the group has admitted Rs.55 crore as undisclosed income and has offered to pay tax thereon," the ministry said. The analysis of seized and other related documents relating to the other group has revealed that most of the loans are given in cash and a relatively high rate of interest has been charged on these loans. Neither the loans advanced nor the interest income earned thereon, have been disclosed in the returns of income of the persons engaged in this business. Evidence relating to undisclosed income of more than Rs.150 crore has been detected in this group. The search action, so far, has resulted in the total seizure of unaccounted cash and jewellery worth Rs.17 crore. According to a statement released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), further investigations are in progress. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Havells India Limited, a leading Fast-Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG) company has bagged the "ICSI CSR Excellence" award in its 21st edition of ICSI National Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance, 2021 held in Mumbai on 18th December 2021. Hon'ble Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister for Cooperation, presented the award to Nitin Singh (Head, CSR) and Sanjay Gupta (Company Secretary) Havells India. The awards acknowledge Havells' efforts and commitment towards social responsibility, environmental protection, employee and customer commitment. ICSI CSR Excellence Awards instituted in the year 2016 are presented to organisations who have promoted the spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility amongst Indian corporates by acknowledging their unique and extraordinary contribution in fuelling inclusive growth and implementation of innovative practices in CSR. The awards are conferred under Large, Medium & Emerging category. The awardees across all segments are selected through a rigorous comprehensive evaluation process guided by eminent Jury comprising of distinguished experts from varied walks of life and usually chaired by a former Chief Justice of India. Anil Rai Gupta, CMD, Havells India Ltd. said, "We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from the hands of Hon'ble Home Minister. Achieving ICSI CSR Excellence Award highlights our contribution towards socially responsible activities. While at Havells CSR is carried out with the sole philosophy of giving it back to the society, it always is a special feeling when this gets recognised by prestigious bodies. Our commitment towards responsible corporate behaviour drives us to new innovations and we aim to continue improving our social responsibilities to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others by aligning our initiatives to achieve goals of sustainability." Havells believes in touching many aspects of human life. Social and environmental responsibility has always been at the forefront of Havells' operating philosophy and as a result the company consistently contributes to socially responsible activities. Havells CSR efforts revolves around eight strong pillars of Health & Nutrition, Education, Skill Development, Sanitation, Healthcare, Environment, Heritage Conservation, and other Humanitarian Causes. These pillars not only move hand in hand with the ones envisioned by the government but are also a part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday introduced a slew of measures to further reform the Initial Public Offering (IPO) market in the country. The lock-in period for anchor investors for 50 per cent portion has been increased to 90 days from 30 days. The lock-in period for the other 50 per cent portion will continue to remain 30 days. "The existing lock-in of 30 days shall continue for 50 per cent of the portion allocated to anchor investor and for the remaining portion, lock-in of 90 days from the date of allotment shall be applicable for all issues opening on or after April 1, 2022," SEBI said in a statement. For promoters, the lock-in requirement for allotment up to 20 per cent of the post issue paid-up capital shall be reduced to 18 months from the existing 3 years. The lock-in requirement for allotment exceeding 20 per cent of the post-issue paid-up capital shall be reduced to 6 months from the existing 1 year. For non-promoters, the lock-in requirement for allotments shall be reduced from a requirement of 1 year to 6 months. In case of book built issues, a minimum price band of at least 105 per cent of the floor price shall be applicable for all issues opening on or after notification in the official gazette. The decision was taken in a SEBI Board meeting held in Mumbai on Tuesday under the chairmanship of SEBI chairman Ajay Tyagi. The Board approved the proposal to amend various aspects of the regulatory framework under the SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018 (ICDR Regulations) and consequential amendment to SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, as applicable, based on the public consultation process on the proposals recommended by Primary Market Advisory Committee (PMAC). The SEBI Board decided to amend conditions for the offer for sale (OFS) to the public in an IPO where Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) is filed by the issuer without a track record. As per the revised law, the shares offered for sale by selling shareholders, individually or with persons acting in concert, holding more than 20 per cent of the pre-issue shareholding of the issuer, shall not exceed more than 50 per cent of their pre-issue shareholding. Shares offered for sale by selling shareholders, individually or with persons acting in concert, holding less than 20 per cent of the pre-issue shareholding of the issuer, shall not exceed more than 10 per cent of the pre-issue shareholding of the issuer. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI/Oswaal Books): CBSE Class 10 term 2 Exams will be conducted in the month of March-April 2022. These exams will be conducted descriptively. Students need to prepare equally for every subject and the syllabus for all the subjects is almost reduced by the CBSE. Students can check the official website of the CBSE for the syllabus. Students can prepare for every subject in the stipulated time but they are more concerned about the Maths and Science subjects. These subjects can also be covered in a couple of months. But, the main point of consideration is that students should start preparing answer writing because term 2 exams will be of 2 hours duration. And students need to complete the exam at this time only. Below are some perfect strategies that students can adopt for upcoming Term 2 Maths and Science exams to cover maximum in minimum time. How to prepare for the Science exam? Students can easily prepare the entire Science syllabus in the minimum possible time. There will be 2 chapters for each Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. In addition to that, the "Our Environment" chapter will also come in CBSE Class 10 Term 2 Exams. Students can focus on this chapter at the end because it is a very short chapter and it will hardly consume 2-3 hours. Students should first focus on the NCERT book and previous year papers. NCERT's are specifically designed to give in-depth knowledge of the concepts. To excel in the term 2 Science board exams, students should start practicing answer writing from the very early stage. Once the students are done with the entire preparation, they should take one test. This test will help to analyse the areas where they are lacking. If the student is unable to answer some questions, then he/she must see through the NCERT for proper explanation and then write the answer. This strategy will work wonders for excelling in term 2 board exams. How to prepare for the Maths exam? Preparing for the Maths exam is not a great deal for term 2 exams. The entire syllabus for the Term 2 Maths exam is divided into five units. Even if the students start from scratch,then also the entire syllabus can be covered in a maximum of 30 days. These 30 days will be dedicated to preparation from the NCERT book. If the students only prepare from the NCERT and previous year questions, then there will be no need to go with some extra books. All the chapters are entirely covered in NCERT but for "Applications of Trigonometry" students should take assistance from some other book as well. Once the students are done with the entire preparation, then they should devote their time to sample papers. This will help them get familiar with their weak areas and they can work upon them. Final Thoughts Students can easily prepare for class 10 Maths and Science exams. a well-designed study plan must be followed by the students to complete the entire syllabus in time. Students can also choose Oswaal CBSE Class 10 Term 2 Question Bank for Board Exams 2022, and it is according to: 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 10 for Term 2 board exams 2022, click here https://bit.ly/3FBJFdB Students should set the targets and this will help them complete their preparation in time. Till the time official sample papers are not launched, students should focus entirely on their preparation. Students should keep on checking the official website of CBSE for more updates. Stay tuned!! This story is provided by Oswaal Books. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Oswaal Books)
Actor Allu Arjun is pleased as punch with his maiden theatrical release in Hindi. Almost two weeks into its release in five languages -- Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi -- 'Pushpa: The Rise' continues to bring in the crowds to the theatres. "It's my first Hindi theatrical release. It's definitely far more beyond my expectations. When we released the movie, we didn't have much expectations. It is more like testing the waters. I'm so glad that we got it right in the first shot. It's been amazing that we got our first shot right," Allu Arjun told IANS. Known for the classy urban look that he cultivated over the years, Tollywood's stylish star, as Allu Arjun is known, surprised everyone by opting for a rustic role in his first foray outside the south Indian languages market. Although 'Pushpa' is his first offering to Hindi audiences, Allu Arjun is a known face, thanks to dubbed versions of his movies which are very popular in north India. His choice of movie and role was not a gamble, Arjun emphasises. "I always keep experimenting with my looks for every film. This film is definitely very different from anything that I have done before. I was looking at it as a huge opportunity to do something very new. I absolutely didn't look at it as a risk. In fact, I was looking at it as the USP of the film. We were banking on the look for this film. I knew if we get it right, it'll be the USP of the film. We put a lot of effort to get it right. So, I think the credit goes to the director for bringing such a canvas and to get it right, and giving me full freedom to experiment as much as I wanted to," Arjun said. 'Pushpa: The Rise', which was released on December 17, has managed to bring in the audiences to theatres, despite the release of '83' on December 24. And Arjun feels that the realism in 'Pushpa' has worked its magic across audiences in India. "I can't comment on '83' because I haven't seen the movie yet. What worked for 'Pushpa', I think, is that it's a mass film set in a very natural screenplay. I think that works for the audience. It has a very realistic treatment of a commercial film. So I think the realism connected across many other languages. When it is realistic, it has a more universal appeal. I think the realism in the film has caught the people's imagination," the actor said. --IANS pvn/arm ( 444 Words) 2021-12-27-23:10:02 (IANS)
On the 27th, Lee Jung-jae uploaded a photo on his Instagram.

It is a selfie he took with BTS' V. In the photo, the two V pose V sign together with dazzling smiles on their faces.

Lee Jung-jae is currently gaining high attention from global fans for Netflix series' Squid Game.' He has been also nominated for the 'Best Actor of the TV Drama Series' category at the U.S. Golden Glove Awards to be held on January 9 (local time).

Recently, BTS held the in-person concert 'BTS Permission to Dance on Stage' at SoFi Stadium in LA. (ANI/Global Economic)
'Big Little Lies' stars are mourning the demise of director Jean-Marc Vallee, who passed away recently. He was 58 when he breathed his last. Vallee, who also helmed other highly acclaimed projects like 'Dallas Buyers Club', 'Wild' and 'Sharp Objects', died unexpectedly on Sunday at his cabin outside Quebec City. His cause of death is not known yet, reported People magazine. Following the sad news, Reese Witherspoon, who starred in both 'Big Little Lies' and 'Wild', shared a message on her social media handles. "My heart is broken. My friend. I love you," the 45-year-old actor wrote. She later shared a post on her Instagram dedicated to the beloved director. Along with a series of pictures featuring her with Vallee, she wrote, "I will always remember you as the sun goes down. Chasing the light. On a mountain in Oregon. On a beach in Monterey. Making sure we all caught a little magic in this lifetime. I love you, Jean Marc." Witherspoon's 'Big Little Lies' costar, Shailene Woodley, also paid tribute to Vallee on social media, sharing a photo of him cooking on her Instagram Story. "I am in shock. Complete and utter shock," began Woodley. "My f----- god death is the worst." "But I guess somehow I know you will turn it into a grand adventure ... one for the books," she continued on another slide. "One I can't wait to read & to watch when my time comes." "It doesn't make sense though dude. It doesn't make sense. Maybe when we wake up tomorrow you'll be there laughing saying it was just a satirical short film you made. That it's not real," Woodley concluded. In a separate post, Woodley wrote, "You celebrated us women through our thickest & thinnest moments. you were there. you always wrote back, called back, texted back ... immediately. no matter how busy you were," later adding, "Saying you will be missed is a massive under statement. you gave the world, and my tiny world, the treasure of feeling less alone + more alive. we will miss you everyday. thank you for being the artist so few of us can claim ourselves to be today: authentic, dedicated, well crafted, and true. I love you. transition beautifully ma cherie." On her Instagram handle, Laura Dern posted a photo of her posing with Vallee alongside a heartfelt message. Like Witherspoon, Dern worked with the late director on both 'Wild' and 'Big Little Lies'. "Beautiful Jean-Marc Vallee. The world has lost one of our great and purest artists and dreamers. And we lost our beloved friend. Our hearts are broken," the actor wrote. Nicole Kidman also shared a tribute on social media. "It's hard to imagine someone as vital, energetic and present as Jean-Marc being gone. I'm shattered. He was at the center of my creative universe and I can't overstate his significance to me," she wrote, along with photos from their time on 'Big Little Lies'. Kidman continued, "Jean-Marc was not only responsible for some of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career, but his friendship, kindness and love were an inspiring force I will carry with me. I will always cherish those nights filming above the crashing waves of Big Sur... It doesn't get better than that. I am forever grateful for my time shared with this extraordinary human. Forever Jean Marc." Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Vallee studied filmmaking at the College Ahuntsic and the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. His breakout feature film was 'C.R.A.Z.Y.', which he wrote and directed. Vallee earned an Oscar nomination for best editing for 2013's 'Dallas Buyers Club', which won Oscars for Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. The next year, he directed 'Wild', starring Witherspoon and based on the bestselling memoir about a former heroin addict who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to help find herself. He continued to work with Witherspoon on the HBO series 'Big Little Lies', for which he won the Emmy for directing a limited series, movie or special. Adapted from the bestselling Liane Moriarty novel, the limited series also starred Dern, Kidman and Woodley, and it drew acclaim for its lushly photographed look at the lives of wealthy coastal families who must confront a sudden death in their midst. Vallee's next HBO project was another suspenseful mini-series based on a popular book, 'Sharp Objects'. His other films included 'Cafe de Flore', 'Los Locos', 'Loser Love' and 'Demolition'. Vallee was set to direct another series for HBO, 'Gorilla and the Bird', based on a memoir by Zack McDermott about a public defender who suffers a sudden psychotic break. Vallee is survived by his sons, Alex and Emile, and siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephanie Tousignant and Gerald Vallee. (ANI)
The 58-year-old director, widely known for projects like 'Wild', 'Big Little Lies' and 'Sharp Objects', died unexpectedly on Sunday at his cabin outside Quebec City, reported People magazine.

McConaughey and Leto both starred in the 2013 hit film 'Dallas Buyers Club', which Vallee helmed. They both won Academy Awards (for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively) for the movie, which also starred Jennifer Garner, Steve Zahn and Denis O'Hare.

Paying tribute to the late star, McConaughey took to his Instagram account and wrote, "With a gentle hand and heart Jean-Marc was a true receiver-- he didn't romanticize life so much as he saw life romantic--from the struggle to the pain to the wink and the whisper, love stories were everywhere in his eye."

Leto also took to his Instagram handle and shared a post dedicated to Vallee, "A filmmaking force and a true artist who changed my life with a beautiful movie called Dallas Buyers Club. Much love to everyone who knew him. Life is precious."

'Dallas Buyers Club' also won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and was nominated for Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

A year later, Vallee's 2014 film 'Wild' based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir earned stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. They also worked with him on season one of HBO's Emmy-winning series 'Big Little Lies'.

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Vallee studied filmmaking at the College Ahuntsic and the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. His breakout feature film was 'C.R.A.Z.Y.', which he wrote and directed.

Vallee is survived by his sons Alex and Emile, plus siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephanie Tousignant and Gerald Vallee. (ANI)
On Tuesday, Ranvir took to Twitter and informed his followers that his son tested positive for COVID-19 while they were returning from Goa to Mumbai.

"My son Haroon and I were on holiday in #Goa, and during the routine RT-PCR testing for the flight back to Mumbai, he has turned out to be #Covid positive," he tweeted.

Ranvir also shared that he and his son are asymptomatic and have quarantined themselves.

"We are both completely asymptomatic and have immediately quarantined until further investigations. The wave is real. #India," he added.

Meanwhile, a total of 6,358 new COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload in the country to 75,456, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. (ANI)
The pictures of the duo arriving at the airport in stylish avatars have been going rounds on the internet.

All set for the New Year 2022 vacay, Kiara arrived sporting a casual oversized sweater dress teamed up with uber-cool white boots. She complimented her look with a cool pair of large reflective sunglasses and a grey Christian Dior handbag.

On the other hand, Sidharth was seen clad in a casual white t-shirt paired with an olive green denim-leather jacket and black jeans. The 36-year-old actor wore a cool pair of black shades and also carried a Gucci backpack.

The 'Shershaah' actors also waved at the paparazzi before walking inside the airport.

As per several rumoured reports, the Kiara and Sidharth will be spending their New Year vacation in the Maldives just like the last year.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kiara would be next seen in 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo', and 'SVC 50'.

On the other hand, Sidharth, who is still basking in the success of 'Shershaah', will next be seen in 'Mission Majnu', 'Yodha', and 'Thank God'. (ANI)
Malayalam superhero film 'Minnal Murali', which was released recently on OTT to a positive response, is a special film not just for the audience but also for the film fraternity across industries. It proves how one can make an ambitious superhero film on a limited budget without compromising on the elements of the story or the quality of spectacle that superhero films generally come up with. The film's lead actor Tovino Thomas and director Basil Joseph recently spoke with IANS over the core idea of the film, its journey, the titular character's progression and the technicalities that went down to sketch the film. In Tovino and Basil's shared vision, 'Minnal Murali' is a common man, he comes from people and exhibits behavioral patterns of an everyday guy, says Tovino, "'Minnal Murali' is more relatable to the common man. Like, what if Tovino Thomas or Basil Joseph got superpowers? We will not be going out to save people the very next day, we are going to take some time to realise that and once you realise that, you are going to enjoy it for some time." He adds, "We'll be using our superpowers for the silliest of the things which make us happy. But there will be one point where you realise 'with more power, comes more responsibility'. That's what happens to 'Minnal Murali'. So, it's a very gradual graph of the character, his emotional transformation is very gradual as well." Basil has a knack for thinking about a film musically, revealing his process of conceiving a film, he says: "That's a part of the thought process that I have. Music is something that even during the writing phase gets me excited when some music strikes me. So, I tell the writers that we might conceive the sequence in this mood, spacing or rhythm. Music can easily communicate with people." Tovino chimes in, "So, we did a movie together 'Godha'. When he (Basil) came to narrate the script, he brought a small speaker and for every scene, he played the background score from his mobile while he narrated the script. So, that's the kind of music sense he has got." Explaining the essence of the music of 'Minnal Murali', Basil says: "If it's a quirky song, people get to know the kind of humour or drama that sequence is going to have. In the film, there is an Amit Trivedi-style song which Shaan Rehman did and has a folkish essence to it. So, if we listen to that song while writing, you'll get to know that it's a quirky song and something humorous." Steering a film musically during the production, results in a better synchronisation across departments, as the director adds: "Also, for the technicians, actors or cinematographers, when we narrate, they will also get the mood of the thing along with the art director. The producer will also spend money accordingly. The actors also will be more comfortable with the emotion that they want to communicate. Hence, music is a very essential part of it." Basil then gets into the germ of VFX, "For the VFX, we didn't want it to look funny in the movie and we tried our level best. We know it's not a big-budget movie in comparison to DC/Marvel superhero movies. It's a regional movie, after all. But, by the standards of the Malayalam industry, it is big budget." Being mindful of the money spent on a film is what separates a good director from an indulgent one and for Basil, with the power of money, also comes a huge responsibility, "The producer is already investing so much money by trusting us. Like, five times the safe budget of our combination (his and Tovino's combo as director-actor) in the industry. So, there is five times responsibility on us. Instead of depending too much on VFX, we tried to make it as grand as possible with practical effects. So, as an actor, Tovino also made things possible without using VFX." Ask Tovino if the practical effects rendered him with a heightened sense of body mechanisms and movements and he quips, "For this movie, I had to push my limits, a lot. That made me realise what all I am capable of. During the shoot, during lockdown and after lockdown, I got enough time to understand my body better." He continues: "I understood how important core strength is for an actor and how important it is to know about your body as an actor. We cannot compete in terms of budget or facilities with other industries. But working hard is something that anyone can do, the hard work which we have done, that's the maximum in any other industry that anyone can do." The actor sums up their learnings from the film as he says, "In the course of this journey, we learnt a lot of things about ourselves and also about filmmaking. We realised a lot of things about what we were capable of, we would be even more confident to try something new after this which can go a step further." He compliments his director as he signs off, "For Basil, his first movie was 'Kunjiramayanam', followed by 'Godha' and now 'Minnal Murali', over the years, his growth has been exponential, he is a visionary and I trust him and I think great things are going to happen in his life." --IANS aa/kr ( 918 Words) 2021-12-28-15:04:02 (IANS)
A total of 1,033 flights within, into and out of the US were canceled and 2,982 faced delays as of 1:20 p.m. East Time, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, as the recent Omicron-fueled Covid-19 surge has resulted in crew shortages and disrupted the operations of some airlines. The cancellations on Monday included 264 by SkyWest, 141 by Alaska Airlines, 93 by United and 84 by American. A combined 1,700 flights had been canceled on Christmas eve and Christmas day, Xinhua news agency reported. "The cancellations come at the busiest time of year for air travel," and major US travel hubs were "among the hardest hit," reported ABC. "More than 2,500 flights have been canceled on Monday as Covid-19 cases surge across the globe. Of the more than 2,500 canceled flights, 1,000 were within, into or out of the US," reported CNN. Globally, airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas eve, Christmas and the day after Christmas. SkyWest had the highest number of cancellations among US carriers, with more than 250. The Utah-based airline cited both weather conditions at hubs and "increased Covid cases and quarantines among crew members" for the cancellations, while apologising for the inconvenience and working to resume normal operations as soon as possible. "We're working as quickly as possible to get all our affected guests re-booked on other flights, while operating safely," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "Reservations are experiencing extremely long hold times of up to 11 hours." "We apologise to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans," Delta 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." "We've got to make sure employees don't feel pressured to come to work when they've been exposed to Covid-19 or they think they may have the symptoms," said Captain Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association. Bad weather and Omicron's impact on staffing influenced Delta, United, American and JetBlue flight disruptions over the holiday weekend. Travelers are advised to check flight status directly with their airline, reported USA Today. Meanwhile, Delta and JetBlue have called on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the quarantine period for vaccinated individuals to five days, to ease crew shortages. Many airlines are also offering bonus payments to employees to cover extra shifts to avoid more cancellations. The US Department of Transportation requires airlines to offer a refund when they cancel a flight, regardless of the reason or type of ticket purchased. Delays are trickier because while the same rule applies to significant delays, each airline interprets "significant delays" differently. --IANS int/khz/ ( 468 Words) 2021-12-28-04:00:03 (IANS)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched a massive cholera vaccination campaign targeting 2 million people aged one year and above in three eastern provinces to halt an outbreak of the disease, according to Health officials. The campaign is being carried out in Haut-Lomami, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, the most-affected areas by cholera since August, and will cover 13 health zones with nearly 4 million doses delivered by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control. Around 3,600 health workers, including vaccinators and community mobilisers, have been deployed to carry out the campaign which will run for six days, Xinhua news agency reported. Since the start of the year, the DRC has reported a total of 8,279 suspected cholera cases and 153 deaths in 16 of the country's 26 provinces. "Cholera is a dangerous infection that can kill within hours if untreated, but it is predictable and preventable. In addition to the vaccines, which are one of the effective measures against the disease, we are also providing clean water and reinforcing hygiene and sanitation to prevent the outbreak from spreading further," said WHO Officer in-charge in the DRC, Amedee Prosper Djiguimde. The ongoing vaccination is DRC's second massive campaign in 2021. In March and July, more than 1.4 million people were vaccinated against cholera in the southeastern Haut-Katanga province. Cholera is a highly contagious disease transmitted through contaminated water or food. It causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration that must be treated immediately to prevent death, which can occur in just a few hours, and to prevent the large-scale spreading of the disease in a high-risk environment. Disease surveillance, improved water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as early detection, treatment and vaccines are crucial in preventing cholera and containing the spread of the infection. Coverage with a two-dose oral cholera vaccine provides up to five-year protection. --IANS int/khz/ ( 321 Words) 2021-12-28-04:56:02 (IANS)
The query was filed by P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System, under the RTI Act to know the status of the bill.

Talking to IANS, Gajendra Babu said: "The response to my query on the status of the NEET exemption bill was that it was under the consideration of the Hon Governor of Tamil Nadu."

He said that the order was given on December 17 by S. Venkateshwaran, Public Information Officer of Raj Bhavan, and an Under Secretary to the Governor.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and the office of the Chief Secretary are yet to respond to the query.

The bill was passed to the Raj Bhavan to forward it to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Presidential assent while Banwarilal Purohit was the Governor.

The Assembly had, on September 13, passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill 2021, which states to dispense with the requirements for candidates to qualify in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and allied courses.

Tamil Nadu wants the students to be admitted to MBBS and BDS courses through the marks they secured in the plus two examinations.

--IANS aal/vd

( 244 Words)

2021-12-28-20:04:03 (IANS)
The accused, who were allegedly demanding Rs 2.5 crore and threatening to release a video related to the killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, were arrested on December 24.

The accused, whose three-day custody expired on Monday, were sent to police custody till January 9 by Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Udbhav Kumar Jain.

The court also allowed the police to take voice samples of two of the accused -- Amit Kumar Manjhi and Nishant Singh Rana -- after they informed the court that most of the calls were made by Amit.

According to the police, four accused persons were arrested from Noida and one was arrested from Delhi for making the extortion calls.

The complaint lodged by the personal assistant of the Union minister stated that Mishra received phone calls from some unidentified people demanding money.

Notably, Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra is a prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case and was arrested in connection with the violence that was triggered after he allegedly ran his car over protesting farmers in Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre's three farm laws was staging a demonstration against the visit of UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3. Two BJP workers, a driver, and a journalist were also killed in the ensuing violence.

--IANS jw/arm

( 286 Words)

2021-12-27-22:26:07 (IANS)
According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), improving urban mobility has been one of the key focus areas of PM Modi. The completed 9 km long section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel.

The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore. Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest built metro project in the country.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work of the Kanpur metro project on November 15, 2019, and the trial run took place on the 9 km IIT to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10, 2021, in less than two years.

Prime Minister Modi will also inspect the Metro Rail Project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar.

Besides, the Metro Rail Project, Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project.

As per the PMO, the 356 Km long Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum.

Prior to this, PM Modi will also attend the 54th Convocation Ceremony of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur at around 11 am. At the convocation, all the students will be issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project.

The Prime Minister will launch the blockchain-based digital degrees. These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable. (ANI)
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Monday said that the Dharam Sansad (religious council), wherein religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj allegedly used derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, was organized by Congress so it is not right to question Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Dharam Sansad program was organized by Congress. It is not right to question BJP. This subject is the result of internal politics of Congress. No one should pass remarks on Bapu," Singh told reporters here on Monday. Notably, a case has been registered against Kalicharan Maharaj for allegedly using derogatory words against Mahatma Gandhi at 'Dharam Sansad' (religious council) held on December 26 in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. FIR has been filed at the Tikrapara Police Station under Section 294 and Section 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code. "Kalicharan Maharaj who had come from Akola Maharashtra to participate in the Dharam Sansad used derogatory words against Mahatma Gandhi in his speech. His speech also included statements to create hatred among different communities in society," reads the FIR. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday slammed Kalicharan Maharaj for his alleged derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi. Baghel had said that if a "hypocrite" thinks he can succeed in his intention by abusing the Father of the Nation and spreading venom in society, then it is his illusion. The Chief Minister had also said that strict action will be taken under the law if anyone tries to instigate people by making such remarks. "By abusing Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) and spreading venom in society, if a hypocrite thinks that he will be successful in his intention, then it is his illusion. Their bosses should also listen...whoever tries to hurt the soul of both India and Sanatan culture...neither the Constitution will spare them, nor the people will accept them," Baghel tweeted in Hindi. Meanwhile, targeting Baghel, Singh said that he does not understand anything other than politics. "The government has failed in the matter of development in the whole of Chhattisgarh. In three years only big posters of Congress are being printed. There are no roads, schools and hospitals here," Singh remarked. (ANI)
This comes after the Allahabad High Court on Thursday had requested the Election Commission of India amid the Omicron scare to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months.

The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ECI to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.

Earlier on Monday, the election commission of India met Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and discussed the rising number of COVID-19 cases along with vaccination status in the five poll-bound states.

As per sources, the Election Commission and Health Ministry will also hold another meeting in January next year.

Sources told ANI, "In the meeting, ECI and Health Ministry discussed the rising number of cases across India, especially in the states going to assembly polls early next year as well as vaccine scenario.'

Assembly elections are slated to be held in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Punjab next year. (ANI)
While it was an embarrassing moment for party leaders, Sonia Gandhi kept her poise and along with party treasurer Pawan Bansal and AICC general secretary, KC Venugopal displayed the party tricolour in their hand briefly.

Congress' Seva Dal workers unsuccessfully attempted to string the flag back again and then a ladder was called for after which they strung the flag again.

Following this, the hoisting ceremony was repeated after some 20 minutes, this time without any eventuality.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those present at the party headquarters function this morning.

Meanwhile earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to extend greetings on party's foundation day saying it's a party that laid the foundation of our democracy in India.

"We are Congress- the Party which laid the foundation of our democracy and we are proud of this legacy. Best wishes on Congress Foundation Day," he tweeted.

The Indian National Congress was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its first session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 of that year.

Lawyer Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC. (ANI)
A Kathua resident who had spent 29 years in a Pakistani jail received a rousing welcome on his return to his hometown and family in Jammu and Kashmir. Kuldeep Singh, a resident of the far-flung village Makwal of Billawar of Kathua district reunited with his family after 29 years of imprisonment in Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat jail. Upon his return home on Friday night, he was warmly welcomed by his family members, friends, relatives and villagers who distributed sweets. Singh who had accidentally crossed the International border to Pakistan in December 1992 was arrested by the Pakistan Army. He faced four trials of spy cases in Pakistan court and was convicted to rigorous imprisonment of 25 years. After regular correspondence and a legal fight by the Indian High Commission, Singh was released from jail and returned to India on December 20 via the Wagah border in Amritsar. Singh said that every Indian who falls into the net of the Pakistan Army gets treated as a spy and is subjected to torture that includes high voltage torches and rigorously imprisonment. "I never left hope. An Indian that comes in the net of the Pakistan Army is treated as a spy and is tortured and given rigorous imprisonment and not shown any humanity," said Singh. Singh said that he got a new lease of life and is very happy as he was able to reunite with his family. He further said that two people from Jammu and Kashmir are still languishing in Pakistan jail awaiting their release. He also said that 10 to 12 Indians are under treatment at mental hospitals in Pakistan as they were badly tortured by security agencies. Singh also appealed to both the Indian and Pakistan governments to release all prisoners of both countries on humanitarian grounds. Kuldeep Singh's wife, Urmila said that she was very happy as her husband had returned after 29 years. "Today is a very big day for our family. This is a new birth for him and our family," she said. Singh's son Amit said that he had faced a lot of difficulties in the absence of his father. "We have knocked at every door to get my father released. Many people helped us in return of my father. Our life has changed now," he added. (ANI)
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday called for timely Assembly elections and pointed towards the Bharatiya Janata Party's poll rallies and inauguration of various projects. Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, "When the Prime Minister can hold election rallies, inaugurates various projects, misses Parliament proceedings, then, why should Assembly elections be stopped? Elections should be held." His remarks came a day after Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said that the Election Commission of India should conduct the Assembly polls which are scheduled to take place next year in the five states, before the scheduled time in view of the possible third wave of COVID-19. Speaking to ANI, Singh had said, "It would not be a right decision to postpone the upcoming Assembly election in five states which include Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The Election Commission of India should conduct the elections before the scheduled time as there are rising concerns over possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic." Earlier, the Centre had advised the five poll-bound states of Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to ramp up the COVID testing and vaccination drive for the eligible population and asked them to draw up district-wise weekly vaccination implementation plans. (ANI)
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced the approval of two new indigenously developed vaccines and one anti-viral drug for the treatment of the adult patients of COVID-19 having a "high risk of progression of the disease". Taking to Twitter, Mandaviya said in a series of tweets, "Congratulations India Further strengthening the fight against COVID-19, CDSCO, @MoHFW_INDIA has given 3 approvals in a single day for: - CORBEVAX vaccine - COVOVAX vaccine - Anti-viral drug Molnupiravir For restricted use in an emergency situation." Further elaborating on CORBEVAX vaccine, the Minister said that it is the first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19. "CORBEVAX vaccine is India's 1st indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against #COVID19, Made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E. It's a hat-trick! It's now 3rd vaccine developed in India!" the Minister tweeted. "The Nanoparticle Vaccine, COVOVAX, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India," Mandaviya further added in the tweet. The Minister informed that the antiviral drug, Molnupiravir will be used for emergency situation for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who have a high risk of progression of the disease. "Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug, will now be manufactured in the country by 13 companies for restricted use under emergency situation for treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who have a high risk of progression of the disease," he tweeted. The Minister said that all these approvals will further strengthen the global fight against the pandemic adding that India's Pharma Industries are asset for the entire world. "PM @NarendraModi Ji has led the battle against #COVID19 from the front. All these approvals will further strengthen the global fight against the pandemic. Our Pharma Industries are asset for the entire world," he tweeted. Earlier, India had developed Covaxin, the first indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine which was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Institute of Virology. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that the new National Education Policy 2020 has been implemented in the country in 2020 to fulfil the vision of a "Self-reliant India". Addressing the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi said, "To fulfil the vision of a self-reliant India, the country has implemented the new National Education Policy in 2020. It is a matter of fortune that we have prestigious institutes like IIT Kanpur, IIT BHU, IIM Lucknow that provide the vision and show the path to the youth of the state." "IIT Kanpur has set many examples of mutual cooperation with the state govt. Be it playing the part of a technical partner in the Defence Manufacturing Corridore," he added. Talking about PM Modi's vision for the country in the 21st century, Yogi said that he has termed the Indian Institute of Technology as Institute of Indigenous Technology. "The vision that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given for the 21st century, he has called the Indian Institute of Technology as Institute of Indigenous Technology," he said. The Chief Minister further said that the state government has given approval for the establishment of a new Superspeciality Hospital to fight the COVID pandemic successfully. "The state government has given approval for the establishment of a new Superspeciality Hospital in its fight against the COVID pandemic successfully, on the name of School of Medical Research and Technology in which the institutions like IIT Kanpur, KGMU and other institutions will take the initiative forward." (ANI)
The two arrests were been made on Monday, taking the total number of arrested individuals to 26.

Speaking to ANI, Amitabh Gupta, Pune Commissioner of Police, said, "Till now, we have registered four offences and arrested 26 people. Last night, we arrested two more persons in connection with an exam which was scheduled on December 24. Over Rs 5 crore seized in this case till now."

According to Gupta, the examination was conducted on December 24 and in this exam two people were involved in leaking the question paper. "The paper setter and the software company which was given the work to conduct online exams have leaked the question paper on its level."

He further said, "The modus operandi is students were called to the classrooms and asked mug up the answer and OMR speculation has also happened." (ANI)
Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi while addressing the party workers on the occasion of Congress foundation day said that the electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring is the party's lasting commitment to the service of people. "Electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring is our lasting commitment to the service of people. Congress Party will not compromise with the principles and ideologies which have been adopted and inherited by us," said Gandhi on Tuesday. "Over the decades, the party has confronted several challenges and it has always demonstrated its resilience. Today, we rededicate ourselves to the ideals, values, and principles of our organization that has shaped, guided, and inspired by some of the greatest, noblest, and most selfless Indians of the 20th century," she added. Congress Interim president in her address made a veiled attack on Bharatiya Janata Party by saying that "Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice which has no role whatsoever in our freedom movement are now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society." "They are rewriting history to give themselves a role they do not deserve. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. Congress will fight these destructive forces," she said. "Let there be no doubt on our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy,' she added. Congress celebrated the 137th foundation day of the party at the AICC headquarters here in the national capital. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among other senior party leaders were present at the function. The Indian National Congress was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its first session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 of that year. Lawyer Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advised students of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to avoid shortcuts in life and strive to face challenges and overcome them with efficient solutions. Addressing the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur, the Prime Minister said, "Once you step outside the college, a lot of people will come to you with shortcuts to success. But when asked to choose between comfort and challenge, I would advise you all to go for the latter. The one who faces challenges and overcomes them with efficient solutions is the one who scales the greatest heights." The Prime Minister also asked students not to turn into robots and said that while we all explore artificial intelligence; we must not neglect human intelligence. "Even though we are surrounded by technology today, we must not forget that we are humans. We should not turn into robot versions of ourselves. While we all must explore artificial intelligence, we must not neglect human intelligence," said PM Modi. He said India has emerged to be the second biggest startup hub in the world, and this feat has been achieved majorly with the help of students from IITs. PM Modi said IIT Kanpur's contribution in developing 5G technology has been recognised globally. The Prime Minister said when India will celebrate its 100th year of independence, it will include the contribution of all the students who are present here today. "In the last seven years, several programmes have been introduced by the Centre to aid students. The youth is being readied to face bigger challenges more efficiently with the help of National Education Policy," said PM Modi. He further said that everyone should strive religiously for the Atmanirbhar Bharat. "We should have achieved a lot of things by the time India completed 25 years of independence. But unfortunately, we could not do much. But now, we do not have even two minutes to waste. We must strive religiously for a self-reliant nation," he added. He further said that if we are not self-reliant, then how will India succeed and scale ultimate heights? And this can be done only by the youth of this country. This century is completely technology-driven. Students have invested the most important years of their lives in learning about technology. And this will make it impossible for any other force to stop you from excelling," said the Prime Minister. At the convocation, all the students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project. The Prime Minister also launched the blockchain-based digital degrees. These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable. Later in the day, Prime Minister will visit inaugurate the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project at around 1.30 pm. (ANI)
Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi while addressing the party workers on the occasion of party's foundation day made a veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party government alleging that efforts are being made to erase the Ganga- Jamuni culture, and added that the Congress will not remain silent and allow the destruction of India's heritage. "History is being falsified, efforts are being made to erase our heritage of Ganga-Jamuni culture. The common citizen of this country is feeling insecure and is afraid. Dictatorship is being run by bypassing democracy and the constitution. Congress cannot remain silent in such times," said Gandhi. "Will not allow anyone to destroy the heritage of our country. For the sake of common people, for the protection of democracy, will do everything possible to fight against anti-national and anti-social elements, we will make every sacrifice needed," she added. Terming Congress "a movement and not a political party," Sonia Gandhi said, "I do not need to tell under what circumstances the Congress was formed. Those who did not participate in the freedom movement can never understand its value. Congress and all its leaders participated enthusiastically in the freedom movement, struggled, suffered severe torture in jails and many patriots sacrificed their lives, only than we got freedom." "After Independence, our leaders laid a strong foundation for building a new India with great understanding and determination. India is a place where the rights and interests of all the countrymen were taken care of," she added. Congress celebrated the 137th foundation day of the party at the AICC headquarters here in the national capital. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among other senior part leaders were present at the function. The Indian National Congress was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its first session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 of that year. Lawyer Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC. (ANI)
As resident doctors of government hospitals in Delhi went on strike, patients were seen facing a harrowing experience. The resident doctors are demanding that National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for postgraduate courses (NEET-PG) counselling be conducted at the earliest. Resident doctors of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) have called for a strike and have boycotted the emergency and OPD services as a result of which patients both from Delhi and neighbouring states in need of urgent medical care are facing difficulties. Mohammed Muzammil, a patient at RML hospital said, "The doctors are addressing patients with minor issues like fever, whereas tests like CT scans are not being done. My test was scheduled for today after two months of waiting. Now they are asking me to take the appointment again." Mohammed Shaikhullah, who has come to Delhi from Bihar for his father's treatment, said that the strike has hit hospital services badly. I am very worried about my father as he needs to be seen by a doctor soon. The hospital people say that only after the strike is over we will get a date for his surgery." Kajal Kumari, who has also come from Bihar said, "We has booked an appointment and came a week back. Here we came and saw the doctors on strike. They have asked us to come after January 6 and by then if the strike is called off we will get the date for treatment. I came for an MRI test." Raveena, from Bihar, came for her daughter-in-law's treatment at RML Hospital. She said that her daughter-in-law is on dialysis and has been undergoing treatment for the past six months. The doctors were supposed to take her dialysis pipe out today. Due to the ongoing strike, Raveena said that the doctors refused her treatment. "We have a train reservation to Bihar. Our train ticket will get wasted as the doctors are not giving us a date and treating my daughter-in-law." Meanwhile at G B Pant hospital, Sarfaraz, a local said that there is no doctor at the OPD. " I came to take medicines and I have only received half of it", said Sarfaraz. (ANI)
Shahbaz Jhojha, a resident of Kalyanpuri in New Delhi, was found dead in a hotel room in Najibabad in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district. His throat was slit and a part of his hand was chopped off. Broken bottles of liquor were also recovered from the room on Monday. Police arrested Shakeel Lambu, one of Shahbaz's aides, later in the day and booked him under murder charges. He has been remanded to judicial custody. According to the police, the two were involved with a gang that made 'fake' visas by luring people with jobs abroad. The two charged as much as Rs 2.5 lakhs promising quality jobs abroad but would either take all the money themselves and flee, make travelling visas instead of work ones, or provide low-paying jobs such as cattle grazing or working as a janitor. The police said that the accused confessed to killing Shahbaz, 47, with a pair of scissors because he used to take the majority of the profit from the trade. Cops have recovered the pair of scissors from the accused who belongs to Bijnor. Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharamveer Singh, said: "Shahbaz is from Bijnor but he had settled down in Delhi some years ago. He had his network in Bijnor as well. The accused Shakeel, his associate, is a criminal. A case was earlier registered against him at the Nehru Nagar police station of Dehradun under sections 420, 406, 467, 468, 471, and 120b of IPC. He was declared a fugitive." The accused told the police that Shahbaz would often "act like his boss" and that he was forced to extort money from those wanting to go abroad for jobs. Shakeel added that he met Shahbaz in Delhi and brought him to Bijnor in a hired car on December 25 on the pretext of giving him money. Later, he said he took Shahbaz to a hotel, where they stayed along with their car driver. The driver stayed in a separate room while the duo was in another. Both Shakeel and Shahbaz had wine, after which Shahbaz fell unconscious from excessive drinking. "Shakeel attacked him with a pair of scissors. He slit his throat and chopped off some portion of his hand. Shahbaz died of excess bleeding. Shakeel fled the spot, locking the body inside the room. The incident came to the fore when the room remained shut throughout Sunday morning. The staff broke the door open on Monday," said the SP. --IANS amita/ksk/ ( 420 Words) 2021-12-28-09:46:02 (IANS)
"Kushabhau Thakre had dedicated his life for the betterment of the nation. His sacrifice, penance and virtuous thoughts will always guide us in serving the nation and society," said Chouhan at a function held at the state BJP office here.

Kushabhau Thakre was elected as BJP's national president on April 14, 1998 and in August 2000, he stepped down from this post.

CM Chouhan also paid his respects to former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Sunder Lal Patwa and former Union Minister Arun Jaitley. (ANI)
New studies among Syrian refugee families in Turkey and families with infants in Sweden and Bhutan have found that children of mothers in poor mental health risk falling behind in their cognitive development. However, very small changes may be sufficient to break this correlation. Having plenty of people around them and an available community are two of the most important factors for helping children, in all three countries. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Developmental Science'. "If you improve the mental health of mothers by four per cent, the child wins an entire year in their cognitive development, in statistical terms. Small measures, in other words, can make a big difference in supporting the next generation," said Gustaf Gredeback, Professor of Developmental Psychology at Uppsala University and Director of the Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, which led the studies. The research was done through interviews and experimental studies onsite in Bhutan, Turkey and Sweden. In Sweden and Bhutan, 120 families with 9-10 month-old infants participated. In Turkey, 100 families who had fled from Aleppo in Syria participated in the study. They have children between the ages of 6 and 18. In Sweden, families with small children were the primary participants in the research conducted by Uppsala Child and Baby Lab. In Bhutan, the material was collected in collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health and Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan. In Turkey, the studies were done with the help of researchers from the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. A common finding for the families in all three countries was that several of the children's cognitive abilities were impacted by the mental health of their mothers, regardless of whether they were a refugee family in Syria or the family was in a safe environment in Sweden. The child's intelligence did not seem to have been affected; rather, it was the child's attentiveness, social understanding and ability to make decisions that were adversely affected. Individual conditions around the mother can make the situation worse. The impact on the child is greater if the mother has a low level of education, has low social support, feels discriminated against and has fallen in social status. However, there are also clear initiatives that society can take to improve the mother's situation and well-being, and in this way reduce the impact on the child: receiving support from her partner, having a large family or a large social network, and that society rallies around and supports the mother. "All the cultures have aspects that are positive. In Sweden, we have our individualistic environments. We have more gender equality, for example, being able to share parental leave can be a form of relief. At the same time, we have few natural meeting places for relatives and social situations, something that is much stronger in the groups in the other countries," Gredeback said. "In Bhutan, an active religious life helps quite a bit. There is a strong connection to religion, and many people participate in religious gatherings several times a week. This gives them routines for regular meetings with others and widespread social support," Gredeback added. It is important to note that all the described correlations are statistical, i.e., based on observations between different parts of the studies. The researchers have not yet studied the causality of the correlations by improving the mothers' mental health in at-risk settings and measuring the effects on the children's development. That will be the next step after the current correlation studies. "It inspires hope that apparently only small improvements are needed for the child to revive. In Sweden, we have to work hard to break the isolation, particularly for single mothers. We do not have any social glue. Many lack strong ties to their relatives and have no extended family to share the burden," Gredeback said "We lack continuity in religious rites and do not have many natural contexts to connect to. If we can create more of these opportunities, we can help turn the tide in the cognitive development of many children and offer them better lives," Gredeback concluded. (ANI)
As China toughens its stand on Big Tech and international companies, the new Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) law now requires global businesses that process information from China, to obtain user consent and establish a data map. The Chinese legislation, that came into force last month, outlines data processing requirements for companies based outside of China, which included "passing a security assessment conducted by state authorities", reports ZDNet. "Multinational corporations (MNCs) that move personal information of the country also will have to obtain certification on data protection from professional institutions," said Eileen Yu, a contributor to the media outlet. China is in the midst of a large-scale crackdown on big tech companies - both those from the US and its own native giants. Designed as a Chinese data-protection law, it introduces a range of regulations about how data can be collected and stored, with the threat of potentially massive fines of up to 5 per cent of a company's annual turnover. The Chinese government has described the legislation as necessary to address the "chaos" created, in which online platforms had been excessively collecting personal data. Like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), "companies would need to obtain consent before collecting and using data from customers under PIPL". However, the Chinese law does not include legitimate interests or purposes as a condition for data processing, while GDPR does. "The exclusion of legitimate purposes could mean that MNCs would have to seek the consent of all employees in China, if they had not already done so, before their HR departments were permitted to process the employee's personal information," the report noted. According to the new Chinese data protection law, violators that fail to comply with orders to rectify the breach will face fines of up to 1 million yuan ($150,000), while the person responsible for ensuring compliance can be fined between 10,000 yuan ($1,500) and 100,000 yuan ($15,000). For "serious" cases, Chinese authorities also dish out fines of up to 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) or 5 per cent of the company's annual turnover for the previous fiscal year, according to the report. A few global firms, that still have operations in China, are leaving the country after the new personal data law came into force. Yahoo became the latest US tech company to end its presence in mainland China as tougher regulations were imposed. The firm said in November that its decision was due to an "increasingly challenging business and legal environment" in the country. Yahoo's move followed behind Microsoft's announcement in October that it was removing LinkedIn -- its business-focused social network -- from China, something it also blamed on "a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements". --IANS na/ksk/ ( 466 Words) 2021-12-28-10:46:03 (IANS)
After the Union Health Ministry cleared two new COVID-19 vaccines and one anti-viral drug for emergency use on Tuesday, vaccine manufacturers welcomed the announcement and said that this would support the patients across India. The government has given approvals to the CORBEVAX vaccine, COVOVAX vaccine, and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in an emergency situation. The manufacturing company of CORBEVAX, Biological E. Limited (BE), a Hyderabad-based Pharmaceuticals & Biologics Company, said in a release that it is a "recombinant protein sub-unit" vaccine, developed from a component of the spike protein on the virus's surface, which helps the body build the immune response against the virus. According to a press release by the company, the vaccine has the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) protein as an antigen, and also an optimum adjuvant consisting of Dynavax (DVAX) CpG 1018 and alum. "Biological E. Limited's CORBEVAX has completed two Phase III clinical trials involving more than 3000 subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 at 33 study sites across India. The vaccine was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic," said the release. "CORBEVAX nAb GMT against the Delta strain indicates vaccine effectiveness of more than 80 per cent for the prevention of symptomatic infections based on published studies," it added. Biological E. Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses per month, anticipating 100+ million doses per month from February 2022. These capacities will enable the Hyderabad-based company to deliver 300 Million doses as promised to the Government of India. Soon, the company plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses globally. Meanwhile, the union Health Ministry said in a press release, "Biological E has conducted animal studies in Rats, Mice, Rabbits and also conducted challenge studies in non-human primates (monkeys). Biological E has conducted Phase I/II, II/III clinical trials of the its Covid-19 vaccine in the country. Further, it has conducted Phase III active comparator clinical trial to evaluate superiority against the COVISHIELD vaccine." Meanwhile, Cipla, one of the 13 manufacturing companies of the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir, on Tuesday said in a press release," Cipla plans to launch Molnupiravir under the brand name Cipmolnu. "Cipla will soon make Cipmolnu 200mg capsules available at all leading pharmacies and Covid treatment centres across the country. The Company has adequate manufacturing capacities and a solid distribution mechanism in place to ensure speedy access to this effective treatment pan India," it said. Molnupiravir is an oral antiviral that inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2. The drug is used for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 globally. Managing Director, MSD India Region, Rehan A Khan welcomed the decision by the government and said that the approval would support the patients across India. "We welcome the decision of the Drug Controller General of India's approval for permission to manufacture and market anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir for restricted emergency use in India. The approval supports patient access to Molnupiravir in India and for more than 100 low-and middle-income countries," he said. "Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has received a total of 22 applications for the manufacture and market of the drug Molnupiravir in the country. Out of which, 8 including 5 applicants of a consortium (total 13)have submitted their clinical trial report interim or complete report. Based on the recommendation of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the CDSCO, the drug is being approved for 13 companies who have submitted their clinical trial report interim or complete report. According to the release by the ministry, the 13 companies include Dr Reddy's (Hyderabad), Natco (Hyderabad), MSN, (Hyderabad), Hetero, (Hyderabad), Optimus, (Hyderabad), Aurobindo, (Hyderabad), Mylan, (Hyderabad), Strides, (Bengaluru), Emcure, (Pune), Cipla, (Mumbai), Sun Pharma, (Mumbai), Torrent, (Ahmedabad) and BDR, (Ahmedabad). "Serum Institute has conducted Phase II/III Immuno bridging clinical in the country for comparing safety and immunogenicity of COVOVAX of Serum and NOVAVAX vaccine. Novavax has conducted Phase III efficacy trials in USA and UK wherein the efficacy of the vaccine is reported to be 90.4 per cent and 86.9 per cent respectively. Novavax & COVOVAX has been granted emergency use listing by WHO," said the release by the Health Ministry. The vaccines are to be used for people above 18 years of age. (ANI)
Attacking Opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that previous governments in Uttar Pradesh promoted 'mafiawaad' to such an extent that it led to the destruction of businesses and industries in the state. Addressing at the inauguration of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project alongside the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project, the Prime Minister said, "The earlier governments in UP promoted the growth of the tree of mafiawaad so much that all the industries and businesses were destroyed in its shade. Now, Yogi ji's government has brought back the rule of law and order. That's why investment is also increasing in UP and criminals are going to jail after getting their bail canceled." Modi further added that the "double engine" government at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh are working with double speed, without wasting any time for the development of the State. Modi added, "Before 2014, only 5 cities in the country had metro services. Today, it is functional in 5 cities of Uttar Pradesh and 27 cities have functional metros across the nation. This has helped the confidence of youth in Tier-II and Tier-III cities." Modi stressed, "For decades, this situation prevailed in our country that one part was developed and the other was left behind. At the level of the states, it is equally important to remove this inequality at the level of society.That is why our government is working on the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas." Coming back to the Kanpur Metro Rail Project, the completed 9 km long section of the project stretches from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore. Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest built metro project in the country. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work of the Kanpur metro project on November 15, 2019, and the trial run took place on the 9 km IIT to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10, 2021, in less than two years. Prime Minister Modi also inspected the Metro Rail Project and took a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. The inauguration of the project comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls slated to be held early next year. (ANI)
All the arrests were made on Monday night from different hotels, the police said.

Among the arrested was a couple, who were held when a police team raided a hotel named 'Subh Yatra'.

"The alleged person , named Purnendu Kumar who is having a tour and travel business, was celebrating a party with his girl-friend Julie Kumari in a room. We raided the hotel. During the search, we found liquor in a bottle of soft drink. During breath analysis, he turned positive. Though, Julie did not consume liquor. We have arrested both," said Rama Shankar, SHO of Shastri Nagar police station.

"As per the provision, every hotel operator has been asked to take consent from the guests that they would not consume liquor in the property. In this case, this provision was also violated. Hence, we are also taking action against the hotel operator," the officer said.

In another incident, three liquor smugglers were arrested from the Rajiv Nagar locality.

The accused, Sanjay Kumar, Surya Prakash and Sonu Kumar, were traveling in a car and had kept 72 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) underneath the seats. Sanjay Kumar is an employee of the animal husbandry department in Patna.

Besides, five persons were arrested in a drunken stage in the S.K. Puri locality and one each from Kadam Kuan and Mithapur in the state capital.

--IANS ajk/dpb

( 250 Words)

2021-12-28-11:12:03 (IANS)
President Ram Nath Kovind has prorogued the Rajya Sabha days after the Winter Session of the Upper House was adjourned sine die. The Rajya Sabha was on adjourned sine die on December a day ahead of the scheduled date of December 23. President prorogued the House on December 24. "The Rajya Sabha which adjourned sine die on the 22nd December 2021 has been prorogued by the President on the 24th December 2021," a government communique mentioned. The Winter Session saw Opposition MPs regularly protesting over a host of issues in the Upper House, especially on the revocation of suspension of 12 MPs and sacking of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni over his jailed son Ashish Mishra's involvement in the killing of eight people in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri incident took place in October beginning. The Parliament commenced on November 29 and was scheduled to conclude on December 23. Soon after Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die, the government launched an attack on the Opposition of disrupting proceedings of Parliament during the Winter Session that culminated on December 22. Speaking on behalf of the Central government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had slammed the Opposition for their actions to continue disrupting the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament-- the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha-- during the entire session that provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 24 days. The Minister had also informed that the government referred six bills to parliamentary committees for greater scrutiny, including the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill that seeks to override personal laws of different religions. He had said the session was curtailed one day earlier than scheduled on completion of essential government business. The session provided 18 sittings spread over a period of 24 days, and a total of 13 Bills (12 Bills in Lok Sabha and one Bill in Rajya Sabha) were introduced during the session and 11 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament. The passed Bills include Appropriation Bill relating to the Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021-22 whichwas passed by Lok Sabha, transmitted to Rajya Sabha and will be deemed to have been passed by both Houses after the expiry of 14 days under Article 109(5), the Minister said. Three Bills replacing the Ordinances, namely, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (9 of 2021), the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 (10 of 2021) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Ordinance 2021(8 of 2021) which were promulgated by the President before Winter Session, 2021 were considered and passed by the Houses. One Bill namely the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament. Some of the other important Bills including three ordinances replacing Bills passed by Houses of Parliament are the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021; the Dam Safety Bill, 2021; the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, 2021; the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2021; the National Institute of Phar Bill, 2021; the High Court and Supreme Court Amendment Bill, 2021; the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 202; the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021; and the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 Two Short Duration Discussions under Rule 193 were also held in Lok Sabha on COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects related to it, and Climate Change. In Rajya Sabha, one discussion on the situation arising out of cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 virus in the country was held. (ANI)
Amid the renewed thrust on local manufacturing, India must take a lead in manufacturing of semiconductors and display panels to safeguard its economy and livelihoods against the global competition especially from China, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt Limited (SPPL), has stressed, Super Plastronics Pvt Limited (SPPL) is bullish on increasing its production capacity by 100 per cent, producing 1 million TV units, and adding fresh consumer electronics products in 2022 and beyond. "This pandemic has taught us way too many things, and one of the most important one being that India must take a lead in manufacturing of semiconductors and display panels if we are to safeguard our economy and livelihoods against any other upcoming crises and changes," Marwah told IANS. Marwah said that Super Plastronics, a Kodak brand licensee, will soon move to a new plant that will increase its production capacity by 100 per cent. "This will actualise our production targets of 1 million units for the next year and beyond. Come 2022, we will also be adding fresh products with a focus on technology and simultaneously expand our research and development wing for the same," Marwah emphasised. Just five years ago, Indian industries were centered around trading goods and the maximum that companies came close to creating goods was by assembling raw materials to make products. Raw materials were entirely almost sourced from China and other bigger manufacturing hubs. According to him, the move by the Indian government to ban imports of CBUs (completely built up) such as ACs and TVs did set the right example which led the way for local manufacturing in India. "The new manufacturing goals of the government will change the entire ecosystem for the better. We saw a grim scenario over the past two years since Covid-19 began, when not only did we face a shortage of raw materials but also a price increase for the same and for logistics too," Marwah informed. The industry has hailed the latest government's decision to set up the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and approved Rs 76,000 crore ($10 billion) for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country. The Rs 76,000 crore scheme will be spread across 6 years. As part of the scheme, incentives worth Rs 2.3 lakh crore will be provided to position India as a global hub. "This will also bring in money from global investors and we do envision for India's manufacturing sector to contribute $3 trillion to the GDP by 2027," said Marwah. According to him, the Kodak brand has seen a 100 per cent growth in the larger-sized TVs category. "Our 55-inch TV is priced at Rs 35,999 along with a high user rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. No other TVs in the same category by our competitors are priced that low or rated so high. Our new 55-inch TV models come with an enhanced sound system assisted with Dolby Digital," he informed. "It is a bezel-less model, thus giving it a sleek and premium look too. In fact, Kodak has seen a 100 per cent growth in the larger sized TVs category. In 2022, said Marwah, we will also see Google TVs coming into action. "A new TV unit, packed with fresh features, is set to completely change how our viewers interact with Smart TVs. The new and more sophisticated AI will reduce the time that we spend scouring for the perfect content to sit and watch," he said. (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/dpb ( 603 Words) 2021-12-28-11:44:08 (IANS)
The visit came after the Prime Minister addressed the convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur today.

PM Modi interacted and shared a few jokes with the students. The students were touched and overjoyed by the Prime Minister's visit.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth was also present during the interaction.

PM Modi, earlier today, launched blockchain-based digital degrees at the 54th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

At the convocation, all the students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project.

These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable. (ANI)
The demand for the traditional yellow cloth bag in Tamil Nadu that has been a landmark for the businessmen and ordinary people of the state is making a major comeback. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has inaugurated a scheme 'Meendum Manjappai' aimed at reducing the use of plastic bags and promoting cloth bags. The cloth bag making units of Pudukottai, Kancheepuram, Salem, Erode, and Dindigul have become vibrant with orders pouring in from wholesale and retail traders across the state. Several programmes and events in the state have also turned to using cloth bags instead of plastic bags and many major shops of the state have given orders to the units making cloth bags, especially yellow bags. Rajeswari, a women entrepreneur from Coimbatore, who has been in the business of cloth bags for the past one decade while speaking to IANS said: "Business was not doing good since the start but the announcement of the Chief Minister has made things change and I have got several orders for weddings and from wholesale and retail market of Coimbatore. I don't know how I am going to meet up the demand and for that, I might add one or two extra units for the production. This is good news for environment as well as putting an end to the use and throw culture which had never the social support of Tamil people." Many major cloth shops and textile majors are also shifting their priorities to cloth and jute bags instead of plastic bags. Nallathambi Velayudhan, who is running a jute bag-making unit in Erode while speaking to IANS said: "The Chief Minister's announcement is accepted well by the society and the orders we are getting from unexpected quarters is a clear indicator to that. Jute and cloth bags are turning the tide in Tamil Nadu and we feel that this is important for the conservation of environment as well as for promotion of cloth and jute bags." The government is also roping in the service of several NGOs to create awareness of using cloth and jute bags instead of plastic throw-away bags and the necessity to preserve the environment as studies have revealed that plastic bags take centuries to decay and how dangerous it was for the environment. S. Santosh, who is heading the Environment department of Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a think tank and a research centre based out of Chennai while speaking to IANS said: "We have already conducted three rounds of meeting with the state environment department and will soon undertake a campaign across the state against the use of plastic carry bags and how dangerous it was for our environment." --IANS aal/shb/ ( 458 Words) 2021-12-28-12:06:05 (IANS)
Following a complaint from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), police in Kerala's Palakkad district have arrested six people for conducting an illegal bullock cart race in Malampuzha village. The animal protection group learned about the incident from a photo in The Hindu newspaper which showed two bulls being forced to run and their nose ropes being violently pulled. After submitting a formal complaint to the District Police Chief of Palakkad, PETA worked closely with the Deputy Superintendent of Police Palakkad, Haridasan on the matter. The FIR, registered against the six persons, includes the provisions of Sections 3 and 11(1)(a) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which makes whipping and beating an animal and causing the animal unnecessary pain and suffering punishable offences. All six accused were arrested and later released on bail. "The Supreme Court and the High Court of Kerala have made clear that bull races are illegal, and there's no place in civilised society for whipping bulls and twisting and biting their tails, as is common at such events, to force them to run," said a PETA office bearer. "Bulls used for work already have a hard life without the additional torment of being forced to race. We commend the Palakkad Police for showing that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated," added the official. During the races, bulls run out of fear, and in an effort to escape pain. They arre commonly yanked by their nose ropes to the starting line, hit with bare hands and weapons like nail-studded sticks, and their tailbones are often broken at the joint in attempts to force them to run faster. On September 5, 2014, the High Court of Kerala passed an order stating that it is bound by the observations and views of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment that upheld the ban imposed by the Central Government's Notification dated July 11, 2011. The High Court pointed out that the Supreme Court has categorically stated that bulls are not anatomically suited to racing. --IANS sg/ksk/ ( 354 Words) 2021-12-28-12:14:02 (IANS)
In a series of tweets, Manoj Singh said, "Another major milestone for Jammu and Kashmir. The govt signed MoU with Apollo Hospitals. The world-renowned healthcare company establishes a multi-specialty hospital in Jammu. Besides, providing the best healthcare facilities, the venture will bring huge direct and indirect employment opportunities."

Sinha informed, "In the first phase Apollo will set up a 250-bed hospital. Well-known for clinical excellence, Apollo has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, providing high-quality, patient-focused medical care."

LG of JK said, "We have embarked on a new journey of development and socio-economic growth, which will take Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory to levels never seen before. With greater industry engagement and greater investment Jammu and Kashmir will grow from strength to strength in the years to come." (ANI)
After resident doctors across the country continued their protest against the delay in NEET-PG counselling and warned to withdraw "all healthcare services" from Wednesday, Union Health Ministry on Tuesday called an emergency meeting with a 12-member delegation of Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) representatives. Before convening the meeting, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya today had urged resident doctors to call off their strike in the public interest. Mandaviya had said, "I held a meeting with all resident doctors. We're not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court. The hearing will take place on Jan 6. I hope that NEET PG counselling will start soon." FORDA President Dr Manish, while leaving for the meeting at Nirman Bhawan, said, "We are going to meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Representatives of different RDAs will be part of today's meeting. We will seek written apology for yesterday's incident and expediting of the NEET PG 2021 counselling." FORDA is expected to push two demands, "A written apology for yesterday's alleged manhandling of the protesting resident doctors by Delhi Police personnel. Written assurance of fast-tracking of the NEET PG case and expediting of the NEET PG 2021 counselling and admission process." Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also wrote to PM Modi to listen to the demands of the doctors. Several resident doctors across the country continue their protest against the delay in NEET-PG counselling and warned to withdraw "all healthcare services" from Wednesday. Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) calls for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29 "in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors." On December 24, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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. NEET PG exam was scheduled to be held 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 on the frontline, added the letter. (ANI)
Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2021 will be virtually announced by Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar tomorrow, informed the Ministry of Education on Tuesday. The ministry stated that ARIIA is a very unique joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and AICTE to systematically rank higher educational institutions in India on indicators related to Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship Development amongst students and faculty. ARIIA critically evaluate institutions on parameters like patent filing and granted, number of registered students and faculty startups, fund generation by incubated startups, specialised infrastructure created by institutions to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, etc. Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, highlighted said that India is constantly improving on Global Innovation Index (GII) ranking and has now moved upward to 46th position in 2021 from 81st in 2015. The Ministry of Education in its statement further said, "We have also emerged as world's third-largest startup hub but still we have huge scope for improvement, he added. He further said that AICTE firmly believes that in the coming years, our technical institutes will become a fountainhead of next-generation technology-driven start-ups if we can create a vibrant innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. ARIIA ranking is a major attempt in that direction." Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer of Ministry of Education said that the first edition of the ARIIA was launched in 2018 and it has given huge impetus for developing an innovation ecosystem in our HEIs. He added that ARIIA-2021 has seen unprecedented participation as compared to earlier editions. This year 1438 institutions (including all IITs, NITs, IISc, etc.) participated as compared 674 HEIs during the 2nd edition of ARIIA (ARIIA-2020) last year. This is more than double as compared to the 2nd edition and approximately 4 times as compared to the first edition. ARIIA-2021 ranks will be announced in 9 separate categories which include Centrally funded technical institutions (eg IITs, NITs, etc), State Universities, State standalone Technical colleges, Private universities, Private standalone technical colleges, non-technical government and private universities and institutions. (ANI)
The witness told Mumbai's special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday that he was tortured by ATS, the then investigating agency of the case.

The witness told the court that he was kept in Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) office for seven days after the blast and after that, ATS threatened to torture and frame his family members.

The witness told the court today that ATS forced him to falsely take Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and five RSS members' names.

The case is currently being investigated by NIA.

Earlier on November 24, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur made an appearance in Mumbai's Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) trial court in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Apart from Thakur, LT Col Purohit, Chaturvedi, and Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay and Sudhakar Dwivedi are also accused in the case. They have been charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The charges include Sections 16 (committing the terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA and Sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153(a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups) of the IPC.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. (ANI)
Technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing system (ECWS) was handed over to five Indian companies by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr G Satheesh Reddy in the national capital on Monday, informed the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday. As per the ministry, the extreme ECWS is required by the Indian Army for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks. The Army, till recently has been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions. The DRDO designed ECWCS is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity, said the ministry. According to the ministry, the ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to the reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing waterproof, windproof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations. The three-layered ECWCS is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a temperature range of +15 to -50 degrees Celsius with different combinations of layers and intensity of physical work, said the ministry. The ministry further informed that considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation or IREQ for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army. Speaking on the occasion, Dr G Satheesh Reddy emphasised on the need for developing an indigenous industrial base for SCME items, not only to cater to the existing requirements of the Army but also to tap its potential for export. (ANI)
Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has taken strong stand on the statement of party president Jitan Ram Manjhi and has threatened NDA leaders to stay in limits otherwise it will withdraw support to the Nitish Kumar government. Danish Rizwan, the chief spokesperson of HAM while reacting to the statement of Bihar's Environment Minister Neeraj Kumar Babloo who suggested Manjhi to take retirement from the politics and chant Ram's name, said only Lord Ram will help him achieve what he wants. "Who is Neeraj Kumar Babloo to suggest Jitan Ram Manjhi to retire from politics and chant Ram's name. HAM has 4 MLAs in the Nitish Kumar government. Due to them, he became a minister. If HAM withdraws its support to this government, the entire NDA leaders and ministers will be on roads. Then you would start chanting Lord Ram's name," Rizwan said. "Babloo should suggest his other BJP leaders like Kailash Vijayvargiya who spoke against a particular community several times in the past. Why is he not suggesting him to take retirement from politics?" Rizwan added. Meanwhile, Neeraj Kumar Babloo again said that he is firm on his stand. "Jitan Ram Manjhi is a leader of NDA but now he has reached the age of retirement. Hence, he should retire and chant Ram's name," Babloo said. He also added that the NDA government is not dependent on the 4 MLAs of HAM. It is formed with the help of other parties as well. --IANS ajk/skp/ ( 256 Words) 2021-12-28-14:24:03 (IANS)
"Physical classes in the state will reopen in Odisha from January 3. The timing of the class will be from 9 am to 12 pm. There are 27,000 primary schools in the state," the minister said.

Classroom teaching for students of classes 8, 9 and 12 have already been resumed in the State with strict adherence to health safety guidelines.

Earlier, on Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had reviewed the COVID situation and preparedness to tackle its new variant 'Omicron' in the state.

Meanwhile, India reported 6,358 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that his aim is to bring Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) back in power in the state in the 2023 assembly polls in the state. He was talking to media persons responding to BJP MLA MP Kumaraswamy statement saying that the Chief Minister should take rest. "I have energy to work tirelessly and have resolved to work at least 15 hours a day. Bringing back BJP back to power in the 2023 elections is my aim. Preparations will be on in this regard," said Bommai to media. The two-day BJP State Executive Committee meeting is being held in Hubballi on Tuesday and Wednesday. It would have deliberations on issues related to party organisation and political developments. A few significant decisions would be taken. BJP National General Secretary, in charge of Karnataka, Arun Singh and the State President Nalin Kumar Kateel would decide the agenda for the meeting, Bommai said. Reacting to Arun Singh's statement that the 2023 election would be fought under the leadership of the Chief Minister, he said, "the central leadership has reposed faith in me. BJP believes in teamwork. We will work unitedly. There is good coordination between the government and party." Replying to a question about the recent ACB raid at BDA, Bommai said, a request for permission to file an FIR has been received. Permission would be granted without any delay for the request from the Internal Vigilance Cell. (ANI)
A 13-member team comprising three doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, two from Lady Harding, one from LNJP, two from Safdurjung hospital, two GTB hospital, two FORDA and one from FIAMA, will meet the minister over their ongoing protest against the delay in NEET PG counselling 2021.

The doctors are also demanding an apology from police for their action against them on Monday during the protest.

Earlier, the doctors' protest created a chaos-like situation across hospitals in the capital city as all counters were shut down for the patients.

On Monday, the protesting doctors had called for total shutdown of medical services in the hospitals after the police action.

The protesting doctors had started a march from the Safdarjung Hospital towards the health ministry's office to register protest against the police action on agitating doctors during the protest on Tuesday morning. However, they were stopped by the police.

Meanwhile, the Resident doctors' association of AIIMS has decided to withdraw all non-emergency services from Tuesday if no steps are taken by the government.

The RDAs across the nation have been protesting since November 27 against the multiple postponements of the NEET PG Counselling 2021 and the subsequent admission of the fresh batch of resident doctors in the medical colleges.

---IANS avr/shb/

( 248 Words)

2021-12-28-15:00:03 (IANS)
The Delhi High Court quashed an FIR against a man, booked under charges of kidnapping a minor girl, observing that the man had married the girl and living happily now. The Court was hearing the petition filed by a man for quashing FIR dated February 7, 2021 registered at Police Station Paschim Vihar East for offences under Section 363 IPC. Hearing the matter, Justice Subramonium Prasad said, "The petitioner (man) has married the girl and on attaining the age of majority the girl has gone to the Police Station and has informed about her whereabouts and has narrated the incident to the Police. The girl and the petitioner are happily married and to secure the ends of justice it is expedient that the instant FIR be quashed." "Resultantly, the FIR registered at Police Station Paschim Vihar East for offences under Section 363 IPC and the proceedings emanating therefrom are hereby quashed," the Court ordered. According to FIR, the girl, who was studying in 11th standard, went to school on February 6 and did not return back. The mother of the girl, who was the complainant, apprehended that man would have kidnapped the girl. The Court noted that the victim girl, who was 17 years 11 months and 12 days old at the time of marriage, which is one month below the age of majority, has taken a conscious decision to get married to the petitioner herein and has gone to the petitioner and persuaded him rather forced him to take her with him. The Court noted that the woman has categorically stated in her statement under Section 164 CrPC that she was in love with the petitioner herein and her parents used to object to their relationship. "The facts also reveal that it was the girl who went to the petitioner and virtually forced him to take her away from her parents. The petitioner has married the girl and is living happily with him. It, therefore, cannot be said that there was any kind of inducement by the petitioner and as stated by the girl in her statement under Section 164 CrPC, there was no active participation by the petitioner in the alleged offence of kidnapping," the Court noted in its order. (ANI)
Addressing BJP's 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, Amit Shah said that "ABCD has an opposite meaning" for Samajwadi Party and BJP has put an end to it.

"The ABCD of the Samajwadi Party is reverse. For them, 'A' means 'apradh and aatank' (crime and terror), 'B' stands for 'bhai-bhatijavad' (nepotism), 'C' means 'corruption' and 'D' is 'danga' (riot). BJP has put an end to this ABCD," Shah said.

The Union Minister expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will retain power in the state in the assembly polls early next year.

"Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party never thought about the development of all sections of the society. But Modiji worked towards 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'," he said.

He accused SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress of indulging in "appeasement" politics.

"BJP will not be bothered even if SP, BSP and Congress will come together. They are involved in appeasement. BJP will again form the government after the polls," he said.

Shah is addressing rallies in the state as part of BJP's campaign for assembly polls. (ANI)
Highlighting the border issues with India and China, Congress MP and former union minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday said that the national security approach should be based on realism and not with jingoism. During the launch of his book "10 Flashpoints 20 Years", Tewari said, "You either increase the defence budget exponentially or bring down the security threat. India was in a serious situation as far as security was concerned. The issue will need to be settled with China. It can be done with a sense of realism and with humility and not with a sense of jingoism." The book of Sri Anandpur Sahib MP and former union minister was released by former Chief of Army Staff General VP Malik at an event here. Speaking on the occasion, General Malik said that India was no way close to China in terms of "comprehensive power", which not only meant military power but economic power as well. He said that China always had an ill intention and he agreed with Tewari that the Chinese disengage only to reconsolidate and India needed to always remain alert and vigilant. "India's defence and security record was more positive than negative. For this, credit goes less to the politicians and more to those who executed the political aim at the operational level," said the former Chief of Army Staff. At the same time, Gen Malik advised politicians saying that they should keep the army away from their politics. Gen Malik also agreed with Tewari's observations in the book that India should have given a kinetic response to Pakistan in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. (ANI)
It is going to be a year of challenges for the two major parties in Tamil Nadu -- the ruling DMK under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the principal opposition party AIADMK led by Coordinator O. Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator K. Palaniswami. After a gap of 10 years, the DMK government came to power in May 2021 after a convincing poll victory dethroning the AIADMK government. With the honeymoon period getting over, the DMK government under Stalin will be under pressure to deliver on its various poll promises, reduce the spiralling prices and others. On its part, the principal opposition party AIADMK will also be under pressure with the raids against its leaders and former Ministers by the state's anti-corruption police. The AIADMK's twin leadership will also have to contend with the ousted General Secretary V.K. Sasikala's attempts to recapture the party. That aside, the opposition party will also have to meet the corruption cases registered against several of its former Ministers/leaders. Fulfilling its poll promises that involve financial implications is going to be a major task for the DMK government given the debt and the interest burden. The DMK had made over 500 poll promises, including a Rs 100 subsidy for cooking gas cylinders; monthly power metre reading; increase senior citizens pension to Rs 1,500; write off education/jewellery loans; monthly Rs 1,000 to women; scrapping of entrance exam of medical college admissions. While the DMK government is claiming that it has fulfilled majority of the poll promises made, those opposed to the party say that most of them don't involve financial implications. Opposition parties in the state, the AIADMK and its allies like the BJP, have been citing DMK's poll promise of reducing petrol price by Rs 5/litre and that of diesel by Rs 4/litre, and its failure to implement the same. However the state's Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, ruling out any reduction in the tax rates on the fuel, argued that the Union government has to roll back its taxes on the fuel to 2014 levels. Rajan said that reduction in tax rates would reduce the state's revenue by about Rs 1,050 crore. He also recalled that the reduction of Rs 3/litre on petrol on August 13, 2021 by the Tamil Nadu government would result in a revenue loss of Rs 1,160 crore per annum. The government has also said some of the poll promises such as reverting to the old pension scheme for government employees will not be met. The DMK government has also not implemented its populist poll promises like Rs 1,000 per month dole to the female head of the family. Rajan after declaring "once in a generation reforms a must" and "business as usual" approach cannot continue while presenting the white paper on the state government's finances, came out with a relatively populist budget. "Though a white paper on the Tamil Nadu government finances spoke about the necessity to hike tax rates and other things for those who can bear it, the state budget that was presented was a usual one. Perhaps the state government may get into reform mode after the local body elections," K.C. Palanisamy, former AIADMK MP and MLA, had told IANS. The local body polls are expected to be held in 2022. Further containing the spread of Omicron, a variant of Coronavirus is also going to be a major challenge. On its part the major opposition party AIADMK and its leaders have their own share of challenges to face in 2022. One of the poll planks of the ruling DMK was to bring to book the AIADMK Ministers who had indulged in corruption. Already the anti-corruption wing of the Tamil Nadu government had carried out searches and raids on five AIADMK's former Ministers - P.Thangamani, M.R. Vijayabaskar, C. Vijayabhaskar, S.P. Velumani, and K.C. Veeramani. Cases have been registered against the former Ministers in the AIADMK government. After suffering massive defeats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 2021 Assembly and local body polls, the AIADMK has to face the challenge of facing the polls for urban local bodies next year. A defeat in the polls will put to question the efficacy of AIADMK's dual leadership. The AIADMK also faces the challenge of holding back its middle level leaders and electoral allies. The two other parties to watch next year will be the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and the BJP. The NTK which became the third largest party in the state in terms of vote share in 2021 assembly polls drew a blank in the rural local body polls. Further, the Tamil Nadu BJP under its new President K. Annamalai has turned aggressive against the ruling DMK. The BJP has four members in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) --IANS vj/ksk/ ( 807 Words) 2021-12-28-15:26:04 (IANS)
Addressing the 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, Shah said, "SP, BSP and Congress made a lot of efforts to stop the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. I am here to challenge them, use every ounce of your strength to stop the construction of the temple."

"In a few months, a grand temple of Lord Ram will be standing there," the Union Minister said.

He stated that BJP fulfils every promise it makes to the people.

Shah is addressing rallies in the state as part of BJP's campaign for assembly polls. (ANI)
Besides Chandra, the team includes Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey.

The visit comes after the Allahabad High Court on Thursday had requested the Election Commission of India amid the Omicron scare to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months.

The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are slated for early next year. (ANI)
The members of the G-23 group, who wrote the letter of dissent to Sonia Gandhi seeking sweeping reforms in the Congress party, are fighting for survival as team Rahul is taking key party decisions and have full say in the appointments and nominations. The G-23 has now reduced to a few in numbers but the still evident force are Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Manish Tewari who have been at the forefront and have advocated reforms within the party. However, many leaders who had signed the explosive letter, have been adjusted within the party or have brought down their opposition and one of the signatory Veerappa Moily had openly said that "there is no G-23", while one of the signatories Jitin Prasada has left Congress to join the BJP. But on the party foundation day on Tuesday, the presence of Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda at party headquarters are giving mixed signals as the members of this group have been comfortable with Sonia Gandhi but have concerns on the working style of Rahul Gandhi. Ghulam Nabi Azad, while addressing a meeting recently, had categorically denied of leaving the party, saying, "I am 24 carat Congressman". The former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister is addressing rallies in his home state while his supporters have resigned from the party to push him as CM candidate in the state. Some of the G-23 leaders feel and privately admit that it's the end of the road for them in the party till Rahul Gandhi is at the helm, but some say they will be in the party and not as a tenant as they have given their prime years to the party. However, the party is working hard to keep up a good strike rate in upcoming elections but Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday while addressing the party workers said, "Though there have been electoral losses, the party will keep up the fight,", adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all people of the diverse society. The party has tried to reach out to dissenters and roped in Kamal Nath and for some time Priyanka Gandhi stepped in to resolve the crisis, but the issue has not been resolved yet. The G-23 wants consultations and prior discussions on the appointment of key posts before any decisions are taken. Though the party is holding elections for the President's post in 2022, the group is unlikely to challenge Rahul Gandhi, but if he pushes a proxy, then the contest is inevitable. While the G-23 doesn't have enough numbers to push for a change in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision making body of the party, to remove or appoint a new President, as a two-third majority is required for this. "The CWC shall consist of the President of the Congress, Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament, and 23 other members of whom 12 will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the Working Committee and the rest shall be appointed by the President. The quorum for a meeting of the Working Committee shall be eight," says the party constitution. --IANS miz/skp/ ( 559 Words) 2021-12-28-15:38:01 (IANS)
A zonal-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe Hyderpora operation revealed that an eyewitness had identified a 'foreign terrorist' at the site of the encounter. "A zonal-level SIT constituted for Hyderpora operation established a few things. Two pistols, four magazines, etc were seized from the initial site. During the site inspection, two bodies of local terrorists and building owner and tenant were recovered at the building's entry, Altaf Ahmad and Mudasir Gul," said Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Sujit K Singh, who is also the SIT chief constituted to probe Hyderpora operation, in a press conference in Srinagar. "On November 14, in one of the attacks, one of our personnel got injured, another personnel who was the eyewitness of the attack identified the foreign terrorist and confirmed that he was the one involved in the Hyderpora incident," he added. An encounter between security forces and terrorists had broken out in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on November 15 after input was received by police regarding the presence of terrorists in an illegal call centre in a private building in the area. In an official statement, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had said that two terrorists identified as Haider, a foreign Pakistani terrorist and his associate Amir Ahmad resident of Banihal (a hybrid terrorist), were killed in the encounter. It further stated that the owner of the building namely Altaf Ahmad as well as the tenant namely Mudasir Ahmad were also called to accompany the search party. However, in the encounter with terrorists, both received critical gunshot injuries and succumbed to their injuries. (ANI)
All patients are stable and under observation, added the BDO.

"Students had food at a party on December 25 and were complaining about bad health since yesterday," he stated.

The local administration has initiated the investigation and sent a team to collect food and water samples from the spot, added officials. (ANI)
According to the ministry, the fest was organised by the Govt of Kerala wherein Indian Naval ships and aircraft participated on December 26 and 27, 2021. The ships were deployed towards ongoing 75 years of Independence celebrations at the behest of Southern Naval Command.

As per the ministry, on the evening of December 26, ALH aircraft performed a search and rescue demonstration off Beypore beach. Thereafter, both the ships undertook night Illumination off Beypore at anchorage.

The visit was aimed to raise awareness about coastal security and instil patriotism in the local populace. Interaction with the Port Authority and local populace based at Beypore was also conducted during this visit.

The ship was open to visitors and showcased her capabilities. Approximately 3000 people visited the ship following all COVID protocols. PA Mohamed Riyaz, Minister of Tourism of Kerala and Venu Vasudaven, Additional Chief Secretary of Kerala also visited the ship. (ANI)
The government said on Tuesday that both walk-in and online registration through CoWIN would be available for vaccination of children in the 15-18 age group, who would start getting doses against COVID-19 on January 3. Union Health Secretary on Tuesday chaired a workshop through video conference with all states and UTs to review the rollout of vaccination for the age group 15-18 and precautionary third dose for vulnerable categories - healthcare workers (HCW), frontline workers (FLW), and those in the 60+ age group who have co-morbidity. As announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2021, the vaccination for the age-group 15-18 is scheduled to begin from January 3, 2022 while administration of precautionary third dose for the vulnerable categories will commence from January 10. In the context of the vaccination of the age group 15-18 years, the Union Health Secretary informed the states and UTs that only 'Covaxin' is to be administered in this population category and additional doses of the vaccine will be sent to them. A Health Ministry release said that the Union Government will share the supply schedule of Covaxin with all the States and UTs in the next few days. "Potential beneficiaries can either register themselves on Co-WIN from January 1 , 2022 or avail of a walk-in registration when vaccination commences from January 3. Those with the birth year of 2007 or before will be eligible for vaccination under this category," the release said. It said all established protocols regarding vaccination are to be followed for the 15-18 age group and beneficiaries are to wait for half-an-hour when they will be monitored for AEFI. They will be eligible for the second dose only after 28 days. States were informed that they have the option to designate some COVID Vaccination Center (CVC)s as dedicated CVC for the 15-18 age group exclusively which can also be reflected on Co-WIN. Dedicated CVCs would ensure that there is no confusion in administering the vaccines. For CVCs that are intended to serve categories in addition to 15-18 age group, the States were requested to ensure separate queues for the 15-18 age group and separate vaccination teams. States were advised to form two separate vaccination teams at the same CVC, one for 15-18 age groups and the other for all adults to avoid confusion in administration of the right vaccines. With regards to the administration of the precautionary dose, Union Health Secretary highlighted that nine months (39 weeks) must have elapsed since the administration of the second dose to make the beneficiary eligible. Drawing attention to misinformation being propagated through various media regarding the requirement of a doctor's certificate to establish co-morbidity at the CVC, the Health Secretary categorically emphasized that the Union Government has not issued any directions "and prescriptions/certificates are not mandated to be produced at the CVC for the administration of the precaution dose". He also informed that CoWIN will send reminder messages to all those eligible for precaution dose and it will be reflected in the digital vaccination certificates. States were advised to ensure the orientation of vaccinators and vaccination team members for vaccination of 15-18 years age-group and the identification of dedicated session sites for vaccination of 15-18 years age-group. They were exhorted to undertake proper planning in advance for the distribution of Covaxin to identified session sites. "To avoid the mixing-up of vaccines during administration, separate CVCs, separate session sites, separate queue (if at same session where adult vaccination is ongoing) and separate vaccination team (if at same session site) are to be strived for," the release said. States, UTs were also advised to share their requirement of vaccine doses through district wise estimation of beneficiaries using Co-WIN. They are to publicise sessions where vaccination will be available for the 15-18 year age group. "Sufficient vaccines will be provided to states to cover these beneficiaries," the release said. (ANI)
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to the Hyderbad-based pharmaceutical company Biological E to conduct phase 3 clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax as a booster dose, said sources. After detailed deliberation, the Subject Expert Committee recommended granting permission to conduct proposed Phase 3 clinical trials, sources told ANI. Biological E is the second company after Bharat Biotech to conduct clinical trials for a booster dose. On the basis of approvals, Biological E is also generating the data in a systematic manner to study for booster dose, sources said. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) recommended granting of permission to conduct proposed phase 3 clinical trials for boosters of biological vaccine subject to the two conditions: The first is that the administration of booster dose after primary immunization should be studied in two cohorts of six and nine months with age-wise stratification and including 50 per cent subjects with high risk or comorbidity condition. The second being that the safety follow-up should be extended to nine months. On December 10, SEC in its meeting reviewed the data provided by Biological E. The firm had presented its revised clinical trial protocol for the conduct of phase 3 clinical trial for the administration of booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine containing receptor-binding domain (RBD) antigen of SARS-CoV-2. The firm had submitted six months' safety follow up post second dose from phase 1 clinical trials, 90 days safety data from phase 2 part and 60 days safety data from phase 2/3 and phase 3 active comparator study. Corbevax is India's first indigenously developed protein subunit vaccine against COVID-19 that got DCGI's approval for emergency-use authorization on Tuesday. The vaccine maker company plans to deliver more than 1 billion additional doses globally. (ANI)
While the Congress on Tuesday celebrated its 137th foundation day across the country, the grand old party's presence has been reduced to just three states -- Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Rajasthan -- besides being part of the coalition government in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Alarmingly, the party now has less than 100 MPs -- 87 -- in both Houses of the Parliament. As per the Lok Sabha website, out of the 542 members in the Lower House, Congress has only 53 MPs as against BJP's 301. In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 34 MPs besides having the leader of opposition status, though the party is completely outnumbered by BJP's 97 members in the Upper House. The Congress has been decimated in the states too with regional parties taking its place in states where once the party held strong, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala where other parties have gained at Congress' expense. The Congress is a junior partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra where it had ruled for 15 years as a senior coalition partner with the NCP. Similarly, in Jharkhand it is in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The Congress has around 764 MLAs across the country, as against around 1,432 of the BJP. Moreover, it has been reduced to single digits in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh (7), while it managed to win just 19 seats in Bihar in 2020. In Odisha, it has 9 MLAs while it failed to open its account in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. Notably, the party was in power in all these states before except for West Bengal. On the occasion of the party's 137th foundation day, interim party President Sonia Gandhi said in a video message that the Congress is committed to protecting the ethos of the country despite electoral setbacks. Though the Congress has faced electoral defeats, the party will continue to fight, Sonia Gandhi said, adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable, but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all the people of the country. "Let there be no doubt over our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy," she said. Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress has over the decades confronted several challenges. The party rededicated itself to the ideals, values and principles of the organisation that has been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest and most selfless Indians of the 20th century, Sonia Gandhi said. But the party's humiliating loss in 2014 and 2019 general elections has come as a major jolt, even more than the Emergency in 1975 after which the Congress was wiped out of power in 1977 though it managed to win 154 seats and garnered approximately 34 per cent of the vote share. --IANS miz/arm ( 498 Words) 2021-12-28-20:44:03 (IANS)
The activists in Tamil Nadu have demanded quality check of all flats of the state after a building of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHBD)collapsed in Tiruvattiyoor town. The activists have demanded a total change in the board's quality control mechanism as well as on the quality of all old residences in the state. J. Sebastian, Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board Residents Welfare Committee said that the government must have the commitment to conduct quality checks on the slum board flats. He said that the government had ordered an inspection of all school buildings in the state after the restroom of a school building in Tirunelveli collapsed, killing three children. The activist said that the government should announce a quality check on the buildings it had constructed under the TNUHDB category. He said that the recently constructed building of the TNUHDB at K.R. Park was of poor quality and so was the old building that collapsed at Tiruvattiyoor. Venessa Peter, founder-director of Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities, in a statement, said that there was a need for a permanent third party quality check of the TNUHDB tenements and flats constructed across the state. She said that preference for quality check is given to older tenements across the state with a specific timeline for demolition and reconstruction of dilapidated tenements with community participation. AIADMK leader Sundara Ramamoorthy told IANS: "The government should immediately take action against all those who are responsible for the failure to conduct quality check in the buildings of TNUHDB and the erring officers be punished in a fitting manner." --IANS aal/pgh ( 286 Words) 2021-12-28-22:18:04 (IANS)
"We have written to the Centre about it, and so has Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Centre should pay heed to it...," Mahant Gyan Das told ANI when asked about declaring Gangasagar Mela as national mela.

Gangasagar Mela is one of the most popular melas held in Sagardwip, West Bengal. It is scheduled to be held from January 8 to January 16, 2022. Every year, the fair attracts thousands of pilgrims where they take a holy dip in the river Ganges.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday arrived in Gangasagar to review arrangements for fair and offered prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram, which is a temple devoted to Lord Vishnu.

While speaking to reporters after offering prayers, Mamata said, "The central government provides full financial support for Kumbh Mela but not a single penny to Gangasagar Mela."

The Gangasagar Mela is held annually at the Sagar Island during the Makar Sankranti festival. (ANI)
The Maharashtra government has banned congregations of more than five people from 9 pm to 6 am throughout the state in all public places, amid the rising COVID-19 cases and Omicron scare.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 2,172 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, said the state health department on Tuesday.

However, no new cases of Omicron variant of the virus were reported in the state during the last 24 hours. There are currently a total of 167 Omicron cases in the state.

There are currently 11,492 active COVID-19 cases in the state. (ANI)
Researchers have identified a key signal that the fetus uses to control its supply of nutrients from the placenta, revealing a tussle between genes inherited from the father and the mother. The study, carried out in mice, could help explain why some babies grow poorly in the womb. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Developmental Science'. As the fetus grows, it needs to communicate its increasing needs for food to the mother. It receives its nourishment via blood vessels in the placenta, a specialised organ that contains cells from both baby and mother. Between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of babies grow poorly in the womb, often showing reduced growth of blood vessels in the placenta. In humans, these blood vessels expand dramatically between mid and late gestation, reaching a total length of approximately 320 kilometres at term. In the study, a team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge used genetically engineered mice to show how the fetus produces a signal to encourage the growth of blood vessels within the placenta. This signal also causes modifications to other cells of the placenta to allow for more nutrients from the mother to go through to the fetus. Dr Ionel Sandovici, the paper's first author, said, "As it grows in the womb, the fetus needs food from its mum, and healthy blood vessels in the placenta are essential to help it get the correct amount of nutrients it needs." "We've identified one way that the fetus uses to communicate with the placenta to prompt the correct expansion of these blood vessels. When this communication breaks down, the blood vessels don't develop properly and the baby will struggle to get all the food it needs," Dr Sandovici said. The team found that the fetus sends a signal known as IGF2 that reaches the placenta through the umbilical cord. In humans, levels of IGF2 in the umbilical cord progressively increase between 29 weeks of gestation and term: too much IGF2 is associated with too much growth, while not enough IGF2 is associated with too little growth. Babies that are too large or too small are more likely to suffer or even die at birth and have a higher risk to develop diabetes and heart problems as adults. Dr Sandovici added, "We've known for some time that IGF2 promotes the growth of the organs where it is produced. In this study, we've shown that IGF2 also acts as a classical hormone -- it's produced by the fetus, goes into the fetal blood, through the umbilical cord and to the placenta, where it acts." Particularly interesting is what their findings reveal about the tussle taking place in the womb. In mice, the response to IGF2 in the blood vessels of the placenta is mediated by another protein, called IGF2R. The two genes that produce IGF2 and IGF2R are 'imprinted' -- a process by which molecular switches on the genes identify their parental origin and can turn the genes on or off. In this case, only the copy of the igf2 gene inherited from the father is active, while only the copy of igf2r inherited from the mother is active. Lead author Dr Miguel Constancia, said, "One theory about imprinted genes is that paternally-expressed genes are greedy and selfish. They want to extract the most resources possible from the mother. But maternally-expressed genes act as countermeasures to balance these demands." "In our study, the father's gene drives the fetus's demands for larger blood vessels and more nutrients, while the mother's gene in the placenta tries to control how much nourishment she provides. There's a tug-of-war taking place, a battle of the sexes at the level of the genome," Constancia added. The team said their findings will allow a better understanding of how the fetus, placenta and mother communicate with each other during pregnancy. This in turn could lead to ways of measuring levels of IGF2 in the fetus and finding ways to use medication to normalise these levels or promote normal development of placental vasculature. The researchers used mice, as it is possible to manipulate their genes to mimic different developmental conditions. This enabled them to study in detail the different mechanisms taking place. The physiology and biology of mice have many similarities with those of humans, allowing researchers to model human pregnancy, in order to understand it better. (ANI)
The United Nations on Monday called for a New Year's ceasefire in Myanmar between the country's military and its opponents, urging all parties to exercise utmost restraint and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the interest of the people. UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer said: "The people of Myanmar have already suffered tremendously and the socio-economic and humanitarian situation has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those inflicting suffering on their own people need to silence their guns and protect people in times of great need. The future of Myanmar's children counts on this," reported Sputnik. Heyzer said her statement echoes the earlier call by the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire that comes out of the deep concern about the continued escalation of violence in Kayin State and other parts of Myanmar, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. On Sunday at least 35 people, including women and children, were killed and their bodies were burned in Myanmar. The National Unity Government (NUG) called it a "Christmas massacre in Karenni state." The Myanmar military, which seized power in a February coup said it had shot and killed an unspecified number of "terrorists with weapons" from the opposition armed forces in the village, according to state media. The people were in seven vehicles and did not stop for the military, it said. The UN Special Envoy also called on all parties in Myanmar to act in the greater interest of the nation and to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, reported Sputnik. Heyzer also appealed for allowing humanitarian assistance to be provided to those in need, including those forced to flee the violence. Heyzer, who began her assignment earlier this month, reaffirmed her full commitment to support the people of Myanmar and promote peace as well as said to continue to focus on mobilizing coherent international support to achieve these goals. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the previous elected government and detained many top officials, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed earlier this month. Since the coup, the military has tried to assert its power over the people through bloody force. UN agencies, rights groups, and local journalists have documented massacres, mass arrests, torture, forced displacement, men, women, and children being murdered with impunity, heavy weaponry used by junta forces to attack villages and root out armed resistance groups, and the blocking of humanitarian aid. Junta forces have killed more than 1,300 people and arrested over 11,000, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, reported CNN. (ANI)
Iranian President's special representative to Afghanistan Hassan Kazzemi Qomi said that Tehran has good relations with all factions in Afghanistan and can mediate talks between them, reported Khaama Press.

Qomi met with Afghan leader in exile Muhammad Muhaqiq and acknowledged that Iran is ready to mediate talks to help Afghanistan reach stability and establish an inclusive government, FARS news agency reported.

The special representative said that his country stands for peace and stability in Afghanistan and emphasized that the country's issue be resolved through negotiations among all ethnic groups.

He added that peace and stability are in the favour of the whole world and the region, reported Khaama Press.

The anti-Taliban resistance force in Panjshir province led by Ahmad Masoud was the only group with whom the Taliban wanted negotiations that did not conclude to any agreement, reported Khaama Press. (ANI)
"A new roadmap must be drawn up, set with durations and stages and not with dates, within a constitutional framework, in order to hold a successful electoral process and to ensure acceptance of its results," the committee said on Monday in a report.

The committee stressed the need to "initiate the amendment of the draft constitution through a technical committee appointed by the House of Representatives with fair participation of the High Council of State."

It also highlighted the demand to "restructure the executive authority to achieve stability, which the current authority (Libyan Government of National Unity) has been unable to achieve."

The High National Elections Commission has announced a proposal to postpone the Presidential elections to January 2022 instead of December 24, 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

Thus, the House of Representatives formed a committee to propose a roadmap after December 24, aimed at considering several proposals to address the failure to hold the elections on time, in addition to determining the fate of the current interim government.

The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in order to restore stability in Libya following years of political division and insecurity.

--IANS int/khz/

( 241 Words)

2021-12-28-03:20:05 (IANS)
During a regular meeting for the Transitional Sovereign Council held at the Republican Palace in Khartoum and chaired by the Council's Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the council on Monday directed "the authorities concerned to investigate into what is being circulated in the media regarding the rape incident," according to a statement released by the council.

On December 21, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office called for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into allegations of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, during protests in Sudan on December 19, Xinhua news agency reported.

Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, said she received reports alleging that 13 women and girls were raped or gang raped; and that women were reportedly sexually harassed while fleeing the area around the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Sudan 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 the government.

On November 21, Al-Burhan and the then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating the latter as Prime Minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the streets.

--IANS int/khz/

( 241 Words)

2021-12-28-03:46:04 (IANS)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday urged Beijing to release Zhang Zhan, one of the first of China's "citizen journalists" who was jailed for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Zhang Zhan courageously risked her life reporting in Wuhan at a time when very little information was available on the mode of transmission and severity of Covid-19, and she should have been celebrated as a hero instead of being detained", said RSF East Asia Bureau head, Cedric Alviani. Cedric urged the international community to build up pressure on the Chinese regime to "grant Zhang Zhan medical parole and ensure that she is released before it is too late." Lawyer-turned-journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced in December 2020 to four years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" while covering the initial Covid-19 outbreak in the city of Wuhan in February 2020. Earlier this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report featuring journalists killed and imprisoned worldwide, with China ranking on top of the list for jailing 50 journalists. Back in September, RSF and a coalition of 44 human rights NGOs urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to exonerate and release Zhang Zhan. At least 10 other press freedom defenders detained in China may soon suffer a deadly fate, the watchdog said. RSF has recently published an unprecedented investigative report entitled The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China, which reveals the previously unheard-of campaign of repression led by Beijing against journalism and the right to information worldwide. China, ranked 177th out of 180 in the 2021 RSF World Press Freedom Index, is the world's largest captor of journalists with at least 126 detained. (ANI)
Highlighting the slew of issues afflicting the people of Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said that democracy in Pakistan only exists on paper. He made these remarks while speaking during a rally in Sindh's Larkana District on the 14th death anniversary of the slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. "We had said that democracy is the best revenge and hence, we restored the system despite all the ill-practices," he was quoted as saying by Geo News. He added that democracy was snatched from the people of Pakistan. Targeting the Imran Khan government, Bilawal said that Pakistanis are bearing the burden of a puppet and selected government. This rebuke comes as PPP has announced it would launch a movement to remove the 'puppet' Imran Khan government in Pakistan, reported local media. The party will start a campaign from Lahore on January 5. "On January 5, which is the birth anniversary of [party founder] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, PPP's executive committee will set up its base in Lahore," Samaa TV quoted Bilawal as saying. "The end of this puppet government will begin from the city where the foundation of PPP was laid," he added. Stressing that PPP can not bear the suffering of people in Pakistan, Bilawal said that only his party can save this country as he asked the party's provincial leadership and workers to gear up to take part in the agitation against the sitting government. Remembering his mother, Bilawal said that it has been 14 years but we still miss Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Referring to Benazir Bhutoo, the PPP Chairman said, "Shaheed Bibi, your Pakistan is in turmoil, there is no freedom of speech, life or even breath." "We fulfilled Shaheed Benazir Bhutto's 30-year struggle for the restoration of the 1973 constitution by introducing the 18th amendment and transferring all the powers to parliament," Bilawal added. (ANI)
"In the period of December 19-25, 969 migrants were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," IOM added.

So far this year, a total of 32,425 illegal migrants have been rescued, while 573 died and 933 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the Organisation.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the north African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores, Xinhua news agency reported.

--IANS int/khz/

( 140 Words)

2021-12-28-04:36:01 (IANS)
"The first meeting will be in Moscow," Cavusoglu told reporters that the representatives will discuss a roadmap for the normalisation of bilateral ties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Asked about a recent proposal by Russia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on security guarantees, the Turkish Foreign Minister added that if Russia has any specific expectation from Turkey regarding reducing tensions between the former and NATO, Ankara would consider it positively.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that eastwards expansion of NATO is unacceptable, and there should be security guarantees in Europe.

--IANS int/khz/

( 128 Words)

2021-12-28-04:48:02 (IANS)
"Women are not allowed to travel alone in Afghanistan, and they cannot go to school as well," Chaudhry said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a photo exhibition on the life of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Pak-China centre, reported Geo News.

Pakistan is blamed globally for supporting terrorism and helping the Taliban. The federal minister's crocodile tears came a day after the Afghan Taliban said that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.

The guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women wearing hijabs, reported Geo News.

The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors.

The ministry had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting.

Meanwhile, condemning the tragic Sialkot incident, where the Islamist mob accused a Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana of blasphemy and then burnt his dead body, the minister said the entire nation was united after it. (ANI)
Syrian air defence systems were used to repel the attack, it said.

The attack reportedly targeted a container site in a trade port in the Syrian province. (ANI/Sputnik)
The Tuesday edition of the ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said that a plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee was held on Monday, with the country's leader Kim Jong Un in attendance, reported NHK World.

It said the gathering was held to review the implementation of the main party and state policies for the past year. The meeting is expected to be held for another day.

Moreover, December 30 will mark the 10th anniversary of Kim becoming the country's top military commander, reported NHK World.

Attention is focused on whether Pyongyang will come up with fresh policies on nuclear and missile development and stalled negotiations with the US.

Participants are also likely to discuss how to revive the economy. The closure of the country's border with China to combat the coronavirus has dealt a serious blow to an economy that was already suffering the effects of international sanctions, reported NHK World. (ANI)
Pakistan's spymaster Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum has urged authorities not to release to media organisations photographs and video footage of him at official meetings. Lt Anjum was appointed as the Director-General of ISI in October after a political slugfest between the civilian and military leadership in the country. Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC), the highest forum for coordination on security issues, approved its first-ever National Security Policy on Monday. The top-level meeting was also attended by the DG ISI. However, the Pakistani government did not release any of his pictures or video footage. A Pakistan federal minister told The News International that this was done due to a standing instruction for all concerned from the incumbent DG ISI not to release any of his pictures or video footage of any official meeting that he attends. For the same reason, ever since his appointment as the DG ISI, none of his pictures or video footages have been released to the media, the minister added. According to a retired Pak officer, the basic principle of intelligence services is to stay away from the media's eye. Pak's Lt-Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib, said there have been violations of the principle in the past and a number of times the governments had been releasing to the media picture and video footage of the intelligence chiefs. Earlier on Monday, Pakistan's NSC had approved its first-ever National Security Policy, which covers all internal and external security aspects, including the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the neighbourhood. Pakistan National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf, during the 36th NSC meeting, highlighted that the country was shifting to a comprehensive national security framework while the ultimate purpose of national security was to ensure the safety and security of citizens, Dawn newspaper reported. (ANI)
During his visit, IAF Chief will visit key defence establishments and call on the country's top defence military officials.

"Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari CAS is on a four-day official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) till 30 December," IAF tweeted.

"CAS will be calling on the Minister of National Defence, Chairman of the Jt Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force and visiting important defence establishments. The visit is expected to bolster ties with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea," IAF said in another tweet.

India and South Korea earlier this month held the third Strategic Dialogue where the two sides discussed partnership in critical and high technologies and supply chain resilience.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides held in-depth discussions to further enhance the Special Strategic Partnership.

Both sides had agreed to further strengthen and deepen mutually beneficial strategic cooperation in areas of bilateral, regional and global interest. The sides also emphasized on indigenisation, joint development and joint production in the defence sector. (ANI)
Following the deterioration in healthcare services, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the number of cancer patients is rising in the country. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said the number of patients diagnosed with cancer has increased in state hospitals, adding that 13,500 patients diagnosed with cancer, with 60 per cent female patients have been recorded since the beginning of 2021, reported Tolo News. Findings of the MoPH show that the most frequent cancer among Afghans is breast cancer for women and oesophagus cancer for men. According to officials, health care services are deteriorating every day as state hospitals face a lack of medicine and medical equipment. Officials at the Jamhuriat hospital, a state-owned hospital, said that not only were the patients suffering from cancer, but the total number of patients visiting the hospital, has increased as the Afghan families could not afford to go to private hospitals, reported Tolo News. They urged the World Health Organization (WHO) and other supporting agencies to assist Afghanistan's health centers and hospitals. "We do not have enough medicine for all the patients, we give some medicine to the patients who go into surgery," said Mohammad Essa Ibrahimi, head of the cancer treatment program at Jamhuriat hospital. Roqaya, 19, has been diagnosed with cancer. She came to Jamhuriat hospital from Logar province. "My family borrowed money to buy me medicine, we have spent 13,000 Afghanis that we borrowed, I do not know how my family will find the money for the next amount of medicine," Roqaya told Tolo News. While government hospitals face many challenges, most of the patients who are suffering from cancer are concerned about paying for their treatment. "Hospitals were giving medicine for free in the past, but there is no free medicine anymore, we buy it from outside," said Mah Gul. (ANI)
Amid growing tensions with China and North Korea over the South China Sea and violations of firing ballistic missiles respectively, arrangements are underway for the defence chiefs of Japan, the US and South Korea to meet in Hawaii in mid-January. The meeting would bring together Japanese Defence Minister Kishi Nobuo, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook, reported NHK World citing sources. The three are expected to discuss how to realize the denuclearization of North Korea and make the country stop firing ballistic missiles in violation of UN resolutions as well as China's growing dominance in the South China Sea. The sources say a decision has yet to be made as to whether the talks will be in person, amid the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, reported NHK World. Japan and the US had worked to arrange a meeting of their foreign and defence chiefs on January 7 in Washington. But they are now expected to change the "two plus two" talks to an online format, due to the Omicron threat. Austin and Suh met earlier this month in Seoul to discuss possible responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The two agreed that trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan "remains critical to regional stability," reported NHK World. China has demonstrated an aggressive approach in pressing its territorial claims against its neighbours. (ANI)
Many employees of the Supreme Court on Monday protested over their non-payment of salaries for the past three months. The protestors said that they haven't received the salaries for the past four months, reported Tolo News. "I have not received my salary for the past four months. It is winter and the weather is cold. All of the people are facing a lot of challenges," said Najmuddin, an employee of the Supreme Court. They said that around 900 employees have lost their jobs as some units of the Supreme Court were removed and that they are now facing an uncertain future, reported Tolo News. "We have petitioned the Islamic Emirate since it came to power. They told us that we will not be dismissed and when we asked again, they told us to stay home for now," said Mohammad Ilham, an employee. "I have a family to take care of but I haven't been paid. We call on the Islamic Emirate to clarify our fate," said an employee of the Supreme Court. The protestors said they have been struggling with severe economic conditions since the crisis deepened after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August. Noorzad, who worked as a cleaner in the Supreme Court, is a father of eight children. He has not been paid for the past four months. "My son is sick. I didn't have money to buy him medicine. I borrowed the money. I ask the Islamic Emirate to help us," he said, reported Tolo News. Earlier, some employees of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and Administrative Office of the President complained that they had not received their salaries. However, the Ministry of Finance said the government has paid the salaries of government employees for the months of "Asad (July-August), Sunbola (August-September) and Mizan (September-October)." (ANI)
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and six other former staff members of the tabloid Apple Daily are set to face an additional sedition charge, under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The prosecution imposed the additional charge on Tuesday and accused Lai and others of conspiring to collude with foreign powers under the city's sweeping security legislation, Hong Kong Free Press reported. The group is now also accused of conspiring to "print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display and/or reproduce seditions publications." They are also accused of doing so with the intention "to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Central Authorities." Earlier this month, Lai was sentenced to 13-month imprisonment for participating in last year's banned Tiananmen Massacre vigil. A district court in Hong Kong convicted Lai and seven others people on similar charges and handed jail terms of between four and a half to 14 months in jail. China controlled government's implementation of the National Security Law has upended Hong Kong's political environment in the past year, according to several media reports. The city authorities now view political participation as subversive, and the authorities are targeting many across a broad cross-section of the population under the new law. The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) last month had revealed a survey of correspondent and journalist members on a wide range of issues related to press freedom since the implementation of the National Security Law in June 2020. The survey said that the vast majority of respondents reported an overall deterioration in the working environment for journalists, noting, in particular, the unwillingness of sources to be quoted and the need for reporters to self-censor their writing or delete images. (ANI)
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) said on Monday that the national program launched in 2016 was divided into three phases. The first phase of the program was expected to be finished at the end of 2022, reported Tolo News.

The spokesman of the MoF, Ahmad Wali Haqmal, said that USD 1 billion was allocated for the first phase of the program to implement at least 12,000 projects across the country, and 7,000 out of the 12,000 projects remain unfinished.

"Around 7,000 projects are incomplete, we are trying to contact the World Bank to complete at least the half-finished projects," said Haqmal.

Experts believe that the rate of poverty will rise as the implementation of the projects has stopped in the country, reported Tolo News.

"Projects were funded mostly by the World Bank; the halt of the development projects in villages will increase poverty among villagers," said Abdul Naseer Reshtia, an expert.

The CCNPP was scheduled across ten years to implement thousands of small and large projects but it was suspended after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August. (ANI)
Shias, who have faced persecution in Afghanistan, on Tuesday, urged the Taliban to formalize their sect and protect their citizenship rights in the framework of an inclusive government. In the statement that was titled "Demands and ideas of Shiite people in Afghanistan," the Shias asked that for protection of their all political, economic, societal, cultural, freedom of speech, and political participation, reported Khaama Press. They also asked for the creation of exclusive courts of Shiite people where they can implement their own law. Further, they added that the Afghan government will not be inclusive without their participation as they form 25 per cent of the Afghan population, reported Khaama Press. The development comes as a number of Shiite leaders met with the political deputy of PM Abdul Kabir on Sunday, December 26 and they were given assurance of their security in Afghanistan. For decades, violence has torn through Afghanistan's Shiite community, perpetuated first by the Taliban, who consider Shiites heretics and in more recent years by the Islamic State - Khorasan (ISIS-K). When the Taliban, hard-line Sunni Muslims, seized power in August, they vowed to end decades of bloodshed and sought to reassure Afghan Shiites that they would not again be their targets, as they were during the group's previous rule from 1996 to 2001. This time around, the Taliban have allowed Shiites to observe the holy holiday of Ashura; they dispatched a Shiite cleric to do outreach in Shiite communities; they visited Shiite mosques to demonstrate solidarity and they vowed that the new government would keep them safe. But with two suicide bombings by ISIS-K at mosques in October, which together killed more than 90 people and injured hundreds of others, stoked fears if the Taliban would allow the Islamic State's campaign against Afghan Shiites to go unchecked. (ANI)
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lebanon's hotels suffered a steep decline in the occupancy rate, but the year-end holiday period has brought a glimpse of hope for the sector as reservations saw a slight increase in the past few days, a top official said here. On Monday, Pierre Ashkar, head of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon, told Xinhua news agency that the monthly average occupancy rate over the past year stood at around 23 per cent but reservations in Beirut hotels for the period extending from December 28, 2021 to January 1, 2022 increased to around 50 per cent. He noted that reservations in the very few hotels in Faraya and Faqra, villages mostly known for their snow slopes, stand at around 75 per cent in New Year. "Most of the demand on hotel rooms in Beirut and in mountain areas during the festive season come from Lebanese expatriates arriving from the Gulf and African countries," Ashkar said. Ashkar attributes the low occupancy rate in hotels to political instability which forced the US, Canada and many countries in Europe, to warn their citizens against traveling to Lebanon. He added that the diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia deprived Lebanon from Gulf tourists who used to spend at least 15 days in the country while allocating a big budget for spending during the festive season. "It's a pity to have lost a big number of tourists from different places," he said. Ashkar noted that the tourism sector used to generate around $10 billion in yearly revenues which have dropped to $3 billion in light of political instability and the pandemic. "A big number of hotels shut down instead of maintaining their operations and incurring increased losses in the absence of tourists amid the current increase in expenses," Ashkar said. Hotels interviewed by Xinhua reported a steep decline in occupancy throughout the year except for the New Year's five-day vacation which has seen a recent increase in demand on hotel rooms. "We have suffered throughout this past year to be able to register an occupancy rate of 35 per cent at our hotel, but demand for rooms during the New Year vacation is acceptable," Ayman Nasreddine, operations manager at Cavalier Hotel, a four-star hotel in Hamra, told Xinhua. "Most of the demand comes from Egyptians at an average room rate at $70 per night compared to $120 in the past," Nasreddine said. Likewise, Rami Fakhreddine, head of Front Desk office at 35 Rooms Hotel in Beirut, told Xinhua that most of the demand for New Year at his hotel comes from Egyptians who now find Lebanon an affordable destination given the collapse of the local currency compared to the US dollars. "There have also been a lot of packages to Lebanon which saw a great demand by Egyptians," he said. Dalia Doumani, head of reservations at Riviera, a five-star hotel in Beirut, told Xinhua that reservations at her hotel for New Year reached around 60 per cent so far and they are expected to go higher in the coming days. She noted that even Lebanese expatriates who are paid in US dollars consider prices too high when they convert them into Lebanese pounds in light of the collapse of the local currency which also explains the lower occupancy rates compared to previous years. --IANS ksk/ ( 568 Words) 2021-12-28-09:52:03 (IANS)
"At the same time we have some disagreements on several political issues with China. We realize them, and formulate our policy taking cognizance of them," Sputnik news agency quoting Foreign Minister as saying.

While China is Ukraine's largest trade partner, the main security ally is the US, the diplomat said.

"We have no intention to give in to China in a way that our security can be affected," Kuleba added, as per Sputnik.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden signed the 768 billion US dollars defense budget for 2022 which includes 300 million US dollars in security assistance for Ukraine, 4 billion US dollars for the European Deterrence Initiative, and 7.1 billion US dollars for operations in the Indo-Pacific region, with initiatives to address challenges from China such as possible risks to supply chains of critical defense systems. (ANI)
The farmer community of Pakistan's Sindh province are worried over Sindh's opposition to phase-II of the Greater Thal Canal (GTC), as farmers of the Thal desert had been anxiously waiting for the completion of the long-delayed water channel. Dawn newspaper reported that any further delay in the execution of the project, the farmers believe, would be akin to a conspiracy against the poor residents of the desert area who have been at the mercy of weather even to harvest a single crop (gram) for centuries. "It is very astonishing that a province being led by a pro-people party for the last many years has opted to go against the benefit of the common people though the project is very much within all constitutional and legal bounds," Dr Amjad Magsi, a farmer of the Bhakkar district quoted by the Pakistani publication said. The tussle between Pakistan federal and Sindh provincial governments continues over the water canal project for the "irrigation of two million acres of barren land" in Punjab. Following the Pakistan People Party objections and demands, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has decided to postpone the approval of the Greater Thal Canal Phase II and Chobara Canal projects once again and sent the matter back to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), according to Express Tribune. When the Greater Thal Phase II and Chobara Branch Canal projects were presented on the agenda, PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro protested and said the schemes were a death warrant for Sindh and its people. "These plans are not acceptable to Sindh in any way and the province should not be punished by launching these controversial projects," he said."Sindh is already facing a severe water shortage and not even getting its fair share," he added. Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro took a stand that the 1991 water agreement was not being implemented. "There is a severe shortage of water in Sindh. These projects are an attempt to irrigate two million acres of barren land in Punjab," he added. Meanwhile, it was decided to send the matter back to the CDWP and the approval of these projects was postponed for the second time due to the objections of Sindh. (ANI)
The Taliban's cultural commission has also banned advertisements showing women wearing trendy clothes.

"Media should refrain from broadcasting foreign TV series that are contrary to Afghan culture and Sharia law, and use of any songs is strictly prohibited," Sputnik quoting media representatives reported as saying.

Outlets should provide "balanced" news based on solid sources and not on rumours.

Foreign media broadcasting on the territory of Afghanistan should stick to established regulations or face a ban.

Journalists fear that these restrictions will lead to the closure of some media offices, as per Sputnik.

"Taliban's restrictions complicate the work of media," a media representative told Sputnik, adding that it is unclear what the movement deems "balanced" news as media employees have to wait for 2-3 days for Taliban's comments.

Afghan journalists and activists have expressed concerns over a new "religious guideline" issued by the Taliban, saying the move is "yet another form of control over women."

The Taliban has asked female journalists to follow a dress code and called on TV stations to stop showing soap operas featuring women, sparking fears over women's rights and media freedom, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, after the siege of Afghanistan, has been trying to deliver a moderate image to the world in an attempt to gain international confidence but experts believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the terrorist group regime.

According to the international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation: "Women's lives [from 1996 to 2001] were very bleak and severely repressed by the Taliban. You're looking at an era where every aspect of a woman's life was controlled, contained, and confined." reported Four Nine. (ANI)
Police believe the suspect fired a firearm in at least seven different locations across Denver and Lakewood, Colorado. Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said at a news conference that the shooting rampage started around 5 p.m. local time (0000 GMT Tuesday) at First Avenue and Broadway in Denver, the capital of Colorado. Two adult women were killed and one adult male was injured in the incident.

Shortly after the first shooting incident, one adult male was shot and killed at 12th Avenue and Williams Street, said Pazen.

A pursuit started after the suspect vehicle was noticed by Denver police. The suspect fled to Lakewood, a suburb that lies west of Denver, after an exchange of gunfire with police.

John Romero, Lakewood Police's Public Information Officer, said the Lakewood police department's agents identified the suspect's car shortly after he fled Denver. The suspect opened fire on the agents, then fled on foot, Romero added.

The suspect then fled to a hotel and shot a clerk, and was killed later in a shootout with police.

One police officer was hit by the suspect in the shootout and was in surgery at the hospital. Police said they are still not sure whether the suspect was killed by police officers.

Police said the investigation into the shooting spree is still ongoing. (ANI/Xinhua)
Putin voiced his concern at a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in the Russian port city of Saint Petersburg on Monday.

"The situation on the border with Afghanistan now causes some alarm and concern," Putin was quoted as saying by a Russian media outlet.

The Russian leader told his Tajik counterpart that Russia and Tajikistan were developing cooperation on dealing with security issues.

He added some weapons and equipment had been provided to help Tajikistan's armed forces efficiently counter threats emanating from outside, the report said.

Moscow has been trying to fortify its military base in Tajikistan with weapons and other equipment.

On his part, Rahmon said that the two countries closely cooperate in the field of security, and he was ready to discuss international and regional issues, particularly the Afghan problem, with Putin.

--IANS san/ksk/

( 171 Words)

2021-12-28-11:30:05 (IANS)
The level 3 warning refers to an appeal for public cooperation to implement strict Covid-19 free setting, more antigen rapid test kit (AKT) screening before and after travelling, avoid crowds, as well as issue work-from-home policy if possible, reports Xinhua news agency.

The warning is based on rising concerns over a possible surge in new cases after the holiday season which has seen a high level of people mobility, said Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department from the Ministry of Public Health.

Opas further noted that the Omicron variant can easily surge and is expected to take over Delta variant very soon.

There are five warning levels in Thailand, where the fifth one refers to curfew, strict mobility and public gathering control and quarantine scheme for all travellers.

According to the officials, the number of new Omicron cases has soared five-fold, from 104 on December 21 to currently at 514.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health is still confident that the country still has sufficient hospital beds to handle the situation, citing its low 10 percent occupancy rate at present.

--IANS ksk/

( 217 Words)

2021-12-28-11:58:06 (IANS)
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)'s anti-merger faction has announced a series of rallies in the region alongside long March towards Islamabad in pursuance of their demands including reversal of FATA's merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and restoration of the region legal status back, local media reported. A grand FATA National Jirga comprising of Tribal elders and Maliks gathered in Islamabad on Monday and reiterated their demands and vowed to initiate an agitation campaign against FATA's merger into KP during the coming weeks, The Frontier Post reported. It further reported that the proclaimed Tribal National Jirga was comprised of several tribal leaders including Jaffar Khan Adam Khel, Brigadier (retired) Saeed Nazir, Bismillah Khan, Rehat Afridi, Shakir Afridi and others, the leaders shared their future strategy with media against the enactment of 25th Constitutional amendment and merger of FATA in to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa back in May 2018. The Speakers claimed that FATA National Jirga is a traditional forum of tribal leaders from seven tribal agencies and six Tribal regions of Ex. FATA, which is working for reversal of the unconstitutional and illegal merger of Erstwhile FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Speakers, peace, unity and development are the fundamental principles of the FATA National Jirga, The Frontier Post reported. According to Jaffar Khan Adam khel, the merger of FATA was an unconstitutional act, which must be reversed according to the desires of the people of the area. The Speakers said that FATA National Jigra has informed the government about its goals and demands and that government must act according to the desire of the people of the area; otherwise Jirga had formulated the future course of action under which local rallies will be organized in Headquarters of various districts during first phase, The Frontier Post reported. While, long March toward Islamabad will be organized during the second phase of their campaign in March 2022. The Tribal leaders claimed that they have full support of the people of the area and the government must consider their demands. (ANI)
With insured losses to houses, household goods, businesses and motor vehicles of around 12.5 billion euros ($14 billion), 2021 was "the most expensive natural hazard year since statistics began in the early 1970s", Xinhua news agency quoted Joerg Asmussen, chief executive of GDV, as saying.

The losses were even higher than those in 2002 with floods and devastating storms and in 1990 with a hurricane series, causing losses of around 11.5 billion euros respectively, according to GDV.

The long-term average value per year is 3.8 billion euros.

In mid-December, the insurance group Swiss Re estimated global losses from natural catastrophes this year at $105 billion, the fourth-highest figure since 1970.

The damage caused by the July floods has renewed a debate on compulsory insurance for natural hazards in Germany, as not even half of all homeowners in the country were insured against natural damage by that time.

GDV suggested that there should "only be residential building insurance policies that also cover so-called natural hazards such as flooding and heavy rain", said Asmussen.

--IANS ksk/

( 223 Words)

2021-12-28-13:00:03 (IANS)
The UN General Assembly on December 24 approved the budget obligations for 193 member states, setting South Korea's share at 2.57 per cent of the total funding for the 2022-24 period, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The ratio was up from 2.27 per cent for the 2019-21 period, moving the country's rank up two notches from the current 11th place.

The Ministry said South Korea's assessed contribution was set at a higher level in the upcoming three-year period in line with its economic growth in the previous years.

Assessments of the budget obligations for UN member states are based on a complex formula that factors in gross national income and population.

The US and China will remain the world body's top two financial contributors in the next three years.

--IANS ksk/

( 166 Words)

2021-12-28-13:32:03 (IANS)
The resistance forces against the Taliban exist not just in Panjshir province but also in Kandahar and in the Andarab region of the Baghlan province, said Afghan envoy to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar. "Nobody has expected that the Taliban will take over Kabul and the country so fast. The country had a well-prepared and equipped military with more than 50,000 personnel, and the agreement with the US which had to protect us but has not fulfilled [the agreement]. [Former Afghan President Ashraf] Ghani who had a secret agreement with the Taliban has run away, he has betrayed the people which elected him president," Sputnik reported citing the diplomat.The ambassador reminded that, apart from the Panjshir, 33 Afghan provinces have surrendered to the Taliban. He noted that no one expected "such a development of events and was not ready for war, because for the last 20 years the Panjshir has been a tourist gorge, there was a place for rest." "The resistance have not had a prepared army nor weapons to resist the Taliban, nevertheless the Panjshir is waging hostilities, it does not surrender. The people stood there for two days protesting and vouching 'Down with the Taliban!," he said. "The protests are being held not only in the Panjshir, people stood up in Kandahar and Andarab. I am sure that very soon the whole country will stand up against the Taliban, and it will be not only political and military resistance, but the all-people resistance from all parts of the society," he added. (ANI)
Tokyo [Japan], December 28 (ANI/Sputnik): The South Korean Foreign Ministry urged Tokyo on Tuesday to stop pressing for the inclusion of the closed Sado mine, associated with the forced labor of Koreans, as part of Japan's industrial heritage and on the UNESCO World Heritage List, pledging measures to prevent this if necessary. The mine, shut down in 1989, was known for using Korean forced labor by Japan during its colonization of the Korean Peninsula in 1910-1945, the ministry said, calling on Japan to promptly withdraw its nomination of the mine as a World Heritage site. "Our government will sternly respond with the international community to prevent a site where workers were forced into toil against their will from being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site without enough explanation," Choi Young-sam, the spokesperson for the ministry, was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. The site in question operated as a major gold and silver mine in the 17th century but its production levels significantly dropped by the end of the 19th century. After a short-term recovery, mining operations were reduced under the impact of World War II. According to the agency, citing historical documents, at least 1,200 Koreans were forced into labor at the mine. If Japan pursues this action, a decision on the matter is expected to be made in 2023, the outlet said. (ANI/Sputnik)
The company had already won a contract for building two frigates for the Philippines navy five years ago.

"The Department of National Defense signed a contract agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the acquisition of two (2) brand new corvettes worth PHP 28 Billion for the Philippine Navy in a virtual signing ceremony," the department tweeted.

Manila has been actively trying to bolster its navy in order to counter the territorial ambitions of China in the South China Sea, which has put Beijing at odds with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. (ANI/Sputnik)
Pakistan's National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday said that a total of 75 cases of COVID-19 Omicron variant have been confirmed in the country so far. In a statement, the NIH said that the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC), the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the provincial departments were vigilantly keeping an eye on Omicron cases in Pakistan ever since it was designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dawn reported. "The first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was reported on December 13 in Karachi," Dawn quoted NIH statement. "As of December 27, a total of 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed; 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore," the statement said, adding that the remaining 12 cases were associated with international travel. "The relevant authorities have isolated the patients and initiated contact tracing in order to control the spread of the variant," the NIH said. The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year. On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'. (ANI)
The Taliban are granting Afghan passports to members of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, Sputnik quoting Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar reported. "The whole world should know that all terrorists from Al Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan are given Afghan passports by the Taliban. This is a serious signal to all mankind that terrorists are being legalized," the diplomat said, as per Sputnik. According to Agbar, the Taliban rule in Afghanistan will "not be long." "Nobody recognizes the Taliban, they did not even sit down at the negotiating table at the recent conference of Islamic countries in Pakistan, and the flag was not of the Taliban, but ours - the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. An interesting fact is that the Taliban leadership has not yet brought their families (back to Afghanistan), who are in Dubai, Qatar and Pakistan. They have not paid their military personnel for several months. Disagreements have emerged among the Taliban ... and women ... hold protests against this regime almost every day," the ambassador said. (ANI)
In a statement, the Interior Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan asked all "national and international companies and firms to refer to the ministry and sign the security contracts", Khaama Press reported.

It further reported that the ministry has reactivated the National Public Protection Forces and appointed Enaitullah as head of the forces.

National Public Protection Forces had replaced private national and international security companies and were providing security services to various national and international companies based on contracts, Khaama Press reported.

The Forces were inactive after the Taliban takeover. The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15.

Earlier, the UN announced that they have suggested over six million US dollars to the ministry of the interior ministry of the Taliban in return for protecting the staff and agencies of the UN in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

It further reported that Afghanistan's interior ministry denied the suggestion and added that they have not been told about the suggestion yet. (ANI)
The Israelis fired their missiles from the Mediterranean against the commercial port of Latakia, hitting the container terminal and igniting a fire, Xinhua news agency quoted the state media report as saying.

The attack caused big damage as firefighters are working to put out the fire, it added.

It is the second such attack on the port this month.

The previous one was reported on December 7.

Israel usually fires missiles on Syria on the pretext that it targets positions of the Iranian-backed militia, mainly those affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

--IANS ksk/

( 123 Words)

2021-12-28-15:36:02 (IANS)
"It is an extremely promising medication, as timely taking of the medicine significantly reduces the probability of a grave course of the disease," the minister said.

Due to a combination of vaccination and treatment, COVID-19 is becoming a "less and less frightening disease," according to Lauterbach, who added that Germany cooperates with all producers of these medicines.

"Together with the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, I initiated the procedure of emergency approval of the medicine in Germany, so that Paxlovid could be used right after purchase," Lauterbach said.

Paxlovid is designed for patients at high risk of hospitalization or death, with a mild or medium course of the disease. The pills decrease the COVID-related hospitalization likelihood by at least 88% in groups with increased risk, according to Pfizer.

To date, over 70% of people in Germany have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Thursday, Germany confirmed the first death from the Omicron coronavirus variant. Prior to that, Lauterbach said the country expects to receive BioNTech vaccines adapted to Omicron in the first quarter of 2022. (ANI/Sputnik)
UK-based international NGO "Save the Children" has said that two of its staff members who had been missing, had been killed in eastern Myanmar in an attack carried out by the country's military. "It is with profound sadness that we are confirming today that two members of Save the Children's staff were among at least 35 people, including women and children, who were killed on Friday 24th December in an attack by the Myanmar military in Kayah State, in the east of the country," Sputnik reported citing a statement issued by the organization. Save the Children called on the UN Security Council and the Association of South-East Asian Nations to convene urgent meetings and take steps to hold the perpetrators responsible. On Saturday, the organization announced that two of its employees, who had been conducting humanitarian response work in Kayah state in Myanmar, were caught up in a military attack and went missing. At least 35 people, including women and children, were killed in the eastern Myanmar state of Kayah on December 24. The Myanmar military, which seized power of the country in a February 1 coup, said it had shot and killed an unspecified number of "terrorists with weapons" from the opposition armed forces in the village, according to state media cited by CNN. UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths had raised concern over the incident and said that authorities in Myanmar must investigate a recent deadly attack against civilians in Kayah state. Griffiths said he was "horrified" by reports that at least 35 people, including at least one child, were killed in the attack, which occurred on Friday. They reportedly were forced from their vehicles, killed and burned. "I condemn this grievous incident and all attacks against civilians throughout the country, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law," said Griffiths. The UN continues to monitor developments in Myanmar in the wake of the military coup in February. Earlier this month, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said it was appalled by the alarming escalation of grave human rights abuses. (ANI)
The Christian community, which constitutes roughly 1.6 per cent of the population of Pakistan, suffers from both racism and religious intolerance. In an opinion piece in The Pakistan Daily, author Maheen Mustafa says Christians have been persecuted in Pakistan for decades, but there has been an increase in anti-Christian sentiment since the late 1980s when dictator Zia ul Haq enacted Pakistan's blasphemy legislation, which has mostly been utilised to punish Christians. Mustafa highlights the recent incident of religious intolerance in Pakistan. Karachi's famous food Chain 'Delizia' refused to write Merry Christmas' on a cake at the request of a customer. On being enquired the reason for their action, the bakery representatives apologized for not fulfilling the customer's wish, saying they are not allowed to do so. A similar incident also took place in 2018 at Delizia's Badar Commercial branch and was reported on another Facebook group, Karachi Food Diary. In that incident, a woman was denied a cake with 'Merry Christmas' written on it and told that it was based on "company instructions". The official said that following that incident there were dismissals and that might be the course of action today as well. There are no two ways about it: discriminating against someone based on their faith is bigotry. Writing a few lines on a cake has no bearing on our own values, and it means nothing more than wishing someone a nice Christmas season. Mario de Gasperi, writing in the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA) said that discrimination against the Christian community is deeply rooted in Pakistan. The Muslim majority describe them using derogatory terms such as 'churha' or 'kafir,' which means infidel. A large proportion of the Christian community is from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, poorly educated, and takes up low-paid manual labour such as in brick kilns or the sanitation sector. Perhaps the greatest suffering faced by them is the underlying societal hostility, the daily discrimination such as denial of services, access to political voice, or limitation to educational opportunities, said Gasperi. Post-2001, violence and discrimination against Christians in Pakistan have definitely increased. Seen as connected to the 'West' due to their religious belief, Christians have at times been made scapegoats for the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, as well as the enormous human suffering, is seen as a consequence of interventions in other countries with large Muslim populations, reported CPFA. Christians continue to suffer targeted violence and other abuses, including land-grabbing in rural areas, abductions and forced conversion, and the vandalization of homes and churches. Pakistan's blasphemy laws continue to be a source of controversy and suffering, having extremely adverse effects on the accused and their families. A false accusation can be a punishment in itself since a number of cases have provoked brutal mob violence against the accused and their families, reported CPFA. (ANI)
Taliban is holding their turf and fighting back Pakistan's moves to use its currency for trade and preparing to dovetail the Afghan economy with its own has become a major irritant between Islamabad and Kabul, Al Arabiya reported. As the Taliban continues to fight against diplomatic isolation and a collapsing economy, the outfit is rejecting acquisitive overtures from Pakistan, their biggest facilitator. Since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in mid-August, the outfit is still denied recognition across the globe. They are fighting back Pakistan's moves to use its currency at the cost of the Afghani for trade. The Pakistani effort at dominating the currency exchange and preparing to dovetail the Afghan economy with its own has become another major irritant, Al Arabiya reported. Since last month, small traders and locals in Afghanistan's border provinces with Pakistan have begun to use the Pakistani rupee instead of the Afghani, a mandatory exchange currency under the Taliban dispensation. Equally aggressive has been their fightback on the border by resisting Pakistan's continued attempts to fence it. The fence was uprooted in Nangarhar province even as it was being laid by the Pakistani authorities, Al Arabiya reported. It further reported that the Taliban and Pakistani forces came face-to-face over the border incident and the situation remains tense. This happened, significantly in diplomatic terms, on December 19, the day Pakistan was hosting a meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers to discuss an urgent course to garner global humanitarian relief for the Afghan people. This was the first reported border incident marking the resumption of old tensions, Al Arabiya reported. The media outlet reported that the message to Islamabad was that whatever its current problems, Kabul will not allow fencing, even if it on the Pakistani side, because that amounts to accepting the British-era Durand Line as the international border. Pakistan has completed 90 percent of the fencing along the 2,600 kilometer border and this was a serious issue between Islamabad and the previous government in Kabul. There were numerous clashes. Successive Afghan governments have termed any curbs on the border like the fence as 'illegal', Al Arabiya reported. (ANI)
Pakistan's National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has imposed a ban on whistleblowing against its own corruption amounting to billions of rupees, local media reported on Tuesday. The NTDC move to bulldoze any attempt to stop misconduct in the company was being seen as an attempt to silence voices against illegalities and misconduct. It was claimed that high-ups of the company, including the chairman board of directors, MD, DMD and several GMs have been accused of corrupt practices through various complaints, as per The News International. It further said that to protect themselves from inquiries, they have shown a rare agreement on formally putting a lid on such whistleblowing. The state-owned NTDC through an official memo titled "handling anonymous, pseudonymous complaints" asked all its formations to dispose of any such complaints, according to The News International. "The board of directors, NTDC in its 152nd meeting held on 22-05-2019 unanimously resolved that all anonymous/ pseudonymous complaints received by the management directly or through board may be disposed of by it. It is therefore reiterated that all anonymous/pseudonymous complaints be disposed of in accordance with the directions circulated vide Company Secretary, NTDC, Notification No NTDC/CS/1294-1320 dated 04-10-2019," a letter citing by the Pakistani publication read. Around a dozen of complaints have been sent to NTDC for conducting an investigation by the regulator of the power sector, The News International reported. (ANI)
The free world needs to form a united front to stand against China's campaign of infiltration, influence and intimidation, said experts, adding that such an alliance should collectively impose sanctions against perpetrators of atrocity crimes. In an opinion piece in Washington Times, Jianli Yang (founder of Citizen Power Initiatives) and Benedict Rogers (the co-founder and chief executive of Hong Kong Watch) said the time has come to consider the establishment of a nonmilitary equivalent to NATO for democracy around the world, especially in the face of the growing threat from China. "Such an alliance, building on the principles of the Summit for Democracy and the U.K.'s "network of liberty," would be a collective effort to act together to defend democratic values," they write. China has been accused of genocide against Uyghurs Muslims. In addition to the charge of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs, Beijing has recently rapidly dismantled Hong Kong's freedoms, human rights and autonomy in defiance of promises made under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, registered at the U.N. and valid until 2047. In so doing, it has dismissed the international rules-based order. This, combined with its continuing repression in Tibet, forced organ harvesting, persecution of Christians, the crackdown on lawyers, media and civil society, make it, in the words of a previous independent tribunal on forced organ harvesting, a "criminal state." Besides domestic aggression, China has been accused of aggression beyond its borders. "Representative of a hostile state are its threats to critics and dissidents overseas, its trade war against Australia in retaliation for calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, and, in the past, its freezing of relations with Norway when Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the United Kingdom when former prime minister David Cameron met the Dalai Lama. Lithuania is the latest in Beijing's sights for strengthening relations with Taiwan," the authors pointed out. Across the world, there is a growing recognition of the threat that the CCP regime poses to its people and the free world and talk of action. "The time has come to consider the establishment of a nonmilitary equivalent to NATO for democracy around the world, especially in the face of the growing threat from China. Such an alliance, building on the principles of the Summit for Democracy and the U.K.'s 'network of liberty,' would be a collective effort to act together to defend democratic values," the author noted. "The free world needs to form a united front to counter China's long-established "United Front" and stand up to Beijing's campaign of infiltration, influence and intimidation. Such an alliance should collectively impose sanctions against perpetrators of atrocity crimes, coordinate divestment from Chinese companies complicit with grave human rights violations, and work together to reduce our strategic dependency and diversify our supply chains," the author added (ANI)
Moscow [Russia], December 28 (ANI/Sputnik): Russia will be looking for serious guarantees at security talks with the United States and NATO in January, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Tuesday. "As for what we want ... this is a serious proposal and we want serious guarantees from the United States first and foremost, and from NATO," Polyanskiy said. "We are quite constructive but I don't think our colleagues will get away with some blah blah blah thing, as Greta puts it, so we really want something serious this time. It's not an ultimatum... it's a constructive proposal, but a proposal that works for everybody and that is in the interests of everybody." The US and Russia will hold talks on arms control and Ukraine on January 10. Negotiations on security guarantees with NATO are expected to take place on January 12 in Geneva, Switzerland. Russia will firmly defend its national interests at the upcoming talks, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, vowing not to make any unilateral concessions without taking the balance of interests into account. Shortly after the announcement of the talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik that the main issue to be raised at the talks would be security proposals for NATO laid out by Russia, including non-expansion of the alliance in Eastern Europe. Relations between NATO and Russia have deteriorated over the West's accusations that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that troop movements are purely defensive given NATO's increased military activity near Russian borders, and stressed that it has the right to move troops within its own territory at its discretion. (ANI/Sputnik)
The US condemned the recent attack by the Myanmar military in the country's Kayah State, which killed at least 35, including women and children and two staff members of the international aid organization Save the Children. "We are alarmed by the military regime's brutality across much of Burma, including most recently in Kayah and Karen States. The targeting of innocent people and humanitarian actors is unacceptable, and the military's widespread atrocities against the people of Burma underscore the urgency of holding its members accountable," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Tuesday (local time). "The international community must do more to advance this goal and prevent the recurrence of atrocities in Burma, including by ending the sale of arms and dual-use technology to the military," the statement added. Since the February 1 coup, the US has imposed targeted sanctions against the Burmese military, its leaders, and their financial interests, disrupting their access to the international financial system. "We will continue to work with our partners and allies to promote accountability, including by supporting the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, while also continuing to press for a restoration of Burma's path to peace and democracy," said Blinken. Further, Blinken called on the Burmese regime to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and to grant free and unhindered access to those providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Burma. (ANI)
UNICEF on Tuesday said that it is shocked and saddened by the reported killing and burning of at least 35 people, including four children and two staff members of the humanitarian organisation Save the Children, in Kayah State in Eastern Myanmar, on 24 December. Credible reports suggest that four children were killed in the attack, including two 17-year-old boys, a teenage girl and a child of approximately 5-6 years of age, of indeterminate gender, UNICEF said in a statement on Tuesday. The two Save the Children staff members, whose deaths were confirmed today, were killed while returning to Save the Children's Loikaw office after responding to humanitarian needs in a nearby community, the statement added. "UNICEF strongly condemns this attack on civilians, children and humanitarian workers," said Debora Comini, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific. The protection of civilians, and particularly children and humanitarian workers, must be treated as a priority during times of conflict, in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Myanmar is a signatory, the organisation said. UNICEF called for urgent action to investigate this deplorable incident and to hold those responsible to account. "We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to our colleagues at Save the Children," said the UNICEF. (ANI)
Home and Away spoilers follow for UK viewers.

Home and Away returns from its annual break on Channel 5 next week  and fans can expect a dramatic start to the year.

The Summer Bay drama picks up exactly where it left off, with toxic vapours creeping into Salt and endangering the guests at Martha's mental health event.

Here's a full collection of 14 big moments to watch out for.

1. Cash uncovers the terrible danger

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

As Martha's mental health event continues at Salt, everyone remains oblivious to the fact that toxic vapours are entering the room via the air vents. Martha is the first to start feeling unwell, but she brushes it off as a consequence of drinking too much champagne. However, Irene also starts to become ill.

Cash spots the vapours emerging from the vents and instructs everybody to stay well away from them. He asks Mackenzie to call the emergency services so that a HAZMAT team can decontaminate everyone.

The building is put into lockdown in the meantime, as there's a high risk of the guests contaminating others if they're allowed to walk free.

2. Tane is found in a bad way

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

The emergency team arrives on the scene. While searching for the source of the leak, they stumble across Tane in the gym. Tane is pulled outside to safety, where Logan and Jasmine try to administer emergency medical treatment.

Logan and Jasmine swoop in despite the danger of being contaminated themselves, with both putting their lives at risk in order to save Tane. Once Tane seems stable again, he's taken away in an ambulance.

Irene, Leah, Marilyn and Martha are also admitted to hospital after suffering adverse reactions to the fumes.

3. Cash fears Felicity was the culprit

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Cash surveys the crime scene and spots the rose that Tane's stalker planted on him after setting up the chemical sprayer. Reminded of Tane's allegations that Felicity was harassing him, Cash wonders whether his sister was responsible for this terrible turn of events.

Story continues

As Cash later sees the number of people struggling at the hospital, he's horrified by the implications of his sister potentially being responsible.

4. Tane's life hangs in the balance

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Tane flatlines at the hospital, but Logan battles to get his heart beating again. Jasmine cautiously suggests that it might be time to stop compressions, but Logan refuses to give up and eventually manages to resuscitate him.

Further tests show that Tane had a sedative in his system when the stalker struck, which shows how carefully this was all planned.

5. Things are tense between Ari and Mia

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Ari and Mia have spent the day with adoption solicitors when they receive a call with the grave news about Tane. They rush to the hospital and hope to see him, but they are blocked from going inside his room due to the contamination risk.

Mia later gets a call from the adoption lawyers and wants to talk to Ari about it, but he snaps at her and insists that he can't think of anything else but Tane.

Ari later apologises to Mia for being short-tempered with her. He also suggests that, since his criminal record is causing the problems, they could take his name off the adoption application. Mia refuses to consider this.

6. Martha's loved ones receive devastating news

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

There's positive news for some of the Summer Bay stalwarts when Leah, Irene and Marilyn are all given the all-clear to leave hospital.

Sadly, Martha remains in a critical condition. Logan informs Martha's family that the toxins have damaged her kidneys and lungs, so they may have to prepare for the worst.

7. Chloe and Ryder break up

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Chloe and Ryder grow closer again as they're bonded by concern for their loved ones. Alf confides in Ryder about how he fears losing Martha, which gives his grandson food for thought over how life is too short for petty arguments.

Ryder hopes to patch things up with Chloe, but is surprised when she chooses to break up with him. Despite this coming as a curveball, Ryder takes the news maturely and eventually comes to accept that it's the right time for them to go their separate ways.

8. Nikau receives a shock

Photo credit: Jeremy Greive - Channel 5

With everyone still struggling following the recent drama in the Bay, Nikau invites Theo to come over to his place as Chloe will be cooking for everyone. Theo suggests this might be awkward, and falsely insinuates that he slept with Chloe after Ryder's birthday party.

A shocked Nikau shares this gossip with Bella, who then can't resist bringing it up with the others while they're all at the surf club later on. This sparks a huge row between Summer Bay's younger crowd, with everyone at odds following Theo's latest stirring.

As things get out of hand, Dean tries to stop Bella from storming off, but she accidentally knocks him over and risks aggravating his existing injuries.

Alf also witnesses the tensions and confronts the group for behaving like childish idiots when there are people still seriously ill in hospital.

9. Felicity searches for an alibi

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Felicity is devastated when she realises that Cash suspects her of being responsible for the recent incident. She reaches out to her friend Anne for help, explaining that she was on her own when the attack took place and needs an alibi in case the police come calling.

Things get worse for Felicity when Nikau angrily confronts her, convinced that she masterminded the attack on his uncle. Fortunately, Anne supports Felicity by promising to provide her with the false alibi.

10. Theo continues to push his luck

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Theo proves to be a nightmare employee at the garage, where he annoys Ziggy by failing to pull his weight. Theo also takes great pride in overcharging a customer more than $200.

Ziggy is furious when she finds out what's happened and orders Theo to reimburse the customer immediately, as the garage can't risk a reputation for ripping people off. Things only get worse when lazy Theo pulls a sickie to get out of finishing his shift.

11. Jasmine finds a suspicious clue

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Federal police arrive in Summer Bay to take over the investigation into the chemical attack. This decision has been made as the police haven't yet ruled out a terror-related motive.

While spending time with Felicity, Jasmine is alarmed to find a receipt for chemicals hidden away in her caravan. She seizes the receipt and hands it over to Cash, pointing out that it's a crucial clue which points to Felicity's guilt.

Cash and Jasmine confront Felicity, who insists that it's the first time she has seen the receipt and it must have been planted. The couple are unsure whether she's telling the truth.

12. Ziggy offers to help Dean

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Dean confides in Ziggy about the latest issues with the board shop. Nikau has managed to boost interest in the business by promoting it on his social media, but they don't have enough instructors to cover the sudden swarm of new bookings.

Ziggy offers to help by leading some classes herself. Dean isn't sure that she has time for this extra responsibility, but Ziggy is adamant that she can fit it in.

13. Nikau and Bella's romance could be in trouble again

Photo credit: Jeremy Greive - Channel 5

Bella confides in Ziggy with her latest relationship concerns, admitting that she still hasn't fully moved on from Nikau cheating on her. Although the couple are now back together, Bella can't forget the fact that Nikau broke her heart.

Bella fears that her romance with Nikau will take a step backwards if she brings this up, but Ziggy advises her to be honest.

14. Marilyn suffers a shock collapse

Photo credit: Endemol Shine - Channel 5

Marilyn walks home from the Diner late at night and is terrified as she suddenly loses sensation in her legs.

Marilyn collapses and her phone slips from her hands, leaving her unable to alert anyone to what's going on. It seems that Marilyn may have been discharged from hospital too early.

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.15pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR (UK), with first-look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Read more Home and Away spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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Get a load of these: The Batman, Avatar, The Worst Person in the World, Dont Worry Darling, John Wick and Scream (Warner Bros/20th Century/Neon/Paramount)

We should probably talk about cinema differently. Yes, theres a whole lot of superhero movies, and  more worryingly  a lot of Ghostbusters: Afterlife-style corporate plundering disguised as nostalgia. But genuinely look around, even within the major Hollywood studio space, and youll still find work that is exciting and novel.

Next year is a case in point. Despite the perceived wisdom that modern film is a big pile-up of intellectual property, 2022 promises a cornucopia of big ideas and high-concept innovation happily existing among all the IP. Some of which actually looks pretty great.

Below are our 22 picks for 2022  films that range from the glitzy and expensive to the subtle and curious. Consider it a picknmix of all genres and stars, or a brief preview of everything youll soon be obsessed with.

We also havent even mentioned the mysterious Adam Driver sci-fi movie 65, Paul Verhoevens erotic nun drama Benedetta, or Brendan Fraser as an obese recluse in Darren Aronofskys The Whale. Or the Speed-ish action movies Bullet Train (with Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock!) and Ambulance (with Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen III!). Or Michelle Williams essentially playing Steven Spielbergs mother in his autobiographical The Fabelmans. Or Timothee Chalamets reunion with Call Me by Your Names Luca Guadagnino via the cannibal romance Bones & All. See what we were saying about all genres and stars?

By the way, all the below dates  especially considering everything  are subject to change. But fingers crossed theyll stick.

Scream

A Nightmare on Elm Street made us scared of dreaming. Friday the 13th made us scared of camping grounds. Scream? Telephone calls, horror movie trivia, and being friends with people who may be secretly trying to kill us. This fifth film in the franchise  and the first not to be directed by the late Wes Craven  promises the same twisty thrills and genre satire of its predecessors. Scream veterans Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette are back, alongside a raft of newcomers gearing up to be sliced and diced.

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Release date: 14 January 2022

The Batman

Batmans had a tough time since Christian Bale hung up the cape and cowl in 2012. Ben Afflecks iteration, while not disastrous, struggled to make an impression  and the actor-director soon walked away from the standalone film he was planning to make. Step forward Robert Pattinson who, under the guidance of War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves, is making his debut as Batman in 2022. Joining him are Catwoman (played by Zoe Kravitz) and villains Penguin (Colin Farrell) and the Riddler (Paul Dano).

Release date: 4 March 2022

The Lost City

All-round good egg Sandra Bullock is a romance novelist kidnapped alongside her cover model (Channing Tatum) by an eccentric billionaire played by Daniel Radcliffe. The Lost City  previously known as The Lost City of D, but presumably retitled by humourless scolds  looks to be a throwback to Romancing the Stone, and exactly the kind of big-budget action romcom the world desperately needs.

Release date: 25 March 2022

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in The Lost City (Kimberley French/Paramount)

The Worst Person in the World

Joachim Triers previous films  including Oslo, August 31st and Reprise  may have a cult fanbase, but the Norwegian director is about to hit the big time with his new film. The festival favourite, set to be released on MUBI, is an empowering coming-of-age dramedy charting four years in the life of a young woman as she attempts to navigate her way through adulthood.

Release date: 25 March 2022

The Northman

If youre a fan of The Witch and The Lighthouse, then Robert Eggers The Northman is probably high up on the list of future films youre excited about. If not, then all you need to know is its a 10th-century-set Viking revenge thriller with one hell of an eclectic cast: Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and, in her first performance since 2002, Bjork.

Release date: 8 April 2022

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Every year, Nicolas Cage does his fair share of dross, and while its mainly Willys Wonderland levels of quality, every now and then we get a Mandy or a Pig. Heres hoping, then, that The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent lives up to its incredible plot: Cage, playing a completely unleashed down-and-out version of himself, is hired to appear at a superfans birthday party. Only, the superfan turns out to be a drug cartel lord and, in turn, a federal agent involves Cage in her mission to put him in prison. Bring it on.

Release date: 22 April 2022

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate)

Benediction

Any film by Terence Davies should be cause for celebration, but particularly one as expansive and vaguely autobiographical as this one. Benediction stars both Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi as the war poet Siegfried Sassoon: the younger Sassoon radical and queer, the older one snarling, bitter and married to a woman. The film charts Sassoons fluctuating personal life and conflicting worldviews over time, and its only enhanced by trying to spot where it all aligns with elements of Daviess own story.

Release date: 13 May 2022

John Wick: Chapter 4

Not the final John Wick movie (a fifth is in the pipeline), but probably the last one to arrive before the franchise gets diluted via a TV spin-off starring Mel Gibson (of all people). Expect more of the same in Chapter 4, of course, but this has consistently been one of the most innovative and plainly well-made action franchises of the last decade. So who are we to complain?

Release date: 27 May 2022

Elvis

Notoriously the movie Tom Hanks was shooting in Australia when he became the first celebrity to be struck by Covid, this is an expensive and presumably dazzling Elvis Presley biopic from Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. Expect big things from Austin Butler as the King of Rocknroll, too  you may remember him as Manson Family member Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Release date: 24 June 2022

Nitram

Of all the intriguing films to come out of Cannes in 2021, Nitram remains top of the heap. The latest from Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth) is based on the life of Martin Bryant, a convicted Australian mass shooter who killed 35 people and injured 23 others in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Hes played by Caleb Landry Jones in the film, with the Get Out actor winning Best Actor for the role at Cannes.

Release date: 15 July 2022

Caleb Landry Jones in Cannes favourite Nitram (Stan)

Nope

Little is known about Jordan Peeles follow-up to Get Out and Us, other than it stars Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun, along with Hustlers alum (and Sorry to that man meme queen) Keke Palmer apparently as the films villain. Its teaser poster also features a gloomy cloud hovering over a small town. And could that title be any more intriguing?

Release date: 22 July 2022

Dont Worry Darling

Olivia Wildes follow-up to Booksmart sees Florence Pugh plunged into a sinister Fifties suburbia where nothing is quite what it seems. Theres reportedly a scene of female hunger and pleasure between Pugh and co-star Harry Styles, plus Chris Pine, Gemma Chan and KiKi Layne being dastardly on the sidelines. Well take it.

Release date: 23 September 2022

Ticket to Paradise

Great big movie stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a Working Title-produced romcom from the director of Mamma Mia 2? Yes. Yes to all. The pair play a divorced couple who rush to Bali to convince their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) not to marry a handsome stranger shes just met. Can this resurrect the big-budget romantic comedy, please?

Release date: 30 September 2022

The... ambiguous poster for Jordan Peeles Nope (Universal)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part One

While there was a fair bit of hype for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, nobody could have anticipated it being quite so good. A ton of glowing reviews and one Oscar later, and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is set to return for another universe-hopping adventure. This time, Oscar Isaac is along for the ride, although in what capacity we dont know. Sorry to Tom Holland, but this is the coolest Spider-Man franchise currently in existence.

Release date: 7 October 2022

Avatar 2

Yes, you read that right. After what feels like a hundred thousand years, James Cameron will unveil the first of four Avatar sequels (again, you read that right) in 2022. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver are returning to the world of Pandora alongside new addition Kate Winslet, whos reunited with her Titanic director for the first time since 1997. Itll have to take a hefty $2.85bn (2.16bn) to topple the original as the second-biggest-selling film of all time.

Release date: 16 December 2022

After Yang

After Yang, having debuted at Cannes this past summer, has apparently been slightly retooled ahead of further festival dates in 2022. But even at Cannes, this tale of a familys developing relationship with their household robot drew raves. Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith and Justin H Min star, with the film promising to be every bit as haunting and heartbreaking as director Kogonadas 2017 debut Columbus.

Release date: TBC

Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret

This Judy Blume novel is something of a sacred text for preteens in the United States, revolving around a young girl struggling through puberty and asking the big questions about life and faith for the very first time. Excitingly, the film adaptation is director Kelly Fremon Craigs follow-up to her wonderfully compassionate 2016 coming-of-age comedy Edge of Seventeen, so will inevitably be just as touching. Rachel McAdams and Uncut Gems co-director turned actual movie star Benny Safdie are the parents of the film.

Release date: TBC

Babylon

With Whiplash, La La Land and First Man under his belt, Damien Chazelle has fast become a filmmaker to be excited about. The youngest Best Director Oscar winner in history is releasing his next film in 2022, and its said to be a period film set in Hollywood. Not much else is known, save for the cast (Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Katherine Waterston and, everyones favourite, Jean Smart), but this we do know: if we want somebody to direct a period film set in Hollywood, you can bet its Chazelle.

Release date: TBC

Deep Water

Theres every reason to believe that this twisty, randy Patricia Highsmith adaptation starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas keeps being delayed because its terrible. Then again, its the much-anticipated return to filmmaking for erotic thriller king Adrian Lyne  of Fatal Attraction and Unfaithful fame  and was reportedly too sadistic for at least one streaming platform given the chance to buy it from Disney. Now that its about to wash up on Amazon Prime, could it turn out to be 2022s sexiest surprise?

Release date: TBC

Disappointment Boulevard

The irony of Ari Asters new film title is that his career has been anything but disappointing. Not only did he burst onto the scene with Hereditary, one of the most striking debuts in recent years, but he followed it up with sunlight-strewn festival horror Midsommar. Next up is Disappointment Boulevard,starring Joaquin Phoenix. Not much is known save for the fact that its a comedy horror focused on one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. Oh, and the small case of Aster stating it would be four-hours long.

Release date: TBC

Killers of the Flower Moon

Three years after The Irishman, Martin Scorsese will return with his adaptation of David Granns non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon. It follows a 1920s FBI investigation into a string of murders that plagued the Osage Indian tribe in Oklahoma after oil was found on their land, and will star Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Scorsese newbies Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons. Itll be released on Apple TV+.

Release date: TBC

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)

Poor Things

Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos reunites with Emma Stone four years after The Favourite for this similarly genre-bending historical tale. Based on a novel by Scottish author Alasdair Gray, it stars Stone as a woman whose brain is replaced by that of her unborn child. Presumably a dark, dark comedy, Poor Things also surrounds Stone with an eclectic cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef and Margaret Qualley.

Release date: TBC
The Daily Beast

Google MapsWhen police arrested Gioacchino Gamminoone of Italys most wanted mafia fugitivesin a Madrid suburb last week, he asked how on earth they found him. Did someone rat him out or did he accidentally leave a clue?Gammino insisted he had not called his family for more than a decade and had been living under a false name. We saw you on Google Maps, the police told him, showing him a fuzzy photo of himself standing outside a greengrocer store in 2018.Gammino, 61, had escaped from Romes
DENVER  Alfredo Cardenas went to his daughter's tattoo shop Tuesday morning and lit a candle to remember her life. Alicia Cardenas, 44, was among the five people killed Monday night after a person opened fire in several locations in the Denver area.

"Its a shock," Cardenas told USA TODAY outside the Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway.

Cardenas; Danny Schofield, 38; and Sarah Steck, 28, were among the five people killed by the shooter. Police did not release the identities of the other two fatal victims. The shooter, Lyndon James McLeod, 47, was also killed in a gunfight with police. Two others, including a police officer whose identity has not yet been released, were injured in the shootings, Denver and Lakewood police said at a joint press conference Tuesday.

The "very violent series of events" across multiple locations began in Denver on Monday evening and ended in nearby Lakewood, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen at a press conference late Monday.

The victims at and near the tattoo shops were previously known to the shooter, police said Tuesday. McLeod also had previous interactions with the Hyatt hotel where he shot and killed Steck, who was a clerk there.

Alfredo Cardenas speaks to reporters outside his daughter's tattoo shop in Denver on Dec. 28, 2021. A suspect shot and killed four people and injured three in a shooting spree Monday night that ended in a gunfight with police, where the suspect was killed, authorities say.

Surveillance video provided by a nearby business owner to USA TODAY and taken Monday night shows a dark-colored van pulling up outside Lucky 13 in Lakewood, one of five known shooting locations. A man who appeared to be carrying a firearm steps out of the van, leaving the door open and the engine apparently running and walks calmly into the tattoo shop. He walks out 10 seconds later, climbs into the van and drives away.

By Tuesday morning, there were few signs of the previous evenings violence: a bullet hole in the window casing of an Xfinity store and boarded up windows at a nearby restaurant in Lakewood. A few businesses posted signs saying they were temporarily closed, and a stream of people crunched on an occasional piece of broken glass as they entered a yoga studio for a morning class.

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At the tattoo shop in Denver, people began gathering Tuesday to mourn and leave flowers at a memorial. Alfredo Cardenas said his 12-year-old granddaughter was with her father and doesnt yet understand what happened.

"Shes going need a lot of love and compassion," he said.

At least two of the other shootings took place at or near tattoo shops, according to the addresses provided by police, including Lucky 13 in Lakewood. Jake Bray, 37, who works at Think Tank Tattoo, near Sol Tribe, said the community worries the shooter deliberately targeted tattoo shops.

"Its scary to think," said Bray, whose shop was closed Monday. "Everyone kind of knows everyone. Its tragic. Its hard. We consider our community a family."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that he was "deeply disturbed" by the violence.

"Tragedies like this, especially in the midst of the holidays, are deeply unsettling," Polis said. "My administration is working with local law enforcement to understand what happened last evening and provide the needed support throughout the investigation."

Here's what we know:

How many people were hurt in the shooting spree?

Six people died, including the shooter, authorities said. Two people were injured, including a police officer.

Alicia Cardenas, one of the victims, was a tattooer, mural artist and cultural anthropologist, according to the Sol Tribe website. The website describes the shop owner as a "true Denver Native" and a "proud Indigenous artist."

Dozens of people posted online tributes for Cardenas, describing her as a force of nature and a beloved pioneer in the world of tattooing. "She accepted everybody, especially those on the fringes," her dad told USA TODAY.

Denver resident Patrick Anderson, 50, described Cardenas as a wise friend who hosted a Dia de Los Muertos ceremony every year. "She is one of the wisest and most caring individuals I have ever met," Anderson told USA TODAY.

Schofield, another victim, was a tattoo artist and Colorado native, according to the Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing website. He had been tattooing for about 15 years, according to the site. He was also known as Dano Blair.

The glass of a condo building in Denver was shattered Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, after a shooting took place there the night before..A suspect shot and killed four people and injured three in a shooting spree Monday night that ended in a gunfight with police, where the suspect was killed, authorities say.

On Tuesday afternoon, Annie Bagford and her husband sipped Monster energy drinks outside the Lucky 13 tattoo parlor In Lakewood, tears rolling down their cheeks. Bagford said Schofield loved Monster, so they came to his shop to share one last drink, as a candle flickered in the afternoon sun.

Schofield leaves behind three young children, said Bagford, showing off her tattoos hed crafted over the years. Bagford met Schofield through his sister in high school.

Im just so angry, Bagford said.

Danny never did wrong to anybody. He didnt deserve to be shot. It makes no sense. Its just just so unfair to his kids, to his family.

Steck, who worked at the Hyatt, died from her injuries Tuesday in the hospital, police said.

"A terrible, heartbreaking and senseless act of gun violence stole the lives of several members of our community last night and injured others," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement. "Im praying for those lives lost, the victims and their families."

What happened in Denver?

The "killing spree" began just after 5 p.m. in Denver, Pazen said. At a first location, the attacker fatally shot two women and injured a man, he said. At a second shooting location, the assailant fatally shot a man.

There was gunfire at a third location, but no one was injured, Pazen said.

Pazen said officers identified a car associated with the shooter and exchanged gunfire with them at a fourth location. Pazen said the shooter disabled the police vehicle and fled to the nearby suburb of Lakewood.

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What happened in Lakewood?

Lakewood police received a call of shots fired at a business just before 6 p.m., and the victim was pronounced dead, said police spokesman John Romero.

Lakewood agents identified the shooter's car, but McLeod started shooting at the agents and left on foot, Romero said.

The attacker then threatened another business with a firearm before entering a Hyatt hotel and shooting the clerk, Steck, who was taken to a hospital, he said. She died Tuesday.

The attacker left, shooting a Lakewood police agent in the process. The Lakewood agent, a woman who was not identified, continued to fire at the suspect after being shot. She shot and killed McLeod, Romero said.

Who was the shooter?

Authorities have not announced McLeod's motive, but said he had some connection to all of his victims.

Pazen also said McLeod was previously on police's radar, with two investigations into incidents from mid-2020 and early 2021. Pazen said neither investigation resulted in criminal charges, and would not give further details about those incidents.

"This is not an unknown party to us," Pazen said.

A tattoo industry connection to McLeods shooting rampage seems likely, with the owner of a tattoo studio operating from the site of a one-time McLeod business saying he purchased the place from Alicia Cardenas.

World Tattoo Studio owner Ian Lutz said he had never heard of McLeod before he was identified by police as the shooter. According to Colorado state business records, McLeod was the owner of Flat Black Ink, a Denver business that opened in 2005, was declared delinquent in 2017 and was listed as having a name change in 2018.

World Tattoo now operates at the same Denver address that was listed for Flat Black Ink.

Yeah, I have no prior knowledge of really the history of the shop before my owning it. I know that Alicia owned it and it was sort of a secondary Sol Tribe," Lutz told USA TODAY. "That's about all I know about the history of it. Ive had the shop for about four-and-a-half years now.

How many mass shootings have there been in Colorado this year?

This was the 13th mass shooting in Colorado this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun violence nationally using a combination of police statistics and media reports.

The archive defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot, not including the shooter, at the same general time and location. In the U.S., there have been nearly 700 mass shootings in 2021, according to the archive.

Contributing: Bill Keveney and Celina Tebor, USA TODAY.

A memorial grows outside a tattoo shop in Denver on Dec. 28, 2021. A suspect shot and killed four people and injured three in a shooting spree Monday night that ended in a gunfight with police, where the suspect was killed, authorities say.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Denver, Lakewood shooting spree: 6 dead, including suspect: Updates
An Asian advocacy group wants to take Paul Thomas Andersons Licorice Pizza out of awards consideration over content it says is racist.



A call for boycott: Media Action Network for Asian Americans has called for an awards boycott of the comedy-drama film due to specific scenes that it says blatantly ridicules Asians, reported The Wrap.



Licorice Pizza, which is expected to land an Oscar nomination next year, won the Best Film award from the National Board of Review, reported Variety. Anderson also won an award for Best Director.

On Dec. 17, MANAA released a statement saying: Due to the casual racism found in the movie Licorice Pizza, the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) believes that Paul Thomas Andersons film is not deserving of nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Original Screenplay, and is asking other film critic associations to pass over it this awards season.

According to the post, nominations and awards bestowed to the film would normalize more egregious mocking of Asians in this country, sending the message that its OK to make fun of them, even during a time when Asian Americans are afraid to go out on the streets because of the unprecedented levels of violence from fellow Americans blaming them for COVID-19.

The scenes that drew the most backlash from netizens involve a white character who does a fake Asian accent when addressing or referencing his Japanese wife in two scenes, NextShark previously reported.

The cringe-worthy scenes in Licorice Pizza, which takes place in 1973, do not advance the plot in any way and are included simply for cheap laughs, reinforcing the notion that Asian-Americans are less than and perpetual foreigners, the representative for MANAA said.

Other critics have also called out the films romantic premise, which involves a 25-year-old woman engaged in a relationship pursuit with a 15-year-old boy, reported TMZ.



Asians as a punching bag: In an interview with The New York Times, Anderson defended the film against offended critics, claiming it is merely being authentic to the period it was set.



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I think it would be a mistake to tell a period film through the eyes of 2021. You cant have a crystal ball, you have to be honest to that time. Not that it wouldnt happen right now, by the way, Anderson said.

The filmmaker added that his mother-in-law is Japanese and people usually spoke English to her with a Japanese accent.

A previous statement from MANAA founding president Guy Aoki expressed doubts on whether Anderson would have done something similar to a Black wife character.

Would he even have dared to include a similar stereotypical scene that insulted African-Americans and encouraged the audience to laugh? Absolutely not, because the blowback would have been swift, harsh, fierce, and his film would have been shut down, Aoki pointed out.

He further charged that Anderson only incorporated the racist parts thinking no one would react since Asian Americans have long served as the punching bag in American media.



Featured Image via MGM

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A crowd of women marched through the Afghan capital on Tuesday, accusing Taliban authorities of covertly killing soldiers who served the former US-backed regime.

Around 30 women gathered near a mosque in the centre of Kabul and marched a few hundred metres chanting "justice, justice" before they were stopped by Taliban forces, an AFP correspondent saw.

The Taliban also tried to prevent journalists from covering the march, organised against the "mysterious murders of young people, particularly the country's former soldiers", according to social media invitations.

Taliban fighters briefly detained a group of reporters and confiscated equipment from some photographers, deleting images from their cameras before returning them.

Since the hardliners returned to power in August they have effectively banned unsanctioned protests and frequently intervene to block demonstrations against their austere brand of Islam.

The protest comes weeks after separate reports by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said there were credible allegations of more than 100 extrajudicial killings by the Taliban since their takeover.

"I want to tell the world, tell the Taliban to stop killing. We want freedom, we want justice, we want human rights," said protester Nayera Koahistani.

In a statement read aloud by protester Laila Basam, the demonstrators called on the Taliban "to stop its criminal machine".

The statement said former soldiers and government employees of the old regime are "under direct threat", violating a general amnesty announced by the Taliban in August.

The protesters also aired objections to the ratcheting restrictions women are facing under Taliban rule.

The government issued new guidelines at the weekend banning women from travelling long distances unless escorted by a close male relative.

"Women's rights are human rights. We must defend our rights," said Koahistani.

Video footage posted online on Tuesday showed another women's protest held elsewhere in the capital that also called for women to be allowed education and work opportunities.

bur-tbm-jd/jts/fox/jfx
MarketWatch

Two months after my mother passed, my father showed some sense, for a short period of time, and ran to a lawyers office to have a will and a trust set up in case of his untimely death, making my sister executor because she resides in the same state he currently lives in. Yes, prenups should be written taking into account the laws of the state where the couple sets up residence.
Question: R.A. in Ludlow: Im 54. Should I be worried about Social Security going broke before I retire?

A: First, lets set the record straight. Social Security cannot technically ever "go broke." As long as there are workers paying into the system, youll get something. It might not be the amount youre expecting, but it will be something.

Now thats not to say the program isnt facing some serious funding issues, because it is. And the last few years havent helped. According to the Social Security Administrations annual trustees report that was released last September, the trust fund currently used to pay beneficiaries may run out of money in just 12 years  2034  which is one year earlier than previous projections. Why? The report cited numerous factors, including high unemployment due to COVID-19 (fewer workers means fewer people paying into the system), increases in deaths, decreases in births, and lower immigration rates.

This all means that if no changes are made by 2034, you should expect to only receive about 78% of your benefit. However, we would like to think that our elected representatives will come together as they did in 1983 and make sufficient changes to keep the system solvent.

If youre someone whos planning to rely solely on Social Security payments for your retirement income, can you live off essentially three-fourths of what youre expecting if the worst-case scenario plays out? That would probably be tough for most people. Thats why, ideally, Social Security should just be one of many retirement income streams at your disposal. So be sure youre saving and investing on your own. That way, if you dont get your full promised benefit, your retirement lifestyle and budget wont be impacted too severely. If you do get your full promised benefit, its icing on the cake.

The Allworth Advice is to remember that nothing is ever guaranteed, not even Social Security payments. Plan accordingly.

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Amy Wagner and Steve Sprovach, Allworth Advice

Q: Karen in Cincinnati: We have a 529 plan set-up for my daughter. Is this going to hurt her when trying to get college aid next year?

A: We have some good news. When your daughter fills out the FASFA (Free Application for Student Financial Aid), it considers a 529 college savings plan a parental asset. This kind of asset has a more favorable rate in FASFAs Expected Family Contribution calculation (maximum of 5.64 %) than any assets in her name would have (maximum of 20%).

This, therefore, brings up a larger point. If a child does have savings and investments in their name (a bank account, non-retirement account, UTMA account, or UGMA account), its advantageous to try and minimize these amounts before their sophomore year of high school. This is because the FASFA looks at assets and income from two years prior to determine aid eligibility (meaning, for example, that 2020 income and assets are used for the 2022 school year). If they have earned income, you could also consider moving money from a bank account to a custodial Roth IRA since retirement accounts are not included in the FASFA formula (however, Roth IRA withdrawals are counted). But its also important to note that a new Student Aid Index will be replacing the EFC for the 2023-2024 school year, so advice on this topic could be subject to change down the road.

Heres the Allworth Advice: If your daughter has questions about the FASFA, she should visit studentaid.gov. If you have questions about using her 529 plan efficiently, FASFA asset strategies, or how to help pay for other college expenses, a fiduciary financial advisor is always a good sounding board.

Every week, Allworth Financials Amy Wagner and Steve Sprovach answer your questions. If you, a friend, or someone in your family has a money issue or problem, feel free to send those questions to yourmoney@enquirer.com.

Responses are for informational purposes only, and individuals should consider whether any general recommendation in these responses is suitable for their particular circumstances based on investment objectives, financial situation and needs. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional adviser of his/her choosing, including a tax adviser and/or attorney. Retirement planning services offered through Allworth Financial, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Securities offered through AW Securities, a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Call 513-469-7500 or visit allworthfinancial.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Social Security going broke? Not if Congress acts: Allworth Advice
A teacher has successfully returned to the United States after being stuck in Libya for over six weeks, after being detained on two occasions.

As CNN reports, Fernando Espinoza landed at New York Citys John F. Kennedy airport on Monday afternoon, where he was warmly greeted by his mother, Sara Espinoza.

Executives from the Richardson Center, a non-profit that helped expedite the 29-year-olds safe return, were also present. The organisation were instrumental in the decision of the Libyan foreign minister to personally intervene in Mr Espinosas case.

I obviously made some mistakes, but multiple other parties made several mistakes as well, and it all just snowballed, Mr Espinoza told CNN from the car on the way to his hotel.

Im just feeling happy and grateful that hes back and that this didnt last as long as it could have lasted, his mother added.

The moment Sara and Fernando Espinoza, mother and son, are reunited is worth all the hard work @RichardsonCNTR. Welcome home Fernando! pic.twitter.com/gvcRXHuY5x  Mickey Bergman (@MickeyBergman) December 27, 2021

It signals the conclusion of a worrying chapter for both son and mother, as he was being held in Libya with little information being relayed to his family back in the US.

Mr Espinoza, a former US Navy submariner, told Libyan officials that he had not received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine upon arrival. According to the states foreign minister, Murad Hamaima, the teacher couldn't be deported until he had been fully vaccinated  and the vaccine was subsequently administered to him.

The American would eventually fly back to JFK on Monday morning, by way of Cairo, but only after showing proof of a negative PCR test. Mr Espinoza initially arrived in Libya back in early October, where he was set to start a new job teaching English at an international school in Tripoli.

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Fernando Espinosa and his mother, Sara (CNN)

However, messages sent to his mother show that he was soon detained after taking a weekend trip to Gaberoun oasis. Upon release, he was once again arrested when he returned to his temporary home of Tripoli, this time for violating his visa limitation, as per CNN.

This led to a race against time for Ms Espinoza to try and secure her son's release, ahead of a potentially destabilising presidential election in Libya. As fate would have it, the postponement of said election until January, alongside the intervention of the Richardson Center (who helped negotiate his release), conspired to resolve the situation before the end of the year.

The Richardson Center has issued a warning in the wake of Mr Espinozas detention, which they believe shows how vital is it for travellers to be aware of local laws and conditions.
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc., whose shares serve as a real-time proxy for risk sentiment toward the pandemic, is near a $3 trillion market capitalization. If history is any guide, that milestone may signal a technical correction is ahead, for both the stock and the broader market.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The ripple effect in those episodes went beyond just Apple. Huge gains in big tech stocks tend to drive the S&P 500 to record highs, with the benchmark potentially setting its 70th record close for the year today. But those market drivers can spur big selloffs too. Apples pullback after hitting the trillion-dollar milestone contributed to the bear market in the fall of 2018. It also helped fuel the tech wreck of September 2020, when the S&P 500 slid amid election-related volatility.

For Apple to hit the $3 trillion market cap, its share price would need to reach $182.86. It was down less than 1% Tuesday, at about $179. Amid thin volume, the stock market has posted broad gains this week, so attaining the next trillion-dollar threshold is within reach.

This comes in the face of Apple closing some stores in locations such as New York City, Los Angeles, Washington and London as the omicron variant spreads. Apple took a similar step in the summer of 2020, before the wide availability of vaccines. And when New York and some other cities were reopening, the virus was spreading to the South -- including to major GDP-contributing states like Texas and Florida.

Given that Apples products are largely luxury items, such a move served as a real-time indicator of consumer demand and foot traffic in stores. Apple shares reacted to these steps, and the broader market saw it as a proxy for the spreading virus. Now investors are once again take their cue from this crucial stock.

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
(Reuters) -Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Monday called a snap general election for Jan. 19, just weeks after the Caribbean country became a republic and said goodbye to the British monarchy.

A former British colony that gained independence in 1966, Barbados in October elected Sandra Mason as the country's first-ever president to replace Britain's Queen Elizabeth as head of state. Mason was sworn in as president on Nov. 30 https://www.reuters.com/world/prince-charles-travels-barbados-celebrate-creation-republic-2021-11-29.

In a 37-minute, political address broadcast on her social media accounts, Mottley listed her government's economic and financial achievements and said the economy was recovering despite damage to the tourism industry by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arguing that the country was in the grip of a "silly season" as critics attacked her government's response to COVID-19, Mottley said it was time to put aside partisan squabbling.

"I need for us to unite around a common cause, unite behind a single government, unite behind a single leader," she said, pledging to support whoever emerged victorious.

Mottley, the leader of the Barbados Labour Party and first female prime minister of her country, won election in May 2018 for a five-year term. The new ballot would be held on Jan. 19 with nomination day earmarked for Jan. 3, she said.

"We have, my friends, a country to build out, and we have a people to mold," she said. "Let us go on confident that if we can do so united as a people, there is no major challenge that can knock us down for the count fully."

In an apparent attempt to deflect potential criticism that she was moving opportunistically to consolidate power, Mottley pointed to her party's overwhelming majority in parliament and noted she still had much of her first term left to serve.

"Were I motivated solely by the need to survive," she said, "we could bask, my friends, in the glory of a 29-1 parliament and ride COVID out for the next 18 months."

(Writing by Cassandra GarrisonEditing by Dave Graham and Leslie Adler)
After 15 hours of observation, officials say the four black bears spotted in Chesapeake ambled on their way late Monday night.

Dispatchers were first notified around 2 a.m. Monday about a family of bears up a tree in a residential neighborhood on the 3200 block of Bruin Drive. The street is in Silverwood, a neighborhood in Western Branch.

The Chesapeake Police Department and Chesapeake Animal Services responded, asking residents to stay clear of the area and allow the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to address the situation.

According to wildlife officials, black bears are highly active this time of year as they try to fatten up for the winter. They will spend up to 20 hours a day during the fall foraging for food while traveling long distances.

Black bears are not true hibernators. In Virginia, they will often continue to be somewhat active throughout the winter, using den sites during periods of harsh weather or when food resources become scarce, according to Department of Wildlife Resources.

Authorities say the bears in Chesapeake were a 150-pound mother and three cubs  a 70-pound male and two 40-pound females. They stayed up in the tree for about 15 hours before coming down for a short break, according to a statement from the Department of Wildlife Resources.

They quickly climbed back up and stayed late into the night before coming down and walking off around 10:30 p.m., officials said.

The department is still monitoring the situation but if you would like more information on bears in Virginia, visit: dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/ and their Bear Aware program.

Lyndon German, frederick.german@virginiamedia.com
A court in Belgium on Tuesday rejected a request by Spanish authorities to extradite a fugitive rapper sentenced to jail for allegedly praising terrorism in his songs.

Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran -- better known as "Valtonyc" -- fled to Belgium in 2018 after being handed a three-and-a-half year jail term on charges of glorifying terror, insulting the king and making threats in his lyrics.

"Victory! After three years of legal procedures, a detour to the European Court of Justice and to the Belgian Constitutional Court, the Court of Appeal rules that Valtonyc cannot be extradited," the rapper's lawyer Simon Bekaert wrote on Twitter.

"A good day for music and freedom of expression."

Bekaert said the appeals court in the city of Ghent had ruled that the offences were not a crime under Belgian law.

The rapper, 28, said he was "finally free and happy" after having been subject to regular police checks as he battled against a European arrest warrant.

"I'm not a terrorist and the court has proved me right," he said.

Beltran was sentenced for lyrics in songs published online in 2012 and 2013 at a time when he was a little-known rapper in the Balearic Islands.

These included: "Let them be as frightened as a police officer in the Basque Country" and "the king has a rendezvous at the village square, with a noose around his neck."

The reference to the Basque Country was understood as a nod to violence by ETA, the separatist group that for decades staged attacks across Spain that left more than 800 officials and civilians dead.

His lyrics divided opinion in Spain, with some saying they would not land him in jail in any other democracy, while others stress that free speech has its limits.

The case is one of a number that has sparked pressure on the Spanish authorities to ease harsh punishments for alleged "crimes of expression".

Protestors clashed with police in Spain in February over a jail term handed out to another rapper Pablo Hasel for tweets insulting police and the monarchy.

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Belgium is also at the centre of another high-profile extradition case involving the Spanish authorities over fugitive Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont.

Puigdemont has been living in Belgium since 2017, after fleeing Spain to avoid prosecution over a failed Catalan bid to declare independence.

jug-del/ach
It may not be long before President Biden has to grapple with a North Korea crisis.

The big picture: Dictator Kim Jong-un has remained relatively quiet during Biden's presidency so far, keeping his threats and missile testing well below the fire and fury levels of the early Trump administration. But a quieter North Korea is not necessarily a less dangerous one.

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What to watch: Kim could force his way onto Bidens agenda in 2022 through a major provocation, a charm offensive, or a combination of the two, potentially ahead of the South Korean election in March, says Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and formerly the CIA's deputy division chief for Korea.

The state of play: Biden administration officials say theyve proposed talks, but the North Koreans arent engaging.

North Korea, meanwhile, conducted missile tests in 2021, but not on a level that rings global alarm bells. Kim has still yet to test a nuclear weapon or inter-continental ballistic missile since 2017, but he did show off advanced new missiles at a military parade last January.

With Pyongyang spurning diplomacy but limiting its provocations, Biden has essentially been in wait-and-see mode.

Kim, who succeeded his father 10 years ago this month, promised his people dual development of the economy as well as the military and nuclear program. Still, North Koreas weaponry has advanced much more rapidly than its economy over the past decade.

Kim was unusually candid, by Pyongyangs standards, in acknowledging tense food supply issues last June after shutting down nearly all trade, even with neighboring China, to keep the coronavirus out.

Its difficult to gauge the depth of North Koreas food crisis, though some low-level trade seems to be resuming. North Koreas path out of the pandemic will be rocky, as Kim has spurned offers of vaccines.

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The intrigue: Outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in largely bet his presidency on improved relations with North Korea, and is searching for a win before stepping down.

Moon is pushing for a declaration to mark the end of the Korean War, but the North Koreans havent agreed and the Biden administration appears lukewarm to the proposal.

"We may have a February or March surprise before the South Korean election if Kim wants to increase the potential for a progressive president to succeed Moon," Klingner says.

That could include a summit on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympics, a bilateral meeting with Moon or a trilateral meeting involving China but excluding the U.S., he adds.

The relative quiet on the missile-testing front could suggest Kim really believes (as he has said) that his nuclear and ICBM programs are complete.

Or, given the border closures, Kim could be saving any steps designed to bring the U.S. to the negotiating table on favorable terms for a time when North Korean envoys are actually able to travel to a negotiating table, Klingner says.

What to watch: Biden has no plans for Trump-style presidential engagement with Kim. Given the difficulties of dealing with China, Russia and Iran, he may see no news on the North Korea file as good news.

But Pyongyangs pattern of behavior would suggest that the quiet isn't likely to last.

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A tweet by a top Border Patrol official identifying a "potential terrorist" captured at the U.S.-Mexico border has now been deleted, with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saying it was deleted because it contained "law enforcement sensitive information" and violated protocols.

Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Chris Clem tweeted on Dec 20 that agents in the sector had "apprehended a potential terrorist who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico."

"The 21-year-old migrant from Saudi Arabia is linked to several Yemeni subjects of interest," he tweeted.

SAUDI ARABIAN POTENTIAL TERRORIST NABBED AT US-MEXICO BORDER; TIES TO YEMENI SUBJECTS OF INTEREST, FEDS SAY

However, since then the tweet has been deleted. CBP Public Affairs Assistant Commissioner Luis Miranda said in a statement that the tweet was deleted because "it contained law enforcement sensitive information, violating agency protocols."

"All individuals encountered at or between U.S. ports of entry are screened and vetted against a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence information to determine if they pose a threat to national security or public safety, consistent with the law," the statement said.

CBP DELETES PRESS RELEASE OUTLINING ARREST OF YEMENI BORDER CROSSERS ON TERROR WATCH LIST

"CBP is continuing to investigate the matter following its standard protocols. This may include referral, if appropriate, to other relevant law enforcement entities for further investigation and a custody determination."

It was not clear what information had been deemed law enforcement sensitive. The move came after the Saudi Embassy said in a statement that "[b]ased on the engagement with the relevant U.S authorities on this matter, the Embassy confirms that the individual mentioned here is not a Saudi citizen."

The migrant appears to have been wearing a jacket emblazoned with an American flag patch and another that stated: "Central Oneida County Volunteer." However, Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps Chief Thomas Meyers said the man, whose identity has not been released, has no affiliation with the New York-based group. Meyers added that he does not know who the man is or how he acquired one of the jackets, which is outdated from the version the ambulance corps now uses.

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In April, CBP deleted a press release detailing the arrest of two Yemeni illegal immigrants who were identified on a terror watch list.

HOUSE HOMELAND REPUBLICANS PUSH DHS ON WHY NUMBERS OF MIGRANTS ON TERROR DATABASE IS NOT MADE PUBLIC

A CBP spokesperson said that the news release "was not properly reviewed and contained certain disclosure and policy information related to national security that required CBP to remove it from our website."

Meanwhile, Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee have been questioning why certain information -- specifically the numbers of migrants identified on terror watchlists -- is being labeled "Law Enforcement Sensitive" by the Department of Homeland Security.

"The true purpose of a Law Enforcement Sensitive label is to prevent harm from coming to our law enforcement officers and law enforcement-related activities, but it seems that this label is instead being used to protect the reputation of the current political administration," Reps. John Katko, R-NY, Clay Higgins, R-La., and August Pfluger, R-Texas, said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in November.

In March, Fox News reported that at least four migrants whose names match those on the terror watch list had been picked up by U.S. Border Patrol since the beginning of the fiscal year. But that number is expected to be much higher, particularly considering the enormous surge in numbers to the southern border -- with more than 1.7 million migrant encounters in FY 2021.

Former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott had repeatedly sounded the alarm over the number of migrants identified on the Terrorist Screening Database coming across the border, telling fellow agents that it was "at a level we have never seen before. "

"We have terrorist threats we cant get into in this type of a forum but they are real," he told Fox News Bret Baier in October.

Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's governor must soon decide whether to free one of America's most notorious assassins, a decision he has said evokes one of the darkest periods in the nation's history.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until sometime next month to allow or block the parole recommendation for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

The recommendation by a two-person panel of parole commissioners in August split the iconic Kennedy family more than a half-century after the 1968 slaying of the U.S. senator from New York moments after he claimed victory in Californias pivotal Democratic presidential primary.

More than that, it tore open decades-old wounds lingering from the murders of RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

This is very raw and emotional for people," said Newsom, who keeps RFK photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father.

People arent just giving an opinion about yes or no, theyre expressing their memories of that time ... and connecting the dots to the '60s and that stress and anxiety and the wounds, Newsom said after the panel made its recommendation.

And in a way that makes this decision even that much more powerful, because of the impact that has on opening up those memories, many memories that people want to suppress, understandably, said the Democratic governor, who called RFK his political hero" in a victory speech after he beat back a recall election in September.

Fifteen times, parole panels rejected freeing Sirhan, now 77, before deciding that he is no longer a danger to public safety.

New laws since his last previous parole hearing in 2016 meant the panel had to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age, when he was 24; is now an elderly prisoner; and that the Christian Palestinian who immigrated from Jordan had suffered childhood trauma from the conflict in the Middle East.

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Also, for the first time, Los Angeles County prosecutors weren't at the parole hearing to object, under District Attorney George Gascon's policy that prosecutors should not be involved in deciding whether prisoners are ready for release.

And two of RFKs sons supported releasing him, including Douglas Kennedy, who told the parole panel that Sirhan was worthy of compassion and love. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to the panel urging that Sirhan be freed, citing his impressive record of rehabilitation.

But six of Kennedys nine surviving children urged Newsom to block the release of a man who "took our father from our family and he took him from America. The statement was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.

Ethel Kennedy, RFK's wife, said Sirhan "should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.

Sirhan has consistently said he doesn't recall shooting Kennedy and wounding five others the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. But he told parole commissioners that he takes responsibility killing a man he called the hope of the world.

He was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

Sirhans attorney, Angela Berry, said in a written argument for his release that he suffers a heart condition and has survived prostate cancer, Valley Fever and having his throat slashed by another prisoner in 2019.

If freed, Munir Sirhan says his older brother can live with him, if he is not deported to Jordan. Sirhan Sirhan waived his right to fight deportation.

We are just two old brothers who wish to live out the rest of our lives together, he wrote to the parole board.

After the parole panel's decision, corrections officials released 101 pages of those documents and letters from across the nation, all but one supporting Sirhan's release.

Some compared him to a political prisoner or advanced various conspiracy theories around Sirhan's involvement or the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers. Many were clearly part of an organized effort, with similar wording or fill-in-the-blank responses.

Others were more personal.

One man recalled how, as a 19-year-old college student, he traveled by bus to an inner-city neighborhood to get out the vote for Robert Kennedy.

He was a person who I loved and respected and in whom I had deep confidence that he would put a quick end to that unjust and immoral war in Vietnam, wrote the man, whose contact information was redacted.

Instead, the man was drafted in 1971.

Sirhan's involvement in RFK's murder changed my life, he wrote. But looking at life from this end, I forgive him.

The lone writer who opposed Sirhan's release said in a handwritten note that he still remembers details of the god-awful assassination a half-century later.

Sirhan has caused the death of a man with a great political future," he wrote, and "along with that has taken away the innocence of people of my generation.
Killer Mikes Atlanta barbershop was vandalized by someone the rapper referred to as a mentally disturbed White Man, and instead of responding with anger, the rapper used the destruction as a message of sympathy for those suffering from mental illness.

The Swag Shop was covered in black graffiti, as seen in the Run The Jewels social media posts, and although he was understandably  beyond upset by the discovery, Killer Mike said that he knew who was at fault and only wants to see the culprit receive medical assistance.

Killer Mike is working to turn a negative into a positive after the storefront of his Atlanta barbershop was defaced with graffiti. (Photo: @killermike/Instagram)

According to the Trigger Warning with Killer Mike star, a local man who calls himself Druce Wayne suffers from delusions that include the rapper being  involved in a conspiracy to keep him silenced.

A mentally disturbed White Man who Calls him self Druce Wayne did this to our Shop downtown, he captioned the photos of the damage on Instagram. He lives in the delusion he is Kurt Cobain and somehow i am involved in a conspiracy to keep him silenced. I am angry and beyond upset.

Instead of calling for the alleged perpetrators arrest, he used the opportunity to raise awareness about mental illness and encourage anyone who knows the man, whose photos he also included in his post, to reach out to him so that he can assist with getting him the medical help he needs.

Killer Mikes Swag Shop was vandalized. @killermike/Instagram

With that said I know I can fix this physical damage BUT this mans mind is terribly broken. If u are from OKC and know his family or friends please DM so u can get him some help, he pleaded. I will for sure make sure we get this fixed and I encourage all to check on your mentally ill loved ones because the world my not be as understanding as me. Love and Respect. Thank Kinfolks of Edgewood for making sure we know the real deal. Swipe to see the signature he left and his face. No worries #TheSWAGshop will be ok and Happy Kwanzaa to yall!

Killer Mikes wife and business partner Shay also echoed her husbands sympathetic sentiments. When your come back is stronger than your set back !!! Hubby and I woke up to this

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. I encourage the man that did this to get help and heal. Check on your friends yall, both strong and the weak.

Killer Mike and his team are in contact with the alleged vandals family. @killermike/Instagram Story

Repairs to the storefront are already underway, and Killer Mike has been in contact with the family of Druce Wayne and is working on next steps with them.

Killer Mike recently closed his Swag Shop in the Atlanta suburb of South Fulton permanently following the windows being blown out as the result of a nearby shooting incident in February.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the United States ignored obligations under outer space treaties, exposing astronauts to danger.

China urges the United States to act responsibly, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, said at a regular press conference.

Chinese citizens lashed out online against Tesla founder Elon Musk's space ambitions on Monday after China complained that its space station was forced to take evasive action to avoid collision with satellites launched by Musk's Starlink programme.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
2020 appeared to be a year of racial reckoning in the United States. The fight against systemic racism reverberated throughout the country with protests, boycotts and calls to defund the police. But, a year after slashing police budgets in response to the growing defund movement, many cities have restored the funding  seeming to confirm activists suspicions that city leaders werent serious about the change in the first place.

At least a dozen cities cut their police funding or decreased officer numbers during last summers protests against police violence following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. But one by one, city governments began to bolster their police budgets in 2021, with an additional $200 million allocated to the New York City Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department seeing a 3 percent increase in the year after the city council approved a $150 million cut.

Tony Williams, a member of the Minneapolis group MPD150, which supports police abolition, in an interview with The Guardian, praised the initial growth in support for cutting or eradicating police budgets as unprecedented in our movement for a police-free future.

But many, like renowned organizer Mariame Kaba, an educator and author focused on the prison industrial complex, sometimes known as PIC, werent completely sold on political leaders political promises.

It was my belief that more people would want to engage an abolitionist vision and practice.  But I still think PIC abolition is an unpopular view, she told NBC News in February.

Among politicians, the idea of defunding the police certainly was unpopular. Then-presidential candidate Joe Biden said last summer that he doesnt support defunding the police, but supports conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness.

The pattern of restoring police budgets seems to align with public opinion of the movement that once made headlines. Last summer, just 11 percent of adults said funding for their local police should be increased a lot, according to a Pew Research poll. As of October 2021, that figure is up to 21 percent.

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Police and city officials from New York to Los Angeles have cited rising violent crime rates for the reversals, but experts have noted that crime rates fluctuate for various reasons and shouldn't be solely attributed to police budget cuts. Police staffing shortages and political pressures also contributed to the reversals in several cities. In cities like Burlington, Vermont, that have slashed police budgets, city leaders have struggled to adequately address public safety without relying on traditional policing. Such setbacks are to be expected, said Nikki Jones, a University of California, Berkeley, professor who focuses on race and the criminal justice system.

When you take policing away, what is required is you have to have other social institutions stepping up, she said. And that is going to take time.

City government leaders faced backlash from law enforcement, elected officials and even some community groups for their decisions to reduce police funding. Now, it seems that departments that last summer lost a portion of their budgets have got their money back.

Last year, outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council moved to cut roughly $1 billion from the polices $6 billion budget and invest it in youth and social services. De Blasio wrote in a tweet then that Our young people need to be reached, not policed. But just a year later, officials adopted the citys largest budget ever, at $98.7 billion, for fiscal year 2022, which included a $200 million increase for police spending.

Mayor de Blasio has co-opted a lot of language about social movements, but theyve never translated into reality for us, said Louis Flores, a member of Fight for NYCHA, a grassroots organization that advocates for those living in housing provided by the New York City Housing Authority. So when he said $1 billion defund, it was hard to believe.

The 2022 budget puts the citys overall police budget at $5.4 billion, with the increase coinciding with an NYPD announcement that crime had risen by 22 percent in May 2021. De Blasio also decided to move forward with plans to build a new NYPD precinct in southeast Queens, reversing a decision to build a community center in the area instead.

I believe the $1 billion cut was more symbolic rather than substantial, Flores added. It was only designed to dissipate the pressure that was mounting on him to do something.

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Austin, Texas, reversed its police budget cut of $150 million after severe staff shortages and H.B. 1900, a Republican-backed House bill that penalizes Texas cities for cutting their police budgets in some cases and, in others, requires voter approval first. Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott proposed a $555 million police budget earlier this year, which would be $28 million more than the year before. The proposal came a year after spearheading an effort as a city councilman to reduce the police budget by $22 million. Officials with the Baltimore mayor's office could not be reached for comment.

What were seeing is the same politicians who were standing alongside folks calling for  reducing police budgets, are now being reactionary, Jones said of the reversals. Perhaps that means a year ago they were also being reactionary, and not actually deeply committed to a project that would extend beyond their election cycle or the budget cycle.

Last year, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti seemed to speak directly to organizers concerns when he agreed to shift $150 million away from the Los Angeles Police Department and toward community services, telling community leaders, It starts someplace, and we say we are going to be who we want to be, or were going to continue being the killers that we are.

The move came amid intense pressure from organizers who called for Garcetti to defund the department. But in April 2021, Garcetti proposed an $11.2 billion city budget that allocated a 3 percent budget boost, or $1.76 billion (up from $1.71 billion approved last July), for the department. A Garcetti aide told The Los Angeles Times that the decision was made in response to a rise in crime.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even as police budgets have been funded more, cities have kept some new police reform efforts. In Austin, the Reimagining Public Safety Initiative aims to take a holistic approach to reform through assessing racial disparities in policing, use of force policies, and racism within the police department. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in September, signed into law a swath of bills to improve police accountability and restrict use of force. In March, de Blasio announced the second phase of a large reform effort that would address poverty-driven criminalization and approaches to substance abuse.

There is a role for a community-based design for public safety. That hasnt been really explored because we keep defaulting to police with guns, Flores said. They get dispatched on people who are in crisis. We need a public safety system thats community-designed, where people feel safe. Thats what wed like to see.
The Daily Beast

U.S. Department of JusticeA 22-year-old woman who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was drunk and driving in the wrong direction on Wednesday night when she killed a young mom and seriously injured another driver, authorities said.Emily Hernandez was driving west in the eastbound lanes in Franklin County, Missouri, just after 7 p.m. when she crashed into another car that spun into the median strip and struck cable barriers, police said. Both vehicles swerved to avoid each other, according to
Columbus police is asking for the public's help in solving the killing of Imam Mohamed Adam. His body was found Friday night in a van in a parking lot on the 1400 block of Windsor Avenue, near the intersection of Joyce and Windsor avenues. Adam was an imam at Masjid Abu Hurairah mosque on the Northeast Side.

The investigation into the homicide of a well-regarded leader in the local Somali and Muslim communities is continuing and police are asking for assistance in solving the case.

Mohamed Hassan Adam, 48, was found dead around 3:30 p.m. Friday. His death has been ruled a homicide, but official information about the cause of his death has not yet been released.

Watch: Calls for justice after body discovered of Iman Modamed Hassan Adam

Adam, who was an imam at Masjid Abu Hurairah mosque on the Northeast Side, was a prominent member of the local Muslim and Somali communities. Several people within those communities have reached out to The Dispatch expressing concerns over how the investigation into Adam's missing persons report was handled and the speed with which Adam's remains are being handled by the Franklin County Coroner's office.

Mohamed Hassan Adam: What we know about the case

A missing persons report filed at 1:30 p.m. Thursdayindicated Adam had left his home at about 7 p.m. the day before to drive to a day care center on Oakland Park Avenue, about two miles away, to pick up his child. Adam is reported to have never made it to the center.

Previous reporting: Columbus police confirm that body found Friday in vehicle on North Side was local imam

Columbus police said that same day a detective began following procedure for missing persons cases involving adults, including assessing whether there was any information to indicate Adam was at risk.

Columbus Police need your help solving the killing of Imam Mohamed Adam. pic.twitter.com/fvTc4qkRmn  Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 27, 2021

"In this case, we did not receive any indication that he was in imminent danger," police said in a statement.

According to the report, Adam was believed to be in an orange GMC van that belonged to the day care center. The van was located about 26 hours after the missing persons report was filed in a parking lot on the 1400 block of Windsor Avenue, near the intersection of Joyce and Windsor avenues.

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Records provided to The Dispatch by Columbus police indicate there was no 911 call made about the body being found. The person who made the discovery called the missing persons unit directly, according to radio traffic.

Police said Sunday there was no information leading them to believe that Adam's death was the result of a hate crime.

What are Muslim burial customs?

On Monday, Dr. Anahi Ortiz, the county coroner, said her office has been in touch with local Muslim leaders to reassure them that they're working as quickly as possible to release Adam's body for burial. However, Ortiz said there are certain things a coroner is required to do by law that may slow the process down, especially with the Christmas holiday. No more details were provided.

Muslim burial customs often involve burial within a 24- to 48-hour window following death; however, one local Muslim leader said that there are misconceptions surrounding the burial rituals.

Muslim community shocked: Romin Iqbal, of CAIR-Ohio, fired for allegedly leaking information to anti-Muslim group

Imam Horsed Noah, outreach director of the Somali Islamic Centers of Ohio, said, "We believe that when a person dies, if its a righteous person like the imam, then he has to meet his Lord in heaven, and we dont want to keep him here."

The Islamic faith recommends that a body be buried as soon as possible, but delays are allowed, especially in instances where there is an investigation into cause of death, as in Adam's case.

"But if theres a necessity like in this case, police are investigating the case, then its OK, and people need to understand that," Noah said.

My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mohamed Hassan Adam. He was a devoted faith leader in the Somali community in Columbus, and his passing leaves a great void.  Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) December 26, 2021

On Sunday, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther offered his condolences to Adam's family, friends and congregation, saying his passing left a "great void."

"I ask that residents remain patient to allow (police) to investigate his death fully as quickly as possible," Ginther added.

Police said Monday that they were aware of Adam's religious beliefs and took care at the scene to be respectful of those beliefs while also conducting the work necessary to gather evidence to help solve the case.

Learn more: What is CAIR-Ohio and what does it do in Columbus?

A march and service to honor Adam's life and to express concerns over the handling of his case, as well as other homicides cases involving Somali victims, is being planned for Friday, according to local community leaders. Additional details about those events have not yet been finalized.

The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.

Dispatch reporter Yilun Cheng contributed to this story.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mohamed Hassan Adam death: Police seek help to solve Somali imam case
CHEMNITZ, Germany (AP)  The pastor opened the wrought-iron doors of St. Petri Church in the German city of Chemnitz and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold for shots against the coronavirus.

Together with the parish council, the Rev. Christoph Herbst had invited in a relief organization and volunteer doctors to conduct a Sunday vaccination clinic at the Lutheran church. The act of community outreach, the pastor knew, might not go over well in a part of Germany prone to vaccine resistance, including sometimes violent protests.

I was very insecure about how people would react to our offer, Herbst said as he welcomed the waiting crowd into his neo-Gothic house of prayer. In our region, there are very different and very polarized views about the coronavirus measures in general, about how to fight the pandemic, and especially about the vaccinations.

Saxony state, where Chemnitz and the city of Dresden are located, has the lowest vaccination rate among Germanys 16 federal states, and one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. Only 60.1% of residents were fully vaccinated by Christmas, compared to the nationwide average of 70.8%. At some points in the pandemic, local hospitals had to transfer patients out of state because all the intensive care beds were full.

Lutheran pastors across Saxony have used their sermons to promote vaccines as the most efficient way to prevent severe illness and to end the pandemic. Like Herbst, many opened their churches for clinics this month, hoping that offering jabs in a familiar environment and without advance registration might persuade some holdouts.

We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves, and that we should do something for society with the resources we have, Herbst explained. Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.

Chemnitz, a city of about 247,000 residents, was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt when it and the rest of Saxony were part of the former communist East Germany. Many of the local vaccine refusers cite concerns of possible side effects, but also feeling overwhelmed by what they see as too much pressure from authorities or general opposition to any measures endorsed by the government, according to Herbst.

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Among those who patiently sat in a pew waiting to roll up their sleeves at Herbst's church were Hannelore and Bernd Hilbert, a retired couple from the nearby village of Amtsberg. They came to get booster shots because some of their five grandchildren are too young to be vaccinated, and the Hilberts hoped to see them for Christmas.

Last year's Christmas was really sad. We were all alone, Hannelore Hilbert, 70. said.

We're grateful for the church to offer these shots, added her 72-year-old husband, who said they had waited unsuccessfully for shots at a hospital a few days earlier.

The vast majority of the church's vaccine recipients on a recent Sunday turned out to have more in common with the booster-seeking couple than the skeptical or frightened community members Saxony's pastors are trying to reach.

Of the 251 vaccines administered during St. Petri's daylong clinic, 18 went to individuals receiving their first dose. None of them wanted to speak with The Associated Press about why theyd changed their minds and decided to get shots almost one year into Germany's mass immunization campaign.

A loud minority in Germany has opposed any kind of anti-virus measures since the start of the pandemic. The resistance grew angrier and more aggressive in recent weeks after the national parliament this month passed a vaccine mandate for some professions and most of the country's regions resumed some form of restrictions in response to the latest wave of infections.

With mass demonstrations banned in several parts of the country due to the pandemic, vaccine opponents have gathered for protest walks - unauthorized marches organized quickly via social media. Around 30 protesters showed up with torches outside the home of Saxony state Health Minister Petra Koepping one night, shouting slurs until police arrived.

The protests swelled in recent days, sometimes drawing thousands of people. Police detained several participants for attacking officers and journalists. Some Lutheran pastors received criticism and personal threats for their efforts to encourage vaccination.

Herbst said he thinks the majority of Saxons back the country's immunization campaign and that far-right groups intent on undermining democracy have coopted anti-vaccine sentiment, fueling an already present sense among residents of Germany's east of feeling left behind 30 years after the country's reunification.

When parishioners confront him with their opposition to vaccines, the pastor says he tries to listen instead of judge.

And I listen to things that are sometimes difficult to hear," he said. "I also listen to things that I think belong in the realm of conspiracy theories. I dont confirm those. But its important that theres a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation.

However, the pastor wonders if at this point all the arguments for and against vaccination have been exchanged and the decision of whether or not to get immunized no longer should be left as a matter of personal choice.

There are people who say what is needed now is a democratically legitimized decision by parliament on a general vaccine mandate," Herbst said. "That would be a decision that does not work on moral pressure, but rather on the basis of a set of rules that applies to everyone.
New coronavirus cases leaped in Florida in the week ending Sunday, rising 332.9% as 124,865 cases were reported. The previous week had 28,841 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Florida ranked ninth among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week, coronavirus cases in the United States increased 47% from the week before, with 1,388,833 cases reported. With 6.45% of the country's population, Florida had 8.99% of the country's cases in the past week. Across the country, 26 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

The latest: Escambia County's COVID cases up 184.1%; Florida cases surge 332.9%

More: 1,600 renters applied for COVID rent help. Escambia County is urging more applicants

Christmas significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some cases and deaths that would have been reported last week might be reported in the coming week, which itself will have testing and reporting disrupted by New Year's. Consequently week-to-week comparisons will be skewed and these numbers will be unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.

Escambia County reported 537 cases in the latest week, a 184% increase week over week. A week earlier, it had reported 189 cases. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 58,672 cases.

Santa Rosa County reported 249 cases in the latest week, a 283% increase. A week earlier, it had reported 65 cases. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 33,391 cases.

Florida does not directly publish county-level death data.

Within Florida, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Miami-Dade County with 1,930 cases per 100,000 per week; Broward County with 1,205; and Palm Beach County with 789. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

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Want to stay up to date on the latest news? Click here to subscribe to pnj.com.

Adding the most new cases overall were Miami-Dade County, with 52,435 cases; Broward County, with 23,532 cases; and Palm Beach County, with 11,812. Weekly case counts rose in 63 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Florida ranked 19th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 74% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 72.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Thursday, Florida reported administering another 605,070 vaccine doses, including 137,227 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 827,240 vaccine doses, including 170,549 first doses. In all, Florida reported it has administered 33,172,989 total doses.

"I was really nervous at first, but I'm fine now," said Cayden Minor, 10, of Grand Ledge, Mich., as he got his first COVID-19 vaccination Dec. 13 from Sparrow Hospital registered nurse Lori Lampman while his mother, Sherise, looks on.

Across Florida, cases fell in four counties, with the best declines in Liberty County, with 4 cases from 10 a week earlier; in Franklin County, with 3 cases from 8; and in Gilchrist County, with 8 cases from 11.

In Florida, 127 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 194 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,907,748 people in Florida have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 62,347 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 52,280,854 people have tested positive and 816,609 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Florida's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Dec. 26.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Last week: 4,979

The week before that: 3,039

Four weeks ago: 2,177

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Last week: 99,084

The week before that: 90,677

Four weeks ago: 76,315

Hospitals in 18 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 28 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 29 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County COVID-19 cases increased by 537 this week
By Sarah Kinosian

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A former senior Salvadoran anti-corruption prosecutor said President Nayib Bukeles government shut down his units investigation into its alleged negotiations with violent street gangs to help expand its power, as the United States steps up pressure on the Central American country over those talks.

German Arriaza, who headed an anti-corruption unit within the attorney general's office, said his team compiled documentary and photographic evidence that Bukele's government struck a deal with the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs in 2019 to reduce murder rates and help the ruling New Ideas party win legislative elections in February.

Arriaza's comments mark the first time a former Salvadoran official has publicly accused the Bukele government of making a deal with the gangs, which have plagued the country with often brutal murders and extortions for at least two decades. The ending of Arriaza's investigation and his flight abroad have not been reported before.

On Dec. 8, the U.S. Treasury Department also claimed the talks took place and imposed sanctions on two Salvadoran government officials it says led them, as part of a series of similar actions to mark a democracy summit hosted by President Joe Biden.

The United States is stepping up pressure on Bukele's administration for what Washington says are anti-democratic practices such as a gutting of the judiciary. A U.S. Justice Department task force that combats M-13 crime in the United States is preparing charges against the two Salvadoran officials for their alleged role in the negotiations, two sources told Reuters this month.

The government removed Arriaza from his role in May 2021, according to his transfer notice which was seen by Reuters, after a purge by Bukeles legislative allies that got rid of five constitutional judges and the countrys top prosecutor who were replaced by government loyalists.

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Arriaza, a source in the Salvadoran Attorney General's office and two U.S. justice officials say the probe was then ended. Fearing retaliation from the Salvadoran government for launching the investigation, Arriaza said he immediately went into exile and the members of his team, known as the Special Anti-mafia Group (GEA), either went into exile or were transferred.

"Our investigations were what led to the government dissolving the anti-corruption body," Arriaza said from a location outside El Salvador that he asked Reuters not to disclose.

Bukele's press office and the Attorney General's office did not answer requests for comment about Arriaza's work and the fate of his probe. The president has frequently denied media reports and opposition allegations that it negotiated a truce with the gangs.

Arriaza's unit produced a report of an investigation that began in 2020 based on wiretaps, security camera footage, photographs, seized documents and hard drives, which he says showed how Deputy Justice Minister Osiris Luna and another official, Carlos Marroquin, went into prisons to negotiate a covert truce with the gangs.

The Treasury Department has made similar allegations.

Arriaza says his unit found that Luna and Marroquin, the head of a government social welfare agency, offered gangs better prison conditions, money and other benefits in exchange for them reducing homicide rates and giving electoral support to Bukele's party at legislative elections this February.

Reuters obtained a 129-page portion of the report independent of Arriaza. U.S. officials confirmed that the document, first reported by Salvadoran news outlet El Faro in August, is authentic.

Luna and Marroquin did not respond to repeated requests for comment and Reuters was not able to find any legal representatives for them.

The U.S. sanctions against the pair heightened existing tensions between El Salvador and Washington, which views Bukele as increasingly authoritarian.

Many MS-13 members have been convicted of murder and drug trafficking in U.S. cities and several of the gang's leaders have been indicted on terrorism charges in the Eastern District of New York. U.S. officials say the gangs have ordered murders in the United States from inside prisons in El Salvador.

PUSHED OUT

Arriaza said he came under pressure in May after Bukeles party won the elections, replaced the attorney general and ousted top judges.

He said he was summoned to a meeting on May 5 with new Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado who asked him what cases against the government his unit was pursuing.

Hours after detailing his investigations to Delgado, including the probe into negotiations with gangs, Arriaza received written notice, seen by Reuters, that he would be transferred to El Salvador's public prosecutor school to serve as an advisor.

Delgado could not be reached for comment.

Arriaza said he was barred from accessing his office, computer and files straight after the May 5 meeting and fled the country the same day to live abroad. He said he feared retribution from the Salvadoran government over his team's investigations.

"I was a government prosecutor for over 18 years, have prosecuted corruption cases across the political spectrum  politicians, judges, police, gangs members, narcos  but this is the first time I felt I had to leave.

Bukele - one of Latin America's most popular leaders - has prosecuted members of previous governments for negotiating with gangs for their political backing.

Rumors of a truce between Bukeles own government and the gangs started when the murder rate tumbled about 50% in the year after he took office in June 2019. Bukele credited the drop in homicides to his policies.

The report obtained by Reuters lays out transcripts from prosecutors of alleged audio messages from gang members' phones, handwritten demands allegedly from the gangs, log book entries detailing which prisoners government officials allegedly met. It also describes alleged attempts by Luna to destroy evidence of the meetings in prison.

It includes security camera footage apparently showing Luna on various occasions entering two prisons accompanied by people whose faces were hidden by ski mask. Investigators identified one of those masked people as Marroquin, the presentation said.

The team's report also details probes into embezzlement of prison funds and illicit pandemic spending within various government ministries.

(Reporting by Sarah Kinosian in San Salvador; additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic in Mexico City; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alistair Bell)
The parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the 14-year-old bystander who was fatally struck by a bullet when police fired at a suspect in a Los Angeles department store, mourned the loss of their daughter in a press conference on Tuesday. Police believe an officer's stray bullet tore through a dressing room wall, killing the teen.

Soledad Peralta was with her daughter when she was fatally shot last Thursday. "She died in my arms and there was nothing I could do," she tearfully told reporters through a translator.

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, said the teen was trying on dresses for Christmas before the shooting occurred. Crump declined to say if the family planned to file a civil lawsuit, but another attorney representing the family said they had sent the Los Angeles Police Department a preservation of evidence letter.

Crump said the family "thinks things could have been done differently to where Valentina wouldn't have been collateral damage."

Crump described Orellana-Peralta as a "beautiful" and "intelligent" girl who came to the U.S. six months ago with dreams of becoming an engineer, seeing a Los Angeles Lakers game with her father, and becoming a U.S. citizen.

Valentina Orellana-Peralta / Credit: Handout

Her father, who still lives in Chile, told reporters that he planned to visit her for Christmas and brought gifts for her that he will now take to her grave. "It is like my whole heart has been ripped out of my body," he said through a translator. "The pain of opening the Christmas presents for her cannot be articulated."

The incident began on the morning of December 23, when officers received calls that a man was attacking customers at a Burlington store in North Hollywood, authorities said. In one of the 911 calls released by police, a witness told dispatchers that the suspect had fired a gun. But another said the suspect did not have a firearm.

In a video released by the department, the suspect  who was later identified as 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez  is seen attacking multiple women in the store and destroying property. He's shown repeatedly striking one woman with what appears to be a bike lock.

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LAPD Captain Stacy Spell said officers were directed to the second floor of the building and began a search, where they located the suspect and the female victim who was hit with the lock.

Bodycam video appears to show officers arriving near the end of the attack. Several officers approached the bleeding woman, and an officer fired multiple shots at the suspect, who appeared to have retreated a few feet away before the shooting. The suspect fell to the ground and was later pronounced dead. Police said they did not find a gun at the scene, but did find a bike lock.

Orellana-Peralta was never shown in the released footage. But Spell said that "Unbeknownst to the officers, a 14-year-old girl was in the changing room behind a wall, and was behind the suspect, out of the officers' view."

"At this preliminary phase in the investigation, it is believed that the victim was struck by one of the rounds fired by an officer at the suspect," he added. Police believe the bullet that hit Orellana-Peralta bounced off the floor and through the wall of the dressing room.

Orellana-Peralta's mother said Tuesday that when she and her daughter first heard the commotion in the store, they hugged each other, closed their eyes, and started praying in the dressing room.

"All of a sudden we felt an explosion that threw us both to the ground," she said through a translator, adding that her daughter started convulsing and then went limp. "I tried to wake her up by shaking her, but she didn't wake up."

The officer who fired their weapon has been placed on administrative leave pending the result of an investigation.

Jordan Freiman contributed reporting.

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Associated Press

New York Citys new mayor says he picked Keechant Sewell as the city's first female police commissioner partly because of her poise in handling a mock crisis he threw at her in the interview process. Within hours of her Jan. 1 swearing-in, Sewell was confronted with a real one: an officer shot outside a police station while sleeping in his car between shifts. It was a whirlwind weekend, quite busy, Sewell, 49, told The Associated Press in one of her first interviews as the leader of the nation's largest police force, a department grappling with a recent rise in violent crime and continued fallout from a reckoning on police misconduct.
Dorothy Dot Benford, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for several political offices in Mississippi, has died at age 79.

Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart told WLBT-TV that Benford was found at home Sunday after dying of natural causes.

Benford was the 2020 Democratic nominee in Mississippis 3rd Congressional District, losing to Republican incumbent Michael Guest.

She ran for Mississippi Public Service Commission in 2019, losing in the Democratic runoff to DeKeither Stamps.

We lost a passionate fighter for the Democratic process, Stamps said. She will be missed.

In 2007, Benford lost to Charles Stokes in the Democratic runoff for Hinds County tax assessor. She also had run for Jackson City Council and the District 2 Congressional post.

Former WMPR-FM radio host Malcolm Johnson said Benford ran to make things better.

Ms. Benford and (I) had some hot rounds on the radio, whether we were on the same side or against one another," Johnson said. Then she would always call me after the program goes off and say, Young man, you did well, but remember to tone it down and you will be OK.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Frequent candidate Dorothy Dot Benford dies at 79
By Pap Saine

BANJUL (Reuters) -Gambia's Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to President Adama Barrow's recent election victory on Tuesday, ruling that the petition had not followed proper procedure, court documents showed.

Barrow won the Dec. 4 poll with 53% of the vote. Runner up Ousainou Darboe, who got about 28%, and two other candidates have refused to accept the results, citing alleged problems at polling stations without providing any evidence.

"I am calling on the opposition... to unconditionally accept the verdict of the Supreme Court," Barrow said following Tuesday's ruling. "My opponents have exhausted all avenues and should now join forces to develop the country."

Darboe's United Democratic Party (UDP) petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the results the following week despite election observers having said the poll was conducted fairly.[L8N2SY2CM]

The court dismissed the petition on the grounds that Darboe's party had failed to serve Barrow within five days of filing it, which violated the Gambia's fair trial procedures, judicial sources said.

"The UDP failed to comply with the requirement of Rule 11 of the Election Petition Rule, which required that you file a motion of petition and security," Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow wrote in the judgement.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Darboe said that he did not consider the court's decision a loss since the petition was dismissed on a procedural technicality rather than on the merit of its claims.

"We have not lost anything because the petition was not dismissed based on merit but a mere technicality," Darboe said. "We should be Proud of ourselves for what we have done and will continue to do for Country."

Supreme Court decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Darboe did not indicate whether he or his party would continue to challenge the election results.

(Reporting by Pap Saine;Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sandra Maler)
Critics say artist Kelly Latimores painting, which appears to depict Floyd as Jesus Christ, is blasphemous.

The scene is a familiar and sacred one to devout Catholics.

The grieving Virgin Mary holds her son Jesus Christ in her arms after his body is taken down from the cross following his crucifixion. Michelangelo famously depicted the tragedy in Pieta, the Italian artists 15th-century marble sculpture.

Artist Kelly Latimores painting Mama illustrates the same timeless Christian story while depicting the Holy Mother as a Black woman and replacing the body of Jesus with the likeness of the slain George Floyd.

A painting titled Mama depicting George Floyd being comforted by the Virgin Mary has been criticized as sacrilegious by some at Catholic University of American in Washington D.C. (Credit: Change.org)

The paintings title is a reference to one of Floyds tragic last words as he died under the knee of ex-Minneapolis police officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin.

The art piece has raised eyebrows and drawn scorn from some at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. where it is on display outside the Columbus School of Laws Mary Mirror of Justice chapel. It has been there since February, per the New York Times.

Mama was stolen and replaced in November, according to the Catholic News Agency. Its creator has received hate mail and death threats from around the world, according to The Christian Century.

Student government leaders passed a resolution banning additional displays of the painting, citing religious objections. The universitys chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative youth activism non-profit, has also started a petition to have the painting permanently removed.

So far the petition has received more than 5,000 signatures.

The icon has no place at The Catholic University of America, an anonymous junior at the school told The Daily Signal in November. It is blasphemous and an offense to the Catholic faith, but it is not surprising at all that it was put there.

Latimore, a white artist based in St. Louis, has defended the piece, which he said was commissioned by his partner, Evie Schoenherr, as a way to mourn George Floyd.

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In the Black community, theres dialogue about whether continuously showing dead Black bodies is healthy, Latimore told The Christian Century in April. I worried about that. But several Black friends of mine told me this was neededGod being present in the dead Black bodyas a way to respond so this doesnt keep happening.

On Nov. 24, after the painting was stolen and replaced with a smaller version, Catholic University President John H. Garvey issued a statement to students saying the school has a policy against canceling speakers and preventing speeches.

Consistent with that policy, we declined suggestions in this case that we take the image down, Garvey wrote. Our no cancellation policy does not apply only to the administration. We hope to continue to build on campus a culture that engages in thoughtful dialogue and debate, not the sort of bully tactics epitomized by this theft.

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The post George Floyd painting causes stir on campus of Christian university appeared first on TheGrio.




Climate activist Greta Thunberg said it was "strange" that President Biden is considered a leader in climate change and questioned his role in tackling the climate crisis.

In an interview with The Washington Post published Monday, Thunberg was asked if she was inspired by Biden or any world leaders fighting global warming and climate change.

"If you call him a leader," Thunberg replied."I mean, it's strange that people think of Joe Biden as a leader for the climate when you see what his administration is doing."

Thunberg, 18, has been the face of the youth climate strike, which has turned into a global movement since the teen began protesting in Sweden in 2018. In various appearances around the world, Thunberg has called for world leaders to do more to fight climate change, arguing her generation will see the most damaging effects of global warming if nothing is done.

Most recently, Thunberg spoke out against the actions taken at COP26, the climate change conference held last month in Glasgow, Scotland. World leaders agreed on a plan to cut global carbon dioxide emissions 45 percent by 2030 and pour more money into developing countries to fight climate change.

But Thunberg criticized world leaders for not doing enough, calling it a "PR event." She told the Post the conference "doesn't mean anything unless that actually leads to increased ambition and if they actually fulfill those ambitions."

In March, Thunberg implored the Biden administration to "treat the climate crisis like a crisis."

"They have said themselves that this is an existential threat, and they'd better treat it accordingly, which they are not," she added. "They are just treating the climate crisis as [if] it were a political topic among other topics."

In his first year as president, Biden rejoined the Paris climate accord, which former President Trump pulled the U.S. out of during his tenure.

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The president has also put forth a domestic agenda aimed at combatting climate change. The Build Back Better Act, a roughly $2 trillion spending package that was passed by the House, contained measures aimed at curbing climate change.

However, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said that he could not support the bill earlier this month. Manchin's opposition meant that the bill would not pass in a 50-50 Senate, when Democrats need every one of their party's votes to pass the legislation.

On Monday, Thunberg said the U.S. was still not doing enough, saying the country will increase fossil fuel infrastructure in 2022.

"The U.S. is actually expanding fossil fuel infrastructure. Why is the U.S. doing that?" she said. "It should not fall on us activists and teenagers who just want to go to school to raise this awareness and to inform people that we are actually facing an emergency."

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed that fossil fuel production will increase next year.

In the Monday interview, Thunberg said "countless people are already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis," adding that there needs to be more pressure on world leaders to make systemic changes and "prioritize the crisis."

Thunberg said now, "it's all about the narrative."

"It's all about, what are we actually trying to solve?" she asked. "Is it this emergency, or is it this emergency?"
Stethoscope

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Upcoming

FREE Memory Testing. Tuesdays, Jan. 4, and Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Merritt Island Medical Research will be offering free memory screenings the FIRST and THIRD Tuesdays of each month at One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940. Please call 321-305-5015 to schedule an appointment.

FREE Liver Scans. Monday, Jan. 10, and Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ClinCloud is offering FREE Fibroscans the FIRST Monday (unless its a holiday) and THIRD Wednesday of each month at One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940. Please call 321-751-6771 to schedule your half hour appointment.

Fall prevention seminar. Falls are one of the highest causations of injury in the over 65 population. Special guests Dr. Mike Nichols and Megan Nichols from Inbalance Rehab can teach you how to decrease your risk of falling. And, find out what therapy services Medicare covers should you unfortunately still sustain injuries from a fall. Will be held Thursday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. at Freedom 7 Senior Community Center, located just inside the Cocoa Beach Country Club, 5000 Tom Warriner Boulevard Cocoa Beach, FL 32931. Drop-ins are welcome but RSVPs are greatly appreciated at Freedom7seniors@outlook.com or by phone at 321-783-9505.

Top 10 Tips for Aging Well. Thursday, Jan. 20, from noon to 1 p.m. Presented by Aquatic Health & Rehabilitation, 10 Tips that could change your life for the better! For more information and to RSVP, call 321-253-6324. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Ringing in the New Year. Tinnitus/Ringing in the Ears, Lunch and Learn Seminar, Friday Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This presentation brought to you by Personal Hearing Solutions and Clinical Education Specialist Dr. Susan de Bondt, AUD from Widex will center on the causes of Tinnitus, Ringing Ears, and what can be done to improve it. Boxed lunch provided, must RSVP to 321-751-6771. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Story continues

Clinical Research, Alzheimers Disease Treatment and Prevention Trials. Friday, Jan. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. Join us for a special four-part series to learn about the latest scientific discoveries in Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Liver Disease, and more. Presented by One Senior Place, Merritt Island Medical Research, Charter Research, and ClinCloud. RSVP is required, call 321-751-6771. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Clinical Research, The Latest in Parkinsons Disease and Treatment. Friday, Jan. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. Join us for a special four-part series to learn about the latest scientific discoveries in Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Liver Disease, and more. Presented by One Senior Place, Merritt Island Medical Research, Charter Research, and ClinCloud. RSVP is required, call 321-751-6771. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Support Groups

Loss, Grief & Bereavement Support Group. Thursdays, Jan. 13 and Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon. While the feelings and emotions associated with grief and loss are unique and individual to each person, one often can find comfort from the experiences of others. Limited seating must RSVP to 321-751-6771. Facilitated by VITAS Healthcare. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Parkinsons Discussion Group. Wednesday, Jan. 19 from 10 to 11 a.m. Come and share ideas, make new friends at the Parkinsons Discussion Group. Bring your questions and let us discuss our experiences and feelings as we deal with Parkinsons disease. RSVP to 321-751-6771. This does NOT replace the support group that is held the first Monday of the month. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940

Alzheimers & Dementia Support Group. Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 2 to 3 p.m. The group encourages caregivers to maintain their own personal, physical and emotional health as well as optimal care for the person with dementia. Sponsored by Market Street Memory Care, to RSVP call 321-751-6771. One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940.

Ongoing

Free memory screenings. The Memory Disorder Clinic at Health First, 3661 Babcock St. 2nd floor, Melbourne, FL 32901, one of 17 state-funded memory clinics, provides free memory screening to anyone over the age of 18 who is concerned about memory. Memory screenings are not a diagnosis but an important first step in the evaluation process, serving a vital role toward detection and treatment. Call 321-434-7614 for an appointment.

Zumba Gold. Perfect for active adults looking for a modified Zumba class that recreates the original moves you love at a lower intensity. Come ready to dance every Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Freedom 7 Senior Community Center, inside the Cocoa Beach Country Club, 5000 Tom Warriner Blvd, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931. Everyone is welcome. Visit www.freedom7seniors.org or 321-783-9505 for more information. Drop in, no preregistration required.

Gentle moves with a purpose while seated. Feel refreshed, flexible, and ready to take on the day. One-hour class every Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. at Freedom 7 Senior Community Center located inside the Cocoa Beach Country Club inside the auditorium. $2 per class, Drop In! More information, visit our website www.freedom7seniors.org or call 321-783-9505.

Questions About Your Hearing? Personal Hearing Solutions, every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Road, Viera. Sandra Wagner will be on hand to share information and answer your questions about hearing loss and solutions to it for a safe and healthy lifestyle. For more information, stop by or call 321-253-6310.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) Meetings in Brevard County. Do you worry about the way you eat? Overeaters Anonymous may have the answer for you. For more information on the Space Coast chapter, including more meetings and contact info, visit https://oaspacecoast.org/

Cocoa Beach: 11 a.m. on Monday at the Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 N. Brevard Avenue, Cocoa Beach

Merritt Island: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Hobbs Pharmacy, 133 N. Banana River Drive, Merritt Island - person to person meeting or call into meeting 515-604-9755 Enter 558911#

Indian Harbor Beach: 11 a.m. on Friday at Circle Club, 230 E. Eau Gallie Blvd., Indian Harbor Beach

Indialantic: 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Eastminster Church, Melvin Hall, 106 N.Riverside Drive, Indialantic, FL

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)

TOPS Chapter FL 0043 meets at 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 3050 N. Hwy A1A, Indialantic, FL 32903, Room 101. Weigh-in begins at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $4 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0066 meets at 6:15 p.m. Thursdays at the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library, 308 Forrest Ave, Cocoa, FL 32922. Weigh-in begins at 5:45 p.m. Cost is $4 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0164 meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays at the rear entrance, Knights of Columbus Hall, 2150 Dairy Road, Melbourne 32904. Weigh-in begins at 8:45 a.m. Cost is $7 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-499-7395 or visit http://www.tops.org .

TOPS Chapter FL 0307 meets at 10 a.m. Fridays St. Lukes Presbyterian Church, 1255 Knox McRae Dr, Titusville, FL 32780. Weigh-in begins at 8 a.m. Cost is $5 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 585-305-0626 or visit http://www.tops.org .

TOPS Chapter FL 0456 meets at 09:30 a.m. Fridays, Building C, Room 1, 625 Barefoot Bay Blvd, Barefoot Bay, FL 32976. Weigh-in begins at 9 a.m. Cost is $3 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0473 meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Roseland United Methodist Church, 12962 Roseland Road, Roseland, FL 32968. Parking provided behind building. Weigh-in begins at 6:00 p.m. Cost is $5 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0506 Meets at 10 a.m. Thursdays at the right side entrance, Faith Baptist Church, 341 Emerson Drive NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907. Weigh-in begins at 9:15 a.m. Cost is $6 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0544 Meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursdays in the Fellowship Hall, Ascension Lutheran Church, 1053 Pinetree Drive, Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937. Weigh-in begins at 9:45 a.m. Cost is $5 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

TOPS Chapter FL 0876 meets at 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Building 2, Martin Anderson Senior Center, 1025 Florida Avenue South, Rockledge, FL 32955. Weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m. Cost is $4 monthly chapter dues and $32 yearly membership dues. More info, call 321-271-9427 or visit http://www.tops.org

If you have items you'd like placed in this calendar, email Tim Walters at twalters@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Health Calendar: Dec. 28, 2021
LORAIN COUNTY, OH  The board of Lorain County Public Health announced it's appointed Mark Adams, MPH, RS health commissioner of LCPH following the retirement of Dave Covell, MPH, RS.

Adams is the 13th health commissioner since LCPH was formed in 1920, according to county officials. He joined LCPH as deputy health commissioner in October 2020 after serving as health commissioner of Henry County Health Department. Previously, Adams was the director of Canton City Health Department for 24 years, and served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

As we continue addressing COVID-19 concerns, well also keep working to prevent chronic and infectious diseases. Plus, well continue developing the future and current local public health workforce so were ready to address the next public health crises, said Adams. I look forward to continuing efforts with our experienced staff and dedicated community partners.

Covell retired after nine years of service at LCPH and 35 years total in public health. During his time as health commissioner, Covell led LCPH to earn accreditation status through the Public Health Accreditation Board in 2016. He also oversaw the merging of three local health departments: Lorain County General Health District, Lorain City Health Department, and Elyria City Health Department. The three joined forces in early 2017 to become Lorain County Public Health. Covell guided LCPH through the process of building a new office in 2019, which enabled the continuation of public health services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

LCPH works to prevent people from getting sick or injured  now and in the future. They educate and inspect restaurants and grocery stores to prevent food poisoning. They provide vaccines to prevent diseases, including COVID-19, pneumonia, and meningitis. They work with cities to prevent chronic diseases and injuries by making it easier to walk and bike places. Theyre funded by grants, fees, and a local levy.

This article originally appeared on the Avon-Avon Lake Patch
Facing an accelerating COVID-19 threat to New York hospitals, Gov. Hochul said Monday that the state was girding to keep beds open and to maintain staffing, but that the economy and schools are on track to remain open.

New York States total count of daily coronavirus hospitalizations hit 5,526 on Monday, up about 80% since the beginning of the month.

Were preparing for all scenarios, including the worst scenarios, which were not at, Hochul said in a news conference in Albany before a coronavirus call with President Biden and other governors.

Hochul said she is not looking to do shutdowns, not looking to disrupt the economy, not looking to have any setbacks  however I will always reserve the right to take a different action if circumstances warrant that.

She said New York had not yet tipped into a medical crisis and that the state is far better prepared than it was in past COVID-19 surges.

But unprecedented case counts  driven by the spread of the immunity-dodging omicron strain  and increased examples of severe illness among unvaccinated children have raised alarms for health officials.

The state has worked to increase hospital bed capacity by pausing nonessential procedures and to distribute workers to high-need areas. Hochul said bed capacity was up 8% since last month, and hospitalization rates remain much lower than in previous surges.

You get some comfort in seeing were not where we were in April 2020, were not where we were in January of 2021, Hochul said, before adding hospitalizations are going upwards, and that is something were very cognizant of.

The omicron wave has generated concerns among parents that schools may not reopen smoothly after winter break.

Hochul said the state was considering school closings on an ongoing basis but added that New York is not there yet. She called the holidays a vulnerable time but expressed hope that the surge will be brief and shutdown-free.

The governor added that she would take a call with some 500 school superintendents on Tuesday to discuss the post-holiday reopening of schools.

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The daily virus case count in New York climbed close to 50,000 on Christmas  a startling number for a state that started a run of all-time records when the daily tally rose to a touch over 21,000 on Dec. 17. Even if most cases are mild, the sheer scale of the wave could ensure a rise in hospital admissions.

Daily case counts slipped back below 40,000 over the weekend as families gathered and testing rates dropped, but they may surge anew after the holidays.

The risk from omicron stems principally from the volume of cases, said Dr. Mary Bassett, the state health commissioner. She suggested the evidence is increasingly clear that individual omicron cases tend to be more mild than cases from other strains.

But she noted that pediatric coronavirus hospitalization admissions more than doubled statewide across two weeks in December.

Many people continue to think that children dont become infected with COVID, Bassett said in her first news conference after she contracted a breakthrough case this month. This is not true. Children become infected, and some will be hospitalized.

New Yorks hospitals appear to be faring better than many overwhelmed medical centers in Midwestern states, where vaccination rates are lower.

But hospitalizations lag behind cases, and the picture is growing bleaker in New York.

On Monday, with years end approaching, Hochul urged New Yorkers to opt for outdoor New Years Eve gatherings and to continue to get their vaccine shots.

This time last year we were so excited to say goodbye to 2020, anticipating that we are also saying goodbye to COVID and the pandemic, the governor said. No one could have foreseen that we would be experiencing this one year later. And were going to continue to be vigilant.

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SheKnows

During these frigid winter temperatures, theres really nothing like hitting the ski slopes and embracing all the seasonal weather to the fullest. While some would rather take a trip to the beach and escape the cold, Paulina Gretzky opted to embrace her inner snow bunny with a trip to Aspen. The 33-year-old daughter of hockey []
GuruFocus data shows that CEO KENNETH LAMNECK has sold 4000 shares Insight Enterprises Inc stock on 2021-12-25.



Insight Enterprises Inc Insiders are Selling; Investors Should Take Notice

Insiders selling shares can cause investors concern. This could indicate that insiders have become bearish about the stock of their company. Investors should pay attention to insiders' ability to determine the company's value. Let's look at the insider sale to see if investors are skeptical about Insight Enterprises Inc.





Trades by KENNETH LAMNECK











Over the last year, KENNETH LAMNECK sold 83853 shares.



This could mean that KENNETH LAMNECK is selling the stock of their company over a longer period. Contrary to what was expected, this could be a positive sign for stock. Insiders selling frequently could be a sign that their company offers a lot stock options to compensate them. Executives will then be able to sell some of these shares for cash. It is possible, however, that insiders became more bearish about the stock. Insider selling should be evaluated with caution by investors.





Insider trends







One insider selling doesn't necessarily mean other insiders are bullish on the stock. Is the stock being sold by other insiders? Or have top executives and owners been buying more recently?



Insight Enterprises Inc's insider transaction history shows that there were 0 insider buys over the last year. During the same period, 26 insider sales were made.



KENNETH LAMNECK may not be the only insider who has been selling shares in recent weeks. Other company insiders have also been selling more than buying, which could pose a problem for investors. We should remember that insiders can sell shares for many reasons. A high level of insider selling could indicate a negative sign or neutral sign depending on the reason for the sale.



This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


A St. Ansgar man and his son charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are expected to plead guilty next week.

Daryl Johnson, 51, and his son Daniel Johnson, 29, of Austin, Minnesota, were arrested in June, joining the more than 700 people facing charges for the Capitol attack. According to court documents, multiple tipsters told the FBI the pair had entered the building, which was confirmed by surveillance video and posts that both men made on social media. Neither man has been accused of violence or property damage during the riot.

The case had been scheduled for a status conference on Jan. 25, but on Tuesday, that hearing was cancelled and a plea agreement hearing for both men was scheduled for Jan. 4.

Daniel Johnson, left circled in blue of Austin, Minnesota , and Daryl Johnson, right, circled in red of St. Ansgar, Iowa.

The plea agreement comes a week after prosecutors filed new charging documents bringing five counts against both men: civil disorder, entering a restricted building, demonstrating or parading in the Capitol, and two disorderly conduct charges.

The new court filing does not detail which charges the pair intend to plead guilty to, or what sentences they might face. Daryl Johnson's attorney declined to comment on Tuesday.

Previously: 'One of the first ones inside': Northern Iowa father, son charged in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Daryl Johnson will be the first of six Iowans charged in the riot to resolve his case. Attorneys for two others, mother-son duo Deborah and Salvador Sandoval, told the Des Moines Register this week their clients intended to take their cases to trial.

According to USA Today, more than 12% of those charged in the riot were there with a close relative. Among those charged include 13 married couples, 11 sibling pairs, nine father/son pairs, including the Johnsons, and six mother/son pairs, including the Sandovals.

More: Capitol riot arrests: See who's been charged across the U.S.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jan. 6 Capitol riot suspect, son to plead guilty, court filing shows
JERUSALEM (AP)  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid a rare visit to Israel on Tuesday for talks with Israel's defense minister, the latest in a series of meetings by top Israeli officials with the Palestinian leader.

Israels new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, opposes Palestinian independence and has ruled out formal peace talks. But he has said he wants to reduce frictions with the Palestinian Authority and improve living conditions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Despite these pledges, the area has experienced an increase in violence in recent weeks, with a series of Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as well as a surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

A senior Palestinian official said the late-night meeting took place at Defense Minister Benny Gantz's home in central Israel. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a closed meeting, said it was the first time Abbas has met with an Israeli official in Israel since 2010.

Gantz said he was committed to advancing confidence-building measures, as discussed in an earlier meeting with Abbas, as well as deepening security coordination.

Hussein Al Sheikh, a top aide to Abbas, said the meeting dealt with the importance of creating a political horizon, as well as the tense field conditions due to the practices of the settlers. He said security, economic and humanitarian issues were also discussed.

Abbas, whose government administers autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, seeks an independent state that includes all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Israel captured all three areas in 1967, though it withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Two years later, Hamas militants seized the territory from Abbas' forces, leaving the Palestinians divided between two rival governments.

There have been no substantive peace talks between the sides in over a decade.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he is not opposed to a good nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced skepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations.

Bennett spoke a day after negotiators from Iran and five world powers resumed talks in Vienna on restoring Tehrans tattered 2015 nuclear deal. He reiterated that Israel was not bound by any accord, leaving it room to maneuver militarily.

At the end of the day, of course there can be a good deal, Bennett told Israeli Army Radio. Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed.

Meanwhile, negotiators from the three western European countries negotiating with Iran to revive the nuclear deal said theyre not setting any artificial deadline for an agreement but stressed anew that there are weeks, not months in which to reach one.

Bennett also denied claims by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had agreed to a policy of no surprises with Washington, meaning that it would be frank about its military intentions regarding Iran with its prime ally and thus be potentially hobbled.

Israel will always maintain its right to act and will defend itself by itself, he said.

Israel has watched with concern as European nations, Russia and China have restarted talks with Iran in recent weeks. Tehran has taken a hard stance in the negotiations, suggesting everything discussed in previous rounds of diplomacy could be renegotiated and demanding sanctions relief even as it ramps up its nuclear program.

Bennett has urged negotiators to tow a firmer line against Iran. Israel is not a party to the talks but has engaged in a blitz of diplomacy on the sidelines in an attempt to sway allies to put more pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear program.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV that a quick and proper agreement in the near future" is possible if the other parties to the negotiations demonstrate seriousness alongside goodwill.

Story continues

Tehrans landmark 2015 accord granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran. The other signatories have struggled to keep the agreement alive.

The latest round of talks in Vienna, the eighth, opened Monday, 10 days after negotiations were adjourned for the Iranian negotiator to return home for consultations. The previous round, the first after a more than five-month gap caused by the arrival of a new hard-line government in Iran, was marked by tensions over new Iranian demands.

Iran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and it strongly opposed the 2015 deal.

It says it wants an improved deal that places tighter restrictions on Irans nuclear program and addresses Irans long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies along Israels borders.

Israel also says that the negotiations must be accompanied by a credible military threat to ensure that Iran does not delay indefinitely.

Negotiators from Britain, France and Germany said Tuesday they are not setting an artificial deadline for talks but stressed that this negotiation is urgent.

We are clear that we are nearing the point where Irans escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out the agreement, they added. That means we have weeks, not months, to conclude a deal before the (deals) core non-proliferation benefits are lost.

The negotiators said they take note of comments by the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran that the Islamic Republic will not enrich beyond 60% purity.

However, it is still the case that enrichment at 60% is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons, they said. Its increasing 60% stockpile is bringing Iran significantly closer to having fissile material which could be used for nuclear weapons.

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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
By Steven Scheer

HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israeli foodtech firm SavorEat on Tuesday launched a plant-based burger system personalized to each customer, one of the first companies to use 3D printing technology to cook food.

Typically, vegan burgers from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are frozen and later cooked on a grill.

SavorEat's technology, however, are made on site by a self-contained 3D printer with three cartridges containing oils and other ingredients. Customers can choose how much fat and protein they want in each burger, which takes about six minutes to cook.

"It's a mix of innovation of meat alternative and digital manufacturing where we can also cook the product," Racheli Vizman, SavorEat's chief executive, told Reuters.

She said the firm's burgers are made with a combination of potato and chickpea and pea protein.

Demand for meat alternatives by health and environmentally conscious consumers has jumped in recent years, while alternative protein startups raised more than $3 billion in 2020.

Another Israeli company, Redefine Meat, last month started to deploy meatless whole cuts in European restaurants.

SavorEat, funded mainly by Israeli institutions and whose Tel Aviv-listed shares rose 11% on Tuesday, said its products would initially be served at a local burger chain.

The company is also collaborating with food service firm Yarzin Sela that supplies Israeli high-tech companies and forged a deal with Sodexo to serve its vegan burgers to U.S. universities.

"There is a growing segment of people called 'flexiterian' -- people that are actively trying to look for meat alternatives to reduce their meat consumption," Vizman said, citing about one-third of the U.S. population.

Oded Shoseyov, chairman and chief scientist of SavorEat, said the firm is also working on a plant-based version of a pork breakfast sausage for the U.S. market.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan revised the schedule of its space exploration plans on Tuesday, aiming to put a Japanese person on the moon by the latter half of the 2020s.

"Not only is space a frontier that gives people hopes and dreams but it also provides a crucial foundation to our economic society with respect to our economic security," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a meeting to finalise the plan.

According to the draft schedule of the plan, Japan aims to put the first non-American on the moon as part of the Artemis programme, a U.S.-led initiative that aims to return astronauts to the moon.

The plan also spells out Japan's aspirations to launch a probe to explore Mars in 2024, as well as to find ways to generate solar electricity in space.

Neigbouring China also aims to become a major spacefaring power by 2030, and it too plans to put astronauts on the moon, raising the prospect of an Asian space race.

In May, China became the second country to put a rover on Mars, two years after landing the first spacecraft on the far side of the moon.

Japan's announcement of its space exploration targets comes a week after Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa returned to earth after spending 12 days aboard the International Space Station, becoming the first space tourist to travel to the ISS in more than a decade.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Update: The charges against Jermilo Larkins were refiled and Larkins was indicted by a grand jury on July 30, 2021.

LAS CRUCES - A judge dismissed a case against a man accused of beating, robbing and attempting to sexually assault a massage parlor worker.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors could refile the case at a later date. A hearing on Thursday featured a defense attorney who said his client was unlawfully indicted, spent unnecessary time in jail and was negatively impacted by a missing videotape that he said would exonerate him.

Police said that Jermilo Larkins, 35, committed aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, attempted to commit criminal sexual penetration by force.

Jermilo Juan Larkins

The accusation stems from an incident earlier this year.

Police said Larkins walked into a Las Cruces massage parlor on April 26, 2021. When a female massage worker asked Larkins if he wanted a massage, she told police that Larkins began punching her face and causing her lip to bleed.

Believing that Larkins was attempting to rob the massage parlor, the worker said she ran over to the cash register and gave Larkins the money inside. She said Larkins continued to attack her, knocking her to the floor and stomping on her leg. Police said that the attack left the worker with a broken tibia.

Larkins then tried removing the women's shorts and underwear but was unable to, according to police. He eventually gave up but not after he touched her inappropriately, police said. The worker said Larkins went to lie down on a couch in the massage parlor, giving her a chance to run away.

Despite the severe pain in her leg, the worker said she muster enough strength to get out of the building and call for help. She ran to a nearby car dealership and begged an attendant to call the police. The worker hid underneath a car dealership desk until police arrived. She said she feared Larkins was chasing her.

Police said Larkins returned to the massage parlor while they were on the scene and was arrested. He was taken to the hospital for pre-existing medical conditions, police said. While on the scene, police said that the massage parlor owner provided them with a security video of the incident. In an affidavit, police said the video matched the worker's description of events.

Story continues

During Thursday's hearing, Larkins said the video doesn't depict the worker's description of events. Larkins' lawyer said that his client believes the video exonerates him.

'The most important discovery possible'

Whether the video would exonerate Larkins or condemns him, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that it's a piece of critical evidence.

Despite the alleged victim, massage parlor owner and police detective all claiming to have seen this video, Assistant District Attorney Brian Galecki said the video was missing.

"When we went to go download and get these items over to (the defense attorney), none of it matched," Galecki said.

He added that evidence in Larkin's case was filed under a number that corresponded with a different alleged crime and location.

"Based on the conversation that we had with (the defense attorney), and the victim in this case, I think there might be another video but we don't have it.

The video plays an important role in the prosecution's case against Larkins; it's referenced in a statement of probable cause and police recount the video in police reports. Beyond what the alleged victim says, the video allegedly depicts the attack in an objective fashion.

Darren Robinson, Larkin's defense attorney, described the video as the most critical piece of hard evidence in this case. He said it was "it's the most important discovery possible."

"Witness can be a lot more biased than video," Robinson said. "it's crucial, absolutely critical. And in addition to that, my client informed me that, had that video been shown, it would contradict the statement of the witnesses."

But what's really on the video is known only to those who've seen it.

Robinson said that Assitant DA Galecki "went above and beyond" to find the video before Thursday's hearing. He added that, even if Galecki had found the video, it would still be three months late. Robinson said he was given a video that depicts the waiting room of the massage parlor but does not depict the incident.

"It's troubling that after three months in prison, no one bothered to just take a look and say, 'hey, let's make sure (we have the video)' That's troubling," Robinson said.

An unlawful indictment

Larkin's lawyer also pointed out that the preliminary hearing on Thursday was invalid.

During the proceeding, Larkins was evaluated for mental health and was found competent to stand trial, as stated in the court proceedings on Thursday. At the same time, a Las Cruces grand jury indicted Larkins for the alleged crimes.

"That indictment was unlawful under our rules, under statute, under the New Mexico Constitution and the United States Constitution, all of which prevent further proceedings where competency is issued," Robinson said.

Court filings show that Third Judicial District Judge Richard Jacquez quashed the inditement on July 12. That means Jacquez invalidated the grand jury ruling. With an invalid incitement, Robinson said that his client had been jailed for several weeks without cause.

"I understand why this happened, and that there was a mistake," Robinson said. "But really, the state should have known. They had the motion. They shouldn't have indicted him at that point."

Galecki, the assistant district attorney, said he didn't know why a grand jury indictment was filed. He said he was involved with the case at that point.

Still, Gelcki argued that the prosecution was still within the ten-day timeline after Jacquez quashed the indictment.

Perea's rulings

"This week has been one of great care in this courthouse, I'll be honest with you, for other situations. And it's one that I have taken to heart," Perea said as he discussed his ruling with the lawyers.

More: Supreme court orders stop to Baby Favi trial amid excluded exhibits

Perea ruled that the charges would be dismissed without prejudice. He said that, since the grand jury indictment was quashed, Larkins was being detained without cause.

As for the missing video, Perea said the issue was remedied by Gelcki's efforts to find the missing video. Perea did not impose any sanctions on prosecutors.

Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be contacted at JEGarcia@lsun-news.com or on Twitter @Just516garc.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Judge dismisses case after DA's office says critical evidence missing
A Colorado judge has scheduled a resentencing hearing for a truck driver who faces 110 years in prison for a fatal 2019 crash.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced earlier this month after he was convicted of 27 charges, including four counts of vehicular homicide, for the crash, which killed four and injured several others in April 2019.

Aguilera-Mederos said during his trial that his trucks brakes failed on an interstate but prosecutors presented evidence that he missed a runaway truck ramp where he might have been able to safely pull off the highway. The crash caused a 28-car pileup.

The 110-year sentence came about through Colorados minimum sentencing laws.

However, public pressure has called on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to grant clemency for Aguilera-Mederos, but the victims families have asked the governor to wait until the courts to decide whats next.

Jefferson County district attorney Alexis King requested the hearing and recommended the sentence be reduced to 20 to 30 years.

Judge Bruce Jones scheduled the hearing for Jan. 13 but said he is not sure how much he can change.

This is an exceptional case and requires an exceptional process, district attorney King said Monday.

The defendant caused the death of four people, serious bodily injury to others, and the impact of his truck caused damage to many more in our community, King said. Knowing all of that, my office started the resentencing process the same week the defendant was sentenced, so that the court could consider an alternative sentence that was not bound by mandatory sentencing structures.
In the middle of holiday festivities last week, the families of some Cubans who took to the streets to protest against the islands communist government in July received dreadful news: Their loved ones would spend decades in jail.

In a crackdown that resembles the so-called Primavera Negra, Black Spring, when on Fidel Castros order 75 dissidents received lengthy sentences in 2003, several demonstrators were convicted on charges of sedition and sentenced to between 15 and 30 years, according to the activist group Justicia 11J.

Members of Justicia 11J told the Miami Herald that they verified with family members that Dayron Martin was sentenced to 30 years; father and daughter Freddy and Katia Beirut to 20 years; Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera to 23 years and Elier Padron to 15 years in trials that took place during Christmas week.

Many more sentences are still expected to come, as 55 protesters were tried between Dec. 20 and 24 in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Matanzas, Artemisa and the Isle of Youth. One hundred and eight were tried the previous week, the group said.

The sentences were given verbally to the protesters and their family members on the last day of their trials, and the group is waiting for the courts to issue the final ruling documents to produce a full report, said Salome Garcia Bacallao, an activist working with Justicia 11J. The group is working with legal aid organization Cubalex to document the arrests and trials linked to the summer protest.

Of a total of 1,332 people arrested in connection with the July 11 protests, at least 710 remain in detention, Justicia 11J said in a statement. Of the 574 people who have been released, many are awaiting trial under bail or house arrest. A total of 141 people face sedition charges or have already been indicted on those charges. Another 38 are accused of sabotage, the statement added.

Activists and family members believe the Beiruts and others who protested in La Guinera, a poor neighborhood in Havana, were given such harsh sentences because they were key witnesses to the only death reported during the protests, that of Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, who was allegedly shot by a police officer, according to statements, videos and a trove of legal documents published by Madrid-based Cuban Observatory for Human Rights.

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The day following a three-day group trial that started on Dec. 20, the court informed the Beiruts of their sentences, said Zoila Rodriguez Marzo, the mother of Katia Beirut. They were tried along with 15 other demonstrators.

In what time were they able to decide the sentences of each of those persons? Rodriguez asked before calling the trial a theater performance in a video published by news outlet Cubanet.

When my daughter gets out of prison, how old will I be? I am about to turn 60, she said, crying. How many years will her 9-year old boy be suffering because his mom will be locked up for 20 years? Why? It is unfair.

Authorities also denied an appeal by Sissi Abascal, a 23-year-old member of the opposition group Ladies in White who was sentenced to six years in prison for participating in the July 11 protests, Cuban independent news outlet 14ymedio reported.

Fathers and mothers of the young Cubans detained have been grieving on social media.

Barbara Farrat, the mother of 17-year-old Jonathan Torres Farrat, who is in prison waiting to be indicted, said on a video published on Facebook that authorities threatened neighbors who signed a letter addressed to Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel calling for his release. She was briefly detained on Christmas Eve for speaking out on social media and going on a hunger strike to protest his incarceration.

Look at how I live, she said, showing a deteriorated ceiling in her home. Nobody is paying me; I do this for my son Jonathan. Do you want to call me a worm? Do it; I dont care, she said, referring to the authorities accusation that she paid neighbors to sign the letter.

Farrat said she would again start another fast on Dec. 30 and that she didnt fear the governments retaliation. I know people would defend me, she said.

In a widely shared video, the father of Aguilar Rivera, 21, who was sentenced to 23 years on sedition charges, said the court dismissed documents showing his mental disability.

They brought false witnesses, they made up things, they made up charges to prosecute and incriminate all those people, said Luis Wilber Aguilar. That is unfair. They are not hurting only those accused, they are destroying an entire society, a people suffering all this. They are harming the people. Who is responsible for so much evil?
Bill Jackson said the United Way of Erie County that he joined 25 years ago collected a lot of money and worked hard to do good things with it.

But sometimes, Jackson said, it was hard to find evidence that the organization was making a measurable difference.

"What happened is our board started to recognize that it's good, but it's not really solving anything," Jackson said. "It's a Band-Aid approach. We are helping this person over here, this person over there, and this family on the other side of town. But we are not really getting at what is causing these problems in the first place."

United Way of Erie County President Bill Jackson, 62, describes his 25 years in the organization's lead role during an interview on Dec. 8, 2021, in Erie.

Jackson, who retires from the United Way on Dec. 31, said it wasn't that the traditional way of running the organization was a failure.

Related coverage: United Way of Erie County will have a new president as Bill Jackson will retire

"We could talk all day about the good work that was done and the people we helped," he said. "The model worked when we could go into large companies and make a very simple ask and folks would donate a little bit out of their paychecks."

2020: Erie County United Way fundraising powers on in pandemic

But the world was changing.

For one, there weren't as many big companies to visit.

Meanwhile, Jackson, the board and the staff of the United Way were listening to ideas about a different way to run the organization coming from places such as the United Way in Fort Worth, Texas.

The message was simple but important.

"We should stop counting our success by how many people we help and start counting our success by how many people no longer need our help," Jackson said. "That really sums up what the philosophy is. That was a huge sea change."

More: CEO of Idaho organization named to lead Erie Community Foundation

Changes didn't happen overnight.

On Dec. 8, United Way of Erie County President Bill Jackson, 62, stands near McKinley Elementary School in Erie. McKinley is one of 11 community schools in Erie county where United Way focuses resources to help reduce poverty through education.

In 2015, the United Way's board of directors voted to change its approach. Three years later, Jackson stood before a community group and announced the agency's single-minded devotion to "crush poverty."

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The plan that would emerge was a focus on community schools, 11 of which have now been designated. Together, those schools serve more than 6,000 students.

In words from the United Way website, those designated schools, each of which employs a director, "bring a wide range of resources directly into the school to support students and their families, removing barriers to learning so children can be successful in school ... and life."

Jackson likens the United Way's role in community schools to that of a symphony conductor who doesn't play an instrument but coordinates services.

"We talk about how the mission is to crush poverty," Jackson said. "Everything we do has to do with student success or family stability."

Related coverage: United Way, Erie School District to bring community school model to 5 more buildings

A concept in action

Jackson likes to tell the story of bringing a mobile dental clinic to a community school to help "a student who had so much pain from her cavities that she was in tears."

The pain was an obstacle to learning, he said.

This is an April 20, 2010, file photo of United Way of Erie County president Bill Jackson speaking at the United Way's annual meeting at the Ambassador Conference Center in Summit Township.

Sometimes, the services to students are less dramatic  providing a meal, or a warm coat and boots, or helping a family connect with needed services.

"It's just being able to address the issues," Jackson said. "Attendance is a big issue that we have been able to focus on using a grant from the Erie Community Foundation."

Working with Gannon University, the city of Erie and the Blue Coats, the community schools program was able to identify safer routes for students walking to school and created something called a walking school bus that provides an adult who leads a group of children to school.

While more than half of the United Way's resources are focused on community schools, it offers a number of other programs, including Erie Free Taxes; the 211 Help Line, which provides resources for health and human services information for everyday needs and also crisis situations; and the Imagination Library, which provides age-appropriate free books for nearly 10,000 Erie County children each month.

Back in August 2018, Jackson talked about how the pieces fit together.

"For the first time in our over 100-year history, everything we fund fits strategically within a portfolio of investments that complement each other and work toward the common goals of student success and family stability," Jackson said at the time.

In a recent interview, Jackson said he believes in the course the United Way has charted.

"There is so much evidence, and we know it works," Jackson said. "If we do it with fidelity, it has to work."

A difficult change

But moving from the old model of funding a longer list of efforts to this new model wasn't easy, Jackson said.

It would have been easier to maintain the status quo, said Charles "Boo" Hagerty, who is president of the Hamot Health Foundation and a member of the United Way's board of directors.

This is a Jan. 12, 2015, file photo at the United Way of Erie County of, from left: Ron Oliver, vice president of labor relations; Bill Jackson, president; and Cheryl Bates, the United Way's program director for the Erie Free Taxes program.

And It would have been tempting at one point to go backward or not change the funding model in the first place, he said.

"I think everyone would have listened to him," Hagerty said. "Bill is a man of character. He has a moral compass that points north."

Hagerty said reinventing the United Way's mission was a group effort, "but he (Jackson) was certainly the champion of it."

That meant difficult conversations with nonprofit leaders who had grown accustomed to receiving yearly grants.

"I was in a lot of meetings where Bill took a lot of bullets and did it empathetically," Hagerty said. "I have seen other people in the past take the easy road. Bill never took the easy road. He was bold enough to say 'I am going to stick with my mission.'"

At 62, Jackson said he's ready to step down from the job he's held since 2009. He said he's especially pleased that Laurie Root, who served most recently as senior vice president for seven years, will take his place.

Related coverage: Union City School District has a new community school; here's how it will benefit students, families

"I think it's fresh energy, and she was one of the architects of the most recent ideation of where we are today," Jackson said. "She has it in her heart in terms of what we are doing here. If someone else came in from the outside, I wouldn't be as comfortable with leaving the organization."

Jackson has said it's time for new leadership at the United Way. But that doesn't mean he's ready for retirement.

"I'm going to retire from here, but I am going to do something, I don't know what yet," Jackson said. "I want to get involved with another organization that is looking to transform. Full-time sounds really good if it has the right interest and excitement."

Jackson is ending a 25-year career with the United Way but remains convinced that changing the organization he loved was the right thing to do.

That's what his gut tells him.

And that's what the numbers show.

"Under the old model, we were asking people to trust us to do good things with the money they gave us," he said. "Today, we can show you here is a book in the hand of a child, and we can talk about what's going on in the schools.

"We can show them the evidence."

Contact Jim Martin at 814-870-1668 or jmartin@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNMartin.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Bill Jackson, longtime leader of United Way of Erie County, looks back
The Louisiana Supreme Court has denied a request to review the case of a Lafourche Parish man who is challenging his conviction after police found less than a gram of cocaine residue in his truck.

Ricky Joseph Guidry, 59, of Cut Off, was convicted March 6, 2018, of possession of cocaine.

After ruling Guidry as a habitual offender, a judge ordered him to serve two and a half years in prison without parole, probation or early release. That sentence was later thrown out by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge, but the conviction still stands.

In his appeal to the 1st Circuit, Guidry seeks to have the conviction overturned, arguing that the 0.1 gram of cocaine residue police found in his vehicle was not enough to convict him.

Related: Court upholds conviction, vacates sentence for Lafourche man convicted of drug possession

However, the appeals court rejected those arguments Oct. 21.

Defendant does not contest the fact that crack cocaine was found in his truck in his immediate vicinity, the court said. Defendant also does not cite any case law, Louisiana or otherwise, in support of his position, nor does he provide any support for his contention that the legislative intent behind (the law) was not to apply the statute to a situation like that of defendant. ...Further, though defendant argues the amount of crack cocaine he possessed was worthless, it was still in possession at the time of the traffic stop.

Rickey Guidry

The Legislature has made possession of any amount of cocaine illegal, and thus equally subject to the habitual offender enhancement in subsequent convictions, the court said.

Guidry then asked the state Supreme Court to review the case.

In a 5-2 ruling Dec. 21, the court denied Guidrys request.

Justices Jefferson D. Hughes III and Piper D. Griffin cast the two dissenting votes.

Guidry's new sentencing date in state District Court in Houma has not yet been set.

Guidrys conviction resulted from a Dec. 1, 2015, Houma traffic stop.

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He was a passenger in his own truck driven by his personal driver, Garland McKinley, authorities said. McKinley was stopped for a traffic violation at Howard Avenue and Brittany Street.

When McKinley couldnt show state troopers a valid drivers license, he and Guidry were asked to step out, authorities said. After Guidry got out of the trucks passenger side, officers noticed a smeared white powdery substance on the seat.

A field test showed the powder was likely crack cocaine and a subsequent search of the truck led officers to additional pieces of suspected crack cocaine on the floorboard under the passenger seat, authorities said.

The crack cocaine found on the floorboard looked to have been broken up to conceal the evidence, prosecutors said. Guidry was arrested and charged with possession of schedule II drugs.

More: Man from Cut Off challenges cocaine conviction

The Louisiana State Police Crime Lab later confirmed the substance was cocaine, prosecutors said.

Guidry was on probation for a prior conviction for possession of cocaine in Jefferson Parish, prosecutors said.

 Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Louisiana Supreme Court upholds Lafourche man's drug conviction
Lawyers for the family of Cedric CJ Lofton say criminal charges are warranted after the teenagers in-custody death was ruled a homicide Monday.

Cedrics death was caused by the hands of the very authorities that were obligated to protect him and make sure he was safe, Action Injury Law Group, the Chicago-based firm representing Loftons family, said in a statement.

Instead, they killed him with conscious disregard for the young life in their keeping. This is a tragedy of epic proportions.

Lofton, who died a day before his 18th birthday in September, had been lying face-down in his cell at Wichitas juvenile intake facility for as long as 39 minutes when staff realized he had no pulse.

The physical evidence is overwhelming that it was a homicide, Steven Hart, a partner with the law firm, told The Eagle on Monday evening.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennetts office said Monday that no decision has been reached about whether anyone involved in Loftons death will face criminal charges.

Lofton was shackled and handcuffed when he lost consciousness, according to the autopsy report. He was restrained after a physical altercation with corrections staff.

Hart said lawyers have reviewed footage from within the the countys Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center. Authorities have so far refused to release the footage and denied The Eagles open record requests.

Theres no doubt whatsoever that excessive force was at play here, Hart said. Theres no doubt that they escalated a situation that should have been deescalated.

They were certainly manhandling him in an inappropriate way.

In the public statement, lawyers said Loftons family believes criminal charges should be pursued against the law enforcement personnel responsible for Cedrics death. Hart said his firm expects to file a lawsuit but has not done so yet.

The family wants answers and we will get them, he said. It will likely take a lawsuit. Were committed to filing a lawsuit against all of those who acted inappropriately here.

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Action Injury Law Group is the same firm that represents the family of Andrew Finch, the 28-year-old Wichita man who was fatally shot by police amid a swatting hoax in December 2017.

According to a Sedgwick County spokesperson, the corrections employees involved in restraining Lofton have been placed on paid administrative leave pending results of the District Attorneys investigation.

The spokesperson, Nicole Gibbs, said county officials would not comment further, citing the Kansas Bureau of Investigations ongoing investigation into Loftons death. The KBI investigates all in-custody deaths in the states jails and prisons unless there is a clear medical or natural cause.
Eli Lake inadvertently describes what is wrong with our foreign policy in his criticism of President Biden (Whos appeasing Putin now?- Dec. 21).

Lake complains of Democrats obsession with discredited theories about President Trumps activities in Ukraine. Republicans have their own obsessions with Hunter Bidens involvement in a Ukrainian gas conglomerate. Both parties use Ukraine to score political points, instead of addressing legitimate Russian concerns and our strategic interests.

Russia has a long history with Ukraine dating back to the mid-800s and the Kievan Rus.

Putin would lose support in Russia if his policies failed to reflect that. Kiev, now capital of Ukraine, was capital of Russia when it was sacked by the Golden Horde in 1240.

Former Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev grew up near Donetsk, in the Ukrainian Donbas. Lake criticizes Biden for mixed messages regarding Russian activities in the Donbas region, but clarity is lacking on who really belongs there.

The Crimea offers more clarity. In 1475, Crimea became part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1783, the same year Great Britain recognized American independence, Catherine the Great annexed Crimea into Russia.

In 1954, Khrushchev oversaw its transfer, for administrative purposes, to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. When the USSR fell apart in 1991, Crimea became part of the Ukraine, despite the fact that the majority of its population is Russian.

Russia retook it in 2014, and since then Democratic and Republican leaders have vied to outdo each other in showing opposition to the takeover.

Our foreign policy regarding Ukraine and the Crimea is misguided and dangerous, and could land us in a nuclear war. Ukraines relationship with Russia is very different from most eastern European nations. We cannot allow our dysfunctional politics to cloud clear thinking on this issue.

Jim Jicha, Wooster

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Letter: Our foreign policy on Ukraine is misguided and dangerous
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's parliament on Tuesday suspended its session until next week without a vote on any of the proposals raised on Monday for handling the fallout of last week's delayed election.

The session in Tobruk on Monday and Tuesday represented a first effort by Libya's fractured political class to chart a way forward after the election was delayed following disputes over the rules.

However, Monday's session broke up amid shouted arguments after various proposals were raised to push back the election date, look at restructuring the GNU and consider constitutional changes.

Tuesday's session had been expected to include votes on those proposals. The parliament spokesman did not give any immediate reason for the suspension of the session.

It leaves in the balance both the electoral process and the future of the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) and Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah.

Dbeibah's eligibility as a presidential candidate was a major cause of disagreement in the run-up to the election.

On Monday U.N. special envoy Stephanie Williams told Reuters that the main focus should be on moving forward with elections that were wanted by a majority of Libyans.

Simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections were conceived last year through a U.N.-backed political roadmap as part of a plan to end a decade of chaos and violence since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

The parliament was elected in 2014 but split soon afterwards as the country divided between warring eastern and western factions, with most of the chamber relocating from the capital Tripoli to Tobruk and backing the eastern side in the conflict.

This week's session was one of the rare moments since 2014 that brought together more than 100 parliament members drawn from across the fragmented political scene to take part in a debate and vote on Libya's future.

During Monday's session, which ended with shouted arguments,

Another proposal, that was raised but not yet voted on, was to expel the British ambassador after Britain said the GNU remained valid and it would not recognise any new move to set up a parallel government.

(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfali, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Angus MacSwan)
Dec. 28NEW LONDON  Cases of COVID-19 are again surging across the country, and local first responders are again calling for a convenient way to get quickly and regularly tested.

New London Fire Chief Tom Curcio told U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Monday that he would like to see his firefighters have access to rapid tests every day. Firefighters, as medical first responders in the city, have a high number of potential exposures to COVID-19. Both Curcio and Police Chief Brian Wright said not only are the men and women in their departments being put in harm's way but their families are as well because of the inability to get a test.

Blumenthal heard the concerns on Monday during a visit to fire headquarters. Blumenthal met with firefighters and earlier with health care workers at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where he offered words of praise for their dedication in the face of the continuing pandemic. He promised to advocate for their needs.

Dr. Oliver Mayorga, L+M's chief medical officer, said the hospital cannot keep up with the current demand for COVID-19 tests.

"Our testing sites ... have seen a huge increase in demand and across the Yale New Haven Health system," Mayorga said. "We are now on pace to perform more than 150,000 tests this month. This is more than 34,000 more than previous record highs."

At L+M, one of the few dedicated testing sites in the area, Mayorga said the testing volume is 20% greater this month compared to last month, which leads to longer wait times and a move to appointment-only testing. Staffing continues to be an issue. The Community Health Center of New London had offered a popular testing site at Shaw's Cove, but that is no longer in operation.

Along with COVID-19 masks, vaccines and booster shots, Blumenthal said, testing "is one of the keys to conquering this pandemic."

"Right now we face a dire and severe shortage of testing capabilities," Blumenthal said.

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President Joe Biden announced last week that the government is preparing to ship 500 million at-home test kits to U.S. households that request them. Blumenthal said it is not enough.

"The president's initiative must be greatly enhanced," Blumenthal said. "I'm calling for the implementation of a strategic plan through the Defense Production Act that will increase the availability of these tests.

Biden has pledged to continue to use the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of tests.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday announced plans to distribute 3 million at-home rapid tests and 6 million N95 masks.

While an at-home test is a benefit for those looking for assurances, a positive test at home typically means someone should get a PCR test, such as those given at testing sites, for verification.

Mayorga said COVID-19 continues to strain the system with more than 300 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the Yale-New Haven Health system, the highest number since January. There are 36 patients with COVID at L+M. L+M recently announced new measures that require people visiting patients to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

For more information on local COVID-19 testing sites, visit the Ledge Light Health District and Uncas Health District at www.uncashd.org and www.llhd.org.

g.smith@theday.com
MAHWAH, NJ  Coronavirus cases are rising in New Jersey, and, with that, COVID-19 tests are becoming harder to find due to increased demand.

There were 238 cases of the coronavirus reported in Bergen County on Dec. 1, according to New Jersey Department of Health data. Much like the rest of the state, that number spiked, with 1,942 cases reported on Christmas.

The United States has faced a shortage of tests, with the more contagious omicron variant spreading and many getting tested to prepare for the holidays.

President Joe Biden pledged Monday to ease the test shortage. The administration's steps will include using the Defense Production Act to increase production of at-home tests, but the president said federal efforts haven't gone far enough.

"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," President Biden said on a call with his administration's COVID-19 response team and a group of governors.

The New Jersey Department of Health also recently began offering free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. UPS will ship the kit with next-day delivery, and a health care professional will virtually walk patients through the tests and answer questions. Find more info here.

Here are some locations around Mahwah offering tests:

Mobile On-Site Health Solutions, 370 Franklin Tpke., Mahwah, NJ

Walgreens 10745, 563 N. Franklin Tpke., Ramsey, NJ

CVS Pharmacy, 45 Franklin Tpke., Mahwah, NJ

Millers Pharmacy of Wyckoff, Wyckoff, NJ

Ridgewood Diagnostic Laboratory, Oakland, NJ

The Doctors Office of Midland Park, Midland Park, NJ

Preventive Plus, Paramus, NJ

Valley Medical Group, various locations, call 1-800-VALLEY 1

Ridgewood YMCA through a third party vendor, Ridgewood, NJ, Call 201-340-9911 for more information

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Paramus, NJ

Ho-Ho-Kus Pharmacy, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

The state department of health also has an online database of locations where tests can be found. For that site, click here.



This article originally appeared on the Mahwah Patch
A trial has been scheduled for March 2 for a Schriever man accused of shooting a woman to death and injuring several others, including a state trooper.

A Terrebonne Parish grand jury found enough evidence Dec. 14 to indict Patrick Waddle, 38, with first-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty Dec. 20.

An indictment does not presume guilt or innocence but indicates the grand jury found prosecutors presented enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Earlier: More charges for Schriever man accused of killing woman, injuring state trooper

The charges resulted from a several shootings Sept. 25, claiming the life of 51-year-old Lisa Eschete of Schriever. Two other people suffered gunshot injuries, including a state trooper.

The shots first rang about 8 p.m. at a home in the 1800 block of Bull Run Road, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriffs Office said. Waddle arrived and began firing at the house from outside then left in Toyota Tundra pickup.

Eschete and another male, who both knew Waddle, were both injured and taken to hospitals. Eschete later died from her injuries, authorities said.

State troopers were traveling north on Bull Run Road and saw Waddle approaching them in the Tundra, authorities said. The troopers tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Waddle continued to drive south.

Lisa Eschete

As Waddle passed the troopers, he fired multiple shots before turning onto a private driveway and into a wooded area, Trooper Ross Brennan said. During the course of the interaction, a trooper discharged his service weapon. Waddle was uninjured and continued to flee into the wooded area.

One trooper suffered minor injuries to his head and was treated and released from a nearby hospital, State Police said.

Members of the State Police, Terrebonne, Lafourche and Assumption sheriffs offices, Houma, Thibodaux and Golden Meadow police departments and Port Fourchon Harbor Police launched an extensive manhunt for Waddle that lasted into the early morning, authorities said.

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Waddle was eventually found about 4 a.m. in the 200 block of Bull Run Road and taken into custody without incident, police said. He was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail and is currently being held without bail.

Related: GoFundMe campaign launched to help pay funeral expenses for Schriever woman killed in shootings

Terrebonne Parish court records show Eschete once sued Waddle and his insurance company for damages in connection with her sons death.

According to the 2009 lawsuit, Eschetes 19-year-old son, Kerry Eschete, was traveling as a passenger in a pickup truck driven by Waddle on Sept. 20, 2008. As they were traveling on West Park Avenue, Waddle stopped at a red light when Eschete began to exit the truck.

Waddle pulled off prior to Eschete exiting the vehicle, causing Eschete to fall to the ground, striking his head and shoulder, the lawsuit says.

The complaint accused Waddle of driving while intoxicated, failing to maintain a proper lookout, careless operation of a vehicle and negligence.

State District Judge David Arceneaux dismissed the lawsuit Oct. 16, 2009.

No charges were filed in connection with Kerry Eschetes death, authorities said.

Lisa Eschetes family members said they were devastated by the incident.

She was definitely the strongest woman anyone would ever know, said Lisa Eschetes daughter-in-law, Kylynn Eschete. She was everyones rock. You could always count on her to tell you what she thought or to hug and cry along with you if you were having the worst of times. She deserved so much more than what she was given the night of Sept. 25.

If convicted, Waddle faces a mandatory life sentence without parole, probation or early release.

Assistant District Attorney Amanda Mustin is handling the prosecution.

 Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: March trial set for Schriever man accused of killing woman, injuring state trooper
LOS ANGELES, CA  As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at the year's most-read news stories in Los Angeles.

In a year that opened with a deadly coronavirus surge and is ending the same way, we remember the lives lost to the pandemic and the beloved businesses forced to shutter. But we also celebrate the spirit of determination and unity behind the herculean effort to vaccinate more than 6 million Angelenos. And we give thanks for the people who made our days brighter in this difficult time.

We take a look back at vaccine rollout and the mandates that led to hundreds of thousands of vaccinations as well as protests and lawsuits.

We also recall stories about a mysterious sonic boom, an unlikely teacher's pet, a trailblazing wolf, a heroic mom, and a wedding crasher named Tom Hanks.

Here are some of the most-read Patch stories in Los Angeles County in 2021:

Widespread reports of an earthquake turned out to be a Sonic Boom that sent shockwaves across Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School got an unlikely new student on their first day of classes.

The workers make up less than 1 percent of the district's workforce, and they may be eligible for re-employment upon getting inoculated.

Tom Hanks crashed a wedding in Santa Monica and asked if he could pose for a photo with the new couple.

A man was stabbed after getting into a fight with a grocery store security guard over not wearing a mask.

A poet and artist share a simple message with Venice: "No is Beautiful."

The former Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey that she gained her work ethic while employed at the Sherman Oaks-based company during the '90s.

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A gray wolf was spotted in Ventura County, marking the farthest south a wolf has been seen in a century, wildlife officials said.

Employees and patrons of Los Angeles County's bars, breweries and nightclubs will have to get the first dose of a vaccine by Oct. 7.

Community members celebrate a mom who saved her son and debate wildlife policy in the wake of Thursday's mountain lion attack.

The Bib Gourmand spotlights restaurants that offer delicious food and exceptional service at affordable prices.

Dec 14, 2021  The Los Angeles Unified School District will delay the enforcement of its student vaccine mandate from January to the fall of 2022.

The unionization effort involved 11 newsrooms across Southern California, including the Daily News, Register and Star-News.

Monrovia's "Biking for Bucks" program offers anyone who purchases a new bicycle a reimbursement worth up to $350.

Halyna Hutchins, a Los Angeles-based cinematographer, died Thursday on set of "Rust" when a prop gun fired a bullet.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took the first step to return Bruce's Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.

Santa Monica police say an attempted smash-and-grab robbery was stopped at a local mall.

This new couple stepped out at a favorite Santa Monica restaurant.

Den Mother, a new apothecary and wellness location, opens next door to the Butcher's Daughter on Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

The group pushing to recall Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin says it has enough signatures to initiate a recall vote.

Two former LA County district attorneys have lent their support to legal action against DA Gascon by a deputy DA union.

Just months after a butcher revealed meat from the sustainable meat company was not local and not organic, Belcampo has ended.

"Its a celebration of our community and our resiliency."

Researchers share survey findings from a DDT toxic dump site off the coast of Southern California near Rancho Palos Verdes and Catalina.

More than 211 people have moved off the Venice Beach boardwalk and into housing. These are the before and after photos.

Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump will be taking on the city of Beverly Hills over the arrest of 106 people of color.

Malibu and Santa Monica residents sounded off on a potential district divorce. No decision has been made yet.

A new nonprofit will address the lasting health implications of the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak.

During an anti-vaccine rally at Hawthorne Elementary Wednesday, protesters followed children and their parents on their walk to school.

USC announces more sexual assault reports as students continue to protest and ask the administration to do better.

Disneyland Resort reopens for guests after being closed for more than a year. "This begins our economic recovery," Mayor Harry Sidhu says.

The OC Health Care Agency assessed area beaches after a 126,000-gallon oil spill hit OC waters in October.

Police hope someone will recognize the three men who broke into Dorit Kemsley's home and threatened to kill the reality TV star.

This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles Patch
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a three-story series about food insecurity issues in Monroe County.

Anyone who needs food  either prepared meals or items to make their own  can find some at any of more than 25 locations in Monroe County, one of six counties served by Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

From small storefront pantries to large agencies that deliver items to people unable to leave their homes, each one fills a niche in an attempt to provide nutrition to people in need of a hot meal or groceries.

"It has to start with food," Julio Alonso, executive director of Hoosier Hills Food Bank, said of helping people.

Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, left, and Regan Herr, communications director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture tour the Monroe County United Ministry's food bank on Nov. 23. The tour was part of a visit by workers from the state agency that provides funds to Hoosier Hills Food Bank and its agencies.

More: Hoosier Hills Food Bank's efforts help food insecure in 6 Indiana counties

From kids who get a snack or meal from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington to seniors being fed through IU Health Hospice, the goal is to provide food to anyone who needs help. Some food pantries are offering drive-through times for people to pick up food  for a day, a couple days or a week to feed one person or a family.

Other pantries supply more or offer classes.

Salvation Army

Salvation Army in Bloomington helps fill in the hygiene gap by offering a box of dishwashing and laundry soap as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and body soap. The boxes are normally handed out every three months or so, according to Monica Clemons, social service director. Hygiene products are often expensive and also overlooked items that are necessary.

"We have a pretty small food pantry," Clemons said. "The people we work with the most are the people who are on fixed income  seniors, single parents trying to stretch a dollar."

Clemons said Salvation Army does supply food to people who are homeless but that's just a small portion of the community they serve. Most clients are senior citizens or people with disabilities, she said.

Mother Hubbard's Cupboard

Across town is Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, a food pantry that has eight full-time and five part-time workers. Before the pandemic, the Hub  as it's often called  served almost 4,000 people each week. Last month, former executive director Amanda Nickey talked about her 12 years at the agency.

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"It's been steady for us," Nickey said about the number of people The Hub has been serving in the past few months. As the holidays approached, the number of people began picking up, she said, recalling that when the pandemic hit, "It was insane."

For the first few months after COVID-19 hit, there were lines of vehicles out into West Allen Street, causing traffic issues and long hours of loading cars with boxes of food.

"I think the pandemic has shown how unsustainable our system is," Nickey said.

She believes advocacy for change is the only way to remedy the current and sustained problem with people not having enough food. She says the economy and health care systems need to change because what she has learned is that many people could be in line for groceries and other necessities if they suffer just one problem, such as losing a job or suddenly have a complication with their health.

"Many jobs can't sustain a family," Nickey said. "It shouldn't be that we are one accident or mishap away from not being able to pay for basic needs."

Nickey has developed educational programs about what causes generational poverty in families and how current government policies can "push people back into holes. We can make sure people have what they need today, but that's only one tiny piece at a time without a change in policy."

Nonprofits such as the Hub are not the solution to the problem, Nickey said, despite what some people would like to believe. Employees and students at Indiana University who work at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard learn about barriers that people in poverty face as well as the false assumptions most people have about people who need help.

"With the pandemic people are finding the true cost of things," Nickey said. "How you describe the problem is going to determine how you attack it and try to solve it."

At Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, partnerships with local farmers and nonprofits such as Farm to Family that supports both local farmers and food pantries has been one way Nickey has try to develop relationships that both supply food to people in need and funnel money to area farms. Those relationships have allowed the food pantry to take a more active part in the process, she explained.

"We talk about what patrons want and what they can grow for us this year and next," she said.

That provides more stability about what food will be available and who could become a food provider in an emergency situation, Nickey said. It's a program she hopes continues to grow and evolve as the new executive director, Megan Betz, takes the helm.

Ben Terhune loads bags of food into a vehicle during distribution at Pantry 279 in Ellettsville on Nov. 3, the day the pantry celebrated its sixth anniversary.

Pantry 279

Taking charge of supplying food to people in need wasn't what Cindy Chavez had planned when she helped her daughter's Girl Scout troop with what Chavez thought would be a short-term project to allow the Scouts to earn badges. But in November 2015, Chavez along with members of Girl Scout in troop 69-279, did just that.

The first week there were 33 people who visited the pantry, now known as Pantry 279, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ellettsville. For Thanksgiving this year, Chavez and volunteers handed out 1,844 boxes of food so 11,567 people would have a holiday meal.

Cindy Chavez hands out green cupcakes as part of the sixth anniversary celebration at Pantry 279 on Nov. 3. Since then, Chavez has managed the pantry's Thanksgiving meal distribution, provided pantry clients food boxes three days each week and paired children and volunteer "Santas" as part of this year's Elf Dispatch.

Pantry 279 now serves people in 32 Indiana counties, although most people who drive to the pantry are from Monroe and surrounding counties. The pantry was featured last month on CBS news channels after a producer in Los Angeles read a Herald-Times article about the pantry's need for Thanksgiving donations. After CBS aired the piece, Chavez received mostly financial donations from "far away places," including one woman from Illinois who had three big boxes of canned green beans sent by FedEx.

"I can't image how much that had to cost," said Chavez, who often works with Kroger and other grocery stores to purchase large amounts of canned goods for a discounted price.

Most days Chavez is too busy trying to keeps the shelves filled at the pantry to even think about policy changes and ways to improve systems to keep people better fed. She does, however, hear from clients who tell her they are working two or three jobs and still can't make it. Often they are struggling to pay for child care or to address large debts from medical issues or both.

Besides providing food, Pantry 279 also has an Elf Dispatch to provide toys and presents to kids up to age 18 who otherwise wouldn't have much in the way of presents to open on Christmas Day. Last year, there were 1,397 children who received presents from volunteer "Santas" as part of the dispatch. Chavez said there were 1,500 children this year. That number was reached within 48 hours.

Community Kitchen

While Pantry 279 provides the items that allows people to create their own meals, Community Kitchen of Monroe County provides prepared meals at its two Bloomington locations and one in Ellettsville. It also has a food truck that allows the agency to go where people are hungry.

"One of the things that The Hub has been more involved in is the advocacy piece," Vickie Pierce, executive director at Community Kitchen, told The Herald-Times recently. "We do have some differences in our clientele."

Pierce said most people who don't have food insecurity issues think it's the people "standing on the street corner with a sign" that come to Community Kitchen of Monroe County for meals.

Instead Pierce said her agency serves people and families who don't get the needed nutrition each day, even if they receive food stamps. Oftentimes the least expensive food and meals aren't the most nutritious, so people get enough calorie-wise but the food doesn't have the nutrition needed.

"Canned fruit in heavy syrup is often less expensive than actual fruit," Pierce explained.

The challenge Pierce believes our community faces is providing access to high quality food that has the nutritive value needed to people who can't afford it on their own. One of the ongoing issues that contributes to the problem is a lack of income for people who sometimes work two or three jobs.

"So much of our workforce is service-based and the cost of living is unnaturally high," Pierce said of the Bloomington area.

With the onset of COVID-19, those issues were even more apparent and affected more people. That's why Community Kitchen has continued to provide meals throughout the pandemic.

"We didn't close for a day during the pandemic," she said. "We figured it out every day as COVID went along.

"We tend to be people's last resort," Pierce said. "Food pantries see the spike in need more than a place like us, a food kitchen."

The people served at Community Kitchen are often unable to make a meal in a kitchen of their own, or have no money to do so. The meals served 4-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday are nutritious but are limited in what's offered: a main entree, two sides and a beverage. A vegetarian option is available at the Rogers Street location.

"It's like mom made you dinner and here it is," Pierce said. "We get people who are not able to prepare food for themselves, a lot are seniors. They get a warm meal here and use food stamps for breakfast and lunch items."

One part of Community Kitchen's outreach that came to a screeching halt when COVID hit was its kids' programs. Even so, the agency's Backpack Buddies program that provides a backpack with a meal did continue. Some families were able to pick up the backpacks while at school getting lunches. Others picked them up at the Rogers Street location.

"Basically, we looked for ways to keep programs going as best we could and look for other ways to help," Pierce said. "The biggest change was we had to close the dining room, so we switched to a carryout model."

The change added new expenses for Community Kitchen because it had to provide takeout containers for each meal. It also meant that some people who normally would get a second helping had to live with just one.

The dining room reopened in late spring and Pierce said they are starting to see more people stop by for a meal. She anticipates the numbers of people visiting will climb in 2022 when supplementary employment and food stamp benefits are slated to end.

Another portion of Community Kitchen's outreach that Pierce expects will serve more people in the coming year is the agency's food truck, which has been traveling to two or three different locations in the Ellettsville area. Most of the people it serves are senior citizens.

"Everybody loves a food truck. It's fun," Pierce said, adding that oftentimes lower-income people don't have the funds to purchase meals from food trucks. "We're reaching out to folks who might have trouble accessing us elsewhere, who are vulnerable populations. We work to get to them."

Pierce said 60% of the food served by Community Kitchen isn't served in one of its buildings, stating, "It's what goes out ... It's the backbone of what we do."

Pierce said Community Kitchen uses 100 volunteers each week, with 130 volunteers in the summer. With their help, the agency staff of 17 full- and part-time people gives out 300,000 meals a year, something Pierce believes is only possible because of a dedicated staff, board and volunteers.

"We're all in. We all trust each other," she said, adding the goal is to "protect ourselves and protect each other because people need us."

Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, center, and Regan Herr, communications director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, left, check out the handprints left by volunteers at the Monroe County United Ministry's food bank on Nov. 23. The tour was part of a visit by workers from the state agency that provides funds to Hoosier Hills Food Bank and its agencies.

Other agencies

Other agencies that provide food in Monroe County include New Hope for Families, which provides about 10,000 meals and snacks and has a food pantry on site; Monroe County United Ministries, which has a food pantry that includes food, cleaning and hygiene products, clothing and housewares; Area 10 Agency on Aging; Meals on Wheels; Wheeler Mission; Shalom Community Center; various pantries at area churches; and Bloomington and Perry township trustees.

All the agencies receive help from Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Each agency has a different role, addressing a different part of the puzzle in an effort to ensure no one goes without nutritious food. While that's been true for years, the food bank's Alonzo believes this past year it was even more important.

"It was absolutely critical to respond during this pandemic," he said.

Coming Wednesday: Megan Betz new leader of Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.

Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Pantries, kitchens, agencies help feed hungry people in Monroe County
(Getty/iStock)

Even as some women embrace their naturally silvering tresses  consider Miranda in the Sex and the City reboot, who abandons her trademark red in favour of a sleek grey bob  laissez-faire attitude isnt likely to extend to other changes women see in their hair as they get older.

Most people expect their hair to turn grey, but hair actually goes through myriad changes as we age, becoming less dense and more unruly, brittle and harder to grow long.

Thick, shiny hair is a hallmark of youth, says Dr Erika Schwartz, an integrative-medicine doctor who founded Evolved Science, a functional longevity practice in New York that provides a variety of treatments to deal with thinning and lacklustre locks. Like everything else in ageing, your hair suffers the consequences.

While many doctors are reporting a spike in thinning hair among patients who have had Covid-19 or are dealing with the stress of pandemic life (who isnt?), hair loss and textural shifts related to getting older require a different approach to treat effectively.

Aside from getting hair transplants, you cant just do something and stop, says Dr Gary Linkov, a hair restoration and facial plastic surgeon in Manhattan. You have to keep it up if you want to maintain your results.

Here, we answer some of the most pressing questions about whats going on with your hair and what treatments and products may actually be worth trying.

A lot of women have figured out what worked from them in their 30s, but then theyre hit with changes in their 40s and need to figure it out again

What exactly happens to hair as we get older?

For starters, theres a loss of melanin, which is why hair becomes grey or white, says Dr Marnie Nussbaum, a US dermatologist. When exactly that happens is often determined by genetics, as is whether or how much the hairline recedes or, as is more common for men than women, baldness occurs. Still, for almost everyone, the growth cycle slows, resulting in a longer resting, or telogen, phase of hair growth.

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At the same time, changes in the follicle make each individual strand of hair emerge from the scalp thinner in diameter  a process often referred to as miniaturisation. The collective result is overall more diffuse, thinner hair, Dr Nussbaum says.

But thats not all. Hormonal shifts  specifically in women, less estrogen and progesterone  also decrease the production of sebum, the natural emollient that coats hair and makes it appear shiny, Dr Schwartz says. And because hair isnt protected and moisturised, it is more prone to breakage and damage from heat styling and, say, colouring those greys.

Miranda (WarnerMedia Direct, LLC)

Since I hit 50, I cant grow my hair past my shoulders. What gives?

I tell my patients they arent imagining it: hair really does spend less time in the growth phase as we get older, says Dr Dendy Engelman, a dermatologist in Manhattan. Less time growing or more time resting means that the hair will likely fall out before it reaches the desired length, she adds.

KeepItAnchored, a line of hair-care products, including a leave-on scalp essence shampoo and conditioner, introduced by Procter & Gamble in 2020, is aimed specifically at helping the scalp hold on to hair longer by combating the effects of oxidative stress with antioxidants and zinc.

Think of your scalp like parched earth. When it is dehydrated, hairs become less rooted, says Jeni Thomas, a principal scientist at Procter & Gamble and a founder of KeepItAnchored. You cant control your age and you cant control your DNA, but you can control the scalp oxidative stress component of hair loss.

My hair is frizzy and unmanageable all the time. Should I switch products?

Possibly.

A lot of women have figured out what works for them in their 30s, but then theyre hit with changes in their 40s and need to figure it out again, says Debra Lin, a scientist, engineer and head of product and innovation for Better Not Younger, a line of supplements and hair-care products formulated to combat age-related hair concerns.

Lin recommends conditioners formulated with fatty acid-rich plant butters (think mango and macadamia nuts) and light oils made from sunflower seeds and camellias, for example, to smooth strands and decrease breakage without leaving hair looking greasy and limp.

(PA)

Argan Oil Taming Serum from Hair Biology, a Procter & Gamble line that targets women over 50, uses argan oil and silicones to improve manageability of haywire strands, another complaint of many in the 50-plus set.

We know that the fibre curvature of hair changes and gets less regular as we get older, but we dont know exactly why that happens  just that it happens, says Thomas, who is also a principal scientist behind Hair Biology.

John Barrett, a hairstylist who tends the trademark cuts of Martha Stewart and Hillary Clinton at his Manhattan salon, advises clients to wash their hair no more than twice a week with gentle shampoo and to sleep in hydrating hair masks to improve manageability and shine. His mantra: Do less.

Most hair problems are self-inflicted, Barrett says.

What about shampoos, supplements and serums? Do those things actually work?

They can, but choose wisely. Most specialty shampoos and serums, like the Scalp Stimulating Booster from Curlsmith, a hair-care line headquartered in Britain, work by improving blood flow to follicles. Curlsmiths serum includes ginger and guarana, which have been shown to improve circulation, says Afope Atoyebi, a trichologist in London who has consulted for the company.

(Getty)

Linkov underscored that the only topical solution with significant medical research behind it is minoxidil, sold under the brand name Rogaine, which works by dilating blood vessels and may extend hairs growth phase. Some doctors are also prescribing topical finasteride, traditionally taken as a pill and better known by the brand name Propecia, which blocks testosterone from converting to DHT, an androgen (male sex hormone) that is linked to thinning hair in both men and women.

Finasteride should not be taken by women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Dr Schwartz prescribes a compound serum made of finasteride, minoxidil and biotin to patients who are not going to become pregnant.

Supplements, likewise, can be helpful. Nutrafol, for example, makes a supplement that uses maca powder, saw palmetto and other ingredients to combat hair loss related to hormonal changes in perimenopause and menopause. Phase 1 of the companys clinical trial of the supplement was recently published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

It has robust clinical studies and a reputation for good results among dermatologists, says Dr Marina Peredo, a dermatologist in Manhattan and on Long Island.

Dr Engelman likes Prose, which makes supplements that are tailored to age, hair type, lifestyle and other factors, and the prescription drug spironolactone, which is an androgen blocker and can also help with acne.

I call it the beauty pill, she adds.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Photos have emerged apparently showing the aftermath of the reported attack in Hpruso township

International charity Save the Children has confirmed two of its staff members in Myanmar were killed in an attack it blames on the military.

More than 35 bodies, including those of women and children, were found in eastern Kayah state, the charity says.

It said troops had forced people from their cars, arresting some of them and killing others before burning their bodies.

The Myanmar military has denied the claims.

Save the Children said the two staff members killed were "both new fathers working on education for children". They were travelling home for the holidays after conducting humanitarian work.

In a tweet, the charity called on the UN Security Council to convene and take action to hold those responsible to account.

Following the reported attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the military had to be held accountable. He also called for a ban on arms sales to the Myanmar military.

Mass protests have taken place across Myanmar (also known as Burma) since the military seized control in February.

Elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party are among those detained.

Hundreds of people, including children, have been killed.

Photos showing the aftermath of the attack in Hpruso township have emerged in which the charred remains of vehicles are visible.

Map

The Karenni National Defence Force, one of the largest of the militias opposing the junta, said the dead were not militia members but civilians seeking refuge from the conflict.

"We were so shocked at seeing that all the dead bodies were different sizes, including children, women and old people," a commander from group told Reuters news agency.

A spokesman for Myanmar's military said fighting had broken out in Hpruso on Friday after its troops attempted to stop seven cars driving in a "suspicious way", according to AFP.

Troops had killed a number of people in the ensuing clash, spokesman Zaw Min Tun told the news agency on Saturday.
Hey, neighbors! I'm here with today's copy of the Five Towns Daily.

First, today's weather:

Variably cloudy and milder. High: 48 Low: 42.

Here are the top four stories in Five Towns today:

A Valley Stream man was arrested after Nassau police found him with a gun in a North Woodmere park on Sunday. Matthew David Sheinin, 19, was found with a Sig Saug 9mm gun, according to police. (LI Herald) Some residents in Island Park and Oceanside are upset that they haven't been notified about when a $17 million Nassau County road project would begin and other updates on its progress. The project will rebuild a 1.4-mile stretch of Austin Boulevard to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety, drainage and storm resiliency. (Subscription: Newsday) Flights continued to be canceled on Monday due to omicron-related staffing shortages. American Airlines joined United Airlines, Delta and JetBlue in having to cut flights this week. (News 12) A winning Powerball lottery ticket worth $50,000 was sold at MAB Finer Wines and Spirits on Merrick Avenue in East Meadow. (News 12)

Today's Five Towns Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Five Towns!

Today in Five Towns:

New York State's new online portal to find COVID-19 testing at 13 new sites around the state is live here.

From my notebook:

Rocco and Vincenza Tomassetti, both shot by their son Dino Tomassetti on Christmas morning in Hewlett Harbor, have had surgery to treat their injuries. The father is said to be in more serious condition. (New York Post)

House shopping in Island Park? In the last year, the 129 home sales had a median sale price of $599,000 . Buyers are attracted to the waterfront access, beaches and restaurants. (Subscription: Newsday)

Nassau County Police Department K-9 Shammy thanked the local children who sent cards to him and other K-9s with Beyond the Badge NY's Cards for Cops. (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update!

 Jackie

This article originally appeared on the Five Towns Patch
The 2022 Naples Winter Wine Festival, under the theme Twenty Twenty Twogether, runs Jan. 28-30.

The 22nd annual event marks a return to an in-person format after the team pivoted to a virtual presentation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fundraiser, since its 2001 inception, has raised nearly $220 million for the Naples Children & Education Foundation.

Restaurant news: The Vine Room is a 'toast to the past' in Naples

From October: Naples Winter Wine Festival announces first of 2022 lots

The foundation's vice-chair and founding trustee, Valerie Boyd, has watched the festival evolve through the decades around one central tenet: a promise to help children.

What is incredibly amazing to me is the generosity of the new trustees over the years who came into the Naples Winter Wine Festival, the Naples Children & Education Foundation, with the same commitment, their heart power, their soul power, their brainpower, to keep that promise, Boyd said. Theyre committed to the promise to make a profound difference in the lives of children.

Since its start, more than 50 organizations have received grants from the foundation, including Better Together, Champions For Learning, Grace Place for Children and Families, and St. Matthews House, among others.

The events leadership projects Januarys festival attendance at 650 people bidding for 44 auction lots. Its fewer than the 60 or so lots the festival averages, which foundation CEO Maria Jimenez-Lara attributes in part to the ongoing challenges of travel.

We also found that through our virtual activity, we had an incredible call to action and people seemed to be very, very willing to give generously to our paddle raise, she said of the fundraisers final effort. Our objective is to raise a little bit more money in that area to complement the money we will raise in the auction lots.

Though the team opted for fewer lots, they bulked up that smaller selection. The first lot, for example, which traditionally has been a magnum of wine from each participating vintner, now includes much more. Winning bidders will receive the magnums, but also a 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition.

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Not a typical turn for us, but I think it might create some competition and excitement, Jimenez-Lara said.

While all money raised during the festival goes directly toward the foundations efforts, the donations are somewhat split. Money from auction lots benefits the foundations seven strategic initiatives: early learning, healthcare, hunger, mental health, oral health, out-of-school time and vision. However, the money raised from the festivals final effort, the paddle raise dubbed Raise the Grade, will go toward the foundation's education initiatives.

Kids have had it tough in the last year and a half. Its going to take a lot of investment, and its going to take a lot of time and energy to catch up, Jimenez-Lara said.

Nancy Oakes of Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco will serve as chef de cuisine of the festival in addition to 16 other acclaimed chefs and 21 vintners.

The foundations board chairman Paul Hills said his passion is fueled by the measurable effect their fundraising has for kids in Collier County.

Every penny raised at that auction under the tent goes directly to the children, he said.

Moreover, he pointed to his teams effort to make it possible.

The harder you work at something, generally speaking, the better the outcome is going to be, Hills said. I can factually tell you, since the virtual auction last year was over, we have been working very hard on this years auction.

Tickets for the event begin at $15,000. For complete information on auction lots, participating vintners and chefs, visit napleswinefestival.com.

Andrew Atkins writes about food and features for the Naples Daily News. Contact him via email at andrew.atkins@naplesnews.com. To support work like Andrew's, please consider subscribing: https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples Winter Wine Festival returns in January
Texas Tech's Davion Warren (2) talks to Adonis Arms (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Eastern Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson) ORG XMIT: TXBT109

It's been a while.

After a short holiday break, the Texas Tech men's basketball team returns to the court to complete the first portion of its regular season schedule.

The itinerary will ramp up for the Red Raiders, starting with a 1 p.m. Tuesday home contest against Alabama State to close out the nonconference portion of the slate.

The game was moved up to help accommodate fans who wanted to watch the Tech football team play in the Liberty Bowl later in the afternoon.

Prior to the bowl game, the Red Raiders (9-2) will go through their final tune-up before entering Big 12 Conference play.

But before any of that can be on the mind, Texas Tech needs to focus on what went well in a 78-46 win over Eastern Washington less than a week ago and make sure that carries over in its matchup with the Hornets.

A welcomed Christmas gift: No. 25 Red Raiders establish dominance in paint, down Eagles

"What a great Christmas that is for me and the entire team," Adams said Dec. 22 following a win over Eastern Washington. "We were in the giving spirit, we shared the ball and defensively we were helping each other. I was very pleased with the teamwork that we had today."

Texas Tech had four players finish in double figures, led by Adonis Arms and Bryson Williams, who each netted 12 points in the victory over the Eagles.

Arms has finished with double-digit point totals in his last three games, starting in two of those contests, while Williams snapped a streak of four games in which he did not eclipse double figures.

More so, other players stepped up without Terrence Shannon Jr., who has not been in the lineup due to lingering back spasms. Shannon has missed the last two games due to the back spasms, while Mylik Wilson is looking to get back in uniform following minor knee surgery.

More: Texas Tech women's basketball cancels Wednesday game due to COVID-19

Texas Tech's Kevin McCullar (15) dunks the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson) ORG XMIT: TXBT103

"He's day-to-day, but we think he'll be ready right after Christmas to play," Adams said of Shannon's status back on Dec. 22.

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Kevin Obanor (11 points, seven rebounds, career-high four assists) and Kevin McCullar (10 points, three rebounds) also aided on the offensive end in the win over the Eagles.

"I think in any sport, you have to deal with adversity," Adams said. "Those come through injury, and we've had our share. But I think we've handled it well. Looking forward to getting Mylik (Wison) and T.J. (Shannon) back.

"At the same time, I thought our other guys did a great job of filling in and covering for them. Was pleased that our guys did that."

Alabama State (1-10) battled No. 17 Texas before falling 68-48 in Austin.

Gerald Liddell, who leads the team with an 11.4 points per game average, ended with 16 points against the Longhorns. Juan Reyna was the other player that cracked double digits with 10.

Altered schedule

Texas Tech was slated to host Oklahoma State in a New Year's Day contest, but things changed.

Due to COVID protocols within the Cowboys basketball program, the Red Raiders-OSU contest has been pushed back to a 6 p.m. Jan. 13 contest.

The result means Texas Tech begins its Big 12 Conference fight with an 8 p.m. Wednesday road contest against No. 8 Iowa State in Ames.

TEXAS TECH VS. ALABAMA STATE

When: 1 p.m. Wednesday

Where: United Supermarkets Arena

Records: Texas Tech 9-2; Alabama State 1-10

Online stream: ESPN+

Radio: FM 97.3

Game coverage: Follow @byStephenGarcia on Twitter for live updates, with postgame recap and interviews to follow on www.lubbockonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: No. 25 Red Raiders look to knock off rust against Alabama State
MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

South Central District Judge David Reich sentenced Chad Isaak, 47, to consecutive life terms for each of his four murder convictions. One of Isaak's lawyers had asked Reich to allow for the possibility of parole.

Isaak, wearing a blue mask, stood still and stared straight ahead as the judge delivered his verdicts. Before learning his fate, Isaak briefly addressed the court, saying, I can honestly tell you Im not a murderer, and thats all I have to say.

A jury in August found Isaak guilty of killing RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42; Bill Cobb, 50; and his wife, Lois Cobb, 45.

The four were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019, inside the property management companys building in Mandan, a city of about 20,000 people across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Investigators said the victims were stabbed more than 100 times, total.

Before Reich sentenced Isaak, family members of the victims were allowed to address the court.

Robert Fakler's wife, Jackie Fakler, called Isaak a coward who didn't give the victims a chance to flee or fight.

You have made me hate, she said.

Jackie Fakler also read victim impact statements from the Cobb family, who couldn't make the hearing because of bad weather.

Jamie Binstock, a daughter of Robert and Jackie Fakler, told the court that Isaak is a heinous individual who should spend the rest of his life in prison and experience a lifetime of suffering and nightmares.

I do not want your life to end. Your family does not need to suffer the same way we did, Binstock said.

North Dakota doesnt have the death penalty.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours at the end of the nearly three-week trial before it convicted Isaak of murder, burglary, unlawful entry into a vehicle, and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

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Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, lived at a Washburn property that the company managed, but authorities never established a motive for the killings.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged during his opening statement. But he maintained that investigators didnt seriously consider other possible suspects, including people who had either been evicted, sued or fired by RJR.

The defense also argued that police failed to check out the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Fakler.

I wanted you to know that these four individuals were wonderful people, Jackie Fakler said to Isaak. I thoroughly loved my husband and I forgive him.

In asking the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole, prosecutor Gabrielle Goter said Isaak is a danger to the community who hasnt shown any remorse for the crimes, which she said were preplanned and premeditated. The judge agreed.

Prosecutors during trial showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup truck from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the killings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer had planned out the attack.

Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers matched fibers taken from Isaaks clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaaks truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his washing machine and gun parts found in his freezer.

___

This story was updated to correct that the prosecutor who asked the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole was Gabrielle Goter, not Karlei Neufeld.

___

Associated Press writer Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, contributed to this report.
Good day, people of Mentor! You've made it to Tuesday. Let's see what's happening around Mentor.

First, today's weather:



Snow and rain. High: 39 Low: 37.

Here are the top stories in Mentor today:

1. New Ohio Laws Going Into Effect Jan. 1, 2022: Upcoming laws in Ohio include new Congressional districts, protections for children who are born alive after a failed abortion and more. (Patch.com)

2. Cleveland Airport Delays: Flights Grounded By Omicron COVID-19: More than 8,000 flights to, from and inside the United States, including at Cleveland Hopkins Int'l, have been canceled due to COVID-19. (Patch.com)

3. Rain, Snow In The Forecast This Week For Lake County: For your News Year's Day, showers are likely during the day and night in Cuyahoga County.

Today's Mentor Daily is brought to you in part by Newrez, a leading nationwide mortgage lender. Make a smart move for your future and refinance with Newrez today. Call 844-979-1707 to connect with a Newrez loan officer. Newrez, LLC (NMLS #3013)

From my notebook:



Mentor Marsh: "We didnt luck out finding an owl on our Christmas Bird Count yesterday at the Marsh, but we sure did find evidence of one! Owls consume prey and regurgitate or cast the indigestible pieces and parts, like bones, fur and even feathers in a pellet form. This one isnt very fresh as it is falling apart, but do you see the bones, teeth and feathers in there?" (Facebook)

Mentor Public Library: "Due to a current staffing shortage and COVID-19, the Main Branch will be open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday this week (the week of Dec. 27). The other branches are slated to be open their regular hours those days.

If additional changes become necessary, we'll update our website and social media to inform you. We apologize for the inconvenience.Finally, all of our branches will be closed from Friday, Dec. 31, to Sunday, Jan. 2, in commemoration of New Years Day." (Facebook)

Story continues

Loving the Mentor Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe

Get your local business listed in front of readers

Send a news tip or suggestion to chris.mosby@patch.com

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.



 Nikki Gaskins

This article originally appeared on the Mentor Patch
Not every filmmaker can boast to inspiring an official act of Congress. But that's what Oliver Stone accomplished 30 years ago when JFK premiered in movie theaters on Dec. 20, 1991. Cowritten and directed by the Oscar-winning Platoon helmer and starring Kevin Costner as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, the movie offered an alternative explanation for the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Drawing from Garrison's own real-life investigation, JFK moves the spotlight off of lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald and points it in the direction of a larger conspiracy that reached into the highest levels of the U.S. government and intelligence agencies.

Skillfully blending fact and fiction, Stone crafted a film that made moviegoers question the historical record  and those moviegoers included members of Congress. The year following JFK's release, Congress passed the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act, which moved up the date when government files related to the assassination would be released publicly from 2029 to Oct. 26, 2017. The act also created the JFK Assassination Records Review Board, an independent agency that had the power to re-examine the unreleased assassination-related files.

"What happened as a result of the film was a new investigation," Stone tells Yahoo Entertainment now. "[The board] had the power to declassify files and they had the power to call people back. From 1994 to 1998, a lot of people came back and gave testimony that didn't match what was said earlier. And also they called new witnesses. They couldn't get very far ... [because] they were blocked by the CIA and the Secret Service. It was not the cooperation you'd want; they didn't really want to know who killed him." (Watch our video interview above.)

Kevin Costner and Oliver Stone on the set of JFK, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. (Photo: Warner Bros./ Courtesy: Everett Collection)

Former President Donald Trump was in the Oval Office when the October 2017 deadline rolled around, and while he did approve the release of thousands of documents, he was reportedly pressured by the FBI and CIA to withhold additional files. The following year Trump gave the greenlight for the release of nearly 20,000 more documents, and imposed a new deadline of Oct. 26, 2021 for the remaining records.

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In October, President Joe Biden once again delayed the release of those files until December 2022, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, Biden did make almost 1,500 new documents available to the public, but experts found little new information of note among them.

Stone has his own theories about why the government has been slow to release the remaining 10,000 files related to the assassination. "I think they were shocked that we were able to piece together [a lot] from these files that they released, 60,000 pages or so," the director says. "People like [former Assassination Records Review Board member] Doug Horne really went through the material and understood its implications."

"In fact, that's maybe the reason they slowed down the process," Stone continues. "Trump said he was going to release them ... and then he backed down. And now Biden  who's an Irish Catholic for Chrissake, you'd think he'd like Kennedy  he didn't release them ... because of COVID. They realize maybe that there is a huge community of researchers and people who care and they actually read [the documents] and study them."

Oliver Stone at the Rome Film Fest 2021 in October. (Photo: Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Stone himself poured through the recently declassified files in the process of making his recent Showtime documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. But he declines to speculate on what information might be in the documents that remained sealed. "I'll leave that to the specialists," he says. "You have to be Sherlock Holmes on this case. You have to put it altogether, because it's an accretion of evidence as we showed in our film."

In a wide-ranging conversation marking the 30th anniversary of JFK, Stone reflects on Kennedy's legacy, how the JFK case "nearly broke" the real Jim Garrison, and why he thinks America is a "dumb country" when it comes to how we're educated about our history.

Yahoo Entertainment: I think it's safe to say you touched a raw nerve in this country when you made JFK in 1991. Were you aware of the ruckus you were about to raise?

Oliver Stone: No, I thought it would get by! I thought it was a high-tension thriller with a political angle. I didn't realize the emotions that the Kennedy character would bring out. I guess there was a bigger change in the country going on than I even knew. I was a teenager in the 1960s, so I remember it was turbulent, but at the same time time I didn't realize the implications of the situations John F. Kennedy was getting into and changing. He was beginning to change many things, and you can't do that in this country.

As a result, I saw a bigger picture with all the ruckus: People really had an objection to him and what he was doing, and that's the reason they would kill him. Because he was changing too much. He was like Franklin Roosevelt, and Roosevelt was a very controversial president. People hated him and loved him, and the same thing was true for Kennedy. He was starting to make big moves with Cuba and Vietnam and Civil Rights, and the rest of the world, too. He was very much an anti-colonialist ... and a man who was loved by ordinary people. They saw something special in his eyes when he spoke, and he spoke beautifully.

Kevin Costner's closing speech still holds up so well. How many times did you rewrite it? It's your summation of the film's case in a lot of ways.

There's a lot of me in that, but I also used parts of Garrison's real final speech. It's a good wrap-up: I love speeches like that. I always have a speech in my films, even my first movie, Salvador. James Woods lectures the CIA guys on how what they're trying to do in El Salvador is another Vietnam. You have to make your point. On Salvador, I didn't think I'd make another film, because I'd been up and down in my career and I'd been labeled a terrorist or a rebel. So I said, "If I'm not going make another film, I want do it right." And it worked! But then I kept doing it, and JFK was the biggest gamble of all. I wasn't sure that I would be accepted after the film.

I understand that you considered Marlon Brando for the role of Mr. X, which Donald Sutherland plays in the movie. Did you actually meet with him?

Oh yeah. It was a strange meeting: [Brando] was far, far along in his eccentricity at that point. I enjoyed the meeting very much; he was a wonderful man. But he was not right for the role, and he knew it when he read it. He doesn't talk like that  you have to have a pile driver like Donald Sutherland, who is very bright and a man who can chew up long dialogue scenes and spit them out and make them work. Sutherland is a serious guy: He's the kind of guy you'd want in an intelligence agency. Brando would have been looking at cue cards the whole time!

The late John Candy gives one of my favorite performances in JFK. Did he ever express the desire to do more dramatic roles as opposed to the comedies he was better known for?

Not really, no. He was so f****** nervous to make the movie. He was sweating! You had to love John, but he had never done something like this, so he was really nervous. He thought he'd f*** it up for me. But we got through it, and he did a great job.

Costner explains the "magic bullet" theory in a courtroom scene from JFK. (Photo: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)

One of the things I really like about the film is the way you depict how Garrison loses track of his family in his single-minded dedication to the Kennedy case. Do you see his story as an example of the dangers of conspiratorial thinking?

Listen, it almost broke him. Jim was a very strong man, and they characterize him as a buffoon working for glory. But he was a really serious man who was a fighter pilot in World War II and was also a judge and the district attorney of New Orleans. The CIA took on the Jim Garrison file and went after him, and they're pretty good when they go after somebody. We say very clearly in the movie that he doesn't have much to go on because his witnesses are being killed. David Ferrie dies and Guy Bannister dies, and these were key guys that were around Oswald in the summer of 1963 in New Orleans.

Jim knew something was going on, but he had to reach. When he brought the case against Clay Shaw, who was a real contract agent. We proved that with the declassified file we finally found. When he went up against Clay Shaw, the upper class of New Orleans society really came down on him. But the truth is that Shaw lied his way through the trial. The judge in the trial later told me, "I never believed a word he said." He was a smooth operator, but also the key to the case.

Jim lost the trial and I showed all that in the film. I didn't mince words  he failed. You see him walking out feeling like he's failed, but he's going to go on searching for the truth. So there's no manipulation there of the Garrison story. He gave us an opening into the autopsy and also gave us the Zapruder film. Without those, you can't build a case.

In the thirty years since JFK, it's fair to say we're in a time where mistrust of the government is potentially higher than it's ever been. What do you think it's going to take to restore trust in government?

That's a very good question. You know, John Kennedy was the last American president who took on the military industrial complex and he took on the intelligence agencies. That you have to realize: No one has been able to cross that line  they've all stayed way. What annoys me the most in our national dialogue is that we don't have a president who is eloquent about peace and what it means. We need peace in the world. America's devoted to enemies ... but frankly it's a very dangerous way to exist as a government.

We have to change policy 180 degrees. We have to get along with people and coexist on Earth. We have a huge battle on climate change ahead of us, and if we could get the Russians and the Chinese to cooperate, together we can really clean up a lot of the carbon dioxide on the planet. That's what my next documentary is about. It's a shame that we're narrow-minded and we still exist in this World War II ideology of good guy and bad guy. It's really a dumb country, and we're dumb about education.

We don't even have our history right. I did a series called The Untold History of the United States trying to set right some of those myths. It's hard to get through: You see, the textbook business is controlled by two big publishers states, Texas and California, so they control what you learn. And then on TV, it's sanitized. So the long term solution is education.

Stone and Josh Brolin on the set of W. (Photo: Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection)

You've made movies about JFK, Nixon and George W. Bush. Do you think you'll make the Trump movie or an Obama movie?

I think three is enough! [Laughs] I did three Vietnam movies, three president movies and three crime movies. So I don't know. I do want to make another movie. I can't tell you what it is, but I'm working on it!

JFK is currently streaming on HBO Max.

 Video produced by Olivia Schneider and edited by Luis Saenz
PORTLAND, OR  The omicron variant is more transmittable and has been spreading faster than previous variants of COVID-19. That has health officials across the state  and most of the country  urging vaccinated people to get booster shots.

They add that if for some reason you haven't been vaccinated, you should do that a.s.a.p.. And then get a booster shot.

The Oregon Health Authority says that there are roughly 1 million Oregonians who are eligible for the vaccinated who have not had any shots.

There are several locations set by the state that are considered "high volume" because they can provide all three vaccines, booster shots, and provide the shots for all people who are eligible.

The area high volume locations in the region are:

Marion County, Oregon Health Authority Warehouse, 3455 Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem

Open every Monday through Saturday, 12 to 7 p.m.

Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 25

Learn more on the Marion County Public Health website.



Multnomah County, former Kmart building, 440 NW Burnside Rd., Gresham

Open every Monday through Saturday, 12 to 7 p.m.

Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 25

Site closing Dec. 30 and relocating to Multnomah Greyhound Park. Opening date TBD

Learn more on the Multnomah County Public Health website. And



Washington County, Tektronix, 14200 SW Karl Braun Drive, Building 58, Beaverton

Open every Monday through Saturday, 12 to 7 p.m.

Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed Dec. 23 through Dec. 26

Learn more on the Washington County Public Health website.

The state also set up a vaccine and testing service locator on their website.

People can also schedule shots through several commercial locations such as:

This article originally appeared on the Portland Patch
HOPEWELL  A Petersburg resident is now in custody charged in the Dec. 25 shooting death of a man in the city's eastern end.

Armani Maxwell Myrick, 21, was arrested without incident early Tuesday morning in northern Virginia by U.S. marshals. He has been charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, breaking and entering, and other weapons-related charges.

Myrick is charged with the killing of Ishmael Simmons, 35, who was found dead in a residence on Davis Lane early Christmas morning. A person who claimed they were in the house when the shooting took place called police after fleeing the scene with children.

According to those reports, the shooting happened after an apparent argument involving the suspect and victim. Police have not disclosed the nature of the argument.

We want to thank the community as a whole for their support of our detectives and officers who worked tirelessly through the weekend; its important our citizens know that the partnership with our community does not take a break on weekends, holidays, or after hours. interim police chief A.J. Starke said in a statement released by the department.

The investigation into the shooting death is ongoing. Anyone who may have information is asked to contact Hopewell Police's criminal investigations unit at (804) 541-2284 or Hopewell-Prince George Crime Solvers at (804) 541-2202. Info may also be shared through the P3Tips mobile app.

Crash victims ID'ed: Hopewell Police ID victims of fatal Christmas Day crash. Charge is filed against driver.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is daily news coach for USA TODAY's Southeast Region-Unified Central, which includes Virginia, West Virginia and central North Carolina. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell Police arrest suspect in connection with Christmas Day murder
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection identified 89 cruise ships with Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, nearly all of which have met the threshold for a formal investigation.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal urged cruise companies and health agencies to stop ships from sailing, saying they are repeating recent history as petri dishes of Covid-19 infection. Operators such as Carnival Corp. have implemented safeguards including mandatory masking and proof of vaccination, but the fast-spreading omicron variant has triggered an increasing number of infections and reports of ships being turned away at ports.

Time for CDC & cruise lines to protect consumers & again pausedocking their ships, Blumenthal said in a tweet.

Roger Frizzell, a spokesperson for Carnival, said in an email that our health and safety protocols put in place have proven to be effective time and time again over the past year with our sailings being restarted across each of our brands.

Of the 86 cruise ships under investigation by the CDC, Carnival operates 32, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates 25 and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. operates 15. Four ships operated by Walt Disney Co.s Disney Cruise Line are now also under watch, according to the CDC website. The list is rapidly changing and the next stage for ships with outbreaks could involve taking additional public health measures.

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney Cruise Line and Viking Cruises didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Health and safety is the cruise industrys highest priority, said Bari Golin-Blaugrund, a spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, in an email. In fact, the latest data show that cases have occurred less frequently on cruise ships than on land, with a greater proportion of asymptomatic or mild cases.

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Shares of cruise operators rebounded Tuesday along with the travel sector. As of 12:35 p.m. New York time, Carnival was up 1.2%, Royal Caribbean gained 0.4% and Norwegian was little changed. Of the three, only Royal Caribbean shares have had positive returns this year and they have significantly trailed the broader market, up less than 6% year to date compared to a 27% gain in the S&P 500 Index.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Dec. 28EAU CLAIRE  A Prescott man who was trying to evade Eau Claire police during a foot chase Christmas morning was caught after he got stuck in a bush while running through residential yards, authorities say.

The man had just been released from a Minnesota jail and had a significant amount of cocaine in his pocket, police said.

David D. Lunde, 25, was charged Monday in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer and carrying a concealed weapon.

A $1,500 cash bail was set for Lunde, which prohibits him from drinking alcohol, entering taverns or having contact with anyone involved in illegal drug activities. He must also maintain absolute sobriety.

Lunde returns to court Feb. 21.

According to the criminal complaint:

An Eau Claire police officer was on patrol at 1:15 a.m. on Christmas Day in the area of Clairemont Avenue and Rudolph Road when he noticed a vehicle make an improper turn. The vehicle also had a burned out tail lamp and a rear bumper that was held up by a bungee cord.

The officer attempted to make a traffic stop and activated his squad car's emergency lights at Clairemont Avenue and Patton Street.

The vehicle got to East Lexington Boulevard and then sped up in an apparent attempt to flee from the officer, who then also activated his siren.

The vehicle ran a stoplight on Clairemont Avenue and turned onto Rudolph Road, where it reached speeds as high as 60 mph.

The vehicle eventually stopped at Ohm Avenue and Agnes Street, where the driver and passenger got out and fled on foot.

Both men could be seen running through residential back yards between Ohm and Valmont avenues.

An officer yelled at the male passenger to stop running. He continued to run, jumped into a bush and got stuck. The man was unable to get out of the bush on his own.

The officer pointed his pistol at the man and ordered him to show his hands and get out of the bush. The man showed his hands but said he was not able to get out of the bush. The officer grabbed the man's arms and pulled him out of the bush.

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The officer placed the man in handcuffs and identified him as Lunde. The officer found a plastic bag containing 25 grams of cocaine in Lunde's pocket.

Officers searched the vehicle Lunde fled from and found an 8-inch knife.

Lunde was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire for observation and then to the Eau Claire County Jail.

At the jail, Lunde told officers he had just been released from Washington County in Minnesota, where he had been arrested for drug possession and operating while intoxicated.

Lunde is being prosecuted as a repeat offender. He was convicted of a felony count of possession of methamphetamine in April 2018 in Wood County.

If convicted of the felony charge, Lunde could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
A cold case more than 20 years old has finally been solved in the death of a teenage girl, with her alleged killer finally behind bars, cops said.

Jason Tibbs, a 38-year-old man from Indiana, is accused of killing then 16-year-old Rayna Rison back in 1993, the AP reported.

Risons disappearance gained national attention and was featured on Americas Most Wanted. Her car was found empty just a few miles outside of LaPorte, Indiana. A month later, fishermen found Risons body in a pond a few miles away from the car.

Following a lead, detectives questioned a former friend of Tibbs, Eric Freeman, two months ago. Freeman told police he had driven Tibbs to Risons workplace at the Pine Lake Animal Hospital, where he watched the two argue.

As the argument progressed, Rison and Tibbs allegedly began hitting each other before Tibbs allegedly strangled Rison to death in the car Freeman was driving, according to WLS.

With a suspect finally in custody, Risons parents are grappling with the news.

The problem right now is our emotions are running on overload since we got the news, they said in an interview with ABC57. We actually didnt know him that well. We knew who he was and that he was a friend of Raynas.

Parents, hug kids before you go out the door, father Bennie Rison said in 1993. Believe me, you dont know how much I miss that.

CORRECTION: This story has been amended to reflect uncertainties about the relationship between Rison and Tibbs and to correct details about the evidence surrounding Risons killing.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Washington Post

Coronavirus cases have been reported on every cruise ship sailing with passengers in U.S. waters. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all 92 ships with passengers have met the threshold for investigation by the public health agency. In every case, the CDC has either started an investigation or has investigated and continues to observe the ship.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. The number of ship
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Buccaneers (still) receiver Antonio Brown stayed silent (for the most part) until last night. Now, hes saying plenty about the disintegration of his relationship with the team. Among the disintegrated relationships? The one that brought him to Tampa in the first place, the connection to quarterback Tom Brady. A Thursday morning social-media barrage from AB [more]
Despite the rain, Rochester's Main Street Santa brings joy to Rochester Public Library.

ROCHESTER - Happy New Year to all our patrons from all of us at the Rochester Public Library! We will be closed on Friday, Dec. 31 and Saturday, Jan. 1 for New Year's and will reopen Monday, Jan 3 with our regular hours.

Artists wanted

Are you a local artist interested in exhibiting your work at the Rochester Public Library? We would love to hear from you! Please email a short bio with images of your work to RPLReference@rochesternh.net

Soundtrack music display

RPL Librarian Amy has put together an intriguing music display for this month. The CD display this month is all about soundtracks. RPL has everything from In the Heights, The Greatest Showman, Almost Famous, and A Star is Born, to Casablanca, Meet me in St. Louis and West Side Story. Soundtracks are a great way to get a sampling of music that can transport you to that time you first saw the movie.

The new Take It & Make It Craft for January is a Collage Rainbow at Rochester Public Library.

Program at the Rec

Our new Programming Librarian Abby will be holding a Health & Wellness workshop at the Rec Department on Monday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. This program does require registration which will be available on the library's website or call the library to sign up.

Movie and book recommendations

Main Desk Librarian, Emily has some great recommendations this week:

Promising Young Woman: This movie did not feel almost two hours long. A cunning, smart, and pretty woman leads a double life seeking revenge on those who wronged her. This movie is heart-breaking, but also redemptive and sharp.

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Words cannot explain my love for this book. I blew through it in three days and couldn't get to the end fast enough. An up-and-coming writer interviews a famous Hollywood actress, well known for the seven husbands she has had. It made my heart swell with love and shatter with heartbreak. I recommend this book to anyone who desires a book that will make them simultaneously cry and feel surges of love.

The Girl with the Blue Star: I listened to the audio book for this and all four voice actresses were excellent. I was shocked constantly throughout this book and on the edge of my seat. The author dangles a mystery from the beginning that is thankfully resolved in the end. This book is grand story of love and friendship in a terrible time.

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Childrens Room

Santas visit: Childrens Room Librarian Christina shares information about the recent Santa visit: The librarys annual Santa event was held last Saturday on an unseasonably wet morning. Santa visited with families outside the library on the lawn under a canopy. Children made a reindeer craft at a station manned by high school volunteers and Rochester Home Depot generously donated wooden Kids Kits for all in attendance.

Winter Story Time: Winter Story Time sign-ups are now open, but call 603-3357549 for more info or come to the library to register. Registration will remain open until Story Times are filled or through the first week of the Story Time session. The programs are free. Story Times begin the week of Jan. 10 and will run for six weeks.

Story Time will start in our meeting room and will last about 20 minutes. We will share three to four books alternating with fingerplays, songs, and movement, and then follow with a 30-minute Stay & Play in the Childrens Room. This time will be for children to participate in unstructured play and socialization, while adults can meet other families in the community.

Collage Rainbow Take It & Make It Craft: Families can pick up a kit beginning Saturday, Jan. 8 through Saturday, Jan. 15 or until they are gone. Pick-up times are during library open hours only. The kits will be inside the Childrens Room entryway. (One kit per child please.) Below is a list of basic supplies that you may need to complete the monthly projects. Many of them are probably things that are already in the home or easy to find. You may or may not be using every item listed.

Basic Supply List: Craft glue, white glue and/or a glue stick, scissors, transparent tape & masking tape (or washi tape), crayons, watercolor paints, acrylic/craft paints, assorted brushes, Markers (washable), Hot glue gun ( for ADULT use ONLY), White and assorted colored cardstock, construction paper, cardboard T.P. Tube, black permanent marker

Tech help for new (and old) devices

Did you get a new smartphone or tablet as a gift for the holidays but have some questions? Want help setting up Libby or hoopla to read or listen to free ebooks and audiobooks? Emerging Technology Specialist Jessica is here to help you if you need it! Give us a call to make an appointment at 603-332-1428 or Rplreference@rochesternh.net.

Contacting RPL: Visit the Librarys website: https://rpl.lib.nh.us/; Email the reference librarian: Rplreference@rochesternh.net; Message us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rplnh/

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rochester Public Library closed for New Year's Eve
A local resident on the Greek island of Evia holds a water hose during catastrophic wildfires in August (AFP via Getty Images)

For a long time, terms such as global warming, or climate change, have seemed to refer to a remote, somewhat abstract, issue for many populations  particularly those in wealthy nations.

Even as the rhetoric for describing the collapse of our planets weather systems has ratcheted up, with scientists deploying terms such as climate crisis, and environment emergency, to try to drive home the scale of the issue, the warnings have largely been regarded as being for the future.

The first wave of serious warnings about the climate and mankinds role in destabilising it came in the mid-20th century. But over 70 years later, many governments and businesses are still resisting pressure to rein-in the climate-altering greenhouse gases which are causing the problem.

As the impacts of the climate crisis have worsened over recent decades, public awareness of the unfolding calamities has risen slightly, but it has not kept pace with the scientific measurements. There has been a powerful disconnect between the plight of the natural world and our species place in it.

Sea levels are rising faster, sea ice is melting faster. Powerful storms are becoming more frequent, wildfires are consuming ever larger areas, and flooding is worsening.

While disaster in developing nations is routinely categorised in the collective public consciousness as unexceptional, 2021 may go down as the year wealthy nations woke up to the fact that the climate crisis is a major threat to them too.

Suddenly, it seems, extreme weather is affecting swathes of rich people, and with this change, the climate crisis has now arrived in the West.

No single extreme weather event is entirely attributable to the climate crisis, however the rising frequency and scale of disasters fit a pattern which scientists have said is in keeping with rising average global temperatures and the worsening climate crisis.

But even bearing that in mind, 2021 appeared apocalyptic, setting the alarm bells ringing louder and louder, with the World Meteorological Organisation stating in June, that 2021 is a make-or-break year for climate action, with the window to prevent the worst impacts of climate change  which include ever more frequent more intense droughts, floods and storms  closing rapidly.

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Heres what happened:

8 January: Met Office warns atmospheric carbon to soar

The years climate news kicked off with a grim warning from the UKs Met Office that the level of atmospheric carbon was on course to soar 50 per cent above what it was in the pre-industrial era, and exceed 417 parts per million (ppm). This proved to be the case as in June US authorities recorded highs of over 420ppm. It had taken over 200 years of industrialisation  until 1986  for levels to rise 25 per cent higher. It took little over 30 years to double this.

An unusual and persistent blizzard, brought by Storm Filomena blanketed large parts of Spain with snow, cutting off hundreds of roads, leaving four people dead, and trapping thousands in cars or at train stations and airports forced to suspend services.

(Getty)

The capital, Madrid, recorded its heaviest snowfall in 50 years, and called in the military to rescue people from vehicles trapped on everything from small roads to the citys major thoroughfares.

19 January: Storm Christoph UK

Hundreds of homes across the north and west of the UK were flooded and thousands evacuated during one of the wettest three day periods (from 18 - 20 January) ever recorded in the UK.

The flooding caused by the storm is a harbinger of worsening climate shocks in the UK, the chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd, told The Independent.

(Getty)

7 February: Himalayas rock and ice avalanche

An avalanche of rock and ice set off the chain of events that severely damaged two hydropower plants and left more than 200 people dead or missing in Uttarakhand, in India.

Subsequent research suggested the climate crisis had played a significant role, with scientists saying the retreat of glaciers can destabilise the mountain flanks and alter the hydrological, thermal and stress regimes of underlying rock.

9 February: Air pollution kills 1 in 5 globally

Air pollution from fossil fuels could account for nearly one in five deaths around the world, a study published in Environmental Research concluded.

The scientists found the pollution from fossil fuel burning accounted for around 10 million premature deaths in 2012, with the largest number of lives cut short in China and India.

31 January: Tropical Cyclone Ana hits Fiji

One of three tropical cyclones which hit Fiji at the end of January one after the other, tropical cyclone Ana killed one person, forced tens of thousands to evacuate and left millions of pounds of damage.

Over 2.5 million people were left without power after blizzards swept across the US, with Texas particularly hard hit, with the weather conditions shutting down the states fragile energy infrastructure.

Extraordinary satellite images revealed how the massive snowstorm blanketed more than 70 per cent of the US in snow, the widest coverage in at least 17 years.

Warm Arctic Polar Vortex (Houston Chronicle/AP)

In total, the storm left at least 223 people dead across the United States, with 210 of them in Texas, however subsequent estimations have put the death toll at over 700.

Despite the freezing conditions, a conspiracy theory emerged suggesting the snow was actually fake and government generated as part of a sinister plot instigated by shadowy elites to destabilise the country.

9 March: International concern over UK coal mine

During a tour to build support for tackling the environment emergency, US climate envoy John Kerry warned UK ministers to cut emissions amid growing international concern over plans for a major new coal mine in Cumbria.

Months ahead of the Cop26 climate summit Mr Kerry described coal as the dirtiest fuel in the world, and urged action from the worlds biggest polluters, including the UK, to take action.

10 March: UK government cuts duty on domestic flights

Eight months before hosting Cop26, Boris Johnson announced plans to cut duty paid by passengers on domestic flights, in a move critics said showed the UK government was making a mockery of our climate commitments.

15 March: Beijing hit by record dust storm

Hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools closed and air quality reached dangerous levels as the worst sandstorm in a decade hit the Chinese capital, with some describing it as life-threateningly bad.

(Getty)

At the end of March, New South Waless premier, Gladys Berejiklian said the state was experiencing a deep-seated, extreme weather event after massive storms swept the east coast of Australia, causing the Warragamba Dam to spill over and forcing thousands to evacuate and millions of Sydney residents to shelter in their homes.

To add to the carnage, a mini-tornado ripped through a western suburb of Sydney, damaging about 30 homes and cutting power for thousands.

Tropical Cyclone Seroja was a deadly tropical cyclone that brought historic flooding and landslides to areas in southern Indonesia and East Timor and subsequently made landfall in Western Australias MidWest. Over 150 people were killed in Indonesia, with landslides and flash floods forcing at least 22,000 people to evacuate their homes. In Australia, over 70 per cent of the buildings in the town of Kalbarri were damaged, and thousands were left without electricity and water, in what Western Australia premier Mark McGowan said was the worst cyclone to hit the country in decades.

28 April: Furore over Science Museum Shell sponsorship

Scientists, conservationists, environmental organisations and human rights NGOs were among the groups backing calls for a boycott of Londons Science Museums new exhibition on the climate crisis because of its sponsorship by Shell.

(PA)

Groups including Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and Global Witness all supported the boycott, with activists describing the deal as brazen greenwashing, and a board member at the museum stepped down over the controversy.

A mind-boggling heat wave in the Arctic broke temperature records in north-west Russia, meteorologists said.

Last Wednesday, the mercury rose above 30C in parts of the Arctic, significantly above the average for the time of year.

Late June  early July: Once in a millennium heat dome

All time temperature records were totally rewritten across much of North America and Canada as an extreme heat dome formed, breaking records on consecutive days as the heat climbed, reaching over 50C.

Scientists said the phenomenon was a 1,000-year weather event, made 150 times more likely by the climate crisis.

In Canada the town of Lytton hit 49.6C on 29 June. The following day 90 per cent of the town was destroyed by raging wildfires, in which two people were killed.

In the US, parts of California hit highs of 49C, while readings in Washington state hit 50.5C.

It was the deadliest weather event in Canadian history with around 1,000 deaths directly linked to the heatwave. In the US, around 450 people are thought to have died due to the extreme temperatures.

US scientists said according to existing meteorological science, the heatwave is basically impossible, and told reporters: We are entering uncharted territory.

Canada Wildfires

6 July: Bootleg Fire Oregon

Starting on 6 July and burning for around five weeks, the bootleg fire burned 413,765 acres (647 square miles) making it the third-largest fire in the history of Oregon since 1900. The blaze began amid high temperatures and was ignited by a lightning strike. Almost 70 houses were destroyed.

12 July: London Floods

On 12 July, a storm system which heavily impacted western Europe began its deluge over the south of the UK, with London particularly badly impacted . The rainfall was so intense that one months-worth of water plummeted from the sky in just over an hour.

A total of 47.8mm (2 inches) of rainfall in 24-hours was recorded in Kew, where the average monthly rainfall in July is just 44.5mm. Elsewhere there were reports of 3 inches of rain in 90 minutes.

(PA)

Homes were flooded, residents were evacuated from some areas, cars were submerged in water, and train and Tube services were severely disrupted as flooding on the lines caused cancellations and delays.

At Sloane Square in London, dramatic footage of water cascading down the stairs to the platforms showed the seriousness of the floods and highlighted the vulnerability of Londons infrastructure to extreme weather.

Experts told The Independent that due to the climate crisis, the atmosphere can, and in general does, hold more water, so the same rainstorm is going to give you that much more rain.

12  15 July: European floods

Germany and Belgium were among the hardest hit countries after heavy rainfall resulted in exceptional flooding which caused deaths and widespread damage. However, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland were all also affected.

Almost 200 people were killed in Germany, and Angela Merkel said the German language doesnt have words for the destruction thats been wreaked.

42 people were killed in Belgium.

(Getty)

It is thought the floods caused around $15bn in insured losses and property damage. The flooding was Germanys deadliest natural disaster in Germany since the North Sea flood of 1962.

20 July: Henan Province flooding China

Devastating floods in Henan Province followed weeks of heavy rain across the region, described as the heaviest in a thousand years. On 20 July, Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, recorded 201.9 millimetres (7.95 in) of rainfall within an hour. Horrifying footage revealed scenes of people trapped on the underground Metro railway system after it flooded, in which several people were killed.

In all, 302 people lost their lives due to the floods.

25 July: Belgium flooding

Just a week after intense flooding had already hit Belgium, another rainstorm brought yet more intense flooding to some parts of the country, washing away cars, and causing huge damage to buildings.

(Belga/AFP/Getty)

Hot on the heels of extreme flooding, other parts of Europe were hit by heatwaves which made them vulnerable to wildfires.

Fires erupted across large areas of North America, Siberia, eastern and central Mediterranean, and North Africa.

Augusts total estimated emissions were the highest of the year, with an estimated 378Mt of carbon released into the atmosphere globally. More than half of the emissions came from fires in North America and Siberia, two of the worst affected regions.

Late July-Early August: Wildfires in Greece and Turkey

Wildfires forced thousands of people to flee their homes in parts of Greece and Turkey, tearing through dry forests and causing what Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as a nightmarish summer.

(AFP/Getty)

In July and August 2021, a series of more than two hundred wildfires burnt 1,700 square kilometres of forest in Turkey  the worst in the countrys history.

At least nine people were killed in Turkey and three in Greece.

The target for limiting global heating set out in the Paris Agreement is slipping beyond reach, the worlds leading authority on climate science warns, with the crisis already affecting every region of the planet.

Some of the impacts, such as global sea level rise, could be irreversible for centuries to millennia, according to the most comprehensive assessment yet from the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

12 August: Sicily wildfires

After the island recorded Europes hottest-ever temperature, wildfires rapidly spread across the Italian island of Sicily, killing two people.

Flames destroyed trees and threatened homes in the centre and south of the region as more than 3,000 firefighters battled the blazes.

Meteorologists said the city of Syracuse, located on the islands south-east coast, recorded a temperature of 48.8C, setting a new European heat record.

115 people were killed in total and damage amounting to $65bn was caused by Hurricane Ida, which hit Jamaica, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and the US. It made landfall in the US in Louisiana, bringing winds of 150mph. It caused extensive flooding and a million people were left without power across the state. As it tracked North, the hurricane brought extensive flooding to New York City and New Jersey, killing 43 people.

(Getty)

The number of extreme weather disasters recorded across the globe has increased nearly fivefold in the past 50 years, driven by the climate crisis a major UN assessment stated in September.

A total of 771 disasters linked to climate, weather or water extremes were recorded from 1970 to 1979, the report said. From 2010 to 2019, 3,165 such disasters were recorded.

The world is not on course to reduce the emission of planet-heating greenhouse gases to net zero by the year 2050, and with emission levels still on the rise, urgent action must be taken by governments around the world, the International Energy Agency warned in October  just a month before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.

22 October: Nepal and India flooding

Almost 200 people were killed after heavy rains caused floods and landslides in Nepal and India after heavy rainfall which flooded roads, destroyed bridges and caused landslides which washed away several homes.

(AFP/Getty)

Hosted by the UK government in Glasgow, Scotland, with the aim of Keeping 1.5C alive, in reference to the average global temperature rise it would be best not to exceed by the end of this century, the global conference began with great expectations upon it.

While some progress was made, most notably in agreeing a more concerted phase out of coal, and greater effort to reverse deforestation, the commitments required to bring down fossil fuels from countries around the world were not agreed in line with a timescale which can keep temperature rises to 1.5C.

(PA)

According to Climate Action Tracker, the results of the summit mean the global temperature will rise by 2.7C by the end of the century with current policies. However, the temperature would rise by 2.4C if only the pledges for 2030 are implemented, or by 2.1C if the long-term targets are also achieved, and by 1.8C if all countries announced targets were fully achieved.

26 November: Storm Arwen

Three people were killed and tens of thousands of people were left without power for days after an extratropical cyclone, named Storm Arwen, brought winds of up to 100mph, rain and drifting snow to Britain which tore down powerlines, uprooted trees and damaged transport infrastructure.

The storm caused the greatest level of disruption to the country since 2005, but the government warned that the climate crisis meant such events will become increasingly common in future.
Shawnee resident Robert Owens recently returned to his hometown and opened McElyea and Owens Funeral Group in October.

According to Owens, the community has responded positively to his new facility, which he started with business partner Mike McElyea.

"Mike and I both came back to Shawnee to put this business in. We've been openly welcomed by the city of Shawnee, the Kiwanis Club and the churches have been very good to work with," Owens said. "We're thrilled to be back home."

Both Owens and McElyea worked in Shawnee and left the city for different reasons.

Owens moved to eastern Oklahoma with his wife to be closer to family.

"I worked for a funeral home out there and then eventually put my own funeral home in Henryetta that's still going strong," he said.

Shawnee resident Robert Owens, at far right, returned to his hometown to open his new funeral home McElyea and Owens Funeral Group. Also pictured from the business, from left, are John Winterringer, Bill Rosko and co-owner Mike McElyea.

He explained he retired from that business about two and half years ago and returned home after McElyea pitched the idea to open a funeral home in Shawnee.

"It just seemed like the right time and the right place. It just all came together nicely," he said.

McElyea and Owens have extensive backgrounds in funeral services.

Owens graduated from Shawnee High School in 1973 and attended Oklahoma Baptist University for a few years. He worked at The Shawnee News-Star for four years and attended The University of Central Oklahoma, where he received a degree for funeral services.

Owens said he was inspired by the funeral service industry after working with his father's business, which his father ran for 54 years in downtown Shawnee.

"After doing that for a while I accepted the market sales manager position with the corporate group that own the funeral homes here in Shawnee and I became a market sales manager," he said.

He explained he assisted with the marketing for 66 funeral homes and 13 cemeteries throughout Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas.

He eventually returned to Shawnee to manage two funeral homes and then moved to eastern Oklahoma.

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McElyea took over the funeral homes that Owens was managing after Owens moved to eastern Oklahoma and before he himself moved.

Then the two decided to return after several years away.

"It's kind of funny how we've come back together and come home together," he said. "What we find is that Shawnee has changed but it still has the same great people. I really like how Shawnee has changed."

For Owens, the best aspect of returning home is reconnecting with old friends.

"There's still a lot of people here that I went to high school with and it's just neat to get back together and visit with them," he said.

He explained it has been a challenge to start a new business, but his other business partner, John Winterringer and his family, have been helpful.

McElyea and Owens Funeral Group is located at 5106 N Harrison Street and offers various services.

The funeral director explained McElyea and Owens Funeral Group is unique to other funeral homes in Shawnee because it offers different services.

"What's interesting about our business is that many of the local funeral entities in this area are using outside services to actually make removals (when someone reports a death)," Owens said.

He explained McElyea and Owens Funeral Group will take people back to their refrigeration facility, which not many other entities contain.

This service gives people the opportunity to take a few days to figure out their plans if there is a sudden death in their family.

"We can take their loved one into our care until they're ready to make those types of decisions," Owens said.

Owens and McElyea have plans to expand their facility, including offering not only human cremation but also pet cremation, as well as their own chapel for people to hold funeral services.

"We will have our own cremation added on to our facility in the next 18 months or so," he said.

He said the chapel should be up and running by March of 2022.

McElyea and Owens Funeral Group is located at 5106 N. Harrison Street in Shawnee.

For more information visit mcelyea-owens.com/ or call (405) 695-5006.

This article originally appeared on The Shawnee News-Star: Resident Robert Owens returns to Shawnee to open funeral home
North Atlantic right whales, Floridas manatees and the white rhino have become victims of a warmer climate (Getty/iStock)

We are amid a global biodiversity crisis. Humanitys impact on the planet is now so overwhelming that 1m plant and animal species are at risk of extinction, the UN recently reported.

Nature is suffering the world over, from Kenya to the Florida Keys, due to impacts linked to the rising global temperature.

Below are just a sliver of the losses to the natural world in 2021, and a sombre reminder of what is at stake.

Silent Spring: Birdsong is dying away

Bird populations around the world have declined most rapidly where warming is most pronounced, research has found  and in the process, birdsong has fallen silent.

A team of researchers associated with the University of East Anglia (UEA) sounded the alarm in November, following an attempt at analysing historical birdsong.

The study combined data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme sites with recordings of more than 1,000 species from Xeno Canto, an online database of bird calls and songs.

Researchers analysed how the soundscapes of Europe and North American had changed in frequency and volume, and found that birdsong was now quieter and less intense across the continents.

Some of the birds that could be heard in the database were warblers, which are migratory birds, as well as wood pigeons, black birds, and blue tits  which can be seen in the UK all-year round.

The researchers linked this phenomenon to increased global heating, which has seen migratory birds in particular change their movements to and from breeding sites, according to a study in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

A blue tit in North Devon, England, in April. The bird is among 15 million in the UK, according to the RSPB, and instantly recognisable by its colours (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Given that people predominantly hear, rather than see, birds, reductions in the quality of natural soundscapes are likely to be the mechanism through which the impact of ongoing population declines is most keenly felt by the general public, said Dr Simon Butler, lead author of the UEA study.

Parallels were drawn between the increasingly silent natural world and the seminal 1962 book, Silent Spring, by American biologist and conservationist, Rachel Carlson, which warned of human effects on the environment, particularly of pesticides.

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Manatees on the brink

Manatee populations in Florida are in worrying decline. Official figures in November revealed that more than 1,000 of the slow-moving creatures have died in 2021, breaking a previous annual record.

Authorities and wildlife campaigners cited warming ocean waters, combined with pollution and algal blooms that are destroying seagrass beds which manatees feed off.

A manatee off the coast of Miami, Florida, where annual records for manatee deaths have been broken. Officials are now turning to feeding the creatures themselves (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The situation is so dire that Floridas Fish and Wildlife Service has for the first time established a limited feeding project in Cape Canaveral along the Indian River Lagoon where manatees congregate in winter months, in an attempt to stop more manatees dying.

Patrick Rose, director of Save The Manatee Club, said: Saving manatees is part of saving the ecosystem. If we can get this taken care of manatees will flourish. If we dont, they wont.

An advocacy group, Defenders of Wildlife, put it more forcefully: Manatees are starving to death.

North Atlantic right whales: Shrinking on all fronts

The population of North Atlantic right whales has fallen further after the International Union for the Conservation of Nature reclassified them as critically endangered in July 2020.

A report, published in the journal Oceanography in September, cited warmer waters in the Gulf of Maine, which is killing off fatty crustaceans which the whales feed on. As few as 356 of the whales are thought to be in existence.

A North Atlantic right whale, of which there are fewer than 400 remaining. Climate change and human interference has been cited as reasons for the species decline. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

When they cant build those thick layers of blubber, theyre not able to successfully get pregnant, carry the pregnancy and nurse the calf, said Erin Meyer-Gutbrod, a marine ecologist at the University of South Carolina and a study author.

A second study, published in Current Biology in June, found that North Atlantic right whales are becoming smaller as a consequence of several factors that have stunted growth.

Researchers cited fishing net entanglements, ship collisions, along with changes to food available for the whales as a result of warming ocean temperatures.

Newborns are now around 1 metre  or 7 per cent  shorter than a whale born in 1980, the studys lead author, Dr Joshua Stewart, of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.

A whale entangled for a year in fishing gear is expected to reach a maximum length about 60cm shorter than one who is not. On top of that, we found a whale born today is expected to reach a maximum length about a metre shorter than a whale born in 1980.

Northern white rhinos  without alternatives

Only two northern white rhinos are left on the planet  and this year it was announced that just one is capable of breeding, and saving the species.

Keepers at a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya announced in October that Najin, a northern white rhino, would be retired from an ambitious breeding initiative after the weighing up risks and opportunities for the individuals and the entire species.

It means that only one northern white rhino, Najins daughter Fatu, is left to procreate. Mother and daughter live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya under high security.

One of the last remaining northern white rhinos, which are among Africas largest land animals. Poaching and changes to the rhinos habitat has seen the population almost wiped out. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Since the death of the last male northern white rhino in 2019, breeders have experimented with a technique allowing female rhinos to be artificially inseminated.

While two embryos have been created in a laboratory using the eggs harvested from Najin and Fatu, the initiative has yet to implant them into a surrogate mother  most likely a southern white rhino.

Habitat loss, driven by illegal logging and agriculture, have been blamed for almost killing off the northern white rhino.

Rhinos in Asia and India, where the species numbers are higher, are meanwhile threatened by habitat degradation as a result of warming temperatures, as well as human activity.

Polar bear populations on ice

A study published in September suggested that polar bears have begun to inbreed to survive, as the Arctics most iconic animal adapts to rapidly-melting sea ice destroying its natural hunting grounds.

Between 1995 and 2015, polar bears roaming Norways Svalbard Archipelago lost as much as 10 per cent of the populations genetic diversity because of the impact of global heating, researchers said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, polar regions are melting almost 13 per cent per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has dropped by a shocking 95 per cent. That has shrunk territories that polar bears roam.

Simo Maduna, of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research and study author, toldABC News , that with inbreeding comes risk in the sense that some of the traits that are recessive, [and] will now basically be unmasked in the population.

That could reveal abnormalities in polar bears born in future, and risk the predators ability to survive.

A polar bear on Svalbard, off the coasts of Norway and Russia, and where melting sea ice has forced the predator to rapidly adapt. (Getty Images/Andrew Peacock)

Last gasp: Giraffes killed looking for water

The sorry sight of six dead giraffes that were pictured in Kenyas Garissa County in December showed the animals stuck in mud, where they were trying to reach a water source.

Kenyan wildlife authorities said the giraffes were found to have been weak from starvation before getting stuck in the mud inside the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy in Wajir, almost 280 miles north east of Nairobi.

Photojournalist Ed Ram, who captured the image, said the giraffes were too weak to pull themselves free.

When you approach many of the villages in the region, theres dead cows that line kind of sand tracks as you get to the villages, in various states of decomposition, he told CBC News. And the cows that were remaining were very emaciated.

Kenya has been battling an intense drought driven by the climate crisis, with the countrys president declaring a national disaster in September as this years rainy season followed recent patterns of very little rainfall.

Some 4,000 giraffes in Kenya are under threat, according to local newspaperThe Star , as the extreme drought conditions continue to threaten their food and water resources.
CAMDEN  A Lyft driver from South Jersey has filed a class action lawsuit against the ride-share service, contending the firm violates state and federal wage laws.

Carlos Castaneda of Monroeville asserts Lyft does not reimburse its drivers for business costs "including but not limited to vehicle wear-and-tear and fuel," the lawsuit says.

That expense pushes drivers' wages below the legal minimum "for each hour  during each workweek," it claims.

The suit also asserts Lyft fails to pay a required overtime bonus when drivers exceed a 40-hour workweek.

A representative of San Francisco-based Lyft and Castaneda's attorney, Matthew Miller of Cherry Hill, could not be reached for immediate comment.

In alleging violations of a federal labor law, the suit seeks to represent all drivers allegedly shortchanged by Lyft over a three-year period preceding the Dec. 16 filing date.

It also asks a judge's approval to represent all affected Lyft drivers in New Jersey over a six-year period, claiming Lyft's treatment of those motorists violated the state's wage law.

The suit notes legal questions to be resolved in Camden federal court include whether the drivers were employees of Lyft under the terms of state and federal wage laws.

Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

Support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Carlos Castaneda alleges Lyft violates state, federal wage laws
Covid Tests, city keys, good signs and bad banners. Here's the latest from New York City.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to amp up COVID-19 testing in city schools with 2 million at-home tests for kids whose classmates have contracted the virus and double the number of in-school tests. But critics, including City Council Education Chair Mark Treyger, worry the tests are too little and come too late. NYC Doubles In-School COVID Testing For Kids

But de Blasio, who has faced much criticism over his eight years as New York City's Hizzoner, got quite the compliment during his Tuesday press briefing from the acclaimed actor and the "fellow kid" of Park Slope, Steve Buscemi, who said of the mayor's acting skills, "You know, you're a natural!" Steve Buscemi Awarded Key To The City From Mayor

As the mayor got a good sign he should launch an acting career, an Upper East Side developer got a bad message from the city: No sign for you! This message came in the form of a $25,000 fine for a massive banner of Jerry Seinfeld that went up last year. Giant Seinfeld Banner On UES Tower Lands Owner $25K Fine

First, today's weather:

Cloudy. High: 46 Low: 43.

What We're Reading:

Apple temporarily closed stores across New York City as the omicron variant continued its rampant spread. (New York City Patch.) Omicron cases also spurred flight delays and cancelations across the nation, including about 150 in New York City area airports. (Queens Patch.) Did crime go up in Harlem this year? It's complicated. (Harlem Patch.) Vaccinated city workers who say theyre not notified when a colleague tests positive for COVID-19 are pleading with the mayor to work remotely. (THE CITY.)

Today's New York City Daily is brought to you in part by GoodRx, a Patch Brand Partner. While the promise of a return to pre-pandemic life is encouraging, many New Yorkers are experiencing anxiety and fear about returning to the office. Here are some ways to combat those fears and create a more comfortable in-office work experience.

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Today in New York City:

Free Improv Comedy Workshop For Beginners (9:00 AM)

Blind Contour Sketches (6:00 PM)

Chris Botti (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

New York Jets: "Our photographers favorites " (Instagram)

New York City Fire Department (FDNY): "FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro today announced the death of Lieutenant Joseph Maiello. Lt Maiello, 53, a 22-year veteran of the Department, was discovered unconscious and pronounced dead while on-duty at his firehouse, Engine 163 and ..." (Facebook)

Central Park: "Across the Parks 843 acres, you can find sprawling landscapes, expansive arches and bridges, grand works of art, towering trees, and much more. But what about the little and sometimes overlookeddetails that make Central Park special? ..." (Instagram)

NYCgo: "#NYCgoRecap2021: This week we'll be taking a look back and highlighting some of the year's best NYCgo content. In January, we launched #TheBlackExperienceInNYC, a travel hub on our website that spotlights, celebrates, and amplifies New Y..." (Instagram)

New York City Department of Education: " UPDATE: As we look ahead to the New Year, our highest priority is to continue to ensure the health and safety of our students, families, and staff. We are putting additional health and safety measures in place to ensure students and s..." (Facebook)





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 Kathleen Culliton

About me: Kathleen Culliton covers all things New York City and can be found reporting from the bowels of the city's subways, the heights of 1 Police Plaza and anywhere in between. She came to Patch after years with DNAinfo New York and the New York Post, where she covered breaking news. Her radio feature about an Olympic bobsled team hopeful earned an award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Kathleen is proud to be a life-long Brooklynite. Most of her selfies are accidental.

This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch
A man was handcuffed at the scene of a homicide Monday night after community members informed police that he may have been involved in the killing.

The subject of interest was detained shortly after police were called to the shooting just after 6:45 p.m. in the 6000 block of Agnes Avenue, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department.

When they arrived, officers found a man on the front porch of a home, suffering from gunshot wounds, Drake said. The victim, who has not yet been publicly identified, was declared dead at the scene.

About an hour after the shooting was reported, a group of people stood on a sidewalk near the police tape. Some of the neighbors gathered told The Star that they hear gunshots often in the neighborhood.

A short time later, one of the men on the sidewalk walked up to the tape to speak with an officer.

Soon, half a dozen officers surrounded another man who was also standing on the sidewalk and handcuffed him. Drake later told reporters that the scene was a little chaotic, and that several people spoke to responding officers, leading to the man being taken into custody.

A subject of interest was taken into custody Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, at the scene of a homicide in the 6000 block of Agnes Avenue in Kansas City.

Thats what we need, and we appreciate that. We know thats difficult and not always easy, but to a family thats grieving, that makes a huge difference, Drake said.

Rosilyn Temple, with KC Mothers in Charge, said the fact that those at the scene came forward further proves that the community is tired of the violence.

Tonight they stood up and they did something, said Temple, who often visits homicide scenes to comfort families. In the 10 years Ive been doing this, Ive never seen anything like this, and it made me feel so proud for my community.

The killing marked the 157th homicide this year in Kansas City, according to data kept by The Star. Last year  the deadliest year on record  the city suffered 182 homicides. Last week, after a string of killings the week of Christmas, 2021 became the second-deadliest year on record.





Story continues

This is someones loved one, Drake said. This is senseless. There are other ways to resolve conflict that dont involve someone taking another persons life.

The department is asking anyone with any information about the shooting to contact the homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or to call the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

It aint your job to take somebodys life like that, one of the men who reported the person of interest to police said aloud as the other man sat handcuffed on the sidewalk.

Cant come to an end if everybody want to be quiet, a woman who lived nearby said as police ushered the witnesses to the other side of the sidewalk. If you dont talk, another person dies.

Gun violence is the subject of a statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health.

As part of this project, The Star will seek the communitys help. To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
Cordelia Pressley pokes her head out of the small window of a gray RV just outside of Cruso to ask her mother if she can ride her bike.

Donella Pressley, who shares Cordelias light hair and energetic demeanor, quickly tells the 6-year-old to close the window and wait in the RV. She doesnt want to risk Cordelia or her other daughter, Elena, 5, peeking into the house and seeing their Christmas gift  finished interior walls.

They keep telling everyone at our house, we can walk through the walls, Donella said. They're not going to necessarily be able to do that anymore, and they dont know that.

Cordelia Pressley, 6, looks over the edge of her new bunk bed at her sister, Elena, 5, December 22, 2021, in the RV provided to their family as their home is rebuilt following flooding from Tropical Storm Fred.

On Aug. 17, the Pressleys Haywood County home was ravaged by Tropical Depression Fred. The foundation of the house stayed intact, but the plumbing, floors and sheet-rock walls had to be removed and replaced.

Related: Tropical storm Fred report explains cause of flooding in Haywood County

Roughly 14 inches of rain fell in Haywood County as Fred passed through Western North Carolina Aug. 16-17. According to Allison Richmond, spokesperson for the countys emergency services department, more than 450 homes and businesses were damaged and six people died.

Before August, the green-roofed house was the only home Cordelia and Elena had ever known.

Now, four months after the storm, theyve moved five times.

Donella Pressley with her two daughters, Elena, 5, center, and Cordelia, 6, December 22, 2021, in the RV provided to them after Tropical Storm Fred.

Their first temporary home was a hotel in Waynesville. Then, with the help of friends and local churches, Donella secured short-term apartments in Lake Junaluska and Maggie Valley before moving back into another hotel.

Previous coverage: Live updates: 2 dead found 2 miles downstream; 17 still missing in Haywood County NC flooding

Related: Fred recovery: Western North Carolina to get more than $124 million from state budget

Donella has had to foot the bill for most of the temporary housing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency qualified her for temporary housing assistance, but she still hasnt received a response to her application.

Story continues

In mid-December, the family moved into the RV donated by the United Methodist Committee on Relief where theyll stay until their house is finished, which Donella said should be by the end of January.

The great part is theyve got bunk beds, Donella said about the RV. They cant get off the top, so thats like a time-out.

Donella Pressley looks out a window of her home, toward the RV in her driveway December 22, 2021. Her family is staying in the RV as their home is rebuilt following Tropical Storm Fred.

In total, 140 people or 68 families stayed at seven shelters provided by Haywood County Emergency Services. The operation closed Dec. 17 when the final shelter seeker checked out of a hotel, Richmond said.

But for families like the Pressleys, the loss goes beyond drywall. Toys, clothes and photographs collected in the first years of the girls lives were swept up and scattered among piles of debris and mud.

I've been making do, and that's because you don't really know where you're going to be, she said.

Donella and the girls have received donations  clothes and supplies that have made getting by easier. During their stay at the apartment in Maggie Valley, someone donated a Barbie house.

Donella Pressely holds a salvaged picture as her daughter, Elena, looks down at their muddy shoes as they rummage through their flooded home following Tropical Storm Fred August 27, 2021.

It's allowed to stay there till the end of the month, then its probably going to stay under the woodshed here for them to play with at the moment, Donella said.

The Barbie house will be able to have a permanent spot at the end of January, when Donella was told renovations, done by volunteers with Baptists on a Mission and the First United Methodist Church of Franklin, will be completed.

It's just been a lot of nice folks who've just come and stepped up, Donella said. Its not anybody but you know, but you hope youre going to know them afterwards.

Immediately after Tropical Storm Fred ripped through Haywood County, volunteer groups mobilized to mend the damage and honor the lives lost in the devastating floods.

More than 1,500 first responders from more than 100 agencies went to Haywood County to assist in recovery efforts after Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Aug. 18, Richmond said.

The names of those who drowned during Tropical Storm Fred are written on a wreath hanging over the Pigeon River near Laurel Bank Campground December 22, 2021.

Related: Tropical storm Fred report explains cause of flooding in Haywood County

As soon as the disastrous rain cleared, Steve Chaney, resident of Cruso, the small mountain town most gravely impacted by the storm, jumped to donate his time and truck.

Though Chaneys property suffered critical damage, Chaney left his home the day after the storm and took a hot meal to his friend, Ronnie Hannah, who has lived on Cruso Road for 74 years.

On Aug. 19, Hannah told the Citizen Times he had never seen anything as devastating as Fred.

I get depressed, he said. I come out here and sit down and just think of what it looked like.

Steve Chaney sits in the restaurant section of Cold Mountain Market in Bethel December 22, 2021. Store owner, Pinal Patel made a $1,001 donation to flood relief.

Weeks after the storm, Chaney and a group of friends spent days shoveling mud and soot from the basement of Hannahs house.

Chaney said Hannah, who was not available for a second interview with the Citizen Times, chose not to have his house assessed out of fear that FEMA would condemn it.

He told them, You go on, Chaney said. Hes not going to let anyone touch that house.

Many have had their houses assessed, however. According to Richmond, FEMA has given more than $3.3 million in assistance to Haywood residents.

Store information written on a board at Cold Mountain Market in Bethel, just outside of Cruso, where deadly flooding occurred this summer. Store owner, Pinal Patel made a $1,001 donation to flood relief.

Previous coverage: Haywood County approves $5 million emergency funding, awaits FEMA aid after deadly floods

Related: Fred aftermath: Pop-up donation center receives supplies for flood cleanup

When the agency assessed Chaneys property, which sustained damage to the plumbing, driveway and roof, they gave him only $327.

I got so pissed off that I turned around and donated it to the flood victims, Chaney said.

More than $1.3 million has been donated to United Way of Haywood County for flood recovery, Executive Director Celesa Willett said.

I was here when Frances and Ivan hit in 2004, and people were generous at that time, but this is unprecedented, Willett said. Ive never seen anything like this.

Penal Patel, left, owner of Cold Mountain Market, with community member and store patron, Steve Chaney, December 22, 2021. Patel made a $1,001 donation to flood relief over the summer.

United Way is distributing the funds to small businesses and private residents. Willett said theyve already spent $300,000 on bridge and road repairs.

The donations have come from large companies as well as individuals, Willett said.

One of the donors was Panil Patel, owner of Cold Mountain Market in Bethel, just outside of Cruso.

Patel made a $1,001 donation a week after the flood  partly because Chaney, who goes into the store daily, prompted him to do so.

The contents of the Pressely home are piled along the road following Tropical Storm Fred August 27, 2021.

Whatever I could do, I did, Patel said.

Thats it, Chaney replied, patting Patel on the back. Thats what we do. Thats our people.

Shelby Harris is a reporter covering breaking news, education and other topics. She can be reached at sharris@citizentimes.com or on Twitter @_shelbyharris.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Victims of Tropical Depression Fred reflect on life after the storm
A look at some of today's top stories, the weather forecast and a peek back in history.

Anecdotal reports indicate Arizona classroom teachers, support staff and administrators are being pulled from their regular duties to cover classes. Read more about Arizona's teacher shortage.

A new Viet-Cajun crawfish and noodles spot, Najavo fry bread restaurant, Filipino restaurant and Austin breakfast tacos are coming soon to Phoenix. Start making your 2022 dining bucket list today.

Explore a cave near Tucson, fry an egg on the sidewalk, get to know an iconic artist and five more adventurous ways to explore the state's wonders.

Today, you can expect showers, with a high near 56 degrees. Showers continue at night, with a low near 42 degrees. Get the full forecast here.

For more stories that matter, subscribe to azcentral.com.

Today in history

On this date in 1866, the Rev. Charles M. Blake held the first Presbyterian Church service in Arizona in a log cabin in Prescott.

In 1881, Marshall Virgil Earp of Tombstone was shot in the back and crippled for life.

In 1903, a fire started in the furnace room of the Arizona State Capitol. Because of the distance of the building from the nearest fire hydrant, nearly an hour elapsed before firefighters were able to turn their hoses on the blaze. The only loss was two and a half cords of cedar firewood.

In 1929, it was announced that military airplanes would be used to make serial photographs of the ancient irrigation canals of the Gila and Salt River Valleys before all traces of them were destroyed by modern farming and irrigation.

In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Strained AZ teachers also filling in during free periods
The Ohio National Guard is helping operate a drive-up COVID-19 testing site Tuesday behind the corporate offices of Summa Health on Gorge Boulevard in Akron. Take home test kits are currently unavailable.

Greater Akron now teeters on the edge of a record-breaking number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

On Tuesday, all four Summit County hospitals reported a rise in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, falling just two patients short of the grim record that happened about this time last year.

In total, 316 patients were hospitalized in Summit County. That's two less than were hospitalized on Dec. 15, 2020, before COVID-19 vaccinations were available to most people.

'So many patients die': A look inside a local COVID unit where beds are full, staff is exhausted

Marlene Martin, administrative coordinator for Summit County Public Health, said the rise in hospitalizations was expected because the level of cases overall is higher.

"It's not what we wanted to see, obviously," she said, adding that people should "get vaccinated, get boosted and avoid hanging out in groups" where the virus can spread.

While vaccines and boosters may not prevent everyone from becoming infected with COVID, health officials have said they do prevent most people from becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID.

Instead of going to a party at a restaurant or a bar for New Years, consider getting food and drinks to go, Martin said.

"Of course we want to support our local businesses and restaurants," she said, "but we also have extremely high case counts right now. Stay safe. Do take-out instead."

Drive-thru testing begins

Summit County residents, meanwhile, are anxious to get tested for COVID-19, either because they have symptoms or because they want to know if it's safe to mingle with others as New Year's Eve approaches.

Drive-thru testing: COVID-19 hospitalizations edge up in Summit County. Drive-thru testing starts Tuesday

On Tuesday, hundreds of idling cars, SUVs and trucks lined up on the first day of drive-thru testing at the corporate offices of Summa Health at 1077 Gorge Boulevard in Akron.

Story continues

Members of the Ohio National Guard are helping with the drive-thru testing, along with another one in Cleveland.

The line moved quickly, with most swab tests taking about a minute.

Tuesday morning, the website (tinyurl.com/summitcountycovid-19testing) to sign up for a drive-thru test time said there were no more appointments available. But by noontime, the website showed lots of appointments had opened up Tuesday and beyond.

A member of the Ohio National Guard administers a COVID-19 test during a drive-up test event Tuesday in Akron.

Drive-thru testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily except Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The test site will be open seven days a week beginning Jan. 2 and will remain open until there's no longer a demand.

The drive-thru aims to ease the surge in demand for COVID-19 tests.

On Monday, Summit County public health officials distributed about 7,000 home tests in about two hours. It is unclear when officials may receive more.

A drive-up community COVID-19 testing site is operating at Summa Health on Gorge Boulevard in Akron.

Stores, brick-and-mortar and online, also are struggling to keep the home testing kits in stock, but testing appointments were still available this week online at some urgent care and drug-store based clinics. Health insurers usually cover the costs of those tests

A member of the Ohio National Guard waits for a car to finish the registration process at the drive-up COVID testing site behind the corporate offices of Summa Health on Gorge Boulevard in Akron.

Health care workers: 'We're not OK'

This latest surge of COVID-19 has health care workers stressed and many looking for other jobs. They're not only overwhelmed with work  many say they're facing rude patients and their families.

Last week, State Rep. Casey Weinstein apologized after tweeting that a major hospital network CEO reported that there are 25 incidents of families "attacking" staff every day after the hospital called his statements "100% false."

"In trying to share my concerns about the very real issues relayed to me of increasing aggressive incidents against medical personnel, I clouded the message by implying that the incidents are coming only from unvaccinated COVID patient families when they are actually coming from across the patient/family spectrum, due in part to the massive strain on our hospital systems right now," he said.

An advanced practice provider at Akron Children's Hospital said she was glad Weinstein raised the issue. She talked about her experience with the Beacon Journal this week on the condition she not be named to protect her job.

The woman, who has more than 10 years experience, said her husband wants her to leave her job if the stress gets any worse.

"Yes we can physically and mentally perform tasks and take care of patients but we are going home being worn down, worn out," she said. "It broke my heart when a doctor told me recently that she hated her job."

The woman said things only got worse since life-saving vaccines were released and the the anti-vaccination movement arose.

"When it became more political than ever, that is when there was just this turn," she said.

Early in the pandemic, she said they faced shortages of personal protective equipment. Now they have PPE, but they don't have the staff.

Parents of patients often unload their frustration on staff if they mention vaccine or if a procedure has to be canceled or postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test or symptoms, she said.

Staff "are like, 'I dont want to be yelled at in the face all day by parents of patients.' Theyre done," she said. "And it's terrifying to think of losing all of these good providers."

The woman said she told Weinstein that many nurses are leaving hospitals to take jobs at travel nursing agencies where they can earn $3,000 to $4,000 a week, "which is an insane amount of money."

Many are senior nurses, the people who usually train the younger nurses.

"As a mother myself, that scares (me)," she said.

The woman said Children's has an employee hotline assistance number to call for help. It's also launching a new program teaching calming breathing exercises.

"It's just like everyone is depressed and burned out," she said, wondering aloud if patient families even see them as human.

Not long ago, the woman said she was picking up a prescription at a drive-thru and asked the clerk how she was doing.

The clerk dropped her shoulders and she said was hanging in there. Then the clerk thanked the woman and said she was the first person in quite a while to ask.

"And it just hit me to the core how we as a society have forgotten to ask people if theyre OK," she said. "And right now, the health care providers, were not OK."

The Ohio National Guard is assisting at a community drive-up COVID-19 testing site behind the corporate offices of Summa Health in Akron.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron COVID-19 drive-thru testing begins as hospitalizations rise
The Verizon store on Statler Boulevard in Staunton.

STAUNTON  A nearly three-year-old smash-and-grab burglary at a Staunton cell phone store is still under investigation, court records show.

A Florida man suspected in more than 20 similar burglaries in several states along the East Coast is now in custody as local authorities look into his cell phone activity.

The Staunton thefts took place Jan. 21, 2019, at the Verizon store, located in Statler Square on Statler Boulevard. According to an affidavit to a search warrant filed earlier this month, a sledgehammer was used to smash glass from the front entrance and a suspect entered the closed store. The suspect removed numerous devices and placed them in a dark-colored bag before fleeing.

Augusta County Circuit Court records show that an estimated 22 break-ins similar to the Staunton Verizon burglary took place along the East Coast.

After pulling data from cell towers near some of the burglaries, earlier this year a Pennsylvania State Police trooper investigating the case discovered that the same cell phone number with a Florida area code was found in the data near three burglaries two in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland.

The evidence led authorities to an Orlando man, Daniel D. Dodd, 38. He is currently being held in Pennsylvania, according to Vinelink, a website that provides inmate information.

The Staunton search warrant is for cell records connected to the suspicious phone number found in the cell tower data.

On Jan. 10, 2021, in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, an AT&T store was struck shortly before 6 a.m. after a front door was shattered, according to the New Castle News. Merchandise was stolen from a table just inside the front door, the article said. Security footage showed a man approach the business, pull a sledgehammer from a pack and smash the window to the front door.

In February, Pennsylvania authorities were alerted to similar burglaries having taken place since 2018 at cell phone stores in nine different states, the article said.

Story continues

A day after the Pennsylvania break-in, police arrested Dodd in South Carolina in connection with a T-Mobile store burglary there, the article said. Police in South Carolina reportedly found a sledgehammer, a black duffel bag, two iPads and six iPhones inside his car, a Chevrolet Malibu. Police allegedly spotted the same car in a security video in Pennsylvania where the AT&T burglary occurred the day before.

It appears, though, that Dodd was released. In April, he was arrested again in Bristol, Tennessee, according to Augusta County Circuit Court records.

No charges have been placed in connection with the Staunton burglary at the Verizon store.

More: Bringing life to old buildings: Newsmaker Robin Miller has saved many historic structures

More: Bringing life to old buildings: Newsmaker Robin Miller has saved many historic structures

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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Three years later, Staunton has a suspect in a Verizon smash-and-grab
BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union's relationship with Switzerland could fall apart if negotiations over Switzerland's place in the EU internal market fail, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, told Der Spiegel magazine.

Brussels has pushed for years for a treaty to cap an array of bilateral accords and require the Swiss to routinely adopt changes to single market rules.

Talks between Bern and its biggest trading partner broke off https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-eu-idAFKCN2D70LV in May over concerns about yielding too much sovereignty to the bloc.

"Should new negotiations not lead to success, the bilateral agreements that were still in force would gradually expire and make our relationship obsolete at some point," said Sefcovic, who oversees EU-Swiss affairs, in an interview published on Tuesday.

Switzerland would have to give assurances it would abide by EU internal market rules if Bern is committed to new negotiations, Sefcovic said.

The European Union wants Switzerland to agree to a dynamic alignment of its laws with EU law, a level playing field, a mechanism to settle disputes and regular contributions to EU funds for poorer EU members.

Sefcovic reiterated the EU's demands in the Spiegel interview.

"We urgently need to know from Switzerland whether it seriously wants to negotiate with us," Sefcovic said.

In November, the European Union urged Switzerland to set out a clear timetable for resolving the EU internal market issues by January.

"We have to know what we want to talk about when - so that it is clear that the discussion will not last 20 or 30 years," Sefcovic told Spiegel.

EU-Swiss economic ties are governed by more than 100 bilateral agreements stretching back to 1972.

A collapse in relations over time could jeopardise Switzerland's de facto membership of the EU common market that Bern is keen to maintain.

Sefcovic gave the example of medical devices, which can only be sold in the EU with the right certification and that would be impossible without the appropriate contracts.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Editing by Miranda Murray and Barbara Lewis)
Dec. 27Todd Finney and five generations of his Dakota family members stood out in the cold Sunday at the spot where, exactly 159 years ago, 38 Dakota akicita  warriors  were hanged at the order of a U.S. president.

A Wahpekute Dakota from Medford, Finney said his people were told they would never be able to come back to Mankato. The return each year of the Dakota Wokiksuye Memorial Ride, which his uncle Jim Miller took part in founding in 2005, ensures that dozens of Dakota continue to honor their ancestors in Reconciliation Park.

"To see this many people here," Finney said to a large crowd gathered around the buffalo monument, vapor clouding from his breath, "people that come in a good way  it's hard for me not to cry tears of joy."

Men, women and children of the Dakota and Ojibwe nations rode 330 miles on horseback from South Dakota over 17 days. Native American runners, supported by a caravan, also traveled to Mankato for the 34th annual 38+2 Memorial Run, leaving Fort Snelling in St. Paul on Christmas Day and arriving Sunday.

The traveling groups and other spectators gathered at the site where on Dec. 26, 1862, about 4,000 spectators came to watch 38 Dakota men die.

The hangings followed the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, which arose when the government failed to provide goods promised to the Dakota in contentious treaty negotiations led by Henry Sibley, who later became Minnesota's first governor.

The July 1851 Treaty of Traverse Des Sioux was an agreement to exchange vast swaths of Dakota homeland for payments and goods. The Dakota believed they would get a lump-sum land payment but were given only $305,000. Much of the immediate cash went to cover debts fur traders such as Sibley claimed were owed to them.

The U.S. said the remainder would be doled out in annual payments of money and goods.

After a bad crop year and widespread hunger in 1861, the payment owed to the Dakota in June 1862 didn't arrive on time. A federal agent refused to give them food without the money.

Story continues

After a disagreement about whether to steal a white farmer's eggs, four Dakota men shot and killed five settlers in Acton on Aug. 17, 1862. A band of Dakota agreed to fight area settlers after the men reported their killings and persuaded a reluctant Chief Little Crow.

In a short period that fall, estimates say more than 600 white settlers and 75-100 Dakota were killed.

The initial list of Dakota to be hanged, after haphazard trials convened by Sibley, numbered 303. Dismayed at the quantity, the office of President Abraham Lincoln reviewed trial transcripts and ordered that only men guilty of raping women be hanged. When only two men were found guilty of rape, Lincoln expanded the criteria to include those who had participated in "massacres" of civilians rather than just "battles." He then made his final decision and forwarded a list of 39 names to Sibley. The number was later reduced to 38.

It remains the largest mass execution in American history.

Two more Dakota, Medicine Bottle and Shakopee, were hanged two years later.

Finney said the event seeks to promote history that subverts narratives long told by U.S. victors of the Dakota war with white settlers. His favorite moment came in 2019, when Mankato native Gov. Tim Walz attended the ceremony and gave a tearful apology.

He said Walz quietly asked leaders of the event, "What more can we do?"

Finney told him nothing was needed but to continue the process of healing and sharing his ancestors' story.

"Healing is a process," Finney said Sunday. "Forgiveness is a gift."

Speakers also used the memorial to advocate for current issues plaguing Native Americans.

Mary Kunesh, the first Indigenous woman elected to the Minnesota Senate, led a task force that focused for 18 months on investigating cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The effort culminated this year with a 163-page report to the Legislature and creation of a statewide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office.

Several others lamented the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, who for 44 years has been behind bars for his alleged involvement in the 1975 killing of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Peltier says he was present for the shoot-out, which also left one Native American dead, but steadfastly denies having killed anyone.

Riders carried a staff made for Peltier and had a moment of silence to pray for the man whom human rights groups designate a political prisoner. A 77-year-old diabetic with heart problems, Peltier has grown increasingly frail in prison.

Finney and others hope the chosen theme of Reconciliation Park, "Forgive everyone everything," resonates as the Dakota seek to rebuild their culture.

"If you hear my voice," Finney said, "you are my relative."

Historical information comes from usdakotawar.org and the Minnesota Historical Society.
Three soldiers behind a failed coup in Gabon in 2019 have been sentenced to 15 years' prison, the prosecutor told AFP on Thursday.

The three, including Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang who was a member of the elite Republican Guard, had gone on state television in January 2019 calling for a "public uprising" during the short-lived coup.

Five policemen and a civilian who were on trial alongside them were acquitted, the prosecutor said, adding the verdict was handed down overnight.

The defendants had faced life imprisonment if convicted.

"My clients are happy, they made a victory sign to those present," one of their lawyers, Jean-Pierre Moumbembe, told AFP, adding that he had appealed the verdict.

Renegade soldiers launched a coup on January 7, 2019, when longtime President Ali Bongo Ondimba was out of the country recuperating from a stroke.

Bongo, who has ruled the oil-rich equatorial country for over a decade, had a stroke in October 2018 while in Saudi Arabia, and was hospitalised in Riyadh.

His supporters put down the brief coup bid that challenged an elected family presidency that has ruled for more than 50 years.

Bongo took over from his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, head of state from 1967 until he died in 2009.

The nine defendants went on trial on June 18 for "undermining internal security of the State" and had faced the possibility of life imprisonment.

According to their lawyers, they wanted to prevent the president's brother, Frederic Bongo, from taking power by force and had been in particular concerned about the presence of "mercenaries" in the country.

dyg-gir/yad/ri
HOLLISTON  Nearly every morning, Rod and Jennifer Burgett walk on the Holliston Rail Trail, a 6.7-mile path extending from the Sherborn line to the Milford line.

Its peaceful, said Rod Burgett on a recent day after the first snowfall of the season. Even though it goes through town, its set back enough so that its quiet. Ive seen wildlife  deer, turkeys. It's relaxing.

Jennifer Burgett said she loves how the trail travels the length of the town.

Its nice to have a place like this to go, she said. Its long enough that if you stay in town, its a good place to exercise (or) ride a bike. ... People are out here in all weather.

The Holliston trail is part of the Upper Charles Rail Trail, a 25-mile walking path  still not finished  that is built on a former rail bed connecting Ashland, Holliston, Sherborn, Milford and Hopkinton. In the making for decades, Milford and Holliston are the first two communities to have their portions completed, comprising about 13 miles.

Walkers pass through the Phipps Tunnel on the Holliston Rail Trail, Dec. 9, 2021. The path is part of the Upper Charles Rail Trail.

The Upper Charles Rail Trail

The idea for the Upper Charles Rail Trail was started by Holliston resident John Thomas, president of the Upper Charles Conservation Inc. land trust in the early 1990s.

He was the first to see the potential of converting the rail lines and he worked for several years gathering data and support and promoting the concept, according to The Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail website.

A Holliston resident may have been the first to propose the trail's creation, but it was Milford that was the first community to have its portion of the trail completed.

The Holliston section was finished in 2018, with the completion of the 8 Arch Bridge and that area nearby.

For years, it seemed as if the Upper Charles Trail project would never get off the ground, according to Herb Brockert, lead contractor of the trail's Holliston trail section.

At the start, there was a lot of red tape, no money and no real opportunity to purchase the land that would become the trail, he said.

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I was saying, How could this ever happen? But by hanging on and being persistent ... here we are," he said. "I never would have dreamed in the beginning that we would get here. It seemed impossible.

Nicole Downin, of Holliston, jogs the Holliston Rail Trail, Dec. 9, 2021.

Once was a railroad

The trail dates back to the 1800s, when the Boston and Worcester Railroad was built. The railroad was the main form of transportation connecting the two cities. Off the main line, there were various shorter spurs, according to local Holliston historian Joanne Hulbert.

They came off like tentacles, she said.

What is now the trail was once a segment of the track that went from Framingham to Milford. That portion was built in the 1830s.

Once they started to build railroads in America, they burst onto the scene, she said.

For a short time, Holliston was a well known town in the region. Mill buildings and shops were built along the rail line.

It cut the amount of time to get into Boston from days to merely hours, she said.

It really opened up Holliston to the rest of the world, she said.

But with the advent of the automobile, the railroads significance began to wane. The last passenger train was taken out of commission in 1959, Hulbert said, and the last freight train was taken off line in the late 1970s.

One of the big issues with use of the freight train was that the tunnel under Highland Street was too short for modern trains.

Herb Brockert, left, and Robert Weidknecht, both of the Holliston Trails Committee, walk the Holliston Rail Trail, Dec. 9, 2021. The path is part of the Upper Charles Rail Trail.

Lets make a bike path

With the railbed unused, town officials started hatching a plan.

In the 1980s, the Holliston Conservation Commission discussed making a 2-mile bike trail on a former roadbed that started at Cross Street and ended toward the Milford line, according to Holliston Trails Committee Chair Robert Weidknect.

It was an idea, thats all it was, he said.

It was kicked around until 1997, when Consolidated Rail Corp. came to an agreement with the town that it was going to give the land to the town for free, Weidknecht said.

But then it didnt.

CSX Transportation bought Consolidated Rail and backed out of the deal, telling town officials theyd have to instead buy the land.

The town was able to secure a design phase grant from the federal government when it thought the deal with Conrail was on the table. But when the town found out it wasn't getting the land donated, funding for the project got pushed down the road for nearly 30 years.

The Highway Department said, You guys arent ready. Come back in 2024, Weidknecht said

It took the town 13 years before it could convince CSX to sell it the land. In the meantime, the town was able to secure other portions of land.

The first few of pieces of land for the Holliston trail were privately owned, and were either donated or purchased by the town. The first piece of the trail was completed in 2012.

When CSX gave the town the go-ahead to buy land for the trail, Holliston didnt have all of the needed funding on hand, so it made purchases piece by piece, Weidknecht said. The town used primarily continuous grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as other sources, including bond bills secured by its state representatives and senators.

Cesareo Contreras can be reached at 508-626-3957 or ccontreras@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @cesareo_r.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: The Holliston Rail Trail was built for hiking and biking
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 16 people accused of links to Islamic State on Tuesday after protesters used sticks and stones against security forces trying to shut down an unlicensed religious bookshop, the governor's office said.

Police had tried to close the shop in the southeastern city of Bingol overnight, the governor's office said, adding that the shop supported Islamic State activities in the country.

Islamic State has conducted numerous attacks across Turkey, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017, in which 39 people were killed.

"Teams of our police intervened ... while attacks using sticks and stones were carried out against our security forces," the governor's office statement said.

The suspects had been detained for assaulting a law enforcement officer, intentionally causing injury and damaging public property, it said.

Footage from the operation showed dozens of people clashing with police using sticks, while gun shots were heard.

Since a failed 2016 coup, Turkey has investigated and tried tens of thousands of people accused of militant links in a crackdown which rights groups say has been used as pretext to quash dissent.

The government has said its actions are necessary given the gravity of the threats faced by Turkey.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Ece Toksabay and Nick Macfie)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is ready to act as a mediator in Bosnia's crisis and will do what it can to ensure stability, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday, amid concerns over separatist moves by Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik.

As part of a visit to Sarajevo this week, Akar met with his Bosnian counterpart, the Bosnian presidency and other officials, according to his ministry.

"We view Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole. We have done all we can for its unity and stability, and we will continue to do so," Akar told broadcaster CNN Turk after his talks.

"If desired, Turkey can work as a mediator in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Akar said, without elaborating.

In a non-binding motion paving the way for secession from Bosnia, Serb lawmakers earlier this month voted to start pulling their autonomous Serb Republic out of Bosnia's armed forces, tax system, and judiciary.

Bosnia was split into two autonomous regions - the Serb Republic and the Federation, dominated by Bosniaks and Croats - after its 1992-1995 war. The three institutions represent the key pillars of joint security, rule of law and the economic system.

Turkey has said the Serb lawmakers' vote was "wrong, dangerous" and could threaten regional stability. Germany has called on the European Union to sanction Dodik.

Mostly Muslim Turkey has strong ties with Bosnia. President Tayyip Erdogan has often praised Bosnia's wartime leader, Alija Izetbegovic, while forming friendly relations with Bosnia's tripartite inter-ethnic presidency.

Dodik wants to roll back all reforms made after the war and return to the 1995 constitution, under which the state was represented by basic institutions only while all powers belonged to the regions.

Bosnia's opposition leaders warned the moves may lead the Serb Republic into a new war, while some Bosnian Serbs voiced disquiet over Dodik's moves, fearing a relapse into chaos and even conflict as they struggle just to make ends meet.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Bernadette Baum)
By Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU (Reuters) -Hundreds of troops loyal to Somalia's Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble camped on Tuesday near the residence of his political rival President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a day after the president tried to suspend the prime minister.

Roble has called Mohamed's plan to suspend him a coup attempt. A statement from the United States, which operates in Somalia against Islamist militants, called on all sides to avoid escalation but also appeared to back the prime minister.

A Reuters photographer at the scene said the security forces had taken no action by Tuesday afternoon apart from assembling. But the gathering spurred fears of a potential clash between forces loyal to the two men.

"Troops have camped in our village. ...If the notorious Villa Somalia (presidential palace) starts war then there will be a crossfire," Canab Osman, a mother of seven who operates a grocery shop in a nearby district of the capital Mogadishu told Reuters.

Another resident and local elder, Farah Ali, told Reuters security forces that had amassed in the area were fitting pickup trucks with artillery weapons.

Somalia, where no central government has held broad authority for 30 years, is in the midst of a protracted indirect election process to choose new leadership, repeatedly held up amid confrontation between Mohamed and Roble.

In April, an attempt by the president to extend his four-year term by two years led army factions loyal to each man to briefly seize rival positions in Mogadishu.

The U.S. State Department African Affairs Bureau said in a tweet late on Monday that it was prepared to act against those obstructing Somalia's path to peace.

"The attempted suspension of ... Roble is alarming and we support his efforts for rapid and credible elections," the bureau said. "All parties must desist from escalatory actions and statements."

In suspending Roble, Mohamed accused the prime minister of stealing land owned by the Somali National Army (SNA) and of interfering with a defence ministry investigation.

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In response, Roble said Mohamed's action was unconstitutional and aimed at derailing the election. He ordered security forces to start taking orders from him, rather than the president.

The months-long dispute between the prime minister and the president has distracted the government from fighting an insurgency against al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Council of Presidential Candidates, a group of politicians who plan to contest the election including two former presidents, called on Mohamed to step down "as soon as possible in order to end the crisis".

Mohamed and Roble have accused each other of holding up the parliamentary elections, which began Nov. 1 and were supposed to be completed by Dec. 24. As of Saturday only 24 of 275 lower house representatives had been elected.

According to Somalia's indirect electoral process, regional councils are meant to choose a senate. Clan elders are then meant to pick members of the lower house, which would then choose a new president at a date yet to be fixed.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Michael Perry, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Peter Graff)
From overwhelming appreciation through the Great Resignation, 2021 stands out as a year of contrasts, unfinished business, and, thankfully, tempered hopefulness.

Juxtapose this reality.

Thousands of our neighbors struggled to keep their homes. During fiscal year 2021, Columbus Urban League alone fielded approximately 15,000 thousand calls from people on the edge of eviction or foreclosure.

Meanwhile, Forbes reported in November that U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by more than $1.8 trillion since the start of the pandemic.

More: Black leaders say more money needs to be spent on affordable housing in Greater Columbus

Stephanie Hightower is president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League.

Its not over.

We may long for closure, but we cant yet consign our masks to the sock drawer or circumscribe racism to a finished Wikipedia entry on U.S. history. Omicron is ripping through our ICUs and ERs, filling our hospital beds and exacerbating a health care worker shortage and burnout crisis.

More: Health officials warn of no room in hospitals, staff shortages as new COVID-19 record set

Greater attention to and respect for diversity, equity and inclusion echoed through C-suites and boardrooms more than ever before. But we have yet to transcend the misguided view that diversity equals inferiority.

More: Here's what Columbus businesses will be doing to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in 2022

Thankfully, light does seep through the gaps in our blind spots.

Google reports that more people in 2021 searched for how to start a business than how to find a new job. Were delighted to witness and support this trend. Columbus Urban League worked with 7,100 Black and women-owned businesses this past year, businesses that not only survived the economic turmoil, but are learning to thrive as well.

Black women launched many of these companies, seeking to succeed economically and gain flexibility to care for family. Its survival instinct. Childcare is nearly extinct; school is virtual and hourly wages cant touch the monthly bills and mounting debt.

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More: 30 Black-owned businesses to gain free membership in Columbus Chamber of Commerce

These trends drove us to revamp or introduce new initiatives that ensure our emerging businesses acquire smarter financial management skills as well as critical business acumen  and offer access to HeadStart and after-school initiatives.

Michelle Allen is lead confection and owner of Mmelo Boutique Confections in the Mettler Toledo building on Polaris Parkway. The Columbus Urban League worked with 7,100 Black and women-owned businesses this past year.

Entrepreneurship, ingenuity and creativity built America. They can rebuild her as well.

In addition to continuing strong support from Franklin County and Columbus City public officials, new coalitions and collaborations emerged in 2021. These partnerships are dedicated to advancing a more just society and more inclusive economy.

More: Black leaders say more money needs to be spent on affordable housing in Greater Columbus

Citizen review boards and new checks and balances could embed greater justice into our criminal justice system.

More strategic investments in affordable housing should flow from a call by Columbus Urban League, NAACP, YWCA, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and faith leaders like Pastor Victor Davis for a community-wide strategic plan.

More: Theodore Decker: Not everyone sharing in excitement of Columbus' hot housing market

A concrete, intentionally inclusive community-wide plan will benefit all neighborhoods and track with recent census data that attributes all of Columbus Citys population growth to increases in the number of people of color.

More people needed and got help. Thanks to Columbus Urban League board companies like Honda, JP Morgan Chase, NiSource, Fifth Third Bank, Nationwide, Huntington, AEP, OhioHealth, CoverMyMeds, Bath & Body Works and Corna Kokosing, as well as organizations like the Columbus Partnership and Columbus Chamber, we were better equipped to keep pace with 160,000 individual and family engagements over the fiscal year.

More: African American Leadership Academy expanding with support from Columbus Partnership

Yet, while hope may float, it does so best when buoyed by real supports.

My dreams for 2022 are that we find even more thoughtful and innovative solutions to long-standing inequities.

For example, with great support from Franklin County we are standing up a community development financing entity that will give Black business owners an equitable source to procure infrastructure loans and working capital.

Or consider The Columbus Foundation. Determined to reverse the damage to Black-nonprofits that were subjected to philanthropic redlining, the foundation led in 2021 and gave Columbus Urban League a significant gift  a gift entirely dedicated to recruiting, training and retaining the talent and building the technology and other resources necessary to become an even more sustainable and effective service provider. May their thoughtful generosity set a new precedent.

More: Columbus Foundation makes 'game-changing' investment in Columbus Urban League

Finally, kudos to our community for its compassion. Even as cases of depression and anxiety increased by 30% or more, greater acceptance of mental illness rose, too.

May we continue this mind-shift in 2022.

Its long past time to replace the negative labels we carelessly applied to addiction and mental disorders with positive attitudes that encourage everyone to find the self-care that leads to happier, more productive lives.

More: Opinion: One in five adults in the U.S. now has a mental illness. There is help.

May the lessons and hopes of 2021 ring in our ears more loudly than Auld Lang Syne this New Years Eve. Our economy and society must work for everyone in order for everyone to work.

Stephanie Hightower is president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What did the Columbus Urban League accomplish in 2021?
The United States and Russia will hold much-anticipated talks in early January on European security and the Ukraine conflict after Moscow demanded NATO halt its eastward expansion.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council told AFP late Monday that the talks with Russia will take place on January 10.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday confirmed the date and said that the talks will take place in Geneva, where US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met for their first summit in June.

The Kremlin has grown increasingly insistent that the West and NATO are encroaching dangerously close to Russia's borders.

Moscow earlier this month presented the West with sweeping security demands, saying NATO must not admit new members and seeking to bar the United States from establishing new bases in former Soviet republics.

"The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia," the National Security Council spokesperson said.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well."

The Biden administration has insisted on taking action in lockstep with European allies.

A US official said Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Harry Truman carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean and hold off on sailing on to the Middle East.

The purpose of the order was "to reassure our allies and partners of our commitment to collective defence," the official said.

Moscow and NATO representatives are also expected to meet on January 12, while the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Russia and the United States, will address the tensions the following day.

Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau of Poland, which takes the helm of the OSCE in the new year, will address the meeting, said a spokesperson for the organization founded during the Cold War as a forum involving Moscow and the West.

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- Not just 'blah blah blah' -

The talks come after weeks of heightening tensions, with Washington accusing Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops around ex-Soviet Ukraine and plotting a winter invasion.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow in the talks would take a "hard line" aimed at defending its interests and avoiding "concessions".

At the United Nations, Russia's deputy envoy, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the talks should be "serious" but also that Russia's draft agreements were not an "ultimatum" to the United States.

"I don't think that our colleagues will get away with some blah blah blah thing," he told reporters.

"It's a constructive proposal, but it's the proposal that works for everybody and that is in the interest of everybody," he said.

Ukraine has been seeking to break from Moscow's sphere of influence and eventually join the NATO alliance.

Russia already occupies a swath of its neighbour in the Crimean peninsula and is accused of fomenting a separatist pro-Moscow rebellion in the industrial east of the country.

Deployment by Russia of tens of thousands of troops to the border sparked fears in Kiev and among its Western allies of a wider war, possibly including further seizures of Ukrainian territory.

Putin denies planning to attack the neighbouring country, saying the troop movements are to defend Russia against an encroaching Western military.

The United States and its European partners have threatened to impose harsh economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine, while also offering to hold negotiations.

The National Security Council spokesperson said Ukraine's interests would not be ignored in cutting any deal with Russia.

Negotiations will include "nothing about our allies and partners without our allies and partners, including Ukraine," the spokesperson said.

"President Biden's approach on Ukraine has been clear and consistent: unite the alliance behind two tracks -- deterrence and diplomacy. We are unified as an alliance on the consequences Russia would face if it moves on Ukraine."

There was no immediate word on who would represent the two sides on January 10.

The meeting is part of the Strategic Security Dialogue initiative launched by Biden and Putin, which initially has focused on resuscitating post-Cold War nuclear arms control treaties.

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Dec. 27Authorities have identified the man shot and killed in Murray County on Sunday morning as Joshua Dewayne Petty, 42, of Chatsworth.

Brandon Neil Wiseman, 35, of Chatsworth, is wanted for murder in connection with the shooting. Wiseman is considered armed and dangerous.

Murray County Sheriff Jimmy Davenport said the shooting happened around 2 a.m. on Fullers Chapel Road. He said no one other than Petty was shot.

"Obviously, this is an open investigation," Davenport said. "But from what we know right now there was an ongoing argument between the two men. We are actively participating with state and local authorities to locate and bring in (Wiseman)."

A post on the sheriff's office's Facebook page said Wiseman has "sandy blonde hair," brown eyes and facial hair, and was wearing blue jeans, a green T-shirt, work boots and a blue/white ball cap. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 177 pounds. He left the location on foot.

A post on the Madisonville, Tennessee, police department Facebook page said Wiseman was seen later Sunday near the Madisonville city limits in the Englewood/Gudger area.

The post said a "brief police pursuit was undertaken by McMinn Sheriff's deputies and Englewood officers, during which Wiseman took control of (a) Pathfinder, let his sister out, and disappeared in the vehicle just across the McMinn/Monroe County line in the Gudger area ...."

The sister was taken into custody, and the vehicle was later found.

Davenport said his office has a team in Tennessee working with law enforcement in the McMinn/Monroe area to locate Wiseman.

"He appears to have family up in that area," Davenport said.

Anyone with information on Wiseman's location is urged to call 911.
From left, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, the actress Gabrielle Union, Sunny Hostin, and the guest host Mary Katharine Ham on ABC's "The View" in September. Jenny Anderson/ABC via Getty Images

Executives at ABC's "The View" are still seeking a conservative cohost after Meghan McCain's exit.

The network wants a conservative who will tussle with the ladies but not be too confrontational.

"They are really looking for a unicorn," a former "View" staffer told Politico.

Since the departure of Meghan McCain from ABC's "The View" earlier this year, the oft-raucous panel has lacked a permanent conservative panelist, and several of the cohosts are pushing the network to nix the rotation of guest hosts and select a conservative replacement, according to Politico.

The past few months have featured guest-hosting stints by a number of conservative women, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, the former Fox News journalist Gretchen Carlson, the political commentator S.E. Cupp, former White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah, and the former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.

In August, Executive Producer Brian Teta told The Wrap that he was "taking a little time" to find the long-running daytime show's next host.

But months after McCain's exit, there has been no resolution on selecting a permanent panelist, and the cohosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, and Sunny Hostin have reportedly made it known that the continued guest hosting has disrupted the energy of the show.

Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, told New York magazine in November that the new host having a divergent political view is necessary for the show.

"Right now, we still do need a really conservative voice," she said at the time. "I also believe it's really important to not have someone on the panel who spreads misinformation, who adheres to the big lies, who is an anti-vaxxer, because I think that's dangerous."

A spokesperson for "The View" told Politico that the show will resume holding auditions for potential hosts in the new year and will also invite some of the previous guest hosts back for another stint.

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Farah will once again serve as a panelist on the program next month. The network will also bring in the former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss and former "View" cohost Lisa Ling  individuals who don't necessarily fall under the "Republican" moniker  while the network continues to gauge viewer reaction to the array of guest hosts.

According to people who spoke with Politico, network executives have had a difficult time finding a suitable replacement, as they are not actively considering a Republican who continues to challenge the 2020 presidential election results or has shown support for the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

The executives are reportedly not screening candidates who have publicly dabbled in conspiracy theories but would like to hire someone who has "credibility with mainstream Republicans," according to Politico.

"The problem is that they bring people on under the mantle that this woman is a conservative, when they're 'Never Trump,' so they don't represent the country," a guest host told the news outlet.

Executives are also reportedly seeking a conservative who isn't too congenial with the other cohosts, as the show's research reveals that audience members want to see quarrels.

According to Politico, the aforementioned request has damaged the chances of Ana Navarro-Cardenas, a conservative who has rejected former President Donald Trump and gets along well with the other hosts  but is not seen as a "traditional" Republican by producers.

"They are really looking for a unicorn," a former show staffer told Politico. "They want someone who is going to fight  but not too hard, because they don't want it to be ugly and bickering."

The high-profile exits of past conservative hosts including Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Nicole Wallace, Abby Huntsman, and McCain have also contributed to a "perception" that any permanent Republican panelist will be "on borrowed time," according to Politico.

Sources informed Politico that "The View" was reportedly interested in bringing on the libertarian and Fox News personality Kat Timpf but said that she declined an offer because the program has a reputation for not being friendly to conservative voices.

The program is still on the hunt for its newest member, though.

"Our plans are on track as we continue to look for the right person to join our panel of smart, dynamic women," a "View" spokesperson told Politico. "We look forward to welcoming guest co-hosts for return appearances and introducing new names into the mix in the new year."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Some called him The Scatman. Others knew him as Billy Hipp.

With his iconic white beard, creative scat performances and love of all things music, Marion "Billy" Norwood was a cornerstone of Wilmingtons jazz scene.

Whether through his friendship with the legendary Clifford Brown or his mentorship of contemporary local jazz musicians, Norwoods impact on his beloved city will continue to be felt for years to come.

He was a blessing to everybody, said local jazz trumpeter Gerald Chavis.

Marion "Billy" Norwood performed at his surprise 75th birthday party at Christina Cultural Arts Center.

Chavis said he was fortunate enough to have Norwoods help and encouragement as he developed his sound as a musician. Norwood always came to his shows  even last month while in the hospital, Norwood tried to discharge himself to see Chavis perform live.

Hes the guy that you would try to emulate in life, Chavis said.

Chavis described Norwood as funny, insightful and sharp as a tack. All of Norwoods lessons  both on life and on jazz  now live inside him.

Everyone has their own voice, Norwood told The News Journal in a 1999 interview. Regardless of how good or bad a person might be in any form of art, theres something there if you look for it.

The musician was born and raised in Wilmingtons East Side neighborhood. As a teen, he often tried to sneak into jazz clubs to see performers like John Coltrane and Lionel Hampton play. When that didnt work, he made a deal with the owner of the Odd Fellows Temple: admittance to shows in exchange for access to groceries made scarce by World War II.

Billy Norwood was frequently featured in The News Journal in stories about the jazz culture in Wilmington.

Soon, it would be Norwood up on that stage.

He was amazing, said photographer Kenny Ken-Do Bond. I don't know if there's a time when I've seen anyone else as unique.

MORE TO READ: Over 20 Christmas concerts, holiday shows in Delaware, including Jimmie Allen

Bond, one of Norwoods friends, admitted that at first, he didnt understand jazz. That changed the first time he saw Norwood perform, and he quickly fell in love with it.

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Now, he has a career photographing jazz musicians.

Bonds relationship with Norwood  much like that of Chavis and other friends  went beyond the music. Norwood would always provide his friends with information, whether it be tales of historic Wilmington over lunch or a stack of DVDs about natural health remedies. His daughter Brooke Alison called him a walking encyclopedia; his friends agreed.

He was such a giver, Alison said. And thats really been instilled in me.

Alison said her dad incorporated music into all aspects of life. He used to play jazz while the family did chores each Saturday morning, and would do private dance performances for his kids. He even scatted lullabies to lull his children to sleep.

The first time Alison saw her dad perform outside of the house was at former Mayor James Bakers inauguration in 2001. He tore the stage up and down, she remembered, and she found a new appreciation for him as a musician.

She was proud of him then, and she is still proud of him now  even if he happened to keep her up all night practicing his vocal ranges so that he could perform at a moments notice.

It was this impressive vocal range coupled with his creativity and passion that made Norwoods scatting stand out. It also made it a rare form of art.

MORE TO READ: Behind each headstone is a story. This Delaware police officer wants to help remember them

I dont know if it can be taught, Bond said.

The art of scatting is fading, Bond said, much like live music. With the rise of streaming, less people are attending shows in person. This is especially harmful to smaller musicians, and one of the reasons why Norwood made such an effort to attend local artists shows.

Before he died in late November, Alison said the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival tried to give her dad an award. He refused, saying that the festival needed to start putting real jazz musicians back on the menu.

He was walking jazz, Bond said. He was a walking legend.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The life and legacy of Wilmington's jazz 'Scatman' Billy Norwood
WEST ORANGE, NJ  As New Years Eve approaches, many people in West Orange may have a big question: Am I infected with the coronavirus?

There are a few ways to find out the answer to that question if youre preparing to visit friends or family to ring in the new year.

Essex County continues to hold free COVID-19 testing at its three operational vaccine centers in Livingston, Newark and West Orange. The centers are open to any person who lives, works or goes to school in the county. Learn more or register for a vaccination/test here.

If youre planning on getting a test at one of those three centers for the new year, you might want to hurry, however. Essex County offices and COVID vaccination/testing locations will be closed Friday, Dec. 31 through Sunday, Jan. 2 for the holiday.

The county has also been offering mobile testing/vaccination at rotating sites, as seen in the below social media post.

Meanwhile, New Jersey health officials have launched a website where people can search for COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. See it here.

Tests are available to anyone in New Jersey; insurance isnt needed.

West Orange locations on the map include:

AFC Urgent Care West Orange - 464 Eagle Rock Ave., (973) 669-5900

NJ Primary Care (West Orange Office) - 412 Pleasant Valley Way, Suite 200, (551) 292-7457

Care Station Urgent Care (West Orange) - 456 Prospect Avenue, (908) 925-2273

Zufall Health Center (West Orange) - 95 Northfield Avenue, (973) 325-2266

In addition, the New Jersey Department of Health and Vault Medical Services have partnered to offer a free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kit that is available to every New Jerseyan who thinks they need a test  even if they don't have symptoms. Learn more here.



To order a free test kit, click here.

According to the state website:

The kit will be shipped through UPS with next-day delivery. Once received, you will connect over Zoom with a Vault healthcare professional who will walk you through the test and answer your questions. When complete, the test can be sent back in a prepaid package via UPS next-day shipping. You will receive your test results 24 to 48 hours after your sample arrives at the lab. You will not be charged for the test, and you will not be asked for your credit card information.

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All New Jerseyans can order a free, at-home COVID-19 saliva PCR test at https://t.co/ObdxgcYvjX.You can find a list of free public testing locations in New Jersey by county at https://t.co/bQkjIBA6hu, with additional sites to be added.

 NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) December 21, 2021

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com



Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Dont forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on the West Orange Patch
The fatal shark attack off the coast of Morro Bay has sent shockwaves through the community as surfers and beachgoers alike try to make sense of the tragedy.

But it also raises new questions about the infamous great white sharks who occupy the ocean off the Central Coast.

Although its hard to tell exactly how many white sharks frequent local waters, researchers estimate that the population has steadily increased over the past two decades due largely to state and federal protection measures.

(The Central Coast) is going to be considered kind of a new white shark frontier. We expect to see a lot more shark activity there, said Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology and the director of the Shark Lab at CSU Long Beach. So what that means is people that use the ocean, they have to be more careful than maybe they have been in the past.

However, Lowe said shark attacks are still extremely rare incidents.

White sharks have a huge range of habitat in the Pacific Ocean  from the Mexican peninsula of Baja California to around the Farallon Islands off San Franciscos coast and even thousands of miles west toward Japan. The large predatory fish move constantly in search of food and the right water temperatures.

Data on exactly how many white sharks are in the Pacific Ocean off San Luis Obispo Countys coast is particularly hard to gather as monitoring equipment can easily be ripped loose due to the areas rough winter currents, Lowe said.

But, through rough population estimates gathered over the past decade, scientists have noticed more and more white sharks in the waters off the Central Coast likely because of the ocean there becoming warmer as the global climate changes.

These are aspects of climate change that were just starting to get some data on, Lowe said. And what we should be expecting is that white sharks are going to start moving farther north than weve seen in the past.

The redistribution of seals and sea lions along the Central Coast may also play a role in more white sharks being spotted in the area, Lowe added.

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A sign at a beach parking lot announces the water is closed at Morro Strand on Dec. 24, 2021, after a fatal shark attack.

Tagged white sharks show some in Central Coast around Christmas Eve attack

Scientists have worked to tag white sharks over the years to better track their movements.

One such organization, the Marine Conservation Science Institute, has tagged several white sharks, some of which have visited the Central Coast recently.

Poe Girl  a 17-foot female great white shark who was named by Keith Poe, one of the institute researchers  was tagged on Nov. 23, 2017.

On Oct. 21, the director of the institute, Michael Domeier, posted a warning on Instagram to beachgoers at El Capitan State Beach near the Santa Barbara Channel about Poe Girl.

Poe Girl is visiting El Capitan State Beach, Domeier wrote in the post. She is not your everyday Southern California juvenile; shes a massive adult that you should avoid.

Her tag has given off recent pings in Central Coast waters for the past two weeks or so, according to Domeier.

In a recent post on Instagram, Domeier said Poe Girl was located 24 miles south of Morro Bay around 6 p.m. on Dec. 25, which means she was likely in the area at the time the boogie-boarder was killed.

But he also emphasized people shouldnt jump to conclusions.

The probability of it being one of our sharks (who killed the boogie-boarder) is very low, since weve tagged such a small percentage of the overall population, Domeier wrote in another post to his Instagram page.

In a different post, Domeier said that the shark tracking technology his organization uses is not exact. The tracking technology can only monitor the locations of sharks when they surface because the technology relies on a radio frequency that cannot penetrate seawater.

The positions are not based on GPS, and sometimes they are way off. Instead, the satellite estimates the position based upon the change in the frequency of the tags signal as it approaches, and then moves away from the tag. Its a lot of math based upon the Doppler Effect, wrote Domeier in an Instagram comment to someone with a question about the technology.

A sign posted on the beach in Morro Bay on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2021, warns of a fatal shark attack in the area known as The Pit.

Some say surfers and white sharks coexist

The local surf community emphasizes that sharks and surfers have coexisted in the ocean waters for a long time.

Sharks are used to seeing surfers up and down the coast, said Mike Jones, owner of the Azhiaziam International surf shop in Morro Bay. I think theyre pretty smart. I think sharks have an inkling of what we are and what not to do.

Most in the local surf community agree that the attack that left one boogie-boarder dead is a tragic accident.

Theyre always here, said Bill Bookout, owner of the Pismo Beach Surf Shop and Avila Beach Surf Shop. If you were to fly a drone out there, youre going to see sharks. A lot of the times youll see great whites right amongst the surfers.

Its not that theyre coming at us, he added. Its more accidents than anything else.

Jones did say that it would be helpful if the people who track the whereabouts of sharks like Poe Girl could communicate with Harbor Patrol about when sharks with a history of human interactions are in the area, so they could post warnings and get the word out to the surf community.

Thats what the surfers were all talking about this morning, Jones said. If theyre tracking him especially when the water is all muddy, why is there no warning?

Lowe, the scientist from CSU Long Beach, said the recent attack was an extremely rare incident.

Despite the fact that we have more sharks in our waters than weve seen in a very long time, we have more people going in the ocean recreating in our ocean than ever before, were still not seeing a big uptick in bites, he said.

Our goal is to get that information out to the public so that they can make better decisions, Lowe continued. Nonetheless, people should be aware that climate change is redistributing sharks to places that they may not have been before the population increase.

Beachgoers and surfers can track Poe Girl and other tagged white sharks on the Marine Conservation Science Institutes phone app, Expedition White Shark.
As Old Man Winter continues lobbing heavy snowballs at Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, a frigid blast of cold air is set to rush into the Pacific Northwest this week, making for the region's coldest New Year's Eve in years, AccuWeather experts say.

Seattle is only a few days removed from experiencing its lowest temperature since 2010, when a low of 17 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded on Dec. 26 as snow fell across the city and the Interstate 5 corridor.

That cold and snowy pattern is expected to continue well into the start of 2022 in the Northwest, forecasters say.

Motorists and pedestrians can expect more rounds of slippery travel conditions through this weekend. Vast stretches of interstates 5, 84 and 90 will fall within the targeted range of the wintry onslaught. Meteorologists say drivers venturing over these roads should prepare to encounter areas of snow and ice during the storms. Chains may be required when venturing over the passes in the Cascades.

Even with two days left in December, locations in Seattle and Portland had already topped their average snowfall totals for the month. As of Dec. 29, Seattle has accumulated 5.8 inches of snow, 3.4 times its normal December amount, while Portland has totaled 3.6 inches, 2.9 times its December average.

"Much of the lower elevations in the I-5 corridor from Washington to Oregon can expect 1-3 inches of snow with locally higher amounts through Thursday evening," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said.

Snowfall will tend to be higher over hilly areas and at intermediate elevations in the Cascades and Olympics. Over the passes in the Cascades, 3-6 inches of snow is in store while the high country will likely tack on another 1-2 feet of snow on top of their deep snowpack. In parts of the high country of the Cascades, there is upwards of 8 feet of snow already on the ground with local amounts likely pushing 15 feet.

Estimated snow cover (inches) as of Dec. 30, 2021. (NOAA/USDA Forestry Service)

Along the immediate coasts of Washington and Oregon, a mixture of rain and snow is forecast with local amounts of a coating to an inch possible with this latest storm.

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The stormy pattern is expected to take a breather toward the end of the week, with the next storm likely to hold off for New Year's Eve celebrations. Conditions are likely to be dry but very cold, so people who plan on spending time outdoors in the Northwest should bundle up.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

"This New Year's Eve is likely to be the coldest in years for the region," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Temperatures will dip into the single digits and teens F over areas east of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon by midnight Friday night. However, it will be cold over coastal areas of both states with midnight temperatures ranging from the lower to mid-20s in northwestern Washington to the upper 20s and lower 30s in southwestern Oregon.

A normal high in Seattle on Dec. 31 is 47 F while a typical low is 37 F. In Portland, the normal high is 46 while the normal low is 36. At this time, a daytime high near 30 is forecast for Seattle, while Portland will likely record temperatures in the upper 30s.

It may not be until Sunday and Monday that the next storm rolls through and returns the chance for snow once again in some of the lower elevations west of the Cascades.

AccuWeather's long-range team of meteorologists expects the general pattern of below-average temperatures and above-average precipitation to continue into mid-January across the West. The pattern will continue to hammer away at the long-term drought over much of the West. However, the risk of flooding and mudslides will also exist where rain falls at intermediate elevations during brief intrusions of warm air.

With more snow to come through the end of 2021, this month is likely to finish among the top snowiest Decembers on record in both cities. In order for Seattle to move into the top 10 snowiest list, it must reach 6.4 inches, a total which was last set in December 1964. Portland has already moved into the top 10, with 3.6 inches of snow so far this month, making it the 8th snowiest December on record. The snowiest December on record for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport occurred in 1968 when 22.1 inches of snow fell, while Portland's snowiest December occurred in 2008 when 19 inches were recorded.

Both Seattle and Portland have a long way to go to record their snowiest winters on record. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the title belongs to the 1968-69 winter season with 67.5 inches of snow. At Portland International Airport, the snowiest winter on record was in 1949-50 with 44.5 inches. Seattle receives an average of 6.2 inches of snow each year, while Portland picks up 4.3 inches. Both locations are likely to reach close to their seasonal averages by the end of December.

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
As everyone still believes Miami is the promised land, we keep getting flashy new residents by the droves.

The latest addition to the 305? The Wolf of Wall Street, aka Jordan Belfort.

Belfort, who recently eloped in Las Vegas with his third wife, Argentine model Cristina Invernizzi, has set down stakes in the Magic City from Los Angeles, according to a release from his publicist.

The former stockbroker, the subject of the 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio movie based on Belforts memoir of the same name, is already a staple on the social scene.

Youll spot the Bronx native doing what many Miami people do, taking selfies, eating at hot spots like Carbone and cruising Biscayne Bay near his waterfront mansion.

To further prove he is completely entrenched in the scene, Belfort even revealed his very own NFT at Art Basel. The piece with photographer David Yarrow shows the motivational speakers glamorous life in the 15 years since his release from prison. Belfort served 22 months after being convicted of securities fraud and money laundering in the infamous pump and dump scheme depicted in the classic flick.

The NFT sees Belfort partying on a yacht surrounded by helicopters, models and FBI agents off the California coast.

Oh, the final touch: Belfort has a tequila coming out: Mezcal Santo Inferno.

We think hes going to like it here.
Biologists release captively-produced Delta smelt into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Photo by

STOCKTON  For the fourth year in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has caught zero Delta smelt in its Fall Midwater Trawl Survey on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The Delta smelt, once the most abundant fish in the entire estuary, numbered in the millions before state and federal projects started exporting large quantities of Delta water to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and Southern California water agencies.

Found only in the Delta, the fish is considered an "indicator" species because it shows the health of the Delta ecosystem. The 2021 sampling season began Sept. 1 and was completed on Dec. 16.

The survey ended just after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and CDFW, along with the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, experimentally released 12,800 hatchery-raised Delta smelt into the Delta for the first time on Dec. 14 and 15.

The purpose of this Delta smelt project is to benefit conservation of the species through studies of experimental release of captively-produced fish into a portion of its current range, according to the service: http://ow.ly/W2Fj50HeENQ

In a memorandum dated Dec. 21, James White, CDFW environmental scientist, Bay Delta Region, said the 2021 abundance index for Delta smelt was 0 and was tied with 2018 through 2020 for the lowest in FMWT history.

"This is a continuation of a pattern of low indices that occurred in recent years," White said. "No Delta smelt were collected from any stations during our survey months of September- December. An absence of Delta smelt catch in the FMWT is consistent among other surveys in the estuary."

However, White noted that another survey, the Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring (EDSM) survey of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) caught 8 Delta smelt, including 6 marked individuals and 2 wild individuals, among 65 sampling days between Sept. 1 and Dec. 17 comprised of 784 tows. The surveys catch occurred on Dec. 16 and 17.

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Delta smelt numbers are very low and below the effective detection threshold by most sampling methods, concluded White.

The Delta smelt has declined to a point of near-extinction in the wild due to several factors, including big changes to the Delta ecosystem resulting from water exports, the impact of invasive species and drought.

Zero Sacramento splittail were also reported in the survey, as has been the case in recent years. The indexes for other pelagic species, including striped bass, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and American shad, showed both increases and decreases from last years dismal results, but reveal a dramatic overall decline of the fish since the beginning of the survey in 1967.

Between 1967 and 2020, the states Fall Midwater Trawl abundance indices for striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, American shad, splittail and threadfin shad have declined by 99.7, 100, 99.96, 67.9, 100, and 95%, respectively, reported Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.

Taken as five-year averages (1967-71 vs. 2016-20), the declines for striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, American shad, splittail and threadfin shad are 98.1, 99.8, 99.8, 26.2, 99.3 and 94.3 percent, respectively, Jennings said.

San Joaquin stripers: Jeff Soo Ho of Soo Hoo Sportfishing, his deckhand, and four others caught limits of stripers in the 4 to 6 pound range while drifting live minnows and mudsuckers on the Sunday before Christmas in the San Joaquin River above Antioch, but he hasnt been out since the latest storms.

We got the fish we needed and came in, Soo Hoo said. My previous trip also produced 6 limits. Information: (925) 899-4045.

Rockfish/crab combos: The California Dawn made a crab-only trip on Monday, returning with 18 limits of crab. We have been hampered by weather over the past two weeks, but weather conditions clear tomorrow and we are going to the Farallon Islands for the next couple of days to finish out the rockfish season that closes on Dec. 31, Capt. James Smith said. Information: (510) 417-5557.

Contact Record Correspondent Dan Bacher at danielbacher53@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Zero Delta smelt found in CDFW's fall survey
RICHMOND  Once again, workers believe they have found the 1887 time capsule that was put under the Robert E. Lee pedestal. But this time, the details are a closer match.

At 11:41 a.m. Monday, a crew led by Team Henry Enterprises found what appears to be a copper box underground in the northeast corner of the foundation, just as the newspapers at the time described, said Michael Spence, construction superintendent.

Once the box was out of the ground, conservator Kate Ridgway of the Department of Historic Resources covered it in bubble wrap and placed it in the back seat of a black Honda, and it was driven to their lab.

The box will be opened Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Department of Historic Resources lab on Kensington Avenue, according to a release Monday evening from Gov. Ralph Northam.

What began Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. was the third attempt to find the time capsule, which newspaper accounts said holds 60 artifacts largely from the Confederacy, including a potentially rare image of Abraham Lincoln in his grave.

A masonry crew spent 12 hours looking in the northeast corner in September only to come up empty. Then, two weeks ago, the crew made a discovery while disassembling the 40-foot plinth. They found a time capsule halfway up that paid homage to the creators of the Lee statue  the capsule included a book written by one of the two men and an image of the other.

It quickly became apparent that it was a different time capsule  the box was the wrong material, the wrong size and in the wrong location.

So after the masonry crew had removed every stone of the pedestal Wednesday  all 632 of them, Spence said  the search resumed. The foundation of the statue  rocks, mortar and boulders  still remained.

On Monday morning, a crew returned and slowly picked away at the foundation. At the bottom of the northeast corner, they found harder, fabricated material.

"Obviously it was trying to protect something," Spence said. "That was our theory."

Using an excavator, they slid a 3,000-pound stone to the side, and there it was, the other time capsule. Devon Henry, the project's contractor, called for all the workers to stop. Spence, who was standing near the perimeter at the time, walked bristly  you never run on a construction site, he said  to see what had been discovered.

What they found isn't a perfect match to what the 1887 newspapers described, but it's close.

The newspapers described a 14 x 14 x 8-inch copper box placed under the pedestal's cornerstone. Henry's team found what appears to be copper, measures 13.5 x 13.5 x 7.5 inches and was located beneath what Spence called a capstone.

"It's another victory for Team Henry and the commonwealth of Virginia and everyone that's a history buff," Spence said.

Given that the box was found in a puddle of water, it's likely the contents are damaged, said Sarah Driggs, a historian and author of "Richmond's Monument Avenue."

Paper is the most susceptible to the elements, Ridgway said last week. Textiles and coins are most likely to survive.

A newspaper in 1887 published a complete list of the materials placed inside, including:

 A picture of Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin donated by Pattie Leake;

 A history of Monumental Church donated by George Fisher;

 A collection of Confederate buttons from Cyrus Bossieux;

 A copy of Carlton McCarthy's "Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia" given by J.W. Randolph & English publishers;

 A guide to Richmond with a map of the city and a map of Virginia;

 Three bullets, a piece of shell and a Minie ball lodged in a piece of wood from a Fredericksburg battlefield, given by Frank Brown;

 A Bible from Thomas J. Starke;

 Statistics of the city of Richmond from J.B. Halyburton;

 A battle flag and a square and compass made from a tree over Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's grave from J.W. Talley;

 A $100,000 Confederate bond from John F. Mayer;

 An English penny from 1812 from W.T. Moseley;

 Oct 26, 1887 edition of the The Richmond Dispatch.

Historians have described the articles as Confederate propaganda. The image of Lincoln in his coffin was one more way for the South to spite the Union and carry on the idea of the Lost Cause, said Dale Brumfield, an author and historian who has studied the capsule's history.

Only one genuine photo of Lincoln after his death exists, Brumfield wrote in a 2017 Richmond Magazine article. It was taken in 1865 in New York by Jeremiah Gurney while Lincoln's body was on its way for burial.

Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of the president, had demanded that no photos be taken of her husband's corpse, and Gurney was ordered to destroy his photo.

But Edwin Stanton, secretary of war, held on to the photographic plate and hid it in his office. It was largely forgotten until 1952, when it was rediscovered in a box in Lincoln's presidential library.

No other photo of a deceased Lincoln is known to exist. If the picture in the time capsule is an original photographic print form 1865, it could be worth $250,000, appraiser Cliff Krainik said.

But the chances of that are rare. It's more likely the picture is an illustration or a fake  multiple fabrications were published following Lincoln's death.

Richmond Times-Dispatch photographer Eva Russo contributed to this report.
Japan's government has compiled a plan to address any reputational damage to industries after water from a crippled nuclear power plant is released into the ocean.

Fukushima Daiichi in northeastern Japan suffered a triple meltdown in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The water was used to cool molten fuel and became contaminated with radioactive materials. It mixed with groundwater and rain seeping into damaged reactor buildings. The water has since been treated and stored in tanks, but still contains radioactive tritium. The facility has more than 1,000 tanks for such water. These are expected to reach capacity after autumn next year.

The government says the plant operator will release the water into the ocean around the spring of 2023, after diluting the concentration of tritium to one-40th of the level allowed under national regulations.

The government held a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers and came up with the plan on Tuesday.

The plan calls for publicizing at home and abroad an interim assessment of the impact of the water release to be compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency next year.

The plan also incorporates mid- to long-term measures to prevent reputational damage to local industries, especially fisheries. As part of such efforts, the marketing of local fisheries products will be supported by a fund worth about 260 million dollars that has been approved in this fiscal year's supplementary budget.

The plan also says compensation criteria will be decided, and the application procedure for damages will be made public before the start of the water release.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said while the government's scientific explanations for the release of the water have been positively accepted abroad, many local municipalities and those in farming and fisheries industries are concerned about possible reputational damage.
DES MOINES (AP)  The family of a retired school superintendent who died from an infection unrelated to COVID-19 believes he would have had a better chance of surviving had his transfer to a larger hospital not been delayed for 15 days because of the pandemic.

Dale Weeks twin daughters told the Des Moines Register that their father stayed at the relatively small hospital in Newton, west of Des Moines, because larger hospitals couldnt spare a bed for him. Weeks died Nov. 28 at age 78.

Weeks lived in the southern Iowa town of Seymour, where he was the school superintendent before he retired in 2007. He went to the hospital in nearby Centerville on Nov. 1 thinking he might be experiencing the side effects of a flu shot or COVID-19 booster shot, but doctors diagnosed sepsis, a dangerous, blood-borne infection.

His family said the Centerville hospital did not have a bed for him, and it took that hospital until the next day to find one in Newton, 80 miles north.

He received intravenous antibiotics, but his infection didnt disappear. Family members repeatedly asked whether he could be transferred to a more advanced hospital.

We kept being told he was on a list of degrees of severity, and his number had not come up, said Jenifer Owenson, of Des Moines, who is one of Weeks twin daughters and one of his four children.

He was aware of the situation, Owenson said.

He was like, Why cant something be done? she said.

Representatives of the hospitals declined to comment on Weeks case but acknowledged the frustration caused by hospital crowding.

Marcy Peterson, spokesperson for the MercyOne system that operates the Newton hospital, said hospitals across the U.S. are dealing with the spread of the delta and omicron COVID-19 variants but also other cases of trauma and illness.

Weeks was transported to the University of Iowa hospital system on Nov. 17, where doctors concluded on Nov. 25 that he needed surgery to deal with a severe infection in an artery near his stomach, his daughters said. The next days surgery lasted 17 hours, but Weeks continued to struggle, and a second, shorter surgery didnt halt his decline.

Although Weeks might have died had he been admitted immediately to a larger medical center sooner, his other twin daughter, Julia Simanski of Ankeny, said: I think it would have given us a fairer chance.
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.

Last years flu season was the lowest on record, likely because COVID-19 measures  school closures, distancing, masks and canceled travel  prevented the spread of influenza, or because the coronavirus somehow pushed aside other viruses.

This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season, said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. Its a sad reminder of how severe flu can be.

During last years unusually light flu season, one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.

In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in the nations capital, Washington, D.C., and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven. In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reported one flu death for the week ending Dec. 18. There have been three flu-related deaths since Sept. 27, 2020, according to state data. There have been 56 confirmed cases since Oct. 3.

There have been no flu deaths in Pottawattamie County this season, according to Maria Sieck with Pottawattamie County Public Health. Sieck gathered data for the Nonpareil that shows in the states southwest region, which includes 18 counties, from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, there was an increase from 0% to 2.6% in flu positivity.

Thats low compared to the rest of the state, where some regions are at 29%.

It has been pretty quiet (compared) to the rest of the state, Sieck said.

During that monthlong period, only one Pottawattamie County school reported 10% or higher absences, one of the metrics the state looks at in tracking illness activity. The state tracks the flu along with similar ailments like rhinovirus and enterovirus. And for schools, the percentage also includes COVID cases.

Sieck noted locally and statewide influenza A has been the dominant strand so far, which reflects whats happening nationally. The strain is more communicable, she said. But, this years flu shot does include influenza A, along with influenza B.

The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

Last years break from the flu made it more challenging to plan for this years flu vaccine. So far, it looks like whats circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but its really too early to know whether that will blunt the vaccines effectiveness, Brammer said.

Well have to see what the impact of these little changes will be, Brammer said. Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu.

There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year. With hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, its more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.

Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if youre sick, Brammer said. If you do get flu, there are antivirals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital.

Area residents can call Pottawattamie County Public Health at 712-242-1155 to schedule a flu shot.

Nonpareil Managing Editor Mike Brownlee contributed. The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
SIOUX CITY (AP)  An Iowa woman has been charged with helping a teenager attack a man with a hatchet in a Sioux City apartment building earlier this month.

Sioux City police said the attack was carried out on Dec. 18 to retaliate against the apartments occupant because that man had previously kicked the 52-year-old woman out of the apartment.

The Sioux City Journal reports that Mary Blair was arrested Saturday on several charges, including burglary and assault.

Court documents say Blair let the 16-year-old into the locked apartment building and then knocked on the door of the victims apartment before stepping aside to let the teen enter.

Prosecutors say the victim suffered a broken shoulder and had to have a chest tube inserted because of blood in his lung after he was struck several times with a hatchet.

Blair told police that the teen was mad that she had been kicked out of the apartment, and she called the teen her protector.

Sioux City Community Policing Sgt. Jeremy McClure said the 16-year-old suspect in the attack has not yet been arrested.

Blair was being held Monday in lieu of $60,000 bond. It wasnt immediately clear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a sweeping defense authorization bill that includes nearly $770 billion in defense spending for fiscal year 2022.

The bill  which provides a 2.7% increase in military basic pay  also includes changes to how the military prosecutes certain crimes, like sexual assault, and authorizes a national memorial honoring the men and women who have served in the nation's longest war, the Global War on Terrorism  measures backed by Republican members of Iowa's congressional delegation.

"This bipartisan package will provide our troops with a much-needed pay increase and support they have long needed," U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ottumwa, said in a statement.

Miller-Meeks served for 24 years as a nurse and doctor in the U.S. Army.

The package also includes several of Miller-Meeks' legislative priorities, including giving veterans and Gold Star families free lifetime access to national parks and public federal lands.

Also included in the package, according to Miller-Meeks, are measures "supporting the mental health of our soldiers, protecting the second amendment rights of veterans, and ensuring that women do not have to register for the draft."

The bill takes away the military's ability to prosecute serious crimes, like rape, murder, manslaughter, sexual assault and kidnapping. The bill also makes sexual harassment a crime under the Uniform Code of Mlilitary Justice.

Independent military lawyers will be tasked with prosecuting sexual assault cases, taking the decision out of the hands of the chain of command.

However, military commanders would still have authority to conduct trials, pick jury members, approve witnesses and grant immunity.

In a statement, the president said the bill "provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our countrys national defense."

Iowa Republican U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley, however, joined a bipartisan group of senators earlier this month criticizing the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act that passed the House, saying it does not go far enough to ensure that sexual assault survivors get justice.

Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault and commander in the Iowa Army National Guard, has long worked to combat sexual assault in the military.

She and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, criticized the removal of provisions in the Senate version of the bill that would have shifted many responsibilities in the military justice system from the commander to a special prosecutor and expanded the number of crimes that would be handled by independent prosecutors.

"While I was encouraged with the momentous reform we made to the way the military prevents these abuses and holds perpetrators accountable, there is still work to be done," Ernst said in a statement earlier this month.

She, Gillibrand and Grassley vowed to try again to get a separate bill passed, pressing for a floor vote in the Senate that would strip commanders of oversight of all major crimes.

The bill signed by President Biden also includes a provision spearheaded by Ernst to build a memorial on the National Mall honoring the veterans of the Global War on Terrorism.

Ernst commanded 150 troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom and is the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate.

"In the wake of 9/11, millions of Americans answered the call to keep America safe, sacrificing life and limb to protect our homeland and to fight the enemies of freedom the world over," Ernst said in a statement Monday. "The time to honor these heroes of our nations longest war and their families is now, and there is no more fitting of a way to do that than with a memorial on our National Mall to serve as a permanent testament of their selflessness for generations to come."

Other provisions in the bill signed into law Monday, according to Ernst, require the Department of Defense to develop a strategy to evacuate men and women who have worked alongside U.S. personnel for the last two decades who still remain in Afghanistan. It also requires the Pentagon and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the involvement of the Chinese Communist Party in the origins of COVID-19, and prohibits the DoD from funding experiments by EcoHealth Alliance  the nonprofit that funneled U.S. tax dollars into the Wuhan Institute of Virology for coronavirus studies  in China.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this article
Theres a story for every cowboy hat, even the newer ones.

Nine-year-old Kaycee Fleming enjoys public speaking and all things associated with horses. In May 2021, Fleming found herself with many speaking opportunities when she was awarded the junior princess role representing Scottsbluffs Historic Saddle Club. Contestants must portray leadership characteristics and be prepared to represent the club in many public events.

Over the course of the summer and fall, she did many speaking engagements, as well as presenting the American flag at Saddle Club events and other area rodeos and parades. Presenting the colors while circling the performance arena before a rodeo event was Flemings favorite part of her role as junior princess.

While serving as junior princess, Kaycee Fleming wore a crown previously worn by past Saddle Club princess Lori Baker. Flemingss parents, Matt and Katy, decided it was time to get her a special cowboy hat that she would be able to wear throughout her princess duties and her many horse events, a hat that would carry the crown and forever be with her.

The Fleming family, who previously lived in Colorado, knew of a hat man who could craft the perfect cowboy hat for Kaycee Fleming at Greeley Hat Works.

Owner Trent Johnson said he would fill the hat order if Kaycee Fleming gave a speech about the organization and area she represented as junior princess, as well as the history of Greeley Hat Works.

So, I was able to tell them what I wanted and they would fit that to me, Kaycee Fleming said. I told them teal for the inside, and it said my name, Saddle Club Junior Princess on the inside band.

Wearing her cowboy hat, she spent the past summer and fall serving as a princess, learning roping and competing in her favorite event, pole bending.

In early November, the Fleming family traveled to Elizabeth, Colorado, to spend time with family. Of course, the 9-year-old girl took her prized cowboy hat with her.

We went to an early Thanksgiving and delivered some beef. On the way home, we decided to put some stuff in the tub in the back of the pickup, Kaycee said. Dad didnt get the tub strapped down, but we all make mistakes.

The missing tub was noticed when the family unpacked. Both of the parents, as well as Kaycee and her younger sisters, were all very emotional. Kaycee gave a silent shrug; she had no words.

Parents Matt and Katy put the distressed girls to bed and began frantically making phone calls to all local and state law enforcement agencies for every county along their traveled route. It was one of these calls that led Matt on a drive to the Fort Morgan, Colorado, police station before dawn the following day.

The tub had been found but items that were stored in it were still missing, specifically Kaycees hat.

I got there when the sun was coming up to pick up the tub but everything besides my dads tools that were under a moving blanket in the bottom was missing. Those tools are worth a lot of money and someone left them, Matt said.

Matt walked the stretch of interstate along which the tub was discovered for many hours in search of Kaycees missing hat.

Katy did everything she could think of, including a social media post complete with a photo of the inside of Kaycees hat  the inscription was the only identifying marker of all the missing items. Katy said she quietly maintained hope that her social media post might reach whoever had found it.

Two weeks later at a gas station in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jake Jacobson said, he noticed a man intently looking at him and then abruptly walking outside of the store. Minutes later, Jacobson walked out and realized the same man was approaching him with a cowboy hat.

The traveler handed him the hat, explaining that he found it on the side of the road.

He said, You guys look like cowboys; you might know what to do with it better than I do. The guy said, Have a good day, and walked away., Jacobson said.

Jacobson realized the hat had writing on the band. His friend Dalton Morris was quickly able to use the internet to track down the initial social media post from Katy.

I counted the hat as long gone, and then there was a post saying I found it, call me, but he didnt leave a number, Katy said. I felt like it was a scam, but I wrote back trying not to get too excited.

Morris and Jacobson were in Vegas working at the National Finals Rodeo. I knew we needed to find the owner of this hat, Morris said. Thats what cowboys do  we help each other out.

Jacobson said, Im glad the guy gave it to us. He could have thrown it away. Rodeo is a family. Everyone tries to help everyone, so we were glad to hold that hat and be able to get it back to that little girl.

Katy, unable to believe someone in Nevada had Kaycees cowboy hat, asked Matt to call Morris. Matt recalls Morris answering and explaining that he was set to entertain at the NFR in two minutes but he would find a way to get the hat back to Nebraska.

It was that one quick phone conversation that young cowgirl Kaycee would overhear and learn that her hat was at the NFR. Katy said a family friend was attending the NFR and was happy to safely return the hat to Kaycee.

Though Kaycee was beyond excited to be handed back her hat, sadly the hat looked like it had been in a ditch off the interstate and traveled hundreds of rugged miles. The Flemings knew it would have to make one more trip without Kaycee back to Greeley Hat Works for restoration.

Moved by the story involving one of their hats, Greeley Hat Works restored Kaycees hat in less than a week. Since the hat was returned, Kaycee hasnt often been seen without it. She said she has big plans and intends to wear the hat on those adventures.

Im going to focus on riding so that maybe one day I can make it to the National Finals Rodeo, Kaycee said, especially since my hat made if there before me.

Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.
The history of patriotism and military service behind one Harley Davidson motorcycle goes much deeper than the bikes American flag paint job.

The 2005 Old Glory Electra Glide has been owned by four Nebraska veterans in its lifetime, a story that came to light when the current owner rode the trike to a previous owners celebration of life earlier this month.

Bryan Miller, an Army veteran who lives in Tekamah, bought the motorcycle about four weeks ago.

I'm proud of it, he said. You pull up and people are looking at it and taking pictures of it, it makes you feel proud.

When Miller got a call about riding the motorcycle into Beemer for the bikes second owner Willis Willie Mahlers celebration of life, he didnt hesitate to help honor a fellow veteran.

It's a very humbling honor, he said. The general public looks at us as being rough, tough guys, but if you want to see big guys break down, it's at a funeral of a fallen veteran.

Mahler loved the motorcycle when he owned it, his son Adam Bradfield said. Mahler served in the Air Force and was active in honoring fellow veterans throughout his life. He helped form the American Legion Riders in Beemer in 2012, Bradfield said.

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.

The bikes third owner, Reuben Dupsky of Fremont, purchased the bike in 2016 and owned it until he sold it to Miller.

Dupsky, also a Vietnam veteran, said he got a lot of use out of the bike, taking it to car shows and poker rides.

My favorite memory was just the prestige of riding it, he said.

Miller hopes to continue showing off the patriotism of the bike. He takes part in Patriot Guard rides and funerals for veterans.

Each previous owner said they are glad to see the bike has continued to be passed down among veterans. They hope the tradition continues.

I had my enjoyment out of it, and it was time for another veteran to have it and enjoy his time on it, Dupsky.
NORFOLK  The principle of Gods government is based on the fact that God is at the top. It is government for the people. The authority emanates from God and He delegates it to who He chooses in order to administer and enforce His laws.
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Tunisia has adopted the 2022 budget short of around $2.8 billion amid economic hardship that has hit the country also gripped by an unprecedented political crisis, triggered since July 25 after President Kais Saied has seized all major powers.

The Tunisian government, Webdo Tunis reports, will present this Tuesday the draft of the financial act during a press conference.

A leaked document of the draft puts the national budget for next year at TD47.166 billion (around $16.4 billion) including $2.8-billion deficit.

The governments resources stand at TD38.6 billion, the media notes citing the leaked document.

The North African country is facing economic stress due to the pandemic that has affected the economy. The government has turned to some countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Libya and Algeria to get loans.

Saudi Arabia and Libya are reportedly expected to provide each $500 million attached with small interest. Algeria this month agreed to loan Tunisia $300 million.

Tunisia is also in talks with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for a financial facility.
Algerians from all walks of life continued to suffer in 2021 from acute shortage of bread, milk, cooking oil, potatoes, sugar, pasta, oxygen for covid-19 patients and ICU beds, while their rulers are squandering the countrys petrodollars on military expenditure.

Such explosive social situation with deepening political crisis is fueling Hirak pro-democracy protestors demanding a change of the opaque political & military regime that has governed the country since independence.

In the past, the Algerian authorities used to absorb the burgeoning social discontents with a stick-and-carrot policy but today this policy is no longer working as it fails to address the peoples real problems and aspirations.

The popular anger and frustration sharpened following this years floods and deadly wildfires that ravaged Kabilia region, exposing the weak infrastructures of the OPEC-member country which has not one single fire-fighting plane despite its huge military arsenal.

Instead of shouldering their responsibilities and recognizing their failures and mismanagement, the Algerian rulers resort to conspiracy theories, blaming their neighboring Morocco for all their socioeconomic, political and diplomatic setbacks.

With unproven assertions and baseless accusations, the paranoid Algerian regime opened itself up to international ridicule with its lies made only to extend its survival, irrespective of the immense and ruinous long-term damage inflicted on the state.

As Morocco started emerging as an economic and military power shifting regional geostrategic balance, Algerian rulers feel threatened and escalated their hostility against Rabat. They cut diplomatic ties with it deepening their own international isolation, closed air space to Moroccan aircrafts and stopped supplying Europe with natural gas through the pipeline crossing Morocco.

The Algerian unilateral decisions had insignificant impacts on Moroccos economy, while the Algerian blackmailing strategy and move to use gas supply as a weapon against Europe has backfired and triggered a widespread backlash across Europe.

The Algerian top brass have tried every trick in the book to counter Moroccos growing regional influence but to no avail. To their great disappointment, the UN Security Council continues to support Moroccos autonomy plan for the Sahara under its sovereignty, describing it as serious and credible.

Furthermore, the Biden administration has confirmed the American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara despite Algerias intensive lobbying campaigns and affirmed that the Sahara conflict is an issue between Morocco and Algeria, without citing the polisario, leaving the Algerian junta flummoxed and speechless.

The U.S. stand deals a hard blow to the Algerian regime which spent billions of taxpayersmoney on a lost cause as Washington, the penholder of the UN resolution on the Sahara, has recognized Algiers as the main party to this regional conflict.

After losing its regional and international luster, the Algerian regime tried to exploit the Palestinian cause for foreign political gains by granting Palestinian authority $100 million during the visit Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas paid to Algiers early December.

In a bid to regain regional leverage, Algeria lent Tunisia $300 million, bringing up to $ 400 million the total amount of money disbursed by Algerian rulers in few weeks in return for support in their showdown engaged against Morocco, while Algerian people is in dire need of this financial assistance.

The Algerian rulers are using the same modus operandi with Mauritania ahead of the upcoming Arab League summit due in March in Algeria. A summit which Algiers intends to use as a battle ground in its war against its neighbor.

But the latest Arab League decision to adopt a unified map of the Arab world and the publishing on its official website of a map of all Arab countries showing Moroccos undivided MAP, including the Sahara territory, and the strong support voiced by the Arab Gulf monarchies to Moroccos sovereignty over its Sahara have knocked down Algerian regime, leaving it in compete disarray.
Science doesnt have to be a scary subject for children to approach when theyre at a young age, she said. There are simple ways to approach the ground level.

Im just interested in it, largely because I think thats also kind of the way the world is moving, more into science and technology, she said.

Learning through STEM programming will be helpful when the children move into the workforce.

Its getting to a point where theyre not afraid of it, where its something that they feel comfortable kind of looking at, Price said.

She wants to take the library programming outside the walls of the facility as well.

Im hoping that well be able to get people back into the library and get library staff out into the community, Price said. We can do that in different ways to interact potentially with preschools and daycares and that kind of thing to have more of an outreach presence.

One idea is taking Story Time out into the community.
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.

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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.

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.
Richard Marcinko

BILL TIERNAN/Virginian-Pilot/AP

Richard "Dick" Marcinko, the retired U.S. Navy SEAL and founding commander of famed SEAL Team 6, died on Christmas night. He was 81.

Marcinko's son, Matthew, made the announcement in a post to Twitter on Sunday afternoon.

"Last night, Christmas evening, we lost a hero, who's also known as The Rogue Warrior, the retired Navy SEAL commander AND the creator of SEAL Team Six, my father, Richard Marcinko," Matthew wrote in a tweet. "His legacy will live forever. The man has died a true legend."

"Rest In Peace Dad," he added. "I love you forever."

Matthew told the New York Times that he believes his father died of a heart attack.

According to the National Navy UDT SEAL Museum, Marcinko  born Nov. 21, 1940  was deployed to Vietnam in 1967 as a member of SEAL Team Two. He led the "most successful SEAL operation in the Mekong Delta" during the war, and subsequently had a bounty placed on him by the North Vietnamese Army due to his campaign.

Later, during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, Marcinko was one of two Navy representatives for a task force known as the Terrorist Action Team (TAT).

RELATED: Veteran Meets Woman Who Wrote Him a Thank You Letter After 12 Years of Searching: 'We Cried'

Richard Marcinko

Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic

The task force's assignment was to free the dozens of American hostages kept inside the U.S. embassy in Tehran, but their mission, Operation Eagle Claw, resulted in the deaths of eight military members after they encountered a violent storm in the desert, according to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

After the mission's failure, Marcinko was given the responsibility of forming a full-time dedicated counter-terrorist unit.

RELATED: Oldest Living WWII Veteran Celebrates His 112th Birthday with Drive-By Party in New Orleans

Marcinko became the first commanding officer of the team, which he named "SEAL Team 6." Though the Navy only had two other SEAL units at the time, the purpose of the name was to trick other countries into believing the U.S. had three other unknown SEAL teams, the National Navy UDT SEAL Museum said.

Story continues

SEAL Team 6 would famously lead the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, resulting in the death of the Saudi Arabian terrorist behind the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

RELATED VIDEO: Retired and Childless Vietnam War Veteran Finds 'Insta-Family' Through MyHeritage DNA Kit

After his retirement in 1989, Marcinko became a best-selling author, co-writing books such as Rogue Warrior and Rogue Warrior: Green Team.

"The SEALs who knew Dick Marcinko will remember him as imaginative and bold, a warrior at heart," retired Navy SEAL Adm. Eric Olson told the Navy Times. "He was a spirited rogue for sure, but we are better off for his unconventional service."
On Sunday, the temperature in Kodiak, Alaska, hit 67 degrees Fahrenheit, setting a December record-high for a state that has become used to them as climate change continues to rewrite history.

The temperature readings in Kodiak did not merely edge out some previous record by a degree or two; the 65 degrees reported at the airport was 20 degrees higher than the previous high temperature record of 45 degrees set on Dec. 26, 1984, the National Weather Service reported.

In addition to setting a statewide record, #Kodiak obliterated the daily record by TWENTY degrees, It is the warmest temperature on record for anytime between October 5th and April 21st...meaning this would've set monthly records in Nov, Jan, Feb, and Mar as well.#AKwx pic.twitter.com/N5mU3S4lst  NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) December 27, 2021

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Alaska is warming faster than any other U.S. state and twice as quickly as the global average since the middle of the 20th century.

Alaskas Changing Environment notes that, since 2014, there have been 5 to 30 times more record-high temperatures set than record lows, the NOAA said on its website.

A 2019 analysis by the Associated Press found that new global high temperature records were outpacing new low records by a ratio of 2 to 1. That finding was corroborated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

If the climate were completely stable, one might expect to see highs and lows each accounting for about 50 percent of the records set. Since the 1970s, however, record-setting daily high temperatures have become more common than record lows across the United States, the EPA said on its website. The decade from 2000 to 2009 had twice as many record highs as record lows.

Story continues

Other studies have confirmed that, as global temperatures continue to rise, the ratio will continue to grow in the coming years as humans continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

While many locations in Alaska set record-low temperatures in November, it is the ratio that will help decide where 2021 will ultimately rank in terms of warmer overall temperatures.

This is berserk. Kodiak, Alaska hit 65 degrees today, 20 DEGREES warmer than their previous record.



Not their average. Their record.



That's like winning a 5K by ten minutes. Numerous nearby stations recorded similar.



Warmest winter temperature on record. @FOX5DC @MyRadarWX pic.twitter.com/az0meU3LL6  Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) December 28, 2021

Along with Decembers heat dome, Alaska has seen another big change during an atypical time of year: heavy rains. Record-breaking downpours of nearly 30 inches were unleashed on the Portage Glacier in late October, the Washington Post reported.

Fairbanks, Alaska, saw its wettest December day in recorded history on Sunday, with 1.93 inches of rain.

Rain in Alaska at this time of year is almost unheard of, but the state isn't the only place where global warming is ushering in changes. In August, rain fell on Greenland's tallest mountain for the first time since records began being kept there in 1950.

This has never happened before. Something is going on in the atmosphere that's taking us into uncharted territory, John Walsh, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, told Sierra magazine.

In total, 7 billion tonnes of rain fell on Greenland over the course of three unusually warm August days, which helped speed the melting of its ice sheet. Scientists estimate that because of the rain, Greenland lost 7 times the ice it normally would at that time of year.

Studies suggest that melting sea ice is the reason that the Arctic has been found to be warming at a rate four times faster than the rest of the world.

While numerous high temperature records fell in 2021 across the United States and the globe, including the record for the hottest Christmas in the U.S. on record, Alaska set one-day temperature records in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Those records follow an exceptionally warm summer in 2019.

Starting on the Fourth of July and lasting multiple days, temperatures across Alaska were 20 to 30 degrees above average in some locations, the NOAA said on its website. On July 4, all-time high temperature records were set in Kenai, Palmer, King Salmon, and Anchorage International Airport. The airport reached an astounding, for Alaska, 90F, breaking the previous all-time record by 5F!

_____

Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades, step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change.
SEATTLE (AP)  Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast.

Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens and forecasters said an arctic blast would last for several days. Sundays snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) across the Seattle area.

The National Weather Service said Seattles low Sunday was 20 degrees F (-6.7 C), breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F (-12. 8C), three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County  home to Portland  about a half dozen weather shelters were open. Seattle city leaders also opened at least six severe weather shelters starting Saturday through at least Wednesday.

In West Seattle, Keith Hughes of the American Legion Hall Post 160, said his warming center can welcome about a dozen people  its capacity limited by lack of volunteer staff.
Man, I used to be super obsessed with this movie. I would just make terrible scott/mike videos to emo/indie songs and upload it to youtube.



It's still in my top five favourite films of all time. Truly beautiful work. I also really liked Gus Van sant's film "Elephant".

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you just took it back with elephant! wow i haven't seen that movie in YEARS

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Elephant is brilliant. I love how it touches on all these possible explanations for the event, but never commits to any of them, like we're just observing, never really understanding. So clever.

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i totally get why it's a love-it-or-hate-it kinda movie, but i loved elephant so much. one of the most haunting movies ever imo.

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Also I feel like so many actors want River Phoenix's acting career, or want to be seen like him and have his persona. Keep trying guys! Fake it till you make it.

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Oh I know Leo Dicaprio said he grew up idolizing River.



Edited at 2021-12-28 02:36 am (UTC)

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what i've found interesting through the years is more men (straight and otherwise) seem to be obsessed with River than women, especially his acting peers. the way Ethan Hawke has spoken about him makes me tear up.

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Ethan loves him SO much. I was just watching a video compilation on Instagram over the weekend, with him speaking so sweetly and admiringly about River over the years.

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Ethan actually was in The Explorers with River.

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leo pretty much snatched it up, or at least has been trying his hardest



Edited at 2021-12-28 04:13 am (UTC)

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so many ~hollywood heartthrobs~ owe their career's direction to river: dicaprio, depp, slater, hawke. not to say they wouldn't have had successful careers otherwise, but they were def steered to fill the gap left by river's death.

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He was so petty in this lol scene but I can't blame him







I was watching Interview with the Vampire and he was originally was supposed to Christian Slater's role but he had passed away....it's not a really big important role but I kept wondering how it would've been with River. It was nice that Christian donated his entire salary to River's favorite charities.



Edited at 2021-12-28 02:37 am (UTC) God River was so beautiful in that movieHe was so petty in this lol scene but I can't blame himI was watching Interview with the Vampire and he was originally was supposed to Christian Slater's role but he had passed away....it's not a really big important role but I kept wondering how it would've been with River. It was nice that Christian donated his entire salary to River's favorite charities.

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apparently Anne Rice insisted that he play Lestat originally, but the studio would only go through with the project if they cast the bigger stars at the time. she settled for having him play the interviewer!

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I was reading about that and she had suggested Tom Hanks, DDL, and a few others for Lestat.



I didn't know she specifically had River in my mind at all! Would've been nice to see!

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That would have been interesting to see his take on the role.



I have to admit though, I fucking love Tom as Lestat. I thought it was a joke when he was originally cast, but I loved him in the role. One of his best.

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oh and the movie is dedicated to him! i've watched it probably 50 times but never waited around for the final credits. when the movie ends it says "in loving memory of River Phoenix"

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True beauty  When Bjork wrote Venus as a Boy she was singing about this exact shot:True beauty 

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wait for real about that bjork tidbit?

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No lol

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keanu in this scene...my god. and lest we forget him playing with River's nipples

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It's ridiculous how pretty he was.



He was so good, too! When people say Keanu can't act I point them to My Own Private Idaho. And I love that he still had that sort of surfer inflection to his voice while delivering these Shakespearian speeches. So good.

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Fuck. It does not feel like it's been that long.

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fuck i forgot to include the extended version of the campfire scene from Franco's cut!!





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oh my goddddd, i feel so much love in that scene. you can tell river & keanu try cared for each other.

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the love was palpable. his off-screen friendship with keanu was so beautiful.



now i gotta go find the clip of keanu saying "i pray to the church of river phoenix"

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the fact that the campfire scene dialogue was written by river & that he was the one who insisted on the explicit queerness of their relationship always kills me

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It still pisses me off that James Franco made My Own Private River. Like fuck off. River would hate you.

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he would absolutely hate Franco, but i'm happy he made the film if only for fans to have a little more River to love.

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I've never seen this. Is it streaming anywhere?

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https://ww11.watchfilm.net/movie/my-own-private-idaho-16869



free at the above link and 3.99 on amazon prime free at the above link and 3.99 on amazon prime

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thank you so much bb!! I just watched it and loved it. But my heart also feels so twisted inside. What a great movie.

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This has been on my watch list forever. maybe I'll tackle it this weekend.

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it's a very strange film, but beautiful. i'd read up on it a bit so you know what to expect going in. otherwise it can be really jarring, as keanu's role is based on shakespeare's henry V and goes in and out of iambic pentameter for the first half of the movie. it really is the type of movie that gets better every time you watch it.

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I watched it in a college film class and it was really interesting how our teacher made us watch first Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight", which is an adaptation of Henry IV.



Then, she made us watch My Own Private Idaho, so we could analyze both films and how Gus Van Sant adapted the story of Henry IV in the movie. Ugh, it was such a good class

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I love this movie so much. My best friend at 13 was in love with Keanu and she introduced me to it. It was a little much for me at the time, but by 16 it was a favourite.



On a shallow note, I'm forever bitter that I can't get my hair to look like River's in this.

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lmaoooo river's expressions in this scene crack me up. Udo Kier was PHENOM.

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When I was at uni, like ten years ago, there was a boy in a few of my lectures who had River's hair. I never spoke to him or had any tutorials with him, so never knew his name, but I was enamoured from afar with "the boy who looks like River Phoenix".

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I don't blame you. That's some damn good hair.

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i watched Running on Empty with my mom last night and she just kept saying "the kid has some HAIR"

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Wow 30 years?!

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I feel like I've seen this movie before but don't remember it. Ill try to remember to rent it this weekend.

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his family (and literally everyone around him) did him so fucking dirty. he deserved so much better.

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i've been wanting to cut my hair like river's in the first pic FOR YEARS but i'm always scared of asymmetrical haircuts bc as a woman i feel like the line between 'it's giving river' & 'it's giving karen' is too fine

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The difference is attitude, you should go for it!

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it's a shame karens have ruined everything

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i fucking love this movie & river's monologue by the fire?! FUCKS ME UP EVERY TIME

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SAME. every time. the softness of his voice. the stammering. the bravery. the way keanu holds him. i fucking CANNOT

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even thinking about it has me all fucked up, whew!  i know what i'm watching tomorrow!

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The oil markets are poised to end 2021 on a relatively high note, as concerns of Omicron impacting global demand in the same way that Delta did turned out to be overblown.

Chart of the Week

- Global tanker markets are expected to see an upswing from the past two years volatile rise as demand stabilizes, however shippers profitability will be far from ideal.

- Despite container freight indexes quintupling this year, tanker freights has been essentially stagnant for the past 18 months, pressured by high bunker prices and surplus tankers.

- Analysts anticipate that 2022 tanker demand will increase some 5% year-on-year, helping push spot earnings into profitable territory ($21,800 in Q1 2022 vs -$600 in Q3 2021 for a VLCC).

- This being said, slow vessel demolition rates and the anticipation of another 70-80 tankers hitting the market will inevitably bring about tonnage overcapacity, putting a lid on potential gains.

Market Movers

- US major ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) has received the longest loan terms available on its 4.8 million barrel SPR withdrawal, having to return the crude only in 2024.

- US oil firm Apache Corp (NYSE:APA) signed a $3.5 billion agreement to develop oil concessions in Egypts Western Desert, allowing it to recover almost 900 million in previous backlogged investments.

- Shares in Chinese construction giant Evergrande (HKG:3333), a bellwether of the countrys construction drive, have soared this week as the developer said it had made progress in resuming construction work.

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

The oil markets are poised to end 2021 on a relatively high note, as concerns of Omicron impacting global demand in the same way that Delta did turn out to be overblown. The rise in outright prices was aided by supply disruptions across different continents - Libya still has at least 300,000 b/d withheld from the market as a result of renewed political infighting and skirmishes, Ecuador is yet to repair its flood-damaged pipeline system, whilst Nigeria is struggling with another force majeure at the Forcados Terminal. Combined with rumors of another week-on-week decline in US crude inventories, the Brent complex moved up to $79.5 per barrel, whilst WTI has last traded around $76.5 per barrel.

Iran Talks Now Focus on Crude Export Guarantees. Iran should be able to sell its crude oil and repatriate revenues freely, stated the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, as the eighth round of nuclear talks moved on to non-nuclear topics amid visible progress.

PEMEX Slashes Crude Export Outlook. Mexicos state oil company PEMEX has cut its crude export estimate for 2022 to a mere 435,000 b/d, half of this years 1 million b/d average, as the country seeks to refine more of its crude domestically.

China Starts Up Supergiant Coal Plant. Defying calls for a less carbon-intensive energy mix, China has started up the first 1GW unit (there will be four in total) of the Shanghaimiao plant in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, the largest thermal power project in all of China.

Japanese SPR Sale Fails to Impress. Japan will release roughly 630,000 barrels of crude from its strategic petroleum reserves, to be released March 20 or later, a fraction of the US commitment to sell 18 million barrels in a coordinated drive to cool outright prices.

Indian Refinery Runs Average 100% in November. Hitting their highest level in 10 months, Indian crude intake rose to 4.5 million b/d last month amid total utilization, indicating that the robust demand growth will make India one of growth engines of further

Yamal-Europe Gas Flows Reserved for Seven Straight Days. Exasperating an already desperate European gas market, Russian gas exporter Gazprom (MCX:GAZP) has been using reverse flow in its Yamal-Europe pipeline and not supplying any gas to Germany for seven straight days.

South Africa Halts Shell Seismic Survey. Less than a month after a South African high court found that Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) could proceed with its seismic surveying of South Africas assuredly gas-rich eastern coastline, this week saw another high court adjudicating the exact opposite, paving the way for a protracted legal battle.

US LNG Influx Drops European Gas Prices. At least 20 US LNG tankers are currentlyon their way to Europe as record high spot prices incentivized European trade, pushing Europes TTF hub prices down for the fourth straight trading session, with the Jan 2022 contract currently trading at 104/MWh.

China Expects Crude Demand to Peak by 2030. China expects its oil demand to peak by 2030 at about 780 million tonnes per year, with diesel fuel and gasoline consumption forecast to peak by 2025, meaning that petrochemical demand will be the most important long-term driver of crude intake.

South Korea Pioneers Greenwashing Court Case. South Koreas largest gas provider SK E&S (KS:03473K) is facing legal action from a climate activist group, the first of its kind in Asia, alleging that it falsely advertised the Santos-led (ASX:STO) Barossa LNG project that it participates in as being CO2-free.

Beijing Delays Teapots Quota Allocation. China is unlikely to issue the first batch of product export quotas for 2022 by the end of this year, debilitating independents selling options amid a protracted government crackdown, given that 2021 allocations cannot be rolled over into the next year.

Rio Tinto Pauses $2.4 Billion European Lithium Project. The Anglo-Australian mining firm Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) has reportedly halted Europes largest lithium project in Serbias Jadar region after a municipality backtracked on its vows to allocate land for the mine amidst popular protests.

Philippines Lifts Open-Pit Mining Ban. The government of the Philippines has lifted a four-year ban on open-pit mining for gold, silver, copper and complex ores as Manila tries to revitalize its mining industry and leave behind its anti-mining policies.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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A flotilla of U.S. liquefied natural gas carriers heading for Europe has brought relief to European gas buyers, pushing gas prices considerably lower. According to Bloomberg data, cited by Russias Sputnik, LNG cargos traveling from the U.S. to Europe rose by a third over the Christmas weekend.

20 tankers with U.S. LNG are traveling to Europe, and another 14 are headed in the same general direction awaiting further orders as desperate Europe became willing to pay a higher premium than buyers in Asia amid a persistent gas crunch that has seen prices break a series of records and forced some countries to reopen retired coal power plants.

According to analysts, the U.S. cargoes will not make a lasting difference due to volume constraints, yet the very news of the cargoes heading to Europe has already had an effect on European gas prices, especially as it coincided with forecasts of milder weather.

Bloomberg reported last week gas in Europe was trading at over $57 per million British thermal units, which was a premium of some $24 per mmBtu to Asian gas pricesmore than enough to motivate greater U.S. LNG sales to Europe.

Last Tuesday, European gas prices jumped to an all-time high after gas on the Yamal-Europe pipeline reversed flow eastward and freezing temperatures took hold in many parts of Europe. The benchmark price for Europe at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) surged by 11 percent to a record 162.78 euros per megawatt-hour on December 21.

Since then, however, prices have been on a steady decline even though Gazprom has continued to shun booking export capacity on the Yamal-Europe pipeline for the eighth day in a row. The pipeline supplies a tenth of total Russian gas deliveries into Europe, but in the past week, it has flown in reverse to Poland. According to a Gazprom spokesman, the companys clients had already contracted their 2021 volumes and were not submitting applications for extra volumes.

An additional reason for the mellower gas prices in Europe this week is reduced trading activity around the holidays, according to Bloomberg.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Local

Nebraska COVID cases tick back up as U.S. cases spike

ANNA REED/THE WORLD-HERALD Hundreds of cars waited in line for COVID testing outside Oak View Mall on Monday. ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD A COVID test is administered outside Oak View Mall. ANNA REED photos, THE WORLD-HERALD Drive-thru COVID-19 testing outside Oak View Mall. The sites operator said a vendor was delayed Monday morning, which contributed to the backup of cars. ANNA REED photos, THE WORLD-HERALD A drone image of hundreds of vehicles lined up for drive-thru COVID-19 testing Monday outside Oak View Mall in Omaha. Despite the increased testing, the states health care systems continue to get a slight reprieve from COVID cases.

After a brief dip, cases of COVID-19 rose in Nebraska last week as the omicron variant boosted the nations new cases to the highest levels since late last summer.

Nebraska saw 5,826 new cases for the week ending Thursday, up from 5,488 the week before, according to a World-Herald analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

But based on whats happening in other states, that modest 6% growth marks just the beginning of the impact the state is likely to see from the highly contagious new variant.

Florida and Hawaii have seen 800% case growth in the past two weeks, while cases during that time were up 600% in Washington, D.C., and nearly 300% in Georgia.

In all, cases were up 55% nationally for the week, one of the steepest one-week increases in the entire pandemic.

While some data from other countries suggests omicron may be less severe, health officials warn that a surge of cases still could overwhelm hospitals already stretched to their limits by the delta COVID variant.

As of last week, delta remained the dominant variant in Nebraska. The Sarpy/Cass Health Department on Monday reported one additional case of omicron in a Sarpy County woman, bringing to 21 the states known total of omicron cases.

As a way to prevent the viruss spread, health officials have urged residents to get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and before gathering with friends and families over the holidays.

That led to a surge in testing before Christmas and to ongoing demand on Monday. Some testing sites also were closed or had limited hours over the weekend.

On Monday, cars formed long lines at a drive-thru test site at Oak View Mall. A World-Herald photographer counted more than 160 cars in line just before noon.

ANNA REED/THE WORLD-HERALD A drone image of hundreds of vehicles that were lined up for COVID-19 testing Monday at a drive-thru site outside Omaha's Oak View Mall.

Omahan Sara Kohen, who ran unsuccessfully for the Omaha City Council, said she woke up Monday with mild symptoms. She has been vaccinated and boosted, she said, so she wasnt worried about her own health. But she decided to get tested so she wouldnt inadvertently infect someone who might be vulnerable to the virus.

I want to make sure Im being responsible, she said.

Its disincentivizing people to do the right thing, and thats a real shame, Kohen said. We should do better.

Kohen later said on Twitter that she finally got tested after 2 hours. She was negative for COVID.

Officials with Nomi Health, which operates the site, said a vendor who delivers gasoline for the on-site generator was delayed Monday morning, which contributed to the backup of cars. The issue was resolved between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The generator is necessary to keep testing components and workers warm.

But the holiday surge in testing also is contributing to longer wait times, Nomi officials said. The company conducted 4,200 tests across three Omaha sites last week, averaging more than 1,000 tests a day. That was a high mark since the company reopened testing sites in August. Previously, the firm operated the TestNebraska program under contract with the State of Nebraska.

Nationally, the company averaged about 30,000 tests on the days around Thanksgiving and more than 100,000 in the days before Christmas.

Ricketts, top doctors urge Nebraskans to get COVID vaccines, tests The most serious warning came from Dr. James Lawler of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who said the state is facing its most dangerous scenario since the coronavirus arrived.

Alan Kohll, owner of Omaha-based TotalWellness, said his staff on Monday added appointments for PCR testing three or four times, and all filled within an hour. People are looking for tests, he said.

He noted, however, that the demand was about the same as it was last week. Friday, the firm conducted about 250 tests in half a day, 20% of which were positive.

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services System said its common to see increased testing numbers during and after a holiday.

Private contractors and health care facilities have increased operations in anticipation of the demand, state officials said in a statement. While there have been some reports of longer wait times, they said, testing has continued to run smoothly in the vast majority of the state.

The state is not considering relaunching TestNebraska at this time, they said. The private sector has developed the resources to effectively handle testing capacity.

The states health care systems, meanwhile, continue to get a slight reprieve from COVID-19. As of Dec. 24, some 368 Nebraskans were hospitalized with the coronavirus, down from a recent peak of 637 on Dec. 13. The seven-day average of 475 patients hospitalized with COVID was down from 589 the week before.

Hospitals in Douglas County also saw a decrease. Monday, 256 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, down from a peak of 350 on Dec. 13.

As of Dec. 23, the state had tallied 169 deaths for the month. At an average of seven a day, that puts Nebraska on pace for its deadliest month since January, when COVID vaccinations were just beginning.

Nebraska had recorded a total of 332,257 cases of COVID as of Monday, according to CDC. Deaths from COVID in Nebraska totaled 3,331.

Nebraskas vaccination rate continues to tick up slowly, with 59.5% of the total population now fully vaccinated. Thats up from 59% last week, but the number still trails the U.S. rate of 61.7%.

More than two-thirds of the 60,000 new shots administered in the state last week were boosters. The vaccination rate for the 65-and-older population now tops 90%, but only two-thirds of those in that vulnerable age group have received a booster shot. The CDC has recommended that everyone 16 and older get booster shots.

World-Herald staff writer Sara Gentzler contributed to this report.
Federal health officials also have been urging all eligible Americans to get booster shots as quickly as possible, as the country faces a surge in the highly contagious omicron variant. Both Moderna and Pfizer have said that booster shots of their COVID-19 vaccines appear to offer protection against the new strain, which preliminary evidence suggests can better evade vaccines than previous variants.

Stitt got vaccinated in March after health officials opened vaccine eligibility to everyone in the state ages 16 and older. At the time, he said he hoped that receiving his shot publicly would encourage people who might be hesitant to get vaccinated.

Only about 53% of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated, which is well below the national average of 61.8% and far behind Vermont's first-in-the-nation rate of 77.3%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the vaccine and public health efforts to promote it have often drawn the ire of some conservatives. When former President Donald Trump revealed during an event in Dallas last week that he received a vaccine booster, the crowd booed him.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A former Omaha Public Schools security guard accused of sexually assaulting a child was ordered held on $2.5 million bail Monday.

Carlos J. Ornelas Ramirez, 23, appeared in court for the first time Monday following his arrest by Bellevue police Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault of a child.

According to police, Ornelas Ramirez and a student entered a portable classroom on Dec. 10 at Pawnee Elementary School, where the alleged assault took place.

School staff contacted police on Dec. 14 after receiving information that a guard might have had sexual contact with a student on school property.

An OPS spokesperson previously said Ornelas Ramirez, who started working at Pawnee Elementary on Oct. 6, was placed on leave immediately after the district learned of the reported misconduct. He remained an OPS employee until Dec. 16.

Judge Robert Wester set the multimillion-dollar bail Monday. Ornelas Ramirez would have to pay 10% of the bail  $250,000  to be released from custody. He is charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual assault of a minor, both felonies.

Ornelas Ramirezs next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 18.
WILTON MANORS, Fla. (AP)  Two children were killed and another four children were hospitalized with injuries when a car plowed into them and fled the scene in South Florida on Monday, authorities said.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that it was investigating what happened outside an apartment building in Wilton Manors, Florida, along with the Wilton Manors Police and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

The sheriff's office didn't immediately provide ages for any of the children. Steven Gollan, a battalion chief with the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, said at a news conference Monday night that the hospitalized children were severely injured."

This event is a horrific event any time of the year, let alone right after the holidays," Gollan said.

The Wilton Manor Police Department tweeted that a family reunification center was set up at the City Hall Emergency Operation Center. Wilton Manors is located just outside of Fort Lauderdale.

The car drove up on a sidewalk to get around a bus before hitting the children, said Shaunta Adams, who had just driven away from her apartment.
Second, the state must ensure in the future that a private company or organization that contracts to do state work has the resources and experience to meet the requirements. By its performance, St. Francis has shown that it was lacking. State officials must examine the St. Francis decision and figure out what they could have done to anticipate those problems.

Third, the state must heed the old adage of something being too good to be true.

St. Francis won the Nebraska contract by offering to do it for $197 million, less than 60% of the bid from PromiseShip, the Omaha-based agency that held the previous contract. When the bids were reviewed, PromiseShip outscored St. Francis on all areas except cost.

The purported cost savings carried the day. But Nebraska officials should have been more skeptical that such savings would be real.

In January, St. Francis admitted that it had underbid the contract and said it was on the verge of running out of money. In response, the state approved an amended contract that would have paid St. Francis an additional $147.3 million, which effectively eliminated the cost difference between St. Francis bid and the bid from PromiseShip.

Combined with the fact that St. Francis failed throughout its contract to hire enough case workers to meet Nebraskas statutory case-load limits, the decision to choose the Kansas nonprofit in 2019 was a grave mistake. It hasnt saved money for taxpayers, and those who suffered most were the children and families who did not get the attention needed.
Contact:

Kent Donahue

Kent.Donahue@flhealth.gov

407-858-1418

ORLANDO, FL  The Florida Department of Health in Orange County has issued a Health Caution for the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Estelle. This is in response to a site visit and water sample taken by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on December 27, 2021. The public should exercise caution in and around Lake Estelle.

Blooms have the potential to produce toxins, and what triggers them to begin doing so remains poorly understood. For this reason, it is important to exercise caution, as bloom conditions are dynamic and could change at any time. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) collects algae samples from reported bloom locations for toxin analysis. Once completed, the results will be posted on the FDEP Algal Bloom Dashboard, and can also be viewed on the Protecting Florida Together website, where you can sign up to be notified of the latest conditions.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:

You should not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom.

Avoid getting water in your eyes, nose, or mouth

You should keep pets and livestock away from the waters in this location

Eating fillets from healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe. Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water, throw out the guts and cook fish well.

You should not eat shellfish from this location

What is blue-green algae?

Blue-green algae are a type of bacteria that is common in Floridas freshwater environments. A bloom occurs when rapid growth of algae leads to an accumulation of individual cells that discolor water and often produce floating mats that emit unpleasant odors.

Some environmental factors that contribute to blue-green algae blooms are sunny days, warm water temperatures, still water conditions and excess nutrients. Blooms can appear year-round but are more frequent in summer and fall. Many types of blue-green algae can produce toxins.

Is it harmful?

Blue-green algae blooms can impact human health and ecosystems, including fish and other aquatic animals. For additional information on potential health effects of algal blooms, visit floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/aquatic-toxins.

Find current information about Floridas water quality status and public health notifications for harmful algal blooms and beach conditions by visiting ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov. Protecting Florida Together is the states joint effort to provide statewide water quality information to prioritize environmental transparency and commitment to action.

What do I do if I see an algal bloom?

The FDEP collects and analyzes algal bloom samples. To report a bloom to FDEP, call the toll-free hotline at 855-305-3903 or report online.

To report fish kills, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at 1-800-636-0511.

Report symptoms from exposure to a harmful algal bloom or any aquatic toxin to the Florida Poison Information Center, call 1-800-222-1222 to speak to a poison specialist immediately.

Contact your veterinarian if you believe your pet has become ill after consuming or having contact with blue-green algae contaminated water.

If you have other health questions or concerns about blue-green algae blooms, please call the Florida Department of Health in Orange County Algal Bloom Information Line at 407-723-5216.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.
CHICAGO  Illinois will help local health departments with additional staffing at mass vaccination sites, a move officials announced Monday as the state experienced its highest surge in COVID-19 cases during the entire coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois will add at least 100 people at local health department mass vaccination sites to meet growing demand. Staff will help prepare and administer vaccines, among other things. Starting next week, Illinois will also open its community-based testing sites six days a week.

The state, which surpassed 2 million infections earlier this month, is averaging 500 new daily hospital admissions for COVID-19. The number is double from roughly a month ago. Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the majority of those hospitalized are unvaccinated.

The world is seeing a COVID-19 surge fueled by the omicron variant, which is now the dominant version of COVID-19 in the U.S. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5% of coronaviruses in the U.S. were delta, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State health officials urged fresh caution at holiday gatherings.

Every single event being held during this holiday season, will have one or two uninvited, unwanted guests: delta and or omicron. One or both could be there, she said. "I'm not saying this to scare. I'm just saying this for people to be aware, but how we entertain that guest depends on us."

She encouraged people wear masks at gatherings, limit exposure to crowds and to get booster vaccine doses to lower chances of severe illness.

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CHICAGO  The state plans to ramp up staffing and assistance to local health departments to increase the availability of COVID vaccines, booster shots and testing in Illinois. The move comes as the state has the highest surge of COVID cases since the pandemic started.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a press conference Monday announced the response after a wave of new cases attributed to the omicron variant. The changes include expanding the states Community Based Testing Sites from operating four days a week to six. That includes the one at the Interstate Center in Bloomington, which will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Jan. 3.

More than 100 workers will be sent to regional vaccination sites.

Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital President Colleen Kannaday joined the governor virtually to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Ive heard many people say that theyre healthy, I want to ask you at this time to please think of your neighbor, she said.  Please think of your neighbors because this could be their child.

The state is seeing an average of 500 new hospital admissions a day, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said. The number is double from roughly a month ago.

There have been 177 omicron cases since the variant was detected in Illinois within the last few weeks, according to the state data. The variant arrived in the U.S. around Thanksgiving and is now the dominant coronavirus strain, although data suggests a higher rate of transmission hasnt led to more hospitalizations or deaths.

The McLean County Health Department was closed on Monday, so no new county numbers were available. The department plans to resume updates on Tuesday.

The state will be providing surge staffing to local health departments and hospitals to help with vaccination, testing and care efforts, Pritzker said. That includes using the states existing contracts of surge health care staffing. There is also the possibility of utilizing U.S. Army medical personnel, something that has been done in other states but not so far in Illinois.

Hospital administrators from across the state joined the governor and Ezike, either in person in Chicago or virtually. All said they were seeing a surge of cases and hospitalizations in their systems and a continued emotional toll on health care workers.

Kannaday hopes the strength of Central Illinois communities will help encourage people to get vaccinated to keep their neighbors safe, she said.

The rise in COVID cases has state health experts worried. The increase means that there is less space and staff for those who come to the hospital for non-COVID reasons.

Every single event being held during this holiday season, will have one or two uninvited, unwanted guests: delta and/or omicron. One or both could be there, she said. "I'm not saying this to scare. I'm just saying this for people to be aware, but how we entertain that guest depends on us."

Said Pritzker: If we are forced to move to a crisis standard of care in our hospitals, it will be because massive numbers of unvaccinated people chose to let others go without quality care, (and) even more people will die. If you are choosing not to be vaccinated for some non-medical reason, please change your mind.

Long lines were reported at various testing sites on Monday as well.

Also Monday, OSF Healthcare announced it was pausing testing for asymptomatic people, including those who are close contacts of people with COVID. It will continue testing for those with symptoms.

Chief Operating Officer Michael Cruz in a statement said that there are other options, including community based testing sites, for those who want a test while not presenting any COVID symptoms. The decision is in reaction to the surge and a spike in patient volume.

"We are equipped to handled COVID testing for patients who are sick, injured or who are preparing for a procedure but out patient volume is currently so great that we need the public's cooperation to ensure proper usage of our health care resources," Cruz said.

While early data from outside the state suggests the omicron variant may tend to cause less severe illness, that is not a reason to not take steps against contracting it or spreading it, Ezike said.

Lets try to prevent that hospitalization in the first place, whether its a mild one or a severe one, she said.

The Chicago Tribune and Associated Press contributed to this story.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

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At age 20, recent Rend Lake College graduate Dakota Tate has received a patent  for his invention of a way to use discarded automotive, truck and implement tires as drainage culverts.

The average age of patent recipients is 47.

It just is not very common for a younger person to be issued a patent, explained Lorelei Ritchie, a former judge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a current assistant professor of law at Southern Illinois University.

Ritchie understands the difficulties involved in obtaining patent protection for an invention.

It actually is a rather difficult and complex process to get a patent, she said. For anyone to get one, is not very common.

Ritchie explained that a vast majority of awarded patents go to corporations and academic institutions. The individuals who are awarded patents are usually in their 40s or 50s.

That makes Tate's accomplish significant. The 20-year-old is from the Bluford area in Jefferson County.

For the Webber Township High School alumnus and recent graduate of Rend Lake College, securing a patent was just part of the program  the CEO program.

The culvert project started when Tate was a senior at Webber Township High School and enrolled in the Jefferson County CEO program, an academic effort that exposes students to entrepreneurship and area business leaders.

The invention got its spark from a conversation Tate had with his older brother.

He said if someone could figure out how to use old tires in a way besides grinding them up, they could make a lot of money. Then he said these three words: Trash into cash, adding that could be someones meal ticket, Tate recalled.

He said he formulated the idea not long after that, over the hood of a pickup truck, drinking a soda.

His plan was to take worn-out tires and fasten them together using discarded oil well parts. Officially, the patent describes the invention as a system and method of constructing a culvert using vehicle tires. The method teaches constructing a culvert using discarded tires. The culvert's stress points are reinforced by truck tires. Additionally, the integrity of the culvert is kept intact using a predetermined formula for every 10 feet of culvert constructed.

The method attaches the tires side-by-side to make a drainage tube strong enough to drive over. The diameter of the culvert depends on which tires are used  automobile to semi  and Tate said he can make a culvert almost any length just by using more tires.

Almost immediately, he began selling culverts to farmers in his area. He said one benefit of the invention is how it keeps tires out of landfills.

Farmers go through a lot of tires over the course of a year, Tate said. There is nothing that happens to them after they are thrown away. What we ended up doing is a cheap solution that is also environmentally friendly.

Through his involvement with CEO, Tate met Mt. Vernon-area inventor and entrepreneur Lee Bob Willingham, who encouraged Tate to patent his product. Working with patent advisors, Tate filed his application and learned in October he would be receiving the patent.

To just be some farm boy from a little town and have something thats built from the truck bed in the driveway being stamped as unique by the U.S. Patent Office is just crazy, he said.

Kathy Asbery, board president of the Jefferson CEO program said efforts such as Tates are not uncommon for the program

When we have students that find their passion, we do everything we can to help them pursue that and be successful at it, she said.

Asbery said another Jefferson CEO student is currently working on a patent application as well.

Following his graduation from Webber Township High School, Tate earned an associate degree at Rend Lake College. He now is a junior at Murray State University, studying agronomy. He continues to build and sell his culverts.

After graduation he said he wants to return to Jefferson County and the family farm, while continuing to build his culvert business.

I plan to scale it up and just see where it goes, he said.

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Wearing a mask, social distancing and testing are all useful in preventing the spread of COVID-19. But when, where and how should you get tested?

While the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which analyzes small samples of genetic material from the virus, can be more accurate, at-home rapid tests  also called antigen tests  are more user-friendly and produce results more quickly. But waits at testing sites and scarcity of at-home kits have made detecting COVID-19 difficult during the holiday season.

Here are some questions to consider about COVID-19 testing as the Omicron variant spreads in the United States.

Should I take a test at home or go get tested?

Whether you should take a rapid antigen test at home or go to a testing site depends on your situation and testing availability near you.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends you use a self-test before attending indoor gatherings with people outside your household.

But if you don't have any symptoms, a self-test may not be able to detect COVID-19 because there's not enough of the virus in your nose or throat, according to the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. You might have COVID-19, but the test could still come back negative.

If you're showing obvious symptoms  cough, shortness of breath, fever or loss of taste or smell, among others  a rapid test may be able to give you an accurate result quickly.

Repeating self-tests can give you a more accurate result, according to the CDC. If you're negative, re-testing within at least 24 hours "will increase the confidence that you are not infected," the CDC says.

PCR tests are good at detecting even low levels of virus, but they can take days for a result to come back. A PCR test might be a good idea if you're traveling, according to Yale Medicine. It could alert you to an asymptomatic case.

If you have time to wait and access to PCR testing, it could be a good option with a more reliable result. You may also consider a PCR test if a rapid test came back negative, but you still suspect you have COVID-19.

Regardless of which test you choose, it's important to remember that results only reflect a moment in time. Your infection status could change from day-to-day, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"That test, even if it was accurate and it's negative, is only speaking for that day," Ezike said at a news conference Monday in Chicago. "You could be negative today but have COVID the next day."

The CDC recommends contacting your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about COVID-19.

When should I test?

If you've been around someone who had COVID-19 or who might have had it, Ezike recommends testing three to five days after the potential exposure. Omicron might show symptoms earlier, in which case you might test at one or two days after exposure, Ezike said.

If you're symptomatic, test right away. Repeated testing can also be effective.

"If you want to test at two days, two days should not make you think, 'Oh good, I'm clear,'" Ezike said. "You might want to test again, and of course, symptoms you cannot ignore."

If you're taking a rapid antigen home test prior to a gathering, take it as close as possible to the event.

What kind of home test should I buy?

Any at-home antigen self-test approved by the Food and Drug Administration can be used.

To ensure a product is approved by the FDA, verify it by checking the list on the agency's website: https://bit.ly/3etLLjI

Where can I find home tests?

Though rapid home antigen tests can be difficult to find, major drugstores and local pharmacies do carry them, and manufacturers are working at full speed to produce them. You may also be able to order online. Retailers often limit the number of tests you can buy. Consider calling your local drugstores to check their stock.

President Joe Biden has said his administration will provide free tests for 500 million Americans, but it's not yet clear when they will be available.

Can home tests detect Omicron?

Not all commercially available tests can detect the Omicron variant of COVID-19, so it's especially important to test multiple times or seek a PCR test if you think you have the virus but get a negative rapid test result, Ezike said.

"You might want to confirm that either with another test or getting a PCR test," Ezike said.

The FDA found that two rapid home antigen tests, the Abbott BinaxNOW and Quidel QuickVue, can detect Omicron. As of late December, the agency was continuing its efforts to provide updated information on antigen testing and Omicron.

Where can I get a PCR test?

Free PCR tests are available at public testing facilities and some pharmacies throughout Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. To find a testing site near you, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov/testing-sites.html.

Starting next week, Illinois will open its community-based testing sites six days a week.

Will insurance cover the costs of at-home tests?

The Biden administration will release guidance for insurers by Jan. 15 for reimbursing the cost of rapid home antigen tests, and the president promised to make tests available to the uninsured for free through community health centers.

Tests can cost from $10 to $25 or more.

The plan is not retroactive, so if you bought a test prior to the rule going into effect, your insurer will likely not reimburse you.
A fire in southern Illinois destroyed the family home of Brian Pierce Jr., the Brooklyn police officer who was killed attempting to stop a crime suspect on the McKinley Bridge on Aug. 4.

Pierce, 24, was struck and killed by a motorist fleeing police on the McKinley Bridge early Wednesday morning.

Six members of his family escaped their home on Clark Road in Makanda, Illinois  which is about 10 miles south of Carbondale  as fire consumed the structure shortly after midnight on last Thursday, Dec. 23, Makanda Fire Chief Jimmy Bilderback confirmed.

Included were Pierce's mother and father, Tammy and Brian Pierce Sr., his sister and brother-in-law and their two children.

"Everybody got up and ran out as fast as they could," said Bilderback.

Pierce had also been a member of the Makanda and Carbondale fire department's, which assisted in extinguishing the fire at his family's home.

There were no injuries, but Tammy Pierce told KMOV-TV that the home was destroyed. Alexis Castro, Pierce's sister, said on social media accounts that most of the family's belongings were also were consumed, including keepsakes from her fallen brother's career as a first responder.

Some donation sites have been set up to help the family including:

GoFund Me: Remembering Brian Pierce, A Fallen Hero.

Cashapp: $AlexisCastro0305

Venmo: @waykaymommy

Pierce had been with the Brooklyn Police Department for about seven months, Capt. Antonio White had the Belleville News-Democrat. Pierce made a 100-mile commute from his home in Carbondale where he had previously served on the fire department.

He was on the bridge attempting to deploy spike strips to stop the vehicle at about 3 a.m. on Aug. 4. Illinois State Police said Pierce's death was preceded by a police chase out of Brooklyn. The red Dodge Charger that hit him was later found abandoned in Missouri.

On Aug. 21, the Madison County State's Attorney announced charges against Caleb Campbell, 22, of Florissant, Missouri.

He's been charged with first-degree murder in addition to counts of reckless homicide, aggravated fleeing and attempt to elude a police officer, failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, and failure to stop after an accident involving a death.

According to the charging documents, Campbell drove "at excessive speeds, disregarded traffic laws and evaded attempts by peace officers to stop his vehicle and in doing so struck Brian Pierce Jr., knowing such act created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm ..."

Campbell was arrested and is being held at the Madison County Jail. His bond has been set at $2 million.

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MAKANDA  The family of a Brooklyn police officer killed in the line of duty this year lost their home in a fire the day before Christmas Eve.

Early Thursday morning, six family members of Brian Pierce's family escaped injury when fire destroyed their Makanda home about 100 miles from Madison County. Pierce, 24, was driving daily between the two communities when he was killed Aug. 4 while trying to stop a fleeing vehicle.

His mother, Tammy Pierce, told KMOV-TV that she and Pierce's father, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all got out of the house when an electrical issue started a fire and destroyed the home.

"Already, we were going to face our first Christmas without him was hard enough," she said. "All his belongings are also gone now."

Pierce's family is currently staying at a motel. Donations are being accepted online at Cash App ($AlexisCastro0305) and Venmo (@Waykaymommy).

Pierce, 24, was struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police on the McKinley Bridge early Aug. 4, according to the Illinois State Police. On Sept. 23, Caleb L. Campbell, 22, of Florissant, Missouri, was indicted by a Madison County Grand Jury for first degree murder, a Class M felony, and failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, reckless homicide, failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death, and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, all Class 4 felonies.

According to court documents, Campbell allegedly drove a vehicle on the McKinley Bridge "at excessive speeds, disregarded traffic laws and evaded attempts by peace officers to stop his vehicle," which resulted in Pierce being struck.

According to Illinois State Police, Pierce was struck by a vehicle involved in a car chase from a Brooklyn nightclub as he was deploying "stop sticks."

Pierce had worked about two years with the police agency in Spillertown, Illinois, and was also a lieutenant with the Makanda Fire Department. Daily he made a 100-mile trip from Makanda to Brooklyn.

On Aug. 6 area police officers lined up to salute as Pierce's flag-draped casket was loaded into a hearse behind the Madison County Morgue, located in the old Wood River Township Hospital Building on Edwardsville Road, in Wood River. A procession led by Illinois State Police motorcycle troopers stretched down Edwardsville Road, with more than 50 vehicles from regional law enforcement agencies participating in the two-hour trip to the Meredith-Waddell Funeral Home in Herrin, with funeral services held at John A. Logan College in Carterville.

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SPRINGFIELD  Local hospitals and health departments will get help from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to meet the healthcare demand during a COVID-19 surge, adding staffing to provide medical care and provide vaccines and testing.

The state will also help ramp up COVID-19 testing, now operating six days a week beginning Jan. 3 to increase availability.

We are also increase testing and continuing to distribute monoclonal antibodies, anti-viral pills and any treatments or personal protective equipment communities need, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a news conference Monday. I will continue to do everything possible to protect all the people of this state, whatever your vaccine status. But what kind of year 2022 turns out to be depends on all of us doing what is best for all of us.

Pritzker was on a call with President Joe Biden and the National Governors Association on Monday morning to discuss the response to the Omicron variant.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike confirmed that Illinois is seeing higher hospitalization rates.

The state is now averaging 500 hospital admissions a day due to COVID-19. While Illinois was still battling the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Omicron variant was introduced a couple of weeks ago.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month that the Omicron variant is the dominate strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. with more than 73 percent of new cases attributable to the variant.

To protect from the COVID-19, harm reduction strategies will still need to be employed, Ezike said, like wearing masks, social distancing, hand-washing and staying away from large crowds.

We have a vaccine that is highly effective at preventing severe illness and death, Ezike said. Currently, we are seeing a demand for booster doses, but it is critically important for those who have yet to receive even one dose of vaccine to get vaccinated.

The vast majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated, Ezike said.

Those most at risk:

Are more than 65 years old;

Suffer from heart, liver or kidney disease;

Are immunocompromised;

Have diabetes.

Vaccine clinics will be held in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, St. Clair, McLean, Sangamon, Peoria, Winnebago, Jackson and Adams Counties. Anyone age 12 older can get a first or second dose at these locations.

Community-based testing sites will be open Monday through Saturday in Aurora, Arlington Heights, South Holland, Fairview Heights, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Harwood Heights, Rockford and Waukegan.
MERRILLVILLE, Ind.  A woman was wounded in an apparent accidental shooting last week at a Northwest Indiana gun range, police said.

Merrillville police were dispatched about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday to Shoot Point Blank in the 8700 block of Louisiana Street for a report of a gunshot victim, Assistant Police Chief Kosta Nuses said.

Officers arrived and found a woman had been shot in the head inside the gun range, he said.

Two off-duty paramedics, who happened to be in the range, immediately administered first aid for the woman. They continued until on-duty paramedics arrived and took the woman to a hospital, he said.

Police reviewed video footage from the range and determined the shooting appeared to be accidental, Nuses said. There was no indication of "malicious intent," he said.

The shooting remained under investigation.

Nuses said he did not have updated information Sunday on the woman's condition.

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Tyrants like Xi Jinping of China strive to control peoples actions and thoughts and by trying to control the truth, which is why Hong Kong monuments to the peaceful protest of Tiananmen Square turned into a bloody massacre are being torn down and carted away under cover of darkness.

The joyful spring 1989 explosion of free expression and hope for liberty in the center of Beijing, with the impromptu erection of a Goddess of Democracy statue not too dissimilar to our own Statue of Liberty, ended with the death of hundreds or thousands killed by the Peoples Liberation Army attacking the people seeking liberation.

But none of this exists in Red China; nothing happened in Tiananmen Square that May and June. Tank Man never stood down a column of T-54 tanks. The students of China never sought freedom and found death under the boot of their oppressors in the Communist Party. Now, Hong Kong, a once-free bastion, is coming under that same boot.

First to vanish last week was the Pillar of Shame sculpture at the University of Hong Kong commemorating Tiananmen Square. Dedicated for the eight year anniversary of the massacre on June 4, 1997, Hong Kong was still under British rule, which ended weeks later on July 1, with a solemn promise that Beijing would respect the former colonys independent economic, legal and judicial systems for 50 years.

Less than halfway through that half century, the freedoms which produced the dynamic city are being stripped away. Formerly free elections are rigged or cancelled if they cant be sufficiently rigged. The truth-telling Apple Daily newspaper was shuttered by decree, with the final edition published in June.

And now come down the Tiananmen monuments, using as an excuse an old British-era sedition law, as though the ruling thugs actually care about some dusty colonial statute. After the University of Hong Kong, several other universities in the city have removed their own Tiananmen commemorations.

One day, freedom will come to China and Hong Kong and those markers will be restored.

New York Daily News

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Media coverage of the debate over Build Back Better, President Joe Bidens $1.75 trillion social policy and climate plan currently stalled in Congress, has focused so much on legislative strategy and the political drama between Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin that the most crucial element  what the package would actually do  has gotten lost in the noise.

In a nutshell, it would bring America in line with most of the advanced world in terms of policies that make life better for families with children, while confronting the existential threat to humanity posed by global warming. Among provisions in the bill already passed by the House are family-leave benefits, extension of the child care tax credit, universal pre-kindergarten, tax incentives for electric vehicles and solar panels, rental assistance, drug price reduction and Medicare and Medicaid expansion.

But that cornucopia of strong progressive goals in the bill is, as it turns out, its weakness. The numerous unrelated ornaments hung on this Christmas tree of a measure threaten to tip it over. It has become clear that loading Santa down with these disparate policy issues together in an attempt to get them all down the chimney at once has actually hindered delivery of these crucial gifts to America.

Its worth reviewing just whats at stake.

Families and children: The package would provide four weeks of paid leave for workers who are sick, who are caring for family members who are sick, or who are new parents. America today is one of the few advanced countries in the world that doesnt provide paid family and sick leave.

Health care: The measure would continue the current enhanced benefits under the Affordable Care Act, which will otherwise expire at the end of next year, affecting medical insurance coverage of more than 3 million Americans. It would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, bringing down prescription costs. It would add hearing-aid coverage to Medicare, improve home care services under Medicaid, and limit insulin costs for diabetics to $35 per month.

Environment and climate: The legislation would invest hundreds of billions in clean energy initiatives. It would provide up to $12,500 to families for electric vehicle purchases, with other incentives for purchasing home solar panels. It would pay utility companies to increase their renewable energy supply  and fine those that dont. It would provide financial incentives for the manufacture of wind turbines and would create a Civilian Climate Corps to put 300,000 people to work restoring forests.

Other provisions: Under Bidens proposal, billions of new dollars would be steered toward low-income housing, rental assistance and down-payment assistance, Pell Grant expansion for college students, community violence programs and more.

The Democratic-controlled House passed its version of the package last month, but its hung up in the Senate, where Democrats have a whisper-thin majority and cant afford to lose even one Democratic vote. The situation has (not for the first time) put enormous power in the hands of Manchin, the West Virginia centrist Democrat, who was negotiating with the Biden administration to trim back what he viewed as an overly expansive bill. The negotiations fell apart last week, possibly dooming the entire measure.

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.

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.

In addition, tying so many different issues together inevitably makes it easier for opponents to justify their opposition. Lawmakers who might hesitate to vote against child tax credits alone, for example, are able to find cover if they can tell their constituents they were voting against what they claim is wasteful spending on climate change mitigation.

To the extent that any of Bidens "Build Back Better" agenda is still salvageable, it may be best salvaged in smaller, more politically digestible pieces. That would present smaller price tags as targets and would force opponents to debate each idea on its merits. The merits are many.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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U.S. and Russian officials will hold security talks on Jan. 10 to discuss concerns about their respective military activity and confront rising tensions over Ukraine, the two countries said.



A spokesperson for the Biden administration announced the date late on Monday, and said Russia and NATO were also likely to hold talks on Jan. 12, with a broader meeting including Moscow, Washington and other European countries set for Jan. 13.



Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed those dates on Tuesday and said he hoped the talks with the United States in Geneva would launch a process that would give Moscow new security guarantees from the West.



Such guarantees are a longstanding demand of Moscow, which alarmed the West by massing tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine in the past two months.



The Jan. 12 NATO meeting would be held in Brussels, Ryabkov said, while the Jan. 13 talks would involve the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which includes the United States and its NATO allies, as well as Russia, Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states.



CONCERNS ON THE TABLE



Russia's deployment of troops near Ukraine has raised fears in the West that Moscow, which seized Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and has since backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, may be poised for a new attack.



Russia has denied plans for an assault but says it could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met.



Moscow, worried by what it says is the West's re-arming of Ukraine, has said it wants legally-binding guarantees NATO will not expand further eastwards, and that certain offensive weapons will not be deployed to Ukraine or other neighbouring countries. read more



The U.S. administration has promised economic sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine. It says it cannot promise a sovereign state such as Ukraine would never join NATO.



"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," said the spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council, who declined to be identified. The spokesperson said no decisions would be made about Ukraine without Ukraine.



"There will be areas where we can make progress, and areas where we will disagree. That's what diplomacy is about."



U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a massive spending bill that, among other things, will provide $300 million for an initiative supporting Ukraine's armed forces, and billions more for European defence broadly.



Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and backed a pro-Russian separatist uprising in the east of the country that resulted in Kyiv losing control of a swath of territory in a conflict it says killed 15,000 people.



Major combat ended with a ceasefire in 2015, but deadly clashes still take place regularly.

Source: REUTERS









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My earliest memories of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutuare from newspaper clippings and video recordings of foreign news bulletins smuggled into South Africa by dissenters to evade censorship.



As an activist allied to the African National Congress, the archbishop was banned from the heavily policed media of the white minority government.



In the smuggled tapes, I would see the archbishop looking regal in his mauve robes praying at the funerals of activists and protesters killed by apartheid police, or pleading with people to end the violence.



As a young woman during this tumultuous time in my country, I saw him as a man of God fighting for our freedom, a man pleading with the world to end apartheid, an elder we hoped could one day help restore peace  even if we weren't always that confident it would ever happen.



Of course, I had no idea then that I would one day be making newspaper clippings of my own about "the Arch", as he is affectionately known here. As a photojournalist, I got to meet him regularly in the democracy he helped bring about.



Before all that, one memory stands out from 1985. I was nine years old, taking part in an anti-apartheid protest in our neighbourhood on the Cape Flats, an area designated as "non-white" under the segregationist Group Areas Act.



As a family of mostly Indian descent, our movements were restricted under the act and our schools were closed by the government under a state of emergency. The police fired tear gas at us  yes, at a bunch of primary school kids and their teachers!  and my eyes stung with the pain.



But the main protest was up the road at Alexander Sinton High School. My father was a teacher there; my sister a pupil. They staged a sit-in protest demanding schools be opened, and police fired tear gas and dragged students out of their classrooms. My dad and sister were arrested and released hours later.



The next day, Tutu visited the school to comfort the students. A black-and-white photo shows him in his tunic and glasses, a halo of white hair encircling his brow and both of his hands affectionately holding the cheeks of a student.



'THE HUMAN FAMILY'



On Feb. 11, 1990, I sat on the Grand Parade opposite the City Hall in Cape Town with my family waiting for the arrival of Nelson Mandela, who was to be released from prison after 27 years. The sun had already begun to set when Mandela emerged on the balcony with Archbishop Tutu by his side.



We were overjoyed. We knew the democracy my family had fought for was coming, but the joy was tainted with a sense of loss, of the sacrifices we had made and abuses we had suffered.



Nearly 20 years later, I had my first opportunity to photograph the archbishop at this house. Back then I was too painfully shy to interact with him much, but over the next decade I had the privilege of photographing him many times for Reuters and for his foundation, so I got to know him better.



His courage in defending social justice, even at great cost to himself, always shone through - and not just during apartheid. He often fell out with his erstwhile allies at the ruling ANC over their failures to address the poverty and inequalities that they promised to eradicate.



At St George's Cathedral in Cape Town on April 23, 2014, I photographed Tutu who was still angry and hurt four months after the ANC had tried to bar him from Mandela's funeral. The party had relented only after a public outcry.



"I will not vote for them," he said of the ANC.



"I say it with a very sore heart. We dreamt about a society that really made people feel they mattered. You can't do that in a society where you have people who go to bed hungry, where many of our children still attend classes under trees."



I was always taken by the way Tutu greeted people equally whether they were heads of state or homeless on the street. He regularly visited a home for the elderly, taking cake and treats for the residents. I looked on as he shook hands with around 40 of them.



When I had to cancel an appointment with him because my son was ill with an appendicitis back in 2016, Tutu had a gift box sent to the hospital.



His wife Leah told me a story over tea about how, when he was young, he gave up his jersey to another child accompanying a blind man, shivering in the cold, knowing he risked a scolding for returning home without it.



That was the Tutu we all knew and loved.



To me, all of these things show the Arch was sincere when he spoke of "Ubuntu", a Zulu word representing a belief that all human beings are connected by a universal bond that demands sharing and compassion.



"We have been intended to exist as members of one family, the human family," he once said, adding that when we fail to act accordingly, "we do so at great risk to ourselves".



Archbishop Tutu took many risks during his life, but that was not one of them.

Source: REUTERS









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Bolgatanga-based Dreamz FM has reported that a Junior High School (JHS) student who was reported missing weeks ago has been found.



The radio station averred that the teenage girl was hiding in her boyfriends apartment and not abducted as perceived by many after she was declared missing.



According to mynewsgh.com report, the missing but found girl was hesitant to go back home after a non-governmental organization, Youth Harvest Foundation smoked her out from her hiding place after a long search.



Project officer of the NGO, Khadija Hamidu, while speaking on the issue on Dreamz FM entreated parents to pay attention to their wards.



Meanwhile, the boyfriend of the JHS student is said to be an illegal miner, popularly known as galamsey.



The name of the Junior High School and the student was however not stated in the report filed by mynewsgh.com.



Also, the exact day the teenage girl was reported missing was not stated.







































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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Three teenagers who are said to be behind the burning to death of a Navy officer at Bakado near Sekondi have been arrested.



The victim, LS Okyere Boateng, died on Friday, December 24 at the 37 Military Hospital, where he was receiving treatment for the severe burns he sustained in the attack on Wednesday, December 22.



Western Regional Police Commands Public Relations Officer DSP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, who confirmed the arrest to Connect FMs Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson, said the suspects, all students and aged 17 and 18, have confessed to committing the heinous crime.



According to the police, the suspects said they wanted to snatch the car the officer was using for online services but he was being stubborn, hence their action.



They will be arraigned before court on Wednesday, December 29, according to the Police.

Source: 3news









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The Aspiring Npp Bono East regional Chairman Mr. Ibrahim Baba Bukari has organized a training workshop to equip party communicators with effective communication skills to better tell the governments success story.



The programme brought together the partys communicators from five constituencies, Atebubu Amantin, Sene East, Sene West, Pru East and Pru West.



They were taught basic communication skills and provided with important insights into the governments policies and signature social interventions.



The goal was to deepen their understanding of these policies, to properly explain them to the people and help to discount any deliberate distortions and misrepresentation by their political opponents.



The programme tied in with efforts at improving the partys communications as preparations towards Election 2024 gathered momentum.



The Aspiring Chairman Ibrahim Baba Bukari said a lot had been achieved by the Akufo-Addo led administration, which they needed to help everybody to appreciate.





The troubled economy they inherited from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been now restored to the path of growth.



He added that social interventions like the fee-senior high school, planting for food and jobs, One village one dam, one district one factory, were making a big difference in the lives of the people and said, these positives must be told loudly.



He underlined his determination to equip communicators with the relevant skills and tools to get their message to the people.



Twenty five (25) IPhones and five (5) tricycles which cost ghc 48,000 were donated to the communication members from the five constituencies.



The items according to Mr.Ibrahim Baba the donation forms part of his integral loyalty and unreserved commitment to the New Partrotic Party and his personal contribution towards agenda breaking the 8and also winning all the parliamentary seats in the region.



"This is a personal donation aimed at resourcing the party at the base to ensure that agenda winning all the 11 seats in the region is not mirage. I am equally doing this to ensure that Npp is retained to continue to develop Ghana" he stated.



He pleaded with the party's faithful to bury their differences and work together as a team to ensure a gargantuan victory come 2024.



Receiving the items on behalf of his colleagues Mr.Musah Shaibu who is the Atebubu Amantin constituency Chairman acknowledged the efforts of Mr.Ibrahim Baba Bukari (IB) to the party in the region by resourcing the various constituencies within the region.

Source: Kwabena Manu/Peace FM/ Bono East correspondent.









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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Antarctica is a mysterious continent, we have barely scratched its icy surface in terms of exploration and within this frozen realm, there are unimagined resources that remain untapped. The continent lies without state, nations stake claims to chunks of it but its legal status is frozen like its vast wildernesses. Now, a new paper in the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management suggests an approach based on the anarcho-capitalist and heterodox-economist philosophy of Murray Newton Rothbard (1926-1995) that could allow the international community to assign equitable but limited property rights to Antarctica.

Of course, having a framework for the carving up of a continent might be perceived as a modern form of imperialism. Rothbard argued that all services provided by the "monopoly system of the corporate state" could be done far more effectively by private enterprise, he even argued that the state is "the organization of robbery systematized and writ large." How the notion of assigning state ownership to portions of Antarctica sits with such a view may well require its own standalone philosophy.

Jose Antonio Pena-Ramos of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Universidad Autonoma de Chile in Providencia, Chile and Dmitri Amirov-Belova of the Pablo de Olavide University in Sevilla, Spain, explain that due to its isolated location and perhaps its extreme temperatures and climatic conditions, there is no indigenous population or government. This contrasts starkly with the Arctic in the north, of course. They point out that several nations have territorial claims on the continentArgentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom. There are several thousand people each year who spend time on the continent for scientific and other purposes.

The team offers much food for thought for those concerned for the future of Antarctica. Primarily, they suggest that a non-state-centric view of international relations may be needed to answer the questions we must answer about this frozen continent.

Explore further Antarctic researchers take icy plunge to mark solstice

More information: Jose Antonio Pena Ramos et al, A Rothbardian approach for the assignment of property rights on the Antarctica continent, International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management (2021). Journal information: International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management Jose Antonio Pena Ramos et al, A Rothbardian approach for the assignment of property rights on the Antarctica continent,(2021). DOI: 10.1504/IJTPM.2021.119702
Logging in Malaysia. A new study says forest cover is being lost in South-East Asian protected forest areas at almost the same rate as non-protected areas. Credit: Stephen Codrington CC BY 2.5

Forest cover is being lost in South-East Asian protected forest areas at almost the same rate as non-protected areas in many countries amid ballooning populations, says a new eight-country study.

Forests play an integral part in the carbon cycle, support livelihoods and supply goods and services that can drive sustainable growth according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The IUCN defines a protected area as an area of land especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity. Protected areas now cover more than 17 million square kilometers, or 15 percent of the earth's land area.

Yet results of the study published December in Nature show that protected areas in Indonesia lost just four percent less than unprotected regions.

That's significant because regional deforestation trends in South-East Asia are influenced largely by Indonesia, where about 40 percent of protected areas are located and where over half of the region's forests remain.

While the overall rate of forest loss across South-East Asia was three times lower inside protected areas during 20002018, the period studied, than in unprotected landscapes, there are significant variations.

Malaysia's protected area network performed the best, saving a sixth of the amount of forest cover which would have otherwise been lost, when compared to non-protected regions. Protected areas also helped Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam save over a tenth more forest cover than non-protected regions.

However, at the other end of the scale, protected areas in the Philippines lost more forest cover than in unprotected areas, due to the fact that the protected regions see high levels of human activity, a trend particularly evident on the island of Palawan which suffered more forest loss than expected, the study said.

Victoria Graham, an author of the study and researcher at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, says that as human pressure intensifies, protected areas become less effective at conserving biodiversity, unless there is adequate investment.

"Protected areas in the Philippines have higher levels of human pressure than other countries. This, coupled with diminishing forest cover in unprotected landscapes across the country, means that protected areas must withstand escalating deforestation pressure due to a lack of choice in available forest resources," Graham said.

Overall, the expanding South-East Asian human population has contributed to the loss, degradation and fragmentation of its forests over the past decades, according to World Population Prospects, 2019, a UN publication.

The Philippines alone could lose almost a third of a million hectares of forests by the end of the decade unless there is a "transformational change in the country's approach to dealing with deforestation", says a separate study published November in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Geetha Gopinath, environmental educator and assistant professor at the Central University of Hyderabad, India, says that higher levels of management resourcing are necessary for greater reductions in carbon emissions and protection of South-East Asia's forests. "Good governance, sound design and plans for effective management are notable yardsticks to assess the standard of successful conservation outcomes," she said.

Macquarie's Graham added that stronger forest protection and conservation efforts are needed in South-East Asia's existing protected areas to avert projected trajectories of forest cover and forest carbon loss estimated by 2050.

"Achieving more widespread conservation objectives in protected areas across South-East Asia is possible with scaled-up investment, specifically in parks with threatened biodiversity," she said.

Explore further Global study reveals effectiveness of protected area

More information: Graham, V. et al, Southeast Asian protected areas are effective in conserving forest cover and forest carbon stocks compared to unprotected areas, Sci Rep (2021). Graham, V. et al, Southeast Asian protected areas are effective in conserving forest cover and forest carbon stocks compared to unprotected areas,(2021). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03188-w Bernard Peter Daipan, Patterns of forest cover loss in the terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines: critical habitat conservation priorities, Journal of Threatened Taxa (2021). DOI: 10.11609/jott.6904.13.13.20019-20032 Journal information: Nature

Provided by SciDev.Net
Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation satellites with the aim of providing internet access to most parts of Earth.

Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station".

"The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA.

But China said in its note to the UN that members of the Outer Space Treatythe foundation of international space laware also responsible for actions by their non-government entities.

Addressing reporters, US State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to respond specifically to the Chinese accusations.

China said its space station had to conduct evasive manoeuvres to avoid colliding with Starlink satellites.

"We have encouraged all countries with space programs to be responsible actors, to avoid acts that may put in danger astronauts, cosmonauts, others who are orbiting the Earth or who have the potential to," Price said.

SpaceX has not responded to a request for comment.

Evasive manoeuvres to reduce the risk of collisions in space are becoming more frequent as more objects enter Earth's orbit, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"We've really noticed the increase in the number of close passes since Starlink started getting deployed," he told AFP.

Any collision would likely "completely demolish" the Chinese space station and kill everyone on board, McDowell added.

The core module of China's station Tiangongmeaning "heavenly palace"entered orbit earlier this year, and it is expected to become fully operational next year.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk's Tesla sells tens of thousands of electric vehicles in China each month.

'Prepare to boycott Tesla'

Beijing's complaint about Starlink prompted criticism on Chinese social media of SpaceX's billionaire founder Musk, who is widely admired in China.

One hashtag about the topic on the Twitter-like Weibo platform racked up 90 million views Tuesday.

"How ironic that Chinese people buy Tesla, contributing large sums of money so Musk can launch Starlink, and then he (nearly) crashes into China's space station," one user commented.

Musk's electric car maker Tesla sells tens of thousands of vehicles in China each month, though the firm's reputation has taken a hit this year following a spate of crashes, scandals and data security concerns.

"Prepare to boycott Tesla," said another Weibo user, echoing a common response in China to foreign brands perceived to be acting contrary to national interests.

Explore further SpaceX launches 53 Starlink satellites into orbit

 2021 AFP
A simplified animation that illustrates how magnetic switching occurs in ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials. Credit: Scott Schrage | University Communication

Most scientists would blanch at being labeled a spin doctor. But when it comes to Evgeny Tsymbal, Ding-Fu Shao and their colleagues, the lab coat fits.

The University of NebraskaLincoln physicists have charged to the forefront of spintronics, a next-gen class of data storage and processing poised to complement the digital electronics that have ruled the realm of high tech for decades.

Ahead of that future, though, loom nanoscale obstacles whose size belies their difficulty. With the wind of a $20 million National Science Foundation grant at their back, the physicists may be on their way to surmounting an especially tricky one: finding order amid disorder and data amid seeming disarray. Beyond that obstacle lie two prizes, density and speed, that could make modern-day devices look gluttonous and sloth-like in hindsight.

Digit spinners

Electronics read and speak the language of binary1s and 0sby measuring the charge of the electrons flowing through their circuits. Spintronics differs by measuring an electron's spin: a magnetism-related property that essentially points either up or down. Devices fluent in both dialects of binary can store and process much more data, at much faster speeds, with much less power than their electronics-only counterparts.

To date, most electronic and spintronic memory has relied on ferromagnets, the type with a permanent magnetic field probably best known for pinning photos to fridges. In ferromagnets, the spin of every atom points in the same direction, a direction that can be switched by applying an external magnetic field.

Those traits make them popular in so-called tunnel junctions, whereby two ferromagnets are sandwiched around an insulating barrier, with electrons "tunneling" through that barrier to move between the ferromagnets. If the spin of an electron matches the spin orientation of a ferromagnet, the electron encounters little resistance, increasing its probability of tunneling through. When those spins don't match, the odds plummet, substantially reducing the overall flow of electric current. The difference between those two states, known as the magnetoresistance effect, can be read as a 1 vs. 0.

For as well as ferromagnets work, their cousinsantiferromagnetsboast even more promise. Antiferromagnets house alternating columns of atoms whose spins point in opposite directions, meaning that they generate virtually no net magnetic field. No magnetic field means no chance of a tunnel junction interfering with the magnetic state of a neighbor, allowing engineers to pack more data-storage elements into a device without worrying about them corrupting each other's data.

And if next-gen devices feel the need for speed, antiferromagnets are again the choice, Tsymbal said. The spins of a ferromagnet can be switched in mere nanoseconds. That seems fast until realizing that semiconductors can operate on the range of picosecondsa picosecond is to a second as a second is to 31,710 yearsor roughly 1,000 times faster than a ferromagnet can switch. Antiferromagnets, meanwhile, can keep pace, priming them for pride of place in much faster devices.

Just one trifling issue: Encoding or decoding data in antiferromagnets can be a bit like trying to write with a dried-up pen or decipher the scribblings of a toddler.

"The difficultyand it's a significant difficultyis how to write and read information," said Tsymbal, George Holmes University Professor of physics and astronomy.

The same antiferromagnetic property that acts as a pro in one contextthe lack of a net magnetic field preventing data corruptionbecomes a con when it comes to actually recording data, Tsymbal said. Writing a 1 or 0 in a ferromagnet is a simple matter of flipping its spin orientation, or magnetization, via another magnetic field. That's not possible in an antiferromagnet.

And whereas reading the spin state of a ferromagnet is similarly straightforward, it's not easy distinguishing between the spin states of an antiferromagnetup-down vs. down-upbecause neither produces a net magnetization that would yield discernible differences in the flow of electrons. Together, those facts have impeded efforts to develop antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions with practical use in actual devices.

"So this is one of the problems," Tsymbal said. "But I think we have proposed a very, very good way to solve this problem."

Telling up from down

In principle, an antiferromagnetic tunnel junction should operate somewhat akin to a ferromagnetic one. Rather than switching the overall magnetization of a ferromagnet to regulate the flow of electrons, an antiferromagnetic version relies on modifying the so-called Neel vector: the axis along which spins are pointing one way or the other.

But only specific types of antiferromagnets are suited to detecting spin-related differences in the flow of electrons, which are driven by a mismatch between the Neel vectors at either end of the tunnel junction. The secret of those antiferromagnets? Momentum-specific channels through which either spin-up or spin-down electrons will predominantly flow.

Tsymbal, Shao and colleagues identified ruthenium oxide as just such an antiferromagnet. They pinpointed another material, titanium dioxide, as the barrier through which electrons can tunnel. Critically, the atoms of the two respective oxides form the same crystalline structure, resulting in a seamless match that allows electrons to maintain their momentumand their momentum-dependent spinas they move between the materials.

By factoring those momenta into analyses of the resulting electric current, the Husker team has shown that it's possible to distinguish among the channels and, consequently, their responses to varying Neel vectors. According to the team's calculations, that channel-specific magnetoresistance effect is similar in magnitude to those produced by ferromagnetic tunnel junctionsmarking it as an especially promising means of writing spintronic data that can also be read.

As the theoretician has done in the past, Tsymbal is collaborating with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Chang-Beom Eom and other experimentalists who can fabricate and test the antiferromagnetic tunnel junction. He and fellow members of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience are also busy considering other materials that share ruthenium oxide's unusual but not unique characteristics.

"It's not so many antiferromagnets which have this property, but there are some of them," Tsymbal said. "And we are going to look at these materials in the future, as well."

The team reported its findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Explore further Readout of an antiferromagnetic spintronics system by strong exchange coupling

More information: Ding-Fu Shao et al, Spin-neutral currents for spintronics, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Ding-Fu Shao et al, Spin-neutral currents for spintronics,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26915-3
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Editorial choices can impact the amplitude of business cycles even if the information that is reported is correct. On reason is that the focus of the reports can be on sectors that are non-representative of the economy in general. A new study shows that financial reporting can explain up to 20 percent of the business cycles for GDP and 40 percent of the business cycles for unemployment.

In a scholarly article in the American Economic Review, researchers from Uppsala University describe a new model that can explain this process.

"News media are not just passive communicators of financial information. They can also directly impact business cycles in their selection of what is reported," says Stefan Pitschner, researcher in economics at Uppsala University and one of the study's authors.

Individual companies make decisions about hiring staff based on the expected demand for their products, and changes in business cycles can occur because many companies make hiring and production decisions based on news reports.

"If the news media systematically choose to report sensational news that is non-representative of the economy in general, this can influence both unemployment and economic growth. This type of reporting can make companies overly optimistic or pessimistic compared with what the actual economic outlook means, even if the reporting is true and correct. This, in turn, can influence how many people are hired and how much companies decide to produce."

The research team has developed a theorical model to allow them to understand different mechanisms and analyze such economic variations as those that characterize the severe 20082009 recession in the United States. During the crisis, American news media primarily focused on a few sectors that were experiencing difficulties, such as the auto industry and the financial sector. This was at the expense of reporting on developments in other sectors that were progressing relatively well, which led companies to be overly pessimistic, something that likely worsened the crisis.

In the article, the researchers present their model for how media influences hiring and production decisions. The authors have created a new database on how news media reported on different sectors during the period 19882018. The model has been calibrated to both resemble the actual structure of the US economy and financial reporting in American media. It can explain how the business cycle, news reporting and company expectations for demand interact. The model shows that non-representatives news reporting can explain up to 20 percent of GDP business cycles and 40 percent of unemployment cycles.

The study shows what role the media can play in the economy and, ultimately, the importance of decision-makers and others being aware of the media's role and how to compensate for this in different ways to provide companies with a fairer picture of the financial situation.

"For example, if the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, sees that financial reports in the news media are more negative than justified by the actual situation, they can compensate for this in their own communications by pointing to the sectors in the economy that are doing relatively well," says Stefan Pitschner.

More information: Ryan Chahrour et al, Sectoral Media Focus and Aggregate Fluctuations, American Economic Review (2021). Journal information: American Economic Review Ryan Chahrour et al, Sectoral Media Focus and Aggregate Fluctuations,(2021). DOI: 10.1257/aer.20191895

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SED of Messier 87 with the best fit SSC model. Credit: Urena-Mena et al., 2021.

An international team of astronomers has investigated a very high energy (VHE) emission from the radio galaxy Messier 87. Results of the study, published December 16 on arXiv.org, could help us better understand the nature of M87 and the processes responsible for VHE emission from this source.

Radio galaxies (RDGs) emit huge amounts of radio waves from their central cores. Black holes at the centers of these galaxies accrete gas and dust, generating high-energy jets visible in radio wavelengths, which accelerate electrically charged particles to high velocities.

Located some 53.5 million light years away, Messier 87 (or M87, also known as Virgo A) is the central dominant galaxy of the Virgo Cluster. It is classified as a giant Fanaro-Riley I radio galaxy, has a diameter of about 980,000 light years, and its dynamical mass is estimated to be some 15 trillion solar masses. One of the most noticeable features is its prominent jet with complex structures like knots and diuse emission, apparent superluminal motion, showcasing also complex variability.

M87 was the first radio galaxy detected at VHE and exhibits a complex behavior at very high energies with a rapid variability during aring states. However, the mechanism responsible for the VHE emission in this galaxy. Therefore, a group of researchers led by Fernando Urena-Mena of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics in Puebla, Mexico, decided to explore this topic by analysing the available data from the Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) and the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory.

"The main goal of this work is comparing the VHE emission of the RDG M87 observed by IACTs during specic epochs (including the 2005 are) with the long term quiescent/average emission provided by continuous observation by the HAWC observatory from 2014 to 2019. We used a lepto-hadronic model, which combines SSC [Synchrotron Self Compton] and photo-hadronic scenarios, to explain this emission," the astronomers wrote in the paper.

In order to explain the VHE emission of M87, the team fitted a broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of this galaxy with a lepto-hadronic model. When it comes to the emission from radio to GeV gamma rays, it was modeled by them with an SSC scenario.

The results show that the lepto-hadronic model is able to explain the quiescent VHE emission from M87 that was detected by HAWC and other observing facilities. The model can explain the so-called orphan flares of this galaxy, which are only detected at VHE bands. Those flares would be produced by changes in the proton energy distribution.

The researchers also estimated the proton energy distribution index with the four VHE data sets. This parameter was found to be at a level of 2.8. The result is consistent with a study conducted in 2016 where a similar lepto-hadronic model was used.

The astronomers noted that further monitoring of M87 with HAWC will be necessary to further explore the origin of its VHE emission. They added that better understanding of M87's very high energy emission could be crucial in order to improve our general knowledge of radio galaxies and their properties.

Explore further Study investigates X-ray emission from the galaxy NGC 3894

More information: Study of the Very High Energy emission of M87 through its broadband spectral energy distribution, arXiv:2112.09179 [astro-ph.HE] Study of the Very High Energy emission of M87 through its broadband spectral energy distribution, arXiv:2112.09179 [astro-ph.HE] arxiv.org/abs/2112.09179

 2021 Science X Network
Mimbres bowl from Maxwell collection. Credit: University of New Mexico

For the past century, Southwestern archaeologists have debated what happened to the Mimbres people of southwestern New Mexico after AD 1150, a group known for their vibrant pottery with its distinctive geometric and animal designs.

Starting in the 1970s, several archaeologists, particularly after major excavations at Casas Grandes in Chihuahua, Mexico, argued most of the Mimbres emigrated southward into northern Mexico and formed the base population for one of the most complex societies in the ancient Southwest, Paquime  also known as Casas Grande  a city that housed thousands of people.

Thatcher Seltzer-Rogers, a Ph.D. student in The University of New Mexico Archaeology department, recently published his research on the subject in an article titled Ancestral relations and late prehispanic dynamics between the Mimbres and Casas Grandes cultures of the American Southwest/Mexican Northwest region in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology.

Archaeologists often argued for, or against, such a migration based on a limited series of data, Seltzer-Rogers contends. Many of these earlier papers lack explicit scientific testing and often resort to a comparison of general similarities between the Mimbres and Casas Grandes cultures.

Seltzer-Rogers explained that the Mimbres people, or what archaeologists refer to the inhabitants of southwestern New Mexico between AD 900 and 1130 based on shared cultural practices like the production of elaborately decorated pottery, were centered in the Mimbres valley, ranging roughly from Silver City to Deming.

"Archaeologists often think of the Mimbres as existing as a single group, yet archaeological data support multiple groups of people living in the same area  we just do not know how different these groups are. In any case, we identify the ancestors of the Mimbres living in southwestern New Mexico around AD 500. However, it is likely the same people lived in the area intermittently for thousands of years before, but we just lack the data," he continued.

Seltzer-Rogers' research investigated a wide array of data  including DNA and pottery designs  suggested by previous archaeologists in support of, or against, this migration and framed it within the reasons people migrate and how they migrate. He also used his own dissertation research, which investigates patterns in the International Four Corners, where the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Chihuahua, and Sonora meet, between AD 1200 and 1450.

"I initially thought, given my previous excavations in Chihuahua and familiarity with Mimbres and Casas Grandes pottery, that there would overall be limited evidence for any large-scale migration. My study includes cultural data, such as how Mimbres and Casas Grandes people buried their deceased, how they structured their villages, and the vessel forms and types of decoration found in their pottery, and genetic data such as ancient DNA studies, a comparison of tooth attributes, and isotopic analysis of human remains. In this way, my research is the most rigorous and direct as to which data I used and how I interpreted them," he said.

This research did not involve invasive excavation or the collection of genetic data, Seltzer-Rogers noted.

"Rather I used existing data published by many authors. In this way, I did not have to disturb archaeological sites or collect DNA data from ancestral Indigenous human remains, something which is highly contentious in North American archaeology. I have extensive experience analyzing Casas Grandes and Mimbres pottery and am currently analyzing several thousand Casas Grandes pots curated by museums and private individuals, meaning I had those data and knowledge to fall back upon."

Seltzer-Rogers elaborated on Mimbres pottery: "The Mimbres are the people who produced the beautiful pottery found in most museums in the Southwest and depicted on many murals in Deming. This has also, unfortunately, had the result of widespread destruction of sites in pursuit of these vessels by pothunters. Thankfully, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at UNM curates many Mimbres vessels recovered from documented excavations."

There is clear support that some Mimbres people emigrated down into Chihuahua during 12th and 13th centuries AD but its significance might have been overestimated.

"However, that this movement is part of a much longer tradition of migration across what we now think of as the border and that those who did move to Chihuahua had no greater impact on local cultural practices than those who emigrated to other locations or stayed in southwestern New Mexico," he asserts.

Previously, archaeologists thought the Mimbres people mostly went southward into Chihuahua and were absorbed into the populations living there, or that they simply died off as the elaborately decorated pottery synonymous with the Mimbres just does not reappear, Seltzer-Rogers remarked. Yet, investigations since the 1990s demonstrate that the Mimbres went many locations: eastward and along the Rio Grande and even farther into the Tularosa Basin, some likely moved north into the area near Reserve or into Arizona near what is now the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, others headed south into Chihuahua and northeastern Sonora, and finally many stayed in the Mimbres valley or adjacent areas.

Archaeologists debate why most of the Mimbres migrated.

It was previously thought that the entire Mimbres valley was depopulated around AD 1150, Seltzer-Rogers said, however, more recent investigations show that this is inaccurate. The most common reason archaeologists state for why the Mimbres is that a shift towards a more arid climate resulted in increased social stress and that resulted in the termination of the main religious and figurative aspects archaeologists associate with Mimbres.

"But there seems to be something more complicated that occurred. Although the data are not clear, it seems that a religious schism may have occurred, resulting in people breaking with more obvious long-standing traditions, like the beautifully painted Mimbres bowls, and a choice to 'vote with their feet.' This is something anthropologists see historically in several Pueblo communities, that people leave a village or a community when they disagree with the choices of leaders there," Seltzer-Rogers noted.

The Mimbres people still do exist, he said, or rather their descendants are found among the Pueblos of Zuni, Acoma, and Hopi, as well as likely other Indigenous communities, including those in Mexico.

"However, it is difficult to identify these communities based on the material record. The Mimbres culture thrived millennia ago, so we should certainly expect to see a large amount of change from then to current people. But we know the Mimbres are the ancestors for several groups based on archaeological data and the oral histories that Indigenous communities have selectively and graciously shared with anthropologists."

This research fits into a larger trend in Southwestern archaeology of viewing migration as a process that occurred on many scales, many of which are too small and too short for archaeologists to view them, Seltzer-Rogers explained.

"By identifying the migrations that we can, however, we provide a more thorough and accurate view of events that the ancestors of many contemporary Indigenous communities participated in. In this way, archaeologists move past the specifics of what artifacts were found where and can instead focus on the actions that resulted in people choosing to stay or leave and choosing where they wanted to go. This research is an important addition to our understanding of events that happened in southwestern New Mexico and northern Chihuahua in the 12th and 13th centuries, yet it also challenges several long-standing but untested ideas regarding population movement and cultural relations across the border. As a result, this research frees future investigations to pursue new, intriguing questions and ideas without remaining constrained by statements of previous archaeologists often meant to simply point out similarities," he concluded.

Explore further Scarlet macaw DNA points to ancient breeding operation in Southwest

More information: Thatcher A. Seltzer-Rogers, Ancestral relations and late prehispanic dynamics between the Mimbres and Casas Grandes cultures of the American Southwest/Mexican Northwest region, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology (2021). Thatcher A. Seltzer-Rogers, Ancestral relations and late prehispanic dynamics between the Mimbres and Casas Grandes cultures of the American Southwest/Mexican Northwest region,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2021.101371
A selection of items from the ESA ESTEC in 99 Objects website. Credit: ESA-Remedia

From simulated moondust to an ultraflat floor, a 3D-printed human bone to a wall decoration that once flew on the Hubble Space Telescope, the new 99 Objects of ESA ESTEC website gives visitors a close-up view of intriguing, often surprising artifacts assembled together to tell the story of ESA's technical heart.

"Objects are what matter," famed anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss once wrote. "Only they carry the evidence that throughout the centuries something really happened among human beings." So what manner of objects come out of more than half a century of activity at Europe's biggest space center?

The European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, is ESA's singe largest establishment, based on the North Sea coast at Noordwijk in the Netherlands.

Often described as the technical heart of ESA, ESTEC is where most ESA projects are born and where they are guided through the various phases of development. It is also the Agency's center for technology development, and includes Europe's largest satellite testing center, equipped to simulate every aspect of the spaceflight environment.

During its long and distinguished history as the incubator of Europe's space effortsESTEC's first satellite was launched back in 1968, the same year that the establishment openedthis establishment has accumulated a rich stash of objects. Whether exotic or ordinary, each tells a storyof inspiration and perseverance, of steps forward and backward, of exploration, discovery and surprise.

Part of a solar panel from the Hubble Space Telescope was returned to Earth by Space Shutle and is now on display at ESA's ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands. Credit: ESA-Redmedia

A selection of items from the new ESA ESTEC in 99 Objects website. Credit: ESA-Redmedia

The aim of ESA ESTEC IN 99 OBJECTS is to chart Europe's cosmic journey through artifacts left behind by the scientists and engineers who've helped launch more than 180 missions.

Surrounded by these 99 objects and many more, nearly 3,000 international experts currently work in 35 ESTEC laboratories on the missionsand new objectsthat will define the coming decades in space.

The first selection of objects has already gone live on the site, with more to follow in the weeks and months to come.

Explore further Video: ESTEC on the move
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The United States unemployment rate of 4.2 percent is the lowest since 1969a stunning dynamic that has created optimism for the American workforce.

"It's really amazing," says Alicia Sasser Modestino, an economist and associate professor at Northeastern. "A year ago, if you asked any economist, we would never have predicted this super-tight labor market."

Modestino links the ever-increasing demand for labor to the "Great Resignation" created by the millions of American workers who have quit jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In part it's due to people reevaluating what they're doing, but also very generous unemployment insurance benefits and other public support that have given workers the opportunity to take a pause and think about what is safe and needed for their families," Modestino says. "The supply of workers coming back into the labor market has not been as rapid [as anticipated], and that has meant wages are getting bid up.

"A tight labor market gives workers more power and increases their wages and benefitsbut it doesn't always happen for people at the bottom," Modestino says. "What's a little bit different right now is that it's not just for people at the top of the wage distribution. It's also for people in low-wage, entry-level jobs."

How long will these conditions continue? Modestino spoke with News@Northeastern about the future of work and her optimism for workers as U.S. companies pursue automation over the next decade. Her comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.

The pandemic followed the Great Recession of 2008-09. How did that economic downturn affect Americans who were looking for work a decade ago?

With the Great Recession, our research showed that when the labor market is tight, employers have the opportunity to get the best possible candidates without having to pay a premium for them. Employers were raising skill requirements and becoming very choosyfor example, requiring a four-year college degree or five years of experiencesimply because there were a lot of skilled workers that were suddenly unemployed. As the economy recovered, the supply of available workers fell and we saw some employers lower their education and experience requirements to be able to fill jobs that were in high demand.

Are we seeing a similar trend during the COVID-19 era?

Yes. This summer, as we reopened large parts of the economy in the health-care, hospitality, retail, and restaurant sectors, we saw this huge demand for workers, particularly those in low-wage, entry-level jobs. At the same time, many of these workers still faced childcare constraints, lived in communities with vulnerable populations, and had some financial cushion from the last round of direct federal aid and unemployment insurance benefits. In addition to raising wages, employers also became less picky by reducing the requirement to have a four-year college degree as well as the number of years of experience [required for applicants]. They even started hiring teensthe least experienced workersin greater numbers.

Does the loosening of requirements for workers mean that businesses are lowering their standards?

When you take a college degree or five years of experience off a job posting, is it really lowering your skill requirements? Are you getting somebody who is less qualified? Maybe and maybe not. You could imagine having five years of experience in construction could make a big difference, compared to one year or zeroand in that case you would be lowering your requirements. But in terms of a college degree, many economists see this as just a proxy or shorthand way of identifying a high-quality worker rather than actually identifying a set of minimum skills needed for the job.

And we all do that, even in the 'informal' labor market. When we think about hiring a babysitter, we'd love to have somebody who has a master's degree in early childhood education and five years experience. But you end up with the college student down the street, and that's good enough, right? It depends on what is out in the market and what you need for that job.

How long do you expect the market to continue to be favorable to workers?

When the U.S. turned off the extra unemployment insurance benefits in September, there was an expectation we would see a big jump in labor-force participationand we really haven't. That's because of things that are keeping people out of the labor force: They retired early, or they still are caring for children, or they're fearful of an in-person job and returning to work with every wave of COVID-19 that comes along.

I think that there will be this continued strength in the labor market at least over the next six months to a year as we work more slowly through that backlog and tempt more workers to come back into the workforce, or bring younger, newer workers into the workforce. Because right now people are not jumping off the sidelines as rapidly as we would have expected.

Many U.S. companies are responding to the labor shortage by investing in automation, which will force workers to learn new skills. Are you optimistic that the next five to 10 years will be good for U.S. workers?

Absolutely. Automation certainly displaces some workers, but what it really is more likely to do is change the nature of jobs that are out there, and the skills that people need. We've seen this in the past where firms and workers adapt over time, either through on-the-job training or more structured workforce-development programs.

Automation can actually have an upside for workers by increasing the quality of jobs. Think about the robotics that you can install in a seafood-processing plant that makes it less likely you're going to cut yourself or suffer any kind of workplace injury because of the slippery, cold, dangerous conditions.

Employees also get to do different types of work instead of doing the same repetitive tasks. That's another thing we hear from employers: Because there are different types of processing that need to happen, it's not like you'll work on one piece of machinery all day. So it's a higher-quality job, a safer job, and it pays a higher wage because now you're asking people to develop these skills.
An act motivated by the on-duty death last year of a Whitehall firefighter was signed into law Dec. 22 by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The Chief James Brooks Jr. Act adds vascular rupture to the list of injuries covered by the Volunteer Firefighters Benefit Law.

Brooks, the second assistant chief for the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company, suffered a torn aorta on May 2, 2020, while he was at a structure fire in neighboring Dresden. The 27-year veteran of the fire company was hospitalized for months at Rutland Regional Medical Center and Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center. He died of complications of the injury on Sept. 17, 2020.

The state Workers Compensation Board and Benetech Adjustments, Washington Countys insurer, denied coverage on the grounds that the rupture was a preexisting condition. The new law gives vascular ruptures the same presumption of coverage under the Volunteer Firefighters Benefit Law as heart attacks that occur in the line of duty.

Assemby member Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, introduced the bill in the Assembly. Assembly member Matt Simpson, R,C,I-Horicon, was a co-sponsor. State Sen. Dan Stec, R,C,I-Queensbury, co-sponsored the bill in the Senate.

The bill passed both houses in June with bipartisan support. Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was expected to sign the bill but he became embroiled in scandals that led to his resignation, leaving the bill for Hochul.

Volunteer firefighters risk their health and lives to help our communities and they deserve the utmost respect and support, Stec said in a news release. When Chief Brooks was tragically hurt in the line of duty, the insurance fund for volunteer firefighters should have covered his injuries. The Chief James Brooks Jr. Act ensures his heroism and service are never forgotten, and it ensures that volunteer firefighters who suffer a similar injury receive the benefits and medical coverage they deserve. Id like to thank Gov. Hochul for signing this essential bill into law and my colleagues for passing this bipartisan measure supporting our volunteer firefighters.

Kathleen Brooks, James Brooks sister, said in June that the bill was supported by other fire departments and community members, and insurance companies had no objections.

In July, the family won an appeal before the Workers Compensation Board. Benetech agreed to pay Chief Brooks medical expenses, which came to about $1 million. The family also received a death benefit of $50,000, which Kathleen Brooks told The Post-Star would discharge her brothers outstanding debts. Otherwise, the family stood to lose Brooks house, truck and other assets, she said.

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GLENS FALLS  Excitement was building inside the Romeo Toyota of Glens Falls dealership on Monday morning as the raffle for a new car scheduled for noon drew closer.

Owner Len Romeo and his son, general manager Mike Romeo, donated a brand new 2021 red Toyota Corolla to St. Marys-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School for the schools second annual Ticket To Ride fundraiser.

The fundraiser sold 800 of the 1,000 tickets available at $50 apiece. After an additional donation of $10,000 was made by Toyota, a total of $50,000 was raised for the school budget.

The Romeos have been longstanding members of the church.

When his children began attending the school three years ago, Mike Romeo said his family recognized the need in the schools budget, which has become more apparent after the pandemic further impacted funds.

We just noticed a need for some help at the school and we wanted to give back to the community at the same time. Its a really nice fundraiser for the church and the school, he said.

Principal Patty Balmer said the efforts from the fundraiser will go toward scholarships for students.

It really is huge for us. It allows us to offer scholarships to children in need. We want to support families who want to send their children to SMSA but cant really afford it. Our goal is to give everyone who wants to receive one, a Catholic education, Balmer said.

The fundraiser was held for the first time last year. In fall of 2020, the school sold tickets for an opportunity to win a leased vehicle from the dealership.

This year, the business decided to donate a car to the fundraiser, which makes the winner of the raffle the owner of the new Corolla. Tickets were on sale in October through the day of the drawing.

We were a few minutes late because a parent sold 24 more tickets at Mass yesterday morning and we had to pick those up on the way, Balmer said.

At noon Monday, Michele Manahers name was pulled from the hopper and she was declared the winner of the new Toyota.

After Balmer called and left a message for Manaher, saleswoman Heather Taft came in with the winner on the phone, her aunt Michele.

Taft said her whole family purchased raffle tickets.

We all got tickets, we wanted to win it for my grandma, Taft said.

Manaher, a resident of Queensbury, was in shock and admitted she thought it was a prank call.

Ive never won anything before, she said over the phone.

Len Romeo congratulated and thanked Manaher for supporting the school.

Thank you for purchasing a ticket and supporting St. Marys school. You picked a good one to win, you got a nice car, youre going to enjoy it, he said.

All ticket proceeds were donated to the school and the car was detailed and ready to be driven off the lot by the lucky new owner, with her niece facilitating the paperwork.

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John Richichi was delivering mail on Garrison Road on the morning of Christmas Eve.

He noticed a lawn sign in front of a house with his picture on it.

And then I look, and theres another one, Richichi said.

Front lawns on Garrison Road in Queensbury and some on neighboring Fort Amherst Road are dotted with lawn signs in a tribute to Richichi, who has been delivering mail and packages to those addresses for the past 10 years.

The 61-year-old will be retiring Friday after 35 years delivering mail.

The winters are heavy. The ice and snow gets you, Richichi said. The packages because of the internet shopping and everything is just outstanding and overwhelming.

The number of packages has increased exponentially since Richichi started delivering mail in 1986.

If you had five packages in one day on your whole route, that was a lot, he said. And now well scan anywhere from 200 to 400 per route each day during the holidays.

His neighbors wanted to send him off with a front-yard salute to the man they have grown to adore.

Hes such a friendly man and he does his job very well, said Garrison Road resident Joanne Swanson.

When the neighbors found out he was retiring, Swanson, along with Nancy Girard and Victoria Palermo, plotted to find a way to honor their outgoing envelope envoy. Many of the neighbors contributed to the purchase of the lawn signs.

People are quite quick to complain when someone does a job poorly, Swanson said, but we often dont take the time to credit someone when theyve really made a positive impact on their lives.

Richichi, who lives in Glens Falls, said he enjoys the one-on-one contact with the people on his route.

The little kids are a blast, he said. They see the mail truck coming, its a big deal. You bring packages and letters and stuff. Mom and dad get the bills, but the kids think its really cool.

Hes always tried to build a relationship with his customers. He know the kids names. He knows the dogs names.

I say to people, Im just doing my job, Richichi said. I dont need a gift at Christmastime. Im just doing what I do.

An animal lover, Richichi particularly enjoys his interactions with the canine residents in the neighborhood.

Theres a lot of great dogs out here, and most of them dont want a piece of me, he said.

Two of his favorite dogs, Sam and Vinny, live at Dr. Laura Malinconicos house on Fort Amherst Road. The Labs watched from the front window Monday as Malinconico and Richichi chatted a bit about her recent knee replacement.

Hes going to be very missed, Malinconico said. They dont make them like John anymore. Im sure our new postal worker will be fantastic, but hes got big shoes to fill.

And the dogs are definitely going to miss you, she said to Richichi.

Richichi doesnt think he differs from any other mail carrier.

But he did save two motorists from a falling tree limb on Garrison Road back in August 2016.

I wore headphones every day when I would do that loop, and that day didnt put them on, he said. I dont even know why. Had I not, I wouldnt had heard the creaking branch.

After he retires, he wants to work part time at an animal hospital or a veterinary clinic.

He said the lawn sign tribute is amazing.

These people have always been so engaging with me. And I guess I am too, Richichi said. I talk to everybody. Even the ones that are cranky Ill talk to. Theres not many of those though.

Gretta Hochsprung writes features and hometown news. She can be reached at 518-742-3206 or ghochsprung@poststar.com.

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PLEASANTVILLE  A planned trash-transfer station has drawn heaps of attention from residents over the past several months.

But even with the project winning the endorsement of the county, some residents are still concerned whether the center will be in the best interests of the city.

The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 21 to pass a resolution endorsing the construction of a trash-transfer center on West Washington Avenue. The center would be a port to transport construction debris, not household trash, to a place where it can be processed and disposed of.

The commissioners voted 7-0, with one abstention and one recusal. Although the resolution was mostly a symbolic show of the countys support for the project, commissioners hoped it would accelerate the necessary state approval process.

The backing from the county does not appear to have quelled the disputes between residents and municipal officials over whether the project would benefit the area.

The chief opponent of the project has been the Atlantic County Utilities Authority, while some of its most prominent advocates have been in city government.
This announcement is deeply worrying about the future of historical research and the defense of human rights in Russia, he said in a statement.

Memorial's sister organization, the Memorial Human Rights Center, is up for closure as well, with a court hearing Wednesday morning in Moscow City Court.

Russian authorities in recent months have ratcheted up pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were outlawed as "undesirable and several were forced to shut down or disband themselves to prevent further prosecution.

On Saturday, authorities blocked the website of OVD-Info  a prominent legal aid group that focuses on political arrests  and urged social media platforms to take down its accounts after a court ruled that the website contained materials that justify actions of extremist and terrorist groups. The group rejected the charges as politically driven.

OVD-Info condemned the ruling to shut down Memorial.
She thinks she already does that to a point by working on peoples homes, but she has been an interpreter before.

I kind of want to go back to helping people; I just dont know how quite yet, Salsido said.

Her children are good people, and they are humble, she said. Her hope for them is to always remain humble.

The kids, like others, have their confrontations, but her family was raised to be tight-knit, Salsido said.

Just working with one another, understanding one another, being patient with one another, Salsido said.

Family time for the Salsidos includes things like doing puzzles together and, when the weather is nice, going fishing, Salsido said.

There are a lot of transitions in the familys life right now, Salsido said. Among them is that one of their children is a baby.

She and her niece are also figuring out their new dynamic, and the family is also helping her nieces older brother, a young adult, as he works his way through the recent events of his life, Salsido said. She is co-parenting with their father.
When April Malik began her work as director of the Minneluzahan Senior Citizens Center more than three years ago, shed already been working inside the center. She was renting the kitchen for her cooking business Thai-To-Go.

The opening of the directors position in the spring of 2018 created a unique fit, both for her and for the center.

I had a good business with lots of connections to Rapid City, she said, noting that she was in a position to bring her resources to the center. She still owns Thai-To-Go but now runs it out of a different kitchen.

Malik described some of the ways she felt herself drawn to the center.

I really like the non-political non-religious aspect of public entities like this, she said of the Minneluzahan Senior Citizens Center, a non-profit organization. Its such a neutral place where lots of fun things could happen. Thats what really interested me.

Other factors connect her to the work, as well. Having grown up in Thailand, shes developed a cultural sensitivity that helps her, as she explained it, appreciate the deep roots many people have established in South Dakota. Those roots are understood especially well, in some ways, by seniors in the community.

Malik also sees a connection between that cultural appreciation and various kinds of food, a subject she knows well. Shes hoping to begin a program in the coming months that would link meals to the stories that lie behind them, unveiling particular chapters in seniors lives.

Malik is working at a time when senior centers such as this one have seen their participant numbers diminish with the descent of the pandemic. She said the center currently has about 100 to 200 members, with a number of activities open to the public beyond the membership.

Being afraid of COVID is probably the biggest message we hear frequently, she said. That makes them stay home.

Safety precautions are in place, Malik said. Masks are required when people come into the center, she explained, but once seated people may remove them if theyre comfortable doing so.

Once folks are seated in their activity, if they know each other and, say, they know theyre vaccinated, they can take their masks off, she said.

She mentioned sanitizing measures, as well.

As Malik looks forward to the next several months at the center, shes envisioning some new plans to reach more people in the community. She noted that the centers $60,000 request to the 2022 Rapid City Vision Fund was not recommended to be funded by the committee earlier this month. She said a letter from the Vision Fund Citizen Committee chairman explained that there was an abundance of strong requests  more than could be filled.

The funds, she said, would have been used for safety concerns such as uneven sidewalks, along with building repairs and upgrades.

Our organization realizes even more now that we have to reinvent what were going to do, she said.

Malik said she hoped that by February or March the center would begin to expand its hours. Right now its open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week. The added hours, she said, would include some evenings and some weekends.

She said members are also considering a story connection kitchen activity that allows a senior center member to describe an important meal or recipe  and the story behind it  for people at the center to prepare and offer to the public.

Their story would be told, she said.

She described, too, the possibility of multi-generational activities such as open-mic storytelling, karaoke and square dancing.

Maybe grandma can come with grandchildren, and they can do things together, she said.

She said the board of directors was still planning to do a brainstorming session of other possibilities. Suggestions from the public, she added, are also welcome.

Its a work in progress, she said of the plans.

Malik has already injected her expertise with food into the centers activities. She started a program called Happy Paks in April 2020, in which seniors can order a meal for two people to be prepared by the center that they pick up on Friday. Malik was doing the preparation herself before hiring Sarah Seamons, who now works as the Happy Paks coordinator, last February.

Thats a form of connection with the senior community during COVID, she said. They get a meal prepared by their senior center.

The program has been funded by a Community Development Block Grant, along with contributions from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation and the United Way of the Black Hills. She said participants donations also help to fund the program.

Malik noted other connections between the center and the larger community, as well. She mentioned that the National Indian Council on Aging, Inc., uses the center periodically as a meeting place to help people 55 and older to find work in the community.

Several people at the center described, on a recent morning, their participation in a cluster of activities at the center. Addie Kalmback has been coming to the center for 32 years.

This is a very important place in Rapid City for the seniors, she said.

Kalmback noted that COVID-19 has reduced participation at the center  something she hopes will change sometime in the future.

Richard Moose serves on the board of directors and leads a Tuesday activity called The Farmers Table, where people share food and sit down and talk with each other.

Theyre looking for somebody to talk to, he said. Thats pretty much the whole purpose.

Moose described conversation as something many people feel hungry to reclaim.

Conversation is becoming a lost art, he said. People nowadays sit and talk on their cell phones, and they text  Places like this can help promote the spoken word so it doesnt disappear.

Moose said the Minneluzahan Senior Citizens Center and the Canyon Lake Activity Center  which also serves seniors  both play important roles in the community. He said seniors can come to such places and enjoy older ways of doing things while also learning some of the new ones.

And they can converse.

Golda Galyen, who comes to the Minneluzahan Senior Citizens Center and volunteers at the thrift store, said she especially likes the Texas Hold 'em games.

There are a lot of people there and we all play together and share stories, she said.

Helping people to come together and share their stories, Malik said, lies at the heart of the centers work.

That, she said, is why this place exists.

People seeking information about the center can call 605-394-1887.

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A minimum-security inmate has been placed on escape status after failing to return to a community work center Monday, according to a news release from the South Dakota Department of Corrections.

Alexander Cook is a white male, age 29. He is 5-feet-7-inches tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Cook is serving a sentence for possession of a controlled substance. If you see him or know of his whereabouts, contact law enforcement immediately.

Failure to return to custody following a work assignment constitutes second-degree escape, a Class 5 felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

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WASHINGTON | South Dakota is among eight states yet to authorize spending any of the billions of dollars in federal aid they received under President Joe Bidens COVID-19 relief plan earlier this year, according to a think tank analysis.

States have until 2024 to spend their portion of the $350 billion in federal aid distributed to state and local governments as part of Bidens American Rescue Plan. The aid to states and local governments made up roughly a sixth of the $2 trillion relief package approved by Congress in March, one of Bidens biggest legislative victories.

Many states have steered those funds toward replacing lost revenue or economic relief programs, but a handful of mostly Republican states will head into the new year without having spent a dollar from the program. The eight states cumulatively represent roughly $16.5 billion in unspent aid.

GOP-controlled governments in South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas have yet to budget their funds, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which has tracked state use of the federal aid.

Rhode Island, the only Democratic-controlled state yet to budget the funds, is expected to approve a plan in early January when its legislature reconvenes.

In contrast, Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parsons office told The Kansas City Star that he wont fully lay out his plan for the funds until he delivers his annual State of the State address in January.

When Missouri received its first tranche of its $2.7 billion in federal aid in May as its legislative session was winding down, Parson said his administration would deliberate on long-term uses for the money to roll out the following year.

A White House official said the law gives states multiple years to spend the money by design.

First, the State and Local Program was designed for short-term and long-term recovery support, including helping localities as new variants of COVID-19 emerge. The law allows funds to be obligated through 2024, a White House official told McClatchy in an email this month as the omicron variant began rapidly spreading throughout the country.

Policymakers in Missouri and other states that have been slow to spend the funds are expecting to use some of the money for one-time investments in infrastructure rather than short-term economic relief or COVID-19 response.

Parson has suggested spending $400 million toward increasing broadband access across the state. Another likely use is helping local governments make improvements on wastewater, stormwater and drinking water utilities, according to lawmakers.

Missouri state Rep. Doug Richey, an Excelsior Springs Republican who chairs a committee that will weigh spending proposals, said he expects another major expenditure to be a nearly $120 million overhaul of the states aging IT system. He said lawmakers want to avoid setting up programs that will require future obligations by the state.

Were looking at one-time appropriations, he said.

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2024, offered proposals for spending her states nearly $1 billion in aid in 2022 during a December budget speech.

To the fullest extent that we can, we are going to put those funds to work for our state, to address our states most pressing needs, to make fiscally responsible, one-time expenditures that will not grow the government, but that will save our people money in the long run, Noem said, suggesting child care grants and sewer projects as potential uses.

South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMasters office pointed to the states legislature when asked about plans for the states roughly $2.5 billion in federal aid which remains unspent.

The General Assembly is ultimately responsible for allocating the funds and theyre expected to do so when they come back for regular session in January, Brian Symmes, a spokesman for the governor, said.

Lawmakers in South Carolina put plans to take up the issue this fall on hold to focus on 2022 redistricting.

A committee formed by McMaster recommended spending hundreds of millions of dollars on broadband internet expansion, rural water and sewer upgrades, widening an interstate highway, and expanding operations at the Port of Charleston. McMaster has also floated a proposal for a $124 million a workforce scholarship program.

Congressional Republicans said in March that Biden and Democrats erred by approving another round of state aid before states had finished spending the COVID-19 aid distributed under the previous administration. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said the slow pace of his home state and others to spend the funds confirms that point months later.

But Biden administration officials said the pace of spending reflects states budget processes rather than their needs.

Many states and localities have legislative or other governmental processes that they must complete before deploying funds or signing contracts, a spokesperson for the Treasury Department told McClatchy. While this can lead to a delay, it importantly allows for the community to engage on the plans around these historic investments. 

The Biden administration has made suggestions to states about how to use the unspent funds. For example, Biden directed the Treasury Department to clarify to states that they can use the funds to replace lead pipes in drinking water systems. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona also issued a letter encouraging states to use the funds to help fill school staff shortages.

The Treasury spokesperson said that as of August, 45% of the funds had been budgeted by states and local governments based on documents submitted to the agency, but pointed to a more recent analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that found it was closer to 70% by the end of October.

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We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves," said Herbst, of St. Petri church in the eastern city of Chemnitz. "Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.

Herbst opened St. Petris wrought-iron doors on a recent vaccination day and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold.

Retirees Hannelore Hilbert and her husband came to get booster shots in time for the holidays.

Last years Christmas was really sad. We were all alone, said the 70-year-old Hilbert, who looked forward to celebrating with at least some of her five grandchildren in person  not on Skype, like last year.

The Western-made vaccines have proved extraordinarily safe and remarkably effective overall at preventing COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, and experts say that seems to be holding true even amid the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. Health authorities warn that low vaccination rates are giving the virus more opportunities to mutate into new variants.

Saxony has Germanys lowest vaccination rate and high COVID-19 numbers.
COVID-19 related deaths statewide remained relatively level throughout December, averaging about 30 per day last Friday. The average number of people dying around Christmas last year was 34 each day.

As of Tuesday, the daily average is now 45, in large part because state health officials recorded 167 deaths of Virginia residents who died in another state in 2020, according to the state health department.

Local health and government officials have urged caution during the holiday season this month to limit the surge of new cases.

Long said Tuesday that knowing the risks for immunocompromised and unvaccinated people is important, but that people can safely gather in small numbers while taking certain precautions such as testing, staying several feet apart from one another and wearing masks.

Knowing your risk and the risk of others around you can help you determine which other safety measures to layer on during the gathering, she said.

Getting tested and/or avoiding crowded spaces are both good precautions before traveling or gathering. You should also follow testing and quarantine/isolation guidance if you either are experiencing symptoms or were exposed to a known positive case.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri woman has been charged with killing her boyfriend with a sword on Christmas Eve.

Cape Girardeau Police said 32-year-old Brittany Wilson was found outside the home she shared with her boyfriend Friday night with blood on her clothing, and a sword was lying in the front yard. Cape Girardeau is in southeast Missouri about 115 miles (185.07 kilometers) south of St. Louis.

KFVS television reported that a woman had called police shortly after 11 p.m. Friday to report that she had killed her boyfriend with a sword.

After officers arrested Wilson, they went inside the home and found her boyfriend, 34-year-old Harrison Stephen Foster, dead with several fresh stab wounds.

Wilson told police that she and Foster had taken methamphetamine earlier in the day. She also told investigators that she believed Foster had several other entities living in his body, and she was setting him free by stabbing him.

Wilson was being held Sunday in lieu of $2 million bond. She has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. It was not immediately known if Wilson had an attorney to speak on her behalf.

***
FloydFest 22~Heartbeat announced some familiar and ear-friendly additions on Thursday to its musical lineup set for July 27-31, 2022.

The latest artist additions include Old Crow Medicine Show, the rowdy roots string band sourced from Harrisonburg, Va., authors of Roanokes unofficial municipal anthem, Wagon Wheel.

Also added are Colorados pioneering jam-grass act Yonder Mountain String Band; alt-country all-stars American Aquarium; unruly bluegrass rockers The Brothers Comatose; new-grass roots rockers Acoustic Syndicate; the vocal powerhouse paired with psychedelic-soul of Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast; and 2010 FloydFest On-the-Rise winner and Appalachian Rock purveyors Big Daddy Love.

Longtime favorites Leftover Salmon and Keller Williams were also part of Thursdays announcement from festival organizer, Across-the-Way Productions.

Williams and Leftover were at the center of the action in 2016, when festival headliner Gregg Allman canceled due to health concerns. Those acts teamed to put on a late-night, main stage jam that has since become a tradition, eventually moving to the festivals Streamline Stage at Hill Holler on festival Saturdays.

Each act will do its own sets, as well, with Williams itinerary including music performed with his daughter, Ella Williams, also a festival favorite.

Another FloydFest first-timer, Shenandoah Valley Americana/jump blues cats The Judy Chops, was announced on Thursday.

Previously announced acts are Lake Street Dive, Melissa Etheridge, Marcus King, Morgan Wade, Durand Jones & The Indications, Amythyst Kiah, Neal Francis, Sierra Ferrell, Aaron Frazer, 49 Winchester and Sexbruise?.

The latter two are the winner and runner-up from 2021s FloydFest On-the-Rise Competition, voted by festival patrons.

Get more info, including ticket prices and purchases, and merch info, at floydfest.com.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands announced Tuesday that the university is now requiring all students and employees to get a COVID-19 booster shot.

Sands made the announcement in a message to the community that, among a number of things, addressed the rise of the omicron variant.

Our biggest challenge is likely to occur with the omicron variant in the first few weeks of the semester, reads the message. Although evidence is still coming in, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot.

The booster mandate adds to measures the university implemented earlier in the year, which included a requirement just before the start of the fall semester that all students and employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Techs requirement follows a similar measure from the University of Virginia, which is also requiring all students, faculty and staff to get booster shots to be on Grounds this spring semester.

As far as when to get the booster, Tech is requiring the jab within 14 days of eligibility for all students and employees. Sands message includes a link to the CDC page on boosters, which states that they can be received at least six months after the completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccination series.

If Tech students and employees are eligible now, updated information on their vaccination status is due by Feb. 1, the university said. Those who are not yet eligible are being asked to schedule their boosters as soon as they are able to do so.

Students and employees need to upload their updated vaccination record as soon as they receive a booster dose. Procedures remain in place for students and employees to request medical and religious exemptions, reads Sands message, which adds that existing exemptions will be honored and that those with medical concerns about the booster should consult their physician.

Additionally, all Tech students who live on campus will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result prior to returning. A PCR or antigen test will be accepted and must be administered no more than 72 hours before returning to campus, the university said.

While Tech is urging students to obtain their test results prior to arriving on campus, testing will be provided to those who cant obtain a test before arriving, the university said.

If a student tests positive upon arrival, they wont be allowed into on-campus housing until the completion of their isolation period, the university said.

All students and employees who traveled during the holiday break are asked to take a test prior to the start of the upcoming semesterand they will need to follow the recommended isolation measures should they test positive.

Tech will continue its weekly testing of unvaccinated students and employees and limited surveillance testing of vaccinated community members, the university said. Those with updated vaccination records, including a booster, will be exempt.

Tech is keeping its masking measures in place, despite previous hopes of relaxing that requirement. The university is even asking students and employees to use more protective face coverings such as a KN95 or equivalent, as opposed to the loose-fitting cloth and surgical masks.

The masking guidance echoes recent research and recommendations from well-known Tech researcher and professor Linsey Marr, whose work on the subject was most recently highlighted by NPR.

While we had hoped to relax mask requirements for indoor public spaces, the uptick in infections tells us our best approach is to continue wearing masks in indoor and instructional spaces for at least the beginning of the spring semester, Sands message reads. Beyond vaccines, masks are the most important tool we have for reducing the spread of COVID-19.

At other area institutions of higher education, Roanoke College required vaccines for students in the fall but has yet to require boosters for the spring semester that starts on Jan. 18, according to the Salem-based school.

Radford University officials couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

Roanoke Times reporter Sam Wall contributed information to this report.

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An 8-year-old girl died after a Christmas Eve crash in Nelson County, police said.

A Honda Odyssey minivan was traveling on U.S. 29 near Rockfish River Road when it struck a deer. As the Honda slowed, a tractor-trailer behind it was unable to stop and rear-ended the minivan, according to Virginia State Police.

The minivans driver and four passengers, including the girl, were injured. The girl succumbed to her injuries at the University of Virginia Medical Center on Christmas Day, police said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, which was carrying 42,000 pounds of paper, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police responded to the crash at 6:06 p.m. Dec. 24.

A police news release did not identify the family or tractor-trailer driver.

The crash remains under investigation.
While shopping, the rule of thumb is that product reviews are not to be trusted. Despite the fact that the vast majority of shoppers still say reviews play a big role in their decision-making, the paid-for-review racket, much of which is undertaken by bots run by shady sellers, is taking over the digital space.

Monitoring service Fakespot Inc found that some 42% of 720 million reviews assessed last year on Amazon, the number one online retailer, were unreliable. In the same assessment, almost 36% of Walmart.com reviews were deemed fake.

UK-based consumer group Which? found 10 websites selling fake reviews from $7 to $18 each, or cheaper in a bulk package.

In Italy, tens of thousands are joining Amazon channels on social media and messaging apps that are offering five-star reviews for products in return for financial rewards of up to $3 per review.

In the newest case of manipulated reviews, the author of the product is Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.

According to Reuters, who obtained Amazons internal briefing document, Chinese authorities pushed Amazon to delete all comments and reviews related to The Governance of China, a collection of President Xi speeches and writings.

This action took place back in 2018 but wasn't disclosed until Reuters released a report late last week, detailing how the Chinese government demand was prompted after less-than-stellar reviews on the book were posted.

Currently, reviews for Xis book are blocked only on Amazons Chinese website, while the Amazon.com entry has received 75% five-star reviews.

In a written response, Amazon said it "complies with all applicable laws and regulations, wherever we operate, and China is no exception."

The sacrifice to appease the wishes of the Chinese authorities are part and parcel of the firm's strategy to maintain favor in the country.

"Amazon's compliance with the Chinese government edict, which has not been reported before, is part of a deeper, decade-long effort by the company to win favor in Beijing to protect and grow its business in one of the world's largest marketplaces," Reuters wrote.

To appease Chinese regulators and to win more market share in China's highly competitive digital marketplace, Amazon partnered with state-owned China International Book Trading Corp (CIBTC) to create the China Books site.

While many books on the site are apolitical and focus on geography, cooking, and children's literature, all books of a political nature are said to come out in support of China's Communist Party.

Xi's book was reportedly listed as a bestseller on China Books, while other books cover issues such as denying the mistreatment of ethnic minorities and painting the government's fight against the pandemic as "heroic."

Other foreign companies, including Adidas and Microsoft, have been targeted by China for criticizing Chinese government

In 2019, Google dropped its Dragonfly project, a censored version of its search engine. The project attracted criticism as a potential means through which Chinese authorities could censor web content and monitor citizens' behavior online.

In October this year, Microsoft said it was shutting down LinkedIn in China, noting that the requirements to comply with the Chinese state had become overbearing. As an alternative, the company launched a new job searching site called InCareer, which does not include a social media feed and therefore is less challenging in terms of compliance issues.
" " Tsar Bomba, the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon ever created, shown here in a photo from the Russian Atomic Weapon Museum in Sarov, was detonated in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in October 1961. TASS/Getty Images

On October 30, 1961, a specially equipped Soviet Tu-95 bomber flew toward Novaya Zemlya, a remote chain of islands in the Arctic Ocean that the U.S.S.R. frequently used as a site for nuclear tests, accompanied by a smaller plane equipped with a movie camera and instruments for monitoring air samples.

But this wasn't just a routine nuclear test. Attached to the underside of the plane was a thermonuclear bomb that was so big it wouldn't fit inside the normal interior bomb bay. The cylindrical device was 26 feet (8 meters) long and weighed nearly 59,525 pounds (27 metric tons).

The device had the prosaic official name of izdeliye 602 ("item 602"), but it's gone down in history with the nickname of Tsar Bomba  the Russian way of calling it the emperor of bombs.

That name was no exaggeration. Tsar Bomba's yield is estimated to have been roughly 57 megatons, about 3,800 times the power of the 15 kiloton atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. On that day in 1961, it was released on a parachute in order to slow its descent and give the bomber and its crew a chance to escape.

When the giant bomb finally detonated about 13,000 feet (4 kilometers) over its target, the blast was so powerful that it destroyed everything within a nearly 22-mile (35-kilometer) radius, and generated a mushroom cloud that towered nearly 200,000 feet (60 kilometers).

In Soviet towns 100 miles (160 kilometers) from ground zero, wooden houses were destroyed, and brick and stone structures suffered damage.

After being largely forgotten for many years, Tsar Bomba was back in the news in August 2020, when Russian state nuclear power company Rosatom posted on YouTube a vintage film that showed an aerial view of the explosion and the towering cloud it created:

One of the cameramen who recorded the event described the bomb as creating "a powerful white flash over the horizon and after a long period of time he heard a remote, indistinct and heavy blow, as if the Earth has been killed." The blast was so powerful that its shock wave caused the Tu-95 to immediately drop 3,281 feet (1 kilometer) in altitude, though the pilot regained control and got the plane back to its base safely.

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Why Did the Soviets Want Such a Humongous Bomb?

Tsar Bomba's test was symbolic of the escalating tensions between the Soviets and the U.S., after a June 1961 summit in Vienna between Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. President John F. Kennedy went badly. Khrushchev apparently decided to take out his frustrations by showing off Soviet military prowess, including ending the informal moratorium on nuclear testing that both countries had maintained since the late 1950s.

The resumption of testing gave Soviet weapons researchers a chance to try out an idea they had for building a giant H-bomb, one that was far bigger than the most powerful weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

In the frightening logic of all-out nuclear war, having a high-yield H-bomb did make some sense theoretically. At the time, missiles capable of striking at distant countries were still in their infancy, and the Soviet Union didn't have many strategic bombers, according to Nikolai Sokov, a Vienna-based senior fellow affiliated with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, in California. The U.S., in contrast, had a variety of aircraft that could strike from bases conveniently close to Soviet territory.

"Hence, if you can deliver only one, two or three bombs, they better be very powerful," Sokov explains via email.

But the Soviet researchers pushed that idea to an extreme. Originally, they envisioned a 100-megaton weapon with a high level of radiation, but settled for one of slightly more than half that much explosive power, after the U.S.S.R.'s political leadership expressed worries about contamination from such a blast.

"As a result, fallout was very limited  much more limited than one could expect," Sokov said. "The shock wave was really strong, however  it circumnavigated Earth three times."

Even so, Japanese authorities found the highest level of radiation in rainwater that they'd ever detected, and an "invisible cloud of radioactive ash" that drifted eastward across the Pacific, and then crossed Canada and the Great Lakes region of the U.S. But U.S. scientists reassured the public that most of the debris from Tsar Bomba would stay high in the stratosphere and gradually lose its radioactivity by the time it fell to Earth.

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Too Big to Be Afraid Of

Tsar Bomba made headlines in the U.S., but government officials weren't that impressed by the nightmarish display of nuclear destruction. As aviation journalist Tom Demerly has written, the U.S. had concentric rings of defenses, from early warning radar to fighter aircraft and surface-to-air missiles, that would have made it difficult for a Soviet bomber to succeed in a first strike. And a device as massive as Tsar Bomba was dangerous to the aircraft that dropped it  so much so that the Tu-95 crew had been given only a 50-50 chance of survival.

" " This map of the city of Paris shows the zone of total destruction that would occur if the Tsar Bomba were to be dropped on that city. The red circle denotes the total destruction radius of 22 miles (35 kilometers); the yellow circle shows the fireball radius of 2.1 miles (3.5 kilometers). Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The U.S. "looked into the big bomb option and decided no," Robert Standish Norris, a senior fellow for nuclear policy at the Federation of American Scientists, explains via email. Theoretically, he says, "there is no limit on how big a hydrogen bomb can be. If ever used [Tsar Bomba] would clearly kill a lot more people. Accuracy became an option and if you improve it by half you can cut the yield by a factor of eight. This is what we did and the Soviets followed."

"Everybody understood that it is too big to be a practical weapon," Pavel Podvig explains in an email. He's a longtime nuclear weapons analyst who's worked with the United Nations and national security studies programs at Princeton and Stanford universities and operates the website Russianforces.org. "From the point of view of destructive power, it is more efficient to use several smaller weapons than one large one."

Tsar Bomba ended up being a macabre curiosity of the nuclear age. "No additional devices of this kind were built," Podvig says.

Instead, the U.S.S.R. went in a different direction. A few years after the Tsar Bomba test, Soviet missile designers achieved a major breakthrough with liquid fuel, opening the way to produce strategic missiles that could be kept ready for launch for extended periods and hidden in protected silos.

"About 1964-65, the Soviet Union decisively turned toward an emphasis on ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can carry several warheads, each of which will strike a different target], which typically amounted to about 60-65 percent of its strategic force until about the mid-1990s, when it declined to roughly 50 percent," Sokov explains. By the 1970s, only 5 percent of the Soviet nuclear arsenal was in the form of bombs that could be dropped by aircraft.

Now That's Spin The Soviets informed the U.S. beforehand of their intention to test a 50-megaton nuclear bomb. In a speech just a week before the blast, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric suggested that the bomb wasn't intended to intimidate the U.S., but to send a message to the Soviet Union's restless ally China. "Perhaps this is also the Soviet Union's answer to the discordant voice from its populous neighbor to the south," he said.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Business is picking up at Circus Fireworks on West Lucas Street as the Pee Dee gets ready to ring in the new year.

Employee Sammy Barr said business has been good at the store, especially after things were shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 last March. He added there is also a fireworks shortage.

He said the best seller is a 500 gram cake called Venom and mortars.

A cake is a series of Roman candles or shells connected together with a high-speed fuse.

Barr said mortars go up to 200 feet in the air and make a nice, big explosion.

What are the fireworks laws in South Carolina?

A person must be 16 years old to purchase fireworks in South Carolina unless the person is accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The Federal Hazardous Substances Act bans large reloadable mortar shells, cherry bombs, aerial bombs, M-80 salutes, larger firecrackers containing more than two grains of powder and mail-order kits designed to build these fireworks.

South Carolina also bans ground salutes, TNT salutes and bulldog salutes.
The prevailing theory last week was that the lead box was left by a person  or persons  who oversaw the monuments construction.

The search for the 1887 time capsule resumed Monday.

Devon Henry, the contractor whose company was overseeing the removal, said the box was found inside a granite enclosure basically at ground level, surrounded by fill and other construction material. Workers pulled off the top of the granite enclosure to find the box, which appeared to be made of copper, sitting in water, Henry said.

The box was then covered in bubble wrap and transported by vehicle from the site for further study, he said.

The governor's office said in a news release that the box, which matches the size of the capsule listed in historical records, had been X-rayed. The resulting images showed it appeared to include books, coins, buttons and perhaps a type of Civil War-era ammunition, the news release said.

It was scheduled to be opened Tuesday afternoon at a state lab.
Along with several waterlogged books, pamphlets and newspapers, the box contained an envelope of Confederate money, which conservators carefully separated, and two carved artifacts  a Masonic symbol and a Confederate flag said to have be made from the tree that grew over Gen. Stonewall Jacksons original grave.

Conservators also pulled buttons, coins and Minie balls, a type of bullet used in the Civil War, from the box. A bomb squad had checked the capsule Monday, partly to make sure there was no live ammunition inside.

Ridgway told reporters after the box had been emptied that there was some question about whether calling the vessel a time capsule was the most accurate terminology, as it did not appear to have a definitive date when it was expected to have been opened.

A cornerstone box is probably more accurate, she said.

No inscription could be seen on the box's interior or exterior, though Ridgway said it was possible that any such carving could have corroded away with time.

The Lee monument used to be part of a collection of Confederate statuary that dotted historic Monument Avenue in Richmond, which was capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War. The other Confederate statues, which were the property of the city, were removed last year.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Recent legislative sessions have been wholly unspectacular in terms of lifting up South Carolinians. Its as if the whole notion of common good has flown the Statehouse coop.

Adults who voluntarily got vaccines for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles and mumps have gone off the rails about inoculating people for coronavirus and worked actively to stop healthful practices (masks) to cut the spread of the virus. Education reform withered on the vine. Expanding health insurance for the poor continues to languish in South Carolina. Tax fairness and equity has been ignored. Even closing a gun loophole to make sure bad people dont get guns has gone nowhere.

So heres a policy booster shot: Legislators must act in the public interest for the common good, not to legislate in the interest of a political party, a district or a personal belief system. Republicans in control need to do more talking with Democrats, not at them. Democrats need to point fewer fingers and try to find better compromises.

Heres our annual list of Palmetto Priorities  policy proposals that South Carolina lawmakers should use as a map to promote the common good. Without such a map, we wrote in 2009, you will flounder in proposal after proposal.
President Biden has attempted to tamp down the frustration many feel over his inability to crush the pandemic, as he promised he would do when campaigning for the office he now holds.

In an Tuesday afternoon address from the White House last week, the president promised to ramp up testing sites and the number of free tests that will be made available to those who want them. He said a website will soon be established through which people can request test kits to be sent to their homes. And its all free, he repeated. He sounded like those Medicare supplement adds that just ended after open enrollment season closed.

I have several questions about these kits, which the president said would number 500 million. First, what happens when they run out? The at-home kits I have seen contain a limited number of swabs. When they are used, do you order more and for how long? Will the government pay for these, too? If so, will it continue to pay for them and for how long? Taxpayers have a right to know, given the deepening debt.
When I heard that the Pentagon had updated its rules of conduct to root out extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, I thought, its about time.

My mind raced back to my own Army experiences near the end of the Vietnam War era and the brief talk on color consciousness that our training company commander gave us.

The Army, he declared, does not favor any color but red, white and blue.

Good training restrained me from trying to remind him that white is a racial color, too.

After all, he was guided not only by good intentions but also military necessity. It was the late 1960s, after all. Racial and political tensions on the streets were turning up in the military.

Violent clashes at Camp Lejeune in 1969 and Travis Air Force Base in 1971, among other locations, prompted the Pentagon to take its deepest examination of race relations since President Harry Truman desegregated the military in 1948.

Interestingly, the worst of these conflicts tended to occur far from the front lines of combat. Closer to the action, as a wise old saying put it, There are no bigots in foxholes.
Razer Merchant Services is the first Merchant Acquirer to enable PayNets Real-Time Retail Payments Platform (RPP) full suite of payment methods to its merchants to accept domestic and cross-border QR payments.

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 28 December 2021 - Razer Merchant Services (RMS), the B2B arm of Razer Fintech, today announces it has become the first Merchant Acquirer to enable all three channels for PayNet's Real-time Payments Platform, DuitNow. The payment channels include DuitNow QR, Cross-Border QR payments, and DuitNow Online Banking/Wallets, which RMS has enabled for online e-commerce and offline physical merchants.













QR enabled payments are experiencing unprecedented momentum in emerging markets and are accelerating movements away from cash in the 'new normal', according to a report by McKinsey & Company. Currently, the widely accepted DuitNow QR Codes are limited to local participating banks' e-wallets, while Cross-Border QR codes with DuitNow QR will enable real-time instant payments for retail and e-commerce merchants based in Malaysia from tourists using their respective foreign banks or e-wallets applications. RMS merchants can expect a further extension of their business' reach as cross-border payment linkages with surrounding Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Singapore are scheduled after Thailand.





"Razer Fintech and our B2B arm, RMS, are excited to be the first Merchant Acquirer to enable all three Duitnow payment channels, further cementing our leadership in delivering new payment product features, in partnership with Paynet. We are very proud to enable these developments with PayNet's Real-time Payments Platform for our regional and global merchants from both online and offline verticals. In times where physical contact needs to be limited, these developments will accelerate payment conversions and will be an effective contactless alternative to cash payments for both merchants and customers." said Lee Li Meng, CEO of Razer Fintech.

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"PayNet is delighted to have Razer Merchant Services as our DuitNow QR participant. RMS is among the earliest to adopt cross-border QR payments. With its large base in Malaysia, we are confident RMS' merchants will reap more benefits of going cashless once cross-border QR payments acceptance from foreign visitors is enabled." said PayNet Malaysia's Director of Retail Payments Services, Mr. Khairuan Abdul Rahman.



One of RMS' merchants, Doctor2U, will vastly benefit from Cross-Border QR with DuitNow QR when accepting payments from foreign visitors into Malaysia. Doctor2U, who is BP Healthcare Group's homegrown technology arm, had previously set up a state-of-the-art Covid-19 screening facility at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with a capacity of screening 45,000 travelers daily.





As digital payments accelerate, local customers can also look forward to a better customer experience with DuitNow Online Banking/Wallets. The service provides a more seamless e-commerce or m-commerce check out experience by enabling simple redirection to customers' Online Banking or e-wallets app where instant payments can be made with over 40 Banks and e-wallets on board with more expected to join by the first half of 2022. DuitNow Online Banking/Wallets will be a development to link online banking and e-wallets to provide convenience for customers on merchant applications, through application-to-application payment verifications and significantly reduce payment friction and cart abandonments.





RMS aims to enable 3,000 physical offline acceptance points with DuitNow QR and Cross-Border payments with DuitNow QR by 2022. In the same period, RMS will onboard 1,000 online merchants with the full suite of DuitNow QR, Cross-Border QR, and DuitNow Online Banking/Wallets through a simple Application Programming Interface (API) integration with RMS. The DuitNow payment solutions will enable businesses to accept payments with just a single unified QR that allows interoperability between participating banks and e-wallets.





ABOUT RAZER FINTECH

Razer Fintech is the financial technology arm of Razer Inc (1337: Hong Kong). Established in April 2018, Razer Fintech has grown to become one of the largest O2O (offline to online) digital payment networks in emerging markets and has processed over billions of dollars in total payment value. Razer Fintech recorded a Total Payment Volume (TPV) of US$4.3 billion for FY 2020, with its B2B arm, Razer Merchant Services ("RMS"), a major contributor to the figure. The FY 2020 TPV represents an increase of 104.4% year-on-year and a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 70% since FY2018. RMS, a leading B2B (business-to-business) solution encompassing:

 RMS Online: Card processing gateway supporting global scheme cards and over 110 payment methods, powering online payments for global and regional blue-chip merchants in SEA.

 RMS Offline: SEA's largest offline payment network of over 1 million physical acceptance points across SEA. RMS Offline also extends point-of-sale services (such as bill payments and telco reloads), cash-over-counter services including fulfilment of e-commerce purchases, distribution of third-party point-of-sale activation (POSA) cards, and merchant acquiring services for third-party e-wallets.

For more information, please visit our here.

Merchants interested in online payment services, please email us at

sales-sa@razer.com

. Merchants interested in offline reloads, please email us at

bd-offline-my@razer.com

#RAZERFINTECH

ABOUT PAYMENTS NETWORK MALAYSIA SDN BHD (PAYNET)

PayNet is Malaysia's premier payments network and central infrastructure for financial markets. We innovate, build, and operate world-class payment systems and financial market infrastructures that safely, reliably, and efficiently enable the functioning and development of Malaysia's financial system as well as the economy as a whole. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is PayNet's single largest shareholder, with eleven Malaysian's Banks as joint shareholders.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The Sydney to Hobart yacht race is one of the most challenging ocean events in the world (AFP/DAVID GRAY)

There was a tight tussle for line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race Tuesday as Black Jack and LawConnect headed toward a possible "neck and neck" finish on the River Derwent.

SHK Scallywag trailed in third place as further retirements cut the original fleet of 88 yachts to 52, with harsh conditions forcing withdrawals due to damage or minor crew injuries -- most coming on the first day.

Super maxis Black Jack and LawConnect were vying for the top spot heading down Tasmania's east coast with the possibility of the duel continuing right up to Hobart.

On Tuesday morning, Black Jack had regained a six nautical mile lead on LawConnect.

"They are neck and neck at the moment," Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Noel Cornish told media in Hobart.

Calmer weather was expected for most of the competitors, but it was still tough to predict when the first of the fleet would arrive with light conditions making an arrival late Tuesday possible.

"We are looking forward to a good day, and to where we will end up this afternoon and evening," said Black Jack navigator Alex Nolan.

"Everyone is very well on board. Everyone is very happy. We are pushing it very hard."

Weather is critical in the 628-nautical-mile (1,200-km) race down Australia's east coast to Hobart, one of the world's most challenging ocean events.

Six men died, five boats sank, and 55 sailors were rescued during the 1998 event when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait.

But this year, organisers also faced the trials of a global pandemic, which already nixed last year's edition -- cancelling the event for the first time since it began in 1945.

Before the start, four yachts were forced to retire, leaving 88 entrants at the starting line, including 17 two-handed crafts, which are allowed to take part for the first time.

It was a sharp reduction from the 157 boats that set out in 2019.

Though the first yacht to reach the finishing line grabs most public attention, the main prize for sailors is regarded as the handicap honours, which take account of the size of the yachts.

al/qan
San Diego plane crash caught on doorbell video as authorities say no survivors found

Authorities in San Diego, California, have said there were no survivors in the wreckage of a plane crash that crashed into a home in a residential area.

The crash happened at around 7.00pm on Monday night in El Cajon, a city about 17 miles east of downtown San Diego.

In a statement, the San Diego Sheriffs Department (SDSD) said the plane had been aiming for Gillespie Field in El Cajon, but crashed into the 200 block of Pepper Drive.

Images and video shared on Twitter, including that of a homes Google Nest camera, appeared to show the aircraft falling from the sky before exploding upon impact.

The SDSD said there were no survivors at the site of the wreckage and that no home owners were injured.

At this time, we do not have information on where the plane was coming from or how many were on board, the department said.

A home was however destroyed and power lines in the area around Pepper Drive were knocked out. Accounts of a power outage were also shared on social media.

#BREAKING: New video has just came out showing the plane crashing into San Diego neighborhood



#SanDiego | #CA



A plane has crashed in a San Diego Neighborhood so far multiple homes are with out power and injuries or deaths are currently unknown. This is still developing pic.twitter.com/fuKfbEVFJn  R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 28, 2021

The SDSD said residents should be aware that Pepper Drive will remain closed between Topper Lane and North 2nd Street through Wednesday, December 29 as an investigation is ongoing.

People have also been asked to avoid the area.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are helping the SDSD investigate, the department said.

The American Red Cross was also expected to attend to the area.
Mining is a major part of the Philippines economy (AFP via Getty Images)

The Philippines has lifted a four-year-old ban on open-pit mining for copper, gold, silver and complex ores, marking the second landmark policy move this year as the government tries to revitalise the industry.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu has signed an administrative order lifting the ban, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Wilfredo Moncano said on Tuesday.

The government imposed the ban in 2017, when the ministry, which oversees the mining industry, was led by an anti-mining advocate who had blamed the sector for extensive environmental damage.

After several years of restrictive policies that have been blamed for stagnating the industry, the government now wants stalled and new mining projects to attract investments and help stimulate the pandemic-hit economy.

In April, President Rodrigo Duterte lifted a moratorium on new mineral agreements imposed in 2012.

Open-pit mining remained a globally accepted method of extracting minerals, Moncano said.

Cimatus predecessor at the environment department, Regina Lopez, had enforced the ban, infuriating miners who argued that the countrys large copper and gold deposits could be exploited only through open-pit mining.

But environmental activists expressed dismay over the policy reversal, with the Alyansa Tigil Mina (Alliance to End Mining) group describing it as "a short-sighted and misplaced development priority of the government".

The Philippines annual export revenue from its mineral extraction industry could increase by up to $2 billion (1.5 billion) over the next five to six years as new mining projects take off, according to the government.

The Southeast Asian country is Chinas biggest supplier of nickel ore and also has substantial copper and gold reserves.

More than a third of the Philippines total land area of 30 million hectares (74.1 million acres) has been identified as having "high mineral potential", but only less than 5 per cent of its mineral reserves has been extracted so far, according to the mines bureau.
An empty cash register. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  A man with a history of property-related offences was given a chance to reform, after a judge decided not to impose corrective training on him.

Tan Tian Hock, 37, was instead given 20 months jail on Tuesday (28 December) despite being found suitable for corrective training, which is a more serious imprisonment term for repeat offenders, as it has no remission for good behaviour.

Tan, formerly a cashier at Shell Sembawang, had siphoned money from the station's cash register and his companys cashcard.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of criminal breach of trust as a servant, and theft as a servant. One similar count of theft as a servant was considered for his sentencing. He was sent to be assessed for corrective training and had been found suitable for the stint.

Took cash, cashcard away from station

On 30 October last year, Tan commenced work at the Shell petrol station and was assigned cashier duties. He was also tasked with pumping petrol.

During his shift, the cash register would automatically eject should the money had exceeded a certain amount. Tan was supposed to put away the excess money in a safe in the storeroom, but he did not do so. Instead, he slipped $1,500 into the back of his shirt and left with the stolen cash after his shift. His actions were captured by CCTV cameras in the store.

On the same day, Tan also took a cashcard belonging to his company and effected a $495 top-up on the cashcard via the point-of-sales system by using the companys merchant card. He took the cashcard with him when he left.

At about 9.20 pm that day, Tan called the franchise manager of the petrol station and admitted to taking two cashcards from the company to effect a top-up of $590. He used the money to pay off debts.

When the franchise manager of the petrol station called Tan about the missing cash at about 10pm that day, Tan admitted to the theft, saying he used it to pay off his debts.

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No restitution was made to Shell.

Jailed for similar offences in 2003, 2004

Tan was previously jailed for similar offences in 2003 and 2004, and had been given corrective training in 2012 for criminal breach of trust.

The prosecution submitted for 20 to 24 months jail, calling Tan a habitual offender.

District Judge Janet Wang said that ordinarily, Tan would be considered for corrective training and preventive detention. Corrective training lasts between five and 14 years, while preventive detention spans from seven to 20 years.

Tans recalcitrance called for specific deterrence, she added.

However, the court was minded to grant Tan a final opportunity to live in a more responsible manner, DJ Wang said.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the world, healthcare organizations, doctors, scientists and community leaders are encouraging all eligible individuals to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Unfortunately, there are many who are still hesitant to be vaccinated. With the many rumors about the virus and vaccines circulating on social media and elsewhere, it can be hard to sort what is fact and what is fiction. At the Siouxland District Health Department, we want to help educate residents and dispel the common myths we hear in our community.

Myth: The vaccine isnt really free, Ill just get a bill later.

We know its common to go to a doctors appointment and not be billed at the time, but then get an expensive bill in the following weeks. While it sounds too good to be true, the fact is that the COVID-19 vaccine is administered at absolutely no cost to you.

Myth: Because of my ethnicity, Ill receive a different dose or vaccine.

The coronavirus vaccine is administered with the same dosage and same medication for everyone, regardless of group or ethnicity. The only time dosages are changed is when provided to children vs. adults, or depending upon which shot you are receiving, such as whether it is your booster or part of your initial dose.

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine was rushed through production and is not safe.

While it is true that in many instances vaccines take years to develop, the COVID-19 vaccine was able to be created quickly thanks to previous research performed with similar viruses. Using this prior knowledge, scientists had the ability to determine how effective it would be against the coronavirus and how safe it would be for people to receive it. As with any vaccine, there is a slight risk of serious side effects. But for most individuals, as long as you are not allergic to any of the ingredients, the vaccine is safe. To learn more about the development process of the COVID-19 vaccine, check out this detailed article from ScienceNews.

Myth: The vaccine will give me COVID-19.

We understand you have been doing everything you can to prevent COVID-19 infection by taking necessary health and safety precautions, and the last thing you need is a serious illness. The good news is none of the COVID-19 vaccinations used in the United States include a live virus, so there is no risk of contracting the disease from the vaccine. You may experience some side effects for a few days, such as slight fever, body aches or headache. But these symptoms are just due to your bodys natural immune response recognizing and learning to fight the virus. It does take about two weeks after vaccination to build immunity, so it is possible to contract COVID-19 during that time. If you do become ill, you most likely were exposed within that timeframe.

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is not effective at preventing serious illness.

So far, research has shown the COVID-19 vaccine reduces illnesses and especially reduces the risk of serious illness. This means that if you do happen to catch the COVID-19 virus, symptoms will most likely be mild and your chance of being hospitalized is greatly reduced. Vaccines may also decrease the risk of infections that dont present any symptoms, reducing the risk of spreading illness to others. It is important to remember that no vaccine is ever 100% effective, and there have been some breakthrough cases of serious illness after vaccination. But getting the recommended doses of vaccine (including a booster when eligible) is still the best tool we have to prevent serious infections.

Where to get your COVID-19 vaccination

To make it as easy as possible to get your vaccine, the Siouxland District Health Department is currently scheduling appointments, whether you require your initial series or booster dose. The COVID-19 vaccines are available for all individuals who qualify, age 5 and up. To make an appointment, call 712.279.6119 or schedule online. With over 25 participating locations within a 25-mile radius of Sioux City, Iowa, its easier than ever to access the COVID-19 vaccination from anywhere in the area. Lets work together to keep our local communities and neighborhoods safe by receiving your COVID-19 vaccination today.

This content is provided for informational purposes only by Siouxland District Health and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice. Any views, thoughts or opinions in this paid post belong solely to Siouxland District Health and do not represent the views of Brand Ave. Studios or its parent company.

This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who was the nation's first governor to confirm that he got COVID-19, said he doesn't plan to get a booster shot even though state health officials are encouraging vaccinated people to do just that.

When asked by a reporter Monday if he plans to get a vaccine booster, the Republican governor responded: No, probably not."

I'm perfectly healthy, and my doctor hasn't told me I need to get it," said Stitt, who contracted COVID-19 in July of 2020 and received Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine in March.

Stitt's stance on getting a booster comes even though the state's public health agency and medical community are encouraging Oklahomans to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or to get a booster if they've already been vaccinated.

The best way to gather with confidence and protect against severe illness is to get vaccinated and get your booster shot, Interim Health Commissioner Keith Reed said in a statement last week. Eligible, unvaccinated individuals should consider getting the vaccine as quickly as possible and fully vaccinated individuals who have not yet gotten a booster shot should seek that out."

Federal health officials also have been urging all eligible Americans to get booster shots as quickly as possible, as the country faces a surge in the highly contagious omicron variant. Both Moderna and Pfizer have said that booster shots of their COVID-19 vaccines appear to offer protection against the new strain, which preliminary evidence suggests can better evade vaccines than previous variants.

Stitt got vaccinated in March after health officials opened vaccine eligibility to everyone in the state ages 16 and older. At the time, he said he hoped that receiving his shot publicly would encourage people who might be hesitant to get vaccinated.

Only about 53% of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated, which is well below the national average of 61.8% and far behind Vermont's first-in-the-nation rate of 77.3%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the vaccine and public health efforts to promote it have often drawn the ire of some conservatives. When former President Donald Trump revealed during an event in Dallas last week that he received a vaccine booster, the crowd booed him.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In Germany, Lutheran pastors are offering COVID-19 shots inside churches. In Israels science-skeptical ultra-Orthodox community, trusted rabbis are trying to change minds. And in South Africa, undertakers are taking to the streets to spread the word.

The funeral directors' message: Were burying too many people.

A year after the COVID-19 vaccine became available, traditional public health campaigns promoting vaccination are often going unheeded. So an unconventional cadre of people has joined the effort.

They are opening sanctuaries and going door to door and village to village, touting the benefits of the vaccines and sometimes offering shots on the spot.

As the outbreak drags on into a third year, with the global death toll at 5.4 million, vaccine promoters are up against fear, mistrust, complacency, inconvenience and people who simply have bigger worries than COVID-19.

On a December day, a convoy of hearses with sirens wailing drove up to a shopping mall in Johannesburgs sprawling Soweto township.

Vaccinate, vaccinate! Vuyo Mabindisi of Vuyos Funeral Services said as he handed out pamphlets on how to avoid COVID-19. We dont want to see you coming to our offices."

Several people responded with curiosity and questions, while others carried on with their shopping.

With a population of 60 million, South Africa has reported 3 million-plus COVID-19 cases, including over 90,000 deaths. Those are the highest figures in Africa. Only about 40% of South Africa's adult population is fully vaccinated, and that is one of the best levels on the continent. After a fitful start, there is ample vaccine.

Thabo Teffo, a 32-year-old bank employee, was among those seeking shots recently at a Soweto church.

Teffo said he had been skeptical but came under pressure from his parents and two vaccinated sisters, and also had a recent health scare that turned out not to be COVID-19.

That encouraged me to go ahead and get vaccinated for my peace of mind and to protect my family, he said.

Rupali Limaye, a behavioral scientist who studies global vaccine hesitancy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said community-level efforts may resonate more than impersonal mass media campaigns.

German pastor Christoph Herbst believes giving COVID-19 shots in surroundings that feel more familiar than medical settings may help. Thats why he and several other Lutheran pastors in the Saxony region contacted an aid group to offer shots inside their churches, despite sometimes violent anti-vaccination protests in recent weeks. Some pastors have been criticized and even threatened.

We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves," said Herbst, of St. Petri church in the eastern city of Chemnitz. "Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.

Herbst opened St. Petris wrought-iron doors on a recent vaccination day and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold.

Retirees Hannelore Hilbert and her husband came to get booster shots in time for the holidays.

Last years Christmas was really sad. We were all alone, said the 70-year-old Hilbert, who looked forward to celebrating with at least some of her five grandchildren in person  not on Skype, like last year.

The Western-made vaccines have proved extraordinarily safe and remarkably effective overall at preventing COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, and experts say that seems to be holding true even amid the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. Health authorities warn that low vaccination rates are giving the virus more opportunities to mutate into new variants.

Saxony has Germanys lowest vaccination rate and high COVID-19 numbers.

Herbst said many naysayers are concerned about possible side effects, feel they are overly pressured by authorities, or resent any measures supported by the government. Some feel discriminated against as East Germans, because not all their hopes have been fulfilled 30 years after communisms collapse.

Its important that theres a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation, Herbst said.

Chicago community activist Caesar Thompson uses that same approach as he knocks on doors in struggling Black neighborhoods hit hard by the virus.

Thompson, 44, is a vaccine ambassador enlisted by city health authorities. He said the idea is not to strong-arm or cajole. Instead, he said, he offers information, answers questions and lets people know he can sign them up to receive shots in their homes or nearby.

Thompson has a salesmans gift of gab, and he has used it at churches, train stations, parks, flea markets  almost anywhere people gather.

Thompson said it helps that hes just a guy on the street." You might even know me if you live in my neighborhood, he said.

In communities he targets, the coronavirus is often not the most pressing concern, Thompson said. For people in crime-ridden neighborhoods who lack jobs or health insurance and are struggling to feed their families, COVID is down the list for them," he said.

In conservative Wyoming, the vaccine can be a hard sell. Commissioners in Campbell County voted against using federal dollars for an education campaign about the vaccines, worrying that it would smack of a mandate. The countys vaccination rate is about 27%.

Gabby Watson, 23, of Gillette, said she has no intention of getting vaccinated "because Im really healthy and take care of myself. Im just not a high risk for COVID. I just dont see the reasoning for me to get the vaccine.

She said the U.S. government is pushing COVID-19 vaccines too hard.

Theyre pushing more people away and creating more of this thought bubble of, What the hell are you trying to do with my body? What are you trying to do with my freedom?'" Watson said. And thats not a good direction to go into either.

Suspicion of secular authorities is rampant in Israels community of ultra-Orthodox Jews, They shun many trappings of modern life, follow a strict interpretation of Judaism and rely on rabbis to guide many life decisions. While some rabbis have encouraged vaccination, others have taken a less aggressive approach.

The ultra-Orthodox have some of Israel's lowest vaccination rates and have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Now, facing omicron, Israeli officials are going on the offensive, said Avraham Rubinstein, the mayor of Bnei Brak, the countrys largest ultra-Orthodox city. They are deploying mobile vaccination clinics and enlisting prominent rabbis in the community.

Yossi Levy, a 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew, recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife. He has repeatedly booked and canceled COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

It isnt something pressing. Im not opposed to it. Its just laziness, Levy said.

While Israel's vaccination rates for the second dose among the general population hover around 63% and the booster at 45%, in the ultra-Orthodox community the numbers are around half of that.

The ultra-Orthodox  13% of Israels population  tend to live in crowded neighborhoods, with large families in small apartments, where sickness can spread quickly. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together in small spaces. Also, half of that population is under 16 and only recently became eligible for vaccination.

Gilad Malach, who heads the ultra-Orthodox program at a Jerusalem think tank, said there is a "double fear: fear of the state and fear of science. There is no basic trust in these entities.

In India, complacency is contributing to a low rate of second shots among the population of 1.4 billion: 40% are fully vaccinated and around 19% have received just one shot.

The country has recorded nearly 35 million cases and over 450,000 deaths.

In Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populated state, Rohit Kanojia received his first shot in August but didnt get the second one.

I forgot, the 23-year-old said, adding that people are no longer afraid of COVID-19. People roam around without masks and no one maintains social distance, he said. Life is almost normal."

Jeet Bahadur, a 45-year-old cook, got his second shot months late at a Sikh temple in New Delhi. For him, like many others in India who are trying to eke out a living in a crippled economy, the virus just wasnt very high on his list of priorities.

Associated Press writers Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg; Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado; Kirsten Grieshaber in Chemnitz, Germany; Anupam Nath in Guwahati, India; Krutika Pathi, Rishi Lekhi and Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi; Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India; and Tia Goldenberg in Bnei Brak, Israel, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create more confusion and fear among Americans.

To the dismay of some authorities, the new guidelines allow people to leave isolation without getting tested to see if they are still infectious.

The guidance has raised questions about how it was crafted and why it was changed now, in the middle of another wintertime spike in cases, this one driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Monday's action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the recommended isolation time for Americans who are infected with the coronavirus but have no symptoms. The CDC similarly shortened the amount of time people who have come into close contact with an infected person need to quarantine.

The CDC has been under pressure from the public and the private sector, including the airline industry, to shorten the isolation time and reduce the risk of severe staffing shortages amid the omicron surge. Thousands of flights have been canceled over the past few days in a mess blamed on omicron.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the virus are most infectious in the first few days.

Louis Mansky, director of the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Minnesota, agreed there is a scientific basis to the CDCs recommendations.

When somebody gets infected, when are they most likely to transmit the virus to another person? he said. Its usually in the earlier course of the illness, which is typically a day or two before they actually develop symptoms and then a couple of days to three days after that.

Research, including a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in August, backs that up, though medical experts cautioned that nearly all of the data predates omicron.

The CDC released a report Tuesday on a cluster of six omicron cases in a Nebraska household and found the median incubation period  the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms  was about three days, versus the five days or more documented earlier in the pandemic. The six people also experienced relatively mild illness.

But other experts questioned why the CDC guidelines allow people to leave isolation without testing.

Its frankly reckless to proceed like this, said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Using a rapid test or some type of test to validate that the person isnt infectious is vital.

Theres no evidence, no data to support this," he added.

Mansky said CDC probably didnt include exit testing in its guidelines for logistical reasons: There is a run on COVID-19 rapid tests amid the spike in cases and the busy holiday travel season. In many places, at-home tests are difficult or impossible to find.

The CDC is driven by the science, but they also have to be cognizant of the fact of, you know, what are they going to tell the public that theyll do, Mansky said. That would undermine CDC if they had guidance that everybody was ignoring.

Qamara Edwards, director of business and events for Sojourn Philly, which owns four restaurants in Philadelphia, said about 15% of its employees are out sick with COVID-19, and staffing is tight.

The CDC changes are great for businesses, they do allow people to return to work sooner than theyve expected, Edwards said, though she understands why workers might be resistant and worried about their safety.

In Los Angeles, King Holder, who runs the StretchLab Beverly fitness business, likewise said omicron has caused ample disruption to his company, and he welcomed the more relaxed guidelines.

The possibility of five days compared to 10-14 days is huge for our business and allows us to stay afloat, he said.

But Dana Martin, a 38-year-old Philadelphia teacher and educational consultant, said: The looser COVID guidelines make me nervous. Im more hesitant to participate in holiday activities because of the omicron variant and the seemingly more lax protocols.

Marshall Hatch, senior pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Church on Chicagos West Side, said he is bracing for some confusion in his congregation. The church has been a strong advocate for testing, vaccinations and booster shots.

Hatch said the CDCs latest guidance is confusing and a little incongruous.

Either were in a surge that we need to take very seriously or are we winding down the pandemic and thats why were shortening the isolation and quarantine times, he said Tuesday. They might want to give us a little more information to go with.

Hatch said some members of the largely Black congregation, particularly senior citizens, are skeptical of information from government.

The CDC move follows global efforts to adjust isolation rules, with policies differing from country to country.

England last week trimmed its self-isolation period for vaccinated people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to seven days in many cases, provided two negative lateral flow tests are taken a day apart.

The French government said Monday that it will soon relax its isolation rules, although by exactly how much isnt yet clear.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said the rule changes will be aimed at warding off paralysis of public and private services. By some estimates, France could be registering more than 250,000 new infections per day by January.

Italy, meanwhile, is considering doing away with a quarantine altogether for those who have had close contact with an infected person as long they have had a booster shot. Projections indicate as many as 2 million Italians could be put in quarantine over the next two weeks as the virus spreads.

The U.S. airline industry applauded the CDC move.

The decision is the right one based upon science, said the lobbying group Airlines for America.

But the head of a flight attendants union criticized the change, saying it could lead businesses to pressure sick employees to come back before they are well.

If that happens, we will make clear it is an unsafe work environment, which will cause a much greater disruption than any staffing shortages, warned Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International.

Associated Press writers Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky; Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy; Paul Wiseman in Washington; and Tali Arbel and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Cities and states are shelling out serious cash to lure remote workers.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay you $10,000 to move there and telework. West Virginia is offering $12,000 and two years of free outdoor gear rental. Move to Maine, and the state will help you pay off your student loans.

These incentives are appealing, especially for newly minted remote workers who want to capitalize on their newfound flexibility. But a snap decision could cost more than the money youre chasing.

Read the program fine print, talk to your employer and assess your own deal breakers before you pack your bags and head to Topeka, Kansas, where remote workers can get up to $10,000.

UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS, REQUIREMENTS

Most remote relocation programs have an application process with several rounds of interviews to screen prospective residents. Only a fraction of applicants are accepted.

Tulsa Remote accepted just 3% of its 30,000 applicants in 2021, according to Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote.

The Opportunity Maine Tax Credit doesnt cap participation, but it does have a host of other stipulations. Whether the tax credit is refundable, for example, depends on the year you graduated and your field of study.

And the Ascend West Virginia program only accepts applicants for certain cities, at certain times of the year.

Relocation incentives are designed to boost the local tax base, so most programs pay the benefit over a year or two. And many encourage you to put down roots.

Tulsa Remote will pay the $10,000 in a lump sum if you buy a home (the cash is otherwise spread out over the first year). In Topeka, remote work applicants need to buy a home to get the full $10,000.

And dont forget, any bonus may be taxed as income, so you need to set some money aside for the IRS.

ASSESS IMPACT TO YOUR CURRENT, FUTURE EMPLOYMENT

Remote work still has some limits. Understand your employers expectations before applying or moving, as certain things can impact your quality of life in your new locale.

If your company and colleagues are all on the West Coast, for example, you may be expected to keep those hours, even if you relocate to Maine. That can make for some late nights.

Your new city may have a lower cost of living than your current home base  thats typically part of the appeal. Will your company adjust your salary to your new cost of living? You want to be crystal clear on that before taking the leap.

Financially, you should be prepared to take a pay cut if youre relocating from a major city to somewhere less costly, says Tina Hawk, senior vice president of human resources at GoodHire, which provides employee screening and background checks for businesses.

Most relocation programs are only open to those who already have full-time employment with an out-of-state company (Maine is an exception ). But no job is guaranteed forever, so you need to research the local job market.

How easy will it be to find a new gig if you are laid off? Are there opportunities locally if you outgrow your current company? If you dream of someday starting a business, is your potential new home friendly to entrepreneurs?

DETERMINE YOUR DEAL BREAKERS

While money is important, its not what makes a place liveable. Take stock of whats important to you  things like restaurants, networking, walkability or outdoor activities  and identify your deal breakers.

The incentive can get your attention, but the meat of the matter is, when you get there, you gotta stay, says Nate Wildes, executive director of Live + Work in Maine.

Even Vacationland is not for everyone, Wildes admits. Were a four-season place. If you hate snow and you hate snow shoveling, look somewhere else, please.

Dont just assume youll like or dislike a place. Experience it firsthand to get a true sense of the citys vibe. You might be surprised.

Maria Kim, 28, certainly was. The former Washington, D.C., resident moved to Tulsa as part of the Tulsa Remote program in March 2021.

Initially on the fence, Kim decided to take the leap after visiting the city and meeting with other members of the program, which puts a strong emphasis on networking and community.

Ive been pleasantly surprised, says Kim, who freelances full time as a copywriter. The city is busy. Youre able to get the small-town benefits with big-city energy, and you can explore without so much excess.

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Kelsey Sheehy is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kelseylsheehy.

RELATED LINKS:

How to start a business in 13 steps https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-how-to-start-a-business

Opportunity Maine Tax Credit https://liveandworkinmaine.com/opportunity-maine/

Tulsa Remote https://tulsaremote.com/

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Things to know today: U.S. flu season arrives on schedule; Fauci's air travel warning; plus, the best photos of 2021. Get caught up.
STORM LAKE, Iowa -- A Sac City, Iowa, woman was arrested in Storm Lake on suspicion of selling methamphetamine.

Storm Lake Police stopped a vehicle at Eighth Street and Lake Avenue at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday for an equipment violation. After identifying the driver as Leticia Hightower, police found an active arrest warrant for escape from custody from Cerro Gordo County.

A K9 unit was brought to the scene and indicated the presence of narcotics in Hightower's vehicle. Police searching the vehicle found 15 grams of meth, a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Hightower, 43, was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of third-offense possession of a controlled substance. She was held without bond pending extradition to Cerro Gordo County.

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SIOUX CITY  Nodland and Sunnyside Elementary Schools have been rated as exceptional schools in Iowa, while Irving Elementary was ranked in the bottom 5 percent of schools.

The rankings are done yearly by the Department of Education. Each school in the state receives a rating that is determined from the states standardized tests, attendance, staff retention, and expulsion and suspension rates.

Schools are given a score of up to 100 and are placed in one of six rating categories: exceptional, high performing, commendable, acceptable, needs improvement and priority/comprehensive.

Overall the state of Iowa has a school score of 54.7.

Nodland and Sunnyside Elementary Schools both received a 66.95, raking in the top 1 percent of schools in the state.

Nodland Elementary School educates kindergarten through second grade students. It did not have enough variables to calculate a valid index score and was given a score based on Sunnyside, according to the IDE.

Sunnyside Elementary, home to 237 third through fifth grade students, scored above the state average in all math and English areas.

Overall, 76 percent of students met the English language proficiency benchmarks and 86 percent met the mathematics benchmarks, both above the state average.

School board president Dan Greenwell said Nodland and Sunnyside have historically performed well, but district-wide "it's a mixed bag."

In the district, 57 percent of fifth graders were proficient in English language arts and 56 percent were proficient in math.

"There's work to be done," Greenwell said, adding the new board is focused on returning focus of coursework to basic skills such as math and reading.

Irving Elementary was one of the bottom five percent of schools in Iowa. Irving received a score of 41.5.With an enrollment of 732 kindergarten through fifth grade students, the test scores showed below average test scores in English and math.

The scores are a tool for families, educators and others to understand how schools are performing but they do not give the full story, said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo.

The Iowa School Performance Profiles can assist communities in data-driven decision-making, but it doesnt tell the whole story about our schools. Its important to understand the challenges brought on by the pandemic, and to take that into account when looking at the 2021 performance scores," she said.

The remaining Sioux City Schools ranked as follows:

- Bryant Elementary and Perry Creek Elementary ranked as commendable;

- Hunt Elementary, Spalding Park Elementary, North High, Morningside Elementary, East High, East Middle, Riverside Elementary and Loess Hills Elementary ranked as acceptable and;

- North Middle, West Middle, Liberty Elementary, Leeds Elementary, West High and Unity Elementary ranked as needs improvement.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's governor must soon decide whether to free one of America's most notorious assassins, a decision he has said evokes one of the darkest periods in the nation's history.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until sometime next month to allow or block the parole recommendation for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

The recommendation by a two-person panel of parole commissioners in August split the iconic Kennedy family more than a half-century after the 1968 slaying of the U.S. senator from New York moments after he claimed victory in Californias pivotal Democratic presidential primary.

More than that, it tore open decades-old wounds lingering from the murders of RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

This is very raw and emotional for people," said Newsom, who keeps RFK photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father.

People arent just giving an opinion about yes or no, theyre expressing their memories of that time ... and connecting the dots to the '60s and that stress and anxiety and the wounds, Newsom said after the panel made its recommendation.

And in a way that makes this decision even that much more powerful, because of the impact that has on opening up those memories, many memories that people want to suppress, understandably, said the Democratic governor, who called RFK his political hero" in a victory speech after he beat back a recall election in September.

Fifteen times, parole panels rejected freeing Sirhan, now 77, before deciding that he is no longer a danger to public safety.

New laws since his last previous parole hearing in 2016 meant the panel had to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age, when he was 24; is now an elderly prisoner; and that the Christian Palestinian who immigrated from Jordan had suffered childhood trauma from the conflict in the Middle East.

Also, for the first time, Los Angeles County prosecutors weren't at the parole hearing to object, under District Attorney George Gascon's policy that prosecutors should not be involved in deciding whether prisoners are ready for release.

And two of RFKs sons supported releasing him, including Douglas Kennedy, who told the parole panel that Sirhan was worthy of compassion and love. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to the panel urging that Sirhan be freed, citing his impressive record of rehabilitation.

But six of Kennedys nine surviving children urged Newsom to block the release of a man who "took our father from our family and he took him from America. The statement was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.

Ethel Kennedy, RFK's wife, said Sirhan "should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.

Sirhan has consistently said he doesn't recall shooting Kennedy and wounding five others the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. But he told parole commissioners that he takes responsibility killing a man he called the hope of the world.

He was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

Sirhans attorney, Angela Berry, said in a written argument for his release that he suffers a heart condition and has survived prostate cancer, Valley Fever and having his throat slashed by another prisoner in 2019.

If freed, Munir Sirhan says his older brother can live with him, if he is not deported to Jordan. Sirhan Sirhan waived his right to fight deportation.

We are just two old brothers who wish to live out the rest of our lives together, he wrote to the parole board.

After the parole panel's decision, corrections officials released 101 pages of those documents and letters from across the nation, all but one supporting Sirhan's release.

Some compared him to a political prisoner or advanced various conspiracy theories around Sirhan's involvement or the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers. Many were clearly part of an organized effort, with similar wording or fill-in-the-blank responses.

Others were more personal.

One man recalled how, as a 19-year-old college student, he traveled by bus to an inner-city neighborhood to get out the vote for Robert Kennedy.

He was a person who I loved and respected and in whom I had deep confidence that he would put a quick end to that unjust and immoral war in Vietnam, wrote the man, whose contact information was redacted.

Instead, the man was drafted in 1971.

Sirhan's involvement in RFK's murder changed my life, he wrote. But looking at life from this end, I forgive him.

The lone writer who opposed Sirhan's release said in a handwritten note that he still remembers details of the god-awful assassination a half-century later.

Sirhan has caused the death of a man with a great political future," he wrote, and "along with that has taken away the innocence of people of my generation.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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NEW YORK (AP)  Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women  including a state trooper  that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks, a suburban prosecutor said Tuesday. It's the latest in a series of decisions about whether a raft of sexual assault and harassment claims against Cuomo will end up in criminal court.

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, she couldn't bring criminal cases over it.

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, Rocah said in a statement.

Cuomo had no immediate comment on the decision. The Democrat has denied sexually harassing anyone or touching anyone inappropriately and has said he doesn't recall touching the trooper.

A number of prosecutors around the state launched investigations after state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, chronicled accusations from 11 women against Cuomo. The August report led to his resignation from office, although he has attacked the findings as biased and inaccurate.

In October, the Albany County sheriffs 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 district attorney said the sheriffs 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 governors mansion in late 2020, was potentially defective.

At the prosecutors request, a court delayed Cuomos scheduled arraignment until Jan. 7.

Last week, a Long Island prosecutor said Cuomo wouldnt face criminal charges after the same trooper as in the Westchester investigation said she felt completely violated by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park in September 2019. Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said the allegations were credible and troubling but not criminal under state law.

The alleged Westchester County incident involving the trooper happened outside Cuomo's then-home in Mount Kisco, according to the district attorney's office. The trooper told investigators that while stationed in the driveway as part of Cuomo's security detail in summer 2019, she asked the governor if he needed anything, and he responded by asking her whether he could kiss her.

I remember just freezing, being  in the back of my head, Im like, Oh, how do I say no politely?' Because in my head, if I said no, hes going to take it out on the detail. And now Im on the bad list, she told investigators, according to James' report.

So, she said, she told him, Sure. He kissed her on the cheek, while saying something like Oh, Im not supposed to do that, or Unless thats against the rules, she told investigators.

A male colleague told investigators he witnessed the episode, the attorney general's report said.

The trooper hasn't been publicly identified. A message seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for her.

In the other incident that Westchester prosecutors examined, Cuomo allegedly greeted a woman by grabbing her arm, pulling her toward him and kissing her on the cheek without asking whether that was OK. She was attending a press conference he gave at White Plains High School in June 2018.

I smiled nervously afterward. I had to endure comments from people in attendance, the woman, Susan Iannucci, told reporters at a virtual news conference in August.

Iannucci, a school office manager, said she came forward because she was appalled to see Cuomo use a photo of the encounter in a compilation video that he released to argue that he commonly greeted people with kisses, touches and hugs to convey warmth.

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Tuesday that Iannucci had spoken to the DA's office knowing that criminal charges weren't legally possible. Nonetheless, Iannucci was gratified that prosecutors found her and her allegation credible, her attorney said.

We thank the district attorney's office for their serious consideration of this matter," Allred said in a statement.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes conducted a fourth day of deliberations Monday without reaching a verdict. Holmes is facing 11 criminal charges alleging that she duped investors and patients by hailing her companys blood-testing technology as a medical breakthrough when in fact it was prone to wild errors.

The eight men and four women on the jury have been meeting in a San Jose, California, federal courthouse after absorbing reams of evidence during a high-profile trial that has captivated Silicon Valley.

Last week, the jurors sent out two notes to U.S. District Judge Edward Davila -- one making a swiftly rejected request to take their instructions home with them for further study and another that that allowed them a replay of a 2013 recording of Holmes discussing Theranos dealings with prospective investors.

The jury completed Mondays session without providing any clues as to how far along it is in its deliberations. Jurors are scheduled to resume their discussion Tuesday morning.

The case has attracted worldwide attention. At its core is the rise and fall of Holmes, who started Theranos as a 19-year-old college dropout and then went on to break through Silicon Valley's male-dominated culture with her bold claims and fundraising savvy. She become a billionaire on paper before it all evaporated amid allegations she was more of a charlatan than an entrepreneur.

Holmes, now 37, spent seven days on the witness stand acknowledging she made some mistakes and decisions she regretted while staunchly maintaining that she never stopped believing Theranos was on the verge of revolutionizing health care.

Holmes spent years promising Theranos would be able to scan for hundreds of diseases and other health problems with just a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick instead of relying on vials of blood drawn from a vein.

It was such a compelling concept that Theranos raised more than $900 million and struck partnerships with major retailers Walgreens and Safeway. Holmes herself became the subject of cover stories on business magazines.

But unknown to most people outside Theranos, the companys blood-testing technology was flawed, often producing inaccurate results that could have endangered the lives of patients.

After the flaws were exposed in 2015 and 2016, Theranos eventually collapsed and the Justice Department filed a criminal case in 2018 that charged Holmes with 11 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.

If convicted, Holmes could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

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BRUZGI, Belarus (AP)  On a sunny but freezing morning in a forested area of Belarus at the border with Poland, hundreds of migrants line up to receive hot food and water.

They have been stuck here for over a month in the hopes of entering the European Union. Despite several failed attempts to storm the frontier amid the frigid temperatures, many still hope they will be allowed in.

I dont want to stay in Iraq because life there is difficult, even our life is dangerous. Our life there isnt safe, as you see about ISIS and everything else, Iraqi migrant Ahmad Rebaz, 27, told The Associated Press, referring to the Islamic State group. He said his wife had recently given birth to their second child in the nearby Belarusian city of Grodno.

Since Nov. 8, a large group of migrants, mostly Iraqi Kurds, has been stranded in Belarus at a border crossing with Poland. Most of the migrants are fleeing conflict or hopelessness at home, and aim to reach Germany or other Western European countries.

The EU has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of waging a hybrid attack against the bloc. Officials say he is luring thousands of migrants to Belarus with the promise of help to get to Western Europe to use them as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation EU in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian government. Belarus has denied engineering the crisis.

About 600 migrants, according to the Belarusian Red Cross, are living at the Bruzgi logistics center as of late December. It is a warehouse facility where they have set up a makeshift camp, placing mattresses and tents in the rows that once housed shipping containers. Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian Red Cross have provided them with food and other necessary supplies.

Poland took a tough stance against the migrants illegal entry, reinforcing the border and pushing those attempting to get in back into Belarus. The Polish approach was largely met with approval from other EU nations, who want to stop another wave of migration, but has also been criticized by human rights groups.

Belarusian authorities have also criticized Poland and other European nations for mistreatment of the migrants, while playing up their own efforts to return them to their home countries and to create decent living conditions for those staying at the border crossing at Bruzgi.

But as temperatures fall below freezing, life at the border becomes more and more challenging. In the heated warehouse, its still so cold that people inside are keeping their outerwear on.

The migrants need immediate help because the weather is getting more and more cold, said Zanyar Dlshad, an 18-year-old from Iraq living at the logistics center who hopes to make it to Europe to reunite with his brother and to study at a university.

Its so cold and I dont believe people can keep up with this, he said.

While most migrants say they want to travel on to Germany, some say they are willing to settle in any country to avoid having to return to Iraq.

If Belarus, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, or any other country gives us citizenship Ill accept. For me theres no difference. But (Ill) never ever come back to Iraq, said Farhad Mahamad, a 34-year-old migrant from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Several hundred Iraqi migrants have already left Belarus on evacuation flights organized by the Iraqi government, and more are beginning to agree to return home with the help of the U.N.s International Organization for Migration.

Last Wednesday, about 10 people at the Bruzgi logistics center filed documents to the IOM representatives on site to arrange their return to Iraq.

Mohamed Refaat, senior operations coordinator of the IOM, told the AP that they would be taken to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, by bus before continuing their travel to their home countries.

The site of dramatic clashes between Polish border guards and migrants at the Kuznica-Bruzgi border crossing, in the meantime, is empty of the crowds of people that gathered here last month.

However, some migrants say that they arent willing to wait at the warehouse much longer and are ready to brave the cold temperatures of what they call the jungle  the forested areas at the border  with the hope of finally making it through to Poland.

Daniel Kozin and Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow.

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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HONOLULU (AP)  A Hawaii state official on Monday agreed that the Navy should be required to remove fuel from massive fuel tanks it owns near Pearl Harbor, saying they pose a metaphorical ticking time bomb threatening the water supply of the state's most populous island.

Deputy Attorney General David Day led two days of hearings for the Department of Health last week before making his recommendation. The Navy had appealed an earlier order from Gov. David Ige to defuel the tanks.

The evidence shows that the Red Hill Facility is simply too old, too poorly designed, too difficult to maintain, too difficult to inspect, along with being too large to prevent future releases, wrote Day in his recommendation.

Department of Health Deputy Director Marian Tsuji will consider Days recommendation when making a final decision. The Navy, the Sierra Club of Hawaii and Honolulus water utility have until Wednesday to object to Days recommendations.

The Navy didn't immediately comment on the substance of Day's findings.

We are aware of the proposed decision and have no further statement at this time, said Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, the Navy's chief of information.

The governor ordered the Navy to remove the fuel after fuel leaked from the facility last month and contaminated the Navy's tap water system serving some 93,000 people in and around Pearl Harbor.

Starting in late November, about a thousand people in military housing complained their water smelled like fuel, and hundreds complained of nausea, rashes and other physical ailments.

More than 3,000 military families have had to move to hotels or other alternative housing for the past several weeks because they have been unable to use the water in their homes.

Day included his recommendations in a 32-page report that said the Red Hill facility poses an imminent threat to human health and safety or the environment.

He said there have been at least 76 fuel-releasing incidents involving nearly 200,000 gallons (757,082 liters) since the tanks were built in the early 1940s.

The evidence presented at the hearing indicated more releases of fuel are basically inevitable, he said.

During the hearing, he said, the Navy offered a working theory regarding how its water system became contaminated last month. That theory posited that jet fuel released during the refilling of Tank 20 on May 6 got into the facility's fire suppression system. This fire suppression system then leaked the liquid in November, according to the theory.

The Navy did not state with any exacting reliability a full picture of what happened, or why and how the release occurred," Day wrote.

He said the November release demonstrated that the problems within the Red Hill Facility, as it is currently situated, are beyond the Navy's ability to control.

Day wrote the tanks threaten more than the Navy's own water system, noting the Navy and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply share the aquifer that sits under the fuel tanks.

This aquifer, Day said, supplies 77% of Oahu's overall water supply. The island has no alternative drinking water source, or combination of sources, that could supply 50% or more of Honolulu's drinking water, he said.

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LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan's new redistricting commission approved congressional and legislative maps Tuesday, ones that are fairer to Democrats than when the process was controlled by the Republican-led Legislature the past two decades.

The landmark votes capped months of work by the 13-member panel, which voters created to stop partisan gerrymandering.

It really is a history-defining day. We've adopted fair maps that are fair to both parties and fair to the people of Michigan. That's a big deal, said commissioner Anthony Eid, one of five members unaffiliated with neither major political party. The commission of citizens who were selected randomly following an application process also has four Democrats and four Republicans.

In the U.S. House delegation, there could be 7-6 splits in favor of either party if it is close statewide, with three highly competitive seats in the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Flint/Saginaw areas.

The battle for the majority in the state Senate, where the GOP has a 22-16 edge due to gerrymandering despite Democrat Gretchen Whitmer winning the governorship by nearly 10 points in 2018, will become much tighter.

Under the current map, Republicans would win an extra 15.2% of seats in a hypothetical tied election. Their edge drops to 2.8% under the new plan based on an analysis of 2016, 2018 and 2020 election data, according to PlanScore, a project of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. The GOP has controlled the chamber for nearly 40 years.

The map for the state House, where Republicans have a 58-52 advantage, also will be fairer to Democrats. PlanScore projects a potential 56-54 GOP edge if Republicans get 49% of the vote.

This shows that Michiganders can come together across party lines to defend democracy  an important lesson for our nation and a reason to celebrate, said Nancy Wang, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, which organized a 2018 ballot drive that amended the state constitution.

The maps will likely face a legal challenge from Black Democrats because the state would no longer have two majority-minority congressional seats in and around Detroit, and there would be fewer such seats in the Legislature. The commission's attorneys say the federal Voting Rights Act requires that African American voters have an opportunity to elect their candidates of choice, not that there be districts where Blacks comprise more than 50% of the voting-age population. They account for about 44% of the population in both new U.S. House seats.

Jonathan Kinloch, chair of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization, issued a statement before the vote calling the proposed maps up for consideration a serious step backward, limiting the voice of African Americans and that is unacceptable.

Michigan Republican Party spokesperson Gustavo Portela said it was evaluating all options to take steps necessary to defend the voices silenced by this commission.

The congressional map, which draws together several incumbents, led many to announce their plans.

Second-term Democratic Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township and Haley Stevens of Waterford Township will face off for the new, more Democratic 11th District in Oakland County  leaving open the Republican-leaning 10th in nearby Macomb County.

Fifth-term Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint will run in the competitive 8th District, while fourth-term Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Midland will seek election in the Republican-heavy 2nd District to the west.

Second-term Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly will run for the competitive 7th District in the Lansing area. Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett is running, too.

Democratic state Rep. Shri Thanedar, a former gubernatorial candidate, said he will spend at least $5 million of his money to vie for the 13th District, which includes much of the Democratic stronghold of Detroit. It is currently represented by second-term Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

Fourth-term Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell will run in the Democratic-heavy 6th District in the Ann Arbor area, saying it includes 60% of her constituents but not her hometown of Dearborn.

In western Michigan, first-term Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids will seek the competitive 3rd District, which is bluer. GOP Reps. Fred Upton of St. Joseph, in his 18th term, and Bill Huizenga of Holland Township, in his sixth, are now in the same Republican-leaning 4th District. Huizenga will run. Upton's plan was not immediately known.

The votes Tuesday came nearly two months late due to a pandemic-related delay in census data. Commissioners, who resisted pressure from public commenters to revise the maps - potentially starting a new 45-day feedback period  said they wish they had had more time.

Are they perfect? No. But we did the best job we could with the time and everything else we were given. We compromised, said Cynthia Orton, a Republican member.

Eight of 13 commissioners backed the congressional map, nine supported the state Senate map and 11 endorsed the state House map.

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

A defense official said Tuesday that the change in the schedule of the USS Harry S. Truman, and the five American warships accompanying it, reflects the need for a persistent presence in Europe. It is necessary in order to reassure U.S. allies and partners in the region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military deployment details.

The U.S. and Western allies have watched as the buildup of Russian troops near the border grew to a peak of an estimated 100,000, fueling fears that Moscow was preparing to invade Ukraine.

Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after threw its support behind a separatist rebellion in the countrys east. Over more than seven years, the fighting has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraines industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.

Russia has denied any intention of launching a new invasion and instead has accused Ukraine of hatching plans to try to use force to reclaim control of the territories held by Moscow-backed rebels. Ukraine has rejected that claim.

The Truman strike group includes five U.S. ships - the cruiser USS San Jacinto and the guided missile destroyers USS Cole, USS Bainbridge, USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham. Also with them is the Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen.

The Truman left its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on Dec. 1, and entered the Mediterranean Sea on Dec. 14. It had been scheduled to continue on into the Gulf region.

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CAPE TOWN (AP)  Desmond Tutu's family members gathered at his Cape Town home on Tuesday in preparation for his funeral this weekend as South Africans honored his life.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial equality and LGBT rights died Sunday at the age of 90.

Tutu's wife Leah is being joined by the couple's four children, grandchildren and other family members.

Mommy is maintaining ... She is being surrounded with love, daughter Nontombi Tutu told The Associated Press in front of the family home in the Milnerton area of Cape Town.

In a time like this, there are times where we are laughing, sharing stories, and there are times where we are crying, as we come to terms with life without daddy," she said.

He has not quite left us and yet he has left us. And so as a family we are supporting one another, she said. "We are loving one another, we are fighting one another, as families do. And we are feeling the love and support from people all over the country and all over the world.

The period when Tutu will lie in state at St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town has been extended to two days, Thursday and Friday, to allow all mourners to pay tribute by filing past his coffin, his trust announced Tuesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Tutus requiem Mass Saturday will be a Special Official Funeral Category 1. His ashes will later be interred at the cathedral's mausoleum, according to Tutu's instructions.

The archbishop was very clear on his wishes for his funeral. He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending, the Tutu trust said in a statement. He asked that the coffin be the cheapest available and that a bouquet of carnations from his family be the only flowers in the cathedral.

Tutu's supporters have left flowers at the Cape Town cathedral and also in front of Tutu's historic home in Soweto, Johannesburg. Prayers were said and candles lit at St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg Tuesday evening.

An interfaith service will be held in the capital, Pretoria, on Wednesday and the City of Cape Town is also planning to hold a service in honor of Tutu. Cape Town's landmark Table Mountain, the Cape Town Civic Center, and an arch at the cathedral are all being lit up each night this week in purple in honor of Tutu's purple bishop's robes.

AP journalist Andrew Meldrum contributed to this report from Johannesburg.

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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  Early in the new year, the Vermont House of Representatives is due to begin debate on an amendment that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution and send the question to voters in the fall.

Because the process began two years ago, it's a coincidence that Vermont lawmakers will be considering the Reproductive Liberty Amendment while the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could severely erode a right that has stood for half a century.

The pending decision in that case, expected in mid-2022, means it's not just Vermont with abortion on the legislative agenda. State legislatures across the country will be responding to the possibility of seismic change to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion across the U.S. Republican-led legislatures are ready to further restrict or ban abortions outright while Democratic-led ones are seeking to ensure access to abortion in their state law.

Supporters of the proposed Vermont amendment had the possible loss of Roe in mind when they began the process in 2019 to enshrine reproductive autonomy," including abortion, in the constitution.

In my mind, there should be no question where Vermont stands with regard to its core values and fundamental rights, said Democratic state Rep. Ann Pugh, who chairs the committee that will hold hearings on the proposal as early as January. And for those rights and responsibilities and values to be protected more definitively, they need to be enshrined in our state constitution."

A far different approach is being considered in Kansas. Republican state lawmakers have placed on the state's August 2022 primary ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision. That ruling declared abortion access a fundamental right and part of a womans inherent right to bodily autonomy.

The amendment would say that the state constitution provides no right to abortion and that the Legislature can regulate it however lawmakers see fit  which means if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Kansas lawmakers could ban abortion completely.

In California, lawmakers are expected to consider a plan in the coming year to make the state a sanctuary for those seeking reproductive care. That could include paying for travel, lodging and procedures for people from other states where abortions have been restricted or perhaps outlawed.

Abortion has always been contentious," said Mary Hahn Beerworth, of the Vermont Right to Life Committee, which is opposing Vermont's abortion-rights amendment. In every state legislature across the country, in every political election, abortion rises to the top. It's one of the most identifying issues of our time."

At least 20 states, mostly across the South and Midwest, already have laws that would severely restrict or ban abortion if the high court overturns Roe and leaves the issue up to the states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights think tank.

Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers in at least half a dozen states said they planned to introduce legislation modeled after a new Texas law that effectively bans abortion about six weeks after conception. The law is written in a way that is intended to circumvent the federal courts by leaving enforcement up to individuals rather than the state. They hope it provides a pathway to enacting the kind of abortion crackdown they have sought for years.

In Mississippi, Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel said earlier this year he would absolutely consider filing legislation to match the Texas law after a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court let that law stand, at least for now.

I think most conservative states in the South will look at this inaction by the court and will see that as perhaps a chance to move on that issue, he said.

More than a dozen states, plus the District of Columbia, have statutory protections in place for abortion rights, said Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst with the Guttmacher Institute. That includes Massachusetts, where the Democrats who control the legislature earlier this year approved a bill over the veto of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker codifying abortion rights into state law.

Yet even in California, which already has adopted several measures to protect abortion access, a pro-choice group laid out 45 steps that could be taken to further protect those rights.

There is a lot of work to be done in order to shore up abortion rights and access, Nash said.

Efforts to further restrict access are not just coming from more traditionally conservative parts of the country. The state budget New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, signed in June contains a provision prohibiting abortion after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for the mothers life or physical health. It takes effect Jan. 1, just before the start of the new legislation session.

And Republican lawmakers, who control New Hampshire's legislature, are drafting several abortion-related bills, including one that would prohibit the procedure after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Another would allow the biological father of an unborn child to seek a court order prohibiting a woman from having an abortion. A third would repeal the prohibition against remaining on a sidewalk adjacent to an abortion clinic.

Nash said a handful of states have interpreted their state constitutions as protecting abortion rights, but Democrats in Vermont want to be certain.

The proposed amendment does not contain the word abortion." Proponents say that's because it is not meant to authorize only abortion, but also would guarantee other reproductive rights such as someone's right to get pregnant or have access to birth control.

Theres a lot of support for this in the legislature," said Lucy Leriche of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. I think the reason seems pretty clear to me at the moment. Weve had this right for almost a half a century to reproductive liberty, and people dont want to see us go backwards."

Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  An Iowa man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for conspiring with his daughter in a conspiracy that involved around 1,000 drug-related transactions over an eight-month period.

The U.S. Attorney's office for northern Iowa on Monday announced the sentence for 47-year-old Kendell Lamont Thomas of Dubuque. He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Thomas said in a plea agreement that he conspired with his daughter to distribute more than 500 grams of crack cocaine by conducting around 1,000 drug-related transactions in Dubuque in 2020.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A 20-year-old Lincoln man died Monday after crashing his car early Christmas morning while trying to flee a traffic stop.

Ahmad Gregory was critically injured in Saturday's crash and died late Monday, Lincoln police said Tuesday. An autopsy is planned.

The Nebraska State Patrol said it attempted to stop Gregory just before 1 a.m. Saturday as he was driving a Mercedes sedan without license plates. During a short chase, Gregory struck a parked car.

The patrol said Gregory was not wearing a seat belt.

This story was first published on Dec. 27. It was updated on Dec. 28 to correct that Gregory died late Monday, not earlier.

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Just getting to school in Afghanistan posed lurking dangers for cousins 12-year-old Mohammad Wali and 14-year-old Mohammad Idrees.

The Taliban used violence and threats to keep the cousins and their classmates away from school. Bombs were once planted around their school, and members of their family had been kidnapped and even killed for their efforts to transport students.

The family moved from a rural area to a city in Logar province, near the capital of Kabul, to try to escape the violence. But when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, the family could no longer take the chance of staying.

The cousins and their uncle, Mohammad Sadiq, fled from Afghanistan, eventually making their way to Omaha, where Wali and Idrees are among more than 40 Afghan students in the Omaha Public Schools.

Here, they are adjusting to a new reality. While they are no longer in constant danger or exposed to harsh discipline at school, they are learning to navigate the state's largest district without knowing the English language.

A few Afghan students have enrolled in other districts, but the majority so far have been placed in OPS, said Mohammad Sahil, education and training supervisor for Lutheran Family Services, one of the two resettlement agencies that place people in Omaha.

He expects the Omaha area to receive 300 to 400 more students as more evacuees reach Nebraska from U.S. military bases around the nation.

Wali, 12, arrived in Omaha almost three months ago, and his cousin and uncle arrived in mid-November. All three live in an apartment in northwest Omaha with another person from their Afghan neighborhood.

Families typically spend a month in an Airbnb before getting placed in a permanent residence in Omaha, Sahil said. The children arent allowed to enroll in school until they have a permanent address.

The parents are actually calling in to enroll their children as soon as possible, Sahil said. They are getting bored at home. The kids are telling their moms and dads that they want to go to school.

The students arrive with varied educational backgrounds, and they usually speak little to no English.

Sahil said one of his clients has a teenage son who had never gone to school in Afghanistan but needed to enroll in an OPS high school because of his age.

His dad was telling me, Is there any way we could put him in an elementary? Sahil said. And I said no, thats not possible. Im not blaming him, but there is help for him in high school, so I am sure he is going to learn English very soon.

OPS offers services to help refugee students acclimate to an American education, said Jaimie Cogua, coordinator of English learner, dual language, migrant and refugee education.

The district had 2,581 student refugees during the 2020-21 school year, but Cogua said she expects that number will continue to increase as more evacuees arrive.

Each student who enrolls completes a survey to identify their needs. If necessary, the student will be enrolled in English learner classes and will receive support from those teachers while getting used to their new school.

Oftentimes, the (English learner) teacher will do a general orientation to the school to show them where the bathrooms are, or provide them with some key survival phrases, Cogua said.

Students are taught such things as how to ask to use the restroom, get a pencil or get something to drink.

Those are the kind of things that "anyone might need to know if they're someplace new, Cogua said.

The phrases also are part of the English learner curriculum at Bennington Public Schools, said Lisa Schonhoff, the districts English language learning teacher.

Shes the only English learner teacher for the district but also works with two paraprofessionals. The district is looking to hire two more teachers because of an increased need for services.

The number of English learner students in the Bennington district has grown from 12 in 2017 to 58 this year, she said. Only one of those students is a recent Afghan evacuee.

Most English learner staffers dont know the language their students speak. There are more than 10 languages spoken at Bennington. At OPS, that number tops 100.

Schonhoff said she mostly teaches phonemically, which means teaching words based on their sounds. She also teaches English through visuals, such as taking a picture of a classroom and having her students label everything in the room.

Schonhoff said it takes about a year for an English learner student to be comfortable speaking openly in English with other people. A typical student will use the services for four years before exiting the program.

I had a kindergartner who came from Afghanistan, and he has been with me through third grade, and he will be exiting my program this year, Schonhoff said. He is right where he needs to be. It's amazing to see the progress they make.

In OPS, Afghan evacuees, along with other refugee students, typically are paired with another student who can speak their language to make school easier to navigate, Cogua said.

The district also has a Teen Literacy Center, which is a program for high school students with previous interrupted or limited education.

OPS is still looking to hire a bilingual liaison who speaks Pashto or Dari, the two common languages spoken in Afghanistan.

For now, the district contracts with Sahil, who helps the students enroll in school, get acclimated to the classroom and go to English learner classes. He even helps them do homework at night.

Before any evacuees arrived in the Omaha metro area, Sahil created a guide for school administrators and teachers about Afghan culture, he said.

Basically, if youre a teacher working with an Afghan student, this is what you should know, he said.

Sahil said, for example, that Afghan women do not make eye contact or shake hands with a man. A younger person also wont make eye contact with an older person.

We were just telling (the teachers), if someone isnt making eye contact with you, this doesnt mean youre being ignored, but this is just part of the culture, he said.

School in Afghanistan is also offered in three short shifts instead of lasting all day like it does in the U.S.

Idrees and Wali said that they are grateful for many of the differences between their Afghan and American educations. The cousins spoke with a reporter through Sahil, who served as an interpreter.

Idrees, who is in eighth grade at Davis Middle School near 132nd and State streets, said he and his cousin like that they can spend all day at school rather than just a few hours.

He also likes reading books and writing small stories. Wali, a sixth-grader at Davis Middle School, likes to make art with materials like crayons and Play-Doh.

Both Wali and Idrees said they also are thankful they no longer are exposed to physical punishment at school.

In Afghanistan, if a student was late, disobeyed or couldnt understand a lesson, they could be hit with a stick, Sahil said.

For Wali, one of the worst aspects of living and going to school in Omaha is the absence of his parents, he said. He often cries at night after talking with them on the phone.

Both Wali and Idrees parents are still in Afghanistan, and Sahil said hes unsure if they will ever be able to come to the U.S.

It's kind of making me emotional now because I cannot imagine it, Sahil said.

Sadiq, who is now the sole caretaker of Idrees and Wali, said that while hes happy to be safe in Nebraska, he constantly worries about the safety of the rest of his family back in Afghanistan.

Sahils own family members also are still in Afghanistan, and he hasnt seen them in several years, he said.

All of our families are over there. We are still waiting to see what happens, Sahil said. Just waiting and trying. But theres nothing we can do.

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WATERLOO --- Waterloo firefighters rappelled off a downtown bridge to save a woman in the icy Cedar River Monday night.

It wasnt immediately clear how the woman ended up in the river, but passersby called 911 around 7:35 p.m. after hearing her yelling under the Park Avenue Bridge.

The woman was conscious and talking when crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue and Waterloo Police arrived. Firefighters tossed her a rope with a loop on it, which kept her in place and prevented her from floating over the dam only few yards away.

Firefighter Chris Roth used a second line to rappel into the river while another crew launched a boat from the Exchange Park ramp upstream.

When the craft arrived, Roth helped her into the boat, which ferried her to an ambulance waiting near the amphitheater.

Battalion Chief Troy Luck said the fire department has practiced rappelling from the bridge numerous times during training, but this was the first time they have used it in an actual rescue.

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President Biden has attempted to tamp down the frustration many feel over his inability to crush the pandemic, as he promised he would do when campaigning for the office he now holds.

In a Tuesday afternoon address from the White House, the president promised to ramp up testing sites and the number of free tests that will be made available to those who want them. He said a website will soon be established through which people can request test kits to be sent to their homes. And its all free, he repeated. He sounded like those Medicare supplement adds that just ended after open enrollment season closed.

I have several questions about these kits, which the president said would number 500 million. First, what happens when they run out? The at-home kits I have seen contain a limited number of swabs. When they are used, do you order more and for how long? Will the government pay for these, too? If so, will it continue to pay for them and for how long? Taxpayers have a right to know, given the deepening debt.

Second, because the tests are self-administered will the results be accepted by airlines for international travel? Airport testing sites I have seen in recent weeks charge up to $179 for a rapid test. On a trip to Italy in October, my wife and I were charged $150 each for a rapid test at OHare Airport in Chicago. They were the most expensive Q-Tips we have ever purchased. Tents and vans have popped up, especially in major cities. They, too, often charge a lot of money. On a recent visit to a shopping mall, I saw a van in the parking lot that offered drive-thru testing for $150 a pop. Talk about price gouging. Will these be put out of business because tests will now be almost universally free?

Two things the president was right about. In a rare moment, he gave credit to the previous administration, meaning former President Trump, for its rapid development of a vaccine. The other was his denunciation of misinformation promoted on some cable TV channels and on social media. I am still seeing claims that vaccines are part of a one world government plot and a conspiracy between politicians and Big Pharma to make gobs of money and erode our freedoms. This is reminiscent of other conspiracy theories through the ages. As noted, a virus doesnt discriminate when it comes to parties, politics, or countries. The president made a compelling argument when he said his urging to get vaccinated and boosted is not to control your life, but to save it.

There is a better way to approach this than to make test kits available to everyone, because not everyone needs or wants them. As with the initial rollout of vaccines, make the kits available first to the most vulnerable. Their names are on a list. That list is called Medicare. Allow older people and those with underlying health conditions to go to the head of the line.

By acknowledging that people are tired of this virus, its variants, masks, and other limitations on our freedoms, at least the president was trying to tap into the emotions most people are feeling. Thats what a good politician should do. There is still too much contradictory information coming from too many sources and too many Americans remain skeptical and not sure whom they can trust. This is a hurdle the president has yet to clear, and it may turn out that not even presidential powers are sufficient for him to do so.

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Media coverage of the debate over Build Back Better, President Joe Bidens $1.75 trillion social policy and climate plan currently stalled in Congress, has focused so much on legislative strategy and the political drama between Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin that the most crucial element  what the package would actually do  has gotten lost in the noise.

In a nutshell, it would bring America in line with most of the advanced world in terms of policies that make life better for families with children, while confronting the existential threat to humanity posed by global warming. Among provisions in the bill already passed by the House are family-leave benefits, extension of the child care tax credit, universal pre-Kindergarten, tax incentives for electric vehicles and solar panels, rental assistance, drug price reduction and Medicare and Medicaid expansion.

But that cornucopia of strong progressive goals in the bill is, as it turns out, its weakness. The numerous unrelated ornaments hung on this Christmas tree of a measure threaten to tip it over. This newspaper has strongly supported core elements of the legislation, especially the family-friendly and climate-friendly initiatives. But it has become clear that loading Santa down with these disparate policy issues together in an attempt to get them all down the chimney at once has actually hindered delivery of these crucial gifts to America.

That is, again, a strategic issue, and we will come back to it. But first, its worth reviewing just whats at stake.

Families and children: The package would provide four weeks of paid leave for workers who are sick, who are caring for family members who are sick, or who are new parents. America today is one of the few advanced countries in the world that doesnt provide paid family and sick leave.

The package would continue the enhanced child tax credit of $250 to $300 per child that was included in this years pandemic relief plan and is set to expire next week. It would limit child care costs for families with kids under 6 to no more than 7% of income for low- and middle-income earners, subsidizing care for about 20 million kids. It would expand free pre-Kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. It would expand free school meals to almost 9 million kids who dont currently qualify and provide summer food benefits to another 29 million.

Health care: The measure would continue the current enhanced benefits under the Affordable Care Act, which will otherwise expire at the end of next year, affecting medical insurance coverage of more than 3 million Americans. It would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, bringing down prescription costs. It would add hearing-aid coverage to Medicare, improve home care services under Medicaid, and limit insulin costs for diabetics to $35 per month.

Environment and climate: The legislation would invest hundreds of billions in clean-energy initiatives. It would provide up to $12,500 to families for electric-vehicle purchases, with other incentives for purchasing home solar panels. It would pay utility companies to increase their renewable energy supply  and fine those that dont.

Other provisions: Under Bidens proposal, billions of new dollars would be steered toward low-income housing, rental assistance and down-payment assistance, Pell grant expansion for college students, community violence programs and more.

The Democrat-controlled House passed its version of the package last month, but its hung up in the Senate, where Democrats have a whisper-thin majority and cant afford to lose even one Democratic vote. The situation has (not for the first time) put enormous power in the hands of Manchin, the West Virginia centrist Democrat, who was negotiating with the Biden administration to trim back what he viewed as an overly expansive bill. The negotiations fell apart last week, possibly dooming the entire measure.

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. In addition, tying so many different issues together inevitably makes it easier for opponents to justify their opposition.

To the extent that any of Bidens Build Back Better agenda is still salvageable, it may be best salvaged in smaller, more politically digestible pieces. That would present smaller price tags as targets and would force opponents to debate each idea on its merits. The merits are many.

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The ups and downs of global energy pricing in 2021

Posted on 28 December 2021 by greenman3610

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections

Volatile and unpredictable. Those are the terms used in this new Yale Climate Connections video produced by independent videographer Peter Sinclair.

You can throw in other descriptors too: How about ever- and quickly changing? And subject to sudden ups and downs, many of them seemingly under no ones control.

Thats the portrait of the 2021 fall and early winter situation with global energy supplies and prices, as depicted by several experts in the video.

Demand for the product [liquified natural gas] has been off the charts, says Cheneire Energy CEO Jack Fusco.

University of Bristol professor Hannah Bloomfield points to what she calls a unique three-month-long wind drought at sea between April and September, bringing wind turbines to a virtual halt. Others in the video point to soaring demand as countries economies were attempting to rebound from COVID-driven slowdowns and shutdowns, during which suppliers failed to build-up adequate supplies for rising economies thirsty for more energy.

Energy, international politics, and economics guru Daniel Yergin points to gas earlier exported to Western Europe and the United Kingdom going instead to China. Another expert, Mikhail Krutikhin, co-founder of RusEnergy Consultancy, points a firm finger at Russia, saying it reduced shipments of gas supplies to Europe for purely political reasons . We know that Russia could very easily provide additional gas to Germany and to other countries.

With increased U.S. exports of natural gas, consumers across the country may find themselves more exposed to global price swings for a fuel widely used for both electrical generation and home heating. As fossil fuel prices increase, shifts to renewable energy, solar, and wind may increase as consumers try to buffer themselves from the increasingly volatile swings in the market for natural gas. Similarly, lower fossil fuel prices temper momentum for renewable energies. The pendulum continues.

Were in this problem because were actually decarbonizing very slowly, says Bloomfield. If wed have pushed through, and had really gotten a bit further with our decarbonization, the problem might not have been as big  It looks like its going to be quite a challenging winter across most of Europe.

Given record warmth in North American during much of December and with global political and pandemic concerns frequently changing, its best to view the video as a snapshot in time  more as a look at some major factors influencing how things have gotten to where they are in 2021, and not so much as a precise crystal ball for anticipating whats coming ahead in 2022 in terms of global energy pricing ups and downs.

As Bloomfield reminds us, Its a bit of one thing after another. Stay tuned.
What authorities are calling a killing spree in the Denver area left at least five people dead, including the gunman who was fatally shot by police. Three people were also injured by the lone gunman, including an officer of the Lakewood Police Department who required surgery. Officials say they still dont know the motive behind the shootings, although they emphasized it appeared to be the work of a single person, whom they have not identified, and didnt involve any further threats to the community.

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The rampage started at around 5 p.m. on Monday when the suspected gunman shot and killed two women and wounded a man near downtown Denver, police Chief Paul Pazen said in a news briefing. The gunman then got into a car and fatally shot another man in Denvers Cheesman Park neighborhood. At the time, the gunman started exchanging gunfire with law enforcement officers who were pursuing him. The suspect then drove to the nearby city of Lakewood, where he shot and killed a fourth person inside a business.

At that point, law enforcement officers were in intense pursuit of the gunman, who ended up fleeing on foot and going into a nearby hotel, where he shot and wounded a clerk. He proceeded to exchange gunfire with police officers again, and one police officer was injured before the suspect was shot dead. Still unsure exactly if it was by Lakewood police or not but he was then pronounced dead at the scene, John Romero, a Lakewood Police Department spokesman, said. At this point, we do not believe there is any additional safety concern to the community.
This article is part of the Free Speech Project, a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech.

For years, Steven Kefas was an operations manager at an environmental services company in Port Harcourt, a booming oil town at the mouth of the Niger River delta in southern Nigeria. In 2009, he signed up on Facebook just like any other young Nigerian at a time when Facebooking was the new cool. He simply wanted to post pictures. In 2010, he joined Twitter.

Now, on his Twitter profile, Kefas describes himself as an accidental journalist, a former terror reporter, and a former political prisoner for 162 days. Hes also become a symbol of Nigerias threatened press freedoms, even appearing in the U.S. State Departments annual report on human rights in 2019. His story exemplifies Nigerian authorities assault on free expression.

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Beginning around 2013, Kefas began to receive troubling news from Kaduna, his home state in northwest Nigeria. Loved ones were sending him accounts and photographs of bloody and sometimes fatal attacks against people in Southern Kaduna, an area occupied by mostly Indigenous agrarian communities. The killings were reportedly carried out by herdsmen, mostly members of the dominant Fulani group. Kefas began posting the news and photos on Facebook and Twitter.

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Kefas told me earlier this year that he believed his social media activism forced Nigerian security agencies to become more responsive to the attacks in the regionbut also made him a target. On April 5, 2018, after several years, things reached a turning point when he posted pictures of the dead bodies of two young men who had been killed in a massacre. Facebook user Comr (short for Comrade) Mohammed Idris, a member of Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress party in Kaduna state, responded: YOU WILL BE JAILED soon if you fail to answer some questions from security. That same month, Kaduna Gov. Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai tweeted at him: Dear Mr Kefas: This irresponsible and defamatory statement will require a response. So I hope when you receive from court summons, you will be able to prove your defamation? We are tracing your address for service of court processes. Help the processes by providing it early.

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While some Nigeriansand the Nigerian governmentsee the violence in Kaduna as a series of skirmishes over land between cattle-grazing herdsmen (the Fulani) and farmers (the Southern Kaduna people), Kefas, like many in his region, sees the killings as a form of genocide or ethnic cleansing. The situation was exacerbated in October 2018, when His Royal Highness Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agom Adara, the traditional ruler of the Adara people (a prominent ethnic group in Southern Kaduna), traveled to meet with the governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, a Fulani. The Adara chief, whose position is recognized by the Nigerian state, visited the governor to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Adara land. On his return home, he and his wife were kidnapped by suspected Fulani herdsmen. His wife was released, seven days later. But the monarch was killedeven though the Adara people had paid a ransom. Not long after, despite the warnings he received in April, Kefas published a post titled How the Kajuru Genocide Started, arguing that the killing was not a random criminal act but a political murder. (Kajuru is the epicenter of violent attacks against farming communities in Kaduna state.) Despite the trouble it would lead to for him, Kefas is proud of the post. It was the first time anyone had boldly written any article with a chronicle of events that connect the dots in a way that points to the complicity of the Kaduna state government in the happenings in Southern Kaduna, he told me in an interview. With the absence of a sanctioned press reporting comprehensively on the Southern Kaduna crisis, Kefas said he stepped into the information void and created awareness about the killings through his social media activism.

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At the peak of those killings, whenever a village is under attack, the villagers will call me instead of calling the government or calling the security agencies, he told me.

I asked Kefas how he verified most of the sensitive information he shared, considering that he was not a trained or professional journalist.

He said that he trusted his sources, as they were credible individuals such as community leaders and traditional chiefs. There has never been any occasion where any information given to me turned out to be false. Instead, when they tell me they have 10 casualties, at the end of the day, there may be up to 50, he said.

On some occasions when he received distress calls from community leaders, Kefas said he could hear a staccato of gunfire in the background and screams of women and children running for their lives. In my mobile phone that is currently with the police, I have call records with gunshots in the background, commotion and people running. In that mobile phone, there are some images that have never been shared in the public domain. The phone has been with law enforcement since May 2019, when he was arrested and remained in detention for 162 days.

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Kefas believes that his phones were tapped well before his arrest, and for a long time he refrained from using his personal device. Instead, he felt more comfortable using his work phone. Despite his precautions, he said the Nigerian police were able to find and arrest him after monitoring his phone communications with a close friend.

The same strategy has been used several times by the Nigerian police. Since 2017, there have been at least four documented cases of the Nigerian police using phone records to lure, arrest, and arraign journalists with criminal charges for their work, according to a report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists in February 2020.

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When Kefas asked the detectives who came to arrest him if they had a warrant, they presented a bulky document that contained several of his tweets and Facebook posts about the Kaduna governor and developments in the state since 2017. (He says some of them were only retweets, though.)

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In the petition, Kefas was accused of inciting disturbance and injurious falsehood against the governor of Kaduna state via his Twitter account @realKefasonan account now deactivated by Twitter for inactivity, during the period Kefas spent in detention.

Kefas was charged with defamation of character, injurious falsehood, inciting disturbance, and cyberstalking. Under Section 24 of Nigerias Cybercrimes Act, cyberstalkingan offense often used by Nigerian authorities to target journalists and activists under President Muhammadu Buharis regimestipulates a punishment of a roughly $15,500 fine, three years of imprisonment, or both.

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Social media and free expression are in crisis all over the world, but if in the United States that largely centers on calls for regulation in response to the proliferation of misinformation, in countries like Nigeria, the picture is even more complicated. On June 4, the Nigerian government banned Twitter entirely. (The ban remains in effect, though many people are getting around it by using virtual private networks.) In Nigeria, social media has been a vital source of uncensored informationsuch as Kefas posts about the atrocities in Kaduna. But the Nigerian government uses it as both a tool and a weapon to identify and punish dissent as well as to suppress undesirable speech. How Africas most populous nation resolves the struggle between democracy and the impulses of authoritarian ruleas well as the freedom social media can engender and the threats it can also poseremains to be seen. But it is clear that this is a critical moment for the future of Nigeria.

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Kefas is only one of several victims in the wave of civic repression that is sweeping across Nigeria, targeting activists, prominent opinion leaders, and journalists.

In November 2018, activist Deji Adeyanju was arrested and detained for criticizing officials of the Buhari regime on social media. He was subsequently rearrested and spent 78 days in detention before his release on March 1, 2019.

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On Aug. 1, 2019, Abubakar Idris, a young Nigerian who often criticized Kadunas governor and the Buhari regime on social media, was abducted by suspected agents of the State Security Service from his residence in Kaduna. Amnesty International has said that Idris is a victim of enforced disappearance.

On Aug. 3, 2019, Omoyele Soworea human rights activist, founder of the online newspaper Sahara Reporters, and a presidential candidate during Nigerias election earlier that yearwas arrested by the State Security Service after he called for a mass nationwide protest. In September 2019, he was charged with conspiracy to commit treason and insulting Buhari. Despite two separate court rulings ordering Sowores release from detention, the State Security Service refused to release him. Following international outrage and pressure from six U.S. lawmakers, Sowore was released on Dec. 24, 2019, albeit under strict bail conditions that bar him from leaving Abuja, the countrys capital. (He remains under these restrictions.)

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On Oct. 20, 2020, during Nigerias #EndSARS protests against police brutality, Nigerian authorities met protesters with excessive military force, killing at least 10 people according to Amnesty International. Obianuju Catherine Udeh, popularly known as DJ Switch, livestreamed the attacks to her more than 900,000 followers on Instagram. Udeh, who said she counted at least 15 bodies of protesters shot by Nigerian security forces, has since fled Nigeria after claims she was being targeted by the authorities for her viral livestream of the violent attacks.

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More recently, in January, the Nigerian government blocked access to the privately owned online newspaper Peoples Gazette after a series of reports critical of Buharis government.

Nigeria is currently listed in the CPJ 2021 prison census among countries where journalists are in detention. (CPJ cited the case of journalist Luka Binniyat arrested in November over a complaint by Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna state commissioner for internal security and home affairs.)

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Kefas said that social media has become the nightmare of Nigerian authorities seeking to exert absolute control over communication and information dissemination. In Kaduna state, whenever you hear the governor speak, he is not really bothered about the terrorists that are known to be terrorizing the villages. His obsession is with social media users. And so also is the federal government. (El-Rufai did not respond to a request for comment.)

The Nigerian situation, Kefas noted, would escalate further without any international pressure from countries like the U.S.

Unfortunately, the chances of U.S. political leaders stepping out to intervene in external circumstances are slim. We havent even figured out how to address the problem in the domestic context, Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told me in an interview. So the global context is for now, I think, completely out of reach.

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Susan Benesch, faculty associate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and founder of the Dangerous Speech Project, said Kefas story illustrates how social media can be a force for good and a tool in the hands of governments who want to silence dissent. Social media allows activists to accomplish all kinds of things that they couldnt without the internet. But its the very same feature that allows certain governments to persecute them, she told me in an interview.

In August 2019, during Kefas detention at the Kaduna Convict Prison, Kefas mother paid him a visit and pleaded with him to forgo his activism. But Kefas decided that he would devote his life to activism and that there was no going back. He remains active online, including on Twitterand the attacks in Kaduna are still happening.

Although he now walks as a free man, he remains concerned about his personal safety. He remains afraid that he might meet the same fate as Abubakar Idris, who has not been seen since August 2019.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Currently, only those vaccinated against Covid or those who have recovered from the disease can see the cathedral made of ice.

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A replica of the famous Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe, has been created out of ice on Hrebienok, a popular tourist site in the High Tatras.

It is part of the popular Tatra Ice Cathedral project which was inspired by the Way of St James this year. It will be on display during the entire winter season. Given the current anti-pandemic measures, it is currently open only for visitors fully vaccinated against Covid or those who have recovered from the disease within the last 180 days ago, the TASR newswire reported.

Symbolism important these days

The ice cathedral was created by US artist Griffon Ramsey and a group of two dozen sculptors from Slovakia and the Czech Republic led by Adam Bakos. They used 1,880 ice blocks, weighing a total of 225 tonnes.

The ice cathedral contains iconic details of its model in Santiago de Compostela, such as a low-key circle on the facade with Greek symbols in an unusual reverse order, which symbolises the end of old times and the beginning of something new. It is also decorated with ice shells, a symbol of the pilgrimage way.

A wooden statue of St James is situated in the left-wing of the cathedral, said Lukas Brodansky of the Vysoke Tatry mountain resort, as reported by TASR.

How I walked Camino de Santiago in Slovakia Read more

The symbolism of the cathedral is more than current, Brodansky continued.

Just like the end of a pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela is seen as the beginning of something new, our big wish is that the omega and alpha from the cathedral symbolise the end of bad Covid times and the beginning of a new age going towards better days, he said, as quoted by TASR.

One of the technological novelties includes thermal isolation under the roof of the dome in which the cathedral is placed, which makes it easier to keep the cathedral in good condition.
The legislation does not mention communication between trade unions and employees in detail.

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When the recently launched trade union organisation at Dell in Slovakia launched their first collective bargaining with company management, they encountered a ban on communicating with employees via work e-mail. While they see this as significantly limiting their communication with employees, Dell argues that the company needs to protect employees private data.

This is a case in point where Slovak legislation does not address in detail how trade unions communicate with employees.

Neither the Labour Code nor the Law on Collective Bargaining specifically regulate the form of communication between trade unions or other employees representatives and employees themselves, Peter Rusinak, AmCham senior policy manager and AmCham Business Service Center Forum (BSCF) coordinator, told The Slovak Spectator.

Dell is a member of the BSCF along with 32 other BSCs active in Slovakia, while the shared services sector is the third biggest sector of the Slovak economy, employing a total of 39,000 people.

Rusinak also noted that companies need to pay attention to compliance with all provisions of valid Slovak legislation in any communication. "The method of using work email addresses is regulated by the Personal Data Protection Act, he said.

Trade unions at Dell launched last year

Technologies Unions Slovakia, the trade union organisation at the Slovak branch of Dell, was founded on November 4, 2020.

Colleagues turned to us with a request to represent employees, Daniel Andrasko, one of the union founders at Dell - Technologies Unions Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator.
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/afghan-diplomat-says-resistance-against-taliban-organised-in-panjshir-kandahar-baghlan-1091862406.html

Afghan Diplomat Says Resistance Against Taliban Organised in Panjshir, Kandahar, Baghlan

Afghan Diplomat Says Resistance Against Taliban Organised in Panjshir, Kandahar, Baghlan

Afghanistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar has told Sputnik that resistance forces against the Taliban* exist not just in the Panjshir province, but also in Kandahar and in the Andarab region of the Baghlan province.

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The ambassador reminded that, apart from the Panjshir, 33 Afghan provinces have surrendered to the Taliban. He noted that no one expected "such a development of events and was not ready for war, because for the last 20 years the Panjshir has been a tourist gorge, there was a place for rest".He noted that ex-Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh is located in the Panjshir province, and resistance forces against the Taliban have enough weapons and military equipment there to continue their fight.Agbar added that the Afghan resistance wants Tajikistans "political support".The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, which led to the collapse of the previous government and mass evacuations from the capital. Militants in Panjshir fought against the movement until September when the Taliban seized the province and announced the creation of a new Cabinet.*The Taliban is an organisation under the UN sanctions over terrorist activities

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https://sputniknews.com/20211228/beijing-urges-prompt-measures-by-us-to-keep-elon-musks-satellites-away-from-space-station-1091866650.html

Beijing Urges Prompt Measures By US to Keep Elon Musks Satellites Away From Space Station

Beijing Urges Prompt Measures By US to Keep Elon Musks Satellites Away From Space Station

After two separate near-collision incidents earlier this year, the China has asked Washington to take action to protect its space station and taikonauts from the myriad satellites put into orbit by US defense contractor SpaceX.

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I can confirm that Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX of the US had two close encounters with the China Space Station in July and October this year respectively when Chinese astronauts were working there. For safety considerations, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Tuesday.Zhao noted some of the obligations all space-faring nations hold under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, such as regarding all astronauts as envoys of mankind rather than representatives of a particular nation or people, and of the responsibility to inform other treaty signatories or the United Nations of potential dangers to astronauts in space. He also noted that nations bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space conducted by their private companies.Exploration and peaceful uses of outer space is a common cause of all humanity. Guided by the vision of advancing the welfare of all, China is committed to peaceful uses of space. The US should respect international order in space based on international law, take prompt measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, and act responsibly to safeguard the safety of in-orbit astronauts and the safe and steady operation of space facilities, the spokesperson added.Neither Washington or SpaceX have responded to news about Chinas letter to the UN or Zhaos Tuesday comments.For context, there were just 7,200 manmade satellites in total orbiting Earth as of September, according to UN figures. According to a space junk tracker operated by the US space agency NASA, there are some 27,000 pieces of manmade debris caught in orbit, as well.SpaceXs grandiose plans for Starlink have been criticized from a number of perspectives, including the danger posed to people and other objects in orbit by there being more objects in orbit, but also for astronomers, who complained to the UN in August that the zippy satellites are obscuring their views of deep space."The worst thing in the world is to have a collision," SpaceX President and CEO Gwynne Shotwell told Space.com in September, adding that the companys satellites have autonomous collision avoidance technology.Of course, so do self-driving cars made by Tesla, another company owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and they have a worrisome habit of driving into things at full speed.Ironically, in March, SpaceX signed an agreement with NASA to steer its satellites away from the ISS if they would come within 3 miles of each other.In November, Russia tested an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile on one of its own derelict satellites over the Arctic Ocean. The ASAT test was carefully executed to minimize danger to the ISS, which orbits in a different direction and different altitude than the Tselina-D satellite that was destroyed. However, the US derided the test as reckless and destructive, claiming the debris now threaten the interests of all nations.After the test, the four astronauts on the ISS, one of whom was Russian, sheltered for a period of time in their departure space capsules in case of a potential impact, but the debris never posed an active threat to the space station or the people inside it.

vot tak Excellent article. No doubt the musk company close encounters with the Chinese station are not accidental given his close association with the israeloamerican military. It's usual zionist/nazi provocations bs. The musk critter is continually lauded and promoted by the dittoheads/guardianistas at Sputnik as something he most definitely is not. The guy is no friend of Russia, he works closely with the most anti Russian and anti multipolar elements of the israeloamerican oligarchy. Exploits his workers, cuts corners on product safety to squeeze an extra shekel. A total parasite aligned with the likudites. 2

MichaelAngelus SpaceX's planned 42,000 Laser Toting Starlink Satellites are Steerable? ... What's Up with That? 2

2

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china, collision, spacex, space, tiangong space station, starlink, us, elon musk
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/biden-says-well-see-when-asked-if-he-would-meet-with-putin-on-jan-10---reports-1091870115.html

Biden Says 'We'll See' When Asked If He Would Meet With Putin on Jan 10

Biden Says 'We'll See' When Asked If He Would Meet With Putin on Jan 10

Biden seemed ambivalent about the possibility of a January meeting with Putin amid a standoff in Ukraine, which Washington claims Moscow is likely to invade with deterrence by NATO despite all claims otherwise from Russia.

2021-12-28T22:19+0000

2021-12-28T22:19+0000

2021-12-28T23:23+0000

joe biden

us

putin

ukraine

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Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Agence France-Presse that bilateral talks had been scheduled for January 10. Representatives from the NATO alliance are also tentatively set to meet two days later and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) the day after that."When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," the spokesperson said.Of course, the Kremlin doesn't seem to think the dates are firm, either: earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters the dates "are being considered, but there is no final agreement."The meeting would primarily concern the Strategic Security Dialogue that Biden and Putin laid out in June, which aims to restore and save Cold War-era nuclear weapons agreements between the two superpowers, some of which were allowed to lapse by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.Russian troops deployed in southern Russia have sparked alarm in Kiev and Brussels, which have claimed the deployments are a prelude to invasion. As justification of their fears, they point to Russian-speaking Crimea, which seceded from Ukraine in 2014 and elected to rejoin Russia in a referendum the western powers refuse to recognize, calling the move a land grab by Putin.Putin has said that Russia cannot abide NATO expanding further east after adding several former Soviet allies and former Soviet republics to the alliance, or the stationing of offensive weapons by NATO in Ukraine. NATO said earlier this month it was prepared for de-escalation and confidence-building measures with Russia via the OSCE, but expected Moscow to act in parallel.

vot tak "Asked about the meeting, Biden told reporters "we'll see." ... Are the israeloamericans planning a provocation to nix any chance of a meet? See this other Sputnik article: "US Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Truman Ordered to Stay in Mediterranean to Reassure Allies - Report". Sounds like israelonazia has a plan that doesn't involve reducing their hostility against Russia, but instead more hostility, with provocations to get israel's eu manure an excuse to join in. The Russians have excellent intelligence on israeloamerican move, their putting the foot down now is based upon what they know the zionists/nazis are up to. 5

4Justice There's no way the devils in US/NATO will back down. They'll have to be slapped down or taken down. Surely, Russia is prepared to do so. Will be quite interesting to see what happens over the next couple of weeks. 4

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joe biden, us, putin, ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/excess-military-equipment-kiev-washington-working-on-deal-to-supply-more-us-arms-to-ukraine--1091864512.html

Excess Military Equipment? Kiev, Washington Working on Deal to Supply More US Arms to Ukraine

Excess Military Equipment? Kiev, Washington Working on Deal to Supply More US Arms to Ukraine

Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova has said that Kiev is actively working with Washington to clinch a deal on Ukraine getting the so-called "excess" American military equipment

2021-12-28T16:50+0000

2021-12-28T16:50+0000

2021-12-28T16:52+0000

us

russia

ukraine

weapons

military conflict

minsk agreements

military equipment

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Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova has said that Kiev is actively working with Washington to clinch a deal on Ukraine getting so-called "surplus" American military equipment.In an interview with the Ukrainian news outlet LB.ua, Markarova added that the military hardware includes unnecessary weapons, which the US is ready to deliver to Ukraine.This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the Biden administration is considering sending military equipment to Ukraine that was previously allocated for Afghanistan prior to the collapse of the Central Asian countrys government in mid-August.The newspaper cited an unnamed source as saying that additionally, there are stockpiles of US and NATO ammunition in Romania and Bulgaria that could be made available to Ukraine.The claims were preceded by the Pentagon confirming that the US sent 30 Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems to Ukraine in late October.The Department of Defence described the delivery as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraines ability to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.The statement came amid Western accusations that Russia is deploying troops near the Ukrainian border in preparation for an invasion. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations, pointing to NATO's increasing military activity near Russia's borders, which it deems a threat to its national security, stressing that it has the right to move forces within its own territory.Russia Warns Not to Supply Arms to Ukraine Earlier, Russia admonished for attempts to deliver weaponry to Ukraine, which Moscow said might cause a military conflict in the countrys east to flare up.In 2014, Ukraine initiated a military operation against the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, known together as Donbass, after they unilaterally proclaimed independence following a change of government in Kiev that they considered a coup. The new Ukrainian government blamed the Donbass crisis on Russia, but Moscow denied any involvement in the country's internal conflict.The Normandy format of negotiations involving Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine was set up in June 2014 to settle the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine. The Minsk agreements, adopted by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine in February 2015, set out a framework for a political resolution of the political standoff.

https://sputniknews.com/20180501/javelins-for-ukraine-analysis-1064066081.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211209/putin-what-is-happening-in-donbass-resembles-a-genocide-1091396012.html

BillOwens Selling old, surplus junk to them? This is just a symbolic gesture. It means nothing in a real military and strategic sense. The Taliban is sitting on $85 billion of US equipment, and is theoretically much better armed than Ukraine. So obviously, a token gesture of a few hundred million dollars means zilch. Maybe ukraine is buying this stuff from the Taliban? 7

Daniel Martin Theres nothing the U.S can sell to Banderstan , that will make any difference, the moment war brakes out all of that will be annihilated immediately together with their Nato instructors and their Nazi vassals. 6

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us, russia, ukraine, weapons, military conflict, minsk agreements, military equipment
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/from-pandemic-plague-to-seasonal-sniffle-how-viruses-mutate-into-milder-strains-to-survive-1091859984.html

From Pandemic Plague to Seasonal Sniffle: How Viruses Mutate Into Milder Strains to Survive

From Pandemic Plague to Seasonal Sniffle: How Viruses Mutate Into Milder Strains to Survive

The advent of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 prompted a new wave of pandemic panic around the world, with many countries closing their borders and re-imposing... 28.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-28T18:42+0000

2021-12-28T18:42+0000

2021-12-28T19:43+0000

omicron covid strain

south africa

evolution

genetic mutation

coronavirus

covid-19

delta variant of covid-19

omicron strain

botswana

pandemic

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Omicron has been the Greek letter on the world's lips for the last month as the new COVID-19 variant spread rapidly from southern Africa to all other inhabited continents.But some governments are now re-thinking their initial reactions to the latest variant of concern as doctors confirm initial observations from South Africa its symptoms are "very mild" despite it being far more contagious.It quickly usurped the previously-dominant Delta variant in Gauteng, the South African province at the centre of the outbreak. Estimates by the UK Health Security Agency indicated it had reached 90 per cent dominance in the UK on December 26Speaking about the Omicron variant earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that "some experts even call it 'live vaccination'."On Monday, the British government announced it would not tighten restrictions further, allowing New Year's Eve celebrations to go ahead in England.But long before Omicron appeared in Botswana, virologists had predicted that the virus  which has killed some 5 million people worldwide  would eventually evolve into a near-harmless form, which would ironically give it a selective advantage over previous variants.A novel strain of H1N1 influenza caused the 1918 pandemic following the First World War which killed 25-50 million people worldwide. But by 1920 it had mutated into a much milder form indistinguishable from other seasonal flu bugs. Will COVID-19 go the same way?Meaner Isn't Always Stronger The basic concept is simple: in order to thrive and continue its genetic line, a virus must spread from organism to organism. A virus that rapidly kills its host will have fewer opportunities to infect new ones.Unlike bacteria and amoebic pathogens, viruses cannot live and multiply freely in the wild. Scientific opinion has long been divided on whether viruses are true living organisms, since they lack replicative mechanisms of their own. Instead, they use the biochemical machinery of the cells they infect to make copies of their genetic material and the building blocks of the protein coat that surrounds it.The very measures taken by governments and health authorities in response to the pandemic  including quarantine and contact tracing  may be creating an artificial selective disadvantage for severe diseases by interfering with their spread, in a way which is not done with the common cold.One of the key traits of COVID-19 is that the infected patient becomes contagious before they begin to show symptoms. The vaccinated can still transmit the disease even if their immunity means they never get ill, unlike with viruses like measles or smallpox  which the World Health Organisation declared eradicated in 1980 after almost 200 years of immunisation.COVID-19 variants with higher virulence  the ability to sicken or kill  will be easier to spot and patients isolated faster, those who have experienced previous pandemics say.Immunologist Mark Cameron at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, was on the staff of a hospital in Toronto at the height of the SARS pandemic there in 2003. "People who got SARS got very sick, very fast and were easily identified, easily tracked and readily quarantined  and their contacts were also readily identified and quarantined," he told Knowable.Mutating Itself Into ExtinctionAnother factor working to neuter new pandemic viruses is the very thing that causes them to arise in the first place  often by jumping from one species to another, as COVID-19 is thought to have done  their ability to mutate and evolve in a short timeframe.Coronavirus is one of many viruses whose genetic information is carried on a single strand of RNA, the long-chain molecule used to translate the DNA of living cells into the proteins they code for. This class of viruses, which use the enzyme RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from host cells to copy their strand of genes, are known to have very high mutation rates."RNA virus evolution is so rapid that it can often be observed in real time", a paper by Edward Holmes, then of Pennsylvania State University, noted in 2009, in the order of one point-change in the code per replication.Holmes referred to previous research into vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), another RNA-based pathogen. They found that around 40 per cent of mutations cause that line of the pathogen to go extinct. A further 30% were generally harmful to its survival and more than 25 per cent were merely of neutral effect. Just five per cent of mutations were actually beneficial to the virus, improving its fitness to survive.The paper also discussed how a high rate of mutations can give a selective advantage by creating beneficial new traits more rapidly, too much can be counter-productive if it prevents those good mutations from stabilising in the population. The fittest genotype can be find itself wiped out by a harmful random mutation cropping up, an event termed 'error catastrophe'. Another phenomenon is when a population crosses the 'extinction threshold' where bad mutations accumulate faster than natural selection can weed them out.The spread of the Delta variant from India in mid-2021, just as vaccination drives were really making progress in many countries, sparked concerns about its supposed ability to 'break through' existing immunity and its reported high level of virulence.But in Japan a strange thing happened. After peaking in late summer with daily case numbers exceeding 26,000, Delta mysteriously began to to fade away. By November this year only around 200 cases were detected per day.A team of researchers from the National Institute of Genetics and Niigata University, led by Professor Ituro Inoue, proposed that the virus had mutated itself into "self-destruction". Inoue's theory was that it had acquired too many mutations in its gene for an error-correcting protein called nsp14."Considering that the cases havent been increasing, we think that at some point during such mutations it headed straight toward its natural extinction," the professor concluded.Inoue believes the same fate befell SARS in 2004  but that cannot be proved as the virus has now disappeared.

https://sputniknews.com/20211228/sputnik-v-developers-to-putin-trials-show-the-russian-vaccine-neutralises-omicron-strain-1091858897.html

Rock Anglozionism is another sickness that is heading towards its natural distinction due to its own corruption. The sooner the better. 4

CountTo5Manual "viruses tend to become less pathogenic" - it does not apply for HIV which causes AIDS doesn't ? Well, SARS-CoV-2 caused T cell dysfunction ( simply put here- lymphopenia with substantial reduction of CD4+ T ) when infected is to me suspicious and comparable to HIV caused dysfunction, T cells dysfunction. Do not want to scare anybody but it take some time to develop AIDS symptoms after infection by HIV, I suggest here the lighter part or this ugly Covid health condition. 2

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south africa, evolution, genetic mutation, coronavirus, covid-19, delta variant of covid-19, omicron strain, botswana, pandemic, influenza, sars coronavirus, lockdown, flu
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/future-head-of-munich-conference-believes-russia-sanctions-should-affect-nord-stream-2-1091860973.html

Future Head of Munich Conference Believes Russia Sanctions Should Affect Nord Stream 2

Future Head of Munich Conference Believes Russia Sanctions Should Affect Nord Stream 2

German diplomat Christoph Heusgen, the future chairman of the Munich Security Conference believes that Western sanctions against Russia should affect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in case of destabilisation in Ukraine.

2021-12-28T13:11+0000

2021-12-28T13:11+0000

2021-12-28T13:11+0000

europe

sanctions

germany

eu

nord stream 2

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The diplomat added that the soft reaction of the Western community to Russia's actions against Ukraine might be interpreted by Moscow as "weakness," and "would only prompt its desire for expansion." In the Russian authorities' "own nostalgic world, international law is not a standard," while "the Soviet Union and even the Stalinist regime are painted in the best light", according to the politician.Tensions around Ukraine have been aggravated in the past few weeks amid an alleged Russian troop buildup at the Ukrainian border and claims of preparations for invasion. Moscow has repeatedly denied those accusations, arguing that Russia has the right to relocate the troops within its territory at its own discretion, while NATO's military activity near Russian borders poses a threat to its own security.Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The project is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The pipeline was completed in September and is now undergoing certification in Germany, which has been stalled by the Federal Network Agency's demand to create a German subsidiary and then file a separate bid therewith.

Shalom Soros Zionist puppets such as Heusgen are all CIA operatives. Their citizenship doesn't matter, they exclusively serve their masters in Langley and "Israel". These born traitors live in a parallel universe where the needy customer blackmails the supplier into financing the supplier's enemies. Insanity of imaginary exceptionalism at work. 7

vot tak Another repulsive zionist/nazi quisling with a long history of being an echo chamber for israeloamerican war criminal policies. 6

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europe, sanctions, germany, eu, nord stream 2
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/georgia-ags-office-finds-dead-people-voted-in-2020-election-but-debunks-trumps-claims-1091855802.html

Georgia AG's Office Finds Dead People Voted in 2020 Election, But Debunks Trump's Claims

Georgia AG's Office Finds Dead People Voted in 2020 Election, But Debunks Trump's Claims

Former US President Donald Trump earlier claimed that around 5,000 dead people voted in Georgia during the November 2020 elections, insisting that he "very substantially" won the state.

2021-12-28T11:02+0000

2021-12-28T11:02+0000

2021-12-28T11:02+0000

donald trump

us

ballots

us election 2020

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The Georgia Attorney General's Office said on Tuesday that state election investigators were unable to confirm Donald Trump's claims about thousands of dead voters taking part in the 2020 election.However, state election officials found several votes from dead people, revealing that four ballots appeared to have indeed been cast on behalf of those who had passed away. According to the findings, these ballots were submitted by the relatives of the deceased.One such case involved a 74-year-old widow who submitted a ballot on behalf of her husband who died in September 2020 in an apparent urge to "carry out his wishes".The State Election Board said there have to be consequences for such mistakes because "the law is what it is".Another ballot was cast in the name of deceased Augusta voter Leon Rowe, with investigators finding that the signature on his absentee ballot envelope matched the handwriting of his mother who died in October 2020, per the outlet.Earlier in the year, Georgia election investigators discovered another case of a widow casting a ballot on behalf of her husband Donald Cook, who died several months before the election. The woman claimed that Cook signed the ballot before he passed away, but the investigators argued that was impossible because the ballot had not been issued at that time.The fourth case involved the widow of Herman Robert Jackson of Covington, Glynda Jackson, who told investigators she returned her dead husband's ballot because she knew how he would want to vote.Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger slammed the claims by former President Trump as "untrue", denying there were large numbers of dead voters in the 2020 election.Raffensperger is one of the most vocal opponents of Trump's "election fraud" claims, with the former president lambasting him as an "obstructionist" who refused to admit his team's "BIG" win in Georgia.After finding several votes from dead people, Georgia officials levy fines of between $100 and $5,000 per violation. Yet, despite the miniscule number of votes from dead people, it is another irregularity discovered in the 2020 election in Georgia, as earlier there were reports about reduntantly reported ballots and ballots shredded before being processed. Trump, who, according to the state's official results, lost Georgia to Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes, has vehemently refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The former president claimed that Biden's victory is a result of massive "voter fraud" engineered by the Democratic Party.

Emris Rex We saw what happened in that election, how all counting just stopped for several days, they forget that it was a live event.... 1

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donald trump, us, ballots, us election 2020
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/german-media-berlin-should-do-its-best-to-stop-nord-stream-2-dispute-from-further-escalation-1091862209.html

German Media: Berlin Should Do Its Best to Stop Nord Stream 2 Dispute From Further Escalation

German Media: Berlin Should Do Its Best to Stop Nord Stream 2 Dispute From Further Escalation

Germany may face power outages over insufficient gas supplies from Russia due to the possible disruption of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, Handelsblatt columnist Jurgen Flauger has warned

2021-12-28T15:35+0000

2021-12-28T15:35+0000

2021-12-28T15:35+0000

russia

ukraine

germany

nuclear energy

project

nord stream 2

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Germany may face power outages over insufficient gas supplies from Russia due to the possible disruption of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, Handelsblatt columnist Jurgen Flauger has warned.The author believes now that Germany is pulling out of nuclear energy and wants to end coal-fired power production, the country  more than many other European nations now needs gas in large quantities, and especially from Russia.He suggested that if Nord Stream 2 is blocked, Moscow will start looking for sale markets in Asia, something that he argued is not in line with Berlins interests.The remarks came a few days after Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored that the ongoing efforts to impede the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are foolish, since the delivery of additional gas to Europe would reduce prices for everyone, including Ukraine.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, for his part, accused the EU of turning Nord Stream 2 into a "bargaining chip" in its confrontation with Russia, with politicians in Brussels ready to pay out of their own pockets to "express solidarity" with Washington and annoy Moscow.Ryabkov's comments followed warnings from German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that Berlin might block the launch of the pipeline in the event of an escalation of the situation around Ukraine. Kiev and several Western countries have been accusing Moscow of planning an invasion of Ukraine, as it is amassing troops near the border with the latter. Moscow rejects the accusations and insists that the West wants to use them as an excuse to deploy NATO military equipment near the Russian border.Nord Stream 2 A joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.The already completed project is awaiting clearance from a German regulator before Russia can start exporting gas through the pipeline.Washington previously imposed a number of sanctions on the project, arguing that once Nord Stream 2 is operational, Europe will become even more dependent on Russia's energy resources, something that will allegedly help Moscow gain political leverage.Moscow has repeatedly underlined that the project is purely economic, and claimed that the way in which the White House opposes Nord Stream 2 is an example of unfair competition.

https://sputniknews.com/20210926/alternative-for-germany-to-continue-supporting-nord-stream-2-after-election---co-chairman-1089432446.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210721/ukraine-would-be-at-more-risk--without-us-german-nord-stream-2-deal-senior-us-official-says-1083432378.html

Hans JF The US is now selling large quantities of gas to Germany, two huge ships are on their way as we speak. American gas costs a lot more than Russian gas. This is just part of how they benefit, though, they also benefit by maintaining Russia as an enemy, and as an extension, their de facto ally, China. Power and gas prices in Europe now is a direct consequence of the derange, demented new fake cold war the US has launched on Russia and China in order to go on doing what they have always done: Destroy the world as long as it benefits US corporations. 8

Anton Krupp Russia needs to disconnect totally from Europe which means (1) no gas supplies whatsoever excepting Serbia and Hungary (2) Close Russian airspace to all European airlines (3)No imports from the US and Europe whatsoever and no exports including strategic materials such as Titanium, Rare earths. (4) Boot out all Western Diplomats and NGO's (5) Any incursion into Russian Territory to be be met with lethal force. 7

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russia, ukraine, germany, nuclear energy, project, nord stream 2
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/iran-has-no-deterrent-to-its-nuclear-programme-israeli-defence-official-warns-1091863571.html

Iran Has 'No Deterrent' to Its Nuclear Programme, Israeli Defence Official Warns

Iran Has 'No Deterrent' to Its Nuclear Programme, Israeli Defence Official Warns

The Vienna talks on the possible restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) resumed on Monday after the Christmas holidays, marking the eighth round of the tense negotiations.

2021-12-28T18:02+0000

2021-12-28T18:02+0000

2021-12-28T18:02+0000

middle east

israel

iran

nuclear weapons

joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)

nuclear deal

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The Iranian nuclear programme does not have any kind of deterrent that would be able to stop it, a senior Israeli defence official has claimed.As Tehran, having stepped away from its JCPOA commitments after Donald Trump's exit from the deal in 2018, continues to enrich uranium up to 60%, far beyond the limits allowed under the accord, Palti said that "we dont want to reach a point where we will have to ask ourselves how Iran was allowed to enrich to 90% [a weapon production enrichment level]".Tehran proceeded to boost enrichment to 60% after its calls for European countries to leverage the United States to save the JCPOA agreement were met with silence. The Islamic Republic, however, outlined that this level of enrichment is only used for civilian purposes, adding that it will not pursue weapons-grade 90% enrichment even if the Vienna talks fail.US Special Envoy to Iran Rob Malley said that the US does not intend to "agree to a worse deal because Iran has built up its nuclear programme". The Vienna negotiators have to address the Iranian nuclear programme as soon as possible, he said, because at some point efforts to revive the JCPOA would be tantamount to trying to revive a dead corpse.Should the negotiations fail and not restore the nuclear deal, it is more than plausible, possible, and maybe even probable that Iran will try to become a threshold nuclear state, The New Yorker said, citing a senior State Department official.'We Will Act Alone'Among those who are vehemently opposed not only to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, but even the idea of a restoration of the JCPOA, is Israel. As the Vienna talks resumed on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid asserted that his country's "main foreign policy and security issues are to prevent the Iranian nuclear programme".Earlier in December, the United States and Israel agreed that Iran's "rapidly advancing" nuclear programme, along with the "destabilising activities and support for terrorist proxy groups", poses a "grave threat" to peace in the region. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said that it does not have plans to develop nuclear weapons, even after stepping away from its JCPOA commitments. According to the Islamic Republic, it is up to the United States to take the first steps towards reviving the nuclear deal abandoned by the 45th president, starting with lifting the harsh sanctions imposed by Trump under his "maximum pressure" campaign.Iran also blasted the "double standards" in regard to nuclear weapons in the Middle East, pointing to the fact that while the West threatens dire consequences for Tehran over its nuclear programme, it does not do the same when it comes to Israel - a country that is presumed to possess nuclear weapons. Israel is also among those countries that have not signed the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, joined by Pakistan, India and North Korea.

https://sputniknews.com/20211222/israel-could-attack-irans-nuclear-programme-tomorrow-if-needed-says-air-force-future-head-1091726758.html

Pluto in Capricorn Israel has NO DETERRENT to its nuclear program. Israel should look at itself before he tries to set rules of behavior to others. 11

Hess The problem with Israels nuclear bombs is that, they are ready to be used against any nation that has no deterrent weapons against Israel's terror. 8

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Daria Bedenko

middle east, israel, iran, nuclear weapons, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa), nuclear deal
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/israel-defence-forces-decline-comment-on-reported-air-strike-in-syria-1091857734.html

Israel Defence Forces Decline Comment on Reported Air Strike in Syria

Israel Defence Forces Decline Comment on Reported Air Strike in Syria

The Israel Defence Forces do not comment on foreign media reports concerning an air raid near the port of Latakia in Syria, the Israeli military press service told Sputnik on Tuesday.

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

middle east

israel

israel defence forces (idf)

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Earlier in the day, the Syrian state media reported that Israel had attacked the port of Latakia. According to a military source of the state news agency, the attack was carried out using several missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, damaging the container yard in a commercial port and causing a fire.Israel has performed regular strikes against what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where forces supported by Tehran, have deployed in support of the Syrian government.

USSuxRuskyNuts The IDF never owns responsibility for it's attacks especially when they fire 16 missiles and only 2 missiles make it past Syrian defenses. Yet Israel was denied it's target! What a bunch of hooked nose losers! Hahaha 11

mandrake Of course they do since any and all attacks against syria, iraq, lebanon and iran are entirely illegal (like the jews occupation of palestine) and must be stopped. The world is wating for the time and moment when the jews finally are disposed of and made extinct like the dodo-bird. The dodo-bird is missed but the jews will not be missed when the world finally gets its act together and free the world of the jewish menace! 3

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middle east, israel, israel defence forces (idf)
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/jury-in-ghislaine-maxwell-case-told-to-work-more-as-fourth-day-of-deliberations-ends-without-1091853209.html

Jury in Ghislaine Maxwell Case Told to Stay for Additional Time After No Verdict Announced

Jury in Ghislaine Maxwell Case Told to Stay for Additional Time After No Verdict Announced

The daughter of late British billionaire Robert Maxwell faces several charges, including enticing minors as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts. She claims she is innocent.

2021-12-28T08:58+0000

2021-12-28T08:58+0000

2021-12-28T09:13+0000

society

ghislaine maxwell

jeffrey epstein

verdict

sexual abuse

jury

sex trafficking ring

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Judge Alison Nathan, presiding over the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, has asked jurors to work for an additional hour until the end of the trial as yet another day of deliberations has ended without a verdict.The request has been met with opposition from Maxwell's lawyer, Laura Menninger, who argued that such instructions looked as if the prosecution was "urging [jurors] to hurry up [with the verdict]". Yet, prosecutor Alison Moe argued that it was "within the court's discretion" to ask the jury to stay longer each day in order to reach a verdict.On Monday, jurors asked to see the transcripts of testimonies of Jeffrey Epstein's former pilot David Rodgers, police officer Gregory Parkinson, who took part in the 2005 raid on Epstein's house, as well as the boyfriend of the accuser named Jane. The latter reportedly could corroborate her account that Ghislaine Maxwell gave her work at Epstein's house so that the late financier could sexually abuse her when she was 14.The jury, consisting of six men and six men, also asked the court for a definition of enticement, one of the charges Maxwell is facing. Judge Alison Nathan said that it could mean "attracting, inducing, or luring using hope or desire".Partner in Crime or Victim of Circumstance?Born on 25 December 1961 in France, Ghislaine Maxwell is the ninth and youngest child of British publishing tycoon and billionaire Robert Maxwell. She is said to have been close with her father and briefly attended to his business after he died in 1991. That same year, she flew to the United States, where she began a career in real estate. It was reportedly then when she met Jeffrey Epstein.According to the indictment, the two were in an "intimate relationship" between 1994 and 1997, but even after their separation Ghislaine Maxwell is said to have maintained a close relationship with the financier. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of running a sex trafficking network of minors. He was found hanged in his cell a month after arrest while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide, although claims have been made that the financier, who rubbed shoulders with presidents, billionaires, and royals, could have been killed by his powerful friends, who feared they may be implicated in the trial.This was not Epstein's first criminal case. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to two felony charges, including to soliciting a minor for prostitution, was ordered to register as a sex offender and was also jailed for 18 months. In return, prosecutors granted him and his potential co-conspirators, "including, but not limited to (the four)", immunity from all federal prosecution.After the financier died attention shifted to his friends and alleged accomplices, in particular Ghislaine Maxwell.The jury will need to decide whether she was Jeffrey Epstein's partner in crime or a victim of circumstances. The prosecution has argued the former  several women who testified during the trial told the court how Maxwell lured them into the hands of Epstein promising them well-paid jobs at the millionaire's house. Some individuals even alleged that Maxwell herself took part in the abuse.Maxwell's legal team has insisted that the prosecution has made her a scapegoat for Jeffrey Epstein's crimes since they failed to bring the financier to court. Her lawyers have also maintained that the accusers have faulty memories. They hired several experts in psychiatry and memory, who testified during the trial. Professor Elizabeth Loftus, the from UCI School of Social Ecology, who has participated in several high-profile proceedings, told the court that an individual's memory can be corrupted over time by outside information or suggestions.In closing arguments by the defence on Monday, lawyer Laura Menninger said that over the course of the trial, the prosecution has tried to show that Maxwell's relationship with Epstein meant that she allegedly was involved in his purported crime empire.The verdict is expected to be announced before the end of the year.

vot tak Seems a lot of people working to get this israeli criminal out of jail. Gee, I wonder why. :-D 3

Cundee She flew to US started in real estate? No emigrating for rich slags eh? They just move. Hope she goes down, no doubt the tart is 100% guilty. 2

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Max Gorbachev

society, ghislaine maxwell, jeffrey epstein, verdict, sexual abuse, jury, sex trafficking ring
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/north-korea-could-test-nukes-or-missiles-ahead-of-us-midterms-think-tank-claims-1091860073.html

North Korea Could Test Nukes or Missiles Ahead of US Midterms, Think Tank Claims

North Korea Could Test Nukes or Missiles Ahead of US Midterms, Think Tank Claims

North Korea's Kim Jong-un previously said that his country must be ready for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the United States, as Washington indicated that the door to denuclearisation talks is still open.

2021-12-28T12:48+0000

2021-12-28T12:48+0000

2021-12-28T12:48+0000

asia & pacific

us

midterms

north korea

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North Korea could conduct an intercontinental ballistic missile test or a nuclear test ahead of the November 2022 midterms in the United States, a Seoul-based think tank, the Asan Institute for Policy Studies said, as cited by Yonhap.According to the think tank, Pyongyang could opt to launch faster, longer-range missiles or a new submarine in order to hype up military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In the event the Biden administration does not react to the provocations, North Korea could allegedly conduct a nuclear test or test-fire intermediate-range or long-range missiles. The allegations come as Kim Jong-un kicks off a party plenary meeting to discuss the country's strategy for 2022, with North Korea's priorities for possible denuclearisation talks with the US also expected to be unveiled at the end of the plenum.The United States earlier said it is ready to engage in dialogue with North Korea without preconditions. Kim, for his part, outlined in June that his country must be ready for "both dialogue and confrontation" with Washington.The nuclear talks between the US and North Korea were launched by former President Donald Trump, but the effort ended in 2019 without a deal. In response to the American initiative to revive these talks, Pyongyang has demanded that Washington ditch its "hostile policy" towards North Korea first.Over the course of 2021, Pyongyang has occasionally tested new weapons systems that were said to include long-range cruise missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads to all of South Korea and most of Japan, along with a new submarine-launched ballistic missile.

https://sputniknews.com/20211228/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-kicks-off-policy-meeting-to-outline-priorities-nuclear-strategy-1091857862.html

vot tak November is almost a year away. Of course the DPRK will continue testing and developing their missile tech during that time. What a stupid line of propaganda. That "think tank" is an obvious israeloamerican front. Thumbs down. 4

Robert Gray FearPr0n. PRK will Test what they Plan on Testing according to their Schedule. Nukes and ICBMs have been tested already. PRK demonstrated that they can lob an ICBM that can reach CONUS. 4

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Daria Bedenko

asia & pacific, us, midterms, north korea
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/norways-health-boss-stoltenberg-accuses-rich-countries-of-contributing-to-prolonging-covid-pandemic-1091853446.html

Norway's Health Boss Stoltenberg Accuses Rich Countries of Contributing to Prolonging COVID Pandemic

Norway's Health Boss Stoltenberg Accuses Rich Countries of Contributing to Prolonging COVID Pandemic

Rich countries such as Norway are getting too large a share of the vaccines, hereby prolonging the COVID-19 pandemic, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) director Camilla Stoltenberg has argued.

2021-12-28T06:57+0000

2021-12-28T06:57+0000

2021-12-28T06:57+0000

omicron covid strain

news

europe

norway

scandinavia

covid-19

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Rich countries such as Norway are getting too large a share of the vaccines, hereby prolonging the COVID-19 pandemic, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) director Camilla Stoltenberg has argued.While wealthy nations have secured good vaccine coverage and are in the process of administering third and even fourth doses, only a fraction of the residents of numerous and populous developing countries have been offered vaccines.At the same time, the sister of former Norwegian Prime Minister and current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that Norway and fellow developed countries do obtain vaccine doses for the rest of the world, not least through the global COVAX initiative, which seeks to provide fairer vaccine distribution."Therefore, the answer is a bit complicated. But it is quite clear that the WHO chief is right. It is important to prioritise vaccination in other parts of the world", Stoltenberg said.Stoltenberg claimed that FHI is constantly working to ensure that not only Norway, but the whole world has enough vaccines."We must prepare for a fairer distribution of vaccines, tests, and equipment in the future. We are completely dependent on the whole world achieving this", she said.The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier claimed that rich countries' race to provide booster doses to their citizenry had bolstered inequality in the world and prolonged the pandemic."No country can boost its way out of the pandemic", WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "Blanket booster programmes are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate".Of the vaccines administered so far, 73 percent have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Only 0.9 percent of the doses have been sent to low-income countries, The New York Times reported in an overview. In Africa, only 12 percent of the continent's population has received at least one dose. For the sake of comparison, the proportion is 65 percent in Europe and 74 percent in the US and Canada.Despite some of the world's highest vaccination levels and booster shots currently administered to swaths of the population, many European countries are seeing record infection levels, the highest since the start of the pandemic. Among others, Denmark has reached the world's highest incidence rate with 1,612 cases of infection per 100,000 inhabitants and recorded a peak of 16,164 cases on Monday.Amid the rise of the novel Omicron strain and soaring infection levels, many countries shifted full throttle into their vaccine programmes. The intervals between the second and third dose have been shortened, and booster doses are recommended for healthy and increasingly younger age brackets.

https://sputniknews.com/20211222/norway-registers-stoltenberg-effect-as-citizens-queue-for-moderna-boosters-1091708076.html

TruePatriot Must be something with the name Stoltenberg. Translates to something like Mountain of Stupidity or similar. Both this one and Jens are certainly that. 2

Thomas Turk That prolonging is deliberate.. to scare more cattle to get injected.. using the fake* PCR tests. *Dr. Kary Mullis, inventor of the PCR test stated that his test only idents strands of DNA from Hep. and Flu. US Dr. Elisabeth Eads studies noted that the PCR test gives 97% false positives. WHO on Jan. 20, 2021 in their Directive #202005 stated that the PCR test is of NO VALUE.. this superseding their Jan.20.2020 advice to do PCR tests. And.. just out.. ''Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi, Never More Brilliant, Lays The Utter Truth Out - Autopsies Prove Vax BioWeapon'' based on 70 autopsie by Germany's top pathologist, Prof. Dr. E Burkhadt Caused Autoimmune Attacks And Death (7 1

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Igor Kuznetsov

news, europe, norway, scandinavia, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/observers-after-20-year-war-us-simply-abandoned-afghanistan-without-political--economic-solution-1091863905.html

Observers: After 20-Year War US Simply Abandoned Afghanistan Without Political & Economic Solution

Observers: After 20-Year War US Simply Abandoned Afghanistan Without Political & Economic Solution

Afghanistan is facing humanitarian disaster; while the US refuses to unfreeze Afghan funds, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) proposed establishing a humanitarian trust fund to provide aid to the Afghan population.

2021-12-28T17:25+0000

2021-12-28T17:25+0000

2021-12-28T17:25+0000

pakistan

us

asia & pacific

russia

un

china

afghanistan

taliban

economy

us sanctions

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December's extraordinary OIC summit on Afghanistan was convened at the initiative of Saudi Arabia, which is the chair of the current session. Taliban* Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the meeting among other delegates as no nations have yet formally recognised the Taliban government."The 17th Session of the conference of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC comes at a time when the US had completely abandoned Afghanistan without a political and economic solution", says Sabtain Ahmed Dar, a Pakistani academic who teaches politics and international relations at the School of Integrated Social Sciences (SISS) at the University of Lahore.Afghanistan's Frozen Reserves & Dire Humanitarian SituationAccording to Dar, 23 million out of 40 million Afghans are facing hunger; health facilities are overflowing with malnourished children; the northern and western parts of the country are facing shortages of gas and logistical support; 70% of teachers are not paid, while thousands of children are out of schools.The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the US froze about $9.5 billion in assets of Afghanistan's Central Bank after the Islamist group seized Kabul in August. On 13 September, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen highlighted in an interview with Sputnik that the Afghan new caretaker government was ready to take all possible legal steps to unfreeze Afghanistan's foreign assets in the US.However, on 19 October, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told the Senate Banking Committee that he sees no situation where the Taliban would be allowed access to the frozen Afghan reserves.Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Mottaqi on 17 November urged the US Congress in an open letter to release the funds and ease tensions. Mottaqi warned American lawmakers that the ongoing economic turmoil in Afghanistan could prompt mass migration that "will consequently create further humanitarian and economic issues".To at least partially tackle the crisis, OIC members decided to establish a humanitarian trust fund to support Afghans, the Pakistani academic underscores.US Has No Programme for Future Development of AfghanistanIn addition to Muslim nations, which have embarked on a mission to save Afghanistan from collapse, Russia and China could also play a crucial role for the country's stability, according to Sabtain Ahmed Dar.The Pakistani academic notes that for Moscow and Beijing, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was a "strategic gain" that could help China, in particular, to integrate the Central Asian state into its broad Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). On the other hand, it is also in the interest of Islamabad and Kabul that "Russia and China actively engage the international community to resolve the crisis in Afghanistan", he believes.Following the hasty US-NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, the countries of the region have been left to tackle the unfolding humanitarian and political dilemmas in the Central Asian state on their own, according to Fred Weir, Russia correspondent for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor.If something is to be done, "it will be the countries of the region who will have to take the lead in that", believes Weir.However, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted during his 23 December presser  in a clear reference to the US and its NATO allies  that those nations which were present in Afghanistan for 20 years and inflicted great damage on it should now take care of the Central Asian country.Why is Recognition a Problem for the Interim Afghan Gov't?The agenda for the latest OIC meeting did not include recognition of the Taliban leadership by the Muslim world, but focused on rescuing them first from the economic and social crisis, says Sabtain Ahmed Dar.The question of the recognition of the Taliban government is crucially important for Afghanistan's sovereignty and independence, believes Dar."If the Taliban government is not recognised by the international community or Muslim World, Afghanistan will become a closed society detached from the entire world", the Pakistani academic says, adding that foreign investment, expertise, and help from the world depends on this recognition, which, in its turn, depends upon the conduct and ability of the Taliban to govern Afghanistan.The Taliban interim authorities were formed in September 2021. Even though the Afghan caretaker government is not recognised, the Taliban can be considered the country's "legal" authorities and can be dealt with on the international arena, argued Professor Ben Saul, Challis Chair of International Law at the University of Sydney, Australia, in his 15 December op-ed for the Hague-based think tank International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT).According to Saul, currently many more states than in the 1990s have interests in cooperating with the Taliban, which in some sense raises the probability of its future recognition. These potential spheres of collaboration include "counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, border security, economic development (such as infrastructure and mining), or technical assistance".Last week, President Putin noted that Moscow is "working with all [its] international partners to come up with a consolidated decision" regarding possible recognition of the Taliban. Earlier, in October, the Russian president said that the Afghan Islamic organisation may be excluded from the ban list through the UN Security Council if the situation in Afghanistan continues to improve. The same month, nine states participating in the Moscow Format Consultations, acknowledged that "practical engagement with Afghanistan needed to take into account the new reality, that is the Taliban coming to power in the country, irrespective of the official recognition of the new Afghan government by the international community".Five Factors of Afghanistan's StabilityThe viability of the Taliban government as well as stability of the political and economic situation in Afghanistan depends on five factors, according to Dar:First, the Taliban government needs to counter terrorism and politically reconcile to a point where intra-Afghan parties are incorporated to govern the country with a policy of inclusiveness.Second, Afghanistan has to strike agreements with international financial institutions to establish a new monetary framework.Third, the Taliban should protect elite Afghan families who have the capital and expertise to revive the country's core industrial infrastructure and give a boost to the economy.Fourth, the Taliban must establish joint ventures of state institutions to provide basic services to Afghans and also let the private sector work independently to contribute to society.Fifth, security must be considered at all levels by the Taliban government. It must deepen social inclusion to eradicate unnecessary fear and uncertainty from the mind of the general public.It is too early to claim that breakthroughs will come immediately in short intervals, the Pakistani academic highlights, adding that only concerted actions of regional and external players could help the country rebuild its economy.*The Taliban is an organisation under UN sanctions over terrorist activities.

https://sputniknews.com/20211016/french-politician-us-has-moral-and-legal-obligation-to-unblock-afghan-assets--let-the-nation-be-1089967357.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211124/taliban-wants-to-discuss-with-us-recognition-of-its-govt-and-unfreezing-of-afghan-assets-1090981322.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210913/how-chinas-realpolitik-approach-to-venezuela-iran--afghanistan-upends-us-geopolitical-game-1089039446.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211217/russia-seeks-to-reconnect-afgan-banks-to-swift-payment-system-1091591956.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210913/new-afghan-govt-to-take-every-legal-step-possible-to-lift-us-asset-freeze-taliban-says-1089032736.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210910/twenty-years-after-911-us--nato-allies-less-safe-and-closer-to-economic-abyss-analyst-says-1088945396.html

Willyspit What else did anyone expect from the USA - nation building? Afghanistan served its purpose of making billions for the MIC. In that respect it was a total success. 3

Holger H. did you get your education from CNN or Fox? 3

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pakistan, us, asia & pacific, russia, un, china, afghanistan, taliban, economy, us sanctions, afghanistan war, frozen funds, humanitarian disaster
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/russia-adds-safeguard-proposals-on-a-part-of-nato-1091854285.html

Russia Adds Safeguard Proposals on a Part of NATO

Russia Adds Safeguard Proposals on a Part of NATO

Reports say Russia "is not bluffing by putting forward the security safeguard proposals on a part of NATO and the US and will make every effort to facilitate... 28.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-28T09:09+0000

2021-12-28T09:09+0000

2021-12-28T09:09+0000

ethiopia

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russia

middle east

ukraine

chile

military

the critical hour

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Russia Adds Safeguard Proposals on a Part of NATO Reports say Russia "is not bluffing by putting forward the security safeguard proposals on a part of NATO and the US and will make every effort to facilitate the Wests awareness of it."

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Russia. Reports say Russia "is not bluffing by putting forward the security safeguard proposals on a part of NATO and the US and will make every effort to facilitate the Wests awareness of it, " according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. Also, President Putin suggested repercussions could be possible, warning that he could take adequate military-technical measures if NATO continues its aggressive course on the threshold of our home.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Ray has an article entitled, "Washington Prepares to Fail in Ukraine," which talks about the US's refusal to acknowledge Russia's vital strategic interest in Ukraine. It also discusses Washington's plans to subject Ukraine and the NATO alliance to "a dangerous and unnecessary test by confronting Russian conventional military power."Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss covid. Dr. Hancock points to the frightening number of people around the country aggressively lashing out in response to policies they dislike regarding Covid. She also discusses The Federal Aviation Administration's 1,000 + investigations into unruly passenger incidents this year, more than five times as many as in all of 2020.Patricio Zamorano, political analyst and Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, COHA.org, joins us to discuss Chile. Marco Teruggi penned an article for the Orinoco Tribune, talking about the expected results of the new progressive government saying that the expectation of Chileans is "that not only things will change in their country, but also the integration with their neighbors and the continent."Obi Egbuna, activist and US Rep for The Zimbabwean Newspapers, joins us to discuss Ethiopia. Since the federal government forces of Ethiopia cornered the TPLF back into Tigray state, the US-backed TPLF has asked for peace negotiations. In return, the Ethiopian government has called for the abolishment of the TPLF as well as the surrender of its leadership.Miko Peled, author and activist, joins us to discuss the Middle East. This past Sunday, Israel's government approved a $317m plan to double the Jewish settler population in the occupied Golan Heights of Syria.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the military. He discusses an article in Responsible Statecraft that exposes the gap between the US military's reputation and its actual performance in the post 9/11 wars.John Kiriakou, journalist, author, and host of The Backstory, joins us to discuss his article titled, "Those Nasty Russians." In it, Kiriakou discusses the recent New York Times article that claims Moscow is preparing its public for a potential war in Russia. Kiriakou shows why these claims are preposterous, refuting the Times' claims that Russia had already massed troops on the border with Ukraine, a lie that has been perpetuated in the mainstream media all across the United States.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

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ethiopia, radio, russia, middle east, ukraine, chile, military, the critical hour, covid-19, 
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/russia-considers-mali-govt-as-legitimate-cooperation-as-positive-diplomat-says-1091867654.html

Russia Considers Mali Govt. as Legitimate, Cooperation as Positive, Diplomat Says

Russia Considers Mali Govt. as Legitimate, Cooperation as Positive, Diplomat Says

Russia considers the current government in Mali to be legitimate and views cooperation with it as positive, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Tuesday.

2021-12-28T20:33+0000

2021-12-28T20:33+0000

2021-12-28T20:35+0000

mali

africa

russia

cooperation

troops

anti-terrorist

france

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"We have long traditions of cooperation and friendship with Malian government - with previous ones and with the current one. For us, this is a legitimate government," Polyanskiy said. "There are no doubts about this, and we cooperate with this [government] and we don't see any reasons why we should not view cooperation with this government as something positive."Polyanskiy went on to say that Russia seeks to help the Malian people and is determined to do so.When asked to further comment on the existing cooperation between the two countries, Polyanskiy noted that "cooperation means cooperation in training."Polyanskiy pointed out that Russia is concerned that the Malian government has a symbolic control over the north of the country and now in the middle of the country as well.""We don't think it's normal. And we think that it is in the interest of the whole international community to help the Malian government to recuperate control over its territory, and to help it to fight terrorism because Sahel is a very dangerous region," he said.The deputy envoy said any alleged involvement of the Wagner Group has nothing to do with any Russian officials nor is supported by the state."If it's on the market, so then it's up to any country to choose whether they cooperate or not cooperate with this company. And Mali is not an exemption of this kind. I don't see any reasons why the Malian government cant take their sovereign decision to engage with this military company or with another military company of these kinds from another country," he said.Earlier in December, the French Defense Ministry said Paris pulled out its troops from the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, completing an eight-year military presence within the scope of Operation Barkhane, launched by France in 2014. The anti-terrorist operation is also supported by the G5 Sahel group, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania.

https://sputniknews.com/20211227/france-pisses-us-off-malians-hail-russian-advisers-arrival-as-paris-quits-anti-terror-war-1091846701.html

vot tak Excellent article. ""We have always had military cooperation, government-to-government, on the training of Malian army," he said. "But it's not limited to military issues only. It's also in the field of education, of healthcare, of everything that makes a state a state. We also want Mali to be a strong country." ... Exactly. 1

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mali, africa, russia, cooperation, troops, anti-terrorist, france
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/russia-to-take-hardline-approach-in-defending-national-interests-at-talks-with-us-fm-lavrov-says-1091856910.html

Russia to Take Hardline Approach in Defending National Interests at Talks With US, FM Lavrov Says

Russia to Take Hardline Approach in Defending National Interests at Talks With US, FM Lavrov Says

Russia will firmly defend its national interests at the upcoming security talks with the United States and NATO in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, vowing not to make any unilateral concessions without taking the balance of interest into account.

2021-12-28T10:55+0000

2021-12-28T10:55+0000

2021-12-28T12:52+0000

sergei lavrov

us

russia

security guarantees

nato

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The US and Russia will hold talks on arms control and the situation in Ukraine on 10 January. The negotiations on security guarantees with NATO are expected to take place on 12 January in Geneva, Switzerland.Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced an initiative to hold talks with Russia on 12 January. Shortly after the announcement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik that the main issue to be raised at the talks would be security proposals for NATO laid out by Russia, including non-expansion of the alliance into Eastern Europe.Relations between NATO and Russia have deteriorated over the West's accusations that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that troop movements are purely defensive given NATO's increased military activity near Russia's borders, and stressed that it has the right to move forces within its own territory in its national security interests.

kohems Russia should never give America and its NATO allies an inch of advantage during the talks. NATO has converted itself into an imperialist military block working in the interest of its Western members.Just look at what NATO has done in Libya,Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia.No more Western imperialism through NATO!!!The world is tired of western imperialism and its ever desire to foist its values on other nations. 13

Rickytoress22 The days of facist U.S. dominated period of 90's and millennium is over get it Bobby! ,they can't do a shit,SWIFT is irrelevant, alternatives by Russia and China is already existing and waiting to be harmonized, russisa has been preparing for this day,before now,the Americans politicians only understand the language of force 11

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sergei lavrov, us, russia, security guarantees, nato
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/second-box-found-under-gen-lee-statue-appears-to-be-real-1887-time-capsule-virginia-gov-says-1091848176.html

Second Box Found Under Gen. Lee Statue Appears to Be Real 1887 Time Capsule, Virginia Gov. Says

Second Box Found Under Gen. Lee Statue Appears to Be Real 1887 Time Capsule, Virginia Gov. Says

The workers conducting the search are a part of the removal team of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's statue in Richmond. The statue itself was taken down in September at the governor's order, following protests against racism.

2021-12-28T00:19+0000

2021-12-28T00:19+0000

2021-12-28T00:19+0000

us

virginia

time capsule

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The conservators' crew completing the demolition of a pedestal in central Richmond, Virginia, where a statue of Robert E. Lee previously stood have discovered what seems to be a time capsule buried there more than 130 years ago."They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for," Virginia Governor Ralph Northam tweeted on Monday, also providing several photos of a box being removed from the site.The search for the original time capsule continued on Monday, with great success, because the discovery was made after a months-long search. According to news reports from the time, the capsule was placed during a cornerstone-laying ceremony attended by a huge crowd of people in 1887. Hundreds of donated objects, including Confederate memorabilia, were described in news reports.Later in the day, the governor shared the X-rays of the contents of the box, presumably showing the outlines of coins, buttons, books, and ammunition from the American Civil War.Northam said that the official opening of the time capsule will take place at 1 pm local time on Tuesday, December 28.The finding comes after the first box, appearing to be a time capsule as well, was dug up earlier this month and carefully opened earlier this week. The conservators removed artifacts such as books and an envelope with some papers, along with a silver coin, from the container. Some of the items appeared to have water damage.According to Fox News, the time capsule was discovered inside a granite enclosure at ground level, surrounded by fill and other building debris. The copper box was discovered sitting in water after workers removed the top of the granite wall, according to the contractor workers. Then, the time capsule was wrapped in bubble wrap and driven away from the spot for further investigation.The statue was erected In 1890, showing the general astride a horse, and constructed on a soaring pedestal overlooking Richmond, the Confederacy's old capital. Northam ordered the monument to be demolished after the summer 2020 protest, spurred by the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis. Floyd's killing reignited debate in the US about racial injustice and prompted calls to demolish Confederate monuments across the nation.According to reports, the statue of Lee was the only one of five massive Confederate tributes along Monument Avenue that belonged to the state. The four city-owned statues were removed in 2020, but the Lee statue was delayed by two lawsuits until a Supreme Court of Virginia order in September paved the path for its removal.The removal of the statue is reportedly expected to be done in a few weeks.

https://sputniknews.com/20210908/live-general-lee-statue-is-being-removed-in-richmond-virginia---1088870674.html

karlo marx save yalls confederate money now,it will be good to wipe yalls ass with when yall see ol jim buck lookin fer a little payback,good times 1

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us, virginia, time capsule
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/sputnik-v-developers-to-putin-trials-show-the-russian-vaccine-neutralises-omicron-strain-1091858897.html

Sputnik V Developers to Putin: Trials Show the Russian Vaccine Neutralises Omicron Strain

Sputnik V Developers to Putin: Trials Show the Russian Vaccine Neutralises Omicron Strain

The new variant, discovered in South Africa last month, proved to be highly contagious and has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in many countries across the world.

2021-12-28T11:47+0000

2021-12-28T11:47+0000

2021-12-28T12:19+0000

russia

vladimir putin

vaccine

sputnik v

omicron covid strain

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The Russian president also stressed that the current level of immunisation (around 56 percent) is not enough, as Russia should aim for 90-95 percent.The statement confirms preliminary reports from the Russian Direct Investment Fund saying that Sputnik V "has demonstrated 3-7x less of a reduction in virus-neutralising activity against Omicron as compared to data from other vaccine producers".In the meantime, Anna Popova, head of the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said that the strain is currently not dominant in Russia. According to her, data from African countries shows that the variant is highly transmissible, but the course of the disease is not as grave as for other COVID-19 strains.The Omicron was initially detected in South Africa and Botswana in November and sparked major concerns due to its high number of mutations (32). The WHO said it was a variant of concern and warned that it may prove to be more transmissible and dangerous than other strains.

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russia, vladimir putin, vaccine, sputnik v
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/they-should-hang-him-on-cnn-gop-house-candidate-suggests-executing-gen-mark-milley-on-air-1091862611.html

'They Should Hang Him on CNN': GOP House Candidate Suggests Executing Gen. Mark Milley on Air

'They Should Hang Him on CNN': GOP House Candidate Suggests Executing Gen. Mark Milley on Air

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley has been heavily criticised by former US President Donald Trump, who blasted him as a "woke" general. According to Bob Woodward's book "Peril", Milley was concerned that the hot-tempered ex-president might launch a military strike against China.

2021-12-28T14:59+0000

2021-12-28T14:59+0000

2021-12-28T14:59+0000

us

execution

republicans

mark milley

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Nevada Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives Noah Malgeri has suggested that General Mark Milley should face a court martial and then be executed on-air if found guilty.He [General Mark Milley] is an active-duty soldier. Just convene a court martial, and forget it. Malgeri, who is an Iraq War veteran, said during an interview with Veterans in Politics. We need to get back to our patriotic, liberty-loving roots. What did they use to do to traitors if they were convicted by a court? They would execute them. [...] I think, you know, if he's guilty of it by a court martial, they should hang him on CNN. I mean, they're not going to do it on CNN. But on C-SPAN or something".This is not the first time Malgeri has called for Milley to be court-martialled, as the GOP candidate frequently takes to Twitter to slam the Biden administration, criticise the coronavirus response, and assert that Biden must be impeached.General Mark Milley, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was said to have contacted his Chinese counterparts and told them that he would warn them if former President Donald Trump were to launch a military strike against China. After the claim emerged in Bob Woodward's book "Peril", many Republicans, including the ex-president, accused Milley of "treason".GOP Senator Marco Rubio offered some tough (not as tough as Malgeri's suggestions, however) measures against Milley, calling on President Joe Biden to "dismiss" him as "Americas national security and ability to lead in the world are at stake".Milley himself insisted that his contacts with his Chinese counterparts were in line with his job.

Rokenbok Why not just hang them all. Send them to God to be judged. 6

vot tak Why not hang malgeri instead. By his right ankle. In front of his dwelling. And leave him there hanging for a few weeks. 2

3

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Daria Bedenko

us, execution, republicans, mark milley
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/turkey-to-work-on-domestic-air-defence-system-to-replace-s-400-patriot-reports-say-1091854951.html

Turkey to Work on Domestic Air Defence System to Replace S-400, Patriot, Reports Say

Turkey to Work on Domestic Air Defence System to Replace S-400, Patriot, Reports Say

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey will continue developing new air defence systems as part of domestic missile defence projects in 2022, which could substitute Russian... 28.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-28T09:20+0000

2021-12-28T09:20+0000

2021-12-28T09:24+0000

middle east

turkey

air defense

air defence

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According to the newspaper Sabah, in 2022 Turkey will continue working on the domestic surface-to-air missile (SAM) projects HISAR and SIPER. HISAR A+ and HISAR O+ have been successfully tested, destroying high-speed targets. Thus, Turkey will be one step closer to the SIPER air defence system, which will emerge as an alternative to the S-400 and Patriot.The system, which is planned to become operational in 2023, is reported to eliminate all threats that appear in the air in the most reliable way.Turkey is developing two types of SAM HISAR systems, including HISAR-A, a short-range air defence system capable of intercepting targets at up to 15 kilometres (9.3 miles), and HISAR-O, a medium-range system with an outreach of 25 kilometres (15.5 miles). HISAR systems are effective against fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air-to-land missiles.The HISAR systems are being developed with the support of the Turkish defence industry and the participation of ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, and other companies. The HISAR-O complex is intended to be used for the protection of military and other strategically important facilities.

NthrnNYker59 Gonna be kind of hard to do that when their currency is worthless. 4

Bob Dylan I don't blame them. russian AD has been shown to be useless in Syria. The only thing russian AD can shoot down is its own planes...HAHAHA 2

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https://sputniknews.com/20211228/ukraine-enjoys-nato-masochist-relationship-1091864746.html

Ukraine 'Enjoys' NATO-Masochist Relationship

Ukraine 'Enjoys' NATO-Masochist Relationship

Ukraine seems to enjoy a kinky geopolitical relationship that could be known as NATO-masochism. Its a dive into the dark recesses of slave-master dominance in which pain and humiliation induce dubious pleasure.

2021-12-28T16:34+0000

2021-12-28T16:34+0000

2021-12-28T16:34+0000

us

russia

columnists

ukraine

tensions

uk

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This is a country  or at least the ruling administration is  that wants to have a war with Russia in order to please would-be superiors in NATO.Look at the strange behavior. The Kiev regime has been begging for NATO membership for years only to be continually put on the long finger. So desperate to join the US-led military bloc, it is willing to plunge its own people into a devastating conflict against Russia.So desperate to please its Western masters, the Kiev rulers have forfeited buying affordable gas directly from Russia, preferring to make their people suffer higher prices by purchasing indirectly Russian gas from European suppliers  all for the sake of appearing independent.For nearly eight years, Ukrainians have seen their country plagued by civil war, corruption and Neo-Nazi revivalism  all because certain factions want to turn their nation into a plaything for US and NATO imperialism against Russia.The economy has been brought to its knees in ruination in order to indulge an obsession for pleasing and ingratiating foreign powers.Appropriately, it seems, Ukraine is reputedly the birthplace of the psychiatric condition known as masochism. The term was invented in the late 1800s following the publication in 1870 of a novel that explored the darker side of sexual relations. The author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch hailed from the city of Lviv. His fictional story Venus In Furs is a seminal and explicit account of a relationship in which the male character sought gratification from being debased and humiliated by an elusive lover.British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has a certain dominatrix demeanor. She seems to relish in cracking the rhetorical whip. Like other NATO counterparts, the British minister has been brandishing all sorts of dire warnings to Russia, accusing Moscow of planning to invade UkraineTruss figuratively flexed her birch rod recently by telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that he risked invading Ukraine at Russias peril.Said Britains top diplomat: 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. The UKs support for Ukraine is unwavering.Unwavering support, eh? A few days later, it emerged that British military chiefs have an exit plan in place to quickly pull UK troops out of Ukraine if there is a war with Russia.The Daily Express reported: More than 100 are deployed in a training and advisory role with Polish, US and Canadian forces. The move to shape an exit strategy follows Defence Secretary Ben Wallace saying it is highly unlikely UK forces will fight Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.British troops have been in Ukraine since after the 2014 NATO-backed coup in Kiev. Along with military personnel from the United States, Canada and other NATO members, the Brits have been training Neo-Nazi brigades in techniques of warfare. Funnily enough, the Western troops are based near Lviv in Ukraines western region  the birthplace of masochism.The British military plan to flee Ukraine in the event of a war erupting with Russia is matched by US President Joe Biden saying earlier this month that additional American troops would not be sent to Ukraine if Russia were to invade.Moscow has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of invading Ukraine or any other country. It says the Western media reports of troop movements within Russia are hysterical hyping calculated to foment a war with Ukraine.The United States and its NATO allies have been inciting the Kiev regime in its bravado against Russia. The buildup of NATO warplanes and warships in the region can be seen as a way of goading Ukraine to adopt ever more reckless aggression towards Russia. The British sent a destroyer HMS Defender in June this year to the waters around Crimea as a provocation. Dozens of other vessels from NATO have also piled into the Black Sea region. This buildup is giving the Kiev regime a false sense of security that it can start a war against Russia and receive NATO support when the shooting starts.It wont. Washington, London and the other NATO powers will leave Ukraine out to hang in the event of a conflict. Theyve said so. It will be pain and suffering inflicted on ordinary people for whom the NATO sadists have nothing but contempt.Truth be told, Ukraine is not the only victim of the fetish known as NATO-masochism. All 30 members of the military bloc are playthings for US-led imperialist aggression. The Kiev regime is just a particularly bad case of fixation on the pleasure of humiliation and suffering.

https://sputniknews.com/20211224/british-mercs-have-infested-ukraine-former-security-service-officer-claims-1091780086.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211226/putin-on-red-lines-west-has-pinned-russia-into-a-position-where-it-has-nowhere-to-fall-back-to-1091813306.html

Common sense Ukrainians will hopefully wake up and overthrow Zelensky the comedian. He is just a scared puppet of the Nazis.Last thing Russia or EU wants is Ukraine. Needs a total rebuild! 14

TruePatriot Excellent article Finian. You neatly nailed the vast majority of what is going on. Bravo and cheers. 12

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us, russia, columnists, ukraine, tensions, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/us-russia-to-hold-talks-on-arms-control-situation-in-ukraine-january-10---reports-1091850901.html

US, Russia to Hold Talks on Arms Control, Situation in Ukraine 10 January - Reports

US, Russia to Hold Talks on Arms Control, Situation in Ukraine 10 January - Reports

The United States and Russia will hold talks on arms control and the situation in Ukraine on January 10th, AFP reported citing the White House.

2021-12-28T03:25+0000

2021-12-28T03:25+0000

2021-12-28T04:06+0000

us

russia

ukraine

white house

talks

nato

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Additionally, a Russia-NATO meeting is expected on January 12th, Reuters reported, citing a US National Security Council spokesperson.On December 17th, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia and the US and NATO on security guarantees. The documents have already been handed over to Washington and its allies. The draft documents included a proposal to avoid placing intermediate- and short-range missiles where they might threaten either party to the deal, a suggestion for NATO to stop further expansion, and other provisions.In particular, one of the points suggests NATO provide guarantees of non-expansion into Ukrainian territory. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Sputnik that if NATO and the US do not respond to Russia's demand for security guarantees, it could lead to a new confrontation.The EU and the US have accused Russia of massing troops on the border with Ukraine in what Kiev claims is preparation for an invasion. Russia says it is free to move military personnel anywhere within its territory.Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated amid the situation in Donbass, following a coup d'etat in Ukraine in February 2014. In January 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a statement in which Russia was called "an aggressor country". Russia denies the accusations by Ukraine and calls them unacceptable. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict and is interested in Kiev overcoming the political and economic crisis in its country.

https://sputniknews.com/20211227/nato-preparing-for-large-scale-armed-conflict-with-russia-russian-defence-ministry-says-1091840807.html

Alba1970 This is a mess of America's own doing they think they can ignore and tear up all agreements be they be written on paper or Verbal agreements because they feel they can do as they please. America overthrew the democratically elected President of Ukraine and portrayed him as a despot and dictator and with the help of Ukraines far right Neo Nazi groups like C-14 and Pavvy Sektor along with their political wing Svbodathis proves the Americans can't be trusted 2

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us, russia, ukraine, white house, talks, nato
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/us-soldiers-to-remain-in-iraq-despite-official-pullout-but-will-it-stabilise-the-war-torn-nation-1091855612.html

US Soldiers to Remain in Iraq Despite Official Pullout, But Will It Stabilise the War-Torn Nation?

US Soldiers to Remain in Iraq Despite Official Pullout, But Will It Stabilise the War-Torn Nation?

Despite US soldiers being stationed in Iraq, working as advisers and trainers, their presence only aggravates the situation, sparking stronger resistance from Daesh* and some militias like the Popular Mobilisation Forces, believes a local politician.

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

2021-12-28T11:14+0000

iraq

us

middle east

militia

daesh

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On 9 December, the United States officially ended its combat mission in Iraq, thus realising President Joe Bidens July decision to pull American troops from the war-torn country.At the height of its operations, Washington had some 170,000 soldiers stationed on Iraqi soil.Now the number of troops is estimated to be around 2,500, and are said to be in the country to "advise, assist, and enable" Iraqi security forces.Change of StatusSaad Al Mutalibi, a Baghdad-based independent politician, is certain that the move to end the combat mission was orchestrated to decrease the pressure being applied on the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and as an attempt to appease a public that has grown tired of a foreign military presence in their country.Most of the dissatisfaction with the continuing presence of US troops, says Al Mutalibi, stems from the Shiite population of Iraq. The latter account for approximately 70 percent of the populace. The Sunni and the Kurdish groups in the country are largely supportive of their presence, and their main claim is that Washington has become an important player in maintaining Iraq's national security.Factor of DestabilisationYet, the politician is far from being convinced by those claims, and he says that the American presence has been a major destabilising factor.The American invasion of 2003 prompted a spike in terrorism activity in Iraq, something that eventually paved the way for the creation of Daesh*.When Washington's military presence in Iraq was strong they could cope with the threat of the extremist group but now, when the numbers of troops are being reduced, Daesh has been rearing its head again and it will continue to do so until the last American soldier leaves Iraqi soil.Yet, Daesh is not the only force that has been fighting the Americans in Iraq. Another has been some groups within the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).According to reports, between 2016 to 2017, the PMF included between 60 to 70 groups and boasted up to 140,000 fighters.Most of those fighters are Shiites, and some of those groups are allegedly linked to Iran and its security apparatus, particularly the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.Although those forces have always been opposed to America's presence in Iraq, their behaviour has become bolder and more aggressive since the US assassinated Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And that has only served to further destabilise the already fragile country. But Al Mutalibi believes that this confrontation between the US and pro-Iranian militias might be nearing an end.On Monday, world powers resumed talks with Iran about its nuclear programme. No progress has been made yet but some experts have already voiced cautious optimism that a deal might still be reached.If that happens, Al Mutalibi says "it will have a positive impact on Iraq".*Daesh, also known as IS\ISIS\ISIL\Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other nations.

Rot Hchild US/UK still occupy Germany, South Korea and Japan after 70 years. 3

Schnell Those remaining troops from pathetic shameless incompetent terrorist SHITMERICA is staying in Iraq to look for WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION which earlier troops could not find there. 1

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As for the stopping distance, the statute notes a driver must stop at a clearly marked stop line or crosswalk. If no crosswalk is clearly marked, the driver must stop at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection. The statute goes on to say the driver shall yield the right of way to any vehicle which has entered the intersection from another highway or which is approaching so closely on such highway as to constitute an immediate hazard if such driver moved across or into the intersection.
UNC-Asheville (8-5) vs. Indiana (10-2)

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two junior forwards will be on display as Drew Pember and UNC-Asheville will face Trayce Jackson-Davis and Indiana. Pember is averaging 15.4 points over the last five games. Jackson-Davis has scored 25 percent of the team's points this season and is averaging 15.4 over his last five games.

SUPER SENIORS: Indiana has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Race Thompson, Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp and Parker Stewart have collectively accounted for 47 percent of the team's scoring this year and 56 percent of all Hoosiers points over the last five games.DOMINANT DREW: Pember has connected on 24.4 percent of the 45 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 7 of 19 over his last five games. He's also converted 90.9 percent of his foul shots this season.

STREAK SCORING: Indiana has won its last nine home games, scoring an average of 77 points while giving up 56.4.
Its been eight weeks since Iran-backed militia tried to kill Iraqs the pro-reform prime minister and failed. The backlash in Iraq was far greater than Iran expected so Quds Force commander, Esmail Ghanni was sent to Iraq to assess the situation and do damage control. Ghanni confirmed that support for Iran was rapidly declining after the Iran- sponsored violence against the results of October 2021 national elections, which saw most pro-Iran candidates defeated and reform minded candidates winning. The reforms are more about reducing corruption and improving the economy than Iran. The initial Iranian reaction was to order its followers in Iraq to stage protests against the election results and try to intimidate senior officials. This led to the November 7 assassination attempt on the Iraqi prime minister, which triggered a lot of anti-Iran reactions and made it more difficult for Iran to disrupt the growing trade relations between Iraq and its Arab neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis and other Gulf Arab oil states are also eroding Iranian influence in Syria by accepting the Assads back into the Arab League as an active member, which means Arab League states are providing investment and reconstruction money for Syria that Iran can no longer afford because of the revived economic sanctions Iran is trying to shed. General Ghanni was told that getting those sanctions lifted was more important than anything else, including local support for Iran in Iraq and Syria. Those sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, which is run by a religious dictatorship and does not allow free elections. The majority of Iranians have seen their living standards decline during decades of religious rule and note that democratic Iraq is prospering. That has kept Iranians demonstrating against their own government, even though, or because, their government orders the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) to use lethal force to disperse the demonstrators.

General Ghanni told the remaining pro-Iran militias in Iraq to resume attacking the remaining American forces in 2022. This is risky because the Americans have pulled out most of their equipment and troops. About 2,500 were left behind at the request of the Iraqis and Kurds in the north. If the Iranian attacks on the Americans next month are effective, that is more likely to cause more calls from Iraq for more American military assistance against Iranian aggression. American warplanes remain in Kuwaiti and the UAE air bases, but further airstrikes inside Iraq must be arranged on a case-by-case basis. A more explicitly anti-Iran government apparently wants to negotiate mutual defense deals with the Americans, similar to the ones that so many Arab Gulf states already have.

This sort of thing is a nightmare for Iran, which is what Iraqis prefer. Iran expects less trouble in Syria, where Iran-backed forces have been increasing their attacks on the thousand or so American troops still in Syria, mainly to support the Syrian Kurds and continued operations against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant).

There are other Iraqi nightmares for Iran. There are growing calls for disbanding all the PMF militias organized in 2014 to fight the ISIL invasion that quickly took control of about a third of Iraq. Iran was active in organizing the militias, which had to do the work of the Iraqi security forces that surrendered or fled from approaching ISIL forces, even when the attackers were far fewer than the troops and police facing them. Iran gained control over many of these PMF units, which are now considered part of the armed forces. Back in 2014 corruption in the security forces produced low morale, missing weapons and training and commanders that were more interested in stealing than commanding. There was a repeat of this in 2021 when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. That gives you an idea of how firmly this culture of corruption is embedded in the Middle East. The anti-corruption effort in Iraq is not going to make Iraq corruption-free but Iraqis notice that the less corruption there is the more prosperous and safer the average Iraqi is.

The Impossible Dream

The battle against corruption is a major issue that makes it possible to carry out seemingly impossible reforms. For example, government income can no longer support the massive corruption that was long considered normal. The covid19 recession and lower oil prices meant that Iraq could afford to spend as much money as they wanted. The problem is that too much government payroll spending was stolen and in early 2021 the government was under a lot of pressure to save money by making a serious effort to shut down the scams that steal as much as a third of the bloated payroll. For most of 2020 the government was able to borrow money to cover the monthly payroll shortfall. By 2021 the government was considered a credit-risk and unable to borrow. Firing unneeded government workers was seen as political suicide. No more. This will cause some protests but not as many if something is not done about the corruption.

Fire In the North

There has been a lot more fighting in the Kurdish north. This comes from increasing activity by Turkish forces against PKK (Turkish Kurd separatists) using bases in northern Iraq. The Iraqi government has agreed to work with the Kurds to reduce ISIL activity in the north. That is, between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish-controlled portions of northern Iraq. One of the things sustaining this violence is the pro-Iran PMF militias are often more hostile towards the Kurds than ISIL, and ISIL acts accordingly by concentrating their attacks on the Kurds. As the Iraqi government cracks down on outlaw pro-Iran PMF groups, the more loyal (to Iraq) PMF are more prominent in efforts to curb ISIL activity in the north.

Not all PMF are cooperating. The ones that dominate Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, are more interested in making money by controlling much of the smuggling between Syria and Iraq. ISIL controlled for more than two years and the city was liberated largely through the efforts of Kurdish forces and Iraqi special forces. There was a lot of air support using guided missiles and bombs. The Kurdish forces left Mosul to concentrate on the thousand or ISIL members still in northern Iraq and pro-Iran PMF militias took over in Mosul, as well as many other areas in northern Iraq the Kurds were still occupying. This was an effort by the Iraqi government to prevent the Kurds from expanding their autonomous territory. This caused more animosity between the Kurds and the Iraqi government. The pro-Iran PMF units took advantage of this situation because Iran backed the curbs on expanded Kurdish control in northern Iraq. Iraqis living in Mosul and other areas where Kurd and PMF forces still coexist note that the Kurdish autonomous provinces are still free of ISIL and other Islamic terror violence. The Kurds continue to assist in counterterror operations south of their autonomous provinces to keep ISIL too weak to make a major effort against the Kurdish controlled areas. The most corrupt PMF units up north are backed by Iran and that is also noticed. There are security problems in the north and Iran is responsible for a lot of that.

December 27, 2021: In the north (Nineveh province) someone fired a rocket at the main Turkish base northeast of Mosul. Elsewhere in the north (Duhok Province) Turkish artillery bombarded a town suspected of harboring PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) Turkish Kurdish separatist personnel. In the south (Basra province) a roadside bomb was used against an American supply convoy from Kuwait. One truck was damaged but the convoy kept moving. There were no casualties. This is the fourth such attack in two days. Yesterday there were three such attacks, one in the north (Saladin province), Baghdad and in the west (Anbar province.) Iran-backed militias are responsible for all these attacks and Iran has announced that there will be much more of this violence next month.

The primary cause of this violence is not the continued presence of 3,500 American troops in Iraq and Syria, where most are stationed in Kurdish controlled area that are very difficult for any type of terrorist to operate, but the loss of so many pro-Iran candidates in the October elections. Earlier today the Iraqi Supreme Court certified those election results, which was another setback for Iran.

December 24, 2021: In the south (Najaf province) the provincial governor was forced to resign because of failure to deal with corruption. The provincial capital is the Shia shrine city of Najaf. The Shia population of the province, and especially in the capital, have long demonstrated their dislike of Sunnis, especially Iraq Sunnis and Iranians, even though Iran is the largest Shia majority nation in the world. The militant Najaf Shia have managed to drive most Iraqi Sunnis out of the province. In 2019 Najaf protestors seized and burned down the Iranian consulate. The anti-Iran Shia protestors called the consulate a center for terrorism and Iranian efforts to dominate Iraq. That was no secret in Najaf and the surprising thing is Iran was not able to muster enough pro-Iran Iraqis to defend the consulate. That is apparently no longer the case as Iranian influence has declined further.

Najaf is one of the areas powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr regards as threatened by Iran in addition to local government corruption. Sadr demands that all militias be disarmed and disbanded. This demand was aimed at Iran, which has used the militias to create a legal Iran-backed armed force in Iraq. Calls for disbanding these militias have been gaining a lot more support since 2017. The recent elections mean an even more anti-Iran government and sensing what that would mean for militias in general, most militias have announced plans to disband. Disarming is another matter. Despite that, Sadr efforts to clean up some of the corruption in Najaf province have succeeded,

December 23, 2021: North of Baghdad (Diyala and Nineveh provinces) counterterrorism forces arrested five key ISIL members as they tried to move between hideouts.

Elsewhere in the north (Saladin Province, some 200 kilometers north of Baghdad) a roadside bomb was used against an American supply convoy from Kuwait. There was no damage or casualties.

December 21, 2021: In the south (Babel province) a roadside bomb was used to attack an American supply convoy from Kuwait. There was another such bombing in the south, near Basra, in which one truck was damaged but there were no casualties. These attacks are attributed to pro-Iran groups trying to inflict some damage on the Americans as well as get all American troops out of the country. Most Iraqis want some Americans to stick around, if only because it frightens and annoys the Iranians and ISIL

In Baghdad the Central Bank announced that the reparations owed Kuwait were finally paid off, when $44 million transferred to Kuwait to complete years of stop-and-go payments of the $52.3 billion debt that Kuwait had demanded and the UNCC (United Nations Compensation Commission) certified as reasonable in the early 1990s. The UNCC also granted Iraq additional time to complete payments. The UNCC assessed the reparations in the 1990s but Saddam Hussein refused to pay. Five years after Saddam was removed in 2003 Kuwait restored diplomatic relations with Iraq in return for Iraq working with the UNCC to arrange a payment schedule to pay off the reparations. In early 2018 Iraq resumed paying Kuwait reparations. Payments had been resumed earlier but were suspended in 2014 because of the ISIL invasion and the consequent cash shortage. Iraq continued making payments and was expected to finish paying the debt in 2021 or 2022. Achieving this repayment improves relations with the Sunni Arab oil states in Arabia and makes it easier for Iraqis firms to do business in the rest of the Middle East. That goal is very popular with most Iraqis and makes Iran uncomfortable.

December 20, 2021: In the west (Anbar province) at the Tanf (on the Syrian side)/Walweed (on the Iraqi side) border crossing four explosions were heard in the American base near Tanf. The Americans have controlled the Syrian side since 2017 while a pro-American Iraqi militia controls the Iraqi side. This is one of the three main Syria/Iraq border crossings and controls access to the main Baghdad-Damascus highway. The crossing is near where the borders of Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet.

Elsewhere in Anbar (Ramadi) troops arrested a known ISIL tax collector who collected Zakat (obligatory charity donations from devout Moslems). For ISIL, the Zakat is not voluntary. In the case if the shepherds want to avoid attacks by ISIL, they must pay this particular Zakat collector when he comes around.

December 19, 2021: In Baghdad two rockets was fired towards the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone. One was shot down by the C-RAM anti-rocket system while the other rocket landed in an uninhabited area.

December 17, 2021: In western Iraq (Anbar province) the NATO coalition officially transferred the remaining coalition combat equipment and supplies at the al Asad airbase to Iraq. This sprawling facility is on the Euphrates River some 200 kilometers west of Baghdad. Al Asad airbase is where over a thousand American and NATO troops have been stationed since 2015. The U.S. and NATO agreed to withdraw all combat forces by the end of 2021 but Iraq requested the retention of 2,500 American troops to act as trainers and advisors. These will be stationed in small contingents at Iraqi and Kurd bases where needed most.

December 12, 2021: In the northeast (Diyala Province) the army and PMF militias have launched a major offensive to destroy known ISIL camps and capture or kill as many of the fleeing ISIL members as they can. While the security forces have been successful at keeping ISIL out of major urban areas, these Islamic terrorists remained active in rural areas between Baghdad and the Kurdish north. Kidnapping for ransom is a major source of income for ISIL out in the countryside. Because of this trend, overall terrorist and political deaths in Iraq continue to decline.

This offensive is largely taking place in the Hemrin Mountains, which extend from Diyala province through northern Saladin province and into southern Kirkuk province. In early 2018 it was believed that there were 500-1,000 armed ISIL members operating in the Hemrins and about the same in desert areas near the Syrian border from west of Mosul south to include Anbar province. Those numbers more than doubled by the end of 2018 and continue to grow in 2019 and 2020. Now the ISIL forces are diminished by constant airstrikes and aggressive ground patrols and raids. There are less than a thousand ISIL members in the rural camps and six separate army/PMF groups are simultaneously going after different camps, making it difficult for ISIL men from one captured or destroyed camp from moving to another one that is still operational.

December 11, 2021: In the north (Nineveh province), a Turkish airstrike hit a base allegedly occupied by a Yazidi Kurd militia aligned with the PKK. This Yazidi militia is known locally as the YBS (Sinjar Resistance Units) and its base is near Mount Sinjar.

Elsewhere in the north (Saladin Province) Iraqi F-16s carried out seven airstrikes on remote ISIL hideouts, in cooperation with Iraqi counter-terrorism forces, whose patrols had discovered the locations of these bases.

December 9, 2021: In northern Iraq three Turkish troops were killed during a clash with PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) gunmen based in the area.

Elsewhere in the north (Sinjar in Nineveh province) pro-PKK (Turkish Kurd separatists) Iraqis demonstrated against the continued occupation by Iraqi Arab forces, who occupied the area in 2017 to punish the autonomous Kurds for proposing a referendum on Kurdish independence in the north. With the departure of Kurdish forces from the area in 2017, security was less effective and ISIL and PKK both were able to operate in the area.

December 8, 2021: In the north (Nineveh province) Turkish troops continue searching for Yazidi YBS gunmen near Mount Sinjar. There have also been clashes where the Turkish/Iraqi/Syrian borders meet. A UAV strike reportedly killed a senior YBS commander, Marwan Badal, yesterday. He was known to be a commander of PKK militias. Despite YBS activity in northern Syria and Iraq, most Yazidis want nothing to do with the PKK aligned YBS.

December 4, 2021: In the northeast (Diyala Province) Kurdish commanders discovered that ISIL had recently received reinforcements from Syria. These consisted of about 200 men belonging to the Jundullah faction of ISIL. The reinforcements took some losses getting into Iraq and the movement was organized by new ISIL leadership in northern Iraq. The Kurds have better intel than the Iraqi security forces and have persuaded the Iraq government to send more troops and support a major offensive against the known ISIL bases and temporary camps. The new ISIL leadership in the north has demanded more offensive attitudes from the surviving ISIL members and apparently this led to the increased ISIL violence up there.

December 3, 2021: Turkey and Iraq acknowledged their military chiefs of staff have discussed joint military cooperation between their armies. Cooperation includes joint exercises. Joint operations are a possibility. Turkey and Iraq already cooperate closely on counter-terror intelligence.

December 2, 2021: In the Kurdish north (Erbil province) ISIL attacked a village in the disputed territory that Iraq took from the Kurds in 2017. Nine Kurdish militiamen and three civilians were killed. ISIL retreated with their taking their dead and wounded with them. ISIL concentrates their attacks on the Kurds because the Iraqi forces, many PMF militia, can be bribed or intimidated while the Kurdish forces cannot.
The newest option for a cup of coffee in Longview is tucked into a narrow space among the industrial businesses on California Way.

Black Falls Coffee is a tight operation even compared to other drive-through coffee places. The coffee store has a narrow passing road on either side and just enough space in the back of the lot for drivers to turn around.

Liz and Andrew Saverchenko opened Black Falls earlier this month. The Saverchenkos have run the neighboring Perfect Stitch Upholstery shop for the last eight years, but say running a coffee business has long been an interest.

Andrew Saverchenko said it has been a longtime dream to run his own coffee shop. Liz used to work at a coffee shop at Portland International Airport and has an eye for latte foam art and creative names for items.

He enjoys drinking the coffee and I enjoy making the coffee, so for the business it ends up working really well, Liz Saverchenko said.

Black Falls Coffee Address: 1309 California Way, Longview. Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays. Info: 360-218-4410, blackfallscoffeeco.com or www.facebook.com/blackfallscoffee.

The coffee shop has been in the works since 2018. It took more than a year to arrange the location and secure all the permits for the business. Andrew Saverchenko said he originally hoped to get a more visible location in the Pie@Trios Pizzeria parking lot.

He knew he wanted to keep the store in the south section of Longview. He said there are no other coffee stores operating south of Tennant Way. While the location was unorthodox, he expected it would appeal to workers in the area and be able to catch commuters going from the Lewis and Clark Bridge to Interstate 5.

With all the businesses around here, this gives them an easier way to get coffee here before they go to work, Andrew Saverchenko said.

Talking Business: TMS NW depression treatment clinic set to open in Longview Owners of a new clinic opening in the next several weeks in downtown Longview hope to provide another option for people with severe depression

When the pandemic started, he shifted his focus back to Perfect Stitch and put the coffee plans on the back burner for nearly a year. As the store readied to open, he was going back and forth with Longview officials about whether the entrance off California Way needed to be renovated.

Black Falls Coffee opened Dec. 15 with a giveaway of free drinks to anyone who came through. Within a few days, Andrew Saverchenko said the shop already was getting repeat customers from a few of the nearby businesses.

He said he plans to keep giving out free drinks on occasion to draw in first-time customers, but the store is trying to stand out in other ways. Black Falls gets its beans from a coffee roaster and prepares a darker, Italian-style brew for a standard cup of coffee which is different from many other stores.

The shop also offers a seasonal menu of flavored mixes for lattes and other drinks. Right now the winter options include a Snowflake (white chocolate and peppermint) and the Holiday Chicken (eggnog).

Black Falls does not offer food, which is one of the major ways Andrew Saverchenko hopes to expand the business down the line. His family sells Russian pastries every year during the Go 4th Festival.

Every time we have those, we get asked where else they can buy something like that. Id like to make a good cup of coffee with those pastries, he said.

Talking Business Owners of new or expanded Lower Columbia businesses discuss their ventures with The Daily News staff in this long-running feature that prints 

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Editors note: Information is provided by the Cowlitz County Corrections Department and local law enforcement agencies. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Assault  Longview officers Thursday arrested Katherine Mattson, 60, of Silver Lake, on suspicion of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

Stolen vehicle  Cowlitz County deputies Friday arrested William Campbell Jr., 21, of Longview, on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, making or possessing vehicle theft tools and driving with a suspended license in the third degree.

Forgery  Longview officers Friday arrested Adrienne Schmidt, 24, of Longview, on suspicion of forgery and third-degree theft after allegedly paying $200 in fake cash for a Louis Vuitton purse.

Fraud  Kelso hotel staff reported Sunday a customer was fraudulently using a credit card to stay in a room.

Assault

1400 block of West Side Highway, Kelso. Sunday.

Burglaries

300 block of Three Rivers Drive, Kelso. Friday.

1000 block of Allen Street, Kelso. Saturday. Report of two juveniles leaving a closed Burger King.

500 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Saturday. Report of residential burglary.

2800 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Saturday. Report of fence cut around business.

Stolen vehicle

1600 Goerig Street, Woodland. Sunday. Black Subaru Outback. Started and left unattended.

Thefts

3000 block of Maryland Street, Longview. Thursday. Prescription drugs.

700 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Thursday. Fake bills posted by register.

3700 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Friday. Shoplifting.

400 block of Triangle Center, Longview. Friday. Customer left without paying bill.

800 block of Mount Pleasant Road, Kelso. Saturday. Mail.

300 block of Three Rivers Drive, Kelso. Sunday. Shoplifting.

1800 block of Hemlock Street, Longview. Sunday.

1400 Dike Access Road, Woodland. Sunday. Cellphone.

Vandalism/malicious mischief

400 Hanson Road, Toutle. Thursday. Reports of malicious mischief to driveway and yard.

1200 block of 12th Avenue, Longview. Thursday. Report of three people throwing rocks at building.

500 block of Main Street, Kelso. Friday. Report of gas stolen from three delivery vehicles.

500 Redpath Street, Kelso. Sunday. Report of two vehicles crashing on school property.

700 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Report of man breaking plexiglass in store.

Vehicle prowls

1400 block of 17th Avenue, Longview. Friday. Vehicle entered, but there was no damage and nothing taken.

400 block of 14th Avenue, Longview. Friday. Two vehicles reportedly broken into.

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Take a peek at fixer-uppers with potential to beautiful old homes around Lower Columbia Area
Step 1: You can use the Google Maps Offline feature on Android as well as iOS. To enable it, go to the Google Maps App on your device.

Step 2: You need to ensure that you are connected to the internet and not in Incognito mode.

Step 3: Now in the top right corner of the screen, you will find your Profile Picture, in the search panel, tap on it.

Step 4: You will find the 'Offline Maps' option in the menu. Then under Offline Maps, click on the 'Select Your Own Map' option.

Step 5: It will open a map. You will need to zoom out or adjust it within the blue box according to the area that you want to download. Unfortunately, you can't search here, you have to select the area this way only.

Step 6: Once the map is selected, you will need to tap on the Download button at the bottom of a blue box.
The box will be opened on Tuesday,

said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Twitter



WASHINGTON: Workers dismantling a Confederate general's statue pedestal discovered a copper box believed to be buried 130 years ago, the second apparent time capsule unearthed at the site.

site.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam tweeted along with pictures of the box.

"This is probably the time capsule everyone has been looking for. According to an 1887 newspaper article, a time capsule hidden at the foot of the statue of General Robert E.Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War contained relics such as buttons and balls, Confederate currency, cards, a rare picture of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in his coffin and other items, the box will open at 1:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) Tuesday, Northam said in a subsequent tweet, adding that it was "Experts believe there could be coins, books, buttons and even ammunition from the Civil War," he said.

The statue's base was opened by Conservatives last week, but it clearly wasn't the capsule in that time the 1887 newspaper article because it contained three soaked books, a photo in a soaked cloth cover, and a coin.

The items appeared to be memorabilia left for posterity by some of the workers who erected the statue. The time capsule found on Monday is roughly twice as big. Lee's statue in Richmond, the city of Virginia, which was the southern capital during the bloody conflict of 1861-65, was overthrown in September, one of several memorials the Pro-Slavery Confederation has seen in recent months. The statue became the focus of protests against racial justice last year after the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white Minnesota police officer. During the Civil War, the Confederate southern states separated from the United States and fought to maintain slavery, which the rest of the country had abolished.
Elon Musk criticised on Chinese social media over risk of 'collision' between Starlink satellites and space station





Elon Musk been criticized on social media after China complains that its space station was forced to avoid collisions with satellites launched by its Starlink Internet Services project.

China submitted a document earlier this month to the UN's space agency saying that satellites from the Starlink division of Mr Musk's SpaceX company had two "close encounters" with the Chinese space station on 1 July and 21 October

The incidents behind the complaints filed with the UN space agency have yet to be independently verified.

Starlink is a satellite Internet network owned by Elon Musk SpaceX.

Elon Musk is known in China, even though his Tesla electric car manufacturer has a growing review of regulatory authorities.





Starlink and the US have been heavily criticized on China's Weibo microblogging platform Twitter.

As news of the filing spread, users of the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo piled on, with one user saying Starlink satellites were "just a heap of space junk" and another describing them as "American space warfare weapons".

"The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole human race will pay for their business activities."

China also accused the United States to bring astronauts in danger by ignoring obligations under the spaces' contracts.

The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Lijian, said that China requested the United States to act responsibly.

Scientists have voiced worries about the dangers of collisions in space and referred to as on global governments to percentage statistics about the predicted 30,000 satellites and different area particles which can be orbiting Earth.

SpaceX has already launched nearly 1,900 satellites as a part of the Starlink network, and plans to install thousands more.

Last month, the US space agency Nasa abruptly postponed a space walk from the International Space Station due to concerns about space debris.
Credit: Shutterstock/Matej Kastelic

As New Zealanders plan their summer holiday trips, it's worth considering different travel options and their respective cost, both to the budget and the environment.

I've compared several travel modes (with all assumptions made found here)a small diesel car, electric car, bus, train or planefor a door-to-door 300km return journey. The process has identified limitations for each mode, which may help policymakers better understand the challenges involved in developing a low-carbon transport system.

New Zealand's annual transport emissions have nearly doubled since 1990 and account for more than a fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions from cars, utes and vans have continued to increase even though the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme has been in place for 14 years and has added a "carbon levy" of around 10-15 cents per litre to petrol and diesel.

The Climate Change Commission has recommended the government should:

reduce the reliance on cars (or light vehicles) and support people to walk, cycle and use public transport

rapidly adopt electric vehicles

and enable local government to play an important role in changing how people travel.

But is it realistic to expect governments to change how people travel? Providing information is perhaps the key.

Transport comparisons

A person's choice of transport mode is based on a mixture of cost, comfort and convenience as well as speed and safety. But most New Zealanders choose their car out of habit rather than from any analytical reasoning.

Carbon dioxide emissions are rarely a factor in their choice. Although more people now agree that climate change is a major issue, few have been willing or able to take steps to significantly reduce their transport-related carbon footprint.

This analysis is based on my personal experiences travelling between my house on the outskirts of the city of Palmerston North to attend a meeting in the centre of Wellington. It relates to any other similar journey with a choice of transport modes, although the details will vary depending on the specific circumstances.

I compared a 1500cc diesel car I owned for ten years with an electric car which has a 220km range and is mainly charged at home, using rooftop solar. The airport is 8km away from the house, the railway station 7km and the bus station 5km. I included "first and last mile" options when comparing total journey time, cost, carbon emissions, comfort and convenience.

Credit: Source: https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms/Research/Transport_article_Conversation_3.pdf

Things to consider before a trip

Travelling by car for one person is relatively costly but has good door-to-door convenience and can be quicker than the bus, train or plane, except during times of traffic congestion. Comfort is reasonable but the driver cannot read, work or relax as they can on a train.

Car drivers usually consider the cost of fuel when planning a journey, but few consider the costs of depreciation, tyre wear, repairs and maintenance as included here. Should more than one person travel in the car, the costs and carbon emissions will be lower per passenger.

Taking a short-haul flight over this distance is relatively costly and the journey is no quicker since there is considerable inconvenience getting to and from the airports. The carbon dioxide emissions per passenger can be lower than for a diesel car (with just the driver), assuming the plane has around 80% occupancy.

For one person, taking a bus or train can be significantly cheaper than taking a car and also offers lower emissions. However, the longer overall journey time and the hassles getting to and from the stations are deterrents. Infrequent bus and train services, often at inconvenient times, can also be disincentives to choosing these modes.

Going electric

The electric car has low carbon emissions, especially if charged from a domestic solar system. Coupled with reasonable comfort and convenience and the lowest journey cost per person when carrying two or more passengers, this supports the government's policy to encourage the deployment of EVs.

Travelling by train is perhaps the best option overall for one person making this journey. The total cost is less than half that of taking a car. Emissions are around a third of the diesel car. Comfort is good, with the opportunity to work or relax.

Making the whole journey more convenient will help encourage more people to travel by train and help reduce transport emissions. But this will require national and local governments to:

encourage Kiwirail to provide more frequent services

electrify all lines

provide cheap and efficient "first-and-last-mile" services to railway stations

undertake a major education campaign to illustrate the full cost, carbon emissions and convenience benefits resulting from leaving the car at home.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Dec. 28A video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeming to slur her speech at an event tore through the internet, gaining steam on Facebook. Share after share, it spread to the point of going viral.

The altered video from May 2019 was a slowed-down version of the actual speech the California Democrat gave but was being promoted as real. Even though Facebook acknowledged the video was fake, the company allowed it to stay on the platform, where it continued to be reshared. That exponential resharing was like rocket fuel to the manipulated video.

In the run-up to the 2020 election, with additional traction coming from then-President Donald Trump sharing the video, the amplification of misinformation showed the real-world implications and the need for social media companies to take action to stem its spread.

YouTube, where it also appeared, took the video down. But Facebook said at the time because the company wanted to encourage free expression, it allowed it to remain up while reducing distribution of it to strike a balance between that priority and promoting authentic content.

The fake Pelosi video is an example of the power of something social media users do naturallysharing.

It turns out, internal documents show, that a company researcher found that Facebook could have flagged the source of that video, the Facebook page of Politics WatchDog, at least week earlier based on a simple metrichow much traffic was coming from people sharing its content.

With its content surfacing almost exclusively from Facebook users resharing its posts, the page had gained a massive audience in the days leading up to the Pelosi video through a strategy one researcher dubbed "manufactured virality," or when a group uses content that has already gone viral elsewhere to drive their Facebook page's popularity.

While not the exclusive domain of shady intent, the approach is common by bad actors on Facebook often to spread falsehoods. Facebook has allowed this type of content to flourish on its platform.

Sharing in Facebook isn't inherently bad. It is, after all, a basic function of how social media works and why many of us go there.

What Facebook's internal research shows about sharing

In documents released by whistleblower Frances Haugen, Facebook employees warn repeatedly of the likelihood that reshares like these were a main vector for spreading misinformation and the harms that could come from that. They suggested myriad solutionseverything from demoting them to slowing them downonly to see their suggestions ignored.

Over the red flags raised by some employees, Facebook made sharing easier during that time, choosing core engagement metrics critical to its business over measures that could have reduced the harmful content on the platform. Getting people to read, share and respond to Facebook content and spend more time on the platform is critical to what the company can charge advertisers, and it found misinformation in reshares to be particularly engaging.

In a whistleblower complaint Haugen filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, she included reshares as one of the ways Facebook has failed to remove misinformation from the platform even as it touted its efforts to do so.

While Facebook had publicized its efforts countering extremism and misinformation related to the 2020 U.S. elections and the Jan. 6 insurrection, it failed to adequately account for its role in the spread of misinformation, Haugen's complaint states.

"In reality, Facebook knew its algorithms and platforms promoted this type of harmful content," her complaint says, "and it failed to deploy internally-recommended or lasting counter-measures."

Attorneys for Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, disclosed more than 1,000 documents to the SEC and provided them to Congress in redacted form. USA TODAY was among a consortium of news organizations that received redacted versions.

The documents have shed light on internal research showing Facebook's knowledge of a variety of harms, many of which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, declined to answer a list of detailed questions about misinformation spread through reshares, the solutions offered by its employees and the company's incentives not to act on reshares because of the impact on its engagement metrics.

"Our goal with features like sharing and resharing is to help people and communities stay connected with each other," Aaron Simpson, a spokesman for Meta, wrote in an emailed statement. "As with all our features and products, we have systems in place to keep communities safe, like reducing the spread of potentially harmful content."

Why sharing on Facebook can be connected to misinformation

To be sure, sharing is not inherently bad and, indeed, is a bedrock of the platform. Users do it all the time to share news of a friend facing a medical issue, seek help finding a lost pet, announce a birth or just pass on something they found interesting.

But Facebook's research found misinformation in particular draws user engagement with a high likelihood of being reshared and that the company could use reshare indicators to lessen the reach of harmful content.

Experts agreed the key role of reshares in spreading misinformation and Facebook's inaction have not been widely known. The documents show its reluctance to reduce the spread of misinformation in reshares as doing so impacts the kind of engagement that Facebook profits from.

"One thing that we have seen consistently, not just in these documents but in other reports about actions that Facebook has taken, is that Facebook is not willing to sacrifice its business goals to improve the quality of content on its system and achieve integrity goals," said Laura Edelson, co-director of Cybersecurity for Democracy at New York University.

Facebook disabled Edelson's account after her research team created a browser extension that allows users to share information about which ads the site shows them. Other experts agreed with her assessment of Facebook's incentives playing a role in its decisions about how, and whether, to address this type of misinformation on the platform.

Edelson added, "We do see Facebook is consistently willing to sacrifice its integrity goals for the sake of its overall business goals."

The role of Facebook's algorithm as accelerant

In a late 2018 note, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained Facebook's efforts to combat misinformation, namely content that borders on violating its policies. The closer a piece of content gets to that line, the more people engaged with it even as they said they didn't like it, he wrote.

Zuckerberg said the company would work to reduce the distribution and virality of this type of content, specifically misinformation.

Yet over and over in the documents, Facebook's employees reiterate the likelihood that reshared content is misinformation and found that these shares are a key indicator it can use to reduce the distribution of likely harmful content.

How many layers of resharing, or its reshare depth, can also be an indicator of its potential for harm. Facebook has a metric for what it calls "deep reshares."

When you post a link or a video, for instance, according to Facebook's measure, that originating post has a reshare depth of zero. Then one of your friends clicks the button to share your post, and that bumps it to a depth of one. If their friend or follower shares that, the depth is two. And so on, and so on.

Facebook found a reshare depth of two or greater for a link or photo indicated that piece of content was four times as likely to be misinformation compared to other links and photos in the news feed generally. That could increase to up to 10 times as likely to be misinformation at higher reshare depths.

That doesn't mean everything reshared six steps from the original poster is misinformation. But, according to Facebook's research, it is far more likely to be.

In a 2020 analysis, Facebook found group reshares are up to twice as likely to be flagged as problematic or potentially problematic. Another analysis that year found that since 2018 content shared by groups grew three times faster than content shared outside of groups overall.

According to one document, up to 70% of misinformation viewership comes from people sharing what others have shared.

"If we are talking about stuff that is misinformation or hate speech that (Facebook says) they do not want to tolerate on their platform and then they just let it run wild, I'd say yes there is also something that they could and should do about it," said Matthias Spielkamp, executive director of Algorithm Watch, a research and advocacy organization.

Facebook's algorithm, optimized for engagement and virality, serves as an accelerant and further amplifies content that is gaining momentum on its own.

While individual users can create misinformation that gets reshared, Facebook's research focused on the particular harm of groups and pagesincluding those that use the company's algorithms as a way to spread this type of content and grow their following.

"These kind of actors who are trying to grow their celebrity status, to grow their follower networks, they understand that you make sensational content, you make stuff that really surprises people, captures their attention and trades on their already held beliefs and you keep working on that and pretty soon you've got a nice follower base," said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media.

Facebook's documents warn of the harms that could come from reshared misinformation. One 2019 experiment found adding friction to sharing in India reduced "particularly concerning" content that inflamed tensions about Kashmir.

Another document from 2019 warned that "political operatives and publishers tell us that they rely more on negativity and sensationalism for distribution due to recent algorithmic changes that favor reshares."

Citing those concerns political and news actors in the United States and Europe, one document from 2020 noted that Facebook's data showed misinformation, violent content and toxicity were "inordinately prevalent among reshares."

The altered Pelosi video was exactly the type of content Facebook's algorithm incentivized, and using reshares of earlier content as a signal the company could have flagged Politics WatchDog at least a week before the video posted.

A small group of Facebook pages can have big influence

A researcher explained that through manufactured virality, a small cohort of pages commanded an outsized influence on Facebook. According to the document, half of all impressions through reshares across Facebook went to pages that got at least 75% of their impressions from reshares. Nearly a quarter of those impressions went to pages with rates of 95% or higher.

A Facebook researcher recommended flagging pages that get more than half their impressions through reshares, overriding the algorithm's automated amplifying effect and instead demoting them until manufactured virality is no longer an effective growth strategy. Facebook should instead reward original creators who work harder to earn their audiences, the researcher suggested.

It is unclear if Facebook has adopted the recommendation. The company did not answer a question about what steps it has taken to address manufactured virality.

A former Facebook employee did raise concerns about tamping down viral content.

Alec Muffett, a software engineer, left Facebook in 2016 over concerns of the company's potential expansion to China and proposals for the country's authoritarian government to be able to downrank content in feeds.

"Everybody is talking about 'harms,' but nobody is valuing the 'benefits' of free viral expression," Muffett wrote in an email. "Viral speech is a powerful phenomenon, and it constitutes the online form of 'freedom of assembly.' People are learning to adapt to modern forms of it. I am deeply concerned at any proposal that virality should be throttled or intermediated by authorities, or by platforms on behalf of authorities."

'Facebook sells attention': Could the solution be bad for business?

Facebook's deliberations of how to handle misinformation spreading through reshares inevitably circle back to one concern in the documents: They generate likes, comments and sharesexactly the kind of engagement the company wants. That incentivizes bad actors, but, to Facebook, it's also good for business.

"The dramatic increase in reshares over the past year is in large part due to our own product interventions," one document from early 2020 found.

"Reshares have been our knight in shining armor," another document noted.

It is not in Facebook's interest to tamp down on this information, experts argued.

"It clearly says that they put their business interests over having a civilized platform" said Spielkamp, of Algorithm Watch.

"It's hard to come up with a different explanation than to say, 'We know it's gross what people are sharing and we know how we could slow it down, but we are not doing it.'"

In 2018, Facebook shifted to a key metric called meaningful social interactions (MSI). Ostensibly, the goal was to show users more content from friends and family to promote those interactions. But in doing so, it valued engagementlikes, comments and sharesand Facebook's documents found misinformation and content that generates outrage is more likely to do that.

One early explanation of meaningful social interactions among the Facebook Papers shows reshared content being weighted 15 times that of a like.

"If they're over-weighting resharesand we know absolutely it's the case that information that is incorrect or sensational spreads at a much faster rate than correct, factual informationtaking the gas out of those messages would be tremendously helpful," said Stromer-Galley.

"When the algorithm then gives that a speed boostwhich is what's happening nowthen that is something the tech company is responsible," said Stromer-Galley. "If they dial it back or even stop the spread completely, it's not really even that they're regulating the content....If it just happens to have a particular shape to it, then it gets throttled."

Facebook ran an experiment in 2019, trying to reduce the spread of reshares more than two shares away from the original poster. It found lessening the spread of that content produced "significant wins" in reducing misinformation, nudity and pornography, violence, bullying and disturbing content.

That experiment found no impact on the number of daily users on Facebook, the time they spent on the platform or how many times they logged on. But it cautioned that keeping the wins on reducing negative content might require Facebook to change its goals on meaningful social interactions.

Because changes to distribution of reshares were likely to affect the company's top-line metrics, they were often escalated to leadership and involved red tape to weigh integrity improvements against engagement, one former employee said. That person agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity.

In April 2020, a Facebook team offered a presentation Zuckerberg of soft actions it could take, effectively reducing the spread of this kind of harmful content without actually taking it down. One such action proposed changes to Facebook's algorithm that had ranked content on the likelihood that people steps removed from the original poster would react, comment or share it.

Facebook was already doing this for some content, the document says, and expected a reduction of 15% to 38% of misinformation on health and civic content, which Facebook uses to describe political and social issues.

"Mark doesn't think we could go broad, but is open to testing, especially in (at-risk countries)," a Facebook employee wrote. "We wouldn't launch if there was a material tradeoff with MSI impact."

Simpson, the Meta spokesperson, said Facebook adjusts the weight of rankings signals such as reshares "when we find a relationship with integrity concerns" and on certain topics, such as health, political or social issues.

Experts argued Facebook could take further steps to demote viral shares, but it's the structure of the platform that enables them to go viral while the company profits from that engagement. The company's documents seem to back that up.

In one document, a Facebook employee wrote, "We also have compelling evidence that our core product mechanics, such as virality, recommendations, and optimizing for engagement, are a significant part of why these types of speech flourish on the platform."

What Facebook tried to slow the spread of misinformation

Over the years, Facebook's employees have proposed several possible solutions.

One suggested demoting reshared content where the person posting it isn't connected to the original poster. That document estimated that would reduce link misinformation by a quarter and photo misinformation by half on political and social issues.

An experiment abroad showed the promise of adding obstacles to resharing. Facebook removed the share button and the whole section with reactions and comments to a post and found it reduced subsequent viewership for misinformation by 34% and graphic violence by 35%.

Other social media platforms have been employing some efforts to stem or at least slow the spread of misinformation. Twitter, for instance, added "misleading information" warnings, restrictions on retweets with misleading information and other features adding a layer of intentand perhaps considerationbefore users could reshare content.

"I do not see Facebook prioritizing its role as an information purveyor in our democracy," said Stromer-Galley. "I don't see them taking that role seriously because if they did, then we should have seen some of these interventions actually used."

What role Facebook playsplatform, publisher, utility or something elseis a hotly debated topic, even by the company itself.

Still, Facebook did, in some instances, roll out changesat least for a time. It demoted deep reshares in at least six countries, according to the documents.

Despite cutting the spread of photo-based misinformation by nearly 50% in Myanmar when it slowed distribution based on how far from the originator the resharing was, Facebook said it planned to "roll back this intervention" after the country's election.

Rather than widely implementing measures to limit the reach of reshares, ultimately Facebook made it easier for reshares to spread misinformation on the platform.

"There have been large efforts over the past two years to make resharing content as frictionless as possible," one document noted.

In 2019, Facebook rolled out the group multi-pickera tool that would allow users to share content into multiple groups at the same time. That increased group reshares 48% on iOS and 40% on Android.

As it turns out, Facebook found those reshares to be more problematic than original group posts, with 63% more negative interactions per impression. Simpson said the group multi-picker has been inactive since February.

But tools like that are ripe for abuse, experts argued.

"Facebook sells attention. Things go viral because they capture a lot of attention," Edelson said. "What the researchers are really struggling with is that the thing that is at the center of Facebook's business model is also the thing that is causing the most harm to Facebook users."

2021 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Philip O'Keefe, a 62-year-old amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient in Australia recently became the first person to post a message on social media using only his thoughts. On December 23, he posted an initial brief message, "Hello World," on Twitter.

The technology that allowed O'Keefe to send his message was developed by brain computer interface company, Synchronthe device is called the Stentrode Brain Computer Interface (SBCI); a type of endovascular brain implant. It was implanted into O'Keefe's brain without opening his skullinstead, it was inserted through his jugular vein. The tiny (8 mm) brain implant was designed to allow people who have lost the ability to speak to communicate using only their thoughts. The SBCI is wireless and works by reading brainwaves and translating them to wordsthe motor neuroprosthesis was placed into O'Keefe's brain using techniques that have been used for several years to treat people with strokes. Human clinical trials have been underway in Australia for over a yearcurrently, the device has been implanted in just one other person, but more are planned.

O'Keefe, like other ALS patients, experienced progressive paralysis, which left him unable to speak earlier this year. The SBCI was implanted in April and he began using it to communicate shortly thereafterhe is now able to compose messages by thinking of words or actions (such as mouse clicks), which are translated to activity on a computer screen. His history-making social media message was posted on Twitter using Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley's account. His initial message was followed up by a lengthier text detailing how he had come to embrace the new technology. He also noted that he is hoping that his involvement in the SBCI program will help to pave the way for new kinds of technology that will allow those who have lost the ability to speak or move to regain their independence.

Officials with Synchron have noted in the past that they plan to expand on the SBCI to include development of devices that can be used to diagnose and perhaps even treat conditions such as Parkinson's, hypertension, epilepsy and even depression.

Explore further Five Australian patients to trial new brain reading device to help speech and movement

 2021 Science X Network
Travelers wait in the ticketing line at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been common this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and carriers have struggled to make up ground this year, when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected. The arrival of the omicron variant only exacerbated the problem.

"During the pandemic, we have seen experienced airline personnel leave the industry and not return across the globe," said John Grant, senior analyst at travel industry research firm OAG. "Filling those skill gaps was already a challenge in the recovery before the latest variant."

But airlines' staffing levels are "irrelevant" when omicron is thrown into the mix, said Atmosphere Research Group travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt. "We can't blame the issues we're seeing now on airlines not having enough employees to work. What we're seeing happen is the employees who were available to work have come down with COVID."

Since Friday, airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights to, from or inside the U.S., according to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations.

A woman and child from Brazil wait for their flight underneath a board showing roughly a dozen cancelled flights among the scheduled arrivals, at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Delta, United, JetBlue and American have blamed the coronavirus for staffing problems in the past several days. European and Australian airlines also canceled holiday-season flights because of infected staff, but weather and other factors played a role as well.

Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest led to nearly 250 flight cancellations to or from Seattle on Sunday, according to Alaska Airlines, which expected more than 100 flight cancellations Monday. But the airline said sick crews were no longer a factor.

United said it canceled 115 flights Monday, out of more than 4,000 scheduled, due to crews with COVID-19. Delta expected to cancel more than 200 flights out of its schedule of over 4,100, after scrapping more than 370 on Sunday, citing the effect of COVID-19 on crews and winter weather in Minneapolis, Seattle and Salt Lake City.

Travelers pass through Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

SkyWest, a regional airline based in Utah, said it had more cancellations than normal during the weekend and on Monday after bad weather affected several of its hubs and many crew members were out with COVID-19.

Industry analysts said new guidance from U.S. health officials could help airlines better navigate the impact of omicron on staffing levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday cut in half the recommended length of time a person should isolate after getting COVID-19 to five days.

Airlines had called on the Biden administration to shorten the quarantine period to alleviate staffing issues caused by omicron, although the union for flight attendants pushed back, saying the isolation period should remain 10 days.

"I definitely think that should help," Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth said of the CDC's new guidanceespecially if bad weather subsides.

An electronic sign advises travelers of the requirement ot wear a face covering at the United Airlines check-in counter in the terminal of Denver International Airport Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Denver. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19 to extend the nation's travel problems beyond Christmas. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Delta said it was working to implement the new guidance, which would allow the airline more flexibility to schedule employees.

Representatives for the flight attendants union, other airlines and the industry's trade group did not immediately respond or declined to comment on the CDC change.

Cancellations have snarled holidays that were already complicated this year with the rise of the omicron variant and escalating COVID-19 cases, which caused some to change their plans at the last minute.

But many other people kept their plans.

Transportation Security Administration data shows that the number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints so far during the holiday season went up significantly from last yearon some days double the number of fliers or even more. But the number is generally still short of 2019 levels.

Travelers queue up at the United American Airlines check-in kiosks in the terminal of Denver International Airport Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Denver. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19 to extend the nation's travel problems beyond Christmas. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Travelers pass through Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

An airport employee cleans the sides of a moving walkway at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Travelers queue up to pass through the south security checkpoint in the terminal of Denver International Airport Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Denver. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19 to extend the nation's travel problems beyond Christmas. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

A family returning home to Panama after spending a three-week holiday in the U.S. arrives at Miami International Airport ahead of their flight, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

A traveler makes her way through a check-in line at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Travelers make their way through Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Travelers wait in a check-in line at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Travelers walk through Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

A woman who arrived early for her flight waits at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

The TSA has predicted that the Monday after New Year's will be one of the busiest days of the holiday season. The CDC's new guidelines could help airlines better navigate the New Year's weekend rush as staffers who got infected are able to come back to work, Harteveldt said.

The U.S. government has issued new rules relating to COVID-19 and travel in recent months, requiring foreigners coming to the U.S. to be vaccinated. It also now requires a negative COVID-19 test for both U.S. citizens and foreigners within a day of flying into the country.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday that the nation should also seriously consider a vaccination mandate for domestic travel as another way to push people to get vaccinated.

The administration has at times considered a domestic vaccination requirement, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test. Such a requirement could face legal challenges.

Explore further Flight cancellations drag on as airlines short-staffed

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Inspired by the dexterity of a human hand, the NUS team has developed a hybrid robotic gripper which can be reconfigured on demand to pick and place a wide range of delicate food items. Credit: National University of Singapore

Inspired by the natural dexterity of the human hand, a team of engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has created a reconfigurable hybrid robotics system that is able to grip a variety of objects: from the small, soft and delicate to the large, heavy and bulky. This technology is expected to impact a range of industries, involving food assembly, vertical farming and fast-moving consumer goods packaging, which will progressively automate more of their operations in the coming years.

Led by Associate Professor Raye Yeow from the NUS Department of Biomedical Engineering and the NUS Advanced Robotics Centre, the hybrid robotic grippers use soft, flexible 3D-printed fingers with a reconfigurable gripper base. The robotic innovation is now in the process of being brought to commercial partners under the team's start-up RoPlus (RO+), comprising NUS researchers Low Jin Huat, Khin Phone May, Chen Chao-Yu and undergraduate student Han Qian Qian.

"An object's shape, texture, weight and size affect how we choose to grip them. This is one of the main reasons why many industries still heavily rely on human labor to package and handle delicate items," Assoc Prof Yeow said. "Our hybrid robotic gripper technology revolutionizes traditional pick-and-place tasks by offering advanced capabilities that allow robots to safely interact with delicate items of various shapes, sizes and stiffness, just like the human hand."

Bio-inspired gripping solutions

Gripping is one of the most common and natural tasks that people perform, but for robots, it is not as intuitive. To achieve human-like gripping abilities, robots need computer vision and deep learning to detect the type of objects in front of them as well as their orientation. The gripper can then automatically decide on how best to pick and place objects to minimize the necessity of intensive human intervention.

The 3D-printing method used to produce the soft robotic grippers is low-cost and offers flexibility in customising the actuator design, based on actual gripping requirements. Credit: National University of Singapore

With the aim of developing robotic grippers that are as dexterous as human hands, the NUS team came up with hybrid robotic grippers, consisting of three or four soft fingers, which can reconfigure on demand. The fingers are air-driven and equipped with a novel locking mechanism for adjustable stiffness. The NUS team has developed three types of hybrid robotic gripper systemsalmost like three different hands that are useful in different contexts.

The first is GourmetGrip, which is suitable for the most granular tasks like handling delicate bite-sized snacks, or food easily prone to damage like tofu, and packs them into take-out boxes. This soft-handed mode is reconfigurable so that it can accommodate different grip poses as well as a variety of space restrictions. When mounted on an industrial robotic arm, GourmetGrip can achieve pick-and-place of food items at a speed comparable to that of a human, and it can perform these tasks at a consistent pace round the clock. When benchmarked against other commercially available grippers, the GourmetGrip system is able to deliver about 23 percent improvement in gripping efficiency, with the ability to hold items faster and more precisely. To date, the GourmetGrip system can effectively pick up more than 50 different food items such as pudding, sliced cake, vegetables and fruits.

The second type of gripper is known as UnisoGrip, or Universal Soft Gripper, which is the team's more widely applicable solution. It is designed for handling packaged goods along the assembly line when they are usually at the final stage of being placed into boxes for shipping and transportation. It is capable of substantially expanding its grip range, and has soft rotatable gripper fingers for delicate grasping, as well as a vacuum suction cup that allows it to move more awkwardly positioned objects such as the corner of a tote bin.

Unlike GourmetGrip, which has a grip range similar to a human hand, the UnisoGrip is significantly larger and can handle items that are up to 30 centimeters wide and weigh up to three kilograms, so it is more versatile in handling a large variety of consumer goods. It also has a 20 percent higher gripping efficiency than other commercially available grippers. To date, the UnisoGrip system can pick up over 30 different types of consumer goods such as bottled drinks, coffee powder packs, refillable detergent packs, and more.

Credit: National University of Singapore

The third type of gripper is one that is fully customisable, based on the GourmetGrip/UnisoGrip platforms, to adapt to specific client needs and space constraints. This approach offers a wide variety of gripping options that can handle objects of different shapes, sizes and packaging materials. The NUS team's customisable technology has been deployed at People Bee Hoon Factory, a Singapore-based rice vermicelli manufacturer, for optimizing the packing of rice vermicelli packets into carton boxes.

Commenting on the company's decision to invest in the NUS technology, Mr Desmond Goh, Director of People Bee Hoon Factory said, "Most of our existing staff are mature workers, so we sought to tap on new technology that can ease the workload of our existing staff, while simultaneously boosting their productivity. We selected this technology because it is able to meet our purpose, and provides flexibility for different deployments that we require."
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The holiday season is a time of merriment and joy, a time to gather with friends and family, when we're encouraged to slow down and remember the simple things in life.

Ironically, it's also when we spend hours in a car, driving to the mall for the sales and to spend those Christmas vouchers.

When it comes to mall irony, though, few people have felt it as profoundly as the "father of the suburban mall", Victor Gruen, whose idealistic urban vision became the suburban reality we know today.

Gruen fled his native Vienna in 1938 after the rise of Nazism, eventually making his way to the United States. A trained architect, he was soon designing storefronts in New York.

But Gruen had a grander vision. He wanted to re-create in microcosm the walkable, diverse and liveable town centres he so loved in Vienna.

Part of his motivation was seeing how reliance on the automobile was affecting cities. In his classic book, Shopping Towns U.S., Gruen rails against the development of drive-by shopping centres focused on catering to passing motorists: "Suburban business real estate has often been evaluated on the basis of passing automobile traffic. This evaluation overlooks the fact that automobiles do not buy merchandise."

Driven to distraction

Gruen was determined to get people out of, and away from, cars. He didn't mince words in his dislike for automobiles, stating in a 1964 speech to the American Institute of Architects: "One technological event has swamped us. That is the advent of the rubber-wheeled vehicle. The private car, the truck, the trailer as means of mass transportation. And their threat to human life and health is just as great as that of the exposed sewer."

His first big attempt to get people out from behind the wheel and walking was Minnesota's Southdale Center, hailed as the world's first indoor shopping mall, part of an ambition to create a pedestrian-centred liveable community.

The original plan was for commerce to be broken up by numerous attractions like aviaries, fountains and works of art. The mall itself would be surrounded by residences, offices, medical facilities, schools and everything that made a community.

The mall was inward-looking, not to keep people focused on spending but to shelter pedestrians from cars and away from their fumes and noise.

Here's the first painful irony, then. Rather than developing the new mixed-use centre envisioned by Gruen, the only thing built was the mall and car parks. The grand vision was reduced to a monoculture of big shopping brands surrounded by massive car parks, all accessible only by automobile.

What was meant as a refuge from the quickly dominating car culture instead became a shrine to automobilia.

Triumph of commerce

Irony struck again when many of Gruen's original plans for interesting features in the mall were whittled away to make room for more stores and merchandise. As the original floor plan became more chaotic and stuffed with goods to buy, shoppers became confused, forgetting their intentions and dropping their spending inhibitions.

Developers and economists found that disorienting shoppers and presenting them with lots of things to buy resulted in much higher revenue. Though Gruen had planned for an efficient mall experience and despised the blatant money grab, the phenomenon was named after him. It's now known as the Gruen Transfer.

Gruen was disgusted by what suburban malls became and their impact on downtowns. He eventually disavowed malls and became involved in the US urban renewal movement to try to revitalise urban centres.

But he returned to the idea of the mall, creating a pedestrian-oriented redevelopment plan for Fort Worth, Texas, and several pedestrian-only corridors in cities across the US. By this time, Gruen had acquiesced to the idea that cars were likely the future for citiesmost residents lived outside the CBD and needed to drive into downtowns.

His idea was to mitigate the impact of cars by planning for ring highways rather than bisecting dense urban developments with massive roads. He planned to use the highways in the way he'd first envisaged the mall, as a buffer between cars and people on foot.

Return to Vienna

Irony struck again. Gruen's plans for Fort Worth were set aside. His plans to push cars out of downtowns largely failed. Urban renewal plans instead razed entire blocks of organic development for nondescript big-box stores and massive urban highways.

Worst yet, urban renewal became synonymous with the destruction of whole inner-city neighbourhoods to accommodate the car. Despite Gruen's hopes and plans for the revitalisation of downtowns, many of the projects he was involved in led to a further decline in urban centres.

In 1964, Gruen lamented what had become of urban renewal, writing that many cities "have misinterpreted the aims of urban renewal legislation by demolishing whole districts and by replacing lively environments, which could have been rehabilitated, with sterile, inhuman and poorly planned projects."

Gruen perhaps saw the writing on the wall. His hopes of recreating Vienna had been dashed, so he returned to his hometown in the final decade of his life. Irony dealt him a final blow. Austria's first and largest mallShopping City Sudwas already under construction just outside the old Vienna town centre.

While Gruen's story is full of cruel twists, it's not without the possibility of redemption. As malls across the globe die, many are being reborn as "lifestyle centres". These reimagined malls bring back the elements lost from Gruen's original plans, adding people and services to once desolate shopping zones.

Alas, the impacts of recessions and a pandemic have slowed grand plans for mall revitalisation. So it remains to be seen whether, in the end, Gruen's is a redemption storyor whether irony remains his legacy.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Brazos County health officials reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 among county residents Tuesday.

The number of active cases in Brazos County rose from 322 to 378 over the holiday weekend. Health officials said 557 cases of the virus reported by health care systems and testing centers were awaiting confirmation Tuesday. The 143 new cases is the largest amount since Oct. 6.

Brazos County officials have confirmed 33,990 cases of COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Officials with the Brazos County Health District said 33,244 cases were considered recovered as of Tuesday; health officials classify all cases older than two weeks as recovered.

Seventeen Brazos County residents were hospitalized Tuesday for treatment of symptoms related to the virus, officials said.

The percentage of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the states Trauma Service Area N  Brazos County and six surrounding counties  was 5.2% on Sunday, the last date for which figures were reported. Other counties in the Brazos Valley region are Burleson, Robertson, Grimes, Madison, Washington and Leon.
Over the course of a week earlier this month, third grade bilingual students at Kemp-Carver Elementary School in Bryan raised $450 for a fellow Cub and her family.

Fourth grader Rhaniyah Moore was in a Houston hospital for multiple weeks to treat a heart condition, which included undergoing a lengthy surgery and multiple follow-up procedures, said Alison Boggan, the schools principal.

When Boggan learned of Rhaniyahs heart condition, she invited members of the school community to help the family however they felt they could. Third grade bilingual teachers Maria Hurtado and Maria Vega decided to use it as a project to help teach philanthropy, one of the character traits in the Bryan school districts Essential Eight program.

It was exciting for them, and exciting to see them so excited to give, Vega said. Most students are like Oh what am I going to get? But, no, they were excited to give to somebody and to know that they were helping somebody. It was neat, and now that we actually gave the money to the little girl, they were even more excited to actually see it happen.
Anthony Alvarado called it surreal to have traveled to, among other places, Jamaica, New York, Florida and throughout Texas with his son to play shows.

Weve been all over the world with him already, and he just turned 13, he said.

When Anthony Alvarado travels, he does so as more than a dad. He serves as his sons drummer.

Kane Alvarado said it is fun to have his dad in the band with him.

I dont know how to describe it, Kane Alvarado said. Its just a really nice feeling knowing that we see each other every day. We work together. Its really nice.

Cheri Alvarado said that makes the shows and trips even more special.

I look at them and like they dont even speak, but yet theyre speaking, she said. Its like theyre in sync with each other, but seeing them  my husband and then my son  together playing, its just that more special because thats really rare.

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She and their daughter, Sydni, have gotten to hear the development of Kane Alvarados sound as he and his dad have worked on writing music and studying music on a deeper level during the pandemic.
They can move anywhere they want, the Canadian filmmaker said of his actors in a 2014 interview with The Associated Press. Its giving the importance to storytelling, emotion, characters. I try not to interfere too much. I dont need to cut performances. Often, the cinematographer and I were like, This location sucks. Its not very nice. But, hey, thats life.

He re-teamed with Witherspoon to direct the first season of Big Little Lies in 2017, and directed Adams in 2018s Sharp Objects, also for HBO. Vallee won DGA awards for both.

I will always remember you as the sun goes down," Witherspoon wrote on Instagram along with a series of photos of the director. "Chasing the light. On a mountain in Oregon. On a beach in Monterey. Making sure we all caught a little magic in this lifetime. I love you, Jean Marc. Until we meet again.

Her Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern on Instagram called Vallee a beloved friend who was one of our great and purest artists and dreamers.
Researchers have discovered a new Android banking malware that targets Brazil's Itau Unibanco with the help of lookalike Google Play Store pages to carry out fraudulent financial transactions on victim devices without their knowledge.

"This application has a similar icon and name that could trick users into thinking it is a legitimate app related to Itau Unibanco," Cyble researchers said in a report published last week. "The [threat actor] has created a fake Google Play Store page and hosted the malware that targets Itau Unibanco on it under the name 'sincronizador.apk.'"

The tactic of leveraging fake app store pages as a lure is not new. In March, Meta (previously Facebook) disclosed details of an attack campaign that used its platform as part of a broader operation to spy on Uyghur Muslims using rogue third-party websites that used replica domains for popular news portals and websites designed to resemble third-party Android app stores, where attackers put fake keyboard, prayer, and dictionary apps that might appeal to the targets.

In the latest instance observed by Cyble, the fake URL not only impersonates the official Android app marketplace, but also hosts the malware-laced Itau Unibanco application, in addition to claiming that the app has had 1,895,897 downloads.

Users who install and launch the imposter app from the supposed Google Play Store page are subsequently prompted to enable accessibility services as well as other intrusive permissions that allow the malware to access notifications, retrieve window content, and perform tap and swipe gestures.

The goal of the trojan, per the researchers, is to perform fraudulent financial transactions on the legitimate Itau Unibanco application by tampering with the user's input fields, joining a long list of banking malware that abuse the accessibility API. Google, for its part, has begun imposing new limitations to restrict the use of such permissions that allow apps to capture sensitive information from Android devices.

This is far from the first time the Sao Paulo-based financial services company has come under the radar of financially-motivated threat groups. Earlier this April, ESET revealed a new banking trojan dubbed Janeleiro that was observed striking corporate users in Brazil at least since 2019 across various sectors such as engineering, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, finance, transportation, and government.

"Threat Actors constantly adapt their methods to avoid detection and find new ways to target users through increasingly sophisticated techniques. Such malicious applications often masquerade as legitimate applications to trick users into installing them," the researchers said.

"Users should install applications only after verifying their authenticity and install them exclusively from the official Google Play Store and other trusted portals to avoid such attacks."
Grand Island police arrested one man and are searching for another after three shots were fired in the area of 21st and Sycamore streets on Christmas night.

The shots were fired in an alley at about 9:30 p.m. According to a witness, the person who fired the shots ran to a nearby vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner. The suspect entered the passenger side of the vehicle, which then fled.

The witness who heard the shots then followed the 4Runner while officers were responding.

We were able to find the vehicle as it pulled over to the side of the road. The passenger fled the scene on foot, said Capt. Dean Elliott of the Grand Island Police Department.

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The driver, Cristian Echeverria, 23, of Grand Island, was taken into custody for driving during suspension, but not for firing the weapon.

Police didn't find any damage caused by the shot, but did find shell casings. The investigation continues.

A police canine, searching the path where the suspect took off on foot, found a sweatshirt with an ID card in it and a weapon.

Police are working to find that person.
In 2019, the CCPE gave UNK an opportunity to try to increase the amount of students majoring in philosophy.

If we could made dramatic enough improvement and could show its working toward that average of seven and the major numbers are increasing, etc., they would allow the program to continue, Teten said.

In order to attract more students to the philosophy program a scholarship program was established, the website received an update and students were encouraged to consider the course of study. But the major has not been able to bring in the numbers needed for the CCPEs standards. In order to avoid being shut down by the CCPE, UNK made the decision to eliminate the program for now.

We are always attempting to be completely abreast of where our classes are and where the majors are and where the student need is so we want to be proactive in making sure we can handle those situations as well.  Knowing they had not reached that benchmark, the decision was made through the senior vice chancellor and the chancellor, etc., to look at discontinuing it as a major, Teten said.
There have been no recent COVID deaths.

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As of Monday, 27% of all COVID-19 tests in the district were positive, compared to 37% on Nov. 12 and 44% on Nov. 17.

The number of cases per 100,000 people as of Monday was 192.5, compared to 301 on Nov. 12, 286.9 on Nov. 17 and 257.5 on Dec. 1.

CDHD continues to stress the importance of a layered approach of prevention. In addition to being fully vaccinated, protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19 over the holidays by using these layers of protection:

- Stay home and away from other household members if you are sick.

- Get tested if you have symptoms.

- Wear a mask when you are inside and/or close to strangers.

- Wash your hands often.

- If youve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, get tested before being around others.

Both COVID-19 testing and vaccinations resumed at CDHD on Monday. Nomi Health offers both rapid antigen testing with results in an hour for those with symptoms of COVID-19, and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests (results available in 24 to 36 hours).

CDHD will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots following the Christmas holiday break. For more information log on to www.cdhd.ne.gov or call 308-385-5175.
The real subject, many critics said, was paint and the act of painting itself: the shimmering color and sensuous texture of the thickly applied paint.

He laid on the paint so heavily that he often carved his signature into the painting instead of putting it on with the brush.

The oil paint is made to look like meringue, said Marla Prather, a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art New York who helped organize a 2001 retrospective of the artists work. And with the cakes, you get this great sense of texture with the frosting. You just want to step close and lick it.

Many of his painted images were outlined in neon pinks and blues that made the objects appear to glow. Shadows were often a rich blue.

Its joyful, while a lot of modern art is angst-ridden, Prather said in a 2001 Associated Press interview.

Thiebaud told PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in 2000 that the subject of food was fun and humorous, and thats dangerous in the art world, I think. Its a world that takes itself very seriously, and of course, it is a serious enterprise, but I think also theres room for wit and humor because humor gives us, I think, a sense of perspective.
YORK  Justin Christie, 22, of Gresham appeared for sentencing this past week in York County District Court in a case in which he was initially accused of his fourth offense of driving under the influence in a 9-month period.

Presiding over Christies sentencing proceedings was Judge James Stecker.

According to court documents, a deputy with the York County Sheriffs Department was on regular duty on Highway 69 when he saw Christie drive onto the shoulder of the highway.

A traffic stop was initiated and the deputy says in his affidavit he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle.

It was determined that Christie had a revoked drivers license.

According to court documents, a preliminary breath test was administered and it indicated a blood alcohol level over the legal limit.

The deputy noted that Christies criminal history includes convictions of driving under the influence on May 20, 2020; Sept. 9, 2020; and Oct. 21, 2020.

The initial charge against Christie was a Class 2A felony, which carried a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison upon conviction.
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.
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The state plans to ramp up staffing and assistance to local health departments to increase the availability of COVID vaccines, booster shots and testing in Illinois.

The move comes as the state has the highest surge of COVID cases since the pandemic started.

Only eight ICU beds are available in all of Region 5, which includes a large portion of Southern Illinois, according to IDPH. Statewide metrics show that 77% of hospital beds are occupied leaving only 23% available.

In all, 404 ICU beds are open and 2,561 are in use.

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer in a press conference Monday announced the response after a wave of new cases attributed to the omicron variant. The changes include expanding the states Community-Based Testing Sites from operating four days a week to six. That includes the one at the Interstate Center in Bloomington, which will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Jan. 3.

More than 100 workers will be sent to regional vaccination sites.

Local healthcare officials say the help is essential and will fill gaps as they arise.

Bart Hagston, administrator of the Jackson County Health Department, said extra resources and staffing from the state for vaccination and testing during this time will only help.

We are currently seeing a rapid increase in new cases, and experts predict this increase to last for one or more months, Hagston said. More cases impact healthcare providers from both the patient side and the staffing side. More patients will need care, but fewer providers may be available due to illness. Outside staffing resources can help fill that gap.

Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital President Colleen Kannaday joined the governor virtually to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Ive heard many people say that theyre healthy, I want to ask you at this time to please think of your neighbor, she said.  Please think of your neighbors because this could be their child.

The state is seeing an average of 500 new hospital admissions a day, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said. The number is double from roughly a month ago.

As of Dec. 23, the last data entry on IDPHs website, Region 5 reported 340 new positive cases of COVID-19, an increase of 7% in daily test positivity.

According to the Jackson County Health Department, on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26 combined, there were 88 cases bringing the county to 389 active cases.

Overall, there have been 9,193 cases in the county to date, with 115 related deaths, and 8,689 individuals have been released from isolation

There have been 177 omicron cases since the variant was detected in Illinois within the last few weeks, according to the state data. The variant arrived in the U.S. around Thanksgiving and is now the dominant coronavirus strain, although data suggests a higher rate of transmission hasnt led to more hospitalizations or deaths.

Hagston said while he doesn't know of any omicron cases in the county yet, he has no doubt it has already crept its way into the region.

I have no doubt cases of this new variant are present throughout the region, based upon it being previously detected elsewhere in the region, the rapidity of this variants transmission, and based upon reporting by SIH last week on 'S gene dropout' in some of their specimens, Hagston said.

The McLean County Health Department was closed on Monday, so no new county numbers were available. The department plans to resume updates on Tuesday.

The state will be providing surge staffing to local health departments and hospitals to help with vaccination, testing and care efforts, Pritzker said. That includes using the states existing contracts of surge health care staffing. There is also the possibility of utilizing U.S. Army medical personnel, something that has been done in other states but not so far in Illinois.

Hospital administrators from across the state joined the governor and Ezike, either in person in Chicago or virtually. All said they were seeing a surge of cases and hospitalizations in their systems and a continued emotional toll on health care workers.

Kannaday hopes the strength of Central Illinois communities will help encourage people to get vaccinated to keep their neighbors safe, she said.

The rise in COVID cases has state health experts worried. The increase means that there is less space and staff for those who come to the hospital for non-COVID reasons.

Every single event being held during this holiday season, will have one or two uninvited, unwanted guests: delta and or omicron. One or both could be there, she said. "I'm not saying this to scare. I'm just saying this for people to be aware, but how we entertain that guest depends on us."

Said Pritzker: If we are forced to move to a crisis standard of care in our hospitals, it will be because massive numbers of unvaccinated people chose to let others go without quality care, (and) even more people will die. If you are choosing not to be vaccinated for some non-medical reason, please change your mind.

While early data from outside the state suggests the omicron variant may tend to cause less severe illness, that is not a reason to not take steps against contracting it or spreading it, Ezike said.

Lets try to prevent that hospitalization in the first place, whether its a mild one or a severe one, she said.

The Jackson County Health Department is providing COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters and pediatric doses, Monday through Friday by appointment. The CDC recommends Pfizer or Moderna booster for everyone ages 16 or older so long as it has been 6 months since the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or 2 months since a single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

To schedule an appointment please visitwww.jchdonline.org or call 618-684-3143.

The Chicago Tribune and Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Take a look at a readers selected list of Southern Illinois restaurants that may no longer in business, but are dearly missed.
As a mother of two teenage daughters who spent her days juggling family responsibilities with her job as a flight attendant, Chicago resident Corliss King had no time in her busy schedule for political activism.

But after an arcane federal labor law allowed her employer, Southwest Airlines, to deny Kings request for paid sick leave to care for her critically ill husband, she was propelled to action to ensure the more than 30,000 aviation workers in Illinois like herself would have access to employer-provided sick leave to care for ill or injured loved ones.

It didnt make sense, and I was frustrated that no one could give me an answer as to why airline employees were excluded from the state law, said King, who this month celebrated a bittersweet victory when the Illinois Sick Leave Act for Aviation Workers was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

While Kings husband, Terrance Hale, died in April 2020 after a battle with renal disease, she said the passage of the new law this month honors her late husbands legacy.

It is an incredible gift to be able to give back, despite my grief, knowing Terrances life provided something good for so many families, King said.

Kings crusade began in 2017, when she received a letter from Southwest alerting her that a new law was passed in Illinois allowing paid sick time to be taken to care for family members.

I remember feeling excited that I was finally going to have some type of financial relief, recalled King, who said after her husband became critically ill, she was the family of fours sole breadwinner.

But then within 12 days, I got another notice telling me that airline workers were excluded from the Illinois law, and at that point, it just didnt make sense to me, King said.

Im a rule follower, but no one could explain why we were excluded, so it felt like someone had stolen something from me  I was working side by side on flights with co-workers from other states who had that right, and I thought to myself, thats just not fair, she said.

Kings growing frustration with the law unfolded alongside her husbands worsening condition, which required her to accompany the former owner of a security company and martial arts instructor to his frequent dialysis treatments and other medical appointments.

Southwest was really good about letting me take the days off, but I was not getting paid, and by that point, I was the primary wage earner responsible for paying our familys bills, and also caring for a sick spouse, King said.

It would take four years and frequent trips to Springfield to plead with lawmakers before Kings goal of extending the states paid sick leave to airline employees neared the finish line, said Illinois state Sen. Michael Hastings, a suburban Chicago Democrat who wrote the original bill.

The Frankfort lawmaker, who learned of Kings quest from a mutual friend, said he was immediately drawn to the cause.

To me, its a no-brainer.  Excluding aviation workers from paid sick leave was just plain stupid, said Hastings, who said three weeks after meeting King, she phoned his office and told him her husband had died.

When we first started, I told Corliss, you guys have no idea what youre up against  Its the equivalent of the Bad News Bears playing the New York Yankees, Hastings said.

Despite the arrival of what Hastings described as a contingent of highly paid lobbyists hired by the airline industry flying to Springfield from Washington aiming to block the move, King remained undeterred.

Opponents invoked the national Railway Labor Act to argue against including aviation employees in the states paid sick leave law. The federal law, which was enacted in 1926 and later amended to include airlines, was intended to avoid any interruption of interstate commerce by providing for the prompt disposition of disputes between carriers and their employees and protects the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively, according to the Department of Transportation website.

But Hastings said the original intent of the law was to prevent mass disruptions to the U.S. economy, not to quash the health and welfare rights of employees in a particular state, Hastings said.

Hastings advised King and her fellow members of Transport Workers Union Local 556 to make their presence known in Springfield by arriving in their uniforms and speaking directly to lawmakers as they arrived at the state capitol.

The legislation passed the Illinois Senate in the spring but stalled in the House. Hastings and fellow Sen. Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat, moved to have the airline workers legislation bundled into the transportation omnibus bill, which passed in late October. Pritzker signed the bill into law Dec. 10.

This needed legislation brought to our attention by Corliss is for the greater good of the aviation workers in Illinois, but it sets a precedent, too, Hastings said.

The passage of the Illinois Sick Leave Act for Aviation Workers is the result of a multi-year fight led by union members, including King, a 2nd vice president for the TWU, and extends the rights included in the Illinois Sick Leave Act of 2017 to cover workers in the airline industry, including flight attendants, pilots, ramp workers, airline mechanics, and other airline workers who were previously excluded from the 2017 bill, union officials said in a statement.

The Illinois Sick Leave Act for Aviation Workers ensures that more than 30,000 aviation workers in Illinois will have the right to use employer-provided sick leave to care for an ill or injured child, spouse, sibling, parent, or grandparent  correcting the error of the 2017 bill and restoring fairness and equity to airline workers and their families, TWU officials said.

Southwest Airlines spokesman Dan Landson said in a statement that the carrier already provides its employees, including Flight Attendants, with extremely generous sick, family, and medical leave  in many cases far exceeding what is required under applicable laws. He added that the new law requires employers who provide sick leave allow their employees to use one-half of that sick leave to care for family members, under the same terms that normally apply to the use of sick leave under company policy.

The Act simply expands the ability of Southwests Illinois-based employees to use sick leave for certain family members. Given that the Act specifically allows employers to apply normal sick leave policies, Southwest does not anticipate a significant impact to its operations, he added.

Illinois is the latest of a growing number of states that have passed legislation upholding paid sick leave for aviation employees, said Hastings, who says the passage of the new legislation means employees in all industries, including the railway, are now covered by the states sick leave legislation.

A Pritzker spokesperson said in a statement the legislation is critical and allows aviation workers to use the sick leave they have earned to care for their loved ones  a benefit workers across the state need now more than ever.

For King, who said she is looking forward to celebrating Kwanzaa with her daughters, Nayla Hale, 22, and Adarah Hale, 20, the governors signing of the legislation she advocated for years is cause for celebration and reflection.

When I first arrived in Springfield, I felt like everyone in the room was playing chess, and here I am, with a checkerboard under my arm, King said.

But when my husband passed away in April of 2020, I thought to myself, they dont know what theyre up against, she said, adding: I remember Terrance calling me and saying, Im so proud of you! And I thought about that every single time I went to Springfield, and it made me more determined than ever.

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For eight years, Orangeburg City Councilman Jerry Hannah has created an outdoor Kwanzaa display at his business during the week following Christmas.

No one has stolen anything from his display until this year, Hannah said.

Hannah owns Goldsteins on Russell, located at 101 Dorchester Street.

On Monday, as he reviewed surveillance camera footage at the business, he discovered that someone on a bike appeared to be taking the candles from the display at 7:49 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Its humorous, but its criminal, he said.

When Hannah noticed that the candles, which stood about nine inches tall and were in glass holders, were missing, he felt disappointed, he said.

Its disappointing. Its like having a snowman and it not having eyes or having a bike and taking the air out of the tires, he said.

Its just heartless and senseless. If you see a cross, you let the cross stay there. It has significance to somebody, he added.

These candles, this Kwanzaa, this kinara, has lots of significance. Its not a kinara without the candles, he said.

The kinara is a special candle holder for all of the Kwanzaa candles, which include three red, three green and one black.

The candles represent the seven Kwanzaa principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday celebrating history, values, family, community and culture. The holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga.

Hannah said hes offering a $500 reward if anyone provides a tip that results in the arrest of the person responsible for taking the Kwanzaa candles from outside of his business on Saturday night.

To report tips, call the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office at 803-531-4647.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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DENMARK  Rusty Munoz, accountant for the City of Denmark, during a December teleconference meeting of city council mentioned the city has received approximately $700,000 in American Rescue Plan funds and has spent $112,805.60 of the funds so far.

No itemized list was available in the budget of how these funds had been spent nor was it discussed.

Councilwoman Hope Long Weldon stated council should have a meeting soon about how these funds are being spent. Mayor Gerald Wright said that they would need to get through the upcoming holidays before meeting.

Wright said, We will plan to meet the second week in January (for a budget meeting) to discuss the American Rescue funds and their usage. It will be announced.

It will be at a consensus or a time convenient for council, he added. He said he would confer with council either before and/or after the upcoming holidays about a good day and time.

Wright also stated that by the next council meeting that they should have council assignments for committees ready.

Police Chief Leroy Grimes stated in his report that they had a recent break-in at Daniels Pharmacy.

He was a homeless man from out of town. We caught him just as he broke in the front door, Grimes added.

Grimes also said he and the entire department went down to Denmark-Olar High School during the recent alleged nationwide TikTok scare in which students were allegedly being asked by a TikTok user to shoot individuals at their schools.

We stayed at the school at least three or four hours because of these concerns, Grimes said.

Weldon asked Grimes if they were going to be hiring a school resource officer.

Grimes said he is working on building up his department and then will work on hiring a SRO.

City Administrator Heyward Robinson said the work on renovating the old city hall building for a new police department continues.

We have advertised for a construction manager to assist in estimating the cost of renovations. The goal is to renovate without exceeding the $400,000 as provided by the Capital Sales Act, Robinson added.

Robinson next stated work on the new fire truck is continuing.

The manufacturer has concerns with the supply chain, and the contract has been extended by the Department of Commerce. We expect to have a completed fire truck by the end of 2022, Robinson added.

In other business:

Councilman Calvin Odom stated that MUSC and Family Health Centers are partnering together with the City of Denmark to have a vaccination event Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the depot. We will provide tables, chairs, and the facility, Odom added and mentioned that vaccination numbers are not where they would like them to be in the area. He said at the event there will be a DJ and food available as part of the funding. Odom had met last month with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control at the Brooker Center to discuss promoting COVID-19 vaccination. Weldon next mentioned that a booster can be obtained from CVS in the city during the day without an appointment.

Grimes also reported that he had 43 new cases in his department, including simple assault, aggravated assault, burglary, domestic violence, vandalism of property, motor vehicle theft, trespass of real property, disorderly conduct, driving under suspension, traffic collision and more.

Municipal Judge James Spellman will be holding court next on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, at 10 a.m.

Robinson gave the Public Works report and stated they repaired 12 water leaks in town and are in the process of flow testing all fire hydrants in accordance with DHEC regulations.

Robinson said the Denmark Fire Department had 30 total fire calls during the month.

According to minutes from the November meeting, Councilwoman Bervay Carter made a motion to give second reading to adopt a revised business license ordinance in accordance with the Business License Standardization Act. The motion was seconded by Odom, the vote was unanimous and the motion passed. Carter also made a motion to give second reading on a proposal to rezone property from R-1 to R-2. The motion was seconded by Odom. This vote was also unanimous, and the motion passed.

Also in November, there was discussion about litter and the need for cameras to be installed to catch litterers. Grimes stated the cameras were already installed.

Laura McKenzie of Keep Bamberg Beautiful called in to the November teleconference, according to minutes, and thanked the 131 volunteers who helped pick up trash during a cleanup event throughout Bamberg County.

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The Regional Medical Center faced another challenging year in 2021 as it continued to deal with the coronavirus and its impact on hospital finances. But federal funds helped.

It was a difficult year for the hospital, RMC Board Chair the Rev. Dr. Caesar Richburg said.

This (fiscal) year has continued to be challenging for the RMC for a variety of reasons. COVID is still very prevalent, so TRMC is managing that as well as really can be expected, he said.

Even so, Richburg says RMC is focused on the future.

We are very proud of our vision. We are certainly very proud of our strategies that are really being executed for sustainability for our beloved institution and for our beloved community and that is how we picture things at this moment, he said.

Like many hospitals throughout the state and nation, RMC has seen its revenues fall as patients delay non-emergency care because of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, employee pay, pharmacy supplies and other costs have all increased due to COVID.

The hospital and its six primary care practices ended the 2020-2021 fiscal year with $34 million less in cash due to COVID. The hospital's fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

COVID-19 hit the hospital in many different forms, both from an inpatient census, outpatient census, outpatient revenue, the emergency department and also surgery, President and Chief Executive Officer David M. Southerland said during an October board meeting.

All those areas throughout the course of 2021 with COVID-19 were impacted because of a loss of volume, he said.

According to the cash flow statement for RMC and its Edisto Regional Health Services, it had $53 million in cash and cash equivalents in September 2020. ERHS includes RMCs six primary care practices.

At the end of September 2021, the hospital had $18.9 million in cash and cash equivalents.

For 2020-2021, RMC and its six primary care practices were $8.7 million in the red.

If not for the $13.9 million in COVID relief, the hospital system would have seen a loss of $23.6 million for the year.

Operating revenues for the hospital system for the year were down about $6.2 million from budget while operating expenses for the year were about $13.2 million over budget.

During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the hospital system ended up the year $7.7 million in the red.

The challenges continued into the new fiscal year, but the hospital has received significant help from the federal government.

The hospital has received several allocations of COVID relief since the pandemic began in March 2020.

RMC received a total of $26.6 million 2020. All of this money was spent in 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Last month, the RMC received round four of COVID relief of about $7.7 million.

The funds were provided based on providers' lost revenues and expenditures between July 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The hospital did see an increase in its cash position for the month of November thanks to the $7.7 million in COVID relief.

In mid-December, the RMC received an additional $3 million of COVID relief.

In total, the RMC has received $37,401,124.70 in COVID funding since the pandemic began.

Richburg says the hospitals board and senior leadership team are committed to meeting budget expectations.

We have budgeted a loss for the first couple of months. The reason for that is it would allow us time to execute on our very aggressive initiatives for the institution, he said.

The hospitals net revenue is better than expected at this time, he said.

Our goal is to mitigate further volume loss and to continue to evaluate each of our service lines and bring back to our beloved community those areas that will serve our patients and at the same time provide healthy and positive financial results for the institution, he said.

Richburg said the impact of COVID has gone beyond a financial impact.

Frankly, our team is tired. However, they continue to persevere, he said. The pandemic has caused fatigue with the staffing shortages and COVID variants coming to the surface.

The senior leadership constantly strives to improve morale. Efforts have included providing treats and snacks for employees, as well as offering a food truck option.

The food truck donated 150 meals for the first 150 employees who arrived, Richburg said.

Richburg said the hospital is in the process of looking to provide percutaneous coronary intervention services, and expanding outpatient neurology and outpatient behavioral services.

In 2022, the hospital will continue to focus on our growth strategies and to aggressively focus on our quality and reputation perception, he said.

New CEO

RMC also welcomed Southerland as its new president and CEO in early May. Southerland is only the fourth president the hospital has had in the last half century.

Southerland has some connections to South Carolina.

He received his bachelor's degree from Clemson University. He once worked at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill as chief operating officer and senior vice president.

After Clemson, Southerland received a masters degree in health care administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and a masters degree in management from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Prior to his arrival in Orangeburg, Southerland served as the area vice president and chief operating officer of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital in California.

Southerland targeted a number of goals upon his arrival in May.

During a May interview, Southerland said he would focus on re-engaging doctors, increasing the volume of patients and convincing the community to come back to the hospital after COVID.

Southerland said treating a large number of indigent patients is always a challenge.

I think what we have to do is look at all the opportunities we have either through the insurance programs, through Medicaid, through not-for-profit agencies that can help with us, he said in May.

Southerland also expressed his desire to focus on doctor recruitment and improving the health care outcomes as reported by organizations such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

We have had some low quality scores in the past and we will work on some action plans to get those in place, Southerland said during the spring of 2021. That will take coordination with the medical staff. It is a big picture ... team effort where a lot of people will be involved.

This fall, RMC once again received an F from the national hospital safety watchdog group Leapfrog.

It was the only hospital in the state to receive an F. The hospital had received a D in the spring of 2021.

Southerland blamed the grade on Leapfrog's revision of its scoring methodology.

The American Hospital Association has long been critical of the Leapfrog survey, describing it as biased, unreliable and error-filled. Leapfrog has defended its analysis and data.

Richburg said despite the challenges, Southerland and his team are doing as well as can be expected.

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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.

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 devil is in the details, and for the seabird known as the little devil, one significant detail  a consensus on its geographic marine range  has long proven difficult to pin down.

But in a recent paper, Clemson University scientists suggested the marine range of the globally endangered species with the nefarious nickname be modified after the birds were observed throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico during a series of at-sea surveys.

The black-capped petrel, known on Hispaniola as diablotin or little devil because of its eerie call and the sound produced by air moving over its wings during nocturnal flights, is endemic to the western north Atlantic region  or above the equator on the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean  and the only known breeding sites are at a few locations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Due to limited data, however, there is currently no consensus on the geographic marine range of the species and none of the currently proposed ranges included the Gulf of Mexico  until Clemsons recent publication.

Clemson Professor Patrick Jodice, leader of the S.C. Cooperative Research Unit, said, in general, marine birds tend to be less well studied and less understood than other groups of wildlife due to the difficulty of working in a marine environment and the birds often being hundreds or thousands of miles out to sea.

The advancement of technology has allowed us to track birds in a way we havent been able to before; there are a lot of marine birds for which the ranges are being reimagined or revised, Jodice said. Black-capped petrels have turned out to be one of those.

Thats due in large part to vessel-based survey efforts throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico from 20102011 and 20172019. Across 558 days and almost 34,000 miles of surveys, 40 black-capped petrels were tallied. While most observations occurred in the eastern Gulf, birds were observed over much of the eastwest and northsouth footprint of the survey area.

The recent surveys were supported by the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species, which aims to provide information to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for regulatory needs, as well as other agencies and stakeholders involved in effective management and conservation of Gulf protected species. The earlier surveys were conducted as part of the Deepwater Horizon response effort.

After the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy were used in predictive models to delimit the geographic range of the species within the northern Gulf, Jodice and his team suggested in publishing their findings that the marine range for black-capped petrels be modified to include the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Clemson Post-Doctoral Research Associate Pamela Michael, one of the papers co-authors, said revising the range of an endangered species helps understand the potential threats it could encounter while at sea.

Improving the understanding of the areas where black-capped petrel occurs can also help identify opportunities to protect this species, including creating collaborations with local communities, researchers, managers and other organizations concerned with the persistence of this unique species, Michael said. Even with species that are easy to see, it can be challenging to understand where they may go in a day, month or year. This challenge can be even greater when studying a species that can travel great distances  and not leave footprints.

Black-capped petrels nest relatively high in the mountains. And while many think of Hispaniola, as with the Caribbean in general, as filled with sandy beaches and clear water, it also contains extreme elevations  such as Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic, which rises to over 10,000 feet above sea level.

They nest high up in pine forests on Hispaniola. When I was there a couple years ago, we were up at 7,000 feet and theyre in these high-elevation forests, down in these ravines, and they nest in burrows that they excavate or natural holes that they find, Jodice said. So, youre walking around a forest floor where youre literally crawling under vegetation because its so dense in places and youre looking for a (small) hole that a bird might be in. They come into the nest at night, so theyre not easy to see, and they dont make any noise when they come in for the most part.

Still, only about 100 black-capped petrel nests have been located at two sites in Haiti and three sites in the Dominican Republic. And while there is some evidence the species may be breeding in other places such as Cuba and Dominica, that has yet to be confirmed.

The species was believed extinct until the mid-1960s when nests were found on Hispaniola. Only about 100 black-capped petrel nests have been located in the ensuing 50-plus years.

To be honest, its still a big deal when we find a nest, Jodice said.

Thus, much of the focus from a conservation standpoint has been on land  finding nests and protecting those nests  since the nests are subject to human influence such as deforestation and losing an adult in a nest means losing significant reproductive potential for the species.

But following seafaring surveys done in the Atlantic in the 1980s and continuing into the 1990s and 2000s, it was determined that the core of the black-capped petrels marine range was the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic Ocean.

Through the whole process of nesting, from incubation through rearing a chick, the birds make regular trips to sea to forage, and conventional wisdom among scientists suggested they were going back and forth between Hispaniola and the Gulf Stream off the coast of North Carolina. Other research conducted by Jodices lab showed that they also were frequenting waters of the Caribbean Sea while raising their chicks.

But while the Gulf of Mexico was considered an area where the birds would occasionally visit or wander  as seabirds are wont to do  their presence was believed to be uncommon.

It was like, Yeah, you might see them there, but I wouldnt bet on it, Jodice said.

What the research published by Jodice and his team showed, however, was that the species can be found in the Gulf on a regular basis and occurs throughout its entire east-west footprint. The surveys were restricted to the northern half of the Gulf, the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where the U.S. has jurisdiction over natural resources.

Through the surveys we did in 2017-19, we saw enough petrels to think, Theres something going on here. Theyre here more regularly than we thought; theyre spread out more than we thought, Jodice said. Then we went back and looked at the surveys from 2010-11 when a colleague was doing surveys during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I think he found eight or nine petrels during those surveys, and he said, I wasnt sure what to make of those, but now that weve got these three years of data  these fit right in. Its kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. Now it made sense.

Michaels role was designing and running the statistical analyses that contributed to the revised range description. These models aim to improve the understanding of where species go and what habitats they use.

It can also be nerve-wracking because I know that people and agencies will look at our results and potentially use them to make important decisions, she said. This is where my favorite part of research comes in: co-workers and collaborators. The work that produced the revised range of this species was the synergy of the knowledge and experiences of our co-authors and co-workers and official reviewers who evaluated this study before it was published. Everyone contributed unique insights, leading to some thoughtful conversation and increasing the quality and relevancy of our research.

That gave the scientists evidence to espouse that the Gulf of Mexico should be considered part of the black-capped petrels marine range, something that  although models vary  hadnt been the case before.

Given that the species is globally endangered and we know of so few birds and, given that the species is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we thought this was a good opportunity to put out there all the data that we have  and say, Heres what we found. Heres what we think is going on. The data weve got suggests that the Gulf of Mexico should be considered part of the range, Jodice said.

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Times up for unit 2 of the Jim Bridger Power Plant.

After state and federal officials failed to establish updated pollution control standards for the unit ahead of its Dec. 31 compliance deadline, Gov. Mark Gordon signed a temporary emergency suspension order to keep the unit operating for another four months in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

If the dispute is not resolved by April 30, or if Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan rejects the extension, unit 2 will be required to shut down. Unit 1 could meet the same fate next December.

An analysis by University of Wyoming economics professor Timothy Considine estimated that the abrupt closure of unit 2 would cost the state $33.2 million in annual tax revenue and eliminate 404 full-time-equivalent positions statewide. Of those job losses, 327 would occur in Sweetwater County, including 65 at the power plant, 108 in coal mines and 154 in adjacent industries.

The governors office hopes it wont come to that.

Im very optimistic that well reach some kind of an agreement, said Randall Luthi, Gordons chief energy advisor. We just dont know yet.

Jody Ostendorf, congressional and intergovernmental liaison for EPA Region 8, wrote in an email to the Star-Tribune that EPA intends to issue a proposed decision on this plan revision for public comment in the near future, and said the agency is not in a position to comment on this upcoming action or potential litigation over Wyomings regional haze plans.

Regulatory reversal

U.S. coal plants are required to limit their output of nitrogen oxides, or NOx  harmful air pollutants that cause respiratory diseases and environmental damage. Wyomings plan to retrofit its coal plants with pollution controls was approved by the EPA in 2014.

At the Bridger plant, however, the cost of reducing NOx emissions proved a significant barrier. Operating utility Rocky Mountain Power installed the required technologies at units 3 and 4, but with units 1 and 2 scheduled to be converted to natural gas peaking facilities in 2024, the utility deemed pollution controls uneconomical. In 2019, Rocky Mountain Power came up with an alternative: reducing the units electricity production to lower their NOx output to acceptable levels.

We still think that plan provides satisfactory compliance with regional haze requirements, and is a sound plan, both from compliance with the Regional Haze Rule and cost to consumers, said Dave Eskelsen, a spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power.

State regulators agreed; the EPA looked to be on board, too. Wyoming submitted its alternative plan for federal approval in May 2020. But the agency didnt finalize the change before President Donald Trump left office, and after the Biden EPA reevaluated the proposal, it notified Wyoming in June of this year that it would not take any further action on the plan.

Its just been very disappointing and somewhat confusing, Luthi said. EPA was with us all the way  until they werent.

According to Luthi, the EPA has yet to communicate its objections directly to the state.

Theyve never given us reasons of why this just doesnt work  why it doesnt meet the regional haze guidelines, Luthi said.

In Tuesdays email, Ostendorf offered two such reasons.

The states revision would remove longstanding requirements that the Jim Bridger power plant install modern controls to limit its visibility- and health-harming nitrogen oxides pollution, and does not address [Rocky Mountain Powers] current plan to convert Jim Bridger units 1 and 2 to natural gas in 2023, Ostendorf wrote. Accordingly, the 2023 date is not currently enforceable through state or federal regional haze plans.

Conservation groups, meanwhile, say the plan relies on misleading assumptions that yield invalid conclusions. Public comment submitted to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality in 2019  when existing permit restrictions already limited the plant to 84% of potential capacity, according to WyoFile  argues that because the alternative plan assumes that the four Bridger units operate at maximum capacity, it overestimates how significantly NOx emissions would be reduced.

Running down the clock

The governors office anticipates three possible outcomes over the next few months.

Its been six weeks since Gordon sent a strongly worded letter to the agency, urging regulators to approve the states plan and warning that Wyoming would sue if no action was taken in the next 60 days. During that time, Luthi said, negotiations have continued, but nothing has been resolved.

Ideally, the state and EPA will reach an agreement before the end of April, he said. But if the EPA rejects Wyomings proposal, itll have to explain its rationale, which could enable the state to modify the plan accordingly.

Then we at least have some information with which to talk to them about, he said. So I hope that opens up the door wider to negotiation.

If the two parties cant agree and the EPA doesnt act, the state may follow through on Gordons Nov. 15 threat and sue.

For now, at least, Bridger unit 2 remains in regulatory limbo. While Eskelsen declined to speculate on what Rocky Mountain Power would do if the unit had to close, he emphasized that the planned conversion to natural gas will require months of permitting and planning. Such closures are economically sensitive to ratepayers, he said, and cant be taken lightly.

When we remove a network resource from the transmission network, it always must be done with a certain amount of forethought and planning, Eskelsen said. Its not something that the company would normally do. And thats one reason why we would hope for resolution of this issue, because proven utility practice requires these steps to be taken in a fairly deliberate way.

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A decision on disbarment for a Teton County prosecutor who violated seven rules of professional conduct is still pending in the Wyoming Supreme Court, more than seven months later.

A Wyoming State Bar tribunal recommended Becket Hinckley be disbarred in May, after a week-long hearing on his conduct during a 2015 trial that sentenced Josh Black to life in prison on assault charges. The state Supreme Court makes the final call on disbarment.

A three-person Board of Professional Responsibility panel found in the hearing that Hinckley had knowingly lied in court, failed to secure certain records in the case, disobeyed direct orders from a judge, made inappropriate comments during the trial and failed to follow up on warrants and preservation letters with law enforcement.

Bar counsel Mark Gifford said at the conclusion of the hearing that the states highest court typically rules on disbarment decisions (though they are relatively rare) within three months of a recommendation. The process may be drawn out longer if Hinckley appeals the decision, but that cant happen until the Supreme Court rules.

Gifford said that only once in roughly the last ten years has the court disagreed with a recommendation for disbarment.

Chief Justice Kate Fox said she cant comment on the decision since its still under the courts advisement.

As with every other case before us, the Supreme Court takes the time necessary to review the record, research the law, and issue a well-reasoned an opinion, Fox said in an email Tuesday.

The May hearing, held in Casper, was the first in the state to be open to the public following a September 2019 rule change that made the practice standard.

Black was convicted of assault after his then-girlfriend was badly injured while living with him in Jackson, sustaining a fractured cheek bone and nasal passage, a cut that needed stitches near her eye and bruising and bleeding in her brain. Blood found on Blacks shirt matched hers, but blood in the victims car and skin under her fingernails did not match his. He has maintained his innocence since the beginning.

During the bar tribunal, Hinckley admitted he had been sloppy and negligent when he failed to produce evidence repeatedly ordered by a judge in Blacks case. Court records show that records from Facebook and Verizon, which Black said would have proved he wasnt with the victim at the time of the attack, were not obtained despite Hinckley telling the judge at least eight times that he was trying to track them down.

A Teton County jury found him guilty of the assault, and two prior violent felony convictions from California meant he was sentenced to life as a habitual criminal.

Blacks conviction was reversed by the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2017. The court wrote in its decision that there was no question of prosecutorial misconduct in his trial.

His case was sent back for a new trial in Teton County, where Hinckley again represented the state. He was taken off the case eight months later, after again failing to produce the evidence. Black took a deal, pleading no contest to the charges to drop the habitual criminal designation. He was sentenced to six and a half to 10 years in prison, and had already served four. After finishing his sentence and fighting for good time on his reversed life sentence, he was released to the Casper Reentry Center in January 2020 for a two-month stint before getting out.

Hinckley, who comes from a long line of Wyoming lawyers and judges, resigned as a prosecutor in Jackson in 2019. Jeffrey Donnell, a retired judge who sat on the three-person tribunal to determine his misconduct, said in delivering their decision that he had known Hinckley since he was six years old.

Im proud of my career, but Im not proud of this, Hinckley said at the time of the tribunals decision. I failed the people of Wyoming, the people of Teton County, I failed myself and most importantly failed (the victim) and her family.

Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst.

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A number of the top tens states with the largest population growth from 2020 to 2021 were Wyomings neighbors, but the Cowboy State fell far behind.

Half of the top ten states, including the top four states, with the largest annual percent population growth were in the West: Idaho led the nation with 2.9%, followed by Utah, Montana and Arizona, while Nevada ranked ninth. Wyomings annual growth ranked 22nd highest in the nation.

Wyomings total resident population grew slightly by 1,536 people for a total of 578,803 as of July 2021, according to estimates released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The growth can mainly be attributed to net migration of roughly 1,300. This positive net migration means that 1,368 more residents moved into Wyoming than moved out of the state between 2020 and 2021. The rest of the growth came from the difference between births and deaths. Wyoming had a natural increase of about 170, meaning that there were 170 more births than deaths.

Wyomings natural population increase has slowed tremendously over the last couple of years, Amy Bittner, the principal economist with the State of Wyoming Economic Analysis Division, said in a press release. COVID-19 may have prompted more people to move to Wyoming than leave the state.

COVID-19 is also substantially responsible for changes in employment rates, which effect population changes.

From July 2020 to July 2021, the in-state employment rate increased 3.1%, after July 2020 was one of the worst economically impacted months from COVID-19.

Total employment in July 2020 was among the lowest since 2005.

Employment rebounding from July 2020 to July 2021 shows Wyoming is slowly recovering from some of the economic impacts of the pandemic, a press release from the Economic Analysis Division read.

Employment opportunities drive migration into an area, which is typically true for Wyoming, Bittner said.

In the U.S. as a whole, the population grew at the slowest rate in the nations history over the last year: 0.1% or 392,665 people.

This past year was the first time since 1937 that the U.S. population grew by less than one million people. It was also the lowest numeric growth since 1900.

The slow nationwide population growth is due to decreasing net international migration, lower birth rates, and increased mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic, the press release said. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia lost population over the last year.

Wyoming is experiencing some of the same issues as the U.S. when it comes to natural population growth, declining birth rates and an increased aging population, Bittner said in the release. Since Wyomings natural increase in population (births minus deaths) was flat over the year, the majority of the States population increase was from people moving into the state (positive net migration).

The decade-long data tells a similar story.

The Cowboy States slow growth compared to its neighbors is not just a product of the pandemic  Wyomings population grew the slowest of any state in the West over the last decade as well.

Wyoming had the seventh-slowest population growth in the U.S by approximately 13,000 since 2010 for a 2.3% growth rate.

On the decade, the population of the U.S. grew by 7.1%. The Western region, which includes Wyoming, reportedly grew by 9.2%.

According to Wyoming Chief Economist Wenlin Liu, the last 10 years saw the states slowest growth rate since the 1980s, the Star-Tribune previously reported. In the 2010 census, Wyomings population had grown around 14.1% since 2000.

Liu attributed Wyomings slow growth rate to economic downturn in the energy sector since the mid-2010s. In 2015 and 2016, according to state data, 9,200 mineral extraction jobs were lost.

The economy nationwide, particularly in neighboring states such as Colorado, Utah, and Idaho showed strong expansions, which attracted many Wyoming energy workers and residents during the second half of the decade, Liu said in an April press release.

Approximately 11,800 more people have left Wyoming than moved into the state since 2010. According to state data, there were roughly 72,000 births compared to 47,000 deaths in Wyoming since the last census.

Utah saw the biggest boom in the nation, growing by 18.4% since 2010. Idaho and North Dakota had the second- and fourth-fastest growing populations, increasing by 17.3% and 15.8% respectively. Just three states saw a decrease in population on the decade

More specific census data will continue to be released in the coming months.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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SHERIDAN  Sanderson v. Wyoming Highway Patrol, a federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed against WHP nearly four years ago, ended this month after the parties reached a settlement agreement.

According to court documents, Delsa Brooke Sanderson became a trooper with the WHP in 2007, joining a handful of women officers among WHPs ranks. At one point, Sandersons complaint alleged, she was one of six women among WHPs 220 patrol officers.

Appellate documents indicate Sanderson performed well for the first seven years of her career. She earned positive reviews, a commendation award and a nomination for trooper of the year.

Despite her performance, Sanderson said she endured considerable obstacles as a woman in WHP.

Rumors swirled that she used sex to gain workplace advantages, such as a new patrol car, and colleagues called her the division bicycle to suggest Sanderson was sexually promiscuous.

Sanderson claimed her treatment worsened after she joined WHPs Division O, a select division tasked with providing security for the governor and state government officials, as a K9 handler in 2015.

When Sanderson joined the team, the cases appellate decision states, some troopers expressed the view that Division O as a whole does not accept females.

In Division O, Sanderson claimed she was subject to the same rumors about her sexual history and invasive jokes as well as an added layer of unfriendliness.

Other members of the division, Sanderson said, refused to acknowledge her as a member of the team. Sanderson alleges she complained to supervisors about this at least four times.

In 2016, Sanderson was demoted from Division O to her previous position.

WHP officials stated the demotion was due to Sandersons abrasive and abrupt nature and poor communication skills. Documents filed by the defendant state WHP had a legitimate non discriminatory and nonretaliatory reason for the demotion: Sandersons behavior had become unacceptable. One superior officer, defense documents indicate, listed 20 incidents of poor communication and abrasive behavior over a nine-month period resulting in Sandersons demotion.

Sanderson, meanwhile, believed the demotion was due to discrimination on the basis of sex. She filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal nondiscrimination law  and Wyoming Fair Employment Program.

I was subjected tounwelcome behavior of a sexual nature as well as other occasions where I was treated differently than my male colleagues, Sanderson wrote in the EEOC complaint.

The EEOC responded, according to documentation attached to Sandersons complaint, you are hereby notified that you have the right to institute a civil action under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title VII prohibits employers from refusing to hire, firing or denying employment privileges to an individual on the basis of sex, among other protected categories. Sandersons attorneys claimed Sanderson was subject to gender-based discrimination, gender-based retaliation and a hostile work environment while employed by WHP.

Since its initial filing, Sandersons case has worked through several levels of the federal legal system, including a four-day jury trial in district court  during which jurors found the plaintiffs sex was one among many motivating factors in Sandersons demotion  and a partial reversal and remanding by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorneys in the case were preparing to go to trial again until mid-November.

On Dec. 9, however, the parties moved to dismiss the case.

The parties, by and through their respective counsel, hereby inform the court that this matter has been resolved, wrote plaintiffs attorney Bruce Moats and WHPs attorney Jesse Naiman.

The parties settled the matter out of court.

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It will soon cost you at least a dollar or two more to enjoy a Carib or Stag beer as bar owners say a price increase by Carib Brewery has left them with no other alternative but to charge customers more.

Carib Brewery, in a statement on Monday, announced a $1 retail price increase per bottle or can would apply to its Carib, Carib Pilsner, Stag, Carib Blue, Royal Extra Stout, Coors, Heineken, Guinness, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon products.
Caribbean Airlines (CAL) passengers flying the domestic route between Trinidad and Tobago should be required to show proof of vaccination before they fly.

This is the call of CALs pilots and stewards, who are of the view that their safety is compromised as at present anybody can fly back and forth between the islands without proof of vaccination or negative PCR test.
It is in limited supply and not everyone is eligible to get it, she said. The medication will be used for those at highest risk for hospitalization and those who meet strict criteria.

As for New Years, Bessel said even who have had the virus, and/or are vaccinated, are not immune and should not feel they are free to party.

Omicron can and is infecting those with previous COVID infection, she said. Omicron is resulting in higher vaccine breakthrough infections, particularly in those who have not yet been boostered.

You should not be gathering in large groups, she said.

This comes as getting tested has become more difficult as demand increases. And while Bessel is not recommending routine testing, she said it is appropriate for some.

We do know that the omicron variant can also present like a regular cold, she said. So anything that could be consistent with COVID should cause somebody to go and get tested.
Gem of a program

Our program is like this little secret of Tucson, says Clare Cox who has been teaching for five years at PCC as part of the Refugee Education Program. It is very special to know that for 40 years we have been helping people that have been coming to this country, and see that they become valuable members to the community, people that are working in restaurants, starting their own business, going on to college.

Cox is part of a determined group of instructors who, whether in-person or virtual, create a much needed space where vital refugee education can take place to help with their immersion into American culture.

As the Refugee Education Program (REP) coordinator Sara Haghighi explains, in general when refugees arrive in Arizona they first go to a resettlement agency and later are referred to Pima Community College. After registration, they take an exam to assess their level of English and based on the results are placed in a class.
US move to shorten COVID-19 isolation stirs confusion, doubt

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create more confusion and fear among Americans.

To the dismay of some authorities, the new guidelines allow people to leave isolation without getting tested to see if they are still infectious.

The guidance has raised questions about how it was crafted and why it was changed now, in the middle of another wintertime spike in cases, this one driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Monday's action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the recommended isolation time for Americans who are infected with the coronavirus but have no symptoms. The CDC similarly shortened the amount of time people who have come into close contact with an infected person need to quarantine.
After reviewing the entirety of the evidence and after giving the state the benefit of all its favorable testimony and all the favorable inferences drawn from that testimony, no reasonable jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposefully or knowingly caused Timothys death, the court wrote in its majority decision.

The prosecutor's office that tried her declined comment.

Lodzinski was a single mother in central New Jersey in May 1991 when she told investigators Wiltsey had disappeared while they were at a carnival in Sayreville. She later gave conflicting accounts describing strangers she had seen who could have kidnapped the boy. Wiltseys body was found nearly a year later, in a marshy area near an office complex where Lodzinski had once worked.

As time passed and no charges were filed, Lodzinski went on with her life and had two other children. She was living in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in 2014 when authorities in New Jersey charged her with killing Wiltsey. Investigators said a break in the case had come when Wiltseys former babysitters identified a blue blanket, found along with the boys body, as belonging to Lodzinski.
Resources like the Mobile Health Program, she said, a health unit that allows uninsured mothers to receive prenatal care they may not have before.

The program, which focuses on parts of Southern Arizona where health care can be scarce, services about 2,400 people a year, according to its website, which says no one is turned away regardless of ability to pay for services.

We empower pregnant women to get an education and push them during the pregnancy to help them know all of the resources available to them, said Nury Stemple, a community health worker for the program. A lot of them cant get help so we bring the help to them.

She said organizations and programs like hers are one reason the state can post relatively good maternal health numbers despite the lack of care in rural areas. But Stemple said nonprofit organizations can only do so much and they cannot serve every pregnant woman who is unable to get prenatal care.

The sad part is that you see mothers and their babies die because they cant afford health care, Stemple said. There is something wrong with our system.
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The other signatories struggled to keep alive the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The United States is participating only indirectly in this years talks to restore the deal, which President Joe Biden has signaled he wants to rejoin.

Speaking in Tehran ahead of the talks resumption, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran wants the upcoming round of talks to focus on its sanctions-hit oil industry. The aim is to get to the point where Iranian oil is being sold easily and without any barriers and its money arrives in Irans bank accounts, he said.

Amirabdollahian said Iran wanted to be able to enjoy full economic concessions under the nuclear deal.

Guarantee and verification (of the removal of sanctions) are among topics that we have focused on, he said.

The new administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly demanded the removal of all economic sanctions before Iran reins in its nuclear advances.

Separately on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said it would be intolerable for the West to demand anything from Tehran beyond compliance with the original deal.
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We asked our readers to vote for their favorites from the first year of Feast and Field. This is what you said.

Feature Story of the Year

Our writers and photographers traveled from coast to coast to put together profiles that captured the hearts of the makers who produce some of Americas finest food and drink. The nominees were:

 And the winner is:

Best Issue of the Year

From artisan cheese and heritage pork to organic wine and craft beer, this year our 42 issues covered many of Americas top culinary products. The nominees were:

 And the winner is:

Issue No. 36: Holiday pies across the US A true American tradition, pie is a staple of holiday dessert tables across the U.S. We talk to one expert baker who is redefining the meaning of local with a pie business that offers national appeal.

Favorite Recipe

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and more! Our top 7 recipes of the year cover all meals, tastes, and cooking skills and styles. The nominees were:

 We had a tie! The winners are:

Grapefruit Honey Scones Building your brunch menu? Dont miss these citrus scones with a moist texture from pastry chef Sofia Tejeda.

Perfect Roast Turkey Dont sweat the main Thanksgiving event. Georgias White Oak Pasture farm brings you a classic roast turkey recipe that delivers flavor and quality.

Top Cocktail

Whiskey is the star in our top 5 cocktails of the year. The nominees were:

 And the winner is:

Cherry Smash This whiskey smash recipe is elevated with a few twists, like cherry-infused whiskey, for a crisp, sweet and refreshing cocktail.

Most dynamic destination

We were wowed by every place we visited in 2021. The nominees were:

 And the winner is:

Issue No. 8: Oyster farming in Virginia Feast and Field learns about Cherrystone Aqua-Farms innovative shellfish production, how you can make sustainable seafood choices, and an oyster flavor guide.
The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

Last year's break from the flu made it more challenging to plan for this year's flu vaccine. So far, it looks like what's circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but it's really too early to know whether that will blunt the vaccine's effectiveness, Brammer said.

Well have to see what the impact of these little changes" will be, Brammer said. Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu.

There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year. With hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, it's more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.
I think that is going to be a really exciting place for kids and adults. There is a lot of high energy. It is a very exciting atmosphere, but there is also a lot of systems thinking, Childress-Wimp said. So we prompt you to think about when the ball gets sucked up by the vacuum, where does it go? What part does it play in the system?

Amidst all the play and excitement will be what Mannell refers to as pockets of dwell. They are just what they sound like  areas where things slow down and children participate in challenge-based activities to help them better understand the concepts theyve been exploring in the exhibits.

They include the Science Lab, Little Lab  for children 4 years of age and younger  and the WorkShop. Each will be staffed by trained educators who will assist students and families in their activities.

They are areas where you are going to kind of come out of the rush a little bit and you are going to be able to dwell on something either related to that particular area of science or kind of do something that is challenge based with real tools, Mannell said.
With more than 450 Afghan refugees already here and more on the way this week, teams of volunteers converged Monday at an east Tulsa apartment complex to prepare several units for refugees to occupy.

Kelly Cassidy, director of volunteer engagement for Catholic Charities, said 50 to 60 volunteers were on hand Monday at the complex, unloading moving trucks full of donated furniture and household items and helping set up the apartments.

From the beginning the outpouring of community support has just been incredible, Cassidy said.

Volunteers planned to set up 10 apartments Monday, then five more next week, she said.

This is the most weve done at one time, she said. Usually its been two, maybe three, in a day.

Catholic Charities is heading up the resettlement of Oklahomas allotment of Afghan refugees, who are among the tens of thousands of people evacuated from Afghanistan with the U.S. withdrawal.

About 450 refugees are already here, out of a projected total of over 800.

Cassidy said another 100 are expected to arrive in Tulsa by Friday.
Huynh Tan Canh, 38, would have led a different life if he had a popular choice as others, being an employee with a much higher salary at a big company.

But he did not do that just because of his self-imposed promise made when he was poor.

Canh, who came from the outskirt district of Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City, has run into several challenges in life.

He had to sell a house after his first start-up project failed. He got a divorce partly because of that failure.

He once thought of the worst things that he could do to release himself from all of those troubles in the past.

Fortunately, he could start over and overcome such obstacles over time.

Trying to learn at any cost

Canh is now the co-founder and director of Vinh Danh Education Consulting Company with 10 employees.

Their 40-meter-square office has been based on the street of Chu Van An, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City for the past four years.

Canh lives in the companys headquarters to save money despite the space being rather small.

In fact, he does not care much about the limited conditions at the moment. He has just tried his best to figure out ways to raise the employees income and improve his virtual English teaching assistant, Riolish, to turn it into a more popular educational application.

Why did Canh choose to start up with a company teaching English rather than any other?

To answer this question, one may want to know more about what experiences he got when he was a poor resident trying to change his life after having a chance to study abroad.

Canh was well known as a good and diligent student when he was in college.

He graduated from both the National Academy of Public Administration and the University of Information Technology under the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Having two degrees, Canh still desires an opportunity to master English, a subject he found impossible to improve because of his living conditions before.

Knowing that he could secure a full scholarship to study at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, Canh believed that was a valuable opportunity that he was not allowed to miss.

For the whole year 2009, he traveled 60 kilometers by motorcycle from Can Gio to the center of Ho Chi Minh City three times a week to learn English. He was both working and learning like that for a year.

I often went to my aunts house to eat something after school, then I went to bed, get up, and drive back to Can Gio at 4:30 am the next day to be able to go to work on time, the man recalled.

Sometimes I had to drive back right away, arriving at home at midnight strained me."

During those days, Canh yearned badly for an application teaching English but he could not find any. He dreamed of creating an app that met the demands of the people like him.

He spent most of his salary on English tuition those days.

Thanks to his studiousness, Canh could get an overall IELTS score of 6.5, which was enough for him to get a scholarship to Australia.

He lost weight remarkably because of such efforts. He was just 48 kilograms at the time he went abroad to study.

Educational opportunities for everyone

Returning to Vietnam after obtaining a degree in Australia, Canh worked for a big company with a high salary.

He gave up the job after around three years, however, because of a promise before: helping poor children study English well.

It is never easy to launch a company.

Canh had to sell a house to pay the debts. He had to say goodbye not only to some of his co-workers but also to his wife, who could not continue sharing his dream of a start-up.

He underwent such a difficult period that he sometimes smoked much more than eating. He even thought of the worst options that he would take then.

What pulled me out of such trouble was the support from my mother and some of my closest friends, recounted Canh.

I found myself still lucky with such encouragement; in addition to that, I still have to make good on my pledge to the poor children."

Riolish has had nearly 200 lessons since the end of 2019. The app has both versions for iOS and Android systems. Around 20,000 users have been learning English with Riolish for the last seven years, most of them school and college students. Canh intends to create more educational products at a low price that would be suitable for learners who live in remote areas.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

COVID-19 Updates

-- Authorities in Hanoi have required all arrivals from countries where the COVID-19 Omicron variant has been detected to undergo concentrated quarantine even if they have been fully vaccinated.

-- Air passengers from Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City to other localities in Vietnam are no longer required to test negative for the novel coronavirus prior to their departure, according to a new regulation announced by the Ministry of Transport on Monday evening.

-- Ho Chi Minh City has spent more than VND9.1 trillion (US$398.7 million) on COVID-19 prevention and control efforts in 2021, according to the municipal Peoples Committee.

Society

-- Temperature in Hanoi dropped to 10 degrees Celsius between Monday night and early Tuesday morning because of a strong cold spell, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported.

-- Border guard officers in the northern province of Lao Cai confirmed on Monday they had arrested three suspects for transporting 40 bricks of heroin along a national highway.

-- Four houses were burned down as a truck carrying oil canisters caught fire in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau on Monday, with one person suffering serious burns and admitted to hospital for emergency treatment.

-- Police in the south-central province of Phu Yen have launched an investigation after finding the burned body of a man on the side of a local street on Monday.

-- Officers in Ho Chi Minh City have apprehended four members of an illegal ring that had stolen about 1,000 dogs between October and December.

Business

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports has proposed that karaoke parlors, discos, and dance clubs be allowed to resume operations as the pandemic has been put under control.

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The Ministry of Health confirmed 14,440 new COVID-19 cases across Vietnam on Tuesday, along with 4,668 recoveries and 214 virus-linked deaths.

The latest infections, including 19 imported and 14,421 domestic transmissions, were logged in 61 provinces and cities, the ministry said, adding that 9,305 patients caught the pathogen in the community.

Hanoi reported 1,920 of the newest local cases, Tay Ninh Province 923, Vinh Long Province 911, Khanh Hoa Province 790, Can Tho City 763, Ho Chi Minh City 671, Hai Phong City 597, Bac Ninh Province 434, Lam Dong Province 365, Thua Thien-Hue Province 362, Binh Thuan Province 286, Quang Ninh Province 182, Da Nang 135, Dong Nai Province 124, Binh Duong Province 109, Quang Nam Province 82, and Bac Giang Province 43.

Vietnam had documented 14,867 domestically-acquired infections on Monday.

The country has detected 1,675,321 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. A combined 1,261,465 of them have recovered from COVID-19.

Ho Chi Minh City leads the caseload with 501,288 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 290,349, Dong Nai Province with 97,167, Tay Ninh Province with 72,460, Dong Thap Province with 42,426, Hanoi with 40,494, Long An Province with 40,185, Can Tho City with 40,150, Tien Giang Province with 33,056, An Giang Province with 31,731, Khanh Hoa Province with 30,625, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 25,936, Binh Thuan Province with 25,247, and Da Nang with 10,670.

Vietnam recorded a mere 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 4,668 recovered patients on Tuesday, lifting the total to 1,264,282.

The toll has spiked to 31,632 fatalities after the ministry registered 214 deaths on the same day, including 35 in Ho Chi Minh City, 15 in An Giang Province, 15 in Tay Ninh Province, 15 in Vinh Long Province, 14 in Dong Thap Province, 14 in Tien Giang Province and the remainder in 17 other provinces and cities.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,680,985 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the country early last year.

Health workers have given more than 147.2 million vaccine doses, including 891,311 shots on Monday, since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8.

Over 77.2 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while above 66.8 million have been jabbed twice.

The number of third doses  including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine  has risen to 3,142,376.

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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Police in Ho Chi Minh City have apprehended a group of teenage boys who had stolen approximately 1,000 dogs between October and December.

Officers under the municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Monday they had arrested four suspects aged 17 to 18 for robbery.

Preliminary information showed that the suspects were the ones who stole a dog from a family in District 12 in broad daylight on December 3.

According to CCTV footage, the four were traveling on two motorbikes when they noticed a dog in front of a house on Vo Thi Phai Street.

One of them shot the canine with a stun gun while the owner  56-year-old N.H.D.  was just a few meters away.

D. tried to save his dog to no avail as he was threatened by the gang.

At the police station, the dog thieves said they had stolen about 1,000 dogs from October to December.

They often operated from 4:00 am to 7:00 am and stole about 10 to 12 dogs per day.

The canines were then sold to a facility in Trung My Tay Ward, District 12.

The suspects added they bought stun guns and pepper spray from online sellers.

The investigation is ongoing.

Stun guns belonging to the dog theft gang are held at the police station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: A.X. / Tuoi Tre

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A group of Taiwanese and Vietnamese defendants have been jailed for making and using fake documents as well as arranging for others to stay illegally in Vietnam.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Court on Monday sentenced Chen Chih Hsien, 43, to 11 years in prison and Lo Wen Yang, 44, to eight years behind bars for organizing for others to stay in Vietnam illegitimately and forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations.

Yu Li Zhong, 27, was handed an 11-year jail term for similar offenses and for trading military weapons.

Liu Ming Hsuan and Li Jian Jun were sentenced to one year and ten months each for using fake documents.

These Taiwanese convicts will be expelled from Vietnam after completing their jail terms.

Five Vietnamese nationals, namely Nguyen Van Thinh, Vo Thanh Hung, Nguyen Hoang Long, Huynh Hung Anh, and Tran Thi Giao Linh were jailed for two to four years for forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations and trading military weapons.

According to the indictment, officers inspected Thinhs house in Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City in late March 2020 and found that Chen and Yu were staying at the place against the law.

They also confiscated four fake seals, a pistol, and six bullets.

Police later expanded their investigation and arrested multiple other suspects.

Investigators found that the defendants had made such fake documents as visa exemption certificates and drivers licenses since 2019.

The bogus documents were sold to many Taiwanese so that they could enter, exit, and stay in Vietnam illegally.

The indictment also showed that Yu had asked Thinh to help him buy a pistol and bullets at VND32 million (US$1,400) in February 2020.

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A man who arrived in Hanoi from the UK has been confirmed as the first case infected with the Omicron variant in Vietnam.

The patient landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on December 19, the Ministry of Health said in an announcement on Tuesday.

After his rapid test came back positive for the novel coronavirus, he was quarantined and treated at 108 Military Central Hospital in the Vietnamese capital.

He underwent a real-time RT-PCR test, with the result also returning positive.

The hospital conducted genome sequencing on the patient on December 20 and suspected that he was carrying the Omicron variant.

As the result was not clear, one more verification step was carried out the following day, with doctors and scientists confirming that this patient was carrying the strain.

The patient has been quarantined and monitored since his arrival in Vietnam.

The health ministry has reported the case to the prime minister.

First reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa on September 24, the Omicron mutant, a.k.a. the B.1.1.529 variant, was designated by WHO as a variant of concern two days later.

The variant has now been reported by over 100 countries, with health experts stating it appears to be more contagious but less virulent than previous strains.

As of Monday, Vietnam had documented 1,666,545 COVID-19 cases, with 1,259,614 recoveries and 31,418 fatalities.

Health workers have administered more than 146.3 million vaccine doses since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8.

Upwards of 77.1 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while over 66.4 million have been jabbed twice.

The number of third doses  including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine  has increased to 2,794,380.

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New to iwonder in January is Between Black and Blue, the story of Mike Borrelli and Bob Davis: two New York City detectives who are convicted of the sensational 1975 murder of Denver businessman, Hal Levine.

The four-part documentary series tells the almost unbelievable true story of crooked cops, a mafia Godfather, an alleged public poisoning, Elvis Presley and a cocaine-addicted newspaper editor who printed it all.

iwonder CEO, James Bridges, says of the film: Murder, corruption, lies and courtroom drama; Between Black and Blue plays out like all the great Hollywood gangland dramas  except it all happens to be true. More than four decades after the events, across four astonishing episodes viewers get to make their own minds up on exactly what happened on the night of Hal Levines murder, and did the right people answer for the crime?

Seven years in the making, the series unveils the story of two New York City detectives who were convicted of the murder of a Denver businessman in 1975, their decades-long fight to clear their names, and the hunt for one of the confessed gunmen who may hold all the answers  a man placed into witness protection by law enforcement over 40 years ago.

Mike Borrelli, an Italian-American NYPD detective and his former partner Bob Davis, one of the first African-American detectives in New York, are accused of having east coast mafia ties, resulting in their arrest for the murder of Hal Levine, Mike Borrellis business partner. Mike and Bob maintain their innocence, and when no physical evidence is found connecting Borrelli or Davis to the murder, complete immunity is given to one of the confessed murderers  a known criminal who had previously been diagnosed as a pathological liar  in exchange for his testimony.

Four years after his conviction and life sentence, Mike Borelli is found innocent in a new trial. However, the courts refuse to give Bob Davis a new trial even though Mike Borrelli  the man accused of hiring him to do the hit  has been exonerated. Bob cant help but feel the colour of his skin is standing in the way of the justice he so rightly deserves.

Thursday 6th January on iwonder.
The UKs Big Fat Quiz Of The Year 2021 screens this Saturday on SBS.

Jimmy Carr plays host, judge, and favourite punching bag.

This is an end-of-year quiz show that attempts to recap the last years news stories. Six celebrity panellists compete to prove who was paying attention for the past year, or at least who failed to pay attention in the funniest way.

Saturday, 1 January at 7.30pm on SBS.
Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee best known for Big Little Lies and Dallas Buyers Club, died this week aged 58.

According to media reports, he died suddenly over the weekend of a suspected heart attack in his cabin near Quebec City, Canada.

Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently, a statement read. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy. Everyone who worked with him couldnt help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me. The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.

Vallee broke into directing through music videos. His films included Black List, C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria, Wild, Demolition and Dallas Buyers Club.

2017 drama Big Little Lies drew wide acclaim with tributes this week from Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon. He also directed 2018s Sharp Objects.

Jean-Marc Vallee was a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker, a truly phenomenal talent who infused every scene with a deeply visceral, emotional truth, HBO said in a statement. He was also a hugely caring man who invested his whole self alongside every actor he directed.

Nicole Kidman said, Its hard to imagine someone as vital, energetic and present as Jean-Marc being gone. Im shattered. He was at the center of my creative universe and I cant overstate his significance to me. Jean-Marc was not only responsible for some of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career, but his friendship, kindness and love were an inspiring force I will carry with me. I will always cherish those nights filming above the crashing waves of Big Sur It doesnt get better than that. I am forever grateful for my time shared with this extraordinary human.

I will always remember you as the sun goes down. Chasing the light. On a mountain in Oregon. On a beach in Monterey. Making sure we all caught a little magic in this lifetime, Witherspoon wrote. I love you, Jean Marc. Until we meet again.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
Alongside a lingering global pandemic, the year 2021 was filled with climate disasters, some so intense they surprised even the scientists who study them.

Wildfires that swept through Sequoia National Forest in California in September 2021 were so severe they killed ancient trees that had adapted to survive fires. AP Photo/Noah Berger

Extreme rainstorms turned to raging flash floods that swept through mountain towns in Europe, killing over 200 people. Across Asia, excessive rainfall inundated wide areas and flooded subway stations in China. Heat waves shattered records in the Pacific Northwest, Europe and the Arctic. Wildfires swept through towns in California, Canada, Greece and Australia. And those were only a few of the extremes.

In the U.S. alone, damage from the biggest climate and weather disasters is expected to total well over US$100 billion in 2021.

Many of these extreme weather events have been linked to human-caused climate change, and they offer a glimpse of what to expect in a rapidly warming world.

In the U.S., something in particular stood out: a sharp national precipitation divide, with one side of the country too wet, the other too dry.

As a climate scientist, I study the impact of global warming on precipitation and the water cycle. Heres what happened with precipitation in the U.S. in 2021 and why were likely to see similar scenarios in the future.

The east-west weather divide

The eastern U.S. weathered storm after storm in 2021. Record rainfall in Tennessee triggered deadly flash flooding in August. The remnants of Hurricane Ida merged with another front days after the hurricane hit Louisiana and became so intense they set rainfall records and flooded subway stations and basement apartments in New York and Pennsylvania, with devastating consequences.

Almost the entire West, meanwhile, was in some stage of drought, helping to fuel wildfires that swept through forests and towns.

This kind of east-west weather divide can be enhanced by La Nina, a periodical phenomenon fueled by Pacific Ocean temperatures that tends to leave the Southwest drier than normal and the North and much of the eastern half of the U.S. wetter.

But something else is going on: Global warming fuels both dryness and extreme rainfall.

3 impacts of global warming on rainfall

Three things in particular happen to precipitation when the planet warms.

1) Global warming leads to more overall precipitation.

Higher temperature increases evaporation from Earths surface. It also increases the atmospheres capacity to hold moisture at a rate of about 7% per degree Celsius that the planet warms. With more moisture evaporating, global precipitation is expected to increase, but this increase is not uniform.

2) Global warming leads to more intense precipitation.

With higher temperature, more moisture is needed to reach the condensation level to form precipitation. As a result, light precipitation will be less common. But with more moisture in the atmosphere, when storm systems do develop, the increased humidity leads to heavier rainfall events.

In addition, storm systems are fueled by latent heat  the energy released into the atmosphere when water vapor condenses to liquid water. Increased moisture in the atmosphere also enhances latent heat in storm systems, increasing their intensity.

Research shows that both the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events has increased since the 1950s over most land areas.

3) Global warming tends to make wet places wetter and dry places drier.

Precipitation is not distributed evenly over the planet because of the global atmosphere circulation pattern. This global circulation brings moisture to places where winds come together, such as the tropical regions where we find most of the worlds rainforests, and away from places where winds diverge, such as the midlatitudes where most worlds deserts are located.

Assuming no significant changes in global wind patterns, increases in evaporation and moisture will mean more moisture is transported from dry areas to wet areas and into the storm tracks at higher latitudes. Global warming could also potentially change the global circulation pattern, causing a shift in the worlds wet and dry regions.

Mountains, moisture and the east-west divide

These dynamics are also affected by local conditions, such as the shape of the land, the types of plants on it and the presence of major water bodies.

The western U.S., with the exception of the West Coast, is dry in part because it lies in the rain shadow of mountains. The westerly wind from the Pacific Ocean is forced upward by the mountain ranges in the West. As it moves up, the air cools and precipitation forms on the windward side of the mountains. By the time the wind reaches the leeward side of the mountains, the moisture has already rained out. As the wind descends the mountains, the air warms up, further reducing the relative humidity.

Higher temperature in areas like these where the moisture supply is already limited means less humidity in the air, leading to less rain. Higher temperature and less precipitation would also reduce snow packs in the mountains and cause earlier melt in spring. All these changes are likely to increase aridity in the West.

The eastern U.S., on the other hand, receives abundant moisture from the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico carried by the easterly trade wind. With abundant moisture supply, increasing temperature means more moisture in the atmosphere, leading to more precipitation and stronger storms.

This is what years of precipitation records show and what is projected for future precipitation based on climate models. Both show a decrease in annual precipitation in the West, likely meaning more long periods of drought, and an increase in the East with global warming.

Shuang-Ye Wu is a professor of geology and environmental geosciences at University of Dayton. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ricky Palladino

I am the grandson of immigrants. I believe immigration is a human issue, not a political issue, and I have seen this play out numerous times as an immigration lawyer.

In one case, I was representing a woman from Uzbekistan in deportation proceedings. She sought asylum because she was abused by her husband. She was hospitalized multiple times from beatings and suffered depression and PTSD. Her case took three years because she belonged to a battered womens group that had the same name of a terrorist organization in Uzbekistan. The name of the group was the Uzbek word for justice.

The fight in her case was not only about the persecution she would endure, but also about whether she was a terrorist. In the end, justice prevailed and she was granted asylum, but her case illustrates the tremendous complexity of the immigration system.

I receive many phone calls that begin, I voted for [insert politician here] and think our immigration system is broken, but I have this worker-neighbor-friend-church member who is the exception to the rule. Or theyll call and say, Why cant my worker become legalized when they are letting all of these people in the country who are crossing the border?

What they dont realize is most immigrants are escaping the same problems  gang violence, lack of jobs, lack of food. Its amazing how it changes someones views on immigration when they have a personal relationship with an immigrant.

In 2020, I started the law firm of Palladino,

Isbell & Casazza in Philadelphia. We currently employ six lawyers and a retired immigration judge with the sole purpose of practicing immigration law, helping clients all over the country.

An internship with the Immigration and Naturalization Service introduced me to the nuances of immigration law and was the catalyst for me to attend law school, wanting to practice immigration law. My inclination was to represent individuals, like my grandparents, who needed assistance in establishing a better life for themselves and their families in the United States.

I chose the UD School of Law because I wanted to continue my Catholic education. It was important to me that UD offered classes on immigration law, refugee and asylum law, and international law taught from a Catholic perspective, aligning with my ideals.

I was particularly influenced by professor Cooley Howarths dynamic teaching style. He got us to question the source of laws. Just about every class, he would reiterate only Congress can make law when teaching us about administrative agencies. I think about him and some of his sayings from class monthly, as I deal with administrative agencies frequently. He had a profound impact on my legal development.
With three new listing policies coming into effect this week, bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) is confident of a stronger outlook in the next year, even after 2021 saw a decline in initial public offerings, according to analysts.

Effective January 1, Asia's third largest stock market will allow listings of so-called blank cheque companies, widen the pool of overseas companies that qualify for listing, and increase profit thresholds for new listings.

The reforms should help the exchange bounce back after funds raised from new listings shrank 20 per cent year on year in 2021, the first such decline since 2017, according to analysts.

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In the first initiative of reforms undertaken by new chief executive Nicolas Aguzin, HKEX will allow special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), also known as blank cheque companies, to list, joining global bourses from New York to Singapore in opening another fundraising avenue for start-ups.

"Listing activity is likely to rise in early 2022, driven by the new SPAC regime," said Victoria Lloyd, a partner in Baker McKenzie's capital markets practice. "In fact, we note a number of investment banks and promoters are already looking to be among the first to launch SPACs in the first half of 2022."

Another initiative will widen the pool of US or UK-listed companies that qualify to list in Hong Kong, the first major enhancement after the 2018 decision to allow companies with multiple voting rights, pre-revenue biotech firms, and overseas listed companies to launch a secondary listing in the city.

The 2018 move already paved the way for tech giants such as Alibaba Group Holding (owner of the South China Morning Post), search engine Baidu, and e-commerce firm JD.com to list in Hong Kong.

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The new rule will allow companies with a minimum valuation of HK$3 billion (US$386 million) that have been trading in the US or London to qualify for a secondary listing in Hong Kong, a drastic reduction from the current minimum threshold of HK$40 billion. It will also allow US-listed companies not involved in the innovation sector to apply.

The SPAC and overseas listing reforms are likely to attract more companies after a quiet second half last year, said Louis Lau, a Hong Kong-based partner at the capital markets advisory group of KPMG China. "HKEX is heading in the right direction to bring in a variety of listing channels."

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's chief executive Nicolas Aguzin. Photo: Handout alt=Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's chief executive Nicolas Aguzin. Photo: Handout>

Hong Kong, which ranked as No 1 IPO market seven times in the past 12 years, dropped to the fourth spot this year from second in 2020, as China's regulatory crackdown on the tech sector curbed new listing plans.

The HKEX reforms come at a time when US and China political tensions are likely to drive more firms to list in Hong Kong. FWD Group, a Hong Kong insurer backed by local tycoon Richard Li Tzar-kai, last week decided not to proceed with its planned New York listing, and would consider instead a share sale in Hong Kong in 2022.

Earlier this month, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said it would delist from the US and relist in Hong Kong. Although the company did not give a reason, the move comes amid tighter regulatory scrutiny by Beijing of Chinese firms that handle personal data of its citizens.

Separately, the US Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month implemented the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which will pave the way for the delisting of companies from US exchanges if they fail to allow audit reviews for three consecutive years, a window expected to expire by late 2023. Chinese and US regulators are now in talks to try and find a solution.

Also from January 1, HKEX will tighten its listing qualifications for the first time in nearly three decades. Companies seeking to raise funds on the main board must have earned at least HK$80 million in combined profits in the three years before listing, a 60 per cent increase from the current requirement.

"Having a more stringent profit requirement means that the earning ability and size of listed companies will at least be of a certain standard," said Eden Wong, divisional president of the Greater China region at CPA Australia, an accounting industry body.

However, Wong said the exchange should introduce other measures to help start-ups that have not achieved profitability to raise funds.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange flag, China flag and Hong Kong flag are seen outside of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Central. Photo: SCMP/Dickson Lee alt=The Hong Kong Stock Exchange flag, China flag and Hong Kong flag are seen outside of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Central. Photo: SCMP/Dickson Lee>

Aguzin, a former banker at JPMorgan who joined the exchange in May to replace Charles Li Xiaojia, promised to do more to promote Hong Kong as a fundraising centre and promote its role as a connector between mainland China and the world.

"Since joining HKEX, I have been focusing on a number of key strategic priorities including expanding our unique role as a capital raising centre, on developing Hong Kong as Asia's preferred risk management hub, on growing our offshore China A-share ecosystem, and on strengthening the overall attractiveness of our market," Aguzin said in a year-in-review statement issued on December 21.

In October, the HKEX launched its first A-shares futures product, known as MSCI China A 50 Connect Index Futures, aimed at global investors wanting to hedge their risks on stock trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

On December 24, Beijing announced the addition of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) to the two stock connect schemes linking Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen, effective within the next six months.

"The addition of ETFs to the Connect franchise is a new and exciting milestone in the highly successful mutual market access programme between Hong Kong and the mainland," Aguzin said.

The agreement "will give global investors direct, efficient access to Hong Kong and mainland China's rapidly developing ETF markets," he added.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dr Fiona OReilly warned about the impact of vaccine certificates (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Ireland needs to soon pause and consider the impact that vaccine certificates and other Covid-19 measures have on marginalised communities, a medical charity has warned.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Safetynet chief executive Dr Fiona OReilly also warned that the Government should create a new department to co-ordinate the countrys response to the global migrant crisis.

Safetynet, which provides and organises medical care for homeless and vulnerable people, was one of the many charities that saw its work made significantly more challenging by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the crisis that has engulfed the world since March 2020 also presents important lessons and new opportunities for governments to rethink how they care for the poorest people in society, said Dr OReilly.

I think in the emergency response, I think we responded pretty well to Covid in these groups, she said.

If we have too much dissent around vaccines certs it will cost lives, but I 100% think that there needs to be pause, thought and debate

Dr Fiona O'Reilly, Safetynet

But what it revealed is and was an awful indictment of our society that it revealed people living in situations that are Dickensian and so that the pandemic is almost like the plague in those settings.

If we learn anything from Covid, it should be that it has identified or uncovered the huge inequalities in our society. And thats what we need to address.

One concern raised by Dr OReilly is that the rush to introduce Covid-19 vaccination certificates and a whole range of digital technologies to tackle the virus threatens to exclude people already isolated from society.

She spoke herself about struggling to fill in a passenger locator form, required for all travellers entering Ireland from abroad.

What youre doing is youre potentially designing an underclass, because youre excluding people who are not highly educated with a high amount of income, that have smartphones and laptops. And that speak one language. And this is infiltrating every aspect of what we do.

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This is about what shops you go to, how you travel, whether you go and socialise in pubs. This is everything.

She said it is assuming that we have all these things and large segments of our society just dont.

Dr OReilly said she understood that in the early stage of the crisis there was simply not time for those kinds of debates.

Discussion of it in the middle of the battlefield or when the fire is raging around you will cost lives, she acknowledged.

Dr Fiona OReilly wants ministers to create a new department with a specific focus on co-ordinating the response to increased migration (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

The fact that we just kind of roll over and do it has meant that we have amazing vaccination rates and that will save lives. Similarly, if we have too much dissent around vaccines certs it will cost lives, but I 100% think that there needs to be pause, thought and debate, she told PA.

Dr OReilly suggested that the time for discussion was once youre out of the crisis phase and things are stable.

Yet she also believes that the Irish Government needs to prepare for another imminent crisis, building on the urgency the pandemic instilled in officials.

Dr OReilly said: I began to see and I do begin to see that actually homelessness can be solved. Its doable.

The next five to 10 years, she thinks, will bring the issue of what she calls the global homeless to Irelands shores.

We can see whats happening globally with borders being challenged and literally being broken down. And this is going to mean more people in difficult situations arriving on our shores, and it will only be a crisis if we dont plan for it.

Dr OReilly is proposing that the Government creates a new department with a specific focus on co-ordinating the response to increased migration.

I would have an emergency preparedness department for the changing world that were fast becoming that would prevent this becoming a crisis. And its possible, because people coming into Ireland, theyre not looking for handouts. Theres a win-win, she told PA.

We dont have enough doctors. We dont have enough healthcare provision. Thats why we get so busy.

Theres an increasing number of asylum seekers coming into Ireland and we dont have the medical care providers to tend to them. But theyre coming in with doctors among them, with healthcare professionals.

Id be preparing now for the increases and sustained increases and planning that happening. Not just responding, because thats what were doing at the moment. Were just firefighting.

Drastic changes, she believes, are called for in the health system and beyond.

We should plan, not respond, but we know whats coming. So therefore design it to whats coming. The other thing that is important, there is the people who design the systems are coming from a certain sector in society.

Theyre well educated, they vote, they work, they keep appointments, and theyre you and me.

So those systems end up being for you and me. They assume people are working, they assume people have phones, they assume they get text messages, they assume they speak English So all of those systems are for a certain segment.

This is changing and it is going to change more. Now we have people that dont speak English, that dont have phones, that dont have work, that cant get appointments or make appointments.

But those people arent involved in the design. So they need to be brought into being involved in the design.
Angela Merkels departure from the political stage after 16 years as chancellor has not only ushered in a new era in Germany but also shaken up the power balance in the EU, EurActiv writes. Potential candidates to take over Merkels mantle as the leader of Europe include her successor at the helm of Europes biggest economy, Olaf Scholz, as well as Frances President Emmanuel Macron and Italys Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

But analysts warn that none may be immediately capable of assuming the task, given the European Unions unresolved challenges  ranging from an internal dispute over the rule of law, to marginalisation in global geopolitics, to the aftershocks of Brexit. Lauded for her steady hand in steering the bloc through crisis after crisis, Merkel left the stage while still immensely popular at home and abroad, although there were some vocal opponents among her European colleagues. Angela Merkel is perceived as one of the most significant politicians in a generation, as the de facto leader of the European Union and the leader of a free world, wrote Sebastian Reiche of the IESE Business School in Spain. In a recent survey by the think-tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), 41% of EU citizens said that if they could, they would vote for Merkel. Comparatively, only 14% picked Macron.

Sovereign Europe

Yet critics say Merkels tactics of sitting out crises and prioritising economic interests, even in dealings with Russia or China, have fuelled inertia and stifled further European integration. Her exit may well open the door for the other half of the European engine  Macron  to slide into the drivers seat. The stars appear to be aligning: France holds the EUs presidency from January and Macron has said he aims to forge a Europe that is powerful in the world, fully sovereign, free in its choices and in charge of its own destiny. And with Germanys new Social Democrat-led coalition seemingly bent on spending its way out of the pandemic, the age-old German budgetary rigour appears to be wavering.

Likewise on defence, Germany, once comfortably ensconced under the US shield, is no longer so sure after Donald Trumps presidency forced the political classes in Berlin to bury their old certainties and begin a mindset shift. Illustrating the change, Scholzs government of his Social Democrats, ecologist Greens and liberal FDP declared in their coalition pact that it was their task as an economically strong and populous country in the heart of Europe to enable, promote and advance this sovereign Europe.

Merkels departure can allow Frances vision of a powerful Europe to develop, it is an ambition that Macron has championed since his arrival in power, said Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano of the Institut Montaigne.

Merkelism is out

As the guard changed in Berlin, Macron recently signed a new bilateral cooperation treaty with Draghi and this month launched a joint appeal to reform EU fiscal rules to allow greater investment spending. The ambitious 43-year-old president has said he is not seeking to replace the Franco-German bond, but the move comes as the EU is realigning itself after Brexit. Macron however faces an election in 2022, with the far-right posing a challenge. No matter the outcome, France could be tied up with domestic politics for a while, limiting its capacity to develop a grand vision for Europe.

Scholz, 63, a former finance minister who has served in two of Merkels cabinets, could seize the chance as Merkels heir, particularly as he assumes the 2022 G7 presidency. But analysts warn that times have changed, and more Merkelism might not do for the new era.The policy of remaining neutral and avoiding tough solutions to Europes predicaments does not seem to be a viable approach to the challenges ahead, wrote Piotr Buras and Jana Puglierin of the ECFR. Merkelism is unlikely to outlive Merkel because the EU will need a more visionary and courageous Germany to strengthen its foundations and defend its place in the world. The jury is out on whether Scholz, who styled himself as a Merkel mimic  down to her rhombus hand gesture  during the campaign, will step out of her shadow to take a bolder path.

With both key European players likely to need time for realities to shake out, one new pole of stability has emerged in the once debt-wracked south.

Stasis?

Dubbed Super Mario during his stint at the helm of the European Central Bank, Draghi has brought stability to a country that was once a byword for political upheavals and scandals. Draghi could fill the vacuum left by Angela Merkel as a consensus builder in the European Council, Nicoletta Pirozzi of think-tank Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome told AFP. Also, compared to Merkels cautious approach, he could inject a new dynamism in key sectors of European integration, from the reform of economic governance to foreign policy and defence, in cooperation with France and the new German government. But Pirozzi noted that much will hinge on whether the Italian leader, 74, does manage to successfully implement the EUs economic recovery plan. Italys presidential election in January could radically change the picture as Draghi is also touted as one of the most credible potential candidates in that race.
An event dedicated to the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day and the New Year was held in Moscow on the initiative of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora and youth associations of Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as officials attended the event.

In her speech, the head of Humanitarian Programmes Department at the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Tamilla Ahmadova touched upon the activities of Azerbaijan Youth Association of Russia (AMOR) in the humanitarian area under the leadership of Leyla Aliyeva. She praised the active participation of the young members in humanitarian events.

AMOR executive secretary Jeyhun Huseynov, on behalf of the chairman of the Association Leyla Aliyeva, congratulated the guests on the upcoming World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day and the New Year. He also provided insight into the activities of the organization in 2021.

It was noted that under the leadership of Leyla Aliyeva, AMOR has implemented a number of new projects and successfully cooperated with public associations and higher educational institutions in Russia.

Next, the most active Azerbaijani clubs in the Russia`s higher scientific institutions were awarded.

The event was followed by a concert that featured traditional dances and music.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed condolences to the family and friends of the deceased writer Albert Likhanov.

"I was deeply saddened by the news of the death of Albert Anatolyevich Likhanov, a classicist of child and youth literature, a renowned public figure and a big friend of the people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.

"A universal personality, a talented writer and pedagogue and a man of a great heart, who has devoted his entire life to the noble mission of protection and support of children and moral education of the growing generations, has left us. Albert Anatolyevichs selfless activities as the head of the Russian Childrens Fund for long years have gained everyones respect and sympathy not only in Russia, but also in the entire world," Ilham Aliyev noted.

"Albert Anatolyevichs mindful attitude towards his joint work with Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev has always been highly appreciated in Azerbaijan. As a result of this joint effort, the Soviet Childrens Fund was established. Being a true friend of our country, Albert Likhanov has made an important contribution to strengthening humanitarian relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation," he stressed.

"The memory of this nice person and renowned personality will always live in our hearts. Please, accept my sincere condolences on this irreplaceable loss," the head of state concluded.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will pay a visit to Russia in early 2022, spokesman for the Iranian administration Ali Bahadori Jahromi said.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Jahromi said the deputy head of the presidents office for political affairs is making arrangements for the trip, Tasnim reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had already invited his Iranian counterpart to visit Moscow in 2022.

The upcoming presidential visit is expected to result in a number of major agreements and contracts and focus on talks about the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as well as expansion of economic and trade ties between Tehran and Moscow.
The eighth round of negotiations to re-establish the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program will be interrupted for several days, IRNA writes.

According to it, the consultations will end on Thursday, December 30, but the participants will return to the negotiating table on January 3 of the new year.

Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General of the European Union's Foreign Service, co-chairman of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, explained to reporters that the break was connected exclusively with the suspension of services at the Palais Coburg.
At the turn of 2021-2022, one year after the end of the Karabakh war, when Azerbaijan and Armenia, through the mediation of Russia, agreed on a route for opening communications through the Zangezur corridor and agreed to start the process of border delimitation, it was time to move on to the next important stage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement - the implementation of paragraph 7 of the first trilateral Statement: "Internally displaced persons and refugees are returning to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the control of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees".

The Armenian population of Karabakh, which had fled to Armenia during the Azerbaijani Patriotic War, returned to the territory limited by the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers at the end of last year. Local residents and their descendants are returning to the regions liberated by the force of Azerbaijani weapons and will continue to return as the land is cleared and the social and transport infrastructure destroyed during the years of occupation is built. However, a week ago,the question still remained: how exactly will the return of the Azerbaijani community of Karabakh to Khankendi, Agdere, Khojaly, Khojavend, Askeran and adjacent villages take place?

For 13 months after the war, we've heard only from Yerevan and from the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers only irreconcilable revanchist statements that the Azerbaijanis would never live in Khankendi, that the supporters of the occupation of Karabakh would still regain their strength and again seize the lands of Azerbaijan, which is 7 of the first trilateral Statement should be interpreted discriminatory on the basis of ethnicity: Armenians return to Karabakh, but Azerbaijanis do not. The zone of the Russian peacekeeping contingent was supplied with soldiers and weapons, it was decided to arm all Karabakh Armenians with one goal - not to allow the separatist project of Armenian nationalists to be destroyed, the main threat to which is not war, but peaceful life. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a thing of the past forever, but its instigators have been trying to revive it for a year.

For the organizers and performers of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict from the "war party" Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, there really is nothing more terrible than the peaceful, stable neighborly life of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Karabakh, as it was 35-40 years ago. They would rather agree to the defeat of the Armenian occupation forces in Karabakh after November 9, 2020, to the death of 20 thousand sons of the Armenian people in Khankendi, Agdere and Khojavend, than to the retreat of the interethnic enmity they imposed on ordinary people. Because the defeat and death of Armenians in battles with the Azerbaijani army fits into their ideology of "eternal confrontation", and fits perfectly, providing the foundation for the continuation of the ultra-nationalist Nzhdeh-Balayan doctrine about the impossibility of civilized coexistence of Armenians with the Turkic peoples. And the return of Azerbaijanis to Karabakh will eliminate this ideology.

This is what the leaders of the revanchist movement in Armenia and the diaspora are afraid of - not that the Azerbaijanis returning to Karabakh will begin to conflict with the Armenians (these leaders would very much like this, the revanchists in general need regular sacrifices among the Armenian population of Karabakh to strengthen their anti-Azerbaijani positions), but what Armenians will see in returning Azerbaijanis as normal, cultured, mentally healthy people, inclined towards a calm, stable life for themselves and their children. Until last Friday, there were no visible movements in the Armenian establishment that would indicate an intention to support the return of Karabakh Azerbaijanis, although in other areas the current regime of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan distanced itself as much as possible from the conflict legacy of the "war party" and opposed itself to the Kocharian clan and Sargsyan. For this reason, there were fears that official Yerevan still supports the separatist project of its political enemies.

However, the situation was changed by Nikol Pashinyan's live broadcast on January 24, 2021, where he not only agreed to talk about the most difficult issues for Armenia and the diaspora, but also gave the most difficult answers for revanchists and nationalists. One of the most important among them was precisely the answer about the return of Azerbaijanis to Karabakh. In contrast to the entire body of statements by the separatists and their sponsors that the legs of an Azerbaijani will never be in Khankendi, the head of the Republic of Armenia stressed that the issue of the rights of Azerbaijanis living in Karabakh has not been disputed and will not be disputed; the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region has never been considered purely Armenian unit ". Developing his thought, Nikol Pashinyan also drew attention to the fact that his predecessors had tried unsuccessfully to promote the idea of a mono-national Karabakh, but this led to the April 2016 battles and the removal of the issue of the status of the region from the negotiating agenda.

Karabakh could not be completely Armenian. If we mean the demographic composition of the population, then its not at all. From the content of the negotiations it was obvious that the Armenian and Azerbaijani population lived in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. It is obvious that power in Karabakh cannot be completely Armenian, "he explained, causing the expected storm of protests in the revanchist-nationalist circles of Armenia and the diaspora, and at the same time creating a new reality in the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. Nikol Pashinyan announced that official Yerevan will not hinder the return of the Karabakh Azerbaijanis home, moreover, their rights "will not be challenged".

Of course, it is worth noting that the Armenian authorities have nothing to do with the internal processes in Azerbaijan de jure, and the return of internally displaced persons to their homeland in Karabakh refers exclusively to the internal issues of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, it is fundamentally important that the Armenian leadership refuses to support the mono-national separatist project in Karabakh, which means that its founders from the "war party" will now sharply reduce the ability to supply Khankendi with weapons and anti-Azerbaijani propaganda. The fact that the legitimately elected head of the Armenian state declares respect for the rights of the Karabakh Azerbaijanis is the first step towards the formation of a new Armenian policy of peaceful coexistence with neighbors. At least one can hope for this against the background of all the latest agreements and agreements between Yerevan and Baku.

As Anton Bredikhin, scientific director of the Center for Ethnic and International Studies of the Russian Federation, noted in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, after such a change in Yerevan's position, the question of returning refugees and internally displaced persons to all lands from which they had to flee at the beginning of the Karabakh war arises. "They should return both to Karabakh and to other regions of Azerbaijan, and to Armenia. This is an interconnected process. We remember very well that there were a lot of refugees from the territory of Armenia, who had to leave their homes and leave for the territory of Azerbaijan and Russia. . Full peace will be achieved only when it is possible to restore the historical justice destroyed at the turn of the 80s and 90s", he said.

"Azerbaijanis will now return to Karabakh, as well as Kurds and representatives of other nationalities who lived in the region before the outbreak of hostilities. Until now, only the line of Armenia was active, from where Armenian refugees returned to Karabakh along the Lachin corridor, now they will become more visible active lines of Baku and Moscow, which will help people return to their homeland not to ruins, but to restored houses. Baku that Azerbaijani construction companies will work in Khankendi and other cities of the region", Anton Bredikhin said.

At the same time, a struggle against the closure of the separatist project proposed by Nikol Pashinyan is already unfolding in Armenia. "The conflict between Pashinyans government and the "authorities" in Khankendi is growing due to his statements. The issue of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons is one of the important components of this conflict. Most likely, we will not see any real actions from Yerevan here. In any case, Baku will deal with the return of the Karabakh Azerbaijanis, supporting them, providing funding for the restoration of houses, building everything they need, giving them jobs.In my opinion, Yerevan won't help here with any positive initiatives, despite the fact that Nikol Pashinyan is already ready to use the billions of euros promised by the European Union - this money is unlikely to reach Karabakh, predicts the scientific director of the Center for Ethnic and International Studies of the Russian Federation.

Let us add that Armenia must certainly bear material responsibility for all the damage inflicted on Azerbaijan during the years of its occupation - for the destroyed cities and villages, destroyed and desecrated monuments of culture and history, for plundered and polluted natural resources - therefore, Yerevan will still pay for the atrocities of the "war party". At the same time, at the current stage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, it is important to stop the support of these atrocities by the Armenian authorities, and Nikol Pashinyan's announced closure of the separatist project in Karabakh (the "status" of which, according to him, was removed from the negotiating agenda back in 2016) is a sign of Armenia's transition to be constructive on key political issues.

As before, the main thing is that concrete actions follow Pashinyan's words, and Yerevan really begins to support the return of the Karabakh Azerbaijanis home and not challenge their right to live in Karabakh. After the successes achieved on other issues, this topic becomes the main one on the way to a stable peace in the South Caucasus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have discussed the registration of Russias vaccine Sputnik V, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

"On December 27, there was a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Special attention was paid to the registration of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Also, Lavrov and Ghebreyesus discussed the need for the universal recognition of anti-coronavirus registration certificates by all countries. The Russian Foreign Minister welcomed the WHO member-countries decision to develop a new international regulatory instrument for struggle against pandemics.

"The two sides discussed crucial issues of international cooperation in overcoming the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic, enhancing the effectiveness and readiness of the global system to react to health emergencies, with the WHO playing the central coordinating role," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev flew to St. Petersburg, where he will take part in an informal summit of the heads of the CIS member states. This was reported by the press service of the Uzbek leader.

At the Pulkovo international airport, Mirziyoyev was met by the Governor of the Leningrad Region Alexander Drozdenko and other officials.

During the talks, the leaders of the member states of the CIS will discuss multilateral cooperation.
The head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said that the delta strain of coronavirus dominates in the Russian Federation now.

"It was the travelers who brought the delta strain to the Russian Federation, not from India, but from the resort areas of the world, where our citizens went on vacation", she said at the meeting of the coordinating council for combating coronavirus infection under the government of the Russian Federation.

"As I said, today it remains dominant in the Russian Federation", RIA Novosti cites Popova's data.
The Turkish Interior Ministry has launched a probe over allegations that some of the personnel employed at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality have links with terrorist organizations.

A special investigation was initiated following complaints filed and some findings suggesting that 455 employees of the municipality have links with the PKK, another 80 with the far-leftist DHKP-C and 20 more with the far-leftist MLKP, the ministry said in a statement on Dec. 26, noting that some employees were also suspected to have links with the terror organization FETO.

The ministry added that the investigation would also look into the claims in an indictment prepared by Istanbul Prosecutors Office, based on findings by the Gendarmerie Command in Istanbul, suggesting that people having links with the PKK are employed at the Istanbul Municipality.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu rejected the claims, saying that he would stand by 86,000 staff working for the municipality. I will fight against the criminals to the end. Those who attack the municipality will see an unprecedented unison, he responded on Twitter.

This is about the fight against terrorism, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters on Dec. 27, dismissing suggestions that the probe is politically motivated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (the CIS) 30 years ago was a justified step.

"We have seen many cardinal changes over the past years and decades. At the same time, I would like to stress that the very creation of the organization was certainly well-founded. Integration has grown deeper on many tracks," Putin stated at an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

The Russian leader said this was true of the CIS countries security and the economy.

"I should say that on the whole the ties that have been preserved since the Soviet era continue to play their positive role. There are common supply links and common enterprises that now operate as partners. There are value-added chains implying a rather high degree of cooperation," he said. All this, he stressed, has not just been preserved, but "moved forward and developed on a totally new basis."

Putin thanked his counterparts for accepting his invitation and coming to St. Petersburg for the meeting, which has now become traditional. He recalled that before the pandemic the CIS leaders had regularly gathered in St. Petersburg on New Years Eve.

"This year is a very special one for the CIS: the 30th anniversary of the organization was marked just recently, in December. I had the pleasure of congratulating all of you upon the 30th anniversary of independence. And I am doing this with pleasure now, as we meet face to face," he added.

Putin acknowledged that a face-to-face meeting was rather unusual amid the pandemic.

"Far more often we work in the virtual model. But since this opportunity to meet personally has emerged, it should be used properly," Putin said.

The Russian leader thanked his counterparts for initiating this event. Although the summit is being held in St. Petersburg, in fact, each CIS leader came out for holding the meeting this way, he stressed.

The informal CIS summit is attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as well as the first president of Kazakhstan, leader of the nation Nursultan Nazarbayev and head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova.
The Office of Rospotrebnadzor in Dagestan suspended the activities of three organizations whose employees did not receive a course of vaccination against coronavirus. This was reported by the press service of the department.

In total, 72 protocols on violation of sanitary and epidemiological legislation were drawn up. On the basis of six materials, Rospotrebnadzor issued fines in the total amount of 205 thousand rubles.

These measures were taken in connection with the decree of the chief sanitary doctor of the Republic of Dagestan on the administration of preventive vaccinations against COVID-19, according to which doctors and teachers, workers in the service sector and social services, state and municipal employees are subject to vaccination.
In the near future, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian corporation "Roscosmos", at the invitation of the National Aerospace Agency of the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan, will visit Baku to discuss aspects of cooperation.

"We have offered light-rail transport for the reviving Azerbaijani cities. We are now producing very interesting and beautiful trams. We are producing the "Maglef" system - magnetic levitation trains. We are ready to supply them to Azerbaijan, as well as medical equipment and much more. Therefore, I want to say that even Roscosmos alone can become a very important partner for the Azerbaijani economy", Rogozin said in an interview with the Azerbaijani CBC TV channel.

Also, "Roscosmos" plans to work together with the Azerbaijani space agency in the field of remote sensing of the Earth from space.

"The development of cooperation with Azerbaijan in the space sector can become even more active. Azerbaijan has a number of opportunities in terms of participation in machine-building corporations, and in the space sector there are many talented scientists from Azerbaijan. There are many Azerbaijani scientists working in the space industry of Russia. There is a lot of work,

which we can do with Azerbaijan in connection with cooperation in the space sector. I really want to discuss this issue with President Ilham Aliyev,Rogozin said, APA reports.
Russia and the United States will hold talks on the situation around Ukraine, security in Europe and arms control on January 10, AFP reported Monday citing the White House National Security Council spokesman.

According to the spokesman, a Russia-NATO Council meeting may take place on January 12, while Russia and OSCE representatives may meet on January 13.

Neither the White House nor the Department of State provided an immediate commentary for TASS.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sergey Lavrov stated that the main round of the Russia-US talks on security will take place immediately after the New Year holidays. The Minister noted that the timeline of the talks is important for Moscow, adding that delaying them is unacceptable despite Moscow setting now ultimatums on this issue. The Minister also underscored that Washington is the main negotiator on the issue of security guarantees.
Russia is beginning to build a border guard post in Tajikistan on the border with Afghanistan, Russias Ambassador to Tajikistan Igor Lyakin-Frolov told a press conference.

"The issues [of security] were considered in the bilateral and multilateral context. In particular, a decision was made within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border. Another contribution by Russia is the construction of a border guard post in the area of Shamsiddin Shohin [the Khatlon region in Tajikistan on the border with Afghanistan]. Funds have been allocated, the agreement has been signed and this project is switching to its practical stage and a modern border guard post will be built," the Russian diplomat said.

Russia has also supplied armaments for the Tajik army under these decisions, he specified.

As the Russian ambassador said, active work is underway "to modernize the 201st Russian military base" stationed in Tajikistan. In particular, the military base is receiving the latest military hardware. It also holds special drills and maneuvers, with over 40 such exercises conducted this year, he specified.

The 201st Russian military base conducts bilateral drills with Tajik partners and multilateral maneuvers within the framework of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) with the participation of other countries, the Russian diplomat said, praising the high level of combat training.

"Enhanced attention will be paid to this issue [security on the Tajik-Afghan border]," TASS cited him as saying.
The Russian-U.S. consultations on security guarantees are scheduled for January 10 in Geneva, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday.

"The talks will take place in Geneva," the senior diplomat noted. "<> The bilateral Russian-American consultations, which, we hope, are likely to develop into negotiations on our draft agreements, will be held on January 10," TASS cited Ryabkov as saying.

On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees on a part of the US and NATO. They were handed over to US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried on December 15.
Georgian ex-president Mikhail Saakashvili fainted after learning that he will be transferred back to prison from the military hospital, Georgian Ombudsmans representative Anna Dzaniashvili told journalists Tuesday after visiting the former president.

Georgian ombudsman Nino Lomdzharia sent her representative to the hospital after Saakashvilis relatives said they are not allowed to see Saakashvili, adding that this prohibition was probably caused by the plan to transfer the ex-president back to prison.

"I visited Mikhail Saakashvili today," Dzaniashvili said. "He told me that he was visited by some people, who announced their plan to transfer him from the hospital; he resisted and he does not remember anything after that. Once he was brought back to his senses, he was told that nobody plans to move him anymore."

The ex-president returned to Georgia in early October, after which he was detained and put behind bars. Saakashvili called himself a political prisoner and announced a hunger strike. On November 20, he was transferred to a military hospital. Currently, the ex-president is no longer on his hunger strike and receives medical treatment.

Saakashvili left Georgia in 2013; four criminal cases were initiated against him shortly thereafter. On two cases, he was sentenced in absentia to three and six years in prison. Two other cases are being reviewed by the court.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Sputnik V, the Russian-made vaccine against COVID, played a key role in counteracting the spread of COVID-19 in Kazakhstan. The press service of the Kazakh leader informs about this.

He further thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the assistance provided during the pandemic.

"The Sputnik V vaccine, one might say, played a decisive role in stopping the onset of COVID-19", Tokayev said during an informal summit of the CIS heads of state in St. Petersburg.
Vietnams commitment to increasing its energy capacity using renewable sources will lead to increasing recruitment demand, especially in the next few years, but its human resources are not sufficient.

A solar power project in central Ninh Thuan Province.

Dr Nguyen Trinh Hoang Anh, senior associate at the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition Social Enterprise, said: Renewable energy is developing strongly in the country, leading to a need for more and more workers in the industry going forward.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade in February released the draft proposal for the national power development plan for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, showing that the ratio of renewable energy (excluding hydropower) will increase to almost 30 per cent in 2030, while the ratio amended in the 7th Vietnam Power Development Plan was only 16.3 per cent.

According to the COBENEFITS project, which is part of the International Climate Initiative led by the German Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, the demand for higher-skilled workers in the power sector is expected to grow by 31 per cent during the construction and installation phase, and 25 per cent for jobs in operation and maintenance by 2030.

Energy is an industry that the Vietnamese Government has oriented in Vietnams national energy development strategy Therefore, quality human resources will play an important role in the sustainable development of this industry, Gaku Echizenya, CEO at recruitment service Navigos Group, said in a report released in August.

Difficulty in recruitment

However, Dr Hoang Giang, general director of Pacifico Energy Vietnam and vice chairman of Vietnam Clean Energy Association, said: The industry faces a shortage of human resource in both quantity and quality. Vietnam has not yet had many people trained professionally in the industry because several universities only started training two or three years ago.

The human resource working at the countrys existing wind and solar power plants and projects are foreigners who have trained in renewable energy, and Vietnamese people who have studied renewable energy majors abroad and returned. Moreover, there is another source, people who used to work in thermal power stations or fossil power plants in the country and have studied renewable energy majors.

He said his company and others in the country could recruit electrical engineers and train them for working at renewable energy plants.

Ngo Thi Ngoc Lan, Navigos Search north regional director, said: Many companies in the industry face difficulties in recruitment especially job positions of operation engineers and technical workers because they need a large number of these engineers and workers while there are not many in the labour market.

Moreover, companies want to hire candidates with good English and professional knowledge. Skills in project management and team work and especially professional attitudes also are required.

However, not many candidates meet these requirements, she added.

A representative of a company hydropower project in Lai Chau Province said that the company wanted to hire local people to work in operational engineering. Although it paid a higher salary than most jobs for local people, it was still difficult to recruit.

The province has many hydropower projects so there is a competition in hiring operational engineers, he said. Solar energy projects also attract these engineers by paying higher salaries.

So the company has hired operational engineers from other provinces and cities to work in Lai Chau Province, he said, adding that many of these engineers then quit the job.

Lan said that companies also found it difficult to hire managers for renewable energy projects because there were not many people with management experience in the industry.

In the country, several universities have majors in renewable energy including Ha Noi University of Sciences and Technology, Electricity Power University and HCM City University of Technology under Vietnam National University.

Dr Nguyen Duc Tuyen, lecturer at the School of Electrical Engineering at Ha Noi University of Sciences and Technology, said that the schools renewable energy training programme was taught in English to provide high quality human resources.

Chances for women

In a male-dominated industry, opportunities for women are increasingly arising.

Vu Chi Mai, team leader of Renewable Energy Component at the Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit Vietnam, said: Renewable energy is opening many employment chances for women. There are many different job positions such as administration, human resources and others in renewable energy. Women can work in counselling services, or on assessment for environmental impact, or finances.

At Viet Nam Electricity (EVN), for example, 40 per cent of staff are women, Mai said.

According to Lan of Navigos Search, the company has recruited several women for renewable energy projects. Many are now leaders and managers in the projects.

Tuyen said that of his schools 700 students, 4 per cent were female. Female students are paying attention to studying the major of renewable energy, he added.

Source: Vietnam News

Norway to partner with Vietnam to "awaken" offshore wind power potential Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lchen and Commercial Counsellor Arne-Kjetil Lian recently have handed over the 'Vietnam Supply Chain Study Report' to Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.
Vietnams farm produce import turnover reached record highs in 2021. The country for the first time saw high exports of rice, cashew and pepper.

The latest report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) showed that total import turnover of farm, forestry and seafood produce reached $39.2 billion in the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 39 percent over the same period last year. This is the year with the highest import turnover so far.

Of this, farm imports were valued at $24.9 billion, an increase of 54.2 percent. Except for livestock products, which did not see increased import turnover, other products saw significant increases: seafood produce $1.8 billion, up by 11 percent, forestry $2.88 billion, up by 18.6 percent, and input materials for domestic production, up by 33.6 percent.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that farm produce import turnover had increased sharply this year partially because of higher input material prices in the world market.

$4 billion spent to import cashew nuts

As of mid-December, Vietnam had spent $4.119 million to import 2.83 million tons of raw cashew nuts, the highest level in history.

While imports soared, exports only brought turnover of $3.5 billion. This was the first time cashew imports exceeded exports in the last 30 years.

In mid-May, customs agencies surprised analysts when reporting imports of 836,712 tons, worth $1.4 billion of cashew nuts from Cambodia in the first four months of the year. Meanwhile, the figures were 152,000 tons and 161,000 tons in the same periods of 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Rice imports from India

The news about Vietnam, a major rice exporter, importing rice from India also surprised experts.

Indian media reported that Indian rice exports in the first three months of 2021 alone reached 247,000 tons, worth $74.8 million, an increase of 3,250 times in quantity and 554 times in value compared with the same period of 2020.

Prior to that, in 2019 and earlier, Indias exports to Vietnam were modest, from 500 tons to several thousands of tons.

Rice experts said as Indian rice is cheaper than Vietnam, businesses increased imports to make processed products and for use in the livestock industry.

Pepper imports from Cambodia

The Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) reported that Vietnamese pepper imports from Cambodia in the first 11 months of the year soared by 111 percent over the same period last year.

VPA former Chair Nguyen Nam Hai said about 30,000 tons of pepper are imported from Cambodia to Vietnam, mostly via border gates. Cambodians have exported pepper to Vietnam through official channels over the last two years because of Covid-19. Vietnam imports pepper to process products for export.

T. An

Vietnams import-export value hits record, exceeds $30 billion in a month The General Department of Customs said Vietnams imports and exports recovered strongly in November 2021, reaching the highest number so far  over $30 billion - a new milestone.
As the number of Covid-19 cases is increasing day by day in Hanoi, the municipal authorities need to create another scenario.

Numbers of community-transmitted Covid-19 cases in Hanoi

The website of Hanoi Peoples Committee and Hanoi CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) lists the number of infections and the number of people at risk of infection.

The management and response should be given only to the people who need medical support and hospitalization, not people discovered as infected with coronavirus.

With the high vaccination coverage, the number of F0s who dont need medical support at hospitals is high. The municipal authorities should focus on supporting those who need medical support, treating severe cases and minimizing the mortality rate, rather than wasting resources for those who dont need medical support.

To prepare for this policy, its necessary to run media campaigns to explain it to the public. The regulation that all infected children aged below 3 and people aged above 49 must be treated at medical establishments not only causes overloading for the healthcare system, but also harms infected people.

The current healthcare system is not capable of serving a high number of healthy infected people. The gathering of these people may pose high risks, because many people may be harmed by other diseases.

Document 276 dated December 2 by the Hanoi Peoples Committee on individuals who can have medical quarantine at home is contrary to MInistry of Healths (MOH) documents as it requires all people aged over 49 and children aged below 3 to have concentrated quarantine.

MOH, in its Decision 4038/BYT, doesnt require all infected people aged above 49 and below three to have concentrated quarantine. It only mentions clinical conditions and satisfying at least one of two criteria  full vaccination at least 14 days ago, over 1 year to below 50 years old, with no pregnancy, and no underlying health conditions.

In order to get permission to have home quarantine, infected people have to apply and their home conditions need to be examined to ensure that conditions are good enough.

The regulation not only creates delays due to both bureaucracy and overloading at medical facilities, but also poses problems to medical workers as they have a big workload amid a rapid increase in the number of infections.

Guidance is needed to make people understand anti-pandemic regulations and observe the rules to treat patients. However, what is seen on the website of Hanoi Peoples Committee and CDC Hanoi doesnt show readiness.

On the website of Hanoi Peoples Committee, when clicking on Nhung dieu nguoi dan can biet (Things To Know), it is difficult to find useful information for infections.

Voluntary quarantine sites in wards

It is necessary to change the way of isolating both infected people and people at risk of getting infected. The government from the ward level should be allowed to organize voluntary quarantine points in localities, which gather the infected who dont need medical support and those who cant satisfy requirements to have home quarantine.

Hanoi has advantages in facilities with a large network of hotels, guesthouses and schools to serve that goal. And putting these facilities into service for epidemic prevention is effective if monitored by local authorities.

The private healthcare network in Hanoi has higher capability than other localities and the network needs to be mobilized. Municipal authorities should update the number of beds needed each day, the number of unoccupied beds, the number of patients under treatment at hospitals, and number of severe cases, rather than just announce the number of positive cases.

Another problem is the lack of services for patients in their daily activities. Currently, patients at hospitals mostly receive care from their relatives and home help. The problem may not be settled immediately.

There are many ways to improve the situation, such as mobilizing volunteers who have been fully vaccinated. Also, the city should also allow fully vaccinated relatives of patients to stay in hospitals to take care of patients.

Hanoi needs to learn a lesson from what happened in HCM City and southern provinces and get ready for a new possible Covid wave.

Hanois authorities affirmed in mid-December that no large-scale lockdown was on the table despite the spike in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

Thu Hang

Lockdown is unnecessary amid rising Covid cases in Hanoi: official The number of Covid cases in Hanoi is increasing rapidly, but experts believe that re-imposing a lockdown would be unnecessary and ineffective.
The two most labor-intensive industries in Vietnam - textiles/apparel and footwear - which employ nearly 4 million workers - have become vulnerable to impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its time for a change.

Textile-garment and footwear have always been key exports and job creation industries, making important contributions to Vietnams socio-economic development. Photo: Le Anh Dung

The pandemic has disrupted supply and production chains, particularly in these two industries.

According to the General Department of Customs, in January-October this year, the export value of textiles and garments reached US$26.1 billion, up 5.5% or $1.35 billion over the same period last year. Notably, exports to the US market were valued at $12.8 billion, up more than 10%; to the EU $2.6 billion, up over 1%; and to Japan $2.6 billion, down 11% year on year.

At the same time, footwear exports were valued $14.24 billion, up 5.2%, equivalent to an increase of nearly $710 million year on year. The major markets were the US with $5.98 billion, up over 18%; the EU $3.24 billion, up over 7%; China $1.26 billion, down nearly 26% over the same period of last year.

However, under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in lockdowns in 23 provinces in the country, Vietnams footwear export turnover in Q3/2021 was $2.925 billion, down by nearly 48% compared to Q2 and down 27% year on year. Among Vietnams export items, footwear saw the highest fall in turnover in Q3/2021 compared to Q2, when it fell by $2.67 billion.

Textile-garment and footwear have always been key exports and job creation industries, making important contributions to Vietnams socio-economic development.

However, these industries are largely dependent on imported raw materials. According to a report from the Public-Private Cooperation Group for the Sustainable Development of the Textile and Footwear Industry, about 65% of Vietnam's garment and footwear factories still receive export orders in the Cut- Make-Trim (CMT) form. Accordingly, Vietnamese factories only process products, and do not participate in the downstream stages with higher added value such as purchasing raw materials or design.

CMT does not require complex skills such as material sourcing, design, and supply chain management, and large financial resources. But the profit margin of CMT orders is low. Also, factories often have to sign contracts through intermediary companies. During the Covid-19 crisis, they have faced risks because intermediary companies canceled or postponed orders without giving prior notice, so many factories fell into difficulties or even went bankrupt.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnamese textile and footwear enterprises are currently only involved in the processing stage, and are not yet self-sufficient in raw materials, and at the same time they are very weak at fashion design and brand building and management. This lowers the added value in these two industries.

Free trade agreements

In the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), enterprises only benefit when they can produce materials from yarn or more, and in the European UnionVietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Vietnam-Japan Free Trade Agreement, they benefit if they are able to produce "fabric or more.

Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Director of the Center for World Trade and Integration, under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that in order to enjoy tariff preferences from free trade agreements (FTAs), local textile and garment producers must meet very strict requirements on origin under each agreement.

Vietnamese agencies are drafting a strategy for the development of the textile and footwear industry in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2035, aiming to promote local firms investments in weaving and dyeing and increasing the localization rate.

Commenting on the draft, Tran Huu Huynh, former director of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC), said that 30 years ago, Vietnam had a strategy for the textile industry. I see many ideas in this draft strategy that are similar to that one. In particular, the focus is how to localize products. I wonder that 30 years ago the goal was set to raise this ratio to 50-70%, but now in the draft, it only sets the goal at about 40-50%," Huynh said.

Enterprises in the textile and dying industry are interested in this draft. A director of a foreign-invested textile-dyeing factory said: The Covid-19 pandemic has increased our interest in yarn sources right in Vietnam instead of imported goods. This reduces shipping costs and time. We have contacted a number of local businesses and want to expand the connections to take advantage of Vietnam's new generation of FTAs.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, textile-garment and footwear are among the industries with the largest domestic market due to the relatively large population, as well as the increase in peoples daily living standards and per capita income.

These two industries also have great opportunities when the export market expands as Vietnam has signed many free trade agreements with many countries and regions around the world.

Garment production is also shifting to developing countries, including Vietnam, thereby creating more opportunities and new resources for local businesses in terms of access to capital, equipment, production technology, advanced management experience, and skilled labor from developed countries.

But if they only import raw materials for production, or only use the CMT method, these two industries will find it very difficult to rise up in the global value chain.

Lan Anh

Extending the dream of modernization 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.
With nothing obtained and losses incurred, the victims of the dating app scam have been left in the depths of despair.

A fraudster tries to convince, seduce, and even instruct a victim to steal money from her parents for investment.

I would have ended myself if it wasnt for the consideration of my kids

They are humiliated and devastated. They struggle in the pit of despair because their transactions were not protected by law.

With tears streaming down her face, H.L.T. (39 years old, Hai Phong city) remembered how she got swindled out of 6 billion, which she had accumulated for many years to ensure the future for her two young children, by a Tinder account named Jacky.

When the time was ripe, early in December 2020, I was prevailed upon by Jacky to invest in MMCoin. I seemed so blind to the scam that I made daily transactions of up to billions of Vietnamese dong. Around the end of March, in the moment I turned disenchanted. Then there came the realization that I had deposited over 6 billion VND."

From a person with a stable job rendering handsome income, L.T. has become a debtor in nothing flat. Late nights of crying alone in her own room are due to a massive loss of both money and love. The single mother said she many times wanted to commit suicide because of her inability to face this grievous truth.

My parents house was mortgaged, even my sister had to prove her income to be able to borrow money from the bank, all to provide for my investment. I also many times took payday loan with 5% interest per day to have money deposited into my account in the hope that I can then withdraw the amount I have invested. However, everything went all in vain. I was painfully aware that I had been tricked. I not only lost my savings, but also made my parents and sister debtors Many times I couldn't accept that fact. If I didn't think about my children, I would have killed myself,  she continued.

Despite the same situation, another victim named N.T.H.M. (37 years old, Hanoi) chose to suffer in silence for fear that the truth would be unbearable for her parents who are in their autumn years. Therefore, she daily silently endures the bitter resentment and secretly joins groups of victims of similar affairs to find a way to reclaim the money worth an apartment on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, H.T.T.A. (24 years old, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) is in disquiet as the scammer threatened to publish her nudes online, which also was done to many other girls by foreign so-called boyfriends on Tinder. T.A. said that these hot photos are saved by scammers for when the victims discover they have been scammed, or ask to withdraw money, or stop investing ... The gullible can be easily inveigled into a nude photo exchange, falling into their trap.

Depths of despair

2. H.L.T. fell so ill she needed to be hospitalized for treatment.

Scams on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Skype... have grown omnipresent nowadays. The victims, therefore, are working together in closed groups to exchange and share their stories to find ways to bring the fraudsters to light, as well as to warn any other girls who are on the verge of being defrauded. This general consensus among the women also denotes a slim hope of getting their money back.

From a legal perspective, lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, said that if the offenders are Vietnamese, they will be criminally responsible as Forex has not been recognized in Vietnam. However, if they are foreigners, it is dependent upon whether their country recognizes Forex or not, for this market is allowed in some countries, namely the US, UK, Italy, Cyprus, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malta, Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany and most countries in Central Europe, Eastern Europe.

Meanwhile, Forex trading is banned in countries such as Belgium, North Korea, Malaysia, France, countries with strict Sharia law like Pakistan.... According to Hau, in the case of criminals operating in countries that recognize Forex, there is no agency to protect the interests of victims.

Regarding foreign exchange, according to Clause 1, Article 28 and Clause 1, Article 36 of the 2005 Foreign Exchange Ordinance, only banks and authorized credit institutions can trade foreign currencies and provide foreign exchange services. Thus, citizens are not allowed to partake in buying and selling (investing) foreign exchange in any forms," he said.

Data collected by victims has been sent to domestic and foreign authorities to denounce scammers.

In addition, official Letter No. 5747/NHNN-PC approved by the State Bank of Vietnam on July 21, 2017, stated: Virtual money in general and Bitcoin and Litecoin in particular are not currencies and are not a means of payment legally in accordance with the law of Vietnam. Issuing, supplying and using virtual currency in general and Bitcoin and Litecoin in particular (unlawful means of payment) as currency or means of payment is prohibited.

He added: Regarding illegal foreign exchange transactions, violating individuals and organizations will be sanctioned according to the provisions of Article 23 of Decree No. 88/2019/ND-CP dated November 14, 2019 of the Government regulating the handling of foreign currency penalties for administrative violations in the monetary and banking sectors. Violators, depending on the severity, may be subject to a warning or may be fined up to VND 250 million.

Thereby, he also advised people to raise their vigilance, and not be lured into investing in virtual financial websites and trading floors. Currently, Vietnam does not recognize any type of virtual currency and cryptocurrency. Investors will bear risks when investing in virtual currency investment activities and virtual products.

Some further information is that money transmitters transferring money at the request of fraudsters based on tricks, providing fake information to deceive users into transferring money and then appropriating this money, is considered signs of constituting the crime of fraud to appropriate property specified in Article 174 - Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented 2017).

Ho Chi Minh City Police have granted access to the hotline phone number 0283.8413744 or 0693187680 in order that people can promptly report when property is being appropriated or scammed via the Internet.

Nguyen Son

Vietnamese women fall victim to deceptive men on Tinder dating app Many young Vietnamese women have fallen into traps set by men on dating sites.
An entrant returning from the UK was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on December 28 to be the first Omicron case recorded in the nation.

According to information provided by the countrys infectious disease surveillance system and a preliminary report produced by the 108 Military Central Hospital on December 19, the Central Military Hospital 108 received one case of the variant.

The confirmed case is a passenger who was onboard flight QH9028 from the UK to Vietnam who then landed at Noi Bai International Airport on the evening of December 19.

After receiving a positive rapid test result for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the passenger was transported from the airport to an isolation area specifically for COVID-19 cases at 108 Military Central Hospital.

Following this, the Department of Molecular Biology of the Hospital then conducted a test for SARS-CoV-2 by using the RT-PCR method, with this also giving a positive result.

With the patient being a passenger returning from the UK, a place where many Omicron infections have been detected in recent times, the Hospital on December 20 carried out sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 genome by using Oxford Nanopore (ONT) technology to report a suspected result of Omicron infection.

However, as the Omicron strain contains up to 36 mutations within the protein spike, including some point mutations, deletion mutations in this sequencing time remain unclear. Therefore, the hospital continued to take samples on December 21 as part of re-sequencing.

The hospital's gene sequencing results indicate that the patient was infected with the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529).

This marks the first infection case of the Omicron variant recorded in the country, although the entrant was quarantined and promptly managed after entry.

The Ministry of Health is therefore continuing to keep a close watch on the pandemic situation, as well as the possibility of infection with the Omicron variant in the nation.

It also recommends that people strictly comply with COVID-19 prevention and control measures and get themselves fully inoculated.

Source: VOV
The Waco Fire Department this week is still investigating what started a fire that damaged part of an apartment building on Christmas Eve, displacing 33 tenants.

The 20-unit building is part of The Cove on 21st, an apartment complex located in the 2400 block of 21st Street. Waco Fire Lt. Keith Guillory, a spokesman for the department, said the flames mostly damaged the buildings exterior, but it forced residents of 16 units to evacuate because of smoke, fumes and fire damage.

Now that the flames are long gone, those 16 units are blocked off by metal fencing, caution tape and plywood. The middle of the walkway on the second story was destroyed. None of those tenants were hurt, according to the fire department.

Guillory said a total of 31 firefighters, three chief officers, seven fire engines and three ladder trucks responded to the call. He said dispatch received a call about the fire at 11:29 a.m. Friday and issued a second alarm 15 minutes later. Firefighters helped tenants evacuate the building and knocked down the blaze by about 12:17 p.m.
Safe ride, free tow

Waco Transit System and Tow King will once again be partnering for Safe Ride Home on Friday for New Years Eve. For those needing an unexpected safe ride, Tow King is offering free vehicle tows home.

Service hours are from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.. Call 254-750-1620 to schedule a free trip or determine coverage area (within the immediate Waco area). WTS will deliver revelers safely to and from their New Years Eve destinations. Groups must be picked up and dropped off at the same location.

Free vehicle tows can be arranged by calling Tow King directly at 254-666-5484.

Churches meet together

Highland Baptist Church, 3014 Maple Ave., will host a worship service with Church Under the Bridge at 10 a.m. Sunday. Church Under the Bridge will not meet at Magnolia Market at the Silos.

Church Under the Bridge's annual Racial Reconciliation Sunday will be held at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16.

Waco Transit survey
Maxwell's lawyers said the memories of her accusers were corrupted by the passage of time and the influence of lawyers steering them toward multimillion-dollar payouts from a fund set up to compensate Epstein victims.

The jury, which deliberated two full days last week, already has asked to review the testimony of the four women, along with former Epstein housekeeper Juan Patricio Alessi. They have given little hint of their overall progress on six charges, including a sex trafficking count that carries a potential penalty of up to 40 years in prison.

On Monday, jurors asked for the transcript of testimony by Matt, the pseudonym of a television actor who testified that he is the ex-boyfriend of Jane, the pseudonym of an actor who is one of the four accusers who testified against Maxwell. The judge had ruled that some witnesses in the trial could testify with only first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy.

Matt, who lived with Jane from 2007 to 2014, testified that Jane initially described Epstein as a godfather who helped her family pay bills after her father's illness and death depleted their finances. She was 14 when she met Epstein.
The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

Last years break from the flu made it more challenging to plan for this years flu vaccine. So far, it looks like whats circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but its really too early to know whether that will blunt the vaccines effectiveness, Brammer said.

Well have to see what the impact of these little changes will be, Brammer said. Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu.

There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year. With hospitals already stretched by COVID-19, its more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.

Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if youre sick, Brammer said. If you do get flu, there are antivirals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ORourke contends that this is in fact the case, telling the Austin American-Statesman that Abbott should have directed state lawmakers to set clearer and more enforceable standards for weatherizing the natural gas supply.

Theres a lot of blame cast by the governor on others, but in Texas we know that the buck stops at the governors desk, he said. The governor cannot only propose legislation, but he literally sets the agenda in the special sessions. There have been three special sessions, and none of them have had this on the agenda. Its totally within the governors purview and his responsibility. The accountability starts with him and stops with him.

Among numerous changes, lawmakers mandated that power generators on the grid be required to winterize their facilities, the first time such an edict has been approved. New reporting requirements were implemented to improve communication across energy sectors to prepare in the event of an emergency that may require generators to cut off electricity to some users.

Plus, lawmakers made sweeping changes to leadership at ERCOT and the utility commission.
The state health department has run out of a key treatment to fight the omicron COVID-19 variant, which now makes up 90% of the virus cases in Texas.

On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced that its regional infusion centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and The Woodlands have run out of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab.

That antibody has been shown to be effective against the omicron variant. Other monoclonal antibodies have not been shown to be effective against omicron.

The state does not expect to receive another shipment of sotrovimab from the federal government until January.

People who had an appointment scheduled at regional infusion centers for this treatment will be alerted. People who have been diagnosed with a non-omicron variant can receive other monoclonal antibody treatments at the regional infusion centers.

Last week the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization for two new oral antiviral drugs, the Pfizer COVID-19 pill and the Merck COVID-19 pill. The state expects that those will be available soon but in a limited supply from the federal government.
Despite the many hardships we have all endured this past year, 2021 did hold a number of positives for those of us with a passion for vintage aviation; this includes the return of major air shows, not to mention significant progress and even first flights for a number of restoration projects. We at WarbirdsNews have endeavored to keep our readers informed of as many developments as possible, with exclusive reports of major milestones in the warbird and aviation museum community. Although we couldnt cover everything, it has been a remarkable year of growth for us. We are always looking for new leads, as well as writers/photographers who are able to provide coverage. With your help, we can have an even better 2022!

Below are some of the highlights from 2021

JANUARY

Yankee Air Museums B-25 Re-Paint Project Complete

The Yankee Air Museums B-25D Mitchell 43-3634, long known as Yankee Warrior, received a new paint scheme transforming the airframe into the same colors she wore when emerging factory-fresh from North American Aviations assembly plant in Kansas City 77 years earlier. The airplane now reflects her true role in Americas history as a combat veteran flying out of Corsica in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Click HERE to read the article.

2021 marked the 50th anniversary for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Minnesota Wing, one of the most active units within the organization. The unit formed on July 3rd, 1971 at historic Fleming Field in South Saint Pau, Minnesota, becoming the very first charter unit of the CAFs National Headquarters Wing. Originally a maintenance unit, it supported the CAFs mission and maintained its ever-growing fleet of vintage military aircraft, vehicles, and historic artifacts. Click HERE to read the article.

FEBRUARY

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 100 Squadron re-formed, becoming the organizations Air Force Heritage Squadron. The unit operates from two locations, RAAF Base Point Cook and Temora, with the purpose of helping celebrate the RAAFs centenary as an independent air arm. Click HERE to read the article.

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing announced its official recognition and transition into CAF Airbase Georgia on February 18th, 2021. The group achieved the coveted designation of Airbase within the CAF due to its tremendous growth and award-winning accomplishments during the previous 35 years. Click HERE to read the article.

MARCH

At the end of March, the Commemorative Air Force inaugurated the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center. Named in honor of a World War II veteran, the Center is the flagship of the CAFs American Airpower Heritage Museum. Click HERE to read the article.

Although the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is not technically a warbird at present, since the type still lingers in active use within a few of the worlds air arms, we at WarbirdsNews feel that almost anything related to the mighty smoking Rhino deserves coverage. We felt sure that our readers would be interested to hear about the events at Gifu Air Base in Japan. On March 17, 2021, the three remaining F-4EJ Phantom assigned to the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces Air Development and Test Wing made their final sortie. Click HERE to read the article.

APRIL

Masters of the Air, the third WWII-inspired television miniseries from producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanksofficially began filming this year, as indicated via an Instagram post from series director Cary Fukunaga. Previous installments include Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). Click HERE to read the article.

World War II veteran Jim Pee Wee Martin celebrated his 100th birthday near his home in Xenia, Ohio, with distinguished leaders, his family, and multiple generations of his friends. Events during the festivities April 23-25 featured a jump fest with historically accurate reenactors to honor Pee Wee, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the Armys history as a whole. Click HERE to read the article.

MAY

With the untimely passing of the legendary Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen in October 2018, the historical aviation community lost a hugely significant benefactor. Numerous airframes from his collection which had been slated for restoration were put up for sale. The worlds two most prominent warbird brokers, Platinum Fighter Sales and Courtesy Aircraft Sales each have a selection on their books. Click HERE to read the article.

Despite the irreverence of Mother Nature, which forced the cancellation of Saturdays events, the Sixth Annual TBM Reunion and Salute to Veterans was largely successful. Activities on Thursday, May 13th, provided many opportunities for patient observers to capture images of warbird arrivals, followed by a Friday full of flying, food, and friends. Click HERE to read the article.



JUNE

After a significant effort over a number of years, the Temora Aviation Museum successfully performed a test flight with their English Electric Canberra TT.18 WJ680 on June 27th, 2021. One of 11 aircraft in the RAAFs No.100 Squadron Temora Historic Flight collection, the aircraft had last flown on June 5th, 2010. The flight took place at the museums home airport in Temora, New South Wales, just 150 miles or so north west of Australias capital city, Canberra. Click HERE to read the article.

Welcome to the South Pacific!  standing in a sweat-soaked flight suit in the midst of our encampment with its 48 star garrison flag snapping proudly in the stiff breeze above our heads, this was our greeting to visitors during the Military Aviation Museums first Virginia Warbird Weekend held on the 19th and 20th of June, 2021. Click HERE to read the article.

JULY

After a Southampton City Council meeting, councilors offered their strategic support for a project to create a monument honoring the Supermarine Spitfire, the legendary fighter aircraft which took flight for the first time at the citys airport. Based in Mayflower Park, the project has been the subject of conversations for years after first receiving planning permission back in 2014. The monument will recognize those who designed, built, and flew the Spitfire in World War II and should heighten the significance of aSouthamptons heritage, both nationally and internationally. Click HERE to read the article.

On Tuesday, July 2oth, our own James Church, aka The Hun Hunter, had the opportunity to witness Dean Cutter Cutshall flying his North American F-100F Super Sabre, 56-3948 (N2011V); the following is his report. Click HERE to read the article.



AUGUST

The Yankee Air Museums Thunder Over Michigan air show took place in Ypsilanti, Michigan over the weekend of August 7th/8th 2021. Infrastructure construction along the airports east side coupled with the USAF Thunderbirds staging from Selfridge forced this years event into a hybrid drive-in format for visitors, who could watch the show from their vehicles, but also walk around a static ramp area to meet aircrew and view some of the aircraft up close. The air show itself was spectacular. Click HERE to read the article.

Renzo Catellani has much to celebrate, as he and his team at Volafenice bring a new shape and sound to civilian warbird operations in Italian skies. We wish them much success in spreading their wings and encouraging the growth of vintage aviation flights in Italy and elsewhere! Click HERE to read the article.

SEPTEMBER

As regular readers will know, we have been following the airworthy rebuild of combat-veteran Vought F4U-1D Corsair BuNo.82460 at Mareeba, near the city of Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia for some years now. By mid-September, Mike Spauldings team had completed the aircrafts restoration. At the time, they were only awaiting a thaw in Australias pandemic-related travel restrictions for the selected test pilot to arrive and perform the aircrafts first flight Click HERE to read the article.

Back in 2013, Warbird Digest (Issue#49) published an article by Stephen Chapis entitled Poor Little Lambs which detailed the airframe history for each of the eight Corsairs which appeared in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep. The article also included never-before-published anecdotes from four of the pilots who flew those wonderful Bent-Wing Birds across our television screens during the course of 36 episodes between September 1976 and April 1978. Click HERE to read the article.

The Paris-Villaroche Air Legend air show has been running since 2018, and the third iteration of this superb event took place over the weekend of September 11th/12th, 2021 at the historic Melun Villaroche Aerodrome near the town of Melun, just southeast of Paris, France. Click HERE to read the article.



OCTOBER

On October 24, 2021, personnel schedules, weather, and aircraft readiness combined perfectly in Virginia Beach, Virginia to allow Korean War Corsair pilot, Obie OBrien, to reunite with his actual wartime mount. When Obie and his daughter Erin arrived at the Military Aviation Museum (MAM), where Obie was (and still is) known as The Corsair Guy, his F4U-4 (BuNo. 97359) sat at ramp center right next to FG-1D (BuNo. 92508), the museums own Corsair in which Obie logged over 100 hours during his 14 years of flying for the MAM. Click HERE to read the article.

Volunteers at the Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan poured roughly 40,000 hours of labor into the restoration of Douglas SBD-2P Dauntless (BuNo.2173) over the five years since the aircrafts arrival at the museum. With justification, they celebrated their efforts with the public at free Open House events between October 15th and 17th, 2021. They completed the reconnaissance dive bombers restoration in time for its December delivery to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii; here the Dauntless was to take part in the 80th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremonies commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor. Click HERE to read the article.

NOVEMBER

In Ardmore, New Zealand, Frank Parker took Claudio Coltris freshly-restored Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (41-13570) aloft for the first time  at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month  in honor of Remembrance Day. It was truly marvelous to see this aircraft back in the skies, and we wish to congratulate everyone at Pioneer Aero Ltd. for a job well done! All that remained was for the P-40 to accumulate the appropriate flight test hours to achieve her formal sign-off requirements, and then the fighter would make her way  by sea  to her new home in Europe. Click HERE to read the article.

On Tuesday, November 16th, Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 Wr. Nr. 410077 passed a major milestone in its decade-long restoration at Michael Vadeboncoeurs Midwest Aero Restorations Ltd. in Danville, Illinois. The fighters newly-rebuilt Daimler Benz DB 605 roared into life for the first time since the aircrafts forced landing in 1944! With these engine tests now underway, the momentous occasion of the aircrafts first flight is sure to follow sometime soon. And when the 109 does fly, it will become arguably the most original and authentic airworthy example of its breed, such was the effort expanded. Click HERE to read the article.

Supermarine Seafire F.Mk.XVII SX336 made her first flight for several years on November 18th, 2021, following a period of extensive maintenance at Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. The aircraft, a navalized variant of Supermarines legendary Spitfire, is one of just a handful of the breed extant. Click HERE to read the article.



DECEMBER

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX MH603 made her first post-restoration flights on Saturday, December 11th, 2021. Veteran warbird pilot, Stephen Death was at the controls for the initial 20 minute hop, joined in the air by Paul Bennet who flew chase duties in Ross Pays CAC-built Mustang Mk.21 A68-107. Click HERE to read the article.

As regular readers will know, we have been following the remarkable efforts of Jason Capra and Vintage Wings Inc. over the past five years as they successfully pursued the resurrection of combat-veteran Douglas C-53 Skytrooper 41-20095. The restoration team has progressed so far that they were able to conduct Beach City Babys first taxi trials on Sunday, December 12th. Click HERE to read the article.

Year-Long Restoration Reporting Endeavors

In other restoration highlights, we have had monthly installments from Chuck Cravens covering the team at AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota and their restoration of the Dakota Territory Air Museums combat-veteran Republic P-47D Thunderbolt 42-27609. Click HERE to see the 2021 highlights for that project.

We have also been following Andrew Pantons reports from England regarding the restoration of Avro Lancaster B.Mk.VII NX611 Just Jane at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre in East Kirkby, Lincolnshire. Click HERE for this years reporting (and more!).

Here are the issues which our sister publication, Warbird Digest, printed in 2021 each of them is filled with fabulous, well-researched, and written articles describing the restoration and operation of some of the finest vintage military aircraft flying anywhere in the world.
WAVERLY  Supervisors are eyeing a March referendum to allow Bremer County to levy a tax to help fund local emergency medical services.

The board approved a resolution declaring emergency medical services to be an essential service in Bremer County on second reading Monday, said Supervisor Ken Kammeyer in a telephone interview.

The third and final reading is scheduled next week.

Once the resolution is approved, the ballot question would come before voters in March. If passed, property owners would pay $0.75 per $1,000 of valuation, according to Kammeyer.

Kammeyer said the revenue would funnel into the countys general fund beginning in fiscal year 2023-24. A committee of city representatives would be formed to decide how the money is divvied up between the municipalities.

The referendum is made possible by Senate File 615, which Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in June.

Kammeyer said the three supervisors support the county resolution, and no dissenting comments have come from the people who have addressed it at recent board meetings.

Bremer County Fair given one-year extension on lease for 5th Ave Southwest site The fair association requested more time to use its current home as it prepares for a move to a new site, more than 50 acres in size, at 300 39th St. N.E. in Waverly.

We heard from 15 to 18 people at the Dec. 20 (first reading) who say it is definitely an essential service that can be handled a little bit better, said Kammeyer. Training expenses for these first responders are high. Governments fund the police and the Sheriffs Office. This has been a long time coming.

The city of Waverly doesnt have a volunteer EMS squad, but relies on Waverly Health Center to provide ambulance services.

According to Waverly Mayor Adam Hoffman, the city covers the cost of three ambulances, maintenance and fuel expenses, and whenever they need to be replaced. But it doesnt cover expenses like the personnel or equipment.

Two city councilors supported the EMS tax at last weeks council meeting, noting it is important that the public gets behind it.

The Waverly Health Center currently subsidizes the ambulance service to a large degree, and also provides ambulance service for other counties in the area that unfortunately cannot staff volunteer ambulance corps, said Councilor Ann Rathe.

This is an issue that I think has been on most of our radars for a long time. Our EMS services in rural Iowa are at a breaking point, added Councilor Julie Meyers. It really is truly life or death matters, and I think we dont pay attention to (the issue) until we need (EMS). There are frequent cases in our outlying communities where they dont have anybody to respond to medical emergencies, and consequently the Waverly crews are getting pulled to those communities to cover for them.

Hoffman confirmed in a telephone interview that there are times when the health centers ambulances are aiding residents in other communities, and as a result, are unavailable and cannot respond to calls in Waverly.

Thats not the fault of the hospital, he said. Its a small piece of the trickle down effect.

As ambulance costs climb, Waverly mulls possibilities "Ambulance service is something we need as a community -- but it does come at a cost." A new bill going through the Iowa Legislature might help.

Jodi Geerts, chief nursing officer at the Waverly Health Center, said in a telephone interview that Bremer County is no different than other Iowa counties where volunteer EMS squads face challenges because they arent paid, and as a result sometimes lack resources and bodies.

EMS hasnt been funded like other emergency services have been in Iowa, she said, noting new revenue would be very beneficial in assisting local volunteer operations.

Geerts said it is premature to speculate how new revenue would impact the Waverly Health Centers ambulance services.

Heidi Solheim, interim chief executive officer and chief operating officer at WHS, noted there are more surrounding communities than before that need the additional support.

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CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls redistricting map was sent to the office of Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate on Monday for review, according to Mayor Rob Green.

In a message to The Courier, Green said he decided to sign the corresponding ordinance into law after he held off for a few days and didnt hear of any major concerns from residents with the new ward and precinct boundaries.

The new map was discussed and adopted by City Council on Dec. 20 after only one meeting because of a delay in receiving census data and needing to meet a Jan. 3 state deadline.

The new precinct boundaries will become effective for elections held after Jan. 15, said Kevin Hall, a spokesperson for the secretary of state.

The map had to be updated because of population shifts in Cedar Falls identified in the 2020 census.

Green gave residents until Dec. 23 to reach out to him or councilors with feedback because ordinances are typically adopted after the public has a chance to comment during three readings at separate meetings.

But the council suspended the second and third readings in a 6-1 vote at the meeting when the map was approved because of the time crunch Cedar Falls and other cities faced to get the maps to the state.

Councilors discussed three options for the new map, and heard from Corey Hines, a GIS analyst who crafted them. They proceeded to vote 4-3 in favor of Option C, with Councilors Daryl Kruse, Susan deBuhr, Dave Sires, and Frank Darrah voting in support.

Option C had the largest variation in population sizes between any two wards, but councilors pointed out that it most closely resembled the current map, which was adopted after the 2010 census.

Green received one short email requesting the city use Option A, the one recommended for approval by city staff and the county auditor, largely because it had the least population variation. But that comment, he said, was the only one sent to him after the meeting.

The 2020 census found Cedar Falls grew by almost 1,500 people, or 3.7%, from 39,260 in 2010 to 40,713.

The Iowa cities with larger populations are: Ames (66,427), Ankeny (67,887), Cedar Rapids (137,710), Council Bluffs (62,799), Davenport (101,724), Des Moines (214,133), Dubuque (59,667), Iowa City (74,828), Marion (41,535), Sioux City (85,797), Urbandale (45,580), Waterloo (67,314), and West Des Moines (68,723).

Bremer County eyes March referendum on new EMS tax levy If a referendum were to pass, the revenue would funnel into the countys general fund, beginning in Fiscal Year 2023-24, but be allocated for the municipalities.

At the time of its adoption, Option C had Ward 1 with 7,858 people; Ward 2 with 7,917 people; Ward 3 with 8,483 people; Ward 4 with 7,863; and Ward 5 with 8,597 people.

The 2010 census-driven map had Ward 1 with 7,853; Ward 2 with 7,827 people; Ward 3 with 7,888 people; Ward 4 with 7,845 people; and Ward 5 with 7,847 people.

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CEDAR FALLS  The after-party has been postponed following the New Years Eve with Maddie Poppe concert. The 8 p.m. Friday concert with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra will continue as planned in the Great Hall at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

The wcfsymphony is committed to sharing live music with the community. Our organization has closely monitored the situation with the omicron variant and discussed the risks posed to our audience and musicians at the New Years Eve concert and after-party, said Richard Frevert, executive director.

Out of an abundance of caution, wcfsymphony has decided to postpone the after-concert party, where adequate distancing would be challenging. The party will be rescheduled into 2022, he said.

At the concert, patrons are strongly encouraged to wear masks. Masks will be available at the door for those that do not have them.

Patrons with questions may direct them to the wcfsymphony office at (319) 273-3373 or by email at office@wcfsymphony.org. Up-to-date concert information is online at wcfsymphony.org. wcfsymphony will continue to monitor the situation with the omicron variant in the coming days.

Tickets to the New Years Eve with Maddie Poppe concert may be purchased by visiting wcfsymphony.org or unitix.uni.edu.

New Years Eve with Maddie Poppe is sponsored by Buzz Anderson and Anderson Enterprises, The Gallagher Family Foundation, Angeleita Floyd and Scott Cawelti, Pooneh and Matt Glascock, Stephanie and William Clohesy, and Jim and Amy Coloff. Media sponsors are Iowa Public Radio, The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, and 93.5 The Mix. Additional support is provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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WATERLOO  Waterloo firefighters rappelled off a downtown bridge to save a woman in the icy Cedar River Monday night.

It wasnt immediately clear how the woman ended up in the river, but passersby called 911 around 7:35 p.m. after hearing her yelling under the Park Avenue Bridge.

The woman was conscious and talking when crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue and Waterloo Police arrived. Firefighters tossed her a rope with a loop on it, which kept her in place and prevented her from floating over the dam only few yards away.

Firefighter Chris Roth used a second line to rappel into the river while another crew launched a boat from the Exchange Park ramp upstream.

When the craft arrived, Roth helped her into the boat, which ferried her to an ambulance waiting near the amphitheater.

Battalion Chief Troy Luck said the fire department has practiced rappelling from the bridge numerous times during training, but this was the first time they have used it in an actual rescue.

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico's hourly minimum wage is set to increase by a dollar to $11.50 at the start of 2022.

The Workforce Solutions Department on Monday issued a reminder to employers and workers of the increase.

Reforms signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and adopted in 2019 gradually raise the statewide minimum wage to $12 by 2023.

President Joe Biden has proposed to raise the federal minimum wage requirement for most workers to $15 an hour from $7.25.

Higher local minimum wages are in effect in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe and Bernalillo County and Santa Fe County.

State labor officials say that employers are required to post a summary of the New Mexico Minimum Wage Act in a place where all workers can easily see it.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022.

The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending, and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over issues ranging from reforms of the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers.

The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our countrys national defense, Biden said Monday in a statement.

The $768.2 billion price tag marks $25 billion more than Biden initially requested from Congress, a prior proposal that was rejected by members of both parties out of concerns it would undermine U.S. efforts to keep pace militarily with China and Russia.

The new bill passed earlier this month with bipartisan support, with Democrats and Republicans touting wins in the final package.

Democrats applauded provisions in the bill overhauling how the military justice system handles sexual assault and other related crimes, effectively taking prosecutorial jurisdiction over such crimes out of the hands of military commanders.

Republicans, meanwhile, touted success in blocking an effort to add women to the draft, as well as the inclusion of a provision that bars dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bill includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan, measures intended to counteract Chinas influence in the region.

It also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a show of support in the face of Russian aggression, as well as $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative.

In his statement, the president also outlined a number of provisions his administration opposes over what he characterized as constitutional concerns or questions of construction.

Those planks include provisions that restrict the use of funds to transfer or release individuals detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which the Biden administration is moving to close. Bidens statement saidthe provisions unduly impair the executive branchs ability to decide when and where to prosecute detainees and where to send them when theyre released, and could constrain U.S. negotiations with foreign countries over the transfer of detainees in a way that could undermine national security.

The law also has provisions barring goods produced by forced Uyghur labor in China from entering the U.S., and it begins to lay out plans for the new Global War on Terror Memorial, which would be the latest addition to the National Mall.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The COVID-19 case rate in New Mexico has dropped enough to put the state in the middle of the pack nationally  a much different picture than a month ago, when the state routinely ranked in the top 10 for new infections.

New Mexicos daily case average, in fact, fell by 16%  from 475 to 397 infections per 100,000 people  in a recent monthlong period before Christmas, according to federal data.

At the same time, cases exploded nationally, jumping from 200 a day to 406.

Throughout it all, the states vaccination rate has remained consistently above average. New Mexico is No. 11 in the nation for percentage of the population with at least one dose  80%, or 7 points higher than the national average.

The demand was evident Monday when people showed up early to stand in line for a shot clinic in Santa Fe.

The First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe and the state Department of Health initially planned for just 50 to 70 vaccinations Monday afternoon but expanded to 145 slots as registrations rolled in. Walk-in appointments could push the total to 175 to 200 vaccinations.

Pastor Andrew Black said family gatherings, fear of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and the convenient location appeared to be driving the demand, and the church was happy to help.

Its our duty as people of faith and Christians to end as much suffering as we can and to be compassionate and love our neighbors, Black said.

The crowd, he said, ranged from people getting their first dose to those seeking booster shots. All three approved vaccines for COVID-19 were available.

The event came as New Mexico improves its national standing on COVID-19 cases  partly because infections have worsened so much elsewhere.

The state once ranked as high as third in the nation for daily cases per capita and repeatedly among the top 10 during November.

But the state has ranked No. 23 or 24 over the last week, and its case rate was a little less than the national average Thursday, the most recent seven-day period with full data available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Four Northeastern states and Florida now top the list for most cases per capita over the last week.

Drop in hospitalizations

COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico also show a promising trend line  falling by 25% over the last two weeks, from 610 patients to 456 on Monday, according to state data.

Deaths, however, remain high. The state reported 29 additional fatalities, pushing the statewide COVID-19 death toll to 5,774 residents.

People who arent fully vaccinated make up a disproportionate share of the deaths. They comprised 87% of the deaths in a recent four-week period, 82% of the hospitalizations and 71% of the cases, according to state data.

The Department of Health also reported 3,039 new cases of the disease over the last four days  960 of them in Bernalillo County, 277 in Dona Ana County, 248 in Santa Fe County and 246 in Curry County.

Now is not the time to let our guard down  get vaccinated and get boosted to protect yourself from the omicron variant of COVID-19, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a tweet Monday.

Fewer updates this week

The state Department of Health this week wont provide daily updates on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

The department issued an update Monday covering the last four days, including the Christmas holiday.

Another update is planned Thursday.

No reports are scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday.

The limited schedule is in observance of winter break, the department said.

The state plans to resume its schedule of five daily reports each week on Jan. 3.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Michael Brown, 44, has spent two-thirds of his life in prison for the stabbing deaths of his grandparents when he was 16.

Until last month, it seemed likely that Brown would die in prison.

He was tried as an adult in 1995 and convicted by a jury on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges. A judge sentenced him as a violent youthful offender to life plus 41 years, ensuring he would spend at least 71 years in prison.

Then, in November, a 13th Judicial District Court judge amended Browns sentence making him eligible for parole in February 2024 after he has served 30 years in prison.

Michael went to prison around the time that I was born, said Browns attorney, Denali Wilson, 28. Thats the way were handling these cases in New Mexico, and that cant be the way we respond to harm caused by children.

Wilson and other advocates for youthful offenders are pressing for state legislation that would abolish life without parole for juveniles sentenced as adults.

The proposed Second Chance bill also would make juveniles sentenced as adults eligible for parole after serving 15 years in prison. If parole is denied, the request would be reconsidered by the parole board every five years.

Children are more capable than adults of reform and rehabilitation, said Wilson, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico. Children need to be given a meaningful opportunity for relief after they have matured and developed. Thats exactly what the Second Chance bill would do.

Brown is one of 75 people in New Mexico serving long adult prison sentences for crimes they committed as children, Wilson estimated.

The proposed bill is similar to Senate Bill 247, which the state Senate passed 28-11 in March 2021. The bill received a do-pass recommendation by the House Judiciary Committee but the session ended before the House could consider the bill.

The bills co-sponsor, Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, an Albuquerque Democrat, has asked Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to include the measure in her call for the 2022 regular session.

Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said that discussions are ongoing about the agenda for the upcoming session and no decision had been made about whether to include the Second Chance bill.

The New Mexico Attorney Generals Office voiced opposition earlier this year to some portions of the bill, citing an outcry from crime victims.

Jerri Mares, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, said Thursday that victims and their families should be included in any discussions about the Second Chance bill.

We support humane reforms to the juvenile justice system, however heinous crimes are not appropriate for a reduced sentence, Mares said in a written statement.

Sedillo Lopez said a state law is needed to provide consistency to the way state judges handle serious crimes committed by juveniles.

The bill addresses the issue of inconsistent sentences that judges give, she said. They are all over the map. Some children are tried as juveniles, others as adults, and the range of sentences is vast.

The bill is not a get out of jail free card for criminal offenders, she said. The decision to release would rest with a parole board.

It is not a bill that would automatically let them go free after 15 years, she said. Its a bill that would give them a parole hearing after 15 years. It gives them the possibility to demonstrate that they have changed.

The measure would also provide young offenders with incentive to change, demonstrate good behavior in prison, and reform their lives, she said.

I believe children have an enormous capacity for change, Sedillo Lopez said. There is consistent evidence that childrens brains dont develop fully until into their 20s. I believe that reform is possible with everyone, but particularly with children.

Editors note: The Second Chance bill would make a juvenile sentenced as an adult eligible for parole after 15 years in prison, and every five years subsequently. An earlier version of this article listed the wrong time interval between parole hearings.
BANGKOK  The humanitarian group Save the Children said Tuesday it has confirmed that two of its staff were among at least 35 people, including children, who were killed in eastern Myanmar on Christmas Eve in an attack it blamed on the countrys military.

It said the two staff members were caught up in the attack in Kayah state as they were traveling back to their office after conducting humanitarian activities in a nearby community.

Violence against innocent civilians including aid workers is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law, the groups chief executive, Inger Ashing, said in a statement.

This is not an isolated event. The people of Myanmar continue to be targeted with increasing violence and these events demand an immediate response, Ashing said.

The army seized power in February, ousting the elected government and arresting top officials. Its action was met by nonviolent nationwide demonstrations, which security forces quashed with deadly force, killing nearly 1,400 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Peaceful protests have continued, but an armed resistance has also grown amid the severe crackdown, to the point that U.N. experts have warned the country could be sliding into civil war.

Save the Children called on the U.N. Security Council to respond to the army violence with steps including an arms embargo. It also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to press for the implementation of an agreement reached in April with Myanmars leader calling for the cessation of violence in the country and mediation by an ASEAN special envoy.

Photos of the attack have spread on social media in Myanmar, fueling outrage against the military.

The photos show the charred bodies of over 30 people in three burned-out vehicles who were reportedly shot by government troops as they were fleeing combat.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar said it was appalled by the barbaric attack in Kayah state that killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children.

We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma, it said, using Myanmars previous name.

A villager who said he went to the scene told The Associated Press that the victims had fled the fighting between armed resistance groups and Myanmars army near Koi Ngan village, which is just beside Mo So, on Friday. He said they were killed after they were arrested by troops while heading to refugee camps in the western part of the township. His account could not be immediately verified.

A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Saturday said the fighting near Mo So broke out on Friday when members of ethnic guerrilla forces, known as the Karenni National Progressive Party, and those opposed to the military drove in suspicious vehicles and attacked security forces after refusing to stop.

The newspaper said the seven vehicles they were traveling in were destroyed in a fire. It gave no further details about the killings.

Earlier this month, government troops were also accused of rounding up villagers, some believed to be children, tying them up and slaughtering them. An opposition leader, Dr. Sasa, who uses only one name, said the civilians were burned alive.

Save the Children said it has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing healthcare, food, education and child protection services. It said it has suspended operations in the region of the attack.
BRUZGI, Belarus  On a sunny but freezing morning in a forested area of Belarus at the border with Poland, hundreds of migrants line up to receive hot food and water.

They have been stuck here for over a month in the hopes of entering the European Union. Despite several failed attempts to storm the frontier amid the frigid temperatures, many still hope they will be allowed in.

I dont want to stay in Iraq because life there is difficult, even our life is dangerous. Our life there isnt safe, as you see about ISIS and everything else, Iraqi migrant Ahmad Rebaz, 27, told The Associated Press, referring to the Islamic State group. He said his wife had recently given birth to their second child in the nearby Belarusian city of Grodno.

Since Nov. 8, a large group of migrants, mostly Iraqi Kurds, has been stranded in Belarus at a border crossing with Poland. Most of the migrants are fleeing conflict or hopelessness at home, and aim to reach Germany or other Western European countries.

The EU has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of waging a hybrid attack against the bloc. Officials say he is luring thousands of migrants to Belarus with the promise of help to get to Western Europe to use them as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation EU in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian government. Belarus has denied engineering the crisis.

About 600 migrants, according to the Belarusian Red Cross, are living at the Bruzgi logistics center as of late December. It is a warehouse facility where they have set up a makeshift camp, placing mattresses and tents in the rows that once housed shipping containers. Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian Red Cross have provided them with food and other necessary supplies.

Poland took a tough stance against the migrants illegal entry, reinforcing the border and pushing those attempting to get in back into Belarus. The Polish approach was largely met with approval from other EU nations, who want to stop another wave of migration, but has also been criticized by human rights groups.

Belarusian authorities have also criticized Poland and other European nations for mistreatment of the migrants, while playing up their own efforts to return them to their home countries and to create decent living conditions for those staying at the border crossing at Bruzgi.

But as temperatures fall below freezing, life at the border becomes more and more challenging. In the heated warehouse, its still so cold that people inside are keeping their outerwear on.

The migrants need immediate help because the weather is getting more and more cold, said Zanyar Dlshad, an 18-year-old from Iraq living at the logistics center who hopes to make it to Europe to reunite with his brother and to study at a university.

Its so cold and I dont believe people can keep up with this, he said.

While most migrants say they want to travel on to Germany, some say they are willing to settle in any country to avoid having to return to Iraq.

If Belarus, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, or any other country gives us citizenship Ill accept. For me theres no difference. But (Ill) never ever come back to Iraq, said Farhad Mahamad, a 34-year-old migrant from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Several hundred Iraqi migrants have already left Belarus on evacuation flights organized by the Iraqi government, and more are beginning to agree to return home with the help of the U.N.s International Organization for Migration.

Last Wednesday, about 10 people at the Bruzgi logistics center filed documents to the IOM representatives on site to arrange their return to Iraq.

Mohamed Refaat, senior operations coordinator of the IOM, told the AP that they would be taken to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, by bus before continuing their travel to their home countries.

The site of dramatic clashes between Polish border guards and migrants at the Kuznica-Bruzgi border crossing, in the meantime, is empty of the crowds of people that gathered here last month.

However, some migrants say that they arent willing to wait at the warehouse much longer and are ready to brave the cold temperatures of what they call the jungle  the forested areas at the border  with the hope of finally making it through to Poland.

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Daniel Kozin and Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
She became a vaccine celebrity by accident.

Since being hailed as the first person in the United States to get a COVID-19 vaccine, New York nurse Sandra Lindsay has become a prominent face in the countrys biggest-ever vaccination campaign.

She has been promoting the shots on panels, in Zoom town halls and at other events.

I encourage people to speak to experts who can answer their questions, to access trusted science. I let them know that its OK to ask questions, said Lindsay, who has spoken at events in the U.S. and Jamaica, where she is from.

Lindsay got her shot in a widely televised moment on December 14 of last year as the U.S. was kicking off its vaccination effort. After getting emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration just days earlier, the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines had been arriving at hospitals for high-risk health care workers.

It was a tough time for Lindsay, who saw the impact of COVID-19 up close at Northwell Healths Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

I just felt broken, defeated, just tired and burned out, said Lindsay, director of critical care nursing at the hospital. Witnessing the overwhelming loss of lives, loss of livelihoods.

Northwell Health said it asked for volunteers to get the shots, and that Lindsay happened to go first among those who raised their hands. The moment was aired on TV, and she became widely regarded as the first American to get the shot outside of a clinical trial.

Since then, Lindsay has been recognized by President Biden as an Outstanding American by Choice, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services program that recognizes citizens who have been naturalized.

With the arrival of the omicron variant and new surges around the country, Lindsays still addressing fears and misinformation. Some mistakenly believe the shots arent needed if they eat well and exercise, Lindsay said. Others say the vaccines are a way for the government to track people, or an experiment on Black people.

She said she acknowledges the mistrust in communities of color, which stems from past history. But she reassures people by noting she did her own research before getting her shot, and that there are safeguards in place.

Weve had millions and millions of people around the world get vaccinated without any significant adverse event, she said.

She also stresses that getting a shot will help protect others.

Some worries, like fear of needles, can be easier to address, she said.

After children became eligible for the vaccines, Lindsay offered comfort to a 9-year-old girl getting her shot at the hospital. She had to decline the girls request to vaccinate her since shes not a pediatric nurse, but offered to hold her hand  and did.

Later, Lindsay got a letter from the girl saying how much the gesture had meant.

Looking back, Lindsay said shes grateful for the role shes been able to play: Its very rewarding to hear people come up to me and say, Thank you very much. Youve inspired me to get vaccinated.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as COVID-19 cases spike.

Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief science adviser on the pandemic response, said that such a mandate might drive up the nations lagging vaccination rate as well as confer stronger protection on flights, for which federal regulations require all those age 2 and older to wear a mask.

When you make vaccination a requirement, thats another incentive to get more people vaccinated, Fauci told MSNBC on Monday. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think thats something that seriously should be considered.

The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel. Two officials said Bidens science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement to the president.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said a vaccine mandate on planes could trigger a host of logistical and legal concerns.

The U.S. currently mandates that most foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, though citizens and permanent residents only need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of boarding.

Federal rules dont require people travelling by air within the U.S. to show a negative test. Hawaii requires travelers to test or show proof of vaccination to avoid a mandatory quarantine.

Biden did not respond to questions on whether he was considering implementing a domestic air travel vaccination requirement, but he told reporters the subject was discussed on a call with the nations governors Monday morning.

They asked Dr. Fauci some more questions about everything from whether or not he thought he was going to move to test at home  I mean, on air flights and that kind of thing, Biden said of the call before departing the White House for his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

During the virtual meeting with governors, Biden pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests that dominated headlines over the holiday season.

My message is: If you need something, say something, and were going to have your back any way we can, Biden said. He acknowledged long lines and chaotic scenes as Americans sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather with family and friends over the holiday.

Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do, he said. He referenced his administrations plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans beginning next month through an as-yet-to-be-developed website.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the National Governors Association chairman, raised concerns Bidens plan could get in the way of state efforts to boost supply of tests.

That dries up the supply chain for what we might offer as governors, he said, saying the lack of supply has become a real challenge.

Biden assured Hutchinson that the federal effort wont interfere with state actions. This gets solved at the state level, he said.

A White House official said the new tests would come from new manufacturing capacity and wouldnt interfere with existing supply chains.

Earlier this year the White House explored a domestic vaccination requirement for flights, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test. But officials have not been eager to mandate vaccination for domestic air travel because they expected it to face immediate legal challenges, mitigating its potential effectiveness as a tool to drive up vaccinations.

Pressed last week on why Biden had not mandated vaccinations for domestic air travel, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC that we know that masking can be, is, very effective on airplanes.

We also know that putting in place that additional restriction might delay flights, might have additional implications, she added. We would do it, though, if the health impact was overwhelming. So we rely always on the advice of our health and medical experts. That isnt a step at this point that they had determined we need to take.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 241 million Americans, about 77% of the eligible population age 5 and over, have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Officials believe, though, that there is some overcount in the figures due to record-keeping errors in the administration of booster shots.

Since the summer, the Biden administration has embraced various vaccination requirements as a way to get unvaccinated Americans to roll up their sleeves. It has instituted requirements that federal workers, federal contractors and those who work in health care get their shots, and that employers with 100 or more employees institute vaccination-or-testing requirements for their workers.

Those vaccination requirements have been mired in legal wrangling, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments Jan. 7 in cases seeking to overturn them.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, contributed.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  A U.S. Air Force airman who was convicted of killing a Mennonite woman after kidnapping her in New Mexico and taking her to Arizona will be sentenced next month.

An Arizona judge during a status hearing on Tuesday scheduled Mark Goochs sentencing for Jan. 19. His attorney and the prosecution agreed they were ready to proceed and asked the judge to schedule the sentencing as soon as possible.

Gooch, 22, faces up to life in prison.

Jurors in October found Gooch guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder in Sasha Krauses killing. The two didnt know each other and lived hundreds of miles apart but shared an upbringing in the Mennonite religion. Krause committed to the church, while Gooch did not.

Krause, 27, was last seen in January 2020 at the church in her tight-knit Mennonite community outside Farmington, where she was gathering material for Sunday school.

Her body was found more than a month later in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff, nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) away. A camper collecting firewood spotted Krause face-down among pine needles near a national monument. Krauses wrists were bound, and she had been shot in the head.

During the trial last fall, jurors heard 10 days of testimony from those who knew Krause and investigated her disappearance. They heard from ballistics experts who disagreed on whether the bullet taken from her skull was fired from a .22-caliber rifle Gooch owned.

Goochs attorney, Bruce Griffen, tried to raise doubt by pointing to a lack of forensic evidence and to testimony about another car seen in the Mennonite community the day Krause went missing. He said Gooch was peaceful and volunteered information to a detective who interviewed him at Luke Air Force Base in metropolitan Phoenix, where he was stationed.

Authorities used cellphone and financial records as well as surveillance video to tie Gooch to the crimes.
PHOENIX  The pandemic continues to strain hospitals statewide so Arizonans should avoid large New Years gatherings even if masked and fully vaccinated, a top official of the states largest health care system said Tuesday.

I know this is difficult, said Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer of Phoenix-based Banner Health. Weve been in this pandemic for two years.

Bessel told journalists during a news briefing that crowded Banner hospitals continue to postpone some non-emergency surgeries and that their clinical workers are exhausted, with many having to forego their own holiday gatherings to care for patients.

We remain very busy, Bessel said. We continue to see a lot of patients come into our emergency departments. Our ICUs are very full at this time.

She said people should get vaccinations and booster shots, wear masks in indoor public settings and get tested and stay home if feeling sick.

Right now we must do everything possible to mitigate omicron, Bessel said, referring to the fast-spreading virus variant.

Some Banner hospitals are at over 100% of capacity but the surge of hospitalizations is not expected to peak until mid-January, Bessel said.

The states top public health official on Monday expressed concern in a blog post about possible adverse effects of omicron if the public doesnt take adequate precautions to combat the spread.

Even if suggestions that omicron will cause less severe illness than other variants turn out to be correct, its contagious enough to fuel a spike in cases overall, meaning more people (are) hospitalized, said Don Herrington, interim director of the state Department of Health Services.

The states coronavirus dashboard reported Tuesday that COVID-19-related hospitalizations inched upward early this week, with 2,344 virus patients occupying inpatient beds statewide as of Monday.

The dashboard also reported 1,976 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, a fraction of the over 7,600 reported Monday following reporting delays over the holiday weekend.

Arizona on Tuesday also reported 162 virus deaths as the states pandemic totals increased to 1,364,669 cases and 24,144 deaths.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, Arizonas seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths both rose over the past two weeks.

The rolling average of daily new cases rose from 3,57.7 on Dec. 12 to 3,387.3 on Sunday while the rolling average deaths rose from 64.4 to 77.3 during the same period.



This story has been corrected to accurately spell Dr. Marjorie Bessels last name.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Californias governor must soon decide whether to free one of Americas most notorious assassins, a decision he has said evokes one of the darkest periods in the nations history.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until sometime next month to allow or block the parole recommendation for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

The recommendation by a two-person panel of parole commissioners in August split the iconic Kennedy family more than a half-century after the 1968 slaying of the U.S. senator from New York moments after he claimed victory in Californias pivotal Democratic presidential primary.

More than that, it tore open decades-old wounds lingering from the murders of RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

This is very raw and emotional for people, said Newsom, who keeps RFK photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father.

People arent just giving an opinion about yes or no, theyre expressing their memories of that time  and connecting the dots to the 60s and that stress and anxiety and the wounds, Newsom said after the panel made its recommendation.

And in a way that makes this decision even that much more powerful, because of the impact that has on opening up those memories, many memories that people want to suppress, understandably, said the Democratic governor, who called RFK his political hero in a victory speech after he beat back a recall election in September.

Fifteen times, parole panels rejected freeing Sirhan, now 77, before deciding that he is no longer a danger to public safety.

New laws since his last previous parole hearing in 2016 meant the panel had to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age, when he was 24; is now an elderly prisoner; and that the Christian Palestinian who immigrated from Jordan had suffered childhood trauma from the conflict in the Middle East.

Also, for the first time, Los Angeles County prosecutors werent at the parole hearing to object, under District Attorney George Gascons policy that prosecutors should not be involved in deciding whether prisoners are ready for release.

And two of RFKs sons supported releasing him, including Douglas Kennedy, who told the parole panel that Sirhan was worthy of compassion and love. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to the panel urging that Sirhan be freed, citing his impressive record of rehabilitation.

But six of Kennedys nine surviving children urged Newsom to block the release of a man who took our father from our family and he took him from America. The statement was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.

Ethel Kennedy, RFKs wife, said Sirhan should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.

Sirhan has consistently said he doesnt recall shooting Kennedy and wounding five others the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. But he told parole commissioners that he takes responsibility killing a man he called the hope of the world.

He was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

Sirhans attorney, Angela Berry, said in a written argument for his release that he suffers a heart condition and has survived prostate cancer, Valley Fever and having his throat slashed by another prisoner in 2019.

If freed, Munir Sirhan says his older brother can live with him, if he is not deported to Jordan. Sirhan Sirhan waived his right to fight deportation.

We are just two old brothers who wish to live out the rest of our lives together, he wrote to the parole board.

After the parole panels decision, corrections officials released 101 pages of those documents and letters from across the nation, all but one supporting Sirhans release.

Some compared him to a political prisoner or advanced various conspiracy theories around Sirhans involvement or the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers. Many were clearly part of an organized effort, with similar wording or fill-in-the-blank responses.

Others were more personal.

One man recalled how, as a 19-year-old college student, he traveled by bus to an inner-city neighborhood to get out the vote for Robert Kennedy.

He was a person who I loved and respected and in whom I had deep confidence that he would put a quick end to that unjust and immoral war in Vietnam, wrote the man, whose contact information was redacted.

Instead, the man was drafted in 1971.

Sirhans involvement in RFKs murder changed my life, he wrote. But looking at life from this end, I forgive him.

The lone writer who opposed Sirhans release said in a handwritten note that he still remembers details of the god-awful assassination a half-century later.

Sirhan has caused the death of a man with a great political future, he wrote, and along with that has taken away the innocence of people of my generation.
Besides being a versatile actor, writer and a passionate television host, Milind Gunaji is also an acclaimed photographer of repute. His passion has been nature and he captures Mother Earth at her best.

Armed with over 3000 timeless bird images, Milind Gunaji will exhibit his works on the avian wonders very soon.

Milind has taken a small sabbatical from work as his son, director Abhishek Gunaji tied the knot to Radha at Sindhudurg, followed by a grand reception in Mumbai.

But the day he was back in the city, Milind actually took time off to express his solidarity to the mission of peace, with 100 birds by 100 photographers at the Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, curated by veteran photojournalist Mukesh Parpiani, who is the driving force behind the reputed gallery.

Milind Gunaji, to the uninitiated, was the Brand Ambassador of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Maharashtra, besides being the Committee Member of Maharashtra Tourism where he also plays a role in Tourism and Development of the Forts of Mahrashtra.

Says he, " I have been passionate about photography since my school days when my father had gifted me a Black and White camera, as my parents felt I had good framing sense. During most my treks and exploring Maharashtra's unknown tourist spots and forts, I clicked a lot of Pictures." And then, there was no looking back.

Milind recollects an incident where his passion nearly cost him his life. "During the shoot of my show Bhatkanti was when we were exploring Alibaug Colaba Fort, I nearly drowned in an unexpected high tide that had submerged my only way out to the coast of Alibaug". How he got out is one long story. But that incident did not stop the actor from his nature escapades. And only strengthened his resolve to work harder on the conservation front.

On the acting front, Milind Gunaji will soon be seen in Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 with Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, Hit starring Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra, Bruce Lee's Lookalike and Wings of Gold with Ali Fazal, and a project with Ajay Devgn to be announced soon.

Here is looking forward to much more from this talented star!
Bombay Shaving Company, India's premier grooming solutions company has launched a drive to spread festive cheer, counting down to the new year, 2022 with the campaign titled 'Shaves for Good'. Fuelled with the belief that 'behind every face there is a smile waiting to be discovered', Bombay Shaving Company has been taking its mobile salons to unlikely locations, far removed from swanky malls and typical premium establishments in Delhi/NCR; providing free makeovers to people who typically do not have access to world-class grooming experiences.

By doing this, Bombay Shaving Company hopes to bring 10 minutes of joy to many, in an otherwise mundane day.

The campaign is led by a film based on real events from the drive and makeover sessions. It features the physical and emotional transformation of a police patrolman, a tea vendor, and a mechanic with his wife. The mobile salon was accompanied by the filmmaking crew at 'Chobi' and Director of Photography, Manas Tiwari who has beautifully captured the larger than life spirit of this initiative. The script was conceived and written in-house by the senior brand marketing manager, Aurnob Godinho.

Sharing his thoughts on the campaign, Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company said, We believe that when people look good, they feel good. And when they feel good, they're the best versions of themselves. As a brand, we want to give everyone, irrespective of where they come from, the opportunity to be the best version of themselves."

This is in sync with the brand's positioning that encourages its consumers to Put Your Best Look Forward, says Laalit Lobo, VP, Marketing at Bombay Shaving Company. "In life, you can never be sure of success, but we believe being well-groomed is half the battle won. A few minutes spent prepping your look to take on the day goes a long way in giving you the confidence to win," he added.

The brand film also comes at a time when Bombay Shaving Company is pushing the boundaries of access to an audience beyond online and upmarket neighbourhoods in major metros. "Our intent is to continue to take the delightful Bombay Shaving Company experience beyond top ten metro audiences with innovative personal care and hair removal products," said Deepak Gupta, COO at Bombay Shaving Company. This sentiment reflects in the brand's aggressive distribution expansion in offline trade across Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets and 360 degree marketing approach, as it aims to be a pure-play FMCG major in the men and women's grooming and hair removal market.
India Today, Indias leading and most read magazine, powered by dual approach of innovative distribution and institutional partnerships is a on streak of breaking records. The 46th Anniversary issue of India Today has hit the stands this Christmas with a massive 25% growth in circulation.

Crossing 135 clients with 376 pages in its 46th anniversary issue - categories like Pharma, Education, Automobiles, Public Sector, Banking and Finance, Tourism and FMCG are all gaining attention, packed in a single issue, which is higher than the average weekly client base of most news channels. To name a few Alcon Laboratories, Berger Paints, Bihar Tourism, BPCL, Central Bank of India, Chattisgarh Government, Honda, Gujarat Tourism, Godfrey Philips, HDFC, IDBI, ICICI Bank, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, L&T, LIC, Patanjali, Radico, Volkswagon, Volvo and many more.

For its 46th anniversary issue, India Today will feature the trailblazers of India Tomorrow  those 40 years of age and below - entrepreneurs, politicians, entertainers, activists, scientists, inventors, writers, artists, lawyers and law enforcers and bureaucrats  who are Indias brightest stars on the horizon. Included are young digital moguls like Sriharsha Majety, co-founder of Swiggy, star manufacturers like Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, entertainers like actor Alia Bhat and film maker Karthick Naren, politicians like Tejashvi Yadav, Aditya Thackeray, Abhishek Mukherjee, Tejasvi Surya and Hardik Patel, activists like Disha Ravi and Aishe Ghosh, young writers like Manu Pillai and Nisha Susan, Scientists like Ravi Prakash ( winners BRICS Young Innovator Prize) and host of others who will be the torch bearers of Indias future.

Ever since the restrictions of second lockdown were lifted earlier this year, both Newsstand Sales and Subscription sales have been on high growth trajectory giving the magazine a very healthy growth rate of over 14 % month over month. This trail blazing growth post-pandemic has resulted in the magazine recovering 80% of its pre-lockdown (March20) circulation till Nov 2021. This growth is fuelled by Re-imagining a thoughtful strategy creating alternate channels for distribution that have increasingly become the mainline point of sales for magazines.

These channels include Grocery Stores, like Spencers, Patanjali Mega Mart, Milk Booths, Vegetable outlets, etc., Grocery applications, like Milk Basket, Fresh To Home Daily, and E-Commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart where physical copies are sold. Innovative magazine stands with Sanitizer dispensers were placed at the entrances of Grocery stores with the line Immunity for your Body and Mind. These helped create substantial interest among readers. As people had more time during lockdowns and grocery store visit became a necessity, the magazine was able to acquire new readers.

During the bounce back, India Today Group immediately shifted their focus to the travel industry. Ties with large travel stores chains like WH Smiths were strengthened, as a result, sales volumes from these stores have now surged to 10% more than their pre-covid levels. Air India too resumed offering India Today to their executive class flyers. To cater to the increasing demand of flyers for India Today, Air India had to increase their off take to three times their pre-COVID supplies.

In addition to the Print Circulation, The publication has aggressively pushed its digital subscriptions all through the lockdown. Its Pay-Per-View and micropayment models for premium content implemented on the website as well, resulted in the thriving of its digital first paid subscribers. This further expanded the reach of India Today Magazine in all print and digital formats reaching every nook and corner of the nation.

Talking about the milestone that the publication achieved, CEO, Publishing, ITG Manoj Sharma said, India Today was the only publication in India to continue printing and distribution even when the whole country was under lockdown. In fact, we have emerged to be the only publication in the country to have never missed even a single issue in the last 46 years of its publishing history. This achievement has only been possible because of the dedicated and relentless efforts of the entire team of India Today.

Sharma added, adversity pushed us to reinvent pandemic came as a huge learning and turned into an advantage as it not only brought about Non-conventional outlets into play but also pushed major part of our distribution to modern retail beyond newsstands and road side hawkers. While earlier people had to make an effort to reach out to newsstands to buy a copy of India Today, now the same can be picked up along with their regular purchase of grocery products or daily essentials. This convenience will certainly push up the sales further, going forward.

India Today Group, which has the largest distribution network for magazines across the country also distributes more than 30 brands from 12 National and 3 international publishers, apart from its own products. We will use the new channels of distribution for all our business associates as well, which will bring in economy of scale as well. This large bouquet of magazines has also helped us in strengthening our ties with large travel stores chains like WH Smiths as a substantial chunk of magazine sales for these stores is from The India Today Group supplied brands. With regular insights and data analysis support provided by us, sales volumes from these stores have now bounced back to the pre-covid levels. With the holiday season coming up, it expected to grow even further.
News18 Network has always been proactive in highlighting key issues that echo the voice of the common man and engage all necessary stakeholders to encourage development and progress. Continuing this commitment of focusing on significant topics and bringing them to the notice of the policymakers, News18 Gujarati launched a special editorial campaign called Drugs Mukt Gujarat (Drugs Free Gujarat) starting 10th December onwards With an aim to throw light on critical issues faced by the current generation, the campaign will focus on stories around drug menace in Gujrat.

The 3-weeks campaign highlights how the coastal parts of Gujarat. which are catalysts for the economy not only for Gujarat but for India too, are being used to traffic drugs across the country. Furthermore, News18 Gujarati would also showcase the detrimental effect of drugs on the youth of the state present across urban and rural areas. The channel also brings in a host of psychiatrists, counsellors for a special panel discussion who would speak about the impact of drugs on individual lives, especially amongst High School Kids and College Students. The session will offer solutions for the victims and guide them on how they can come out of this drug nuisance and lead a normal life.

News18 Gujarati reverberates the pressing concern amongst citizens in Gujarat who hope that the youth dont ruin their lives due to drugs. The Drug Mukt Gujrat campaign would also emphasize the practical steps schools and colleges can implement to stop their kids from consuming drugs. The campaign will also witness young and influential Sportspeople, Political Leaders, Eminent Doctors and Common Gujarati taking a resolution that they will strive to make Gujarat a Drug-free state.

Tune into News18 Gujarati for more updates on this.
Political parties and voters alike are gearing up for a fierce political battle in all the election-bound states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. To bring all the latest updates right from ground zero and bring into discussion the key issues that will be defining these elections; News18 India, the leading national Hindi news channel, has planned an extensive election-focused programming.

Under the umbrella, Sabse Bada Dangal, News18 India has lined up an array of new shows alongside election-special episodes of some of its very popular on-air shows. The programming will provide a 360-degree outlook of the elections from the poll-bound states and will strike a chord with the viewers through diverse show formats. Sabse Bada Dangal will have interesting show formats such as Chunauti- where political leaders will discuss the challenges of the upcoming elections but in a very candid and informal setup and Rath Yatra- where political debate will be conducted in a slow moving vehicle with party supporters moving alongside. Further, channels renowned anchors with their popular shows such as Bhaiyaji Kahin, Lapete Mein Netaji, Desh Nahi Jhukne Denge and Aar Paar will provide meaningful discussions, in-depth opinions and analysis in their own unique ways. News18 India will, thus, present a unique ringside view of the political contest by bringing together leading newsmakers, political commentators and voters through these election special shows.

Adding to the formidable editorial team led by experienced journalists such as Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, Prateek Trivedi and Aman Chopra, the channel will bring renowned political experts and analysts for an in-depth breakdown of all the political developments during this election period.

Tapping into the power of News18 Network, the largest news broadcaster, the programming will cover polling days with unparalleled width & depth and bring the fastest and most accurate results on the Counting Day through its unique concept of Live Result Hub where the counting data is reported directly from the counting centers.

Keep watching Sabse Bada Dangal on News18 India for all the latest election related news
A society needs positive changemakers to prosper. And, such leaders need to be identified, nurtured and given a platform to reach out to every strata of our social system. Over the years, News18 has been doing exactly that by recognising and backing kind and futuristic changemakers. This time, News 18 Kannada has reached another milestone in its humanitarian efforts. The channel has extended support to transgender Jogati Manjammas vision for building a refuge and the welfare of aged transgenders through a new and evolved program. Recently, the Padma Shri awardee highlighted the different issues faced by the community in a special episode of News18 Kannadas Bemkiyalli Aralida Hoovu. Following which, the channel encouraged its viewers to come forward to help Manjammas dream come true.

Folk artist Manjamma was conferred with the fourth-highest civilian honour for Art recently. She is the second from the transgender community to receive this award. Manjamma is currently serving as the president of the Karnataka Janapada Academy. The 60-year-old is known for her Jogati Nritya, a part of Jogappa community ritual, and Janapada songs, sung to praise female deities. But life has not been like this when she started off. Born to a middle-class family in Ballari district, Karnataka, Manjamma faced family rejection, extreme poverty to sexual abuse from the time she began identifying as a woman. She would have taken her life had she not met another folk artist Mattikal Basappa, who introduced her to Jogati Nritya. This heart wrenching yet inspiring story of Manjamma and her contribution to folk art came to light through News 18 Kannada.

It was on the special episode of Bemkiyalli Aralida Hoovu that Manjamma revealed the heartbreaking experiences she went through in an exclusive conversation with News18 Kannada Editor Sidhu Kaloji. She also mentioned, for the first time, that she is homeless and most importantly, that she wishes to establish an old age home for transgenders. An emotional Manjamma had said, News 18 Kannada assisted me in securing a roof, and in accomplishing my ambition of opening an old age home for transgenders. They also requested aid from the people of Karnataka and urged them to send money to my personal bank account. Karnatakas people's support to News18 Kannada's humanitarian appeal will be remembered forever.

Apart from people in general, Jogati Manjamma received help from a host of renowned personalities in response to News18s appeal. Among those who helped are Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashok, who promised to provide land for refugee centres, and MLA Raju Gowda, Anand Singh and Businessman Deepak Gowda to offer financial help. On the other hand, Raju Mandya is assisting with the house electrical and wiring work, and Nagendra, an auto driver, is also raising funds to help her. A number of other corporations have also joined in to support her.

Its not just about the money, but what matters more is people, in unison, showering Manjamma and her efforts with love and appreciation. Thanks to the entire state of Karnataka for supporting News 18 Kannadas humanitarian efforts.
In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media and the rapid shift to digital, especially in the pandemic period. At the same time the industry has been facing stiff challenges, moreover client expectations have also increased, with more emphasis being given to digital and online reputation management. The industry has undergone a radical shift and the current times have pushed the industry to change gears.

In conversation with Adgully, Vineet Handa, Founder & CEO, Kaizzen PR, speaks at length about his journey in the PR industry, managing client expectations in the digital era, adopting digital innovations and introducing value-driven services, and more.

Tell us something about your successful journey in the PR and communication world. What prompted you to take a plunge in the communications business and what is your secret for success?

I have always reiterated that PR was a chance happening for me rather than a deliberate choice, which has now scripted my life. I had always been a media operations guy and a sales executive. I started my career with the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation (ABCL), and then moved to Dubai on a sales and operations job. It was followed by a stint in Delhi at CMCG, as a PR executive in 2000. That experience officially marked my debut in the enticing and exciting world of Public Relations. I spent the next three years learning the tricks of the trade and the nuances of the business that I had hitherto been oblivious to. I learned how to build and value relationships with the media and other stakeholders.

I then spent the next three years of my life working under the tutelage of Mr Ashwani Singla at Genesis, who taught me to strategise, put processes in place, and manage operations. My last job was at the New-Delhi based TERI (the former Energy and Resources Institute), where I joined as an advisor, but was promoted to the position of associate director within a year. I spent two years at TERI, learned about corporate communications and also honed my skills.

But what really set my entrepreneurial juices flowing, and the ball rolling for Kaizzen, the company that I was to set up later, was the lack of challenges in my existing jobs. I wanted to have fun, seek out new areas and ideas, work on different projects using the knowledge and experience that I had gathered during my over 21-year long journey.

I think the secret sauce of my success is the constant urge to learn more, explore new terrains and seek out newer possibilities. Strong networking, strengthening relationships and building trust with clients and other stakeholders and embracing change, are some of the things that have helped me to survive and thrive in this competitive industry.

What are some of the thinking processes that you follow to deliver great value to your clients? How do you set and manage expectations of your clients?

Kaizzen starts where others stop thinking. Having a list of loyal clients and time-tested partnerships, it has always been our endeavour to better our services and outperform ourselves. Our competition, therefore, is with ourselves, not with others. And, this performance is based on previous deliveries, best industry practices and outreach. Being naturally competitive, we are constantly striving to outshine and outdo our peer groups. What has helped matters is our mindset of trying to immerse innovative thinking and cutting-edge technologies in our existing practices to ensure that our PR is always ahead of the curve.

The key to client retention at Kaizzen is to exceed expectations rather than just meeting them. Our motto is to create strategies depending on a companys strengths and execute them carefully to drive the best results.

The pandemic has shifted behaviours and trends across industry. What kind of shifts have you noticed in the PR industry? Any key learnings in the last one year?

The most important paradigm shift that I have witnessed in the past 21 years of service in the media and PR industry because of the pandemic is a change in consumption behaviour of the people. Earlier, the medium of communication was limited to print and broadcast, but today we have a surfeit of opportunities and means to reach our target audience. This is the time when everything coexists, including print, online, and audio and video content across platforms.

Not only has online consumption grown manifold in the last one year, but the spread of social media across different socio-economic groups, too, has increased significantly. It has opened up new opportunities for communicators to reach different target audiences. Today, an integrated communication approach that looks at all available/ possible options to communicate is far more effective and more encompassing than the traditional ones.

There is a rapid change in the way digital is approached today. How is your organisation helping clients to manage and handle this digital transformation?

While traditional PR engagement has witnessed a gradual decline, digital engagement has seen a massive surge. By embracing that change and adopting digital innovations and introducing value-driven services, we have ensured that our clients are always visible. Using technologies for product launches and suggesting innovative content strategies to our clients, is another key focus area for us. Our focus is on online media and providing integrated solutions to them.

Relationship with a journalist is an art, which comes with years of experience. In todays scenario, when all of us are working from home, what is the engagement strategy that you follow with journalists to get the best out of them?

Any relationship is always a two-way street. It starts by giving. When it comes to media relations, we follow the principle of patience and persuasion, which are backed by knowledge and research. It has always worked for us.

Where will growth come for Kaizzen in the next 3 to 5 years? Whats going to be the growth strategy? Any global collaborations on the cards to push growth?

Kaizzen has always been strong in traditional PR practices. In the past couple of years, our growth has been more inclusive because we have worked on many integrated platforms, including social, digital and tech. We have also witnessed significant growth in areas like policy advocacy and knowledge-based PR. Research is another growth area for Kaizzen. We see all these verticals growing together and complimenting each others strengths to provide better services to our clients.

Kaizzen, by virtue of its reputation, has been working with international clients through references of international agencies. We currently do not have any global partnership and it is difficult to comment on the future.
Conservatives have enjoyed Elon Musk's behavior in recent weeks, blasting Elizabeth Warren, opposing lockdowns, and insulting CNN, but the giddiness spewing from conservatives about Musk is foolish.

To those embracing Elon Musk's political conversion, remember that Musk has been one of the most prominent advocates of the continuous scam known as climate change. Like Bill Gates and Al Gore, Musk is an extremely wealthy man who fattens his own pockets through propagating climate change. And like those other rich guys, Musk doesn't refrain from using private jets to fly around the world to save it.

In 2018, Elon Musk reportedly donated $6 Million to the Sierra Club while writing, "Thank you for fighting climate change. This affects every living creature on earth." Once merely an environmental advocacy group, the Sierra Club has since evolved to promote other left-wing issues from pushing for mass immigration and abortion.

Musk also has no reservations about whispering sweet-nothings to communists by praising China as "more responsible" than the U.S. and said that Chinese government officials could "possibly" be "more responsible" for their citizen's happiness than America is.

Photo credit: JD Lasica CC BY 2.0 license

In May, Musk tweeted a call for a Carbon Tax and spoke with the Biden administration about implementing it. Musk demanding the government to take money from taxpayers should come as no surprise because Musk's companies received at least $4.9 billion in government subsidies  as of 2015! Therein lies perhaps Musk's most incredible skill: enriching himself with the government's help.

While government subsidies are not exclusive to one industry, what sets Elon Musk apart is not only his ability to exploit taxpayers but to use government guns to extort his competitors through "regulatory credits." The state and federal governments give regulatory credits for contributing zero pollution to the environment. In the name of fighting climate change, Musk successfully got the state of California and nine other states to set emission standards that only Tesla could meet. Suppose other automakers cannot produce zero-emissions vehicles. In that case, they will either pay hefty fines, have their business licenses revoked, or buy imaginary credits from automakers who do produce zero emissions, like Tesla.

It's important to understand these credits are not real  they are a made-up tax imposed by the government on automakers to reinforce the leftist religion of environmentalism. These credits are free cash with a 100% margin and no overhead. Musk essentially colluded with the government to extort other automakers and pay him off under the guise of fighting climate change. And the returns are enormous.

In 2020, Tesla reported a regulatory credit revenue of $1.58 billion. Tesla's regulatory credits revenue project to be $2.2 billion in 2021, $3.1 billion in 2022, and $4.34 billion in 2023. By 2024, the government will have successfully extorted over $13 billion from automakers like Ford and GMC to fund Tesla. Without the help of this government-sponsored extortion, fiscal 2Q 2021 would have been the first quarter Tesla would have ever turned a profit.

But Tesla isn't the only Musk business that leverages the government to do his bidding. SolarCity received a $750 million investment from New York State for its plans to build a solar panel factory in Buffalo, just a tiny part of the $2.5 billion in government subsidies Uncle Sam has given SolarCity. Despite all the free cash, Tesla purchased SolarCity for $2.6 billion in Tesla stock because SolarCity

"has floundered despite significant taxpayer support through a bevy of state and federal tax credits and subsidies. Nevertheless, the solar energy company's stock has been in long-term decline as the company struggles to develop a profitable market not reliant on generous helpings of taxpayer support."

Another Musk business, SpaceX, has received $5.5 billion in government contracts from NASA and the Air Force. Of course, NASA and the Air Force get their funding from American taxpayers, which flows into Musk's pocket. A California hedge fund manager told the LA Times: "Government support is a theme of all three of these companies, and without it, none of them would be around."

Another Musk business venture, the Boring Company, constructs underground tunnels as a means of public transportation. Yes, we already have Subway systems, but Musk promises these are faster and only cost $10 million per mile to dig  paid for by taxpayers. The good news for Musk is that he hedged his bets through The Boring Company, so if electric cars flop, then he can still own the mass transit market.

The common thread running through Musk's business ventures is that the government is always his biggest client, and he knows how to sell them. Being the cunning salesman that he is, when Musk needs cash, he opens new locations or moves the business  receiving hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds to do so. When his businesses flounder, he shifts the conversation to one of his other ventures. To his credit, Musk might be the greatest salesman of a generation. How else can someone fund an empire through government coercion and taxpayer money while retaining universal respect and adoration?

Elon Musk is a climate change radical who partners with the government at every turn to enrich himself. Conservatives like Texas governor Greg Abbot shouldn't celebrate the arrival of Tesla and Musk to Texas because he will be coming for the pocketbooks of Texans in no time.

My suggestion is to refrain from gushing over Musk's recent political conversion. Musk is opportunist, and opportunism is a hallmark of the left. He seized the opportunity to make a fortune off climate change, and he's successfully done that. When the COVID insanity ends, climate change is on deck as the weapon of choice that the government will leverage to hijack your freedom. When that happens, Elon Musk will not be on your side.

It is more likely that Musks political shift stems from his recognition that a red wave is coming, and the devious salesman inside him is searching for more fertile ground to exploit after exhausting the resources of Democrats. Every con artist needs new investors to keep the scheme going.

Conservatives beware.

Bode Lang is a Conservative blogger who produces Conservative videos on YouTube but is hoping youll move with him to Rumble

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The House of Representatives has passed a bill that seeks to eradicate blasphemy against Islam. The bill, H.R. 5665, is truly remarkable as it amounts to Congress making a law respecting the establishment of Islam and reducing the United States government into a tool of the worlds ayatollahs.

The actual text of the bill not only seeks to eradicate blasphemy against Islam around the world  and solely against Islam at that  but even requires the federal government to reorganize some portions of the State Department along the lines of an Islamic religious institution which will be responsible for interpreting the Quran. For example, the text of the bill mandates that [t]he Secretary of State shall establish within the Department of State an Office and the purpose of the office is described as [m]onitoring and combating acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur in foreign countries. That is, the State Department is required to create an office that is a cross between George Orwells Big Brother and the Taliban.

The word combat in the text of the law is problematic but fits in perfectly with the concept of waging violent jihad against the countries deemed to have committed blasphemy against Islam. Almost every dictionary defines the word primarily as an action pertaining to war. While the internet firm Googles dictionary defines 'combat as fighting between armed forces, Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as a fight, especially during a war. According to Collins Dictionary, combat is fighting that takes place in a war. This is no hyperbole as the State Department has a long history of supporting Islamic terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and ISIS. Former Assistant Secretary of State, Robin Raphel, ran her office as though it were an outpost of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and she lost her security clearance when she was investigated for counterintelligence activities. Little wonder then that Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, used the term Rogue State Department and President Donald Trump described the State Department as the Deep State Department.

The blasphemy law further requires the newly created office to be headed by a person appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and the person to be responsible for the assessment and description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement and for determining if any utterances constitute instances of propaganda or promote racial hatred or incite acts of violence against Muslim people. Since the word Islamophobia is not defined in the text of the legislation and words such as hatred and propaganda are subjective, the head of the newly created office will be ultimately responsible for interpreting the Quran and issuing legal opinions on whether statements made around the world amount to hatred or anti-Islamic propaganda under such interpretation.

In Islam, the person who interprets the Quran and issues legal opinions or edicts in the manner described by the new law is the Grand Mufti, and the opinions and edicts themselves are known as fatwas. Many of us are old enough to recall one of the most spine-chilling and famous fatwas issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against the author Salman Rushdie for committing blasphemy against Islam by writing his book, The Satanic Verses. Just as in the case of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Grand Mufti of the State Department too will have unlimited powers without any checks and balances, and neither the authority of the Mufti nor any fatwa issued by him can ever be challenged in a court of law. This is because the State Departments opinions will be part of an annual report that is mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 which prohibits judicial review of agency actions taken under this Act.

That kind of unlimited power might appear unconstitutional just as the blasphemy law along with its requirement that the State Department police the world and provide Halal certificates for free speech may appear unconstitutional, but those objections would not matter to dishonest judges. The courts most likely would rule that anyone who has filed a lawsuit challenging this law lacks standing as the law applies only to those outside the country and the person filing the lawsuit has not faced any injury. Therefore, even if the entire federal government were transformed into one big Islamic outfit with the sole purpose of using American resources to propagate Islam, American citizens can do nothing about it.

The entire purpose of the law, then, is to use the resources of the US government to arm-twist every other country into becoming a Sharia-compliant state. Ironically, the State Department would be responsible for squelching the freedom of expression in other countries and then publishing reports that complain about the lack of freedom of expression in those same countries!

The blasphemy bill came into existence when it was sponsored by the Somalia-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (to be fair to her, she is most likely nothing more than a pawn of the State Department who did what she was told) after the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (who sparked off the deadly Islamic riots in multiple countries in 2005 by accusing the US of flushing the Quran down the toilet in Guantanamo Bay) demanded that the US and other western nations pass such a law to protect the medieval-era barbarism perpetrated by Islamic countries from scrutiny and criticism. This of course makes perfect sense because both Somalia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are shining examples of countries that can teach the world about liberty, democracy, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. After all, according to the Pakistani Constitution, In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed.

The Pakistani Constitution goes on to inform us that Islam shall be the State religion of Pakistan (Article 2), that there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam (Article 19), that the State shall endeavour, as respects the Muslims of Pakistan to make the teaching of the Holy Quran and Islamiat compulsory (Article 31-2), and that the qualifications to be a member of the Parliament require a person to be someone who follows the Islamic injunction and who has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins (Article 62). There is also a section on the Federal Shariat Court. And so it goes. On and on about Islam, the Quran, Sunnah, the Prophet, Allah, Mullah, Ulema, mosques, Arabic language, and many such topics that would be of great interest to the Taliban-type people.

For its part, the Somali Constitution states that Islam is the religion of the State (Article 2-1), no religion other than Islam can be propagated in the country (Article 2-2), no law which is not compliant with the general principles of Shari'ah can be enacted (Article 2-3), and the teaching of Islam shall be compulsory for pupils in both public and private schools (Article 30-8). Strangely, Ilhan Omar herself would have been punished in Somalia for her adultery by being stoned to death as the country follows the Islamic law on this matter, but she now pushes for the advancement of Islam in America.

A simple way to enhance the reputation of Islam would be to stop beheading people, murdering women by throwing rocks at them, sending out throat-cutters and homicide bombers to kill the infidels, converting children into improvised explosive devices, and indulging in ridiculous actions such as getting beard-inspectors to run around measuring the lengths of beards of men in order to terrorize them into conforming with the Quran. Instead of taking steps to reform the Islamic world, Ilhan Omar and the supporters of this new law want the world to endorse and embrace all the cruel actions of the Islamic countries. However, by pushing for this law and appealing to America to save the reputation of Islam, they have inadvertently ended up implying another message  that Allah is unable to save the reputation of Islam and America is a greater power than Allah.

Photo credit: Amy M. Lovgren US National Archives

[The author can be reached at arvindk at uchicago dot edu.]

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Late last week I wrote a nice moderate blog post on education, that included a roster of all the brilliant minds that have held forth on education from Aristotle to Mr. Common School Horace Mann to our own beloved Bill Gates. The very next day Curtis Yarvin wrote a similarly moderate post on his Gray Mirror Substack about Retiring the university. Said he:

To a substantial extent, America is the university. A nation is its government; and Americas government is its university system. Sorry if this comes as news to you.

If we are going to have regime change, he writes, the university is the old regime and its got to go. Then Yarvin disappears into the weeds on the details of how to do this.

Now, in my moderate post on education I proposed a new Constitutional Amendment:

I propose that the US should pass a constitutional amendment forbidding the federal government to fund or legislate about universities.

Thats all very well, but what about the text of the Constitutional Amendment? How about this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of education, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of education, or of the internet; or the right of the people peaceably to misinform, and to petition the Government for a redress of Government disinformation.

Aint I a Stinker? (1950ish Bugs Bunny)

Now, given the vile injustice of the Deep State and universities generally and unionized teachers, in particular, I think that my proposed Education Amendment is the most moderate thing in world history. I expect that you will agree with me.

But in our Struggle for Justice in Education, what do we do? How about this, a Tablets for Kids project that dropped off pre-loaded tablets in a couple of villages in Ethiopia early in 2012 where the kids had never previously seen printed materials. Heres how it turned out.

Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android[.]

H acked Android? Well, the activists had disabled the tablet cameras, so the kids figured out how to turn them back on. Now, I dare say the instructions for hacking Android were in English, so that means that the kids

Senator, I have a question. Just why are we sending all our children to labor in government child-custodial facilities -- er, schools -- throughout their childhood? Just why is it that we have banned children from working for money and anathematized it as child labor? Just what is it that is so vitally important that kids can only get it from school? Apart from getting the noble and progressive regime narrative?

Back in the day, in 1913, in "Why Children Work" schools inspector Helen Todd found that working children preferred to work rather than go to school. See, the kids reported that their employers treated them much better than the teachers at school. That hasnt changed. Here is James Tooley in 2000 in Reclaiming Education describing how children respond to work experience.

[M]any teachers who visited students on [job] placements remarked on how their pupils matured in the experience, becoming more adult in a short period of time.

But what do we do? In my blog post last week I wrote:

I propose that the standard model of childhood education should be neighborhood mothers getting together to educate their children with tablets (see above) and the mothers that don't get with the program should be named and shamed and shunned by the other mothers.

Mothers send their kids to school because that is what a Good Mother does. But suppose, as I wrote in 2018,

[S]uppose your kid gets damaged by school? Suppose that it is mostly a waste of time? Suppose your kid gets traumatized by the bullies and the lowlifes at school? Suppose she gets indoctrinated in ruling-class propaganda that will make her into a hopeless snowflake? Suppose she gets out of college with a useless gender studies degree and ends up working as a barista at Starbucks? Well, then I would say that you were not a Good Mother, but what the Jungians call the Terrible Mother, the one found so frequently in Grimm's fairy tales. What then?

As soon as kids hit puberty, they should get a job. At McDonald's.

Want to improve your skills? Go to night school. Want to go to university? Get your employer to sponsor you. But first, you must graduate from six months at the drive-thru.

The dirty little secret of education -- since Aristotle -- is that it is all about the ruling class indoctrinating the kiddies in the wonderfulnesss of the ruling class. And giving jobs to its loyal teacher servitors.

And I dont like that.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also, get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: PxHere

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The rumor that the Netflix film, Dont Look Up, is an allegory about climate change is true. Writer/director Adam McKay, a self-declared democratic socialist and Bernie fan, has admitted as much. In fact, McKay calls climate change the biggest story in 66 million years. Its the biggest story in the history of upright apes. That much acknowledged, my skeptical friends on the right have found the film much more amusing than those on the left. My only question is whether McKay is Bernie Bro enough to have intended that outcome.

Spoiler alert: Dont Look Up tells the story of a planet-killing comet hurtling towards earth. After watching the first ten minutes of it, I thought it a comedy, a pretty amusing one at that. At Christmas dinner, my Democratic friends assured me it wasnt a comedy and warned me not to finish it before going to bed. I did anyhow and smiled all the way through to its laugh-out-loud epilogue. Yes, the movie is a comedy. It is scary, I suppose, to those like New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis who believe that the future of the planet is too terrifying to contemplate and its inhabitants too numb, dumb, [and] powerless to amuse. If you weep, writes Dargis, it may not be from laughing.

The Right laughs because they know something the Left does not. In that the movie is about information flow, the Right knows who controls it. In an unusually honest article from February 2021, Time magazine boasted of the well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information. This cabal, according to Time, were not rigging the [2020] election; they were fortifying it. Sure, whatever.

Every institution skewered in Dont Look Up belongs to that cabal. This includes the administration of soulless RINO president Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) whose party identity is revealed -- in a deft touch -- only by the portrait of Richard Nixon hanging on her office wall. The fact that comic actor Jonah Hill plays her oily son and chief of staff should have tipped off the easily scared that this film was, indeed, a comedy.

When first apprised of the comet, President Orlean is in the midst of a personal crisis. The news has just broken that she has been having a lesbian affair with her Supreme Court nominee, a former adult film star, and that they have been sending each other snatch photos. The comet proves a useful distraction. Yes, Virginia, this is a comedy.

After calling off a military option to destroy the comet, Orlean heeds the advice of creepy Tech Titan Peter Isherwell -- equal parts Timothy Leary and Mister Rogers -- who convinces the president that his people can shatter the comet into thousands of retrievable pieces rich with the minerals needed to power the tech industry. Reviewers have convinced themselves that Streep was channeling Trump. The idea that Big Tech would collude with a MAGA Republican to sway elections scares only those people who dont know any better.

The films Cassandras -- Michigan State astronomers Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) -- are seduced by Big Media to quiet down. For Mindy, the seduction is literal and tough to shake. Eventually, however, he finds his soul and joins Dibiasky in screaming from the rooftops that the world is coming to an end. If they are channeling anyone it is Howard Beale of Network, the one film that perhaps best mirrors the tone of Dont Look Up.

Some reviewers have compared the film to Stanley Kubricks classic Dr. Strangelove. Dont Look Up does not deserve the comparison. Kubricks direction was tighter, and the satire much more firmly controlled. More to the point, the topic Kubrick tackled did not need allegory. What drains the scare out of McKays film is just how diametrically off-kilter the allegory is.

The astronomers know to the minute when the comet will destroy the earth. By contrast, climate alarmists have issued so many false warnings over the last 30 years that only the clueless and the opportunists take them seriously. To keep the scare alive, the alarmists have quietly changed the name of the scare from global warming to climate change. No one was supposed to notice.

Skeptics know too just what frauds climate alarmists can be, especially DiCaprio, a leading evangelist for climate action. Wrote the Atlantic uncritically in 2013 about DiCaprio, He was in Australia with Jonah Hill and Jamie Foxx and others, partying on a yacht in the Sydney Harbor over the weekend and hanging out at a club on Monday night until 1 a.m. Then he and all his friends got on a chartered jet and flew 13 hours to Las Vegas, arriving in time for midnight. Quite the holiday! In the film, McKay mocks celebrity punditry. I am not sure DiCaprio got that memo.

In the film, too, Big Media and Big Tech collude with the White House to muffle the Cassandras. They use the FBI when needed. Watching this, I had to laugh. In the real world, of course, Big Media and Big Tech give climate alarmists all the platform they need. They have done the same with Covid alarmists. Skeptics get the FBI knock on the door and the boot on the neck.

As the action moves towards its inevitable end, Mindy comes to see that no human impulse is more powerful than family. With Dibiasky and her beau in tow, he heads back to Michigan, reconciles with his wife and sons, and joins them in what will be their literal last supper. Here, McKay concludes with an unusual grace note. The hipster beau, an unapologetic evangelical Christian, leads the otherwise unchurched bunch in an unironic prayer.

Having enjoined his friends to hold hands, he prays, Dearest father and almighty creator, we ask for your grace tonight despite our pride, your forgiveness despite our doubt, but most of all, Lord, we ask you for your love to see us through these dark times. May we face whatever is to come in your Divine will with courage and open hearts of acceptance. Amen.

The Times reviewer does not mention the prayer. Few reviewers did. McKay may have been up to something they dont know about. If so, they would not know where to begin.

To learn more about Jack Cashills most recent books, please see www.cashill.com.

Image: Netflix

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FiveThirtyEight, a left-leaning site, put out a request for information. On Christmas Day, it asked women to send in their abortion stories (and yes, it spoke of women, not birthing people) and provided a form by which they could do so. We don't know what responses they got from the form, but the responses on Twitter are amazing. An overwhelming number came from women who did not have an abortion or regretted having one, or from children who are grateful they weren't aborted. I'll share some with you.

To begin, here's a little more about the FiveThirtyEight request for information about abortion. The first thing that's odd about it is that it went out on December 25, something that could be considered the world's biggest birthday party. Considering that Mary and Joseph seemed just to be starting out in life and weren't affluent, they would have been the perfect target of the abortion industry. (Although the Annunciation would have helped Mary resist.)

The request noted how common abortion is in America while saying that it's harder to get an abortion and that the Supreme Court may make it harder still. It clearly wants to do a story on suffering women:

Nearly 1 in 4 American women will have an abortion before the age of 45. But over the past decade, access to abortion in America has changed dramatically. There are fewer clinics and more restrictions. And now it seems likely that the Supreme Court will limit the right to abortion even further. As we document the impact of these shifts, we want to include the voices of people who have had abortions in the U.S. If you've had an abortion and are willing to share your experience with us, please fill out the form below and we may follow up with you to hear more. We're particularly interested in hearing from people who have had abortions over the past 10 years, but we'd love to hear your story even if you had an abortion less recently. Whatever you want to share, we are grateful for your willingness to tell your story.

On Twitter, lots of people responded, but these weren't heart-rending tales of women whose education would have been interrupted with an abortion, or who would have been forced into a youthful marriage, or who were told their baby would be genetically defective, or who had gotten pregnant through rape and therefore got an abortion. Instead, dozens of people celebrated life with a baby or mourned the decision to have an abortion:

I found myself unexpectedly pregnant at the age of 22 in my last semester of college with my daughter. Her father and I decided to marry, and she is still the most unexpected blessing in our lives. I cannot imagine a world without her joyful presence. https://t.co/fhtUpX3eiH  Robin (@robincaphill) December 26, 2021

My son was born extremely prematurely to a single mother who lived in the projects. Rather than abort him, she gave him life and allowed us to adopt him. Hes the handsomest and sweetest young man you could ever meet. I thank God for him every day.

 Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) December 26, 2021

Yes, Ive had two. Biggest mistakes of my life. Theres nothing more unnatural than a mother taking the life of her child. Women need support and encouragement, not abortion.  Abby Johnson (@AbbyJohnson) December 28, 2021

My mom was raped and faced family pressure to abort, but she chose to keep me and raised me alone. 5 months ago my wife and I just had our first child and none of this would have happened had she followed through with peoples suggestions.  Dean Cullinane (@DeanCullinane) December 26, 2021

Yes, I do. I experienced an unplanned pregnancy at 18 and chose to have an abortion. It was a traumatic experience and I still wonder all the time who my son would be today. Stop telling women abortion is their ultimate freedom. I never felt empowered by it.  Rebekah Ferro (@RebekahFerro) December 26, 2021

The Doctor told me my 1st son had severe Spina Bifida and we should abort. I prayed and asked the Lord to give me confidence in the face of this and for healing. My son gave me a sign that all was well and he was perfectly healthy when born. pic.twitter.com/allQiV2Jn6  David W Kovacevich (@kovacevich_w) December 26, 2021

My wife and I were told there was a major issue with our first child's brain. We were advised to have an abortion. The hurt anger welled up inside of me and I told the nurse never to use that word in front of us again. Praying ensued. Ian just turned 10. pic.twitter.com/efZ5XxW7cG  Scott Beaman (@scottdbeaman) December 26, 2021

I burst into tears at a routine appt when the dr casually said I was pregnant. I was just shocked but she assumed I was upset: Dont worry, its not like you have to HAVE a baby. We can deal with it. I was horrified by the suggestion. This is my baby she wanted to deal with. pic.twitter.com/JGbI2uAzx6  Bethany Joy Barendregt (@bjbarendregt) December 27, 2021

My mom was the product of an affair- my biological grandmother tried to get an abortion but it failed. Mom ended up being adopted-she is an amazing mom who volunteered with foster care all while raising my sister and I and adopted 2 more herself. I wouldnt be here without her  Megan (@megangrace7317) December 26, 2021

This is my oldest son Isaac and me. I found out I was pregnant with him when I was 20 and in school. Friends told me to abort but I didnt. Hes the most amazing human and now I have 4. pic.twitter.com/CUtMqYXNcZ  Jessica Moyer (@prolifejessica) December 27, 2021

When my mother was pregnant, the doctor pressured her to travel across state lines for a 3rd trimester procedure b/c her baby would be less than perfect w/ Downs Syndrome; and too overwhelming to care for 1 child & another w/ special needs. My brother is 20 & thriving at MIZZOU pic.twitter.com/mXWlsIC45r  Danielle C Finley (@Danielle__CF) December 27, 2021

I was pregnant at 16 & was supposed to spend the summer in France as an exchange student. The babys dads family knew Dr.s who could take care of it. My dad said we will help you if you want to have this baby. That baby turns 41 in Thursday.   Roxanne Voorhees  (@RoxanneMarie63) December 27, 2021

I got one. My moms OBGYN encouraged her to abort me because I had a high likelihood of having Hemophilia. Did I have it? Yes. Has it been a huge hindrance in my life? Nope. Did I point that out to the OBGYN when I got to met him 24 years later? Yup.



Thanks mom. I love my life.  Kris Van Houten (@krivaten) December 27, 2021

My mother was 15 when she got pregnant with me. Didnt go to the appt she made for an abortion. Ive been married for 30 years and have two amazing children. One a CPA, the other in the navy. My life isnt significant to most, but it certainly is to my husband and children.  Mimi P (@mimiP7192) December 26, 2021

Got a girl I love pregnant unexpectedly and we got an abortion and have both regretted it every single second since. Worst decision of our lives.  Jake William (@jakewilliam90) December 26, 2021

There are many other such tweets. Each helps reveal the problem with leftists when it comes to enshrining abortion as an ultimate benefit for women.

Frederic Bastiat's Parable of the Broken Window helps understand the point I want to make. It tells of a shopkeeper whose shop window gets broken. Everyone tells him that the money spent to fix it will at least fund others, such as the glazier. However, says Bastiat:

It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented.

And here's the key point Bastiat makes of those who say that a broken window helps money circulate: "Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen."

In much the same way, leftists can see a woman before them, distressed that she is pregnant. What they're incapable of imagining is the life within her and the possibilities that life brings, both to the child (of course) and to the woman as well. Perhaps those at FiveThirtyEight who sought abortion information will finally see that which they have not seen: life.

Hat tip: Twitchy.

Image: Pregnant woman with ultrasound. Piqsels.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Kamala Harris emits phoniness, and there isn't much phonier from her than her claims about her idyllic childhood memories of celebrating Kwanzaa with her extended family.

According to Breitbart News:

Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated the beginning of Kwanzaa Sunday night, an underlying Marxist holiday created by black nationalists, by praising one of the "seven principles" of Kwanzaa, which happen to coincide with the seven principles of the Symbionese Liberation Army. "When I was growing up, Kwanzaa was a special time. Friends and family members would fill our home. We would listen to the elders tell stories and watch them light the candles on the kinara," Harris said, recalling her childhood memories of Kwanzaa in similar fashion to her remembrance last year. "During dinner, we would discuss the seven principles," she continued. "My favorite principle is the second: Kujichagulia (self-determination). This principle is about having the power to design your own life and determine your own future. It's a deeply American principle," she claimed. "From our family to yours, happy Kwanzaa[.]"

When I was growing up, Kwanzaa was a special time. Friends and family members would fill our home. We would listen to the elders tell stories and watch them light the candles on the kinara. During dinner, we would discuss the seven principles.  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) December 27, 2021

Now, it's possible she might have had some encounter with Kwanzaa, given that the holiday was invented in 1966 by a radical Black nationalist who was fighting with the Black Panthers at the time, which was two years after she was born.

Harris's first six years, which were spent in the States, were in over-the-top radical Berkeley, California, so she could conceivably have been in touch with the invention, assuming her parents were on the antiBlack Panther side in this dispute.

But the idea that it was she and her elders all gathering round the mock-menorah like some old family tradition is a bit hard to swallow. All of her elders were in foreign countries, and international air travel was not as easy or cheap then as it is today.

What's more, Mom and Pop weren't speaking to one another much by the time Kamala got to the age of being able to remember things. They divorced when Kamala was seven, and mom and kids moved to Quebec, Canada, which was not exactly a hotbed of black nationalist political correctness.

Mom was a high-caste Brahmin Indian Tamil whose relatives lived in southern India, where the holiday sure as heck wasn't one they celebrated, not when they had bona fide traditional ones to celebrate as part of their Hindu faith, such as Diwali. Kamala has in the past said she celebrated Diwali as a kid.

Dad, meanwhile, was an immigrant from Jamaica, where the holiday is never celebrated. West Indians on Twitter absolutely insist on this:

I doubt her Indian mother celebrated Kwanzaa but I KNOW her West Indian father did not. There is no way. https://t.co/3jMaGeUC4n  Adele Scalia (@AdeleScalia) December 27, 2021

Nah. She claims she and her family and extended family sat around and told stories to celebrate. Impossible. Her extended family wasnt even around and if they were they would have no interest in Kwanzaa.  Adele Scalia (@AdeleScalia) December 27, 2021

Our Kwanzaa celebrations are one of my favorite childhood memories. The whole family would gather around across multiple generations and wed tell stories and light the candles.



Whether youre celebrating this year with those you live with or over Zoom, happy Kwanzaa! pic.twitter.com/21bzGHZpYe  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) December 26, 2020

Here's the word from Oralette Dawn, a Jamaican blogger:

Kwanzaa is a non-religious, non-political cultural celebration that began in America but has its cultural roots in Africa. Its originator, Dr. Malauna Karenga, created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the only original African-American holiday [Gentle correction: That would be Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1865. MMS] that gave cause for a special occasion. It has since evolved into a celebration for all African descendants throughout the world and for anyone else who can identify with its values and principles and want to make it a part of their celebrations regardless of race. Kwanzaa does not appear to have impacted on Jamaicans in any identifiable substantial way as it has done in America. Jamaicans in the main operate from a different cultural framework with a different cultural identity from that of the Black-American experience. Jamaica's history, culture and values are a unique blend of the people who live here and of all the past dwellers that have influenced the culture we have today. It would be nice and somewhat fitting, however, to share in a cultural celebration with all other African descendants throughout the Diaspora. But through what avenue could awareness be raised? And what relevance could Jamaicans find in such a practice?

Even Africans don't care for the phony holiday:

What happens when fake ethnicity meets true ethnicity #Kwanzaa pic.twitter.com/9l685ivpby  Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) December 27, 2021

Harris's father, meanwhile, wasn't just a Jamaican immigrant who'd probably turn up his nose at the nonsense, but a professor of Marxist economics at Stanford University.

On those grounds, maybe he paid some kind of acknowledgment to the holiday, given his leftist orientation and life in the radical Bay Area, but that's still far-fetched. The Black Panthers at the time were the smart set's favorite radical group, as Tom Wolfe chronicled in his essay "Radical Chic." What's more, Harris's father never had significant exposure to his kids after the divorce, so even if he did celebrate it, his kids weren't around. No elders sitting around the candelabra telling stories in his case. Based on my knowledge of far-left radicals in the Bay Area, they all celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, the same as anyone else, with secular takes of their own, such as hammer-and-sickle Christmas tree ornaments, which is something I have actually seen. I never knew any who celebrated Kwanzaa.

Kamala, who's posted childhood Christmas photos, was apparently not at all different. We know she celebrated Christmas:

In fairness - it looks like Miss Kamala did celebrate Christmas at least once in her childhood & the guy who founded Kwanza was a convicted sex abuser so it's not a good holiday to celebrate any wayhttps://t.co/6HHx3VGN1g https://t.co/ju5dt7wXpN pic.twitter.com/P1PUej9prQ  sgabig (@sgabig) December 26, 2021

She pretty well got called out for the phoniness of it all by the Twitterati, above all in the fact that she has never shared a photograph of these extended family celebrations  she shares all kinds of childhood photos to win sympathy, but not on this matter.

Kamala Harris hasn't shared one photo of her "favorite childhood memories" celebrating Kwanzaa.  thebradfordfile (@thebradfordfile) December 27, 2021

Fake, fake, fake  it's all the Twitterati can see:

Shes been called out for this before: https://t.co/nGlHo0FVF5  AG (@AGHamilton29) December 27, 2021

For me this is not even about Kwanza. Its about Kamala Harris and how fake she comes off every time she says or tweets something. She could literally say hello and I would cringe from the fakeness.  Yesi  (@yesisworld) December 28, 2021

Being Kamala, the phoniness was probably just reflexive. But it also was likely political pandering. The only ethnic group that still largely likes Kamala Harris is African-Americans, where she reportedly still has a 71% approval rate. Nobody else can stand her. Might this be a bid to shore up the African-American voter base, given that that's the one thing she can contribute to the failing Biden administration? Possibly.

But it's still phony stuff, and a lot of people are noticing. Apparently, she will say anything to pander as her ship sinks.

Image: Twitter screen shot.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Erin Marquis tops the list of leftist meltdowns for her shameless name-dropping of her employer  the New York Times  when leaving a profanity-laced message with a gun-rights group.

She used her employer's media clout to intimidate and abuse those she deemed as "f------ ghouls" for exercising their First Amendment right to distribute a press release by the Michigan chapter of the National Association for Gun Rights defending the rights of adult citizens to bear arms. This was especially galling to Ms. Marquis in the wake of a school shooting. There was no reference in the "f-bomb" rant about the realities of stopping a rampaging student on campus from further causing the harm and death of fellow classmates.

It was much easier for Marquis to use her platform as an editor with "Wirecutter," an NYT product recommendation service, to threaten the group members with "informing everyone at the Times that the members of the group were "f------ a-------." Her sophomoric message included the memorable sign-off: "Congrats on being a laughing stock," according to voicemail posted in Townhall.

Somehow Marquis got lost in a wilderness of self-righteousness and took the liberty of posting on her Twitter account the phone number and email address of the group, "urging supporters to oppose" the Michigan-based group. The realities of her unprofessional conduct came crashing down on Marquis when the organization published the editor's embarrassing rant  which caught the attention of her employer.

The "newspaper of record" apparently hasn't lost all standards of objectivity and professionalism. Marquis was terminated with the following admonition from the Times' management: "We expect our employees to behave in a way that is consistent with our values and commitment to the highest ethical standards." Marquis  who had repeatedly invoked the name of the employer as part of her bully pulpit  was reminded in the dismissal message: "Repeatedly invoking the New York Times' name in an unprofessional way that imperils the reputation of the Wirecutter, the Times, and all our journalists is a clear violation of our policies."

It's nice to know that the Times has standards. How broadly the paper applies them remains to be seen.

Image: N.Y. Times.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Wuhan Flu COVID-19, Beta Variant, Delta Variant, Lambda Variant, Mu Variant, Omicron Variant...had enough yet? They just keep coming. And now "experts" are warning that a massive bird flu outbreak could be 2022's deadly pandemic. Yes, scientists are now saying a significant outbreak of bird flu in Israel's Galilee could become a "mass disaster" for human beings, a global emergency.

Though most strains of avian flu (H5N1) are not easily transmitted to people, the World Health Organization says the virus is deadly to those it does infect, killing over half of those who contract it. Israeli ornithologist Yossi Leshem recently told The Daily Beast that it is the ability of these viruses to mutate into new strains, a la the coronavirus, that is most worrisome. Leshem, a zoologist at Tel Aviv University, stated, "There could be a mutation that also infects people and turns into a mass disaster."

One gets the impression that authorities have already lined up pandemics for 2023, 2024, and 2025, too. If not beyond. "Never let a crisis go to waste," right? And, if they are concerned there might not be a real  and truly dire  crisis, it would behoove them to make one up. After all, they are obviously intoxicated by the power the current pandemic has afforded them and the control we have granted them through our nauseating obsequiousness.

There is another mutation that has already infected far too many people...one that is a "mass disaster." It is a mutation of the soul, heart, character. That mutation has caused people  even those in formerly liberty-loving nations like the United States  to jettison their personal integrity, autonomy, freedom, and independence for a chimerical chance at guaranteed physical safety.

Will Dr. Fauci recommend that we all live under our beds in 2022 until the threat of avian flu has passed? Until 95% of us have been injected with a new experimental "vaccine"?

What will cause us to wet our pants in fear next? What will grant permanent tyrannical power to the elected  and unelected  elites and relegate the rest of us to permanent peasant/peon/vassal status?

Bat flu? Kung flu? Cedar-Apple Rust? The heartbreak of psoriasis? Reynaud's Syndrome? Whirling (Trout) Disease? Global warming? Global cooling? Climate change? Climate stability? Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? The prospect of an asteroid colliding with the Earth?

If you ask me, this whole damn sham is for the birds.

John Adams once said:

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the People once surrender their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it.

Perhaps we can make (and keep?) a meaningful New Year's resolution for 2022: "I vow to emphasize and celebrate life, not fear. I vow to live as the Founders did, pledging my life and sacred honor to the cause of freedom, that generations as yet unborn will have a chance to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

Or, in other words, "Don't tread on me."

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
At a time when the global media narrative is dominated by fossil fuels and renewables, countries in Asia have been commissioning an increasing number of nuclear plants, contrary to many European countries and the U.S.

With a string of new approvals in recent years, the future of energy security in Asia appears to be increasingly dependent on nuclear energy to bolster the already strong fossil fuel sector.

Unlike renewables, nuclear plants do not occupy large swaths of land and do not stop working when there is no wind or sun. In addition, among all available electricity-generation methods, nuclear plants have the highest capacity factor  a measure of the ability of a plant to produce at full capacity in a given period of time. The nuclear capacity factor is higher than 90 percent, while solar and wind are around 25 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

Attracted to the advantages of nuclear power and financially strengthened by economic growth supported by fossil fuels, more countries are beginning to invest in new nuclear plants.

China, India, and Others Go Nuclear

China is spending as much as $440 billion on new nuclear plants. Last month, Bloomberg reported that "China is planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years, more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35."

India too has been receptive to nuclear technology. Currently having 23 reactors in operation, the subcontinent will add 12 new reactors by 2024 and is assessing the possibility of five more. Though the Indian numbers are dwarfed by those of China, the country has made significant progress. Installed nuclear power capacity grew by over 40 percent in the last seven years.

My home state of Tamil Nadu in the southwestern tip of India boasts state-of-art nuclear generation  including the Kudankulam plant with four reactors  that employs fast breeder reactors imported from Russia. Even as I was writing this piece, construction for a new reactor was launched 200 miles from my place of birth.

Japan Returns to Nuclear After a Brief Hiatus

In the Far East, Japan has returned to its old love of nuclear energy after a decade-long hiatus caused by the knee-jerk reaction to the tsunami-induced Fukushima nuclear accident.

The Fukushima incident was exaggerated by the media, and unwarranted fear was instilled among the people of the world. In fact, a recent study of wildlife living in the Fukushima exclusion zone shows "almost no adverse effects of the radiation from the nuclear plant meltdown on the animals' DNA." The incident was one of its kind, involving an outdated technology vulnerable to the extraordinary earthquake and tidal wave that struck the plant.

Japan's embrace of nuclear was inevitable. The country's lack of fossil fuel resources make nuclear an obvious choice. Though the Japanese leadership seem to have a soft spot for renewables, it knows that they cannot meet Japan's cities' power demands. At least 20 percent of Japan's total electricity is expected to come from nuclear by 2030.

Anti-Nuclear Sentiment Impacting Key Economies

At present, China has 46 nuclear plants either in the planning stage or under construction. In contrast, the U.S. has only two plants under construction. Many European countries have no nuclear plants under construction.

In Europe, France has been a champion of nuclear energy. But other big economies like Germany and the U.K. have been reluctant to increase nuclear capacity, leading to an unstable energy sector and higher power prices. In fact, Germany is set to phase out all of its nuclear power plants by 2022.

This huge difference in the nuclear priorities of the East and the West may increase in the coming years as nuclear proponents face opposition from the climate collective  unless the so-called green agenda loses support to a technology far superior to wind turbines and solar panels.

Vijay Jayaraj is a research associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Va., and holds a Master's degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, England. He resides in Bengaluru, India.

Image: Pixabay.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
I'm signed up with a worldwide questions-and-answers board named Quora, which sends me daily digests of its content in the categories I've chosen: history, culture, and languages. Most of the time, the posts are informative and a pleasure to read, but once in a while, they seem to be designed by trolls with an agenda to sow discord in society, just like what the active measures were designed to do in the pre-internet era. That pretty much describes today's social media anyway  one has to take it or leave it.

Today's digest contained just such a leading question with over a hundred answers that read like a smug, virtue-signaling hate-fest. As an immigrant in this country, I just had to answer it, if not the way the author had intended. I thought the readers of the American Thinker would like to see it as well.

The following is the question and my answer to it.

Q: You are sitting in an American restaurant speaking with a friend in Spanish. Somebody at the next table takes offense and shouts "This is America, speak English!" What is the best way of dealing with this situation?

This is a loaded and dishonest question. In my almost 30 years in America (and I've traveled almost everywhere from New York to California), I've never seen this happen. I speak three different languages fluently, and when I'm with people whose first language is Russian or Ukrainian, it's only natural that we communicate in their mother tongue. If we have an English-speaker at our table, we naturally switch to English. No one has ever been stressed about this very normal behavior. The only memory that comes to mind is the opposite of what the question implies, but more on that later.

No one cares what language you speak at a table in a restaurant, unless you are being too loud or obnoxious in other ways. An exception from this rule would be if you want to start a fight, but then any excuse would do, not just the language. Or if you're Jussie Smollett, trying to perpetrate another "racist" hoax. (If racism were so commonplace in America, why would one have to fake it?)

A frustrated request to speak English may still happen if one is trying to get a service and everybody around speaks another language. Please note that someone's inability to speak English is frustrating not only to the natural-born Americans, but to immigrants from dozens of countries as well, for whom English is the only way to communicate with all the other immigrants, and who often have trouble understanding unusual accents. But even then, most people would try to help with the words rather than chide, which is a mark of a sociopath.

The only time an English-speaking stranger discussed my accent with me was in a New York subway, and it was the opposite of a request to learn English. I was sitting in my seat, reading the cover of a videotape I had just borrowed from the library, which said, "How to improve your English." A young black man with a bass guitar, probably a college student, who was sitting next to me, looked at the cover and asked me, in a yet hard for me to understand accent, why I would want to improve my English and be a conformist to the establishment instead of keeping my cultural identity. He seemed to resent that whole notion, which didn't jive with the artificial concept of multiculturalist utopia they probably taught him at college.

I said I was trying to improve my English so he could understand me better. He said he already understood me just fine. I said he wouldn't be able to understand me today if I hadn't spent years earlier in my life trying to improve my English. Why stop now? Where is the cut-off point in learning to speak a language?

Years have passed, and no one uses videotapes anymore, but I still remember that conversation. I hope that young man remembers it, too, and that it made him think. I know I was right, and the proof is in the pudding: I wouldn't be able to tell you this story if I hadn't extended some serious effort to learn the language.

* * *

If the question in the title was a jab meant to reinforce a stereotype about the supposedly "xenophobic" American conservatives, I can assure you that in my experience, conservatives are more likely to extend grace, patience, and love to a stranger. It is the "liberals," especially those in big cities like New York (where I've lived for 18 years), who are more likely to snap, always living their lives on the edge of a nervous breakdown due to never-ending anxieties, real or imaginary.

What do I mean by imaginary anxieties? Exactly what the above loaded question illustrates: wallowing in fictional negative stereotypes and hating half of the world because of it.

Image: Thijs Paanakker via Flickr.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
The rollout of Android 12 has been far from perfect for almost every smartphone manufacturer, including Samsung. The company released the One UI 4 stable update to a number of devices a few weeks ago. But it was later paused due to a handful of bugs. We have some good news on this front, as the Korean smartphone giant has begun rolling out the update yet again.

The new update finally fixes the compatibility issue with Google Play that was reported recently. The discovery of this bug led to the halting of the One UI 4 update for the Galaxy S21 series recently. Although Samsung dismissed this as a rare issue at the time, it didnt stop the manufacturer from pausing the rollout.

The new stable One UI 4 update should be rolling out to the Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. XDA notes that global versions of the Galaxy S21 will get the update bearing the version number G99xBXXS3BULC. Meanwhile, customers in South Korea are seeing G99xNKSS3BULC.

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Samsung will begin rolling out One UI 4.1 for the Galaxy S21 series in February 2022

If youre a Galaxy Z Flip 3 customer, the update introduces firmware version F711xxxS2BUL6 while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 brings version F926xxxS1BUL6. All updates come with the December 2021 security patch.

The update could take a while to reach all compatible devices. You can also pull the update manually by heading over to Settings  Software update from your Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Flip 3, or the Z Fold 3.

Samsung is currently counting down the days for the release of One UI 4.1 as per recent reports. A moderator on the companys forums said that the three variants of the Galaxy S21 would receive the One UI 4.1 update by February. The list also includes devices like the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Its likely that the update will be available in South Korea first, while other markets could follow suit shortly after.

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The company is also testing One UI 4 betas on older phones like the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and the Galaxy S10 5G. Samsung pretty much leads the pack right in rolling out the latest updates to a large number of its smartphones and tablets.
FLIGHT rescues thousands of smuggled wild birds in undercover operation 28 December 2021





What better way to end the year than with a story of kindness and tenacity in action?

FLIGHT: Protecting Indonesias Birds, is a charity partner of Animals Asia whose mission is to protect and save Indonesias native wild birds, tens of thousands of which are smuggled illegally every year.

Their focus is on investigating and reporting poachers, documenting illegal traders in markets, and assisting law enforcement to stop birds being smuggled out of the forest.

Their results are outstanding, having rescued and released over 130,000 birds back into the wild in their first three years of operating. And they show no signs of slowing down in their quest to save Indonesias wild bird populations.

In the last few weeks FLIGHT performed two undercover operations that resulted in the seizure of over 2,700 birds. The birds had been stolen from the wild and were being trafficked to be sold on the black market in Java.

In the first raid, the team had been monitoring a warehouse in Jambi where they believed traffickers were working. In a smooth operation that saw part of the team watching the smugglers, others monitoring the roads in and out of the area and another communicating with local police, the getaway car was intercepted at 2am local time, and over 1,700 birds who had been crammed into tiny cages, were rescued.

A week later, the team were once again monitoring the roads which they believed an illegal wildlife trafficker was using to transport smuggled birds in Riau. As they patiently sat and waited, the team suddenly saw the smuggler speed past them, carrying the birds. The team immediately took chase and contacted the local police who intercepted the smuggler. The team recovered over a thousand birds.

All the birds the FLIGHT team and local police departments rescued were released back into the forests from which theyd been taken.

Dave Neale, Animals Asias Captive Animal Welfare Director said:

This year has seen animal rescue charities and authorities across Asia working closer together to clamp down on illegal wildlife trafficking than ever before. These increasingly collaborative, intelligent and seamless operations have resulted in the rescue of thousands of wild animals who would have suffered terribly had they not been saved.

It is only with the belief and generosity of those who support us that we can hone our expertise and strengthen our working relationships with authorities. And with these collaborative efforts we will continue to rescue as many animals who need us as we possibly can.

Read more:

FLIGHT: Meet the people working tirelessly to stop Indonesias jungles falling silent

Thousands of protected birds and 12 macaques rescued from Indonesian poachers in undercover operations
ROME - A fourth-century BC Etruscan helmet has yielded a hidden inscription about its provenance after a recent cleaning.

The helmet, forged in bronze in Perugia in the middle of the fourth century BC for a mercenary and later found in the tomb of an Etruscan warrior, has now been found to carry the inscription "harn ste" inside, a likely reference to the ancient city of Aharnam, today's Civitella d'Arna, cited by Roman historian Livy as the encampment of a praetor before the Battle of Sentinus during he Third Samnite War in 295 BC.

"It's a story that has remained hiden in plain sight," the had of the Natioanl Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia in Rome, Valentino Nizzo, told ANSA, explaining that when the helmet came out of the ground in Vulci in the 1920s "it was probably covered with dirt and oxidation that concealed the letters".
MSF ship with 558 migrants onboard headed to Augusta port Italian authorities designated 'safe port' for Geo Barents

(ANSAmed) - PALERMO, DEC 28 - The Italian authorities have designated Augusta as the 'safe port' for MSF's Geo Barents to dock at.



The migrant rescue ship is carrying 558 refugees onboard, including many minors.



The humanitarian organisation communicated the news, after in previous days urging that a solution be found after rescuing those onboard in eight operations, the last of which on Christmas Eve.



The ship was on Tuesday evening heading for the Sicilian port. (ANSAmed).




ROME - "The meetings with the President of the Tunisian Republic and with the foreign minister have proved very productive, since they made it possible to move forward with and consolidate a dialogue that has never been interrupted with a country that Italy sees as strategic, as well as a longstanding friend," Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday on a trip to Tunis.

Di Maio will also be meeting with Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhan.

"To my interlocutors," the Italian foreign minister said, "I confirmed that Italy is watching with interest the setting in motion of a path for reforms and political and constitutional deadlines that we hope will culminate in new legislative elections. I then underscored the importance that the path set in motion continue towards the full restoration of the rule of law and democratic normality. At the same time, it is important that this happen through dialogue that is inclusive, transparent, and substantive, with all the political and social components of the country, ensuring full respect for fundamental rights and economic growth." "On the issue of bilateral relations, in particular economic and trade ones, in reiterating that Tunisia is both a privileged partner of Italy and that there are about 800 Italian businesses [in the country], I expressed the hope that this partnership can be strengthened further," Di Maio said.
Tunisia wants stronger relations with Italy, Saied tells Di Maio Meeting between president and Italian FM in Tunis

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, DEC 28 - During Tuesday's meeting with Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Tunisian president Kais Saied "expressed the strong desire of Tunisia to have closer relations with Italy in the future" in order to "consolidate historic friendship ties" and " valorize promising opportunities for cooperation, partnership, and investment at the disposal of the two countries in several sectors as part of reciprocal respect and in shared interest" of both", according to a statement issued by the Tunisian president's office published shortly after a meeting between Saied and Di Maio in Tunis.



Saied "indicated that the traditional policies of migration management have been found to be limited to countering human trafficking on both sides of the Mediterranean", it added.



The Tunisian president "underscored instead the need to speed up as much as possible the archiving of the issue of illegal Italian waste in Tunisia urging thought in the future on the implementation of cooperation agreements between the two countries in the field of the converting waste into sources of energy." The statement went on to say that Saied had told Di Maio about "the reasons that led to the economic and social situation Tunisia is experiencing now".



The Tunisian head of state "informed the Italian foreign minister on the steps that the country will take in 2022, underscoring that special measures had been taken to protect the Tunisian state". (ANSAmed).




Business leaders have issued a fresh call for support for the beleaguered hospitality sector, after fears around the new Omicron variant led to a sharp drop-off in trade in the run-up to Christmas.

The industry broadly welcomed the announcement there will be no new Covid restrictions in England before the new year, beyond the Plan B measures already in place.

However British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness McGregor-Smith warned it would not make up for the business lost during what should have been the busiest time of the year, as people stayed away from pubs and restaurants.

While the Treasury has announced grants of up to 6,000 for businesses affected, she said that some were losing more than that each day.

In January, February, March we have increasing labour costs and increasing energy costs, among many other costs. The list goes on for businesses, particularly in hospitality, she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

I am delighted to see that we are protecting New Years Eve, but it just wont go far enough.

Lady McGregor-Smith urged the Government to extend the business rates relief and the emergency rate of VAT beyond the end of March, and to bring back a focused furlough support scheme.

She said that businesses in the sector also needed flexibility over the repayment of loans which they had taken out to support them through the pandemic.

Many, many have got more debt than they ever had before.

They are now in a position where they are going to have to pay that back and I think the Treasury needs to look very carefully at the repayment schemes for many loans across the UK, she said.

Nightclubs will be allowed to remain open for New Years Eve parties in England (Richard McCarthy/PA)

She was backed by Andy Wood, the chief executive of Adnams brewery, who said there had been a 50% drop in visitors to pubs and hotels after the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to be cautious about socialising following the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

More than half of Christmas has been lost. This is a sector that has the economic equivalent of long Covid.

There is going to need to be support for the sector through the dark months of January, February and March, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

While there is relief among business that New Years Eve celebrations will be able to go ahead in England, some scientists have expressed concern about the lack of new restrictions following the surge in Covid cases.

The decision announced by Health Secretary Sajid Javid leaves England out of step with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have all brought in new post-Christmas controls.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said that, while ministers continued to monitor the data closely, the early evidence suggested Omicron was not leading to a big increase in hospital admissions, as happened in previous waves.

(PA Graphics)

There is early encouragement from what we know in South Africa, that you have fewer hospitalisations and that the number of days that they stay in hospital, if they do go into hospital, is also lower than in previous variants, he told Today.

At the moment we dont think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we have done.

But obviously we have got to keep it under very close review, because if it is the case that we started to see a big increase in hospitalisations then we would need to act further.

While hospital numbers are up, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said staff absences could pose a bigger challenge to the health service than patients needing treatment for Covid.

He told BBC Breakfast: Were now seeing a significant increase in the level of staff absences, and quite a few of our chief executives are saying that they think that thats probably going to be a bigger problem and a bigger challenge for them than necessarily the number of people coming in who need treatment because of Covid.

So what were seeing is in some hospitals, were now having to redeploy staff to fill the gaps that are being left in critical and essential services by staff who are off with Covid-related absences.

Government figures showed there were a record 113,628 new Covid cases in England on Christmas Day, with 1,281 new Covid-19 hospital admissions  up 74% week on week and the highest number since February 16.

As of 8am on December 27, there were 8,474 people were in hospital in England with Covid-19  the highest number since March 5.
This article is part of Yahoo's 'On This Day' series.

There are buildings standing in Britain which are eight or even ten times older than the United States, which was founded just 245 years ago.

Mousa Broch, which still stands in Shetland, is a roundhouse thought to have been built in 300BC by Iron Age people.

But there are some buildings built almost 1,000 years ago which are still in daily use - such as Westminster Abbey, consecrated on this day in 1065.

The abbey has been extended since it was built, but some of the central structure remains the same as it was when it was consecrated by Edward the Confessor.

Other similarly ancient buildings in London include the Westminster Hall area of Parliament, which was built in 1016, and the White Tower in the Tower of London, which dates from 1078.

Westminster Abbey was consecrated after Edward the Confessor (son of Ethelred the Unready) made a vow while in exile to make a pilgrimage to St Peters in Rome if he was restored to his throne.

Edward was released from his vow by Pope Leo IX, after advisers convinced him that it was not a good idea to make the pilgrimage - and he swore instead to build a church dedicated to St Peter.

Edward built his monastery on the site of a previous Benedictine community on the aptly named Thorney Island (which was duly cleared of thorns before the abbey was built).

Edward - a deeply devout man - moved his own palace nearby on the banks of the Thames and built on the site of a small monastery founded by King Edgar a few decades before.

Edward built a large stone church on the site, which became known as the West minster, to distinguish it from St Pauls Cathedral (the East minster).

By the time the church was finished, Edward was too ill to attend the ceremony to consecrate it in 1065.

He died just a week later, on January 5th, 1066, and was buried in the church in front of the altar.

When William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, he had himself crowned King of England in the abbey on Christmas Day in 1066.

Every British monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned in the abbey (except Edward V and Edward VIII who were never crowned).

The abbey was rebuilt in the 1200s by Henry III in a grander, gothic style, but parts of Edwards design still remain.

Famous British people have also been buried in the Abbey, considered an honour: famous people buried in the abbey include Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Queen Elizabeth was married in Westminster Abbey in 1947.
Oti Mabuse has shared her emotional family reunion in South Africa after almost four years.

The Strictly Come Dancing champion said she had not told her mother she was coming home and had flown home to surprise her.

In a video posted on her Instagram, the dancer documented her journey from Heathrow airport to her arrival in South Africa.

She wrote: Finally after years I was able to go home to South Africa.

Decided to surprise my family and not tell them Im coming home just to see their expressions, mom was speechless (touched me all to see if I was real, dad couldnt stop smiling and my god mother cried her eyes off).

To say I was emotional is an absolute understatement.

I have been waiting 3-4 years to hold my moms, dad, sister, nieces and nephews in my arms and just spend time with them NOT through a screen.

Mabuse, whose sister Motsi Mabuse is a judge on the popular BBC dancing competition, said the coronavirus crisis had taught her that family should never be taken for granted.

I rarely share family events but this felt really special to me and I know so many others are in my position and were buzzing when RSA was taken off of the red list, she said.

Covid has really taught me how much family is above all and should never be taken for granted.

She added: Please excuse the coming photo dumps that will be flying your way.
Albert Reynolds told John Major that Ireland is not ruled by Rome, during a meeting in which the Irish side expressed frustration at the attitude of unionists to talks on Northern Ireland.

According to a confidential document, the comments were made at a meeting between Mr Reynolds and the British PM in Downing Street on 16 June 1993.

After that meeting, both called for talks between Northern Ireland political parties to resume.

Behind closed doors, Mr Reynolds vented his frustrations with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jim Molyneaux.

He said: I have always had reservations about Jim Molyneaux. Looking at the situation from his perspective, what is in it for him?

However, he has some very good people behind him. How can we harness them to support resumption of talks?

In a later exchange, Tanaiste Dick Spring admits he is worried up the upcoming European elections, warning: [Ian] Paisley will start campaigning but there is no real benefit in this for the people in Northern Ireland.

Mr Reynolds picks up the conversation: The Unionists feel they are under siege. Also, there is fear of demographic changes. Genuine people want to talk but fears are there.

Jim Molyneaux MP, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (Martin McCullough/PA)

According to the memo, Mr Major tells the Irish delegation: A large part of the Catholic population would not vote for a united Ireland  that is what is said.

The question is how do we carry the Unionists? We can take them warmly by  or try to persuade them to talk. We could see say to them we will see you alright (from a Parliamentary perspective) but we have not. What can we do?

Mr Major suggests that the Taoiseach or the Tanaiste should make another speech to address the worries of unionists, referring positively to a recent speech given by Mr Spring.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Patrick Mayhew urges Mr Reynolds to do the same, pointing to unionist concerns regarding articles two and three of the Irish Constitution and the recent judgment of the Irish Supreme Court in the McGimpsey case, which saw a challenge to the legality of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

The two articles were seen as making a territorial claim to Northern Ireland.

Mr Reynolds responds: Until there is something on the table, the question of constitutional change will not arise.

He continues: Articles 2 and 3 have not been raised in this way before the McGimpsey case. Symbols are also important.

According to the note of the conversation, Mr Reynolds said that the Governments handling of the closure of the Adelaide Hospital in Dublin, which fuelled concerns over how the institutions Protestant ethos would be protected, should send a message to unionists.

We are not ruled by Rome, he said.

At the same meeting, Mr Spring vented irritation at the position of unionist leaders.

The Unionists would be far better to negotiate from a position of strength. We are ready to talk to them. It was irresponsible for politicians not to come to the table.

Mr Mayhew says that their leaders do not feel able to take an imaginative step and singles out Mr Molyneaux.

I want to mobilise public opinion. In Northern Ireland, politicians are considered to be a priestly class  guardians of the temple. I have been strongly criticised for saying that I would go over the heads of the politicians.

Towards the end of the meeting, Mr Major says: I spoke to a person on the occasion of my recent visit to Northern Ireland who said that if the talks dont make any progress, I should ask people to vote on a united Ireland.

They may say yes or no. But suppose there is no progress and the two Governments dont get closer, then give us a referendum to enable us to become more closely integrated into the UK. We will have to do what we can.

It will essentially be a mix of things. Courage will be required. From their own objective (Unionists) they are on a one-way street.

Soft words are required from us, soft action from you.

The material can be viewed in the National Archives in file 2021/95/21.
Oprah Winfrey is finally speaking out following the announcement that her friend Dr. Mehmet Oz will be running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in next years midterm elections.

In a statement to New York magazine, the media mogul declined to state her personal feelings on his campaign nor did she provide a ringing endorsement.

"One of the great things about our democracy is that every citizen can decide to run for public office," Winfrey said. "Mehmet Oz has made that decision. And now it's up to the residents of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them."

Oprah Winfrey is weighing in on her friend Dr. Oz's bid for Senate in the state of Pennsylvania. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)

Oz rose to prominence as a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran from 1986 to 2011. His popularity prompted Winfrey to produce his own show, The Dr. Oz Show, through her Harpo Productions.

The Dr. Oz show debuted in 2009, but will end in January so that he can focus on running his campaign. His old time slot will be replaced by The Good Dish.

Dr. Mehmet Oz rose to fame as a regular gest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah would later produce his hit show, The Dr. Oz Show, through her production company Harpo Studios. (Photo by BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Oz, who is running as a Republican, confirmed his bid for Senate in an op-ed for The Washington Examiner, days after a source told Yahoo News that the television personality was considering a run.

"We are angry at our government and at each other," Oz wrote. "We have not managed our crises as effectively as past generations. During the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That's why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal."

"The reality of our challenges has crystallized during the pandemic," he added. "COVID-19 became an excuse for the government and elite thinkers who controlled the means of communication to suspend debate. Dissenting opinions from leading scholars were ridiculed and canceled so their ideas could not be disseminated."

Oz also blamed the government for causing "unnecessary suffering" and that "the public was patronized and misled instead of empowered," writing, "We were told to lock down quietly and let those in charge take care of the rest. When we tested positive for the virus, we were also told to wait at home until our lips turned blue and we got sick enough to warrant hospitalization. To be clear, this is not a typical medical protocol. Elites with yards told those without yards to stay inside, where the virus was more likely to spread."

He continued, "I'm running for the Senate to empower you to control your destiny, to reinvigorate our great nation, and to reignite the divine spark that we should always be seeing in each other."

In recent days, Oz's medical opinions have come under intense scrutiny in The New York Times, which recounted how Oz has a long history of promoting questionable treatments and offering unscientific advice, including hyping the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 during several appearances on Fox News.
Russia's deputy defense minister warned foreign ambassadors of a "high risk" of conflict between the country and its neighbor Ukraine -- one day after President Vladimir Putin threatened "diverse" military and technical responses if the West doesn't address his stated concerns.

These latest messages from Moscow are the kind that have had U.S. and other western officials on edge that Putin will launch an assault on Ukraine, even after President Joe Biden warned him doing so would bring massive penalties.

PHOTO: This handout picture released by the Etat Major des Armees (The French Defense Staff) on Dec. 21, 2021, shows two Soukhoi SU-30 flying over the Black Sea. (Etat Major des Armees via AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has repeatedly called for diplomacy with Russia to de-escalate tensions and end the war in Ukraine's eastern provinces, nearly eight years after Russian troops armed separatist forces in a conflict that continues to simmer and claim lives.

But Russia's demands for security guarantees, including that Ukraine be barred from joining NATO, have been called "unacceptable" by U.S. officials -- possibly purposefully so, so that Russia can later claim to have given diplomacy a shot.

Russia has said it has no plans to invade but demanded the U.S., NATO, and Ukraine take seriously its concerns.

MORE: Biden confronts Putin over Ukraine in high-stakes meeting

"We didn't make the proposals just to see them blocked in terms of the diplomatic process, but for the purpose of reaching a negotiated diplomatic result that would be fixed in legally binding documents. We will aim at this," Putin said Sunday.

His Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin blamed NATO again Monday for provoking conflict by sending warships and reconnaissance planes to back Ukraine. That echoes a statement last week by his boss, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who claimed Ukraine, with U.S. mercenary help, is preparing a chemical weapons attack.

MORE: Russia planning 'significant aggressive moves against Ukraine,' Blinken warns

"The alliance has recently switched to the practice of direct provocations accompanied by the high risk of turning into armed confrontation," Fomin said during a meeting that included envoys from 14 NATO countries.

It's the kind of false pretext for an invasion that U.S. officials and analysts have warned Russia may create to justify an invasion.

PHOTO: Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (C), deputy Alexander Fomin (L), and Dmitry Shugayev (R), head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, meet with India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Dec. 6, 2021. (Vadim Savitsky/TASS via ZUMA Press)

"Russia is ostensibly outraged by a crisis of their own making," said Mick Mulroy, a senior Trump administration Pentagon official and ABC News national security analyst. "It was Russia that put around 175,000 troops on the border and threatened to invade again if its demands were not met -- 'Do what I ask, or I will attack and occupy a sovereign country against all international norms.'"

The estimated number of Russian troops near Ukraine have ranged from 60,000 to over 100,000, with one leaked U.S. intelligence document warning Russia could be prepared to swiftly deploy as many as 175,000. U.S. officials have cited those troop movements, along with Russian propaganda attacks on Ukraine, which they say have increased tenfold, and bellicose rhetoric as evidence of a possible invasion.

MORE: Russia may be 'looking to move further' into Ukraine, its foreign minister warns

But diplomacy could stave off war. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to hold talks in January to address each side's concerns, along with talks between NATO and Russia and meetings at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, according to U.S. officials. The OSCE, a key security forum, has deployed a war monitor in eastern Ukraine for years as the conflict has taken some 14,000 lives.

PHOTO: This photograph taken on Dec. 19, 2021, from the deck of the frigate Auvergne shows the Romanian frigate Regina Maria during an exercise with the Romanian and Italian army in the waters of the Black Sea off Constanta, Romania. (Didier Lauras/AFP via Getty Images)

After coordinating a meeting between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-controlled separatists last week, the OSCE declared Thursday that both sides showed a "strong determination to fully adhere" to a July 2020 ceasefire agreement. The statement was heralded by Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the State Department, whose spokesperson said, "We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion."

There has been no "resultant peace." Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling that last for hours on Sunday. There had been five times more ceasefire violations this month than last December, according to the OSCE.

MORE: Biden warns of 'severe consequences' if Putin moves on Ukraine

But there was some notable Russian troop movements, according to state-run Interfax news agency, which reported that more than 10,000 troops pulled back from near Ukraine's borders after military drills. The Kremlin also said Monday that it made sense to engage NATO directly about its security concerns, in addition to the U.S.

Whether that is yet a sign for hope that war can be avoided is unclear. U.S. officials have said it's still unknown whether Putin has decided to invade, with tens of thousands of troops still in the area, including in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia invaded and seized in 2014.

'High risk' of armed conflict over Ukraine, Russian defense ministry warns originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
(Reuters) -A senior U.N. official called on Myanmar authorities to investigate the reported killing of at least 35 civilians that opposition activists blamed on government soldiers, saying he was "horrified" at the violence.

The ruling military has not commented on the killings near Mo So village in Kayah State on Friday and junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun could not be reached by phone for comment.

State media reported on Sunday that soldiers had fired on and killed an unspecified number of "terrorists with weapons" from forces fighting the military government. State media did not say anything about civilians.

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said reports of the killing of civilians, including at least one child, were credible.

"I am horrified by reports of an attack against civilians... I condemn this grievous incident and all attacks against civilians throughout the country, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law," he said in a statement.

Griffiths called for "a thorough and transparent" investigation so the perpetrators could be brought to justice.

Residents and a human rights group working in the area said soldiers had killed the civilians. Photographs posted by the rights group showed charred bodies, some in the back of a burned-out truck.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military on Feb. 1 overthrew the elected government of Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some opponents of the military have taken up arms, some linking up with ethnic minority guerrillas who have for years been fighting the government for self-determination in various parts of the country, including Kayah State in the east.

On Monday, three sources in the western Thai city of Mae Sot, 330 km (205 miles) to the south, said there were further signs of fighting on the Myanmar side of the border, including gunshots, plumes of smoke and an air strike.

According to Thai authorities, 5,260 refugees have fled the area into Thailand since a flare-up in fighting between the Myanmar army and the Karen National Union (KNU) insurgent group on Dec. 16.

Thailand's foreign ministry spokesman said Thailand was working with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in case "Thai authorities are unable to manage the situation", following calls by aid organisations for Bangkok to do more to help.

Since Myanmar's military launched the coup, more than 1,300 people have been killed in crackdowns on protests and more than 11,000 have been jailed, according to a tally by the Association for Assistance of Political Prisoners rights group.

The military disputes the group's death toll.

(Reporting by Reuters StaffEditing by Robert Birsel, James Pearson and Nick Macfie)
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The Los Angeles Police Department was expected to release video footage on Monday from the accidental shooting of a teenage girl killed in a clothing store when a bullet pierced the wall of her dressing room as officers opened fire on an assault suspect.

Police say the stray round that struck the 14-year-old girl, identified in local media accounts as Valentina Orellana-Peralta, apparently was fired inadvertently into the changing room by an LAPD officer from the other side of the wall.

At the time of the Dec. 23 shooting, the girl was shopping with her mother for a dress for her upcoming quinceanera, a 15th birthday celebration in Hispanic traditions, Los Angeles news outlets reported.

LAPD officers dispatched to the store were responding to multiple radio calls of an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible shooting in progress, police said.

The suspect, who police said had just attacked a woman on the upper floor of the clothing store when officers arrived, was also killed in the shooting. The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries.

The girl was discovered shot to death moments later, after officers noticed a bullet hole in a wall directly behind where the suspect had been standing and searched the premises to find the 14-year-old in a dressing room on the other side of that wall in the line of fire, police said.

Assistant LAPD chief Dominic Choi told reporters in a briefing that day that investigators believe the girl had been struck by a round fired from a police officer's gun. That officer was placed on administrative while an investigation is under way, an LAPD spokesman said.

Choi said then that no firearm had been immediately recovered from the suspect, but police found a heavy cable lock they believe the man may have used to beat a woman in the store. The motive for the attack, and whether the suspect was related to his victim, was not immediately clear, Choi said, adding that the girl was believed to have been an innocent bystander.

The assistant chief said investigators would review footage of the incident captured by officers' body-worn video cameras and surveillance cameras in the store.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore issued a statement promising a "thorough, complete and transparent" investigation of the tragedy, and ordered "critical incident video," radio transmissions and other information from the shooting to be publicly released on Monday.

The California attorney general's office also was to open an independent investigation.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los AngelesEditing by Matthew Lewis and Richard Pullin)
A picture of Valentina Orellana-Peralta outside LAPD headquarters memorializes the 14-year-old killed by a stray bullet fired by an LAPD officer at a North Hollywood clothing store last week. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Soledad Peralta closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around her teenage daughter and prayed for their safety inside the Burlington store dressing room.

They could hear screams and commotion around them as police searched for a man assaulting customers inside the North Hollywood store where Peralta and her daughter had gone to try on dresses two days before Christmas.

As they held one another, Peralta felt an explosion that threw them both to the ground. Her daughter's body convulsed then went limp.

A Los Angeles police officer had shot a round through the dressing room wall, killing 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta.

"She died in my arms. I couldnt do anything," Peralta said in Spanish. "Our sweet angel is gone forever."

Peralta fought back tears while describing the harrowing scene as she and the girl's father, Juan Pablo Orellana, stood outside LAPD headquarters in downtown L.A. on Tuesday to demand justice for their daughter.

Handmade paper signs reading "Justice for our daughter, Valentina" in English and Spanish hung over their chests as they tearfully spoke about their daughter, a girl who they described as being full of joy and someone who had big dreams for her future.

Valentina arrived in the U.S. from Chile about 6 months ago and was an exceptional student. On their way to the Burlington store on the day she died, Valentina told her mother about her desire to continue to make good grades and eventually become an engineer and a U.S. citizen. Those dreams will now never be a reality, her parents said.

Orellana, a bank clerk who had traveled from the family's native Chile to Los Angeles on Sunday, held back tears as he spoke about the devastation his daughter's killing had brought.

"When I got a phone call and heard that my daughter had been killed by the Los Angeles Police Department, my world came tumbling down on me," he said in Spanish. "I dont have words to describe what Im going through."

Orellana held up a skateboard wrapped in clear plastic the Christmas present Valentina had asked for and now will never receive. Instead of opening gifts with her, he said, he will place them in her grave.

"Look, it's brand new, it hasn't been opened," he said, emotion etched on his face. "I won't rest until my daughter gets justice."

The parents spoke alongside several attorneys  including Ben Crump, a high-profile figure in excessive police force cases nationally, whom the father has retained to represent them.

Crump has represented other families caught in the spotlight after police killed their loved ones, including the family of George Floyd, whose killing by Minneapolis police in 2020 sparked global protests over police brutality.

Crump said Tuesday that Valentina's family wanted the world to know that their daughter "was beautiful, intelligent and had the whole world ahead of her," and that she "made exceptional grades at an English-speaking school even though English was not her native tongue."

Crump also said the family wants justice  and will pursue it.

"We should not have to sacrifice innocent life in the name of safety when it was foreseeable that two days before Christmas, that there were going to be people in a shopping plaza shopping," Crump said. "The family thinks things could have been done differently, to where Valentina wouldn't have been collateral damage [and] would still be here getting ready to celebrate Christmas."

Police officials have said that the shooting is under investigation and that the actions of all of the officers involved will be reviewed. They promised the investigation would be thorough, calling the girl's death tragic. The California Department of Justice is also investigating the shooting.

The tragedy has sparked outrage and debate over how police should respond to scenarios like the one inside Burlington  especially when it's unclear whether a suspect is armed and firing.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin said on Twitter that the use of force was unjustifiable. Police didn't give verbal commands and the suspect was not armed with a gun nor was he advancing at officers or potential victims, he said.

"Im hopeful an investigation will come to the same conclusion. If this is somehow found to be within LAPD policy and protocol, those policies and protocols must be changed," he said.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian said in a statement that the "people of Los Angeles need to know exactly what happened and how it happened, and how Valentinas tragic death could have been prevented."

The shooting also killed the suspect, 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez, who can be seen in video from the Burlington store attacking multiple people with a bike lock on a chain, seriously injuring one woman.

Elena-Lopez had just beaten that woman with the lock moments before police rushed in and an officer opened fire as Elena-Lopez moved away from them.

Christian Contreras, an attorney with League of United Latin American Citizens, said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon that his team has requested a meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti and police Chief Michel Moore to discuss the LAPD's tactics. So far, the organization has not received a response, he said.

There is nothing that affects these officers when they shoot and kill," Contreras said. "Were here calling for meaningful reform and to tell LAPD and the city of Los Angeles to show some dignity.

Valentina's aunt, Carolina Peralta, in Chile, said Valentina was born and raised in the working-class neighborhood of Macul in Santiago, Chiles capital. She was a shy girl but was happy reuniting with family and her older sister in the U.S., Peralta said.

"My sister does not understand how this tragedy could have happened just when they had managed to reunite the family," her aunt said.

As the morning press conference came to an end, Valentina's parents stood side by side near a large picture of their daughter framed by a circle of white roses. More than a dozen activists and supporters also gathered around, some holding "Wanted" signs for the officer who shot Valentina. Others held pictures of the young girl as they led a chant in her memory.

"Valentina's life matters."

Special correspondent Jorge Poblete in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In what has been described as a watershed moment for President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent, Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Memorial International, the country's oldest human rights organization and the main chronicler of mass crimes committed under the Soviet Union.

Memorial was founded in 1987 by leading Soviet dissidents, including the Nobel prize-winning scientist Andrey Sakharov. As one of Russia's first human rights organizations, it established an archive of records on the mass executions and imprisonments in Soviet gulag camps under Joseph Stalin.

The organization's efforts to record Soviet oppression and commemorate its victims were seen as a key symbol of Russia's move toward democracy, and the country's first democratically elected president, Boris Yeltsin, was a member. In present-day Russia, the group had also become a key defender of those facing political persecution.

At a hearing in Moscow on Tuesday, Supreme Court Judge Alla Nazarova upheld a request from prosecutors to close down Memorial for allegedly violating Russia's so-called "foreign agents" law, which has been used to target media and human rights organizations critical of authorities.

Tuesday's ruling was condemned in Russia and internationally as politically motivated and part of a broader campaign targeting human rights groups under Putin. But the move against Memorial is seen as having unique significance, representing a turning point in the Putin government's efforts to rehabilitate the USSR and to silence discussion of the darkest chapters of its history.

The U.S. embassy in Moscow condemned the ruling, with Ambassador John Sullivan calling it "a blatant and tragic attempt to suppress freedom of expression and erase history."

PHOTO: Police officers detain a demonstrator as people gather in front of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 28, 2021. (AP)

The decision to close Memorial comes amid an unprecedented crackdown dissent under Putin over the past two years that has seen many prominent opposition activists jailed or forced abroad. Independent media has also been squeezed.

Russia jails historian who uncovered Stalin mass graves for 13 years

"It's an outrageous assault on the jugular of Russia's civil society," wrote Rachel Denber, Human Rights Watch's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, of Memorial's closure. "Even when authorities have banned key opposition movement, jailed opposition figures, pushed independent media to the margins today's ruling is heralding a new era of repression."

Russian prosecutors accused Memorial officials of violating the law by failing to mark some publications with text identifying themselves as "foreign agents."

In his closing arguments Tuesday, prosecutor Aleksey Zhafyarov told the court Memorial was creating "a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state" and was seeking to rehabilitate "Nazi criminals."

Memorial said in a statement that the alleged violations of the foreign agent law were only a "formal" pretext for closing the organization.

"But today in court was at last named not the formal grounds, but the true reason for the liquidation of Memorial International: the General Prosecutor claims that we are incorrectly interpreting Soviet history," it said.

"The Supreme Court's decision confirmed once again that the history of political terror, organised and directed by state power, remains for Russia not an academic question of interest only for specialists, but an urgent problem of the present," Memorial wrote.

A lawyer for Memorial, Maria Eismont, said it would appeal the ruling, even taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. The group pledged to find legal ways to continue its work.

"Memorial is not just an organisation. Memorial is the need of Russia's citizens for the truth about its tragic past, about millions of people's fates. And no one can 'liquidate' that need," it said.

PHOTO: Russia's Supreme Court judge Alla Nazarova orders the closure of Memorial International, the organization's central structure, over breaches of its designation as a 'foreign agent' during a court hearing in Moscow, Dec. 28, 2021. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin does not deny that crimes were committed by the Soviet Union, but authorities recently have tried to downplay them and instead embraced a positive view of the USSR as a source of national pride. Over the past five years, authorities have imposed greater control over Russia's Soviet history, seeking to glorify it and, in particular, its victory in World War II.

During court hearings against Memorial, a prosecutor told the court, "Why should we, descendants of the victors, be ashamed and repentant instead of taking pride in our glorious past? Probably, someone is paying Memorial for this."

In court Tuesday, Memorial's acting director Elena Zhemkova noted that until recently Russia's government had valued the group's work, including it in expert commissions.

"Memorial had been doing the same work for 32 years," Denber from Human Rights Watch wrote. "They haven't changed. What's changed, obviously, is the Russian gov[ernment]."

PHOTO: Police officers stand outside Russia's Supreme Court in Moscow, Dec. 28, 2021, after Russia's Supreme Court ordered the closure of Memorial International. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

The outcry was joined by rights groups around the world. The Auschwitz Museum that commemorates Nazi atrocities at the concentration camp tweeted a quote in Russian from its Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywinski: "A power that is afraid of memory, will never be able to achieve democratic maturity."

Russia's mysterious campaign against Jehovah's Witnesses

Memorial has faced growing pressure in recent years, with its offices sometimes attacked and some of its volunteers targeted in criminal cases. In 2020, Yury Dmitriyev, a member of Memorial and historian who helped uncover Stalin-era mass graves, was jailed for 13 years on charges of sexual abuse that were widely criticized as politically motivated. On Monday, just a day before the Memorial ruling, a court in Dmitriev's home region of Karelia added two more years to his sentence.

Vasily Starostin, a volunteer researcher with Memorial, told ABC on Tuesday that the order to close Memorial was "a huge blow".

"Because Memorial represented from the start a move to a more democratic and liberal society," he said. "I think symbolically speaking this whole story, it's a huge set back for our society and the way it works."

Russia shuts down human rights group that recorded Stalin-era crimes originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. On December 28 President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan received a group of members of the "Artsakh Reserve Officers' Union" NGO, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office.

The social problems of demobilized and reserve officers and their families as well as a number of issues related to the security of the Republic, domestic and foreign policy were touched upon during the meeting.

In his speech, the Head of the State emphasized that official Stepanakert's position on the status of Artsakh is clear and there will be no step back from the path of independence. "We have suffered a lot in the aftermath of the cruel war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, but we still continue and, I assure you, we will continue our state-building activity further on. I am convinced that one day the world will take us into account, and our decades-long struggle will give its desired result," the President said.

During the meeting the President noted that by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Artsakh, from January 1, 2022, the pensions of all military pensioners will be increased by 25 thousand AMD. The issue of providing apartments to the acting and retired officers is in the spotlight, which is planned to be fully resolved by 2023.
It is learnt that there is a strong possibility of the Assembly polls taking place as scheduled and not being postponed

New Delhi: Four days after the Allahabad high court urged the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider deferment of the Assembly elections in the wake of the rising cases of Omicron and the Covid-19 third wave across India, the Election Commission on Monday held a meeting with the Union health secretary for an assessment of the situation. Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan briefed the EC about the prevailing Covid-19 and Omicron threat in the country, specially in the five poll-bound states. The discussions also focused on the steps needed to conduct the polls in a safe manner despite the pandemic and the vaccine coverage.

While there is no official word on the meeting, it is learnt that there is a strong possibility of the Assembly polls taking place as scheduled and not being postponed. The CEC and the other election commissioners are expected to visit Uttar Pradesh this week where Assembly elections are due. Another meeting between the EC and health ministry officials is expected to take place in early January 2022.

Last week the Allahabad high court had urged the EC to consider the postponement of the elections in view of the third wave. Jaan hai toh jahan hai, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said while hearing a petition. His comments on Covid-19 and the elections came after he observed that the court was very crowded. If possible, consider postponing the election, because rallies and meetings can be held later when we all survive, he said.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry also reviewed public health response measures and vaccination status of the five poll bound states -- Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab -- and advised them to ramp up vaccination of all eligible population through district-wise weekly plan with daily review. These states have been asked to exponentially accelerate testing to curb sudden surge of COVID cases and ensure strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour.

While Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second doses higher than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have COVID19 vaccination coverage numbers below the national average.
Perhaps we should begin from the place that has become frozen in time: Kashmir

The pandemic will itself continue, but we can hope that it does not do the damage that it did either in 2020 or in 2021. (Representational Image/ PTI)

Someone observed that the last two years seem as one. We began 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic and are ending 2021 with it but thats not the only similarity. Internal turmoil, tension at the border and an economy that was limping since 2017 seem to all be with us more or less permanently. What can we expect from 2022? Let us consider this.

Perhaps we should begin from the place that has become frozen in time: Kashmir. We undid the constitutional guarantees that the Kashmiris had but were unable to deliver to them anything that was better. They are not democratically governed today (the only such part of the country), nobody has invested there, the Kashmiri Pandits have not returned and the violence remains. This year saw more killings than each year from 2011 to 2015, and there is no sign that this will abate. We have lost interest from there and moved on as a nation. Few know that the main mosque of Srinagar is closed for Friday prayers. The government worries that if it is allowed, what the people feel will be expressed. In 2022, we should expect this to continue because so far as is visible, India has no real plan for Kashmir.

Ladakh might see a thaw on the border if recent news is to be believed. This disengagement will be on Chinas terms, purely because we have not accepted that there is intrusion so from our side there is no pressure for a return to the status quo ante of February 2020. That is very difficult terrain and it is quite certain that both sides, which are there in the tens of thousands, are suffering.

Given this, and the fact that China apparently has got what it wanted -- which is access up to the 1959 claim line -- we should see some lessening of tension on their terms. The small group of people who write on national security will say that this is a setback, but since the government controls the narrative almost entirely, this will not matter. Meanwhile, our alliance with the United States, Australia and Japan against China has more or less ended and America has aligned on security against China with Australia and Britain.

On the economy, there is no pressure on the government to perform. We can say this because a decline in GDP growth had been noticed since January 2018 and continued for two years and three months before the Covid-19 pandemic and the first lockdown. So, the trouble we are in is unrelated to the pandemic. Next year our GDP output will be the same size as it was before the pandemic, but before the pandemic we were already struggling for a long time. That will continue. Two of the main causes of this will continue to puzzle economists. First, the fact that Indias rate of labour participation (those working or looking for work) is among the lowest in the world. Second, that private consumption, the largest component of GDP by far, remains at pre-pandemic levels and shows no signs of revival.

Politically, we have plenty of action. States that will have new Assemblies include Gujarat, Punjab, Goa and Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has been in a permanent majority in Gujarat for a quarter century and has had over a 40 per cent vote share in UP, meaning that the odds are that it will retain the state. The presidential election also lies ahead in 2022, just after UP.

What else? The Central Vista will be inaugurated, or at least some part of it, and substantial work will have been done on the Ram temple in Ayodhya. There will be more pageantry of the sort that we saw in Kashi earlier this year, for those who like that sort of thing.

There are currently few or no protesters on long-term agitations in India, which is the first time that this has happened since the beginning of 2020. But the entire Northeast is rebelling against the AFSPA and the Central government will have to ensure that this doesnt turn into a problem in a part of the country that is always restive. Nagalands Assembly (including all the BJP members) recently passed a unanimous resolution against the laws continuance in their state. It will be a stark comment on democracy in the Northeast if New Delhi chooses to impose itself despite this vote. We shall see.

The pandemic will itself continue, but we can hope that it does not do the damage that it did either in 2020 or in 2021. It may have escaped the attention of many people but there will be substantial long-term damage to India because of the lack of access to education for a whole generation of children. How many have the ability to learn from home and have the equipment to allow them to do so? The majority do not and their learning will suffer, so this is one part of the pandemic that we will carry with us into the future.

It has been a very hard last four years for India on most fronts. The wish is that 2022, if not bring us into happier times, at least sees some easing of the pain.
by Shafique Khokhar

Speaking at a charity event for orphans at the Don Bosco Hostel in Karachi, the cardinal warned against creating walls among us. A group of Christians marched through the city singing Christmas carols, but also highlighting the need for minority protection in the country.

Karachi (AsiaNews)  A Bonfire Dinner was held of St. Patrick Catholic Cathedral in Karachi for the orphaned children of the Don Bosco Hostel.

Speaking at the event, Card Joseph Coutts, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, said that, The unity of all, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims with Christians at Christmas is a sign of brotherhood in Pakistan.

Warning against creating walls among us, he urged people to pray that God may bless our country, Pakistan, and all those living here.

Organised by Pakistan Young Chef, the event brought 150 orphans and their talents to the stage where they sang, danced and performed a play about the birth of Jesus.

Bryan Everest Benedict, a Christian philanthropist from Karachi, has worked tirelessly in support of the poor during the pandemic. He got non-Christian business people involved in organising the event as well.

The happiness seen on the faces of these kids revealed Christs love for the poor which has no cost, he told AsiaNews.

Rev Solomon Manzoor, president of Rapha Mission International, organised a Pakistan Peace Christmas rally in Karachi.

A group of Christians dressed as Santa Claus marched through the city singing Christmas carols and praying for peace in Pakistan.

Rev Manzoor thanked the authorities for the collaboration offered in the initiative, but he also asked them to reconsider their refusal to approve the law against forced conversions, which is seen as an important protection for the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
In Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai faces additional charges of "seditious publications"; India seeks secessionist Sikh leader arrest in Germany; Seoul opposes nomination of Japan's Sado mines to World Heritage list, over use of Korean forced labour; Moscow fines Google 7.2 billion roubles for failing to block "forbidden information".

SYRIA-ISRAEL

An overnight Israeli air raid has reportedly destroyed the port of Latakia in Syria. The target of the military action was the container area where, according to Israeli intelligence, Iranian munitions are stored. This is the second attack of its kind in the last month. According to the Syrian State Agency Sana, there was considerable damage but no casualties.

HONG KONG

Jimmy Lai and six other staff members of the Apple Daily, the independent Hong Kong newspaper stifled by the Beijing security law and arrests, have received additional charges of issuing "seditious publications" during another trial hearing today.

INDIA

German police has arrested Jaswinder Singh Multani, a prominent member of the independence movement Sikhs for Justice. The movement wants the secession of Punjab from India and the creation of an autonomous state called Khalistan. Muktani was arrested in Erfurt on a warrant from the Indian judicial authorities. According to the indictment, he took part in a bomb attack on a court in Ludhiana last week and was involved in the preparation of new attacks in Delhi and Mumbai.

SOUTH KOREA-JAPAN

Seoul asked Tokyo to withdraw the candidacy of the former Sado goldmine, opened in 1600 and closed in 1946 after also being used for the production of war material, as a UNESCO heritage site. The Korean authorities consider the initiative "deplorable" because at least 1,200 Korean forced labourers were used in Sado between 1910 and 1945.

RUSSIA

The Moscow branch of the international court fined Google 7.2 billion roubles, more than one hundred million euro, for not having systematically blocked information prohibited in Russia. This is the first punitive action against the IT giant in the country, which applies a penalty of between 5 and 10% of its budget; Google declared revenues of 85 billion roubles in Russia in 2020.

BELARUS

Despite the continued worldwide growth in Covid-19 infections, also evident in Belarus, the government in Minsk has lifted all forms of health restrictions and precautions to "support the economy", inviting Russian tourists in particular to visit the country freely. There are consistently between 1,000 and 1,200 new cases per day, but increases and a spike in new infections is feared.
by Fady Noun

Ten months from the end of his mandate, the president calls for a conference of national dialogue. The two central points are Hezbollah's arsenal and administrative and fiscal federalism. For the president, the countrys unity is at stake. The next parliamentary elections should be a kind of referendum on change.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  In order to overcome the serious deadlock that has paralysed the government and many of its institutions since October, Lebanese President General Michel Aoun issued a call yesterday for a conference of national dialogue centred on reforming the countrys political and constitutional life, which would include expanded administrative and financial decentralisation, and special focus on Hezbollah's arsenal.

President Aouns term of office is set to end 10 months from now. For him, the countrys unity is at stake at present, and there is a need to talk about it.

I am responsible for the constitution and laws, he said; it is therefore my duty to be frank with the Lebanese people and tell them that we must remain one country and one state. However, we must learn from our experience and change our mode of governance so that the state becomes viable.

"Having the responsibility of upholding the Constitution, I call for urgent national dialogue in order to reach an agreement on three issues, and then work towards their implementation within the institutions.

They include: expanded administrative and financial decentralisation; a defence strategy to protect Lebanon; and a financial and economic recovery plan, including the necessary reforms and a fair distribution of losses.

For the president, the solution lies first of all in the National Pact, which has been the basis of living together for Christian and Muslim communities since the dawn of Independence. There is no question of renouncing it; however, the National Pact must be revised.

The solution, he explained, involves a transition to a civil state and a new system whose main pillar will be an expanded administrative and financial decentralisation (a form of federalism according to some). The next general elections (on 15 May 2022) should be a kind of referendum on these changes.

The president also made a passing reference to Hezbollah, his political ally since the 2006 Mar Mikhael agreement, as a factor in the deadlock. Uniting and putting to work the Council of Ministers and all state institutions are a necessary and mandatory first step, he said.

Implicitly invoking the principle of the separation of powers as the basis of any democracy, the president asked: "In the name of which Sharia [. . .] is this Council of Ministers suspended? Why is it being asked to make decisions outside its remit? Why is its work put on hold for a situation that does not constitute an issue stemming from the National Pact (the basis of the constitution)?

Formed in September, the cabinet has not met since mid-October due to tensions over the investigation into the devastating 4 August 2020 explosion in the Port of Beirut that killed at least 215 people, injured 6,500 and destroyed areas of the capital.

Ministers from Shia parties, Hezbollah and the Amal movement, said they would boycott its meetings unless Judge Tareq Bitar, in charge of the investigation, was removed. The latter has issued an arrest warrant for former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, number two in the Amal movement, which the internal security forces refuse to carry out.

The president also mentioned Lebanon's defence strategy against Israel, and questioned the existence of a parallel force whose command is independent of that of the national army.

It is true that the countrys defence requires cooperation between the army, the people and the resistance (i.e., Hezbollah's Islamic resistance), but the primary responsibility lies with the state. Only the state sets the defence strategy and ensures its implementation," said President Aoun.

In addition, the head of state expressed support for good relations with Arab Gulf States, while relations between Beirut and Riyadh have become strained over the years due to Hezbollahs growing place in Lebanon.

Lebanon must remain a crossroads of intercultural dialogue, not a land of conflict, he said.

Lastly, the president addressed the central problem of auditing the Banque du Liban, a necessary condition according to him, to close the accounts of the past and be able to restore to the Lebanese their rights and their money.

For Aoun, the political deadlock was aggravating the economic crisis in which the country has been mired since 2019. Unchanged for decades, political leaders are accused by a large part of the population of corruption, incompetence and inertia.

Despite the urgency of reform, they persist in their political feuds, crippling the countrys institutions and delaying crucial negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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ADAS

The latest package for the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser comes from TJM, an Australian company. The kit will be available in 2022, and the pre-order books are already open. Those who were fortunate enough to receive their 300-series Land Cruiser do not want to keep their units stock, it seems.Let us start with the obvious, which is the metal front bumper with an integrated bull bar. Unlike something made in an anonymous workshop, this one is designed to be compatible with thesensors of the Land Cruiser 300 , and it still maintains airbag functionality.Customers who ordered the "Outback Bar," which is one of the versions of this front bumper with an integrated bull bar, also get a steer winch frame, additional LED driving lights, integrated turn signals, and fog lights. The built-in recovery points are rated at 8,000 kg (ca. 17.636 lbs), which means they can be used without fear.The Australian company also offers skid plates and underbody guards made from metal to keep the Land Cruiser 300 protected from rocks and other debris. The bull bar can be bolted to the lower underbody guards, as well as to a fender extension that links the bull bar with the side steps.Customers are also offered elements like an AirTec snorkel, and a roof rack. The latter is compatible with various accessories used for overlanding and off-roading in general and includes an integrated LED bar.Mind you, just fitting a snorkel will not make this model capable of extreme things underwater, as the exhaust would have to receive the same treatment, and the electrical system would need waterproofing as well.From a drivetrain perspective, the Land Cruiser 300 is proposed with a set of black bead lock wheels that come with off-road-oriented tires. These will make more noise on-road but will make the difference in the mud, sand, or snow. TJM promises to launch a host of additional accessories at a later date.TJM also offers a suspension lift kit, which comes with XGS twin-tube shock absorbers that feature the company's multi-stage-velocity-controlled valving. Longer upper control arms are fitted to ensure functionality after raising the ride height. According to the Australian company, the Gross Vehicle Mass rating has been increased due to the bigger wheels and upgraded suspension, but they have not specified the new value.
Not that many people remember that the apparently ordinary GPS we all use today started out as a groundbreaking military technology . The same type of revolution could soon take place, thanks to a complex project developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), together with Northrup Grumman.Back in 2019, AFRL awarded the tech company a $100 million contract, for developing the key components of a space solar power system. The Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research (SSPIDR) Project will use a spacecraft called Arachne, to deliver a game-changing experiment into space. Called Space Solar Power RF Integrated Tile Experiment (SSPRITE), this structure will feature a multitude of sandwich tiles that collect solar power and convert it to radio frequency (RF).The RF is then beamed to a ground-based receiving station. Next, a rectifying antenna collects the RF and converts it into usable power, ready to be sent to U.S. troops. This has a huge strategic importance, since power delivered to troops via convoys or supply lines is often targeted by the enemy.This innovative sandwich tile collects, converts and beams the power to the ground by using just one compact component. Its comprised of two layers, one of which acts as a solar panel, and the other one as RF converter.These key components were recently demonstrated by Northrup Grumman and AFRL. A solar simulator was used to mimic the sun, and it was so intense, that all of those who attended had to view the process on monitors, behind an industrial-grade plastic barrier. The successful conversion of the solar power into RF made everyone cheer.This successful demonstration is another major step in AFRLs space solar power project. Arachne is expected to launch this precious payload for the first time in 2025.
The winter and the missing Cybertruck prove to be a crazy combination that sets people into creative mode. Ryan Butler from the Spyker Workshop startup took the Cybertruck inspiration (and its name) and developed a tracked vehicle that does almost nothing except resemble the Teslas Cybertruck. Its a remote-controlled electric snowcat you can play with in the snow and it sure looks like it will handle a few inches of the white blanket, unlike some other drones that got stuck in the snow in Estonia The CyberKAT is not quite small, being 29 inches (73.7 cm) long and 19 inches (48.3 cm) wide. It also has a ground clearance of 4.25 inches (10,8 cm), but what helps it the most in the snow are the wide tracks. As you can see in the video below, it has no problem whatsoever in gliding and maneuvering in the snow, especially as it carries the heft of the four 12-volt lead-acid batteries. Of course, Spyker Workshop could offer Li-Ion batteries too, but they will not help with the weight and also perform poorly in the cold.While not very useful at the moment, the CyberKAT features a trailer hitch designed to attach different accessories. Among them, theres the CyBlower, a future snow blower that is under development by the company. This is interesting, but weve already seen a snowblower that does that out of the box automatically . Kind of like a Roomba, except for the snow.In its simpler RC-toy form, the CyberKAT will ship to its first owners in a month or two. Dont expect it to be cheap though, with the prices being as high as $1,499 depending on the configuration. After all, a Tesla Cybertruck is not cheap either.
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3 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne Was Left to Rot in the Woods, Gets Second Chance After 20 Years

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5 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS Parked for Over 30 Years Hides Curious Muscle Under the Hood
Several large semiconductor companies operating production facilities in Malaysia are now forced to suspend production at several key plants due to the damages caused by the recent floods.BE Semiconductor, one of the biggest names in the chip industry and the company now eyeing a massive expansion in the U.S., has already halted the production at its plant in Shah Alam. Panasonic will reportedly suspend all operations at the factory near Kuala Lumpur for at least a week.Daihatsu Motor, currently running production operations as part of the Perodua joint venture, has also been forced to shut down two facilities following the floods that hit Malaysia this week.Unfortunately for the automotive industry, all the optimistic forecasts originally suggesting a strong recovery in 2022 are slowly but surely proving inaccurate. Many carmakers are still struggling with very limited chip inventories, and more turn to painful approaches to deal with the whole thing.Earlier this week, Cadillac started selling select 2022 vehicles without parking assist systems , all because the company doesnt have enough chips to install on new models.BMW has also given up on touch-capable display for several new models, while General Motors removed heated seats from some vehicles, all in an attempt to reduce the number of chips they use on these cars.Unfortunately, all forecasts trying to anticipate the end of the chip crisis appear to be nothing other than an optimistic guess, and right now, the struggle just seems to continue for carmakers out there.It remains to be seen how big the impact of the Malaysian floods proves to be for the automotive industry, but all semiconductor companies are said to be working around the clock on resuming their operations.
Getting heat out of and away from the engine is a key function for any internal combustion engine. In fact, even electric motors need to remove heat effectively to work better. When heat builds up, it can cause a host of issues and malfunctions.On the low-priority side is something called heat soak, which often increases intake air temperatures and lowers horsepower. On the other end of the spectrum is what Hyundai and Kia have been dealing with since at least 2011.That's how far back a new NHTSA engineering analysis investigation will go to cover at least 3 million vehicles made by Hyundai or Kia. They're trying to determine if the brands covered enough vehicles during previous recall campaigns. They're also going to figure out if current safety policies at each company are stringent enough to be viable in the future.Hyundai played up their role in mitigating these fires in a statement. "Hyundai has taken numerous proactive actions to address engine issues, including conducting several recalls, launching a new engine monitoring technology, providing extended warranties and enhancing our customer service response. Hyundai fosters a culture of transparency and accountability, as the safety of our customers is the top priority in everything we do.It's clear that Hyundai and Kia are both on a roll right now. They're winning major awards all over the place, they're building cars that are seriously punching above their weight , and they're flexing into the luxury market too. They also offer a 10-year powertrain warranty that seems to indicate real confidence in their engines. We'll report more on this story as it develops.
EV

ICE

Its all about therace that is on and will wipe away the carmakers that dont pay attention. Even Toyota, long time reluctant to compete in the EV market, stunned everyone with its bold EV plans and lineups. Hyundai, in the meantime, takes an even drastic approach, ending the development of the combustion engines altogether.The company earlier started a groundbreaking shake-up at its headquarters that had Peter Schreyer and Albert Biermann removed from their key executive positions and turned into technical advisors. Now we learn the transformation of the company goes way beyond changing the management. Hyundais R&D headquarters in Namyang, which employs 12,000 people, will be reorganized, with all-related centers being converted to electrification-related units, according to Business Korea.The Korean carmakers goal is to significantly cut the development time for new electric vehicles. Several departments are merged to form single units, supervising a new project from the initial design phase through to the production phase. Also, new departments have been created, like the battery development group.Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past, reads an email message from the new R&D chief Chung-Kook Park to employees, cited by The Kores Economic Daily.The engine development team was established in 1983 under the advice of Chung Ju-Yung, Hyundai Group founder, who wanted the company to make its own engines. But now, the Hyundai Motor Group signals they will not release new models powered by internal combustion engines and will accelerate its transformation into an electric vehicle manufacturer.
In the world of aerial tankers, the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is the youngest there is. Having had its first flight back in 2014, the plane is derived from the civilian 767 jet airliner and it's already hard at work conducting business in the skies over the world.When it commissioned the Pegasus, the U.S. Air Force said it would buy 179 of these flying gas stations by 2027 (the first one was delivered in 2019), and even if were not told how many of them are already in operation, they are getting increasingly more visible up there.The photo we have here, recently released by the Air Force, shows one of the KC-49s on its first mission over the North Atlantic Ocean, a flight that took place at the beginning of December. Its an underbelly shot of the airplane, one that allows us to see not quite in its full glory the extended refueling boom of the plane, probably just before the airplane below connected to it for refueling.Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney engines with an output of 62,000 lbs of thrust, the plane can carry 212,299 pounds (96,297 kg) of fuel, which it can feed to airplanes in need by means of both the refueling boom and a drogue system.This configuration allows the Pegasus to conduct simultaneous air refueling of multiple aircraft with wing pods. Because the storage of the precious fuel allows it, the Pegasus can also perform extended roles, like passenger and cargo transport, including for medical and humanitarian relief.
In that case , you get them a Moke.Kim Kardashian, the reality star turned billionaire businesswoman, and trendsetter, and known car hoarder , has just added another vehicle to her fleet. This time, its not an upcoming luxury ride, like any one of the five 2021 Mercedes Benz Maybach GLSs estranged husband Kanye West crammed under her Christmas tree last year, but its still pretty special.Kim and her five siblings (Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, Kendal, and Kylie, for those not keeping up with the Kardashians) all got matching electric Mokes from their mother and manager (momager) Kris Jenner. Its safe to assume that this electric beach cruiser is just one of the many, many presents they all found under the tree come Christmas morning, but the fact that Kim chose to do an Instastory about it must mean it was a standout.Kim thanked her mom as she showed off the entire fleet of Mokes, parked in a driveway  presumably Kris. Kim and Khloe got theirs in different shades of pink, while Kourtney got an all-white one with a skull on the hood  a nod to her current punk-rock phase that comes from dating and getting engaged to rocker Travis Barker.She did not offer more specs about the vehicles, but the Daily Mail says that they all came from Berts Mega Mall in Covina, California. Kris has a long-standing relationship with Moke America CEO Todd Rome, who personally delivered an electric Moke to her for Christmas in 2017. She had been won over by the fact that you could charge it at any household outlet, the generous trunk space, the kickin sound system, and the fact that it was sexy, a blog post on Moke America still reads.Clearly, the love of Moke is one that is best shared with members of the family, so Kris is getting her kids into it.The Moke is an iconic beach cruiser that started out in the UK as a wannabe military field vehicle and was released commercially when it became clear it wasnt cut for this. The original UK version made a limited-edition comeback in 2020, with the electric version introduced this year. Kris, Kim, and the entire Kardashian family are now rolling like James Bond, Brigitte Bardot, and Kate Moss.
SUV

BEV

Although that seems quite early for a company that was just announced, thats not really the case. Li started NIUTRON a while after leaving NIU in 2018. Along these three years of work, the company grew to a team of 1,000 people only in its R&D (research and development) department. These guys and girls have developed the companys own platform, called Gemini.The first product from NIUTRON will be a mid-largecalled NV. It will come in two flavors:(battery electric vehicle) and EREV (extended-range electric vehicle), which some would prefer to call PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) . However, calling it EREV means that the vehicle will only be propelled by electric motors, not by the combustion engine that will take it further than if it had only a battery pack. Deliveries should start in September 2022.Li has not disclosed range or any hints about NIUTRONs new cars. He only said that the company would be based in the same city where NIU produces its scooters: Changzhou. The factory is already under construction in a 770,000-square-meter (190.3-acre) terrain, and it should be ready by March 2022. Production capacity will be 180,000 cars per year, probably with some room for expansion.That should be the case if the companys ambitions are fulfilled. NIUTRON stated it will be one of the most valuable electric automotive startups after NIO , Xpeng, and Li Auto. Such a bold statement will require bold proof that it has what it takes to be among these other companies. The NIUTRON NV is now in charge of answering that.
The Pagani Huayra Pearl is Paganis first-ever custom car, created for luxury dealership Refined Marques and delivered in the spring of 2016. It soon found an owner in the UAE, based on the license plates it wore when it crashed in Paris, just two months later, in July. The Pearl, built to set new standards in terms of personalized vehicles, did not get to enjoy the open road that much: the Paris crash caused severe damage to the chassis and the body, and it was sent back for (extensive) repairs with Pagani.If the same owner picked it up after repairs, hes in serious need of more driving lessons . The Pearl was recently involved in another crash, this time in Saudi Arabia, when it rear-ended a yellow Porsche in heavy traffic.Video of the aftermath was posted on social media by Eng. Abdalla Alhammadi (hat tip to The Supercar Blog ), but it only offers a glimpse at the damage. Still, from what we can make, the accident was less serious than the one in 2016, when the driver lost control and smashed into a parked Peugeot 308 , losing one of the rear wheels in the process.Details on the most recent crash are not available right now, and its probably safe to assume they will remain under wraps. The Pearl is a multi-million, one-off collectible that features more than a series of cosmetic upgrades to the body: it also has an improved chassis for a better driving experience and an interior thats been rightfully described as a work of art. It took Pagani more than a year to complete the project once the Huayra rolled off the production line.In other words, the Pearl will go back for repairs, no doubt about it. Whether this second incident will determine the owner to hang up the keys and turn the Pearl into a garage queen or not is an entirely different story.
Folks, the concept you have before you is known as Polar, Polar Expedition Concept, or Polar TRV, depending on who you ask. However, with all these names, this conceptual vehicle made it into a real machine that broke the Guinness World Record for "Fastest overland journey to the South Pole." But, before all that, some serious work went into this machine. So let's see what is going on with this beefed-up 2010 Toyota Tacoma Polar was a vehicle destined for greatness before it even hit the drawing board. The idea behind it was to create a machine able to reach the South Pole in record-breaking time.It was created as the machine of choice meant to complete a trip carried out in commemoration of an event that happened 100 years earlier, the first successful attempt to reach the South Pole. That first expedition was led by Roald Amundsen and took nearly two months. There's no need to mention that they made the whole trip on foot or by dogsled back then. I'll let you look into how the crew stayed alive during that treacherous journey. Maybe now you can understand how far we've come in over 110 years.With this trip and machine in mind, the Thomson Reuters Eikon team, the eventual drivers of Polar, headed over to Iceland's own Arctic Trucks, a manufacturer of vehicles meant to overcome snow-drenched terrains as though they were asphalt.Ever heard of Arctic Trucks? This crew was established towards the end of the 1980s, reconditioning and repurposing vehicles for extreme conditions. Their works are known for reaching both poles. Who else to call upon for this job? Once the monstrosity you see was created, it was time to give it its final looks.Now, the visual work of this machine is from an artist whose works we've featured before on autoevolution, Ian Nisbett . If the name sounds familiar, it's because Ian is the mind behind Curve Vehicle Design , a crew known for building concepts that eventually become a reality. Well, the same holds true for this concept; it turned into a real toy.With it, a 692-mile (1,113-kilometer) journey to the South Pole was completed in no more than 39 hours and 54 minutes. Since the previous record was of 2 days, 21 hours, and 21 minutes, I don't think seconds count at this point.This was achieved with a machine that ran a 4.0-liter TRD supercharged engine with 380 hp and extensive modifications. 330-gallon (1,500-liters) fuel tank, racing seats, dual VIAIR air compressors, engine heater, and an insulated cab with a roll cage are just a couple of the modifications in place . It is the Arctic, after all.The body has seen extensive tampering, too, even requiring a complete rebuild of a chassis and body just to fit around those massive tires. Koni shocks, HT coils, and ARB lockers are part of the suspension. According to a report from New Atlas, this snow-crushing monster cost over 400,000 USD (353,120 EUR at current exchange rates) to build.Now, it may appear like one of those "chicken or the egg" situations, but Polar is still a vehicle whose looks started off as nothing more than an idea and a rendering. And that's enough for me to appreciate any conceptual vehicle art I run across these days. After all, you never know who may be creating the next record-breaking design.
As per usual, when it comes to the private possessions and endeavors of the worlds most famous billionaires, the Chelsea F.C. owners ultra-luxurious toys are shrouded in mystery. Earlier this year, it was reported that he was selling his Boeing 767 for $100 million. Now, rumors are saying that a second, even more outrageous one was on its way to the new owner, close to our Christmas time (in Russia, it wont be Christmas until January 7).According to Forbes Russia , a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet, with a price starting at $300 million, is the Russians oligarch new toy. Based on data provided by Flight Radar , the 50-seat aircraft is believed to be the most expensive private jet in the world. It flew from Basel, Switzerland, to Moscow, Russia, on December 18. The jet had apparently been built for a Swiss airline operator that never got to use it because it filed for bankruptcy a few years ago.Considering that only two other Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners have private owners, one of them reportedly being used as Mexicos presidential airplane, Abramovichs new jet is a rare bird indeed. It was also rumored that customization alone added up to over $100 million. If youre wondering why would a private owner need a 50-seat aircraft, know that ten seats are just for the security personnel  the mogul is known for his focus on security systems of the highest level when it comes to his private possessions.Since the new luxury purchase hasnt been officially confirmed, there arent many details available on the interior, which must be at least as impressive as Abramovichs Boeing 767.The basic Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is a 186-foot (57 meters) high-performance aircraft, boasting an impressive range of 7,305 nautical miles (8,400 miles/13,530 km), and unparalleled fuel efficiency, perfect for traveling anywhere in the world, in the most lavish conditions.
Progress regarding alternative propulsion systems for vessels is slow, but steady. Its going to take a while until international shipping can become totally green, but until then, every step matters. One of them is making sure that no more toxic waste from ships, known as sludge , is discharged into the water. Sweden is a positive example in this regard, with all ports in this country required by law to collect the sludge from all arriving ships.When at sea, all boats accumulate wastewater, which contains toxic oil residues, solvents, and detergents. In the ideal case, cargo ships leave this wastewater at port, when arriving at the destination, which is then delivered to a purification plant, where the toxic elements are separated from the water. Sweden has already been implementing this step, but now wants to take things further by converting the service ships that collect the sludge to hybrid propulsion The Port of Gothenburg , known for being the largest Scandinavian port, will begin operating a hybrid service vessel. The Northern Skagerrak, designed to collect sludge from incoming ships, will be converted to hybrid operation. While its set to run mostly on electric power, it will also keep an auxiliary engine using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a renewable fuel obtained from different kinds of vegetable oil.According to the Port of Gothenburg, this conversion is estimated to eliminate almost 750 tons (680 tonnes) of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere. This way, the Northern Skagerrak will be benefitting both the air and the water. The service vessel will assist up to 6,000 incoming ships every year. Its scheduled to begin operations after the conversion will be performed in the second quarter of 2022.This is another milestone for the largest Scandinavian port, which intends to cut local emissions by 70% by the end of this decade.
EV

Speaking on social media a few days ago, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun has confirmed some of the details that made the headlines recently: the mass production of the Xiaomi car is projected to kick off in the first half of 2024.Lei Jun says the development of the vehicle is making very good progress, and, in fact, the whole thing is advancing even faster than the company originally expected. However, the timeline doesnt change much, as the car still wouldnt see the daylight earlier than 2024.Given that mass manufacturing is scheduled to start in the first half of the year, the vehicle should then go on sale by the end of 2024, as Xiaomi is believed to be working around the clock specifically to launch its car before Apples.Cupertino-based rival Apple is also developing its own self-driving, and people familiar with the matter said the launch is currently projected to happen in 2025, at the earliest. Xiaomi has therefore made it a priority to bring its ambitious Apple Car competitor to the market before the American company.Lei Jun has also addressed some concerns that Xiaomi would move the focus from smartphones to cars, given its big investments in the automotive market. Jun says mobile devices would continue to be Xiaomis number one priority even after the car becomes available for the first customers.At this point, its not yet known if Xiaomi plans to join forces with a traditional carmaker for the production of the vehicle, but this is very likely, especially because the project is likely backed by automakers based in China.
Between 8,000 and 12,000 shipping containers carrying medical supplies to various parts of the U.S. are on a delay of up to 37 days due to ongoing transportation congestion, according to new data from the Health Industry Distributors' Association.

Why it matters: Per their projections, medical supplies arriving at a U.S. port on Christmas Day won't be delivered to hospitals and other care settings until February 2022. That could delay critical supplies at a time when health care is already expected to most need them due to surges from Delta and Omicron.

Details: The supply chain problems can compound, starting with medical supplies languishing in U.S. ports for an average of 17 days, officials said.

HIDA research also shows containers with medical supplies are delayed an average of 11 days by rail, and nine days by truck.

The top five ports with congestion issues are Los Angeles/Long Beach; Savannah, Georgia; New York/New Jersey; Charleston, South Carolina and Seattle.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Dec. 20.
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Oil rose in tandem with equity markets as investors weighed the rapid spread of omicron against signs it may be milder than previous variants.

West Texas Intermediate futures closed 2.4 percent higher on Monday, trading above $75 a barrel for the first time in a month amid a light volume session. Daily omicron infections in the U.S. surpassed those in the delta wave, while China posted the highest number of cases since January. Thousands of flight cancellations in the U.S. stemming from airline-employee illnesses were a reminder that the more infectious Covid variant could still wreak havoc.

WTI for February delivery rose $1.78 to settle at $75.57 a barrel in New York

Despite the omicron spread and airline cancellations, mobility numbers were strong over the holiday, said John Kilduff, founding partner at Again Capital LLC. The strong economic activity has played into a rebound in petroleum demand, which we saw this morning.

Oil is heading for a yearly gain after a robust rebound from the pandemic, but the rally has wavered in recent weeks, in part due to concerns about omicron. There are some signs of softening consumption in Asia and crude markets structure has weakened significantly, indicating over-supply in the near term.

The market structure for international benchmark Brent crude is starting to show signs of optimism. The prompt time spread -- the gap between the two nearest contracts -- has returned to a bullish pattern in recent days after flipping briefly into a bearish contango structure. The spread was 38 cents in backwardation on Monday, compared with as much as 10 cents in contango about a week ago.

The fast-spreading omicron has forced airlines to cancel some services due to crew shortages, threatening a nascent rebound in jet fuel usage. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens top medical adviser, said Americans should stay vigilant against the new strain, despite evidence its symptoms may be less severe, because the volume of cases can still overwhelm hospitals.

Meanwhile, negotiations to resurrect the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers are moving toward a state of limbo. An Iran nuclear accord could pave the way for a resumption of official crude flows. The European Union said negotiators needed to speed up efforts to resolve a standoff between Tehran and Washington.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  An effort to reflect the rapid growth of Pennsylvanias Hispanic population in newly drawn districts for the state's predominantly white state Legislature is drawing criticism that it didn't exactly accomplish that mission.

Instead, proposals from the five-member Legislative Reapportionment Commission that must reflect a decade of demographic changes identified by the census actually narrowed opportunities for Latinos, critics say.

The commission  composed of the Legislature's four partisan floor leaders and a chair picked by the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court  voted Dec. 16 in favor of new preliminary maps, starting a 30-day public comment period.

The commission could make changes before it issues final maps, and Victor Martinez  who testified twice during commission hearings this year  said it should.

When Martinez testified, he urged commission members to create districts that reflect the growth of Pennsylvania's Spanish-speaking population.

However, Martinez, who owns Spanish-language radio stations in markets across eastern Pennsylvania, said the commission instead created more districts that favor minority candidates generally, but not necessarily Latino candidates.

You might have made it more inclusive, but as far as my testimony, as far as the people who I represent and the people I testified for, they didn't do us any good, they didn't make it any easier, Martinez said in an interview.

Out of 1.5 million Hispanic or multiracial Hispanic residents in Pennsylvania, or almost 12%, just four Latinos serve in the 253-seat Legislature, Martinez said.

Thats under 2%. Proportional representation would be more like 29 seats.

The commission chair, former University of Pittsburgh chancellor Mark Nordenberg, describes the new maps as being drawn with eight minority opportunity districts that are particularly attractive because no incumbents live in those districts.

Seven are in the House and one is in the Senate.

However, only one has a majority Latino population. That district, the Allentown-based 22nd House district, actually shrinks the Latino population from the current 22nd, Martinez said.

Even an existing Latino-majority district in Reading went from 60% Latino to 50% Latino, Martinez said.

Pennsylvanias shrinking white population and growing Hispanic population is relatively extraordinary.

It is just one of four states  Connecticut, Louisiana and Rhode Island are the others  that would have lost population over the past decade if it werent for Hispanic population gains, according to census figures.

Four metropolitan areas  Pittsburgh, Reading, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre  also would have lost population but for new Hispanic residents. Its the same for seven counties: Berks, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Pike, Snyder and Washington.

All told, Pennsylvanias white population dropped by about 540,000, or 5%, according to census figures, even as Pennsylvanias population grew by 300,000 to 13 million, or 2%.

At the same time, Pennsylvanias Hispanic and multiracial Hispanic population grew by 500,000, or 50%.

Carol Kuniholm, the chair of Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, complimented the proposed House map. But she attacked its Senate counterpart as a product of buddy-mandering that protects incumbents.

A newly drawn Senate district that absorbs most of Allentown actually has fewer Latino residents than the existing district that includes Allentown, Kuniholm said.

It also splinters a corridor connecting fast-growing Latino communities through cities including Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and Reading  the Route 222 corridor  so that it can provide a safer district for Allentowns current senator, Republican Pat Browne, Kuniholm said.

The one they drew makes no sense to anybody, Kuniholm said in an interview.

Kuniholms organization proposed a new Latino-majority district with no incumbent senator in Philadelphia. The commissions proposed Senate map, however, split that community four ways among four incumbents, Kuniholm said.

Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, including 142 of 253 seats while representing the vast majority of the whitest stretches across Pennsylvania where the population is stagnant.

Nordenberg gave principal credit to House Democrats and Senate Republicans for drawing minority opportunity districts into the maps.

House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, D-Westmoreland, both declined interviews about those districts.

In the House, Republicans are criticizing the proposed map as an unconstitutional gerrymander that stands to shrink their majority.

At the Dec. 16 commission meeting, McClinton lauded the House map that as being representative of Pennsylvania while substantially correcting decades of gerrymandering.

Ward said the Senates map needs corrections but did not elaborate.

In a text message, Ward suggested the proposed new Allentown district can be improved by giving it more Latino residents. She would not say how she plans to do it.

___

This story has been corrected to show that proportional representation of Latinos in the Legislature would be 29, not 22.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
An Ohio man and his eight kids have struggled since losing their mother to COVID-19 a few months ago.

On Christmas Eve, they got a special gift thanks to a church and some generosity.

A vicious battle with COVID-19 eventually took Amber Feltner's life in September. A year before that, Amber's husband Travis was involved in a serious car crash. A driver who was speeding away from police crashed into his car.

The pain of Amber's absence has been felt every day since she lost her COVID-19 battle, especially right before Christmas time.

So on Friday, among a crowd of churchgoers at Compass Community Church in Springdale, Ohio, the Feltner's were given a major blessing during this season of giving.

"I actually have six kids myself, and it tore my heart out. So I was thinking that might be really something we could do," Compass Community Church's Emily Blake said.

There were piles of presents for all eight children to open, plus a $6,700 check.

It was beyond anything Feltner and his children could've ever hoped for.

"I just want to say thank you so much for reaching out and being there for us," Feltner told churchgoers.

Every year the church raises money for an organization or family in need.

This year, they chose the Feltner's.

"People oftentimes don't feel seen or heard and that's my main mission everyone needs to feel seen at their lowest points and their highest points," Blake said.

Because of that mission, Feltner and his children will know just how deeply they are loved, even through the struggle.
Darrell Troppy, a quiet, private man but quite the public artist, left a legacy that just about everyone who drives on Beaumont streets can see each day and brightens the most unlikely of canvases  the steel-gray utility boxes that now boast bouquets of color, daring design and the poetry of motion.

Troppy likely died Saturday  Christmas Day  in his art studio from a suspected medical emergency. He was alone, which was not out of the ordinary for the 60-year-old, who preferred working at night.

A medical-legal investigation is under way.

He was the target to aim for, Greg Busceme Sr., president of the The Art Studio of Southeast Texas Inc., said of Troppys artistic talent. He set the example for me in a lot of ways.

Busceme started The Art Studio in 1983 because of Troppys example, he said. Troppy, then in his early 20s, already was an established artist, Busceme said.

Becky Ames, former mayor of Beaumont who also was chief executive of then-Victory Hospital on Dowlen Road, said the hospital commissioned three large murals from Troppy for display in its lobby.

As Troppy and his crew were unloading the pieces, Victory executives saw three more in his van and snapped them up for display in the hospitals waiting room.

And when vandals defaced Ames campaign signs, Troppy would go out and fix them up, turning them into spontaneous artworks that left the campaign message intact, Ames said.

He was a talented, caring guy, she said.

He also had a flair for whimsy that showed when he staged a 40th birthday party in his studio, which he made over into a nightclub, and he warned invitees to arrive precisely on time in the afternoon or they wouldnt get in.

He closed the garage door and all of a sudden, it was night in an intimate club, Ames said.

He will be sorely missed by the art world and his close friends, she said.

But Troppy wasnt just a local artist.

His work has appeared in European galleries, and his art was celebrated as a prize-winner at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

His idea for the utility-box art came from a 2004 visit to Toronto, which percolated until he found a friend and supporter in Virginia Jordan, who won a seat on city council and backed the idea.

When do we start? Troppy asked her. Lets rock and roll!

In a 2018 profile for the Beaumont Enterprises former VIP magazine, Troppy shared his ideas about painting the utility boxes with writer Shelly Vitanza.

Of the three boxes Troppy had painted to that point, the third is at Calder Avenue and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in front of Katharine & Co., with residents of the Mildred Building in mind.

The Greta Garbo-esque figures on the box are a wave of sorts to some of the women who are Mildred Building residents.

At one point in the painting process, the VIP article said, Troppy noticed there were ripples in one of his women, so he took a grinder to it and started over.

He said passersby worried about his work, done mostly at night and under spotlights hed set up, concerned he was destroying the painting.

He said the process was a humbling experience.

Homeless people give you the thumbs-up and the big bubbas in their trucks going to shift-work say, Thats cool, out the window, Troppy told VIP.

I always say Thank you, and its very heartfelt because I might have just left my legacy to beautify the city.

Dan Wallach is a

freelance writer.
If Southeast Texas experienced one chemical leak in one week, that would be one too many for the affected residents. This week, however, the region set some kind of dubious record with three of these events.

A small natural gas leak was reported in Beaumont on Tuesday in the 4300 block of Dowlen Road near the Goodwill department store. Centerpoint workers responded, but the leak affected traffic with a lane closure on a portion of the road.

On Wednesday, Texas 87 between Port Arthur and Sabine Pass was closed briefly because of a benzene leak in the 2000 block of South Gulfway Drive. Sabine Pass students and residents were asked to shelter in place, and Sabine Pass school buses were returned to the school with their students.

The biggest event occurred in Nederland last Saturday when a vapor leak at Nederland Tank Wash caused widespread disruption, with numerous reports of foul odors and even some car dashboards bubbling up after exposure to the drifting chemicals. The company opened a citizen hot-line on Tuesday, (888) 442-4206, which will transition to a damage-claims line.

By any standard, thats a lot  and way more than any resident wants to deal with.

Southeast Texans understand that we are a major petrochemical hub. These companies provide a lot of jobs and tax dollars, and most of them operate safely every day. But when three leaks occur in a five-day span, the potential for danger is made crystal clear.

Area residents face enough potential problems with some level of ongoing air pollution. State and federal regulators must never be complacent about that and do everything they can to minimize it. Isolated leaks like these three add to that larger problem and cause even more concern for people who have to breathe that air at their home, school or business.

The only way to prevent these problems is with a strict emphasis on safety and professional operations at every single facility. Its not enough to do that most of the time. It has to be a 24/7 focus for all employees and contractors.

Fortunately, there do not appear to be any serious injuries or loss of life from these incidents. But that might not be the case every time. When you are dealing with toxic chemicals, the threat to human life and health is real. Leaks like these need to be the exception, not the rule. Three in one week must be a wakeup call to every public official or plant manager in the region. Area residents expect better, and they deserve it.
The regular meeting of the Beaumont ISD board last week was noteworthy for what happened  and what didnt happened.

The main thing that happened was that the districts financial officer reported that the BISD had finally earned an A rating from the Texas Education Association for its 2021 Financial Integrity Rating System.

And tied in with that is what did not happen  any reports of the malfeasance or misconduct that caused the state to take over the district in 2014. This is what taxpayers in this district wanted to see, and it must become the new normal.

The A rating is not something that every district in the region can boast about. Cheryl Hernandez, the districts chief financial officer, said the rating is significant because of the complexity associated with the Texas schools finance reporting. The district has worked extremely hard to improve controls and transparency, she said. The rating shows the district is accountable for the quality of financial management practices.

Nakisha Burns, the districts former communications director who was at the meeting for another item representing her current employer, ExxonMobil, even said, I was here for years, and we didnt get that.

The A rating shows that, among other things, that the districts audits were clean and complete, which in accounting terms is called an unmodified opinion. Overall, the district financial stability, debt-to-asset ratio and administrative cost control were judged to be in acceptable condition. The rating also reflects that the district has its superintendent contract posted on its website as required, that the superintendent has no outside income and that board members do not have any business interests with the BISD.

All of this is impressive  but its exactly what every public entity should do. When tax dollars are involved, transparency and accountability are not just goals. They should be standard operating procedures, and every public manager and board member should embrace this standard. Audits should be full and complete, and public boards should change auditors every few years to ensure that all numbers are reviewed by a fresh set of eyes. And as the old saying goes, if you have nothing to hide, you dont fear scrutiny.

Its a shame that the board of trustees replaced by the state and previous administrators didnt get these basic points. Having your school district taken over by the state for extreme malfeasance is no way to attract good teachers or encourage families to enroll their children. And malfeasance like that is still happening in some districts. Just last week Rhonda Skillern-Jones, the former Houston ISD board president, admitted accepting bribes in a kickback scheme that also led to the indictments of the districts former chief operating officer and a vendor.

Going forward, BISD trustees and administrators should be determined to lock in these gains. Parents, teachers and taxpayers dont want to just see an A financial rating for one year. They want to see it every year so they can have complete confidence in their school districts leadership. Staying on top of the mountain you just climbed is not easy, but it can be done. It will take hard work and vigilance, but of course that should be expected for every elected official and administrator entrusted with great responsibility.

So once again, hearty congratulations to the BISD trustees and administrators  and keep up the good work!
Its unusual for smaller towns in the region to receive multi-million-dollar grants for new water wells, but as our recent stories have pointed out, its happening not once but twice in Southeast Texas. Thats good news for them, and the entire region.

This is infrastructure, an unwieldy word that has been used a lot lately in national politics. As these grants show, improvements like this can make a big difference for the people who need basic services like clean drinking water.

First, the Enterprise reported on the unincorporated community of Meeker in Jefferson County, which will receive nearly $7 million from the water board's Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund. The loan will cover the costs to drill a new fresh-water well in addition to the three already serving residents.

This is not just another routine project for Meeker. It could double the community's 1,300 water connections serving 3,300 people. Other new housing subdivisions are also being planned nearby, and the new well will help persuade more people and businesses to move there.

Sour Lake residents are getting similar good news. The Texas General Land Office announced $9 million for Sour Lake for a new water well, water storage and water line replacements.

The grant is especially important because ever since Hurricane Rita in 2005, Sour Lake has had to protect its fresh water supply from the effects of storms and flooding. Pine Island Bayou is unfortunately notorious for overflowing its banks during heavy rains.

Sour Lake Mayor Bruce Robinson didnt mince his words when discussing the impact of this grant. This will be a historic change for our community, he said.

Improvements like this will help Southeast Texas gain population like the rest of Texas. Our numbers have been flat for many years, but this region has all the building blocks for potential growth, from highways to rail connections to local ports.

But as nice as those bigger assets are, basic amenities like reliable water and sewer service mean everything to existing residents and businesses. When theyre in place, people are more inclined to stay and build their communities, and new residents and businesses are also more inclined to move in.

None of this is made easier by the occasional hurricane or flood, but more of that appears to be the forecast for coastal regions as the implications of climate change take effect. We cant change that, but we can make our local infrastructure as robust as possible to withstand whatever Mother Nature brings us.

These two reports are a great way to finish 2021, and we hope to see similar news in 2022 for other cities and counties in the region. Infrastructure is an ongoing need, and so should be our efforts to keep improving what we have.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Anglican cleric whose conscientious work for human rights made him a revered leader during the fight to end apartheid in South Africa, died on Sunday at 90-years-old. Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on October 7, 1931, in Klerksdorp, South Africa.

His father was a teacher, and his mother was a domestic worker. As a child, Tutu wanted to become a doctor due to his battle with tuberculosis. He even qualified for medical school. Sadly, his parents couldnt send him to medical school, so Tutu became a teacher instead, a decision that Tutu didnt regret.

Tutu was shocked at the state of Black South African schools and more shocked when the Bantu Education Act of 1953 racially segregated the nations school system. Tutu would eventually resign in protest of the new legislation. Not soon after, in 1960, the Bishop of Johannesburg agreed to accept him for the priesthood.

Tutu thought it was because he was a Black man with a university education, an oddity in the 1950s, and took up his new profession. After he was ordained, Tutu spent most of his time traveling between London and South Africa. While in London, he watched as his home country endured turmoil and decided to return to South Africa in 1975 after being appointed dean of St. Marys Cathedral in Johannesburg and immediately used his new position to make political statements.

As the South African government became more oppressive, detaining Black people and establishing arduous laws, Tutu became more outspoken. South Africa was turning into a pariah country. Demonstrators in the United States protested corporate investment, and Congress backed up the stance with the 1987 Rangel Amendment. The United Nations established a cultural boycott. Tutu won his Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; during his speech, he said that South Africa was endowed in many ways but lacked justice.

In 1988, two years after being named Archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu became the first Black man to head the Anglican Church in South Africa. In the same year, authorities arrested Tutu while taking an anti-apartheid petition to South Africas parliament. However, the tide was turning. The following year, Tutu led a 20,000-person march in Cape Town.

Also, in 1989, a new president, F.W. de Klerk, started easing apartheid laws. Finally, on February 11, 1990, Mandela was released from prison after 27 years. In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa, and Tutu said that introducing Mandela as president was the most significant moment of his life, outside of the birth of his first child.

In 1995, Mandela appointed Tutu as the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the human rights violations of the apartheid years. Although he was a true statesman, Tutu would eventually return to teaching, becoming a visiting professor at Emory University in Atlanta and lecturing at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tutu would retire from public service in 2010. Tutu was in bad health for many years; in 2013, he underwent tests for persistent infection and was in and out of the hospital in the following years.

Leaders from around the world sent their condolences to the Tutu family. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, who gave Tutu a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, called Tutu a friend, mentor, and moral compass. The Nelson Mandela Foundation called Tutus death an immeasurable loss.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu a patriot without equal. People will remember Archbishop Desmond Tutu for his work for human rights, but they will also remember him for his good humor and infectious laugh. Archbishop Tutu is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Nomalizo Leah Tutu, and his four children.
JoJos Bizarre Adventure is celebrating thirty-five years of bizarre manga next year with the brand new JOJO Magazine.

JoJos Bizarre Adventure is approaching its thirty-fifth year, and to celebrate this anniversary its getting its own magazine. The first issue of JOJO Magazine is set to become available on Saturday, March 19th of next year. It is the only magazine specifically for bizarre JoJo fans.

The magazine will feature a wide variety of projects for all JoJo fans, regardless of their favorite arc. Issues of JOJO Magazine include news, exclusive interviews, and artwork.

The first issue will feature a cover drawn by series creator, Hirohiko Araki. It will contain an interview with Issey Takahashi. The actor behind the title character in the live-action JoJo spinoff, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. Speaking of Rohan Senshi, JOJO Magazine will also feature a 71-page one-shot manga for Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. The manga comes complete with a full-color page.

JoJos Bizzare Adventure History

To date, Hirohiko Araki has released eight parts of the Jojo story in the manga. The most recent of these is Jojolioin, but Araki has confirmed that he is working on the ninth arc, known as JoJolands.

JoJos Bizzare Adventure originally ran weekly in Shonen Jump from 1984 until 2004. It has since been published in Ultra Jump magazine since 2005. With more than a hundred and thirty volumes, Jojo is one of the publishers longest-running and most popular manga series.

JoJos Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar/Cujoh family through the generations as various family members realize that they have special powers and sworn enemies. Every part follows a different descendant of Jonathan Joestar, often with their super-powered friends. Each part has very little connection to the previous outside of familial ties.

Each arc is drastically different from the last in tone and completely separate in the plot. This makes for a show thats uniquely easy to jump into at the beginning of any part, but also nearly impossible to describe. The most recent arc to see animation is Stone Ocean. It was released on December 1st of this year and can be found exclusively on Netflix.

JOJO Magazine Release

Issue one of JOJO Magazine will be 1,650, or about 14 US dollars. And for what theyre offering, $14 seems like a more than fair price.

JOJO Magazine will be available simultaneously in a B5-sized softcover print edition, as well as a digital release. Unfortunately, for those of us not in Japan and not fluent in Japanese, its hard to say how easily we will be able to obtain or find a translated version of JOJO Magazine. That said, I may have to get my hands on a copy for the art alone.

Are you a fan of Jojos Bizarre Adventures? Are you thinking about picking up a copy of JOJO Magazine for yourself its at all available? How are you enjoying Stone Ocean so far? Let us know in the comments!

Ja Ne, Adventures!
People wade through floodwaters after heavy rains in Sungai Kolok, a district in the Muslim-majority province of Narathiwat in southern Thailand, Dec. 20, 2021.

When Thai negotiators and separatist Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgents resume face-to-face peace talks next month, the issues of making Bahasa Melayu a working language alongside Thai and allowing Malays greater cultural space in Thailand may be on the table.

If indeed the two sides discuss these issues during the Malaysia-brokered negotiations, it would mean they are moving beyond the usual confidence-building measures and taking up more substantive issues.

But nothing comes easy on issues to do with Thailands Malay-majority Deep South.

This upcoming peace initiative in January  not officially confirmed by the two sides but by sources on each side  will take place on shaky ground. The military wing of the BRN and the Thai Army, for one, were never keen on the idea of peace talks.

And whatever decisions they agree on at the negotiating table will require a buy-in from the fighters of the long-standing Patani Malay separatist movement, which today controls virtually all of the combatants in the field.

The past two years of having to communicate online amid a pandemic have yielded mixed results, as well as opportunities missed.

A unilateral ceasefire declared by the BRN on humanitarian grounds in April 2020 and the COVID-19 outbreak were opportunities that both sides could have used to deepen cooperation.

Instead, the pandemic became more of an excuse not to move closer. Besides, the Thai Army responded to the BRNs ceasefire with a stepped-up military offensive, sending a stern warning to the BRN combatants: Surrender and live, or die fighting.

Outgunned and outnumbered, often by 20 to one, almost all BRN combatants involved in standoffs chose to fight to the death rather than surrender. Their actions prompted some in the governments policy circles to wonder whether this crop of combatants was sliding towards violent extremism, where deaths are central to operations.

While rebel deaths resulted from gunfights  not from suicide missions  the fact that the militants opted to fight to death rather than surrender and live reflects the combatants personal feelings. The thought of living a humiliating life was unbearable to their kin, according to family members of some of the militants killed in recent standoffs.

The rebels deaths drove a bigger wedge between local Muslims and the Thai state. Family members of slain rebels saw an outpouring of moral support from locals. All the rebels were buried as shahids, or martyrs.

Meanwhile, on the Thai side, government agencies and Army officials hotly debated a nomenclature issue  should the insurgency be called a conflict or organized crime?

The Army insisted on calling it organized crime. To treat it as a conflict would legitimize the rebels and the possibility of transforming the issue into a transnational one, they said. But the negotiators see it differently.

Thailand has nothing to fear and the countrys sovereignty will not be weakened if the government treated the insurgency in the Deep South as an armed conflict, according to Chanintira Na Thalang, an associate professor at Thammasat University.

Regardless of whether the conflict in the south fits the description of NIACs [non-international armed conflict], the possibility of external interference is nil, Chanintira said.

However, what attracts international attention and unwanted interference is the level of violence and the disregard for human rights.

The conflict in Thailands southern border region is deeply rooted in historical mistrust and resentment towards the Thai governments policy of assimilation, which the Malays of Pattani felt came at the expense of their ethno-religious identity.

Local Muslims, particularly members of the armed separatist groups, hold that the region belongs to the Malay people and that the community has a moral obligation to liberate it from forces who invaded their land from Siam, the old name for Thailand.

Don Pathan is a Thailand-based security analyst. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
A man consoles a relative who is unable to find his 5-year-old son traveling on a ferry that caught fire, at a government hospital, in Barishal, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021.

Madrassa teacher Lokman Hossain remembers a loud, intermittent banging sound he heard when he and his students boarded the ferry that later burst into flames in one of the most horrific boat disasters in recent memory in Bangladesh.

One of the eight students he was traveling with died in the blaze, which broke out early Dec. 24 aboard the Abhijan-10 as it sailed in the middle of a river in Jhalakathi district, about 275 km (170 miles) south of the capital Dhaka.

When we were getting on board in Sadarghat [a Dhaka terminal], we could hear a bang on the launch, Lokman told BenarNews. But nobody took the unusually loud sound seriously.

Bangladeshis refer to ferries as launches.

The launch started the journey. The intensity of the intermittent sound went up as it reached Barishal, said Lokman, who suffered serious burns and has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in the Barishal district.

Around 3 a.m. when it reached Jhalakathi, we could see a huge fire, he said. The whole launch turned into a mass of flames.

Hossain said he and seven of the students were able to jump into the water to safety, but one student, whom he identified as Rakib Hossain, was trapped onboard and perished in the inferno.

If the launch had been checked, people would have survived, Lokman said.

Fridays fire has put a spotlight on the safety record of ferries and other forms of public transportation along Bangladeshs many waterways, on which many people rely on to move around.

During the past decade, about 700 people were killed in more than 200 accidents involving ferries and other vessels used for public transportation, according to a BenarNews review of government records in the wake of the fire. Those grim statistics, in fact, reflected a drop in ferry-related accidents and deaths recorded from 2001 through 2010, records show.

About 2,500 ferries carry passengers along hundreds of miles of rivers throughout the South Asian country.

Two more bodies have been recovered in the aftermath of the latest accident, raising the death toll in the ferry fire to 44, Md. Johar Ali, the commissioner for Jhalakathi district, said on Tuesday.

He also said relatives of 30 people had registered them as missing after the fire.

On Monday, members of the Rapid Action Battalion, a police unit, arrested the ferrys owner, Hum Jalal Sheikh, a day after arrest warrants were issued for eight people, including the ferrys captain and crew, Agence France-Presse reported.

Survivors have said the boat had far more passengers than its capacity of more than 400.

Backlogged cases

Only eight out of scores of legal cases filed in the wake of the 200-plus accidents that took place in more than a decade have been resolved in court, BenarNews also discovered in reviewing records.

In 2010, the marine court issued jail terms and fines in three cases; in 2011 and 2012, it handed down prison sentences in a case and an acquittal each year. It issued an acquittal in 2016 as well.

The maximum punishment for such accidents caused by negligence under the Inland Shipping Ordinance of 1976 is five years in jail and a fine, Bellal Hossain, the shipping departments prosecuting officer, told BenarNews.

A former shipping minister noted that the country has only one court to deal with such offenses.

The launch accidents and other marine offenses are mainly tried in the lone marine court in Dhaka. The number of judges is very low, so the disposition of the marine cases is slow, Shajahan Khan told BenarNews.

I made a proposal to increase the number of marine courts to four. But the proposal has yet to be implemented, said Khan, a former shipping minister and current member of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Shipping.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh authorities told BenarNews that committees had been established to investigate Fridays fire and they would release details after those investigations are finished.

We have formed a committee to investigate the incident. Unless the committee comes up with its findings, we cannot give you death and missing figures, Md. Delwar Hossain, a joint secretary of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), told BenarNews.

Another official, Debashish Vardhan, a deputy director of the fire service and civil defense department, released preliminary findings about the blaze.

It seems to us that the fire broke out from the engine room and it spilled at the nearby kitchen fitted with several gas cylinders. But unless we get the probe report, we cannot be certain what caused the fire, Vardhan told BenarNews.

Vardhan said the fire department committee would submit its findings within 15 days.

Deaths tied to ferry accidents have plagued Bangladesh for decades.

Between 1991 and 2000, 347 people died and another 178 passengers were reported missing in 150 ferry disasters, according to department figures. The figures skyrocketed between 2001 and 2010 when 1,702 people died and 139 were reported missing in 315 disasters.

The number of accidents came down to 143 between 2011 and 2018, with 584 deaths and 102 missing.

In 2019, only three people died and 20 passengers were reported missing in 26 accidents while 81 people died and 12 were reported missing in 32 accidents in 2020.

In April, the ferry ML Rabit Al Hasan sank after colliding with a cargo ship near Dhaka, killing at least 25 people, the Associated Press reported.

The hard truth

Mizanur Rahman, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said government department-level corruption had led to the recurrence of ferry disasters.

After every launch tragedy, the BIWTA and other agencies form several committees to find the causes of the accidents. The investigation reports are hardly made public. The people forget the previous launch disasters when another big accident happens, he told BenarNews. This is the hard truth.

The launch owners are moneyed men  they buy everything. The government officials know they cannot stop the operation of an unfit launch by submitting a report against it, he said.

So people continue to die in this brutal way as if there is no redress, he said. When the issue leaves the public spotlight, the trials are stalled.

BIWTAs Hossain rejected those allegations.

In line with the findings of every ferry disaster, we try our best to implement the recommendations of the committees. As a result, the number of launch accidents have come down gradually, he told BenarNews.

Despite that claim, a resident of the coastal Lakshmipur district in southern Bangladesh said there were no regulations affecting ferry owners.

The people are at hostage to the owners. I personally think traveling by these launches is like a death journey, Md. Azizur Rahman told BenarNews on Monday.

I, my wife and two children went to Saint Martins Island on Dec. 3. There was a danger signal from the met office, but the owners packed the passengers of two launches onto one dilapidated launch and traveled to Teknaf amid rough sea, he said, adding, the passengers were calling out to the almighty until they reached the shore.

The Abhijan-10 ferry is anchored along the bank of Sugandha River after it caught fire, leading to the deaths of more than 40 people in Jhalakathi, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. [Reuters]

Commodore Syed Ariful Islam, a former director general of the department of shipping, said rules for construction of ferries are outdated.

Twenty years ago, we used to build small-sized ships, both passenger and cargo. Over the years, the size of ships in Bangladesh has grown. So, this rule is not up-to-date, he told BenarNews.

The government should allow a branch of the international ship classification society to be established so protocols to build safe watercraft can be established, he said.
Officers in Bireuen regency prepare to send supplies to Rohingya refugees stranded in a boat off the coast of Indonesias Aceh province, Dec. 28, 2021.

The United Nations on Tuesday urged Indonesia to allow 120 Rohingya stranded aboard a boat near Aceh province to come ashore, but local officials said they had limited resources to care for the refugees, and so were turning them away.

The Indonesian office of U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said the boat, anchored to a fishing device about 50 miles off Aceh, could sink because it was reportedly leaking with its engine broken.

The UNHCR is extremely concerned about the safety of the refugees on board, Mitra Suryono, a spokeswoman for the agencys local office, said in a statement.

To prevent loss of life, UNHCR urges the Indonesian government to immediately allow the ship come ashore safely, Mitra said.

Amnesty International made a similar appeal.

Sending them back to the high seas is tantamount to Indonesia shirking its international obligation, Usman Hamid, Amnestys country director, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, foreign ministry officials in Jakarta declined to comment on what Indonesia planned to do with the boatload of Rohingya refugees.

In Aceh, a local official said the Rohingya on the boat would be supplied with necessities so they could go on by sea to Malaysia, their intended destination.

They wanted to go to Malaysia, so we will help with fuel and food so that they can continue their journey, Bireuen regency chief Muzakkar A. Gani told BenarNews, citing information from the police.

He did not comment on reports that the boat was leaking and its engine was damaged.

Local fishermen first spotted the boat in the waters off Bireuen on Sunday, but Indonesian security forces prevented locals from helping the refugees come ashore, according to a community leader and a human rights activist.

On Tuesday, fishermen in Bireuen said they were determined to bring Rohingya refugees to shore if the authorities failed to do so.

Badruddin Yunus, the leader of the fishing community in the regency, said the government had not taken any action other than promising to send food to the refugees on the boat.

We are concerned about welfare of the children. They are human beings. Where is our humanity? Badruddin told BenarNews.

At least 51 children were among the group, he said.

Whatever it takes [we will bring them ashore], said Badruddin, adding that the local community had collected food and supplies to be sent to the boat.

Nasir Jamil, a national lawmaker from Aceh, urged immigration authorities to allow the boat to land by coordinating with security forces.

We have not ratified the U.N. convention on refugees, but we have regulations that provide for sheltering refugees who come to Indonesia, said Nasir, adding that he would reach out to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights so the Rohingya could be sheltered in Aceh.

Fishermen have nothing to fear if they are not part of a people smuggling ring, he added.

Since a brutal crackdown by Burmese security forces in Rakhine state against the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017, hundreds have paid traffickers to transport them to Thailand and Malaysia, where they can find work, and away from Myanmar or the crowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh where they fled to that year.

Groups of Rohingya have also packed into boats and sailed off in search of asylum in other countries, but have often been refused entry.

As of October, at least 665 Rohingya migrants have ended up stranded in Indonesia on their way to third countries including Malaysia and Australia, according to UNHCR.

Indonesia is not a party to the U.N.s 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The nation prohibits refugees from obtaining jobs and attending formal schools.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signs a U.S. $554 million deal for the Philippines purchase of two corvettes to be made by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, in Manila, Dec. 28, 2021.

The Philippines signed a deal valued at U.S. $554 million Tuesday to buy two small warships from a South Korean manufacturer, officials said, as Manila seeks to modernize its navy amid perceived security threats over South China Sea territorial disputes.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Ka Sam Hyun, a representative of shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), put their signatures on the deal for Manilas purchase of two corvettes which will have anti-ship and anti-submarine capabilities.

The deal adds to the Philippine Navys recent acquisition of two frigates, also built by HHI, as well as a refurbished Pohang class corvette from the South Korean Navy, as the fleets only ships with those capabilities, officials said.

I share the jubilation of our valiant sailors and marines, the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as the entire nation for this acquisition of two more capital assets for our Philippine Navy, Lorenzana said a statement.

This project will give the Philippine Navy two modern corvettes that are capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare missions.

The upgrade comes in the face of increasing challenges for the Philippines in the South China Sea, particularly from China, which has been boosting its presence in territories claimed by its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors.

In 2021, the Philippines faced blowback from China as Manila repeatedly protested against the presence of hundreds of fishing boats believed to be manned by Chinese militias within Manilas exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In November, Chinese coast guard ships near Second Thomas Shoal fired water cannons at Philippine boats on a mission to resupply a naval detachment aboard a rusting WWII-era ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as the Philippines outpost on the shoal.

Manila lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident but Beijing brushed this off and followed with demands that the ship be removed.

The Philippine Navy received the BRP Antonio Luna (foreground) in February from Hyundai Heavy Industries, a South Korean shipbuilder. [Courtesy Philippine Navy]

Corvettes and frigates are smaller, highly maneuverable warships commonly deployed to protect bigger ships from enemy attacks.

The two corvettes, to be delivered by 2026 according to media reports, will serve as a backstop to the two frigates, the Philippine defense chief said.

Apart from the new warships, the Philippines is to acquire another decommissioned Pohang-class corvette from South Korea early next year.

These acquisitions will bolster the nations naval capability, the defense secretary said.

We have already come a long way in our modernization, and with this additional acquisition, we are steps closer to a more capable fleet, Lorenzana said.

Purchasing the corvettes from HHI, the same company that built the Philippine Navy frigates the BRP Jose Rizal and the BRP Antonio Luna, will make it easier to fix and maintain them, Lorenzana said.

Each of the corvettes will weigh 3,200 tons and measure 116 meters long. They will be able to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots, with a range of 4,500 nautical miles.

Each will have eight anti-ship missile launchers, a 35-mm close-in weapon system, a 76-mm main gun, two three-tube torpedo launchers and an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, HHI said.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagles Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221.
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data.
In a ruling made public on Dec. 24, 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.
Former state Sen. Ben Downing announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for Massachusetts governor. Downing said he entered the race early to introduce himself to voters, as well as to give himself time to visit and listen to different communities. But, that takes time, he said, and time ends up being money.
People from a coalition of housing justice groups hold signs protesting evictions during a news conference outside the Statehouse in Boston in July. Massachusetts renters who seek state aid to avoid eviction will face new requirements and a revised application process in less than a week.
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
Now gearing up to launch in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai

Even  a healthtech company and healthcare provider that partners directly with top hospitals to provide completely cashless, quality healthcare to its members  has opened to the public in Bengaluru.

Anyone who signs up and becomes a member can avail unlimited doctor consultations and diagnostics plus a yearly hospitalization cover of Rs 50 lakh. An Even member would not have to pay anything at the hospital and at the end, their hospital bill will be Rs 0. Memberships start at Rs 1500 a month.

The product launch closely follows Even's recent partnership with leading hospital chains in Bengaluru that include Narayana Health, Fortis Hospitals, and Aster DM Healthcare. Even has received a positive and encouraging response from over 40,000 waitlisted users who had early access to its services. After the launch in their home base of Bengaluru, the company is now gearing up to launch in multiple Tier 1 cities including Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

The company plans to rid India of out of pocket healthcare expenses and mitigate illnesses early on with appropriate medical interventions with its partner hospitals.
'These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world,' said Charlie Wilson of America's role in supporting the mujahideen against the Soviet Union. 'And then we fucked up the endgame.' The scandal-prone US Congressman lamented the absence of support for Afghanistan after that war, a vacuum which the Taliban and Osama bin Laden would fill.

The Ledger identifies and assesses the failures of the West's approach to Afghanistan after 9/11 - military, diplomatic, political and developmental. For Afghans, the war is not over because the West has declared it so, and neither will its geo-political effects simply disappear along with the last of NATO forces. Afghanistan remains connected to the world through communications and the networks of the last twenty years.

The Ledger also considers these lessons for the benefit of future, similar peacebuilding missions in Africa and elsewhere. Dr David Kilcullen and Dr Greg Mills are uniquely placed to reflect backwards and forwards on the Afghan conflict, having worked with the international mission as advisers and within the Arg. Both have considerable experience of counter-insurgency and stability operations elsewhere, in Latin America, Asia and across Africa. There is plenty of blame to go around, as this book shows, in the attempts to bring peace to Afghanistan after 9/11. The signs of the collapse had been there for a long-time, mostly conveniently ignored as they were ill-suited to the political narrative of 'we're making progress' and then, as the deadline drew closer, 'mission accomplished'.

In understanding why and where the failure took place, The Ledger warns against the eternal human curse in believing that we can be an exception to all that precedes us. Whatever the desire to avoid future military and diplomatic 'quagmires', the reality is that politicians will not always follow that advice, nor can these crises always be avoided.
The province announced new COVID-19 restrictions Monday to try to stem the tide of rapidly rising cases, but the measures are already being called risky and not enough by critics.

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JOHN WOODS/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS In a Monday press conference, Premier Heather Stefanson and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced new COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

The province announced new COVID-19 restrictions Monday to try to stem the tide of rapidly rising cases, but the measures are already being called risky and not enough by critics.

Premier Heather Stefanson said on Monday no one wanted to be at this point, especially so close to the new year, but authorities have to implement stronger measures to limit the number of contacts and stop the spread of the more contagious omicron variant.

New restrictions affecting public gatherings came into effect today at 12:01 a.m. Indoor and outdoor public gatherings are now limited to 50 per cent capacity or 250 people, whichever is less.

This includes restaurants, licensed premises, food courts, socials, movie theatres, concert halls, performing arts venues, outdoor ticketed performing arts events, museums and art galleries. Outdoor and indoor sporting and recreational facilities are also affected, including dance schools, martial arts studios, gyms, fitness centres and yoga studios; indoor and outdoor ticketed sporting events; indoor recreational businesses; seasonal facilities and events. Additionally, religious services and Indigenous cultural events; bingos, casinos and businesses with VLTs.

Liquor sales in restaurants and licensed premises must also end at 10 p.m. daily. The changes are scheduled to expire Jan. 11.

"We do thank those who have already cancelled plans to minimize the spread," Stefanson said at Mondays press conference alongside chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin.

"We already have some of the most stringent health measures in the country, but we must do more to protect the health-care system and the vulnerable."

There were 2,154 new cases reported over the weekend. The five-day test positivity is 19 per cent for the province and 21 per cent for Winnipeg. Roussin said the case numbers are likely under-reported as the province is dealing with a large backlog of tests.

As of Monday, the province has 11,500 tests to process and demand for more tests is surging.

Roussin said the measures are a good balance between protecting the health of Manitobans, the health-care system and the orders already in place. Modelling is a complex process, but they already have seen reducing contacts does help limit the spread of the virus. He stressed there are already many layers of protection in the province, and the unvaccinated are severely limited in their movements.

He added the new measures could be extended, but they are monitoring the rising cases closely to determine if an extension, or even if more measures, are needed. Everything depends on the strain the variant puts on the health-care system. As well, the province is watching other jurisdictions closely to see how the omicron variant spreads and how long outbreaks last.

"The U.K. is a few weeks ahead of us for their omicron surge. We are seeing a lot of cases, but relatively few hospitalizations. We are hoping for that outcome as well," he said. "We cant rely on reports of omicron being less severe, we know we will see that increased transmission translate into increased demand on our health-care system."

For the official Opposition, these new measures are not enough. NDP Leader Wab Kinew called them very risky, stressing once again the province needs to call in reinforcements.

"We 100 per cent need more help," he said. "There should be a lot more outreach. Id be working the phones asking retired nurses to come back."

He added this is another example of years of Progressive Conservative cuts leaving the provinces health-care system vulnerable.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said bluntly the government was really doing nothing, adding he doesnt understand why the province wont move into the red (critical) zone and implement a sharp but short lockdown. While he knows the government and many others dont want another lockdown, this isnt about wants, but rather what needs to be done.

Even then, another lockdown wouldnt mean closing everything, just having businesses and facilities run with greatly reduced capacity and better protections.

"This is forcing people to go to work, risk exposure and be exposed to someone who could die," Lamont said. "By now, they should know how to manage this virus. Instead, its going back to measures that dont work."

There could also be better enforcement, Lamont said. While tickets are being issued, the Progressive Conservatives should look at serious consequences for people who violate orders, like removing drivers licences or forced business closures. He re-iterated those could be short-term measures, just to show they are serious about enforcement.

 kmckinley@brandonsun.com
Its a warning Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) fails to heed when she lays claim to him after they meet at a party. In the face of an upwardly mobile, heat-seeking missile of Patrizias calibre, he hasnt a chance and the repercussions eventually tear his family apart as well as weakening its hold on a fashion house that has been in its hands for three generations.

After climbing out of a sports car, she struts across a car park in a tight skirt and stilettos, swinging every moving part she possesses, much to the delight of her audience of truck drivers and mechanics. But underlying this resounding declaration of sexual pride is a more cautionary note: You mess with me, at your own risk.

Like most dynastic sagas, its an irresistible story and Scott has been waiting to tell it since his production company acquired the film rights for Sara Gay Fordens Gucci biography 20 years ago. Now its done and the family has vehemently voiced its disapproval but the film has attracted other criticisms  probably because the story needs an inspired satirist to do it justice. When truth becomes as floridly melodramatic as it does here, a sense of the ridiculous can be enormously useful.

Scott is aware of this but unfortunately for the Guccis, his sense of the ridiculous asserts itself only when hes dealing with the men of the family. The sheer momentum of Gagas performance has the appalling Patrizia emerge as a dangerously flawed but thoroughly understandable human being.

Her marriage to Maurizio is a febrile union of opposites. Shes small, bouncy and scarily ambitious. Hes tall, elegant and retiring. Until she comes along, he has no desire to run Gucci. He wants to be a lawyer. Hes also very close to his father, the fastidious Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons at his most jaundiced), who takes one look at Patrizia and sees the future.

But Aldo (Al Pacino), Rodolfos elder brother, has more relish for lifes capacity to surprise. He sees a kindred spirit who is more to his taste than his own son, Paolo (an unrecognisably flabby Jared Leto). Obsessed with his wish to have the company embrace his unremarkable gifts as a designer, Paolo is the butt of the films few black comic touches.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The manager and one of the bouncers at Brisbanes Whiskey Au Go Go knew the venue was going to be firebombed and warned some people to stay away on the night of the attack. The coronial inquest into the 1973 tragedy that claimed 15 lives at the Fortitude Valley nightclub wrapped up on Friday after two weeks of evidence. A further two to three weeks of hearings will be held at a later date. The latest inquest was ordered in 2017 by then attorney-general Yvette DAth. It is focusing on whether anyone else was involved and if the police investigation was adequate. James Richard Finch and John Andrew Stuart were convicted and sentenced to life in prison over the fatal attack. They were each charged with only one count of murder. On Friday, Martin Turpin gave evidence about his former roommate Greg Doolan being warned to stay away from the venue on the night of the fire. He [Mr Doolan] said: Marty, Ill never forget it.  Mr Turpin told the court.

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He said Mr Doolan told him he had been standing on the footpath outside the club when this big, black limousine pulled up outside and the back window came down and there was [Whiskey Au Go Go manager] John Bell sitting in the back seat. Martin Turpin after giving evidence at the Whiskey Au Go Go inquest in Brisbane on Friday. Credit:Toby Crockford He said: Greg, whatever you do, do not go in there tonight. Greg took that warning very serious and he didnt go into the club. Loading Willem Morcus also testified to a conversation between his brothers Peter and Alphonsus before the fire. Peter was a barman at Whiskey Au Go Go, while Alphonsus was a bouncer at the venue. Willem said Alphonsus warned Peter not to go to work on the night of the fire. He [Peter] was warned not to go in because something was going to happen. But he [Peter] went to work that night and the place got burnt down.

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Peter died with a chair in his hand trying to break a window  but it was a plastic chair. Earlier this week, the inquest heard a convicted murderer had told his girlfriend he planned to break out of prison and kill two crime journalists digging into his potential involvement in other killings. The criminal involved was Vincent ODempsey and the claims came from retired crime journalist Robert Dutton. Mr Dutton said ODempseys girlfriend, Kerri-Anne Scully, warned him that ODempsey had made a death threat against him and colleague Dennis Watt for their investigative articles into whether ODempsey had any involvement in the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing. There were also revelations this week that a current senior police detective told one of his investigators to delete any claim that officers had fabricated the confession of an arsonist convicted over the 1973 firebombing in her report to the Queensland coroner. The revelations were subject to a non-publication order from the legal counsel for the Queensland Police Commissioner.

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However, that order was revoked on Wednesday after a legal challenge by media outlets. During her evidence last week, Detective Sergeant Virginia Gray said her superior, Detective Inspector Damien Hansen, had told her to remove an estimated 27 pages of criticisms of the 1973 police investigation from the report she prepared for the inquest. Loading Sergeant Gray said the reason Inspector Hansen gave was: That sort of material should not be included in a report from the police ... and that we would leave that to the journalists and police haters. A confession tape was also played to the court showing convicted Whiskey Au Go Go killer James Finch telling Mr Watt, a journalist, how he and two other men set the nightclub alight on that night in 1973. Finch said he had two accomplices on the night  Billy McCulkin was the driver and Thomas Hamilton lit the match to ignite the fuel. We made one sweep straight into the place, pulled the car up right next to the place  The car doors were open as the car stopped, Finch told Mr Watt during the 1988 interview.

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Queensland has recorded 1158 new cases of coronavirus as the state scraps the requirement for interstate travellers to be tested on their fifth day of entry.

There were 4779 active cases in the state, including 257 Omicron cases, state Health Minister Yvette DAth announced on Tuesday.

Six cases were in hospital for COVID-19-related symptoms and 83 others were in hospital for other illnesses.

There were no people in the intensive care unit, while 976 patients were currently receiving care at home.
Hes the man who rose from poverty-stricken China to western stardom as one of the worlds best ballet dancers. Queensland Ballet artistic director Li Cunxin tells Brisbane Times of his summer highlights.

Do you think 2021 was better than 2020?

2021 was definitely a more positive year than 2020, especially since we were able to perform our scheduled productions, with the exception of one cancellation of our Queensland Ballet Academy Gala and the postponement of Peter and the Wolf, due to snap lockdowns. We are incredibly grateful this year to not only be in the studio rehearsing, but also performing on stage to full-capacity theatres.

Whats your favourite (and worst) Christmas memory?

My fondest Christmas memory was when my parents first came to America to visit me after I had left China. They stayed with me for Christmas, and it was so special to see their wonderment at this new culture and new environment they were experiencing. I dont have a bad Christmas memory, because its always such a magical, special time of year.



Queensland Ballets artistic director Li Cunxin.



Who were your heroes of 2021?

My heroes are still the frontline workers, the nurses, doctors, paramedics and police officers who rose to the challenge during the pandemic. I have such a respect and appreciation for the people working in the health system, they have been absolutely fantastic through such a challenging time.
A shop assistant in Bourke Street holds up a $10 note to the light to check its authenticity. Credit:The Age Archives

The international police organisation Interpol has been asked to help police break the $10 note counterfeit ring.

First published in The Age on December 30, 1966

This latest move to smash the forgery gang was made yesterday when the number of forged $10 notes discovered by Victorian banks and major retailers declined sharply.

Police also searched suburban homes for forged notes and printing plates.

The Chief Commissioner of Police (Mr. Arnold) has directed the two senior police officers in charge of investigations, the assistant commissioner in charge of crime investigations (Mr J. Rosengren) and the CIB chief (Superintendent L. Bent) to communicate with Interpol headquarters in Paris.

From there other countries  particularly those neighbouring Australia  will be asked to pay particular attention to the Victorian inquiries.

The approach to Interpol seems to indicate that the expertly produced forgeries found in the past few days were printed overseas.
Guwahati, India: Tridip Kumbang leads his seven colleagues through the narrow streets of the village of Naramari in Indias north-eastern state of Assam.

On the deputy police superintendents sign, an armed patrol swoops into a home.

A 55-year-old suspect flees out of the back door but runs straight into the waiting arms of two police officers from Kumbangs unit.

A Myanmarese man looks towards the Indian side at the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram, India. Credit:AP

A tense 40-minute search reveals around 35 grams of powder hidden in a panel in a wall. The police believe it is either pure heroin or brown sugar- a locally manufactured, low-quality imitation flooding an already saturated market. Drugs are in ample supply in the region and we are losing many of our young adults, Kumbang said on the raid.
Richest Indian on Tuesday mentioned about transition at his energy-to-retail conglomerate, saying he wants the process to be accelerated with seniors, including him, yielding to the younger generation.

Ambani, 64, who has previously not spoken about succession plans at the country's most valuable company, said Reliance is "now in the process of effecting a momentous transition."



Ambani has three children -- twins Akash and Isha, and Anant.

Speaking at the Reliance Family Day, which marks the birth anniversary of the group's founder Dhirubhai Ambani, he said Ltd will become one of the strongest and most reputed Indian multinational in the world in the coming years, propelled by forays into the clean and green energy sector as well as retail and telecom business reaching unprecedented heights.

"Achieving big dreams and impossible-looking goals is all about getting the right people and the right Reliance is now in the process of effecting a momentous leadership transition... from seniors belonging to my generation to the next generation of young leaders," he said.

And this process, he would like "to be accelerated."



The speech was reported by Ambani-owned outlet News18.com.

The company did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comments on Ambani's remarks about succession.

"All seniors -- myself included -- should now yield to the highly competent, extremely committed, and incredibly promising young leadership talent at Reliance," Ambani said. "We should guide them, enable them, encourage them and empower them... and sit back and applaud as they perform better than us."



He did not elaborate.

Reliance now has three verticals -- energy business comprising of oil refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat, petrochemicals plants and new energy factories, the retail business made up of physical stores and online e-commerce unit in JioMart, and telecom and digital business housed in Jio.

Ambani said an organisational culture must be built at Reliance that outlasts its leaders. "I have no doubt that Akash, Isha and Anant as the next-gen leaders will lead Reliance to even greater heights."



In them, he saw "the same spark and potential" that legendary industrialist and his father had "for making a difference to millions of lives and contributing to India's growth."



"Let us all wish them good luck in their mission to make Reliance ever more successful with even more transformative initiatives and achieving even greater accolades for our Reliance," he said.

At the beginning of the speech, he also mentioned about the spouses of Isha (Anand Piramal) and Akash (Shloka) as well as Radhika, who is rumoured to be bride-to-be of Anant. He also mentioned about Prithvi, one-year-old son of Akash and Shloka.

Ambani said the time is now to "lay the foundation for Reliance's future growth over the coming decades" by seizing the humungous opportunity.

He sounded cautious over not letting the guard down saying while normalcy is slowly returning after the pandemic, it still is clouded by uncertainty over the spread of the new variants.

"As we enter the second half of Reliance's Golden Decade, I can tell you that the future of our company looks brighter to me than ever before. I can confidently make two predictions. First, India will become one of the top three economies in the world. Second, Reliance will become one of the strongest and most reputed Indian multinational in the world," he said.

Ambani said despite the pandemic, Reliance has completely re-engineered its energy business.

Energy business previously was confined to oil refining, petrochemicals, fuel retailing and natural gas production. Now, it is investing billions of dollars in setting up clean energy factories.

"Now, Reliance is poised to become a global leader in clean and green energy and materials," he said. "This transformation of our oldest business will provide us the largest growth engine for Reliance and yet another opportunity to many of you to do things that will be first in the world."



With a presence in both online and physical store formats, Reliance Retail has revolutionized organised retail in India.

"In the past one year alone, we have onboarded nearly one million small shopkeepers and created nearly one lakh new employment opportunities. This growth engine will continue to create significant societal value by providing unlimited opportunities for our partners and employees," he said.

Telecom arm Jio has gained over 120 million subscribers and brought fiber to nearly 4 million homes and commercial establishments. "It has laid the foundation for making India the world's premier digital society," he said.

Stating that it was time to lay the foundation for Reliance's future growth just as his father Dhirubhai had laid for today's Reliance at the beginning of the 1990s, he said given existing portfolio, growth engines and strong balance sheet, availability of finance and opportunities will be unlimited.

"What we must focus on is imperative to build an organisation culture capable of translating the opportunity into reality," he said.

He went on to list imperatives of must-dos -- never become complacent by achieving perpetual growth through constant renewal and re-invention; continuously revisit, iterate, re-iterate and communicate the common philosophy of 'We Care' that guides and inspires Reliance; and self-growth.

"Now, a semblance of normality is slowly returning. But this normalcy is still clouded by uncertainty," he said. "Which is why we simply cannot afford to lower the guard."



Covid, he said, has taught important lessons, including that health is true wealth, safety first and family first.

"Earning and retaining this wealth of good health is in our own hands. The ingredients are healthy food, good thoughts, good deeds, yoga, meditation, sports, exercises," he said. "During the pandemic, work from home has enabled all of us to spend more quality time with our children, spouse and parents. In future, technology will offer even more exciting ways of hybrid and virtual work."



Ambani said for him 'Reliance as a Happy Family' is as important as the 'Reliance as a Super-Successful Company'.

(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.)
MetaMap, a that helps authenticate the identity of their customers, has raised Rs 530 crore in for product development and international expansion.

The capital came in a Series B led by Tribe Capital, with participation from Craft Ventures, Alameda Research (FTX), Titan Capital, and angel investor Jerry Murdock, founder of Insight Partners. It increases the total of the company--formerly known as Mati--to Rs 630 crore.

MetaMap offers solutions for fraud prevention, identity and financial qualification, and credential sourcing. These capabilities are crucial for industries in the digital economy, ranging from e-commerce and cryptocurrency to gig work.

MetaMap is building its flagship technology hub in India, with over 30 employees already across offices in Bangalore and Gurgaon. The company said it will increase its headcount fivefold and will form partnerships with Indian fintechs, marketplaces and crypto exchanges in 2022.

"The world continues to gravitate towards a more fluid, borderless economy that fosters greater participation from individuals who have typically been excluded from global commerce. However, the tools needed to make this vision a reality are still missing, said Filip Victor, founder and CEO of MetaMap.

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of global business, moving the world closer towards a borderless economy. Covid accelerated the borderless economy faster than anyone previously imagined, but its true potential remains stalled because of severe fragmentation, said Victor.

MetaMap allows entrepreneurs to vet individuals and assess their risk profile based on a variety of personal merits, validated by hundreds of data points. Entrepreneurs can know about an individuals profile, from basics like legal identity to more sophisticated qualifications such as biometrics. Developers using MetaMap can put together custom automated workflows that qualify users on any number of different merits at any stage of their customer journey.

We are excited to invest and support MetaMaps mission of creating a borderless economy by bringing users together on the digital map, said Bipin Shah, Partner, Titan Capital.

Jeff Fluhr, General Partner at Craft Ventures, said solving the problem of digital invisibility unlocks massive capital and human potential worldwide. MetaMap has a nuanced and innovative approach for establishing trustworthiness online that scales beautifully, said Fluhr.
on Tuesday said its board of directors has appointed Baldev Prakash as the MD & CEO for three years.

The board of directors in the meeting held on December 28 has appointed Baldev Prakash as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the bank for a period of three years, J&K Bank said in a regulatory filing.

His appointment will be effective from the actual date of his taking charge, the bank said.

The board also appointed R K Chhibber as an additional director on the board of the bank to be effective from the date Baldev Prakash takes charge as MD&CEO of the bank, it said further.

In October this year, the RBI had approved the appointment of Prakash as the next MD&CEO of J&K Bank. His appointment was slated from the date of taking charge or April 10, 2022, whichever earlier.

Prakash has over 30 years of experience in in various roles at small and large size branches at SBI. He had joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1991 and he is currently the Chief General Manager (Digital and Transaction Marketing Department) at SBI, Mumbai.

Presently, RK Chhibber is the Chairman and Managing Director of J&K Bank, who assumed the charge in June 2019.

J&K Bank shares closed at Rs 35.80 apiece on BSE, up by 0.56 per cent from the previous close.

(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.)
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Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Tuesday said it is planning to set up a new facility in

The Mumbai-based drug maker's founder Dilip Shanghvi and his team met Chief Minister of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to discuss the progress of the pharmaceutical sector and the setting up of an end-to-end facility in the state, according to a statement.

I am pleased with the chief minister's understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the state," Shangvi said and added that the integrated development of the state was becoming clear as part of the chief minister's policy.

is the fourth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company in the world with global revenues of over USD 4.5 billion.

Supported by more than 40 facilities, the company provides medicines to more than 100 countries across the globe.

The chief minister explained to the team the steps being taken by the government for industrial progress and invited them to take the advantage of this opportunity and invest in the state, the statement added.

The chief minister noted that the opening of the plant in the state would lead to the creation of more jobs and contribute to the enhancement of the industrial sector in the state, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indias drug regulator approved two new Covid-19 vaccines, along with an oral antiviral pill, on Tuesday, a day after the subject expert committee (SEC) gave its green signal. Vaccines Corbevax (Biological E) and Covovax ( of India and Novavax), and antiviral Molnupiravir ( and Ridgeback) were given the nod.

The move also increases the options before India to allow the mixing of vaccines for a third shot, in case the health minstry decides to do so. The Centre had recently allowed a third shot after nine months of the second dose to health care, frontline workers, and senior citizens with co-morbidities. Vaccination for 15-18-year-olds has also been opened up. Together, monthly production of 150 million doses of the two new vaccines is expected from March.

Corbevax, produced by Biological E, is Indias first indigenously developed receptor-binding domain protein subunit vaccine. The nanoparticle vaccine, Covovax, will be manufactured by Pune-based SII. Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug, will be manufactured in the country by 13 for restricted use under emergency situations for treatment of adult patients with Covid-19 and who have a high risk of progression of the disease.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted: Further strengthening the fight against Covid-19, CDSCO, @MoHFW_INDIA has given 3 approvals in a single day for: - CORBEVAX vaccine - COVOVAX vaccine - Anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in an emergency situation.

Both vaccines have been approved for adults; paediatric trials of Covovax are on. Therefore, the vaccine could be approved for use in children later.

Corbevax is developed with Dynavaxs CpG1018 adjuvant with alum, which helps the body build immune response against coronavirus, said Biological E. It has developed the vaccine in collaboration with the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Childrens CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.





The vaccine has completed two phase 3 clinical trials involving more than 3,000 subjects (18-80-year-olds) across 33 sites in India. The firm claimed in the pivotal phase 3 study conducted with an endpoint of immunogenic superiority, Corbevax showed superior immune response in comparison with Covishield when assessed for neutralising antibody (nAb) titres against the original Wuhan-strain and the Delta variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus.

The firm added that Corbevax is more than 90 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic infections against the Wuhan strain; against the Delta strain, it indicates the efficacy of over 80 per cent. Subjects who took Corbevax had 50 per cent fewer adverse events than Covishield, Biological E claimed. None who received either of the vaccines had any serious adverse events.

Further, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said Corbevax showed a 30 per cent decline in nAb until six months of the second dose, compared to an over 80 per cent drop observed with the majority of the approved vaccines.

Mahima Datla, MD, Biological E, noted: Covid Suraksha Programmes endeavour to accelerate vaccine development played a crucial role in the initial development; the mechanism that was set-up with the support of the Department of Biotechnology and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council allowed us to scale up to a capacity of about 1.2 billion doses per annum, making the dream of accessibility  affordability and supply  a reality.

Novavaxs nanoparticle vaccine, on the other hand, is developed with Matrix-M adjuvant, and it already has approvals from the WHO, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII, which will make and market the vaccine under the name Covovax in India, said: We are proud to deliver a highly-effective protein-based vaccine of over 90 per cent efficacy rate, based on the clinical data demonstrating a favourable safety profile.

Novavax president and CEO Stanley C Erck said: Novavax and our partner, Serum will not rest in our work to deliver our vaccine to those in India and across the globe.

Additionally, Novavax and SK Bioscience announced a Biologics License Application submission in South Korea. Novavax expects to submit the complete package to the US FDA by the end of the year.

Roll-out timelines

Biological E plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses per month, anticipating over 100 million doses per month from February 2022, the company said. It aims to deliver 300 million doses to the Indian government soon.

The Centre had placed advance orders for 300 million doses of Corbevax with Biological E with a payment of Rs 1,500 crore in June. The government had not revealed the price at which the advance order was placed with the company.

Soon, the company plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses globally, it added.

SII did not comment on vaccine production plans and volumes.

Sources, however, said the company may touch production volumes of 50 million monthly doses of Covovax by March. Poonawalla had indicated there were raw material availability issues for this vaccine around April this year.

A Novavax spokesperson had recently indicated to Business Standard that Novavax is expecting to produce approximately 2 billion doses in 2022 across the global manufacturing network.
About 10,000 came up in the last six months to mark the countrys capabilities in technology and innovation, said Prime Minister on Tuesday as he praised the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT).

Modi was addressing the 54th convocation of Kanpur when he said that India was the worlds second largest start-up hub and third largest for unicornsan achievement he credited students for.

India accounts for more than 75 unicorns, while number almost 50,000. In fact, about 10,000 have come up in the last six months, he said while listing steps taken by his government to promote entrepreneurship.

There is a lot of debate about globalisation today. Indian companies and products have the opportunity to make a mark globally. I am confident of your capabilities and want to assure that the government will stand with you, he said to graduating students of Kanpur.

In the first 25 years post-independence, India could not achieve what it should have. Thereafter, we lost valuable time and two generations. Now, we are left with no more time to waste. I may sound impatient but I wish you (students) also feel impatient to realise our dreams.

Noting that 21st century was technology driven, he said technology was pervading every sector. IITs have functioned as technology incubation centres. You have been equipped with the wherewith to contribute to the technology field globally.

Lauding the contribution of IIT Kanpur in the fields of scientific research, Modi said its students should continue the glorious legacy of their institute. Later, Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kanpur Metro Rail project that is being built for an investment of Rs 11,000 crore.
is targeting to make one billion doses of its Covid-19 intranasal vaccine annually while it is on track to achieve one billion doses of Covaxin, India's first indigenous Covid vaccine.

The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker has already approached the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for approval to conduct phase-III trials of its intranasal vaccine.

Intranasal vaccine (BBV154) has the potential to prevent transmission and its Phase-III trials are expected to commence in 2022.

"This non-invasive, needle-free, easy to administer vaccine is suitable for kids and adults. It is easy to scale the production to meet the global demand," sources in told IANS.

Nasal vaccine can also be used as a booster dose against variants of concern. It can be given as a booster dose in combination with two doses of any intramuscular Covid vaccine.

Paediatric Covaxin: "Our vaccine for children was evaluated in the 2-18 years age group. It has now received approval for the 12-18 years age group from DCGI. To begin, India will administer the vaccine for children between 15 and 18 years. We have augmented our production, and are well prepared to support this programme," sources said.

The vaccine maker says that Covaxin is formulated uniquely such that the same dosage can be administered to adults and children alike. With an established proven safety and efficacy record in adults for the original variant and subsequent variants, Covaxin is very well suited for children.

The company continues to invest, upgrade and expand its facilities. "Manufacturing scale up has been carried out in a stepwise manner across multiple, specially designed Bio-Safety Level-3 production facilities in Hyderabad in Telangana, Malur in Karnataka and Ankleshwar in Gujarat and Pune, Maharashtra, the productions are on track and on target, with an aim to touch an annualised 1.0 billion doses of Covaxin," sources told IANS.

Exports: has commenced exports of Covaxin. "To start with, long pending export orders will be executed in early 2022 to countries that have granted emergency use approvals for Covaxin and to those additional countries that are recently added to our export lists. More than 60 countries have already shown interest to use our Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology vaccine against Covid."

"When approved, Covaxin will create history and will become the first Made in India vaccine to gain access to the market in the US and in Canada. Covaxin will become an integral part of the global fight against this Pandemic," they added.

The company believes that India has accomplished an incredible task tackling this pandemic, through the world's largest vaccination drive. The development of Covaxin has contributed to India's being self-reliant against Covid-19 and has successfully thwarted the onslaught of variants of concern largely, ensuring that severity, and hospitalisation is minimised to those administered during 2021.

2022 and beyond: The coming will see more publications from Bharat Biotech for Covid-19 vaccines and other vaccines under development. Human clinical trials for vaccines against Chikungunya, Cholera, Paratyaphi, non typhoidal Salmonella, Zika, Typhoid, Rotavirus, etc., will be ongoing worldwide.

"As Bharat Biotech is one of the youngest functioning vaccines companies in India, it is important that the startup ecosystem is alive well in our country. The success of the Public-Private partnership model resulting in world-class vaccines such as Rotavac, Typbar TCV, and now Covaxin will certainly stimulate more PPP in the years to come."

The R&D and manufacture of Covaxin and other Covid-19 vaccines has developed partnerships with several Indian academic institutions and companies such as the ICMR, NIV Pune, IICT Hyderabad, Indian Immunologicals, Bibcol, Haffkine Institute, Hester Biosciences, Biovet, etc.

This is exactly the vision of Dr. Krishna Ella, whereby innovation and product development results in improving the science ecosystem and leads to nation building. India's preparedness to deal with pandemics has become strong, and we will lead the world through major advancements in the development of vaccines and manufacturing prowess.

--IANS

ms/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
interim president on Tuesday accused the of "rewriting" history to give themselves a role they do not deserve in the freedom movement.

She made the observation at the 137th foundation day celebrations of the party.

"Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice and which had no role whatsoever to play in our freedom movement are now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society. They are rewriting history to give themselves a role they do not deserve. They inflame passions, instill fear and spread animosity. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. The Indian will fight these destructive forces with all might at its command. " she said.

Though there have been electoral losses but the party will fight, said,adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all people of the diverse society.

"Let there be no doubt on our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy, "she said.

One Hundred and Thirty-six years ago today, the Indian was founded and established. Over the decades, it has confronted several challenges and it has always demonstrated its resilience. The party rededicate itself to the ideals, values & principles of the organisation that have been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest, noblest and most selfless of Indians of the 20th century, she said.

Earlier, the veteran leader hoisted the party flag at the party headquarters with several leaders and MPs in attendance.

According to the party's website, on December 28, 1885, as many as 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the Indian Union at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. The conference was renamed as the Indian National Congress.

The second session of the Congress took place under the leadership of Dadabhai Naoroji in Calcutta. The number of delegates had increased to 434.

Towards the end of the session, the Congress decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country.

--IANS

miz/shb/

(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.)
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha on Tuesday asserted that the party will regain its old glory and also return to power in

Chowdhury claimed that non-Congress governments have never been able to steer the country on the path of development.

Addressing a programme on the 137th foundation day of Congress at Baharampur in Murshidabad district, the state party president said, "There are ups and downs in fortunes, it does not mean Congress will continue to remain weak. The party will regain its old glory and definitely return to power in "



The Congress ruled since Independence till 1977, with a brief gap of a few years. It was unseated from power by the Left Front which ruled the state uninterruptedly till 2011. However, both Congress and the Left parties failed to win even one seat in this year's assembly elections.

Chowdhury alleged that neither the Janata Dal nor the V P Singh government could run the country, and the BJP also failed to deliver during its rule.

"Hens lay eggs but they cannot make omelette. These people come to power but can't run the country," Chowdhury quipped, while asserting that only the Congress, which has ruled India for 54 years, can take the country forward.

Alleging that the BJP has taken recourse to divisive politics after failing to deliver, he asserted, "People are again thinking of Congress."



Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya asserted that India can't be imagined without the grand old party, and called for a fight against both BJP and Trinamool Congress, which is trying to project itself as the main opposition against the saffron camp in place of Congress.

Addressing another function at Congress' West Bengal headquarters Bidhan Bhavan, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "If anyone thinks that India can be taken forward on the path of progress by abandoning the Congress, he/she is living in a fool's paradise. It is not possible. India can't be imagined without Congress."



The TMC, of late, claims to be the only force opposing the BJP, and accuses "war-weary" Congress of failing to put up an effective fight against the saffron brigade.

Bhattacharya, a former Congress state unit chief, said that some people are attacking the grand old party to "secure applause" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asserted that a party that has existed in politics for 137 years cannot be wiped out.

"I urge you all to fight against the unholy forces of BJP and TMC. We will certainly emerge victorious one day. Some are attacking the Congress to get the PM's applause. But it is impossible for any force to wipe out a party that has existed for 137 years," he said.

The Congress has accused the TMC of effectively helping the BJP through its expansion drive in Goa, Meghalaya and other states.

The ruling party in West Bengal has recently emerged as the main opposition party in Meghalaya after 12 of the 17 elected Congress MLAs joined Mamata Banerjee's party en masse.

Bhattacharya said that the recently concluded Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections, in which Congress won only two of the 144 wards, show that party workers are not afraid and can fight back.

A Congress candidate had alleged that he was beaten up by TMC workers after the conclusion of polling on December 19.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "does not have any clue" as to how to bring down the prices of essential commodities or give jobs to crores of unemployed people.

(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 on Tuesday demanded the cancellation of Vibrant 2022 Summit to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10 in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases and the Omicron scare.

The opposition party in the state asked if delegations coming from foreign countries to participate in the summit will be quarantined for a week as per Central government rules in place to curb the pandemic.

Cases of COVID-19 are increasing, especially those of its new variant Omicron. In such circumstances, is it necessary to conduct such a show? The summit should be canceled or else it will be a super-spreader event, former Congress chief Siddarth Patel said.

Speaking at a programme to mark the Congress' 137th Foundation Day, he said earlier Vibrant summits had not brought good results for the state as MoUs of several crore rupees were signed but nothing had materialized nor had people got jobs as promised.

The responsibility of the state government is to save people from falling prey to the pandemic but this government is going about organising events that will further infect people and put them at risk of losing their lives, he said.

For people arriving here from other countries, the Central government has made 7-day quarantine compulsory. Will foreign delegations be quarantined here? If the quarantine rule is strictly followed, no representatives from other countries will come for such a summit, he said.

The Vibrant Gujarat summit is scheduled to be held from January 10 to 12, and state government sources said there was no plan to cancel it at this juncture.

Incidentally, a state government release said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will participate in the pre Vibrant Gujarat event on the textile sector in Surat on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Gujarat reported an addition of 394 to the COVID-19 tally, while the state currently has 78 cases of the Omicron variant.

(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 Tuesday reported seven new Omicron variant of COVID-19 cases taking the tally to 62, the Health department said, as the State achieved a key milestone in the battle against the pandemic by administering the first dose of COVID vaccines to 100 per cent of eligible beneficiaries.

Of the seven cases, four were passengers who arrived at the international airport from countries other than those declared 'at risk' by the Centre, while three were contacts of patients who tested positive for the variant earlier, a department bulletin said.

According to the bulletin, 13 among the 62 have recovered from the infection.

Meanwhile, today reported 228 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,81,072, while the death toll rose to 4,024 with one more fatality.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 110, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (20) district, the bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today.

It said 185 people recovered from the infection and the cumulative number of recoveries till date was



6, 73,589.

The number of active cases was 3,459, the bulletin said.

has completed 100 per cent first dose COVID-19 vaccination by inoculating 2, 77, 67,000 eligible people above the age of 18. A total of 5.55 crore doses are targeted to be administered, Health Minister Harish Rao said.

"So far 100 per cent of the first dose and 66 per cent of the second dose vaccination have been completed. The national average is 90 per cent for the first dose and 63 per cent for the second dose. We are ahead of the national average," he said.

There are 22.78 lakh people aged 15-18 years (yet to be vaccinated), 41.60 lakh people above 60 years and 6.34 lakh health care and frontline warriors in the state and arrangements are being made to vaccinate them from January 3 (15-18 years) and (January 10 above 60 booster shots), Rao said.

Vaccination is being carried out in 3500 centres in the government and 264 centres in the private sector, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Tuesday reported a net reduction of 385 in active cases to take its count to 75,456. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 0.3 per cent (one in 333). The country is thirty-third among the most affected countries by active cases. On Sunday, it added 6,358 cases to take its total caseload to 34,799,691 from 34,793,333  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 293 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 480,290, or 1.38 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 7,287,547 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Monday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 1,424,681,736. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 34,243,945  or 98.4 per cent of total caseload  with 6,450 new cured cases being reported on Tuesday.

Now the thirty-third-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases and recoveries, India has added 47,427 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 0.3% of all active cases globally (one in every 333 active cases), and 8.86% of all deaths (one in every 11 deaths).

India has so far administered 1,424,681,736 vaccine doses. That is 4093.94 per cent of its total caseload, and 101.84 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (200801632), Maharashtra (136304310), West Bengal (106537189), Madhya Pradesh (104008335), and Bihar (99475289).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Gujarat (1443156), Delhi (1432464), Jammu and Kashmir (1384480), Kerala (1380740), and Uttarakhand (1326388).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 87 days.

The count of active cases across India on Tuesday saw a net decrease of 385, compared with 925 on Monday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Maharashtra (629), Delhi (186), Gujarat (138), Jharkhand (116), and Haryana (64).

With 6,450 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 98.4%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.38%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.75%), Nagaland (2.18%), and Uttarakhand (2.15%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 6,743  293 deaths and 6,450 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 4.34%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.0%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 3793.5 days, and for deaths at 1135.9 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (1636), Maharashtra (1426), Tamil Nadu (605), West Bengal (439), and Karnataka (331).

India on Monday conducted 1,035,495 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 674,078,531. The test positivity rate recorded was 0.6%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.76%), Kerala (12.73%), Sikkim (11.45%), Goa (11.15%), and Maharashtra (9.71%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Mizoram (10.27%), Nagaland (4.57%), Goa (3.99%), Kerala (3.88%), and West Bengal (2.52%).

Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1729201), J&K (1396531), Kerala (1152651), Punjab (1083359), and Karnataka (830200).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6659314), Kerala (5236758), Karnataka (3004876), Tamil Nadu (2744642), and Andhra Pradesh (2076546).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 1426 new cases to take its tally to 6659314.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 1636 cases to take its tally to 5236758.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 289 cases to take its tally to 3004876.

Tamil Nadu has added 605 cases to take its tally to 2744642.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 54 to 2076546.

Uttar Pradesh has added 39 cases to take its tally to 1710970.

Delhi has added 331 cases to take its tally to 1443683.
trains shall now run with only 50 per cent seating capacity with no provision for standing for commuters in view of the latest restrictions imposed by DDMA authorities due to rise in cases, officials said on Tuesday.

DTC and other city buses shall also ply with only 50 per cent of the total seating capacity in view of the new norms, they said.

Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases following the emergence of the Omicron variant, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday declared a 'yellow alert' under which schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms shall be closed, shops dealing in non-essential items will open on odd-even basis, and metro trains and buses will run with 50 per cent of seating capacity in the city.

The Rail Corporation (DMRC) network's current span is nearly 392 km with 286 stations, including the NoidaGreater Noida Metro Corridor and Rapid Metro, Gurgaon.

In view of the latest guidelines issued by the government for the containment of COVID-19 in Delhi, travel inside the metro will be allowed, with certain restrictions, DMRC officials said.

Travel will be allowed, only up to 50 per cent of the seating capacity inside metro trains. In addition, no passenger shall be allowed to stand during the travel, they said.

"In view of the same, entry into metro stations will be regulated by restricting the number of gates open for entry into stations to ensure compliance with the guidelines. Out of 712 gates, 444 will be kept open as of now," the official said.

In accordance with 'Level-1' alert under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in place, there would be night curfew between 10 pm and 5 am.

Earlier this year, metro services were suspended for several weeks in view of the rising cases amid the second wave of the pandemic, which had wreaked havoc in the city.

DMRC services were fully suspended since May 10 in view of the Covid-induced lockdown in Delhi. It was first imposed on April 19, and successively extended by the city government. Services had run partially, catering only to people from the field of essential services.

The had resumed services then from June 7 after a hiatus of four weeks in view of the improved Covid-19 situation in the national capital, albeit with 50 per cent seating capacity and no provision for standing travel for commuters.

Following the relaxations in norms by authorities, the Delhi Metro was running with full seating capacity from July 26, initially with no provision for standing travel for commuters, and later provision for standing was allowed with some regulations.

However, due to social distancing and other Covid norms, crowding at stations has been an issue, and many commuters had been appealing to the DMRC on social media to reopen more gates at stations post the improvement in situation in the city.

(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.)
Protesting resident doctors have called for total shutdown of medical services in hospitals after the police action against them on Monday afternoon.

The resident doctors, who have been protesting against delay in PG counselling, were marching towards the Supreme Court when they were stopped by the police near ITO in the afternoon, and claimed that over a thousand of them were detained by the police.

Calling it a "black day" in the history of the medical fraternity, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) said: "There will be a complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions today onwards. We strongly condemn this brutality and demand immediate release of our FORDA representatives and resident doctors."

"A Black Day in the history of Medical fraternity of the nation. Resident Doctors, the so called 'Corona Warriors', protesting peacefully to Expedite PG Counselling 2021 in were brutally thrashed, dragged & detained by the cops. The medical fraternity of the nation must condemn this act in strongest words & come forward in support. We urge all State RDAs of the nation to join the agitation! We all stand united in this fight against injustice," the statement said.

Talking to IANS, RML Hospital RDA Vice President, Dr Ajay Kumar, said that over a thousand doctors have been detained by Police, and they want an apology "for such barbaric action".

Meanwhile, protesting doctors gathered at the Safdarjung Hospital in late evening to march towards the residence of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to protest. However, they were stopped on the way and taken to Sarojini Nagar Police Station.

RML Hospital RDA General Secretary Dr Survesh Pandey told IANS that they were detained at the Sarojini Nagar Police Station while on the way to the Health Minister's residence but released in the late night.

The doctors are holding a midnight meeting to intensify their protest.

--IANS

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Funeral pyres burned day and night, and riverbanks were dotted with bodies as the surge in deaths from the second wave of Covid-19 overwhelmed India. Cases topped 400,000 per day, then the worlds highest single-day figure, and daily deaths surpassed 6,000. Patients were rushed from hospital to hospital; many died on the way or at home. There were reports of bodies found floating in the Ganges or buried by its banks. Oxygen trucks moved under armed guard to replenish supplies that were dangerously low. There were stories of grief and pain everywhere. With both their parents dead, hundreds of children were left orphaned.

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Five Indian companies will manufacture military grade extreme weather clothing system aimed at fulfilling the requirements and also to export these to other countries.

Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over technology of extreme weather clothing system to five Indian companies aimed to export these military grade clothes to other countries.

The three-layered extreme weather clothing system is designed to provide thermal insulation between plus 15 degree and minus 50 degree Celsius.

Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy handed over the technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing system to five Indian companies in New Delhi on Monday.

The extreme cold weather clothing system is required by the for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks.

The Army, till recently has been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions.

The designed extreme cold weather clothing system is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity.

The extreme cold weather clothing system embodies physiological concepts related to reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing water proof, wind proof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations.

"Considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation or IREQ for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army," said in a statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Reddy emphasised on the need for developing indigenous industrial base for Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment items, not only to cater to the existing requirements of the Army but also to tap its potential for export.

--IANS

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(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 (ED) has collected more evidence in connection with the Rs 100 crore money-laundering case involving former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, and according to the sources, the agency is likely to file the supplementary charge sheet on January 3.

Deshmukh was arrested by the ED on November 2. After the interrogation he was sent to judicial custody by the concerned Mumbai Court on ED's request.

ED sources said that the supplementary charge sheet is ready and they are taking legal opinion to file it before the concerned court. They are examining the evidence collected by them and cross checking all the testimonies to collaborate them with the evidence.

"We have testimonies of 12 IPS officials, Anil Parab, the State Transport Minister, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh, and former chief secretary Sitaram Kunte," said the source.

It was alleged that the officials were given favourable posts following the recommendation of Anil Deshmukh.

The sources said that with the help of evidence they will be able to prove their case before the court.

If ED fails to file the charge sheet within 60 days Anil Deshmukh will get default bail which ED doesn't want to happen, sources said.

On August 24 this year the ED had filed it's first charge sheet. Anil Deshmukh had gone missing soon after the case was filed against him. Later on he appeared before the probe agency to join the probe on November 2 and was placed under arrest. After the interrogation he was remanded to judicial custody.

The ED case is based on the CBI's FIR. Deshmukh had reportedly told the now dismissed Mumbai Police's Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and restaurants of Mumbai. There are also allegations that Deshmukh gave favourable transfer postings to a few IPS officers. The ED is investigating whether money was offered in such transfer and postings.

--IANS

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(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.)
With the authorities imposing fresh COVID-19 restrictions in on Tuesday, traders said it will be a "death warrant" for the fitness industry and make a "big dent" in their businesses.

They also requested the authorities to reconsider the decision to impose restrictions.

The Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Tuesday ordered the closure of schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms with immediate effect and put various restrictions on the functioning of shops and public transport as a yellow alert was sounded under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The 'yellow' alert restrictions stipulate that shops and establishments of non-essential goods and services and malls will open based on odd-even formula from 10 AM to 8 PM.

Owners of gyms and spas across the city said that the move will prove to be a "death warrant" for the fitness industry which has been grappling for survival ever since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Representatives of gyms and market associations said the government could have also considered two other indicators as well -- the number of fresh cases and that of the oxygen beds occupied -- before announcing a "yellow" alert.

The Gym Association, an umbrella body of gyms and fitness centres in the city, condemned the DDMA decision to close gyms under the yellow alert of the GRAP.

"This decision will completely destroy the Delhi fitness industry. All the gym owners were already under the burden of debt due to rent, fixed electrical charges, fixed water charges, etc. but now with this decision we are left with no option but to go bankrupt. This decision has come as a death warrant for gym owners," Chirag Sethi, Vice President, Delhi Gym Association, said.

He said that gyms and spas are always the first entity to get closed and always the last to reopen.

The association urged the DDMA to reconsider its decision.

"The gym owners have already suffered a lot due to previous lockdowns. Gym owners are on the verge of going bankrupt.... With absolutely no support from the government, the industry will die. We request the DDMA to reconsider the decision, Sethi said.

There are around 5,500 gymnasiums and fitness centres across the national capital.

Nishant Kharbanda, owner of Annandam spa in GK-2, expressed similar concerns and said that a complete shutdown of spas doesn't make sense when saloons are open and markets can function on odd-even basis.

"Saloons and parlours are open but spas will be shut, which is very ironical. We are yet to recover from the losses and now this move will further hit the industry hard. The government should have allowed spas to function on odd-even basis akin to markets, Kharbanda said.

Market associations across the city also said that the authorities should have considered the number of fresh cases and that of the oxygen beds occupied as well before announcing a "yellow" alert.

Sadar Bazar Market Association president Devraj Baweja said that traders were yet to recover from the impact of the lockdown during the second wave of COVID-19 earlier this year.

Baweja said the fresh restrictions will affect traders hard as the number of business days will be reduced in odd-even arrangement. Earlier if a shop used to open six days a week, now that will function only for three days.

"Why always shopkeepers are punished when the actual crowd is due to the illegal vendors and lack of proper enforcement. How will the government ensure odd-even operation of stalls of roadside vendors or illegal vendors in any market of the city? Baweja asked.

Kamla Nagar Market Association president Nitin Gupta said it is the trader who is punished even for the laxity of authorities.

"Odd-even arrangement in markets will hurt our businesses. The business is already down and this move will further dissuade customers from coming to markets, Gupta said.

He added that the authorities, be it the government or the corporations, hardly remove encroachments and illegal vendors from the market which are the big reason behind crowding.

Traders Association Lajpat Nagar general secretary Ashwani Marwah said while the move will affect their business, it is a necessary preventive measure.

"With this move less number of customer will come for shopping. But on the other hand it is a necessary preventive measure taken at the right time to arrest the spread of the virus, Marwah said.

He added that other than the administration, the market associations have also deployed volunteers to make people aware about wearing masks.

There is no entry at shops without masks in Lajpat Nagar market, Marwah said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jaswinder Singh Multan, a top member of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has been arrested in for allegedly being the main conspirator of the December 23 blast in the Ludhiana district court complex which killed one person and injured five others, sources said.

He was arrested after India shared evidence to counter-terror agencies in Berlin.

"We shared all the evidence that we gathered from the blast spot and also how the conspiracy by Multan was hatched," said one of the sources.

Multan was conspiring to bring in more explosives from Pakistan in India through the international boundary and was also planning to carry out similar blasts in other parts of the country.

It is also alleged that Multan was also behind pushing arms in the Khemkaran area of Punjab's Tarn Taran district in October this year.

The Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) had recovered a huge cache of weapons near the India-Pakistan border in the Khemkaran area on October 20. They had recovered 22 pistols, 44 magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition and also a kg of heroin.

The source said that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were in touch with Multan.

On December 23, the explosion took place in a washroom on the second floor of the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana at around 12.22 p.m.

The counter-terrorism agencies probing the incident had claimed that it was the former Head Constable of Punjab Police, Gagandeep Singh, who planted the bomb at the court complex and died as it suddenly went off killing him on the spot.

Gagandeep Singh, a former police head constable who was dismissed from the service for having links with durg dealer. He was booked under NDPS act and lodged in jail for two years in this connection in 2019.

The probe agencies have also found that Pakistani's ISI were behind the blast and were in touch with Gagandeep Singh. During the probe, cops found the role of SFJ members Harvinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh Multan, who were based in They were in touch with SFJ president Avtar Singh Pannu and Harmeet Singh.

--IANS

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(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 view of the persistent demand from various parties, including the ruling allies, the BJP government in is likely to propose to the Centre to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the entire state, officials said on Monday.

Ruling BJP's two vital allies -- Naga People's Front (NPF) and National People's Party (NPP) -- and the main opposition Congress in have been demanding to withdraw from entire

A top Manipur government official said that the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh would meet in a day or two to formally adopt a resolution proposing the Central government to withdraw the special act from the entire state.

"Before the cabinet meeting, the state government would take the views of the senior security officials about the possible consequences if the is lifted from the state," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Keeping in view the violent activities by militant outfits, the Union Home Ministry in consultation with the state government had imposed in Manipur on September 8, 1980.

The erstwhile Congress government led by then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had proposed the Centre to withdraw AFSPA from seven of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state and the Union Home Ministry at that time had withdrawn the special act from the plain areas under the seven Assembly segments.

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee's working president Keisham Meghachandra has been urging the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the Centre to repeal the AFSPA..

Meghachandra, also an MLA, said on Monday that the Congress government had earlier removed AFSPA from seven Assembly constituencies in Manipur, and if the party returns to power in the ensuing elections, it would propose to withdraw AFSPA from the remaining areas of the state.

According to political pundits, AFSPA is likely to be a top issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in Manipur scheduled early next year.

Meanwhile, NPP President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has been demanding to repeal AFSPA from the entire northeastern region.

"Welcome the move of GOI, Amit Shah ji for approval to set up a panel to review imposition of AFSPA in Nagaland. The panel should examine the whole of Northeast," Sangma had tweeted on Sunday night.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said on Sunday that a committee has been formed to look into the demand of withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland and the panel would submit its report to the government within 45 days.

The committee was formed after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting in New Delhi on December 23, which was attended by the Nagaland Chief Minister, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and Naga People's Front (NPF) legislative party leader T.R. Zeliang.

The meeting also discussed the present scenario in Nagaland and the decision about formation of the committee was taken in that meeting.

On December 20, the Nagaland Assembly in its day-long special session had unanimously passed a resolution demanding the Centre to repeal AFSPA from the entire northeast, especifically from Nagaland, to strengthen the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful political settlement to the Naga political issue.

AFSPA, which allows the army and other Central para-military forces to conduct raids, operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice or arrest warrant, is in force in entire Nagaland, Assam, 53 of the 60 Assembly constituencies in Manipur and certain districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Tripura is the only state in the northeastern region where AFSPA was withdrawn in May 2015 by the then Left Front government led by Manik Sarkar after terror activities were tamed.

AFSPA was also lifted from the bordering areas of Meghalaya in 2018.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after a controversy broke out over the Central government refusing to renew the Missionaries of Charity's license to accept foreign donations, top officials of the organisation said work in its orphanages, hospices and shelters for the poor were "going on as usual."



Officials from the Mission, founded by here in 1950, said that talks were on with auditors and experts to try and resolve the situation, indicating an appeal against the Centre's decision to cancel the license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act would be made.

"Work in all our orphanages, shelters, homes are going on as usual," the official said, adding that "in India we have been sustaining all these years with love and support of people in this country. So we will continue to serve the poor, destitute, ailing, aged with the same gusto in the same way." A large portion of the money spent in India comes from donations sourced locally, officials said while pleading ignorance of the exact amounts received as donation locally or through foreign donations.

The MoC headquartered in Kolkata has over 250 bank accounts in the country for utilising foreign funds, another official of the organisation said. "We are in talks with experts and auditors to resolve the situation," the official said. MHA said in a statement on Monday that renewal of the license was refused on December 25, Christmas day, for not meeting eligibility conditions, indicating that there issues with its audit report. The Ministry also said no request has been received from for review of this refusal of renewal. The cancellation order came within weeks after a police complaint was registered against the director of a children's home run by the in Gujarat for allegedly attempting to convert inmates. The late who was who was canonised a Saint in September 2016, and the which she founded, shot into prominence after she won the Ramon Magsasay Peace Prize in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

The organisation today is spread over 139 countries and runs orphanages, homes for the dying and lepers besides looking after refugees, blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, poor and homeless and victims of floods, epidemics and famine.

(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.)
Resident doctors in Delhi, who have been protesting over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling for the past 12 days, on Tuesday decided to continue the stir, as a meeting between their federation's delegation and the Union health minister failed to make any headway.

The meeting between a delegation of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took place at Nirman Bhawan here, but the doctors' body said, the "response was not satisfactory".

Earlier in the day, intensifying their stir over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, resident doctors in Delhi on Tuesday morning gathered in large numbers on the premises of Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, even as police personnel were deployed to ensure law and order is maintained.

Doctors raised slogans like 'We want justice', and sought to bolster the morale of each other, after the face-off with the police on Monday went all the way to midnight, as dramatic scenes were witnessed at the Sarojini Nagar police station.

FORDA president Dr Manish and few other protesting resident doctors, later in the day, met Mandaviya, who urged them to call off their strike in the larger public interest.

The stir, led by FORDA, entered its 12th day on Tuesday, even as patient care remained affected at three Centre-run facilities -- Safdarjung, RML and Lady Hardinge hospitals and some of the Delhi government-run hospitals.

In the meeting, all the points of concern were were put forward. "However, the response was not satisfactory," FORDA said in a statement late night.

"Also, after yesterday's brutal incident of violence by Delhi Police on peacefully protesting resident doctors, there has been no apology from the concerned (people). In fact, a FIR has been filed by police against protesting resident doctors. After discussion with various RDAs' representatives, it has been decided to continue the agitation till our demands are met," the statement said.

The protest by resident doctors, a day earlier had taken a dramatic turn, as medics and police personnel had faced off in streets, with both sides claiming several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee.

Earlier in the day, a senior police officer had said, police personnel had been deployed on the premises of the Safdarjung Hospital to maintain law and order amid the ongoing strike by protesting residents doctors.

"Over 100 police personnel have been deployed. This is also to ensure the law and order situation at the hospital. The situation is normal and under control as of now. The resident doctors are peacefully protesting here," a senior police official said.

The police deployment was later withdrawn, when the situation cooled off.

The Faculty Association of Safdarjung Hospital had on Monday condemned the face-off between the protesting resident doctors and police personnel, while the resident doctors' association of AIIMS had urged the government to reveal its plans for expediting PG counselling, failing which it had threatened to proceed with a token strike on December 29 including shutdown of all non-emergency services.

FORDA on Monday had also said that several of its members were "detained" when they tried to hold a protest march from the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to the Supreme Court.

FORDA president Manish on Monday had claimed that resident doctors of a large number of major hospitals on Monday "returned their apron (lab coat) in a symbolic gesture of rejection of services".

The Faculty Association of Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and SJH on Monday had written to the Delhi police commissioner stating, it "strongly condemns and finds unacceptable, the cruel and inhuman manner, in which the protest of the resident doctors was mishandled by the Delhi Police. The resident doctors were brutally assaulted by the Delhi Police."



However, police on Monday had denied any allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.

An FIR had been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code for Covid violations, rioting and damage to public property among others, police had said on late Monday night.

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Day after resident doctors staged a march against the delay in NEET-PG counselling and accused police of allegedly manhandling protesting doctors, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) proposed three demands to end the stir.

Addressing a press conference, FORDA President Dr Manish said, "Firstly, we want the concerned authorities to ensure that we should get a date for counselling right after the Supreme Court's hearing on January 6 concludes. Secondly, we want an apology from the authorities as the police manhandled the doctors. Thirdly, we want the withdrawal of FIRs registered against protestors."

"The strike is still underway. We demand a written apology for police brutality during yesterday's protest of resident doctors at ITO. We will hold a meeting with all Resident Doctors Association (RDAs) at 8 pm today to decide the future course of action," he said.

Resident doctors of several hospitals staged a march near Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Monday evening in protest against the delay in holding NEET-PG counselling. AIIMS Resident Doctors Association said in its official statement that they "condemned the violent act of police today against the doctors, who were protesting peacefully for expediting NEET-PG counselling."

"By brutally thrashing and detaining the doctors, the Government and Police have reached a new low. The medical fraternity has shown exemplary sacrifice for the sake of this nation at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was running a carnage," it read.

In light of this incident, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya today held a meeting with the resident doctors. The meeting was held prior to the press conference.

"I held a meeting with all resident doctors. We are not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court. The hearing will take place on January 6. I hope that NEET-PG counselling will start soon," the Union Health Minister said.

Union Health Minister urged protesting (against the delay in NEET 2021 counseling) resident doctors to call off their strike in the public interest.

On December 24, Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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.

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Government on Tuesday clarified that all persons aged 60 years and above with co-morbidities will not be required to produce or submit any certificate from the doctor, at the time of administration of Covid precaution dose.

"Such persons are expected to obtain the advice of their doctor before deciding to avail of precaution dose," said Union Health Ministry.

The prioritisation and sequencing of the "precaution dose" (third dose) for healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs) and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities, would be based on completion of nine months from the date of administration of second dose, which is 39 weeks, which will come into effect from January 3, stated the new guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.

HCWs, FLWs and citizens aged 60 years or above with comorbidities will be able to access vaccination for the precaution dose through their existing Co-WIN account. Eligibility for the precaution dose will be based on the date of administration of the second dose as recorded in the Co-WIN system, which will send an SMS for availing the precaution dose when it becomes due, the ministry informed.



Personnel to be deployed in election duty in five poll-bound states will also be included in the category of frontline workers, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in an official statement.



During a workshop with states and union territories to review the rollout of vaccination for the age group 15-18 and precautionary third dose for vulnerable categories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan emphasised that nine months or 39 weeks should elapse since the administration of the second dose to make the beneficiary eligible for the precaution dose.

Bhushan categorically underlined that the government has not issued any directions on the requirement of the doctor's certificate to establish comorbidity at the vaccination centre. He said that the doctor's prescription and certificates are not mandated to be produced at the center for administration of the precaution dose. The CoWIN will send reminder messages to all those eligible for the precaution dose and the dose will be reflected in the digital vaccination certificates, he added.

The states and UTs have been exhorted to undertake proper planning in advance for distribution of Covaxin to identified session sites for the 15-18 age group. To avoid the mixing-up of vaccines during administration, the ministry has advised states to manage separate arrangements including separate session sites and queue in case adult vaccination is going at the same place.

The states and UTs have also been advised to share their requirement of vaccine doses through district-wise estimation of beneficiaries using Co-WIN.

Registration and appointment services can be accessed through online and onsite modes, and details of administration of the precaution dose will reflect in vaccination certificates, according to the guidelines.

People aged 60 years and above with co-morbidities, who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, will on doctor's advice be provided with the precaution dose from January 10, it said.

"The prioritisation and sequencing of this precaution dose would be based on the completion of nine months, i.e. 39 weeks from the date of administration of second dose," the guidelines stated.

Citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free COVID-19 vaccination at Government Vaccination Centres. Those who have the ability to pay are encouraged to use private hospitals' vaccination centres, the ministry said.
Homegrown majors Sun Pharma, Cipla, Hetero and Torrent on Tuesday announced plans to market their versions of antiviral drug Molnupiravir to treat high-risk adult patients with COVID-19 across India shortly.

The companies have received approvals from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture and market their versions of anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergency situation (EUA) in India.

The companies said they planned to market the capsules under their respective brands and make them available at all leading pharmacies and COVID-treatment centres across the country.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries said it will market its Molnupiravir capsules under the brand name 'Molxvir' in India, while Mumbai-based Cipla will sell it under the brand name 'Cipmolnu'.

Hyderabad-based Hetero will market the product under the 'Movfor' brand and Torrent introduced it under the brand name 'Molnutor' in India.

"Our endeavour is to make the product available in a week's time," Sun CEO of India Business Kirti Ganorkar said in a statement.

Stating that Molnupiravir is an important addition to the portfolio of oral therapies available for treating COVID-19 patients, he said, "In line with our consistent efforts to accelerate access to new drugs for COVID-19 treatment, we will make Molxvir available to patients at an affordable price."



On the production plans, Ganorkar said, "Currently, the plan is to manufacture molnupiravir at one of our big plants in India, and if there is a need, we can ramp up capacity."



Sun Pharma is also in the process of launching a toll-free helpline to ensure the availability of Molxvir to doctors and patients across India.

Cipla said it will soon make available Cipmolnu 200 mg capsules at all leading pharmacies and Covid-treatment centres across the country.

The company has adequate manufacturing capacities and a solid distribution mechanism in place to ensure speedy access to this effective treatment pan India, it added.

"This launch is yet another step in our endeavour to enable access to all treatments in COVID care," Cipla Ltd MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said.

Stating that the approval by the authorities consolidates India's efforts to address the world's greatest health threat COVID-19, Hetero Group of Companies Chairman B Partha Saradhi Reddy said, "This improving access to critical medicines will always remain the highest of priorities to us."



Hetero said it will market the capsule under the brand Movfor and will be produced at its facilities at Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.

"Hetero's Movfor will be made available in a 40 capsule pack (200 mg per capsule) and will be marketed by its associate company 'Hetero Healthcare' in India with the support of its strong distribution network across the country," it added.

Likewise, Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd said it is introducing Molnupiravir under the brand name Molnutor in India.

We are pleased to partner with MSD to bring Molnupiravir to patients across India. Molnupiravir will be an important addition to our healthcare system's ammunition in the fight against Covid-19," Torrent Pharma (Executive Director India) Aman Mehta said.

Earlier this year, these companies had signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with MSD to manufacture and supply the generic version of molnupiravir in over 100 low and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India.

The DCGI, based on the review of clinical data of Molnupiravir has approved it for treatment of adult patients with Covid-19, with SpO2 less than 93 per cent and who have high risk of progression of the disease including hospitalisation or death.

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Prime Minister attended the 54th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology here on Tuesday as the chief guest.

The prime minister launched blockchain-based digital degrees at the ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the function as guests of honour.

The students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project.

These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable.

IIT-K is hosting physical convocation after a year as it was held virtually last year.

According to a statement from the premier institute, students can attend the ceremony either in person or virtually on the online platform made available for this purpose.

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Prime Minister inaugurated the completed section of Kanpur Project on Tuesday when he boarded the metro train at IIT Kanpur metro station and became the first passenger of the service.

He was accompanied by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Kanpur Project comprises two corridors and has a total length of 32.5 km.

The first corridor from IIT-Kanpur to Naubasta is 23.8 km long while the second corridor from Chandrashekar Azad Agriculture University to Barra-8 is 8.6 km long.

The daily metro services will be available from 6 a.m to 10.p.m. from Wednesday.

Initially, ticketing with QR code will be available and later on, smart cards will also be introduced for commuters.

The Kanpur Metro will run on the Priority Section from IIT-Kanpur to Motijheel with three coaches.

Due to its stringent compliance with the green building codes and parameters, it has been certified with the ISO-14001 certification for environment management and ISO-45001 certification for safety management.

The entire stretch has been developed in accordance with the green building codes, which makes it safe for the environment.

All the nine stations of the Priority Corridor have been certified with platinum rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

It was on November 15, 2019 that Yogi Adityanath had inaugurated the civil construction work of Kanpur Metro.

A trial run of the metro was held on November 10 this year.

--IANS

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Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O' Brien Tuesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is presently at home isolation.

Brien ,who is TMC Rajya Sabha party leader, requested those who have come in contact with him in the last three days and have symptoms to seek medical advice.

"Have tested positive for #COVID Moderate symptoms. Isolating at home. If you have come into contact with me in the last three days, and have symptoms, please seek medical advice. (Was always ultra-careful. Yet.)," he tweeted.

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The Spanish Ministry of Health on Monday evening said that the 14-day incidence of the rose by 294 points in the four days from December 23 to 1,206.21 cases per 100,000 people after the holiday weekend.

This increase, which comes after the ministry reported 214,619 new infections over the past four days, was the highest 14-day incidence ever recorded in since the pandemic started.

A total of 5,932,626 people have now been infected by COVID-19 in Spain, while the 120 deaths from COVID-19 reported on Monday lifts the total number of fatalities to 89,139.

The news comes on the first anniversary of the start of the vaccination campaign in on December 27, 2020.

In an attempt to contain the pandemic, the Spanish government passed a decree that requires people to wear facemasks outdoors on December 24.

Most regions have imposed restrictions on nightlife, such as requiring a COVID pass (vaccination certificate) to enter nightclubs or restaurants, while the Catalan region has closed bars from 01:00-06:00 hours.

Since the first person Araceli Hidalg received a vaccine dose, a further 85,443,893 vaccine doses have been administered, with 37,853,370 people (89.9 per cent of the population aged 12 or over) having received two doses. Besides, a further 12,720,094 reinforcement or booster shots were given to people aged 50 or over.

also began a campaign to vaccinate around 3 million children aged 5-11 on Dec. 15 with specially adapted shots of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

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A total of 16 persons, majority of them students, are suspected to be Corona positive in a village in Bihar's Seikhpura district, an official said on Tuesday.

Confirming the news, District civil surgeon Dr Prithvi Raj said: "The infected persons of Kataithwa village tested positive in a rapid antigen test. We have sent their samples on Monday evening for RT-PCR and genome sequencing tests to ascertain if they have symptoms of Corona and Omicron variants of virus."

The samples have been sent to the microbiology lab in PMCH Patna," he added.

As per the officer, a tuition teacher named Abhishek Kumar(45) turned Corona positive on December 20. Following that, he underwent RT-PCR tests thrice and his report came positive. Despite that he continued to go to his students' houses in the village.

The incident came to light after several students fell ill in the village and approached the primary health centre in the last couple of days.

"We have immediately sent a medical team in the village to ascertain the situation. The team also visited the house of Abhishek. His mother also tested positive in a rapid antigen test. Among the 16 people, some are the students' parents. The students belong to 9-16 age group, Prithvi Raj said.

The villagers informed the medical team that after his students fell ill, Abhishek left for Bangalore.

"Te entire village has been declared a containment zone and the students and their parents are under home isolation," the officer said.

--IANS

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UN Secretary-General, has called for global solidarity to stop infectious diseases.

In his video message for the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which falls on December 27, Guterres said that building global solidarity would "give every country a fighting chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks."

Covid-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly "an infectious disease can sweep across the world," pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN Chief added.

"It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others," he said.

"And it reminded us that the world remains woefully unprepared to stop localised outbreaks from spilling across borders and spiraling into a global pandemic," he added.

Noting that infectious diseases remain "a clear and present danger to every country," Guterres maintained that Covid-19 would not be the last pandemic for humanity, Xinhua news agency reported.

Even as the world responds to this health crisis, he spelled out the need to prepare for the next one.

"This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country -- especially the most vulnerable," he said.

"It means strengthening primary healthcare at the local level to prevent collapse... ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions, like vaccines for all people and ... achieving universal health coverage."

The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on December 27, 2020, was called for by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.

--IANS

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The Centre on Tuesday released the operational guidelines for the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for Under this, companies can begin the registration process from January 1-31, 2022, on the governments online portal.

In case of insufficient number of eligible applications, the application window for selecting new applicants will be reopened.

In their application, companies will have to inform the ministry of regarding their annual investment plan, expected sales, turnover, expected employment generation as well as exports during the tenure of the scheme, according to the guidelines.

Incentives worth Rs 10,683 crore will be provided over five years for manufacturing man-made fabrics, garments  jerseys, overcoats, trousers, polyester suitings and shirtings, among others.

It will also be provided for technical textiles, which is a new-age textile that can be used for the production of PPE kits, airbags and bulletproof vests. It can also be used in sectors such as aviation, defence and infrastructure.

The scheme obtained Cabinet approval in September and is focused on expanding man-made fabrics and technical value chain to help India regain its dominant status in the global textiles trade. This comes at a time when Indias share in global exports have gradually declined over the last few years.

The scheme is operational from September 24, 2021 to March 31, 2030. It has been structured in a way so that the incentives will be paid for a period of five years only. Applicants will be finalised within 60 days from the date of closure of the application window. According to the guidelines, there are two types of investments possible with different sets of incentive structures. Under the first part, any company willing to invest a minimum Rs 300 crore in plant, machinery, equipment and civil works will be eligible. The company will be eligible to get incentives when it achieves at least Rs 600 crore turnover by manufacturing and selling products under the scheme.

Under part 2, any company willing to invest a minimum Rs 100 crore in plant, machinery, equipment and civil works will be eligible. The company will be eligible to get incentives when it achieves at least Rs 200 crore turnover by manufacturing and selling. Under both parts, the required turnover will have to be achieved after a gestation period of two years. The gestation period will give the company participating in the scheme time to set up the manufacturing unit and begin production.

Under the scheme, FY2022-23 to FY2023-24 will be the gestation period. While the performance years will be from FY25 to FY29, incentives can be claimed from FY26 to FY30.

In order to avail incentives, minimum investment and minimum turnover criteria have to be met.

In case a participating company fails to achieve the prescribed turnover or 25 per cent increase in turnover over the preceding years turnover, it will not get any incentive under the scheme for that year. Such participants will get incentives only when they achieve both, that is, the prescribed turnover target for the year and 25 per cent increase in turnover over preceding years turnover, in subsequent years for a reduced number of years, an official statement said.

Investments in land and administrative buildings such as offices and guesthouses will not be covered under the scheme.

Recovery mechanisms and penal provisions have also been included under the guidelines. In case an excess claim has been made to any participant, the ministry of textiles can raise demand for recovery.
Increasing per capita steel consumption and production of special steel as well as enhancing raw material security will remain the key focus areas of the government in 2022.

Minister of State (MoS) Faggan Singh Kulaste said the focus will also be on finding new markets as the production of steel continues to grow in the country.

As per the National Steel Policy 2017, the government has set a target to ramp up the country's crude steel production output to 300 million tonnes (MT) by 2030. The policy also seeks to increase the domestic per capita steel consumption to the level of 160 kg by 2030.

In an interview with PTI, Kulaste said the per capita steel consumption in the country is at around 72.3 kg at present, while the capacity is at 143.9 MTPA (million tonnes per annum), and the focus will also be on increasing the output of special steel.

According to the minister, the Indian is full of opportunities, and the country must aim to grab the numero uno position in quality steel production.

The ministry has already directed the public sector undertakings (PSUs) and private players to take measures to cut imports of special steel.

In 2021, "We signed an MoU with Russia for (to diversify) the supply of coking coal. Players are already using it. The talks with Mongolia are progressing (for the supply of coking coal). PSUs and private players have been directed to increase their Capex and outputs," the minister said.

Besides iron ore, coking coal is another key raw material used for making steel. The industry remains dependent on imports from a select group of countries like Australia and South Africa to meet 85 per cent of their coking requirement.

Industry body Indian Steel Association (ISA) said the finished steel demand in India is expected to be up by around 16.7 per cent to reach around 104 million tonnes by the end of 2021, and by the end of next year, it will be at 111 million tonnes.

ISA Secretary-General Alok Sahay said crude steel production during January-November 2021 period stood at 104.91 million tonnes, and finished steel production and consumption was at 97.882 million tonnes and 93.057 million tonnes, respectively.

"We expect 124-125 million tonnes of crude steel output by 2022-end. Economies have been affected globally by the pandemic and India has been no exception.

"However, Indian economy rebounded back very quickly and steel industry also was put back on rails with the revival of domestic demand growth. Upfront liquidity in infrastructure projects in the pipeline coupled with the government's emphasis on close project monitoring is driving the steel demand in 2022," he said.

ISA is the apex industry body representing the domestic steel players.

In a statement, the state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) said 2021 was a challenging year for the company and the entire industry.

In the April-June period of the passing year, the company faced one of the "severest calamities" in the form of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, in 2022, SAIL said it would aim to reduce the borrowings of the company. Its gross borrowings stood at Rs 22,478 crore as of September 30, and the same was at Rs 35,350 crore at the end of March this year.

"In the medium term, we would like to plan our next phase of modernisation and expansion. Our low debt-equity ratio of about 0.44 gives us the confidence and the opportunity to embark on this next phase of capacity expansion.

"We would put more thrust on operational efficiency, digital initiatives, enhanced mining operations, maintaining status as a preferred supplier of steel, etc. in the coming year," the company said.

Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran said the initial few months saw the world and India come out of the COVID crisis with accelerated economic recovery, aided by a concerted focus on vaccination, liquidity push by central banks, policy support and massive investment in infrastructure.

During the second COVID wave in April and May, when India bore the brunt of the humanitarian crisis, the steel industry was able to supply liquid medical oxygen and various COVID-related infrastructure support.

"We are optimistic about 2022 and believe that the current strong upcycle will sustain for a longer horizon. The government's focus on infrastructure, ongoing reform measures, including divestment, rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax, and unwavering thrust on initiatives like 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' will provide momentum to India's growth story," he said.

On the business front, Narendran said, "We expect continued focus on enhancing the ease of doing business while also reducing the overall cost of doing business. We look forward to policy measures to promote usage of steel industry by-products like steel slag, implement a national mining index and revamp the mines auction process".

In a statement, JSW Steel CFO and Joint MD Seshagiri Rao said the importance that has been given to the infrastructure and the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has created a huge demand for steel. With the kind of policies that are being followed by the government "I am sure that in the Indian steel industry we will become the 300 MT country... before 2030".

V R Sharma, Managing Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), said that in 2022, the steel industry would enhance its role in national development, employment generation and continue to participate meaningfully in economic developments.

"We at JSPL is advancing in our quest of making available world-class steel products at an affordable price for building nation of our dream. We are going to enhance our production during 2022, which will further increase the availability of steel in the domestic market," he said.

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A team of the will be on a three-day visit to the poll-bound state of from Tuesday to take stock of the poll preparedness ahead of the State Assembly elections in 2022.

This comes after the Allahabad High Court on Thursday had requested the amid the Omicron scare to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in for 1-2 months.

The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ECI to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.

Earlier on Monday, the met Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and discussed the rising number of COVID-19 cases along with vaccination status in the five poll-bound states.

As per sources, the Election Commission and Health Ministry will also hold another meeting in January next year.

Sources told ANI, "In the meeting, ECI and Health Ministry discussed the rising number of cases across India, especially in the states going to assembly polls early next year as well as vaccine scenario.'

Assembly elections are slated to be held in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Punjab next year.

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The full bench of the (ECI) will be on a three-day visit to from Tuesday.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, along with other senior officers of the ECI, will review the preparations for the Assembly elections in meetings with state government officers from Tuesday to Thursday.

Principal Secretary (Protocol), ECI, Rahul Sharma said that on Tuesday, the Commission will hold a meeting with the representatives of national and recognised political parties.

Later, there will be a meeting with Chief Electoral Officer (Uttar Pradesh) Ajay Kumar Shukla, state police and central paramilitary forces nodal officers.

There will be a separate meeting with the officers of various enforcement agencies on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the ECI will hold a meeting with divisional commissioners, district electoral officers, commissioners of police, inspectors general of police (zone) and superintendents of police of all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh to discuss the preparedness level for the elections.

On Thursday, the poll panel will hold a meeting with the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of the state and will later address a press conference.

--IANS

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Union Home Minister on Tuesday targeted the Samajwadi Party, alleging that the opposition party's lexicon starts with 'Apraadh' (crime), 'Bhaai-Bhatijavaad' (nepotism) and 'Corruption'.

Addressing a rally here, the BJP leader also alleged that the SP, BSP and the Congress made numerous efforts to stop the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and asserted that they "will not succeed even if they unleash their full force".

He took a swipe at the SP over the income tax raids against a Kanpur-based perfume trader allegedly linked to it.

''The A, B, C, D of Samajwadi Party is itself all wrong where 'A' is for 'Apraadh aur Aatank' (crime and terrorism), 'B' is for 'Bhaai-Bhatijaavaad' (nepotism), 'C' for 'Corruption' aur 'D' means 'Dangaa' (riots).

"The Bharatiya Janata Party has wiped out this A, B, C,D," the former BJP president said at the Jan Vishvas Yatra here.

Hardoi has been a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party and the family of Naresh Chandra Agarwal, who joined the BJP in 2018.

"A few days ago, there were income tax raids. Why was (SP chief) Akhilesh having an upset stomach over raids, and he said that the raids were done with political malice," Shah said.

"Can anyone tell me whose Rs 250 crore were found at the place of the person making Samajwadi Attar? Today, they (SP) are unable to give an answer," Shah said.

In multiple raids by the Income Tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, were seized from perfume trader Peeyush Jain'saround Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj.

The Finance Ministry on Monday said it was the "biggest ever seizure of cash" by an enforcement agency.

BJP leaders have sought to link the perfume trader with the SP claiming he had launched the 'Samajwadi Attar (perfume)' with Yadav's support recently.

However, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday categorically denied any links between his party and Peeyush Jain, and mockingly said the BJP got "its own businessman" raided "by mistake".

He also claimed that 'Samajwadi Attar' was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain.

"By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Peeyush Jain raided," Yadav told reporters in Unnao.

Hitting out at the political rivals, Shah said, "The SP, BSP and the Congress had made numerous efforts to stop the construction of the temple of Lord Ram. Today, I want to tell them that they can unleash their full force if they want. In a few months, a grand temple of Lord Ram touching the sky will be built."



He accused the SP and the BSP of neglecting development when in power.

"When the SP came (to power), development of only one caste took place, while the development of another caste took place when the BSP came (to power). When Modijee came, then 'sabkaa saath-sabkaa vikaas' is taking place," the Home Minister said



Shah also spoke on the law and order situation prevalent in the state before the BJP came to power in 2017.

"There was a time when mafia would rule. Mothers and sisters used to reach their homes before sunset. Today, under Yogiji's rule, all the mafia have been wiped out (from UP)," the BJP leader said.

Currently, Hardoi is represented in the UP Legislative Assembly by Nitin Agarwal (son of Naresh Chandra Agarwal) who is an SP MLA and was elected Deputy Speaker of the UP Assembly with the BJP's support.

Naresh Chandra Agarwal won the assembly seat for the first time as an independent candidate in 1989, then from 1991 to 1996, he was the Congress MLA from this seat. He won the seat in 2002 and 2007 on an SP ticket.

Nitin Agarwal won the seat in 2012 and in 2017.

(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.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sound the BJP's poll bugle in Punjab on January 5 and share the stage with the party's new ally and former chief minister of the state Amarinder Singh, sources said on Tuesday.

The prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate a satellite centre of the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Punjab's Ferozepur and is likely to address a rally after the event, the sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said.

The rally will be the first to be addressed by the prime minister in Punjab after the repeal of three contentious farm laws of the Centre.

Farmers staged protests against the laws at the borders of Delhi for almost a year and called off the agitation on January 11 after the legislations were repealed in the winter session of Parliament.

Modi's rally will kick off the campaign of the BJP and its new allies in Punjab for the 2022 state Assembly polls, the sources said.

Singh, whose Punjab Lok Congress has stitched up an alliance with the saffron party for the Punjab polls, may also attend the rally, they added.

If Singh attends the rally, this will be the first time that he and Modi will share the stage after the former Punjab chief minister quit the Congress.

Besides Modi, Union minister and the BJP's poll in-charge for Punjab Gajendra Shekhawat, his cabinet colleagues Hardeep Puri and Meenakshi Lekhi are also expected to take part in the rally.

(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.)
Prime Minister is likely to visit and Tripura on January 4 to inaugurate various projects and to address public rallies, officials said on Sunday.

A government officials said that the PM will launch some projects in the poll-bound state and address a public gathering in Imphal.

The Prime Minister's detailed programme is yet to be finalised and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and senior officials are in touch with the Prime Minister's Office.

Elections for the 60-seat Manipur Assembly are likely to be held in February-March next year along polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah already addressed two public meetings virtually from Delhi while BJP President J.P. Nadda visited Manipur four times during the past three months and addressed several public meetings.

In Tripura, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the reconstructed terminal building of Agartala's Maharaja Bir Bikram airport and few other projects. Before leaving for New Delhi, he will address a public rally in Agartala.

A Tripura government offcial said that Chief Secretary Kumar Alok on Saturday briefed the Prime Minister about the schemes and projects to be launched.

An Airport Authority of India official said that under the Rs 438 crore project, a new terminal building and other infrastructure was built to cater around 1,200 passengers at a time.

After the inauguration, the MBB airport, the second busiest in the northeastern region after Guwahati, is likely to be declared an international airport, the official said.

--IANS

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The on Tuesday announced 15 more candidates for the next year's polls.

It is the fifth list of the state's main opposition party and with this the total number of candidates announced by the AAP so far reached 88.

Punjab has 117 Assembly seats and polls in the state are due early next year.

Kulwant Singh will contest from Mohali, according to the latest list of candidates announced by the AAP.

(AAP) releases fifth list of 15 candidates for 2022 Elections



AAP has nominated Dr. Charanjit Singh from Sri Chamkaur Sahib, the seat of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi pic.twitter.com/0s1ktepgpo  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2021

Kulwant Singh, real estate baron and former Mohali mayor, had joined the AAP on Monday.

Gurdeep Singh Randhawa will fight from Dera Baba Nanak, Baldev Singh from Raja Sansi, Manju Rana from Kapurthala, Rattan Singh from Shahkot, Sheetal Angural from Jalandhar West, Jeet Lal Bhatti from Adampur and Kuljit Singh from Banga.

Charanjit Singh will contest from Chamkaur Sahib, Rupinder Singh from Bassi Pathana, Rajinder Pal Kaur from Ludhiana South, Ranveer Singh from Ferozepur City, Jagroop Singh from Bathinda Urban, Jaswant Singh from Amargarh and Gurdev Singh from Nabha.

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The Indian financial systems asset quality improved despite the pandemic, but it could be due to special dispensations by the regulator, and would likely see increased stress on their books once the schemes expire.

According to the annual trend and progress report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released on Tuesday, the data available for this financial year so far indicate that banks bad debts have moderated while provision coverage ratios (PCRs), capital buffers as well as profitability indicators have improved relative to pre-pandemic levels.

A closer look at granular data, however, reveals a more nuanced picture. Credit growth is muted, indicative of pandemic scarring on aggregate demand as also risk aversion of Banks asset quality may get dented, going forward, the central banks report said.

The gross non-performing assets in 2020-21 accounted for 7.3 per cent of total advances, down from 8.2 per cent the previous year. The provisional supervisory data suggests a further moderation in the ratio to 6.9 per cent by the end of September 2021. The improvement was driven by lower slippages, partly due to the asset classification standstill. Public sector also reported net profits after a gap of five years.

The non-bank financial companies (NBFC) sector, too, may have to grapple with higher delinquency as and when policy measures unwind, the report said. The special mention accounts (SMA) category has swelled in as the dispensations come to a close, the noted.

Small Banks (SFBs), meanwhile, have shown structural problems as they suffer from concentration risk on both sides of their balance sheets. Therefore, SFBs need to diversify their assets as well as their liability profiles. The governance culture in these banks needs improvement. High attrition levels, especially at top ranks, need to be addressed, the report said.

The central bank said the pandemic brought about a shift in the adoption of digital technology, cybersecurity, and frauds to all stakeholders including regulators and supervisors are emerging as challenges.

The report also warned of bigtech firms lending either directly or in partnership with regulated financial entities, which could be difficult to regulate, and can potentially destabilise the financial ecosystem and hamper the competition.

Payments banks are already facing this competition. Even as they are into basic banking services for the unbanked, they are under constant pressure to innovate to maintain competitiveness, especially against BigTech players. As a result, their operational costs and investment needs are higher than other segments of the banking sector, affecting their profitability.

The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of the banking system improved sequentially every quarter from the end of March 2020 to reach 16.6 per cent at the end of September 2021, driven by fresh capital and higher retained earnings. Banks also maintained their capital conservation buffer at 2.5 per cent.

Importantly, the number of banks breaching the regulatory minimum requirement of CRAR (including capital conservation buffer) (10.875 per cent) declined to one during 2020-21 from three in the previous year.

Private companies have been net savers in the past three years, increasing their deposits with banks, while their credit offtake has remained anaemic. The household sectors deposits, at 64 per cent of the total, also picked up pace.

The share of large borrowal accounts, with exposure of Rs 5 crore or more, in total advances declined to 51 per cent at the end of March 2021 from 54.2 per cent a year ago. Their contribution to total NPAs also declined in tandem from 75.4 per cent to 66.2 per cent during the same period.

However, the special mention accounts-2 (SMA-2) ratio, which signals impending stress, has risen across bank groups since the outbreak of the pandemic.





Frauds in the banking system declined in 2020-21 to Rs 1.38 trillion, from Rs 1.85 trillion a year ago. Further, between April and September of fiscal 2021-22, banking sector frauds amounted to Rs 36,342 crore, compared with Rs 64,261 crore in the same period a year ago.

An overwhelming majority of cases reported during 2020-21 in terms of number and amount involved related to advances, while frauds concerning card or internet transactions made up 34.6 per cent of the number of cases.

Importantly, there was a marked increase in frauds related to private banks both in terms of number as well as the amount involved.

In the first half of 2020-21, private banks accounted for more than half of the number of reported fraud cases. But the share of public sector banks continued to remain higher, indicating predominance of high value frauds, the said.

The central bank digital currency (CBDC) should be designed properly before its introduction. Whether CBDC would be issued directly by the central bank or through commercial banks, needs to be carefully weighed.

Given its dynamic impact on macroeconomic policy making, it is necessary to adopt basic models initially, and test comprehensively so that they have minimal impact on monetary policy and the banking system, the central bank said.

For the National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) to succeed, risks to banks balance sheets should be clearly identified. There should be transparent transfer pricing for sale of assets and independence and professionalism of the management of the new entity has to be ensured.

Climate change has also emerged as an overarching concern for the regulator.
Indian need to bolster their capital to absorb potential stress and augment credit flow when policy support is phased out, the Reserve Bank of India said in a report on Trends and Progress of on Tuesday.

" is muted, indicative of pandemic scarring on aggregate demand as also risk aversion of Banks' asset quality may get dented, going forward," the RBI said.

Due to the pandemic, of commercial had been subdued in 2020/21 but non- companies filled up the space, RBI said.

However, though there was an uptick in bank in the first half of 2021/22, concerns are emerging over NBFCs' asset quality.

"Going forward, the sector may have to grapple with higher delinquency as and when policy measures unwind," the RBI said.

NBFCs also need to be better equipped and focused on cyber fraud prevention as customers' adoption of digital lending gathers pace, it added.

As the economy revives, renewed focus may need to be placed on building up adequate buffers and being vigilant of evolving risks, the report said.

During 2020/21, the total reported number of fraud cases declined while in the first half of 2021/22, private sector banks accounted for more than half the reported fraud cases.

The central bank said banks need to prioritise upgrading their IT infrastructure, improving customer services and strengthening cybersecurity.

Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of commercial banks declined to 6.9% as of end-September compared to 7.3% at end-March.

Banks return on assets (RoA) also improved to 0.7% at end-March compared to 0.2% a year ago, aided by stable income and a decline in expenditure.

RBI said overall the capital position of banks has improved aided by recapitalisation by the government as well as the raising of funds from the market.

"Nonetheless, incipient stress remains in the form of increased proportion of restructured advances and the possibility of higher slippages arising from sectors that were relatively more exposed to the pandemic," RBI said.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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Annapurna Finance, the Odisha-based institution (MFI), has raised $ 35 million (Rs 260 crore) in from Encourage Capital, Accion and existing investor Oikocredit.

It got $ 30 million from Nuveen Global Impact Fund in March 2021 and $20 million from DEG in November 2021, bringing total investments to $85 million this year.

The investments will help the company provide easier credit access and enter clean energy lending, said Gobinda Chandra Pattnaik, Managing Director, Annapurna

Annapurna, which has a nationwide rural distribution network, offers micro loans and home improvement loans to individuals and small businesses. The company said it is adding Green products to its offering and scaling up its digital transformation.

Annapurna has a gross loan portfolio of Rs 5,128 crore in September 2021, with operations spread across 336 districts in 19 states. Unitus Capital advised Annapurna on the deal.

Investment and advisory services are transforming the company into a fully digital financial services entity, said Annapurna. This focus on digital strategy will boost financial inclusion by increasing the speed and convenience of the distribution of products through digital channels.

It would also provide access to women borrowers in rural India, bringing them into the formal financial ecosystem.
With big techs lending either directly or in partnership with regulated financial entities, enhancing the regulatory approach by blending activity-based and entity-based regulations may not be enough to ensure stability. They may not also provide a level-playing field and consumer protection, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a report Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21 on Tuesday.

In the report, the said, Many large multinational corporations, whose primary business is technology, popularly known as big techs, have started lending either directly or in partnership with regulated financial entities.

Even enhancing the traditional entity-based regulatory approach with activity-based regulations may be inadequate to ensure stability, a level-playing field, competition and consumer protection. While use of digital channels in financial services is a welcome move, the potential downside risks embedded in such endeavours need to be addressed, the central bank said.

This comes after a working group of the RBI, tasked with studying digital lending in the regulated financial sector and by unregulated players, cautioned about the players. It said that if these players enter the digital lending space, it could have regulatory implications on concentration and competition risks. Hence, the should work on a framework for identifying and managing risks arising from as well as decentralised through blockchain technology.

Incidentally, the RBI, in its bi-annual Financial Stability Report, had flagged the entry of in financial services in emerging markets such as India.

The report, released in July of this year, said, big techs present at least three unique challenges. First, they straddle many different (non-financial) lines of business with sometimes opaque overarching governance structures.

Second, they have the potential to become dominant players in financial services. Third, big techs already have a huge customer base and can become dominant players, giving little room to smaller firms.

Big techs such as Google, Amazon, and WhatsApp are already involved in Indias payment ecosystem, involving Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Earlier, T Rabi Sankar, deputy governor, RBI, in a speech in October this year, said, the approach to regulation needs to adapt to the type of entity being regulated.

While similar activities should attract uniform regulation in most cases, such activity-based regulation may be less effective than entity-based regulation when one is dealing with financial activities by big tech firms, he had said.

Meanwhile, the banking regulator also said that payment that offer basic banking services to the underserved segments of the society by leveraging technology, are seeing their profits plummet. This is partly because they are under constant pressure to innovate and maintain competitiveness, especially against big techs.
US President has issued an executive order for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with coronavirus testing across the United States, the announced in a memorandum.

"The administrator of FEMA shall issue a mission assignment to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on a fully reimbursable basis, to provide testing sites, launched and operated by HHS in close coordination with State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments," the memorandum said on Monday.

The order was given to enable FEMA to use the emergency and disaster assistance available to it to get testing to the places that need it most, the memorandum said.

"FEMA's mission assignments will require HHS to adjudicate State, Tribal, and territorial requests through the Emergency Support Function Eight Advisory Council," the memorandum added.

FEMA shall fund 100 per cent of the cost of activities associated with the mission assignments to HHS to provide COVID-19 testing sites, according to the memorandum.

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A aircraft carrying around 200 holiday travellers from London survived a mid-air scare after a lump of ice from a jet 1,000 feet above it smashed into the plane at 35,000 feet that left its windscreen cracked, according to media reports.

The Boeing 777 aircraft cruising at 35,000 feet was making the journey from London Gatwick to San Jose in Costa Rica on Christmas Day when the freak accident took place.

The block of ice fell from another plane that was flying 1,000 feet above the jet while it was cruising at 35,000 feet. It completely cracked up the two-inch-thick windscreen, which is built to withstand extreme force and is similar to bulletproof glass.

The aircraft landed safely at San Jose.

The incident has been described as a one-in-a-million' chance and left some 200 passengers stranded over Christmas instead of being able to make it back to London.

My husband is part-Icelandic and his family who live in Edinburgh celebrate Christmas on 24 December. We were desperately trying to find a connecting flight at this point that would get us there in time to not miss his family Christmas, Jo Mitchell told The Independent newspaper.

Mitchell and Geir Olafsson had been on honeymoon in Costa Rica, and set off from their Pacific coast resort expecting to return via Gatwick to Edinburgh in time for a family Christmas.

"The BA app was saying something vague about the flight being delayed to the next day. The flight time, however, only showed a four-hour delay. We had received no information via email or message so we hoped it was just a glitch. We dropped our car and continued to the airport, desperately hoping it wasn't true, Mitchell said.

Despite the mid-air accident, all the passengers were safe but were stranded at an airport for several hours after their plane made an emergency landing.

The flight was rescheduled 50 hours after the passengers' original scheduled time.

We were told when it was our turn to check-in by the San Jose desk staff that the plane had a broken windshield and it would be too dangerous to fly it back. At this point we were devastated realising we would miss Christmas with both of our families, Mitchell said.

Following the incident, issued an apology to the passengers who had their Christmas Day plans ruined.

We will never fly an aircraft unless we feel it is completely safe to do so, and on this occasion, our engineers were unable to clear it to fly. Since then, our teams have been working behind the scenes to do all they can to ensure an aircraft is ready at the earliest opportunity to bring customers to London, the official said.

We appreciate the patience and the understanding of our customers and our engineers and crew colleagues who have also done all they can to assist, the report quoted the official as saying.

has offered a full refund to all the affected passengers, and will also pay the 520 pounds per person stipulated for long delays under air passengers' rights rules, the report said.

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The yield on Chinas 10-year sovereign declined to the lowest level since June 2020, as interbank borrowing costs fell after the central bank boosted short-term liquidity.

Chinas 10-year government bond yield fell two basis points to 2.795 per cent as of 4:40 pm in Shanghai. On Tuesday, The Peoples Bank of boosted its injection of short-term liquidity into the financial system to 190 billion yuan ($29.8 billion), the most in two months.

The PBOCs operation came after an indicator for short-term borrowing costs soared the most in a year on Monday, a sign of liquidity shortages in the interbank market. The supply of cash tends to tighten toward the end of the year, as banks hoard cash to prepare for regulatory checks.

The big amount of injection will help to alleviate liquidity pressure, said Zhaopeng Xing, senior strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group. It is necessary to help the financial institutions to move cross the year-end smoothly.





Earlier this month, the PBOC reduced the reserve-requirement ratio in an effort to keep cash supply ample and support the nations economic recovery from the pandemic. In its quarterly meeting, PBOC pledged to use monetary policy tools more proactively to support growth.

The seven-day repo rate fell 13 basis points to 2.29 per cent as of 5:07 p.m. local time, after soaring 52 basis points on Monday.
put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown on Tuesday to try and stamp out a worsening outbreak, as infections hit new highs in multiple US states and Europe.

Despite facing a much smaller outbreak compared with global virus hotspots, has not relaxed its zero Covid strategy, imposing stay-at-home orders in many parts of the city of Yanan.

The hundreds of thousands of affected residents there joined the 13 million people in the city of Xian, who entered a sixth day of home confinement as battled its highest daily case numbers in 21 months.

Im about to be starved to death, wrote one Xian resident on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. Theres no food, my housing compound wont let me out, and Im about to run out of instant noodles... please help!

Many Xian residents have similarly complained on social media about the restrictions, which include a ban on driving and only one member of a household permitted to go outside for groceries every three days.
Beijing says it complained to the United Nations about near misses its space station allegedly had with SpaceX satellites, a sign that tensions are rising in the space race between China and the US.

Two satellites from the US company founded by came close to the station in July and October, forcing astronauts on board to take evasive action, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

The Chinese government told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the incident on December 3, Zhao said, adding the US wasnt meeting its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty.

The US, while talking about the concept of responsible outer space behavior, is in practice ignoring its obligations under the treaty, Zhao said, remarking that the incidents endangered the stations astronauts.

The space rivalry between the US and China has been heating up in recent years. Earlier this month a top Chinese scientist said his nation may be able to send astronauts to the moon for the first time by 2030. Those comments came just weeks after President Joe Bidens top space official set out a similar timetable for new American lunar exploration, setting up the possibility of dueling missions between two of the worlds best-financed space powers.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that 'extremism in is a threat to Pakistan".

"Women are not allowed to travel alone in Afghanistan, and they cannot go to school as well," Chaudhry said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a photo exhibition on the life of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Pak-China centre, reported Geo News.

is blamed globally for supporting terrorism and helping the Taliban. The federal minister's crocodile tears came a day after the Afghan Taliban said that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.

The guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women wearing hijabs, reported Geo News.

The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors.

The ministry had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting.

Meanwhile, condemning the tragic Sialkot incident, where the Islamist mob accused a Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana of blasphemy and then burnt his dead body, the minister said the entire nation was united after it.

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Hundreds of Afghan nationals trying to enter have become stranded after Tehran closed its borders due to the outbreak of the new Covid-19 variant, the media reported.

The Afghan civilians are currently stranded at the Islam Qala port in the border province of Herat, TOLO News reported.

"We have visas, but they still don't allow us across. They (Iranian border forces) treat us like illegal people. I am shaking because of the cold weather but I am still waiting for their positive response," Shoib Omarzada, a resident of Kapisa province who came to Islam Qala to cross the border to Iran, told TOLO News on Monday.

"There is no food and the weather is cold as well. We went to the border but says it is closed. I have spent 30,000 Afs and I have waited four nights here," said Juma Gul Rahmani, a resident of Herat province.

Meanwhile, Humayoun Hemat, the Deputy Commissioner of Islam Qala, said that should admit those who have visas and spent money on travelling documents.

Officials of the Taliban-led government in said that they have discussed the issue with their Iranian counterparts, reports TOLO News.

"The decision to close the border was not made by the Iran Consulate, it was made by the Foreign Ministry in Tehran in coordination with the country's Health Ministry. We have talked to the Foreign Ministry (of Iran) to reopen the gate for the people who have reached the border," said Sher Ahmad Mahajar, a local official of the Department of Foreign Relations in Herat.

Earlier in a statement, Iran's Consulate in Herat said that based on the decision made by the government in Tehran, the borders with would be closed to prevent the spread of the virus.

--IANS

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has kicked off a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party to decide on "strategic and tactical policies", the country's state media said on Tuesday, amid expectations the session could unveil Pyongyang's major policy directions for the new year.

North Korean leader presided over the 4th Plenary Meeting of the Workers' Party's 8th Central Committee held on Monday, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021 and discuss and decide on the strategic and tactical policies," Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying.

The North's previous plenary meetings were held for one to four days.

The KCNA did not provide details on the plenary's agenda items, but the economy is also expected to be high on the list as the North is struggling from crippling sanctions and protracted pandemic-driven border closures

The political gathering opened as Seoul, along with Washington, has been seeking to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang that appears to have grown more insular amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The North has remained unresponsive to US overtures for talks after the countries' no-deal Hanoi summit in 2019, demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its regime.

Experts have said this week's gathering could come in place of the North Korean leader's annual New Year's Day address.

Kim has skipped such speeches in the past two years, opting instead to unveil key messages via major party sessions around the turn of the calendar.

Eyes are also on how the North will mark the 10th anniversary of Kim's rise to power, which falls this Thursday on the occasion of the party event.

Kim officially took the helm of the North on December 30, 2011, with the "supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army," 13 days after his father and former leader Kim Jong-il died.

--IANS

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In a year fraught with political turbulence and the coronavirus pandemic tightening its grip in Nepal, 2021 saw Kathmandu making efforts to reset its bilateral ties with India with high-profile talks and visits, amidst a change in guard in the top leadership in the Himalayan nation.

Coming out from the shadow of the border row that engulfed the Indo- bilateral ties in 2020, the year 2021 opened with India gifting one million domestically manufactured Covishield vaccines to in January as it struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The deadly virus has so far infected over 825,000 people and claimed nearly 12,000 deaths in

In the same month, India provided a grant assistance of NRs 30.66 crore (INR 19.21 cr) to Nepal as part of its commitment towards reconstruction of educational institutions damaged during the devastating 2015 earthquake, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives and wounded nearly 22,000. With this, India reimbursed NRs 81.98 crore (INR 51.37 cr) to Nepal towards educational sector reconstruction projects.

The bilateral ties had seen new lows in 2020 after Nepal released a new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories, prompting India to caution Kathmandu that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it.

On the domestic political front, Nepal in 2021 saw a change in top leadership with Nepali Congress (NC) chief Sher Bahadur Deuba becoming the prime minister for a record fifth time in July, following a months-long high-voltage drama.

In a landmark verdict on July 12, the Supreme Court directed President Bidya Devi Bhandari to appoint Opposition leader Deuba as prime minister and dismissed her "unconstitutional" move to dissolve the House of Representatives that plunged the country into a major political crisis.

President Bhandari dissolved the 275-member lower house for the second time in five months on May 22 at the recommendation of embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19.

On July 13, Deuba formally became Nepal's prime minister. However, just four days after on July 18, the 75-year-old new premier sprang a surprise by seeking a vote of confidence in the reinstated lower House of Representatives and comfortably won it, averting a general election in the Himalayan nation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

A day after, on July 19 Deuba, during a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, shared his views on further strengthening the bilateral ties, founded on the age-old connection of history, culture, tradition and religion.

The year also saw the main opposition and Nepal's largest communist party CPN-UML being officially split in August when senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal quit Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) and floated CPN-Unified Socialist.

Meanwhile, Oli continued with his streak of stoking controversy by making remarks related to India. In June, while he was still the prime minister, Oli at an event to observe the Yoga Day claimed Yoga originated in Nepal, and not in India.

However, the remarks of Oli -- who in 2020 had also stirred a controversy after claiming that Lord Ram was born in Madi area in Nepal's Chitwan district and not in India's Ayodhya -- failed to make any major dent in the bilateral ties, which was witnessing an upward trajectory.

In January, then foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali visited New Delhi and met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. During the visit, he said both New Delhi and Kathmandu have a "common commitment" to resolve the boundary issue and suggested that both sides are working on modalities to address it.

Gyawali was the senior-most political leader from Nepal to visit India after Oli in 2020 triggered the border row.

In April, he asserted that there is no issue between Nepal and India that cannot be resolved through dialogue, underlining that the two countries are "friends and not competitors".

The efforts to build on the momentum in the Nepal-India bilateral relationship and enhance the level of bilateral engagement continued in the Deuba administration as well. Since Deuba came to power in July, there have been several rounds of interactions between the two sides.

In early October, a special delegation of the ruling Nepali Congress led by its deputy general secretary and former foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat arrived in New Delhi and held meetings with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and BJP president JP Nadda. The talks mainly focussed on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

The visit came in the backdrop of the visit of Vijay Chauthaiwale, who heads the foreign affairs department of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to Kathmandu in August at the invitation of NC as part of Nepal's efforts to enhance bilateral ties.

In September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Jaishankar met his new Nepalese counterpart Dr Narayan Khadka in New York and both agreed to work together closely to take the special relationship between the two countries forward.

In early November, on the sidelines of the UN conference on climate change in Glasgow, Prime Minister Modi met with Deuba for the first time after he became the premier of the Himalayan nation and had a "productive discussion" on ways to further strengthen the close bilateral ties and combat climate change, Covid-19 and facilitate post-pandemic recovery.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said both leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in the context of ongoing efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the same month, Nepal Army chief General Prabhu Ram Sharma embarked on a four-day visit to India to step up defence ties between the two neighbouring nations.

During his visit to New Delhi on the invitation of his Indian counterpart General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Sharma was conferred with the title of honorary General of Indian Army' by President Ram Nath Kovid.

The year 2021 also saw the United States enhancing its ties with Nepal against the backdrop of China stepping up its forays into the landlocked nation through various infrastructure ventures, including the trans-Himalayan connectivity projects, under Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

US Assistant Secretary of State, South and Central Asia, Donald Lu in November met Prime Minister Deuba at the latter's residence and discussed various issues, including bilateral ties and post-pandemic recovery. In the same month, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Keiderling also visited Kathmandu.

Lu and Keiderling's visit come as the US and Nepal mark 75 years of diplomatic relations.

China launched the BRI in 2013 to fund infrastructure projects across the world, taking advantage of its USD 3.21 trillion forex reserves to further Beijing's global influence.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed hope to work closely with Foreign Minister Khadka, appointed in September, on matters of mutual interests.

On the India-Nepal bilateral front, the year 2021 ended with a positive note with Jaishankar in December announcing that the reconstruction of 50,000 houses, destroyed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake, in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian-assistance has been completed.

Addressing the virtual Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction, Jaishankar underscored that India will always unhesitatingly step up to support the people of Nepal whenever called to do so.

"Our partnership also testifies to the durability and strength of the ties between our two great countries, he said.

The political arena saw Nepal's main opposition CPN-UML overwhelmingly re-electing former prime minister Oli, 70, as the chairman of the country's largest Communist Party for the second time in November.

In December, five-time premier Deuba was re-elected as the president of the ruling Nepali Congress the country's largest democratic party for a consecutive second four-year term after defeating his rival Shekhar Koirala in a run-off.

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opened a key political conference Monday to review past projects and discuss new policies amid the pandemic and a diplomatic deadlock with the United States.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un presided over a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party. The report did not carry any remarks by Kim.

The meeting approved unspecified agenda items and went into the discussions of them, KCNA said.

The report said the meeting would review major polices this year and decide on the strategic and tactical policies and practical tasks for dynamically guiding the struggle of our party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory.

The plenary meeting is one of the highest-level decision-making bodies in Kim has previously used plenary meetings to announce his positions on relations with the United States and South Korea or his country's nuclear program.

It's not known how long this week's meeting may last. In 2019, a plenary meeting was held for four days.

The meeting comes as Kim is marking 10 years in power. Since his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Il's death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and fortified North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals. The economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, U.N. sanctions and mismanagement, but few experts still question his grip on power.

After a torrid run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, Kim Jong Un participated in a series of landmark summit talks with then-President Donald Trump to discuss the future of his weapons arsenals. Those talks collapsed in 2019 over disputes about how much sanctions relief would get in return for steps toward partial denuclearisation.

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Oil prices extended gains on Tuesday with prices trading near the previous day's one-month high on hopes that the Omicron variant will have a limited impact on fuel demand.

Brent crude rose 14 cents, or 0.1%, to $78.74 a barrel, by 0437 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $75.81 a barrel, gaining for a fifth straight session.

"Worries regarding Omicron are easing across the globe, resulting in some optimism over demand ... Prices are expected to trade with positive bias," said Abhishek Chauhan, head of commodities at Swastika Investmart Ltd.

England will not get any new COVID-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, British health minister Sajid Javid said on Monday, as the government awaits more evidence on whether the health service can cope with high infection rates.

However, the upside to prices remained limited after more than 1,300 flights were cancelled by U.S. airlines on Sunday as COVID-19 reduced the number of available crews while several cruise ships had to cancel stops.

China's local symptomatic cases rose for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, with Xian reporting more infections in a flare-up that has put the city's 13 million residents under lockdown.

Oil prices have risen around 50% this year, supported by recovering demand and supply cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+.

"Volumes are thin because of holidays, and have already digested Omicron concerns. So, the focus is on the January 4 meeting of OPEC+," Ajay Kedia, director at Kedia Commodities said.

Investors are awaiting an OPEC+ meeting on Jan. 4, at which the alliance will decide whether to go ahead with a planned 400,000 barrels-per-day production increase in February.

At its last meeting, OPEC+ stuck to its plans to boost output for January despite Omicron.

Money managers raised their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to Dec. 21, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Monday.

The speculator group raised its combined futures and options position in New York and London by 4,634 contracts to 259,093 during the period.

(Reporting by Mohi Narayan and Naveen Thukral; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

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By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - rose more than 2% on Monday to the highest level since late November on hopes that the coronavirus variant will have a limited impact on global demand in 2022, even as surging cases caused flight cancellations https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/rising-omicron-cases-disrupt-air-travel-800-more-flights-canceled-2021-12-27.

Global benchmark Brent crude rose $2.46, or 3.2%, to settle at $78.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.78, or 2.4%, to settle at $75.57 a barrel. The U.S. market was closed on Friday for a holiday.

Both benchmarks rose on Monday to the highest since Nov. 26. On that day, oil plunged by more than 10% when reports of a new variant first appeared. The benchmarks gained last week after early data suggested that could cause a milder level of illness.

"Though is spreading faster than any COVID-19 variant yet, a relatively relieving news is that most people infected with Omicron are showing mild symptoms, at least so far," said Leona Liu, analyst at Singapore-based DailyFX.

Britain's government will not introduce new COVID-19 restrictions for England before the end of 2021, its health minister, Sajid Javid, said on Monday.

More than 1,300 flights were cancelled by U.S. airlines on Sunday as COVID-19 reduced the number of available crews while several cruise ships had to cancel stops.

"The disruption to goods and services from isolating workers, notably air travel, seems to be the main fallout so far," Jeffrey Halley, analyst at brokerage OANDA, said of rising Omicron cases. "That is only likely to cause short-term nerves, with the global recovery story for 2022 still on track."

have risen over 50% this year, supported by recovering demand and supply cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+.

Talks resume on Monday between world powers and Iran on reviving Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal. Iran said oil exports were the focus of the talks, which so far appear to have made little progress on boosting Iran's shipments.

Also on investors' radar is the next OPEC+ meeting on Jan. 4, at which the producer alliance will decide whether to go ahead with a planned 400,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) production increase in February.

OPEC+ stuck to its plans at its last meeting to boost output for January despite Omicron.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York; Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London and Florence Tan and Koustav Samanta in Singapore.; Editing by Louise Heavens and Matthew Lewis)

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The US and Eueopean Union (EU) member states stripped themselves of a good vaccine by rejecting the Russian-made Sputnik V, Argentine epidemiologist Gabriela said on Tuesday.

"Without the Sputnik V, the US and Europe stripped their citizens of a very good vaccine," Piovano, a specialist at the Dr. Francisco Javier Muniz infectious disease hospital in Argentina, was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

According to Piovano, Pfizer's vaccine may be considered "the worst" due to the requirements to its transportation and storage.

She also considers the proposed boost doze that should be administered three months after the second jab a disadvantage.

was the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for use in August 2020, developing their Sputnik V jab. Developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Center, the Sputnik V jab is currently registered in 70 countries.

A study published in The Lancet medical journal stated that the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 91.6 per cent against Covid-19.

But over a year after its launch, the vaccine has still not been approved by the World Health Organization or the European Medicines Agency.

In September, a regional WHO official said the manufacturing process of the Sputnik V jab had not met the necessary standards, while the EMA review has been delayed as some data is "still missing".

According to a recent laboratory study conducted by the Gamaleya Center, Sputnik V vaccine is also effective against the vaccine evading and super mutant Omicron variant of Covid.

The study shows that Sputnik V demonstrates high virus neutralising activity against the Omicron variant and is expected to provide strong defense against severe disease and hospitalisation.

The Sputnik V has also demonstrated 3-7 times less of a reduction in virus neutralising activity against Omicron. Sputnik V has shown to be 11.8 times ineffective against Omicron, while Pfizer has shown a 41-fold decline in antibodies generated andA Moderna has shown 49-84 times decrease.

"The study was conducted using sera with a longer period after vaccination (more than 6 months after vaccination) as an indicator of Sputnik V's long-lasing protection, in contrast with short studied periods for other vaccines producers (12-27 days for Pfizer-BioNTech and 28 days for Moderna)," the Gamaleya Center said in a statement.

--IANS

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A South African high court on Tuesday blocked from conducting seismic testing offshore from South Africas pristine Wild Coast, in the latest ruling in a case seeking to prevent the oil major from exploring for oil and gas. On December 3, a different high court order gave the go-ahead to conduct an extensive seismic survey off South Africas eastern coast, but this is stopped by Tuesdays ruling that forms part of a broader court application contending did not have the necessary environmental approvals. We respect the courts decision and have paused the survey while we review the judgement, a Shell spokesperson said. Environmentalists and have protested against Shells plans for seismic blasting, saying its underwater acoustics are harmful to marine animals, especially migrating whales. Shell must stop pending the resolution of our application for a final interdict, which we are equally confident of, Johan Lorenzen, one of the lawyers representing fishing communities along the east coast told Reuters. But, South Africas energy minister has defended Shells plans, saying its critics want to deprive Africa of energy resources. Despite global efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and pressure from many governments and investors to limit the carbon emissions that drive global warming, offshore has seen a flurry of exploration activity and significant discoveries.

China fires up a giant coal plant China, under fire for approving new coal power stations as other countries try to curb greenhouse gases, has completed the first 1,000-megawatt unit of the Shanghaimiao plant, the biggest of its kind under construction in the country. (Reuters) Risen plans solar factory for $7 bn Risen Energy is planning to build a $7 billion integrated solar power factory in Inner Mongolia thatll run on clean energy. The plant will produce materials ranging from industrial silicon to finished solar modules. (Bloomberg)

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South Korea, the US and are negotiating over the possibility of the countries holding trilateral defence ministerial talks, the Defence Ministry in Seoul said on Tuesday.

Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan made the remarks following a report by the Japanese broadcaster NHK that the countries are coordinating over the idea of holding the talks among Seoul's Defence Minister Suh Wook and his US and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, respectively, in Hawaii next month, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"Regarding the issue of holding the trilateral Defence Ministers' meeting, we are currently in consultations with the related countries," Boo told a regular press briefing.

The spokesperson pointed out that through their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul earlier this month and other high-level talks, Seoul and Washington shared the understanding that the allies will seek to hold the three-way defence ministerial talks with at an early date.

The three countries last held a trilateral defence ministerial meeting on the margins of security talks involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in November 2019.

The envisioned trilateral session, if held, would come at a time when Washington is striving to rally its allies and partner countries to counter China's assertiveness amid an intensifying great-power rivalry on multiple fronts, including technology, security and trade.

--IANS

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Israeli missiles fired from the Mediterranean struck the Syrian port of Latakia early Tuesday, igniting a fire in the container terminal, Syrian state media reported, in the second such attack on the vital facility this month.

It is also a rare targeting of the port handling most imports for Syria, which has been ravaged by a decade-old civil war and western-imposed sanctions.

The state news agency SANA quoted a military official as saying that Israeli missiles fired from the west of Latakia hit the port's container terminal, igniting fires that caused major damage. The unidentified official said firefighters were battling the flames for nearly an hour after the attack.

Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV ran footage showing flames and smoke rising from the terminal. It reported damage to residential buildings, a hospital, shops and some tourist sites near the port.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the missile attacks, which activated Syrian air defenses, according to SANA.

A similar attack was reported on Dec. 7, when Israeli warplanes targeted the container terminal, causing fires and explosions.

An Al-Ikhbariyah TV reporter in the area said Tuesday's attack appeared to have been larger and the explosions could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city more than 80 kilometers (nearly 50 miles) away. The reporter said ambulances were rushed to the scene but it remained unclear if there were any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said at the time that the Dec. 7 airstrike hit arms shipments for Iran-backed fighters.

There was no comment from the Israeli military, which has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of during its 10-year civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Some past strikes have targeted the main airport in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

has acknowledged that it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, which has fighters in It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.

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The reported 98,515 COVID-19 fresh cases and 143 deaths in the past 24 hours on Monday (local time).

The country in the past seven days has recorded 763,295 infections and 742 deaths, according to the official data released by the government.

The variant is continuously increasing the transmission among people in the country. For some days, the has been reporting the highest single-day COVID-19 infections across the world following the emergence of the new variant.

In the wake of the rising cases, the National Health Service in the UK has said that all adults are now eligible to book a COVID-19 booster dose.

The booster helps give you longer-term protection against getting seriously ill from COVID-19, NHS added.

Meanwhile, the UK government is urging its citizens to get vaccinated.

"We know two jabs do not give you enough protection against so whether it is your first, second or booster jab I urge you to book an appointment now," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet on Monday.

He also urged the people to act cautiously given the rising number of cases.

"Most importantly I urge everyone to get their first, second or booster jab without delay to protect yourselves and your loved ones," Johnson added.

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The US is stealing natural resources from and imposing illegitimate sanctions, Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in an interview.

The US forces with the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, continue to steal the Syrian oil, wheat, and cotton, Mekdad told the national TV on Monday.

He added that the SDF with the assistance of the US forces is holding 60,000 people in the al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria, noting that the SDF is stealing the aid that is sent to the refugees, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Minister claimed that US sanctions against are "illegitimate" and aimed at destabilising the country.

--IANS

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A Russia- meeting is expected on January 12, Sputnik reported citing a news agency.

The Russian news agency sourced the report from a London based news agency that cited US National Security Council spokesperson.

Earlier, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he intends to convene a meeting of the NATO- Council on January 12.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik that the meeting will focus on Russian proposals on security guarantees, including non-expansion of the alliance.

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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in its last board meeting of the year, on Tuesday, tightened norms for public share sales.

The board has tightened rules for IPO proceed utilisation, prescribed a minimum 5 per cent gap in IPO price bands, extended the lock-in period for to 90 days, and capped the amount a majority investor can sell through an offer for sale.

have to lock in their investment for 30 days for 50 per cent of the portion allocated to them. For the remaining portion, a lock-in of 90 days will be applicable. has also restricted investors holding over 20 per cent stake to sell a maximum of 50 per cent of their shares through an offer for sale. Both these measures are aimed at reducing price volatility after listing.

Selling shareholders and merchant bankers will now be more realistic in pricing the issue, said a securities lawyer.

Shares of food delivery major Zomato and One97 Communications, the parent of Paytm, had slipped 9 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, when the mandatory one-month lock-in period for their ended.

We do not want to dictate IPO valuations. But pricing is a critical issue and a better explanation on the basis of which pricing is arrived in the offer document may be a good practice, especially for new-age companies which are typically loss-making. These companies have their own ecosystem and their own capital structure, and it is important to educate investors about this, Tyagi said at a recent event.





ALSO READ: Unitholder say-so must for mutual fund scheme wind-up, says Sebi

For book building issues, a minimum price band of at least 105 per cent of the floor price will now be applicable. The difference in price band has been too narrow in some issuances, forcing the regulator to tweak this rule, said experts.

has also tightened disclosures around IPO objectives. It said the amount for general corporate purpose (GCP) will not exceed 25 per cent of the total amount being raised where the issuer company has not identified acquisition or investment target, as mentioned in objects of the issue in the draft offer document and the offer document. However, such limits will not apply if suitable specific disclosures about such acquisitions or investments are made in the draft offer document and the offer document.

Credit rating agencies (CRAs) will be permitted to act as monitoring agency instead of Scheduled Commercial Banks and Public Financial Institutions for utilisation of issue proceeds, including GCP. Such monitoring will continue till issue proceeds are fully utilised instead of 95 per cent at present.

The inability to raise money for future unidentifiable acquisitions would impact capital raising plans of some unicorns, particularly where such companies may not have any other use of capital and where existing shareholders are not keen to sell. A large amount of flexibility to use funds is a hallmark of those listing their equity shares on international stock exchanges and investors vote with their feet when they are not happy with the use of such funds, including any new acquisition which they dont like, said Yash Ashar, partner & head-capital markets, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.



REGULATOR DIKTAT Anchor investors to lock in 50 per cent of their investment for 90 days

Investors holding over 20% stake can sell a maximum of 50% of their shares through offer for sale

Regulator has tightened disclosures around IPO objectives

Valuation reports must for preferential issue allotments resulting in change of control

Issuer companies have to adhere to guidelines provided under AoA for pricing of preferential issue, besides to Sebis ICDR norms

A third of IPO allocations under NII category reserved for application size of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 million

He said the proposed changes to the law could have a long-term impact and the regulator could have prescribed additional and more detailed continuous disclosures and monitoring keeping in mind existing requirements, including shareholder approval for proposed acquisitions. These changes may impact plans of issuers planning to list on Indian stock exchanges, said Ashar.

has also revised the allocation for wealthy investors, with a third of the allocation reserved for those with an application size of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 million and two-thirds for applications higher than Rs 1 million.

The regulator has mandated valuation reports if preferential issue allotments result in a change of control. Issuer companies have to adhere to guidelines provided under their Articles of Association for pricing of preferential issue, in addition to pricing guidelines under Sebis ICDR Regulations.

An additional requirement for a valuation report from a registered independent valuer shall be required in case of change in control/allotment of more than 5 per cent of post issue fully diluted share capital of the issuer company to an allottee or to allottees acting in concert A committee of independent directors shall be required to provide a reasoned recommendation, along with their comments on all aspects of preferential issuance including pricing, Sebi said in its report.

The board has amended the AIF Regulations, to introduce Special Situation Funds, a sub-category under Category I AIF, which can invest in certain kinds of stressed assets.

The regulator rationalised the time period for filing settlement applications by entities to 60 days from the date of receiving show-cause notice. The watchdog has also decided to introduce provisions relating to appointment or re-appointment of persons who fail to get elected as directors, including whole-time directors, managing directors and managers, at the general meeting of a listed entity.
The price of 10 gram of gold decreased by Rs 70 on Tuesday, with 24-carat gold trading at Rs 48,240 and 22-carat at Rs 47,240.

The price of 1 kg of silver remained unchanged on Tuesday with the precious metal selling at Rs 62,300.

In Delhi, the price of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 51,900, while in Mumbai it is at Rs 48,240, according to the Goodreturns website.

The price of 10 gram of 22-carat gold in Delhi and Mumbai is at Rs 47,600 and Rs 47,240 respectively.

In Chennai, 10 gram of 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 49,690 on Tuesday, while 10 gram of 22-carat gold is selling at Rs 45,550.

In Kolkata, 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 50,100, while 22-carat gold's price is at Rs 47,400, 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 on Tuesday, 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 66,000 a kg.
Shares of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) continued their upward movement for the fourth straight trading day. The stock was locked at the 10 per cent upper circuit at Rs 38.95 on the BSE on Tuesday, with only buyers seen on the counter.

The stock of state-owned telecom services provider was quoting at its highest level since June 2014, when it hit a high of Rs 39.10. Till 10:21 am; a combined 4.9 million equity shares had changed hands and there were pending buy orders for 4.74 million shares on the NSE and BSE.

Thus far in the month of December, the stock price of has appreciated by 117 per cent from level of Rs 17.95 on the BSE. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 1.28 per cent during the same period.

On sudden spurt in volume, said that whatever the movement in the price of equity shares of the company is purely due to market conditions and absolutely market driven event and the Management of the company is in no way connected with it. The company has duly informed the recognized Stock Exchanges i.e. NSE and BSE of all the events, information that have bearing on the operations/performance of the company including price sensitive information, said on clarification on movement in price of equity shares of the company.

For the first half (April-September 2021) of the financial year 2021-22 (H1FY22), MTNL had reported a standalone net loss of Rs 1,341 crore against Rs 1,219 crore in H1FY21. MTNL's losses were at Rs 2,454 crore in 2020-21 (FY21) against Rs 3,811 crore in 2019-20 (FY20). The company had posted losses on account of reduction in revenue and increased competition leading to tariff reduction.

Union Cabinet has approved the "Revival plan of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and MTNL" by reducing employee costs, administrative allotment of spectrum for 4G services, debt restructuring by raising of sovereign guarantee bonds, monetization of assets and in principle approval for merger of BSNL and MTNL. Further, the Company has implemented the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) in FY 2019-20 resulted into reduction in employees cost.

In FY21 annual report MTNL said that the government has approved the monetization of assets so as to raise resources for retiring debt, servicing of bonds, network up gradation, expansion and meeting the operational fund requirements. As on March 31, 2021, net worth of MTNL was negative to the tune of Rs 16,039.88 crore and debts service as well as interest service coverage ratio is also negative.

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) invited bids to sell six assets of state-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL through its new asset monetisation portal. Both the public sector firms were to identify and monetise assets worth Rs 37,500 crore by 2022, the PTI had reported on November 22, 2021.
The key benchmark indices are likely to start trade on a positive note given the encouraging cues from the overseas As of 08:05 AM, the SGX Nifty January futures were quoted at 17,245, up nearly 100 points compared to its previous close on NSE. Meanwhile, here the top stocks to focus in trade today.

Supriya Lifescience: The stock is likely to list with bumper gains, as per the indications from the Grey Market Premium (GMP). The stock was quoted at a 40-45 per cent premium at around Rs 400 as against the issue price of Rs 274 per share. The IPO too had received strong response with more than 71.5 times subscription. The wealthy investors (NIIs) had bid for up to 161.2 times of their limit, and retail investors up to 56 times.

RBL Bank: After a heavy sell-off on Monday, the stock is likely to be in focus today as well as rating agencies ICRA and CARE had placed their ratings on the private bank under watch and said that they were monitoring events at RBL Bank, following the sudden exit of its managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Vishwavir Ahuja, to assess any impact. READ MORE



Meanwhile, has announced that is launching a co-branded credit card in association with Bajaj Finance.

Telecom stocks: The Department of Telecommunications said that commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in India, including the metropolises, in 2022. Meanwhile, telecom service providers have demanded that the government keep 5G spectrum prices affordable to enable maximum industry participation. READ MORE



Shares of the truck and commercial vehicle financier have been one of the biggest losers among the BSE 200 stocks in recent weeks, after the Group announced its merger plan. Heres what could be the road ahead for the stock. READ ANALYSIS The group said it will begin exporting high quality, low sulphur coal from its Carmichael mine in Australia as early as this week, after battling a seven-year campaign by climate activists and defying a global push away from fossil fuels. READ MORE The truck maker plans to enter used vehicles business. It will be partnering with Shriram Automall India Limited, a marketplace connecting pre-owned vehicles and equipment buyers and sellers. The companies will launch a physical and digital platform for facilitating the exchange, disposal and purchase of old commercial vehicles. READ MORE Domestic airlines AirAsia India and launched discount schemes on Monday, offering tickets upwards of Rs 1,122. Bookings can be made between December 27 and 31 and the discount is for tickets between January 15 and April 15. READ MORE The outlook for Indian Oils (IOC) aviation business is positive with growth in flights, upcoming launch of new airlines in 2022 and recovery of jet fuel dues from Air India. The fuel retailer in a statement to the exchanges said, Airline operators have cleared all dues pending with IOC and are now within agreed terms.Air India has also paid around 80 per cent of its pending dues to oil marketing companies. IOC has received Rs 2,281 crore from Air India. The balance settlement is under process for which modalities have been initiated in view of the handing over process of Air India., the release added. READ MORE The drug maker is recalling more than 27,000 bottles of its generic drug, used in lowering high blood pressure, in the US market. As per the latest enforcement report by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the Ahmedabad-based company is recalling 27,312 bottles of the Telmisartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets. READ MORE The company said it has received approval as a 'Trusted Source' from National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). With this nod, has become the 'Trusted Source' for all Indian telecom service providers (TSPs) for sourcing their active network products and infrastructure, and is among few companies to have received the 'trusted sources' approval in the country. READ MORE The companys board has fixed January 06, 2022, as the record date for determining the shareholders of the company who shall be entitled to receive shares of the amalgamated company.

Som Distilleries: The companys board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 17.50 crore by way of rights issue of equity shares at Rs 35 each.

Inox Wind Energy: The companys board has approved a proposal to issue convertible warrants aggregating worth Rs 90 crore to Devansh Trademart and Anjana Projects Private Limited.

Bhatia Communications & Retail: The companys board has approved sub-division of equity shares in the 1:10 ratio  i.e. each share with a face value of Rs 10 each will be sub-divided into 10 equity shares of Re 1 each.

Stocks in F&O ban: Escorts, Indiabulls Housing Finance, and Vodafone Idea are the only stocks in the F&O ban period today.
Three stocks  Urja Global, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and  from the S&P SmallCap index have zoomed more than 100 per cent in the past one month. In comparison, the and the benchmark Sensex have gained 3 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively, during this period.

Shares of Urja Global were locked in the upper circuit for the 15th straight day, up 5 per cent at Rs 18.66, quoting at an all-time high level on the In the last one month, the stock has surged 115 per cent, while in three months, it has zoomed 200 per cent.

Urja Global is a leading renewable energy developer and operator. It is engaged in design, consultancy, integration, supply, installation, commissioning & maintenance of off-grid and grid connected solar power plants. The company is an approved channel partner of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. of India.

As per its FY21 annual report, the company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ogata Motors India Private Limited on June 23, 2020 to manufacture Electric Vehicles (E  Scooters, E - Autos & E  Cars) in the national capital i.e. Delhi and entered into an agreement dated October 17, 2020 with FVM Industries (India) for sale of 100,000 units of electric scooty, annually worth around Rs 480 crore.

The companys subsidiary is engaged in the manufacturing, assembling, marketing & exporting of wide range of batteries, including storage batteries, alkaline batteries, dry batteries, solar power batteries, emergency lights, dry cell converters, and also going to start Lithium-Ion Batteries used in or required for industrial, transport, commercial, and domestic purposes.

That apart, the shares of continued their upward movement for the fourth straight trading day. The stock was locked at the 10 per cent upper circuit at Rs 38.95 on the on Tuesday, with only buyers seen on the counter.

The stock of the state-owned telecom services provider was quoting at its highest level since June 2014, when it hit a high of Rs 39.10. In the past one month, the stock price of has appreciated by 110 per cent from a level of Rs 18.55 on the BSE.

On a sudden spurt in volumes, said that the movement in its share price is purely due to market conditions and that the management is in no way connected with it. The company has duly informed the recognized Stock Exchanges i.e. NSE and BSE of all the events, information that have bearing on the operations/performance of the company including price sensitive information, it said in a clarification.

The shares of were also locked in the upper circuit of 5 per cent at Rs 217.45, hitting a fresh 52-week high on the BSE. The stock of the information technology (IT) consulting & services company has soared 101 per cent in the past one month.

On November 24, 2021, it had announced that its wholly owned subsidiary TickerPlant Limited (presently not a material subsidiary) is proposing to raise funds by way of a private placement offer of its equity shares. One-rupee equity share is being proposed to be issued at a premium of Rs 2 per share for the purpose of meeting its business requirements, it had said.

On December 3, 2021, the company announced TickerPlant raised Rs 81 crore by allotting 270 million equity shares at Rs 3 a share. It diluted its stake in TickerPlant to approximately 77.5 percent stake. Earlier this, month, TickerPlant had announced the launch of CryptoWire - a global crypto super app.

The app will provide real-time market prices and insight, news, knowledge, research, training, information and data platform. It seeks to empower participants by keeping the information comprehensive and unbiased, media reports suggested.
The domestic equity benchmarks ended with strong gains on Tuesday. The Nifty settled above the 17200 mark. Strength was broad based with autos, PSU banks, consumer durables and oil & gas stocks gaining the most.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 477.24 points or 0.83% to 57,897.48. The Nifty 50 index gained 147 points or 0.86% to 17,233.25.

The broader market outperformed the benchmarks. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.95% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rallied 1.43%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,618 shares rose and 764 shares fell. A total of 96 shares were unchanged.

New Listing:

Shares of Supriya Lifescience provisionally closed at Rs 389.40 on the BSE, a premium of 42.12% as against the issue price of Rs 274.

The scrip was listed at Rs 425, representing a premium of 55.11% to the initial public offer (IPO) price.

So far, the scrip has hit a high of Rs 425 and a low of Rs 383.15. Over 14.45 lakh shares of the company have changed hands in the counter till now.

The IPO of Supriya Lifescience was subscribed 71.51 times. The issue opened for bidding on 16 December 2021 and it closed on 20 December 2021. The price band of the IPO was fixed at Rs 265-274 per share.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index rose 1.39% to 10,789.35, advancing for second day. The index has gained 1.59% in two sessions.

Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.44%), Bharat Forge (up 2.18%), Tata Motors (up 1.93%), Eicher Motors (up 1.60%), TVS Motor Company (up 1.05%), Bajaj Auto (up 0.69%), Hero MotoCorp (up 0.55%), Maruti Suzuki (up 0.17%) and Ashok Leyland (up 0.16%), and advanced.

Stocks in Spotlight:

RBL Bank rose 3.80% to Rs 146.25. The bank announced the signing of the agreement with Bajaj Finance for the extension of the partnership of co-branded credit cards for a period of 5 years to December 2026.

Shyam Metalics and Energy jumped 7.97% to Rs 344.90. The company announced 20% increase in sponge iron manufacturing capacity, boosting from 1.39 MTPA to 1.67 million tonnes per annum.

Maharashtra Seamless gained 1.53% to Rs 511.20. The company has bagged Rs 150.70 crore orders from PSU companies for supply of ERW and seamless pipes.

Siemens India added 1.90% to Rs 2400.50. A joint venture between TRIL Urban Transport, a Tata Group company and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH (subsidiary of Siemens Financial Services) under Public Private Partnership Route (PPP) will develop the metro corridor from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar. The Joint Venture has formed a special purpose company called Pune IT City Metro Rail. The order size of Siemens is around Rs 900 crore.

Som Distilleries jumped 4.47% to Rs 42.10. The company's board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 17.50 crore by way of rights issue of equity shares at Rs 35 each.

Sastasundar Ventures hit an upper circuit limit of 5% at Rs 467.30. As per the bulk deal data on the NSE, Ashish Kacholia acquired 2,25,000 shares, or 0.71% stake, in Sastasundar Ventures at Rs 447 per share. As on September 2021, Kacholia held 1.04% stake in the company.

Inox Wind Energy rose 1.52% to Rs 799. The company's board at its meeting held yesterday has approved raising fund of Rs 90 crore on a preferential issue basis

Ajanta Pharma advanced 3.85% to Rs 2264.25. The company's board approved share buyback worth up to Rs 285.60 crore at price of Rs 2550 per share. The record date for the same has been fixed as 14 January 2022.

BSE jumped 5.21% to Rs 1,930.70. The company said its board will consider bonus share issue on 8 February 2022. The board will also consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2021.

Global Markets:

Shares in Europe and Asia advanced on Tuesday. Markets in the U.K. and Ireland remain closed on Tuesday.

U.S. stock indexes advanced Monday as markets reopened after the Christmas holiday and investors assessed the spread of the omicron Covid-19 variant. The S&P 500 index ended at a record high.

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The domestic equity benchmarks traded with strong gains in early trade on buying demand in index pivotals. Asian stocks are trading higher.

At 09:24 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 322.24 points or 0.56% to 57,742.48. The Nifty 50 index added 98.35 points or 0.58% to 17,184.60.

Among the Nifty 50 stocks, ONGC (up 1.97%), Eicher Motors (up 1.25%), Adani Ports (up 1.22%), Axis Bank (up 1.21%) and Bajaj Finance (up 1.05%) were the top index gainers.

Meanwhile, Cipla (down 0.46%), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (down 0.20%) and Hero MotoCorp (down 0.15%) fell.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.59% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.98%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2147 shares rose and 425 shares fell. A total of 58 shares were unchanged.

Stocks in Spotlight:

RBL Bank rose 2.73% to Rs 144.75. The bank announced the signing of the agreement with Bajaj Finance for the extension of the partnership of co-branded credit cards for a period of 5 years to December 2026.

Shyam Metalics and Energy added 2.75% to Rs 328.25. The company announced 20% increase in sponge iron manufacturing capacity, boosting from 1.39 MTPA to 1.67 million tonnes per annum.

Maharashtra Seamless gained 2.96% to Rs 518.40. The company has bagged Rs 150.70 crore orders from PSU companies for supply of ERW and seamless pipes.

Global Markets:

Asian stocks are trading higher on Tuesday after the S&P 500 notched yet another record close on Wall Street overnight. Markets in Australia are closed on Tuesday for a holiday.

U.S. stock indexes rose Monday as markets reopened after the Christmas holiday and investors assessed the spread of the omicron Covid-19 variant. The S&P 500 index ended at a record high.

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RBL Bank advanced 2.45% to Rs 144.35 on signing an agreement with Bajaj Finance for the extension of the partnership of co-branded credit cards for a period of five years to December 2026.

Shares of Bajaj Finance added 0.71% to Rs 6,937.95 on BSE. The scrip hovered in the range of Rs 6,916.05 to Rs 6,973.45 during intraday trade.

Meanwhile, the National Stock Exchange has put four stocks under the ban for trade in the futures & options segment on 28 December 2021. RBL Bank is the latest stock to come under the F&O ban list of NSE. These securities have crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.

Additionally, RBL Bank's board on Saturday, 25 December 2021 accepted the request of Vishwavir Ahuja to proceed on medical leave and appointed Rajeev Ahuja (existing executive director of the bank) as the interim managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank, subject to regulatory and other approvals.

Further, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Yogesh Dayal as an additional director on the board of RBL Bank for a period of two years till 23 December 2023 or till further orders, whichever is earlier.

Mr Dayal is a chief general manager of RBI. He is in charge of the RBI's Department of Communication. Dayal is not related to any of the directors/key managerial personnel of RBL Bank.

"The Bank and the current management team led by Mr Rajeev Ahuja has full support from RBI," RBL Bank said in a statement. It added that the latest developments are not on account of any concern on advances, asset quality and deposits level of the bank.

RBL Bank said that its capital adequacy was 16.3% and will be in a similar range this quarter. Liquidity Coverage ratios have been well above regulatory requirements - it was 155% for the September quarter.

On asset quality, the bank's slippages peaked in Q2 and will be improving this quarter and next as guided previously. The NPA position of the bank will also be on an improving trend. Traction on advances is picking up while the bank continues to keep improving granularity on both advances and deposits. The bank said it remains on track to its guidance on earnings for the rest of the year with improved traction FY23 onwards.

Separately, the media reported that billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunhunwala and D-Mart founder RK Damani have approached RBI with the request to buy 10% stake in RBL Bank. The move by Jhunjhunwala and Damani was made prior to the RBI action against the bank, reports added.

The bank's net profit declined 78.63% to Rs 30.80 crore on 2.10% rise in total income to Rs 2,567.65 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

RBL Bank is a private sector bank. It offers specialized services under five business verticals namely: corporate & institutional banking, commercial banking, branch & business banking, retail assets and treasury and financial markets operations. It currently services over 9.97 million customers through a network of 445 branches, 1,435 business correspondent branches (of which 271 banking outlets) and 386 ATMs spread across 28 Indian states and Union Territories.

The scrip fell 20.82% in the past two trading sessions to Rs 140.90 on 27 December 2021 from Rs 177.95 on 23 December 2021.

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Siemens jumped 4.16% to Rs 2,453.90 after the company announced that a joint venture between TRIL Urban Transport (a Tata Group Company) and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH won an order from Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

The project will be carried out under Public Private Partnership Route (PPP). The joint venture has formed a special purpose company called Pune IT City Metro Rail. The elevated metro line connects Hinjewadi Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park to Shivajinagar via Balewadi. The 23.3 kms corridor with 23 stations will be the first metro project in India under the New Metro Rail Policy.

A consortium between Siemens AG, Siemens Mobility GmbH, Siemens Limited and Alstom Transport India has been awarded the contract for the electrical and mechanical system works of the project by Pune IT City Metro Rail. The project is to be completed in 39 months. Siemens being a part of the consortium will provide project management, turnkey electrification, signaling, communications and depot works (equipment) for the project. The order size of Siemens is to the extent of Rs 900 crore (approximately).

Sunil Mathur, MD and CEO of Siemens said, We would like to thank the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority for awarding this project to us. Siemens is a leader in providing state-of-the-art metro rail solutions globally. Pune Metro is a prestigious project, and Siemens is glad to be partnering with the Tatas to jointly develop this project. We are confident that the new metro line will play a key role in positively impacting the quality of life of Pune's citizens to transform their everyday.

Siemens is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport as well as transmission and generation of electrical power.

The company reported a 3% decline in standalone net profit from continuing operations to Rs 323 crore in quarter ended September 2021 from Rs 333 crore posted in the same quarter last year.

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Shares of Supriya Lifescience will debut on the bourses today. The issue price is Rs 274 per share.

RBL Bank announced the signing of the agreement with Bajaj Finance for the extension of the partnership of co-branded credit cards for a period of 5 years to December 2026.

Shyam Metalics and Energy announced 20% increase in sponge iron manufacturing capacity, boosting from 1.39 MTPA to 1.67 million tonnes per annum.

GR Infraprojects said that the Provisional Completion certificate has been issued by the Independent Engineer for "development of Purvanchal Expressway (Package-VII) from Mojrapur to Bijaura (Ghazipur) in Uttar Pradesh on EPC basis, and has declared the project fit for entry into commercial operation.

IIFL Wealth Management has approved the allotment of 1,200 rated secured redeemable principal protected market linked non-convertible debentures, aggregating to Rs 120 crore, on a private placement basis.

Maharashtra Seamless has bagged Rs 150.70 crore orders from PSU companies for supply of ERW and seamless pipes.

Som Distilleries' board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 17.50 crore by way of rights issue of equity shares at Rs 35 each.

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Shares of Supriya Lifescience were currently trading at Rs 393.95 on the BSE, a premium of 43.78% as against the issue price of Rs 274.

The scrip was listed at Rs 425, representing a premium of 55.11% to the initial public offer (IPO) price.

So far, the scrip has hit a high of Rs 425 and a low of Rs 385. Over 7.33 lakh shares of the company have changed hands in the counter till now.

The IPO of Supriya Lifescience was subscribed 71.51 times. The issue opened for bidding on 16 December 2021 and it closed on 20 December 2021. The price band of the IPO was fixed at Rs 265-274 per share.

Ahead of the IPO, the company on 15 December 2021, finalized allocation of 1,14,96,351 equity shares to anchor investors at an allocation price of Rs 274 per share, aggregating to Rs 315 crore.

The IPO comprised of fresh issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 200 crore and an offer for sale of Rs 500 crore by existing shareholders.

Satish Waman Wagh, the promoter of the company, currently holds an aggregate of 7,26,42,390 equity shares, aggregating to 99.26% of the pre-offer issued share capital. The post IPO shareholding for the same is expected to be around 68.24%.

The objectives for the fresh issue are funding capital expenditure requirements of Rs 92.3 crore, Rs 60 crore for repayment/pre-payment, in full or part of borrowings and remaining amount will be used for general corporate purposes.

Supriya Lifescience is one of the key Indian manufacturers and suppliers of active pharmaceuticals ingredients (APIs), with a focus on research and development. As of 31 October 2021, the company has niche product offerings of 38 APIs focused on diverse therapeutic segments such as antihistamine, analgesic, anesthetics, vitamin, anti-asthmatic and antiallergic.

The business operations of the company are supported by a modern manufacturing facility located in Parshuram Lote, Maharashtra, which is approximately 250 km from Mumbai. Its manufacturing facility has received approvals from USFDA, EDQM TGA-Australia, KFDA-Korea, PMDA Japan, NMPA (previously known as SFDA)- China, Health Canada, in relation to the products being exported to the relevant jurisdictions.

The manufacturing facility is spread across 23,806 sq.mt, having reactor capacity of 332 KL/ day and seven cleanrooms. In addition, company has acquired a plot of land, admeasuring 12,551 sq.mt, near the present manufacturing facility, wherein the Company intends to expand its manufacturing infrastructure.

The company intends to continue to drive R&D initiatives towards the development of innovative APIs. It also intends to improve its R&D capabilities, with a focus on capturing more high-value first-to-market opportunities in key international markets, as well as leveraging broad product basket to enhance market position globally.

The company reported a net profit of Rs 65.96 crore on sales of Rs 224.80 crore in six month ended September 2021.

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The controversy about Indias gross domestic product (GDP) calculations refuses to go away. A recent presentation by former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian and the former International Monetary Fund representative in India Josh Felman has sparked a discussion, given that the two authors asserted that may in fact have contracted in the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20. Not everyone agrees with this assessment. In this context, our lead editorial notes that it has now been almost a decade since the last comprehensive study of sources and methods for estimation was published by the NSO, in 2012.

The year 2022 should see another such publication that might lay this debate to rest. Read here

In other views:

Majoritarianism that encourages a weakening of state institutions that safeguard law and order can just as easily rebound on those who are wielding the instruments of societal coercion today, notes our second editorial. Read here

KP Krishnan talks about the powers of the proposed Authority. Read here
The Congress, an ally of the Shiv Sena and the NCP in Maharashtra, will contest on all seats in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, the party's city unit president, Bhai Jagtap, asserted on Tuesday.

He said leader Rahul Gandhi, who was to address party workers this month, but could not do so due to the coronavirus pandemic, will hold a rally during the due in early 2022. The Mumbai will contest the upcoming Mumbai municipal corporation elections on all 236 seats on its own and will once again fly the ( flag) tricolour over the BMC, he said at an event held on the occasion of the 137th foundation day of the Congress here. Jagtap, who is also a legislator, gave an election call on the occasion, 'Hum Pura Ladenge Aur Jitenge' (we will contest on all seats and win). Earlier too, the Congress had announced to go solo in the The Sonia Gandhi-led party is a constituent of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in the state, which is led by the Shiv Sena and also comprises the NCP. Once a dominant party in India's richest civic body, the Congress has been relegated to number three position in the city after the Shiv Sena and the BJP. The Shiv Sena currently rules the BMC, whose annual budget of more than Rs 30,000 crore is bigger than budget of some smaller states in the country.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a surprise move, Union minister paid tributes at a memorial of Rani Laxmibai at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, with eyewitnesses claiming it was probably the first time that any member of the Scindia clan visited the warrior queen's memorial.

However, senior Congress leader and MP party unit spokesman K K Mishra said it is a well known fact that Scindias (erstwhile royal family of Gwalior) had "not supported" Rani Laxmibai's revolt against the British forces in 1857.

"The sin committed in 1857 cannot be washed away in 2021 by visiting the memorial of the warrior queen," he said.

But, the BJP said Jyotoriaditya Scindia, with his visit to the memorial, has "honoured the valour of those who laid down their lives for the country",



On Sunday, Scindia, scion of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, accompanied by Energy Minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar, visited Rani Laxmibai's 'samadhi' in Phool Bagh area here after returning from a programme.

The civil aviation minister, who quit the Congress last year and joined the BJP, paid floral tributes and bowed before the warrior queen of Jhansi, who laid down her life fighting Britishers in 1858.

State Congress spokesman Narendra Singh Saluja took a dig at Scindia's move, saying, "What all the BJP is forcing him (Scindia) to do after he shifted to the saffron party for the post and the chair".

Saluja also said that former state BJP minister Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and followers of Rani Laxmibai may now clean the 'samadhi' with the Ganga (river) water.

Prior to Scindia's entry into the BJP, Pawaiya used to oppose him. But, Scindia, after joining the saffron party, had paid a courtesy visit to Pawaiya's residence in Gwalior.

Reacting to Scindia's move, MP Congress MLA Laxman Singh tweeted: "Bowing of before the statue of Rani Jhansi is a courageous step."



Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said Rani Laxmibai is a symbol of sacrifice and by paying respects at her memorial, Scindia has "honoured the valour of those who laid down their lives for the country".

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Android 12 has brought a lot of additional features and now a new report claims that the next gen Android 13 platform will offer major improvements in audio streaming through Bluetooth.

Google has merged the LE Audio codec (LC3) and has added it to system settings as a new option. When connecting to an audio device, the codec will take the highest priority, meaning that supported devices will try to establish a LE Audio connection before any other, reports Android Police.

For those unaware, Bluetooth LE Audio is quite notable since it can potentially massively improve battery life while still offering a stable connection that doesn't compromise on audio quality.

In addition, Bluetooth LE Audio would also enable support for multiple streams through more than one pair of headphones.

Google recently announced a preview of Android 12L, which may sound like a new version of Android, but Google calls it "a special feature drop that makes Android 12 even better on large screens".

The idea here is to provide users on tablets, foldables and Chrome OS laptops -- anything with a screen above 600 dp -- with an improved user interface.

The developer preview of Android 12L is now available for developers who want to give it a try, as well as a new Android 12L emulator and support for it in Android Studio.

Google plans to release 12L early next year, "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable".

In addition to Android 12L, Google also announced new features in OS and Play for developers to better support these devices.

--IANS

wh/ksk/

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maker is all set to launch its next flagship handset ' 10 Pro' on January 4 and the pre-registrations for the phone have already begun at the Chinese market.

OPPO's chief product officer and OnePlus' CEO, Pete Lau, previously revealed that the 10 Pro would be available in January 2022. The release date had been rumoured to be January 5, but it has now been formally announced to be a day earlier, reports Gizbot.

The OnePlus 10 Pro will include an LTPO 2.0 display and Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, up to 12GB of RAM and capabilities for 80W rapid charging.

The is expected to sport a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 2K resolution. The screen will be curved on either side and sport a hole-punch cutout at the top left corner.

The smartphone's camera setup will feature a 48MP primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3.3x optical zoom.A For selfies, the phone will come with an improved 32MP front camera sensor.

The OnePlus 10 Pro will come preinstalled with Android 12 OS. As the company had revealed a few months ago, it will be the first device to offer a unified experience of ColorOS and OxygenOS.

In June, OnePlus announced that it has decided to further integrate with its sister brand OPPO and merge with it in a bid to create better products.

In an official forum note, earlier, Lau said that it will also allow them to be more efficient, for example, bringing faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users.

He informed that he took on some additional responsibilities to oversee product strategy for both OnePlus and OPPO last year.

--IANS

wh/ksk/

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Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], December 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): Amongst the many problems faced by Indian farmers, the problem of diseases in crops has caused major loss to the farming community.

According to an estimate, Indian farmers incur an annual loss of Rs. 90,000 crores due to pests and diseases, which destroy the standing crops in the field. Chandigarh University has come forward to rescue the Indian Farmers from the increasing crop loss problem due to diseases.

The Department of Research & Development of Chandigarh University has developed an Artificial Intelligence-based Mobile Application that will detect crop diseases at an early stage of the farming cycle. This will help the farmers to make arrangements before the spread of disease in healthy crops. Scientist F of SEED, NCSTC Division, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, Dr Rashmi Singh launched the Mobile App along with Dean Research, Chandigarh University Prof. Sanjeet Singh.

While giving details about the mobile app, the inventor and project scientist of Chandigarh University, Amit Verma said, "The diseases like cut worms, potato tuber moth are common in potatoes. Early and Late Blight in Tomatoes severely damage the crop. To overcome from these and many other diseases, this detecting application can be used to identify and detect the illness in these crops in order to increase agricultural production." Amit Verma explained that the mobile application works on three-step disease detection which is based on Image Processing which matches the current picture of the crop with that of disease-infected crop. Using the pattern matching technique the app prompts any significant change in the leaves, stems or branches. In addition, the mobile app offers suggestions to further treat the disease based upon the stage of the crop damaged by the pests and insects. The App will be able to detect 39 diseases in two crops while the study to extend the detection for 19 more crops is currently under process.

Chandigarh University's Dean Research, Prof. Sanjeet Singh said, "The app took six months to be completely designed and tested and the research has been funded by the Department of Research of the University." Chandigarh University has formed a special research group to carry advanced projects in the field of Agriculture and in last three years, the research group has filed 31 patents in the field of Farming and Agriculture, which will be launched soon in the market that will help Indian farmers to overcome their numerous problems, added Prof Sanjeet.

While launching the early diseases detecting application, Dr Rashmi Sharma, DST Scientist F (SEED, NCSTC Division) department of Science and Technology, New Delhi praised the Chandigarh University's role in finding the sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the farmers with the launch of this early detection application and will help farmers across India to overcome from the crops loss.

Dr Sharma while explaining further said that Chandigarh University has performed quintessentially well in terms of research and this shows the great character of Chandigarh University towards the society as this application is going to help millions of farmers across Punjab and India. As India advances more in research and innovation with 8th rank in artificial intelligence with 4000 filed patents in the last 5 years, shows the competence of India in research with the help of artificial intelligence. On explaining the benefits of the application, the eminent scientist Dr Rashmi Sharma broadly explained the harmful effects of pesticides used in crop protection and its effect on farmers in terms of life taking diseases like cancer.

The Chancellor Chandigarh University Satnam Singh Sandhu said that Chandigarh University has always been in leading role when it comes to research and innovation and has been performing on all fronts to help the society to find out sustainable solutions for the emerging challenges.

In order to promote research and innovation, Chandigarh University has a strength of 30 research groups, 14 industry collaborated labs where 800 research scholars are working on various research projects and the university has allocated a budget of Rs. 12 crores annually for the R & D activities, he added.

This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On November 26, US president Joe Biden called on countries attending an upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting to set aside the rights on Covid-19 vaccines. The November 30 meeting, which in itself was being seen as the test of WTOs relevance, was postponed due to the threat posed by the new Covid-19 variant. So now, a call on the or IP waiver of Covid-19 vaccines will be taken by February end when all the 164 nations converge in Geneva. While most of them want the waiver of IP rights, some dont. Public health experts have been saying that such a waiver would help developing and low income countries get more supplies of vaccine in this time of crisis. Let us take a look at the proposal for IP waiver that is being considered by the world. So far, nearly 8.5 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered globally. But the vaccine distribution has been uneven to say the least. Just like other resources, poor nations have got a far lesser number of vaccines when compared to the rich countries. The figures say it all. According to Our World in Data, 56% of the worlds population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

However, just 7.1% of people in low income nations have received at least one jab. Low vaccination rates are seen as a big risk in the appearance of new variants. Many countries hope that a waiver on the or IP of Covid-19 vaccine will help in mass vaccination. The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, TRIPS in short, is the agreement between the World Trade Organization members that deals with intellectual property rights. The multilateral agreement has been in place since 1995. In October 2020, India and South Africa proposed a temporary waiver on IP rights for Covid-19 vaccines and other Covid-related technologies at the World Trade Organisation until global herd immunity is achieved. This proposal has come to be known as the TRIPS waiver. The waiver would enable the manufacturing of generic versions of Covid-19 vaccines. It temporarily removes the protections provided by the About 100 of the WTOs 164 countries have supported Indias proposal, including the United States, which voiced its position in May this year. Several wealthy countries, including the UK, Germany and Switzerland as well as major vaccine-making pharmaceutical companies are against the initiative. A decision on the waiver can be reached based on consensus of all 164 members. If an agreement cannot be reached, the decision can be made by voting. A three-fourths majority is needed in order for the waiver to be adopted. Millions of people in the poorer countries are yet to be vaccinated. While the rich nations are looking to give booster shots to its population. Both need vaccines and sharing the technology will only help in completely wiping the virus. While calling for IP waiver, the US has rightly said that extraordinary circumstances need extraordinary measures.
Headline indices extended gains on Tuesday on the back of all-round buying as investors sidelined Omicron related fears.

The BSE Sensex, surged to an intra-day high of 57,952, and ended 477 points up at 57,897. The NSE Nifty touched a high of 17,250, and settled with a gain of 147 points at 17,233.

Some analysts, Business Standard spoke to, remain hopeful that the equity will look past Omicron fears and move higher. Despite, multiple headwinds, including the policies of various global central banks amid the rising Covid cases with the emergence of the omicron variant, they believe that there would not be any major fall in the over the short-term but do not rule out bouts of volatility going ahead.

The broader indices also closed with smart gains. The BSE Midcap index was up 1 per cent, and the SmallCap index gained 1.5 per cent.

Asian Paints and Sun Pharma were the major gainers among the Sensex 30 stocks, up nearly 3 per cent each. Mahindra & Mahindra, Titan, NTPC and UltraTech Cement also rallied more than 2 per cent each.

Larsen & Toubro, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, and Infosys, were the other prominent gainers.

Individually, debutant Supriya Lifescience stole the limelight as the active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer got listed on the BSE at Rs 425- a 55% premium over its issue price of Rs 274. The stock that had received strong response from investors, ended 42 % higher on the exchange.

Further, the shares of BSE surged up 10.5% to a high of Rs 2,028 on the National Stock Exchange, after the company announced that its board will meet on February 8, 2022 to consider a bonus issue. In the past one month, the stock has outperformed the market by surging 30%, against a 1.1 % rise in the Nifty50 index.

In the broader market, state-owned telecom services provider MTNL continued its upward movement for the fourth straight day. The stock was locked at the 10% upper circuit on the BSE, with only buyers seen on the counter. The stock traded at its highest level since June 2014. So far in December, its share price has appreciated by 117 %.

That apart, two other stocks-Urja Global and 63 Moons Technologies have also surged over 100% in the last one month. Urja Global was locked in the 5% upper circuit for the 15th day, while 63 Moons hit a 52-week high on the BSE being locked in the same upper circuit.

Cinema theatre player PVR ended 4% lower on the BSE after Delhi ordered closure of cinemas, gyms, schools and colleges, with immediate effect, amid various other restrictions. The new restrictions have been enforced as the national capital is seeing a new spike in covid cases, possibly led by the Omicron variant.

Moreover, the telecom space overall put up a good performance on the back of the Department of Telecommunications announcing the initial roll out of commercial 5G services in 13 Indian cities in 2022. Other sectors that were leading gainers included Auto, IT, Realty, and Consumer Durables.

The Nifty Pharma index also logged gains and closed 0.9% higher after health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that India has granted emergency approval to Merck's anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir and two new covid-19 vaccines. The minister said that the pill will be manufactured by 13 companies in India. It was granted emergency approval by the US FDA last week.

Lastly, Bitcoin slid below $50,000, a level some analysts see as a key pivot for assessing the largest cryptocurrencys outlook heading into 2022. The token fell as much as 4.5% in Asia and was trading at about $49,100 as of 1:10 p.m. in Singapore. Second-largest coin Ether and the Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index were also in the red.
Brilloca

News Summary

Hindware, launched the Aspiro series in a never before new unveiling event, held offline & online, reaching out to thousands of dealers in a single day. Dealers from across India joined the event held at 8 locations and others joined online as well to make the launch a success. The new Aspiro series has a range of faucets with premium design at an affordable price point.
RoboSense, a world's leading smart LiDAR system technology company, attended the 2021 BYD CEO annual meeting of investor enterprises and officially announced a strategic investment agreement and a strategic cooperation framework agreement with BYD. Chunxin Qiu, founder and CEO of RoboSense, and Chuanfu Wang, chairman and president of BYD attended the signing ceremony.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211227005067/en/

Witnessed by leaders and executives of both companies, RoboSense and BYD signed a strategic investment agreement and a strategic cooperation framework agreement (Photo: Business Wire)

RoboSense is a pioneer in the core technologies of LiDAR hardware, smart sensor software and chips. As the partnership deepens, RoboSense will keep pace with BYD, continuously upgrade the technological capacity in intelligent perception, and form a deeply integrated technology matrix to broaden the vertical coverage across the industry chain and jointly promote the innovation and transformation of the smart new energy vehicle industry.

The in-depth partnership with RoboSense is a strategic milestone for BYD, highlighting its focus on intelligence solutions and comprehensive planning on the intelligent vehicle industry chain.

Themed Focus on Innovation, Co-build Ecology and Shape the Future, the 2021 BYD CEO annual meeting invited over 20 enterprises to showcase their technological product innovations. Several LiDAR products of RoboSense were showcased, among which the second generation smart solid-state LiDAR RS-LiDAR-M1 (M1) became a spotlight.

A roundtable forum themed Industrial Transformation and Domestic Production Opportunities in the Trend Toward Vehicle Intelligence was held in parallel with the annual meeting. Chunchao Qiu, co-founder and executive president of RoboSense, attended the forum and discussed the future trends of the global automotive industry and he said: The global auto industry is trending towards intelligence, LiDAR is a core part of vehicle intelligence, and the industry market performance shows resource concentration on top performers. RoboSense secured fixed-point project orders of multiple models in 2021, gaining a competitive edge.

BYD's investment will help RoboSense engage more closely in the smart new energy vehicle industry ecology, laying a solid foundation for in-depth industry collaboration between the two companies. The partnership between RoboSense and BYD will unlock greater potential in smart new energy vehicles, and explore the smart LiDAR technology in a practical and innovation-driven manner, and mobilize industry resources to promote the sustainable development of the global intelligent vehicle industry ecology.

About RoboSense

RoboSense (Suteng Innovation Technology Co., Ltd.) is a world-leading provider of Smart LiDAR Sensor Systems. Comprising LiDAR sensors, AI algorithms and IC chipsets, its portfolio transforms conventional 3D LiDAR sensors with comprehensive data analysis and interpretation systems. The company's mission is to innovate outstanding hardware and artificial intelligence capabilities to create smart solutions that enable robots, including vehicles, to have perception capabilities superior to humans.

ABOUT BYD

The Official Sponsor of Mother Nature, BYD, the worlds leading electric vehicle company, is dedicated to creating a total solution. Globally, BYD has committed to corporate social responsibility, deeply monitoring our supply chain in terms of human rights, environmental safety, hazardous substance control and intellectual property rights. We only select suppliers who share our commitment to just labor practices, human rights standards and the environment.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211227005067/en/
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it is investigating alleged price gouging by Turkish Airlines on flights between Turkey and China, according to a Monday notice (link in Chinese).

A price list of the flights from Istanbul to Guangzhou went viral online on Dec. 22, showing an economy ticket priced as high as 200,000 yuan ($31,372) and a business class ticket at more than 250,000 yuan.
Tax evasion /

Cover Story: Chinese livestreamers tax evasion calls for systematic tax reform

Chinas recent record fine on a top celebrity livestreamer signals that the authorities are tightening taxation on high-income individuals, but to close a loophole that enables tax evasion in the booming but underregulated sector, a formal tax system revamp is necessary, tax experts said.

Huang Wei, one of the highest-earning livestreamers, known online as Weiya, was ordered to pay 1.34 billion yuan ($210 million) in back taxes, late fees, and fines after tax authorities in the eastern city of Hangzhou found she avoided taxes totaling 643 million yuan in 2019 and 2020.

The case followed a combined 93.2 million yuan of fines imposed in November on two other influential livestreamers for income tax evasion. In all cases, the livestreamers evaded taxes mainly by setting up multiple sole-proprietorship companies and partnerships and reporting commission income and spot fees as more lightly taxed business income, the tax authorities said.

FINANCE & ECONOMY

The headquarters of the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing in December 2020. Photo: VCG

Negative list /

China fleshes out regulation on domestic firms listed overseas

China further clarified the regulations for domestic companies seeking to list overseas when it published a new negative list for foreign investment Monday.

In the list, which specifies the domestic businesses that foreign investors are restricted from entering, authorities said Chinese firms in the businesses on the list can file for offshore listings as long as they win regulatory approval and meet certain requirements.

The negative list (link in Chinese), jointly issued by Chinas National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Commerce, takes effect Saturday.

Caixin Explains: What Chinas New Investment Rules Mean for Foreign Investors

Carbon /

China to let local governments find own ways to meet national carbon goals

China will start selecting local governments to conduct pilot programs to facilitate investment and financing for climate-related projects as it encourages them to find their own ways to fight climate change and bankroll the nations decarbonization drive.

Climate investment and financing aims to channel more funds into climate resilience, according to a work plan (link in Chinese) released last week by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Peoples Bank of China and seven other state departments. The document lays out the goals and tasks for carrying out climate investment and financing pilot projects.

Year in Review: China takes pragmatic approach to meeting carbon emission goals

Ant Group /

China Cinda buys 20% stake in Ants consumer finance unit

Ant Groups consumer finance unit will receive 22 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) of 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.

Quick hits /

Chinese province offers $31,000 baby loans to counter shrinking population

Chinese mainland, Hong Kong bourses to add ETFs to stock connect scheme

Editorial: How government frugality can serve the people

BUSINESS & TECH

A Delta Air Lines flight scheduled to land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Friday morning had to unexpectedly turn back over Russia six hours into its flight from Seattle, according to media reports.

Flights /

China advises U.S. air passengers to anticipate changes after Delta flight turned back

China warned passengers with plans to fly to China from the U.S. to anticipate flight changes after several flights were delayed or canceled, including one from Seattle to Shanghai that returned to the U.S. midway.

The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said in a notice Saturday that it complained to the airline involved and advised passengers to confirm their flight status and complete the tests needed before boarding. The embassy and consulates would continue to urge U.S. airlines to guarantee passengers legitimate rights, the statement said.

A Delta Air Lines flight scheduled to land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Friday morning had to unexpectedly turn back over Russia six hours into its flight from Seattle, according to media reports.

Renewable energy /

Chinas renewable energy generation tops 1 trillion kWh

Chinas cumulative annual renewable energy generation surpassed 1 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) for the first time, jumping by a third over the same time last year as the country races to meet climate goals by 2030.

Electricity generated from renewable sources totaled 1.04 trillion kWh during the first 11 months of this year, a 33% jump from 2020, according to data announced by the National Energy Administration (NEA) (link in Chinese) at a Friday briefing.

IPO /

Q&A forum Zhihu denies reports of Hong Kong IPO

Zhihu Inc., the Chinese question-and-answer forum, denied media reports that it was about to undertake a secondary listing in Hong Kong, saying the company had not heard the news.

Citing state-owned news outlet The Paper, Bloomberg reported Saturday that the Beijing-based company plans to submit documents for a share offering in Hong Kong in January.

Power /

Chinas state assets regulator takes control of Southern Power Grid with stake hike

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the central governments state assets regulator, raised its stake in China Southern Power Grid Co. Ltd. to 51% from 26.4% as part of an ownership restructuring plan aimed at improving corporate governance.

The ownership change was announced Saturday at a Southern Power Grid conference to discuss how it could achieve high-quality development by optimizing its ownership structure. The restructuring plan, approved by the State Council, can be seen as an important measure to promote the development of Chinas power industry and ensure the countrys energy security, SASAC Chairman Hao Peng said.

Quick hits /

China Mobile boosts share sale to be worlds second-largest in 2021

Energy Insider /

China unveils state-owned rare earths giant

GALLERY

Cold front blankets North China in snow

Recommended newsletter for you /

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Whats new: The phase 1 of the Qulong copper mine, one of the largest such projects under construction in China, began production on Monday, according to a social media post (link in Chinese) by its operator.

The Qulong mine is operated by Tibet Julong Copper Co. Ltd., which is controlled by Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd. (601899.SH). With the combined output of Qulong and another mine Zhihula, Julong is expected to produce 120,000 to 130,000 tons of copper in 2022, according to a Zijin exchange filing (link in Chinese) on Sunday. The first phase of the mine was designed with an annual production capacity of nearly 160,000 tons.

Construction of mines second and third phases remains subject to regulatory approval. Together, the phases are expected to produce about 200 million tons of ores annually, making the project the largest copper mine in the world, according to the filing.

Background: Zijin, which is best known as a gold miner, acquired a 50.1% stake in Julong for 3.88 billion yuan ($547.7 million) in 2020 to gain access to three copper deposits  Zhibula, Qulong, and Rongmu Cuola  which have total reserves of 7.95 million tons. As of now, Zijin holds a 57.35% stake in Julong while another mining firm, Zangge Mining Co. Ltd. (000408.SZ), holds 30.78%.

In October, Zijin announced it will acquire Canada-based lithium company Neo Lithium for C$960 million ($770 million) in an all-cash deal. The acquisition will give Zijin access to a project located in northwest Argentina's Catamarca province, which is expected to produce 20,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate a year over the 35-year life of the mine.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Manyun Zou (manyunzou@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.
VinFasts electric SUVs are priced at $30,200 and can travel up to 300 kilometers or so on a single charge. Photo: vinfastauto.com

(Nikkei Asia)  Vietnamese automaker VinFast has begun sales of its electric vehicles (EV), becoming the first major car company operating in Vietnam to sell EVs in the country.

The company, a unit of top Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup JSC, looks to deliver about 100 vehicles to customers by the end of the month. Its electric SUVs are priced at 690 million dong ($30,200) and can travel up to 300 kilometers or so on a single charge.
Cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean has offered a 25% refund to about 2,500 passengers after they were made to wait for almost a day to get a Covid-19 test Wednesday in Hong Kong. The ship, which set sail on Sunday, was ordered to cut its journey short and return to dock at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, after local health authorities found that the passengers included nine close contacts of Covid cases. All nine tested negative

Jan 06, 2022 05:04 PM
It seems the possibility of seeing the all-new Toyota Raize on local roads is getting greater and greater by the day. The latest evidence? T...
Photo: Resource Works video screengrab CN Railway tracks blockaded near New Hazelton, B.C in February 2020.

CN Rail has won the right to privately pursue criminal charges against three people who participated in a 2020 rail blockade in Northern B.C., despite the fact that provincial prosecutors declined to get involved.

The ruling cements the B.C. Supreme Courts ability to enforce court injunctions, with or without the participation of Crown prosecutors, who unsuccessfully fought the decision.

A group of people, including three Gitxsan hereditary chiefs, were arrested at a blockade on a CN Rail line in New Hazelton, B.C. on Feb. 24, 2020.

An injunction against the blockade had been issued two weeks prior amid nationwide protests in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs fighting against the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline.

The BC Prosecution Service, which typically has the final say on who gets charged with criminal offences in the province, declined an invitation of the court to press charges.

Crown prosecutors said they could not prove nine of the protesters were aware of the injunction when they were arrested. Three others, however, were captured on video having the injunction read to them.

Provincial prosecutors tried to argue it was not in the public interest that those three protesters be criminally prosecuted on the basis that they were non-violent, mostly cooperative and did not return to block the tracks after their arrest.

In a BC Supreme Court ruling earlier this month, Justice Ward Branch said the BC Prosecution Service is not the sole arbiter of the public interest.

While the BCPS has expertise in assessing and pursuing criminal offences, the court undoubtedly has its own expertise in protecting the administration of justice and ensuring respect for the courts Branch ruled.

The BCPS tried to raise concerns about a private corporation, CN Rail, carrying out a criminal prosecution.

Justice Branch agreed that the situation is not ideal, but when Crown counsel declined to press charges the court is effectively left to make the best out of a bad situation.

Branch noted that judicial contempt power has existed for as long as courts themselves, later ruling that the long term repute of the administration of justice is imperilled by the mass public disobedience of a court order.

The fact that there have been no further blockades also does not mitigate the alleged disrespect for the Courts order, Justice Branch continued. This is not a situation where an accused is entitled to one free pass, and is only subject to penalty if they repeat their offence. The initial willful violation of a court order remains a violation of a court order.

Criminal vs. civil contempt of court

When dealing with people who breach court orders, the courts deal with offenders in two ways.

Civil contempt of court proceedings are used for issues between two parties with the primary purpose being to secure compliance with the court order.

A criminal contempt case transcends the interests of the parties, resulting in the public having an interest in ensuring the proper administration of justice. Punitive sentences are issued.

In the CN Rail blockade case, Justice Branch ruled that CN Rail can launch its own criminal prosecution of the three protesters who were allegedly knowledgeable of the injunction.

The other nine protesters would have to be dealt with in a civil contempt case, with the judge accepting the Crowns explanation that a conviction is unlikely.

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority v. Doe

Justice Wards ruling on the New Hazelton blockade was guided primarily by a similar BC Supreme Court decision months prior.

A blockade at the entrance to the Vancouver Port on Feb. 24, 2020  the same day at the New Hazelton rail blockade arrests  was cleared by police. An injunction preventing the blockade has been issued weeks prior and six people were arrested.

The BC Prosecution Service again declined to press criminal charges because it was not in the public interest that prosecutions proceed. A judge would then grant the Vancouver Port Authority the right to pursue criminal charges privately, which the BCPS opposed.

The six arrestees in that case pleaded guilty after the Port Authority won the right to press criminal charges and were sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service/$500 fine.

The Port Authority decision was also relied upon by a judge dealing with the injunction contempt case for the ongoing Fairy Creek blockades on Vancouver Island. But in that case, provincial prosecutors deemed it in the public interest to press criminal charges against hundreds of protesters.

The New Hazelton and Vancouver Port Authority decisions erode the discretion the BCPS and BC Attorney General previously had in dealing acts of civil disobedience that violate injunctions, opening the door to more private criminal prosecutions in the future.

At this time it is not known if CN Rail will proceed with a criminal prosecution of the three eligible New Hazelton arrestees. The company declined comment when contacted by Castanet.

The New Hazelton arrestee identities are not revealed in the court decision, but the judge said he expects the BCPS to make them available to CN Rail and the courts.
Photo: BC Gov Flickr

The B.C. government released partial COVID-19 data on Monday, revealing skyrocketing case counts over the Christmas period.

Over the past three days B.C. reported 6,288 new cases, for a total of 241,946 cases since the pandemic began.

The government did not release data on active or recovered cases, deaths, hospitalizations or vaccination figures on Monday due to the statutory holiday.

The government says it will resume reporting those figures on Wednesday, when a media briefing is expected. Castanet's running active cases graph will be updated Wednesday as well.

The cases were confirmed as follows:

Dec. 24-25: 2,552 new cases

Dec. 25-26: 2,023 new cases

Dec. 26-27: 1,713 new cases

The new cases include:

3,181 new cases in Fraser Health

1,482 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health

713 new cases in Interior Health

174 new cases in Northern Health

737 new cases in Island Health

one new case in person who resides outside of Canada

No additional data was released on Monday. The BCCDCs COVID-19 dashboard also says it will not be updated until Wednesday.

The surge in case counts is being driven by the more contagious Omicron variant. B.C. announced last week its testing system had reached its capacity of 20,000 cases per day and triage is underway.

Public health is now using rapid tests to supplement PCR testing based on risk, and those rapid test results are not included in daily case totals.

People who are younger and don't have underlying risk factors, particularly if they are fully vaccinated, will most likely receive a rapid test, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last week.
Photo: Contributed

A missing three-year-old child from Alberta has been returned safe, after RCMP put out an alert when he was believed to be taken by his father and headed for BC.

Wetaskiwin and Camrose RCMP in Alberta were dispatched on Christmas Eve to a report that a father had broken a custody order, and was believed to have abducted Elijah Nyhus.

According to the RCMP, Malin Nyhus turned himself and his son Elijah into the Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment on Monday evening, around 10:30 p.m.

"Alberta RCMP would like to thank Albertans, the media and our partners in law enforcement for their assistance in this matter," the press release reads.

Malin will be held for a Judicial Interim Release hearing and RCMP will be providing updates when available.

Elijah was turned over to the RCMP unharmed and is to be reunited with his mother.
A recent piece in Vanity Fair by Katherine Eban (Dec. 23, 2021) gives insight into why Joe Biden and his administration seem unable to offer anything but mandates and masks to stop the spread of COVID.

Oct 22, 2021, COVID testing experts (scientists) in a ZOOM call with Biden administration officials" recommended a new strategy for dealing with the upsurge of variants. Their proposal was to place

antigen rapid tests, free of charge, in every American home over the upcoming holidays, but according to the report, administration officials rejected it.

Joe Biden then told ABCs David Muir on Dec. 22, 2021, I wish I had thought about ordering 500 million at-home tests two months ago. That would have been in October, the month of the rejected home tests proposal. Then it took a fashion magazine to point out the rejection of the home tests with what Joe told David Muir on national TV. This raises more questions about Joes competency and that of his administration officials, whoever they are.

On Monday, Dec 27, in an unusual step, reporters actually asked Joe if his administration, in October, rejected providing the holiday home test kits. Biden, in true form, said, we didnt reject it (Yahoo News, Bryan Metzger, Dec 27, 2021). Did Joe forget or was he even briefed about the proposal by officials, whoever they are?

Joe Biden doesnt inspire confidence in himself or his officials. He appears to be little more than the animated Joe Biden in the Hall of Presidents at Disney World. With each passing day I have more confidence in animated Joe than Oval Office Joe or his officials, whoever they are.

Ralph Miller
East Ridge Residence, an independent living community in East Ridge managed by Signal Mountain-based Veritas Senior Living, is announcing Amy Silvers, CDP (certified dementia practitioner) as their new executive director. Her start date was Dec. 13."Amy will oversee all of the day-to-day operations and manage all employees of the community. She has had an extensive background in independent living communities and skilled nursing facilities for the past 18 years." officials said.Born and raised in Midland, Mi., Ms. Silvers comes from a family involved in senior living and healthcare. Her mother was a CNA at a skilled nursing facility, her younger sister has been a nurse for the past 20-plus years, and her grandmother volunteered in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.When she was younger, she would help her grandmother, thus starting her passion to serve seniors at an early age. Tennessee has been Ms. Silvers home for the last 27 years.To serve the senior population, improve their life in any capacity and make their day a little bit better has got to be among one of the greatest feelings on earth, said Ms. Silver. These seniors have given their lives working hard and serving others. Theyve risked their lives in wars for people theyve never met, so having the opportunity to pay them back even just a little is priceless.She also says that working in senior living is like having 100-plus adopted grandparents, and nothing can compare to that.This year has been among one of her hardest as she lost her last two remaining grandparents when both grandmothers passed away. Having the opportunity to serve the residents and families of East Ridge Residence fills the void for her.
90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days Season 5 introduces us to seven new couples, and some of the storylines are already dropping jaws. In the episode that aired on Dec. 26, 2021, fans finally met Ximena. Ximena appears on the series with her boyfriend Mike, who she met through an international dating app. However, its not their combined storyline that has people in shock.

Mike and Ximena | TLC

What do we know about Before the 90 Days Season 5 star Ximena?

Ximena lives in Pereira, Colombia, with her two sons, Juan David, and Harold Steven. Shes 24 years old, and before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, she worked as a manicurist. Due to restrictions and requirements for social distancing, Ximena cant work as a nail technician and instead practices on her stepmother.

Ximena doesnt have a relationship with Juan Davids father. She explains to the producers of Before the 90 Days Season 5, Juan Davids father was a one-night stand. That was it. However, she has quite the background story about her relationship with Harold Stevens dad.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days Season 5: Woman Claiming to be Jasmine Turns on Ginos Alleged Ex, Calls Her a No Talent W****

How did Ximena meet Harold Stevens father?

As with most stars in Before the 90 Days, producers give each of them a chance to provide a bit of background information about themselves. This makes them more relatable to the audience a lot of the time. Although, fans were shocked to hear about Ximenas past with Harold Stevens father.

Ximena told Before the 90 Days Season 5 producers, Harold Stevens dad is in jail. He wanted to defend his uncle, and he acted without thinking. And so thats what hes paying for now. I met him on Facebook. We spoke for four to five months and he asked, Are you coming to visit me? and I said I am coming to visit you. And I love him  I did love him very much. And so I went to visit him in jail. I got it in my head that I wanted to have a child. I would put my feet up for me to actually get pregnant. And I actually got pregnant on my second visit to the jail.

Mike hasn't met Ximena yet and he's already paying her rent! #90DayFiance pic.twitter.com/JCBnrZt5Ff  90DayFiance (@90DayFiance) December 23, 2021

Fans are worried about Ximenas boyfriend and fellow Before the 90 Days Season 5 star Mike

Viewers of Before the 90 Days Season 5 took to Mike almost immediately when the show introduced him. He lives at home with his father and his grandfather and helps take care of both of them. Fans are concerned Ximena might have ulterior motives regarding their relationship.

One Redditor wrote, Shes using him to financially support her until her boyfriend gets released from prison. Shes saying that hes locked up for a long time so its not surprising that shes trying to find a sugar daddy. I feel bad for Mike because so far he seems like a good dude and hes getting used. I also worry about his safety, apparently her boyfriend is a cartel member.

Another commenter replied, She literally said she is not attracted to him, doesnt love him nor is she in love but he has a good heart. She knows EXACTLY what shes doing BECAUSE hes a good dude. This poor guy, they already talk shit about him looking like a tomato.

Audiences dont see this relationship working out in the long run, but fans will have to wait and see. New episodes of Before the 90 Days Season 5 air on Sunday nights on TLC.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days Season 5 Fans Spot TLC Shade With Jasmines Introduction Song Choice
BTS V is eccentric and creative, and thats just why ARMYs love him. Heres what we know about some of the birthday projects BTS fans have planned for Vs birthday in 2021.

When is BTS Vs birthday?

Kim Taehyung and RM of BTS perform on Good Morning America | Noam Galai/Getty Images

Sometimes Kim Taehyung (also known by his stage name V) is a good boy. Other times, hes a bad boy. Hes always a BTS member, though, performing songs like Butter with Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, and Jungkook.

Born on Dec. 30, 1995, V is a member of BTS maknae line, meaning hes one of the younger members of the K-pop group. He shares a birth year with Jimin, which sparked the name of their subunit  95s. Because he was born on Dec. 30, this artists zodiac sign is Capricorn, making him the only BTS member with this sun sign.

ARMY has several birthday projects planned for BTS Good Boy, V

ARMYs will not physically celebrate Vs birthday with him. However, there are a few birthday projects in the works. Fans created streaming goals for Vs solo songs, including Inner Child, Stigma, and Sweet Night. Some ARMYs are giving away V-themed merchandise on social media in honor of this artist.

As of Dec. 21, 2021, a billboard of V is available for viewing in New York Citys Times Square. That includes pictures and videos of the BTS member, along with a Happy Birthday message for this artist.

This projection wouldnt be the first time fans erected a billboard for V in Times Square. When BTS performed on Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest, V saw his birthday message in person.

In Sinchon, Seoul, theres even a giant Taehyung doll for ARMYs to take pictures with, as seen as Twitter. Additionally, this wouldnt be the first time ARMYs created a statue in honor of a BTS member, as Jimin and his Serendipity bubble appeared in South Korea for his birthday.

Theres a photography-inspired project in the works for BTS Vs birthday

Aside from his musicianship, V also often shares his love for photography. He showcased his love for film with the Winter Bear music video and even acted as the creative director for BTS 2020 release Be (Deluxe Edition). The BTS member sometimes creates art under the alias Vante, referencing landscape photography and candid photography.

As a result, some ARMYs are participating in a new birthday project for the BTS member, with one Twitter user asking fans to film themselves enjoying some scenery and then taking a picture of that same landscape. They were accepting submissions until Dec. 27, or just a few days before Vs birth date.

ARMYs often share their love for the BTS members on their respective birthdays. Jins fans even created posters and moon-shaped ARMY bomb covers for the Permission to Dance on Stage concerts.

RELATED: Jimin From BTS Finally Puts the Dumpling Incident, Mentioned During The Late Late Show With James Corden, to Rest
Netflix confirmed that Thomas Ian Griffith would return as Terry Silver in a Cobra Kai Season 4 teaser in May. This wasnt just a matter of calling up the guy who played him in The Karate Kid Part III. Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald had to figure out how to incorporate Silver back into the story. Given his role in the third movie, that was no easy task.

Thomas Ian Griffith Netflix

Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet by Zoom on Dec. 2 about Cobra Kai Season 4. Schlossberg and Hurwitz explained the task at hand for explaining Silvers return 30 years later. Cobra Kai Season 4 premieres Dec. 31 on Netflix.

Terry Silver has changed since The Karate Kid Part III

When John Kreese (Martin Kove) goes to visit his old Vietnam War buddy, Terry Silver, he finds a changed man. The last time he saw Silver, Silver bolted after Cobra Kai lost another All Valley Karate Tournament in The Karate Kid Part III. Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald had a chance to fill in 30 years of Terry Silver history.

RELATED: Cobra Kai Season 4 Release Date: The Simple Reason Netflix Is Premiering It on New Years Eve

I think the thing that we really liked was that this is not just Terry Silver from Karate Kid III, Schlossberg said. Its Terry Silver 30 something years later with all the thoughts and retrospective. Bottom line is hes somebody who has learned from his mistakes and I think hes a sounding board for Kreese that Kreese doesnt have, thats a contemporary of his. So we liked the idea that hes teaming up not just to have more muscle, but also to have another perspective that he respects in a way that he wouldnt Johnny, because this is somebody who knows him in a different way.

The Terry Silver of The Karate Kid Part III wont work on Cobra Kai Season 4

In The Karate Kid Part III, Silver helps Kreese get revenge on Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). When Mr. Miyagi refuses to train Daniel to defend his title, Silver offers to train him. Silvers plan is really to destroy Daniel. Keep in mind, Macchio was still playing Daniel as a teenager just out of high school. That wouldnt quite fly in Cobra Kai Season 4.

RELATED: Xolo Mariduenas Friend Read Him Cobra Kai Erotic Fiction and Freaked Him Out

Thats a huge thing with the show, Hurwitz said. One of our favorite exercises in the writers room is taking these characters and rewatching whatever material we have from them, whether its from the original film or the second or the third or anything beyond. Youre watching the material over and over again and analyzing it. When it came to Terry Silver, it was: this is a crazy person. He does some really crazy things in Karate Kid III so we have to think logically why did he do that stuff? Come up with explanations for that and then figure out okay, where could he have gone after that, thats interesting?

Terry Silver was more challenging than other Karate Kid characters

Cobra Kai has made a habit of bringing back characters from the Karate Kid movies. The biggest coup so far may have been Elisabeth Shue as Ali. Her return allowed the creators to rewrite an indignity foisted upon Ali in The Karate Kid Part II. The returns of Johnnys old Cobra Kai buddies and Okinawa characters from Part II may have been more straightforward. With Silver, they had to explain how a grown adult reconciles tormenting a teenager.

When the audience sees these characters again, theres an element of getting a taste of what you love from the character but looking at them in a new light, Hurwitz said. Looking for new angles in and fun, surprising ways for these performers to be behaving. So yes, its an exercise we enjoy with all the characters we bring back.
Fans of former Dancing with the Stars competitor Amanda Kloots freaked out after she posted a cuddly photo with Michael Allio. The former competitor from Katie Thurstons season of The Bachelorette and The Talk host Kloots have been Instagram friends for almost one year. However, Kloots latest photo upload appeared to lead fans to believe there is something more between them. Are they dating?

Amanda Kloots and Michael Allio | Maarten de Boer/Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images

How did Amanda Kloots and Michael Allio meet?

Kloots and Allio reportedly began communicating via Instagram about one year ago according to The Talk host.

Both are single parents who lost their respective spouses. Allios wife Laura died in 2019, and Kloots husband Nick Cordero died in 2020. They each have young sons.

Each began leaving comments on the others Instagram pages. However, their friendship became even more apparent this September when Kloots appeared on Dancing with the Stars as a competitor. She came in fourth place during season 30.

On September 25, 2021, Kloots commented on a snapshot Allio shared with Instagram alongside his son.

Aww, you two are the cutest, she wrote in the photos comments section.

Thanks, AK! BTW you killed it on Dancing on Monday, Allio responded.

Awww, thank you, friend!!!! Does this mean youre voting for me?! Kloots asked.

In response, Allio said he voted 10 times, the limit of votes for one competitor.

Amanda Kloots set Instagram aflame after posting a cuddly photo with Michael Allio

On December 27, Kloots posted a photo of herself and Allio seated in a restaurant. She had her left arm around his shoulder, which he held. Their heads were close together as they smiled for the camera.

In the corresponding caption, Kloots wrote, Finally met this guy in person after being Instagram friends for a year!! Lots of fried food, drinks, great chats, and laughs!

Allio shared the same image on his Instagram story with a caption that read, Just two kids from Akron. He ended his statement with a red heart emoji.

Kloots hails from Canton, Ohio, while Allio grew up in Akron.

Neither have officially commented on their relationship status other than they are friends.

Fans flipped out over their relationship, hope for something to grow between them

Lindsay Arnold, Matt James, Amanda Kloots, Alan Bersten, Melora Hardin, Artem Chigvintsev | Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images

Several of Kloots and Allios celebrity pals were the first to comment on the photo. These included Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, former Bachelor star Matt James, actor Kimberly Williams Paisley, chef Melissa dArabian, and actor Justin Baldoni.

I just. I love this friendship or whatever it is! wrote one follower.

The friendship we didnt know we needed, claimed a second fan.

Two wonderful souls, penned a third Instagram user.

The entire time he was on The Bachelorette, I kept thinking he needs to talk to Amanda! Being friends with someone  who gets it  is the best! exclaimed a fourth social media follower.

The Talk airs weekdays in syndication.

RELATED: Dancing With the Stars: Amanda Kloots Brought to Tears After Heartbreaking Performance Honoring Late Husband Nick Cordero: Live Your Life
In Hawkeye Episode 6, Clint Barton meets an adorable little owl when he gets stuck in the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. As it turns out, the owl was a fun Easter egg, and it has a whole backstory of its own.

Clint befriends a tiny owl in the Hawkeye finale

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton on Ice Skating Rink in Hawkeye | Chuck Zlotnick/ Marvel Studios

Clint (Jeremy Renner) attempts to zipline out of a building window after the Tracksuit Mafia descends upon Eleanors (Vera Farmiga) Christmas party in the Hawkeye finale. But he ends up getting stuck in the branches of the massive Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

While stuck, the superhero befriends a tiny owl sitting in the tree on a nearby branch. Hey, Clint says with a smile as the owl glares back at him.

When Kate (Hailee Steinfeld) topples the tree, the owl flies out. And later, when Kate uses a Pym arrow to shrink a Tracksuit Mafia truck, the owl swoops in, grabs the truck in its talons, and flies away.

The Hawkeye owl was a nod to a real-life story

In 2020, the real Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a 75-foot Norway spruce from upstate New York, had a stowaway saw-whet owl hiding in its branches. As a nod to Rockefeller Center, the owl was named Rocky and was set free into the wild after rehabilitation.

Hawkeye started filming in New York City in the winter of 2020, right around the time Rocky was found and released. So when writing the scene, the showrunners likely included the owl as a fun little Easter egg.

Rewatched the #Hawkeye finale with my veterinarian dad, and all he could talk about was how great the owl was.



He was especially hyped that they got the species right!! (Its a saw-whet owl, same as the actual owl who stowed away in the Rockefeller tree last year.) pic.twitter.com/j3sADCtFYC  Devan Coggan (@devancoggan) December 26, 2021

The Rockefeller Center ice rink, tree, and Rocky the owl may have looked real. But according to executive producer Rhys Thomas, they were all recreations set on an Atlanta soundstage.

Walking onto the backlot [in Atlanta], which was essentially just a bunch of shipping containers on a parking lot just in the middle of nowhere and seeing this thing emerge, he told Marvel.com. It was crazy. The level of detail on the street is down to the weathering on the granite and the fake granite walls.

Initially, I remember there was this idea where maybe we just need a portion of the ice rinkthen you start looking at the sequence and its like no, we needed the whole thing, Thomas added. We built the ice rink and the whole bottom level of Rockefeller Center. It was one of the most thrilling things; Ive never walked onto a set like that.

The finale post-credits scene was supposed to feature the owl

RELATED: Hawkeye TV Show: Comic Writer Reveals 1 Huge Element He Enjoyed Seeing in the Marvel Disney+ Series

Marvel movies and series usually end with teasing post-credits scenes that set up whats to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Hawkeye went in a different direction and bowed out with a scene from its Broadway show, Rogers the Musical. However, as reported by Deadline, Digital Domain senior animator Elaina Scott revealed that the show was supposed to end with a scene that features the owl.

The post-credits of the finale of Hawkeye was meant to have the owl taking the bros [spelling corrected] to its nest, Scott wrote on Twitter. Kinda sad they cut it. Would have been hilarious!!
The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Meghan OToole King recently split from Cuffe Biden Owens after two months of marriage. The former reality star opened up about the breakup and how shes coping.

Joe Biden's nephew Cuffe Biden Owens and wild child ex-RHOC star Meghan King 'SPLIT' after two months of marriage https://t.co/flYdwrp3pg  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) December 25, 2021

Meghan King and President Joe Bidens nephew, Cuffe Owens, got married in October

The Presidents nephew and the former housewife got married on Oct. 11, 2021, after w whirlwind courtship. King first introduced Owens to the world as her man on Instagram on Sept. 25.

Cuffe Biden Owens is an L.A.-based attorney, and he met St. Louis, Missouri-based Meghan OToole King on a dating app.

We connected on a dating app, texted for a day or two, then spent five straight hours on the phone the first time we spoke, King shared with Brides. By the time that call ended, Cuffe was booked and packed for a flight to St. Louis that took off in about eight hours. Within a week, we were back on the East Coast, meeting his family, and starting to plan our future together. We didnt leave each others side for weeks.

The wedding took place at Owens parents home in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. King and Owens chose their wedding date because it is also his parents wedding anniversary. President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, attended King and Owens nuptials.

Meghan King | Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

Meghan King says she is rattled by profoundly devastating breakup with Cuffe Biden Owens

King and Owens marital bliss did not last long, though. The couple has reportedly split after less than three months of marriage.

King broke her silence about the breakup in a series of Instagram Stories she posted on Dec. 27. Ive been asked by many outlets and individuals to comment on the state of my marriage, King wrote on the first slide.

I am rattled. This situation is profoundly devastating, King revealed in the second slide. This is obviously not what I imagined when I made my vows  and Im shocked and saddened by the way things turned out.

She continued to say, I am moving forward with my children as we privately process our pain and begin to let go of shattered dreams.

The final slide was a plea to Kings followers and fans. At this time I ask for your grace and gentle kindness as I navigate this labyrinth of grief with my family.

The RHOC alum recently opened up about anxiety and depression

The same day she posted Instagram Stories about the breakup, King also posted a video about her experience with anxiety and depression.

I have some anxiety and depression King typed at the beginning of the Instagram video. This is how it manifests

The RHOC alum showed footage of herself makeup-free with her hair pulled back. Hair loss around my temples, she typed. Picking at my face.

She then shared how she manages her anxiety and depression. This included solid, healthy sleeping habits, actually feeling my feelings, getting fresh air, and vitamins and pharmaceuticals.

King, who has opened up about stress and anxiety in the past, captioned the video, Im still me  and I love myself.

How to get help: In the U.S. and Canada, text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to reach a crisis counselor for support.

RELATED: RHOC Alum Vicki Gunvalson Confirms Split From Fiance Steve Lodge
Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent has broken her silence about cheating rumors surrounding her split from fiance Randall Emmett. Heres what she said about his infidelity and how she spent her first Christmas since their breakup.

Lala Kent and Randall Emmett | Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Lala Kent says there is proof that Randall Emmett was unfaithful

Kent has previously been ambiguous about the specific reasons for ending her engagement to film director and producer Randall Emmett. She has cited protecting the daughter they share, Ocean Kent, as the reason for her silence.

On Dec. 27, Kent shared that there is proof that Emmett was unfaithful to her. I know that he had sent messages that said he never [was], but theres proof elsewhere, Kent told Page Six.

The proof Kent could be referring to is photos that surfaced online of Emmett with two women in Nashville.

I will forever be grateful to those two girls walking across the street with him because they saved me, Kent said of the women in the images. Those two girls, I wish I knew who they were, because I would start sobbing and tell them, You saved me. Thank you so much!

She revealed that she no longer trusted Emmett when she decided to move out of their shared home with baby Ocean. Bottom line is, I feel like I was in a relationship that was based on nothing but lies.

Ocean Kent and Lala Kent | Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Lala Kent celebrated Christmas without Randall Emmett

Kent also told Page Six that she spent Christmas this year in Los Angeles with her daughter Ocean after her split from Randall Emmett.

We had the best day, the 31-year-old reality star shared. Ocean was obsessed with all of her little toys that she got. She was more obsessed with the wrapping paper than the actual toy.

It seems like Kent wasnt missing Emmett when she said, It was really great  it couldnt have been any better. She went on to say that this years Christmas blew the last five years out of the water.

Kent also shared that Ocean saw Emmett for a little bit on Christmas Day, and they are continuing to work on their co-parenting.

Lala Kent | Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

The Vanderpump Rules star revealed that she hopes to spend more time in Utah in the future

Kent explained what made this Christmas celebration so different from the previous few years she spent with Emmett.

It finally felt like I had the spirit of the holiday, and thats what I grew up with, she said. Christmas was always about, like, the spirit that comes with it. We were able to get back to that, and thats important to me.

She also revealed that she hopes this was the last Christmas she will spend in California and that she hopes to celebrate more holidays in Utah.

Whenever I go back to Utah, its just  theres something about that place, where the energy  it feels like youre in a Christmas movie, Kent shared. So Im hoping to do that with Ocean so that she can have Christmases the way I used to have them.

Could Kent be thinking about moving back to Utah full-time? She has recently hinted at leaving Vanderpump Rules, which films in California. Kent also expressed interest in joining the cast of Bravos The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City during a podcast interview for Not Skinny But Not Fat. Fans will be watching eagerly to see what Kent does next.

RELATED: Vanderpump Rules: Lala Kent Launches New Podcast Without Fiance Randall Emmett Amidst Breakup Rumors
In a year of too much death and dying, we lost some notable Christian leaders. Some were pastors, some evangelists, and some musicians. They were not all saints. They were not uncomplicated. But in their lives we were reminded of the hope that is within us, the kingdom that is coming, and the mystery that though we shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed (1 Cor. 15:51).

As Thomas McKenzie, the 50-year-old Anglican pastor who died on the first day of his sabbatical, explained at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is part of what it means to be Christian.

We are weak in many ways, but we have the love of God in Christ and a deep commitment to one another, he said. We have a great future, a future of both suffering and triumph, of Cross and Resurrection.

Here are the obituaries of a dozen men and women whom evangelicals lost in 2021, arranged in alphabetical order:

Check out the rest of our 2021 year-end lists here.
A Muslim man walked into the offices of a Christian pastor whose congregation in Lebanons Bekaa Valley has been serving Syrian refugees since the outbreak of civil war.

Ive hated you for the past eight years, the Muslim said, and Ive tried to turn my community against you. But three months ago, it was your American doctors who treated me and paid for my hospital stay.

We hate these people, he continued, yet they come here and show us love. Tell me the time of your services; I want to follow Jesus. How great is your Christianity!

This story, told to CT in October by the pastor, who asked that their names not be used for security reasons, is remarkable. But it is not unique. Evangelical ministers in the Middle East readily recount conversion narratives of the most militant, radicalized Muslims. A second pastor has described how a Syrian confessed that he started coming to church to kill him. Now a believer, the man serves other refugees as a member of the congregation. A third says his once-small Christian fellowship has grown to more than 1,500 largely due to converted refugees. Perhaps as many as 10 percent of them are former extremists.

These accounts and others like them have led Scott Gustafson, a PhD candidate with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdams Extreme Beliefs program in Amsterdam, to a realization: Evangelical Arab ministry succeeds where millions of dollars of security-based solutions have failed in turning militant Muslims away from violence.

No one strategizes: Lets deradicalize the extremists, he said. But it is a demonstrable side effect.

In the diverse academic field trying to find secular pathways out of extremism, this is a novel idea. Gustafson published an article on it recently in the Journal for Deradicalization, making an argument for Missiological Engagement in Counter/Deradicalization. He has interviewed Christian ministry leaders in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt with testimonies of former extremist figures who have converted to Christianity. Gustafson has had in-depth conversations with half a dozen former extremists as well.

He says the research points to a conclusion that makes a lot of sense to a missiologist like him but is startling to many academics and government officials. Conversion, it seems, changes people. Yet not all of the accounts of deradicalization he has gathered involve conversion. Some maintain their Muslim faith but grow more tolerant of non-Muslims and are willing to work with them for the benefit of others.

Tony Skaff, pastor of Badaro Baptist Church in Beirut, says this is what he sees in prisons where evangelicals have ministered for the past 25 years. As part of a government-sponsored interfaith consortium, his church has the legal right to enter, serve, and preach to the 3,000 incarcerated people.

Weekly worship services draw about 80 people, Skaff said, and he estimates that about 10 percent of them are extremists. Most remain Muslim, even as they attend the Christian service, but the interaction does alter their perspective.

They see our respect and how we help even if they are not Christians, he said. Without necessarily converting, many now have a genuine respect for Christianity.

If academics are skeptical of Gustafsons thesis, its not because it contradicts the reigning academic orthodoxy of best practices for deradicalization. Its because there are no standard accounts of the process. According to Daniel Koehler, head of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies, the field is more or less completely free of any working standards, and no one really knows what works.

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The steps toward extremism are more established. Those who study the process generally agree its a three-part process. First, there is a perceived grievance that goes unanswered. Second, theres exposure to a narrative or ideology that offers violence as a solution. Third, the individual is adopted into a social network that gives meaning and belonging.

The church, according to Gustafson, can undo each part of that process. It meets real and perceived grievances, especially with the charity work that responds to physical needs that governments are not taking care of. The gospel message is Jesus manifesto for undoing violence with love. And the body of Christ adopts individuals into the family of God, giving them a social network imbued with meaning.

Its much more effective than imprisoning former fighters or treating radicalization as a psychiatric problem, Gustafson argues.

Rik Peels, the lead investigator for Extreme Beliefs, which is funded in part by the European Research Council, said the proposed answer is unusual but not out of bounds for academic study. He notes that one of the most significant developments in the field has been an emerging understanding that extremists are not irrational. His project asserts that they consciously choose the wrong response to their situationa departure from the framework, dominant since 9/11, that tries to explain away extremists actions through social, physiological, or economic factors.

We want to listen to them, taking extremists and terrorists seriously as normal, rational, healthy human beingswith reprehensible behavior, Peels said. Scott is doing exactly that, as are the churches he studies.

There has been some corroboration from other research. The RAND Corporation conducted interviews with former radicals and their families and found deradicalization was often triggered by interventions of kindness from hated outsiders.

But not everyone is convinced. Philip Madanat, a Jordanian evangelical who researches political sociology, suspects some are too quick to see a radical behind anyone who calls them a kafirnonbeliever or infidel. He has worked in the camps and never seen a radical refugee. He has also negotiated with terrorists in Syria and dialogued about Jesus with Salafi-Jihadi ideologues whose writings birthed al-Qaeda. He thinks the definition of radical matters. Some equate it with support for sharia. Others see it in every practicing Muslim.

Hes also skeptical of the evidence of firsthand and secondhand accounts of deradicalization without verification far beyond the scope of most ministries.

As long as these people are helped by the church, you cannot rely on their testimony, he said. Stop the relief, then check the facts.

Tim Noble, Gustafsons doctoral supervisor and an associate professor at the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague, said that is the challenge for the deradicalization thesis.

Scott sets out a fascinating, plausible hypothesis that he will have to prove, he said. He just has to talk with more former radicals.

For their part, evangelical pastors such as the one who saw a man convert after eight years of hate are not waiting for evidence. They witness to the gospel because its good news, and they take care of people in need because they love Jesus. But deradicalization, Gustafson has helped them realize, is a very visible side benefit.

The pastor in Jordan says the church started a community center that distributes locally grown produce, operates a medical clinic, and even provides free laundry service. But he is most proud of the school, where classrooms replaced the underground lot where people once parked their cars for Sunday worship.

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If you kill a terrorist, ten more will emerge, the pastor said. Their displaced children are tempted by all kinds of vices, including radicalization. Education gives them hope.

But when opening a second location near the camp, Muslim refugee leaders expressed concern they would teach Christianity as they did in the church garage. Similarly, both secular and believing donors make sure there is no discrimination or conditionality in receiving aid.

The church honors all regulations in distribution. But as the pastor told CT, there is no regulation against compassion. And compassion opens radicals to radical change.

Today, he said, having won the trust of the community and donors alike, parents voluntarily send busloads of school children to weekend Bible classes, the wife of an al-Nusra unit leader is graduating as a trained nurse, and 20 former fighters have been saved through their ministry.

They see the difference and become ambassadors to their own people, he said. Love is the real weapon against terrorism.

Jayson Casper is Middle East correspondent for Christianity Today.

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Indias government has blocked Mother Teresas charity from receiving foreign funds, saying the Catholic organization did not meet conditions under local laws, dealing a blow to one of the most prominent groups running shelters for the poor.

The Home Ministry said in a statement Monday that the Missionaries of Charitys application for renewing a license that allows it to get funds from abroad was rejected on Christmas.

The ministry said it came across adverse inputs while considering the charitys renewal application. It did not elaborate.

Its troubles come in the wake of a string of attacks on Christians in some parts of India by Hindu right-wing groups, who accuse pastors and churches of forced conversions. The attacks have especially been prominent in the southern state of Karnataka, which has seen nearly 40 cases of threats or violence against Christians this year, according to a report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

Earlier on Monday, the chief minister of West Bengal state, Mamata Banerjee, sparked outrage when she tweeted that the government had frozen the bank accounts of the charity. But the government soon clarified that it had not frozen any accounts.

The charity confirmed in a statement that the government had not frozen its accounts but added that its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) renewal application had not been approved.

Therefore  we have asked our centers not to operate any of the (foreign contribution) accounts until the matter is resolved, it said.

Earlier this month, the Missionaries of Charity, which Mother Teresa started in Kolkata in 1950, found itself under investigation in the western state of Gujarat following complaints that girls in its shelters were forced to read the Bible and recite Christian prayers. The charity has denied the allegations.

The charity runs hundreds of shelters that care for some of the worlds neediest people who Mother Teresa had described as the poorest of the poor.

India is home to the second-largest Catholic population in Asia after the Philippines, but the roughly 18 million Catholics represent a small minority in the largely Hindu nation of nearly 1.4 billion. Critics say religious tensions have grown under Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist government, with more frequent attacks against minorities.

Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in 1979, and Pope Francis declared her a saint in 2017, two decades after her death.
221-year-old Pennsylvania church permanently closes due to declining membership

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After hosting generations of worshipers beginning in 1800 when there were only 16 states, a 221-year-old church in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, is now among the latest casualties of the decline of American Christianity as it permanently closed its doors on Christmas Eve due to declining membership and attendance.

The 15,000-square-foot First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, located at 203 North Spring Street, had only 40 members before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Centre Daily Times, which reports that the church now has about 25 members and only 12 attend in-person worship services.

Theres just such a love among this congregation. Weve all known each other so long and we know each others foibles, church elder Candace Dannaker told the publication. Ill miss our personality, our laughter and our joy in just being together. And, of course, the faith aspect of sharing that with other like-minded people.

Dannaker, who joined the church 34 years ago, estimates that there were about 200 people in attendance at that time.

Pam Benson, 77, who has been a member of the church for 73 years, blames the decline of her church on the changing times. Growing up, Benson explained, businesses would close on Sundays, and parents would insist on their children going to church. The competition between churches for new members, she recalled, was also not as fierce.

It was so different. It was just what you did. Unless you were really sick, it was just what you did, Benson said. Its just change. Its progression. Its what happens. Not that I like it, but it is what it is.

Many pews remained empty at the congregations socially distanced Christmas Eve service broadcast on Facebook. But the older adults in attendance worshiped and celebrated the birth of Christ before saying their final goodbyes.

And the light has splintered the darkness. And hope is ours once more. And this light does call us forward, remembering the past, and walking confidently into the future. And now go in the peace of Christ, members said together as they raised lit candles before the final hymn.

Data from the National Public Opinion Reference Survey conducted by Pew Research Center from May 29 to Aug. 25 with a nationally representative group of respondents found that only 45% of U.S. adults say they pray daily compared to 58% who reported doing so in 2007 and 55% who said they prayed daily in 2014.

Even though self-identified Christians are still the largest religious group in the U.S., they now only make up a collective 63% of the adult population. When the Pew Research Center began measuring religious identity in 2007, self-identified Christians outnumbered nones 78% to 16%.

The study noted that the decline in the number of Christians nationwide was mostly concentrated among respondents who identified as Protestant. Their numbers declined by 10% in the last decade and 4% in the last five years.
'The Renewal' aims to restore America's covenant with God: 'The greatest harvest in the history of the world'

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A major intercessory prayer event calling the United States back to its covenant relationship with God is slated for early January in Plant City, Florida.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Kevin Jessip, the president of Global Strategic Alliance, explained that what is being called "The Renewal" will be a continuation of The Return. The first event took place on Sept. 26, 2020, on Shabbat Shuva, coinciding with the Sabbath Day when the passage in Joel 2  about calling a holy fast and a day of repentance  is read in synagogues.

That September day on the National Mall was characterized by massive repentance and prayer as tens of thousands of Christians from across all denominations came to the nation's capital to pray, fast and intercede.

Jessip explained that their vision behind that day was characterized by five R's aimed at spiritually restoring the nation. Repentance comes first, which leads to reconciliation, followed by restoration and then comes revival. After that comes reformation.

"The Renewal is almost like a second step in this process in the return to God," Jessip said, describing the September 2020 gathering as a real "Jonah-Nineveh moment." With the change in political leadership that has since taken place, the question is, Jessip believes: "Is it a consequence of where America has been headed?"

Now, the U.S. continues to be at a critical point where the nation seems to have forgotten its Judeo-Christian heritage, including the eternal rules of order and right, much of which is established in the Mayflower Compact, he went on to say.

Jessip recounted how, when the Lord gave their team Jan. 8, 2022, as a date, it was based upon three scriptures with 1:8 chapter-verse locations, including Exodus 1:8. The passage speaks of a new leader coming to power in Egypt who knew not Joseph and summarily forced the Hebrews to work as slaves. A similar dynamic is presently occurring in the U.S., he contends.

"We're watching this transition in America happen before our eyes," Jessip said, "and then we go into Deuteronomy 1:8, which says, 'See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers  to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob  and to their descendants after them.'

In other words, Exodus 1:8 is informing how The Renewal is doing Deuteronomy 1:8. However, this cannot be done without Acts 1:8, which reads: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

"We have people from every continent around the globe who are sending in videos regarding the re-covenanting of America back to God. And it's amazing because the whole world is watching what America is doing," Jessip said.

Despite its founding documents showing reverential regard for the Creator, the U.S. has turned away from God and is now going headlong toward judgment, Jessip emphasized.

On Jan. 8, there will be prayer, repentance and opportunities for prophetic ministry. Featured speakers will include Messianic Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, Pastor Kent Christmas of Regeneration-Nashville, and Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church in New York City will be speaking on the centrality of God's covenantal relationship.

Various federal and state government officials are also expected to attend and speak, but The Renewal will not have an overtly political focus, Jessip told CP.

"There are only two nations that are tied together with covenants with God. God made a covenant with Israel, but America made a covenant with God. And we have broken that covenant with God and today what we are watching re-play is of ancient judgment mysteries that happened in the last days of Israel before its destruction 2,700 years ago."

What will be explored at The Renewal in January is whether America's sins have reached such fullness so as to warrant those judgments and whether the cup of iniquity has become so full that the nation comes to an end.

"The question is: Are we at the point where God lifts his hand of protection and permits judgment? I think the answer to that, obviously, is yes," Jessip offered. "The fullness of America will arrive when four events converge."

Those four events, he explained, are when God's sovereign purpose for the nation is completed; when the inhabitants of the land reject the Bible and its principles; when people in the nation no longer repent and harden their hearts to the truth, and when abominations become legal and acceptable laws to the majority of the people.



Jessip clarified that he is not saying that the U.S. will be destroyed or will cease to exist. However, when national sin and the rejection of God's laws persist, according to the pattern in ancient Israel, five things will happen, he contended.

Those five things, he said, are: God will allow the nation to be ruled by evil leaders; He will permit strangers to rise higher than His people; God will not deliver us from those who hate us; He will allow economic challenges, and God will lift His hand of protection to allow natural disasters to take place.

"America's cup of iniquity is so full that it is teetering on the edge," he said, and the things that happened in ancient Israel before its destruction are now happening in America, including the plagues," Jessip said.

However, there is yet hope, he stressed.

"There is a remnant group, a righteous remnant of people across America who are standing in the gap, believing God for what the Word says, where God Himself says, 'I will arise for the sake of my own name.' And when He does, and I believe He is about to, all of these people that are defiling and blaspheming the testimony of His faithfulness will be shut down and there will be a righteous remnant rise with the power of the spirit of Elijah," Jessip said.

"And we are about to see in the midst of America's darkest hour one of the greatest moves of God ever, and the Holy Spirit's latter rain outpouring is about to be unleashed and we're going to see great and mighty things that we know not of and God is preparing His people for the greatest harvest in the history of the world and God has not only saved us, but He's going to keep us through it."

He added: "We will hide in the cleft of His rock. He will protect, strengthen and bring it all home."

The Renewal will be held on Jan. 8, 2022, at the Florida Strawberry Festival and will begin at 9 a.m. EST.
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Theres no question that Christian faithful  especially minority communities around the world  are often targets of systematic discrimination, vilification, mayhem, murder, and terrorism.

It is an issue which the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a significant Jewish human rights NGO, has been outspoken about. Our founder, Rabbi Marvin Hier, twice raised the issue with Pope Francis during private audiences at the Vatican.

That is why we were most interested to learn that Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, known to be an honorable and good-hearted man, co-authored an op-ed in Londons Sunday Times about the plight of a particular Christian community.

Perhaps that essay would focus on the recent beheading of a Christian pastor by ISIS-affiliated terrorists in Mozambique. The murderers then forced his wife to carry her husbands head to show local authorities.

Maybe it would highlight the slow-motion genocide of Christians in Nigeria, under assault from Muslim terrorists, marauders, and thugs, (which one of the authors co-authored a book about after debriefing dozens of victims in their homeland.)

Perhaps the Archbishop would use the proximity of Christmas to denounce the Chinese Communists for razing churches and persecuting worshippers.

Then there are the Christians in Pakistan living under the threat of laws that make them blasphemers to much of the Muslim population. Or those who dare to convert to Christianity in Iran and are caught preaching the Gospel. Or perhaps use the holy season to express solidarity with Egypts Coptic Christians who are targeted for bombings of their churches, often on Christmas Eve.

No. All those will have to wait at least till next year. In 2021, the Archbishop of Canterbury chose to score political brownie points with the woke world of NGOs by associating his name and rank with a blatant lie: That Israel is the cause of the rapidly dwindling Christian population in previously Christian parts of the Holy Land.

Really? Can he find another country in the Middle East where the Christian population is actually growing, and churches are being built? How does that compute with a systemic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land, as charged by the document that he lifted up for Anglicans to embrace in an earlier tweet?

Israels Jews are incensed. It was their forefathers who experienced first-hand discrimination, inquisitions, ghettos, blood libels, pogroms, and more  all in the name of religion. They watched in horror in 1947-'48 as every Jewish House of Worship in the Holy City of Jerusalem was destroyed by Jordanian occupiers and as their peoples historic Mount of Olives cemetery was desecrated. They cried for 19 years as Jordan barred all Jews from worshipping at the Wailing Wall until it was liberated from the Jordanians in 1967.

Israeli law, its courts, and police have proven to be fully committed to protecting the rights of religious minorities and punishing Jewish extremists who desecrate G-ds name by attacking other faiths.

The Archbishop should have known that the President of the Jewish State, a traditional Jew who is the grandson of a former Chief Rabbi of Israel, traveled to Nazareth to deliver a message of appreciation to Israels Christians, and wishes for a Merry Christmas.

Welby should also appreciate that the Jewish National Fund distributed free Christmas trees to Christian organizations around Israel this season. Do these sound like the policies of a government that embarked on a program of ridding itself of its Christian minority?

By the way, it is a fact that the Palestinian Muslim population is also growing. So, how can it be that what Welby faults for the dwindling number of Christians in Bethlehem and Jerusalems Christian Quarter  namely, travel restrictions that result from the Separation Barrier, and the growth of settler communities on the West Bank  only suppress Christian populations, and not the Muslim ones, where they are growing, not shrinking?

Why did Welby choose to omit the real reason for Christian flight from places like Bethlehem  the incessant pressure by Arab Muslims on Christians as Christians to leave? The well-documented pressure  which surely every Church leader with a flock in the Middle East is aware of, includes threats, violence, and even demands that Christians pay the jizya tax on non-believers. How could Welby skip over the decline of Gazas Christian community from 5,000 when Hamas took over, to a mere 1,000 today?

He is correct at pointing to acts of violence by Israelis, directed at Christians and Christian institutions, as well as acknowledging the resolve of the government to act against it. But why does he see some nefarious, systematic plot afoot, rather than the actions of radical individuals  not institutions  (including a psychiatric patient in one of the church attacks he mentioned)? The number of attacks is minuscule compared to other places  including Welbys UK. Why does he not see a plot to diminish the state of Christianity there through the wave of church vandalism and burglaries that is going on?

Finally, he could have spoken to Israeli Christians  a whopping 84% of whom claim that life in Israel is satisfying.

Several years ago, Senator Ted Cruz was invited to speak to a gathering of Christian religious leaders from the Middle East. They met to call attention to the true plight of disappearing Christians  from the rest of the Middle East. They were talking about the genuine ethnic cleansing of Christians from the Assyrian Triangle and other areas, where the worlds oldest Christian communities were being actively extinguished.

Senator Cruz made the mistake of saying something positive about Israel, for which he was roundly booed. Cruz said that if they were that blind to reality, he wasnt waiting for more  and walked off. How did it come to pass that these church leaders hated Jews more than their own oppressors?

The answer is fairly simple. At the end of the 19th century, Christians in the Middle East felt the winds of change at their backs. They had to choose between radical Islam (which gave them no chance at all for survival) or a new Arab pan-nationalism. They chose the latter. In time, they became more Arab than Christian. Along the way, many also embraced the new Arab anti-Semitism.

Welbys understandable desire to stand up for Christian unity allowed him is no excuse for a man of his rank and influence to swallow whole the recent statement critical of Israel by a group of Christian leaders. In some cases, they are tragic pawns, unable to criticize their true oppressors. But others follow in the footsteps of the infamous Archbishop Atallah Hanna, who wrote, We say to the enemy: 'Leave our land, our Jerusalem, and our holy places. This is Arab Palestinian land, that has no connection whatsoever to the Jews and the Zionists.Martyrdom operations are an excellent and good way to resist the Zionist invasion of the Palestinian land.

Or the Rev. Naim Ateek, himself an Anglican like Welby, who criticizes Judaism as a form of tribalism, a racist theology practiced by people who worship a god who has been created in the image of those who are thirsty for revenge, based on exclusive biblical texts that are being used to justify the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Their agenda is not the preservation of Christian communities, but hatred of Jews.

Dont worry Archbishop, Israel will continue to protect the rights of Christians and Muslim faithful because it is the Jewish way.

We respectfully suggest that the Archbishop convert his considerable influence to awaken Christian conscience to intervene for truly endangered Christians across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Yes, Jesus was a refugee

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One of the ways the politicization of our nation has affected the church is visible in the clash over whether the "Holy Family," i.e. Joseph, Mary and Jesus, were "refugees." Progressives in the church describe Jesus as a refugee in the interest of supporting a much more liberal immigration policy, and in response there are often knee-jerk reactions in which conservatives, feeling that the Bible is being politicized, deny the refugee label to Jesus.

But the question is not: "Which narrative best fits my political needs?" The question is: "What does the Bible say?"

By any reasonable definition of refugee, Jesus was one.

Here's a dictionary definition:

"a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc." Dictionary.com

A "political refugee" is:

"a person who has fled from a homeland because of political persecution." Dictionary.com

These definitions undoubtedly describes the flight of the Holy Family out of Israel.

"Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt" Matthew 2:13-14 NAS

Why was Herod going to kill Jesus?

"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." Matthew 2:2-3 NAS

Jesus was born a king. Representatives of other nations were paying homage to him. Herod and the capitol city were troubled by this because they saw it as a threat to their corrupt rule, and for this reason set out to assassinate Jesus. In response to this "political persecution," the Holy Family fled for "safety to a foreign country": A perfect match for the definition of refugees.

Objections have been raised to the assertion that Jesus was a refugee, so let's deal with them here:

'Calling Jesus a refugee feeds a globalist narrative.' Answer: so what? It's not our job to starve the other side's narrative. It's our job to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. There are many passage in scripture which teach that God created nations and nations are part of his plan. So, any desire to dissolve nationality into a homogenous global melting pot is at odds with the Bible. In fact, the passage about the Slaughter of the Innocents and the flight into Egypt assume the existence of separate nations and of borders. There would be no place to flee to if there were only one global government. Refusing to acknowledge a true thing just because it reminds you of the other side is not pursuing truth. It is a relativistic approach to truth, reducing statements down to narratives supporting power politics, the very thing we rightly accuse post-modernists of doing.

'Jesus wasn't a refugee because he never left the country, because he stayed in the Roman Empire.' Answer: this is patently false. Empires are not countries. Empires are geopolitical orders in which one country dominates other countries through the threat of military force or through actual military occupation. Generally, countries within empires remain countries (though sometimes they are utterly destroyed or forcibly deported as in the Babylonian captivity). The New Testament has distinct words for "country," "nation," and for the Roman Imperial hegemony. They are respectively xoris, ethnos and oikoumene (though there is some variation in meaning).

In Luke 23:2, the mob calls for Jesus' death and accuses him of "subverting our nation." No, this is not a statement of secession from Rome, because in the same passage they accuse Jesus of telling and they affirm Caesar as king.

In Acts 12:20, the realm of one of Herod's descendants is referred to as a "country," as is the region of Tyre/Sidon.

Mark 1:5 refers to "all the country of Judea," which of course is the country which Joseph and his family fled.

The same Greek word is used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to Judea while under the Persian Empire. So, being part of an empire does not mean that nations/countries are dissolved; therefore, the Holy Family fled a country, which makes them refugees.

Otherwise the passage would make no sense at all. What point would there be in fleeing Herod's realm unless it made a difference in terms of whose jurisdiction they were under? If the laws, edicts and conditions were the same everywhere, then why leave? It's precisely because Herod was a king, but one with jurisdiction only in his own country, that flight was an escape from political persecution.

Now, none of this requires a nation to set aside prudence and the rule of law and open borders to tens of millions of displaced persons who will overtax the social safety yet and create ungovernable "no-go" zones, as is happening, for instance, under mass migration from the Arab Spring.

But the search for wise policy starts with getting the basic facts right and not avoiding them because we don't like some of the conclusions which some people have built on the facts. Yes, Jesus was indeed a refugee. And that should certainly inform our response to genuine political refugees who also are forced to flee violent persecution. And this week, when the Christian world remembers the Slaughter of the Innocents, is the perfect time to remember that Jesus was indeed a refugee.
Student preaching, foster care rights: 5 important Supreme Court decisions in 2021

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The United States Supreme Court weighed in on many important decisions in 2021, including ones that examined the extent of First Amendment rights for American citizens.

During the year, the high court heard arguments on cases, issued rulings, denied appeals, and vacated lower court decisions that many in the Christian community watched with anticipation.

Of interest was how the Supreme Court would rule on matters given that some believe it to be more conservative with the recent additions of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Here are five notable decisions from the Supreme Court in 2021 that have to do with the First Amendment, specifically the issue of religious liberty. They include questions over foster care, a florist sued for refusing to service a same-sex wedding and a student seeking damages for being punished for preaching on campus.

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Darlene Zschech reflects on new era of worship music: Songs used to be uptight, they're fearless now

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A pioneer of the modern worship era, Darlene Zschech says worship music has changed considerably compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

In some ways it's just gone ahead in such amazing leaps and bounds. I love some of the lyrical content that is around at the moment, Zschech told The Christian Post in an interview about her new book, The Golden Thread, where she talks about God's faithfulness during life's battles, such as her recent journey through cancer.

The acclaimed worship leader and songwriter said she loves how the musical expression of worship has progressed overall. I just love the way they feel it, said Zschech, who described her admiration for how some young worship leaders are able to express themselves in their songs. [But] theres a part of the church that got a bit caught on smoke and lights, she added.

The Holy Spirit is very good at teaching this. I don't think we should walk around as the Jesus police and judge everybodys expression. Really, only God can see the content of the human heart, Zschech continued, noting that she never would've thought to put together lyrics in such ways as some popular Christian artists do now.

In her 20 year career, Zschech penned the groundbreaking 1993 anthem Shout to The Lord, and more than 100 other songs, including Victors Crown, In Jesus Name, Worthy Is The Lamb, and At The Cross. Her music is regularly sung in churches across the world.

Zschech told CP that she's not too concerned about modern day contemporary Christian music straying too far away from God because, she said, the pendulum always swings from one extreme to the other before it finds its way back to the middle.

She went on to say that she also enjoys the acoustic feel of praise music that some groups are using. And said it makes her reflect on how King David must've been when he poured his heart out in worship. I love how people have stripped things back, and have found a way through the mess of lights, camera, action, she said.

I just love it. I think we're being a little bit more fearless, free worship and flowing where even 10 years ago it was a little more uptight. There's a flow happening that I just love.

The Australian native started her music career with Hillsong Church but has since planted her own ministry with her husband, Mark, in New South Wales, called Hope Unlimited Church.

Her new book, The Golden Thread: Experiencing Gods Presence in Every Season of Life, chronicles her battle with cancer in 2013 and how maintaining a posture of worship before the Lord brought her peace in the midst of the storm. It also explores her journey from leaving Hillsong to plant HopeUC.

For more information, visit Zschechs website.
California university fires medical ethics director amid lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

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The University of California-Irvine has fired a professor of medical ethics who has been contending that the school's vaccine mandate is unconstitutional given the science of natural immunity.

In a Friday essay on his Substack, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, the now-former professor of psychiatry at UC-Irvine School of Medicine and director of the medical ethics program at UCI-Health, bid farewell to the university where he has enjoyed teaching for over a decade.

Kheriaty filed a federal lawsuit in August against the university's vaccine mandate. The lawsuit failed at the district court level and is appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He makes a constitutional claim that the vaccine mandate violates his equal protection as established by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

Kheriaty told The Christian Post in a phone interview this week that he caught COVID-19 in July 2020 and recovered soon thereafter. He contends that the immunity he has to the virus is longer lasting and more robust than any immunity conferred by the vaccines. Because he already had the virus, he did not feel it necessary to take the vaccine.

"And yet I'm being unjustly discriminated against because I [have] this form of immunity rather than the form of immunity that is supposedly conferred by the vaccines. With each passing week, the efficacy of these vaccines, particularly against the new variants, becomes more apparent," Kheriaty said.

"But the university has not revised its policy or changed its approach to COVID mitigation even in the face of mounting and what is now irrefutable evidence that the vaccine efficacy against infection was short-lived, unfortunately. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's undeniable now."

The Christian Post reached out to UC-Irvine for a statement on Kheriaty's termination. The university declined in an email Monday evening, saying that the institution doesn't comment on personnel matters.

The California psychiatrist until very recently was the director of UC-Irvine's Medical Ethics Center. He is now working with the right-of-center think tank Ethics & Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. as the Bioethics and American Democracy Program director.

He emphasized that natural immunity is more robust than vaccines because when someone is exposed to the whole virus, that person makes antibodies and forms an immune response involving both antibodies and T-cells against all the different parts expressed on the virus, the epitopes.

By contrast, the COVID-19 vaccines were designed to produce antibodies against the spike protein part of the virus. It is now known that the spike protein mutates to avoid vaccine immunity, Kheriaty said.

"The variants that are going to be selected for are going to be the variants that have a better chance of escaping vaccine immunity," the professor said. "It's much harder to escape natural immunity by viral evolution because natural immunity has far more weapons against the virus than does the vaccine immunity."

Immunologists understood and predicted that this virus, like other viruses, will mutate and become less deadly because if it kills off too many of its hosts, it cannot propagate, Kheriaty continued.

He noted that this is now happening with the emerging variants like omicron.

Those variants may be more transmissible but are not as severe or lethal. He believes the virus is well on its way to becoming endemic, meaning that everyone is eventually going to be exposed to it and form natural immunity in addition to whatever immunity that vaccines conferred temporarily.

"We have to do whatever we can to protect the most vulnerable, those who are in high-risk categories. Particularly the aged have access to really excellent treatments when they are inevitably exposed. But for the rest of us, it's time to get back to normal life. It's time to recognize that this virus is not going away but moving into a phase where we can all manage to live with it and manage it when people get sick."

"We have to stop discriminating against people on these arbitrary bases and forcing a minimally effective therapeutic like the mRNA vaccines on people that are not high risk from COVID or have natural immunity or have other concerns about these vaccines," he continued.

Kheriaty felt he had to take legal action in light of his profession as a medical ethicist.

"If I don't practice what I preach, I have no credibility to speak on these things," he told CP. "That's what it came down to for me. Do I really believe what I say when I get up in the lecture hall to the medical students when I talk about moral integrity, doing the difficult thing, following your conscience when it is unpopular?"

When asked why there has been such widespread inattention to the science of natural immunity, Kheriaty suggests three possible answers.

The first is that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posited that any step before vaccination, such as testing people for antibodies or T-cells or asking people for prior tests, could slow down the efficiency of the "needle in every arm" rollout, he said.

Public health authorities wanted simple messaging  an all-or-nothing policy that was not tailored or individualized to people's specific circumstances, Kheriaty added. Thus, any step in the process that would have slowed down that efficiency process was seen as unnecessarily cumbersome.

A second possible reason, Kheriaty opined, is that the CDC was worried that people would deliberately get infected with COVID-19 rather than get the vaccine.

"We need to give people accurate information, in that sometimes people act in ways that are contrary to what we might advise, but that is no reason to mislead or lie to them about what science shows," he said. "The issue around natural immunity is not whether people will go and get infected with the virus deliberately, but what about the people who have already been infected with the virus. That's the relevant group that we're talking about here."

Kheriaty's third theory, which he believes is most operative, is that acknowledging the science of natural immunity would be an admission of policy failure.

"These are people who will never, ever admit that they were wrong, no matter how much evidence there is to support that conclusion. The two most basic statistics in epidemiology that every student learns in every new disease that students learn about is incidence and prevalence," he explained. "Incidence is the number of new cases that happen over a time period, how many people are getting infected with COVID every month. Prevalence is the total number of cases, not just new cases, over a given time period."

"It's amazing that two years into this pandemic that we don't know with any degree of certainty how many people have had COVID," he continued. "It's possible to discover that through population-based randomly sampled T-cell testing or through what the CDC should have been doing  sequential population-based randomly tested antibodies. But they never did that, and they are not doing it. Once you acknowledge natural immunity, the natural next question is, 'How many people have it?' And the CDC would be forced to answer that question."

The California doctor estimates that the percentage of Americans who have gotten the virus is approximately 60% of the population, perhaps higher with the new wave.

"The CDC would see that as an admission that all of these COVID measures that we took from the lockdown to masks to social distancing and so forth, which did enormous harms, didn't stop this virus or the spread," he said. "Still, a majority of Americans have been infected with COVID, and most of them, almost all healthy Americans under the age of 50, have had no problem with the virus."

Recognizing natural immunity, he contends, is "disincentivized by all the various people who will make a lot of money off the vaccines."

"We know that there are hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake in terms of the vaccine rollout, and if suddenly half of your market or more than half of your market no longer needs the vaccine, that's taking $100 billion profits and cutting them in half," he detailed. "That's a lot of money, and that kind of money buys a lot of influence."

Earlier this year, Kheriaty and his lawyer sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the CDC inquiring about the number of people infected with COVID-19 more than once who subsequently transmitted the virus. Though the number of reinfection cases is small, the CDC admitted that there had been zero cases of reinfection and transmission of the virus to another person. Meanwhile, what is known as "breakthrough" infection  those cases which break through the vaccine protection  can subsequently transmit the disease.

Those who have survived COVID-19 and have natural immunity are the safest people to be around, Kheriaty maintains.

"The [COVID] vaccines do not produce what is called sterilizing immunity, which means not only do I not get reinfected, but I don't transmit," he said.

He criticized the rhetoric encouraging people to get vaccinated for the "sake of other people."

"The COVID vaccines don't prevent transmission," he said. "I think that social solidarity type of argument would have more force for a sterilizing vaccine [like] the measles one. But it doesn't work when you're talking about the COVID vaccines, at least the ones we have right now."

He predicted that "maybe in five years we'll have a sterilizing vaccine for COVID."

"But that's not where we are with the current vaccines, and that is becoming clearer every day," he said.
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There is no denying that the last few years have been increasingly difficult for Christians and Christian ministries in North America. The attack on our freedoms is real, and the hostility towards us seems to grow by the day. But this is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. Not for a moment.

Instead, it is time to take courage. To stand strong. To say, Here I am, Lord! We were called to the front lines for such a time as this.

Im quite aware of Christians on our continent who have gone to jail because of their religious and moral convictions. And Im quite aware of the daily attempts to cancel us.

But how many of us have been beheaded for our faith? Or burned alive at the stake? Or tortured for years on end in an underground cell?

We do well to keep a healthy perspective.

Earlier this year, I wrote about a 16-year-old pastor in Northern India who was conducting prayer meetings in his house and sharing his faith with others in his village.

As a result, he was threatened by local religious radicals, but he refused to back down. So they threw acid on him, severely burning 85 percent of his body, leaving him in agony and near death.

My friends in India helped cover some of his hospital bills. (In fact, some of you contributed to help him as well.) But ultimately, he died of his burns several weeks later, suffering terribly before leaving this world.

And what have the local Christian leaders done in response? Have they gone into hiding? Have they renounced their faith, lest they suffer a similar, dreadful fate?

Not at all. Instead, they have been emboldened to preach the Gospel to their communities.

That is the power of the Gospel. Not even death and torture and acid burns can stop it.

One of my co-workers is an older, single woman serving the poorest of the poor in Africa, giving them an education and hope for the future.

A couple of years ago, when Islamic terrorists from a neighboring country invaded her region, the local Christians insisted she return to America. It was just too dangerous for her to be there.

Then COVID came, and she was unable to return until a few months ago.

She emailed me last week, saying, Its time for [that country] to send their terrorists. If they hit [my city] again, Im not budging. Thats how I got stuck in the States last time! Merry Christmas!

So says an older, single woman!

I can assure you that facing murderous terrorists is a whole lot scarier than being deplatformed on social media. And dying a slow death to acid burns is a whole lot more horrific than losing our tax-exempt status. This is a wake-up call, my friends!

Of course, we should stand against governmental tyranny and resist the takeover of Big Tech and others. And we should do whatever we can, lawfully and constitutionally, to preserve our hard-earned liberties.

But whatever we do, let us not feel sorry for ourselves. We still have much more freedom than the great majority of Christians worldwide. And we absolutely have more influence and more open doors of communication than any generation of believers in history.

Let us, then, rise to the occasion. Let us take hold of fasting and prayer and sharing our faith and standing for righteousness like never before. And let us go and make our mark on the world, in Jesus name. Why else are we here?

When Paul was faced with challenges from the so-called super apostles, referring to superstar leaders who were misleading the flock, he decided to do something crazy. He decided to boast.

But he did not boast about his glorious achievements, of which there were many. Instead, he boasted about his weaknesses, specifically, of the many times that he had suffered for Jesus the Messiah. Compared to these outwardly impressive, false apostles, his life was marked by far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

He continued, Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27).

And we get discouraged when were unfriended? Or when FB and Twitter treat us unfairly? Or when the government passes a discriminatory law? Courage, my brothers and sisters!

My newest book, The Silencing of the Lambs: The Ominous Rise of Cancel Culture and How We Can Overcome It is due out March 1, and I believe its theme will be extremely relevant as we enter 2022.

Yet when I started writing, I intended to spend most of the book documenting the attack that was coming our way, focusing in the last two chapters on powerful strategies by which we could overcome the resistance and turn the tide.

But as I wrote, laying out the harsh realities and very real dangers of cancel culture, I felt a note of victory rising. So, after spending 8 chapters documenting the challenges, I devoted 12 chapters to laying out strategies for victory. In Jesus, the tide can be turned!

So, as Jesus said, dont fear those who can kill our bodies but cant touch our souls. Instead, let us fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell (see Matthew 10:28). A holy fear of God will drive out all other fears.

And let us then take our stands with boldness and faith, overcoming evil with good, hatred with love, lies with truth, and violence with goodness.

As Jesus said to His disciples (and by extension, to each of us who follow Him): I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage  I have conquered the world (John 16:33). And that means we overcame too.

So, on with it. Countless millions are waiting for the life-giving message we bring. Do not flinch in the face of opposition.
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Some people are skeptics, while others are cynics. So what is the difference?

Skeptics are open-minded about the claims of Christ. Cynics typically ignore any evidence that contradicts their religious prejudices and assumptions.

The term skeptic is derived from a Greek word that means questioning, inquiring, thoughtful. It is good to be skeptical, whether you embrace Christianity, atheism or some other belief system.

Rather than taking things at face value, true skeptics honestly evaluate the evidence and are committed to discovering the truth. This includes evaluating the overwhelming evidence for the virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the late 15th century, the Oxford English Dictionary defined cynic as: A person disposed to rail or find fault. One who shows a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions, and expresses this by sneers and sarcasms; a sneering fault-finder. Cynics sneer, while skeptics investigate. Cynics are antagonistic, while skeptics are fair and open-minded.

Thomas was skeptical about Christs resurrection until he personally saw his risen Lord. (John 20:24-29) Most of the Pharisees in the New Testament, on the other hand, were constantly cynical about Jesus of Nazareth. Closed minds and hostile attitudes are the rotten fruit of cynicism.

While speaking recently at a church in Texas, the brilliant astrophysicist Hugh Ross described how years ago he was invited to do a debate at the Skeptics Society Conference held at Caltech. Five lectures were presented by world-renowned atheist scientists on the non-existence of God.

Ross said, "I stood around afterwards to engage the 750 atheists who flew in from around the world. I told them that this weekend I have seen a brand new proof for the God of the Bible. The scientists who gave the lectures only talked about the non-existence of the God of the Bible. They ignored the god of Islam. They ignored the gods of Hinduism and Buddhism.

He continued, The other thing I observed is that they were extremely passionate about the non-existence of God. They spoke for an hour each. What this tells me is that if they really believed that the God of the Bible didnt exist, they would be treating Him like the tooth fairy or the great pumpkin. What this tells me is that they really do believe in the God of the Bible, but its that they dont like Him. (37:50)

I had about 40 atheists gathered around me. They said its not that we hate the God of the Bible. Its that we despise His followers. And I began to hear stories about how they had been wounded or abused by Christians.

Hugh Ross then shared with them, Dont you think it is irrational to let fallen human beings get between you and a perfectly loving and sinless God? They told me how difficult it was for them to forgive how they had been offended.

Cynics with scars from past abuse can find themselves burdened with bitterness. These chains of resentment are often too strong to be broken by intellectual arguments alone. It requires intervention from the Lord, such as when God told His wayward people: I will cleanse you from all your impuritiesI will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:25, 26).

Some cynics have faulty theological assumptions they must be willing to address with an open mind. Others need to initiate the emotionally difficult task of confronting their demons.

That is to say, they need to come to terms with the root cause of their pain and hostility. Wounded cynics need to be able to distinguish between their unpleasant experiences with religious people, and the Creator who loves them and sent His only Son for their redemption.

God is love, (1 John 4:16) even when a professing Christian fails to demonstrate God's unconditional love in a manner befitting a follower of Christ. Would you like to know God and be delivered from any animus in your heart, or would you prefer to fume and wallow in the misery of your hurtful memories?

Some cynics, such as Saul of Tarsus, have a dramatic conversion experience (Acts 9:1-19) where they are suddenly changed from cynic to Christian. (Galatians 1:11-24) Other scoffers, by the grace of God, gradually evolve from cynic to skeptic to Christian over a period of months or years.

If you have been living under the great weight of cynicism, perhaps you would be willing to speak these words to God:

Jesus, if you are there, I want to share something with you. I have been turned off to Christianity because of the behavior of some of your followers. But I am beginning to recognize that I would rather be a skeptic than a cynic. I am weary of the resentment I feel in my heart. Please help me with my issues, including those shortcomings I fail to see in myself."

Its a start, right? If you are a cynic, what have you got to lose by talking to God from your heart? In many ways, you are a product of your past experiences, whether good or bad. And if you have had an ugly experience with a professing Christian, I am sorry you experienced that painful ordeal. But there is a way to move beyond the bitterness.

If you will own and relinquish your animosity, God is willing to perform surgery on your heart and mind. And once your resentment begins to dissipate, you will be in a much stronger position to evaluate the compelling evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as other powerful evidence for the Christian faith. If you are a true skeptic, you are capable of grasping and appreciating Dr. Richard Lands recent op-ed.

Freedom from cynicism and religious resentment requires the courage to confront your demons, and the humility to lay down your simmering antagonism at the foot of the cross.
Cities are symbols of modernity, progress, development and also chaos. The mobility crisis, poor management of public services, precarious urban planning and insecurity make the efforts of public administration in cities inefficient. But if we stick to the phrase that 'we are all part of the problem', we are all part of the solution. These aforementioned problems are creating a crisis that questions the future of cities and our lifestyle, since the speed at which cities are growing stops taking into account the experience of a person, that is, we are facing a phenomenon of dehumanization of the processes. However, this exacerbated and unplanned development also creates a niche of opportunity in different verticals due to a single component: technology.

'Smart city' is a term that has been prostituted and assigned to a connected city, but it is a much broader and more complex concept: a smart city is one that through information technologies is capable of responding quickly and effectively to the citizen . The transformation of cities to a smart city involves lighting issues; physical and cyberspace security; network connectivity; traffic management and alternatives for mobility; development of critical infrastructure; water management and public services; environmental care; and education.

Israel has led the creation of smart city projects based on the urban crises afflicting the country. Its capital, Jerusalem, is a city that by nature has become a smart and safe city because of what it represents for the three most important religions in the world and the political-social clashes that this entails.

Smart cities have become the promise of development to face the most pressing challenges of large cities in Mexico. But in the quest to capitalize on smart cities as a political positioning asset and execute them expeditiously, state and local governments have embarked on developing projects without the basic technical and specialized knowledge to develop a sustainable strategic plan, independent of the change of administration and public agenda.

In this sense, it is worth contrasting and highlighting the process of creating smart cities in Israel, which has been based, not exhaustively but constantly, on five main pillars:

Planning: since a smart city is such a broad concept, it is necessary to plan. This involves detecting the primary need and setting goals. Based on this diagnosis, it is necessary to make an analysis of the current factors, the personnel and inventory of the existing technology to draw an operation route with a feasible and sustainable budget in the long term. The value proposition of Israeli companies in Mexico specialized in the creation of smart cities projects focuses on a primary diagnosis, followed by a prioritization of real needs and budgets. In turn, this type of logic allows the creation of modular projects because they allow the integration of information and communication technologies to existing teams, as well as new tools in the future, supporting the development of the following pillars.

Citizens: one of the biggest crises today is the distrust of citizens towards their representatives. In this sense, technology can play a key role in bringing these two spheres closer together, since smart cities, through their tools, allow the creation of comprehensive projects in collaboration with citizens for their own benefit and with a better use of the treasury. Examples of projects carried out by Israeli companies are mobile community security centers and 'Citizen Eye', a project that allowed the connectivity of private property security cameras to a state C4, increasing control levels without an investment cost for the state. In turn, this type of project in cooperation with citizens increased the levels of trust in the Mexican authorities, as well as the perception of security.

Technology: talking about smart cities implies talking about many smart components. From cameras and security arches to IoT devices, the implementation of technology in city management makes it possible to unify all mobile, cyber, IT and physical assets to present a complete image in real time and have control of all types of incidents. In turn, this intelligent control of incidents allows better use of police resources, mobility infrastructure, water networks, energy consumption, etc.

Methodology: investing in technology implies investing in the development of human capital. This key factor requires an evaluation of the work teams to contemplate what methodological tools are necessary for the operation of these new technologies. Self-criticism of the strategies proposed is essential to obtain better results through alternative routes and strategies. Israeli companies consider the human factor as one of the most important, so within their business proposals is the accompaniment and training of personnel in the adoption of technologies.

Innovation: technology adoption is a process and reaching digital maturity does not in any way mean stopping innovating. There is no end point. The natural relationship of a problem-solution will always be the same, because as one part is solved, another greater need will arise and then a solution to it. It is about cities optimizing their infrastructure and pursuing its sustainability through technology and its constant improvement.

The development of a smart city is a dynamic process because it is based on the needs, never static and growing, of a given city. Faced with an upward trend in rural migration to cities and the creation of megacities, implementing technology that allows efficient and intelligent management of resources is no longer an option, but an imperative. In Mexico, in addition to the capital, cities such as Puebla, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Tijuana, among others, are increasingly affected by traffic, pollution, homelessness, insecurity, as well as the lack of infrastructure and alternatives. for mobility.

According to the Mckinsey study 'Smart cities: digital solutions for a more livable future', smart cities can reduce deaths by 10%, accelerate emergency responses by 35%, decrease the time in daily commutes of people by 20% , reduce the burden on the health sector due to diseases by 15% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by another 15%. Israel, with a well-established foundation on current problems and a vision of self-assessment-self-criticism, through more than 300 companies specialized in smart cities, is in a unique position to offer solutions to Mexico and the international community in the face of crisis of the cities.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
DANBURY  FuelCell Energy has announced a settlement with a former South Korean business partner in a dispute that dates back to 2015.

Terms of the settlement between the Danbury hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer and POSCO Energy Co. Ltd. werent disclosed. The agreement also covers a POSCO subsidiary, Korea Fuel Cell Co., FuelCell said in an announcement.

POSCO had assembled, marketed and serviced FuelCell Energy equipment in South Korea. The agreement put an end to a legal battle that included lawsuits on both sides. POSCO Energy officials werent immediately available for comment on Monday.

FuelCell Energy sued its business partner for breaching a contract the two businesses signed in 2005, seeking $200 million, Jason Few, the FuelCell CEO, said. POSCO responded by filing an $800 million lawsuit of its own in October 2020, he said.

Few said the settlement is a recognition of challenges the lawsuits created in market.

Potential clients were reluctant to do business because of the uncertainty that the matter before the courts created, he said.

As a result of the settlement, POSCO can no longer market FuelCells technology to new customers, but will be allowed to continue to service customers it acquired when its contract with the Connecticut company was still in place.

The partnership between the two companies began in 2007 and gave POSCO the exclusive rights to marketing, manufacturing and servicing FuelCell Energys proprietary technology in South Korea and other Southeast Asian countries, according to Few. At that time, POSCO Energy invested $29 million in FuelCell Energy to secure the licensing rights for molten carbonate fuel cell technologies in South Korea.

POSCO Energy later invested an additional $55 million in FuelCell Energy, officials with the South Korean company said in a press release.

But eight years after the two companies entered into their partnership, POSCO Energy decided they no longer wanted to be in the business, Few said.

Now that POSCO Energy no longer manufactures fuel cells for the American company, that translates into more business for FuelCell Energy, he said.

South Korea is one of the worlds most robust markets for hydrogen fuel cells. Doosan, Connecticuts other large fuel cell maker, with its U.S. base in South Windsor, is a South Korean company.

That nation is also home to the worlds largest hydrogen fuel cell park, Gyeonggi Green Energy, which generates 59 megawatts of electricity.

In addition to its Danbury headquarters, FuelCell Energy has a manufacturing facility in Torrington.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
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There hasnt been a month in Midland County for median price for a home sold like November.

The Texas A&M Real Estate Center reported that the median price in November reached $325,000, which is a record for any month in Midland County and shows the strength of the Midland market, especially compared to other West Texas markets.
Rice University students headed back to class in January will be greeted with some changes due to a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

While the semester will still begin on Jan. 10, classes will be online only for the first two weeks, and all students and employees will be required to get a booster dose against the virus if they were fully vaccinated more than six months ago.

In an email to students and staff sent Sunday, Rice University president David Leebron and provost Reginald DesRoches announced classes will generally be online, and all indoor gatherings on campus are limited to 50 people through Jan. 24. Students are also encouraged to delay their return to campus until the weekend of Jan. 22.

We intend to return to general in-person course delivery on Jan. 24 unless the situation in Houston deteriorates substantially or new information suggests that is inadvisable, Leebron and DesRoches wrote in the email, according to university student newspaper, the Rice Thresher. University staffers are also highly encouraged to work remotely until then.

Classes with 50 or more students must be held online until Jan. 24. Those with 50 or fewer students may hold class in person, but faculty must record their classes for students not on campus.



Booster shots are required for all students and staff members on campus without a medical or religious exemption who finished their two-shot Pfizer or Moderna regime at least six months ago or those who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine, regardless of timing. The presidents and provosts email doesnt lay out specific protocol for students who arent vaccinated, but as of Nov. 19 more than 90% of the Rice community had received the first set of doses.

We need to lower the population density on campus for the first two weeks of the semester and allow time for everyone who is eligible to get their booster shots, Leebron and DesRoches wrote. This will also enable us to take into account any new information that emerges over the next two to three weeks.

These arent the only policy changes brought on by the Omicron variant. Rice reinstated its campus-wide mask mandate earlier this month in light of rising case numbers.

COVID-19 related hospitalizations in Houston have nearly doubled in the past week, according to the Houston Chronicle. The city logged its 300,000th case of the virus on Dec. 23.
ALTON  Off-year municipal elections are seldom monumental events.

But the April ballots in 2021 brought about historic changes for several Riverbend communities, including Alton's first Black mayor.

The area continued to contend with COVID-19, with signs of optimism evident for a return to a somewhat more normal life. Little did we know a hazardous materials incident would offer an unexpected challenge in June.

Here is a look at events from April, May and June this past year. The items are memories of where we've been and omens of what awaited us.

April

 On April 2, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 1871 sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, establishing permanent ballot drop boxes and allowing curbside voting across Illinois for early voting or on Election Day.

 On April 6, David Goins  a former Alton Police officer and the pastor of an Alton church  defeated incumbent Brant Walker to become the first Black mayor of Alton. Other winners included Mike Morrow in Grafton, Mike McCormick in Godfrey, Darren Carlton in East Alton, Tom Stalcup in Wood River, William Bill Robertson in Hartford, Barbara Overton in South Roxana, John Hamm in Madison, Art Risavy in Edwardsville, Bob Marcus in Glen Carbon and Michael Parkinson in Granite City. Godfrey voters also approved a $7.5 million bond issue to build a new centralized fire station.

 On April 7, Beth and Gary Machens shared a large tunnel discovered under their Alton home. The tunnel may have been used to store a horse drawn carriage.

 On April 10, Madison County States Attorney Thomas Haine announced the formation of a Cross-River Crime Task Force to address suspects entering the Riverbend from Missouri to commit crimes.

 On April 13, Robert Watson retired as a Lewis and Clark Community College trustee. Watson had served as a trustee since 1977, longer than any current sitting trustee.

 On April 13, Alton officials announced a new hotel and restaurant was planned near the Amtrak station. It was later revealed a Holiday Inn and a related restaurant, Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, was planned for the site.

 On April 14, Madison County officials took the first public step in discussing how to spend an estimated $81 million in federal

COVID-related funding.

 On April 20, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, introduced legislation to establish national

park status for Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

 On April 24, the first murder trial in Madison County since the start of the COVID pandemic resulted in a guilty verdict against Kevin Campbell for the October 2018 fatal shooting of Tyrone Williams.

May

 On May 5, Ben Mazur, who is on the autism spectrum, was surprised while at his job at Schnucks as family, friends, reporters and Alton Mayor Brant Walker were outside to celebrate his heroic actions earlier this year. In March, Mazur saw an unattended grocery cart with a toddler in the kiddie seat rolling through the lot and stopped it.

 On May 7, ground was broken for a $12.1 million addition to the Trouw Nutrition Pilot Plant in Highland. The expansion will

increase the existing 8,100-square-foot plant to a 32,052-square-foot facility.

 On May 11, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook announced he plans to retire at the end of the 2021-22 academic year.

 On May 12, hundreds watched David Goins be sworn in as Alton's first Black mayor.

 On May 19, Lewis and Clark Community College held its 50th graduation ceremony for the class of 2021. LCCC President Ken Trzaska said he could not think of a graduating class in colleges 50-year history that has persevered and endured as much as the Class of 2021.

 On May 25, Kyle P. Swanson, head of KTS Predator Hunters LLC, was indicted on charges stemming from a Jan. 12 altercation. The group, which sought to catch sex offenders in sting operations, later was disbanded and Swanson moved to Texas.

 On May 28, the East Alton Fire Department celebrated its 100th anniversary.

 On May 29, the Alton River Dragons played their first-ever game in the Prospect League at Lloyd Hopkins Field.

June

 On June 2, half way between Wood River and Hartdford, a pressure relief disk on a railcar from the Phillips 66 property ruptured and sulfuric acid began venting to the atmosphere, prompting a shelter-in-place warning for nearby residents and a days-long hazardous materials operation. Eventually four railcars were venting, with firefighters applying a water curtain over the cars to help dissipate the vapor.

 On June 5, Gov. J.B. Pritzker released guidelines for Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan  the full reopening of all businesses and activities  which would go into effect June 11.

 On June 12, Members of OSF Moeller Cancer Center in Alton planted a Kwanzan Cherry Tree in the far left end of the center in memory of Cancer Survivor Day. OSF Saint Anthony President Jerry Rumph said that the tree represents the journey of life and growth. The tree was decorated with bells, each belonging to present and future survivors of cancer.

 On June 16, The YWCA of Alton announced the 2021 Women of Distinction. 2021's honorees were Marie Nelson, Sandra West, Trish Holmes, Lanea DeCocini, Cameo Holland, Jennifer Gottlob, Lacy Spraggins McDonald, Crystal Uhe, Yvonne Campbell, Amy Gabriel, Carrie Schildroth, Savanna Bishop, Starrette Smith, Leah Becoat and Katie Stuart.

 On June 19, the annual Alton Juneteenth Celebration marked its 30th celebration  two days after Juneteenth was made a federal holiday.

 On June 21, Edwardsville Public Works employees removed the statue of Ninian Edwards, the founder of Edwardsville, from its small park. People wanted the statue removed because Edwards, the first territorial governor in the early 1800s, had owned enslaved people and was supportive of slavery.

 On June 30, John Pearson officially retired as superintendent at East Alton-Wood River High School after 21 years.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  A college student who authorities say was killed by a handyman at an apartment complex where they both worked died by homicide of undetermined means," according to an autopsy report.

The report obtained Monday by Miami television station WPLG says Miya Marcano's body was found in October bound with duct tape near the dilapidated apartment complex following a massive week-long search.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP)  In recent weeks, a series of threats against Coulee Region schools materialized, leading one to close for a day and others to increase police presence on the premises. Thankfully, no acts of violence have followed  but after the shooting at a Michigan school three weeks ago, mental health experts are on high alert.

The 15-year-old assailant in the Michigan attack, which left four dead, carried out the shooting using a gun gifted to him by his parents, which authorities stated was not securely stored. His parents are also facing charges.

If the gun had been locked up, rather than loose in a drawer, as reported, maybe the shooting wouldnt have happened, says Dr. Emily Rae, psychiatrist and behavioral health specialist at Gundersen Health System.

While gun control is a frequently publicized, hot-button topic, far less emphasis is put on proper storage and handling, the La Crosse Tribune reported.

Maybe we dont agree on gun control laws or what kind of guns we should have, but we all seem to agree on gun safety and keeping our kids safe, Rae says.

Rae works with teens struggling with mental and behavioral health, the majority with suicidal ideations or tendencies, and a routine discussion with parents revolves around secure storage of firearms. A suicide attempt by gun, Rae says, is far more likely to be lethal than other forms. Suicides among youth and teens overall are on the rise, and guns suicides are also increasingly common. From 2007 to 2018, suicides among those age 10 to 24 increased by 57%, and from 2008 to 2018 gun suicides in the 15 to 24 age group rose by 50%.

We really know that a home without a gun is the safest, says Rae. But lets face it, people enjoy their guns ... so theyre going to be in the home. But there are ways (to own) them safely.

Guns in the home should be unloaded, with ammunition and the gun itself locked up separately. Youth may know where keys to a gun safe are stored, and a combination lock with a random code  not a birthdate or other easily guessed sequence  is safer. Locks which go directly on the gun can also be affixed prior to storing and locking it.

Parents might hide the gun, but most kids know where the gun is hidden, Rae says. Adults should always be in charge of the firearm, even if the child has had hunter safety or other gun handling courses.

Rae also emphasizes that not having a gun in the home doesnt mean there is no access.

Its important to remember the majority of the gun suicides and in youth (involve a) gun from home or from a relatives home. Kids shouldnt be able to buy guns themselves, so theyre finding somebody elses gun that they know, Rae says.

Greg Head, therapist at Gundersen and part of the behavioral health team, advises keeping guns stored at a gun range or locked at the home of a friend or relative where no minors live. Head also says parents should inquire about guns in the house before letting their child visit a friend.

Over a third of all unintentional accidental shootings of children that occur in the United States happen in a friends home or a neighbors home or another relatives home, Head says. So we would recommend that if your child is going to someone elses house, you inquire (just as you would) ask about food allergies or other sort of issues of safety.

The inquiry doesnt need to be confrontational, and if parents feel awkward broaching it they could put it on (themselves): Im a worrywart. Theres just been so much in the news. Most responsible parents and gun owners will understand the idea that it is better to be safe than sorry, and that it only takes one time for a childs life to be lost, Head says.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Childrens Hospital Association in October declared youth mental health a national emergency, and Head says the psychological effects of the pandemic are evident on the population he works with.

COVID-19, the way our world has been over the last two years, has really changed a lot of things, Head says. The experts that I work with, we are seeing things that we have never seen in our careers before. We are seeing things that even in the research literature shouldnt be happening. I think thats one of the factors that people need to take into consideration  COVID may have affected these children, the children in your community and in your childs school in ways that you cant imagine. So its best to take every precaution.

Physical isolation during the pandemic, Head says, seems to be one of the underlying causes of psychological distress in teens.

Both suicide and threats, whether made to attract attention or with actual intent to act, are often impulsive decisions. The teenage brain, Rae notes, is not fully developed, and one bad day can spark an undoable action.

Says Head, The adolescent brain, the prefrontal cortex, does not fully develop until sometime between 21 and 25. (At that age) we really learn to identify true risk versus benefit. And so your child will think differently at 25 than they do now.

Parents need to actively check in with their children and recognize possible signs of mental distress, such as irritability, altered mood and behaviors, slipping grades or even giving away their personal effects.

The key is looking for a change from from a pattern. And then instead of just brushing it off, asking yourself, Well, what else could be going on there? Rae says. Most kids out there that are suffering, they do want help. They act out and put out signs, like leave me alone, but they actually do want help from their parents and the adults around them.

Being bullied could increase the chance of suicidal tendencies, or the issuance of threats or acts of violence, and Head says bullying needs to be taken more seriously, especially by schools.

Every day we work with individuals who identify themselves as being bullied. Despite the fact that there are laws in the state protecting students from that, we still often hear the same thing: that schools are telling the students to just ignore them, to just walk away, dont stand around and dont be around them. And thats not enough, Head says. The schools are mandated to proactively protect the children, and now considering how many guns are on the streets and how much chaos is going on across our country because of societal influence  I think thats a real risk. These kids should not be told to just ignore this. They should not be ignored.

Looking at the recent sequence of threats in school threats in the area as a trend could be dangerous, Head says. Dismissing any threat could be detrimental, and Rae says if any sort of threat is made, whether written, verbal or in other form, parents should have their child assessed by a primary care or mental health provider.

A recent nationwide viral TikTok challenge to threaten school violence on Dec. 17 didnt materialize into any actual shootings, but led to several arrests. Schools in the Coulee Region did not close, but some issued messages to families and stated there would be enhanced police presence on school grounds. If a threat is traced back to an individual, consequences can range from expulsion to criminal charges. A 17-year-old Central High School student is currently facing charges following an emailed threat.

Mental health conditions could factor into the making of threats or carrying out of violence, and Rae cautions not all are diagnosed or obvious. People may assume This person is mentally healthy. Theyre no risk at all, just because we dont know lot of the times what people are dealing with.

Head urges parents to talk to their children about the seriousness of threats and the dangers of guns. At Gundersens inpatient psychiatric unit, it is a daily discussion with families.

Most of us go through life just assuming those things wont happen. And unfortunately, what we are asking people to do is to change that and assume the worst. Assume that you may not always know whats going on with your child because that could be a fact. Assume that their friends and media are very influential because thats a fact. And so it is better to take every precaution and and not need it, then not to take precautions and regret it later, Head says.

We tend to think if we bury our heads in the sand, the best will happen or it wont happen to us. Be proactive. It wont increase the risk. We know that a responsible conversation with your children about gun safety will decrease the risk of an unintentional shooting.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Police shot and wounded a man suspected of shooting a bicyclist in a Southern California beach city on Monday, authorities said.

Officers responding to reports of gunfire in Huntington Beach immediately located the suspect and tried to apprehend him, police said in a statement.

The man was non-complaint to the multiple commands given and an officer opened fire, the statement said. Police didn't say what prompted the officer to shoot.

The suspect was hospitalized in critical condition. A gun was recovered, according to police.

The man on the bike who was shot was found a few blocks away. He was hospitalized in stable condition with non-life-threatening wounds, police said.

Investigators didn't immediately identify the suspect or a possible motive for the initial shooting.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel, signaling a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed, as COVID-19 cases spike.

Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief science adviser on the pandemic response, said that such a mandate might drive up the nation's lagging vaccination rate as well as confer stronger protection on flights, for which federal regulations require all those age 2 and older to wear a mask.

When you make vaccination a requirement, thats another incentive to get more people vaccinated," Fauci told MSNBC on Monday. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think thats something that seriously should be considered.

The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel. Two officials said Bidens science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement to the president.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said a vaccine mandate on planes could trigger a host of logistical and legal concerns.

The U.S. currently mandates that most foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, though citizens and permanent residents only need to show proof of a negative test taken within a day of boarding.

Federal rules dont require people travelling by air within the U.S. to show a negative test. Hawaii requires travelers to test or show proof of vaccination to avoid a mandatory quarantine.

Biden did not respond to questions on whether he was considering implementing a domestic air travel vaccination requirement, but he told reporters the subject was discussed on a call with the nation's governors Monday morning.

They asked Dr. Fauci some more questions about everything from whether or not he thought he was going to move to test at home  I mean, on air flights and that kind of thing, Biden said of the call before departing the White House for his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

During the virtual meeting with governors, Biden pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests that dominated headlines over the holiday season.

My message is: If you need something, say something, and were going to have your back any way we can," Biden said. He acknowledged long lines and chaotic scenes as Americans sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather with family and friends over the holiday.

Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do, he said. He referenced his administrations plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans beginning next month through an as-yet-to-be-developed website.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the National Governors Association chairman, raised concerns Biden's plan could get in the way of state efforts to boost supply of tests.

That dries up the supply chain for what we might offer as governors, he said, saying the lack of supply has become a real challenge.

Biden assured Hutchinson that the federal effort wont interfere with state actions. This gets solved at the state level, he said.

A White House official said the new tests would come from new manufacturing capacity and wouldnt interfere with existing supply chains.

Earlier this year the White House explored a domestic vaccination requirement for flights, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test. But officials have not been eager to mandate vaccination for domestic air travel because they expected it to face immediate legal challenges, mitigating its potential effectiveness as a tool to drive up vaccinations.

Pressed last week on why Biden had not mandated vaccinations for domestic air travel, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC that we know that masking can be, is, very effective on airplanes."

We also know that putting in place that additional restriction might delay flights, might have additional implications, she added. "We would do it, though, if the health impact was overwhelming. So we rely always on the advice of our health and medical experts. That isnt a step at this point that they had determined we need to take.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 241 million Americans, about 77% of the eligible population age 5 and over, have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Officials believe, though, that there is some overcount in the figures due to record-keeping errors in the administration of booster shots.

Since the summer, the Biden administration has embraced various vaccination requirements as a way to get unvaccinated Americans to roll up their sleeves. It has instituted requirements that federal workers, federal contractors and those who work in health care get their shots, and that employers with 100 or more employees institute vaccination-or-testing requirements for their workers.

Those vaccination requirements have been mired in legal wrangling, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments Jan. 7 in cases seeking to overturn them.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, contributed.
MAKANDA, Ill. (AP)  A fire has destroyed the family home of a southern Illinois police officer who died in August after he was allegedly struck on a Mississippi River bridge by a motorist fleeing police.

Six relatives of Brian Pierce Jr., including his mother, father and sister, escaped unharmed when the Dec. 23 fire gutted the family's home in Makanda, a village in Jackson County.
HONOLULU (AP)  A Hawaii state official on Monday agreed that the Navy should be required to remove fuel from massive fuel tanks it owns near Pearl Harbor, saying they pose a metaphorical ticking time bomb threatening the water supply of the state's most populous island.

Deputy Attorney General David Day led two days of hearings for the Department of Health last week before making his recommendation. The Navy had appealed an earlier order from Gov. David Ige to defuel the tanks.

The evidence shows that the Red Hill Facility is simply too old, too poorly designed, too difficult to maintain, too difficult to inspect, along with being too large to prevent future releases, wrote Day in his recommendation.

Department of Health Deputy Director Marian Tsuji will consider Days recommendation when making a final decision. The Navy, the Sierra Club of Hawaii and Honolulus water utility have until Wednesday to object to Days recommendations.

The Navy didn't immediately comment on the substance of Day's findings.

We are aware of the proposed decision and have no further statement at this time, said Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, the Navy's chief of information.

The governor ordered the Navy to remove the fuel after fuel leaked from the facility last month and contaminated the Navy's tap water system serving some 93,000 people in and around Pearl Harbor.

Starting in late November, about a thousand people in military housing complained their water smelled like fuel, and hundreds complained of nausea, rashes and other physical ailments.

More than 3,000 military families have had to move to hotels or other alternative housing for the past several weeks because they have been unable to use the water in their homes.

Day included his recommendations in a 32-page report that said the Red Hill facility poses an imminent threat to human health and safety or the environment.

He said there have been at least 76 fuel-releasing incidents involving nearly 200,000 gallons (757,082 liters) since the tanks were built in the early 1940s.

The evidence presented at the hearing indicated more releases of fuel are basically inevitable, he said.

During the hearing, he said, the Navy offered a working theory regarding how its water system became contaminated last month. That theory posited that jet fuel released during the refilling of Tank 20 on May 6 got into the facility's fire suppression system. This fire suppression system then leaked the liquid in November, according to the theory.

The Navy did not state with any exacting reliability a full picture of what happened, or why and how the release occurred," Day wrote.

He said the November release demonstrated that the problems within the Red Hill Facility, as it is currently situated, are beyond the Navy's ability to control.

Day wrote the tanks threaten more than the Navy's own water system, noting the Navy and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply share the aquifer that sits under the fuel tanks.

This aquifer, Day said, supplies 77% of Oahu's overall water supply. The island has no alternative drinking water source, or combination of sources, that could supply 50% or more of Honolulu's drinking water, he said.
The holidays can be a tough time for many people, especially for incarcerated women.

According to a 2016 survey of prison inmates by the U.S. Department of Justice, over half (58%) of all women in nationwide prisons are mothers, as are 80% of women in jail.

"It's extremely difficult to be locked up and away from your family," Stacy Burleson said.

The Texas native added she often felt depressed when behind bars during the holiday season.

Burleson was jailed at the Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center, located in Grants, from 2010-2016.

"Just trying to explain it to your kids, you know, just one more Christmas," Burleson said. "Just two more Christmases and I'll be home. Just hold on."

The holidays weren't any easier for Renee Chavez-Maes.

She said she's been in and out of jail 11 times, ever since she was 18 years old.

"I've done over 23 years incarcerated at the New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility," Chavez-Maes said.

She added the facility often felt like a safe place of refuge.

As many as 94% of inmates in some women's prisons throughout the country have a history of physical or sexual abuse before being incarcerated.

"After a few incarcerations, it becomes more of a sense of belonging," Chavez-Maes said. "Where I wanted to be back in prison because it was more comfortable."

The two women are now using their own experiences to help other women still incarcerated.

Burleson's organization, Women in Leadership, currently offers bi-monthly webinars to two New Mexico facilities: Spring Corrections Center and the Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center.

The most recent event was hosted on Dec. 17.

"It was on depression and how to cope with depression during the holidays. We knew that they would probably be sad and depressed, so we tried to give them some coping skills," Burleson said. "We tried to talk about non-traditional things that you could do during the holidays, and things that you could do with your kids once you're released."

The grass-roots group has helped almost 350 women since it started in 2019.

Meanwhile, Chavez-Maes' personal mission is to provide women a stable home environment after being imprisoned.

She came up with the idea of her nonprofit, Frontline Resurrection Women's Life Recovery Home, while still incarcerated.

Since April 2020, Chavez-Maes has helped 23 women, with five women currently living in the private Albuquerque home.

"It's all about supporting them and surrounding them during this time of healing," Chavez-Maes said. "All of them have above minimum-wage paying jobs. They're going to school. They're reconnecting with their families. They're getting their children back."



Sheer proof that rough times are only temporary, and that better days are always ahead.

"You will get through this, you just have to take it one day at a time. Keep pushing forward," Burleson said.

Watch the video above for the full story.
NEW YORK  The Broadway revival of The Music Man has been one of the hottest tickets in town and it has limped along without co-star Sutton Foster. But now the show is being shuttered until the new year because Hugh Jackman has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jackman took to social media Tuesday to announce that he had tested positive. He says that although his symptoms are mild with only a scratchy throat and a runny nose, he needs to quarantine.

Some Broadway shows have closed for several days and some have folded completely because of virus cases Thoughts of a Colored Man joined Waitress and Jagged Little Pill as shows that have closed this winter due in part to rising infection rates.

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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

 Undertakers, rabbis join global fight promoting COVID shot

 US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine

 Fauci: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel

 In eastern Germany, pastors push for shots despite protests

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Louisiana officials are urging residents to go online for Office of Motor Vehicles services, and say 12 offices are temporarily closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The department said Tuesday that Louisiana residents should only visit OMV field offices if its absolutely necessary."

Louisiana, officials reported Monday that hospitalizations of people infected with the coronavirus had doubled over the course of a week.

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ORLANDO Fla.  The mayor of one of Floridas largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.

The mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, said local governments had been forced to figure out on their own, without help from the state, how to respond to the omicron variant that has rapidly overtaken the delta variant as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Florida.

Florida hit a new record for daily cases last weekend, with the state reporting 32,850 new cases on Saturday.

Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult.

A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.

The governors office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

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MADRID  A recent sharp surge in coronavirus infections in Spain gave no signs of abating Tuesday with nearly 100,000 cases reported in the previous 24 hours, a new all-time pandemic high.

Health Ministry data showed that the 14-day infection rate soared to 1,360 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 1,206 new cases on Monday, nearly twice the level from a week earlier and five times the incidence rate at the beginning of December.

Authorities reported a total of 99,671 new positive cases, a new daily record for the seventh consecutive day.

But the sharp increase in contagion is not replicating the flow patients requiring hospital care that strained Spains public health system in previous surges, something that experts partially explain because of a vaccine uptake of more than 80% of the total population. Intensive care unit occupation with COVID-19 patients remained at an average of 18.7% of the national capacity.

With 114 new casualties, the pandemics confirmed death toll is 89,253 in the southern European country.

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ATLANTA  Georgia is setting new records for the number of test-confirmed COVID-19 cases.

An extremely rapid rise in cases pushed totals on Tuesday beyond peaks previously set in January. The state recorded nearly 14,000 positive tests in its report released Tuesday, a combination of molecular PCR tests and rapid antigen tests.

The seven-day average of positive tests in Georgia roe to nearly 10,000. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose to nearly 2,200 statewide on Tuesday.

Rising cases led the city of Atlanta to cancel its New Years Peach Drop. Emory University says it will begin spring semester classes online. And some public schools say they will require students to again wear masks in January.

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SEATTLE  The Washington state Department of Health has reported a new record number of cases tallied in a single day.

The Seattle Times reports state officials confirmed 6,235 new cases on Dec. 24. The states previous single-day record number of cases was 5,526 cases on Dec. 7, 2020.

Dec. 24 also marked the first time Washington state reported over 6,000 cases in a single day.

The spike in cases mirrors that of other U.S. cities as the highly contagious omicron variant has become dominant.

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HONOLULU  The University of Hawaii will conduct mostly online classes for the first two weeks of the spring semester as the state watches a surge in omicron coronavirus cases.

Hawaii has had all-time record high daily COVID-19 numbers in recent days. University of Hawaii officials say that campuses across the islands will temporarily move many classes to online instruction.

In an email to students and staff, University of Hawaii President David Lassner says only classes that can be effectively taught online will change.

Other classes will be taught in person but with physical distancing, mask wearing and health screenings in place

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ATLANTA  Emory Universitys president said Tuesday the school is switching to virtual classes to start the spring semester because of a national surge in COVID cases fueled by the omicron variant.

In a letter to the university community, President Gregory Fenves said Emory will transition back to in-person learning on January 31 if conditions permit that.

The switch to remote learning applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional courses. Residence halls will remain open, though students are encouraged to delay their return to campus.

COVID-19 infections in the Atlanta area, where Emory is located, are climbing rapidly.

The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in Georgia rose to nearly 8,700 a day on Monday, according to the state Public Health Department. Thats nearing the peaks that Georgia saw in infection numbers in early January and early September.

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LONDON  The U.K. has reported another record number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a further 129,471 infections on Tuesday.

The data was incomplete because of the Christmas holidays, and did not include figures from Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A further 18 people had died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the government said.

Officials have said some 90% of cases in the country are now the omicron variant.

Despite the high daily infections Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has said it is not imposing further virus restrictions in England before the new year. Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, began shuttering nightclubs and limiting social gatherings from Boxing Day.

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FOUR CORNERS, Mont. (AP)  Anticipation for Jan. 1 hangs in the air of a parking lot here where four cannabis dispensaries sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

Next month could mean a budding business plan blossoming into its full potential, or it could bring possible failure in an industry as crowded as this lot.

Its kind of like charging into the dark, said Cody Lundmark, co-owner of Sacred Sun Farms, one of the four shops of the Four Corners cluster.

Montana will launch recreational cannabis sales on Jan. 1. The road to recreational use has been thrust onward by Montanas voters, who legalized medical use in 2004 and then took the full plunge in 2020. In last years election, 58% of voters enshrined cannabis use in the state Constitution alongside alcohol.

In the final weeks ahead of recreational sales, providers have been ramping up their production, specializing their craft and bracing for the unknowns like what demand will be, the Montana State News Bureau reports.

Local governments, meanwhile, have been trying to balance the voters will with regulatory framework rolled out by the state Legislature, along with feedback from the industry.

In this lot, providers are nervous and excited, but their position in the weeks leading up to recreational sales makes all the difference in determining who is confident and who is keeping their options open.

New market opportunities

Sacred Sun Farms has 11 greenhouses and a high-end laboratory to engineer concentrate products like oils, and Lundmark doesnt expect their shelves will go bare in the first wave of recreational sales. He said Sacred Sun is working on contracts to wholesale some of their concentrates to other dispensaries and let the product advertise itself in regions where Sacred Sun doesnt have retail.

Wholesaling is arguably the second-largest shift in the industry come Jan. 1, behind recreational sales. Previously, cannabis providers had to be vertically integrated, meaning must they grow, manufacture and retail their entire product line.

In order to provide edibles, like cookies, concentrates and oils, dispensaries had to make huge investments in their equipment and quality control.

But under the new regulatory structure, providers can be horizontally integrated. That means they can run growing, manufacturing or retail operations, or any combination of the three. Theoretically, that could make a provider better able to play whatever hand theyre dealt in terms of size, location and access to cash investments.

It changes the whole infrastructure of the market, said Kate Cholewa, government affairs representative at the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, a trade group thats long been involved in policymaking around cannabis. Wholesaling can help some of the smaller producers keep their store shelves with product on it. It also means smaller folks are letting go of their concentrate production, which is an expensive piece.

Across the lot from Sacred Sun, Chris Paradise with Supherb Wellness said recreational sales could mean boom or bust for his business.

The most recent shift in Montanas medical cannabis regulations untethered patients from a single provider, allowing them to shop freely across Montanas dispensaries. Since that change in 2020, Paradise said a loyal customer base has kept Supherb Wellness on its feet. But along with untethering, license fees have climbed.

Its brutal, Paradise said. (Im) just trying to pay the bills and keep options open to doing something else.

Paradise said if recreational sales, along with a new shop on Four Corners main drag, doesnt boost his business, selling his product wholesale to another provider could give him a chance to stay in the industry. He, like others who spoke to the Montana State News Bureau for this story, have had offers from out-of-state prospectors. Paradise, like many others, turned them down.

Id rather go wholesale and stay the boss, he said.

Then theres Bloom. The provider has 24 dispensaries, 220 employees statewide and a Tier 12 license, the largest growing capacity available to providers.

Based in Helena, co-owner John Hoofman said Bloom began preparing for a recreational market in mid-2020, on a wager Bloom and several other providers bet that voters would approve legalization. Since then the business has built out its cultivation and retail infrastructure, keeping their processes dialed each step of the way.

Its really just organizing and analyzing the processes to make sure you have things in order to be able to execute, Hoofman said. You try to anticipate moving parts to the best of your ability.

The question of quantity

The demand for recreational sales remains the industrys great mystery of 2022. Several providers who spoke to the Montana State News Bureau for this story said, after looking at other states that approved recreational cannabis use, theyre preparing for a 30-40% increase in sales from their annual medical sales.

But trying to accurately grow what an unknown consumer base will buy is like trying to fix a time machine before its ever launched someone to a different era.

The Governors Office of Budget and Program Planning projected $130 million in recreational sales in 2022, climbing to $195.5 million in 2023 once the moratorium on new businesses ends. These numbers were based on earlier projections by the University of Montanas Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and adjusted downward to account for initial supply limitations as a result of the moratorium on new cannabis businesses until mid-2023.

The growth rates into future years was based on the increase of recreational cannabis sales in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada and Alaska.

J.D. Pepper Petersen, president and CEO of the Montana Cannabis Guild, another trade group in Montana, is not optimistic about providers meeting demand. The medical industry was geared to produce no more than what registered cardholders were consuming, and Petersen doesnt believe the industry has had enough time to ramp up for an expanded market. Add in the millions of tourists that visit Montana each year, and supply-and-demand becomes hard to reconcile.

I just dont see how were going to be able to keep up, Petersen said. Our capacity might be there in November when the tourists leave.

Some providers, whether theyre stalwarts of Montanas marijuana industry or new to the scene, are going to feel out the market before scaling their businesses.

Gallatin Valley Organics, a Tier 1 shop in Bozeman, is waiting it out to see where theyll fit best in the market, said manager Theresa Upp. In the coming months, Gallatin Valley Organics will have a kitchen up and running to offer edibles, but with a small-scale growing capacity, they are studious about the quality of their flower.

Add in their location  a block off Main Street, prime real estate in a booming town  and the small shop has mighty staying power in a potentially chaotic market.

Weve been a little slower than others, but were being calculated about it, Upp said.

In Missoula, Glenn Broughton of Starrbuds said hes remained a Tier 2 provider, but hadnt previously maxed out his grow facility. Starrbuds has a healthy revenue at its current size, he said, and filling out his square footage for cultivation feels like a good cushion. Broughton considered scaling up if he needs to meet demand, but doesnt foresee a huge wave of customers around the corner.

Weve been medical here since 2004, the whole novelty  its not near as enticing to people, he said. Its going to be the first week or two thats going to be the busiest.

Government regulations

Local governments, meanwhile, are busy setting the table for recreational sales to begin next year.

The Legislatures final framework for legalization allowed counties that did not approve recreational cannabis sales to continue that prohibition on business, despite recreational cannabis use still being lawful statewide. The result is a patchwork of green counties, which largely cover the western part of the state, and red counties, which mostly populate the east side of the state. Counties then have some levers to control things locally, like whether to flip to a red or green county, or to impose an additional tax on cannabis sales, or how to weave the upcoming industry into its community fabric.

Not every market looks awash in cannabis like Four Corners. Dispensaries have in some cases filled out spaces in communities where other businesses have fallen away, populating a former drive-in restaurant in Missoula or a shuttered storefront on main street downtown.

Gallatin County has the largest number of dispensaries at 76, but since 2013 only 20 have been allowed in Bozeman city limits.

In October, the Bozeman City Commission voted to remove that cap, a new arrangement city officials said would reflect the countys overwhelming vote to legalize recreational use and roll back restrictions to allow the state to take a more controlling role over the industry.

Nearly half of the providers located in the city sued the next month to reinstate the cap, claiming it devalued their city licenses and would create the same congestion as seen in Four Corners, which is in the county.

Missoulas city council never created a cap, but did set a 500-foot buffer between dispensaries.

Billings, meanwhile, is having a near identity crisis. In Yellowstone County, 53% of voters approved marijuana.

Months ago, voters in Billings, where 60% of the county lives, decided to keep recreational sales out of city limits. Medical storefronts were already banned in the city. Following a public hearing earlier this month, the Yellowstone County Commission put the entire notion of recreational cannabis back to the voters this coming June, to possibly reverse their decision in 2020.

Tribal framework

Montanas tribes, meanwhile, were promised equal footing when the state Legislature passed its vision for a recreational marijuana market.

Each of the eight tribal governments were given a combined-use license  in industry terms, a vertical license  that allowed tribes to sell cannabis 150 air miles from the reservation border.

Those terms allowed tribes into the market without fear of losing federal contracts on reservation lands, since cannabis is still illegal at the federal level.

The rules also allow tribes to put a dispensary in a county where recreational sales are legal and within the 150 air-mile range if the reservation borders a county that did not approve recreational sales in 2020.

But tribes opportunity looked to be dashed by the final language in the Legislatures framework bill, until an administrative fix earlier this month.

The legislation allocated tribes a Tier 1 license, the smallest growing capacity available. The law didnt specifically allow tribes to scale up to reap much profit, considering theyd have to develop each step in the process as vertically integrated.

The Montana Department of Revenue, which is the regulatory agency for recreational and medical cannabis, said this month they had not received any notice of interest from tribes in engaging with the combined-use licenses.

Jason Small, a Republican state senator from the Northern Cheyenne community of Busby who was influential in ensuring the licenses for tribes, said that uncertainty around state regulations may have been enough to keep tribes from making a play in the cannabis market.

Im led to believe that without that change, it wasnt that viable an option, Small said.

But in early December, an interim legislative committee and the Department of Revenue clarified the rules to say state tribes could scale up their operations.

Its a hell of an opportunity, if someone wants to use it, Small said.
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO fighter jets were scrambled hundreds of times this year to intercept aircraft, most of them Russian warplanes in northwest Europe that were flying too close to the airspace of its member countries, the military organization said Tuesday.

NATO said that 290 of around 370 total missions were flown in 2021 in response to the activities of Russian aircraft. Most of those took place in the Baltic region around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where the organization has an air-policing operation.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  As the omicron variant causes a rise in coronavirus cases, officials from Oregon State University announced Tuesday the school will be joining the growing list of universities and colleges where students, staff and faculty will be required to get a COVID-19 booster shot.

As of last week, more than 30 colleges have issued booster shot requirements. The list includes large universities like Boston University, NYU, the University of Chicago, Michigan State University, the University of Oregon, California State University and the University of California.

In the days ahead, we will provide you more information about this booster requirement, including means and dates of when compliance will be required as you become eligible for a booster, read Tuesday's message from Oregon State University Interim President Rebecca Johnson and Provost and Executive Vice President Edward Feser.

Officials say in-person instruction and all other university activities and operations are still scheduled to resume on-site on Jan. 3. However students returning to residence halls will be required to be tested for COVID-19.

We make this decision while monitoring increased COVID-19 cases across the nation due to the Omicron variant, Johnson and Feser said.

Similarly, officials from the University of Oregon have set a booster requirement. On Tuesday, school officials announced the deadline that students, staff and faculty at the university must receive a COVID-19 booster shot is Jan. 31 or 30 days after they become eligible. Both medical and non-medical exemptions, consistent with state law, are recognized by the school, officials say.

We recognize that news about the Omicron variant continues to create uncertainty and concern, read a message from the University of Oregon's Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips. We are also aware that universities across the country are taking different approaches to the start of the winter term.

Individuals who are 16 or older are eligible for a booster shot six months after the second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two months after a Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine.

Currently more than 90% of students and employees at both Oregon State University and the University of Oregon are vaccinated, officials say.

Earlier this month, Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials urged Oregonians to get booster shots immediately. Local scientists predict that in January the state will see a new wave of hospitalizations that could surpass the peak since the start of the pandemic.

Currently 74% of people in Oregon who are 18 or older are fully vaccinated, based on data from the state health authority. In addition, nearly one-third of Oregons adult population have received a booster shot.

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Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The scheduled August 2024 parole for one of two men convicted in the murder of Michael Jordans father nearly three decades ago has been canceled, a North Carolina state panel said Tuesday.

The state Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission had announced in 2020 that Larry M. Demery would be released as part of an agreement in which he would take part in a scholastic and vocational program designed to prepare him for life outside prison. The initial release date was August 2023, but it was later pushed back by 12 months.

The commission said Tuesday in a news release that Demery's agreement has been terminated effective immediately, giving no reason. The release said that Demery, who is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of James Jordan in 1993, would be reviewed again for parole on or about Dec. 15, 2023.

Greg Thomas, a state Department of Public Safety spokesperson, didn't have additional information on Demery's situation. Generally speaking, Thomas said, a Mutual Agreement Parole Program agreement may be terminated if the prisoner isn't following program guidelines or is violating behavior rules behind bars.

Demery, now 46, is serving his sentence at a minimum security prison in Lincoln County, northwest of Charlotte, according to data the department posts online. Demery's record shows 19 infractions lodged against him since 2001, including two for substance possession earlier this month.

The state presented evidence at trial that James Jordan was killed in July 1993 in his red Lexus as he napped along the side of an access road off U.S. Highway 74 in Lumberton near Interstate 95. Prosecutors had said the motive was robbery.

During the trial, prosecutors used testimony from Demery to identify Daniel A. Green as the triggerman. Jordans body was found 11 days later in a South Carolina swamp and identified using dental records. Demery and Green were both 18 at the time.

A jury decided on a life sentence plus 40 years for Demery after he pleaded guilty in 1995 to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was resentenced in 2008 after an error was found in his initial sentencing. Demery then received a life sentence, making him eligible for parole.

A judge sentenced Green to life in prison for murder during the commission of a robbery and 10 years for conspiracy to commit robbery. A judge refused in 2019 to allow an evidentiary hearing that could have led to a new trial for Green.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russias highest court on Tuesday shut down one of the countrys oldest and most prominent human rights organizations, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters.

The Supreme Court's ruling to close Memorial, an international human rights group that drew international acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union, sparked international outrage.

Memorial is made up of more than 50 smaller groups in Russia and abroad. It was declared a foreign agent in 2016  a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit the targeted organization. Prosecutors said the group repeatedly failed to identify itself as a foreign agent and tried to conceal the designation, the accusations rejected by Memorial.

During the hearing, prosecutors also charged that Memorial creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state," a claim the group said revealed the authorities' real motive.

The Supreme Court's ruling confirmed once again that the history of political terror organized and directed by the government isn't an academic issue that is interesting only for experts, but an acute problem of today, Memorial said in a statement. Memorial embodies the Russian citizens' need to know the truth about the country's tragic path and the fate of millions. No one would be able to liquidate that need.

The group said it would appeal the verdict and pledged to continue its work.

Of course, nothing is over with this, Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers that represented the group in court, said after the ruling. We will appeal, and Memorial will live on with the people  because its the people behind it serving this great cause first and foremost. The work will continue.

A crowd that gathered in front of the courthouse on Tuesday erupted into chants of Disgrace! in response to the ruling. Police detained several people who picketed the courthouse.

The Council of Europes Secretary General, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, described the move as devastating news and a dark day for civil society in the Russian Federation.

Amnesty International called Memorial's closure a blatant attack on civil society that seeks to blur the national memory of state repression and "a grave insult to victims of the Russian Gulag.

U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan deplored the court's verdict as a blatant and tragic attempt to suppress freedom of expression and erase history.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed indignation and concern at the shutdown of the NGO Memorial International, calling it a terrible loss for the Russian people.

This announcement is deeply worrying about the future of historical research and the defense of human rights in Russia, he said in a statement.

Memorial's sister organization, the Memorial Human Rights Center, is up for closure as well, with a court hearing Wednesday morning in Moscow City Court.

Russian authorities in recent months have ratcheted up pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were outlawed as "undesirable and several were forced to shut down or disband themselves to prevent further prosecution.

On Saturday, authorities blocked the website of OVD-Info  a prominent legal aid group that focuses on political arrests  and urged social media platforms to take down its accounts after a court ruled that the website contained materials that justify actions of extremist and terrorist groups. The group rejected the charges as politically driven.

OVD-Info condemned the ruling to shut down Memorial.

Memorial is an institution of national memory about the times of the Great Terror and Soviet repressions," the group said in a statement, adding that its closure amounted to an attempt to justify Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's repressions." "It is a clear signal both to society and to the elites: Yes, repressions were necessary and useful to the Soviet state in the past, and we need them today as well.'

On Tuesday, five associates of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny were taken into custody. Earlier this year, a Moscow court outlawed Navalny's organizations  the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his country-wide network of regional offices  as extremist, exposing their staff members and supporters to prosecution.

One of the five detained activists, Ksenia Fadeyeva, is reportedly facing charges of forming an extremist group. Fadeyeva used to run Navalny's regional office in the Siberian city of Tomsk, and in last year's election won a seat in the city legislature.

Another Navalny associate, Lilia Chanysheva, was arrested and jailed in November on similar charges. She used to head Navalny's office in the Russian region of Bashkortostan and is facing up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.

Navalny himself is serving 2 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that is widely seen as politically motivated. The politician was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he said was carried out by the FSB security agency on Kremlin orders  accusations that Russian officials reject.

On Tuesday, Navalny attended a court hearing on his appeal against prison authorities' decision to put him under special surveillance as a person inclined to extremist and terrorist activities.

Why should I sleep under the sign where it is written that Im a terrorist?" he told the judge by videoconference from prison. I didnt explode anybody, I didnt take hostages, I didnt do anything like that and dont plan to. Its me who was a victim of a terrorist attack when FSB officers tried to kill me."

Most of Navalny's top associates have faced prosecution this year on various criminal charges and have left Russia.

Also on Tuesday, another prominent human rights organization  the Civic Assistance Committee that helps refugees and migrants in Russia  said the authorities were evicting it from an office in Moscow it had been allowed to occupy free of charge for years.

Moscow city officials handed the group a document voiding the agreement allowing the use of the space without compensation and ordered it to leave within a month.

I link it to the overall trend of destroying civil society in Russia, Civic Assistance Committee head Svetlana Gannushkina told Mediazona.

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Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  A U.S. Air Force airman who was convicted of killing a Mennonite woman after kidnapping her in New Mexico and taking her to Arizona will be sentenced next month.

An Arizona judge during a status hearing on Tuesday scheduled Mark Goochs sentencing for Jan. 19. His attorney and the prosecution agreed they were ready to proceed and asked the judge to schedule the sentencing as soon as possible.

Gooch, 22, faces up to life in prison.

Jurors in October found Gooch guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder in Sasha Krauses killing. The two didnt know each other and lived hundreds of miles apart but shared an upbringing in the Mennonite religion. Krause committed to the church, while Gooch did not.

Krause, 27, was last seen in January 2020 at the church in her tight-knit Mennonite community outside Farmington, where she was gathering material for Sunday school.

Her body was found more than a month later in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff, nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) away. A camper collecting firewood spotted Krause face-down among pine needles near a national monument. Krauses wrists were bound, and she had been shot in the head.

During the trial last fall, jurors heard 10 days of testimony from those who knew Krause and investigated her disappearance. They heard from ballistics experts who disagreed on whether the bullet taken from her skull was fired from a .22-caliber rifle Gooch owned.

Goochs attorney, Bruce Griffen, tried to raise doubt by pointing to a lack of forensic evidence and to testimony about another car seen in the Mennonite community the day Krause went missing. He said Gooch was peaceful and volunteered information to a detective who interviewed him at Luke Air Force Base in metropolitan Phoenix, where he was stationed.

Authorities used cellphone and financial records as well as surveillance video to tie Gooch to the crimes.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee officials have picked 10 youth mental health programs statewide to receive a combined $6.5 million to expand their offerings.

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says the Middle Tennessee programs receiving funding are Volunteer Behavioral Health, Prevention Coalition for Success, Youth Villages and TN Voices, which is also receiving funding specifically for Nashville and for Shelby County.

The other awardees are Frontier Health in Northeast Tennessee, McNabb Center in East Tennessee, Volunteer Behavioral Health again for Southeast Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau, and Pathways in West Tennessee.

Gov. Bill Lee and lawmakers included the money in the 2022 fiscal year budget.

Officials say the selected programs aim to increase school-based services and emergency psychiatric services for children and youth. The initiatives also focus on early intervention for children from birth to 8 years of age.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Police on Tuesday detained a man who wounded one person during a knife attack on a branch of a pro-Kurdish party in Istanbul, Turkish media reports said.

The assailant entered the Peoples Democratic Party, or HDP, office in Istanbuls Bahcelievler district and threatened to kill everyone inside the building before wounding one person, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.
In Germany, Lutheran pastors are offering COVID-19 shots inside churches. In Israels science-skeptical ultra-Orthodox community, trusted rabbis are trying to change minds. And in South Africa, undertakers are taking to the streets to spread the word.

The funeral directors' message: Were burying too many people.

A year after the COVID-19 vaccine became available, traditional public health campaigns promoting vaccination are often going unheeded. So an unconventional cadre of people has joined the effort.

They are opening sanctuaries and going door to door and village to village, touting the benefits of the vaccines and sometimes offering shots on the spot.

As the outbreak drags on into a third year, with the global death toll at 5.4 million, vaccine promoters are up against fear, mistrust, complacency, inconvenience and people who simply have bigger worries than COVID-19.

On a December day, a convoy of hearses with sirens wailing drove up to a shopping mall in Johannesburgs sprawling Soweto township.

Vaccinate, vaccinate! Vuyo Mabindisi of Vuyos Funeral Services said as he handed out pamphlets on how to avoid COVID-19. We dont want to see you coming to our offices."

Several people responded with curiosity and questions, while others carried on with their shopping.

With a population of 60 million, South Africa has reported 3 million-plus COVID-19 cases, including over 90,000 deaths. Those are the highest figures in Africa. Only about 40% of South Africa's adult population is fully vaccinated, and that is one of the best levels on the continent. After a fitful start, there is ample vaccine.

Thabo Teffo, a 32-year-old bank employee, was among those seeking shots recently at a Soweto church.

Teffo said he had been skeptical but came under pressure from his parents and two vaccinated sisters, and also had a recent health scare that turned out not to be COVID-19.

That encouraged me to go ahead and get vaccinated for my peace of mind and to protect my family, he said.

Rupali Limaye, a behavioral scientist who studies global vaccine hesitancy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said community-level efforts may resonate more than impersonal mass media campaigns.

German pastor Christoph Herbst believes giving COVID-19 shots in surroundings that feel more familiar than medical settings may help. Thats why he and several other Lutheran pastors in the Saxony region contacted an aid group to offer shots inside their churches, despite sometimes violent anti-vaccination protests in recent weeks. Some pastors have been criticized and even threatened.

We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves," said Herbst, of St. Petri church in the eastern city of Chemnitz. "Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.

Herbst opened St. Petris wrought-iron doors on a recent vaccination day and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold.

Retirees Hannelore Hilbert and her husband came to get booster shots in time for the holidays.

Last years Christmas was really sad. We were all alone, said the 70-year-old Hilbert, who looked forward to celebrating with at least some of her five grandchildren in person  not on Skype, like last year.

The Western-made vaccines have proved extraordinarily safe and remarkably effective overall at preventing COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, and experts say that seems to be holding true even amid the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. Health authorities warn that low vaccination rates are giving the virus more opportunities to mutate into new variants.

Saxony has Germanys lowest vaccination rate and high COVID-19 numbers.

Herbst said many naysayers are concerned about possible side effects, feel they are overly pressured by authorities, or resent any measures supported by the government. Some feel discriminated against as East Germans, because not all their hopes have been fulfilled 30 years after communisms collapse.

Its important that theres a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation, Herbst said.

Chicago community activist Caesar Thompson uses that same approach as he knocks on doors in struggling Black neighborhoods hit hard by the virus.

Thompson, 44, is a vaccine ambassador enlisted by city health authorities. He said the idea is not to strong-arm or cajole. Instead, he said, he offers information, answers questions and lets people know he can sign them up to receive shots in their homes or nearby.

Thompson has a salesmans gift of gab, and he has used it at churches, train stations, parks, flea markets  almost anywhere people gather.

Thompson said it helps that hes just a guy on the street." You might even know me if you live in my neighborhood, he said.

In communities he targets, the coronavirus is often not the most pressing concern, Thompson said. For people in crime-ridden neighborhoods who lack jobs or health insurance and are struggling to feed their families, COVID is down the list for them," he said.

In conservative Wyoming, the vaccine can be a hard sell. Commissioners in Campbell County voted against using federal dollars for an education campaign about the vaccines, worrying that it would smack of a mandate. The countys vaccination rate is about 27%.

Gabby Watson, 23, of Gillette, said she has no intention of getting vaccinated "because Im really healthy and take care of myself. Im just not a high risk for COVID. I just dont see the reasoning for me to get the vaccine.

She said the U.S. government is pushing COVID-19 vaccines too hard.

Theyre pushing more people away and creating more of this thought bubble of, What the hell are you trying to do with my body? What are you trying to do with my freedom?'" Watson said. And thats not a good direction to go into either.

Suspicion of secular authorities is rampant in Israels community of ultra-Orthodox Jews, They shun many trappings of modern life, follow a strict interpretation of Judaism and rely on rabbis to guide many life decisions. While some rabbis have encouraged vaccination, others have taken a less aggressive approach.

The ultra-Orthodox have some of Israel's lowest vaccination rates and have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Now, facing omicron, Israeli officials are going on the offensive, said Avraham Rubinstein, the mayor of Bnei Brak, the countrys largest ultra-Orthodox city. They are deploying mobile vaccination clinics and enlisting prominent rabbis in the community.

Yossi Levy, a 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew, recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife. He has repeatedly booked and canceled COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

It isnt something pressing. Im not opposed to it. Its just laziness, Levy said.

While Israel's vaccination rates for the second dose among the general population hover around 63% and the booster at 45%, in the ultra-Orthodox community the numbers are around half of that.

The ultra-Orthodox  13% of Israels population  tend to live in crowded neighborhoods, with large families in small apartments, where sickness can spread quickly. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together in small spaces. Also, half of that population is under 16 and only recently became eligible for vaccination.

Gilad Malach, who heads the ultra-Orthodox program at a Jerusalem think tank, said there is a "double fear: fear of the state and fear of science. There is no basic trust in these entities.

In India, complacency is contributing to a low rate of second shots among the population of 1.4 billion: 40% are fully vaccinated and around 19% have received just one shot.

The country has recorded nearly 35 million cases and over 450,000 deaths.

In Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populated state, Rohit Kanojia received his first shot in August but didnt get the second one.

I forgot, the 23-year-old said, adding that people are no longer afraid of COVID-19. People roam around without masks and no one maintains social distance, he said. Life is almost normal."

Jeet Bahadur, a 45-year-old cook, got his second shot months late at a Sikh temple in New Delhi. For him, like many others in India who are trying to eke out a living in a crippled economy, the virus just wasnt very high on his list of priorities.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg; Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado; Kirsten Grieshaber in Chemnitz, Germany; Anupam Nath in Guwahati, India; Krutika Pathi, Rishi Lekhi and Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi; Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India; and Tia Goldenberg in Bnei Brak, Israel, contributed to this report.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  A panel of the Vermont Legislature recommended Tuesday that the legislature meet remotely for the first two weeks of the session that begins next week and then reassess to determine whether it will be safe to resume in-person meetings.

The Legislatures Joint Rules Committee made the recommendation Tuesday.

State Sen. Alison Clarkson, a Woodstock Democrat, said they need to respond to the looming omicron surge in a safe and healthy way.

Only a fool doesnt change their mind and with all the information we now have on whats about to hit us, I think we would be foolish to place our public and our legislators and our staff at that risk, Clarkson said.

During the 2021 legislative session almost all Statehouse business was conducted remotely.

After two weeks the body will reconsider its recommendation to meet remotely.

The Tuesday recommendation by the Joint Rules Committee must be approved by the rules committees of both the Vermont House and Vermont Senate.

Before the arrival of the omicron variant, the Joint Rules Committee had been considering ways that lawmakers, staff and the public could meet safely in the Montpelier Statehouse.

The Joint Rules Committee had recommended requiring that everyone who enters the Statehouse wear a mask. Among other recommendations was that at the beginning of each weeks session, all legislators and staff perform COVID-19 rapid tests.

Lawmakers and staff would also have been required to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated or provide weekly evidence of negative PCR tests. The panel also recommended that members of the public provide proof of vaccination or take a COVID-19 rapid test before entering the building.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday that she signed legislation to prohibit Michigan's new redistricting commission from citing exceptions under the Open Meetings Act to hold closed sessions.

Her signature last week came days after the state Supreme Court ruled against the panel in a test of a constitutional requirement that it conduct all of its business at open meetings.

The bill sponsor, Republican Sen. Ed McBroom of Vulcan, has said the commission  which was created by a 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment to draw congressional and legislative maps once a decade instead of the Legislature  should not be able to justify a closed meeting by pointing to the 1976 law.

The constitution says they have to have open meetings. Theyre setting their own policies. The Open Meetings Act is not written for this commission. Thats all were trying to be clear about, he said in early December. Legislators voted nearly unanimously to send the measure to the Democratic governor.

The panel had argued that attorney-client privilege should give it privacy over the Oct. 27 meeting, when commissioners met with the panel's lawyers to discuss two memos, titled Voting Rights Act and The History of Discrimination in the State of Michigan and its Influence on Voting. The Voting Rights Act requires that people have an opportunity to elect minority candidates.

It was the commission's first meeting after Detroit residents and others criticized how draft plans had no districts where a majority of the voting-age population is Black.

The court, in a 4-3 ruling, ordered the panel to release a recording of the closed session and seven memos sought by news organizations that sued.

Commissioners will meet this week to approve U.S. House, state Senate and state House maps.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan public schools can use non-teaching staff as substitute teachers the rest of the academic year under a law designed to address a shortage during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she signed the bill last week, calling it a temporary stopgap in a letter to lawmakers. It lets secretaries, paraprofessionals and other school employees without a teaching certificate  such as library aides, bus drivers, cooks and office workers  work as subs as long as they have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

The legislation had been approved by the Republican-led Legislature on largely party lines over objections from many Democrats and a couple of Republicans.

Allowing schools to employ school staff that students know as substitute teachers will help keep school doors open and students learning in the classroom the rest of the school year, the Democratic governor said in a written statement. I am committed to working with the Legislature to develop high-quality solutions to address these staff shortages long-term so that we can ensure that every child is able to access a quality education.

Michigan generally requires subs without a teaching certificate to have an associate's degree or at least 60 semester hours of college credit. There are exceptions for those teaching career and technical education classes, typically if they a professional license in the field.

Whitmer signed the bill despite opposition from the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest public employee union.

If elected officials are serious about solving this shortage, they need to work to raise educators pay and treat them like the professionals they are," spokesperson Thomas Morgan said. "Anything else is at best a stopgap solution to a massive problem.

The law is supported by school administrators who say the pandemic has exacerbated a teacher shortage and left school districts struggling to keep buildings open. Paul Liabenow, executive director of the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association, said the law will provide additional flexibility so students can continue to learn in a safe, supportive environment.

The bill sponsor, Republican Rep. Brad Paquette of Niles, is a former teacher. He told senators this month that a lot of school support staff have already proven that they care about kids, they want to be around kids. Students, he said, behave better when they know the substitute teacher.

When the Senate passed the bill, Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Livonia Democrat and ex-teacher, called it a faulty attempt to mitigate the substitute teacher shortage by playing musical chairs with support staff, taking secretaries and paraprofessionals among others away from their essential duties to sub for teachers in classrooms. We cant rip parapros away from their work with special education kids or secretaries from their critical duties as the first point of contact with anyone who seeks to enter the building.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
H-E-B and Microsoft are among the biggest taxpayers in Bexar County. The Bexar County Appraisal District released its list of the top 10 taxpayers within the county this week based on the total of land assets.

Microsoft topped the list with a total taxable of $1.74 billion in 2021. While it hasn't been a big year in terms of local headlines for Microsoft, the tech and data giant has seven data centers in Bexar County and one corporate office in San Antonio.

The Far Westside saw two huge Microsoft data centers pop up within the past decade, including the 34-acre, 202,000 square-foot Westover Hills data center at 5200 Rogers Road, which the tech giant purchased from Chevron in November 2017.

William Luther / Staff photographer

Microsoft also built another 1-million-square-foot data center on the Far Westside off Highway 211 in 2017. Earlier this year, Microsoft filed a construction permit for a $140 million project to add to that data center in April.

San Antonio-based grocery store giant H-E-B came in just under Microsoft on the BCAD list with a total taxable value of $1.73 billion. It toppled rival retail store Walmart, which was No. 4 on the list with a taxable value of $639 million.

It's easy to see why H-E-B is the second biggest taxpayer in Bexar County with about 46 stores in the San Antonio area alone, according to the website.

Aside from the grocer being tweeted at by Faceb  excuse me  Meta, H-E-B had a pretty big year as well. It filed a few permits during the year, including one to update one of its older stores and another to update its largest location.

H-E-B also announced plans to build a new 110,000-square-foot store near Fair Oaks Ranch.

Also on the list is the Methodist Healthcare System, which has 59 facilities in Bexar County, according to its website. Another one of San Antonio's largest employers, USAA, landed on the list with a taxable value of $355 million. On top of numerous client-facing locations across San Antonio, USAA also has a massive 5-million-square-foot headquarters 9800 Fredericksburg Road.
Austins public library system this week took a firm stand on the wave of book bans happening in public and school libraries throughout Texas in 2021.

Libraries across the state have been reviewing childrens and young adult books on their shelves after lawmakers and parents questioned whether some content is appropriate for students, including accusations of overly sexual narratives and the promotion of critical race theory (CRT).

Freedom to read is a right that must be protected in our schools and public libraries, and we must not give in to the vocal few that want to speak for the many, said Roosevelt Weeks, director of the Austin Public Library, in a statement released by the organization Monday. The system operates 20 branches throughout the state capital.

The statement also noted that the Texas Library Association has seen a substantial increase in censorship activity in state libraries. The association's Office for Intellectual Freedom reported an unprecedented volume in book challenges this past fall.

In its statement, Austin Public Library officials wrote that the organization stands with the entire library community in defense of the freedom to speak and the freedom to read, and opposed to censorship of any library materials. We remain committed to providing the entire Austin community with access to books, ideas, and knowledge, and to fostering a Library for All.

Public libraries have become the latest site for fights over books for children and young adults. The Llano County Library shut down for three days earlier in December after the Llano County Commissioners Court requested a thorough review of all the librarys childrens books, and libraries in Irving, Victoria, Tyler and other Texas cities have faced increases in book challenges, the Texas Tribune reports.

The growing issue reached the legislature in October, when Republican state representative Matt Krause drafted a letter to Texas school districts questioning the inclusion of 850 books, many of which deal with topics such as sexuality, race and racism, and LGBTQ+ issues that he believed could "make students feel uncomfortable" in libraries, launching an investigation from a Texas House committee.

The Houston area has had its own controversy around book censorship. In October, a petition circulated among Katy ISD parents calling for the removal of award-winning author Jerry Crafts books, accusing them of promoting Marxism and critical race theory. Crafts latest book, New Kid, was eventually reinstated on shelves, though the district later pulled five books from other authors deemed pervasively vulgar in December.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden's commission to study structural revisions to the Supreme Court found one potential change both Democrats and Republicans have said they could support: implementing term limits for the justices, who currently have lifetime tenure.

Yet the bipartisan support among legal experts and the public for term limits isn't catching on among elected officials on Capitol Hill who would be the starting point on any alterations to the makeup of the Supreme Court. Impatient liberals clamoring for change say enacting term limits would take far too long, while Republican lawmakers are loath to endorse changes they are characterizing as part of a broader effort from Democrats to politicize the judiciary.

The opposition from both corners adds another layer of doubt that proposals laid out and debated by Biden's Supreme Court commission will translate into tangible action in the near future.

The chief argument against term limits among Democratic lawmakers and others who have endorsed structural changes is that doing so may require a constitutional amendment - a process that is long, cumbersome and has not been successfully executed since 1992.

"It takes years to work through the state legislatures," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in an interview. "We don't have years when the Supreme Court is gutting voting rights, gutting union rights, gutting the equal protection clause and signaling that it's going to overturn Roe."

Warren is the most recent convert in the Senate in favor of Supreme Court expansion, one of only a few Democrats there who have explicitly endorsed structural changes to the court even as the recent oral arguments in Mississippi's abortion ban have prompted many to reconsider their stance. In an op-ed in the Boston Globe this month, Warren argued that Republican maneuvering has essentially packed the Supreme Court in their favor, and that adding justices is necessary to rebalance it. Increasing the number of justices could be done through a statute, a far simpler process than passing an amendment.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who led the Judiciary Committee for two years, had a concise answer to the concept of term limits for justices: "I don't like it."

"I like to have somebody as insulated from politics as possible," Graham said. "I think the system has worked well. I don't see a need to change it. The reason they're talking about changing it is because, you know, Democrats lost elections, which have consequences."

Democrats hotly dispute that they are the ones who have politicized the high court. They remain livid that, with nearly a year left in President Barack Obama's term, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., refused to consider Merrick Garland's nomination to fill the seat of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016. Democrats were similarly enraged when McConnell pushed through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett last year, even as voting was underway that eventually denied President Donald Trump a second term.

Those who support limiting the tenure of justices - 18 years is the length often mentioned - say doing so would ensure that the Supreme Court is broadly responsive to the outcome of elections over time and would make appointments of justices more predictable, according to the commission's findings.

Most presidents have gotten one or two chances to name a justice to the Supreme Court, while others have had upward of four opportunities and others none at all - all determined by either fate or the choices of the justices themselves. But an 18-year tenure for justices would mean that each president, in one term, would have the chance to pick two members of the court once term limits are fully implemented. (A similar proposal, but for 12-year term limits, would allow for three per presidential term.)

It would also, according to term limit proponents, help ensure that no one justice has excessive influence over time. The commission took no formal position on term limits, but noted testimony from a group of Supreme Court practitioners who concluded that an 18-year term for justices "warrants serious consideration."

Opponents of term limits think that they would harm the ability of justices to remain independent and raise questions about the Supreme Court's legitimacy and judicial integrity.

Yet the United States remains the only major democracy on the planet without either a mandatory retirement age or a term limit for justices who serve on its highest court, according to the commission. The average tenure of a Supreme Court member has also gotten longer with time, as justices get tapped at an earlier age and people generally live longer.

"Were we writing the United States Constitution anew, there is no way we would adopt the particular institutional structure that we have for judicial tenure," University of Chicago law professor Tom Ginsburg told the commission over the summer.

In his testimony before the commission, Ginsburg noted that of the 106 justices who have left the Supreme Court since 1789, 51 of them have died while serving. The two most recent were Scalia in 2016 and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020, who served 30 years and 27 years on the Supreme Court, respectively.

Public polls have indicated broad support for Supreme Court term limits, with 72% surveyed in a Marquette Law School poll from November favoring fixed terms over lifetime appointments, compared with 27% of adults who opposed them.

Still, critics think term limits - which would ensure that each president has a set number of picks - would deepen the notion that Supreme Court justices are directly tied to a president and his or her party and threaten judicial independence.

"There's probably no perfect system," conceded Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who as a former state judge ran in judicial elections. "I think I'm sort of in the camp of, if it's not broken, don't try to fix it."

While no member of the court has endorsed the idea of increasing the membership, a couple have sounded more receptive to term limits.

In 2019, Justice Stephen Breyer - who has faced calls from the left to retire while Democrats can still confirm his successor - said longer term limits, perhaps 18 years, "would make life easier." He has made similar comments since then, including this year. Breyer has served on the Supreme Court since 1994.

"I wouldn't have to worry about when I'm going to retire or not," Breyer said. "That would be easier for me. And moreover, it must be long. And the reason that it must be long is because you don't want somebody looking for his next job after - while he's a member of the court."

Justice Elena Kagan appeared similarly open to term limits in 2018.

"I think that what those proposals are trying to do is to take some of the high stakes out of the confirmation process, and certainly to the extent that that worked, and that people could feel as though no single confirmation was going to be a life-or-death issue, that that would be a good thing," she said. "So I think it's a balance among good goals."

The term limits question is complicated not just by the debate over its merits, but how it would be implemented. Legal scholars and members of Biden's commission were split on whether such a change would need a constitutional amendment, which would require the support of two-thirds of the House and the Senate, as well as three-fourths of state legislatures.

Laurence Tribe, the longtime constitutional law expert at Harvard University and a member of Biden's Supreme Court commission, said he went into the panel's work thinking that he supported term limits but changed his mind "because of the complexity and the enormous time period it would take to implement a term limits proposal."

Though Tribe said he thinks life tenure for justices is "dramatically incompatible" with a government designed not to afford lifetime power to individuals, he said any federal law that tries to impose term limits would face constitutional challenges and would likely be struck down.

"The actual idea of trying to make it work is nightmarish," Tribe said.

The White House has given no indication of what Biden plans to do with the report's findings. In the past, Biden has resisted intense pressure from liberal activists to endorse an expansion of the Supreme Court or other structural changes, and it remains to be seen whether the commission's findings - which did not offer recommendations to the president - would change his mind.

Meanwhile, others - including a small but growing number in Congress - are making their own case for changes.

"I just think you need to be open to a whole range of reforms, including term limits," said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., a former Planned Parenthood executive in her home state who has also endorsed adding seats to the Supreme Court. "I'm very open to that."
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Immigration applicants in Canada may not need to do an additional medical exam to apply for permanent residency.

Canada extends medical exam exemption for some immigrants Immigration applicants in Canada may not need to do an additional medical exam to apply for permanent residency.

Canada extends medical exam exemption for some immigrants Immigration applicants in Canada may not need to do an additional medical exam to apply for permanent residency.

Canada extends medical exam exemption for some immigrants Immigration applicants in Canada may not need to do an additional medical exam to apply for permanent residency. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canadas immigration department is renewing a temporary medical exam exemption on some foreign nationals who are applying for immigration.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is extending the already-existing medical exam exemption on immigration candidates applying from inside Canada until March 31, 2022. Originally, the public policy came into effect in June and was set to expire on December 28.

When foreign nationals apply for permanent residence, they must provide an immigration medical exam or a unique medical identifier number from their previous exam. This exemption allows them to not have to do an additional medical exam, if they have already completed one and they meet the following criteria:

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

they have applied for permanent residency and have not completed a new immigration medical exam;

the have completed a medical exam within the last five years and were found to pose no risk to public health or safety, or complied with a requirement to report to health authorities for monitoring; and

they have not left Canada for more than six months in the last year to live in a country that is on the federal governments list of countries requiring an immigration medical exam.

Family members of applicants may be eligible under this policy if they are also in Canada and meet the above criteria.

IRCC will contact individuals who are not eligible for the public policy to discuss the next steps, the immigration department says in a media release.

IRCC also writes that this policy helps streamline application processing for low-risk, in-Canada applicants, while at the same time managing public health risks.

The policy is also supposed to support faster immigration application processing. Although IRCC reached its goal of admitting 401,000 new immigrants this year, the department is currently dealing with an enormous backlog. The most recent figures say that nearly 1.8 million immigration applicants are in the queue to get permanent residency status.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
IT is synonymous with business operations for just about any company of any size. So when tech goes down, the company can go down with it.

IT failure, whether its a complex system or project, is increasingly shooting to the top of the business news section, where its impact can become even more detrimental  and embarrassing.

Weve gathered eight of the biggest tech crises of 2021 to spotlight the kinds of near catastrophic IT issues that can not only arise but have an outsize impact on your business. Beyond schadenfreude, we hope these tales of IT disaster have lessons for you, even if your organization is nowhere near as big or the stakes arent as high as some of the protagonists from these tales.

Why you should design better UIs (and not make your creditors mad)

Many companies tend to take an if it aint broke, dont fix it attitude toward their IT tools, and if youve ever been part of a botched upgrade or rollout, you know why. But that can result in some truly outdated systems in production use with UIs dating from the earliest days of the software industry  which in turn can mean usability problems with real-world consequences.

One of Citibanks back-end systems is a good example of this trend, and is one of the main causes of a half-billion dollar screwup. The story goes like this: Citibank was attempting to send a $7.8 million interest payment on behalf of Revlon, one of its customers, to several of Revlons creditors. Doing that in Flexcube, an ancient piece of in-house Citibank software, was a particularly clunky process: Citibanks employees had to set up a transaction as if they were paying off the whole loan so that the interest could be calculated correctly, then check multiple boxes in order to send the bulk of the payment to an internal Citibank account while only the interest portion went out to creditors. Despite the fact that three different people signed off on this transaction for Revlon, it went through without all the proper boxes checked, and $900 million, most of which wasnt due to creditors until 2023, was sent out.

You may find it surprising that this sort of mistake isnt unheard of  and that the benefitting party usually returns the money sent in error back to the company that made the goof. But this time around things went differently: More than half the money sent out went to various hedge funds still bitter that the terms of the loan had been previously renegotiated to Revlons advantage. They said they regarded the money as an early payment of the debt they were owed, and this year a judge ruled that they didnt have to give it back.

The big lesson here is to at least modernize your UIs to ensure employees can perform their duties in a streamlined, coherent fashion  and that it can be less painful to make mistakes if people arent mad enough at you to take advantage of it.

Sacre bleu! French bank customers see each others accounts

Customers of the French bank LCL logged in to their banking app on Feb. 23 only to find that they were looking at someone elses information. The word quickly spread on Twitter and many speculated that this could have been the result of a cyberattack. But according to the bank itself, it was actually the upshot of a software error that was corrected within a day.

Of course, these sorts of development mistakes are a sign of internal failures at the companies where they occur, and they especially shouldnt occur in the banking industry. The fallout illustrated the typical dance that follows on from these kinds of mistakes, with the company at fault minimizing matters: LCL said that no personal information was revealed, that customers could only see other customers accounts but not transfer money, and perhaps only a few hundred customers were affected. Others pointed out that transaction information couldve been used to suss out customer identities, and potentially tens of thousands of users were logging in while the bug was running on live code. In the end, LCL had to scramble to avoid a massive fine from European privacy regulators.

When software keeps the cell door locked

In 2019, the Arizona Legislature passed a law to allow certain prison inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses to complete programming in state prisons that would accelerate their release. But whistleblowers in February revealed that, more than a year later, the software that keeps track of prisoner release eligibility still hasnt been updated to accommodate the new law. While the state insists eligible prisoners can and do have their sentences recalculated manually, the truth is that many may not know theyre eligible for release, or dont have advocates on the outside to press their case, and so are languishing in prison when by law they have the right to go free.

There are several lessons for IT here. One is the importance of building flexibility and extensibility into any system. Another is that software isnt just software: It has real and profound impacts on human lives. Finally, theres the question of how law can be implemented in the form of code  and whether the algorithms for enforcing the law should be developed during the legislative process rather than being left to be written after its already on the books.

Maines ancient HR system limps on

The state of Maines HR and payroll is, as the Portland Press Herald describes it, run by a 40-year-old system programmed in an obsolete language only one state employee knows how to use. The system had already outlasted a 2016 attempt to replace it that flopped; another attempt, which was supposed to wrap up in 2020, imploded in mutual acrimony this past March, as Workday, the company hired to roll out a new cloud-based system for Maine, walked away from the project.

Rollouts of ERP systems and similar platforms are notoriously disaster prone, and Maines payroll needs were devilishly complex (state police were paid differently hourly rates if they carried a weapon, worked with a K9, or wore scuba gear, for instance). At the core of the dispute is a story that should sound familiar to anyone whos been involved in a big project like this: Maine says that the system came online with a 50% error rate, and Workday said Maines data as imported into the system was hopelessly riddled with errors. More fundamentally, it seems that Maine was hiring staffers to work on the project who didnt have the needed skills, and the state wasnt willing to pay enough to find workers who could make the grade. Throw in some accusations of nepotism and sexual harassment and you have a real IT management mess. Maine is still using its 40-year-old HR system.

Amazons leave problems

If your takeaway from those previous two items is that government is incapable of competent project management, we regret to inform you that a not dissimilar crisis came to light this year in a private sector company  and not just any private sector company, but Amazon, the archetype of the hyperefficient new economy that IT and the web made possible.

A New York Times investigation revealed that Amazons internal processes for offering various types of leave to its employees are extremely broken. This has resulted in a litany of horror stories affecting white and blue collar workers alike, such as employees being fired for not showing up to work even though theyre on approved leave, new mothers on maternity leave seeing mysterious cuts in their paycheck, and an injured worker on disability forced to sell his wedding ring for cash because his checks simply stopped showing up.

It turns out Amazon manages its leave system using multiple software products from a variety of vendors, a legacy of its rapid initial growth, so perhaps the lesson here is that the choices you make early in a companys history may reverberate years or decades later. Like the Arizona prison system, Amazon tries to make up for IT dysfunction with human labor: 67 full-time employees are dedicated to inputting data on employee leave, a job so stressful that many end up needing to take leaves of absence themselves.

Eating too much of your own dog food

On Oct. 4, people all over the world were unable to access Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, as all the services run by the company now known at Meta were disconnected from the internet. We wont get too deep into the actual cause of the crisis, which involved an error in the Border Gateway Protocol essentially severing Facebook services from the rest of the internets DNS system. Instead, we want to focus on one detail that might be relevant to any IT shop, even those that arent part of one of the largest tech companies in the world.

Early in the outage, New York Times tech reporter Sheera Frenkel reported that Facebook employees couldnt enter company HQ because their ID badges no longer opened the doors. This in turn prevented techs from getting physical access to the servers they needed to fix the overall problem. Improbably, Facebooks electronic door locks were powered by  Facebook. It seems that Facebook is rather obsessed with running all its internal systems on Facebooks own infrastructure, which meant its in-house communications system was also down and unable to deal with the crisis. The industry term for a company that does this is eating its own dogfood, and its generally seen as a vote of confidence in your own products, but Facebooks disaster goes to show that you need a backup food supply handy.

A lurking bug takes down Fastly

On June 8, millions of Internet users trying to access sites ranging from Reddit to important UK government departments found themselves confronted by 503 error codes, indicating that the server hosting the website wasnt able to handle the request. (Twitter was still working but, tragically, it could no longer display emojis.) How could so many different sites go offline at once? The answer, it turns out, is related to the rise of content delivery networks, which deploy proxy servers at strategic points across the internet for their clients to ensure superfast load times. Nearly every big content site uses CDNs these days, and there arent that many players in this space, and so when one goes down, it can lead to a big chunk of the internet going with it.

In this case, the single point of failure was Fastly, an edge computing provider with a booming CDN business. Fastly rolled out a software update on May 12 that included a bug that could be triggered by a specific customer configuration under just the right conditions. On June 8, a customer unwittingly updated their configuration and caused a crisis that lay at the intersection of software development and industry consolidation.

Shooting the messenger

In October, a reporter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, working with security expert Shaji Khan, discovered that a website that allowed the public to search teachers certification and credentials also inadvertently revealed those teachers Social Security numbers. While the numbers werent actually displayed on the search results page itself, they were in clear text in the HTML for the page, making them trivially easily to find. The Post-Dispatch informed the state education department about the flaw before the story was published, giving them time to correct it, and if matters had stood there we probably wouldnt be talking about this story now.

But two days after an Education Department spokesperson started crafting a (never sent) statement thanking the media for bringing the matter to their attention, the governor publicly accused the paper of hiring hackers to embarrass him and the state government and promised to launch a criminal investigation. After doubling down, he faced backlash and ridicule, including blowback from members of his own political party, and we definitely are talking about the story now. So maybe the lesson here is that how you deal with the fallout from an IT disaster is almost as important as the disaster itself.
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The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the coronavirus did not cause a direct physical damage or loss to a New York City art gallery  issuing the latest in a long series of defeats for policyholders seeking coverage for losses caused by pandemic closure orders.

Its was the second federal appellate court ruling within a week that rejected a COVID-19 business-interruption claim. The 10th Circuit on Dec. 21 affirmed dismissal of a similar lawsuit filed by Goodwill Industries.

In total, eight of 12 US Circuit Courts have ruled against lawsuits that sought coverage for income lost because of the coronavirus pandemic.

10012 Holdings Inc. operates the Guy Hepner art gallery in Manhattan. The company sought coverage under a commercial property policy issued by Sentinel Insurance Co. after the state temporarily shut down non-essential businesses in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19. Sentinel denied the claim, saying there was no physical damage to the gallery or in the immediate area.

The US District Court for Southern New York granted the insurers motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the art gallery. A panel of the 2nd Circuit affirmed the ruling.

The panels opinion said New York law on business interruption claims was interpreted by an appellate court decision in 2002, titled Roundabout Theatre Co. v. Contl Cas. Co. In that case, the theater sought coverage for income lost when it had to cancel performances because of a street closure. The court decided that the monetary loss was not covered because there was no physical damage.

10012 Holdings alleged that it was owed coverage under the business Income, extra expense and civil authority provisions of its policy. It pointed to a decisions that awarded coverage for similar misfortunes.

For example, courts determined Pepsico was owed coverage for the cost of a batch of soft drink product that had to be discarded because it had been produced using faulty ingredients. Also, courts have determined that particulates such as asbestos, odors and noxious fumes could trigger coverage under certain policies.

But the appellate panel said that therere loss of use of premises when there is no physical damage does not constitute a direct physical loss that is covered by the policys business income and extra income provisions. The civil authority provision in the policy also does not apply because there was no risk of direct physical loss to the property; rather the government orders that forced the art gallery to close were issued because of a risk to public health.

The panel also denied a request by the art gallery to send a certified question to the New York Supreme Court, which has final say over interpretations of state law.

If there were disagreement in the lower New York courts, certification might still be justified, but as we already noted, every New York court interpreting the phrase direct physical loss has read it the same way and denied coverage, the opinion says.

A panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals also denied coverage for COVID-19 business losses after hearing an appeal filed by Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. had denied its claim for business income lost after it was forced to close because of the pandemic.

The business income provision unambiguously covered only losses stemming from physical alteration or tangible dispossession of property, the panels opinion says. Neither occurred here.

The 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Circuit Courts have also rejected arguments that COVID-19 caused a direct physical loss or damage covered by commercial insurance policies.

About the photo: An exhibit of works by artist Loribelle Spirovski at the Guy Hepner art gallery is shown. Photo courtesy of Guy Hepner.
A US judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corps LinkedIn of inflating the number of people who watched video ads so the networking platform could overcharge hundreds of thousands of advertisers.

In a decision on Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen said that while some LinkedIn statements may have been misleading, the plaintiffs failed to show their legal remedies were inadequate before suing under two California laws that offered only equitable relief such as restitution.

The San Jose, California-based judge also said LinkedIn had no implied duty to provide accurate ad metrics, citing its disclaimer that it was not responsible for click fraud or illicit third-party activity that could affect ad costs.

Advertisers in the proposed class action accused LinkedIn of inflating its metrics by counting video ad views from users LinkedIn apps, even when videos played only off-screen because users scrolled past them.

The lawsuit began after LinkedIn said in November 2020 that its engineers had fixed software bugs that may have led to more than 418,000 overcharges, most under $25. LinkedIn said it provided credits to virtually all affected advertisers.

Judge van Keulen had in August dismissed some of the advertisers claims while letting others proceed.

Mondays dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit led by advertisers TopDevz Inc of Sacramento, California, and Noirefy Inc of Chicago cannot be brought again. LinkedIn is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Lawyers for the advertisers did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment. LinkedIn and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The case is In re LinkedIn Advertising Metrics Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-08324.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Over 2 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine procured by the private sector arrived in the country on Tuesday.

Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said most of the 2,003,500 doses will be used as booster shots. He added the private sector, with the help of local government units, will receive the last vaccine shipment on Wednesday, bringing their total procured vaccines to 17 million doses.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country has already received over 205 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. He added they expect the arrival of 5 million more shots before yearend.

Despite the high number, Galvez said there is enough space to store the vaccines and assured no shots are set to expire anytime soon.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The country eyes administering COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11 by the second or third week of January, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.

He said Tuesday the government has already secured 15 million doses of the smaller and less concentrated Pfizer vaccines. It is expected to be delivered to the country in tranches until March, with at least 6 million arriving as early as January.

"We ordered already, October 5. But the first delivery of the Pfizer vaccines intended for 5-11, as we have negotiated, will be (in) January," he added.

Galvez said he has also asked COVAX and UNICEF if they can spare additional vaccines specifically for younger children to be donated to the Philippines.

The official said the government targets to vaccinate 14.7 million individuals who are part of this age group.

Despite getting the approval from the Food and Drug Administration last week, the government still has not yet allowed the COVID-19 vaccination for younger kids since it requires a specific dose with a smaller and less concentrated dosage compared to the ones used by adults.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is the first to be authorized in the Philippines for younger children. The manufacturer previously said its COVID-19 vaccine generated a "robust" antibody response in children ages 5 to 11.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has lifted the nationwide ban on the open-pit method of mining.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu signed the Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2021-40 last December 23, allowing open-pit mining for copper, gold, silver, and complex ores in the country.

"Open-pit mining method is a globally-accepted method of mining, considered to be the most feasible option for mining near-surface or shallow ore deposits," the department said in its rationale in restoring the controversial mining method.

The DENR also explained in their recent issuance that major mining issues, including the use of open-pit mining, "cannot be attributed to the use of the method itself but on accidents involving wastes and tailings confinement."

The department mentioned that allowing the practice of open-pit mining in the country will help reinvigorate the mining industry and provide employment opportunities in rural areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The order mandated mining tenement holders to conduct baseline information gathering and evaluation, which will be used by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in approving a proposed open-pit mining project.

According to the issuance, the MGB will make sure that a proposed open-pit mining project must not pose any possible health and safety hazard to the community.

Release of chemicals from mining is deemed hazardous to the environment.

The project proponent must also carry its "social responsibility" to the community by talking to all involved stakeholders and present applicable programs in mitigating the effects of potential slope failures from the pit surface.

The new DENR directive nullified its own DAO No. 2017-10, which halted open-pit mining in the country as it causes adverse effects to the environment. The said department order was signed in 2017 by Cimatu's predecessor, the late Gina Lopez who was a known anti-mining advocate.

Alyansa Tigil Mina, an alliance of communities affected by mining in the country, described the signing of the new DENR department order as a "cruel Christmas gift" and an "ironic act of cowardice and betrayal" from Cimatu and President Rodrigo Duterte.

"At this time when climate change brings devastating typhoons such as Odette, lifting the ban on open-pit mining is a short-sighted and misplaced development priority of the government. Once again, the Duterte regime puts more premium to its flawed economic agenda categorizing destructive mining as "essential industry" and part of the pandemic recovery," the group said in a statement.

According to the latest MGB data, mining generated a gross production value of around 121.2 billion for the first three quarters of 2021. Of the said figure, over 120.5 billion come from large-scale metallic mining.

Open-pit mining has caused some serious accidents in recent years, most notable of which is the Marcopper mining disaster in Marinduque in 1996 where the discharge of toxic mine waste from a fracture in the pit's drainage tunnel led to the contamination of Boac River and flash floods that displaced over 4,000 people.

To this day, the municipalities of Boac and Mogpog are still reeling from the environmental damages caused by the mining disaster.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Filipinos should not panic even as Metro Manila and other areas recently recorded a slight uptick in new COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday.

"I would not like people to fear or to panic...We should all be cautious and aware that cases are having this slight increase," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines' The Source.

She reiterated her advice to people to follow safety protocols, and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

San Juan, Las Pinas, Manila, Makati, Paranaque, Apayao, Davao de Oro, and Davao del Sur saw an increase in cases in the past two weeks, Vergeire said on Monday.

Holiday shopping and gatherings may have caused the spike in new infections, Vergeire said.

"People went out, went shopping, had gatherings, reunions, and these might be the cause of this uptick in the number of cases, although we are still monitoring," she said.

"We need about one week to determine if there is a sustained increase in the number of cases in the country," she added.

Vergeire said most areas remain under "minimal risk" for COVID-19. But overall, the country is currently at "low risk" for infection.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The Department of Health (DOH) will still issue COVID-19 case updates daily in 2022, just in a different manner, its spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Aside from uploading raw data on the DOH website, what we are going to do also is issue advisories every day where the daily reported cases will be included, and there will be condensed analysis, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines The Source.

Vergeire made the remark after she announced on Monday that the department will no longer publish its usual daily COVID-19 case bulletin on social media beginning Jan. 1, 2022. She said the public can instead access the data via the DOH's website.

The move provoked negative reactions from lawmakers, data experts, and ordinary Filipinos, with some complaining it is difficult to navigate the DOH website.

Vergeire stood by the DOH decision, saying changes were necessary because most of the details found in the case bulletins are not souseful anymore to the general public.

We are just reformatting this so that we can better provide information in an analyzed manner and better guide our public, she added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The Department of Health (DOH) wants the country to remain under Alert Level 2 in January 2022 due to growing concerns about the Omicron variant.

Alert Level 2 is in effect until Dec. 31.

"Our recommendation would be...retain the Alert Level 2," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday.

Vergeire said that "most areas" are already eligible to shift to the lowest alert level, but the DOH is erring on the side of caution to "prevent the entry of this Omicron into our community."

However, in the unfortunate event that this new variant of concern triggers a rise in cases, the country is "well prepared" to handle it because of improved COVID-19 response and higher vaccination rates, the undersecretary said.

The official, citing projections, also said the COVID-19 cases are expected to continue to decline until the end of January, provided there is no community transmission of Omicron. She added they will make new case projections that take into consideration a scenario where Omicron has spread in communities.

The World Health Organization has said it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more contagious or if it causes more severe effects than other variants of concern. But preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the private sector sees no problem with a status quo on the alert level classification for next month.

"Let's not be aggressive by bringing it down to Alert Level 1. Let's stay at Alert Level 2... At this point in time, we all agreed to keep it at Alert Level 2," he said in a separate interview.

He noted many entrepreneurs have "rebounded" following struggles amid the pandemic when the country shifted to Alert Level 2.

For his part, pandemic response chief implementer Carlito Galvez said, "by January, maybe because of the Omicron, we will stay under Alert Level 2."

The government may announce the alert level classification for Jan. 1 to 15 on Wednesday, acting Presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in his press briefing.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) The year 2021 marked a milestone for the Philippines, as the country commemorated five years since its historic victory against China over the South China Sea dispute.

But 2021 was also the year when Manila lodged a flurry of diplomatic protests against Beijing, which continued to assert its maritime claims despite the 2016 Hague ruling that invalidated them.

READ: Remembering the 2016 Hague ruling: What has happened since then?

As the year comes to a close, CNN Philippines takes a look back at the major issues concerning the West Philippine Sea and how the Duterte administration responded.

The Ayungin incident

In November, three Chinese Coast Guard ships blocked and fired water cannon on two Philippine boats transporting supplies to Ayungin Shoal, which lies 104 nautical miles west of Palawan and is well within the countrys exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

No one was hurt in the incident, but it sparked a new wave of uproar among government officials  with other countries joining in the protest. China, however, maintained Philippine boats trespassed into its waters without consent.

The resupply boats completed their mission and arrived safely in Ayungin days after. But authorities still spotted a Chinese Coast Guard ship within the area, reportedly taking photos and videos while the boats were unloading, according to the Department of National Defense (DND).

A 'commitment' to remove BRP Sierra Madre?

After the Ayungin incident, Beijing issued yet another controversial statement  urging the Philippines to remove the grounded BRP Sierra Madre from the shoal in line with its so-called commitment.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana refuted this claim.

As far as I know there is no such commitment," stressed Lorenzana, who has served in the Armed Forces for decades. "That ship has been there since 1999. If there was commitment it would have been removed long time ago."

The military ran aground the World War II-era warship on Ayungin in 1999 to fortify the Philippines claim and provide a shelter to a small contingent of marines.

Massing of Chinese ships

Early this year, over 200 Chinese ships suspected to be maritime militia swarmed the Julian Felipe reef, also within the Philippines EEZ.

China claimed the ships were just fishing vessels taking shelter from rough sea conditions. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called this a blatant falsehood while the DND said the ships presence is a clear provocative action of militarizing the area." Both departments demanded that China immediately withdraw its ships from Philippine waters.

Going against the agencies assertions, then-Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that the reef is not part of the countrys EEZ, although he later noted the government will still continue to pursue its claim over the feature.

Following Roques remark, DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said only his department has the final say when it comes to matters related to the Philippines foreign relations.

Harassment of media crew

In April, members of an ABS-CBN news team onboard a Filipino civilian vessel were chased down by two missile attack craft of the Chinese navy while they were about 90 nautical miles from mainland Palawan.

There have been reports of Chinese vessels driving away Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, but the incident could be the first known case of alleged missile-capable boats doing the chase.

Upon the instruction of the DND, the Armed Forces launched a probe into the reported harassment.

Maritime row reaches Netflix... but gets pulled out

The Philippine-China maritime issue also hogged the global spotlight this year for a different reason.

Streaming platform Netflix removed two episodes of "Pine Gap" after the Philippine government protested the depiction of China's territory in the political drama.

The DFA said the series showed a map of the East Asian giants so-called nine-dash line  which illustrates its claims over virtually the entire South China Sea.

Contradictions?

While some Cabinet members expressed strong condemnations and engaged in a rare word war with Beijing, Malacanang maintained there is no tension between the country and China in the West Philippine Sea.

Some of the most controversial pronouncements, meanwhile, came from President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

In May, Duterte called the countrys arbitral win against China a mere scrap of paper that he can throw away in a trash bin. However, in a speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in September, he said Beijings noncompliance cannot diminish the awards worth.

For international studies professor Renato de Castro, such contradictions in the Presidents pronouncements may also be reflective of the divided positions of his Cabinet members.

De Castro said that on one hand, some executive officials may still be pushing for the policy of appeasing China, believing it leads to better trade relations and bigger investments that would benefit the economy. But he said another group of Duterte appointees may be gaining the upper hand.

You have the Armed Forces of the Philippines, you have the Department of National Defense, you have the Department of Foreign Affairs who see a different picture of China. I think President Duterte is also eventually being convinced by this faction in the Cabinet, De Castro told CNN Philippines.

Still, with months left before his term ends, the expert said the President has yet to drop his myopic view that it is possible to remain friendly with China amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

I don't think people in the military, people in the Department of Foreign Affairs, still believe in that idea that we could separate the economic from the security, diplomatic. The Chinese don't believe that, De Castro said.

READ: Duterte: PH, China would remain 'good friends'

Are diplomatic protests enough?

Data from the DFA as of Dec. 6 show the Philippines has filed 241 diplomatic protests against China since 2016. Of this number, 183 were filed this year alone.

Among Beijings activities that the government cited were the constant radio challenges against Philippine patrols, continued vessel presence in the Philippine EEZ, and the blocking and harassment of Filipino fishermen.

WATCH: Filipino fisherman recalls being blocked by China Coast Guard ship

While these protests are not enough on their own, De Castro said they are an indication that the Philippines is not accepting Chinese actions while sitting down.

We need it, he said. We don't have the military capabilities so we can only rely on those diplomatic protests.

What happens next?

For maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal, the Philippine government was able to show more force this year by calling the worlds attention to Chinas continuing disrespect for the Hague ruling.

To keep the momentum going, he earlier told CNN Philippines the country should continue to enhance its presence in the West Philippine Sea and ensure the apparent robust response is not just mere pre-election posturing.

Another crucial step moving forward is to pass into law the measure declaring maritime zones under the Philippine jurisdiction. De Castro explained this is to compel whoever sits next as president to protect not only the countrys territory but also its maritime entitlements.

House Bill No. 9981, or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, was approved by the House of Representatives on final reading in early December. A similar measure has been filed in the Senate.

De Castro added the government should continue to develop its military capabilities as a signal, not only to China but also to ally nations, that the country would not sit idly by amid incursions in its waters.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The national government will direct its focus on the vaccination rate amid the decision to stop releasing the COVID-19 tracker on social media.

The Department of Health earlier announced that it will not release the daily COVID-19 case bulletin on its social media page beginning January 2022.

The reason behind that is right now we are really ramping up our vaccination. By focusing on the vaccination, we may see these cases of COVID will be mild and asymptomatic na lamang, said Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Ang magiging focus na lang natin ngayon would be the vaccination rate, looking at the hospital utilization rate, looking at critical and severe, and even moderate cases. Yun ang ating mga babantayan. But that being said, nandiyan pa rin naman yung COVID-19 tracker, he added.

[Translation: We will just focus on the vaccination rate, look at the hospital utilization rate, critical, severe, and even moderate cases. We will monitor those. But that being said, the COVID-19 tracker is still there.]

The DOH said Monday that updates on the new COVID-19 infections can be accessed through its website starting January 1. The said move is to streamline public communication, the agency added.

The DOH usually publishes the daily case bulletin every 4 p.m. on its social media accounts. The bulletin contains the new coronavirus infections, deaths, recoveries, active cases, and activities of testing laboratories.

But Nograles assured that the government will still continue to monitor COVID-19 infections.

Patuloy pa rin yung pagtingin namin ng active cases at new cases. Yung format lang po ng reporting ang nagbago. Hindi naman namin sinasabi na hindi na namin imo-monitor ang lahat ng yan, he said.

[Translation: We will continue to monitor the active cases and new cases. Only the format of reporting will be changed. We are not saying that we will not monitor the infections anymore.]

As of Dec. 27, government data showed that a total of 106,290,941 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.

Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 infections in the country remain at three-digits.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28) Private hospitals should reconsider their plan to conduct a "PhilHealth holiday" because it is Filipinos who would ultimately bear the brunt of the move, the state health insurer said.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) made the statement on Monday as the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) urged its members to temporarily stop accepting claims from the agency between Jan. 1 and Jan. 5, 2022.

"We hope Dr. [Jose] De Grano will rethink his call to his member hospitals to go on PhilHealth holiday," the insurer said. "Eventually, it will be the Filipino people who will suffer the consequences."

PhilHealth said it has expedited the release of 11.64 billion in claims through the Debit Credit Payment Method (DCPM) to its partner hospitals nationwide. Through the scheme, an initial payment of 60% is released to hospitals, while the remaining 40% is settled after compliance to processing requirements and procedures.

For its part, PHAPI said the move was to show support to hospitals that have decided to cut ties with the insurer due to its failure to pay claims.

PhilHealth, however, noted that it has not received "any official document informing us that they will disengage."

It also admitted delays in its payments, but said it is working to improve its processes, especially for COVID-19 claims.

"So, panawagan po natin sa kanila (hospitals) ay mag-avail na sila nitong DCPM na ito para maibigay na natin 'yung funds sa kanila," PhilHealth spokesperson Shirley Domingo said over state-run PTV Tuesday.

[Translation: So, we are calling on these hospitals to avail of the DCPM for us to release the funds due to them.]

PhilHealth aims to fast-track its settlement of claims to partner hospitals through the DCPM. So far, 182 hospitals have submitted their letter of intent to participate in the third wave of the scheme, the insurer said.

"With the welfare of patients in mind, PhilHealth is constantly conducting reconciliation meetings on claims reimbursement issues to ensure continuing availment of members' benefits," it added.

Hospitals have long lamented the mounting unpaid claims of the agency which affected their operations amid the pandemic.

'Reforms in PhilHealth'

The issue has renewed calls to implement reforms within PhilHealth.

"What is wrong with PhilHealth? Everything," said presidential aspirant Senator Ping Lacson.

Lacson suggested that the insurer should be led by an official who has knowledge on accounting and fund management  "not a health practitioner, much less a former law enforcer or a retired general." The senator recommended that the Finance Secretary head the agency as it deals with insurance.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Joey Salceda echoed the proposal. Salceda, the principal author of the proposed PhilHealth Reform Act, said the bill would make the Finance chief chairman of the board, with the Health Secretary as co-chair.

"This is consistent with the model that is typical of developed countries and is also consistent with the nature of the Philhealth as an insurance agency," Salceda added.
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12/28/2021

Photo (c) Andriy Onufriyenko - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 52,912,744 (52,460,229)

Total U.S. deaths: 819,253 (817,031)

Total global cases: 281,591,352 (280,738,431)

Total global deaths: 5,410,921 (5,404,167)

CDC shortens COVID-19 isolation time

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its COVID-19 guidance to reduce the time people who test positive should isolate. Instead of 10 days of quarantine, the agency now says patients only need to isolate for five days.

Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others, the CDC said in its revised guidance.

Why the change in the midst of a surge of new cases? The CDC said the change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the first two days prior to the onset of symptoms.

White House pivots on pandemic strategy

The Biden administration has announced a strategic shift in how it plans to handle the pandemic going forward. The president says the virus should be addressed at the state level, with plenty of federal support.

There is no federal solution, Biden declared Monday. This gets solved at a state level.

In a speech to the nations governors, Biden made clear that his previous pledge of free test kits still stands. The president told the governors that they should speak up if their state needs help coping with the virus.

FDA clears a new treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck's molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The pill is limited to use in adult patients.

Molnupiravir will be available by prescription only and should be taken as soon as possible after a diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of symptom onset, the FDA said.

Molnupiravir is limited to situations where other FDA-authorized treatments for COVID-19 are inaccessible or are not clinically appropriate and will be a useful treatment option for some patients with COVID-19 at high risk of hospitalization or death," said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Around the nation

New Jersey: Hoboken is the latest city in New Jersey to reinstate an indoor mask mandate. Starting Wednesday, the city's Office of Emergency Management will require a mask to be worn in all public indoor spaces for anyone aged two and older, with the exception of when they're actively eating or drinking.

Illinois: The states top medical officer is expressing concern about a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, especially among children. "We're still looking at our numbers, said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. I have anecdotally talked to many pediatricians who are heads of departments or hospitals who are seeing that there is an increase, so we are going to continue to follow those numbers."

Michigan: There were long lines at COVID-19 testing sites in the Detroit area Monday as people sought tests following the Christmas holiday. Home rapid test kits quickly sold out, prompting people to turn to urgent care and emergency rooms to get tested.

California: An investigative report by Kaiser Health News shows that a significant number of hospital patients who are admitted for minor surgery contract COVID-19 while in the hospital. The report says hospitals have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.
12/28/2021

Photo (c) Peter Dazeley - Getty Images One thing that wont change with the calendar is the threat of scams. But the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) predicts that one particular scam will continue to evolve in 2022.

Eva Velasquez, CEO of ITRC, says a recent data study provides a clue about what lies ahead. She says identity theft will continue to change into what she calls identity fraud.

In 2021, we saw threat actors become more targeted and strategic, Velasquez said. We saw them strike with social engineering scams like Google Voice and Instagram account takeovers, using psychological tactics instead of technical expertise to manipulate peoples behavior.

Along with a rise in these fraudulent schemes, there was a record number of data breaches this year, providing the Dark Web with increasing amounts of personal information. In one scheme, criminals use personal information to lure victims in with the promise of extra unemployment benefits long after the enhanced benefits expired.

All of these trends point towards increases in identity fraud that will change consumer behaviors, revictimization rates, and pandemic-related identity crimes for years to come, Velasquez said. We expect to see these types of cyberattacks and who they target continue to evolve as they did in 2021.

Identity theft still a threat

Consumers are still falling victim to identity theft and being left financially responsible for fraudulent transactions that criminals made using their identity. Susan, of Salem Ore., says her identity was stolen through her PayPal account.

My identity theft originated at PayPal's office in the Netherlands, Susan wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. Their international presence makes using them even riskier.

Among the 2022 scam trends, the ITRC expects cybercriminals to take advantage of the shift to alternative digital payment methods such as payment apps, digital wallets, and peer-to-peer services.

The organization says criminals have shifted their tactics from attacking individual consumers to going after businesses and organizations. It says the continued improvement in ease and quality of phishing attacks will require consumers to be more vigilant and skeptical of unsolicited communications than in the past.

Changing consumer behavior

That may bring about a change in consumers habits. Some people may disengage entirely from emails because they believe the risk is too great. The group says that could lead to a return of old school communications like telephone and postal mail.

In its predictions for the new year, the ITRC expects other forms of benefit fraud will emerge in 2022. This year was a banner year for fraudsters, with the ITRC receiving more identity benefit fraud reports this year than in 2020.

Due to the continuing nature of unemployment benefit identity fraud, the ITRC expects this fraud to be a permanent addition to the risk landscape, the organization said.
Editor's note: This article, originally published on June 12, 2018, has been updated to more accurately reflect recent trends.

Companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of having a top-level executive dedicated to security issues. That's one of the big findings of IDG's 2020 Security Priorities Study: 61% of surveyed companies have a security pro in the top ranks, and that rate goes up to 80% for large enterprises. In companies that employ such an executive, they play an important role: the same study found that companies without a CISO, CSO, or other top-level security executive were more likely to say their employee security training was inadequate and their security strategy was insufficiently proactive than those who had such officers.

But not all of these executives sit in the same spot on the org chart, and that can affect institutional culture and security outcomes. Security is a role that inevitably butts heads with others, since a security pro's instincts are to lock down systems and make them harder to accesssomething that can conflict with IT's job of making information and applications available in a frictionless way. That drama can play out at the top of the org chart as a CISO/CSO vs. CIO battle, and the contours of that fight are often established by the lines of reporting within an organization: if the top security exec reports into the leadership of the IT department, that can constrain the CISO's ability to execute strategically, as their vision ends up being subordinated to IT's larger strategy.

Among the organizations surveyed in the 2020 Security Priorities Study, almost half of security chiefs had a direct connection to the top. In 34% of cases, the top security executive reported to the CEO, and in another 12% they reported to the board of directors. Meanwhile, 33% of the time, the CISO or equivalent reported into a corporate or divisional CIO. The rest were scattered under different silos, reporting to officers like the chief risk officer or general counsel. Perhaps unsurprisingly, smaller companies tended to have flatter organizational arrangements: the study found that 59% of top security execs at SMBs reported to the CEO, whereas that was true at only 22% of large enterprises.

Another interesting, if unsurprising, correlation: security execs who have the ear of top management are more likely to win a larger portion of the IT budget for security purposes. That's clear from the 2019 State of the CIO survey, conducted by our sister site CIO.com. Companies that spent less than 5% of their IT budget on security were equally likely to have their CSOs report to CIOs or CEOs; but at companies that spent 10% or more on security, the CSO was almost twice as likely to report to the CEO. The effect was even more pronounced at companies where the top security title holder was CISO: only 3% of CISOs at companies that spent less than 5% of their IT budget reported to the CEO, but 26% of CISOs at companies that spent more than 10% did.

What's in a title?

Since we've been juggling different titles here, let's talk about them for a moment. There are some broad trends in usage that may seem to distinguish CSOs from CISOs. In general, according to the 2019 State of the CIO research, CSOs tend to be higher up the org chart: At respondent companies where the top security exec has a CSO title, 43% report directly to the CEO; but only 18% of CISOs report to the top. And 9% of survey respondents said their chief infosec executive reported in to someone with a CSO title, indicating that job sometimes included duties beyond IT, most notably physical security.

But there are plenty of exceptions, and for many companies the CSO job is purely technical in scope. Rather than try to draw a hard-and-fast distinction, we'll use "CSO" generically to refer to a top-level security exec, with the assumption that most if not all of their job duties focus on information security. Indeed, many of the experts CSO interviewed for this article use CISO and CSO interchangeably.

Safe in the nest of IT?

Companies as a rule don't start off as giant enterprises: they grow into them, and often their reporting structures are formed in the process of that growth. In relatively new companies, a structure where the CSO reports to the CIO or other head of IT is common, says Edward Marchewka, founder of Chicago Metrics. This is especially true if, as he puts it, "there is a good deal of blocking and tackling still left to dobasic processes like ensuring proper firewall rules or timely application of security patches or even basic inventory of company asserts. It is hard to protect information and devices if you dont know where it is." Paul Wallenberg, Unit Manager of Technology Recruiting Services at LaSalle Network, says this arrangement works well to give the CIO the full lay of the land in IT, with "comprehensive visibility across all information technology domains rolling up to one central person."

But as a company grows, security can find itself chafing under the CIO umbrella. In particular, a CSO might find that their job doesn't necessarily have the same goals and incentives as the rest of the IT department. Dave Burg, EY Americas Cybersecurity Leader, says that a structure where a CSO reports to a CIO can result in "over-leveraging towards cost management as opposed to risk management." Alexander Yampolskiy, a former CSO who's now CEO of SecurityScorecard, puts it more bluntly: a CIO "is usually rewarded for delivering business projects, which affect revenue. The CISO's job is to fix vulnerabilitiesand those security projects will always create tension for resources with revenue-driving projects."

There's also the matter of differing priorities: a CIO has a long list of goals, and if the CSO is under their umbrella, they may find themselves shunted to one side in the quest to complete a big project. Brian Brammeier, CEO of HigherGround Managed Services, describes a scenario he encountered within a company where he consulted. "There was a major security issue that was leaking data. The CIO was notified, but it didnt get the priority that was needed because he didnt classify it as a drop-everything-and-fix problemwhich it was. The director of security approached the board because of the gravity of the issue, and they changed the reporting structure so that the CISO reported directly to the board.

"When a security issue is discovered, people may be defensive," Brammeier explains. "At onset, it doesnt matter whos fault it is; the issue just needs to be resolved." But in the real world, not everyone is so broad-minded, and not every conflict between a CSO and their CIO boss is going to end like the episode Brammeier describes. "Yes, you can inform the board of your disagreement with the direction the CIO is taking," says Kudelski Security's Hicks, "but it typically does not help with your longevity as a CISO."

Getting strategic

Reporting into a CIO can constrain a CSO's ability to execute strategically, says Bil Harmer, CISO at Zscaler. CSOs in that position "are both financially and personally invested in the security posture they have advocated for," he explains. "The perceived repercussions of admitting the security architectures they have built are no longer effective can create a lot of pressure, and the CISO is therefore less likely to tear it down and adjust when needed. Overall, CISOs dont feel empowered or encouraged to pivot in ways that benefit the overall business."

Having a direct line to higher ups in the company can help break CSOs out of that trap. "Once the tech side of a company has matured," says Chicago Metrics' Marchewka, "the security organization can transition to more of a risk-based approach and report into higher parts of the business." Indeed, most of the people we spoke to felt that a good sign of a forward-thinking company is a CSO who doesn't answer to a CIO, but who is instead in a position to think like one of the company's leaders.

Several executives we spoke to touted an organization where the CSO has more of a coordinating role across multiple departments. "The 'command and control' CISO who owns everything security related is no longer a valid construct," says BluVectorCEO Kris Lovejoy. "The CISO becomes a committee chairman, responsible for gathering and communicating cross-organizational metrics that will be packaged and presented to leadership." Netskope CISO Lamont Orange adds, "In this model, security architecture resides in each of the functional areas of the organization, with the CISO providing governance and transparency."

In other words, the CSO needs to get out of the IT silo. "The days of the CISO being completely IT-centric and as such being in a role under the CIO is gone," says Brian Contos, CISO for Verodin. "Managing security effectiveness and risk management transcends IT and has to operate at an executive level so that technical and non-technical decision makers can be armed with evidence-based data in order to make business decisions more effectively and efficiently from an informed position."

Powwows with bigwigs

Getting the ear of those decision makers is one of the most important reasons why a CSO might want to get out from under the IT umbrellaand the closer you can get to the top, the better. "In an ideal world, a CSO/CISO would report directly to the board of directors," says Kudelski Security's Hicks. "Given the political realities at most firms, I think a more realistic target is to report to the CEO or equivalent. For a CISO or CSO to be truly effective, they need access to the central decision-making process and the authority to participate in that process as an independent voice. To truly provide guidance to the organization around the security of its information and assets, you need to be in the executive level decision-making conversations. And not simply as an observer: you need a full vote."

The many org chart possibilities Most of the execs we spoke to acknowledged that a CSO reporting to a CIO is still the most common scenario, but was in many cases not ideal. When asked about their preferred reporting alignment, they had a host of suggestions. CSO-to-CEO: Bloomberg Beta's Klein likes this arrangement for the "direct and immediate" information flow it provides. And sometimes you win when it comes to the background of your top exec. "Having a technical CEO has been a stroke of luck," says Amanda Fennell, CSO at Relativity. "It eases typical communication barriers that might inhibit the fast-paced progress we benefit from today."

Bloomberg Beta's Klein likes this arrangement for the "direct and immediate" information flow it provides. And sometimes you win when it comes to the background of your top exec. "Having a technical CEO has been a stroke of luck," says Amanda Fennell, CSO at Relativity. "It eases typical communication barriers that might inhibit the fast-paced progress we benefit from today." CSO-to-COO: But not everyone is so fortunate, and the Chertoff Group's Duvall worries that with "the myriad of demands placed on the CEOs attention at any given time, security concerns may fall behind other critical decisions." By contrast, by reporting to a COO, a CSO has access to a leadership role "heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making."

But not everyone is so fortunate, and the Chertoff Group's Duvall worries that with "the myriad of demands placed on the CEOs attention at any given time, security concerns may fall behind other critical decisions." By contrast, by reporting to a COO, a CSO has access to a leadership role "heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making." CSO-to-CFO: At some companies, the CFO is in charge of preventing all manner of financial losses, which puts security under their purview. However, as Kudelski Security's Hicks says, "CFOs tend to lack the technical background to understand the intricates of the CISOs role. In favorable scenarios, they defer and enable the CISO. In less favorable situations their technical gap, coupled with their desire to save money can put the CISO in a difficult position." Some companies have the CSO reporting to a more specialized Chief Risk Officer(CRO) instead.

At some companies, the CFO is in charge of preventing all manner of financial losses, which puts security under their purview. However, as Kudelski Security's Hicks says, "CFOs tend to lack the technical background to understand the intricates of the CISOs role. In favorable scenarios, they defer and enable the CISO. In less favorable situations their technical gap, coupled with their desire to save money can put the CISO in a difficult position." Some companies have the CSO reporting to a more specialized Chief Risk Officer(CRO) instead. CSO-to-General Counsel: Because cybersecurity risks and breaches often have significant legal implications, especially in heavily regulated industries, it can make sense to have the CSO report to the company's top lawyer. "The alignment of accountability and convergence of perspective around cyber risk that results from this reporting structure can be profound," says Jason Straight, SVP and Chief Privacy Officer of Cyber Risk Solutions at UnitedLex.

Because cybersecurity risks and breaches often have significant legal implications, especially in heavily regulated industries, it can make sense to have the CSO report to the company's top lawyer. "The alignment of accountability and convergence of perspective around cyber risk that results from this reporting structure can be profound," says Jason Straight, SVP and Chief Privacy Officer of Cyber Risk Solutions at UnitedLex. CIO-to-CSO: Seems upside down, but it does happen sometimes, according to Verodin's Contos. "This is in part because of the consumerization of IT, cloud, mobile apps, and other initiatives that are driven by business units as opposed to being corporate-wide IT decisions," he says. It's also driven by corporate history: "One specific example of this reporting hierarchy came about when the CIO was promoted to CISO and hired a CIO under them."

Having top leadership's ear has concrete and practical benefits when it comes to getting the resources a CSO needs. "Typically, in successful organizations with a strong culture of security, we see the CSO report to leaders such as the CFO or COO," says Chris Duvall, Senior Director at The Chertoff Group. "These leadership roles are often heavily involved in the day-to-day decision making and have the ability to understand and incorporate long-term security needs into capital expenditure planning, as well as to resource and extract 'emergency' requirements and funds when necessary," he says.
Last year was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. Yet as I reflect on 2021, there were still some memorably good food-world experiences.

We all kept on eating, and the food service world rose to the occasion. Yes, it was different, but not all bad. Going out was replaced with take-out, home cooking ramped up, and baking went wild.



Over the year, I had the privilege of meeting some industry insiders and watching them work.



The renowned chocolatier, Fritz Knipschildt gave me a tour of his Norwalk kitchen and some insight into the importance of using the best ingredients to make the best confections.

With his unabashed love of the Westport Farmers Market, Bill Taibe, chef-owner of some of the best restaurants in Westport including The Whelk, Kawa Ni, Don Memo and The Art Space Cafe in Norwalk, took me along on a provisioning sweep of the vendors to stock up. Hes another advocate for using top-notch ingredients.

Jennifer Balin shared the lowdown on her Badass wild-yeast, sourdough bagels  a pandemic innovation.

Coffee evangelist Dennis Bubbico of Strigo Coffee got me excited about small-production locally-roasted coffees from around the world. His passion for great coffee is as exciting as the aroma of a well-brewed cup.



Despite the pandemic restrictions, there were some new and notable restaurants in the year.

Chef Renato Donzelli moved his popular Basso Cafe to stylish new quarters in Westport. Re-christened Basso Restaurant and Wine Bar, it's still the place for Donzellis creative mashup of Italian, Spanish, and Hispanc flavors drawn from his heritage.

The Art Space Cafe at Norwalks ADK Norwalk Art Space opened with a burst of creativity. Chef Caitlin McGowan and her boss Bill Taibe have put together an enticing menu that relies on some of the best suppliers in the area paired with the careful and creative execution of McGowan.

I had been watching the papered storefront in SoNo ever since the sign went up for the Appetit Bistro. French restaurants reel me in and when this one finally opened, I wasnt disappointed.

Just as restaurants began to figure out how to manage outdoor dining, the warm weather came and restaurants were back. Old favorites like Oak and Almond, Harbor Lights and Washington Prime set up stylish, comfortable, safer outside spaces.



There was a bump-up in home cooking too. I got to watch Susan and Steve Hanson in their kitchen as they celebrated St. Patrick's Day by making 200 loaves of Irish Soda Bread to give to family and friends.



At The Thimble Islands Bed and Breakfast in Stony Creek, co-owner and co-innkeeper Tony Broom shared the secrets of his famous slow-cooked scrambled eggs memorialized by radio personality Faith Middleton on her show, The Food Schmooze.

As the fall harvest peaked, avid canner and home cook Julia Currie let me spend an afternoon watching her put up bread and butter pickles and peach salsa. It's an old-time craft that had a revival during the pandemic.



Leading up to Christmas, Marsha and I apprenticed to home-cook Basia Hirsh to study the traditional art of making Pierogi. It was a window into the cuisine and culture of Poland and Northern Europe.

Wine is something that can be enjoyed while hunkered down. Early in the year, we explored wines to give and get, re-discovering Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier. Its sort of become our house wine. There are usually a few bottles around ready at a moments notice.



A survey of four Premier Cru Chablis, one of the worlds great wines, was instructive, entertaining, and an excuse to eat a lot of Norm Blooms Copps Island oysters.

So it wasnt all dreary basics and empty shelves. It turns out that we ate well in 2021.



Frank Whitman can be reached at NotBreadAloneFW@gmail.com.
Lolita Baldor/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

A defense official said Tuesday that the change in the schedule of the USS Harry S. Truman, and the five American warships accompanying it, reflects the need for a persistent presence in Europe. It is necessary in order to reassure U.S. allies and partners in the region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military deployment details.
3 1 of 3 New Haven Middlesex Association of Realtors / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 New Haven Middlesex Association of Realtors / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





GUILFORD  Paddington bears were raised as part of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness recent sixth annual be Homeful for the Holidays campaign. They were given to agencies including the Connection and Middletown Family Shelter of Middletown.

Approximately 2,600 people across Connecticut are homeless on any given night, and one in seven of those are children under 18, according to a press release from the CT Realtors Foundation.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia broke the state's record for the number of test-confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with an extremely rapid rise passing the peaks previously set in January.

The state recorded 13,670 positive tests, a combination of molecular PCR and rapid antigen tests, in its report released Tuesday. That boosted Georgias seven-day average of positive tests to 9,798. That seven-day average is a key measure because it smooths out normal daily variations.

Thats a huge escalation from a month ago, when Georgia was recording fewer than 1,000 positive tests a day. This fifth wave has passed both an early January peak as well as the delta wave that roared through Georgia as schools opened in August and September.

The rapid rise in cases has not yet resulted in hospitals being overrun, although the number of COVID-19 patients is climbing, rising about 10% Tuesday to nearly 2,200 statewide. Both infections and hospitalizations have been centered in the Atlanta area and some parts of north Georgia so far.

The climbing number of virus cases is forcing changes in plans. The city of Atlanta announced it was canceling the New Year's Eve Peach Drop at the Underground Atlanta complex downtown, the third year in a row that the event won't be held. Emory University said it will start its spring semester online, with in-person classes not starting until Jan. 31 at the earliest. And some public schools are saying students and employees must wear masks when their classes resume in early January, with the 1,100-student Dooly County district joining that group on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 25 Atlanta-area emergency rooms were turning away ambulances, while only six ERs at hospitals caring for adults were receiving them, according to state data. Among those turning away emergency medical transports were the flagship hospitals of three of the areas four major hospital systems: Emory, Piedmont and Northside. Data showed emergency rooms in regions around Atlanta, Rome and Carrollton, Columbus and Augusta were exceeding 100% capacity.

Officials are urging people who need testing not to tie up emergency rooms but to instead seek out testing sites and pharmacies.

Katie Byrd, a spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp, said the state is working to increase testing capabilities and has 2,500 National Guard troops on standby who could be used to aid testing sites and hospitals. She said the state Department of Community Health would decide who to send where in coming days. She also said Kemp continues to communicate with hospital leaders and has five calls with hospitals planned Wednesday.

Byrd, though, reiterated that the Republican governor, who has joined a series of lawsuits against Biden administration vaccine mandates in recent weeks, wont  be implementing any measures that shutter businesses or divide the vaccinated from the unvaccinated or the masked from the unmasked.

Gov. Kemp is fully vaccinated and boosted, and he will continue to urge Georgians to talk with their doctors about the benefits of getting the vaccine or receiving their booster shot, Byrd said in a statement. Ultimately, he feels that we must trust our citizens to do whats right for themselves and their families.

Emory President Gregory Fenves said Tuesday that Georgia's largest private university is switching to virtual classes to start the spring semester because of a national surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant. Fenves said Emory will transition back to in-person learning on Jan. 31 if conditions permit. The switch to remote learning applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional courses. Residence halls will remain open, though students are encouraged to delay their return to campus.

Fenves wrote in a letter that he knew that beginning the semester with remote learning and teaching is inconvenient."

But we must be adaptable during this surge so we can continue our important work  learning, teaching, creating, and discovering  in the face of this ever-evolving pandemic," Fenves wrote.

Emory students, faculty and staff are required to get a booster shot by Jan. 19.
NEWBURGH, Ind. (AP)  A former town marshal charged in the September shooting of a southwest Indiana sheriffs deputy has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

Posey County Coroner Sarah Seaton said Paul Wiltshire, 70, died Monday morning of natural causes stemming from a case of COVID-19. He was taken to Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Newburgh on Dec. 17 for treatment of the respiratory illness, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.
The missing 15-year-old was considered a habitual runaway.

But that didnt stop Middletown Police Lt. Brian Hubbs from sending out a plea to the media, asking for coverage that could lead to her safe return.

Hubbs had already sought a Silver Alert from the Connecticut State Police Message Center, but he decided to hedge his bets by sending out a press release of his own since he knew the girl often hung out in high-crime areas.

I wanted to do it sooner rather than later to get her information out there, Hubbs said. I took the extra step because of her age.

A few hours later, Hubbs sent out a second release, indicating she had been found safely.

Most missing teens turn up in short order, Hubbs said. But like the state police, his department will investigate the case thoroughly, even if the youth has run away before.

We treat each case seriously, even if its a youth that runs away frequently, State Police Trooper First Class Pedro Muniz said. We make sure all of the steps are followed. If they are frequent runaways, we usually have some places where they might have been before. They tend to have a pattern.

Sgt. Sean Mahar manages the state police Message Center, which acts as a centralized hub for missing persons information and issues Silver Alerts, which are bulletins sent to the media with information about people who have gone missing in Connecticut.

In 2020, the state police issued 1,741 Silver Alerts  1,225 of them were for missing juveniles. In 2019, Mahars unit issued 2,266 Silver Alerts, including 1,831 for minors. As of Oct. 31, there were 1,367 Silver Alerts with 998 involving minors this year, Mahar said.

Most of the cases are resolved within hours, but each one is taken seriously and investigated with every tool possible, Mahar said.

Theres a whole host of reasons why you get called to these things, but you have to treat every one independently.

State police will investigate the missing persons reported to them in their jurisdictions throughout Connecticut, including towns covered by a state trooper. Municipalities investigate their own missing persons cases, but seek Mahars Message Center to put out a Silver Alert.

Municipalities or state police investigating a missing persons case can request that Mahars unit issue a Silver Alert based on certain criteria. The person must either be a minor or 65 and older, or an adult who is endangered by a medical, mental health or physical condition.

Silver Alerts are generally not issued for healthy missing adults between the ages of 18 to 64 unless there is a compelling reason that police believe the person is in danger. Due to the criteria, the number of Silver Alerts does not represent the amount of people reported missing in Connecticut in any given year, Mahar said.

The steps taken in each investigation depend on the circumstance, Mahar said. A police K-9 could help track the person if they are believed to be on foot, he said. Checking social media, cellphone locations and talking to friends and family may generate leads, Mahar said.

Many of the missing youths are habitual runaways like the 15-year-old Middletown girl whose disappearance prompted Hubbs to send out a press release. But officials said that doesnt change the way they approach those cases.

The reality is that some of these kids like to buck the system, said Hubbs, who said his department received a total of 27 missing persons reports between July 1 and Nov. 1. But when they go missing, it puts their loved ones on alert and they need to know where they are and that they are safe.

Mahar said when he was with state polices Troop H in Hartford, there was a teen who was reported missing 17 times in one month.

Sometimes it was three times a day, he recalled. Each time the case was investigated, he said.

If that kid goes missing 25 times, were going to do it 25 times, Mahar said.
DUBLIN, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia woman wanted in a fatal shooting was arrested Monday near Nashville, Tennessee, investigators said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 29-year-old Alyssa Danielle Wild of East Dublin, Georgia was pulled over in Franklin, Tennessee.

Wild is charged with murder in the murder of 38-year-old Charles Stephen Holmberg of Cuthbert, Georgia. Holmberg was found shot dead Saturday in a vehicle parked at a motel in Dublin.

Investigators say Wild and Holmberg were in a relationship.

Wild was being held Monday in the Williamson County jail in Tennessee. It's unclear if Wild has seen a judge or has a lawyer.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said more charges are forthcoming.
Global gas prices are soaring and millions of British households face a huge shock when the tariff cap  intended to protect us from profiteering by suppliers  is raised in April.

City estimates suggest that unless the surge in wholesale prices eases, the average bill for the 11 million British citizens on standard tariffs could jump by around 700 a year.

Extra bills on this scale would deliver a kick in the teeth to homeowners already facing a big rise in national insurance contributions in April to pay for the NHS and social care.

The jump in gas prices as the world emerged from Covid-19 lockdowns was not anticipated, and has wreaked havoc on the UKs energy market, which was once one of the most competitive among advanced countries.

Extra bills on this scale would deliver a kick in the teeth to homeowners already facing a big rise in national insurance contributions in April to pay for the NHS and social care

Deregulation of the gas market in the 1990s  where consumers were for the first time able to choose their supplier  opened up an industry dominated by a handful of big suppliers. It offered people in Britain a huge choice of domestic and industrial suppliers which engaged in a price war, encouraging users to switch among firms to find the best deal.

It seemed to offer market competition at its best  favouring the consumer and encouraging the energy companies to be more efficient.

How different things are today. Sky-high gas prices on the world market have caused such shock waves across the country that 26 of those suppliers have collapsed, with more almost certain to fail.

The boss of the nations second largest supplier, Stephen Fitzpatrick of Ovo Energy, compares the situation to the financial crisis of 2008, when the government came to the rescue of High Street banks.

Yesterday, suppliers met Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to demand action  in other words, bailouts.

Predictably, Labour is insisting on a rescue for domestic consumers through the suspension of the 5 per cent VAT we all pay on our gas and electricity bills. (Labour seems to have no awareness that public finances are at a critical juncture, with borrowing this year projected at 183 billion.)

The boss of the nations second largest supplier, Stephen Fitzpatrick of Ovo Energy, compares the situation to the financial crisis of 2008, when the government came to the rescue of High Street banks

Of course, there can be nothing but sympathy for the elderly, who fear freezing in their homes this winter, and for the least well-off facing utility bills they cannot pay.

We already give those over 66 a 200 Winter Fuel Allowance but the case this year for a second payout to them, and for extending it to the most needy households, is overwhelming.

However, as for the firms demanding bailouts, many have been plain naive. Dozens of unprepared newcomers came into the energy markets with flimsy financial reserves hoping to make quick returns by exploiting a global gas market with plentiful supplies.

They offered consumers bargain-basement tariffs and many deals were simply too good to be true, based on a false premise that low gas prices could always be found.

Whats more, there are huge differences between the chaos in the energy market and the financial crisis several years ago. Most of the energy failures have been among smaller providers and the impact has mainly been absorbed by the larger firms under the guidance of regulator Ofgem.

In 2008-9 our bank deposits and access to cash were at stake and the whole financial system needed intensive care.

Since the pandemic started, however, almost every business group in the country, from those representing hospitality, steel and freight, has been demanding government assistance.

Companies have become used to VAT breaks, guaranteed government loans, bailouts, furlough and other emergency measures.

And painful though it may seem, they cannot forever depend on government largesse. What we have in the energy market is a perfect storm. And one that could have been avoided had successive governments not made such a mess of energy policy.

The storm was set in motion long ago with our determination to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. The speed at which we have embarked on this goal has left us utterly dependent on foreign imports of gas.

The Government has all-but stopped burning coal, it has rejected the opportunities offered by vast reserves of shale gas in the North-West and made exploration of North Sea oil fields financially unviable. Shell, for instance, has just pulled out of investing in the Cambo oil and natural gas block off Shetland.

Meanwhile, our nuclear power stations dont have the capacity to make up the power gap when our turbines and solar panels dont work.

To make things worse, we have failed to invest in gas storage facilities, meaning we have no strategic reserves like our European neighbours, which leaves us exposed to the vagaries of the gas market.

And here we come to the reason for the astonishing 250 per cent rise in wholesale gas price that reached a record high of 470p per therm before Christmas.

As Asia recovered from the pandemic, the demand for natural gas soared in the Pacific and cargoes of liquid natural gas that were destined for Europe and Britain were diverted to countries willing to pay the highest prices.

The stresses have been magnified many times over by the new Cold War between the West and President Putin over Ukraine. Putins Russia supplies most of the gas to Europe and, since his relations with the West are at an all-time low, he is limiting supply and cranking up the price.

The stresses have been magnified many times over by the new Cold War between the West and President Putin over Ukraine

But there is another factor in this price hike for British households which cannot be blamed on Putin. Responsibility lies with Theresa May. It was she who in 2017 introduced the temporary price cap, limiting what energy suppliers can charge, to thwart a similar proposal from Labours then-leader Ed Miliband.

In spite of fierce warnings from the Big Six energy companies that it would discourage investment in new resources, technology and storage, she pressed ahead.

The result is that although the cap is holding down prices for the 11 million people on the Standard Variable Tariff (which fluctuates with the market) it is killing off those firms without financial reserves to maintain the cap when wholesale prices are surging.

Not only do consumers find themselves suddenly switched to new suppliers and tariffs without any say in the matter, but corporate failures have also cost the taxpayer dearly.

Responsibility lies with Theresa May. It was she who in 2017 introduced the temporary price cap, limiting what energy suppliers can charge

Earlier this month, the Government provided temporary funding of 1.7 billion to energy supplier Bulb, which has 1.6 million customers, after it ran into difficulties because its pricing model was so flawed.

The energy regulator, Ofgem, cautioned at the time the cap was introduced that it was too blunt a tool.

Instead of a six-monthly review of the cap, which can unleash a huge jolt to consumers  as will happen this April  it wanted a more flexible approach, with the price cap moved on a monthly basis, making it easier for both consumers and companies to adjust to the new system.

I have a different proposal. Abolish the cap which is producing such devastating distortions to the free market.

End the informal opposition to investment in the North Sea. Britain sits on a sea of natural gas deposits and it is ludicrous that ordinary people are suffering in the short-term as the nation struggles to build reliable alternative fuels.

If there is to be subsidy, it should go directly to the elderly and the most needy. Propping up gas suppliers, who in the good times of cheap wholesale prices creamed off windfall gains, should never be an option.
This is the touching moment the daughter of a Holocaust survivor was reunited with the aunts she never knew existed until she matched with them through an online DNA database.

Clare Reay, 52, was born in the UK to her mother, Eva, but knew little about her life, other than that she had spent time in an Israeli orphanage after the Second World War and was adopted by a British couple.

It was only when Clare, from Newcastle, was given a DNA kit from MyHeritage - an Israel-based online genealogy platform - as a birthday present from her son in 2020 that she discovered her mother's extraordinary family history, one that she herself never knew.

Eva, who died in 2014, was born to Dora, a Jewish teenager who had been sent to Auschwitz and Lublin-Majdanek concentration camps with her parents. At some point, she became separated from her baby, although it is not known how.

While Eva was eventually adopted and raised in the UK, Dora settled in the US, where she married had two more daughters, Jean, now 74, and Dena, 73, and spent her life searching for the daughter she had lost.

'My mother knew absolutely nothing of her biological family, we're still not sure how old she was when she and her mother became separated as she never had a birth certificate and had no idea of her date of birth,' Clare told FEMAIL.

The daughter of an Auschwitz survivor who was adopted by a British family surprised her aunts she never knew existed after discovering them on a DNA Heritage website. From left: Jean, Clare and Dena

Left: Dora and Eva in the early forties believed to be in Warsaw right: Eva and Clare in the early 60s in London

Pictured is Clare with her mother Eva and father before her mother passed away in 2014

Uncanny: Dena, Jean and Eva said they knew they were related when they compared pictures. Left is Dora, Right is her daughter Eva

'She had memories of the orphanage in Israel and recalled various events from that period but she had no memories of her biological mother.'

Jean and Dena promised their mother before her death that they would fulfil her dream of finding her baby.

Remarkably, that happened in early 2020 when Dena received a notification from MyHeritage, telling her she had a niece living in the UK.

'Initially I was in total disbelief,' Clare admitted. 'Then I asked Dena to explain the circumstances of how her mother and sister became separated.

'She told me somehow they'd become separated whilst in a concentration camp and then she sent a photo of her mother and I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was my mother's mother.

'I was totally overwhelmed with excitement and joy knowing that we'd found my mother's family but at the same time overcome with sadness that my mother wasn't here for this incredible discovery.'

Through meeting her aunts, Clare has discovered her grandmother was born in Warsaw in 1927

Eva is pictured as child with her adoptive mother after being taken to the UK

Dora Mortkowitz was born in Warsaw in 1927. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was sent first to the Ghetto and later to Auschwitz and Lublin-Majdanek concentration camps with her parents.

Some time in the early 1940s, while in a concentration camp and just a teenager herself, Dora gave birth to Eva.

Sadly, the circumstances of Eva's birth mean she never knew where or when she was born, and lived her life without knowing her birthday.

At some point, mother and daughter became separated. One surviving photo shows Dora cradling her toddler daughter.

On the liberation of the concentration camps, Eva was sent to an Israeli orphanage, while Dora went to a displaced persons camp before moving to the US.

Clare said: 'Unfortunately we still know very little about anything that happened before my Mother arrived in Israel, she didn't remember anything about the concentration camp.

'Nitay Elboym, who is a Researcher at MyHeritage, managed to find my mother's name managed to find my mother's name on the passenger list from Marseille to Israel in February 1948 under the name Chava Lesman so we now know how and when she got to Israel but nothing before that.'

Eva (pictured) had no memory of being in a concentration camp and didn't know the year she was born

ora spent her whole life searching for Eva, and Dena and Jean (pictured) promised their mother they would they would never stop searching for their sister. Amazingly, they have now delivered on that lifelong promise. Eva died in February 2014, but Dena and Jean have now been able to meet their niece, after a year of video calling.

Eva was adopted as a child by a British couple and grew up in London. She had daughters Clare and Vivienne in Britain.

Unknown to her, on the other side of the Atlantic, her mother had built a life for herself too.

The two worlds met in April 2020, when Clare took her MyHeritage DNA test.

'It was a birthday gift so it wasn't something I had never considered but having read the instructions I was interested in finding out our origins from my mother's side,' she explained.

How is Clare related to Dena and Jean? Dena and Jean are Clare's half-aunts. Clare's late mother Eva was born in the early 40s while her mother Dora was in a Nazi camp. After the war she was freed and taken to an orphanage in Israel, while her mother found refuge in the US. While in the US, Dora married and had Jean and Dena - who are now in their 70s and living in Ohio. Advertisement

'I received a breakdown of our ethnicity which was really interesting and thought nothing more about it.'

But Clare inputting her data into the system triggered an alert for Dena, who had also taken a MyHeritage DNA test.

'Dena got in touch with me first, through the MyHeritage.com website,' Clare explained. 'She told me how she's received an automatic e-mail from My Heritage stating that I was her niece (from the DNA match).

'She was so ecstatic to make the discovery, she's a very warm loving person, she made me feel like one of the family as soon as we started communicating

'Jean was slightly more reserved and sceptical initially (a bit like me) but once we started talking and swapping photos and information she and I both knew there was no denying our family connection.'

At the time, the US had closed its borders to the UK and Europe due to the spread of Covid-19 so Clare couldn't visit. But the trio built up a relationship over video calls.

Clare said: 'Since finding each other we have had regular zooms with Jean, Dean, myself and my sister Vivienne, which has been brilliant as it's given us the opportunity to get to know each other and swap memories and stories of my Mum and their Mum.

'My aunts have painted a fantastic picture of their lives growing up with Dora, her personality, her traits, there are so many striking similarities between Dora and my mother that we often think we could be talking about the same person.'

In March this year, Clare booked a flight for September. But shortly afterwards the family was dealt a devastating blow.

Clare Reay, 52, from Newcastle was given a DNA kit from MyHeritage as a birthday present from her son in 202 - she later discovered she had two aunts and met them last month

'Dena collapsed at work and was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer,' Clare explained. 'I applied to the US Embassy for a special visa exemption, which they refused, then I enlisted the help of my local MP to appeal their decision which was refused again.

'I spent months getting in touch with every relevant organisation known to man for any help to no avail.'

After Clare's September flights were cancelled, she rebooked twice before finally flying out on 13th November.

Clare continued: 'The surprise was even better than I expected, their reaction was fantastic, we were all so happy to see each other. It felt like we'd known each other all our lives. I think poor Jean was in shock for a while!

'Jean and John (Jean's husband) and Dena gave us two fantastic weeks, we learned so much about their lives and their upbringing with Dora.

'We met all the family and their friends, shared a wonderful family Thanksgiving, went sightseeing and spent as much time with them as we possibly could.'

The family now hopes to learn more about Eva's life before the war.

She added: 'I know so much more now than I ever imagined finding out.

'My mothers side of the family tree was always a dead-end, without a name my mother really had no chance of finding any information about her family.'
Renovation can be a costly business, but in some households it appears to have been deemed unnecessary.

In an eye-watering gallery collated by Parent Influence, self-proclaimed DIY aficionados from across the globe have shown off their budget versions of professional fixes.

In one instance, a clean-loving bathroom dweller turned a water bottle into a showerhead - simply by adding some holes to it.

Elsewhere, a wine lover wasn't going to let a broken glass get in the way of their evening fix, using two broken pencils to prop up their precious goblet.

Meanwhile a pair of dented beer cans appeared to do the trick in holding up a TV, while a learner driver in need of car parking sensors simply used a rubber chicken glued to the boot of his car to avoid reversing into others.

Waterfall shower anyone ? A gallery has collated the worst DIY fixes across the globe online. In one instance, a clean-loving bathroom dweller in Florida turned a water bottle into a showerhead - simply by adding some holes to it

A few bricks may help? Elsewhere, in the US, a pillar was held up by what looked like cling film, making for a very worrying dash from the car park into the shop

Chin, chin! A wine lover in an undisclosed location wasn't going to let a broken glass get in the way of their evening fix, using two broken pencils to prop up their precious goblet

Who needs a TV stand? Meanwhile a pair of dented beer cans appeared to do the trick in holding up a TV - perhaps invented by a rather tipsy owner in the US

TikTok: This homeowner in the UK clearly didn't feel the need to follow the time, preferring to keep track of the days of the week instead

Always on time! Meanwhile a student from an unknown location made sure they were always on time by attaching wires to their alarm clock - ensuring they never miss an exam

Not a lightbulb moment! Elsewhere a rental tenant decided to use a clothes hanger as a replacement lamp.. four years ago - claiming 'it's been a great fix for the past four years'

No dents here! A learner driver in need of car parking sensors simply used a rubber chicken glued to the boot of his car to avoid reversing into others.

Who said Lego was just for kids? One clever creator used Lego blocks to build a phone holder for their mobile - making it the perfect fit for the TV
A father-of-four has slammed a restaurant he visited on Christmas day after his children were served chicken and chips instead of a traditional turkey meal.

Rick Arpino, who visited the Ruposhi Indian Bar & Restaurant in Bury on Saturday with his partner and their four children, has posted scathing reviews on Facebook and TripAdvisor.

He explained that he ordered two Indian dinners for the adults and traditional Christmas dinners for the children ahead of the day, however on arrival they were served chicken, chips and half a fried tomato.

After explaining he was left 'thoroughly disappointed' with the meal, he complained: 'What an absolute farce of a restaurant - Christmas Dinner ruined for our children on the whim of this establishment.'

However other social media users were quick to criticise Rick as they suggested he was in the wrong for expecting a traditional meal at a curry house.

Rick Arpino, who visited the Ruposhi Indian Bar & Restaurant in Bury on Christmas Day, has divided opinions after complaining that his children were served chicken and chips instead of a traditional festive roast dinner (pictured)

Furious after his dinning experience, Rick wrote online: 'My partner and our four children visited today for a Christmas meal and were thoroughly disappointed with what occurred.

'I confirmed the booking over the phone - two Indian dinners for the adults and trad Christmas for the children.

'I then visited pre-visit (only) for the manager to inform myself that they had decided not to serve turkey but chicken instead because of a lack of bookings.

'Fair enough not a huge change and the kids probably wouldn't notice anyways.'

Restaurant manager Shah Munim said customers were told why traditional Christmas dinner wouldn't be available before coming to Ruposhi (pictured) on Christmas Day

He continued: 'Wow! Yes I knew the meat had changed but to not bother informing myself that they had decided not to serve up the Xmas trimmings at all and had swapped them for chips and half a fried tomato - seriously!

'Why advertise a choice of menus and then change it to please themselves.

'[It is] obviously a cost issue but to attempt to charge 30 for a plate of chicken and chips is a joke!

'We were not the only ones either to suffer this either as the same happened on the later sitting.'

He ended his post: 'Stay away because they don't care about you.'

Since the complaint was published, hundreds of people have slammed Rick over his comments, with one writing: 'I think Christmas dinner was ruined the second you decided to go for an Indian for a Christmas dinner!'

Another said: 'Ruposhi is a fabulous Indian restaurant serving wonderful Indian food, we love it there.

'However, it would probably be low down on my list of places to host a 'traditional' British Christmas lunch. Maybe try another establishment rather than giving it a bad review?'

A third claimed she went to Ruposhi on Christmas Day and had been told they weren't doing Christmas dinner when she booked.

She said: 'We went yesterday - couldn't fault it we all had the curry amazing. After all it is a Indian curry house.

'If you wanted English food I would suggest you to go a pub or somewhere. They did come round asking if everything was ok so really you should off said something and not sl** them off all over Facebook.'

Posting on TripAdvisor, Rick complained the restaurant swapped Christmas trimmings for chips and a fried tomato

The Ruposhi Indian Restaurant claimed it had rang up its customers in advance of Christmas Day to take their orders and to explain that they were no longer serving a traditional Christmas dinner menu due to a lack of interest.

The restaurant's manager, Shah Munim, has said that he's written to TripAdvisor to complain about the review.

Shah has been running the restaurant for 11 years and explained that he has been struggling bringing all of his customers back into the restaurant post-lockdown.

He also explained that the change in menu had come because so few customers had ordered the Christmas dinner.

He claimed: 'We want to please our customers. We gave them options. And they chose chicken and chips.

'I fully agree with them, they're not happy. I did my best.

'But unfortunately after leaving they wrote on Facebook and Tripadvisor. I don't know why they're doing that,' he added.

'It's a very hard time to run a business right now,' he said. He said that negative reviews can impact his business.

'It's easy for them to write a review on Tripadvisor but it's hard to run a business and to keep customers happy,' he said.

Meanwhile he explained that the Ruposhi served around 80 customers on Christmas Day, with one customers leaving a five-star review.

They wrote: 'We came for Christmas day, six of us, excellent food yet again fantastic service and staff curries was spot on. Thank you for a lovely meal.'
A Christmas shopper has revealed how the expensive phone he ordered online had been replaced with chocolate bars when he finally received it - weeks after the original delivery date.

Posting on Twitter, Daniel Carroll, who lives in West Yorkshire, explained his order for the 1,049 iPhone 13 Pro Max was delayed for two weeks, before he went to DHL Leeds to collect it directly from the courier service.

But when it finally arrived, the logistics worker said the parcel had clearly been tampered with and the box contained two 2 Cadbury's White Oreo chocolate bars wrapped in toilet tissue.

Many other social media users took to the site to blast the delivery service for 'disgusting service', with one writing: 'Oh my god this is dreadful! I'm same! My parcels are 'lost' in Leeds and no one will reply to me!'

DHL has claimed they are investigating the incident after being contacted by Daniel on numerous social media platforms.

Daniel Carroll, who lives in West Yorkshire, claimed his order for the 1,049 iPhone 13 Pro Max was delayed for two weeks before he picked it up - to discover it had been replaced with two chocoloate bars

He shared his horror online, revealing he had struggled to get in touch with DHL after ordering the Christmas present

Daniel revealed that he ordered the phone on the Apple website on December 2, but it wasn't available for delivery until December 17 due to stock.

He explained that DHL sent several conflicting updates last Friday when the phone was due to be delivered, which left him waiting in the house all day but nothing arrived.

He said: 'I went onto the tracking and selected to have the parcel collected from their depot, and it advised it would be available for collection on Saturday 18.

'On Saturday the tracking had not changed and the website advised the depot in Leeds was temporarily closed - and still advises that.

Daniel (pictured) said only automated tracking was available when he called DHL and an online enquiry didn't receive any response

'On Monday I did a 24-mile-round-trip to collect the parcel. When I got home I could tell the box had been tampered with as the tape was quite loose, but because I could feel some weight I just opened it.

'Inside there was cheap industrial toilet roll, which stunk, and two bars of Dairy Milk Oreo in there.'

Daniel continued: 'The tracking updates on Friday when the parcel was with a driver weren't what you would usually see.

'Then the parcel went from Friday morning to Monday morning without a tracking point.

'I work for a logistics company and knowing DHL, there's no reason why the parcel should not be tracked as received back at the depot during that time unless it's being manually taken out of its usual process.'

Daniel explained that DHL had only automated tracking updates available when he tried to call the service and an enquiry he made on their contact page on Monday didn't receive a response.

He said it took contacting a customer service manager on LinkedIn to learn that they are checking CCTV and have asked Apple to issue a replacement.

The logistics worker claims he contacted Apple on Wednesday, who informed him they haven't received any response from DHL and are unable to issue a replacement without the outcome of DHL's investigation.

Daniel said: 'I asked the manager from DHL on Wednesday if he can follow up again today, but there seems to be just no urgency to resolve this.

'It was meant to be for a Christmas present so it's really disappointing.'

A number of comments on Daniel's tweet claimed they've also experienced parcels arriving with items from their order missing or replaced

Daniel shared his disappointment on Twitter, alongside a photo, writing: 'After a long weekend of a brand new iPhone 13 pro max being stuck in @DHLParcelUK network, failing any delivery attempt Friday to Sunday, [I] finally picked up the parcel yesterday from DHL Leeds to find the package tampered with and the new phone (Christmas present) replaced with this.'

Daniel's tweet racked up comments from social media users claiming they've had similar problems with courier services during the festive period.

One person wrote: 'Same thing happened to a family member in Bradford, iPhone Christmas present arrived, no iPhone just bars of chocolate. Made me rethink how I purchase my next iPhone @Apple.

'Disgusting that people are left out of pocket for so long @DHLParcelUK need to tighten security.'

A spokesperson for DHL said: 'We're investigating the case as a priority and we have been in touch with the sender to ensure a replacement gets to Mr Carroll.'
The most unusual baby names of 2021 have been revealed in a new study as more millennial parents opt for creative and unique monikers.

According to McCrindle Researchers millennial parents are steering clear of the most popular names of the past and turning to more unusual choices like Adonis, Major, Malaysia, Legend, Iker, Fernanda, Ezekiel and Gage.

Today's parents are less likely to choose a name from the most popular list for their child with girls given even more alternative names than boys.

McCrindle Researchers have revealed the year's most unusual baby names with parents of Generation Alpha are steering clear of the most popular names and turning to more unique choices including Adonis, Major, Malaysia, Legend, Iker, Fernanda, Ezekiel and Gage.

In NSW alone only 38 per cent of babies were given names that ranked in the country's top 100.

McCrindle social researcher Ashley Fell said the rise in unique names could be attributed to millennial parents' access to more information than previous generations and being swayed by more than just family and religious traditions.

'They are drawing on social media and popular culture influences, blogs, websites and even baby naming apps,' she said.

2021's most unusual baby names Adonis Bristol Cairo Cash Daleyza Duke Ezekiel Fernanda Gage Genesis Gunner Iker Jazlyn Juniper Khalil Legend Lyric Malaysia Major Maximilina Nehemiah Otto Princeton Ryland Saylor Solomon Titus Willa Ximena Zion Advertisement

Today's parents are less likely to chose a name from the most popular lists for their child with girls given more alternative names than boys.

'The first-time parents of today were likely to have grown up with several classmates with the same name as them, and so they are drawing on a wider range of more unique and creative names, for their children, and daughters especially.'

Charlotte and Oliver remain the country's most popular names for girls and boys respectively.

Both have been named number one for eight of the past 10 years, with only Olivia and Jack overtaking them for girls and boys on two occasions in the past.

Charlotte and Oliver remain as the country's most popular names for girls and boys respectively.

The top 10 baby boys' names in Australia in 2021 1. Oliver (2,138 occurrences) 2. Noah (1,844 occurrences) 3. William (1,500 occurrences) 4. Jack (1,414 occurrences) 5. Leo (1,326 occurrences) 6. Henry (1,290 occurrences) 7. Charlie (1,228 occurrences) 8. Thomas (1,193 occurrences) 9. Lucas (1,158 occurrences) 10. Elijah (1,126 occurences) Advertisement

The top 10 baby girls' names in Australia in 2021 1. Charlotte (1,556 occurrences) 2. Amelia (1,473 occurrences) 3. Olivia (1,456 occurrences) 4. Isla (1,397 occurrences) 5. Mia (1,287 occurrences) 6. Ava (1,237 occurrences) 7. Grace (1,083 occurrences) 8. Chloe (1,010 occurrences) 9. Willow (982 occurrences) 10. Matilda (971 occurrences) Advertisement

There were two surprising new entries in the top 10 for girls and boys: Matilda (10th) and Elijah (10th).

The top 10 girls' names for 2021 included the likes of Amelia (2nd), Olivia (3rd), Isla (4th) and Mia (5th).

The top baby boys' names also featured Noah (2nd), William (3rd), Jack (4th) and Leo (5th).

The name Matilda (10th) made its first appearance in the top 10 this year at the expense of Harper, while Elijah (10th) made an entrance into the list for boys, replacing James.

The baby boys' names with the greatest rise from 2010-2020 Leo (current rank 5; up from 86) Elijah (current rank 10; up from 48) Theodore (current rank 13; up from 83) Hudson (current rank 14; up from 79) Archer (current rank 23; up from 68) Harvey (current rank 24; up from 60) Arlo (current rank 33; up from 62) Hugo (current rank 34; up from 63) Advertisement

The baby girls' names with the greatest rise from 2010-2020 Willow (current rank 9; up from 65) Ivy (current rank 14; up from 53) Hazel (current rank 25; up from 63) Aria (current rank 28; up from 55) Audrey (current rank 31; up from 46) Violet (current rank 34; up from 58) Elsie (current rank 38; up from 53) Florence (current rank 39; up from 58) Advertisement

McCrindle also highlighted the monikers that have enjoyed the greatest rise between 2010 and 2020 and the names that have suffered the biggest fall in the past 10 years (stock image)

McCrindle also highlighted the monikers that have enjoyed the greatest rise between 2010 and 2020 and the names that have suffered the biggest fall in the past 10 years.

Willow, Hazel and Violet for little girls have all made significant leaps in the top 100 for girls, while Leo, Theodore and Hudson have become more popular for little boys born between 2010 and 2020.

Names that have experienced the biggest fall in rank over the past decade include Sarah, Maddison, Lara, Dylan, Matthew and Luke.

It was also bad news for lovers of the name Claire or Dylan; both of which have also suffered two of the biggest falls of the past decade.

The baby boys' names with the greatest fall from 2010-2020 Riley (current rank 47; down from 41) Daniel (current rank 58; down from 40) Matthew (current rank 75; down from 52) Luke (current rank 81; down from 49) Dylan (current rank 97; down from 61) Advertisement

The baby girls' names with the greatest fall from 2010-2020 Summer (current rank 71; down from 44) Maddison (current rank 82; down from 57) Lara (current rank 88; down from 48) Claire (current rank 90; down from 39) Sarah (current rank 91; down from 69) Advertisement

McCrindle researchers highlighted that the 'botanical' name trend is still a huge inspiration for parents of girls.

Of the top six girls' names that most significantly increased in popularity in the 2010s, three had a botanical theme: Willow, Ivy and Violet.

Meanwhile, the British Royal Family continue to capture the hearts of Australians, with thousands of parents opting to call their children Charlotte, William, Archie, Harry, George, Louis, Elizabeth and Charles after the key members.

'Among these new, emerging names we see the trends of girls' names ending in a vowel or vowel sound, and botanic influences and colours,' Ashley Fell said.

'We also see celebrity influences, with Luna growing in popularity since John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's daughter, Luna, was born in 2016.'

Ashley added: 'There is also the trend of shortening names and adding an "ie" on the end (for example Elsie, Millie and Sadie). Shorter boys' names ending an "o" (Leo, Hugo and Arlo) are also on the rise for Generation Alpha'.

To find out more about the top 100 names for baby boys and baby girls, you can visit the McCrindle website here.
Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo has revealed how he is 'working against' his heartthrob label after he was 'objectified overnight' for his appearance in the Netflix show.

The French actor, 33, shot to fame for his role as chef Gabriel in the hit comedy drama - but has now said the fan frenzy over his good looks has made him 'very self-aware' of his appearance.

The former model, from Nice, claimed he has often been pigeonholed due to his good looks and 'in France, they don't want good-looking', but 'broken faces' which have 'character'.

In an interview with The Times, he said that it's difficult to be perceived as intelligent or interesting if you are typically attractive and he is often type cast in roles like a 'dumb gym teacher'.

Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo has revealed how he is 'working against' his heartthrob label after he was 'objectified overnight' for his appearance in the Netflix show

He said: 'I'm, like, this objectified overnight thing.

'It made me very self-aware. Because when you think about that word and the people it encapsulates, you see always a healthy, good-looking, ripped person  and I'm not that.'

He explained that while he keeps in shape, his weight can fluctuate and that once in the heartthrob 'category' there is a lot of pressure to maintain appearances.

'I don't want to be perfect', he said. 'I've been working against that. In France, they don't want good-looking. They want broken faces.'

The former model, pictured in Monte Carlo in June, said that 'in France, they don't want good-looking', but 'broken faces' which have 'character'

He said that having character, intelligence and depth is often perceived with physical flaws rather than being 'aesthetically beautiful'.

Other upcoming work from the Hollywood hunk is Dean Craigs The Honeymoon and Anthony Fabians Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.

The last season of comedy drama Emily In Paris saw smouldering chef Gabriel shoot to fame after becoming entangled in a love triangle with protagonist Emily Cooper (Lily Collins).

Emily is an American 20-something from Chicago who lands a job for a French marketing company to help boost its social media strategy and ends up living next door to Gabriel.

Many viewers were taken with the French actor after the show's debut in October last year, with many taking to social media to comment on the actor's good looks and dubbing him the 'hot chef'

Many viewers were taken with the French actor after the show's debut in October last year, with many taking to social media to comment on the actor's good looks and dubbing him the 'hot chef'.

The series ended with Emily confessing her love for Gabriel, who was due to move to Normandy to open his own restaurant and had seemingly broken up with girlfriend Camille (Camille Razat).

However after revealing that he was actually planning on staying in Paris and had not broken up with his long-term girlfriend, and Emily decides to end the relationship as not to risk her friendship with Camille.

In the recent series, Emily is adjusting more to life in Paris and - in a bid to dampen any sexual tension with Gabriel - starts dating British banker Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) resulting in another love triangle.
An American influencer is set to swap homes with a Brit for New Year after being inspired by the classic 2006 rom-com The Holiday.

Grace Gagnon, 25, from Boston, Massachusetts, posted a viral TikTok earlier this month seeing if anyone would be willing to trade houses, and was flooded with responses.

Earlier this month Grace posted a video asking: 'Anyone in England want to switch places for the holiday? I have a studio apartment on Boston's water-front.''

She captioned it with 'Serious inquiries only, Bonus points if you have a hot, single brother' - in reference to Jude Law's character in the hit Christmas film.

After sifting through the thousands of offers, Grace, agreed to swap with Florence Patterson, 22, from Bath, Somerset.

Single Grace will fly to the UK on December 29 for a two-week West Country adventure, keeping her eyes peeled for romance - just like Cameron Diaz did in the Holiday.

Florence will jet off to Grace's waterfront home in Boston on 2nd January - and is also looking to find love.

An American influencer is set to swap homes with a Brit for New Year after being inspired by the classic 2006 rom-com The Holiday. Grace Gagnon (left) , 25, from Boston, Massachusetts, posted a viral TikTok earlier this month seeing if anyone would be willing to trade houses, and was flooded with responses. After sifting through the thousands of offers, Grace, agreed to swap with Florence Patterson (right) 22, from Bath, Somerset.

In the Nancy Meyers Christmas movie, following respective heartbreaks Surrey-based journalist Iris - played by Kate Winslet - swaps homes with Amanda, a movie producer from Hollywood. While in Surrey, Amanda finds romance with Iris's book editor brother, Graham (Jude Law), while Iris meets Miles (played by Jack Black) and dates him.

In the Nancy Meyers Christmas movie, following respective heartbreaks Surrey-based journalist Iris - played by Kate Winslet - swaps homes with Amanda, a movie producer from Hollywood.

While in Surrey, Amanda finds romance with Iris's book editor brother, Graham (Jude Law), while Iris meets Miles (played by Jack Black) and dates him.

Grace said: 'For the first few days, I couldn't stop shaking with excitement - this is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. I enjoy living life on a whim, however I have been feeling lately like my life has been stuck in a certain routine.

'It's serendipitous timing because I haven't been spontaneous since before the pandemic started. This experience is exactly what I've been craving!

'My trip isn't centred around falling in love - this is more just me living out an adventure.

'If I happen to meet someone along the way, it'll make everything even more exciting!'

Florence said: 'It has been lovely, she's absolutely hilarious, she's got the British sarcasm!

Single Grace will fly to the UK on December 29 for a two-week West Country adventure, keeping her eyes peeled for romance - just like Cameron Diaz did in the Holiday.

Florence (left, and right with her mum) will jet off to Grace's waterfront home in Boston on 2nd January

'We really get on which helps the whole situation.'

Florence is also single, and plans to focus her time on exploring a new city, but isn't ruling romance out.

She said: 'We'll see, but I think in this day and age I don't have plans for that, but Kate Winslet wasn't, was she?

'You never know what the future holds!'

The festive swap happened on December 8, Grace posted a TikTok saying 'Anyone in England want to switch places for the holiday? I have a studio apartment on Boston's water-front.''

She captioned it with 'Serious inquiries only, Bonus points if you have a hot, single brother.''

The festive swap happened on December 8, Grace (pictured) posted a TikTok saying 'Anyone in England want to switch places for the holiday? I have a studio apartment on Boston's water-front.''

Product marketing manager Grace said: 'I had just watched The Holiday on Thanksgiving with my mum.

'I was not expecting the video to blow up but, once I saw all the great messages the next morning, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to be spontaneous.'

Grace's video quickly went viral, amassing over three million views in a few days, and she was flooded with invitations from across the world.

She set up a questionnaire for those interested, and organised FaceTime calls with potential home swappers.

Not long after, Grace's video popped up on Florence's For You Page and she messaged her straight away on Instagram.

She said: 'I wanted to help, if it were to kick off I didn't want her to go somewhere not as nice.

Grace's video quickly went viral, amassing over three million views in a few days, and she was flooded with invitations from across the world. She set up a questionnaire for those interested, and organised FaceTime calls with potential home swappers. Not long after, Grace's video popped up on Florence's (pictured) For You Page and she messaged her straight away on Instagram.

'I didn't feel like I was ever going to get a reply but thankfully I did.'

Flo said: 'I received invitations to London, Glasgow, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and all over the US.

'But once Flo's invitation to Bath came in, it felt like a no-brainer.

'Now it just feels like I'm swapping homes with a good friend.'

She got a response a few hours later and the two quickly became friends.

Florence, a freelance virtual assistant, said: 'It was all happening so slowly but so quickly at the same time.

'Then it suddenly sunk in that, oh my gosh, we have to plan this!

'But we really got on, I see things written about her 'swapping with a stranger' and I have to think 'Oh, I'm the stranger!''

'It will be a quant little getaway but close enough to the city to walk in, and has a view of the whole of Bath,' said Florence.

Grace plans to visit the Roman Baths, watch the rugby and go shopping, but the self-described 'hopeless romantic' hopes this trip may also lead to a new love.

'After getting my heart broken one too many times, I treat it more delicately,' she said.

'I still crave that fairy tale romance, but I am cautious about who I want to experience that with.

'Hopefully, this experience will allow me to open up to love and romance like I used to.'

She wants to provide Florence with a list of her favourite bars and things to do, and introduce her to her friends so she doesn't have to be by herself for the holiday.

While Grace also does have an older brother, but sadly is already in a relationship.

Florence said: 'I've never done anything like this before, I was really spontaneous when I was young but post-COVID you've just got to grab life by the balls.

'If anyone else wants to do anything like this, then go for it - why not?'

Their trip is being sponsored by HomeExchange.com and sustainable luggage brand Solgaard.
Princess Diana's twin nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer have shared sweet tributes to their big sister Lady Kitty Spencer for her birthday today.

Kitty, whose star-studded Italian summer wedding to business tycoon Matthew Lewis, 62, in July was the social event of the year, turns 31 today and was wished a 'Happy Birthday' by her siblings on Instagram.

Her younger brother, Samuel Aitken, 18, son of Kitty's mother Victoria Aitken and her second husband Jonathan Aitken, also sent his well-wishes.

Society beauties Amelia and Eliza, both 29, who grew up in South Africa but moved to London with their boyfriends this summer, returned to Cape Town for Christmas, and have delighted their followers with plenty of snaps from their sunny holiday.

Princess Diana's twin nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer have shared sweet tributes to their big sister Lady Kitty Spencer for her 31st birthday today (pictured)

Her younger brother, Samuel Aitken (pictured with Kitty), 18, son of Kitty's mother Victoria Aitken and her second husband Jonathan Aitken, also sent his well-wishes

Society beauties Amelia and Eliza, both 29, who grew up in South Africa but moved to London with their boyfriends this summer, returned to Cape Town for Christmas, and have delighted their followers with plenty of snaps from their sunny holiday (pictured the twins on holiday with their friends)

Taking to Instagram today, Eliza shared a black-and-white throwback snap with her siblings and wrote: 'Happy Birthday to the best big sister in this world @Kitty.Spencer. I love and adore you more than you will ever know.'

Amelia, meanwhile, also posted a black-and-white photo from her childhood, alongside her sister Kitty.

'Happy Birthday to my best friend @Kitty.Spencer,' she wrote on the Instagram story. 'I love you more than you will ever know! The best big sister anyone would ever wish for.'

Sharing a second image, showing the three sisters dressed in glamorous, matching black ensembles, Amelia wrote: 'Our birthday girl.'

Amelia's fiance Greg Mallett also wished his sister-in-law a 'Happy Birthday', sharing an image with Kitty.

Sharing a second image (pictured), showing the three sisters dressed in glamorous, matching black ensembles, Amelia wrote: 'Our birthday girl.'

Amelia's fiance Greg Mallett also wished his sister-in-law a 'Happy Birthday', sharing an image with Kitty (pictured)

He wrote: 'There she is. @Kitty.Spencer The beautiful princess. I love you with all my heart.'

Amelia, who is the daughter of Earl Spencer and first cousin of Princes William and Harry, announced her engagement to her real estate beau of 11 years in July 2020.

Lady Kitty Spencer's twin sisters have enjoyed a fun-filled few days in South Africa after returning to Cape Town for Christmas.

Society beauties Amelia and Eliza are following in the footsteps of their older sister, Kitty, who has forged a career in modelling after becoming a firm fixture on the London social scene.

However the twins, who moved to the capital earlier this year, returned to their hometown to enjoy the week before the festive holiday with friends.

Samuel, who recently signed with 20 Model Management, posed up a storm on Instagram earlier this week as he shared snaps from South Africa (pictured)

Lady Kitty Spencer 's twin sisters have enjoyed a fun-filled few days in South Africa after returning to Cape Town for Christmas. Pictured left, Amelia with her real estate beau of 11 years

Posting on their Instagram pages, the siblings have shared pool shots of their glamorous lodgings.

They have two half-sisters and a half-brother from their father's second and third marriages, and a half-brother from their mother's second marriage.

Earlier this year, the pair were hailed by society bible Tatler as among the hottest and most elegant socialite siblings from across the world who are used to moving in the same circles as supermodels, aristocrats and royals.

They were ranked among others as one of the most glamorous sets of twins on the elite social scene.

The sisters have an unbreakable bond as twins, with Lady Amelia telling Tatler she and Lady Eliza have always been close and are 'very similar'.

'We love doing the same things and share the same friends,' she said. 'You're guaranteed to have a best friend there always  you can't really compare it to anything else.'
Justin Stebbing is a world-renowned cancer specialist, whose brilliance earned him a professorship and the role of head of oncology at Imperial College Healthcare Trust before the age of 40.

Widely regarded as one of the most talented people in his field, he has carried out ground-breaking research not just into cancer but other diseases, recently identifying one of the best Covid treatments, for example.

Hes also a clinical doctor, loved by his patients and credited by many for having saved their lives after other doctors had given up hope.

But on December 20, a medical disciplinary tribunal suspended him for nine months.

As a result, Professor Stebbing, 50, will not only be unable to care for his 150 patients, but may also lose his contract with Imperial in London.

Justin Stebbing is a world-renowned cancer specialist, whose brilliance earned him a professorship and the role of head of oncology at Imperial College Healthcare Trust before the age of 40

This would put at risk research programmes that include pioneering work on the genetic make-up of cancer cells, which could improve our understanding of risk factors for the disease, and a study that could lead to a blood test for breast cancer.

After the nine months, he will have to demonstrate [to the tribunal] how he has bridged the gaps in insight and remediated fully.

So how is it that a man so valued by patients and colleagues that he was nicknamed God now finds his career on the brink?

His fall from grace began in 2017, when an anonymous whistleblower sent a dossier to the General Medical Council (GMC), alleging that he had unnecessarily tried to save dying patients in a manner that was fundamentally inconsistent with their best interests.

Its taken four years for the GMCs disciplinary system to investigate the professor and take him through its hearings process, during which time he was suspended by HCA Healthcare, a private health firm for which he also worked.

Last month, the GMCs Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel ruled that his behaviour had breached the very core of the Hippocratic Oath, and that his fitness to practise was impaired.

The tribunal added that the Oxford-trained doctor had been cavalier and prepared to sanction futile treatment. He admitted 30 of 36 charges, and was found guilty of three others.

The charges included failing to keep proper records, failing to gain informed consent for treatment from patients, and continuing to treat patients when it was medically futile.

In reflection statements he submitted to the tribunal, Professor Stebbing said he had learned many lessons  but insisted that at all times I was working to save lives.

He described the hearing as a deeply humbling, chastening . . . experience and added: I am sorry I made so many mistakes.

The case against Professor Stebbing was based on 12 patients histories. The hearing heard harrowing details of the last days of these patients, many of whom had sought him out after their own doctors had told them there was no more that could be done.

However, as his lawyer pointed out, five of these cases were originated by AXA medical insurance. In only two of those cases had the patients family or their solicitor complained.

As the hearing progressed, hundreds of supporters  families and patients hed treated either on the NHS or privately  rallied to Professor Stebbings cause, believing his prosecution was unjust.

Support: Harriet IAnson, with son Padraic, was treated by Prof Stebbing during pregnancy

Separately, lawyers for Professor Stebbing handed the tribunal 1,000 pages of testimonials from 366 patients, or their family members, and medical colleagues.

Among those appalled at Professor Stebbings prosecution are leading medical professionals, such as Dr Alan Barge, a cancer specialist who worked for 12 years at AstraZeneca. As the pharma giants head of oncology, he was responsible for developing Iressa, a breakthrough drug to treat advanced lung cancer.

As a qualified oncologist, I get contacted by people at least twice a week asking for advice on getting expert help for cancer, Dr Barge told Good Health. I often referred them to Professor Stebbing, as he would take on patients whod been considered at the end of the road treatment-wise and without hope.

A close relative of my wife was offered palliative care five years ago, as she was expected to die. She had a rare malignant tumour of the uterus.

She went to see Professor Stebbing, who decoded the complex genetic type of her tumour and found it was caused by a BRCA mutation [usually seen in cancers of the breast and ovaries].

Professor Stebbing realised that, regardless of its location, her cancer may be treatable using olaparib, a new drug developed for BRCA-related breast cancer. So he trialled it on her, with her full consent and understanding.

Today, she is alive and five years free of disease.

Dr Barge describes the professor as a brilliant scientist and clinician who can take new scientific drug data and apply it in clinics, and then bring the insights hes learnt clinically back to the lab to hone the drugs development.

I would struggle to find anyone else with that ability, says Dr Barge. Hes been uniquely able to examine lost cause patients individual cancers and investigate whether drugs that are used in other settings can help them, even though the drugs arent yet licensed or approved for their cancers.

He works experimentally, at the very edge of our knowledge. Thats what makes him invaluable to patients, says Dr Barge. The world needs him to push scientific boundaries. Instead, the GMC is pursuing this brilliant man who has saved many lives, rather than a host of others who have let lives slip away by following obsolete treatment guidelines.

Renowned medics and scientists from the UK and around the world wrote in support of Professor Stebbing, stressing the loss to both patients and science if he were unable to work.

Joel Blankson, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the U.S., told the Mail: He is an outstanding physician-scientist. His career is unusual in that he has made major contributions to cancer, HIV and Covid research.

The breadth of his innovative, multi-disciplinary research is best illustrated by the fact that he used an artificial intelligence programme to identify baricitinib as a potential drug for the treatment of Covid-19, due to its dual anti-viral/anti-inflammatory properties. Professor Stebbing led global studies that showed that the drug reduced mortality in Covid patients with pneumonia  which led to the drug being authorised in the U.S.

This is a brilliant example of a scientist going from bench to bedside, says Professor Blankson. His work has saved many lives . . . something most physician-scientists can only hope to accomplish.

Another eminent expert, Siddhartha Mukherjee, a professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Cancer Research Center in the U.S., wrote in a testimonial that it would be a tremendous loss to the field of medicine if Professor Stebbing was not allowed to continue his work.

Very few people have achieved what he has been able to achieve as a professor, doctor and researcher, he wrote. Yet this very success might have played a role in Professor Stebbings undoing.

Nicolas Beechey-Newman, a breast cancer surgeon in London told the tribunal: Justin Stebbing has probably achieved more than any other medical oncologist in the UK by a large margin. Perhaps his success has led to professional jealousy and his fault is that he should have been aware of this and managed it better.

The hearing lambasted Professor Stebbing as coldly arrogant, and described as deeply troubling his statement that you only know when treatment is not succeeding when the patient dies.

Dr Barge defends him: Clinical colleagues can find him aloof and distant, often because his thinking is so far ahead of theirs. But hes exactly the opposite with patients. He is extraordinarily competent and caring.

Harriet IAnson, 41, a Gloucestershire-based solicitor and mother of three, agrees.

Professor Stebbing is the complete opposite of whats been reported from the tribunal, she daidl.

Her father consulted Professor Stebbing when he had advanced oesophageal cancer.

He went to him as the last-chance saloon, says Harriet. My father died, as was not unexpected, in October 2012. But Professor Stebbing had been very clear on the chances of the treatment working, as it was a race against time involving a very far advanced cancer.

My father accepted that Professor Stebbing most likely would not save him. But he wanted to go out fighting, and he got that choice, she says.

Professor Stebbings patients have mental capacity and are intelligent people. Its their decision whether they want to continue with out-of-the-box treatment. That was very much my fathers approach.

When Harriet was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer while pregnant with son, Padraic, she, too, turned to the professor.

Shed had a mastectomy and radiotherapy, but after that I was on my own as far as the hospital was concerned, she says.

I found it really hard to cope. Having lost a previous baby to stillbirth, she says: I had already been parted from one child and was terrified I would leave my other children without a mother.

I transferred my care to Professor Stebbing and he was so amazingly kind. Every time I felt a lump hed examine it straight away  even at weekends.

Hes not a friend  hes my doctor, she stresses. But he was kindness and empathy personified. All that time he was going through the GMC trial, but he gave no hint of that.

The families of those treated by Professor Stebbing talk gratefully of the extra time they were able to have with their loved ones, thanks to his work.

Among them is the husband of actress Lynda Bellingham. Her widower, Michael Pattemore, told the Mail in October: I feel its thanks to Justin I had Lynda for an extra 15 months. And for that I will always be grateful.

Kash Kamal, a financial adviser to international health authorities, is another fan of Professor Stebbings care.

His wife, Sabina, was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2013, which spread to her lungs. She was written off by doctors, who wanted to put her on end-of-life palliative care and said she would last only three months at most.

In desperation, Mr Kamal consulted former colleagues at The London Clinic. They all pointed to Professor Stebbing, he says.

The professor decided to use a cutting-edge therapy being pioneered in the U.S. but not yet in Britain. This was immunotherapy, which recruits the patients own immune defences to kill cancer cells.

Professor Stebbing wrote to my wifes insurer, Bupa, asking it to fund new immunotherapy drugs, says Mr Kamal. They accepted this. Afterwards, her tumours were minuscule.

Professor Stebbings care extended my wifes life from three months to more than six years. Thats a long time for a cancer of the lung.

At that point the couple went back to see Professor Stebbing but he said he was under investigation and could not treat her. Sabina died in February aged 52. Her widower says: I know she loved Professor Stebbing very much, and so do I.

Mr Kamal says of the tribunal result: I thought this was a disgrace. I had to do something, I posted on LinkedIn that I would protest to the GMC and quickly got 112 responses from others  senior people in huge organisations.

There is no doubt Professor Stebbing is a caring, talented doctor. But the tribunal found in the 12 cases, his behaviour amounted to misconduct. And while it was not Professor Stebbings intention to cause harm, he ordered futile treatment after failing to give the desperately ill patients a realistic assessment of their prognosis.

The tribunal, however, rejected the GMCs suggestion he should be struck off, saying the nine-month suspension would adequately and proportionately address the misconduct, and that given the particular circumstances of this case, there is a public interest in permitting Professor Stebbing to return to practice as soon as possible.

Many others hope so, too. In his evidence, Mr Beechey-Newman said Professor Stebbing has been through a personal hell during this overly protracted enquiry.

While the result of the hearing is not as bad as it could have been, Professor Karol Sikora, a former head of the World Health Organisation cancer programme, said: I think Professor Stebbing is resilient and can recover from this, but he will never be the same again. The GMCs process has been totally unfair and I think its been a witch-hunt.

Deliberately selecting 12 patients from the 500-plus that were looked at was very unfair, he added. You could do that to any doctor by picking out the few cases where the treatment just didnt work. Todays ruling could have a huge adverse impact on future British cancer patients.

Asked to comment on the criticisms aired here, a GMC spokesperson said: Our regulatory fitness to practice function serves to protect patients from future harm, not to punish doctors.

Our submission to the Tribunal for erasure [to be struck off] was made after carefully assessing the seriousness of their findings and the potential impact of the doctors actions on patient safety and public confidence.

Professor Stebbings many supporters and medical colleagues would argue that public confidence is exactly what he enjoys.

An Imperial spokesman said: It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.

Five of the best post-fall and post-operation aids

If youve had a fall or injured a limb, you might need some help managing day-to-day activities. We asked Sammy Margo, a physiotherapist based in London, for the best gadgets to help make life easier.

HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE STROLLEY KITCHEN TROLLEY

69.95, aids4mobility.co.uk

EXPERT VERDICT: This trolley on wheels has clip-on trays and is a great device to help you regain confidence walking around your home after a fall. You can adjust the height and the trays clip on and off so you could take your hot drink safely between rooms. I wouldnt use this as an alternative to a walking aid as it is not designed for that, but it can help build confidence while recovering.

ETAC FOOD PREPARATION BOARD

49, manageathome.co.uk

EXPERT VERDICT: This chopping board has a vice-type adjustable system on one side that can hold and support food while youre chopping it, allowing you to be more independent in the kitchen. This is ideal for people who have to chop or slice with one hand  due to a broken or fractured wrist, for instance.

LIMBO WATERPROOF PROTECTOR

12.95, limboproducts.co.uk

EXPERT VERDICT: A shower cover is helpful for carrying out your usual washing routine if youre protecting a leg wound or cast after a fall. It consists of a plastic covering with a neoprene seal (a synthetic rubber) which prevents leakage. It takes a bit of getting used to but is great for your independence, at a good price, too. As well as this one for the lower leg, there are others for different parts of the body including arms, knees and elbows. These come in several sizes, and are easy to use.

STRIDEON KNEE WALKER

To rent from 16.50 per week, strideon.co.uk

EXPERT VERDICT: Just like a scooter but with bigger wheels and with the platform around your knee height instead of being near the floor, this would be great for anyone recovering from a lower leg injury such as a broken ankle, or any foot surgery.

It can help you get around and has extra padding on the knee platform which could help avoid loading further weight on the joint.

It is lightweight, foldable and has five wheels, which makes it more stable than similar devices.

TACKLIFE FOLDABLE GRABBER PICK-UP TOOL

19.99, manomano.co.uk

EXPERT VERDICT: This lightweight grabber is fantastic for anyone who cant bend down to reach or grab items with their hands. Unlike most grabbers this one offers an extra joint in the arm.

It can bend, so you can access areas that would otherwise be more tricky to reach  such as under the bed.

ALICE JAFFe
For more than a year, I have been plagued by cold calls and spam emails. Like most people, I usually just hang up on nuisance callers. But these werent just dodgy salesman or scammers trying their luck.

Many were calling from reputable energy firms, and one was even a major charity. Yet Id never been a customer and certainly hadnt signed up for sales calls.

So how on earth had they got my mobile number  and why did they think they had permission to call me?

Money Mail editor Victoria Bischoff has been plagued by unwanted sales calls for more than a year (file picture)

Someone must be handing out my contact details  no doubt for a tidy profit  and I wanted to know who.

On the trail of the mystery phone pests

It began with a phone call from Scottish Power while on holiday in Devon in October 2020. Surprised to receive a cold call on my mobile, I asked the salesman how he had got my number. But he refused to say and my request for a callback from a manager was ignored.

I might have let it go, but around the same time I was also being bombarded with spam emails from a host of companies Id never heard of. One firm, Job Crown, sent 11 emails in just three days.

Many had an old postcode in the subject line along with phrases such as urgent employment or applicants requested.

Another firm, called Super Savvy Me, sent 19 emails  11 of which were reminding me to confirm my password. Yet I had never heard of the firm nor opened an account.

Something fishy was going on, so I asked each company how they had got my email address. Under data protection laws  General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR  you are entitled to know what data companies hold on you and where they got it from.

You can request this information by making a so-called subject access request. But getting answers is far from easy. And I soon found myself down a rabbit hole.

Take Job Crown, for example. It claimed to have got my email address from a company called Prize Reactor, who in turn said it had received my details from its partner site, The Secret For You.

From there, I was directed to the site owner, Response Concepts  which then pointed me to data collector, Green Flamingo.

Five tips to protect your details 1. Use two emails Create a second email account to use when shopping online and registering for services. That way only a few essential firms have your primary email address. 2. Opt out You should opt out of marketing communications with any firm you dont want to hear from. The Telephone Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association and Mailing Preference Service all let you remove yourself from databases. 3. Minimise cookies When you visit a website for the first time, you will be asked to accept cookies. Some of these are necessary, like functional cookies that store login details, but many share your personal information. Always choose the minimum option. 4. The name trick Misspell your name or use capitals when sharing data with sites you are concerned about. This way, it is significantly harder for scammers to steal your identity. 5. Withhold data Only fill out essential fields in online forms so less information is at risk and avoid ticking the third parties box that allows firms to share your data.

Is your head spinning yet?

When Green Flamingo eventually handed over all the data it held on me, it was clear something was amiss. It claimed I had participated in two contests organised for a website called The Secret For You  which seems to be an online clothes store.

One on October 9 at 5.20am and another on October 21 at 19.56. There was the first clue that it wasnt me.

There is no way on earth Id be awake at 5.20am, let alone messing about on my phone or computer.

The firm also provided two different dates of birth for me  neither of which was close to accurate.

And the postcode given was more than a decade out of date. Plus Id never lived at the house number on record.

Green Flamingo also supplied two IP addresses, 12-digit codes that identify what device was used to access the internet. After Googling What is my IP address, I found neither matched my own.

So, of all the data it held, only my name, email address and mobile phone number were correct.

It was clear someone else had entered my details into the website  but who?

And why was this website permitted to share my contact information with whoever it fancied?

Uncovering a tangled web

Green Flamingo said that by providing my data I had also given consent for it to be used for marketing purposes and to be contacted by third parties  which is where Scottish Power came back into the picture.

It turns out the energy giant had also sourced my details from the website The Secret For You.

Scottish Power said it contracts data firms to provide leads that give it permission to contact people about its services.

These leads are generated when a person has visited a particular website.

It pointed me to Response Concepts, which describes itself as a lead generation agency that acquires opt-in data on behalf of its clients from data collection companies  such as Green Flamingo.

A spokesman suggested that someone else had used my information to sign up to these websites.

A check on the website, Have I Been Pwned, which tells you if your details have been leaked, shows that my email address has been involved in 11 separate data breaches. So it wouldnt be difficult for someone to find.

Im not suggesting any of the firms named here are the guilty party. But it does raise concerns as to what checks are carried out to ensure data is accurate and legally obtained before being sold on.

Know your rights: Under data protection laws you are entitled to know what data companies hold on you and where they got it from

Going round in circles

Meanwhile, Id also gone to battle with another energy firm, Utilita, after receiving a call out of the blue in January.

After some back and forth, I received a call from a very friendly man called Ian who works for a firm called Lead365  which is the data processor responsible for delivering information to Utilita.

Ironically, to find out how the energy firm had come to get my personal details, I had to pass strict privacy checks.

But as they, too, had the wrong date of birth and an out-of-date address, this involved a frustrating guessing game.

It turns out Utilita had also gathered my information from a number of websites  including, you guessed it, The Secret For You, along with another called hnm.uk-freebies.com.

Ian said he thought it was most likely that an automated bot had scraped information from social media sites to fill in the gaps needed to create a full data profile.

It may have then merged this with correct information, including my phone number and email address, which was why some details were old or wrong.

He added it was unlikely someone was doing it to make money as they would only be paid fractions of pennies for selling this type of data.

By now, more calls were flooding in and I was also receiving endless emails from a firm called CashbackDiscount  most of which are addressed to someone called Sean Shaw.

Yet despite explaining that is not my name and I did not sign up, I continued to receive emails for weeks after alerting the firm.

Pretending to be me, but who?

The call from Octopus Energy was perhaps the most baffling.

The firm said my contact details had been provided by a lead agency called Choose Leads, which claimed I had entered an online competition to win a Kitchen Aid gadget on February 23.

I was also told someone had used an Associated Newspapers IP address to access the website, Quiztionnaire.

Yet a quick call to our IT department revealed the IP address was definitely not one of ours. Experts tell me IP addresses can be spoofed, so any computer could have been used to access the website.

Plus, I was in bed that day recovering from Covid, so wasnt using a work computer to enter online competitions. The date of birth and address registered on the site were also incorrect.

It later emerged a mistake had been made. Octopus said that my details had in fact been entered in a competition to win 500 of North Face vouchers run by data controller Qubiq on February 23.

Further checks revealed the data had been inputted manually rather by a computer bot  which would mean someone is masquerading as me. But who?

I had also received a call from Diabetes UK around the same time. The charity said it had been given my details by a lead generator Membrain, which had sourced them from a competition website at 3.18am (!) on the same date.

Why are these major firms checking our credit ratings? Weexpect companies to search our credit files when we apply for a loan or insurance quote  but why are they searching the records of people who arent their customers? I tried to answer this question after discovering a host of insurers Id never used had accessed my credit file multiple times over an 18-month period. They all performed soft searches, where firms check your file to see your credit rating or verify your identity without it affecting your score. Under Data Protection Act rules, everyone has a right to know what data is being collected about them, how it is used and whether it is shared with third parties But when credit reference agency Experian contacted the insurers on my behalf to ask why they were looking at my file, they just deleted the search records and refused to say more. Under Data Protection Act rules, everyone has a right to know what data is collected about them and how it is used, so I tried asking the insurers. After approaching the AA, I was finally told it had been given my information by comparison site Moneysupermarket  which I hadnt used in years. Insurer First Central said the same. So I made a subject access request to find out what information Moneysupermarket held about me. Eventually, I received documents showing it held a record of the main details of my personal life going back to 2010, including everywhere I had lived, cars Id owned, my jobs, salaries, education status and even whether I was single. Most of this data was based on searches Id made more than five years ago  but after yet more identity checks, it turned out my husband used the site to search for car insurance in 2019 and listed me as a named driver. When using the site, customers are asked to tick a box to accept its terms and conditions. But many wont realise that by doing so the firm can hold, access and share your data for years after, even if you do not buy a policy. Moneysupermarkets terms are in the small print of an 8,000-word privacy policy. Consumer rights expert Martyn James says our data is incredibly valuable to insurers. It helps them target customers to market products but it also helps them profile drivers to refine their premium pricing, he explains. A Moneysupermarket.com spokesperson says: We place the highest importance on our customers privacy . . . It is down to the primary policyholder inputting additional driver details to seek consent for the additional data.

So is all this legal?

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced in 2018 to give people more control over how organisations use their data.

But there are grey areas that are open to interpretation. And your information can still be shared with third parties even if you do not give explicit consent. Instead, firms can claim they have a legitimate interest in doing so.

This is what might allow a competition website to legally share your data with its partners for related marketing purposes.

Firms are still obliged to abide by a check list of strict rules  such as ensuring the wording is clear and making it easy to opt out.

They are also not permitted to use pre-ticked boxes or any other method of default consent such as vague small print.

Yet when I showed two of the competitions I had allegedly entered to GDPR expert Mark Gracey, he expressed concerns.

I would say the fact that they want to share your data with third-parties that dont necessarily relate to the competition is not clear and relies on you to specifically read their privacy policy, he says.

There is no obvious way for you to unsubscribe  and GDPR requires opt-out to be as easy as opting-in. GDPR also requires that consent is freely given and refusing is not detrimental. So arguably, you should be able to enter the competition without your data being shared, he adds.

Firms are also prohibited from making marketing calls or sending emails and text messages without your permission under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

Those who break the rules face fines of up to 500,000 and company directors can be held personally liable.

The Information Commissioners Office logged 60,363 complaints about nuisance calls and texts between April and September, and 130,046 about emails.

The law also states that if you request not to be called again, the firm should remove your details from its marketing lists.

And you can add your number to the Telephone Preference Service (tpsonline.org.uk).

This means a company cannot contact you unless they have express permission  though this wont stop calls from fraudsters.

But James Walker, chief executive of Rightly, a firm that helps customers manage their data, says: The Government needs to change the outdated Data Protection Act and force companies to be more transparent about how they use consumer information and to treat personal data more fairly.

A firm called Super Savvy Me, sent Victoria 14 emails - 11 of which were reminding her to confirm her password. Yet she had never heard of the firm nor opened an account

What was my outcome?

After investigating for more than a year, Im sadly little closer to discovering exactly who has been giving out my contact details.

Most firms were reasonably quick to respond to subject access requests stating how they got hold of my data.

But when I pointed out the details were incorrect and that I had not given out the information, most went quiet. They just said that they had done their due diligence and that was that.

And as you can see from my experience, you end up being passed back and forth between them.

Its clear we need far more transparency around how our details are traded. At present, as this sorry saga shows, once your data is out there, it could end up in anyones hands.

What the firms said

A Scottish Power spokesman says: We treat this matter seriously and therefore would like to thank Mrs Bischoff for bringing this to our attention and we are now carrying out our own investigation.

A Utilita spokesman said: Our best practice methods far exceed the legal obligations that we are required to meet.

A Diabetes UK spokesman apologises and says that no one should receive a cold call from the charity.

Choose Leads, which provided Octopus Energy with my information, says it takes compliance very seriously, and takes steps to ensure any sources of data and collection websites comply with ICO guidelines.

Response Concepts says it performs strict due diligence on its partners to ensure their methods are reliable  and that what happened to me is rare.

A spokesman for Octopus says analysis indicates my data was collected in a compliant manner, but that the firm would not be renewing its telesales agency contacts when they came to an end.

Green Flamingo did not respond to requests for a comment.

v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk
Bernie Madoff, who died in an American jail in April, is regarded as the high priest of modern Ponzi schemes.

He paid those who entrusted their money to his asset management firm a 1 per cent income every month come rain or shine, and offered a money-back guarantee, plus capital returns, on demand.

The steady and excess rewards were made possible because Madoff used the cash in his notional 15billion of funds from new investors to pay off the old.

Fools gold: Unlike, say, investment in shares and bonds, bitcoin makes no contribution to the greater economic or public good

When the financial crisis scared investors to death and many demanded their money back at the same time, he was exposed as a rogue.

In spite of the glorious ride enjoyed by investors in bitcoin, who saw the price soar to $68,000 on November 8 before it dropped back to $48,000 towards the end of the year, this column has stubbornly refused to endorse it as a safe place to invest.

An aura of respectability provided by its adoption by the Central American republic of El Salvador as an official currency and backing from Elon Musk failed to convince me of its durability.

It must be acknowledged that fortunes have been made by early adopters and those smart enough to take profits on the way up.

Central bankers have been sceptical from the start. Former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, appearing on CNBC, likened it to the flimsy currencies that proliferated in the US during and after the American civil war of 1861-65 and eventually disappeared.

On a visit to London last month James Gorman, Aussie chairman of investment bankers Morgan Stanley, said that rather than $60,000 (the prevailing price) he doubted it was worth sixty dollars.

Academic scepticism about bitcoin is increasing. Boston University senior fellow Robert McCauley, in a blog posted on FT Alphaville, argues that comparing bitcoin to a Ponzi scheme is unfair to Ponzi schemes!

People buy into bitcoin in expectation of handsome returns. That expectation is sustained by the profits of those who cash out. But there is no external source of income.

As in a classic Ponzi scheme old investors cashing out only do so at the expense of new money coming in.

Unlike, say, investment in shares and bonds, bitcoin makes no contribution to the greater economic or public good.

Moreover, whereas legal processes have led to the recovery of $14billion, or 70 per cent of lost funds for early Madoff investors, there is no possibility of the last bitcoin savers ever recovering their capital. Bitcoin is a scam that will only end in tears.

Merry-go-round

Asset managers, pension funds and wealthy family offices are attracted to private equity by superior returns.

There have been some spectacular successes. Blackstones quick flip of trading platform and financial data powerhouse Refinitiv to the London Stock Exchange is a case in point.

The remaking of Worldpay under the tutelage of Advent and Philip Jansen (now at BT) is another.

As we report today, private equity also is bringing new capital into global sporting enterprises ranging from Liverpool FC to Six Nations rugby.

Not all the cash hits useful targets. In 2021 some 31billion of private equity deals consisted of partners selling corporate assets from funds to new portfolio companies.

This apparently allows partners to return cash to earlier-stage investors.

Needless to say it can also be profitable for private equity principals who collect carried interest, usually a 20 per cent share of transaction values, as they pass Go.

Doesnt the concept of using new funds to pay off old have a familiar ring?
Once again, it has been a million-pound year for Money Mail readers as weve fought your corner in the face of crumbling customer service.

With victories ranging from a few pounds to tens of thousands, weve forced firms and government bodies to treat their customers with respect, winning back 1.14 million in total.

Our Wooden Spoon awards have highlighted how the same old organisations dodge their responsibilities week in, week out.

In some cases, the malaise runs deep, as senior management use Covid as an excuse to force customers online, ignore phone calls and letters, and refuse face-to-face meetings.

In your corner: With victories ranging from a few pounds to tens of thousands, we've forced companies and government bodies to treat their customers with respect, winning back 1.14m

Elderly and vulnerable customers can now find it impossible to gain access to services without delving into complex technology which can leave them dangerously exposed to fraud.

But the most shocking cases this year have all involved the callous treatment of bereaved people.

Why would Barclaycard tell a widowed 81-year-old that she must apply for a new card online after her husband of 62 years died? Without computer skills, she felt abandoned by her bank in her hour of greatest need.

How did Barclays incorrectly tell grieving children that they could not have access to their deceased fathers account to pay for funeral expenses?

And why did Legal & General go into nit-picking overdrive when a desperately ill man was attempting to get a 40,000 terminal illness claim paid? Its pettifogging delays meant he died before the payment was made, leaving his grieving widow to pick up the fight.

There has been the usual slew of bank blunders. Money Mails biggest win of the year was 280,000 for a man whose life savings went missing after he sold his home.

He needed the money for his next property, but it was lost following a series of errors by banks and building societies. It was finally tracked down after we intervened.

Energy companies have excelled themselves in their ability to add complaints to my mailbox.

Among the more jaw-dropping cases was Scottish Power continuing to take a monthly direct debit of 255 after someone had moved out of their house in October 2019 following a fire.

Despite its customers protests, it then increased the debit to 319 at the start of this year.

After I intervened, it still took two months for 3,600 to be refunded.

In a separate case, Scottish Power refunded a customer 10,000 made up of 7,122 overpayments, 675 interest and 2,203 compensation after taking erroneous meter readings since February 2014.

One point of which all customers should take note came up in a dispute involving British Gas.

It had failed to read a meter for almost two years, despite having been told a smart meter was not working. Clearly, back-billing rules should apply.

These state that a company should not charge for more than a year in arrears as long as customers have co-operated with readings.

However, British Gas told me this reduction must be applied manually. Hence it took my intervention for the arrears bill to be reduced by 300 before being wiped out with a 253 goodwill gesture.

Occasionally, we are taken by surprise. We are often sent details of old savings passbooks or insurance policies, which are usually worth pennies or turn out to have been cashed in years ago.

But when I looked into policies dating back to the 1960s for a widow who had been trying to get Reassure to examine them for months, the result was astonishing.

A search of microfiche records revealed these investments should have paid an income for many years  and further investigation uncovered another policy, resulting in a payout of 43,000.

Fraud is, of course, a permanent part of the landscape  as is the reluctance of banks to honour their commitments.

We were forced to take Barclays to task when it ignored rules introduced in May 2019 by failing to refund a 49,500 mortgage deposit stolen in a bank transfer scam.

The customer had taken reasonable care but was outwitted by sophisticated criminals. Barclays added 877 redress.

Fear of fraud can instil panic when we believe our money has vanished. This happened to one reader attempting to transfer an investment Isa from Barclays Smart Investor to Fundsmith.

Both firms left their 83-year-old customer and her money in a Bermuda Triangle. The problem was slow service and a cheque with the wrong name on it, but no one had the wit to sort it out before I banged heads together.

The 18,000 eventually moved, months late, with an extra 2,500 in compensation and investment growth from Barclays, and 350 from Fundsmith.

HMRC made some appearances, too. One case was a recurring problem from last year, when a doctors receptionist was allocated the details of a higher paid colleague with the same name. The result was a hugely inflated tax bill.

One error is forgivable, but when the same error was repeated the following year, it looked careless.

Another surprise was how easy it is for banks to stop sending vital information to customers without making a decent attempt to check their address.

One reader fell foul of Santander after Royal Mail returned its letters, even though they were correctly addressed.

Rather than attempting to contact the customer by phone or email, Santander simply stopped sending bank and credit card statements.

Another reader stopped receiving his pension for the same reason. Again, no attempt had been made to contact him another way.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing I have noticed lately is that companies increasingly expect we wont write about them once they have resolved an issue, or think they can avoid adverse publicity by not commenting on cases.

What seems to bypass them is that the only reason we have to become involved is because their customer service operations have failed. No one writes to Money Mail without first trying to resolve an issue themselves.

Treat your customers with respect and your names wont appear in Ask Tony, unless it is to receive a worthy pat on the back.

Covid has brought home the importance of reading insurance smallprint, but this is not only important for travel cover.

E-bikes are becoming more popular, but would your insurance cover yours if it was stolen? RSA refused a claim on a stolen e-bike while paying out on a mountain bike.

The decision and policy exclusion seemed daft to me, so I checked my own policy and found I would have been covered by my insurer in similar circumstances.

But can anything match the utter daftness of Aviva? Last month, my house insurance payment didnt go through because I had received a new credit card to replace a lost one.

Aviva sent a letter asking me to call a number which, when dialled, told me they dont take phone calls and to email via the website instead!

So basically, whoever is in charge of Aviva customer service is too lazy to update this letter template that presumably goes out to thousands of customers, instead making them waste their time calling a number that offers only an automated message. Poor.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
The boss of Ryanair has lashed out at regulators for failing to take action against online travel agents.

Michael OLeary claims the firms overcharge customers for flights and prevent airlines contacting them directly with refund information.

He has reported the online pirates to the Civil Aviation Authority and Competition and Markets Authority, but says that they are not interested in protecting customers.

Complaints: Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary claims online travel agents overcharge customers for flights and prevent airlines contacting them directly with refund information

Mr OLeary estimates that between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of Ryanair flights are booked via an online travel agency, amounting to as many as 25 million passengers a year.

He says they are often charged a premium for the flight as well as higher fees for extras, including baggage and seat reservations.

Yet when customers make the payment, some agents then transfer the cost of the flight to Ryanair using a virtual credit card and made-up email address, rather than the passengers real details, he explains.

So when flights are later amended or cancelled and the information is sent to the email addresses on file, customers do not receive it.

Customers may also not receive a full refund because Ryanair only repays the cost of the flight, leaving passengers battling online agents for any extras.

In December last year, Money Mail revealed how some online travel agents were charging twice the amount for flights and deducting fees from refunds.

One Ryanair flight from London to Edinburgh cost 32.99 on lastminute.com  a 138 per cent increase on the price paid when booking direct with the airline.

And another agent, eSky, charged 40 per cent more for a return flight to Lanzarote.

The Competition and Markets Authority would not comment on whether it was investigating but says that it will consider any evidence it receives.

The Civil Aviation Authority did not respond to requests for comment.

a.murray@dailymail.co.uk
Paraguay's health officials confirmed the country's first three cases of the Omicron variant after three vaccinated 18-year-old boys returned from vacationing in Cancun.

The three individuals were tested upon arriving from the Mexican resort town on December 17, the Health Ministry said Monday.

Each of the teens drew positive tests for the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant on Wednesday.

All three boys are quarantining, Health Ministry Director Sandra Irala said during a press conference.

Paraguay reported its first three Omicron variant cases on Monday after three teens arrived from vacationing in Cancun, Mexico. The three boys were tested December 17 upon their return from the resort city and all drew positive tests last Wednesday

A woman is tested for COVID-19 at a screening drive-thru in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Monday

Boxes containing some of the one million doses of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 donated by the United States arrive at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, in Luque, Paraguay, on July 9

Irala also added that at least 46 other people who traveled to Cancun, including the boys' family members, have been tested for the coronavirus.

'It is necessary to add other protections such as the use of masks, especially in places where there is agglomeration and more in this month of social interaction,' Irala said.

'With regard to travel, we ask that each traveler evaluate their possibilities of traveling in view of the risk that the Omicron variant can represent.'

While the Paraguayan is not making any decision that could limit travel abroad, Irala cautioned residents to plan safely.

'You must find out everything related to the place where you are going to go, the risk of Covid and the variants must be included,' Irala said. 'If the trip is not essential, it can be postponed in places where there is a lot of Omicron circulation.'

Several countries in Latin America have reported cases of the Omicron variant, which has generated concern due to how contagious the strain is.

Brazil, the region's epicenter of the pandemic with 618,797 coronavirus confirmed deaths, was the first to detect it in Latin America at the end of November.

Argentina has the most Omicron cases in South America with 454 followed by Chile (248), Brazil (77), Peru (71), Ecuador (24), Venezuela (7) and Colombia (3).

The Pan American Health Organization has said that vaccines remain a fundamental tool for reducing hospitalizations and deaths, and to limiting the appearance of new variants.

Tourists enjoy at a Cancun beach as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Mexico. Three 18-year-old boys from Paraguay tested positive for the coronavirus and were detected with the Omicron variant on December 22, five days after they arrived home from their Cancun vacation

Mexico has accumulated 43 Omicron cases after detecting it for the first time on December 3 from a passenger who had traveled from South Africa.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador shook off any worries about the variant's spread during a November 30 press conference, telling reporters 'It's not that the new variant is terrible.

'It's that the poor countries of the world have been abandoned,' he said, while adding the they had enough vaccines because the Omicron outbreak 'won't be long.'

However, infectious disease expert Dr. Alejandro Macias told Mexican newspaper El Financiero on Monday that he expects the outbreak to worsen in the coming days.

'Less than a thousand cases of COVID-19 were reported yesterday (Sunday) for all of Mexico,' he said. 'We are at the exit of the delta peak; tense calm awaiting the entry of the omicron variant in the first months of 2022.'

The United States is third behind the United Kingdom with 11,014 cases of the Omicron strain.
A supermarket owner in communist-run Venezuela has brewed up the bizarre idea of ripping off Starbucks by serving up a cup of joe to the poverty-stricken residents while using the famous branding of the US coffee giant.

Jorge Nieves claimed he came up with the idea after he found himself with extra space on the second floor of a market in Caracas that is affiliated with e-commerce delivery site yeet.com and sought to find ways on how to improve the shopping experience.

'What we did was obviously acquire the equipment and the product,' he said in an interview with AFP. 'Those who we made the purchase from gave us a guideline of what we could do and what we could not do. And that guideline is being perfectly fulfilled.'

There are no Starbucks in the socialist country, and it is unclear whether Nieves' will be prosecuted for impinging on the company's trademark.

Customers line up at a fake Starbucks shop that was recently opened inside a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela. The Seattle-based coffee giant's famous drinks are being sold for $3 to $7.

A man drinks coffee at a fake Starbucks cafe that opened up at a supermarket in Las Mercedes, a district in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas

Customers have been waiting at least an hour on lines that formed outside the entrance of the fake Starbucks that is located in the second floor of a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela

Nestle Venezuela, which said it is authorized by Starbucks to sell its products, said the shop was not affiliated with the Seattle-based coffee giant.

'In light of recent mentions of Nestle Venezuela's alleged relationship with the opening of a beverage store that uses the STARBUCKS coffee brand, the company informs the general public that Nestle Venezuela has not been contacted or involved in marketing of these products in the country,' Nestle Venezuela said in a statement.

Starbuck added that it 'can confirm that we do not have the We Proudly Serve Starbucks coffee program in Venezuela at this time, and Nestle is Starbucks' exclusive distributor of this program.'

El falso "Starbucks" venezolano



Los mismos vasos, los mismos uniformes, la misma decoracion, e incluso, el mismo logotipo, llego #Starbucks a #Venezuela? Polemica y furor a partes iguales por esta nueva cafeteria en Caracas. [ml] pic.twitter.com/mjmsq1a2VA  DW Espanol (@dw_espanol) December 25, 2021

Customers seeking to try Starbucks drink stand on line outside a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela, that is operating a fake franchise

Jorge Nieves claimed that his company purchased 'the equipment and the product' that is used to brew Starbucks drinks. 'Those who we made the purchase from gave us a guideline of what we could do and what we could not do. And that guideline is being perfectly fulfilled,' he said

Real Starbucks season cup (left) issued by the Seattle-based coffee giant and cups (right) being used at a fake Starbucks location that recently opened in Caracas, Venezuela

The bogus cafe features the famous green and white siren logo affixed to its windows and on a sign near the entrance where customers have been spotted lining up for hours at a time just to place their orders.

A wall inside the shop contains a large 'We Proudly Serve Starbucks' signage that makes reference to the coffee company's program that provides premium drinks to workplaces and companies who also offer catering services.

Employees dressed in black T-shirts with the company logo serve drinks that range between $3 and $7 that are poured into the same paper and plastic cups that are handed out at official locations.

'I came because I wanted to try something new,' Emmanuel Gregio told the AFP.

Nestle Venezuela is the only firm that is authorized by Starbucks to sell its product in the South American nation. 'In light of recent mentions of Nestle Venezuela's alleged relationship with the opening of a beverage store that uses the STARBUCKS coffee brand, the company informs the general public that Nestle Venezuela has not been contacted or involved in marketing of these products in the country,' Nestle Venezuela said in a statement

A customer purchases a cold drink at a bogus Starbucks cafe in Caracas, Venezuela

Nieves never thought the fake Starbucks would gain so much attention in the former oil-rich nation, where the economy is suffering one of the worst depressions in the West and dropped by four-fifths between 2014 and 2020.

'The first thing we consider should be clarified is that we are not a Starbucks store,' Nieves told Venezuelan newspaper El Universal. 'We understand that Starbucks Corporation directly serves all its points of sale, does not franchise, nor does it grant licenses to third parties.'

However, Nieves vowed he will continue to operate the cafe as long as it can 'maintain quality standards and that the supplies and consumables are guaranteed to be original.'
A NSW healthcare worker has lifted the lid on the workings of a Covid pathology lab - as employees scramble to keep up with the sheer amount of positive cases coming through.

The insider claims the healthcare system is 'vulnerable' despite assurances from public figures low hospitalisation rates mean the virus is being kept at bay.

'We are currently at the absolute limit of testing, there is literally no more equipment available, let alone staff, in the country to process more samples,' the source said.

He claimed the 'rhetoric so far' that the number of hospitalisations is the key indicator of the severity of a Covid wave is completely wrong.

'We cannot cope. The quality of patient care is suffering.'

A NSW healthcare worker has lifted the lid on the workings of a Covid pathology lab - as employees scramble to keep up with the sheer amount of positive cases coming through. pictured: Testing clinic at Bondi on December 28

Ms Cantarella has been run off her feet in a Covid ward and is demanding better conditions and a pay increase for herself and her colleagues

Labs have been 'batch testing' samples in an attempt to speed up the process throughout Sydney's lockdowns in 2021, the insider claimed in a Reddit thread.

This process requires taking small traces of a group of tests and sampling the entire batch for Covid. If it returns a negative result, the entire batch of patients are informed they do not have Covid.

But if a positive result is derived from the batch sample, tests are individually tested to find the source of the infection.

The problem pathology labs are now facing, the source claims, is that every second batch is returning a positive result - meaning the process is now not streamlining anything.

Labs across the state are overrun as people turn out in droves to get tested - queuing for hours at any given time and in some cases waiting upwards of 100 hours for their results.

On Tuesday, NSW recorded 6,062 new Covid cases and one death. There are 557 patients being treated in hospital with the virus, up from the 521 on Monday.

There are 60 patients receiving care in ICU, another slight jump from the 55 in intensive care on Monday.

With state leaders requiring negative PCR results in order to travel - like in Queensland - many people after finding themselves clogging up the laboratories despite having no symptoms or no known exposure to the virus simply to get the all clear to travel

Premier Dominic Perrottet has repeatedly called on Sydneysiders to avoid getting tested unless they have symptoms or have been directed to test in attempt to alleviate the extra pressures

Premier Dominic Perrottet has repeatedly called on Sydneysiders to avoid getting tested unless they have symptoms or have been directed to test in attempt to alleviate the extra pressures.

But with state leaders requiring negative PCR results in order to travel - like in Queensland - many after finding themselves clogging up the laboratories despite having no symptoms or no known exposure to the virus simply to get the all clear to travel.

On Sunday, Health Minister Brad Hazzard described the process as 'stupid'.

He accused the Sunshine State leader of playing 'raw politics' by insisting all arrivals present negative PCRs tests, despite the demand putting huge strain on healthcare services.

The insider said there is no preferential treatment in the sampling process, saying her own PCR test is among boxes full of days-old swabs yet to be tested.

'I can guarantee you that no amount of phone calls will speed up the process. We are being bombarded with work and cannot make things go any faster, not for you or anybody else.'

Labs have been 'batch testing' samples in an attempt to speed up the process throughout Sydney's lockdowns in 2021, the insider claimed

Dozens of pathology staff are esen at the SydPath testing clinic in Bondi on Tuesday

'Most wards have enough workers to just get by, and anybody calling in sick or even taking their annual leave can spell trouble for the remaining staff, requiring them to take on extra shifts, double shifts and overtime. This is no different in pathologies.'

The insider's comments were supported by a handful of other users on the Reddit thread who claimed to be medical professionals experiencing similar situations in their own workplaces.

St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney's east was forced to apologise twice this week after accidentally sending 1,395 people false negative test results when their samples either hadn't yet been tested or were in fact positive.

The bungle saw hundreds of families reunite on Christmas Day without realising they were exposed to Covid - and there are fears the mistake could lead to thousands of new cases.

The lab apologised, citing 'human error' for the mistake and vowing to put procedures in place to ensure it could never happen again.

An Easter suburbs musician was one of more than 400 people who received a text message giving the all clear for Christmas (left) before receiving another message the following day informing they were actually positive (right)

Even with the pathology shambles, the insider says nurses in hospital wards are feeling the pinch just as much.

At the peak of Victoria's Delta outbreak in October, exhausted nurses told Daily Mail Australia they no longer considered the title 'hero' a badge of honour.

Nurses have revealed they arrive at hospitals throughout the state each day for their shifts, not knowing what time they'll be able to go home again or if they'll even get a toilet break.

The work is relentless, nurse Olivia Cantarella told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's heartbreaking,' she said. 'We're extremely busy, it's stressful and overwhelming.'

Staff shortages and increasingly long hours are already depriving frontline workers of much needed rest - and as experts warn cases are likely to soar this month, there are concerns the sector will be overrun.

Even with the pathology shambles, the insider says nurses in hospital wards are feeling the pinch just as much

Olivia Cantarella, a Melbourne nurse, told Daily Mail Australia the situation for nurses on the frontline is 'grim'

'We won't cope. We're not coping now. There isn't any other way to put it. We're only human, you can only do so much overtime and double shifts before your body literally says no,' Ms Cantarella said.

Ms Cantarella said she and her colleagues are constantly 'consumed' by anxiety about potentially bringing Covid home from a shift and infecting their loved ones and community.

'We don't feel like heroes anymore. But we keep on turning up to work because we care about our community, we care about the future and we care about doing the right thing even though it's literally killing us,' she said.

Breaks midway through gruelling 12-hour shifts are already practically non-existent and, for many, the joy of helping people is rapidly being outpaced by exhaustion.

Nurses are 'heavily fatigued and constantly dehydrated' at work, which often rolls into a double shift because there simply aren't enough staff to treat all the patients.

However health experts, including Australia's former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, have assured the public there is no need to panic about Covid - or the new Omicron variant - because hospitalisation figures remain stable.

Dr Coatsworth dismissed Doherty Institute modelling that predicted up to 200,000 cases a day next month, insisting that simply 'will not happen'.

'Moving beyond the outrage, I think the modelling released without context creates a lot of fear and fear leads to people not doing things they would normally do,' Dr Coatsworth told the Today show last Thursday.

'It's a counter productive way to manage Covid-19.

'I think there was a wide range of possibilities and we now accept as a community that 200,000, that upper limit, will not happen and we can move forward from that.'

He supports moves to extend mask mandates in Victoria and QR codes reintroduced in all NSW venues but stressed to viewers that early studies show Omicron is a milder strain and that vaccination is the best defence.

'A disease that is being increasingly milder, for which, if we'll get a booster, we'll be more protected than the primary course, for which we have the best treatments we've got available for any respiratory virus,' he said.

'We need to hold the line and remember all those things I just said about how much better our situation is than it was in 2020.'
A Texas father of five killed the mother of his children and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide after the family returned from a Christmas party on Christmas Eve.

Arsenio Gonzalez, 45, and wife Maria, 42, were found dead on the family's front lawn outside their trailer home in Houston at around 1 a.m. Christmas morning, authorities said.

Their five children, ranging in age from seven to 16 years old, were found inside the trailer home on the 5600 block of Daun Street.

Police discovered their mother with significant head trauma and Arsenio with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A gun was recovered a the scene.

'This couple, a man and wife were at a family function earlier. They came home and then this incident occurred, so the investigation is ongoing,' said Sgt. Greg Pinkins of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

'None of the kids were injured, nor did they witness anything at the time.'

Police investigate outside the Houston home Arsenio Gonzalez, 45, who allegedly fatally assaulted his wife Maria, 42, before turning a gun on himself

Police are describing the incident as a murder-suicide. The Gonzalez family's five children were all found inside their trailer home

Authorities are still investigating what led to the dad's horrific act.

They're currently interviewing family relatives who were at the Christmas Eve function to try and find out a motive or anything that sparked to the incident.

The county has called in Child Protective Services to help the kids and place them with family members.

'Right now, were in contact with CPS and well let them determine who they will be released to, probably family members. Well continue to do our investigation here and well be talking to family members who were probably at the party to see if we can get some background,' Pinkins said.
Flu is making a comeback in the US after the lowest year on record in 2020, with hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported so far this winter.

Covid-19 measures last year including school closures, social distancing, masks and canceled travel prevented the spread of influenza.

Scientists also believe coronavirus somehow pushed aside other viruses.

Registered nurse Megan Chamberlain gives a flu shot to Anthony Devitt during a flu vaccine clinic in Vermont

But flu is returning this year as life returns to normality, although childhood deaths thankfully remain lower than normal so far.

Last week saw 1,265 patients hospitalized with influenza, with eight jurisdictions experiencing high or very high flu activity.

In clinical laboratories, 5.6 per cent of all samples tested last week were positive for influenza, a surge on the 1.9 per cent average recorded since October.

'This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season,' said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are 'unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. It's a sad reminder of how severe flu can be.'

During last year's unusually light flu season, one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.

In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven.

In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.

Covid-19 measures last year including school closures, social distancing, masks and canceled travel prevented the spread of influenza

The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

Last year's break from the flu made it more challenging to plan for this year's flu vaccine.

So far, it looks like what's circulating is in a slightly different subgroup from what the vaccine targets, but it's 'really too early to know' whether that will blunt the vaccine's effectiveness, Brammer said.

'We'll have to see what the impact of these little changes' will be, Brammer said. 'Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu.'

There are early signs that fewer people are getting flu shots compared with last year.

With hospitals already stretched by Covid-19, it's more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other precautions, Brammer said.

'Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if youre sick,' Brammer said. 'If you do get flu, there are antivirals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital.'
Barnaby Joyce has blasted Annastacia Palaszczuk for not removing test requirements for travellers entering Queensland.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Premier was acting like a dictator for refusing to budge as NSW residents continue to face huge testing queues.

The NSW Government and the Federal Government are both urging Ms Palaszczuk to let travellers take 15-minute rapid antigen tests which can be done at home instead of supervised PCR tests before entering.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has said she will not budge on the rules until January 1

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says lab capacity and staff time is being taken up by testing perfectly healthy travellers, meaning wait times are being pushed out, deterring sick people from getting a swab.

Testing of symptomatic people is one of Australia's key defences against Covid but is being compromised by unnecessary travel testing, according to Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly.

Premier Palaszczuk has admitted 10 per cent of NSW tests are for people travelling to Queensland but she has refused to change her policy until at least January 1 - even though South Australia removed its testing requirement.

Mr Joyce said she needs to change the system as soon as possible.

'Queensland is beautiful one day, run by Premier Palaszczuk the next,' he told Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

'The whole point is this is creating chaos. They should be using rapid antigen testing. They should be thinking their way around this.'

Cars line up along Campbell Parade ahead of the opening of the COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach on December 28

Mr Joyce said the testing requirement makes no sense when Queensland recorded 1,158 cases on Tuesday and is living with Covid.

'They've got thousands of cases in Queensland. Thousands. So this is just out of control. They should be able to do a rapid antigen test. They say they'll bring it in on the first (of January). It's the 28th, what are we waiting for?

'What will happen on the 29th or the 30th or the 31st that they cannot do today? Alignment of the planets? It is dictatorial process that Annastacia Palaszczuk is doing.'

Mr Joyce, who caught Covid in the UK earlier this month and recovered with only minor symptoms said: 'I have had COVID. Omicron, is not a big issue, it really isn't.'

On Monday Mr Hazzard called the Queensland requirement 'stupid'.

He accused the Sunshine State leader of playing 'raw politics' by insisting all arrivals present negative PCRs tests, despite the demand putting huge strain on healthcare services.

NSW has seen more than 600,000 PCR tests conducted since Christmas Eve, with one quarter of all swabs given to healthy travellers looking to hop the border for a summer getaway.
Two months after the nations most experienced detectives descended on the small West Australian town of Carnarvon to help track down little Cleo Smith, life for locals has largely returned to normal.

One longtime resident, Terence Darrell Kelly, is no longer there. He remains behind bars in Perth accused of the four-year-olds kidnapping.

Aside from that, with the eyes of the world no longer watching and swarms of police back in their own towns, Carnarvon has slipped back into relative obscurity.

A return to normal life couldnt have come soon enough for some locals, but others arent so excited.

Crime rates which had tapered while everyone was working together looking for Cleo have skyrocketed again.

Two months after the nations most experienced detectives descended on the small West Australian town of Carnarvon to help track down little Cleo Smith, life for locals has largely returned to normal

Day after day, a new person or family is warning that their home or car was broken into the night before

Crime rates which had tapered while everyone was working together looking for Cleo have skyrocketed again

Day after day, on local community Facebook groups, a new person or family is warning that their home or car was broken into the night before.

For some, it feels like a never-ending cycle of buying and replacing their most valuable possessions as a town theyve come to call home is overrun with petty thieves and underage criminals.

'It's getting completely out of control and nobody has any answers,' one fed-up local said.

'Nothing seems to be done day in, day out. The elderly are terrified... I'm sick and tired of these kids as is everyone else in town,' another added.

Vince Catania, MP for North West Central WA, is calling on state and federal leaders to acknowledge the 'crisis' in Carnarvon.

Vince Catania, MP for North West Central WA, said 300 locals (pictured together) - in a town made up of just 4,400 people - joined a petition begging Premier Mark McGowan to stage an intervention

Day after day, a new person or family is warning that their home or car was broken into the night before

Cleo was rescued from a property just minutes from her family home in Carnarvon, almost 1000km north of Perth

'Stretched local police and agency staff work tirelessly to try to stay on top of issues,' he said. 'But the community is fed up with no action and no acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation.'

He said 300 locals - in a town made up of just 4,400 people - joined a petition begging Premier Mark McGowan to stage an intervention.

'It's not acceptable for groups of youths to be walking the streets all hours of the day and night, damaging property, breaking, entering and stealing, intimidating the community and causing trouble,' he said.

'Carnarvon is in crisis.'

Mr Catania suggested limited and 'sub-standard' housing for government employees was contributing to the problem, noting an inability to retain and attract essential workers.

Cleo Smith pictured after her dramatic rescue. Ellie Smith, Cleo's mother, returned to work part time and it's understood Cleo stayed at home for the remainder of the school year

Cleo was found alive and well in early November, 18 days after she went missing from the Blowholes campsite while on a weekend away with her family

Police forced entry to the home and found Cleo alone in a well lit room, physically unharmed and playing with toys

Cleos family have remained silent since their daughter's safe return.

Ellie Smith, Cleo's mother, returned to work part time and it's understood Cleo stayed at home for the remainder of the school year.

Cleo was found alive and well in early November, 18 days after she went missing from the Blowholes campsite while on a weekend away with her family.

She was rescued from a property just minutes from her family home in Carnarvon, almost 1000km north of Perth.

Police forced entry to the home and found Cleo alone in a well lit room, physically unharmed and playing with toys.

Kelly was arrested on a nearby street about the same time. He is alleged to have acted alone and is yet to enter a plea to his charges.

Cleos family have remained silent since their daughter's safe return. Ellie Smith, Cleo's mother, returned to work part time and it's understood Cleo stayed at home for the remainder of the school year
A California surf school owner - who became a QAnon conspiracy theorist and allegedly murdered his two children with a spearfishing gun because he was convinced they had 'serpent DNA' - has written a letter to friends begging for forgiveness from jail before his trial.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, penned the jailhouse letter to an unidentified friend four months after being charged with killing his two kids  Kaleo, 2, and Roxy, ten months  at a Christian ranch in Rosarito, Mexico on August 9 after leaving the family's Santa Barbara home two day earlier in a van.

He crossed the Southern border without his wife Abby's knowledge and was arrested upon his attempted return to the US. The family had initially planned a vacation trip together prior to the alleged murders.

'He's really despondent and hopeless,' a close family friend who received the missive told PEOPLE. 'He's alone with his thoughts 24/7. He's reflecting on the mistakes he made in life and wondering if there's any chance for redemption.'

'He poured out his heart,' the source added. 'He begged for forgiveness, but says that he's now where he deserves to be.'

Matthew Taylor Coleman was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his two-year-old son Kaleo and 10-month-old daughter Roxy with a spear gun. The charges makes him eligible for the death penalty

Coleman (seen with a spearfishing gun) shot his daughter 12 times, and his son 17 times with the weapon and their bodies were dumped in brush, prosecutors said

Coleman admitted to FBI that he murdered his son Kaleo (left), two, and daughter Roxy (right), 10 months, in August.

Coleman lived in Santa Barbara, California with his wife and two kids. He left on August 7 and checked into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito, Mexico. Two days later he was arrested after trying to get back in the US at the San Ysidro Point of Entry for the murder of his two children

Border agents arrested Coleman (right) after he tried to cross from Tijuana into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Pictured: Coleman with his wife, Abby (left), and their son Kaleo

After his arrest in August, Coleman reportedly told federal authorities that 'he received visions and signs that his wife possessed serpent DNA and had passed it onto his children'.

He also said he was 'saving the world' because his children were 'going to grow into monsters' since he believed they inherited the serpent DNA from their mother.

According to an FBI criminal complaint, which was obtained by Dailymail.com, Coleman was motivated by the 'big tent QAnon conspiracy theory' that claims former President Donald Trump is secretly battling a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshipping Democratic pedophiles.

Coleman also allegedly confessed to federal authorities that he used a spear-fishing gun to shoot Kaleo and Roxy in the heart before dumping them in a field outside Rosarito and returning to his hotel room, where he was staying with the two children.

According to court documents, when they did not die right away, Coleman stabbed his son 17 more time and his daughter 12 more times, cutting his own hand in the process.

After the murder Coleman put his children's slain bodies in some nearby brush, discarded their bloody clothes in a blue trash bin and threw the spear fishing gun near a creek, the affidavit said.

He was taken to Santa Ana jail the day after the murder after seeking re-entry to the US. Mexican authorities found the murder weapon, bloody clothes and a baby's blanket.

Coleman appeared in court on September 9. The date for his murder trial has yet to be set

Last month, the FBI seized all of Coleman's electronic devices and is currently going through his browser history and messages. In a joint motion filed by the U.S. Attorney and the Federal Public Defenders, both sides asked for the investigation to be continued until next May so that they could carry on with gathering evidence in the case.

'A computer, two phones, and an iPad are being searched pursuant to warrants,' the motion reads. 'Instead of waiting until agents have completed the searches and providing only data seized as responsive to the warrants, a mirror image of the computer's entire drive and the full Cellebrite downloads for the phones and iPad will be provided to the defense by Nov. 5, 2021.'

'By that date, the United States also will provide additional discovery consisting generally of cell site data, Mexican law enforcement reports, photographs and recordings of or from the area of the murders, jail recordings, and videos from the Port of Entry,' the motion adds.

FBI agents are particularly interested in digging into Coleman's online engagement on groups and message boards that talk about QAnon conspiracy theories.

'Agents are seeing what he read,' a law enforcement source close to People said, 'but we're more interested in what he wrote about his beliefs and whether they had any influence over his actions in August.'

A longtime friend of Coleman's previously mentioned that he would spend several hours a day looking up and reading conspiracy theories across the internet. Coleman's wife had no clue her husband was a QAnon follower at the time.

'It was obvious that he was spending a lot of brain power on it,' the anonymous source, a childhood friend of Coleman's, told PEOPLE last month. 'He was constantly checking those sites on his phone. He spent hours each day just glued to his phone looking at that stuff.'

U.S. border officers arrested Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, after he drove to Mexico without telling his wife, Abby, 35, and allegedly killed their two children, aged three and 10 months

Coleman took his toddlers to a Christian ranch in Rosarito, Mexico (pictured)

The family lived in a modest three-bedroom, twi-bath, 1300-square-foot home with a two-car garage built in 1956 and located just blocks from Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara

Coleman was indicted on first-degree murder charges in September. He pleaded not guilty in a US District Court in San Diego in October. If convicted, Coleman is eligible for the death penalty.

If the Attorney General decides against the death penalty, Coleman's maximum sentence would be life in prison with a fine of up to $250,000.

Until his next trial appearance, which remains unknown at this time, Coleman is being held in protective custody at a non-disclosed federal prison.

His childhood friend told People that he doesn't know whether Coleman sent letters to anyone else, but that the deranged dad was dreading the holidays in jail.

'He said he's sorry, that he never wanted to cause pain, and that he's working through why he made the choices he made,' the friend said. 'It was a very sad note.
The death of a five-year-old boy who was mauled by a dog on the Gold Coast has led to calls for a national inquiry into the keeping of powerful dog breeds.

Manny, 5, was attacked by an English bull terrier-American bulldog cross on Christmas Eve and died later on an operating table after being rushed to hospital.

A fundraising page for Manny's family of Manny, 5, had raised more than $20,000 by Tuesday afternoon.

The latest incident of a child being killed by a dog in Australia has led to calls for greater restrictions on powerful breeds.

Tributes have poured in for five-year-old Emmanuel, known as Manny (pictured) who was killed by a dog on Christmas Eve

'There needs to be a debate or inquiry about how to handle the upbringing, breeding and training of powerful dog breeds dogs,' the vet, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia.

'Currently in Australia any person can own and breed any unrestricted type of dog without limitation regardless of their physical strength and with any level of experience of dog ownership from being a first time pet owner to an accomplished owner that has had dogs their whole life,' he said.

The vet said some dog breeding in Australia is 'unscrupulous'.

'This is something we need to have a discussion about nationally and to debate the pros and cons of restricting the unscrupulous breeding of these breeds and perhaps also being more selective with the type of dogs people with no experience or no commitment to proper training, especially in urban and suburban settings where dog attacks are prevalent.'

He welcomed changes to dog ownership laws that are coming in Queensland on January 1, but also cautions that the law could go too far in some instances.

The law change will make it mandatory for regulated dogs including restricted breeds, declared dangerous dogs and declared menacing dogs, to wear a distinctive red and yellow collar with reflective stripes.

'This is a fantastic idea that I say "bravo" to the Queensland government and would strongly encourage other states and their Offices of Local Governments to do the same to keep the community safe,' the vet said.

'It certainly is a logical step in the right direction, but I would not like to see a dog exhibiting normal dog behaviour - for example chasing a cat - to be slapped with a "menacing dog" order that is so easy for council rangers to give out, having to be subjected to this collar mandate of sorts.'

Gold Coast City Council animal control officers removed two dogs from the property, including an English bull terrier-American bulldog cross

The type of dog that killed Manny is not included on Queensland's list of restricted dogs, but individual animals can be deemed regulated by council officers.

The attack has also renewed calls for dangerous dog breeds to be banned right across Australia.

'Please ban these types of dogs, this is happening too often,' wrote one Daily Mail Australia reader.

'Why on earth are these breed of dogs allowed,' another concerned reader wrote. 'Time and time again they are involved in attacks on children.'

Manny died during an operation at Gold Coast University Hospital just hours after he was rushed there following the attack.

He had been staying with his grandmother who was house-sitting in Varsity Lakes when the dog attacked him, biting his neck and back.

RESTRICTED DOGS IN QUEENSLAND You must not keep a restricted dog unless the relevant local government has issued you a restricted dog permit. Under the Customs Act 1901, the following breeds are restricted dogs: Fila Brasileiro

Japanese Tosa

American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier

Dogo Argentino

Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario Source: Queensland government Advertisement

Manny's grandmother quickly tried to free him from the dog's grip, sustaining arm injuries.

A neighbour who witnessed the horror attack jumped a fence and also tried desperately tried to save the little boy.

Queensland Ambulance said the five-year-old was bitten on the back and chest before going into cardiac arrest.

While English bull terrier-American bulldog crosses are not listed as a 'restricted' dog in Queensland, state law says that 'an authorised local government officer can declare a dog to be dangerous or menacing'.

The declaration can be made if a dog 'has attacked, or acted in a way that caused fear to, a person or another animal or may, in the opinion of an authorised person having regard to the way the dog has behaved towards a person or another animal, seriously attack or act in a way that causes fear to a person or animal.'

Once a dog has been declared dangerous or menacing or if it is a restricted dog, the owner must keep a distinctive collar with a yellow identification tag with the words 'Regulated Dog' on the dog at all times.

From Saturday, January 1, the regulations are being further tightened in the state.

The distinctive collar must meet be yellow and red striped with a yellow identification tag, each stripe must be 25 millimetres wide and set diagonal to the rim of the collar at an angle of 45 degrees, at least one of the colours must be sufficiently reflective to be visible in low light.

The collar must also be made of durable materials and be securely fastened to the dog.

Craig Kavanagh, who describes himself as a friend of the family, has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Manny's single father.

'Angus is a single father who is very dedicated to providing the best for his little bud. Manny was Angus' world. His love for his son was immeasurable,' he wrote.

'We are trying to raise funds to help Angus in this tragically difficult time. Manny was a treasure and what has happened has left a lot of people in shock and sadness.'

'Sending love and prayers to all of the family,' one donor wrote.

Gold Coast City Council animal control officers removed two dogs from the property, including an English bull terrier-American bulldog cross.

The mixed breed remains in a council pound as police continue their inquiries.

The city council and the Coroner will also launch their own investigations.
John Major did not believe the IRA could be beaten militarily, he admitted privately while he was Prime Minister.

He told the Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds it would be very difficult and could prove impossible to defeat the IRA by force, a memo from their Downing Street meeting in February 1992 revealed yesterday.

The Irish government note was part of a tranche of official documents related to the Northern Ireland peace process made public by the National Archives.

John Major told Albert Reynolds that he was unsure if IRA could be militarily defeated and warned British were not suffering from battle fatigue, according to newly released documents from the National Archives. Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey (left) with former British Prime Minister John Major (right) during a visit to Dublin for talks in 1991

The thousands of files included a British intelligence assessment that Colonel Gaddafis regime in Libya had sent arms and aid worth more than $12million to the IRA  the equivalent of 34million today.

Another memo revealed the Government believed Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was on the IRA Army Council at the time of the first ceasefire in 1994  something he always denied.

And a confidential note from an Irish diplomat assessed Boris Johnson  then a Daily Telegraph journalist  as a Eurosceptic who was naive in his writing about Northern Irelands politics.

Mr Majors doubts about the prospects of military success against the IRA came in a memo of his meeting with the newly elected Mr Reynolds in which the Irish leader asked the Prime Minister directly: Do you think we can defeat the IRA?

Mr Major responded: Militarily that would be very difficult. I would not say this in public, of course, but, in private, I would say, possibly no.

The memo revealed the frustrations on both sides regarding a lack of progress in talks between the main political parties in Northern Ireland, with Mr Reynolds saying: My own impression is that the talks are not getting anywhere.

He said he felt the IRA were serious about peace. Mr Major replied: If they are serious, they are certainly going the wrong way about it.

The two men met a year after the IRA had launched a mortar attack on Downing Street while Mr Major held a Cabinet meeting inside.

John Major (left) and former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds (right) during a news conference at 10 Downing Street in Westminster in 1993

Both voiced cautious optimism about the prospect of an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, with Mr Reynolds saying: Peace may well be in sight.

Mr Major told the meeting: We are walking down a path and we cant stop: we cant stop talking or walking.

'Twenty-two years is a long time... there are a lot of dead bodies in between. I have the misfortune not to be an Irishman but I understand the importance of symbolism. We must be prepared to do unconventional things.

A separate file released under the 30-year rule revealed the IRA got six major shipments of weapons from Libya, including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers.

During a private meeting between Mr Major and previous Irish leader Charles Haughey in 1991, Mr Haughey said: The trouble is that Gaddafi is mad.
The number of asylum seekers pretending to be children has reached a record high, according to official data.

More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September.

It was the highest number since the collection of figures began in 2006.

Border Force brings in a group of people thought to be migrants in to Dover, Kent. More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September

And 66 per cent of those claiming to be children were in fact not  compared with 47 per cent in 2019/20.

Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls and analysed the Home Office figures, suggested people traffickers were encouraging migrants to try for special privileges.

Its report warned that false age claims could also lead to the dangerous situation of adults being placed alongside vulnerable young people in schools and housing.

The group's chairman, Alp Mehmet, said: 'The asylum system is so open to abuse that adults claiming to be children can be given the benefit of the doubt and be placed among minors in both accommodation and schools.

'The risks to the safety of our children are obvious.

'It is high time the Government stopped pandering to the immigration industry and dealt with adult migrants as such and not as what they claim to be.'

Migrants who claim to be underage receive better housing and support, a more sympathetic hearing for their asylum claim and are less likely to be detained.

Each lone child migrant looked after by a local authority costs taxpayers 46,000 a year.

The policy is to give them the benefit of the doubt if they appear to be under 25. Officials can also carry out linguistic analysis as well as assess development.

But this is to change under the Nationality and Borders Bill going through the Houses of Parliament.

An age assessment board will oversee how decisions are made  with new scientific methods used to determine an applicant's real age.

However Migration Watch expressed concerns that the proposals did not go far enough.

In one of the most troubling examples of an asylum seeker pretending to be a child, Parson's Green terrorist Ahmed Hassan posed as a 16-year-old before setting off a 'Mother of Satan' bomb on a London Tube train in 2017, injuring 23 people.

His real age remains unknown, but the judge who jailed the Iraqi for 34 years in 2018 said he was satisfied the bomber was between 18 and 21.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, at the Old Bailey, added: 'I am satisfied that you lied about your date of birth on arrival in order to glean the special privileges accorded to children entering the UK.'

A UK Border Force member removes life vests worn by migrants at the Marina in Dover, southeast England. Migrants who claim to be underage receive better housing and support

Other examples of apparent deception include a balding male who appeared to be in his 40s but was being taught in a school in Coventry.

The unnamed asylum seeker, who was believed to be from The Gambia in west Africa, was moved to solo lessons after parents complained.

And in 2018 a Home Office investigation found an adult asylum seeker spent six weeks as a GCSE pupil at Stoke High School in Ipswich.

Siavash Shah, who was believed to be from Iran, was pictured on social media by a fellow pupil who asked: 'How's there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?'

Classmates shared old pictures from a Facebook account that appeared to belong to Mr Shah, showing him with a full beard, a hairy chest and swigging a beer.
The AstraZeneca vaccine may be reducing the UK's Covid death rate because it provides immunity for life unlike other jabs.

Britain's wide use of Oxford University-made jab in vulnerable people may be behind the country's lower death toll compared to Europe in recent months, according to Clive Dix, the former chairman of the UK's Vaccine Task Force.

Australia has administered 13.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but has relied more on Pfizer with 25.3 million doses given over the course of the jab rollout.

Germany is recording up to 3.5 Covid deaths per million people each day. Pictured: A testing centre in Berlin

The UK's death rates are relatively low and one experts thinks this is because of the AstraZeneca jab

In April Australia said the AstraZeneca jab was only recommended for over 50s because of the low risk of blood clots in younger people.

In June the minimum recommend age was increased to 60, denting confidence and delaying the jab rollout as the Government scrambled to get more Pfizer into the country.

Former Queensland Health Officer Jeannette Young even said she didn't want 18-year-olds taking AstaZeneca because they may die in comments that saw her branded an irresponsible fearmonger.

The vaccine was approved in the UK towards the end of December 2020, and jabs were initially rolled out among the older and the most vulnerable in society.

In May the UK recommended alternative jabs to under 40s but only if they were easily available while the over 40s kept taking AstraZeneca in large numbers.

Clive Dix (pictured) said the durable cellular immunity response produced by the AZ jab can potentially 'last for life'

On Tuesday Mr Dix claimed the durable cellular immunity response produced by the UK-made jab can potentially 'last for life'.

'If you look across Europe, with the rise in cases, there's also a corresponding lagged rise in deaths, but not in the UK, and we have to understand that,' he told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

'I personally believe that's because most of our vulnerable people were given the AstraZeneca vaccine.'

'We've seen early data that the Oxford jab produces a very durable cellular response and if you've got a durable cellular immunity response then they can last for a long time.

'It can last for life in some cases.'

Britain is currently recording 1.7 Covid deaths per million people each day, according to an Oxford University-run data site.

By comparison, the equivalent figures in France and Germany stand between 2.5 and 3.5, even though the UK is recording thousands more cases each day.

AstraZeneca has faced both praise and criticism during the pandemic, with its Covid jab hailed as being one of the first on the market and for its low cost in comparison to other jabs.

Its rollout in the UK saw Government advisers recommend that under-40s be offered alternatives due to evidence it may be linked to very rare blood clots.

Australia has administered 13.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but has relied more on Pfizer with 25.3 million doses given over the course of the jab rollout. Pictured: A jab in the UK in March

Britain is currently recording 1.7 Covid deaths per million people each day, according to an Oxford University-run data site. By comparison, the equivalent figures in France and Germany stand between 2.5 and 3.5, even though the UK is recording thousands more cases each day

Fears over links to blood clots also saw some European countries pause their use of the jab.

French President Emmanuel Macron was accused of politicising the rollout of the jab in January.

He labelled it 'quasi-effective' for people over 65, and claimed the UK had rushed its approval.

Germany's ex-chancellor Angela Merkel also added to initial doubts over the vaccine.

She stated in February that she would not get it because her country's own regulator infamously recommended at the time that over-65s should not have the jab.

Although AstraZeneca's vaccine was eventually reapproved for older people in major EU economies, the reputational damage drove up vaccine hesitancy and led to many elderly Europeans demanding they be vaccinated with Pfizer's jab.

Some, such as Denmark and Norway, stopped using AZ for good.

Amelie and Ludo Khayat hold each other during a visit at the COVID-19 intensive care unit of La Timone hospital in Marseille, southern France. Ludo, 41, is recovering from spending 24 days in a coma and on a ventilator

A woman is seen receiving a vaccination at a Cohealth pop-up vaccination clinic at the State Library Victoria, in Melbourne last week

The AstraZeneca jab was famously made not-for-profit with the intent of making the vaccine as accessible as possible for the world at a time when the pandemic had a death-grip on the planet.

Studies have shown that AstraZeneca's jab, which uses a more traditional vaccine technology, produces a greater T-cell response compared to mRNA jabs produced by Pfizer and Moderna, which have been favoured in Europe.

T-cells, which are more difficult to measure than antibodies, are thought to provide longer-lasting protection.

There may be some other explanations for the UK's lower death rate.

Mobility data shows Europeans have also socialised more than Britons, whose behaviours have remained cautious even after lockdown.

EU countries went with a three-week dosing gap between vaccines, compared to the UK's 12 week space, which has since been shown to provide stronger and longer protection.

And Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chair of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - the independent body advising the British Government on jabbing policy - said hospitalisations are now 'largely restricted to unvaccinated people', suggesting higher levels of admissions on the continent could be simply down to lower uptake of first and second doses.
Dozens of pregnant women and new mothers are fighting for their lives against Covid in NHS intensive care units, official data reveals.

Doctors say in nearly every case, women who are being kept alive on ventilators are unvaccinated and their life-threatening condition could have been 'almost completely preventable' if they had been jabbed.

More than 500 expectant women or those who have just given birth have been treated in ICU over the past eight months in England.

And with only about 25 per cent of pregnant women getting the vaccine, experts have laid out further warnings in light of the figures.

The report from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, covering the period from May 1 to Christmas Eve, reveals that of the 558 pregnant or recently pregnant women admitted to ICU during this time, 118 were put on ventilators within 24 hours.

Tragically, 15 of those died, while 24 are still in ICU battling the virus. The average age of pregnant women with Covid in ICU is just 32, the data reveals.

Dozens of pregnant women and new mothers are fighting for their lives against Covid in NHS intensive care units, official data reveals. Doctors say in nearly every case, women who are being kept alive on ventilators are unvaccinated and their life-threatening condition could have been 'almost completely preventable' if they had been jabbed. (File image)

Experts say this group may face increased risks from the virus due to the effects having a baby can have on the immune system, which can leave them more vulnerable to infection.

It is too soon to know whether Omicron poses a greater risk for pregnant or new mothers compared with previous strains. But doctors are alarmed at the low rates of vaccine uptake among this group.

Patrick O'Brien, a gynaecologist at University College Hospital London NHS Trust and chairman of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists vaccine committee, said: 'Where you have women who are very sick with Covid and pregnant, they are almost all unvaccinated.

'We don't know yet about what is going to happen in relation to the Omicron variant but what we have seen with other variants is that they are causing more severe disease in pregnant women.'

He added: 'We won't really know for another two to three weeks what the latest variant is going to do.

'However, it is just an awful situation when you see somebody in intensive care who is pregnant and being ventilated, because you know that if they had the vaccine it could have prevented it. It is almost always completely preventable.'

He said new mothers may also be at heightened risk from Covid for up to six weeks after the birth because of the strain on the body due to pregnancy.

Doctors say mothers-to-be are refusing the jab over concerns on the safety of the vaccine for them and their baby.

But an analysis of scientific studies carried out by the Royal College suggests the risk of stillbirth for pregnant women who have Covid is two times higher if they are unvaccinated.

Those with severe Covid also have a one-in-five chance of needing a premature delivery.

And separate data earlier this year revealed unvaccinated pregnant women made up nearly a fifth of the most ill Covid patients in ICU.

Marian Knight, professor of maternal and child population health at the University of Oxford's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, said: 'While it is concerning that outcomes of Covid in pregnancy appear to be getting worse, women should be reassured by the data which show that vaccination gives strong protection against severe illness.

'Vaccination is the best way to protect both you and your baby. We know that after vaccination, antibodies cross the placenta and can help protect babies from illness.'
Queensland has posted 1,158 new cases of Covid as the requirement for visitors to undergo a day five PCR test was dropped.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said 257 of the new cases were the Omicron variant, with six cases in hospital. No patients are in ICU.

She announced that the day five PCR test for visitors to the state will be dropped immediately.

'Anyone in testing lines awaiting their day five test, right now, can leave,' she said.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the extremely low number of positive tests on the day five test for travellers since the state reopened on December 13 made the second test now 'unnecessary'.

'It's not contributing any way to the safety of Queenslanders and that resource can be used better elsewhere,' Dr Gerrard said.

Ms D'Ath advised travellers to tick the box on the border pass application relating to day five tests for the next couple of days, even thought the test was no longer required, until the documents can be updated online.

She said the day five test was only picking up one in 10 positive results.

The requirement of a second PCR test for tourists on day five of their trip to Queensland has been dropped

'Anyone in testing lines awaiting their day five test, right now, can leave,' Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said at the state's Covid update

Ms D'Ath said the state is still working through issues ahead of a decision to end the need for a PCR test for entry to the state on January 1.

'Weve got to make sure theres adequate supply so that you dont have people lining up for a PCR test in NSW or Victoria, for example, but then they cant get a [rapid antigen] test,' she said.

'We need to make sure there is supply, so were working through all that at the moment.

'Every shop I've walked into they've got signs up that they've sold out [of rapid antigen tests] and are waiting for another delivery.

'The pre-arrival test is still a very important test.'

Queensland now has 4,479 active cases of Covid. It has seen case numbers grow from just a few to over 1,000 a day since it reopened its border on December 13.

'So far we are not seeing large numbers of patients being admitted to hospital despite significant transmission in Queensland,' Dr Gerrard said.

The change to the testing requirements in Queensland will not appease the NSW and Victorian governments, who are still dealing with long queues at testing facilities.

'So NSWs pre-travel testing burden is the same, but Queensland has reduced their own?' one person tweeted after the decision was announced.

'Queensland system is cooked so will reduce pressure by doing this,' another person commented. 'Queensland not concerned about other states being cooked and won't help them reduce pressure.'

But another person pointed out NSW was doing similar levels of testing to what it did in August and September.

'Why is it now a problem? Oh of course, it must be Queensland 's fault.'

The state has come under enormous pressure to drop its requirement of a negative PCR test for interstate travellers from 'hotspots' such as NSW, Victoria and the ACT within 72 hours of arrival at the border to be permitted entry to the state.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the policy was being reviewed, with rapid antigen tests expected to be used to 'screen' interstate visitors from January 1.

Queensland's requirement of a PCR test for entry to the state has been blamed for long queues at testing facilities in NSW and Victoria. Pictured: People queue at a testing clinic in the Melbourne CBD

A drive-through testing queue at Boondall in Brisbane. Dropping the rule requiring a day five test for tourists to Queensland is likely to help test queues in the state, but not NSW or Victoria

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard claimed as one of the main reasons for the long queues at testing facilities in Sydney, with a number of clinics forced to close yesterday due to overwhelming numbers.

'This is passive aggressive stupidity from the Queensland Premier at her worst,' Mr Hazzard told the Daily Telegraph.

'Getting rid of PCRs for tourism testing is absolutely critical so there can be a focus on the clinical needs of patients at risk.

'South Australia has seen the light and someone needs to switch on the lights in the Queensland Premiers office.'

Mr Hazzard said the presence of people in the queues being tested for holidays, rather than health reasons, was preventing those were are actually ill with Covid from receiving their results on time.

Yesterday Ms Palaszczuk revealed more than 400,000 people had now applied to come to Queensland since the state reopened on December 13

He said Queensland's continued insistence on the lab test requirement lacked commonsense, because someone could become positive four days after the test while in the Sunshine State.

He also noted that, 'from what I've heard', Queensland Police are only randomly checking whether people have had a PCR test at the border.

Last week Ms Palaszczuk disputed the fact that a large number of people in queues at testing clinics were planning to travel to Queensland.

She claimed only 10 per cent of those in NSW queues were coming to Queensland.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said Queensland police will use case-by-case discretion for those who arrive in the state without a negative PCR test

Yesterday Ms Palaszczuk revealed more than 400,000 people had now applied to come to Queensland since the state reopened on December 13.

'No one estimated 400,000 people would apply to come to Queensland,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'Queenslanders want it to be a safe environment so these are the precautions we put in place on our roadmap.

'Everybody knew when they booked a ticket to come here that they would have to adhere by having that PCR test.

'Now that we've had 400,000 border passes, we need to make sure that we are protecting Queenslanders but as the world is moving towards rapid antigen tests, it's something we are closely looking at.'

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said on Tuesday that 34.027 vehicles entered the state yesterday, with 177 refused entry. More than 10,900 people were checked at Queensland's domestic airports, with 10 refused entry and 140 people placed in quarantine.

He said police will continue to use discretion until the requirement for the lab test to enter the state is dropped.

'My advice for those people is they need to understand under current requirements, they are required to have a negative test before they come in.

'What's happening in some instances is people are believing they're going to get their 72-hour PCR test before they enter... then getting themselves in trouble because they haven't got the test back.

'That's when our officers will look at these things on a case-by-case basis and make a decision.'
A Kiwi newsreader has made history by becoming the first person to anchor a TV news bulletin with a face tattoo.

Oriini Kaipara, 37, who has a moko kauae, a traditional lower chin tattoo worn by Maori women, read Newshub Live's 6pm news bulletin on Monday.

The mother-of-four from Auckland said the moment fulfilled a lifelong dream and hoped she was the first in a long line of Maori women reading the news with traditional tattoos.

'It's really exciting. I'm really enjoying it. I'm not speechless, but it's a buzz. I am proud of how far I've come in being able to anchor 6pm right now,' she told Stuff.

Oriini Kaipara, 37, who has a moko kauae, a traditional lower chin tattoo worn by Maori women, read Newshub Live's 6pm news bulletin on Monday

The mother-of-four from Auckland said the moment fulfilled a lifelong dream and hoped she was the first in a long line of Maori women reading the news with traditional tattoos

Kaipara made headlines in 2019 when she became the first person with face tatts to present mainstream news when filling in for TVNZ's midday broadcast.

She regularly does packages for the main bulletin, becoming a fan favourite because of her Maori markings.

'It's definitely a step forward, and a step-up. If there was a goal for me, it would be anchoring prime time news, and that's happened,' she said.

'We've got a good team at Newshub, I don't feel the pressure as much as I used to when I first started out in journalism. But that comes with doing the hard yards, and then actually realising it and doing it is really exciting.'

Oriini Kaipara is hosting the 6pm bulletin on Newshub Live this week

Kaipara is bilingual and of Tuhoe, Ngati Awa, Tuwharetoa and Ngati Rangitihi descent, something she proudly displays while working as a prominent journalist.

'I'm very much aware that I'm the first [with moko kauae] to anchor a six o'clock primetime news bulletin.' she said.

'That is always at the back of my mind, that every step I make is like breaking through a glass ceiling.

'It's breaking new ground for us as Maori, but also for people of colour. Whether you've got a moko kauae or not.'

Kaipara is bilingual and of Tuhoe, Ngati Awa, Tuwharetoa and Ngati Rangitihi descent, something she proudly displays while working as a prominent journalist

Oriini Kaipara, 37, has a moko kauae, a traditional lower chin tattoo worn by Maori women

In 2017, a DNA test revealed Kaipara was 100 per cent Moari.

Maori facial and body tattooing, known as Ta moko, represents the wearer's family heritage and social status.

For Maori women the moko was a rite of passage, marking the passage between girl and adulthood and symbolises a personal process of transformation.

Social media photos from January 2019 show her surrounded by family while a tattooist inscribes her moko kauae.
Chicago's grim crime-ridden year continued its familiar path over the Christmas weekend and into Monday, with three people fatally shot and 22 injured in a city run by woke Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Murders are at a 25-year high, with 793 recorded so far in a city with 2.7 million people. By comparison, New York City, which has a population of more than eight million, has had 479 murders to date.

On Christmas Day, 24-year-old Giovanni Lozano was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in Logan Square on the Northwest Side at 10:40pm.

On December 26, Clifford Jeffrey, 37, was shot and killed at 3:20pm in East Garfield Park. And Monday, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot as he walked on the sidewalk in Little Village on the Southwest Side. His name has not yet been released.

Lightfoot has not commented on the Windy City's carnage, instead posting a video wishing residents a happy Kwanzaa - the African American and Pan-African holiday created in 1966, and celebrated from December 26 until January 2.

Lori Lightfoot on December 26 posted a video to her Twitter account sitting beside her wife Amy Eshleman, in which she wished the city a happy Kwanzaa

Chicago police are seen investigating the area where Giovanni Lozano, 24, was shot and killed on Christmas Day

Police attend the scene of Clifford Jeffrey's murder in East Garfield Park on December 26

'Joyous Kwanzaa, Chicago,' said Lightfoot, sitting beside her wife Amy Eshleman.

'Amy and I wish to extend a very beautiful and prosperous Kwanzaa to all of you celebrating this season.'

Eshleman added: 'As you light the candles and gather in unity, we hope your holiday is filled with rejoicing and happiness.'

Lightfoot continued: 'The seven principals of Kwanzaa guide us to unity and cooperation as we work to uplift and protect our neighbors.

'As you prepare for your Kwanzaa celebrations, I urge you to keep these values in mind, but also maintain COVID-19 safe celebrations.'

The pair then urged those who were not vaccinated to get their COVID shot, and those sick to stay at home.

'Habari Gani, Chicago,' concluded Lightfoot, using a Kwanzaa greeting - a Swahili term meaning 'What is the news?'

One person replied to the video: 'How many people were shot this weekend?'

One asked: 'Is this a Saturday Night Live skit?'

Another remarked: 'There's been 7 carjackings since you tweeted this.'

Lightfoot concluded her address with a Swahili greeting which is now used to mark Kwanzaa

Crime in Chicago is at a 25-year high, as the statistics from December 21 show. It has only worsened through the Christmas week

Lightfoot's holiday wishes came as the city reels from a surge in violence.

The most recent Chicago police department data, from the week of December 13-19, shows murders 50 percent up year-on-year.

Criminal sexual assault was up 132 percent; robbery 74 percent; theft 51 percent.

And Christmas provided no respite.

On Christmas Eve, an 11-year-old boy was one of two people shot inside an apartment in

In nonfatal attacks, a person was in custody after an 11-year-old boy was among two people shot Friday night inside an apartment in Jefferson Park.

Both the boy and a 25-year-old man he was with were shot in the leg by a man they knew.

On Christmas Day, two women were shot early in the morning in the West Woodlawn neighborhood.

Around 2:38am, the 39-year-old and 21-year-old were standing on the sidewalk when shots were fired, according to police.

The 39-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the left leg and the 21-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the face. Both were expected to survive.

In the early hours of December 26, a 17-year-old boy was shot in West Lawn, on the Southwest Side.

The shooting happened around 12:40am, and the teenager was shot in the knee.

A man stands and watches as police on Christmas Day seal off the site of Giovanni Lozano's murder

Police on December 26 investigate the murder of Clifford Jeffrey, 37

About half an hour earlier, three people were shot inside a building in Marquette Park on the South Side, with a gunman opening fire from inside a gray Dodge Durango.

The Chicago Tribune on Monday reported that, for 2021, Austin, on the city's West Side, was the most dangerous neighborhood of the city, with 71 murders.

North Lawndale and Greater Grand Crossing were in second and third place, with slightly over half the tally of Austin - 44 and 40 murders respectively.

The victims were overwhelmingly young, black and male, and likely to have died in gunfire.

Of the 793 victims, 314 were aged 20-29, and 202 were aged 30-39.

Six hundred and 47 were black.

Men accounted for 696, and women for 97.
At least four cruise ships reported Omicron outbreaks on board last week and were turned away from their ports of call as the CDC announced Monday it was investigating reported COVID cases on nearly 70 luxury liners.

Passengers who were marooned aboard cruise liners on Christmas Day spoke out about a lack of concern from other passengers and a dearth of communication from staff.

'It was disgusting,' said Kimberly Kelley, who was a passenger on Carnival Cruise Line's Freedom, which returned to port in Miami on Sunday after a 'small number' of COVID cases were reported.

'We didn't touch one pool on that ship because everyone's in there all over each other - no one's wearing masks, nobody cared,' Kelley told CNN. 'Now I have to worry I'm going to have COVID?'

In hindsight, another passenger on the Freedom liner called cruises the 'worst kind of travel you can do,' telling Good Morning America that 'it's not safe at all' and that it was 'like a petri dish.'

Kimberley Kelley, a Carnival Freedom Cruise Passenger, told ABC News and CNN that 'no one cared' about COVID on her eight-day cruise from Miami. Her cruise liner was turned away from Bonaire and Aruba due to COVID cases onboard, with some passengers finding out from news broadcasts

Amber Peterson told Good Morning America that her trip with Carnival Cruises was 'like a petri dish' and, in hindsight, 'not safe at all.' She said that staff refused to inform her of why there were delays and itinerary changes to her trip

The Royal Caribbean Cruises Freedom of the Seas ship is pictured docked before departure at Port Miami in Miami, Florida

'With the high number of COVID cases on board, they're really not able to contain it being on that small ship,' Ashley Peterson said on the ABC broadcast.

After the cruise departed on December 18, a number of passengers who tested positive were immediately isolated, and the voyage was allowed to continue, according to the New York Times.

The ship, which can carry nearly 3,000 passengers and 1,150 crew members, was not allowed by local governments to make planned stops on the Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Aruba. Instead, the liner made an 'alternative visit' to Amber Cove, Curacao and the Dominican Republic, a company spokesman told the Times.

'They didn't inform us of hardly anything,' Leah Murray, another passenger on the Freedom, told GMA. 'We sat there for a couple of hours, and then we found out they wouldn't let us on our destination because of so many people on the ship were having COVID.'

Passengers told news outlets that it was 'like a petri dish' on board their cruise liners, and that there wasn't much room to quarantine in close quarters

Leah Murray, another passenger on the Carnival Cruise Freedom, said that staff 'didn't inform [her] of hardly anything'

The national epidemiologist for Curacao, Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, told CNN that he was alerted to the ship's arrival and the presence of COVID-positive crew members before it docked. Although Gerstenbluth wanted to 'assess the situation' once the ship had docked, he said that he was delayed due to an emergency on the island.

Once he arrived at the ship, Gerstenbluth said he determined that the cases were contained among crew members, and allowed passengers to leave the ship while the crew remained onboard.

But, as the ship bypassed planned stops, Peterson told CNN that cruise line staff refused to explain the delay before passengers were allowed to disembark in Curacao. The next day, she learned that it was caused by COVID infections while watching the news.

She said passengers weren't informed of the cases until the ship was denied entry to Bonaire, and that if she had known, she may have taken a flight back to her home in North Carolina.

The Symphony of the Seas (pictured) departed from Miami on December 11, stopping in St. Maarten and St. Thomas in the Carribbean before visiting Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay.

Passengers who were ultimately quarantined on that ship were relegated to the second deck in rooms without balconies, according to one Twitter user. They were placated with $76.25 in credits toward a 'future COVID cruise.'

But passengers on the ship had no idea just how many of their fellow passengers had contracted the virus, with one couple telling CNN 'we heard five, we heard 12, we heard 25,' although they 'had a good time' on the cruise and 'would do it again.'

In a statement to Good Morning America, Carnival Cruises said that their COVID protocols were 'vigorous' and 'account[ed] for the possibility of any positive cases on board.'

The company also claimed that they 'made announcements and communicated in writing to passengers on board.'

In a statement to CNN, Carnival Cruises said that 'the rapid spread of the Omicron variant may shape how some destination authorities view even a small number of cases, even when they are being managed with our vigorous protocols,' and that 'some destinations have limited medical resources and are focused on managing their own local response to the variant.'

'Should it be necessary to cancel a port, we will do our best to find an alternative destination,' the cruise company said.

In San Diego, the Holland America Cruise Koningsdam was forced to return to port after local officials turned it away from its planned destination in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Passengers arrive to board the Celebrity Cruise Edge, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale - the first cruise to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a halt. Since June, 1,300 COVID cases have been reported aboard cruise liners

Initially, officials in the Mexican state of Jalisco were going to allow passengers to disembark after testing negative for the virus onboard, but changed their minds, citing the 'exponential growth of confirmed cases in the crew,' according to CNN.

On that ship, 21 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. A spokesperson told ABC News that no guests tested positive, however.

'With the pervasive nature of the Omicron variant, we have continued to evolve our protocols, which were developed with guidance from leading health experts and in anticipation of situations like this,' a spokesperson said.

One passenger told Good Morning America that the crew kept 'delaying and delaying and delaying' in its announcements to passengers.

'We had our excursion all planned, we were waiting for about an hour to get off... until the captain got on and said "we're leaving in about an hour."'

One passenger (pictured) told Good Morning America that the crew kept 'delaying and delaying and delaying' in its announcements to passengers

The same ship set sail again for another cruise just hours after it disembarked in San Diego, the outlet reported.

Officials in Curacao and Aruba also turned away Royal Carribean's Symphony of the Seas,' the world's biggest cruise ship, after 48 people onboard tested positive for COVID, according to the Miami Herald.

The cruise ship was carrying 6,091 passengers, according to CNN, 95 percent of which were vaccinated. Of those who tested positive for COVID, 98 percent were reportedly vaccinated.

The Symphony of the Seas departed from Miami on December 11, stopping in St. Maarten and St. Thomas in the Carribbean before visiting Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay.

The cruise line said in a statement that six passengers who tested positive were forced to disembark, while other positive travelers got off the ship on December 18, when the

The cruise line says in its statement that it disembarked six positive cases earlier in the cruise, while the other positive travelers disembarked on December 18, when the week-long voyage came to an end.

'Each person quickly went into quarantine,' reads a Royal Caribbean statement on the Symphony of the Seas outbreak.

'Everyone who tested positive were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and we continuously monitored their health.'

In this photo taken on March 07, 2020 a Carnival Panorama cruise ship is seen docked in Long Beach, California on March 7, 2020, as passengers await onboard for the results of a COVID-19 test given to an ill passenger

On Wednesday, officials in Columbia prevented passengers on the Seven Seas Mariner to disembark in their country after six crew members and one passenger tested positive for COVID. The ship had begun an 18-day trip from Miami to San Francisco on December 18.

Cruise ship sailing was paused during the outset of the pandemic, but resumed in June of this year - since, more than 1,300 cases of COVID-19 were found on cruise ships, according to the CDC.

On Monday, the CDC announced that it was investigating 68 cruise liners following COVID outbreaks.

On its website, the CDC maintains a list of 108 operating cruise liners, categorizing them based on how many cases of COVID-19 have been reported onboard. Passengers on U.S.-based cruise liners must wear masks in public areas and present proof of vaccination.

On its website, the CDC maintains a list of 108 operating cruise liners, categorizing them based on how many cases of COVID-19 have been reported onboard

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Study drugs are now rife among university students as they try to boost exam performance.

The pills can be bought for around 2 each from internet retailers based abroad, an investigation has found.

The 'smart drugs', which were developed to treat medical conditions, are available only by prescription in the UK. However they have become popular because research shows they can enhance cognitive ability.

Students from Oxford, Edinburgh, Nottingham and the London School of Economics told The Times they were able to obtain the drugs easily.

Students from Oxford, Edinburgh, Nottingham and the London School of Economics told The Times they were able to obtain the drugs easily

Sir Anthony Seldon, a former vice chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said universities should ban unauthorised prescription medicines. He added: 'It's unfair, it gives an advantage. It's dangerous, we don't know the long-term effects. It puts pressure on students, you become a mug if you are not doing it.'

Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said it was studying the issue and would put out new guidance.

The Office for Students said the situation was 'worrying'.

An online survey of students from 54 British universities published last year showed 19 per cent of students had used cognition enhancers.

Online pharmacies, including those abroad, are required to confirm with a GP that a prescription is clinically appropriate.

However, Dr Anders Sandberg, 49, a philosopher at Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, said that he obtained a drug online for research with no checks.

An online survey of students from 54 British universities published last year showed 19 per cent of students had used cognition enhancers

He buys it from a European online store, claiming to have a prescription, which is not examined.

Barbara Sahakian, professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge University, said that she had been approached by students after giving lectures about cognition enhancers.

She told the Times: 'Someone comes up and says 'I don't want to take these drugs but other people are taking them and I feel I will be disadvantaged'.

'They see people passing them round the library. Sometimes they get them on the internet, which is a very unsafe way to get a prescription-only medicine. It's like Russian roulette.'

David Taylor, professor of psychopharmacology at King's College London, said: 'You are taking a drug that affects the function of your brain without any medical supervision.'

No university in Britain has explicitly banned cognition enhancers although Edinburgh said that the consumption and sale of such drugs breached its code of student conduct, which forbids the use of unfair means in assessments.
The Oxford Union has been accused of undermining free speech after agreeing to allow the vetting of controversial speakers.

The debating society, which dates back to 1823, will assess the 'impact' of guests before allowing them to visit.

Particular deliberation is likely to apply to critics of the transgender lobby, pro-Life groups and those who advocate for Israel.

Chris McGovern is the Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education. He is a retired head teacher and a former advisor to the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street

The Oxford Union was founded in 1823 and previous speakers include Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon and Professor Stephen Hawking

However the society plans to 'restructure' its invitations process to take into account any adverse effect on minority groups. Pictured: Comedian Ricky Gervais at Oxford Union in June of 2017

Historically even the most controversial speakers were allowed to visit, including OJ Simpson in 1996 and Nick Griffin of the British National Party in 2007.

However the society plans to 'restructure' its invitations process to take into account any adverse effect on minority groups.

Documents show this could mean consulting 'specialist student societies'. The proposal is the result of an independent review by lawyers.

Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education claimed freedom of speech would be curtailed.

But a spokesman for the Oxford Union welcomed the review, adding: 'We will defend any person's right to freedom of speech within the law.'
Irish and British leaders spoke of how the European Union would contribute to the peace process in Northern Ireland as early as 1992.

At a dinner in Downing Street in February 1992, the European Community, the precursor to the EU, was praised by both sides for bringing the two Governments closer together.

The conversation at the dinner, which was attended by both Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and Prime Minister John Major alongside a number of senior ministers, is recorded in a confidential note made by Irish officials.

Mr Reynolds says that some of the policies envisaged in the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which partitioned the island, 'are now coming back from Europe'.

Referencing the role of a Council of Ireland, he asks: 'How can we input that situation into Northern Ireland to pick up wherever you leave off?'

At a dinner in Downing St in February 1992, the European Community, the precursor to the EU, was praised by Irish and British leaders for bringing the two Governments closer together. The conversation at the dinner, which was attended by both Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and Prime Minister John Major alongside a number of senior ministers, is recorded in a confidential note made by Irish officials. (Above, foreground, Mr Reynolds and Mr Major in 1994)

Peter Brooke, the then-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, responds: 'The economists from outside would see it as extraordinary that trade between North and South in Ireland is so small due to the incubus of partition. This will change with the development of the EC but not by 1993.'

Tristan Garel-Jones, a Foreign Office Minister and supporter of greater UK integration into the European Community, said: 'The EC is bringing us together. If I may quote the Prime Minister it is bringing us "into the heart of Europe".'

'We are taking more trouble to talk to our partners. As I travel around the Community I always uncover areas where we can work together,' he tells the Irish delegation.

'The post-Maastricht European development will bring us together.'

At the same meeting, he urges Ireland and UK co-operation on various European issues.

Peter Brooke (pictured), the then-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said at the dinner: 'The economists from outside would see it as extraordinary that trade between North and South in Ireland is so small due to the incubus of partition. This will change with the development of the EC but not by 1993'

'Even where we disagree we can talk about it,' he says.

'Between us we share a parliamentary tradition to a much greater extent than our other partners. We need to encourage our European partners to develop the same sense of accountability to their constituents as we have to ours.

'Our colleagues sometimes seem to be almost unencumbered by constituency responsibilities.'

The two sides agreed they differ on the need for increased resources for the European Community.

'Yes we feel that the Commission has its hands in our pockets more than we do ourselves,' quips Major.
An American TikTok influencer has claimed dressing nicely is the best way to get upgraded on a flight, but my non-influencer experience has not found that to be true.

I have been a frequent flyer for decades, or at least I was until Covid brought international travel, and my enthusiasm for it, to a shuddering halt.

My first experience of an upgrade was on June 1, 1990. I didn't ask for it, it happened because of circumstances.

I was a student and was flying from Shannon in the west of Ireland, to Boston on the east coast of America.

Flying business class on Emirates (pictured) using frequent flyer points was fantastic, but Padraig Collins felt like a fraud

Having spent the night and morning before the trip drinking with a friend until 7am, I then slept for about three hours and almost missed my flight.

I was so late checking in that they'd given my economy seat to someone on stand-by.

But seeing as I'd shown up while the plane was still on the ground - these were simpler, pre-9/11 times - they gave me a business class seat upstairs in the 747 instead.

My joy at the unexpected upgrade made up for my head feeling like a war zone.

It was not a lie-flat seat - such things were still a decade or more away from becoming standard in long-haul business class flights - but it was a very wide and comfortable leather seat and there was no one behind me so I could recline it as far as it would go.

The hostess looking after the five of us in business class tried to suck all the joy out of it, though.

She told me, 'You're not it business class, we just ran out of seats and had to put you up here.'

It sure looked like business class to me, though.

Then, when she was on the internal communications to the deck below, she said she had 'Five, including one T&E.'

She either didn't know, or didn't care, that I knew what T&E meant. It means 'tired and emotional'. It was then, and probably still is, airline code for someone who is drunk.

Spill the tea: Ceara Kirkpatrick, from Missouri, revealed on TikTok that she recently befriended an airline worker, so she asked him to share some secrets about the job

I couldn't argue with her logic and it made me realise my cards were marked. But all I wanted to do was sleep until I got to Boston, which, thanks to my upgrade, I did.

The US influencer, Ceara Kirkpatrick, from St Louis said an airline worker she befriended told her that attendants 'will literally mark you as suitable for upgrade if you look nice and only if you look nice'.

This is a long-held belief among flyers, frequent or otherwise. It's also not true. I know, because I tried it.

THE BEST AND EASIEST WAYS TO GET A FLIGHT UPGRADE: 1. Get a credit card linked to a frequent flyer service. Every cent you spend gets you one step closer to an upgrade. 2. If you are offered the chance to bid for an upgrade, take it. Make the lowest bid you think might work. Chances are, it will. 3. Smile at the check-in attendant. It probably won't work, but it's worth a shot and it's always nice to be nice. Advertisement

In April 2002 I checked in in Heathrow for a flight to Sydney, wearing a suit and a confident smile, almost certain that winning combination would get me a better seat.

I asked if I could get an upgrade. The check-in attendant gave me an almost sympathetic smile that said she'd seen this play before. 'No, it's full in business class,' she said.

'How about first class,' I asked. She handed me my economy ticket and told me what time boarding was.

When I got to Sydney, all I had was a crumpled suit and a dry cleaning bill.

It was after that that I noticed something about people in non-economy seats. They don't dress nicely. They dress comfortably for a long-haul flight, often with tracksuit pants and fleece tops. They don't need to dress up; they've got the seat already.

My next humiliation was on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. This time I wasn't even looking for a real upgrade, just an exit row seat.

I'm 1.81m and up on my tippy toes I was about 1.88. The check-in woman may have noticed I was on my tippy toes, given I was suddenly a couple of inches taller as I asked could I get an exit row.

Premium economy is expensive, but good if you have enough frequent flyer points to get an upgrade

She practically sneered at me. 'There will be taller passengers than you on the flight.' I didn't doubt it, but I was surprised to later see a quite short Japanese man in the exit row.

A few years on, I hoped that interviewing the head of a major Australian airline would magically lead to an upgrade.

I spent the entire interview using my eyes to plead with him to offer me an upgrade. The non-verbal communication didn't work.

Then a friend at another publication told me he had written to the public relations spokesman of an airline saying how he was looking forward to flying with them.

Using frequent flyer points with a linked credit card is the best way to get an upgrade (pictured) on flights

He sent it from his work email address, hoping that would lead to an upgrade.

He got no reply, but expected some good news when he got to the check-in counter. He did not get good news. He got the row next to the toilets. Probably just a coincidence.

I struck both wishful thinking and writing to the PR guy off my list of ways to get an upgrade. They don't work.

And then I discovered what actually does work - frequent flyer points, a credit card linked to those points and a lowball bid when upgrades are available.

For years now, I have been using a credit card linked to my airline points to build up enough to upgrade to premium economy. The prices are too high to pay the full price, but worth it if you can get it with points.

Then the last time I flew to the other side of the world before Covid grounded almost all flights, I realised I had enough points - mainly thanks to credit card spending rather than building them up from other flights - to fly business class.

Even when queueing for the business class line (pictured) someone in first class can cut ahead of you

So I did. Emirates from Sydney to London and Qatar on the way back. My first business class flights in almost 30 years, and now there was a lie-flat bed.

It was fantastic, but I felt like a complete fraud. The hostesses were so nice to me. I thought about telling them I'd used frequent flyer points.

Then I thought, maybe they know that. Maybe there's a big red dot beside my name in their list of passengers, meaning this guy hasn't even paid.

It had been made clear to me in the check-in line, though, that even at the pointy end of the plane there is a hierarchy. While I queued, a man flying first class walked right past me.

Finally, the low upgrade bid is a relatively new option. Airlines have started selling upgrades through a bidding system to squeeze every bit of money they can out of customers.

It's only an option if you've paid the full economy fare, so the first time I had that option - a flight from Sydney to Auckland - I tried it out. I bid just above the minimum amount of points and money I could and it worked.

Given it was just a three-hour flight, it was a bit excessive and unnecessary. But now that I know what works, I'll try it on a long-haul flight next time.
In the wake of the Warrington and Bishopsgate bombings, an Irish official warned that the attacks were likely to empower the 'Tory right-wing' and the 'financial interests' in London.

The Bishopsgate bomb, which was planted in a stolen truck, killed one person and injured 44.

It caused widespread destruction in the City of London, causing millions of pounds worth of damage.

The Warrington bombing caused the deaths of three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry, with 54 people injured by the explosion in the Cheshire town.

In an official communication between Counsellor Joe Hayes to Assistant Secretary Sean O Huiginn dated April 27 1993, Mr Hayes described the feeling in Westminster in the wake of the attacks.

In the wake of the 1993 Warrington and Bishopsgate bombings, an Irish official warned that the attacks were likely to empower the 'Tory right-wing' and the 'financial interests' in London. The Warrington bombing (above) caused the deaths of three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry, with 54 people injured by the explosion in the Cheshire town

In an official communication between Counsellor Joe Hayes to Assistant Secretary Sean O Huiginn dated April 27 1993, Mr Hayes described the feeling in Westminster in the wake of the attacks. (Above, mourners with floral tributes after the Warrington attack)

'Reaction at Westminster is likely to follow a predictable pattern,' he writes, a couple of days after the blast at Bishopsgate.

'The bombings will undoubtedly surface during the coming week, probably at Prime Minister's questions and the Tory right-wing will press their predictable demands for an enhanced security response.

'This time round, however, the usual voices may be stiffened by the addition of some London-based MPs and, behind the scenes, by powerful voices who represent the interests of various financial institutions in the City of London.

'In the case of London, much is made of the city's ability to absorb the danger and inconvenience of terrorist threat.

'Similarly, the City of London easily coped with the financial loss of last year's bombing at the Baltic Exchange. Reaction to this weekends events should, therefore, not be overstated.

'Nevertheless, the sheer size of the Bishopsgate bombing puts it in a different league from the usual incident and has added to the sense that something must be seen to be done.

'London-based Conservative MPs and the lobby representing the financial interests of the City of London, constitute powerful pressure points within the Conservative Party whose views the Government cannot easily afford to ignore.

In a separate communique in the aftermath of the Warrington blast, which led to widespread public anger, Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph Small compared the reaction to the killings in Warrington to those in Northern Ireland.

Johnathan Ball (left), three, and Tim Parry (right), 12, were killed in 1993 after IRA bombs exploded in the small town of Warrington, Cheshire

Describing a recent exchange between Liberal Democrats leader Paddy Ashdown and Prime Minister John Major in the House of Commons, Mr Small writes on April 1: 'It underlines one well-known fact - when measured against the reaction to terrorist killings in Britain, deaths in Northern Ireland do not count for much.

'Despite the fact that they had taken place earlier that day, no reference was made to the multiple killings at Castlerock,' he says, referring to the killing of four Catholics by the Ulster Freedom Fighters.

'This omission was reflected in the popular press,' he continues.

'In a week dominated by images from Warrington there was simply no room for coverage of, or editorial indignation at, the horrific killings in Northern Ireland.'

In the same letter, Mr Small suggested that the murder of Merseyside toddler James Bulger had 'coloured' some of the reaction to the Warrington blast.

'Both events became inextricably linked in the public mind, adding to the sense of insecurity and concern here about the apparent collapse of public order and morality.'

The Ambassador offers a frank assessment of what the Warrington bombing means for British politics, warning that it will in the short-term strengthen 'the hand of the right wing law and order lobby'.

In a lengthy missive that updates officials in Dublin on what the blast means for attitudes to both the Irish community in England and the Irish Government, Mr Small mused that there was some signs of optimism.

He said the reaction in the media and among the public indicates that 'most thinking British people no longer blame their Irish neighbours for the IRA'.
Presidential historian and former Biden speechwriter Jon Meacham said that he believes if ex-President Donald Trump runs for a third time in 2024, America may be thrown into a civil war as Democrats continue to press for voting rights legislation.

Meacham, a regular CNN contributor, appeared on Fareed Zakaria's Sunday show on the network, where the host said Trump will claim he won regardless of the results in 2024.

'Doesn't that present us with a constitutional crisis?' Zakarias asked.

'I think it's an unfolding one,' Meacham replied, calling it 'an interesting use of the word crisis.'

Meacham said the riot at the Capitol on January 6 was the closest America came to forfeiting its Democracy since the Civil War.

'I think we came as close to losing the Constitution that day as we have since Fort Sumter,' he said.

Meacham, a Vanderbilt professor and Biden speechwriter, appeared on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show with fellow historian Doris Kearns Goodwin

Meacham said on CNN Sunday that he believes if ex-President Donald Trump runs for a third time in 2024, America may lose it's very Constitution

Fellow historian Doris Kearns Goodwin joined the panel and argued that securing voting rights and a peaceful transition of power is 'the fight of our life right now,' suggesting that state legislatures overturning elections could mean every election could be contested.

Earlier in December, President Biden pledged while speaking to world leaders that he will make voting rights legislation a 'priority' as he opened up his Summit for Democracy at the White House.

The president is convening participants from some 110 countries with the aim of reversing the 'backwards slide of democracy,' a trend on display around the world and in the United States, he said.

'My administration is going to keep fighting to pass two critical pieces of legislation that will shore up the very foundation of American democracy, the sacred right of every person to make their voice heard through free, fair and secure elections,' Biden said.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, passed in August by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, remains stalled in a deadlocked Senate but has become the new priority after Biden's pricey Build Back Better dream was dashed by West Virginia's Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.

Meacham suggested that the anger and disillusion Republicans feel comes from the party not delivering on policies.

He talked about everyone from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush to Ted Cruz as making what Zakarias called 'crazy promises' to the base without delivering.

'It's the will to power. Democracy is not the natural state of things. We are emotional creatures. The insight of the founding was that if we had the chance to do something, we would do the wrong thing.'

Meacham is a Vanderbilt University professor and frequent CNN guest who helped Biden write his inaugural address.

He's also a frequent critic of Trump, having accused him of treason.

His comments come after three retired US generals warned that America's divided military could fuel a new civil war if there's another coup attempt after the 2024 election because 'more than 1 in 10 of those charged in January 6 attacks had a service record'.

Former Army Major Gen Paul Eaton, former Brigadier Gen Steven Anderson and former Army Major Gen Antonio Taguba made the worrisome claim in a column for The Washington Post.

'As we approach the first anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, we - all of us former senior military officials - are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military, which would put all Americans at severe risk,' the generals penned.

'We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time,' they added.

Retired Army Major Gen Paul Eaton was among three former top military brass to warn that the country may be plunged into civil war if there is another coup attempt after 2024 election

Former Army Major Gen Paul Eaton (left), former Brigadier Gen Steven Anderson (center) and former Army Major Gen Antonio Taguba (right) penned a column in The Washington Post Friday warning of another coup attempt after the 2024 election similar to the January 6 Capitol riot that will divide the military and cause a possible civil war

The generals referenced January 6, 2020, when thousands of fiery patriots and Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, which resulted in the death of five people

In such a polarized political atmosphere, 'with loyalties split,' the generals observed that 'some might follow orders from the rightful commander in chief, while others might follow the Trumpian loser'.

'In this context, with our military hobbled and divided, US security would be crippled. Any one of our enemies could take advantage by launching an all-out assault on our assets or our allies,' the column read.

They emphasized: 'The military and lawmakers have been gifted hindsight to prevent another insurrection from happening in 2024 - but they will succeed only if they take decisive action now'.

Eaton, 71, was in charge of training Iraqi troop during Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2004 during. After he retired, Eaton became a vocal critic of former President George W. Bush, who spearheaded the war in Iraq., and is currently a senior adviser to VoteVets.

Taguba, 71, spent 34 years in the military and made headlines for an internal United States Army report on the abuse of detainees held at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq when it was leaked in 2004.

Anderson, 65, had a 31-year career in the armed forces, including 15 months working under General David Petraeus as a in Iraq.

Most recently Robert Palmer (pictured), 54, was sentenced to 63 months for his involvement in the January 6 riot, where he assaulted police officers with a fire extinguisher and hurled wooden boards at them

The three retired generals noted that the events that unfolded on January 6, 2020 - when thousands of fiery patriots and Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building and resulted in the death of five people - showed that 'the signs of potential turmoil in our armed forces are there'.

Since, at least 185 people in attendance have since been charged with assaulting or impeding police in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

The three generals were sure to note that 'more than 1 in 10 of those charged in the attacks had a service record'.

Meacham, a 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for a biography on Andrew Jackson, was previously dropped by MSNBC after he failed to disclose that he had been helping write Biden's speeches.

The political analyst had most recently appeared on air to comment on the presidential election as well as Biden's victory speech the Saturday night following the 2020 presidential election.

Meacham, however, did not tell his employers that he himself had been involved in crafting Biden's speeches, including his acceptance address in Wilmington, Delaware, The New York Times reported.

Jon Meacham (pictured on the network over the weekend) will no longer serve as a paid contributor for MSNBC after he failed to disclose that he had been helping write Joe Biden's speeches

A NYT report revealed Meacham had been helping craft Biden's speeches including the victory speech the president-elect delivered in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night

Meacham and Biden have had a close relationship over the years. They are pictured together above at the the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware

The report revealed Meacham had been 'playing a larger role' in Biden's campaign 'than was previously known', including writing the president-elect's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last summer as well as his speech in Gettysburg.

Meacham had appeared on the network three times since Biden's remarks on Saturday, including one appearance in which he analyzed the speech.

He was asked to weigh in on the address during an on-air conversation with then-anchor Brian Williams.

'I'm not the historian that you are, and I don't have the Pulitzer that you do, but do you concur that is the way we are used to hearing from our presidents?' Williams asked.

'Absolutely,' Meacham said, without admitting he played a role in the writing process.

A Biden spokesperson had downplayed Meacham's involvement, telling the Times Biden had written his own victory speech but had 'consulted a number of important, diverse voices as he often does.'

Another campaign official said Meacham had contributed to the 'themes' included in Biden's remarks.

Although the source did not specify which themes, parts of Biden's speech echoed Meacham's 2018 book - The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels - as he spoke of 'rebuilding the soul of America.'
A Florida medical examiner has ruled that a college student who authorities say was killed by a handyman at an apartment complex where they both worked died by 'homicide of undetermined means.'

The report obtained Monday by Miami television station WPLG says Miya Marcano's body was found outside of her apartment complex in Orlando on October 2 - eight days after she was reported missing on September 24.

When authorities found the 19-year-old, her body was 'nearly completely skeletonized,' and black duct tape was found around her neck, wrists and ankles, the medical examiner's report says.

Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany said in his report that it's possible the duct tape around her neck may have been covering her nose and mouth. He noted, though, that an examination of her bones 'reveals no evidence of trauma.'

He said his examination of Marcano's body was hindered due to a lack of residual tissue, but a toxicology test conducted on October 4 shows she tested negative for all substances, including fentanyl and cocaine.

'In my opinion, the manner in which she was found, with multiple restraints and her disposition in an abandoned area of an apartment complex indicates some type of assault, but because of the lack of identifiable soft tissue injuries due to advanced decomposition, the cause of death is the result of homicide by undetermined means,' he wrote in his report.

Authorities say Marcano was killed by Armando Caballero, 27, who worked maintenance in her apartment complex and had made unwanted advances at her. He was found dead by suicide on September 27.

Miya Marcano, 19, left, died by 'homicide of undetermined means,' according to an autopsy report released on Monday. Armando Caballero, 27, right, is considered the main suspect in her death, with authorities claiming he used a master key to get into her apartment

Marcano was a Valencia College student who lived and worked at the Orlando apartment complex where Caballero was employed as a maintenance worker.

She was reported missing on September 24, after she was scheduled to catch a flight home to Fort Lauderdale after her shift ended at 5pm but never made it to the airport and stopped replying to friends and family.

Signs of a violent struggle, including bloodstains on a pillow, were eventually found in her room, and Caballero told police that he had last seen her at 3pm that day - but police later learned that his 'maintenance-issued master key fob' had been used to enter her apartment at 4:30pm.

Caballero was later found dead by suicide in a Seminole County garage on September 27. According to Law & Crime, court documents stated that his body could have been in the garage since the day Marcano vanished, based on its state of decomposition.

Marcano's family released a video showing a conversation they had with Caballero (left) outside her apartment building in the hours after the 19-year-old went missing

Caballero, 27, was found dead by suicide in a Seminole County garage on September 27

Marcano, right, was a student at Valencia College when she went missing on September 24

Several of Marcano's family members drove to her apartment in Orlando when they became concerned.

Cellphone video, shot by one the relatives and released by the Washington Law Firm, shows Marcano's family members interacting with Caballero and the Orange County Sheriff Department around 3:45 am on Saturday September 25, hours after she was last seen alive.

The family said Caballero arrived at Marcano's apartment and asked her aunt: 'Are you looking for Miya?'

He told police he had found out 'from a mutual friend that Miya is missing,' according to the police report.

In the video, Marcano's family was suspicious of Caballero's appearance and began confronting him about his alleged obsession with the young woman.

'You have sent obsessive texts to Miya,' one family member is heard saying in the video. 'We have all seen the texts. You talked about giving her your life savings. You Cash App'ed her money and you claim that you weren't in touch.'

To which Caballero replied: 'I never said that.'

The family member continued: 'There is evidence of obsession or something. You are fascinated with Miya,' she said.

'It's not only from my side,' Caballero then said. 'So, don't try to make this like I'm a stalker.'

The family then reported to a deputy, who witnessed the interaction, that a key fob had fallen out of Caballero's lap as he got out of his car and that they noticed he had Marcano's blanket.

When Marcano's body was eventually found, she was in jeans, a bra, and a robe with her mouth, arms and legs bound with duct tape, police reported.

Caballero, meanwhile, was found dead at a Seminole County apartment complex on September 27.

According to Law & Crime, court documents stated that his body could have been in the garage since the day Marcano vanished, based on its state of decomposition.

The family of Miya Marcano has now filed a lawsuit accusing Arden Villas and its operator, The Preiss Company, of negligence in connection to Marcano's death for employing Caballero

Marcano lived and worked at Arden Villas in Orlando (pictured) where she was found dead

Her body was found in a wooded area near her apartment complex on October 2 following a week-long search

Marcano's family is now suing the apartment complex, Arden Villas and its operator, The Preiss Company, of negligence in connection to Marcano's death for employing Caballero as a maintenance worker, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Marcano's family filed the suit in Orange County circuit court to 'hold those responsible for the disappearance and death of Miya fully responsible' and prevent other families from 'experiencing the pain and grief with which they are currently dealing,' Jodi Lewis, a spokesperson for the family's attorney Daryl K. Washington said in a statement.

'Arden Villas gave Armando Caballero the unfettered access he needed to kill Miya,' Washington said in a statement. 'They need to be held accountable for their negligence.'

The suit claims that Marcano was never made aware of her co-worker's criminal history or previous allegations of harassing women, nor did she know that he would have unsupervised access to her apartment with a master key.

Her family said that Marcano had been stalking the Valencia College student.

'Caballero, who was much older than Marcano, appeared to be interested in Marcano and this made her extremely uncomfortable,' according to the complaint.

'Marcano expressed her concerns to employees of the Arden Villas, as well as to her parents who were concerned that ... the manager of the Arden Villas was not taking the safety concerns of the employees and tenants very seriously. Management at the Arden Villas had a reputation for ignoring the complaints made by both tenants and employees,' the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit also claims that Arden Villas is required to provide a 'reasonably safe' environment and properly vet their employees to ensure 'only appropriate persons were hired' to take precautions 'foreseeable criminal attacks, especially by employees.'

The complaint also named Caballero's estate in seeking a jury trial and damages in excess of $30,000. Arden Villas and The Preiss Company did not immediately respond to requests from DailyMail.com.
An anti-masker has filmed himself being kicked out of a hardware store after frustrated staff asked him to put on a face covering.

The man confidently walked into the Mitre 10 Helensville store, northwest of Auckland, last week, ignoring requests from staff outside the shop to check in and put on a mask.

'No,' he said to the worker who asked him to wear a mask. 'See, that's how you do it and then you don't sign in.'

But upon entry into the hardware store, a worker named Kyle immediately confronted him.

'Excuse me can you put a mask on?' he said repeatedly to the man who refused.

The anti-masker confidently walked into the Mitre 10 store in Helensville, New Zealand last week and refused to wear a face covering

He became caught in a heated scuffle with a staff member who told him to leave the store after he refused to put on a mask

A tussle between the pair then broke out with Kyle appearing to grab the anti-masker's shirt before dragging him out of the store.

'Look at this guy!' the anti-masker says while recording with his phone.

'I'm asking you to leave the shop,' the worker says.

'You can't deny me service, that's my human right!' the customer claps back.

Kyle then says the store was only trying to ask him to put on a mask, and wasn't 'discriminating' against the shopper.

Another store worker then joins in and tells the customer he has been trespassed and is banned from the venue for two years.

The pair argued before the staff worker said he would be banned from the store for two years

'You guys are f***ed up!' the customer shouts back, claiming there are no laws around masks as the two staff members repeatedly tell him to leave.

Kyle said the man had earlier rang up the store and had threatened to come down and break Covid-19 restrictions.

Across New Zealand residents are currently required to wear a mask while on public transport and in businesses.

A spokesperson for Mitre 10 said the owner is reviewing the incident and extra security has been placed on the site.

'We acknowledge that this disagreement was not well-managed and we are taking appropriate steps to help ensure improved handling of these types of situations in the future,' they said.

The anti-masker claimed he was not breaking any laws by refusing to wear a mask

Police said the customer was given a warning in relation to refusing to wear a mask under the Covid-19 public health orders, after receiving reports a man was being 'verbally abusive' to staff.

The customer was also given a trespass notice.

The footage has done the rounds on social media with many defending the Mitre 10 staff.

'I have seen the video of that fool who came to your store unmasked and just want to tell you that I completely support your position, no mask no service,' one wrote to their Facebook page.

'The staff are legends for dealing with this fool in the manner in which they did,' said another.
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Many holidaymakers will need to slap on the sunscreen in the lead up to New Year's with major cities hitting scorching temperatures as a heatwave approaches.

Sydneysiders can expect an end to the miserable weather later this week with rain beginning to clear from Wednesday.

Revellers will need to make sure they pack a hat and stay hydrated as they set out to celebrate the New Year on Friday as temperatures are epxected to reach 29C on Friday.

Melburnians are also in for a treat with the mercury set to sizzle over the next few days, with a high of 32C on Thursday and reaching a whopping 36C on New Year's Day.

But it's not looking so good for those in the Sunshine state, according to the Bureau of Meterology, with coastal areas expected to be hit with two months of rain in just eight days.

SUN SMART: Large crowds flooded to Bondi beach with dozens of umbrellas erected on Saturday as UV rating soar to extreme

TIME FOR A DIP: Residents are soaking up the sun in Sydney as they prepare for New Year's celebration amid 30C weather

Melbourne is expected to reach a whopping 36C on New Year's Day on Saturday and Weatherzone said temperatures gradually increasing until then

Weatherzone said 'showers have cleared' in the region and Sydney can expect 'beautiful and sunny' New Year's celebrations

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Queensland's Central West, Maranoa, Warrego and the Darling Downs region.

A southerly running up the coast is expected to bring cooler temperatures and some showers from Friday to Sunday.

For those planning to ring in the New Year in Brisbane may need to pack an umbrella as they head out for the night as showers are expected from Friday.

Temperatures are predicted to reach a high of 27C on New Year's Eve and 26C on New Year's Day.

The BOM has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Queensland's Central West, Maranoa, Warrego and the Darling Downs region

The Bureau warned on Monday that wet conditions were expected 'across most of the state' as some areas are hit with enough rain to cause flash flooding

The tropical low causing the wild weather is predicted to move out to sea from Friday.

The rest of the country looks set to enjoy a sunny few days in the lead up to the new year before a heatwave hits.

A weatherzone meterologist told Daily Mail Australia showers should clear in Sydney by Tuesday night making way for a 'beautiful and sunny' New Year.

Warmer conditions are forecast to return from Wednesday, with scorching temperatures expected on the weekend.

SCORCHING HOT: A woman is seen leaving the water at Bondi Beach in an attempt to avoid the heat as temperatures rise

All of Australia's major cities are expected to hit the extreme category of the UV index as Melburnians prepare for a heatwave

COOLING DOWN: A weatherzone meterologist told Daily Mail Australia showers should clear in Sydney by Tuesday night making way for a 'beautiful and sunny' New Year

Southeastern parts of Australia are being warned to brace for scorching temperatures as a heatwave builds from Thursday.

The meterologist warned parts of Northern Victoria, into the Murray and the far south of NSW and a small pocket of Tasmania can expect the extreme tempertures.

Adelaide is also in the firing line with the mercury set to sizzle at a high of 36C on Friday.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE: Adelaide is expected to reach a high of 36C on Friday (pictured: A woman walking along Bondi Beach)

TIME TO CELEBRATE: A group of young women are seen hitting the town as New Year's celebrations are underway

Over on the west coast, Perth is forecast for a high of 33C on both December 31 and January 1.

The BOM has recommended people in Perth use sun protection between 8am and 4:30pm.

Darwin can expect New Years Eve to be mostly sunny, with a high of 34C and low of 27C.

New Years Day may bring a possible thunderstorm, the temperature to range from 26C to 33C.
A former private school boy who allegedly knew he had Covid-19 but kept partying at a busy nightclub in Adelaide has left the city watchhouse in a Mercedes-Benz after being released on bail.

Ralph MacIntosh, 19, was arrested and charged with failing to comply with directions under the Emergency Management Act on Tuesday morning.

He was initially refused bail and due to face court on Wednesday but following a review was later released on Tuesday and will now appear in court on February 18.

'It will be alleged the man remained at a city nightclub and did not quarantine after being informed by SA Health that he had returned a positive Covid-19 test,' SA Police said in a statement.

The teen, who is believed to be from one of the wealthiest families in South Australia, could face a maximum penalty of two years behind bars and a fine of $20,000 if convicted.

Ralph MacIntosh, 19, was arrested and charged with failing to comply with directions under the Emergency Management Act on Tuesday morning

Mr MacIntosh was seen leaving the Adelaide city watchhouse on Tuesday after being released on bail

Mr MacIntosh had spent the night at the Loverboy club in Adelaide's city centre on December 17.

He is understood to have received a text message from SA Health at 10.18pm - but allegedly ignored the warning and entered the club at 10.45pm.

The nightclub was then listed as an exposure site from 10.45pm on Friday, December 17 to 4.15am on Saturday, December 18, forcing hundreds of revellers into isolation.

The teen earlier claimed he did not see the message until the next morning, after his actions sparked anger around the state.

Police allege the 19-year-old partied at a nightclub in the city's centre despite knowing he had Covid-19

'I reckon we just drop it. I've admitted to my mistakes and am truly apologetic,' he wrote to social media.

Loverboy earlier described the infected-patron as 'selfish' in a statement and warned the venue planned to take legal action.

The former private school boy's actions sparked anger around South Australia

'Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate with family and loved ones, however, because of the actions of one selfish person, that won't be the case for many,' the statement read.

'We have to close our doors for the busiest week of the year and will be opening presents in isolation. We will be seeking justice.'

Premier Steven Marshall said the teenager's actions were 'regrettable'.

'I think there's been pretty strong public outrage,' he said.

'I think it just serves as a lesson to everybody that we've done well as a state but it does rely on everybody doing the right thing.'
Republicans wasted no time slamming Joe Biden after the flip-flopping president said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19 on Monday despite draconian measures that have included federal mask and vaccine mandates.

The GOP, citing a comment Biden made in October 2020, released a tweet implying the president did an about-face on his commitment to battling the pandemic, which has come back with a vengeance with the highest amount of cases in a day since January - before vaccines were created.

'BIDEN, TODAY: "There is no federal solution' to COVID,"' the Republican National Committee tweeted, and included footage of the president from Monday's meeting with 25 governors.

'BIDEN, 2020: "I'm going to shut down the virus."'

Biden was meeting Monday with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic.

After his speech, Biden asked White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to open to the floor to questions from the governors.

However, before taking any questions, Zients quickly booted the press from the room, saying: 'I think we're going to clear the press first.'

It's the latest instance of White House staffers appearing to shield the gaffe-prone president from the press. Last week, Biden cut short questions after a speech, saying: 'I'm not supposed to be having this press conference.'

The Republican party blasted President Joe Biden on Twitter Monday after he said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19

The GOP's post was referencing a comment Biden made in October 2020 where he promised to 'shut down the virus'

During the speech, he told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on the 'state level.'

His message to governors was: 'If you need something, say something. We are going to have your back.'

The president's comments came as the CDC cut in half isolation restrictions for Americans who catch COVID from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

The restrictions come as several industries face staff shortages caused by the federal mandates and the administration's failure to provide adequate testing.

Biden's supporters quickly rushed to his defense, alleging Republicans took his remarks out of context.

'This deceptively-edited clip put out by the RNC and several GOP Members of Congress of Biden [sic] today creates the false impression that Biden is giving up on battling COVID,' defense attorney Ron Filipkowski said. 'This is a total lie'.

Filipkowski claimed the now-viral clip of Biden was 'a total lie' and edited to suggest he is 'quitting on dealing with COVID and just throwing it to the states.'

Echoing the RNC's sentiment, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blasted Biden's handling of the pandemic.

'Biden says there's no federal solution to COVID and that this gets solved at a state level. He should immediately end his unconstitutional federal mandates,' Abbott argued. 'The Texas solution is no mandates and personal responsibility.'

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, also accused the president of implementing illegal mandates and blamed his 'incompetence' for the surging virus.

'When Joe Biden says "there is no federal solution," he's trying to avoid blame for his incompetence,' Cotton tweeted.

'If he really believes this, he should rescind his unconstitutional federal mandates.'

Biden's remark came during a meeting with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic. He told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on 'state level'

Cotton then argued that although there is 'no federal solution,' there are steps the president could take to combat COVID.

'Biden opened the border, botched testing, and outsourced CDC's guidance to the teachers' unions,' he stated.

'There's no federal solution, but the fed government can help by securing the border, approving safe treatments & tests, and appointing competent leaders at the FDA & CDC.'

North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn - the youngest member of Congress - also chimed in on Biden's handling of the virus.

'Joe Biden blames the unvaccinated for COVID more than he blames China,' said Cawthorn, a Republican from North Carolina.

Congressional candidate Buzz Patterson, also from North Carolina, offered his two sense on the situation: 'Biden surrendered on the border, surrendered to the Squad, surrendered to the Taliban, and just surrendered to COVID.'

'Dont worry, hes safely ensconced in his beach home. Sleep well.'

Rep. Tom Cotton (left) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right) were among those who blasted Biden over his handling of the pandemic. Both Republicans accused him of implementing COVID 'illegal mandates'

Several conservatives took to Twitter, issuing their detest for Biden's handling of the pandemic

Despite the GOP's efforts, Biden's supporters poked holes in the video and rushed to his defense.

'Driving home the undeniable truth that conservatives will cry no matter what,' tweeted Marty Shannon.

'So certain states fight, tooth and nail any mitigation measures by the feds, then complain Biden won't help then,' argued @realFireblazes.

Other Twitter users reiterated the importance of following the science, such as masking, social distancing and getting vaccinated.

One user, an apparent doctor, pushed for vaccinations by citing mortality rates.

'COVID-19 mortality rates are 2-6 times higher in states that voted for Trump,' Hugh G. Merriman, MD wrote.

Despite the GOP's efforts, Biden's supporters poked holes in the video and rushed to his defense

During Monday's meeting, Biden admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better.

He acknowledged the long lines around the country as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do.

'That's not enough. Clearly not enough,' Biden said, adding: 'We have to do more. We have to do better. And we will.'

The president joined his COVID-19 Response Team's meeting with the governors for the first time Monday. After the meeting, Biden told reporters the governors had thanked him for his work.

'They didn't tell me they're worried but they thanked me for the cooperation they're getting. They said they've gotten all that they need. They just want to know what we think is gonna happen from here,' he said, adding 'there were no complaints, a lot of cooperation.'

He spoke with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he and Jill Biden departed for Rehoboth Beach, where the first couple will spend a few days at his family home in Delaware for New Year's.

The president also denied a report in Vanity Fair that his administration, back in October, rejected a plan for more at-home COVID tests that called for an estimated 732 million tests per month. The plan also recommended a nationwide 'Testing Surge to Prevent Holiday COVID Surge.'

'We didn't reject it,' Biden said.

Biden joined the virtual meeting with the governors to discuss their needs to combat the Omicron variant as cases continue to rise and testing kits remain in demand. He acknowledged the testing shortage around the country in his opening remarks.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' he said.

During the meeting, Biden also admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better

He acknowledged the long lines around the country (a seen above in New York City on Dec. 27) as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do

President Biden said his administration will do more to ease COVID testing lines and that more testing centers were coming

Biden argued, when he took office in January 'we had no - zero - over-the-counter home test in the United States. None.'

'Now there are more than 20,000 places to get tested for free,' he said.

He said more testing sites were coming.

'I know the lines have gotten very long in some states. That's why I ordered FEMA to set up pop up sites in places with high demand to shorten the wait. We stood up 60 of sites in New York City in five days and there are more coming,' he told the governors.

He also said his administration worked with Google 'so you can now search COVID test near me on google to find a location.'

Biden's meeting comes as his administration faces criticism for a shortage of COVID tests as Americans rushed to get tested ahead of the holiday season.

With demand high and shelves emptying out of stock, some retailers have placed limits on how many at-home testing kits can be purchased at a time. CVS has a limit of six test kits per purchase both in stores and online while Walgreens limits it to four kits.

'You know, testing has always been an issue ... that has been problematic. It has been compounded by the situation of the high demands,' Biden's COVID tsar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN.

'We had a conflation of high demands  high demands because of the concern about Omicron which is a justifiable concern, but the high demand that was triggered by the holiday season, people getting ready to travel getting ready to go and mix with family members and friends. It's been a very, very strong run on testing.'

The Biden administration has announced plans to help quell this demand, distributing 500,000 at-home COVID tests to Americans in January.

Fauci also stated he expects more tests to be available next month.

'We've obviously got to do better,' Fauci said Sunday on ABC's This Week. 'I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.'

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, an 68 percent increase over the past two weeks

The US has not recorded a higher seven day case average since January 19, the backside of the nation's most devastating COVID surge to date

Both hospitalizations and deaths have remained steady in recent weeks, not rising at the same pace as cases

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country.

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, a 68 percent increase over the past two weeks. Deaths and hospitalizations have not followed, though.

The US has not recorded a higher seven-day case average since January 19, the backside of the nation's most devastating COVID surge to date.

The country is averaging 71,302 hospitalizations every day, only an eight percent increase over two weeks. Deaths are up three percent during that time span to 1,328 per day.

This could be a signal of the Omicron variant - which accounts for 73 percent of cases in the US, according to most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - being more mild than other strains.

Deaths and hospitalizations do lag behind cases, though, and a similar spike could be seen in those metrics soon as well, though.

Despite the surge, US health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Despite the surge, the CDC on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The quarantine guidance is not a mandate; it's a recommendation to employers and state and local officials.

Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC's guidance for health-care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. The agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Meanwhile, Americans have been told by Fauci to cancel big parties as the Omicron variant tears across the nation.

Daily cases have spiked in recent weeks, up 68 percent over the past two weeks, and America's top infectious disease expert warns that things will only worsen in the near future.

Fauci told ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) that the surge may only be beginning, and that Americans should expect the situation to exacerbate over the coming weeks.

'It's going to get worse before it gets better. That's for sure,' he said.

'We don't expect things are going to turn around in a few days to a week. It likely will take much longer than that. But that's unpredictable.'

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet. It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines

The US has confirmed 8,333 cases of the variant as of Monday morning, though the real case figure is much higher

According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot

Fauci says it's not possible to predict when the Omicron variant surge will come to an end because different countries have seen varied patterns.

'Each demography of a country is different,' he said.

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet.

It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines.

The US has confirmed 8,333 cases of the variant as of Monday morning, though the real case figure is much higher. Only two other countries have confirmed more cases.

Research performed by vaccine manufacturers and independent health experts have repeatedly found that the initial vaccine regimens - two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - are not effective at preventing infection from the variant.

Additional booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna jabs can re-establish protection, though. According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot.
Despite the border being closed for much of the past two years foreign investors still spent around $6billion on Australian residential property.

The figure is included in research insights released by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board, and covers the 12-month period ending in June 2020.

That included the period when Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic gained international significance.

The board's statistics show that the total number of residential real estate purchase transactions with a level of foreign ownership totalled 7,482 with a value of $6billion.

That figure was a 66.4 per cent increase on the preceding 12 months, but a decrease on the $8.5billion of foreign-purchased properties in the 2017-2018 financial year and the $7.5billion in deals in 2018-2019.

Foreign buyers were most interested in NSW, Victorian and Queensland property, with 92.1 per cent of the total value of Australian property accounted for by the three states.

Statistics from the Foreign Investment Review Board showed residential real estate purchase transactions with a level of foreign ownership totalled 7,482 with a value of $6billion in the year to June 2020

Australia's most locked down state, Victoria, led purchase transactions among the states with 3,215 properties, compared with 1,950 for New South Wales (above) and 1,416 for Queensland

Surprisingly, Australia's most locked down state, Victoria, led purchase transactions among the states with 3,215 properties, compared with 1,950 for New South Wales and 1,416 for Queensland.

New dwellings and vacant land accounted for 85.6 per cent of transactions, while 79 per cent of transactions were for residential real estate with values under $1 million.

Foreign investment in Australian residential property has declined by more than 80 per cent since it peaked in the 2015-16 financial year.

Residential real estate approvals for foreigners reached 40,141 in 2015-16, compared with just 7,056 to June 30 this year.

A combination of factors, including the continuing closure of the border to foreign students in 2021, Australia's deteriorating relationship with China, higher taxes on foreign buyers and tighter rules around credit applications in Australia and capital outflows from China, had reduced foreign buyers for Australian property.

'As with domestic housing purchases, more liberated international travel in 2022 and 2023 may see a "catch-up" period of foreign acquisition of Australian real estate, as overseas investors and migrants can visit to inspect property,' reported The Australian from CoreLogic's 2021 Best of the Best report.

The Board's research includes the period when Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic gained international significance

Foreign investment in Australian residential property has declined by more than 80 per cent since it peaked in the 2015-16 financial year

Even without the competition created by foreign buyers, Australian house prices increased by 13.5 per cent over the year to June 2021, CoreLogic data showed, which was the largest annual growth rate since April 2004.

While foreign buyers of residential property are expected to return as Covid-19 border controls ease, attracted by Australia's lifestyle and stable political and financial system, most experts don't expect it to reach previous highs for the foreseeable future.

'I don't see the naked investment we had, say, five years ago, particularly from the South-East Asian nations, being the same again," Martin North of Digital Finance Analytics told the ABC.

'The world has changed, the political landscape has changed, the financial landscape has changed.'
There is an urgent warning for Sydneysiders ahead of New Year's Eve after high-dose MDMA pills have started circulating through the Harbour City.

NSW Police have seized a number of Superman ecstasy tablets that have double the normal dose of the drug.

The pills, which could have life-threatening toxicity, are blue, round and feature the Superman logo.

There is an urgent warning for Sydneysiders ahead of New Year's Eve after high-dose Superman-themed MDMA pills have started circulating through the Harbour City

Health officials are warning residents not to take anything they don't recognise or know the effects of.

Sydney's New Year festivals have been tainted by overdoses and deaths, including a particularly deadly season in 2019.

The Acting Medical Director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre said high doses of MDMA, similar to those found in the Superman pills, is enough to kill the taker.

'It can cause severe agitation and paranoia, raised body temperature, seizures or fits, irregular heart rhythm and death,' Professor Andrew Dawson said.

'While one MDMA tablet or capsule alone can cause life-threatening toxicity, the risk is greatly increased if high doses or multiple MDMA tablets or capsules are consumed over a short period, or if MDMA is consumed in combination with other stimulants, such as alcohol and cocaine.'
The tragic final moments of a 14-year-old girl who was shot dead by an LAPD cop while the teen was hiding in a dressing room during another robbery in the crime-ravaged city were revealed in a heavily edited package of surveillance and police body camera footage.

Valentina Orellana Peralta was shopping for a quinceanera dress with her mother at a Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood when she was hit in the chest by a stray bullet from a rifle-wielding cop who fired at a thief robbing the store, killing her instantly.

The mother's desperate cries can be faintly heard before cops realized their fatal mistake in the footage released Monday.

Peralta's parents, both Chilean, are scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday, demanding that the Los Angeles Police Department be transparent in their investigation.

In surveillance footage from the Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood on December 23 around 11.45 pm, eleven armed officers can be seen entering the store in response to 911 calls reporting a suspect, later identified as Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, who attacked four women.

Elena-Lopez was in the process of beating a heavily-bleeding woman with a steel bike lock when police arrived, cops said.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, was shopping for a quinceanera dress with her mother at the store in North Hollywood when she was struck in the chest by a stray bullet by the unidentified Los Angeles cop, killing her at the scene

The unidentified officer who fired the fatal bullet can be heard on his body camera footage yelling 'victim down,' 'he's hitting her to the right side,' and 'she's bleeding, she's bleeding!' before he takes aim.

'Hold up Jones, I got you!' another officer says before the first policeman fires his rifle three times. He runs up to the Elena-Lopez, who flails on the ground, as another officer tends to the injured woman.

As officers tell Elena-Lopez to 'get on [his] f***ing stomach,' a woman can be heard screaming in the background from the dressing room.

The moment when the officers found the slain girl in the dressing room was not shown on the released police footage.

Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, can be seen laid out on the ground after he was shot by the Los Angeles Police Department officer. Behind him, Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, was hiding in a dressing room with her mother

Pictured is the unnamed officer's view of the suspect, Daniel Elena-Lopez, who had just beaten the bloodied, unidentified woman on the floor with a bike lock. Directly behind the suspect is the dressing room where Peralta and her mother were hiding as the chaos unfolded

Behind the suspect, Orellana Peralta and her mother were hiding in a dressing room. Officers can be seen entering the dressing room as another group of police attend to Elena-Lopez.

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 an earlier news conference.

The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave for at least two weeks as the incident is under investigation, although officials said the full probe into the shooting could take up to a year.

Body camera footage from the five officers closest to the LAPD officer who fired at Daniel Elena-Lopez, hitting Peralta in the process, were also shared in the LAPD press package

Police also shared the events that led up to the officer-involved shooting.

In CCTV footage from around 11 am, Elena-Lopez can be seen entering the Burlington Coat Factory, pushing his bike while wearing a tank top and shorts.

The steel bike lock that he would late use to brutally attack several women, with at least one hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries, is looped over his shoulder.

LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell said in a pre-recorded briefing within the press package that Elena-Lopez took his bike to the second floor of the Burlington Coat Factory after he first entered the store, laying it in an aisle before he began trying on clothes.

He was asked to move his bike by a female store employee, and he responded by smashing a nearby computer monitor. He then hit the glass railing, took the escalator down wearing a multicolored jacket and long pants, and tried to take another woman's purse.

Elena-Lopez can be seen laying on the ground after he was shot from another angle

When the woman resisted, Elena-Lopez tackled her and tried to attack her with the lock. The women, who police have yet to identify and question, was able to break away and run out of the store.

Elena-Lopez then attempted to grab another woman as she came down the escalator. She, too, was able to break away and run out of the store.

He then went back up to the second floor, where he approached a woman pushing a shopping cart from behind and hit her over the head with the bike lock. She crawled away, but Elena-Lopez dragged her back toward the dressing rooms and continued beating her.

Police do not believe that any of the women knew their attacker.

Three 911 calls to police reporting the attacks to police were also included in the press package.

Daniel Elena-Lopez can be pictured lunging at a woman on the first floor of the outlet, trying to take her purse and hit her with his bike chain before she gets away

Daniel Elena-Lopez can be seen beating the unidentified woman was his bike lock as she holds up her hands to protect her head

One call is from a store employee who tells the operator that there is a 'hostile customer in my store attacking customers' who is 'walking around the store looking for people' and 'breaking things.'

She can be heard frantically, repeatedly telling customers to evacuate the store, and tells the 911 operator that she and other employees have barricaded themselves in one of the store's offices.

Before the footage was released by the LAPD, the message 'Release the Footage, Moore' was written alongside a memorial of flowers and balloons outside the Burlington Coat Factory where the teen was killed.

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office has ruled their daughter's death a homicide from the gunshot wound to the chest.

The parents of Valentina Orellana Peralta, Soledad Peralta (center) and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas (right) will hold a press conference on Tuesday demanding transparency from the Los Angeles Police Department in their investigation into their daughter's killing

Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, (pictured as a child) was shot and killed in a Burlington dressing room after an unidentified police officer's spray bullet struck her in the chest

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office ruled Peralta's death a homicide. Pictured is a petition demanding justice for the slain teen

'This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family,' Police Chief Michel Moore said on Thursday.

The shooting is being investigated by the California Department of Justice under Attorney General Rob Bonta.

'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,' said Moore

Spell said the department is still seeking out unidentified witnesses and victims, and will continue to investigate the shooting over the next several months.

When the department's Critical Incident Review Division completes their investigation, Spell said, their findings will be sent to Moore, who will then make a recommendation to the Civilian Board of Police Commissioners.

The board will then evaluate whether the officer's tactics, drawing and exhibiting a weapon and his use of deadly force was justified.

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 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

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.'

'Theres not a police officer in America who would ever want this type of circumstance to occur,' Moore added.

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.

A GoFundMe page was set up for the family and it has raised almost $18,000, far surpassing its $8,000 goal, as of Monday evening.

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.

Flowers and balloons are left along a sign reading "Release the Footage Moore" at a makeshift memorial for the teenage girl who was killed by a police stray bullet at a Burlington coat factory in North Hollywood

Before the footage was released by the LAPD on Monday, the message 'Release the Footage, Moore' was written alongside a memorial of flowers and balloons outside the Burlington Coat Factory where the teen was killed

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.

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.

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

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.
Investigators for Georgia's Attorney General shot down former President Donald Trump's claim that 'upwards of 5,000' dead people cast absentee ballots in the key battleground state in 2020, saying the actual numbers was four.

All of the ballots were returned by relatives of the deceased and almost all votes alleged to have been sent in by dead people were found to actually be alive.

Trump repeatedly made the accusation that as many 5,000 dead voters were counted in Georgia's election, which Trump lost by about 12,000 votes.

One such case saw a 74-year-old widow turn in an absentee ballot on her husband's behalf in favor of Trump.

'He was going to vote Republican, and she said, 'Well, I'm going to cancel your ballot because I'm voting Democrat.' It was kind of a joke between them,' Sharon Nelson's attorney told the State Election Board.

Former President Donald Trump's claims that upwards of 5,000 dead people cast ballots in Georgia in his battle against Joe Biden were largely debunked by a Georgia Attorney General's Office investigation

A statewide recount of the Georgia election results was requested by the campaign of President Trump

Nelson's husband passed away in September, two months before the general election.

'She received the absentee ballot and carried out his wishes. ... She now realizes that was not the thing to do.'

Another case saw a ballot submitted on behalf of Leon Rowe, a deceased man from Augusta.

Investigators discovered that the handwriting on the ballot envelope matched that of Leon's mother Alline, who died in October 2020.

Earlier in 2021, Georgia's Board of Elections discovered that Trion woman Sherry Cook submitted an absentee ballot for her husband Donald, who passed away months before the election.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has been heavily criticized by Trump for not doing more to help him win his state

Trump has been even more critical of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom Trump called 'crazy'

Cook said that she and her daughter returned the vote after her husband signed it before his death. Investigators said the ballot wasn't issued until after he died.

The final case involved Herman Robert Jackson of Covington. His widow Glynda told investigators she submitted his ballot, claiming to know how he wanted to vote.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - who sparred with Trump personally over his claims of voter fraud - said during a recent telephone town hall that the allegations of large numbers of deceased voters are untrue.

'What I tell people is what really happened in Georgia, because we proved that none of that was what happened,' Raffensperger said.

Election officials are hoping to see consequences for these decisions, even when they're mistaken.

A GOP observer, left, watches as workers scan ballots in the Fulton County presidential recount

Officials with the Fulton County Registration and Elections Department conduct a machine recount of the county's presidential election ballots

'Remorse is something we hear a lot, and it's something I appreciate because sometimes we do make these mistakes unknowingly,' Anh Le, a member of the State Election Board, said. 'However, the law is what it is.'

The attorney general's office will further investigate the claims of ballots cast in the names of deceased voters.

Georgia's State Election Board has the power to levy fines between $100 and $5,000 per violation.

After the elections, Trump repeatedly went after state Republican election officials after multiple recounts failed to change the outcome. He demanded Kemp, a Republican who is up for reelection in 2022, resign.

'He is an obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia, BIG!' Trump tweeted in late December.

During a Jan. 4 rally in Georgia two days before the Capitol riot, Trump vowed to campaign against Kemp, while calling Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 'crazy.'

'Ill be here in about a year and a half campaigning against your governor, I guarantee you that,' Trump said.

Kemp seemingly responded to the 2020 election - and the Senate runoff elections where Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock took both of the state's open Senate seats - by passing new voting laws that President Biden called 'Jim Crow in the 21st century.'

Georgia passed new voting laws after Republicans lost at the presidential level in November and two open Senate seats to Jon Ossoff (left) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (right) in January

One of the biggest changes gives the GOP-controlled legislature more control over election administration. That has raised alarms about potential greater partisan influence.

The law replaces the elected secretary of state as the chair of the state election board with a new appointee of the legislature after Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger rebuffed Trump's attempts to overturn Georgia's election results.

It also allows the board to remove and replace county election officials deemed to be underperforming.

That provision is widely seen as something that could be used to target Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold covering most of Atlanta, which came under fire after long lines plagued summertime primary elections.

The law also reduces the timeframe in which runoff elections are held, including the amount of early voting for runoffs.

And it bars outside groups from handing out food or water to people in line to vote.
Western Australia has recorded zero new local COVID-19 cases out of almost 5000 tests, after the state extended its health restrictions.

Three new cases were recorded in hotel quarantine on Tuesday, including two from overseas and one from interstate.

A cluster linked to an unvaccinated 25-year-old French man who travelled to WA from Queensland now sits at 10 cases, including the index case.

Western Australia has recorded zero new local COVID-19 cases out of almost 5000 tests, after the state extended its health restrictions

The man attended a rave at Perth Mess Hall as well as several other nightspots.

WA Health is now managing 23 active COVID-19 cases in the state and 665 close contacts, including 46 who are yet to be tested for the virus.

Police are attempting to find the outstanding close contacts so they can be isolated.

A cluster linked to an unvaccinated 25-year-old French man who travelled to WA from Queensland and attended a rave at Perth Mess Hall now sits at 10 cases

There are 1109 casual contacts in the state, with 243 of those yet to be tested.

About 83.4 per cent of all Western Australians aged over 12 are fully vaccinated, after 6,295 vaccines were administered on Monday.

The latest figures come after Premier Mark McGowan extended restrictions on gatherings and a mask mandate into the new year over concerns some infected people may be delaying getting tested so they can party.

On Monday he said WA remained at risk and the health restrictions would be extended to 6am on January 4.

Premier Mark McGowan says there is little chance of the WA border reopening before February

The premier also said there was little chance the WA border would be reopened before the planned date of February 5.

The state recorded one new case on Monday, a woman in her 20s who was a close contact of the index case.
The wife of a prominent South Carolina family who was murdered alongside her son in June in a mystery that has horrified the small community and captivated the nation left her entire estate to her husband, it has emerged.

Maggie Murdaugh, 52, was shot and killed on June 7 with her son Paul, 22, at their Colleton County hunting lodge.

Maggie's husband Alex, the father of Paul and his brother Buster, found the pair on their expansive property and called 911.

Months later, Alex Murdaugh himself was shot, but later admitted that he had arranged the shooting in order to secure a $10 million life insurance payout for his surviving son.

There have been no arrests in the murders of Maggie and Paul.

On Sunday, their local newspaper, The Island Packet, reported that Maggie's will had been unsealed.

Maggie Murdaugh is pictured with her husband Alex. Maggie was killed in June; Alex tried to pay a hit man to kill him in September, and make it look like he had taken his own life - so his surviving son would get his life insurance policy

Maggie and Alex Murdaugh with their son Paul (center), who died alongside his mother. Far left is their surviving son, Buster

Written in 2005, the will leaves all her property to her husband. It is unclear how much she owned, the paper said, but it appears to include the 1,770-acre estate the where she was killed in Islandton.

Alex Murdaugh, the scion of a prominent South Carolina legal family - his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him had all served as chief prosecutor at the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office - owned the property, known as Moselle, since 2013.

He transferred it to his wife in 2016, property records show.

One strange aspect of Maggie's will is that it listed her sister, Marian Proctor, as the person who would handle her estate.

But the sister's name was crossed out in pen, and over it was written Randolph Murdaugh III  Maggie's father-in-law.

He died, after a long illness, three days after Maggie was killed.

Proctor said that she was unaware she had been mentioned in the will until the beginning of this month.

On December 13, she renounced her right to handle the estate and allowed John Marvin Murdaugh, Maggie's brother-in-law, to deal with it.

'We're all on very good terms,' he told The Island Packet.

'Maggie certainly is very innocent in all this, and I just want to serve her the best that I can.'

A vehicle sits in the driveway of the Murdaugh family home on June 8, following the killings of Maggie and Paul

From left: Paul, Alex, Maggie and Buster Murgaugh. Alex is currently in jail, and Buster is the only other surviving member of the family

One of Alex Murdaugh's attorneys, Jim Griffin, had previously said that his client was a suspect 'from the get go,' but said the news of the will made Alex less likely to be involved in their deaths.

Alex Murdaugh, 53, is facing a total of 51 charges related to money laundering and forgery, after a South Carolina jury indicted him

Griffin said he did not believe 'in any form or fashion' that it would be a motive for Alex to be involved in her death.

'I think her untimely death actually works harm to his financial planning by having the (Moselle) property conveyed back to him through probate,' he said.

'It opens it up to creditors' claims and, before, it was protected.'

Alex Murdaugh, meanwhile, remains in jail on 50 charges including fraud, forgery and money laundering, having made a groveling apology in court for faking his suicide.

Judge Alison Lee threw out arguments from Murdaugh's attorneys that there was no way he could pay the $7 million bond.

Murdaugh on Monday told Judge Lee he was in 'the throes of withdrawal' from an opioid addiction when he arranged to have himself shot on September 4, and also apologized for swindling $4.3 million from the relatives of his housekeeper.

'I understand there may be concern I may be a danger to myself,' Murdaugh told the court at the bail hearing.

'I made a terrible decision that I regret and frankly I'm embarrassed about. I'm not in that place now.'

Through his lawyers, Murdaugh gave a statement to the court in which he confessed to taking $4.3 million from the family of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, which was meant as settlement funds in a wrongful death case.

She died following an alleged fall at the family's Colleton County home in 2018.

Murdaugh said he was sorry for the 'mishandling' of the funds in the statement.

Alex Murdaugh (pictured) walks into court for his bond hearing, in Varnville, South Carolina, on September 16

Murdaugh said he tried to arrange his own death while he was in 'the throes of withdrawal' from a 20-year opioid addiction.

He added that he was grieving over the loss of his murdered wife and son.

Murdaugh said that while in treatment for his addiction he had realized the severity of his actions and now suffered 'crushing' humiliation.

He said he was 98 days free of drug addiction and wants to take responsibility for what he has done.

'I want to deal with these charges appropriately and head-on,' he added, according to Count on 2.

'I want to repair the damage I have done. I want to repeat as many relationships as I can.'
A two-year-old girl is fighting for life after being pulled unresponsive from a pond in a Melbourne park.

The toddler was pulled from the water at the park on Maribyrnong Boulevard in Footscray, in the city's inner west at about 8pm on Monday.

Emergency services treated the girl at the scene before rushing her to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition.

The toddler was pulled from the water at the park on Maribyrnong Boulevard in Footscray, in Melbourne's inner west at about 8pm on Monday

As of Tuesday afternoon she remains critical.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident but it is not believed to be suspicious.

A three-year-old girl sadly died after she was found unconscious in the same pond in June this year.

Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran said a temporary fence would be put around the pond while police investigate.
Western Australia's Christmas holiday heatwave has been made worse by a bushfire police believe was deliberately lit.

The fire at Wooroloo blaze, 56km east of Perth, started on Sunday as the temperature reached a record 42.6C.

Local firefighters managed to save 91 homes, though one house and three other buildings were destroyed in the initial outbreak of the blaze. Around 165 hectares had been lost to the fire.

'There is no doubt these efforts have saved many, many peoples homes,' WA Premier Mark McGowan said at a press conference on Monday.

'It has been a phenomenal effort in horrific conditions.'

A firefighter in seen battling the blaze at Wooroloo, Western Australia, east of Perth. Police believe the fire was deliberately lit

'This is a very serious offence, particularly in the weather were going through,' WA Premier Mark McGowan said yesterday in response to suggestions the fires in the Perth hills were deliberately lit

Arson squad detectives believe the fire was deliberately lit, saying they had found three ignition points in the area.

An evacuation centre had been established in Mundaring and some roads remained closed.

The Chidlow and Gidgegannup subdivisions had also been threatened by the fires, which were battled by 250 firefighters.

It's understood a number of residents had refused to leave at the height of the fire.

Another fire at scenic Margaret River 300km south of Perth had threatened homes in the rural areas of Osmington and Treeton.

Mr McGowan said the fire was now 'contained but not controlled' and had burnt out 100 hectares to date. Road closures remain in place.

'We treating [this fire] as suspicious, we are making investigations, but we don't yet know the exact cause of it,' WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said.

Firefighters in Western Australia battling a blaze at Treeton in the hills to the east of Perth

Firefighters gather after the Chidlow and Treeton fires were contained east of Perth

The WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned residents of the area that the threat of fire remained as conditions in the were changeable.

Cmnr Dawson said a 42-year-old Carter man had been charged with wilfully lighting fires in the Byford area on Christmas day. The fire burnt a significant area of bushland.

'If you want to light a fire, understand that theres a strong chance youll be caught and youll go to jail,' Mr McGowan said in relation tot he suspected arsonist behind the Woorooloo fire.

'This is a very serious offence, particularly in the weather were going through.'

The fires were a stark reminder to residents of the fires that devastated Wooroloo in February this year.

Local resident Geoff Lenane said the community was scared of losing homes that had narrowly avoided being burnt only 10 months earlier.

'Oh it scares you, no one wants to lose their house, no one,' he said.
Reid called emergency services himself after the gruesome act, telling a telephone operator he had unsuccessfully committed a murder suicide after he was unable to go through with taking his own life

The brutal stabbing death of two doting parents has baffled family members, investigators and the community, who have struggled to find a reason why the couple's adult son lashed out.

But renowned forensic neuropsychologist Dr Susan Pulman, believes she now has the answer after being brought in to assess the knifeman's mental state.

David Reid, 48, pleaded guilty in May to the manslaughter of his parents Diana, 71, and Graham, 75, at their Sutherland home in Sydney's south where he had lived all his life.

The software engineer, prior to his parents' grisly death, wrote poems about suffering from 'Peter Pan Syndrome' and being 'stuck' living with his family well into adulthood.

On the morning of August 6, 2019, Reid stabbed his mother while she ate breakfast and then killed his father as he slept with the same blade - and has never showed any remorse.

The troubled son then called emergency services himself after the gruesome act, telling a telephone operator he had unsuccessfully committed a murder suicide after he was unable to go through with taking his own life.

Dianna Reid and her husband Victor Graham Reid (pictured) were found dead in the family home in August, 2019

Dr Pulman said if you looked at Reid's risk of committing a violent offence it would be 'very, very low' which is extremely unusual for someone who carried out a gruesome attack, the Daily Telegraph reported.

She said his presentation during the interview process was also strange and that he was a difficult case for psychiatrists to classify because he 'did not present as your typical 46-47 year old man'.

'His presentation is so overwhelmingly flat and depressed when you talk to him, that it can be misinterpreted as him even having an intellectual disability because he's so incredibly slow, when you ask him a question,' Dr Pulman explained.

Neuropsychological testing revealed Reid is actually 'incredibly intelligent' but aspects of his brain function were 'grossly impaired'.

The scans appeared to resemble a young child who had been the victim of abuse and neglect, but there were 'no signs whatsoever' the family were abusive.

Renowned forensic neuropsychologist Dr Susan Pulman said if you looked at Reid's risk of committing a violent offence it would be 'very, very low' which is extremely unusual for someone who carried out a gruesome attack

However, Reid told detectives he couldn't ever remember being hugged or experiencing any shows of affection.

As a young boy in a religious household, he was raised in an environment where feelings were not expressed or acknowledged.

This severe emotional deprivation left Reid feeling 'completely unloved' and 'unacknowledged as an individual'.

'What happens with children that are in an emotionally deprived environment is the connections that develop in a young child's brain that ignite feelings of empathy and understanding of emotion, those connections drop off. And they don't then redevelop,' Dr Pulman said.

'I believe what was happening was he got to the stage where he could no longer control his despair in such a way that he lost control of his actions, and hence, a tragic event occurred and it was his intention to also take his own life as well.'

David Reid was sentenced to a minimum of five years behind bars after a court determined he was mentally impaired at the time of his parents' deaths

In the wake of killing his parents and trying to end his own life, he was asked whether he'd written a suicide note and directed detectives to his social media accounts.

There, he'd shared poems, short stories and memos over several months detailing his struggles and gripes with his life.

The court heard the musings depicted a man who had not received the mental health support he so clearly needed and the crown waved murder charges to the lesser manslaughter charges on the basis he was substantially impaired by an abnormality of the mind.

One such document was titled 'Peter Pan Syndrome' and reportedly lamented Reid's self-diagnosis as a man who couldn't grow up.

Peter Pan Syndrome affects people who feel unable or unwilling to grow up, usually reserved for grown men who have the mentality, mannerisms and 'heart of a child'.

It's a colloquial term referring to a set of behaviours rather than an official diagnosis.

David Reid, 48, (pictured) killed his mother as she ate breakfast and his father as he lay in bed

The musings relate to what Reid told a counsellor back in March 2019, months before he killed his parents.

The session notes from the counsellor indicated Reid appeared 'nervous or distracted' throughout the appointment, which he willingly attended because he 'felt like a failure'.

Notes taken during the session revealed Reid had an underlying anger toward his parents, placing 'some blame on [them] for ''keeping him at home'''.

Reid also appeared to 'feel defeated' throughout the session and on another occasion said his mother was 'critical' of him.

He thought that his parents had 'given up on him', he revealed.

The bodies of his elderly parents Graham and Diana Reid, aged 71 and 75, were found with stab wounds

Reid and his parents would sometimes go 'days or weeks without talking' after heated discussions about when and how he would go about moving out and fending for himself.

But family said the Peter Pan description he painted for himself was relatively accurate, describing Reid as a 'man-child' who was catered on hand-and-foot by his doting parents.

His mother still took care of his dirty laundry, cleaned for him and cooked all his meals.

During one holiday when Reid was left at home alone, he stopped attending work and a police welfare check revealed the home was in disarray, with rotting food in the kitchen and a strong smell emanating through the front door.

For 24/7 confidential support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14
The overwhelming demand for rapid antigen tests has triggered nationwide shortages, meaning supply of the crucial self-test kits could be low for weeks.

As thousands plan to reunite with family, travel interstate for work and holidays and attend social events to ring in the New Year, the demand for tests is only increasing.

The tests can be bought at most chemists and major supermarkets across Australia, however most major retailers have complained of inadequate stock.

Amid delays for the crucial product in most parts of the country, calls have intensified for mandatory PCRs to be replaced with rapid antigen tests.

The tests only take about 15 minutes to return a result and can be done at home, costing anywhere from $30 for a two pack or $50 for a five pack.

But there are fears they are not always accurate, with people reporting having tested negative several times on rapid tests before later testing positive to PCRs.

The overwhelming demand for rapid antigen tests has triggered nationwide delays that could mean shortages of the self-test kits could last for weeks (pictured, health workers in Bondi)

As thousands plan to reunite with family, travel interstate for work and holidays the demand for tests is only increasing (pictured, people queue in their cars for tests in Melbourne)

South Australia recently dropped the requirement for a negative PCR test to enter the state, with the Queensland government due to follow suit on January 1.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Trent Twomey, who owns two chemists in Far North Queensland, said residents should expect delays for the devices.

He backed the approach to replace PCR tests with rapid antigen tests but said for the swap to be successful there needed to be sufficient stock nationwide.

'The pathology system is not coping and (doesn't have) the adequate turnarounds that are needed to not disrupt people's travel plans, but in order to do that we need to have adequate stock of these rapid antigen tests, and at this very point in time we don't,' Mr Twomey told news.com.au.

He said Australia was currently transporting more tests from overseas by air with the tests repackaged from bulk packs so they could be sold in chemists.

Mr Twomey said a portion of rapid antigen tests should be funded by the government if they were to become mandatory in place of PCR tests.

Rapid antigen tests (pictured) can be bought at most chemists and major supermarkets across Australia, however most major retailers have complained of inadequate stock

Major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles have capped the amount of tests that can be bought per customer to cope with demand (pictured, people wait for tests in Sydney's CBD)

He said taxpayers shouldn't be expected to pay for people's tests that were used before non-essential gatherings or simply for peace of mind.

However, the tests used by people who were required to take a test before work or travel interstate should be funded by the government.

He recommended these tests be recorded on a database and should be supervised by a pharmacist or a GP.

Multinational pharmaceutical company Hough Pharma's chief executive Greg Hough described the demand for rapid antigen tests as 'out of control'.

Appearing on the Today Show on Tuesday, Mr Hough said major suppliers were playing catch-up and were frantically selling the tests as soon as they got them.

'We're bringing supplies in every week to these guys at the moment. We are continuing to do that and working 24 hours a day to do it,' he said.

Multinational pharmaceutical company Hough Pharma's chief executive Greg Hough described demand for rapid antigen tests as 'out of control' (pictured, queues for PCR tests)

Major supplier Chemist Warehouse has stock of both five and two packs available online, while pharmacy Priceline doesn't appear to sell the kits online at all (pictured, tests in Bondi)

He agreed with Mr Twomey's sentiments that the rapid antigen tests should be subsidised by the government in a Medicare-type scheme.

'I think that really testing should be left in the retail side of thing, but rebates should definitely be introduced,' Mr Hough told the Today Show.

Major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles have capped the amount of tests that can be bought per customer to cope with demand.

Coles customers can only buy two packs each, with five packs of the tests available online but the two packs currently sold out.

Woolworths has restricted customers to ten self-test kits of either five x two packs or two x five packs and has completely sold out online.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) warned on Tuesday an order of 20million rapid tests would not arrive in the state until the end of January

Mr Perrottet urged Queensland to drop its tourism testing requirement as NSW residents are forced to queue for hours for PCR swabs (pictured, people queue for tests in Sydney)

Major supplier Chemist Warehouse has stock of both five and two packs available online, while pharmacy Priceline doesn't appear to sell the kits online at all.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet warned on Tuesday an order of 20million rapid tests would not arrive in the state until the end of January.

Mr Perrottet urged Queensland to drop its tourism testing requirement as NSW residents are forced to queue for hours for PCR swabs.

The premier said he continues to have 'productive' chats with Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk about accepting rapid antigen instead of a lab test.

NSW has seen more than 600,000 PCR tests conducted since Christmas Eve, with one quarter of all swabs given to healthy travellers looking to travel over summer.
Five people in Colorado were killed and three were wounded, including a police officer shot in the back, during a shooting spree by a lone gunman that spread from Denver and into a suburb on Monday night.

Police say the suspected gunman - who has not yet been identified - fired shots at six locations across Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood.

The suspect, described by witnesses as a tall, blonde man wearing a trench coat, was fatally shot after he opened fire at officers and struck one in the back. Police say the cop was in surgery overnight.

Police have not disclosed a possible motive behind the killing spree.

'To see this type of spree take place is not normal in our community,' Denver Police Department Chief Paul Pazen told KDVR. 'This one individual was responsible for this very violent crime spree that took place this evening.'

Meanwhile, police say the motive behind the 'killing spree' remains unknown and an investigation into the incidents is ongoing.

Officials are asking residents to keep the victims, specifically the officer, in their thoughts and prayers during this tough time.

'We just ask everyone in our community for their thoughts and prayer for that agent and their family,' Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero told the Denver Post.

Five people were killed and three injured, including a police officer, in a shooting spree that spread across Colorado on Monday night

Police say the suspected gunman - who has not yet been identified - fired shots in six locations across Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood

The above map shows where the incidents in Monday night's killing spree occurred

The shooting spree began around 5pm in Denver near the intersection of East 1st Avenue and Broadway.

Police say the suspect killed two women and injured one man before fleeing the scene.

Shortly after, the suspect fatally shot another man in the Cheeseman Park neighborhood near 12th Avenue and Williams Street.

The suspect then fired a shot at 6th Avenue and Cherokee Street, as well as 8th Avenue and Zuni Street.

However, police say no injuries were reported at either location.

He was then spotted in his vehicle by police, near 8th Avenue and Zuni Street.

Officers attempted to pull him over when he opened fire, prompting them to shoot back.

The suspect was fatally shot by Lakewood police after he opened fire at officers and struck one in the back. Police say the cop is currently in surgery

Meanwhile, police say the motive behind the 'killing spree' remains unknown and an investigation into the incidents is ongoing

'At this point, we do not believe there is any additional safety concern to the community,' said Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero (pictured)

A Denver police vehicle was disabled and the suspect fled the scene.

He is believed to then have continued his killing spree in Lakewood.

He was reported in the suburb just before 6pm, firing shots and killing one person at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Kipling Street.

Soon after, Lakewood officers spotted his vehicle in the Belmar area. Gunfire was exchanged after the gunman shot at police.

He then ran away into a nearby business where he brandished his weapon before entering the Hyatt House hotel where he shot a clerk.

The clerk was taken to an area hospital. Their condition remains unknown.

Department Chief Paul Pazen (pictured) said 'this type of spree take place is not normal in our community' and explained that 'one individual was responsible for this very violent crime spree that took place this evening'

The suspect was shot and killed. The Jefferson County sheriff's department is investigating the specifics behind his death

Authorities asked residents to keep the victims, especially the Lakewood officer who was shot, and their families in their thoughts and prayers

The suspect fled the Hyatt and began shooting at officers, injuring one, who then shot back.

Witnesses who were driving in the area told Fox 31 they saw the a police officer confronting the suspect.

'We seen [sic] the guy: he was a tall man, blond hair, with a trench coat,' the witnesses told the station. 'She yelled at him to "put his gun down!" She yelled, "put your gun down" and he turned around and, like, pulled up the gun and shot her right in front of us, multiple times.'

The gunman was finally shot and killed at this location.

'Still unsure exactly if it was by Lakewood police or not but he was then pronounced dead at the scene,' Romero said.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is investigating the specifics behind the gunman's death.

Denver Police Chief Pazen told reporters police are investigating the motive behind the deadly rampage.

'We need to really dig and find out what the motivation behind this was,' Pazen said.

Meanwhile, police say there is no ongoing threat to the community.

'At this point, we do not believe there is any additional safety concern to the community,' added Romero.

Denver reported 6,715 cases of violent crime in 2021, as of October.

The incidents include 95 murders; 1,038 sex offenses; 4,365 cases of aggravated assault; and 1,217 robberies.
South Australia has recorded another spike in Covid-19 cases as the state introduces a raft of new restrictions to combat the latest outbreak.

SA Health confirmed 995 new Covid-19 cases were detected on Tuesday - up from 842 infections reported on Monday.

There are now 36 people hospitalised with Covid-19 and five patients in intensive care.

Covid-19 cases in South Australia have climbed to 995 infections on Tuesday (pictured, a worker sanitises a table at the Adelaide Airport pop up bar)

The state has now surpassed more than 5,200 infections since November 23, of the cases four in five tested positive for the Omicron variant.

There are 4,767 cases in home quarantine and 86 cases in supervised isolation.

SA Health urged residents to closely monitor themselves for any symptoms and to immediately get tested as soon as they appear.

The surge in infections comes as Premier Steven Marshall announced new restrictions which came into effect at midnight on Sunday.

South Australia recorded 774 new cases on Sunday - its highest daily tally of Covid-19 infections - prompting restrictions on density limits and caps on gatherings.

The state has now surpassed more than 5,200 infections since November 23 (pictured, healthcare workers test residents for Covid-19)

Home gatherings will be slashed from 30 to 10 people, while density limits for hospitality venues will be cut to one per four square metres indoors, and one per two square metres outdoors.

Gyms will also be restricted to one person per seven metres.

'We are increasingly concerned about the Omicron variant,' Mr Marshall said.

'It will overwhelm our health systems right across the country if we don't take action.

'We've got to swing into action to save lives.'

Interstate arrivals will no longer need to take a PCR test before entering South Australia as states move to reduce pressure on testing facilities.

Travellers are being urged to instead take a rapid antigen test upon arrival.
Dominic Perrottet has called on his own government's health department to change Covid testing requirements so that pregnant women do not have to stand in line for hours waiting to get a swab.

The New South Wales Premier was grilled by reporters in the Riverina town of Wagga Wagga, about the requirement for expecting mothers to get a PCR test every three days before they go into labour.

The provision is to make sure they are not Covid-positive when they go into hospital to give birth.

But with Covid testing clinics overwhelmed as case numbers spiral out of control, pregnant women are being forced to stand in queues for hours alongside others who may be carrying the virus.

'Well, that shouldn't happen. No one who is pregnant should be sitting in long queues. I spoke to the Health Minister (Brad Hazzard) this morning and asked him to fix it,' Mr Perrottet said on Tuesday.

'My understanding is that he's getting it fixed today.'

Dominic Perrottet (pictured) has called on his own government's health department to change Covid testing requirements so that pregnant women do not have to stand in line for hours waiting to get a swab

Expecting mothers are required to get a PCR test every three days before they go into labour to make sure they are not Covid-positive when they go into hospital to give birth (stock image)

The state is currently seeing over 6000 infections per day with testing clinics inundated with positive cases and their close contacts.

But another major factor adding to NSW's testing fiasco is that about 25 per cent of all swabs are being done for healthy travellers looking to visit Queensland and Tasmania.

Both holiday destinations require a negative PCR test for NSW and Victoria travellers within 72 hours of takeoff.

Mr Perrottet has urged Queensland to drop its tourism testing requirement as it's burdening the NSW's testing clinics and the laboratories which process the results.

The premier said he continues to have 'productive' chats with Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk about accepting rapid antigen tests which take 15 minutes and can be done at home.

However, he warned that an order of 20million rapid tests will not arrive in NSW until the end of January, raising the possibility that testing queues may last another month.

Sydney residents queue to take Covid-19 PCR tests in the CBD on Tuesday

A major factor adding to NSW's testing fiasco is that about 25 per cent of all swabs are being done for healthy travellers looking to visit Queensland and Tasmania. Pictured: Long testing queues at a Covid testing clinic at Deakin University Burwood Campus in Melbourne

Rapid tests are currently available at pharmacies and supermarkets but are scarce and cost at least $10 per swab.

NSW has been plagued by testing delays with queues of up to five hours due to increased demand over the holidays, with results in many cases stretching out four days.

Mr Perrottet said many of the people waiting in line are not sick but just need to prove they are negative to get into Queensland and urged Ms Palaszczuk to relax her rules.

'New South Wales and Victoria are finding it very difficult at the moment because of the pressure on the testing system,' he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Cars line up along Campbell Parade ahead of the opening of the COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach on December 28

'A significant proportion of that is tourism tests. I have continued my productive discussions with premiers across the country in relation to the test - we want that to move to a rapid antigen test.'

South Australia has already scrapped PCR testing requirements for entry but Queensland has said it will not change until January 1.

'If there is any way we can bring that forward, that would be appreciated,' he said.

'It is clogging up the system. It is putting people in lengthy queues that are not necessary'.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has said she will not budge on the rules until January 1

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says lab capacity and staff time is being taken up by testing perfectly healthy travellers, meaning wait times are being pushed out, deterring sick people from getting a swab.

Testing of symptomatic people is one of Australia's key defences against Covid but is being compromised by unnecessary travel testing, according to Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly.

Premier Palaszczuk has admitted 10 per cent of NSW tests are for people travelling to Queensland.

Earlier on Tuesday Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Ms Palaszczuk was acting like a dictator for refusing to budge.

'Queensland is beautiful one day, run by Premier Palaszczuk the next,' he told Sunrise.

'The whole point is this is creating chaos. They should be using rapid antigen testing. They should be thinking their way around this.'

Mr Joyce said the testing requirement makes no sense when Queensland recorded 1,158 cases on Tuesday and is living with Covid.

'They've got thousands of cases in Queensland. Thousands. So this is just out of control. They should be able to do a rapid antigen test. They say they'll bring it in on the first (of January). It's the 28th, what are we waiting for?

'What will happen on the 29th or the 30th or the 31st that they cannot do today? Alignment of the planets? It is dictatorial process that Annastacia Palaszczuk is doing.'

Mr Joyce, who caught Covid in the UK earlier this month and recovered with only minor symptoms said: 'I have had COVID. Omicron, is not a big issue, it really isn't.'

On Monday Mr Hazzard called the Queensland requirement 'stupid'.

He accused the Sunshine State leader of playing 'raw politics' by insisting all arrivals present negative PCRs tests, despite the demand putting huge strain on healthcare services.
A 10-seater private jet operated by a California air ambulance company went down in flames near San Diego, killing four people on board, just moments after a pilot was heard frantically yelling, 'Oh, s***! Oh, s***!' on air traffic control audio.

The Learjet 35A smashed into a power line before exploding on a street, leaving no survivors aboard the aircraft.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was carrying four people who had taken off from Orange County on a business trip. Their identities have not been revealed as of Tuesday morning.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, with the first NTSB agent scheduled to arrive on the scene on Tuesday.

Doorbell camera footage shows the Learjet 35A, owned by the El Cajon-based Med Jet company, hurtling towards the ground before a flash of light erupts across the clouded sky as it explodes in El Cajon, California.

Firefighters work to put out flames on the ground after a small jet plane crashed in unincorporated area in a town about 17 miles east of San Diego

Luggage is removed from the scene as emergency teams worked to identify the victims on Monday night

This map shows the route of the doomed Learjet plane that crashed on its way to Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California

The Learjet 35A, similar to the one pictured above, was operated by Med Jet, an air ambulance company

Fire and smoke are seen rising above a neighborhood in El Cajon, California, on Monday night following the private plane crash

The jet, flying out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, struck power lines before crashing in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street, at around 7.15pm Monday.

Distressing audio, which has been obtained by the Times of San Diego, captures the final interaction between the pilot of the doomed Learjet and an air traffic controller. On it, the controller at Gillespie Field in El Cajon clears the plane for landing on Runway 17.

The pilot asks for permission to land on Runway 27 instead. The controller gives him directions and informs the pilot he is 'clear to land.'

But in that moment something goes awry.

'Oh, s***! Oh, s***! Oh, s***! No!' the pilot is heard screaming, following by a loud noise and then silence.

Footage showed the smoldering wreckage lying in the middle of a road, most of it destroyed, with parts of the jet, including the landing gear, strewn across the street.

The crash also appeared to have caused a car to erupt in flames outside a house.

No fatalities or injuries were reported on the ground, however some 2,500 people were left without power by the fallen power line.

'There is very little left of the aircraft,' Fire Chief Don Butz said. 'We weren't able to find any survivors.'

Footage from a doorbell camera shows the moment the plane hurtles towards the ground before a flash erupts across the clouded night sky in El Cajon, California

A blast lights up the night sky over El Cajon following the plane crash seen on a Nest camera

A cloud of smoke rising from the scene of the crash that killed everyone on board the plane

Parts of the jet are seen strewn across the road after it exploded in the residential neighborhood last night

Several fire and police units worked to get the blaze under control by about 9 p.m. local time in El Cajon, California

San Diego Sheriff's Lt. Mike Krugh told The San Diego Union Tribune the jet smashed into a power line and exploded on the ground shortly after.

Around six San Diego Gas & Electric trucks were in the area working to get power restored amid constant rainfall.

Shortly before midnight, power was restored to most customers, however around 350 people remained without.

The Sheriff's Department said local volunteers from the American Red Cross would visit those people still without power in the morning to check on them.

At around 9pm, police said the burning wreckage had been extinguished.

Around an hour later, two chaplains arrived at the scene.

Lakeside resident Suzie Mercadante was out walking the dogs at around 7.15pm when she saw the jet plummeting to the ground.

She told the Tribune how she saw 'a blue streak and then a giant big orange ball,' then 'the blackest smoke just billowing out.'

Thomas O'Brien who lives just a few blocks away from where the plane exploded onto the road said he was sitting on the couch when he heard the jet's turbines screaming across the night sky.

He said that he used to hearing planes because they live near the runway at Gillespie Field, but described the sound as incredibly loud.

'It was 10 times louder than normal,' O'Brien told the Tribune. 'My walls started shaking, like there was an earthquake. I froze. Honestly, I thought it was about to hit us.'

O'Brien said he saw the jet explode from his back window and the blast reflecting off his pool.

A few beats later, the booming sound of the explosion hit him and then his house lost power.

Fire and smoke could be seen in video provided by a local resident. A Facebook livestream showed a car on fire in front of a house and debris in the street

No one on the ground was injured or hurt. Rainy conditions and the darkness have kept investigators from finding the full extent of the damage

Resident Lauren Watling also described the plane as 'really, really, loud' as it approached and that after the crash all she could see was 'fire and smoke'.

She told NBC7: 'We were outside and basically, we heard the plane getting closer.

'Normally they get loud because we live right by the airport, but it got really, really loud and all of the sudden, we think it could've hit our power lines above our house, but we just saw bright blue and orange flashing lights and we heard the electricity running.

'And then after that, we heard the plane actually crash. We ran out immediately and there was a ton of smoke everywhere.'

The cause of the crash has yet to be determined as authorities are still investigating.

The sheriff's office said that there were 'unknown injuries' and encouraged anyone who saw the crash to contact the National Transportation and Safety Board.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be on the scene in the morning and is handling the investigation.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office is working to identify the remains of the crash victims.
Australia's politicians have been slammed by panellists on the The Project who blasted the limited supply of rapid antigen tests which has left thousands scrambling for a swab.

Host Hamish Maconald said he was shocked that leaders on a state and federal level had not sufficiently prepared for the onslaught of testing over the festive period, which has turned out to be Australia's worst outbreak, saying it 'defies logic'.

Thousands of Australians on summer holiday break have been forced to get tested before attending events, travelling interstate or being reunited with family.

This is on top of the thousands being told to get tested after being deemed a close contact of a known Covid cases, as well as those experiencing symptoms.

Demand for a PCR test in NSW and Victoria in recent days has surged as residents rush to get tested, while rapid antigen tests are increasingly unavailable to buy.

'The thing that is shocking to me is that this all seems to taking our political leaders at state and federal level by surprise and it defies logic,' Macdonald said.

Host Hamish Macdonald (left) said he was shocked that leaders on a state and federal level had not sufficiently prepared for the onslaught of testing in the lead-up to Christmas - saying their lack of preparation 'defies logic'

'We have known for a long time that we were going to need rapid antigen tests. We knew that we were going to need boosters.

'And yet there doesn't seem to be a delivery of RAT tests in terms of what's available.'

Macdonald said supply of the tests was not the issue, with 2.9 million of the tests delivered to aged care facilities this week - but pharmacy shelves were left bare.

'So Australians are left in the middle of their Christmas break kind of playing Hunger Games trying to get their hands on these things,' he said.

Panelist Rachel Corbett explained the health department had said they had 'sufficient supply' when asked how many of the tests were stockpiled.

Macdonald said Covid was not 'taking anyone by surprise' with reports dating back to October suggesting the country begin introducing the rapid tests.

Pressure on governments to make the kits free and easily accessible have loudened amid long lines at testing clinics and harsh demands on health care workers.

While Victoria and the Northern Territory do give out some home-test kits for free, NSW is the last remaining state to commit to doing the same.

Thousands of Australians on summer holiday break have been forced to get tested before attending events, travelling interstate or being reunited with family (pictured, a RAT test)

Demand for a PCR test in NSW and Victoria in recent days has surged as residents rush to get tested, while rapid antigen tests are increasingly unavailable to buy in shops (pictured, peopke queue for a test in Sydney's CBD)

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday warned the state wouldn't receive an order of 20 million rapid antigen tests until the end of January.

Mr Perrottet urged Queensland to drop its tourism testing requirement as residents are forced to queue for hours for PCR swabs, following the move of South Australia.

The tests only take about 15 minutes to return a result and can be done at home, costing anywhere from $30 for a two pack or $50 for a five pack.

But there are fears they are not always accurate, with people reporting having tested negative several times on rapid tests before later testing positive to PCRs.

Mr Perrottet said many of the people waiting in line simply need to prove they are negative to get into Queensland and urged Ms Palaszczuk to relax her rules.

'New South Wales and Victoria are finding it very difficult at the moment because of the pressure on the testing system,' he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

'A significant proportion of that is tourism tests. I have continued my productive discussions with premiers across the country in relation to the test - we want that to move to a rapid antigen test.'

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) on Tuesday warned the state wouldn't receive an order of 20million rapid antigen tests until the end of January

Australia is understood to be transporting more tests from overseas by air with the tests repackaged from bulk packs so they could be sold in chemists (pictured, test lines in Bondi)

NSW has seen more than 600,000 PCR tests conducted since Christmas Eve, with one quarter of all swabs given to healthy travellers looking to hop the border for a summer getaway.

Australia is understood to be transporting more tests from overseas by air with the tests repackaged from bulk packs so they could be sold in chemists.

Major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles have capped the amount of tests that can be bought per customer to cope with demand.

Coles customers can only buy two packs each, with five packs of the tests available online but the two packs currently sold out.

Woolworths has restricted customers to ten self-test kits of either five x two packs or two x five packs and has completely sold out online.
This is the adorable moment a donkey received a blue ball for Christmas and was positively elated by the gift.

The video, filmed in Arkansas, Greenwood, on December 22, shows a donkey stood in a forest clearing.

He presses his long, equine face against the blue ball he has been given for Christmas.

The happy donkey, from Arkansas, Greenwood, receives his Christmas present with a heart-warming display of unadulterated joy

After the ass has rubbed his lips on the blue ball, creating a squeaking sound, the disembodied hand throws the ball - and the donkey gives chase.

Clearly delighted, the donkey gallops after his gift, letting out a ginormous 'hee-haw' as he catches up to his bouncy present.

The ass proceeds to grasp the ball between his jaws, quickly puncturing and deflating it.

The donkey gives chase to his bouncy gift, letting out an excited 'hee-haw' as he runs

Looking more canine than equine, the donkey chews two deflated balls, falling onto his knees

Standing on his hind hoofs, the donkey rears as he plays with the blue and red balls

As the grateful recipient tosses about the deflated ball, looking more canine than equine, he even manages to stand on his back legs for a couple of seconds before crashing back down to the ground, the ball still clasped tightly in his mouth.

The donkey picks up the deflated husk of a red ball - clearly an older present - which he holds in his mouth alongside the new one.

Commenters on social media celebrated the donkey's display of unadulterated gratitude, saying the 55-second clip summarised the spirit of the giving-and-receiving season that is Christmas.

One commenter said: 'We should all take a cue and learn to find happiness in what we are given.'

Another YouTube viewer said: 'He is just like a little kid with his present. He plays hard and breaks it within a short time.'

The donkey's owner said: 'My little donkey loves playing with jolly balls and always gets so excited when he gets a new one.'
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has given his blessing to MPs who are new parents bring their babies into the chamber during debates, after a row involving Labour MP Stella Creasy.

Sir Lindsay said it should be up to the discretion of the person in the speaker's chair at the time - either he or one of his deputies - to make a call based on whether the infant is disrupting proceedings.

A row was sparked in November when Ms Creasy was censured for carrying her son Pip, then aged three months, while speaking in a debate.

She pointed out she has previously been allowed to speak in debates with him in a sling, with authorities taking a relaxed view.

While she can take maternity time off with full pay she argues the current Commons rules do not allow her constituents to be fully represented while she is off, and has continued to work.

Sir Lindsay, who has asked the cross-party Procedure Committee to examine the rules and whether changes were needed, told the Telegraph today his view was that the 'chair on the day has got to make a decision'.

Referencing Ms Creasy's son, he said: 'I saw that baby come into the Chamber when I was in the chair. And did it affect the debate? No. Was it a quiet and peaceful baby? Absolutely. Did it disrupt? Not in the slightest. So did it matter to me? Absolutely not.

The Walthamstow MP was told she can no longer have her three-month-old son Pip with her, despite it being allowed in the past (pictured)

Sir Lindsay Hoyle previously said he has been 'heavily lobbied' not to change the regulations amid a row over a ban handed to Labour backbencher Stella Creasy this week.

What are the rules for MPs who are new mums and dads? All MPs have to follow the Rules of Behaviour and Courtesies in the House of Commons, which was most recently updated in September. Under the section on children it states: 'You may take babies or toddlers with you into the division lobby, and  if necessary to get to the division lobby  take them through the Chamber. 'For safety reasons, you are asked to carry your child and not to bring pushchairs through the lobby. 'You should not take your seat in the Chamber when accompanied by your child, nor stand at either end of the Chamber, between divisions.' However, Ms Creasy and other new mothers in Parliament have previously carried their newborn children - who are often still breastfeeding - into the Commons for debates, with authorities taking a sympathetic stance until now. The situation is further complicated because of the rules covering maternity leave. MPs can take time off on full pay. But they have argued that this means they are unable to take part in votes and debates when they should be representing constituents. Earlier this year the Government changed legislation to ensure Cabinet ministers received six months maternity leave, to allow the Attorney General, Suella Braverman, to keep her post after having a baby. But backbench MPs have not been afforded access to the same arrangement. In 2019, the Labour MP for Walthamstow took part in a pilot programme which meant when she was pregnant with her first child, she was replaced by a locum who covered the role while she was on leave. The post came with 50,000 pro rata salary and covered a period of seven months absence. They were able to meet ministers and handle casework, but could not vote or speak in the Commons. But this summer Ms Creasy was told by Parliamentary authorities that she could not appoint a locum MP to cover her second child. Instead she was was offered 35,000 to hire a new junior staff member or promote an existing member of her team. Advertisement

'What I would say, and I'll be quite honest with you, is each chair will make a decision.

'Unfortunately it's become highly political.

'It is now for others to decide, that's why the committee is reviewing it. And I will then have to respect (that decision).'

The case polarised opinion with some MPs saying the rules should be eased for mothers with very young children, and Downing Street indicating it was sympathetic to her case.

But other have accused her of 'grandstanding', while a YouGov poll found the majority of Britons believe MPs should not be allowed to take babies into the chamber.

Ms Creasy, a mother of two, welcomed the review after she was emailed by authorities about rules prohibiting bringing children to debates after bringing Pip into a Westminster Hall debate.

The Walthamstow MP Ms Creasy said she hopes the move 'means some of these rules will be reviewed to make parenting and politics possible to mix'.

Pip, who is breastfeeding, has regularly attended the Commons, as did Ms Creasy's older daughter.

Asked on Twitter she could not just leave Pip at the parliamentary nursery - which is ranked Good by Ofsted and caters for children from birth to aged five, she replied: 'There is not a free creche, I pay for it and it's great and I use it for my older child, but this one is just 13 weeks old and needs to feed so not practical.

'Without maternity cover to make sure Walthamstow gets heard, baby needs to come with me for now.'

Ms Creasy's partner is Dan Fox, a former director of Labour Friends of Israel.

She has previously taken part in debates in the Commons chamber while carrying one of her two children, and following the 2019 election was sworn in while carrying daughter Hettie.

Ms Creasy was criticised by Red Wall Tory MP Scott Benton last month, who questioned why she needed to bring her son to work.

'Parents who get paid a fraction of what you do pay for childcare and juggle responsibilities so they can go to work,' the Blackpool South MP said.

'What makes you so special?'

Ms Creasy later hit back, saying: 'We don't have employment rights so don't have maternity cover to be able to do juggling, hence needing to take baby with me.

'But great to hear your support for ensuring mothers can be part of politics. Guess being anti choice for women is just in your DNA.'

And the issue divided users on Mumsnet, with some suggesting they would not take a baby into their own business meetings, while others said Ms Creasy was 'highlighting an important point'.
A Norfolk search and rescue dog has been rescued from a river with the help of a drone and some dog biscuits, six days after she went missing on a training exercise before Christmas.

Juno, who is a female German shorthaired Pointer disappeared on December 21 while she was on a regular training exercise in Fritton Woods near Yarmouth.

The pooch had run ahead of her owner Ian Danks, 42, and his family into thick, tall reeds before she vanished and an 'almost continuous' search for Juno ensued in the following 48 hours.

Foot teams, thermal imaging cameras, drones and rescue boats were in the area to find Juno after the 'devastated' search team desperately sought to locate her.

She remained missing over Christmas, despite widely shared social media posts and huge coordinated search efforts. But happily, Juno was finally found on December 27th, on a river reed bed.

Mr Danks is a qualified dog handler, trustee and team leader at the Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue charity and Juno qualified alongside him in 2019. The pair have helped locate missing and vulnerable people across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Juno, (pictured) who is a female German shorthaired Pointer disappeared on December 21 while she was on a regular training exercise in Fritton Woods near Yarmouth

The pooch had run ahead of her owner Ian Danks, 42, and his family into thick, tall reeds. Pictured: Mr Danks with Juno

Mr Danks told the Independent: 'It was awful. It's always the little things  seeing her bed in front of the fire and she's not in it.

Seeing her toys lying around. It's all the little things that became very emotionally stressful.'

Juno was found using a drone yesterday morning by the River Waveney, on the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk.

The dog was still wearing her hi-vis, waterproof dog coat and was retrieved from the water by a handler who had met her before.

They went into the reeds and tempted her with dog biscuits before putting her on their rescue boat and taking her to safety.

Sadly, Juno (pictured) remained missing over Christmas, despite widely shared social media posts and huge coordinated search efforts

Juno has lost some weight and has some cuts and swelling on her feet after spending six nights outside but is mostly healthy.

Everyone involved in the search was hugely relieved she returned safely.

Most of those who helped rescue the pooch were people who had worked with or trained her previously.

Juno was finally found using a drone yesterday morning in a reed bed by the River Waveney, on the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. Pictured Juno and Mr Danks

Juno has lost some weight and has some cuts and swelling on her feet after spending six nights outside but is mostly healthy

Her delighted owner was 'incredibly emotional' after his pooch was found.

Mr Danks praised those involved in the search, including those from his team and the Suffolk 4x4 Response team as well as volunteers from the Red Cross.

He now plans to pamper his beloved pooch with Christmas turkey but 'not a lot' as he is getting her back into food.
A Delta flight that was forced to turn around midair en route from Seattle to Shanghai, prompting a protest from the Chinese consulate, was caused by Covid cleaning requirements, it has been revealed.

New Covid mandates at Shanghai Pudong International Airport 'require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta', an emailed statement from the airline said.

The flight that turned back to Seattle last week left passengers with expired Covid test results and US visas, according to Chinese media reports.

A Delta flight that was forced to turn around midair en route from Seattle to Shanghai was caused by Covid cleaning requirements, it has been revealed (file image)

The Chinese consulate in San Francisco did not name Delta but said in a short statement Sunday that many flights from the U.S. to China had been delayed or canceled in recent days including a flight that turned back more than halfway to its destination.

The consulate 'had made a stern representation to the airline,' the statement said.

It wasn't clear what the rules are and what prompted the change, but it comes as China tightens its already strict travel restrictions in the face of a growing outbreak in the city of Xi'an and ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in six weeks.

Xi'an, which is about 600 miles southwest of Beijing, reported more than 300 new cases over the weekend, a sharp rise from previous days.

The city of 13million people has been locked down, with only one person per household allowed out every two days to shop for necessities.

New Covid mandates at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (pictured) 'require significantly extended ground time'

Two Taiwan-based airlines, China Airlines and EVA Air, have both cut down on the number of flights heading to Shanghai Pudong International Airport in recent days.

They have cited new disinfection procedures that will take longer to complete, according to Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency.

EVA is suspending flights from two cities to Shanghai until February 3.

Meanwhile China Airlines is suspending flights from one city to Shanghai until the end of January, and reducing the number of flights on another route.
US-chartered evacuation flights which allow Afghans to flee the Taliban have been suspended over fears the Islamist group was using the planes to leave the country and raise money abroad.

The Taliban are said to have demanded several seats on every US-chartered Qatar Airways flight from Kabul to Qatar's capital Doha for their fighters and supporters in an apparent attempt for them to raise funds abroad and send the money back to Afghanistan.

A dispute over whether the Taliban can use the planes, which are used to evacuate the most vulnerable, has seen the Islamist group temporarily halt the flights for the past three weeks, with no indication of when they will resume, reports NBC News.

Thousands of Afghans have been evacuated by Qatar Airways, the only carrier the Taliban have allowed to fly regularly out of Kabul, since the U.S. military withdrew and the Islamist group took power.

While more than 74,000 Afghans have been evacuated to the US and 15,000 evacuated to the UK, thousands more have been left stranded - and the suspension of the flights leaves them vulnerable.

Afghans prepare to to be evacuated aboard a Qatari transport plane at Kabul airport on August 18

The Taliban had demanded several seats on every US-chartered Qatar Airways flight from Kabul to Qatar's capital Doha for their fighters and supporters in an apparent attempt for them to raise funds abroad and send it back to Afghanistan. Pictured: Qatari security personnel stands guard near a Qatar Airways aircraft at the airport in Kabul on September 9

A US congressional source told NBC news that before the flights were stopped, the Taliban was using the planes to send Afghan migrant workers to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other locations to find work, as Afghanistan plunges into a humanitarian crisis.

The Taliban are said to believe they should be allocated some of the seats on the humanitarian flights as they rule Afghanistan and the Qataris are using their airport.

But when the Qatari government, which has accused the Taliban of harassing Afghan refugees at Kabul airport and preventing them from boarding the flights, said it would stop providing the Taliban seats, the Islamists stopped the flights, sources said.

Before the suspension of the flights, one or two chartered planes a week were heading to Qatar.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told the news outlet: 'It is essential that Kabul Airport remain operational in order to ensure safe passage, commerce and, above all, urgently needed humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

'The Qataris have been unfailing, generous and critical partners in this important work, and we support the quickest possible resolution to any disagreements. We continue to press the Taliban to uphold their safe passage commitments.'

A US State Department Official, congressional source and two refugee advocates said that the feud was between Qatar and the Taliban.

But a source familiar with the matter told NBC News that in some cases, the Qataris are running flights for the US and it is Washington that is deciding to deny the seats to the Taliban.

Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war

Also, sources told The Times that neither Qatar nor the Taliban believe they have a dispute. They reportedly believe that the US denied the seats and this decision caused the Taliban to suspend the flight.

'I can confirm for you that the U.S. is not involved in the dispute and has not been,' a U.S. government source familiar with the situation told NBC News. 'This remains between Qatar and the Taliban.'

It is not yet clear whether the Taliban selected hardline fighters, symapthisers or civilians to leave Afghanistan, as the country's economy teeters on the brink of near-total collapse.

A source told the Times: 'The Taliban have not asked to allow fighters or anyone else belonging to their group to fly on the passenger flights out of the country,' the source said.

'The Taliban want to allow some Afghan citizens with work permits in the Gulf to return to their place of work, which is at odds with the US position.'

Military planes were used to evacuate Afghans from a chaotic scene at Kabul's main airport when the US and UK forces withdrew from Afghanistan. Airlines then carried them from bases in Europe and the Middle East to the U.S. under contracts with the federal government.

Veterans groups and others have scrambled to get Afghan allies such as interpreters who served the U.S. military on flights out of Kabul since the capital fell to the Taliban.

But some don't have the special immigrant visas that were intended for Afghans who helped Americans during the 20-year US military presence, and the US abandoned its embassy in August.

Since coming to power, the Taliban have reverted to their hardline, sharia-based rule, leaving many Afghans desperate to leave.

The Taliban have beheaded or hanged dozens of prisoners and publicly displayed their bodies in extrajudicial killings since taking power in Afghanistan in August, a UN report has revealed. Pictured: Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 19, 2021

Earlier this month, a UN report revealed that the Taliban have beheaded or hanged dozens of prisoners and publicly displayed their bodies in extrajudicial killings.

The report said the militant group has also been recruiting child soldiers, and has been quashing women's rights since taking power in Afghanistan in August.

More than than 100 former Afghan national security forces and others have been killed since the takeover, the UN Human Rights Council heard.

Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that in addition, at least 50 suspected members of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province - an ideological foe of the Taliban - were killed by hanging and beheading.

Al-Nashif said she was deeply alarmed by continuing reports of such killings, despite a general amnesty announced by the new Taliban rulers after August 15.

Picutred: Taliban members patrol a second-hand shoes street market as seller waits for customers in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, December 12 2021

On Sunday, the Taliban banned women from travelling distances longer than 45 miles unless accompanied by a male family member.

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice declared that women seeking to travel anything other than short distances should not be offered transport if they are alone, and insisted transport be offered only to those wearing Islamic hijabs.

The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors.

The ministry had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting.

Since taking power in August, the Taliban have imposed various restrictions on women and girls, despite pledging a softer rule compared with their first stint in power in the 1990s.

In several provinces, local Taliban authorities have been persuaded to reopen schools - but many girls still remain cut off from secondary education.

Mawlavi Sheikh Mohammed (R), the Taliban's Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, listens during a ceremony in which the former office of Ministry of Women Affairs was replaced with the 'The Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan', in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 20 October 2021

Afghan burqa-clad women sit in front of a beauty salon with images of women defaced using spray paint in Jalalabad on December 13, 2021.

Early this month, the Islamist group issued a decree in the name of their supreme leader instructing the government to enforce women's rights.

The decree did not mention girls' access to education.

The latest restrictions imposed by the Taliban come amid severe food shortages, with an ongoing drought and reduced aid packages causing a huge proportion of Afghanistan's population to go without food.

Necephor Mghendi, head of Afghanistan Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said drought is leading to 'worrying food shortages, with around 22.8 million people - more than 55% of Afghanistans population - experiencing high levels of acute food shortages.'

Severe drought has affected more than 60% of the countrys provinces, 'but there is no single province not affected since some are facing serious or moderate drought.'

'If urgent measures are not taken, there will be a catastrophic humanitarian situation,' he said.

'It is arguably the worst humanitarian crisis in the world at the moment, and the saddest part is that early action and prompt action could have prevented it from escalating.'
A 'woke' list of banned words used by more than 30,000 civil servants in the Welsh Government has been slammed as a 'bonkers misuse of public money' by a devolved administration which has 'well and truly lost the plot' - according to its Conservative opposition leader.

The 'do not use' list of politically-correct words and phrases which include - 'Brexit' and 'HM Government' is in an official A-to-Z guide used by the Welsh Government for its staff.

And workers are puzzled by some of exclusions in the 'Style Guide' updated on December 20 - which has similar rules to the style guide published by the UK Government.

The Welsh Government has been criticised for a 'woke' revision of its style guide, which excludes words such as 'able-bodied' and 'Brexit' (pictured: The Senedd building)

Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, said the Welsh government had 'well and truly lost the plot' over its guide to civil servants

One Welsh civil servant said: 'Some of these rules are ridiculous - they are just words and phrases used everyday by ordinary people.

'It is a massive A-Z but the only one missing is W for woke. It is just getting so nit-picking, well if I was allowed to say that.'

Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, said the Welsh government had 'well and truly lost the plot' according to The Times.

The latest revision of the Welsh Government's style guide instructs over 30,000 civil servants about the terminology they should be using

Civil servants are advised to use 'non-disabled' instead of 'able-bodied' when referring to people without disabilities

He said: 'Only last week we had ministers cancelling 'women' from sex education in Wales, and now they're consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin.

'It's a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day job shouldn't be subjected to such nonsense.

'And to be frank, the Labour Welsh government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure, which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.

BANNED words in the Welsh Government's latest style guide Some of the words and phrases which civil servants are banned from using in Wales. Listed below are the words and descriptions exactly as they appear in the Welsh Government style guide. ABLE-BODIED Do not use this. Use non-disabled. BAME Do not use this. Use Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic. For any subsequent references on the same page use 'ethnic minority' or 'ethnic minority communities'. BREXIT Brexit has happened. Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020. HIDDEN DISABILITY Do not use this. Use invisible impairment. PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY OR PERSON WITH A DISABILITY Do not use. In most contexts use disabled people or disabled person. If your context means that you are referring to people with impairments then use impairments. For example 'people with impairments are disabled by barriers in society'. PROFORMA Do not use proforma - say what it is in plain English: a template or form, for example. Be specific about what to do with it. SPECIAL NEEDS Do not use. Use additional learning needs or access requirements, depending on context. UK GOVERNMENT [Use this]. Never HM Government. VULNERABLE Do not use to refer to disabled people. Anyone can become vulnerable for different reasons at different times in their lives. Disabled people are often described as vulnerable and this is often wrong and does nothing to promote equality. WELSH ASSEMBLY The 2 organisations are the Welsh Government and Welsh Parliament. Source: Welsh Government style Guide Advertisement

'Wasting energy on problems that don't even exist sadly epitomises the current socialist regime we have in Cardiff Bay, who seem intent on imposing a woke ideology right across Welsh public life.'

Among the banned list is Brexit. Staff are told: 'Brexit has happened. Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020.'

Also banned is Her Majesty's Government. The guide reads: 'UK government. Never HM government.'

Another one banned is saying BAME. It tells staff: 'Do not use this. Use Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic. For any subsequent references on the same page use 'ethnic minority' or 'ethnic minority communities'.

Civil servants are also blocked from saying 'Able-bodied' or 'Vulnerable.'

It reads: 'Do not use this. Use non-disabled.'

Elsewhere it adds: 'Do not use to refer to disabled people. Anyone can become vulnerable for different reasons at different times in their lives. Disabled people are often described as vulnerable and this is often wrong and does nothing to promote equality.'

It includes the alphabetical list in the style guide also for civil servants in England which also blocks words such from advancing, combating, countering, deploy - through to overarching, robust, slimming down and tackling to promote the clear use of English.

The official guide by the Cardiff-based Welsh Government was drawn up for the 32,440 civil servants in Wales.

One civil servant said: 'If you ask the ordinary person in the street then they still call it the Welsh Assembly. But we are now banned from saying that - it has to be Welsh Government or Welsh Parliament.

'It is like looking over your shoulder every time you send an email. Big Brother of words and phrases.'

Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said the the Labour Government in Wales 'has well and truly lost the plot'.

He said: 'Only last week, we had ministers cancelling 'women' from sex education in Wales, and now they're consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin!

'It's a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day-job shouldn't be subjected to such nonsense.

'And to be frank, the Labour Welsh Government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.

'Wasting energy on problems that don't even exist sadly epitomises the current socialist regime we have in Cardiff Bay, who seem intent on imposing a woke ideology right across Welsh public life.'

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: 'This is pure nonsense. Anyone reading this style guide can see that Brexit has happened and Her Majesty is not a banned word.'
A Michelin-starred chef is being sued for religious discrimination after he allegedly ordered an employee to take off his traditional Sikh bangle - in case it got stuck in a ladle.

Niranjit Moorah Singh claims that Herbert Berger, a former Cafe Royal executive chef, told him to remove the bracelet which had been given to him by his late grandfather during a shift at the Innholders Hall in central London.

The 30,000-a-year assistant manager complained that he had never 'in 20 years working and living in London' been asked to remove the bangle.

He compared it to asking a Christian to take off a crucifix or a Muslim to remove a hijab. In the Sikh religion, some devotees wear a traditional metal bangle called a Kara as a sign of their faith.

Michelin-starred chef Herbert Berger (pictured) is being sued for religious discrimination after he allegedly ordered employee Niranjit Moorah Singh to take off his traditional Sikh bangle - in case it got stuck in a ladle

Mr Singh is now taking the Austrian-born chef, who has won stars with London restaurants 1 Lombard Street and the Grill Room, to an employment tribunal.

As part of his case he claims that Mr Berger asked him to take the bangle off because he was concerned it could get 'stuck' in a 'ladle whilst saucing the food'.

The central London employment tribunal heard Mr Singh had began working as 'casual staff' for Mr Berger's catering establishment at Innholders Hall, in the capital, in 2010.

Over the next eight years he worked up to the role of assistant manager and continued to work in the role until his employment ended in September 2020.

In his written evidence, Mr Singh told the tribunal: 'Every time Herbert sees me wearing my Sikh Bangle since April he asked me to remove it...

The central London employment tribunal heard Mr Singh had began working as 'casual staff' for Mr Berger's catering establishment at Innholders Hall, in the capital, in 2010 (pictured)

'He calls it a bracelet; he never [asks] me what is this in your hand that you [are] wearing.

Mr Singh added that he had worn the bangle on his hand for more than 35 years after receiving it as a gift from his late grandfather in Malaysia.

'[In] my 20 years working and living in London no employer has asked me to remove my Sikh Bangle.'

'Can we please ask him to demonstrate and run a show while we are there at Innholders Hall if he is right?

'Asking someone to remove their religious signs from their body is against the law: can be a cross of Jesus or a hijab.

'I have gone through a very hard time since being furloughed and lost my full income... not only thinking about how I can look after my family back home but going through a depression period of losing everything in my life especially thinking about my Sikh bangle.

Berger has won three Michelin stars during his long career. Pictured: The site of the now-defunct Grill Room at The Cafe Royal where he won his second star

Berger was Chef Partner at 1 Lombard Street's Brasserie when he won his third Michelin star

'I was afraid to approach Herbert during work in the length I was employed and ask him "why I am not allowed to wear this Sikh bangle?"'

Mr Berger's lawyers successfully applied to have Mr Singh's claims of religious discrimination thrown out in July.

However, the tribunal has now acknowledged Mr Singh had been unaware of the hearing, and will give him another opportunity to argue his claim in December.

Employment Judge Paul Stewart said he had struck the claim out after a preliminary hearing went ahead without Mr Singh or his legal representatives attending.

Mr Singh had said this was because he was at work and unable to answer phone calls.

Judgment will be given at a later date.
The Victims Commissioner for England and Wales says that rapists are being allowed to walk our streets because prosecutors are shunning difficult cases in court.

Dame Vera Baird QC, who practised as a prosecuting barrister for decades, says that victims are currently being failed by the Crown Prosecution Service.

She described rape as 'domestic terrorism' against women and said the CPS should not be judged on conviction rates as it means they only want to take 'rock solid cases'.

Prosecutions for rape dropped to just 1.6 per cent last year, their lowest in history - The Sun reports.

Dame Vera said: 'They made a decision to take fewer of what they called weaker cases in order to increase their conviction rate.

'Historically the CPS have been judged on their conviction rates. They should not be judged in that way.

Dame Vera Baird QC says rapists are being allowed to walk free as the CPS is shunning harder cases to prosecute in court, a claim which it dismisses as 'entirely untrue'

'They should not set themselves out to win that competition if the cost is prosecuting half as many rapes as they did.

'Many people are starting to see this and say - does the conviction rate matter? What matters is getting rapists off the street.

'The CPS are very much responsible for that. They have not reversed that decision.

'Ministers should classify it as a strategic policing priority - like terrorism and knife crime - a move which would unlock desperately needed cash and attention, she said.

'It is domestic terrorism - it is domestic abuse. A campaign of rape is also terrorism against women.'

There was a sharp rise of 61,158 rapes recorded in the first year of lockdown up to June 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Rape cases soared to a new record last year in England and Wales - believed to have been exacerbated by lockdown, while the number of reported sex offences hit the second-highest level ever, figures revealed last month.

A CPS spokesman said: 'It is entirely untrue to claim we drop difficult rape cases.

'We will never hesitate to prosecute a case when our legal test is met, no matter how challenging, and are determined to see more cases going to court.'
An actress committed suicide after she was harassed, threatened and extorted by two men in Mumbai, India, pretending to be police officers.

The 28-year old actress, whose identity has not been revealed, attended a rave with several of her friends at a glitzy hotel in the affluent Mumbai neighbourhood of Santacruz West on December 20.

Two men allegedly approached her during the party posing as Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers, threatening to arrest her and the rest of their group for taking recreational drugs.

They then demanded that the actress pay several thousand pounds in bribes to settle the case.

The actress was found dead at her home in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, on December 23, after she had allegedly received multiple calls from the men harassing her for the money.

Amboli police arrested two suspects, Suraj Pardesi, 32, and Pravin Walimbe, 28, in Mumbai on Christmas Day on charges of suicide abetment, impersonating public servants, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.

The 28-year old actress, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, attended a party with several of her friends at a glitzy hotel in the affluent Mumbai neighbourhood of Santacruz West on December 20 (stock pic of Mumbai nightlife)

'The accused threatened to [charge] the actor and her friends in an NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) case,' said deputy police commissioner Manjunath Singe.

'The actor and her friends pleaded that the case be settled, after which the fake Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers demanded cash.'

'They continued to call and harass her following which she took the drastic step.'



A police statement said the actress was found in her apartment by officers on on Dec. 23 after they received a phone call saying a woman was threatening to take her life.

A friend of the deceased told police that the actress was suffering from extreme stress and panic after receiving calls urging her to gather money to pay off the fake officers.

The actress was found dead at her home in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, on December 23, after she had allegedly received multiple calls from the men harassing her for the money (stock pic of Mumbai)

The friend said the police officers had tried to extort the actress for 400,000 rupees, equivalent to around 3,990), but later said they would settle for 200,000 rupees (1,995).

The actress, originally from West Bengal, was living in rented accommodation and had been struggling financially after early success starring in Bhojpuri language movies.

Police are continuing their investigation into the case as they suspect the men in custody also had help from two other individuals, one of which is believed to be Asir Kazi, a friend of the deceased according to The Indian Express.

The NCB has since issued a statement clarifying that the two suspects in custody are in no way related to the organisation.
In the final row of graves in an obscure cemetery in southern Spain, is a tomb dedicated to William Martin - a British officer killed during the Second World War.

Except that Martin wasn't real. He was invented by British spies as part of a daring and successful plot to fool Hitler about the invasion of Sicily, using the corpse of an unknown man dressed up like an officer and carrying a case full of fake documents.

Now, ahead of the release of new film Operation Mincemeat which documents the mission, calls are growing to exhume the grave so the true identity of The Man Who Never Was can be confirmed and his place in history assured.

Leading the calls are Ben Macintyre, a journalist and author who penned a book on Operation Mincemeat and believes Martin's real identity is that of a homeless Welsh man, and two teams of Spanish researchers with conflicting claims.

Researchers are calling for the grave of 'William Martin' - a British officer invented as part of a plot to trick Hitler using a real corpse (right) planted with fake documents - to be exhumed so the real identity of the dead body can be established

British spies acquired the corpse from an unknown source before faking documents to make it appear as if he was a Royal Marines Captain, including this ID which used the photograph of a similar-looking soldier who worked at MI5

According to Macintyre, the corpse used by British intelligence as a stand-in for Martin was Glyndwr Michael - a vagrant who had been living on the streets of London before dying in January 1943 after accidentally eating rat poison.

This is backed up by MI5 documents obtained in 1996 by an amateur historian which seem to confirm the identity, and by an inscription on 'Martin's' grave which gives his father's name as John Glyndwr Martin - perhaps a nod to the body's true identity.

But Jesus Ramirez and Enrique Nielsen, Spanish researchers, say there are inconsistencies in that account and they believe the body is actually that of a British sailor who died when HMS Dasher sunk off the coast of Scotland in March 1943.

Antonio and Modesto Fernandez Jurado, brothers whose father carried out the autopsy on 'Martin' when his body was found floating off the Spanish coast in April, also believe the full truth of Operation Mincemeat has yet to be told.

Still others believe that the grave is empty, and whatever remains it once contained were exhumed by the Nazis after the Spanish autopsy so they could do their own.

'I don't believe that we have the full truth about the identity of William Martin,' Antonio told The Times.

'We are living in Spain at a time when we are reopening graves from the civil war every day, why can't we open this one to clear up the matter?'

Operation Mincemeat is perhaps one of the most-successful disinformation campaigns on record, fooling Hitler into diverting troops away from Sicily ahead of the Allied invasion in 1943 and which is thought to have saved thousands of lives.

The idea behind the operation came from a memo circulated by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of British Naval Intelligence, in 1939 shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War detailing tactics that could be used to deceive the Nazis.

The so-called 'Trout memo' - because it compared tricking Hitler's officers to fly fishing - put forward the 'not a very nice' suggestion that a corpse dressed up to look like a solider and planted with fake documents could be dropped in the ocean near enemy positions for them to pick up.

Charles Cholmondeley and Ewen Montagu, officers from the RAF and Royal Navy seconded to MI5, were responsible for putting the plan into action. They are pictured in April 1943 transporting the corpse used in the mission

Montagu (pictured after the war ended) later revealed the existence of the mission, dubbed Operation Mincemeat, but refused to reveal the identity of the corpse

It mirrored tactics used by both Axis and Allied powers during the First World War to trick each-other about future attacks so troops would be diverted away from battle.

While Godfrey's name was on the memo, many believe his deputy - Ian Fleming, later author of the James Bond novels - contributed a large part of the work.

Initially dismissed as 'unworkable', the suggestion was revisited in 1942 after Charles Cholmondeley - an RAF officer seconded to MI5 - brought it up amid Allied preparations for the invasion of Sicily.

He, too, was told the plan was too complex - but was never-the-less encouraged to develop the concept along with Ewen Montagu, a naval officer also assigned to MI5.

In February 1943, after consulting with pathologists on the type of corpse needed and after running the idea up to top brass, Cholmondeley and Montagu were given the go-ahead.

Two competing theories then describe how they got their corpse.

The first, put forward by Macintyre and others, says Glyndwr was chosen after he died at St Pancras Hospital in London in January 1943.

According to this theory, Glyndwr fit the bill because his cause of death - rat poison - would not easily be identified on an autopsy, meaning spies could fake whatever injuries they needed to convince the Spanish he had died in a plane crash at sea.

Glyndwr's parents were also dead and no next of kin could been identified, meaning there was no need to obtain permission to take the corpse.

It is thought the plot to use body faked to look like an officer was originally the work of James Bond author Ian Fleming

The second, posited by Ramirez and Nielsen, is that the body was taken from the wreck of the Dasher - which exploded off the coast of Scotland and sank, killing 379 sailors on board mostly by drowning.

Once the corpse was obtained, the idea was to drop it off the coast of Spain near Huelva where the grave is now located, and allow currents to carry it to shore.

There, it would be picked up by the Spanish and no-doubt handed over to dictator Francisco Franco's soldiers - who were nominally neutral but were in fact known to be assisting the Nazis including by intelligence sharing.

Spain was chosen because the British were informed that Spanish doctors were unlikely to carry out a very thorough autopsy. The country was majority Roman Catholic, and opposed cutting corpses open except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Cholmondeley and Montagu decided on the rank of Captain (Acting Major) for their officer so that he would be senior enough to be trusted with top secret documents, but not so senior that his death would be remarked upon.

They chose the name 'Martin' because there were several officers with the same surname at about the same rank in the Royal Marines - the branch of the military chosen for the fictitious Martin - in case the Nazis cross-referenced the information.

To further bolster the disguise, they filled Martin's pockets with personal effects including an ID that featured a picture of another soldier - Captain Ronnie Reed - who was deemed to look like him.

Also included was another picture of a fictitious sweetheart, 'Pam', who was in fact an MI5 clerk named Jean Leslie.

A receipt for an engagement ring, a letter from 'Martin's' father, ticket stubs from the theatre, keys, cigarettes and a pencil stub were also included to complete the ruse - with all letters written in a common kind of ink that was resistant to water damage.

Tied to the corpse's waist was a leather case containing intelligence documents marked 'top secret' which detailed attack plans on Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily, which the British hoped would be passed to Hitler.

On April 30, the body was sailed to the coast off Huelva by the submarine HMS Seraph and put into the water where the current would carry it to shore.

It was found several hours later by Spanish fishermen and taken into custody by the armed forces, which performed the autopsy.

The ruse was so successful that, even when the Allied invasion of Sicily was launched (pictured), Hitler held back his forces - believing this was actually the diversion

The mission has been turned into a new film starring Colin Firth called Operation Mincemeat (pictured), and has sparked fresh calls for the grave to be exhumed

The case itself was taken to Madrid where it was opened under pressure from Nazi agents, with its contents taken out and photographed before it was handed back to the British - who had been urgently requesting its return.

Upon inspecting the case, the British suspected the letters had been opened because an eyelash planted inside one of them was missing.

In May, Nazi communications were also deciphered at Bletchley Park that confirmed the intelligence had reached high command as intended and been 'swallowed rod, line and sinker.'

Hitler moved troops away from Sicily to counter an Allied offensive he believed would come elsewhere, and even after Sicily was attacked in June 1943 he delayed sending the troops back - thinking that Sicily was actually the diversion.

Though more than 5,000 Allied troops - mostly British and America - died invading Sicily, some 9,000 Nazi and Italian soldiers also lost their lives with some 117,000 captured or missing.

It is thought that Operation Mincemeat saved thousands of Allied lives in the invasion, and paved the way for the Italian Campaign that followed.

To bring attention to the episode, some British expats in Huelva have formed the William Martin Association which aims to bring attention to the grave site and the story behind it.

Members of the association successfully lobbied for a change in the inscription on the stone, which acknowledges Glyndwr Michael as the true identity of the man buried there.

The inscription was added in 1997, after the MI5 documents were uncovered but without having the body exhumed.

Gladys Mendez Naylor, whose father tended the grave out of respect for whoever lay beneath the stone, said some members of the association are in favour of finding out the body's true identity.

But she is opposed, saying it doesn't matter who is actually inside the tomb or whether it is completely empty.

What matters, she said, is that the person had 'done a good thing for his country' - whoever he was.
Officials are examining whether to bring back the rule of six for social gatherings if new Covid curbs are needed after new year celebrations.

The measure, which was last in force in the spring, limits social gatherings indoors to six people or two household groups in order to limit the chance of transmitting Coronavirus.

But a return to such a restriction would place a heavy burden on pubs and restaurants at what is already traditionally the quietest time of the year, as people recover from the excesses of the festive period.

Pubs and restaurants in England have already been hit by Christmas restrictions that prompted a wave of cancellations, and a new round of restriction could push many over the edge.

The measure is being assessed by officials and has not been presented to ministers, the Telegraph reported, amid questions over whether Boris Johnson will feel the need to bring in any new restrictions.

He last night refused to tighten England's lockdown before the new year off the back of positive data on hospital admissions and infection rates from the Omicron variant.

Those numbers would have to take a sudden surge upwards for new action to be taken at all.

Environment Secretary George Eustice today acknowledged that infection rates from the new Omicron variant were rising but said there was evidence it was not resulting in the same level of hospital admissions as previous waves.

Environment Secretary George Eustice today acknowledged that infection rates from the new Omicron variant were rising but said there was evidence it was not resulting in the same level of hospital admissions as previous waves.

Virus? What virus? Revellers in Leeds enjoyed a night out yesterday

There is early encouragement from what we know in South Africa that you have fewer hospitalisations and that the number of days that they stay in hospital if they do go into hospital is also lower than in previous variants,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'At the moment we don't think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we have done.

'But obviously we have got to keep it under very close review, because if it is the case that we started to see a big increase in hospitalisations then we would need to act further.'

Mr Johnson, who is at his Chequers country retreat, left it to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to face the cameras to announce the decision, although he later tweeted advice to Brits to exercise caution at the new year.

His decision last night not to follow the lead of the other home nations in bringing in harsher Covid restrictions ahead of the new year has also been welcomed by Tory MPs who have been at odds with the PM.

He faced a rebellion by more than 100 before Christmas as he brought in new mask-wearing rules and Covid checks for nightspots.

Tory Mark Francois told GB News: 'It's remarkable how a backbench rebellion of 101 MPs focuses minds, isn't it? But let's not be churlish, this is the right decision, well done Prime Minister.

'We are asking people to use their common sense - we're being conservatives. We're trusting in the good sense of the British people.'

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith added: 'It's about trusting people to make their own decisions about their lives and to use their common sense.'

The British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness McGregor-Smith welcomed the announcement there will be no new Covid restrictions in England before the new year, but said the hospitality sector needed further support.

'I am delighted to see that we are protecting New Year's Eve but it just won't go far enough,' she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'We have called for looking at focused support on furlough and also looking to increase grants as well, also making sure that the emergency rate of VAT continues beyond March as does the business rates relief again to continue beyond March.

'We don't have flexibility on any loan repayments yet and for many businesses which took out loans, which they did do last year - many, many have got more debt than they ever had before - they are now in a position where they are going to have to pay that back, and I think the Treasury needs to look very carefully at the repayment schemes for many loans across the UK.'

Andy Wood, chief executive of Adnams brewery, said there had been a 50% drop in visitors to pubs and hotels after the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to be cautious about socialising.

'More than half of Christmas has been lost. This is a sector that has the economic equivalent of long Covid. There is going to need to be support for the sector through the darks months of January, February and March.'
Judges have been told they can ban the reporting of a transgender defendant's previous name - or make their court appearance a total secret.

The 'Equal Treatment Bench Book', a 540-page document produced by the Judicial College, advises courts to avoid using gendered language and pronouns where possible and lays out guidance for dealing with trans issues in court.

The document is produced by the Judicial College - responsible for training judges in county, Crown, and higher courts in England and Wales, and tribunal judges in England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It states that a person's 'gender at birth or their transgender history' should not be disclosed unless it is 'necessary and relevant to the particular legal proceedings'.

The guidance continues: 'In the rare circumstances where it is necessary in the proceedings to disclose a person's previous name and transgender history, the court may consider making reporting restrictions to prevent the disclosure of this information more widely or directing a private hearing.'

The Bench Book states that the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (section 22) 'explicitly prohibits disclosure of 'protected information' where a person has applied for, or obtained, a Gender Recognition Certificate.

The act makes an exception where disclosure is for the purpose of proceedings before a court or tribunal, but this exception 'should be interpreted narrowly', the Bench Book states.

Chair of the college and Appeal Court judge, Lady Justice King (pictured) said the guidance is a 'dynamic document' which has served as a key reference to courts

The 'Equal Treatment Bench Book', a 540-page document produced by the Judicial College, advises courts to avoid using gendered language and pronouns where possible and lays out guidance for dealing with trans issues in court. It states that a person's 'gender at birth or their transgender history' should not be disclosed unless it is 'necessary and relevant to the particular legal proceedings'

Judge criticised victim for refusing to call her trans attacker 'she' in court A judge criticised the victim of an assault for refusing to call her transgender attacker 'she' in court. Tara Wolf, 26, punched Maria MacLachlan, 61, at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in 2017 when protesters clashed over the rights of trans women. She was ordered to pay 430 in fines and costs after a judge declared the language of the transgender debate 'antagonistic to say the least'. Ms MacLachlan, who describes herself as a 'gender critical feminist', had her 120 Panasonic camera knocked out of her hand by hooded Wolf, who identifies as female. Wolf claimed she was terrified any footage of her would be used to out her as transgender and acted in self defence. She denied assault by beating but was found guilty by Hendon Magistrates. Giving his verdict in April 2018, District Judge Kenneth Grant branded Miss MacLachlan ungraceful for failing to refer to Wolf as 'she' during the two-day trial. He said: 'When I asked Miss MacLachlan to refer to the defendant as she, she did so with bad grace. 'Having asked her to refer to Miss Wolf as she as a matter of courtesy, she continued to refer to Miss Wolf as he and him. 'The language of the debate is antagonistic and hostile.' Wolf had admitted before attending the rally she had posted on a Facebook event page: 'I want to f**k up some TERFS [Trans-Exterminatory Radical Feminists] they are no better than FASH. [Fascists]'. Wolf, from Stratford, east London denied assault by beating, but was found guilty by Hendon Magistrates and ordered to pay a 150 fine, a victim surcharge of 30, and pay prosecution costs of 250. Advertisement

Its latest revision also advises courts to avoid using gendered language and pronouns where possible, The Times reports.

It also raises the scenario of an offender who has changed gender and their right to be referred to in court using their preferred pronoun.

The guidance stated: 'There may be situations where the rights of a witness to refer to a trans person by pronouns matching their gender assigned at birth, or to otherwise reveal a person's trans status, clash with the trans person's right to privacy.'

It went on: 'In the rare circumstances where it is necessary in the proceedings to disclose a person's previous name and transgender history, the court may consider making reporting restrictions to prevent the disclosure of this information more widely or directing a private hearing.'

Chair of the college and Appeal Court judge, Lady Justice King said the guidance is a 'dynamic document' which has served as a key reference to courts and it has been 'admired and envied by judiciaries across the globe'.

Listed among its suggestions for more neutral language, the college advises judges to use the term 'flight attendant' instead of 'air hostess' and 'chair' instead of 'chairman'.

'It is important to respect a person's gender identity by using appropriate terms of address, names and pronouns. Everyone is entitled to respect for their gender identity, private life and personal dignity,' it adds.

The guidance also stated: 'The 'term queer is rapidly gaining accepted use as an umbrella term for those who are not narrowly heterosexual and not cisgender (ie identifying with their birth gender).

'Stonewall advises that the term queer has been reclaimed by young people in particular who do not identify with traditional categories around sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

'It has also become associated with various arts and cultural movements around the world, and it has entered academic discourse.

'Nevertheless [the term queer] is still considered derogatory by some people in the LGBT communities, and it is therefore to be avoided'.

In criminal cases regarding violence against women, the college stated: 'Some people object to the term 'victim' as it can imply passivity and helplessness. They may prefer the word 'survivor' which can convey resilience.'
A 'mudlarker' who found a rare magical figure from 19th century Africa on the banks of the River Thames was stunned to find it could be worth thousands of pounds.

Experts believe the bizarre-looking but well-preserved 12ins figure of a wooden dog with metal nails protruding from its torso originated from the Congo in the late 1800s.

It would have been used by natives as a 'mediator' between the spirit world and the dead, allowing supernatural forces to intervene in human affairs.

It was unearthed by Nicola White, a professional 'mudlarker' who trawls the river bed looking for treasure. She found it in the mud at Greenwich, south east London.

Exactly how it ended up there is a mystery. One theory is that it was confiscated by Christian missionaries to Africa as evidence of sorcery and brought back to Britain.

Others have surmised that it was acquired by a superstitious sailor who threw it into the water after experiencing bad luck.

Nicola White, a 'mudlarker' who found a rare magical figure from 19th century Africa (pictured) on the banks of the River Thames was stunned to find it could be worth thousands of pounds

Nicola (pictured) found the artefact in the mud of the River Thames near Greenwich and was at first afraid to touch it as she believed it looked like a Voodoo doll so did not want to disturb it

What is mudlarking? 19th century mudlark from Henry Mayhew's book, London Labour & London Poor, 1861 Mudlarking as a profession started in the late 18th and then into the 19th century, and was the name given to people scavenging for things on the riverbank and selling them. These original mudlarks were often children, mostly boys, who would earn a few pennies selling things like coal, nails, rope and bones that they found in the mud at low tide. They are described as 'pretty much the poorest level of society, scrabbling around on the foreshore trying desperately to make a living' by Meriel Jeater, curator in the Department of Archaeological Collections and Archive at the Museum of London. A mudlark's income was very meagre, and they were renowned for their tattered clothes and terrible stench. A mudlark was a recognised occupation until the early 20th century. Dr Michael Lewis, the Deputy Head of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum, says that mudlarks' finds can 'alter our picture of the past. The mudlarks have found numerous toys (i.e. miniature plates and urns, knights on horseback and toy soldiers) that have actually changed the way historians view the Medieval period. Over the last 30 years, the Museum of London has acquired over 90,000 objects recovered from the River Thames foreshore which is the longest archaeological site in Britain, but only a few of these artefacts are on display. Although in 1904 a person could still claim 'mudlark' as his occupation, it seems to have been no longer viewed as an acceptable or lawful pursuit. By 1936 the word is used merely to describe swimsuited London schoolchildren earning pocket money during the summer holidays by begging passers-by to throw coins into the Thames mud, which they then chased, to the amusement of the onlookers. More recently, metal-detectorists and other individuals searching the foreshore for historic artefacts have described themselves as 'mudlarks'. In London, a license is required from the Port of London authority for this activity and it is illegal to search for or remove artefacts of any kind from the foreshore without one. Advertisement

However it came to rest there, the figure was preserved in the oxygen-free mud of the Thames for more than 100 years.

Ms White is now working with experts to confirm the origin of the object, with a suggestion that it could be returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The mother-of-two, who also makes art from objects she finds, said: 'The tide was out so it was half way up the bank - it was quite high up with other pieces of wood, plastic and rubbish.

'First of all I was afraid to take it as it looked like a Voodoo doll and I didn't want to disturb it.

'But then a professor I know looked at photos and told me it was an important piece of art - he thinks it is a late 19th century Nkisi Nkondi from the Congo.

'I'm so happy I found it, otherwise it just would have been washed away by the tide.

'It wasn't until I picked it up and took it home that I realised how unique it was.

'It's a carved dog sitting upright with a hole in its back where some kind of spiritual medicine would have been stored.

'These objects were thought to have spiritual power inside them.

'During the 19th century a lot of these objects were seized by missionaries in Africa who frowned upon them because they were unchristian.

'I think it's right to return it to its homeland if somebody wants it back.'

A Nkisi Nkondi, meaning spirit, was an object thought to contain supernatural forces from the world of the dead directed to intervene in human affairs.

Its power may have ranged from an ability to cure illness, offer protection from evil, and punish people who broke social contracts.

Such objects were often confiscated and destroyed by European missionaries so modern day examples are exceptionally rare.

But some were kept as objects of fascination and made their way into the homes of Western collectors.

Will Hobbs, African art specialist at Woolley and Wallis Auctioneers of Salisbury, Wilts, said that similar objects in good condition had been known to sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds before.

He said: 'These figures can be humanoid but the animal form is called a Nkisi Nkondi Koso. They were seen as mediators between the worlds of the living and the dead - often acting as problem solvers.

'The nails were hammered in each time an issue or problem arose in the belief that the figure would help the spirits intervene.

'It is likely that this figure was brought back from Africa by a visiting sailor after being discarded by the original owner.

'Given the often superstitious nature of sailors it is possible that a run of bad luck was attributed to this little-understood fetish figure and it was therefore thrown into the river to be figuratively drowned.'

Theo Weiss, an assistant curator at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, and an expert in post-colonial art, added: 'These objects had a strong social and economic function.

'Their power could be both positive and negative - to cause harm, in a similar way to Voodoo, or offer protection.

The figure is believed to be a Nkisi Nkondi from the Congo - mediators between the worlds of the living and the dead - often acting as problem solvers. The nails were hammered in each time an issue or problem arose in the belief that the figure would help the spirits intervene

Pictured: Nicola White, a 'mudlarker' who trawls the river looking for treasure, discovered the striking object sticking out of the bank in Greenwich, south east London when the tide was low

'They would have been made under the guidance of a spiritual healer or diviner, known as a Nganga, who acted as an adjudicator or referee in society.

'The figures were deliberately menacing and striking - which explains why missionaries were so obsessed with them.

'We need to figure out the circumstances of how this one left the Congo in order to determine who might want it back.

'The most unusual thing about it is the dog shape. Most commonly, the dog figures are double headed with four eyes, reflecting their ability to see into the spirit world and our own.

'There are two channels of repatriation - either it can be donated directly to the National Museum in the DRC's capital, Kinshasa, or it could be donated to a museum here which will then carry out that process itself.

'The DRC was not a British colony - it belonged to Belgium, so this could be the object to trigger a conversation between European nations about restitution which just isn't happening right now. As it stands, there is not enough joint-up thinking.'

Pictured: Nicola White near the Thames with a clay pipe and an 18th century cannon ball

The figure found in the Thames is among dozens of eclectic treasures which adorn Ms White's home in Greenwich.

The 48-year-old gave up her career in finance to become a mudlarker, a practice which she documents on her Youtube channel.

Her finds range from 18th century canon balls to old smoking pipes, and a 200 year old flagon which belonged to Griffith Todd, whose son, Charles, built the first telegraph line across Australia.
NHS staffing shortages are a 'bigger problem' than rising coronavirus admissions, health bosses warned today.

Thousands of nurses and doctors are having to self-isolate every day because of the rapid spread of Omicron.

Dr David Nicholl, of the Doctors' Association, described the ever-growing number of absences as 'our biggest worry' over the coming weeks.

Worst-case scenario modelling projected up to 40 per cent of NHS staff in London  the UK's Omicron hotspot  could be off each day.

Hospitals had already resorted to cancelling routine ops before the highly-infectious variant started to spiral, mirroring scenes from the darkest days of the pandemic last spring. And A&E bosses have warned the crisis may leave doctors with no option but to focus on treating the most severely ill patients.

But the staffing absences could cause pile even more chaos onto the health service, which frontline medics say is already 'functioning on life support'.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're now seeing a significant increase in the level of staff absences.

'And quite a few of our chief executives are saying that they think that that's probably going to be a bigger problem and a bigger challenge... than the number of people coming in who need treatment because of Covid.

'So what we're seeing is in some hospitals, we're now having to redeploy staff to fill the gaps that are being left in critical and essential services by staff who are off with Covid-related absences.'

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson (left) said staff absences could pose a bigger challenge to the health service than patients needing treatment for Covid. And Dr David Nicholl (right), of the Doctors' Association, described shortages as 'our biggest worry' over the coming weeks

NHS England data shows staff absences in London due to Covid have increased from 1,100 to 3,874 over in the two weeks to December 19. It means the virus now makes up around 43 per cent of NHS daily absences in London compared to just 18 per cent before Omicron spiralled out of control

Some 338 hospital workers at Barts Health trust were ill or isolating due to Covid on December 19, according to NHS England data, compared to 83 two weeks earlier. Guy's and St Thomas' Trust had the highest Covid staff absence numbers in London, with 515 workers at home on December 19, compared to 179 two weeks earlier on December 5 (188 per cent increase). King's College Hospital trust saw 505 Covid-related absences on December 19, followed by Imperial College Healthcare trust (365), Great Ormond Street Hospital trust (351) and St George's University Hospital trust (206)

Some 351 hospital workers at Great Ormond Street Hospital Trust were ill or isolating due to Covid on December 19, according to NHS England data, compared to 70 the week before. This made up around 6.13 per cent of the trust's entire workforce, statistics suggest. MailOnline's graphic shows the 10 trusts in London with the greatest proportion of staff off because of Covid on December 19

UK faces calls to slash Covid isolation to just FIVE days Britain was today urged to cut its Covid quarantine period to just five days, bringing its isolation rules in line with the US. American officials last night scrapped an order requiring the infected to self-isolate for 10 days. Instead, they can leave home at the half-way point, as long as they have no symptoms and can wear a mask around people for another five days. Bosses at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) insisted the decision was 'motivated by science' and to keep 'society functioning'. Leading experts today called for UK to follow suit especially in the face of Omicron, which has wreaked havoc on businesses throughout the Christmas period by forcing hundreds of thousands to stay at home. Union bosses have warned the ultra-transmissible variant's rapid spread has left the NHS and other public sectors in a 'perilous state'. Ministers have already squeezed the isolation period to seven days, providing Covid sufferers test negative twice at the end of their week of quarantine. But Sir John Bell, an immunologist who has advised the Government on Covid, said Britain could go even further and replicate the US by relying on lateral flow tests. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the swabs are 'quite a good way of marking who is infectious and who isn't'. And Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert from the University of East Anglia, said eventually Covid-infected people need to be allowed to 'go about their normal lives' as they would with a cold. Advertisement

A total of 18,829 NHS staff were absent because of the coronavirus on December 19, up from 12,240 a week earlier.

And experts fear numbers have increased further over the last week-and-a-half due to the spread of Omicron, which is now dominant in every region.

Covid-related absences have tripled in a week at London's biggest trust, underlying the huge problem the rest of England faces over the coming weeks.

At the same time, the number of admissions has increased. Christmas Day saw 1,281 infected patients placed on wards, up 74 per cent in a week to the highest level since February.

Hospital bosses have also been told to prepare for even more chaos and set up field facilities in existing car parks, as well as pop-up wards in offices and meeting rooms to cope with pressure.

Daily hospital admissions in London are still below the 400-a-day level that may lead to a Government intervention.

But doctors fear the capital's numbers will continue to increase because of the time lag between people getting infected and becoming severely ill.

However, Mr Hopson also tweeted: 'We should be cautious about over-interpreting current raw Covid admission data.

'As Covid community infection rate rises rapidly due to Omicron, we will get more cases of this type of incidental Covid in hospital.'

He also revealed hospitals are not seeing an increase in severely ill patients, even though overall admissions are rising.



Mr Hopson told The Guardian: 'Talking to chief executives this morning, the sense is that admissions are rising but not precipitously so.'

He admitted that a number of patients testing positive for Covid in hospitals were being admitted for other reasons and not showing any signs of the disease.

Mr Hopson said: 'Trusts are not, at the moment, reporting large numbers of patients with Covid-type respiratory problems needing critical care or massively increased use of oxygen, both of which we saw in last January's Delta variant peak.'

Meanwhile, Dr Nicholl claimed the staffing shortages have left doctors and nurses worrying how they will be able to manage over the coming weeks.

He told Sky News: 'Our biggest worry at the moment is staffing and we are seeing that in terms of increased staff infection rates.

'Given the staff sickness rates, we all worry as we go into the New Year how we're going to manage. That is causing stress in staff in all groups, not just doctors but nursing staff as well.'

Dr Nicholl, a consultant neurologist, said the health service was already under strain in terms of staffing levels before the Omicron isolation crisis unfolded.

He said: 'When I talk to my colleagues in critical care, they all tell me they have less staff than they did a year ago.'

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: 'As hopefully many enjoy a festive period, each component of the NHS and social care is under increasing strain with limited capacity to absorb any further surges in a hugely pressured winter.

'The system has survived the impact of COVID through collaboration and innovation supported by patient engagement but exhausted staff and services mean it is functioning on life support only.

'Overcrowding in acute care settings results in worse patient outcomes. This is heightened during viral pandemics where cross-infection can occur. Staffing levels have also been floored by the Omicron variant.'

It comes after Britain was today urged to cut its Covid quarantine period to just five days, bringing its isolation rules in line with the US.

American officials last night scrapped an order requiring the infected to self-isolate for 10 days. Instead, they can leave home at the half-way point, as long as they have no symptoms and can wear a mask around people for another five days.

Vaccinated Brits currently have to isolate for at least seven days, which some experts have warned is contributing to the crisis in NHS staffing.

But the NHS doesn't break down how many of the absences are down to staff testing positive or having to isolate because they're a contact of someone infected.

Thousands of NHS medics are still unvaccinated, meaning they have to do 10 days in quarantine if they're contacted by Test and Trace.
A 400-year-old Chinese pot used as an everyday household ornament by a British family has sold for more than 160,000.

The blue and white brush pot, once used to hold an artist's paintbrushes, dates from the reign of the Chinese Kangxi emperor in the 17th century.

It was acquired by a British businessman who traded in oriental silk and porcelain along the Yangtze River in Guangdong province in the 1850s, and he took the remarkable object back to England where it was passed through his descendants.

Now his relatives living in Suffolk, who wish to remain anonymous, are amazed after the 7ins tall item they kept around their home as a decoration sold for a hammer price of 125,000 at Sworders Auctioneers of Stanstead Mountfitchet, Essex.

With fees added on, the anonymous buyer paid 162,500 for it, making more than 50 times the valuer's modest estimation of just 3,000.

Oriental porcelain was once highly fashionable among westerners who brought it home in great quantities from their sojourns to the Far East, but over the last decade demand has skyrocketed as newly-rich Chinese collectors seek to 'buy back' their heritage.

The blue and white brush pot, once used to hold an artist's paintbrushes, dates from the reign of the Chinese Kangxi emperor in the 17th century

It was acquired by a British businessman who traded in oriental silk and porcelain along the Yangtze River in Guangdong province in the 1850s, and he took the remarkable object back to England where it was passed through his descendants

The poem inscribed in blue around the cylindrical pot was written by ancient poet Wang Bao and instructs a divine ruler to appoint wise and virtuous ministers.

The family also sold several other highly valuable pots brought back from China by their ancestor, including one depicting the emperor at a meeting with officials which sold for 22,000.

All in all, the set of three pots made them almost 200,000.

Kangxi, whose personal name was Xaunye, was China's longest reigning emperor who ruled during the Qing dynasty between 1661 to 1722.

During his 61-year reign, he defeated revolts by feudal lords, submitted Mongol rebels to his rule, and saw off Tsarist Russia in border disputes.

Yexue Li, head of Asian sales at Sworders, said: 'Prices for porcelain from the Kangxi period are extremely high at the moment.

'Brush pots with classical texts represent a key moment in the early history of the Qing dynasty.

Kangxi, whose personal name was Xaunye, was China's longest reigning emperor who ruled during the Big dynasty between 1661 to 1722

Pictured: The base of the pot. The poem inscribed in blue around the cylindrical pot was written by ancient poet Wang Bao and instructs a divine ruler to appoint wise and virtuous ministers

'By using these poems and stories from antiquity, the emperor was cultivating the support of courtiers and implying that the he was part of a continuous line reaching far into Chinese history.

'Kangxi blue and white was once the epitome of western taste and widely collected in Europe.

'More recently it has become avidly sought in the Far East.

'We realized how valuable this could be when we discovered a similar example in the British Museum and another in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

'We are delighted we were able to achieve such a high price for for the seller.

'The family watched the auction online and were amazed with the level of bidding and the final price.

'They had used it as a decorative object in their home.'

The Kangxi emperor was the third successor of the Qing dynasty and his reign became known as the 'prosperous era' because he brought economic and political stability to the country.
Australians could be mistakenly paying private companies thousands of dollars in what they are told are 'parking fines' - despite not legally having to pay.

Experts say breach notices can look like regular parking fines and can include a car's registration details and the date and time of the 'offence', complete with an officer's signature.

However printed on the back of the ticket is a discrete disclaimer that reads: 'This is not a fine. The operator is claiming the amount due as liquidated damaged as a result of you breaching the parking terms.'

This means the driver is under no obligation to pay.

In short, the company is actually threatening to sue the driver - not law enforcement saying an offence is being commited - and is demanding payment for its loss.

Experts warn the practice is misleading as private businesses do not have the authority to enforce the law like a police force or council does.

'Any implication that a law enforcement official is issuing these fines is misleading,' Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody told A Current Affair.

Parking Enforcement Services, which is owned by Wilson Parking, demands $65 in 'fines' from motorists that increases to $80 if the amount isn't paid within a month.

Breach notices (pictured) look like parking fines but are actually issued by a private company, not law enforcement

But Mr Brody argues the notice is misleading and private companies cannot take further action to enforce the claim.

'People should be aware that the companies cannot obtain your personal details, so they cannot take further steps to try and enforce their claim against you,' Mr Brody said.

NSW and Victoria have made it illegal for private operators to access motorists registration records.

Victoria banned the practice in 2015 which previously saw, 50,000 requests for private details made to the courts each year.

CEO of Parking Australia, Stuart Norman, denied breach notices were 'deceptive' or used as a 'bullying' tactic.

'Yes (the breach notices) can look the same (as a fine) but in some ways it's the same process, it's just a different way of enforcing it,' he said.

Experts have warned the practice is misleading and that private companies cannot take any further actions to enforce the claim (pictured, a parking inspector issuing notices hired by a private company)

Mr Norman said the amount private car parking companies claimed in damages does not reflect the true cost of losses incurred by the operator.

He argued while some people think the breach notice fee is exorbitant it's no where near the cost of local government fines.

When asked about private companies pursuing 'debts' while being unable to obtain a driver's personal details, he declined to comment.

Mr Norman also pointed to signs displaying near the entrance to car parks with terms and conditions that outline the company is entitled to sue.

He added that while the terms and conditions could be difficult to read they were also displayed throughout car parks.
Nicola Sturgeon has been told to consider selling off the Scottish Government's historic headquarters because of the multimillion-pound cost of adapting it to green measures she is introducing.

The First Minister has been told that it will cost 5.8million to swap St Andrew's House from gas-fired heating to an environmentally friendly alternative by the end of the decade.

An impact assessment commissioned by the Scottish Government has suggested she look into 'relocating to a new office/hub in Edinburgh where modern energy efficient technologies' can be more easily and cheaply introduced.

Under the Heat in Buildings plan unveiled in October commits to getting 'a large majority of building achieving a good level of energy efficiency' by the end of the decade. Ms Sturgeon's Government would be expected to lead this push.

The building was opened by King George VI in 1940, initially as the home of the Scottish Office. But since devolution in 1999 it has housed the Scottish Government.

The Fist Minister has been told that it will cost 5.8million to swap St Andrew's House from gas-fired heating to an environmentally friendly alternative by the end of the decade.

But the report obtained by the Daily Telegraph under Freedom of Information rules shows that it will cost a seven-figure sum to adapt St Andrews House.

The building was opened by King George VI in 1940, initially as the home of the Scottish Office. But since devolution in 1999 it has housed the Scottish Government, with around 1,800 civil servants based there.

The First Minister of Scotland used a speech ahead of the Cop26 summit in October to call on leaders of high-emitting nations to create a 'significant uplift' in ambition to tackle the climate emergency.

The Scottish Government has opted out of the UK Government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme - which will see grants of 5,000 to install heat pumps - to focus on its own scheme.

The Scottish Government's Heat in Buildings strategy aims to convert a million homes to 'zero emissions heat' by 2030 to meet greenhouse gas targets. In addition, by 2045 all buildings must be converted, at a cost of 33billion.

However, the Government has pledged just 1.8billion as an initial contribution.

Responses to an official consultation warned moving to 'net zero' could add up to 800 a year to utility bills - and could render some homes 'unsellable'.
A banker who was sacked for sending lewd sexual messages to a young woman he hired has had his lawsuit thrown out by a tribunal.

Tarique Elimlahi, now aged 35, began messaging the 18-year-old-girl on WhatsApp after interviewing her, with the conversation quickly turning 'intimate' while he called her 'babe'.

The Metro Bank analyst quizzed her about her underwear size, what she wore to bed, encouraged her to send him naked selfies, and volunteered stories about his sexual encounters.

Elimlahi, who is divorced and lived with his mother, discussed their 15 year age gap and talked about 'young girls' being with 'older guys', adding: 'Sometimes it's hot if a girl calls you daddy.'

But when he was hauled into a Metro Bank disciplinary hearing and sacked for gross misconduct, he insisted there was no power imbalance and he 'lacked insight' into what he done wrong.

Now, his attempt to sue Metro Bank for age discrimination and harassment at an employment tribunal has been thrown out - with a judge dismissing his claims as 'utterly hopeless'.

Tarique Elimlahi, now aged 35, was employed as an analyst at Metro Bank when he interviewed an 18-year-old girl for a job in the call centre

London Central Employment Tribunal Centre heard commercial risk analyst Elimlahi, on 36,000 a year, worked at Metro Bank from 2010 to 2020.

In January 2020 he interviewed the young recruit, named only as 'MK' for a job in a Metro Bank call centre job and she was offered it.

But, he soon began messaging her on LinkedIn then WhatsApp. She later withdrew her application, saying Elimlahi made her feel 'uncomfortable'.

A tribunal report said: 'The conversation was led by Elimlahi. It rapidly became informal and then intimate. In early course, he called her "babe"... he pressed her to tell him about herself.

'Following the move to WhatsApp at his behest, he teased her about spelling his name right and remarked, seemingly in jest, that if she got it wrong he might have to "have a word with HR," ie report he had made a mistake in recommending her for appointment.

Elimlahi later messaged the young woman on WhatsApp and asked her intimate questions as well as describing a sexual encounter he claimed to have had in the toilets at work

'A minute later he steered the conversation on to the subject of her pyjamas, wanting to know what kind she was wearing at that moment.

He proposed a 'deal' and said 'anything that gets said or happens between us stays between us'.

The report continued: 'He then prompted her to send him a photo... Next, he proposed a game of dare, the questioner being free to ask whatever he or she liked.

'He asked her what she did not like about herself, physically and in terms of personality. She complained about her nose and said she had insecurities.

'There was then some discussion about "young girls" and "older guys". He said "sometimes it's hot if a girl calls you daddy. It's not hot when you do it."'

Elimlahi then told the girl about a sexual encounter he claimed to have had in a toilet at Metro Bank's premises, while she reciprocated with some details of sexual acts.

'He then turned the conversation to the subject of nude photographs stating he would not request such but adding, 'if you're gonna show me something, show me cos you want to not because I'm asking' and 'it's hotter that way'.

'Moments later, without warning, he returned to the subject of MK's interview, made certain unparticularised criticisms of her performance and went on 'so I'll [be] honest. I gave you the benefit of the doubt [and] 'I think I made the right call. Don't let me regret it'.'

MK ended the conversation after he told her he lived with his mum.

The tribunal heard Elimlahi was felt he was 'harassed' because he was 'asked awkward and unwelcome questions about his behaviour' during the investigation

Elimlahi was sacked for gross misconduct, with bosses concerned he had a 'lack of understanding' and remorse over the age gap and power imbalance.

He appealed and was given a final written warning. However, that same day he resigned, moaning he was 'discriminated' by the company bringing his age into it.

He 'maintained he done nothing wrong and simply engaged in a personal exchange which, he accepted, had been "stupid and silly" between two adults'.

The tribunal heard he was felt he was 'harassed' because he was 'asked awkward and unwelcome questions about his behaviour' during the investigation.

Employment Judge Anthony Snelson dismissed his claims of unfair constructive dismissal, direct age discrimination and age related harassment.

Judge Snelson said: 'It was manifestly not a detriment to raise the question of age.

'On any sensible view the obvious power imbalance between Elimlahi and MK was a relevant area for enquiry and the age difference between the two was, equally obviously, one notable aspect of that imbalance.'
Schoolboy made his own way to hospital but died soon after from stab wounds

Police found no suspects or victims at the scene at 6.30pm on November 18

A teenager has been arrested over the murder Jermaine Cools, 14, who was stabbed during a fight near West Croydon station in south London

A teenager has been arrested over the murder of a 14-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed during a mass brawl outside a train station.

Jermaine Cools died from multiple knife wounds after a large fight near West Croydon station in south London just after 6.30pm last month.

Today detectives confirmed another schoolboy, aged 16, had been arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday.

The suspect is currently being held at a police station in south London where he is being quizzed by investigators.

When police arrived at the scene of the fight on November 18, no injured victims were found, but around half-an-hour later Jermaine turned up at a hospital in a life-threatening condition.

He made his own way to a hospital in south London just after 7pm suffering from a series of stab injuries and despite the efforts of doctors to save him, he died a short time later, police said.

A post-mortem examination revealed Jermaine's cause of death as multiple stab wounds, the Met Police said.

His death was the 27th teenage killing in the capital in 2021, equal to a previous peak in 2017.

Police also today appealed for the public to send detectives any footage and pictures of the brawl - content can be handed over anonymously via the Met Police website.

Jermaine made his own way to a hospital in south London just after 7pm suffering from a series of stab injuries and despite the efforts of doctors to save him, he died a short time later, police said. He is the 27th teenage killing in the capital in 2021, equal to a previous peak in 2017

A spokesman for the force said: 'Police investigating the murder of 14-year-old Jermaine Cools in Croydon have made an arrest.

'The 16-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday, December 27 - he remains in custody at a south London police station.

'An investigation was launched after police were called to London Road, close to West Croydon Railway Station, at 6:41pm on Thursday, November 18, to reports of a fight involving a number of people.

Police also today appealed for the public to send detectives any footage and pictures of the brawl - content can be handed over anonymously via the Met Police website. Pictured: The scene on London Road, West Croydon

'Shortly after 7pm, police attended a south London hospital after a 14-year-old boy self-presented with stab wounds.

'Despite the efforts of doctors at the hospital, the boy died a short time later.

'The boy was later formally identified as 14-year-old Jermaine Cools. A post-mortem examination gave Jermaine's cause of death as multiple stab wounds.'

Any witnesses or anyone with any information can call police on 101, quoting reference CAD 6179/18Nov, tweet @MetCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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England's worst-hit neighbourhoods saw their Covid outbreaks sextuple in size during the week before Christmas, according to MailOnline's analysis of Government statistics which lays bare how quickly Omicron has torn through the country.

Cases in Lower Penwortham North, a district of Preston, jumped from 196 to 1,192 per 100,000 people in the week leading up to December 22, the latest date regional data is available for.

Official statistics also show the number of positive tests doubled over the same time-frame in a fifth of England's 6,800 wards, home to roughly 11million people.

Meanwhile, fascinating time-lapse maps illustrate the sheer speed of Omicron's journey to reach every corner of the nation.

Academics at the Sanger Institute, one of the country's largest variant-tracking laboratories, pulled together data highlighting how England went from detecting its first case of the ultra-transmissible lineage towards the end of November to it becoming dominant in swathes of the country within a matter of weeks.

Boris Johnson yesterday held his nerve and opted against bringing in tougher restrictions ahead of NYE to thwart the variant, instead urging people to be cautious with their social plans.

No10's own advisers have repeatedly warned the strain could overwhelm NHS hospitals within weeks, prompting calls for lockdown-esque measures.

Ministers have refused to rule out adopting tougher curbs in January to bring England in line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have already closed nightclubs and reintroduced the rule of six to contain Omicron.

 Slide me  England's worst-hit neighbourhoods saw their Covid outbreaks sextuple in size during the week before Christmas, according to MailOnline's analysis of Government statistics. Map shows: Covid case rates in regions across England and Wales in the seven days up to December 15 (left) and December 22 (right)

MailOnline's analysis shows cases in Lower Penwortham North, a district of Preston, jumped from 196 to 1,192 per 100,000 people in the week leading up to December 22, the latest date regional data is available for

Academics at the Sanger Institute, one of the country's largest variant-tracking laboratories, pulled together data highlighting how England went from detecting its first case of the ultra-transmissible lineage towards the end of November to it becoming dominant in swathes of the country within a matter of weeks

Omicron cases surged most quickly in London, before other areas of the country started to catch up. Graph shows: The number of laboratory-confirmed Omicron cases in regions across England over time

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows Omicron now makes up 90.4 per cent of all cases in England. Graph shows: The proportion of cases likely to be Omicron (purple) compared to other variants including Delta (light green) over time

'Mass deaths and hospitalisations are now history': Vaccines expert backs PM's light-touch Covid measures A leading vaccines expert backed Boris Johnson's refusal to toughen England's Covid restrictions, saying that mass deaths and hospitalisations from the deadly disease are 'history'. Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and a member of the Vaccines Taskforce, said the public had been 'pretty responsible' in its response to the spread of the Omicron variant. It came as new figures showed the number of people in hospital with Covid in England is less than half the same time last year  despite cases being three times higher. 'The health minister has taken advice and looked at the data. I think his judgment where we should go in the next few days is probably fine,' Sir John told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 'There are a lot of people who are aware that we are in the face of this large wave of disease. The behaviour of people in the UK, in England in particular, has been pretty responsible in terms of trying not to go out and spending a lot of time exposing yourself to the virus.' He added: 'The horrific scenes that we saw a year ago - intensive care units being full, lots of people dying prematurely - that is now history in my view and I think we should be reassured that that's likely to continue.' Advertisement

MailOnline's analysis shows the second largest jump in Covid infections in England in the week up to December 22 was Belle Isle South in Leeds, which saw the number of positive tests spike by 457 per cent.

It was followed by Whitby West in Yorkshire (457 per cent), Droylsden East in Tameside, Greater Manchester (439 per cent), and Central Bolton in Greater Manchester (428 per cent).

In comparison, cases fell in around 500 of the 6,800 areas of the country (7.8 per cent).

The biggest fall was in Upper Dales in North Yorkshire which saw its case rate fall from 402 per 100,000 on December 15 to 117.3 per 100,000 on December 22  a drop of 71 per cent.

Mylor Bridge and Frogpool in Cornwall saw the next biggest drop (70 per cent), followed by Appledore and Northam North in Devon (59 per cent).

None of the top 20 areas for growth were in Omicron hotspot London, bolstering claims that the capital's outbreak may be starting to flatten off.

Some of the increases in case numbers will be down to more testing, but the Government data does not break down the number of swabs conducted by Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA)  the tiny geographical areas analysed by MailOnline.

Meanwhile data from the Sanger Institute shows how Omicron spread after being spotted in South Northants and a handful of other areas on December 4 to the rest of the country in a matter of weeks.

Omicron made up just 17.5 per cent of the cases in the area on that date.

It has since increased to make up around 90 per cent of all new cases, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The mutant strain quickly became dominant London, accounting for more than 80 per cent of all Covid cases in Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Camden, Islington and Haringey by December 18.

It is also now dominant in Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham and Liverpool.

The Sanger data only takes into account test samples from one lab, meaning it doesn't show the full picture of the strain's rapid takeover of the UK.

UK Government statistics show how the number of Covid tests being conducted has reached 1.5m a day, with the number of swabs carried out having increased massively since Omicron first emerged

The most up-to-date figures reveal there were 842 Covid patients in intensive care on ventilators  the lowest level in two months

UK faces calls to slash Covid isolation to just FIVE days after US halves virus quarantine to 'keep society functioning' Britain was today urged to cut its Covid quarantine period to just five days, bringing its isolation rules in line with the US. American officials last night scrapped an order requiring the infected to self-isolate for 10 days. Instead, they can leave home at the half-way point, as long as they have no symptoms and can wear a mask around people for another five days. Bosses at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) insisted the decision was 'motivated by science' and to keep 'society functioning'. Leading experts today called for UK to follow suit especially in the face of Omicron, which has wreaked havoc on businesses throughout Christmas by forcing hundreds of thousands to stay at home. Union bosses have warned the ultra-transmissible variant's rapid spread has left the NHS and other public sectors in a 'perilous state'. Ministers have already squeezed the isolation period to seven days, providing Covid sufferers test negative twice at the end of their week of quarantine. But Sir John Bell, an immunologist who has advised the Government on Covid, said Britain could go even further and replicate the US by relying on lateral flow tests. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the swabs are 'quite a good way of marking who is infectious and who isn't'. And Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert from the University of East Anglia, said eventually Covid-infected people need to be allowed to 'go about their normal lives' as they would with a cold. Advertisement

The data comes amid fierce debate among experts and politicians over No10's response to soaring infections, after England broke ranks with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by holding firm against calls to toughen restrictions over New Year's Eve.

Business leaders issued a fresh call for support for the beleaguered hospitality sector, after fears around the new Omicron variant led to a sharp drop-off in trade in the run-up to Christmas.

The industry broadly welcomed the announcement there will be no new Covid restrictions in England before the new year, beyond the Plan B measures already in place.

However British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness McGregor-Smith warned it would not make up for the business lost during what should have been the busiest time of the year, as people stayed away from pubs and restaurants.

While the Treasury has announced grants of up to 6,000 for businesses affected, she said that some were losing more than that each day.

'In January, February, March we have increasing labour costs and increasing energy costs, among many other costs. The list goes on for businesses, particularly in hospitality,' she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'I am delighted to see that we are protecting New Year's Eve, but it just won't go far enough.'

Lady McGregor-Smith urged the Government to extend the business rates relief and the emergency rate of VAT beyond the end of March, and to bring back a 'focused' furlough support scheme.

She said that businesses in the sector also needed flexibility over the repayment of loans which they had taken out to support them through the pandemic.

'Many, many have got more debt than they ever had before.

'They are now in a position where they are going to have to pay that back and I think the Treasury needs to look very carefully at the repayment schemes for many loans across the UK,' she said.

She was backed by Andy Wood, the chief executive of Adnams brewery, who said there had been a 50 per cent drop in visitors to pubs and hotels after the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to be cautious about socialising following the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

'More than half of Christmas has been lost. This is a sector that has the economic equivalent of long Covid.

'There is going to need to be support for the sector through the dark months of January, February and March,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

While there is relief among business that New Year's Eve celebrations will be able to go ahead in England, some scientists have expressed concern about the lack of new restrictions following the surge in Covid cases.
Bureaucrats in the Australian Defence Force have determined there is 'no national security risk' that would justify stripping a Chinese company of its 99-year lease to control the Port of Darwin - despite soaring hostilities between the two countries.

Landbridge signed a controversial $506million agreement with the Northern Territory government back in 2015 to take control of the strategically important asset.

The surrender of a key port next to a major military base housing thousands of American marines caught then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull off guard and enraged US president Barack Obama whose administration said it was 'blindsided'.

But the federal government had no power to block the commercial deal going ahead with the Territory government.

It has since come under intense scrutiny from military and economic analysts as diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra have dramatically soured in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

Bureaucrats in the Australian Defence Force have determined there is 'no national security risk' that would justify stripping a Chinese company of its 99-year lease to control the Port of Darwin. Pictured: A graphic from a Landbridge promotional video outlining China's asses to the Australian port

Pictured: The Royal Caribbean ship Legend of the Seas docked at Port of Darwin - which is subject to a 99 year lease with a Chinese company

Poll SHOULD AUSTRALIA CLAIM THE PORT OF DARWIN BACK? Yes No SHOULD AUSTRALIA CLAIM THE PORT OF DARWIN BACK? Yes 579 votes

No 29 votes Now share your opinion





With beefed-up laws to veto state and territory deal with foreign governments, Scott Morrison back in May quietly asked for an urgent review into the Chinese deal as national security experts warned it was a 'strategic own goal'.

But Defence has now handed over their report over to the National Security Committee of Cabinet finding that unpicking the agreement would not be wise.

Former Howard government minister and now chair of the international engagement committee of the Business Council of Australia, Warwick Smith, said the heads of Defence, Home Affairs, ASIO and ASIS, do not consider the Port of Darwin as a 'high-priority issue'.

'It was subject to Defence consideration at the time. They went through it in detail. They found a lease It was a reasonably good return for what was a basically low level piece of port area,' he told The Australian.

'My view is that defence have probably come to the right conclusion. National security concerns have changed over the last five years, and I appreciate that. But there's not a lot to be gained by picking apart a port lease like this when there are other investments taking place in our country.

'It doesn't gain on the security side. It unpicks a commercial arrangement that sends a negative signal. I don't think it's the wisest thing to do right now.'

With beefed-up laws to veto state and territory deal with foreign governments, Scott Morrison back in May quietly asked for an urgent review into the Chinese deal as national security experts warned it was a 'strategic own goal'. Pictured: Chinese soldiers

Diplomatic relations between Australia and China have deteriorated significantly during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Xi Jinping (right) and Scott Morrison (left)

At the time of the review, Michael Shoebridge, the director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's defence program said he wondered whether operating the port is in the 'company's commercial interests' amid 'the strategic environment they find themselves'.

'I think it's obvious that if the Darwin port lease was being considered today, the result would not be to lease it to a Chinese-owned company for 99 years,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'It seems a strategic own goal for one of the best parts of Darwin Harbour to be in the control of a Chinese-owned operator.'

Luke Gosling, the federal Labor member for Solomon - the electorate that contains Darwin - also slammed the deal saying the city's port is a strategic asset that 'should be under Australian control'.

'The Coalition were asleep at the wheel - or worse - when it waved through this century-long lease for a short-term cash injection,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'From the time of the sale, I have consistently challenged the decision to lease our nationally strategic port to a foreign entity.

'The $506million was spent years ago, and the lease still has another 94 years to go.'

There are about 2,200 US Marines (pictured) stationed a the RAAF base in Darwin

In November 2015, the Northern Territory government decided to lease the Port of Darwin (pictured) to a Chinese company for 99 years

Canberra's once rosy relationship with Beijing first hit a hurdle when the federal government banned Chinese 5G builder Huawei from the construction of Australia's National Broadband Network in August, 2018, over national security concerns.

This, followed by a call from the Morrison cabinet in April, 2020, for an independent international inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic resulted in a bitter backlash from the totalitarian regime.

The communist state slugged Australian producers with billions of dollars worth of arbitrary tariffs and bans on key exports like barley, wine, beef, cotton, copper, coal, seafood and timber.

Mr Morrison has said: 'If there is advice from the Defence Department or our security agencies that change their view about the national security implications of any piece of critical infrastructure, you could expect me as Prime Minister to take that advice very seriously and act accordingly.'

The communist giant owns a significant number of Australian businesses and assets throughout the nation including mining, energy, and agriculture companies, as well as real estate and even air strips.

Chinese companies have poured billions into Australia in recent years, snapping up companies, land and key assets

Land

China is now the largest foreign owner of land in Australia with Chinese companies in control of 2.4 per cent of the nation's soil.

Investors from the the United Kingdom own more with 2.1 per cent and buyers from the US are joint third with 0.7 per cent, according to the 2020 Register of Foreign Ownership.

Most of the foreign-owned land is in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and is used for cattle farming.

In 2019 one of the biggest Chinese landowners in Australia was accused of illegally clearing Aboriginal land (pictured) in north Western Australia

Most of the land owned by foreigners in Australia is in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and is used for cattle farming (stock image)

Between 2017 and 2018, Chinese companies added 50,000 hectares to their Australian property portfolio which total more than 9.1million hectares.

In 2019, one of the biggest Chinese landowners in Australia was accused of illegally clearing Aboriginal land in north Western Australia.

Zenith Australia Group, owned by Shanghai Cred, owns seven properties in Western Australia including Yakka Munga and Mount Elizabeth Stations in the Kimberley, Marvel Loch Station and Goldfields Station.

China is now the largest foreign owner of land in Australia with Chinese companies in control of 2.4 per cent of the nation's soil

The WA government issued a stop-work order after Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, the custodians of the land, claimed the company breached a lease agreement by clearing 120 hectares without permission.

Locals say important flora including boab trees had been ripped up.

Shanghai Cred, which also owns a third of Gina Rineheart's company Australian Outback Beef, lost an appeal against the stop-work order.

Companies

In 2019 Mengniu Dairy, which is 16 per cent owned by food processing company Cofco, which is co-owned by the Chinese state, acquired Tasmanian baby formula company Bellamy's Organic for $1.5billion.

Mengniu Dairy Company bought Bellamy's

Before the takeover bid, shares in Bellamy's plunged 62 per cent in 18 months.

There were allegations the Chinese state brought this plunge about by not approving Bellamy's' request to sell organic formula in Chinese stores.

The board of the Tasmania-based company denied the takeover had anything to do with fast-tracking Chinese regulation to allow expansion in the country.

In 2017, Chinese company Goldwind bought Stockyard Hill Wind Farm, which has 149 turbines 35km west of Ballarat, from Origin Energy for $110million.

The following year it started building another wind farm of 48 turbines in the Tasmanian Central Highlands.

State-owned Powerchina purchased 80 per cent of the wind farm for an undisclosed fee in April that year.

The company said the project will 'promote the development of the wind power industry, boost local economic development and will help Australia reach the goal set for renewable energy by 2020.'

Meanwhile in New South Wales, coalmines in the Hunter region have been snapped up by a state-owned Chinese firm.

In 2017, Chinese company Goldwind bought Stockyard Hill Wind Farm (pictured), which has 149 turbines 35km west of Ballarat, from Origin Energy for $110million

In 2017, Yancoal Australia, owned by Yanzhou Coal Mining Company, acquired Coal & Allied from Rio Tinto for $3.5billion, becoming Australia's largest thermal coal mining company.

The move prompted warnings from some analysts that China was trying to buy up access to Australia's energy resources.

Tim Murray of research firm J Capital told the ABC: 'Long-term, China has always been interested in acquiring energy assets outside of the country'.

'They've got a basic view of 'why not use someone else's resources before we use our own'.'

Melbourne-based Energy Australia was bought by China's State Power Investment Corporation in 2016.

Coalmines in the Hunter region (pictured) have been snapped up by a state-owned Chinese firm, Yancoal

China knocked back: The few deals that the government rejected 2020 Mengniu Dairy, which bought Bellamy's in 2019, walks away from its proposed $600 million acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks after Mr Frydenberg said he would block the deal. 2019 Huawei is blocked from participating in Australia's fifth-generation (5G) mobile network on national security grounds 2018 A $13 billion bid for natural gas company APA Group by Hong Kong's CK Infrastructure Holdings Ltd (CKI) is rejected by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg citing the concentration of foreign ownership in gas transmission 2016 Then treasurer Scott Morrison rejects a $10 billion bid for 50.4% of electricity distributor Ausgrid from CKI and State Grid Corp of China citing security concerns Morrison also rejects a $371 million bid from Shanghai CRED and Hunan Dakang Pasture Farming for S. Kidman and Co, one of Australia's largest beef producers, saying the sale is not in the national interest. 2009 A $1.75 billion bid from Hong Kong's Minmetals Land Ltd for OZ Minerals Ltd is altered when government rules the Prominent Hill mine in South Australia near the Woomera military zone could not be part of the deal Advertisement

Infrastructure and real estate

In 1993, China's biggest airline, state-owned China Southern Airlines, paid the Western Australian government $1 to lease Merredin airport for 100 years to use as a training school for its pilots.

The rural airport, 260km east of Perth, only had two gravel airstrips - but after Chinese investment is now a multimillion-dollar all-weather airfield providing jobs in the region.

However, experts have raised concerns about letting a foreign government control airspace in Australia.

Local pilots say they have never been turned down when they request to land - but in theory China Southern could stop them using the airport at any time.

Entrepreneur Dick Smith, who is also a former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, was among those who raised concerns.

In 1993, China's biggest airline, state-owned China Southern Airlines, paid the Western Australian government $1 to lease Merredin Aerodrome (pictured) for 100 years

In 2019, Chaolong Developments spent $145million on buying Melbourne's Century City Walk and the neighbouring Novotel Hotel (pictured)

'It is outrageous that an Aussie pilot can't go to a country airport without getting approval from the Chinese to land there,' he said.

'I've never heard of this happening anywhere.'

Chinese investors have also poured billions into commercial and residential real estate in Australia.

In 2019, Chaolong Developments spent $145million on buying Melbourne's Century City Walk and the neighbouring Novotel Hotel.

In the same year, China Merchants Group bought developer Propertylink Australian Logistics Trust for $280million and Aoyuan International bought developer Capital Bluestone for $200million.

Education

In 2019, China Education Group bought the owner of King's Own Institute, a private university with three campuses in Sydney, for $128million.

Dozens of Chinese state-sponsored schools teaching Mandarin have opened up across the world in recent years, including several in Australia.

The so-called Confucius classrooms and Confucius Institutes at universities are a major way for China to project soft power around the globe.

In 2019, China Education Group bought the owner of King's Own Institute (pictured), a private university with three campuses in Sydney, for $128million

Teaching assistants in the classes are vetted by the Chinese government and only get the job if they show 'good political quality' and a love of 'the motherland'.

This means they are totally loyal to the Chinese Communist Party and never speak out against it.

In August 2019, New South Wales announced it is scrapping the program at the end of this year due to fears of 'inappropriate foreign influence'.

In a report, the Department of Education said: 'The primary concern is the fact that NSW is the only government department in the world that hosts a Confucius Institute and that this arrangement places Chinese government appointees inside a NSW government department.

'Having foreign government appointees based in a government department is one thing; having appointees of a one-party state that exercises censorship in its own country working in a government department in a democratic system is another.'

China's foreign ministry accused New South Wales of politicizing a 'normal exchange program.'

The program in 13 public schools in the state will be replaced by a different Mandarin initiative next year.

Several private schools announced they are reviewing the Confucius classes.

Australia has the third most Confucius programs in the world, after the US and the UK, with 14 institutes at universities across the nation.
Hospitality bosses in England issued a fresh call for more government support today after Omicron fears hit pre-Christmas trade, with firms reporting up to a 50% drop in customers.

The industry broadly welcomed the announcement there will be no new Covid restrictions in England before the new year, beyond the Plan B measures already in place.

However British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness McGregor-Smith warned it would not make up for the business lost during what should have been the busiest time of the year, as people stayed away from pubs and restaurants.

While the Treasury has announced grants of up to 6,000 for businesses affected, she said that some were losing more than that each day.

'In January, February, March we have increasing labour costs and increasing energy costs, among many other costs. The list goes on for businesses, particularly in hospitality,' she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'I am delighted to see that we are protecting New Year's Eve, but it just won't go far enough.'

Hospitality bosses in England issued a fresh call for more government support today after Omicron fears hit pre-Christmas trade, with firms reporting up to a 50% drop in customers

British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness McGregor-Smith warned it would not make up for the business lost during what should have been the busiest time of the year, as people stayed away from pubs and restaurants

Lady McGregor-Smith urged the Government to extend the business rates relief and the emergency rate of VAT beyond the end of March, and to bring back a 'focused' furlough support scheme.

She said that businesses in the sector also needed flexibility over the repayment of loans which they had taken out to support them through the pandemic.

'Many, many have got more debt than they ever had before.

'They are now in a position where they are going to have to pay that back and I think the Treasury needs to look very carefully at the repayment schemes for many loans across the UK,' she said.

She was backed by Andy Wood, the chief executive of Adnams brewery, who said there had been a 50% drop in visitors to pubs and hotels after the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people to be cautious about socialising following the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

'More than half of Christmas has been lost. This is a sector that has the economic equivalent of long Covid.

'There is going to need to be support for the sector through the dark months of January, February and March,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

While there is relief among business that New Year's Eve celebrations will be able to go ahead in England, some scientists have expressed concern about the lack of new restrictions following the surge in Covid cases.

The decision announced by Health Secretary Sajid Javid leaves England out of step with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have all brought in new post-Christmas controls.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said that, while ministers continued to monitor the data closely, the early evidence suggested Omicron was not leading to a big increase in hospital admissions, as happened in previous waves.

'There is early encouragement from what we know in South Africa, that you have fewer hospitalisations and that the number of days that they stay in hospital, if they do go into hospital, is also lower than in previous variants,' he told Today.

'At the moment we don't think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we have done.

'But obviously we have got to keep it under very close review, because if it is the case that we started to see a big increase in hospitalisations then we would need to act further.'

Lady McGregor-Smith urged the Government to extend the business rates relief and the emergency rate of VAT beyond the end of March, and to bring back a 'focused' furlough support scheme

While hospital numbers are up, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said staff absences could pose a bigger challenge to the health service than patients needing treatment for Covid.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We're now seeing a significant increase in the level of staff absences, and quite a few of our chief executives are saying that they think that that's probably going to be a bigger problem and a bigger challenge for them than necessarily the number of people coming in who need treatment because of Covid.

'So what we're seeing is in some hospitals, we're now having to redeploy staff to fill the gaps that are being left in critical and essential services by staff who are off with Covid-related absences.'

Government figures showed there were a record 113,628 new Covid cases in England on Christmas Day, with 1,281 new Covid-19 hospital admissions - up 74% week on week and the highest number since February 16.

As of 8am on December 27, there were 8,474 people were in hospital in England with Covid-19 - the highest number since March 5.
Save the Children today confirmed the deaths of two of its staff reported missing after the charred remains of at least 35 people were found in eastern Myanmar on Saturday.

The Christmas Eve massacre saw dozens of villagers rounded up and shot, with their bodies being burnt en-masse by what are believed to be soldiers of Myanmar's military rulers.

The two charity workers, both of whom are new fathers, were previously reported missing, but a statement from Save the Children has since expressed 'profound sadness' at their deaths.

Gwen Hines, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK, said: 'This news is absolutely horrifying. Violence against innocent civilians including aid workers is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law.'

'We are shaken by the violence carried out against civilians and our staff, who are dedicated humanitarians, supporting millions of children in need across Myanmar.'

News of the massacre in the Mo So village in Kayah state spread on social media in the country, fuelling outrage against the military that took power in a February coup.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group.

Pictured: Smokes and flames billow from vehicles in Hpruso township, Kayah state, Myanmar, December 24, 2021, in this picture released by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force

Pictured: Burnt vehicles in Hpruso township in Myanmar's Kayah state where it is believed at least 30 people - including women and children - were shot and killed on Friday by Government troops. Two workers from the Save the Children have since been confirmed dead

Mo So village, where the massacre took place, is just outside Hpruso township in Kayah state where refugees were sheltering from an army offensive

Myanmar government troops rounded up villagers, some believed to be women and children, fatally shot more than 30 and set the bodies on fire, a witness and other reports said Saturday

Save the Children said the two murdered workers were new fathers with long history of charity work.

'The two staff were both new fathers - one was 32, with a 10-month-old son, and had worked at Save the Children for two years, training teachers. The other, 28, with a three-month-old daughter, joined the charity six years ago. They are not being identified for security reasons,' the charity said.

Hines said the investigation into the massacre is continuing and that Save the Children has reached out to the victims' families to offer support.

'The people of Myanmar continue to be targeted with increasing violence and these events demand an immediate response,' Hines declared.

A senior UN official called on Myanmar authorities to investigate the killings saying he was 'horrified' at the violence.

The ruling military has not yet commented on the killings, and several calls since Saturday to junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun have gone unanswered.

State media reported on Sunday that soldiers had fired on and killed an unspecified number of 'terrorists with weapons' in the village, and did not mention anything about civilians.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said there were 'credible reports' the civilians, including at least one child, were forced from vehicles, killed and burned.

'I am horrified by reports of an attack against civilians... I condemn this grievous incident and all attacks against civilians throughout the country, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law,' he said in a statement.

People fleeing due to fighting in Myanmar line up to receive food at a temporary lodging for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Karen state, along the Thai-Myanmar border, on December 25, 2021

People fleeing due to fighting in Myanmar ride in a boat across a river in Karen state, along the Thai-Myanmar border, on December 25, 2021

Griffiths called for 'a thorough and transparent' investigation so the perpetrators could be brought to justice.

The US Embassy said in a post on Twitter it was 'appalled by this barbaric attack'.

'We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma,' it said, using another name for the country.

Hines meanwhile called on the UN Security Council to take swift measures to reduce the violence in the country.

'The UN Security Council must convene as soon as possible to set out the steps they will take to hold those responsible to account. Member states should impose an arms embargo, including a focus on limiting the airstrikes seen over recent days.'

'The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) must also convene an urgent meeting to review and action the 'Five Point Consensus' agreed in April which calls for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar.'

'These steps are urgently required to protect children and humanitarian aid workers.'

At least 1,375 people in Myanmar have been killed and more than 8,000 jailed in crackdowns on protests and armed opposition since the coup, according to a tally of the Association for Assistance of Political Prisoners.

The military government disputes those numbers and says soldiers have also been killed in clashes.

In October Save the Children said its office in the western town of Thantlang was destroyed in junta shelling that also razed dozens of homes following clashes with a local anti-junta group.
Major changes to how New South Wales will approach Covid cases, isolation periods and close contacts have been proposed for the New Year as the state battles an outbreak which has torn families apart and left businesses teetering on the edge.

An overhaul to how Covid-infected people are dealt with is just one of the pandemic puzzle pieces being mulled over by government officials, with a proposal put forward to slash the isolation period from 10 to five days for those who are asymptomatic.

Premier Dominic Perrottet is understood to be in favour of the change, which has already been put in place in the US, to help drag the state out of its outbreak slump.

Close contact rules have already been quietly overhauled by NSW Health, with those who have had contact with a positive case told to get a PCR test and go about their business if it comes back negative, rather than isolate regardless for seven days.

Following a recent surge in Covid cases caused by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, the state is considering how best to approach spiralling infections, which has seen the workforce slashed and businesses take huge cancellation hits.

It comes after a Covid testing bungle saw nearly 1,000 Sydneysiders since Christmas Eve receive the wrong test results in a mix-up that threatened a further rise in cases - leaving an infected Bondi influencer furious.

Those considered close contacts now only have to isolate until they have received a negative PCR test, government officials have confirmed (pictured, a nurse administers a test in Sydney)

PROPOSED CHANGES TO ASYMPTOMATIC COVID CASES IN NSW Currently, confirmed Covid cases must isolate for ten days after they received their first test. This isolation period is required whether or not the person is vaccinated. However, in proposed changes to the ruling, asymptomatic cases may only have to isolate for five days. On day five, they should get another test and if negative can leave isolation. After five days asymptomatic cases could then be allowed to re-enter the community, but should wear a mask for an additional five days if they haven't received a booster. Advertisement

The new rules for those who are Covid positive could be implemented in the New Year if approved, The Australian reported.

Those who remain asymptomatic five days following their positive test would then be allowed back in the community in order to keep businesses afloat and well-staffed and to support the economy.

Premier Perrottet's government is understood to have been inspired by advice issued by the US Centre's for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommended the reduced isolation time after evidence revealed those that are Covid-positive usually infect others before they start experiencing symptoms and in the immediate days following.

The advice also stated that those who contract Covid should get tested five days after they were first exposed and continue to monitor for symptoms.

Booster shots were also highly recommended for those who haven't received one and infected people encouraged to wear a mask once back in the community, especially if not boosted.

Currently, confirmed Covid cases are required to isolate for ten days from the day they were first tested for the virus.

This is regardless of whether or not the person is vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Asymptomatic Covid cases may only have to isolate for five days instead of ten in one proposal due to be implemented in the New Year, if approved (pictured, a man uses QR code in Sydney)

Currently, confirmed Covid cases are required to isolate for ten days from the day they were first tested for the virus if they are vaccinated or not (pictured, health care staff in Sydney)

CHANGES TO CLOSE CONTACT RULES Previously, close contacts of a confirmed Covid case must isolate for seven days, even if they test negative. But close contacts now only have to isolate until they receive a negative PCR test. Healthcare workers are now only required to isolate for two days instead of seven, if they return a negative PCR test on their second day of quarantine. Healthcare workers who are a household contact of a confirmed case will still need to isolate for seven days, recently down from 14 days. Advertisement

If the person is not experiencing any symptoms of the virus, including fever, cough or fatigue they are permitted to leave isolation after seven days.

Following a surge in Omicron cases and several super-spreader events over the lead-up to Christmas, thousands of NSW residents have been identified as a close contact of the virus.

The overwhelming amount of close contacts has meant under-staffed businesses have been forced to shut down during what should be their most profitable period.

The state government is currently looking into ways the tracing system can be revised to better manage those deemed close contacts as thousands are forced into isolation.

NSW Health has confirmed the system will be revamped to adapt to the spiralling number of Covid cases across the state.

'NSW Health will be contacting a much smaller number of people exposed to Covid-19 to direct them into self-isolation under the public health order,' a statement read.

The department said people who have been in contact with a Covid-19 case in an indoor setting need to get tested immediately and isolate.

As soon as that contact receives a negative test result they are free to leave isolation, but must return if they develop symptoms and get re-tested.

The close contact tracing system has also seen more than 2,000 vital health care workers forced into isolation leading to shortages at hospitals, GP's and aged-care centres.

On Tuesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) announced the isolation period for health care workers would be reduced from seven days to two days

Major changes to how NSW will approach Covid cases and isolation rules could be implemented in just a few days time (pictured, a shopper in Sydney's CBD on Christmas Eve)

Businesses including restaurants, bars and cafes are also struggling with staff amid the rapid spread of the more infectious Omicron variant.

On Tuesday, the premier announced the isolation period for health care workers would be reduced from seven days to two days.

However, this shortened quarantine time would only apply for those who returned a negative PCR test on their second day of isolation.

Healthcare workers who are a household contact of a confirmed case will still need to isolate for seven days, recently down from 14 days.

It comes as a Bondi influencer revealed how she received the wrong Covid test results as the state's health system buckles under testing demands.

Lucy Rosenberg was one of nearly 1,000 Sydneysiders since Christmas Eve who wrongly received a text message giving them the all clear.

They were later contacted by testing sites who informed them it was a mistake and that they were actually carrying the virus and may have infected loved ones.

Lucy Rosenberg (pictured) was one of nearly 900 Sydneysiders since Christmas Eve who wrongly received a text message giving them the all clear

The Bondi food and fashion blogger (right) told The Project's Hamish McDonald (left) it's 'an emotional and physical roller coaster' since she started to feel unwell

The Bondi food and fashion blogger told The Project it's 'an emotional and physical roller coaster' since she started to feel unwell.

'I definitely got sick, and it was all the symptoms from Covid. It was textbook,' she told the panellists.

'And then I got tested four days later, I got the results back, and they came back as negative and I was shocked.

'Then nine hours later, I got a text message saying, "Please disregard - you are actually a positive".'

When asked by host Hamish Macdonald her thoughts on NSW being described as the 'gold standard in testing', the glamorous Instagrammer burst out laughing.

'Ahhh, no. I actually just got told by a friend that she's still waiting on her test results from eight days ago that apparently got lost,' Ms Rosenberg said.

'So I don't think there's any gold in that. So, no, definitely not.'

When asked by host Hamish Macdonald her thoughts on NSW being described as the 'gold standard in testing,' the glamorous Instagrammer (pictured) burst out laughing

SydPath  operated by St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney's east  revealed they sent the wrong results to a total of 886 people due to 'human error' (pictured, a health worker in Melbourne)

SydPath  operated by St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney's east  revealed they sent the wrong results to a total of 886 people due to 'human error'.

On Sunday it emerged that the lab had also sent negative results to 400 positive people tested on December 23 and 24.

Then on Monday SydPath announced a further 950 people had received texts saying they were negative when their swabs had not been tested.

About half of those were in fact positive, taking the total receiving incorrect negative results to 886.

There are major concerns the hospital blunder will see cases skyrocket with so many patients mingling, hugging and kissing their families under the presumption they were Covid-free.

On Tuesday NSW recorded another 6,062 cases of Covid-19 with 557 people in hospital and 60 people requiring intensive care (pictured, a nurse administers a swab in a drive-through site)

A spokesperson for St Vincent's Hospital has since assured the public such a monumental mistake will not happen again.

'We have identified what occurred and can confirm it was related to a specific human error. SydPath have put procedures in place to ensure this cannot happen again,' the spokesperson said.

'This event comes at a time of unprecedented COVID-testing activity and SydPath's people, as with all pathology teams throughout NSW, are working around the clock to respond.'

The lab said a worker accidentally entered the wrong data into the system meaning the erroneous texts were sent. It said it has now switched to an automated system to eliminate human error.

On Tuesday NSW recorded another 6,062 cases of Covid-19 with 557 people in hospital and 60 people requiring intensive care.
America's first ever IVF baby says she will always be an advocate for alternative fertility treatments as she turns 40 today.

Elizabeth Jordon Carr, was delivered on December 28, 1981, at Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia to Judith Carr, a 28-year-old schoolteacher whose fallopian tubes had been removed as a result of previous failed pregnancies, and her engineer husband Roger, 30.

She was the fifteenth baby in the world to be created via IVF but the first in the US, with Louise Brown in the UK the first person born thanks to the treatment in 1978.

America's first ever IVF baby Elizabeth Carr (pictured) has turned 40 and says she remains an advocate for fertility treatments

She was delivered on December 28, 1981, at Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia and grew up in the public eye

An estimated eight million babies have now been born through IVF.

Ms Carr, who is now a mother herself to an 11-year-old son who was conceived naturally, said it took a long time to adjust to the media attention growing up, being the face of the then-controversial treatment in the US.

She told The New York Post ahead of her 40th birthday: 'There were definitely people who had terrible things to say  and still do  even as far as we've come.

'I was always aware that I was the spokesbaby and so I needed to behave properly, be articulate, be able to communicate effectively. I couldn't just be a rebel and a jerk. I knew that people would look at anything I did.'

At the time, there were many ethical concerns about IVF with little known about the pioneering new treatment.

Louise's mother Judy, who had three ectopic pregnancies in which the fertilized egg grew outside her uterus, had suffered three miscarriages.

She was the fifteenth baby in the world to be created via IVF but the first in the US (pictured)

Her son Trevor was born with her first husband in 2010 and was conceived naturally without any issues

Her doctor knew little about IVF but had seen a flyer at a medical conference and suggested she look into it.

Howard and Georgeanna Jones, a husband and wife medical team, had founded a fertility clinic at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Louise's parents flew from Massachusetts where procedure was illegal, to the center.

She estimates her parents spent $5,000 in hospital bills.

Just hours after her birth, media organizations were trying to interview her parents and they initially refused, before deciding to go public to raise awareness of the new procedure.

But life in the public eye proved challenging for Louise who grew up knowing she would be a figurehead for IVF treatment.

Ms Carr is now a mother herself to an 11-year-old son who was conceived naturally (pictured during her pregnancy)

Dr Howard Jones explains the in vitro fertilization process during the 1981 news conference about Elizabeth's birth

Dr Georgeanna and Dr Howard Jones pose for a photo in 1998. Howard carried on working until shortly before his death at the age of 104 in 2015. His wife died in 2005 from Alzheimer's disease

Purdy, Steptoe and Edwards: The three pioneers of IVF Jean Purdy, the world's first embryologist, worked alongside gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and physiologist Robert Edwards during the 1970s. Purdy was the first person to witness the successful cell division of the embryo that would become Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby. Steptoe and Edwards worked in the field of reproductive health before their collaboration in 1966. They had a special interest in fertility problems. Edwards developed a way to fertilise human eggs in a laboratory and Steptoe had perfected a method for obtaining human eggs from the ovaries using a laparoscope - a long, thin telescopic instrument. They combined their skills to produce mature eggs at the optimum time to improve chances for successful fertilisation and development. Left to right: Patrick Steptoe, Jean Purdy and Robert Edwards at the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby Source: Brought To Life Advertisement

Her parents never tried for another child and Louise decided to go into health journalism, considering herself a fertility patient advocate.

Her son Trevor was born with her first husband in 2010 and was conceived naturally without any issues. She has since remarried.

But she acknowledged having concerns about the pregnancy at the time, saying: 'I was aware, just because of my mother's history, that at any point something could go wrong.'

Thanks to her birth, Louise's baptismal gown is on display at the Smithsonian Institute and she addressed the UN aged 19.

She has a forthcoming book titled Under the Microscope: The USA's First IVF Baby, to be released on January 7.

The mother-of-one said: 'I want people to get an inside look of who I really am  "Elizabeth Carr, first IVF baby" is not the full story or picture of who I am as a human being.'

While her mother, now 68, will celebrate the book with her, her father died in June this year.

Howard Jones, the doctor whose pioneering work led to Louise's birth, died in 2015 aged 104.

Louise said at the time he still called her on her birthday every year, adding: 'You can't begin to thank the person who brought you into the world.

'Beyond being a great scientist, he went to work every day and he loved it. He was so driven. He was at his desk editing his book. He was still going to work. That's why he was so successful.'

Jones and his wife worked with Robert G. Edwards, who helped pioneer the research that led to the birth of Louise Brown.

Edwards had visited the University School of Medicine in Baltimore in the 1960s, where the couple were on the faculty.

Edwards credited his time with the couple as critical to his success with IVF, in which an egg is fertilized by sperm in a lab dish, then transferred into the womb.
Lateral flow tests unavailable for home delivery for a second day running may affect the Government's plans for milder restrictions over New Year's celebrations.

Yesterday, the Government announced it would not go ahead with more stringent Covid restrictions, instead allowing pubs and nightclubs to open for New Year's Eve, as well as other mass events.

But that same day, the Government's website stated that it was not possible to order lateral flow testing kits for home delivery, with the UK Health Security Agency citing 'unprecedented demand' for the shortage.

Today, the same message appeared stating: 'Sorry, there are no home delivery slots left for rapid lateral flow tests right now.

'You may still be able to pick up rapid lateral flow tests from a pharmacy or collection point, where these are available. Only pick up tests if you do not have symptoms.'

Pharmacies across the country have reported shortages of LFTs and many are unable to replenish their kits as the supply chain has been affected by Christmas and New Year holidays.

Some pharmacies reported they have not had stock since last Monday and it could take three days for new supplies to arrive

Today, the same message has appeared as yesterday, stating : 'Sorry, there are no home delivery slots left for rapid lateral flow tests right now'

Britons can pick up lateral flow tests for free from a pharmacy listed on the NHS website

The most up-to-date figures reveal there were 842 Covid patients in intensive care on ventilators  the lowest level in two months

Speaking to broadcasters about New Year celebrations this afternoon, Care Minister Gillian Keegan said: 'We have always said ''act cautiously'' since this new variant came among us.

'It is highly infectious and many people will know people who have caught this over the Christmas period.

'So do be cautious, take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) before you go out. Go to well-ventilated areas - I have been to a couple of outdoor parties actually, people have moved things to outside.

'So just be cautious, but do try to enjoy yourself as well - but cautiously.'

Appointments for PCR tests are now available after shortages in England yesterday as the UK Health Security Agency insisted the reduced availability was merely 'temporary'.

A UKHSA spokesperson encouraged members of the public to revisit the Government website every few hours.

'Despite unprecedented demand, we are continuing to supply millions of rapid lateral flow tests every day. Our total delivery capacity has doubled to 900,000 test kits per day since Saturday 18 December so more people can order tests.

'During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system and support changing requirements for lateral flow device and PCR tests, and delivery capacity was reduced over Christmas and the bank holiday.'

People had been encouraged to pick up tests from their local pharmacies as the message reminds people that they cannot order tests from NHS 111 or 999 numbers.

The government website also suggested: 'If you have tests at home, including ones that children have brought home from school, you can use these instead.'

It also said that the 119 service 'does not have access to more home delivery slots right now'.

A UKHSA spokesperson said: 'Despite unprecedented demand, we are continuing to supply millions of rapid lateral flow tests every day.

'Our total delivery capacity has doubled to 900,000 test kits per day since Saturday 18 December so more people can order tests.

'During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system and support changing requirements for LFD and PCR tests, and delivery capacity was reduced over Christmas and the bank holiday.

'Rapid tests are available to order directly to people's homes via gov.uk and availability is refreshed regularly throughout the day.

'We encourage people to re-visit the site every few hours if they are unable to order tests as more will become available  and to please ensure they are making use of any tests they already have at home before ordering or collecting more.'

UK Government statistics show how the number of Covid tests being conducted has reached 1.5m a day, with the number of swabs carried out having increased massively since Omicron first emerged

It comes as Boris Johnson is due to review data that will illustrate the impact Christmas festivities have had on the number of Covid cases.

The Prime Minister is expected to use the data to determine whether additional measures need to be brought in to combat the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Last week, a public health expert warned people to use tests 'responsibly' amid the shortage.

Azeem Majeed, head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, said on Twitter: 'I am hearing about people carrying out multiple lateral flow tests in a single day.

'The tests are in short supply in many parts of England and this kind of practice will exacerbate supply problems, including for key workers such as NHS staff. Please use the tests responsibly.'

This is at least the sixth time lateral flow tests have been unavailable for delivery while the government urges people to collect tests from their local pharmacies.
The jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell case said it was 'making progress' as it failed to reach a verdict on the fifth day of deliberations.

In a note sent at the end of the day Tuesday, the jury said: 'Our deliberations are moving along and we are making progress.'

Judge Alison Nathan allowed jurors to go home at 5pm today, but warned they would have to sit every day this week until they reached a verdict, including New Year's Eve on Friday.

Previously the jury had been told they would only sit Monday to Wednesday.

Before the jury came in Judge Nathan said that if a verdict was not reached by the end of Wednesday she would resort to even more extreme measures - and would tell the jury it would have to sit on the weekend until reaching a verdict.

The reason was to 'avoid a mistrial due to the Omicron variant' of the coronavirus.

The jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial begins its fifth day of deliberations Tuesday

The jury of six men and six women (seen in a court sketch) went home for the holidays after the third day of deliberations and will once again have a short week due to the New Year holiday

Isabel Maxwell comes out with a pizza for the media after the fifth day of deliberations for the jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial on December 28 without a verdict

Lead defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim and attorney Christian Everdell leave for the day, only to resume deliberations on Thursday

On Tuesday morning the judge said that the rising number of Omicron cases was 'putting at risk our ability to complete this trial.'

According to Judge Nathan, none of the six men and six women on the jury panel had objected to sitting an hour extra each day to deliberate - a 'request' she made on Monday -meaning they finish at 6pm instead of 5pm.

She said that the change was because 'we are seeing an astronomical spike in the number of Covid positive cases in New York.'

Judge Nathan added that 'we are facing a high and escalating risk that the jurors or participants may need to quarantine, putting at risk our ability to complete this trial.'

She added it was time to think about the juror 'making plans to continue to deliberate until a verdict is reached.'

Judge Nathan did not elaborate, although during the week leading up to Christmas she offered the jury an extra day to deliberate, which they declined.

Maxwell also suffered a setback Tuesday after Judge Nathan rejected her request to give the jury additional instructions on one of the counts related to transporting accuser 'Jane'.

Ghislaine Maxwell's sister, Isabel, was in court to support her sister after the fifth day of deliberations

Isabel was standing in front of a person with a gas mask and sign that states: 'Les Wexner, Donald Barr, this has gone way too far'

On the fifth day of deliberations, Judge Nathan said the request by Maxwell's lawyers to clarify a count to the jury was 'just wrong.'

On Monday the jury sent a note asking whether they could convict Maxwell on one of the charges relating to the accuser Jane if they concluded Maxwell aided in booking her a flight back from New Mexico.

Judge Nathan had previously referred the jury to the instructions she gave to them.

But in a letter filed to the court, Maxwell's lawyers argued that this was 'incorrect and prejudicial to Ms. Maxwell.'

They said that the jury were 'confused' about not just count four - transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity - but count two - Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts - as well and requested an additional, three paragraph instruction to clarify.

Judge Nathan rejected the request to address count two as the jury didn't ask about it.

The judge dismissed the third paragraph of the suggested instruction as 'just wrong' under the law and said she would not give the jury any additional guidance.

As the ruling came down Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim rubbed her back with her hand.

Maxwell appeared in court wearing a black turtleneck sweater and black pants and gave two of her lawyers a hug.

Her brother Kevin and her sisters Christine and Isabel were in the public gallery.

On Monday the jury sent a note asking whether they could convict Maxwell on one of the charges relating to the accuser Jane if they concluded Maxwell aided in booking her a flight back from New Mexico

Ghislaine's sisters, twins Isabel and Christine Maxwell, are seen arriving at the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning

Defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim speaks with twins Christine and Isabel

Defense attorneys Laura A. Menninger and Jeffrey Pagliuca arrive as jury deliberations continue

Maxwell's defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim arrives to the courthouse Tuesday morning as deliberations continue

The jury failed to reach a verdict on Monday when it requested a transcript of the testimony of the ex-boyfriend of one of the victims and a definition of 'enticement,' one of the charges related to that victim.

Like last week, this will be a short week for the proceedings. Because of the New Year holiday the jury will deliberate today and Wednesday and if they don't reach a verdict will take a break until Monday.

On Monday, in a surprise move, Judge Alison Nathan urged the jurors to stay an hour later each day. Sessions will now end at 6pm instead of promptly at 5.

Maxwell's lawyer Laura Menninger had argued that giving the jury such an instruction was 'beginning to seem like urging them to hurry up.'

Prosecutor Alison Moe said that it was 'within the court's discretion' to ask the jury to stay longer.

Judge Nathan initially told Menninger: 'I have the discretion to set the schedule and I can do it over your objection.'

She later said she would add the qualifier to the jury that they should take all the time they needed.

There was also intense legal debate around a note from the jury which asked whether or not they could convict Maxwell on one of the counts related to Jane if they thought Maxwell aided in arranging her flight home from New Mexico.

Prosecutors wanted to refer the jury to their instructions while Maxwell's lawyers argued that the answer should be no.

Judge Nathan said that the note was 'ambiguous' and told the court: 'I don't know what the question means, it's too difficult to parse factually and legally'.

She referred the jury to the relevant part of the instructions she had read out before they began their deliberations.

Earlier in the afternoon the jury sent notes asking for transcripts of testimony from Epstein's former pilot Dave Rodgers and Gregory Parkinson, the former Palm Beach police officer who recorded the video of the raid on Epstein's house in 2005.

The jury had also asked for a transcript of the testimony from one accuser's boyfriend and stationery supplies as they began their fourth day of deliberations.

An hour and a half after starting on Monday the jury sent a note asking for different colored Post-it notes, a white paper board and highlighters in different colors.

The jury also asked for the testimony of Matt, the boyfriend of the accuser Jane, who corroborated her account of being recruited and abused by Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein aged 14.

They requested a definition of enticement - one of the two charges that relate to Jane include Maxwell enticing her to be sexually abused by Epstein.

After taking questions from Maxwell's lawyers and the prosecution, Judge Alison Nathan directed the jury to two parts of the jury instructions for a definition of enticement.

She gave them the additional instruction that it could mean: 'Attracting, inducing or luring, using hope or desire.'

Earlier in the day the jury asked for a transcript of the testimony from one accuser's boyfriend and stationery supplies as they began their fourth day of deliberations

After taking questions from Maxwell's lawyers and the prosecution, Judge Alison Nathan directed the jury to two parts of the jury instructions for a definition of enticement. She gave them the additional instruction that it could mean: 'Attracting, inducing or luring using hope or desire'

They also asked for a definition of enticement - one of the two charges which relate to Jane is Maxwell enticing her to be sexually abusing by Epstein

Maxwell walked into court looking relaxed having spent Christmas - also her 60th birthday - in prison.

She wore a light brown turtleneck sweater and a black mask and hugged her lawyers one by one as her sister Isabel sat in the public gallery.

Maxwell's lawyer Jeff Pagliuca told Maxwell: 'Happy birthday and happy Christmas'.

Her lawyer Bobbi Sternheim requested that Maxwell be allowed to wear a KN95 mask at all times and not just in court - Maxwell had a different mask on in her holding cell.

Judge Nathan said anyone entering the courthouse had to wear a KN95 or and N95 in the courthouse, as per a ruling that took effect on Monday and required all visitors to wear such masks due to the rise in coronavirus cases.

The jury of six men and six women ended their first week of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict forcing the British socialite to spend Christmas 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.

Jurors began weighing her fate on Monday last week after hearing closing arguments in the three-week trial, and deliberated for two full days before going home for the holidays.

In this courtroom sketch, Maxwell, center, hugs her defense attorney, Laura Menninger, immediately after walking out of lock-up Monday

On Wednesday the jury sent one note requesting three transcripts, but failed to come to a decision.

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.

A bruised Ghislaine Maxwell is seen in this photo of her alleged mistreatment in prison

At one point, Maxwell 'barricaded' 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.

Near the end of Wednesday the jury asked for another copy of the transcript of the accuser known as Jane's testimony.

They also asked for the testimony of Kate, another accuser, and Epstein's former Palm Beach House manager Juan Alessi.

Given the option to deliberate on Thursday the jury said no because they had 'made plans', they said in a note.

Maxwell, 60, denies six counts of recruiting and transporting underage girls for her former boyfriend 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, the only accuser publicly identified in court.

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.

Pictured: The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) where Ghislaine Maxwell is being held

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 in evidence so they could not see it.

However the jury could refer to its mention in Carolyn's cross examination by the defense.

Defense attorney Menninger said that Epstein was a 'master manipulator' who 'abused his money and his power' but said Ghislaine had nothing to do with it

Four of Maxwell's siblings - Kevin, Isabel, Ian and Christine - arrived to court to support their sister Monday

At 10.10am after just over an hour of deliberating on Tuesday the jury sent its first note.

Judge Nathan said the jury were asking for the transcripts of testimony from Jane, Annie and Carolyn - but did not mention Kate.

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

Kate is the only accuser whose claims should not be considered crimes as charged in the indictment.

The jury were not brought out and Judge Nathan said she would give them the transcripts in the deliberation room.

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.'

She said: 'The recovered memories that Ghislaine was involved, that Ghislaine was there, that Ghislaine was the culprit.'

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'.

The couple appear in one photo in what appears to be a European city. Ghislaine is seen kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the cheek

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

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 holiday travel nightmare drags on for a fifth day as more than 14,000 flights were delayed worldwide on Tuesday and 2,800 are canceled, with more than 1,000 of them within the US as an Omicron surge continues to cause airline staffing shortages.

On Tuesday, approximately 1,279 flights scheduled to enter, leave or fly within the U.S. were canceled and 7,000 were delayed, according to tracking website FlightAware.

Staffing shortages caused by Omicron infections have led leading airlines like United to cancel 122 flights for Tuesday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled 90 and JetBlue said it had canceled 82 flights.

More cancellations are expected during the day as airlines scramble to deal with the knock-on effect of the resurgence of COVID chaos.

Tuesdays cancellations come after more 7,300 flights were impacted on Sunday and 4,000 flights were canceled or delayed on Christmas Day, leaving travelers frustrated amid the holiday weekend.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. is averaging 181,948 Covid cases every day, with that number set to increase in the coming days due to reporting lags during the holiday season. Nearly three out of every four cases, or 73 percent, are of the Omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.

Deaths have slightly risen over the past two weeks, up three percent to 1,328 over the last 14 days, though not nearly at the rate of cases. This could signal that the new strain is more mild than many others - which many officials believe is the case - or it that a surge in deaths caused by the virus is right around the corner.

Overall, the most heavily impacted U.S. airports have been in Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and JFK International in New York.

Staff who called out last week might be back on the job soon, however, after U.S. health officials cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Long lines of travelers at the TSA security checkpoint at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday as the holiday travel nightmare continues

Travelers wait patiently on a long ticketing line at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on Tuesday as the airport dealt with major flight cancellations

Travelers make their way through Los Angeles International Airport Monday as they deal with short staffing led airlines like United to cancel 644 flights for Tuesday

People are seen at the Miami International Airport on Monday when at least 2,800 flights were cancelled

The chaos led to the stock prices of United, Delta, American and Southwest- the four largest U.S. carriers- to drop slightly on Monday, the New York Times reported.

America's top medical expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, reported a weekly average of about 150,000 cases, telling ABC's This Week: 'Every day it goes up and up. The last weekly average was about 150,000 and it likely will go much higher.'

Omicron led to pilots, flight attendants and other staff to call in sick or having to quarantine after exposure to COVID, forcing Lufthansa, Delta, United Airlines and many other carriers to cancel flights during one of the year's peak travel periods.

'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,' the airline said, adding that it was working to rebook passengers.

Similarly, Delta cancelled at least 281 flights Saturday and 173 on Friday, saying it has 'exhausted all options and resources -- including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying.'

'We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,' the company said.

CDC officials said the new guidance on isolation is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

Early research suggests Omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected - and therefore having to isolate or quarantine - threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

This shortened quarantine period will make a difference JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski told The Times.

'Swift and safe adjustments by the C.D.C. would alleviate at least some of the staffing pressures and set up airlines to help millions of travelers returning from their holidays,' he said.

But the flight attendants' union argued that reductions in recommended isolation times should be decided on 'by public health professionals, not airlines.'

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of Omicron cases.

'Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic,' she told The Associated Press on Monday. 'We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.'

In spite of rising coronavirus cases, millions are still flying with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reporting 2.19 million people screened at airports across the country on Thursday, the highest figure since the uptick in holiday travel started a week ago.

The unlucky travelers who were affected by the cancellations and delays that disrupted their holiday travel plans have taken to social media to give the airlines a piece of their mind.

'I get some things, but cancelling my 12am flight at 10pm with a reschedule of the next evening.... Really JetBlue? Really?' a passenger angrily tweeted at the airline on Tuesday.

Someone else shared their experience: 'JetBlue 12 hour travel day for a domestic flight highlighted by a 10 hour flight. Thank you for the WORST travel experience I've ever had!'

Another frustrated passenger expressed frustration with United Airlines, tweeting: 'United Cancel every flight today from Newark to Orlando, change to ridiculous flights with layovers, can't call because get disconnected 30 times since yesterdayyour phone lines are horrendous . Not to mention our CNF# isn't working. Great serviceyou should be proud!'

Passengers also let Delta Airlines have it.

'I just had a 14+ hr delayed Delta flight due to Covid staffing issues. Some ppl weren't wearing masks in the airport nor on the planes. Now Delta admin who work at home want the frontline workers to go back while being sick. How to kill your business and employees in 321' someone tweeted on Tuesday.

'Delta this is insane.. 3 cancelled flights now in 2 days with no way of getting home for another 2 didn't even bother notifying me, I found out when checking on my flight in app 5 hour hold times. You've got to be kidding,' another person wrote.

'Delta had my flight 2220 from DTW to LAX cancel after I had boarded. Word from many staff was that pilots are trying to prove a point at the expense of the travelers. Now stuck over night. Waited 5 hours for bags. Maybe the worst travel experience ever What are you going to do?' someone else tweeted.
A police dispatcher has labelled Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot 'a disgrace' for allowing the city to become a 'death zone' after murders hit a 25-year high.

Keith Thornton Jr. posted a video to Facebook on Christmas Eve slamming Lightfoot as well as the Superintendent of Police David Brown for failing to support the force.

He said he had been compelled to speak up because 'several of my officers have texted me that they were scared ... They have no backing and they're scared of being out there by themselves, working in the 16th District.'

Thornton said officers in the district, which is in the northwest of the city, were so 'shorthanded' that if you call 911 from the area 'officers are not coming to you.'

He said this wasn't petty crimes - this was 'females being beaten' as well as stabbings and shootings.

'A shooting came up a few days ago and we couldn't even get a unit over there. A unit could not even get to that scene until 10 plus minutes later because there was no one,' Thornton told viewers.

His video was released as Chicago faced a bloody Christmas weekend that saw three people shot dead and 22 seriously wounded.

Keith Thornton Jr., a police dispatcher, posted a video to Facebook slamming Lightfoot as well as the Superintendent of Police David Brown

Lori Lightfoot has yet to comment on Chicago's bloody Christmas weekend that saw three people shot dead. She did, however, take time out to wish citizens a Happy Kwanzaa

Murders are at a 25-year high, with 793 recorded so far in a city with 2.7 million people. By comparison, New York City, which has a population of more than eight million, has had 479 murders to date.

On Christmas Day, 24-year-old Giovanni Lozano was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in Logan Square on the Northwest Side at 10:40pm.

On December 26, Clifford Jeffrey, 37, was shot and killed at 3:20pm in East Garfield Park. And Monday, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot as he walked on the sidewalk in Little Village on the Southwest Side. His name has not yet been released.

Lightfoot has not commented on the Windy City's carnage, instead posting a video wishing residents a happy Kwanzaa - the African American and Pan-African holiday created in 1966, and celebrated from December 26 until January 2.

Thornton claimed that the mayor was selfish and simply didn't care about crime-ridden neighborhoods or the police who are supposed to protect them.

'I'm hot about it because this mayor does not care about Chicago police officers, period. She doesn't care about any first responders. She does not care about the d*** city. It doesn't matter if you're white, black, Asian, Hispanic, other, straight, gay, Democrat, or Republican. She don't even care about her city workers. All that lady cares about is her f***ing self,' Thornton ranted.

''And I pray you're watching this because you're a disgrace and I'm tired of it,' he said, directing his words at Lightfoot. 'And your city is tired of it. Matter of fact, it's not your city. The city of Chicago is tired of it.'

'And I know you don't like me, and that's OK, because I love you,' he added, 'but I'm tired of you because you're an absolute disgrace to everyone within the city.'

He concluded the video by stating that the 'city is burning' and that it was time to 'stand up' and 'do something up.'

Thornton offered to meet with city officials, saying: 'We've got to come together for our area because this is bull s***.'

Crime in Chicago is at a 25-year high, as the statistics from December 21 show. It has only worsened through the Christmas week

Chicago police are seen investigating the area where Giovanni Lozano, 24, was shot and killed on Christmas Day

Thornton, who grew up in Chicago, has worked as a police dispatcher since April 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Prior to the CPD he worked for the Los Angeles Police Department and in medical services in California and the Philippines.

The most recent Chicago police department data, from the week of December 13-19, shows murders 50 percent up year-on-year.

Criminal sexual assault was up 132 percent; robbery 74 percent; theft 51 percent.

And Christmas provided no respite.

On Christmas Eve, an 11-year-old boy was one of two people shot inside an apartment in

In nonfatal attacks, a person was in custody after an 11-year-old boy was among two people shot Friday night inside an apartment in Jefferson Park.

Both the boy and a 25-year-old man he was with were shot in the leg by a man they knew.

On Christmas Day, two women were shot early in the morning in the West Woodlawn neighborhood.

Around 2:38am, the 39-year-old and 21-year-old were standing on the sidewalk when shots were fired, according to police.

Lori Lightfoot on December 26 posted a video to her Twitter account sitting beside her wife Amy Eshleman, in which she wished the city a happy Kwanzaa

The 39-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the left leg and the 21-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the face. Both were expected to survive.

In the early hours of December 26, a 17-year-old boy was shot in West Lawn, on the Southwest Side.

The shooting happened around 12:40am, and the teenager was shot in the knee.

About half an hour earlier, three people were shot inside a building in Marquette Park on the South Side, with a gunman opening fire from inside a gray Dodge Durango.

The Chicago Tribune on Monday reported that, for 2021, Austin, on the city's West Side, was the most dangerous neighborhood of the city, with 71 murders.

North Lawndale and Greater Grand Crossing were in second and third place, with slightly over half the tally of Austin - 44 and 40 murders respectively.

The victims were overwhelmingly young, black and male, and likely to have died in gunfire.

Of the 793 victims, 314 were aged 20-29, and 202 were aged 30-39.

Six hundred and 47 were black.

Men accounted for 696, and women for 97.
Darius Sessoms, 25, of Wilson, North Carolina, has been indicted for the death of five-year-old Cannon Hinnant

A North Carolina man was indicted for first-degree murder after allegedly killed a neighbor's five-year-old son.

Darius Sessoms, 25, of Wilson, is accused of shooting Cannon Hinnant point-blank in the head and killing him in August 2020 when the boy was riding his bike on the front lawn with his two sisters, aged seven and eight.

One witness said she thought Sessoms was playing a game with the children when he went over to them, but later realized he had shot the child.

On seeing Hinnant's father's reaction, however, she realized that the shooting was real and ran to lock herself inside and call 911.

Sessoms lived next door to the family, and neighbors claimed he had dinner with Hinnant's father on the Friday before the shooting took place on Sunday, August 9, 2020. The suspect had also reportedly been over at the house the day of the shooting.

Hinnant was riding his bike in the front lawn with his two sisters, seven and eight, when Sessoms reportedly shot him in the head around 5.30pm

Hinnant and Sessoms lived next door to each other and Sessoms was a family friend

Police were called to the scene on Archers Road at around 5:30 p.m., when Hinnant was found with a gunshot wound.

Emergency responders tried to save him, but he later died after being taken to the Wilson Medical Center.

Hinnant's own father Austin thought he had only just fallen off his bike, telling ABC News in 2020: 'The first thing I see is my son laying on the ground and it crossed my mind that maybe he just fell off his bike.

'As I got closer to him and I scooped him up in my arms I realized how horrific it was I had to scoop my son up and hold him in my arms as blood ran down my arm and all I could do was pray to God.'

Sessoms fled the scene in a black 2019 Toyota Corolla and was later located by authorities in a residence in Goldsboro.

Hinnant's family said they have known the suspect for years and could not believe he could be capable of murder.

'We used to play together and I never thought hed kill someone. A mother now has to lay her son to rest at five years old which she should never have to do. Hell never be forgotten,' Rachel Pipkin, a cousin of Cannon's mother, told CBS in August 2020.

The family claimed that race was not a factor in the killing.

Hinnant's mother Bonny Waddell said in August 2020: 'This is not a race issue. This was... I don't even know what it was. I know it wasn't race.'

Medical teams attempted to rescue him, but he died at Wilson Medical Center

His mother Bonny Waddell (pictured) has called for Sessoms to receive the death penalty

His father Austin said he had 'no idea' why Sessoms killed his son as the pair had dinner and a beer together the night before

'I have no idea why he did what he did,' Austin said. 'It was literally out of nowhere. He puts a gun to my son's head and shots him.'

Waddell has called for Sessoms to receive the death penalty.

The Sessoms family said they were saddened by the events that happened, according to WRAL, but said they believed their son was on drugs during the time of the shooting.

The Wilson Times reported that Sessoms was convicted for felony larceny of firearms and felony marijuana possession in 2016 and had his probation revoked twice in 2017, which led to separate three-month sentences.

Sessoms is scheduled to appear in court on January 24, 2022.
The nine-day search continues for missing Afghan girl Lina Sadar Khil, 3

A San Antonio police chief says they are continuing the search for a three-year-old missing Afghan girl who disappeared from a playground more than a week ago when she was left unsupervised.

Lina Sadar Khil went missing from a playground in the family's apartment complex on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg in San Antonio where she was last seen on the afternoon of December 20.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus spoke at a press conference on Friday at the Islamic Center of San Antonio pleading for anyone with more information on Khil's whereabouts to come forward.

'We need your assistance, if you know anything, even if you think it may not help,' McManus said.

'We want you to call us and give us any information that you may have.'

He also ensured their safety and protection of identity in exchange of any valuable information.

As part of the search effort, the Islamic Center of San Antonio is offering a $100,000 reward and Crime Stoppers of San Antonio is offering $50,000 in exchange for information.

As part of the search effort, more than $150,000 has been raised to help find her

Khil is four-feet-tall and weighs 55 pounds, with brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, a red dress and black shoes

The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) also released a statement on Friday to publicly announce their continuing search efforts.

'While there have been no substantial updates to report, we continue to deploy an all hands on deck approach to ensure no evidence, witness statement or clues are left undiscovered,' the statement posted to Facebook read.

Over the course of the investigation, SAPD and other departments have refused to exhaust their attempts to find Lina as they have looked through other apartments in the family's complex, utilized search dogs and have collected surveillance footage from surrounding areas.

Despite the consistent search efforts, McManus had said during a press conference on Wednesday that the department is becoming 'less hopeful' as the investigation continues.

'Unfortunately, I have to say that the longer the time lapses, the less hopeful we become,' McManus said.

The young girl's father, Riaz Sardar Khil, and the rest of the family has still remained hopeful throughout the search.

'I'm hopeful that my daughter will be back,' he told the San Antonio Express-News.

'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.'

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the department has become 'less hopeful' as the search continues but is asking anyone with information to step forward

The child was last seen in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road between 5 and 6pm on Monday, December 20

Riaz Khil, the father of the missing three-year-old, says the family believe she may have been abducted from their apartment complex in San Antonio. The child's disappearance triggered an AMBER Alert on Monday night

The family moved to the U.S. in 2019 after fleeing from their home country of Afghanistan.

Khil previously told San Antonio TV station KENS5 through a translator that his wife, who is pregnant, was watching their daughter at the playground between 5 and 6 p.m. that day, when the three-year-old walked over to a nearby path and suddenly vanished.

Lina's mother initially thought she may have returned to the family's apartment, but she was not there.

The family then thought Lina may have left the playground with another Afghan family but now believe she may have been abducted.

'During our entire lives we have not been as saddened as we were yesterday and today,' Riaz Khil said.

McManus said that SAPD and other departments have searched through other apartments in Lina's complex, used search animals and even looked through surveillance footage from cameras in the area

SAPD has released public statements on social media platforms in an effort to find her

The father said that the FBI questioned him and his wife for several hours on Tuesday.

Lina is four-feet-tall and weighs 55 pounds, with brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, a red dress and black shoes.

Anyone with more information on Lina's disappearance is asked to call SAPD Missing Person's Unit at 210-207-7660.
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President Joe Biden is grappling with a crisis shortage of COVID-19 testing capacity, admitting 'it's clearly not enough' as he faces criticism that his administration's plan to send 500 million free tests to the public is too little, too late.

Many Americans spent the holiday weekend waiting in long lines for PCR tests or scouring store shelves in vain for rapid at-home test kits, as the national shortage potentially fueled further transmission.

On Monday, Biden acknowledged the chaotic scenes as Americans desperately sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather over the holiday.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' said Biden as he spoke to the nation's governors in a virtual meeting.

'It's not enough. It's clearly not enough. If we'd have known, we'd have gone harder, quicker if we could have,' the president added.

The US testing crisis stands in stark contrast to the UK, where rapid test kits have been provided free to the public since August, and can be picked up in packs of five from any pharmacy. Anybody can walk in and request them, and can return to get as many as they need.

As a result, the UK is performing 22.3 COVID tests per 1,000 people every day, five times more than the US rate of 4.5, and the testing supply in Britain remains fairly robust despite the surge in demand from Omicron.

Shockingly, the Biden administration rejected a proposal in October to follow in the UK's footsteps by providing 732 million tests to average Americans every month, according to Vanity Fair.

On Christmas Eve, desperate scenes played out in New York City where people were seen climbing over each other to get free testing kits, which when they can be found in pharmacies typically cost $15 or more for a two-pack.

Astonishing photos show how police had to keep the peace at a city-sponsored truck in Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, on Friday morning while city officials handed out 2,000 free Binax COVID home testing kits.

Scores of frustrated locals were photographed holding their hands out in the hopes of receiving one of the home testing kids, which the US has been slow to approve, and which are now in extremely short supply amid the latest wave of the virus.

Lines of up to six hours have been reported at testing clinics, with many of those tested also forced to wait days longer than the advertised 24 to 48 hours for their result, ruining the Christmas plans of many.

Covid cases in the U.S. have doubled over the past two weeks, as the Omicron variant takes hold in the nation. On average, 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 99 percent increase over the last two weeks.

The doubling comes after 512,553 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The large figure is the product of a multi-day build up of unreported cases over the Christmas holiday that finally were logged to start the week.

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The UK is performing 22.3 COVID tests per 1,000 people every day, five times more than the US rate of 4.5

The US testing crisis stands in stark contrast to the UK, where rapid test kits have been provided free to the public since August, and can be picked up in packs of five from any pharmacy. Anybody can walk in and request them, and can return to get as many as they need. In testing, the US also lags behind Portugal, France, Italy, Israel and Australia

The US lags behind key allies such as the UK and Australia in per capita testing

In his remarks on Monday, Biden touted his administration's plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans for free beginning next month through a yet-to-be-developed website.

But critics question whether plans for such a free testing scheme should have been laid much earlier, as they were in the UK and European Union.

President Joe Biden is grappling with a crisis shortage of COVID-19 testing capacity, admitting 'it's clearly not enough' amid criticism that his administration failed to secure adequate supply

In a news commentary, CNN White House reporter Stephen Collison wrote that 'the White House is being forced to play catch-up following successive waves of a pandemic uncannily able to exploit political divides, slow moving bureaucracy and the impatience and weariness of the public with a crisis soon to enter its third year.'

'Such comments by the President, while candid, are unlikely to improve public confidence in a White House that vowed to shut COVID-19 down but sometimes seems to have underestimated the staying power of the virus and the scale of the challenge,' he added.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, joined in on criticizing the administration's preparations.

'I cannot believe this is where we are almost two years into the pandemic. Everybody saw it coming. We knew we needed more tests. I think the administration dropped the ball on this,' Jha told CNN.

Jha said that the Biden administration appeared to be primarily focused on vaccinations, while 'not paying a lot of attention' to testing.

However, since the first days of his administration, Biden has pledged to expand testing capacity, raising questions about missed opportunities to avoid the current shortage.

By two months ago, in September, Biden had already told Americans the government would spend $2 billion on 280 million rapid tests for distribution, but it's unclear what became of that plan.

Since his second full day in office, Biden has been highlighting the importance of expanding COVID test access - even citing a concern over new variants - raising questions about why his administration didn't take bold action sooner

A huge line forms for take-home Covid-19 test kits in lower Manhattan on December 23, 2021 in New York City. Demand from the Omicron wave is driving a national testing shortage

A take-home COVID-19 testing kit is displayed on the shelf of a Manhattan drugstore on December 22. Such tests have become hard to find in some areas amid a shortage

A city worker can be seen preparing to distribute the tests while in blue gloves, as New Yorkers surround the bus during a record-breaking surge of COVID cases in the Big Apple

Lines of up to six hours have been reported at testing clinics, with many of those tested also forced to wait days longer than the advertised 24 to 48 hours for their result, ruining the Christmas plans of many

Biden's scheme for free at-home testing will likely not be deployed for several weeks, even as most experts predict that holiday travel and gatherings will supercharge the Omicron surge to new levels.

The administration is still finalizing details, and its not clear that any of the tests are yet in government hands.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week that the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services were 'executing on what's called an accelerated emergency contract' to obtain the tests.

A White House official said the new tests would come from new manufacturing capacity and wouldnt interfere with existing supply chains.

Psaki said that Americans will go to a new government website to request a kit, but the site won't be functional until after the first batch of test kits have been delivered.

She said the process was being handled that way to avoid creating more confusion for the public. But the idea is that anyone who wants a test kit would log onto this website to request one.

'We're obviously not going to put the website up until there are tests available,' Psaki said.

The exact cost of the program isn't clear, but the White House said the purchase will be paid for with money from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill Biden signed into law in March.

Biden said Monday that his administration's steps include using the Defense Production Act to boost at-home test manufacturing and making it easier to use the Google search engine to find a nearby testing location.

And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was shortening the recommended time for isolation for Americans with COVID-19 to five days, as long as they show no symptoms, from its previous guidance of 10 days.

U.S. and state officials are bracing for a wave of more cases following the Christmas holiday, with hospitalizations ticking up and New Year celebrations yet to come.

Separately Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, urged people to avoid large New Year's gatherings.

Rising cases snarled air travel over the Christmas weekend, with thousands of flights canceled as flight crews contracted the virus. Curtailed cruises and limited availability of testing crimped other plans as the more transmissible variant took hold.

On Monday, U.S. airlines canceled nearly 1,000 flights, the fourth straight day of cancellations. Travel-related stocks fell.

Over the last seven days, the average number of new cases has surged 55 percent to an average of over 205,000 new infections per day, according to a Reuters tally.

The number of hospitalized COVID patients has risen 3 percent over the same period. Overall in December, the average number of new cases has risen 143 percent and hospitalizations climbed 31 percent.

Biden warned governors that the spike in cases would probably overwhelm some hospitals, stretching staff and equipment like ventilators, particularly in areas where fewer people are vaccinated.

He declined to answer a reporter's question about whether he endorses a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel, another step officials have discussed.

As Biden departed Washington for his home state of Delaware, he pledged cooperation with governors and said he had offered them any needed additional resources.

'They want to know what we think is going to happen,' he said.

For New Year's Eve on Friday, officials say people who are vaccinated can safely gather with families, but larger celebrations are riskier.

'When we are talking about a New Year's Eve party ... I would recommend strongly stay away from that this year. There will be other years to do that, but not this year,' Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, told CNN.

'We really still need to be extremely careful,' he said separately on MSNBC.

Last week, Biden announced reinforcements to bolster hospitals and testing, but some healthcare experts say that effort is too little, too late.

Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicine's National School of Tropical Medicine, said problems were exacerbated by issues such as shortages of testing and healthcare workers.

'You put all those things together into the mix and we have a very dangerous situation coming now in the country in the next couple of weeks,' he told MSNBC on Sunday.
Jose Rosado had recently stepped down as CEO of Spain's biggest private shipbuilding company Hijos de J. Barreras

An American tycoon and former CEO of a Spanish shipyard was reportedly fatally poisoned with liquid ecstasy and robbed in Madrid by two men he invited back to his hotel room for sex in October.

Jose Rosado, 43, was found dead in his hotel room at the high-end Westin Palace Hotel while on vacation in Madrid, after his partner of nearly 13 years, Nicholas Young, grew concerned when he couldn't reach him and asked hotel staff to check in.

Surveillance footage from the night of October 29 showed Rosado return to his hotel room with two or three men, the Daily Beast first reported. A rep for the hotel told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that they can't provide the footage at their hotel, as it's in the police's hands.

However, other footage released by the police shows investigators searching a home and the moment one of the two suspects is led into a station in handcuffs.

Authorities also removed the clothes that one of the alleged killers wore the night Rosado was poisoned.

Rosado's death was initially believed to have been due to natural causes until police discovered that he had been robbed.

Rosado was born in New Jersey and raised in Puerto Rico. He lived in Argentina, England, Spain and the United States working in the maritime, energy and banking industries and traveled to more than 50 countries.

Rosado had recently stepped down as CEO of Spain's biggest private shipbuilding and yacht-making company, Hijos de J. Barreras, in 2020. The company is said to generate roughly $29.48 million in revenue annually.

The toxicology report found large amounts of psychotropic substances and alcohol, and his room was found disheveled but the case was not ruled a homicide until the stolen items were corroborated by Rosado's partner.

Two unnamed men have been arrested in Madrid in connection to Rosado's death. Police have arrested a Romanian, 39, with nine previous arrests and a Moroccan, 29, with 17 prior arrests for similar crimes.

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Rosado, 43, was found dead in his hotel room by staff at the Westin Palace Hotel while on vacation in Madrid in October

Police said Rosado was fatally poisoned and robbed by two men he met the night of his death and invited back to his luxury hotel room for sex

One of the two suspects who allegedly poisoned American tycoon Jose Rosado is led away by police in Madrid, Spain

Police inspect the home of one of the two suspects who was arrested in connection to the death of Jose Rosado

The two men have been charged with homicide, robbery with violence and fraud. They are currently behind bars awaiting their trial.

The Westin Palace Hotel is operated by the Marriott chain and rooms start at around $375 a night.

Local police have said that Rosado met the two men at a party on October 29 when he invited them back to his hotel room for sex.

The suspects are believed to have subdued Rosado by placing drugs in his drink before they robbed him and went shopping with his credit card.

Investigators said that the combination of drugs and alcohol killed Rosado. They believe the two men have used this ploy before.

Police tracked down the two men using DNA found at the scene. They were found with 2,500 (about $2,800) in cash, new phones, computer equipment, jewelry, documents that did not belong to them and other suspicious items of value.

DailyMail.com's calls to local police in Madrid went unanswered.

The Westin Palace Hotel is operated by the Marriott chain and rooms start at around $375 a night

Police in Madrid inspect the home of one of the two suspects who was taken into custody Thursday in connection to the death of American tycoon Jose Rosado

The entrepreneur is remembered by his loved for his 'zest for life' and 'his passion to explore the world,' his obituary states.

He is remembered as being 'bold, confident, and courageous with a quick wit and uncanny ability to develop the deepest of relationships.'

Rosado and his partner did not have children but he leaves behind a large family.
Hospitals received more than 50 million in car parking fees this year despite the pandemic restricting access for many and Boris Johnson vowing to axe them for the most vulnerable.

According to the Sun newspaper, patients and visitors paid 48,256,988 to park at hospitals across the country while doctors and nurses forked out 5,272,954.

This means that NHS trusts received in total 53,529,942 during a 12 month period where many were barred from attending hospitals because of the pandemic.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticised the costs and said: 'NHS staff are exhausted.

'Prices and bills are rising. What thanks do they get for their heroic efforts over the pandemic? Rip-off parking charges.'

The Department of Health said hospitals had been given funding to cover the costs of suspending charges and should not be charging staff and those from groups in most need.

Hospitals received more than 50 million in car parking fees this year despite the pandemic restricting access for many and Boris Johnson vowing to axe them for the most vulnerable

It added: 'NHS trusts are responsible for setting their car parking charges and any revenue must go back into front-line services.'

It comes despite Boris Johnson's pledge to axe 'unfair' hospital car parking charges as part of the Conservative party manifesto in the run up to the 2019 general election.

The Tory leader's proposals promised free car parking at hospitals - including for the two million 'blue badge' disabled drivers and passengers, as well as frequent outpatients and staff on night shifts.

At the time, he hailed it as a commitment to end 'unfair' NHS car parking charges for protected groups - including disabled and terminally ill patients and their families.

The manifesto pledged that no NHS trust will be left with less money because of this change.

Despite this pledge, some hospitals have said that charging people to park is a condition of their private finance initiative contracts.

During the pandemic, access to hospitals was greatly restricted but trusts still raked in 53m

In 2019, Tory leader Boris Johnson (pictured) pledged to scrap 'unfair' hospital parking charges as part of the Conservatives' manifesto in the run up to the General Election

In June last year, the Prime Minister faced fury after he made the decision to charge NHS workers to park at hospitals in England.

Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, promised at the start of the outbreak that ministers would cover the costs of hospital car parking for NHS staff 'going above and beyond every day' in England.

But the Department of Health then said the scheme could not continue indefinitely and only 'key patient groups' and staff in 'certain circumstances' would be able to park for free.

Doctors slammed the move, with the British Medical Association calling it a 'rebuff to the immense efforts of staff and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe'.

Many NHS staff have complained about tickets they have received after returning to their car at the end of a hospital shift.

Dr Chris Gough, who works in intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff, had parked his car in one of the sites multi-storeys at 7.46am on Wednesday, December 1.

Following a typically gruelling 13-hour shift, he returned to the car park just before 9pm and drove home. However, three weeks later he received a parking charge notice in the post from ParkingEye ordering him to pay a fine.

Despite having a staff parking permit, Dr Gough said he later discovered it was not valid for this particular area of the car park.

Fellow medics also responded to him after he shared his plight on Twitter, including Dr Farbod Babolhavaeji, a consultant in emergency medicine at UHW who said it was 'utterly disgraceful'.
Patricia Cornwall (pictured in a November mugshot for a DUI) has been arrested for attacking an 80-year-old passenger on a flight

A woman who was arrested last week for getting into a fight with an elderly man who was not wearing a mask on board a flight had earlier compared herself to Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks, according to a criminal complaint filed on December 24.

The complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, claims Patricia Cornwall was trying to get back to her seat from the bathroom on a Delta Airlines flight from Tampa to Atlanta on Thursday when a flight attendant with a beverage cart was blocking the aisle.

Cornwall, 51, a former Playboy model and Los Angeles Raiders cheerleader who once appeared in an episode of Baywatch, allegedly asked the flight attendant for help getting back to her seat, but the flight attendant told her to just take an open seat until they were done handing out drinks.

At that point, Cornwall allegedly asked, 'What am I, Rosa Parks?' according to the complaint - comparing her situation to a Civil Rights icon who refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus in Alabama in 1955 even though black people were relegated to the back of the bus at the time.

Her comment reportedly got the attention of an 80-year-old man sitting nearby who told her that she 'isn't black ... This isn't Alabama and this isn't a bus,' the complaint states.

He also reportedly told her to 'Sit down, Karen,' to which Cornwall replied: 'Sit down p****.'

Soon, the two started a fight that went viral on social media, with Cornwall seen punching, scratching and spitting at the older male passenger.

She was later arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by Atlanta police, and she was taken into custody by the FBI. She has since been released on a $20,000 bond.

Cornwall had previously been arrested back in November for a DUI, after she crashed her car into a tree in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and started attacking the responding officers, TMZ first reported.

Patricia Cornwall, 51, was captured getting into a violent altercation with a man on a flight from Tampa to Atlanta on Thursday after he refused to put his mask up

Cornwall repeatedly demanded that flight crew members force the male passenger to put his mask up

Cornwall was a former small-time actress going by the name of Patty Breton and had a minor role in Baywatch (pictured) before becoming a Raiderette

Cornwall was also a cheerleader for the then-Los Angeles Raiders in the 1990s (pictured left and right)

Former Playboy model and LA Raiders cheerleader Patricia Cornwall's past run-ins with the law December 23, 2021 Cornwall is seen on video punching, scratching and spitting an older male passenger over masks. She was later arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by Atlanta police and was taken into custody by the FBI. She has since been released on a $20,000 bond. November 10, 2021 Cornwall is arrested for DUI after she crashed her car into a tree in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. She allegedly got aggressive with the cops who responded, and she initially refused to give her name or get out of her car, court docs state. When she did exit the vehicle, she began 'going after' first responders, according to court docs. December 11, 2020 Cornwall is arrested and pleaded no contest to having a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. Court records show she was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation and was ordered to complete community service. She also had to enroll in a three-month first-offender alcohol and drug counseling program. December 2020 Court records show that her sister-in-law, Monica Cummings, filed for domestic protection against Cornwall in December 2020. Documents say Cornwall has a 'history of violent outbursts and destructive and erratic behavior,' and she allegedly threatened Cummings with voice messages saying 'you are dead.' Advertisement

During that incident, Cornwall had crashed her vehicle and allegedly got aggressive with the cops who responded, court records show, adding that she initially refused to give her name or get out of her car.

'She said she was not hurt and then became belligerent,' a Walton County sheriffs deputy wrote, according to court documents.

When she did exit the vehicle, she began 'going after' first responders, according to court docs.

'Once we stopped her she tried to fight us,' the deputy wrote, court documents state. 'At that point, she was detained for her safety and ours.'

Cornwall had also been arrested on December 11, 2020, and pleaded no contest to having a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher, the New York Post reported.

Court records show she was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation and was ordered to complete community service, and she also had to enroll in a three-month first-offender alcohol and drug education counseling program.

Court records show that her sister-in-law, Monica Cummings, filed for domestic protection against Cornwall in December 2020.

In a video of the recent altercation captured by ATL Uncensored, Cornwall is seen angrily confronting the man for not wearing his mask even though he had taken it off to eat.

'Put your f***ing mask on,' Cornwall tells the man as the pair continue to go back and forth with another.

After continuously refusing to comply with her demands, Cornwall then aggressively tells him 'stand your a** up!'

'Sit down Karen!' he yells his response as flight crew members approach the fighting pair in an attempt to get them to calm down.

She then demands the crew to help her as she repeatedly barks 'Tell him to mask up'

A male flight crew member also demands Cornwall put her mask up as she continues to request that they ask him to put his up.

'You put your mask down b**ch' the man responds as her mask is seen lowered below her chin.

'Did you call me a b**ch?' she asks as she gets closer to him.

After he responds 'Yes I did' she is then seen punching and scratching him in the face, causing visible injuries, before she spat at him as flight attendant tried to pull her away.

'Now you're going to jail', the man says. 'That's assault.'

The older male passenger had been eating at the time when he was approached by Cornwall who told him to 'mask up'

Cornwall was captured hitting and scratching the passenger during the altercation

Cornwall also spit on the man as flight crew members attempted to pull her away

The pair continue to shout expletives at each other as a female flight attendant starts to pull Cornwall away.

She then spits on the man as the attendant and other flight crew members attempt to bring her to the back of the plane.

She continues to ask the flight crew members to get the man to put his mask on as hers still remains under her chin.

'I will put my mask up when you put your mask up!' she shouts angrily before being escorted by flight crew as well as other passengers.

The video has received over seven million views since it was posted to Twitter on Friday.

On Delta's flights, as on all flights, mask must be worn at all times during the flight except when eating, drinking, or taking oral medication.

The mask must not remain below the nose and mouth for an extended period of time as it must be put on properly in between bites and sips.

The only other acceptable reason for taking it off is to put on an oxygen mask in the event of an emergency or for medical exemption purposes.

It remains unclear how the other passengers and flight crew members were injured, and how severe those wounds were.

But following the brief violent interaction, Cornwall was escorted to the back of the plane by flight attendants and was arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by Atlanta police.

She was charged with assault in Atlanta on Monday, and posted a $20,000 bond at her arraignment, the New York Post reported. A judge ruled that she can only fly home.

Regarding her sister-in-law's filing for domestic violence protection in December 2020, court documents say Cornwall has a 'history of violent outbursts and destructive and erratic behavior,' the Post reported Tuesday.

She allegedly threatened Cummings with voice messages saying 'you are dead,' and Cummings said: 'She stated I just f***** up my whole family and I neither spoke to her prior or provoked this verbal assault. [Cornwall] said not to underestimate or doubt her and all it takes is one phone call.'

Cornwall has spent the past few years working as a real estate agent in California

Cornwall has previously worked as an actress, appearing in an episode of Baywatch under the name Patty Breton. She also had a minor role on Married ... with Children in 1989 and was featured in Playboy: Cheerleaders.

And in the early 1990s, the Post reported, Cornwall was a member of the Raiderettes - the cheerleading squad for the then Los Angele Raiders.

For the past 13 years, she had been working as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Realty, but she recently moved to Florida, Heavy.com reported and posted on a website looking for a room to rent for $1,200 a month in Okaloosa County, in the Florida panhandle.

'Moving from California. I am single divorced and have two grown children who are overseas in UK. I have been practicing residential real estate for 13 years in Los Angeles/Westside.

'I have also lived in Florida in the past few years and I'm excited to reintroduce Florida back into my life permanently. Renting a room will be a great start settling me in. Furnished is preferred.'

On her LinkedIn, she describes herself as: 'Luxury Property Specialist at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties'.

She has previously been arrested for driving while intoxicated after crashing her car into a tree in California.

Law enforcement officials told TMZ that sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene of her crash on November 10 and asked Cornwall whether she needed any medical help. She said she did not and was merely trying to get her car 'unstuck.'

A police report then say she became belligerent and refuse to ID herself.

'Once we stopped her she tried to fight us,' the sheriff's report reads, noting she 'went after EMS and Fire' crews.

'At that point, she was detailed for her safety and ours.'

Deputies also write that her breath smelled of alcohol, she had slurred speech and her face was flushed.

She reportedly refused to take a breathalyzer and failed the field sobriety test before she was taken into custody on DUI charges.

Cornwall is due back in court on January 5.

Delta's mask policy only allows masks to be below the chin for eating, drinking and taking oral medication but must be put on properly between bites and sips

A survey undertaken last month found 85 percent of flight attendants had been confronted by unruly passengers during the pandemic, the New York Post reported.

It also found that nearly one in five had been attacked.

The FAA has received more than 5,000 complaints about unruly passengers so far this year, and has investigated more than 1,000 incidents - five times more than in 2020.

Unruly airline passengers in at least 37 incidents could be charged with assault for attacking crew members or other fliers after the FAA announced referrals the federal agency made to the FBI for possible prosecution.

An FAA spokesman said in November that the agency has initiated 227 enforcement cases and referred 37 to the FBI for review. The agency did not identify any individuals.

Through November 1, there had been 5,033 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,642 related to pandemic face covering regulations.

'Let this serve both as a warning and a deterrent: If you disrupt a flight, you risk not just fines from the FAA but federal criminal prosecution as well,' FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said at the time.
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COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have doubled over the past two weeks, as the Omicron variant grips the nation.

On average for the past week, 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 98 percent increase from two weeks ago and approaching the prior record of 247,503 set in January, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data.

On Monday, 512,553 new cases were reported in the US, marking the country's largest single-day tally since the beginning of the pandemic. The record-breaking figure is in part the product of a multi-day build up of unreported cases over the Christmas holiday on Saturday, which finally were logged to start the week.

Though Omicron is thought to be less severe than Delta, hospitalizations have also been rising, up 6 percent nationwide over the past two weeks, to 71,381.

In a troubling warning sign, the UK, where Omicron struck earlier, has seen hospitalizations rise nearly 50 percent in the past week, with 1,374 coronavirus-infected patients admitted on Sunday, an 11-month high.

Hospitalizations are soaring in some US states, including Louisiana, New Jersey and Florida where in each case the number of patients has jumped nearly 60 percent in two weeks. As well, Michigan, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire all hit record hospitalizations earlier this month.

'With this one, all 50 states are in the soup at the same time. It's like every state is being hit by a viral hurricane,' Michael Osterholm, a professor and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told the New York Times.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Omicron accounted for 59 percent of new cases in the U.S. for the week ending December 25, up from a revised level of 23 percent the previous week.

Previously, the CDC had said that highly-transmissible Omicron already accounted for 73 percent of new cases in the country. But the agency significantly lowered that prior estimate based on additional data it collected.

'January is going to be a really, really hard month. And people should just brace themselves for a month where lots of people are going to get infected,' Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Omicron accounted for 59 percent of new cases in the U.S. for the week ending December 25, up from a revised level of 23 percent the previous week

Omicron (purple) is now dominant in most parts of the US, surpassing Delta (orange) as the majority of new cases

Jha warned that the unvaccinated would bear the brunt of severe illness, while most who are vaccinated and boosted were unlikely to face hospitalization.

'A lot of people who have not gotten a vaccine are going to end up getting pretty sick, and it's going to be pretty disruptive,' Jha said.

Dr. Ashish Jha warned: 'January is going to be a really, really hard month'

'My hope is as we get into February and certainly by the time we get into March, infection numbers will come way down, and it'll also start getting (into) spring, and the weather will start getting better. And that will also help.'

In a separate interview with Good Morning America, Jha criticized the CDC's new rule issued Monday slashing quarantine period for asymptomatic infections from 10 days to five.

'I actually think It would help a lot if we asked people to get a negative test as well,' he said. 'I don't know why the CDC did not put that in, I suspect it might be because tests are still hard to come by.'

Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA vaccine advisory committee, said that the new rule made sense overall, but worried that it would encourage a lax attitude toward isolating when symptomatic.

'It's the honor system. You have to trust that people are truly asymptomatic,' he told the Today Show.

The US is facing a crisis shortage of COVID tests, with President Joe Biden admitting this week that current capacity is 'clearly not enough' as he faces criticism that his administration's plan to send 500 million free tests to the public is too little, too late.

Many Americans spent the holiday weekend waiting in long lines for PCR tests or scouring store shelves in vain for rapid at-home test kits, as the national shortage potentially fueled further transmission.

Apple shuts ALL New York City stores as Omicron wipes out staff Apple has shuttered all 16 of its stores in New York due to a staffing shortage as Omicron variant tears through the state and triggers companies to implement their own de facto lockdowns. The Big Apple remains the epicenter for the third wave of the virus in the U.S. brought on by the highly-contagious Omicron variation. The tech giant closed down shops in SoHo, the Upper West Side, Chelsea as well as Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. Long Island shops in Huntington Station and Manhasset were also affected. The stores will still allow customers to order online and allow customers to pick their orders up. 'We regularly monitor conditions, and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees,' according to a statement by Apple on Monday. 'We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our teams that combines regular testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning and paid sick leave.' In addition to New York, Apple closed its stores in Los Angeles Tower Theatre, Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. and outlets in Ohio, Texas, Georgia and Florida. The company's Regent Street store in London also shuttered temporarily. In all, 20 locations have been closed. In New York state, 26,737 people tested positive for the virus on Sunday - though Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday she expects the number to rise up to 20,000 or more by the time Tuesday's data comes in, as more people will get tested following the Christmas holiday. The situation is more grim in New York City, which is seeing a 10.7 percent positivity rate with a 17,334 total cases reported over the past week. As a result, many restaurants and bars have shuttered on their own after staff outbreaks or exposure, and as customers cancel bookings for fear of the virus. Multiple Broadway shows have closed their doors, and Mayor-elect Eric Adams cancelled his inauguration gala scheduled for New Year's Day. Because the shutdowns are voluntary, the path to safely reopening is murky, and it is unclear when business will resume as normal. Advertisement

On Monday, Biden acknowledged the chaotic scenes as Americans desperately sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather over the holiday.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' said Biden as he spoke to the nation's governors in a virtual meeting.

'It's not enough. It's clearly not enough. If we'd have known, we'd have gone harder, quicker if we could have,' the president added.

The US testing crisis stands in stark contrast to the UK, where rapid test kits have been provided free to the public since August, and can be picked up in packs of five from any pharmacy. Anybody can walk in and request them, and can return to get as many as they need.

As a result, the UK is performing 22.3 COVID tests per 1,000 people every day, five times more than the US rate of 4.5, and the testing supply in Britain remains fairly robust despite the surge in demand from Omicron.

U.S. and state officials are bracing for a wave of more cases following the Christmas holiday, with hospitalizations ticking up and New Year celebrations yet to come.

Separately Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, urged people to avoid large New Year's gatherings.

Rising cases snarled air travel over the Christmas weekend, with thousands of flights canceled as flight crews contracted the virus. Curtailed cruises and limited availability of testing crimped other plans as the more transmissible variant took hold.

On Monday, U.S. airlines canceled nearly 1,000 flights, the fourth straight day of cancellations. Travel-related stocks fell.

Biden warned governors that the spike in cases would probably overwhelm some hospitals, stretching staff and equipment like ventilators, particularly in areas where fewer people are vaccinated.

He declined to answer a reporter's question about whether he endorses a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel, another step officials have discussed.

As Biden departed Washington for his home state of Delaware, he pledged cooperation with governors and said he had offered them any needed additional resources.

'They want to know what we think is going to happen,' he said.

For New Year's Eve on Friday, officials say people who are vaccinated can safely gather with families, but larger celebrations are riskier.

'When we are talking about a New Year's Eve party ... I would recommend strongly stay away from that this year. There will be other years to do that, but not this year,' Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, told CNN.

'We really still need to be extremely careful,' he said separately on MSNBC.

The UK is performing 22.3 COVID tests per 1,000 people every day, five times more than the US rate of 4.5

The US testing crisis stands in stark contrast to the UK, where rapid test kits have been provided free to the public since August, and can be picked up in packs of five from any pharmacy. Anybody can walk in and request them, and can return to get as many as they need. In testing, the US also lags behind Portugal, France, Italy, Israel, and Australia

A take-home COVID-19 testing kit is displayed on the shelf of a Manhattan drugstore on December 22. Such tests have become hard to find in some areas amid a shortage

Lines of up to six hours have been reported at testing clinics, with many of those tested also forced to wait days longer than the advertised 24 to 48 hours for their result, ruining the Christmas plans of many

Last week, Biden announced reinforcements to bolster hospitals and testing, but some healthcare experts say that effort is too little, too late.

Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicine's National School of Tropical Medicine, said problems were exacerbated by issues such as shortages of testing and healthcare workers.

'You put all those things together into the mix and we have a very dangerous situation coming now in the country in the next couple of weeks,' he told MSNBC on Sunday.

It comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its official quarantine guidelines, recommending an infected person quarantine for five days minimum, halving the previous ten day quarantine guidelines.
Russian police have raided the homes of two allies of the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, with one facing up to 12 years in jail, a prominent activist said.

Authorities arrested Kseniya Fadeyeva and Zakhar Sarapulov, who are former local heads of Navalny's banned regional network, on Tuesday.

The move came on a day that saw Russia's Supreme Court ordering the closure of the country's largest rights group Memorial International.

Russia in June branded Navalny's political organisations 'extremist', prompting his team to shut down the regional network that supported his political campaigns and corruption investigations.

Almost all of his top allies have since fled the country.

Russian police have raided the homes of two allies of the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, with one facing up to 12 years in jail. Pictured: Navalny appears in the Petushinsky court via video link at a hearing on his lawsuit against his prison colony classifying him as posing a potential extremist or terrorist threat

Then, after his allies regrouped around a new network of organisations set up for Russia's parliamentary election in September, authorities started investigating campaign staffers on the same extremism charges.

Leonid Volkov, the ex-head of the regional network, said on Tuesday that investigators had raided the homes of the former office coordinators in the Siberian regions of Irkutsk and Tomsk - Zakhar Sarapulov and Ksenia Fadeyeva, who is also a local lawmaker.

Volkov, who now resides in EU member Lithuania, said on Telegram that the pair were later brought in for questioning.

He added that Navalny's allies had also lost contact with a third ex-coordinator in the Siberian region of Altai.

Volkov said he had tried to persuade both Fadeyeva and Sarapulov, to leave Russia, as he and a number of other dissidents have done, but they refused.

'Ksenia Fadeyeva and Zakhar Sarapulov are the best people of Russia - true patriots and worthy citizens,' Volkov wrote.

Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov, who also left Russia earlier this year, tweeted that Fadeyeva, 29, had been charged with creating or participating in an extremist organisation while using an official position.

The charge carries a penalty of between seven and 12 years in prison.

The move came on a day that saw Russia's Supreme Court ordering the closure of the country's largest rights group Memorial International. Pictured: Russia's Supreme Court judge Alla Nazarova (left) reads the conclusion of their judgement on Tuesday

Navalny is seen in a video link from a prison during a court session in Petushk on Tuesday

The Investigative Committee, the state body tasked with investigating crimes and pressing charges, could not immediately be reached for comment on the case.

Navalny was flown to Germany last year for medical treatment after being poisoned in Siberia with what Western experts concluded was the military nerve agent Novichok.

The Russian government has denied it was behind the poisoning and rejected the experts' findings - which prompted a fresh wave of sanctions against Russia - and accused the West of a smear campaign against it.

Navalny was touring Siberia at the time of the poisoning in support of opposition candidates for local office. Fadeyeva, 29, won election the next month.

Last month authorities arrested the head of Navalny's now-disbanded office in the central region of Bashkortostan, Lilia Chanysheva.

She faces between six and 10 years in prison on charges of creating an extremist organisation.

Critics say Navalny's decision to return to Russia in January following treatment in Germany triggered an unprecedented crackdown on the opposition, independent media and rights organisations. Navalny was jailed in February on old embezzlement charges.

The move to raid the homes of Navalny's allies and detain them on Tuesday came on the same day the country's Supreme Court ruled that the human rights organisation Memorial should be shut down.

It is the latest step in a months-long crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters.

Police officers stand outside Russia's Supreme Court in Moscow on Tuesday after Russia's Supreme Court ordered the closure of Memorial International, the organisation's central structure, over breaches of its designation as a 'foreign agent'

The Prosecutor General's Office last month petitioned the Supreme Court to revoke the legal status of Memorial - an international human rights group that rose to prominence for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union and currently encompasses more than 50 smaller groups in Russia and abroad.

The court on Tuesday ruled in favor of the prosecution, which charged at the hearing that Memorial 'creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state, whitewashes and rehabilitates Nazi criminals.'

A video tweeted by the independent Mediazona news outlet showed a large crowd of people in front of the courthouse chanting 'Disgrace!' in response to the ruling.

Memorial was declared a 'foreign agent' in 2016 - a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit the targeted organization. In their lawsuit to shut it down, prosecutors alleged that the group repeatedly violated regulations obliging it to mark itself as a foreign agent, and tried to conceal the designation.

Supporters of the human rights group International Memorial and journalists gather outside the Supreme Court building on Tuesday

Police officers detain a Memorial International's supporter outside Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday

Memorial and its supporters have maintained the accusations are politically motivated, and the organization's leaders have vowed to continue their work even if the court shuts it down.

'Of course, nothing is over with this,' Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers that represented the group in court, said after the ruling. 'We will appeal, and Memorial will live on with the people - because it's the people behind it serving this great cause first and foremost. The work will continue.'

Pressure on the group has sparked public outrage, with many prominent figures speaking out in its support this month. Several people were reportedly detained on Tuesday for picketing the courthouse.

Memorial's branch, the Memorial Human Rights Center, is up for closure as well, with a court hearing in the Moscow City Court scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Russian authorities in recent months have mounted pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were declared 'undesirable' - a label that outlaws organizations in Russia - or accused of links to 'undesirable' groups, several were forced to shut down or disband themselves to prevent further prosecution.

On Saturday, the authorities blocked the website of OVD-Info - a prominent legal aid group that focuses on political arrests - and urged social media platforms to take down its accounts after a court ruled that the website contained materials that 'justify actions of extremist and terrorist groups.' The group rejected the charges as politically driven.

OVD-Info condemned the ruling to shut down Memorial.

'Memorial is an institution of national memory about the times of the Great Terror and Soviet repressions,' the group said in a statement.

'To shut down such an institution is to publicly justify Stalin's repressions,' it said. 'It is a clear signal both to the society and to the elites: `Yes, repressions were necessary and useful to the Soviet state in the past, and we need them today as well.''
A 31-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a man was found in a house in east London.

Officers were called to the scene in Tower Hamlets at lunchtime today where they found the 28-year-old victim suffering serious stab wounds.

Medics battled for more than three-quarters of an hour to save the man's life but he was declared dead at the scene.

Police have a 31-year-old woman on suspicion of murder after a man's body was found at an address in Tower Hamlets in east London earlier today

Paramedics spent more than 45 minutes battling to save the man's life who was declared dead at the scene at 11.48am today

Officers said a post mortem examination will take place at a later stage to determine the exact cause of death

Police arrived at the scene in William Whiffin Square, E3 at 11.01am on Tuesday after receiving reports of a man suffering serious injuries.

Paramedics treated the man at the scene but despite their efforts he was pronounced dead at 11.48am.

The murder investigation is being carried out by detectives from the Central East Command with support from the Met's Specialist Crime Command.

Officers said a post mortem will be carried out on the man's body.

Detectives have yet to formally identify the victim or notify his next of kin.

A spokesman said: 'Enquiries are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the injuries.'

Enquiries are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the injuries.

At this early stage detectives from Central East Command investigate supported by the Mets Specialist Crime Command.

Next of kin have yet to be notified. We await formal identification.

A post mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.

Scotland Yard added: 'A 31-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder. She was taken to an east London police station where she remains at this time.'
Sen. Rand Paul blamed Dr. Anthony Fauci for thousands of Covid deaths because he said the White House chief medical advisor pushed vaccines while ignoring therapeutics.

The Kentucky Republican accused Fauci of having a 'bias' toward vaccines that dates back to the AIDS crisis.

'I would venture to say that thousands of people die in our country every month now because [Fauci's] deemphasized the idea that there are therapeutics,' Paul told his father, three-time presidential candidate and former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, on 'Liberty Report' Monday.

The senator also claimed that thousands had died because Fauci did not take into account natural immunity in prioritizing vaccinations.

'Because he's made this mistake of deemphasizing natural immunity, I think thousands of people have lost their lives,' Fauci said. 'For instance, I've already had it [Covid-19] I should be at the end of the line.'

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all people be fully vaccinated regardless of previous infection, as reinfections have been reported. According to a CDC study of residents in Kentucky, those who had Covid-19 and were not vaccinated were 2.34 times more likely to become reinfected in May-June 2021, before the emergence of the Omicron variant, than those who had a previous infection and were vaccinated.

Covid cases in the U.S. have doubled over the past two weeks, as the Omicron variant takes hold in the nation. On average, 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 99 percent increase over the last two weeks.

The doubling comes after 512,553 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The large figure is the product of a multi-day build up of unreported cases over the Christmas holiday that finally were logged to start the week.

It comes a day after the CDC revised its official quarantine guidelines, recommending an infected person quarantine for five days minimum, halving the previous ten day quarantine guidelines.

'Many older people die, and many 35-year-old people are being vaccinated, that makes no scientific sense,' Paul said.

Ron Paul then said he believes in 'true' conspiracies, and asked his son whether Fauci and Bill Gates were behind the pandemic or whether they just 'made a big deal' out of the virus.

'Do you think there was a plan to bring this about, and Fauci was there, and part of the plan with Gates, or do you think something was happening at a more modest rate and they jumped on it and twisted it and made a big deal of it?'

'So the pandemic comes, there's this natural worry media plays up worry, because it sells,' the senator replied.

'I would call it less of a conspiracy and more of a philosophy,' the younger Paul said.

'I think Fauci is of the philosophy that vaccines are incredibly successful and are the way to go versus therapeutics, for example. So with regard to AIDS, he was involved as the AIDS epidemic came up, he wanted to develop a vaccine,' he continued.

'There's nothing wrong with that. He wanted to develop a vaccine. Vaccines can be great for polio or smallpox or wonderful. It didn't actually work for AIDS.'

'The therapeutic angle ended up being the best but he was biased toward the vaccine,' Paul said. 'It's the same way now.'

Paul said that those who are at-risk and fall ill with Covid-19 need to start treatment with either monoclonal antibodies or a steroid within the first few days of symptoms.

The Kentucky Republican accused Fauci of having a 'bias' toward vaccines that dates back to the AIDS crisis

Paul said that those who are at-risk and fall ill with Covid-19 need to start treatment with either monoclonal antibodies or a steroid within the first few days of symptoms

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, an 68 percent increase over the past two weeks

Both hospitalizations and deaths have remained steady in recent weeks, not rising at the same pace as cases

'I blame Dr. Fauci for that because he was never on TV saying if you get sick there is a treatment,' Paul said. 'Because it's everything about the vaccine, and if you're not vaccinated you're unclean. You're like a leper.'

Fauci said last week that while boosted Americans have about 75% protection against the Omicron variant, some monoclonal antibody treatments won't work against the new strain due to its mutations.

'Unfortunately, but understandably with the degree of mutations that we have with Omicron, some of the monoclonal antibodies shown on the slide here very likely will not work against Omicron and those are shown in the first two monoclonal antibodies,' Fauci said on MSNBC on Dec. 22.

The Regeneron and Lilly monoclonal antibody treatments were deemed 'unlikely' to fight Omicron, while the GSK/Vir and AZ treatments were believed to work.

In an August briefing, Fauci called monoclonal antibodies a 'much underutilized treatment.'

Paul has repeatedly confronted Fauci earlier accusing him of lying about the NIH's involvement in research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a claim Fauci fought back against, calling Paul a liar.

In May, Fauci testified that the NIH 'has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.'

However, Fauci also said during that hearing that there was no way to know if Chinese scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology lied and conducted gain of function experiments on bat coronaviruses using U.S. tax dollars.

'There's no way of guaranteeing that,' Fauci said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, responding to a question from Republican Sen. John Kennedy.

Ron Paul then said he believes in 'true' conspiracies, and asked his son whether Fauci and Bill Gates were behind the pandemic or whether they just 'made a big deal' out of the virus

'But in our experience with grantees, including Chinese grantees, which we have had interactions with for a very long period of time - they are very competent, trustworthy scientists,' Fauci testified.

Then in July Dr. Fauci lashed out at Senator Paul during a Senate hearing as he accused the Kentucky Republican of being a 'liar' who 'doesn't know what you're talking about' when it comes to COVID origins and gain-of-function research.

'Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11 where you claimed the NIH [National Institutes of Health] never funded gain of function research in Wuhan?' Paul asked of the nation's top immunologist and Joe Biden's top COVID advisor.

'Senator Paul, I have never lied before the Congress and I do not retract that statement,' Fauci shot back in the heated exchange on Capitol Hill during a Senate Health Committee hearing.
The jury has entered a fifth day of deliberations on Tuesday in the trial of disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

Holmes, 37, is facing nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She is accused of deceiving investors and patients with her 'breakthrough' blood-testing technology.

The eight men and four women on the jury have continued to meet in a San Jose federal courthouse after they heard seven days worth of evidence from Holmes when she took the stand.

The deliberations now enter the fifth day after the jury met for about seven hours on Monday and three days over the course of last week.

The jury has yet to provide a timeframe in which the deliberations will conclude based on the heap of evidence that was collected.

The Elizabeth Holmes trial has entered into the fifth day of deliberations as jurors sift through seven days worth of evidence. Holmes is seen sitting in trial at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in San Jose, California on December 21

Holmes faces 11 felony counts of fraud for deceiving investors and patients with her 'breakthrough' blood-testing technology

Holmes is seen leaving the courthouse on December 21 following the trial. She spent seven days on the witness stand admitting her mistakes but claimed she still believed in the power of her blood-testing technology

Last week, the jurors sent out two notes to U.S. District Judge Edward Davila -- one making a swiftly rejected request to take their instructions home with them for further study and another that that allowed them a replay of a 2013 recording of Holmes discussing Theranos dealings with prospective investors.

In the recording, which was presented as evidence at trial, Holmes boasted about partnerships with established drug companies that hadn't panned out and a potential US military contract that never materialized because of problems with Theranos' technology.

After listening to the recordings again on Thursday, the jurors left the courtroom without returning Holmes' gaze from across the courtroom.

The overall high-profile case has captivated Silicon Valley and has attracted significant media attention.

At its core is the rise and fall of Holmes, who started Theranos as a 19-year-old college dropout and then went on to break through Silicon Valley's male-dominated culture with her bold claims and fundraising savvy.

Holmes is a college dropout who created the start-up company Theranos in 2003

Holmes is seen walking out with of the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building with her partner Billy Evans and her mother Noel Holmes on December 23

She become a billionaire on paper before it all evaporated amid allegations she was more of a charlatan than an entrepreneur.

The Stanford dropout founded the start-up in 2003 in which she raised $945 million from investors for her pursuit of a groundbreaking blood-technology system.

She claimed she invented the medical machine Edison that could run multiple blood tests from a single sample which she advertised as an effective time-saving and painless resource.

However, between 2015 and 2016 the flaws of the machine were exposed following an investigation which caused the company to eventually collapse.

Criminal charges were filed against Holmes in 2018 on 11 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.

The trial has spanned nearly four months with 32 witnesses taking the stand and closing arguments ending on December 17.

During the trial, jurors were also shown reports from Theranos employees claiming that they faked technology demonstrations for the company.

Holmes even spent seven days on the witness stand acknowledging her mistakes, stating that she regretted it while staunchly maintaining that she never stopped believing Theranos was on the verge of revolutionizing healthcare.

If convicted, Holmes could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Investors gave Theranos $945 million in Holmes' pursuit of a groundbreaking blood-technology system

The machine Edison, claimed to be invented by Holmes, was considered to be revolutionary as it could run multiple blood tests from a single sample

Her co-defendant and ex-boyfriend Sunny Balwani, 56, is set to start trial early next year.

She claimed her ex-boyfriend was abusive and once gave her controlling handwritten instructions on how to become the new Elizabeth.

The document, released as evidence earlier this month, includes mantras such as I will never meet with anyone for more than five minutes unless I have written down why.

The three pages of scrawling outlined how Holmes should start her day, beginning with forcing herself out of bed and spending 30 minutes  never a minute less  writing down the days goals.

In court earlier this week, Holmes sobbed as she accused Balwani of abusing her and forcing her into sex.

Earlier this month, Holmes accused Balwani of being abusive and controlling, and forcing her to have sex against her will during their 12-year relationship, which ended in 2016.

'He would force me to have sex with him when I didn't want to because he would say that he wanted me to know he still loved me,' said Holmes, in tears.

She told the court that Balwani, a Pakistan-born multimillionaire who made his fortune in the dot com boom in the Silicon Valley, controlled what she ate and how she lived.
Campaigners are set to buy Britain's most remote pub - accessible only by an 18-mile hike, boat trip or helicopter - and save it from being turned into housing.

The Old Forge Community Benefit Society (CBS) is ready to purchase its only pub and secure its future for the locals in the area.

The group was launched when the Old Forge, at Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula, was put on the market for offers over 425,000 by its Belgian owner in January.

The Old Forge Inn at Knoydart on the Highlands' west coast has seen nearby residents scramble to join a community purchase fundraiser to keep mainland Britain's most remote pub thriving. The group was launched when the Old Forge, at Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula, was put on the market for offers over 425,000 by its Belgian owner in January

The pub is a focal point in the 17,500-acre Knoydart Estate which was bought by the community in 1999.

Built in 1880, it is a traditional white-washed, single-story, cottage-style property with a slate roof and features in the Guinness Book of World Records as 'the most remote pub on mainland Britain'.

The pub is accessible only by boat from Mallaig, an 18-mile hike from Glenfinnan or a helicopter.

In January, fears it could be bought and turned into housing sparked an urgent call to save it for residents.

After smashing their fundraising target of 40,000 within hours, the Old Forge CBS now has everything in place for the acquisition and redevelopment of the pub.

Group secretary Stephanie Harris said: 'The building does need quite a lot of work before it can be opened, and the crowdfund campaign was the last piece of the puzzle in our fundraising plan.

'We knew there was going to be a lot of support, but that blew us away, to be honest.

'It means that we can use everything we've raised on top of our original target to do more refurbishment works and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for all locals and visitors.'

Pictured: Locals outside The Old Forge, Britain's most remote mainland pub

The pub (above) can be reached only by boat or an 18-mile walk over mountains

The crowdfunding campaign closed on December 18 with 555 people pledging support. A total of 66,446 was raised on top of funds already secured to push the project over the line

The crowdfunding campaign closed on December 18 with 555 people pledging support. A total of 66,446 was raised on top of funds already secured to push the project over the line.

It came as a further cash boost to the 500,000-grant from the Scottish Land Fund and another 219,000 from the UK Government's Community Ownership Fund.

The majority of the additional money will be used to redevelop the pub after the purchase is complete - including repairs to the toilets and back of the building.

The group intends to engrave the names of all those who have pledged money on a new timber bar-top to be made as part of the upgrades.

Ms Harris added they wanted to make sure people 'get the chance to put their stamp on it' as nothing would have been possible without the support from both within and out with the local community.

Pictured: A map showing the location of The Old Forge Inn. Although it has been declared 'the most remote pub on mainland Britain' by the Guinness Book of World Records, it has never lacked popularity among locals and visitors

The Old Forge CBS is currently in negotiations with the seller - Jean-Pierre Robinet - and hopes the deal can be sealed by the end of the month and that the pub can open as soon as next year.

Built as a blacksmith's forge in 1880, the pub has been the holy grail of the UK outdoors leisure community for decades, with 65 spaces for diners and a cottage attached.

Although it has been declared 'the most remote pub on mainland Britain' by the Guinness Book of World Records, it has never lacked popularity among locals and visitors.

Under community ownership, the Old Forge would be open year-round and employ 15-20 locals in the tourist season. It will also support other businesses by using local produce.

Ms Harris added: 'Now that we are in negotiations with the seller, we are hoping that we'll be able to push it over the line and get this done as soon as possible.

'We would love to have the news by the end of the year that we've got it, and we can start to plan to open it for next season.'
A court has thrown out a jury's 2016 conviction of a Florida mother for killing her son in 1991 in one of the state's most notorious cases.

Michelle Lodzinski was sentenced to 30 years in prison, 25 years after the disappearance of Timothy Wiltsey at a carnival.

The case remained unsolved for years even though the mother was considered a prime suspect after giving varying accounts of the day her son disappeared.

But New Jersey's Supreme Court has now overruled the jury's verdict saying prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to prove she had purposely caused Timothy's death.

The decision also means Lodzinski cannot be tried again, which would violate a prohibition on so-called 'double jeopardy' or being tried twice for the same matter, her attorney Gerald Krovatin said.

Michelle Lodzinski (pictured during her trial) was sentenced to 30 years in prison, 25 years after the disappearance of Timothy Wiltsey at a carnival

Lodzinski was a single mother in central New Jersey in May 1991 when she told investigators Wiltsey had disappeared while they were at a carnival in Sayreville

'This is a great day for the rule of law and for the proposition that convictions have to be based on evidence, not on speculation or emotion,' he said.

'Michelle is enormously grateful to everyone who has stood by her throughout this long ordeal.'

Appellate Judge Jose Fuentes - called up to the Supreme Court to serve as a tiebreaking vote after the justices split 3-3 while upholding Lodzinski's conviction in May - cast the deciding vote in favor of acquittal Tuesday.

'After reviewing the entirety of the evidence and after giving the state the benefit of all its favorable testimony and all the favorable inferences drawn from that testimony, no reasonable jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposefully or knowingly caused Timothy's death,' the court wrote in its majority decision.

The prosecutor's office that tried her declined comment.

She later gave conflicting accounts describing strangers she had seen who could have kidnapped the boy

Wiltsey's body was found nearly a year later, in a marshy area (pictured) near an office complex where Lodzinski had once worked

The case remained unsolved for years even though the mother was considered a prime suspect

Investigators said a break in the case had come when Wiltsey's former babysitters identified a blue blanket (pictured), found along with the boy's body, as belonging to Lodzinski

Lodzinski was a single mother in central New Jersey in May 1991 when she told investigators Wiltsey had disappeared while they were at a carnival in Sayreville.

She later gave conflicting accounts describing strangers she had seen who could have kidnapped the boy.

Wiltsey's body was found nearly a year later, in a marshy area near an office complex where Lodzinski had once worked.

As time passed and no charges were filed, Lodzinski went on with her life and had two other children.

She was living in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in 2014 when authorities in New Jersey charged her with killing Wiltsey.

Investigators said a break in the case had come when Wiltsey's former babysitters identified a blue blanket, found along with the boy's body, as belonging to Lodzinski.

Lodzinski later gave conflicting accounts describing strangers she had seen who could have kidnapped the boy at the carnival (pictured)

A cause of death couldn't be determined because Wiltsey's body had deteriorated in the time between when he died and when the body was found

During her 2016 trial and on appeal, Lodzinski's lawyers argued that no forensic evidence tied her to the blanket and that prosecutors didn't produce enough evidence to show Lodzinski purposely caused the boy's death.

A cause of death couldn't be determined because Wiltsey's body had deteriorated in the time between when he died and when the body was found.

'If you cant find a cause of death, I submit you don't have a homicide by definition,' Krovatin told the court during arguments in October.

Prosecutors, who had portrayed Lodzinski at trial as a struggling young mother who felt burdened by the boy, argued on appeal that the totality of the evidence, including her evasive answers during initial questioning, was enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

An appeals court agreed in 2019 when it upheld Lodzinskis conviction.

The plot thickened after a deeply split state Supreme Court ruling in May upheld the appeals court's decision.

With Chief Justice Stuart Rabner not participating, the court split 3-3, but it was enough to leave the conviction undisturbed.

Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees holds a flyer about Timothy Wiltsey in the major missing person case

Writing at that time for the three dissenters, Justice Barry Albin wrote, 'In the modern annals of New Jersey legal history, to my knowledge, no murder conviction has ever been upheld on such a dearth of evidence.'

In a dissenting opinion as part of Tuesday's ruling, the three justices that voted to convict said, 'In our view, the majority does the opposite of what our law requires.'

In October, the state Supreme Court took the rare step of agreeing to rehear the case, conceding it had made a procedural mistake by ruling on an appellate court decision that had applied an incorrect legal standard.

For the rehearing, the court added an appellate judge to serve as a tiebreaking vote.

'Even if the evidence suggested that Timothy did not die by accident, no testimony or evidence was offered to distinguish whether Timothy died by the negligent, reckless, or purposeful or knowing acts of a person, even if that person were Lodzinski,' the majority decision read.
A manhunt has been launched in Florida after a hit and run driver plowed into a group of children, killing two and injuring four others.

Witnesses said the sedan veered onto the pavement to get around a stopped bus before smashing into the children at around 3pm Monday outside an apartment building in Wilton Manors, Broward County.

Two of the children died at the scene and four others, aged between one and ten years old, were rushed to Broward Medical Health Center, two of the victims in critical condition.

Eyewitness Shaunta Adams said she broke down in tears after rushing over to find two dead children and another stricken girl with with blood pouring from her head.

'I saw [the driver] going around the bus and I see him hit the damn kids,' Adams told the Sun-Sentinel. 'I jumped out my car, my car was still running, I ran up and saw the first girl on the ground. I knew she was dead. I go to the second kid and I see him dead.'

The vehicle veered onto the pavement to get around a county bus that was stopped when it smashed into the children at around 3pm outside an apartment building in Wilton Manors, Broward County (pictured: police and paramedics at the scene of the crash on Monday)

Emergency crews at the scene of the crash on 2417 NW Ninth Avenue

She added: 'There were four of them, and the oldest one, he was holding a baby, who was maybe about two, and he was holding  I guess they're all sisters and brothers  and he was saying, 'Ow, my leg.' And I said, 'Hold on, the ambulance is coming.' And I just started crying because the little girl's head was bleeding, and it was just awful.'

Adams said that one of the first paramedics arriving at the scene was stunned to find two dead children and started weeping after covering them with a blanket.

Police officers were also crying, she said.

The crash took place at 2417 NW Ninth Avenue which remained closed for several hours after police set up a crime scene.

Bus driver, Selvin Arjun, told CBS4 that he was stopped to let passengers off when the silver car pulled out around him.

'I don't know if he couldn't control the car because he was going fast, but he drove straight into those kids,' Arjun told the broadcaster.

Rhome Orismo was just getting onto the bus when he saw the tragedy unfold.

'I stood right up as soon as I witnessed the crash, witnessed the impact,' he told CBS4. 'It's still eating away at me now that someone would do something like that and not stop, not try to render aid to those children.'

Wallene Johnson, who lives across the street, came outside when she heard screaming and saw two bodies in the parking lot and another child lying on the ground down the road.

'How can you sleep?' she told the Sun-Sentinel. 'And they're babies. They won't be going back to school.'

Patrol cars at the scene of the crash. The road, a major artery through the area, was closed for several hours

The fire department said two of the children in hospital were in critical condition and two had non-life-threatening injuries.

Fire Chief Stephen Gollan said: 'This is truly a horrific event, especially so close to the holidays.'

The sheriff's office has not released an official description of the vehicle but witnesses said it was a gray sedan, possibly a Nissan.

The police have appealed to the public for information.

'This is a heartbreaking evening for everyone, for families and for the first responders who responded to the scene,' said Miranda Grossman, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff's Office.
A senior EU official has admitted that the bloc's relationship with Switzerland could collapse over trade negotiations.

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said the EU's relationship with Switzerland could fall apart if negotiations over Switzerland's place in the EU internal market fail.

Brussels has pushed for years for a treaty to cap an array of bilateral accords and require the Swiss to routinely adopt changes to single market rules, but talks between the parties broke off in May over concerns about yielding too much sovereignty to the bloc.

EU-Swiss economic ties are currently governed by more than 100 bilateral agreements stretching back to 1972.

Sefcovic's admission comes less than a year after Britain narrowly rescued months of bitter trade disagreements with the EU with a finalised deal on December 30, 2020, just hours before the final deadline of the Brexit transition period.

'Should new negotiations not lead to success, the bilateral agreements that were still in force would gradually expire and make our relationship obsolete at some point,' said Sefcovic, who oversees EU-Swiss affairs, in an interview with Der Spiegel published today.

FILE PHOTO: Switzerland's national flag and the European Union flag are seen at the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium April 23, 2021.

Switzerland would have to give assurances it would abide by EU internal market rules if Bern is committed to new negotiations, Sefcovic said.

The European Union wants Switzerland to agree to a dynamic alignment of its laws with EU law, a level playing field, a mechanism to settle disputes and regular contributions to EU funds for poorer EU members.

Swiss leadership ultimately decided to walk away from talks in May after a draft deal for a single treaty was met with strong domestic opposition, as many believed the EU was striking too hard a bargain which would deprive Switzerland of trading sovereignty.

The EU had taken a similarly hard stance towards trade talks with Britain for months prior to the final deal being reached last year, with the bloc's bullish lead negotiator Michel Barnier gaining notoriety for his repeated use of the phrase 'the clock is ticking'.

The EU ultimately softened its demands in the final month of 2020, though, and ultimately were able to come to an agreement with Britain.

Switzerland is however looking to maintain a close relationship with the EU despite their decision to walk away from the renewed trade talks in May, with Swiss leadership keen to avoid tarnishing links with the bloc.

European Union commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said the EU's relationship with Switzerland could fall apart if negotiations over Switzerland's place in the EU internal market fail.

Sefcovic reiterated the EU's demands in the Spiegel interview.

'We urgently need to know from Switzerland whether it seriously wants to negotiate with us,' Sefcovic said.

In November, the European Union urged Switzerland to set out a clear timetable for resolving the EU internal market issues by January.

'We have to know what we want to talk about when - so that it is clear that the discussion will not last 20 or 30 years,' Sefcovic told Spiegel.

A collapse in relations over time could jeopardise Switzerland's de facto membership of the EU common market that Bern is keen to maintain, but the Swiss are reluctant to surrender too much control to the EU.

Sefcovic gave the example of medical devices, which can only be sold in the EU with the right certification and that would be impossible without the appropriate contracts.
The Mexican government has announced it will allow non-infected travelers to disembark from cruise ships arriving from the United States even if passengers and crew members have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Ministries of Tourism and Health made the decision Tuesday, a day after American passengers aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Panorama were not allowed to leave the ship in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, because 30 crew members who tested positive for the coronavirus.

The ministries indicated it was basing their resolution on the guidelines set forward by the World Health Organization's (WHO's) International Health Regulations.

'Should people traveling on cruise ships show symptoms of COVID-19 disease or a positive test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they will be provided with the required medical attention,' the Ministries of Tourism and Health said in a joint statement.

'Asymptomatic people or with a mild condition will be kept in preventive quarantine, and those who present serious symptoms will be treated in the hospitals of the cities where they are found.

'People who do not present symptoms can do their tourist activities with respect to the basic prevention measures: correct use of face masks, frequent hand washing with soap and water or use of 70 percent alcohol-gel and healthy distance.'

Passengers on Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Panorama were not allowed to leave the ship in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, on Monday due to 30 crew members who had tested positive for the coronavirus. The Mexican government relaxed its stance on cruise ships with infected crew and passengers by saying that only visitors who test negative can leave the liners

The MS Koningsdam is one of two cruise ships that have been turned away from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, since last Thursday after crew members tested positive for the coronavirus

Rudy Castanon, who is aboard the Carnival Panorama, shared the upsetting news that he and other passengers could not disembark in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after crew members had tested positive for COVID-19

The Carnival Panorama, which has a capacity of 3,936 passengers and 1,450 crew members, sailed from Long Beach, California, last Friday with stops scheduled in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur and Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

The ship docked in Puerto Vallarta on Monday around 8:30 a.m. local time and notified authorities that members of its crew had drawn positive tests and that 100 other workers were placed in isolation as a requirement.

The ship headed for the sea later in the day and was expected to be allowed to dock in Guaymas, Sonora, on Tuesday.

Rudy Castanon, of Carson, California, shared the upsetting news on his Facebook account.

A travel blogger named Nicole took to Facebook to share scenic photos of the Puerto Vallarta coast, pictured, after her cruise ship was not allowed to disembark its passengers after 30 crew members showed positive COVID-19 tests on Monday

'We can not get off the ship here in Puerta Vallarta due to a few cases of Covid discovered today on our ship,' he wrote. 'We will not be able to get off at any of our ports. This is my first cruise, and it is not working out. I pray not too many people get sick.'

A travel blogger named Nicole, who was on the Carnival Panorama with her mother, said that at least five passengers had also test positive for COVID-19.

'This is obviously disappointing  we were looking forward to exploring PV (Puerto Vallarta) again  but by no means surprising. This is the nature and risk of cruising right now, so it is what it is  an extra 'sea day' for us!' she wrote.

The Carnival Panorama is the second cruise ship to be turned away from Puerto Vallarta after 1,035 passengers were not permitted to disembark from the Holland America Line MS Koningsdam last Thursday after 21 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

The ship, which had made previous stops in Los Cabos and Mazatlan, concluded its seven-day trip and returned to San Diego on Sunday.

'The trip was actually wonderful,' Marilyn Woodruff told San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD. 'I felt really safe. I had no concerns at all. The cleanliness standards were really good. I think they responded very quickly to contain it.'

The MS Koningsdam was among four liners who were forced to return to the United States over the past week due to a spike in positive COVID-19 cases.

Carnival Cruise Line's Freedom docked in Miami on Sunday after several coronavirus cases cases were reported.

Kimberly Kelley blasted the ship's protocols and was concerned about testing positive.

'It was disgusting,' she said. 'We didn't touch one pool on that ship because everyone's in there all over each other - no one's wearing masks, nobody cared. Now I have to worry I'm going to have COVID?'

The ship, which can carry nearly 3,000 passengers and 1,150 crew members, was not allowed by local governments to make planned stops on the Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Aruba. Instead, the liner made an 'alternative visit' to Amber Cove, Curacao and the Dominican Republic, a company spokesman told the Times.

'They didn't inform us of hardly anything,' Leah Murray, another passenger on the Freedom, told GMA. 'We sat there for a couple of hours, and then we found out they wouldn't let us on our destination because of so many people on the ship were having COVID.'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it was investigating 68 cruise liners following COVID outbreaks.

The CDC maintains a list of 108 operating cruise liners on its website, categorizing them based on how many cases of COVID-19 have been reported onboard. Passengers on U.S.-based cruise liners must wear masks in public areas and present proof of vaccination.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants President Joe Biden to scrap his 'useless' vaccine mandates after he told the leaders of 25 states that there is 'no federal solution' to the COVID-19 pandemic, his office said on Tuesday.

The Republican governors of Florida, South Dakota, Arizona and Texas plus a host of other GOP figures are calling on Biden to drop his sweeping vaccine order affecting a third of the American workforce, as well as his other nationwide COVID rules, following his comment.

Out of the four just Arizona Governor Doug Ducey participated in the call.

DeSantis' spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the president is 'abdicating responsibility and shifting blame' to the states.

'More Americans have died of COVID-19 under Biden than under Trump. Now that Biden has admitted to the nation that he has no plan to shut down the virus, and that there is no federal solution, we expect him to withdraw the unconstitutional and useless federal vaccine mandates,' DeSantis' office said.

Biden notably promised to 'shut down the virus' on the 2020 presidential campaign trail. Now just over a year later, the new Omicron variant is fueling another wave of new infections, Biden's vaccine order is facing legal roadblocks, and his administration's delayed response in rolling out COVID-19 tests is under fire.

DeSantis' office also recalled Biden's message to Republican governors in August who were blocking mask and vaccine mandates: 'Please help. But if you arent going to help, at least get out of the way.'

As of Tuesday morning, four Republican governors have called on Joe Biden to roll back his federal-level pandemic restrictions over his comments yesterday, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (left) and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (right)

'Governor DeSantis defied this petty tyranny and continued to stand in the way of unconstitutional federal overreach. The governor stands for parental rights, individual liberties, and medical freedom, including the freedom to access treatments for COVID-19 that are proven effective,' the governor's spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

The governor accused the Biden administration of restricting Florida's supply of monoclonal antibodies as a form of COVID-19 treatment, claiming it 'had months to prepare for the predictable winter surge and neglected to do so.'

'Now, Biden admits theres no federal solution because he is abdicating responsibility and shifting blame  politics as usual,' DeSantis' office said.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem also joined DeSantis in demanding Biden roll back his vaccine mandates on Tuesday morning.

'After a year, we finally agree [Biden]. The federal government isnt the solution,' Noem wrote on Twitter.

'Thats why from the start, SD took a different approach by trusting our citizens to be responsible and make the right decisions for themselves & their families. Now rescind all the federal mandates.'

Ducey accused the president of wanting it 'both ways.'

'President Biden said today there is no federal solution to resolve the pandemic. So why is he trying to force vaccine mandates in all 50 states?' Ducey wrote on Twitter Monday.

'The president wants it both ways. Hes demanding governors resolve the pandemic because his administration cant, yet he continues to push vaccine mandates on businesses with no thought to the consequences.'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for Biden to 'immediately end' his vaccine rules on Monday.

'Biden says there's no federal solution to COVID and that this gets solved at a state level. He should immediately end his unconstitutional federal mandates,' Abbott argued. 'The Texas solution is no mandates and personal responsibility.'

Other Republicans wasted no time slamming Biden after the flip-flopping president said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19 on Monday despite draconian measures that have included federal mask and vaccine mandates.

Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas told DailyMail.com that Biden's comments on Monday are tantamount to 'acknowledging' his vaccine rules are 'illegal.'

'Bidens vaccine mandates are illegal and Im glad hes finally acknowledging that. Now its time for the president to admit he failed to shut down the virus and focus on problems the federal government can solve like securing our border and going after China for creating this virus in the first place,' Gooden said.

Noem demanded that Biden 'rescind all the federal mandates' in a Twitter post on Tuesday morning

Arizona Governor Ducey said Biden wants it 'both ways' with his vaccine rules and telling the states there's no 'federal solution'

Many Americans spent the holiday weekend waiting in long lines for PCR tests or scouring store shelves in vain for rapid at-home test kits, as the national shortage potentially fueled further transmission.

On Monday, Biden acknowledged the chaotic scenes as Americans desperately sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather over the holiday.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' said Biden as he spoke to the nation's governors in a virtual meeting.

'It's not enough. It's clearly not enough. If we'd have known, we'd have gone harder, quicker if we could have,' the president added.

The US testing crisis stands in stark contrast to the UK, where rapid test kits have been provided free to the public since August, and can be picked up in packs of five from any pharmacy. Anybody can walk in and request them, and can return to get as many as they need.

As a result, the UK is performing 22.3 COVID tests per 1,000 people every day, five times more than the US rate of 4.5, and the testing supply in Britain remains fairly robust despite the surge in demand from Omicron.

Shockingly, the Biden administration rejected a proposal in October to follow in the UK's footsteps by providing 732 million tests to average Americans every month, according to Vanity Fair.

The GOP, citing a comment Biden made in October 2020, released a tweet implying the president did an about-face on his commitment to battling the pandemic, which has come back with a vengeance with the highest amount of cases in a day since January - before vaccines were created.

'BIDEN, TODAY: "There is no federal solution' to COVID,"' the Republican National Committee tweeted, and included footage of the president from Monday's meeting with 25 governors.

'BIDEN, 2020: "I'm going to shut down the virus."'

Biden was meeting Monday with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic.

After his speech, Biden asked White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to open to the floor to questions from the governors.

However, before taking any questions, Zients quickly booted the press from the room, saying: 'I think we're going to clear the press first.'

It's the latest instance of White House staffers appearing to shield the gaffe-prone president from the press. Last week, Biden cut short questions after a speech, saying: 'I'm not supposed to be having this press conference.'

The Republican party blasted President Joe Biden on Twitter Monday after he said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19

The GOP's post was referencing a comment Biden made in October 2020 where he promised to 'shut down the virus'

During the speech, he told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on the 'state level.'

His message to governors was: 'If you need something, say something. We are going to have your back.'

The president's comments came as the CDC cut in half isolation restrictions for Americans who catch COVID from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

The restrictions come as several industries face staff shortages caused by the federal mandates and the administration's failure to provide adequate testing.

Biden's supporters quickly rushed to his defense, alleging Republicans took his remarks out of context.

'This deceptively-edited clip put out by the RNC and several GOP Members of Congress of Biden [sic] today creates the false impression that Biden is giving up on battling COVID,' defense attorney Ron Filipkowski said. 'This is a total lie'.

Filipkowski claimed the now-viral clip of Biden was 'a total lie' and edited to suggest he is 'quitting on dealing with COVID and just throwing it to the states.'

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, also accused the president of implementing illegal mandates and blamed his 'incompetence' for the surging virus.

'When Joe Biden says "there is no federal solution," he's trying to avoid blame for his incompetence,' Cotton tweeted.

'If he really believes this, he should rescind his unconstitutional federal mandates.'

Biden's remark came during a meeting with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic. He told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on 'state level'

Cotton then argued that although there is 'no federal solution,' there are steps the president could take to combat COVID.

'Biden opened the border, botched testing, and outsourced CDC's guidance to the teachers' unions,' he stated.

'There's no federal solution, but the fed government can help by securing the border, approving safe treatments & tests, and appointing competent leaders at the FDA & CDC.'

North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn - the youngest member of Congress - also chimed in on Biden's handling of the virus.

'Joe Biden blames the unvaccinated for COVID more than he blames China,' said Cawthorn, a Republican from North Carolina.

Congressional candidate Buzz Patterson, also from North Carolina, offered his two sense on the situation: 'Biden surrendered on the border, surrendered to the Squad, surrendered to the Taliban, and just surrendered to COVID.'

'Dont worry, hes safely ensconced in his beach home. Sleep well.'

Rep. Tom Cotton (left) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right) were among those who blasted Biden over his handling of the pandemic. Both Republicans accused him of implementing COVID 'illegal mandates'

Several conservatives took to Twitter, issuing their detest for Biden's handling of the pandemic

Despite the GOP's efforts, Biden's supporters poked holes in the video and rushed to his defense.

'Driving home the undeniable truth that conservatives will cry no matter what,' tweeted Marty Shannon.

'So certain states fight, tooth and nail any mitigation measures by the feds, then complain Biden won't help then,' argued @realFireblazes.

Other Twitter users reiterated the importance of following the science, such as masking, social distancing and getting vaccinated.

One user, an apparent doctor, pushed for vaccinations by citing mortality rates.

'COVID-19 mortality rates are 2-6 times higher in states that voted for Trump,' Hugh G. Merriman, MD wrote.

Despite the GOP's efforts, Biden's supporters poked holes in the video and rushed to his defense

During Monday's meeting, Biden admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better.

He acknowledged the long lines around the country as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do.

'That's not enough. Clearly not enough,' Biden said, adding: 'We have to do more. We have to do better. And we will.'

The president joined his COVID-19 Response Team's meeting with the governors for the first time Monday. After the meeting, Biden told reporters the governors had thanked him for his work.

'They didn't tell me they're worried but they thanked me for the cooperation they're getting. They said they've gotten all that they need. They just want to know what we think is gonna happen from here,' he said, adding 'there were no complaints, a lot of cooperation.'

He spoke with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he and Jill Biden departed for Rehoboth Beach, where the first couple will spend a few days at his family home in Delaware for New Year's.

The president also denied a report in Vanity Fair that his administration, back in October, rejected a plan for more at-home COVID tests that called for an estimated 732 million tests per month. The plan also recommended a nationwide 'Testing Surge to Prevent Holiday COVID Surge.'

'We didn't reject it,' Biden said.

Biden joined the virtual meeting with the governors to discuss their needs to combat the Omicron variant as cases continue to rise and testing kits remain in demand. He acknowledged the testing shortage around the country in his opening remarks.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' he said.

During the meeting, Biden also admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better

He acknowledged the long lines around the country (a seen above in New York City on Dec. 27) as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do

President Biden said his administration will do more to ease COVID testing lines and that more testing centers were coming

Biden argued, when he took office in January 'we had no - zero - over-the-counter home test in the United States. None.'

'Now there are more than 20,000 places to get tested for free,' he said.

He said more testing sites were coming.

'I know the lines have gotten very long in some states. That's why I ordered FEMA to set up pop up sites in places with high demand to shorten the wait. We stood up 60 of sites in New York City in five days and there are more coming,' he told the governors.

He also said his administration worked with Google 'so you can now search COVID test near me on google to find a location.'

Biden's meeting comes as his administration faces criticism for a shortage of COVID tests as Americans rushed to get tested ahead of the holiday season.

With demand high and shelves emptying out of stock, some retailers have placed limits on how many at-home testing kits can be purchased at a time. CVS has a limit of six test kits per purchase both in stores and online while Walgreens limits it to four kits.

'You know, testing has always been an issue ... that has been problematic. It has been compounded by the situation of the high demands,' Biden's COVID tsar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN.

'We had a conflation of high demands  high demands because of the concern about Omicron which is a justifiable concern, but the high demand that was triggered by the holiday season, people getting ready to travel getting ready to go and mix with family members and friends. It's been a very, very strong run on testing.'

The Biden administration has announced plans to help quell this demand, distributing 500,000 at-home COVID tests to Americans in January.

Fauci also stated he expects more tests to be available next month.

'We've obviously got to do better,' Fauci said Sunday on ABC's This Week. 'I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.'

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country.

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, a 68 percent increase over the past two weeks. Deaths and hospitalizations have not followed, though.

The US has not recorded a higher seven-day case average since January 19, the backside of the nation's most devastating COVID surge to date.

The country is averaging 71,302 hospitalizations every day, only an eight percent increase over two weeks. Deaths are up three percent during that time span to 1,328 per day.

This could be a signal of the Omicron variant - which accounts for 73 percent of cases in the US, according to most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - being more mild than other strains.

Deaths and hospitalizations do lag behind cases, though, and a similar spike could be seen in those metrics soon as well, though.

Despite the surge, US health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Despite the surge, the CDC on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The quarantine guidance is not a mandate; it's a recommendation to employers and state and local officials.

Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC's guidance for health-care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. The agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Meanwhile, Americans have been told by Fauci to cancel big parties as the Omicron variant tears across the nation.

Daily cases have spiked in recent weeks, up 68 percent over the past two weeks, and America's top infectious disease expert warns that things will only worsen in the near future.

Fauci told ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) that the surge may only be beginning, and that Americans should expect the situation to exacerbate over the coming weeks.

'It's going to get worse before it gets better. That's for sure,' he said.

'We don't expect things are going to turn around in a few days to a week. It likely will take much longer than that. But that's unpredictable.'

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet. It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines

The US has confirmed 8,333 cases of the variant as of Monday morning, though the real case figure is much higher

According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot

Fauci says it's not possible to predict when the Omicron variant surge will come to an end because different countries have seen varied patterns.

'Each demography of a country is different,' he said.

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet.

It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines.

The US has confirmed 8,333 cases of the variant as of Monday morning, though the real case figure is much higher. Only two other countries have confirmed more cases.

Research performed by vaccine manufacturers and independent health experts have repeatedly found that the initial vaccine regimens - two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - are not effective at preventing infection from the variant.

Additional booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna jabs can re-establish protection, though. According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot.
President Joe Biden is spending Tuesday hunkered down in his Rehoboth, Delaware, beach house with no public events on his schedule as Omicron cases continue to rise and Republicans slam him for saying 'there is no federal solution' to the pandemic.

Biden's public schedule for the day was blank - although that wouldn't contain any private meetings or phone calls the president was holding during the day.

The White House called a 'lid' at 10:13 am. A 'lid' means there will be no more public events with the president for the day. The 'lid' can be lifted.

Biden, his wife Jill and their new German Shepherd puppy Commander arrived in Rehoboth on Monday afternoon. The first couple will spend several days at their 4,786-square-foot beach-side home with six bedrooms and five baths.

Their break from Washington D.C. comes as Covid cases in the U.S. have doubled over the past two weeks, as the Omicron variant takes hold in the nation. On average, 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 99 percent increase over the last two weeks.

The doubling comes after 512,553 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The large figure is the product of a multi-day build up of unreported cases over the Christmas holiday that finally were logged to start the week.

President Joe Biden arrived in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Monday afternoon with first lady Jill Biden and their new German Shepherd puppy Commander at his side

President Biden, wife Jill and new puppy Commander will spend several days at the family's Rehoboth, Delaware, beach house

Biden has no public events on his schedule for Tuesday as he holes up in his beach house

Meanwhile, Republicans wasted no time slamming Biden for saying there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19 on Monday despite his administration's efforts to stop the pandemic, including federal mask and vaccine mandates.

The GOP, citing a comment Biden made in October 2020, released a tweet implying the president did an about-face on his commitment to battling the pandemic, which has come back with a vengeance with the highest amount of cases in a day since January - before vaccines were created.

'BIDEN, TODAY: "There is no federal solution' to COVID,"' the Republican National Committee tweeted, and included footage of the president from Monday's meeting with 25 governors.

'BIDEN, 2020: "I'm going to shut down the virus."'

Biden was meeting Monday with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic.

After his speech, Biden asked White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to open to the floor to questions from the governors.

However, before taking any questions, Zients quickly booted the press from the room, saying: 'I think we're going to clear the press first.'

It's the latest instance of White House staffers appearing to shield the gaffe-prone president from the press. Last week, Biden cut short questions after a speech, saying: 'I'm not supposed to be having this press conference.'

The Republican party blasted President Joe Biden on Twitter Monday after he said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19

The GOP's post was referencing a comment Biden made in October 2020 where he promised to 'shut down the virus'

During the speech, he told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on the 'state level.'

His message to governors was: 'If you need something, say something. We are going to have your back.'

The president's comments came as the CDC cut in half isolation restrictions for Americans who catch COVID from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

The restrictions come as several industries face staff shortages caused by the federal mandates and the administration's failure to provide adequate testing.

Biden's supporters quickly rushed to his defense, alleging Republicans took his remarks out of context.

'This deceptively-edited clip put out by the RNC and several GOP Members of Congress of Biden [sic] today creates the false impression that Biden is giving up on battling COVID,' defense attorney Ron Filipkowski said. 'This is a total lie'.

Filipkowski claimed the now-viral clip of Biden was 'a total lie' and edited to suggest he is 'quitting on dealing with COVID and just throwing it to the states.'

Echoing the RNC's sentiment, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blasted Biden's handling of the pandemic.

'Biden says there's no federal solution to COVID and that this gets solved at a state level. He should immediately end his unconstitutional federal mandates,' Abbott argued. 'The Texas solution is no mandates and personal responsibility.'

Abbott did not join Biden's meeting with the nation's governors on Monday. All governors were invited to attend the virtual gathering.

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, also accused the president of implementing illegal mandates and blamed his 'incompetence' for the surging virus.

'When Joe Biden says "there is no federal solution," he's trying to avoid blame for his incompetence,' Cotton tweeted.

'If he really believes this, he should rescind his unconstitutional federal mandates.'

Biden's remark came during a meeting with 25 of the nation's governors - a mix of Republicans and Democrats - where he addressed the ongoing pandemic. He told the governors that there was 'no federal solution' to the Omicron variant causing cases to spike around the country, saying the solution was solidly on 'state level'

Cotton then argued that although there is 'no federal solution,' there are steps the president could take to combat COVID.

'Biden opened the border, botched testing, and outsourced CDC's guidance to the teachers' unions,' he stated.

'There's no federal solution, but the fed government can help by securing the border, approving safe treatments & tests, and appointing competent leaders at the FDA & CDC.'

North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn - the youngest member of Congress - also chimed in on Biden's handling of the virus.

'Joe Biden blames the unvaccinated for COVID more than he blames China,' said Cawthorn, a Republican from North Carolina.

Congressional candidate Buzz Patterson, also from North Carolina, offered his two sense on the situation: 'Biden surrendered on the border, surrendered to the Squad, surrendered to the Taliban, and just surrendered to COVID.'

'Dont worry, hes safely ensconced in his beach home. Sleep well.'

Rep. Tom Cotton (left) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (right) were among those who blasted Biden over his handling of the pandemic. Both Republicans accused him of implementing COVID 'illegal mandates'

Several conservatives took to Twitter, issuing their detest for Biden's handling of the pandemic

During Monday's meeting, Biden admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better.

He acknowledged the long lines around the country as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do.

'That's not enough. Clearly not enough,' Biden said, adding: 'We have to do more. We have to do better. And we will.'

The president joined his COVID-19 Response Team's meeting with the governors for the first time Monday. After the meeting, Biden told reporters the governors had thanked him for his work.

'They didn't tell me they're worried but they thanked me for the cooperation they're getting. They said they've gotten all that they need. They just want to know what we think is gonna happen from here,' he said, adding 'there were no complaints, a lot of cooperation.'

He spoke with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he and Jill Biden departed for Rehoboth Beach, where the first couple will spend a few days at his family home in Delaware for New Year's.

The president also denied a report in Vanity Fair that his administration, back in October, rejected a plan for more at-home COVID tests that called for an estimated 732 million tests per month. The plan also recommended a nationwide 'Testing Surge to Prevent Holiday COVID Surge.'

'We didn't reject it,' Biden said.

Biden joined the virtual meeting with the governors to discuss their needs to combat the Omicron variant as cases continue to rise and testing kits remain in demand. He acknowledged the testing shortage around the country in his opening remarks.

'Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,' he said.

During the meeting, Biden also admitted that his administration has not done enough to ease the COVID testing demand, vowing to do better

He acknowledged the long lines around the country (a seen above in New York City on Dec. 27) as people sought to get a COVID test ahead of the holidays, saying 'clearly' his administration has more work to do

President Biden said his administration will do more to ease COVID testing lines and that more testing centers were coming

Biden argued, when he took office in January 'we had no - zero - over-the-counter home test in the United States. None.'

'Now there are more than 20,000 places to get tested for free,' he said.

He said more testing sites were coming.

'I know the lines have gotten very long in some states. That's why I ordered FEMA to set up pop up sites in places with high demand to shorten the wait. We stood up 60 of sites in New York City in five days and there are more coming,' he told the governors.

He also said his administration worked with Google 'so you can now search COVID test near me on google to find a location.'

Biden's meeting comes as his administration faces criticism for a shortage of COVID tests as Americans rushed to get tested ahead of the holiday season.

With demand high and shelves emptying out of stock, some retailers have placed limits on how many at-home testing kits can be purchased at a time. CVS has a limit of six test kits per purchase both in stores and online while Walgreens limits it to four kits.

'You know, testing has always been an issue ... that has been problematic. It has been compounded by the situation of the high demands,' Biden's COVID tsar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN.

'We had a conflation of high demands  high demands because of the concern about Omicron which is a justifiable concern, but the high demand that was triggered by the holiday season, people getting ready to travel getting ready to go and mix with family members and friends. It's been a very, very strong run on testing.'

The Biden administration has announced plans to help quell this demand, distributing 500,000 at-home COVID tests to Americans in January.

Fauci also stated he expects more tests to be available next month.

'We've obviously got to do better,' Fauci said Sunday on ABC's This Week. 'I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.'

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, an 68 percent increase over the past two weeks

Both hospitalizations and deaths have remained steady in recent weeks, not rising at the same pace as cases

COVID cases in the US have exploded over the past two weeks, as the newly discovered Omicron strain begins to take hold in the country.

America is currently averaging 198,326 cases every day, a 68 percent increase over the past two weeks. Deaths and hospitalizations have not followed, though.

The US has not recorded a higher seven-day case average since January 19, the backside of the nation's most devastating COVID surge to date.

The country is averaging 71,302 hospitalizations every day, only an eight percent increase over two weeks. Deaths are up three percent during that time span to 1,328 per day.

This could be a signal of the Omicron variant - which accounts for 73 percent of cases in the US, according to most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - being more mild than other strains.

Deaths and hospitalizations do lag behind cases, though, and a similar spike could be seen in those metrics soon as well, though.

Despite the surge, US health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Despite the surge, the CDC on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The quarantine guidance is not a mandate; it's a recommendation to employers and state and local officials.

Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC's guidance for health-care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. The agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Meanwhile, Americans have been told by Fauci to cancel big parties as the Omicron variant tears across the nation.

Daily cases have spiked in recent weeks, up 68 percent over the past two weeks, and America's top infectious disease expert warns that things will only worsen in the near future.

Fauci told ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) that the surge may only be beginning, and that Americans should expect the situation to exacerbate over the coming weeks.

'It's going to get worse before it gets better. That's for sure,' he said.

'We don't expect things are going to turn around in a few days to a week. It likely will take much longer than that. But that's unpredictable.'

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet. It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines

According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot

Fauci says it's not possible to predict when the Omicron variant surge will come to an end because different countries have seen varied patterns.

'Each demography of a country is different,' he said.

The Omicron variant, which was first discovered by South African health officials in late November, is the most mutated COVID strain yet.

It has more than 50 mutations, including 37 on the spike protein targeted by the COVID vaccines.

The US has confirmed 8,333 cases of the variant as of Monday morning, though the real case figure is much higher. Only two other countries have confirmed more cases.

Research performed by vaccine manufacturers and independent health experts have repeatedly found that the initial vaccine regimens - two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - are not effective at preventing infection from the variant.

Additional booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna jabs can re-establish protection, though. According to CDC data, 72 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, and 64.5 million people have received their booster shot.
A schizophrenic inmate who was brutally beaten by a prison gang as he awaited trial on charges of criminal mischief and unlawful possession of a knife has been left with severe brain injury.

Jayshawn Boyd, 22, was standing in a common area of the Essex County Correctional Facility in New Jersey on September 23 when a group of seven inmates in white started beating him - eventually hitting him with an industrial broom and even a microwave as he laid on the ground unconscious.

The men have since been charged with attempted murder, as Boyd remained in a coma at the hospital for nearly three months before he woke up earlier this month.

Boyd is now recovering at a rehabilitation center, his mother, Nacolia Boyd, told The New York Times, but he still has severe brain injury that left him unable to walk or eat solid food on his own.

He is also having trouble forming words, his father, Shawn Bouknight, said, and his short-term memory has been shot.

Jayshawn Boyd, 22, woke up from a coma nearly three months after he was brutally beaten by seven inmates in the 'gang unit' in the Essex County Correctional Facility. He is pictured with his mother, Nacolia Boyd

Boyd was taken into custody at the jail on September 9 for two domestic altercations involving his mother and his brother and was awaiting trial on criminal mischief and unlawful possession of a knife charges when he was beaten on September 23

Now, Boyd has no memory of the brutal attack, and his mother waited until he regained some strength to tell him about the beating by fellow detainees as guards failed to act for at least two minutes and 11 seconds, according to footage posted to social media last month.

The family is now planning to file a lawsuit against the New Jersey prison, as advocates call for change inside the facility.

'There's got to be accountability,' said Brooke M. Barnett, a lawyer for the Boyd family. 'Something's not right over there.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Nacolia, Barnett and Essex County officials for comment.

Video of Boyd's brutal beating, posted to Facebook by 'Derrick L. Transportation,' shows the 22-year-old standing in a common area of the Essex County Correctional Facility when a group of seven inmates start beating him.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Surveillance footage posted to social media shows the suspects beating Boyd, in orange

They punched him and kicked him, with one man grabbing an industrial broom to hit him with

The assailants gather around Boyd and start punching him, as he falls to the ground.

At that point, one of the men could be seen holding an industrial broom, which he uses to hit Boyd with as the other inmates continue to punch him and stomp on him.

Soon, all of the inmates scatter, apparently trying to find other objects they could hit the victim with.

One man comes out of a supply closet with a bucket full of mop water that he dumps on Boyd, while another stomps on his head.

A shirtless inmate could then be seen grabbing a garbage can that he throws at Boyd, before turning and grabbing a microwave that he throws at him four times.

The device lands on Boyd's head.

Others soon join in, throwing whatever they can at the victim.

The two-minute long video ends with one of the inmates running up to Boyd, not moving on the ground, with blood splattered around him, and hitting him once again with the broom stick.

It remains unknown what started the attack.

One of the inmates poured water in a mop bucket over him

They continued to hit him as he laid on the ground unconscious

Boyd was taken into custody at the jail on September 9 for two domestic altercations involving his mother and his brother.

In May, Boyd - who suffers from schizophrenia - was transferred from the Essex County jail to Ann Klein, a psychiatry hospital, as he awaited sentencing and a trial for the domestic assaults, NJ.com reported.

He was released pending sentencing, and was set to plead guilty to criminal mischief and unlawful possession of a weapon, but he failed to appear at his sentencing on July 28.

Boyd later surrendered on a bench warrant at the Union County courthouse and was sent to Essex County jail.

Essex County officials say he was attacked shortly after by inmates Byad Lockett, Darryl Watson, Isaad Jackson, Tyshon Armour, Henry Asencio, Jaquil Anderson and Maurice Hutchins.

The men were charged attempted murder, aggravated assault and third-degree rioting in the brutal beating in October.

Boyd was hit in the head with a microwave a total of four times during the altercation

The video ends with one of the suspects stomping on him once again

Jayshawn's family is now planning to sue the Essex County jail for their failure to respond to the altercation. Jayshawn is pictured here with his mother, Nacolia Boyd

Boyd's lawyers filed a tort claim in October against Essex County officials claiming that correctional officers violated Boyd's Constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment by putting him in a 'gang unit' - even though Boyd is not a member of any gang.

Throughout the entire altercation, Boyd's attorneys note, no corrections officers were seen trying to stop the brawl.

'On top of how truly disturbing the footage is, it's equally disturbing to see no involvement of any kind of corrections officers,' ' Michael Thomas Licciardi, an associate attorney for Brooke Barnett told The New York Post, noting 'the attack goes on for multiple minutes.

'It's a conscious lack of intervention,' he claimed.

Boyd's lawyers say jail officials were 'deliberately indifferent' to the beatdown in the notice of claim filed last month, alleging that negligence and improper training by the Essex County Department of Corrections prompted the attack.

'Damages in this matter are continuing and are yet to be determined as the extent and permanence of Mr. Boyd's injuries are as yet unknown,' a letter attached to the filing reads.

Essex County spokesman Anthony Puglisi told NJ.com county officials do not comment on matters that are currently under investigation.

Dan Milford Gelin, 27, left, died on December after authorities say Ashton Barthelus, 26, right, ran up to him at the Essex County prison and stabbed him

But just a few months after the attack on Boyd, Dan Milford Gelin, 27, died after being stabbed by another detainee at the Essex County facility.

Police said that on December 3, surveillance footage showed Ashton Barthelus, 26, running at Gelin with a shank before allegedly yelling at him multiple times while yelling 'Why you been disrespecting me?' the Bergen Record reported.

Barthelus was then charged with murder, and the county prosecutors office as well as the New Jersey state Attorney General said they would investigate his death.

The next day, Essex County administration officials also said they had hired a private consulting firm to conduct a 'comprehensive assessment' of the lockup, The Times reported.

'We need a fresh set of eyes to review our policies and standards,' County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr said in a statement at the time.

But all of the consultants the county hired are former law enforcement officers, leading prison justice advocates to question its validity and to call for an independent federal civil rights investigation.

'We don't need another damn task force,' Nafessah Goldsmith, chair of New Jersey Prison Justice Watch, said at a demonstration held to denounce the attack on Boyd. 'We need all who stayed silent to be removed.'

Leaders of the union that represents supervisors at the Essex County jail, though, said that administrators and county officials had ignored repeated warnings that the jail was becoming increasingly violent.

Paramedics and EMTS were called to the jail 169 times between January and June to treat officers or detainees - up from 99 times during the same period last year, according to documents released by the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 106.

Meanwhile, the prison also took on inmates from nearby Union County, New Jersey, where Boyd is from, as part of a cost-saving measure.

Union County officials have been paying Essex County to hold its detainees at its facility since July, as the population of the Union County jail had dropped 67 percent in 10 years, according to county officials. They expect to save $103 million over five years by closing down most of its jail operations.

But at the same time, more corrections officers throughout the state have resigned in recent months amid pandemic-related fatigue, shifting attitudes towards the police and restrictions on the use of solitary confinement as punishment for infractions -which they believe has contributed to an uptick in violence.

Leaders of the union that represents supervisors at the Essex County jail (pictured), though, said that administrators and county officials had ignored repeated warnings that the jail was becoming increasingly violent

But the issue of increased violence in prisons is not unique to Essex County, The Times reported, with staff shortages at state prisons and county jails reported throughout the country.

As a result, correctional facilities have had to impose mandatory overtimes as there have been gaps in security at places like Rikers Island.

So far this year, 16 people have died within New York's correction system, mainly at Rikers Island as city officials move ahead to shut down the complex and replace it with smaller community-based lockups.

In September, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance ruled that conditions at Rikers are 'so bad' that he asked prosecutors not to ask for bail in non-violent cases, even if it risks an increase in 'low-level street crime.'

From then on, monetary bail would not be required for offenders in NYC if the crime is considered nonviolent.

Prosecutors would also drop bail for defendants who aren't considered violent felons and who have not record of sex crimes or violent convictions within the last ten years. The defendant also needs to have a perfect court date attendance.

The office would still ask for release upon parole and other terms that don't involve monetary transactions.

The state now plans to close six prisons early next year as the number of people incarcerated in the state continues to decline.

In New York, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance ruled that conditions at Rikers Island (pictured) are 'so bad' that he asked prosecutors not to ask for bail in non-violent cases, even if it risks an increase in 'low-level street crime'

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, with a jail population just about one-third the size of New York's there have been 18 deaths this year, according to the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

And in New Jersey, officials have closed three prisons, with Governor Phil Murphy announcing in June that he intended to shut down the state's only prison for women after a midnight raid by guards let several women with serious injuries.

The raid came just one year after the Department of Justice released a report that detailed a culture of sexual violence there.

Several of New Jersey's 21 counties have also moved to close their jails and instead pay to house detainees awaiting trial or sentencing at nearby facilities.

Then during the pandemic, roughly 700 people were freed from New Jersey prisons, with legislation later enabling he release of 2,258 inmates from prison the day after the 2020 presidential election - one of the largest-ever single day reductions of any state prison populations.

Since then, The Times reported, nearly 3,000 people have been granted emergency release through the emergency initiative - reducing New Jersey's prison population by 32 percent since 2018.
A shameless criminal revelled in his exploits as he decorated his Christmas tree in cash and drugs.

Marvin Porcelli captured the tasteless festive spectacle in a photo that was later retrieved by police.

It added to the long list of evidence showcasing his key role in a major drugs gang about to send Christmas behind bars.

Marvin Porcelli, pictured, was jailed for seven years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court after he admitted being involved in a 'large, professional, sophisticated, well-planned, well-organised and successful' drugs operation

Police recovered almost one kilo of cocaine after raiding Porcelli's partner's home in Wavertree area of Liverpool on March 1

Subsequent searches discovered this photograph of a Christmas tree decorated in 20 notes and packets of drugs

Porcelli played an 'operational function' in a network of criminals described by Judge Anil Murray as running 'a large, professional, sophisticated, well-planned, well-organised and successful' operation.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he was involved in the storage, couriering, cutting and supply of drugs on behalf of those higher up the enterprise, with Judge Murray telling him: 'The conspiracy could not have operated without the actions you took.'

Porcelli was linked to around 1kg of cocaine discovered when police raided his partner's home in Wavertree, Liverpool on March 1 of this year.

Officers forced their way into the home, where they found Porcelli and asked him whether there were any drugs at the property. He simply replied: 'Class A drugs.'

In the searches that followed they recovered two containers each holding almost 500g of cocaine under the pillows on a bed. The drugs were given a combined estimated value of at least 37,000.

When they raided his own home in Gray Street, Bootle, three weeks later, police found tick lists and wraps of 'white powder' - including one retrieved from a pair of Ralph Lauren shorts.

The photo of the Christmas tree was retrieved from one of several phones also recovered.

Porcelli admitted conspiracies to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

The court heard the 47-year-old was a carer and had become involved in criminality due to drug debts - but that he was now drug-free.

He was jailed for seven years and six months.
The parents of the 13-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of shooting his five-year-old brother now face child endangerment charges after 'leaving [the] gun out.'

Sara Gerwig, 37, and Thomas Wolfe, of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, face up to four child endangerment charges each following the death of their five-year-old son Connor Wolfe on November 22.

Their 13-year-old, Keegan McGivern, admitted to investigators on December 14 that he shot his brother Connor with his father's handgun that he 'always leaves out,' the criminal complaint said. It was originally thought the six-year-old brother Zach shot Connor.

'Thomas admitted that he left his handgun on top of his gun safe in their first-floor master bedroom,' the criminal complaint reads. '

Thomas stated that the handgun is always loaded with a live round in the chamber. Thomas uses the handgun as his every day carry gun, when he leaves the house.'

McGivern has been charged with homicide after admitting to investigators that he grabbed the gun after becoming angry with his three siblings - Zach, 6; Connor, 5, and Madolynn Wolfe, 3 - because they were jumping on the bed, CBS reported.

The parents of Keegan McGivern, 13, who reportedly shot and killed his brother Connor, 5, could face four counts of child endangerment after 'leaving [the] gun out.' Sara Gerwig and Thomas Wolfe, of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, were both were home when McGivern reportedly fatally shot Connor (pictured: the family home)

McGivern told investigators that he pulled the gun on his siblings after becoming angry at them for jumping on the bed while they 'watched a movie.' He also told investigators that he believed the safety was on when he admitted the death to investigators on December 14

He also told investigators that he thought the safety was on when he pointed the gun at his siblings, CBS reported.

All four children were in the master bedroom - as the second floor of the home did not have electricity at the time - 'watching a movie' when the bullet struck Connor. McGivern shot Connor with a Smith & Wesson 9mm gun.

At the time, Thomas had been watching television while Sara was cooking dinner, according to the criminal complaint.

McGivern will be tried as an adult, an Allegheny County District Attorney's Office told CBS, since the boy intentionally pointed the weapon his brother. Homicide charges cannot be 'filed directly in juvenile court,' the office said.

McGivern reportedly shot Connor with a Smith & Wesson 9mm gun, similar to this, which had been left at the foot of the bed. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Connor's death a homicide and McGivern will be tried as an adult

'What happened in Penn Hills was an intentional act that resulted in the tragic death of a five-year-old,' the office said earlier this month. 'The 13-year-old was charged as an adult because Pennsylvania law does not permit a charge of criminal homicide to be filed directly in juvenile court.'

Dr. Todd Lucksevic of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said 'the bullet had entered the mouth and traveled from front to back, destroying the teeth on the right side of his mouth; traveled right to left and downward and lodged in the C4 vertebrae' and ruled it a homicide on November 23.

The children's neighbors have been left heartbroken by the tragic incident.

'Im just so sad this happened,' Shari Robinson told KDKA in November. 'Guns got to be locked up because kids dont know they think they are toys, and they have to be locked up because this is what happens.'

'They are nice kids, very nice kids, always speaking, very manner-able,' her husband Alfred Robinson added. 'I just cant believe it. Its just horrible, its hard.'

The couple also said they are praying and thinking of the family.

'Just praying for the family, hope they make it through,' they said.

The children's neighbors Shari and Alfred Robinson were left heartbroken by the incident

The Penn Hills Police Department and School District are also offering emotional support in response to the accident.

'Penn Hills School District confirms the passing of our kindergarten student Connor Wolfe yesterday,' the district said in a statement.

'We ask all members of our PH community to remember Connor and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

'Counselors and Social Workers will remain accessible for students and staff who need extra support during this very difficult time.'
An 80-year-old Italian man stabbed his wife to death after she promised to have sex with him at Christmas but changed her mind and refused after he took Viagra.

Vito Cangini has been accused of killing his wife Natalia Kyrychok, 61, because she refused to have sex with him after he took a Viagra pill while at home in Fanano di Gradara, eastern Italy, on December 25.

Ms Kyrychok's refusal prompted a furious row, during which Mr Cangini, who was almost 20 years older than his wife, accused her of being attracted to her boss.

Italian police outside the eastern Italian home of Vito Cangini, 80, who allegedly stabbed his wife to death after she refused to sleep with him

Natalia Kyrychok, 61, was 19 years younger than Mr Cangini and changed her mind about wanting to have sex with him on the night of December 25 after he took Viagra. Pictured: The house of Mr Cangini

Mr Cangini allegedly stabbed her to death, left his wife's bloodied body on the floor and went to bed.

The following morning, he reportedly ate breakfast, walked his dog and came home as if nothing had happened.

He allegedly took his dog for another walk in the afternoon before he phoned the restaurant where his wife had worked as a chef for two years and told the owner he would never see her again.

The 80-year-old allegedly stabbed his wife to death, went to sleep, and took his dog for two walks the next day before he called his wife's boss and said he would never see Ms Kyrychok again. Pictured: The stairs leading up to Mr Cangini's house in The Manche area of Italy

Viagra pills, which are usually blue in colour, are taken orally to treat erectile dysfunction (File image)

'I know there was something going on between you two,' Cangini reportedly told the owner.

The restaurant owner called the police, who visited the suspect's home.

Officers found Ms Kyrychok's body with at least four stab wounds including one to the heart.

Mr Cangini was taken into custody and the suspected murder weapon was found at the crime scene.

The investigation is ongoing.
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The gunman who shot and killed five in Denver on Monday night has been identified as a former tattoo shop owner and described by police as someone with a history of extremist views and psychiatric episodes.

Lyndon McLeod, 47, was shot and killed by officers at the end of his rampage across tattoo parlors and other locations in the Mile High City.

McLeod used to own a tattoo business, Flat Black Ink, until 2017, ABC reported. His rampage on Monday targeted several tattoo shops, and three of his five victims worked in the tattoo industry.

Police said they believe McLeod was targeting the people he shot at the tattoo parlors, although they did not release a motive.

Paul Pazen, chief of Denver Police, said on Tuesday that McLeod had been on the radar of law enforcement during two recent investigations - one in 2020 and another in 2021 - but neither resulted in charges.

Lyndon McLeod, who wrote fantasy novels under the name Roman McClay, has been named by police as the man who shot and killed four in Denver on Monday night

McLeod had come on to the radar of police in 2020 and 2021, Denver police chief said, but no charges were ever filed. He did not say why there was concern

McLeod, 47, owned a tattoo parlor in Denver until 2017. He then relocated to a converted shipping container

McLeod lived in a shipping container in the mountains, he told an interviewer while promoting his self-published fantasy novel

McLeod sold his house in Denver around five years ago, according to the new owner

McLeod used his Instagram to promote his book, with skull images

Police said McLeod fired shots at six locations across Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood.

His rampage left five people dead and three others wounded - among them a police officer - before he was shot dead.

McLeod sold his house five years ago to a man who said the property was full of gun safes.

'There were numerous hidden gun safes in the walls of this house,' said Gabriel Thorn, speaking to KDVR.

'He just disappeared off the face of the earth when we bought the house. My wife and I joke that he's changed his name and moved out of the country.'

McLeod then wrote and published a series of books called 'Sanction' under the name Roman McClay, KDVR reported, with the main character based on himself, and the narrator being artificial intelligence.

In an interview about the book, he was described as living in a converted storage container, and said the book was about 'our masculinity and the way we interact,' looking at religion, genetics and culture.

He described it on Twitter, in an account dormant since June 2020, as: 'The book that philosophizes with a Jack-Hammer.'

'I tend to look at the world in threes. I'll look at the world currently, then the world below it and the world above it,' he said in a YouTube interview in March 2020, to promote the book.

'You have the terrestrial plane, then the sub level, then the atmosphere.'

McLeod added: 'I consider myself an artist first, and then a man interested in ideas and culture second.'

His victims included Alicia Cardenas, 44, the owner of Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway in Denver.

Another deceased victim was identified on Tuesday as Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, 35, who worked with Cardenas alongside her husband, a piercing artist, who was injured in the attack.

A third victim who succumbed to his injuries was named as 38-year-old Danny Scofield, a tattoo artist working at another parlor in Lakewood.

A fourth victim was described as a man, shot in the street, and his fifth victim was a clerk at the Hyatt hotel, Sarah Steck, who died on Tuesday afternoon in hospital.

McLeod, described by witnesses as wearing a trench coat, and being a tall, blonde man - despite being noticeably dark haired in his social media posts - was fatally shot after he opened fire at officers and struck one female officer once in the abdomen.

She returned fire, striking him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

'She is in stable condition and doing well,' said John Romero, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department.

She was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Romero said the officer 'probably saved' lives.

'We are beyond proud of her actions,' he said.

Alicia Cardenas, 44, the owner of Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Denver, was named by friends on social media as one of the five people who were killed in Monday's shooting spree

Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, 35 (right), was shot dead inside Cardenas' shop. Her husband, Jimmy Maldonado, was said to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest

Danny Scofield, 38 (right), a tattoo artist at Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing in Lakewood, was shot and killed during the rampage

Scofield was the fourth person to be killed in the gunman's Monday night rampage

Sarah Steck, 28, was the fifth person to be killed McLeod, and the only one he is not believed to know - although he was familiar with her workplace, the Hyatt House hotel

'To see this type of spree take place is not normal in our community,' Pazen told KDVR.

'This one individual was responsible for this very violent crime spree that took place this evening.'

According to the police department's timeline, McLeod's first stop on his deadly spree was Sol Tribe tattoo shop on Broadway, where he allegedly opened fire shortly after 5pm, killing the owner, Alicia Cardenas.

He wounded one of her associates, piercing artist Jimmy Maldonado, and gunned down the man's wife, Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, who also worked there.

Ernesto Burbank, a friend of the victims, identified them in a Facebook post, revealing that Jimmy Maldonado was taken to a hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. His condition is unknown at this time.

'I just don't understand how so much hate can live in people and how the innocent always pay the price,' Burbank wrote.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help with Alyssa's funeral costs and her husband's medical expenses.

The couple, who married in February 2020, have a young son.

Jimmy and Alyssa Gunn Maldonado got married in February 2020. They have a son together

Cardenas (left and right) was described as a pillar of Denver's tattoo community. She is survived by a 12-year-old daughter

Facebook has lit up with messages expressing shock and grief as news of Alicia Cardenas' killing spread. She was remembered as a pillar of Denver's artistic community.

'Wisdom and grace poured from her anytime she chose to speak,' wrote Armando Lopez, her client.

'So many artists learned from her in apprenticeship through her masterful work in tattoo, murals, and altars. A Denver native, who's roots have held this city up through their strength and provision of soulful nutrients. Her voice and words of advice still ring so loudly in my ears.'

Lopez revealed that he had got a tattoo at Cardenas' parlor just an hour before the shooting.

The 44-year-old tattoo artist and muralist is survived by her 12-year-old daughter, according to her friend Patrick Anderson.

'She was such a kind and wise person,' Anderson told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.

'She hosted an annual Dia de los Muertes event at her tattoo shop and helped people remember loved ones. I like to think that she is now with her ancestors and will come visit us this Dia de los Muertes.'

April Potter identified her brother, Danny Scofield, as the third victim of the shooting spree.

She told KDVR that he was a father-of-three who worked as a tattoo artist at Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing on Kipling Street in Lakewood.

'He was my best friend,' Potter said through tears. 'The best person I've ever met in my life.'

Officials are asking residents to keep the victims, specifically the officer, in their thoughts and prayers during this tough time.

'We just ask everyone in our community for their thoughts and prayer for that agent and their family,' Romero told the Denver Post.

Five people were killed and three injured, including a police officer, in a shooting spree that spread across Colorado on Monday night

Police say McLeod fired shots in six locations across Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood

The above map shows where the incidents in Monday night's killing spree occurred

The shooting spree began around 5pm in Denver near the intersection of East 1st Avenue and Broadway.

Police say McLeod killed two women and injured one man - since identified as Cardenas, Alyssa Gunn Maldonado and Jimmy Maldonado - before fleeing the scene.

Shortly after, McLeod fatally shot another man in the Cheeseman Park neighborhood near 12th Avenue and Williams Street.

He then fired a shot at 6th Avenue and Cherokee Street, as well as 8th Avenue and Zuni Street.

However, police say no injuries were reported at either location.

He was then spotted in his vehicle by police, near 8th Avenue and Zuni Street.

Officers attempted to pull him over when he opened fire, prompting them to shoot back.

McLeod was fatally shot by Lakewood police after he opened fire at officers and struck one in the back. Police say the cop is currently in surgery

Meanwhile, police say the motive behind the 'killing spree' remains unknown and an investigation into the incidents is ongoing

'At this point, we do not believe there is any additional safety concern to the community,' said Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero (pictured)

A Denver police vehicle was disabled and McLeod fled the scene.

He is believed to then have continued his killing spree in Lakewood.

He was reported in the suburb just before 6pm, firing shots and killing one person - Danny Scofield - at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Kipling Street.

Soon after, Lakewood officers spotted his vehicle in the Belmar area. Gunfire was exchanged after McLeod shot at police.

He then ran away into a nearby business where he brandished his weapon before entering the Hyatt House hotel where he shot a clerk.

The clerk was taken to an area hospital, where she later died.

Department Chief Paul Pazen (pictured) said 'this type of spree take place is not normal in our community' and explained that 'one individual was responsible for this very violent crime spree that took place this evening'

The suspect was shot and killed. The Jefferson County sheriff's department is investigating the specifics behind his death

Authorities asked residents to keep the victims, especially the Lakewood officer who was shot, and their families in their thoughts and prayers

McLeod fled the Hyatt and began shooting at officers, injuring one, who then shot back.

Witnesses who were driving in the area told Fox 31 they saw the a police officer confronting the suspect.

'We seen [sic] the guy: he was a tall man, blond hair, with a trench coat,' the witnesses told the station.

'She yelled at him to 'put his gun down!'

'She yelled, 'put your gun down' and he turned around and, like, pulled up the gun and shot her right in front of us, multiple times.'

McLeod was finally shot and killed at this location.

'Still unsure exactly if it was by Lakewood police or not but he was then pronounced dead at the scene,' Romero said.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is investigating the specifics behind the gunman's death.

Pazen, the Denver Police Chief, told reporters police are investigating the motive behind the deadly rampage.

'We need to really dig and find out what the motivation behind this was,' Pazen said.

Meanwhile, police say there is no ongoing threat to the community.

'At this point, we do not believe there is any additional safety concern to the community,' added Romero.

Of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in 2021, three were in Colorado, including the years deadliest.

In addition to the shooting on December 27, there was the Colorado Springs shooting on May 11 that claimed seven dead and the King Soopers shooting in Boulder that killed 10.

The King Soopers shooting is tied for the years deadliest with a June 2 shooting in San Jose, Calif., that also left 10 dead.

In all, Colorado saw 13 mass shootings throughout 2021.

Denver reported 6,715 cases of violent crime in 2021, as of October.

The incidents include 95 murders; 1,038 sex offenses; 4,365 cases of aggravated assault; and 1,217 robberies.

The shooting spree was the 10th most lethal of the year nationwide, according to Gun Violence Archive.
A runaway driver pulled an impressive 'Fast and Furious'-style stunt on a Virginia highway on Thursday after he pinned a cop car and flipped it while he was evading police.

Maryland driver Douglas Johnson Jr, 31, allegedly began the chase after he struck a state trooper's squad car on Interstate 95 and fled from the scene.

Johnson intentionally rammed into the patrol car twice and forced it off the road and into a wall, causing the vehicle to flip onto its side.

Deputies from the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office eventually caught up with the suspect's vehicle and arrested Johnson. He was charged with felony speed to elude.

The injured trooper, who had been wearing a seat belt, was taken to Fairfax Inova Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

DailyMail.com reached out to the Fairfax County Sheriff's Department.

Maryland driver Douglas Johnson Jr, 31, pulled a Fast and Furious stunt on a Virginia state trooper on Thursday after he pinned his squad car against a wall and caused it to flip over

The trooper had been in pursuit of Johnson after he struck his car with his Chevrolet Malibu and fled the scene. The trooper was taken to Fairfax Inova Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries

The crash scene appeared to emulate a stunt from the film series Fast and Furios which are widely known for their vehicle action sequences

The high-speed cinema chase started at around 5 p.m. in Prince William County when a Virginia state trooper was assisting his colleague with a traffic stop off on the shoulder.

Johnson was traveling northbound on the highway when he struck the squad car, which had its emergency lights on, with his black Chevrolet Malibu.

The trooper then chased after Johnson after he fled from the scene and followed him in pursuit of issuing another traffic stop.

Virginia State Police also issued a 'Be On the Lookout' in an attempt to track the Malibu down.

After the trooper eventually caught up with Johnson's vehicle, he then intentionally rammed into the vehicle twice and forced it off the road.

The trooper's vehicle remained on the shoulder of I-95 as police investigated the crash

Deputies from the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office caught up with Johnson and used the PIT maneuver, a tactic to stop fleeing vehicles, to end the pursuit

Johnson then pinned the trooper against the wall until the squad car flipped on its side.

The squad car remained on the shoulder with the injured trooper inside as Johnson fled the scene and continued northbound.

As Fairfax County officers were on their way to assist the trooper, they noticed the fleeing Malibu shortly after the crash and promptly joined the chase.

The officers then used the PIT maneuver, a tactic used to stop fleeing drivers, and ended the chase in the area of I-395 and Duke Street.

The Malibu suffered severe damage to the front of the vehicle and the windshield was cut open, possibly to let Johnson out. He was arrested and charged at the scene.

The investigation of the two crashes remain ongoing.
Barnaby Joyce has said his experience catching the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was 'not a big issue' - sparking outrage from the usual suspects on Twitter as Australian cases skyrocket.

The Deputy Prime Minister tested positive shortly after arriving in the US earlier this month and summed up his symptoms as 'pretty mild'.

Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday morning, Mr Joyce said Australians needed to learn to live with the virus in order to move forward.

'I've had Covid, and I have to be honest, under Omicron it's not a big issue, it really isn't,' he said.

'I've read a few reports in the paper that said the best thing for people who have been double vaxxed is if they let this thing go and get out, and it seems to be doing that anyhow - it seems to be everywhere.'

When asked if he thought New Year's Eve events should be cancelled to stop the spread of the highly infectious Omicron strain, Mr Joyce said the country would be far worse off financially.

'The world's got to move on, we can't just keep shutting things down, there'll be other variants after Omicron,' he said.

Barnaby Joyce has said his experience catching the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was 'not a big issue' - sparking outrage from some Australians as cases skyrocket

'What are we going to do keep shutting the place down? We'll go broke.

'We can't go on like this, we have to move on. We have to learn to live with this because the alternative is we are going to run out of money.'

The deputy prime minister's words hit a nerve with many Australians, with some suggesting his comments about catching Covid-19 were insensitive to those who have lost loved ones.

'Lucky Barnaby. Some people (quite a large number in fact) have died from Covid,' one said.

Mr Joyce said Australians needed to learn to live with the virus otherwise the country would 'go broke' (testing queues in Brisbane are pictured)

'Well lucky him but not much comfort for those in hospital or those with relatives who've died,' tweeted another.

'He had it while isolated in a 5 star hotel with all the luxuries a phone call away. He didn't have to worry about health care, medicines, food, his job or his children,' added a third.

Others suggested it was possible Mr Joyce was not severely ill with the virus because he was double vaccinated and would have received adequate medical care in the US.

'He also was double vaxxed and would have got priority access to America's best treatments,' one commented.

Mr Joyce's comments on his experience with Covid-19 hit a nerve with some Aussies who said many had lost loved ones (pictured healthcare worker at a Brisbane testing facility)

However his comments come just a week after health experts, including Australia's former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, assured the public there is no need to panic about Covid - or the new Omicron variant - because hospitalisation figures remain stable.

Dr Coatsworth dismissed Doherty Institute modelling that predicted up to 200,000 cases a day next month, insisting that simply 'will not happen'.

'Moving beyond the outrage, I think the modelling released without context creates a lot of fear and fear leads to people not doing things they would normally do,' Dr Coatsworth told the Today show last Thursday.

'It's a counter productive way to manage Covid-19.

'I think there was a wide range of possibilities and we now accept as a community that 200,000, that upper limit, will not happen and we can move forward from that.'

He supports moves to extend mask mandates in Victoria and QR codes reintroduced in all NSW venues but stressed to viewers that early studies show Omicron is a milder strain and that vaccination is the best defence.

'A disease that is being increasingly milder, for which, if we'll get a booster, we'll be more protected than the primary course, for which we have the best treatments we've got available for any respiratory virus,' he said.

'We need to hold the line and remember all those things I just said about how much better our situation is than it was in 2020.'
One-third of Americans think more than a year after the 2020 election that Joe Biden did not legitimately win against Donald Trump, a new poll found.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst poll, taken December 14-20, shows 33 per cent of the 1,000 respondents either definitely or probably think President Biden's win was illegitimate.

Forty-six per cent think his win was definitely legitimate, another 12 per cent think it was probably legitimate and 9 per cent are unsure.

These results are nearly identical to the same poll taken in April 2021 where the split was 59 per cent who felt the win was legitimate to 24 per cent who felt the opposite.

While a plurality of the poll respondents say they hold Donald Trump responsible for the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021  the majority of Republicans surveyed blame Democrats, the United States Capitol Police and those part of the far left group Antifa.

One-third of Americans do not think Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election

Twenty-four per cent of Republicans think the Capitol Police are to blame while 20 per cent blame Antifa. Another 30 per cent of GOP voters blame the Democratic Party for the Capitol attack at the start of 2021.

A whopping 75 per cent of Democratic respondents say that Trump is to blame.

The Democrat controlled House impeached Trump for a second time in his final days as president claiming he incited the Capitol riot, which was made up of mostly Trump supporters protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump was acquitted for a second time in his impeachment by the Republican majority Senate.

The minuscule uptick in skepticism over Biden's win comes as his favorability among Americans also dwindles to all time lows in the midst of a massive COVID surge and a myriad of rumors of toxicity in the White House and legislation failures.

Nearly a year after the January 6 attack, the new poll shows that 24% of Republicans think the United States Capitol Police are to blame for the Capitol riot

Nearly a year into his presidency, Biden's approval rating sits at 43 per cent, which is the second worst of any president at this point since Harry Truman. Trump was the worst at 37 per cent approval at the end of his first year in office.

Like most issues these days, those who feel Biden's election win was legitimate is split along traditional party lines.

While 91 per cent of Democratic respondents think Bidens win was real, only 21 per cent of Republicans feel the same. Another 71 per cent believe Donald Trumps claims that it was stolen or rigged.

Fifty-four per cent of independent voters think Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Only 4 per cent of Democrats feel Biden did not legitimately win the election against Trump.
Donald Trump is seeking to have the court dimiss a lawsuit against him by eight Capitol Hill cops who accused him of sparking the January 6th MAGA riot.

The former president addressed his supporters at a rally outside of the White House on the morning of the riot. Many of them later marched on the Capitol and forced their way inside the building. The House of Representatives impeached Trump for his role but the Senate acquitted him.

But Trump argues he isn't 'vicariously liable' for the actions of people who heard him speak at a 'Stop the Steal' rally before the riot, Bloomberg News reported.

'Speakers at political rallies do not owe a duty of care to members of Congress or Capitol Police Officers not at the rally,' Trump's lawyer Jesse Binnall said in the Dec. 24 filing in federal court in Washington.

Trump continues to falsely claim he won the 2020 presidential election instead of Joe Biden. The lawsuit from the officers, who were at the Capitol on the day of the riot, is one of many he is facing for his role.

Donald Trump is seeking to have the court dimiss a lawsuit against him by eight Capitol Hill cops who accused him of sparking the January 6th MAGA riot - above the former president speaks to his supporters at a rally outside the White House on the morning of January 6th

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th

The lawsuit from the officers also names right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

The officers 'risked their lives to defend the Capitol from a violent, mass attack  an attack provoked, aided, and joined by Defendants in an unlawful effort to use force, intimidation, and threats to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election,' according to the lawsuit, filed in August in the federal district court in the District of Columbia.

Trump, in the legal filing, denies that he was threatening violence when he said it was 'a very dangerous moment in our history' and that people are 'not going to stand having this election stolen from them.'

'Under no stretch of the imagination can those statements be characterized as open threats of violence,' he said.

The suit also claims the riot was steeped in racism and white supremacy.

The cops said in their suit that Trump and the right-wing groups 'violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, which was designed to prevent precisely the kinds of politically and racially motivated violence they caused and committed on January 6.' The 1871 law targets efforts to interfere with Congress fulfilling its constitutional duties.

The officers, five of whom are black, say they were beaten, assaulted, and hit with mace and bear spray, as well as other objects. The suite identifies all the officers, represented by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

It also names as a deep pocket defendant Trump's presidential campaign, which hauled in more than $200 million after he lost to Biden amid persistent fundraising appeals.

The suit says the Capitol attack was 'caused' by defendants  a claim Trump and other defendants are certain to try to challenge on First Amendment grounds.

It says they 'conspired with each other and others to prevent Congress from certifying the election results through the use of force, intimidation, and threats,' and that they 'propagated false claims of election fraud, encouraged the use of force, intimidation, and threats, and incited violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them.'

Eight Capitol Hill police officers are suing Trump and right-wing groups like the Proud Boys

Five of the plaintiffs are black, and the suit claims 'racism and white supremacy pervaded Defendants' efforts from the outset,' with efforts targeting the vote in heavily black areas.

The officers have a combined 150 years on the force. It cites Trump's numerous claims of a 'rigged' election, as well as his comments urging his backers to come to Washington on Jan. 6th.
Infectious disease experts have warned Australia's huge Covid-19 testing queues have become a breeding ground for virus spread.

Professor Robert Booy, an infectious disease expert from the University of Sydney, warns that the testing queues are putting more people at risk of catching the virus, as symptomatic Aussies line up with people who simply need a negative test.

'Symptomatic people are turning up for PCR tests and standing for hours in queues adding to the risk of spread to those who are negative,' he said.

Queensland's requirement of a PCR test for entry to the state has been blamed for long queues at testing facilities in NSW and Victoria. Pictured: People queue at a testing clinic in Sydney

Queensland announced that the PCR test that visitors needed on day five of a trip to the sunshine state was being dropped immediately. But the requirement for an immediate PCR test remains

'And if people have to wait days for results they are likely to go to the shops for groceries again adding to spread,' Mr Booy told the Courier Mail.

His comments come amid renewed calls for Queensland to back down from forcing travellers to produce a negative PCR test before entering the state, a demand that has seen the need for tests skyrocket.

Instead, the federal government is urging the states to allow travellers to produce a rapid antigen test result to pass a border checkpoint.

On Tuesday Queensland health minister Yvette D'Ath announced that the PCR test that visitors needed on day five of a trip to the sunshine state was being dropped immediately.

But the requirement for an immediate PCR test remains.

An infectious disease expert has warned Australia's huge Covid-19 testing queues have become a breeding ground for virus spread

The requirement of a second PCR test for tourists on day five of their trip to Queensland has been dropped

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is urging the Queensland government to remove tests for people who are not unwell.

'This is not the right approach. It is clogging up the system. It is putting people in lengthy queues that are not necessary,' he said.

'There are people getting tests who don't have any symptoms, are not feeling unwell, that are required to get tests and taking the place of people who are unwell or who are required to get a test from NSW Health.'

People in NSW and the ACT have queued for hours, with some testing clinics hitting capacity early in the morning as demand is heightened by those wanting to travel.

The ACT had to reopen a fourth testing centre to meet demand after three centres hit capacity early on Tuesday morning and some sites had wait times of more than four hours.

The ACT is now downgrading its advice for many locations identified as casual exposure sites to 'monitor for symptoms', in response to increased COVID-19 in the community and testing demand.

The downgrading of advice means asymptomatic people do not need to quarantine and are not required to take a COVID-19 test.

NSW also changed isolation requirements for healthcare staff, meaning they can return to work seven days sooner.

It came after 2000 of the state's healthcare workers were furloughed and the number COVID- 19 hospital patients doubled in the past week.

NSW recorded 6062 infections on Tuesday, down 172 on the day before, and reported one death.

Staff are seen as members of the public queue for PCR tests at a COVID-19 testing facility in Boondall, Brisbane on Monday

Victoria saw a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections with 2738 cases and four deaths reported.

Queensland case numbers also surged past 1000 for the first time with 1158 reported, while South Australia hit a new daily record of 995 infections.

There were 252 cases in the ACT, 43 in Tasmania, 16 in the Northern Territory and none in Western Australia.
Oprah Winfrey, 67, hosted a grand welcoming party on December 23 for her best friend Gayle King's grandson Luca, who was born three months ago, but she had a strict 'policy' for her guests to follow - one even her best friend failed to follow.

'Everyone who is spending Christmas at my house has to be vaccinated, boosted, tested, and quarantined,' the star said on Instagram. 'Stedman [Graham] calls it "The Policy" cause I'm that serious about it.

'This was release day for our bubble and we knew we had to throw a welcome celebration for Baby Luca, who none of us had met yet!' she wrote on Instagram.

It seems even best friends don't get to bypass 'The Policy,' as King, 67, was forced to miss out on the Lion King-themed fun because she didn't 'complete the policy!'

It is unclear what step King didn't meet, but she suggested she hadn't received her test results back in time, writing on Instagram the following day: 'Followed all the protocols...test results in! So [I'm] cleared to join the groupso happy!'

The New York Daily News also suggested King's busy schedule with CBS Mornings didn't allow the news anchor enough time to quarantine in time for the party.

It is unclear if Oprah required her guests to quarantine for then-10-day Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation or for a shorter period of time. The CDC reduced the quarantine to five days on Monday.

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Oprah, 67, (pictured in white) welcomed best friend Gayle King's grandson Luca to her multimillion-dollar home in Montecito, California, but guests had to follow a strict four-step policy to come - causing King to be a day late. All guests had to be vaccinated, boosted, tested, and quarantined before arriving

Gayle King, 67, arrived wearing festive pajamas the next day and made sure to snap a picture with her bestie and grandson

Bundled in a blanket decorated with pirates and superheroes, Oprah dotted over the infant who she said she had been 'waiting' to meet

Oprah gathered with King's daughter Kirby Bumpus and her partner Virgil Miller - who got married at the billionaire's house in 2020 - along with grandson Luca, the talk show host's long-time boyfriend Stedman and a few others.

They welcome the new edition to the family by singing the Lion King's Circle Of Life on the front steps of the multimillion-dollar home in Montecito, California.

Oprah decorated the front steps with blue balloons tied around the front columns as Bumpus brought her baby boy up the steps.

The billionaire doted over the infant, who was wrapped in a heroes blanket that had knights and pirates on it, as she gushed over the little boy.

Despite arriving a day late to the celebrations, Gayle didn't waste any time cuddling with her grandson

'You've been waiting to see me,' she cooed. 'I've been waiting to see you.'

Despite King's absence, no one's feelings were hurt, as King joined the 'bubble' the next day. Oprah made sure her chef had her best friend's favorite dessert: monkey bread.

'She loves nothing more than monkey bread,' Oprah told the camera as her chef explained what the southern treat was.

King, who arrived wearing festive green pajamas, said: 'This is a thing of beauty. I love, love, love monkey bread. Thank you.'

The pair dug into the dish, ignoring all the other grand dessert surrounding them.

King made sure to gather lots of photos from the event, even posting a picture of her and Oprah with Luca, and a lot of grandma snuggles.

The CBS Mornings anchor said she was 'nuts' about her grandson and soaked up every minute of it.

Although Oprah's policy is lengthy, it comes as the U.S. sees a surge of COVID cases and as the highly contagious Omicron variant has taken hold.

Besties that know your favorite dessert, stay together: Oprah made sure her late comer friend had a slice of monkey bread straight away

An average 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 98 percent increase from two weeks ago.

On Monday, 512,553 new cases were reported in the U.S., marking the country's largest single-day tally.

On Tuesday, the CDC said that Omicron accounted for 59 percent of new cases in the US.

California had a 126 percent in the last two weeks, while New York dominates the cases with a 235 percent increase. Texas isn't too far behind with a 226 percent increase.

DailyMail.com reached out to Oprah for comment.
The parents of the 14-year-old girl who was killed last week by a Los Angeles police officer's stray bullet while shopping for a quinceanera dress stood outside the LAPD headquarters on Tuesday and called for justice.

Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the daughter of Chilean immigrants, was shot dead while hiding in a dressing room at the North Hollywood Burlington Coat Factory with her mother while police hunted for a man suspected of assaulting two other women.

An officer was aiming rifle rounds at the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez, when one of them struck Valentina. Elena-Lopez was also killed.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined the heartbroken parents and read a translated statement written by Valentina's mother, who revealed that she and her daughter were hugging each other and praying inside the dressing room when the bullet struck the 14-year-old in the chest, killing her just two days before Christmas.

Speaking in Spanish and choking back tears, Valentina's mother, Soledad Peralta, said: 'She died in my arms. I couldn't do anything. Having a child die in your arms is one of the most painful things you can imagine.'

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Soledad Peralta and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, the parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, 14, choked back tears at a press conference outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on Tuesday

Soledad Peralta said Valentina, 14, died in her arms, and there was nothing she could do for her daughter after she was shot by a police officer's stray bullet

Valentina's father told reporters his daughter believed the US was the safest country in the world, and her greatest wish was to become an American citizen

The girl's grieving parents were joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump (second left)

The grief-stricken mother added: 'Now our sweet angel is gone forever.'

The girl's family said they had left their native Chile to get away from violence and injustice in search of a better life in the US.

'All she wanted was to become a American citizen,' her father, Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, said in Spanish. 'I once told her, let's leave this country. 'No, papa,' she said. 'This is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.' Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state.'

The father said he was in Chile for the holidays when his wife called him, telling him their daughter had been killed, adding in Spanish: 'my world collapsed on me.'

Police shot and killed suspect Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, after he allegedly attacked two women

Valentina's parents said the teen loved skateboarding and had dreams of becoming an engineer to build robots.

Attorneys representing the Orellana Peralta family say the want the LAPD to release all the video from the crime scene and for the officer who fired the deadly shot to be held accountable.

The press conference came a day after the police released a heavily edited package of surveillance and police body camera footage, which captured Valentina's final moments.

Her mother's desperate cries can be faintly heard before cops realized their fatal mistake in the footage.

In surveillance footage from the Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood on December 23 around 11.45 pm, eleven armed officers can be seen entering the store in response to 911 calls reporting a suspect, later identified as Elena-Lopez, who attacked two women.

Elena-Lopez was in the process of beating a heavily-bleeding woman with a steel bike lock when police arrived, cops said.

The unidentified officer who fired the fatal bullet can be heard on his body camera footage yelling 'victim down,' 'he's hitting her to the right side,' and 'she's bleeding, she's bleeding!' before he takes aim.

'Hold up Jones, I got you!' another officer says before the first policeman fires his rifle three times. He runs up to the Elena-Lopez, who flails on the ground, as another officer tends to the injured woman.

As officers tell Elena-Lopez to 'get on [his] f***ing stomach,' a woman can be heard screaming in the background from the dressing room.

The moment when the officers found the slain girl in the dressing room was not shown on the released police footage.

Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, can be seen laid out on the ground after he was shot by the Los Angeles Police Department officer. Behind him, Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, was hiding in a dressing room with her mother

Pictured is the unnamed officer's view of the suspect, Daniel Elena-Lopez, who had just beaten the bloodied, unidentified woman on the floor with a bike lock. Directly behind the suspect is the dressing room where Peralta and her mother were hiding as the chaos unfolded

Behind the suspect, Orellana Peralta and her mother were hiding in a dressing room. Officers can be seen entering the dressing room as another group of police attend to Elena-Lopez.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said officers later found the teen's lifeless body inside the changing room.

'You can't see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall,' Choi said at an earlier news conference.

The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave for at least two weeks as the incident is under investigation, although officials said the full probe into the shooting could take up to a year.

Body camera footage from the five officers closest to the LAPD officer who fired at Daniel Elena-Lopez, hitting Peralta in the process, were also shared in the LAPD press package

Police also shared the events that led up to the officer-involved shooting.

In CCTV footage from around 11 am, Elena-Lopez can be seen entering the Burlington Coat Factory, pushing his bike while wearing a tank top and shorts.

The steel bike lock that he would late use to brutally attack several women, with at least one hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries, is looped over his shoulder.

LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell said in a pre-recorded briefing within the press package that Elena-Lopez took his bike to the second floor of the Burlington Coat Factory after he first entered the store, laying it in an aisle before he began trying on clothes.

He was asked to move his bike by a female store employee, and he responded by smashing a nearby computer monitor. He then hit the glass railing, took the escalator down wearing a multicolored jacket and long pants, and tried to take another woman's purse.

Elena-Lopez can be seen laying on the ground after he was shot from another angle

When the woman resisted, Elena-Lopez tackled her and tried to attack her with the lock. The women, who police have yet to identify and question, was able to break away and run out of the store.

Elena-Lopez then attempted to grab another woman as she came down the escalator. She, too, was able to break away and run out of the store.

He then went back up to the second floor, where he approached a woman pushing a shopping cart from behind and hit her over the head with the bike lock. She crawled away, but Elena-Lopez dragged her back toward the dressing rooms and continued beating her.

Police do not believe that any of the women knew their attacker.

Three 911 calls to police reporting the attacks to police were also included in the press package.

Daniel Elena-Lopez can be pictured lunging at a woman on the first floor of the outlet, trying to take her purse and hit her with his bike chain before she gets away

Daniel Elena-Lopez can be seen beating the unidentified woman was his bike lock as she holds up her hands to protect her head

One call is from a store employee who tells the operator that there is a 'hostile customer in my store attacking customers' who is 'walking around the store looking for people' and 'breaking things.'

She can be heard frantically, repeatedly telling customers to evacuate the store, and tells the 911 operator that she and other employees have barricaded themselves in one of the store's offices.

Before the footage was released by the LAPD, the message 'Release the Footage, Moore' was written alongside a memorial of flowers and balloons outside the Burlington Coat Factory where the teen was killed.

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office has ruled their daughter's death a homicide from the gunshot wound to the chest.

The parents of Valentina Orellana Peralta, Soledad Peralta (center) and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas (right) will hold a press conference on Tuesday demanding transparency from the Los Angeles Police Department in their investigation into their daughter's killing

Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, (pictured as a child) was shot and killed in a Burlington dressing room after an unidentified police officer's spray bullet struck her in the chest

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office ruled Peralta's death a homicide. Pictured is a petition demanding justice for the slain teen

'This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family,' Police Chief Michel Moore said on Thursday.

The shooting is being investigated by the California Department of Justice under Attorney General Rob Bonta.

'It's 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,' said Moore

Spell said the department is still seeking out unidentified witnesses and victims, and will continue to investigate the shooting over the next several months.

When the department's Critical Incident Review Division completes their investigation, Spell said, their findings will be sent to Moore, who will then make a recommendation to the Civilian Board of Police Commissioners.

The board will then evaluate whether the officer's tactics, drawing and exhibiting a weapon and his use of deadly force was justified.

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 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

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.'

'There's not a police officer in America who would ever want this type of circumstance to occur,' Moore added.

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.

A GoFundMe page was set up for the family and it has raised almost $18,000, far surpassing its $8,000 goal, as of Monday evening.

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.

Flowers and balloons are left along a sign reading 'Release the Footage Moore' at a makeshift memorial for the teenage girl who was killed by a police stray bullet at a Burlington coat factory in North Hollywood

Before the footage was released by the LAPD on Monday, the message 'Release the Footage, Moore' was written alongside a memorial of flowers and balloons outside the Burlington Coat Factory where the teen was killed

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.

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.

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

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.
Texas and New York-based hospitals have run out of the only antibody treatment effective against the Omicron variant, as New Jersey hospitals triage who can get it amid a nationwide shortage.

The Food and Drug Administration resumed its distribution of GlaxoSmithKline's monoclonal antibody treatment over the past few weeks after it was found to be the only FDA-approved treatment that is effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 - which now accounts for 59 percent of new cases in the U.S.

More than 55,000 doses of sotrovimab - the remainder of the federal government's order from the British company - were scheduled to be delivered to hospitals last week.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expects more than 300,000 doses to be available next month, a spokesperson said, as GlaxoSmithKline ramps up production.

'We are working with urgency and exploring options to expand our supply capacity in 2022 so that we can support more patients,' Kathleen Quinn, a spokeswoman for the company, told NBC News.

But the lack of available treatments now has left hospitals throughout the country scrambling amid a surge in cases due to the Omicron variant.

GlaxoSmithKline's monoclonal antibody treatment has been proven to be the only FDA-authorized antibody treatment that is effective against the Omicron variant

On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced that they had run out of the monoclonal antibody treatment at five of its sites in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and the Woodlands.

And Chris Van Deusen, a department spokesman, told the Texas Tribune it is likely that other infusion centers will use up the remainder of their supplies in the coming days.

He said the state purchased 1,000 courses of the treatment in September, before the federal government bought up most of the supply. Between the state's purchases and allocations from the federal government, the Tribune reports, Texas has received about 12,000 courses this year.

State officials now do not expect to receive another shipment of sotrovimab from the federal government until January.

Anybody who has been diagnosed with a non-Omicron variant, which makes up 90 percent of the state's 74,330 new cases, can receive another monoclonal antibody treatment at the regional infusion centers.

The state is also recommending people take precautions against COVID, including getting a booster shot as soon as possible.

As of Tuesday, state Health and Human Services data shows, 71.41 percent of the state was vaccinated against COVID, and just 450,093 of the state's estimated 29 million residents have received a booster shot.

Meanwhile, 817 people had been admitted to one of the state's hospitals on Monday, and 668 patients were on ventilators.

TEXAS: A frontline worker administered a nasal swab test on a boy in November. The state is now seeing 74,330 new cases, 90 percent of which are caused by the spread of Omicron

NEW YORK: A person got a COVID test outside The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

In New York, which has been inundated with new COVID cases in recent weeks, hospitals have also stopped using the treatment, with New York University announcing last week that it would suspend the treatment.

Mount Sinai Health System in New York also said it would stop offering monoclonal antibodies in its hospitals, according to NBC News, as COVID-related hospitalizations in the state surge.

The number of New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID ballooned over Christmas, with more than 5,500 people spending their holidays inside one of New York's many hospital facilities - the largest increase since February.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday that statewide hospitalizations stand at 5,526 - the highest total since February 23 and nearly a 190 percent increase since November 1, according to NBC 4 New York.

As of Tuesday, that number was even higher with 6,173 people hospitalized with the virus and 210,996 people testing positive for the virus.

As of Tuesday, hospitalizations in New York State topped 6,000 COVID-related admissions

Hospitalizations among children have also doubled statewide since the beginning of the month and has jumping five-fold in New York City.

Across the state, 70 children were hospitalized with COVID during the week of December 5 to 11, but so from December 19 to 23, that number jumped to 184.

And in New York City, there were 22 children in the hospitals for COVID from December 5 to 11, but by December 19 to 23 there were 109 children hospitalized with the virus.

'We are releasing this data because we want pediatricians to be alert to making the diagnosis of COVID in children,' Dr. Mary Bassett, the state's acting health commissioner, said at Monday's news conference, adding that she wants parents to be aware that their children can catch the virus as well.

'Many people thought - continue to think - that children don't become infected with COVID. This is not true,' she said. 'Children become infected and some will be hospitalized.'

Bassett urged parents to get their children vaccinated, with CDC data showing that just 27.3 percent of five to 11 year olds in the state have received at least one dose, and only 16.4 percent are fully vaccinated. COVID is only fatal in extremely rare cases among under 18s, with fewer than 800 children in that age group being killed by the virus in the US since the start of the pandemic.

The state is now seeing nearly a 20 percent positivity rate in cases as New Yorkers continue to scramble for tests.

Hospitalizations among children have more than doubled statewide and jumped five-fold in New York City

And in nearby New Jersey, hospitals have begun to limit their usage of the monoclonal antibody treatment.

'While greater supply of sotrovimab is anticipated in January, current allocations remain limited across the country and are being prioritized for individuals who are most at risk with certain preexisting conditions,' Kerry McKean, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association said in a statement.

Valley Health Systems has since notified its doctors that it will not be using the treatment in the foreseeable future, as RWJBarnabas Health said it will triage who can get it.

'At this time, the criteria of recipients is now restricted to individuals who are 65 years of age or older or are immunocompromised and have cancer or have recently received an organ transplant,' the health system said in a statement to the Asbury Park Press.

Throughout the country, though, COVID cases have doubled.

On average for the past week, 235,269 Americans are testing positive for the virus every day, a 98 percent increase from two weeks ago and approaching the prior record of 247,503 set in January, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data.

On Monday, 512,553 new cases were reported in the US, marking the country's largest single-day tally since the beginning of the pandemic. The record-breaking figure is in part the product of a multi-day build up of unreported cases over the Christmas holiday on Saturday, which finally were logged to start the week.

Though Omicron is thought to be less severe than Delta, hospitalizations have also been rising, up 6 percent nationwide over the past two weeks, to 71,381.

In a troubling warning sign, the U.K., where Omicron struck earlier, has seen hospitalizations rise nearly 50 percent in the past week, with 1,374 coronavirus-infected patients admitted on Sunday, an 11-month high.

NEW JERSEY: A woman got her COVID-19 test at a drive-through site amid the Omicron surge

NEW JERSEY: Airline passengers are seen here lining up to get a COVID-19 test before boarding their flights at the Newark International Airport

Hospitalizations are soaring in some US states, including Louisiana, New Jersey and Florida where in each case the number of patients has jumped nearly 60 percent in two weeks. As well, Michigan, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire all hit record hospitalizations earlier this month.

'With this one, all 50 states are in the soup at the same time. It's like every state is being hit by a viral hurricane,' Michael Osterholm, a professor and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told the New York Times.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Omicron accounted for 59 percent of new cases in the U.S. for the week ending December 25, up from a revised level of 23 percent the previous week.

Previously, the CDC had said that highly-transmissible Omicron already accounted for 73 percent of new cases in the country. But the agency significantly lowered that prior estimate based on additional data it collected.

'January is going to be a really, really hard month. And people should just brace themselves for a month where lots of people are going to get infected,' Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN.
The Jan. 6 committee has agreed to heed President Biden's request that they pause attempts to obtain hundreds of pages of White House records related to the Capitol riot.

The Biden White House had expressed concerns that releasing the Trump administration documents could compromise national security or executive privilege.

Trump's lawyers have taken legal action to prevent the committee from obtaining access to any White House documents related to that day, and the former president has instructed his allies not to cooperate with the committee.

The Biden White House has rejected Trump's blanket claims of executive privilege, but will continue to work with the committee to shield some documents from being turned over.

Trump's lawyers have taken legal action to prevent the committee from obtaining access to any White House documents related to that day, and the former president has instructed his allies not to cooperate with the committee

The Biden White House has rejected Trump's blanket claims of executive privilege, but will continue to work with the committee to shield some documents from being turned over

White House deputy counsel Jonathan Su wrote in one of two letters obtained by the Associated Press that the documents the committee agreed to defer its request for did not relate to the riot.

'The documents for which the Select Committee has agreed to withdraw or defer its request do not appear to bear on the White House's preparations for or response to the events of January 6, or on efforts to overturn the election or otherwise obstruct the peaceful transfer of power,' he said.

Su wrote that withholding the records 'should not compromise its ability to complete its critical investigation expeditiously.'

Trump is currently appealing a ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that ordered the National Archives to hand over the materials to the committee. He's asked the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.

Earlier this month, a three-judge panel  two judges appointed by Barack Obama and one by Biden  unanimously upheld a lower court's ruling denying Trump a preliminary injunction to stop the release of records.

The January 6th Committee has sought records, logs, photographs, and calendars as it probes Trump's election overturn effort and the Capitol riot on the day Congress met to count the electoral votes that made Biden president

Trump's lawyers filed an emergency appeal to meet a deadline imposed by the lower court.

The January 6th Committee has sought records, logs, photographs, and calendars as it probes Trump's election overturn effort and the Capitol riot on the day Congress met to count the electoral votes that made Biden president.

And for months, the National Archives has been transmitting troves of documents to the White House and to attorneys for Trump to see if they contain any privileged information.

Trump's lawyers argue 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.'

The White House counsel's office wrote in a Dec. 16 letter obtained by AP that some records requested by the Jan. 6 committee but not pertinent to the riot should be shielded.

Some documents the White House has asked to shield include sensitive preparations and deliberations by the National Security Council. The White House worries that turning over such pages to Congress could set a dangerous precedent for the executive branch, regardless of who is in office.

The deferral of the documents request comes as numerous Trump allies have begun to put up a fight with the committee's probe. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich filed a lawsuit on Friday after the January 6 House Committee requested his financial documents.

Trump's former National Security adviser Michael Flynn sued the committee last week to stop their subpoena of his phone records.

The House held two other Trump officials - former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former adviser Steve Bannon - in contempt after their no-shows before the panel.

Meadows, in turn, launched a suit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the committee over their contempt charges.

Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone briefly appeared before the committee before pleading the Fifth Amendment and Trump attorney John Eastman and former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark have both refused to comply.
More than a million students, Youth Allowance recipients, single parents and carers are getting more money in their bank accounts from next week.

Government payments are being increased to cover for inflation despite a forecast surge in public debt beyond the $1trillion mark, for the first time ever, to finance the costs of the pandemic.

Lockdown rules allowing pubs and restaurants to serve takeaway cocktails in a jug are also ending this summer.

From January 1, Youth Allowance recipients living away from home and older students receiving Austudy will see their fortnightly payments rise by $17.90 to $537.40.

For those living at home, aged over 18, payments are increasing by $12.40 to $371.60 to mark the start of 2022.

Single parents who are studying will receive an extra $23 per fortnight, raising their total to $688.20, with that figure including the energy supplement.

The Carer Allowance - helping those looking after a loved one with a disability or who is elderly or unwell - is going up by $4.60 a fortnight to $136.50.

More than a million students, Youth Allowance recipients, single parents and carers are getting more money in their bank accounts from next week (pictured are students at the University of New South Wales)

Some government payments are being indexed to inflation, marking the biggest jump in welfare since 2012.

The 3.5 per cent increase in welfare is bigger than the 3 per cent rise in the consumer price index.

January 1 welfare boost YOUTH ALLOWANCE/AUSTUDY: Up $17.90 a fortnight to $537.40 CARER ALLOWANCE: Up $4.60 a fortnight to $136.50 AUSTUDY (SINGLE PARENTS): Up $23 a fortnight to $688.30 Advertisement

This will also see increases to Assistance for Isolated Children, Youth Disability Support Pension, Mobility Allowance, Double Orphan Pension along with additional child amounts that are paid under some social security agreements.

But the 10million Australians waiting for the next lot of tax relief of up to $1,080 have to be patient, with the low and middle-income tax offset not kicking in until July 1, marking the start of the next financial year.

In the May Budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg extended low and middle-income tax offsets for 10million people earning up to $126,000.

They applied to 2020-21 and also the 2021-22 financial year, which the next set of tax returns will cover.

This will see 4.6million Australians earning between $48,000 and $90,000 receive $1,080 as another 1.8million people earning $37,000 to $48,000 get back $255.

But with an election due by May 2022, there is a good chance Prime Minister Scott Morrison could announce an extension of the tax relief.

Should the Coalition next year win a fourth, consecutive term for the first time since 2004, Australia from 2024 would have four instead of five tax brackets for the first time since 1984.

In the May Budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg extended low and middle-income tax offsets for 10million people earning up to $126,000. They applied to 2020-21 and also the 2021-22 financial year, which means a July 1 wait for the next lot of relief

The 37 per cent tax bracket would abolished and a new 30 per cent tax bracket created for individuals earning between $45,000 and $200,000.

Labor initially had reservations about the Stage Three tax cuts plan but is now vowing to support it, with its changing positions giving the Coalition a possible theme for negative election ads.

Treasury's Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published a week before Christmas, estimated gross government debt surpassing the $1trillion mark by the 2022-23 financial year as a result of Covid stimulus measures, making up 45.6 per cent of gross domestic product.

The updated Budget forecasts also predicted lockdowns and Covid restrictions would no longer be needed in early 2022 with more than 90 per cent of the national population, aged 16 and over, fully vaccinated.

'It is assumed that lockdowns are no longer required to manage Covid-19 transmission in the community,' it said.

'Most domestic activity restrictions will be lifted by the beginning of 2022 with only baseline levels of physical distancing and density restrictions continuing over the first half of 2022.'

During the long Sydney lockdown in July this year, pubs, restaurants and hotels were allowed to sell takeaway alcohol in sealed containers without need to pay a higher rate of excise. But that leniency from the Australian Taxation Office expires on January 31, 2022, which means drinkers won't be able to get a special cocktail in a growler jug and will have to visit the bottle shop instead for a pre-mixed drink (pictured is a bartender in Sydney in October)

The forecasts were written before the latest surge in the Omicron variant, with a record 11,201 new daily Covid cases on Wednesday announced in New South Wales, where face mask and QR code check-ins rules have been revived.

During the long Sydney lockdown in July this year, pubs, restaurants and hotels were allowed to sell takeaway alcohol in sealed containers without need to pay a higher rate of excise.

But that leniency from the Australian Taxation Office expires on January 31, 2022, which means drinkers won't be able to get a special cocktail in a growler jug and will have to visit the bottle shop instead for a pre-mixed drink.
Travellers seeking Covid-19 tests are delaying the diagnoses of people who are actually sick, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says, as he pleads with the Queensland government to change its border entry requirements.

Mr Perrottet said 'tourism testing' is clogging up the already overwhelmed testing system in NSW, as the state reported another 6,062 infections on Tuesday.

The number of tests processed across the state dropped to just over 93,500 over the same period.

Thousands of people across NSW - including travellers required to have a negative PCR test before arriving in Queensland - are queuing for hours to be swabbed.

Wait times for results are even longer, with the usual 24 hour turnaround blowing out to five days in some cases.

'There are people getting tests who don't have any symptoms, are not feeling unwell... and are taking the place of people who are unwell or who are required to get a test by NSW Health,' he said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is calling on the Queensland government to accept rapid antigen tests instead of PCR tests from travellers as testing queues reach capacity (pictured in Bondi)

Mr Perrottet wants Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to change the rule immediately and instead accept rapid antigen test results, he said.

However the test kits are in short supply in NSW, with residents reporting they are impossible to buy.

He also pleaded for only those who are unwell or contacted by NSW Health to present for testing, to help alleviate pressure on clinics, many of which have reduced operating hours over the festive period.

'We are still seeing many people in those queues who do not need to be there,' he said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard earlier hit out at Queensland for the pressure its requirements were placing on state testing systems.

The NSW premier has also pleaded for only those who are unwell or contacted by NSW Health to present for testing, to help alleviate pressure on clinics

Wait times are now so long the results are no longer even relevant, Mr Hazzard told reporters on Tuesday.

'They might have been negative on day one when they had their test, but they could well be positive on day four or day five when they cross the border,' he said.

'It makes no sense at all.'

One traveller who spoke to AAP said some people hoping to travel north may even struggle to get swabbed.

She arrived at a Port Macquarie testing clinic before it opened and queued for more than 90 minutes, before being turned away when staff spotted her Queensland licence plates.

The woman said she had to leave the queue and return in her mother's car to secure a test.

While Ms Palaszczuk denies Queensland's requirements are contributing significantly to NSW's testing woes, she has hinted they may be scrapped on January 1.

Queensland is also in the grips of a massive outbreak, with 1,158 new cases reported on Tuesday.
The mother of a truck driver who was given a 110-year prison sentence for a fatal Colorado crash that killed four people said she won't stop fighting as she demands answers for her son.

Oslaida Mederos spoke to ABC and said that her son Rogel Aguilera-Mederos did not mean any harm to the victims of the 2019 crash.

'I feel very sad for the people who lost their lives,' Mederos told the network. 'And my son is suffering from it, as well as I am.

'We are Christians, we believe in God and we pray for them. He is a good boy.'

Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was sentenced to 110 years in prison on December 13 after he slammed into two dozen vehicles with his semi on I-70 in Lakewood, Colorado, causing a multi-car pileup that killed four victims and injured others involved.

He was found guilty on 27 of 42 charges against him in Jefferson County Court in October.

The case has since received national attention and an online petition was signed by nearly five million people to grant Aguilera-Mederos clemency or offer him commutation.

Even celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have been vocal about the case, which she helped call public attention to on social media. She, too, has also called for a lesser sentence for Aguilera-Mederos

'I have the support of every country in the world,' his mother also told ABC.

'They call me every five minutes that they want his freedom... that it was an injustice. It was an accident.'

Oslaida Mederos said she won't stop fighting for her son Rogel Aguilera-Mederos after he was given a 110-year prison sentence for a 2019 crash

Mederos attended a rally last week in support of her son at the Colorado state capitol which was organized to demand justice for Aguilera-Mederos

Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty on 27 criminal charges in October and received the lengthy sentence on December 13

Aguilera-Mederos crashed into two dozen vehicles with his semi-truck in April 2019 which killed four people and injured several others

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, (pictured) was sentenced earlier this month to 110 years in prison in accordance with Colorado's minimum sentencing guidelines

A rally was organized for Aguilera-Mederos on the steps of the Capitol building with his mother continuing to seek justice for her son.

'Please help me. I want to see my son,' Mederos said, according to PBS. 'I will die if I don't see my son soon.'

The family's attorney, Leonard Martinez, also spoke out on Monday as he continues to fight to bring Aguilera-Mederos home.

'We want our client home and with his family,' Martinez told ABC.

'I'm not sure we'll get there with the judge, obviously. And not sure we'll get there with the governor, but we're going to try.

'We're going to continue to try to get him home as soon as possible.'

Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King is working on reducing the trucker's sentence as she claims she is willing to recommend 20 to 30 years as that is the minimum the state will allow.

Aguilera-Mederos is now due back in court on January 13 as a judge considers the re-sentencing request.

Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King announced on Monday she will 'likely be recommending' a reduced sentence for him of 20 to 30 years in prison

King had announced her intention to seek a lesser sentence for Aguilera-Mederos last week.

'Given that the victim in this case have more than one view of an appropriate outcome and this trial court heard the evidence presented, we believe that this hearing is is the best path to securing justice for everyone involved,' she said in a statement on Thursday.

And in a motion requesting the hearing, King noted: 'As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances.'

But Martinez said the district attorneys new requested sentencing range was not acceptable and was not consistent with similar cases in Colorado and elsewhere in the US.

He said he would instead ask Colorado Governor Jared Polis to grant Aguilera-Mederos clemency.

Polis' office said on December 14 that it has received a request for clemency and the application was being reviewed.

'We just received Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' application and our legal team is currently reviewing it. Once we reach a decision, we will make an announcement,' a spokesperson for Polis said.

Aguilera-Mederos was hauling lumber in an 18-wheeler when he sped down I-70 at 85mph and crashed into two dozen vehicles - including four other transporters stuck in rush-hour traffic on April 25, 2019

Aguilera-Mederos was working for a Houston-based trucking company, hauling lumber at the time of the fatal crash in April 2019

Prosecutors said he was eastbound coming down the interstate from the mountains about 85mph.

They said he swerved at times, forcing others off the road before he crashed into two dozen vehicles causing a giant fireball, FOX 31 reports.

It left behind a scene of 'significant, just unbelievable carnage,' Lakewood Police Spokesman Ty Countryman said during a news conference following the crash, noting that some bodies were still in the wreckage hours later.

Video showed cars stopped in every direction as the huge fire spread, sending smoke billowing.

'This is looking to be one of the worst accidents we've had here in Lakewood,' Countryman said.

Those killed in the crash were Doyle Harrison, 61, of Hudson, Colorado; William Bailey, 67, of Arvadal; Miguel Angel Lamas Arrellano, 24, of Denver; and Staney Politano, 69, of Arvada.

Six others were taken to hospital.

Six others had to be rushed to the hospital in the aftermath of the crash

Aguilera-Mederos has claimed the brakes on his truck had failed

Aguilera-Mederos has since testified that the brakes on his semitrailer failed as he was descending a steep grade of Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

His defense attorney claimed he did not know that his truck brakes were smoking or that he would not be able to stop.

He also argued that Aguilera-Mederos' actions were a series of negligent decisions, and that he did not intend to hurt anybody.

But prosecutors argued he should have used a runaway ramp designed for such situations. Aguilera-Mederos, for his part, said he was struggling to avoid traffic and trying to shift to slow down.

On October 15, a jury ultimately found Aguilera-Mederos guilty of 27 criminal charges, including:

Four counts of vehicular homicide

Two counts of vehicular assault

Six counts of assault in the first-degree with extreme indifference

10 counts of criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree

One count of reckless driving

Four counts of careless driving causing death

He was also found not guilty of 15 counts of criminal attempts to commit assaults in the first degree.

Among the victims of the deadly crash were Stanley Politano, 69, of Arvada, Colorado, left, and Miguel Angel Lamas Arrelano, 24, of Denver, right,

Doyle Harrison (left) was also killed in the inferno, as was Victim William Bailey (pictured right with his wife, Gage Evans)

As Aguilera-Mederos faced sentencing on December 13, he issued a statement apologizing to the victims' families, crying as he spoke.

'It's hard. This was a terrible accident, I know,' he said. 'I take the responsibility, but it was an accident.

'I have never thought about hurting anyone in my entire life and Jesus Christ, he knows that, he knows my heart,' he continued.

'I am not a criminal, I am not a murderer.'

'The accident - it wasn't intentional, it wasn't intentional, Your Honor. I did all that I can as a man. I put myself in harm's way to avoid harming anyone else.'

He claimed that he tried to avoid the traffic, and noted that he did not flee in the aftermath 'because I respect the laws.

'I want to say sorry, sorry for the loss, sorry for the people injured,' he concluded, noting: 'I ask ... God many times why them and not me.'

Relatives of the victims supported at least some prison time at his sentencing hearing, but in the statement last week, King said she and her team had spoken to the surviving victims of the crash and the families of those who died about the possibility of Aguilera-Mederos being resentenced before she issued her request.

A juror who helped convict him has also said Aguilera-Mederos' 110-jail sentence is 'not right.'

'I cried my eyes out,' the juror, who remained anonymous, told FOX31.

The juror called the sentence '100-fold of what it should have been' and said that while the trucker was responsible for the crash, Judge A. Bruce Jones should have given him a 'more suitable sentence.'

Jones has said his hands are tied due to mandatory minimum laws.

'There is just something wrong to where a judge cannot intervene in some way and say the way this is written is not right,' the juror added.

The juror also told FOX31 he feels for the families of the victims, but feels compelled to speak in favor of reducing Aguilera-Mederos' sentence.

'I don't [think] the governor should sit there and offer him clemency and let him off,' he said.

'But to step in and say this would be a more suitable sentence for what had happened.'

As of Tuesday, almost 5 million people signed a Change.org calling for the trucker's sentence to be lessened.

'Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos ... has nothing on his driving record, or on his criminal history,' says a petition, addressed to Polis and Jefferson County courts.

The governor is the only person who can grant clemency at the state level.

Polis most recently commuted four sentences and issued 18 pardons in December 2020. Clemency usually results in a sentence reduction or a pardon.

The petition goes on to say that Aguilera-Mederos could have 'done things differently to avoid the courts,' but ultimately commended him for taking responsibility and apologizing to the victim's families.

It has become the website's third most signed petition, according to the Change.org page.

A Change.org petition to reduce Aguilera-Mederos' sentence has become the website's third most signed petitions after it reached 4.6 million signatures, according to the page

Kim Kardashian, who is studying law, has also called for a lesser sentence for Aguilera-Mederos.

She posted on Instagram to her 271 million followers that she had heard about the case and 'took a deep dive in it to figure out what the situation is.'

She continued: 'He was not drunk or under the influence; his brakes on the tractor-trailer failed.

'Another shocking and unfair part of this case is that the judge didn't 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.'

Kardashian also condemned the gleeful celebrations of the prosecutors, saying their gift of a brake shoe trophy made her 'sick'.

She added that the governor, Jared Polis, 'is a really good person and I know he will do the right thing.'
Australia needs to take rapid Covid-19 testing more seriously because it is falling behind the rest of the world in how it manages virus testing according to a leading medical device manufacturer.

Rapid antigen kits, which are DIY rather than lab tests, are assuming more importance as the pandemic continues because they return results in minutes, claims John Kelly, the boss of Sydney-based company Atomo Diagnostics.

They also potentially prevent the virus spreading by eliminating the need for sick and well people to stand next to each other in queues and especially indoors.

Australia needs to take rapid Covid-19 testing more seriously because it is falling behind the rest of the world in how it manages virus testing according to a leading medical device manufacturer

There has been widespread criticism of an over-reliance on PCR tests (also known as lab tests) which return results several days later and inadvertently exposes people without the virus to people who have it

There has been widespread criticism of an over-reliance on PCR tests (also known as lab tests) which return results several days later and inadvertently exposes people without the virus to people who have it.

The accuracy of PCR tests has also come into focus.

While PCR tests are more accurate than rapid antigen tests, the lab testing system produced hundreds of false positive results in Sydney this week.

'There's no national rapid test strategy and we've been waiting two years for this to happen. I don't understand why as a nation we are not better prepared,' Mr Kelly told The Australian.

Rapid antigen kits, which are DIY rather than lab tests, are assuming more importance as the pandemic continues because they return results in minute - although they are less accurate than lab tests

While PCR tests are more accurate than rapid antigen tests, the lab testing system produced hundreds of false positive results in Sydney this week

'If the current situation doesn't make that clear  I'm not sure what would. Rapid testing is one of the key pillars of Covid response,' he said.

Mr Kelly claims rapid antigen testing plays a greater role in the UK and Europe.

Professor Robert Booy, an infectious disease expert from the University of Sydney, warns that the testing queues are putting more people at risk of catching the virus, as symptomatic Aussies line up with people who simply need a negative test.

'Symptomatic people are turning up for PCR tests and standing for hours in queues adding to the risk of spread to those who are negative,' he told the Courier Mail.

Atomo Diagnostics, based in Leichhardt, Sydney, also sells its rapid antigen testing kits in the United Kingdom.

According to the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods there are 157 Covid-19 test kits approved for use in Australia, including Atomo's.

To be approved by the TGA in Australia a brand of rapid antigen test must be able to detect at least 80 per cent of PCR-confirmed-Covid infections.

One of the major reasons behind the under-reliance on rapid antigen testing is that consumers pay for the testing, where lab tests are free.

One of the criticisms of the lab-testing system is that sick and well people potentially stand close to each other as they wait

Woolworths and Coles both only one brand, made by Hough Pharma, but they are not available in all stores and are often out of stock.

When they are available they cost $15 each.

The retailers began stocking them in November.

Chemist Warehouse only sell rapid antigen kits online. The store stock the RightSign brand at a cost of two for $25.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce criticised Queensland over its emphasis on PCR testing and said the sunshine state should be using more rapid antigen testing.

On Tuesday Queensland removed the need for visitors to take a PCR test after five days, but left in place the requirement for one on arrival.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal charges stemming from allegations of unwanted kissing by two women, one of them a state trooper assigned to his detail, a county prosecutor said Tuesday.

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah noted that while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, the office could not pursue criminal charges.

'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,' Rocah said in a statement.

A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Cuomo.

Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal charges for allegedly kissing two women without their consent in Westchester County

District Attorney Mimi Rocah said there was 'credible evidence' the claims were valid, there was no criminality based on the state's statutory requirements

Attorney General Letitia James released a 168-page report with 74,000 pieces of evidence and dozens of interviews in August that chronicled accusations from 11 women against Cuomo and led to his resignation from office, although he has attacked the findings as biased and inaccurate.

After James' report was concluded, she said pursuing potential criminal penalties would be up to prosecutors.

The unnamed state trooper assigned to Cuomos detail was on duty at his home in Mount Kisco and asked the Governor if he needed anything before he responded by asking her if he could kiss her, according to James report. The trooper said that she feared the ramifications of denying his request, so she said sure.

Cuomo kissed her on the cheek and, as listed in James report, said something along the lines of oh, I'm not supposed to do that or unless that's against the rules.

In a second allegation probed by Rocahs office, a woman claimed that an unprompted Cuomo grabbed her arm, pulled her toward him and kissed her on the cheek to greet her at an event at White Plains High School.

While Rocah said that her office would not pursue criminal charges, she added that their conclusion is not related to any possible civil liability because it is outside of her offices jurisdiction.

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

We continue to recognize the bravery of the women and witnesses who have cooperated with law enforcement and we remain committed to supporting them and all survivors, Rocah added in a statement.

As in all cases of alleged misconduct, my office will investigate such claims irrespective of the position or status of the accusers or the accused. We thank the Attorney General, the State Assembly and our sister DA Offices for their collaboration and cooperation.

Last week, a Long Island prosecutor said Cuomo wouldn't face criminal charges after the same unnamed trooper said she felt 'completely violated' by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park in September 2019. Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said the allegations were credible and troubling but not criminal under state law.

Following the prosecutors announcements, Cuomo fired back at New York Attorney General Letitia James for her report claiming that the former governor sexually harassed at least 11 women during his time in office.

'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.

'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.

Former aide Lindsay Boylan, 36, was the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment in a Medium post on February 24. Charlotte Bennett, 25, came forward a few days later

Anna Ruch was the third woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment and the only one thus far who did not work with him in a professional capacity

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.

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 last Thursday afternoon, said Cuomo didn't recall touching the trooper.

Ana Liss, 35, a former aide, said Cuomo asked her whether she had a boyfriend, once kissed her hand at her desk and called her by patronizing names, including 'blondie,' 'sweetheart' and 'honey.' The oldest allegations against Cuomo came from Karen Hinton, who served as a press aide for him when he led the US Department of Housing and Urban Development two decades ago and she was a consultant for the agency

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.'

Jessica Bakeman, a reporter who once covered the Cuomo administration, was the seventh woman to come forward with claims of harassment

Sherry Vill, 55, accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct on Monday. Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek

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.

Referencing the kiss outside his Mount Kisco home, 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.

Cuomo's book, released in October 2020, centered on Cuomo's early handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state

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.

DailyMail.com spotted axed CNN host Chris Cuomo in the Hamptons on Saturday in his first sighting since being fired from CNN earlier this month

Chris Cuomo is seen on Monday November 29 - the last night he hosted his CNN show before his suspension and ultimate firing

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.

Former aide Lindsay Boylan, 36, was the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment in a Medium post on February 24. She claimed that the governor asked her to play strip poker and kissed her on the lips without her permission when she worked for him in 2017.

Charlotte Bennett, 25, came forward a few days after Boylan and claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed her last June while she was working as a health policy adviser in his administration at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.

Bennett accused Cuomo of 'grooming' her and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life.

She also claimed that he told her he was open to dating women in their 20s.

Anna Ruch was the third woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment and the only one thus far who did not work with him in a professional capacity. She claimed that Cuomo put his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her just moments after they met at a September 2019 wedding in Manhattan.

Ana Liss, 35, a former aide, said Cuomo asked her whether she had a boyfriend, once kissed her hand at her desk and called her by patronizing names, including 'blondie,' 'sweetheart' and 'honey.'

At a reception, the governor hugged her then put his arm around her lower back and waist as they posed for photo, Liss said.

She said she eventually asked for a job transfer. In an interview, Liss said she was 'not claiming sexual harassment per se,' but felt the administration 'wasn't a safe space for young women to work.'

The oldest allegations against Cuomo came from Karen Hinton, who served as a press aide for him when he led the US Department of Housing and Urban Development two decades ago and she was a consultant for the agency.

Hinton told the Washington Post about a 2000 incident when she said Cuomo summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event. She said she tried to pull away from Cuomo when he pulled her back and held her before she managed to escape the room.

The most damning allegations leveled against Cuomo to date came from a sixth accuser, whose name has not been released.

The accuser, who is a member of Cuomo's staff, alleged that he closed a door, reached under her blouse and fondled her after summoning her to the governor's mansion in Albany for help with his cellphone, according to the Times Union of Albany.

It first reported on her accusation last month; she then gave more detail in her first interview on the matter.

The woman spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy, although her identity is known within the governors circle, the Times Union reported.

Jessica Bakeman became Cuomo's seventh accuser when she claimed in a first-person article for New York Magazine that she was sexually harassed by Cuomo on several occasions since the start of her journalism career in 2012.

'He took my hand, as if to shake it, then refused to let go,' Bakeman wrote of an interaction with Cuomo as she said goodnight at a holiday party in 2014 when she was only 25 years old.

'He put his other arm around my back, his hand on my waist, and held me firmly in place while indicating to a photographer he wanted us to pose for a picture.'

Alyssa McGrath, a current administrative assistant in Cuomo's office, told The New York Times that he looked down her shirt, quizzed her about her marital status, and told her she was beautiful, using an Italian phrase she had to ask her parents to interpret.

McGrath didn't say the governor made sexual contact with her but thought his behavior was sexual harassment.

She recalled Cuomo kissing her on the forehead and gripping her firmly around the sides while posing for a photo at a 2019 office Christmas party.

The latest accuser in James' report was Sherry Vill, 55, who accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct during a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred in March.

She alleges Cuomo grabbed her face and kissed her 'aggressively and in a sexual manner' on both cheeks in May 2017 while he was touring her home in Greece, near Rochester, as he inspected local flood damage.

Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek and her attorney held up multiple photos showing the Governor inside her home.

In the latest saga of Cuomo's sexual misconduct allegations involve his brother Chris, who was indefinitely suspended from CNN, where he worked as a news anchor, on November 30 after it was revealed that he had helped his brother battle the sexual harassment allegations to a greater extent than he admitted.

Four days later CNN confirmed they were firing him from his $6million-a-year position after an unnamed former co-worker at ABC claimed that he sexually harassed her.

Chris' professional life has been plagued with controversy since a report by the New York Attorney General revealed the depths of his involvement with his governor brother.

He was fired four days after CNN's president, Jeff Zucker took him off the air and announced his 'indefinite suspension.'

CNN said in a statement that Chris had mislead them about his efforts this spring to help his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo, in countering allegations of sexual harassment.

Chris has claimed Zucker knew all about what was going on, with the network vehemently denying that.

It appears likely that accusations that he sexually harassed a former co-worker at ABC was the final straw that led to his firing - a move which would appear to slightly ease the pressure on Zucker.

The host was fired when the unidentified woman's lawyer, Debra Katz, told CNN executives about the allegations. Katz also represents one of Andrew Cuomo's accusers, Charlotte Bennett.

A source told the New York Post: 'From a legal standpoint, CNN had cause to fire Chris on Friday based on the Letitia James information. From a practical standpoint, when the sexual-misconduct claim came in, CNN decided, 'Enough is enough.''

In responding to Cuomo's claims that Zucker knew about his support for his brother, CNN said in a written statement it disagreed their former star's characterization of events.

'He has made a number of accusations that are patently false,' the network said.

'This reinforces why he was terminated for violating our standards and practices, as well as his lack of candor.'
A breakthrough could help thousands of women with the 'Jolie gene' to delay or avoid cancer surgery.

It would allow doctors to predict when and if patients with a faulty gene develop breast and ovarian cancer.

Women could then put off preventative surgery, buying them more time to start a family, or avoid the invasive treatment altogether.

Angelina Jolie, pictured, brought the BRCA1 gene to attention in 2013 when she revealed she had chosen to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed aged 37

The mutated BRCA1 gene, which affects thousands of British women, is known as the 'Jolie gene' after Angelina Jolie  who inherited it from her mother.

The actress brought it to the attention of the world in 2013 when she revealed she had chosen to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed aged 37 to reduce her risk of suffering the same fate as her mother  who died at 56 after a ten-year battle.

In future, women like Miss Jolie could undergo such interventions later in life or dodge them altogether after scientists managed to mimic how BRCA1 ovarian cancer develops in the lab.

A team including the doctor who treated Miss Jolie's mother Marcheline Bertrand, grew mini fallopian tubes using cells from the blood of women who had developed the disease.

They observed that the cells divided more, formed abnormal growths and produced a protein linked to cancer.

Miss Jolie's mother Marcheline Bertrand (pictured left with actress Jacqueline Bisset) died at 56 after battling with breast and ovarian cancer

This insight could one day enable doctors to accurately predict when a woman's cancer will develop or lead to drugs that stop the disease occurring.

The next step would be for scientists to grow fallopian tubes from women who have the gene but have not yet developed cancer  enabling them to work out why some avoid the disease.

Dr Beth Karlan, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and co-lead author of the study, said: 'Having cared for Angelina Jolie's mother, I just wanted Angelina to be around to see her children grow up.

'These lab-grown fallopian tubes will help us identify the genes involved in ovarian cancer development, so we have targets for new drugs to prevent it or treat it much better.'

Dr Clive Svendsen, from the US-based Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and co-lead author of a study on the breakthrough, said: 'Being able to recreate ovarian cancer in a dish, and seeing cancerous changes to cells which are more striking in people with more aggressive cancer, is very exciting.

Miss Jolie pictured earlier this year. The mutated BRCA1 gene, which affects thousands of British women, is known as the 'Jolie gene'

'The next stage could be to identify the age at which women with the BRCA1 mutation are likely to get cancer.

'That could help women like Angelina Jolie make very important decisions, or lead to drugs which can block proteins or cellular processes which lead to ovarian cancer.'

About one in 200 people in the UK carry mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA 2 genes, giving them a higher risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer.

The children of these people have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the faulty genes.

The ovarian cancer risk for the average woman is less than 2 per cent, but rises to 30 to 50 per cent for those who have faulty BRCA1. They are also more likely to get breast cancer.

The US study was published in Cell Reports. Alexandra Holden, from Target Ovarian Cancer, said: 'This cancer has been chronically underfunded for too long and those with a BRCA1 mutation have limited options.

'We hope this will open doors to further research and better prevention and treatment.'
More than 100 cases of harassment and stalking were reported within Parliament over the past two years, shocking figures have revealed.

Police data obtained by the Daily Mail also shows six knives were seized from people entering the estate over the same period.

The murders of two MPs in five years and the Westminster terror attack in 2017 has thrown a harsh spotlight on the threats politicians face.

But parliamentary staff are also subjected to threats, bullying and harassment, a damning report concluded in 2019.

And now Metropolitan Police has said 117 cases of harassment and stalking were reported within the Houses of Parliament between January 2020 and September this year.

The incidents included the sending of letters with intent to cause distress or anxiety, publishing or distributing written material  such as to stir up religious hatred  as well as causing intentional harassment.

Many of the alleged crimes are likely to have taken place outside of the estate but were reported to police within Parliament.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who has previously spoken out about the harassment she faced, said the reported cases were likely to be just a fraction of the true figure.

A memorial service for MP David Amess outside the Houses of Parliament on October 18 earlier this year

MP Jo Cox was stabbed and shot while attending a meeting in her constituency of Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire five and a half years ago

Emergency services at the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, where PC Keith Palmer was fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood after he ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge

Jess Phillips: My life has been threatened Labour MP Jess Phillips is a frequent victim of harassment  and this year a man was jailed for sending her more than 300 emails. Tony Eckersley, from Salford, was imprisoned for 28 months for the string of violent and racist messages. But he is not alone in harassing the MP for Birmingham Yardley, who believes she ranks in the top ten of most targeted MPs. Labour MP Jess Phillips (pictured) is a frequent victim of harassment The Labour shadow minister said she had received death threats over the years. She added that she has to fight the urge she is wasting police time by reporting threats, adding: My staff are so trained at firing off the abuse emails, letters and phone calls to the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team. MPs are suffering not just critique or criticism but severe and frightening harassment and stalking. Advertisement

She told the Mail: I wouldnt be surprised if it was at least three times higher.

People dont report them, or they get used to these kinds of things  or MPs dont even know because their staff are dealing with them.

A Met Police spokesman said: During the period January 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, there were 117 cases of stalking or harassment reported to the Mets Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team (PLaIT) by individuals within the Houses of Parliament.

The majority of these incidents took place online or at other locations and relate to written correspondence.

The PLaIT team was established following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 to better manage and investigate threats against MPs, their staff and families, the Met said.

The spokesman added: Forces review MP security advice frequently, based on an assessment of changing threats and risk.

'Strong political opinions are no excuse for abuse, harassment or intimidation of members of the public or parliamentarians.

Police will treat such allegations seriously and seek to bring offenders to justice. We encourage MPs to immediately report any security concerns to their local police force in order to keep themselves, their staff, families, and members of the public attending surgeries safe.

Meanwhile, figures, released to the Mail under freedom of information laws, showed six weapons were seized at the entrance to the Parliamentary Estate over the past two years. They included a small lock knife, a small knife and a Swiss Army knife.

On the seizure of weapons, the Met said: Typically, around one million visitors attend the Palace of Westminster each year and the seizure of weapons reflects that there is an effective search regime in place.

However, Covid restrictions mean the number of visitors over the last two years will have been far lower than normal.

A parliamentary spokesman added: While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective.

'Any allegation of criminal activity would be taken seriously.
Shocking new details have emerged in the case of two Iowa teens charged with murdering their high school Spanish teacher.

Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale, both 16, are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the killing of Nohema Graber in Fairfield.

Prosecutors said in a recent court filing that the teens surveilled Graber's pattern of life, ambushed her along her daily walk and dragged her into the woods, returning later to better hide her lifeless body under a wheelbarrow.

Graber, 66, was reported missing November 2 at a park where she was known to take daily walks, and her remains were found later that day.

Authorities earlier confirmed she had suffered 'inflicted trauma to the head' and her body was found concealed under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties at the Chautauqua Park in Fairfield, about 95 miles southeast of Des Moines.

Authorities have not released a motive. Both teens attended Graber's Spanish class at Fairfield High School, where she had taught since 2012.

Willard Noble Chaiden Miller (seen in court last month) and Jeremy Everett Goodale (right) are accused of murdering mother-of-two Nohema Graber, 66, who was found dead in the sleepy Iowa town of Fairfield on November 2. The pair have both pleaded not guilty to murder

Nohema Graber's body was found concealed under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties at the Chautauqua Park in Fairfield where she was known to take daily walks

In court documents filed December 23, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncy Moulding offered the additional details of Graber's death.

Both teens have pleaded not guilty, and their attorneys have asked a judge to move their case to juvenile court.

Hearings on the requests are scheduled for January 27.

Moulding argued trying Goodale as an adult is the only appropriate plan because he would be released at age 18, less than 24 months, if he is tried and convicted in the juvenile court system.

'This prosecuting attorney cannot fathom any combination of programming at any Iowa juvenile facility which could appropriately treat or rehabilitate the defendant if adjudicated as a juvenile,' he said.

Millers attorney has made a similar request and Moulding resisted for many of the same reasons.

Miller and Goodale are being held on $1 million cash bond in juvenile detention facilities awaiting trial. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Miller (left) and Goodale (right), who have been both charged as adults, allegedly posted about the attack on social media according to police

Graber, a mom of three, leaves behind her two sons and one daughter (not pictured). Graber's eldest son, Christian (right), took to social media to say he forgives his mother's alleged killers

Moulding charged them as adults with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The sentence in Iowa would be life in prison for first-degree murder as an adult, although a 2016 Iowa Supreme Court ruling requires juveniles to have a chance of release when given life sentences.

The teenagers, who have been both charged as adults, allegedly posted about the attack on social media according to police, but they haven't offered further detail on the nature of those postings, what platform they were made on, and whether they were public or private.

Miller and Goodale, who are being held in juvenile detention centers, entered their pleas in arraignment documents filed with the court last month.

They waived their right to a speedy trial, meaning prosecutors wouldn't have to try them within 90 days of them being charged, and Judge Joel Yates scheduled the trial to begin April 19.

The judge told lawyers to plan on a pretrial conference on March 21 to discuss issues involving evidence, trial length and jury selection method.

Last month, the teens' lawyers asked Yates to lower their bond so they could be released to their parents' supervision, saying they had no way to flee prosecution.

Miller's attorney, Christine Branstad, said research shows that detaining juveniles away from family for prolonged periods before trial can have a detrimental effect on them and stunt their development.

Prosecutors, though, called for the bonds to be kept at $1 million or even raised to $2 million.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown said the 'extremely brutal murder of an innocent person' justified keeping them the defendants in custody.

Yates ruled to keep the bonds at $1 million cash, saying in his ruling that he considered several factors including the nature and circumstances of the offenses charged, family ties and financial resources.

Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and his attorney Christine Branstad are pictured appearing in ocourt last week

Jeremy Everett Goodale and his attorney Nicole Jensen are seen in court last week

Cops have said the killing was premeditated. They said earlier this month the murder of the teacher who hailed from Mexico was not racially motivated without providing further information.

Court documents detailing the criminal complaints against the two teens also allege that Miller admitted to investigators that he took part in the murder.

During the interview with detectives, Miller allegedly admitted he was at the park as the murder was taking place, provided materials used in the murder and helped hide Graber's body, the complaint reveals.

Goodale was said to have worn bloodied clothes, although investigators still haven't said who they suspect of beating the teacher to death.

Both teens attended Fairfield High School, where Graber had taught Spanish since 2012.

Court documents also revealed that an associate of both Goodale and Miller provided information detailing social media exchanges between the two teens that indicated Goodale knew specific details pertaining to Graber's disappearance and death.

A search warrant was then executed by Jefferson County police, who searched Goodale's residence, uncovering 'multiple clothing items appearing to have a substance consistent in appearance with that of blood,' the complaint states.

The court documents also revealed that investigators questioned an additional teen, this one an 'associate' of only Goodale, who reported meeting with Goodale at the park the day that Graber disappeared.

Investigators added in their report that the clothes the witness described matched a blood-spattered outfit cops seized from Goodale's home, adding in the report that the clothes 'contained a substance consistent in appearance with blood.'

According to police, the witness 'described Goodale as wearing clothing consistent in appearance to that which was seized' during the search.

The witness also told lawmen that saw Miller at the park as well.

Nohema Graber, 66, had taught Spanish classes at Fairfield High School since 2012 before she was murdered

After her remains were recovered, Graber's son Christian memorialized his mother on Facebook: 'I'm sorry I can't respond to the all of the messages', he wrote, 'but I'll just say what I've been told. My mother passed away. As I understand it was pre attempted murder by two students. I forgive them and feel sorry that they had that anger in their hearts. There's no point in being angry at them. We should hope that they can find peace in their lives'

After they were charged, Graber's son and daughter both took to social media to say they forgive their mom's alleged killers.

Her son Christian wrote: 'I'm sorry I can't respond to the all of the messages but I'll just say what I've been told. My mother passed away.

'As I understand it was pre attempted murder by two students. I forgive them and feel sorry that they had that anger in their hearts.

'There's no point in being angry at them. We should hope that they can find peace in their lives.

'My mother was an angel of a woman and was one of the kindest souls.

'She gave me the gift of the Spanish language and helped many of her students over the years.

'She was well loved in the community and around the world.

'Thanks to everyone who reached out. I may ask for some help with things in the following days but in the end everything will be ok. Te amo madre.'

Police said that Graber, pictured here with her three children, suffered head trauma before her homicide death

Meanwhile, daughter Nohema Marie wrote, 'We've lost an absolute angel in our family.

'It is all thanks to her for instilling a love of travel and languages that my brothers and I have continued to experience the world throughout our lives.

'We had the wonderful fortune of growing up in a home filled with such an abundance of warmth and love.

'I will miss her loud laugh and dancing with her to any music that was playing, she had so much joy in her eyes and such a deep sense of faith.

'To the two teenagers that so cruelly took her life,' she continued, 'it is clear that they need more love and light in their hearts.

'But I agree with my oldest brother Christian, all we can do is forgive.

'I am filled with so much gratitude to have had such a strong and beautiful woman as my mother.

'And from the outpouring of messages, it's incredibly touching to know that her presence impacted so many. What a blessing she is, we know that her soul lives on in heaven.'
GOP Rep. Dan Meuser is demanding answers after the administration sent flights of migrants to Pennsylvania in December

A Republican Pennsylvania lawmaker is demanding answers from the administration after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chartered flights to send at least 130 migrants to Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton.

'I am extremely concerned by recent reports that the federal government has flown illegal immigrants to the Wilkes Barre-Scranton International Airport (AVP),' Representative Dan Meuser from Pennsylvania wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson.

'It is my understanding that a total of 130 immigrants, 118 minors and 12 adults, arrived aboard an iAero charter flight on Friday, December 17 and were subsequently transported on buses from a private hangar,' the Republican congressman added in his letter last week. 'This flight seems to have occurred without airport officials receiving notice or a passenger manifest.'

A former Pennsylvania lawmaker now running for governor, Lou Barletta, suggested the December 17 chartered flight could have carried as many as 180 illegal immigrants.

Barletta said Sunday that there were two more 'secret planes' from El Paso, Texas that landed in Scranton on Christmas with even more migrants.

The transportation of migrants has been described as 'ghost flights' due to the secrecy surrounding them, including impromptu flights arriving in the middle of the night without a public manifest of passengers.

Meuser, whose district falls on the outskirts of Scranton, said that Pennsylvania lawmakers and officials were not informed of the flights and he is questioning whether Scranton is the final destination for these migrants.

Biden was born in Scranton and often refers to it lovingly as his hometown. But the president moved from Pennsylvania when he was 10 and lived in Delaware from there on.

Meuser said at least 130 migrants were sent to Scranton, while another former Pennsylvania lawmaker claimed there were 180. Pictured: Haitian migrants cross into the U.S. from Mexico on December 27 to claim asylum to Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas

'Pennsylvanians deserve to know about these decisions affecting their community, and I expect immediate answers,' Meuser wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson

Meuser claims his constituents have questions surrounding the migration influx to Scranton that he is unable to answer without proper communication from the White House and their imigration and national security agencies.

U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright, a Democrat, represents the district that encompasses Scantron. His office did not address a DailyMail.com inquiry of whether Cartwright was made aware of the flights before they arrived in his district.

Cartwright's office did, however, send along a statement from the Democratic representative saying: 'These are legitimate concerns and we've been looking into it.'

'We know that during the last two administrations, federal agencies have responded to overcrowding issues by relocating unaccompanied children to the custody of properly screened family members, host sponsors, and charitable institutions,' he added, without clarifying if he knew that flights of migrants were headed to Scranton.

On the other hand, Republican Meuser said the 'lack of communication and transparency surrounding this process is unacceptable.'

'Pennsylvanians deserve to know about these decisions affecting their community, and I expect immediate answers,' he wrote to Mayorkas and Johnson, along with a series of nine questions.

Mike Howell, who helped lead the DHS oversight counsel under Trump, told DailyMail.com that the agency is 'acting as travel agents who distribute illegal aliens around the country wherever they wish to go.'

'This is just one part of the administration's open-borders agenda, and is a clear constitutional abuse meant to alter the electorate in a swing state in a way the administration believes will benefit the left,' said Howell, who serves as a senior advisor for government relations for the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.

'Hopefully some brave patriots at DHS will come forward to Congress as whistleblowers to tell the truth,' he added.

The relocation of migrants, mostly minors, comes as the Biden administration was forced to restart its Migrant Protection Program, otherwise known as Remain in Mexico policy. The Donald Trump-era program has the U.S. send migrants who entered illegally through the southern border back to Mexico to await court dates for asylum proceedings.

It also comes as the administration reallocated projects from the Pentagon to DHS to allow for the agency to plug gaps in Trump's border wall and improve security in more vulnerable areas of the southern border.

Customs and Border Protection data shows that officers encountered more than 1.75 million migrants at the southern border since Biden took office.

Asylum-seeking migrants from Haiti prepare to cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves into Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas on Monday

CBP data released this month shows there were 173,620 encounters with migrants at the southern border in November, an uptick from October when crossings finally were on a decline from the massive summer surge

Numbers released this month show the agency's officers encountered 173,620 illegal crossers in November alone  an uptick from the October crossings of 164,753.

The November figures represent a 140 per cent uptick in illegal crossings from the same month last year, when there were only 72,113 encounters.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies report on the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Study (CPS), immigrants made up 14.2 per cent of the U.S population as of November 2021.

This amounts to 46.2 million immigrants  both illegal and legal  living in the U.S.

The latest figure is the highest the proportional U.S. immigrant population has been in 111 years. It is also triple the share of the population since 1970 and double since 1990.

Some Republicans critical of Biden's border policies have suggested that migrants be sent to towns where Democrats would feel the burn  like Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware or Martha's Vineyard, where the Obama's own a house.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and former Representative Lou Barletta also is demanding answers about the flights to his state.

On Thursday, the day before Christmas Eve, Barletta pressed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro, both Democrats, for answers about the flights.

'It is extremely difficult to adequately screen people and conduct a thorough background check when they have entered the country by illegal means,' Barletta said.
Travellers from interstate hotspots will be able to use a negative rapid antigen test to cross the Queensland border.

'From January 1, travellers into Qld from interstate hotspots can use a negative Rapid Antigen Test to satisfy border pass requirements,' Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tweeted on Wednesday.

'A PCR test will no longer be required. More details in our morning media conference.'

The U-turn comes after renewed calls for Queensland to stop forcing travellers to produce a negative PCR test before entering the state, which has seen the need for tests skyrocket.

Travellers from interstate hotspots will be able to use a negative rapid antigen test to cross the Queensland border, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) tweeted on Wednesday

Thousands of Australians on summer holiday break have been forced to get tested before attending events, travelling interstate or being reunited with family (pictured, a RAT test)

Thousands of Australians on summer holiday break have been forced to get tested before attending events, travelling interstate or being reunited with family.

Visitors to Queensland had required a negative PCR test within 72 hours of coming to the state.

The federal government has been urging states to switch to allowing travellers to produce rapid antigen test results at border checkpoints instead.

The call had been echoed by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

NSW has seen more than 600,000 PCR tests conducted since Christmas Eve, with one quarter of all swabs given to healthy travellers looking to hop the border for a summer getaway.

'This is not the right approach. It is clogging up the system. It is putting people in lengthy queues that are not necessary,' Mr Perrottet said.

The requirement for an PCR test to enter Queensland remained until the Premier's tweet (pictured) on Wednesday morning

An infectious disease expert has warned Australia's huge Covid-19 testing queues (pictured) have become a breeding ground for virus spread

'There are people getting tests who don't have any symptoms, are not feeling unwell, that are required to get tests and taking the place of people who are unwell or who are required to get a test from NSW Health.'

People in NSW and the ACT have queued for hours, with some testing clinics hitting capacity early in the morning as demand is heightened by those wanting to travel.

That situation is now expected to ease with the switch to rapid antigen tests.

The tests only take about 15 minutes to return a result and can be done at home, costing anywhere from $30 for a two pack or $50 for a five pack.

However the country still faces a crippling shortage of the RAT kits, with chemist shelves bare and hefty price tags for those which are available.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) on Tuesday warned the state wouldn't receive an order of 20million rapid antigen tests until the end of January

Mr Perrottet warned on Tuesday his state wouldn't receive an order of 20 million rapid antigen tests until the end of January.

Australia is understood to be transporting more tests from overseas by air with the tests repackaged from bulk packs so they could be sold in chemists.

Major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles have capped the amount of tests that can be bought per customer to cope with demand.

Coles customers can only buy two packs each, with five packs of the tests available online but the two packs currently sold out.

Woolworths has restricted customers to ten self-test kits of either five x two packs or two x five packs and has completely sold out online.

Demand for a PCR test in NSW and Victoria in recent days has surged as residents rush to get tested, while rapid antigen tests are increasingly unavailable to buy in shops (pictured, people queue for a test in Sydney's CBD)

The switch to RAT kits comes after Queensland health minister Yvette D'Ath axed the PCR test visitors needed on day five of a trip to the sunshine state.

Of the tens of thousands of travellers who have crossed state lines since Queensland reopened its border, only 0.6 per cent have tested positive in the day five test.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said scrapping the PCR tests will allow health resources to be 'better used' elsewhere - including testing those who have been exposed to a known infection.

'It is not contributing in any way to the safety of Queenslanders and that resource can be used better elsewhere,' he said.

But the requirement for a PCR test before arrival in Queensland remained until the Premier's tweet on Wednesday morning.

Queensland case numbers surged past 1000 for the first time with 1158 reported on Tuesday, while South Australia hit a new daily record of 995 infections.

People in NSW and the ACT have queued for hours (pictured), with some testing clinics hitting capacity early in the morning as demand is heightened by those wanting to travel

New South Wales has suffered a record 11,201 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Wednesday, nearly double the 6,062 infections announced on Tuesday.

There are 625 Covid patients in hospital, up from the 557 on Tuesday, but just one extra person is in ICU with a total of 61 people.

Victoria also saw a large jump in cases with 3,767 new infections and five deaths on Wednesday, compared to the 2,738 announced a day earlier.

Hospitalisations in the southern state are at 397, a slight jump from the 361 patients receiving care on Tuesday.
A NSW man who was critically injured when he struck his head on the pavement after an assault in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast has died in hospital.

The victim, 39, had been walking with youth worker Oshae Jackson Tuiasau, 26, when he was punched at 4am on December 19.

He was critically injured when he struck his head on the concrete pavement as he fell after the assault.

The two allegedly had an altercation in a nightclub earlier in the night before the incident took place on View Ave, Surfers Paradise.

Oshae Jackson Tuiasau (above), 26, was a member of the 2015 under-20 Queensland Origin side and allegedly punched a 39-year-old man in Surfers Paradise on December 19

Police attended the scene and performed CPR on the man after Tuiasau allegedly struck him causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete footpath (stock)

Police attended the scene before paramedics and performed CPR on the man for more than eight minutes.

He was then taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where he was put into an induced coma.

The police confirmed on Wednesday morning that the man had died.

Tuiasau was charged with grievous bodily harm after the incident and was granted bail in Southport Magistrates Court with strict conditions, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Since the man's death Tuiasau charge has been upgraded to unlawful striking causing death.

Tuiasau is expected to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The man was transported from Surfers Paradise to Gold Coast University Hospital where he was put into an induced coma before he was announced dead on Wednesday morning
Prince Andrew has accused the woman suing him for rape of pretending to be a US resident when she lives in Australia.

His lawyers Tuesday urged an American court to rule it has no jurisdiction to hear Virginia Roberts sex claims against him.

In the latest salvo of their legal battle, the dukes lawyers branded her legal actions as suspicious and calculated.

Prince Andrew has accused the woman suing him for rape of pretending to be a US resident when she lives in Australia. Prince Andrew was given a shock last week when a woman ran up to his Range Rover and shouted 'Andrew, Andrew!' through the window (pictured)

Andrew is pinning his hopes on a crunch hearing before a New York judge on January 4 when he will attempt to have the case against him thrown out.

The mother-of-three  suing Andrew under her married name of Virginia Giuffre  alleges she was forced to have sex with the duke when she was 17 and was his friend Jeffrey Epsteins sex slave.

The Queens second son, 61, has always denied her claims in the strongest of terms.

Yesterday, the dukes lawyers filed a five-page motion saying the court does not have jurisdiction over Mrs Giuffres claims because she says she is a citizen of the US state of Colorado when she actually lives in Perth, Australia, in a 1million home with her husband and children.

They said: In reality, Ms Giuffres ties to Colorado are very limited. She has not lived there since at least 2019  approximately two years before she filed this lawsuit.

Prior to filing this action, but well after she returned to Australia, Ms Giuffre registered to vote for the first time in Colorado using her mothers home address  the timing of Ms Giuffres voter registration is suspicious and appears to be a calculated move.

Andrew's lawyers yesterday urged an American court to rule it has no jurisdiction to hear Virginia Roberts sex claims against him. Pictured: Andrew with Roberts (centre) at Ghislaine Maxwell's (right) townhouse in London, Britain on March 13 2001

The mother-of-three (pictured speaking in 2019) - who is suing Andrew under her married name of Virginia Giuffre  alleges she was forced to have sex with the duke when she was 17 and was his friend Jeffrey Epsteins sex slave

They added that Prince Andrew respectfully requests the court order Mrs Giuffre to submit to a two-hour video link hearing to give evidence about where she lives.

The dukes lawyers have previously argued her claim for unspecified damages lacks real detail, and she keeps changing her story.

Andrews side will also argue that because she was above the age of consent in New York at the time of the alleged offences, Mrs Giuffre, now 38, must instead prove she was forced to have sex with him against her will.

Mrs Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Andrew in 2001 in London, New York and the Caribbean at the disgraced financiers homes.

New York judge Lewis Kaplan will decide on January 4 whether to dismiss the case or allow it to proceed to trial.

A spokesman for Prince Andrew declined to comment further.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene hit out against College Republicans for a tweet wishing a Happy Kwanzaa, calling it a 'fake religion created by a psychopath.'

'Wishing you a happy and prosperous Kwanza,' the national group for conservative college students wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

'Stop. It's a fake religion created by a psychopath,' Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote back on Twitter. 'You aren't bringing in new voters, you are turning them away. People are tired of pandering and BS.'

Kwanzaa is a secular festival of African American culture celebrated each year from Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

Founded in 1966 by activist and Black Power movement figure Maulana Karenga, it is based on African festival traditions as a way to 'give blacks an alternative to the existing holiday of Christmas and give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society,' according to Karenga.

'Stop. It's a fake religion created by a psychopath,' Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote back on Twitter

It is said to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa- unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Maulana Karenga started Kwanzaa in 1966

Karenga was placed on the FBI's watch list under its COINTELPRO program, which had been tasked with surveilling and disrupting revolutionary political groups. Karenga was later arrested and thrown in prison for assaulting two female members of his black nationalist organization, a charge which he denied and said was manufactured to derail him as a political figure.

Even former President Trump, who Greene closely allies herself with, issued a statement celebrating the beginning of the festival during his first year in office.

'Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African American heritage and culture. Together, let us celebrate during this joyous time the richness of the past and look with hope toward a brighter future,' Trump said.

'As families and friends join to light the Kinara, Melania and I extend our warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and a prosperous year to come,' he said.

College Republicans did not respond to Greene's attack, instead retweeting past Kwanzaa messages from other prominent Republican accounts, including the Republican National Committee, the Texas GOP, the Manhattan GOP, Ohio GOP, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Trump's White House.
Covid cases have almost doubled across Australia on a single day with NSW recording 11,201 new infections while Victoria's numbers climbed by 3,767.

The huge spike in cases around NSW is nearly twice as many as the 6,062 infections recorded on Tuesday, and a big jump from 2,738 in Victoria.

However, hospital and ICU admissions only rose slightly and there were just three deaths in NSW and five in Victoria.

There are 625 Covid patients in NSW hospitals, up from the 557 on Tuesday, but just one extra person is in ICU with a total of 61 people.

Hospitalisations in Victoria are at 397, a slight increase from the 361 patients receiving care on Tuesday.

The huge rise in cases is partly due to a surge in testing with queues overrun with thousands desperate to get a swab following Christmas gatherings.

NSW did 157,758 tests on Tuesday, up from just 93,581 on Monday, and Victoria climbed to 75,132 from 66,683.

Infectious disease experts warned the massive lines of people waiting to get tested have become a breeding ground for virus spread.

New South Wales has suffered a record 11,201 new Covid-19 cases as testing queues around the state are overrun with thousands desperate to get a swab

Professor Robert Booy, from the University of Sydney, warned the testing queues were putting more people at risk of catching the virus, as symptomatic Australians line up with people who simply need a negative test.

'Symptomatic people are turning up for PCR tests and standing for hours in queues adding to the risk of spread to those who are negative,' he told the Courier Mail.

'And if people have to wait days for results they are likely to go to the shops for groceries again adding to spread.'

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said those who needed negative tests to travel were clogging up queues for people who are actually sick.

Thousands of people across NSW - including travellers who up until Wednesday morning were required to have a negative PCR test before arriving in Queensland - are queuing for hours to be swabbed.

Wait times for results are even longer, with the usual 24 hour turnaround blowing out to five days in some cases.

Thousands have been turning out to get tested following Christmas gatherings (pictured is a queue for a testing clinic in North Ryde, Sydney)

'There are people getting tests who don't have any symptoms, are not feeling unwell... and are taking the place of people who are unwell or who are required to get a test by NSW Health,' he said.

On Wednesday morning Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backflipped on her demand for PCR tests and will now allow travellers from interstate hotspots to produce a negative rapid antigen test to cross the border.

However, the test kits are in short supply, with residents reporting they are impossible to buy.

The tests can be bought at most chemists and major supermarkets across Australia, however most retailers have complained of inadequate stock.

Mr Perrottet also pleaded for only those who are unwell or contacted by NSW Health to present for testing, to help alleviate pressure on clinics, many of which have reduced operating hours over the festive period.

'We are still seeing many people in those queues who do not need to be there,' he said.

Meanwhile NSW could be rolling out new changes to isolation requirements and close contacts in the New Year, and Victoria is also considering it.

Healthcare workers have been overrun with Aussies lining up to get a test

An overhaul to how Covid-infected people are dealt with is just one of the pandemic puzzle pieces being mulled over by government officials.

A proposal put forward to slash the isolation period from 10 to five days for those who are asymptomatic.

Mr Perrottet is understood to be in favour of the change, which has already been put in place in the US, to help drag the state out of its outbreak slump.

Close contact rules have already been quietly overhauled by NSW Health, with those who have had contact with a Covid case told to get a PCR test and go about their business if it comes back negative, rather than isolate regardless for seven days.

Testing requirements may also be changed for pregnant women so they don't have to stand in lines for hours waiting for a swab.

While cases in NSW continue to soar, the rates of hospital and ICU admissions have remained relatively steady (pictured residents line up for a test in Sydney)

Mr Perrottet was grilled by reporters in the Riverina town of Wagga Wagga, about the requirement for expecting mothers to get a PCR test every three days before they go into labour.

The provision is to make sure they are not Covid-positive when they go into hospital to give birth.

But with Covid testing clinics overwhelmed as case numbers spiral out of control, pregnant women are being forced to stand in queues for hours alongside others who may be carrying the virus.

'Well, that shouldn't happen. No one who is pregnant should be sitting in long queues. I spoke to the Health Minister (Brad Hazzard) this morning and asked him to fix it,' Mr Perrottet said on Tuesday.

'My understanding is that he's getting it fixed today.'
In a startling display of the continuing militarisation of space, Russia has launched its biggest rocket since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago.

Weighing 761 tons, the 210ft Angara A-5 took off with a mock payload from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

President Vladimir Putin celebrated the launch on Monday as officials stepped up their warnings over Ukraine. The latest-generation rocket can deliver military satellites into space  where experts predict future conflicts will be won and lost.

Weighing 761 tons, the 210ft Angara A-5 took off with a mock payload from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia

The launch came as Russian officials likened Nato to the Wehrmacht  the German army that invaded Russia in 1941  and compared a possible conflict in Ukraine with the Cuban missile crisis in 1962

The launch came as Russian officials likened Nato to the Wehrmacht  the German army that invaded Russia in 1941  and compared a possible conflict in Ukraine with the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

Russia's space programme launched the first satellite in 1957 and sent the first man into space in 1961. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 it has been plagued by corruption and technical setbacks.

It was the third launch of the new rocket after its maiden voyage in 2014.

'Roscosmos congratulates the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry,' the agency said in a statement, calling the launch 'successful'.

Agency head Dmitry Rogozin welcomed the news on Telegram, writing: 'Come on, baby!'

The defence ministry added: 'All prelaunch operations and the launch of the Angara-A5 rocket took place properly.'

The last launch of the heavy-class Angara rocket took place in December 2020.

President Vladimir Putin hopes the new launchers will revive Russia's space industry and reduce reliance on other former Soviet countries

Angara rockets - named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal - are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of failures in recent years.

President Vladimir Putin hopes the new launchers will revive Russia's space industry and reduce reliance on other former Soviet countries.

Officials say the heavy-class Angara rocket is more environmentally friendly than its predecessors because it is fuelled by oxygen and kerosene rather than hugely toxic heptyl.

The Russian space programme sent the first man into space in 1961 and launched the first satellite four years earlier.

But since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it has been plagued by corruption scandals and a series of other setbacks, losing expensive spacecraft and satellites in recent years.
After April Ashley made history in 1960 by risking her life to have gender reassignment surgery  what was then known as a 'sex change operation'  she declared: 'I decided I was never going to hide who I was.'

With striking looks and innate style, she was in demand as a fashion model, though the general public had no idea the mannequin in those modish clothes had transitioned.

But a Sunday newspaper got hold of her story and published it without her permission. April put on her make-up and a Chanel suit, and went out to face the world.

'I got slapped four times,' she said. 'The most extraordinary moment was in Sloane Square. I saw this elegant woman coming straight at me. She came up to me and slapped me so hard I had her finger marks on my face for three days. She didn't say a word, just kept on walking.'

All her life April Ashley, who has died aged 86, braved violence and abuse, in her determination never to pretend to be anyone but her real self.

April Ashley (pictured) made history in 1960 by risking her life to have gender reassignment surgery  what was then known as a 'sex change operation'. She later declared: 'I decided I was never going to hide who I was'

She endured a succession of scandals, including a disastrous marriage and the subsequent court case that ended it. Simultaneously a glamorous celebrity and a laughing stock, she accepted the plaudits and brushed off the sneers with equal grace.

During her years as a Vogue fashion model, she was photographed by David Bailey and Terence Donovan. Her beaus included Omar Sharif, Michael Hutchence and Peter O'Toole. Elvis Presley was briefly besotted with her.

They met, she liked to say, at a nightclub in Paris, where he couldn't take his eyes off her. They danced until Presley's controlling manager dragged him away. For years, the King would send her gifts of champagne.

But the pressure of fame and intense disapproval from sections of the media took a heavy toll on her health. She drank hard: when she was awarded the MBE in 2012 for 'services to transgender equality', one snide wit remarked it was more likely to be 'services to the champagne industry'.

She once admitted that, when she ran a restaurant called AD8 in Knightsbridge, Central London, in the early 1970s, she could knock back 32 dry martinis in a night. Introduced to Princess Margaret, she was embarrassed to discover she could not shake hands. She had a champagne glass in one and a whisky tumbler in the other.

She was born in April 1935, one of six surviving children whose father Fred Jamieson was a cook in the Merchant Navy. The midwife declared her a boy and her parents christened her George. But from as early as she could remember, she did not feel like a 'George'.

Her mother, Ada, was violent and short-tempered, and used to beat George for wetting the bed. After one brutal thrashing, the doctor had to be called. He warned the family that, if such an assault was ever repeated, he would have Ada arrested.

Aged 17: As George Jamieson

'I never grew up as I was supposed to,' April remembered. 'I was emaciated and very shy. I felt like a total freak. There were no whiskers, my voice didn't break and I sprouted breasts. I hated myself and there was no one I could look to.'

As a teen, George was regularly attacked in the street and, after following Fred's example by the Merchant Navy, attempted suicide after being raped.

George was sent to a psychiatric hospital in England and treated with electro-convulsive therapy and male hormones. Work in a Lyons Corner House in London followed, as did friends in Soho who were less judgmental.

George also took a job briefly at a hotel in St Asaph, Wales, supervising a young sous-chef named John Prescott. They remained lifelong friends. 'So handsome,' April would say, 'like a young Marlon Brando.'

Working as a 'hostess' at Le Carrousel club in Paris led to George's first name change becoming Toni. Now dressing in women's clothes, she announced her ambition to have gender reassignment surgery by the age of 25.

Toni spent four years in Paris, having a course of oestrogen injections, and in 1960  days after turning 25  travelled to Casablanca in Morocco to have a dangerous, intensely painful operation costing 1,500 that included inverting the penis to create a vagina.

The surgeon, Georges Burou, said, 'Bonjour monsieur,' before administering the anaesthetic. When she came round after the operation, she heard him say: 'Bonjour, mademoiselle.'

April Ashley, pictured with husband to be Arthur Corbett as they holiday in Marbella, Spain

She gave herself a new name April for her birthday, Ashley because she admired Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind.

She began dating and modelling. After appearing in a movie with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, The Road To Hong Kong, she met O'Toole (who knew she was transgender and didn't sleep with her).

He introduced her to Sharif (who didn't know, or didn't care, and did).

The Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance accepted her change of identity and issued her with papers. With these, she was able to obtain a driver's licence and a passport as a woman.

But disaster struck when she met the cross-dressing son of Lord Rowallan, the Hon Arthur Cameron Corbett.

They were married in 1963 but the marriage lasted just 14 days before she left him. 'I ran off with the heir to the Duke del Infantados to his palace in Seville,' she said. 'We made love under the Goyas and Velazquezes.'

Her divorce from Corbett turned nasty when she asked for alimony. He sued instead for an annulment, on the grounds that she was 'a person of the male sex'.

For years the case dragged on until in 1970 a judge, Mr Justice Ormrod, ruled that the marriage had 'little or nothing to do with any heterosexual relationship which I can recall hearing about'.

April, said the judge, was 'a biological male and has been since birth'. The marriage was cancelled. Once again, she was the subject of intense public opprobrium. Fleeing briefly to California, she developed drink and drug habits that led to a heart attack.

Following the defiant and boozy years as a restaurateur, she retreated to Hay-on-Wye. She then returned to California, where she met and married Jeffrey West. The marriage didn't work out, but their friendship endured.

In 2005, the Gender Recognition Act meant she was finally and fully recognised as female. A revised birth certificate reflected this.

She advised the actor Eddie Redmayne, in 2015, on how to play a trans woman for his film The Danish Girl.

'I said, 'Eddie, when I was a star, you never had to pay for anything. We got clothes, jewels, everything. When I walked on to the terrace of the Carlton hotel in Cannes, ten people sent a bottle of champagne each. It's lovely to be a star  so enjoy it.'

But the glamour hid a lifetime of pain.

'I never asked to be born like this,' she said when she received her MBE. 'I would like to have been born normal like everyone else. I wanted to live in the real world and do what everyone else does. I think I have lived my life with enormous dignity.'
A former interpreter for UK Special Forces has been captured and tortured by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Wahid, who was trapped in the country when the RAF evacuation ended, is now in fear for his life.

The 34-year-old Afghan said he believed he would be murdered after fighters questioning him searched his phone and found emails applying for relocation to the UK, military certificates showing he had worked for the British and evidence of regular contact with colleagues in Britain.

Former interpreter Wahid, 34, shows the scars of where he was tortured and beaten by the Taliban because of his work for UK forces

Wahid, who has survived previous Taliban attacks on his home, added: 'They already had intelligence I helped their enemy.

'They bound my hands and hooded me at one stage, then began to beat me as they asked questions.

'When they did not receive the answers they wanted their men used an electric stick to give me shocks and a stun gun on my neck to cause pain. It was terrifying.'

The ex-interpreter, who has been in hiding since the Operation Pitting rescue flights ended in August, believes he was released only because he had been able to alert his wife and she had gone to tribal elders and the district governor to plead for him to be freed.

The Taliban are said to have stepped up attacks on those who worked for the Coalition or with the Afghan military.

This newspaper's Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted how another ex-translator was held and beaten for four days, while three more say they narrowly escaped when their homes were raided.

Several former members of Afghan special forces units that fought alongside UK troops have been executed or vanished, according to colleagues.

Wahid said: 'The Taliban said they would be back to question me another time. I am terrified I will not then be as fortunate.'

He added that he had applied for sanctuary in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in August before the Taliban took power.

But like thousands of others, including around 200 former interpreters, he is still waiting for a decision on whether he qualifies to relocate with his wife and four children.

'Our lives are at risk because of our work with British forces who I served bravely and loyally,' said Wahid, who is medically trained.

Pictured: The wounds of another former translator for the UK beaten by the Taliban

Taliban patrol during a protest by Afghans, outside the building of former US embassy, demanding the US to unfreeze Afghan assets, in Kabul, Afghanistan

'The attack on me shows the danger I face, my family faces, and I appeal to the British Government to recognise this.'

Wahid worked with UK forces from 2003-2005 but said he was forced to resign because Taliban fighters in his rural village threatened his family.

He worked for aid agencies and moved around the country a number of times but in 2017 he was warned of a plot to kill him because he was suspected of spying for the British.

His most recent run-in with the Taliban came after he was captured driving on the outskirts of Kabul. 'It was terrible,' he said.

The Ministry of Defence said: 'The ARAP remains open and work is ongoing to process applications as quickly as possible.

'Since Operation Pitting concluded the RAF has evacuated almost 1,000 more people and we will continue to support those who are eligible for relocation.'
Advertisement

It is the world's most iconic space telescope, having snapped millions of spectacular images that offer a glimpse into the rich tapestry of the universe's history.

But now, after 31 years orbiting Earth and following a trying year that has seen it drop offline for a multitude of reasons, Hubble is set to be succeeded by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The two will initially work by side, but it is only a matter of time before Hubble is scaled back and eventually wound down.

To celebrate more than three decades of unlocking the secrets of our solar system, MailOnline has delved into the archives to pull out some of Hubble's most mesmerising images.

Scroll down for video

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the famous Pillars of Creation in 1995, revealing a sharper and wider view of the structures in this visible-light image. Stretching roughly 4 to 5 light-years, the Pillars of Creation are a fascinating but relatively small feature of the entire Eagle Nebula, which spans 70 by 55 light-years and was discovered in 1745 by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Cheseaux

As well as images of distant galaxies and star clusters, Hubble has given us some of the best and most iconic images of planets in our own solar system including Saturn (pictured). The image was taken on June 20, 2019 as the planet made its closest approach to Earth that year

To mark the 26th birthday of Hubble in 2016, astronomers revealed the telescope's image of an enormous bubble being blown into space by a super-hot, massive star

To celebrate its 30th anniversary in April last year, a fascinating image was also released showing a star-forming region close to our Milky Way galaxy. The image featured the giant red nebula (NGC 2014) and its smaller blue neighbour (NGC 2020), which both reside in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is 163,000 light-years from Earth

One of the universe's most photogenic galaxies, the Sombrero galaxy, was captured by Hubble. The galaxy's hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. The Sombrero lies at the edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies and is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns

Hubble, a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), has been observing the universe for over 30 years

Key facts about Hubble Mission duration: 31 years, 2 months, 8 days Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin and Perkin-Elmere Mass: 24,490lb Launch date: April 24, 1990 Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida Started service: May 20, 1990 First observation: Jupiter (March 1991) Orbit: 333-336 miles Wavelengths: Near-infrared, visible light, ultraviolet Advertisement

The space telescope, one of the most important scientific tools ever built, has made over 1.5 million observations of more than 43,500 celestial objects and helped publish some 18,000 scientific papers.

It has contributed to a number of major discoveries in astronomy, including the observation that the observed expansion of the Universe was accelerating.

This then led to the conclusion that most of the cosmos is made up of mysterious dark energy  around 68 per cent, according to NASA.

Dark matter makes up about 27 per cent and the rest  everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter  adds up to less than 5 per cent of the universe.

The first of Hubble's observations was the planet Jupiter in March 1991, a subject it came back to regularly.

It also provided the first conclusive evidence of the existence of supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies after observing the galaxy M87 in 1993.

Other major discoveries include the 'Pillars of Creation', one of the most iconic images in astronomy, taken in 1995 and showing the violent tendrils of gas and dust in a stellar nursery.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary in April last year, a fascinating image was also released showing a star-forming region close to our Milky Way galaxy.

The image featured the giant red nebula (NGC 2014) and its smaller blue neighbour (NGC 2020), which both reside in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is 163,000 light-years from Earth.

The first of Hubble's observations was the planet Jupiter (pictured) in March 1991, a subject it came back to regularly

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant in the Milky Way, captured in its beautiful colour and brightness by Hubble

This is a mosaic of images from Hubble showing a roiling region of star birth in a portion of the Monkey Head Nebula

This colourful image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, celebrated the Earth-orbiting observatory's 28th anniversary of viewing the heavens, giving us a window seat to the universe's extraordinary tapestry of stellar birth and destruction

This is a 50-light-year wide view of the centre of the Carina Nebula where a number of stars are born and die. It was stitched from 48 individual Hubble images

This is a dying star at the centre of the dainty 'butterfly wings', made from roiling cauldrons of gas heated to 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit

Glowing like a multi-faceted jewel, the planetary nebula IC 418 lies 2,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lepus

In the direction of the constellation Canis Major, two spiral galaxies pass by each other like majestic ships in the night. The image was released in 1999

This image shows one of the most dynamic and intricately detailed star-forming regions in space, located 210,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way

The 'Twin Jet Nebula', or PN M2-9, is a striking example of a bipolar planetary nebula. Bipolar planetary nebulae are formed when the central object is not a single star, but a binary system

Nebulae are vast interstellar clouds of dust and gas where star formation can take place and at the centre of NGC 2014 is a clutch of bright stars, each 10 to 20 times more massive than our Sun.

Astronomers thought the nebulae resembled an undersea world, so nicknamed the portrait 'cosmic reef'.

Another one of Hubble's most famous images was of a tiny patch of sky in the constellation Ursa Major, which revealed around 3,000 galaxies crowded together and offered a glimpse into the past.

It had been thought that the light emitted from such distant objects would be stretched out so much that they would appear as nothing more than faint smudges against the blackness, but the Hubble Deep Field, which was observed over 10 consecutive days during Christmas 1995, proved this to be wrong.

Astronomers are now finding galaxies from a time when the universe was only 500 million years old, allowing them to chart galaxy evolution by measuring how properties such as size, shape and colour change over time.

In 2004, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field represented the deepest portrait of the visible universe ever achieved by humankind with a view of nearly 10,000 galaxies.

This portrait of Stephan's Quintet, also known as the Hickson Compact Group 92, was taken by Hubble in 2009. Stephan's Quintet is a group of five galaxies but the name is a bit of a misnomer. Studies have shown that group member NGC 7320, pictured upper left, is actually a foreground galaxy that is about seven times closer to Earth than the rest of the group

The star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) has been captured a number of times by Hubble, but this image released in 2005 revealed dramatic changes in the illumination of surrounding dusty cloud structures

In 2011, Hubble became the first Earth-based telescope to snap an image of the aurorae on Uranus. This is a composite image of Uranus by Voyager 2 and two different observations made by Hubble  one for the ring and one for the aurorae

'Mystic Mountain': This craggy fantasy mountaintop enshrouded by wispy clouds looks like a bizarre landscape from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, and was released in 2010 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hubble's launch

In 2002, Hubble captured a pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse or, in this case, mouse and mouse. Located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, the colliding galaxies have been nicknamed 'The Mice' because of the long tails of stars and gas emanating from each galaxy. They will eventually merge into a single galaxy

Hubble's image of the cluster Westerlund 2 and its surroundings (pictured) was released to celebrate the space telescope's 25th year in orbit and a quarter of a century of new discoveries, stunning images and outstanding science

'Rings of Relativity': This image shows GAL-CLUS-022058s, located in the southern hemisphere constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). GAL-CLUS-022058s is the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever discovered in our universe. Astronomers have nicknamed it the 'Molten Ring', which alludes to its appearance and host constellation

The 'Horsehead Nebula': This picture showing part of the sky in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) was released to mark Hubble's 23rd anniversary in 2013. Rising like a giant seahorse from turbulent waves of dust and gas is the Horsehead Nebula

Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this view of nearly 10,000 galaxies represents a 'deep' core sample of the universe, cutting across billions of light-years

TIMELINE OF HUBBLE: SPACE TELESCOPE'S GREATEST SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES 1990 The Hubble Space Telescope is launched on April 24. 1993 When it was launched, a mistake with its mirror caused a large blurring effect that severely hampered its abilities. The first servicing mission to Hubble had astronauts on the Endeavour space shuttle fix the flaw. 1994 Hubble provides conclusive evidence for the existence of supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies by observing the galaxy M87. 1995 Hubble takes the famous photo of the Eagle Nebula, which was later named 'Pillars of Creation'. 2004 The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is released allowing astronomers to look even further back in the time of the cosmos. 2005 The telescope photographs two previously unknown moons orbiting Pluto, Nix and Hydra. 2007 Hubble assists in the production of a 3D-map showing the distribution of dark matter in the universe. 2008 It takes a picture of the exoplanet Formalhaut b, the first visual image of an exoplanet. 2010 Hubble captures never-before-seen evidence of a collision between two asteroids. 2011 The telescope marks its millionth observation, a spectroscopic analysis of the exoplanet HAT-P-7b. 2014 Hubble become the first telescope ever to observe an asteroid disintegrating. 2015 The space telescope observes for the first time the effect of gravitational lensing on a distant exploding star. This is where the powerful gravity of a foreground galaxy acts like a cosmic magnifying glass, enhancing and splitting the image into a cross-shaped pattern of light. Source: Royal Observatory Advertisement

A year later the telescope photographed two previously unknown moons orbiting Pluto, Nix and Hydra, while in 2007 it assisted in the production of a 3D-map showing the distribution of dark matter in the universe.

Thirteen years ago it also took the first visual image of an exoplanet when it captured Formalhaut b.

Other discoveries have included never-before-seen evidence of a collision between two asteroids and a spectroscopic analysis of the exoplanet HAT-P-7b to mark its millionth observation.

In 2015, the space telescope observed for the first time the effect of gravitational lensing on a distant exploding star.

This is where the powerful gravity of a foreground galaxy acts like a cosmic magnifying glass, enhancing and splitting the image into a cross-shaped pattern of light.

Affectionately known as 'our eye on the Universe', Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

It marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope and was named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble, who was born in Missouri in 1889.

Hubble cost $4.7 billion (3.4 billion) to build and has a 7ft 10in mirror which can observe in ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared.

The telescope circles our planet at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude, slightly higher than the International Space Station (ISS).

Hubble's primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across and in total is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long  the length of a large school bus.

However, the mirror was the subject of the first of five servicing missions using the space shuttle.

The first service mission was in December 1993 when Commander Richard Covey and his crew installed devices designed to fix a vision problem caused by a misshaped mirror.

The issue meant that the telescope couldn't focus all the light from an object to a single sharp point, resulting in a fuzzy halo.

Future missions saw the installation of cameras that could see infrared light to allow astronomers to see more distant galaxies.

Other missions were designed to repair issues on board, such as when three gyroscopes failed in 1999, and when its solar panels needed to be re-aligned.

The last Hubble service mission was on Atlantis in 2009 and was the 'most challenging and intense servicing mission'.

It involved five spacewalks to install two new instruments including the Wide Field Camera making it 100 times more powerful than when it first launched.

There was also an issue with the systems that command the science instruments, similar to the problems being experienced now with the telescope.

This resulted in a new set of systems, as well as further backups that could be managed from the ground, being installed inside the telescope.

At the start of December, Hubble finally returned to full operations after more than a month of communications issues caused by its latest big outage.

NASA said the ageing telescope was now operating with all four active instruments collecting science data for the first time since the end of October.

The issue started when Hubble experienced a glitch that caused some of its functions to stop working.

Its instruments went into 'safe mode' after it experienced 'synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications', NASA announced on October 25.

When the Hubble is in safe mode, it does not observe any celestial objects or collect data, but it is still powered up.

In 2013, Hubble snapped the best ever image of the Antennae Galaxies. It had previously observed them in 1997 and 2006, with each being better than the last due to upgrades made during servicing missions. The galaxies  also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039  are locked in a deadly embrace

The star-forming region NGC 3603, seen here in this Hubble image, contains one of the most impressive massive young star clusters in the Milky Way. The hot blue stars at the core are responsible for carving out a huge cavity in the gas seen to the right of the star cluster in NGC 3603's centre

This stunning image shows the majestic galaxy NGC 1015, found nestled within the constellation of Cetus (The Whale) 118 million light-years from Earth. NGC 1015's symmetrical swirling arms and bright central bulge create a scene akin to a sparkling Catherine wheel firework

What resemble dainty butterfly wings are actually roiling cauldrons of gas heated to nearly 20,000 degrees Celsius. The gas is tearing across space at more than 590,000 miles per hour  fast enough to travel from Earth to the moon in 24 minutes

An orange glow radiates from the centre of NGC 1792, the heart of this stellar forge, in a picture released in December last year. Nestled in the constellation of Columba (The Dove), NGC 1792 is both a spiral galaxy, and a starburst galaxy

'Magnetic monster': This stunning image of the bright galaxy NGC 1275 was taken in 2006. It provides amazing detail and resolution of the fragile filamentary structures, which are cool despite being surrounded by gas that is around 55 million degrees Celsius hot

Located nearly 70 million light-years from Earth, this captivating galaxy NGC 2525 is part of the constellation of Puppis in the southern hemisphere. Together with the Carina and the Vela constellations, it makes up an image of the Argo from ancient Greek mythology. Another kind of monster, a supermassive black hole, lurks at the centre of NGC 2525

After a computer glitch caused Hubble to shut down earlier this year NASA was forced to dismiss fears it was 'beyond repair'

Hubble circles our planet at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude, slightly higher than the International Space Station

Unfortunately for NASA, this wasn't the first time Hubble has suffered issues in 2021  in June it stopped working after it ran into problems with a 1980s-era computer that controls its science instruments.

The telescope's science operations resumed on July 17.

The Hubble recently marked its 31st anniversary in space, doing so with an image of a giant star that is 'on the edge of destruction'.

NASA's $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is seen as an upgrade to the Hubble telescope, and is 100 times more powerful.

But NASA likes to think of James Webb as a successor to Hubble rather than a replacement, as the two will work in tandem for a while.

The changing of the guard is an exciting time for astronomy, but despite being one of the grand scientific endeavours of the 21st Century, with a mission is to image the very first stars to shine in the universe, James Webb will never taken away how Hubble changed our view of the universe and our place within it.
In what is less of a Christmas present and more of a macabre past, the mummified remains of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep I have been digitally 'unwrapped'.

Amenhotep I  the second ruler of Egypt's 18th Dynasty  is thought to have died around 15061504 BCE, at which point he was painstakingly preserved.

Unlike all the other royal mummies unearthed in the 19th and 20th centuries, that of Amenhotep I has never been unwrapped by modern Egyptologists.

This is not in fear of a curse, but because the specimen is so beautifully preserved  decorated with floral garlands and an exquisite facemask inset with precious stones

University of Cairo-led experts, however, were able to use computed tomography (CT) scans to create 3D reconstructions of the man underneath the bandages.

They found that the beloved pharaoh was 35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and circumcised when he died some three millennia ago.

This is not the first time Amenhotep I has been 'opened', however  he was actually unwrapped, restored and reburied in the 11th century BCE by 21st dynasty priests.

They reburied him at Deir el-Bahari in southern Egypt, where he was discovered along with a number of other restored royal mummies in 1881.

In what is less of a Christmas present and more of a macabre past, the mummified remains of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep I have been digitally 'unwrapped' (left). Unlike all the other royal mummies unearthed in the 19th and 20th centuries, that of Amenhotep I has never been unwrapped by modern Egyptologists. This is not in fear of a curse, but because the specimen is so beautifully preserved  decorated with floral garlands and an exquisite facemask inset with precious stones (right)

Amenhotep I  the second ruler of Egypt's 18th Dynasty  is thought to have died around 15061504 BCE, at which point he was painstakingly preserved. Pictured: his mummy

This is not the first time Amenhotep I has been 'opened', however  he was physically unwrapped, restored and reburied in the 11th century BCE by 21st dynasty priests. They reburied him at Deir el-Bahari in southern Egypt, where he was discovered along with a number of other restored royal mummies in 1881. Pictured: Deir el-Bahari

ABOUT AMENHOTEP I Amenhotep I was the second pharaoh of Egypt's 18th Dynasty and ruled from around 1525 to 1504 BCE. His reign came in the wake of his father Ahmose I's expulsion of the Hyksos invaders and successful reunification Egypt  and represented something of a golden age for ancient Egypt. Not only was the 'New Kingdom' both prosperous and secure, but Amenhotep I also oversaw a religious building spree and successful military campaigns against both Libya and northern Sudan. Amenhotep's name meant 'Amun is satisfied  referring to the ancient Egyptian god of the air. Advertisement

'The fact that Amenhotep I's mummy had never been unwrapped in modern times gave us a unique opportunity,' explained paper author and radiologist Sahar Saleem of Cairo University and the Egyptian Mummy Project.

It allowed the team, he added,' not just to study how he had originally been mummified and buried, but also how he had been treated and reburied twice, centuries after his death, by High Priests of Amun.

'By digitally unwrapping of the mummy and "peeling off" its virtual layers  the facemask, the bandages, and the mummy itself  we could study this well-preserved pharaoh in unprecedented detail.

'We show that Amenhotep I was approximately 35 years old when he died. He was approximately 169cm [5'7''] tall, circumcised and had good teeth.'

'Within his wrappings, he wore 30 amulets and a unique golden girdle with gold beads,' Professor Saleem continued.

'Amenhotep I seems to have physically resembled his father  he had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair and mildly protruding upper teeth.

'We couldnt find any wounds or disfigurement due to disease to justify the cause of death, except numerous mutilations post mortem, presumably by grave robbers after his first burial.

'His entrails had been removed by the first mummifiers, but not his brain or heart.'

University of Cairo-led experts, however, were able to use computed tomography (CT) scans to create 3D reconstructions of the man underneath the bandages

The team found that the beloved pharaoh was 35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and circumcised when he died some three millennia ago. Pictured: a statue of Amenhotep I in life

Amenhotep I was the second pharaoh of Egypt's 18th Dynasty and ruled from around 1525 to 1504 BCE. Pictured: CT scans revealed that his mummy had a full set of healthy teeth

Records in the form of hieroglyphic writings have indicated that its was common during the later 21st dynasty for priests to restore and re-bury mummies from earlier dynasties in order to repair the damage done to them by grave robbers.

Professor Saleem and her Egyptologist colleague Zahi Hawass of Antiquities of Egypt, however, had speculated that these 11th century BCE priests had an ulterior motive in opening centuries old mummies  to re-use royal burial equipment.

However, their latest findings seem to counter that hypothesis.

'We show that  at least for Amenhotep I  the priests of the 21st dynasty lovingly repaired the injuries inflicted by the tomb robbers,' said Professor Saleem.

In fact, the restorers appeared to have returned the mummy 'to its former glory and preserved the magnificent jewellery and amulets in place.'

'Amenhotep I seems to have physically resembled his father  he had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair and mildly protruding upper teeth,' said Professor Saleem. 'We couldnt find any wounds or disfigurement due to disease to justify the cause of death, except numerous mutilations post mortem, presumably by grave robbers after his first burial'

Pictured: a CT scan of Amenhotep I's lower torso. The team believe that he was originally buried with his arms crossed in front of his body, however it appears that damage by grave robbers has dislocated his right arm and broken two fingers from his left hand. These can be seen inside his abdomen (long arrow), while a pin (short arrow) has been used presumably by 21sy dynasty restorers  to hold the left arm in its new position

Professor Saleem and Dr Hawass have studied more than 40 royal mummies dating back to ancient Egypt's New Kingdom (16th11th centuries BCE) as part of an Egyptian Antiquity Ministry Project launched back in 2005.

'CT imaging can be profitably used in anthropological and archaeological studies on mummies, including those from other civilizations, for example Peru,' the duo said.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

Amenhotep I was found in a cache at Deir el-Bahari in southern Egypt in 1881, alongside a number of other royal mummies restored during the 21st dynasty
A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met his national security adviser and other experts to discuss efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent this 'mass disaster' from passing into humans.

So far no human transmission has been reported, Bennett's office said.

Israeli media said children who had visited the reserve may have touched a stricken crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu.

A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history

'Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so its difficult for them to be taken out.' Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said while also noting the situation is not yet under control.

About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind.

This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.

Wildlife officials in Israel said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.

So far no human transmission has been reported, Bennett's office said. Israeli media said children who had visited the reserve may have touched a stricken crane and thus contributed to the spread of the flu

WHAT IS BIRD FLU? Also known as avian influenza, bird flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by a variant of the standard influenza A virus. Bird flu is unique in that it can be transmitted directly from birds to humans. There are 15 different strains of the virus. It is the H5N1 strain which is infecting humans and causing high death rates. Humans can catch bird flu directly through close contact with live infected birds and those who work with infected chickens are most at risk. Advertisement

Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis 'the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country.'

'The extent of the damage is still unclear,' she tweeted.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a virus that primarily infect birds, but can also infect humans.

The virus often spreads in the fall and winter months as birds migrate across the world.

An infected bird will often carry the flu with them, introducing it to a new part of the world, and infecting animals there.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that a person can contract the virus by being around or touching an infected bird.

If virus particles get into a person's eyes, nose or mouth they could be infected.

An infected bird will often spread infected droplets or dust through the air as they flap their wings, scratch or shake their heads.

A person who keeps poultry on their farm or in their backyard is advised to monitor their poultry for potential signs of the avian flu.

The bird flu is extremely deadly in humans, with a believed death rate of over 50 percent.

Human to human transmission of the virus is possible, but is extremely rare.

Yaron Michaeli, spokesman for the Hula Lake park in Israel, where the crane population is centered, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.

Wildlife officials in Israel said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks

Dafna Yurista, spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.

Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago.

Michaeli said the death toll among cranes appears to have stabilized in recent days.

'This is a good sign,' he said. 'They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much.'

According to the World Health Organization H5N1 has killed more than 450 people, mainly in Indonesia, Egypt and Vietnam, since 2003.
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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) swung past the Moon in the early hours of this morning, travelling at more than 2,400 miles per hour as it continues its million mile journey to its destination in solar orbit.

The $10 billion telescope, a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), reached lunar altitude in the early hours of this morning, shortly after burning off fuel to make its second course correction since launching on Christmas Day from French Guiana.

It is currently a third of its way to the second Lagrangian point (L2), an area of balanced gravity between the Sun and the Earth, where it will spend more than a decade exploring the universe in infrared.

When the telescope reached the Moon, the NASAMoon Twitter account posted: 'We thought we felt a breeze! Kidding, of course, but good luck on the rest of your journey to L2.'

NASA also shared, from the NASAWebb Twitter account: 'Thanks, @NASAMoon! Well be sure to send you and all the wonderful folks on @NASAEarth a postcard when we reach our destination.'

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) swung past the Moon in the early hours of this morning, travelling at more than 2,400 miles per hour as it continues its million mile journey to its destination in solar orbit

The $10 billion telescope, a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), reached lunar altitude in the early hours of this morning, shortly after burning off fuel to make its second course correction since launching on Christmas Day from French Guiana

TIMELINE OF THE JWST JOURNEY TO L2 The Jame Webb Space Telescope will spend the rest of its life at the second Lagrangian point between the Earth and the Sun. This is a point where the gravitational forces of the two bodies are balanced. It is just under a million miles from the Earth's surface, and on the way there JWST will perform a number of tasks. 3-9 days: Deploy the delicate sunshield that will keep it cool

Deploy the delicate sunshield that will keep it cool 10-11 days : deploy the secondary mirror

: deploy the secondary mirror 12-14 days : Deploy the primary mirror

: Deploy the primary mirror 15-26 days : Unfold and check the mirror segments

: Unfold and check the mirror segments 29 days : Insertion into the L2 point

: Insertion into the L2 point 6 months : First images after months of calibration Advertisement

Following months of delays the JWST finally launched on Christmas Day from the European Space Agency spaceport in French Guiana, and is expected to reach L2 in just under a month.

The space telescope is intended to replace its 30-year-old counterpart Hubble, and is about 100 times more sensitive than the ageing observatory, but will run alongside it for as long as Hubble remains operational.

Astronomers expect the JWST to 'profoundly transform' their understanding of the universe and our place in it, including being able to peer at the atmosphere of planets, and the first stars to form after the Big Bang.

It reached the attitude of the Moon at about 01:20 GMT this morning, around the same time it completed its second burn, as it continues on its journey.

NASA tweeted: 'Its been a busy evening! Not only did we just complete our second burn, but #NASAWebb also passed the altitude of the Moon as it keeps cruising on to the second Lagrange point to #UnfoldTheUniverse.'

The second burn was to make a mid-course correction, fine-tuning the trajectory to the L2 point, and is one of three planned for the journey.

The first burn was on Christmas Day, soon after launch, and saw it burn off a small amount of fuel, allowing it to make small adjustments to its course.

NASA wrote on Twitter: 'One interesting aspect of the #NASAWebb launch and its burns is that we always "aim a little bit low".

'Webb's thrusters can only push Webb away from the Sun, not back toward the Sun (and Earth). We designed launch and these burns to always avoid drifting away.'

NASAMoon tweeted 'we thought we felt a breeze' as JWST reached lunar altitude on its way to L2

Other NASA Twitter accounts got involved in the discussion, with NASAWebb offering to send a postcard, and NASAEarth reminding Webb to 'phone home'

WHAT IS THE L2 LAGRANGIAN POINT? L2 is one of the so-called Lagrangian points, discovered by mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange. Lagrangian points are locations in space where gravitational forces and the orbital motion of a body balance each other. Therefore, they can be used by spacecraft to 'hover'. L2 is located nearly a million miles 'behind' the Earth. It is about four times further away from the Earth than the Moon ever gets and orbits the Sun at the same rate as the Earth. Advertisement

The space telescope deployed its gimbaled antenna assembly on December 26.

This includes the high-data-rate dish antenna that Webb will use to send at least 28.6Gb of data back to Earth twice a day - including images from observations.

The release of the antenna began shortly after 10:00 EST (15:00 GMT) on December 26, and the entire process took around one hour.

Separately, NASA has confirmed that the temperature sensors and strain gauges on the telescope were successfully activated for the first time.

'Temperature and strain data are now available to engineers monitoring Webb's thermal and structural systems,' NASA said.

The telescope launched into space on board an Ariane 5 rocket on Christmas Day.

It took off from the European Spaceport facility in French Guiana before blasting skywards over the Atlantic Ocean.

Cheers were on pause for another nerve-wracking 27 minutes as the rocket ejected its boosters and soared to an altitude of 870 miles (1,398km) before finally detaching the telescope to begin its own journey.

With its liftoff, a spokesperson for NASA said, 'Webb will usher in a new era of astronomy'.

Following the launch on December 25, NASA has now confirmed that the gimbaled antenna assembly has been successfully deployed

After a perfect flight out of the Earth's atmosphere and into space, the James Webb telescope module detached from the body of the Ariane 5 rocket that had blasted it skywards, leading to cheers from nervous scientists at mission control in Kourou, French Guiana

NASA 's revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope has successfully lifted off to start its long flight into space to replace the Hubble telescope after decades of planning and delays

Pictures from the European Space Agency's Spaceport facility in French Guiana show the Webb telescope module atop an Ariane 5 rocket blasting off from Earth at 7.20AM ET (12.00PM GMT) on its million-mile journey into solar orbit

At 7.20am the world's most powerful space telescope, equipped with an Ariane 5 rocket, took off in magnificent form before blasting skywards over the Atlantic Ocean

Engines on the Ariane 5 rocket engaged for a whole seven seconds at the spaceship warmed up before lift off actually took place at 7.20AM ET

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

The new telescope's special orbital path will keep it in constant alignment with Earth as the planet and telescope circle the sun in tandem.

The project, which started in 1996, is an international collaboration led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies.

It had been hit by months of launch delays, which followed years of delays to its construction, with the first launch date scheduled in 2007.

The launch was lastly rescheduled for Christmas Eve, before finally being moved to December 25, with a launch window between 07:20 ET (12:20 GMT) and 07:52 ET (12:52 GMT).

Ahead of the 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.

Officials had confirmed that the Ariane 5 was in good shape, and that the only problem facing the launch was the start of the rainy season in French Guiana.

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.

Launch teams monitor the countdown to the launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on December 25

Dubbed a 'Christmas miracle' by anxious astronomers, the massive, next generation Jame Webb Space Telescope is pictured on the launch pad

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

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 seemed to have other plans and the mission was moved a day later.

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 will 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 has a wider spectrum view than Hubble and operate further out from the Earth, in a solar orbit. It launched on a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket from near Kourou in French Guiana

Nasa brushes off petition to rename James Webb 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 though the launch went to plan, the 'scary part' for many astronomers will come in a few weeks, 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 blast-off, the James Webb detached from its launch vehicle and began '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.
Learning online, rather than in a classroom, comes with an increased risk of depression and anxiety for older schoolchildren, according to a new study.

Researchers analysed parent-reported mental health outcomes for more than 2,000 school-age children living in Canada at the time of the Covid-19 outbreak.

For the study, the experts, from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, explored links between different types of screen use and mental health.

They found that there was a clear link between parent-reported anxiety and depression in older children, who were having to use a screen for education.

'These findings suggest that policy intervention, as well as evidence-informed social supports, may be required to promote healthful screen use and mental health in children and youth during the pandemic and beyond,' the team wrote.

Learning online, rather than in a classroom, comes with increase risk of depression and anxiety for older schoolchildren, according to a new study. Stock image

KEY FINDINGS This study included 2,026 children from Canada, living during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 532 were included in the TARGetKids! cohort, with an average age of 5.9 years. There were another three cohorts, made up of the remaining 1,494 children with an average age of 11.3. Of the group, 237 children had a previous diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In younger children more TV or digital media time was associated with higher levels of behavioural problems. In older children higher levels of TV or digital media time were associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and inattention. Higher levels of video game time were associated with higher levels of depression, irritability, inattention, and hyperactivity. Higher levels of electronic learning time were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Advertisement

The scientists behind the study also found that increased TV watching and gaming in younger children during the outbreak led to higher levels of depression, anxiety, behavioural problems and hyperactivity.

There was no increased risk of these conditions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, according to the experts.

They say this could be due to their already higher level of screen use, and lower level of social interaction.

'The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major changes in the daily routines of children,' the researchers said.

This was 'primarily because of the imposed public health measures related to distancing, isolation, and school closures,' the team explained.

The amount of time children and young people spent on screens increased dramatically, through television, gaming, video chat and online learning.

To understand what impact this could have had on the mental health of young people, researchers examined a number of cohort studies.

This study included 2,026 children with an average age of 6 and roughly split evenly between male and female participants.

Higher TV or digital media time, including gaming, was linked to higher levels of behavioural problems and hyperactivity in children aged 2-4, they discovered.

In older children and youth, with an average age of 11, watching more TV and gaming was linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety and inattention.

This group also experienced higher levels depression and anxiety as a result of online learning, due to school closures or isolation.

This ties in with pre-Covid research, that consistently showed high levels of screen use were linked to depression, anxiety, conduct disorders, and attention problems in children and youth, the team said.

Evidence, from the same cohort of children, also found that social isolation, not just screen time, was linked to deterioration of mental health.

'In addition to high screen use and social isolation, the worsening of child mental health could be related to the displacement of sleep, physical exercise, and other prosocial activities, which were disrupted during the pandemic,' they wrote.

Researchers analysed parent-reported mental health outcomes for more than 2,000 school-age children living in Canada at the time of the Covid-19 outbreak. Stock image

'The exposure to online bullying, stressful news, and harmful advertisements during screen use could also contribute to poor child mental health during the pandemic.'

The team thought that Zoom calls would be able to improve children's mental health, as it allowed them to connect with friends, but that wasn't the case.

The researchers hypothesised that Zoom calls could improve childrens mental health by connecting them with friends, but did not find that to be the case.

The findings have been published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Amazon's Alexa will provide users with challenges to complete when asked, but a mother was shocked when the digital assistant suggested her 10-year-old daughter try a potentially deadly TikTok challenge.

Kristin Livdahl tweeted about the incident on Sunday, stating that Alexa told her child to 'plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs.'

This 'outlet challenge' was a TikTok trend in the US last year.

An Amazon spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an email: 'The tweet is not fake however the challenge is no longer live. As soon as we became aware of the issue, we took swift action to fix it.'

Scroll down for video

Kristin Livdahl tweeted about the incident on Sunday, stating that Alexa told her child to 'plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs'

Livdahl said her and her daughter were doing physical challenges said by Alexa, which included laying down and rolling over, to ease the frustration of bad weather that last Sunday and that is when she heard the dangerous suggestion.

According to Amazon, Alexa uses Bing as the default search engine for all her queries and the company asks users to help improve answers.

'Our customers want Alexa to get smarter and more helpful to them every day,' the site notes. 'To do that, we use your requests to Alexa to train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems using machine learning.'

Because Amazon uses Bing, the 'outlet challenge' likely came up and that is why Alexa repeated it to the mom and her 10-year-old daughter.

This 'outlet challenge' was a TikTok trend in the US last year. Pictured is a still from a TikTok video showing someone perform the challenge

The outlet can catch fire during the challenge. Pictured is a still from a TikTok video showing someone perform the challenge

Some Twitter users joked in the comments of Livdahl's tweet joked about how 'evil' Alexa is.

'I suspected Alexa was evil. Just didn't suspect Alexa was this evil,' user Lesli What wrote.

And another user tweet: 'The machine uprising has begun.'

The outlet challenge surfaced in 2020, sparking firefighters across the US to warn parents about the dangerous TikTok video.

Some in the comments of Livdahl's tweet joked that they thought Alexa was up to no good, and potentially 'evil'. 'I suspected Alexa was evil. Just didn't suspect Alexa was this evil,' someone wrote.

Massachusetts firefighters, specifically, issued an alert across the state in January 2020, after two students at Plymouth North High School in Plymouth were caught attempting to stick a penny into a phone charger, which resulted in two scorched electrical outlets

Massachusetts firefighters, specifically, issued an alert across the state in January 2020, after two students at Plymouth North High School in Plymouth were caught attempting to stick a penny into a phone charger, which resulted in two scorched electrical outlets.

Plymouth Fire Chief Ed Bradley, said in a statement: 'Social media elevates it.

'They see it online, they see someone do it, they start laughing, they run away and no one gets hurt and they assume the same will happen when they do it, so they think it's funny to do it in a classroom.'
Head lice found on ancient mummies contain more DNA than a tooth, according to scientists, who say it could help shed light on ancient people and migration.

A team were able to extract the DNA from the 'cement' head lice used to glue their eggs to hairs on mummified bodies in South America, thousands of years ago.

The DNA extracted from the cement was of better quality than that recovered through other methods, according to the team led by the University of Reading.

It revealed clues about pre-Columbian human migration patterns throughout South America, including that the original population of the San Juan province migrated from the land and rainforests of the Amazon in the North of the continent.

'There is a hunt out for alternative sources of ancient human DNA and nit cement might be one of those alternatives,' said study first author Dr Mikkel Winther Pederson, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Head lice found on ancient mummies contain more DNA than a tooth, according to scientists, who say it could help shed light on ancient people and migration

KEY FINDINGS OF NIT CEMENT ANALYSIS GENETIC LINK: A genetic link between three of the mummies and humans in Amazonia 2,000 years ago. This shows for the first time that the original population of the San Juan province migrated from the land and rainforests of the Amazon in the North of the continent (south of current Venezuela and Colombia). FOUNDING DNA: All ancient human remains studied belong to the founding mitochondrial lineages in South America. MERKEL CELL VIRUS: The earliest direct evidence of Merkel cell Polymavirus was found in the DNA trapped in nit cement from one of the mummies. The virus, discovered in 2008, is shed by healthy human skin and can on rare occasions get into the body and cause skin cancer. The discovery opens up the possibility that head lice could spread the virus. MIGRATION: Analysis of the DNA of the nits, confirmed the same migration pattern for the human lice, from the North Amazonian planes towards Central West Argentina (San Juan Andes) Advertisement

They recovered the DNA from head lice eggs, or nits, found in the hair of mummified bodies dating back 1,500 to 2,000 years, and were found in Argentina.

'This was possible because skin cells from the scalp become encased in the cement produced by female lice as they attach eggs to the hair,' researchers explained.

The findings include clues into the migration of pre-Columbian South American people that haven't been available through other methods.

They believe this method could allow for more unique samples to be studied from human remains - even when no bone or tooth samples are available.

Dr Alejandra Perotti, Associate Professor in Invertebrate Biology at the University of Reading, led the research.

He said: 'Like the fictional story of mosquitos encased in amber in the film Jurassic Park, carrying the DNA of the dinosaur host, we have shown that our genetic information can be preserved by the sticky substance produced by headlice.'

'In addition to genetics, lice biology can provide valuable clues about how people lived and died thousands of years ago,' Dr Perotti added.

'Demand for DNA samples from ancient human remains has grown in recent years as we seek to understand migration and diversity in ancient human populations.

'Headlice have accompanied humans throughout their entire existence, so this new method could open the door to a goldmine of information about our ancestors, while preserving unique specimens.'

Until now, ancient DNA has been extracted from dense bone from the skull or from inside teeth, as these provide the best quality samples.

However, skull and teeth remains are not always available, as it can be unethical or against cultural beliefs to take samples from indigenous early remains.

Severe damage destructive sampling causes to the specimens also make these extractions taboo, as well as compromising future scientific analysis.

Recovering DNA from the cement delivered by lice is therefore a solution to the problem, especially as nits are commonly found on the hair and clothes of well preserved and mummified humans.

The DNA taken from the mummies in Argentina revealed they reached the Andes mountains of the San Juan province, Central West Argentina.

A team were able to extract the DNA from the 'cement' head lice used to glue their eggs to hairs on mummified bodies in South America, thousands of years ago

FINDINGS OF MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF NITS VERY COLD: The mummies were all likely exposed to extremely cold temperatures when they died, which could have been a factor in their deaths. This was indicated by the very small gap between the nits and scalp on the hairs shaft. Lice rely on the hosts head heat to keep their eggs warm and so lay them closer to the scalp in cold environments. OLDER AGE: Shorter cement tubes on the hair correlated with older and/or less preserved specimens, due to the cement degrading over time. Advertisement

The team also studied ancient nits on human hair used in a textile from Chile and nits from a shrunken head originating from the ancient Jivaroan people of Amazonian Ecuador.

The samples used for DNA studies of nit cement were found to contain the same concentration of DNA as a tooth, double that of bone remains, and four times that recovered from blood inside far more recent lice specimens.

Dr Winther Pedersen said: 'The high amount of DNA yield from these nit cements really came as a surprise to us and it was striking to me that such small amounts could still give us all this information about who these people were, and how the lice related to other lice species but also giving us hints to possible viral diseases.

'There is a hunt out for alternative sources of ancient human DNA and nit cement might be one of those alternatives. I believe that future studies are needed before we really unravel this potential.'

As well as the DNA analysis, scientists were also able to draw conclusions about a person and the conditions in which they lived from the position of the nits on their hair and from the length of the cement tubes.

They were able to determine the sex of the human hosts, how the populations migrated throughout south America, and evidence of viruses.

The DNA extracted from the cement was of better quality than that recovered through other methods, according to the team led by the University of Reading

The team revealed a genetic link between three of the mummies and other humans known to be living in Amazonia 2,000 years ago.

'This shows for the first time that the original population of the San Juan province migrated from the land and rainforests of the Amazon in the North of the continent, in the area south of current Venezuela and Colombia,' the authors found.

They also discovered that all ancient human remains studied belonged to the founding mitochondrial lineages in South America.

The mummies were all likely exposed to extremely cold temperatures when they died, which could have been a factor in their deaths.

This was indicated by the very small gap between the nits and scalp on the hairs shaft. Lice rely on the host's head heat to keep their eggs warm and so lay them closer to the scalp in cold environments.

Shorter cement tubes on the hair correlated with older and less preserved specimens, due to the cement degrading over time.

As well as the University of Reading, researchers from National University of San Juan, Argentina; Bangor University, Wales; the Oxford University Museum of Natural History; and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark were involved.

The findings were published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.
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Nature can take the breath away in so many ways.

As the winning and commended photographs in the prestigious Nature Photographer of the Year 2021 contest reveal.

This year, the contest - which celebrates photographers who capture the 'joy of nature's beauty' - broke its record for submissions, with the judges choosing from over 20,000 photographs from 97 countries. Pictures that impressed the judges included an extraordinary shot of an erupting volcano in Russia's Kamchatka natural park, a photograph of a silverback gorilla drumming his chest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a series of heartwarming images of a family of round-tailed ground squirrels in Arizona.

However, the overall winner was Terje Kolaas, who won the judges over with his spectacular drone shot of pink-footed geese soaring through the skies over the Trondheimfjord wetland system in his native Norway.

Judge Tony Wu says of the winning shot: This photograph immediately grabbed our attention in large part due to the novel perspective it provides - a view of pink-footed geese migration from within the airborne flock.'

He adds: Our excitement about this picture was tempered initially by the question whether a drone may have disturbed the birds. It is clear from the body language of the subjects and the presence of many relaxed geese on the ground that the subjects were not under stress. Below you'll find MailOnline Travel's pick of the winning and commended images - scroll down to the very bottom to see the overall winner.

This stunning photo won the Landscape category and shows an eruption of Klyuchevskoy, the highest and most active volcano in the Kamchatka natural park in Russia and part of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka Unesco World Heritage Site. It was taken by Denis Budkov, who hails from the Kamchatka Peninsula. He said: 'The lenticular cloud above the top of the volcano, illuminated by hot lava, creates the impression that a fire-breathing dragon is sitting on the top under the clouds. For 10 years now I have been photographing the eruptions of this volcano and for the first time I have filmed it from this angle. This place is amazing because here you can see three volcanoes standing side by side like the great pyramids of Giza. Klyuchevskoy is on the right (height 4,750m/15,584ft). In the middle is the volcano Kamen (height 4,585m, 15,043ft) and on the left is the volcano Bezymyanny (height 2,882m, 9,455ft)'

This enchanting shot came first in the Plants and Fungi category. It was snared by Rupert Kogler in a forest close to his hometown of Linz, Austria. He explains that when temperatures are below zero in the forest, mesmerising patterns of hoar frost appear on the branches of the trees. Sharing the story behind the picture, he says: This particular day I was lucky enough to experience these conditions. The most fascinating thing to me actually was that the sun melted the hoar frost in the treetops and these particles of ice fell down as a glittering curtain from time to time. Summing up the shot, he says: Natures magic delivered a memorable and enriching moment

Josef Friedhuber's striking photograph of a wild silverback gorilla named Chimanuka took the gold medal in the Mammals category. It was captured back in 2007 in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Austrian photographer says that the gorilla is now about 35 years old and his weight is more than 240kilos (529lbs). Friedhuber took this photo after about two hours of hard walking in the dense jungle. He says: The females [female gorillas] were eating in the bushes out of the sight of Chimanuka. Suddenly he came out of the bush about five metres (16.4ft) in front of me, drumming on his breast and showing his impressive behaviour. I was frightened and fell back in a bush. While falling I took the picture, so it is blurred because of the movement. Chimanuka stopped in front of our group and nothing happened. Then he turned off and climbed up a tree for a better view of his females and children'

This stunning image was captured by Italian photographer Georg Kantioler, and shows the Fermeda-Towers - a series of peaks that are part of the Geisler Dolomite mountain range in Italy. Kantioler, who has been taking photographs for the past 25 years, admits that it was a challenge to secure this shot. He says: This picture was preceded by many failed attempts and it took me many years to realise this desired image!

Clement Kiragu, who is a Kenyan wildlife photographer and cinematographer, took this powerful shot of a lioness on a warm September evening in 2018 on the banks of Mara River, which runs through Kenya and Tanzania. It was highly commended in the Black and White category. He says: A herd of zebras started gathering near the river, the sun was under a very dark cloud, and I remember I kept wishing the cloud to pass so that we would get lovely sun rays. Then, just by the river, I spotted the lionesss tail.' He says that the lioness 'jumped to action' to tackle the zebras, adding: It was a dramatic photographic opportunity, however, the hunt failed, like 75 per cent of lion hunt attempts. You could almost feel the disappointment in her posture, just alone in a large cloud of dust

Aare Udras arresting photograph of a young wolf, pictured, was the runner-up in the Mammals category. This picture was captured in a forest in his native Estonia. Udras learned that there was a wolfs litter in the area, and decided to set up a camera trap in a nearby beaver dam, hoping that the wolves would appear to hunt for the beavers. It took around six to seven months to capture this picture. Describing the photograph, which was taken around 4am one September morning, he says: This young wolf photographed herself. This photo shows well how relaxed the wolf is, even while jogging on the beavers' dam in absolute darkness.' Udras reveals: 'In Estonia, there are around 200-300 wolves. Around 100-130 of them are hunted annually. He adds: I love nature photos of different species showing their living style in their natural habitat. It is pretty difficult to make such photos, especially of the species who are not very common and are very careful, like the wolves'

Cast your eye above and youll see the runner-up in the Underwater category, captured by Russian photographer Dmitry Kokh. It shows dolphins swimming in Sataya Reef - also known as Dolphin House - in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, which Kokh describes as one of the best places in the world to swim with wild dolphins. He recalls: I spent all day with them in the water, and that was for sure one of the best days in my life. Kokh adds: You always feel that exact moment when you make a very special shot, the one you dreamed of. When everything comes together: the animals mood, the light, the colour, the depth and all the rest. And a bit of natures magic maybe. So, this is the one!

Down a busy side street in Harajuku, Tokyo, you will find Japans most popular otter cafe. Here, three Asian small-clawed otters are kept on display in a small glass tank.' So says US photographer Andrew Upton of this poignant shot, which shows one of these otters getting fed a snack in the cafe. The photo was highly commended in the Human and Nature category. These otters are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Upton notes that the limited space and high concentration of otters at Japans otter cafes makes adequate enrichment difficult, and the constant feeding and pampering by guests and staff members has made these otters dependent on human interaction. Upton, who did not feed or handle the animals, says: I spent a long time habituating them to my presence. It was important to me that I let the otters tell their story in their own time and that my presence did not induce them to perform for the camera

This awe-inspiring shot, which was highly commended in the Underwater category, shows a freediver named Anna von Boetticher swimming past the underside of an iceberg near the town of Tasiilaq, Greenland. The photographer behind the lens was Tobias Friedrich, who hails from Germany. Greenlands icebergs are absolutely fascinating, Friedrich says. He recalls spending days looking for 'an iceberg suitable for diving'. He says: 'Once we found one, we drilled a few holes, together with an amazing Northern Explorers dive support team, and dived into the minus two degree Celsius cold water. I felt very cold quickly, even though I had a really thick dry suit with lots of warming layers inside. He adds: But the real hero, Anna von Boetticher, succeeded to dive into this freezing water with only her 6mm- (0.2inches) [thick] neoprene wetsuit'

The Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award went to US photographer Lea Lee Inoue for her Emotional Range series, which follows a family of round-tailed ground squirrels at the base of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. Inoue first noticed the family when she moved to the area several years back. She says: I decided to photograph them, hoping to show that these animals think, feel and have emotions too. She adds: 'With this understanding, love and respect are developed for the natural world. Conservation is the natural effect of this endearment. Inoue says that this picture shows a mother squirrel who wakes up early every day and takes a stretch - just like humans

LEFT: A second picture from Inoues remarkable body of work. She calls this image Confession of a Food Thief. She recalls: Accusations were made and there was shame over a stolen tidbit. Inoue observes that this sort of behaviour is commonly seen in dogs, but also happens within other species. RIGHT: Another wonderful photograph from Inoues portfolio. It shows a baby squirrel discovering the softness of a feather and beginning to rub it all over its face. The photographer says: I feel I captured a wonderful moment of discovery and appreciation

Behold - the winner of the Nature of De Lage Landen category. Dutch photographer Andius Teijgeler is behind the picture, which is set in Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen, a nature preserve in Amsterdam. Teijgeler says that during the spring period he used to head to the preserve with his camera each evening in the hopes of sighting foxes and cubs. This fox crossed this bridge regularly in the spring, he says. Teijgeler waited a long time to capture this shot. He says: At last, we saw the fox on the right side checking if it was safe to cross the bridge. Suddenly she decided to go and I was able to take this shot.' He particularly admires the light and atmosphere' and the 'ducks in the background' of the winning shot

Look above and youll see Ostrich Kindergarten by Polish photographer Tomasz Szpila, which was highly commended in the Birds category. Recalling the day he took this shot, he says: We travelled through the picturesque areas of Damaraland [a mountainous region] in Namibia in search of desert elephants. After sunset and in the beautiful blue hour light, we were driving, slightly tired and bored, back to the camp admiring the beautiful scenery around us. Not expecting anything worth shooting, we were suddenly surprised with a unique picture. Near the road, a large group of teenage ostriches (over 100 specimens) passed by under the care of an adult male. Szpila explains that ostriches organise these 'kindergartens' for 'several broods, creating groups of a dozen or several dozen chicks. However, he notes that such a large group is a very rare sighting. Szpila adds: We stopped to take a few photos and returned to camp in much better moods

Czech photographer Michal Krause took this beautiful image, which was highly commended in the Landscapes category. It shows pink-lit mountains behind a frozen bay in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic. Krause explains that he saw 'many forms' of sea ice during his trip, ranging from 'free-floating large chunks of ice' to 'small rounded ice floes, which can merge into a continuous layer under optimal conditions'. He also sighted layers of sea ice that were 'more than one metre (3.2ft) thick. Krause adds: I couldnt just pass through such scenes, especially when it was lit by the beautiful light thats so typical of the Nordic regions. I took this photo on the last afternoon before our flight home. Temperatures dropping down to -30 degrees are a challenge for both photographic equipment and photographers, but the beauty of the Arctic landscape and its inhabitants amply make up for the temporary discomfort
Nicole Kidman has opened up her casting philosophy after she replaced Cate Blanchett in Being the Ricardos.

In a new interview with The New York Times, the 54-year-old star revealed that she felt the casting change in the Amazon drama - directed by Aaron Sorkin - happened for a reason.

The actress, who portrays the legendary comedian Lucille Ball in the movie, said, 'I feel like there's a sacred pact among us all  whoever gets something, that's where it was meant to land.'

The new Lucy: Nicole Kidman, 54, talked about replacing Cate Blanchett as the legendary Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos. Pictured at the movie's Australian premiere Dec 15, 2021

Blanchett, 52, had been a favorite to portray Ball in the biographical drama, which centers around the comedian's difficult personal and professional relationship with her husband, Desi Arnaz, played by Javier Bardem, as they film their hit sitcom I Love Lucy.

The Oscar-winning Australian actress ended up being cast in the role after Blanchett dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Lucille and Desi Arnaz's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, who is an executive producer on the film, spoke about being 'devastated' when she learned that Blanchett left.

Replaced: Blanchett, 52, had been a favorite to portray Ball in the biographical drama but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Pictured at Venice Film Festival on Aug 31, 2018

'It just took too long and we lost her,' she said, adding, 'I was devastated.'

Arnaz told the publication that the casting process proved to be difficult. 'None of them made me happy,' she said. 'It was always like, who's the flavor of the month? Who's got the hot movie of the minute?'

However, Ball's daughter was pleased with Kidman's eventual casting, saying, 'I thought that's good  we should only be looking at Australian actresses for this!'

Nicole's mantra: Kidman revealed her casting philosophy: 'I feel like there's a sacred pact among us all  whoever gets something, that's where it was meant to land'. Pictured as Ball in Being The Ricardos

Kidman has recently admitted that she was reluctant to take on the iconic role until director Sorkin convinced her otherwise.

While speaking to TV Tonight she revealed: 'I was trying to work on little baby steps into her voice and it was nowhere within reach. And I was like, "Oh, no, what have I done? I wish I had the talent to do this, but I don't."'

That's when the director stepped in and helped her change her mind through an email.

'He sent an email that was just basically, "You've got this. You're just going to have to take it day by day. I don't want an impersonation, I want you to do the work that you can do, that I know you will do. I want you not to freak out, because I believe you can do it,"' she said.

Being the Ricardos is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
Osher Gunsberg has reflected on his wedding day as he celebrated his fifth anniversary with wife Audrey Griffen.

The 47-year-old Bachelor host shared a rare throwback family photo with his hair and makeup artist wife and his stepdaughter, Georgia, swimming in a river.

'Five years ago: after a long and stinking hot day setting up our wedding camp and marquee with an army of friends, everyone headed down to Wollomombi Brook to cool off,' he began.

Going swimmingly: Osher Gunsberg (far right) has reflected on his wedding day as he celebrated his fifth anniversary with wife Audrey Griffen (far left). Pictured with stepdaughter Georgia (centre)

'I'll never forget hiking down the track under the casuarinas and past the wombat holes, and then plunging into the cool fresh water which instantly washed away the day's work - floating around in this incredible bit of bush land, looking at these two wonderful humans who the next day would become my wife and stepdaughter.

'It's been a while since we all swam in a bush river together, but yesterday playing Marco Polo in the pool with Wolf came pretty close.'

He concluded: 'Happy 5th anniversary Audrey Griffen. Xx'.

Clocking up the years: The prolific TV host also paid tribute to his wife on their fourth anniversary on December 28 last year, sharing a photo from their wedding day

Osher and Audrey are also parents to a two-year-old son, Wolf, who they welcomed in August 2019.

The prolific TV host also paid tribute to his wife on their fourth anniversary on December 28 last year, sharing a photo from their wedding day.

'Four years ago today I danced with @audreygriffen for the first time as my wife. Our wedding song? Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much",' he began. 

Family man: Osher and Audrey are also parents to a two-year-old son, Wolf, who they welcomed in August 2019

'And that's exactly how I still feel today. Audrey is a radiant sun of kindness, with care and empathy like I've never known, whip-smart and snort-laughingly hilarious. 

'On top of that - Audrey is just the most remarkable mother, negotiating every challenge and hurdle of parenthood with compassion, consideration and understanding.

'I'm in awe of you my darling. I wake up every day grateful that I am your husband, stepfather to Georgia and father to Wolfie. Happy anniversary xx'.

Love at first sight: Osher met Audrey, 41, while filming the second season of The Bachelor, where she was working as the show's makeup artist

Osher met Audrey, 41, while filming the second season of The Bachelor, where she was working as the show's makeup artist.

'The day she started I turned up on the show and there was this beautiful vision of light,' Osher told The Sydney Morning Herald in February 2018.

Speaking about Osher, Audrey added: 'There's a lot of bravado that's required in front of the camera, but he was quite shy and timid - a very self-deprecating and endearing side.'
The Bachelor alum Jubilee Sharpe has reached a plea deal that had a DUI charge in a February 2020 incident in Palm Beach, Florida dropped.

Sharpe, 30, was given 12 months of probation after she entered guilty pleas to reckless driving causing injury to property or person and willfully refusing to sign and accept a summons or citation, TMZ reported Monday after reviewing court docs.

Sharpe's reckless driving conviction will remain on her record, the State Attorney's Office said in court docs.

The latest: The Bachelor alum Jubilee Sharpe, 30, has reached a plea deal that had a DUI charge in a February 2020 incident in Palm Beach, Florida dropped

Sharpe, a veteran of the U.S. Army, agreed to the probationary period as well as 75 hours of community service, fines and attendance of a victim impact session and DUI education course, according to court docs.

Sharpe will be without her vehicle for a week as it is fitted with an ignition interlock device, as part of her plea deal, which will stop the driver from starting the vehicle if they have been drinking alcohol.

Sharpe was arrested in connection with DUI in February of 2020 after she crashed her vehicle in a single-car collision.

Police said she looked intoxicated, did not pass any field sobriety tests and would not take a breathalyzer test or submit a blood or urine sample.

Sharpe was featured on the ABC reality romance in 2016, when Ben Higgins was the featured bachelor, garnering an 11th place finish

Sharpe was seen on a 2017 episode of Celebrity Family Feud

In a police report obtained by US, authorities said Sharpe exhibited 'bloodshot glassy eyes, slurred speech and the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from her breath as she talked.'

Police said Sharpe 'could not remember exactly' what had occurred in the moments before the accident, and told an officer she had consumed 'a couple beers prior to driving.'

In her field sobriety test, Sharpe 'had a sway as she walked' and wasn't able 'to maintain balance,' police said.

Sharpe was subsequently 'placed under arrest and transported to the county jail' where she remained for almost six hours before she was released on her own recognizance, police said.

Sharpe was featured on the ABC reality romance in 2016, when Ben Higgins was the featured bachelor, garnering an 11th place finish. She went on to appear on the third and fifth seasons of Bachelor in Paradise.
Ree Drummond was joined by her husband Ladd and four of her five children for their annual matching pajamas Christmas snap.

On Saturday, the 52-year-old Pioneer Woman star shared the fun photo in which she was seen sitting with Ladd, 52, daughter Paige, 21, sons Bryce, 19, and Todd, 17 and foster son Jamar, 19, as they donned matching snowman pajamas.

'Merry Christmas, friends! (We miss you, Alex and Mauricio!!) ' Ree wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.

Holiday fun! Ree Drummond was joined by her husband Ladd and four of her five children for their annual matching pajamas Christmas snap

The television personality's oldest daughter Alex, 24, was absent from the photo as she was spending the Christmas holiday with her new husband Mauricio Scott in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico.

According to the Pioneer Woman blog, Alex explained on Instagram that she and Mauricio would alternate the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays between their two families.

'The way that we're doing this whole marriage-holiday-thing is we're doing Thanksgiving with one of our families every year, and then Christmas with the other family, and it'll flip-flop,' she wrote.

Absent: The television personality's oldest daughter Alex, 24, was absent from the photo as she was spending the Christmas holiday with her new husband Mauricio Scott in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico

'So next year we'll do Christmas with my family.'

In the comments section of Ree's post, Alex expressed that she was already looking forward to spending Christmas with her family again.

'make sure Santa gets us some Jammie's for NEXT YEAR!!' Alex wrote, adding several red heart emojis.

Last May, Alex and her longtime boyfriend Mauricio tied the knot at the Drummond Ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

Newlyweds: Last May, Alex and her longtime boyfriend Mauricio tied the knot at the Drummond Ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma

The couple enjoyed a holiday vacation in Vail, Colorado last week with Ree and her nephew Stuart Smith.

Ree posted several fun snaps from their getaway, including one image in which she was seen modeling a metallic puffer coat while posing between two Christmas trees.

In the caption, Ree wrote, 'Alex took this photo last night. We decided to name it "Between Two Trees."

'Just kidding, we didnt decide to name it. Im just trying to come up with a caption so I can post this photo of me in my trusty old aluminum foil coat.

'Ive had this coat for 94 years and it not only keeps me warm, it doubles as an iPhone charger. (Just kidding there, too. Im up a little early this morning.)'

Winter wonderland: Ree posted several fun snaps from her family's trip to Vail, including one image in which she was seen modeling a metallic puffer coat while posing between two Christmas trees

Last month, Ree made her acting debut in the Food Network and Discovery Plus' first original movie, Candy Coated Christmas.

Ree appeared in the movie alongside Molly McCook (Last Man Standing), Aaron O'Connell (The Haves and The Have Nots), Jae Suh Park (The Big Short) and John McCook (The Bold and the Beautiful).

The Food Network star celebrated the film's debut with a slideshow of photos that she shared on Instagram.

Debut: Last month, Ree made her acting debut in the Food Network and Discovery Plus' first original movie, Candy Coated Christmas

She captioned her post: 'Hard to believe the day is here, but yay"Candy Coated Christmas" is now available to stream on discovery+!!!

'Food Network/Discovery produced this darling Christmas movie, and when they asked if Id be willing to play the part of "Bee" (a bakery owner in a small town called Peppermint Hollow!) it took me about five seconds to say yes.

'Hope you can catch this sweet, food-filled film! My role is relatively small, but BOY is the rest of the cast incredible! Hope you enjoy! '
Malcolm in the Middle alum Frankie Muniz revealed he's remained in close contact with his former onscreen father Bryan Cranston 15 years after the Fox sitcom concluded.

'Bryan reaches out to me every two weeks and he has for 15 years,' the 36-year-old Emmy nominee said during Steve-O's Wild Ride! podcast on December 2.

'Like literally reaches out, "Just checking on you, hope you're well, what are you up to?" He's literally a Hollywood god and he calls me. He's the best.'

Malcolm in the Middle alum Frankie Muniz revealed he's remained in close contact with his former onscreen father Bryan Cranston 15 years after the Fox sitcom concluded (pictured with their wives in 2017)

The 36-year-old Emmy nominee said during Steve-O's Wild Ride! podcast on December 2: 'Bryan reaches out to me every two weeks and he has for 15 years'

Frankie (born Francisco) played the genius son of immature but loving father Hal (the 65-year-old Oscar nominee) in the critically-acclaimed family series, which ran for seven seasons spanning 2000-2006.

'No lie, Bryan is the greatest human being alive, as an actor, as a person,' Muniz gushed.

'He would show up every single day, and you know when you do something every day you can get annoyed - never. He was so happy to be there and so great to the crew and so great to everyone.

Frankie continued: 'Like literally reaches out, "Just checking on you, hope you're well, what are you up to?" He's literally a Hollywood god and he calls me. He's the best'

'Bryan is the greatest human being alive': Muniz played the genius son of immature but loving father Hal (the 65-year-old Oscar nominee) in the critically-acclaimed family series, which ran for seven seasons spanning 2000-2006

The homeschooled millennial explained: 'He would show up every single day, and you know when you do something every day you can get annoyed - never. He was so happy to be there and so great to the crew and so great to everyone. So, in my head, he's like my idol. No one deserves it more. He's an incredible actor he's done so many different things'

'So, in my head, he's like my idol. No one deserves it more. He's an incredible actor he's done so many different things.'

The homeschooled millennial also clarified in the interview that he never suffered strokes or memory loss but rather 'intense migraine auras.'

Frankie now lives in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife Paige Price and their nine-month-old son Mauz Mosley.

He's fine! Frankie also clarified in the interview that he never suffered strokes or memory loss but rather 'intense migraine auras'

'Looking forward to my sons first Christmas this year!' Muniz now lives in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife Paige Price and their nine-month-old son Mauz Mosley (pictured November 23)

Muniz and his 29-year-old Black String co-star - who began dating in 2016 - will celebrate their second wedding anniversary on February 21.

The former child star - who boasts 1.6M social media followers - tweeted on Friday: 'I did dance cardio today and I hired a lawyer. Merry Christmas!'

Frankie's last acting gig was guest starring as former child star-turned-cult leader Corey Harris in the February 28th episode of ABC's The Rookie titled 'True Crime.'

The former child star - who boasts 1.6M social media followers - tweeted on Friday: 'I did dance cardio today and I hired a lawyer. Merry Christmas!'
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Leila George was joined by her actress mother Greta Scacchi on Christmas Eve as they made the most of Australian summertime at Sydney's Maroubra Beach.

The 29-year-old estranged wife of Hollywood star Sean Penn showed off her figure in a rust brown swimsuit while paying a festive trip to the biggest beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

She was accompanied by Italian born Greta, 61, best known for her starring roles in box-office hits Presumed Innocent, The Player and White Mischief.

In good company: Leila George (left) was joined by her actress mother Greta Scacchi (right) on Christmas Eve as they made the most of Australian summertime at Sydney 's Maroubra Beach

Leila was seen sucking on a vape pen as she took a seat outside a nearby brick building, with clouds of flavoured steam billowing out of her mouth.

The Animal Kingdom actress wore a pair of distressed denim cut-offs over her swimsuit, while a light blue trucker cap, black aviator sunglasses, and gold jewellery rounded things off.

Her long blonde hair was worn loose in beach waves, and she appeared makeup-free, showing off her youthful complexion.

After arriving at the beach, Leila pulled a yellow beach towel out of her bag and laid it out on some nearby rocks.

Up in smoke: Leila was seen sucking on a vape pen as she took a seat outside a nearby brick building, with clouds of smoke billowing out of her mouth

Chic: The Animal Kingdom actress donned a rust-coloured one-piece, which she wore under a pair of distressed denim cut-offs

Perfect match: Greta stripped down to a pair of navy blue bikini bottoms on Friday (left). The actress found fame in a string of box-office hits during the 1980s and '90s (pictured right, in 1988)

Looking good: Leila showed off her figure in a rust brown swimsuit while paying a festive trip to the biggest beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs

She then positioned herself face-down on the towel, before eventually venturing into the water.

Leila arrived at the beach alongside her mother, wearing a pale pink face mask and carrying a heavy-looking box.

They appeared to have stopped off for some food, with Leila carrying a brown paper bag in one hand.

Rocky road: After stripping down to their swimsuits, Leila and Greta made their way down the rocks and into the ocean

Old times: Greta Scacchi in 1987 film White Mischief, one of her biggest screen successes

Details: Leila wore a light blue trucker cap, black aviator sunglasses, and accessorised with gold jewellery

Beach attire: Leila carried an oversize blue and white patterned beach bag, and donned a pair of furry leopard-print crossover slides

After stripping down to their swimsuits, Leila and Greta, 61, made their way down the rocks and into the ocean.

Greta arrived at the beach wearing a blue and white tie-dye dress and carrying a straw hat in one hand.

She then stripped down to a pair of navy blue bikini bottoms, which she paired with a black tank top.

In the bag: She also carried a canvas tote bag on one shoulder, containing her personal belongings

Making waves: Her long blonde hair was worn loose in beach waves, and she appeared makeup-free, showing off her youthful complexion

Catching rays: After arriving at the beach, Leila pulled a yellow beach towel out of her bag and laid it out on some nearby rocks

Heavy lifting: Leila arrived at the beach alongside her mother, wearing a pale pink face mask and carrying a heavy-looking box

The Palm Beach actress appeared to have had a great time splashing around in the water alongside her daughter.

At one stage, she lay floating on her back, with her arms outstretched as she squinted against the glare of the sun.

After emerging from the water, Leila squeezed the excess water from her hair as she stood on the rocks.

Getting it to go: They appeared to have stopped off for some food, with Leila carrying a brown paper bag in one hand

Back on? Despite their split, Leila and Sean were spotted together earlier this month in Miami, where they attended a party alongside Leonardo DiCaprio

Making a splash: The Palm Beach actress appeared to have had a great time splashing around in the water alongside her daughter

Star power: Leila is the daughter of Greta and her former partner, American actor Vincent D'Onofrio

Laidback: At one stage, she lay floating on her back, with her arms outstretched as she squinted against the glare of the sun

She then wrapped her beach towel around her shoulders and sat staring out at the ocean.

Meanwhile, Greta changed into a pair of brightly printed pants, and wore a pink floral-print sundress over the top.

The two women stayed sun safe, with Greta pulling on her straw hat and a pair of sunglasses as Leila sat nearby and applied sunscreen to her arms.

All tied up: Leila was seen pulling her long blonde hair up into a ponytail as she stood on the rocks

Getting dressed: After emerging from the water, Leila pulled her denim shorts back on and slipped on her sunglasses

Taking a walk: Leila showed off her beach style as she made her way down a footpath near the beach

Leila is the daughter of Greta and her former partner, American actor Vincent D'Onofrio.

She was first linked to Sean, 61, in 2016, and they married in July 2020 in a low-key ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Their union proved to be short-lived though, and Leila filed for divorce from Sean just over a year later in October this year.

Ex appeal: Leila was first linked to Sean Penn in 2016, and they married in July 2020 in a low-key ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured together at a charity event in Los Angeles in March 2020

In a squeeze: After emerging from the water, Leila squeezed the excess water from her hair as she stood on the rocks

Slip, slop, slap: The two women stayed sun safe, with Greta pulling on her straw hat and a pair of sunglasses as Leila sat nearby and applied sunscreen to her arms

All wrapped up: She then wrapped her beach towel around her shoulders and sat staring out at the ocean

Despite this, they were spotted together earlier this month in Miami, where they attended a party alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.

A friend of the couple told People at the time that they are renowned for having an on-again, off-again relationship.

'They got together and then they broke up. He realised he had made a mistake and when he felt he might lose her, he worked hard to get her back,' said the source of their reunion last year.
Patti LuPone is clearing the air and clarifying rumors about two performances she missed of her Broadway revival Company.

The 72-year-old actress plays Joanne in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's original 1970 musical, taking to Twitter to confirm why she missed the recent performances.

Unlike rumors that she had contracted COVID-19, LuPone revealed on Twitter that she actually contracted a 'rotavirus.'

Clarifying: Patti LuPone is clearing the air and clarifying rumors about two performances she missed of her Broadway revival Company.

Confirm: The 72-year-old actress plays Joanne in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's original 1970 musical, taking to Twitter to confirm why she missed the recent performances

'Hi Dolls. I dont normally do this but since there are a few little s***s out there writing false things about Company, heres the truth: I missed 2 shows with a rotavirus,' LuPone began.

'My toilet can confirm this. Two other actors contracted the same rotavirus. Poor Claybourne and his puke-stained flight attendant uniform can confirm, too,' she added, referring to co-star Claybourne Elder.

Elder has since tested positive for COVID-19, and is out of the production for that reason, with LuPone confirming they have had a few production members contract the virus.

Rotavirus: 'Hi Dolls. I dont normally do this but since there are a few little s***s out there writing false things about Company, heres the truth: I missed 2 shows with a rotavirus,' LuPone began

Co-star: 'My toilet can confirm this. Two other actors contracted the same rotavirus. Poor Claybourne and his puke-stained flight attendant uniform can confirm, too,' she added, referring to co-star Claybourne Elder

'While weve had a couple cases of Covid in the company, weve had exemplary understudies covering those roles, so the show was able to go on,' she added.

'You should all know that the Jacobs and the production of Company is one of the best tested on Broadway. Were all getting PCR probed every night,' she confirmed.

LuPone added that they, 'currently cannot field a crew of stagehands to run the show safely.'

Covid cases: 'While weve had a couple cases of Covid in the company, weve had exemplary understudies covering those roles, so the show was able to go on,' she added

'Our backstage crew is among the best I have ever worked with and I hope they return to us soon,' she said.

'These people are putting their health at just as much risk as we are onstage, and we ask that you please be patient while everyone gets better, so we can continue our run of Company,' LuPone concluded.

Company canceled its 2:30 PM and 7 PM performances on Sunday, December 26, though they announced on Monday that their 7 PM performance is happening as scheduled.

Crew: 'Our backstage crew is among the best I have ever worked with and I hope they return to us soon,' she said

The musical is scheduled to run at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre through June 26.

The original 1970 musical was nominated for a then-record 14 Tony Awards, which was among the first book musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage and divorce.

LuPone played Joanne in a filmed performance of the play at the New York Philharmonic Concert back in 2011.

Musical: The musical is scheduled to run at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre through June 26
Lala Kent has revealed that she wants more children while also declaring that she doesn't need a man to do so.

The 31-year-old reality star recently told People about her family plans.

'I do want to have more kids. I don't think there will be a dude involved. Actually, I know for a fact there will not be a dude involved if I choose to have another baby,' she said.

Family plans: Lala Kent, shown in July in Los Angeles, has revealed that she wants more children while also declaring that she doesn't need a man to do so

The Vanderpump Rules star has a nine-month-old daughter Ocean with her ex-fiance Randall Emmett, 50, who she split with in October amid cheating accusations.

Lala in a podcast interview earlier this month called Hollywood producer Randall the 'worst thing to ever happen' to her.

In a talk with Amanda Hirsch on Dear Media's Not Skinny, Not Fat podcast, Lala shared a wide range of feelings toward Randall after years of being his staunchest supporter.

'I have to understand how the worst thing to ever happen or come into my life, how did they give me the best thing to ever happen in my life?,' she said, referring baby Ocean. 'It is such a mind f***.'

Baby girl: The 31-year-old reality star is shown in August with her baby girl Ocean in West Hollywood, California

When asked if she had been warned by anyone about Randall, Lala quickly responded: 'I wish they f***ing would have.'

The Give Them Lala Beauty boss added: 'I wish that somebody would've come to me and said, 'I'm getting DMs about your person.' No one voiced any concern for me and my relationship.

'I would give everything to turn back the clock and have someone tell me something.'

Former couple: Lala and Randall Emmett, shown in June 2019 in Los Angeles, split in October and called off their engagement

The Utah native called off the engagement in October after photos surfaced of Randall with two women in Nashville, Tennessee.

'I think my head was completely in the sand,' she recalled. 'I think I ignored a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have, but I think I ignored them, because he's good at what he does.'

She added: 'I saw those pictures and I just knew, 'I'm going to do what I need to do to exit this relationship.''

Randall proposed to Lala during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in September 2018 when they celebrated her 28th birthday.

He gave her a six-carat diamond ring, which Lala recently discovered was a fake and had been heavily treated to change the color of the stone.

'I thank God and my [late] dad daily that I never married him,' Lala said. 'Just the thought of it sends me into a panic. If I would've gotten married, oh my God!'
George Clooney is currently on the Gold Coast to film his new movie, Ticket to Paradise.

And instead of taking the week off to enjoy the holidays, he's been busy working on the set of the highly anticipated romantic comedy.

On Tuesday, the Hollywood heartthrob was seen walking around on the bushland set surrounded by the production crew.

Busy: George Clooney was spotted filming Ticket To Paradise on the Gold Coast on Saturday

The 60-year-old Nespresso ambassador had a cup of takeaway coffee in hand and was accompanied by a bodyguard as he made his way around the area.

The award-winning actor was dressed in a casual grey ensemble with a polo shirt, black trousers and grey shoes.

After his coffee, he made his way to his marker in front of the camera and waited for the camera operator to be ready for the shot.

Is that Nespresso? The 60-year-old was seen on his way to the location with a cup of takeaway coffee in hand and accompanied by his body guard

Style: The award-winning actor was dressed in a casual grey ensemble with a polo shirt, black trousers and grey shoes

On his way: The actor and his bodyguard appeared to hastily make their way to the location

As he got himself into place, the crew prepared to capture the scene with an on-set assistant ready with a clapper board in hand.

The Ocean's Eleven star appeared to have nailed the scene after just a few takes before heading back into a nearby tent.

He later emerged with his microphone pack, which he returned to the audio team before heading home to his wife Amal and their children.

On set: The actor was seen being brought over to where the scene was being filmed by a production staff member

Preparing for the scene: George look cool, calm and ready to deliver his lines

George stars in Ticket to Paradise with friend and leading lady Julia Roberts.

They began filming last month on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, and then moved to The Whitsundays shortly afterwards.

The high-profile actors play a divorced couple who travel to Bali in a desperate bid to stop their daughter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, from getting married.

The movie also stars Billie Lourd as Dever's best friend, who travels with her to Bali, where she decides to marry a local.

Patience: He stood at his marker in front of the camera and patiently waited for the camera operator to prepare for the take

Ready... action: After getting into place, an on-set assistant ready with their clapper board

It was revealed in March that George and Julia were heading to Australia to film the hotly anticipated project.

George relocated to Australia in October with Amal and the couple's five-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella.

Despite spending their mandatory 14-day quarantine period at a sprawling NSW Southern Highlands estate rather than the usual hotel, George still complained about the conditions.

'You have to stay in one place for 14 days until you're finally allowed to go out and breathe,' he told WTF podcast host Marc Maron.

Nailed it! The Ocean's Eleven star appeared to have nailed his scene just a few takes

Done for the day: George was later seen leaving a nearby tent with his microphone pack in hand

Big project: George stars in Ticket to Paradise with friend and leading lady Julia Roberts. They began filming last month on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. They play a divorced couple who travel to Bali in a bid to stop their daughter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, from getting married

Julia also jetted into Australia in October, spending her quarantine period at a $56.9million mansion in Sydney's Vaucluse.

George and Julia are good friends in real life, having first met on the set of Ocean's Eleven in 2001.

In an interview with People in April 2016, Julia said it was a 'relief' that she and George aren't just 'Hollywood friends'.

'I just said to him an hour ago, "Thank God we really do like each other, or we'd be in hell,"' she said at the time.

Moving Down Under: George relocated to Australia in October with Amal and the couple's five-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella. Pictured is George and Amal

Good pals: George and Julia are good friends in real life, having first met on the set of Ocean's Eleven in 2001. In an interview with People in April 2016, Julia said it was a 'relief' that she and George aren't just 'Hollywood friends'

Furthermore, George said their families are also good friends, which 'makes it easy' for them to collaborate regularly.

'Danny and I are great friends and love each other. What's fun is it's really like a family,' he told People.

'It makes it easy. It's really fun to go, "Hey, let's do this movie together."'

Added Julia: 'What he's saying is we've just stitched our lives closer together. All these people that come into our lives; my husband, my children, his wife Amal Clooney. We just keep stitching our lives closer together.'
Timothee Chalamet seemed to be gobsmacked by his age as he shared a humorous post to mark his 26th birthday.

The Dune actor took to Instagram on Monday to express his shock at turning another year older, as he remarked 'I'm 26?!' while sharing a selfie.

Timothee looked to be enjoying a lowkey celebration at home with his family, but received tributes from friends who wished him well.

What's my age again?! Timothee Chalamet seemed to be gobsmacked by his age as he shared a humorous selfie on his 26th birthday

The Oscar-nominated actor posted a selfie wearing a purple sweatshirt which looked to be taken in his family kitchen.

He showed off light facial hair and his usual head of flowing brown locks while staring deadpan into the camera.

The Little Women star took to Instagram to re-post tributes from friends including Kiernan Shipka who gushed 'happy birthday king @tchalamet I love youuu.'

Fashion designer Haider Ackermann  who Chalamet recently collaborated with on a sweatshirt to support the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan  also celebrated him.

'Happy birthday king': Mad Men actress Kiernan Shipka paid tribute to Chalamet as she posted a photo of them from years back

Creative collaborators: Fashion designer Haider Ackermann - who Chalamet recently collaborated with on a sweatshirt to support the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan - also celebrated him

It's a party! He additionally shared another snap of his lowkey celebration with his older sister Pauline Chalamet, 29, in a festive party hat

Though Chalamet sparingly posts on social media he additionally shared another snap of his lowkey celebration with his older sister Pauline Chalamet, 29, in a festive party hat.

The Lady Bird actor has been hard at work filming the Willy Wonka prequel film: Wonka in the UK since October.

The musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book will focus on a young Willy Wonka's adventures, before he became a chocolatier.

The casting makes Timothee the third actor to portray Willy Wonka on screen following Gene Wilder in the 1971 film and Johnny Depp in the 2005 flick.

In November production shut down for five days after one of the stars tested positive for COVID-19, but the name of the cast member was never made public.
Sofia Richie wasted no time taking down her lavishly decorated Christmas tree, just two days after spending the holidays with her loved ones.

While preparing for the new year, the 23-year-old model shared timelapse footage of herself stripping her tree of its ornaments and lights on Monday.

As she diligently took down all her festive decor, the influencer rocked an oversized red sweatshirt and her long brown hair in a low ponytail.

Tidying up: Sofia Richie wasted no time taking down her Christmas tree, just two days after spending the holidays with her loved ones

'Goodbye Christmas,' she captioned a box full of gorgeous emerald green and gold ornaments.

The youngest daughter of musician Lionel Richie shared another snap on her Instagram of a nearly bare tree with a broken heart emoji.

Her sweatshirt, which paid tribute to her dad's artistry, appeared to be the same one she wore out shopping with boyfriend Elliot Grainge earlier this month.

Organized: While preparing for the new year, the 23-year-old model shared timelapse footage of herself stripped her tree of ornaments and lights on Monday

Saying goodbye: While rocking an oversized red sweatshirt and her long brown hair in a low ponytail, she diligently took down all her festive decor

It read, 'Sleigh You, Sleigh Me,' across the top and bottom of the sweater, in a play on words with his hit song, Say You, Say Me, that topped the U.S. charts in 1985.

Lionel even posted a photo of his daughter taking a selfie with his face on it.

'I'm not saying this is what we're wearing for our family Christmas photo... but I'm not NOT saying it,' he captioned the image.

'Goodbye Christmas,' she captioned a box full of gorgeous emerald green and gold ornaments

Farewell: The youngest daughter of musician Lionel Richie shared another snap on her Instagram of a nearly bare tree with a broken heart emoji

Lionel first hit the charts in the music industry with the Commodores in the 1970s with such classic songs as Easy, Brick House, Sail On and Three Times A Lady.

After leaving the band to go solo in 1982, he would delivery a string of hits with the likes of Endless Love, Truly, You Are, My Love, All Night Long (All Night), Running With The Night, Hello, Stuck On You, and Dancing on the Ceiling, among others.

After growing up in the spotlight, Sofia paved her own path to success by modeling for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, and Adidas.

Daddy's girl: Sofia honored her father by wearing a red sweatshirt with his image on the front of it
Dave Hughes tragically lost his father Desmond in 2010 following a battle with cancer.

And on Tuesday, Dave was reminded of just how much he shared a resemblance with his dad as he shared a photo of him from the 1950s.

The comedian, 51, posted a black and white photo showing Desmond with his pals from country Victoria as they strolled around The Manly Corso.

His father's memory: Dave Hughes shared a photo of his late father Des (pictured second from right in the light sweater) from the early 1950s showing the resemblance they shared

'Just got sent this pic of dad and his country Vic buddies cruising Manly Corso, early fifties,' he wrote in the caption.

The radio host added: 'Ps my dearly departed father Des is the one about to light up,' before going on to name his father's friends.

Last year, Dave shared a heartfelt tribute to his late father along with a picture of his parents with his son Rafferty, who was a baby at the time of the photo.

Similar resemblance: The radio host added: 'Ps my dearly departed father Des is the one about to light up,' before going to name his father's friends

Emotional: Last year, Dave shared a heartfelt tribute to his late father along with a picture of his parents with his son Rafferty, who was a baby at the time of the photo. He wrote: 'Dad passed not long after this pic was taken. It's a shame Raff didn't get to know Dad'

He wrote: 'This is my parents, Des and Carmel, and their dog Meg with my son. Dad passed not long after this pic was taken. It's a shame Raff didn't get to know Dad.

The funnyman shared that his nephew had his Des' full name tattooed onto him after his passing as a tribute and added in the caption: 'Kids and animals loved Dad.'

Dave recently shared a sweet throwback of himself with his wife Holly from the social pages of a newspaper in 2002.

The early days: Last week Dave shared a sweet throwback photo of himself and his wife Holly from the social pages of a newspaper in 2002 - taken only two weeks after the pair had met

Birthday girl: Dave posted the throwback to commemorate his wife's 42nd birthday. They married in 2006

The photo was taken only two weeks after the pair had met and showed them at a Melbourne bar called Cherry.

Dave shared the image to commemorate his wife's 42nd birthday and wrote: 'This was May 2002. Today is this striking brunette's birthday. We still cruise together.'

The couple share three children: Tess, seven, Sadie, nine, and Rafferty, 11.
Kim Kardashian seemed to try her hand at being a cat owner for the second time as she showed off a brand new white kitten on Monday.

The 41-year-old SKIMS founder debuted a Persian teacup kitty on Instagram who she dubbed 'Mercy #2,' nearly a decade after her first kitten died.

Though Kim seemed keen to name her newest addition after her late cat, daughter North seemed to have other ideas as the two playfully warred over what to call it in a video.

Welcome to the family! Kim Kardashian seemed to try her hand at being a cat owner for the second time as she showed off a brand new white kitten she dubbed Mercy #2

Mercy: Kim had become the proud mom of a teacup Persian kitty in 2012 - which she named Mercy after Kanye West's song - before it passed away from a fatal virus which attacked its stomach

In a video the baby cat was seen pawing at the cushion of her pricey Pierre Jeanneret kitchen chairs.

'Heyy, mercy number two,' Kim beckoned, as she filmed. She continued to try and whistle at it to get its attention before she barked 'Merc' with a louder voice.

But North, eight, seemed to take issue with her mom's naming as she was heard in the background saying 'It's not named Merc,' at which point Kim switched her tune and began to call it Frosty.

The name change didn't seem to get the kitten's attention any more as Kim then alternated between the two names trying to see which one the cat would answer to.

Teacup kitty: In a video the baby cat was seen pawing at the cushion of her pricey Pierre Jeanneret kitchen chairs

Up for discussion: 'Heyy, mercy number two,' Kim beckoned, as she filmed the little cat

Christmas present: The SKIMS founder seemed to surprise her kids with a kitten for Christmas, but she and daughter North warred over what to call it in a video shared to Instagram as her daughter quipped 'it's name is frosty'

When she tried 'Mercy' for another time North  who the reality star confessed was the only person who 'intimidates her'  continued to quip 'it's name is frosty.'

Despite the naming dispute, Kim's latest Christmas addition comes nearly a decade after her first kitten Mercy died.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashian's star had become the proud owner of a teacup Persian kitty in September of 2012, which she named after Kanye West's song Mercy.

Shortly after procuring the kitten she found out that she was allergic to it, and subsequently gave it away to sister Khloe Kardashian's then-assistant, Sydney, who had recently lost her cat after 12 years.

Re-gift! Shortly after procuring the kitten in 2012, Kim found out that she was allergic to it, and subsequently gave it away to sister Khloe Kardashian's then-assistant who had recently lost her cat after 12 years

Tragic news: 'It is with deep sadness that I have to tell you all that my kitten, Mercy, has passed away,' Kim wrote on her blog at the time, adding: 'My heart is completely broken'

A month after she gave the cat away, Mercy's health took a toll for the worse. In November Khloe's assistant found the kitten limp and not moving, and rushed her to an animal hospital.

The vet revealed that Mercy had been struck with a fatal virus  which acted like cancer  and attacked the sweet kitten's stomach. They were told that treatment wouldn't help and sadly they had to put the cat down.

'It is with deep sadness that I have to tell you all that my kitten, Mercy, has passed away,' Kim wrote on her blog at the time. 'My heart is completely broken.'

'Mercy was a gentle and loving kitten and we are all going to miss her so much. Thanks to Sydney for making Mercy's short life one filled with love,' she wrote in conclusion.
Noel Gallagher claims the current Labour Party is a 'f***ing disgrace who have betrayed the working classes' after failing to stop Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's landslide election win in 2020.

The former Oasis star has a lifelong association with the left-wing political party after growing up in Burnage, a predominantly working class Manchester suburb, during the Margaret Thatcher dominated '80s.

But Gallagher, 54, insists he will turn his back on the ballot box at the next general election and may even consider launching his own political party instead of voting Labour, now under the leadership of Sir Kier Starmer.

Fuming: Noel Gallagher, 54, claims the current Labour Party is a 'f***ing disgrace' after failing to stop Conservative PM Boris Johnson's landslide election win in 2020 (Pictured in November)

Noel, who is worth an estimated 50million and lives in leafy Hertfordshire, told The Matt Morgan podcast: 'I f***ing hate the Labour Party, they're a f***ing disgrace. What they've become now, a disgrace.

'They've betrayed the working classes, they've betrayed ordinary people and they've allowed this shower to run the country for however long they've f***ing run the country.'

He added: 'They are not capable of running an after-show party. I should start a new party called the After Show Party, it would be great.'

The musician had previously been a staunch advocate of former Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour, with its modern outlook and emphasis on social justice, equality for opportunity and welfare reform.

Not folloiwing the leader: Labour is now under the leadership of Sir Kier Starmer

Considered a symbol of Britain's flourishing late '90s music scene and by extension the wider art community, Gallagher was famously invited to Number 10 Downing Street with his then-wife Meg Matthews following Blair's election victory in May 1997.

Only two months earlier, he had made his support public during an acceptance speech at the BRIT Awards.

Gallagher told those in attendance that Blair 'was giving a little hope to young people in this country'.

Former advocate: Gallagher was famously invited to Number 10 Downing Street with his then-wife Meg Matthews following Tony Blair's election victory in May 1997

But the rocker admits he's become increasingly frustrated with Labour and their inability to usurp David Cameron and Boris Johnson since Blair's resignation in 2007.

Of Britain's beleaguered current PM, he seethed: 'He is the symbol of how f***ing disgraceful the Labour Party are.

'If that man and this Conservative party won a landslide against the Labour Party then what are we saying about the f***ing Labour Party. A f***ing disgrace.'
The Project's Tommy Little passed his pilot's licence in November, and on Tuesday the 36-year-old proved 'any fool can fly'.

In footage shared to the social media platform, Tommy can be seen successfully taking off and landing at Bacchus Marsh Airport in Victoria.

'And off goes Tommy for his second area solo,' a friend captioned the video of his take-off.

Safely landed: In footage shared to the social media platform, Tommy Little can be seen successfully taking off and landing at Bacchus Marsh Airport in Victoria

'Tommy didn't f**k up,' was written alongside footage of the funnyman landing, with the hashtag 'any fool can fly'.

In November, Tommy bravely admitted it took him a number of times to pass his pilot's test.

'Let's not point out the fact that I failed [three times],' Tommy joked on The Project.

After passing, the loveable larrikin soon hit up social media for flying companions

Top Gun: 'Tommy didn't f**k up,' was written alongside footage of the funnyman landing, with the hashtag 'any fool can fly'

Tough: In November, Tommy bravely admitted it took him a number of times to pass his pilot's test

'Please comment below if youd like to come flying with me because so far I have very few takers' read his message.

While there were very few takers in the comments, Paralympian Dylan Alcott did make a very off-colour joke.

'Keen. Already disabled so what can go wrong hey?' wrote the wheelchair-bound seven time Australian Open quad singles champion.

Jokester: 'Keen. Already disabled so what can go wrong hey?' wrote the wheelchair-bound seven time Australian Open quad singles champion

Other commenters included his fellow comedian Merrick Watts, who wrote 'well done SkyWeapon'.

While Channel 9 Perth weather presenter Scherri-Lee Biggs simply added, 'very cool'.

Little's flying dreams are being realised as part of the forthcoming reality TV series Any Fool Can Fly.
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Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is set to debut on January 1, 2022 on HBO Max as well as on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK.

And, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint recalled first kisses, horrible haircuts and growing up on the 'greatest playground in the world' as they joined their former co-stars in heartwarming scenes released ahead of the reunion special.

Three short videos show the stars, who played Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, chatting about spending their formative years on the set of the iconic film series, and speaking fondly of the 'strong bond' which they'll always have.

Reunited: Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint recalled growing up on the 'greatest playground in the world' in scenes released ahead of the reunion special

In the first clip, Emma, who was the tender age of 11 when the debut film was released, admits: 'It feels like no time has passed  and loads of time has passed.'

Rupert adds: 'I feel like this is the perfect time to sit down with everyone and reminisce.'

Speaking of the Wizarding World, Daniel admits: 'I'll always be happy to talk about it. I think people expect me not to want to talk about it. But that's like somebody never talking about their childhood or teenage years.

'Every part of my life is connected to Potter and to Leavesden. My first kiss is connected to someone here, my first girlfriends were here... everything I can think of is that related right now. It all spirals out from the Potter set somewhere.

Looking back: The main man himself confessed: 'Every part of my life is connected to Potter. My first kiss is connected to someone here, my first girlfriends were here...'

Back together: The Harry Potter cast reunites in the Great Hall for a Christmas get together

Bizarre: 'We did our growing up privately still, we just did it on a film set, and we did it with each other, and that's bizarre' explains Daniel

'Everyone also says things like "you grew up on screen". Well yes and know. We did our growing up privately still, we just did it on a film set, and we did it with each other, and that's bizarre.'

Elsewhere, Daniel can be heard saying: 'The thing that scared me most was the invitation. But there's something so joyous about seeing everyone.'

In another teaser clip, Daniel looks back on the overgrown hair which he and Rupert often sported in the Harry Potter films.

He asserts: 'My one bone to pick with Mike Newell, is that every year when we left for the film, we finished a film, they said "don't cut your hair over the summer, we'll cut it when you get back, and we'll decide what they want to do."

The time is right: 'I feel like this is the perfect time to sit down with everyone and reminisce' says Rupert

Fuming! In another teaser clip, Daniel looks back on the overgrown hair which he and Rupert often sported in the Harry Potter films

'And me and Rupert both dutifully grew our hair for months, and then came in and he was like: "Great!"

'And we went: "No, no no no no. You're not leaving us like this? We're supposed to be becoming teenagers and dating girls in this film. Like, you can't? That's not what it's gonna be is it?"

'So I think we were pretty devastated as we realised that it was. But still, I still love the man!'

Nerves: Emma admits she was nervous ahead of the reunion, saying: 'I felt quite overwhelmed this morning and then I've just been really pleasantly surprised by just getting to relive it all'

Joyful: 'You know, some of us haven't seen each other for years, and so it's just been a joy, an unexpected joy' gushes Emma

In the third video ahead of Return To Hogwarts, Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter, recalls one of her favourite scenes.

She says: 'One of the highlights of my part was when I had to pretend to be Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix. I've still got the teeth. I'll put them in actually!'

Elsewhere, Emma admits she was nervous ahead of the reunion, saying: 'You know, some of us haven't seen each other for years, and so it's just been a joy, an unexpected joy.

'I really didn't know how it would feel. I felt quite overwhelmed this morning and then I've just been really pleasantly surprised by just getting to relive it all.'

Joker! In the third video ahead of Return To Hogwarts, Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter, recalls one of her favourite scenes

'You've got to do it!' In another short clip, Ralph Fiennes remembers how he decided to accept the role of Voldemort in Harry Potter

In another short clip, Ralph Fiennes remembers how he decided to accept the role of Voldemort in Harry Potter.

The actor explains: 'My sister has children who were then around 10, 11, 12. And I said: "Martha I don't know about this Voldemort."

"What, you're being asked to play Voldemort? You've got to do it!" exclaimed the actor, mimicking his sister's reaction.

Elsewhere, Daniel emotionally confesses: 'I wouldn't be the person I am without so many people here.'

Rupert adds: 'It's very overwhelming to think that I've watched you grow up and I've seen every stage of your life.'

Emotional: Rupert tells Emma: 'There's a strong bond that we'll always have,' before they sharing a hug

One of the film's directors then gushes: 'Oh god, every day was a memorable moment because every day - as a director you're on these incredible sets.

'So you walk into the Great Hall one day, you walk into the Chamber Of Secrets. As a director it's the greatest playground in the world.'

Finally, Emma speaks sincerely as she asserts: 'When times get dark and things get really hard, there's something about Harry Potter that makes life richer.'

Rupert tells Emma: 'There's a strong bond that we'll always have,' before they share a hug and are joined by Daniel.

Sitting in the Gryffindor common room as the iconic trio, Rupert tells his former co-stars: 'We're family. We'll always be part of each others' lives.'

Family: Sitting in the Gryffindor common room as the iconic trio, Rupert tells his former co-stars: 'We're family. We'll always be part of each others' lives'

The Return To Hogwarts special will also feature other stars from the franchise, including Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Bonnie Wright (Ginnie Weasley).

Filmmakers Chris Columbus, David Heyman, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates will also appear.

Despite the star-studded turn out, the author behind the stratospherically successful franchise, JK Rowling, was not in attendance at the reunion special.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling will not be joining the special amid much controversy surrounding her over the past few years after she tweeted about biological sex leading to backlash from the trans community.

No show: Harry Potter author JK Rowling will not be joining the special amid much controversy surrounding her over the past few years after she tweeted about biological sex leading to backlash from the trans community (pictured in 2018)

Backlash: The 56-year-old British writer, who has been heavily criticised for her views on transgender people, will however appear via archival footage

Earlier this month, the first official poster for the Harry Potter reunion special has been released, featuring Daniel, Emma and Rupert front and centre ahead of filming Return to Hogwarts.

Fans of the franchise will no doubt be delighted to see Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley together once again alongside a host of their wizarding friends.

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), James Phelps and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) also appear on the photograph, which is set in Hogwarts' Great Hall.

One person not included in the poster, however, was Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has been kept away from the special amid an ongoing transphobia row that has seen her get cancelled.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is set to debut on January 1, 2022 on HBO Max
Abbie Chatfield was in need of some amorous attention on Tuesday.

In videos shared to Instagram Stories, the 26-year-old attempted to encourage her boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen to give her 'kissies'.

When the 31-year-old turned her down, Abbie turned the camera on herself, saying, 'That hurts.'

Smooches: Abbie Chatfield was in need of some amorous attention on Tuesday. In videos shared to Instagram Stories, the 26-year-old attempted to encourage her boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen to give her 'kissies'. Both pictured

Konrad tried to then offer her a smooch, but she refused, saying, 'You don't get kisses!'

Her Bachelorette star boyfriend swooped in to give her a kiss anyway, but she continued to complain.

'Petition for us to break up because you won't give me kisses,' Abbie said from behind the camera. 'Because you didn't beg for my kisses!'

When the 31-year-old turned her down, Abbie turned the camera on herself, saying, 'That hurts.' Konrad tried to then offer her a smooch, but she refused, saying, 'You don't get kisses!'

Smooch: Her Bachelorette star boyfriend swooped in to give her a kiss anyway, but she continued to complain

'Petition for us to break up because you won't give me kisses,' Abbie said. 'Because you didn't beg for my kisses!'

She claimed the petition had '100,000 signatures' already, but Konrad insisted that fans don't see what goes on between them in private.

'If only they saw what goes on behind the scenes,' Konrad said in deadpan, before Abbie burst into laughter.

Abbie recently took her boyfriend to meet her family.

Love: Abbie recently took her boyfriend to meet her family. The pair spent Christmas together in Queensland , with the former Bachelor star and her love interest packing on the PDA

'This year for Christmas I am heading to Queensland with my new beau, Konrad to spend it with my family, who I haven't seen since the borders closed,' she told the Herald Sun.

The pair spent Christmas together in Queensland, with the former Bachelor star and her love interest packing on the PDA.

They smooched and cuddled at a Brisbane bar on Sunday, sharing photos of their romantic moments to Instagram.
He's known for his cheeky sense of humour while on-air.

And Sunrise weather presenter Sam Mac was at it again, with the 40-year-old sharing video on Tuesday of him playing an amusing prank on his colleagues.

The TV personality admitted, 'I styled my scarf in a different way for every single live cross' while presenting from Tabilk in Victoria.

Barrel of laughs: Sunrise weather presenter Sam Mac (pictured) shared a video on Tuesday playing an amusing prank on his colleagues

Sam added that he performed the gag 'for no apparent reason & without referencing it'.

In compiled footage posted to his account, the weatherman could indeed be seen wearing a blue scarf styled differently in each cross.

In his final cross, Mac wore the scarf not around his neck but covering his head like a turban.

Unimpressed: Back in the Sydney studio, host David 'Kochie' Koch could be seen shaking his head disapprovingly at the antics. Pictured with co-host Natalie Barr

Back in the Sydney studio, host David 'Kochie' Koch could be seen shaking his head disapprovingly.

Sam said, 'I don't know if you've noticed guys, but I've never been a scarf guy.'

'We just didn't care,' shot back Koch.

'Okay, I'm out,' retorted Mac, before flicking his head scarf dramatically over his shoulder and walking away.

Lovebirds: Sam's uproarious post comes after he and girlfriend of a year Rebecca James announced they purchased their first property together earlier this year

Sam's uproarious post comes after he and girlfriend of a year Rebecca James announced they purchased their first property together earlier this year.

In October, the Channel Seven star revealed the exciting news alongside his beautiful partner.

'We bought a bloody house! In Sydney! Already drinking our way through the pain as we calculate the stamp duty #Pray4Us,' he wrote.
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Lucy Mecklenburgh has lost her battle with neighbours to turn her Essex bungalow into a dream 1.5million home.

The ex-TOWIE star, 30, sparked a row with residents in the Brentwood cul-de-sac over proposals for a hip-to-gable roof extension, more roof lights, a first floor front extension and a new front porch.

She had previously been given the go-ahead by planners for a loft conversion and front and rear extensions to the two-bedroom pad which she shares with former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, giving her an extra bedroom.

Mecklenburgh paid 525,000 for the pad in February 2015, and it is now believed to be worth 738,000, according to property website Rightmove.

Home: Lucy Mecklenburgh has lost her battle with neighbours to turn her Essex bungalow (pictured) into a 1.5million home. Proposals were to add a first floor front extension and a new front porch

But a couple of neighbours objected to her latest proposals to further extend the property with two more bedrooms, a built-in wardrobe and bigger en-suite.

In a letter to the local council, one wrote: 'I am totally opposed to this planning application. When I moved in seven years ago, it was a cul-de-sac of bungalows.

'I have been living next to a building site for six-and-a-half years and the house next door is still boarded up and not finished.

'We have had builders merchants' lorries, skip lorries, concrete mixer lorries and many more. As a result, the road is now full of potholes.

Disaster: She had previously been given the go-ahead by planners for a loft conversion and front and rear extensions to the two-bedroom pad, which she shares with Ryan Thomas (pictured in July 2019)

'There appears to have been no council oversight of the works to ensure completion in an acceptable timeframe to help minimise the impact to both the road and the community within it.

'If this application is granted, we will once again suffer the inconvenience of more lorries coming up and down the road.'

A second resident wrote: 'The design and appearance is completely different to other dwellings including previous developments in [the close].

This proposed development is not in keeping with the surrounding area and other properties.'

Proposals: But a couple of neighbours objected to her latest proposals to further extend the property with two more bedrooms, a built-in wardrobe and bigger en-suite - the red marks show the proposed extension

Her proposed new-look home would have boasted a hallway, ground floor kitchen, dining area, family seating area, study and two bedrooms.

The first floor would have a master bedroom and two more bedrooms, making it a five-bedroom house.

Officials at Basildon Council threw out her planning application, saying the development would result in 'bulky additions' and would be out of keeping with the existing building, street scene and character of the area.

Mecklenburgh appealed to a Government planning inspector against the council's decision, saying: 'It is acknowledged by the appellant that the majority of the dwellings in [the close] are bungalows. However, the majority do provide first floor accommodation.

'The proposed extension has been specifically designed to ensure that it respects the symmetrical design of the existing dwelling.

Renovations: Mecklenburgh paid 525,000 for the pad in February 2015, and it is now believed to be worth 738,000, according to property website Rightmove. Pictured: The home's kitchen after Lucy and Ryan renovated it

What could have been: Images show the proposed modifications to the home - which will not come to fruition

Change it up: Red marks show the proposed extensions - which have been rejected

'It matches with the modern contemporary character of the dwelling and is the most practically and design-sensitive solution to achieve first floor space without causing significant material harm.

'It is acknowledged that the form of extension is out of keeping with other bungalows, which are in the most provided with simple higher ridged roof plans.

'However, just because a design is not in keeping does not automatically result in it causing harm.'

Planning Inspector Mark Philpott dismissed Mecklenburgh's appeal after visiting her home last month.

In his report, he said: 'The first floor extension would be a relatively large, partly flat roofed addition that would span across a significant proportion of the dwelling and have irregularly shaped windows to accommodate the porch roof.

'Consequently, the first floor extension would sit awkwardly above the single storey projections and the porch and the resulting front elevation would appear cramped.

'For these reasons, the front extensions would make the dwelling appear incongruent in the cul-de-sac.

'The character and appearance of the area would be harmed as a result.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative of Lucy for comment.

It comes after Lucy announced her pregnancy with her second child last month in a post she shared with fans on Instagram.

In the image shared to her social media, Lucy wore a white top and jeans as she posed with her little boy in the image captioned: 'Here we go again @ryanthomas84.'

Lucy's followers were quick to offer their congratulations underneath the adorable photograph.

Scare: Lucy also reflected on her son Roman being rushed to hospital last month, revealing that doctors discovered he was battling 'six viruses' (Ryan pictured in hospital with Roman)

Meanwhile, Lucy also reflected on her son Roman being rushed to hospital last month, revealing that doctors discovered he was battling 'six viruses' after she found him 'blue in his cot'.

Lucy added that she fears Roman, who now uses an inhaler after being diagnosed with a 'viral induced wheeze', may have suffered from a weakened immune system after being isolated at home during the Covid lockdown.

In September, 20-month-old Roman - who Lucy shares with her fiance Ryan Thomas, 37 - spent nearly a week in intensive care.

Reflecting on the traumatic night, Lucy said she had gone to check on Roman in the night as he had been suffering with a cold.

Speaking on the Sweat, Snot & Tears podcast Lucy said: 'I heard sort of grumbles at 3am and like I think we all do, if they're not sounding like it's a big scream and they're in pain, you think, 'Oh well they're just having a little dream.'

She revealed that when she checked the baby monitor an hour later that something 'didn't feel right', adding: 'He was moving very slowly, side to side, and I thought, 'This doesn't feel right and I want to go and see him.''

It was then when she found Roman 'blue in his cot' and he was rushed to Basildon Hospital and St Mary's in London.

Her son has since been diagnosed with a 'viral induced wheeze' and now requires an inhaler twice a day.

Back in March, Lucy shocked her Instagram followers when she shared a snap of a set of keys, captioned: 'New house, new project, new memories to be made.'

Although Ryan now has two homes in the UK, he recently confessed that he would love to live abroad.

He explained that won't be able to happen in the near-future, however, as he wouldn't want to leave daughter Scarlett, who remains in Manchester with actress mother Tina O'Brien.
Chris Hemsworth is currently enjoying a family getaway with his loved ones in Europe.

The Thor actor, 38, and his wife, Elsa Pataky, 45, were joined by his brother Liam Hemsworth, 31, during a trip to Ibiza on Tuesday.

Liam was also in the company of his girlfriend, Australian model Gabriella Brooks, 25.

Island time: Chris Hemsworth is currently enjoying a family getaway with his loved ones in Europe. The Thor actor, 38, and his wife, Elsa Pataky, 45, were on a trip to Ibiza on Tuesday. Both pictured

The group headed out to dinner at a popular local restaurant on the famous party island.

Chris kept things safe by donning a white face mask, as well as having on a black cap and sunglasses.

He was casually dressed in a crisp white T-shirt and black jogging bottoms, and was spotted giving Elsa a quick cuddle while they waited in line.

Brotherly love: The couple were joined by Chris' brother Liam Hemsworth, 31 (left)

All in: Liam was in the company of his girlfriend, Australian model Gabriella Brooks, 25 (right)

Dinner time: The group headed out to dinner at a popular local restaurant on the famous party island

Red hot: Gabriella picked a bright red shirt for the outing, adding a pair of blue jeans

Hunger Games star Liam likewise had on a face mask, as well as a white T-shirt and jeans in the same pale tone, and sunglasses.

Gabriella picked a bright red shirt for the outing, adding a pair of blue jeans to the ensemble.

Elsa meanwhile looked chic in a black, short-sleeved shirt, rolled up at the arms, and paired with jeans.

A look: Elsa meanwhile looked chic in a black, short-sleeved shirt, rolled up at the arms, and paired with jeans

Sweet: Elsa and Chris shared quick cuddle while they waited in line

Cool: Liam had on a white T-shirt and jeans and wore sunglasses

The Snakes on a Plane star added a black, designer purse across her body, as well as a chunky watch.

The Spanish actress appeared to have on minimal makeup and wore her hair up off her face in a high bun.

The group waited outside the eatery, happily posing for photos with local fans before going inside.

Chris and Elsa's children, India Rose, 9, Sasha, 7, and Tristan, 7, accompanied them.

Fresh: The Spanish actress appeared to have on minimal makeup and wore her hair up off her face in a high bun

Masked up: Liam wore a white face mask before entering the eatery

Chats: Elsa and her husband engaged in an animated conversation

Details: Elsa had on a chunky watch and dainty earrings, as well as rings

Bag it: The Snakes on a Plane star donned a crossbody bag with a chain strap

Chris was recently in Prague with his family, shooting 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.

Kids: Chris and Elsa's children, India Rose, 9, Sasha, 7, and Tristan, 7, accompanied them

Relaxed: Chris kept things casual in a crisp white t-shirt and black jogging bottoms

Beaming: He seemed relaxed as she left the establishment

Moves: Chris was recently in Prague with his family, shooting Extraction 2 for Netflix

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.

The shoot is expected to run for four months, until March 2022.

Chris recently told Today Extra hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys he was frustrated with the NSW lockdowns when the decision to move Extraction was made.

Fan service: The group waited outside the eatery, happily posing for photos with local fans before going inside

Heading home: The group strolled back to their hotel after their meal

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," he said.

'But you go elsewhere and you go, "Actually we're doing a pretty good job as far as reducing the effects,"' he added.
Candace Rice has welcomed her baby boy.

The 28-year-old Floribama Shore star took to Instagram two days ago to announce that her little one came early at 24 weeks.

'Merry Christmas everyone!' began the reality TV star. 'Maxwell Michael Hardy arrived at 2:30am. We have a Christmas baby and another Capricorn! Hes so strong!'

The baby is here: Candace Rice has welcomed her baby boy. The 28-year-old Floribama Shore star took to Instagram two days ago to announce that her little one came early at 24 weeks

News: 'Merry Christmas everyone!' began the reality TV star. 'Maxwell Michael Hardy arrived at 2:30am. We have a Christmas baby and another Capricorn! Hes so strong!'; Seen in 2018

'Currently in Nicu and hopefully I can take him home in a few months,' said the star.

Rice said she is asking for prayers 'more than ever for my little man.'

And she added that he is doing OK.

'Hes so small, but so aware. I cannot wait to hold him. Please keep the development of baby Maxwell in your family prayers today as you gather with family & friends,' ended the note.

Last week Candace shared a slideshow of photos in which she proudly displayed her burgeoning belly before she gave birth.

She revealed that a harrowing experience affected the timing of her announcement.

'I didnt want to post these yet, but unfortunately yesterday I went into pre term labor at 24 weeks,' Candace wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.

Small but strong: 'Hes so small, but so aware. I cannot wait to hold him. Please keep the development of baby Maxwell in your family prayers today as you gather with family & friends,' ended the note

She continued, 'Dr. Tosha Muse in addition to all the wonderful doctors & nurses have been doing all they can to keep baby Maxwell Michael Hardy inside the womb as long as possible.'

'Its wayyyy too early for him to enter,' the television personality added.

In the photos, Candace went topless in a pair of light wash blue jeans and accessorized with large gold hoop earrings.

The beauty shone with the glow of pregnancy as she stood with one hand covering her chest and her other hand resting on her stomach.

In the second photo, Candace was joined by a man who also went shirtless in a pair of blue jeans.

He wrapped his arms around Candace, placing his hands over her her hands and beamed at the camera as she looked up at his lovingly.

In the last photo, she posed solo with one hand covering her chest and her other hand placed on top of her mane of curly dark hair.

Scary: In her post, Candace revealed that she was hospitalized due to pre-term labor at 24 weeks

The Yaaganix founder is known for her privacy concerning her personal life. While fans speculated that she was pregnant, she had not confirmed the rumors until Thursday's post.

The MTV reality star has not disclosed the name of the baby's father, though she went on to express her gratitude to her 'love' as well as her friends and family in the caption.

Candace also described her struggles with hyperemesis gravidarum, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

She wrote, 'Thank you to all my friends that have called me, checked on me throughout this entire pregnancy. Thank you to my amazing family, Mama & Papa Rice for being there for me every step of the way.

Grateful: She also thanked her friends and family for their support. Seen in 2018 with her Floribama Shore castmates Jeremiah Buoni, Codi Butts, Kortni Gilson, Aimee Hall, Kirk Medas, Nilsa Prowant and Gus Smyrnios

'Thank you most of all to my love who have been there for me through the worst HG possible (I lost 20 pounds in the first 4 months and was throwing up on average 7 times a day) could barely walk or move and he was there for me every single day making sure I had what I needed all while working full time.'

She continued, 'I couldnt ask for better support system.

'Praying for a healthy son and speaking a miracle over my sons life and health.'

Candace revealed she had to be on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. She also said that she would stay at the hospital until the beginning of the new year due to COVID.

The Memphis, Tennessee native concluded her post with some words of advice for expecting mothers.

'This pregnancy has sat my busy body behind down. Now Im officially on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy and will be in the hospital for the remainder of the year in isolation thanks to COVID.

'Take it easy mommy-to-bes. I dont care what you think you have to do, the only thing you actually HAVE to do is let that baby bake, stress-free in peace.'
Lala Kent has claimed she has 'proof' Emmett Randall cheated on her.

The 31-year-old reality star ended her engagement to the 50-year-old producer in October amid allegations he was unfaithful to her.

And Lala - who has nine-month-old Ocean with Emmett - has admitted their relationship was 'based on nothing but lies.'

She knows: Lala Kent has insisted she has 'proof' Emmett Randall cheated on her. The 31-year-old reality star ended her engagement to the 50-year-old producer in October amid allegations he was unfaithful to her

A sad end: And Lala - who has nine-month-old Ocean with Emmett - has admitted their relationship was 'based on nothing but lies.' Seen in 2019

She told The New York Post's Page Six column: 'I know that he had sent messages that said he never [was], but there's proof elsewhere.

'Bottom line is, I feel like I was in a relationship that was based on nothing but lies.'

She continued: 'We had such little communication during the time that those photos surfaced to the time that I moved out. I say I did what I needed to do to remove myself from that home with my baby in tow.'

The alleged infidelity is said to have taken place in Nashville, Tennessee.

And the Vanderpump Rules star has thanked the two females Emmett was snapped with for showing her partner's true colors.

The ring was fake too: Kent holds up her engagement ring which she recently said was fake; seen in 2019 in New York City

She said: 'I will forever be grateful to those two girls walking across the street with him because they saved me.

'Those two girls, I wish I knew who they were, because I would start sobbing and tell them, 'You saved me. Thank you so much!'

'I got that feeling in my gut that I talk about in my book ['Give Them Lala']. And that's when I knew, I'm leaving this relationship.'

The Give Them Lala Beauty founder has embraced her independence since her breakup and has never felt stronger.

New mommy: She added: 'Now I'm out here on my own, completely independent from anybody. The only way to describe it is I feel free and liberated  and the strongest I've ever felt in my life'; with daughter Ocean

She added: 'Now I'm out here on my own, completely independent from anybody. The only way to describe it is I feel free and liberated  and the strongest I've ever felt in my life.'

And Lala's faith has been her solace in testing times.

She explained: 'I've never really been one to talk about my faith, but because I'm relying on it so much right now, I find it important to talk about. I feel very mentally strong.

Staying strong: And Lala's faith has been her solace in testing times. She explained: 'I've never really been one to talk about my faith, but because I'm relying on it so much right now, I find it important to talk about. I feel very mentally strong'

'I don't want to question it because it doesn't matter why I feel this way. I just want to relish in the fact that I'm here, functioning and in my clear state of mind.'

This comes after Kent revealed that she wants more children while also declaring that she doesn't need a man to do so.

The star recently told People about her family plans.

'I do want to have more kids. I don't think there will be a dude involved. Actually, I know for a fact there will not be a dude involved if I choose to have another baby,' she said.

Family plans: Kent, shown in July in Los Angeles, has revealed that she wants more children while also declaring that she doesn't need a man to do so

Lala in a podcast interview earlier this month called Hollywood producer Randall the 'worst thing to ever happen' to her.

In a talk with Amanda Hirsch on Dear Media's Not Skinny, Not Fat podcast, Lala shared a wide range of feelings toward Randall after years of being his staunchest supporter.

'I have to understand how the worst thing to ever happen or come into my life, how did they give me the best thing to ever happen in my life?,' she said, referring baby Ocean. 'It is such a mind f***.'

When asked if she had been warned by anyone about Randall, Lala quickly responded: 'I wish they f***ing would have.'

The boss added: 'I wish that somebody would've come to me and said, 'I'm getting DMs about your person.' No one voiced any concern for me and my relationship.

'I would give everything to turn back the clock and have someone tell me something.'

Baby girl: The star is shown in August with her baby girl Ocean in West Hollywood, California

The Utah native called off the engagement in October after photos surfaced of Randall with two women in Nashville, Tennessee.

'I think my head was completely in the sand,' she recalled. 'I think I ignored a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have, but I think I ignored them, because he's good at what he does.'

She added: 'I saw those pictures and I just knew, 'I'm going to do what I need to do to exit this relationship.''

Randall proposed to Lala during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in September 2018 when they celebrated her 28th birthday.

He gave her a six-carat diamond ring, which Lala recently discovered was a fake and had been heavily treated to change the color of the stone.

'I thank God and my [late] dad daily that I never married him,' Lala said. 'Just the thought of it sends me into a panic. If I would've gotten married, oh my God!'
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She's been enjoying a sun-drenched festive break in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas with her family.

And Kaia Gerber looked incredible as she slipped her model figure into a tiny black thong bikini while catching some rays on Tuesday.

The catwalk star, 20, was sure to catch the eye in her skimpy swimwear as she enjoyed a spot of sunbathing with her former supermodel mum Cindy Crawford, 55.

Looking good: Kaia Gerber looked incredible as she slipped her model figure into a tiny black thong bikini while catching some rays on Tuesday

Kaia showed off her toned physique and peachy posterior in the halterneck string top and matching thong bottoms as she topped up her tan.

The beauty ensured all of her body got some sun as she sprawled out across two sun loungers, one of which her famous mother was perched on.

Kaia accessorised her holiday look with small gold hooped earrings and dark sunglasses, while at times she donned a straw hat.

The stunner gave a glimpse of her perky behind as she stood up to wrap her towel around her.

wow: The catwalk star, 20, was sure to catch the eye in her skimpy swimwear as she enjoyed a spot of sunbathing with her former supermodel mum Cindy Crawford, 55

Meanwhile, Cindy looked as glam as ever in a stripy kaftan and dark sunglasses, while her brunette looks fell over her shoulders in soft waves.

The duo looked in great spirits as they spent some time together amid their trip to the city on Mexico's West Coast, with Kaia's Casamigos founder father Rande Gerber, 59, also on the holiday.

But there was no sign of Kaia's rumoured new love interest Austin Butler, whom she was seen leaving a home with on Friday morning in Los Angeles.

The star and her family have been staying at a large lavish estate with several family friends since Thursday.

Over the weekend the Vogue cover model flaunted her cleavage in an orange bandeau and a matching thong that appeared to be wet from a dip in the pool.

Chilled: Kaia showed off her toned physique and peachy posterior in the halterneck string top and matching thong bottoms as she topped up her tan

Model behaviour: Kaia showed off her sizzling physique in black swimwear as she topped up her tan in Mexico

Sensational: Kaia certainly inherited her mother's model figure

Just the two of us: The beauty ensured all of her body got some sun as she sprawled out across two sun loungers, one of which her famous mother was perched on

Kaia accessorized her laid-back vacation look with a straw sun hat as well as a pair of black sunglasses.

The beauty went make-up free for the relaxing day, while her shiny brunette tresses were worn down.

And while Kaia surely appreciated some time away from her busy modeling schedule, the ELLE cover model has much to look forward to in the new year.

She has recently been rumored to be dating actor Butler, 30, after ending her relationship with Euphoria star Jacob Elordi, 24.

Easy does it: Kaia balanced across two sun loungers amid her sunbathing session

Details: Kaia accessorised her holiday look with small gold hooped earrings and dark sunglasses, while at times she donned a straw hat

If you've got it: The model didn't seen to have a care in the world as she happily stretched out her legs while lying in front of her mother

Flaunt: The stunner gave a glimpse of her perky behind as she stood up to wrap her towel around her

A source divulged to PEOPLE that the model and the 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, referencing Kaia's ex. 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 over a week ago that showed the pair looking cozy while attending a yoga class in Los Angeles.

Austin used to date another Hollywood actress: High School Musical vet Vanessa Hudgens.

Meanwhile, Kaia seemed quite serious with ex Jacob.

This way: The beauty also tuned on her front as she she worked on the tan on her back

Still got it: Meanwhile, Cindy looked as glam as ever in a stripy kaftan and dark sunglasses, while her brunette looks fell over her shoulders in soft waves

Care-free: The star and her family have been staying at a large lavish estate with several family friends since Thursday

Kaia said earlier this year she was grateful to have a 'safe and steady relationship' with Jacob.

Speaking about her relationship, she shared: 'Being able to be with someone I trust, where we don't want anything from each other, having a safe, steady relationship like that, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of love and what it feels like to love without conditions.

'Lust is touching other people or wanting them, but love is really seeing someone.'

And the beauty even got acting tips from the Kissing Booth actor ahead of her acting debut in American Horror Story.

When asked about the advice her boyfriend has given her, she said: 'He's a great person for me to go to because he's gone to drama school and has years of experience that I don't have. So I'm like, "Oh, I'm definitely going to be using you as a resource."'

Kaia and Jacob went public with their romance last November, and soon after it was claimed Kaia's famous parents approved of their relationship.

Her past: She has recently been rumored to be dating actor Butler, 30, after ending her relationship with Euphoria star Jacob Elordi, 24 (pictured with Jacob in September in Los Angeles)

An insider said: 'Jacob is very sweet to Kaia. They are always very loving and cute together.

'It's obvious that Cindy and Rande approve of Jacob too. They spend a lot of time together ... Jacob and Kaia rarely leave Malibu and instead enjoy the beach, go hiking and meet up with friends for dinner.'

In the recent issue of Men's Health, Jacob said that Kaia taught him how to deal with fame. He did not address their split.
Ollie Locke has been left devastated after his surrogate has had a miscarriage at six weeks.

The Made In Chelsea star, 34, took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the heartbreaking news, sharing a picture of a dressing gown with 'Baby Locke' embroidered on it.

He announced earlier this year that he and his husband Gareth, 31, were trying to have a baby via a surrogate and has documented their journey so far on social media.

Alongside the photograph of the dressing gown, Ollie explained that after finding out they were pregnant in November, their surrogate sadly miscarried at six weeks.

Heartbreak: Ollie Locke, 34, took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the heartbreaking news that his surrogate miscarried, sharing a picture of a dressing gown with 'Baby Locke' on it

He wrote: 'Trigger Warning. This is the last thing I want to be writing, but this is sadly a part of our journey.

'In early November our life changed in the most extraordinary and wonderful way, those two perfect lines shone through a pregnancy test telling us we were pregnant and Gareth, myself, our surrogate and our families were all ecstatic.

'After a difficult year, a little bean growing inside the best person you could ever imagine was the most wonderful early Christmas present we could ever have imagined.

'Through the course of nature, at 6 weeks and 2 days it stopped growing and had gone.'

Devastated: Ollie explained that after he and his husband Gareth found out they were pregnant in November, their surrogate sadly miscarried at six weeks

Ollie went on to say that it is not the 'end of the road' for the couple, saying they will continue to 'move forward' towards fatherhood and are looking towards a 'silver lining'.

He continued: 'This not going to be the end of the road, in fact we have some wonderful plans and we will continue to move forward towards the remarkable gift of fatherhood.

'All of your support has been amazing and I have read every DM you have sent and thank you for being so kind to Gareth, myself and our heavenly surrogate!

'With the greatest sadness we will always continue to look towards a silver lining, which is the shining beacon of a community that we have found who are all going through the same journey as us, trying to have the family they so wish and deserve. Your support has been remarkable!'

'This is sadly a part of our journey': Ollie, who met Gareth a decade ago before they started dating in 2018, said they don't want any other couple to go through the heartbreak they have

The miscarriage comes after their first attempt to have a baby via IVF was unsuccessful earlier this year.

Ollie, who met his partner Gareth a decade ago before they started dating in 2018, also said they don't want any other couple to go through the heartbreak and financial challenges that they have.

He said: 'As we move forward I will promise I will do everything in my power to try and bring attention to help in changing the British laws to make it easier for people desperately trying to have a family!

'The rules which haven't been reassessed in over 30 years are wildly unfair, currently firmly against gay equality and beyond archaic.

'Why would any government grant equal marriage, but make it so heartbreakingly difficult and frighteningly expensive to have a family, I will do everything in my power to open up the conversation of a modernisation in legislation change!

Kindness: Their friends and fans were quick to rally around the couple and offer their support, with many leaving heartfelt messages on the post

'I love you all and let's hope 2022 is a year that we all deserve, with such enormously loved babies brought into this world!

'Myself and Gareth decided with great support and love from Channel 4 and Monkey Kingdom to play last nights final scene as we feel this is a part of our journey which we will continue to share with you, all whist sending love and strength to those going through this at the same time.

'All our love in the world O&G x'

Ollie's friends and fans were quick to rally around the couple and offer their support, with many leaving heartfelt messages on the post.

Made In Chelsea's Sophie Hermann wrote: 'LOVE you both so much!'

Tragic: He announced earlier this year that he and his husband Gareth, 31, were trying to have a baby via a surrogate and has documented their journey so far on social media

While Chloe Delevingne said: 'Darling sending so much love xx'

Ashley James penned: 'So much love for you'

And TV personality Lydia Bright said: 'Lots of love'

In August, Ollie revealed that the couple's first attempt to have a baby via IVF was unsuccessful.

When asked if their IVF journey had been tougher than they expected, he told the Mirror in August: 'It has. I think it's because we all expected that everything would be okay. We had a positive mental attitude. We were really excited, and in the end, it didn't work.

'We are going back there in a couple of weeks and it will all be sorted. But yeah, life isn't as easy as it seems sometimes.'

Fatherhood: In August, Ollie had revealed that the couple's first attempt to have a baby via IVF was unsuccessful

Ollie and Gareth have been in touch with 'a community of people who are also struggling to have children', with Ollie saying everyone helps and supports one another.

He added: 'It's nice because, in that environment, no one is famous or in the public eye.

'Everyone joins this one community where we're all in the same boat together. Everyone wants to help each other and try to reach that final goal. It's actually really sweet.'

The couple spoke to Hello! magazine last month after the pregnancy had not gone as planned, saying they remained 'optimistic' and would try again.

Ollie said: 'I think our expectations were very high and we really thought it was going to work, but nature's nature and we can't do anything about it.

Tough time: The pair spoke out last month to say they were remaining optimistic after the pregnancy had not gone to plan

'We have to think that it wasn't meant to be and we are going to go ahead in a month or so and do it again. We're optimistic.

'Sometimes it just doesn't work. But that's not going to stop us from trying again and again.'

Gareth added: 'The feeling of not being pregnant this time really made us realise how much we want to become parents and we are determined to do that.'

Ollie also took to Instagram at the time to announce to his 476,000 followers who have all been following his journey that sadly their round of IVF had been unsuccessful.

In a heartfelt note, he penned: 'We wanted to share an update with all our amazing supportive followers who have been with us on our surrogacy journey.

Brave: Ollie also took to Instagram last month to announce to his 476,000 followers who have all been following his journey that sadly their round of IVF had been unsuccessful

'I'm sorry I have been quiet, sadly we found out last week our first attempt at IVF hasn't worked and after the heartbreaking news we have come to terms with the situation and are now looking forward to getting out to go for a second attempt very soon.

'Doing surrogacy and IVF is not a straight forward thing and there are a lot of ups and downs and testing times that really make you appreciate what it means to achieve the end result of having children.

'Our heart goes out to everyone who have been through this and still going through it and hope that sharing this journey and experience will highlight how difficult and emotional the journey really is.

'The support we have had has been amazing and we will continue to keep you all a part of our journey. I adore all you and all your kind messages, we are being super positive and looking forward to the next round!

'Our surrogate is the best human I have ever met and we love her so very much, thank you for being our superstar Xxxx.'

In June, Ollie spoke about his excitement at becoming a father and starting a family with his new husband Gareth.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Ollie said that fatherhood is his top priority right now, first and foremost.

He opened up on their surrogacy plans, teasing: 'I can say we are leaving quite soon to head across the world to become pregnant.'

'There is nothing in my life that I am more excited or ready for,' he said.

In March, Ollie told The Times about their plans to use a surrogate to have a baby. They will use an American egg donor and a British surrogate.

The pair will also both provide sperm, but won't know whose ends up being used.

'We're mixing it up, so it'll be whoever's swims best on the day and we'll never know. Although if it comes out with yellow hair, it'll be Gareth's,' Ollie told the publication.
Dior has 'indefinitely postponed' Travis Scott and Kim Jones' Cactus Jack capsule collection, according to WWD on Tuesday.

The French luxury fashion house decided to pull the collaboration between the hip-hop star and its men's artistic director, intended for Summer 2022, 'out of respect' for those who died at Travis' Astroworld Festival.

Last month a mid-concert crowd stampede killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others at the two-day festival while Travis and rapper Drake were on stage performing.

Out of respect: Dior has 'indefinitely postponed' Travis Scott and Kim Jones' Cactus Jack capsule collection due to the Astroworld tragedy, according to WWD on Tuesday

'Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection,' read a statement from Dior given to WWD.

Nine people  Jacob Jurinek, 21, John Hilgert, 14, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Franco Patino, 21, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Pena, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Danish Baig, 27, and Bharti Shahani, 22  were initially confirmed to have died after the Astroworld crowd 'began to compress' to the front of the stage during Travis' set.

Over a week later, a nine-year-old boy named Ezra Blount also passed away as a result of his injuries sustained during the surge after spending several days in a medically induced coma.

Disaster: Last month a mid-concert crowd stampede killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others at the two-day festival while Travis and rapper Drake were on stage performing

Following the tragedy, the families of several victims have pursued legal action against Travis, as well as Live Nation, the company who organized the event.

Last month, 282 victims of the concert filed a $2 billion lawsuit against Scott, Drake, Live Nation, Apple Music and NRG Stadium  where the event was held  claiming they 'cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk'.

While a further 125 victims  including the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta Avila who died in the incident  filed a $750 million lawsuit for loss of mental and physical health and loss of human life.

There was also a lawsuit from two concert security guards  Jackson Bush and his uncle Samuel Bush  who are seeking $1 million after claiming organizers of the event put 'greed' before safety.

The French luxury fashion house decided to pull the collaboration between the hip-hop star and its men's artistic director, intended for Summer 2022, 'out of respect' for those who died at Travis' Astroworld Festival (Kim Jones pictured in December)

And the family of the tragedy's second-youngest victim, 14-year-old John Hilgert, have also filed their own lawsuit against Travis, organizers Live Nation, and several others involved in the concert for $1 million, citing 'gross negligence' and 'reckless disregard' for people's safety.

Travis - who offered to pay the funeral costs of the victims - has maintained that he didn't know fans were in distress amid his performance.

The Dior postponement comes after the 30-year-old rapper's CACTI hard seltzers were discontinued.

Anheuser-Busch announced they decided to end production on the spike seltzers, but declined to comment on whether the decision had anything to do with the Astroworld tragedy.

The US brewing firm's statement read: 'After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.'
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Chrishell Stause is showing what her new ex-boyfriend Jason Oppenheim is missing this week as she takes a break from selling real estate to unwind in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The blonde siren, 40, was seen modeling a very flattering leopard print bikini as she splashed around in her resort's mega swimming pool before getting a fruit smoothie.

The veteran TV star has been enjoying her dream vacation South Of The Border with her Selling Sunset co-star Emma Hernan.

Not yours anymore: Chrishell Stause is showing what her new ex-boyfriend Jason Oppenheim what he is missing this week as she takes a break from selling real estate to unwind in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Gals here: The veteran TV star, right, has been enjoying her dream vacation South Of The Border with her her Selling Sunset co-star Emma Hernan, left

Chrishell was seen by the swimming pool with her cute little suit on that made the most of her gym-toned figure. The top had wide straps and tied in the front. And the briefs lay low on the hips.

The Kentucky native was seen with her highlighted hair down and she also put it up in a cute, sleek, tucked-in ponytail.

Stause has already posed in the attractive bikini on her social media pages.

On Monday the siren was seen in the pool with the cute two piece on as she said the swimsuit was made by Mimi The Label and her sunglasses were from Celine.

A closer look: Chrishell was seen by the swimming pool with her cute little suit. The top had wide straps and tied in the front. And the briefs lay low on the hips

She has never looked better: The TV star is newly single and is in the best shape of her life thanks to Pilates

Now for that smoothie: The Kentucky native was seen with her hair down and also putting it up in a cute, sleek tucked in ponytail

Sun goddess: Stause is seen here holding up a mimosa in a champagne glass as she cheers her Instagram followers

Stause also took to Instagram to share images in the same bikini on Tuesday afternoon.

There were three in all as she looking stunning while under the outdoor showed as she moved her legs around.

The star got cheeky in her caption as she said: 'Well these eggs aren't going to fertilize themselves. Or maybe they willwho knows. Until then, 2022 bring it on.'

Hot stuff cooling off: Stause also took to Instagram to share images in the same bikini on Tuesday afternoon. There were three in all as she looking stunning while under the outdoor showed as she moved her legs around

Playful: The star got cheeky in her caption as she said: 'Well these eggs aren't going to fertilize themselves. Or maybe they willwho knows. Until then, 2022 bring it on.' The remark was a nod to her splitting from Jason because he did not want kids and she did; at age 40 she is getting close to needing to get pregnant if that's what she wants

The remark was a nod to her splitting from Jason because he did not want kids and she did; at age 40 she is getting close to needing to get pregnant if that's what she wants.

Emma also took to social media to let her fans know she was soaking up the sun in Mexico.

She said on Instagram it was her birthday week; her big day is December 29 but she has been celebrating early this year.

The blonde was spotted in a pink string bikini by the pool as she got a suntan on her backside.

'My Birthday week, day 1 is off to a great start!!! FYI my actual birthday is December 29th, but I do appreciate all the birthday messages from you guys!!' said the TV star over her photo.

Her pal is a pretty blonde as well: Emma was seen in a pink string bikini by the pool as she got a suntan on her backside

A lot for the eye to take in: Her briefs tied on the side and had a thong back which showed off plenty of her toned bottom. Here she was seen carrying an oversized purse with a long strap as well as handles

Think pink: Emma said on Instagram it was her birthday week; her big day is December 29

Hot: 'My Birthday week, day 1 is off to a great start!!! FYI my actual birthday is December 29th, but I do appreciate all the birthday messages from you guys!!' said the TV star

Stause chimed in: 'Happy Birthdayyyyyy beautiful!!!! Holy HOTNESS.'

When the ladies went to get smoothies at the hotel bar, they slipped on their ripped blue jean Daisy Duke shorts that highlighted their toned legs.

They also both added their designer sunglasses to keep out the glare while carrying their cell phones.

Both Chrishell and Jason took to social media to reveal they have gone their separate ways, five months after confirming they were in a relationship.

The actress admitted her and Jason's 'ideas for family' were 'ultimately not aligned'. Chrishell wrote on Instagram: 'I have tried to embrace the world I have found myself in and that includes being open and honest about my relationships.

Now with a little clothing on: When the ladies went to get smoothies at the hotel bar, they slipped on their ripped blue jean Daisy Duke shorts that highlighted their toned legs

I might get a hot lead: They also both added their designer sunglasses to keep out the glare while carrying their cell phones

Talking up a man: They both stopped to talk to a man in a blue shirt with dark slacks and dress shoes

'It felt scary and terrifying knowing that it may not end in what society deems a success and what I am ultimately looking for. But after many long heartfelt talks, I am choosing to see it as a success no matter what label is attached to it publicly.' she wrote.

'Jason was and is my best friend, and other than our ideas for family ultimately not being aligned, the amount of respect and love we have for each other will not change going forward.'

Jason also took to his Instagram to pay tribute to Chrishell, and admitted they have 'different wants regarding a family', but have the 'utmost respect for one another'.

She looks good in anything: The star was chic in the leopard print top and frayed little shorts as she added sandals

He wrote: 'While Chrishell and I are no longer together, we remain best friends and we will always love and support one another. She was the most amazing girlfriend I've ever had, and it was the happiest and most fulfilling relationship of my life.

'While we have different wants regarding a family, we continue to have the utmost respect for one another.'

'Chrishell is an exceptional human being and loving her and having her in my life is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.'

Jason - who owns the Los Angeles real estate firm Oppenheim Group - and Chrishell confirmed they were dating back in July, and she later revealed they had embarked on their romance a couple of months earlier.

Two ladies on the loose: Chrishell, left, was with her Selling Sunset co-star Emma Hernan, right, in the swimming pool

Chrishell explained she and 44-year-old Jason had been 'really private and secretive for as long as we could until we realised the walls were closing in'.

She added: 'People were getting a little savvy to it.' Jason also admitted their friendship had 'developed into an amazing relationship'.

He added: 'I care about her deeply and we are very happy together.'
They were together for the holidays despite battling split rumors for the better part of the year.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott 'spent Christmas as a family' with their five children: Liam, 14, Stella, 13, Hattie, 10, Finn, nine, and Beau, 4.

Sources told US Weekly that the 48-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 actress and the former Chopped Canada star 'were happy' to be together over the holidays.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott 'spent Christmas as a family' with their five children: Liam, 14, Stella, 13, Hattie, 10, Finn, nine, and Beau, 4

The source added: 'They were all under one roof celebrating together.'

'That's what mattered the most to Tori and Dean, was making sure their kids had a nice holiday at home together.'

Dean had been noticeably absent from the family's roster of holiday decor, including their annual holiday card and stockings hung by the fireplace.

'They have issues that are hard to remedy,' an insider told PEOPLE earlier this month. 'And they don't have the same relationship they once did.'

Together: Sources told US Weekly that the 48-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 actress and the former Chopped Canada star 'were happy' to be together over the holidays; seen in 2019

The insider added: 'Part of their relationship was never fully repaired after he was unfaithful. Tori doesn't want to break up her family. But marriages with five children need to have a lot of trust.'

Dean cheated on Tori in December 2013 with Emily Goodhand while on location shooting Chopped Canada.

The cheating scandal was documented on their Lifetime series True Tori where she cried out during a couples therapy session: 'I can never give him enough sex!'

Following the cheating scandal, Dean checked into rehab in early 2014 to 'address some health and personal issues.'

Joy: She changed out the socks for a more playful setting with Liam, Stella, Beau, Finn and Hattie's names scrawled into cartoon character socks

Saint Tori: Spelling had a special sock made for each of her five children as she showed off new Christmas decor on Instagram Tuesday evening

Setting the record straight: After a user implied that Dean was missing because of a split from Tori, she wrote back with the 'fact' that he was 'filming his new feature film in Canada'

Tori claimed in the comments of her Dean-free family photo that her husband had been out of the country while working on a film role.

Dean's absence from the family holiday card marks his second time missing the shoot, as he was also absent from the couple's 2020 card due to another work shoot.

The couple  who celebrated their 15-year wedding anniversary in May  has 'hit a another bump' and Tori's not so sure this one's worth riding out as she was spotted leaving an attorney's office carrying a notepad that read 'assets,' 'support' and 'custody.'

In addition to their marital woes, money has been a huge source of stress for the couple as an insider revealed 'money is an issue and it's always been an issue.'
Binky Felstead looked nothing short of sensational as she shared a series of sizzling bikini snaps during her holiday to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, displayed her jaw-dropping figure as she posed on a water swing on the private resort island of Zaya Nurai.

Binky donned a black two-piece that highlighted her sun-kissed tan which she wore with a pair of sunglasses as she shared a clip of herself doing a belly flop.

Wow: Binky Felstead looked nothing short of sensational as she shared a series of sizzling bikini snaps during her holiday to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday

The star had attempted to do a dive before she lost her footing getting off the swing, captioning it: 'Insta vs reality'.

Alongside the post, she wrote: 'This island is incredible! Completely blown away and definitely coming back! @zayanuraiisland 

'This swing was very hard to climb. But even harder getting down! Which I will post later once max stops laughing.'

The star also shared a clip of herself walking along the shore on her Instagram Stories along with a bike ride with her husband Max Fredrik Darnton who she married in August this year.

Jump: Binky donned a black two-piece that highlighted her sun-kissed tan which she wore with a pair of sunglasses

Looking good: The star also shared a clip of herself walking along the shore on her Instagram Stories

Binky welcomed her first child, son Wolfie, with Max earlier this year, but he was not visible in her holiday snaps.

She is also mother to daughter India, four, with ex-boyfriend Josh 'JP' Patterson.

In an interview with MailOnline, the mother-of-two explained how she's trying to be the healthiest version of herself after giving birth to Wolfie in June.

On the topic of her post-partum experience, the former Made In Chelsea star said: 'I know I will get back to how I feel happiest. Obviously you go through ups and downs, yesterday I felt great, I put some makeup on - I felt so amazing.

Holiday: Binky displayed her jaw-dropping figure as she posed on a water swing on the private resort island of Zaya Nurai

Fun in the sun: She also went for a bike ride with her husband Max Fredrik Darnton who she married in August this year

Vacation: Alongside the post, she wrote: 'This island is incredible! Completely blown away and definitely coming back! @zayanuraiisland'

Flaunt: On Thursday, the former MIC star flaunted her figure as she seductively posed by the pool

Serene: Binky looked happy and relaxed as she posed up a storm next at the edge of the swimming pool

'This morning Ive woken up so tired and got sore eyes. Im being really careful what Im eating so thats taking a toll on my energy levels. Ultimately, Im trying to be the healthiest for me.'

Binky said India has embraced the role of big sister by helping her mum change Wolfie's nappies.

Binky hasn't ruled out adding to their beautiful family in the future, but said they are 'very happy' for now.
Holly Ramsay posed on a beach in the Maldives for a Tuesday Instagram snap - after marking a year of sobriety.

The daughter of TV chef Gordon, 21, exhibited her physique in an orange checkered bikini while framing her face with a pair of black sunglasses.

Filling her fans with envy, she wrote in her caption: 'Woke up on the beach.'

Snap: Holly Ramsay posed on a beach in the Maldives for a Tuesday Instagram snap - after celebrating a year of sobriety

Having a blast: Filling her fans with envy, she wrote in her caption: 'Woke up on the beach'

It comes after Holly shared her personal milestone in the form of a typed message with her 280,000 followers on Tuesday.

The influencer spoke candidly of her relationship with alcohol, including her decision to go tee-total after reaching her 'lowest point' last year.

Back in May, Holly revealed she spent three months in a mental health hospital after being sexually assaulted twice when she was 18 years old. She was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression.

'Alcohol and antidepressants do not mix well at all': It comes after Holly shared her personal milestone in the form of a typed message with her 280,000 followers on Tuesday

The podcast host also explained that alcohol and antidepressants 'do not mix well at all'.

In full, Holly wrote: 'Today marks one year without alcohol.

'This is not something I thought I would ever say at the age of 21. However, by 21 (nearly 22) I never thought I would've been through half of what I have.

'I choose to take a break from alcohol because it wasn't improving my mental health - which for me, comes first.'

Open book: The daughter of Michelin star chef Gordon, 21, spoke candidly of her relationship with alcohol, including her decision to go tee-total after reaching her 'lowest point' last year

Updating: The podcast host shared the personal milestone in the form of a typed message with her 280,000 followers on Tuesday

Holly continued to explain that it wasn't a decision 'taken lightly', nor is it one that is necessarily 'forever.'

'This time last year I was at my lowest and I was scared but I made a decision to take control of what I could - and that meant removing alcohol from my life.

'It was not an easy decision, nor one that I have taken lightly. I won't say this is forever, but this is for now. Living without alcohol has helped me feel better and more present both mentally and physically.

Opening up: Holly continued to explain that it wasn't a decision 'taken lightly', nor is it one that is necessarily 'forever'

'Don't get me wrong, I've had a year of high highs and low lows but I'm grateful I have myself the chance to work through them consciously rather mask my feelings (good and bad) with a drink.

'Alcohol and antidepressants do not mix well at all. And that is something, unfortunately, I learned the hard way,' she confessed.

The fashion design student concluded her message: 'As with everything I have been through, it has been a learning experience and I feel lucky to be able to post this message today, to continue to spread awareness and break the stigma surrounding mental health.'

Close: A doting Gordon penned: '@hollyramsayy what an incredible young lady and words cant explain enough how proud you make me feel love you so much Dad '.

Got your back: Others chimed in with their words of support, with Emily Clarkson, daughter of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, writing: 'You have so much power '.

Her father was among those who flooded to the comments.

A doting Gordon penned: '@hollyramsayy what an incredible young lady and words cant explain enough how proud you make me feel love you so much Dad '.

Others chimed in with their words of support, with Emily Clarkson, daughter of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, writing: 'You have so much power '.

Fans of Holly's also left sweet comments, which ranged from 'my strong lady', 'proud of you' and 'such an inspiration.'

Holly is the second eldest of Gordon and Tana Ramsay's brood of five children.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, contact alcoholchange.org.uk here or call 0300 123 1110.
Molly Sims had fun enjoying Christmas in Los Angeles with her three children that she has with Netflix honcho Scott Stuber.

But by Tuesday the Vegas actress, 48, was seen at her favorite tropical resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

The former Old Navy model also revealed that she has stayed in great shape - even though she has been serving red meats and chocolate cake at Christmas - as she flashed her incredibly toned figure in a bikini.

Down time: Molly Sims was seen at her favorite tropical resort in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the holidays

The beauty had on a colorful two piece with small red flowers as she held up a peach colored cocktail with a lime on the edge.

'When the only task of the day is to pick a cocktail ,' Molly wrote in her caption.

The day before the blonde pinup was seen in a cute and colorful mini dress as she held on to a straw purse that read Beach in cursive on the front.

'Honey, Im home,' the model wrote in her caption.

I take care of my body: The former Old Navy model also revealed that she has stayed in great shape - even though she has been serving red meats and chocolate cake at Christmas - as she flashed her incredibly toned figure in a bikini

This comes after Sims has sworn by a 12-minute workout at home.

She wrote on YouTube, 'Okay this has been a long time coming! Since were in the New Year and its all about rebooting and getting into shape, I am finally sharing the workout series that I do with my trainer 3-4 times a week. This is something that we always incorporate after I do my cardio.'

And in her video she is seen in a small home gym with her personal trainer.

Drink up: 'When the only task of the day is to pick a cocktail ,' Molly wrote in her caption

Molly says that just fitting in an extra 12 minutes after running is the best thing for her. She is seen doing leg lifts, knee lifts, crunches and jumping jacks.

Sims has three kids with husband Scott Stuber, 52, whom she wed in 2011.

The couple had son Brooks Alan in June, 2012. They then added their daughter, Scarlett May, to their family in 2015.

Their youngest child, Grey Douglas, was born in 2017.

In July Sims warned that 'overdoing lasers and peels' isn't good for your skin.

Her holiday casa: The day before the blonde pinup was seen in a cute and colorful mini dress as she held on to a straw purse that read Beach in cursive on the front

Me gusto Mexico: 'Honey, Im home,' the model wrote in her caption

The model-and-actress soon learned that constantly using invasive treatments wasn't doing her skin any good, and she much prefers the results of ice rolling and Gua Sha - the latter of which is a natural alternative where you scrape the skin with a massage tool to improve circulation.

Speaking to Byrdie, the catwalk beauty said: 'I learned that you need to stop overdoing the lasers and peels. I think once you find a system that works for you, you stick with it. I mean, I still love to try new products ... all the time, but it has to be worth it!

'Also, I swear by at-home devices like NuFace, ice rolling, and gua sha. Implementing that in your day-to-day routine is huge for facial toning and de-puffing.'

Before she headed south: Sims seem with one of her three children at Christmas

Quizzed on her worst skincare faux-pas, she said: 'One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was using toothpaste on a pimple. I slept with it on, and IT BURNED ME. Never again.'

Molly is also not a fan of overusing retinol and over-exfoliation.

She added: 'My ultimate skincare pet peeve is when people use too much retinol and when they over-exfoliate. If you want to do peels, do mini-peels. Your skin isn't meant to take all those harsh ingredients. If you can tell that someone has had something done, then it was not done well.'

Asked what the best skincare advice she has received was, the 'Yes Day' actress replied: 'If you strip, put moisture back in. Over-stripping causes redness and inflammation. That one came from Nurse Jamie.'
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She has a burgeoning career of modeling and presenting.

So no doubt Alessandra Ambrosio was in need of some rest and relaxation.

The 40-year-old stunner donned a tiny bikini as she enjoyed a day at the beach in her native Brazil.

Wow factor: Alessandra Ambrosio donned a tiny bikini as she enjoyed a day at the beach in her native Brazil

She showcased her 5feet10 frame in the cheeky brown two piece while partaking in some fun in the sun.

The bikini had a bit of opulent detailing as it featured gold chain along the side of the bottoms and the bra straps.

She accessorized by wearing protection from the sun in the form of a large basket-weave sunhat and a pair of black designer shades.

Gorgeous: The 40-year-old model showcased her 5feet10 frame in the cheeky brown two piece while partaking in some fun in the sun

Bling bling: The bikini had a bit of opulent detailing as it featured gold chain along the side of the bottoms and the bra straps

Stunning: She accessorized by wearing protection from the sun in the form of a large basket-weave sunhat and a pair of black designer shades

The former Victoria's Secret model wore her brunette tresses down under her fashionable sunwear as she showcased her natural looks with complementary make-up topped off with red lip.

Earlier on the model arrived wearing a white coverall along with blue Daisy Dukes.

Alessandra had her hands full as she carried along a large multicolored picnic basket and additional black bag.

Covered up: Earlier on the model arrived wearing a white coverall along with blue Daisy Dukes

Staying safe: She accessorized by wearing protection from the sun in the form of a large basket-weave sunhat and a pair of black designer shades

She carefully loaded her belongings on a paddleboard as she made her way onto a boat on the sea.

On the larger watercraft Alessandra certainly enjoyed a good time with friends and family as they enjoyed food and drinks aboard the boat.

She also made sure to work on her tan as she laid out on the deck for some sunbathing.

Juggling act: Alessandra had her hands full as she carried along a large multicolored picnic basket and additional black bag

Making a splash: She carefully loaded her belongings on a paddleboard as she made her way onto a boat on the sea

Ripped: The former Victoria's Secret model wore her brunette tresses down under her fashionable sunwear as she showcased her natural looks with complementary make-up topped off with red lip

Modeling isn't the only thing Alessandra has on her resume as she was recently the main presenter on HBO Max's The Cut Brasil.

Alessandra hosted the competition where 12 of Brazil's best hairdressers compete for the title.

The stunner is Brazilian-American, so it is understandable why she was chosen to be a spokesperson for one of the biggest shows in Brazil.

Alessandra is internationally known for her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel and she was also chosen to be the first spokesmodel for the company's PINK line.

Chill: She also made sure to work on her tan as she laid out on the deck for some sunbathing

Relaxed: She enjoyed soaking up the sun on the watercraft

Bootyful: She showcased her pert derriere

Bonding time: On the larger watercraft Alessandra certainly enjoyed a good time with friends and family as they enjoyed food and drinks aboard the boat

Now she has her own swimsuit line GAL Floripa.

The supermodel has two children with Jamie Mazur, Anja, 13, and Noah, nine. Jamie is a business man from California who co-founded the iconic denim brand Re/Done.

The couple went separate ways in 2018, after trying to keep their relationship out of the public eye.

Alessandra is currently dating fellow model Richard Lee as they have been seen together on outings since February.
Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell welcomed their first child, daughter Grace Warrior, in March.

And the family celebrated the nine-month-old's first Christmas this week, with Bindi's photographer brother Robert capturing a precious moment of the little girl smiling in front of an elaborately decorated tree.

The proud uncle, 18, captioned the photo: 'First Christmas with this little legend.

Merry Christmas from the Irwins! Proud uncle Robert Irwin shared this heart-melting photo of his niece Grace Warrior celebrating her first Christmas

'Its such a happy time for our family, and I am the proudest uncle. From our family to yours, I hope you all have had a merry Christmas and that your 2022 is fantastic!'

Bindi, 23, commented underneath the photo: 'She had the best day.'

The photo showed Grace smiling for the camera while wearing a festive Christmas dress, with the words 'My first Christmas' emblazoned on the front.

Bindi also shared the photo to her own Instagram account, and captioned it: 'Celebrating nine months with this cutie on Christmas Day.

'There is so much happening in Grace Warriors life: Crawling, two teeth, getting herself from laying to sitting, waving, high fives, clapping...'

How sweet! Proud mother Bindi, 23, commented underneath the photo: 'She had the best day'

Festive: 'It's such a happy time for our family, and I am the proudest uncle. From our family to yours, I hope you all have had a merry Christmas!' Robert (pictured) captioned the snap

She continued: 'Eating solids like a champion, loves saying "Dada", best friends are Fergo the cassowary chick & Igloo the tortoise - also discovered that playing with wrapping paper is her favourite!'

The photo comes days after Bindi shared a rare glimpse inside her family home on the Sunshine Coast as she posed for a cute festive photo alongside her dog Piggy in front of the very same tree that Grace sat in front of.

Bindi sat on the fireplace while the mammoth tree stood tall beside her.

Holiday spirit: The photo comes days after Bindi shared a rare glimpse inside her family home on the Sunshine Coast as she posed for a cute festive photo alongside her dog Piggy

'Merry and bright,' Bindi wrote, as she beamed with the little pooch on her lap.

Bindi wore a black T-shirt and light denim jeans for the occasion, resting her bare feet on the family's gorgeous beige rug.

While there was a baby carrier next to her, Grace Warrior wasn't in the festive shot.

A peek inside: Bindi had already given a brief glimpse at the gorgeous room earlier this month, in a video shared to Instagram. In the footage, Grace was seen marvelling at the bright Christmas tree while being carried by her mother

Bindi had already given a brief glimpse at the gorgeous room earlier this month, in a video shared to Instagram.

In the footage, Grace was seen marvelling at the bright Christmas tree while being carried by her mother.

Grace then sat in her father Chandler's arms as she touched the branches of the tree and giggled.

The video also showed that the property boasts high ceilings and a Sixties-style stone fireplace with Christmas decor sitting atop.

Spacious: The property has high ceilings and a stone fireplace with a massive TV that sits above it

'Grace woke up to her very first Christmas tree in our house. I'm crying tears of happiness as I write this,' Bindi captioned the video.

Bindi and Chandler announced their daughter's birth on March 26, just one day after she was born on their first wedding anniversary.

'March 25, 2021. Celebrating the two loves of my life. Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' she wrote on Instagram.

'Grace is named after my great-grandmother, and relatives in Chandler's family dating back to the 1700s.

'Grace woke up to her very first Christmas tree in our house. I'm crying tears of happiness as I write this,' Bindi captioned the video

'Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior.

'Her last name is Powell and she already has such a kind soul just like her dad.'

Bindi first met Chandler in 2013, when the American former wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

The pair married in a surprise ceremony at Australia Zoo in March last year.
Reality stars who attended an event in Sydney earlier this month are bracing for bad news after four guests tested positive for Covid-19.

Married At First Sight bride Melissa Lucarelli attended Believe Advertising's 20th birthday party at The Flamingo Lounge in Potts Point on December 17, and returned a positive result one week later.

Lucarelli, 41, announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday after days of feeling like she 'wasn't human' and was 'unable to function'.

Reality stars who attended an event in Sydney earlier this month are bracing for bad news as fears grow it will soon be labelled a Covid super-spreader event. Four people who attended the event, including Married At First Sight star (pictured), have since tested positive

Photos shared to social media show Lucarelli cosying up to former Bachelor stars Juliette Herrera and Emma Roche, as well as MAFS groom Nasser Sultan.

The Bachelorette's Beau Tauwhara, who also tested positive after attending the event, commented below Lucarelli's post: 'Yewwww Rona buddies'.

The 34-year-old photographer then revealed he'd just finished self-isolating and was ready to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Photos shared to social media show Lucarelli (right) cosying up to former Bachelor stars Juliette Herrera (left) and Emma Roche, as well as MAFS groom Nasser Sultan (centre)

The Bachelorette's Beau Tauwhara (right) tested positive after attending the event with fellow franchise stars (L-R) Jay Lal, Elena Wee, Steve Pliatsikas and Ryan Carmichael

Quick recovery: Commenting below her Instagram post, Tauwhara told Lucarelli he'd just finished self-isolating and was ready to celebrate New Year's Eve

Tauwhara had attended the event with fellow Bachelor franchise stars Jay Lal, Elena Wee, Steve Pliatsikas and Ryan Carmichael.

Dozens of reality stars are now rushing to get tested amid fears the gathering will soon be identified by health authorities as an Omicron hotspot.

It comes after MAFS alum Gabrielle Bartlett told fans she had been 'really unwell' for five days after testing positive, having also attended the Believe Advertising party.

Fears: Dozens of reality stars are now rushing to get tested amid fears the gathering will soon be identified by health authorities as an Omicron hotspot. (Lucarelli is pictured here with Big Brother stars Mary Kalifatidis and Tilly Whitfeld, who has also tested positive)

It comes after MAFS alum Gabrielle Bartlett told fans she had been 'really unwell' for five days after testing positive, having also attended the party. Pictured with her ex Nasser Sultan

Bartlett spent time at the event with Big Brother star Tilly Whitfeld - who has also since tested positive - and Mary Kalifatidis, the mother of former MAFS bride Martha Kalifatidis.



The marriage celebrant, 47, said on Instagram she'd lost her sense of taste and smell.

'Each night I went to bed with a fresh spray of perfume on my wrist and would periodically smell it throughout the night to see. It went from dull to cone to dull then back,' she wrote.

'I woke up with a horrendous headache, sore throat, fever and vomiting. It then morphed into heart pains.

The marriage celebrant, 47, said on Instagram she'd lost her sense of taste and smell

Bartlett spent time at the event with Big Brother's Tilly Whitfeld (left), who has also since tested positive, and Mary Kalifatidis (centre), the mother of former MAFS bride Martha Kalifatidis

'Actual pains in my heart but also nausea, fatigue and around we went again with one symptom switching off and another switching on. One word: Eww.'

The Flamingo Lounge required all patrons to be fully vaccinated and register their visit using the Service NSW app.

The Department of Health is yet to determine if the venue is considered 'high-risk' and issue an alert for attendees.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to all parties for comment.
Three members of the K-pop superstar group BTS have been infected with the coronavirus after returning to South Korea from abroad.

RM and Jin were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday evening, the Big Hit Music agency said in a statement. It earlier said another member, Suga, tested positive for the virus on Friday.

All three took their second jabs in August, the management agency said.

BTS is a seven-member boy band. The four other members are J-Hope, Jungkook, V and Jimin.

The latest: (L-R) RM, Jin and Suga of the South Korean boy band BTS have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the band's management company Big Hit Music

According to the agency, RM has exhibited no particular symptoms while Jin is showing mild symptoms including light fever and is undergoing self-treatment at home.

The agency said Friday that Suga wasn't exhibiting symptoms and was administering self-care at home in accordance with the guidelines of the health authorities.

RM had tested negative after returning from the United States earlier this month following his personal schedule there. But he was later diagnosed with the virus ahead of his scheduled release from self-quarantine, the agency said.

After returning to South Korea this month, Jin underwent PCR tests twice  upon arrival and later before his release from self-quarantine  and tested negative both times.

But he had flu-like symptoms on Saturday afternoon before he took another PCR test that came back positive, the agency said. Media reports said he also had travelled to the US.

All seven members of BTS - consisting of (L-R) V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, and J-Hope - received their second vaccination shots this past August, according to management company Big Hit. The group was snapped in LA earlier this month

Suga, who has had a number of personal engagements in the United States during the band's official time off, was diagnosed with COVID-19 during quarantine after returning from the U.S., the agency said.

The agency said it'll continue to provide support for the three members for their speedy recovery. It said it will cooperate with the requests and guidelines of the South Korean health authorities.

Since their debut in 2013, BTS has garnered global recognition for their self-produced music and activism, which includes giving a speech at the United Nations and publicly calling out anti-Asian racism.

BTS was named artist of the year and favorite pop duo or group, and also won the favourite pop song award for Butter at the American Music Awards in November.

In October, the group's collaboration with British rock band Coldplay, My Universe, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was BTS' sixth Hot 100 No. 1.
She's known for her stunning looks and completely unfiltered personality.

And over Christmas, Nikki Osborne decided to slip into a bikini to show off her incredible figure on Instagram.

Posing in the pink two-piece, the 40-year-old comedian flaunted her toned abs and sun-kissed physique.

Pretty in pink! Unfiltered comedian Nikki Osborne decided to slip into a pink bikini to show off her incredible figure over Christmas

But there was an uncomfortable secret behind Nikki's slim figure: food poisoning.

'Nothing like Christmas Eve food poisoning to get you into your new kini,' she captioned the photo.

Nikki added: 'Whadaday! Oh, and you can see the towel rail I broke amidst the chaos.'

The blonde bombshell is no stranger to showing off her body on social media.

She's sick! There was an uncomfortable secret behind Nikki's slim figure: food poisoning

Back in July, she stripped down to her underwear, which consisted of a navy Tommy Hilfiger bra and panties, to celebrate her 40th birthday.

'This is 40,' she captioned the post, before adding: 'I've already booked in for my first two jabs. Of Botox. If the Hemsworths can get their tits out then so can I.'

Nikki is known for her bawdy sense of humour and has recently caused controversy with her politically incorrect jokes.

She previously outraged Abbie Chatfield, sending the former Bachelor star into a spiral on social media after she made a joke about vaccine mandates.

Looking good! Back in July, she stripped down to her underwear, which consisted of a navy Tommy Hilfiger bra and panties, to celebrate her 40th birthday

It comes after Nikki made a new life for herself in Queensland as a way of escaping the brutal lockdowns which have gripped Victoria.

She told The Courier Mail in September she was relocating her family to the Sunshine State due to Melbourne's poor 'quality of life'.

Nikki, who was raised in Queensland and lived in Victoria for 15 years, said life in Victoria under stage-four restrictions was 'depressing'.

'It's really depressing down here. All our friends' businesses are going bust and all my industry mates can't work... it's depressing watching your kids staring at a screen or a wall,' she said at the time.
Meghan King broke her silence on Monday and confirmed she had split from her husband of two months, Joe Biden's nephew Cuffe Biden Owens.

And her long-time Real Housewives of Orange County nemesis, Kelly Dodd, took no time trolling the mother-of-three as she paid up on a contest from October where she asked her podcast listeners to predict the end of Meghan's relationship.

Dodd, 46, and her husband, former Fox correspondent Rick Leventhal, said they predicted the union would last less than a year, and hosted an 'impromptu contest' where one lucky Patreon subscriber guessed the correct time frame.

Yikes: Kelly Dodd took no time trolling the mother-of-three as she paid up on a contest from October where she asked her podcast listeners to predict the end of Meghan's relationship; seen in 2019

'One of them wrote us with the winning guess of "less than six months." We're sending her a 'Rick & Kelly Unmasked' hat,' the couple, who shared a wedding anniversary with Meghan and Cuffe, said in a joint statement to Page Six.

They added: 'As bad as we feel for her, neither of us is surprised. 'We actually talked about her nuptials on our Rick & Kelly Unmasked Podcast right after she tied the knot in October, and both of us predicted it wouldn't last, because of how new their relationship was and how short their engagement was.'

Kelly was famously fired from the franchise earlier this year after a host of controversial issues including toasting to a super-spreader event with her friends at a bar during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a Drunk Wives Matter hat at her bridal shower and claiming in April 2020 that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd' as she argued with an Instagram user who called her out after taking a cross-country flight.

Nothing to see here: Kelly was famously fired from the franchise earlier this year after a host of controversial issues including toasting to a super-spreader event with her friends at a bar during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a Drunk Wives Matter hat at her bridal shower and claiming in April 2020 that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd' as she argued with an Instagram user who called her out after taking a cross-country flight

Over: Meghan King broke her silence on Monday and confirmed she had split from her husband of two months, Joe Biden's nephew Cuffe Biden Owens

Her issues with Meghan clearly carried over from her Housewives days as she previously told King that her ex-husband Jim Edmond's affair with the nanny in 2019 was 'karma' and further clarified in an Instagram comment: 'I am sorry but ladies if you marry a man that has a history of cheating and a professional athlete your chances of him being faithful is very slim .. come on!!'

Meghan King confirmed the end of her marriage to Joe Biden's nephew Cuffe Biden Owens in a lengthy Instagram story shared on Monday morning, just two months after the couple married in a backyard ceremony attended by the President and First Lady.

The former Real Housewives of Orange County star admitted to being 'rattled' over their failed union as she shared a series remarks on social media days after it was revealed they split.

'I'm rattled. This situation is profoundly devastating,' she wrote. 'This is obviously not what I imagined when I made my vows  and I'm shocked and saddened by the way things turned out. I am moving forward with my children as we privately process our pain and begin to let go of shattered dreams.'

'I'm rattled. This situation is profoundly devastating,' she wrote. 'This is obviously not what I imagined when I made my vows  and I'm shocked and saddened by the way things turned out. I am moving forward with my children as we privately process our pain and begin to let go of shattered dreams'

Tough time: The former Real Housewives of Orange County star admitted to being 'rattled' over their failed union as she shared a series remarks on social media days after it was revealed they split

Family: She shares co-parenting responsibility of twin sons Hart and Hayes, three, and five-year-old daughter Aspen with her ex Jim, who is currently engaged to her former friend Kortnie O'Connor

Sources told E! News that their split 'had to do with distance' as he is an Los Angeles-based attorney while she raises her three kids across the country in St. Louis, Missouri.

'Meghan cannot uproot the children from where they currently live and he lives and works in California,' the insider revealed.

She shares co-parenting responsibility of twin sons Hart and Hayes, three, and five-year-old daughter Aspen with her ex Jim, who is currently engaged to her former friend Kortnie O'Connor.

'It was not a relationship rooted in that much practicality,' the insider said. 'She had hopes of being able to spend more time in California but the kids cannot just be moved.'

Weeks before their split, Meghan wrote online that the couple had slipped away for a local hotel stay to reconnect after hitting a rough patch.

'We feel like weve been married for a million years (thanks to marrying later in life and with a lot of history and, well, kids) so a two month anniversary staycation was called for,' she wrote.

King had high hopes that the staycation would 'do a new marriage good,' adding, 'Please, give us more good marriage tips!'
Weird features, larger than human eyes, short height, weird skin, different needs, this is what we remember about Jadoo, the cute, fictional alien who made a debut appearance in the Bollywood movie Koi Mil Gaya. Humankind has always been intrigued by extra-terrestials and their lives, and this movie just brought an alien closer home; to Bollywood, to be precise. (Of course, Hollywood has been getting aliens to Earth for more than 50 years now, since A Trip to the Moon, Aliens, etc.)

Wow! Time does fly ? its been a while since #KoiMilGaya & its Jadoo. So many memories & so much fun. Thank you Rakesh sir & Duggu for this beautiful experience.#16YearsOfKoiMilGaya @iHrithik @RakeshRoshan_N #ting pic.twitter.com/CLWqChJG8T  Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) August 8, 2019

After these many years, it looks like reel-life items might possibly be true after all.

UFOs, also known as Unidentified Flying Objects, are a term for random incidents or objects in the air that cannot be explained because of lack of knowledge and technology. The number of UFO sightings reported over the years have been consistently increasing over certain parts of the world.

Photo: Getty Images

HISTORY

The first UFO that was witnessed on record was in 1639, by John Winthrop and many other men when they saw a large strange light going back and forth. Even Bible's Book of Ezekiel describes a mysterious ship appearing from the sky in Kuwait. Romans saw strange sightings back then and so did the 4th Century Chinese, who saw a "moon boat" floating over the country once every 12 years. Germans saw them in 1561 and the Britishers saw them during the World War II.

Photo: Getty Images

Though the first image of a UFO came only in 1870 from a sighting in New Hampshire, California and Florida have recorded the most number of UFO sightings in all these years, i.e, about 10,000 and 5,000 respectivey. Compared to this, Ireland's Police Department has recorded 4 sightings in 2019, 6 in 2020 and 8 in 2021. Looks like the UFOs are exploring new territories!

There were some who even saw these sightings in India in 1951. Read about it here.

Photo: Getty Images

SO WHAT DO THESE LOOK LIKE?

People have mentioned seeing a disc-type structure in the sky and naming it as ''a spaceship'' with flashing lights. Some have seen strange images on the CCTVs of homes while others have reported spotting 'unusual bright lights' in the sky. Some have seen a dome-shaped object with eight bright lights which move at a speed that was never known to exist. So if you get the gist, it's pretty advanced.

Photo: Getty Images

INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS

Almost 75% of all UFO sightings in the United States occur between 4 pm and midnight, and tend to peak between 9 and 10 pm.

A pilot claims he saw a fleet of #UFOs over the Pacific Ocean. The video was shot at around 39,000 feet. ?? The suspected #alien aircraft took the form of weird rotating lights moving across the sky. ?What are your thoughts on the footage? ?? pic.twitter.com/N0I2WS2kYq  Chillz TV (@ChillzTV) December 7, 2021

WHAT AUTHORITIES ARE DOING

On June 25, 2021, the US National Intelligence released a UFO Report based on 144 UAP incidents (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) noted by military aviators over the last 2 years. As per this report, the government had limited and inconsistent data to conclude if aliens exist. This lack of data did not confirm existence of aliens but also did not remove the possibility of their existence. So... ho bhi sakta hai, aur nahi bhi.

Photo: Getty Images

CLASSIFIED INFO DECLASSIFIED

The US government had classified the information on UFO sightings all these years and declassified it in 2020 by releasing recorded videos to clarify the matter to the public at large. They are now open to talk about this since it removes the taboo around reporting UFO incidents and also shows that the authorities take this 'seriously'. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), on the other hand, just maintain a database about UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena and have not really launched any investigation.

NASA IS UPDATING ITS RECRUITMENT STRATEGY

NASA, known to be the ultimate heaven for scientists, has recruited 24 theologians... meaning 24 people who have studied religion and religious beliefs about God. Why? The idea is to take the support of these heads as part of its efforts to determine how different religions around the world would react to contact with aliens. As reported by New York Post, Rev Dr Andrew Davison, a British priest and theologist at Cambridge University, is one of the 24 lucky ones.

What's interesting is how it coincides with the launch of James Webb Space Telescope, which is the most powerful telescope we have ever launched, to look at the oldest stars and galaxies that are capable of supporting life.

via GIPHY

NASA clearly supports the exploration of a relationship between theology and astro-biology, and this recruitment is in line with its past actions. In 2014, NASA had granted $1.1 million to study worshippers interest and openness to scientific inquiry called the 'Societal Implications of Astrobiology Study'. This was to understand how religious beliefs and beliefs in existence of extra-terrestial aliens were linked.

via GIPHY

Irrespective of what comes to awareness, only time will tell what exists in reality in this wide universe. Till then, Koi Mil Gaya and Netflix's "Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified" are some stuff you can feast on.
Sarath Chandra Sasubilli, a filmmaker from Hyderabad, has won an International Emmy Award in the one-minute creative video category for his short-film Domestic Peace. While hes the third Indian to win the Emmy award, hes the first ever Telugu to win the award.

Sarath shares with us his experience at the prestigious Emmy Awards. He speaks about his journey as an aspiring filmmaker from Hyderabad to making India proud on the world stage along with other notable. He says, My trips  from Hyderabad to New York and then back to Hyderabad  were sponsored by the Emmy organisers though due to some problems at the airport, I arrived a day late to the event. So, I missed my chance to socialise and interact with people and naturally felt quite left out, recollects Sarath. Subsequently, I faced troubles in coordinating with people and finding a ride arranged by the management. I remember I just wanted to run back to India once. However, I pulled myself up and presented my film to the jury, which went well.

The fan boy

Sarath had his fanboy moment when he met his childhood idol, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. I was feeling out of place, longing to see a familiar face. At that exact moment, I spotted Nawazuddin Siddiqui and I ran up to him, says Sarath. As we continued chatting, Vir Das walked in and he made me extremely comfortable, giving me a sense of belonging in a foreign land. He said, Sarath, youve already won the award. So, youre supposed to lead us and not feel left out. Were always there with you. His wife Shivani Mathur was very sweet too, clicking many photos of us together. It was not only Nawazuddin and Vir but also several other Indians at the Emmys who made Sarath feel at home, he tells us. I had the pleasure of interacting with Director Ram Madhavan who was there for the nomination of his web series Aarya, international business woman Mrs Kavita Gupta whod helped me sort out some issues. Overall Id many good moments and funny conversations with Nawaz bhai especially. recollects Sarath.

Back home and always grateful

Now back home with the sweet memories and a dream souvenir  a MacBook Pro  as part of the gift hamper from the event sponsors, Sarath is only grateful to everyone and everything that led him up to the moment. Im extremely grateful to Michal Grayevsky, the Chairman of JCS International Media in collaboration with Camille Bidermann, CEO of International EMMYs, the sponsors of my award. The gift hamper, comprising the MacBook Pro was like a dream come true, as Id already been planning to buy a Mac, says an excited Sarath. Sarath especially has a good word for Camille Bidermann, executive director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and her managers. Whenever there was an issue Camille, who was practically heading the entire Emmys herself, would get on the phone with me and tell me how theyll take care of everything. Even when there was some trouble with my return flight many people came together to ensure I was sent back to Hyderabad safely, Sarath remembers. Ive immense gratitude for all the wonderful and humble people I met there and created memories with.
Dr. Maqsood Ahmed has been awarded Youngest Edupreneur of India by N.C.S at the Indian Ethnic Fashion Show and ICONIC ACHIEVER- YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR by Kotler at Marketing Summit 2.0.  By arrangement

India cherishes its long-established tradition of charity and philanthropy. In fact, India is among those few countries where philanthropy has always played a crucial role in the construction of the modern Indian state.

Today, a number of philanthropic institutions and individuals are operating in the country in order to bring change into all sectors of our society. Dr. Maqsood Ahmed is an entrepreneur and young leader who is providing aid to Indian students in their higher education with his Nizamia Education Group and Nizamia Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

The foundation of Nizamia Education Group in 2012 owes to the growing need for proper counseling services to Indian students from underprivileged backgrounds. Since its independence, India has been careful in developing its higher education sector to promote the project of nation-building. There have been a number of universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions established to eliminate the higher education inequality in India. However, lack of access to quality higher education and livelihood is still a burning issue in India.

Out of this urgency, Dr. Maqsood laid the foundation of his unconditional consultancy services so that no student has to suffer from discrimination when it comes to higher education.

Higher education and skill development have always been considered to usher economic development in a developing country like India where poverty is a prevailing concern. Ironically, it is also the poverty and suboptimal financial background that bars Indian students from joining a prospective higher education or skill development institution to fulfill their career goals and uplift their living conditions. As the founder of Nizamia Education Group and the Managing Director of Nizamia Consultancy Pvt, Ltd. Dr. Maqsood is dedicated to breaking this vicious cycle of poverty, higher education inequality, and living quality.

Named after the tallest leader of Gujjar spiritual leader late Mian Nizam Din Laarvi, father of Mian Altaf, a former Minister and lawmaker in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, Nizamia Education Groups guidance has pulled many students from the darkness of poverty and helped them to build a prospective career.

As a part of their student welfare activities, Nizamia Education Group organizes the Nizamia Scholarship Test every year so that every meritorious student gets the same chance of achieving a prosperous future without any discrimination. The group has already touched and shaped the lives of more than 10,000 students. After getting recognition in the state of J&K, Maqsood has expanded the radius of his philanthropic services to other states like North-Eastern states and Bihar. Nizamia Education Groups aim is to touch the lives of 1,00,000 students and give them the best quality education by the year 2025. Besides, Dr. Maqsood has educated more than 1,000 International Students from Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, Bhutan, etc.

Dr. Maqsood Ahmed has been awarded Youngest Edupreneur of India by N.C.S at the Indian Ethnic Fashion Show and ICONIC ACHIEVER- YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR by Kotler at Marketing Summit 2.0. He has received the honor at Super 30 College of Competitions where his deeds and services for students have also been appreciated by Mr. Anand Kumar the Director of the Super 30 Program. With his vision of mitigating the lack of equal opportunities for students from poor families, Dr. Maqsood is striving to work even harder in the coming years.

Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
Union ministry of home on Monday directed all district magistrates in the country to enforce Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ensure physical distancing between people as part of efforts to control the spread of Covid-19. (AP file photo)

HYDERABAD: The Union ministry of home on Monday directed all district magistrates in the country to enforce Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ensure physical distancing between people as part of efforts to control the spread of Covid-19. The ministrys orders follow in the wake of rising cases of infections being discovered in many states, including Telangana, of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.

The home ministry said it was extending the provisions of the Disaster Management Act till the end of January 2022 for controlling spread of Covid-19 in the country as part of the national directives issued for this purpose in the past. It said the decision was taken in the wake of the increasing cases of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in the country.

The enforcement of the Act for Covid control was supposed to end on December 31, this year.

The home ministry said all district collectors, who are also district magistrates, must strictly enforce various measures to control the spread of Covid in their respective districts. To strictly enforce physical distancing norms, states and Union Territories may, as far as possible, use the provisions of Section 144 of CrPC. This Section prohibits gathering of more than four people in a single location.

The ministry said any person violating the measures for Covid control under the Disaster Management Act provisions could face legal action.

Omicron control

Wearing of face cover compulsory in public places, workplaces, during transport

Individuals must maintain 6 feet distance from each other

Shops must ensure this is followed within their premises

Spitting in public places punishable by fine

As far as possible, work from home should be allowed

Staggering of business hours, screening and hygiene, frequent sanitisation of workplaces
Some persons approached the High Court seeking a direction to consider their cases in the non-joining vacancies. The High Court by order dated 18.07.2019 directed the LIC to consider their cases for appointment in the non-joined posts if they were the next meritorious candidates in the list.  PTI

HYDERABAD: Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili of Telangana High Court on Monday directed the chairman of LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) M.R. Kumar, Hyderabad zonal manager M. Jagannath and senior divisional manager Tapan Kumar Pattanaik to appear in person before the court on February 7, 2022.

A bench was dealing with a contempt case filed for non- compliance of court orders in filling up the posts of sub-staff in the corporation.

The LIC issued a notification in 1996 inviting applications for filling up of 400 posts of sub-staff in Hyderabad and Secunderabad divisions. But recruitment did not take place on account of court cases by temporary staff. After getting the nod from the Supreme Court, the LIC issued orders of appointment to 393 candidates in the year 2012 and 2013. However only 350 candidates joined and the remaining vacancies were unfilled.

Some persons approached the High Court seeking a direction to consider their cases in the non-joining vacancies. The High Court by order dated 18.07.2019 directed the LIC to consider their cases for appointment in the non-joined posts if they were the next meritorious candidates in the list. As the orders were not complied, contempt cases were filed against LIC senior officials.
HYDERABAD: The one-day Nirugyoda Deeksha observed by the BJP state unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar evoked good response on Monday. Several BJP leaders were house arrested across the state and the proposed march by Osmania University students was foiled by the police. Bandi Sanjay spewed fire at Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and said the BJP government would run Telangana state after elections in 2023. He prophesied that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government would not run even that far. He said, Let this be the last agitation for seeking jobs for the unemployed. We will drive away the TRS from power, he said. Addressing the unemployed youth, Sanjay said the state of Telangana had become a reality after the sacrifices made by the unemployed. He told them not to worry about their future as it was their hard-earned state that Telangana stood as it was today. The BJP would strongly stand by them in all their struggles, he assured. He said if notification for jobs was not issued in January next, the BJP MLAs would stall the Assembly proceedings. The RRR MLAs (Raghunandan, Raja Singh, and Rajender Etela) would fight on behalf of the unemployed in the state legislature House, he said. Calling the bluff of the Chief Minister on job vacancies, Sanjay reeled out figures stating that while Chandrashekar Rao declared in the Assembly that there were 1.07 lakhs vacancies while the Biswal committee appointed by him put the vacancies at 1.92 lakhs. About 25 lakhs applicants registered in Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC). The Chief Minister had been promising to fill up 50,000 posts whenever he addressed election meetings, he said. On calling his Deeksha a fake one, Sanjay Kumar retorted saying that Chandrashekar Raos 48-hour deeksha was a fraud as he did not even sit for 10 hours. Rao begged his associates to call off the deeksha as he had no commitment, the BJP chief added.
Hyderabad: MIM chief and Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday alleged that Muslims were being neglected and threatened in Uttar Pradesh.

Only a Muslim leader can represent their issues, express their plight and deal with certain political parties, who have been trying to create tension that can lead to communal disharmony , he said while interacting with the media here.

An open call for genocide against Muslims has been given in Haridwar. It is high time someone, including those from secular political parties, stands for Muslims, Asad said while demanding that all those speaking ill of the community should be banned for their provocative remarks.

He said that AIMIM had conducted several meetings in Uttar Pradesh and he had personally met the locals, who were looking for a leader who can bring them relief.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with former Punjab chief minister and Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) leader Captain Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa during a meeting, ahead of 2022 Punjab assembly polls, in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)

New Delhi: Former Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, who had recently floated a new outfit -- the Punjab Lok Congress -- after his unceremoniously exit from the Congress, on Monday held a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda in New Delhi to discuss the seat-sharing formula for the coming Punjab Assembly elections, where the two have announced an alliance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch the campaign of the BJP and its new allies in Punjab in the first week of January when he will address a rally in Firozpur.

The BJP has already said that it will contest the Punjab Assembly polls in alliance with Capt. Singhs party and former Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsas fledgling outfit.

A committee has been formed to decide the seat-sharing formula among the three, with the BJP likely to contest mainly in urban constituencies.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the BJPs election in-charge for Punjab, also attended the meeting. Mr Dhindsa also met the BJPs top brass. The three parties will release a joint manifesto, which will have a major emphasis on security in the border state.

Capt. Singh has been meeting various BJP leaders recently to chalk out a joint strategy for the Punjab elections.
HYDERABAD: BJP state in-charge Tarun Chugh challenged Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for an open debate with party state unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on the status of job vacancies in the state.

The only truth was that family members of Chandrashekar Rao were employed full time to loot the state, Chugh said. A Jwalamukhi of the unemployed was developing in the state that would explode with devastating effect, the BJP leader added.

Speaking at Nirudyoga Deeksha being taken up by Bandi Sanjya Kumar at the BJP state party office at Nampally in Hyderabad on Monday, Chugh said state government had become a haven for Telangana traitors and the real leaders of Telangana agitation were sidelined.

Claiming that those who fought for separate Telangana were with the BJP now, he said achieving Bangaru Telangana was only possible with the BJP.

Comparing the rule of Chandrashekar Rao to that of Nadir Shah, he said the state government was impervious to the aspirations of people who sacrificed their lives for ushering in a new order of governance.

On Coronavirus pandemic management, Chugh said Telangana failed in all fronts whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi closely monitored the situation and helped 80 crore people with food grains for the past two years.

Though the number of districts tripled from 11 to 31, jobs were not created in that ratio, Chugh reminded.
The state of unemployed youth can be seen at Chikkadapally central library where they have been slogging for hours in the hope of the government releasing job notifications. Times have changed and there are no people in Telangana state to sacrifice for the sake of Chandrashekar Rao, Raejender said.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: BJP leader and Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajender, who stepped up attack on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said if once the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) were to lose power, no force on earth could bring it back. He gave a call to students and the unemployed to join with the BJP to achieve the shared goal of unseating the TRS.

He was speaking at the one-day Nirudyoga Deeksha organised at the state BJP office on Monday.

The state of unemployed youth can be seen at Chikkadapally central library where they have been slogging for hours in the hope of the government releasing job notifications. Times have changed and there are no people in Telangana state to sacrifice for the sake of Chandrashekar Rao, he said.

Terming Chandrashekar Rao as a coward, the former health minister said his government had reached its expiry date.
HYDERABAD: State ministers, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) MLAs and MLCs on Monday lashed out at Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A. Revanth Reddy for trying to hold Rachabanda in Erravelli and BJP state unit president Bandi Sanjay for holding Nirudhyoga Deeksha.

Addressing separate press conferences at Telangana Bhavan here, they said none of the state governments in BJP or Congress-ruled states could match the TRS government's achievements in agriculture sector and in providing government jobs to youth.

They asked the Congress and the BJP leaders to hold protest rallies in states where they were in power, demanding welfare schemes and development programmes being implemented in Telangana.

Agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy said Revanth was raising a hue and cry by releasing certain photographs and videos stating that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had sown paddy in 150 acres at his farmhouse in Erravelli during rabi.

"The TRS government never imposed a ban on paddy cultivation. It only asked farmers not to sow paddy in rabi. We clearly told all farmers that those who have paddy purchase agreements with rice milers or seed companies can grow paddy as usual. We made it clear that there will be no government paddy procurement centres in rabi. If Revanth has agricultural lands, he too can grow paddy. Who is stopping him? He is just trying to make an issue out of non-issue by announcing to hold Rachabanda programmes in Erravelli and elsewhere in the state," Niranjan Reddy said.

Animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav termed Revanth's Rachabanda and Bandi Sanjy's Nirudhyoga Deeksha a mere 'publicity stunt'.

"No one is taking them seriously. Out of frustration, they are resorting to these cheap publicity gimmicks and trying to garner media and public attention. If Revanth has guts, he should show at least one Congress-ruled state which is implementing better schemes than Telangana for farmers and agriculture. If Bandi Sanjay has guts, he should release a white paper on how many jobs the BJP government at the Centre has provided to youth in the last seven years. The TRS government has released a white paper on 1.31 lakh government jobs provided in last seven years," Yadav said.

TRS MLAs Balka Suman, K. Mahesh Reddy, Nomula Bhagat and MLC Bhanu Prasad also addressed the press meets accusing the Congress and the BJP of 'colluding' in Telangana to defame the government and to defeat the TRS.
Thirty-two-year-old Soumya Santosh from Idukki district in Kerala had been working in Israel for the last seven years. On May 10, 2021, tragedy struck when a Hamas rocket hit the house she had been working in as a caregiver in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. She was on a video call with her husband in India when the initial Hamas rocket barrage began on the city. People ran for cover to the nearest rocket shelters. But some could not make it in time.

One such person was Soumya Santosh, who was killed immediately, while the elderly woman in her charge was hospitalised in serious condition. The nearest rocket shelter was at least a minutes run away from their house and the pair were unable to reach it in time.

Soumya Santosh is survived by her husband and a nine-year-old son. There are many people like her, some foreigners, others Israelis, who would be alive today were it not for indiscriminate terror attacks by Hamas. There are many families and friends who have lost their loved ones because of Hamas operatives, who continue to take innocent lives in Israel.

Eli Kay, a young new immigrant from South Africa, wanted to live when he was shot down by a Hamas gunman on his way to the Western Wall. Khalil Awad and his 16-year-old daughter Nadin also wanted to live when a Hamas rocket fired from Gaza directly hit their home. Five-year-old Ido Abigail was killed by another Hamas rocket. Israeli teenagers Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali certainly wanted to live when they were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria.

We all believe in peace. We believe that even in the midst of the bitter animosities in the Middle East, conflicts can and should be resolved peacefully. Our shared values mean that we must fulfil the responsibility to build better lives for our children, and a better future for us all.

Hamas is a radical Islamist terrorist organisation, the Palestinian equivalent of the Islamic State, or ISIS. It aspires to take control and impose Sharia law throughout all areas of the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas staunchly opposes peace and coexistence, with its stated goal being the destruction of Israel. Instead of providing for the welfare of Gazas citizens, Hamas uses its resources to increase its military capabilities, benefit its own members, and pursue its goal of wiping the Jewish state off the map. Earlier this month, the terrorist organisation had marked the 34th anniversary of its founding.

Hamas ruthlessly seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 in a violent and bloody coup, throwing their Palestinian political opponents off high-rises and publicly executing others in order to consolidate its own power. In the 14 years that have passed since, the Palestinians in Gaza have essentially had all of their democratic and human rights stripped away from them. Protests against the failing economy and electricity shortages that Hamas has brought about are responded to with beatings, arbitrary arrests and torture.

As its overtly antisemitic and anti-Western charter makes chillingly clear, Hamas primary goal is to obliterate Israel through jihad and extend its Islamic rule from the river to the sea. To achieve this end, Hamas has fired over 27,000 rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli civilians since 2001, including over 4,300 in the May of 2021 alone. Not only does Hamas deliberately target innocent Israelis, it also fires its rockets at Israel from residential areas in Gaza. Firing at civilians from within civilian areas is an outrageous double war crime, and Hamas does it for one reason -- to maximise Palestinian deaths, simply in order to provoke misguided condemnations of the Jewish state and stoke anti-Israel sentiment across the world.

The harm that Hamas inflicts on its own people extends even beyond the borders of Gaza. According to media reports, weapons stored in the basement of a Hamas-controlled mosque in southern Lebanon exploded in a fire a few days ago, killing and injuring numerous people. By storing arms in a mosque in one of the poorest refugee camps in Lebanon, Hamas has yet again demonstrated its contempt for all human life, including that of the Palestinians.

Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace. Hamas, however, stands firmly against the values of peace and democracy, and remains committed to destroying the lives and futures of both sides instead. Thirty-four years after its establishment, and 14 years since it violently took over Gaza, Hamas still represents one of the most significant obstacles to achieving peace and regional security.

Whoever aspires towards peace must understand and recognise that Hamas is a disaster. It is an extremist terror organisation that poses a threat to the Palestinian Authority, a danger to any prospect of peace, and seeks to obliterate Israel. These facts have now been recognised by over a dozen states, including Britain and Australia, who both recently designated Hamas in its entirety as a terror organisation. We are calling on all our friends to do the same.

We simply cannot leave Gaza in the hands of Hamas. Rather, we must focus our efforts on the economy in return for security vision outlined by Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid. To create stability and the prospect for a better life for both Gaza and Israel, we must act towards increasing international investment in the Gaza Strip, rehabilitating its infrastructure, cultivating other economic projects, and strengthening the Palestinian Authority.
Apple Inc said on Monday it had closed 12 New York City retail stores due to an increase in Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant rages across the United States.

Customers will be able to pick up online orders at the stores, an Apple spokesperson said.

The closed stores include outlets at Fifth Avenue, Grand Central and SoHo.

Earlier this month, Apple said it had temporarily closed three stores in the United States and Canada after a rise in Covid-19 cases and exposures among the stores' employees.

For the same reason, Apple also mandated that all its customers and employees wear masks at its US retail stores.

Globally, concerns over the Omicron variant have prompted major companies to tighten their protocols.

Increasing cases has also resulted in the reinstatement of a nationwide vaccine-or-testing Covid-19 mandate for large businesses which covers 80 million American workers by a US appeals court earlier this month. Opponents of the move have rushed to the Supreme Court to ask it to intervene.

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Google Fit app is one of the most used fitness tracking applications in the world. Over the year, the company has improved the features to help people get better data on their exercise routine, calories burned, and also, earlier this year, it brought a new feature that allowed users to track heart rate and respiratory rate using just the Android phone.

Now, the Google Fit for iOS is bringing this very feature to the iPhones. Device owners who don't own any of the fitness bands or a premium watch will now be able to easily get the body's vital data using the mobile phone's camera.

It has to be noted that the heart and respiratory rate feature on Google for iOS is being rolled out in phases and very few people in the west are noticing it on their app. But, it is sure coming to all sooner or later.

Here's how to use iPhone's camera and Google Fit app to read heart and breathing rate

As of now, there is no dedicated Google Fit help page for iPhone, but since the interface is similar, the procedure will be similar as mentioned below:

For heart rate reading

Step 1: Open the Google Fit app, scroll down to vital; there you will find 'Heart rate' and tap '+'

Step 2: Then, allow permission to Google Fit app to access the camera to take pictures and record videos

Step 3: When the camera app opens and flashlight up, put the index finger on the rear-side primary camera wait for a few seconds, and once done, save the data.



Respiratory rate reading via Google Fit app using the front camera of the phone. Credit: Google



For respiratory rate reading

Step 1: Open the Google Fit app, scroll down to vital; there you will find 'Respiratory rate' and tap '+'

Step 2: Then, allow permission to Google Fit app to access the camera to take pictures and record videos

Step 3: When the front camera opens, make sure, your face is in the viewfinder for a few seconds, and once done, save the data.

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The city-wide disinfection implemented in the Covid-hit Xi'an in China's Shaanxi province, which is part of the government measures to control the recent outbreak, has triggered an online controversy, Global Times reported.

The latest outbreak in China has affected 21 cities in 15 provinces and regions, including Shaanxi, Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as of Monday evening, the media reported.

Videos and pictures of disinfection teams operating on the streets of Xi'an were widely circulated online after the anti-pandemic command of the city government announced that the mass disinfection had started on Sunday afternoon.

Also Read | China's Xi'an imposes 'strictest' controls to halt Covid outbreak

Some said disinfecting the entire city may lack scientific support and go against the anti-pandemic guidance by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says disinfection should be confined to places where those with Covid-19 had visited, the report said.

Zhuang Shilihe, an expert based in Guangzhou, told the Global Times on Monday that Covid-19 is a respiratory infectious disease that transmits through human-to-human physical contact. The outdoor disinfection doesn't work on Covid-19, it can also cause damage to the ecological environment.

Prior to the city-wide disinfection, the anti-epidemic command warned the public to close their windows, remove clothes from clotheslines, and avoid touching the outer surfaces of buildings and plants.

Also Read | China locks down city as Covid cases surge around the world

Videos showed teams in Xi'an disinfecting streets around the Drum Tower, a landmark of the city.

A Beijing-based immunologist who asked for anonymity said disinfecting outdoor facilities is hardly effective in an open environment and it's also money-consuming, the report said.

From December 9 until 26, Xi'an has reported a total of 651 confirmed cases.

Xi'an was previously accused of having relatively poor city governance as the local implementation of the country's strategy of pursuing a dynamic zero-case situation was plagued with problems, such as ambiguous epidemiological studies and a crashed health code system, the report said.

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The number of Covid-19 cases  propelled by the surge in the Omicron variant  hit 1.44 million over the past 24 hours, marking a new global high. The seven-day average of Covid cases was around 841,000 on Monday, a 49 per cent rise from November 24, when Omicron was first identified in Africa.

The previous highest global daily spike was recorded in December 2020, when Turkey had backdated a significant number of positive cases.

At present, more than 11,500 international flights have been cancelled across the globe amid reports of the record surge in the new cases of the variant. The UK, among the worst-hit countries, is currently reporting more than 100,000 new infections a day.

Also Read  At 156, India sees highest single-day rise in Omicron infections

Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris has announced tighter restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the daily number of new cases has surged to an all-time high in the country, while French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran have announced a series of new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 during the New Year festivities and urged citizens to respect the preventive measures during the celebrations.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has issued a nationwide Level 3 warning after 514 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 were detected.

The Omicron variant has driven a winter surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths across the US as well, with daily infections reaching a record high since January. The country is averaging more than 176,000 new cases daily, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Monday, a new high since January 8, 2021.

Currently, the US is witnessing about 1,200 deaths from Covid-19 each day, CDC data showed. The Omicron variant has taken the place of the Delta variant to become the most prevalent variant in the country. Health officials have been warning that the Omicron variant will continue to overwhelm hospitals and healthcare workers. The Omicron variant has derailed holiday plans for many Americans who are travelling, with over 1,000 flights in the country being cancelled on Monday amid the Omicron surge.

Meanwhile, the CDC has shortened the isolation time for Americans infected with Covid-19 from 10 to five days.

Also Read  Storm in the teacup: Covid-19, falling exports continue to hurt industry

USA's neighbour Canada reported 18,230 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, elevating the total to 2,026,249 cases with 30,172 deaths, according to CTV.

The Omicron infection tally has risen to 653 across India. However, of the total cases, 186 have been discharged from hospitals. So far, 21 states in the country have reported Omicron infections.

Australia reported its biggest daily Covid-19 total on Monday, along with its first known death from Omicron.

In just one month, 108 countries have reported over 151,368 Omicron cases and over 26 deaths related to the variant.

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 281.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.40 million and vaccinations to over 8.97 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 281,368,071 and 5,406,197, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered increased to 8,972,162,735.

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A rocket and gunfire targeted the premises of a Chinese oil services company in southern Iraq on Tuesday dawn, without causing any casualties or damage, officials said.

Six people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack, said a security official in the restive, poverty-stricken province of Dhi Qar. "The headquarters of the Chinese company ZPEC, which operates in the Al-Gharraf field north of Nasiriyah, was targeted with a rocket and live ammunition," said Karim al-Jandil, spokesman for the state oil company in Dhi Qar.

Also Read  Iraqi museum restores treasures destroyed by jihadists

Another security official said the rocket failed to explode and that the only damage to the site was bullet holes on a nearby trailer.

The Chinese company is in charge of drilling wells in the Al-Gharraf oil field. The attack was motivated by "blackmail" to put pressure on the company and secure jobs for locals, an official of the state oil company alleged.

The province of Dhi Qar, including its capital Nasiriyah, has been hit by bloody protests against corruption and unemployment since the second half of 2019.

Iraq is the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and oil accounts for more than 90 per cent of its revenues. In November, the country exported more than 98 million barrels of crude that brought in more than $7.6 billion, the oil ministry says.

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Indonesia has lifted a ban on the Boeing 737 MAX, its transport ministry said on Tuesday, three years after the crash of one of the aircraft operated by domestic carrier Lion Air with the loss of all 189 people on board.

Aviation authorities around the world grounded the aircraft months later after a similarly deadly accident in March 2019 involving one of the aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines.

The approval for the aircraft's return in Indonesia comes months after it returned to service in the United States and Europe, and follows more recent lifting of grounding orders in countries including Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Ethiopia.

Also read: Akasa Air orders 72 Boeing 737 Max aircraft to launch services in India

The lifting of the ban was effective immediately and it follows the evaluation of changes to the aircraft's system by regulators, the ministry said in a statement.

Airlines must follow airworthiness directives and inspect their planes before they can fly the 737 MAX again, it said, adding that the government would also inspect the planes.

Privately owned Lion Air, which operated 10 of the 737 MAX planes before the ban, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia said it had no plans to reintroduce the plane to its fleet as it focuses on debt restructuring, chief executive Irfan Setiaputra told Reuters.

The state-controlled airline, which had operated one 737 MAX before the ban, has said it plans to cut its fleet from 142 to 66 planes under the plan.

Anton Sahadi, a relative of one of the passengers on board the Lion Air plane that crashed, urged the government to ensure proper management of the risks before returning the aircraft to service "so that no planes of this model will ever fall and kill people again".

"The trauma is still there," he said.

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US health authorities on Monday halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid-19 infections from 10 to five days, with a surge of cases causing travel chaos and threatening wider social disruption.

"The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement announcing the change.

"These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives."

The CDC recommendations, which are non-binding but closely followed by US businesses and policymakers, suggested that the five-day isolation period be "followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others."

Also Read | For third day, Covid-19 crimps Americans' holiday travels

The agency said the new guidelines were "motivated by science," which had demonstrated that the majority of Covid-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally one to two days prior to the onset of symptoms and in the two to three days after.

The CDC also updated recommendations for individuals exposed to Covid-19 who are either unvaccinated or booster-eligible but have yet to get one.

For these populations the CDC said it "now recommends quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days" after exposure.

"Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure," the CDC said.

The updates come as the highly transmissible Omicron strain has sent cases skyrocketing across the United States, once again disrupting lives and a global economy battered by almost two years of the pandemic.

With Omicron now the country's dominant strain, more than 200,000 daily cases were recorded over the past two days, quickly approaching records set last January.

President Joe Biden earlier in the day said some US hospitals could be "overrun" but that the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge and Americans need not "panic."

Biden stressed that the rapid spread of Omicron would not have the same impact as the initial outbreak of Covid-19 or the Delta variant surge this year.

Walensky emphasized that "prevention is our best option."

"Get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather," she said.

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Continuing its efforts to build the image of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, the Centre is planning a series of plays on his life and spiritual legacy.

The plays will be on the lines of the minority affairs ministrys Hunar Haat plays on Mahabharata, wherein actors such as Puneet Issar and Gufi Paintal from BR Chopras much-celebrated series on the epic essay key roles onstage, and will run for two hours. Talks are ongoing with prominent writers and directors.

Minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told DH that Shikohs place in Indian history as a cultural icon was ignored. Dara Shikoh translated the Upanishads in Persian. He took along the Sikh dharma gurus, and built a bridge between different religions based on strong religious and cultural ties, said Naqvi.

On Tuesday, Naqvi was also part of a conference on the life of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahans eldest son at the Aligarh Muslim University. The conference, 'Why Dara Shikoh Matters Today: Remembering His Works and Personality', was attended by RSS Joint General Secretary Krishna Gopal as well.

Also Read  Fact check: Did Shah Jahan chop off the hands of Taj Mahal workers?

Also present at the conference were AMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor, Jamia Millia Islamia University Vice-Chancellor Prof Najma Akhtar, Maulana Azad National Urdu University Vice-Chancellor Prof Ainul Hasan, and Cultural Counsellor of Iran Dr Mohammad Ali Rabbani.

At the conference, Naqvi said that prejudice politics created a misconception on the legacy of Shikoh. Dara Shikoh remained the torchbearer of social harmony and religious unity his entire life, Naqvi said during the conference.

The Aligarh Muslim University had in 2019 instituted a chair, the Dara Shikoh Centre for Interfaith Understanding and Dialogue, on Shikohs name to research on peace studies.

These efforts are part of the BJP and RSSs attempt to build the idea of Dara Shiloh as a good Muslim, and place him in contrast to his brother Aurangzeb. Four years after he was named the Crown Prince in 1655, his younger brother Aurangzeb assassinated him in 1659.

The RSS has, for long, attempted to draw a binary between the lives of the brothers, painting Dara as the tolerant Muslim and his brother as an Islamic oppressor.

As part of these efforts, the ministry of culture had constituted a seven-member committee in December 2020 to locate his grave, a quest that has confounded experts, archaeologists and Mughal history enthusiasts.

In March this year, the committee submitted in its report to the government supporting the findings of an engineer of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation who said that he combed through 150 graves in Delhis Humayun Tomb Complex and found it between the graves of princes Murad Mirza and Daniyal Mirza, both sons of Mughal emperor Akbar, grandfather of Shah Jahan.

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Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya set social media abuzz as he asked Hindus to dream big and "reconvert" Pakistanis to Hinduism.

The BJP leader also said that temples and mutts should set a target of converting people of other faiths back to Hinduism.

Speaking at the Vishwarpanam event at Krishna Mutt in Udupi, on Saturday, Surya said, We should start dreaming big. We should start audaciously dreaming of the impossible and achieve it.

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An inquiry team constituted by the Army will visit Nagaland's Mon district on Wednesday where 13 civilians were gunned down on December 4.

The team will also station itself at the Tizit police station between 1.30 pm and 3 pm to collect information from local people related to the incident that triggered outrage across Nagaland and the country. "The inquiry team solicits from the public at large any primary information (not forwarded or not from secondary source) pertaining to the incident. Any person having such information and desirous of deposing before the Inquiry is requested to do so at Tizit Police Station," said a statement issued by the Army.

"Any original information, photo or video (not forwarded or not from secondary source) related to the incident may also be shared with the Inquiry team via Phone, SMS or Whatsapp Messenger at +916033924571. The information may also be shared in person to the Inquiry team at Dinjan Military Station in Assam. The original documents/ audio-visual recording will be collected from the source following due legal procedure," it said.

Also Read  Trouble for BJP in Nagaland after Oting shooting

The 3 Corps of the Army, based near Dimapur in Nagaland on Sunday, issued another statement in which it said its investigation into the incident was "progressing expeditiously" and all efforts are being made to conclude it at the earliest. "We assure you that action will be taken in accordance with the law to secure justice for all," the statement said.

The Army on December 5 said the killings were "deeply regrettable" and that inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the reason for the incident took place.

Residents of Oting village, from where the victims came from, had "prohibited" entry of security forces into the village and even refused to accept the interim compensation offered by the government to the victim's families. They also challenged Home Minister Amit Shah's claim in the Parliament that the vehicle ferrying the victims did not stop after being asked by the Army team during an "anti-insurgency operation," following which security forces opened fire at them.

The Army further said it was assisting the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Nagaland government for an investigation into the killings.

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Hemram Pegu has been forced to rebuild his home at least eight times in the past decade, shifting it a few metres inland every time heavy rains cause the Brahmaputra River to surge into his village of Besemora, in northeast India.

As a member of the indigenous Mising tribe, who have lived along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries for generations, Pegu remembers taking pride in being able to interpret the behaviour of one of the Earth's longest river systems.

But today, he said, the community is baffled by its unpredictable nature. "The original site of our village is now history," Pegu said of his home on Majuli, a riverine island in Assam state.

"Its location continues to change as we keep moving inland by 200 metres to 300 metres (656-948 ft) from the advancing river each time it floods," the 52-year-old shopkeeper told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

With limited work options and a high dependence on natural resources, the Mising  like other indigenous communities around the world  often suffer the worst of the extreme weather that has become increasingly common as global temperatures rise.

Also Read  Flood condition worsens in Assam; 2 more die, 6.48 lakh hit

The swelling Brahmaputra frequently uproots families in Besemora, compelling them to relocate to a shrinking area of available land and putting a strain on their livelihoods.

Scientist Partha Jyoti Das pointed to climate warming as a major reason for the intensified flooding, adding it had caused "significant deviations" in natural weather patterns over Assam in the past decade.

"Previously, the rains were distributed in a more stretched-out period, occurring in (predictable) amounts at expected times," said Das, who heads the water, climate and hazards division at Aaranyak, a Guwahati-based research organisation. "But we now experience erratic and heavy downpours for short, irregular durations, causing flash floods."

A study published by India's Department of Science and Technology in 2018 found Assam was the most vulnerable of the Indian Himalayan states to destructive climate change effects.

It highlighted a range of factors, including Assam's low per-capita income, rates of crop insurance and land under irrigation, leaving farmers to rely on regular rainfall to water their fields.

Dying fish, sandy pots

Between 2014 and 2021, more than 32 million people in Assam were affected by flooding, including nearly 660 deaths, according to data from the state disaster management authority.

In an effort to minimise the destruction, Besemora residents raise the floors of their traditional stilted bamboo homes depending on the level of the latest flood, Pegu explained.

The villagers also try to break up the force of the flooding with a network of bamboo "porcupines", triangular structures made of intersecting poles built along the riverbanks.

But those measures are often no match for the overpowering water. "On our return after floods, we often find that the very appearance of our village has changed. Patches of riverbanks or mid-river islets on which our homes exist... may just get dragged away by the withdrawing river," Pegu said.

When that happens, said Binud Doley, an elder from Salmora village, about a kilometre north of Besemora, the area's indigenous communities face yet another problem -- the inability to reclaim their land once the floodwaters have receded.

With no title deeds to prove ownership, the Mising traditionally settle on unused riparian land, Doley said.

But the effects of flooding and riverbank erosion, along with the spread of farming and the region's growing population, mean available land is becoming scarce, he added.

Gojen Paw of Majdolopa village, in Assam state, said abrupt climate swings are also destroying the farming and fishing the Mising people depend on.

Also Read  Assam flood situation improves marginally; 2.71 lakh affected

Historically, Assam has often experienced some flooding during the annual monsoon season, Paw said, with the waters leaving behind nutrient-rich alluvial deposits that would naturally fertilise its fields of rice, mustard and vegetables.

But these days, "frequent floods erode away the fertile topsoil from our fields and leave behind coarse sand, debris and rounded pebbles," he said.

Villagers say fish populations are decreasing as the bloated river and crumbling riverbanks disturb their habitats, and even the centuries-old Mising tradition of handmade pottery is under threat. "The texture of clay has become coarse and sandy. We would earlier discard this kind of earth, but now we are compelled to use it," said Sarumai Chamuah, from Salmora, who has been making and selling pottery for the past 20 years.

Sand reduces the binding capacity of the clay, resulting in weaker pots that fetch lower prices, Chamuah said.

Long-term solutions

After heavy flooding, the government steps in to help villagers like Chamuah get back on their feet, said Sisuram Bharali, president of the gram panchayat of Bongaigaon, the village-level governing agency that oversees Salmora.

Some families are offered daily wage work, if capable, with pay of up to Rs 347, he noted, while others might receive 10 kilograms of rice per month for a limited period.

The Assam government, meanwhile, notes on its water resources website that it has been raising and strengthening embankments, building flood walls and improving village drainage, helping protect more than half the state's flood-prone areas.

But it emphasises that "no long-term measures have been implemented so far to mitigate the flood and erosion problems".

Such long-term fixes are essential, said Tuhin K Das, an expert on disasters and migration and former chair professor of the Planning and Development Unit at Jadavpur University.

To deal with the climate-induced displacement of indigenous communities, who make up nearly 9% of India's population, the government should create policies to re-house them, restore their livelihoods and offer job training, Das said.

Also Read  24 wild animals killed due to floods, vehicle hits in Assam's Kaziranga

Authorities also need to better tackle the lasting consequences of flooding on living conditions, health and education, he added. "The long-term socio-economic impacts of riverbank erosion are rarely assessed from a policy perspective," he said.

For now, Besemora residents can only make sure they always have essentials - rice, cash, clothes and school records - bundled together on their roofs, ready to grab when the river bursts its banks again, said Purnima Doley, Pegu's neighbour.

"We have no choice then but to flee our homes with these meagre belongings to safer, higher ground, when this otherwise serene river swells up," said Doley, who has had to move her home six times in the past 10 years. "Its water level keeps rising and its fierce currents charge at us, tearing through our homesteads and drowning everything that stands in its way."
The Indian drug regulator on Tuesday approved emergency use of two new vaccines against Covid-19 besides allowing local manufacturing of a brand new Covid medicine by 13 drug companies in an effort to provide more weapons to doctors fighting the pandemic.

Both the vaccines and the medicine were designed in the USA, but would be produced in India in collaboration with domestic vaccine and pharmaceutical companies that tied up with the original developers for further research and carried out necessary regulatory trials in India.

The Central Drug Standards Control Organisation granted the emergency use authorisation (EUA) for a recombinant protein-based Covid-19 vaccine called Covovax. manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in partnership with the US firm Novavax.

Read | Precaution dose: No prescription required for elderly with comorbidities

Similar approval was given to Corbevax, a protein subunit vaccine for which Biological E partnered with the Baylor College of Medicine, Houstan and Dynavax Technologies, for industrial development of a vaccine candidate developed at the US institute and to manufacture it following trials.

Both are double dose vaccines that are stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius. Corbevax is more than 90% effective against the Wuhan strain and more than 80% effective against the Delta variant. The Covovax, on the other hand, has been found to be 90% effective. The first one is to be administered on zero and 28th day whereas Covovax is to be given on zero and 21st day.

Read | Biological E aims 100 mn Corbevax doses from Feb 2022

The Union Health Ministry in June signed a Rs 1,500 crore agreement with Biological E, pre-booking 30 crore doses of the vaccine as and when it would be ready.

The DCGI also approved Merck's anti-viral drug Molnupiravir that inhibits replication of the novel coronavirus inside the body and is considered an early initiation therapy for Covid-19.

The drug has been approved for manufacturing by 13 companies who have submitted their clinical trial reports to the Indian regulator. The companies are Dr Reddy's Lab, Natco Pharma, MSN, Hetero, Optimus, Aurobindo, Mylan, Strides, Emcure, Cipla, Sun Pharma, Torrent, and BDR.

Earlier this month, the UK and USA regulatory agencies approved the medicine for treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults.

The CDSCO permitted manufacture and marketing of Molnupiravir 200 mg capsule with a recommended dose of 800 mg twice daily for 5 days for restricted use under emergency situation for adult Covid-19 patients with blood oxygen level more than 93% and who have high risk of progression of the disease including hospitalisation or death. It would be sold as a prescription drug.

Biological E Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses per month, anticipating 100 million plus doses per month from February 2022, whereas SII is yet to come out with its production and roll out plans.

Zydus-Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D, which received the regulator's nod in August, is yet to be used in the vaccination programme with the Union government ordering one crore doses  one fifth of what it intended to procure in 2021  in November.

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India on Tuesday unveiled several strategic infrastructure projects along its disputed boundary with China and Pakistan, boosting its capability to mobilize troops expeditiously in the event of military conflicts.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated three roads and 24 bridges, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in two Union Territories and four States.

The newly constructed bridges include a modular one built at an altitude of 11000 feet on the key road connecting Flag Hill with Dokala in Sikkim  near the scene of the Indian Armys 72-day stand-off with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army in western Bhutan in June-August 2017. It is the first indigenous Class 70 140-feet Double-Lane Modular Bridge of India.

The roads inaugurated by the Defence Minister included Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh, not very far from the scene of the ongoing stand-off, which started between he soldiers of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA in April-May 2020 and could not be resolved yet. The road holds the Guinness World Record of the highest motorable road in the world.

Also read: India wasn't taken seriously when it spoke at international forums earlier, says Rajnath Singh

Singh said that the road at Umling-La pass would enable faster movement of the armed forces, boost tourism and ensure socio-economic development of the region. Roads in border areas cater to the strategic needs and ensure equal participation of the remote areas in the development of the nation, he said, commending the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for its perseverance in achieving the feat despite the challenges of sub-zero temperatures and high altitude.

The Defence Minister said that the indigenous Double-Lane Modular Bridge in Sikkim was a shining example of aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) and appreciated the fact that it had been developed at a much lower cost and could be dismantled, if needed. It is a symbol of the resolve of the government to provide faster connectivity to border areas. It will also pave the way for the construction of more bridges in such areas, he added.

The 24 bridges inaugurated by the Defence Minister included nine in Jammu and Kashmir; five each in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand and one each in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The three roads inaugurated by him included two in Ladakh and one in West Bengal.

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IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday took to Twitter to "welcome" Intel to India following a post by Intel Foundry Services president Randhir Thakur lauding the semiconductor design and manufacturing incentives announced by the government recently.

Earlier this month, the government had approved a Rs 76,000-crore scheme to boost semiconductor and display manufacturing in the country, in a bid to position India as a global hub for hi-tech production, and attract large chipmakers.

The move is expected to further India's ambitions to be self-reliant in electronics manufacturing, bring massive investments and result in 35,000 specialised jobs apart from indirect employment for one lakh people.

Read | India, Taiwan mull setting up semiconductor hub

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday tweeted "Intel - welcome to India."

Intel - welcome to India. https://t.co/1Wy90HfAjy  Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) December 28, 2021

This was in response to a tweet by Intel's Thakur which said, "Congrats to @GoI_MeitY @AshwiniVaishnaw @Rajeev_GoI for Semiconductor design & manufacturing incentives for India as hub for electronics & semiconductors".

Thakur further wrote: "Glad to see a plan laid out for all aspects of the supply chain: talent, design, manufacturing, test, packaging & logistics".

It is pertinent to mention here that under the Rs 76,000-crore scheme approved for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem by India, incentives have been lined up for companies engaged in silicon semiconductor fabs, display fabs, compound semiconductors, silicon photonics, sensors fabs, semiconductor packaging and semiconductor design.

With the semiconductor incentive scheme in place, the government expects investments of around Rs 1.7 lakh crore and 1.35 lakh jobs in the next four years.

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Jaswinder Singh Multan, a top member of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has been arrested in Germany for allegedly being the main conspirator of the December 23 blast in the Ludhiana district court complex which killed one person and injured five others, sources said.

He was arrested after India shared evidence to counter-terror agencies in Berlin.

"We shared all the evidence that we gathered from the blast spot and also how the conspiracy by Multan was hatched," said one of the sources.

Multan was conspiring to bring in more explosives from Pakistan in India through the international boundary and was also planning to carry out similar blasts in other parts of the country.

It is also alleged that Multan was also behind pushing arms in the Khemkaran area of Punjab's Tarn Taran district in October this year.

The Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) had recovered a huge cache of weapons near the India-Pakistan border in the Khemkaran area on October 20. They had recovered 22 pistols, 44 magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition and also a kg of heroin.

Also read: Ludhiana blast accused strapped bomb around his stomach

The source said that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were in touch with Multan.

On December 23, the explosion took place in a washroom on the second floor of the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana at around 12.22 pm.

The counter-terrorism agencies probing the incident had claimed that it was the former Head Constable of Punjab Police, Gagandeep Singh, who planted the bomb at the court complex and died as it suddenly went off killing him on the spot.

Gagandeep Singh, a former police head constable who was dismissed from the service for having links with drug dealer. He was booked under NDPS act and lodged in jail for two years in this connection in 2019.

The probe agencies have also found that Pakistani's ISI were behind the blast and were in touch with Gagandeep Singh. During the probe, cops found the role of SFJ members Harvinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh Multan, who were based in Germany. They were in touch with SFJ president Avtar Singh Pannu and Harmeet Singh.
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The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Centre for refusing to renew FCRA registration of Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity over "some adverse inputs".

"Nothing can be more shocking than denying future foreign contributions to the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, West Bengal. This is the greatest insult to the memory of Mother Teresa who devoted her life to care for the 'poor and wretched' of India," Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted.

The MHA, he said, claims to have found "some adverse inputs". It should put to use its "Sherlock Holmes-like" skills to quell communal violence and terrorist activity, not to suppress Christian charity and humanitarian work. As the year 2021 ends, it is clear that the Modi government has found another target "Christians" to advance its majoritarian agenda, he added.

The MHA claims to have found some adverse inputs. The MHA should put to use its Sherlock Holmes-like skills to quell communal violence and terrorist activity, not to suppress Christian charity and humanitarian work  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 28, 2021

Dubbing the denial "shocking", party leader Anand Sharma said: "Shocked at the Government's action of freezing the accounts of Missionaries of Charity. Condemning the cruel, insensitive and inhuman decision which will hurt the ailing and suffering poor the most. Demand PM's intervention and immediate reversal."

The Centre, on Monday, clarified that it has not frozen the bank account of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity and that as per the State Bank of India, the MoC has requested for the same.

Also read: Opposition alleges Centre froze bank accounts of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity; govt denies

The Ministry also said that the renewal application under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for the renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was refused on December 25 for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011.

It also said that no request or revision application has been received from MoC for review of this refusal of renewal.

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SP chief Akhilesh Yadav categorically denied any link between his party and Kanpur-based perfume trader Peeyush Jain on Tuesday, and mockingly said the BJP got "its own businessman" raided "by mistake".

He also wondered that "when all the resources are with the BJP today, who else can have such a huge amount of cash" and claimed that the CDR (call detail record) of the businessman's phone would reveal the names of several leaders of the saffron party, "who were in touch with him".

Peeyush Jain was arrested after hundreds of crores of rupees, besides gold, silver and sandalwood oil, were recovered and could not be accounted for. Jain was sent to judicial custody for 14 days on a Kanpur court order on Monday.

Also Read  Perfume triggers scent of electoral war between BJP and SP

The details of cash withdrawal from banks would bring out the truth, the Samajwadi Party (SP) president said. "By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Piyush Jain raided," Yadav told reporters before the start of the 'Samajwadi Rath Yatra'.

He also claimed that Samajwadi Attar (perfume) was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain and not Piyush Jain. Taking a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "Due to the mistake of Digital India, it got its own businessman raided."

The union finance ministry on Monday said the recent seizure of more than Rs 177 crore unaccounted cash from the perfume trader's Kanpur house was the "biggest ever seizure of cash" by an enforcement agency.

With months to go for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, BJP leaders have been attacking the SP over Jain's arrest, claiming that the perfume trader had links with Yadav's party.

The SP, however, has been denying any links. "Even television channels that were flashing the news that the house of an SP man has been raided when the raids started realised by afternoon that it was not true and hence, stopped saying it," Yadav said.

He added that the seizure of the huge amount of cash from the Kanpur-based businessman proved that demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) have failed.

Addressing a rally at the GIC ground here, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said Unnao is the land of Hasrat Mohani, who had given the call for "inquilab" (revolution) during the freedom struggle.

"The entire state is witnessing a similar situation today... Inquilab will happen again and there will be a change of government in the state in 2022," Yadav, who has been crisscrossing Uttar Pradesh as part of his party's 'rath yatra' ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, said.

Also Read  Images of floating corpses, SUV mowing down farmers provide Oppn ammunition in poll-bound UP

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he mocked that a "yogi" (seer) never lies. "Tell us how many people have been given jobs by you. How many youngsters have received tablet computers and smartphones?" Yadav asked.

He accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of gross mismanagement during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and referred to bodies floating in the Ganga during the period. The former chief minister said if the SP returns to power in the state, it would give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh in the event of the death of a bicycle rider in an accident.

The bicycle is the poll symbol of the SP.

Yadav also claimed that Kanpur Metro is a contribution of the SP, which had launched the project when it was in power in Uttar Pradesh. He said the future SP government would extend the Kanpur Metro project to Unnao.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that the Kanpur perfume trader, who was raided by the Income Tax department, was a BJP worker even as he sought to corner the Yogi Adityanath government over "corona mismanagement, unemployment and stray cattle".

While addressing a public meeting at Unnao, Akhlesh, who had been in self-isolation for a few days after his wife and children tested positive for Covid-19, expressed confidence that the SP would form the next government in the state after the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"The BJP government wanted the I-T to raid some other perfume trader but then one of its own workers, who was also a perfume trader, was raided," Akhilesh said.

Read | GST evasion: More cash, gold recovered from businessman

He also targeted the Adityanath government for failing to provide adequate medical facilities to the people during the second wave of coronavirus. "So many people lost their lives owing to lack of oxygen and shortage of beds in the hospitals. Bodies were seen floating in the rivers yet this government says that no one died from shortage of oxygen. Nothing can be a bigger lie," Akhilesh said.

"BJP is certain to be wiped out in the polls. The chief minister claims that his government has provided jobs to the people. If that is so then why are lakhs of youths unemployed?," he asked. The SP supremo said that the state government's claim of development was confined only to the advertisements, hoardings and posters.

Apparently targeting the BJP government over the menace of stray cattle, the SP supremo promised to pay a compensation of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of those who were killed in attacks from stray cattle in the state.

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Recovery of hundreds of crores in cash and gold and silver during an Income Tax raid from a perfume trader in Kanpur has triggered an electoral war between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BJP, with both claiming that the trader was connected to the other.

An IT team had raided the offices and residence of Peeyush Jain a few days ago. The raid that continued for several days yielded Rs 284 crore in cash, 25 kilograms of gold and 250 kilograms of silver. The trader was later arrested on charges of tax evasion.

The BJP leaders were quick to claim that Jain was connected to the SP and also that the trader had accumulated huge wealth during the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP launched scathing attacks on SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav after the raids.

Also Read  PM Modi launches section of Kanpur Metro

Addressing a public meeting at Kanpur on Tuesday, Modi said that the ''perfume of their corruption in UP has come out...the mountain of notes is their only achievement'' referring to the raid. ''Will they take credit for the boxes of notes? They are silent now,'' Modi said.

While Modi did not nake Akhilesh, Shah was forthright. ''Akhilesh is in pain as the IT raided a businessman close to his party and a huge amount of cash was recovered from him,'' Shah said, addressing a public meeting at Hardoi on Tuesday.

Adityanath also attacked Akhilesh over the raid and said that the recovery was proof of large-scale corruption during the SP's regime.

Akhilesh, however, hit back claiming that the trader had links with the BJP leaders. "The BJP government wanted the IT to raid some other perfume trader but then one of its own workers, who was also a perfume trader, was raided," he said, claiming that the cell phone records of the trader could reveal names of several prominent BJP leaders.

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Trouble is brewing for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Nagaland, with the party's prospects within the Konyak community turning bleak over the shooting of civilians in Oting village in Mon district on December 5. The partys local unit is in disarray and local workers allege indifference on part of senior leaders of the party.

Local party workers from Mon, including Mon district BJP president, said that on one hand they are facing the wrath of the people, and on the other, indifference by the BJP's senior party members.

On December 4, security forces fired at civilians  coal mine workers returning home in a pick-up van  suspecting them to be insurgents. The shootings took place at Oting under Tizit sub-division of Mon district. Following that, clashes broke out between the armed forces and local civilians, and in all 15 people lost their lives.

The local BJP workers are facing the brunt of the anger of the local population, who blame the ruling BJP for trying to whitewash the incident. Home minister Amit Shahs address at the Parliament that the workers were shot at after they tried to flee had led to a lot of anger.

Also Read | Nagaland firing: Army says will secure justice for all

Workers alleged that no senior BJP leader, either from the state of the Centre, has visited the place after the shooting. And complaints to senior BJP leaders have fallen on deaf ears.

A senior state unit leader from the Konyak community, requesting anonymity, said that they are demoralised. Unhappiness against the party is brewing in almost five districts, the leader said. These include Mon and its neighbouring districts of Tuensang and Longleng, among others.

There was no show in this hour of crisis. The state leadership did not come, and during the funerals representatives of the Congress, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, National Peoples Party, and Rising Peoples Party were there. But sadly none from our party, said the leader.

The leader said that the absence of state party president Temjen Imma Along is a flashpoint, and that Alongs request for a meeting with the Central leadership in Delhi in the aftermath of the shooting is yet to materialise. Along was unavailable for comment.

We need someone who understands the tribal dynamics, said the leader.

Mon district BJP president Nyawang Konyak told DH that no calls, no visits and no condolence messages has reached the district from the party leadership in the state as well as the Centre. He said that he has written to Nalin Kohli, the partys prabhari (in-charge) for the state.

I told him that after the killing of 15 people on a mistake, the state president did not visit here to console the people, but left for Delhi to give his own representation. Naga people are angry, the situation might get out of hand and there will be mass desertion. The image of the party is totally spoiled, Konyak told DH. Kohli could not be reached for comment.

Incidentally, P Paiwang Konyak, BJPs lone legislator in 2013 and minister in the current government, won from Tizit assembly seat, under which Oting village falls. He was given the ticket on the insistence of Oting residents.

The Konyaks are electorally the community with the highest voters, and are the largest tribe in the state, followed by Ao, Tangkhul, Sema, and Angami. Of the 15 who lost their lives, 14 are from the Konyak tribe.

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In a democracy like India which is based on the parliamentary ruling system, one of the most burning questions in 2022 is whether Parliament will be able to function smoothly? Will the work in both the Houses of Parliament take place in a peaceful manner in the coming year instead of the constant din and ruckus by the opposition parties?

Will the ongoing bitterness between the ruling party and the opposition finally end in 2022? Will all parties together agree to run the House smoothly or not? Given the current political atmosphere in the country and the recent developments taking place, all these questions do not seem to evoke a positive response.

Talking about the sessions of Parliament in 2022, the first session will begin with the Budget Session. For the last several years, the Budget Session now begins in the last week of January which proceeds with the President's address followed by the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1. Normally this session is held in two phases till May.

Also read: Pralhad Joshi, Jairam Ramesh exchange barbs on suspension of MPs

The first phase of the session begins with the President's address followed by debate on the Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister and then the Union government gets it passed on the floor of the House. The Union government makes all requisite efforts to run Parliament with the cooperation of all parties present in the House. Although many times in the past such efforts have failed and the uproar by the opposition has continued. Amid the din, the government has been able to pass the Budget as well as the motion of thanks to the President's Address.

Even as the Budget session is on, the poll campaign will also be at its peak in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. All party leaders across different party lines would be levelling allegations and counter allegations against each other. In such a situation, the elections are likely to dominate the proceedings in Parliament as well.

In view of this, it can be said that in the first phase of the first session of Parliament (Budget session) in 2022, if the political parties do not agree, then there is bound to be a ruckus. However, if the election results are in favour of the ruling party BJP, then the second phase of the Budget Session can go on peacefully.

The second session of Parliament, known as the Monsoon Session, is usually held in July-August. The impact of the Presidential election to be held in July and the Vice-President's election in August 2022 will have bearing on the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Also read: Half of Parliament sessions since July-Aug 2001 adjourned before schedule

A few months after the formation of new governments in all the five poll-bound states, the impact of the election results will also be clear during this session. If the poll results come in favour of the BJP, the opposition is bound to appear weak and if the results go against the BJP, the opposition will be seen aggressively cornering the government in Parliament.

The construction of the new Parliament House is likely to be completed by November 2022 and hence the last session of Parliament, i.e., the Winter Session in 2022 will be held in the new Parliament House. During this session, the state Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will be at its peak and its impact will be visible in both the Houses of Parliament.

There has been a lack of communication and trust between the ruling government and the opposition parties which was clearly evident during the recent Parliament session. Therefore, despite the consensus reached many times during the Business Advisory Committee meetings regarding the functioning of the House, there was ruckus on the floor of the House.

How big a challenge it is to run Parliament smoothly in 2022 can be gauged from the recent statement given by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on December 22, the last day of the recently adjourned Winter session of Parliament. He had said that Parliament must become the centre of discussion and dialogue so from time-to-time he will keep interacting with all the parties.

Sometimes the treasury and opposition benches reach a consensus while at other times they don't. The Lok Sabha Speaker said that he would continue to make efforts to run the House without ruckus and hoped that it would yield positive results in the future.

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The ongoing protest of the resident doctors on Monday caused chaos like situation across hospitals in the national capital as all OPD counters were shut for the patients.

The protesting doctors had called for a total shutdown of the medical services in the hospitals after the police action on Monday. The doctors are demanding an apology for the action taken by the Delhi Police against them.

The Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, which has been the epicenter of the ongoing stir, witnessed chaos as the OPD counters remained shut. The doctors protested outside the emergency ward and all emergency services were obstructed. Even the ambulance services have been disrupted by the agitating doctors.

Also Read | Explained | Why are Delhi resident doctors protesting over NEET-PG 2021 counselling?

Delhi's Chacha Nehru Children Hospital was also badly affected as the protesting doctors closed the main doors to stop the patients from visiting the hospital.

The doctors at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital also stopped the OPD and other medical services for some time. However, after a brief suspension, the OPD services at Safdarjung Hospital resumed with senior doctors and consultants attending to the patients.

Meanwhile, the resident doctors' association of AIIMS has also withdrawn all non-emergency work from Tuesday if no steps are taken by the government against the violence faced by doctors during their protest on Monday.

Also Read | Several injured as doctors, police clash in Delhi over delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling

The protesting doctors started a march from the Safdarjung Hospital towards the Union Health ministry's office to register to protest against the police action on agitating doctors during the protest on Monday.

The RDAs across the nation have been protesting since November 27 against the multiple postponements of the NEET PG Counselling 2021 and the subsequent admission of the fresh batch of resident doctors in the medical colleges.

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Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will meet the representatives of doctors' association at Nirman Bhawan on Tuesday, a day after the police crackdown on the protesting doctors.

A 13-member team, comprising three doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, two from Lady Hardinge, one from LNJP, two from Safdurjung Hospital, two from GTB Hospital, two FORDA and one from FIAMA, will meet the minister over their ongoing protest against the delay in NEET PG counselling 2021.

The doctors are also demanding an apology from the police for their action against them on Monday during the protest.

Earlier, the doctors' protest created a chaos-like situation across hospitals in the capital city as all counters were shut for the patients.

Also Read  Protesting doctors demand apology from Delhi Police

On Monday, the protesting doctors had called for a total shutdown of medical services in the hospitals after the police action.

The protesting doctors had started a march from the Safdarjung Hospital towards the health ministry's office to register their protest against the police action on agitating doctors during the protest on Tuesday morning. However, they were stopped by the police.

Meanwhile, the resident doctors association (RDA) of AIIMS has decided to withdraw all non-emergency services from Tuesday if no steps are taken by the government.

The RDAs across the nation have been protesting since November 27 against the multiple postponements of the NEET PG Counselling 2021 and the subsequent admission of the fresh batch of resident doctors in the medical colleges.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday targeted the Samajwadi Party, alleging that the opposition party's lexicon starts with 'Apraadh' (crime), 'Bhaai-Bhatijavaad' (nepotism) and 'Corruption'.

Addressing a rally here, the BJP leader also alleged that the SP, BSP and the Congress made numerous efforts to stop the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and asserted that they "will not succeed even if they unleash their full force".

He took a swipe at the SP over the income tax raids against a Kanpur-based perfume trader allegedly linked to it.

Read more: Kanpur trader raided by I-T department a BJP worker: Akhilesh Yadav

''The A, B, C, D of Samajwadi Party is itself all wrong where 'A' is for 'Apraadh aur Aatank' (crime and terrorism), 'B' is for 'Bhaai-Bhatijaavaad' (nepotism), 'C' for 'Corruption' aur 'D' means 'Dangaa' (riots).

"The Bharatiya Janata Party has wiped out this A, B, C,D," the former BJP president said at the Jan Vishvas Yatra here.

Hardoi has been a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party and the family of Naresh Chandra Agarwal, who joined the BJP in 2018.

"A few days ago, there were income tax raids. Why was (SP chief) Akhilesh having an upset stomach over raids, and he said that the raids were done with political malice," Shah said.

"Can anyone tell me whose Rs 250 crore were found at the place of the person making Samajwadi Attar? Today, they (SP) are unable to give an answer," Shah said.

In multiple raids by the Income Tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, were seized from perfume trader Peeyush Jain'saround Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj.

The Finance Ministry on Monday said it was the "biggest ever seizure of cash" by an enforcement agency.

BJP leaders have sought to link the perfume trader with the SP claiming he had launched the 'Samajwadi Attar (perfume)' with Yadav's support recently.

However, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday categorically denied any links between his party and Peeyush Jain, and mockingly said the BJP got "its own businessman" raided "by mistake".

He also claimed that 'Samajwadi Attar' was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain.

"By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Peeyush Jain raided," Yadav told reporters in Unnao.

Hitting out at the political rivals, Shah said, "The SP, BSP and the Congress had made numerous efforts to stop the construction of the temple of Lord Ram. Today, I want to tell them that they can unleash their full force if they want. In a few months, a grand temple of Lord Ram touching the sky will be built."

He accused the SP and the BSP of neglecting development when in power.

"When the SP came (to power), development of only one caste took place, while the development of another caste took place when the BSP came (to power). When Modijee came, then 'sabkaa saath-sabkaa vikaas' is taking place," the Home Minister said

Shah also spoke on the law and order situation prevalent in the state before the BJP came to power in 2017.

"There was a time when mafia would rule. Mothers and sisters used to reach their homes before sunset. Today, under Yogiji's rule, all the mafia have been wiped out (from UP)," the BJP leader said.

Currently, Hardoi is represented in the UP Legislative Assembly by Nitin Agarwal (son of Naresh Chandra Agarwal) who is an SP MLA and was elected Deputy Speaker of the UP Assembly with the BJP's support.

Naresh Chandra Agarwal won the assembly seat for the first time as an independent candidate in 1989, then from 1991 to 1996, he was the Congress MLA from this seat. He won the seat in 2002 and 2007 on an SP ticket.

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A team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on Tuesday reached the premises of Kanpur businessman Peeyush Jain in Uttar Pradesh's Kannuj where a raid of the Director General Supplies and Transport (DGST) is still under way.

According to information, the DRI is mulling to file a separate case against Peeyush Jain, and will help GST officials in fixing the overall value of gold recovered during the raid.

"On Monday, 23 kilograms (kg) of gold and 600 kg of sandalwood oil hidden in an underground storage, having a market value of about Rs 6 crore were seized from his office and factory premises. Since the gold recovered is having foreign markings, the DRI was roped in for necessary investigations," a GST official said.

The DRI officials, when contacted, didn't divulge more details. However, they said they will be able to comment once the raid is over.

A six-member team of DRI reached Jain's premises on Tuesday morning. Jain was on Monday remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a special court.

The Ahmedabad unit of Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) had on December 22 initiated search operations in Kanpur at the factory premises of manufacturers of Shikhar brand pan masala and tobacco products.

Also Read  After Rs 177 crore recovery, taxmen dig out 23 kg gold, Rs17 cr from gunny bags in businessman's property

They conducted raids at the office godowns of M/s Ganpati Road Carriers, Transport Nagar, Kanpur, and the residential/factory premises of M/s Odochem Industries, suppliers of perfumery compounds at Kanpur, Kannauj and Mumbai.

Four trucks full of goods without GST papers were intercepted by officials. The actual stock kept at the factory was tallied with the stocks recorded in the books and the GST officials found a shortage of raw materials and finished products.

This further corroborated that the manufacturer was indulging in the clandestine removal of goods with the help of a transporter who used to issue fake invoices. The GST officials have recovered 200 such invoices so far.

The manufacturers of the Shikhar brand of pan masala products admitted that they deposited an amount of Rs 3.09 crore towards their tax liability.

GST officials said that till Tuesday afternoon, the total amount of unaccounted cash recovered and seized was Rs 186.45 crore. This is the biggest ever seizure of cash by the CBIC officials. The documents seized from the premises are under scrutiny, said officials.

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The website of UP Higher Education Service Commission was hacked on Tuesday with the hackers replacing the last name Allahabadi of some renowned poets with Praygaraj in an "apparent resentment" of the change of the name this historical city, an official said.

The Prayagraj-based Commission, however, was able to restore its Hindi website and the work is on to restore its English portal, Commission chairman Ishwar Charan Vishvaarma told PTI.

A complaint about the incident has been lodged with the Cyber Cell of the city police to nab the culprits, Dr Vishvakarma said. "It was evidently a handiwork of some miscreants expressing their apparent resentment over the change of name of Allahabad," Dr Vishvakarma said, taking pains to explain that the Commission had no role in corrupting the website.

Also Read  Hackers use AnyDesk in safe mode to launch attacks

The renowned poets and litterateurs whose last name "Allahabadi" was replaced by Prayagraj included Akbar Allahabadi, Tej Allahabadi and Rasheed Allahabadi, the Commissions chairman said, adding these names have been corrected in the Hindi website and the work is on to correct them in the English portal of the Commission.

The names of renowned poets and litterateurs had figured on the portal in one of its sections on the city of Allahabad whose name was recently changed to Prayagraj. The litterateurs whose names figured on the Commissions website included Syed Akbar Hussain alias Akbar Allahabadi, Noor Narbee, Teg Allahabadi, Shabnam Naqvi and Rasheed Allahabadi.

Reacting to the incident, Prayagraj-based journalist Dhananjay Chopra, also a noted litterateur, said the city of Allahabad is recorded in the pages of history.

The writers and poets like Akbar Allahabadi and Rasheed Allahabadi have lived in the city, experiencing its life and times and that is why they suffixed their names with Allahabadi. Changing the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj is akin to changing the history, he asserted.

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The probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of Jammu and Kashmir police into a controversial encounter in Hyderpora area of Srinagar on November 15 that killed four persons has revealed that the building owner was used as a human shield by a foreign militant.

The police had said that on the evening of November 15, four persons were killed, including a foreign militant  Bilal Bhai, in a joint operation by the police, Army and CRPF. Other than the civilian Altaf Bhat, the police described Dr Mudasir Gul, a dentist, and Muhammad Amir Magarey as militant associate and hybrid militant.

After protests by the families saying that three of the four killed were civilians and public outcry, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a magisterial inquiry, by additional district magistrate rank, into the incident on November 18. The police had also formed a SIT to probe the incident.

Read more: Hyderpora civilian killings: 'All is not well' in Kashmir

The SIT constituted for the Hyderpora operation established a few things  2 pistols, 4 magazines, etc., were seized from the initial site. During site inspection, 2 bodies of a local terrorist and building owner were recovered at the buildings entry, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Sujit K Singh, told reporters, here.

Singh, who was the head of the SIT, said CCTV footage and other evidence show that Amir Magray had accompanied Bilal Bhai during Jamalata Srinagar attack. Amir would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an angle which is still under investigation, he said. The CCTV footage and other evidence show that building owner Altaf Bhat was used as a human shield by the foreign militant Bilal Bhai, who was living in Guls chamber along with Magray.

Prima-facie evidence shows that Mudasir Gul was shot dead by the foreign militant (Bilal) on the directions possibly from across (border), the SIT chief said.

The investigations reveal that building owner Bhat was made human shield by foreign militant and that he was killed in a crossfire, the DIG, who was flanked by Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh and IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, said.

He said that the family of the killed building owner hasnt given them proper responses as to who was living on the rent, what was their rent payment system, rent deed etc. There are no satisfactory details from Altafs family, he said.

Meanwhile, J&K Home department on Tuesday said it has received an inquiry report into the Hyderpora encounter and the same has been sent to the concerned judicial magistrate for approval before it can be made public.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sound the BJP's poll bugle in Punjab on January 5 and share the stage with the party's new ally and former chief minister of the state Amarinder Singh, sources said on Tuesday.

The prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate a satellite centre of the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Punjab's Ferozepur and is likely to address a rally after the event, the sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said.

The rally will be the first to be addressed by the prime minister in Punjab after the repeal of three contentious farm laws of the Centre.

Farmers staged protests against the laws at the borders of Delhi for almost a year and called off the agitation on January 11 after the legislations were repealed in the winter session of Parliament.

Modi's rally will kick off the campaign of the BJP and its new allies in Punjab for the 2022 state Assembly polls, the sources said.

Singh, whose Punjab Lok Congress has stitched up an alliance with the saffron party for the Punjab polls, may also attend the rally, they added.

If Singh attends the rally, this will be the first time that he and Modi will share the stage after the former Punjab chief minister quit the Congress.

Besides Modi, Union minister and the BJP's poll in-charge for Punjab Gajendra Shekhawat, his cabinet colleagues Hardeep Puri and Meenakshi Lekhi are also expected to take part in the rally.

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Protest by a large number of resident doctors in Delhi over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling on Monday took a dramatic turn, as medics and police personnel faced off in streets, with both sides claiming several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee.

The stir, led by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association, has been going on for several days, and FORDA also said that several of its members were "detained" when they tried to hold a protest march from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court.

FORDA president Manish claimed that resident doctors of a large number of major hospitals on Monday "returned their apron (lab coat) in a symbolic gesture of rejection of services".

"We also tried to march from the campus of the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court, but soon after we had started it, security personnel did not allow us to proceed," he said.

Manish also alleged that several doctors were "detained" by police force, and taken to police station premises, before being released after some time. He also alleged that "police force was used and many doctors were injured" during their dramatic face-off.

However, police denied allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.

In a statement issued later, FORDA said it was a "black day in the history of the medical fraternity".

"Resident doctors, the so-called 'Corona Warriors', protesting peacefully to expedite NEET PG Counselling 2021 were brutally thrashed, dragged and detained by the police," it alleged

"There will be complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions from today onwards," the statement said.

In an official statement issued later, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Meena said, on Monday, a group of resident doctors "without having any authorised permission" blocked the BSZ Marg, main road between ITO and Delhi gate, and jammed the traffic for more than six hours".

"They deliberately created nuisance on the main road and blocked both carriageways, causing hardship and harassment to commuters and general public," he claimed in the statement.

Subsequently, they were "addressed by DG Health" who gave them the assurance of fulfilling their demands, the senior police officer was quoted as saying in the statement.

However, they became "aggressive and even after pacifying them, they blocked the road", he claimed.

"After requesting them again to leave the road, they became aggressive and manhandled our personnel when efforts were made to detain them lawfully. Seven police personnel got injured while detaining them. They also broke the glass of police bus," he alleged.

FIR has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code for Covid violations, rioting and damage to public property among others, police said.

Later in the night, a large number of resident doctors gathered outside the Sarojini Nagar police station. But, no one has been detained as of now, police said.

However, doctors claimed that a large number of protestors were detained by police when they tried to march from Safdarjung Hospital to the official residence of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

"They are protesting and we are facilitating their protest...they are on a sit-in here. Let them first settle down and then we will initiate talks with them. It's likely that any immediate meeting could be arranged with officials concerned at night but we are trying are best to sort it out," a senior police officer from southwest district of the Delhi Police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Gaurav Sharma said that "Doctors were protesting and they were reconciled through negotiations. They were peacefully handled and sent back to their hostels."

In a video released by FORDA, a group of protestors can be seen singing the national anthem outside a police station, while one doctor can be seen telling a group that they should prepare to camp there all night to protest.

Later, a resident doctor said, after all detained doctors been released, "injured will go to hospitals, and rest all will be heading back, to regroup again tomorrow".

Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared video clip of the face-off between the doctors and police personnel, and extended support to protesting resident doctors.

As the protest continued on Monday, patient care remained affected at three Centre-run facilities -- Safdarjung, RML and Lady Hardinge hospitals -- and some of the Delhi government-run hospitals.

Last Tuesday, a group of doctors had thrown flowers on security barricades, and clanged utensils and clapped in front of the Nirman Bhawan here, saying they were symbolically "returning" the adulation showered on them for being Covid warriors.

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Expanding India's vaccine basket, the Central Drug Authority has approved the Serum Institute of India's Covid-19 vaccine Covovax, Biological E's jab Corbevax and anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir for restricted use in an emergency situation. Meanwhile, Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O' Brien and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly tested positive for Covid-19. Come back tomorrow for live updates.
Senior citizens will not have to produce doctors' prescriptions when they go for a precautionary shot of the Covid-19 vaccine from the second week of January, the Union Health Ministry clarified on Tuesday.

Chairing a review meeting with the states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said doctor's prescription or certificates were not mandated to be produced at the vaccination centres for the jab and there were no such directives from the government.

Doctors advice, according to a ministry statement, is an indication for the 60 plus persons to consult with their physicians before opting for a precaution dose.

Also read: Maharashtra Covid-19 cases see a massive jump

The senior citizens who completed nine months of the second dose would be eligible for the shot from January 10 onward. The same criteria would also be applicable for healthcare and frontline workers, who were among the first two groups of people to have received the Covid-19 shots when vaccination began in January.

People who would be on election-duty in the five poll bound states  Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur - are to be included in the frontline worker category so that they can be administered an additional dose for precaution.

Bhushan said the Co-WIN platform would send reminder messages to all those eligible for precaution dose and such doses would be reflected in the digital vaccination certificates. However, there is still no clarity on the choice of vaccine for the precautionary shot.

According to an estimate by the Union Health Ministry, there are more than 2.75 crore elderly people having one of the comorbidities, of which 37 lakh are in Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka has 15 lakh such persons.

Bhushan also wrote to the states detailing what needed to be done while expanding the vaccination for adolescents (15-18 years), elderly, healthcare workers and frontline workers in the first two weeks of January following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Christmas Day.

The adolescents have not been given any choice with the vaccine for the time being with the Centre deciding on home grown Covaxin for the 15-18 years. The states have been told to open up separate vaccination centres for the youngsters.

If the same centre is used for vaccination of children and adults, then separate rooms, vaccination teams and queues have been suggested to avoid confusion and the chances of vaccine mix up.

There are an estimated 7.4 crore adolescents between 15-18 years of which more than 1.4 crore are in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka has nearly 32 lakh such adolescents.

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The Supreme Court has stressed that the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution would also apply to a man who has "no choice" or "no meaningful choice".

It said the fundamental right cannot be denied to those who had no option but to give his assent to a contract or to sign on the dotted line in a prescribed or standard form or to accept a set of rules as part of the contract, however unfair, unreasonable and unconscionable a clause in that contract or form or rules may be.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai emphasised on the legal principle while allowing a plea by an army personnel, Pani Ram, who was denied disability pension on the basis of a document signed by him at the time of re-employment in Territorial Army (TA). The petitioner has joined TA after serving 25 years in Infantry of Regular Army. After 10 days of leave, when he was coming back to join duty, he met with an accident on April 24, 2009, resulting into amputation of his right leg.

Read | Plea in SC seeks uniform judicial code across India

The court rejected the plea by the Centre that the petitioner had signed the document, saying he would not be entitled for enhanced pension.

"Can it be said that the mighty Union of India and an ordinary soldier, who having fought for the country and retired from regular army, seeking re-employment in the Territorial Army, have an equal bargaining power," the bench asked.

Going through the rules, the court said an individual who is invalided out of service on account of disability, which is attributable or aggravated by military service in non-battle casualty and is assessed 20% or more, would be entitled to disability pension.

"When the appellant is enrolled as a member of ETF (Ecological Task Force) which is a company for 130 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), we see no reason as to why the appellant was denied the disability pension. Specifically so, when the Medical Board and COI have found that the injury sustained by the appellant was attributable to the Military Service and it was not due to his own negligence," the court said.

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Twelve more Omicron cases have been reported in Telangana, taking the total number of cases of the new coronavirus variant in the state to 55, the Health department said on Monday.

Of the 12 cases, 10 were passengers who arrived at the international airport from countries other than those declared "at risk" by the Centre, while two were contacts of patients who tested positive for the variant earlier, it said in a bulletin.

According to the bulletin, 10 among the 55 have recovered from the infection. It said 19 samples are awaited with regard to their Omicron status.

Also Read | At 156, India sees highest single-day rise in Omicron infections

Meanwhile, Telangana on Monday reported 182 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,80,844, while the death toll rose to 4,023 with one more fatality. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 90, followed by Ranga Reddy (17) district, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Monday.

It said 181 people recovered from the infection on Monday. The cumulative number of recoveries till date was 6,73,404.

The number of active cases was 3,417, the bulletin said. It

said 37,839 samples were tested on Monday and the total number of samples tested till date was 2,95,54,306. The samples tested per million population was 7,94,043. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.59 per cent. The recovery rate in Telangana was 98.90 per cent.

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BJP leaders have accused chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy government of failing to deliver his election promises and pushing Andhra Pradesh into a crisis situation.

The state BJP had on Tuesday organised a rally in Vijayawada named Praja-agraha sabha against the anti-people policies of the YSRCP government.

We are witnessing a ruinous administration in Andhra Pradesh now. Jagan had promised to ban liquor but now the government is selling liquor for revenue. Environmental etc clearances were given to Polavaram years back but till now the project has not been completed. And the YSRCP and TDP are fighting over the capital location, alleged former union minister Prakash Javadekar while addressing the meeting.

AP BJP chief Somu Veerraju charged the Jagan government of using its name stickers on Narendra Modi government's schemes.

BJP leaders exuded confidence that their party would come to power in AP. The saffron party has no representation in the state assembly at present.

Ruling YSRCP leaders have termed the BJPs public meeting "as farce, organized according to the script and direction of TDP."

Information and public relations minister Perni Venkataramaiah said that no section in AP is unhappy with Jagan's administration.

Asserting that the YSRCP government is committed for the welfare and development of farmers, the minister said that the BJP, on other hand, is implementing anti farmer policies.

Perni dared the BJP leaders to speak on the increasing urea, fuel, essential commodities prices, AP's special category status, privatization of Vizag steel plant.

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Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board, formerly known as the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, has constituted five expert teams to evaluate over 17,000 tenements built by it that are over 25 years old.

The decision to evaluate the tenements constructed under 62 schemes comes a day after 24 families had a miraculous escape as a tenement they were living in collapsed. A major tragedy was averted as the families were evacuated from their houses minutes before the collapse after the residents noticed cracks on the four-storied building in Tiruvottiyur in north Chennai.

In a meeting on Tuesday, the TNUHDB decided that five expert teams with an expert from the prestigious Anna University in each will be evaluating the vulnerability of the tenements. All 17, 734 tenements are over 25 years old, and they need to be inspected immediately, officials said.

The Technical Evaluation Committee has been asked to evaluate the tenements and submit reports on or before December 31, 2021, a senior official said. He said an evaluation exercise conducted earlier had identified 20,453 tenements that need to be reconstructed.

Chief Minister M K Stalin had on Monday announced Rs 1 lakh each as aid to the families that lost their dwelling units and that the government will provide alternate accommodation to the 24 families very soon.

T M Anbarasan, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), who was deputed by Stalin to oversee the rehabilitation of those affected, said the building was constructed in 1993 and it sustained damage due to prolonged usage.

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Police probing the killing of a RSS worker in Kerala's Palakkad district on Tuesday arrested an SDPI activist allegedly involved in the crime.

He was nabbed from the Cherpulassery area in the district, police said.

"The arrested person is directly involved in the killing. He hacked the victim using a sword. He is an activist of the SDPI", District Police Chief R Viswanadh told reporters here.

With this the number of persons arrested in connection with the case has reached six.

This includes two Popular Front of India (PFI) office bearers who are also allegedly involved in the killing.

The police have also issued lookout notice for four persons in connection with the killing of the RSS worker A Sanjith.

The identity of the man arrested today has not been disclosed as the investigation team wanted to carry out an identification parade. The victim's wife, who was witness to the murderous attack on her husband, had said she could identify the people who came in a car and killed her husband.

The 27-year-old man was hacked to death on November 15 while he was taking his wife to her workplace. His wife had recently moved the the Kerala High Court seeking a CBI probe into the killing.

The High Court has directed the state to file a report on the status of investigation. The BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations have alleged that the activists of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political offshoot of Islamist outfit PFI, were behind the broad daylight murder.

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Terming the April 2021 elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly as one that taught lessons to fascist BJP and slave AIADMK, DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin has stressed the need to replicate the success achieved in the state by the alliance at the national level.

At an event to unveil the portrait of late CPI veteran D Pandian here on Monday evening, Stalin said everyone should take a pledge to teach a lesson to those who should be taught nationally while heaping praise on the ideological friendship between the DMK and the Left parties.

Stalins assertions against the BJP came days after he endorsed a suggestion put forward by ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan that the DMK president should not endorse an anti-BJP front sans Congress and instead bring all Opposition parties under one roof before the 2024 elections.

Read | Hindus believe every person's DNA is unique: Rahul Gandhi

Hailing Pandian as a leader who always held his head high, Stalin recalled the late CPI leaders last public speech in Madurai days before his death during which he issued a clarion call to the people of Tamil Nadu to defeat the AIADMK-BJP alliance.

In the same meeting, I had termed the Assembly elections as one that would teach a lesson to fascist BJP and salve AIADMK. The people of Tamil Nadu have taught the right lesson. Everyone present here should take a vow to teach the right lesson to those who need it at the national level (read BJP), Stalin said in his speech.

Stalins renewed attack against the BJP also comes days after the DMK endorsed Congress MP Rahul Gandhis distinction between Hindu and Hindutva. DMK has also given hints that Congress should lead the Opposition front to defeat the BJP.

DMK and Congress have been in an alliance since 2004, except for three years from March 2013 to February 2016. Stalin has taken a strident anti-BJP stance since he took over as DMK president in 2018 after his father M Karunanidhis death.

Pandian, who was grievously injured in the blast that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, is a veteran CPI leader known for his fiery oratory skills, impeccable command over Tamil, and a strong subscriber of the Communist principles till his last breath.

Pandian was seriously injured in the blast that killed Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, as he accompanied the former Prime Minister to translate his speech from English into Tamil. Pandian, who was then with the UCPI and won the subsequent election from North Chennai, was a witness in the sensational case.

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After a witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case deposed that he had been threatened to take the names of BJP and RSS leaders, senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar on Tuesday alleged that a dirty political conspiracy was hatched by the Congress during the UPA rule to implicate them in false cases of so-called saffron terror.

He demanded an apology from Congress leaders - former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party chief Sonia Gandhi, former Home Minister P Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Digvijay Singh and Salman Khurshid - for assassinating the character of BJP and RSS leaders.

Kumar's reaction came after a witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case turned hostile and deposed in a court in Mumbai earlier in the day that the then senior ATS officer Param Bir Singh and another officer had threatened him to take the names of Yogi Adityanath, who is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at present, and four other RSS leaders, including Indresh Kumar.

Read more: Malegaon blast: Witness claims ATS forced him to take names of Yogi, RSS leaders

Singh, who is facing extortion and other cases, was suspended this month.

" It (deposition of the witness) has proved that all the cases of saffron terror (lodged) at that time were a conspiracy hatched by the Congress as part of its dirty politics," the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader said in an audio message.

Kumar also slammed the other political parties and their leaders, "who are now sitting in Opposition", saying they had also committed "a big sin and a crime" as they stood by the Congress and its coalition government's "dirty politics and conspiracy to falsely implicate the BJP and the RSS leaders" in the so-called saffron terror cases.

In his deposition, the witness claimed the ATS tortured him and made him sit in its office illegally.

After his deposition, the court declared the witness hostile for making allegations against the ATS and denying that he made any statement before the anti-terror agency. As many as 220 witnesses have been examined in the case till now and 15 of them have turned hostile.

The then UPA regime applied "all might" to drag BJP and RSS leaders in the so-called saffron terror cases but could not list "our names in any of the FIRs" because they didn't have any evidence, Kumar claimed.

The Congress party and its government, though, kept on playing "dirty politics" of assassinating "our character" in the name of saffron terror, he charged.

"Manmohan Singh (former Prime Minister), (Congress leaders) Sonia Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Salman (Khurshid), Digvijay Singh--all of them should apologise for committing such a big sin and a crime," he demanded.

Kumar, who is RSS national executive member, also appealed to the people to "democratically" teach a lesson to all those parties and leaders who were involved "in the creation of saffron terror" or supported "such an inhuman politics".

"It is the height of their shamelessness that they have not yet even apologised for hatching such a political conspiracy intended to commit atrocities (on the BJP and RSS leaders)," he charged.

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Nashik's Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai.

The accused in the case include Lok Sabha member Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Shudakar Diwedi, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni, all of whom are out on bail.

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Maharashtra's health sector came under severe strain in 2021, as it faced the onslaught of the ferocious second wave of Covid-19 led by the Delta variant, reporting a record number of daily infections and deaths, and towards the year-end saw the emergence of a high number of Omicron cases.

As Maharashtra struggled to handle the rising Covid-19 cases, it was hit by incidents of fire at some hospitals, claiming lives of several patients and children, which kept the state government and health officials on tenterhooks and raised questions over safety measures in medical facilities.

Earlier this year, the state also reported a large number of cases of mucormycosis, also known as the 'black fungus', and patients struggled to get its costly medicines, which were in short supply for some months.

On the greener side, Maharashtra was the second state to administer the highest number of vaccines since the nationwide rollout of the inoculation campaign in January, and also earned praise from the Bombay High Court, which recently said the state was one of the pioneers in successfully tackling the crisis that arose because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also read: With steady rises in cases, Omicron likely to peak in Delhi by February 2022, say experts

As on December 26, over 11 months since the country started the inoculation drive against Covid-19, Maharashtra had administered 13,10,21,074 doses (including 7,95,56,437 first doses and 5,14,64,637 second doses)  second highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh which tops the list among states and Union Territories.

Earlier this year, the Delta variant of Covid-19 triggered the deadly second wave in the country, including Maharashtra, and killed several people daily between March and May. The state has a high population density in cities like Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Nagpur, and the rapid virus spread was largely in urban pockets.

The second wave was more widespread, not just concentrated to hotspots like Mumbai, Pune and Thane, but touched almost every part of the state.

"During the second wave, the state reported around 60,000 deaths in two months of April and May. Then, cases started declining again. However, if you look at the figures now, the numbers have started increasing again," state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate told PTI.

The Delta strain went on to trigger another wave of infections in other parts of the world until the recent emergence of the Omicron variant.

Till December 27, a total of 167 cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 were detected in the state. As the year comes to an end, dealing with the pandemic has been a mixed bag for healthcare officials and the Maharashtra government. If the first wave taught some hard-learnt lessons, the second wave made dealing with it more resilient.

But in the New Year, the challenge lies in tackling Omicron, which initial studies suggest transmits faster than the Delta and other variants and escapes immunity generated by vaccines.

Dr Awate said it appears that though the new variant does spread faster, there have been little hospitalisations.

Also read: CDSCO panel recommends restricted emergency use of Covid-19 pill Molnupiravir

"We hope this trend continues. If this happens, Omicron will act as a natural vaccination and may help in its (Covid-19) progression towards the endemic stage," he said.

Like last year, Maharashtra was one of the states that consistently reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases during its second wave which saw a massive surge in infections from March to May this year.

According to the health ministry data, from February 19 to April 28, Maharashtra contributed the highest daily infections to the country's Covid-19 tally.

Between February 18 to March 3, the state reported 48.5 per cent of the total cases in the country; rising to 59.5 per cent between March 4 an 17, and 60 per cent between March 18 and 31. Between April 1 and 14, it reported 43.2 per cent of the total cases in the country and 21.6 per cent between April 15 and 28.

Unlike last year, to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus infection, the state did impose restrictions, but not as harsh as seen during the first wave. However, there was opposition from the business community and officer-goers in Mumbai as well as its satellite cities as travel by local trains was restricted.

As cases spiralled, especially between March and May, many people even struggled to secure admission in hospitals as health facilities were overwhelmed with patients. There were also reports of alleged deaths due to lack of oxygen supply  from Palghar and Nashik, but the state government ruled it out.

The state government also faced flak over the death of a number of patients in fires at hospitals in Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Palghar and at a mall in Mumbai.

While there were reports of alleged deaths due to lack of oxygen supply in other states, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was lauded by the Supreme Court for oxygen management during the second wave.

But, like other parts of the country, a number of people in the state struggled to secure critical medicines, like Remdesivir and Tocilizumab injections.

Earlier this year, Maharashtra was one of the non-BJP-ruled states which targeted the Centre over shortage of vaccines during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra  comprising the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP  had accused the Centre of not providing adequate doses to the state. Some Maharashtra ministers also accused the Union government of prioritising BJP-ruled states over Maharashtra.

Refuting the charge, the then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had lashed out at Maharashtra and some other states, accusing them of trying to cover their "failures" in containing the pandemic by making "deplorable" attempts through "irresponsible" statements to distract attention and spreading panic among people.

Amid the rise in Covid-19 cases again, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope recently said fresh lockdown will be imposed in the state only if the demand for medical oxygen touches 800 metric tons per day.

The state government recently banned assembly of more than five persons in public places between 9 pm to 6 am and restricted the number of people allowed at public functions.

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The first draft proposal of the delimitation commission, shared with five MPs from Jammu and Kashmir who were associate members of the body during its meeting in New Delhi, is on expected lines, including accentuating the regional divide as it has left most of the stakeholders, with the exception of the BJP, displeased.

The commission has allocated six new Assembly constituencies to Jammu and one to Kashmir. Currently, Jammu province has 37 seats and Kashmir Valley 46. Ladakh, which was part of Kashmir division, had four seats. Now, as per the draft proposal, Kashmir valley will have 47 seats, and Jammu 43.

The optics are revelatory as they indicate regional polarisation on the issue. Ethnic Kashmiri leaders rejected the proposal and called it divisive. According to them, the proposal is a negation of the mandate of the commission, which was to consider population as the criterion in the process of delimitation of Assembly segments. Kashmir valleys population is nearly 1.6 million more than Jammus.

The leaders of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an alliance of varied parties whose leaders are all ethnic Kashmiris, have decided to jointly protest on January 1 in Srinagar  though the winter capital of J&K is Jammu, thus implicitly conceding the regional gulf.

In Jammu, except the BJP, parties whose constituency is in the region, particularly the plains, have expressed displeasure. Their argument is that the area of Jammu is nearly double the size of the Valley and it should have been given the same seats as the Valley. According to them, some of the J&K Assembly segments, particularly in the urban parts of Jammu, are bloated. The two largest Assembly segments in J&K are in Jammu city, with 1.6 lakh voters in Gandhi Nagar and 1.5 lakh voters in Jammu West, whereas the third-largest Assembly segment is Batamaloo in Kashmir, with 1.2 lakh voters.

As both regions are engulfed in a war of words, the commission seems to have factored in the criteria of arduous geography and inaccessibility. The proposed increase in seats is in the hilly and remote districts, namely Kishtwar, Doda, Reasi and Kupwara, that often escape the public glare. The districts that have areas near the International Border in Kathua and Samba have also seen an increase in representation. The commission has incentivised the political contestants to reach out to remote areas as earlier they would concentrate only on densely populated areas. Without going into the debate whether the commissions proposal is fair or not, it is not unexpected that there is general dissatisfaction about the proposals.

The root of the problem lies in the structure of J&K. Jammu & Kashmir, created in the 19th century by merging diverse cultural and geographical units, saw a major change in 1947. The population of Jammu was, as per the 1941 Census, 1.9 million whereas that of Kashmir was 1.7 million. The bifurcation of J&K in 1947 kept the Kashmir Valley more or less intact while dividing the more populous and religiously diverse Jammu. The fact is that the Valley is relatively more homogenous than Jammu geographically, and by religion and ethnicity. It has an advantage of plain geography as compared to hilly and inaccessible areas in Jammu.

Earlier, the homogeneity provided an edge to the winning political party from Kashmir Valley as it was able to win some seats in the Muslim parts of Jammu as well. This is no longer true as a variety of political forces are active now in Kashmir Valley. Thus, at the macro level, there is heterogeneity in both regions, and this has made government-formation a more competitive exercise. This has exposed the system to a greater regional, ethnic and even religious polarisation at the macro-level. The solution was to have devolution of powers with checks and balances at every layer of the power structure.

In the past, after considering the urges and aspirations of diverse stakeholders, a concrete proposal of regional federalism had been in the offing for at least six decades. Keeping in mind the peculiarity of J&K and by incorporating best practices of similar contexts from across the world, the proposal argued for a five-step devolution of power from the state to the regions to districts to blocks and panchayats, while upholding the integrity of secular identities of the three regions. Each layer in the five-step devolution structure should get allocation as per a given fair formula that factors in population, area, accessibility, public amenities and socio-economic indicators.

However, the narrow impulses of a section of the former ruling elite scuttled the proposal, sowing the seeds of regional, ethnic and religious division. This has progressively created a situation where the former state is now heading towards many layers of de-facto division.

Meanwhile, the delimitation draft has also suggested the reservation of nine seats for the Scheduled Tribes (STs). The main beneficiaries will be the Gujjars and Bakerwals. They are spread across J&K. In the last Assembly election, Gujjar candidates were elected in Lolab and Kangan Assembly segments in the Valley. In Jammu, the Assembly segments of Surankote, Mendhar, Rajouri, Gulabgarh, Darhal, Kalakote and Gool Arnas were represented by Gujjar candidates.

As per the 2011 Census, the population of Gujjars and Bakerwals is around 9% of the total population of the former state. They had 10.8% representation in the previous J&K Assembly. Bakerwals are nomads and have flocks of goats and sheep, whereas the bulk of the Gujjars are settled and dairy farming is the main occupation for a part of the community. As per 2017 official figures, nearly 32% of the Gujjars and Bakerwals have nomadic and semi-nomadic characteristics. In this context, the political reservation for the Scheduled Tribes will permanently and constitutionally diversify the power structure of J&K. This will force us to look beyond the simplistic understandings of the Jammu and Kashmir discourse.

(The writer is the author of two books on J&K, including Across the LoC, Columbia University Press)
Bangalore South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday withdrew statements that he said created an avoidable controversy.

"At a program held in Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt two days ago, I spoke on the subject of Hindu Revival in Bharat. Certain statements from my speech has regrettably created an avoidable controversy. I therefore unconditionally withdraw the statements," Surya said in a tweet.

The BJP Yuva Morcha president, however, did not specify which statement he is withdrawing from his hour-long speech.

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Amid rumours of change of leadership in Karnataka, the BJP is holding state executive and core committee meetings in Hubballi on December 28 and 29.

The party announced its plan to discuss recent Legislative Council elections outcome and preparation for coming Zilla Panchayat and BBMP elections will be discussed in these meetings. BJP National General Secretary (in-charge Karnataka) Arun Singh spoke to DH's Ajith Athrady on a range of issues.

Will BJP have an alliance with JD(S) or any other party in state for next Assembly elections?

No. The BJP will have no alliance with anybody in Karnataka in the 2023 Assembly elections. We want to fight on our own as we have a strong base in every district. This is also the wish of our workers and state leaders. Wherever we are weak, we will strengthen our organisation. In South Karnataka, we will strengthen our party and fight elections in full force.

Read | BJP committee meets in Karnataka, to discuss leadership

In the Legislative Council election, you tried for alliance with JD(S)?

No discussion of alliance held in Delhi for the Council election. I am not aware of anything. Maybe state leaders must have discussed the issue, I dont know.

What is BJP's strategy for to face the next Assembly polls ?

After Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, we will focus Karnataka. Soon, the party will also hold "Chintan Baitak " in the state in which ministers and core committee members will attend and discuss the government as well as the party. The party will make future strategy to strengthen the organisation and prepare roadmap to victory in the next Assembly polls.

Is CM Basavaraj Bommai matching up to the organisational skills and personality of former CM B S Yediyurappa?

No doubt that Yediyurappa is the most popular leader and successfully implemented several welfare programmes. Bommai is also giving efficient administration and will complete his term as the CM. There is no truth in media speculations about leadership change. Though the CM changed, it is a continuing government. Under the guidance of Yediyurappa, the BJP will face the next Assembly election in the leadership of Bommai. There is good co-ordination between the government and party under the leadership of Bommai.

Read | 2021: BSY's exit, dismal Covid scenes in Karnataka

Is the recently held Legislative Council elections is a setback for the party?

It is not a setback for us. The BJP gained 6 more seats. It is a victory for the party. Though we expected 13 seats, we got 11 seats. In Mysuru and Belagavi we lost though we hoped to win these two seats. In fact it is a setback to Congress and JD(S) as both parties have lost their seats.

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Supreme Court Judge Justice Abdul Nazeer inaugurated the new building of Puttur Bar Association (PBA) and laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the court building.

He also laid the foundation stone for judicial officers quarters building in Puttur, Sullia and a new Bar Association building in Belthangady on Tuesday.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 53 crore.

Justice Abdul Nazeer after inaugurating the Bar Association building said the objective of any civilized state is maintaining peace and order.

If there was no peace in society, then what was the use of all these developments? he asked.

Justice Nazeer said litigation is like a cancerous disease.

A house entangled in litigation will not have any peace. To eradicate the cancerous disease in society, there is a need to inform litigants on where they stand, he stressed.

Supreme Court Chief Justice N V Ramana has been vocal about establishing the Judicial Infrastructure Corporation in order to aid the judiciary. When it comes to Karnataka, the governments have been helping in upgrading the infrastructure of the judiciary, he said.

Administrative Judge of Dakshina Kannada (DK) district Justice K Somashekar urged Registrar General T G Shivashankare Gowda to ensure all vacant posts of judicial officers in courts across the district were filled up to ensure speedy disposal of justice. He also urged Puttur MLA Sanjeeva Matandoor to get his government to sanction two acres of land in front of Bar Association building in Puttur to develop a beautiful park.

MLC Bhoje Gowda said, At a time when many acts are passed in the Legislative Assembly and Council, it is a tragedy that the advocates are not holding fruitful discussions on new acts.

He said that he had sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore under MLC LAD for the bar association buildings in six districts including DK, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru.

He said the Bar Association should ensure that cleanliness is maintained in the building.

MLA Sanjeeva Matandoor said portraits of all those hailing from Puttur taluk who had served in the judiciary should be mounted inside the Bar Association building in order to create awareness among the youth.

The MLA said that efforts are on to shift the SP office to Puttur and land had been identified for the same. About four-and-a-half-acre of land was earmarked for Womens Degree College in Puttur.

The government is committed to providing all amenities to court and bar association buildings, he added.
Miscreants have desecrated Koragajjana Katte 'hundi' (donation box) at Marnamikate in Mangaluru, allegedly by depositing or placing condoms near the box, the police said.

After the incident was reported on Tuesday, members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad urged the police to arrest the miscreants responsible for the act. A case was registered at Pandeshwara police station.

Condemning the incident, MLA D Vedavyasa Kamath said that he has urged the police to arrest those responsible for desecrating the place of worship.

Kamath said that the police have been directed to act against those provoking communal incidents in the district. We will not allow any communal issues to flare up in the coastal district, he said.

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Change of guard that saw BJPs seasoned oarsman in south of India, B S Yediyurappa, finally relenting and making way for Basavaraj Bommai as the Chief Minister and scenes of ambulances with dead bodies of Covid-19 victims waiting in front of crematoriums during the second wave of the pandemic -- 2021 was truly an eventful year for Karnataka.

The ruling BJP managed to pass a contentious anti-conversion bill in the state Assembly in December amid stiff resistance from Opposition but is yet to have its way in the Legislative Council where it lacks majority.

The year saw the state being battered by torrential downpour, for the fourth year in a row, the covid surge in May, the emergence of India's first set of Omicron cases of coronavirus and inter-state disputes with Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu over different issues. For Yeddiyurappa, the BJPs "comeback man" in Karnataka, there however seems to be no "closure". He stepped down from the post on July 26, coinciding with his government completing two years in office.

It is also too early to write a political obituary of the 78-year-old Lingayat strongman who has been the face of the party in the state for decades but could never complete a full term in office despite becoming the chief minister four times, as he continues to enjoy clout. That he ensured his loyalist Bommai succeeded him in the BJP's southern citadel on July 28 is a testimony that Yeddiyurappa continues to hold sway.

Also read: Big changes in Karnataka? Bommai dismisses speculations as 'media creation'

For the architect of the BJP's first-ever government to the south of Vindhyas, age was seen as a primary factor for his exit from the top job, with an unwritten rule in the saffron paty of keeping out those above 75 years from elective offices; also the high-command wanted to make way for new leadership, ahead of the assembly polls, likely by mid-2023, according to some analysts.

According to BJP sources, rumblings within the party with complaints about his "authoritative" style of functioning, his younger son and state vice president B Y Vijayendras alleged interference in the administration and allegations of corruption, may also have contributed to his exit.

Even as Bommai is trying to navigate the choppy waters of politics and making efforts to manage "natives" and "migrants" factions of the party, speculation surrounding his possible exit by early next year has rocked the ruling party, despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah announcing that the CM would lead the BJP in the 2023 polls.

Though BJP leadership and Bommai himself have rejected such speculations, rumours regarding his possible exit refuse to die down, citing his knee ailment, and also certain allegations of irregularities like the bitcoin scam and 40 per cent commission charge by government contractors. BJP losing Hangal assembly segment, which is Bommai's neighbouring constituency and a not-so-great performance in the recent MLC polls under his leadership seem to have added to his worries.

Congress too was in the news as political one upmanship between its top two faces -- Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and state President D K Shivakumar -- overshadow developments in the party, with MLAs and supporters of both openly projecting their leaders as the party's CM face.

With the next assembly polls seen as crucial for the party's future, JD(S) started preparations this year by holding a series of training sessions for workers aimed at independently coming to power in the assembly polls, by winning a minimum of 123 seats, even as several of its leaders are looking at jumping the ship.

On the pandemic front, Covid-19 continued to haunt the state this year too, with daily infections and death peaking to over 50,000 cases and nearly 350 fatalities in May, which resulted in the government imposing strict curbs including lockdown in the state.

With infections peaking, the system's preparations to tackle the pandemic were put to test as shortage of beds in hospitals and ICUs affected the treatment of critically ill patients. In a shocking incident 24 Covid patients allegedly died due to oxygen shortage in May, in Chamarajanagara district.

Also read: Pralhad Joshi rubbishes 'rumours' of Bommai's exit

Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed during the months of April-May, as ambulances carrying dead bodies of covid victims were seen waiting outside overburdened crematoriums in the city. This had forced the government to set up open crematoriums.

In the fag end of the year, the country's first two Omicron cases were detected in Karnataka on December 2, one of them being a local and the other an international traveller from South Africa. Recently there has been a steady increase in the number of covid-19 clusters in the state as well as Omicron infections, forcing the government to impose "night curfew" for 10 days from December 28 and to ban all New Year parties and gatherings in public places.

After the anti-cow slaughter legislation last year, the government passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, in the Assembly, prohibiting unlawful religious conversion by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means and has penal provisions.

While the government cleared the Assembly hurdle amid stiff resistance from the Congress and JD (S), the fate of the legislation now hangs in balance since it has to pass the Council test where the ruling dispensation does not enjoy majority.

For the fourth consecutive year since 2018, most parts of Karnataka were affected by flooding and landslides, due to torrential rains, causing damage to life and property. According to the government, at least 42 people died in floods and rain in October and November, and crop losses have been estimated at 9.90 lakh hectares.

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The overall estimated damage is said to be at Rs 11,916.30 crore, while the state has sought Rs 1,281 crore as relief from the centre, as per norms, for the damage caused.

Certain incidents during the year such as e-commerce giant Amazon selling bikinis having colours of the Karnataka flag and emblem on its Canada site, tech giant Google's search result showing Kannada as India's "ugliest language", and alleged "imposition of Hindi" by the Centre, created a widespread social media outrage in the state and saw resurgence of regional pride in some way.

There were disputes with neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu regarding the implementation of Mekedatu project over Cauvery river, and with Maharashtra on the border issue following recent incidents of defacing of statues of national icons Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna in Bengaluru and Belagavi and burning of Kannada flag in Kolhapur. The gang-rape of a college girl by six men near Chamundi Hills in Mysuru sent shock waves across the state.

Kannada cinema's reigning star, Puneeth Rajkumar, died in October at the age of 46, leaving his fans shell-shocked and the state mourning.

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The night curfew, set to kick off from 10 pm on Tuesday, is intended to preempt any surge in cases arising from celebrations for the New Year. However, the move is not without controversy.

The curfew was recommended by the states Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to ensure that the present daily reporting of about 300 cases and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) of 0.4 per cent are kept stable.

The TAC had recommended a four-night curfew from December 30 to January 2, from 7 pm to 5 am. The government has instead opted for a 10-night curfew from Tuesday night to January 7, from 10 pm to 5 am.

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that the curfew will help to determine how the virus will behave in the next 10 days. The virus cycle runs for 10-14 days. We will see if cases increase during this cycle. Even though Omicron is said to be mild, if cases increase dramatically it could result in a bed shortage and we are trying to avoid that situation in the larger interests of the people, he said.

Also Read | Night curfew in Karnataka for 10 days from December 28

When asked if the curfew will prevent a surge in cases over the New Year, Dr M K Sudarshan, chairman of the TAC, said: Yes, of course. In the west now, some are imposing lockdowns (of different types), he said.

Elaborating on this, another member of the TAC, Prof (Dr) Pradeep Badanur, head of the Department of Epidemiology at Nimhans, said that a night curfew will reduce the spread of infections and transmission.

It has the added advantage of signalling an alert to the public that they should be cautious, he added, pointing out holiday revelry such as alcohol consumption in groups has the end result of diluting Covid Appropriate Behavior.

However, not all agree that a night curfew is necessary at the moment. Noted public health expert and epidemiologist Dr Chandrakant Lahariya said that different stages of test positivity rate require different measures.

At the moment, since December 2 till there have been 560-odd Omicron cases in India. In the same period, there have been some 1.75 lakh Covid-19 cases also recorded - most of which were likely caused by Delta. Cases may rise over the next few days, but a balance needs to be struck to ensure continued economic activity, he said.

European context

Experts also noted that the idea of a night curfew has a European context where there is a thriving nightlife culture. Such restrictions are not particularly useful in the Indian context, especially in rural areas. A better measure would have been the imposition of Section 144 to reduce crowds, instead of having a blanket curfew, Dr Lahariya said.

He added that night curfew represent a patronizing approach because the government believes it needs such measures to remind people about the dangers of Covid-19.

Dr Badanur said that the net effect of the curfew will only be seen in two to three weeks. That is when we will know if it has been a success, he said.

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The hospitality industry in the state stares at a whopping loss of around to Rs 500 crore between December 31 and January 1 due to the Covid restrictions imposed by the government.

Starting December 28, night curfew will be in place from 10 pm to 5 am for 10 days in the state. During this period, hotels, pubs and restaurants will be permitted to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

With more than 60 star hotels and hundreds of clubs, restaurants and resorts, Bengaluru stands to bear more losses than other districts.

Most resorts and hotels in and around the city are all fully booked. Now, the government has come up with these rules. We had requested the authorities to issue the guidelines at least three weeks in advance, but we got them too late. No representative from the industry was consulted before formulating these guidelines. We are unhappy with the notification and we hope the government will reconsider, P C Rao, president, Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association, said.

Also Read | Night curfew in Karnataka for 10 days from December 28

The hoteliers continue to ask why the industry is being targeted when movie theatres, malls and public transportation are all allowed to function with 100 per cent occupancy.

This is just an eyewash to show that the government is taking some action. We do not know how this will be of any help, most of them said.

We usually close our restaurant around 10.45 pm. But this 50 per cent occupancy rule will impact us more. We have just started to recover our losses. This will hit the business again. If people are allowed to sit next to each other for hours in theatres and public transport, why not in restaurants for 30 mins? Deepak D N of Hotel Aditya in Mahalakshmipuram sought to know.

The hoteliers also added that if the establishment should be shut by 10 pm, then they should take their orders as early as 9 pm, which is not convenient for the

working class.

Many officegoers, taxi and autorickshaw drivers come to dinner only after 9.30 and 10 pm. What are they supposed to do? asked Krishna Raj of Nisarga Hotel on Nrupathunga Road.

With the government guidelines making RT PCR tests mandatory for the hotel employees, the owners are concerned about the costs of these tests.

We need to spend around 20,000 to get 50 workers tested. Our workers are already vaccinated as per the government rules. Now, how to bear this additional burden on top of taking a hit to the business, the owners said.

Bars to lose more

While the restobars have accepted table bookings, the bars have stocked up liquor for the New Year parties. Excise transactions worth Rs 120 crore happen during this time, according to industry sources.

Most liquor sales happen between 10 pm and 11 pm only. At restobars, only 50 per cent seating is allowed. The curfew impacts the (liquor) business from all directions, said Karunakar Hegde, secretary, Bengaluru Bar and Restaurant Association.

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SEATTLE  The Grand Central Bakery property at 21 S. Nevada St. in Seattle sold last week for almost $10.5 million, according to King County records. Through an LLC associated with Grand Central executives, the building last traded for about $4.4 million in 2015. The bakery business then signed a lease with the building owners.

The buyer was Hudesman Tigard LLC, which is associated with a Bellevue investor. He now becomes the new landlord to the bakery business.





. . .
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NORTH BEND  A self-storage facility at 1410 Boalch Ave. N.W. in North Bend has sold for just over $18.7 million, according to King County records. The seller was MHC 76 (North Bend WA) LLC, associated with CubeSmart, which acquired the property in 2019 for $12.7 million.

The buyer was Self-Storage Portfolio XV DST, which is associated with Inland Real Estate Group of Illinois. Public records indicate a loan from KeyBank.





. . .
Planned changes to Irelands carbon budgets would hit the economy for 7.8 billion euro a year and cost 38,000 jobs, according to the head of Ibec..

In a letter to Micheal Martin on October 6, 2021, CEO Danny McCoy said the move to include emissions from land usage in the budgets would totally undermine the viability of the agri-food industry, records released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.

Tim Cullinan, president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), also wrote to the Taoiseach on the matter, warning the sector could be destroyed by changing the goalposts on carbon accounting.

The Government proceeded with the change on October 15 after the letter from Mr McCoy had been brought to Mr Martins attention.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said the move was necessary in order to transition to net-zero by 2050.

Mr McCoy cited analysis carried out by EY (Ernst & Young) on the impact of the Climate Act on the dairy farming sector, which found the approach would require them to reduce the milk supply by 4.9 billion litres, from current levels of approximately 8.3 billion litres.



Ibec CEO Danny McCoy warned against the move

This, if obligated, would set the dairy sector back to 2010 levels and result in substantial industry and on-farm job lessons, the head of the group representing Irish business wrote.

He also warned it would result in a reduction of the national herd size to 2011 levels.

According to figures from the Central Statistics Office, this would represent a cull of up to 900,000 cattle.

The most up-to-date CSO data shows the national herd size stood at 6.4 million in 2011, compared to 7.3 million in 2020.

The change from a so-called net-net model to the new gross-net model will be adopted at EU level from 2026, but has been included in Irelands budget for 2021 to 2025.

Mr McCoy urged the Taoiseach not to take premature action, saying in the absence of an EU legal requirement, it is suggested that Ireland should not act unilaterally in implementing this change.

A gross-net determination would have a negative economic impact of up to 7.8 billion euro per annum to the Irish economy or c. 60% negative impact on Dairy/(Agri) Ireland he wrote.

This scenario would also see FTE (full time equivalent) jobs fall by up to approximately 32,000.

Irelands carbon budgets have targeted a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and a move to net-zero by 2050.

Mr McCoy added: Indications are that using a gross-net policy rather than the established net-net accounting method would lead to a reduction of the national herd size to 2011 levels, to comply with national climate law (-51%).

He argued that the net-net system was enough to provide for the potential for the sector to achieve ongoing sustainable operations in compliance with our Climate Act obligations while a gross-net approach could place an additional burden of reducing six million tonnes of carbon.

Mr McCoy concluded by saying the move would be extremely damaging to agri-food industry and to rural Ireland, and said Ibec strongly recommend that the current method of calculation net-net is maintained for the period until 2030.

I would appreciate the opportunity to engage further on this important matter, he added.

Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach John Shaw sent a letter of acknowledgement to Mr McCoy but it was not deemed necessary to send a substantive reply, a spokesperson said.

IFA president Mr Cullinan wrote: Irish farmers fully accept the role they can play in positive climate action.

Farmers want to work with Government on delivering solutions to help us achieve our very ambitious climate action targets.



Tim Cullinan said farmers want to help find solutions

However, we cannot allow our largest indigenous sector to be destroyed by changing the goalposts on carbon accounting, something that is both unnecessary and unfair.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said: Ireland is currently a net emitter from the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector  to the order of five million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

In order to transition to net-zero by 2050, we need over time to change the LULUCF sector from a source to a sink.

Doing so will allow us to continue activity in key economic sectors. In making this transition it is important we measure our actual emissions and removals from land use.

This approach is in line with the EU proposal to adopt gross-net accounting from 2026.

The move was recommended by the Climate Council in order to simplify the accounting systems and to enhance environmental integrity.
The communications from Irish Water regarding the issuing of the Do Not Consume(DNC) notice for the Greenmount Public Water Scheme (PWS) at the beginning of the month, were criticised by several councillors at the Louth County Council December meeting.

The matter was raised by Cllr Pearse McGeough, who asked if there was an update on a proposal passed at the Ardee Municipal District meeting, for an investigation into issues surrounding the DNC notice and the Greenmount PWS.

Cllr McGeough, who was very critical of Irish Water at the meeting, said he did not think the utility provider was fit for purpose.

He added that while he had been delivering water to people affected by the DNC notice, he was being told by water users in the area that they got extremely sick due to the ammonia in the water.

One of the major criticisms Cllr McGeough levelled at Irish Water, as well as other councillors who spoke at the meeting, was in relation to its communications over the course of the DNC. He said it was a false assumption that all have access to social media.

In response, Chief Executive Joan Martin said that the Council could not comment at all on the matter.

Cllr John Sheridan spoke next on the matter, where he noted that for councillors this is our forum where we can say something. He said that the last Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on the Greenmount PWS was done in 2019 and asked when the next one would be done.

Cllr Sheridan added that they still do not know where the source of the pollution in the River Dee, which feeds the Greenmount PWS, came from. Questioning the communications during the DNC notice, he asked if Irish Water maintains a list of phone numbers of all its end users.

Cllr Maeve Yore was very critical of Irish Water communications, adding that they never get an update when it goes up the line.

Cllr Maria Doyle said she agreed with the othe speakers and asked if the Director of Services could raise the issue of communication with both councillors and the public, with Irish Water.

In response, the meeting was told that it would be raised at the next meeting between the Council and Irish Water.

Cllr Michelle Hall added to the discussion, saying that a local school had to close recently due to a water outage.

Cllr Hall said they should have been notified by Irish Water and should not have to close for such an issue.

Cllr Antoin Watters said there was similar incidents in north Louth, with people calling him asking when they would have their water back.

Cllr Watters added that the issues need to be dealt with first thing in the New Year.
A 20 year old woman ripped a number plate off a garda patrol car parked outside the local garda station, after being released from custody, Dundalk district court heard last week.

The court was also told that Lorraine McWeeney with an address at the time at Hill Street Dundalk claimed that a knife recovered following an earlier incident, was for her own protection.

The defendant was before the court charged with possession of an offensive weapon, being intoxicated in a public place and using threatening abusive or insulting behaviour at Roden Place, Dundalk on August 25th last.

She was also charged with stealing the patrol car's registration plate, valued at 200, at Dundalk Garda Station, and causing criminal damage to the vehicle, on the same date.

The court heard how a garda arriving for duty at 6.45am had noticed the number plate was missing and on checking CCTV saw the defendant leaving the garda station via the Carrick Road entrance before she made her way around and approached the boundary wall from the other side.

She ripped it off the vehicle and placed it under her jacket.

She was arrested at her home at 7.15am and the number plate was found on a coffee table there.

The court heard gardai had received a report of a woman acting suspiciously around 3am and the defendant who was visibly intoxicated was arrested for public order offences.

She told gardai a red carpet cutter knife that was recovered "was for my protection".

The court heard she had seven previous convictions but none for the offences before the court.

The Defence solicitor explained her client had stopped taking her medication for a couple of days before the incident.

She had no recollection of events and had later that day checked in as a patient at a local psychiatric facility and is now doing well and has moved to Dublin and is trying to find her feet and hopes to return to working in the recruitment industry.

Judge John Brennan remanded her on continuing bail to March 2nd for payment of compensation and to produce medical evidence.
In the week ending 24 December 2021 the net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency (asset items 2 and 3 minus liability items 7, 8 and 9) increased by EUR 1.1 billion to EUR 322.2 billion, owing mainly to US dollar liquidity-providing operations.

As a result of the Eurosystems open market operations and standing facilities, net lending to credit institutions (asset item 5 minus liability items 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 4) rose by EUR 72.5 billion to EUR 1,520.9 billion. This was due primarily to the change in the level of the deposit facility (liability item 2.2).

Base money (liability items 1, 2.1 and 2.2) decreased by EUR 56 billion to EUR 5,980.7 billion.

Claims on non-euro area residents denominated in euro (asset item 4) increased by EUR 1.6 billion to EUR 13.3 billion, owing mainly to Eurosystem operations providing euro liquidity to non-euro area central banks (further details can be found on the ECBs website under Central bank liquidity lines).

The table below provides the detailed breakdown of securities held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.1) into the different portfolios. All portfolios are accounted for at amortised cost.
By Dominic McGrath, PA

John Major admitted privately in 1992 that he did not believe the IRA could be beaten militarily.

The British prime minister also warned that republicans were wrong if they believed that Britain was suffering from battle fatigue.

According to an Irish Government memo, the British prime minister made the comments at meeting in Downing Street in February 1992, where he hosted newly elected taoiseach Albert Reynolds and senior Irish ministers.

The meeting, which came weeks before the UK general election, was held amid the backdrop of ongoing talks between the main political parties in Northern Ireland.

At the meeting, the taoiseach asks Mr Major directly: Do you think we can defeat the IRA?

He responds: Militarily that would be very difficult: I would not say this in public, of course, but, in private, I would say, possibly no.

The memo reveals the frustrations both sides felt regarding a lack of progress in talks between the main political parties, while also revealing early efforts on the Irish side to push for the inclusion of Sinn Fein in any negotiations on a future settlement.

My own impression is that the talks are not getting anywhere, Mr Reynolds said.

The prime minister, referring to the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, says: Peter Brooke thinks they have some life.

Mr Reynolds responds: I would say that here but not outside.

'Serious' about peace

The taoiseach tells the prime minister that he believes the IRA are serious about peace.

Several days earlier, Sinn Fein had published a document called Towards a Lasting Peace in Ireland.

Mr Major, according to the Irish memo, said: If we pursue that, we could run into very serious opposition here: you know that more bombs are threatened in Whitehall. If they are serious, they are certainly going the wrong way about it.

The IRA had attacked 10 Downing Street during a Cabinet meeting the previous year.

Mr Major continues: They will not get peace by putting bombs in Whitehall  rather the opposite. Why do they behave as they are now behaving if they want peace?

Mr Reynolds tells the British prime minister that they always do that.

Before a cessation of violence, they always become more active. They always like it to appear that if a ceasefire comes about, then they have not acted from weakness.

Is there any way in which we could look at the language, with a view to moving things along? Mr Reynolds asks, appearing to refer to the Sinn Fein text.

'Cynical game'

Mr Major says: I know Gerry Adams and one or two others are involved in this. They think we are suffering from battle fatigue. Theyre wrong. They could be engaged in a very cynical game.

At the meeting, Mr Reynolds says he believes that peace may well be in sight.

In a frank assessment of the current situation in Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach warns that the two governments are dealing with a divided community.

He said: We must draw up structures to accommodate these differences; and these structures must command confidence. I am talking about the longer term  there is no instant solution.

Mr Major, who says that he agrees, tells the Irish premier: We cannot suddenly move to an end product but we are walking down a path  and we cant stop: we cant stop talking  or walking.

Twenty two years is a long time: there are a lot of dead bodies in between.

The memo of the meeting, still in the early days of the peace process, indicates the close links forged between the British and Irish government on the issue.

Mr Major tells the meeting: I have the misfortune not to be an Irishman but I understand the importance of symbolism. We must be prepared to do unconventional things.
By Dominic McGrath, PA

Charlie Haughey told British prime minister John Major at a meeting in 1991 that he should not attribute too much sophistication to the unionists amid ongoing efforts to bring the Troubles to a close.

The comments by the then-taoiseach, recorded in an Irish Government note of the meeting, were made in Downing Street on June 21st, 1991.

It came amid ongoing talks between the four main Stormont parties discussing the future of Northern Ireland.

Those talks, which became known as the Brooke/Mayhew talks after the incumbent Northern Ireland secretaries of state, were destined to end with little progress for a peace settlement.

Mr Haughey, who would leave office several months later, indicated to Mr Major he did not believe that the talks would produce anything of substance.

Instead, he told his British counterpart: If we want to achieve something, we, the two governments, must take the whole situation by the scruff of the neck.

The situation in Northern Ireland is a constant irritant in relations between the two governments.

Nearly everywhere I go on the international scene, I am asked: When are you going to solve the problem of Northern Ireland?

There are questions of international prestige at stake.

There are great benefits for both of us in the world from a clearing of the decks. Both countries could then settle down to some sort of normal relations. I hope in all this I am not teaching my grandmother to suck eggs.

Mr Major tells the taoiseach: The more I learn of the problem, the more anxious I am to make progress. I would favour a step-by-step approach  a slow approach. We have to carry a unionist and nationalist consensus along.

Mr Haughey speaks of the need to get officials and experts to look at the possibility of Sinn Fein joining the process.

Unionist feelings

Later, Mr Major expresses some concern about the feelings of unionists, telling Mr Haughey: The whole subject is very difficult and very complex in view of the position of the unionists  and of Northern Ireland generally.

According to the confidential note, Mr Haughey responded: You dont know your own strength in this. I must ask where do the unionists have to go? If you say The British Government have decided on a certain course of action where do they go?

If they push, things go back and the Anglo-Irish Agreement is fully in place and will be so for another 20 years.

Dont attribute too much sophistication and understanding to the unionists. If the British Government says This is the way we must go, they have no alternative.

Mr Major responds: Whatever is proposed must be broadly accepted by the unionists and also by Parliament.

At one stage, Mr Major tells the taoiseach that more cross-Border co-operation is needed. Mr Haughey replies that it is already superb and teases: I think you are beginning to speak like Mrs Thatcher. Maybe you have one of her briefs.

Mr Haughey and Margaret Thatcher had an often difficult and antagonistic relationship throughout her time as British prime minister.

We have bitten the bullet of extradition and the system is operating, despite some political trauma in the South. People concentrate on feelings and animosities in Northern Ireland but I have my own party to consider on this subject, warns Mr Haughey.

The taoiseach says he was careful to sell this as an EC [European Council] meeting.

Mr Major used the meeting to complain about recent media comments by Mrs Thatcher and former Conservative prime minister Edward Heath on European integration.

Luxembourg and the community are causing a real fuss over here now, the British prime minister says.

There are certain key words which inflame passions here. One of them is federal union.
The Students Federation of India and representatives from various political parties, on December 27, held a demonstration in front of the Pondicherry University campus to register their opposition against the administrations order debarring 11 students, who participated in a protest against fee hike last year.

The university, in an order issued on December 17, prohibited 11 students, including the Students Council President Parichay Yadav, from taking admission in any course offered by the varsity for the next five years. They also debarred the same lot of students from entering the campus during the five-year period, and a fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on each of them, which they must pay to receive their degree certificates.

READ ALSO : Pondicherry University students want their campus reopened, varsity says they'll get back in 2-3 days

Leading the demonstration, S Jayaprakash, President of the SFI, told The Hindu that administrations order was issued just before the reopening of the campus, nearly two years after the incident. This is a clear attempt to threaten the students from involving themselves in any democratic protests. A show-cause notice was issued to the students in August, 19 months after the incident, Jayaprakash said.

Though the students had replied to the notice, there was no response from the university whatsoever. Now, the administration has suddenly initiated disciplinary action and debarred them. The university must immediately revoke the order, he said. Members from the DMK, Communist Party of India (M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Dravidar Kazhagam participated in the protest.






Colorado, US university found better ranching practices can cut carbon emissions significantly





A research team led by Colorado State University (CSU; US) found that widespread use of improved ranching management practices in two distinct areas of beef production would lead to substantial emissions reductions.

This includes increased efficiency to produce more beef per unit of greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted - growing bigger cows at a faster rate - and enhanced land management strategies to increase soil and plant carbon sequestration on grazed lands.

Globally, cattle produce about 78% of total livestock GHG emissions. Yet, there are many known management solutions that, if adopted broadly, can reduce, but not totally eliminate, the beef industry's climate change footprint, according to Daniela Cusack, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at CSU, and lead author of the study, "Reducing Climate Impacts of Beef Production: A synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions."

Overall, the research team found a 46% reduction in net GHG emissions per unit of beef was achieved at sites using carbon sequestration management strategies on grazed lands, including using organic soil amendments and restoring trees and perennial vegetation to areas of degraded forests, woodlands and riverbanks.

Additionally, researchers found an overall 8% reduction in net GHGs was achieved at sites using growth efficiency strategies. Net-zero emissions, however, were only achieved in 2% of studies.

"Our analysis shows that we can improve the efficiency and sustainability of beef production, which would significantly reduce the industry's climate impact," said Cusack, also a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. "But at the same time, we will never reach net-zero emissions without further innovation and strategies beyond land management and increased growth efficiency. There's a lot of room, globally, for improvement."

Researchers analysed 292 comparisons of "improved" versus "conventional" beef production systems across Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Latin America and the United States. The analysis revealed that Brazilian beef production holds the most potential for emissions reductions.

In the studies analysed, researchers found a 57% GHG emission reduction through improved management strategies for both carbon sequestration and production efficiency in Brazil. Specific strategies include improved feed quality, better breed selections and enhanced fertiliser management.

The biggest impact was found in integrated field management, including intensive rotational grazing schemes, adding soil compost, reforestation of degraded areas and selectively planting forage plants bred for sequestering carbon in soils.

In the US, researchers found that carbon sequestration strategies such as integrated field management and intensive rotational grazing reduced beef GHG emissions by more than 100% - or net-zero emissions - in a few grazing systems. But efficiency strategies were not as successful in the US studies, possibly because of a high use of the strategies in the region already.

"Our research shows the important role that ranchers can play in combating the global climate crisis, while ensuring their livelihoods and way of life," said Clare Kazanski, co-author and North America region scientist with The Nature Conservancy. "By analysing management strategies in the US and around the world, our research reinforces that ranchers are in a key position to reduce emissions in beef production through various management strategies tailored to their local conditions."

Although the research shows a significant reduction in the GHG footprints of beef production using improved management strategies, scientists don't yet know the full potential of shifting to these emission-reducing practices as there are very few data on practice adoption levels around the world.

"Asia, for example, is one of the most rapidly growing beef markets, but there is an imbalance between the amount of research focus on improving beef production and the growing demand for beef," Cusack said. "We know with the right land management and efficiency strategies in place, it's possible to have large reductions in emissions across geographic regions, but we need to keep pushing for additional innovations to create a truly transformation shift in the way the global beef system operates to ensure a secure food supply and a healthy environment."

- Vet Candy




FAO: 2021's global pig production to surpass 2018

Global pig meat production in 2021 is forecast to exceed 2018's level, but trade is expected to stay stable, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Global pig meat output is forecast at 122 million tonnes this year, up 11.2% from the previous year. Output is primarily concentrated in China, with an anticipated increase of 12 million tonnes, accounting for 94% of global expansion.

After losing millions of pigs due to African swine fever (ASF) from 2018 to 2020, China's high production primarily reflects the sharp increase in hog stocks liquidation by farmers to minimise losses from the decline in domestic prices, while hog inventory rose.

Although ASF remains a threat in many parts of the world, production expansions are forecast for the European Union (+1.7%), Brazil (+5.5%), Vietnam (+5.5%), the Russian Federation (+2.4%) and the United Kingdom (+5.4%).

However, production declines are anticipated in the United States due to tight hog supplies, rising feed costs and labour constraints. Outputs in the Philippines, Myanmar and South Korea may decline below 2020 levels due to the continued impact of ASF.

Total pig meat exports in the world are forecast to reach 12.9 million tonnes in 2021, virtually stable year-on-year. This deceleration mainly results from a likely contraction in imports by 13% in China, as the country aims to balance supply with a decline in national demand. Elsewhere, decreases in purchases are expected in the UK, the EU and Japan, offset by increases in the Philippines, Mexico, the US and Vietnam.

- FAO




Taiwanese referendum rejects banning of imported US pork treated with ractopamine

Taiwan recently held a referendum this month on several issues, including the possible ban on imports of US pork from pigs treated with ractopamine.

The ban on the import of pork treated with ractopamine was rejected by 4.1 million votes against and 3.9 million in favor.

- RTI (Taiwan)
On the verge of 2022, more than a hundred days after the unproductive meeting held in the Palau de la Generalitat, the spokespersons of PSOE and Podemos avoided this Monday the warnings of both Catalan president Pere Aragones and leader of Esquerra Republicana, Oriol Junqueras, who, on Saint Stephen's Day, claimed for the Spanish government to get its act together and unblock the existing political conflict. Aragones used the New Years Eve televised presidential speech to introduce a not at all subtle change of register in the language used to date, and defended the need to start building alternatives in case the negotiation with the State ran aground and did not bring the results Esquerra hoped for.

It is 103 days since that summit between governments, which decided a meeting would take place though not when. Initially, it seemed it would be towards the end of the year and later at the beginning of 2022. Reasonably, by now it should have been scheduled and the agenda, not an abstract one, already known. Far from it, both the PSOEs spokesperson, Felipe Sicilia, and the parliamentary spokesperson of Unidas Podemos, Pablo Echenique, with the excuse of the evolution of the pandemic, asked Aragones not to set deadlines to the dialogue via the media. One way as any other to avoid the issue and the pressure exerted by Aragones and Junqueras.

Esquerra has done well in opening the can of worms of the second meeting of the dialogue table, surely aware that after the holidays (which end on January 6th, Kings Day in Spain) this will be a recurrent topic mentioned in all press conferences. Both in interventions by ERCs spokespersons as well as those by the Catalan Government. Also by Junts per Catalunya, left out of the dialogue table since Pere Aragones vetoed those leaders of Carles Puigdemonts party who were not members of the Catalan executive, whom the party intended to propose as its representatives. Junts proposed Jordi Sanchez, Jordi Turull, Miriam Nogueras and Jordi Puignero. Puignero was accepted due to his condition of vice-president of the Catalan Government.

In any case, the PSOE, with State budgets approved, and two years of legislature left if elections are not called sooner, will be tempted to let the dialogue proceed at a snails pace, hoping that any unforeseen event will put an end to it and serve as an excuse to move past it. This pace is exactly the opposite of what Esquerra needs, all the more so at a time when the CUP has fallen out of the parliamentary majority after it voted against the Generalitats budgets. It will now need commitments and incentives from ERC to rejoin. Something that today is not exactly easy.
In 1881, archaeologists discovered the mummy of Amenhotep I in Deir el-Bahari, a village outside of Egypt's famous Valley of the Kings. For 140 years, scientists have been unwilling to unwrap the kings body out of fear theyll damage his ornate face mask and bandages. But thanks to computer tomography (CT) technology, they dont have to take that risk anymore. Researchers at Cairo University recently digitally unwrapped Amenhotep to learn about his life and dynasty.

The scans revealed he was about 35 years old when he died. "Amenhotep I seems to have physically resembled his father: he had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair, and mildly protruding upper teeth," Dr. Sahar Saleem, the lead author of the study, told PA Media. Its not clear why he passed away at such a young age. Researchers found no evidence of external wounds or disfigurements that may have contributed to his death.

Sahar Saleem et al.

What they did discover were various post-mortem injuries that were likely inflicted on the body by grave robbers. That damage was lovingly repaired by mortuary priests of the 21st Dynasty some 400 years after Amenhoteps death. They used a resin-treated linen band to reattach the head and neck together. Researchers also found some 30 amulets hidden among Amenhoteps bandages. The fact they were still there even after his reburial likely disproves the long-held theory that priests of later dynasties would reuse the ornaments in the funeral rites of their pharaohs.

The study provides an insight into one of the most fascinating periods of Egyptian history. Amenhotep I ruled between 1525 and 1504 BCE, during Egypts New Kingdom period. He was among the first pharaohs of the 18th dynasty, a lineage that would later include Akhenaten, the controversial heretic pharaoh who introduced the kingdom to a monotheistic-like religion centered around the sun. He was also the father of Tutankhamun or King Tut.

The first time archaeologists used a CT scan to examine a mummy was in 1977. As the technology has matured and become more accessible, it has allowed researchers to study mummies in ways they couldnt before. In 2017, for instance, Chicagos Field Museum was able to dive into its collection, one of the most extensive in the US, with the help of portable CT scanners.
When Apple announced the upgraded MacBook Pro earlier this fall, the common refrain was that the company was finally giving its customers what they asked for. But while the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro updates represent the most obvious case of Apple owning up to (and rectifying) past mistakes, the company has actually been on this course for the last few years. And at the end of 2021, Apple has just about finished replacing some of its most problematic designs.

Reviews of the new MacBook Pro are almost universally positive (aside from the high price points), but its still worth recapping just what a big change these laptops represent from their predecessors. Both of the new sizes are thicker and noticeably heavier than the models they replace; for a company that showed an almost fanatical obsession with thin-and-light design over the last decade, its a major about-face. But the older, 4-pound, 15-inch MacBook Pro often had trouble staying cool under heavy processor loads, a problem that couldnt be solved without increasing the laptops size and weight. Its as if Apple remembered it already has the MacBook Air, and that the people buying a Pro are willing to lug around a bit of extra weight for a more capable machine.

Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Apple arguably started moving in this direction with a mid-cycle refresh a few years ago. In 2019, the company started banishing the unreliable and uncomfortable butterfly keyboard for a significantly improved scissor-switch model. That revised keyboard arrived on the first 16-inch MacBook Pro. Along with the new keyboard, that laptop was a third of a pound heavier, and larger in every dimension than its predecessor.

That was the first indication that Apple was willing to fix some of the ill-fated decisions it made with the MacBook Pro lineup, which brings us to this falls refresh. Users still had a laundry list of things they wanted changing, and Apple largely delivered. The new models brought back the SD card slot and HDMI port that the company removed in 2016. The MagSafe charging port, one of Apples smartest innovations, also made a comeback. Finally, Apple replaced the Touch Bar with a standard row of function keys.

Of course, Apple only deserves so much credit for fixing self-inflicted wounds. But it feels like the company has a much clearer vision of what the people shelling out (at least) $2,000 for a MacBook Pro actually want. And beyond simply fixing earlier mistakes, the Apple-built M1 Pro and M1 Max processors offer massive performance gains and better battery life. Add in an outstanding new display and excellent keyboard and MacBook Pro buyers have a lot to look forward to. The fact that these computers are thicker and heavier than the ones they replace will barely be a consideration for most, especially since bigger laptops have space for things like extra ports, larger batteries and better cooling systems.

David Imel for Engadget

While the MacBook Pro is the obvious example of Apple giving the people what they want this year, its not the only one. Take the iPhone 13 launch. The company once again released two standard models and two Pro models, just as it did in 2020. In most ways, these phones were iterative updates over the 12 series  but all four phones have significantly better battery life than their predecessors. Improving longevity is an obvious way to make customers happy, but its still good news that Apple quickly identified the weak spot with the iPhone 12 lineup and fixed it. Perhaps not coincidentally, all iPhone 13 models are also all a little heavier than last years. (They're also imperceptibly thicker, at .30 inches vs. .29 for the iPhone 12.)

Again, though, theres some recent precedence for Apple putting battery life over a thin-at-all-costs design. 2018s iPhone XR was a cheaper and slightly less elegant version of the flagship iPhone XS  but its larger screen and thicker body left room for a battery that smoked the superior XS. So, in 2019, Apple made the iPhone 11 Pro bigger than the XS it replaced, but it also vastly improved battery life. It was particularly surprising to see Apple make a bigger iPhone after chasing thinness at all costs for so long, but it was definitely welcome. The company finally seems to realize that an impossibly thin device that constantly needs to be charged doesnt make for a good user experience.

Another good example is Apple's significant change of heart around product repairs. Specifically, Apple announced plans to sell repair parts and instructions to customers who want to fix their iPhones themselves, a victory for anyone who felt they should be able to pop open their iPhone and put in a new battery or fix a broken display. While right-to-repair groups said there's still more Apple can do in this area, they nonetheless hailed it as a major step forward from the completely closed nature of its products, the vast majority of which haven't been user-serviceable before. Apple is starting with the iPhone, but said it will roll out some self-repair tools and parts for M1-based Macs in 2022, as well. The threat of government regulation may have played a big role in this new initiative, but the end result is still good for consumers.

Apple is even having a little more fun with its products than it has in a while. Take the M1-powered iMac, for example. I wish that it had more ports and, considering the price, it should have more RAM and storage  but the wide variety of colors Apple chose is just great. Im dying for these colorways to come to a redesigned MacBook Air (fingers crossed for the spring). The three new hues in the HomePod mini lineup are another good example of Apple realizing that hardware you place in your home doesnt just have to be gray or silver.

While the new MacBook Pro is a huge step forward for those who want serious power on the go, Apple still hasnt given professionals the full desktop-class computers they need. Because Apple is in the middle of its transition to Apple Silicon, the larger iMac and Mac Pro machines are hard to recommend right now. Hopefully, Apple will bring the power of the M1 Pro and M1 Max to a larger iMac and a new Mac Pro tower in 2022. If they can wrap up this last bit of the transition next year, Mac buyers will be covered at all points of the companys product lineup. Its been way too long since we could say that.
Astronomers aren't the only ones taking issue with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. As CNET reports, China has filed a complaint with the United Nations over two reported near-collisions between the in-progress Tiangong space station and Starlink vehicles. According to Chinese officials, the station had to perform evasive maneuvers on July 1st and October 21st this year to minimize the chance of a collision.

The accusations line up with astronomer Jonathan McDowell's conjunction observations for both days. China further argued that SpaceX's satellites weren't always predictable. During the October incident, the Starlink craft was "continuously" manuvering in a way that made it difficult to predict the orbital path.

We've asked SpaceX for comment. China has already demanded action, however. In its complaint, the country asked the UN Secretary-General to remind countries (read: the US) that parties in the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for incidents beyond Earth, even if they involve private companies.

China has created its own share of incidents in the past. A 2007 anti-satellite missile test created debris that poses threats to the International Space Station and other spacecraft to this day. All the same, the complaint suggests the privatization of space is making these near-accidents more commonplace  particularly when SpaceX, Amazon and others are launching internet services that depend on huge satellite constellations.
Riot Games has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed in November 2018 by former employees alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation. The League of Legends publisher was only going to pay $10 million per the preliminary settlement in 2019, but the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing went to court to block the agreement. $10 million was much too small, the agency argued, and the women suing the company could be entitled to as much as $400 million.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Melanie McCracken and Jess Negron after a Kotaku report exposed the developers' "men-first" and "bro" company culture. In the report, Kotaku detailed employees' experiences within the company, such as instances of "genital grabbing" and senior leaders passing around lists of employees they would sleep with. One former employee who left the company due to sexism said working for Riot was like "working at a giant fraternity."

Under the terms of the settlement, $80 million will go towards members of the class-action lawsuit, while $20 million will go towards the plaintiffs' legal fees. All employees and contractors in California who identify as women and who worked at Riot between November 2014 until present day qualify for a payout. Those who've been with the company longer will get a bigger cut than newer workers. And there are quite a lot of newer ones  while only around 1,000 workers were qualified for a payout in 2019, there are now around 2,300 eligible personnel. In a statement, the developer told The Washington Post:

"Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry. We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we hadnt always lived up to our values. As a company we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter... While we'e proud of how far weve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot."

In addition to paying $100 million, Riot Games is also required to get a third-party expert to conduct "sex/gender equity analysis of total compensation, assignment and promotion outcomes for California employees." Riot must also allow pay transparency and will have to be monitored by a third party, who'll keep an eye on things like HR complaints and pay equity, for three years. The monitor will be able to recommend changes to the company that Riot can implement.

Genie Harrison, the women's rights attorney who represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement:
Xiaomi has unveiled its latest lineup of flagship smartphones and wearables. The Xiaomi 12 Series, which is only available in China for now, includes two sizes of phones: Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro.

Both are among the first devices to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and they boast LPDDR5 RAM. The Xiaomi 12 has a 4,500mAh battery, while the 12 Pro has what the company claims is the first single-cell 120W, 4,600mAh battery. Xiaomi says it offers an increased capacity of 400mAh over dual-cell batteries without having to increase the size.

The base model's camera array includes Sony's 50MP IMX766 as the main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 5MP telemacro sensor. The 12 Pro, meanwhile, has the new Sony IMX707 sensor, an ultra-wide camera with a 115-degree field of view and a 2x telephoto camera for portraits. All three sensors are 50MP, while the main camera improves light capture by up to 49 percent over the previous model, according to Xiaomi.

On the front, each device has a 32MP sensor. The front-facing holepunch camera was positioned on the left on the Mi 11 series , but, as with the 11T devices , it's in the center this time.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi noted that Night Mode is available on both devices, each of which is said to have a camera that works well in low-light scenarios. The company says it's introducing a new imaging computing algorithm, which it claims improves capture speed and shutter lag.

The Xiaomi 12 has a 6.28-inch flexible OLED display with a 2,400  1,080 resolution, 1,100 nits of brightness and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The 12 Pro offers a 6.73-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3,200 x 1,440 and 1,500 nits of brightness. Xiaomi says the display uses micro-lens tech, which it claims improves the "viewing experience while increasing smart energy-saving capability." Both devices have HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support.

On the audio side, both handsets have symmetrical dual speakers and Dolby Atmos support. The 12 Pro features a customized mid-woofer and tweeter.

The devices will go on sale on December 31st, starting at RMB 3,699 (around $580) for the Xiaomi 12 and RMB 4,699 (approximately $738) for Xiaomi 12 Pro. The company also said it will release a lower-cost version of the Xiaomi 12 on the same day. The Xiaomi 12X has a Snapdragon 870 chipset and starts at RMB 3,199 ($500).

The phones will use MIUI 13, an OS based on Android 12 that's also coming to Mi 11 series handsets, Xiaomi 11T and other phones and tablets . Xiaomi's smart watches, speakers and TVs will also harness the OS to help unify the ecosystem. A feature called Mi Smart Hub will allow users to share things like their screen, music and apps with multiple nearby devices using a simple gesture.

Xiaomi

In addition, Xiaomi revealed its latest smartwatch. The Xiaomi Watch S1 has a 1.43-inch AMOLED screen with a sapphire glass display and stainless steel frame. It will offer detailed health stats and has support for 117 fitness modes. The device has a 5ATM water resistance rating too. Xiaomi says the device has a 12-day battery life and up to 24 days of standby time.

Like the new phones, the Xiaomi Watch S1 will only be available in China for the time being. It starts at RMB 1,099 ($172).

Xiaomi

Also new are the Xiaomi Buds 3, which have dual-magnetic dynamic drivers. The earbuds offer up to 40dB noise cancellation and three active noise cancellation modes. Xiaomi says owners will get up to seven hours of playback on a single charge and up to 32 hours of total use with the charging case. The Xiaomi Buds 3 will cost RMB 449 ($70).
Keri Hulme, a novelist, popularly known for being the first person from New Zealand to win the famed Booker Prize, has passed away at the age of 74.

Her nephew, Matthew Salmons, confirmed the tragic news to Stuff, saying her aunt was a humble person who never sought fame or adoration despite her big name in the literary scene.

The writer died on Monday at her home in Maimate, South Canterbury. While Otago Daily Times described her cause of death as "owing to medical issues," Salmons didn't confirm it to the abovementioned outlet.

The publication also noted that Hulme had dementia over the final years of her life.

The novelist spent her early days in Christchurch, New Zealand. Born on March 9, 1947, the writer was connected to the tribes of Ngai Tahu and Ngati Mamoe.

Her ethnic affiliations highly inspired her written works, especially her Maoritanga roots.

She started writing stories and poems as early as 12 years old. She attended North New Brighton Primary School and Aranui High School.

Hulme was about to pursue a law career at the University of Canterbury, but she dropped out and started volunteering at a Catholic church organization.

Aside from being a famed writer throughout her career, she also immersed herself with painting skills, which led her to showcase her artworks through group exhibits in the 1980s.

READ NOW: Prince Charles Once Had a Heated Argument with Prince William Over a Royal Family Collection; Here's Why

Her first book, "The Bone People," was one of her famous works to date as it is 12 years in the making. The written work was later encased in resin so no one would publish it in the future.

In 1983, the book was finally released through a publisher called Spiral Collective, which caters primarily to women artists and writers.

The following year, it won the New Zealand Book award for fiction, the Pegasus Prize, and Britain's Booker Prize, which is her most significant accomplishment.

Since the public rated her chances of winning so low, she was never able to accept the award personally in London.

The story revolves around the fictional character Kerewin Holmes, an artist who was trying to escape her past.

Salmons said his aunt never discussed how people labeled her as a "literary giant" throughout her career in an interview with the outlet.

"It was never about fame for her, she's always been a storyteller. It was never about the glitz and glam, she just had stories to share," he added.

Her friend of 35 years, Christchurch historian Bruce Harding, described her as a "peaceful, quiet person of firm conviction," who helped their country be known in the international scene.

He added, "She was a bridge-builder between Maori and Pakeha at a really important time in New Zealand history."

READ MORE: Mystery Behind Markus Crane Cause of Death: Did the GCW Star Die Due to His Traumatic Brain Injury?
In one of Africas smallest countries, one of the largest shifts in Chinas global strategy appears to be under way. Unnamed US officials are reported to have warned that Beijing plans to establish a permanent military installation in Equatorial Guinea. If true, beyond the obvious strategic challenges posed by China possessing a naval base on the Atlantic for the first time, the move signals a new phase in the countrys Africa policy. A permanent Chinese military installation in Equatorial Guinea is the culmination of nearly a decades investment in Africa  and will not be the last of such bases on the continents Atlantic coast. This holds far-reaching geopolitical implications.

Africa is the largest regional component of Chinas?$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to reconfigure the architecture of global commerce. The 46 African nations that have signed onto the BRI represent over 1 billion people and cover about 20% of the Earths landmass. The consolidation of Chinese military power on the continent in the form of such new bases  combined with the expansion of Beijings already considerable economic influence  would shift global power dynamics, eroding US dominance, and relegating Europe to the sidelines of international affairs.

There are already approximately 10,000 Chinese enterprises in Africa, which, according to a 2017 McKinsey report, generated $180 billion a year in revenues and could reach $250 billion by as early as 2025. These commercial opportunities have resulted in 1 million Chinese citizens making Africa their permanent home since 2000. Consequently, China has entrenched its military and security apparatus in Africa, but it has managed to do so largely without provoking an international backlash. In the two decades since the founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, Beijing has astutely avoided placing a heavy overt troop presence on the continent, such as those maintained by France and the United States. Instead, Beijing has integrated a military and security component into its economic partnerships with African states, making Chinas defense presence in Africa part of the fabric of the continents development. Examining the content of the 3-year action plans agreed on by the FOCAC summits reveals a clear trajectory of Beijing creating a pan-African security architecture with China at its core. The establishment of a naval base in Equatorial Guinea may signal that a new phase in this agenda has begun.

HOW EQUATORIAL GUINEA BECAME PART OF CHINAS AFRICAN MILITARY EQUATION - Although home to mainland Africas third smallest population, Equatorial Guinea boasts the highest GDP per capita, thanks to its over 1 billion barrels of proved crude oil reserves. First discovered in 1996, Equatorial Guineas hydrocarbon wealth has been the economic underpinning of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogos 41-year rule, which is marked by accusations of human rights abuses and charges of embezzlement by him and his family. Transparency Internationals annual index ranks Equatorial Guinea as the fourth most corrupt country in the world. The presidents son and likely successor, Vice-President Teodoro Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, has recently been convicted of embezzlement in France. The British government has frozen his assets and barred him from entering the United Kingdom.

While US oil companies have conducted most of Equatorial Guineas oil exploration and production, China has become the countrys primary development partner. In 2006, the China Exim bank and the Government of Equatorial Guinea signed a $2 billion oil-backed buyers credit facility agreement? for the development of the Port of Bata as a modern deep-sea port facility. The China Communications Construction Company completed construction work for the ports expansion in December 2014. The following year, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China signed a similar $2 billion financing deal to support infrastructure development, local activities of Chinese businesses, and the government itself. The China Exim bank extended the government a credit line of half a billion dollars. Bata Port was eventually inaugurated in 2019.

All the while, declining revenues due to corruption, mismanagement, and periods of slumping oil prices meant that Equatorial Guinea was becoming increasingly indebted to China. In 2020, Beijing became the countrys main partner in combatting the Covid-19 pandemic, donating 100,000 Sinopharm vaccines and then selling an additional 500,000 vaccines to the Obiang government. By 2021, Equatorial Guineas debt to China amounted to an estimated 49.7% of GDP. Despite eleventh-hour US outreach to Equatorial Guinea, culminating in a visit by the US principal deputy national security adviser to discuss maritime security, the Obiang government appears to be moving forward with plans to host a Chinese naval base.

CHINAS ADVANCEMENT OF A PAN-AFRICAN SECURITY ARCHITECTURE - The construction of a Chinese naval base in Equatorial Guinea has wider implications than

merely a cautionary tale of Beijings debt-trap diplomacy. Since 2015, China has been incrementally developing a systematic, pan-African approach to security on the continent. In September of that year, speaking before the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled Beijings focus on engaging African security mechanisms by pledging $100m in military assistance to the African Union to support the creation of an African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises. At the December 2015 FOCAC summit, China announced it would invest $60 billion in Africa  an unprecedented tripling of the amount pledged at FOCAC 2012. At the same meeting, China committed to direct military engagement with African partners and distributing $60m in military assistance, provisions that were incorporated into FOCACs Action Plan (2016-2018).

In 2017, in the middle of its three-year ramping up of military assistance and economic investment, China established its first overseas military base in Djibouti, on the coast of the Horn of Africa. Djibouti, situated at the strategic entrance to the Red Sea corridor across from Yemen, also hosts military installations belonging to the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Consonant with Chinas multilateral messaging  China provides more troops to UN Security Council (UNSC) peacekeeping missions than all the other UNSC permanent members combined  Beijing was able to portray its unilateral military presence as part of the international effort to combat piracy and protect global trade passing through the Suez Canal. China has participated in the Shared Awareness and De-Confliction interface, which coordinates the respective anti-piracy efforts of the US-led multinational Combined Taskforce 151 and EU NAVFOR in waters off the Horn of Africa. Nonetheless, Chinas establishment of its Djibouti base, with a dock reportedly capable of accommodating aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, is also in keeping with its journey towards consolidating a continent-wide security presence.

Chinas systematic, pan-African security agenda was made more explicit at the 2018 FOCAC summit, whose Action Plan (2019-2021) called for the establishment of 50 separate programs to enhance security coordination between China and its African partners across the continent, including the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum and the China-Africa Law Enforcement and Security Forum. Chinese state-owned enterprises already spend $10 billion on security globally, a sizable portion of which is spent in Africa on hiring Chinese security support, ranging from regular military and civilian police to private security companies.

WHAT NEXT? - The pursuit of large-scale commercial infrastructure signals strategic intent, and the expansion of Chinas military presence across Africa in the wake of the BRI, is not unexpected. Beijings adroit interweaving of economic soft power and hard power has produced a symbiosis between the growing number of Chinese commercial enterprises across Africa and the proliferation of Chinas new security arrangements across the continent. While economics played the lead role in this military-economic development complex, the dynamics appear to be entering a new phase.

The Equatorial Guinea naval base news broke a week after the 29-30 November FOCAC 2021 summit in Dakar, Senegal. Moving away from its traditional emphasis on infrastructure development, Beijing used the meeting to emphasize a new theme of building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. Within the framework of fostering this China-Africa Community, FOCACs Action Plan 2022-2024 calls for the strengthening of the implementation of the China-Africa peace and security plan aimed at supporting the building of the African Peace and Security Architecture. When seen in the context of the previous two FOCAC action plans, it seems clearer than ever that Beijing is aiming for the consolidation of a continent-wide system of security relations between Africa and China.

Equatorial Guinea presented China with an opportunity to establish a military presence on the Atlantic. But the countrys government is not alone among African nations with a high indebtedness to China and in which Beijing plays a central economic development role. It is possible that other Chinese naval bases may yet appear on Africas Atlantic coast. Whether or not it builds such new installations in the short term, Beijings consolidation of a pan-African security architecture will undoubtedly lead to their establishment in the long term. In such circumstances, the continent of Africa itself would serve a forward-base for Beijing to project power directly towards north America and Europe.

Experience has taught  as shown in 2015 when Beijing began some serious military spending in Africa  that further investment could also signal a new and more transformative involvement in Africas political and economic development. Whatever happens, the United States and Europes continued delivery deficit in economic engagement with Africa relative to China will come at a mounting geopolitical cost.

Chinas New Military Base in Africa: What It Means for Europe and America  Commentary by Michael Tanchum  European Council on Foreign Relations / ECFR.

The Commentary can be downloaded here
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has sought a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council for 12 January, an alliance spokesman said Sunday (26 December), amid heightened tension over Russias military build-up around Ukraine. Russia, which has unnerved the West with a troop buildup near Ukraine, last week unveiled a wish list of security proposals it wants to negotiate, including a promise NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. We have already received this (NATO) offer, and we are considering it, the foreign ministry was quoted as saying. France and Germany earlier called on both the Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine to respect the restoration of a full ceasefire  We 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.

Kyiv has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway eastern regions bordering Russia since 2014, shortly after the Kremlin annexed Ukraines Crimean peninsula. The fighting has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014. Western countries accuse Russia of plotting to invade Ukraine and massing around 100,000 troops on the ex-Soviet countrys borders. The West is also worrying that Russia would use any provocation to launch an attack on Ukrainian territory, as it did in 2008 in Georgia. Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists have accused each other of breaching a fresh ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. A day (23 December) after the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to restore the ceasefire, Kyiv and separatists accused each other of new violations, and a separatist representative denied that a new truce had been negotiated. The latest escalation is sometimes compared to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the world came to the brink of nuclear war.

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia wanted to avoid conflict but needed an immediate response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees. The Kremlin has also underlined Europes dependence on its gas, while keeping EU powers guessing over its next move on Ukraine. US President Joe Bidens administration has said some of Russias security proposals are obviously unacceptable, but that Washington will respond with more concrete ideas on the format of any talks. The Kremlins demands contain elements  such as an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine  that the West has already ruled out. Others would imply the removal of US nuclear weapons from Europe and the withdrawal of multinational NATO battalions from Poland and from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that were once in the Soviet Union.
W

atchmakers began taking an interest in silicon, a metalloid found in abundance in the earths crust, of which it constitutes 28 per cent, at the end of the 20th century. Known since antiquity but isolated for the first time only in 1823, it was transformed into monocrystalline silicon by the French chemist Henri Sainte-Claire Deville in 1854. The base material for the manufacture of transistors, printed circuits and microchips, it revolutionised the computer industry and gave its name to Silicon Valley.

The keen interest of the watchmaking industry in this material is explained by its exceptional properties. It is elastic but non-deforming, which means that on receiving a shock it moves and immediately returns to its initial shape. It is extremely hard (1,100 Vickers compared with 700 Vickers for steel), light (with a density of 2.33g/cm3 compared with 8g/cm3 for steel), highly corrosion-resistant and  invaluable in watchmaking  insensitive to magnetism. But it also has its defects. It is as brittle as its cousin, glass, and sensitive to variations in temperature.

But research overcame this double handicap around the same time as wafer technology was developing, wafers being the thin slivers of silicon from which the tiny, high-precision parts needed in watchmaking can be cut out.

A whole new dimension in mechanical watchmaking

The first use of silicon in watchmaking was the work of Ludwig Oechslin for Ulysse Nardin with his revolutionary Freak, presented in 2001, the first movement to include silicon components. But this pioneering achievement, made as a demonstration, remained an exception for some time. Silicons first, grand entrance into traditional watchmaking came thanks to Patek Philippe, who took the world by storm in 2005 with a world premiere: an escape wheel in monocrystalline silicon for a Swiss lever escapement.

The announcement created a sensation and the triumphantly worded press release of the time describes an innovation the importance of which cannot yet be measured, but which opens up a whole new dimension in mechanical watchmaking.

Requiring no lubrication, more perfectly shaped and more accurate than a steel escape wheel, this silicon escape wheel served to equip a special, limited series of 100 pieces of the Annual Calendar Ref. 5250, the first series from the Patek Philippe Advanced Research unit. It was officially offered to a limited circle of collectors and watch-lovers with a passion for technological exclusivities so they can be the first to take advantage of an innovation that will mark a turning point in the watchmaking industry.

At the time, many observers shrugged their shoulders at the announcement. But what followed indeed showed that Patek Philippe was not exaggerating and that silicon was destined to become de rigueur across the watchmaking sector.

The consortium

Patek Philippe was not the only watchmaking entity to be working on silicon and its potential uses. Initially, the Geneva-based company had collaborated with the IMT, a microtechnology research centre at the University of Neuchatel, in its research work. But to explore more deeply into the materials watchmaking potential, a consortium made up of Patek Philippe, Rolex and the Swatch Group was created at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchatel.

The research undertaken by this consortium resulted in the industrial production of silicon balance springs. A strategic step forward.

The great fear at first was that despite all its qualities silicon would turn out to be too brittle and too sensitive to temperature variations to be used for balance springs. But the solution devised thanks to their joint research was oxidisation, which created a fine bark-like layer making it more rigid and protecting it from temperature variations. As a tribute to Charles Edouard Guillaume, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1920 for his invention of the famed Invar, which enabled the effects of temperature on a metallic balance spring to be minimised, this technology was named Silinvar.

The great fear at first was that despite all its qualities silicon would turn out to be too brittle and too sensitive to temperature variations to be used for balance springs. The solution was oxidisation.

Gradual introduction

With this major technological advance as their starting point, the members of the consortium each developed their uses of silicon more or less rapidly. Capitalising on its momentum, Patek Philippe introduced its isochronous Spiromax balance spring in 2006, its Pulsomax escapement (escape wheel and lever) in 2008, complemented by the GyromaxSi balance in gold and Silinvar in 2011.

Together, these innovations, gradually released in limited editions by Patek Philippe Advanced Research, form a complete, high-tech regulating organ called Oscillomax, which was inaugurated the same year in the extra-thin self-winding 240Q Si calibre (Q for Quantieme Perpetuel, or Perpetual Calendar; Si for Silinvar).

Here, silicon demonstrates the decisive advantages of its light weight, unusual geometry and excellent aerodynamics, which double the power reserve and allow the exceptional degree of accuracy of -3/+2 sec per 24h. Today, ten years later, silicon is present in 95 per cent of Patek Philippe watches. Consecration, one could say.

The Patek Philippe 5650G Advanced Research Aquanaut Travel Time White Gold, produced in a limited series in 2016, combines multiple innovations. It features a high-tech silicon regulating organ alongside a second innovation: a reset mechanism in which the usual pivoting joints are replaced by compliant or flexible components. This mechanism, comprising just 12 openworked steel parts, featuring a number of springs with interleaved blades (compared with the 37 components of a traditional mechanism), transmits information from the two GMT pushers to the local time display.

Rolex waited until 2014 before introducing its balance spring, Syloxi, in the womens calibre 2236 for the Oyster Perpetual Datejust Pearlmaster 34. Made in a composite of silicon and silicon oxide, it inaugurated a patented geometry that optimised its isochronism. After all, the brand with the crown logo could afford to wait: as regards the key topic of anti-magnetism, this innovation had its parallel in the Parachrom Bleu paramagnetic balance spring that the brand had launched back in 2000.

As for the Swatch Group, it went on to introduce silicon in 2009, first of all at Breguet, then at Omega, before gradually extending its use to nearly all its brands, including Tissot  with its Tissot Powermatic 80  Certina and Hamilton. This industrial development was spearheaded by ETA and Nivarox  the latter, incidentally, being the company that supplies the great majority of Swiss watchmakers with traditional balance springs. The Swatch Group is successfully democratising silicon thanks to its industrial clout, while making a great leap forward at the same time.

Democratisation in progress

Initially, silicon balance springs were the preserve of the high-end brands because manufacturing them was costly: around CHF 100 a piece. Moreover, since the consortium members owned the patent, independently of one another they all did complementary research on manufacturing processes, geometries and different treatments, filing patents as they went, to be able to use this innovation in as many different ways as possible and at an industrial level. All this has had the effect of lowering the price of a silicon balance spring today to around CHF 20.

But the initial patent concerning the oxidation of silicon to make it insensitive to temperature variations is soon to enter the public domain  in November 2022 for Europe and in 2023 for Japan. Silicon technology, with its proven reliability, will therefore be available to all the players on the watchmaking stage.

The initial patent concerning the oxidation of silicon to make it insensitive to temperature variations is soon to enter the public domain  in November 2022 for Europe and in 2023 for Japan.

A clean room where silicon components are produced (photo Patek Philippe)

Sigatec, a major player

And one major player in this technology, currently occupying centre stage, is Sigatec. This spin-off from Mimotec (bought by the Acrotec Group), founded in 2006 and owned equally by Mimotec and Ulysse Nardin, is a pioneering manufacturer of silicon micromechanical components. Now with a workforce of around forty, this ultra-high-tech company based in the canton of Valais, with its costly clean rooms, is active in the watchmaking industry but also in the biomedical sector, microfluidics and connector technology, churning out more than one million parts year.

For Marc-Andre Glassey, CEO since the companys inception 15 years ago, the opening of the patent to the public domain represents a crucial development opportunity. In 15 years, weve had time to acquire solid, detailed know-how that has enabled us to really build up this business, Marc-Andre Glassey told Europa Star.

The opening up of the patent to the public domain, which will free up the balance spring market, is certainly promising. Whats more, were expanding our premises by buying a factory next door to Mimotec, where well be opening a new clean room, which means very substantial investment. But as always, there will be the early users and late adopters. While some brands are already making announcements, others are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. But theyll all come, sooner or later.

As always, there will be the early users and late adopters. While some brands are already making announcements, others are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. But theyll all come, sooner or later.

Silicon, transforming the watchmaking industry

Marc-Andre Glassey also points to developments in demand that foreshadow transformations ahead in the Swiss watchmaking industry. Manufacturers increasingly want ready-mounted oscillator subassemblies which, given the volumes required, is forcing us to automate assembly. Demand is clearly heading towards a finished, assembled product. With the silicon oscillator, the actual assembly of the movement as a whole is considerably simpler. Instead of dozens of operations, a single operation suffices. A change that could transform watchmaking itself.

The democratisation of silicon is under way. Other patents will gradually enter the public domain  in 2023 that of the Patek Philippe outer terminal curve and its bosses, which reduce differences in rate, then in 2037 that of the inner curve.

Does this mean that this now highly effective technology is going to become ubiquitous in Swiss mechanical watchmaking? Marc-Andre Glassey reminds us that the number one after-sales service problem is related to damage from magnetism. So anti-magnetism is a major issue, as demonstrated by Rolex, Tudor and Omega with their innovations. On that score, silicon is ideal. But in the future, the market is going to be divided solely between silicon balance springs and non-magnetic metal balance springs.

The brands will be differentiated by which they opt for. We can already imagine a marketing battle over the key theme of resistance to magnetic fields  like the joint announcement by the Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet (in 2018) about the revolutionary balance spring carved out of a new, amagnetic compensating alloy called NivachronTM.

Anchors on wafer

New escapements

But there is more to silicon than balance springs. This technology has also opened the door to a whole series of new approaches to watch regulation and escapements.

Without going into all these innovations in detail, lets just mention the innovative escapements made possible by the use of silicon, such as the famous Zenith Defy Lab concocted by Guy Semon and his teams, the Genequand Regulator presented by Vaucher Manufacture, which marries structures based on flexure bearings with silicon technology, the Constant Escapement from Girard-Perregaux, based on the instability of a buckled silicon blade, the numerous explorations and designs by Ulysse Nardin, or, even more recently, the monolithic silicon oscillator by Frederique Constant, beating at 40Hz.

Might these specific applications of silicons potential one day supplant the use of silicon in the strict conceptual framework of the traditional lever movement? While Marc-Andre Glassey professes admiration for these systems, to which he actively contributes with Sigatec, his view is that they will remain specialities, niche products that are not going to replace the traditional, high-tech escapement .

There is more to silicon than balance springs. This technology has also opened the door to a whole series of new approaches to watch regulation and escapements.

The fields of possibility are open

Yes, but... innovation is a continuous process and whether silicon or some other material, the fields of possibility are open, says Philip Barat, who heads up R&D at Patek Philippe (a vertical, integrated applied research department employing 150, 50 of these alone involved in prototyping).

Our research focuses in particular on flexibility. We have already explored and made metal flexure bearings. Lots of things are becoming possible today. Just take the example of the spring, which paradoxically weakens when put under tension! Other materials are also being explored, such as phosphorous, research is being done into thermal treatments, elasticity levels and so on. Theres much to be done in mechanics, new materials, powders, metallic glass. The future lies in new, ever finer, ever more efficient materials.

Silicon has not yet said its last word by a long stretch. But now it is also having to compete with other materials that are emerging or under development. As for the escapement, there is every chance that silicon escape wheels will become the rule in the near future.

To set themselves apart, and backed by strong scientific, technical and economic arguments, the brands are going to put their money on high-performance alternatives. After decades of absolute supremacy of the traditional Swiss lever escapement with a metal balance spring, are we heading towards an atomisation of the modes of regulation in mechanical watches? Only the future will tell.

Theres much to be done in mechanics, new materials, powders, metallic glass. The future lies in new, ever finer, ever more efficient materials.

HORAGE IN THE STARTING BLOCKS

Andi Felsl, who heads up Horage (a small team that delivers a big punch, as the Biel-based brand styles itself), has already made the announcement: as soon as the patent for producing silicon balance springs insensitive to temperature fluctuations enters the public domain in autumn 2022, Horage will be ready to launch the Supersede model fitted with its own silicon balance spring.

Convinced that silicon is the only way forward, Andi Felsl sets out his roadmap. We started by taking a close look at all the patents, all the options. Little by little, we learned and mastered the technology [editors note: with the help of the German institute Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft fur angewandte Forschung e.V.]. But we couldnt use it. Innovation was blocked for 20 years. Innovation is low when the market is high, as the saying goes. But today, were ready. Prices have sunk, but they were artificially high.

The proprietary silicon regulator by Horage will be mounted on a movement developed and produced by the brand itself. For Andi Felsl, that represents a huge economic advantage.

Silicon is more expensive, he explains, but ultimately you make major savings because the adjustment times for a traditional balance spring are lengthy and costly. And the ensuing tests, like the COSC for example, are expensive too. But to get to that stage, we had to learn to master the entire industrial process, especially assembly. The work flow was completely different. The industrialisation was the most difficult part, but now we control every stage. Horages goal is to offer high-performance products at affordable prices. Silicon will enable us to attain the performances were aiming for at acceptable prices we believe in [editors note: between CHF 2,300 and CHF 12,000].

Silicon provides better chronometry when produced at an industrial level, he adds. Thats where the future of Swiss watchmaking lies, in high-performance watchmaking. Because its volumes are not going to increase. They are going to flatten out at six million mechanical watches a year. But the product itself is going to improve more and more. Which will make it all the more attractive. We survived the quartz crisis. Silicon is our ally in the next stage of the adventure.
Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Annual resolutions and plans have a disconcerting way of dissolving partway through the year.

At the start of 2021, I resolved not to write a book in the year. Get the Word Out released in November of 2020, and I intended to spend 2021 promoting and supporting it.

Nevertheless, 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Business Emails appeared in September. It was not in my plans for the year, but Im happy to have written it. (Thanks to Melissa Wilson for inviting me to do it!)

Thats the thing about plans. We need them until we abandon them.

Plans are like outlines. From my Nonfiction Author Survey: only 6% of the published authors surveyed wrote a book that matched their initial outline exactly.

As writers, we need both the Muse and the Scribe (the creative and the focused/disciplined parts of ourselves). Planning definitely belongs to the Scribe. Its necessary, but not sufficient.

The planning paradox

The plotter/pantser dilemma applies to more than fiction.

If youre not familiar, in the world of fiction:

Plotters are people who plan out everything before writing

Pantsers, in contrast, see where the writing takes them. (They write by the seat of their pants.)

Fiction writers stake out positions in one camp or the other. Most inhabit a combination of the two approaches.

The same tension applies to our writing plans.

Plans motivate us to act. Yet creativity means looking beyond the obvious. We need to be creative not only about our manuscripts, but about our writing lives in general.

Tweet this: #Writers need to be creative, not only about our manuscripts, but about our writing lives in general.

The musician Questlove puts it this way:

Creative life sometimes means knowing when deviation from the plan should become the new plan. Questlove, from Creative Quest

So, what do we do?

Do we outline or not? Do we make plans for the year, knowing (from hard experience) that life intercedes?

Just as with outlines, we need plans to set off in the right direction, so we can be on the trail when an interesting turnoff shows up.

Heres my planning compromise:

Plan the process, not the results

I have no idea what the ahead will bring. The only thing I can control is how I approach each daymy process.

At the start of 2021, I committed to write something every day in a story journal.

You know what? I did it!

Oh, some days the entries were more observations than stories. Some started and fizzled out.

And I missed a few days of entries, especially when traveling.

It wasnt perfect, but it was fascinating. (Read my mid-year reflection on the experience.)

I committed to the process, not the outcomes. Then I had the joy of exploring those outcomes.

Lessons from the my story journal experiment

I was tempted on occasion to abandon my story journal project. But I didnt, partly because Id committed to and blogged about it publicly. How can I face my readers if I dont follow through?

Heres the lesson from that experience: Accountability strengthens our process.

Also, some days my entries were quite shortscribbled down within five minutes. But simply showing up maintained the momentum.

Another lesson: Start with small commitments you can sustain.

Whats your (process-focused) plan?

How does this make you feel about planning for 2022? More relaxed? Curious and open to possibilities?

Find someone to share your plans with. Share them with me, if youd like. Ill check in and see how youre doing. Maybe that will help you stick to your writing process!

Related content

For more about the Muse and the Scribe, see The Writers Process.

Read about my story journal experiment.
Getty Images

If you are confident enough to make travel plans in 2022, there are inexpensive options out of San Antonio International Airport.

There are nonstop, one-way flights to Los Angeles for only $89 in January. The City of Angels has plenty to offer. Among the places you can visit are Hollywood, Disneyland and world-famous beaches.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A politically appointed board will hear an appeal from property owners who want to bury sandbags along a South Carolina beach to fight erosion, despite concerns that sandbag walls are likely to make the beach wash away faster.

A three-member committee of the Department of Health and Environmental Control board voted unanimously last week to hold a hearing before the full board early next year, The State of Columbia reported. The board will consider overturning a staff decision denying permission to keep sandbags in place on Debordieu Island, south of Myrtle Beach.

Seven landowners had a contractor install sandbag walls after a 2020 hurricane and want to keep them, even though coastal regulators say the bags were put in illegally and have ordered them removed.

Photographs show water washing close to houses on Debordieus southern end.

My property is in imminent danger of catastrophic loss, Rodney Cain, the registered agent for landowner Northwest Properties, said in a December 2020 enforcement notice.

Landowners say burying the sandbag walls under sand as part of an upcoming beach renourishment project would be a scientific experiment.

The coastal division says the bags were not only installed without state permission, but that South Carolina law does not allow sandbags to be buried permanently under the beach.

Sandbags could threaten nesting sea turtles and worsen already serious beach erosion, leaving less room for the public to walk on, environmentalists say. Seawalls were banned in South Carolina in the late 1980s because they worsen beach erosion when hit by waves.

DHEC board members Sonny Kinney and Rick Lee said during the meeting that they are concerned about the oceans threat to seaside homes at Debordieus southern tip.

Coastal Carolina University professor Paul Gayes has proposed leaving the bags and burying them with sand to see how well they protect land, The State reported. He declined comment when reached by the newspaper, citing the upcoming hearing.

Supporters say the pillow-case shaped sandbags are part of a unique technology that is more effective at building sand dunes and protecting land.

State law allows erosion-control experiments. But DHEC staff members question the effort.

Thats probably my biggest concern is the fact that were just saying no to investigating another option that could be beneficial to the coast, Kinney said. If you look at the pictures, they are scary and ... youre talking about millions of dollars.

DHECs board is appointed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. DHEC staff members and others are skeptical that the bags offer anything new.

Its not new technology; these are being used all over the country, said Rob Young, a Western Carolina University geologist who studies beachfront development and erosion.

The South Carolina coast faces increasing threats from swelling sea levels and more intense storms, which are linked to rising earth temperatures. Sea-level rise is accelerating and some people say the best solution is to scale back development to protect lives and prevent government bailouts.

The southern end of Debordieu has been the subject of disputes over efforts to repair a seawall that has protected homes since 1981 but is beginning to fail. Debordieu homeowners also are fighting in court for the right to place rock walls, called groins, into the ocean from the beach to trap sand.

Allowing the Debordieu owners to keep the sandbag walls could spur landowners along the coast to seek the same thing, said Emily Cedzo of the Coastal Conservation League.

The concern is that absolutely you are legalizing materials that are incredibly similar to seawalls and the detrimental effects they have on the beach, Cedzo said. A seawall is in place to protect what is behind it to the detriment of what is in front of it  the dry sandy beach that you and I walk on.

The Coastal Conservation League is asking to participate in the hearing. Property owners would be rewarded for ignoring state law if the DHEC board overrules agency staff and approves the bags, the legal request said.
Lori Rodriguez and her boyfriend were with friends at the Phantom Room, a now-shuttered concert venue on the St. Marys Strip, when the two of them began arguing.

When they got home, it grew ugly. Enrique Mendez accused Rodriguez of cheating on him. He grabbed her phone and shoved it in his pocket. She demanded it back. He refused.

Then he pushed her against a wall, and for the next hour he beat her, choked her and slammed her head against the floor, according to police and court records.

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, Rodriguez wrote in an affidavit, describing the Aug. 16, 2015, attack. I started passing out. In that instant, I thought, Im dying. Hes killing me. Im dying, and nobody can hear me.

On ExpressNews.com: I begged him to stop: How the system fails victims of family violence

Rodriguez survived, but needed 12 stitches to close a two-inch gash in her head. Her faced was covered with cuts when a police detective arrived at the hospital to photograph her injuries. She had a bite mark on her left shoulder, deep bruising and a broken blood vessel in her eye from being choked. She couldnt hear with her left ear, and her vision was blurred.

Seven months later, Mendez cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid a conviction and any jail time.

Marvin Pfeiffer / Contributor

Cases stacked a foot high

The plea bargain was formalized on March 10, 2016. Then-Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Boyd asked District Court Judge Ron Rangel to place Mendez on deferred adjudication, a form of probation, for five years.

As part of the agreement, Mendez pleaded no contest to a felony charge of family violence assault/choking or strangulation.

Rangel approved the deal. He ordered Mendez to pay Rodriguez $5,000 in restitution, complete 180 hours of community service, submit to monthly urine tests and enroll in the Batterers Intervention and Prevention Program, an 18- to 20-week course.

Courtesy of Lori Rodriguez

Mendez, now 44, fulfilled the terms of his probation this year, and a judge dismissed the criminal case. No conviction appears on his record.

Mendez did not respond to a request for comment.

On ExpressNews.com: I dont want to die: How abusers exploit gaps in the system

The outcome was emblematic of the Bexar County justice systems failure to hold many domestic abusers accountable. Of the five most populous counties in Texas, Bexar had the lowest conviction rate and the highest dismissal rate for family violence assault cases from 2011 through 2020, an Express-News analysis found.

One reason is that prosecutors and judges struggle with huge backlogs of family violence cases. That gives defendants and their lawyers added leverage to negotiate plea deals.

Courtesy of Lori Rodriguez

The Mendez case stands out because it involved choking, a marker for future violence. Research shows that abusers who choke their partners are much more likely to kill them in a subsequent assault. Thats why the Texas Legislature, in 2009, made domestic assault involving choking, strangulation or suffocation a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison for a first offense.

Rangel, asked for comment, said he didnt remember Mendezs case but that he typically follows prosecutors recommendations on plea bargains. He said judges see only a limited amount of evidence when ruling on a plea deal and are not in a position to second-guess a prosecutors judgment as to whether a case is strong enough to take to trial.

In a typical week, a Bexar County criminal court judge handles more than 100 cases, most of which are plea bargains, Rangel said.

Judges dont have an investigatory mechanism, he said. A judge can only devote time to the case that is right in front of them at the moment. Today, Im looking at a stack of documents that are about a foot high ... I will look over these documents and make a decision over two hours. A lot of that nuance isnt in these documents.

A judge can only say yea or nay to a plea bargain, Rangel added. If the judge says no, it goes to trial. The two times that I did that, those cases are dismissed.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County approves $3.3 million to counter surge in domestic violence

Courtesy of Lori Rodriguez

Boyd, the prosecutor in the case, is now a judge in the 187th Criminal District Court and a member of the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, a city-county initiative launched in 2019.

She declined to discuss Mendezs case in detail but defended the decision to enter into a plea bargain calling for a probationary sentence. She said she carefully reviewed all the evidence and went so far as to seek out witnesses police hadnt interviewed.

I left no stone unturned, and thats how I came to my decision to seek deferred adjudication, Boyd said.

She said deferred adjudication ensures that a defendant will be supervised and will receive rehabilitative services.

As a prosecutor, your job is supposed to see that justice is done, Boyd said. That doesnt necessarily mean that the suspect needs to be put in prison ... With prison time, hell be out in a few years with zero treatment. The issues that caused this to happen wont be addressed.

Yeah, I slapped her

Rodriguez is an educator and advocate for Hispanic cultural and political empowerment. She taught Chicano studies at the University of Minnesota, helped students at Henry Ford Academy, a San Antonio art and design high school, prepare for college, and served as a vice president of the National Hispanic Institute, a youth leadership organization.

She led voter registration drives for Mi Familia Vota, was a board member and fundraiser for San Anto Cultural Arts and served on the citys Historic and Design Review Commission. Shes now an associate professor of humanities at Palo Alto College and coordinator of its Center for Mexican American Studies. She has a masters degree in psychology and a doctorate in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Now 46, she is still haunted by what happened on Aug. 16, 2015.

Now Playing: Enrique Mendez was charged with beating and choking his girlfriend, Lori Rodriguez. In this video from August 2015, he describes the incident to a detective. Mendez pleaded no contest to a felony count of family violence assault and was granted probation. He never spent a day in jail. Video: Monte Bach

According to court records, Rodriguezs affidavit and a videotaped police interrogation of Mendez, here is how the incident unfolded:

After Rodriguez and Mendez returned to their apartment that night, they argued, and Mendez grabbed her, threw her to the floor and began choking her.

Rodriguez went limp and pretended to be unconscious. Mendez got off her and walked into the kitchen. Terrified that he was going to get a knife, she struggled to her feet and grabbed his car keys, which were hanging on the wall.

She ran out of the house and got into his Toyota 4Runner. Mendez caught up with her before she could escape. Slowly, he peeled her fingers from the steering wheel as she screamed for help. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back inside.

As he dragged her up the front steps, Rodriguez latched onto the porch railing with both hands. Finally, he let go. Then he grabbed her phone, which he had stashed in his pocket, and threw it at her face.

It opened a gash near her hairline and lodged in her forehead.

Courtesy of Lori Rodriguez

Under questioning at San Antonio Police Headquarters the next day, Mendez was matter-of-fact in describing how the argument escalated. He said both of them had been drinking.

I got mad and thats when .... I threw the phone, he said, according to the interrogation video. I didnt know it hit her in the head.

Under questioning by Detective Alison Tamez, Mendez gradually revealed more details of the assault.

I grabbed her and put her on the ground and had her pinned, he said.

Did you hit her at all? Tamez asked.

I dont remember if I hit her, Mendez replied. But I think I slapped her. Yeah, I slapped her.

Asked where, he said: In the face.

He also admitted slamming Rodriguezs head into the floor. Asked how many times, he replied, I didnt count .... a couple times.

Mendez told the detective that 10 years earlier, he had pleaded guilty to a domestic assault on his then-wife.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Look at my injuries

For months after the assault, Rodriguez suffered from vertigo, likely from damage to her inner ear.

Occasionally, she still has pain in her wrist and back. The scar on her hairline is still visible.

For years, she kept the beating a secret, except from a few close friends and family members. But in 2019, as domestic violence fatalities spiked in Bexar County, she decided to share her story. She spoke about it at a conference on domestic violence and with students at Palo Alto College.

Rodriguez said the experience was liberating.

I feel lighter, she said. And I feel like Im owning my story. As horrible as the incident was, I feel like my story is going to help make change, both in the system and with helping survivors feel less ashamed to come forward.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

But she cant shake a sense of dismay that Mendez avoided a conviction and jail time.

Its not subjective, which I think a lot of people tend to think about domestic violence cases, Rodriguez said. They think its a he said, she said case. No, theres no gray area here. Look at my injuries.

I want people to see that what he did is not OK, she said. But our system basically says this is OK for a man to do to a woman.

eeaton@express-news.net

Lead image: Lori Rodriguez speaks out about being beaten and choked in 2015 by her then-boyfriend, who avoided a conviction and jail time. Photo by Jerry Lara, staff photographer.
Incarceration rates at the Bexar County jail have skyrocketed over the last four decades, setting the local lockup apart from those in many major metropolitan areas.

While the nations biggest cities once had the highest rates of incarceration, over the past several decades, jail incarceration and state prison admissions have declined in many large cities, rising instead in smaller communities and rural areas, according to new data released by the Vera Institute of Justice, an advocacy group based in Brooklyn, New York.

Bexar County bucks that trend.

In 1983, there were about 380 people in the Bexar County jail per 100,000 county residents, the data shows. By 2019, that figure had nearly tripled  to 1,126 people in custody per 100,000 residents.

Bexar County in some ways is an exception, said Jasmine Heiss, a project director at the Vera Institute who studies the shifting geography of mass incarceration.

Heiss said there could be a couple reasons why jail incarceration rates are rising, both here and nationally, though she emphasized that many local factors can play a role.

One is the increased use of money bail, which creates two different justice systems: one for rich people who can afford to pay bail, and another for those who cannot afford bail and have to wait for their families to scrape together enough money, Heiss said. The other is using jails as a first line response for handling societal issues like mental health conditions, substance abuse disorders and homelessness.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

The data, released this month, comes amid a push by local officials to lower incarceration rates and institute bail reform for people accused of low-level crimes.

On ExpressNews.com: Bail reform meets resistance in San Antonio county courts, despite Wolffs wishes

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said the county has implemented a number of jail diversion programs over the years to try to decrease the jail population. He said those programs show promise, including one called cite and release, which allows police officers to issue citations similar to tickets for certain low-level crimes  such as possession of small amounts of marijuana..

Weve really focused on therapeutic justice, trying to help people rather than incarcerate them, Wolff said. Those programs have kept our population stable.

In 2019, Wolff convened the county court judges who handle misdemeanor cases and tried to enlist their support to implement a system similar to one used in Harris County, where people arrested on misdemeanor charges can be released  with a few exceptions  on personal recognizance bonds.

Such a bond does not require the defendant to pay  he or she simply must agree to check in with a pretrial bond officer and appear in court as required.

County court judges here, however, balked at the suggestion. Judge John Longoria, the administrator for the county court system, said at the time it was an issue that needed to be addressed by the Texas Legislature.

Wolff called on the Texas Legislature to do just that. But so far, change has been elusive.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

Meanwhile, Wolff questioned how a new law that took effect this month will influence the jail population and the safety of the community.

Senate Bill 6, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in September, bans the release of people accused of violent crimes on personal recognizance bonds. Instead, a suspect must pay the amount in cash or pay a percentage to a bail bond company.

I dont know what kind of impact that will have on us, Wolff said. We let someone go for a misdemeanor on a personal recognizance bond, but theyll let out a killer because he has the cash. That makes no sense. Which one do you want on the street?

When asked what type of laws the Texas Legislature should pass, Wolff questioned the need for the Legislature to get involved at all.

They need to leave us the hell alone, thats what they need to do, the judge said.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales has also pushed for bail reform. In one of his first actions after taking office in 2019, he directed prosecutors to work with defense attorneys to determine whether its appropriate to offer a personal recognizance bond.

He pushed to revive the seldom-used cite and release program, and he announced that he wouldnt prosecute certain criminal trespassing charges.

While many criminal justice reform activists applauded those moves, his approach has drawn some criticism in recent months  especially from challengers in the 2022 election for district attorney who say that Gonzales shouldnt pick which laws to enforce.

Heiss said persistently high incarceration rates in Bexar County do not necessarily indicate that local reform efforts are failing.

The fact that incarceration rates continue to be high in some places does not mean that a policy isnt working, but that there are complementary policies that intersect, Heiss said. It took several decades to get to this point. Its reasonable that it will take a lot of investment and work to get back to 1970 levels.  Its ongoing, incremental change over time that gets us to unwind and dismantle mass incarceration.

Incarceration skyrockets

The number of and rate at which people have been incarcerated at the Bexar County jail began steadily increasing in the 1980s. Then, in the early 1990s, those figures began to skyrocket.

Incarceration rates decreased in the late 1990s, but they began to creep up again in a few years, the data shows.

Driving that increase was the growing number of people being held pretrial  or before being convicted of any wrongdoing.

In 1992, about 63 percent of the jail population was being held pretrial, the data shows. At the beginning of this month, that figure was 80 percent.

Jails should never be the default, Heiss said. They should be used only in situations where theres no other way to keep people safe.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio inmates urge local, state officials to rethink parole guidelines as coronavirus spreads

In 2020, as fears about the spread of COVID-19 prompted local officials to release nonviolent suspects, the rate at which people were incarcerated declined by 28 percent in Bexar County. However, the jail population rebounded in 2021 by 13 percent.

Law enforcement officers werent arresting people for drug-related charges and driving-related charges  such as driving with an invalid license, Heiss said. It allowed us to think, Why are we using jail to address these issues?

Unfortunately, we seem to have reverted to business as usual, despite the fact that COVID is still here and despite the lessons learned.

Disproportionate rates

Among those disproportionately incarcerated, locally and nationally, are Black people and women.

Heiss said there are multiple reasons for that. First is the legacy of the so-called Black codes, laws passed after slavery was abolished, such as vagrancy laws that prohibited a Black person from being vagrant if unemployed and without a permanent residence.

Another reason is the discretion afforded to law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges who determine whether to arrest someone, what to arrest them for, and what their bail will be.

Black people and people of color tend to be arrested and incarcerated at higher rates in places where local officials have that type of discretion, Heiss said.

Heiss said the high rate of women incarcerated is a concern, too. Women are particularly vulnerable to the harms of incarceration for several reasons. The majority have experienced trauma, have unmet mental and physical health needs or are single mothers, Heiss said.

Jails are not the place to treat underlying trauma. In fact, they tend to exacerbate it, Heiss said. That can affect not just these women, but their families and their communities.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar among three counties to issue death sentences in 21, as use of death penalty at historic lows

Heiss said jails can be particularly harmful for pregnant women. In Bexar County, there were 42 pregnant women in the local jail as of Dec. 1, according to data reported to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

That is the highest number statewide, and it is considerably higher than the figures in other large metropolitan areas. In Harris County, there were eight pregnant women in jail; in Tarrant County, 20; and in Dallas, 13.

Studies show that incarceration tends to worsen existing health conditions, Heiss said. Thats particularly concerning among pregnant women who might experience health conditions during pregnancy and childbirth.

In some lockups, women give birth while they are shackled.

Certainly, a woman who is pregnant cannot have her health needs accounted for while being incarcerated, Heiss said. For a system that is meant to be a driver of public safety, that is particularly concerning.

Moving forward, Heiss said local official should continue exploring ways to limit the use of cash bail and to implement policies that are proven to improve public safety  such as community-based programs that address the root causes of criminal behavior.

We need to think about all the systems around the jail and where else additional changes are needed, Heiss said. We need to funnel money there.

eeaton@express-news.net
A decomposed body found in Guadalupe County was determined to be that of a teenage boy missing since October from Jackson County.

Benjamin Tank Loera, 16 of Vanderbilt, was found dead Dec. 20 in the area of FM 1117 at the Guadalupe River bridge, according to the Guadalupe County Sheriffs Office.

The Texas Rangers identified Loeras body Monday. The sheriffs office said Loeras body was found above the flood area of the river in a brushy area.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Office and Texas Rangers have been investigating Benjamins disappearance since Oct. 26. His death has been ruled a homicide, officials said.

On ExpressNews.com: Were not giving up hope: Hundreds gather to pray for safe return of missing 3-year-old

As of Monday, three people remain in Jackson County authorities custody on charges related to Benjamins disappearance.

Kyler Ray Rector, 19, and Casey Wayne Jenschke, 23, are charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault, Sheriff Kelly Janica said. Rector was arrested Nov. 23, and Jenschke was arrested Nov. 29.

Bail for Rector and Jenschke totals $200,000 each. They have since been indicted on the charges by a Jackson County Grand Jury.

Additional charges are pending a grand jury investigation, Janica said.

A 15-year-old girl is also being held in the Victoria County Juvenile Detention Center in connection with Loeras disappearance. The sheriff could not comment further on her status because she is a juvenile and her information is not publicly available.

The Travis County Medical Examiners Office is working to determine Loeras cause of death.

Janica said he could not comment further on Loeras disappearance, but he said that the suspects were living in Lolita, which is 5 miles from Vanderbilt. He said people from the towns know each other from traveling among the communities in the southern part of Jackson County.

Janica said the Guadalupe County Sheriffs Office is investigating the homicide aspect of Loeras case.

jbeltran@express-news.net
As the search for missing 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil enters its second week, the FBI has identified an 18-minute gap from the time she was last seen on video until her family noticed she was no longer on the playground at their gated apartment complex.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Department has closed its temporary command post nearby at USAA, where it was coordinating its search for the girl.

Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office, said investigators are seeking the publics help to learn where Lina was from 4:49 p.m. to 5:07 p.m. on the day she went missing. He said there was no visibility of Lina during that stretch of time.

San Antonio police Chief McManus provides update missing Lina Sardar Khil Posted by San Antonio Police Department on Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Linas parents reported her missing at about 7 p.m. on Dec. 20. Her mother had stepped away for a brief moment as Lina was on a playground at the Villas Del Cabo apartments, 9400 Fredricksburg Road, when she vanished. The apartment complex is a gated community, although the entrances are always open.

A lot of the tips that we have acquired are from outside that 18-minute window, Garris said. Any information or leads or anything they (the public) can provide us during that 18-minute window would be of huge value to the San Antonio police and FBI.

On ExpressNews.com: Were not giving up hope: Hundreds gather to pray for safe return of missing 3-year-old

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said shutting down the temporary command post is not an indication that the department has reduced its focus on this investigation.

Right now, what were doing is going over reams and reams of data, he said.

Courtesy of the San Antonio Police Department

McManus has said that police have searched all 300 apartments at the complex, some more than once. The chief said investigators are looking at some people in relation to Linas disappearance, but he did not elaborate on that point.

The chief said the command post was intended to coordinate searching the apartment and its immediate surroundings. He said it is disheartening that police have not found anything leading them closer to Lina.

We have gone over and over and over that, so theres really no need to have that command post set up here, McManus said. Everything else right now is being done through telephone and social media.

Lina is described as being 4 feet tall and weighing 55 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length brown hair that was in a ponytail when she disappeared. She was wearing a red dress, a black jacket and black shoes.

McManus said K9 teams are searching the greenbelts between the apartment complex and Loop 410. Officers also continue to interview people and receive calls and texts regarding her case.

On ExpressNews.com: The longer the time lapses, the less hopeful we become: Search continues for missing 3-year-old

Officers could be seen riding ATVs as they searched the apartment grounds after McManus spoke Tuesday.

The FBI has brought in its Child Abduction Response team, behavioral analysis unit and data exploitation units.

On Thursday, the Islamic Center of San Antonio, a nonprofit supporting the Muslim community, announced on Facebook that a reward for information that helps find Lina has increased 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 last 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.

Anyone with information regarding Linas disappearance is urged to call the missing persons unit at 210-207-7660.

jbeltran@express-news.net
Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

Shooting off fireworks is a classic way to celebrate the new year, but the San Antonio Fire Department is reminding people that it is illegal within the city limits.

Using fireworks within the city is a Class C misdemeanor and could carry a fine of up to $2,000, the Fire Department warns in a news release, but there are professional displays throughout the city that people can enjoy safely and legally.
21 Pro Video

A man who was gunned down outside his far West Side home on Christmas Eve has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

Victor George Colunga, 22, was fatally shot at about 4:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Kernan Drive, San Antonio police said.
Growing up, Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda often spent time with her twin cousins, who are around her age and diagnosed with a significant form of nonverbal autism. Her family always supported them, she said  but as she grew up, she realized how others treated her cousins differently.

That family background was the impetus for Cabello Havrdas eventual work in disability law. The experience of people with disabilities in San Antonio has long been a top concern for the councilwoman who represents District 6 on the far West Side.

Now, shes asking City Council to include demographic questions related to ability and disability on city-sponsored surveys  much like questions that ask about age, gender, race or ethnicity.

We cant represent a community if we cant see them, if we dont know where they are and what they need, she said. I think its a very obvious thing we should be doing as a city, and it was almost hiding in plain sight.

Like similar survey questions, people could choose not to answer if they dont feel comfortable sharing. But for those who do, Cabello Havrda hopes the information can impact city policy on issues like transportation or even public art.

The city sends out all kinds of surveys looking for feedback on things like federal COVID-19 relief spending, housing and the city budget.

If San Antonio is asking residents what they need in public transportation, and answers come from the perspective of someone who uses a wheelchair, the city should take that into account, she said.

The idea stemmed from disABILITYsa, a local organization that connects people of all types of disabilities with resources and other opportunities.

The nonprofit hopes the city can use the data from the surveys to prioritize its plans, said Melanie Cawthon, executive director and co-founder of disABILITYsa.

SA Climate Ready, the citys climate change action and adaptation plan, is one example of a city priority that could further develop based on feedback from people with disabilities, Cawthon said.

If climate change impacts the disabled community at a higher rate, survey responses could show it  and change how the city implements strategies to slow climate change. The same idea could apply to the citys recently adopted Strategic Housing Implementation Plan.

The city could learn from survey responses in other ways too. For example, residents who have issues with their eyesight particularly may be impacted by a matter but cant access city information on it. San Antonio could respond by changing its method of communication.

And if the results show not enough people with disabilities are responding to surveys, the city could try a new form of outreach.

We dont know how the decisions were making are impacting our disability community, Cawthon said. By adding those questions, we can start to understand where were falling short or where were doing a good job.

The actual survey questions could ask about difficulties hearing, seeing, walking or living independently. Questions also could ask about cognitive difficulties.

Those are some of the same queries from the U.S. Census Bureau in its American Community Survey. Cabello Havrda said she wants to work with disABILITYsa to formulate question language from the city more specifically.

While transportation is the main subject the councilwoman imagines survey questions could influence, other everyday issues could benefit from more demographic information. She pointed to food insecurity and how San Antonio could tailor its response to help someone who cant walk get to the food bank or a pantry.

Cabello Havrda said she doesnt file a lot of requests for City Council to consider, but this one is deliberate. When she graduated from law school, she worked for a disability firm in San Antonio. She now runs her own firm that primarily focuses on representing people with disabilities.

While supporting the disabled community may be of specific importance to Cabello Havrda, she wants to make sure San Antonio follows a city policy long after shes gone from City Council. Its important for her and other council members to know what people are asking for if theyre going to represent them properly, she said.

I know the stigmas they go through every day and the obstacles theyve overcome to be successful, Cabello Havrda said. To represent them (people with disabilities) like any other demographic, its important to record and understand that information.

The governance committee of City Council will consider the policy request before it heads to the full City Council.

megan.stringer@express-news.net
The medal earned from flying a night reconnaissance mission over North Korea and the war he fought years earlier in the Pacific  one that took him from Guadalcanal and Okinawa to an atomic bomb blast  remained a weight for Ray Falke.

He never talked about those wars to anyone  not to his wife, his kids or friends.

I didnt want to, because theres so many guys that didnt come back, said Falke, now 94. My actions were unworthy.

Veterans frequently say things like that. Theyll brush off the attention, telling you the real heroes didnt make it home. In Falkes case, the official record tells a different story.

The Distinguished Flying Cross given to 1st Lt. Raymond Falke salutes a navigator who made two runs over a dam at Pyongyang in his RB-26 Invader reconnaissance plane. The weather and anti-aircraft fire was bad, prompting him to suggest flying toward the target from a different direction.

They came back at it, coming under fire again, but Falke didnt flinch.

Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News

With full knowledge of the danger involved, he started the run. Again, enemy fire was intense and accurate, but this time Lt. Falke fearlessly directed the aircraft over the target, securing 100 percent photographic coverage, the citation stated. By his skillful navigational ability and persistence in the face of great danger, Lt. Falke brought great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

That mission took place nearly 69 years ago, toward the end of the Korean War. Falke, who would retire as a lieutenant colonel in 1970 and launch a second career as an engineer with City Public Service, witnessed major moments of American military history. He kept fragments of those memories, but he didnt share them.

Falke watched Marines clamber off his transport ship to land on Guadalcanal and Okinawa. His ship rolled perilously close to the waters edge during a terrifying typhoon that sank other vessels and sickened his crew.

After the war, he witnessed the atomic bomb blast at Bikini Atoll. His ship was 20 miles away, a safe distance from the old destroyers, transport ships, aircraft carriers, a beat-up cruiser and one submarine that were in the blast zone. Still, what he saw was surreal.

We were all standing on the rail watching. I was on the upper deck, of course; thats where my station was, Falke recalled, adding he couldnt see the island and could barely make out the ships.

In a flash, he was thunderstruck.

I dont remember exactly, but I know I remember saying, Dear God, Id hate to be in that, he said. You just know youd disintegrate in something like that.

Falke, originally from Temple, wanted to do his bit as the war raged in 1944. Hed just gotten word that his older brother, Gilbert, the bombardier-navigator aboard a Martin B-26 Marauder, had turned up missing in the European theater of war. A high school buddy raised the idea of joining the Navy.

Gilbert would make it home and become a doctor, but Ray Falkes mother, Louise, didnt know that yet, and the risk of losing another son to the war didnt go down well. Still, she allowed it.

Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News

Close calls

The decision changed everything. Falke quit high school a half-credit short of graduating and went to boot camp in San Diego. He studied at radar school while his high school friend, Jackie Kolls, was sent to a signalmans course and ultimately served on an aircraft carrier.

The currents of war swept Falke in a different direction.

Ordered to serve aboard the attack transport USS Geneva, he was part of a crew that took Marines to Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Off Okinawa, kamikaze attacks targeted the USS Mississippi, but his ship was apared.

The Genevas captain wanted to tour the island and Falke got the job of driving him around on an island that still held pockets of determined resistance.

We were just going up one of the trails there, the Marines were leading, and then we got some fire from some isolated Japanese and the Marines, of course, took them out, he said, stressing that the bullets werent aimed at him. Thats when the captain decided hed go back to the ship.

On ExpressNews.com: Daredevil pilot, after earning medals for crossing the Pacific, pawned them in San Antonio

At the time, Okinawa had the look of a dress rehearsal for the invasion of Japan. Operation Iceberg, as it was code named, was the largest amphibious assault of World War II and involved three Marine divisions, four Army divisions and 1,350 ships.

The battle raged three months and saw more than 49,000 U.S. casualties, including 12,000 dead, according to s Pentagon history. Enemy planes tore into allied ships, sinking 26 and severely damaging 168. Four in every 10 American dead were sailors lost in those attacks.

The death toll was far worse for the Japanese  around 100,000 troops killed, and somewhere around the same number of civilians who perished.

There was also the typhoon, one of several in 1944 and 1945. Falke cant recall when it hit, but remembers it capsized some ships.

My position was right behind the bridge, so the top part tilted quite a bit. It got scary because two destroyers capsized in that storm, Falke said, explaining his vessel was more survivable, having the capacity to roll 40 degrees.

I thought we had it when we got to about 30 degrees tilt. If you get past 40, youre gone.

Falke said he never worried about dying, only getting sick. He didnt.

That previous summer, Falkes ship was preparing to take on troops for the invasion of the home islands when President Harry S. Truman ended the war with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He felt a wave of relief.

It was going to save a lot of our lives and it would have saved a lot of Japanese lives because probably the next (offensive) would have been on the mainland, Falke said. I dont believe in killing people if you dont need to and luckily that morning they surrendered, and after the surrender our job was to pick up troops.

On ExpressNews.com: At 100, a San Antonio-area D-Day veteran can finally talk about the war

They went to Manila and elsewhere in Asia, boarding GIs who included weary, bedraggled prisoners of war, some of them staring into space.

The others were just happy, Falke recalled. They were on the deck throwing dice and playing poker. They were ready to get home, and I dont blame them.

Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News

War shapes the future

Discharged in 1946, he went back to high school. The principal cut a deal: Pass his junior college classes, and hed graduate.

With that done, Falke went to Texas A&M University majoring in agriculture. He might have stayed the course on his degree plan if not for the Korean War. Realizing the Navy would probably recall him, he entered Texas A&Ms ROTC program as an airman, graduating in 1951.

Six days after commencement, he was called up and later sent to navigator training near Houston.

At Christmas, Falke got orders to Korea and flew with the Blackbirds, a group that took battle damage assessment photos  mostly at night. Their motto: Alone, Unarmed and Unafraid.

The missions, harrowing enough because of enemy anti-aircraft fire, were made even worse by his pilot, who woke up drinking and went to sleep with a nightcap, Falke said. He said the pilot flew 40 missions, once landing so hard on the nose wheel it collapsed.

They flew the last five missions with the wing commander as their pilot.

This year, decades after coming home, Ray Falkes wars fell back into the spotlight when he was honored by South Korean Consul General Myung Soo Ahn at the Petroleum Club in San Antonio, along with seven others who fought in the 1950-53 conflict.

Falke sat in shock at the head of a table surrounded by his family. He had thought they were just going to lunch.

Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News

We dont have many stories from our grandfather, Ray, Ryan Richardson, who married Falkes granddaughter, Ashley Ancira, wrote in an email. After the luncheon, we drove him home and asked him . He responded that he was never shot and he doesnt have much to say.

We know he has incredible stories, added Richardson. We know he has a rich history, and we do not want that to fade away.

Still, there was something of an unwritten code about those memories. Falke never talked of war with his wife, Martha, and she didnt ask about it. The Distinguished Flying Cross weighs on him perhaps most of all. Falke said he didnt earn it, didnt deserve it.

Talk like that echoes so often from the survivors.

It was a hazardous mission, he conceded, but, hell, as far as I was concerned it was just another mission.

sigc@express-news.net
Courtesy of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office

A man accused of killing his neighbor at a North Side apartment on Christmas Day has been identified.

Mason Sayer Lubitz, 28, is charged with murder. His bail is set at $200,000.
A 142-year-old Victorian home in King William and its bed and breakfast is on the market.

Known as the Mueller Home after original owner Charles H. Mueller, the two-story, 2,936-square-foot home with a guest house is listed at $1.25 million.

Mueller ran a framing and paint shop in downtown San Antonio, according to the San Antonio Registry of Houses website. Lucille, Muellers daughter, was the mother of Ernest Scrivener Jr., the founder of Scriveners, Inc., a popular Alamo Heights retail store at the time.

On ExpressNews.com: $3.5 million Alamo Heights home is the priciest on the market in the San Antonio area

Architect Albert Beckmann, who designed the original Joskes Department Store, also designed the four-bedroom home at 229 Madison, according to the Texas State Historical Association. Built in 1879, the home was converted into apartments in the mid-1920s.

The front part of the home has been restored and features 12-foot ceilings, long-leaf red pine flooring and 8-foot double-hung windows.

The 1,774-square-foot guest house built in the 1990s became the Yellow Rose Bed and Breakfast.

The home is ideal for a large family or income potential for eight bedrooms and eight baths, Justin Walker, the listing agent, wrote on the San Antonio Board of Realtors website.

This is the second historic King William home to hit the market in recent months.

The Conservation Society of San Antonio, the nonprofit whose mission is to protect San Antonio's historic structures, is looking to sell its headquarters for nearly $4 million. The Anton Wulff House is 151 years old.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
We are in a housing crisis, with some 95,000 households in Bexar County struggling to keep roofs over their heads  but thankfully, local leaders are making affordable housing a priority.

Earlier this month, the San Antonio City Council approved a sequel to the citys 2018 Housing Policy Framework, a 10-year plan for affordable housing that needed to be expanded to meet the overwhelming need.

Approved Dec. 17, the new Strategic Housing Implementation Plan, or SHIP, is a $3.37 billion plan that will increase the number of rental units and home ownership for low-income families. The $3.37 billion is a mix of federal, state and local funding, with about $1 billion coming from local resources.

On ExpressNews.com: In the midst of a housing crisis; San Antonio adopts new affordable housing plan with bolder goals to meet need

The new plan is a bold commitment to more effectively addressing a housing system crippled with historic inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing stability is a crucial need. When families cant afford safe, quality, affordable housing, other important needs, including health care, food, transportation and child care, are negatively impacted.

SHIP details a plan for the city to spend the $3.37 billion over the next decade to produce and preserve 28,094 units  a 50 percent increase from the 2018 Housing Policy Frameworks goal of 18,681 units  most of which would be for residents who make at or below 50 percent of the area median income, around $22,000 to $37,000, depending on the size of the family.

Developed around equity principles of affordability, quality, accessibility and choice, the new plans goal of prioritizing the 95,000 households most at risk for housing instability  renters earning 30 percent or less of the area median income, the citys poorest residents  is crucial.

City officials focused on incomes inside city limits to create a new definition of affordability: Affordable rentals that will be prioritized are those set aside for households that earn 60 percent  down from 80 percent  or less of the area median income, or $40,020 for a family of three. The maximum for affordable home ownership was kept at 120 percent of the area median income.

Another important shift is the citys change from focusing on building new affordable homes to preserving existing affordable homes  a decision we support because it makes the most of current resources and funding.

Views & Voices: Editorials, columns and commentary, delivered to your inbox

Some City Council members and residents voiced concern that the new plan was too rushed, but we disagree. Families are vulnerable, and there is no time to spare. Our community and its leaders should be racing to help San Antonios low-income residents keep a roof over their heads.

The SHIP incorporates significant community input, as it was developed over 18 months by more than 80 stakeholders and city staff.

And residents were given opportunities to provide feedback. But while feedback is important, there was scant participation. The citys public comment period on the SHIP was from Nov. 1 to Dec. 6. At five public meetings, all of which had Spanish interpretation and one of which was in Spanish only, only 59 people attended, either in person or online. There were 784 people who visited the SHIP website, 30 of whom watched videos, and 35 people or organizations gave written feedback.

However, the lack of feedback doesnt invalidate the need identified by city officials, who say the housing supply isnt keeping pace with growth and costs are outpacing incomes in San Antonio, putting an increasing number of residents at risk.

There is time for future input. Mayor Ron Nirenberg described the SHIP as a living document that will continue to change based on vital public feedback.

Bexar County, the San Antonio Housing Trust and the San Antonio Housing Authoritys board will consider adoption of the SHIP early in 2022. We strongly recommend swift approval.
After Hurricane Harvey slammed Harris County in August 2017, state Rep. Armando Walle waited for the floodwaters to recede, then hopped in his pickup truck and began surveying the damage near his northeast Houston home.

As he drove through Aldine, Greenspoint and nearby neighborhoods, Walle was struck by how many people he saw, apparently renters blindsided by the storm, lugging their destroyed belongings to the curb. The sight that reminded him of the Memorial Day floods in 2015 and the Tax Day floods in 2016, when hed seen the same thing occurring in those same areas.

I went and spoke to a lot of those folks that had first-floor apartment units that were wiped away, said Walle, D-Houston. And in talking to them, they had no idea that these properties could flood so drastically.

Starting Jan. 1, under a bill authored by Walle and approved by state lawmakers this spring, landlords must tell prospective tenants if their property is located inside a 100-year floodplain or if it was damaged by flooding within the last five years. The new law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, brings renters in line with homebuyers after the Legislature enacted similar requirements for sellers in 2019.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The imbalance in the law had created a scenario, criticized by housing advocates as inherently unfair, in which landlords would receive notice they were buying a flood-prone property, then could turn around and rent it out without giving the same notice to their tenants.

Properties outside floodplain included

The 100-year floodplain is supposed to serve as a warning to homebuyers and renters who face the highest risk of flooding, covering areas that would be swamped by storms that, in theory, have a 1 percent chance of occurring each year.

In recent storms, however, the majority of flood-damaged homes in Harris County have been located outside the 100-year floodplain, including more than three-quarters of the 204,000 homes and apartment buildings that flooded during Harvey, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which approves locally designed flood maps, has estimated that only about 20 percent of those properties were covered by flood insurance.

Local and federal officials are working to redraw the countys flood maps, with preliminary maps slated for release next year. Even under the outdated maps, however, Walle said the new disclosure law will apply to flood-prone homes that fall both inside and outside the 100-year floodplain, because landlords must also notify tenants if the property has been damaged by flooding within the last five years.

IN-DEPTH: As child COVID hospitalizations double in four days, highly transmissible omicron poised to sweep Houston

I could walk to Greens Bayou from my house, Walle said. Im not in a floodplain, but a couple streets over, youre in a floodplain. So, its just common sense. You cant just take the 100-year floodplain as the end-all, be-all.

The law is largely aimed at encouraging renters to buy flood insurance, or at least notifying them of the option. Harris County does not track how many homeowners and renters have flood insurance policies, though County Judge Lina Hidalgo has estimated that a large number remain uncovered, even after repeated warnings.

Renters live in nearly half of the occupied housing units in Harris County, a total that rises to roughly three in five within the city of Houston.

Knowledge in the hands of tenants

Walles bill requires all landlords to send tenants a standard flood notice  including those outside the floodplain  that states, Even if the unit is not in a 100-year floodplain, the unit may still be susceptible to flooding. The notice must be sent in a document separate from the lease agreement.

It includes language notifying tenants that most renters insurance policies do not cover damages or loss incurred in a flood and encouraging them to seek insurance coverage that would cover losses caused by a flood.

Christina Rosales, the former deputy director of Texas Housers, a low-income housing advocacy nonprofit, said the group often works with Houston-area renters in the lowest income brackets, many of whom are relegated to older housing units in flood-prone areas.

In some particularly low-lying areas, tenants have to flee from floods in waist-deep water, Rosales told a House committee earlier this year. Weve worked with tenants in Galveston and northeast Houston whove told us, if only we knew. And thats what this bill could do. It could put knowledge in the hands of tenants when they make that critical decision about where theyll live.

Under the new law, renters can sever their lease if their landlord fails to provide the required flood notice and they subsequently incur substantial loss or damage to personal property from flooding.

The law, which applies to leases signed or renewed starting Jan. 1, exempts properties inside the 100-year floodplain that have been elevated to certain federally regulated levels.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  A former Chadron State College student has been awarded $300,000 after she argued in a lawsuit that college officials didn't do enough to protect her after she reported being raped.

The Scottsbluff Star-Herald reports that a federal jury sided with the woman earlier this month. The woman said the college should have banned the man who attacked her in 2016 from campus instead of just ordering him not to have contact with her.
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

EAST HADDAM  U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, and Gov. Ned Lamont visited East Haddam Dec. 20 to discuss the states priorities on needed infrastructure upgrades in light of the recently enacted federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Courtney voted to pass the bipartisan IIJA Nov. 5. The first installment of increased federal highway funding for Connecticut is under the new bill  $65 million in Federal Highway Administration funding for FY 2022, an approximately 21 percent from 2021, a press release said.
FAIRFIELD  Town officials will be distributing more than 7,000 COVID-19 at-home rapid test kits on Thursday.

In a message to residents, First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said Fairfield will be receiving about 7,710 kits to distribute to residents, with two tests per kit. She said officials were told the kits would come in on Thursday morning.

With Fairfields population at 61,000 residents, the amount the state is providing doesnt allow for all our residents to receive a test kit, Kupchick said. Therefore the Emergency Management Team felt it was important to prioritize the distribution for residents that are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive.

Kupchick said the kits would be distributed on Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., or until supplies last, at Roger Ludlowe Middle School. She said all traffic has to enter at 440 Mill Plain Rd., which is adjacent to Sturges Park.

Residents must enter the site from Mill Plain Road. The Fairfield Police Department will be managing traffic, and I ask that you please follow the directional signs and cones to keep the flow of traffic moving quickly, she said.

She said proof of residency can be shown with a drivers license or a valid 2021 Fairfield beach or dump sticker. Two kits, meaning four tests total, will be distributed per household.

The news about the testing kits comes after Gov. Ned Lamont announced plans to distribute 3 million of these tests and 6 million N95 masks on Monday. It comes as part of an effort in Connecticut to help curb the spread of the virus during this heavy travel and holiday season.

The test kits, bought by the state using approximately $18.5 million in federal dollars, will go out to cities and towns beginning this week, Lamont said in a press conference Monday as state agencies scrambled to secure the purchases.

An additional 1 million test kits, each with two tests per kit, will be distributed to schools statewide beginning in January. Lamont said his strategy was to keep our schools open safely. His office said distribution of those kits, which will also include a supply of N95 masks, will begin in January and continue through the school year as supplies last.

joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  Tram Pham tears up recalling how tough life was at first in the U.S. But she also remembers the joy she felt as a 22-year-old refugee from Vietnam when a nurse spoke to her in her native language and guided her through a medical screening required of new arrivals.

Nearly three decades later, Pham hopes to pay that comfort forward as a registered nurse at the same San Jose, California, clinic that treated her family. The TB and Refugee Clinic at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is screening people from Afghanistan who began seeking asylum in the U.S. after American troops withdrew from the country in August.

Pham can't speak Farsi or Pashto. But she can soothe patients stressed out over the job they can't find or the rent that's due. The other day, she held the hand of an older Afghan woman as she cried out her fears.

I can see patients from all over the world come in. I see, you know, Vietnamese patients. I see a lot of refugee patients," she said. I see myself.

The TB and Refugee Clinic joins a vast network of charities and government organizations tasked with carrying out President Joe Biden's plan to relocate nearly 100,000 people from Afghanistan by September 2022. Nearly 48,000 Afghans have already moved off U.S. military bases and settled in new communities, the U.S. Department of State said in an email, including more than 4,000 in California.

The operation has been hampered by the need to scale up quickly after steep cutbacks to refugee programs under President Donald Trump. But the community response has been overwhelming and enthusiastic, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of nine national resettlement agencies.

We know that resettlement isnt a weekslong or monthslong process. Success requires years of effort. And so thats where its really important to have strong community ties, Vignarajah said.

The nonprofit, which operates in at least two dozen states, has resettled roughly 6,000 newly arrived Afghans since summer, including 1,400 in northern Virginia, 350 in Texas, 275 in Washington and Oregon and 25 in Fargo, North Dakota.

The state of Oklahoma has received about half of the 1,800 people it was told to expect, said Carly Akard, spokeswoman for Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City. Akard said that in their rush to escape, many of the refugees arrived without identification.

They fled and didnt have anything, she said.

In San Jose, the clinic is scrambling to hire more people and reallocate staff for the more than 800 people expected in the county through September. Not only is the number a large increase from the 100 people the clinic assessed in all of the last fiscal year, it is uncertain when they will arrive, said health center manager Nelda David.

But David said that won't stop the staff of roughly three dozen from rolling out the welcome mat at the clinic, founded four decades ago specifically to assist Southeast Asians after the Vietnam War. Most of the nurses, assistants and other staff are immigrants or former refugees themselves, and understand the shock of starting over in a new country.

Medical interpreter Jahannaz Afshar welcomes Farsi speakers at the front door even before they check in for their first visit. In a windowless office, she explains what to expect over at least four visits as part of a comprehensive health assessment, which includes updating immunizations and checking for infectious diseases. A medical exam is required of all refugees.

But Afshar, who moved from Iran in 2004, also explains cultural differences, such as the American preference for personal space and chitchat. She'll tell newcomers how to take the bus or use the public library, and reassure them that in the U.S., people help without expectation of getting anything in return.

Most staff members are bilingual, and come from a number of countries, including China, Myanmar, Sierra Leone and Mexico, said Mylene Madrid, who coordinates the refugee health assessment program. But staff can help even without speaking the same language.

An Afghan woman was tense and nervous when she arrived the other day for her first medical exam. By the end of the hourslong visit, however, she was cracking jokes and sharing photos with public health assistant Nikie Phung, who had fled Vietnam decades earlier with her family.

Another new arrival from Afghanistan dropped by the clinic complaining of chest pains but was so anxious she couldnt elaborate on her symptoms. Pham, the nurse, asked if she could hold her hand. They sat as the woman sobbed, then finally spoke of the stress of having her entire family living in a cramped hotel room.

By then, her pains had receded. Pham noticed that the womans daughter and son-in-law were upbeat and more comfortable speaking English. She pulled the daughter aside.

Would you please spend time with your mom? she asked her. Talk to her more.

Staff members have gone out of their way to connect patients to jobs, furnish empty apartments and tap the broader community for rent and other relief. They've stocked diapers for babies and handed out gift baskets at Thanksgiving. During a routine visit, a patient mentioned he needed car repairs for work. Within weeks, the clinic had raised $2,000 to give him.

Your heart is different," says Jaspinder Mann, an assistant nurse manager originally from India, of immigrants' desire to help.

Afshar says she can't imagine what refugees are going through. The former apparel designer and her husband were not fleeing strife and shootings when they chose to leave Iran. And yet, she too struggled at first.

And this is one of the things that I always share, she said. That even though its going to be hard, later youre going to be happy because ... youre going to learn so much and youre going to grow so much.

At the clinic, she hops on the phone to arrange an eye exam for Mohammad Attaie, 50, a radio technician who fled the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, this summer with his wife, Deena, a journalist, and their daughter. Sana, 10, adores her new school in San Jose but the couple worry about finding work when they cant speak the language.

Still, seeing people like Afshar and Pham gives them confidence.

They are successful. Theyre working here. Their language skills are good. I am hoping that in less than a year I can stand on my feet, Deena Attaie said, speaking in Farsi.
NEW YORK (AP)  New York City will increase COVID-19 testing in schools when the holiday break ends next week in an effort to keep classrooms open despite a surge in infections due to the highly infectious omicron variant of the virus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.

New York state will provide the city's public schools with 2 million at-home test kits so that tests can be sent home with students if a classmate tests positive, de Blasio said, and students who test negative won't have to quarantine.

This is how we are going to look at schools from this point on, keep them safe and keep them open, de Blasio said. Wide distribution of at-home test kits to every classroom. And when theres a positive case in a classroom every child takes home at-home test kits. Every child who tests negative comes back to school. Its as simple as that. So long as theyre asymptomatic, and so long as they test negative, they keep coming to school.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who will take over from his fellow Democrat on Jan. 1, said he supports the plan.

Two clear messages we're sending loud and clear, said Adams, who joined de Blasio's virtual coronavirus briefing. Your children are safer in school. The numbers speak for themselves. And we are united to make sure they continue to be safe.

New York City's public school system, the nation's largest with about a million students, was one of the first in the nation to reopen to in-person learning after the pandemic hit in 2020, but frequent school or classroom closings due to COVID-19 cases proved disruptive. The new approach will guarantee more consistency, de Blasio said.

In addition to distributing at-home tests, the city will double the number of random COVID-19 tests it conducts in schools and will include vaccinated as well as unvaccinated students, the mayor said.

Students and school staff members are advised to get tested for the virus before school starts Jan. 3, city officials said in a news release, but tests are not required.

De Blasio urged parents to get all eligible children vaccinated against COVID-19, but vaccines are not mandated for city students as they are for teachers and other municipal employees.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who also joined the virtual news conference, has stressed the importance of keeping schools open across the state. Hochul called remote learning a failed experiment" despite the very best efforts of incredibly hardworking, passionate teachers who did their very best.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, thanked Hochul for providing the 2 million home test kits so that anyone with close contact with a positive case will be able to know immediately if they are infectious and must quarantine.

COVID-19 cases have surged in New York City thanks to the emergence of the omicron variant. Health officials reported about 22,000 new cases of the virus a day in the week that ended Sunday, up from 3,400 a day in the week that ended Dec. 12.
First of Two Articles

Part 2: In Scotland, They'll Take the Woke Road

By Richard Bernstein, RealClearInvestigations

December 28, 2021

PARIS  Rachel Khan is a 45-year-old writer and actress, half Gambian, half Polish Jew born and educated in France, who was appointed by the mayor of Paris to be co-director of a cultural center called La Place, or The Place, dedicated to hip-hop music in France. Then she became a target of the wrath of le wokisme, French version.

Khan, who was already well-known as a dissenter from the identity-politics orthodoxy on race and victimization, published a slim volume titled Racee  meaning racy, daring, but also a play on words  in which she lampooned the politically correct idea that to be authentically black meant that she had to incarnate a woke ideology.

It's supposedly anti-racism, but in fact it's dogma, she told me in Paris in November. A black actress is supposed to be anti-colonialist. But just as I'm not obliged as a black actress to play a cleaning lady or a prostitute, I'm also not obliged as a black person to be 'anti-colonial.'

For her pains Khan was attacked on social media and elsewhere, called a traitor to her race. Early in November, some 50 journalists, producers, bloggers and artists circulated a petition demanding that she be fired from her position at The Place, on the grounds that her ideas are unacceptable and divisive, validated by the most reactionary fringe of the French media and far-right politicians.

This attack prompted a rejoinder from Frances minister of education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, who tweeted, Our friend @KhanNRachel suffers from permanent harassment.

As Blanquer's rejoinder shows, Khan has her supporters in France, where she has become something of a media darling, turned to when an anti-woke voice is needed. Still, her book, the attacks on her, and the defense of her from the high reaches of the French government all show that le wokisme has become a hot topic in France, around which the debate sometimes reaches a fever pitch.

Woke activism, which has wreaked havoc in the U.S., has disembarked on our shores, French journalist Brice Couturier said on French radio while promoting his new book, OK, Millennials! Puritanism, Victimization, Identity Politics, and Censorship: A Baby Boomer's Investigation Into the Myths of a Woke Generation. An intense intellectual battle has just begun.

But why now, and why in a country like France, with its very different history from the United States? For that matter, why has wokeism taken hold in other European countries, where the radical movement seems in many ways to be an imitation of its American counterpart?

In France, there's an oft-noted irony within the answer. Despite vocabulary that seems appropriated from American academia, the main concepts originated with a group of leftist French academics in the 1960s and 1970s, who became the rage in many American universities and whose ideas, though simplified and sometimes caricatured, have been enthusiastically reimported into France.

The most influential figure was Michel Foucault, the psychologist and philosopher whose lifelong sympathy for marginalized groups and oppressed people led him to a sustained reflection on the dominating and exploitative nature of power, including its ability to define what is supposedly normal  as opposed to what it considers abnormal or sick.

In matters such as gay rights and equality for women, Foucault-like sympathy for the marginalized feels the same on both sides of the Atlantic. But American wokeness is most powerfully concentrated on a question of race that seems unique to America. Centuries ago, Europe may have engaged in the slave trade, but no European country has anything comparable to the history of American slavery, no decades of Jim Crow, no Ku Klux Klan, no lynchings or legal segregation of the sort that afflicted black America, and also no civil rights movement, no Martin Luther King Jr., and no George Floyd killed in Minnesota. And yet, the vocabulary of critical race theory, with terms like le racism systematique, le privilege blanc, microaggression, even le fragilite blanc, has taken hold in France like an invasive species.

Part of the answer seems to be the contagious global appeal of a doctrine explaining complicated questions, holding the same attraction for French academics, students, and others as for their American counterparts. The appeal is especially strong for a younger generation impatient and dissatisfied with the more moderate views of traditional liberalism  or, in France, the traditional left, even if it was the same enlightened left that fought against colonialism, against anti-Semitism, against the powerful, conservative Catholic Church, as well as for choice on abortion, equal access to education, and France's extensive social safety net.

Then there's the matter of demographic change. Britain, Germany, and France have substantially increased their minority populations through high immigration and higher birth rates among non-whites. This has generated two conflicting reactions. One is the increased strength and appeal of right-wing anti-immigrant parties, in France represented most conspicuously these days by a former television personality, Eric Zemmour, who to his detractors looms as a French Trump.

Attuned to Anti-Muslim Bias

On the other side there's a young new left, fearful and alienated from figures like Zemmour, attuned to anti-immigrant (and especially anti-Muslim) prejudice, which, in their view of things, is roughly equivalent to anti-black prejudice in America.

It's an excessive reaction to a real problem, Pierre Haski, a French journalist and radio commentator, said in an interview in Paris. All of these issues, racism, etc., have been discussed for a long time, but the conversation has become brutal.

Haski speaks of a generational difference. Young French blacks, born and educated in the country, feel completely French, he said, equal to their white French counterparts, who often sympathize with them, and are not hesitant to make demands on French society that their elders and previous generations of immigrants were hesitant to make. The young generation is completely invested in this question, Haski said.

One striking difference with the U.S., however, is that many of Frances most prominent public intellectuals have taken positions against the phenomenon, which may render it less potent than its American version. In France, for example, woke activists are not proposing to eliminate entrance exams to high schools and universities, or mandating racial sensitivity training in major corporations. At least not yet.

Still, there are plenty of woke eruptions and a sense that a radical ideology, based on the ideas of systemic racism, guilt over colonialism, and white privilege, is making headway in the media, in schools, and especially in the minds of young people.

The schools are infected by ideology, one teacher, Fatiha Agag-Bourdjahlat, told the French daily Le Figaro. They advance it behind masks, using their classes and their authority as teachers to do propaganda under cover of generosity and respect for 'diversity.'

Adding to that, there have been enough incidents of deplatforming for the French media to have adopted the term la cancel culture, in the original English. Last year, feminist philosopher Sylviane Agacinski  whose writings strongly influenced France's adoption of a law requiring political party lists to be at least 50% female  was prevented from speaking at the University of Bordeaux, where she was denounced in a social media avalanche as reactionary, transphobic and homophobic. Agacinski became anathema to campus groups like the Anti-Patriarchy Student Collective for expressing opposition to state-funded medically assisted fertility treatments for single women.

It's a religious cult without God, the essayist and novelist Pascal Bruckner said in an interview at his apartment in the Marais district of Paris. The French left has run out of ideas, so it has turned to the American idea that the white man is intrinsically guilty.

His critique echoes the views of American linguist John McWhorter. But French wokeness also has its own distinct flavor and motivations, centering on two emotionally fraught and conflict-ridden issues. One is the history of French colonialism, which is treated by the wokish side of the debate in France in much the same way that the history of slavery and Jim Crow are treated in the United States, as a kind of original sin, the deep cause of continuing racial and ethnic inequalities.

Secondly, identity politics in France is inseparable from one of the main sources of political conflict in the country, namely immigration from Africa and the deep worry of many in France  left, right, and center  over what is called Islamization, or the radicalization of parts of the Muslim population of the country. (At an estimated 5.7 million, it is the largest in Europe.)

Wokism transforms the Muslims into an oppressed group, Bruckner said. It's the ultimate metamorphosis of leftism in France into Third Worldism, the idea that most of the problems in the world, and certainly all of its inequalities, stem from the white man's colonialist exploitation of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Guilt over colonialism provides the entryway for wokeness in France, Robert Menard, the mayor of the southern French city of Beziers, told me. It's what leads to the accusation of Islamophobia whenever anyone tries to talk about the connection between radical Islam in France and terrorist violence in the country, as if there were no such connection.

The reference was to a series of deadly terrorist incidents fomented by Muslim extremists in France over the last few years, including attacks in 2015 that killed 130 people, the murder of eight journalists at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo earlier that year, and last year, the beheading by an 18-year-old Muslim extremist of a schoolteacher, Samuel Paty, after he showed satirical cartoons of the prophet Mohammed to his class as part of a lesson on free speech.

This recent history is no doubt partly responsible for the acrimony surrounding some aspects of the woke ideology, which some critics, including those on the traditional liberal-left, see as making excuses for terrorism by blaming France's colonialist history as ultimately responsible.

Earlier this year, the French national assembly passed a law aimed at combating what is seen as the growth of an Islamic ideology in France. It imposed limitations on religious garb in public, on home schooling (following reports of private clandestine schools run by Islamic militants), and banned virginity certificates, demanded by some religious groups as a condition of marriage.

Opponents of the measure, known as the anti-separatist law, which included both some of the traditional leftist factions like the Socialist Party as well as Muslim groups, attacked it as both discriminatory and racist.

The anti-separatism law is part of a long line of racist French legislation, past or present, read a statement by Les Indigenes de la Republique, the Natives of the Republic, one of several militant groups in France with a following among the young, including young immigrants or children of immigrants. Of course, it is Islamophobic since we are indeed witnessing a new and formidable stage of the Islamophobia of the state.

The deeper argument has to do with the values and ideas that have long reigned in France and that are being challenged by the new wokist left. For example, the supporters of the anti-separatism law described it as a defense of what the law itself calls Republican principles. Its main idea is that France is governed by certain universal values that apply to all citizens regardless of race or religion -- a color-blind logic under which France (like postwar Germany) does not collect demographic data on ethnicity. Yet according to the anti-racist movement, such values have been used to perpetuate white dominance.

Universalism is a utopia and a myth that the Republic tells about itself that does not correspond to any past or present reality, Rokhaya Diallo, a French-born writer and filmaker of Senegalese and Gambian origins, has said in interviews. For black and non-white people, the Republic has always been a space of inequality, triggered by colonization.

Diallo, whose books include Racism: A Guide and France Belongs to Us, is probably the most prominent figure in France advancing the anti-racist agenda. She is a frequent guest on television and radio where she has criticized police for what she calls racist violence against blacks, a blogger and a columnist for the Washington Post, and her visibility has made her a target. In Racee, Rachel Khan called Diallo an entrepreneur of victimization whose ambition, under the guise of justice and equality, is to cause division. In a television program last year, Bruckner argued that she had helped to instigate the hatred against Charlie Hebdo that led to the deadly attack on the paper, a comment that Diallo angrily denounced as scandalous and disrespectful.

It's because there aren't very many people like me, who look like me and who say things that are still taboo in France [and] have access to the media, Diallo told me during a recent interview in Paris, explaining the reasons both for her prominence as a sort of Madame Woke in France and the attacks against her.

'Led by Spoiled, Privileged Students'

I talk about racism, the racism of the state and about historical oppression, Diallo said. I'm visible. But I'm practically the only person of color in France who plays a role as an editorialist on television, where there are still very few blacks, Asians, or Arabs. I feel alone, isolated. When I appear on some panel, usually with three other people, I'm usually the only one taking my point of view. I'm very rarely invited to speak at the university in France. There are more and more academics who study the question of racism and the history of slavery, but they have hard times getting stable positions in academia in France and many of them have to work abroad. So to say that the universities are a kind of headquarters of wokeness, that's not my experience.

It would be a good beginning, she continued, for France to begin to recognize that there is racism here, to recognize the French role in slavery, to make it known.

In a way this points to the main difference between Diallo and her camp and the traditional left, which would hotly dispute her charge that nobody before now has taken into account France's role in slavery or the existence of racism in the country. The point for them is that there are aspects of Frances recent history that the woke are not awakened to: namely, the real and present danger of Muslim fanaticism.

The French Muslim youth are being subjected to fundamentalist propaganda that convinces them that the entire French Republic hates Islam, in order to radicalize them, Caroline Fourest, a feminist writer and filmmaker, said in an interview with RCI. But when you speak out about the danger of this propaganda, those who are in denial on the left accuse you of 'Islamophobia,' and then the far right takes advantage of this situation to gain speed.

This is the problem, she continued. Because they don't see the difference between racism and a legitimate concern, the woke left, often led by spoiled, privileged students living in their bubbles at universities, are opening the gates that help propel fundamentalism forward, and that is reaching the youth.

A group known as the Mothers' Front, in the heavily Muslim suburb of Bagnolet, north of Paris, was granted space recently for a public exhibition, sparking a vehement protest by other residents of the district who described the Mothers' Front as a radical, Islamist group. The group's documents are a vehement attack on the schools for alleged racism and Islamophobia, including statements like these:

Our children understand from an early age that there's a problem at school if they have frizzy hair, or if they speak an African language, or if their religion is Islam.

Our children are subjected to an academic program where non-white people from whom they come are infantilized, demonized or made invisible.

Our students go to establishments where they are stigmatized and humiliated by certain teachers.

Where is this racist school? reads a public letter written by the protesting group of Bagnolet residents. Where are these malicious teachers? Nowhere in reality, and we all know that.

To speak of the state and the schools as systemically racist is to declare war on the republic, Marilou Brossier, a neighborhood activist, told me. Never in a French school does one treat black children differently from white ones. This is what's directly related to the values of the republic. France is built on an idea of universalism, that each individual is a free citizen living in a secular republic, but the woke mania for identifying everybody as black, or Muslim, or whatever stands in direct contradiction to this fundamental principle.
Farmers and growers are being encouraged to respond to a consultation on the future direction of agricultural policy in Northern Ireland.

The consultation is giving farmers the chance to redefine the province's agricultural policy, the first such time in almost 50 years.

According to the government, the Future Agricultural Policy seeks to create a "profitable, productive, environmentally sustainable and resilient agri-food sector".

It sets out 14 measures and cross cutting initiatives that are being developed to address the four key outcomes of increased productivity, improved resilience, environmental sustainability and a responsive supply chain.

NI's farming minister Edwin Poots said: My ultimate aim is to ensure that Northern Ireland takes full advantage of the opportunity to develop a sustainable agricultural industry.

"I want to ensure that farmers are supported and equipped with the right tools to continue producing high quality, nutritious food whilst importantly, also reducing their environmental impact.

Going forward I want to devise support schemes that provide opportunities for all of Northern Irelands farmers."

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said the consultation marked a 'major milestone' for the industry and a 'once in a generation opportunity' to redefine policies and support.

The union's president Victor Chestnutt said: "Its extremely positive that the focus of the new future ag policy is on active farmers and growers.

"Working to meet the growing demand for food both at home and abroad whilst also protecting the environment, its vital that our members are equipped with the right tools to become more efficient resulting in maximum returns."

The consultation is open to responses until 15 February 2022.
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Atlanta, Georgia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 27, 2021) - One of the youngest cryptocurrencies in the market, Glow Token, has Announced the "Token Security Development" feature as part of their ongoing expansion.

While 2021 saw many new tokens launched, not all brought something new to the industry, especially in the DeFi sector. Glow stands out from the rest by committing to solve the issues of transparency and convenience for users investing in the DeFi space.

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is not as beneficial as it used to be before the rise of mass adoption. Increasingly people are finding it more difficult to earn in ways that they used to earn, creating unfair advantages for large investors (whale), and fewer opportunities for small investors. Glow aims to solve these challenges by spreading wealth throughout its community.

This is accomplished through 3 primary methods:

Dividends: Through the use of stable coin reflections, $GLOW holders gain 10% BUSD reflections from every transaction conducted on the network just for holding $1 worth of GLOW.

Through the use of stable coin reflections, $GLOW holders gain 10% BUSD reflections from every transaction conducted on the network just for holding $1 worth of GLOW. Lottery: Each $GLOW holder has the chance to win at least $10,000 BUSD, with a minimum purchase of $50 worth of GLOW, the lottery is triggered every time the lottery wallet reaches $10,000 and then a randomizer selects 1 Glow holder for automatic lottery delivery.

Each $GLOW holder has the chance to win at least $10,000 BUSD, with a minimum purchase of $50 worth of GLOW, the lottery is triggered every time the lottery wallet reaches $10,000 and then a randomizer selects 1 Glow holder for automatic lottery delivery. Charity: Glow also has a Charity wallet. 1% of the circulating supply is designated for this wallet. $GLOW holders determine the charity award through a community vote. Our community has the opportunity to nominate and vote on the charities we award each month. Charity includes GLOW community member(s) that are struggling, a non-profit organization, or as simple as buying meals for healthcare workers and providing the tools for frontline workers.

A key differentiator in the way GLOW revolutionizes DeFi and makes it more attainable is in their Token Security Development. A critical factor to GLOW's success is the commitment to 100% transparency with the GLOW community by providing full access to the Founders and development team. This is accomplished through the unique approach of live video calls (Glowcast), directly connecting and engaging real-time with the global community. Whether it be sharing out roadmap accomplishments, troubleshooting issues, or sharing lessons learned in crypto; this approach speaks to the 3 pillars of GLOW - Unity, Clarity and Security. GLOW strives to eliminate barriers, create a safe space for collaboration, and most importantly help educate all investors joining into DeFi.

GLOW promotes community involvement through GLOW meet-ups and volunteer activities to benefit GLOW's global communities. This includes investors gathering together from all walks of life from all corners of the world to discuss future plans for GLOW and through giving back to the world.

Upcoming roadmap items for GLOW include the development of mobile payment applications where users can easily complete payments with $GLOW via a mobile app almost instantaneously. This aligns with the industry best practices and drives utility by integrating Glow as a means of payment. In the works will be future GLOW gaming applications that continue to expand their utility base.

Glow is built on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) network, which is one of the most efficient chains in the crypto market. Being a BEP-20 token, $GLOW has everything it needs to fully utilize DeFi, including interoperability with other chains and high scalability.

Glow uses the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, which is proven to be a safe and fast technology when it comes to transaction verification.

GLOW is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) allowing users to utilize Ethereum tools in the GLOW network.

Glow Token Tokenomics

In terms of tokenomics, GLOW is unique, considering the fact that 50% of the initial supply was voted and burned prior to the Presale. Here are additional breakdowns regarding the $GLOW supply:

55% of the supply has been burned to reduce the token supply

30% is designated for liquidity, half is locked and the other half is for future expansion into additional exchanges

5% is designated for aggressive marketing

5% is designated for the development of the company and its products

4% is designated for the Glow Team

The remaining 1% is sent to the above-mentioned Charity wallet

16% of every transaction is taxed for the following reasons:

10% is used as BUSD reflections for all Glow holders

2% goes to liquidity

2% goes for marketing purposes

1% goes for the $10K BUSD lottery

1% goes for the development purposes of the network

The Future of Glow

Glow is still in its early phases having been released on December 3, 2021, making major inroads to completing roadmap phases out of the gate. Phase 1 is complete, including the release of the whitepaper, the creation of the token contract, the website release, and the Glow public sale.

In Phase 2, major milestones completed include both CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap listings, 2 contract audits conducted by RugSeekers and TechRate, and awarded 5 - $10,000 BUSD lotteries to our holders.

Upcoming development includes conducting the first charity donation, creating DApps for payment and gaming, being listed on major exchanges, and broadening community involvement.

It is safe to say that this is only the beginning for Glow, and its future potential is GLOWing.

Contact

Company Name: Glow

Company Website: https://www.glowtoken.online/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/zfADB2fVgt

Telegram: https://t.me/glowdefi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GLOWDefi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowdefi

Contract Address BSC : 0xc7bAA7787Bb40C5d2523252bAf142413dCBbcD5b

Reflections Address (BUSD): 0xe9e7CEA3DedcA5984780Bafc599bD69ADd087D56

Company Phone Number: 770-314-8675

Company E-Mail: Bryan@glowtoken.online

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108540
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 27, 2021 / Li-Metal Corp. (CSE:LIM)(FSE:5ZO) ("Li-Metal" or the "Company") announced today a correction to its news release entitled "Li-Metal Raises Over $19 Million from the Exercise of Share Purchase Warrants" which was issued on December 24, 2021 (the "Initial News Release").

The Initial News Release incorrectly stated that the Company's cash and equivalents position was approximately CAD$38.0 million. Li-Metal's correct cash and equivalents position is approximately CAD$28.0 million. This correction does not change any other information reported in the Initial News Release.

On behalf of the Board

Maciej Jastrzebski

CEO and Director

About Li-Metal Corp.

Li-Metal is a Canadian-based company developing lithium metal anodes and lithium metal production technologies for use in next generation batteries. Our production methods are significantly more sustainable than existing products and offer lighter, more energy dense and safer batteries that are critical to tomorrow's electric vehicles. For more information visit, www.li-metal.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the Company's strategic plans are forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the development of the business of the Company will be completed as described above. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

Investor Contact

For more information on Li-Metal or to be added to the Company's email distribution list, please contact:

Salisha Ilyas

ir@li-metal.com

647-795-1653

SOURCE: Li-Metal Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/679820/CORRECTION-Li-Metal-Raises-Over-19-Million-from-the-Exercise-of-Share-Purchase-Warrants
LUDWIGSHAFEN (dpa-AFX) - Clariant AG (CLN), a Swiss specialty chemicals company, Tuesday announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire BASF Group's (BFA.L, BASFY.PK) U.S. Attapulgite business assets for $60 million in cash. The deal includes the signing of a long-term supply agreement for attapulgite-based products to BASF. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in summer 2022. The transaction will accrete to the Natural Resource's EBITDA margin profile and will support Clariant on its path towards its recently announced 2025 targets. BASF's Attapulgite business is a major attapulgite miner and producer in North America, with mining operations in Georgia and Florida and processing operations in Quincy, Florida. The business produces attapulgite-based products for a wide range of applications and end-markets. Attapulgite business generated sales of approximately $36 million in 2020. The transaction includes the transfer of land & mining rights, the processing facility, and inventories, which will be integrated into Clariant's Functional Minerals Business Unit. Clariant expects the acquisition to substantially increase the unit's production capacity in North America and extend the footprint of Functional Minerals business. Conrad Keijzer, Chief Executive Officer of Clariant, said, 'This acquisition fits very well with our growth strategy to grow through sustainability-focused innovations and bolt-on acquisitions.' 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.
Unveiling first Hepatitis C treatment solution with cure rate of 97% in Malaysia

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia Healthcare, will be showcasing its excellence in healthcare service delivery and providing seamless healthcare journey experiences during Week 14 of Expo 2020 Dubai. From 2nd - 8thJanuary 2022, expo participants can visit the Malaysia Pavilion to discover Malaysia's strengths as the Fertility and Cardiology Hub of Asia, Cancer Care Centre of Excellence and Hepatitis C Treatment Hub of Asia, showcased by participating leading private healthcare institutions, Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara and TMC Fertility and Women's Specialist Centre as well as Pharmaniaga, Malaysia's largest pharmaceutical company.

During the 5 days, networking opportunities will be available, with Malaysia Healthcare leaders present from various segments of the healthcare travel value chain, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, facilitators, technology solution providers and policy makers. Participants can also discover and build collaborative opportunities with Malaysian digital start-ups which will be showcased during the Digital Health Investment Dialogue.

Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, Mohd Daud Mohd Arif commented, "We are looking forward to showcasing Malaysia's healthcare offerings which are of world-class quality, easy accessibility and competitive affordability during Expo 2020 Dubai. As a leading global healthcare destination, Malaysia is committed to accommodate and adapt to the ever-changing healthcare traveller needs, allowing them peace of mind as they receive their treatment in a safe and trusted destination."

For more information click here. For media registration, please email vanessa.tan@mhtc.org.my.

ABOUT THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country's healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia's healthcare travel industry under the brand "Malaysia Healthcare" with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination.
VERONA, Italy, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A conference "Ukraine - Donbass: possible domino effect" examining the escalation of the conflict in South East of Ukraine was held in Verona, Italy on December, 18, 2021. Experts examined the possibilities of further escalations that could draw Russia and NATO countries into a major military conflict as a result of ongoing propaganda and possible provocations, as well as the impact of globalist powers in fueling tensions between Europe and Russia.

Editor in chief of "Controinformazione" Luciano Lago noted that "Western propaganda is likely to distort the actual situation as it is quite persistent in focusing on the presence of the Russian troops at the border with Ukraine being a threat of invasion. In reality they don't mention that the Russian forces remain within the territory of Russia, while at the same time a tremendous increase of USA, UK and Canadian military presence has been seen in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states. The key point to argue about here is who is posing the actual threat outside of the propaganda narrative."

Lago claimed that the USA and NATO are provoking Ukraine into a conflict with Russia in order to isolate Russia from Europe, especially Germany, through destruction of all the forms of economic cooperation, using sanctions and blockage of the North Stream 2 project. In his opinion, the United States has been doing whatever it takes to prevent Russia and EU to get closer and shape a common Eurasian political and economic space.

"Starting from 2014, when Maidan protests took place and the following and the military conflict has started in Donbass region, the civil population is doomed to live under war conditions, especially in the villages located close to the front line" - says the president of Veneto-Russia Association Palmarino Zoccatelli. "Despite ceasefire agreements, the Ukrainian army keeps bombing infrastructure objects and frontline villages, causing more destruction and casualities," he adds.

Representative of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic Eliseo Bertolasi in Turin said that Euromaidan events can be interpreted as a coup-d'etat supported by external forces. Bertolasi highlighted that NATO is interested in pulling Ukraine into the alliance to increase pressure on Russia. "If Ukraine was a full scale NATO member, in case of a military conflict with Russia the famous Article 5 on collective defence could have been applied, which means that each alliance member 'will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area'." He also pointed out that the EU is now acting within the framework of globalist logic of the USA and supports the conflict with Russia against its pragmatic interests.

Discussing the EU Eastern Partnership program, Bertolasi drew attention to the fact that "the EU is not really willing to give out funds to its members. Despite that, for the countries of the Eastern Partnership the funds are available even for such vague goals as support of democracy." At the end of his speech he emphasised the current situation in the region: "Today we are facing a real threat of a war starting with a false flag operation or provocation, the consequences of which could be terrifying. The situation remains very tense, and even if the dialogue becomes less and less probable, it has to be the key priority for diplomacy."

Palmarino Zoccatelli, president of the "Veneto - Russia Association"

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1716706/Veneto_Russia_Palmarino_Zoccatelli.jpg
INNSBRUCK, Austria, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The independent ISO-certified security testing lab AV-Comparatives has released its December 2021 Business Security Test Report and awarded an "Approved Business Product" accreditation to 19 antivirus solutions.

The Business Security Test is the most comprehensive investigation of corporate endpoint security solutions on the market. To be named as an Approved Business Product, antivirus solutions must achieve a 90% score on the Malware Protection Test, with zero false alarms, and 90% in the Real-World Protection Test, with less than one hundred false alarms.

To earn AV-Comparative's certification, tested products must also be free of major performance issues, with an impact score below 40, and fix all reported bugs.

The 19 solutions which were recognised with an Approved Business Product Award are: Acronis, Avast, Bitdefender, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Cybereason, Elastic, ESET, FireEye, Fortinet, G Data, K7, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Microsoft, Panda, Sophos, VIPRE and VMware.

Peter Stelzhammer, Co-Founder of AV-Comparatives, said: "We congratulate the vendors whose products have qualified for an Approved Business Product Award. AV-Comparatives is fully independent and provides an unparalleled assessment of the antivirus products available on the market."

"In times of home offices and targeted attacks, protection against cyber crime is becoming increasingly important. Businesses looking for antivirus and endpoint security solutions should regard our test as a guide to the best products on the market. The threat landscape is constantly changing, so it is important to understand the performance of solutions that exist to keep organisations safe from external threats."

The latest Business Main-Test contains the results of the Business Real-World Protection Test conducted between August and November, as well as the Business Malware Protection Test in September, Business Performance Test from November. It also incorporates Product Reviews.

Here are details of the AV-Comparatives tests:

Real-World Protection Test: This mimics online malware attacks that a typical business user might encounter when surfing the internet.

Malware Protection Test: This assessment considers a scenario in which the malware pre-exists on the disk or enters the test system via a local area network or removable device, rather than directly from the internet.

Performance Test: An examination of the impact each product has on the system's performance, such as how much it slows down normal use of the PC while performing tasks.

A False Positives Test is also conducted to discover if the product incorrectly identifies legitimate software as harmful.

Each product that was involved in the test was also reviewed. Some are suitable for small businesses, whilst others are designed for large enterprises.

Like all AV-Comparatives' public test reports, the Enterprise and Business Endpoint Security Report is available to everyone for free: https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-2021-august-november/management-summary

About AV-Comparatives: AV-Comparatives is an independent organisation offering systematic testing to examine the efficacy of security software products and mobile security solutions. Using one of the largest sample collection systems worldwide, it has created a real-world environment for truly accurate testing.

AV-Comparatives offers freely accessible av-test results to individuals, news organisations and scientific institutions. Certification by AV-Comparatives provides a globally recognised official seal of approval for software performance.

Media Contact:

Peter Stelzhammer

phone: +43 720115542

e-mail: media@av-comparatives.org

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1716998/AV_Comparatives_Results_Enterprise_2021.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1093032/AV_Comparatives_Logo.jpg


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European shares rose on Tuesday to hover near a five-week high as traders evaluated the resilience of the global recovery to a record spike in coronavirus cases. Investors hailed strong holiday season sales and grew confident a global recovery would regain steam next year despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pan European Stoxx 600 rose half a percent to 487.99 after gaining 0.6 percent in the previous session to notch a more than one-month high. The German DAX climbed 0.7 percent and France's CAC 40 index added half a percent despite tightening curbs in France and surging Covid-19 cases in Spain and Britain. Spain's coronavirus infection rate exceeded 1,000 cases per 100,000 people for the first time on Monday, stoked by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. While the U.K. government ruled out introducing stricter Covid-19 restrictions in England before the end of the year, the French government announced protocols for New Year's Eve. Clariant AG, a Swiss specialty chemicals company, advanced 1.1 percent. The company has signed definitive agreements to acquire BASF Group's (BFA.L, BASFY.PK) U.S. Attapulgite business assets for $60 million in cash. Telecom Italia rose 0.6 percent. An Italian ministry said it would use a proposal presented by a consortium that includes the company as a blueprint in the national cloud tender it plans to launch in the first weeks of 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.
As part of a project headed by the European Space Agency investigating materials for long-term missions, scientists in Estonia are investigating a tiny iron-based crystal as a potential solar cell material. So far, the material has not achieved the sort of efficiency that would spark a lot of interest. These researchers, however, are interested in it for a different reason: Beyond planet Earth, the material is abundant enough that it could eventually be manufactured on the Moon or even Mars.Satellites and space exploration have long provided a niche for certain solar technologies, most often those ...

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.
Options Technology, the leading Capital Markets services provider, backed by Abry Partnerstoday announced the achievement of VMware Cloud Verified status in their East Coast NY5 data center.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211228005067/en/

Options Achieves VMware Cloud Verified Status in NY5 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The accomplishment follows the VMware Cloud Provider Principal Partner Status awarded to the firm for their London facility earlier this year.

The Cloud Verified designation indicates that a provider offers a complete VMware-based, software-defined data center infrastructure delivered as a service. VMware Cloud Verified partner services enable customers to achieve unmatched levels of consistency, performance, and interoperability for traditional and containerised enterprise applications with the confidence that the service received is based on the most advanced VMware cloud technologies.

Options' President and CEO Danny Moore said, "By achieving VMware Cloud Verified status in NY5, we extend our best-in-class multi-Cloud platform to a second region. Alongside our recent achievement of VMware Cloud Principal Partner status in Europe, today's achievement reiterates Options' commitment to delivering industry-leading expertise in multi-Cloud services. We are excited to expand this offering further across the globe in the coming months."

Today's news comes as the latest in a series of strategic announcements for Options, including the acquisition of ACTIV Financial,aFourth Microsoft Gold Partner Status, and an industry-first partnership with Code Willing.

In 2019, Options received investment from Boston-based Private Equity Firm, Abry Partners. This investment has enabled Options to accelerate its growth strategy and develop its technology platform whilst expanding its global reach in key financial centres.

About Options (www.options-it.com):

Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems.

Founded in 1993, the firm began life as a hedge fund technology services provider. Today, the company provides high-performance managed trading infrastructure and cloud-enabled managed services to over 200 firms globally, providing an agile, scalable platform in an Investment Bank grade Cybersecurity wrapper.

Options clients include the leading global investment banks, hedge funds, funds of funds, proprietary trading firms, market makers, broker/dealers, private equity houses and exchanges. With offices in 8 key cities; New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Belfast, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, Options are well placed to service their customers both on-site and remotely.

In 2019, Options secured a significant growth investment from Abry Partners, a Boston-based sector-focused private equity firm. This investment has enabled Options to considerably accelerate its growth strategy to invest further in its technology platform and expand its reach in key financial centres globally.

Options has been named among the UK's leading growth companies in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table.

For more on Options, please visit www.options-it.com, follow us on Twitter at @Options_IT and visit our LinkedIn page

About Abry Partners (www.abry.com)

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211228005067/en/

Contacts:

Press: Page McLaughlin

Email: page.mclaughlin@options-it.com


SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA has stepped up its investigation into engine fires in some vehicles of South Korean car major Hyundai Motor Co. and its subsidiary Kia Motors Corp. for over six years, Reuters reported.



The U.S. auto safety agency, which had opened an investigation in 2019 about the fires, has now started an engineering analysis covering about 3 million vehicles. Among other things, the NHTSA will evaluate the efficacy of recalls initiated by both companies.



In 2016, there were complaints that Hyundai was not repairing a design problem in its Theta II engines, which could easily seize up and even catch fire.



The NHTSA in 2019 opened an investigation covering 3 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles following reports of thousands of fires that injured many. It was later revealed that Hyundai and Kia had wasted lot of time in recalling the affected vehicles and had not provided accurate information to the authorities about the problems incurred.



In November last year, both companies had agreed to a $210 million auto safety civil penalty after the U.S. auto safety regulators said the companies failed to recall 1.6 million vehicles for engine issues in a timely manner.



In early November this year, NHTSA gave more than $24 million to a whistle-blower as the first-ever reward for revealing important information about the safety lapses at Hyundai. Kim Gwang-ho, who is an ex-Hyundai Motors engineer, was awarded the sum for his inside information about the carmaker.



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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro slipped against its most major counterparts in the European session on Tuesday, amid a rise in COVID-19 infections in Spain and the U.K. and a tightening of restrictions in France.



France announced restrictions on large gatherings and ordered citizens to work from home for at least three days a week from January 3.



Indoor gatherings of more than 2,000 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people will be prohibited.



The nightclubs will continue to be closed and cafes and bars will be permitted to provide only table service.



In Spain, the 14-day incidence rate jumped to 1,206 cases per 100,000 people after the Christmas weekend.



The euro weakened to a 1-week low of 1.0380 against the franc and a 5-day low of 0.8420 against the pound, after rising to 1.0395 and 0.8433, respectively in early deals. The next possible support for the euro is seen around 1.02 against the franc and 0.82 against the pound.



The euro retreated to 129.92 against the yen, from a 1-1/2-month high of 130.23 seen at 7:45 pm ET. The euro may locate support around the 127.5 level.



The euro declined to a 5-day low of 1.5621 against the aussie, following a high of 1.5662 set at 6:15 pm ET. The euro is seen finding support around the 1.52 level.



In contrast, the euro bounced off to 1.1333 against the greenback, 1.6640 against the kiwi and 1.4506 against the loonie, following its previous lows of 1.1316, 1.6602 and 1.4469, respectively. If the euro rises further, 1.16, 1.68 and 1.48 are likely seen as its next resistance levels against the greenback, the kiwi and the loonie, respectively.



Looking ahead, U.S. FHFA's house price index and S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for October will be out in the New York session.



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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Fresh Express, Inc. is recalling multiple branded and private label fresh salad products for fear of potential contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes, a deadly bacteria, the Food & Drug Administration said in a statement.



The recall involves twenty fresh salad items with product codes Z324 through Z350 of Fresh Express as well as Bowl and Basket brands that were produced at the company's Streamwood, Illinois facility. The recall includes all Use-By Dates of these fresh salad items. No other Fresh Express products are subject to recall.



The recalled salad items were distributed through retailers in 19 U.S. states in the Northeast and Midwest regions as well as distributors and retailers in Canada, which includes the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.



The company said the recall was necessitated after the Michigan Department of Agriculture received a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test of a single package of Fresh Express 9 oz. Sweet Hearts salad mix with Use-By Date of December 8, 2021, manufactured at the Fresh Express Streamwood facility.



The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported ten illnesses associated with the strain of Listeria monocytogenes detected in the random sample beginning in 2016 to the present.



The company has urged consumers who have the recalled products in their refrigerators to discard it and not consume it. They can receive a refund on return to the seller.



Meanwhile, Fresh Express has immediately halted all production at the Streamwood facility and initiated a complete sanitation review.



Consuming food contaminated with listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.



The symptoms of listeriosis include, fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea.



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Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - December 28, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed ISW Holdings (OTC Pink: ISWH)("the Company"), a diversified portfolio company comprised of essential business lines that serve consumer product demands. CEO of the Company, Alonzo Pierce, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by commenting on a recent press release detailing the Company's significant revenue potential for 2022. "What is the status of phase one of the project?", asked Jolly. "The power lines are there now, as of two days ago," shared Pierce. "Just yesterday, the transformers arrived," he added. "The pods are sitting in the warehouse," said Pierce. "Everything is moving ahead of schedule in the most realistic form."

"Do you believe you will be able to generate $7 million in revenue per month moving forward?", asked Jolly. "Yes," said Pierce, adding that the Company also has pods being moved to the location from Pennsylvania. "Collectively, the company is going to be in a great situation."

"How is your company contributing to the green mining of Bitcoin and will the North Carolina and South Carolina sites be more focused on renewables?", asked Jolly. "The states of South Carolina and North Carolina are some of the most renewable energy properties in the country, which is why it is such a hot commodity right now," explained Pierce.

"How are you planning to handle the security aspect of these sites?", asked Jolly. Alonzo elaborated on the security features of the sites, which will include 24 hour surveillance, security gates, and restricted access to the public.

"What are you and your team most proud of in terms of accomplishments for 2021?", asked Jolly. "Hard work pays off," said Pierce as he elaborated on how the Company faced COVID challenges, while also moving forward with their projects and raising their stock price. "When you put your funds to work, not in your back pocket but to work, you have no choice but to have results."

To close the interview, Pierce expressed his confidence in the potential of the Company throughout 2022 and encouraged listeners to keep up-to-date on their current and upcoming projects.

To hear Alonzo Pierce's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8004473-isw-holdings-discusses-significant-2022-revenue-potential-and-2021-highlights-with-the-stock-day

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/

About ISW Holdings

ISW Holdings, based in Nevada, is a diversified portfolio company comprised of essential business lines that serve consumer product demands. The company's expertise lies in strategic brand development, early growth facilitation, as well as brand identity through its proprietary procurement process. Together, with its partners, ISW Holdings seeks to provide a structure that meets large scalability demands, as well as anticipated marketplace needs. The company is able to meet these needs through a variety of strategic innovative processes. ISWH is creating and managing brands across a spectrum of disruptive industries. It maneuvers its proprietary companies through critical stages of market development, which includes conceptualization, go-to-market strategies, engineering, product integration, and distribution efficiency. The company has also partnered with a well-known software development and consulting company, Bengala Technologies LLC, which is developing significant enhancements in the supply chain management space; and the partnership has a vitally needed patent now pending.

For more information about the company, visit www.ISWHoldings.com.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ISWH are available in the company's newsroom at http://ibn.fm/ISWH.

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108569
Reno, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - December 28, 2021) - Nevada Canyon Gold Corp. (OTC Pink: NGLD) (The "Company" or "Nevada Canyon") is pleased to announce it has entered into an Exploration Lease with Option to Purchase Agreement ("the Agreement") on the Swales Property, located the Swales Mountain Mining District in Elko County, Nevada.

The Swales Property consists of 40 unpatented mining claims with a combined area of 800 acres. The Property is located within the Carlin Trend, one of the richest mining districts in the world, and home to some of the largest gold mines in the US. The property is approximately 13 miles northeast of Nevada Gold Mine's Gold Quarry Mine and 16 miles east southeast of Nevada Gold Mine's Goldstrike Mine, all of which are located along the gold rich Carlin Trend. There are currently eight producing gold mines within the Carlin Trend. Collectively, these mines have to date produced over 100 million ounces of gold (Nevada Bureau of Mines 2019) and still contain more than 21 million ounces of gold reserves. (Nevada Gold Mines, LLC Carlin Complex 2020) The project has excellent year-round access and infrastructure within Elko County, one of the most pro-mining counties in the pro-mining states and highest-grade gold districts of Nevada.

Geologically, the Swales Property is underlain by Upper plate Ordovician Vinini Formation (upper plate of the Roberts Mountains thrust) with windows of Lower plate Mississippian to Silurian Roberts Mountains Formation limestone (Lower plate of Roberts Mountains thrust), the ideal host rocks for a Carlin type gold deposit. These rocks have been intruded by Tertiary rocks identified as Monzonite porphyry to the west of the property with many prospects and historic mining. Much of the property is covered by alluvium, but silicified, iron stained jasperoids are found throughout the property where outcrops are exposed. Small gold anomalies occur in the upper plate rocks at Swales Mountain which suggests the possibility of more extensive deposits in the Roberts Mountains Formation where it lies concealed by gravels or in the broken rock within the Roberts Mountains thrust.

The term of the Agreement continues for ten (10) years, subject to the right to extend the Agreement for two (2) additional terms of ten (10) years each, and subject to an option to purchase 100% of the Property. Full consideration of the Agreement consists of the following: (i) an initial cash payment of $20,000.00 USD within 90 days upon execution of the agreement. (ii) $20,000.00 on the first anniversary of the effective date and any succeeding anniversary of the effective date while the Agreement remains in effect.

Nevada Canyon has the exclusive purchase option and right to acquire 100% ownership of the Property (the "Option"). The purchase price of the Property shall be USD $750,000.00 (the "Purchase Price"). The Purchase Price can be paid in either cash and/or equity of Nevada Canyon, or a combination thereof, at the election of the Vendor.

The Swales Property is located within the Carlin Trend, one of the richest mining districts in the world, and home to some of the largest gold mines in the USA. Held by private interests for most of its history, the Swales Property remains very underexplored with minimal modern-day exploration. Several factors demonstrate the exceptional potential of this relatively unexplored project for new discoveries of significant mineralization on several exploration targets.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Jeffrey A. Cocks"

Jeffrey A. Cocks

President & CEO

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Nevada Canyon Gold Corp.

(TEL)- (888) 909-5548, (FAX)-(888) 909-1033

Email: info@nevadacanyongold.com

Website: www. nevadacanyongold.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of exploration, delays in completing various engineering and exploration programs, Specifically, forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the potential mineralization and geological merits of the Company properties and various other factors beyond the Nevada Canyon Gold Corp.'s control. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events except as required by applicable securities legislation. Nevada Canyon Gold Corp. is neither an underwriter as the term is defined in Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, nor an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940. Nevada Canyon Gold Corp. is not an investment adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Nevada Canyon Gold Corp. is not registered with FINRA or SIPC. Investors are advised to carefully review the reports and documents that Nevada Canyon Gold Corp. files from time to time with the SEC, including its Annual Form 10K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, Quarterly and Current Reports.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108572
This acquisition strengthens Teleperformance's citizen lines of service, already active in the United States, UK, Continental Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Regulatory News:

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), a leading global group in digitally integrated business services, announced today that it has acquired Senture, a significant business process outsourcing (BPO) operator for government services in the United States, from Kingswood Capital Management, L.P. (Kingswood), a US private investment firm based in Los Angeles, California.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in London, Kentucky, with revenue of US$192 million and an adjusted EBITA margin of 16% (2021e), Senture offers a unique onshore citizen experience delivery model, well aligned with US government requirements.

Government services (Federal, State and Local) represent nearly 80% of Senture's revenue, while commercial healthcare support services represent the remaining portion. Senture's citizen support activities are specifically designed to handle queries in healthcare, education, transportation and social services.

For Teleperformance, the rationale of the acquisition is supported by three factors:

Teleperformance is pursuing its vertical specialization strategy by strengthening its citizen lines of service, already active in the United States, UK, Continental Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Africa; the acquisition is opening up new opportunities for growth in the US.

Senture benefits from sound financials, with strong top line growth and an EBITA margin above that of Teleperformance.

The operation is accretive to Teleperformance's earnings per share by around +5%.

The consideration for the transaction (enterprise value) is US$400 million. The acquisition is fully financed through debt. Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisors to Teleperformance in connection with the acquisition. Goodwin Procter LLP and Robert W. Baird Co. Incorporated acted as legal and financial advisors, respectively, to Senture and Kingswood in connection with the acquisition.

Teleperformance Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Julien, said: "Senture delivers critical services to a large number of clients in the high-potential government services market in the United States. It is a great organization with a growing onshore network of more than 4,500 advisers, of which 85% work from home. This acquisition will reinforce the Group's global leadership in the citizen lines of service vertical, which offers strong potential growth worldwide, notably in the US. It also positively impacts Teleperformance's profitability profile. This acquisition is consistent with Teleperformance's vertical specialization strategy."

"When completed, the deal will create immediate value for Teleperformance shareholders as it is expected to be accretive to earnings on a pro forma basis for 2021," he added

"Senture is a truly differentiated asset in the government BPO industry," said Alex Wolf, Managing Partner of Kingswood. "We are extremely grateful to Senture and its management team for their partnership and relentless execution under our ownership, which has resulted in significant growth, strengthened market positioning, and impressive diversification into new verticals. This investment is a perfect example of Kingswood's value-added, operational improvement strategy."

*Business Process Outsourcing

Conference call with analysts and investors

A conference call to discuss details of the transaction will be held on January 3rd, 2022 at 6:15 pm CEST.

Dial-in-number:

France: +33 1 70 37 71 66

United Kingdom: +44 33 0551 0200

USA: +1 212 999 6659

The webcast will be available live or for delayed viewing at:

https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/teleperformance/20220103_1/

The slides of the conference call will be available on the following link:

https://www.teleperformance.com/en-us/investors/publications-and-events/other-events/

Indicative investor calendar

2021 annual results: February 17, 2022

ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE GROUP

Teleperformance (TEP ISIN: FR0000051807 Reuters: TEPRF.PA Bloomberg: TEP FP), a leading global group in digitally integrated business services, serves as a strategic partner to the world's largest companies in many industries. It offers a One Office support services model combining three wide, high-value solution families: customer experience management, back-office services and business process knowledge services. These end-to-end digital solutions guarantee successful customer interaction and optimized business processes, anchored in a unique, comprehensive high tech, high touch approach. The Group's 380,000+ employees, based in 83 countries, support billions of connections every year in over 265 languages and over 170 markets, in a shared commitment to excellence as part of the "Simpler, Faster, Safer" process.This mission is supported by the use of reliable, flexible, intelligent technological solutions and compliance with the industry's highest security and quality standards, based on Corporate Social Responsibility excellence. In 2020, Teleperformance reported consolidated revenue of 5,732 million (US$6.5 billion, based on 1 $1.14) and net profit of 324 million.

Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: CAC 40, CAC Support Services, STOXX 600, S&P Europe 350 and MSCI Global Standard. In the area of corporate social responsibility, Teleperformance shares are included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index, the FTSE4Good index and the Solactive Europe Corporate Social Responsibility index (formerly Ethibel Sustainability Excellence Europe index).

For more information: www.teleperformance.com Follow us on Twitter: @teleperformance

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211228005136/en/

Contacts:

FINANCIAL ANALYSTS AND INVESTORS

Investor relations and financial

communication department

TELEPERFORMANCE

Tel: +33 1 53 83 59 15

investor@teleperformance.com

PRESS RELATIONS

Europe

Karine Allouis Leslie Jung-Isenwater Laurent Poinsot

IMAGE7

Tel: +33 1 53 70 74 70

teleperformance@image7.fr

PRESS RELATIONS

Americas and Asia-Pacific

Mark Pfeiffer

TELEPERFORMANCE

Tel: 1 801-257-5811

mark.pfeiffer@teleperformance.com
Spain also launched its hydrogen mobility program for commercial use for the first time in the country, and TSO Transgaz has called for an extraordinary meeting to endorse the company's plans to make investments in hydrogen, including joining the European Hydrogen Backbone group. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, meanwhile, announced that its liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, has departed from Kobe for Australia. It is set to return in February with what is expected to be the world's first international liquefied hydrogen delivery.Chilean development agency Corfo has selected six hydrogen ...

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 (dpa-AFX) - The Switzerland stock market recorded a fresh all-time high on Tuesday thanks to sustained buying at several frontline counters amid optimism the Omicron variant of the coronavirus will not derail global economic recovery.



The benchmark SMI ended with a gain of 103.63 points or 0.81% at 12,970.53, slightly off a new record high of 21,977.21.



Givaudan, Zurich Insurance Group, Nestle and SGS gained 1 to 1.5%. Partners Group, Roche Holding and Swiss Re moved up nearly 1%.



Sika gained about 0.9% and Novartis advanced 0.8%, while Geberit, Swiss Life Holding and ABB gained 0.6 to 0.0.7%. UBS Group and Credit Suisse posted modest gains.



In the Mid Price Index, VAT Group climbed 2.31%. Ems Chemie Holding, Galenica Sante, Temenos Group, PSP Swiss Property, Kuehne & Nagel, Helvetia and Adecco gained 1 to 1.6%.



Clariant gained about 0.5%. The specialty chemicals company announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire BASF Group's U.S. Attpulgite business assets for $60 million in cash.



Zur Rose declined 1.28%, while Lindt & Spruengli and Cembra Money Bank shed 0.64% and 0.45%, respectively.



In Switzerland, the number of new daily coronavirus infections has increased again after having dipped slightly ahead of the holiday season. The Federal Office of Public Health reported on Monday that the weekly average case count increased by 5%.



The public health office also said that Omicron dominates new infections accounting for 55% over the holiday weekend. On Monday, Swissmedic approved the use of the monoclonal antibody cocktail Ronapreve developed by Roche and Regeneron for use in the treatment and prevention of Covid-19. The agency has also given the nod for the Janssen booster shot.



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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With rising Covid-19 cases in the U.S, many airlines are feeling the brunt, with many flights being canceled and the suggestion from infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci that only vaccinated people must embark on domestic air travel has added to their woes.



According to reports, as a result of these travel problems, many people were stranded at airports as their flights were canceled and there was confusion over what to do next.



Airlines across the U.S and the world have been facing staff issues since many weeks with the omicron variant spreading rapidly. As the variant is known to be highly infectious, more and more people are falling sick with Covid-19.



According to reports, the average number of new U.S cases over the past week has risen more than 55 percent to 205,000 per day.



Even though Fauci recommended a vaccine mandate for domestic travel, the U.S President Joe Biden has not yet supported the plan. Biden was in favor of reducing quarantine times and the Center for Disease Control had on Monday reduced the quarantine recommendations to five-days of isolation.



Along with the Omicron variant, weather issues further disrupted the travel plans for many travelers. According to Reuters, snowy weather in the Pacific Northwest led to major disruptions, with 90 flight arrivals being canceled at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport itself.



News reports also circulated of more impending travel bans and the postponement of the Davos economic forum, which will affect business travel in general. The Davos Economic forum will most likely be moved online.



In other cases, sporting events were also canceled, with many countries bringing back strong lockdown measures.



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Shown is the wreckage of a small cargo plane after it crashed just south of Fulshear last Tuesday, Dec. 21. The plane's pilot and the paraglider it collided with died in the crash. (Photo from Twitter)
MITH: Crystal Flowers and Silver Sparkles in Thailand

Fragrance Reviews

On the eve of New Year's and Christmas, the Thai brand MITH solemnly, with special pathos, announces the launch of two new products: Silver Sparkle and Crystal Flower. Why are they so wonderful? Firstly, they were released for the sixth anniversary of the brand (last year we wrote about the OWN collection, created for the fifth anniversary). Secondly, an updated luxurious design was created for the perfumes; and thirdly, the founder of the brand, Jutinat Piyaweerawong, proudly notes that these fragrances for his small Thai brand were created by leading perfumers of Firmenich, Nathalie Lorson and Hamid Merati-Kashani.

Yes, the very same perfumers who created fragrances for Fragrance du Bois, Parfums de Marly, M.INT, Emirates Pride, Initio Parfums (Hamid Merati-Kashani) and for Bentley, Boucheron, Chopard, Dolce & Gabbana, Jil Sander, Lalique, Lancome, Maison Violet, Yves Saint-Laurent (Nathalie Lorson). They created perfumes for niche and luxury brands with prices ranging from 100 to 300+ euros per bottle. With such high-quality compositions made by star perfumers, Jutinat could sell his fragrances for much more, but he deliberately keeps prices low due to low purchasing power in Thailand (60 ml bottle of daytime perfume costs 1559 baht, about 47 USD).

Yes, Firmenich, Givaudan and IFF create fragrances for Avon, Oriflame, Adidas, and Zara as well, but these brands are counting on international distribution. According to the brand managers of perfume companies, no Thai brand has ever ordered such expensive perfume compositions from them.



I am often asked whether it is profitable to trade at such a price? Do I want to make money at all? I answer that we do not trade at a loss, we are in the black. I just want shoppers to get the most for their money. Of course, we could sell our fragrances for a higher price. But I want Thais to have the opportunity to wear good and high quality fragrances, created by the best perfumers in the world.

 Jutinat Piyaweerawong



Silver Sparkle

The Silver Sparkle fragrance by Nathalie Lorson became the brand's best-selling fragrance in just a month  it's constantly in short supply. The scent of MITH's 6th Anniversary Party is a Western-style New Year's Eve, with sparkling icy champagne, sparkling lights, sparklers and glittering snowy patterns.

The minimalist freshness, bright fresh radiance on a musky base  which Jutinat conceived  was embodied by the perfumer with the help of a modern fougere structure. This fragrance, or rather, its individual chords, you could meet in various masculine fougeres of the previous years; in Silver Sparkle Mith you can find the clink of Davidoff, Yves Saint-Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Lanvin, Creed, by Kilian fragments and even the white musk of Another 13, which Nathalie Lorson created for Le Labo.

Coriander and citruses, icy gin, undefined wet greenery and transparent flowers, frosty metal and dry wood, cold powder and a white musky sillage  that's what Silver Sparkle smells like. The fragrance is not at all unique, but after a 125-year history of fougere fragrances, it is simple and understandable. As fresh as state-of-the-art shaving foam and exceptionally long-lasting as deodorant for 24 hours. I would recommend it to men who dream of expensive Vodka On The Rocks by Kilian  an extremely adequate replacement.

Silver Sparkle Mith

Top notes: Lemon, Pink Grapefruit, Coriander, Aldehydes, Cucumber, Lime and Juniper Berries;

Middle notes: Champagne Accord, Lily, Iris, Rhubarb, Rose and Pear;

Base notes: Ambroxan, White Musk, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Iso E Super, Ambrette and Amyl Salicylate.





Crystal Flower

The brand just launched its second holiday fragrance, Crystal Flower, on December 22. It is also created in a minimalist fresh style, but being a white flower fragrance, it is more intended for women.

The name suggests the graceful transparency and refined purity of this fragrance. In full accordance with this, Crystal Flower opens with a contrast of floral aquatic and pure white accords of powder and musk; in addition, a juicy sweet peach colors the fragrance in soft, golden-beige colors. Elegant, simple and sophisticated.

Also very familiar! It's impossible not to recognize this profile  peach, magnolia, freesia, Hedione jasmine, musk  you've smelled it too often. This is one of the feminine and fresh young nieces of the same J'Adore Dior diva, with a more interesting and delicate lily-of-the-valley and without the sweet melon and green shade of Envy Gucci, but the family ties are hard to miss.

Crystal Flower Mith

Top notes: Peach and Orange;

Middle notes: Freesia, Jasmine, Magnolia and Pink Rose;

Base notes: White Musk, Cedar and Amber.



* * *



The perfume brand MITH will celebrate 6 years since the founding of the company throughout 2022. As a result, a collection of six fragrances will be created, in collaboration with renowned perfumers from leading perfume corporations. To be honest, I can't wait to get the chance to try them. And I hope that they will be more original than the first two.

MITH fragrances are available on the official website and the brand's own boutiques in Eau de Parfum concentration; 60 ml bottles cost only 1559 THB, which is less than 50 USD. (In addition, there are 10 ml travel bottles at 599 baht.) They could be great New Year's gifts; it's a pity that there is no international delivery other than DHL...
Christian Brothers Automotive Announces Signed Agreement in Covington, Louisiana

Local Entrepreneur Bringing Trusted Car Service and Repair Brand to Covington

December 28, 2021 // Franchising.com // COVINGTON, La. - Christian Brothers Automotive is putting more guests in the drivers seat when it comes to making decisions on auto services and repair as the brand announced today a signed agreement that will bring a new location to Covington, Louisiana.

Owned by local residents turned entrepreneurs, the new shop marks the dawn of a new day for car care in Covington with a refreshing guiding principle accompanying the approach Christian Brothers Automotive takes with its guests: Love your neighbor as yourself. Beyond just exemplary auto service, the brand takes a close interest in the health of its guests vehicles by approaching auto repair work with transparency, integrity and compassion.

The Covington location will be Christian Brother Automotives fourth shop in Louisiana, situated off of Highway 21 between St. Tammany Hospital and I-12.

At the foundation of our services is the understanding of how to build confidence with our consumers and earn their trust in us as aftermarket automotive professionals. With this signed agreement, were focused on providing a better experience for more guests in Covington, said Donnie Carr, President and CEO of Christian Brothers Automotive. Im confident that the franchisees passion for providing quality service makes them the perfect fit for the Covington community.

Founded in Houston, Texas in 1982, Christian Brothers Automotive has successfully changed the way guests think about the auto service experience. From the waiting room environment of each shop, which feels more like a well-appointed family room in a home, to the hassle-free interaction with shop owners and managers, Christian Brothers Automotive provides guests with an informative and comforting assurance.

Christian Brothers Automotive offers a wide array of services, from simple upkeep and maintenance to preventative services addressing issues that would otherwise require more expensive repair and replacement down the road.

SOURCE Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation

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An Albany man has been charged in Linn County Circuit Court with two counts of attempted second-degree assault and possession of a hoax destructive device after he allegedly wielded a machete and threatened law enforcement officers on Thursday morning near Sweet Home.

Kirk Dee Ferguson, 40, also was accused of two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of menacing on Monday afternoon, Dec. 27, according to Oregons online court database.

The incident reportedly occurred at 8:26 a.m. in the 1000 block of North River Drive, according to police logs.

Linn County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call about a man, armed with several various bladed weapons, who was making threats to people. When deputies and assisting Sweet Home Police Department officers arrived on the scene, the man threatened them and brandished a machete, according to police logs.

Ferguson was lodged in the Linn County Jail and his initial bail was set at $36,000. He also had two warrants for failure to appear, according to the Linn County Jail website.

In August, Ferguson was charged in Linn County Circuit Court with initiating a false report and second-degree disorderly conduct, according to Oregons online court database. LCSO also investigated that case, which remains open.

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The fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 is pushing new cases up in Oregon, though not as steeply as other parts of the nation.

Weekly new cases of COVID-19 in Oregon were up 25% Monday compared to a week ago, according to the Oregon Health Authority. That's a big jump for the state, but less than the more than 60% increase nationwide.

The report comes as the world approaches the two-year anniversary on Friday of the first report of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

To date, there have been over 281 million infections worldwide, leading to 5.4 million deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The United States has the highest number of fatal cases of any nation, just over 817,000.

Since Oregon's first case was reported in February of 2020, the health authority says there have been 414,140 cases and 5,623 deaths in Oregon.

Oregon officials are waiting for a new forecast from the Oregon Health & Science University that will contain more recent data on the impact of omicron in other states and nations.

A key number  the percentage of tests that come back positive  rose to 9% in Oregon from 5% last week. Epidemiologists have said throughout the pandemic that anything above 5% creates the possibility of exponential growth of the virus.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

The measure of omicron's impact is made more difficult by a collection of current circumstances and trends. OHA did not report new cases for four days over the Christmas weekend, and will also not report counts over the New Year's weekend.

Official testing has fallen off both in Oregon and nationwide during the winter holiday season. Part of the reason may also be the growing popularity of home fast-test kits that can report a result in about 15 minutes.

While less accurate than the laboratory tests that can take two days or more before a report is available. Many pharmacies in Oregon report they have sold out the kits, which cost about $25 for two tests in each pack.

The delta variant continues to top COVID-19 case counts in Oregon, but for the first time in several weeks it is not the only variant to hit the charts.

Omicron officially has accounted for just under 17% of new infections in cases surveyed by OHA during the week of Dec. 5.

But the sequencing of the virus make-up can take over a week, creating a lag time between signs of its presence in climbing caseloads, but yet to be confirmed by lab results.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 25 new deaths and 3,585 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The data covered four days, from Thursday to Sunday as reported by county health agencies between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26.

A number being watched closely to gauge the severity of the omicron virus is hospitalizations.

On Monday, hospitals across Oregon reported 381 COVID-19 patients, an increase of 23 from Sunday's total. COVID-19 patients were in 94 intensive care unit beds, up two from Sunday.

Oregon has 56 available adult ICU beds out of 649 total  about 9% availability. There are 311 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,082, or about 8% availability.

Scientists have been watching the fast-moving variant as it spread from South Africa to Europe and the United States. Studies of the variant offer hope that while it will drive up case numbers beyond earlier spikes last winter and the arrival of delta in July, the severity of this incarnation of COVID-19 may be less severe than its predecessors.

Oregon Health & Science University originally forecast on Dec. 17 that hospitalizations in Oregon could top 3,000. But it revised the figure to 1,200 in its report last week based on additional data from Europe and the eastern United States.

The forecast still shows the number of cases rising sharply to a peak around Feb. 9 and then descending equally fast. The sheer number of new infections caused by omicron will push Oregon's hospitals to the brink of collapse, OHSU reported.

Hospitals are already feeling the impact of even the moderate rise in cases so far.

"Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain," OHA's report said on Monday.

Nine states and Puerto Rico have topped 100 cases per 100,000 residents, according to a running tally updated daily by the New York Times. Washington, D.C., has seen cases grow six-fold over the past two weeks. New York's reported cases have more than doubled and have reached a daily average of 32,566.

Some states with relatively low case counts are seeing sharp increases. Cases are up 964% over the past two weeks in Hawaii, and Florida reported an 818% rise. Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama saw their numbers more than double from levels below the national average.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that just under 62% of all Americans  over 205 million people  have had two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. While 66 million people have had a booster shot, another 66 million remain totally unvaccinated. Both figures are about 22% of the population.

The numbers are shifting toward more protection, with the CDC reporting an average of just over 1.03 million shots put in arms every day.

Older adults, who are at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, are getting vaccinated at a higher rate than the general public. CDC says 57% of adults 65 and older who have been vaccinated have also received a booster. Only 35% of the entire population has been vaccinated and had a booster.

With OHSU forecasting that the omicron variant spike will peak on Feb. 9, the Legislature is considering its options for the 2022 session, which begins Feb. 1 and ends 35 days later.

Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek issued a statement regarding possible impacts of Omicron on the short session:

"The new forecast from OHSU is concerning. It is too early to tell what impact the Omicron variant will have on the February session. We continue to consult infectious disease doctors and public health experts to keep Oregonians safe while ensuring strong public participation in the legislative process.
English French

Press release

Paris La Defense, 27 December, 2021

Diversification of the Group's sources of sustainable biomass

Albioma has acquired the La Granaudiere wood pellet production plant located in the Canadian province of Quebec. This transaction, marking the culmination of a process organised by Raymond Chabot in its capacity as official receiver, will diversify the Group's sources of sustainable biomass supplies, supplementing the existing portfolio of contracts with top-tier international suppliers.

Ideally positioned to supply the Group's Caribbean power plants, this facility produces SBP-certified pellets from wood waste or low-grade wood from certified sustainably managed forests1.

The transaction also includes a long-term agreement granting access to a 45,000-tonne pellet storage facility in the Port of Quebec, as well as raw material supply guarantees issued by Quebec's Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP).

The plant, which has been out of service since July 2021, concomitantly with the receivership procedure, is due to be recommissioned in early 2022, with its nominal annual production capacity of 200,000 tonnes being achieved following some additional investments.

Frederic Moyne, Albioma's Chairman and CEO, comments: "We extend a warm welcome to the staff at La Granaudiere, as they bring their expertise to Albioma. Through this transaction, which will enable us to produce pellets to very strict sustainability requirements, Albioma is renewing and stepping up its commitment to the energy transition in Overseas France. Supplementing locally-sourced biomass, to which priority will naturally be given in order to stimulate the circular economy, this diversified supply is essential, ensuring that we are able to continuously generate renewable energy in non-interconnected areas."

1 FSC or SFI (PEFC) certification

Next on the agenda: Full-year results for the 2021 financial year, on 2 March 2022 (before trading).

About Albioma Contacts An independent renewable energy producer, Albioma is committed to the energy transition thanks to biomass and photovoltaics.



Albioma operates in Overseas France, France metropolitan, Mauritius and Brazil. For 25 years, it has developed a unique partnership with the sugar industry to produce renewable energy from bagasse, the fibrous residue of sugar cane.



Albioma is the leading producer of photovoltaic energy in Overseas France, where the company builds and operates innovative projects with storage, Albioma has strengthened its position in mainland France.



Recently, the Group announced the acquisition of a geothermal power plant in Turkey. Investor

Julien Gauthier

+33 (0)1 47 76 67 00



Media

Charlotte Neuvy

+33 (0)1 47 76 66 65

presse@albioma.com Albioma is listed on the Euronext Paris compartment A, is eligible for the deferred settlement service (SRD), PEA and PEA-PME plans and is included in the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60.



The Group is also included in the Gaia-Index, an index for socially responsible midcaps. www.albioma.com









1 FSC or SFI (PEFC) certification

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IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plutos Sama Holdings, Inc. (PSH) announced that it has been [tentatively] successful in squashing Platinum Fortune, LPs (Platinum) petition to dismiss a cause of action in which PSH alleges Platinum, along with other defendants, engaged in bribery and other methods in violation of the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and various other federal and state law claims to usurp PSHs rightful beneficial rights to SHNT Ltd. and Jagex Ltd. The original lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on January 21, 2021, and is captioned Plutos Sama Holdings, Inc. v. Jagex et al. case #8:2021cv00133.



PSH is a private equity company in the business of taking control positions in domestic and international distressed and contentious residential and commercial real estate ventures, micro-lending, securitizations, law firms, restaurants, mortgage servicing platforms, and eSports.

The defendant, Platinum, argued that alleged RICO Act violations (referred to in the lawsuit as the third cause of action) should be dismissed because PSH failed to provide the necessary particularity required under Rule 9(b), and does not allege any overt acts committed by Platinum in furtherance of the conspiracy, or that Platinum agreed to participate in a RICO conspiracy. To satisfy the Rule 9(b) standard, RICO complaints must allege: (1) the precise statements, documents, or misrepresentations made; (2) the time and place of and person responsible for the statement; (3) the content and manner in which the statements misled the plaintiffs; and (4) what the defendants gained by the alleged fraud.

In response to Platinums motion to dismiss, the plaintiff PSH asserted that the contentions are sufficient to allege that Platinum agreed to participate in a conspiracy, and that allegations of an agreement to participate in the broader conspiracy involving the commission of predicate acts is sufficient to establish a violation of section 1962(d), which provides liability for those who have conspired to violate RICOs other substantive sections.

In a  Tentative Order Regarding Motion to Dismiss  issued on December 17, 2021, the US District Court for the Central District of California stated that PSH elaborated significantly on certain allegations of specific activities, which support the inference that Platinum agreed to participate in a conspiracy in violation of RICO laws by attempting to acquire Jagex while concealing the true source of funding for the transaction.

Specifically, the Court held that these allegations establish that Belle Liu [a representative of a Platinum limited partner called Huang] knowingly sent at least two emails claiming that the source of funds for Platinums attempted purchase of Jagex came from a third-party, instead of from Yan Jinggang [Jagexs former closely held owner] in an effort to conceal the funding source from Plutos and outside lawyers and bankers. The allegations include the dates the emails were sent, who they were sent to, what the subject matter was, and why Liu allegedly misled the recipients about the true source of funds. This is adequate to allege that Liu committed two violations of the wire fraud statute. The allegations also state that Liu did so with the knowledge and approval of Huang, Platinums limited partner, and Zhu, another agent acting on behalf of Huang. As a distinct legal entity, Platinum is not coextensive with Huang or his agents, but in this case there is sufficient evidence to infer that Platinum agreed to the conspiracy. Plutos alleged specific activities that support the inference that Platinum agreed to participate in a conspiracy in violation of RICO by attempting to acquire Jagex while concealing the true source of the funding.

In light of these findings, the Court found that Plutos did indeed allege facts with sufficient particularity to state a claim under 18 U.S.C.  1962(d) against Platinum, and subsequently Platinums motion to dismiss was tentatively denied.

We are pleased with the Courts tentative ruling with a detailed and complete rejection of Platinums motion to dismiss on the RICO counts only, commented a spokesperson from PSH. Filing motions to dismiss are standard operating procedure for virtually all civil RICO cases, and many of these motions are successful. And in cases where the appellate courts address a RICO matter, the majority of rulings are for the defendants. RICO claims must meet very strict requirements, and plaintiffs that allege a violation of RICO laws must be prepared to justify their claims with detailed, precise and unambiguous evidence  which is precisely what the Court has tentatively stated we have done. We remain very confident in the merits of our case and look forward to moving this litigation ahead expeditiously and appropriately.

FOR MEDIA CONTACT: info@plutossama.com

Plutos Sama Holdings, Inc.

Plutos Sama Holdings, Inc. is a private equity company in the business of taking control positions in domestic and international distressed and contentious residential and commercial real estate ventures, micro-lending, securitizations, law firms, restaurants, mortgage servicing platforms, and eSports.

For more information, visit www.plutosholdings.com.

Certain information set forth in this presentation contains forward-looking information, including future oriented financial information and financial outlook, under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements of the Company including with respect to future M&A activity and global growth and completion of the Companys and its partners projects including any required approvals from the regulatory bodies governing sale and shareholder ratification that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand managements beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/71f1004b-5afb-4e55-a77a-012b5dd2b898
Riverdale, NJ, Dec. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A 2019 study conducted by researchers from the University of Utahs Department of Atmospheric Sciences found a statistically significant correlation between air pollution and school absences.

Over 135 million Americans  more than 40% of the population  are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution on a day-to-day basis in their communities. According to the National Lung Association, exposure to unsafe air and the health threats associated with it disproportionately affects people of color and low-income families.

Schools in low-income communities are often built on the cheapest plots of land available, placing them next to high traffic roads and in other high-risk areas for excessive pollution levels. Since school funding is allocated based on property taxes within the school zone, schools serving low-income families do not have adequate resources to upgrade their HVAC systems to accommodate the high-efficiency air filtration solutions that would protect students.

Utah Study Found Link Between Particulate Matter and School Absences

A 2019 study conducted by researchers from the University of Utahs Department of Atmospheric Sciences found a statistically significant correlation between air pollution and school absences. Even minor increases in levels of PM2.5 in the air in the Salt Lake City School District in Utah were linked to increases in school absences the following day.

While this correlation does not prove a causal relationship, the finding aligns with other research on the topic conducted before and since the University of Utahs study.

What is Particulate Matter?

Often abbreviated to PM1, PM2.5, or PM10, these microscopic particles suspended in the air are known to cause damage to human health as well as industrial equipment and processes. Particulate matter can be made out of anything.

PM is classified by the measurement of their diameter in microns. Different classifications of particulate matter affect different parts of the body in different ways and require different filtration solutions. A micron, or a micrometer, is a unit of measurement equalling one-millionth of a meter, or one-thousandth of a millimeter. For reference, there are 25400 microns in an inch.

PM10 are inhalable particles with a diameter of ten microns or less. PM2.5 are inhalable particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less. This type of particulate matter is often referred to as fine particulate matter. PM1 are inhalable particles with a diameter of 1 micron or less.

To get an idea of just how small particulate matter is:

A strand of human hair averages 70 microns in diameter

A sheet of copy paper is usually 100 microns thick

A grain of pollen typically falls in the range of 10 to 40 microns in diameter



Benefits of using high efficiency air filters in schools

Why Is Air Quality in Schools So Bad?

While the geographical location is responsible for a portion of the airborne pollutants that affect children in schools, school buildings themselves are major sources of indoor air pollution. 2014 survey data by the National Center for Education Statistics found that the average age of schools main buildings was 55 years old. This means that the average school was built in the late 1950s to early 1960s.

Old buildings are prone to radon gas and asbestos fumes, which are both extreme health threats. Additionally, architecture during this period was designed to keep outdoor air outside  thick insulation, tight seals around windows and doors, and vapor barriers. But this also seals indoor pollutants inside.

Indoor air pollution originates from a range of sources, including:

Cleaning chemicals and air fresheners.

Printers, copying machines, or other equipment that uses large quantities of ink.

Furniture, especially inexpensive furniture, emits formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals.

Students, teachers, staff, and visitors, who bring in allergens and particulate matter from outdoor sources on their clothes, as well as shedding tens of thousands of skin cells every minute, which contributes to dust buildup.

Excessive moisture.

Mold, mildew, and other pathogens and microbes.

Studies by the EPA have also shown that areas where lots of people gather, such as cafeterias and gyms in schools, are five times more polluted than other areas.

The Implications of Air Pollution on Education

The impact of air pollution on education as a whole goes beyond a few missed school days at the individual level. In many states, state aid to schools is allocated based on attendance records. Excessive absences due to air pollution can seriously affect childrens education overall due to cut funding, even if they themselves have not missed school due to pollution-related sickness.

In addition to the physical health threats that polluted air poses to developing lungs as well as adult lungs, polluted air is linked to decreased productivity, decreased cognitive ability, moodiness, and irritability. These factors affect students and teachers. Overall, polluted air greatly affects the education of American children.



Media Contact:

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

https://www.camfil.com/en-us/

T: 888.599.6620

E: Lynne.Laake@camfil.com

F: Friend Camfil USA on Facebook

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Ref: https://cleanair.camfil.us/2021/09/23/camfil-air-filter-experts-explain-pm-2-5-and-new-research-from-harvard-t-h-chan-school-of-public-health-highlights-the-importance-of-indoor-air-quality-and-proper-ventilation/

Attachment
English Lithuanian

SBA Group company Utenos Trikotazas and the State Investment Management Agency (VIVA), which manages the Business Assistance Fund, have signed a financing agreement worth EUR 2.8 million. The fund will purchase the companys bonds for EUR 2.3 million and will provide another EUR 500 thousand in the form of a loan. The financing is for a period of 6 years.



Recently, we have experienced positive changes in the textile export markets - contract manufacturing is growing, and Utenos Trikotazas is working at full capacity. However, like most industrial sectors we are challenged by the effect of the cost of raw materials, labour and energy costs on our performance. The ongoing global pandemic inevitably has its effects too. The agreement with VIVA will help ensure the sustainable development and expansion of the company, says Petras Jasinskas, head of Utenos Trikotazas.

The financing will allow us to balance the companys financial flows in a short period of time and continue investments in a planned and uninterrupted manner, and it will ensure greater stability in planning future development prospects. The financing has been granted for a period of 6 years, but the company will have the opportunity to repay the borrowed funds earlier, said Dainius Vilcinskas, director-general of VIVA.

According to Mr Jasinskas, the next strategic step is to rebalance the assortment of both fabrics and production Utenos Trikotazas is offering to the market, focusing exclusively on innovative complex products of higher added value. To achieve this, the company's functions have been reorganised with development and innovation-oriented teams focused on efficient work.

Our competitive advantage is our strong track record in global textile innovation, and we are committed to growing our technology and innovation department and its competencies, expanding our team and strengthen our leadership in the production of exclusive textiles. This requires maximum focus and speed, which the funding will help us regain, adds Mr Jasinskas.

In the first 9 months of 2021, Utenos Trikotazas sold orders and provided services valued at 19.9 million euros, which is 8.4 % more than during the same period in 2020, when the companys sales amounted to 18.3 million euros.

More information:

Zivile Jonaityte

CFO, Utenos Trikotazas AB

Mob.: +370 686 51938

Email: zivile.jonaityte@ut.lt
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global cannabis market size is expected to reach USD 128.92 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 26.19% during the forecast period. Various research activities on genetic development and modification of the cannabis plant, developments in legal rights on creation of cannabis and manifestation of medicinal properties of cannabis are the factors that impelling the growth of cannabis market during the forecast period. Whereas, complicated regulatory structure for cannabis usage is impeding the growth of cannabis market. Like other regions, Asia pacific is also found in legalization process of cannabis. Thus, they are expected to generate huge opportunities in this region., states Vantage Market Research, in a report, titled Cannabis Market, By Product Type (Flowers, Concentrates, and Others), By Application (Medical, and Recreational), By Compound (Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabidiol (CBD), and Balanced THC & CBD), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa) - Global Industry Assessment (2016 - 2021) & Forecast (2022 - 2028). The market size valued at USD 20.05 billion in 2020.



Click Here To Access The Free Sample Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/cannabis-market-1098/request-sample

(The Free Sample Of This Report Is Readily Available On Request).

Our Free Sample Reports Includes:

In-depth Industry Analysis, Introduction, Overview, and COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak.

Impact Analysis 130+ Pages Research Report (Including latest research).

Provide chapter-wise guidance on request 2020 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Trends, Size, & Share, Includes Updated List of figures and tables.

Updated Report Includes Major Market Players with their Sales Volume, Business Strategy and Revenue Analysis by using VMR research methodology.

(Please note that the sample of this report has been updated to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.)

Market Overview :

Legalization will Impact the Demand for Cannabis

Cannabis is a stiff upright stem plant and basically used as a drug. It is legalized in many countries because of its high medical usage. Cannabis has various health benefits such as controls and reduces epileptic seizures, helps people suffering from PTSD, protects a brain after a stroke, relieves rheumatoid arthritis, alleviates the side effects of chemotherapy. All these benefits are accelerating the growth of cannabis market in the near future. Many governments give an approval for the production and selling of cannabis in the market which in turn improves the cannabis global market demand in the coming years. For example, recently, Australian government allowed cannabis producers to export medical cannabis and its products to the global market.

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected various industries worldwide. The Cannabis Market is no exception. Governments across the world took severe actions like border seals, lockdown, and implementing strict social distancing measures, in order to stop swift spread of COVID-19. These actions led to severe impact on the global economy impairing various industries. The impact of COVID-19 on the market demand is considered while estimating the current and forecast market size and growth trends of the market for all the regions and countries based on the following data-points:

Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Quarterly Market Revenue Forecast by Region 2020 & 2021 Key Strategies Undertaken by Companies to Tackle COVID-19 Long Term Dynamics Short Term Dynamics

Important questions answered in this report:

What is the estimated market size and growth rate of the Cannabis Market?

Which segments are included in the Cannabis Market?

Which top companies are active in the Cannabis Market?

What are the major driving factors for the growth of the Cannabis Market?

How can I get free sample reports or study of Cannabis Market?



Read Full Research Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/cannabis-market-1098

The Report on Cannabis Market Highlights:

Assessment of the market

Company Profiles

Premium Insights

Competitive Landscape

Historic Data, Estimates and Forecast

COVID Impact Analysis

Global and Regional Dynamics



Cannabis Demand for Recreational and Medical Application Fuels North America Market

North America is accounted to dominate the growth of cannabis market during the forecast period. This is owing to the increasing demand of cannabis for recreational and medical application. In addition to this, many industry players are concentrating on the development of cannabis in the region, thus helping to fuel the cannabis market demand in the region. For example, Aphria Inc., and Tilray, Inc., Canadian pharmaceutical and cannabis companies, signed an agreement to combine their businesses and create the worlds largest cannabis company. Together, they provide low-cost cultivation, processing, and manufacturing facilities with branded cannabis in Canada. Also, Tilray, Inc., a global pioneer in medical cannabis research, launched the medical cannabis edibles in THC and CBD-rich varieties of chocolates and soft chew gummies.

Advantages of this Research:

Evaluate market share for commercial Cannabis market opportunities, track market size, competitive drug sales, synthesis insights for commercial development and licensing.

Develop tactics and strategies to take advantage of opportunities in the Cannabis market.

Latest Trends and Market Events and analyze essential events in Cannabis market.

Develop an in-depth knowledge of competition and analyze sales data to update your brand planning trackers.

Answer vital business questions; supports decision making in R&D to long term marketing strategies.

Develop economic models, forecast models, and healthcare frameworks.

List of Prominent Players in the Cannabis Market:

SR. NO. COMPANY HEADQUARTER 1. Tilray Toronto, Canada 2. Canopy Growth Corp. Smiths Falls, Canada 3. GW Pharmaceuticals PLC Cambridge, United Kingdom 4. Aurora Cannabis Inc. Edmonton, Canada 5. Aphria Inc. Toronto, Canada 6. MedReLeaf Corp. Toronto, Canada 7. CV sciences Inc. California, United States 8. Delta 9 Cannabis Winnipeg, Canada 9. Cannimed Therapeutics Inc. Saskatoon, Canada 10. Vivo Cannabis Greater Napanee, Canada

Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on "Cannabis Market by Product Type (Flowers, Concentrates, Others), by Application (Medical, Recreational), by Compound (Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-dominant, Cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant, Balanced THC & CBD), by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa) - Global Industry Assessment (2016 - 2021) & Forecast (2022 - 2028)" View detailed Table of Content here - https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/press-release/cannabis-market-037806

Recent Development:

October 2021: Canopy Growth announced the acquisition of Wana Brands, which is cannabis edibles brand in North America.

April 2021: Canopy Growth announced the acquisition of The Supreme Cannabis Company.

December 2021: Tilray, Inc. announced that its medical subsidiary, Aphria, has launched medical cannabis oral strips in THC and CBD-rich varieties.

This market titled Cannabis Market will cover exclusive information in terms of Geographic Segmentation, Regional Analysis, Forecast, and Quantitative Date  Units, Key Market Trends, and various others as mentioned below:

Report Attribute Details Market Size 2020 Value USD 20.05 Billion Market Forecast for 2028 USD 128.92 Billion Expected CAGR Growth CAGR of 26.19% from 2021 to 2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016  2019 Forecast Years 2021  2028 Segments Covered Product Type Flowers Concentrates Other product types

Application Medical Recreational

Compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabidiol (CBD) Balanced THC & CBD

Quantitative Data - Units Revenue in USD Million/Billion and CAGR from 2021 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Number of Companies Covered 10 companies with scope for including additional 15 companies upon request Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porters five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis.

To Know An Additional Revised 2020 List Of Market Players, Request A Sample Report: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/cannabis-market-1098/request-sample

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CHICAGO, Dec. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- nuEra, one of Illinois' only vertically integrated cannabis companies wholly owned and operated within Illinois, proudly announces the Grand Opening of its newest dispensary this Friday, Dec. 31, in Aurora, Illinois. Operating hours this week are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. with Grand Opening hours on Thursday and Friday to be 10 a.m.-9 p.m. nuEra Aurora is located at 1415 Corporate Blvd. right next to Chicago Premium Outlets Mall and 420 feet from Exit 119B, Farnsworth Rd.

The Grand Opening event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Mayor of Aurora and other special guests. nuEra has completely renovated the location for a convenient, fun, and easy retail experience. nuEra Aurora will offer online pre-ordering for adults 21 and older and is technology-enabled with kiosks for quick ordering for walk-ins. Pre-orders can be made at nueracannabis.com/aurora-adult-use-menu/.

"We are excited to bring our nuEra-branded products to Aurora, including our High Times 2021 Cannabis Cup first-place product 'Dubble Joint,'" said Jonah Rapino, nuEra's Marketing Director. The dispensary will also have hundreds of other products available for customers 21+. "We are preparing an amazing menu with an incredible array of products from Illinois' best producers  flower, cartridges, edibles, and more. There will be something for everyone, and our budtenders are ready to educate and assist," he added.

nuEra was a pioneer in the Illinois cannabis market and has been serving the Illinois medical cannabis community since 2015 with locations in Chicago, Urbana, and East Peoria, where many Illinois residents have already been patients and customers for years. nuEra also operates two additional Adult-Use-only dispensaries in Pekin and Champaign, Illinois.

The company added 22 new positions to prepare for the onset of Adult-Use sales at its new locations and generated a large number of construction and other ancillary jobs for work designing the store's exterior and interior to safely accommodate customers. At this time, the organization is following COVID guidelines for IDPH. Customers are required to wear masks and must maintain proper social distancing while shopping in-store.

nuEra is also committed to giving back to the community in a variety of ways. Since full-legalization in January 2020, nuEra has been sourcing a majority of its staff from Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs), hiring interns and apprentices from Cannabis Studies programs at City Colleges of Chicago and, whenever possible, partnering with minority- and women-owned businesses for ancillary services. Most recently, nuEra Hillcrest Cultivation recently donated $100,000 to Illinois Valley Community College's cannabis production certificate program, and nuEra Dispensaries have donated over $370,000 to the Social Equity Cannabis Business Development Fund, which will be used to support new Social Equity Cannabis license holders in Illinois via low-interest loans and other programs.

Find out more about nuEra at www.nueracannabis.com.

Media Contact

Jonah Rapino - Director of Marketing

jrapino@nueracannabis.com

(773) 687-8480

Related Images











Image 1: nuEra Aurora





nuEra Aurora Dispensary Grand Opening









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
Visiongain has published a new report on Antinuclear Antibody Test Market Report to 2031. Market is segmented by product/services (reagents & assay kits, system, software & services), by application (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogrens syndrome, scleroderma, other), by techniques (ELISA, immunofluorescence assay, multiplex assay, others), by end user (hospitals, clinical laboratories, others). By region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa). The report includes detailed profiles of leading antinuclear antibody test market players. PLUS COVID-19 Recovery Scenarios.

Download Exclusive Sample of Report @ https://www.visiongain.com/report/antinuclear-antibody-test-market/#download_sampe_div

The study covers detailed and insightful chapters on market overview, market segments, new developments, competitive landscape, strategic recommendations, key company analysis, market opportunities, pricing analysis, gap analysis, porters 5 forces model, company profiling, geographical analysis, and analytical overview of the market. Increasing incidence of autoimmune diseases and supporting government initiatives are some of the factors driving the growth of Antinuclear Antibody Test market.

COVID-19 Impact on the Global Antinuclear Antibody Test Market

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively hit the antinuclear antibody test market due to the series of lockdown and stern social distancing rules across the globe. The global COVID-19 cases on 7th December 2020 were 67.5 million with 1.5 million fatalities, as per the Worldometers. There was complete halt in the production of the reagents & assay kits, system, software & services owing to the strict lockdowns in China, India, and other major countries of EU. Even after the unlocking of the global economies there was significant reduction in the ELISA, immunofluorescence assay, multiplex assay and other antinuclear antibody test in major hospitals, and clinical laboratories. Patients from around the globe have been performing antinuclear antibody test only in emergencies due to strict social distancing norms and fear of getting infected from the COVID-19. However, the success of the COVID-19 vaccines in the clinical trials and the positive sentiments around the globe, boosted the global antinuclear antibody test market.

Market Driver

Increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases

The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is a primary test to diagnose suspected autoimmune disorder. The ANA test may be positive or rule out different conditions with similar sign & symptoms. The patients with the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are almost always positive for ANA, however, significant number of patients with other types of disorders may be positive for ANA. The increasing prevalence of autoimmune disorder may be due to various aspects of the environment which interrupt the balance of the immune system.

Rising Government Initiatives

The Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC) was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), directed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The comprehensive research determines the causes of increasing prevalence. However, the government initiatives promote the development of improved diagnostic tools and evaluating effective strategies. The government initiatives, increasing concern about autoimmune diseases significantly boosts the global antinuclear antibody test market.

Market Opportunity

Increasing demand for Antinuclear Antibody Test.

The antinuclear antibody is blood test that looks at antinuclear antibodies (ANA). The antibodies produced by immune system bind to the body's own tissues. The screening test detects if such antibodies are present in the body. The increasing demand of antinuclear antibodies test to identify autoimmune disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjogrens Syndrome and many more. The prevalence of diseases and increasing awareness among population rises demand for antinuclear antibody test globally.

Get Detailed TOC @ https://www.visiongain.com/report/antinuclear-antibody-test-market/#download_sampe_div

Competitive Landscape

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Erba Diagnostics, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Trinity Biotech plc, Antibodies, Inc., EUROIMMUN AG, Inova Diagnostics, Seramun Diagnostic GmbH, Zeus Scientific, Inc., Merck KGaA are some of the key players contributing to the growth of the global antinuclear antibody test market. The market players are adopting various strategies to stay competitive in the global market such as new product developments, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and geographical expansions.

In May 2019, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. launched InteliQ, a range of quality controls offered in a tube configuration. It offers an effective data management and workflow, as it controls compatible with chemistry and immunoassay diagnostic platforms. The product enables to reduce manual errors, and time consumption.

In October 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific received CE marking for its EliA SARS-CoV-2-Sp1 IgG test and its OmniPath COVID-19 Total Antibody ELISA Test for SARS-CoV-2. The test is designed for quantitative detection of immunoglobulin G against the virus.

Find quantitative and qualitative analyses with independent predictions. Receive information that only our report contains, staying informed with this invaluable business intelligence.





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Information found nowhere else

With our newly report title, you are less likely to fall behind in knowledge or miss out on opportunities. See how our work could benefit your research, analyses, and decisions. Visiongain's study is for everybody needing commercial analyses for the Antinuclear Antibody Test Market and leading companies. You will find data, trends and predictions.

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About Visiongain

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READING, Pa., Dec. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnerSys (NYSE:ENS), the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, is proud to announce the successful integration of its ABSL Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James Webb Space Telescope launch. As the successor to the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, Webb is the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever built, and is the result of an International collaboration between NASA and its partners the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and prime industry lead, Northrop Grumman. Webb launched on December 25th, 2021, was sent into orbit upon an Ariane 5 rocket from Europes Spaceport in French Guiana and will serve as the premier space observatory for the next decade.



EnerSys was selected by Northrop Grumman in 2012 to provide ABSL 8s44p rechargeable Li-ion batteries with disconnect relays for Webb, and then awarded a second contract in 2018 for an additional 8s44p battery, tailored to incorporate alternate cell chemistry. ABSL Li-ion batteries were selected for this mission due to their stringent design and structural and thermal performance to deliver long life, quality and reliability that successful space missions demand.

EnerSys is pleased to play such an influential role in the success of the James Webb Space Telescope project, said Mark Matthews, EnerSys Senior Vice President, Specialty  Global. It has been almost ten years since EnerSys was awarded the contract for these batteries to power this mission and our journey began with Webb. We are beyond excited to be part of a mission of this magnitude and to see it launch successfully.

Webb will travel approximately 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) from Earth, toward the relatively gravitationally stable Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 2 and will study every phase of cosmic history from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

For more information about EnerSys and its full line of products, systems, and support, visit www.enersys.com.

ABOUT ENERSYS

EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes energy systems solutions and motive power batteries, specialty batteries, battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Energy Systems, which combine enclosures, power conversion, power distribution and energy storage, are used in the telecommunication, broadband and utility industries, uninterruptible power supplies, and numerous applications. Motive power batteries and chargers are utilized in electric forklift trucks and other industrial electric powered vehicles requiring stored energy solutions. Specialty batteries are used in aerospace and defense applications, large over-the-road trucks, premium automotive, medical and security systems applications. EnerSys also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers in over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world. With the NorthStar acquisition, EnerSys has solidified its position as the market leader for premium Thin Plate Pure Lead batteries which are sold across all three lines of business. More information regarding EnerSys can be found at www.enersys.com.

ABOUT ABSL SPACE PRODUCTS

ABSL is a world leader in the supply of Lithium-ion batteries for space applications with contracts for over 300 spacecraft and launch vehicles. ABSL supplied the first rechargeable Lithium-ion battery flown in space. Today, over 250 spacecraft are powered by ABSL Lithium-ion battery technology.

ABOUT NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is Americas civil space program and the global leader in space exploration. The agency has a diverse workforce of just under 18,000 civil servants, and works with many more U.S. contractors, academia, and international and commercial partners to explore, discover, and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.

ABOUT NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION

Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance, and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

EnerSys is making this statement in order to satisfy the Safe Harbor provision contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any of the statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may include forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. A forward-looking statement predicts, projects, or uses future events as expectations or possibilities. Forward-looking statements may be based on expectations concerning future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties relating to operations and the economic environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by forward-looking statements, please see our risk factors as disclosed in the Risk Factors section of our annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by EnerSys on its website or otherwise. EnerSys does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

CONTACT

Steve Benulis

Marketing Director

EnerSys

610-208-1778

Fax: 610-372-8613

E-mail: steven.benulis@eas.enersys.com
The largest asset-based transportation company in Europe, Girteka Logistics, was one of the first road freight transport companies to be given the Green Carrier Certificate by one of its partners, DHL. (Earlier post.) The certificate was established by the German-based logistics company to certify its subcontractors, increasing the transparency behind its sustainability goals for its stakeholders.





DHL surveyed more than 600 selected service partners from Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands on their sustainability performance, and according to the company, Girteka Logistics was one of the first companies to receive the certificate.

Girteka Logistics has continuously attempted to be the leader in decarbonizing its road transport services, as the transport provider has operated a very young fleet of trucks powered by the latest Euro 6 diesel standard engines across its vehicle park.

In addition, the company, together with its partners, has looked to utilize Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and intermodal train solutions that reduce the CO 2 emissions of road transport by up to 85% and 90%, respectively.

Girteka Logistics, together with other European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA) members, welcomed the Fit for 55 legislative package by the European Commission (EC), which aims to reduce the blocs emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Girteka Logistics is the largest European asset-based transportation company, transporting more than 900,000 full truck loads (FTLs) every year. The company grew from 600 trucks in 2010 to 9,000 trucks in Europe, Scandinavia and CIS countries. With almost 19,000 professional employees, Girteka Logistics became a leading full truck load (FTL) transporter, chosen by the largest global companies.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes left the court Tuesday without reaching a verdict after a fifth day of deliberations. Holmes is facing 11 criminal charges alleging that she duped investors and patients by hailing her companys blood-testing technology as a medical breakthrough when in fact it was prone to wild errors.

The eight men and four women on the jury have been meeting in a San Jose, California, federal courthouse after absorbing reams of evidence in a three-month trial that captivated Silicon Valley.
File / Hearst Connecticut Media

GREENWICH  An 83-year-old psychologist with a practice in Greenwich was arrested on a charge of failing to disclose information about alleged abuse or neglect to state authorities as required by law, according to police.

Jerome Brodlie, of Weston, was charged with failure of a mandated reporter to report abuse, a misdemeanor, on Dec. 21, in connection with a case from 2017, police said.
GovGuam may adjust quarantine and isolation guidance to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said Tuesday.

Asymptomatic people who test positive for COVID-19 only need to isolate for five days after the onset of symptoms, a media release from the CDC stated. For five days after isolation, a mask must be worn around others.

The decision was made based on data that shows the majority of people who get COVID-19 spread it within two days prior or three days after developing symptoms.

If its what CDC guidelines are saying, and we feel comfortable with it, we either can follow it or we can enhance the guidelines, Leon Guerrero said, adding an update may come by Wednesday.

People exposed to COVID-19 dont need to quarantine at all if they have received their booster shot, the CDC recommended. They should wear a mask for 10 days after exposure. Those who are unvaccinated, havent received a booster or are six months past their second dose of a vaccine should quarantine for five days.

The Department of Public Health and Social Services requires a minimum 10-day isolation after testing positive or 10-day quarantine for close contacts. Violation of government-ordered isolation is a misdemeanor.

Cases

The Department of Public Health and Social Services reported 43 new cases of COVID-19 out of 966 tests performed Dec. 27. Three cases were identified in quarantine with recent travel history and six cases were identified through contact tracing.

The increased numbers are due to fewer tests performed on the Christmas holiday, a Joint Information Center news release stated. The seven-day rolling average was 10.5 in the previous week and 13 for this week, according to the release.

There were eight people hospitalized with COVID-19, with one in intensive care. Of the eight, six were vaccinated while two werent.

There have been a total of 19,501 officially reported cases of COVID-19, including 270 deaths. There are 275 people in active isolation, and the CAR Score is 1.6, the release stated.

Vaccinations

As of Dec. 27, 129,074 of Guams eligible population  those ages 5 and older  were fully vaccinated, and 4,652 residents ages 5-11 years old received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose series.

There have been 38,464 boosters administered to eligible residents.

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic, operated by the Guam National Guard, will be held at the University of Guam Field House through Dec. 30. Walk-ins are accepted, but residents are encouraged to make appointments at tinyurl.com/vaxguam.




Haiti - FLASH : 2 Minibuses riddled with bullets, at least 7 dead and 8 injured





Monday on road #2 near Martissant, bandits hidden in houses opened fire, without warning with automatic weapons on 2 public transport minibuses, explained one of the two drivers safe and sound, which took refuge at the police station of Martissant with the surviving passengers.



In the first minibus 4 passengers were killed and at least 4 others injured, some seriously



In the second minibus which carried 18 passengers, 3 people were killed including a woman and four other injured passengers.



Only the identities of 3 killed passengers were revealed after the attack, they are Medjine Dupuy, Geneste Jean Drelin and Pierre-Jean Wilman.



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Judge Louima Louidor next target of General Meyer





In a note dated December 27, Me Ikenson Edume, President of the National Network of Haitian Magistrates (RENAMAH) has just learned with astonishment, the appalling situation in which Me Louima Louidor, Investigating Judge at the Court of First Instance of Gonaives, is confronted.



Indeed, the "General Meyer" thus known Head of the Gang "kokorat san ras" operating in the Lacroix Perisse district (Municipality of Estere, Dept. of Artibonite), threatens to execute the examining magistrate Louima Louidor in charge of investigating a case involving several gang leaders carrying out criminal activities in its jurisdiction.



Recall that during the investigation, Me Louidor indicted a police officer from the Departmental Unit for the Maintenance of Order (UDMO) who was part of the gang. He also raided a cell in Gonaives prison where he found and seized cell phones, the content of which was particularly damning.



In an audio message broadcast on social networks, "General Meyer" announces having killed Claude John, a cousin of Judge Louima and Dieuseul Augustin who were both informants of the Magistrate. "General Meyer" is now threatening to execute Judge Louidor and anyone who dares to brief the judge on what is going on in his territory and his gang's operations in the area.



Faced with this dramatic situation, the RENAMAH demands from the Superior Council of the Judicial Power (CSPJ), to fly urgently to the assistance of the Magistrate and asks the Minister of Justice Berto Dorce, to instruct Frantz Elbe, the Director General ai of the Haitian National Police (PNH) to take all special measures to guarantee, without delay, the security of Magistrate Louima Louidor.



Finally Me Ikenson Edume invites Me Louidor to exercise maximum caution.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Jamaica : The release of Palacios studied at the Supreme Court

Friday, December 24, the lawyers of the former Colombian military officer Mario Antonio Palacios, demanded during a hearing at the Supreme Court of Jamaica the release of their client considered by Haitian investigators as the number 1 suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moisehttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html . The Jamaican magistrates have taken the petition under advisement. In the meantime, the Haitian government has made a second request for the extradition of Palacios to Haiti.

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35247-haiti-flash-the-suspect-1-of-the-murder-of-jovenel-moise-cannot-be-extradited-to-haiti.html



DR : A mother throws her 3 daughters into a river

Anne Zulia Yofree, a 36-year-old Haitian mother, threw her 3 daughters (12 years old, 2 years and a few months) in the Tablon river, in Rio San Juan, (Province of Maria Trinidad Sanchez in the Dominican Republic). The 12-year-old girl died, her two sisters were barely saved. The mother was arrested and taken into custody.



Arrest of the leader of the gang "Gaton" on the run

This Sunday, December 26, the National Police of Haiti proceeded to the arrest in the southern department of Johnny Charles aka "Gato, a leader of a gang operating in the Iles-a-Vache, escaped from the Prison of Les Cayes during the earthquake of August 14.



Economy : 100 Gourdes for US $ 1

On Tuesday, December 28, 2021, the benchmark rate of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) stood at 100.3413 Gourdes to the US dollar.



218th independence : The PM will go to Gonaives

Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry will travel to Gonaives on January 1, 2022 for the celebration of the 218th anniversary of Haitis independence. Enold Joseph Minister of Defense met in this sense the past weekend leaders of popular districts of the city of independence.



Seizure of 47 packets of marijuana

Members of the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) seized Sunday, December 26 in Jimani, 47 packages of marijuana from Haiti, which were hidden in a truck registered in Haiti.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Korean Drama | 2007

 Drama  Historical  Romance

Directed by  Kim Geun-hong ()  Lee Byeong-hoon ()

Written by Kim I-yeong ()

TV Channel/Plateform: MBC (MBC)

Airing dates: 2007/09/17~2008/06/16

77 episodes - Mon, Tue 21:55

Alternative title : "Lee San, Wind of the Palace"

Synopsis



Lee Byeong-hoon, the director of the hit TV series "The Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum"), will direct this new period drama.



In the late 18th century, Lee San became the 22nd kind of the Joseon Dynasty!

It was the most tumultuous times ever seen in the 500-year-old Joseon monarchy!

He was an open-minded, wise king who championed democratic values.

The stories of his glorious triumphs, ordeals, regrets, and historical achievements are shown in this TV drama.



A story about Lee Sans life



The politics of Lee San (King Jung-jo)

He was a natural leader who ended vicious partisan politics and revived the economy with his extensive knowledge of the market. He created a strong paradigm in the 18th century and ruled with the kingdom wisely!

This biopic drama covers his dramatic life and shows the achievements of the Silhak scholars and outstanding officials who rebuilt the kingdoms power.



The high point of the arts in the late Joseon Dynasty.

Hwaseong Fortress was a remarkable architectural achievement during this period and western knowledge began to seep into the kingdom. Brilliant individuals such as Park Ji-won, Lee Ick, Jung Yak-yong, Kim Hong-do, Shin Yoon-bok, and others are introduced in this TV drama as well.

For the first time, the art workshop of the palace will be shown along with the Aekjung office and Seja Ikwiesa. There were 10 failed assassination attempts made during this period alone in the 500-year history of the Joseon Kingdom and they will be depicted as well.



Economic turning point in the 18th century

As family industries began to be replaced with a trading economy, the 18th century was a turning point for the economy-!

The commercial trade of the times will be depicted realistically and the trading organization that Song-yeon leads is where the latter Joseon Dynastys economy originated from. The special Joseon Dynasty products that were made under the guidance of Song-yeon were exported to the Chinas Ching Dynasty.

In addition, the 30-year romance between the leading female character Song-yeon (Eubin Sung) and King Jung-jo will also be a main theme in the drama.



The reinforcement of the army and military research

In the late 18th century, western technology began to seep into the kingdom and many political factions that opposed the king tried to fan the flames by starting anti-government movements. This led King Jung-jo to take a strong interest in national security and a military buildup. This is when the king reformed the army and began to beef up military research. One accomplishment in this era was the publication of the Muyedobotongji, Joseon dynastys first martial arts textbook to ever exist.



Starring

Lee San | actor Lee Seo-jin

A wise king who created a new age of rising prosperity and power in the Joseon Dynasty. A wise ruler

The 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty

When he was at the tender age of 11, he witnessed the slow execution of his father, Prince Sado. But he grew up as a gentle boy with a strong will!

He is smart like his grandfather, King Young-jo but he has a benevolent personality that makes him different.

He likes reading to expand his knowledge but he is also well trained in weaponry and combat.

His grandfather King Young-jo constantly tests his abilities and so he receives help from Song-yeon, eunuch Nam Sa-cho, bodyguard Dae-soo, and painter Kim Hong-do to pass them. During his short reign that spanned 24 years, he rejuvenated culture and arts and based his rule on a humanistic philosophy. He left many great achievements in politics, economics, and the arts.



Sung Song-yeon - The royal concubine who King Jung-jo loved with all his heart | Actress Han Ji-min

King Jung-jos royal concubine. Eubin Sung (royal family)

When she was a young concubine at the age of 11, she met Lee San for the first time at Hwiryeong Pavilion in Changdeok Palace a few days before Prince Sado was executed. She likes painting and has quite a talent in the arts since her father is also a painter. She works as an assistant at the art workshop in the palace and through the help of a relative she was able to become a young palace concubine. On her first day in the palace, she meets Lee San and they feel a connection. After meeting Lee San, she thinks about him every day and after working at the art workshop for another 10 years as a damo, she finally gets to meet Lee San again. Although she is aware that Dae-soo is in love with her, she ignores him and stays blissfully in love with Lee San (King Jung-jo). She finally becomes the royal concubine of King Jung-jo and given the title of a royal family member (Eubin Sung) when she gives birth to his son, Prince Moon-hyo.



King Young-jo - Strong leadership | actor Lee Soon-jae

He is the father of Prince Sado and Lee San (King Jung-jo) is his grandson.

As a perfectionist, he has a keen intelligence and is well informed on a range of topics.

He has a quick temper and always walks at a quick pace even when there is no need to hurry. He regrets ordering the execution of his own son who was killed a slow death while locked inside a small wooden rice chest with little air to breathe. He loves his grandson but he uses a tough love approach in grooming him to become the next king.



Jung Hoo-gyeom - King Jung-jos archenemy | actor Jo Yeon-woo

With a sharp mind and natural political skills, he endears himself to Princess Hwa-wan and becomes her adopted son. He looks gentle on the surface but has a cold, calculating personality. With high ambitions, he passed the state examination at the age of 18 with the highest score and at the age of 19, he was given the high-ranking government position of Saheonbu Jipyeong, which is a Jung 5-pum rank. At the age of 20, he was promoted again to the position of Dangsangwang Seungji. He was the youngest person to ever hold such a rank. As a trusted royal subject of King Young-jo, he becomes an assistant to Nobleman Choi. He strongly objects in making Lee San the proxy of King Young-jo and forges the old kings will to weaken Lee San, who is set to become the next king. He becomes the archenemy of Lee San (King Jung-jo) until Lee San dies under mysterious circumstances.



Park Dae-soo - King Jung-jos personal guard | actor Lee Jong-soo

He was a young boy when he first met King Jung-jo, who was a young prince at the time, and made a vow to protect him for the rest of his life. He served the king for over 30 years. He is a man of few words and when he makes up his mind, he will become obsessed with the task until he completes it. As a charismatic man, he later becomes the naegeum commander of the Geumgun and closely guards King Jung-jo. Together with Army Commander Baek Dong-soo, he pens the book Muyedobotongji, the first martial arts textbook ever published in the Joseon Dynasty. He has a crush on Song-yeon but cannot help but watch her from a distance since she is the royal concubine of King Jung-jo.



Princess Hwa-wan - The daughter of King Young-jo. King Jung-jos aunt | actress Sung Hyun-ah

A beautiful seductress

She is a crafty person who breaks the rules at will. She looks down upon others and has a difficult personality but King Young-jo is very fond of her. This emboldens her to expand her powers in the kingdom.

She is one of the key people who orchestrated the execution of Prince Sado.

After her husbands death, she adopted Jung Hoo-gyeom and grooms him as her heir. To prevent Lee San from being crowned as the next king, she joins forces with Queen Moon Sook-eui, who is the wife of Prince Jung-soon, and leads the effort to banish him from the palace.



Queen Hyo-eui - King Jung-jos wife | actress Park Eun-hye

At the age of 10, she was betrothed to Lee San and became his queen when Lee San is later crowned as the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty.

She has a calm and gentle personality.

She is jealous of the relationship that Song-yeon has with Lee San but she treats the nice Song-yeon without any malice. She thwarts the plot to kill Hong Kuk-young and promotes Song-yeon as a royal concubine after she saves her life. She is unable to bear any children and lives a lonely life because of that. She has a fallout with Hong Kuk-young and plays a key role in ousting him from power.



Episode guide



Episode 1





The royal palace is embroiled in political infighting. King Young-jo slowly

executes



his own son, Crown Prince Sado (actor Lee Chang-hoon) by locking him up in a





small rice chest for unknown reasons. San (actor Park Ji-bin, ? actor Lee Seo-jin),





Crown Prince Sados son, sneaks into Shimin Palace in the middle of the night

to



visit his father who is slowly dying from starvation.

Meanwhile, the young Song-yeon (actress Lee Han-na, ? actress Han Ji-min)



whose father was a former royal painter is brought to the palace through family







connections where she becomes a young court lady. In the still of the night,

Song-



yeon is forced to go to the palace kitchen and bring back a snack for the older

court



girls but gets lost on her way there.

Dae-soo (actor Kwon Oh-min, ? actor Lee Jong-soo) is one of the trainees who





will become a palace official and eunuch but he tries to run away in the middle

of



the night because he doesnt want to be castrated. San, Song-yeon, and Dae-soo







wander the palace with different purposes and meet together by fate.





Episode 2

San (actor Park Ji-bin, ? actor Lee Seo-jin) discovers the painting that his

father,



Crown Prince Sado (actor Lee Chang-hoon), told him to locate inside the Hwagak





chest and then show to King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae). San seeks out Song-



yeon (actress Lee Han-na, ? actress Han Ji-min) and tells her that he found

the





painting that will save his father and Dae-soo. He then asks her for directions

to find



Woonjongga where his grandfather is staying. Song-yeon tells San that he can

just



ask one of his servants to guide him to Woonjongga but he tells her that he

doesnt



have anyone to turn to. She feels sorry for San.

Risking her life, Song-yeon offers to go to Woonjongga with San. As San and





Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri) head to Woonjongga, Song-yeon hides in







one of the carriages. When Sans carriage leaves the palace, San asks his servants





to bring him a bedpan to relieve himself. San makes noises to pretend that hes





using the bedpan and tells his servants that hes not comfortable with everyone





around him and orders them to stay several feet away with their backs turned

around.





Episode 3

San (actor Park Ji-bin, ? actor Lee Seo-jin) rings the cymbal of justice to

announce





his grievance to the king and succeeds in stopping the kings procession. San





pleads with the king to take a look at a painting that Crown Prince Sado (actor

Lee



Chang-hoon) asked him to show to the king. With a stern expression, King Young-jo





asks him how it could be possible for Crown Prince Sado to give him such an

order.



So San confesses that it was he who entered Shimin Palace against the kings





orders and then he begs the king to spare his fathers life. But King Young-jo

is





already enraged at Sans disobedience and has him arrested and taken away to





prison. At that very moment, a messenger riding a horse tells the king that

Crown



Prince Sado is dead.





Episode 4

A weapons cache is found in the East Palace and San (actor Park Ji-bin, ? actor





Lee Seo-jin) is in big trouble when King Young-jo is told about this potential

threat





to his authority. King Young-jo declares that nobody can dare go unpunished

in an



attempt to overthrow the king and flaunt the rules of the palace. King Young-jo





begins a criminal investigation of the people who served at Prince Sans palace

and



demands that the officials get to the bottom of the matter to swiftly carry

out justice.



The East Palace swarms with investigators and Prince San is shocked that



something of this magnitude could befall him. Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon

Mi-





ri) Hong Bong-ha (actor Shin Chung-shik) strongly advise San to tell King Young-jo





that the weapons cache, which was found in his quarters, was amassed by Crown





Prince Sado and that he knows nothing of it if he wants to live. However, when

San



is brought before King Young-jo, he stands up for himself and tells the king

he did



nothing wrong and therefore he will not explain something he did not even do.

He



also informs the king that his father Crown Prince Sado had no intentions to

usurp





the king through a violent uprising. King Young-jo tells San that he wants to

believe



he is innocent as well as his claim that Crown Prince Sado was never involved

in



any kind of coup detat but San would have to show him counter evidence that





supports his claims. When San is at a loss of words, King Young-jo slams his

fist



on the table and shouts at him.





Episode 5

In the middle of the night, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) is almost assassinated

by an



assassin but when the assassin is caught, he commits suicide by swallowing a

pill



before they can find out who sent him. San tries to get to the bottom of the





assassination attempt but the body of the assassin vanishes and the crime scene

is



cleaned up when King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) appears to see if his grandson





is alive. The king is confounded that he cannot see any signs of an intruder

ever





entering Sans chambers.



On the next day, Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) goes to see her



father, King Young-jo, who is full of worries. She tries to soothe his feelings

and



brings up last nights incident. Princess Hwa-wan meets Choi Seok-ju (actor

Cho



Gyeong-hwan) at the market and gives him instructions to carry out.

Tired of fending of numerous assassination attempts on his life, San passes

by the





royal kitchen and remembers the time when he first met Song-yeon as a young

boy.



He meets Nam Sa-cho (actor Maeng Sang-hoon) and asks him to find out the



source of the pill that the assassin swallowed to commit suicide.





Episode 6

While inspecting the goods included in the tribute that will be sent to China,

San



(actor Lee Seo-jin) confirms the identity of a dead body that is floating in

the river





and gets enraged. He tries to decipher the words in the writings of the dead

man



and realizes that members of the Ching Dynasty delegation are involved in a





conspiracy to assassinate him.

Meanwhile, Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) is framed for stealing supplies at

the



workshop but Park Young-moon helps her prove her innocence. Song-yeon is



chosen as the Sujongdamo and is thrilled that she will be able to meet San again.







Chobi (actress Lee Lib-sae) gets jealous of Song-yeon and decides to teach her

a



lesson. Due to Chobis scheming, Song-yeon loses the chance to appear at the





Jinyeon Gallery but she stills gets to see San when she follows Park Young-moon





on an important errand.





Episode 7

When San (actor Lee Seo-jin) learns that Wang Yu wants to bed Song-yeon





(actress Han Ji-min) by having her come to his chambers, San tells Song-yeon

to



go to the government office to fulfill her official duties as a palace painter.

Wang Yu



is unhappy about this and tells Song-yeon to prove that she really is a painter

as



San says she is. So Song-yeon is tested on the spot by being asked to draw a





painting according to a theme selected by Wang Yu.

San has a hard time dealing with the Ching Dynasty delegation because of their







demands and is troubled about the disappearance of the baekwupo. When they face





a problem with their negotiations with the delegation because they do not possess





the baekwupo, Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) intervenes.

Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) was part of the bandits who stole the baekwupo

from



the ship laden with tribute gifts for the Ching Dynasty. When Song-yeon tells

Dae-



soo that San is in grave trouble because the baekwupo were stolen, Dae-soo is







quickly tries to rectify the situation by seeking out the Gakjung bandits. Meanwhile,





the merchants simmer with anger when they are told they must donate more of

their



goods to make up for the stolen baekwupos. When the merchants begin to blame





San for being careless in letting bandits steal the baekwupo, Song-yeon gets





worried and comes up with a plan...





Episode 8

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) is astonished when he sees the painting that Park Young-



moon (actress Shin Guk) brings to him. After seeing the painting, he realizes

that



the damo he met at the banquet was Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) and searches





for her whereabouts.

On her way back from helping Lee Chun (actor Ji Sang-ryeol), Song-yeon meets





Queen Hyo-eui (actress Park Eun-hye). Queen Hyo-eui asks Song-yeon to help her





make maejak treats. On her way back home after making maejak treats, Song-yeon







is kidnapped by the Gakjung bandits.

San visits Dal-hos (actor Lee Hee-do) home together with Nam Sa-cho (actor





Maeng Sang-hoon) and he not only does he meet Dal-ho but also meets Dae-soo





(actor Lee Jong-soo). Dae-soo confesses his role in the disappearance of the





baekwupo from the ship carrying tribute items. San sends troops to rescue Song-



yeon from the Gakjung bandits. Concerned about Song-yeon, Dae-soo goes alone







to rescue Song-yeon. Dae-soo finds himself in a dangerous situation but a



thunderous sound suddenly erupts behind him. San orders his men to catch the





Gakjung bandits while he himself looks for Song-yeon.





Episode 9

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) is flabbergasted when he is shown an official permit

that



was signed in his name with handwriting that is nearly identical to his. The

ministers





bicker amongst each other in King Young-jos presence to debate Sans fault

in



signing such a permit. The painters and calligraphist are given the task of

verifying



whether the handwriting on the permit is actually Sans. Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor

Jo



yeon-woo) finds it odd that San would deploy royal troops to capture the Gakjung





bandits and orders Oh Jung-ho to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Nam Sa-cho (actor Maeng Sang-hoon), Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-





soo), and Dal-ho (actor Lee Hee-do) inspect the hideout of the Gakjung bandits

and



get worried about Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) who hasnt been found for days.





While discussing ways to find Song-yeon, they post wanted posters around the





village and when the bandits converge around the posters, Dal-ho gets perplexed.





When Nam Sa-cho reports to San that they havent found Song-yeon yet, San gets





grim and orders Nam Sa-cho to continue the search.

Locked in a warehouse, Song-yeon gets afraid when she sees other kidnapped





girls sent to brothels and tries to find a way to run away. When Lee Chun (actor

Ji



Sang-ryeol) comes by to meet Chun Hwa-nam, Song-yeon yells out to him to save





her but Lee Chun doesnt hear her cries and leaves. Song-yeon runs away but

gets



caught...

Episode 10

Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) looks at a painting she drew based on a theme





selected by San (actor Lee Seo-jin) and she finally meets San when he comes

to



the workshop to see her. Song-yeon cries after being overwhelmed with emotion





and. When Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) sees Song-yeon with San, he gets teary-



eyed, too. But they cannot stay together for long because the workshop artisans

will



return soon. While seeing how lonely San is, Dae-soo becomes determined to pass







the military service exam to become Sans personal guard.

King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) asks San again whether he issued the official





permit. He then orders a servant to bring the equipment prepared by the ministers.





King Young-jo shows how royal seals can be forged in front of the ministers

and



San and then proceeds to check the authenticity of the official permit.

When Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) hears that the king can prove

the



authenticity of a permit from Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo), her face turns







pale. She calls an emergency secret meeting with her conspirators under a tense





mood and Jung Hoo-gyeom comes up with a scheme.





Dae-soo sees the signs announcing the test for the military service exam and

he



starts to study with other potential applicants. Dae-soo learns from Hong Guk-young





(actor Han Sang-jin) how to efficiently memorize facts and is amazed at what

Hong



Guk-young tells him next. After hearing from Hong Guk-young that there is a

way to





see the test answers before the actual exam, Dae-soo seeks out Lee Chun (actor

Ji



Sang-ryeol).





Episode 11

While reading a poem, King Young-jos (actor Lee Sun-jae) face turns ashen.

King



Young-jo gets furious and orders his servants to capture the poet who mocked

him



in the poem. San gets disturbed when he reads the passages in the poem.

While Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) is taking the military service exam, the

exams



are suddenly canceled. Afterwards, Dae-soo seeks out Hong Guk-young to confer





with him about a wrong verse in one of the poems. Hong Guk-young tells him that





Prince Sans life is in danger.

Worried about Sans safety, Nam Sa-cho (actor Maeng Sang-hoon) guards the East





Palace at night. But under Oh Jung-hos orders, warriors explode gunpowder.

The



guards are shocked by the sound and San is also roused by the sounds. Park Cho





s warriors enter the East Palace and start killing the palace guards. When San





hears that the enemies are heading towards the Main Hall, he goes there, too.

Worried about San, Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) goes to Chugukjang in Shibis





place. But the palace guards stop San from going anywhere because he is under





suspicion of attempting to overthrow the king. While held back by the guards,

San



sees Song-yeon. After allaying Song-yeons fears, he heads to Pyeon Pavilion







where King Young-jo tells him to personally go to the torture chamber and find

out



whos behind the attack by interrogating the captured warriors.





Episode 12

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) enters the torture chamber with a grim expression and

he



orders the men to stop torturing the prisoners. Queen Hyo-eui (actress Park

Eun-



hye) is told that San disobeyed the kings orders to force answers out of the







prisoners. She goes to see San and overhears him talking to Princess Hye-bin





(actress Gyeon Mi-ri). Princess Hye-bin advises San to meet King Young-jo and





ask for forgiveness.

San meets King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) and asks him for a few more days

to



prove that the accused are innocent. As San defends the late Crown Prince Sados





honor, King Young-jo gets enraged at this and tells San that he will be banished

if





he is unable to prove their innocence.

Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) calls Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin)





and offers him a high-ranking government position. Hong Guk-young asks Jung

Hoo-



gyeom to give him some time to think it over because it is such a big promotion.





Hong Guk-young goes to Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) and ask him if he



remembered the wrong verse he found in the test. When he analyzes it, Hong Guk-





young realizes that it is a hidden code. Hong Guk-young and Dae-soo realize

that



someone is scheming to frame San for an attempted coup detat and they try to

figure



out who the ringleader is.

Episode 13

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) learns from Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) that Han Joon-



ho, a high-ranking minister of the Byeongpan rank, is the ringleader of the

plot to



frame him for attempting to overthrow the king, he is shocked. Nam Sa-cho (actor







Maeng Sang-hoon) tells San that they should arrest the minister at once if what

Dae-



soo is saying is true. However, San says they need to find proof before taking

such



a course of action.

When San, Dae-soo, and Nam Sa-cho head to the south of the city, Jung Hoo-



gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) offers to accompany him with three military officers.





Dae-soo guides them to the training grounds where the royal police were trained







and deployed as a private army to kill San. San becomes deeply disturbed when

he



sees the actual training grounds. He is filled with rage and tries to enter

the training



grounds but the place is empty and no soldiers are seen.





Episode 14

Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) receives a letter from the Byeongpan-rank





minister and is astonished to see the minister visit Princess Hwa-wan (actress







Sung Hyun-ah) at her private residence. Worried about being seen together with

the



minister, Jung Hoo-gyeom asks him what he has done and the anxious minister





says he sent a person to Mt. Myojeok.

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) grieves over the fact that Princess Hwa-wan has been





trying to get him killed. Chae Jae-gong (actor Han In-soo) feels pity for San

but



advises him that he must not let emotions interfere with his judgment to mete

out





punishment to criminals of the kingdom.

After making up his mind, San goes to meet King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae)

with



his guard and reports his findings at Mt. Myojeok the night before. King Young-jo





believes that more people are involved in the plot besides Byeongpan-rank minister





and asks San if he found other collaborators. San hesitates before telling the

king



that Princess Hwa-wan is one of the ministers collaborators. King Young-jo







becomes enraged. At that moment, the sound of the drumbeats that Princess Hwa-



wan said she heard begins to ring throughout the palace.





Episode 15

Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri) visits Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung





Hyun-ah)s private residence and offers her a special herbal concoction, telling

her



it was the same kind that she drank when she grieved over her husbands wrongful







execution. With contempt in her voice, Princess Hye-bin tells Princess Hwa-wan





that she will not lose her son like she lost her husband.

Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) learns that San has a special connection





with Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min), one of the palace painters, and finds the





piece of information very interesting.

Meanwhile, Court Lady Kim (actress Kim So-I), who keeps a close eye on Song-



yeon, reports to Queen Hyo-eui (actress Park Eun-hye) that Song-yeon met with







Jung Hoo-gyeom. Court Lady Kim tells the queen that she has suspicions about





Song-yeon but the queen tells her that she is wrong. However, the doubts about





Song-yeon linger in the queens mind.





Episode 16

Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri) orders the palace painters to make a

folding



screen drawn with a painting of Seokrudo, which is a good luck charm for having

a





baby, to give as a present to Queen Hyo-eui. As the new damo assistant for Park





Byeol-jae, Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) is assigned to the project and gets

to



meet Queen Hyo-eui (actress Park Eun-hye). Queen Hyo-eui personally calls Song-



yeon and asks her how she first met San (actor Lee Seo-jin). The queen also

asks



her how she happens to know Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo).

Court Lady Park interrupts their conversation and announces that the crown

prince





will be arriving at Queen Hyo-euis chambers. Arriving at the queens chamber





unannounced, San greets his queen lovingly but is surprised to see Song-yeon





there.





Episode 17

Stricken by a mysterious malady during a trip to the royal tombs, King Young-jo





(actor Lee Sun-jae) tells San (actor Lee Seo-jin) that they should return to

the





palace whereupon San should oversee the royal affairs. After hearing about the





situation, Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) dispatches a messenger to

Lee



Pan to make sure to assassinate San if King Young-jo doesnt recover from his





disease.

Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) tells San that the only way to safely make

it



back to the palace would be to divide the procession into two parties. But San







refuses to use that option because it would make the second procession vulnerable





if it came under heavy attack.





Episode 18

The conspirators who wish to eliminate San agree that they must stop the crown





prince from taking over the throne so they try to bring King Young-jo (actor

Lee Sun-



jae) back to the palace as soon as possible. Seeing that the king can hardly

stand





up, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) asks the doctors about the kings condition.

Catching San off guard, Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) approaches

him



and asks why he isnt happy that the king has safely returned to the place.





Episode 19

Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) pleads with San (actor Lee Seo-jin)

to



repeal his order of forcing her to drink the deadly herbal concoction. Princess

Hwa-





wan asks him to give her one more day to live and if the kings condition doesnt





improve, then she will forfeit her life. San does not know what to do and dwells

on



the matter.

Meanwhile, Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) orders Jung Hoo-gyeom



(actor Jo yeon-woo) to have his private army ready in case the king dies.





Episode 20

After King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) designates San (actor Lee Seo-jin)

with



the responsibilities of overseeing the kingdom, the ministers from the three

fields (?



?) (??) (??), give their monthly reports to San.. After questioning the ministers





with piercing questions, he gains an advantage over his enemies.

Meanwhile, Choi Seok-joo (actor Jo Gyeong-hwan) tells Hong In-han (actor Na





Sung-gun), to become friends with Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin)...







Episode 21

When Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) hears that Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min)





came in fifth place in the art contest he goes to congratulate Song-yeon. Park





Young-moon (actress Shin Guk) orders Song-yeon to paint another folding screen.

Meanwhile, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) meets with the merchants of Nanjeon and





promises to relax business restrictions if they could help him. Hong Guk-young





(actor Han Sang-jin) tells San the if they want to find proof that merchants

of Shijeon





conspired with government officials then they need to find the secret accounting





books kept by the Noron faction.





Episode 22

Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) seeks out Park Young-moon (actress Shin Guk)





and tells her she would like to teach damos who want to learn how to paint.

Park



Young-moon worries that if she allows Song-yeon to teach such a class, the other







artisans might complain about it but she relents when she sees how determined





Song-yeon is.

Meanwhile, Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) finds out that Jung Hoo-gyeom





(actor Jo yeon-woo) will deploy people to Honghwa gate to create a disturbance.





So he sends a message to Han Seong-boo to prevent the riot from happening.



However, Jung Hoo-gyeom, the person who is leading the riot behind the scenes,







tears up the message that Hong Guk-young sent and tries to persuade Han Seong-



boo to come over to his side with promises of bigger promotions.





Episode 23

Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) meets with San (actor Lee Seo-jin) and

asks



him to let him resign because he made a grave mistake. With a sad heart, San





accepts Hong Guk-youngs resignation.

Meanwhile, Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) feels confident about her





recent success and tells Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo yeon-woo) that the only thing





that remains to consolidate their power is to make their collective voices heard

in the



royal court. However, Jung Hoo-gyeom tells her that it is not an easy matter

because



Kim Gwi-joo (actor Jung Myung-hwan) has returned to the royal court. Princess





Hwa-wan gets furious that she wasnt told about his appointment sooner...





Episode 24

Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) goes to the bar where he met a strange old man

who



told him that his life was in danger and questions the man. The old man grimly

tells



him that he saw a vision where screams came forth from a bonfire that was



surrounded by numerous people. So he warns Dae-soo to avoid danger. When



Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) hears about the old mans vision from Dae-





soo, he inquires about the duties of minister Lee Geon-tae. Dae-soo tells Hong

Guk-



young that minister Lee is in charge of organizing the Naryehee Festival and

there



will be a fireworks display and bonfires at the event. Hong Guk-youngs face





freezes up when he hears this...





Episode 25

Choi Seok-joo (actor Jo Gyeong-hwan) tells Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-





jin) that it is dangerous to use fireworks at the Naryehee Festival and argues

that the



fireworks display should be cancelled. But Empress Jung-soon disagrees with

him



and says that she wants to see the act executed before her eyes this time and





moves ahead with the plan.

Flanked by Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) and Kang Seok-ki (actor Jang Hee-



wum), Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) inspect the plans for the Naryehee







Festival and senses something amiss. He tells them to find the plans for the





previous year to get to the bottom of his suspicions...





Episode 26

At Naryehee Festival, the soldiers give a demonstration of their sharpshooting

skills



but San (actor Lee Seo-jin), Chae Je-gong (actor Han In-soo), Nam Sa-cho (actor





Maeng Sang-hoon), and others become very nervous. When nothing happens after







the firearms are fired, San and his servants let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) is certain that there is a



conspiracy to assassinate San during the fireworks display and so he sends a





captain to convey a warning to San, which ends up in the hands of Kim Gwi-joo





(actor Jung Myung-hwan).





Episode 27

Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) goes to Eugeumboo to find Dae-soo but when she





hears that he isnt there, she goes to meet San (actor Lee Seo-jin). Song-yeon

tells



San that she cannot find Dae-soo anywhere in a worried tone.

Meanwhile, Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) is kidnapped and he asks his captors





who are led by a government official where they have taken him. But the government





official orders Dae-soo to be quiet in an icy voice. Someone appears out of

the



corner of his eye...





Episode 28

When a deputy official turns up dead, Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin)



becomes gravely worried about the upcoming day when King Young-jo (actor Lee





Sun-jae) will keep his promise. San (actor Lee Seo-jin) observes Hong Guk-young





grappled with the issue and advises him that they need to cut off their enemies





oxygen supply. After hearing Sans words, Hong Guk-young orders the palace





guards to surround the homes of Jung Hoo-gyeom, Choi Seok-joo and other officials





aligned with the Noron faction...





Episode 29

Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) lays a trap by forging a message to trick

Jung



Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo Yeon-woo) into believing that it came from a low-level official





of a provincial governor. Jung Hoo-gyeom relays the contents of the message

to Oh





Jung-ho and the Park Cho gang who are hiding in a hut in Mt. Cheonjang. But

the



princes bodyguards ambush them and flush them out.

Meanwhile, Jung Hoo-gyeom meets with Hong Guk-young to save his own skin and





tells him that hes just a tool in the bigger scheme of things...





Episode 30

Kim Gwi-joo (actor Jung Myung-hwan) is imprisoned in the Eugeumboo and





Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) goes to see him to hear his story. After





hearing the truth, she is overcome with rage towards Princess Hwa-wan (actress





Sung Hyun-ah).When Empress Jung-soon sees Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo Yeon-



woo) escorted into the Eugeumboo, she slaps his face. Jung Hoo-gyeom



apologizes for what he did but defends his actions by saying that his side had

no



other choice but to do such things and this enrages her even more. Stricken

with





fear and terror, Empress Jung-soon goes to Daejeon to see the king and when

she



announces her arrival at the door of the kings chambers, the king does not





answer...





Episode 31

Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) considers Empress Jung-soon to be



neutralized and tells Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo Yeon-woo) that she wants to





proceed with her grand plans. When Jung Hoo-gyeom asks Princess Hwa-wan



what her plans are, she tells him that he could ascend the throne with her influence.

Meanwhile, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) falls into despair and has a drink with

his



childhood friends Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) and Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-



min). He returns to the palace in a drunken state. When Princess Hye-bin (actress





Gyeon Mi-ri) learns that her son is drunk, she calls Song-yeon...





Episode 32

Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri) orders Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min)

to



join the envoy that will make a diplomatic visit to China and become an art

student at



Yebu Temple, which is also in China. When Song-yeon is told that it will take

five or



10 years to complete the program, she gets teary-eyed. But Princess Hye-bin





explains to her that her son is in a precarious situation in the palace and

one little





mistake could derail his chances of becoming the next king. So she pleads with





Song-yeon to leave if she doesnt want to become a burden to the prince.

Meanwhile, San is glad to see Song-yeon again at the palace and tries to talk

to



her but Song-yeon ignores him while fighting back her tears.





Episode 33

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) finds out that Minister Hong Bong-ha (actor Shin Chung-





shik) recommended that Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) be sent to Yebu Temple

in



China and he inquires about this to his mother, Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon





Mi-ri), who tells him that when she learned that he had a close relationship

with



Song-yeon, she decided to help Song-yeon achieve her dreams of becoming a



better painter. When San hears from his mother that Song-yeon jumped at the





opportunity to go to China, he becomes disappointed in Song-yeon.

Meanwhile, a Chinese official refuses to let Song-yeon come to China on the





grounds that Yebu Temple does not accept female students. However Hong Bong-



ha sternly tells the official that Song-yeon cannot return to Joseon either

way.





Episode 34

At Onyang Palace, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) has a private talk with Minister

Choi



Seok-joo (actor Jo Gyeong-hwan). Choi Seok-joo tells San that if he stopes





investigating the Na Rye-hee incident then the partisan fights could be ended.

He



also requests that all investigations against the Noron Faction be halted as

part of



the deal. San asks the minister what he can offer for him in return if he satisfies

his



demands.

Meanwhile, Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) secretly brings a doctor

with



her after becoming suspicious of the cause of King Young-jos (actor Lee Sun-jae)







illness. After examining the king, the doctors initial diagnosis points to

Alzheimer's



disease but he needs to submit the king to a test using arrowroot to be certain.





Empress Jung-soon gives orders to have a trustworthy court lady from the royal





kitchen brought to her...





Episode 35

After learning that Minister Choi Seok-joo (actor Jo Gyeong-hwan) joined Sans







side, Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) tells Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo





Yeon-woo) to send Park Cho to assassinate him. But when Park Cho and his



assassins try to eliminate Choi Seok-joo, they are met by Dae-soo (actor Lee

Jong-



soo) and the princes bodyguards who defeat them.

Meanwhile, San (actor Lee Seo-jin) learns that Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min)





didnt volunteer to go to China in the first place and that she is actually

being





banished from the palace. This deeply shocks San and puts him at his wits end.





Episode 36

San (actor Lee Seo-jin) decides not to attend an important meeting with the

king in



order to be with Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min), who barely survived a threat

to



her life. Dae-soo (actor Lee Jong-soo) sees how much San cares for her and



gloomily returns to the palace after telling Nam Sa-cho (actor Maeng Sang-hoon)







that Song-yeon will certainly live because the prince is caring for her so attentively.



Meanwhile, King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) pardons Kim Gwi-joo (actor Jung





Myung-hwan) and when Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) hears this,



she becomes worried about herself since it is obvious that Empress Jung-soon





(actress Kim Yeo-jin) used her influence over the king to have Kim Gwi-joo released.







Episode 37





Princess Hwa-wan (actress Sung Hyun-ah) holds a Noron Faction meeting and when

she enters Park Chos room, she sees Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) sitting

at the head of the meeting room. Princess Hwa-wan freezes in her place. Empress

Jung-soon gives Park Cho a signal and they escort Princess Hwa-wan out of the

room. Meanwhile, Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) hears that King Young-jo

(actor Lee Sun-jae) is memorizing a map and suspects that King Young-jo is suffering

Alzheimers disease...



Episode 38



San (actor Lee Seo-jin) grieves over the sudden change in King Young-jo

(actor Lee Sun-jae) and suddenly remembers the painting that his father Prince

Sado asked him to show to the king. Nam Sa-cho (actor Maeng Sang-hoon) and Song-yeon

(actress Han Ji-min) examine the painting to see if it has any hidden meaning.

Meanwhile, Hong Guk-young (actor Han Sang-jin) checks the herbal medicine that

King Young-jo is taking to see if it is a prescription for Alzheimers disease.

Dal-ho (actor Lee Hee-do) takes on the dangerous mission to disguise himself

as a palace servant and inspect the prescription...

Episode 39



King Young-jo (actor Lee Sun-jae) gets ready to hand over the crown

to San (actor Lee Seo-jin). King Young-jo summons Minister Choi Seok-ju (actor

Cho Gyeong-hwan) and tells him to identify the number of Noron faction members

who hold high military posts. He then orders that all military soldiers be sent

away from the palace except for the palace guards to ensure that no one attempts

to stage a coup. Meanwhile, Empress Jung-soon (actress Kim Yeo-jin) realizes

what King Young-jo is trying to do and tells her faction that either the king

or Prince San has to die in order to ensure their partys survival.

Episode 40



San (actor Lee Seo-jin) unravels the mystery of the painting and calls

his palace guards to find a critical piece of evidence. After figuring that

Prince Sado hid something behind the turtle rock, which appears in the painting,

Prince San and his troops comb Mt. Inwang all night to find evidence that will

solve an important incident. Meanwhile, Jung Hoo-gyeom (actor Jo Yeon-woo) gets

nervous about the actions of Prince San and plants a spy among his palace guards...

Episode 41



Empress Jung-soon calls a meeting to show the solidarity of the Noron

faction and she announces to everyone that she will not let Prince San be crowned

the next king by using military force. Under Empress Jung-soons plan, the palace

guards surround the East Palace and battle the bodyguards. The royal bodyguards

defend the palace from the palace guards but they are outnumbered.



Prince San persuades the captain of the palace guards to change sides and they

attack the guards who are fighting at the East Palace and make them surrender.

When Empress Jung hears the news, she turns pale and tries to escape...

Episode 42



King Young-jo orders that Princes Hwa-wan, the devious ministers and

every Noron faction member who tried to get rid of Prince San be given harsh

sentences for trying to overthrow the government. Prince San asks King Young-jo

to allow him to mete out the punishment.



Meanwhile, Minister Choi Seok-ju tells Prince San that unless he punishes Kim

Gwi-joo, Gyeomsabokjang, and Woorimwijang over this incident, then his majestys

ailment will be known forever in history...

Episode 43



Song-yeon is summoned to Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri)s chambers

where the Princess thanks her for the important role she played. Queen Hyo-eui

(actress Park Eun-hye) tells everyone that Prince San is at the arrow shooting

range and that she will go there to see him.



Meanwhile, Empress Jung tells Prince San to announce her evil crimes to everyone

but the prince says he will not do so. This surprises the empress. Prince San

tells her to see how powerless she has become and there will be punishment waiting

for her. Empress Jung swirls with anger, fear, and shock...

Episode 44



King Young-jo gives a jade ring to Song-yeon to show his appreciation

when she paints a portrait of Prince Sado. King Young-jo tells her to stay pure

while being at Prince Sans side.



While holding the portrait in his hands, King Young-jos hand trembles and they

fall to the ground.





Meanwhile, Prince San receives a letter from King Young-jo, telling him not

to cry over his death and asking forgiveness for being so cruel. Prince San

is overcome with grief and sorrow...





Episode 45Hong Guk-young learns that the Noron faction are planning something devious andso he orders Kang Seok-ki, Seo Jang-bo and Dae-soo to follow Jung Hoo-gyeomspersonal assistant. They succeed in intercepting a message that was addressedto Jung Hoo-gyeom.San is visibly disturbed when he reads the message that explains a plan to hirean assassin to assassinate him. Hong Guk-young calls for arresting Jung Hoo-gyeombut San tells him to leave him alone and continue to follow the plan...





Episode 46



When the rebellion ends in a failure, Jung Hoo-gyeom and Princess Hwa-wan try

to flee to the Ming Kingdom. But they are captured in Yanghwajin where Hong

Guk-youngs palace guards were waiting for them to try to cross the border.

Hong Guk-young takes Empress Jung-soo to the courtyard of the Naebyeongjo office

and tells her that he will interrogate her for masterminding the revolt and

being the leader of the rebels.





Meanwhile, when Hong Guk-yong asks San to leave the interrogation of the rebels

to him, San surprised everyone by announcing that he will personally interrogate

the criminals.





Episode 47



Princess Hye-bin is shocked to hear from Princess Hwa-wan that Minister Hong

Bong-han is trying to lobby for her release. Princess Hye-bin goes to meet Hong

Bong-han and asks him why he would do such a thing and he tells her that he

is trying to save his brothers life.



Meanwhile, news that Empress Jung-soon committed suicide spreads and Confucian

scholars from across the country raise objections on the way San harshly dealt

with the rebels...





Episode 48





Queen Hyo-eui (actress Park Eun-hye) carefully broaches the subject of whether

Song-yeon (actress Han Ji-min) would like to return to the royal palace. Meanwhile,

Princess Hye-bin (actress Gyeon Mi-ri) and Hong Bong-ha (actor Shin Chung-shik)

are very pleased when they are introduced to Hong Guk-youngs (actor Han Sang-jin)

sister.





Episode 49



Song-yeon dwells on Queen Hyo-euis suggestion that she return to the palace.



Song-yeon is unable to hide her astonishment when Dae-soo reveals his feelings

to her...





Episode 50





When a plague starts spreading across the kingdom, San calls a meeting of his

ministers and Jang Tae-woo tells him to not return to the palace until he turns

everything back to the way things were. Jang Tae-woo then boasts that San will

step down from his throne.



Meanwhile, Hong Guk-young meets with Princess Hye-bin and tells her he accepts

her proposal to bring his sister to the palace as a palace courtesan. But when

Queen Hyo-eui meets with San, she mentions that she will bring Song-yeon back

to the palace...





Episode 51



San sees the Noron faction officials kneeling on their knees before the kings

palace but he tells them that he thinks they came too late. He also mentions

that minister Jang Tae-woo, the current Noron factions leader, should be kneeling

with them, too.



Meanwhile, San is eager to see Song-yeon again and as he greets her, he is told

by Chae Jae-gong that minister Jang Tae-woo would like to enter the kings palace.

So San sends Song-yeon to his office, telling her to wait for him there. While

waiting for San to return, Song-yeon nods off for a while and when she wakes

up she is stricken with fear to see Princess Hye-bin standing right in front

of her.







Episode 52



Hong Guk-young orders a strict medical examination of all mid-level officials

who belong to the Noron faction and draws their ire. When San hears about this,

he orders Hong Guk-young to not attend the royal meetings for the time being

but Hong Guk-young disobeys this order. San tells Hong Guk-young to leave in

the presence of the Noron faction officials.



Meanwhile, Princess Hye-bin calls Song-yeon and asks her if San went to see

her a couple of nights ago. Song-yeon is unable to answer the question for she

knows it will anger her and at that very moment, Queen Hyo-eui abruptly enters

the room...





Source
Permit applicant said environmental care is a primary concern

Rust-colored water runs out of a pipe near the site of the fomer Pegasus mine in the Little Rocky Mountains. The Fort Belknap Indian Community is opposed to new mining in the area as it continues to deal with the pollution from the mining operation, which shut down in 1998 after Pegasus filed for bankruptcy. A public meeting on an environmental assessment on proposed new mining exploration in the area is set for Tuesday, Jan 4.

Leaders of the Fort Belknap Indian Community said they are glad to have the opportunity to talk about a proposed new mine exploration in the Little Rocky Mountains because it will give its members a chance to show their opposition to the proposal.

"The tribe's 100 percent opposed," Fort Belknap Indian Community Council President Jeff Stiffarm said.

"We're going to fight this tooth and nail," he added. "I'm glad our people at least will have the chance to speak."

Montana Department of Environmental Quality said it has scheduled a public hearing at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, to hear public comments on a draft environmental assessment for Luke Ployhar's proposed exploration project in the location of the former Zortman Mine operated by Zortman Mining Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pegasus Mining Co.

The public hearing will be in the school in Hays as well as accessible via Zoom and telephone.

A previous request for an exploration permit in the area from Ployhar's company Blue Arc LLC of Minnesota- which Stiffarm said is not licensed to do business in Montana - received an approving environmental assessment from DEQ in February pending posting of sufficient bond.

Fort Belknap Indian Community and other groups filed a lawsuit over that approval, saying Blue Arc is not registered to do business in Montana and the tribes were not consulted in the permitting process.

The Pegasus mine was shut down after the company filed for bankruptcy in 1997. It did not have a large enough bond to cover cleanup and the state and federal government - and the Fort Belknap Indian Community - still are dealing with environmental damage caused by the mines, conducted as open-pit heap leach mines.

Ployhar said if exploration shows viable mining, he plans to use underground non-heap leach, conventional mining, and the exploration could bring some jobs to the area and the mining would bring more.

He said any mining would be done responsibly.

"We will always consider the environment and (Fort Belknap's) concerns a top priority," Ployhar said.

Plans for new mining

Ployhar said the proposal is in permitting for the preliminary exploration phase now. The purpose of that phase is to identify areas that would warrant looking at the potential of underground mining.

He said mines at Zortman and Landusky historically were underground mines that followed faults or veins of decent value. He added that work done by Pegasus indicates those structures are still in the area and have potential for development.

"Eventually, I would believe developing the underground mine would result in jobs in the area," he said. "In the short term, there may be the need for a few job opportunities that may arise from the exploration phase, but we are still in the early stages. Economically there will surely be a benefit at any phase due to jobs, logistical support, equipment rentals in the area, and miscellaneous expenses that help support the local economies."

Ongoing damage to the environment

The area has more than a century of history of mining.

The federal government coerced the Fort Belknap tribes in the 1890s to sell the land, part of the original Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, back to the government after gold was discovered there.

Modern mining came to the area in 1979.

Pegasus started mining in the area again, using heap leach mining to extract gold from from two open-pit mines totaling about 1,200 acres of land, half public and half private, before going bankrupt in 1997.

The process, which uses chemicals including cyanide to leach minerals like gold from ore, left heavy environmental damage.

The bond posted by Pegasus did not cover the costs, and the state and federal government have spent millions on the cleanup so far with millions more to come in annual water treatment along with reclamation.

Mining exploration

In its release about the public meeting, DEQ notes that the exploration permit is not a permit for mining.

"An exploration license authorizes activity for the purpose of determining the presence and extent of an ore body," the release said. "An exploration license does not authorize the mining of an ore body."

The release also noted that a draft environmental assessment does not make a decision on the application, but instead is a disclosure document of the potential impacts from the project.

It also talked about the legal requirements on DEQ.

"If a proposed project meets the requirements of Montana law (82-4-332, Montana Code Annotated)," it said, "DEQ must issue the exploration license."

Those requirements are that the applicant pay a $100 fee, agree to reclaim any surface area damaged by the exploration as may be reasonably required by DEQ, not be in default of any other reclamation obligation under that law, and file an application meeting legal requirements.

It also requires the applicant to file a reclamation and vegetation bond for the exploration.

Opposition to new mining

Stiffarm said that while the meeting Jan. 4 actually is not about new mining, just the environmental impacts of exploration, which the assessment found would be minimal, he expects many people to talk about their opposition to new mining.

He said the tribe's opposition to any mining is due to what Pegasus left behind.

"The taxpayers will pay on that forever, probably," Stiffarm said.

Council member Warren Morin said the tribes want to protect the wellbeing of all people affected, including in the Zortman and Landusky area and downstream from the reservation as well - people as far away as Saco could be impacted eventually, he said, if not themselves their grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

"Acid runoff drainage, it's coming down, marching its way down Mission Canyon," he said.

He said a lot of speculation has happened on what the long-term effects will be.

"Eventually, it's going get into our drinking water," he said "It could be a disaster for us. I live downstream and drink that water."

He said it also has impacted the environment and recreation. Water was diverted for the mining operation, and now for reclamation efforts, and areas that used to be full of trout now have hardly any due to the reduced water.

Stiffarm said DEQ personnel and its director toured the area at the invitation of the tribes last summer.

"It's a real eye-opener to see such a beautiful area - especially sacred to the (tribes) - and look at some of that runoff," he said. "The color of the water, it's not normal."

Ployhar: Mining techniques prevent damage

Ployhar said if he starts mining in the area it would not resemble the operations of Pegasus.

"Pegasus left a very negative impact on the perception of mining in the state, and the mining bonds they left behind were deemed unsatisfactory by the DEQ," he said. "The DEQ has since adjusted their bond requirements to meet current needs to ensure proper cleanup at mine sites."

He said if underground mining does start as a result of the exploration, modern mining techniques and technology would address all concerns.

That includes little surface disturbance, because the mines would be underground and usually only a few surface buildings are needed, Ployhar said.

He said water treatment plants already exist at Zortman and Landusky, and added that his group believes future mining could actually help.

"It is our belief that it would be of benefit to the area since future mining would contribute to mitigation of any water issues that would probably go beyond the current mitigation efforts," Ployhar said. "... In addition, any mineralized vein structures that are removed during mining (are) replaced with backfills that neutralize any acid rock drainage (and) will only benefit the underground water table and assist in solving contamination issues."

More than health concerns

But Stiffarm, who said he still is concerned about environmental damage, said even aside from the damage to health and well-being, the damage to the land is opposed.

"It affects the water, wildlife, mountains," he said. "They're sacred to us. We have our Sundance grounds up there, we have our powwow grounds up there. Eagle Child is one of our sacred mountains there, it's right next to that area."

Stiffarm said his people have extensive past and cultural history in the area impacted, and they still use them.

"People go up to fast and prepare themselves for Sundance," he said. "Not only that, it affects our recreation ... our livelihood."

He said studies or assessments of mining in the area don't take into account how it affects the people, mentally and spiritually and physically.

"Its pretty tough ... to watch our mountains waste away with that mine that they left behind there," he said "... Now they are proposing a new mine out there."

Morin said the spiritual and emotional impact is immense.

"(In) our beliefs, mountains are like people. You don't deface them, you don't drill holes in them, you don't go taking a bulldozer and scarring up on them. They have a spirit just like a person," he said. "By tearing that mountain down ... it was really devastating, mentally and spiritually, to our people that lived back then that watched it."

Morin said he was one of the people who did watch it. At 4 p.m. each day explosions would start, shaking and rattling the windows of his house, then a few minutes later a cloud of brown dust would go up.

"It was just systematic devastation," he said.

Questions on the mining claims

And Fort Belknap Indian Community, and several groups which also joined the lawsuit over Blue Arc's exploration permit granted in February, have called into question the fact that new mining claims were filed at all.

Since 2000, U.S. Department of Interior had been issuing five-year withdrawals of the federal lands in the region from mining claims, renewing the withdrawals every five years.

In a request for an investigation by the office of the inspector general of the U.S. Interior Department, the group notes that Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed a notice for a 20-year mineral withdrawal, although on a reduced area, Oct. 1, 2020, but the notice wasn't published in the federal register until Oct. 7, 2020.

The previous five-year withdrawal expired Oct. 4, 2020, and Blue Arc filed 10 mining claims in the area Oct. 5, prior to the intended withdrawal being noticed to the public.

The letter, signed by representatives of Fort Belknap and Montana Trout Unlimited, Montana Environmental Information Center and Earthworks, asks the office of the inspector general to answer several questions including why the withdrawal was not noticed in a timely manner; why Fort Belknap wasn't notified of the lapse and the staking of new claims; when the new claims were physically staked and whether their validity is being reviewed; what communications occurred between Bureau of Land Management or Interior Department and Blue Arc or any person associated with the claims, and if those communications were legal and if anyone associated with Blue Arc was notified in advance that the withdrawal extension would be delayed.

Handling of the application

Fort Belknap also has some problems with the start of the permitting process.

Dan Belcourt, legal counsel for the Fort Belknap Indian Community, said the DEQ has started consulting with the tribes on the permits but it did not do so at first with the permit approved in February.

Stiffarm said they had to file something in court to get the state's attention.

"When they initially filed that permit, (the state) didn't consult with the tribe. The tribes found out about it in a newspaper or something. That's when we filed a lawsuit. After that they tried to reach out, government-to-government relations."

But, Morin said, even with the decades of consultations and requests for help from the tribes for the cleanup, the government is still leaving the concerns out of the process.

"They ask for our help (with the Pegasus mine cleanup) and then turn around and issue permits," he said. "It's kind of confusing to me why they would ask us for help and then issue the permits."

He added that recent history doesn't support that.

"It happened before," Morin said. "Those guys took the money and ran, filed bankruptcy, stuck the taxpayers with the cleanup cost. That's not right. Somebody should have been charged back then. I just feel its criminal."

Stiffarm said no one seems to be concerned about the people of Fort Belknap - or others impacted - but only are concerned about the money.

"We feel our people's lives are more important than that gold out there," Stiffarm said. "They get the gold and spend that money but the lives they effect will still be there."

"It's a problem thats going to be around for a long, long time," he added. "And it's only getting worse, that's the crazy thing about it."

--

See a previous story on the public meeting in the Dec. 21 edition of Havre Daily News or online at https://www.havredailynews.com/story/2021/12/21/local/public-meeting-set-regarding-proposed-new-mining-in-little-rockies/536656.html.

--

What: A public meeting on the draft EA for Luke Ployhar's proposed exploration project.

When: Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 4 p.m.

Where: Hays School and held via Zoom, accessible online and by telephone.

 To access the online meeting via Zoom or for a call-in number, people can visit: https://lukeployharexploration.eventbrite.com or call DEQ Public Relations Specialist Moira Davin, 406-461-2503.

Courtesy photo

DEQ will be taking official public comment at the meeting. Participants may sign up in advance for comment using the link above or may sign up during the meeting. Commentors will be called on in the order they are received. DEQ will make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities who wish to participate in the meeting. Anyone requiring an accommodation, can contact DEQ using the contact information above at least one week prior to the meeting.

DEQ prepared a draft EA to analyze potential impacts from the proposed exploration project and will accept public comments on the draft EA until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11. To submit comments or view the document, visit the DEQ website at: https://deq.mt.gov/News/publiccomment-folder/news-article1 .
911 call: Girl, 3, shot herself after picking up loaded pistol in back seat of pickup truck

A 3-year-old girl accidentally shot herself in the head after she had ridden her new bicycle on Christmas Day and then picked up the loaded 9-mm pistol in the backseat of her fathers pickup truck, the father told an emergency dispatcher.



The girl, the daughter of retired Henderson County Sheriffs Capt. Tim Gordon, and his wife, Anya Kizyaeva Gordon, remained in critical condition at Mission Hospital in Asheville on Monday night.

Sheriff Lowell Griffin, who served as a deputy alongside Gordon before Griffin left the department in 2014, turned the case over to the SBI because of their connection. Griffin was elected sheriff in 2018, two years after Gordon retired.

The only thing I can tell you, because we turned the case over to the North Carolina SBI, is Tim Gordon retired in 2016, Griffin said in an interview Monday night. I cant give any other details of the case other than to tell you that that was not a weapon from the Henderson County Sheriffs Office.

Gordon, as his wife was holding the injured child in the backseat, was driving his Dodge Dakota pickup down Gilliam Mountain Road to the Edneyville Fire & Rescue station on U.S. 64 at 2:46 p.m. Saturday when he called 911.

She picked up a pistol and shot herself in the head by accident, he told the dispatcher. We didnt know the handgun was there. We had a visitor visiting for Christmas and he went in the car and I didnt know it and she picked it up and it went off.

Where, the dispatcher asked, did this happen?

In the truck right there on the side of the road because we stopped to let her ride her new bicycle, he said. She had a bike wreck  and she climbed in the truck and there was a gun there and there it went.

Griffin said that Gordon and his wife and family were extremely distraught over the accident and the severe injury to their daughter, Aylee.

Its a tragic, tragic accident and incident I think once its all released, it was just several different circumstances that came together on this holiday to lead to this tragedy, he said.

I will say that it was reported to us that it did occur in a vehicle but Im just afraid anything I say could compromise the departments neutrality. Theres some delicate interviews theyre going to have to do.

Family friends who created a gofundme site pleaded for prayers for Aylee. When the little girl arrived at Mission, the chief neurosurgeon was on duty and performed the surgery. An update Sunday on the gofundme page said "the pressure on Aylee's brain is very high, and the next 48 hours are very critical. Her doctors are doing everything they can to keep her as stable as possible. From Tim and Anya, 'We need a miracle for our precious little girl.'"

Tim and Anya remain at Aylee's bedside while also caring for their 6-year-old son, an update said. "Aylee's parents have been strong leaders in our community, in law enforcement, and in foster care," it said. "They have supported many families and children in their community. During this critical time for their beautiful little girl and family, let's support them with our love, prayers, and financial support. They are eternally grateful for every prayer and donation."
A STUDY is to be carried out into the need for end-of-life care services in Oxfordshire following a campaign by Henley councillors.

The needs assessment study follows a motion passed by South Oxfordshire District Council, calling on the NHS Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group to properly analyse the need for palliative care beds.

The motion was proposed by Stefan Gawrysiak, who represents Henley on the council.

Diana Hedges, deputy chief executive of the commissioning group, agreed to carry out the study at a meeting of the Oxfordshire health overview and scrutiny committee.

There has been no palliative care facility in South Oxfordshire since the closure of the Sue Ryder hospice in Nettlebed two years ago until last week when two palliative care beds were introduced at Wallingford Community Hospital.

The nearest end-of-life facility to Henley is Sue Ryders Duchess of Kent hospice in Tilehurst but it does not always accept South Oxfordshire patients. Patients can also travel to Maidenhead or Oxford, or receive end-of-life care at home from the charity.

Councillor Gawrysiak, of Henley Residents Group, says the service needs to be closer because relatives of those receiving end-of-life care may not be able to travel and care at home doesnt work for everybody.

He said: We want to know why is it only now that a needs assessment of palliative care in Oxfordshire will take place, why has this never been done before? We also want to know when its going to happen and who will be consulted.

The two beds at Wallingford are being provided in a partnership between the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the commissioning group and Sue Ryder.

Admissions will be made through the charity. The care team will include a specialist nurse, GP and advanced clinical practitioner as well as ward staff.

Oxford Health says the number of beds is based on current data but could be increased if necessary.

Cllr Gawrysiak is also concerned that the impending takeover of the clinical commissioning group by the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care System could derail the campaign.

Integrated care systems have been brought in by the Government with the aim of bringing together the organisations commissioning and providing healthcare in an area.

The integrated care system in Oxfordshire will begin in April.

Cllr Gawrysiak said: There is a danger that when this huge organisation comes in, they will become unapproachable and we wont be able to hold them to account and the healthcare needs of Oxfordshire residents, which are different to those in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, will be put on the back burner.

When it was just Oxfordshire you could ask questions and get answers, even though you might not like them. Im determined that that will not happen. They must be as accountable as the old organisation and care about the local need, whether thats Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire or Henley.

The district council has passed a motion asking its leader David Rouane to secure an early meeting with leaders of the integrated care system to ensure they are aware of the serious issues facing the district in terms of healthcare provision.

The council says that provision in South Oxfordshire has failed to keep up with the growth in the population and it is under pressure to approve new housing without healthcare provision being in place.

Sue Cooper, the former leader of the council who represents Benson and Crowmarsh for the Liberal Democrats, told the meeting: Everybody is aware of the huge rate of growth of new housing weve had in this district and I think its widely accepted that the medical provision has not kept up with it.

I met with the commissioning group earlier this year to try to get better input from them at the stage when we are planning in new areas.

We know that the commissioning group cant build new practices, new accommodation for GPs. Im hopeful that the integrated care system can engage with us more and do more to plan for what we need in the future.

Now we wont have to negotiate with two separate commissioning groups, which is what weve had to do in the past, so Im very much hoping that we can have a better and more productive relationship with these people in the future.

Councillor Rouane said the proposed meeting was not in order to kick the organisers of the NHS but an invitation to work jointly towards better outcomes.

A commissioning group spokesman said: We and the county council will explore the scope of any further work required for a needs assessment. There was an extensive needs assessment undertaken in 2019 on end-of-life care and we are reviewing this to determine the scope of any further work that maybe required.
Introduction:

Something incredible happens since quite some time: Tigers claim with a lot of media and academic support that deer are eating up tigers. And the deer only say, No, its not true but do not give proof that they are vegetarians while tigers killed and ate already millions of deer.

The attacks on Hindus are unrelenting. Now even a British MP tweeted about a Hindu terrorist when there cannot be terrorism in the name of Hindu Dharma, because it is never dharmic to kill or injure at random innocent people.

The narrative goes like this: only certain deer are dangerous (Hindutva), others are not (Hinduism). Those deer who accept and respect that tigers will eat them are okay, but those deer who raise alarm and object to being eaten up, are dangerous terrorists.

Is it not time for Hindus to put facts on the table in international forums regarding the doctrine of religions?

Show to the world the teeth of a tiger and the teeth of a deer. In other words, point to the objectionable, divisive aspect of the predator religions, and then show them Hindu Dharma which is based on the most profound, benign, and all-inclusive philosophy.

The claim the Almighty has sanctioned only our religion as true and those who dont accept this, are sinful creatures who will be thrown into hell is the root cause for the hate crimes against Hindus not only in Pakistan and Bangladesh but also in Bharat and even in the US.

Muslims and Christians keep frequently petitioning the United Nations and are heard.

Yet inexplicably, Hindus, who are the majority in Bharat, have so far not internationally exposed the intrinsic hatred for them contained in the official doctrines of those two religions and suffer silently the great injustice, daily humiliation, and violence meted out to them.

To condemn killings and rapes which happen so frequently is not enough.

The root cause needs to be eradicated.

I drafted this petition which is open to being improved.

Would any Hindu representative or group take it forward?

Draft for a Petition to the United Nations (or International Court of Justice?)

This is an appeal to the United Nations to declare the abuse of Hindus by Christianity and Islam as idol-worshippers, Heathens and Kafirs, who are damned for all eternity to hell, as an unacceptable violation of human dignity and equality.

Each of the two religions claims that the true Creator of the universe, whom Christians call God, and Muslims call Allah, wants all to follow only what He revealed through Jesus Christ, respectively to Prophet Mohammed and that He will discard all those, who do not heed his command and who worship false Gods, into hell.

This is the root cause why in the name of Christianity and Islam, millions were killed, forcefully converted and temples destroyed.

All over the world ancient cultures were destroyed and replaced by these two religions and humanity suffered greatly over the last 1700 years. While the holocaust of the natives in South America and the holocaust of the Jews is well known, the holocaust of Hindus by Muslims is little known. Estimates speak of 80 million Hindus mercilessly killed because they were Hindus.

India is the last vibrant ancient culture, which is still alive, though greatly diminished. It has contributed the maximum to human civilization in all fields, which is well documented, yet mostly hidden from the public.

The insight that One Consciousness (Brahman) is pervading everything in this universe was also discovered in India. Without any understanding of Indian philosophy, Christian and Muslim clergy falsely demean Hindu Gods as demons and Hindus as idol worshippers, what they declare as a grave sin.

Christianity and Islam consider it their divine duty to make Hindu culture also extinct, and both work towards it using threat, deceit, allurement, and violence. For example, in 1990, Hindus in the Kashmir valley were threatened by Muslims to convert, leave, or get killed. Many were killed and 400.000 fled.

Christianity may not kill any longer, but it does its best to uproot cultural identities and to divide society. The Joshua project for example is a systematic and aggressive agenda to map Hindus all over India and convert them in big numbers.

The unrelenting vilification of Hindutva (Hindu-ness) as promoting terror against Muslims and Christians, supported by the leftist media, puts Hindus in great danger. Hate speech precedes hate crimes and can lead to genocide. It needs to be stopped urgently.

Every human being is free to worship the Supreme in whatever way he/ she wants and by whatever name he/she wants to call it. This is guaranteed in the right to religious freedom. But there is a condition: the religious belief must be worthy of respect in a democratic society and must not infringe on the rights and freedoms of other people.

The irresponsible, baseless claim that God/ Allah hates the idol-worshipping Hindus, is definitely not worthy of respect, endangers public safety, and breeds hatred for Hindus.

We request all right thinking people to support this appeal to outlaw this hate promoting aspect of the doctrines of Christianity and Islam.

Especially the indoctrination of Christian and Muslim children to look down and even hate Hindus for allegedly worshipping false gods, must stop in the interest of humanity.

Source : Maria Wirth
7:36pm: Johnson officially signed prior to the teams game in Miami, the team announced (via Twitter).

4:43pm: Alize Johnson is signing with the Wizards on Tuesday and could play significant minutes right away, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Johnson will ink a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption. He was waived by the Bulls over the weekend. His agent told Wojnarowski that his client landed in Miami after clearing waivers and is on the way to the arena, where Washington is playing tonight.

Washington has eight players in protocols, including frontcourt players Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Gill and Montrezl Harrell.

Washington has five games over the next 10 days and Johnson will receive about $98K from the Wizards to go along with the $705K+ he made with Chicago, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Johnson appeared in 16 games for the Bulls, averaging 1.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 7.6 MPG.

Selected by the Pacers with the 50th pick in 2018, Johnson spent two years with Indiana, then played 18 games for the Nets last season after joining the team in March on a 10-day contract.
11:40am: Swords deal is now official, according to the Wizards (Twitter link). Itll run through January 6.

11:22am: G League guard Craig Sword will sign a 10-day deal with the Wizards under the hardship exemption, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The 27-year-old has played mostly overseas since going undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2016. Hes averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 assists this season in 14 games with the Capital City Go-Go, Washingtons G League affiliate.

The Wizards currently have six players in health and safety protocols, including guards Bradley Beal, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Holiday and Raul Neto.
Now Open

1 December 2021

Deutsche Hospitality is continuing to expand in its core German, Austrian and Swiss markets. IntercityHotel will make its brand debut in Switzerland when the first IntercityHotel to be launched in the country opens its doors on 1 December 2021 as the group extends its European presence still further. IntercityHotels are very much characterised by their central location, and Switzerland will be no exception in this regard. The new hotel is situated in the municipality of Rumlang, from where Zurich International Airport can be accessed in only ten minutes. The city centre is also just 15 minutes away. The project developer is Necron AG.

Zurich has around 400,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in Switzerland and acts as the country's most significant hub for rail and air travel. Guests at the IntercityHotel Zurich Airport will enjoy the convenience of short transfer distances into the city and to both the railway station and the airport itself.

The second IntercityHotel in Switzerland, the IntercityHotel Geneva Airport, is scheduled to open as early as 2023.
Opinion Article

28 December 2021

Several new pieces of California legislation have either recently gone into effect or will take effect in 2022, impacting nearly all employers and how they handle employment agreements, disability related to COVID, training, rehiring and retention, and a range of other practices. A new presidential administration also means a shift in the political landscape and the role played by the NLRB, OSHA and other regulatory bodies.

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Our round-up will help you determine which key issues may impact you in 2022; contact us to be sure youre ready for all these upcoming changes. Click the read more link for each topic to see a comprehensive summary.

Expansions to the California Family Rights Act

Effective January 1, 2022, AB 1033 adds parent-in-law to the list of persons that an employee may take time off to care for, pursuant to the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). It also recasts the notice provisions of the small employer family leave mediation pilot program to require the DFEH to notify an employee of the requirement for mediation prior to filing a civil action, and requires the employee to contact the DFEHs dispute resolution division prior to filing an action.

What this means for employers: Employers should review family leave policies to ensure they are compliant with AB 1033. Although the law adds a new category of person an employee may take time off to care for, it does not expand the total amount of leave an employee is entitled to take per 12 month period. Small employers should be aware of their ability to request mediation, and should consult with labor and employment counsel immediately upon receiving notice by a plaintiff or the DFEH that a plaintiff is seeking a civil lawsuitthe deadline to request a mediation is only 30 days from receipt of notice.

Read the full article.

Changes to the Fair Employment and Housing Act

Effective January 1, 2022, SB 807 amends various statutes concerning the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) procedures when enforcing Californias civil rights lawnotably, the FEHA. These changes include tolling the deadline for the DFEH to file a civil action under the FEHA while a dispute resolution is pending, increasing the amount of time employers must keep certain records, and authorizing the DFEH to appeal court decisions.

What this means for employers: Employers should review their current record retention policies and amend them as necessary. This also provides an opportunity to ensure that employers are retaining all the necessary records so that they do not face unnecessary penalties or subject themselves to avoidable liability. SB 807s tolling of the statute of limitations deadline provides additional leeway to employees who are seeking redress, and the authorization for the DFEH to appeal decisions grants it additional flexibility when pursing actions against employers.

Read the full article.

COVID-19 Rehiring and Retention Requirements for Employers

Effective April 16, 2021, SB 93 requires employers in certain industries to notify former employees laid off due to COVID-19 about job openings for which the former employees are eligible within five days of establishing the open position; they must offer the open position to laid-off employees based on a preference system. SB 93 also requires that if an employer declines to recall a laid-off employee based on lack of qualifications and hires someone else, that employer must provide the laid-off employee written notice within 30 days detailing the specific reasons for the employers decision. The bill also contains a collective bargaining agreement waiver provision, providing that the waiver of recall rights must be expressly stated in the collective bargaining agreement.

What this means for employers: Employers subject to SB 93 must create processes and procedures for complying with the new law. Employers with collective bargaining agreements should review the agreements and, if they desire at the next opportunity, negotiate an express waiver of the recall rights set out in SB 93.

Read the full article.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Determines That COVID-19 Can be a Disability

On December 14, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance regarding COVID-19. The EEOC found that COVID-19 can bebut is not always considered a disability under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The question that must be answered is: are the employees COVID-19 symptoms a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities?

What this means for employers:

The updated guidelines highlight the importance for employers to have COVID-19 protocols in place. Those protocols, in addition to helping foster a safe working environment, will help ensure that employers do not create unnecessary liability for themselves. Employers must also be mindful of taking adverse employment actions against employees who have COVID-19 and are experiencing symptoms. Employers should consult with labor and employment lawyers experienced in handling ADA claims prior to taking such adverse employment actions.

Read the full article.

Employers Must Brace Themselves for the NLRBs Shift Back to a Pro-Union Agenda

Major changes are on the horizon for both union and non-union private sector employers alike as the new Democratic majority under the Biden administration settles in at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On August 12, 2021, the newly-confirmed NLRB General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, nominated by President Biden, released a General Counsel Memorandum providing a detailed roadmap for the Boards return to a pro-union, more worker-friendly agenda. While the Board is prone to change every four to eight years as political control shifts in the White House, this memo truly highlights how volatile Board law can be for employers.

What this means for employers: Abruzzos memo foreshadows significant changes on the horizon and broad implications for employers across all industries. Given the changing tide, many practices which employers currently take for granted, including those required by law, will likely warrant revision or require bargaining with the union. Employers, both union and non-union, should brace themselves for the changes to come and consult with employment counsel early on in order to make appropriate updates to their policies and practices and to ensure they remain compliant with applicable law.

Read the full article.

Joint Employment Pendulum Swings Left Again

Policymakers and courts continue to expand the application of labor and employment laws to independent contractors and employees of franchisees. Rules regarding employee classification and collective bargaining are shifting away from regulations put in place during the previous presidential administration, and challenges to Californias ABC are still pending.

What this means for employers: Businesses should bear in mind the current trend toward classifying all workers as employees of the entity to whom they provide service, regardless of the true nature of the relationship, and take steps to mitigate the downside risk of judicial reclassification, such as contracting only with entities, rather than people, for services and having written indemnity agreements with those entities.

Read the full article.

California Further Limits Employers Ability to Negotiate Employee Silence in Settlements

SB 331 prevents employers from prohibiting employees and former employees from disclosing alleged facts related to harassment, discrimination and other specified unlawful conduct. Further, the law requires additional protections for employees entering into separation agreements.

What this means for employers: Employers are advised to review and revise any form offer letters, employment agreements, severance agreements and settlement agreements to conform to SB 331s changes. Any provisions contrary to the law will be void as a matter of law and public policy.

Read the full article.

Employers Cannot Make Employees Sign Arbitration Agreements as a Condition of Employment . . . or Can They?

Employers are once again prohibited from requiring an employee or prospective employee to sign an arbitration agreement for certain California employment-related claims. In 2019, California passed AB 51, making it unlawful for employers to require employees and prospective employees to agree to arbitrate claims arising under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and/or the California Labor Code as a condition of employment or continued employment. Before AB 51 could take effect, however, the Chamber of Commerce successfully sought a temporary restraining order halting its enforcement. which was followed shortly by a preliminary injunction against enforcement of AB 51. It is expected that the Ninth Circuits ruling will be challenged, and AB 51 may again be enjoined in its entirety pending further legal proceedings.

What this means for employers: Employers should consult with legal counsel to explore how best to modify standard arbitration agreements for new hires and ensure compliance; based on careful crafting by counsel, there are various ways an employer may lawfully obtain enforceable agreements. Despite the changing legal landscape in California, arbitration agreements are still recommended as an effective tool to avoid public and lengthy litigation of certain claims and guard against unreasonable jury verdicts.

Read the full article.

More Than a Late Payment Penalty  Failure to Promptly Pay Arbitration Invoices Results in Waiver of Right to Compel Arbitration

Beginning in 2022, an arbitration provider must immediately issue to the employer an invoice for any fees and costs required before the arbitration can proceed upon initiation of arbitration. Similarly, if the arbitration agreement does not specify timing of payments while the arbitration is pending, invoices for any fees and costs required for the arbitration proceeding to continue must also be issued as due upon receipt.

What this means for employers: Employers should be very careful to pay all arbitration invoices immediately to avoid significant negative consequences. Employers should also consult with counsel to evaluate what revisions might be made to existing arbitration agreements to moderate these risks.

Read the full article.

Are You Personally Liable for Your Employers Wage and Hour Violations?

California law enacted in 2016 creates individual personal liability for wage and hour violations for an owner, director, officer, or managing agent of an employer in which the individual had personal involvement and can be said to have been acting on behalf of an employer. A recent case clarifies that an owner has no personal liability in such lawsuits, if they have limited involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company.

What this means for employers: While a hands-on owner or other managing agent who participates in the day-to-day operations or wage and hour policy decisions affecting aggrieved employees may face personal liability, those who do not have such close involvement or decisional authority are now more likely to avoid personal liability. All business owners, directors, officers, and managing agents should determine with counsel whether or not their conduct exposes them to personal liability for wage and hour violations.

Read the full article.

New Criminal Penalties for Wage Theft

California has passed AB 1003, creating a new offense for the intentional theft of wages by an employer. The offense may be punished as a misdemeanor or a felony, and the offense specifically authorizes restitution of wages, gratuities, benefits or other compensation that is the subject of prosecution.

What this means for employers: Employers should review their policies and pay practices to ensure that they comply with relevant California Labor Code sections. One step employers can take is to obtain employees signatures on acknowledgment forms to provide evidence of the employees receipt of a specific policy and understanding of the substance of the policy. Employers can also implement regular auditing of policies and pay practices. If you have any doubt about a certain practice, you should contact qualified labor and employment counsel for advice.

Read the full article.

How Soon is Now? Its Time to Review the Independent Contractor/Employee Status of Your Workers

Its time to review all of your independent contractor arrangements. Californias statute governing the classification of independent contractors underwent fundamental changes when changes to it became law. These exemptions and revisions apply to business-to-business relationships, referral agencies, professional services, performance artists, and other classifications. Many more California workers are exempted from the well-known ABC test for determining independent contractors  in all, 109 categories of workers.

What this means for employers: Additional carve-outs of the rigid ABC test do not necessarily provide safe harbors for businesses seeking to use independent contractors instead of employees for specified roles and aspects of their business. Companies are encouraged to contact qualified labor and employment counsel when bringing on new workers, especially those who are residents of or who will be working in the State of California, as either independent contractors or employees.

Read the full article.

Bidens Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers Faces an Uncertain Future  Large Employers Should Prepare for Compliance by January 10

On November 5, 2021, Federal OSHA published new Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) which implemented a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers with 100 or more employees. Within 24 hours of publishing, dozens of lawsuits were filed in an attempt to block the ETS from taking effect, challenging it on a number of constitutional and procedural grounds. On November 6, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay, putting the implementation of the vaccine mandate on hold. However, on December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay and revived the ETS.

What this means for employers: Until Cal/OSHA issues new guidance, (despite this state of limbo) the Federal OSHA ETS is currently legally required. As such, California employers who would be covered by this vaccine mandate should prepare to implement new policies and procedures by January 10, 2022. Given the complexities inherent in the 490 pages of the federal mandate, employers are highly encouraged to consult with legal counsel in order to ensure these preparation steps are properly handled.

Read the full article.

Work Quota Requirements for Warehouse and Distribution Centers

Beginning January 1, 2022, AB 701 creates new requirements for warehouse distribution centers who employ or exercise control over 100+ employees at a single warehouse distribution center, or over 1,000+ employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in California. AB 701 requires that warehouse distribution centers must provide each employee with a written description of each quota which the employee subject to, and prohibits the establishment of quotas that would prevent compliance with meal or rest periods and use of bathrooms, among other health and safety laws. Warehouse distribution centers must also maintain work speed data for each employee operating under a quota.

What this means for employers: Employers who believe that they may be considered a warehouse distribution center should immediately consult with qualified labor and employment counsel for advice. Employers should evaluate their current quotas and create a written description of each quota in existence. Employers should ensure that the applicable quotas enable employees to use the restroom and take meal and rest periods. Employers must also create a system for tracking individual employees personal work rate data, as well as a system for responding to requests for information from employees.

Read the full article.

New Implicit Bias Course Requirement for Nurses

Effective on January 1, 2023, AB 1407 requires approved schools of nursing or approved nursing programs to include direct participation in one hour of implicit bias training in their curriculum. AB 1407 also requires hospitals to implement an evidence-based implicit bias program as part of its new graduate program. Nurses who obtained their license within the last two years are required to undergo one hour implicit bias training.

What this means for employers: Hospitals should begin plans to implement the required evidence-based implicit bias programs sooner, rather than later. While hospitals have until January 1, 2023 to implement the programs, creating such a course will not occur overnight and falling behind is preventable, given the timeline set forth.

Read the full article.

Additional Power Granted to the Labor Commissioner

Effective January 1, 2021, SB 572 authorizes the Labor Commissioner, as an alternative to a judgment lien, to create a lien on real property to secure amounts due under any final citation, findings, or decision. The requirements to do so are laid out, as well as the process for releasing the lien once amounts owed are paid.

What this means for employers: SB 572s impact is straightforward, enabling the Labor Commissioner an alternative means of collecting on amounts owed. The practical effects of having judgment lien or a real property lien recording against an employer are limited, but it is important to be aware of the various tools the Labor Commissioner may implement.

Read the full article.

Additional Powers Granted to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health

Effective January 1, 2022, SB 606 creates a rebuttable presumption that OSHA violations committed by an employer with multiple worksites are enterprise-wide if the employer has a written policy or procedure that violates the California Labor Code, or if the Division of Occupational Safety and Health has evidence of a pattern or practice of the same violation at more than one worksite. The Division is authorized to issue an enterprise-wide citation if the employer fails to rebut the presumption.

What this means for employers:

SB 606 has the potential to greatly expand liability for certain employers with multiple worksites in California. Typically employers use a single employee handbook (or identical workplace policies) for employees within a single state. Thus, even if an unlawful practice is limited to a single worksite, SB 606 may result in liability extending to all of its Californias worksites. Employers must continue to ensure that they are not subjecting their employees to unsafe work environmentsa single bad apple is now more costly than ever.

Read the full article.

JMBMs Labor and Employment attorneys counsel businesses and management on workplace issues, helping to establish policies that address problems and reduce job-related lawsuits. We act quickly to resolve claims and aggressively defend our clients in all federal and state courts, before the Department of Labor, the NLRB, and other federal, state and local agencies, as well as in private arbitration forums. We represent employers in collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration.
2 1 of 2 Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg Show More Show Less



WASHINGTON - A group representing some of the worlds largest gas exporting nations, including Russia, Norway and Iran, cautioned United Nations officials Tuesday that natural gas was needed as a backstop to intermittent renewables if the world is to address climate change.

Officials from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum had travelled to United Nations offices in Paris to discuss their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas footprint. After the meeting they released a statement saying that the "cementing role of natural gas" was necessary under "all major energy scenarios."
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Texas health services department is warning that five of its regional infusion centers have run out of the only monoclonal antibody treatment known to be effective against the omicron variant of COVID-19, which now accounts for 90% of new cases in the state.

The Texas Department of State Health Services says its regional infusion centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and The Woodlands "have exhausted their supply of sotrovimab," the only monoclonal antibody treatment that appears to be effective against the omicron variant. The department said the scarcity stems from a national shortage of the treatment, which is made by GlaxoSmithKline and received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May.

The affected infusion centers will not be able to offer sotrovimab until federal authorities ship more supplies in January. Chris Van Deusen, a department spokesperson, said its likely other infusion centers will use the remainder of their sotrovimab in the next few days.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic how the immune system prevents the virus from entering healthy cells, and they have been used to treat patients at high risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19.

A scarcity of the treatment would leave the states health department without an important tool to combat the virus as cases surge across the country. Some hospitals in the New York region have had to stop offering monoclonal antibody treatment because theyve run out of sotrovimab. Those hospitals have said they will continue offering them when they receive additional supplies from state and federal agencies.

Van Deusen said Texas purchased 1,000 courses of the treatment in September, before the federal government bought up most of the supply. Between the states purchase and allocations from the federal government, Texas has gotten about 12,000 courses of sotrovimab this year.

The department does not know how many additional courses it will receive from the federal government in January, but the supply will likely remain limited because of manufacturing constraints, Van Deusen said.

The federal government paused all shipments of monoclonal antibodies late last month while scientists studied the effectiveness of the antibodies against omicron. But in December, the federal government resumed its distribution of sotrovimab, including 55,000 doses that were supposed to be delivered beginning last week, according to NBC News.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told NBC News that the department expects more than 300,000 doses to be available next month.

This story originally appeared in the Texas Tribune.
Erin Stetzer had a seemingly impossible job ahead of her: paint the brick exterior of a large River Oaks home and get it done in two weeks during a pandemic.

Her painters visited Sherwin-Williams paint stores all over the city, buying as much untinted paint as each would allow  135 5-gallon buckets in all  as they waited for the homeowner to settle on a color.

Then they returned to all of those shops to get the paint base tinted the right color. Since the homeowner had a big party planned, there was no flexibility in the deadline.

That would be a big job any time, but when workers have to social distance and a paint shortage renders it impossible to get a high volume of paint all at once from a single store, the task becomes monumental.

Thats where local knowledge through the trade base matters, said Stetzer, who began her home-building career with David Weekley Homes and set out on her own with Stetzer Builders in 2003. The painters thought it through and went to every Sherwin-Williams store they could possibly go to.

If youre building, remodeling or refurbishing a home, youre all too aware of the shortages and delays of nearly everything needed to finish the job. The worse news is, the problems are expected to continue through the end of 2022.

Everything takes longer to get: kitchen appliances can take nine months to a year to arrive and special-order furniture can take six months. Price estimates on lumber might be good for five days; windows can take five months to arrive. Tile is spotty  some brands or styles take a couple weeks to get here, while others can take four to six months.

Adding insult to injury, when things finally arrive, they could be damaged, broken or the wrong item.

While the coronavirus pandemic has prompted more people to redecorate, remodel or even build a new home, pressure on manufacturing and every link in the supply chain has meant there are few happy customers.

For Stetzer, one solution is returning to the more compact format of her days as a production builder, instead of a longer, more spread-out timetable of a custom home builder. That means when she and her clients and their designer meet early on, they make decisions and order everything at the start. Then, if it takes nine months to get a Wolf range or a SubZero refrigerator, thats OK, because they have plenty of time.

Changes, though, are dicey, because the wait for materials has to start all over again, which complicates other phases of construction.

The problem of delays on kitchen appliances presents itself differently in a remodeling project that should take only a few months. The homeowner has to plan a year ahead, then start construction after appliances arrive, or proceed on an earlier schedule, using a range or refrigerator they know will be temporary until the desired one arrives.

Theres no one industry more affected than the other. Contractors and designers place orders to lock in a price and wait, expecting continued delays and having little to no control over when anything arrives.

Houston interior designer Lucinda Loya and her procurement manager, Mary Choe, of Lucinda Loya Interiors said that it feels like every time they reach out to a client, its to deliver more bad news, with projects taking three to four times as long to complete.

Two to three years ago, 75 percent of the time, we could count on delivery times to land on their expected date. These days, everything is estimated and there are no guarantees, Loya said.

Client conversations arent just about furniture choices but also about lead times, with weekly order reports, shipping progress reports and even sharing tracking numbers when they can. It also means that when some vendors do a better job of delivery, orders are shifted in their direction.

Weve never experienced problems in every category as we do today, Loya said. From their point of view, clients ask, Do we want to take on this project and spend the money? Then the rest just happens easily  right?  except that it doesnt because of of the logistical issues. The real problem is that its everywhere.

If a clients first choice will take too long to get in, they can shift to a second choice, but those are often on back order, too.

Literally, last week, we had an item come in the wrong size  half the size it was supposed to be. Its not the clients fault, and its not our fault, Loya said. It doesnt even matter whose fault it is, we have to correct it in the fastest possible way. Its the most challenging experience weve ever seen in our careers.

The same is true for interior designer Nikole Starr of Nikole Starr Interiors, who sometimes offers loaner furnishings for clients to use until their own furniture arrives. Instead of delivering furniture in a single, full installation, she may have to take things over in four or five phases.

Since the winter storm in February, its been a perfect storm of events. Vietnam shut down for COVID, and thats where furniture frames are made. Then theres a container shortage and a labor shortage. Everything that can possibly go wrong has gone wrong, Starr said.

Furniture showroom owners Connie LeFevre of Design House and Fabric House and Meredith ODonnell of Meredith ODonnell Fine Furniture both said furniture waits can be long  and will likely continue. They also offered an early warning; furniture prices are expected to go up 10 percent starting in January.

ODonnell said that her showroom and warehouse are loaded. Shes the major dealer for Hickory Chair in the Houston area, and she bought two fall furniture market showrooms  two or three shipping containers of furniture  outright. They were the new furniture collections put on display for designers and store buyers each year.

For work-arounds, ODonnell said shes had to get creative, finding trucking lines that can deliver. And her vendors are trying to be creative, too.

The Sherrill furniture companies  which include Hickory White, Lillian August and Motioncraft  have expanded and expect to have a new production facility open by summer of 2022. Instead of a six-month lead time, theyll be able to make things in a few weeks.

For all of them, the past year has been about problem-solving: learning about production issues and the idiosyncrasies of foreign shipping and domestic ground transportation.

One of Stetzers clients had ordered two chandeliers to install over her kitchen island, but one was broken when they arrived after a long wait. They returned to the local lighting showroom to re-order, but by then, that style had been discontinued, and they were no longer available.

The homeowner reacted quickly, pointing to the display sample still hanging from the ceiling: Ill take that one.

diane.cowen@chron.com
SLIDELL, La. (AP)  A 22-year-old Florida man died when his SUV ran off an interstate, overturned and went down an embankment, Louisiana State Police said.

Allan Linarez of Panama City, Florida was not wearing a seat belt when his 2001 Chevrolet Suburban ran off of Interstate 10 in Slidell on Thursday, a news release said.
CADIZ, Ky. (AP)  A former Kentucky sheriff has pleaded guilty to charges connected with providing alcohol to someone underage and tampering with the testimony of a potential witness, the state attorney general said.

Former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes pleaded guilty Monday to tampering with a witness and to unlawful transaction with a minor, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a statement.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.

President Daniel Ortegas government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.

Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.

But Ortega's government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.

The Attorney Generals Office said in a statement that the attempted donation was a manuever and subterfuge to take what doesnt belong to them.

Taiwan's Foreign Relations Ministry condemned the gravely illegal actions of the Ortega regime, saying the Nicaraguan government had violated standard procedures by giving Taiwanese diplomats just two weeks to get out of the country.

It said Taiwan also condemns the arbitrary obstruction by the Nicaraguan government of the symbolic sale of its property to the Nicaraguan Catholic church.

Msgr. Carlos Aviles, vicar of the archdiocese of Managua, told the La Prensa newspaper that a Taiwanese diplomat had offered the church the property, saying, I told him there was no problem, but the transfer was still in the legal process.

The Central American country said in early December it would officially recognize only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.

There is only one China, the Nicaraguan government said in a statement announcing the change. The Peoples Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

The move increased Taiwans diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the island has stepped up official exchanges with countries such as Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country. Now, Taiwan has 14 formal diplomatic allies remaining.

China has been poaching Taiwans diplomatic allies over the past few years, reducing the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation. China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy. The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan depicts itself as a defender of democracy, while Ortega was reelected in November in what the White House called a pantomime election.

The arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation rigged the outcome well before election day, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement in November.

Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in the 1990s, when President Violeta Chamorro assumed power after defeating Ortegas Sandinista movement at the polls. Ortega, who was elected back to to power in 2007, had maintained ies with Taipei until now.
Two subcontractors have filed a $10 million lawsuit against ExxonMobil, alleging negligent practices caused the Dec. 23 fire that injured themselves and two others at the Baytown refinery.

The lawsuit provides the first detailed look at what might have happened prior to the blaze, which raged for eight hours and sent four people to the hospital. Dylan Purcell and Nicholas Moore, working for subcontractor Colt Services, said they were attempting to stop a pipe leak when two other workers botched the effort.

The procedure was called a wire-wrap, where bolts are put on a flange to create a seal, according to the lawsuit.

The duo worked with two other men from Team Industrial Services, Inc., which is also named as a defendant in the litigation. When a socket-end became stuck on a bolt, one of the Team Industrial employees tried to remove it by hitting it with a valve wrench while the other was supposed to spray safety steam into the work area to prevent sparks, according to the suit.

He didnt spray it on the area, however, and the man hammering with the wrench caused a spark, the Colt Services employees said. The gas ignited, knocking all four of them back and engulfing them in flames.

Purcell and Moore suffered burns all over their bodies, attorney Tony Buzbee said. They were also forced to jump down more than 20 feet to safety, and Moore broke his leg. Both had major orthopedic injuries to their spines as well as head injuries.

Team Industrial Services did not respond to requests for comment. ExxonMobil is reviewing and evaluating the claims in the suits, said media relations advisor Sarah Nordin.

ExxonMobil remains focused on the safety of our people and those in the surrounding community and continues to fully cooperate with authorities regarding this incident, she said.

The pipe contained the flammable gas Naphthalene, Purcell and Moore said. Naphthalene is typically used to make another chemical that plasticizes resins, and it is considered an environmental contaminant and carcinogenic agent, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

In the lawsuit, Buzbee claimed Exxon issued a permit for the work despite knowing that the specific flange had erupted in flames on prior shifts. The permit also failed to provide for protective equipment such as flash suits, face shields or continuous monitoring by a four-gas meter to monitor the combustibility of the air, he said, adding that Exxon also didnt provide emergency rescue teams on standby.

Defendants had actual subjective awareness of the risk involved, but nevertheless proceeded in conscious indifference to the rights, safety, and/or welfare of others, including Plaintiff, the lawsuit reads.

The Harris County Fire Marshals Office is investigating the origin and cause of the fire, which began around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Initial reports were unclear about whether an explosion took place. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said his information indicated some type of explosion occurred inside the plant. Exxon did not mention an explosion in its statement, however, and fire marshals officials said they would determine whether an explosion occurred.

Exxon Mobil in a statement on Dec. 23 said that available information showed no adverse air quality monitoring impact to the community or personnel on site. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said there were no detectable odors.

Exxon said the fire occurred at the companys unit for hydrodesulfurization, a chemical process used to remove sulfur from natural gas and refined petroleum products. Exxons Baytown refinery is the fourth largest nationally, with a processing capacity of 560,500 barrels of crude per day as of Jan. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

At least one resident said his home was destroyed and condemned after the fire, according to a lawsuit filed the day of the incident. Oscar Hernandez Aguilar has asked for a temporary restraining order to keep Exxon from altering the scene as lawyers investigate the ignition source of the fire.

Thursdays incident was not the first at Exxons 3,400-acre Baytown complex, some 25 miles east of Houston.

In July 2019, a fire at Exxons Olefins Plant wounded 37 people and darkened the sky with smoke. It was one of a string of industrial accidents at Houston-area plants that year.

In March, a federal judge imposed a $14.25 million penalty on Exxon for violating the federal Clean Air Act at its Baytown refinery over a period of eight years.

The refinery began operating in 1920, according to its website. The complex has approximately 2,168 employees, plus an average of nearly 2,400 personnel under contract.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
The Texas Medical Center is experiencing its highest-ever demand for COVID tests during the pandemic, driven by the sudden rise of the omicron variant that has shocked the U.S. testing system.

Medical center hospitals administered an average of 4,412 tests per day as of Monday, said Dr. James McDeavitt, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine  10 percent higher than the previous peak of about 4,000 tests per day in January.

Droves of Houston-area residents are forming long lines outside local testing sites in the hunt for 24-hour PCR tests. Appointment slots are filling up at clinics, and at-home rapid tests are disappearing from local pharmacy shelves. CVS Pharmacy limited at-home test kit purchases to six per person, while Walgreens limited purchases to four.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston surpasses 300,000 COVID cases as omicron brings yet another surge

We need to acknowledge how fragile our testing system still is after two years, where a new rush is collapsing everything again, said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, infectious disease expert at UTHealth Houston and medical director of epidemiology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

Jared Woodman, 23, has noticed the long lines at pop-up testing sites around Houston in recent days. He tried to avoid them on Tuesday by seeking out a test at an area clinic that accepted his insurance. He scheduled an appointment at 12:45, but they didnt call his name until around 3 p.m., he said.

He even sneaked over to various Walgreens and CVS stores while waiting  all booked.

I was so frustrated  its just so dense here, so packed, he said. Everyone wants to get a test, and its nearly impossible to find one.

The Houston Health Department is partnering with Curative to open a new testing mega-site Wednesday at Delmar Stadium, to operate daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an initial capacity of 1,000 daily tests. The site will be closed New Years Eve and New Years Day. Appointments are required and can be made at Curative.com or 1-888-702-9042.

The overwhelming testing demand comes amid a skyrocketing local positivity rate, or the percentage of all tests that come back positive. The rate among medical center hospitals on Monday was 15.2 percent, already surpassing the highest rate of the last surge in August and up from 6.2 percent the previous week. Houston Methodists genome sequencing team says omicron is responsible for 94 percent of its symptomatic patients.

Hospitalizations are increasing throughout the region. On Monday, 1,224 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the nine-county region around Houston  a 93 percent increase over last Monday, when the state recorded 636 local COVID hospitalizations.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented new quarantine guidelines that experts hope will alleviate the burden of surging infections, shortening the recommended isolation period for people who test positive. Instead of the original 10-day isolation period, people with COVID can clear isolation after five days if they are asymptomatic. The CDC recommends wearing a mask for five days after the isolation period.

People who exhibit symptoms but cant find a test should assume they have COVID and follow the guidelines, said Ostrosky. If symptoms go away after five days, the person does not need to test negative to return to work or school, he said.

First of all, lets get rid of the post-COVID testing, he said. Theres no need to document that you cleared the infection and that should offload volume at testing sites.

Still, he said its important for people to seek out testing where possible. A documented infection allows people to receive monoclonal antibody treatment, if they need it, and confirms the need for isolation, he said. People with persistent symptoms should continue to isolate beyond five days until their condition dramatically improves or until they test negative.

Though at-home tests have made it easier to quickly identify the virus, their widespread use has added wrinkles to the states daily COVID metrics reports.

The state's numbers only include tests conducted by labs or health care providers, leaving out thousands of results  either positive or negative  from at-home kits, leading to gaps in the true figures for case counts and the statewide positivity rate. While Texas noted a record-high 21.27 percent positivity rate Monday, the actual number of new confirmed cases  nearly 15,100  was still lower than it has been at other points in the pandemic.

COVID HELP DESK: Which vaccine offers the best protection against omicron?

In August and September, there were several days when the state reported more than 20,000 new infections. And the positivity rate has always been a shaky metric, skewed in the past by data backlogs, reporting lags or test shortages.

Still, a state health department spokeswoman said enough lab tests are being conducted"to give us a picture of what is happening with COVID." The at-home tests do not fall under the department's purview, she added.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious-disease expert and chief medical adviser to President Biden, said he expects more tests to become available next month. But earlier this week he admitted that the government was caught flat-footed by the most contagious strain of the virus yet.

Weve obviously got to do better, Fauci said Sunday on ABCs This Week. I think things will improve greatly as we get into January, but that doesnt help us today and tomorrow.
Texas Childrens Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine on Tuesday announced Corbevax  a protein sub-unit COVID-19 vaccine  has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India to launch in that nation, part of a large-scale rollout that could have significant global repercussions.

Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Childrens Hospital, said there will be no lag in distributing the vaccine to people in India: 150 million doses are ready immediately, with 100 million doses forthcoming each month.

The vaccine is the result of two years of effort by Hotez, his research partner Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi and their colleagues at Baylor and Texas Childrens to create the Worlds Vaccine to hinder the spread of COVID-19 in countries that lack the United States resources.

Even pre-pandemic, wed written and proposed an idea to the National Institute of Health  about making a multivalent universal coronavirus vaccine even before SARS COV-2 erupted. And we were turned down. We were told it wasnt innovative enough, Hotez said Tuesday, laughing. And its true, its not very innovative. But it works. And you can make it and vaccinate the world.

Everyone talks about global equity. It took a small research institute in Texas to really practice global equity, he said.

Hotez and Bottazzi have always viewed a coronavirus pandemic as a long, global game, rather than a short-term national crisis. While they credit Operation Warp Speed with the quick development of domestic vaccines, they also saw profound concerns: The Federal Aviation Administration estimates 2.9 million airline passengers disperse daily across tens of thousands of global flights.

MORE HEALTH NEWS: She may never walk again. But this Texas cheerleader has hope  and grit.

This was the flaw in Operation Warp Speed, Hotez said. It was so focused on speed and innovation  rapidly immunize the U.S. population. And it worked. You have to say it was a success. But the flaw was there was never anyone with situational awareness to realize new variants were going to arise out of unvaccinated populations in India and southern Africa. It was never a plan in the U.S. government to vaccinate the world. That was a problem we saw.

As COVID-19 variants continue to emerge and flourish in other nations before migrating to the U.S., Hotez and Bottazzi see international vaccination as the best possible way to stop the spread of the virus.

This is a gift from Texas to the world, Bottazzi said. What else can I say?

The immediate implications of Corbevax on those in the States feels distant when compared with vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. But as the delta variant gives way to omicron  a more transmissible version of the virus  the global reach of COVID-19 presents itself more clearly.

Corbevax recently completed two Phase III clinical trials with 3,000 subjects. The study suggested Corbevax offered a stronger immune response than Covishield, an Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that has been used in India, without severe adverse reactions.

Corbevax, Bottazzi said, directly immunizes with a recombinant protein, rather than requiring processing within the body. It enables the body to be able to respond immunologically faster, she said.

The technology has been around for half a century. We know how it behaves, how safe the vaccines are, Bottazzi said. We use them in infants, so theyre more likely to be acceptable with a varied global population.

Theyre looking into possibilities for a multivalent or universal coronavirus vaccination.

We know we can target specific locations of the spike protein, which can broaden the response, Bottazzi said. Which could protect ourselves from future coronaviruses.

About a decade ago, Hotez and Bottazzi started working on coronavirus vaccines, which had been orphaned as well, Hotez said. We did it the only way we knew how to do it: simple, low-cost, durable vaccines for resource-poor settings. When COVID-19 came along, we were able to pivot.

Theyd developed hepatitis vaccines, among others. But still Hotez and Bottazzi faced some degree of disinterest because the diseases they sought to stifle were far from home. Nevertheless, they found interest in Houstons medical community.

We had the benefit when we were recruited to come to Texas Childrens Hospital and Baylor, we came with a program wed launched on coronavirus vaccine development, Bottazzi said. The interest in coronavirus vaccines was known around 2016, and Baylor said, Continue working on this. It will be needed at some point.

Hotez added, We knew there would be a big problem, that we could never get big policy makers to roll the dice with us. Everybody was focused on speed and innovation.

The two were instead focused on what Hotez referred to as durable, low-cost vaccinations for the poor. We couldve done it faster if we had a fraction of the support Moderna and those guys got.

But being in Houston, with the support of Texas Childrens and Baylor, the two found funding for research and development, including a $1 million grant from Texas-based Titos Handmade Vodka.

We didnt have a lot of support from major government agencies, Bottazzi said. Almost no funding. But it was really the philanthropic nature of our institutions that gave us funding. And dedication from partners like those in India. Working together made this happen.

Bottazzis and Hotezs work speaks to Houstons draw as a major international medical center. Hotez came to Houston a decade ago from George Washington University, where he had begun collaborating with Bottazzi, a native of Italy who grew up in Honduras. The duo has spent two decades researching and seeking ways to halt the spread of neglected tropical diseases.

The beauty of their work during those 20 years, Bottazzi said, is it doesnt stop scaling up because of the actual vaccine components. She speaks about the many ways their work could positively affect people years from now.

MORE HEALTH NEWS: She may never walk again. But this Texas cheerleader has hope  and grit.

Because of their work studying SARS in other parts of the world, Bottazzi and Hotez were prepared for the coronavirus pandemic in ways others were not.

On Jan. 14, 2020  Hotez remembers the date clearly  he saw the COVID-19 sequence show up in the bioRxiv archive.

I called Maria Elena and said, We got this, we can do this, he said.

Hotez pointed out that people across the southern hemisphere have already been vaccinated with the same technology as have their kids and babies. So its not a stretch there. Theyve tried it, they liked it. No buyers remorse. Thats going to be very important for global vaccination.

Theyre already working to find ways to move the vaccine into Africa.

And the work wont stop with the current pandemic. Hotez brought up Chagas, a parasitic disease prevalent in Latin America. And Bottazzi said theyre already designing potential vaccine prototypes to address longer term goals.

andrew.dansby@chron.com
Houston-area colleges and universities face upcoming weeks of uncertainty - and possible changes - as they reassess return-to-campus plans following a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.

Rice University is the only area campus that has committed to a booster shot requirement for students and employees, as well as a two-week shift to online learning at the start of the spring semester. Other universities leaders said they are still monitoring the worsening situation but currently plan to start the semester as scheduled.

Universities are now entering the fifth long semester taking place during the coronavirus pandemic. While most higher education institutions had returned to more regular in-person procedures in the past year - the major exception being testing requirements depending on vaccination status - the new variant could force some to revisit the online learning practices first embraced at the end of the spring 2020 semester.

Rice will still begin courses on Jan. 10, but with modifications - including a shift to online learning for the first two weeks of classes, according to university officials. The school is encouraging students to stay home until Jan. 24, if possible, and asking employees to work remotely if they can, partly to give time for people to get their booster shots before a return to campus.

These booster shots are critical, because in light of the rapid spread of the omicron variant, it probably will not be possible to maintain the full quarantining policies we have previously implemented, university President David Leebron and Provost Reggie DesRoches said in a letter to students and employees on Sunday.

Prairie View A&M University in early December announced some changes for the next semester, including making meals grab-and-go for the first two weeks and limiting larger gatherings.

Baylor University is meanwhile contemplating a two-week switch to online learning, but plans to make a more final decision next week, President Linda A. Livingstone said in a Tuesday letter to students and employees. A health management team is considering other options, including requiring testing for students returning to residence halls within 24 hours of arrival, moving Panhellenic recruitment to a virtual format, or simply keeping plans the same for a regular semester start-date.

Obviously, our strong preference is to begin the spring semester and related activities as initially planned and as scheduled, Livingstone said.

Other schools - such as University of Houston, Texas A&M University and Texas Southern University - are still monitoring the variant, their leaders said in various statements.

A&M in early December was considering requiring testing before returning, according to its website. The University of Texas at Austin is requesting tests before the start of the semester. And TSU preemptively moved campus operations to a remote status before the holiday break but is planning to return to campus for the start of classes on Jan. 18, officials said in a statement.

TSU officials are also increasing testing capacity for the beginning of the semester, they said.

Most campuses have at least highly recommended their students and employees get vaccinated and continue wearing masks.

Universities have largely withheld from mandating masks and vaccines because of state orders that largely prohibit them. Rice is an exception, with changes beginning Jan. 10 including the requirement to receive a vaccine booster if it has been six months since finishing the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna series, according to the university. People who received Johnson & Johnson, no matter when, will be required to get their booster shot, all unless they have medical or religious exemptions.

Rice already instituted a vaccine requirement for all employees, citing President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate for government contractors. A federal judge temporarily blocked the mandate, but Rice officials said the policy would remain unchanged - even as Gov. Greg Abbott has an executive order banning public and private entities from enforcing vaccine mandates.

People who receive a booster shot are less likely to become infected with COVID-19 and are less likely to become seriously ill if a breakthrough does occur, according to federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Nov. 19, more than 90 percent of Rices 12,000-person campus was vaccinated. COVID-19 did not cause serious illness in Rices population over the past year, the universitys leaders said.

Since Aug. 13, at least 322 people tested positive out of more than 89,000 tests administered  a 0.36 percent positivity rate, according to university data.

Rice has counted numerous breakthrough infections on campus since the omicron variants emergence in Houston, Leebron and DesRoches said. At least 65 people tested positive in the last week, for a higher positivity rate of 4.12 percent, data shows.

Most courses will move online for the first two weeks of the semester - a requirement for classes with over 50 students, Leebron and DesRoches said. Any instructors with less than 50 people per class can teach in-person, but must provide online options for students who stay home.

Students are being encouraged to delay their return to campus, although research activities can continue.

Other indoor gatherings will be limited to 50 people through Jan. 24, and staff is also encouraged to work remotely - partly to accommodate people with childcare needs, according to the university.

Rices mask policy will remain in place, with face coverings required indoors.

The Rice community has demonstrated we can live with the virus in a relatively safe manner, and that will remain so with the omicron variant, the statement reads. For that reason, we will begin to shift our policies to a posture that recognizes COVID-19 as endemic and facilitates our ability to deliver the best education and opportunity to our students, while still taking reasonable precautions.
As the search for missing San Antonio 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil enters its second week, the FBI has identified an 18-minute gap from the time she was last seen on video until her family noticed she was no longer on the playground at their gated apartment complex.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Department has closed its temporary command post at USAA, where it was coordinating its search for the girl.

Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office, said investigators are seeking the publics help to learn where Lina was between 4:49 p.m. and 5:07 p.m. on the day she went missing. He said there was no visibility of Lina during that stretch of time.

Linas parents reported her missing at about 7 p.m. on Dec. 20. Her mother had stepped away for a brief moment as Lina was on a playground at the Villas Del Cabo apartments, 9400 Fredricksburg Road, when she vanished. The apartment is a gated community, although the entrances are always open.

A lot of the tips that we have acquired are from outside that 18-minute window, Garris said. Any information or leads or anything they (the public) can provide us during that 18-minute window would be of huge value to the San Antonio police and FBI.

On ExpressNews.com: Were not giving up hope: Hundreds gather to pray for safe return of missing 3-year-old

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said shutting down the temporary command post is not an indication that the department has reduced its focus on this investigation.

Right now, what were doing is going over reams and reams of data, he said.

Courtesy of the San Antonio Police Department

McManus has said that police have searched all 300 apartments at the complex, some more than once. The chief said investigators are looking at some people in relation to the Linas disappearance, but he did not elaborate on that point.

The chief said the command post was intended to coordinate searching the apartment and its immediate surroundings. He said it is disheartening that police have not found anything leading them closer to Lina.

We have gone over and over and over that, so theres really no need to have that command post set up here, McManus said. Everything else right now is being done through telephone and social media.

Lina is described as being 4 feet tall and weighing 55 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length brown hair that was in a ponytail when she disappeared. She was wearing a red dress, a black jacket and black shoes.

McManus said K9 teams are searching the greenbelts between the apartment complex and Loop 410. Officers also continue to interview people and receive calls and texts regarding her case.

On ExpressNews.com: The longer the time lapses, the less hopeful we become: Search continues for missing 3-year-old

Officers could be seen riding ATVs as they searched the apartment grounds after McManus spoke Tuesday.

The FBI has brought in its Child Abduction Response team, behavioral analysis unit and data exploitation units.

On Thursday, the Islamic Center of San Antonio, a nonprofit supporting the Muslim community, announced on Facebook that a reward for information that helps find Lina has increased 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 last 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.

Anyone with information regarding Linas disappearance is urged to call the missing persons unit at 210-207-7660.

jbeltran@express-news.net
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Pittsfield East Street Redevelopment Includes Complete Streets Efforts

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A shared-use path has been added to plans for the redevelopment on East Street to align with the city's efforts to support multimodal transportation.

Eventually, this will enable cyclists to take the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail into downtown from a future extension that comes out by O'Connell Oil.



Currently, there are preliminary design plans for an $8.8 million infrastructure project that extends from the oil company to the Merrill Road and East Street intersection that will facilitate bike traffic.



The Pittsfield Economic Development Authority received an update this month on the state Department of Transportation's East Street improvement project that will extend from the intersection of Merrill Road to the intersection of Elm Street.



In early proposals, improvements went only to Lyman Street. Recently, the city gave MassDOT the OK to expand improvements throughout the entire corridor.



Project elements include turn lanes at intersections, improved sidewalks with Americans with Disability Act accommodations, new crosswalks, reconstructed traffic signals, and upgrades to the existing infrastructure.



The goal is to improve safety, accessibility, and aesthetics with minimum impacts to the environment while supporting Pittsfield as a gateway city.



There was a 25 percent design public hearing in July and planners anticipate a completed design, permitting, and right-of-way process in the winter of 2024 to 2025.



MassDOT District Project Engineer Eric Bilik told PEDA that the project is a result of a planning study from the late 1990s that conceptualized the William Stanley Business Park property as a potential economic development site to promote business.



Along with this was an identified need to beautify the East Street corridor and do necessary infrastructure improvements.



"With that being said it's been a long time coming," Bilik added.



Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said the city is excited about the addition of 5-foot buffer lanes along each side of East Street and the general consideration for multimodal traffic.

Incorporating the state's Complete Streets program has been a citywide effort. The movement aims to support residents' safety, health, economic vitality, and quality of life by improving the motorized and non-motorized environments in a community.

Projects such as the reconfiguration of North Street to include bike lanes and the Bike Facilities Master Plan support this ideal.



"It's important for us to maintain bicycle access in the rest of the corridor, recognizing that yes, the rail trail continuity is important, but recognizing that that is more of a recreational type of activity," Morales said.
Benjamin Downing speaks at Holiday Farm about his gubernatorial campaign.

Downing Announces End To Gubernatorial Campaign

BOSTON  Former state senator Ben Downing released a statement Tuesday morning announcing the end of his gubernatorial campaign.

"For everything there is a season. For this campaign, that season has come to a close. Today, I am formally ending my bid to become the next Governor of Massachusetts. I do so with a heavy heart, but also with hope, and gratitude beyond measure," Downing noted in a statement.

The former state senator announced that he was running in January of 2021. The democrat was the first to enter the 2022 race for governor.

Downing noted that his campaign does not have the financial resources to continue.

"Over the last 10 months, friends and neighbors, old and new, have opened their homes and hearts to my campaign. Together, we built a coalition that lifted up the voices of those too often ignored. We came up with real solutions to meet the challenges facing Massachusetts families and reshape our shared future. In a year that took a lot out of all of us, we grew stronger at the broken places. I have seen the best of Massachusetts, alongside the deep need for more urgent, empathetic leadership. I have learned and grown. For all of that, I cannot say thank you enough. Unfortunately, we simply do not have the financial resources to continue. While it's painful to admit, that reality has brought this chapter to a close."

Downing's progressive campaign was focused on representation for both the eastern and western parts of the state, equity, and making greener decisions that prepare for the future. He said he plans to continue this work.

"Just as my work and my responsibility as a citizen did not end when I term limited myself in the Senate, the work of this campaign does not end today. Though my name will not be on the ballot next year, I will keep working for the principles that defined this campaign. Massachusetts is prosperous, but we must ask 'for whom?' and reckon with the reality that the answer is for far too few. Massachusetts is innovative, but we must ask 'to what end?' and reckon with the fact that we are falling far short on the defining issues of this generationmost notably the climate crisis. We have everything we need to solve the big problems facing us. It is not a single political party that stands in the way, but a culture of complacency that too often prioritizes the comfort of those in power over addressing the challenges of those in need. Until that dynamic changes, our work is not done and you'll find me standing shoulder to shoulder with anyone striving to build a Massachusetts that works for everyone, everywhere."

Downing, a Pittsfield native, now lives in East Boston. The former state Senator elected not to run for reelection in 2016. He was elected in 2007.

Earlier in December Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito announced they would not seek reelection.

Three other candidates have so far declared for the Democratic nomination: state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Boston, Harvard political science professor Danielle Allen, and Pro Duct Air Cleaning owner Orlando Silva of Shrewsbury.

Republican Geoffrey G. Diehl, a former state representative from Plymouth, has also announced for governor

Downing ended his statement by thanking those who supported his campaign.

"To everyone who made this possible - thank you. To the team who encouraged, inspired, and challenged me every single day, this was an incredible adventure. Thanks to you. To the friends, family and supporters who fueled us over the last year, you were a constant source of strength in a year marked by uncertainty and change. And to Micaelah, thank you for being you and loving me, on the good days and the bad. I wouldn't be able to do anything without you."
It is early days in Fitchs venture, but his master plan is to bring in some sort of restaurant in the buildings lower levels. Optimally, he added, he wants the restaurant to operate alongside a cafe and gallery.

New Downtown Property Owner To Be A Positive Force In North Adams

Fitch has an education in International Affairs and Political Science. He has also managed a screen acting school in Boston and managed community relations and marketing at a coding Bootcamp.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Andrew Fitch, the new owner of 117 Main St. and 3-5 Eagle St., plans to undergo a substantial renovation to support a new eatery in the buildings lower level.

"I am looking forward to meeting everyone, I am looking forward to being a positive contributor to this city, and Im looking forward to welcoming everyone into the space," Fitch said.

It is early days in Fitchs venture, but his master plan is to bring in some sort of restaurant to the buildings lower level. Optimally, he added, he wants the restaurant to operate alongside a cafe and gallery.

"My preference is quality," he said. "Something that is good for the city, something that people would enjoy, something that I would enjoy."

Speaking with Fitch, he reiterated numerous times that he wanted to help reinvigorate the post-pandemic downtown and champion the city he had just stumbled upon earlier this year.

"I am the kind of person who always gets involved in whatever community I exist in," Fitch said. "...I want to do that in North Adams, and I know this building is a unique and a special placeI figure if I do the right things with that building it could help rehabilitate the downtown area."

Fitch is an Eastern Massachusetts native but has spent time in San Francisco, New York City, and London, among other places. He said even though he has traveled the world, he has always wanted to return to the Bay State.

"For years, I have been bouncing around the country and the world but when people ask me where I am from I always say Massachusetts," Fitch said. "I have always been working on moving back home, but I was letting myself get distracted with different adventures or career opportunities."

Before the pandemic hit, Fitch was living in a sailboat in San Francisco Bay. He said he had a new nephew back home, and he wanted to fly back to Massachusetts before COVID-19 travel restrictions made that impossible.

"The day before San Francisco went on lockdown I booked a ticketIn the end, I ended up staying five months," he said. "After going back and forth a few times, I decided that I was just going to move home."

Fitch, who currently is working remotely in diversity, equity, and inclusion for a tech company, sold his boat and started moving his things across the country. He made the trip by car and by motorcycle.

He needed a place to live. Preferably a place where he could reconnect with the Commonwealth. After spending some time in different communities, he found North Adams.

"I thought maybe Boston. I rented a place in Provincetown for a while,and then I found North Adams," he said. "I never heard of North Adams. I was looking for a cute little town where I could find a place in the center of town where I could find a cup of coffee, go on hikes, and do interesting things in my home state."

North Adams fit that description and Fitch made his move this summer.

"I really loved being hereI made friends quickly, and I loved the art scene," he said. "I didnt think somewhere this interesting would ever be so affordable."

In the fall, Fitch closed on a house and then started looking at commercial properties. He said he had his eyes on the corner property for some time. After looking at a few more properties, he decided to make his move.

The property had originally been Rice's Drug Store, first established in 1866. The corner had been colloquially known as "Rice's Corner" for decades. It was then owned by Star Realty Co. before the Varelllases bought it in 1971.

Mark and Robert Moulton Jr., whose family also operates Moulton's Spectacle Shoppe next door, bought the building in 2004 from John and James Varellas. James and Stacy Varellas had run the Pizza House there for more than 30 years.

The corner continued as a pizzeria, first as Moulton's Pizza and as several other entities, including Supreme and Bella Roma. It's been closed for more than a year.

Fitch said he has enjoyed people stopping in to tell him about their own connections to the building.

"People are curious. People knock on the door and tell me their stories and past history with the building," he said. "What it used to be, what they want it to be. People are excited."

Fitch is working with an architect and engineer and is happy to report that the building is in good shape. He anticipates some roof work but said "fingers crossed" he hopes to have a tenant street level in about a year after he spruces up the space. He said he has already been in discussions with possible tenants.

Upstairs is a different project. He said the apartments are partially gutted and that work needs to be completed. He anticipates this fits more in a two-year timeline

Outside, if possible, he hopes to install some sort of public art project.

"I do intend to do something expressive and beautiful with the building," he said. "I don't know what that is yet but I will find a way to finagle some sort of public artwork or mural."

Fitch is happy to be part of the North Adams community and hopes to work with other developers and business owners to breathe new life into the downtown.

"I dont have any hopes that one person can bring Main Street or Eagle Street back up," he said. "But I figure if a couple of us do this kind of thing the entire city will benefitso stay tuned."
With the federal vaccine mandate on the horizon, businesses need to know how to test unvaccinated employees for Covid-19. If they don't comply, hefty fines may ensue.

The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is requiring that all employers with 100 or more employees ensure each of their workers is fully vaccinated, or passes Covid-19 tests on a weekly basis. Employees who test positive cannot come into work.

To provide employers with sufficient time to comply with the new regulations, OSHA will not issue any citations before January 10. And it will not issue citations for noncompliance with testing requirements before February 9. This means businesses have a little more than a month to figure out how to request and record Covid-19 tests from any unvaccinated employees.

Here's what you need to know about testing to comply with the vaccine mandate:

Employers don't need to pay for testing

OSHA's emergency standard does not require businesses to pay for Covid-19 tests for unvaccinated employees. However, employer payment may be required by other laws, regulations, collective bargaining agreements, or other negotiated agreements. Employers can also choose to pay for testing.

Free testing is available for employees

President Biden this week announced a plan to expand at-home testing. New sites for distributing at-home test kits will be set up across the country; the administration plans to purchase a half-billion of these rapid tests. The tests are free. Employees with private health insurance can also request reimbursement for at-home Covid-19 tests they buy at pharmacies and elsewhere, which typically cost from $15 to $40.

Employees must tell businesses if they test positive, and businesses must alert everyone

If an employee tests positive, or is diagnosed with Covid-19, make sure they notify their employer immediately. If someone who tests positive shows up to work, employees could rightfully sue a company for reckless endangerment and negligence if an employer does not tell them about a positive case.

The infected employee must also be removed from the workplace, regardless of vaccination status. The employee has to remain home until they meet the requirements to return to work, which for most people is: 10 days after symptom onset; resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications; and improvement of other symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health care providers may recommend 20 days or more of isolation if a case is severe.

Covid-19 test records must be kept; if not you may be fined

OSHA requires employers to make vaccine documentation and any Covid-19 testing results available for examination. These documents must be kept confidential and in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Fines for repeated and willful violations of the mandate are $136,532, with a minimum penalty of $9,753. The legislation sets a maximum penalty of $13,653 for any single serious violation, and a further penalty of not more than $13,563 per day for a failure to abate the violation (though the maximum penalty for this abatement failure is capped at 30 times the daily penalty).

Employee tests must pass OSHA standards

In accordance with OSHA, all employee Covid-19 tests must be cleared, approved, or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The tests can not be both self-administered and self-read unless observed by the employer or an authorized telehealth proctor. This means that all tests submitted to the employer need to include a third party. This includes tests that are processed by a laboratory (including home or onsite collected specimens, which are processed either individually or as pooled specimens) or proctored, over-the-counter tests, point of care tests, or tests where collection and processing is either done or observed by an employer.

Be wary of at-home tests
In the 1930s, with the horrific images of the First World War still fresh, the French constructed a massive line of fortifications along their border with Germany, the Maginot Line, to prevent the risk of repeating the carnage they'd experienced. But when the dreaded Second World War materialized, their expensive insurance policy proved insufficient, and ultimately ineffective. In 1940, the Germans simply went around the Maginot Line and, using the new tactics of blitzkrieg, defeated France in six short weeks.

Like the Germans--and like the networked decentralized terrorist organizations of today--the coronavirus is a fast-moving threat that opportunistically mutates, becoming more dangerous. Even vaccines, our trusted defense against the invasion, are proving less impregnable than we'd hoped.

Threats are ever-changing and impossible to accurately predict. We exhaust ourselves in trying to pinpoint and counter the next threat when our focus should instead be on addressing our vulnerabilities--weaknesses that we can control. That's the argument I make in my latest book, Risk: A User's Guide. Here are the book's best parts:

The greatest risk to us...is us

The varied responses, and vastly different outcomes, to COVID-19 are a case in point. Although nations around the globe faced an almost identical public health threat from the virus, responses and death tolls varied widely. What does this tell us? The virus is not the critical variable--humans are. Weaknesses in the ability to detect the threat of COVID-19, assess its impact, respond successfully, and learn as new variants approach left many nations unnecessarily vulnerable--and millions died from our failures.

What can we learn from this? Rather than be concerned with external threats that are impossible to identify and prevent, organizations should look instead to what they can actually control. It's impossible to avoid or defeat every threat, but business leaders can focus on strengthening known weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Take Uber, for example: The rideshare company was laser-focused on profitability, but failed to recognize its toxic corporate culture. It was the latter (controllable) threat that ended up damaging the company.

Focus on the system

COVID-19 forced us to pay attention to our immune systems. Like the human immune system, organizations should have a "Risk Immune System," made up of 10 Risk Control Factors (including timing, communication, diversity, and structure), overseen by leadership, that determine how teams respond to risk. Like a series of interconnected dials, these control factors work together to calibrate our response to risk. Consider the oil & gas industry, where companies must consider external risks--such as price volatility and increasing regulation--but also the internal vulnerabilities of a challenging and a grueling safety regime. Only by acting and adapting safely and at the right time, incorporating diverse perspectives and maintaining appropriate work protocols, can their efforts be both profitable and safe. Maintaining a healthy, integrated system--not a collection of disconnected entities--provides us a robust defense.

It's up to you

We are our own greatest risk--but potentially our greatest strength as well. Terrorist organizations and COVID-19 remind us that the range of threats is ever-increasing and constantly evolving.
Covid-19 didn't stop disrupting business in 2021, but for many small-business owners, this was the year their company rebounded from the pandemic in a big way. Large amounts of business activity came back online for the first time since March 2020, leading to widespread revenue growth and increased merger and acquisition activity.

Here are five major business moments that stood out in 2021.

A Regulation Crowdfunding change

"Back in the old days," we'll tell future small-business owners, "a founder could only raise $1.07 million in crowdfunding in a single year." A long-anticipated change to the SEC's rules for Regulation Crowdfunding nearly quintupled that, to $5 million, in March. Solid seed-stage rounds can now be raised entirely without VC funds and large angel investors. Already, we can see some companies raising beyond the old cap on crowdfunding sites like Republic, where Sugarfina has raised more than $2.5 million from more than 1,400 investors in its current campaign.

SPACs hit the big time

A potentially easier but often more expensive way to offer stock to the public through a kind of reverse merger, special purpose acquisition companies have been around for a very long time, but hit a new level of popularity over the past year, with well-known companies taking that route to investor exits. Some of the biggest names included the genetic-testing company 23andMe, going public in June through a SPAC sponsored by billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Other big names to go the SPAC route in recent months include WeWork and BuzzFeed.

NFTs grow in value

NFTs were more theory than virtual reality heading into 2021, but an explosion in market value for many crypto assets saw non-fungible tokens blow up. Much of the value created so far is tied to receipts claiming ownership of digital images, and critics are referring to it as the latest tulip mania, as what's been termed "the right-click brigade" keeps pointing out that they can simply download and "own" the digital image in all but blockchain recognition. That skepticism hasn't stopped the artist Beeple from seeing his work garner $69 million in an auction at Christie's.

The Reddit crowd fights back in the public markets

It started with GameStop, and then added AMC, Nokia, and a bunch more. The Reddit group WallStreetBets targeted short sellers and spawned an industrywide discussion of "meme stocks" to shift the markets. Many market observers were surprised that a group of retail investors could gather in such size and uniformity, to alter companies' trajectories across many billions of dollars in market capitalization. Industry insiders now have something else to worry about whenever they decide to take a significant position that rubs the Reddit crowd the wrong way. And their moves have proved surprisingly sustainable: GameStop stock is well below its peak but is still trading at more than 10 times the price as of a year ago.

Facebook/Meta goes under the microscope
The Ministry of Power in the current year has undertaken an array of reforms. Union Minister for Power and NRE Shri R.K Singh highlighting the reforms said that we have put in place rules and procedures for ease of doing business and ease of living. As a result of the reforms, power sector is poised for greater growth and more reforms are on the anvil in the next year, he remarked.Shri Singh mentioned that the power sector has shown strong growth in demand in 2021 as it is 14 percent higher than in the previous year, this is indicative of the fact that our economy is recovering and the 28 million new consumers we have added are adding more appliances. The minister noted that the government has continued with reforms in the power sector and efforts also continue to keep the price of power low.The reforms can be placed in the following categories:Reforms and Restructuring (R&R)Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020The Ministry of Power has notified Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 on 31.12.2020 under section 176 of the Electricity Act, 2003. These Rules shall empower the consumers of electricity and emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the reliable services and quality electricity.Implementation of these Rules shall ensure that new electricity connections, refunds and other services are given in a time bound manner. Wilful disregard to consumer rights will result in levying penalties on service providers.An amendment to Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 was also notified on 29.09.2021 wherein the limit for net metering was increased to 500KW from 10KW.Late Payment Surcharge Rules 2021Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge) Rules, 2021 have been notified by the Central Government on 22nd February, 2021.Late Payment Surcharge means the charges payable by a distribution company to a generating company or electricity trader for power procured from it, or by a user of a transmission system to a transmission licensee on account of delay in payment of monthly charges beyond the due date. Late Payment Surcharge shall be payable on the payment outstanding after the due date at the base rate of Late Payment Surcharge applicable for the period for the first month of default.Waiver of ISTS Transmission Charges and Losses for Solar & Wind PowerIn Order to promote generation from renewable sources of energy, Ministry of Power has issued an Order on 5th August 2020 for extension of waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges and losses for transmission of the electricity generated from solar and wind projects commissioned till 30th June 2023.Further an order was issued on 21.06.2021 for extension of waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for transmission of the electricity generated from solar and wind projects up to 30.06.2025.Moreover vide this order the waiver of ISTS charges shall also be allowed for Hydro Pumped Storage Plant(PSP) and Battery Energy Storage System(BESS).Issuance of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) TrajectoryLong term RPO growth trajectory for the period 2016-17 to 2018-19 has been notified by Ministry of Power on 22.7.2016. .An order on RPO Trajectory for a further period of three years i.e. from 2019-20 to 2021-22 under the provisions of Tariff Policy has been issued by Ministry of Power on 14.06.2018. In super-session of orders dated 22.7.2016 and 14.06.2018, Ministry of Power has specified new RPO trajectory vide order dated 29.01.2021. Trajectory for HPO has also been issued through this order.This would help in meeting the renewable energy generation targets set by the Central Government.Introduction of Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM)Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) is a marketplace for trading of renewable power on a day-ahead basis. This would facilitate accomplishment of green targets as well as support integration of green energy in a most efficient, competitive and transparent manner. GDAM was launched on 25.10.2021.The Green day Ahead Market will be available through the Power Exchanges. The GDAM market structure will be within the existing Day Ahead Market (DAM) structure but will create a separate clearing mechanism and price discovery for renewable and conventional energy sources.It will give opportunity to the RE generators to sell their power and reduce curtailment and also the buyer of RE to transparently purchase green power from the market. It would also facilitate the obligated entities to meet its Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).Electricity (Timely Recovery of Costs due to Change in Law) Rules, 2021Timely recovery of the costs due to change in law is having importance as the investment in the power sector largely depends upon the timely payments. At present the pass through under change of law is taking a lot of time, forcing the drying of the investment in the power sector. If payment is not made in time, it impacts the viability of the sector and the developers get financially stressed. If this is not addressed now, the investment will not come and the electricity consumers may face shortages of power once again. In order to address this issue, Ministry of Power has notified Electricity (Timely Recovery of Costs due to Change in Law) Rules, 2021 on 22.10.2021.Electricity (Promotion of generation of Electricity from Must-Run Power Plant) Rules, 2021Ministry of Power has notified Electricity (Promotion of generation of Electricity from Must-Run Power Plant) Rules, 2021 on 22.10.2021. This rule is mainly to achieve this goal and will help in promotion of the generation from renewable sources. This will ensure that the consumers get green and clean power and secure a healthy environment for the future generation.Implementation of Phase- 1 of Market Based Economic Despatch (MBED)With the objective of Redesigning of present market mechanism for lowering the cost of power purchase to Consumers, Framework for Implementation of Phase1 of Market Based Economic Despatch (MBED) wherein mandatory participation by ISGS ( Inter State Generation Stations) plants and voluntary participation by other generators, was communicated to CERC for implementation from 1st April, 2022.Redesigning the Renewable Energy Certificate(REC) MechanismMinistry of Power assent was given to make amendment in the existing Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism, in order to align the present REC mechanism with the emerging changes in the power scenario and also to promote new renewable technologies.Power Market Reforms:Green Term-Ahead Market (GTAM):Pan-India Green Term-Ahead Market in electricity was launched on 1st September, 2020. As a market segment, it has provided one more avenue to renewable to trade electricity which will, inter-alia, help to achieve ambitious renewable energy capacity addition targets of the Government of India. GTAM Contracts will enable obligated entities to procure renewable power at competitive prices at the power exchanges and help meet RPOs. This would also reduce burden on renewable rich States which can trade the surplus renewable generation generated within the State pan-India. The total cleared volume in G-TAM was 785.83 MU in 2020-2021. In 2021-22, till September, 2021, the total cleared volume was 2744 MU.Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM): After the successful launch of Green Term-Ahead Market (GTAM) in August 2020, Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) - a Marketplace for trading of renewable power on a day-ahead basis has been launched by Sh. R K Singh, Honble Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy on 25th October, 2021. The intent is to promote merchant green power plants and provide additional sale avenues to existing renewable power plants that are either facing payment risk with the distribution companies (DISCOM) under the existing PPA or have surplus energy. Expected Benefits from the introduction of GDAM are deepening the Green Market, Accelerating the addition of Renewable Capacity, Shift from PPA based Contract to Market-Based Models and Reduction of Curtailment of Green Power. In the Green Day Ahead market launched in October 2021 about 211 MU have been traded from 27.10.2021 to 07.12.2021 at average Price Rs.4.52 per unit.Govt. has introduced Pan India Real Time Market (RTM) of electricity on 3rd June 2020. The introduction of RTMas an organized platform for energy trade closer to real time to the buyers and sellers has not only facilitated grid integration of renewables but also brought greater market efficiency. With RTM, Buyers/sellers have the option of placing buy/sell bids for each 15-minute time block. RTM is benefitting all stakeholders viz. generators including renewable generators having opportunity to sell their surpluses, better management of variability of renewable generation, better utilization of transmission systems, opportunity for distribution utilities to buy or sell power closer to real time and finally consumer getting reliable power supply.In FY 2020-21, the total cleared volume in Real Time Market was 9467.96MU. In FY 2021-22, the total cleared volume in Real Time Market was 9933.4 MU till September, 2021. The highest daily volume of 98.334 MU was traded on 28thAugust, 2021.Despite the Covid 19 pandemic,All India demand continued to achieve the new benchmarks. The highest All India demand of 200570 MW was achieved on 07th July 2021.Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS)Government of India notified Integrated Power Development Scheme" (IPDS) in December14 to extend financial assistance against capital expenditure to address the gaps in sub transmission and distribution network and metering in urban areas to supplement the resources of Discoms/ Power Departments.The scheme has an outlay of Rs. 32,612 crore including a budgetary support of Rs 25,354 crore from Government of India during the entire implementation period.Progress (From 01.11.2020 to 31.10.2021)Total funds invested under the IPDS by GOI + States in this period: around Rs. 3800Cr. with around Rs. 2,290 Cr released as GOI grant from MOPSystem strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution network has been completed in over 70 circles covering over 500 towns inspite of COVID Pandemic and addition of following infrastructure:45 new Power Sub-Stations commissioned;Capacity augmentation of more than 50 exiting Power Sub-Stations completedMore than 7,000 ckm of Aerial Bunched/Underground cables laid to reduce lossesAbout 3,000 new Distribution Transformers charged for improving power supply in townsAround 1MwP of Solar Panels installed on Govt buildings and Substations as contribution towards green energyGas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Substations commissioned for first time in NE States, Haryana; works completed in 25 Substations of AP, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan & UttarakhandMajor projects completedUnderground cabling work under IPDS in Varanasi andKumbh Area, HaridwarRs.240 Cr approved for around 1000ckm of Underground cabling in AyodhyaOver 5Lakh Smart Meters installed in Andaman Nicobar Islands, Bihar, HP, MP, Punjab& Rajasthan etc.IT enablement of smaller towns completed in 6Discoms&Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for improvement in Operational Efficiencies of Discoms completed/upgraded in 5 Discoms during this period.Overall IPDS has contributed in increase in hours of Power supply in urban areas to 22 hours/day and improved consumer convenience though Digital payments etc.Further, Revamped Reforms Based and Results Linked Distribution Sector Scheme has been approved by Ministry of Power in July 2021 with an outlay of Rs. 3,03,758 crore over a period of five years from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 for providing conditional financial assistance for supporting DISCOMs to undertake reforms and improve performance in a time bound manner with following objectivesImprove the quality, reliability and affordability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient Distribution SectorReduce the AT&C losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% by 2024-25Reduce ACS-ARR gap to zero by 2024-25Hydro Power Development:Guidelines for providing Budgetary support for Flood Moderation / Storage Hydro Electric Power projects and Cost of Enabling Infrastructure i.e. roads and bridges were issued by the Ministry on 28.09.2021 to promote the Hydro Sector.All the 04 units of Kameng Hydro Power Project (600 MW) constructed by NEEPCO in Arunachal Pradesh have been fully commissioned and have commenced their operation from 12.02.2021.Luhri Stage-I HEP (210 MW): Investment Approval accorded by GoI on 20.11.2020. Award of EPC package for Civil and HM works awarded on 24.11.2020 and EM works awarded on 16.07.2021.Dhaulasidh HEP (66 MW): Investment Approval accorded by GoI on 01.10.2020. Award of EPC package for Civil and HM works awarded on 06.05.2021.The Model Contract Document for Dispute Avoidance Mechanism in Hydro CPSUs through "Independent Engineer" has been issued vide O.M. dated 27.09.2021.Kholongchhu (600 MW) Hydro Electric Project in BhutanThe Concession Agreement for the project was signed between Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) and Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited (KHEL) [Joint Venture (JV) Company of SJVN Ltd (Indian CPSU) & DGPC Bhutan (RGoB PSU)] at Bhutan in the presence of Honble Minister of External Affairs, GoI and Honble Foreign Minister, RGoB on 29.06.2020. All three main Civil works packages have been awarded on 04.03.2021 & the project is scheduled to be commissioned by Feb., 2026.Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project (679 MW) in NepalLower Arun project was allotted to SJVN Ltd by Government of Nepal (GoN) on Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis through international competitive bidding on 04.02.2021. MoU has been signed for the development of 679 MW Lower Arun HEP between SJVN Ltd and Investment Board Nepal (IBN) on 11th July 2021.Investment approval for 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project has been accorded on 11.02.2021 with an estimated project cost of Rs. 5281.94 crore (November 2018 PL). The project is scheduled to be completed within 60 months from the date of investment approval.Investment approval for 120 MW Rangit-IV Hydroelectric Project has been accorded on 30.03.2021 with an estimated project cost of Rs.938.29 crore (October 2019 PL). The project is scheduled to be completed within 60 months from the date of investment approval.Thermal Power:Revised/New Coal Stocking Norms in Coal Based Thermal Power PlantsCentral Electricity Authority (CEA), monitors the coal stocks being maintained at the power stations along with their daily coal consumption requirements. The earlier coal stocking norms were advisory in nature, at times; power plants do not maintain coal stock as per the norms, which is not desirable for a sustained plant operation. In view of this, the existing coal stocking norms have been revised and issued by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on 06.12.2021 to ensure more fuel security to the power plants, reflect true picture of the stocks being maintained at each power stations and ensure sufficient coal stock even during the period of less supply by CIL/SCCL during the month of July to September.The revised norms mandates 12 to 17 days of coal stock at pit head stations and 20 to 26 days coal stock at non-pit head stations with month-wise variation based on coal despatch/coal consumption pattern during the year corresponding to 85% PLF, and prescribes the coal stocks to be mandatorily maintained by the power plants and penalty mechanism for not maintaining the stocking norms. The coal stock for 17 days at pit head plants and 26 days stocks at non-pit head power plants have been made mandatory during February to June every year.The power plants are graded as red, yellow and green for not maintaining the coal stocks; and would be penalized for not maintaining their normative availability due to reduced coal stocks and their fixed charges shall be reduced in a graded manner.National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based power plants:Ministry of Power on 17th November, 2017 issued Policy on biomass utilization for power generation through co-firing in coal based power plants. In this earlier Policy, it was advised in the policy that coal based thermal power plants, except those having ball and tube mill, of power generation utilities, to endeavor to use 5-10% blend of biomass pellets made, primarily, of agro residue along with coal after assessing the technical feasibility, viz. safety aspect etc. In order to support the energy transition in the country and to achieve the target of cleaner energy sources, the policy has been modified and issued on 08.10.2021. This modified policy would provide the necessary direction in achieving the desired goals.Fuel Linkages under SHAKTI:Govt. of India, Ministry of Coal had approved a new coal linkage allocation policy on May 17, 2017 named SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing & Allocating Koyala Transparently in India). Linkages granted under SHAKTI Policy in the last one year:Shakti Policy Para B (ii) - Linkage on auction basis for Independent Power Producers (lPPs) with PPA based on domestic coal. Under clause B(ii) of the SHAKTI Policy, the lPPs participating in auction bid for discount on existing tariff.4th round auction got completed on 28.09.2021 by PFCCL wherein 3.1983 MT (G11 Grade) was provisionally allocated.Shakti Policy Para B(viii)(a)  Linkage on auction basis for non-PPA capacity for Short Term & DAM: Ministry of Power issued a methodology in this regard on 02.12.2019 to carry out such auction at every quarter to cater to the dynamic requirements of short term and day-ahead markets (DAM). Amendment to the methodology was issued on 12.05.2020.Till date 5.39 MTs (G13 grade equivalent) of coal have been allocated to various power plants in auctions held for six quarters viz. Apr-June20, July-Sep20 and Oct-Dec20, Jan-Mar21, Apl-June21 and July-Sep21.Pilot project for procurement of 2500 MW power:In order to address the problem of lack of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in the country, the Ministry of Power had notified a scheme for procurement of 2500 MW on competitive basis for a period of 3 years from the generators with commissioned projects having untied capacity.2nd Round (2500 MW):21 Bidders (Generating Companies) submitted their Technical and Financial Bid. Financial Bids were opened on 07.02.2020. After e-Reverse Auction Rs 3.26/kWh (Fixed Charge of Rs 1.63 per unit and Variable Charge of Rs 1.63 per unit) tariff was discovered.As per Status report provided by PTC on 10.11.2021, PTC have executed PPAs with the Bidders to whom PFCCL have issued LOAs and PSAs with Utilities/Discoms for a total quantum of 820 MW.Stressed Assets in Thermal Power SectorDepartment of Financial Services (DFS) sent a list of stressed projects in the power sector on 22.03.17 to Ministry of Power (MoP). The 34 non-captive coal based power projects mentioned in the DFS list are mostly private and have a total installed capacity of 40,130 MW. Status of 34 thermal power projects of capacity 40,130 MW which are under stress as reported by DFS is as follows:17 projects with a total capacity of 20,290 MW have been resolved.7 projects with a total capacity of 9,310 MW are at various stages of resolution.10 projects with a total capacity of 10,530 MW are at very initial stage of construction and are totally stalled. Such projects have either been ordered to be liquidated or heading towards liquidation.Highlights under Energy Efficiency :Energy Efficiency Initiatives Launched under the Bharat ka Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Spiderman No Way Home has entered the $1 Billion club and is the first Pandemic film to do so. The film, starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield among others was one of the most-awaited releases of the year. From wearing Spiderman costumes in theatres to expressing their excitement on social media, the buzz around the film is palpable.

Let's take a look at what makes Spiderman: No Way Home such a special affair for Marvel fans.






2021, especially the second half of it in India was dominated by heavy rains, large-scale flooding, and destructions in many states across the country.

From, Uttarakhand to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka the rains were heavier and the subsequent floods were more devastating than usual this time around.

In Kerala, where India's annual southwestern Monsoon starts, the pre-monsoon showers had begun in May and transitioned into a monsoon in June.

Reuters

While the Monsoon went relatively event-free in Kerala compared to the previous years, the tail end of it was a different story altogether.

In September and October, Kerala received unprecedented rains almost at par with the heavy rains and floods of 2018.

In the meantime, other southern states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana were also facing devastating floods of their own.

AFP

In 2021, September was the worst month when it comes to floods, with West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat experiencing floods along with the southern states.

Uttarakhand floods

In October, the floods hit the hill state of Uttrakhand which killed nearly 70 people and inundated several key cities.

This was the second major natural disaster to hit Uttarakhand in 2021, the first was in February when a glacier burst in Joshimath.

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier had broken off, causing a flash flood that hit Chamoli district.

Reuters

Over 200 people including dozens of workers who were trapped inside a tunnel in the Tapovan dam site were killed in the disaster.

What triggered the rock and hanging glacier to fall in Uttarakhand remains an open question.

The study conducted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said that the flood was not caused by a Glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) as there were no significant glacial lakes in the area.

The study further noted that a strong western disturbance resulted in heavy precipitation in the area, causing the rockslide and increasing the flood magnitude downstream.

Nasa Earth Observatory

Over the years, especially after the devastating floods of 2013, the state of the ecology of Uttarakhand has been a serious concern.

Many experts had pointed out that unplanned construction activities and mining in flood-prone areas and ecologically sensitive zones have exacerbated the situation.

They also pointed out that massive construction projects like the one that was underway in Tapovan, when the glacier burst happened are not feasible for the area.

More cyclones and low pressure areas

Except for Uttarakhand and UP to an extend, the floods in other states were largely blamed on a series of cyclones, low-pressure areas and cyclonic circulations in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

In 2021, there were four major cyclones that hit India -- Yaas, Tauktae, Gulaab and Jawad.

AP

However, the number of low-pressure areas that formed in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal were much higher and they brought more rains to the coastal areas.

In November, a cyclone and a low pressure had formed in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea almost simultaneously, which is an extremely rare occurrence.

Will become more frequent

While the rains and floods in 2021 have been largely described as 'unprecedented', experts say that this could be the new normal in the coming years. They have pointed out that the weather patterns in India have changed and due to global warming, such weather incidents will become more common in the days ahead.

Wake-up call

This warning and the experience in 2021 should act as a wake-up call for India to avoid scenes like people taking a tractor ride to airports in the coming years.

While we cannot reverse climate change and global warming, which are only predicted to get worse, India, especially the coastal states which are first in the line of disasters can be better prepared. This includes improving the infrastructure like rain and storm shelters in case of mass evacuations. Citizens should also be trained in basic flood rescue SOP, as they could be the first to reach the spot of a disaster like a flood or landslide.

BCCL

To avoid cities like Bengaluru and Chennai getting inundated, it is necessary to clean up our notoriously clogged drainage system before the rains. In addition to this, the water sources within the cities, including lakes and rivers which have been encroached upon and have become dumping yards should be cleared to accommodate the excess rainwater.

In Uttrakhand, where landslides are an equal or even greater threat than floods, it is important to address the root cause - deforestation and unplanned development being carried out on ecologically fragile areas.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.
A woman was filmed physically assaulting an elderly man on a plane after he removed his face mask to eat - while she was herself maskless.

The woman identified as Patricia Cornwall was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after the wild incident aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 2790 on December 23, New York Post reported.

Screengrab/Twitter

She was accused of causing a midair disturbance on a Delta Air Lines flight from Tampa, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia, that led to the injury of fellow passengers and Delta employees, police said.

This disturbance led to the injury of fellow passengers and Delta employees, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. Based on the statements gathered and visible evidence, officers detained Ms Cornwall and contacted the on-call FBI agent. The officers then relocated with Ms Cornwall to the domestic Atlanta Police precinct where FBI agents responded and took custody of Ms Cornwall.

Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta got crazy pic.twitter.com/I9BZUKv3LB  ATL Uncensored | Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) December 25, 2021

A viral video shows Patricia slapping an unnamed man during the incident. The video has since gained more than eight million views.

The clip shows the woman standing in the aisle cursing at a male passenger as they exchange heated words.

Put your f mask on! she yells, as her own mask sits below her chin.

Sit down, Karen! he shoots back at the woman.

Mask up! she shouts.

You mask up, b! he yells back.

She is then seen slapping the man, who shouts, Youre going to jail!

As the flight attendant tries to restrain her, Cornwall then pushes her head in close to the mans and appears to spit in his face.

A second flight attendant then pushes a coffee cart into Cornwall, in hope of trying to move her away. He soon puts himself in the middle of the fracas, as he tries to calm down both passengers, who at this point are both waving their arms and cursing at each other.

Delta Air Lines

Things will able to calm down only after a third flight attendant comes into the picture and pulls Cornwall away. Meanwhile, the male passenger appears to be bleeding from his cheek.

Police have not announced any charges against Ms Cornwall. Even if charged, she would be presumed innocent until proven guilty.



In a statement, Delta Air Lines said it would not tolerate such behaviour.

Flight 2790 from Tampa to Atlanta was met by law enforcement after an unruly customer disturbance during flight, the airline told 11 Alive. Situations like these are rare for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft.

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The 10 students in Stephen Tates cybersecurity fundamentals class are unwitting multitaskers.

In addition to preparing to pass the Computing Technology Industry Associations Security+ exam  an exam usually given to those who have worked in the cybersecurity industry for at least two years- they are earning college credits and blazing a trail by participating in the first dual-enrollment cybersecurity program in the state.

The program, which is offered at Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center and will soon be offered in Fredericksburg City and Stafford County public schools, is funded by a grant from GO Virginia, the state coalition for promoting economic growth and opportunity in high-demand industries.

There is a huge workforce deficit right now and cybersecurity jobs are highly in demand, and so this is definitely a big win for our region, said Jennifer Morgan, economic development coordinator for the George Washington Regional Commission, which administers GO Virginia initiatives in the Fredericksburg region.

The goal is to engage students at a high school level to get them credentialed and hopefully see a strong pathway towards creating higher paying jobs in the region, she continued.

Germanna Community College applied to GO Virginia for the grant, which totals $634,938 over three years.

Amy Henecke, dean of professional and technical studies and workforce development for Germanna, said cybersecurity jobs are very difficult to fill.

So its important to start that pipeline earlier, she said. With the dual enrollment program, students can start to earn credentials and apply for college credit.

Tate is partnering with a Germanna professor to teach this years first dual-enrollment course. Students come to Spotsylvania Career and Tech Center from their home high schools every other day for half the day, and they earn credits that will transfer to Germanna or any other Virginia community college.

They can also apply to transfer them to a four-year college.

Even with this one class that they have, they could graduate (high school) and go into the workforce if thats what they decided to do, Henecke said.

Tate, who has been teaching computer systems courses for 13 years, said about 25 percent of his graduates do go straight into the workforce, anywhere from entry-level Geek Squad tech support jobs to local cybersecurity firms that contract with the Department of Defense.

Another quarter of his graduates go into the military, where he said they almost always take on a tech or cyber-related MOS, while another 25 percent go to two- or four-year colleges.

The remaining quarter might take a while to bloom, he said, but often eventually go into the cyber workforce.

Senior Marie Kriewaldt is one of two female students in the dual-enrollment course this year.

She said she first took a cybersecurity course as a sophomore because she had room in her schedule and it looked interesting, and she has continued on the track because of her fathers encouragement.

Its challenging for me, but I enjoy the challenge, Kriewaldt said.

She said she thinks girls continue to be scared away from computer science and cybersecurity classes because of majority male enrollment, and she believes career options in those fields need to be presented to girls at a much earlier age.

With literally hundreds of jobs out there, Henecke said, there are plenty of positions to fill.

Henecke said Germanna is training more instructors in Spotsylvania County schools, as well as in Stafford and Fredericksburg City.

The goal of the GO Virginia grant is to certify 20 teachers to instruct cybersecurity courses throughout the region, including in Caroline and King George counties.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cyber New Markets Education K 12 Universities
A seven-year-old boy who was critically injured in an apartment fire in a Baltimore neighborhood has died, authorities said Sunday.

The Baltimore County Fire Department said in a news release that Clinton Chimobi Ezeamaka died Saturday in the pediatric burn unit at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Investigators determined that the fire at the apartment building in the Gwynn Oak neighborhood resulted from improperly discarded cigarettes in the apartment directly below the victims third-floor apartment. The news release said investigators found a large volume of combustible materials, specifically clothing and debris, on the balcony of the apartment where the fire started.

The fire spread upward and burned into the buildings roof structure so that the boy was trapped with heat and fire beneath and fire above him, according to the news release.

There was damage to 16 apartments, making them uninhabitable. Seven people were displaced, fire officials said. The fire has been ruled accidental.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Maryland
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.

Court documents said he had a grudge against a cook at the diner, the Valley News reported.

The man could get a year shaved from his sentence if he successfully completes substance abuse counseling in prison, the documents said.

The fire caused smoke and electrical damage to the diner, which was built in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car Co. It remains closed, and its owner died this fall.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The captain and first officer of a dry bulk carrier, which triggered the biggest environmental disaster in Mauritius, have been sentenced to 20 months in prison in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the captain, and Subodha Tilakaratna, the first officer of the MV Wakashio were sentenced in the Intermediate Court of Mauritius on Monday. Both pleaded guilty on Dec. 20 to the charge of endangering safe navigation. Since the two men have been in police custody for almost 16 months and the guilty plea means leniency in the sentencing, the length of imprisonment is deemed to have been completed.

Mauritius Oil Spill Disaster Caused by Lack of Safety Awareness, Admits Shipowner

If we take into account the time spent on remand and remission for good conduct, the sentence may be seen as served, Amira Peeroo, lawyer for Tilakaratna said in a phone interview from Port Louis, after the sentencing.

Mauritius battled widespread pollution following the oil spill, which threatened the livelihoods of communities that depend on the ocean, and the Blue Bay Marine reserve, popular with snorkelers. The Mauritian economy relies on tourists who flock to its white-sand beaches is also reeling from the coronavirus fallout.

The 300-meter long Japanese ship was en route to Brazil from China when it veered off course in the evening on July 25, 2020 and hit a coral reef. Two weeks later, fuel oil started leaking with about 1,000 tons reaching the shores. The vessel then broke into two and sunk.

Nandeshwar admitted to drinking and partying. He agreed that the vessel sailed close to the Mauritian shores so that they could get mobile phone signals, according to media reports.

Photograph: This photo, taken on Aug. 7, 2020, shows oil leaking from the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that ran aground on July 25 off the southeast coast of Mauritius. The government has declared an environmental emergency. Photo credit: Eric Villars via AP.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
A new report estimates that U.S. businesses could spend about $13.5 billion in 2022 to repair or replace flood-damaged commercial buildings.

The same report finds that businesses could lose more than 3.1 million days of operation from flooding next year.

The report, titled The 4th National Risk Assessment: Climbing Commercial Closures, from the nonprofit First Street Foundation and global engineering firm Arup, provides insights for communities at risk of flooding. The report assesses the risk of flood damage to 3.6 million retail, office, and multi-unit residential properties across the country and related economic impacts. It identifies the economic impact to metropolitan areas and states from lost days of productivity and output caused by damage to retail and office buildings as well as the associated closures due to repair times. The report aggregates property-level data at the metro and state levels.

According to the report, a total of 729,699 retail, office, and multi-unit residential properties face risk of flood damage in the contiguous U.S.

The $13.5 billion annual costs to repair or replace damaged buildings could grow by roughly 25% to exceed $16.9 billion by 2052 due to climate change, the authors state.

The report notes that damage to commercial buildings has both revenue and downstream consequences for metropolitan areas and states. The annualized financial impact to local economies is expected to grow by 26.5% from $49.9 billion in 2022 to $63.1 billion in 2052.

Commercial real estate supports the economic heart of American cities and multi-unit residential properties also play an important part in keeping the economy moving by housing members of Americas workforce, many of whom have had to work from home during the pandemic, the report states.

Business needs consistency and predictability in order to plan, invest, and grow their operations and allow communities to thrive, said Matthew Eby, founder and executive director of First Street Foundation. But, he added, American businesses and local economies face much more uncertainty and unpredictability when it comes to the potential impact of flooding on their bottom line than they may realize. Flooding that leads to lost days of operation and lengthy repair times for local businesses could have significant broader national and even global economic consequences.

Ibbi Almufti, chair of Arups global working group on climate risk and resilience, said that as climate change accelerates, flood risk will pose an economic threat to more commercial and multi-residential properties across the country. Arup said the report provides an up-to-date understanding of flood risk to communities and can embolden action to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The United States is ill-prepared for the extreme weather now becoming common due to our changing environment, evident by the flood cataclysms that wrought destruction to much of the country in the past decade, the report said. Impacts of extreme flooding exceed the speed American communities can fortify themselves. Identifying vulnerabilities at a local level is required to brace for climate extremes, preventing further destruction.

Also, as extreme weather events become more frequent, the flood insurance picture is changing. FEMA has unveiled a new Risk Rating 2.0, which utilizes much more data to determine a propertys flood risk, well beyond the flood-zone-only approach. Some properties are expected to see a decrease in premiums, while others should see an increase, analysts have noted. New National Flood insurance Program (NFIP) policies sold after Oct. 1 are already subject to the new rating, while policies that renew after April 1 will be governed by the new approach.

Commercial Flood Insurance

At the same time as NFIP rating changes are going into effect, the countrys flood insurance market is slowly transitioning toward private insurers providing additional options to the federal governments program, according to a new AM Best report.

Private sector carriers are being selective, tending to avoid risks in flood-prone areas and concentrating more on commercial properties than homeowners, an AM Best report shows.

Private Flood Insurance Market Small But May Grow With New NFIP Rating

According to Bests Market Segment Report, Appetite for Flood Risk Among Private Insurers Still Small, more than 70% of overall private flood premium has been generated from commercial property exposures.

But the report says private insurers tend to avoid flood-prone areas, noting that Florida experiences tropical systems more frequently than any other state and represents about one third of the total NFIP insured value. Yet Florida represents only about a quarter of the total flood premium.

If private insurers are able to price risks individually, they will cherry-pick the best risks with pricing better than the NFIPs subsidized rates, leading to further adverse selection, said Christopher Graham, senior industry analyst, AM Best.

The NFIP still bears the heaviest burden of the U.S. flood market, but private flood insurers generated almost $3.1 billion in total direct premium during 2016-2020. The $735 million in direct premium in 2020 represented the largest amount during that period.

Infrastructure at Risk

While more communities around the country have faced flooding in areas outside the Federal Emergency Management Agencys 100-year flood zone, an earlier First Street report, Infrastructure on the Brink, shows that about 25% percent of U.S. critical infrastructure, including airports, hospitals, police stations, ports, power stations and roads, are at risk.

25% of Infrastructure Under Flood Risk in 30 years; FEMA Wants Input on Standards

One takeaway is that even if a home or other structure escapes water damage, public services, utilities or health systems may be shut down or become inaccessible after a flood event.

Low-lying coastal areas, particularly those in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and New Jersey, are most vulnerable to the rising waters, according to First Street.

Of further concern is that outside the designated FEMA flood zones, only about 2% of U.S. properties have purchased flood insurance.

Top Photo: In this Aug. 27, 2020 file photo, buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles, La. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Topics Flood
In a more typical time, burnout is an exception. In the era of COVID, it almost feels like the norm.

According to Jennifer Moss, organizations should take a hard look in the mirror for fostering cultures of overwork that make things worse. The author, speaker and workplace wellness expert has penned The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It to help slam the brakes on this crisis before we all hit the wall.

Moss spoke with Reuters about making it through the pandemic in one piece. Edited excerpts are below.

Q: You did some research about how people feel now. What did you find?

A: During COVIDS second wave, we found that only 2% of people rated their well-being as excellent, and 89% said their work life was getting worse. We expected that people would be exhausted, working more hours in the day and losing efficacy.

But we also found that cynicism was really high: People are starting to feel like they dont have any control over outcomes. Thats really dangerous.

Q: How do you define burnout specifically?

A: Its chronic workplace stress left unmanaged. There are six root causes: An unsustainable workload, perceived lack of control, insufficient rewards for effort, a lack of a supportive community, a lack of fairness and mismatched values and skills.

Q: Companies know something serious is going on, so are they doing enough?

A: Leaders are worried about people leaving, so they have been adding some well-being strategies to their portfolio. This has put employees more in the drivers seat; for instance, we have been seeing many companies delaying a return to the workplace. Self-care strategies can be a good thing, but sometimes they are a Band-Aid solution to a much bigger problem that needs to be managed upstream.

Q: What should companies be doing to prevent burnout?

A: They need to be looking at the root causes of workload. Giving people a day off is okay, but you also need to reduce your expectations of productivity.

If you have a culture of overwork, that is not making people more effective  its making them sick. Companies need to give people more agency about how and when they come back to work, pay people what theyre worth, compensate them if theyre working extra hours, and make sure theyre promoting people for the right reasons.

A lack of fairness is a big issue here, because young people feel like there is no path for them.

Q: What can individuals do to make sure theyre not running on empty?

A: Organizations need to have a huge amount of accountability for burnout, but employees can be part of the solution, too. We can do a lot of work to identify whether were burning out, like how often we feel exhausted and disengaged and cynical. Then we need to start to think about pulling back, like taking breaks every couple of hours, digitally detoxing, going outside, putting on music.

Set boundaries about answering e-mails and manage your clients expectations, so everything doesnt always seem so urgent.

Q: Leaders get burned out too. How can they manage those feelings?

A: We have never had a collective trauma like this where every single person is going through it. We are all feeling fear and social anxiety, and the same is true for leaders.

Have some self-compassion, show transparency with your team and dont worry about appearing vulnerable. Youve got things going on too, and employees cant be what they cant see, so model the behavior. If youre not taking care of yourself, you cant help the team.

Q: Have you dealt with burnout personally?

A: Its been really hard. We have to give ourselves the space to not be as effective as we used to be. Were tired, and nothing about this is normal.

I really did try to follow my own rules and take moments for myself  sitting outside, reading some fiction, walking my dog in nature.

I knew the only way I was going to get through this in a healthy way for my kids, was to do this work. And it helped.

Every day, every single one of us should look back at the past year and pat ourselves on the back and say, I made it.

(Editing by Lauren Young)

Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance
A Florida claims adjuster that authorities called the mastermind behind an extensive property insurance fraud scheme has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Walter Malet, 32, of Orlando, was convicted of pilfering more than $262,559 from Security First Insurance Co. of Florida, according to court records and local news reports. Prosecutors said Malet and 10 others used the insurers computer system to reopen claims, issue expense checks to ghost vendors, then close the claims the same day, without supervisory review.

This case is a shining example of the private sector partnering with the State Attorneys Office to investigate and successfully prosecute a complex and sophisticated group of thieves, the state attorney for Volusia County, R.J. Larizza, said in a statement.

Malet and another desk examiner at Security First, Rony Pierre-Louis, added eight vendors to Security Firsts expense account in 2018 and 2019, according to the prosecutors charging affidavit, filed in Volusia County Circuit Court. The schemers then issued 90 payments to the fake vendors.

Security First discovered the scheme during a routine audit, the affidavit said. The insurer found that payments had been made to the vendors, but no invoices had been submitted. Investigators then determined that the vendors were illegitimate, and had families ties to some of the defendants, the arrest report noted. By reopening and closing the claims in the same day, the Security First computer system did not record them as open claims, which helped avoid supervisory scrutiny, according to the court documents.

But the fraudsters may not have realized that records of the transactions were still available in the system.

Some 85 of the 90 checks were deposited into bank accounts, but Security First was able to stop payment on five checks. The participants also used phone-based payment apps, such as Venmo, Zelle and Square, to transfer proceeds to each other, investigators said.

The investigation also found that one defendant also operated a company that was engaged in other illegal activity, including money laundering, the court documents show. The ring also was able to hack the computer credentials of five other Security First employees, as part of the scheme.

All 11 members of the fraud ring were charged with grand theft. Several defendants have pleaded guilty.

Locke Burt, the chairman and CEO of Security First, said that reducing fraud is the best way to keep premiums and costs to a minimum.

We want the people of Florida to understand how important these cases are to everyone in Florida and if you see fraud, report fraud, Burt said in a statement to the news media.

State Department of Financial Service records show that Malet was licensed as an all-lines adjuster but was suspended in March 2020 after he was arrested.

After serving prison time, Malet will be on 12 years of probation, authorities said.

Topics Florida Fraud
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Franklin, Tennessee-based Five Points Benefits Solutions, an employee benefits provider, the company announced this month.

Five Points, founded in 2011, serves clients in Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. Marisa Combs Smith, Wes Dozier and associates will continue operating at their current locales but will report to Jerry Roberts, head of Gallaghers Heartland Region for employee benefits.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gallagher is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm, headquartered outside Chicago.

Topics Mergers A.J. Gallagher Tennessee
A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

Authorities near Reno reported a 20-car pileup on a snow-blow highway where drivers described whiteout conditions. And a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 was shut Sunday from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line. The California Department of Transportation also closed other mountain routes while warning of poor visibility and slippery conditions for drivers.

Expect major travel delays on all roads, the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada, said on Twitter. Today is the type of day to just stay home if you can. More snow is on the way too!

The weather service issued a winter storm warning for greater Lake Tahoe until 1 a.m. Tuesday because of possible widespread whiteout conditions and wind gusts that could top 45 mph.

Turbulent weather stretched from Southern California to Seattle, where several of inches of snow fell on Sunday.

Rockslides caused by heavy rain closed more than 40 miles of coastal Highway 1 in the Big Sur region south of the San Francisco Bay Area. There was no estimate for the reopening of the scenic stretch that is frequently shut after wet weather.

The latest in a series of blustery storms hit Southern California with heavy rain and wind that flooded streets and knocked down power lines late Saturday. Powerful gusts toppled trees, damaged carports and blew a track-and-field shed from a Goleta high school into a front yard two blocks away, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

More than 1.8 inches of rain fell over 24 hours in Santa Barbara Countys San Marcos pass, while Rocky Butte in San Luis Obispo County recorded 1.61 inches, the weather service said.

Los Angeles International Airport said a storm-related electrical issue forced a partial closure of Terminal 5, causing post-Christmas passengers to divert to other terminals for certain services.

Cancellations and delays are possible, so it will be important to check your flight status today if flying through Terminal 5, LAX tweeted.

In the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, crews were repairing a section of State Route 18 that washed down a hillside after heavy rain late Thursday. The closure of the major route into the Big Bear ski resort area could last for weeks, officials said.

The continuing storms were welcomed in parched California, where the Sierra snowpack had been at dangerously low levels after weeks for dry weather. But the state Department of Water Resources reported on Christmas Eve that the snowpack was between 114% and 137% of normal across the range with more snow expected.

Before Sunday, 20 inches of snow already had fallen at Homewood on Lake Tahoes west shore. About a foot was reported at Northstar near Truckee, California, and 10 inches at the Mount Rose ski resort on the southwest edge of Reno.

The Washoe County Sheriffs Office said Sunday that its deputies said as many as 20 cars were involved in a series of wrecks in the southbound lane of U.S. Route 395 near Lake Tahoe. Drivers described white-out conditions with poor visibility.

The sheriffs department used social media posts to urge people to avoid travel and stay home. The messages included images of white, snow-crusted highways and cloudy skies.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Windstorm
An EU report has warned too much phosphorus in Irish soils, and hotspots where nitrate concentrations are increasing, should be the main areas Ireland should tackle in its Nitrates Action Programme.

Groundwater quality in Ireland is generally good, and improving at some monitoring stations, according to the European Commissions recently released report on the protection of waters from agricultural pollution, for the 20162019 period.

It said Irish surface waters have 'low' nitrate concentrations, while the number of waters that are eutrophic remains limited.

Eutrophication, which is the over-enrichment of water by nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, is a widespread problem in Europe.

The report reveals almost all surface waters are eutrophic in north Belgium (Flanders). There are also widespread high-nitrate water problems across the EU.

However, it noted that the surplus (outputs to the soil minus inputs) in Ireland is at about the EU average for nitrogen, while the surplus of phosphorus is among the highest in the EU.

The report said there have been some encouraging signs, with water quality improvement in 152 of 726 water bodies that were prioritised for action in the 2018-21 River Basin Management Plan.

This was attributed to the positive efforts of local authorities, other public bodies, local communities, and landholders.

EU Commission experts said there is a relationship between Irelands farming intensity and nitrate concentrations in waters, but there is water quality variability within and between sub-catchments.

Soils, weather and farming practices have a significant influence on nitrates, which has important implications for selecting the right measures in the right place, at the right times.

Further new information on Irish water quality came last July in the Environmental Protection Agencys Water Quality Indicators Report, with Dr Eimear Cotter of the EPA saying: Our water quality is currently under threat with nitrogen pollution from agriculture causing particular pressure in parts of the south, southeast and east of the country.

"Rivers such as the Bandon, Lee, Blackwater, Suir, Nore, Barrow and Slaney have nitrogen levels that are too high, with significant implications for the marine environments they flow into.

If we do not substantially reduce nitrogen inputs to our rivers, and ultimately our marine environment, we are in danger of further deteriorations in water quality and losing our excellent coastal water quality.

According to the EPA report, just over half of Irelands rivers and lakes are in satisfactory biological quality, and in 2019 and 2020, 345 rivers showed improvements in quality, while 230 declined in quality.

There has been an overall net improvement in the biological quality of rivers monitored in 2019 and 2020.

How do other EU countries compare?

However, it is clear from the EU report that most member states have worse water quality than Ireland.

Austria has good groundwater quality, but with hotspots.

Belgiums groundwater quality is bad, particularly in Flanders, where nitrate concentration is strongly increasing, and almost all surface waters are eutrophic. The water quality in Wallonia is better than the EU average. The Commission urged Flanders to take additional measures that match the severity of the problems, and to support farmers switching to more resilient and less intensive production.

Bulgarias groundwater quality is generally good, but with high-nitrate hotspots.

Croatias groundwater quality is generally good, but a high number of surface waters are eutrophic.

Groundwater quality is generally good in Cyprus, but with high-nitrate hotspots. Surface waters are good.

The Czech Republic has a large number of high-nitrate groundwater hotspots, and a very high number of surface waters are eutrophic.

Denmarks groundwater is generally good, but with pollution increasing at a high number of monitoring points. A very high number of surface waters are eutrophic.

Groundwater in Poland fares similarly, with some high-nitrate hotspots, and a very high number of eutrophic surface waters, inland and marine.

Estonias groundwater quality is generally good but many surface waters are eutrophic.

The situation was similar across the Baltic sea in neighbouring Finland, where groundwater is good, but eutrophication is recorded for 83% of surface and marine water monitoring stations. The Commission recommends that Finland tackle eutrophication issues where agricultural pressure is significant.

Similar recommendations were made for Lithuania.

Groundwater is average in France, with a lot of historical (Brittany, centre west) and new (north, northeast) hotspots. Eutrophication of marine water is an issue on the north coast of Brittany.

Germany has a high number of groundwater monitoring stations with nitrate concentrations above 50mg, strongly increasing at a high number of stations. A very high number of surface waters are eutrophic.

Greece has high-nitrate hotspots, and a high number of eutrophic surface waters.

Hungarys groundwater quality is generally good, with some high-nitrate hotspots, and a very high number of eutrophic surface waters.

Read More Concern grows as fertiliser prices soar by 52%

Italy and Slovakia's groundwater is generally good, with high-nitrate hotspots, and a high number of eutrophic waters.

Latvia has a very high number of eutrophic surface waters, affecting inland and marine waters.

Luxemburg has many groundwater monitoring stations with high nitrates, and a very high number of eutrophic surface waters.

The Netherlands has high-nitrate groundwater hotspots, and a very high number of eutrophic surface waters. The Commission recommends the Netherlands support farmers switching to more sustainable and less intensive production.

Spain, Portugal and Romania have many groundwater high-nitrate hotspots, and many eutrophic surface waters.

Swedens groundwater is generally very good, but some monitoring stations show eutrophication.
Nostradamus

Who was Nostradamus?

Nostradamus, who died in the 14th century.

Known as the Prophet of Doom, Nostradamus was a French plague doctor, astrologer and seer. He published his famed and widely quoted book Les Propheties in 1555 and it foretells the coming of wars, natural disasters, assassinations, nuclear attacks and revolutions.

What did he predict for 2022?

There are four main predictions from Nostradamus for the new year. He kept it vague, so there will probably be a grain of truth to this first one: So high the price of wheat/That man is stirred/His fellow man to eat in his despair. The cost of living continues to increase but we have yet to hear of cannibalism as a response to it.

In addition, analysts of his text believe he expects Artificial Intelligence to grow in 2022. He writes: The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain /The new sage with a lone brain sees it /By his disciples invited to be immortal/Eyes to the south. Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.

Will Bitcoin get a boost?

Keeping with technological advancements, cryptocurrency like Bitcoin could rise in value in 2022. The copies of gold and silver inflated/Which after the theft were thrown into the lake/At the discovery that all is exhausted and dissipated by the debt/All scripts and bonds will be wiped out, he writes.

Droughts and floods are expected too in the years to come, though not specifically for 2022. Nostradamus writes: For forty years the rainbow will not be seen/For forty years it will be seen every day/The dry earth will grow more parched/And there will be great floods when it is seen. Whether this is caused by climate change or nuclear war remains to be seen.

Have any of his predictions for 2021 come to pass?

For 2021, he seems to have predicted a zombie apocalypse: Few young people: half-dead to give a start. He also said 2021 would bring about a world-ending asteroid. Unless things change dramatically before Saturday, it seems were in the clear for both.

Baba Vanga

Who was Baba Vanga?

Baba Vanga

Baba Vanga was born in a village at the foot of a volcanic mountain range in the Ottoman Empire. When she was 12, she lost her eyesight during a storm when she was tossed into the air and thrown to the ground by a powerful gust of wind. Her family found her close to death several days later. She said she had experienced her first vision during the days she was missing. Baba Vanga believed she had been instilled with the ability to heal people and predict the future. She died at age 85 in 1996 and was known as the Nostradamus from the Balkans.

What did she predict for 2022?

According to Baba Vanga, another pandemic is on the way. It will be discovered in Siberia, when a frozen virus will be released by climate change.

She also says many cities will face water shortages, which will lead to political consequences as alternative solutions are used.

Earth will be visited by aliens, who will send an asteroid as part of an invasion. She also predicts a virtual reality takeover.

Baba Vanga expects famine in India due to a drop in temperatures that will see locusts attack crops, plus more earthquakes and tsunamis in Australia and parts of Asia with 'intense bouts of floods'.

Have any of her previous predictions come to pass?

She knew the 44th US President would not be white but was incorrect when she said Barack Obama would be the last president

Yes. Baba Vangas earlier visions are said to include the Chernobyl tragedy, Princess Dianas death and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However some of her past predictions have been wrong. These include her prophecy that Obama would be the last US president in 2016 (though her prediction that he would not be white was correct) and that World War III would begin in 2010.

Old Moores Almanac

What is Old Moores Almanac?

Old Moore's Almanac 2022

Old Moores Almanac is a magazine that has been published annually for 258 years. It is most famous for its predictions of future events  both Irish and global.

What does it predict for 2022?

The magazine believes were in for a revolution for China and North Korea, a second pandemic, and a female Taoiseach.

In Ireland next year, it says a woman is gearing up and getting her alliances in order to become the first female Taoiseach within the next three years. Were in for some extreme weather too, with a landslide, a giant wave and an earthquake, a heatwave, a drought, and a huge dump of snow expected in 2022. And Old Moores Almanac says house prices will go even higher.

Globally, it believes there will be a second pandemic, which will be unrelated to Covid-19. It also says terrorism will return to the European region. There will also be news about Malaysias missing flight MH370.

In the US, Old Moores Almanac predicts Kamala Harris will prepare to take the reins of the USA, but she will find herself besieged and her political enemies will be serious. Donald Trump will also make noises about running again, but it will be conditional on a fair election system.

Trouble in paradise for Harry and Meghan?

In celebrity news, Rebel Wilson will announce a pregnancy and Harry and Meghan will experience some marriage peril when Harry wants to return to tradition and Meghan wants to embrace American values.

Have any of its predictions for 2021 come to pass?

For 2021, Old Moores Almanac expected life to slowly return to normal and said by late summer we would be over the worst of the pandemic. While this was incorrect, it was right about the return of foreign travel, live music and standing at the bar. It predicted wedding bells for Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton. While Taylor Swift is still single, Paris Hilton married businessman Carter Reum last month.
1. Rembrandt at the Crawford

The re-opening of the nations art galleries this summer was a welcome relief for those who had long since grown bored of watching Portrait Artist of the Year on television. One of the most popular exhibitions was Rembrandt in Print, which opened at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork in September.

Rembrandt van Rijn, arguably the greatest artist of the 17th century, was a master portraitist himself, and is best known for epic paintings such as The Night Watch. He was also a brilliant printmaker, and 314 of his etchings survive. Fifty of the finest examples were loaned by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford for the exhibition in Cork.

Rembrandt in Print continues until 9 January 2022.

crawfordartgallery.ie/rembrandt-in-print

2. Basic income for artists

Despite his enormous success as an artist, Rembrandt had what might politely be called money management issues, and suffered the ignominy of being buried in a paupers grave. Over the past few years, many Irish artists, their incomes decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, worried they would finish up the same.

In response, the Government announced in October that it has earmarked 25 million for a pilot scheme for a new Basic Income Guarantee for artists and arts workers, which will launch in the spring of 2022. The scheme will most likely pay around 2,000 creatives a basic income of 325 a week for three years.

Welcome and all as this will be to those who can avail of it, there are other initiatives which should surely bear serious consideration. Before its demolition in 2018, the former FAS building on Sullivans Quay in Cork was home to affordable studio and exhibition spaces for artists, and there are surely any number of vacant buildings in the city centre that could be converted to such purposes.

There could also be a serious re-appraisal of the Per Cent for Art Scheme, which should see a percentage of public funding for development projects being used to commission new arts projects. Sadly, the scheme is seldom availed of at present.

More welcome again, one suspects, would be a housing scheme that encouraged artists to continue living in urban centres. The borough of Barking and Dagenham has managed this in East London, with its A House for Artists initiative, designed to provide creatives with affordable rents.

createlondon.org/event/a-house-for-artists

3. Eileen Healy, Lay a Brick

In Cork, the scarcity of affordable living and studio spaces was highlighted by artist and musician Eileen Healys Lay a Brick project.

Healy hopes the sale of work from her studio will help her buy a house in the city, rather than continue depending on rented spaces.

Her paintings are currently available for purchase at the Quay Co-op on Sullivans Quay and On the Pigs Back in Douglas, as well as through her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

eileenhealyart.com

4. Ardu street art in Cork

A mural by artist Asbestos, created for Ardu 2021, at South Main Street, Cork.

The importance of artists to our urban centres was highlighted by the Ardu street art project in Cork. With much of the citys arts activities facing cancellation or postponement, or moving online, Ardu  meaning Rise  kicked off in October 2020. It took the 100th anniversary of the Burning of Cork as its theme, commissioning seven artists to paint new murals about the city centre.

Works were completed by Deirdre Breen at Wandesford Quay, Maser at The Kino, James Earley at Henry Street, Peter Martin at Kyle Street, Shane ODriscoll at Harley Street, Aches at Anglesea Street, and Gareth Joyce at Liberty Street. Four more murals were completed in 2021, by Conor Harrington at the Bishop Lucey Park, Friz on St Finbarrs Road, Shane OMalley on Lower Glanmire Road, and Asbestos at South Main Street.

arducork.ie

5. Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

A man looks at digital paintings by US artist Beeple at a crypto art exhibition entitled Virtual Niche: Have You Ever Seen Memes in the Mirror?.

If the art world was slow to acknowledge the value of street art, it was taken completely by surprise by the advent of the non-fungible token. NFTs are unique digital files traded in Ethereum cryptocurrency, using blockchain technology to provide proof of ownership.

Their existence became a cause celebre in March, when the American digital artist Mike Winkelmann, working as BEEPLE, sold an NFT called EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS for $69,346,250 million. The piece  a collage of digital images BEEPLE had created over 13 years - was the first purely digital artwork ever auctioned at Christies.

NFTs may well prove to be a fad, but their current popularity among crypto currency investors  such as Vignesh Sundaresan, who bought BEEPLEs EVERYDAYS - has seen them fetch the kind of prices most artists can only dream of. Irish digital artist Kevin Abosch was one of those who got in on the action, claiming to have sold 1 million worth of NFTS in 2021. Abosch has form: in 2015, he sold one of three copies of a photographic print of a potato to a French investor, also for 1 million.

kevinabosch.com

6. Jack B Yeats

Jack B Yeats, c.1925. Photograph: Chancellor, Dublin, National Gallery

Forty-four years after his death, aged 85, in 1957, Jack B Yeatss reputation as one of Irelands best-loved  and most bankable - artists seems unassailable. The exhibition Painting & Memory, at the National Gallery of Ireland, was organised to coincide with the 150th anniversary of his birth, and includes work from over forty years of his career. It continues until 6 February 2022.

Yeats Shouting, a work in oils from 1950, came to auction at Whytes in Dublin on 29 November. It was expected to make at least 2 million, which would have made it the most expensive artwork ever sold in Ireland. As it was, it made 1.4 million, equalling the price previously paid for his paintings Reverie, in 2019, and The Whistle of a Jacket, in 2001.

nationalgallery.ie

7. IMMA and Crawford collect Irish artists

Mary McCarthy of Crawford Art Gallery with artists Debbie Godsell and Tom Climent at the unveiling of some of the gallery's newly-acquired pieces.

Another initiative announced by the Government in October 2020 was an allocation to the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and Crawford Art Gallery in Cork of 1 million to collect work by Irish artists.

The galleries announced their purchases  of 400 works by 70 artists - in April this year. The Crawfords purchases included work by local artists Tom Climent, Sara Baume and Fiona Kelly. IMMAs included work by Alice Maher, Nigel Rolfe, and Amanda Coogan.

imma.ie/whats-on/collecting-the-new-recent-acquisitions-to-the-imma-collection

crawfordartgallery.ie/your-national-collection-2021

8. Elections to Aosdana

Amanda Coogan.

The aforementioned Amanda Coogan is one of Irelands best-known sign language interpreters, and was widely celebrated for her performance on the Late Late Show Toy Show in November, when she bopped along to a musical interlude by DJ Calum.

Coogan was elected to Aosdana the same month, in recognition of her status as one of Irelands leading performance artists. Aosdana is an honorary association of artists whose members are chosen by their peers. A cnuas  or stipend  is available to those who wish to work full-time at their art.

Coogan was admitted along with the sculptor Rachel Joynt and the painter Diana Copperwhite, testifying to the rude health of the visual arts in Ireland.

Coogans achievements include participating in the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2003, and the solo exhibition Ill sing you a song from around the town at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin in 2015.

9. The Map, by Alice Maher and Rachel Fallon

In Ireland, one of the most talked-about art projects of 2021 was Alice Maher and Rachel Fallons The Map.

Invited by Maeliosa Boyle, curator at Dublin art space Red Rua, to respond to the legacy of Mary Magdalene, Maher and Fallon spent more than two years sewing, knitting and crocheting a monumental textile artwork that employs the language of cartography to reimagine the Magdalenes life and celebrate womens invisible labour, in the home and without.

Maher and Fallon are multi-media artists, whose common interests include feminism and mythology. The exhibition is complemented by a sound installation by writer Sinead Gleeson and musician Stephen Shannon. The Magdalene Series also features work by Jesse Jones, Grace Dyas and Amanda Coogan. The Map is on view until January 29, 2022.

ruared.ie/gallery/exhibition/the-map

10. Sean Scully: The Shape of Ideas

Sean Scully.

Sean Scully is an artist with a keen sense of the monumental, whose huge abstract canvases are in collections the whole world over. His reputation as Irelands greatest living artist was cemented by a major retrospective, The Shape of Ideas, at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, which concluded in October.

Scully, born in Dublin in 1945, was based in the New York for most of his adult life, though he has now settled in the South of France. He is best known for employing stripes and blocks of colour in his abstract paintings, but also works in pastels, watercolours, printmaking and sculpture. The Shape of Ideas featured 49 of his most significant paintings and 42 works on paper. The exhibition will tour to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the spring.

philamuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/sean-scully-shape-ideas
Charlie Haughey told British prime minister, John Major, at a meeting in 1991 that he should not "attribute too much sophistication to the unionists" amid ongoing efforts to bring The Troubles to a close.

The comments by the Taoiseach, recorded in an Irish Government note of the meeting, were made in Downing Street on June 21, 1991.

It came amid ongoing talks between the four main Stormont parties discussing the future of Northern Ireland.

Those talks, which became known as the Brooke/Mayhew talks after the incumbent Northern Ireland secretaries of state, were destined to end with little progress for a peace settlement.

Mr Haughey, who would leave office several months later, indicated to Mr Major he did not believe that the talks would produce anything of substance.

Instead, he told his British counterpart: "If we want to achieve something, we, the two governments, must take the whole situation by the scruff of the neck.

"The situation in Northern Ireland is a constant irritant in relations between the two governments," Mr Haughey said.

Nearly everywhere I go on the international scene, I am asked: 'When are you going to solve the problem of Northern Ireland?'

"There are questions of international prestige at stake.

"There are great benefits for both of us in the world from a clearing of the decks. Both countries could then settle down to some sort of normal relations. I hope in all this I am not teaching my grandmother to suck eggs."

Mr Major tells the Taoiseach: "The more I learn of the problem, the more anxious I am to make progress.

"I would favour a step-by-step approach  a slow approach. We have to carry a unionist and nationalist consensus along."

Mr Haughey speaks of the need to get officials and experts to look at the possibility of Sinn Fein joining "the process".

Later, Mr Major expresses some concern about the feelings of unionists, telling Mr Haughey: "The whole subject is very difficult and very complex in view of the position of the unionists  and of Northern Ireland generally."

According to the confidential note, Mr Haughey responded: "You don't know your own strength in this. I must ask where do the unionists have to go?"

If you say 'The British Government have decided on a certain course of action' where do they go?

"If they push, things go back and the Anglo-Irish Agreement is fully in place and will be so for another 20 years.

"Don't attribute too much sophistication and understanding to the unionists. If the British government says 'this is the way we must go', they have no alternative.

Mr Major responds: "Whatever is proposed must be broadly accepted by the unionists and also by Parliament."

At one stage, Mr Major tells Haughey that more cross-border cooperation is needed.

Mr Haughey replies that it is already "superb" and teases: "I think you are beginning to speak like Mrs Thatcher. Maybe you have one of her briefs."

Mr Haughey and Margaret Thatcher had an often difficult and antagonistic relationship throughout her time as British prime minister.
Irish diplomats were left with a jumbo-sized problem over 40 years ago after president Patrick Hillery was given a gift of a real elephant while on a visit to Tanzania.

State papers reveal a diplomatic row broke out between Irish and Tanzanian officials over who should pay the costs of shipping the animal back to Ireland.

The incident arose after Mr Hillery travelled to the east African state as part of a goodwill trip to Africa in 1979.

The gift of a live elephant was presented to the Irish president during a visit to the then Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam.

Official documents show Tanzanian officials subsequently contacted the Irish embassy in Dar es Salaam in September 1980 to seek repayment of the shipping costs of the elephant.

However, embassy staff were unable to verify that any undertaking had ever been given that the Irish government would foot the bill.

The Tanzanian official sought payment of over Shs66,000 (Tanzanian shilling)  the equivalent of IR4,005 or 5,085  as the estimated cost of transporting the elephant to Dublin.

No funds to repay Tanzanians

The Department of Foreign Affairs notified the Department of the Taoiseach in October 1980 over the issue with the warning that it did not have the funds to repay the Tanzanians.

While an official in the Department of Foreign Affairs said they were still unable to verify if an undertaking had been given to their Tanzanian counterparts about paying the shipping cost of the elephant, he observed that it in accordance with normal practice, it would be assumed that the cost of transport of any gifts from the host to the guest country would be the responsibility of the guest.

An official in the Department of the Taoiseach indicated that it was essentially a matter for the Department of Foreign Affairs to sort out from its own budget.

I had forgotten about the elephant  its transport would seem to be a matter for the Department of Foreign Affairs whose vote would seem to be the most appropriate one, the civil servant observed.

Dublin Zoos historian, Catherine De Courcy, confirmed that a three-year-old female elephant that had been presented to Dr Hillery by the president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, was donated to the zoo on her arrival in Ireland in May 1980.

The animal, known as Mimi, was subsequently given to Southampton Zoo two years later.
Burma Ethnic Armies Condemn Myanmar Juntas Kayah Massacre

Soldiers from Brotherhood Alliance in an undated photo.

Three allied ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar have strongly condemned the military juntas massacre of 35 civilians in Hpruso Township, Kayah State, last week, calling the international community to bring justice.

The Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the Taang National Liberation Army, Arakan Army and Kokangs Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), condemned the killings. The MNDAA is heavily engaged with the junta in northern Shan State, while the other two intensely fought the military in northern Shan and Rakhine states before the February coup.

They condemned the killing and burning of around 35 fleeing civilians, including women and children, in seven vehicles on Friday near Moso village. The massacre reportedly happened after an hourlong battle between junta troops and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces, an alliance of armed resistance groups fighting the regime.

Four members of the Karenni Nationalities Peoples Liberation Front, a border guard force which agreed a ceasefire with the former junta in 1994, were tied up and shot in the head while they were negotiating with junta forces for the release of the 35 civilians, according to the armed group.

The junta neglects the rules of engagement and committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, the Brotherhood Alliance said in Mondays statement.

Junta troops have repeatedly committed such crimes and atrocities in our areas for a long time, the statement added.

We urge the world to take swift and effective action against the regime for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Brotherhood Alliances condemnation is the first from Myanmars many armed groups and follows statements from civil society groups and the United Nations over the weekend.

A joint statement from 59 civil society organizations called on the international community to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court and to impose an arms embargo on the terrorist junta.

The United Nations called for an investigation into the massacre and condemned the incident.

Armed resistance against the junta began in Kayah State in late May and nearly half of the states population of 150,000 has been displaced by fighting.



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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.
The United States renewed calls Tuesday for an arms embargo on Myanmars junta after a Christmas Eve massacre in which Save the Children said two of the groups staff were killed.

The targeting of innocent people and humanitarian actors is unacceptable, and the militarys widespread atrocities against the people of Burma underscore the urgency of holding its members accountable, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, using Myanmars former name.

The international community must do more to advance this goal and prevent the recurrence of atrocities in Burma, including by ending the sale of arms and dual-use technology to the military, he said in a statement.

Anti-junta fighters said they found over 30 burnt bodies, including of women and children, on a highway in Kayah state where pro-democracy rebels have been fighting the military.

Save the Children on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of two of its workers who had been caught up in the incident.

Myanmar has been in chaos since a February coup against the elected government, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group.

The United States has slapped a series of sanctions on the coup leaders and like other Western nations has long restricted weapons to Myanmars military, which during the pre-coup democratic transition faced allegations of crimes against humanity for a brutal campaign against the Rohingya minority.

The UN General Assembly voted in June to prevent arms shipments into Myanmar but the measure was symbolic as it was not taken up by the more powerful Security Council.

China and Russia, which hold veto power on the Security Council, as well as neighboring India are the major arms providers to Myanmar.
Save the Children confirmed on Tuesday that two of its staff were killed in a Christmas Eve massacre of more than 30 people in Myanmar blamed on junta troops, leading the United States to press for an arms embargo.

Anti-junta fighters said they found over 30 burnt bodies, including women and children, on a highway in eastern Kayah state where pro-democracy rebels have been fighting the military.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group.

Self-proclaimed Peoples Defence Forces have sprung up across the country to fight the junta, and drawn the military into a bloody stalemate of clashes and reprisals.

Save the Children confirmed in a statement that two of its staffers, who had been missing, were among at least 35 people, including women and children, who were killed.

The military forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed many and burnt the bodies, it said, adding the two victims were both new fathers.

One of the men had been working as a teacher trainer and the other had joined the charity six years ago, the statement said, adding it would not identify them for security reasons.

This news is absolutely horrifying, said chief executive Inger Ashing.

We are shaken by the violence carried out against civilians and our staff, who are dedicated humanitarians, supporting millions of children in need across Myanmar.

The junta previously said its troops had been attacked in Hpruso township on Friday after they attempted to stop seven cars driving in a suspicious way.

Troops killed an unspecified number of people in the following clash, spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP, without giving details.

The Myanmar Witness monitor said that satellite data showed a fire in the area at around 1:00 pm (0630 GMT) on Friday and that it had confirmed accounts that 35 people, including children and women, were burnt and killed by the military.

 US urges accountability 

The United States, which has taken the lead in sanctions over the coup, renewed calls for an arms embargo on the junta.

The targeting of innocent people and humanitarian actors is unacceptable, and the militarys widespread atrocities against the people of Burma underscore the urgency of holding its members accountable, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, using Myanmars former name.

The international community must do more to advance this goal and prevent the recurrence of atrocities in Burma, including by ending the sale of arms and dual-use technology to the military, he said in a statement.

Western nations have long restricted weapons to Myanmars military, which even during the pre-coup democratic transition faced allegations of crimes against humanity for a bloody campaign against the Rohingya minority.

The UN General Assembly voted in June to prevent arms shipments into Myanmar but the measure was symbolic as it was not taken up by the more powerful Security Council.

China and Russia, which hold veto power on the Security Council, as well as neighbouring India are the major arms providers to Myanmar.

United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths earlier said he was horrified by reports of the massacre and demanded that authorities conduct an investigation.

Save the Children, which has a staff of around 900 working in Myanmar, suspended operations in Kayah state and several other regions.

In October the group said its office in the western town of Thantlang was destroyed in junta shelling that also razed dozens of homes following clashes with a local anti-junta group.
Fans are thrilled to see two global stars in one photo as Lee Jung Jae showed off his friendship with BTS' V.

After the "Squid Game" star launched his official Instagram account in October, the award-winning actor has featured some of the biggest names in the industry, both local and international.

Lee Jung Jae's Instagram has featured a selfie with BLACKPINK's Jennie, Stephen Colbert from "The Late Show," Elle Fanning, Netflix's Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, and Hollywood's Leonardo DiCaprio.

Lee Jung Jae and BTS' V All Smiles in an IG Selfie

Interestingly, joining the list of his star-studded friends is the 25-year-old BTS member.

The actor's latest Instagram update is a selfie with V, who candidly posed with a peace sign as the duo smiled in front of the cam and even tagged the Kpop star.

Within only hours after the photo was posted, it immediately reached 1.4 million likes and counting, with thousands of positive reactions from fans.

Over the comment section, fans expressed how surprised yet happy they are to see the duo in one photo.

Interestingly others even noted that Lee Jung Jae looked youthful beside BTS' V considering that he just turned 49 on December 15.

Some mentioned how the duo got to meet each other.

South Korea's Pride

BTS and Lee Jung Jae were in the United States to appear in separate events.

To recall, the Kpop stars guested in "The Late Late Show with James Corden" and had a mini performance setting the streets of Los Angeles in a frenzy for the "Crosswalk Concert" segment dancing the hit songs "Butter" "Dynamite," and more.

In addition, they recently had their "BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - LA" and the "2021 Jingle Ball Tour."

As for the renowned actor, he visited the U.S for a series of appearances in line with Netflix's "Squid Game."

With an accolade of achievement under his belt, Lee Jung Jae achieved global success after starring in Netflix's "biggest series" yet, "Squid Game."

Through the survival-themed Kdrama, the 49-year-old star was nominated Best Actor at the Gotham Awards 2021, Critics Choice Awards, and the recent is the upcoming 2022 Golden Globe Awards alongside co-star Oh Young Soo, who took on the role of player 001, Oh Il Nam.

He will compete against Brian Cox (Succession,) Jeremy Strong (Succession,) Omar Sy (Lupin), and Billy Porter (Pose) for the highly coveted title of Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Drama.

Following the continued success of the nine-part episode, Lee Jung Jae is set to launch his directorial debut for the upcoming film "Hunt," which also stars him as one of the lead actors.

He will be joined by his celebrity friend Jung Woo Sung, Jeon Hye Jin, "Law School" actress Go Yoon Jung and the "Squid Game" villain, Heo Sung Tae.

IN CASE YOU MISSED: Hyundai Gifts Lee Jung Jae the Famous Black Card to Commemorate the Success of 'Squid Game'

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Written by Geca Wills
"Save Me," starring Seo Ye Ji, 2PM's Ok Taecyeon, Woo Do Hwan, Jo Sung Ha and more, delivered an unexpected kind of psychological thriller Kdrama as it revolves around pseudo-religious cults.

Based on the Korean webtoon "Out of the World" written by Jo Geum, the 2017 OCN series follows a family who gets caught up in a twisted fate after entering the religious group, Goosunwon.

Im Sang Mi (Seo Ye Ji) and his family were forced to leave Seoul and move to a small town after her father's business got bankrupt.

A series of tragedies and unexpected events happened after they met Spiritual Father Baek Jung Ki of Goosunwon.

As she is set to become the Spiritual Mother and Marry Father Baek Jung Ki, a group of four young men, Han Sang Hwan, Seok Dong Cheol, Woo Jung Hoon, and Choi Man Hee, played by 2PM's Ok Taecyeon, Woo Do Hwan, Lee David and Ha Hoe Jung, came to save her but it was no easy task for them.

Two years after the Kdrama aired, OCN released the second sequel with a whole new cast lineup.

As for season 1, here are the current and upcoming projects for the "Save Me" cast.

Seo Ye Ji (Im Sang Mi)

Before captivating the fans with her stunning beauty in "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," Seo Ye Ji transformed into a feisty Seoul-based high school student who moved to a small town after their family hit a financial crisis.

Fans saw the rising star's potential in the Hallyu world as she perfectly played her character.

Now, after facing a wave of controversy during the start of 2021, she is set to make a comeback on the small screen with the much-awaited Kdrama "Eve's Scandal" with Park Byung Eun and Lee Sang Yeob.

The actress also starred in the mystery thriller film "Recalled" opposite Kim Kang Woo.

Ok Taecyeon (Han Sang Hwan)

Often called in "Save Me" as the Prince of Muji, Ok Taecyeon took on the role of the governor's only son, Han Sang Hwan.

Four years after the Kdrama aired, the 2PM member transformed as the villain in "Vincenzo" with Song Joong Ki and Jeon Yeo Been and now starring in the historical series "Secret Royal Inspector & Joy" with Kim Hye Yoon.

Woo Do Hwan (Seok Dong Chul)

"Save Me's" second lead is Woo Do Hwan who played Han Sang Hwan's best friend, Seok Dong Chul.

Fans get to see the 29-year-old star's diversity as an actor after playing a dual role in "The King: Eternal Monarch."

He took on the character Jo Young and Jo Eun Sup, alongside lead stars Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho.

Although he is currently in the military service and will be discharged on January 5, Woo Do Hwan hints at his return to Kdrama land with a new project, "Bloodhound," based on the webtoon of "Hunting Dogs."

He will work alongside Kim Se Ron and "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" star Lee Sang Yi.

Jo Sung Ha (Baek Jung Ki)

Wrapping up the "Save Me" cast update is Jo Sung Ha, who played the evil cult leader father, Baek Jung Ki.

This year, he appeared in two Kdrama's-first is in "Navillera": where he took the character of Song Kang's ex-convict father while the second one is Joseon's King Sung Jo in "Lovers of the Red Sky" starring Kim Yoo Jung and Ahn Hyo Seop.

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Written by Geca Wills
JTBC's newest drama "Snowdrop" starring Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo has been one of the most controversial releases this 2021.

From the beginning of the drama's pre-production, to its premiere and up until this writing, the issues and allegations haven't died down yet, resulting in the drama's poor performance in terms of viewership ratings. However, the drama bounces back from its all-time low ratings with its latest episode.

'Snowdrop' Records a New High Viewership Rating

Due to the surrounding issues around the newest JTBC drama, "Snowdrop" suffers from an all-time low viewership ratings.

"Snowdrop" premiered on December 18 with a stable rating of 3.2%, and an average of 2.9% nationwide rating.

Despite the flak the drama continuously receives, "Snowdrop" episode 2 recorded its highest rating of 3.8%.

However, the drama's rating fluctuated during its third and fourth episode, with 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively, recording the drama's lowest rating by far.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Snowdrop' Episodes 3 and 4: Jisoo Lets Jung Hae In Escape, He Then Takes Her Hostage

With the drama's episode 5, "Snowdrop" sees light as the heart-stopping episode peaked at 7.28%, recording a nationwide rating of 2.75% that allowed the drama to bounce back from its all-time low.

As the drama progresses and becomes more intense, the ratings are also expected to hit a higher record.

'Snowdrop' Episode 5 Recap: Su Ho Escapes for His Life

In "Snowdrop" episode 5, Su Ho (Jung Hae In) escapes the dormitory with the help of Young Ro (BLACKPINK Jisoo). However, as he flees, the Special Forces are on the loose to hunt him down.

When push comes to shove, Su Ho takes Young Ro and the rest of the students inside the women's university dormitory hostage. After Young Ro's father, Chang Soo (Heo Jun Ho), and also a powerful South Korean, hears about the incident, he quickly phones North Korea to negotiate.

Young Ro's father persuades Su Ho to take the emergency exit and return to North Korea in exchange for his daughter's safety.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Ho and his colleagues' lives will be put in danger after Young Ro's father surrounded the exit with explosives and rains of bullets, betraying the spy and Special Forces unit.

'Snowdrop' Episode 6 Release Date and Time

"Snowdrop" episode 6 is expected to depict how Su Ho and his colleagues escape death and return safely to North Korea.

It will air on New Year's Day, January 1 at 10:30 p.m. KST on JTBC. The drama will also be available for online streaming on Disney Plus.

Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates!





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Written by Elijah Mully.
Netflix gave the Kdrama fandom another reason to look forward to Christmas Eve as the highly anticipated series "The Silent Sea" premieres.

Starring Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon and more, viewers are hooked as the drama unravels in the first half of the series.

In the eight-part episode Kdrama, the elite space crew's mission is to retrieve a sample at the lunar base called Balhae station located in the "silent sea."

The team, headed by Captain Han (Gong Yoo), had to perform the task within 24 hours and return to the Earth safely.

He is joined by the top-notch astrobiologist Song Jian (Bae Doona) together with Doctor Hong Ga Young (Kim Sun Young,) Lieutenant Ryu Tae Suk (Lee Joon, ) Captain Han's right hand, Chief Gong Soo Hyuk (Lee Moo Saeng,) Pilot Kim Hee Sun (Lee Sung Wook) and more.

Apart from the star-studded cast and unpredictable storyline, viewers are drawn into the stunning visuals and how "The Silent Sea" was created.

With that being said, here are three fun facts about the Netflix series, including how Bae Doona and Gong Yoo landed their respective roles.

Director Choi was Set on Casting Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and Lee Joon as Lead Stars

At the press conference, ahead of "The Silent Sea" release, Director Choi Hang Yong revealed why he chose to offer the roles to Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and Lee Joon.

The PD explained that he wanted the "Kingdom" actress to play Song Jian because of her "wide spectrum of works" and for "the spitting image of Rei in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion.'"

Meanwhile, he picked Gong Yoo as Captain Han because he thinks that the Hallyu star "could assume the mantle of leadership on set plus his varied filmography under his belt."

As for the former MBLAQ member, Lee Joon displays an "upright, honest image" of Ryu Tae Suk.

Gong Yoo Chose to Have a Neck Tattoo on 'The Silent Sea' Because of This Reason

Far from his usual boy next door or father figure characters, Gong Yoo's character in "The Silent Sea" suggests a badass team leader who focuses on getting things done and returning to his daughter.

There's no denying that the Hallyu star looked so much younger in his recent Kdrama as he dons tanned skin and not to mention the super noticeable neck tattoo.

The actor opted to have it because he wanted to break away from his "romantic image."

"I didn't make myself look tough on purpose. I only tried to get rid of the 'romantic' image (as seen in my past projects). I think I will show you something that you haven't seen before," he explained.

Bae Doona and Lee Joon Trained Walking in Zero Gravity

The production team really set the bar high for the upcoming sci-fi series as "The Silent Sea" produced an impeccable Kdrama with a jaw-dropping set.

In one interview, Bae Doona revealed that she underwent zero and low gravity training while wearing an extremely heavy spacesuit.

Moreover, she also had a choreographer teaching her "how to look like I'm spacewalking in low gravity."

"The surface of the moon was so realistic, I felt like I was stepping on the real thing!" she added.

The same goes for Lee Joon, who shared that a choreographer helped her work in his movement as if he is really in outer space.

"The choreographer told me, "You're coordinated, you'll get it down quickly," but it still wasn't easy. It took me a long time to understand the principle behind the movement," he said, adding that defying gravity was the most challenging experience filming "The Silent Sea."

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Written by Geca Wills
"The Silent Sea" episode 3 showed that Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and the rest of the elite crew slowly noticed that the expedition was not just an ordinary space mission as the casualties began to pile up.

After Dr. Hwang, who died on the way to the Balhae Lunar station, two other members died mysteriously.

'The Silent Sea' Episode 3 Highlights: Captain Han's Team Faced with Two More Casualties

"The Silent Sea" episode 3 opens with three teams inside their respective storage areas.

Astrobiologist Song Jian hurried to get to the location after getting a radio transmission that copilot Lee Gi Su was not responding. As soon as she reached the front door, she saw Gi Su being pulled back to the room by an unidentified creature.

After entering the storage area, Song Jian witnessed how he fell from the ceiling. Due to the strong impact, Gi Su died on the spot.

The female astronaut tried to retrieve the sample but was afraid that the shadowy creature might do the same to her.

Minutes after the incident, Chief Gong Soo Hyuk and Captain Han saw Song Jian crouching on the floor and seemed to be traumatized by the whole scenario.

On the other side of the Balhae Lunar station, Gong Soochan suddenly felt odd and began to sweat profusely, signaling that the infection had spread all over his system.

As their group reached the command center, pilot Kim Hee Sun noticed that something was bizarre with Soochan's actions and began to vomit an infinite volume of water.

With this, Doc Hong advised everyone to wear hazmat suits as a safety precaution.

In hopes to treat Soochan, the team's medic incision a tube on his neck but was surprised with the amount of liquid spurting.

"The Silent of the Sea" episode 3 also featured Soochan drowning, hinting about the cause of his death.

Song Jian and Doctor Hong Confirm the Cause of Death

Following Soochan's mysterious death, Song Jian and Doc Hong examined the samples they got from his body and the others.

She figured out that his death might be similar to the previous crew who didn't make it during the first expedition.

The duo found out that the cause of death occurred inside the space station and not because of a particular virus or bacteria.

Moreover, Song Jian thinks that the unidentified substance made the patient drown to death.

Captain Han Tracks the Mysterious Creature

After losing two of his members, Captain Han needed to prevent further casualties, which meant that he had to eliminate the intruder.

However, Song Jian explained that the creature who killed Gi Su did not even attempt to harm her but rather mentioned that it is essential to keep a distance.

In addition, she raises the suspicion that the intruder might be one of the survivors.

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Written by Geca Wills
After a series of discussions, Lee Je Hoon and Goo Kyo Hwan will officially star in a new film, "Escape."

The lineup of lead stars was confirmed by director Lee Jong Pil who worked with "Samjin Company English Class" and "The Sound of a Flower."

Lee Je Hoon and Goo Kyo Hwan's Character in New Film 'Escape'

The upcoming film follows the story of a North Korean soldier who plans on escaping the country.

Moreover, fans could expect a lot of thrills and chills as the North Korean security officer has to stop the defector.

"Escape" will highlight the unexpected incident between two soldiers and the subtle emotions and enthusiasm to escape the country.

After completing the cast lineup, the upcoming film will begin its production in February 2022.

Following the confirmation regarding the casting, Lee Je Hoon will take on the role of North Korean defector Lim Gyu Nam, who dreams of creating a new life in South Korea.

The 37-year-old star is set to transform into a soldier who is willing to risk his life just to get out of his country and follow his dream.

"Escape" will be Lee Jee Hoon's first movie in 2022, after starring in the thriller mystery movie "Floor" opposite Moon Chae Woon, which recently premiered on December 27.

The same goes for Goo Kyo Hwan, who will return to the big screen after starring in the blockbuster movie "Escape from Mogadishu" with Jo In Sung.

He is also set to appear in the action thriller film "Kill Bok Soon" alongside Jeon Do Yeon, Sol Kyung Gu, Hwang Jung Min and Esom.

Lee Je Hoon Says He Wants to Work with Goo Kyo Hwan in the Future

"Escape" will be the first-ever project between Lee Je Hoon and Goo Kyo Hwan. Interestingly, the upcoming movie will surely stimulate the viewers' curiosity with the duo's synergy as they portray characters on opposing sides.

The 37-year-old actor had two mega-hit Kdramas this 2021, including "Taxi Driver" and "Move to Heaven," both also returning for the second sequel due to the public's demand.

Like Lee Je Hoon, Goo Kyo Hwan is also getting the spotlight he deserves after landing the lead role in Netflix's "D.P" and the villain character in "Kingdom: Ashin of the North."

Interestingly, during the recently held 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards, Lee Je Hoon expressed his admiration for the "D.P" star and mentioned that he wanted to work with him in the future.

He even gave him a "finger heart" gesture, to which he replied with the same action as well, making the audience laugh.

At the annual ceremony, Goo Kyo Hwan took home the Popular Star Award together with "Vincenzo" stars Song Joong Ki and Jeon Yeo Been, as well as Girls' Generation's YoonA.

IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'D.P.' Actor Goo Kyo Hwan Looks Dazzling for Marie Claire + Talks About His Rising Popularity

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Written by Geca Wills
Netflix's new drama "Bulgasal: Immortal Souls" episode 1 featured Lee Jin Wook's transformation from a nameless boy to the top commander during the late Goryeo era. The episode begins with the story of the commoner's son, who is believed to have been cursed by the bulgasal and brings bad luck to whoever stays with him.

'Bulgasal: Immortal Souls' Episode 1 Highlights: the Cursed Boy is Now Dan Hwal

As the villagers ran away from the Japanese pirates who had attacked their town, they heard a noise and encountered a mysterious creature in the woods.

However, a woman approached the monster and asked out to take her baby. She mentioned that the Bulgasal cursed the unborn child and that it should not be born. The villagers were stunned to see that the creature had run away from the pregnant woman.

On the same night, the husband found his wife lifeless as she hung herself on a tree.

Meanwhile, the father witnessed another bizarre incident as the baby fell out of her body. According to the shaman, the child was cursed and Bulgasal is set to hunt the baby.

Years have passed, the boy with no name lived without anyone by his side as the father had to abandon him after knowing that he was cursed. The villagers also treat him as an outsider and even plan on killing him to stop deaths and chaos in their village.

As he was about to get slaughtered by a group of men, he was saved by the general and named him Dan Hwal. He lived under his wing and became one of his toughest soldiers.

From being a nameless boy, Dan Hwal is now the Goryeo's Dynasty's top commander and known for his great fighting skills.

Despite defeating numerous monsters, the word "curse" still stuck with him.

His wife, the general's daughter, Dan Sol, blames Dan Hwal for losing their newborn daughter, including the devastating fate of their eldest son, who is blind.

Seeing his past, he accepts the blame and promises to end the curse by killing the bulgasal himself.

Dan Hwal Meets the Bulgasal

Unfortunately, it was the other way around for Dan Hwal as the bulgasal attacked everyone at the camp.

His wife and son ran away to the woods in hopes of escaping the attack, but they ended up being killed by the creature.

Dan Hwal regrets not touching his son and showing affection towards him because he thinks that the curse might be transferred onto him.

As he bids goodbye to his son, Dan Hwal gets stabbed by the bulgasal with a sword.

It turns out that the woman who saved him twice was the creature he had been looking for.

In "Bulgasal: Immortal Souls" episode 1, Dan Hwal turned into a bulgasal after his eyes turned all black, hinting that his soul was transferred to the creature, making him immortal.

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Written by Geca Wills
FILE - Chad Isaak, of Washburn, N.D., appears during the third day of his murder trial at the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan, N.D., on Aug. 4, 2021. Isaak is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in the stabbing and shooting deaths of four people at a North Dakota property management firm last year. Isaak is facing life in prison without parole. A jury in August found him guilty in the grisly deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and three employees. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File)
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At this point in the COVID vaccination campaign, nearly all American adults who want the vaccine have gotten it, and are gratefully snapping up their boosters. Those who decline vaccination are largely impervious to public service announcements, community pressure, and case counts turbocharged by the Omicron variant.

Public health experts emphasize that primary care doctors and nurses are the key to this last mile of the vaccination effort. This is an exhausting mandate on a workforce already stretched so thin as to enter into the realm of magical thinking. (Its estimated that just addressing the currently recommended preventative care would consume 131 percent of a physicians workday, which must somehow also incorporate all of our patients chronic diseases as well as their acute complaints.) Nevertheless, we take seriously the charge of helping our hesitant patients get their COVID vaccine.

Some of my patients have been understandably confused by the onslaught of information that changes by the week. Others seem to be waiting to hear the definitive recommendation from their doctor instead of the mayor or their employer.

But theres a resolute core of patients who dont even want to talk about it.

There are certainly plenty of medical interventions I recommend that swathes of my patients vociferously do not desireinsulin, colonoscopies, statins. We debate these issues, sometimes tussle over them, but theres always an interchange. Many will ultimately decline, but at least we hear each other out.

The COVID vaccine engenders a unique obstinacy that seems to blot out conversation. We doctors and nurses are exhorted to listen to our hesitant patients and hear their concerns, but this is difficult to do when patients dont even want to talk.

These arent hard-core conspiracy theorists hoarding equine ivermectin. Theyre not ranting about medical tyranny. But when I try to tease out the intricacies of their distrust of the COVID vaccine, the conversation sputters out. Im just not taking it, theyll say. I dont trust it.

Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson described trust as the very first challenge that humans navigate after birth. We spend our lives calibrating who and what to trust. Im fully aware of the historical mistrust of the medical establishment that informs some of my patients, but the selectivity toward the COVID vaccine suggests that this is not the full explanation.

Even when patients say, I just want to wait, this often doesnt explicate as much as it seems. Almost none can identify a benchmark or timeframe that would reassure them. Theres only a vague, unsettled feeling that they have difficulty articulating.

Im reminded of our run-in, a decade ago, with H1N1 influenza, the regrettably titled swine flu. At first, my patients were clamoring for the vaccine, annoyed at the medical profession for not curing the situation more promptly. By the time the vaccine rolled outan impressive five months latermost of my patients didnt want it. H1N1 cases were folded into regular flu in the minds of most people, and the situation felt less urgent, even though cases were still about the same. Emotional epidemiology of disease is as critical as clinical epidemiology, if not more so.

What feels different this time around is the sense of deliberate manipulation and disinformation. During H1N1 there wasnt much in the way of elected leaders actively undermining public health recommendations, to say nothing of dabblings from the Russians. Although there was state-by-state variation in H1N1 deaths, these largely tracked the migration patterns of the disease from Mexico. By contrast, recent COVID deaths have tracked fairly closely to states that have resisted vaccination and mask-wearing. Tragically, some 90,000 deaths during the delta surge were deemed to have been preventable.

The blanketand largely uncommunicativemistrust some of my patients express toward the COVID vaccine gives me pause precisely because it feels far less organic than the concerns patients typically express about other medical interventions.

Patients, of course, have the right to question treatments. Frankly, they should have a high index of suspicion for anything they subject their body to, whether its an antibiotic, an herbal supplement, or a bag of Doritos. We in the medical profession should be able to explain that honest science will always contain ambiguities and evolving data.

The politicians who mine COVID confusion for brief sugar-highs in the pollswhile death rates for unvaccinated people are twelve times higher than for vaccinatedwill someday live with profound regret. For now though, the medical community is stuck with what they have wrought.

This last mile of the COVID pandemicOmicron or notis a painstaking one-on-one endeavor. As is most of primary care. Sadly, we now have to deal with political epidemiology as much as emotional and clinical epidemiology.

Well sit with each of our patients, listening as much as possible, attempting to understand and address their concerns. With some, the bloc of silence may be impenetrable. This is heartbreaking, especially for those of us whove penned more condolence cards this past year than we have in a lifetime of clinical practice. But such is the reality of our societys self-inflicted wounds.

Danielle Ofri is an internal medicine physician and editor-in-chief, Bellevue Literary Review and is the author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Danielle Ofri.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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A recent headline in my neighborhood newspaper read, A Dentist Became a Top Opioid Buyer in W. Va. Now a Drug Firm Faces Penalty for Ignoring Red Flags. The drug firm sent 25,400 hydrocodone pills and 3,600 Xanax to one Huntington, WV area dentist. The DEA raided the dentists office and shut it down. The dentist admitted to ordering the pills for personal use.

This summer, also right here in my West Virginia neighborhood, a landmark bellwether trial took place against the three largest medical distributors. The aim of the trial was to force the drug distributors to pay money to help correct the damages done by the opioid epidemic they fostered.

As a physician, when I think of drug distributors, catalogs of medical wares come to mind. I think of ordering Band-Aids for my husbands surgery office. Medical distributor firms provide these bandages, syringes, gloves, gowns, lidocaine, and the like. I never thought of the companies behind these catalogs as major players in propagating an opioid epidemic. I thought, What would distributors have to do with anything? They just send what is ordered. How on earth could a distributor play a causal role in this opioid epidemic catastrophe? I wondered. To flat-out blame them for the opioid epidemic seemed like a stretch to me. I learned differently.

A lawyer explained it to me. Its green. Its tempting. Its called money. Now I understand.

Not only did the opioid manufacturers profit billions from the opioid epidemic, but the medical distributors that delivered the pills into the front lines also profited billions as well. The distributors were definitely part of the grand scheme of the opioid epidemic. How so? They had an obligation to uphold. They were obligated by the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) to red flag any suspicious orders and notify the DEA. The purpose of this was to monitor for and mitigate illegitimate opioid use. Distributors were under the DEAs domain and were to stop sending pills when told to do so, and in response to red flags. Time and time again, distributors ignored this.

They knew it, too, as of 2005, the DEA told them as much. In fact, this liaison was so key to the opioid profit motif that between 2014 and 2016, the drug industry spent $102 million lobbying Congress to pass a bill that weakened the DEAs power over distributors. In our WV trial this summer, the distributors blamed usdoctorsand WVs poor economy and the DEA for the opioid epidemic that racked up billions of dollars of profit.

A 2018 Congressional Report, titled Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored, explains that in 2005, indeed, the DEA realized that policing doctors and pharmacies one by one was an inefficient way of getting a handle on the overwhelming opioid problem. The deluge was too much. So the DEA changed its focus to policing the distributors. The top three controlled 85 percent of the drug supply. The DEA started meeting with the companies in 2004, reminding them of their legal responsibilities to report suspicious orders and prevent excessive, problematic drug distribution. The drug industry pushed back.

The Red Flags Congressional Report focuses on my home state of WV and the exorbitant amount of pills pouring into here, stating, the investigation of distributors and the DEAs oversight thereof was primarily limited to the state of West Virginia, with a specific focus on the southwestern part of the state hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. Im from there, the southern coalfields. Ive witnessed the epidemic at street level.

The Congressional Report noted these companies sent over 900 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to West Virginia between 2005 and 2016. The population of West Virginia is 1.79 million. It has the highest rate of overdose deaths and the fastest growing rate of overdoses in the country. In the face of these trends, these distributors flooded our country roads with more pain pills. With a duty to red-flag suspicious orders to the DEA, the companies did not stop these orders. To temper the problem would temper the bottom line.

Congress Report showed how some of the top prescribing doctors for WV pharmacies were located far away from the pharmacies; one was an eleven-and-a-half-hour round trip drive away from the particular pharmacy. Large numbers of prescriptions were paid with cash. Some prescriptions were not verifiable. The list of issues continues for pages.

In a five-year span, one distributor sent twenty million doses of opioids to pharmacies around Mingo County, West Virginia, population 25,000. It sent around five million doses of opioids in two years to one pharmacy in a West Virginia town with a population of 406. That pharmacy received 13 million doses over six years. Thats thirteen million doses for four-hundred-six people. The small pharmacy owner ultimately went to jail for operating a pill mill. Comparably sized pharmacies in the same region received frankly lower doses. Yet the giant orders did not trigger scrutiny? Instead of also going to jail, the distributors continued sending pills, continued profiting.

Cha-ching.

They made fun of us, too. Various emails showed how distributors mocked the Appalachian places they dumped pills and profited. One circulated, To the tune of Beverly Hillbillies  poor mountaineer  Pillbillies!

The drug distributors, in the face of their federally mandated duty, had the wherewithal to give the run-around to the DEA and the Congressional Committee. The Congressional Report states, at times the information produced by the distributors seemed to be incomplete, causing the Committee to request additional explanation or documentation  Committee Chairman Walden referred to such delays in the midst of a live epidemic when he said, My patience is wearing thin delay, excuses and, frankly, inadequate response. People are dying, lives and families are ruined.

The Committee noted the declining number of enforcement actions by the DEA and asked for an explanation of it. The DEA, by then deflated from the drug industrys punches, stalled and deferred.

This kind of run-around was part of the master plan. The drug firms wore down the DEA. The DEA was increasingly deluged with

excessive administrative costs due to higher and higher restrictions placed on the DEA when trying to sanction drug companies. The DEAs power was weakened against them. This no doubt contributed to declining numbers of sanctions against drug firms.

The drug distributors had a legal obligation to report these red flags to the DEA amidst a rampant epidemic, yet what they did was they kept pouring pills into these pharmacies, despite the red flags. They did nothing even though their role in the process was a safeguard as set forth by law. They were entrusted with the responsibility to report suspicious orders and to curb the sizzling opioid epidemic, not fuel it.

To me, thats like being a school safety patrol and pushing people in front of cars.

Greed.

Meanwhile, what was the cost to West Virginias economy? A WVU economist estimated $1 billion. One billion. The same number of zeros as the drug firms profits.

Rebecca Thaxton is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
CORVALLIS, Ore.  Oregon State University plans to return to in-person classes and activities for winter term.

University officials said in-person operations will resume Jan. 3 for all campuses.

We are mindful that classrooms, where students and faculty are vaccinated and wear face coverings, have not been a significant source of virus spread. We seek to minimize disruption of student learning and experience and provide predictability for our faculty and university operations, interim president Becky Johnson said.

Despite concerns the omicron variant will soon lead to surges locally, Johnson said it seems like omicron may be causing milder symptoms and fewer severe cases than those that came before it.

We believe we can guard against a surge in COVID-19 cases due to a vaccination rate of more than 93% among OSU students and employees; requiring booster shots when a person is eligible as part of OSUs vaccination program; the continuation of OSUs emphasis on targeted COVID-19 testing; and our communitys adherence to numerous other public health measures, Johnson said.

On Tuesday, all of Oregons public universities collaboratively announced plans to maintain on-site instruction.

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EUGENE, Ore. -- A stolen car crashed into a light pole Tuesday morning in Eugene, police said.

The Eugene Police Department responded to a single-vehicle crash on the 3700 block of West 11th Street in Eugene at 4:17 a.m. A man and a woman were inside the car when it crashed into a light pole, police said.

The man flagged down another driver, who called 911 and helped get them out of the car. When police arrived, they found out the car involved had been reported stolen.

Police identified the driver as Dylan Eugene Acosta, 28, of Eugene and said he has a warrant for his arrest related to the unauthorized use of a vehicle, and he also faces charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, providing false information to police, and hit-and-run.

The 28-year-old female passenger was not injured.
There sits a little bit of Kilkenny on Long Island at a site now known as Hempstead House.

Heres the catch, or the hook, to be more accurate - the mansion on the site was originally intended to be a replica of Kilkenny Castle.

The reasons behind this fact are fascinating. The story of those who built it even more so.

Howard Gould was the third son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould, who was argued to be the the most infamous of all the robber barons.

Robber baron is a derogatory term originally applied to certain wealthy and powerful 19th century American businessmen.

Their practices often included exerting control over natural resources, influencing high levels of government, paying subsistence wages, squashing competition by acquiring their competitors to create monopolies and raise prices, and selling stock at inflated prices to unsuspecting investors.

Born into the immense wealth of his father Howard Gould wanted for nothing and aimed for status amongst his peers.

(Above: Howard Gould sitting at his desk on Niagara, a personal steam yacht, built in 1898)

It is reported that in 1898, Howard Gould married Katherine Clemmons to at least in-part anger his father, who had reduced his inheritance by $5 million.

Katherine Clemmons was also known by her stage name Katherine Dayan and was known for her off-stage antics and temperamental personality. She was even rumored to have had an affair with Buffalo Bill.

In 1900, Howard and Katherine purchased a 300-acre estate at Sands Point, Long Island and began construction on what they envisioned as Americas finest stately home.

To achieve this, it had to be striking, unique, something different, and in 1904 the Goulds employed Kilkenny native and well-known Irish architect James Francis Reade to draw a survey of Kilkenny Castle so that it could be replicated at Sands Point.

Once they had their Kilkenny Castle survey in their hands they hired Abner Haydel of Philadelphia to draw up the plans for what they intended to be the largest mansion in America.

That's when the trouble began...

Haydel had submitted more than 19 designs to the Goulds by 1907 only to have each one rejected by Katherine and as a result he quit and successfully sued the Goulds for his time.

With over $1.7million spent already, the Goulds still had no castle to show for it.

This led to a huge falling out between Howard and Katherine.

They parted ways in 1907 before engaging in one of the most boisterous separation trials in American history up to that point, citing misunderstanding over the construction of Castle Gould for their strife.

Gould was ordered to pay $36,000 per year in alimony (over $1million today), the largest alimony settlement ordered up to that time.

Needless to say, this was a huge blow for the construction of Castle Gould but Howard pressed once again with construction under architectural firm Hunt & Hunt.

After two more years and a cost of $1million, Gould finally had his castle, less Kilkenny than was envisioned, but still striking nonetheless.

He moved to Europe in 1917 and sold the Marble city-inspired estate to mining magnate Daniel Guggenheim and his family for only $600,000.

The Guggenheims immediately renamed the estate to Hempstead House, as it is still known today, and it later underwent a huge $10million renovation.

In 1971, Nassau County took over a 128acre portion of the estate from the Federal Government to be used as a nature preserve.

It has also been the setting for many feature films, including Scent of a Woman, Malcolm X, Great Expectations and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Fans of hit television shows Gotham, Dare Devil, The Americans, Boardwalk Empire may also have got a glimpse of Hempstead.

Remnants from Haydels designs (right side of main photo above), based on his survey of Kilkenny Castle, still remain and if you squint your eyes at certain parts of Hempstead House today, you will almost certainly feel a lot closer to the Nore than to the Gold Coast.
A new 'cutout-style' statue of an archer on one of the main roads into Kilkenny City has garnered a mixed reaction from local councillors, with one describing it as a little bit English-looking, and another warning against the disneyfication of Kilkenny.

The sculpture, on the Castle Road, is the first of a variety due to be erected on some of the main routes into the city. They are intended to alert motorists they are arriving into the city limits in tandem with traffic-calming measures. This first particular piece is located close to Archers Avenue in an area known for its history of archery.

However, while city councillors have given their backing to the concept, a number flagged concerns over the design of the pieces. At the December meeting of Kilkenny City Municipal District, Cllr David Fitzgerald (FG) said he was concerned the new archer sculpture looked a bit English.

It reminds me of something you would see coming into somewhere like York, he said.

Cllr Eugene McGuinness (IND) said he felt the piece was quite 'modern-looking', but overall the idea was a good one to welcome people into the city.

Cllr Maria Dollard (Green) said the feedback she had received was that the council was looking at something to control speed and let people know they were coming into a 30km/h zone. She agreed the idea was positive, but said there were some concerns that Kilkenny was under going a disneyfication.

A witch on a broomstick is a disneyfication of a witch, she said.

Cllr Dollard called for a deeper dive into our history to ensure the pieces do not look like something lifted out of an English town.

Cllr John Coonan (FF) said he thought the concept was meeting councillors favour, generally speaking, including the piece on top of Castle Road. He said it was good to see a city demarcation and it was getting a positive public response, suggesting Irish-specific themes, including Cu Chulainn who he said had a stick and ball.

City engineer Ian Gardner said it was important to make clear the pieces were part of traffic calming features and a Part 8 planning consultation would be included. He said more detail could be ironed out at this stage.

There will be about five or six gateway locations where we are looking at theses sculptures, he said.

Mr Gardner said he took the point about looking English and concerns over disneyfication. He also said he took the point about Cu Chulainn, and said the council could look at going back further than the Medieval era for inspiration.

Mr Gardner also informed members the cost of the project to the council would be minimal as there was Government funding available and Active Travel was very interested in supporting it also.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Bitterly cold. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low -1F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Bitterly cold. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low -1F. Winds light and variable.
Police are investigating an incident during which a 13-year-old on a dirt bike died, purportedly during an attempted police traffic stop.
A dermatologist treats patients from Mongolia at a medical center in Daegu, in this April 23, 2019 photo. Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan City



By Bahk Eun-ji



The COVID-19 pandemic, which has lasted for almost two years, has impacted local governments' efforts to promote medical tourism. Foreign patients come here to receive treatment at local medical institutions, during which they are also free to go sightseeing, shopping and experience Korean culture, and many programs are offered by public and private agencies to offer support at various stages of their stay.



But medical tourists have been unable to visit the country due to travel restrictions and fears of infection during travel. Unless they need to get urgent treatment available only in Korea, many who planned to travel here for medical purposes have delayed their plans because a large ratio of medical tourists used to come for health checkups or cosmetic surgeries.



According to data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the number of medical tourists visiting Korea last year was 117,069, down 76.5 percent from 2019's 497,464.



By region, Seoul experienced a 79.2 percent decrease in the number of medical tourists; Incheon, 78.8 percent; Gyeonggi Province, 66.6 percent; Busan, 74.5 percent; and Daegu, 83.1 percent.



This year's total number, which hasn't been tallied yet, is expected to be even lower than last year's.



As medical tourism is a high value-added industry, with medical tourists spending 10 times more money than ordinary tourists, local authorities are struggling to come up with new ideas to revive the industry and attract patients from abroad, planning ahead for after the pandemic is brought under control.





Banners promoting a medial tourism fair are displayed along street near Apgujeong Station in Gangnam District in this Sept. 30, 2019 photo. Yonhap
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low around 10F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low around 10F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 10F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 10F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the presence of the Omicron variant is rising quickly throughout the state.

Health officials said in a news release that more than half of community sewershed samples tested from the week of December 20 showed the presence of the Omicron variant.

Sequencing tests identified the first presence of the Omicron variant from two sets of sewershed samples, collected on December 7-8 in Jackson County and Buchanan County.

As a result of expanded testing during the week of December 20, 32 of 57 samples had mutations associated with the Omicron variant.

The existence of the Omicron variant is becoming much more prevalent each week, making the actions of COVID-19 individual testing, vaccination and other mitigation measures more important as we already face the threat of the Delta variant and an increase in flu cases, said Donald Kauerauf, DHSS Director.

The health department continues to recommend that Missourians follow prevention strategies such as wearing a mask in public indoor settings, frequent hand-washing, and maintaining physical distance from others.
Dont come to the hospital.

Thats what a local woman said she was told by an emergency room nurse at Ascension All Saints, 3801 Spring St., on Christmas Eve when her 11-year-old son, Judah, who is fully vaccinated but also has asthma, got sick with COVID-19.

He had a fever, sore throat and breathing problems, the mother, Sarah Majewski, told a reporter. I could hear him struggling to breathe while sleeping when I was in the other room.

Three days prior, Majewski had spent 3 hours at a walk-in clinic for her own, self-described, pretty nasty COVID symptoms.

On Christmas Eve, when the 11-year-olds symptoms arrived, Majewski said: I called All Saints pediatrics immediately and was informed that normally they would say go to the ER immediately. But due to shirt staffing they wanted me to call the ER nurse first.

She called, and the ER nurse told us to not come in. That if the symptoms seemed manageable I should treat at home. This is where she informed me of the reality of the hospital. There were no beds in the ER, there was no doctor to see him. The nurse and nurse practitioner would set him up in the waiting room and see him/treat him there  (but) the idea of him on a cot in the waiting room made me very uncomfortable, Sarah said.

Her sons condition remained manageable and has improved over the last three days, she said: It is now days later and he still has symptoms but is making a full recovery. Im glad it didnt get any worse, because we would not have been able to treat him.

There are countless tragic stories recently of loved ones being denied hospital beds because their conditions werent severe enough, considering the limitations of staffing and bed space  Wisconsin had been facing a nursing shortage before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Dangerously close

While the phrase breaking point has been thrown around a lot over the past 22 months, Madison-based UW Health says it actually is close to it, as are other health care networks.

When hospitals are as full as ours is right now, access to doctors and a bed when you have a heart attack, a stroke or a car accident are a major concern, Dr. Jeff Pothof, UWs chief quality officer, said in a statement Tuesday. Were dangerously close to the point where there just arent resources for all of those cases. You think it cant happen to you, but it can if we continue to stay on this trajectory.

On Dec. 2, Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health, told reporters that one of Preveas Green Bay hospitals turned away 28 would-be patients, including three stroke victims, in one day  sending them to other hospitals, including one that was more than 200 miles away.

Racine Alderman CJ Rouse donated his gall bladder and 65% of his liver in August. He was supposed to be getting follow-ups every few months at UW Health in Madison over the following two years. But all of those follow-ups have been canceled. He went in for one quasi-appointment, but they didnt do any of the scans I needed to ensure he was healing properly because the staff was stretched so thin.

This was months before vaccine mandates led to minimal resignations of health care staff around the state. Advocate Aurora Health reported that only 0.587% of its staff of 75,000 lost their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated.

This is the No. 1 hospital in the state and I couldnt even get in for an appointment, Rouse said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

The COVID-19 factor

From Nov. 28-Dec. 28, across Advocate Auroras 16 hospitals in Wisconsin, the number of COVID-19 inpatients increased by 48.9%, from 294 to 438. Over just the past week, the number increased from 408 to 438, a 7.9% increase.

The desperation has not really been seen in Wisconsin for a year.

The Journal Times in January told the story of Gary Butch Haarsma, a Racine native who died in October 2020 at the Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay after he had been denied hospitalization four times while sick with COVID-19. His family said they believe their patriarch could have lived had he been treated faster.

But during last years surges, there were not vaccines available. Haarsma could not have gotten the shot if he wanted it.

Now, very few vaccinated people are dying or being hospitalized. Hospital beds are being filled by unvaccinated people, even though the vaccine has been freely available since the spring.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 15% of American adults are unvaccinated.

According to polling with the Census Bureau, 42.4% of the unvaccinated say they dont trust the COVID-19 vaccine and 49.6% say they are concerned about possible side effects, even though serious side effects have been shown to be considerably less likely from the vaccines compared to actually getting sick with COVID-19 while not vaccinated.

For example: Rare heart inflammation cases  around one in 6,000  were reported in teenagers after their COVID-19 vaccination. These cases have been mild and self-resolving. However, the chance of developing severe illness and death after a COVID-19 infection is much higher (2-10%). There is a higher risk of myocarditis from COVID itself than there is from the vaccine, cardiologist Nayereh Pezeshkian of the University of California-Davis wrote in September.

Terri Renguette of Racine said she was told by her doctor to go to an Ascension facility in Franklin instead of the one in Racine. There, she spent five days in the hospital, where she saw Nursing staff is in very short supply, she posted on social media Tuesday. At one point she pushed the button to call a nurse to her room and said it took two hours for a nurse or aide to arrive. She was receiving the drug remdesivir via an IV. Nurses have too many patients to take care of. Nurses are so overworked. They have to help the sickest ones first. And I wasnt as sick as others, she wrote. I was placed in the ICU (intensive care unit) because thats where an open bed was, but I was not an ICU patient.

Taking care of COVID-19 patients is also more work-intensive than most other patients, compounding the staffing issues. As Renguette put it: Everyone has to completely gown up before they can come in your room. Then ungown and regown up to go in the next room.







Getting the word out

In trying to communicate the dire nature of the situation, Advocate Aurora bought full-page ads in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Green Bay Press-Gazette that stated in massive block print We Cant Stop COVID Without You. It continued: Beds are full. Wait times are long. And the strain on our health care team, undeniable  more than 90% of all COVID inpatients are unvaccinated or due for a booster. This is preventable.

SSM Health did the same, buying a full-page ad in Sundays Wisconsin State Journal  the second-most widely read Wisconsin newspaper  that also urges vaccination. The words Our hearts are heavy and our hands are full appear above photos of worn out medical professionals. Below the photos: COVID-19 is exhausting. Our hospitals are crowded and we need to care for all. We are doing everything we can to take care of you when youre sick but were running out of room. What will happen to you or someone you love if you suffer a stroke? A heart attack? A car accident?

Help us help you. Get vaccinated against COVID-19. Get a booster. Get a flu shot.

David Wahlberg of Lee Newspapers contributed to this report.
BOAZ  Tucked just off Highway 14 on the way from Richland Center to Readstown, the village of Boaz has a church, a bar and a supper club.

It will soon add a battery-powered microgrid to its list of amenities.

Alliant Energy is installing the $3 million microgrid in an effort to improve reliability with technology that could someday make the electrical system more resilient and able to make better use of intermittent wind and solar energy.

With just a single overhead distribution line running into town, Boaz, population 156, presented Alliant with an opportunity to test a new approach in a real-world situation.

Its a relatively small community ... and its in a unique situation: a community connected to a three-mile extension cord, said Mike Bremel, Alliants director of engineering.

Theres times were out three, four times a year, said village trustee Kerry Gies. If a tree lands on the line between Boaz and Blue River, were pretty much out.

Rather than spend the money to bury the line or build a backup, Alliant decided to install a 250-kilowatt battery designed to meet peak load for up to 8 hours and keep the lights on for more than a day under normal circumstances.

Do you underground your extension cord or do you have a battery? ... The project is really designed for us to get ahead of how these technologies may be used in the future and understand how theyre used before theyre at our feet.

Bremel said test projects like this will be key to Alliants plans to replace thousands of megawatts of coal-fired power plants with wind and solar energy.

Expected to be operational by fall, the Boaz battery will initially be charged with electricity from the larger grid. There may be an opportunity in the future to add solar panels, Bremel said.

A microgrid is essentially a smaller version of the electrical grid that delivers electricity from power plants to homes and businesses. What makes it special is the ability to keep operating when the larger grid goes down, said Peter Asmus, a researcher with Guidehouse Insights who tracks microgrid development.

Microgrids come in all sizes and shapes, all different kinds of resources, Asmus said.

Pioneered by UW-Madison scientists, microgrids can use solar panels, diesel generators, batteries or some combination of resources to supply electricity when operating as islands.

When strung together, they can make the grid more flexible and less susceptible to interruptions and make better use of small distributed generators like rooftop solar panels, said Fei Ding, a senior engineer with National Renewable Energy Laboratory who is studying ways that microgrids can help restart the larger grid after blackouts.

Microgrids are seen as a way to bring power to people in regions without access to electricity as well as a way to increase reliability and resiliency in developed countries while making better use of intermittent clean energy sources.

They also offer a more manageable platform for utilities to test out things like battery storage, said Dominic Gross, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at UW-Madison.

Developing all these technologies at grid scale can be a very costly endeavor, Gross said. This allows you to develop them at a smaller scale.

Alliant last year installed a small solar-powered microgrid at a remote state park as an alternative to running wires through rugged terrain. And regulators earlier this year approved an Xcel Energy pilot program to equip large customers  such as factories and municipal facilities  with microgrids.

But Boaz will be the first community-scale microgrid in Wisconsin.

Though microgrids have been around for decades, Asmus said wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events have driven a huge uptick in interest, including from utilities that have historically viewed them as competition.

They can put their head in the sand and pretend nothings changing or figure out what is their role as the energy market is changing, Asmus said. More and more businesses are generating their own power. Theyre not going to have a monopoly.
Chandigarh [India], December 28 (ANI/NewsVoir): Shipra Dureja, alumnus of Chitkara University, was awarded the DAAD Award 2021 for excellence in academics. The prize is awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) annually by the University of Magdeburg, Germany, to foreign students.

Since 1997, the DAAD Prize has been awarded to a student from the University of Magdeburg with special academic achievements and exceptional volunteer works.

Also Read | The Book Of Boba Fett: From Cast To Streaming Date And Time, All You Need To Know About Temuera Morrison And Ming-Na Wen's Series.

Shipra Dureja completed her Computer Science Engineering from Chitkara University in 2016. After being placed from campus, she worked as a Senior Development Engineer for three years.

She began her Master's Degree in "Data and Knowledge Engineering" at the University of Magdeburg in 2019. In September 2021, she completed her Master's Degree with a very good grade after just five semesters, making her one of the best and fastest students in her degree programme. She headed the management team of Academic Club of the Faculty of Computer Science and was also Student Leader for a year. She was active in projects & developed other forms of support for International Master's students.

Also Read | Celebrate New Year's Eve 2021 in New York City: All You Need To Know About the Events That Will Occur on the Streets of NYC!.

Expressing her gratitude to her alma mater, Dureja said, "I owe my success to Chitkara University's strong academic mentorship, globally relevant curriculum and spirit of enterprise. These things impact a student's journey in academics and research and have significant importance in the present fast-paced world."

Congratulating Dureja, Dr Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University, said, "Shipra is a committed and inquisitive young woman and was a truly outstanding student throughout her four years at Chitkara. With her outstanding achievements, remarkable social & inter-cultural commitments, she serves as an important role model for other Indian as well as international students. I am thrilled that she has been conferred with the coveted DAAD Award for her performance & volunteer works, making Chitkara and India proud."

Chitkara University, situated near Chandigarh (India) has emerged as the most vibrant and high-ranking university in North India which has been ranked A+ by the NAAC. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, scientifically driven pedagogy, strong industry collaborations, and 120-plus working associations from schools across the world, Chitkara University not only attracts the finest students from across the nation but with its seamless placement support, it is also able to help them carve high growth careers.

For more information, please visit: www.chitkara.edu.in.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): The Congress party tricolour fell off the flagpole on Tuesday morning as party president Sonia Gandhi was in the process of unfurling it as part of the party's 137th foundation day event at the AICC headquarters here in the national capital.

While it was an embarrassing moment for party leaders, Sonia Gandhi kept her poise and along with party treasurer Pawan Bansal and AICC general secretary, KC Venugopal displayed the party tricolour in their hand briefly.

Also Read | NEET-PG Counselling Protest: Why Junior Doctors Are On Strike And What Are Their Demands.

Congress' Seva Dal workers unsuccessfully attempted to string the flag back again and then a ladder was called for after which they strung the flag again.

Following this, the hoisting ceremony was repeated after some 20 minutes, this time without any eventuality.

Also Read | Congress Tricolour Falls from Post as Sonia Gandhi Tries to Unfurl It to Mark Partys Foundation Day.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those present at the party headquarters function this morning.

Meanwhile earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to extend greetings on party's foundation day saying it's a party that laid the foundation of our democracy in India.

"We are Congress- the Party which laid the foundation of our democracy and we are proud of this legacy. Best wishes on Congress Foundation Day," he tweeted.

The Indian National Congress was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its first session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 of that year.

Lawyer Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC. (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, December 28: Technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing system (ECWS) was handed over to five Indian companies by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr G Satheesh Reddy in the national capital on Monday, informed the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday.

As per the ministry, the extreme ECWS is required by the Indian Army for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks. The Army, till recently has been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions. Also Read | Haryana Shocker: 26-Year-Old Man Stabbed To Death By Neighbours After Altercation Over Cleaning Of Drain In Faridabad.

DRDO Hands Over Technology of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System to Five Indian Companies

DRDO hands over technology of extreme cold weather clothing system ECWCS to five Indian companies. #LeadingInnovations #AmritMahotsavhttps://t.co/rQEsd1TsvT pic.twitter.com/5k34N1xy0m  DRDO (@DRDO_India) December 28, 2021

The DRDO designed ECWCS is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity, said the ministry. Also Read | Who is Piyush Jain? Heres All About The Kanpur Trader Under Scanner After Over Rs 250 Crore Cash Raid.

According to the ministry, the ECWCS embodies physiological concepts related to the reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing waterproof, windproof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations.

The three-layered ECWCS is designed to suitably provide thermal insulation over a temperature range of +15 to -50 degrees Celsius with different combinations of layers and intensity of physical work, said the ministry.

The ministry further informed that considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation or IREQ for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr G Satheesh Reddy emphasised on the need for developing an indigenous industrial base for SCME items, not only to cater to the existing requirements of the Army but also to tap its potential for export.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 28 (ANI): A team of the Election Commission of India will be on a three-day visit to the poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh from Tuesday to take stock of the poll preparedness ahead of the State Assembly elections in 2022.

This comes after the Allahabad High Court on Thursday had requested the Election Commission of India amid the Omicron scare to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months.

Also Read | GST Changes From January 1: From Garment Prices to Cab Fares, Here is What is Going To Be Costlier From New Year 2022.

The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ECI to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state.

Earlier on Monday, the election commission of India met Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and discussed the rising number of COVID-19 cases along with vaccination status in the five poll-bound states.

Also Read | World Bank Loans USD 221 Million to Vietnam for Economic Recovery from COVID-19 Pandemic.

As per sources, the Election Commission and Health Ministry will also hold another meeting in January next year.

Sources told ANI, "In the meeting, ECI and Health Ministry discussed the rising number of cases across India, especially in the states going to assembly polls early next year as well as vaccine scenario.'

Assembly elections are slated to be held in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Punjab next year. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): Congress Interim president Sonia Gandhi while addressing the party workers on the occasion of Congress foundation day said that the electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring is the party's lasting commitment to the service of people.

"Electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring is our lasting commitment to the service of people. Congress Party will not compromise with the principles and ideologies which have been adopted and inherited by us," said Gandhi on Tuesday.

Also Read | Kerala: Police Arrest Six in Palakkad District For Conducting Illegal Bullock Cart Race After Complaint From PETA.

"Over the decades, the party has confronted several challenges and it has always demonstrated its resilience. Today, we rededicate ourselves to the ideals, values, and principles of our organization that has shaped, guided, and inspired by some of the greatest, noblest, and most selfless Indians of the 20th century," she added.

Congress Interim president in her address made a veiled attack on Bharatiya Janata Party by saying that "Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice which has no role whatsoever in our freedom movement are now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society."

Also Read | India Reports 6,358 New COVID-19 Cases, 293 Deaths in Past 24 Hours, Omicron Tally Rises to 653.

"They are rewriting history to give themselves a role they do not deserve. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. Congress will fight these destructive forces," she said.

"Let there be no doubt on our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy,' she added.

Congress celebrated the 137th foundation day of the party at the AICC headquarters here in the national capital.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among other senior party leaders were present at the function.

The Indian National Congress was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its first session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 of that year. Lawyer Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sardulgarh (Mansa), Dec 28 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday targeted AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, alleging he is a self-proclaimed "aam aadmi" (common man) who is least bothered about the interests of commoners.

"A person who is having a lavish lifestyle, how can he know about the agonies of the common man," Channi said, targeting the Delhi chief minister.

Also Read | Who is Piyush Jain? Heres All About The Kanpur Trader Under Scanner After Over Rs 250 Crore Cash Raid.

Addressing a rally at a grain market here, the Punjab chief minister asked Kejriwal which common man stays in sprawling and expensive hotels.

Channi said only a person like him who has faced hardships can understand the problems of the people, according to an official statement here.

Also Read | Rajasthan: 16-Year-Old Girl Dies By Suicide After Being Harassed By Two Boys In Barmer; Case Registered.

Channi termed Kejriwal and his allies East India Company and said Punjab leaders are ignored by Kejriwal and an outsider is just projecting himself on posters as the leader of Punjab which, he added, the Punjabis will not tolerate.

The chief minister slammed Kejriwal for indulging in theatrics by sitting in auto-rickshaws and going to someone's house whereas he lives in a big bungalow in Delhi and stays in expensive hotels during his Punjab visits ahead of the assembly polls due early next year.

He further said that most MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party have left the party as their fake propaganda of projecting themselves as common man is exposed.

Targeting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress leader Channi further said the Badals and Bikram Singh Majithia would not be spared as they looted Punjab for their personal gains.

The chief minister said Majithia has gone into hiding because of fear of arrest.

Majithia has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on the basis of a 2018 report of a probe into a drug racket in Punjab.

Accusing the Badals of running a transport mafia in the state, Channi said his government ended this mafia within just three months.

He said, "We are strong and capable enough to take strong decisions to stop all kinds of mafias in the state whereas the AAP convener (Kejriwal) has given a written apology to the Majithia.

Channi said that as all AAP leaders have left Kejriwals 'Khas party', only Bhagwant Mann is siding with Kejriwal and not speaking anything against wrong doings of the Delhi chief minister due to his ambition of becoming the chief minister.

He once again reiterated that his government will not bow down and deal with all mafias with an iron hand and put all the big fish in the drug trade behind bars.

(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 28: Amid the ongoing protest by resident doctors in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into ways to "personally resolve" the issue, as he asserted that doctors should be in hospitals not streets, when the coronavirus cases are rising again.

In his letter, he also urged the prime minister to ensure that the NEET-PG counselling process is expedited. Also Read | NEET-PG Counselling Protest: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Urges Protesting Resident Doctors To Call Off Strike.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Writes to PM Narendra Modi

                            ,           ,       PM      PM    pic.twitter.com/yE5waHecAz  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 28, 2021

"On one hand, the Omicon variant of the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming speed, on the other, doctors in hospitals under the central government in Delhi are on strike," Kejriwal said in the letter. Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccination for Children Aged 15-18 Years To Start From January 3, Precautionary Dose for Senior Citizens From January 10, 2022: Health Ministry.

In a tweet, he shared a copy of the letter, and also wrote on Twitter: "We strongly condemn the police brutality inflicted on the doctors. The Prime Minister must accept their demands soon.

Intensifying their stir over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, resident doctors in Delhi on Tuesday gathered in a large number on the premises of Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, even as police personnel were deployed to ensure maintanence of law and order.

Their protest, a day earlier had taken a dramatic turn, as medics and police personnel had faced off in streets, with both sides claiming several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee.

Also, later in the day on Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a meeting with a delegation of protesting resident doctors and urged them to call off their strike over delay in NEET PG counselling in the larger interest of the public.

In his letter, Kejriwal said that doctors have been on strike for several days, and they served during the pandemic by risking their life, and urged the prime minister to "personally resolve the issue at the earliest".

"COVID-19 cases are rising again. The doctors should be in the hospitals, not in the streets," he wrote. However, police on Monday had denied any allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.

Kejriwal in his letter said that these are the same doctors that have treated Covid patients over the last year-and-a-half, without caring about their own lives during the pandemic. He added that numerous doctors have lost their lives to the deadly virus, but they continued to work tirelessly, and did not neglect their duty.

Resident doctors at many big government hospitals like Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia are on strike for the last one month due to repeated postponement of NEET-PG counselling. It is a matter of deep despair that even after their persistent struggle, the demands of these resident doctors were not listened to by the central government, he added.

"However, it is even more upsetting that yesterday, when these doctors were protesting peacefully, the police behaved violently and harassed them," the chief minister alleged.

"Delay in NEET-PG counselling not only affects the future of these doctors but at the same time also causes a shortage of doctors in the hospitals. The burden on the rest of the doctors increases due to this as well. I request the central government to conduct NEET-PG counselling as soon as possible," Kejriwal added.

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New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) The German authorities have detained a person allegedly belonging to the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an organisation suspected to be behind the recent bomb blast in Ludhiana, based on intelligence inputs from India, officials said on Tuesday.

The man, identified as Jaswinder Singh Multani, was detained in a city in Germany after intelligence inputs were shared with the authorities in Berlin highlighting his alleged role in planning terror attacks in India, the officials said.

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Multani, against whom two FIRs have been registered in Punjab, was picked up and kept under detention and was being questioned on the inputs provided by Indian agencies to the authorities in Berlin through diplomatic channels.

Multani's detention comes five days after a bomb blast occurred at the Ludhiana court complex on December 23 that killed Gangandeep, a dismissed policeman who was allegedly planting the bomb, and injured two others.

Also Read | Delhi Government's Decision to Shut Cinemas Could Lead to Irreparable Damage for Film Industry, Says Multiplex Association of India.

An extensive investigation is on to see the radicalisation of people in Punjab, which is being promoted from across the border in Pakistan by some of the so-called leaders of Khalistan.

Multani's name came up earlier this year as well in connection with a plan to kill prominent farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal during the farmers' stir on the outskirts of the national capital.

In January this year Haryana Police arrested a youth identified as Yogesh in Sonipat for allegedly hatching a plot to kill farmer leaders Rajewal, Baldev Singh Sirsa, Kuldeep Sandhu and Jagjeet Singh. Police also recovered pictures of these people from his mobile.

The arrested youth informed that he was in touch with Multani through messages and had been tasked to target some farmer leaders.

According to the officials, during the Ludhiana bomb blast probe, the police recovered important evidence to show that the bomber was in touch with pro-Khalistani leaders in Pakistan and Gulf countries.

Deciphering the evidence, the intelligence agencies were surprised to find out that Gangandeep was in constant touch with Multani and that the latter was instrumental in arranging for the explosive material for the blast, the officials said.

They said the chats on social media messenger also indicated that more blasts were being planned by the group in Punjab and the rest of the country.

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New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2021 will be virtually announced by Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar tomorrow, informed the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

The ministry stated that ARIIA is a very unique joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and AICTE to systematically rank higher educational institutions in India on indicators related to Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship Development amongst students and faculty. ARIIA critically evaluate institutions on parameters like patent filing and granted, number of registered students and faculty startups, fund generation by incubated startups, specialised infrastructure created by institutions to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, etc.

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Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, highlighted said that India is constantly improving on Global Innovation Index (GII) ranking and has now moved upward to 46th position in 2021 from 81st in 2015.

The Ministry of Education in its statement further said, "We have also emerged as world's third-largest startup hub but still we have huge scope for improvement, he added. He further said that AICTE firmly believes that in the coming years, our technical institutes will become a fountainhead of next-generation technology-driven start-ups if we can create a vibrant innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. ARIIA ranking is a major attempt in that direction."

Also Read | Rajasthan: 16-Year-Old Girl Dies By Suicide After Being Harassed By Two Boys In Barmer; Case Registered.

Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer of Ministry of Education said that the first edition of the ARIIA was launched in 2018 and it has given huge impetus for developing an innovation ecosystem in our HEIs. He added that ARIIA-2021 has seen unprecedented participation as compared to earlier editions. This year 1438 institutions (including all IITs, NITs, IISc, etc.) participated as compared 674 HEIs during the 2nd edition of ARIIA (ARIIA-2020) last year. This is more than double as compared to the 2nd edition and approximately 4 times as compared to the first edition.

ARIIA-2021 ranks will be announced in 9 separate categories which include Centrally funded technical institutions (eg IITs, NITs, etc), State Universities, State standalone Technical colleges, Private universities, Private standalone technical colleges, non-technical government and private universities and institutions. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): The representatives of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) will meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at Nirman Bhavan in the national capital today over their demand to expedite NEET-PG counselling, said FORDA president Dr Manish.

They have also sought an apology for alleged police brutality during Monday's protest march.

Also Read | Kerala: Police Arrest Six in Palakkad District For Conducting Illegal Bullock Cart Race After Complaint From PETA.

The resident doctors of various hospitals continued their protest today over delays in NEET-PG counselling.

Meanwhile, outpatient department treatment (OPD) services at Safdarjung Hospital, Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital in the national capital resumed with senior doctors and consultants attending to the patients.

Also Read | India Reports 6,358 New COVID-19 Cases, 293 Deaths in Past 24 Hours, Omicron Tally Rises to 653.

Earlier, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) resident doctors had warned that if their demand was not met, they would go on strike tomorrow as well.

The OPD services were closed in all major government hospitals in the national capital.

Meanwhile, people are facing difficulties as the resident doctors are on strike.

The resident doctors also held a protest march near Safdarjung Hospital here on Monday evening following which the police said that seven cops were injured near ITO and consequently registered an FIR under section 188 and other sections for causing obstruction in the duty of police personnel, and damaging public property.

On December 24, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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.

The NEET PG exam was scheduled to be held 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 on the frontline, added the letter. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Homegrown pharma majors Sun Pharma, Cipla, Hetero and Torrent on Tuesday announced plans to market their versions of antiviral drug Molnupiravir to treat high-risk adult patients with COVID-19 across India shortly.

Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccination for Children Aged 15-18 Years To Start From January 3, Precautionary Dose for Senior Citizens From January 10, 2022: Health Ministry.

The companies have received approvals from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to manufacture and market their versions of anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergency situation (EUA) in India.

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The companies said they planned to market the capsules under their respective brands and make them available at all leading pharmacies and COVID-treatment centres across the country.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries said it will market its Molnupiravir capsules under the brand name 'Molxvir' in India, while Mumbai-based Cipla will sell it under the brand name 'Cipmolnu'.

Hyderabad-based Hetero will market the product under the 'Movfor' brand and Torrent Pharma introduced it under the brand name 'Molnutor' in India.

"Our endeavour is to make the product available in a week's time," Sun Pharma CEO of India Business Kirti Ganorkar said in a statement.

Stating that Molnupiravir is an important addition to the portfolio of oral therapies available for treating COVID-19 patients, he said, "In line with our consistent efforts to accelerate access to new drugs for COVID-19 treatment, we will make Molxvir available to patients at an affordable price."

On the production plans, Ganorkar said, "Currently, the plan is to manufacture molnupiravir at one of our big plants in India, and if there is a need, we can ramp up capacity."

Sun Pharma is also in the process of launching a toll-free helpline to ensure the availability of Molxvir to doctors and patients across India.

Cipla said it will soon make available Cipmolnu 200 mg capsules at all leading pharmacies and Covid-treatment centres across the country.

The company has adequate manufacturing capacities and a solid distribution mechanism in place to ensure speedy access to this effective treatment pan India, it added.

"This launch is yet another step in our endeavour to enable access to all treatments in COVID care," Cipla Ltd MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said.

Stating that the approval by the authorities consolidates India's efforts to address the world's greatest health threat COVID-19, Hetero Group of Companies Chairman B Partha Saradhi Reddy said, "This improving access to critical medicines will always remain the highest of priorities to us."

Hetero said it will market the capsule under the brand Movfor and will be produced at its facilities at Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.

"Hetero's Movfor will be made available in a 40 capsule pack (200 mg per capsule) and will be marketed by its associate company 'Hetero Healthcare' in India with the support of its strong distribution network across the country," it added.

Likewise, Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd said it is introducing Molnupiravir under the brand name Molnutor in India.

We are pleased to partner with MSD to bring Molnupiravir to patients across India. Molnupiravir will be an important addition to our healthcare system's ammunition in the fight against Covid-19," Torrent Pharma (Executive Director  India) Aman Mehta said.

Earlier this year, these companies had signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with MSD to manufacture and supply the generic version of molnupiravir in over 100 low and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India.

The DCGI, based on the review of clinical data of Molnupiravir has approved it for treatment of adult patients with Covid-19, with SpO2 less than 93 per cent and who have high risk of progression of the disease including hospitalisation or death.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): Resident doctors of several hospitals staged a march near Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Monday evening in protest against the delay in holding NEET-PG counselling.

AIIMS Resident Doctors Association said in its official statement that they "condemned the violent act of police today against the doctors, who were protesting peacefully for expediting NEET-PG counselling."

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"By brutally thrashing and detaining the doctors, the Government and Police have reached a new low. The medical fraternity has shown exemplary sacrifice for the sake of this nation at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was running a carnage," it read

AIIMS Resident Doctors Association labelled this day as a Black-Day for the entire nation.

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"The same workforce feels backstabbed and betrayed by the duplicity of the lawmakers and the police on the issue of NEET counselling. Today's incident will be seen as an enormous blow to the zeal and enthusiasm of the medical fraternity in their fight against COVID. Hence it should be labelled as a Black-Day for the entire nation," the statement said.

AIIMS RDA strongly condemned alleged "brutality" of the Police and the insensitivity of the Government towards the medical fraternity and demanded immediate release of all the doctors detained with unconditional apology from the government and the police.

Prominent Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said in a tweet, "Showering flowers was show off PR. In reality, injustice is pouring in. I stand with #CovidWarriors against the atrocities of the Central Government. #NEETPG"

On December 24, Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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 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)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday questioned the inauguration of the Kanpur Metro project by PM Narendra Modi ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

The party also asked why the Prime Minister and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were on an inauguration spree ahead of the state Assembly elections.

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BSP National Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria told ANI, "Why Prime Minister and Yogi Adityanath are inaugurating projects one after another in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the elections. I want to know from the government of Uttar Pradesh and also from the Centre whether Uttar Pradesh was sleeping for four-and-a-half years and want to inaugurate it in 14 days? This shows that the Yogi ji and Modi ji's double engine governments have not been able to do anything in Uttar Pradesh."

Bhadoria also slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his barb at rivals that "Currency notes coming out of the walls..."

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He said, "If the bundle of notes have come out of the wall, then why was the UP govt was sleeping for 4.5 years? What was their agency doing for these 4.5 years? What was their police doing? Why was he himself sleeping? This is what the people of the country and the people of Uttar Pradesh want to know."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kanpur on Tuesday and inaugurate the completed stretch of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project.

The 9-km long completed section is from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Metro Rail Project in Kanpur is 32 km, and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore.

The Prime Minister will inspect the metro rail project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. (ANI)

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 28 (ANI): The Speaker post in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly still remained vacant even after the conclusion of the Winter session on Tuesday as Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Maha Vikas Aghadi government continued to be in tussle over the election of the post.

Governor in a letter to the government raised several issues for the same citing technical and legal reasons.

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Maharashtra assembly speaker's post has been vacant for over nine months now. The Budget session of the state Assembly will start on February 28.

Following the Assembly elections of 2019, Congress leader Nana Patole was elected Speaker of the House. But the post fell vacant in February 2021, after Patole resigned and was appointed president of Maharashtra state Congress.

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On Tuesday morning Governor responded to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's proposal of notifying Speaker's election in a sealed cover and raised some issues in the proposed process of Speaker election after which the state government decided not to go ahead with its plans to hold elections in the winter session.

The state government on December 24 has decided to hold the Assembly Speaker's election on December 28 and a proposal was sent to Raj Bhavan for Governor's consent on the same day.

Two days later, on December 26, a delegation of senior ministers met Governor Koshyari in Raj Bhavan and sought his consent for the election.

According to a source present in the meeting, Governor told MVA ministers that he was taking legal opinion on the constitutionality of the amendments made by the Rules Committee of the state legislature last week in order to conduct the election of the Speaker by voice vote instead of secret ballot

Opposition party BJP was also not in favour of holding elections without the Governor's consent. BJP had one more reservation about Speaker's election. BJP state president Chandrakant Patil said it would not be appropriate to proceed with the election in view of the fact that 12 lawmakers of the party had been suspended for a year during the Monsoon Session held in July.

Now, sources said that the government will either convene a special session of the Assembly for speaker's election or the process can be completed in the 2022 budget session. (ANI)

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Big Little Lies stars are mourning the demise of director Jean-Marc Vallee, who passed away recently. He was 58 when he breathed his last. Vallee, who also helmed other highly acclaimed projects like 'Dallas Buyers Club', 'Wild' and 'Sharp Objects', died unexpectedly on Sunday at his cabin outside Quebec City. His cause of death is not known yet, reported People magazine. Jean-Marc Vallee Dies at 58: Emmy-Winning Filmmaker Was Best Known for Directing Dallas Buyers Club and Big Little Lies.

Following the sad news, Reese Witherspoon, who starred in both 'Big Little Lies' and 'Wild', shared a message on her social media handles. "My heart is broken. My friend. I love you," the 45-year-old actor wrote. She later shared a post on her Instagram dedicated to the beloved director. Along with a series of pictures featuring her with Vallee, she wrote, "I will always remember you as the sun goes down. Chasing the light. On a mountain in Oregon. On a beach in Monterey. Making sure we all caught a little magic in this lifetime. I love you, Jean Marc." Jean-Marc Vallee, Director Of Big Little Lies, Dies At 58.

Witherspoon's 'Big Little Lies' costar, Shailene Woodley, also paid tribute to Vallee on social media, sharing a photo of him cooking on her Instagram Story."I am in shock. Complete and utter shock," began Woodley. "My f----- god death is the worst." "But I guess somehow I know you will turn it into a grand adventure ... one for the books," she continued on another slide. "One I can't wait to read & to watch when my time comes." "It doesn't make sense though dude. It doesn't make sense. Maybe when we wake up tomorrow you'll be there laughing saying it was just a satirical short film you made.

That it's not real," Woodley concluded. In a separate post, Woodley wrote, "You celebrated us women through our thickest & thinnest moments. you were there. you always wrote back, called back, texted back ... immediately. no matter how busy you were," later adding, "Saying you will be missed is a massive under statement. you gave the world, and my tiny world, the treasure of feeling less alone + more alive. we will miss you everyday. thank you for being the artist so few of us can claim ourselves to be today: authentic, dedicated, well crafted, and true. I love you. transition beautifully ma cherie."

On her Instagram handle, Laura Dern posted a photo of her posing with Vallee alongside a heartfelt message. Like Witherspoon, Dern worked with the late director on both 'Wild' and 'Big Little Lies'. "Beautiful Jean-Marc Vallee. The world has lost one of our great and purest artists and dreamers. And we lost our beloved friend. Our hearts are broken," the actor wrote. Nicole Kidman also shared a tribute on social media.

Check Reese Witherspoon's Instagram Post Below:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon)

"It's hard to imagine someone as vital, energetic and present as Jean-Marc being gone. I'm shattered. He was at the center of my creative universe and I can't overstate his significance to me," she wrote, along with photos from their time on 'Big Little Lies'. Kidman continued, "Jean-Marc was not only responsible for some of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career, but his friendship, kindness and love were an inspiring force I will carry with me. I will always cherish those nights filming above the crashing waves of Big Sur... It doesn't get better than that. I am forever grateful for my time shared with this extraordinary human. Forever Jean Marc."

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Vallee studied filmmaking at the College Ahuntsic and the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. His breakout feature film was 'C.R.A.Z.Y.', which he wrote and directed. Vallee earned an Oscar nomination for best editing for 2013's 'Dallas Buyers Club', which won Oscars for Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. The next year, he directed 'Wild', starring Witherspoon and based on the bestselling memoir about a former heroin addict who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to help find herself.

He continued to work with Witherspoon on the HBO series 'Big Little Lies', for which he won the Emmy for directing a limited series, movie or special.Adapted from the bestselling Liane Moriarty novel, the limited series also starred Dern, Kidman and Woodley, and it drew acclaim for its lushly photographed look at the lives of wealthy coastal families who must confront a sudden death in their midst. Vallee's next HBO project was another suspenseful mini-series based on a popular book, 'Sharp Objects'.

His other films included 'Cafe de Flore', 'Los Locos', 'Loser Love' and 'Demolition'. Vallee was set to direct another series for HBO, 'Gorilla and the Bird', based on a memoir by Zack McDermott about a public defender who suffers a sudden psychotic break. Vallee is survived by his sons, Alex and Emile, and siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephanie Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.

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New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Distributors of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), ranging from biscuits to shampoos, are likely to delay the January 1 deadline they set to stop working with the consumer goods companies as talks over their demand for similar margins as given to organised distribution platforms continue, officials said.

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), a body that represents dealers and distributors, is in negotiation with several FMCG makers and this may stretch to next year, said an official.

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Earlier, AICPDF had put a deadline of January 1, 2022, to address the price disparity and had threatened to drop products from their portfolio.

The federation had decided to call for a "non-cooperation" movement against FMCG companies from next year if B2B retailers, such as Jiomart, Walmart, Metro Cash & Carry, Booker, ElasticRun and udaan, continue to sell the products at lesser prices.

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According to an AICPDF official, talks with several companies are going on and in some, they have also received favourable responses.

When asked about the deadline, the official told PTI, "Yes, we may extend as we are still talking to companies and are getting favourable responses."

Talks with three major companies like ITC, Nestle and Reckitt are over, he added

"We are in negotiations with almost seven companies right now," the official said.

Formed in 2019, AICPDF represents over 4,00,000 distributors and stockists across India.

Earlier, it had written to companies informing that B2B retailers are offering FMCG products to the retailers and local shops at lower products, what they offer and it is now "adversely affecting" their reputation and goodwill.

"Hence, our demand is that we also receive those products at prices at which we can also offer the same prices as Jio Mart /B2B companies," the association had said in an open letter to FMCG companies.

Moreover, AICPDF had also said its members would also "not launch any new product of the company" unless they get an undertaking from the FMCG makers that the said product is not available with B2B retailers. HRS hrs

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New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Increasing per capita steel consumption and production of special steel as well as enhancing raw material security will remain the key focus areas of the government in 2022.

Minister of State (MoS) Faggan Singh Kulaste said the focus will also be on finding new markets as the production of steel continues to grow in the country.

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As per the National Steel Policy 2017, the government has set a target to ramp up the country's crude steel production output to 300 million tonnes (MT) by 2030. The policy also seeks to increase the domestic per capita steel consumption to the level of 160 kg by 2030.

In an interview with PTI, Kulaste said the per capita steel consumption in the country is at around 72.3 kg at present, while the capacity is at 143.9 MTPA (million tonnes per annum), and the focus will also be on increasing the output of special steel.

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According to the minister, the Indian steel sector is full of opportunities, and the country must aim to grab the numero uno position in quality steel production.

The ministry has already directed the public sector undertakings (PSUs) and private players to take measures to cut imports of special steel.

In 2021, "We signed an MoU with Russia for (to diversify) the supply of coking coal. Players are already using it. The talks with Mongolia are progressing (for the supply of coking coal). PSUs and private players have been directed to increase their Capex and outputs," the minister said.

Besides iron ore, coking coal is another key raw material used for making steel. The industry remains dependent on imports from a select group of countries like Australia and South Africa to meet 85 per cent of their coking requirement.

Industry body Indian Steel Association (ISA) said the finished steel demand in India is expected to be up by around 16.7 per cent to reach around 104 million tonnes by the end of 2021, and by the end of next year, it will be at 111 million tonnes.

ISA Secretary-General Alok Sahay said crude steel production during January-November 2021 period stood at 104.91 million tonnes, and finished steel production and consumption was at 97.882 million tonnes and 93.057 million tonnes, respectively.

"We expect 124-125 million tonnes of crude steel output by 2022-end. Economies have been affected globally by the pandemic and India has been no exception.

"However, Indian economy rebounded back very quickly and steel industry also was put back on rails with the revival of domestic demand growth. Upfront liquidity in infrastructure projects in the pipeline coupled with the government's emphasis on close project monitoring is driving the steel demand in 2022," he said.

ISA is the apex industry body representing the domestic steel players.

In a statement, the state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) said 2021 was a challenging year for the company and the entire industry.

In the April-June period of the passing year, the company faced one of the "severest calamities" in the form of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, in 2022, SAIL said it would aim to reduce the borrowings of the company. Its gross borrowings stood at Rs 22,478 crore as of September 30, and the same was at Rs 35,350 crore at the end of March this year.

"In the medium term, we would like to plan our next phase of modernisation and expansion. Our low debt-equity ratio of about 0.44 gives us the confidence and the opportunity to embark on this next phase of capacity expansion.

"We would put more thrust on operational efficiency, digital initiatives, enhanced mining operations, maintaining status as a preferred supplier of steel, etc. in the coming year," the company said.

Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran said the initial few months saw the world and India come out of the COVID crisis with accelerated economic recovery, aided by a concerted focus on vaccination, liquidity push by central banks, policy support and massive investment in infrastructure.

During the second COVID wave in April and May, when India bore the brunt of the humanitarian crisis, the steel industry was able to supply liquid medical oxygen and various COVID-related infrastructure support.

"We are optimistic about 2022 and believe that the current strong upcycle will sustain for a longer horizon. The government's focus on infrastructure, ongoing reform measures, including divestment, rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax, and unwavering thrust on initiatives like 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' will provide momentum to India's growth story," he said.

On the business front, Narendran said, "We expect continued focus on enhancing the ease of doing business while also reducing the overall cost of doing business. We look forward to policy measures to promote usage of steel industry by-products like steel slag, implement a national mining index and revamp the mines auction process".

In a statement, JSW Steel CFO and Joint MD Seshagiri Rao said the importance that has been given to the infrastructure and the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has created a huge demand for steel. With the kind of policies that are being followed by the government "I am sure that in the Indian steel industry we will become the 300 MT country... before 2030".

V R Sharma, Managing Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), said that in 2022, the steel industry would enhance its role in national development, employment generation and continue to participate meaningfully in economic developments.

"We at JSPL is advancing in our quest of making available world-class steel products at an affordable price for building nation of our dream. We are going to enhance our production during 2022, which will further increase the availability of steel in the domestic market," he said.

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Uppsala [Sweden], December 28: New studies among Syrian refugee families in Turkey and families with infants in Sweden and Bhutan have found that children of mothers in poor mental health risk falling behind in their cognitive development. However, very small changes may be sufficient to break this correlation.

Having plenty of people around them and an available community are two of the most important factors for helping children, in all three countries.

The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Developmental Science'.

"If you improve the mental health of mothers by four per cent, the child wins an entire year in their cognitive development, in statistical terms. Small measures, in other words, can make a big difference in supporting the next generation," said Gustaf Gredeback, Professor of Developmental Psychology at Uppsala University and Director of the Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, which led the studies. Study Finds Hospitalisation of Children Impacts School, Parent's Work.

The research was done through interviews and experimental studies onsite in Bhutan, Turkey and Sweden. In Sweden and Bhutan, 120 families with 9-10 month-old infants participated. In Turkey, 100 families who had fled from Aleppo in Syria participated in the study. They have children between the ages of 6 and 18.

In Sweden, families with small children were the primary participants in the research conducted by Uppsala Child and Baby Lab. In Bhutan, the material was collected in collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health and Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan. In Turkey, the studies were done with the help of researchers from the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. A common finding for the families in all three countries was that several of the children's cognitive abilities were impacted by the mental health of their mothers, regardless of whether they were a refugee family in Syria or the family was in a safe environment in Sweden. The child's intelligence did not seem to have been affected; rather, it was the child's attentiveness, social understanding and ability to make decisions that were adversely affected.

Individual conditions around the mother can make the situation worse. The impact on the child is greater if the mother has a low level of education, has low social support, feels discriminated against and has fallen in social status.

However, there are also clear initiatives that society can take to improve the mother's situation and well-being, and in this way reduce the impact on the child: receiving support from her partner, having a large family or a large social network, and that society rallies around and supports the mother. Ketamine Therapy Swiftly Decreases Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Says Study.

"All the cultures have aspects that are positive. In Sweden, we have our individualistic environments. We have more gender equality, for example, being able to share parental leave can be a form of relief. At the same time, we have few natural meeting places for relatives and social situations, something that is much stronger in the groups in the other countries," Gredeback said.

"In Bhutan, an active religious life helps quite a bit. There is a strong connection to religion, and many people participate in religious gatherings several times a week. This gives them routines for regular meetings with others and widespread social support," Gredeback added.

It is important to note that all the described correlations are statistical, i.e., based on observations between different parts of the studies. The researchers have not yet studied the causality of the correlations by improving the mothers' mental health in at-risk settings and measuring the effects on the children's development. That will be the next step after the current correlation studies.

"It inspires hope that apparently only small improvements are needed for the child to revive. In Sweden, we have to work hard to break the isolation, particularly for single mothers. We do not have any social glue. Many lack strong ties to their relatives and have no extended family to share the burden," Gredeback said. "We lack continuity in religious rites and do not have many natural contexts to connect to. If we can create more of these opportunities, we can help turn the tide in the cognitive development of many children and offer them better lives," Gredeback concluded.

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The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle has received a printed apology from the publishers of a British tabloid newspaper after years of legal battle.According to Deadline, the London High Court had ordered the UK tabloid to print a front-page apology for breaching Markle's privacy in February 2019 by printing parts of a five-page letter to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, after her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Meghan Markle Releases Debut Children's Book 'The Bench', Dedicates It to Husband Prince Harry and Son Archie.

"The Duchess of Sussex wins her legal case for copyright infringement against Associated Newspapers for articles published in The Mail on Sunday and posted on Mail Online," Sunday's front page notice read. The apology continued, "Following a hearing on 19-20 January 2021, and a further hearing on 5 May 2021, the Court has given judgment for the Duchess of Sussex on her claim for copyright infringement. The Court found that Associated Newspapers infringed her copyright by publishing extracts of her handwritten letter to her father in The Mail on Sunday and on Mail Online. Financial remedies have been agreed." Meghan Markle Makes Surprise Appearance on CNN, Duchess of Sussex Honours COVID-19 Heroes (Watch Video).

The High Court forced the tabloid on Sunday to print a longer notice inside the paper under the headline 'The Duchess Of Sussex' detailing their legal culpability. Additionally, the Court ordered the apology be printed on the tabloid's homepage "for a period of one week" with a hyperlink to the full, official judgment. Alongside various printed apologies, Markle will also be compensated nearly USD 1.7 million, 90 per cent of her legal fees for fighting the UK publisher.

Shortly after the December 2 ruling, Markle had stated, "This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right."While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create," she added, as per Deadline.

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Washington [US], December 28 (ANI): Zoom has acquired the Zoom-based broadcast tools created by the startup Liminal, along with two of the company's co-founders.

As per The Verge, Liminal's add-ons, ZoomOSC and ZoomISO, are built for creating professional virtual events, which Zoom will likely natively integrate into its software as part of the acquisition.

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As noted on Liminal's site, ZoomOSC is designed to enhance professional meetings and events using the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol, enabling you to integrate Zoom with third-party software, hardware controllers, and media servers. Meanwhile, ZoomISO allows you to export each participants' video feed as a separate output to professional production hardware, five of which you can choose to output in HD.

By acquiring these assets from Liminal, Zoom said it will help the platform "bridge" the gap between "emerging" and "traditional" forms of event control tools, which should come in handy for broadcast studios, theatres, and other organisations that want to create professional streams.

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The platform took the dive into large-scale virtual events when it first announced its Events feature in May and officially rolled it out in July. With Events, organisers can create event hubs, sell tickets, and create multiple livestream sessions throughout the day.

Zoom spokesperson Candace Dean told The Verge that Liminal's existing tools will remain available through Liminal's site, however, as Zoom expands on those tools and builds something similar into the platform, there will no longer be a need for them as separate add-ons. (ANI)

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Kabul [Afghanistan], December 28 (ANI): Many employees of the Supreme Court on Monday protested over their non-payment of salaries for the past three months.

The protestors said that they haven't received the salaries for the past four months, reported Tolo News.

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"I have not received my salary for the past four months. It is winter and the weather is cold. All of the people are facing a lot of challenges," said Najmuddin, an employee of the Supreme Court.

They said that around 900 employees have lost their jobs as some units of the Supreme Court were removed and that they are now facing an uncertain future, reported Tolo News.

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"We have petitioned the Islamic Emirate since it came to power. They told us that we will not be dismissed and when we asked again, they told us to stay home for now," said Mohammad Ilham, an employee.

"I have a family to take care of but I haven't been paid. We call on the Islamic Emirate to clarify our fate," said an employee of the Supreme Court.

The protestors said they have been struggling with severe economic conditions since the crisis deepened after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August.

Noorzad, who worked as a cleaner in the Supreme Court, is a father of eight children. He has not been paid for the past four months.

"My son is sick. I didn't have money to buy him medicine. I borrowed the money. I ask the Islamic Emirate to help us," he said, reported Tolo News.

Earlier, some employees of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and Administrative Office of the President complained that they had not received their salaries.

However, the Ministry of Finance said the government has paid the salaries of government employees for the months of "Asad (July-August), Sunbola (August-September) and Mizan (September-October)." (ANI)

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Islamabad [Pakistan], December 28 (ANI): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that 'extremism in Afghanistan is a threat to Pakistan".

"Women are not allowed to travel alone in Afghanistan, and they cannot go to school as well," Chaudhry said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a photo exhibition on the life of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Pak-China centre, reported Geo News.

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Pakistan is blamed globally for supporting terrorism and helping the Taliban. The federal minister's crocodile tears came a day after the Afghan Taliban said that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.

The guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women wearing hijabs, reported Geo News.

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The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors.

The ministry had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting.

Meanwhile, condemning the tragic Sialkot incident, where the Islamist mob accused a Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana of blasphemy and then burnt his dead body, the minister said the entire nation was united after it. (ANI)

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San Jose (US), Dec 28 (AP) Tram Pham tears up recalling how tough life was at first in the U.S. But she also remembers the joy she felt as a 22-year-old refugee from Vietnam when a nurse spoke to her in her native language and guided her through a medical screening required of new arrivals.

Nearly three decades later, Pham hopes to pay that comfort forward as a registered nurse at the same San Jose, California, clinic that treated her family. The TB and Refugee Clinic at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is screening people from Afghanistan who began seeking asylum in the U.S. after American troops withdrew from the country in August.

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Pham can't speak Farsi or Pashto. But she can soothe patients stressed out over the job they can't find or the rent that's due. The other day, she held the hand of an older Afghan woman as she cried out her fears.

I can see patients from all over the world come in. I see, you know, Vietnamese patients. I see a lot of refugee patients," she said. I see myself.

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The TB and Refugee Clinic joins a vast network of charities and government organisations tasked with carrying out President Joe Biden's plan to relocate nearly 100,000 people from Afghanistan by September 2022. Nearly 48,000 Afghans have already moved off U.S. military bases and settled in new communities, the U.S. Department of State said in an email, including more than 4,000 in California.

The operation has been hampered by the need to scale up quickly after steep cutbacks to refugee programs under President Donald Trump. But the community response has been overwhelming and enthusiastic, said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of nine national resettlement agencies.

We know that resettlement isn't a weekslong or monthslong process. Success requires years of effort. And so that's where it's really important to have strong community ties, Vignarajah said.

The nonprofit, which operates in at least two dozen states, has resettled roughly 6,000 newly arrived Afghans since summer, including 1,400 in northern Virginia, 350 in Texas, 275 in Washington and Oregon and 25 in Fargo, North Dakota.

The state of Oklahoma has received about half of the 1,800 people it was told to expect, said Carly Akard, spokeswoman for Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City. Akard said that in their rush to escape, many of the refugees arrived without identification.

They fled and didn't have anything, she said.

In San Jose, the clinic is scrambling to hire more people and reallocate staff for the more than 800 people expected in the county through September. Not only is the number a large increase from the 100 people the clinic assessed in all of the last fiscal year, it is uncertain when they will arrive, said health center manager Nelda David.

But David said that won't stop the staff of roughly three dozen from rolling out the welcome mat at the clinic, founded four decades ago specifically to assist Southeast Asians after the Vietnam War. Most of the nurses, assistants and other staff are immigrants or former refugees themselves, and understand the shock of starting over in a new country.

Medical interpreter Jahannaz Afshar welcomes Farsi speakers at the front door even before they check in for their first visit. In a windowless office, she explains what to expect over at least four visits as part of a comprehensive health assessment, which includes updating immunisations and checking for infectious diseases. A medical exam is required of all refugees.

But Afshar, who moved from Iran in 2004, also explains cultural differences, such as the American preference for personal space and chitchat. She'll tell newcomers how to take the bus or use the public library, and reassure them that in the U.S., people help without expectation of getting anything in return.

Most staff members are bilingual, and come from a number of countries, including China, Myanmar, Sierra Leone and Mexico, said Mylene Madrid, who coordinates the refugee health assessment program. But staff can help even without speaking the same language.

An Afghan woman was tense and nervous when she arrived the other day for her first medical exam. By the end of the hourslong visit, however, she was cracking jokes and sharing photos with public health assistant Nikie Phung, who had fled Vietnam decades earlier with her family.

Another new arrival from Afghanistan dropped by the clinic complaining of chest pains but was so anxious she couldn't elaborate on her symptoms. Pham, the nurse, asked if she could hold her hand. They sat as the woman sobbed, then finally spoke of the stress of having her entire family living in a cramped hotel room.

By then, her pains had receded. Pham noticed that the woman's daughter and son-in-law were upbeat and more comfortable speaking English. She pulled the daughter aside.

Would you please spend time with your mom? she asked her. Talk to her more.

Staff members have gone out of their way to connect patients to jobs, furnish empty apartments and tap the broader community for rent and other relief. They've stocked diapers for babies and handed out gift baskets at Thanksgiving. During a routine visit, a patient mentioned he needed car repairs for work. Within weeks, the clinic had raised $2,000 to give him.

Your heart is different," says Jaspinder Mann, an assistant nurse manager originally from India, of immigrants' desire to help.

Afshar says she can't imagine what refugees are going through. The former apparel designer and her husband were not fleeing strife and shootings when they chose to leave Iran. And yet, she too struggled at first.

And this is one of the things that I always share, she said. That even though it's going to be hard, later you're going to be happy because ... you're going to learn so much and you're going to grow so much.

At the clinic, she hops on the phone to arrange an eye exam for Mohammad Attaie, 50, a radio technician who fled the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, this summer with his wife, Deena, a journalist, and their daughter. Sana, 10, adores her new school in San Jose but the couple worry about finding work when they can't speak the language.

Still, seeing people like Afshar and Pham gives them confidence.

They are successful. They're working here. Their language skills are good. I am hoping that in less than a year I can stand on my feet, Deena Attaie said, speaking in Farsi. (AP)

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Manila [Philippines], December 28 (ANI/Sputnik): The Philippines has signed a $556-million deal with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries to buy two new military vessels, the country's department of national defense said on Tuesday.

The company had already won a contract for building two frigates for the Philippines navy five years ago.

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"The Department of National Defense signed a contract agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the acquisition of two (2) brand new corvettes worth PHP 28 Billion for the Philippine Navy in a virtual signing ceremony," the department tweeted.

Manila has been actively trying to bolster its navy in order to counter the territorial ambitions of China in the South China Sea, which has put Beijing at odds with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. (ANI/Sputnik)

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Paris [France], December 28 (ANI): Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday urged Beijing to release Zhang Zhan, one of the first of China's "citizen journalists" who was jailed for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Zhang Zhan courageously risked her life reporting in Wuhan at a time when very little information was available on the mode of transmission and severity of Covid-19, and she should have been celebrated as a hero instead of being detained", said RSF East Asia Bureau head, Cedric Alviani.

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Cedric urged the international community to build up pressure on the Chinese regime to "grant Zhang Zhan medical parole and ensure that she is released before it is too late."

Lawyer-turned-journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced in December 2020 to four years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" while covering the initial Covid-19 outbreak in the city of Wuhan in February 2020.

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Earlier this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report featuring journalists killed and imprisoned worldwide, with China ranking on top of the list for jailing 50 journalists.

Back in September, RSF and a coalition of 44 human rights NGOs urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to exonerate and release Zhang Zhan. At least 10 other press freedom defenders detained in China may soon suffer a deadly fate, the watchdog said.

RSF has recently published an unprecedented investigative report entitled The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China, which reveals the previously unheard-of campaign of repression led by Beijing against journalism and the right to information worldwide.

China, ranked 177th out of 180 in the 2021 RSF World Press Freedom Index, is the world's largest captor of journalists with at least 126 detained. (ANI)

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Tunis [Tunisia], December 28 (ANI/Xinhua): Tunisia detected four more cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, bringing the total number of Omicron infections in the country to 10, the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported on Tuesday.

The cases were discovered at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport, where four passengers from abroad tested positive for Omicron, Mahjoub Ouni, a member of the Tunisian scientific council for the coronavirus fight, was quoted as saying.

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Quarantine has been implemented, along with all preventive and health measures, for the four people, said Ouni.

On December 3, a 23-year-old man from a sub-Saharan African country who arrived from Istanbul, was confirmed as Tunisia's first case of the Omicron variant. (ANI/Xinhua)

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New York [US], December 28 (ANI): The United Nations on Monday called for a New Year's ceasefire in Myanmar between the country's military and its opponents, urging all parties to exercise utmost restraint and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the interest of the people.

UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer said: "The people of Myanmar have already suffered tremendously and the socio-economic and humanitarian situation has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those inflicting suffering on their own people need to silence their guns and protect people in times of great need. The future of Myanmar's children counts on this," reported Sputnik.

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Heyzer said her statement echoes the earlier call by the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire that comes out of the deep concern about the continued escalation of violence in Kayin State and other parts of Myanmar, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.

On Sunday at least 35 people, including women and children, were killed and their bodies were burned in Myanmar. The National Unity Government (NUG) called it a "Christmas massacre in Karenni state."

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The Myanmar military, which seized power in a February coup said it had shot and killed an unspecified number of "terrorists with weapons" from the opposition armed forces in the village, according to state media. The people were in seven vehicles and did not stop for the military, it said.

The UN Special Envoy also called on all parties in Myanmar to act in the greater interest of the nation and to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, reported Sputnik.

Heyzer also appealed for allowing humanitarian assistance to be provided to those in need, including those forced to flee the violence.

Heyzer, who began her assignment earlier this month, reaffirmed her full commitment to support the people of Myanmar and promote peace as well as said to continue to focus on mobilizing coherent international support to achieve these goals.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the previous elected government and detained many top officials, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed earlier this month.

Since the coup, the military has tried to assert its power over the people through bloody force.

UN agencies, rights groups, and local journalists have documented massacres, mass arrests, torture, forced displacement, men, women, and children being murdered with impunity, heavy weaponry used by junta forces to attack villages and root out armed resistance groups, and the blocking of humanitarian aid.

Junta forces have killed more than 1,300 people and arrested over 11,000, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, reported CNN. (ANI)

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Washington, December 28: The World Bank has signed an agreement with Vietnam in the amount of $221.5 million to finance the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

"The government of Vietnam and the World Bank has signed an agreement for financing of US$221.5 million to support Vietnam's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic through policy reforms aimed at improving financial inclusion and spurring greater environmental resilience," the World Bank release said on Monday.

The loan will be provided in a form of budget support for a period of 30 years with a grace period of five years, the release said. The loan-linked reforms will include easing the existing tax burden on business entities, improving access to financial assistance for vulnerable groups, and reducing gender gaps in workplace, the release added. US CDC Shortens COVID-19 Isolation, Quarantine Time from 10 to 5 Days for Americans.

The environmental part of the recovery plan will focus on green trade policies, acceleration of the e-government adoption, and renewable energy uptake, according to the release.

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Cairo, December 28: The Iran-backed rebels in Yemen said Tuesday they are temporarily allowing UN humanitarian flights to land at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, following a weeklong halt in flights into the northern, rebel-held territory.

The rebel Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of Yemen's north, had barred UN and other humanitarian flights from landing at the airport amid heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the capital and Houthis' cross-border missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. Also Read | Japan Held Drill in November Assuming Foreign Occupation of Senkakus Islands.

At the time, the UN food programme said the Houthis claimed the airport had become unserviceable due to technical issue. The rebels accused the Saudi-led coalition of blocking the arrival of new air traffic control equipment. The coalition has been fighting to restore Yemen's internationally recognised government to power and maintains an air, land and sea blockade of Sanaa and the north. Also Read | Celebrate New Year's Eve 2021 in New York City: All You Need To Know About the Events That Will Occur on the Streets of NYC!.

The Sanaa airport is ready to receive flights from the UN and other international humanitarian agencies, the Houthis said Tuesday. They also urged the United Nations to help facilitate the arrival of the air control equipment from Djibouti.

Yemen's war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sana and forced the government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The coalition entered the conflict in March 2015.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, denounced the latest uptick in fighting in Yemen, particularly the continued Houthi offensive on the government-held city of Marib. The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing, he said.

Grundberg also voiced concerns over deadly coalition airstrikes on Sanaa and the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and urged the warring sides to engage with UN efforts to de-escalate the violence, address urgent humanitarian needs and launch a political process to end the conflict.

Also Tuesday, two UN agencies revealed that the Houthis arrested two of their employees in Sanaa in early November. UNESCO and the UN human rights office said no legal grounds were given for their detention. Both agencies expressed concern for their employees' well-being and called for their immediate release. A Houthi spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Over the past years, the war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. More than half of the Yemen's population of 16.2 million people faces acute hunger, with 2.3 million children at risk of malnutrition, according to the UN food agency.

The World Food Program said earlier this month it would reduce its assistance to 8 million people starting from January due to lack of funds. It said those people would receive barely half of what they currently get from the agency, while 5 million others who are at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions would continue receiving WFP's full rations.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to stretch our limited resources and prioritize, focusing on people who are in the most critical state, said Corinne Fleischer, WFP's regional director.

She said the agency's stocks are running dangerously low, urging donors to step up their contributions to avoid this looming hunger catastrophe. The WFP said it needs $1.97 billion in 2022 to continue to deliver vital food assistance to families on the brink of famine in Yemen.

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Kolkata, December 28: A Chinese national, identified as Shiring Dorji, was arrested by the Seema Suraksha Bal personnel while trying to enter India from Nepal in West Bengal's Siliguri, officials said on Tuesday.

Arrested when he was trying to enter India through the Panitanki border in Khadibadi block near Siliguri on Sunday, Dorji, 27, is the sixth Chinese national arrested while they were trying to enter the state through different borders of the state. Chinese National Nabbed by Sahastra Seema Bal in West Bengal While Trying to Enter Bhutan.

After intercepting Dorji, the SSB found fake Aadhaar and PAN cards on him and he was handed over to Khadibadi police. Police also said that the man had three ATM cards of Indian banks, mobile phones, and some Indian and Chinese currency. Dorji was produced before a Siliguri court and sent to police custody.

"This entry of Chinese people into India is becoming an alarming trend and we need to be more careful about that. We are also trying to know whether he came alone or if there were some other people who came with him," a senior district police officer said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2021 09:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
CARTAGENA, Colombia  Under cover of a moonless night in early July, the crew took no more than five minutes to load more than a ton of cocaine on a motorboat beached on a deserted shore of the Guajira peninsula in northeastern Colombia. Equipped with three 200-horsepower engines, the go-fast craft then roared off toward the Dominican Republic, the first stop on the drugs way north.

But theyd been detected long before. Informants working for a top-secret group of Colombian agents, trained and equipped by U.S. counter-narcotics agencies, had penetrated the smugglers inner circle. They knew where the dope was loaded  and where it was headed.

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A few hours later, Dominican police were waiting as the boat approached the eastern shores of Hispaniola. The captain, desperate to escape, beached the boat but was killed in a shootout. Police later recovered 1,690 pounds of cocaine, and authorities in Colombia guessed that the same amount had either been dumped at sea or passed off to another boat.

The cops who broke the case are members of a 45-person Cartagena cell of a U.S.-vetted force called the Sensitive Investigative Unit, or SIU. Using the crown jewels of American technology and training to make the crucial connections in the drug gangs spider-web chains of command, the force has racked up impressive successes in the drug wars, and at a fraction of the cost of the $8-billion U.S. initiative called Plan Colombia.

The SIU program in Colombia, first launched in 1997, increasingly is being used as a model for other countries fighting drug mafias: The Drug Enforcement Administration has set up SIUs in 11 other mostly Latin American countries, including Mexico, but also Afghanistan, Thailand and Ghana. Eight other countries are on the waiting list.

The head of the Cartagena SIU group is a 37-year-old police major who works in one of the most dangerous trafficking zones in Colombia. To preserve his anonymity, he asked to be called Maj. Marino.

Before he joined the group, Marino was an officer in the Junglas, the tough anti-narcotics tactical commandos modeled after the British SAS and U.S. Army special forces. There, he spent seven years destroying cocaine laboratories, carrying out drug raids, providing security for coca-spraying aircraft missions and arresting traffickers.

He thrived on the adrenaline of being a commando, but as time went on, he became more interested in the investigative part. I wanted to know more than we were able to establish as Junglas.

Wed seize a lab, arrest the low-level people there, who would always say it belongs to Carlos, but of course we could never find Carlos. We would only get one small part of the case and never knew where the drugs were going or who got the money, Marino said during an interview in Cartagena. Now I know how to make the connections.

*

The Cartagena agents spend much of their time in a nondescript office in this Spanish colonial city sitting before computer screens monitoring wiretaps, the time-consuming foundation of most major drug busts.

Raids take surveillance and analysis, Marino said. A female colleague, a money-laundering expert, added: In the past, wed just have a meeting and based on our malicia indigena, or gut feeling, wed decide, Lets go. We now realize we need a technique, to sit down and plan, to decide who collects evidence, which weapons to bring, where is the nearest hospital, when to inform the police. There is a whole checklist of things.

The Colombian SIU agents, who total more than 300 countrywide, are direct descendants of the bloques de busqueda, or search blocks, set up in the early 1990s with U.S. help to hunt down the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

But the drug gangs, under pressure from inside and outside Colombia, arent the vertically integrated cartels they were in Escobars day. The rising power of Mexican mafias and their control of U.S. distribution have in effect turned Colombians into their suppliers, authorities in Colombia say.

Colombian traffickers have fragmented into a decentralized syndicate of organizations, the Pentagons Southern Command chief, Gen. Douglas Fraser, said in a recent interview in Miami.

These days, the bulk of Colombian drug trafficking is controlled by about half a dozen bacrims, which is Spanish shorthand for bandas criminales, or criminal bands. The bands often specialize in  and provide to the highest bidder  one facet of trafficking services.

Unlike other anti-narcotics officers in Colombia, the SIU agents focus strictly on complex cases and taking down entire trafficking organizations.

The DEA shields the agents, who have all undergone U.S.-supervised polygraph and drug testing, from being called upon by their superior officers to put out fires. We build them their own firehouse, said Jay Bergman, Andean chief of the DEA in Bogota, the Colombian capital.

The U.S. equips them with technology and training and provides access to the crown jewels, which in George Smiley parlance means the DEAs intelligence database. The SIUs have been involved in 70% of the major drug seizures, kingpin arrests and indictments brought against Colombian traffickers in recent years, said recently retired Colombian National Police commander Gen. Oscar Naranjo, who as a young major was part of the search block that pursued Escobar.

All told, they receive only about $5.5 million a year in U.S. funding, but have averaged at least $250 million in cash and asset seizures annually since 2007.

Thats like a fortyfold return on investment, Bergman said.

To confront the increasingly powerful and violent traffickers there, Mexicos SIU program may soon receive a boost. Naranjo, was hired as an advisor to Enrique Pena Nieto before the latter won the presidential election, said in an interview that he has recommended expanding the SIUs footprint in Mexico.

We found special units can deliver serious blows that make a difference very quickly, and SIUs will be a central part of that, Naranjo said. We want to assimilate that model.

*

Two months before the Guajira case, Marino was sitting in a classroom at the DEA training academy in Quantico, Va., halfway through his five-week SIU training course.

He was one of 37 Colombian agents enrolled, along with 22 Paraguayan anti-drug police. The DEA purposely includes different nationalities in the courses so that the agents can establish transnational contacts, said James Farnsworth, the DEAs international training director.

That day, Marino was learning about Pen-Link intelligence mining software. Used in tandem with wiretaps and programs provided by phone companies, the software enables agents to make connections between caller numbers to slowly assemble cases, sometimes over two or three years. The software also ties phone data and vehicle license plates to callers criminal records.

With Pen-Link and the three or four other software programs like it, agents can construct an organi-gram of a drug-trafficking organization showing what DEA agents describe as a trafficking bands five major components: production, security, coordination, transportation and finances. Using cellphone tower data, the software also can find callers within a few yards accuracy.

I can do a lot with just one phone number or vehicle plate to start a comprehensive investigation, Marino said between classes. With patience, we can use call traffic to tell us who the leaders are, how people get paid, when shipments are scheduled.

Before their official designation in June, Marinos team members had already been regarded by the DEA as SIUs in everything but name based on their spectacular results over the previous three years.

In 2011, they gathered intelligence that led to the seizure of a total 25 tons of cocaine and to the arrests of drug kingpins Diego and Enrique Baez, whose criminal organization smuggled an average of 5 tons of cocaine a month via go-fast boats to Central America and Mexico, U.S. law enforcement sources say.

A major Baez client is alleged to have been the Sinaloa cartel run by Joaquin Chapo Guzman, perhaps the worlds most wanted criminal.

But the use of the U.S.-vetted agents within anti-narcotics forces is not universally applauded. Adriana Beltran of the Washington Office on Latin America, a policy watchdog group that has been critical of U.S. military and anti-drug aid to the region, said past cases in Central America have shown such agents sometimes are later corrupted because they arent adequately monitored.

Putting competent people within a corrupt structure is not necessarily a good thing, Beltran said.

Assistant Secretary of State William R. Brownfield said that in some instances, the U.S. has few other options. In some Central American countries where drug mafias have compromised the government, armed forces and judiciary, vetted agents such as SIUs have proved to be U.S. counter-narcotics forces only allies.

The SIUs answer the question, what do you do when your institutions have been badly penetrated and corrupted? Brownfield said in an interview in Washington. Do you wait until your institutions have been swapped out and changed, which is to say something that takes generations? Or do you bring in a completely new cadre, train them up, get them deployed and keep them from being penetrated?

The son of a humble potato farmer in the southern Colombian state of Narino, Marino is proud of what he and his team have achieved.

Getting into an SIU means you are in a select group and you have gotten results, Marino said. Youre not just anyone.

Kraul is a special correspondent.
Pfizer's COVID pill Paxlovid was found to cause severe life-threatening effects when mixed with certain medications such as blood thinners, statins, and some antidepressants.

The Food and Drug Administration has earlier authorized Pfizer's COVID pill Paxlovid for mild to moderate COVID in people as young as 12.

The drug can also be used for people who have underlying conditions that raise the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID, according to an NBC News report.

The FDA has not recommended Paxlovid for people with severe kidney and liver disease. The agency has also listed in its fact sheet about Paxlovid, detailing medications that may interact harmfully with ritonavir.

However, pharmacists stress that many of the drug interactions are manageable and it should not prevent most people from taking the Pfizer COVID pill.

Emily Zadvorny, a clinical pharmacist and the executive director of the Colorado Pharmacists Society, said that pharmacists are highly trained experts in medication safety and monitoring.

She noted that pharmacists are an excellent source of information and advice about interactions between medications, as well as supplements and herbal products.

Patients seeking Paxlovid should be sure to let their prescribers and pharmacists know the complete list of other medications and over-the-counter supplements they are taking, according to Peter Anderson.

Anderson is a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

READ NEXT: Pfizer's COVID Pill Cuts 89 Percent of Severe COVID Cases: Clinical Trial Results

COVID Pills Manufactured by Merck

Meanwhile, Merck's molnupiravir, another COVID pill, is not authorized for children as it might interfere with bone growth, according to a Market Watch report. Merck's COVID pill is also not recommended for pregnant women as it can cause possible birth defects.

Merck's COVID pills are intended to be used at home to treat COVID in people 18 and older at risk of developing severe illness.

A study showed that a 30 percent reduction was noted in the risk of hospitalization and death.

Merck has noted that men and women should use contraception while taking molnupiravir if they are having sex as it might result in pregnancy, according to an NDTV News report.

Older people and those who have underlying health conditions would be allowed to get a prescription for Merck's COVID pills if they become sick from COVID and cannot get Pfizer's COVID pills or other treatments, such as monoclonal antibody drugs.

Merck's drug had also appeared far less effective than Pfizer's COVID pill, according to The New York Times report.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government had shown a preference for Pfizer's COVID pill, with around 10 million orders as compared to three million of Merck's.

The Merck pill will be available more widely early on as the government expects to receive its full order of three million by the end of January.

Meanwhile, Pfizer's will arrive more slowly, with the 10 million orders seen to come by July.

Jeff Zients, heading U.S. President Joe Biden's COVID response, said that the U.S. would use Merck's pill however the FDA advises, adding that they will follow the agency's leadership.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Says He Personally Phoned Emergency Room for a Good Friend During a COVID Vaccine Mandate Talk

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: As FDA approves 2 COVID-19 pills, some experts voice concerns - from WGN News






Wrestling-turned-action superstar Dwayne Johnson posted another heartfelt video involving cars on his social media account on Saturday, as he gifted another car, but this time, it was for her mother.

The 49-year-old "Red Notice" actor took to Instagram to show his fans the adorable video of her mom and the expensive gift he prepared, People reported.

"This one felt good," The Rock said at the beginning of his caption on his post.

READ NEXT: Vin Diesel Calls on Dwayne Johnson to Help Finish 'Fast and Furious' Franchise

The Rock Teams Up With Daughters to Surprise His Mom for Christmas

In the video posted by Johnson, he did not do the surprise alone as he sought help from his two daughters, Jasmine and Tiana Gia. Johnson's girls were six and three years old, respectively.

"Surprised my mom with a new car for Christmas day. She was shocked. She got a few ugly cries," The Rock noted.

In the video, Johnson's family led his mother, Ata Johnson, to a driveway while covering her eyes. Little did she know, a new car with a red bow was in front of her.

Ata was shocked as the car was revealed before her eyes, with her grandkids greeting her a "Merry Christmas."

She then burst into tears, hugging The Rock, and gave a smile to the camera.

Aside from the video, The Rock also included some photos of her mother inside the new car he gifted during the occasion.

He included photos of her mom in tears of joy behind the steering wheel. He also pointed out that her mom was in "pure joy" when her daughters went in the car with their grandmother.

A photo of Johnson's mother wearing a big smile and claps for the gift she received was also included in Johnson's Instagram post.

"I'm so grateful I can do this kinda stuff for my mom, who's had one helluva life. I don't take any of it for granted. Neither does she," Dwayne Johnson added in his caption.

The Rock then concluded his caption with a greeting for his mother, telling his mom to "enjoy" her "new ride," and her Elvis records.

It was not the first time that Dwayne Johnson surprised his mom with an expensive gift. It can be recalled that in 2018, The Rock bought his mother a new home.

Dwayne Johnson's Generosity

Dwayne Johnson is not only gifting expensive cars to his family, but he also gives such presents to his fans who moved him.

In November, The Rock surprised Navy Veteran Oscar with one of his personal trucks. Johnson admitted that Oscar's story moved him as he also posted their heart-warming encounter on social media.

The Navy Veteran burst into tears as he read an envelope in the driver's seat.

The Rock admitted that he originally intended to give away the Porsche Taycan that he drove in his move "Red Notice." However, Johnson then revealed that Porsche did not allow him to do what he originally planned.

READ NEXT: Kylie Jenner Posts on Instagram for the First Time Since Travis Scott's Astroworld Tragedy

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Mom Shares His Embarrassing Nickname - From Good Morning America
Crews are working to contain a wildfire that broke out in Jefferson County, with pre-evacuation orders imposed for the Ken Caryl Valley residents.

A social media post sent out by the West Metro Fire Rescue said that the wildfire was near Colorado 470 and Kipling Street, according to The Denver Post report.

West Metro Officials named the wildfire the Oak Fire. The Jefferson County Sherriff's Office particularly said that the blaze is burning on Hogback, which is the ridge of the west of the highway.

The sheriff's office tweeted that things are changing quickly and advised residents to monitor for changes.

The Colorado State Patrol has shut down Colorado 470 between West Ken Caryl Avenue and Kipling, urging drivers to avoid the area without any estimated reopening time.

Meanwhile, Jefferson and Clear Creek counties have been put on accident alert while authorities respond to the fire.

West Metro officials said that the Oak Fire continued to travel north and west, with residents were allowed to return home, according to a CBS Local News report.

The smoke from the wildfire was visible across Littleton and parts of the Denver metro area on Monday afternoon.

READ NEXT: Massive California Oil Spill Sends Crude Onto Orange County Coast, Killing Marine Life and Birds

Oak Fire Wildfire

West Metro called in help from neighboring departments with the agency having no planes or helicopters immediately available in the area to contain the fire.

South Metro Fire Rescue is one of the agencies fighting the blaze, sharing a photo of Twitter of the smoke plume visible from downtown Littleton.

West Metro noted that a single-engine air tanker plane has been dispatched from the Fort Collins area. It is also seen to start helping crews on the ground.

The Oak Fire has not burned any structures at the time.

West Metro official Ronda Scholting noted that the department first received calls from an apartment complex about the fire moving very fast due to strong winds, according to a KOAA News report.

Evacuated residents were told to go to Chatfield High School with the sheriff's office advising that anyone evacuated to check-in at the high school location, even if they do not have plans to stay there.

Grass Fire on University of Colorado Boulder's East Campus

A spokesperson with the University of Colorado Police Department said that a woman was arrested in connection with a grass fire on the campus.

The suspect's identity has not been released. She currently facing second-degree arson and reckless endangerment charges.

The woman was booked at the Boulder County Jail, according to The Denver Channel report.

The department noted that a small fire broke out near the Space Science Building on East Coast. The fire had burned 6.3 acres by the time it was contained at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Among the agencies that assisted in the response were Boulder Police Department, Boulder Rural Fire Department, Boulder County Sheriff's Office, and Fourmile Fire.

In addition to that, Louisville Fire Protection District, Lafayette Fire Department, Lefthand Fire, and Boulder Mountain Fire also helped in the incident.

CU Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst expressed gratitude for the help of their local partner agencies in responding to the fire and assisting in the investigation.

READ MORE: California Wildfire Smoke Causes Drop in Solar Energy Production

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WATCH: Mandatory evacuations lifted in Jefferson County after brush fire erupts near C-470 and Kipling - from Denver7 - The Denver Channel






One man broke into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day carrying a crossbow while recording a threatening Snapchat clip, making Star Wars references. He called himself a "Sith."

The man, who was identified as Jaswant Singh Chail, said in the clip that he was planning to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. He said that it was in revenge for the 1919 massacre in India by British soldiers, according to a Daily Beast report.

Chail's father spoke about the incident and said that something's gone horribly wrong with their son, adding that they are trying to figure out what.

Chail's father noted that they are going through a difficult time and that they are trying to resolve the issue, which is not easy.

Some security experts said that the palace's security worked as it should have. However, others argued that the armed man should never have got as far as he did.

A spike fence has been put into place. It separates the publicly accessible land of Windsor Great Park from the private grounds of the palace.

Meanwhile, police said that the man was arrested "within moments" of the perimeter being compromised.

Dai Davies, a former royal protection officer, said that the security operation went to plan, adding that there were no failings in security at all and that everyone acted as precisely as one would expect them to.

READ NEXT: Queen Elizabeth Takes Note of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Daughter Lilibet in Her Christmas Speech

Queen Elizabeth Assassination Video

Chail had used a filter to distort his voice and wore a hoodie and mask, which was an outfit that was believed to be inspired by Star Wars.

In the video, the armed man said that he is sorry for what he has done and what he is about to do, noting that he will try to assassinate the Queen of the Royal Family.

He added that his action will serve as revenge for those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, according to a Daily Mail report.

The massacre had killed 379 protesters and 1,200 wounded by British forces in India.

Chail added that it is also revenge for those who have been killed and discriminated against because of their race.

Scotland Yard confirmed that detectives were reviewing the contents of a video after the arrest of the 19-year-old armed man, who was from Southampton.

Chail was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after being found in the castle grounds, according to a BBC News report.

Queen Elizabeth was in residence at Windsor Castle for Christmas. She was due to be joined for lunch by the Prince of Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla.

Earl and Countess of Wessex were also expected to join the Queen.

Sources noted that once the 19-year-old gained access to the royal estate, he did not know what to do with himself and was quickly apprehended.

Police are probing how Chail gained access to the castle grounds in the first place and how he managed to pass the fence surrounding it.

Chail was believed to have gained access through a makeshift ladder, which royals frequently use due to its nearness to the Queen's private apartments.

READ MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Opt Not to Hold Daughter Lilibet's Christening in U.K. As It's Likely Be in California: Royal Sources

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WATCH: Met Police investigating video following Windsor Castle security breach - from The Independent






President Joe Biden has signed a $768 billion defense bill that includes a 2.7 percent pay raise for the troops but no funds to remove detainees from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Biden lamented that the defense spending bill did not provide money to remove terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay military detention facility, The New York Post reported.

In a statement released on Monday, the president argued that two sections of the bill prohibit the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to certain foreign nations or the U.S. unless specific conditions are met.

In some circumstances, Joe Biden noted that the provisions could also make it difficult to comply with the final judgment of a court that has directed the release of a detainee on a writ of habeas corpus.

The president then urged Congress to eliminate these restrictions as soon as possible. Joe Biden also objected to provisions in the bill mandating reports on the amount of U.S. military equipment destroyed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the threats posed by Iran-backed militias in the Middle East.

The president argued that such reports "will, in the ordinary course, include highly sensitive classified information, including information that could reveal critical intelligence sources or military operational plans."

"The Constitution vests the President with the authority to prevent the disclosure of such highly sensitive information in order to discharge his responsibility to protect the national security," Biden noted.

However, the president vowed to provide the information "with due regard for the protection from unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters." He added that he believes Congress shares this understanding.

The spending bill includes $25 billion more than the White House had requested for defense spending. The Senate passed it by a vote of 89-10 on December 15. The House passed it with a 363-70 vote a week earlier.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Says a Donald Trump Rematch Would' Increase the Prospect' of Him Running Again in 2024 Election

The Defense Bill Signed by Joe Biden

Ninety-six percent of the funds are allocated to Department of Defense programs, with another $27.8 billion allocated for Department of Energy national security programs. The remaining $378 million would be for additional defense-related matters.

The White House has not spoken any reservations about the increased spending, Aljazeera reported. However, progressive groups and the dozens of lawmakers who voted against the bill have been calling for decreasing the defense budget and allotting more funds for domestic priorities, especially after the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Senator Bernie Sanders invoked Pentagon spending when criticizing Sen. Joe Manchin's refusal to support the Build Back Better legislation earlier this month.

Sanders said in a statement that he finds it amusing that Manchin was worried about the deficit after voting for a military budget worth four times greater than Build Back Better over ten years.

The U.S. military budget is noted to be the largest in the world, more than triple that of China, which is the second-biggest military spender.

Both parties' vast majority of lawmakers had backed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Many lauded the bill for pushing to modernize the U.S. military amid intensifying competition with China.

Republican Rep. Mike Turner described the signing of the NDAA into law as great news. However, the White House expressed misgivings on certain parts of the law, such as the provision that bans using funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

Most Democrats have long pushed for the closure of the military prison in the U.S. Navy base in Cuba, a plan that has met opposition from Republicans.

Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

Former President George W. Bush opened the detention facility in 2002 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, according to NBC News.

Guantanamo Bay held nearly 800 detainees at its peak. Currently, the facility houses about 40. The facility is also called Gitmo. It was used to house Muslim militants and suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Britannica.

The detention facility has become a spotlight of scrutiny after allegations of violations of the legal rights of detainees have been reported.

There were also accusations of torture or abusive treatment of detainees by U.S. authorities. It started receiving suspected members of al-Qaeda and fighters for the Taliban in 2002.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris Says 'Democracy' Is the Biggest National Security Threat Facing the U.S.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: $768 Billion Defense Bill Passed by House Includes Pay Increase for Military Members - From KRDO NewsChannel 13






Dog The Bounty Hunter's help is once again being sought by a murdered woman's father after his daughter's death was linked to Brian Laundrie.

In a Facebook post, per The Sun, Sean-Paul Schulte, the father of Kylen Schulte, wrote that he wanted Dog the Bounty Hunter to help find his daughter's killer.

"For Christmas I want DOG and JJ to work on this case together. Please please pretty please," he said.

The 68-year-old reality star, whose real name is Duane Chapman, has joined the search for Gabby Petito's fiance in late September.

In another Facebook post, Schulte spoke about the deaths of his daughter and her wife, Crystal Turner, who were found shot dead at a campsite in the La Sal mountain range in Utah in August.

Kylen used to work at the Moonflower Co-Op in Moab, Utah, where Petito and Laundrie were said to have argued just days before the newlyweds' deaths.

Prior to their murder, Kylen and Crystal had told friends that they were transferring to another site since there was a "weirdo camping near them that was freaking them out." The couple reportedly stopped communicating with their family and friends shortly after.

Investigators speculated whether the deaths of Kylen and Crystal could be linked to the Laundrie-Petito case, given the closeness of time and location of the two incidents. However, officials later determined that there was no connection between the two cases.

READ NEXT: Gabby Petito Family to Celebrate First Christmas Without Her, Takes Action to Ensure No One Else Suffer the Same

Kylen Schulte's Father Linked Daughter's Murder to Brian Laundrie

Sean-Paul Schulte said his daughter and her wife were playing pool with a couple at a local bar called Woody's Tavern on August 12, the same day that Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito were stopped by cops, Radar Online reported.

Schulte shared details on Understanding Crime's Facebook page that her daughter had been playing with a "creepy man" peacefully. Schulte wrote that he was hoping the tavern's staff would look to see if they knew who it was.

When someone asked Schulte if "Crystal was shooting pool with the creeper at Woody's? So he may have been following them?" he replied, "we don't know if it was him. It was a couple. A young couple. I want to know if it was Brian and Gabby!"

After their infamous stop with the bodycam footage, Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito were interviewed and separated by cops. The police officers then concluded that the incident was a mental-health crisis and not a crime.

The cops ordered Laundrie and Petito to cool down for the night separately. Laundrie was put in a hotel room while Petito stayed in their van.

Laundrie's room was reportedly just a seven-minute walk to Woody's. Police have yet to name a suspect in Kylen or Crystal's deaths.

Dog The Bounty Hunter Joins Search for Brian Laundrie

The Fort De Soto Park in Florida was one of the areas that Dog The Bounty Hunter previously looked for Brian Laundrie.

Duane Chapman started searching the Fort De Soto campground area after receiving tips that Gabby Petito's fiance could be there. However, he was not lucky enough to find Laundrie in the park.

Brian Laundrie has also visited Fort De Soto with Gabby Petito. One of Petito's Instagram posts showed that they went to Fort De Soto Historical Fort in February.

Dog the Bounty Hunter has called off his search after officials confirmed that the remains found at a swampy area in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20 belonged to Laundrie.

Deaths of Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito

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.

The partial skeletal remains found at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20 were confirmed to belong to Laundrie 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 Petito's debit card after her death.

READ MORE: Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Parents of Gabby Petito's Fiance Change the Date of Florida Fugitive's Disappearance

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: New CCTV Shows Last Moments of Utah Newlyweds Fatally Shot While Camping - From the Independent






A staff nurse at Portlaoise's busy Emergency Department (ED/A&E) was the first person to be vaccinated for Covid-19 in Laois in the first weeks of January.

Aidel Aurel Casabar received the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise on Thursday, January 7. She was vaccinated by her colleague Mary Gilligan, Clinical Placement Co-ordinator.

Staff vaccinations started the same day when the first batch of 200 doses arrived at the Laois hospital. Plans were also in place to deliver the first dose of the vaccine to all staff.

The HSE said that a peer vaccination team of up to 20 nurses would vaccinate staff Monday to Saturday ensuring that all personnel are protected in a planned and timely way.

Mr. Michael Knowles is General Manager, Midland Regional Hospital Portlaois which is busy with Covid-19 patients. Covid-19 has been extremely challenging for our staff and continued service delivery.

The beginning of our vaccination programme is very encouraging and marks a dawning of a new year for us all. Staff are being offered the Pfizer BioNTech Covid19 vaccine and we would hope to be in a position to vaccinate all staff in the coming weeks, dependent on the vaccine availability.



Ms. Sandra McCarthy, Director of Nursing, appealed for the public's support. We truly find hope today as we begin this vaccination campaign. Staff have worked so hard to care for their patients throughout this pandemic and are very tired.

Covid-19 has been unrelenting but the end is in sight. We need everyone to play their part, stay at home and stay safe, she said.

At the end of day one she thanked and praised staff. What a fantastic day in MRH Portlaoise. I am immensely proud of the nursing vaccination team who commenced the administration of the COVID -19 vaccine. It was only possible with support from all departments; particularly pharmacy, she said.

She thanked Fiona Moore and Nicola McGlynn for their leadership in getting the vaccine clinic established in record time.

Portlaoise is part of the Dublin Midland Hospital Group which includes hospitals in Tullamore, Naas, and in Dublin - Tallaght, St James's, the Coombe and St Lukes.

Vaccination was also underway of staff at all hospitals. Mr. Trevor OCallaghan CEO Dublin Midlands Hospital Group spoke of the importance of the vaccination programme to hospitals.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is very pleased to see the continued roll out of this vaccine in our hospitals following the first vaccine in St James Hospital.We have been extensively planning with hospitals and their vaccination teams to coordinate the supply of the available vaccine and ensure all frontline staff within the hospital group can be vaccinated in a timely way.

Earlier last week, the vaccination programme was successfully launched in Tallaght University Hospital, the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital and Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore.

The vaccine programme was launched in Naas General Hospital, the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise and St Luke's Radiation Oncology Network.

The Group is also working with Community Health Organisation partners to include prioritised community health frontline workers as part of the vaccination roll out, he said.

Ms. Eileen Whelan, Chief Director of Nursing at Dublin Midlands Hospital Group spoke about the importance of vaccination. Vaccinations work, and vaccination is key to ensuring patient and staff safety during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Our vaccination teams have a wealth of experience across all our hospitals to commence the roll out of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

We would like to acknowledge all the work that has been undertaken so far and we will continue to build on our capacity to fully complete this programme ensuring our staff are fully protected, she said.

The HSE said that worldwide, vaccines save at least 2-3 million lives each year  and protect many more from crippling and lifelong illnesses.

Only COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorised by the European Medicines Agency, having met stringent safety and effectiveness standards, will be used in Ireland.

All COVID-19 vaccines will be carefully monitored over time and updated safety data and information will be published and shared by the HSE, on our website and in our printed information materials, said a statement issued by the DMHG.
The new billionaire resident of Heritage Town Abbeyleix is looking forward to life in the town for years to come at his new 11.5 million home.

The Leinster Express contacted John Collison, who is the co-founder and president of Stripe, after it emerged that he had purchased the property in July.

Understandably, he wasn't quite ready to talk about the purchase of the mansion but his spokesperson indicated to the Leinster Express that the young Limerick man with Tipperary roots is looking forward to life in Laois.

He's looking forward to getting to know the Abbeyleix community in the years to come, said a statement.

In asking for an interview the Leinster Express asked if the new owner would grant more access to the public to the grounds surrounding the house. Whatever he decides to do on that front, the former owner Sir David Davies gave the young man his seal of approval after Mr Collison also agreed to buy the majority of its contents.

The selection of the buyer was made because of their ambition and interest in preserving the integrity of the estate, including buildings and importantly the trees, and their ability to invest in the estate, he said in a statement issued by Sotheby's which sold the property.

Collison, who is aged just 30, is a native of Dromineer, Co Tipperary but grew up in Limerick. He co-founded Stripe in 2010 with his brother Patrick. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his net worth was estimated at US$11.4 billion making him one of the wealthiest people from Ireland.

Stripe is an Irish-American financial services and software as a service company headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. The company primarily offers payment processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications. Elon Musk was among those who backed Stripe.

Formerly in the ownership of the de Vesci family, the house was saved from dereliction and brought back to its former glory by Sir David Davies after he bought the 26,910 sqare foot property and 1,200 acres of the demesne from Viscount Tom De Vesci in 1995.

Sothebys describe Abbey Leix as one of the most venerable 18th-century houses in Ireland in its sales literature. A splendid and most distinguished Irish 18th-century mansion positioned within a remarkable and ancient woodland demesne of over 1,000 acres.

In any list of important Irish country houses Abbey Leix has a prominent place. The late-18th-century mansion, clothed in the Italianate manner in 1859-60, enjoys a remarkable position within a private estate comprising some 1,120 acres and includes some of Irelands most notable remaining ancient woodland and extensive frontage to the River Nore, it says.\

The auction house told potential buyers that the accommodation is grand and beautifully augmented by 10 lodges and cottages on the estate.

Abbey Leix was designed in 1773 by the noted architect James Wyatt. The house is an elegant three-storey Classical mansion of seven bays, the three central bays under a triangular pediment. Sotheby's say the arrangement of rooms is elegant and simple, with three major rooms on the park front.

Apart from the importance of the house the estate is invaluable. Abbey Leix has one of the most important collections of trees in Ireland. Whereas elsewhere in Ireland the primeval forests of oak, birch, alder and willow have been almost entirely depleted, the woods on Park Hill across the river from the house are among the last surviving remnants of Irelands ancient woodland.

The property also contains a stud farm which includes an attractive range of cut-stone outbuildings. A beautiful principal yard, complete with a clock tower, was built of local limestone in 1822. The quadrangular yard contains 24 loose boxes. A separate farmyard has a range of farm sheds. To top it all, Sotheby's told potential buyers that the farmland provides good grazing

Apart from Sir David and the De Vesci family, Collison will join French Monks, OMore Princes, Ormonde Earls as the latest custodian of this gem of Laois.
A Carbon Footprint Study for Portlaoise was carried out as part of the Ireland 2040 Plan which identifies the town of Portlaoise as a national demonstration project for implementing sustainable and community driven urban renewal.

As part of this Portlaoise has been allocated funding to advance towards the status of Low Carbon Town as part of the Ireland 2040 demonstration project.

Laois County Council went out to tender in November 2019, to prepare the baseline carbon footprint of the town and understand the potential opportunities to reduce the overall carbon footprint. Siemens was awarded the contract for this project in August 2020.

The resulting report says it covers the four key topics identified in the tender document:

- The town's carbon footprint

- Provide an estimate of the renewable energy potential for the Study Area

- Establish a register of opportunities for the reduction of energy demand and the transition to renewable energy supply.

- Identify organisations (including State companies) that can support Portlaoise during transition

The report provides a primary carbon footprint study. The scope of this study is limited to emissions from direct energy consumption and does not include secondary emissions from consumption of products.

The standout findings in a very technical report relate to how much greenhouses gases in Portlaoise are polluting and what means can be used to cut these emissions.

A carbon footprint exercise was conducted. This focused on three categories  the impact from electricity demand, heating needs, and prevalent transportation modes to Portlaoise's boundaries.

Siemens found that 99,159 tonnes of greenhouse gases are produced annually in Portlaoise.

Residential produces 36,567 tonnes, non-residential yields 32,652 tonnes, passenger transport produces 19,569 tonnes and freight transport emits 10,371 in a year.

Siemens make the case that a decreased carbon footprint for Portlaoise can be achieved by deploying wind generation assets or solar 'modules' in and around the urban area.

To reduce the carbon footprint for Portlaoise the study provided detailed assessment of renewable power potential in the region. Both wind and solar potential were assessed by using weather report from 2012, 2015, 2017.

The report says Renewables Use Case comprised of different options. It estimated that wind power produced locally, but supplied indirectly via National Grid, would reduce carbon by 3%.

Wind generated locally and supplied directly to the town could cut emissions by 34%. A rooftop solar energy project would reduce carbon by 18%.

Upgrading older houses through deep retrofits would save 16%. Finally, replacing 5% conventional vehicles with electric vehicles would cut 1% of carbon production.

The report costs the possible investment needed in wind. It said a wind power produced within a 10km zone around Portlaoise could require between 832 and 778 million of investment. This translates into 165 - 177 turbines of Type 101.

If the area around the electricity grid lines is used, investment requirement reduces to 100 - 112 million depending on the distance rule. This translates to installation of 21 - 24 Type 101 turbines.

Solar power analysis results reveal a potential investment range of between 39 and 197 million for solar farms.

However, other options for wind and solar options power generation under which an investment of 55 million would be needed for solar rooftop panels and 23.5 million for the wind turbines.

The study also looks at market solutions in the form of a power purchase agreement between the town of Portlaoise and the wind farms which, it says, results in a more rigorous decarbonization strategy.

It proposes five standard size wind turbines with a 140-hub height, 115m rotors and a 3MW capacity being installed for electricity generation, using local Irish wind condition. If contracted, those 5 turbines impact the town decarbonisation directly.

Solar power would be generated from 7,500 residential homes in the town and use of many other types of commercial, public and community buildings. If all the space for panels cannot be source in the town it proposes that 23 hectares of this consisting of closed cells could be used for a solar farm at Kyletalesha Landfill.

The study also examined cutting carbon through housing upgrades for 3,984 households which requires 72 million for insulation or retrofitting in general.

Upgrade of insulations for buildings was found to lead to a 16% emission reduction within Portlaoise.

The report says an envisaged target of 30% emission reduction within the heating scenario would thus require additional effort, besides better insulation.

It said such efforts should target a rethinking of local energy usage that policymakers may actively address.

Another option explored as part of the study was District Energy. It says District Energy refers to both District Heating (DH) and district cooling systems. The fundamental idea of District Heating is to use local fuel or heat resources that would otherwise be wasted to satisfy local customer heat demands by using a heat distribution network of pipes as a local marketplace.

The passenger transportation use case ranks lowest in terms of overall emission reduction effect given its overall 1% CO2 potential contribution. However, the report says that since new mobility concepts are on the rise, policy makers and county councils may find this use case attractive. Particularly, as it indirectly helps to drive attitude and behavioral change, which has a positive effect on areas of the carbonisation efforts.

The report said that all decarbonisation efforts need careful consideration and more stakeholder involvement, when transitioning to a commercial phase. At the same time, it says acceptance may be achieved if politicians engage in stakeholder dialogue by building on the shown use cases. It says the shown use cases illustrate pathways to decarbonis e the town at the local level.

Ultimately it says making use of favorable local renewable energy locations seems to present a great opportunity for supplying the town with carbon free generation assets.
Secondary schools in Kilcullen and the Curragh said there is no let-up in the numbers of applications for First Year for September 2022.

Principals at Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen and Curragh Post Primary School spoke to the Leader before the announcement that the latter would be re-located with a 1,000-pupil capacity to a site at the former Magee Barracks in Kildare town.

Cross and Passion College will take in 144 First Year students next September, principal Joe Leonard confirmed.

Mr Leonard also acknowledged that it is an anxious time for parents and children.

He told the Leader: Cross and Passion College will admit 144 first year students in September 2022 as per our admissions notice.

While we are heavily oversubscribed, the waiting list is constantly updated as places are accepted or otherwise. Some on our waiting list will have secured places in other schools.

It is an anxious time for parents and children and we do our very best to complete the process in the shortest time possible so that families can plan accordingly.

We look forward to the future when our capacity will be increased thanks to the department of education building project plans.

We are always grateful that parents/guardians consider Cross and Passion College as the school for their children and believe it reflects well on the quality of teaching and ethos of the school.

Principal of Curragh Post Primary School, Nessa Doyle said that 48 pupils will be admitted in September and that there are currently 16 on the waiting list.

Ms Doyle added: The number of applications are 100% up on last year.

Ms Doyle said that it may be the case that some parents applied to more than one school.

Meanwhile, despite being only two months in the job, St Farnans, Prosperous, principal Andrew Purcell has visited all the catchment primary schools in the area. He pointed out that previously students in primary school could apply to enrol in St Farnans two years in advance, but this has been reduced to one year.

We have 150 places available for first years. That number was agreed by the Board of Management last year and its the biggest first year number weve had. Weve had more expressions of interest than the spaces we have available, he said.

He explained pupils have until December 22 to return their forms so he could not say how many applications they will have for next September. Mr Purcell also said that some sixth class pupils might also have applied for nearby schools such as Clane so there may have multiple applications.

While out visiting primary schools within its catchment area recently, he noticed a huge amount of residential development in places like Allenwood, Coill Dubh and Prosperous itself. With an increase in the local population on the cards, the principal acknowledged that huge pressure on numbers is coming down the line.

We will be getting a new 1,000 pupil school. Thats at stage 1 at the moment and it has been agreed in principle by the Department of Education, thats four to five years down the line so in the next couple of years we are going to come under pressure.
A retired school principal and well-known community figure in the town of Newbridge has sadly passed away.

Brother Michael Broderick, who was originally from Aharney, Lisdowney in County Kilkenny, passed away peacefully at Naas General Hospital on Monday, December 27.

A post from the school that he formerly presided over, Patrician Primary School (PPS) in Newbridge, paid tribute to the late Patrician Brother: "Former principal in our school, Brother Michael Broderick, passed away peacefully."

"Thank you for everything you did for our school and Newbridge. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis."

Former principal in our school, Brother Michael Broderick, passed away peacefully early this morning. Thank you for everything you did for our school and Newbridge. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis. https://t.co/gpbImgXihh  Patrician Primary School (@PPSNewbridge) December 27, 2021

The nearby Patrician Secondary School also put up a post in memory of Bro Michael Broderick, and referred to him as "a renowned educator, Principal & community man in Newbridge."

Sad to hear of the passing of Br. Michael Broderick, a renowned educator, Principal & community man in Newbridge. He passed away peacefully on Monday morning.



Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis. pic.twitter.com/pveVsPZFmg  Patrician Secondary School Newbridge (@PSSNewbridge) December 28, 2021

In addition to his tenure as a dedicated teacher and Principal, he was very involved in Newbridge Drama Group as an actor and also taught Irish language classes in the local library.

His drama group put up the following message of condolence on RIP.ie: "Brother Michael, 'The Bro'... a big light has gone from our Drama Group but his light, his spirit, his sense of fun, and his incredible dedication to drama, lives on."

"Michaels light spreads wide in our town and within our Drama Group; 'Ni fheicfidh muid a leithead aris.'

"We all have our special memories. Ar dheis De brave warrior Michael."

Bro Michael Broderick will also be remembered for his huge passion for GAA and the PPS' school band.

The funeral for the late Bro Michael Broderick will take place tomorrow at St Conleth's Parish Church, Newbridge for 11 o'clock Mass.

The mass will be live streamed on https://newbridgeparish.ie/parish-church

Following this, the funeral will then proceed to St Conleth's Cemetery in Newbridge.

Bro Michael Broderick is survived by his brother John, nephews Enda and Fergus, niece-in-law Caitriona, Patrician Confreres, extended family, relatives and many, many friends that he acquired over the years.

May he Rest in Peace.
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A Kildare Senator has said that access to antigen tests should not be impaired by cost barriers.

Fianna Fail Senator Fiona O' Loughlin said in a recent statement that antigens tests "have proved their worth this Christmas Period."

She elaborated: "The amount of people who utilised antigen testing effectively over the Christmas period and successfully prevented onward transmission clearly shows the key role they can play in protecting our loved ones and our communities."

"Unfortunately many people have had to self isolate this Christmas on the back of a positive antigen test, but it gave them an early indication that they may be infectious and it allowed them to alter their behaviour accordingly."

The Kildare-South politician continued: "There is no doubt that many people would have brought covid into their family homes had they not utilised antigen testing.

"It is clear that they have proved their worth and that they should form a key part of our 2022 covid strategy.

"They should be free or subsidised in certain circumstances and we be using them in education, in hospitality and in other environments," she concluded.

Various political representatives have voiced differing opinions concerning whether or not antigen tests should come at a financial cost.

Last month, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue told Newstalk FM that there "was no rationale" for making antigen tests free in all circumstances, explaining that it was his belief that most people are already able to afford them.

It followed just after Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly ruled out the possibility of free antigen tests.

Commenting on why they are not being made free, like the UK, Minister Donnelly told Newstalk: "They (the English government) did do it for free, but they came under huge criticism from parliament for the way it was done and the UK is stepping back from that position."

He added that while he was concerned at the cost that subsidised antigen tests could have on the Irish government, he nevertheless insisted that the govt believed it was an important change to make.
A COMMUNITY-led campaign is looking to build a new wall in Limerick to signify the scale of operatic talent within the county.

The project has been launched by the Limerick Opera Festival to help support the growth of the newly founded group.

They intend on building an Opera Wall with donations along the wall to be built brick by brick.

Members of the public, families, businesses or clubs are invited to sponsor a brick as part of a wall at an exhibition to be held in a Limerick Museum in 2022.

In addition, a special Christmas Opera Aria Gala is taking place at St Marys Cathedral in Limerick city on this Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 6pm.

Director Ger Reidy wants the Limerick Opera Festival to be open, inclusive and made for everyone.

We want to build the festival from the ground up and that is where the Opera Wall campaign came from. We want to challenge the idea that opera is not accessible to all.

The Festival Fundraising Campaign Concert will feature soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson, with Kevin Neville on bass, accompanied on piano by Peter Barley, performing some very popular operatic arias.

Mr. Reidy added that the inaugural festival has been set to take place in May 2022, with the upcoming Christmas Gala in December designed to showcase the talent on board and promote the organisation.

He is calling on the support of the people and businesses of Limerick in order to build the festival brick by brick.

Our concert over the Christmas period will help promote what will be on offer in the summer and is also a perfect way for people to relax during the lull that usually happens between Christmas and the New Year.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, tickets for strictly 90 people are available online at limerickoperafestival.ie for 25 each.
DESPITE a tough year on the business front, employment, thanks to multi-nationals across the region, has grown - new figures have shown.

Statistics released by the IDA job creation agency show that there are now 150 foreign direct investment (FDI) employers in the Mid-West employing a total of 25,270 people. When indirect employment is taken into account, a further 20,216 people are on the payroll.

This represents a five percent annual rise, and Will Corcoran, the IDAs regional manager in this region, said: Its been great growth. The new names are really exciting. But our bread and butter are our existing clients. Its here where we get the majority of our new investments. Its better to see an existing client reinvesting  it shows they see the talent pool in the region, the infrastructure and the partnership we have with the universities locally.

Mr Corcoran highlighted Becton Dickinson for special mention, as well as Edwards Lifesciences, which is ramping up its employment numbers to 850 at the National Technology Park in Plassey.

It was, he told Business Leader, a long courtship in trying to get the firm to Ireland, let alone Limerick.

One of the companies which set up a new operation in Limerick in 2021 was Legato Health Technologies, which plans to up its staff numbers to 120, thanks to an opening at Plassey.

Its country head John Shaw has said the firm has been a very successful opening months for the company in Limerick.

If anything, the start weve had has reaffirmed our confidence in Limerick and Ireland as a location for our research and development base. Weve got incredible support, from IDA and government and locally as well from the likes of Limerick City and County Council, Limerick Chamber and the two universities. Were finding this a really pro-business region, Mr Shaw added.

But while multi-national employment has grown, its been a much tougher year for hospitality businesses, many of which only opened in June  and are now facing into Christmas and New Year having to close at 8pm each night.

This time last year, there were high hopes the worst of the pandemic was behind us, with the impending vaccine uptake. However, Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan has now urged businesses to continue to be resilient.

Anyone in the hospitality and retail sector, and the supply businesses have had the most difficult, frustrating and trying year. As a result, weve seen many people take decisions as to how they are going to proceed that they might not otherwise have taken. So Im very mindful that one sector of our community is having a much more difficult time than the rest, she said.

Ms Ryan believes pubs, restaurants and bars should have been allowed to open a lot sooner in 2021.

Weve learnt a lot of lessons in 2021 about what we can do when we safely re-open and I will be pressing our government and opposition representatives to push for a very speedy re-opening when its safe to do so. There was some criticism as to how long it took us to re-open last summer at a time when Covid-19 levels were lower. Weve learnt that lesson, we can reflect on that, she added.

This year saw the return of the Limerick Chamber business awards, albeit in held in a socially distanced setting at the Strand Hotel, and for the groups chief executive, it was good to be back.

One of the new award categories was a pandemic pivot award, given to a firm which transformed its offering in the wake of the pandemic.

The winner of that was Mary Fitzgerald of the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, and Ms Ryan said she was so thrilled to see her take the prize.

Helen ODonnell, who this week announced she will step down from running the Hunt Museum cafe next Easter, wants to see government put a business hat on, and think more carefully about how small to medium sized enterprises can survive.

A lot of it is about learning to live alongside and how we can co-exist. Chopping and changing on a Friday, and not knowing if your business is going to be open next week is very hard: its very difficult to stay motivated, she concluded.
ITS not every day you have a Hollywood film star pull the winning ticket in your local GAA draw, but thats exactly what happened in one County Limerick village on Monday night.

Golden Globe-nominated actor Dominic West, 52, had the all-important task of drawing a name from Glin GAA clubs lotto draw ticket drum.

The club were so thrilled that the A-list actor performed the all-important duty that they shared the news online this Tuesday afternoon.

Big thank you to one of our best Glin GAA supporters, @DominicWest, who took a break from playing Prince Charles in @TheCrownNetflix and flew in to pull out the winning ticket in our fortnightly draw last night! the tweet reads.



The operator of the club Twitter account clearly had their tongue firmly in their cheek with the post, as Dominic of course had been in the West Limerick village to celebrate Christmas with his family at Glin Castle, the family home of his wife Catherine who grew up there as daughter of the 29th Knight of Glin.

Big thank you to one of our best Glin GAA supporters,@DominicWest, who took a break from playing Prince Charles in @TheCrownNetflix and flew in to pull out the winning ticket in our fortnightly draw last night!

To enter click: https://t.co/PzalkAxTkm @GAA__JOE @ExaminerSport pic.twitter.com/IS5qjA7vF7  Glin GAA (@GlinGAA) December 28, 2021

Catherine and Dominic who also have a cottage in Wiltshire in the UK spend much of their free time in Glin and are a very popular couple in the locality. Dominic and his family spent the afternoon of Christmas Eve enjoying the fresh air at Ballybunion Beach.

Last month it was revealed that the couples teenage son Senan West is set to star in the Netflix hit series The Crown.

The 13-year-old who was with his family in Glin for the holidays has been cast as Prince William in the fifth series of the historical drama.

Dominic plays the role of his father Prince Charles.

Catherine and Dominic tied the knot in Glin in 2010 with many stars from the hit HBO series The Wire - which Dominic starred in as Baltimore police detective Jimmy McNulty - in attendance.
Scientists have found that a tug of war goes on between genes inherited from the mother and father in the womb, revealing that the battle of the sexes begins before birth.

The foetus uses a hormonal signal to control its supply of nutrients from the placenta, said scientists from the University of Cambridge. As it grows in size, it has to communicate its need for more nutrients to its mother, receiving nutrition via blood vessels in the placenta.

In a study of genetically-engineered embryonic mice, published today in Developmental Cell, the scientists found that the foetus produces the signal, known as IGF2, to encourage the growth of blood vessels in the placenta, and that this involves a tug of war between genes inherited from the mother and father.

While only the copy of IGF2 inherited from the father is active, a maternally expressed gene acts to counterbalance the additional demands for food made by IGF2.

Lead author, Dr Miguel Constancia, said: One theory about imprinted genes is that paternally-expressed genes are greedy and selfish. They want to extract the most resources as possible from the mother.

But maternally-expressed genes act as countermeasures to balance these demands.

In our study, the fathers gene drives the foetuss demands for larger blood vessels and more nutrients, while the mothers gene in the placenta tries to control how much nourishment she provides.

Theres a tug-of-war taking place, a battle of the sexes at the level of the genome.

Dr Ionel Sandovici, the papers first author, said: As it grows in the womb, the foetus needs food from its mum, and healthy blood vessels in the placenta are essential to help it get the correct amount of nutrients it needs.

Weve identified one way that the foetus uses to communicate with the placenta to prompt the correct expansion of these blood vessels.

When this communication breaks down, the blood vessels dont develop properly and the baby will struggle to get all the food it needs.

The team found that IGF2 reaches the placenta through the umbilical cord, with levels of IGF2 in humans increasing progressively from 29 weeks to full term.

With too much IGF2, there will be excessive growth, while too little is associated with poor growth, both linked to health complications.

The response of blood vessels in the placenta to IGF2 in mice is mediated by the protein IGF2R. Genes that produce IGF2 and IGF2R are imprinted, with molecular switches that identify their parental origin, and these can switch them on or off.

Only the copy of IGF2 inherited from the father is active, while only the copy of IGF2R inherited from the mother is active.

The team said the study would help improve understanding of how the foetus, placenta and mother communicate during pregnancy, which could lead to new ways of using medication to normalise IGF2 levels.
A MAJOR infrastructure project that will see a new bridge built across part of the River Shannon has received the green light.

Tipperary County Council has announced that approval has been granted by the Department of Transport to Clare County Council to award the contract for the Killaloe Bypass, Shannon Crossing and R494 Road Improvement project to John Sisk & Sons (Holdings) Ltd.

The contract value is 43.7-million plus VAT and the scheme will include a cycle lane over its entire length.

The Project Team for this scheme consisting of Clare County Council, Tipperary County Council, Department of Transport and scheme consultants, RPS Consulting Engineers have been progressing the delivery of this important piece of infrastructure for the Mid-West over the past number of years.

Michael OMeara, Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District said: This is fantastic news for Ballina/Killaloe and the wider North Tipperary/East Clare area. It will get rid of the long-standing queues at the old bridge and improve the quality of life in the twin towns and allow them achieve their full potential as a premier destination in Irelands Hidden Heartlands".

Marcus OConnor, Director of Services, Tipperary County Council said: We have been working on this scheme with our colleagues in Clare County Council and the Department of Transport for over 15 years. It was a long haul but certainly worth it. Its one of the biggest non-national road schemes in the country and will have a transformative impact on Ballina and its hinterland."



The proposed Killaloe Bypass, Shannon Bridge Crossing and R494 Improvement Scheme will provide a western bypass of Killaloe, a new bridge crossing of the River Shannon and an upgrade of the existing R494 regional road from Ballina to the N7 at Bridhill.

The entire scheme is approximately 6.2km and will cross the River Shannon approximately 1km to the south of the existing Killaloe Bridge and will cross the Kilmastulla River (a tributary of the River Shannon and part of the Lower River Shannon SAC) on the R494.

The proposed scheme has been broken down into three sections as follows:

Killaloe Bypass: This part of the scheme aims to create a western bypass around the town of Killaloe which will connect the R463 to the north of town with the proposed Shannon Bridge Crossing section and R463 to the south of the town.

Shannon Bridge Crossing: This section of the scheme will cross the River Shannon approximately 1km south of the existing Killaloe Bridge and will connect the proposed Killaloe Bypass with the R494.

R494 Upgrade: This section will involve widening, regrading and local realignment of the R494 from its junction with the R496 and proposed Shannon Bridge Crossing south of Ballina, as far as the junction with the R445 (previously known as N7) north of Birdhill.
Old Poets: Reminiscences and Opinions

By Donald Hall

Godine. 296 pp. $27.95

- - -

It's impossible not to love "Old Poets: Reminiscences and Opinions," by Donald Hall, who died in 2018 at 89. This welcome new edition of a 1978 original - in which Hall recalls time spent with some of the biggest poetry-making guns of their day - is so rich, so packed with ideas and incident, any page reveals gold.

Hall hung with the heavies, starting young; this book supplies a deep-dish, insider tour. Do not skip his wry Introduction: "There is a minor tradition in literature . . . [that] derives from curiosity about writers we admire." Yes, we love gossip. We also love to quantify quality: "Surely superiority is an awkward idea, even oppressive; but so is death."

Love him yet? Press on.

Hall makes quick work of the eternal seesaw of literary reputations: "Writers with enormous followings in their own lifetimes go unread and unmentioned a generation later . . . [their] stock market prices declined" for "trivial reasons." In fact, "popularity always rises from sources partly silly, even when the poet is magnificent. . . . It is sensible to assume that the taste of our own moment will come to seem fatuous, including your taste and mine."

In these stellar lives, serenity's elusive. When T.S. Eliot confesses that no poet feels sure he's not wasting his time, Hall nods: "Maybe no one ambitious, in any line of work, dies with conviction of accomplishment." But "Old Poets'" elegiac essence is best nailed in Hall's remark about Eliot's impact in his time: "No one can assume the center of that stage as Eliot did: There is no longer such a stage."

Unrepentant passion blends here with droll worldliness: "If we devote our lives to poetry, and take our lives seriously, we must praise and denounce with equal ferocity. People who follow the notion that praise alone is acceptable . . . should sell Toyotas."

Hall was just 16 when he first glimpsed Robert Frost at Bread Loaf Writers' Conference: "His face was strong and blocky, his white hair thick and rough. He looked like granite . . . but gifted to walk and speak. . . . Merely seeing this man . . . allowed me to feel enlarged. My dreams for my own life, for my own aging into stone, took on reality." Hall came to know Frost - and all the icons here - through visits, interviews, outings. Each is ripely, penetratingly chronicled. About Frost, Hall corrects both hagiographers and vilifiers: "He was not simple. . . . He was vain . . . cruel . . . rivalrous . . . but he could also be generous and warm . . . possessed by guilt . . . by the craving for love and the necessity to reject love offered - and by desire for fame that no amount of celebrity could satisfy."

The roll-call: Frost, Dylan Thomas, Archibald MacLeish, Yvor Winters, Marianne Moore, Ezra Pound. Other stars weave through (William Carlos Williams, Adrienne Rich, etc.). I cannot overstate the pleasure of Hall's prose - supple, probing, funny; never sparing himself - as witness, interviewer, fan, enabler, editor, critic, philosopher. Of Frost's written introduction to an early Harvard collection, Hall notes the piece "did little dances among notions of poetry and growing older. The prose was typical of Frost in its eloquent tortuousness," and "dealt with his doubts by promenading them without calling them doubts. And oh, he could make a sentence; he could make a pun and turn his heel on it for a transition." Whereas a later Frost piece is "the work of an older man. As I read it now, it talks to me more than it used to talk."

Antics, grudges, career-wrangling - anguish - are voluptuously recounted, befitting a first-tier noticer. Hall must have taken fabulous notes. Consider what Moore served him for lunch:

"My tray held several little paper cups, the pleated kind used for cupcakes, which she employed as receptacles. In one there were several raisins, perhaps seven, and in another a clutch of Spanish peanuts. There was a cheese glass (from Kraft processed spread) half full of tomato juice. There was a glass dish that contained one quarter of a canned peach. There were three saltines and tinfoil-wrapped wedge of processed Swiss cheese . . . [and] a mound of Fritos."

Moore's (and the others') works are analyzed in sparkling depth: "The radical strangeness of her mind sponsored the originality of her poetry."

Hall trailed Thomas around Wales and England while Thomas drank himself sick - an unforgettable portrait. When Thomas told Hall he'd not mind dying, Hall asked why. "Just for the change," Thomas replied. Thomas also announced he'd resolved to write prose because there was more money in it. This stunned Hall: "It is melancholy to realize that he was talking about earning fifty dollars for a short story instead of twenty-five dollars for a poem. He could have done as well ferrying people across Carmarthen Bay. . . . Even if, when you grew up, you turned out to be Dylan Thomas, life could be neither simple nor easy nor happy."

Pound's story - painstakingly laid out; monstrous, generous, wretched - makes a sweeping finish. Released from St. Elizabeths Hospital (deemed mentally unfit to stand trial for antisemitic rants) in part through Frost's intervention, Pound reportedly sniffed that "it had taken Frost long enough." Pound may have been an ingrate, but the gratitude of generations will always be due Hall, for remembering. "Old Poets" is an indispensable jewel.

- - -

Joan Frank's newest novel is "The Outlook for Earthlings." Concurrent works are "Where You're All Going: Four Novellas" and "Try to Get Lost: Essays on Travel and Place."
BRUSSELS (AP)  In a setback for the Belgian government, an advisory body on Tuesday suspended a Cabinet-ordered closure of part of the cultural sector  saying that new coronavirus restrictions imposed on theaters are unreasonable.

Under new restrictions that took effect Sunday, movie houses, concert halls and art centers were ordered to shut their doors. Some stayed open in protest. The order came despite the assessment of the scientific committee advising the government that going to such places poses no extra risk to public health.

In an emergency procedure, the Council of State ruled that measures concerning theaters were not proportionate, and didn't provide enough motives to understand why going to cultural sector performance venues was particularly dangerous for public health.

The Council of State is an advisory body that has legal powers to overturn government decisions it considers unlawful.

The ruling came after a member of a production company launched an urgent appeal against the government decision to ensure that an end of year play could go ahead in suburban Brussels. Its expected to impact on the entire sector.

The minister for culture in Belgiums French-speaking region, Benedicte Linard, welcomed the verdict, and tweeted that the closure of theaters is lifted. Theres no point in waiting for a new (Council of State) ruling to reopen cinemas.

The ruling, which the Council of State described as provisional, came after representatives of Belgian actors, performers and cinema operators had criticized the governments decision, describing it as baseless, unfair and disproportionate.

After meeting Tuesday with those representatives, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told state broadcaster RTBF that theres no possibility to immediately revise the (governments) decision.

Thousands of Belgian performers, cinema operators, event organizers and others rallied on Sunday in protest at the closure of the countrys cultural life to stem the spread of the surging omicron variant.

Events like Christmas markets are allowed to continue, despite their boisterous, and sometimes chaotic, mulled wine parties, while restaurants and bars are allowed to stay open with some new restrictions.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
Late Christmas shoppers this past week might have noticed something as they went out and about to shop in the final hours before Christmas this time around  many empty shelves and long lines of customers.

Although official data detailing how many sales occurred during the month of December and for the holiday shopping season will not be known until February  state retail sales tax reports are not released until 60 days after the time period  many people around the city have reported a major increase in visible traffic of shoppers this Christmas season. Many people credit the lessening strain of the pandemic and the reopening of the border for the increase.

The increase in shopping is not just a visible trend but also one supported by the previous months financial retail sales tax revenue showing that shopping in the Gateway City has increased dramatically compared to last year and has been having one of its best years in history.

Theres nothing on the shelves (anymore) in the stores, and whatever is left is the last things many people didnt want to gift, said local Claudia Trevino.

Trevino states that she had been going to the stores in the mid-part of the week for her last Christmas shopping runs but did not find anything suitable for gifting, as she states that most of the stores were low on products and also there were many other customers still shopping. She states that she shopped all the way into late Christmas Eve in an effort to be able to get all the gifts that she wanted.

I honestly thought I would not be able to find anything good, but I am glad that I did even though it was last minute, Trevino said. However, knowing that this is how it will get once there is no pandemic, I plan to begin shopping earlier next year close to Black Friday in effort to not be faced with this dilemma. Although I always say this every year, I bet that I will be doing Christmas shopping all late again when the time comes.

Some people state that the border reopening has caused for more Christmas sales to be increasing this year compared to previous years.

Sylvia Giselle De La Cruz, who frequently travels into Nuevo Laredo to be with her family and shop, states that she has noticed longer lines than previous years Decembers as it seems to her that more paisanos are crossing this time.

De La Cruz states that she has noticed many paisanos, and not just Mexican nationals, buying in local stores to take products into the country in efforts to buy gifts for their families in Mexico. This shows why more stores might have seen an increase in Christmas sales.

The fact that the bridges are open is another reason why more sales have occurred during this Christmas season, David Lopez said. This is seen as all the major retailers that are frequented by people from Mexico and elsewhere are full of people and empty shelves such as Ross, Burlington and the mall.

According to Lopez, who traveled recently all the way to Houston to go and shop at the outlet stores in that city as well, he states that all stores over there seem to be running low on several products, which shows how the shopping season is in full swing.

Lopez states that he saw many people in stores take carts full of clothes and electronics, and even people asking for products to be shipped to their homes amid all of the shopping going on. In fact, he states that he recently went to a local electronic store and was told that his gift will not be arriving until early January due to the huge demand for several electronic items as gift ideas for this holiday shopping season.

I will honestly just be giving out a Christmas present box with a paper showing the gift they will then get once the items arrived to their home, Lopez said. This shows that the economy is coming back to life after pretty much there was no major Christmas in 2020.

Another Laredoan states that he credits the increase in shopping sales to be correlated with the fact that more families ate getting together this year than the previous.

The reason why I believe that more Christmas shopping is being seen during this time of the year as well is that the pandemic has gone down a bit as well, and this has caused more people to come together and celebrate the holidays, Miguel Angel Borrego said.

Borrego states that he will finally get to see family he has not seen in close to two years, as they are finally gathering with older daily members and those who are more susceptible to the virus. He states that this Christmas season, he went all out to celebrate those around him.

Whatever the case is, Laredo has seen an increase in retail shopping in recent months. And many state that Christmas shopping has visibility increased compared to last year, as this is a Christmas gift in itself as it means a better economy for the future.

I think that the economy is recovering, although the pandemic is still not over, and I think that we will see this continue as we see that now in Christmas people are either ready to go back to normal and gathering together or not being afraid anymore of the virus, as they already miss having one another side-to-side, Trevino said. This Christmas, the bettering economy is a gift to all of us.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP)  A truck driver sentenced to 110 years for an explosive crash that killed four people in suburban Denver moved a step closer Monday to potentially having his prison term reduced.

Judge Bruce Jones scheduled a hearing for Jan. 13 to reconsider Rogel Aguilera-Mederos' sentence following widespread outrage over the severity of his punishment and an unusual request by prosecutors to revisit the matter.

During a virtual hearing to discuss the request, one of Aguilera-Mederos lawyers, James Colgan, said the defense needed some time to do research to see if there were any similar cases that could help guide its approach.

Jones said he wanted to learn more about whether the law that allowed him to reconsider the sentence gave him discretion to set whatever sentence he wanted.

He said victims would be able to speak at the in-person hearing about whether Aguilera-Mederos should be resentenced. But he noted he did not want them to go through that stress unless they wished to.

I am a captive audience if they want to speak to me, he said.

Around 5 million people have signed an online petition seeking clemency for Aguilera-Mederos. In addition to the prosecution's request to lower the sentence, Aguilera-Mederos has requested clemency from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Last week, District Attorney Alexis King said in a statement she would seek a term of 20 to 30 years in the 2019 wreck on Interstate 70 west of Denver. She said that sentencing range reflects an appropriate outcome for Aguilera-Mederos' conduct, noting that the crash was not an accident.

After Monday's hearing, King said her office made the reconsideration request to give the court the ability to impose a sentence not bound by the state's mandatory sentencing laws. She said the judge, knowing the case well, was in the best position to decide a new sentence and urged people to be patient as the court process plays out.

Jones imposed the 110-year sentence against Aguilera-Mederos on Dec. 13 after finding it was the mandatory minimum term set forth under state law.

I will state that if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence, the judge said during the hearing.

Leonard Martinez, another lawyer for Aguilera-Mederos, has said the district attorney's new requested sentencing range is not consistent with similar cases in Colorado and the United States.

Colorado law allows for sentences for crimes deemed violent to be modified in cases with unusual and extenuating circumstances, but those sentences cannot take effect until 119 days after a person enters prison. King and defense lawyers believe Jones can impose a new, reduced sentence before that and have it take effect later.

Aguilera-Mederos testified that he was hauling lumber when the brakes on his semitrailer failed as he was descending a steep grade of Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountain foothills on April 25, 2019. His truck plowed into vehicles that had slowed because of another wreck, setting off a chain-reaction wreck and a fireball that consumed vehicles and melted parts of the highway.

He wept as he apologized to the victims families at his Dec. 13 sentencing.

"When I look at my charges, we are talking about a murderer, which is not me, he said. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life.

Prosecutors argued he should have used a runaway ramp designed for such situations. Aguilera-Mederos, for his part, said he was struggling to avoid traffic and trying to shift to slow down.

The crash killed 24-year-old Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 67-year-old William Bailey, 61-year-old Doyle Harrison and 69-year-old Stanley Politano. Relatives of victims supported at least some prison time at his sentencing hearing.
The Washingtons Birthday Celebration Association selected outstanding community individuals to lead its parades this week. Also to be honored by the IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars are Laredos first responders. The theme for this years parade is To Future Generations.

IBC Bank is in its 25th anniversary as a sponsor for the Youth Parade Under the Stars, and the 2022 parade will be taking place Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. starting at the Laredo Civic Center. Representing the citys first responders will be the Laredo Police Department, the Laredo Metro Fire Department and the Webb County Sheriffs Office.

Sheriff Martin Cuellar shared with Laredo Morning Times his sentiments on being chosen as an honoree for the upcoming 2022 Youth Parade.

I feel extremely honored and humbled to have been selected as the 2022 WBCA Youth Parade Marshal along with Laredo Police Chief Claudio Trevino and Laredo Fire Chief Guillermo Heard, he said. I thank WBCA for their selection, as we all know the tribulations that first responders faced and continue to endure in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I am very proud of our men and women of the Sheriffs Office who never skipped a beat, all in an effort to continuously keep the community protected and safeguarded.

One agency cannot do it by themselves. We work together and we get the job done.

Cuellar also thanked his staff and attendants for everything they have done for the Sheriffs Department.

During the announcement of the parade marshals, Chiefs of the Laredo Police Department and Laredo Fire Department also shared a few words on their sentiments on this invitation to represent all Laredos First Responders in the upcoming parade.

This job is not a one-man job. We have a great partnership here in the community, law enforcement, first responders  we step up. Our officers, our deputies, our firefighters, they step up to the challenge and they have proven that over the last few months, Laredo Police Chief Claudio Trevino said. 1997 was the first time I put on a uniform for one of these parades, and 25 years later here I am leading the department and leading the men and women of the Laredo Police Department. The WBCA Grand Parade and the Youth Parade is part of us, is part of what the Laredo Police Department does so skipping it was a challenge. Now that were back, were going to represent Laredo proudly, were going to put on the uniform and were going to be in every corner.

This week is when we got our first vaccines last year. We werent able to do this last year, Laredo Fire Department Chief Guillermo Heard said. I remember March of 2021 when I talked to our firefighters, our first responders, and I told them, The pandemic is officially in our city, you have to go out there and protect our community, some difficult talks but they stepped up, they said OK chief, tell us where we go because people are still going to need us.  Its good where were at now that we can celebrate, but its not over yet. Unfortunately, our department is hurting, were still having loss within our community.

Im just the chief, but they are the ones that are actually out there on the front lines, all the first responders.

The IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars serves as a prelude to the Anheuser-Busch Washingtons Birthday Parade. On the day of the parade, the Parade Marshals and their units will lead more than 150 entries that participate in this event each year, shared the WBCA office. This will honor and pay tribute to a multitude of heroes who continuously shine the brightest during Laredo/Webb Countys darkest hours.

IBC Bank is proud to be celebrating 25 years as sponsor of the Youth Parade Under the Stars and what better way to commemorate this anniversary than to have our First Responders as Parade Marshals? The brave men and women who protect us on a daily basis deserve this tribute and much more. This is a great way to say thank you and we are proud of you. This is a special year indeed, Senior Vice-President of IBC Gabriel Castillo said.

Its really an honor to be part of these festivities, Fernando Montemayor from IBC Bank said. Its always been very important for IBC to give back to the community, and I think that after the last year and a half, we can all agree that the community really needs this, so were really excited on whats to come and were really proud to be a part of this great organization, this great event.

cecilia.trevino@lmtonline.com

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The U.S. Border Patrol announced on Monday that a man with a previous Capital Murder of a Police Officer or Fireman charge was captured on Christmas.

Hilario Rios Garcia was arrested on Dec. 25 during the evening hours by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
A "significant" increase in the number of foreign nationals seeking asylum in Ireland has been observed by the government, according to one Minister.

The Irish Times recently reported that Green Party TD and Minister for Equality Roderic O Gorman has said that the number of people seeking international protection under the Direct Provision (DP) system has returned to pre-pandemic levels in recent months.

Last month, 333 people applied for protection in the State, up from 44 in 2020, while last year, just 60 people per month applied for international protection in 2020.

From July of this year the average is 241 per month, returning towards the pre-pandemic average of 320 per month.

It is also understood that the number of applicants in November was the highest since 2015.

Commenting on the figures, Minister O' Gorman said: "[Due to] the greater openness on international transport and international travel, it seems more and more people being able to access the State and seek international protection."

He further said that while the new figures "pose a challenge" in terms of DP accommodation, the govt is hoping to undertake a significant new tendering process to provide better accommodation in January next.

The Dublin-West politician added: "[This will] also allow for the accommodation of additional people seeking international protection."

In related news, The Irish Times two weeks ago reported that 29 people have died in DP since 2016.
The former head of a well-known US-based charity earned over 550,000 for just five months work.

David Cronin was paid $645,107 (569,661) for five months work with the American Ireland Fund (AIF) last year, according to new documentation lodged by the philanthropic organisation with the US tax authorities.

The Killarney native joined the charity as its Chief Executive and President in June 2019, but later stepped down from his role as chief executive and president of the AIF in May of last year, citing family reasons.

Mr Cronin was replaced at AIF by Ms Caitriona Fottrell, who was paid $237,274 for the year.

This payment which was mainly made up of base pay of $211,414.

The Irish Independent has reported that this package includes a severance pay-out of $275,004, according to the documentation, and a bonus of $70,000.

Mr Cronins base pay totalled $286,767 and he also received $13,336 in non-taxable benefits.

The newspaper also confirmed that Mr Cronins 2020 pay followed a pay package from June to the end of December 2019 of $345,522.

Commenting on the news, a spokesperson for the AIF said that Mr Cronin's severance payment was "pursuant to Mr Cronins employment contract, which was subject to review and approval by the Compensation Committee of the Board, and included an analysis by an outside compensation consultant to benchmark with similar US non-government organisations (NGOs)/charity organisations."

The AIF was founded in 1976 by businessman and former INM boss Anthony OReilly in association with former US ambassador to Ireland, the late Dan Rooney.
The people of the wider community were saddened with the news of the death of Mr Jim Williamson, Main Street, Arva which occurred on Thursday, December 9 in St James Hospital, Dublin.

Born and raised in Arva, his parents were Ted MPSI and Eileen, and he lived all his life in the same home and was very much an Arva man.

Jim had a very successful Pharmacy following in the footsteps of his father but eventually sold his business and from then on worked freelance for many pharmacies in the surrounding counties with a lot of his time in Fosters Pharmacy, Arva.

This allowed Jim more time to spend on his great love of theatre and acting. He was an active member of a number of theatrical groups from he began his acting career with Carrigallen Community Players in the 1970s and later with the Corn Mill Theatre Group in which he was a founding member and lifelong supporter.

Later still Jim brought his considerable acting talents to groups such as the well know BeezNeez company and the Hacklers with whom he starred as Nagg in their famous production of Samuel Becketts Endgame, which he always regarded as his finest performance.

Fittingly, his final performance was back with the Corn Mill Theatre Group where he reprised a previous role as the Senator, in Philadelphia Here I Come.

He was a well know presence in the amateur drama world and made a lasting contribution to amateur drama in Ireland.

Jim had many other interests and for a long time car rallying was to the fore and for those who witnessed at first hand his interest in rallying and motorsport they have more than one or two memories of hair-raising moments with him.

Jim had a deep compassion for all of life, he was concerned for the care and welfare of all creatures.

Through his profession he was able to engage with and support people struggling with illnesses and he had a deep compassion and care for people struggling with alcohol dependency or suffering from mental health difficulties.

Jim took great pride in the achievements of his son Jack and he was so proud when Jack graduated with a Degree in Medicine earlier this year.

Jim reposed in Lakelands Funeral Home, Cavan and was taken from there to the Church of the Sacred Heart, Arva for Concelebrated Requiem Mass on Monday, December 13.

Rev Donald Hannon C.C. Arva was the Chief Celebrant assisted by Fr Charlie O Gorman P.P. Killeshandra and Fr John McMahon P.P. Carrigallen.

Before Mass his long-time friend Brendan Madden, Sessiagh, Carrigallen delivered a beautiful Eulogy to Jim which touched on many aspects of his life.

Following Mass Jims remains were taken to Lakelands Crematorium, Cavan for cremation. Fosters Pharmacy was closed for the Funeral Mass with all the staff members forming a Guard of Honour for their former colleague both before and after Mass.

Jim is survived by his son Jack, sister Patricia Barry, Longford Road, Arva, his ex-wife Maura, nieces, nephews, brother in law, extended family and many friends to all of whom we extend sincere sympathy.
(Alliance News) - England and Wales on Tuesday reported nearly 130,000 new coronavirus infections, a record daily tally as Omicron variant cases surge and the responses of the UK's four nations continue to diverge.

Authorities in London and Cardiff announced 129,471 new cases, while the devolved government in Scotland provisionally recorded 9,360 infections and Northern Ireland released no new data due to the Christmas holidays.

Recent weeks have seen daily cases cross the 100,000 threshold across the UK for the first time during the pandemic, as Omicron has become the dominant strain of Covid-19.

Britain is already among the worst hit countries in Europe with a virus death toll approaching 150,000.

Following the recent rise in infections, the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have each introduced renewed curbs on hospitality and bigger social gatherings.A

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has responsibility for health policy in England only, has so far decided against following suit with tougher restrictions there.

Under pressure from within his own ruling Conservatives not to enact new rules, he has focused on ramping up the country's vaccine booster programme.

Nearly 33 million third doses had been administered by Tuesday, as officials race to meet a target of offering a booster jab to all adults by the end of the month.

Despite Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast all implementing their new curbs this week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Monday no further English rules will be rolled out before the New Year.

He vowed ministers would keep the latest data under constant review.

However, the lack of new measures goes against the advice of the government's own scientific advisers, with some experts warning it could lead to the state-run health service being overwhelmed early in 2022.

Hospital admission rates are on the rise, particularly in London a which has been hardest hit by Omicron a where they are up 53% week-on-week.

But they remain below the levels seen at the peak of the pandemic in January.

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - A South African court on Tuesday banned Royal Dutch Shell PLC from conducting energy exploration using seismic waves off a touristic stretch of coastline, a victory for environmentalists concerned about the impact on marine wildlife.A

The High Court in Makhanda ruled that Shell was "hereby interdicted from undertaking seismic survey operations" in a case brought by conservation groups.

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
At the end of any year, it is customary to look back and attempt to put the events of said year into some sort of perspective. For many media outlets, this is usually done by compiling a Best of list or Top stories list that recaps or ranks the major headlines of the year.

With this in mind, Teena Kracht (compiler of all things 100 Years Ago) and myself decided to assemble a list of the top stories/major headlines that made news in Manistee in 1921. We at the museum wish everyone a very Happy New Year as we look forward to seeing Teena in 2022 and in 1922.

Without any further ado, here are the top headlines that made up 1921 in Manistee:

Ruggles & Rademaker begins construction

By the early summer of 1921, it was announced that Charles Ruggles and John Rademakers joint industrial venture, the Ruggles and Rademaker Salt Plant, was becoming a reality. This provided the Manistee area with a much needed shot in the arm for area industry as the once lucrative logging era was all but discontinued by this point in time. The new salt plant was eventually constructed in the same area where the Buckley and Douglas Lumber Co. had been located. Ruggles, a former silent partner in that business which was destroyed by fire the previous year, had purchased the properties of the Buckley and Douglas firm at an auction in October 1920.

City charter amendment

After much discussion, the ongoing issue of a new city charter was finally seeing the light of day. On November 10, 1921 it was reported in the Manistee News Advocate that the city commission came to a decision on the matter:

The proposed new city charter, after six months of sincere study and painstaking labor devoted to it by nine commissioners chosen at the April election to revise the former unsatisfactory draft, is ready for submission.

In the regular order of procedure it will be presented to the council at its next session, then to the governor and attorney general for approval, after which it will be published ...

The principal change in the revised draft is the number of commissioners and the manner of their choice ... .

Passings of pioneer residents

In 1921, several pioneer residents of Manistee passed away including lumbermen E. Golden Filer, and local businessmen Joseph Broadhead and William Brownrigg.

Of Mr. Filer, the April 13, 1921 issue of the News Advocate stated: Mr. Filer was a many-sided man, whose business talents did not dull his social gifts. Through 68 years he shared his joys and sorrows of Manistee while he worked quietly but effectively as the principal instrument in its evolution from virgin forest to a proud modern city.

Regarding Mr. Broadhead, the Jan. 31, 1921 issue of the News Advocate reported:

In February 1880, Mr. Broadhead came to Manistee ... The first saw made in Manistee out of raw steel was made in the Batty & Broadhead shop on First Street.

Besides supplying nearly all of the large Manistee mills (Mr. Broadheads concern, the Manistee Saw Works) had a large outside business and shipped saws to almost every point in Michigan and Wisconsin where the saw mill business was extensively carried on.

On Dec. 10, 1921 the News Advocate said of the well-regarded local contractor:

As a pioneer he took part in the building of the city, contributing to its civic and industrial growth. He drove the first team down Reitzs hill when, as a stage-driver between Manistee and Ludington, he plowed a track down that hill. Later he built the first pavement, one of cedar blocks, and lived to ride up the asphalt pavement by automobile.

He was a city and government contractor, being responsible for the planning of the first sewage system of the city. He built the government piers at Ludington, Onekama and Manistee.

Orchard Beach State Park

In March of 1921 it was officially announced that the popular resort, Orchard Beach had become the property of the Michigan State Park Commission, thus becoming known as Orchard Beach State Park.

Pvt. McCary returns

In late March of 1921, the body of the first Manistee County soldier to have been killed in action during the Great War was brought back home. The News Advocate reported that:

 ... (Pvt. McCary) enlisted the next day after the declaration of war ... He participated in the first American offensive at Cantigny, as a member of the one-pounder platoon. It was while in operation of this gun that he was killed by a machine gun bullet, May 28, 1918.

The family, who had moved to Battle Creek, arranged to have Pvt. McCarys remains buried there.

Its interesting to note that the news of Pvt. McCarys remains returning home was reported in the News Advocate on page 3 seemingly suggesting that the Great War, and the soliders who had served during it, were not big news anymore.

Successful extension of First Street

In the summer of 1920, west First Street was cleaned up, paved and extended to the beach in turn allowing people (and their automobiles) the opportunity to partake in leisure activities on summer days. By doing this, visitors passing through, resorters that were here for a stay and locals alike could enjoy First Street Beach. In the July 11, 1921 issue of the News Advocate, the second year of the extensions success was noted:

The First Street extension ... is in its second year. Without question, it was one of the biggest improvements ever made to the citys system of streets. All one needs to do is to watch the auto and foot traffic that goes over this road every evening to be convinced that it has met the approval of practically all of the citys inhabitants.

Three years ago the region between the west end of First Street and the lake was a wide, unnegotiable expanse of sandhills. Few believed that it could ever be converted into even a good road. As one local citizen said the other day, I never thought the time would ever come when I could stand at the high school corner and see the lake at the end of First Street. It was the initiative of former City Manager P. H. Beauvais overcame the barrier of sand.

The possession of two such fine roadways is made more remarkable by the fact that only a few years ago they were absolutely impassable for automobiles. The only way to reach the lake was by boat or by foot, and it wasnt too easy going under foot, either.

Street railway

By mid-1921, the Manistee, Filer City and Eastlake Railway was permanently discontinued as its parent company went bankrupt. The railway had served the community since 1892. The finality of the company was discussed by the city commission in late August of 1921. An article published in the News Advocate on August 24, 1921 provides details:

Unless the Manistee Railway company finds a way to operate its line at a profit and thus change from its present attitude, Manistee for a certainty will lose its service.

The city commission, receiving an unacceptable proposition from Manager Kressler for the city to operate the line took no action whatsoever, which was sufficient to indicate the company could do as it chose.

After the contract was read in open council by City Clerk Graves, Mayor Rademaker asked for suggestions and opinions from the small gallery of visitors ... Ed. N. Turner, manager of the Iron Works ... replied that the loss of service would not seriously affect his plant ... Roy Overpack said he was in the same boat as Turner ... L. H. Peterson, manager of the shirt factory, said he was not interested in the manner of operation but in getting the girls of his plant to work ... Mayor Rademaker stated that it was his personal opinion that the commission has not the right to risk the peoples money in a thing of this kind. The city attorney and the commissioners concurred in this opinion ... .
MANISTEE COUNTY  The first words from Dr. Christine Nefcy, Chief Medical Officer of Munson Healthcare, summed up Tuesday's virtual press conference perfectly: "It's a mixed bag of news."

Munson has been offering a COVID-19 press conference nearly every Tuesday for months in order to provide information and answer questions from the media.

This week, Nefcy started off with the bad news first: Case rates across the state are rising again. The 14 day average for test positivity is at 18% but the seven-day average as of Dec. 26 is 26.3%.

Nefcy said the lower 14-day average is a better indicator of things to come over the long-term but the 7-day cumulative for average indicates where things are going in the more immediate future. She said that means that "for the state, it looks like the cases are rising and are likely to go up fairly quickly."

She said that Munson is preparing for another surge based on what is happening in the rest of the country, with the omicron variant taking over as the dominant strain. It is here in Michigan, but there is much stronger concentration "in the rest of the country, in certain pockets," Nefcy said.

She noted that in Region 7, which includes Manistee County and is the area Munson Healthcare serves, there is a 60.2% people have completed vaccination for a total of 255,137 people. That is better than the state of Michigan, which as a whole has a rate of 57.3% who have completed their vaccinations.

Nefcy said that among the vaccinated, the highest rate is found people 65 and older, and younger people and children are vaccinated at much lower rates. However, she also said, "We actually need quite a bit higher percentage rate of completed vaccinations to reach that community immunity."

Nefcy also talked about the omicron variant and noted the state has issued a recommendation that everyone should be wearing masks indoors.

"Part of what makes the omicron variant more contagious is that we think it's not spread by droplets but it's actually more aerosolized and airborne," Nefcy said. She said that masks are more important than ever and that people should be wearing masks that have two or more layers of breathable fabric and do not have any gaps.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the recommended isolation time for Americans who are infected with the coronavirus but have no symptoms. The CDC similarly shortened the amount of time people who have come into close contact with an infected person need to quarantine.

Dr. Wendy Herschenberger, Health Officer for Grand Traverse County, said during Tuesday's press conference that the CDC made this decision because the current iterations of COVID-19 are more likely to spread within the first two to three days of initial exposure or infection.

She noted that those who test positive for COVID-19 will need to isolate.

The CDC guidance for people who test positive is to stay home for five days. If one does not have symptoms have for five days, they can leave their homes but should wear a mask for an additional five days.

Herschenberger noted those who have been exposed to the virus who are unvaccinated and those who've had both shots of Pfizer or Moderna, or a single shot of J & J, will need to quarantine for five days and should continue to wear a mask for an additional five days. She said if one can't quarantine, wear a mask for 10 days. She said that the person should take a COVID-19 test on day 5.

Those who have received a booster shot and were exposed don't have to quarantine but should wear a mask for 10 days if they are around other people. They should also take a test on day 5, if possible.

Both Nefcy and Herschenberger noted that the new COVID-19 pills from Merck and Pfizer are for people who are not sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. They said that the same is true for the monoclonal antibodies.

Nefcy said Munson has a shortage of monoclonal antibodies, which reflects a national shortage. The Associated Press reported there is a national shortage that has been spurred by the omicron variant. Nefcy said the best solution to staying out of the hospital is to get vaccinated.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will lift travel restrictions imposed on eight African countries on December 31 because of the omicron variant coronavirus.

Biden administration officials repeatedly defended the move as an action to give the US more time to understand the variant and its spread.

"The travel restrictions imposed by that proclamation are no longer necessary to protect the public health," Biden said in the new proclamation.

The reopened borders include South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Esuatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique and Malawi.

The decision to close the borders was made on November 26 "out of prudence" after it became known that a new variant of the coronavirus, omicron, had been detected in South Africa, a White House spokesman had said.

The omicron variant threat

Biden noted that scientists have determined that people vaccinated against Covid-19 "are protected against severe disease and hospitalization from the Omicron variant." It also said that the variant is now in over 100 countries and is "prevalent" in the US, where cases have been rising for weeks.

The omicron variant set off alarm bells for many governments. South Africa is the country where this variant was registered for the first time, on November 22. Since then, the world has again been shaken by the threat of new infection waves.

The U.S. President ordered the restrictions in late November on the advice of his public health officials, cutting off most travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

The measures barred nearly all foreign nationals who had been "physically present" in the countries during the "14-day period preceding their entry, or attempted entry into the United States."

The only exemptions were U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and noncitizens who were spouses of citizens or permanent residents.
For anyone who loves watching Hollywood films, you cannot deny that Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone is truly one of the most remarkably versatile actors out there.



Be it her role in Birdman, La La Land, or many other movies, she can really play different characters pretty damn easily.

Emma also became pretty popular amongst moviegoers for her role in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man movies, which saw her star opposite Andrew Garfield, who she happened to date during the course of the movies.

 Sony Pictures

Now, with the success of Tom Holland's Spider-Man: No Way Home, there's been repeated calls for Andrew's The Amazing Spider-Man series to get a third movie, with the hashtag 'Make TASM 3' trending almost everywhere on social media at the moment.



 Sony Pictures

Fans have been calling for Emma to reprise her role as Gwen or come back as the female Spidey version of it in the movie if just in case, it is revamped somehow.



Now, while Emma is obviously in the news for this and for her performances of late, there was a time when the 33-year-old actress made a buzz for something very different.

Yep! Emma was reported to have an alleged sex tape, who she recorded with one of her ex-boyfriends.

And no. It wasn't with Andrew.

As per Radar Online, Emma had made the tape when she was younger, long before she dated Andrew, with the report stating that an insider said she "has a sex tape, and thats a fact.

According to the source, the tape actually still remains with the person she recorded it with.

She made it long before she started dating Andrew Garfield, and before she really became a household name. She was just young and probably thought nothing would ever come of it. The tape remains in the hands of the person she made it with, the source said.

The source also controversially reveals how the tape goes on to become more valuable.

But that doesnt mean theres any guarantee that it wont eventually hit the market. The higher Emmas star rises, the more valuable that tape becomes, said the source.

There have been plenty of sex tape scandals in Hollywood, with some of them even being leaked online by hackers in the past.

Source: Koimoi
What most of us have gotten to learn over the recent course of years is that even if we didn't grow up being into Batman, Spider-Man, or other such superheroes, it's never too late to actually join the club.



I mean, in all honesty, Marvel Studios as well as Warner Bros have made it a point to make the entire world superhero fans.

And guess what? The plan seems to work quite well till now.

There's been this crazy Spider-Man fever across the globe in the wake of the new Tom Holland pider-Man: No Way Home movie.

 Marvel Studios

And guess what? 2022 might have more such crazy superhero fevers! As it happens, Warner Bros have now released the new trailer for the Robert Pattinson Batman movie, and god! It looks just amazing!



 Warner Bros

Titled Bat And The Cat, the new Batman trailer features Robert as the new Batman alongside Zoe Kravitz's version of Catwoman.



Vengeance equals justice for both the Bat and the Cat. Watch the new trailer for The Batman now. Only in theaters March 4. #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/2WOHg74jbP  The Batman (@TheBatman) December 27, 2021

While we have loved Christian Bale and Ben Affleck as Batman in the recent past, it sure looks like Robert is going to do 'Justice' to the role as well.

First off, as the trailer goes on, we get to have a good look at what the new Bruce Wayne looks like. He's got a real Gothic thing going there, with long hair, and a sense of mystery around the character.

The trailer goes on to show that Batman, as well as Bruce Wayne, have a lot of history behind their characters and we might get to uncover just that when we end up watching the movie.

Secondly, Zoe's Catwoman looks to strike good chemistry with Robert's Batman, with the two already having quite a lot of scenes in the movie, as per the trailer.

 Warner Bros

Thirdly, Paul Dano's Riddler!



We've been seeing plenty of his riddles for Batman in the trailers before, and it feels that he's got something really big and dark planned for Gotham and what could be its Darkest Knight ever!

 Warner Bros

In the movie, we will get to see Riddler as well as the Penguin, with there being reports that Joker too might show up in the movie.



This really sets this up to be a very decent Batman movie.

Ah! To be a superhero fan on this planet right now!

The new Batman movie releases in theatres across the world in March of 2022.
Low-carbon nickel has come into focus while the battery industry develops and production ramps up. End-users are seeking supply agreements with producers who can offer low-carbon material to support the green credentials of their electric vehicles.There is growing anxiety within the industry that producers who meet strict environmental criteria may not be able to compete with low-cost, high-carbon intensity producers in areas such as Indonesia and the Philippines.Mining companies that operate in western jurisdictions or [western] scrutiny such as the [European Union] or North America are severely handicapped compared to mining companies that are able to operate under less onerous oversight, Giga Metals president and director Martin Vydra told Fastmarkets.We need global standards, that every country has to adopt for mining, Vydra added.

This is largely due to the high capital intensity required to meet environmental and sustainability targets, alongside higher labor costs in regions like Australia...
Fastmarkets polled Asian steelmakers and traders in the week ended Friday December 17 on their predictions for the year ahead, with most sources forecasting higher demand in many Asian markets, but with lower prices amid expectations of a weaker market environment in China.Sources said that regional demand in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea is likely to rise again in 2022, depending on progress with the Covid-19 pandemic.In South Korea, with the presidential election in 2022, the government wants economic growth to be going up, so construction output will not go down, a South Korean steelmaker source said on December 17. However, regarding prices next year, the key is China, he said.There will also be a presidential election in the Philippines in May of next year.

I can sense business will be improving in 2022 with new buildings [starting],...
AG Nessel Prepares for New Year with Look Back on 2021

AG Nessel Prepares for New Year with Look Back on 2021

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

December 28, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is sharing year-end highlights and previews as 2021 ends.

"Every single day, the dedicated people working for the Department of Attorney General remain focused on the important cases we handle, the consumers we protect and the clients we represent," Nessel said. "I am proud to serve alongside some of the hardest working people in state government. As 2022 approaches, it is my hope Michiganders can appreciate all that we've achieved this last year. My office will never stop fighting for the residents of this state."

Many of the big takeaways from the year are recapped in a one-page memo now available on the Department's website. The highlights and previews focus on consumer protection, law enforcement and notable civil litigation.

The memo notes Nessel has now saved ratepayers more than $1.8 billion since taking office. The most recent savings were announced Monday after MPSC ruled in a Consumers Energy rate case, which resulted in an 88% reduction from Consumers Energy's original request.

A dedicated three-person expungement team will join the Department in early 2022 to bolster ongoing efforts, which includes supporting expungement fairs. The Department's first-ever expungement fair was hosted in Flint in June. Nessel supported other events hosted in Muskegon, Kalamazoo and Detroit as well.

OTHER NOTABLE ACTIONS, CASES IN 2021

The registration process in two historic opioid settlements remains open. Late last week, the Jan. 2 deadline for eligible subdivisions was extended to Jan. 26. Direct payments are expected to begin as early as April 2022 and are dependent, in part, on participation.

In addition to securing an expected $800 million for Michigan in those settlements, Nessel's priority on combatting the opioid epidemic also resulted in a settlement with one of the world's largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Co. Michigan will receive more than $19.5 million from the settlement, which was announced in February as the first multistate opioid settlement to result in substantial payment to the states to address the crisis. Litigation against Walgreens, which is filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, remains ongoing.

As the vaccine rollout took shape, the Department closely monitored for scams and alerted Michiganders when bad actors tried to capitalize on the pandemic.

Thanks to a $500,000 allocation in the FY'22 budget, the Department is in the beginning stages of designing the Address Confidentiality Program. It will allow certain crime victims to apply for and receive a designated address to be used in place of their actual address. By law, the Department has two years to fully implement the program.

In addition to overseeing that important program, Nessel affirmed support for victims' privacy bills, which passed the House at the beginning of the month.

In November, Nessel joined Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist to unveil her Jobs Court proposal. The initiative was formulated to both reduce recidivism and address the current labor shortage.
Department of Attorney General, Michigan State Police Prevail in Employment Lawsuits

Department of Attorney General, Michigan State Police Prevail in Employment Lawsuits

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

December 28, 2021

LANSING - A federal judge granted summary judgement in three civil lawsuits filed by white male police officers against Michigan State Police (MSP), alleging that they were discriminated and retaliated against because of their race and gender, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Judge Robert J. Jonker dismissed the cases brought by Robert Hahn, Michael Caldwell and Michael McCormick in orders filed Monday.

The McCormick opinion notes, "In this case, Plaintiff Michael McCormick alleges he was passed over for the position of Post Commander in May 2019 in favor of a racial minority because of discriminatory and retaliatory animus due to his race, gender, and the complaints he had made in March 2018 after being passed over for a previous promotion in 2015. But it is uncontroverted that McCormick withdrew his application for Post Commander before it could be considered and his arguments for relief from this requirement of a prima facie case are unavailing. Moreover, McCormick admits he had an angry attitude and that this attitude affected his professional relationships, which is exactly the reasons superiors gave for concern about promoting him. This is fatal to any claim of pretext. Accordingly, and for the reasons set out more fully below, the Court grants the defense motion for summary judgment and dismisses this case."

The Hahn and Caldwell opinion states, "Plaintiffs plainly disagree as a policy matter with the priorities of the Michigan State Police. And at bottom, this is all they have shown. The main characters in this case are all white males. There is scant evidence that Director Gasper had any active involvement in Plaintiffs' disciplinary process. Moreover, Plaintiffs cannot point to a comparator to make out a prima facie case of reverse race and gender discrimination. Nor can they demonstrate the reasons underlying their respective disciplines were pretext for unlawful race and gender discrimination or that their discipline was retaliation for their complaints about the administration's diversity policies. Accordingly, for the reasons explained more fully below, the Court grants the defense motions and dismisses these two lawsuits."

"These dismissals are important not just for MSP's integrity as an employer, but for recognizing there is nothing inherently illegal about a diverse and inclusive work environment," Nessel said. "These suits were an attempt to undermine MSP's efforts to ensure the force properly represents the communities it serves. That doesn't amount to discrimination - it's responsible community policing. I appreciate that Judge Jonker's findings make clear the allegations laid out by these plaintiffs simply did not exist. I'm also proud of the AAGs who worked diligently to achieve this outcome for our client agency."

"This affirms what we have said from the beginning - the claims are false," MSP Director Col. Joe Gasper said. "There never was, or will be, employment, promotion, retention, or any other personnel practice decisions made motivated by bias or based on discrimination. We are pleased with this conclusion and remain committed to supporting a work environment with equal opportunity for all of our members."

You can read both opinions on the Department's website:
AG Nessel Helps Save Consumers Electric Customers Nearly $198 Million

AG Nessel Helps Save Consumers Electric Customers Nearly $198 Million

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

December 27, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's latest intervention in a rate case before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) contributed to an 88% reduction from Consumers Energy's original request.

MPSC's ruling in U-20963, issued Dec. 22, approved an annual increase of $27,118,00 in Consumers' electric rates. The original request, filed in March 2021, requested a $225 million increase, so the MPSC's decision represents a $197,882,000 reduction from the company's request.

For the average residential customer, this will represent an overall increase of approximately 0.64%, or $0.59 per month when new rates go into effect January 1, 2022.

Nessel's intervention and testimony argued that Consumers Energy would have a revenue sufficiency of approximately $20 million and should return money to ratepayers instead of seeking a rate increase. The Attorney General also argued against many of Consumers Energy's projections and expenses as unreasonable and not providing commensurate customer benefits.

"I commend the MPSC for recognizing Consumers' request was excessive and providing an order that properly addresses customer interests," Nessel said. "I will continue to advocate on behalf of Michigan consumers in cases where our utility companies seek to increase rates."

The order also incorporates the outcome from Consumers Energy's standalone electric and common utility plant depreciation case, U-20849. In that case Consumers sought an increase in depreciation rates of $42.9 million. Attorney General Nessel intervened in the case and found that depreciation rates should be decreased instead of increased and played a significant role in the parties reaching a settlement resulting in a decrease in depreciation rates of approximately $27.2 million.

MPSC's order also directs Consumers Energy to file additional information and support for areas of increased costs in future rate cases.

Consumers Energy Company, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, is headquartered in Jackson and serves approximately 1.9 million retail electric customers in the lower peninsula of Michigan.

Advocacy before the MPSC saved ratepayers $481 million in 2021, bringing the total saved since Attorney General Nessel took office to more than $1.8 billion.
Additional distribution, water available going into New Year's weekend to ensure City of Benton Harbor residents have access to water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 28, 2021

CONTACT: WuthC@michigan.gov

LANSING, Mich. - To ensure City of Benton Harbor residents have enough water for the holidays, additional hours for distribution have been added from 12 to 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31 at Benton Harbor High School.

Residents can get additional cases of water this week as distribution sites will not be open on New Year's Day. Additional quantities of water will be available during deliveries to the homebound or those without transportation to ensure availability. Self-serve water pick-up will not be available at Southwest Community Action Agency on Friday, Dec. 31.

To arrange water delivery to homebound or residents without transportation in the city of Benton Harbor, contact 211, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Phones that cannot contact 211 should contact 844-875-9211.

Free bottled water continues to be provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and local, paid residents as City of Benton Harbor residents are being encouraged to use bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, rinsing foods and mixing powdered infant formula. This action is part of an accelerated, across-the-board effort to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water while the city replaces all lead service lines.

Community volunteers from the following organizations available to assist City of Benton Harbor residents pick up water at Benton Harbor High School, 870 Colfax Avenue as follows:

Wednesday, Dec. 29

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Purpose Church Ministries

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from Purpose Church Ministries

Thursday, Dec. 30

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Ebenezer Baptist Church

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from Brotherhood of All Nations

Friday, Dec. 31 - NEW

12 - 3 p.m. - Volunteers from New Covenant Community Baptist Church and Purpose Church Ministries.

Sunday, Jan. 2

2 - 4 p.m. - Volunteers from Abundant Life C.O.G.I.C.

4 - 6 pm - Volunteers from Brotherhood of All Nations

Monday, Jan. 3

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Abundant Life C.O.G.I.C.

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from New Covenant Community Baptist Church

Tuesday, Jan. 4

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Abundant Life C.O.G.I.C.

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from Ebenezer Baptist Church

Wednesday, Jan. 5

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Purpose Church Ministries

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from Purpose Church Ministries

Thursday, Jan. 6

12 - 2 p.m. - Volunteers from Ebenezer Baptist Church

4 - 6 p.m. - Volunteers from Brotherhood of of All Nations

Southwest Community Action Agency, 331 Miller Street, will host self-serve water pickup as follows:

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 6, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Additional dates and locations for bottled water pick up will be added to make sure community needs are met. Information will be posted on Michigan.gov/MiLeadSafe.

The ongoing response in Benton Harbor includes the city, Berrien County Health Department, local community organizations, MDHHS and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

MDHHS is engaging in a long-term effort to eliminate lead action level exceedances, educate communities on the effects of lead in drinking water, and remove lead service lines. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for the replacement of lead service lines in Benton Harbor in 18 months and the Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration has provided just under $20 million to Benton Harbor to speed up their service line replacement timeline.

There is no cost to City of Benton Harbor residents for lead service line replacement. To assist with assuring the work can be completed as soon as possible, residents are encouraged to complete the Water Service Line Replacement Agreement available online. Contractors cannot begin work on any property without property owner authorization. Completed forms can be returned to Abonmarche, 95 West Main Street, Benton Harbor, MI 49022 or emailed to bvasher@abonmarche.com.

These efforts also include recently approved funds to remove lead from homes in the city. Families living in Benton Harbor can apply for this service by filling out and mailing in an application that is available online. Residents also can call 866-691-5323 to obtain information.

For questions about lead, MDHHS can be reached at 866-691-5323 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

# # #
AG Nessel Shares Giving Reminders Following Oxford High School Tragedy

AG Nessel Shares Giving Reminders Following Oxford High School Tragedy

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

December 2, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is sharing information surrounding fundraising scams as tragedies such as the deadly shooting at Oxford High School can, sadly, attract bad actors.

"Thankfully thus far, our department has not received any reports of potentially fraudulent behavior surrounding opportunities to show support for the victims and the community of Oxford," Nessel said. "We know that, unfortunately, that could change and there may be attempts to profit from this tragedy. My office stands ready to pursue bad actors and we urge Michiganders to report any suspected instances of fraud."

Nessel is reissuing her Crowdfunding for Donations Consumer Alert to equip generous individuals with the tools needed to donate wisely.

Here are some questions to consider before donating:

Is it someone that you know? Is it someone that you trust? Is the amount being raised reasonable or does it seem excessive?

When giving to an individual, it can be difficult to know for sure that the recipient will use your donation as you intend it to be used. Use your best judgment; if in doubt, don't donate.

If the fundraiser is using a crowdfunding platform such as GoFundMe, take note of the description and organizer. If the organizer claims to be connected to the recipient, you can verify by searching their name online and on social media. Often other posts from the person will be public and can help verify authenticity.

Additionally, news articles will often feature verified fundraisers; lean on those if you're looking to give during times of community tragedy.

The Department provides a library of resources for consumers to review anytime on a variety of topics.

Your connection to consumer protection is just a click or phone call away. Consumer complaints can be filed online at the Attorney General's website, or if you have questions call 877-765-8388.

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Jobless Benefits Recipients Can Receive 1099-G Tax Form Electronically or By Mail

Jobless Benefits Recipients Can Receive 1099-G Tax Form Electronically or By Mail

December 28, 2021

Deadline to Choose Online Option is Jan. 2, 2022

As tax season approaches, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) offers those who have received jobless benefits this year two ways to receive a copy of their 1099-G tax form: electronically or by mail.

Unemployment benefits are taxable, so any unemployment compensation received this year must be reported on tax returns. If you received jobless benefits in 2021, you will receive Form 1099-G Certain Government Payments as proof of income.

Claimants have until Jan. 2, 2022, to request an electronic version of their 1099-G through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). Your statement will be available to view or download by mid-January. Here's how to access it online:

Go to the "I Want To" heading in MiWAM.

Click on the "1099-G" link.

Click on the 1099-G letter for the 2021 tax year.

Those who do not request an electronic 1099-G will have a copy sent to them through the U.S. postal mail.

UIA's Your 1099-G Tax Form webpage answers key questions claimants may have.

According to the Michigan Department of Treasury, individuals who are eligible for unemployment tax treatment due to the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and have yet to adjust their 2020 state individual income tax return are encouraged to file their amended returns as soon as possible. An amended state tax return could reduce the amount of tax owed or provide a tax refund for state individual income taxes.

Those who have received jobless benefits under the federal American Rescue Plan Act may qualify for some relief from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Claimants with questions about their accounts can call UIA Customer Service at 1-866-500-0017, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; employers can call 1-855-484-2636. For more information, go to Michigan.gov/UIA.
Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill to Address Substitute Teacher Shortage, Other Legislation

Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill to Address Substitute Teacher Shortage, Other Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 27, 2021

Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill to Address Substitute Teacher Shortage, Other Legislation

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 4294 to address the substitute teacher shortage, helping keep schools open and students learning in person. House Bill 4294 would temporarily allow trusted staff members such as secretaries, paraprofessionals, and others to work as substitute teachers until the end of the current school year.

"Making sure every child in Michigan has access to a high-quality public education is my top priority, which is why this year we made the largest investment in K-12 public schools in Michigan history without raising taxes," said Governor Whitmer. "The pandemic has been challenging for our children, teachers, and parents, and our educators have gone above and beyond to ensure Michigan's children have a bright future. Allowing schools to employ school staff that students know as substitute teachers will help keep school doors open and students learning in the classroom the rest of the school year. I am committed to working with the legislature to develop high-quality solutions to address these staff shortages long-term so that we can ensure that every child is able to access a quality education."

"Michigan already faced a severe educator shortage prior to the coronavirus pandemic", said Paul Liabenow, Executive Director of the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA). "The pandemic has only exacerbated that shortage by further hindering school districts' abilities to fill vacant positions and keep buildings open, placing undue stress on educators already working tirelessly every day to ensure all students in Michigan receive quality, in-person instruction. House Bill 4294 will provide districts with additional flexibility to fill substitute teaching vacancies so students can continue to learn in a safe, supportive environment. On behalf of educational leaders throughout Michigan, we want to thank Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Representative Brad Paquette for their continued advocacy on behalf of educators and students throughout Michigan."

House Bill 4294 will temporarily allow schools to employ an individual without certification who already works at the school to substitute teach through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. House Bill 4294 will keep schools open and students learning in person.

House Bill 4294 was sponsored by Rep. Brad Paquette, R - Niles, and a copy can be found here.

View the governor's signing statement here:

Addressing the Truck Driver, Health Professionals Shortage

House Bill 4787 waives the knowledge test required for a commercial driver license for an individual with military motor vehicle experience, honoring the skills developed during military service and helping to address the truck driver shortage.

"This bill will help UP and Michigan veterans transition to civilian life by shortening the process to obtain a CDL," said Rep. Gregory Markkanen, R-Hancock. "I am proud to see it become law."

House Bill 4787 was sponsored by Rep. Gregory Markkanen, R-Hancock, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 759 amends the Public Health Code to allow qualified individuals authorized to practice a health profession in another state to practice in Michigan during an epidemic under certain circumstances, bolstering Michigan's access to mobile medical professionals to help weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Bill 759 was sponsored by Sen. Curt VanderWall, R - Ludington, and a copy can be found here.

Bottle Bill Enforcement Fund

House Bill 4780, 4781, 4782 and 4783 amends the beverage container deposit law to create the Bottle Bill Enforcement Fund by taking the first $1 million from unclaimed bottle refunds to allow MSP to run a grant program for local law enforcement to prevent, investigate, and prosecute bottle fraud.

House Bill 4780 was sponsored by Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4781 was sponsored by Rep. Andrew Fink, R - Adams Twp., and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4782 was sponsored by Rep. Tim Sneller, D - Burton, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4783 was sponsored by Rep. Tyrone Carter, D - Detroit, and a copy can be found here.

Voting Equipment Maintenance

House Bill 4282, 4283, 4284, and 4295 amends the Michigan Election Law to make the $100 candidate filing fees nonrefundable for primary elections and directs that money to local governments to be used only for the purchase and maintenance of voting equipment.

"Most candidates didn't even realize that their $100 filing fee could possibly be returned to them," said Rep. Terry Sabo, D - Muskegon. "These bills remove that refund and make the jobs of our local clerks easier, while still allowing candidates the choice of gathering the signatures required or paying a now non-refundable filing fee."

House Bill 4282 was sponsored by Rep. Julie Calley, R - Portland, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4283 was sponsored by Rep. Terry Sabo, D - Muskegon, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4284 was sponsored by Rep. Matt Koleszar, D - Plymouth, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 4285 was sponsored by Rep. Ann Bollin, R - Brighton, and a copy can be found here.

Redistricting Commission

Senate Bill 728 amends the Open Meetings Act to clarify that the act does not permit the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) to meet in a closed session for any purpose.

Senate Bill 728 was sponsored by Sen. Ed McBroom, R - Vulcan, and a copy can be found here.

Jail Diversion Fund

Senate Bill 637 creates the community crisis response grant program, in accordance with the recommendations of Governor Whitmer's Mental Health Diversion Council. Under the new law, DHHS will distribute grants to local units to establish or expand community-based mobile crisis intervention services, giving priority to applications that demonstrate a commitment to best practices as identified by DHHS in coordination with the council.

"We must change how we respond to behavioral health emergencies -- so that we get people the help they need in times of crisis," said Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit. "Having more behavioral health professionals respond on scene with law enforcement will make a big difference for many. I am so grateful to have partnered with Senator Outman and many groups over the past year and a half on these bills which will help direct people to services they need, improve public safety, and keep people out of jail that really need our support."

Senate Bill 637 was sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Chang, D - Detroit, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 638 creates the Jail Diversion Fund. DHHS will distribute grants to local units to establish or expand behavioral health jail diversion programs in coordination between community agencies and law enforcement agencies

Senate Bill 638 was sponsored by Sen. Rick Outman, R - Six Lakes, and a copy can be found here.

Other Legislation

Together, House Bills 5502, 5503, 5504, and 5505 streamline the process for qualified manufacturers to file for these exemptions and for the state to review them.

House Bill 5502 was sponsored by Rep. Mark Tisdel, R - Rochester, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 5503 was sponsored by Rep. Diana Farrington, R - Utica, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 5504 was sponsored by Rep. Julie Calley, R - Portland, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 5505 was sponsored by Rep. Mary Cavanagh, R - Redford, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 5351 would amend the General Property Tax Act to increase the value of the eligible manufacturing personal property exemption to $180,000, from $80,000. HB 5506 prohibits the issuance of a new industrial facilities exemption certificate for any property that qualifies as eligible manufacturing personal property.

House Bill 5506 was sponsored by Rep. Jim Ellison, D - Royal Oak, and a copy can be found here.

House Bill 5351 was sponsored by Rep. Steve Johnson, R - Wayland, and a copy can be found here.

Part of the economic development and small business assistance package signed last week, House Bill 4082 would limit the power of the State Administrative Board to use its power to transfer funds between line items to move money out of the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund created by 2021 PA 137, the Critical Industry Program created by 2021 PA 136, or the Michigan Strategic Site Readiness Program created by 2021 PA 134.

House Bill 4082 was sponsored by Rep. Ben Frederick, R - Owosso, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 723 would amend the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Act to allow an application for a neighborhood enterprise zone (NEZ) certificate to be filed after a building permit has been issued for the project, under specified circumstances.

Senate Bill 723 was sponsored by Sen. Ken Horn, R - Frankenmuth, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 764 would amend the Income Tax Act to allow a taxpayer, for tax years beginning 2021, to deduct wagering losses claimed by the taxpayer on their Federal income tax return for that tax year.

Senate Bill 764 was sponsored by Sen. Curtis Hertel, D - East Lansing, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 671 would amend the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act to expand the transformational brownfield program to allow combination with other community development incentives, simplify reporting requirements, extend the sunset to 2027. The transformational brownfield program was at the heart of Bedrock's redevelopment of Detroit's historic downtown Hudson's site and surrounding area, as well as the redevelopment of the Vicksburg Paper Mill.

Senate Bill 671 was sponsored by Senator Ken Horn, R - Frankenmuth, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 212 would amend the requirements for affidavits of identity in the Michigan Election Law. Currently under the act, candidates must file an affidavit of identity when filing a nominating petition, qualifying petition, filing fee, or affidavit of candidacy. The bill would add that a candidate must also include information about the jurisdiction, term, party affiliation, and other details.

Senate Bill 212 was sponsored by Senator Ruth Johnson, R - Holly, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 213 would amend the Older Michiganians Act to clarify and expand access to long-term care facilities for the long-term care ombudsman.

Senate Bill 213 was sponsored by Senator Kim LaSata, R - Coloma, and a copy can be found here.

Senate Bill 461 and Senate Bill 462 together would amend the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act to require as a condition for licensure that an applicant have a liability insurance policy meeting certain requirements and refer license applicants to the Marijuana Regulatory Agency instead of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board.

Senate Bill 461 was sponsored by Sen. Curt VanderWall, R - Ludington, Senate Bill 462 was sponsored by Sen. Paul Wojno, D - Warren, and copies can be found here and here.

Senate Bill 698 would extend to 2022 a provision in the General Property Tax Act that taxable property located on tax day in an alternate location because of the COVID-19 pandemic may not be assessed in that alternate location, but instead must be assessed in its ordinary location.

Senate Bill 698 was sponsored by Sen. Jim Runestad, R - White Lake, and a copy can be found here.

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Gov. Whitmer Celebrates Signing of National Defense Authorization Act, Putting Michigan's Service Members and Veterans First

Gov. Whitmer Celebrates Signing of National Defense Authorization Act, Putting Michigan's Service Members and Veterans First

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 28, 2021

Contact: Capt Andrew Layton, andrew.layton.1@us.af.mil

Gov. Whitmer Celebrates Signing of National Defense Authorization Act, Putting Michigan's Service Members and Veterans First

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer celebrated yesterday's signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 into law by President Joe Biden, which will directly support Michigan's defense sector economy and support our state's service members, veterans, and their families.

"Our country has long counted on Michigan to support our national defense, both through the dedicated service of the countless men and women serving in our armed forces and the innovative work being done through our well-established military and defense industries," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "The national defense bill signed into law by President Biden helps us put Michiganders first by providing for $144 million in military construction projects, increasing military pay and ensuring access to resources for transitioning service members, their families and the nearly 600,000 veterans that call Michigan home."

Included in the bill's provisions is nearly $144 million in investments for construction of new military facilities across Michigan: $28 million in upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, $23 million to support infrastructure at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena County, $16 million in facility improvements at Camp Grayling Maneuver Readiness Center in Crawford County and $10 million in facility improvements at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base in Calhoun County. Camp Grayling will also receive $5.7 million through the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program which will allow for the construction of a natural gas energy generation facility. The bill also provides $12 million to construct an Army Reserve Center in Southfield and $49.09 million for a new Naval Operations Support Center in Battle Creek.

"The projects and initiatives included in this year's NDAA are huge wins for our state. These investments will empower the next chapter of Michigan's long and meaningful history as a center of innovation for our country's national defense," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "I'd like to thank our entire congressional delegation and especially those members who serve on the House and Senate Armed Services committees for their work to secure these investments which will give the men and women of the Michigan National Guard the cutting-edge facilities they need to continue their incredible service to our communities, state and nation."

Throughout the committee process in both the House and Senate, the Whitmer administration remained engaged and in close coordination with those members serving on the Armed Services committees to ensure Michigan's needs were addressed. This coordinated effort through the state's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Governor's federal affairs team resulted in the successful inclusion of these construction projects and verbiage to ensure Michigan remains at the forefront of innovation and the future war fight.

In addition to the military construction investments, the bill also includes support for Michigan's defense and advanced technology sector to include: $5 million in funding to further research additive manufacturing as well as $7 million in funding for research into composite production practices. As Michigan is already home to extensive advanced vehicle system development, the bill also includes a provision that authorized the research and engineering of electric and alternative fuel vehicles. This funding will help ensure research and development for these vehicles is conducted in Michigan, helping to create good-paying jobs and keeping the state at the forefront of mobility.

Another critical component of the bill is language that prohibits the retirement of the A-10 Warthog fighter. The 107th Fighter Squadron, an A-10 Warthog squadron assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, will continue its mission into the next fiscal year.

"The national defense bill is critical to maintaining our competitiveness on the global stage - particularly as other nations, like the Chinese government, look to expand their influence," said Senator Gary Peters, a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I'm pleased this bipartisan bill was signed into law - which not only helps solidify the Department of Defense's commitment to Michigan - but provides a pay raise for servicemembers, helps address PFAS contamination and supports innovative military research and development that's happening in Michigan."

"The NDAA is key to protecting America's freedoms and provides our military the resources it needs to keep us safe. The 2021 NDAA includes a much needed raise for our troops, pushes back against Chinese and Russian aggression and contains several of my amendments to ensure Selfridge Air National Guard Base remains active for years to come. I'm thrilled the President signed this legislation," said Congresswoman Lisa McClain.

The NDAA also includes provisions to support service members, veterans and their families. The bill includes a 2.7 percent pay raise for both military service members and the civilian Department of Defense (DOD) workforce, a 3-year pilot program that enables TRI-CARE beneficiaries to receive their medications from an in-network, retail pharmacy rather than being required to obtain them from pharmacies at military bases or relying on the Postal Service and creates a basic needs allowance to help low-income military families put food on the table. Additional language was added to this year's NDAA to support the DOD Transition Assistance Program. This new language will ensure that service members and their families are properly connected to local community groups, including veteran service organizations (VSOs), that can provide employment, healthcare and other transition services. An additional $42M in funding was also allocated for STARBASE, a DOD youth program that promotes STEM education. Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township was the first STARBASE program established in the U.S. This program provides K-12 students unique experiences in experiential learning and simulations and experiments in aviation and space-related fields. This program is also offered at the Battle Creek Air National Guard base.

"Our national defense should always be a bipartisan priority, and as a former Pentagon official, I firmly believe Congress has a solemn responsibility to pass a budget that values our men and women in uniform and ensures we can maintain our edge over competitors like China and Russia," said Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. "I'm particularly pleased that my amendments to address supply chain vulnerabilities, PFAS contamination, and burn pit exposure among our veterans, have all been included. These three issues are examples of just how deeply Michigan is connected to our overall national security, and addressing them is critically important to our access to clean drinking water, our veterans' safety, and our domestic manufacturing."

The annual bill, which totals $768.2 billion, authorizes an additional $9.9 billion for defense needs outside the bill's traditional jurisdiction, bringing the overall price tag to $777 billion. Additional components of the bill include $476 million to address PFAS contamination to include environmental remediation and restoration, the creation of a PFAS Task Force, the establishment of a mandatory report to be delivered to Congress outlining efforts to remediate PFAS exposure at 50 sites across the country, including the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base and K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan, and mandates public disclosure of PFAS water contamination test results.

"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee I'm proud of the work done to support our Michigan National Guard in the FY22 NDAA," said Congressman Jack Bergman. "Making critical investments in Michigan equities and including language supporting the Operation: Northern Strike exercise right here in the First District were top priorities. I'm grateful we were able to return the NDAA to a bipartisan endeavor and drive big wins for Michigan's First District."

For more information on the NDAA, please visit: Text - H.R.4350 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

About Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

The Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) synchronizes strategic, legislative and fiscal initiatives to build and sustain military readiness, care and advocacy for veterans and cultivate purposeful partnerships. Branch operations include Michigan Veteran Homes, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, State Operations, Army National Guard and Air National Guard which stand in support of our mission to serve every member. For more information, please visit: https://www.michigan.gov/dmva.

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3 1 of 3 Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Peter Marteka / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MIDDLETOWN  The Middlesex Land Trust is planning a hike in Spiderweed Preserve on Saturday at 10 a.m.

This will be a five-mile hike around the preserve from the trailhead located off Dripps Road. The event is described in an announcement as a moderately-paced hike through this property with its interesting rock features, lovely views, and unusual ruins.
3 1 of 3 Middletown Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed Photo / Middletown Police Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MIDDLETOWN  Police said they are looking for a 59-year-old man accused of a domestic assault Christmas morning.

The man, identified as Abdias Cortes, allegedly forced a woman out of her parked car around 6:30 a.m. Saturday. He also repeatedly punched her in the face and threatened to kill her, police said.
Editors note: The health department will be giving out tests at the high school Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in drive-thru format, and at Macdonough Elementary School at the same time as a walk-up service.

MIDDLETOWN  As the city finalizes a plan to efficiently distribute some 6,000-plus at-home COVID testing kits as part of a plan to put millions of these and N95 masks in use to help curb spread of the virus, officials say there will only be enough for 7.6 percent of residents.

The state, which bought two-pack kits from the federal government, has allotted Middletown 6,030 kits, the distribution of which are based on population and number of cases. The city has an estimated population of 47,717, according to the latest census figures.

Health officials are recommending that each two-pack kit be used on one person  when they suspect they may be positive, and a few days later to confirm the results with a second test.

Were not getting a whole lot. Thats obviously not enough to cover the population in town, said Acting Health Director Kevin Elak, who is still grateful for what will be delivered. He and Mayor Ben Florsheim were expected to meet to discuss the matter late Tuesday.

Elak expects tests will be given out in the parking lot of Middletown High School at 200 LaRosa Lane.

An additional 1 million kits will be distributed to schools statewide beginning in January. Middletowns district will be handing them out to families of kindergarten through 12th-grade students next week, however, that event is not open to the public, Elak said.

President Joe Biden said earlier this month that he will be securing 500 million tests, but contracts to buy the tests havent been finalized, according to Whitehouse.gov.

A lot of COVID cases are going undetected because boosted people are reporting mild symptoms, which often mimic the cold, the acting health director said. Those who are doubly innoculated may have more severe cases, and, among the unvaccinated, flu-like symptoms  or worse, he added.

Rapid antigen tests have become much more reliable, Elak said. Theyre very good if youre infected and actively shedding the virus, but not as much so in detecting early or very late stages of infection.

Elak expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will eventually change its definition of fully vaccinated to include the booster.

The latest COVID report, compiled by the city based on state data and reported each two-week period, indicates Middletown has seen 5,960 total cases (a rise of 209 over the last fortnight), and 153 deaths (up one).

Over the last eight weeks, the case rate has doubled: from 25.8 per 100,000 (167 cases) during Nov. 14 to 27, to 50.6 (328 cases) during the week of Dec. 5 to 18.

The rate from Nov. 28 to Dec. 11 was 43.5 (282 positives); and Nov. 21 to Dec. 4, 34.3 (222).

If the trend in new cases persists, Connecticut will hit 500,000 total confirmed coronavirus infections within days. But experts believe the true number of infections is much higher.

Tests are best used ahead of indoor and large gatherings, the acting health director said, and should be done right before such events.

If youre negative at that point, you can feel reasonably comfortable. At least you know youre okay for that night. The closer the better, Elak added.

Rapid tests are ideal for those who are experiencing symptoms or who have had close contact with an infected person. Those who receive positive results have the option to follow up with a genetic-based PCR test, considered the gold standard for detection.

The following table, compiled by the Connecticut Mirror, reflects estimated amounts being allocated to 169 towns based on population data. Estimates are subject to change, depending on the response from each town, the Mirror said.

Other Middlesex County towns, and numbers of kids expected to be delivered are: Chester, 540; Clinton, 1,710; Cromwell, 1,800; Deep River, 630; Durham, 90; East Haddam, 1,170; East Hampton, 1,620; Essex, 900; Haddam, 1,080; Killingworth, 810; Middlefield, 540; Old Saybrook, 1,350; Portland, 1,260; and Westbrook, 900.

The health department will be releasing dates and hours of local distribution in the coming days.

One day soon, Elak hopes, at-home kits will be as readily available as masks. Thats what we should be having by now.

For information, visit middletownct.gov (where testing locations can be found) or follow Middletownhd on Twitter.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's highest court said Tuesday that officials must draw up rules to protect disabled people if hospitals end up having to triage patients in the pandemic.

The Federal Constitutional Court said that the parliament violated a clause in the constitution stating that no one can be discriminated against because of a disability, and ordered it to rectify the situation without delay.

The court's ruling came after it considered complaints last year from a group of people with serious disabilities, most of whom require regular assistance. They worried that doctors could give up on disabled people if a situation arose in the coronavirus pandemic in which there weren't enough hospital beds for the number of patients.

Germany so far has avoided that situation, although patients have had to be transferred to other regions in the most recent wave of infections because beds were scarce in some parts of the country.

The federal court, in a Dec. 16 decision that was announced on Tuesday, concluded that the plaintiffs currently are not effectively protected against recognizable risks to top-tier legally protected rights in a situation in which they cannot protect themselves.

Guidelines drawn up by medical associations aren't legally binding and discrimination against disabled people can't entirely be ruled out, it argued.

The court said that it's up to officials and lawmakers to decide how exactly to comply with its ruling. It said possibilities include rules for the triage procedure that could included making it obligatory for several people to be involved in decisions, and specific requirements for training of intensive care personnel.

One of the nine plaintiffs, Nancy Poser, told German news agency dpa that they were all relieved. The 42-year-old, a judge at a district court in the western city of Trier who uses a wheelchair, said they hope that lawmakers will act quickly and draw up rules to protect us.

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said that the government will quickly and carefully analyze the options and bring draft legislation to parliament swiftly.

At the same time, the government will continue to work as its primary goal to ensure that we don't reach a situation in which such a triage law is used, Buschmann said in a statement.

Authorities have introduced new restrictions in anticipation of a spike in cases due to the new omicron variant, while the government has sought to keep its vaccination campaign in high gear. As of Tuesday, 70.9% of Germany's population had received a full first course of vaccine and 36.6% had received booster shots.

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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP)  An Iowa woman and a Nebraska teenager have been charged in connection with a hatchet attack on a man in a Sioux City apartment building earlier this month.

Sioux City police said the attack was carried out on Dec. 18 to retaliate against the apartment's occupant because that man had previously kicked the 52-year-old woman out of the apartment. The Sioux City Journal reports that Mary Blair was arrested Saturday on several charges, including burglary and assault. The teen was arrested on similar charges Monday.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  A federal judge who previously ruled mental health care in Alabama prisons was horrendously inadequate on Monday ordered the state to make multiple changes in inmate care and extended a deadline to 2025 for the state to boost the number of correctional officers.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued a sometimes scathing 600-page opinion that often focused on the prison system's lack of progress in meeting an earlier directive to boost staffing and also on the number of suicides that have occurred behind bars. The Monday order spelled out corrective measures and comes after Thompson in 2017 ruled that Alabamas horrendously inadequate care of mentally ill inmates violated the U.S. Constitutions ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

"What was true four years ago is no less true today: ADOC does not have enough correctional staff to provide constitutionally adequate mental-health care to prisoners who need it," Thompson wrote.

The absence of security staff prevents people who need treatment from accessing it, stops those whose mental health is deteriorating from being caught before they lapse into psychosis or suicidality, and fosters an environment of danger, anxiety, and violence that constantly assaults the psychological stability of people with mental illness in ADOC custody, he added.

Thompson said staffing has barely increased in three years, and the system has filled less than half of the positions necessary to meet the requirement of 3,826 full-time-equivalent officers. The judge had previously directed the state to meet staffing targets by Feb. 20, 2022, but wrote Monday that it's become clear that is out of reach.

Thompson extended the deadline to July 1, 2025 for the state to fill all mandatory and essential posts, but he also ordered the creation of yearly benchmarks to measure progress.

He also ordered the state to make numerous other changes to mental health care including ensuring that inmates get some time out of their cells, that security checks are regularly conducted, that assessments are properly done, that inmates who require hospital-level care receive it within a reasonable period of time and that staff conduct regular drills on how to respond to suicide attempts. Thompson also ordered prior to discharge from suicide watch, an inmate must receive a confidential, out-of-cell evaluation by a mental health professional and then follow-up examinations for three days.

Thompson said in the four years since his initial ruling, at least 27 more prisoners have died by suicide, and he described some of the incidents. Thompson wrote that:

 Twelve minutes passed between the time one inmate was found hanging in his cell and the start of resuscitation attempts.

 In the seven months before one inmate's suicide, the man rarely received the required five hours per week out of his restrictive housing cell because of staffing issues at the prison.

 Before his suicide, an inmate endured frequent, pervasive sexual and physical violence and told his mental health provider he was being, trafficked by a gang and forced to perform sex acts to pay off the gangs debt.

 That audits found less than 20% compliance levels with the required 30-minute security checks in restrictive housing. One inmate, Casey Murphree, was not found for hours after his death until rigor mortis had begun, the judge wrote.

Thompson also ordered the state to tell him how an inmate died of hyperthermia in a climate-controlled cell during December 2020.

Thompson ordered the court to, address, specifically, how it happened that Tommy Lee Rutledges cell reached 104 degrees, causing him to die of hyperthermia, in a unit that was supposedly air conditioned, and how the ADOC will prevent that from ever occurring again.

Thompson said the state has a mixed track record in making other improvements in the care of mentally ill inmates. He noted the state had made improvements in the number of mental health workers.

The critical question is whether it can sustain that progress, given its severe shortage of correctional staff, as it implements relief in other areas, Thompson wrote. He left open the possibility of additional action against the state if staffing levels do not improve.

A spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Corrections said the department could not immediately respond The Southern Poverty Law Center, which represents inmates in the class action civil lawsuit, did not immediately comment on the ruling.
RIDGEFIELD  A leading car dealership in town has come under new ownership.

This month, Keeler Motor Car Company, based in Latham, N.Y., acquired BMW of Ridgefield on Danbury Road. The acquisition marks the companys first outside the New York capital region.

BMW of Ridgefields 50,000 square foot campus features a state-of-the-art showroom, service facility and vehicle-delivery center. The business has historically received awards for outstanding customer satisfaction, and consistently outpaces competitors in both new and used vehicle sales as its markets biggest BMW-certified pre-owned dealer, according to a release.

Like Keeler, BMW of Ridgefield is a family-run business led by owner Ed McGill, who will stay on in a limited advisory capacity.

I felt it was the right time and the right buyer, McGill said of the sale. The most critical factor was having someone like Jesse (maintain) the cultural fit with our associates and our customers.

Jesse Hord, of Darien, is Keelers CEO. While he didnt disclose the price of the transaction, he said the acquisition will add another $100 million to the companys annual sales revenues, which are currently $300 million a year.

Keeler partnered with Washington, D.C.-based Open Road Capital, which holds a majority stake in the investment. Through its strategic partnership with Bain Capital, Open Road invests alongside top-performing dealership operators to support their various objectives, including growth, succession planning, diversification and liquidity.

Ive known Ed and his partner Mitch McManus for about seven years, Hord said. The facility and team in Ridgefield is unparalleled in the BMW world  and we will continue the same reputation that Ed has built up over the years.

With Hords strong financial backing, McGill said, BMW of Ridgefield will be able to offer more opportunities for growth and support for its associates and customers. All 102 employees are expected to continue working at the dealership under the acquisition, Hord said.

An important part of our role is serving the community, he added, and we look forward to working in Ridgefield.

BMW of Ridgefield will join Keelers current franchises: Keeler BMW, Keeler Mercedes-Benz, Keeler Honda, Keeler Maserati, Keeler Alfa Romeo, Keeler MINI and Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vans.

The dealership is at 746 Danbury Road in Ridgefield.

alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD  A local gas station was robbed Monday night at gunpoint, according to police officials.

Officers responded to the Shell gas station at 1139 Post Road around 7:45 p.m., Lt. Edward Weihe said.

He said investigating officers learned that an individual went into the store, held the clerk at gunpoint and demanded cash from the register before he fled the area.

There were no injuries reported, Weihe said.

Officers canvassed the area, with police dogs, to search for the alleged suspect. Weihe said police do not believe there is any further threat to the public.

The investigation is ongoing.
ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. (AP)  A man wanted on a murder charge in northwest Georgia has been arrested in East Tennessee, a sheriff said.

Brandon Wiseman, 35, was taken into custody Monday night after being found in an abandoned home in Helenwood, Scott County Sheriff Ronnie Phillips told news outlets. His office, U.S. Marshals, agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and several local officers were involved in capturing Wiseman, Phillips said.
President Joe Biden signed a bill Monday to build a monument in tribute to recipients of the Medal of Honor in Washington, D.C.

In a brief statement, the White House said Biden authorized the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation in Arlington, Texas, "to establish a commemorative work to honor Medal of Honor recipients" and the values they represent somewhere in the District of Columbia. The specific site has yet to be determined.

In an interview last week, retired Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy, president of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, said the authorization would not permit a Medal of Honor memorial site on the "Reserve" of the National Mall, now home to the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

Read Next: Biden Signs Defense Bill that Backs 2.7% Pay Raise for Troops

Cassidy said he hoped for a site "in the vicinity of the Mall but not on the Reserve." A former Navy SEAL and astronaut, Cassidy projected a budget of about $60 million for the Medal of Honor memorial, which he said was "purely an estimate, but that's what our target is for fundraising."

Nearly 4,000 Americans have received the Medal of Honor since it was established during the Civil War, and currently there are 66 living recipients. The MOH is presented by the president and is awarded to service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor "above and beyond" the call of duty.

Biden separately signed the annual defense policy bill, which included approval for a Global War On Terrorism memorial to be built at a prime spot on the National Mall.

The GWOT memorial was included as part of the massive National Defense Authorization Act also signed by Biden on Monday while the MOH monument was in stand-alone legislation passed unanimously by the House and Senate.

In a press release, the GWOT Memorial Foundation said: "The Memorial will honor all who have served and sacrificed in the ongoing international military campaign launched by the U.S. government following the September 11th attacks in an effort to defeat terrorists intending to harm our country and its citizens."

The authorization for the estimated $40 million GWOT Memorial gave approval for a site that's part of the Reserve on the Mall.

Biden's authorizations for a GWOT Memorial and an MOH monument set off a lengthy and painstaking process involving several agencies, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, to gain approval for site selection and design for both projects.

Under terms of the authorizations, funding for the GWOT Memorial and the MOH monument will rely solely on private donations and will not involve any taxpayer money. The eventual designs for the two projects would come from an arts competition.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com

Related: Congress Gives Thumbs Up to Global War on Terrorism Memorial at Prime Spot on National Mall
The Department of Defense has recommended COVID-19 booster shots for anyone who is eligible as the latest variant of the disease has swept across the U.S., sidelined a Navy ship and infected staff members.

The latest guidance published Tuesday says those at least 18 years old who have completed an initial vaccination should consider the additional shot -- though, for now, it is not mandatory. That means all service members, civilian workers and dependents, according to the memo signed by Gil Cisneros, the under secretary of personnel and readiness.

The vast majority of troops are now vaccinated against the coronavirus following an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August. Nearly 1.6 million are fully vaccinated with the required one or two shots of approved vaccines, according to the latest figures published by the department.

But the highly contagious Omicron variant and persistent Delta variant have pushed average daily cases in the U.S. over 243,000, which is a 105% increase over the past two weeks, according to detailed tracking by The New York Times.

Read Next: Biden Signs Defense Bill that Backs 2.7% Pay Raise for Troops

The Pentagon has not released statistics on booster shots, but signs of the latest pandemic wave within the military have cropped up in the past week.

The littoral combat ship USS Milwaukee is sidelined in Guantanamo Bay, because 25% of the crew, about two dozen sailors, is infected. The Navy said the entire crew was fully vaccinated, according to the Associated Press, but that did not save the ship from becoming the first confined to port this year due to the pandemic.

The USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier was quarantined in Guam for nearly two months in 2020 after 1,271 sailors contracted COVID-19. The carrier outbreak occurred long before coronavirus vaccines were available and troops were required to be inoculated.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon building ratcheted up pandemic precautions on Tuesday due to increased cases. Seven staff members traveling with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks earlier this month tested positive, the department confirmed last week.

The building, one of the largest office buildings in the world, will be closed to unofficial visitors through the end of January, and supervisors are to keep occupancy rates at 40% while letting as many people as possible work from home.

"DoD personnel are encouraged to consider using an FDA-approved COVID-19 home test kit upon return from the Federal holiday period prior to returning to the workplace," according to the announcement on Tuesday.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

Related: DoD Readies 1,000 Troops to Aid in COVID-19 Response Nationwide
DAMASCUS, Syria  Israeli missiles fired from the Mediterranean struck the Syrian port of Latakia early Tuesday, igniting a fire in the container terminal, Syrian state media reported, in the second such attack on the vital facility this month.

It is also a rare targeting of the port handling most imports for Syria, which has been ravaged by a decade-old civil war and western-imposed sanctions.

The state news agency SANA quoted a military official as saying that Israeli missiles fired from the west of Latakia hit the port's container terminal, igniting fires that caused major damage. The unidentified official said firefighters were battling the flames for nearly an hour after the attack.

Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV ran footage showing flames and smoke rising from the terminal. It reported damage to residential buildings, a hospital, shops and some tourist sites near the port.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the missile attacks, which activated Syrian air defenses, according to SANA.

A similar attack was reported on Dec. 7, when Israeli warplanes targeted the container terminal, causing fires and explosions.

An Al-Ikhbariyah TV reporter in the area said Tuesday's attack appeared to have been larger and the explosions could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city more than 80 kilometers (nearly 50 miles) away. The reporter said ambulances were rushed to the scene but it remained unclear if there were any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said at the time that the Dec. 7 airstrike hit arms shipments for Iran-backed fighters.

There was no comment from the Israeli military, which has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria during its 10-year civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Some past strikes have targeted the main airport in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Israel has acknowledged that it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanons militant Hezbollah group, which has fighters in Syria. It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.
Commander Denny is a retired reserve naval intelligence officer with service beginning in Vietnam in 1972 as an aviation electricians mate and retiring in 2010 as a commander. In addition to his reserve service, he was a civilian electronics engineer for the Army Missile Command and an intelligence analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), with four deployments to Iraq. After retiring from DIA, he served as a senior intelligence analyst for U.S. Central Command with one additional Iraq tour.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

For decades, the U.S. Marine Corps has attempted to tweak its force structure to enhance performance within a constrained funding environment. Rather than continuing to make changes around the margins, we would be better off revisiting a debate started following World War II and prematurely truncated during the Korean War. Does the United States need a light infantry force specializing in amphibious operations as a separate service, or should the Marine Corps be resized to the small police force it was prior to World War I and the amphibious organization incorporated into the Army?

Related: Keep It Separate: Why America Wants a Marine Corps

The discussion after World War II was primarily prompted by President Harry S. Truman, along with General of the Army George C. Marshall (who later served as a Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense) and General of the Army and future President Dwight D. Eisenhower. While admittedly all three were Army (President Truman was a captain in World War I and rose to colonel and regimental commander in the reserves), they were clearly knowledgeable about the U.S. defense requirements. Although the discussion ceased with Korea, the question was effectively answered in 1957 by Brigadier General Victor Krulak in a letter to then Marine Corps Commandant General Randolph Pate, The United States does not need a Marine Corps. However, for good reasons which completely transcend cold logic, the United States wants a Marine Corps.

Krulak was right in 1957, and what he said is even more true today. The Army, Navy, and Air Force are fully capable of performing the Marine Corps missions. The Army can assume the light infantry and amphibious assault responsibilities. The 1944 invasion at Normandy, the largest invasion in history, was solely an Army effort for the United States. As far as Marine Corps air, the Navy and Air Force are fully capable of close air support, while the Army can also execute the needed rotary and tilt wing missions. The nation wants the Marines. The question may be how to keep the aspects the nation wants, while eliminating the Marines as a separate branch and reaping the benefits of a simplified chain of command, smaller overall force, and another base realignment and closure (BRAC) evolution.

Also from the U.S. Naval Institute:

Deconstructing the Marine Corps

So, what aspects does the nation want? If the Marine Corps answers that question, the answer will probably be what it currently has, but with better funding. The informal Marine Corps propaganda apparatus, which President Truman begrudgingly complimented as second in the world only to Joseph Stalins, will demand the status quo. For the first time in a generation, the lack of significant numbers of former service members in Congresscoupled with national fatigue after fighting an unsuccessful, two-decade-long warmay allow this topic to be discussed seriously.

Perhaps the easiest part of the current Marine Corps to remove is aviation. There is unlikely to be a huge support community with the nation for Marine aviation, especially the fixed-wing aspects. For most Americans, their knowledge of Marine aviation is likely limited to watching Flying Leathernecks (1951) and The Great Santini (1979). Likewise, the average citizen may see no difference between Marine rotary and tilt-wing aviation and its Army equivalents. The average citizen likely sees no difference because the differences that do existprimarily the ability to fly from shipsare minor. The nation does not need a separate Marine Corps aviation force and few in the nation likely know enough about it to want it. Eliminating Marine aviation by incorporating it into the Army and Navy would halve the size of the service, which currently is around 184,000 active-duty members.

The U.S. public is far less likely to accept the complete disappearance of the Fleet Marine Forces, the ubiquitous Mud Marine. Stripped of aviation, the Marine Corps would resemble the Armys XVIII Airborne Corps, both in size (approximately 88,000 troops) and capabilitiesboth are light infantry, both are air-mobile, and both are capable of airborne and amphibious operations. Both consider themselves to be elite forces with strong esprit de corps. Transition of the Fleet Marine Forces into the Armys yet-to-be created XIX Marine Amphibious Corps would retain the needed amphibious expertise, simplify the chain of command, and could be done in a way that retains many of the unique elements that make a Marine a Marine.

Establishing the Armys XIX Marine Amphibious Corps at Camp Pendleton on the west coast would give the nation a light infantry center of excellence on each coast. Reducing the Marine Corps Commandant to a three-star general, mirroring the XVIII Corps commander, would help reduce the gradual increase in rank structure seen over the past 50 years across the Department of Defense (DoD). Army traditions are likely flexible enough to retain many of the cherished Marine Corps accoutrement, like the dress blues and the eagle, globe and anchor emblem. The Army airborne troops currently have their maroon berets and cavalry units have their cowboy hats and spurs. Also, if the XVIII Corps can informally use the term top for the command first sergeant, the XIX Corps might well use gunny for E-7s. Likewise, young men and women could enlist to be Marines and continue to go through Parris Island for boot camp.

Incorporating the Marine Corps into the Army would significantly simplify the DoD chain of command and eliminate the need for the Commandant to go to the Army and beg for future armor and artillery support. Likewise, the Marines of the XIX Corps would have an equal chance of obtaining any new capabilities integrated into the Army, while potentially allowing Army leaders to reduce the operational tempo of both Corps, although both will still be rapid-deployment units.

To say that Marines would resist incorporation into the Army and Navy is a gross understatement. However, there are concessions that might make it slightly less toxic for the Marines and less objectionable to the public and Congress. Allowing Marine fixed-wing pilots inducted into the Navy to finish out their career using Marine Corps ranks and uniforms would likely help and given the Navys history of mixed uniforms, would probably go unnoticed by the public. Similar concessions for the generation of current Marines incorporated into the Army could potentially ease their transition. But regardless of how successful these mitigation efforts are, the DoD would likely be looking at a decade of angst and occasional confusion. The key will be Congress, which will have to rewrite legislation, including U.S. Title 10. As mentioned previously, there are fewer Marines in Congress today than at any time since the early 1950s (there are 15 Marine Corps veterans in the 117th Congress). This, coupled with the inevitable savings from another round of base closures, might be enough to see the initiative championed by President Truman and advocated by Generals Eisenhower and Marshall completed.

General Krulak correctly stated the United States does not need but wants the Marine Corps. For the best interests of the nation, the DoD should at least learn if the U.S. public and Congress will accept a XIX Marine Amphibious Corps. If the answer is yes, then a myriad of questions will have to be answered: Does the nation need two separate light infantry corps? Which Marine Corps installations will be closed or reduced? How many Marine Corps military and civilian personnel, made redundant by the changes, will be discharged? And what, if anything, will remain as a Navy police force? If the topic is given a fair hearing, the answers may surprise us all.

Since 1873, the U.S. Naval Institute has championed intellectual debate on key issues for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. For more go to usni.org.
Major Kerg is a prior-enlisted mortarman, communications officer, and nonresident fellow with Marine Corps Universitys Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare. He is currently a student at the School of Advanced Warfighting in Quantico, Virginia.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

The recent article by retired Commander Norman Denny, How to Absorb the Marine Corps into the Army and Navy, offered new life to an old discussion within U.S. national security circles: Does America need a Marine Corps? Denny answers in the negative, arguing that the Army, Navy, and Air Force are capable of performing the Marine Corps missions, and proposes ways to execute this absorption.

First, the naval community must tip its hat to Commander Denny for his willingness to recommend a proposal he certainly knew would result in significant push back. This conversation is often rife with emotion and parochialism, and it is rare to see clear-eyed arguments made about this subject. Offering such a heterodox yet structured argument, his article embodies the U.S. Naval Institutes mission of daring to read, think, speak, and write.

That said, Dennys arguments dont make the case. He overestimates the capabilities of the other services to take on the Marine Corps missions, underestimates the massive structural challenges inherent in his proposal, does not account for the ever-adapting nature of the Marine Corps as a service, and does not appreciate the unique synergy of the service as a fighting force.

Also from the U.S. Naval Institute:

Commander Denny frames much of his argument around the dialogue occurring after World War II and the Korean War. While important, this ignores the changes that have occurred over the ensuing seven decades. Denny claims that the Army can assume amphibious assault responsibilities because it performed this role at Normandy. The Army did indeed conduct a number of impressive amphibious operations across the European Theater of Operations in World War II, Normandy being just one of them. But the Army was capable of doing this because the units involved in those operations were manned, trained, and equipped for the task, and they worked closely with the Navy toward this aim. The Army is not capable of doing those tasks today and putting this role on the Army would require significant additional structural changes to both the Army and the Navy. For example, Marine Corps acquisitions integrate the considerations of the L-Class ships from which that equipment might have to be projected. How much Army equipment currently meets this bar?

Regarding Marine aviation, Commander Denny claims the Navy and Air Force are fully capable of providing close-air support, but uses as his citation an article showcasing a Navy F/A-18 shooting down a Syrian Su-22 fighter-bomber. This air-to-air combat role is functionally and completely different from the role of close air support (CAS). While other services possess aircraft that can perform close-air support, doing this also requires integration of those pilots and their aircraft into aviation command-and-control systems for their employment in the CAS role. What makes Marine Corps aviation so effective in providing CAS is that the aircraft fall under the command-and-control of a Marine commander common to the ground forcesthat is, the aviation is organic to the Marine Corps unit. For this level of effectiveness of CAS to hold under Dennys proposal, the aviation belonging to the ground forces (in this case, now an Army unit) would also have to be organic to the Army commander common to both the ground forces and the air forces. Such an arrangement would require significant additional structural changes to the Army and/or the Navy to pull off. It would also require Army fixed-wing pilots, or the assignment of Navy fixed-wing pilots to the Army. Both options are rife with additional challenges requiring myriad structural changes.

Regarding what the nation wants, Commander Denny suggests the Marine Corps will demand the status quo. This contention seems to completely bypass every discussion on Marine Corps force design that has dominated Marine Corps professional discourse since General David H. Berger became the commandant. The 38th Commandants Planning Guidance, Force Design 2030, Talent Management 2030, and a Concept for Stand-In Forces are fundamentally about radically changing the status quo to better pursue naval integration. The Commandant himself has published numerous articles in Proceedings and elsewhere advocating for these changes, while many other naval professionals have further discussed and fiercely debated these changes. The bottom line is that the Marine Corps is probably the last service that will demand the status quo from Congress. As it has historically demonstrated, the Marine Corps will instead continue to be a chameleon and change to fit the needs of the nation.

Later, Denny suggests that incorporating the Marine Corps into the Army would eliminate the need for the Commandant to go to the Army and beg for future armor and artillery support. In the context of a joint operation, if Marine Corps forces needed additional armor or artillery support, this would be requested from the commander of those Marine Corps forces through the joint task force commander, and not the Commandant, who has no role in the command-and-control of combat forces. Further, this comment does not seem to appreciate the why behind the divestment of armor and the replacement of tube artillery for rocket artilleryto support force-design efforts for naval integration and allow Marines to serve as an extension of the fleet, a task for which armor is poorly suited.

Finally, the theme underwriting all these critiques is that an organization is more than its line-and-block chart would suggest, and units are not truly interchangeable. Service culture matters, as this bleeds into doctrine, tactics, standards, and ultimately into the capabilities of one unit versus another. To absorb the Marine Corps into another service would ultimately rob the organization of the culture that makes it so much more valuable and effective than the sum of its partsand, consequently, something uniquely effective and capable. Marines are different, in the best way possible. Americans knows thisand that is why they want a Marine Corps.

Since 1873, the U.S. Naval Institute has championed intellectual debate on key issues for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. For more go to usni.org.
There are a couple of facts that might surprise moviegoers about Morgan Freeman's acting career. The first is that he hasn't been a big name for all that long. The second is that he almost didn't become an actor at all -- he began his career in the U.S. Air Force.

Freeman, recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, didn't get his first big break until age 49. This came in 1986, when he was cast in the film "Street Smart." Since then, he's made more than 50 films.

"It didn't have to happen at all," he told AFI in 2011. "I'm very lucky and very grateful that I had a career ... if it happens right away, it's gonna stop right away and that's a foregone conclusion."

As a young man living with his grandparents in Mississippi, Freeman was enthusiastic about drama and acting. He performed in a number of school plays in his youth and, at age 14, won a statewide drama competition. He was even offered a scholarship to Jackson State University to study drama. He turned it down, however, because he had another love: flying.

Part of his interest in acting in those days came from Hollywood's war movies, especially those about planes and fighter pilots. He would spend his summers in Chicago with his parents, where he would scrounge for change to go to the movies. Those movies kindled a desire to learn to fly, so when he graduated from high school in 1955, he joined the Air Force instead.

In fact, three of his four brothers also joined the military.

Freeman became a radar repairman in the Air Force while waiting for a chance to become a pilot. He worked on tracking radar stations that would align radar antennae toward an incoming target, such as a missile or aircraft. He spent more than a year sitting at a desk before he got the chance to audition for a pilot's slot.

When he finally sat behind the stick of an Air Force fighter plane, a feeling of disillusionment came over him. This dream wasn't going to be what he thought it would.

"When I was getting close to being accepted for pilot training, I was allowed to get in a jet airplane," he told AARP Magazine. "I sat there looking at all those switches and dials, and I got the distinct feeling that I was sitting in the nose of a bomb. You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this."

After nearly four years of service, Freeman left the Air Force to pursue his other passion, the one we know him for today: acting. It would be a long road, but one he would pursue with much more zeal and patience.

His next stop was Los Angeles, where he studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and learned to dance in San Francisco. He worked as a relatively unknown actor on stage and television for more than 20 years before landing his breakout role in the acclaimed Christopher Reeve film, "Street Smart." From there, he was cast in a string of critically acclaimed films that would lead him to prominence: "Lean On Me," "Driving Miss Daisy" and the Civil War drama "Glory."

It was a wise career move, not only for the notoriety, fame and financial security of being a celebrated Hollywood actor. His tracking radar repair skills would become obsolete by the 1990s with the rise of GPS-guided munitions.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Prior to the lockout this winter, three starting pitchers signed free agent deals for exactly five years:

Mariners signed Robbie Ray for five years, $115MM with an opt-out after third year

for five years, $115MM with an opt-out after third year Blue Jays signed Kevin Gausman for five years, $110MM

for five years, $110MM Tigers signed Eduardo Rodriguez for five years, $77MM with an opt-out after second year

Free agent contracts of exactly this length are fairly rare. We saw a pair of five-year starting pitcher deals in the 2019-20 offseason for Zack Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner. Before that, you have to go back to the 2015-16 offseason, when teams incredibly inked five of them. Interestingly, Marcus Stroman signed a three-year deal prior to the lockout even though we predicted five

I think free agent starting pitchers signing five-year deals have some commonality: the combination of their ability and age resulted in enough market pressure for exactly that number of years, no more and no less. Id say its generally a pitcher who is considered good or very good, yet something short of an ace. While its true that market conditions may result in a five-year deal for a pitcher in a certain offseason and not another, these guys still seem to fall within the same bracket.

Going back to Gil Meches December 2006 contract with the Royals, 11 different free agent pitchers have signed five-year deals that are now completed. Spoiler alert: very few of these ended well. Stat note: ERA- is a park and league-adjusted version of ERA, where 100 is average and lower is better.

Jordan Zimmermann: five-year, $110MM deal with Tigers

Starts: 97

ERA-: 127

fWAR: 5.0

bWAR: 0.9

When Regret Set In: In Year 1, when Zimmermann posted a 4.87 ERA.

How It Ended: Zimmermann made three September outings in the shortened 2020 season. Hed go on to make two appearances with the Brewers this year before retiring. By measure of bWAR, Zimmermanns performance was the second-worst of this sample.

Jeff Samardzija: five-year, $90MM deal with Giants

Starts: 110

ERA-: 103

fWAR: 6.9

bWAR: 7.1

When Regret Set In: Samardzija was solid in three of the five years, including the fourth. So regret never really set in here.

How It Ended: Samardzija made four starts in the shortened season. He has not pitched since.

Mike Leake: five-year, $80MM deal with Cardinals

Starts: 124

ERA-: 103

fWAR: 8.6

bWAR: 5.8

When Regret Set In: Year 1, when Leake posted a 4.69 ERA. In August of Year 2, Leake cleared waivers and was traded to the Mariners along with $17MM.

How It Ended: Leake opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic, forgoing his salary. He hasnt pitched since September 24th, 2019.

Wei-Yin Chen: five-year, $80MM deal with Marlins

Starts: 53

ERA-: 129

fWAR: 2.1

bWAR: -0.6

When Regret Set In: At some point in Year 1, in which Chen posted a 4.96 ERA.

How It Ended: Chen was released with a year remaining on his contract, with the Marlins eating $22MM in salary. He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners but was released in June 2020. Chen signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines and made four appearances in 20. He pitched for the Hanshin Tigers in 2021. Chens Marlins contract was the worst of all of these five-year deals.

Ian Kennedy: five-year, $70MM deal with Royals

Starts: 86

ERA-: 102

fWAR: 3.9

bWAR: 6.3

When Regret Set In: In Year 2, when Kennedy posted a 5.38 ERA.

How It Ended: Kennedy was moved to the bullpen in the fourth year of the deal, saving 30 games. He struggled in 14 relief innings in 2020 to finish out the contract.

Anibal Sanchez: five-year, $80MM deal with Tigers

Starts: 118

ERA-: 109

fWAR: 12.0

bWAR: 7.0

When Regret Set In: In Year 3, when Sanchez posted a 4.99 ERA.

How It Ended: Sanchez played out the contract with the Tigers and posted a 6.41 ERA in 2017, the final season.

C.J. Wilson: five-year, $77.5MM deal with Angels

Starts: 119

ERA-: 102

fWAR: 7.5

bWAR: 5.7

When Regret Set In: Wilson had a 3.89 ERA as late as Year 4 of the contract, so you could argue that regret didnt set in until he had season-ending shoulder surgery in August of that year.

How It Ended: No one realized it at the time, but Wilsons career was over after that August 2015 surgery and hed be injured for all of Year 5.

Cliff Lee: five-year, $120MM deal with Phillies

Starts: 106

ERA-: 76

fWAR: 19.6

bWAR: 20.2

When Regret Set In/How It Ended: One of these things is not like the others, as Lee was an ace when he signed to remain with the Phillies. Lee made his last start for the Phillies, and of his career, on July 31st of 2014  three and a half years into the contract. He left that trade deadline start with an elbow injury and never pitched again, yet he was so good in those three and a half years that its fair to say the Phillies never regretted the contract.

John Lackey: five-year, $82.5MM deal with Red Sox

Starts: 121

ERA-: 106

fWAR: 9.2

bWAR: 3.6

When Regret Set In: Quite soon, with Lackey posting a 4.40 ERA in Year 1 and a 6.41 mark in Year 2. At that point, Lackey underwent Tommy John surgery.

How It Ended: Lackeys time with the Red Sox ended with a bit of a resurgence, as he posted a 3.60 ERA in 21 Year 5 starts before being traded at the deadline to the Cardinals for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. Whats more, the Red Sox included a clause in Lackeys contract that triggered a league-minimum sixth-year option upon the Tommy John procedure. This turned into a six-year deal in which the Cardinals received a stellar 2015 campaign from Lackey for just $500K.

A.J. Burnett: five-year, $82.5MM deal with Yankees

Starts: 159

ERA-: 103

fWAR: 12.2

bWAR: 8.3

When Regret Set In: In Year 2, when Burnett posted a 5.26 ERA.

How It Ended: After three seasons of Burnett, the Yankees shipped him to the Pirates and kicked in $20MM of the $33MM still owed to him. Burnett flourished with the change of scenery.

Gil Meche: five-year, $55MM deal with Royals

Starts: 100

ERA-: 96

fWAR: 8.6

bWAR: 10.2

When Regret Set In: In Year 3, when Meche posted a 5.09 ERA.

How It Ended: Meche underwent shoulder surgery in July of Year 4, and the Royals planned to use him in relief in the final season of the contract. Instead, Meche felt that he didnt deserve the $12MM he still had coming. He retired, letting the Royals off the hook for all of the money.

Conclusion

Its not fair to take this 11-pitcher sample and say that the deals for Ray, Gausman, and Rodriguez wont work out. Teams are evaluating pitchers better, and the Chen contract doesnt have anything to do with how Ray will hold up. Perhaps we can set the bar for a successful five-year starting pitcher contract at 10 total WAR: 3 in Year 1, 2.5 in Year 2, 2.0 in Year 3, 1.5 in Year 4, and 1.0 in Year 5. By fWAR, Lee, Burnett, and Sanchez were able to accomplish that. By bWAR, only Lee and Meche got there. Over the life of their contracts, only those two produced an ERA better than league average.

How many of these 11 contracts ended with a useful pitcher still working for the signing team at the end of Year 5? Zero. However, five-year deals are given out because of market pressure, not because the team expects five strong years out of the pitcher. Lee produced 17.7 WAR in the first three years of his deal, so the rest didnt matter. Meche, Wilson, Samardzija, and Sanchez started off their contracts with a pair of strong seasons. Zack Wheeler isnt in this sample but hes well on his way to 10+ WAR for the Phillies despite a shortened 2020 season. Madison Bumgarner, however, seems like a long shot.

What do the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Tigers really expect out of Ray, Gausman, and Rodriguez? If they looked at these comparables, theyre likely expecting two strong years and hopefully a third. If Ray or Rodriguez sees fit to opt out, the clubs will likely have gotten the best of them and could duck a few decline years.
Covid pandemic is a grim reminder of what can go wrong when we do not work with an integrated One Health approach to human health, animal health, food system and climate. The critical link between these sectors, has only deepened over the years. But will our public health approach pass the litmus test of effective collaboration with other health and non-health sectors? Preventing future pandemics start with recognising links between human health, animal health, food system and climate, and ensuring our health response is socially just and ecologically sustainable.

One Health approach addresses shared health threats by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, food system, and environment. Undoubtedly, One Health approach has become critically important than ever before as we navigate the Covid pandemic.

60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans have an animal origin, and 72% of these are coming from wildlife. So, with increasing interaction at the human-animal-ecosystem interface we really need to have a more holistic approach in managing health problems said Dr Ronello C Abila, Subregional representative for Southeast Asia, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) based in Bangkok, Thailand.

We can only prevent future pandemics with an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment we share, had said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this year. More importantly, Dr Tedros added: We cannot protect human health without considering the impact of human activities that disrupt ecosystems, encroach on habitats, and further drive climate change. These activities include pollution, large-scale deforestation, intensified livestock production and the misuse of antimicrobials, along with how the world produces, consumes and trades food.

Local actions for global goals

Dr Tedros had also said that to keep people safe, One Health must be translated into local-level systems.

That is why, local leaders including Mayors, Members of Parliament, Governors, and other government officials and public health experts from around 80 cities of over a dozen countries in Asia and the Pacific endorsed a Declaration rooted in One Health approach, at the 6th Asia Pacific Summit of Mayors (6th APCAT Summit), organised by Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development, said Dr Tara Singh Bam, Asia Pacific Director of International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

The local government plays a significant role for the success of one health implementation on the ground. Mayors play a very important role at the local level. OIE has been working with national governments and this is the first time I am talking to the Mayors who are working on the ground. Hopefully we could also reach out on the implementation of one health approach for controlling future pandemics rightly said Dr Ronello C Abila of OIE.

Corona virus, animals and humans

One of the lessons learned from Covid is that emerging zoonotic infectious diseases (animal diseases that can spread to humans) are here to stay and fighting new disease threats such as Covid, Ebola, and Zika warrants One Health collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health organizations.

More than 400 animals from 29 countries have been reported infected with corona virus, including nearly 300 animals, as well as thousands of mink in mink farms in USA. The virus has infected companion, wildlife, zoo and production animals, including cats, dogs, tigers, lions, gorillas, white-tailed deer, mink, and others said Professor Tjandra Yoga Aditama, former Director General (Disease Control), Ministry of Health, Indonesia, and former Director (communicable disease control), of the WHO for Southeast Asia region.

With Covid, main source is coming from corona virus in bats but it is yet to be ascertained what is the intermediate host before infection came to humans - this is still under investigation. This is unlike the first SARS epidemic of 2003 where we know that civet bat was the intermediate host shared Dr Ronello C Abila of OIE.

Bird flu epidemic forced us all to recognise One health approach

One Health approach got major support in wake of zoonotic influenza or bird flu. The bird flue epidemic had indeed triggered the alarm globally for lack of pandemic preparedness. That is why all the countries had adopted One Health approach during the ministerial meeting of 2008 said Dr Ronello C Abila.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to prevent, detect, control and eliminate health threats. We reaffirmed this commitment by signing the memorandum of understanding to strengthen long-standing partnership in May 2018. A formal alliance helps facilitates putting the One Health vision into practice. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joined the tripartite alliance in November 2020 and we now call it tripartite + UNEP said Dr Abila.

Almost nine years before Covid struck us, tripartite alliance of OIE, WHO and FAO had met in Mexico City in November 2011 to address health risks at the human-animal and environment interface. One important outcome of this meet was commitment for demonstrating how One Health approach can be applied at the global, regional, national and field level on three issues: rabies, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonotic influenza.

"In response to the declaration coming from the global level, in Asia we started working from 2010 onwards with the ministries of health, agriculture, and environment on how to overcome zoonosis (animal diseases infecting humans) in context of avian influenza, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and rabies", said Dr Ronello C Abila.

Last month, like every recent year OIE, WHO, FAO and UNEP, united with several other governments and agencies worldwide to observe World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) from 18 to 24 November 2021. CNS (Citizen News Service) spoke to Dr Haileyesus Getahun, WHO Director of the Tripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and WHO Director of the AMR Global Coordination Department. Dr Haileyesus Getahun calls AMR a humanmade problem because antimicrobials are shared between humans, animals and plants. And we are overusing and misusing them in all these three spheres.

We must be prudent and responsible in using antimicrobials, particularly antibiotics. While all antimicrobials are important, special attention must be given to antibiotics, because they are the backbone of our health system in tackling a wide range of bacterial infections. There is also evidence that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in agriculture and animal husbandry can result in drug-resistant bacteria being transferred to human beings. We have to work together with all the sectors to preserve antibiotics for the sake of human and animal health added Dr Haileyesus Getahun.

Indonesia as President of G20

Indonesia is the President of G20 since December 2021 onwards. Last G20 meeting of Ministers of health held in 2021 had reaffirmed the urgent need to address global helth under a One Health approach, said Professor Tjandra Yoga Aditama.

Food safety is an important issue for Asia Pacific, a region with highly diverse food culture and production systems. Veterinary services are responsible for controlling pathogens in animals and work with numerous other stakeholders involved in food systems. They also play a key role in the investigation of, and response to, food borne disease outbreaks which may be attributable to or involve animal products including the implementation of control measures said Prof Aditama.

We are reminded of the old-gold Chinese proverb, The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Second best time to accelerate progress in translating promises on One Health approach into reality is now. No time to die!

Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant - CNS

(Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant are part of editorial team at CNS (Citizen News Service). Follow them on Twitter @Shobha1Shukla and @BobbyRamakant)

- Shared under Creative Commons (CC)
Commenting about the challenges confronting the poultry farmers, the Managing Director of Bossway Farms Company located at Kumasi Ejisu Krapa in the Ashanti Region, Mr. Thomas Adom has stressed the need for the government to come out with measures that could help revamp the agricultural sector.

Speaking to this correspondent in Kumasi on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at Ejisu-Krapaea, Mr. Adom indicated that poultry farmers in the country incurred huge losses this year over the bird flu disease that swept through several farms killing thousands of birds.

He also justified his claim on the high cost of feeding products like maize, fish meal, soya beans among other food elements they feed the birds.

According to him, aside the aforementioned challenges, administrative and other overhead expenditures also worsened the plight of poultry farmers.

He added that lack of ready market compel farmers to forcibly sell their birds below the stipulated prices.

Mr Adom who claimed to have been in the poultry farm industry for over 50 years with the employment of the many youths in the area has incurred nearly Ghc1.1million losses.

The Bossway Farms Director insisted that the country's agriculture sector stands the risk of collapsing if no corrective measures are put in place to revamp the industry.

Mr. Adom suggested that if government truly desires to revamp the agriculture sector more friendly policies need to be introduced.

The new policies he said, if introduced could help the country to compete favourably with the advanced countries in terms of agricultural productivities.

He pointed out that government needs to carry out soil research works across all the regions to identify which crop is suitable for plantation.

He added that after the research works, the traditional chiefs could be consulted for land acquisitions for commercial agricultural purposes for both the local market and export.

Mr. Adom stressed that the youth who may be interested in farming could be encouraged to acquire portions of the secured lands from the chiefs.

Mr Adom underscored that if such policy is brought on board Agric Extension Officers could be given the mandate to supervise the farmers on the various farming methods including chemical application.

According to him, government's major intervention in this policy will be to ensure credit facilities and importation of agriculture equipment are facilitated and easily accessible to farmers to embark on uninterrupted all-year-round farming activities.

A ready market and export arrangements, he said must also be the responsibilities of the government.

He added that farmers should be given insurance cover for damage, loss of farm to fire, death and many others.

Mr Adom observed that if his suggestion is taken into consideration and enforced would go a long way to help boost the country's agric sector.
Iran said nuclear talks that are set to resume this week in Vienna should focus on lifting sanctions on the Islamic republic and guarantees that the US will return to the fold. In 2018, the American president Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

Negotiations to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed in late November, after a five-month gap following the election of ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president.

The talks seek to bring back the United States after it withdrew from the accord in 2018 under Trump and began imposing sanctions on Iran.

Iran has reported progress in the talks but European diplomats have warned they are rapidly reaching the end of the road.

US negotiator Rob Malley has said there are only weeks left to revive the deal, if the Islamic republic continues its current pace of nuclear activities.

The talks are expected to get underway in the Austrian capital on Monday evening, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Different views of the priorities

Ahead of the resumption, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the agenda on Monday should be the issue of guarantees and verification on the lifting of US sanctions if it returns to the accord.

"The most important thing for us is to reach a point where we can verify that Iranian oil will be sold easily and without any limits, that the money for this oil will be transferred in foreign currency to Iranian bank accounts, and that we will be able to benefit from all the revenues," he said, quoted on Monday by state news agency IRNA.

The opening of the eighth round of the talks involves delegations from Iran and the other countries that remain party to the landmark accord - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

The multilateral nuclear deal reached in 2015 offered Iran a lifting of economic sanctions in return for strict curbs on its nuclear activities.

The goal was to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while allowing it to pursue a civilian nuclear programme.

The deal started to unravel in 2018 when the Trump administration pulled out and began imposing sanctions.

Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has said he is willing to return to the deal as long as Iran accepts the original terms.

Growing concern in Israel

Iran, which denies any ambition to acquire a nuclear arsenal, has gradually abandoned its commitments to the accord since 2019, mainly by stepping up its enrichment of uranium.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, recently expressed concerns over Iran's growing stockpile of highly-enriched uranium.

Iran's arch-rival Israel, which opposes the nuclear deal, had reportedly warned in November that Iran had taken the technical steps to prepare to enrich uranium to military-grade levels of around 90 percent.

"Stopping Iran's nuclear programme is the primary challenge for Israeli foreign and security policy," Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday.

"We prefer to act through international cooperation, but if necessary, we will defend ourselves, by ourselves," he added.
27.12.2021 LISTEN

The Ghana Police Service has issued a warning to Ghanaians especially religious leaders against false prophecies ahead of December 31st night service.

In a statement released on Monday, December 27, 2021, the police cautioned that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour, or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true.

The police stressed that it is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life-saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.

The Police says any person found guilty under these laws could be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to five years.

We, therefore, wish to caution all Ghanaians, especially religious groups and leaders to be measured in their utterances, especially how they communicate prophecies, which may injure the right of others and the public interest, part of the Police statement has said.

It adds, The Ghana Police Service wishes to place on record that the Police are not against prophecies; we acknowledge that we Ghanaians are a religious people who know and believe in, the centrality of God in our lives.

Read the full Police statement below:
French prime minister Jean Castex emerged from several hours of meetings with President Emmanuel Macron and top ministers on Monday to outline an array of measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

For the next three weeks, all public gatherings indoors will be limited to 2,000 people and to 5,000 people for outdoor events.

Standing concerts will be banned as well as the consumption of drinks and food in cinemas, theatres and on long distance transport. Employees will be encouraged to work from home one day a week wherever possible.

"A new wave is breaking over the continent, said Castex who was flanked by health minister Olivier Veran during a press conference after the cabinet meeting.

In France as in Europe, the health situation is extremely tense.

Plans

Castex unveiled the plans as France reported just over 30,000 new cases of the coronavirus compared with nearly 28,000 on Sunday. On Saturday, the country registered a record high of 104,611 infections.

He ruled out a curfew for 31 December but asserted that the next school term would start as scheduled on 3 January - the same day as a ban begins on drinking at the counter in cafes and bars.

From Tuesday, the delay for a third booster shot will be cut from four to three months in response to the rocketing spread of Omicron.

"Vaccination protects us, added Castex. It protects others and it protects the health services. The key and decisive element remains vaccination.

He said there would also be a crackdown on people using bogus health passes.

It is a deliberate act of endangering the lives of others that no personal conviction can justify, he added.

Macron is expected to make a statement on the health crisis in France during his traditional end of year address to the nation on 31 December.
28.12.2021 LISTEN

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has joined world leaders to pay tribute to fallen South African anti-apartheid champion, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, saying the iconic priest ".. leaves behind indelible footprints in the sands of time."

Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's struggle against apartheid died last Sunday at the age of 90.

Redoubtable priest, arguably the greatest religious leader of his generation, renowned freedom fighter, fearless anti-apartheid activist, committed human rights leader, iconic Nobel Peace Prize winner, he fulfilled his life's purpose on earth, and received the plaudits of a grateful posterity, said President Akufo-Addo.

The history of Africa's struggle for freedom from colonialism, imperialism and the racist ideology of apartheid has been immeasurably enriched by the contribution of this jovial, dedicated and principled defender of the liberties and rights of Africans and oppressed peoples of the world.

His work as Chairperson of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, established by his outstanding compatriot, contemporary and friend, Madiba, President Nelson Mandela, the 1st President of democratic South Africa, was instrumental in promoting reconciliation amongst the peoples of South Africa in the post-apartheid era, which enabled a united South Africa to emerge from the debris of apartheid, much to the astonishment of many in South Africa and around the world.

The Commission provided an example, which was followed elsewhere in several countries in Africa, where systematic violations of human rights had at a given moment become part of their political culture, including our own Ghana.

On behalf of the people and Government of the Republic of Ghana, I extend our deepest condolences to President Matemela Cyril Ramaphosa, the people and Government of the Republic of South Africa and his family on the death of one of Africa's most noble, patriotic sons, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu," President Akufo-Addo said.

Arch Bishop Tutu was hailed by both black and white South Africans as the country's "moral compass."

He won the Nobel Prize in 1984 in recognition of his non-violent opposition to white minority rule.

He was instrumental in ending the policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white minority government against the black majority in South Africa from 1948 until 1991.

After the end of apartheid, he chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to unearth atrocities committed under it.

Tutu was one of the country's best known figures at home and abroad.

He died weeks after the death of South Africa's last apartheid-era president, FW de Clerk.

GNA
Fighting corruption is the biggest challenge to every government in both developed and developing countries.

However, in many developing countries, corrupt politicians found guilty are jailed but not in Ghana, where politicians involved in corruption escape the weak judiciary system.

The impact of corruption is probably one of the most destructive forces that continue to affect common people and the economy, yet corruption in Africa is done daily with impunity.

Despite the impact of corruption in Ghana, politicians come on the political scene with the promise of fighting against this evil institutional pandemic and leave without doing anything as promised; this has made the problem to be chronic.

Ghana should have been one of the richest countries in Africa since the country has large deposits of oil, bauxite, timber, gold, diamond, and agricultural products, including cocoa but the lives of the common people are an eye-sore.

The sad part of the fight against corruption in Ghana is that those that promise to protect the public's purse are often plagued by serious corruptible scandals.

For example, the president, Nana Akufo Addo claims he is not corrupt, yet in his government are people who were seriously involved in corruption scandals which could have sent them behind bars for several years in countries with effective judiciary systems.

In many countries, worldwide, including the United States of America, corrupt politicians are not spared but in Ghana, they keep them in the government. Three of such people are Charles Bissiw, Eugene Arhin, and Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.

This is one of the reasons among all the world leaders, the least respected are those from Africa.

One of the American presidents, Donald Trump, has said many bad things about African leaders, saying all the money being invested by the U.S. government in Africa is a waste and will be stolen because corruption is rampant."

Since no Ghanaian politician has been charged and prosecuted, corruption has increased in Ghana with impunity, yet, Nana Akufo Addo, keeps telling Ghanaians he is fighting against corruption when no corrupt politician has ever been to prison.

The weak judiciary system in Ghana is a free license to corrupt politicians to commit crimes with impunity; however, it is effective in other countries. Below are my compilations of a few American politicians who served time in prison for corruption.

Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois Governor, is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence for political corruption in office, Jesse Jackson Jr. the former Illinois U.S. Rep, served two and half-year in prison in October 2013, for misusing campaign funds, while George Ryan, the former Illinois governor, was convicted of tax frauds and false statements.

Mayor Ray Nagin, the former mayor of New Orleans, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2014 for money laundering, fraud, tax violations, and bribery, while Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption in 2013.

About the same corruption, William Jefferson, the former U.S. Rep. of Louisiana began serving in 2012, a 13-year sentence for his convictions on corruption charges, whiles the former Governor of Louisiana Edwin Edwards was released from prison in 2011, after serving eight years for corruption.

The rest are the former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who served six months in federal prison in1990 for a drug-related offense. He died in 2014. If I need to continue listing American politicians jailed for corruption it will be an endless experience.

My compilation of jailed American corrupt politicians is enough to prove to any Ghanaian president or politician that the fight against corruption is not by mouth but by action.

Therefore, verily, I say unto you that until a corrupt Ghanaian politician passed time in prison, Ghana will never be successful against the fight of corruption in the country.
28.12.2021 LISTEN

Alhaji Mohammed Umar, a Dagbon native resident in New Jersey, USA, has been nominated by the Northern Ghana Diaspora Community in the United States to be enskinned as the Dagomba Chief of the USA.

His nomination which was approved by Ndan Ya-Na Mahama Abukari II was announced at a meeting held by the Northern Ghana Diaspora Community in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Alhaji Umar would however be enskinned by Ndan Ya-Na Abukari II on a later date upon his arrival in Ghana, and subsequently at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, the Traditional Capital of Dagbon.

Announcing his nomination, Mr Alidu Andani, also a native of Dagbon said there was the need for every community home or abroad to be led by a leader, thus, the nomination of Alhaji Umar was important and in the right direction.

He said: "Without leaders, no community can be united, be peaceful, progressive and develop. Leaders are development agents and every community must be led by someone".

Mr Andani urged the Northern Ghana Diaspora Community to give Alhaji Umar the deserving attention and support, and respect the Chieftaincy title as a representative of Ndan Ya-Na Abukari II.

In his acceptance remarks, Alhaji Umar acknowledge that the Northern Ghana Diaspora Community in the USA needed some leadership to put them together, steer their affairs, find solutions to their challenges and help to promote development back home.

He thanked the Community for nominating him as their Chief indicating that he will justify the confidence reposed in him by promoting the culture and tradition of Dagbon.

He resolves to support the community to achieve its intended targets.

Dr Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq, a Representative of the Pishigu-Lana, Chairman of the Dagbon Development Fund (DDF), presented a comprehensive report on the Fund to the Community.

He said the DDF was aimed at raising GHC150 million to put up a befitting Palace and a Traditional Council, trained and empower Chiefs, promote Dagbon culture, and tradition and promote development across the length and breadth of Dagbon.

Dr Marzuq took the Community through the fund raising strategies, justification, sources and approach and levies aimed at raising the targeted amount.

Alhaji Mohammed Umar is a Dagbon native and a businessman resident in New Jersey, USA.

He is a Certified Practicing Accountant in the United States.

Alhaji Umar is also the Founder and Chairman of the Zaa Media Group in Tamale, which includes Zaa Radio and Zaa TV, serving the Northern Region.
IGP George Akuffo Dampare

28.12.2021 LISTEN

The Ghana Police Service (GPS) says it will deal with waywardness that has become part of the annual ritual of end of year watchnight church services and New Year Resolutions by some religious leaders in the country.

According to the police, they will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any religious leader who will prophesy harm, danger and death of any individual or group without proof of the prophecy.

The police therefore cautioned religious leaders and religious groups to be measured in their utterances, especially how they communicate prophecies.

Additionally, the police said they will come after anyone who publish such information or share same via electronic means, especially where the said communication has the potential to cause fear and alarm to the public or endanger lives.

As the year 2021 draws to a close, the Ghana Police wish to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially religious groups, to the fact that whereas we have the right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, all these rights are subject to the respect of the right and freedom of others, according to our laws.

Over the years, communication of harm, danger and death by some religious leaders have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger.

We want to caution that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true.

It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.

The police explain that any person found guilty under these laws could be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to five years.

The Police Service who insisted that it is not against prophecies and has time and again acknowledged the public's right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, it has also pointed to the fact that the rights are subject to laws.

It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.

---DGN online
Ghanas Coronavirus (Covid-19) statistics have taken another spike with the latest numbers available from the Ghana Health Service raising concerns.

From the dashboard of the Ghana Health Service as of the morning of today, Tuesday, December 28, 2021, the number of active cases has increased to 8,554 and still counting.

This was after 1,264 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

Three more persons have succumbed to the virus bring the death toll from 1,280 yesterday to 1,283 today.

In all, there have been over 140,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the country started battling the pandemic in March 2020.

There have been over 130,000 recoveries.

The government as part of efforts to combat the pandemic has secured millions of doses of various Covid-19 vaccines.

They have been deployed to vaccination centres in the country.

The public is encouraged to strictly adhere to the safety Covid-19 protocols during this yuletide to help combat the pandemic.
When veteran diplomat Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed was elected president of Somalia in February 2017, supporters hoped he would provide stability in a failed state notorious for corruption and extremism.

But less than four years later, Somalia was plunged into a political crisis when the president extended his mandate without holding elections.

He is now locked in an escalating standoff with Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, who accuses him of an "attempted coup."

Here are portraits of the two rivals:

Farmajo: Wily president

The 59-year-old president is popularly known as Farmajo, a name derived from the Italian word for cheese, although it is unclear why he earned this nickname.

He spent several years studying and working in the United States but gave up his American citizenship in 2019.

Farmajo was elected president by MPs in a converted aircraft hangar after a six-month voting process marred by widespread allegations of vote-buying and corruption.

The father of four inherited a deeply unstable nation where Al-Shabaab jihadists still hold swathes of countryside despite being routed from the capital Mogadishu in 2011.

"This is the beginning of unity for the Somali nation, the beginning of the fight against Shabaab and corruption," a triumphant Farmajo said.

Born in Mogadishu to activist parents from the Darod clan, the politically savvy Farmajo was welcomed by many Somalis who wanted change after a series of Hawiye presidents in a country where clan divisions dominate politics.

He himself had served as prime minister for a brief stint in 2010-11 when he notably implemented the first monthly stipends for soldiers and established an anti-corruption commission.

In 2011, after months of infighting over the staging of a presidential election, a deal was struck to postpone the vote in exchange for Farmajo's resignation.

He agreed to step down as premier in "the interest of the Somali people."

The following year Farmajo and members of his former cabinet set up the Tayo (Quality) party, but after he made an unsuccessful run for the presidency he stepped back from politics for several years.

As president since 2017, he has adopted a strong nationalist stance, and at one stage broke off diplomatic ties with Kenya -- an approach that earned him support from some Somalis, although he has also made plenty of enemies.

A supporter of a strong central state, Farmajo has been accused of meddling in several state elections by attempting to place his allies in power there.

In April 2021, parliament extended Farmajo's term after a failure to agree on terms for new elections, setting off an unprecedented constitutional crisis and street battles in Mogadishu.

One rival described him as a "dictator" who wanted to stay in power by force.

Roble: Political newcomer

Mohamed Hussein Roble won the unanimous approval of parliament in 2020 to become premier despite being a political neophyte, and has won over even the opposition with his even-keeled approach to organising the long-delayed elections.

While lacking the oratory skills of his predecessor Hassan Ali Khaire, the Swedish-trained civil engineer is seen by many as a straight talker who understands Somalia's complex makeup and is ready to discuss issues openly.

The 58-year-old technocrat, who had worked at the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO) in Nairobi, initially took a back seat to Farmajo.

But the two men increasingly clashed as the premier took on a more high-profile role and challenged his boss on several key issues.

After the crisis over the delayed polls descended into violence this year, he vowed to lead the country into "just, free, fair and transparent elections".

"I have no personal interest in this election and I have no one to be allied to -- all I am working for is justice for all," was his lofty declaration in June.

He has accused Farmajo of seeking to sabotage the vote, after the president withdrew his mandate to organise elections and announced his suspension on Monday.

Roble appears to have some allies among Somalia's political opposition and the international community, with the Africa Bureau of the US State Department declaring its support for his "efforts for rapid & credible elections."

People who know Roble describe him as a man of simple tastes but who likes doing things his own way.

But some say his lack of experience and tendency to hasty decisions could make him vulnerable to exploitation by more powerful players.

bur-str-txw-amu/ri
US and Russian officials are set to hold security talks on the 10th of January to discuss concerns over their respective military activities and confront rising tensions over Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the Biden administration announced the date late on Monday,adding that Russia and NATO were also likely to hold talks on the 12th of January with a broader meeting - including Moscow, Washington and other European countries - set for the following day.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed those dates on Tuesday and said he hoped the talks with the United States in Geneva would launch a process that would give Moscow new security guarantees from the West.

Such guarantees are a longstanding demand of Moscow, which has alarmed the West by massing tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine over the past two months.

The 12th of January NATO meeting is set to be held in Brussels, while the talks the next day would involve the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which includes the United States and its NATO allies, as well as Russia, Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states.

Concerns

Russia's deployment of troops near Ukraine has raised fears in the West that Moscow, which seized Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and has since backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, may be poised for a new offensive.

Russia has denied plans for an assault but says it could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met.

Moscow, worried by what it says is the West's re-arming of Ukraine, has said it wants legally-binding guarantees NATO will not expand further eastwards, and that certain offensive weapons will not be deployed to Ukraine or other neighbouring countries.

The US administration has promised economic sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine. It says it cannot promise a sovereign state such as Ukraine would never join NATO.

Washington says no decisions would be made about Ukraine without Ukraine.

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a massive spending bill that, among other things, will provide $300 million for an initiative supporting Ukraine's armed forces, and billions more for a broader European defence policy.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North in the Eastern region, Gifty Twum-Ampofo has called for unity and oneness among party faithfuls to ensure massive victory for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 general elections.

According to the Deputy Education Minister, 'skirt and blouse' voting in the constituency in the 2020 elections effected the performance of the party at the parliamentary level.

Interacting with constituents as part of the Christmas and New Year festivities, Hon. Twum-Ampofo emphasised that events prior to the party's internal elections was not the best as a lot of unhealthy comments were made against her person.

She added that all the other three contenders were given the same opportunities in the contest debunking the assertion that party executives were against their candidature.

The MP however, called on all party supporters to join the train of development initiated under her leadership to better the lives of the people.

On the issue of the e-levy, Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo took the opportunity to school her constituents on happenings in Ghana's Parliament and said consultations are still underway to have it passed.

She retreated the levy when passed generate more revenues to enable government implement policies to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
28.12.2021 LISTEN

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says the country has entered its fourth wave of COVID-19.

Speaking to Citi News, the Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Franklin Asiedu Bekoe said the rate of infection is very high due to the omicron variant.

The rate of infection is very high now due to the new variant, the omicron variant which is very transmissible.

Though most of the cases are not severe, it is quite alarming. We are in the fourth wave of the pandemic and we need all Ghanaians to take the safety protocols seriously.

A section of the public has proposed a lockdown due to the spike in cases of the virus.

But the Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) , Dr. Justice Yankson said Ghanaians will need to rather focus on strictly adhering to the safety protocols.

We havent gotten to the point where a lockdown is necessary. The best we can do is to strictly enforce and adhere to the protocols. We need to intensify sensitization as well.

We need to relook some of the measures we enforced in the past, see how helpful they were to us and replicate same.

Ghana's COVID-19 active cases now stand at 8,554 with over a thousand cases recorded daily for three consecutive days.

Following the confirmation of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ghana's population and amidst the Christmas festivities, the government of Ghana has introduced strict measures to control the spread of the virus.

Earlier this month, it said all persons flying in and out of the country are to be fully vaccinated and to strictly follow stipulated guidelines for both self-preservation and the protection of the larger society.

It also warned that airlines which bring in passengers to the Kotoka International Airport who are not fully vaccinated shall be surcharged U$3,500 per passenger; and airlines which board passengers without PCR test results, or transport and disembark passengers with oositive PCR test results into Accra will also be fined US$3,500 per passenger.

citinewsroom
Workers in the emergency wards of the public hospital in the northern French city of Rouen have begun an open-ended strike, in protest over poor working conditions, lack of funding and resources.

This comes as the prime minister Jean Castex announced a monthly bonus for staff in intensive care units as of January to cope with the strain of the Covid-19 epidemic

"There are 38 staff on strike out of 158 people in the service. This is a high number. It's a significant strike which should be taken seriously," Bertrand Cazelles, deputy director of the CHU hospital in Rouen, told French news agency AFP.

He added that the "plan blanc" or strategy of cancelling all non urgent medical procedures had already begun in the hospital 15 days ago, in order to focus on the Covid crisis.

"The local health authorities must wake up to the difficulties faced by public hospitals, such as recruitment," Frederic Louis, from the CFDT union said.

He said around 50 beds have been closed in the hospital due to the lack of staff, with around 40 jobs for nurses still vacant.

"This has brought about a lack of organisation in the emergency wards. Colleagues in ICU are overworked because there are too many patients and not enough beds for them to be transferred to," he explained.

"We are in a critical situation, particularly tense in the emergency sector," Cazelles said.

"We have patients who are staying longer than necessary in emergency wards because there aren't enough beds available for them to be moved to. To manage this, we've been paying staff overtime, meaning we've been able to keep more beds open than we expected to."

One nurse told AFP that they hoped emergency health workers "would not be called away to fill gaps in other services," leading to the recruitment of temporary workers who on the whole "were less efficient in emergency situations."

Bonus for staff

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday a monthly bonus of 100 for nurses in emergency wards as of 1st January 2022.

This will be paid to around 24,000 health workers.

"This is about improving attractiveness, training, qualification, working conditions in intensive care units, acknowledging the skills of those who work there," Castex said during a visit to an intensive care unit in Creteil, near Paris.

The bonus is part of a series of recommendations made by a special report on the situation to be presented next week, according to the health minister Olivier Veran.

"This is a continuation of the national health consultation (Segur de la sante); and recognition for the services we need now more than ever in this crisis, particularly in light of the Omicron variant," Castex said, reiterating the importance of vaccination.

Castex and Veran announced on Monday a raft of measures in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19, amid record numbers of infections in the past few days.

It's not the first time since the beginning of the crisis that health workers have gone on strike, warning the government of the dire conditions and lack of resources.

In May, technicians in medical laboratories in both the private and public sectors went on strike, calling for a salary increase and more recognition for their role in the pandemic.

But the malaise in the health sector in France dates back much further than the beginning of the pandemic, with workers striking or protesting over their working conditions at regular intervals.
The Gambia's Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by the country's main opposition to annul the outcome of the December 4 presidential elections, in which incumbent Adama Barrow was declared victor.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) of political veteran Ousainou Darboe said the election campaign had been tainted by corruption and bribery.

It alleged that Barrow or members of his National People's Party had offered villagers cash or gifts for votes and infiltrated the electoral commission.

It also charged that foreign nationals had illegally cast ballots, and that voting and the vote count itself were marred by irregularities.

Barrow's first election in 2016 put an end to more than 20 years of dictatorship in the tiny West African nation under Yahya Jammeh.

Official results gave Barrow, a former property developer, 53 percent of the vote against Darboe's 27 percent.

But even before they were published Darboe said he would file an objection, although he did not specify the reason.

His party filed suit on December 6.

Chief Justice Hassan Darboe Jallow ruled that the UDP had not complied with rules requiring it to provide a security deposit when filing the complaint.

It had also failed to meet a requirement to advise Barrow of the complaint within five days of filing the suit, he said.

The decision by the Supreme Court cannot be appealed.

"We have not lost anything, because the petition was not dismissed based on merit but a mere technicality," Darboe said in response to the verdict.

"We should be proud of ourselves for what we have done and will continue to do for (our) country," he said in a statement on his party's website.

The vote marked the first election in The Gambia, a former British colony of two million people, since Jammeh fled into exile in January 2017 after his surprise defeat at the ballot box.

The Gambia. By afp (AFP)

He ruled for 22 years, presiding over a regime accused of a litany abuses, including death squads and torture.

The United States has given its approval to the December 4 vote.

It says that US and other observers had noted "some minor procedural irregularities" but the election was otherwise "free and fair."

The European Union's observer mission said The Gambia had made "democratic headway" as shown by "wide voter participation and citizen engagement."

Both the EU and US are pushing for The Gambia to enact wide-ranging electoral reform.

Barrow has promised to set term limits and for presidents to be elected by an absolute majority rather than through the current first-past-the-post system.
Italy's top diplomat Luigi Di Maio discussed clandestine migration with Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday, in his first visit to the North African country since the president's July 25 power grab.

The foreign minister praised Tunisian efforts to stem the flow of irregular migrants, according to a statement on the presidency's website.

Saied pointed out "the limits of traditional policies in managing the phenomenon of clandestine migration".

He called for new strategies to encourage "regular migration according to mechanisms that respect the rights of migrants".

Italy is a key entry point to the European Union for migrants from across Africa, with tens of thousands boarding rickety boats each year from Libyan or Tunisian shores in search of better lives in Europe.

In May, Italy's Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese visited Tunisia and announced a deal offering the country economic aid in exchange for extra efforts to stop migrants reaching Italy.

Several Tunisian civil society groups marked Di Maio's visit with a press conference to demand answers over the death of a Tunisian migrant who had arrived in Sicily in October.

Wissem Ben Abdellatif, 26, died after being detained in a centre for migrants to be repatriated.

"The living conditions in these centres respect neither human dignity nor basic hygiene standards, especially during the pandemic," said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES).

He said Tunisia had "turned into the coastguard", stopping some 26,000 migrants reaching Italy in 2021.

Ahmed Mssedi, a member of Avocats Sans Frontieres (Lawyers without Borders), accused Italian authorities of "forcing migrants to sign documents they don't understand".

Italian authorities have said some 55,000 irregular migrants reached Italy between January and the start of November, compared to fewer than 30,000 last year, with Tunisian nationals making up the majority of those who set out from Tunisia.
28.12.2021 LISTEN

With no intention to take offence, Aristotle was right when he said, Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but deserving them. The medieval barbarity of get-rich-quick criminals unleashing terror and insecurity on law-abiding citizens in a country with a high number of so-called security experts, justice for whatchamacallit groups, human rights activists as well as legal practitioners with PhDs from internationally recognized institutions, calls for a rapid response for obvious reasons; and well, that is the thrust of this article.

Insecurity, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the state of being open to danger or threat; lack of protection. There is no denying the fact that insecurity is a force to reckon with in Ghana since the control of crime is a sine qua non for economic stability of any nation, Ghana inclusive. How? In such a state of insecurity as seen in this country, workers have to get off work earlier to avoid being attacked by criminals at the workplace and on their way home. This adversely affects productivity.

The whole citizenry was gripped with palpable shock when one member of parliament attacked and brutalized to death in his own room. Per his caliber, citizens expected a solid response from the judiciary that perhaps could have helped kerb the surge in insecurity, but the antithesis is what is seen, even until now. As if that was not enough, another MP was shot dead by some trigger-happy robbers, on his way from a campaign tour.

The country has witnessed countless number of armed robbers invading banks and recognised markets like Alabar in Kumasi.

Criminals attacks on bullion vans happened for the umpteenth time in Accra where a police man and an innocent woman who allegedly attempted to raise alarm were gunned down in broad daylight robbery.

Funnily enough, a group of armed men had the guts to invade and rob a whole police station making away with some valuables. And more recently was the news of a thief who was apprehended after several incidents of theft in a whole security zone in Kumasi, named Officers Mess where both the military and police officers lodge.

When crocodiles eat their own eggs, what will they not do to the flesh of a frog? This grim and sordid picture is a wake-up call to the security in Ghana.

It is an indisputable fact that crime is ubiquitous and that even the developed countries are in the same boat. However, the crux of the matter is what is being done by those in authority to help ameliorate the situation of rampant crimes in Ghana? Of course, the self-reliant countries share with us in this context.

Nonetheless, Africa, more specifically Ghana, has an additional share, which is killing for rituals(sakawa). For some time in the news, there is always an incident of someone being murdered in Ghana, not to talk of those which we do not hear in the news. The country seems to have turned into a jungle where only the fittest carnivore attacks the vulnerable herbivores to survive.

In our part of the world, committees are only set up to investigate a matter and only produce results only when a fellow politician is the victim of a crime incidence. Politicians, traditional leaders, and high-ranked religious leaders voice are only heard when the crime happens to someone of their caliber.

But one fact our leaders must know is that, until the rotten tooth is pulled out, the mouth must chew with caution. Now MPs have been given personal police guards but the fact remains, until the issue of insecurity is fully addressed, even the military might not be able to grant them the protection they need.

Leaders of our country seem to have kept schtum and mute about role in this issue for way too long.

When trees fall on trees, first the topmost have to be removed. Of course, the country needs progress economically and in every other aspect, but insecurity is irrefutably inimical to that anticipated progress. One would opine that just as citizens are addressed more frequently on issues relating to COVID, 1D1F, agenda 111, etc., citizens would be much grateful if addressed in like manner on measures put in place to deal with this subject matter.

Indeed, Covid-19 is killing citizens, but at least we know a sure way to protect ourselves from COVID by using nose masks and hand sanitiser. Insecurity is also claiming innocent lives but painfully, physically, we know no sure way to protect ourselves from criminals attacks: Lock yourself in your room but these killers will break through. What can we say more about the Assembly member who was murdered in his room while doors were locked and recently of a gym instructor who was murdered likewise. Walk on the street and you will be attacked and shot. Drive in your car and you will be stabbed. Go to the farm and you will be cruelly murdered. Go to the market and you will be shot, as happened at Alabar in Kumasi.

Leaders of Ghana cannot continue to adopt a wait-and-see attitude as all these money launderers who hide behind the cloak of Mallam and Olomouc operate in places known to the police, through adverts on TV and bill boards at vantage points. It is high time authority figures put their best foot forward to help stop crime on our streets.

The rhetorical question is, is our safety being mortgaged or we are just being taken for a cheap ride? Or is it because we are near the era of the great tribulation as Christianity teaches?

The way forward?

The law must be given its free course, regardless of political, social or religious shade since no one is above incarceration.

The Ghana Police Service before current regime, has been anything but truthful to Ghanaians. As a patriotic citizen, report a suspected criminal to the police and the complainant will be exposed to the suspect, yet always soliciting for the support of all civilians with relevant information.

Perpetrators have to be made to face the law squarely together with everyone- political or traditional bigwig- who might have contracted them to commit such heinous atrocities.

Just as the German proverb goes, Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is, Ghanaians are convinced insecurity is not beyond Mr Dampares control since well begun is half done. Hoping for the best in your regime, IGP!

Thank you.

Please ponder on these:

- [x] Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. Proverbs 10:2

- [x] The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.  Proverbs 10:22

- [x] Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.  Proverbs 11:21

- [x] Proverbs 1:10-22

Written by: Kokoor Emmanuel
28.12.2021 LISTEN

We are in the Christmas season again. It was this same festive period 32 years ago when gunmen fought their way over the Liberian border and attacked Butuo, Nimba County. The dissidents were trained in Libya and the Po military base in Burkina Faso. Libyan ruler Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi and some wealthy Liberians were their sponsors. The frontline commander for the invaders was Prince Y. Johnson (Liberian Senator under sanction by the US Treasury Dept. in keeping with the Global Magnitsky Act). The rebels fought their way through the defensive lines of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Charles Taylor called the BBC and took responsibility as leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia. He said President Samuel K. Doe and his officials were corrupt, building private mansions and riding luxury vehicles while the people suffer. President Doe called Taylor a thief and promised to fight to the last man.

Propaganda from the rebels resonated and the war became a popular uprising (or at least it seemed). Belligerent activities soon intensified and engulfed the fifteen political subdivisions of Africas oldest Republic. The tree of violence grew uncontrollably: INPFL, ULIMO K & J, LPC, LOFA DEFENSE FORCE, NPFL-CRC, LURD, and MODEL. By the time the war came to an end in 2003, an estimated 250,000 Liberians were killed either deliberately or in crossfire. Many Nigerians, Ghanaians and other peacekeepers also lost their lives. Various sources estimate that between two to three million people were displaced. The United States of America and the international community spent billions to restore peace.

Historians have given many reasons for the carnage. They have pointed to factors such as economic disparities, corrupt political system, rampant exclusion, nepotism, greed, and ethnic division. Dr H. Boimah Fahnbulleh Jr. and other progressives told the TRC that the oligarchs were insensitive to the anguish of ordinary Liberians and that set the basis for all kinds of socio-political and economic problems. I agree. These factors can be put into one basket  the insatiable desire of the predatory elites.

Liberia is not the first country to fight a war. Many countries went down that road. However, what sets Liberia apart is that we do not understand the historical implications of our conflict. We do not know why we fought. The level of hate is reaching boiling point again. Reconciliation remains elusive as if the Truth and Reconciliation Commission never existed. Some people even celebrate death news or medical problems of political opponents. Others want the system/government to collapse. We have become intolerant and arrogant once again.

Unlike Liberia, many countries learned from crises and transformed their societies. The American revolutionary war established the foundation for the abolition of slavery, separation of church and state, republican governments with written constitutions, and justice. Before the French Revolution, most land was owned by the Church or Nobility. When they were removed from power, the land was redistributed to small landowners. Taxes and tithes were reduced. The Russian Revolution ended the czarist rule. Workers and peasants had the right to interfere in Russian society. I could go on and list the benefits of the Glorious Revolution in England, the Haitian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution... I find it hard to do the same for my country.

If the Liberian war was just about taking power and money from one group to the other then it should be recorded as the stupidest crisis in human history. Yes! We must never forget!

By Rufus Dio Neufville

The writer of this article is the Executive Director of the People Action Network, PAN-LIBERIA. He can be reached at [email protected] . Phone: 00231777477395.
28.12.2021 LISTEN

Although 2021 has not been one of the best years in aviation history, the year compared to 2020 has proven to be a better one in a pandemic era where COVID-19 has taken a hit on the airline business. Despite the challenges that came with the year, airlines are gradually rebuilding to pre-pandemic levels. In this piece, I present to you the top ten events in Ghanas aviation industry in 2021.

Ghana vs. British Airways on Airports Switch Saga

The most interesting story in the early part of 2021 was when British Airways (BA) plan to switch its Accra operations from Heathrow to Gatwick Airport was made public. The news was met with stiff opposition by the government, holidaymakers and the business community whose main issues were connectivity and inconveniences.

At the time, the Aviation Ministry indicated that BAs decision was solely unilateral, and it could not agree to the operational reasons, among others cited as the rationale for the switch.

The dramatic part of this whole saga after rejections during meetings and through strongly-worded letters from the government to BA was a threat by the government to force BA to land at the Kumasi Airport which does not receive international flights should they fail to rescind their decision.

After the back and forth, BA finally rescinded its decision to switch from the prestigious Heathrow to Gatwick which should have occurred in October 2021.

Ghanas National Airline and Operationalization Issues

Following Ghanas selection of EgyptAir as its strategic partner in 2020 to help in the formation of a new national airline, reports had it that the new airline was going to be operational before the end of 2021. It was believed that EgyptAir was going to make available four Boeing 737-800 aircraft to start the new business but the plans did not materialize.

Just as it has been the case each year since 2015, where timelines are given for the operational date, Ghanas Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta stated during the presentation of the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy Statement in November 2021 that the new national airline will be operational in 2022.

South African Airways and United Airlines Return to Ghana

South African Airways after suspending its operations in 2020 due to the pandemic and business challenges returned to the skies in September 2021. The airline which is now taking it one step at a time operates between Accra and Johannesburg with a temporary suspension of its Washington DC service via Accra.

On its part, United Airlines in May 2021 returned to Ghana with flights between Accra and Washington DC. The US carrier returned with a three-weekly service after exiting the market in 2012.

At the moment, United is operating daily seasonal (Christmas and New Year) flights between the Kotoka International Airport, Accra and Dulles International Airport, Washington.

Worlds Largest Aircraft Visits Ghana

In July 2021, the world largest aircraft, Antonov 225 Mriya made one of its rare landings at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra. The 285,000kg aircraft was on its way from Germany to Namibia to deliver medical supplies but had to make a planned technical stop in Accra, Ghana for a night.

KIA and COVID-19 Testing Issues

After imposing a compulsory $150 COVID-19 test for international arriving passengers at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in 2020, two of the major challenges of the testing regime were its credibility and the cost.

Following concerns over the high cost of the test at the airport, the Government of Ghana reduced the $150 test to $50 for Ghanaians and ECOWAS citizens.

On credibility issues, there were numerous reports by passengers, especially those who tested positive for the virus at the airport casting doubts about the validity of the tests. At the time, most people did not understand why they were negative from their origin but positive on arrival. After persistent complaints, the managers of the testing facility at the airport assured that all tests are done according to international standards.

US Makes Available $1.2m for MRO Feasibility Studies

Aerojet Aviation Limited secured $1.2 million from the US Trade and Development Agency in July 2021 to undertake feasibility studies on the development of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Kotoka International Airport.

A report from the study is expected to be completed by end of 2021 after which possible funding for project commencement will be made available.

Ghana Attains ICAOs PKD Membership

Ghana was officially recognized as the 79th member of the International Civil Aviation Organization Authority (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) platform after joining in October 2021. The PKD is a central repository that makes the exchange of information required to authenticate e-passports possible between states.

Days after this news came an announcement that the National Identity Card, popularly known as the Ghana card was going to be recognized as an e-passport across over 190 countries by 2022.

Delta Airlines Arrives in Ghana with 3 Wide-body Aircraft

In September 2021, Delta Airlines arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with three wide-body aircraft  Two Boeing 767s and one Airbus A330.

Flight DL214 which operated the A330 was Lagos bound from New York and diverted to Accra due to bad weather to spend a few hours on the ground. Flights DL9907 and DL156 were operated on the 767s. The former was a special flight for passengers who missed their flight due to harsh weather conditions in the US which caused flight cancellations on September 1, 2021. DL156 was a regularly operated flight between Accra and New York.

COVID-19 Vaccination a Requirement for International Travels

Ghanas health authorities as of December 12, 2021, mandates all international travellers arriving in Ghana who are 18years and above to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The directive is to be observed together with producing a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours before departure from origin, the filling of a health declaration form and an antigen test on arrival. Similarly, passengers departing Ghana are advised to be vaccinated.

Airlines carrying unvaccinated passengers or those without the negative PCR test certificate will be charged $3,500 per passenger.

PassionAir Makes History

Domestic airline, PassionAir made history by operating flights manned by an all-female flight crew in February and March this year. The February 20, 2021 flights were between Accra and Tamale, and Kumasi later on the same day. Also, the flight in March from the check-in counter to dispatch through to the flight deck and cabin were all manned by women to celebrate International Womens Day.

Again, the airline is the first and only airline to have commenced a commercial flight operation to the Ho Airport years after its completion. It launched a twice-weekly service between Accra and Ho earlier in December.

Authored

Mark Ofosu || Twitter: @M__ofosu
The Ghana Hajj Agents Association has pledged its support for the Hajj Board Chairman, Sheikh I.C Quaye to ensure a successful Hajj Operations in 2022.

The association made the pledge during its visit to the Hajj Board Chairman at his residence in Accra to introduce the newly elected Chairman and Executives of the Association to Chairman I.C Quaye.

In his remarks, the newly elected Chairman of Association, Alhaji Alhassan Ansaria expressed the association's appreciation to Sheikh I.C Quaye for his support to the association and Hajj in Ghana.

According to him, despite his age, Sheikh I.C Quaye has worked as a young energetic man as the Hajj Board Chairman.

Alhaji Ansaria noted that, their visit to the Chairman has enlightened them as well as encouraged them to learn more.

He prayed for Allah's protection for the Hajj Board Chairman.

Alhaji Alhassan Ansaria further expressed the association's appreciation for the good work and support the government of Ghana has been giving to the Association.

He revealed that the Hajj Board under the leadership of Sheikh I.C Quaye has witness a sudden change in the operation of Hajj in Ghana.

He said there has never been any significant changes in Hajj operation as has been seen in the history of Hajj and therefore called on Ghanaians to appreciate the hard work of Sheikh I.C Quaye.

He added that the visit of the association is not only to introduce the newly elected members to the Chairman but to also inform him of the association's support and commitment to make 2022 Hajj a successful one.

On his part, the Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board, Sheikh I.C Quaye expressed his gratitude to the Association and assured them that the 2022 Hajj Pilgrimage is a done deal and will surely come off .

According to him, in other countries, it is difficult for Hajj Agents and Hajj Board to work in hamony but under his leadership the agents and the Hajj Board are working in peace for the progress of Hajj in Ghana.

He said the Hajj committee under his watch provided food and basic needs for pilgrims which according to him made live bearable for all pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He added that despite the COVID -19 pandemic, the Hajj Board is working around the clock to ensure a successful Hajj anytime the ban is lifted.

Sheikh I.C Quaye revealed that 270 people who paid to embark on Hajj but could not make it due to the pandemic have their money refunded to them.
We had mentioned in Mondays closing report that Nifty and Sensex may rally further. On Tuesday, the indices opened gap up and ended with gain. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,570 stocks advanced, 456 declined, and 42 remained unchanged with advance decline ratio of 3.44.

The trend of the major indices on Tuesdays trading are given in the table below:

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended duration of lock-in period for anchor investors from 1 April 2022. The existing 30-day lock in period will be available for 50% of allocated portion and for remaining 50% portion lock in of 90 days from the date of allocation will be applicable.

Gokaldas exports closed 10% higher after rating agency ICRA upgraded the companys long-term for line of credit amounting to Rs 425 crore from stable to positive.

Ajanta Pharma board has approved share buyback of up to Rs 286 crore at a maximum price of Rs 2,550 per share. The stock was up 3.95%.

Godfrey Philips has appointed Sharad Aggarwal as CEO (chief executive officer).

Indias benchmark 10- year bond yield has rose to its highest level since April 2020. It has touched 6.50% as the outstanding stock has reached Rs1.48 trillion.

Sastasundar Ventures was up 5% today after ace investor Ashish Kacholia acquired 2.25 lakh equity shares at Rs 447 per share.

The Great Eastern Shipping Company ended in green after it announced share buyback of worth Rs 225 crore at a maximum of Rs 333 per share.

BSE closed 6% up after the company announced that its board will consider bonus issue on 8 February 2022

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
Media reports about a first information report (FIR) registered by the Pune police against Saraswat Banks top executives and allegations about a bogus loan account worth Rs13 crore had worried depositors of the lender.

However, Mumbai-based Saraswat Cooperative Bank Ltd clarified that the FIR filed against its chairman, managing director (MD) and other executives is an attempt to create hurdles to prevent the Bank from recovering outstanding loans, for which the Bank has initiated the process of taking possession of the mortgaged property. Pune-based Smita Sameer Patil, a director of Orange Medicare & Research Centre Pvt Ltd (OMRC), had filed the FIR at the Kothrud police station.

In a release, Saraswat Bank says, "It has been a trend for some defaulting borrowers nowadays to create all sorts of hurdles including criminal charges against banks which are trying to recover their legitimate unpaid dues...the FIR has been filed by a director of OMRC with the intention to create hurdles and to avoid loan recovery action of taking possession of the mortgaged property as per the latest order issued by the tahsildar in December 2021."

Ms Patil, the director of OMRC, has registered an FIR against Gautam Thakur, chairman of the Saraswat Bank, Smita Sandhane (MD), Anand Chalke (chief manager), Pallavi Sali and Ratnakar Prabhakar (zonal managers), Abhishek Bhagat (branch manager, Vishrantwadi) and others.

According to Saraswat Bank, OMRC is a defaulter and the bank needs to recover around Rs16 crore, plus updated interest from the company as per the provisions of Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest (SARFAESI) Act.

"In this regard, the securitisation officer of the Bank has initiated the recovery process by issuing a notice of taking possession. We wish to further state that the borrower tried to enter into a one-time settlement (OTS) with the bank but failed to repay the agreed amount and hence the OTS failed. Apprehending thereafter that the bank would take possession of the property, the borrower has filed this false case against its chairman, MD and officials of the bank.

"We deny all the allegations made in the complaint and we will also ensure that the bank will take all the steps to defend its action, its officials and take this case to its logical end," Saraswat Bank says.

According to local media reports, officials of Saraswat Bank allegedly made a bogus loan account and then, on 13 August 2018, sent a proposal to OMRC for an OTS of Rs13 crore. The Bank allegedly misused cheques given as security for a term-loan account by paying Rs2.5 crore for the fake loan account, the report says.

Saraswat Bank, however, says, The cheque of Rs3.66 crore given by the company was returned unpaid (bounced), hence the bank issued a notice under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act to OMRC.

Saraswat Bank is India's largest urban co-operative bank with operations spread across six states  Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

According to the lender, five doctors set up OMRC and were granted a loan in 2011 to construct hospitals and procure medical equipment. However, the directors could not complete the project in time. This increased project cost, and to meet the increased costs, in 2013, Saraswat Bank granted an additional loan to OMRC.

OMRC could not complete the project over the next three years and, in 2016, Saraswat Bank declared the loan account of OMRC as a non-performing asset (NPA).

Next year, OMRC sold its 71% stake to Sameer Patil group of companies to tide over the financial crisis and inducted Ms Patil, who has filed the FIR against Saraswat Bank, as a director on the company's board.

"The group cleared only the overdue amount in the account while the principal remained unpaid; hence the account was upgraded as a standard account. Due to failure in honouring the repayment commitment, the account was classified again as NPA and securitisation proceedings were initiated," the lender says.

In 2018, the district magistrate at Pune issued a court order for physical possession of mortgaged property of OMRC. However, Saraswat Bank says, "The physical possession was not taken as the company submitted a cheque of Rs3.66 crore, along with a proposal for OTS. The OTS was approved by the bank. Directors individually paid Rs2.50 crore. The physical possession of the property was postponed on the company's request."

According to Saraswat Bank, the tahsildars office issued various dates for taking possession of the OMRC property; however, it was never executed by the tahsildar office.

"A contempt petition filed by OMRC in the Bombay High Court against the bank was also disposed of by the court. OMRC tried to delay the banks action taking possession of the property on various frivolous grounds," it added.

On 27 December 2021, the tahsildar issued an order for permitting possession of the OMRC property by the Bank.

"Saraswat Bank will not succumb to such pressure tactics and will pursue all legal remedies to take possession of the property of the defaulting company," the lender says.
Success Occurs When Opportunity Meets Preparation.- Zig Ziglar

India has traditionally punched far below its weight. We are a large country with the second-highest population and the seventh-largest landmass. Every sixth human being on the globe is an Indian. That should suffice for India to have a significant say in global affairs. Yet, we find our influence being eroded on the global scene and, in recent times, steadily waning.

The world values and respects power. Weak nations have no place in the geopolitical scheme of things. Despite some recent setbacks, the US dominates, if not monopolises, global affairs and institutions. Not only is it the strongest economically, but its soft power is also respected worldwide. China has grown economically and in terms of its technological capability over the past three decades. People notice when it says something, even if they disagree with it.

Today, India has neither the economic strength nor the soft power to be a significant player in global space. That was understandable until the early-1990s since India was a protected economy that did not encourage interaction with the outside world. The highly successful reforms in the 1990s kindled hopes of a confident India engaging on equal terms with the global powers.

Unfortunately, it is now a well-established fact that India is an inward-looking nation with little inclination to open itself up. We undertake reforms only out of compulsion and not any conviction, preferring to meet our needs internally within the country, even terming such an approach patriotic. Our outlook is inward.

Many policies and attitudes of the 1950s and 1960s continue, although the form and nomenclature may be different. What was earlier termed import-substitution is now a more catchy atmanirbharta. As Arvind Subramanian and Josh Felman rightly remarked, 'aspiring outward, turning inward'.

Let us look at the issue from the right perspective. India today has two significant advantages. The fight for supremacy between the Western world and China will be a long drawn-out affair. India has an integral role to play in this struggle, given our physical proximity to China, with a long border and a history of confrontation. That and the size of the country ensures we cannot be ignored, even if it be a forced, unwanted engagement.

But, we are messing up and messing up big time. Zig Zaglar stressed on preparation to convert an opportunity to succeed. By doing precisely the opposite, we are converting our opportunity to disaster.

In the recent past, Indias gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate has halved to 4% from 8.3%. The savings rate is significantly down, private investment does not appear to be forthcoming, and exports have been stagnant for almost a year decade. These figures are pre-pandemic, after which the economic conditions have deteriorated even more. The Indian story may well and truly be over.

The economic decline is, of course, quite damaging in nature and India has lost the attraction of a fast-growing economy. We could have easily weathered the decline and held out hopes for a better future. What has led to the country losing esteem in global affairs is a consistent fall in our standards of liberal democracy.

Establishing a liberal democracy is not easy. The government as well as the people of the country, must have a strong conviction and should be prepared to nurture it over long periods. The temptation to take shortcuts and an easy way out must be resisted. The most critical aspect is healthy criticism and dissent that must not only be tolerated and accepted but encouraged.

We have, in the recent past, considerably sullied our image in this respect. We have shown an inability to accept any view that could be remotely construed as different. And, we have gone after such views with a heavy hand.

Let us look at some of the examples of the recent past. Since the days of TN Seshan as the chief election commissioner, elections in India have been mainly free and fair, a tremendous achievement in a country beset with poor law and order. That seems to be changing. Slowly but surely, the election commission is getting increasingly compromised. The fairness of the election process can no longer be taken for granted. The same sense of compromise characterises many other institutions of national importance. Without strong, independent institutions, liberal democracy becomes unsustainable.

Two years back, the Howdy Modi event held in Texas, US was a crass demonstration of hero-worshipping. It was also the first-ever instance of an Indian prime minister taking sides in a forthcoming US election. The Indian external affairs minister absented himself at the last minute from a meeting with US senators who were members of the foreign relations committee.

The sole reason was the presence of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a known critic of the Indian government. Instead of using the meeting as an appropriate platform to put across Indias point of view, the ministers absence seemed churlish. Being publicly rude to senators who may be critical of Indias human rights record is immature and does not endear us to the new administration in power now.

The reaction of the Indian government to criticism by Greta Thunberg, and the consequent arrest of Disha Ravi and other activists in what became famous as the toolkit episode, was so over the top that even hardcore admirers of the government were unable to fathom what was happening. Indeed, we have a very sensitive skin.

Instead of talking to people with different views, taking everyones opinion into account, which is a fundamental aspect of democracy, the government has revealed a tendency to go after dissent, real or imagined, with all its might. Those who express a different view have had to face the might of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the enforcement directorate (ED), the income-tax (I-T) department and various other government authorities. Nothing can be more effective in insidiously destroying the very foundations of democracy in a country.

Epitomising the streak towards authoritarianism, far-reaching legislations are passed without reasonable discussion in the Parliament and outside. Legislative changes in Jammu & Kashmir were rushed through almost stealthily, with hardly any time given to the Parliament. It is instructive that, despite such a significant change, normal life eludes the state, with severe restrictions in force more than two years later.

Agricultural laws were similarly passed without extensive discussions and the country faced the consequences, with a farmers agitation forcing the government to climb down. Now the decision to abrogate the laws has similarly been a closely guarded secret, sprung on the nation with surprise and, subsequently, rubber-stamped by the cabinet and passed in the Lok Sabha in a record 12 minutes. The ruling political party has used its majority to browbeat everyone, including its own members of Parliament, without realising its deleterious impact on the countrys image. Never, ever has the Parliament been treated with such contempt.

India remains the only large country which is not a part of any significant trade pact. With the dilution of the World Trade Organisation (WTO, most countries are engaged in building smaller trade groups. India of course shies away; being a member involves give and take and presupposes the ability to compete with other countries on equal terms. Since 2014, India has not signed a single trade pact with any country.

Withdrawal from Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a shining example of the pusillanimity with which we approach free trade, relying instead on high import duties and unilateral regulatory action (protectionism!) on our part. The insular nature of the Indian society keeps asserting itself time and again and India continues to shy away from playing by global rules.

One of the core tenets of a liberal regime is the rule of law, that law must be applied equally and in the same manner for every citizen. In this respect, Indias record has never inspired confidence; but we were improving and getting there, even if ever so slowly. The last few years have witnessed a reversal, with the common man increasingly facing discrimination while seeking justice.

Some of the laws passed during the past few years have not only been irrational but discriminatory in nature. The Citizen Amendment Act was the most insidious manifestation of such an attitude, going against the spirit of the constitution by discriminating between Indians on the basis of their religion. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called it fundamentally discriminatory.

Finally, the politics of polarisation and promotion of a Hindutva inspired agenda, culminating now in the hate conclave at Haridwar, do nothing to strengthen Indias claims of being a modern liberal society.

India is slowly but surely becoming a violent nation. Nothing is more harmful to democracy than the use of violence to pursue ones goals. Public lynching for various offences, real or perceived, has become a common feature. Violence now seems to permeate our social fabric like a leech, with consequences that can only be lethal.

Indian voters may dismiss such indiscretions as inconsequential; but the world at large and the Western democracies, in particular, do not feel comfortable.

They have taken notice, and they do not like what they see. Has anyone observed that the recent visit of Narendra Modi to the US, his seventh as prime minister of India, was one of the least consequential of any Indian prime minister, unless you take into account the public lesson on democracy he received from vice president Kamala Harris?

Our relationship with the world is one of hesitancy. Mention China to anyone, and the reaction is one of awe. Mention India in the same breath, and people would hem and haw and, finally, just shake their head as if to say we cant figure out what is happening there.

The outcome is that as a nation, despite inherent advantages, we seem to be descending towards irrelevance in global affairs. The world may tolerate us; but we will unfortunately never become an integral part of global geopolitics.

This years Nobel Peace Prize winner journalist Maria Ressa, during her acceptance speech, had posed the question What are you willing to sacrifice for Truth? Indians have to answer an additional question What are we willing to sacrifice for a vibrant, representative democracy?

(Sunil Mahajan, a financial consultant and professor, has over three decades experience in the corporate sector, consultancy, and academics. He has recently authored a textbook on Corporate Finance, published by the Cambridge University Press.)
This story was originally published by ProPublica.

The U.S. has one agency that regulates cheese pizza and another that oversees pepperoni pizza. Efforts to fix the food safety system have stalled again and again.

For Nancy Donley, the fight for safer food started one agonizing summer night in 1993.

She and her family had hamburgers for dinner, and soon after, her 6-year-old son Alex complained of a stomachache. Within hours, he had curled himself into a ball and was begging his mother for comfort.

The next morning, thinking Alex might have appendicitis, Donley took him to the pediatrician. The doctor sent Alex to the emergency room at a childrens hospital near their home in Chicago.

A toxin was invading the boys body. Blood began to flow from Alexs bowels, and when he became too weak to stand, Donley helped change a stream of soaked diapers. Soon Alex lost neurological control and battled tremors and hallucinations. His kidneys shut down, then his lungs. After Alex suffered a massive seizure, his mother watched as the brain waves on his monitor flatlined. He was gone, Donley said.

On July 18, 1993, Alex died of hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can result when bacteria damages the blood vessels.

In Alexs case, it was caused by a dangerous strain of E. coli known as O157:H7, which originates in livestock feces.

It was the same bacteria that had generated national headlines less than a year before when it killed four children who had eaten Jack in the Box hamburgers. Federal officials had closed their investigation into the hamburger disease in February 1993, but the pathogen was still circulating because the countrys turn-of-the-century meat safety laws didnt outlaw the sale of bacteria-tainted beef.

The childrens deaths captured the attention of policymakers and spawned a fervent push for safer food. Donley, seeking to channel the anger and grief that consumed her, joined the fight. Alex was very much let down by industry, by government, she said.

Donley became a prominent national voice for food safety, successfully pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take steps toward modernizing meat inspection and inspiring officials to ban the sale of meat contaminated with the type of E. coli that killed Alex.

These victories in the early years of her advocacy seemed to presage sweeping changes to the countrys food safety system, a maze of 15 agencies operating under nearly three dozen laws, with no single person or entity in charge.

But then one effort at reform after another fell short, leaving Donley deeply frustrated  and leaving the failed regulatory scheme much as it was.

To say its broken suggests that it was working properly before, said Thomas Gremillion, the director of food policy for the Consumer Federation of America. Weve just followed this path and its become more and more dysfunctional.

ProPublicas recent investigation into a nearly four-year-old salmonella outbreak found that when an antibiotic-resistant strain took hold of the chicken industry, food safety officials were powerless to stop it from sickening the public.

That outbreak, which continues to this day, was yet another reminder of the shortcomings that for more than 70 years have led consumer advocates like Donley, along with government experts, members of Congress and several presidents, to call for a single food safety agency.
December 28, 2021 The Federal Government's Covid Failure Becomes Even More Apparent Today I was busy with medical issues. Nothing bad to report on my side. But I feel somewhat sad for the people in the U.S. who's health get screwed by its 'elite' over and over again. Seven days ago the CEO of Delta Airlines asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to cut quarantine time for Covid breakthrough cases: Delta Air Lines Inc's chief executive asked the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday to shrink quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier's workforce. CEO Ed Bastian, along with the company's chief health officer and a medical adviser, asked in a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky seen by Reuters that the agency's recommended quarantine period for anyone who tests positive with a breakthrough COVID-19 infection be reduced to five days from the current 10. The letter suggested that individuals could end isolation with appropriate testing.

...

"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," Bastian wrote. "Similar to healthcare, police, fire, and public transportation workforces, the Omicron surge may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions."

...

Delta said that "as part of this policy change, we would be interested to partner with CDC and collect empirical data." The CDC immediately set off to do what the business side of the U.S. told it to do. Yesterday it changed its guidelines for recommended isolation and the quarantine period: Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others. Additionally, CDC is updating the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19. For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19. These recommendation are: way too differentiated and thereby confusing. Only the first sentence up to but excluding the word 'asymptomatic' will be followed.

not based on science as the infectious period of Covid cases varies over a relative wide range and can be even more than ten days after symptom onset.

misses the use of tests after the five day period.

does not mention the varying quality of different masks and does not recommend the use of K95/FFP2 masks which are the only ones that should be used by likely infectious persons. The recommendations give backing to businesses who tell their workers to come to work even when sick. They go far beyond what the Delta CEO asked for. The three points set in bold in the first quote above get ignored in the CDC recommendations. The U.S. doctors and scientist I follow on Twitter all disagree with the CDC. Jerome Adams @JeromeAdamsMD - 13:50 UTC  Dec 28, 2021

Regardless of what CDC says, you really should try to obtain an antigen test (I know- easier said than done) and confirm its negative prior to leaving isolation and quarantine.

Theres not a scientist or doctor Ive met yet who wouldnt do this for themselves/ their family. Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH @ashishkjha - 13:48 UTC  Dec 28, 2021

While new CDC isolation guidelines are reasonable, here's what I would have done differently

1. Required a neg antigen test after 5 days

2. Had different guidelines for vaccinated (contagious for shorter time) versus unvaccinated

3. Specified higher quality masks

Short thread ... Eric Topol @EricTopol - 14:50 UTC  Dec 28, 2021

The data that supports the new @CDCgov 5 day isolation period without a negative test Topol's tweet has a picture of an empty paper attached to it. The often quoted Angie Rasmussen is livid: Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen - 15:34 UTC  Dec 28, 2021

Once again, @CDCgov outdoes itself by taking what might be a reasonable policy (test to leave isolation) and removing the part that makes it reasonable (the testing part). This is reckless and, frankly, stupid. Mandatory 10-day isolations could be reduced if a person tests negative sequentially. Example: 2 negative tests 24 hr apart beginning on day 5. But just assuming that people with no symptoms arent shedding shitloads of virus? CDC, where have you been this entire pandemic? SARS-CoV-2 spreads readily from people without symptoms. Thats a key reason why the pandemic has been so hard to contain. @SaskiaPopescu and I reviewed this nearly A YEAR AGO, long before omicron befouled our holidays.

SARS-CoV-2 transmission without symptoms

...

Im very disappointed with yet another failure to actually use evidence in formulating recommendations. Im very disappointed in @CDCDirector @RWalenskys leadership, which has been at best erratic and at worst nonexistent. Actual public health leadership means not putting business interests first during a public health crisis with policies you just pulled out of your ass. Its callow, it is devastating to public confidence, and its going to blow up when omicron cases continue their meteoric rise. This isnt changing policy to reflect the changing evidence. This is caving to business interests with a nakedly evidence-free one-size-fits-all solution that was probably cooked up in lieu of the will to actually increase testing availability to make test-to-release possible. Angie gets political: We all had such high hopes for the Biden administrations pledge to let science lead the way out of this pandemic. Those hopes have been dashed repeatedly by the lack of follow through on any of the promises made regarding the pandemic. A year later, we still dont have enough tests, 40% of people are unvaccinated, theres no national mask mandate or vaccine mandate, and the country is ablaze with omicron. It didnt have to be this way and wouldnt be if @POTUS kept his promises. Well Angie, its the system that is sick and not the man at the top. In a phone call with governors Biden yesterday rejected all responsibility: Republicans wasted no time slamming Joe Biden after the flip-flopping president said 'there is no federal solution' to combatting COVID-19 on Monday. The CDC changes will ease COVID-related flight cancellations as sick flight personal will be able to help spread the virus even when they don't like to do so: "We said we wanted to hear from medical professionals on the best guidance for quarantine, not from corporate America advocating for a shortened period due to staffing shortages, said Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson following the CDC announcement shortening the recommended quarantine duration from 10 days to five days. The CDC gave a medical explanation about why the agency has decided to reduce the quarantine requirements from 10 to five days, but the fact that it aligns with the number of days pushed by corporate America is less than reassuring, Nelson said. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have had so many screw ups during the pandemic that one must doubt their usefulness. Recently the FDA authorized and even praised Pfizer's Paxlovid anti-Covid drug. But its use is seriously in doubt: When Paxlovid is paired with other medications that are also metabolized by the CYP3A enzyme, the chief worry is that the ritonavir component may boost the co-administered drugs to toxic levels. Complicating matters, the drugs that pose interaction risks are widely prescribed to people at the greatest risk from Covid because of other health conditions. The medications include, but are not limited to: blood thinners; anti-seizure medications; drugs for irregular heart rhythms, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications; immunosuppressants; steroids (including inhalers); HIV treatments; and erectile dysfunction medications. The half of the U.S. population that is most in danger due to Covid will not be able to take Paxlovid as it already uses incompatible medications. The CDC is still unable to track the number of Omicron cases. Today it admitted that it (again) screwed up its own statistic: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention significantly revised its model of the breakdown of Covid-19 variants on Tuesday, estimating the Omicron strain accounted for about 58.6 percent of U.S. cases as of Dec. 25. The public health agencys previous estimate that the rapidly spreading variant accounted for 73.2 percent of cases nationwide on Dec. 18 is now revised down to 22.5 percent  a significant drop that falls outside the agency's earlier 95 percent prediction interval, or likely range where future analysis will fall, of 34 to 94.9 percent of all cases.

...

The U.S. is now recording more than 206,000 daily Covid-19 infections  a number that is rapidly growing. Americans continue to travel at high levels through the holidays: more than 2 million people flew yesterday, according to Transportation Security Administration data. Tomorrow the number of new Cocid cases per day in the U.S. will likely exceed the previous record. Omicron guarantees that the next few month will be a wild ride. But no matter how high the number of cases will be the U.S. the federal government and its institutions will do nothing about it. They have been proven to be incapable for systemic reasons independent of their leadership. It does not have to be that way but I see no one who is trying to change that. To be clear. I am not worried for myself. I am vaccinated and was boostered today. But I worry about those who for whatever reason are not vaccinated. And about those who will get sick with non-Covid issues and who will have difficulties to find an empty hospital bed while Omicron rushes through. Good luck to them. --- (Like all Covid threads this one too will get policed to eliminate promotions of drugs that are not useful and arguments not based on science.) Posted by b on December 28, 2021 at 19:56 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
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Jean-Marc Vallee, the Quebecois director of films including Dallas Buyers Club and TV projects such as Big Little Lies, died at his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada. He was 58.

Vallee died from a heart attack, according to his representative Bumble Ward.

His producing partner, Nathan Ross, said in a statement, Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy. Everyone who worked with him couldnt help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me. The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.

Vallee earned an Oscar nomination for best editing for 2013s Dallas Buyers Club, which won Oscars for Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. The film was based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient who smuggled pharmaceutical drugs into Texas and distributed them to fellow AIDS patients through the Dallas Buyers Club.

The next year, he directed Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon and based on the bestselling memoir about a former heroin addict who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to help find herself.

He continued to work with Witherspoon on the HBO series Big Little Lies, for which he won the Emmy for directing a limited series, movie or special. Adapted from the bestselling Liane Moriarty novel, the limited series also starred Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley, and it drew acclaim for its lushly photographed look at the lives of wealthy coastal families who must confront a sudden death in their midst.

Vallees next HBO project was another suspenseful HBO mini-series based on a popular book, Sharp Objects.

Jean-Marc Vallee was a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker, a truly phenomenal talent who infused every scene with a deeply visceral, emotional truth, said a statement released by HBO. He was also a hugely caring man who invested his whole self alongside every actor he directed. We are shocked at the news of his sudden death, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to his sons, Alex and Emile, his extended family, and his longtime producing partner, Nathan Ross.

Born in Montreal, Vallee studied film at the Universite de Montreal. After making music videos and short films, he made his first feature Black List.

After making 2005s acclaimed Quebec film C.R.A.Z.Y., based on the life of a close friend, he directed The Young Victoria, which garnered three Academy Award nominations. His other films included Cafe de Flore, Los Locos, a Western written by and starring Mario Van Peebles, Loser Love and Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Vallee was set to direct another series for HBO, Gorilla and the Bird, based on a memoir by Zack McDermott about a public defender who suffers a sudden psychotic break.

He is survived by two children and three siblings.

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Midland County Sheriff's Office

A fugitive wanted for murder in New Mexico was arrested Monday in the 600 block of East County Road 129 in Midland County.

The Midland County Sheriffs Office reported that Gabriel Rodriguez Jr. was then taken into custody without incident and placed in the Midland County Jail.
James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

A collision on the I-20 south service road on Christmas Day resulted in the death of a San Antonio area man.

Carlos Fuentes Padilla, 69, of Elmendorf, died after his Ford F-150 pickup collided with a 2008 Peterbuilt truck tractor with trailer. DPS officials reported that Padillas pickup was traveling east on the service road around 1 mile east of Stanton in Martin County. DPS reported that Padilla failed to yield right of way at a posted field intersection.
Eric O'Connell/Getty Images

The Illinois State Museum in Springfield is looking for items related to the iconic highway known as Route 66 to expand its collection.

U.S. Route 66 is marking the 100th anniversary of its establishment in 1926. The route, also known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, covers 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
MEREDOSIA  The investigation into the house explosion that occurred the evening of June 23 at 227 Orange St. has been closed.

Illinois State Fire Marshal investigator Bobby J. Brown's report is stating that due to the amount of destruction that occurred as a result from the explosion, and resulting fire, that there were no specific fire patterns or fire effects observed to indicate an area of origin and has been determined that it was a natural gas explosion of undetermined origin.
Memorial Health has been nationally recognized as a leader in creative and innovative internal communications.

The five-hospital health care organization, which includes Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, was given a Best Crisis Management Award by Workplace from Meta during the platforms 2021 Customer Success Awards program.

The award went to the organization with the most effective management of an issue using Workplace from Meta (Facebook), an internal communications tool that facilitates online group work, instant messaging, video conferencing and news sharing.

Other companies honored included DirecTV, Accenture, Delta Air Lines and Gucci.

Memorial Health introduced Workplace in June 2018 and expanded and enhanced its use during the pandemic to provide employees with up-to-date information and created a knowledge library covering preparedness plans and other details. In addition, the platform was used to broadcast live sessions hosted by Memorial Health leaders and subject matter experts.
MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

South Central District Judge David Reich sentenced Chad Isaak, 47, to consecutive life terms for each of his four murder convictions. One of Isaak's lawyers had asked Reich to allow for the possibility of parole.

Isaak, wearing a blue mask, stood still and stared straight ahead as the judge delivered his verdicts. Before learning his fate, Isaak briefly addressed the court, saying, I can honestly tell you Im not a murderer, and thats all I have to say.

A jury in August found Isaak guilty of killing RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42; Bill Cobb, 50; and his wife, Lois Cobb, 45.

The four were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019, inside the property management companys building in Mandan, a city of about 20,000 people across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Investigators said the victims were stabbed more than 100 times, total.

Before Reich sentenced Isaak, family members of the victims were allowed to address the court.

Robert Fakler's wife, Jackie Fakler, called Isaak a coward who didn't give the victims a chance to flee or fight.

You have made me hate, she said.

Jackie Fakler also read victim impact statements from the Cobb family, who couldn't make the hearing because of bad weather.

Jamie Binstock, a daughter of Robert and Jackie Fakler, told the court that Isaak is a heinous individual who should spend the rest of his life in prison and experience a lifetime of suffering and nightmares.

I do not want your life to end. Your family does not need to suffer the same way we did, Binstock said.

North Dakota doesnt have the death penalty.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours at the end of the nearly three-week trial before it convicted Isaak of murder, burglary, unlawful entry into a vehicle, and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, lived at a Washburn property that the company managed, but authorities never established a motive for the killings.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged during his opening statement. But he maintained that investigators didnt seriously consider other possible suspects, including people who had either been evicted, sued or fired by RJR.

The defense also argued that police failed to check out the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Fakler.

I wanted you to know that these four individuals were wonderful people, Jackie Fakler said to Isaak. I thoroughly loved my husband and I forgive him.

In asking the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole, prosecutor Gabrielle Goter said Isaak is a danger to the community who hasnt shown any remorse for the crimes, which she said were preplanned and premeditated. The judge agreed.

Prosecutors during trial showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup truck from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the killings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer had planned out the attack.

Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers matched fibers taken from Isaaks clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaaks truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his washing machine and gun parts found in his freezer.

___

This story was updated to correct that the prosecutor who asked the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole was Gabrielle Goter, not Karlei Neufeld.

___

Associated Press writer Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, contributed to this report.
Jacksonville Police

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A Jacksonville woman reported about $12,400 being lost because of unlawful use of her debit card. Police are investigating.

OTHER REPORTS

 Someone struck a building in the 200 block of Anna Street within the past two months, according to a report filed at 3:58 p.m. Monday.

Calhoun County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Dustin A. Schnelten, 45, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:05 a.m. Dec. 18 on a Greene County warrant accusing him of violating an order of protection.

 Donald G. Dawson, 53, of Hardin was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:02 a.m. Dec. 7 on a charge of violating bond.

Greene County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Zachary J. Beiermann, 18, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:35 a.m. Dec. 18 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Josie C. Jones, 45, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:35 p.m. Dec. 14 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Jason W. Piper, 36, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:20 p.m. Dec. 3 on charges of vehicle theft conspiracy and aggravated fleeing or eluding police and on an Illinois Department of Corrections warrant accusing him of violating parole.

 Konner L. Jones, 18, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:44 p.m. Dec. 1 on a charge of consumption of liquor by a minor.

Carrollton Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Sarah M. Balunas, 23, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:31 p.m. Dec. 16 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Joseph J. Balunas, 22, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:59 p.m. Dec. 16 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Adam L. Gideon, 33, of Waverly was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:38 a.m. Dec. 10 on a charge of vehicle theft conspiracy.

 Coty M. Newingham, 32, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:51 a.m. Dec. 9 on charges of mob action and aggravated battery.

Greenfield Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 William B. Goluba, 33, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:29 p.m. Thursday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 William W. Lancaster, 44, of Beardstown was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:56 p.m. Dec. 19 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Nathaniel N. Barnes, 42, of New Berlin was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:48 p.m. Dec. 17 on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of another person's debit card and driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Alexa D. Brickey, 30, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:50 a.m. Dec. 14 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Lendyl A. Richey, 28, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:11 a.m. Dec. 6 on a theft charge.

 Henry L. Hammack, 40, of East Alton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:44 p.m. Dec. 1 on charges of obstructing identification and driving while license is revoked or suspended and on warrants from Bethalto and Macoupin County accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Roodhouse Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jason K. Sprague, 44, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:21 p.m. Dec. 17 on a Greene County warrant accusing him of contempt of court.

 Thomas C. Edwards, 37, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:23 p.m. Dec. 15 on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic needle.

 Brandi J. Dobson, 40, of Winchester was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:16 a.m. Dec. 9 on charges of mob action, theft, aggravated battery and driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Amy R. Tuttle, 29, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:51 p.m. Dec. 8 on a Morgan County warrant accusing her of violating probation.

 Matthew T. Farris, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:18 p.m. Dec. 3 on a charge of violating bond requirements.

 Alexandria R. Wickenhauser, 37, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:39 p.m. Dec. 2 on charges of driving under the influence and obstructing justice.

 Matthew T. Farris, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:25 p.m. Dec. 1 on a domestic battery charge.

White Hall Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Steven B. Hoots, 48, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:06 p.m. Friday on a charge of violating an order of protection.

 Hunter E. Neff, 18, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:07 a.m. Thursday on charges of driving under the influence, resisting a peace officer, fleeing or eluding police and unlicensed driving.

 Donald E. Cox, 51, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:01 p.m. Wednesday on a contempt of court charge.

 Steven B. Hoots, 48, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:42 p.m. Dec. 21 on a charge of violating an order of protection.

State police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Christopher T. Hartley, 24, of Elsah was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:35 p.m. Dec. 2 on a charge of violating bond.

Scott County

Winchester Police



ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Casey A. Brown, 41, of Winchester was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:05 a.m. Dec. 11 on a possession of methamphetamine charge and a Scott County petition to revoke probation.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota lawmakers met behind closed doors on Tuesday as they launched an impeachment investigation into the state attorney general for his conduct surrounding a fatal car crash last year.

The House Speaker, Republican Spencer Gosch, had pledged a transparent process as a committee that he appointed considers whether to recommend Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's impeachment. But it took just four minutes on Tuesday for the committee  made of seven Republicans and two Democrats  to take an oath, then move into a private executive session with the attorney hired to guide the inquiry.

Lawmakers planned to take formal action that will lay out the scope of their investigation during a public session slated for Wednesday.

Ravnsborg, a Republican elected to his first term in 2018, pleaded no contest in August to a pair of misdemeanors in the crash that killed Joseph Boever. The 55-year-old man was walking along a rural stretch of highway in September 2020 when Ravnsborg struck him with his car. Ravnsborg first reported the crash as a collision with an animal. He has insisted that he did not realize he had killed a man until he returned to the scene the next day and discovered Boever's body.

Gov. Kristi Noem, a fellow Republican, has called for Ravnsborg's ouster, and her Secretary of Public Safety, who oversaw the crash investigation, has said he believes the attorney general should have faced a manslaughter charge. The governor gave Gosch a copy of the crash investigation, which lawmakers plan to delve into as they weigh whether to bring impeachment charges.

In a statement late Tuesday, Gosch said the committee began a review of the crash investigation and reviewed state law on the grounds for impeachment.

Other lawmakers on the committee either declined to discuss their Tuesday session or did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers have said a priority will be to determine what an impeachable offense is in South Dakota. The state constitution stipulates that officials such as the attorney general can be impeached for corrupt conduct, malfeasance or misdemeanor in office. The Legislature has never before impeached a state official.

If the investigative committee recommends impeachment charges be brought against Ravnsborg and a majority of the House were to approve the charges, Ravnsborg would then face a trial in the Senate. It would take a two-thirds majority of the Senate to convict and remove him from office.

A spokesman for Ravnsborg did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Gosch indicated Tuesday's private meeting was held under attorney and client privilege." State law allows government bodies to meet in executive sessions to consult with legal counsel, and to discuss the qualifications, competence, performance, character or fitness of any public officer. Any official action must be made in an open meeting.

We will be as transparent as humanly possible, Gosch told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, adding that he was trying to ensure fairness by keeping some of the discussions private.

The House voted in November to make public the material that the investigative committee uses, with the exception of redacted confidential and nonrelevant information.

But the impeachment inquiry has been held under a cloud of secrecy: Gosch has refused to divulge the names of the 49 House members who petitioned for a special legislative session to launch the committee in the first place. He and the Legislature's support staff are facing a lawsuit from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the South Dakota Newspaper Association to formally release the names.

Even though those have already been released  by the Senate Pro Tempore, and against Gosch's wishes  the media organizations have pressed the lawsuit in order to establish that petitions for a special legislative session are public record.
Partisan gerrymandering is in full swing in America following the 2020 Census.

In most states, legislators have the power to establish their own districts and both parties work to control the process and create favorable districts that often entrench incumbents and diminish the power of voters to change their leaders. And this year, in those states with independent commissions, even their recommendations are being ignored or undercut by state legislators. All of this gerrymandering is happening, despite the fact that the polling indicates that a significant majority of the American public support redistricting by independent commissions. In the face of such challenges, civic and business leaders need to rally the public support for independent redistricting commissions and collectively work to ensure that the commissions are established and their maps are implemented.

While gerrymandering has been a part of politics since our nations founding, partisan gerrymandering is more common, more efficient, and more effective  and therefore more pernicious  than ever before. It is exacerbated in this census cycle by a closely divided Congress, whose control is up for grabs, and a truncated map-drawing timeline due to pandemic-related delays in the Census release. Technology made available to legislative mapmakers is also accelerating the challenge by making it easy to predict voting patterns and to draw districts that largely predetermine election outcomes.

American voters are being harmed in at least two ways.

First, partisan gerrymandering devalues citizens votes  their most fundamental rights and protections under our rule of law. When officeholders draw their district lines to choose their own voterstypically to pack the district with their supporters and ensure their own reelections  they impose themselves on the voters who should have the power to choose or reject their own representatives. Of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, only 37  8.5%  were decided by margins of less than 5% in 2020, even though the aggregate national vote was as close as 50.8% versus 47.7%.

So, the 90%-plus of voters who live in uncompetitive districts, where there are built-in wide margins for the incumbents who chose those voters, have no meaningful say in who represents them. When the outcomes of elections are foregone conclusions, whether those outcomes favor or disfavor any particular outcome, the demoralizing sense that my vote doesnt count devalues our democracy. Citizens who learn their vote can have no impact soon enough learn not to care.

But the cost of gerrymandering doesnt end there. Extreme districts  weighted far to one partys side  lead to extreme elected officials. In districts drawn to be controlled by one party, the general election is meaningless; winning the primary election is tantamount to winning the office. Candidates must turn away from the center and play to the ideological base to win. The more the center is ignored, the more the extremes dominate elections. Finding consensus and workable solutions becomes unnecessary for the winners. Nothing gets done in Washington. The rare actual decisions lean far to one end of the spectrum; when the electoral pendulum inevitably swings the other way, those decisions are pulled up by the roots and replaced with the opposite extreme. Households and businesses do not have the reliable, steady institutions that they need to plan for the future.

The Senate, which is elected according to state boundaries that are not redistricted, might restore some stability, but even that safeguard fails. With gerrymandered districts not just for the House of Representatives but also for state legislatures, the entire farm team from which future Senate candidates are chosen is groomed for extremism. The majority of citizens who are somewhere near the center have no candidate for whom to vote.

Nearly 9 out of 10 voters oppose gerrymandering. What can we do to restore competitive elections, and bring back candidates who represent the voters?

Redistricting should remain at the state level, but it should be in the hands of nonpartisan, independent commissions, and not be overridden by politicians. Those commissions should be charged with applying neutral criteria to draw fair, competitive district lines. Ten states now have commissions that carry the primary responsibility for redistricting; until such commissions become widespread, the two parties will continue trading punches at the expense of a representative democracy that reflects the will of its citizens.

Non-partisan, independent commissions, if structured properly, produce fairer, more competitive, and less polarized districts. They eliminate the inherent conflicts of interest of legislators who approve their own districts. And they strengthen the voice of voters, improving the accountability and responsiveness of government to citizens views. It is, therefore, no surprise that many Western democracies, including Canada and Great Britain, use this approach.

The two major political parties have little incentive to give up gerrymandering, so it is incumbent on citizens and leaders in the private sector to demand that districts be drawn by nonpartisan, independent commissions and that those commission decisions be respected by state lawmakers. Fair district lines will re-inject competition into our political process and put voters back in charge of choosing our leaders.
South Africa holds week of services, events for Desmond Tutu View Photo

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africa is planning a week of services and events to honor Desmond Tutus life of activism for racial equality and LGBT rights. Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, died Sunday at the age of 90.

___

Monday, Dec. 27:

 Bells ring at noon for 10 minutes at St. Georges Cathedral in Cape Town and other churches across South Africa. The bells will ring for 10 minutes each day this week and people are asked to pause and reflect on Tutus life.

 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visits Tutus home in the Milnerton area of Cape Town to pay his respects to Tutus widow, Leah, and the family.

 Cape Towns landmark Table Mountain, the Cape Town Civic Center and the arch at St. Georges Cathedral is being lit up in purple in remembrance of Tutus bishops robes. The lights will be on the landmarks each night this week until Tutu is laid to rest.

___

Wednesday, Dec. 29:

 Ecumenical service to be held in Johannesburg, where Tutu had served as the first Black Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985.

 The City of Cape Town to hold an interfaith service for Tutu.

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Thursday, Dec. 30:

 Interfaith service to be held in the capital, Pretoria, at St. Albans Cathedral.

 The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust will host a gathering in Cape Town.

___

Friday, Dec. 31:

 Tutus body to lie in state at St. Georges Cathedral as members of the public file past his coffin, which will reflect the simplicity with which he asked to be buried, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba said in a statement.

 Tutus body will stay alone overnight in the cathedral, a place which he loved, according to Makgoba.

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Saturday, Jan. 1:

 Requiem Mass at St. Georges Cathedral after which Tutus body will be cremated and his ashes interred at the cathedrals mausoleum, according to his wishes.

By The Associated Press
Russian court shuts renowned rights group View Photo

MOSCOW (AP)  Russias highest court on Tuesday shut down one of the countrys oldest and most prominent human rights organizations, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on rights activists, independent media and opposition supporters.

The Supreme Courts ruling to close Memorial, an international human rights group that drew international acclaim for its studies of political repression in the Soviet Union, sparked international outrage.

Memorial is made up of more than 50 smaller groups in Russia and abroad. It was declared a foreign agent in 2016  a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that can discredit the targeted organization. Prosecutors said the group repeatedly failed to identify itself as a foreign agent and tried to conceal the designation, the accusations rejected by Memorial.

During the hearing, prosecutors also charged that Memorial creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state, a claim the group said revealed the authorities real motive.

The Supreme Courts ruling confirmed once again that the history of political terror organized and directed by the government isnt an academic issue that is interesting only for experts, but an acute problem of today, Memorial said in a statement. Memorial embodies the Russian citizens need to know the truth about the countrys tragic path and the fate of millions. No one would be able to liquidate that need.

The group said it would appeal the verdict and pledged to continue its work.

Of course, nothing is over with this, Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers that represented the group in court, said after the ruling. We will appeal, and Memorial will live on with the people  because its the people behind it serving this great cause first and foremost. The work will continue.

A crowd that gathered in front of the courthouse on Tuesday erupted into chants of Disgrace! in response to the ruling. Police detained several people who picketed the courthouse.

The Council of Europes Secretary General, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, described the move as devastating news and a dark day for civil society in the Russian Federation.

Amnesty International called Memorials closure a blatant attack on civil society that seeks to blur the national memory of state repression and a grave insult to victims of the Russian Gulag.

U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan deplored the courts verdict as a blatant and tragic attempt to suppress freedom of expression and erase history.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed indignation and concern at the shutdown of the NGO Memorial International, calling it a terrible loss for the Russian people.

This announcement is deeply worrying about the future of historical research and the defense of human rights in Russia, he said in a statement.

Memorials sister organization, the Memorial Human Rights Center, is up for closure as well, with a court hearing Wednesday morning in Moscow City Court.

Russian authorities in recent months have ratcheted up pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were outlawed as undesirable and several were forced to shut down or disband themselves to prevent further prosecution.

On Saturday, authorities blocked the website of OVD-Info  a prominent legal aid group that focuses on political arrests  and urged social media platforms to take down its accounts after a court ruled that the website contained materials that justify actions of extremist and terrorist groups. The group rejected the charges as politically driven.

OVD-Info condemned the ruling to shut down Memorial.

Memorial is an institution of national memory about the times of the Great Terror and Soviet repressions, the group said in a statement, adding that its closure amounted to an attempt to justify Soviet dictator Josef Stalins repressions. It is a clear signal both to society and to the elites: Yes, repressions were necessary and useful to the Soviet state in the past, and we need them today as well.

On Tuesday, five associates of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny were taken into custody. Earlier this year, a Moscow court outlawed Navalnys organizations  the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his country-wide network of regional offices  as extremist, exposing their staff members and supporters to prosecution.

One of the five detained activists, Ksenia Fadeyeva, is reportedly facing charges of forming an extremist group. Fadeyeva used to run Navalnys regional office in the Siberian city of Tomsk, and in last years election won a seat in the city legislature.

Another Navalny associate, Lilia Chanysheva, was arrested and jailed in November on similar charges. She used to head Navalnys office in the Russian region of Bashkortostan and is facing up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.

Navalny himself is serving 2 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that is widely seen as politically motivated. The politician was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he said was carried out by the FSB security agency on Kremlin orders  accusations that Russian officials reject.

On Tuesday, Navalny attended a court hearing on his appeal against prison authorities decision to put him under special surveillance as a person inclined to extremist and terrorist activities.

Why should I sleep under the sign where it is written that Im a terrorist? he told the judge by videoconference from prison. I didnt explode anybody, I didnt take hostages, I didnt do anything like that and dont plan to. Its me who was a victim of a terrorist attack when FSB officers tried to kill me.

Most of Navalnys top associates have faced prosecution this year on various criminal charges and have left Russia.

Also on Tuesday, another prominent human rights organization  the Civic Assistance Committee that helps refugees and migrants in Russia  said the authorities were evicting it from an office in Moscow it had been allowed to occupy free of charge for years.

Moscow city officials handed the group a document voiding the agreement allowing the use of the space without compensation and ordered it to leave within a month.

I link it to the overall trend of destroying civil society in Russia, Civic Assistance Committee head Svetlana Gannushkina told Mediazona.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

By DASHA LITVINOVA

Associated Press
Caltrans monitors for chains - heavy snow - Caltrans Image View Photo

Sonora, CA  After dealing with drought conditions over recent years, the latest Sierra Nevada snowpack readings are very promising.

The California Department of Water Resources reports this morning that the overall Sierra Nevada snowpack is 153-percent of average for the date.

The northern Sierra is 145-percent, the central Sierra (includes Mother Lode) is 157-percent and the southern Sierra is 161-percent.

Some areas of the Sierra Nevada reported receiving over three feet of snow in just the past 24 hours with the latest storm system. We reported earlier today that Bear Valley Ski Resort is currently closed (December 27) due to heavy snow, avalanche concerns, and road issues. More Sierra snow is anticipated through Thursday.
Snow in Soulsbyville (1-12-17) View Photo

The Winter Storm Warning issued for the Mother Lode above 2,000 feet, remains in effect until 4 PM this afternoon (Wednesday). Additionally, the Winter Storm Warning issued for the western slope of the northern Sierra Nevada, will continue until 10 PM tonight. In Mariposa County, the Winter Weather Advisory issued for the foothills and the central Sierra Nevada will not expire until 10 AM Thursday.

An inch of additional snow accumulation is expected above the 2,00 foot elevation. Two to fourteen inches of snow is expected above the 3,000 foot elevation. The higher you go, the more the snow.

Wind will gust as high as forty mph in the central Sierra Nevada.

Travel could be very difficult to impossible.

A Winter Storm Warning means there will be snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Travel is not recommended while the Warning is in effect. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
Soulsbyville, CA  Facing the potential of lawsuits and losing insurance coverage, the Soulsbyville School Board will vote on a revised ordinance this week related to COVID-19 rules and protocols.

We reported earlier that the schools governing board voted 4-1 on December 13 to no longer enforce mask-wearing, vaccine rules and some of the quarantine requirements when the school reconvenes next week after winter break.

The district has since received notification from the Tuolumne Joint Powers Authority that it will be dropped from insurance coverage if the resolution is not rescinded by January 3. The California Teachers Association has also sent a letter to the district demanding that the board follow the state requirements and indicated legal action could be forthcoming if not.

The Soulsbyville governing board will vote on approving a revised ordinance tomorrow that does not end mask, vaccine or quarantine requirements, but instead details why the board strongly opposes the current rules. On masking, it would also demand the Governor and Public Health Department work together and put out guidance that allows schools more flexibility to work with local health departments.

The board will vote on whether to approve the new ordinance, and if so, then rescind the one passed on December 13.

The special meeting will be this Wednesday, December 29, at 6pm, in the Falcon Gym on the Soulsbyville campus. People can attend in person or via Zoom.

To read the entire agenda, meeting documents, and proposed revised resolution, click here.

Story Update: Soulsbyville Board Narrowly Votes To Rescind COVID Resolution
Thousands of cranes killed by bird flu in northern Israel View Photo

JERUSALEM (AP)  A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nations history.

Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said the situation is not yet under control.

Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so its difficult for them to be taken out. he said Monday.

Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country.

The extent of the damage is still unclear, she tweeted.

Yaron Michaeli, spokesman for the Hula Lake park, where the crane population is centered, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.

Dafna Yurista, spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.

About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind, Michaeli said. This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.

Michaeli said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.

Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago.

Michaeli said the death toll among cranes appears to have stabilized in recent days.

This is a good sign, he said. They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennetts office said officials from the agriculture, environment and health ministries were monitoring the situation. There was no immediate information about infections among people, it said.

The cleanup is going more slowly than expected. We are trying to see if theres any other solutions, Naveh said.
Lebanons president calls for an end to government paralysis View Photo

BEIRUT (AP)  Lebanons president called Monday for an end to an 11-week deadlock that has prevented the government from convening, further undermining state institutions in the country amid an economic meltdown.

President Michel Aoun implicitly blamed his powerful ally Hezbollah for preventing the government from convening but didnt name the Shiite group.

During an evening televised speech, Aoun also listed a litany of other obstructions that have derailed necessary legislation and reforms, criticizing his longtime rival Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri but also without naming him.

The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati has not been able to meet since Oct. 12 after Hezbollah and allies demanded the removal of the lead judge investigating the massive explosion at the Beirut port last year. Hezbollah accuses the judge of bias and its allies in government refused to attend Cabinet meetings until the government finds a way to remove him.

Aoun said he has been unfairly criticized and his authority undermined while he cant even force the Cabinet to convene.

Paralyzing state institutions has become a standard and the result is the destruction of the state, Aoun said. In what law, logic or constitution is the Cabinet obstructed and asked to make a decision that is not part of its authority?

Aoun said the government must meet as soon as possible to address outstanding problems.

Mikati took office in September following another deadlock over the balance of power in government that was to govern amid the crisis. The political class has also been divided over reform plans, negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and regional relations.

Aoun, Hezbollahs favorite candidate, was elected president in 2016 filling a post that had been vacant for more than two years. The Aoun-Hezbollah alliance was sealed in 2006 after his return from exile following the end of Lebanons civil war. Since taking office, the alliance has been tested as Aoun had to tackle an unprecedented economic crisis, wading through Lebanons often divisive sectarian-based politics.

His speech Monday expressed frustration at the powerful ally, also questioning the purpose of creating tension with Gulf nations. Saudi Arabia, followed by other Gulf nations, boycotted Lebanon in October following critical comments by a minister allied with Hezbollah. The minister refused to resign for weeks.

But Aoun, a former army general, stopped short of calling out Hezbollah publicly, indicating the alliance was holding. Aoun is in the last year of his six-year term.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic crisis described as one of the worst in the world in the last 150 years. International financial institutions call it a deliberate depression blaming the political elite, in power for decades, of mismanaging the countrys resources.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The scheduled August 2024 parole for one of two men convicted in the murder of Michael Jordans father nearly three decades ago has been canceled, a North Carolina state panel said Tuesday.

The state Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission had announced in 2020 that Larry M. Demery would be released as part of an agreement in which he would take part in a scholastic and vocational program designed to prepare him for life outside prison. The initial release date was August 2023, but it was later pushed back by 12 months.

The commission said Tuesday in a news release that Demerys agreement has been terminated effective immediately, giving no reason. The release said that Demery, who is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of James Jordan in 1993, would be reviewed again for parole on or about Dec. 15, 2023.

Greg Thomas, a state Department of Public Safety spokesperson, didnt have additional information on Demerys situation. Generally speaking, Thomas said, a Mutual Agreement Parole Program agreement may be terminated if the prisoner isnt following program guidelines or is violating behavior rules behind bars.

Demery, now 46, is serving his sentence at a minimum security prison in Lincoln County, northwest of Charlotte, according to data the department posts online. Demerys record shows 19 infractions lodged against him since 2001, including two for substance possession earlier this month.

The state presented evidence at trial that James Jordan was killed in July 1993 in his red Lexus as he napped along the side of an access road off U.S. Highway 74 in Lumberton near Interstate 95. Prosecutors had said the motive was robbery.

During the trial, prosecutors used testimony from Demery to identify Daniel A. Green as the triggerman. Jordans body was found 11 days later in a South Carolina swamp and identified using dental records. Demery and Green were both 18 at the time.

A jury decided on a life sentence plus 40 years for Demery after he pleaded guilty in 1995 to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was resentenced in 2008 after an error was found in his initial sentencing. Demery then received a life sentence, making him eligible for parole.

A judge sentenced Green to life in prison for murder during the commission of a robbery and 10 years for conspiracy to commit robbery. A judge refused in 2019 to allow an evidentiary hearing that could have led to a new trial for Green.
South Dakota AG impeachment investigation begins in secrecy View Photo

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota lawmakers met behind closed doors on Tuesday as they launched an impeachment investigation into the state attorney general for his conduct surrounding a fatal car crash last year.

The House Speaker, Republican Spencer Gosch, had pledged a transparent process as a committee that he appointed considers whether to recommend Attorney General Jason Ravnsborgs impeachment. But it took just four minutes on Tuesday for the committee  made of seven Republicans and two Democrats  to take an oath, then move into a private executive session with the attorney hired to guide the inquiry.

Lawmakers planned to take formal action that will lay out the scope of their investigation during a public session slated for Wednesday.

Ravnsborg, a Republican elected to his first term in 2018, pleaded no contest in August to a pair of misdemeanors in the crash that killed Joseph Boever. The 55-year-old man was walking along a rural stretch of highway in September 2020 when Ravnsborg struck him with his car. Ravnsborg first reported the crash as a collision with an animal. He has insisted that he did not realize he had killed a man until he returned to the scene the next day and discovered Boevers body.

Gov. Kristi Noem, a fellow Republican, has called for Ravnsborgs ouster, and her Secretary of Public Safety, who oversaw the crash investigation, has said he believes the attorney general should have faced a manslaughter charge. The governor gave Gosch a copy of the crash investigation, which lawmakers plan to delve into as they weigh whether to bring impeachment charges.

In a statement late Tuesday, Gosch said the committee began a review of the crash investigation and reviewed state law on the grounds for impeachment.

Other lawmakers on the committee either declined to discuss their Tuesday session or did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers have said a priority will be to determine what an impeachable offense is in South Dakota. The state constitution stipulates that officials such as the attorney general can be impeached for corrupt conduct, malfeasance or misdemeanor in office. The Legislature has never before impeached a state official.

If the investigative committee recommends impeachment charges be brought against Ravnsborg and a majority of the House were to approve the charges, Ravnsborg would then face a trial in the Senate. It would take a two-thirds majority of the Senate to convict and remove him from office.

A spokesman for Ravnsborg did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Gosch indicated Tuesdays private meeting was held under attorney and client privilege. State law allows government bodies to meet in executive sessions to consult with legal counsel, and to discuss the qualifications, competence, performance, character or fitness of any public officer. Any official action must be made in an open meeting.

We will be as transparent as humanly possible, Gosch told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, adding that he was trying to ensure fairness by keeping some of the discussions private.

The House voted in November to make public the material that the investigative committee uses, with the exception of redacted confidential and nonrelevant information.

But the impeachment inquiry has been held under a cloud of secrecy: Gosch has refused to divulge the names of the 49 House members who petitioned for a special legislative session to launch the committee in the first place. He and the Legislatures support staff are facing a lawsuit from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the South Dakota Newspaper Association to formally release the names.

Even though those have already been released  by the Senate Pro Tempore, and against Goschs wishes  the media organizations have pressed the lawsuit in order to establish that petitions for a special legislative session are public record.

By STEPHEN GROVES

Associated Press
ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP)  A homicide suspect was killed and a Southern California police officer wounded during a shootout early Monday morning after an hourslong pursuit, authorities said.

Roberto Salgado, 39, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at a hospital, Escondido police said in a news release. The officer was shot in the left side of his chest and has been released from the hospital.

Salgado was a suspect in the slaying of Florencio Rodriguez, 42, in Vista  about 13 miles (20.92 kilometers) northwest of Escondido  on Sunday. Rodriguez was found shot in the driveway of his home around 5 p.m., where he was pronounced dead, according to the San Diego Sheriffs Department.

Rodriguez was married to the sister of Salgados ex-girlfriend, NBC San Diego reported. A motive has not been immediately released.

Authorities told law enforcement agencies to look for Salgados vehicle, a 2018 Chevy Silverado.

An Escondido police officer spotted the SUV around 11:15 p.m. but Salgado was driving and would not yield. A female passenger was with him.

A police pursuit, that went onto a nearby freeway, lasted for several hours. A spike strip deflated three of the SUVs tires but Salgado was able to continue driving until officials remotely disabled the truck with OnStar, police said.

Salgado got out of the SUV, police said, and he and two Escondido police officers got into a shootout. Salgado was fatally struck and an officer was injured. The female passenger was not injured.

Escondido is about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) north of San Diego.
CAIRO (AP)  The Iran-backed rebels in Yemen said Tuesday they are temporarily allowing U.N. humanitarian flights to land at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, following a weeklong halt in flights into the northern, rebel-held territory.

The rebel Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of Yemen's north, had barred U.N. and other humanitarian flights from landing at the airport amid heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the capital and Houthis' cross-border missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

At the time, the U.N. food program said the Houthis claimed the airport had become unserviceable due to technical issue.

The rebels accused the Saudi-led coalition of blocking the arrival of new air traffic control equipment. The coalition has been fighting to restore Yemens internationally recognized government to power and maintains an air, land and sea blockade of Sanaa and the north.

The Sanaa airport is ready to receive flights from the U.N. and other international humanitarian agencies, the Houthis said Tuesday. They also urged the United Nations to help facilitate the arrival of the air control equipment from Djibouti.

Yemen's war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sana and forced the government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The coalition entered the conflict in March 2015.

The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, denounced the latest uptick in fighting in Yemen, particularly the continued Houthi offensive on the government-held city of Marib.

The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing, he said.

Grundberg also voiced concerns over deadly coalition airstrikes on Sanaa and the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and urged the waring sides to engage with U.N. efforts to de-escalate the violence, address urgent humanitarian needs and launch a political process to end the conflict.

Also Tuesday, two U.N. agencies revealed that the Houthis arrested two of their employees in Sanaa in early November. UNESCO and the U.N. human rights office said no legal grounds were given for their detention. Both agencies expressed concern for their employees' well-being and called for their immediate release.

A Houthi spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Over the past years, the war has created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. More than half of the Yemens population of 16.2 million people faces acute hunger, with 2.3 million children at risk of malnutrition, according to the U.N. food agency.

The World Food Program said earlier this month it would reduce its assistance to 8 million people starting from January due to lack of funds. It said those people would receive barely half of what they currently get from the agency, while 5 million others who are at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions would continue receiving WFPs full rations.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to stretch our limited resources and prioritize, focusing on people who are in the most critical state, said Corinne Fleischer, WFPs regional director.

She said the agencys stocks are running dangerously low, urging donors to step up their contributions to avoid this looming hunger catastrophe.

The WFP said it needs $1.97 billion in 2022 to continue to deliver vital food assistance to families on the brink of famine in Yemen.
Courtesy, Michael Bajec

Downtown San Antonio's nightlife scene is getting an Austin export in The Lucky Duck. The East Sixth Street bar is adding a second location in the northeast corner of downtown, near Broadway and Interstate 37, that's become a bar destination alongside places like Roadmap Brewing, Bentley's, La Roca, and Tony's Siesta, Espuelas, Boxcar, Burleson Yard Beer Garden, and Artisan Craft Bar.

Owner Michael Bajec confirmed to MySA on December 28 that the East Austin concept, which he started with co-owners Bao and

Thomas Le in 2019, is extending to the Alamo City.
Richard Marcinko, the hard-charging founding commander of Navy SEAL Team 6, the storied and feared unit within an elite commando force that later carried out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, died Saturday at his home in Fauquier County, Virginia. He was 81.

The cause was believed to be a heart attack, a son, Matthew Marcinko, said.

Richard Marcinko climbed the ranks to command Team 6 and wrote a tell-all bestseller that cemented the SEALs in pop culture as heroes and bad boys. Though the highly decorated Vietnam veteran led Team 6 for only three years, 1980-83, he had an outsize influence on the groups place in military lore.

After a failed 1980 mission to rescue 53 American hostages seized in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, the Navy asked Marcinko to build a SEAL unit that could respond quickly to terrorist crises. The name itself was an attempt at Cold War disinformation: Only two SEAL teams existed at the time, but Marcinko called the new unit SEAL Team 6, hoping that Soviet analysts would overestimate the size of the force.

He flouted rules and fostered a maverick image for the unit. (Years after leaving the command, he was convicted of military contract fraud.) In his autobiography, Rogue Warrior, Marcinko describes drinking together as important to SEAL Team 6s solidarity; his recruiting interviews often amounted to boozy chats in bars.

For years, SEAL Team 6 embraced its rogue persona and was assigned some of the militarys toughest operations. Only Team 6 trains to chase after nuclear weapons that fall into enemy hands. And the teams role in the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden  the leader of al-Qaida who 10 years earlier had overseen the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11  spawned a wave of books and movies, elevating the unit to even higher heights of fame.

Young officers were sometimes run out of Team 6 for trying to clean up what they saw as a culture of recklessness. Adm. William H. McRaven, who rose to lead the Special Operations Command and oversaw the bin Laden raid, left Team 6 during the Marcinko era after disagreements about leadership.

After retiring from the Navy in 1989, Marcinko embarked on a career as a best-selling author, motivational speaker and military consultant, relying heavily on his authenticity as a military veteran. He also appeared on the cover of several of his books, presenting an imposing image of muscular forearms, bearded jaw and piercing eyes staring out at readers.

Some SEALs over the years have said that Marcinko invented his own legend. Of his 1992 book, Rogue Warrior, written with John Weisman, David Murray wrote in The New York Times that his story is fascinating but the method of telling it is not. In the book, Marcinko comes across as less the genuine warrior than a comic-book superhero who makes Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Little Lord Fauntleroy.

The book sold millions of copies. Readers apparently wanted more, and Marcinko obliged. His 1995 novel, Rogue Warrior: Green Team, also with Weisman, has so much action that the reader scarcely has time to breathe, Newgate Callendar, another Times reviewer, wrote.

Marcinko was born Nov. 21, 1940, to George Marcinko and Emilie Teresa Pavlik Marcinko in his grandmothers house in Lansford, Pennsylvania, a tiny mining town. In his autobiography, he described his mother as short and Slavic looking and his father as dark and brooding, with a nasty temper.

All the men in the family, Marcinko wrote, were miners. They were born, they worked the mines, they died, he wrote. Life was simple and life was hard, and I guess some of them might have wanted to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, but most were too poor to buy boots.

He dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Navy in 1958. He was deployed to Vietnam with SEAL Team 2 in 1967, according to the National Navy SEAL Museum, which announced the death on its Facebook page.

He received many honors for his service, including four Bronze Stars, a Silver Star and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, according to the museum. After completing two tours in Vietnam, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and then took the reins of SEAL Team 2 from 1974-76, according to the museum.

Marcinko is survived by his wife, Nancy; four daughters, Brandy Alexander, Tiffany Alexander, Hailey Marcinko and Kathy-Ann Marcinko; two sons, Matthew and Ritchie Marcinko; and several grandchildren. An earlier marriage to Kathy Black ended in divorce.

On Sunday night, McRaven called Marcinko one of the more colorful characters in Naval special warfare history.

While we had some disagreements when I was a young officer, I always respected his boldness, his ingenuity and his unrelenting drive for success, McRaven wrote in an email. I hope he will be remembered for his numerous contributions to the SEAL community.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The San Antonio Police Department is struggling to find new leads in the search for 3-year-old Lina Sadar Khil, who's been missing for eight days. Khil was last seen at a playground at her family's apartment complex on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road on December 20.

"It's disheartening that we haven't found anything that leads us closer to Lina," SAPD Police Chief William McManus said during a press briefing on Tuesday, December 28. "There's nothing that we haven't done to try to find her. It's frustrating and disheartening and disappointing that we haven't come up with something yet.

The FBI has also been tapped to help with the investigation. Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio office, continued to ask the public to give any tips or feedback information that would help find Lina.

SAPD initially set up a command center at its downtown headquarters and the USAA campus near the apartments where Lina went missing. However, McManus said they shut the command center down over the weekend after surveying the area multiple times. He added the shutdown doesn't mean SAPD has any less focus on the investigation.

Courtesy of SAPD

Lina was last seen wearing red dress, black jacket, and black shoes. Her mother told police she left Lina playing at the playground for a short time. When she returned, Lina was gone. Police said other adults and children were around when her mother left.

McManus said they are looking into some potential suspects, but still consider the case a missing person investigation. He says officers are leaving no stone unturned, checking dumpsters, green spaces, and utilizing K9 units to look for Lina.

Courtesy of SAPD

Lina's family are refugees from Afghanistan who arrived in San Antonio in 2019. Last week, the Islamic Center of San Antonio increased its reward to $100,000 for anyone who can provide information that successfully helps find Khil. Crime Stoppers of San Antonio is also now offering $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and the indictment of anyone involved in her disappearance.

Lina's case has received national attention. Popular gossip blogger Perez Hilton also aided in the search after he published a blog on his popular website PerezHilton.com to boost efforts to find the child.

SAPD is asking anyone with information about Lina's disappearance to call the Missing Persons Unit at 210-207-7660.
Aaron Yates

The Texas Game Wardens are seeking more information after finding five deer with arrows sticking out of them in a residential Austin neighborhood between December 10 and December 27. Three of the deer were confirmed deceased. The other two were last seen in the Great Hills neighborhood, each injured by an arrow.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, it's not illegal to harvest a white-tailed deer with archery equipment. In fact, there is an archery season for white-tailed deer in the fall. However, an Austin city ordinance makes it illegal for a person to hunt within city limits.
(Natural News) The New Age Conquistadors are here, fighting under a rainbow banner. Previous iterations fought for countries; these ones go to battle for a corporate technocracy that, for a variety reasons, is committed to toppling millennia-old gender norms worldwide.

(Article by Ben Bartee republished from TheDailyBell.com)

The ultimate goal is the full exportation of LGBTQ+++ culture to the Third World by the corporate state. Unfortunately for them, the campaign isnt going as well there as it is in the West.

First of all, lets note that the journalist VICE sent to Ghana, who is obviously very proud of her heroic moral virtue, is also obviously American.

She sits down with the elected representative of a sovereign nation to lecture him about his countrys moral failure to embrace the trendy trans lifestyle.

Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah was (theoretically) elected to represent the actual Ghanaians in his jurisdiction. Thats how democracy (theoretically) works.

No one elected the VICE journalist/activist to anything, yet she deigns to fly into the country from the US (probably flying first class, probably staying in a five-star resort in Accra) and condescend to the people about the immorality of their values.

This of course, comes in spite of the fact that roughly 90% of Ghanaians clearly indicate in poll after poll that they dont support the LGBTQ+++ agenda.

Ghana is just one of multiple targets of the global LGBTQ+++ agenda. The propaganda runs non-stop in the corporate media.

Of course, as they are wont to do, the VICE News propagandists attempt to flip the narrative on its head; American activists masquerading as journalists visiting Ghana to tell them how to live isnt colonialism; theyre actually fighting the legacy of colonialism.

00:30 Homosexuality existed in Africa way before our colonial masters, so what is being imported is hate. What is being imported is homophobia.

04:22 Many queer activists say their oppression actually stems from colonialism.

08:10 African values [are] supposed to be love, peace, prosperity, growth, those are African values.

15:02 Every Ghanaian at home and in the diaspora must stand up and speak out to reject the spirit of colonization that this LGBTQ+ hate bill represents

VICE News graphic

So, if British anti-queer laws birthed homophobia, you might expect all the countries in white to be Queer Paradises where transgenders frolic freely through the meadows  right?

Like, for example, in Iran (which was never colonized by any European power)? How is the LGBTQ+++ community doing there?

Or Afghanistan (also never colonized by any European power)? Saudi Arabia? South Korea?

Under their theory, the entire resistance among the People of Ghana (and worldwide) to ideological indoctrination is the result of European colonialism.

But, when asked at 02:20 about why the native population rejects queer gender ideology, the documentarys protagonist (one of approximately five transgenders in Ghana who VICE recruited to serve as their sympathy magnet) spills the beans on the true reason:

People are not ready to embrace change. They feel [LGBTQ] is a Western culture and its not aligned with our culture .

And, at 4:10, an actual elected leader in Ghana explains her opposition:

 We cannot embrace what , at the end of the day, is completely alien to our culture , to our tradition, to everything we stand for.

So, which is it? Is imported homophobia the prevailing counterforce to LGBTQ+++ acceptance or is resistance to it built on rejection of a forced Western gender-queer ideology?

Can both possibly be true?

Either way, imagine the racism  robbing an entire nation of its agency by chalking its cultural preferences up to a legacy of European colonialism. As if the local population is merely an object to be acted upon, with no autonomy or authentic indigenous cultural preferences.

The activists/colonialists going to work on Ghana cant get the narrative straight because its obviously self-contradictory nonsense.

Which makes it all the more confusing for the Third World natives, who (lucky for them) havent yet experienced full indoctrination into the Neoliberal Church orthodoxy.

They dont know what micro-agressions or affirmative consent or non-binary or any of the social justice engineering terms mean.

Whats more, the polling (cited above) indicates that they dont appear to be interested.

The British established the first colony in Ghana in 1874 and left in the mid-20th century, ceding to independence movements in the territory. This amounted to roughly 70 years of colonial rule.

Which begs key questions:

Did the development of Ghanas culture begin in 1874 and end in 1950?

Were transgenders, as VICE insinuates, flourishing in Ghana before 1874?

Were rainbow flags flown across Ashanti?

Was the Gold Coast a hotbed of gender theory before the Protestant missionaries arrived?

Everyone understands that the European-style colonialism of the 16th-20th-centuries was exploitative. Just as now, elaborate theories attempted to justify the oppression  bringing enlightenment to the savages, exporting the market economy and democracy, etc.

The modern LGTBQ+++ corporate state version, accordingly, is all the more pernicious because it cloaks itself in humanitarianism .

The falsehoods and sophistry upon which the new colonialism is justified is too new, or too poorly understood, to be exposed for what it is.

So the new colonialists of the Brave New World enjoy a sense of smug moral superiority over their victims not afforded to their peers of bygone eras.

Things are just moving too fast to keep up in real time. Historians have referred to this phenomenon as Fog of War.

The effect of the inability to articulate a defense and mount an effective counter-attack on moral grounds is to set up an unwinnable dichotomy. In it, anyone who opposes (or even questions) the LGBTQ+++ agenda is, by default, a bigot.

The goal is to turn Ghana  and the entirety of the Third World  into San Francisco.

The SF Mens Choir, earlier this year, released a video in which they explicitly lay out the true ethos of the global state:

You think that well corrupt your kids If our agenda goes unchecked Funny, just this once, youre correct Well convert your children Happens bit by bit Quietly and subtly Were coming for them Were coming for your children Just like you worried, theyll change their group of friends. You wont approve of where they go at night.

Of course, the defense was that the song was intended as satire. On its own, without context, that may be accurate. But this is a smokescreen of plausible deniability; the lyrics match the real-world practice of the targeting of children.

Is this satire as well?

Your children are not your children;

They are the sons and daughters of

Lifes longing for itself.

They come through you

But they are not from you

And though they are with you

They belong not to you.

Is the Boston Gay Mens Chorus right? Do Ghanas children not belong to her People?

Read more at: TheDailyBell.com
(Natural News) Cruise ships are becoming a hotbed of coronavirus spread once again, despite requiring adults to be fully vaccinated to get on board.

On Thursday, Royal Caribbean was forced to divert a ship from its planned stops in Aruba and Curacao after identifying dozens of cases of the virus in passengers. The cruise lines Odyssey of the Seas vessel reported that there were 55 confirmed positives among guests and crew members, which accounted for 1.1 percent of the total number of individuals on board.

All of the cases were detected among people who were fully vaccinated. Royal Caribbean requires passengers to get tested for the virus prior to boarding the ship, which departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

One frustrated cruise ship passenger tweeted: Im stuck on a Covid ridden cruise ship.hearing about it on the news rather than from the captain.

She added that they will only be receiving two days of reimbursement for their troubles.

A different Royal Caribbean ship arrived in Miami recently after an outbreak as the company decided together with the destination islands that the cruise should not proceed out of an abundance of caution.

Forty-eight people on Royal Caribbeans Symphony of the Seas, which is the biggest cruise ship in the world, tested positive last Saturday upon returning from a week-long cruise. A statement from the company said that each person who tested positive quickly went into quarantine, and all were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

A health policy put in place by Royal Caribbean requires every adult on their ships to be vaccinated with at least two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Other cruise lines also experiencing outbreaks despite requiring full vaccination to board

Royal Caribbean isnt the only cruise line seeing COVID-19 outbreaks. On Carnivals Carnival Freedom cruise ship, an undisclosed number of passengers have been isolating after testing positive for the virus. The outbreak prompted health ministries in Aruba and Bonaire to deny the ships entry to their ports.

One passenger reported that a letter that was distributed from the ships captain apologized for skipping the pair of planned stops and said the passengers would get $100 per room in on-board credit as well as refunds for any excursions they had planned at the islands.

Although the cruise line has maintained that there is just a small number of positive cases, passengers on board the ship begged to differ. One passenger, Ashley Peterson, tweeted a photo of a hallway of the isolated passengers rooms and said that she believes more than 100 people have already tested positive and more will likely do so in the days to come.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Breakaway detected an outbreak on board despite being a fully vaccinated ship. In a similar incident, passengers on board the Seven Seas Mariner were not permitted to disembark on a stop in Cartagena, Colombia, after one passenger and six crew members tested positive for the virus.

Cruise ships have been considered one of the safest types of vacations these days by many because of a strict health policy by most lines that only permit fully vaccinated adults to cruise. However, we now know that vaccine efficacy is waning dramatically much sooner than expected, and with the omicron variant now spreading quickly throughout the world, it is easy to see how cruise ships could become super spreaders of the virus due to their close quarters.

Some cruise ship operators have been doubling down on mask measures as the virus surges in the U.S., but as infections continue to climb, its likely that more and more ports will be denying these ships entry. That could spur mass cancellations among travelers who arent interested in taking cruises without any stops. Once again, COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be a major disappointment and mandates are failing to stop the spread of the virus.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

Fortune.com
(Natural News) Despite fake president Joe Bidens announcement about a dark winter filled with severe illness and death, the White House still felt it was appropriate to invite a cohort of masked nurses to sing and dance in the East Room in celebration of the new Omicron (Moronic) variant of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the singing and dancing mask-faces from The Northwell Health Nurse Choir to jingle along as part of the In Performance at the White House Christmas event, reports indicate. Jill was mask-less, just to be clear, while most of the choir was covered in Chinese plastic.

It is important to note that Jills unmasked face was seen less than one week after the Biden White Houses medical advisors told Americans to wear a mask at public indoor settings  including at the homes of family and friends  in order to minimize the risk of overwhelming hospitals with new cases of Moronic.

The special (you can watch part of it below) aired on PBS on December 21 and featured various other musical acts. The one that got the most attention, though, is the clip below of the masked nurses singing a cringeworthy rendition of We Need A Little Christmas, which was widely mocked on social media.

Joe & Jill Biden invited singing nurses to perform in the East Room, tweeted GOP strategist Amy Tarkanian.

Joe & Jill Biden invited singing nurses to perform in the East Room. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/6Y12jHXOT3  Amy Tarkanian (@MrsT106) December 23, 2021

Joe and Jill Biden are the laughingstock of the entire world

The Daily Wire did Tarkanian one step further by juxtaposing the White Houses recent warning of impending doom from the latest COVID-19 virus variant and the happy-go-lucky performance by The Northwell Health Nurse Choir (watch below).

And you should take Omicron very seriously after this, joked the Wire.

And you should take Omicron very seriously after this https://t.co/mzkrSP8Tg7  Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 23, 2021

Many others on Twitter mocked the ridiculous performance, including someone named Landon Mion who said he will now never get vaccinated because of this video alone.

[N]ice of the Presidents nursing staff to interrupt his morning sponge bath to break into song & dance, joked Washington Examiner commentator Siraj Hashmi.

Conservative writer Derek Hunter pointed out that the nurses from the choir were clearly lip-syncing their performance, which does not work when they are all wearing face coverings.

If youre going to lip-sync, not only dont wear a mask while doing it, but also dont use audio where the vocals have been over-produced and are clearly not live, Hunter tweeted. It fools the senile, but most people arent like Joe.

Media personality Kate Hyde sarcastically wrote that hospitals would not be overwhelmed right now with Moronic if the Bidens didnt pull nurses out of work just to give a private lip-syncing performance at the White House.

The mockery went on and on and on as nobody, including many Democrats, take the Bidens seriously anymore. This entire administration (more like an occupational regime) has become the laughingstock of the entire world, and this could not be clearer than it is right now, especially after this performance.

Others who appeared at the Biden Christmas special include actress Jennifer Garner (a leftist), as well as performances by Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Virginia Bocelli, Camila Cabello, Eric Church, the Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Billy Porter and various others.

Theyre lip-syncing while wearing masks, joked another Twitter user. This is like being a ventriloquist on the radio.

Werent we just told that hospitals were understaffed and that they were sending the military to fill the holes? asked another commenter at the Wire.

More related news about the White Houses presentation of the new Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) Omicron variant can be found at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyWire.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Organized Crime, the Mafia, Gangsters, Mobsters, Syndicates, Rings, whatever else they are called are professional criminal networks organized to engage in illegal activities for maximum profit without regard for any human law or even life. What makes them so, what are the hallmarks that denote such labels? Perhaps the most well known here in America are those Chicago, New York, New Jersey and others that were associated with the illegal (at the time) alcohol manufacturing and distribution syndicates of the 1930s that were so well covered in movies and paperbacks and newspapers of the day. They were active in so much more than just moving liquors and drugs, but also in protection rackets (extortion), sex industries (human trafficking), gambling, murder for hire and so much more, just as our government does now. As they run in the underworld, they are secretive about their operations even though they tend to utilize standard order businesses as front groups to hide their criminal activities and launder monies through. Things seem to not have changed much since then as those activities are still rampant, but their racketeering has become far more hidden in the mainstream of our society.

(Article by Alan Barton republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

Gee Whiz Batman that sounds like you are talking about our government.  Why yes Robin, I am.

Do you remember two months ago an ANP article on The Criminal Syndicate Running America Has Unleashed A Plague Of Homelessness And Drug Addiction On Democrat-Run Cities, Assuring Chaos And A Colossal Number Of Deaths In The Future? The primary point of it was that it is our government and criminal organizations working with Mexican and Chinese governments and criminal organizations to replace Afghani opium with synthesized Fentanyl. Funny thing, but The Blaze recently had an article that said a new report released Monday from the Mexican Defense Department indicates that Mexican drug cartels are turning to bigger labs to produce larger quantities of synthetic drugs like meth and fentanyl, and that organized crime elements in China are central to their operations. Hmm, almost seems they just read my ANP article, eh? Knowing the history and powers behind this plague, can you not suspect that China along with the Agenda 30 Satan worshipping freaks the run this nation and associated cities are doing all of this ON PURPOSE? The massive homelessness fueled by drug addictions, by loss of income by the government purposely destroying our economy and resource systems for caring for those that need help through such means as a fake pandemic that only opened the door for massive health problems by destroying our natural immune systems that will on its own lead to massive deaths in the near future, and also push such deadly drugs that are destroying our people cannot be tolerated anymore we wrote, and that is more true now than ever.

Perhaps I made a slight error in my wording above when I stated that our government and criminal organizations when I most assuredly should have just stated that Our government IS a criminal organization as that would have been more accurate. Please forgive me this slight miss-wording. While reading so many stories of what the various players are doing, and what they are saying, I cannot see or distinguish the difference between our governments, their associated agencies, and our medical establishment including NIH, CDC, NIAID, hospital corporations, AMA, the various pharmaceutical manufacturers and perhaps even the complicit propaganda outlets of the MSM and that of the Organized Crime Syndicates in their organization, activities, operations, attitudes and even words. No, I cannot see any differences.

Pushing deadly drugs, extortion of not only public funds but threats against the very lives of those who do not cooperate in both receiving the deadly vax as well as those doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and so forth that offer anything outside of the approved (read as mandated) actions and acceptable diagnosis. Yes, the hospitals are still death camps, the injection of poisons to murder people in those death camps is still sanctioned. Doctor Mengele has nothing on them as far as mandated death injections goes as is illustrated in the following story from the Deseret News in Salt Lake City  On Friday, Webb pointed to research set to publish this week that shows the drug remdesivir is an effective treatment against COVID-19 when used early on.

If patients are given a three-day infusion within the first seven days of symptoms, it reduces the likelihood of hospitalization by over 80%.

That is a lie; the death rate from it when combined with intubation is closer to the numbers they suggest. I do note that they specified when used early on but still, it is a very deadly drug as it destroys the kidneys and more. They also said that One monoclonal antibody treatment  Sotrovimab  is still effective against omicron. But Webb says its in a very limited supply and Intermountain is not receiving any allocations of the drug from the federal government. That is the main point, the Mafia err, I meant to say, government is hoarding or not delivering it along with Ivermectin, HydroxyChloroquine or other safe and effective cures for the common flu that is called Corona virus these days. And if you try to get it on your own, you are then a snitch or on the take and are scheduled to be rubbed out by them or lose your income and freedoms. Also, do not forget the massive monies paid by the Mafia-errr, I meant government for each and every person they treat and bonuses for their getting eliminated  err, I meant ultimately their deaths. Wow, what a racket.

So with the hoodlums in the medical professions and the Bosses in the well protected back rooms of the speakeasies  err, I meant agencies in government buildings and board rooms, how are we going to rid ourselves of them? Their own protectors are the police both local and federal that are paid well and threatened loss of their jobs if they do not work for the bosses. The Bosses are very well protected and the law seems unable to do anything to stop them.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) On January 7, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on two legal challenges to the Biden regimes federal Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine mandates.

The one mandate is a vaccine-or-test order for workers at large employers while the other affects health care workers at facilities that receive federal funding.

The two cases came to SCOTUS on an emergency basis. The formal question in both disputes is this: Should the federal government be allowed to enforce these two mandates while litigation challenging them is still in progress?

It is expected that SCOTUS will decide whether or not to grant emergency relief based on the merits of the underlying challenges themselves.

The suits come after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a vaccine-or-test mandate on November 5. All employers with more than 100 employees were told that their employees must either be fully vaccinated or agree to regular and burdensome testing along with a mask mandate as a punishment for non-compliance.

Numerous legal challenges were filed against this particular mandate, including by business groups, religious groups and various Republican-led states. If upheld by the Supreme Court, the mandate will impact all employees at any company with 100 or more employees, including private businesses.

According to reports, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily put the mandate on hold back in November. All of the related legal challenges were then consolidated by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, which just recently reinstated the mandate.

Biden (aka Obama) wants jabs in every arm

Following this reinstatement, the challengers quickly took their cases to the Supreme Court, filing more than a dozen separate requests asking the justices to block the 6th Circuits ruling.

Two of those requests will now be granted an oral argument on a highly expedited basis. One of them was filed by a group of trade associations while the other was filed by a group of states.

The 6th Circuits ruling reviving the mandate will remain in force until the Supreme Court acts on the challengers request, although OSHA has indicated that it will not issue citations for failure to comply with the rule until Jan. 10 at the earliest, reported Scotus Blog (citing an original article published at Howe on the Court).

The Biden regime also came to the Supreme Court demanding that it be allowed to temporarily enforce the mandate on health care workers at facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. (RELATED: The Biden regime had earlier said it would back off on the mandate until after the holidays.)

As the puppet for Barack Hussein Obamas third term, Biden has made it abundantly clear that he wants as many needles in as many arms as he can possibly get away with.

Not long after receiving the emergency requests, the Supreme Court set a deadline of December 30 for responses in both disputes. The Supreme Courts decision to hear oral arguments was apparently a surprise to some.

It seemed more likely that the court would dispose of the requests with a brief order, as it normally does on the so-called shadow docket,' reports explain.

Instead, and perhaps in response to criticism of the increased use of the shadow docket to litigate major policy disputes, the justices fast-tracked the cases for oral argument, as they have already done twice this year when fielding requests for emergency relief in the battle over Texas controversial abortion law and a request by a Texas inmate to have his pastor touch him and pray out loud during his execution.

The latest news about Bidens (Obamas) Fauci Flu shot mandates can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ScotusBlog.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Democrats seem to know that they cannot win a national election without employing the same tactics that they used to win in 2020. As Nse Ufot, CEO of the Stacey Abrams-founded New Georgia Project, said If there isnt a way for us to repeat what happened in November 2020, were fed.

(Article by William Doyle republished from TheAmericanConservative.com)

What happened in 2020 involved a highly coordinated and privately funded shadow campaign for Joe Biden that took place within the formal structure of the election system itself. Through the injection of over $419 million of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chans money, laundered through the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) and the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), the professional left presided over a targeted, historically unprecedented takeover of government election offices by nominally nonpartisan, but demonstrably ideological, nonprofit organizations and activists in key areas of swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

What happened in 2020 involved a highly coordinated and privately funded shadow campaign for Joe Biden that took place within the formal structure of the election system itself. Through the injection of over $419 million of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chans money, laundered through the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) and the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), the professional left presided over a targeted, historically unprecedented takeover of government election offices by nominally nonpartisan, but demonstrably ideological, nonprofit organizations and activists in key areas of swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Our research shows that CTCL spending in Wisconsin generated enough votes for Joe Biden to secure him an Electoral College win there in 2020. We estimate that CTCL spending in Wisconsin purchased Joe Biden an additional 65,222votes,without which Donald Trump would have won the state by 44,540 votes.

Although CTCL and CEIR are chartered as non-partisan 501(c)(3) corporations, our research shows that the $419.5 million of CTCL and CEIR spending that took place in 2020 was highly partisan in its distribution, and highly partisan in its effects. Targeted CTCL and CEIR spending played a decisive role in building a shadow election system with a built-in structural bias that systematically favored Democratic votes over Republican votes.

Big CTCL and CEIR money had nothing to do with traditional campaign finance, media buys, lobbying, or other costs that are related to increasingly expensive modern elections. Rather, it had to do with financing the infiltration of election offices at the city and county level by Democrat activists and using those offices as a platform to implement preferred administrative practices, voting methods, ballot harvesting efforts, and data sharing agreements, as well as to launch intensive multi-media outreach campaigns and surgically targeted, concierge-level get-out-the-vote efforts in areas heavy with Democratic voters.

The injection of bias into select local election offices through CTCL infiltration introduced structural bias into Wisconsins entire 2020 election. This involved favoring certain voters and voting practices over others, and disfavoring other classes of voters and voting practices, giving CTCLs preferred voters and voting methods an outsized impact on the final election results. The outcome of the 2020 election in Wisconsin is not the outcome that would have occurred if the election had been conducted on the basis of established election laws, equal treatment of voters, and administrative neutrality.

CTCL In Wisconsin: Ground Zero For CTCLs Nationwide Effort

CTCLs Safe Elections Project in Wisconsin was not the result of a grass roots clamor for greater election funding among money-starved municipalities desperately seeking additional election funding. It was entirely a top-down endeavor, initiated by CTCL operatives, and funded by a massive inflow of money from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who cultivated connections among Wisconsin Five mayors and other city officials, incentivized the first grant applications, and provided funds and advice to aid in their completion.

CTCL involvement in Wisconsins election began in Racine. In late May, CTCL issued a $100,000 grant to the southeast Wisconsin city to recruit other Wisconsin cities to join the Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan. Racine Mayor Cory Mason spoke to his fellow liberal mayors in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Kenosha about accepting CTCLs grantswith the proviso that there would be strings attached.

CTCL authorized the City of Racine to distribute from its initial $100,000 grant, $10,000 to each of the four recruited cities (keeping $10,000 for itself), as an incentive for them to participate with Racine in applying for the larger CTCL conditional grants.

Emails obtained through public records requests show Masons office in May 2020 setting up numerous virtual meetings with the four other mayors three months before CTCL publicly announced the first round of grants to the Wisconsin 5 on July 7, 2020. The Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan, and CTCL involvement in Wisconsins election was the culmination of a collaborative effort between CTCLs activist directors and election officials in Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine. These cities would soon come to be referred to in CTCL inner circles as The Wisconsin 5.

At least 10 other cities in areas that were important to Democratic efforts to retake Wisconsin would eventually seek to become part of the plan by applying for and accepting significant CTCL grants considerably in excess of the minimum $5,000 offered to non-urban election offices throughout the state.

CTCL And The Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan to Infiltrate Wisconsins Election System

The Wisconsin Safe Voting Planwhich would emerge out of a collaboration between high level CTCL Advisors, several representatives of the Pierre Omidyar funded National Vote at Home Institute, and Milwaukees City Clerk office during Summer, 2020was the lynchpin of CTCLs involvement in Wisconsins 2020 election. Fulfilling its major objectives was a condition for CTCL funding. City officials among The Wisconsin 5 signed off on clawback provisions that allowed CTCL to reclaim their grant money if it was not used to further the objectives contained in the plan.

For example, the CTCL contract that Green Bay approved warns that the grant was to be used only for safe and secure election administration, and for no other purposes, which means under the ambitious terms they set forth in their portion of the WSVP. The grants clawback provision stated that CTCL may discontinue, modify, withhold part of, or ask for the return of all or part of the grant funds if it determines, in its sole judgment, that (a) any of the above conditions have not been met or (b) it must do so to comply with applicable laws or regulations.

How The Wisconsin 5 Sought to Implement CTCLs Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan: Bonfire of the Inanities

The Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan lists CTCLs four major strategic objectives.

First, to encourage and Increase Absentee Voting (By Mail and Early, In-Person), mainly through providing assistance in absentee ballot completion and submission, and the installation of ballot drop boxes

Second, to dramatically expand strategic voter education & outreach efforts, particularly to historically disenfranchised residents.

Third, to recruit new election workers, mainly from among paid young activists who would replace the usual, older election day volunteers.

A distant fourth, both in emphasis and level of funding, was the funding of Covid-19 related safety measures.

CTCL funded election offices in Wisconsin seemed particularly intent on courting a demographic favored by the activists at CTCLa loosely defined New American Majority coalitionto replace the working-class voters who had abandoned the party in droves in 2016, and who formerly made up a significant part of the old Democratic Blue Wall in the industrial upper Midwest.

This coalition encompasses people of color, single women, young people, and is often extended to include members of the LGBTQ community. Two of the non-profits most closely affiliated with CTCL, the Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information, are at the forefront of proponents of this electoral strategy. According to Democracy Docket, In the 2020 election, VPC and CVI overcame unprecedented challenges to help engage voters from the New American Majority.

Addressing these challenges would involve a large commitment of financial and human resources in Wisconsin. There was therefore considerable anguish expressed in the Wisconsin Safe Voting plan about the hand holding level of assistance that such voters required in order to cast valid votes, even under greatly relaxed absentee ballot standards during Covid-19 afflicted 2020. To meet this need, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine together budgeted over $540 thousand of their CTCL grant money toward various forms of non-partisan voter education alone.

The Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan outlined the prodigious efforts that the Wisconsin Five were willing to make in order to bend the election system from within toward these untapped tranches of low-propensity potential Democratic voters, and thereby increase Democratic votes in their cities, and in the statewide totals. Established by officials of the Wisconsin Five in collaboration with CTCL advisors, it would serve as the general template for CTCLs efforts in other key swing states nationwide. It is an extravagant wish list of far-left Democratic election concerns and priorities.

Some of the highlights:

Concern was expressed about voters who, understandably, were completely confused about the timeline and rules for voting in the midst of a pandemic and required considerable public outreach and individual hand-holding to ensure their right to vote.

Concerns were also expressed that many targeted Democratic voters would have no idea how to cast absentee ballots. WSVP participants lamented the fact that countless voters in their municipalities attempted to submit cell phone selfies as valid photo ID. Explaining to them that this was not a valid form of photo ID and instructing them on how to properly submit valid ID took considerable staff time and resources.

Green Bay planned to spend $45,000 to employ bilingual Voter Navigators to help residents properly upload valid photo ID, complete their ballots, comply with certification requirements, and offer witness signatures.

Racine wished to create a small corps of Voter Ambassadors. Racine officials said they would use their grants to recruit, train and employ paid Voter Ambassadors who would set up at the Citys community centers to assist voters with all aspects of absentee ballot requests, including photo ID compliance.

Green Bay allocated funds to install secure drop boxes at the citys libraries, police community buildings, and potentially several other sites including major grocery stores, gas stations, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, and Northern Wisconsin Technical College, in addition to the one already in use at their City Hall.

In Madison city officials planned to install one secure drop box for every 15,000 voters, or 12 drop boxes total. Madison also planned to provide a potential absentee ballot witness at each drop box, utilizing social distancing and equipped with PPE.

City officials from all of The Wisconsin Five sought additional funds to accommodate those who [either do not] want to vote by mail, or go to the polls on election day or to early vote. Funds were therefore sought to enable absentee curbside and drive-thru voting, particularly for those with health concerns who could remain in their cars and have a virtually contact-less voting process. Each of the five cities asked for significant resources to expand drive-through curbside voting for four weeks prior to election day.

Madison officials sought $160,000 to provide 18 in-person absentee voting locations for the four weeks leading up to the November election. Madison officials also proposed the use of carts for their ExpressVote ballot marking devices for curbside voting so that the use of ExpressVote could be normalized to help voters with disabilities feel less segregated during the voting process.

Green Bay sought to motivate potential voters through a CTCL-funded multi-prong strategy utilizing every door direct mail, targeted mail, geo-fencing, billboards, radio, television, and streaming-service PSAs, digital advertising, and automated calls and texts. The City guaranteed that these efforts would be undertaken in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. Additional grant funds to fund voter outreach from within Green Bays election office would be distributed in partnership with key community organizations including churches, educational institutions, and organizations serving African immigrants, LatinX residents, and African Americans. The total amount that Green Bay sought for this initiative alone was $215,000, or about 64 percent of their entire pre-CTCL election budget.

Milwaukee wanted to develop a broad-based voter outreach strategy that would appeal to a variety of communities within Milwaukee, including historically underrepresented communities such as LatinX and African Americans, and would include a specific focus on the re-enfranchisement of voters who are no longer on probation or parole for a felony. Additionally, this campaign would include an edgy but nonpartisan and tasteful communications campaign to harness the current [Black Lives Matter] protests emphasis on inequity and ties that message to voting.

Racine expressed the desire to obtain funds to purchase a Mobile Voting Precinct so the City can travel around the City to community centers and strategically chosen partner locations and enable people to vote in this accessible (ADA-compliant), secure, and completely portable polling booth on wheels, an investment that the City [would] be able to use for years to come.

Madison planned to launch a robust and strategic poll worker recruitment effort, focusing on people of color, high school students, and college students to replace older, experienced poll workers.

Milwaukee promoted a similar plan to increase staffing by launching a recruitment campaign aimed at a new generation of election workers to sign up and be involved in their democracy.

Absentee Ballot Chaos Heavily Favors Joe Biden in 2020

CTCL won Wisconsin for Joe Biden, and they did it mainly with absentee ballots. Covid-19 was used as a pretext in many states to put a moratorium on election integrity laws, guidelines and ballot verification procedures that have been long standing and time tested. The result was chaos, especially in states that suddenly moved from very limited absentee voting toward near universal mail-in voting in a very short period of time, such as Wisconsin.

CTCLs major objective, as set forth in all their internal documents and grant applications, was to promote absentee voting. This involved getting absentee ballots into the hands of reliably Democratic demographics, showing them how to complete them correctly, convincing them to submit them, and providing as many avenues as possible for those ballots to be returned and counted.

CTCLs involvement in the 2020 election appears exceedingly complex on the surface, at times requiring a program to keep track of the major players, scandals, and institutional relationships that grew out of the CTCL Safe Elections Project. This aspect of CTCL involvement in Wisconsin has been extensively documented by Mollie Hemingway of the Federalist and M.D. Kittle of the Wisconsin Spotlight, among others.

But all of the resources devoted toward ballot curing, drop boxes, vote navigators, partisan activists infiltrating local election offices, and other voter outreach efforts funded by CTCL were aimed at one ultimate end: Seeding an area heavy with potential Democratic votes with as many absentee ballots as possible, targeting and convincing potential voters to complete them in a legally valid way, and then harvesting and counting the results.

While Democrats knew that the radical move toward near universal absentee balloting in Wisconsin and the chaos that would ensue would probably work in their favor, they could not be sure. This is where CTCL performed an invaluable function that could not have been performed from outside the election system, and why infiltration and the injection of large amounts of funding into local election offices was of such importance.

As Hayden Ludwig of the Capital Research Center, an expert on mail-in voting, told us:

The surge of mail-in ballots due to Covid-19 was one of the 2020 elections greatest novelties and the key to how the election was manipulated in favor of Joe Biden. Democratic leadership came together behind vote-by-mail in early 2020 as their best shot at overcoming voters Covid fears and defeating Trump, in large part because of pressure from election activist groups, such as the National Vote At Home Institute. The resulting tsunami of mail-in ballots created unprecedented security and chain-of-custody problems in states where vote-by-mail has never been tried on this scale. It strained the U.S. Postal Services ability to deliver mail-in ballots both to voters and vote-counters on-time. It also stressed the budgets of local elections offices, requiring additional personnel and ballot-counting machines even as Covid-19 restricted working conditions. Without a surefire way to get these mail-in ballots first into voters hands, and second into ballot-counters hands, the Left could not have been confident the outcome would have significantly helped Biden. This is where CTCL proved essential. A large part of CTCLs grants paid for private ballot collection bins outside of USPSs jurisdiction and with questionable oversight. CTCL also funded additional poll workers and vote-by-mail equipment to count incoming ballots, favoring large, Democratic-leaning cities in battleground states.

Read more at: TheAmericanConservative.com
(Natural News) The self-proclaimed father of the vaccine himself, Donald J. Trump, is once again proudly shilling his Operation Warp Speed injections.

In one of his latest cringeworthy appearances, this time alongside failed former Fox News hack Bill OReilly, Trump claimed he got a booster shot despite already testing positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), only to receive boos in return.

Oh dont, no, no, no, dont, no no no! Trump yelled at the booing crowd after telling OReilly that he supposedly got boosted.

Its a very tiny group over there, Trump continued to scoff, pretending as though most of his former base still supports him (watch the clip below).

Trump went on to ramble about how conservatives who opposed getting jabbed with one of his high-profit injections are playing right into their hands, whatever that is supposed to mean.

But look, we did something that was historic. We saved tens of millions of lives worldwide, Trump proceeded to lie while patting himself on the back with made-up numbers and conjecture about what is clearly his proudest accomplishment.

We got a vaccine done, three vaccines done, and tremendous therapeutics like Regeneron and other things that have saved a lot of lives, Trump babbled continuously.

We got a vaccine done in less than nine months. It was supposed to take from 5-12 years. Because of that vaccine, because of that vaccine, millions and millions of people  I think this would have been the Spanish Flu of 1917 where up to 100 million people died. This was going to ravage the country far beyond what it is right now.

Trump is a sellout and was probably controlled opposition from the beginning

After Trump got done ranting, you could hear a pin drop as attendees mostly sat in silence. Some booed but mostly the arena was quiet, indicating that Trump no longer has the support of the people he betrayed.

This is hardly an isolated incident, either. Every time Trump makes an appearance, he uses the opportunity to pump the jab manufacturers stock prices by bragging about how wonderful his miracle vaccines are.

Trump also spoke to Candace Owens recently in an interview where he once again bragged about the injections, calling them the greatest achievement of mankind.

We see the corruption, right? It doesnt seem like anybody ever pays for the corruption, Owens told Trump, asking him about his position on the vaccine mandates (watch below).

In recent interview with Candace Owens, Trump refers to the vaccine as the greatest achievement of mankind. Trump then goes on to say, the ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that dont take that vaccine. pic.twitter.com/hychcTle8l  ???? ? (@psychicjess777) December 22, 2021

And right now, were seeing corruption live, even in terms of Big Pharma, which is a huge topic on the minds of mothers especially, youre seeing whats happening at these school board meetings.

Before Owens could finish asking her question, Trump interrupted her to start bragging about the injections with his usual script. Owens continued to talk over him, though, to finish her question and attempt to not let him avoid answering it, which he proceeded to do regardless.

We would have had a 1917  remember the Spanish Flu, killed perhaps 100 million people, lied Trump in his response.

I came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines, all are very, very good, came up with three of them in less than nine months.

When Owens pressed Trump a second time about how more people are dying now that his vaccines have been widely deployed, Trump responded with even more lies, blaming the unvaccinated for widespread illness in the fully vaccinated.

Well, no, the vaccine worked, but some people arent taking them, Trump said, parroting the corporate media and the Biden regime. The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones who dont take their vaccine.

More related news about Trump can be found at Deception.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheBurningPlatform.com

NaturalNews.com

YouTu.be

Twitter.com
(Natural News) The former head of Harvard Universitys chemistry department has been found guilty of lying to authorities about his connections to China and the Wuhan Institute of Technology (WIT).

Prof. Charles Lieber, 62, was convicted of making false statements to authorities, failing to disclose a Chinese bank account, and tax evasion in connection to the role he played as a strategic scientist at the WIT.

A two-part Situation Update from the Health Ranger has more on all this, as well as the connection between the plandemic and Liebers work on nanowires, carbon nanotubes (CNT), military vaccines, and Spike Ferritin Nanoparticles (SpFN).

Dr. Lieber is a genius-level scientist who specializes in exotic nanowire technology and how it interfaces with human neurology and biology, reports Mike Adams about Liebers expertise.

Some of his actual patent titles and numbers:

9,029,836 Controlled synthesis of monolithically-integrated graphene structure

10,369,255 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

9,595,685 Nanoscale wires, nanoscale wire FET devices, and nanotube-electronic hybrid devices for sensing and other applications

9,457,128 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

9,252,214 Apparatus, method and computer program product providing radial addressing of nanowires

Will 5G be used to activate the hidden computer systems that were injected into peoples bodies?

The Apparatus patent is particularly concerning because it entails a type of technology that can be quietly inserted into vaccines and used to turn humans into transhuman robots.

Once injected, nano-mesh lattices made up of the nanoscale wires from another of Liebers patents are said to have the potential to self-assemble into tiny computer systems that are capable of controlling human neurology.

As the Health Ranger puts it, such technology would allow someone like Mark Zuckerberg, say, to project his new Meta universe into peoples brains without the need for goggles  and the person would not necessarily even know that they were being controlled with an artificial reality.

Its a full-matrix scenario, where these nanowire / embedded computational systems could eventually read your own private thoughts (inner dialog) and surveil the most private thing you have  your mind, the Health Ranger writes.

This tech represents transhumanism and the borgification of humanity. It is the end game of total enslavement and mind control at the neurological level. It can be inserted into your body using hypodermic needles that are falsely labeled vaccines. (This does not mean that all vaccine injections are nanowire payloads, just that nanowire payloads can be inserted into such needles due to their nano-scale size.)

5G wireless technology plays a role in all this as well, as 5G signals are capable of activating these internal computer systems that have potentially been injected into peoples bodies.

It all sounds very futuristic and sci-fi, but it is all there in Liebers patents, which tell a much bigger story than the one the corporate-controlled media is telling, which is mostly focused on Liebers failure to pay taxes, in essence.

It could very well be that this technology has not yet been fully installed yet, and that the so-called boosters are delivering the final pieces of it. Or perhaps the new Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine, which was developed by researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as a type of universal injection for covid.

These injections contain synthetic nanoparticles that invade the bodys cells and deliver a payload. The U.S. Army describes this new SpFN nanoparticle vaccine as being based on a ferritin platform that is part of a forward-thinking pan-SARS strategy, but the truth about it could actually be much more sinister.

The latest news about the vaccines can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
White rhinos walk in an enclosure in Akagera National Park, eastern Rwanda, on November 29, 2021. - Thirty endangered white rhinos arrived in Rwanda on November 29, 2021 after a long journey from South Africa in a Boeing 747, conservationists said, hailing it as the largest single transfer of the species ever undertaken. (Photo : Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images)

In just two weeks, 24 South African rhinos were reported dead after being hunted by poachers for their horns, sparking a global outrage.

The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) confirmed the killings in four separate areas of KwaZulu Natal (six), Western Cape (four, including a pregnant female), Mpumalanga (seven), and Kruger National Park (seven).

This is by far one of the most common threat that the African rhinos are facing which has soared in recent years.

"The department condemns the continued poaching of these iconic species for their horns and commends the work being done by rangers and security officials over the festive period to stem the killing of rhino. In the first 14 days of December, nine alleged poachers have been arrested," said spokesperson Albi Modise, in the statement.

"The Department will provide an update on the total number of rhinos killed for their horns in 2021, early in 2022."

In Pursuit of Justice for the Rhinos

In the recent years, both African rhino species - black and white rhinos - have been brought back from extinction, thanks to successful conservation efforts. Unfortunately, the species are again experiencing surges of illegal poaching to meet the high demand for rhino horns, primarily in Asia.

"As with our previous poaching incident at Aquila Private Game Reserve in 2011, we will again commit to sparing no expense or effort in the pursuit to catch and bring justice to these vicious perpetrators who massacred our rhino," said Searl Derman, owner of Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve, where four dead rhinos were found, expressing his frustration with reliving this "nightmare".

Unfortunate incidents of the same had been known to occur in South Africa where rhinos are shot, with their horns hacked off, and left for dead. Saving the Survivors (STS), a team of wildlife vets, help save the lives of these wild animals. On a Facebook post, the team assisted an adult southern white rhino bull who was shot, but fortunately survived, thanks to Dr. Johan from the STS team who led medication for the surviving rhinos.

Another incident was reported at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve.

"We are happy to report that Dr. Johan's expertise is not required and we can leave that case to the reserve and Dr. Greeff, who are doing a wonderful job at such a traumatic time," STS posted on Facebook. "This frees Dr. Johan and our team to concentrate on the other survivor we reported on."

Also read: Colossal 10-Foot-Long Sun Fish Swims by a Pair of Paddle-Boarders in Laguna, California

Save the Rhino

According to Save the Rhino organization, Rhinos are poached every 22 hours, on average.

In 2020, 394 rhinos were poached in the country, an average of more than one rhino per day. However, annual averages often mask seasonal variations. In fact, if all 24 rhinos lost in December alone from incidents of poaching, this would give an average daily loss rate of nearly 1.75 rhinos per day, a significant increase to the 2020 average.

The organization is encouraging members of the public to report any cases of illegal poaching as they work on delivering more efficient anti-poaching initiatives to save the poor animals.

Also read: A Cat with a Reputation of Stealing Underwear, Brings Home a Bong and Ziplock of White Powder
A large expanse of black rocky glass littering a Chilean desert remained a mystery for a decade, but Brown University experts already have proven that an exploding comet created it.

A Mysterious Burn

Something torched a 47-mile (75-kilometer) area of the Atacama Desert with heat so intense that the sandy soil became a vast cemetery of silicate glass slabs some 12,000 years ago. Now, a research team has deduced what ignited the firestorm based on the distribution and content of those glasses.

They couldn't find any indication that the dark green or black glass fields were formed by volcanic action. Thus their origin remained a mystery.

Researchers reveal that samples of desert glass include microscopic particles of minerals often seen in extraterrestrial rocks in a study published in the journal Geology. Those minerals are pretty similar to the material brought to Earth by NASA's comet particles sampling.

Related Article: 'Well to Hell': Ancient Pit Uncovered in the Middle of the Desert in Yemen



Foreign Remnants

The scientists now believe that the mineral assemblages are the leftovers of an alien object-most likely a comet-that burst just above the earth, melting and fusing the sandy soil below.

"This is the first time we have unambiguous evidence of glasses on Earth formed by heat radiation and winds from a fireball erupting close above the surface," said Pete Schultz, retired professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University. "This was a genuinely big explosion with such a dramatic effect over such a vast region." We've all seen bolide fireballs shoot across the sky, but they're nothing compared to this."

Because the location wasn't always desert, some experts believe ancient grass fires formed the glass. There were oases with trees and green wetlands generated by rivers stretching from mountains to the east during the Pleistocene epoch, and it's been claimed that extensive fires may have melted the sandy soil into big glassy slabs.

Glass Remains

However, the amount of glass present and a few critical physical features make simple fires an impossible creation method, according to a recent study. The glasses have been twisted, bent, rolled, and even tossed while they were still molten. This is consistent with a giant approaching meteor and airburst explosion accompanied by tornado-force winds. After Schultz and colleagues conducted a rigorous chemical examination of dozens of samples obtained from glass deposits around the region, the mineralogy of the glass puts even more significant doubt on the grassfire theory.

The investigation discovered zircons that had thermally degraded into baddeleyite. According to Schultz, that mineral transition occurs at temperatures of over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, significantly higher than what could be created by grass fires.

According to the experts, the experts revealed assemblages of unusual minerals exclusively found in meteorites and other alien rocks. Mineral fingerprints from comet samples recovered by NASA's Stardust mission matched specific minerals, including cubanite, troilite, and calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions.

Scott Harris, a planetary geologist at the Fernbank Science Center and research co-author, said, "Those minerals are what tell us that this object has all the marks of a comet." "Having the same mineralogy entrained in these glasses as we discovered in the Stardust samples is pretty strong proof that what we're seeing is the product of a cometary airburst."

Need More Research

According to Schultz, more research is needed to ascertain the actual ages of the glasses, which will help pinpoint when the event occurred. However, according to the provisional date, the impact appears to have happened about the same time when large animals began to vanish from the area.

"It's too early to tell if there was a causative link or not," Schultz said. "What we can say is that this event did occur around the same period as when we think the megafauna vanished, which is fascinating." "It's also possible that this was observed by early settlers who had recently arrived in the area." It would have been a spectacle."

Further study, Schultz and his colleagues believe, will assist in narrowing the date and offer information on the magnitude of the impactor. For the time being, Schultz thinks that this research will aid researchers in locating close blast locations and revealing the possible risk.

"There might be a lot of these blast scars out there," Schultz said, "but we haven't seen enough data to conclude they're all tied to airburst occurrences." "I believe this location will serve as a template for refining our impact models and will aid in the identification of similar places elsewhere."

Also Read: Study Shows a Prehistoric Climate Driven Mass Extinction that Nobody Knows About

For similar travel news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
According to fire officials, a wildfire in North Carolina has grown to burn 350 acres in two days and is barely contained. The fire reached the Pisgah National Forest, approximately a mile from Grandfather Mountain's base.

The fire is predicted to burn south and east towards the Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area along Timber Ridge. At the same time, according to the Forest Service, firefighters focus on preserving resources on the northwest end of the fire.

According to authorities, firefighters are battling a blaze near Grandfather Mountain that has burnt 35 acres.

Christmas Day Fire

According to the Linville Volunteer Fire Department's Facebook page, the fire that started in the Roseboro neighborhood on Friday had expanded overnight but was not threatening any properties as of Saturday. Residents were supposed to be protected by equipment, according to the post.

According to the fire department, the fire started on the Blue Ridge Parkway side of Grandfather Mountain. Early Sunday, the agency stated the wildfire continued to move and change with the gusts, according to a subsequent post.

A nature park and animal habitat, as well as hiking paths and a Mile-High Swinging Bridge, may be found on Grandfather Mountain. It's 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Asheville.

Related Article: Study Shows How Wildfire Triggers Major Forest Changes



2021 Wildfires Statistics

For the American west, 2021 proved to be another terrible fire year.

Wildfires exploded throughout the United States, burning about 7.7 million acres amid a catastrophic drought and record-breaking heatwaves. Some of them smashed records that had only been set lately. While the quantity of area burnt this year did not match the heights seen in 2020, a worrying new pattern emerged: flames are becoming more challenging to put out.

"With the circumstances we saw this year and everything building up to it - unprecedented drought, these protracted dry spells, heatwaves - everything combined made it a tough year," said Aitor Bidaburu, the US Fire Administration's wildfire program manager. "The fury with which they burned," he recalls, was his major lesson from the fires.

The fire season that has extended well into the year, flames that have become more violent, and climatic circumstances leading fires to behave dangerously.

Severe Fires

Fires performed exploits that had never been witnessed before. "Fires moved in a specific way and a certain pattern over the first 25 years of my career, but today they are acting quite unexpectedly," said CalFire battalion chief Jon Heggie. "Fires are burning hotter and quicker than ever before."

The severity of this year's fire season has heightened the stakes, prompting governments to rethink their firefighting techniques. Climate models predict that if current greenhouse gas emissions continue, the danger of catastrophic wildfires might increase by up to 6-fold in the next three decades.

Also Read: How Climate Misinformation Through Social Media Worsens the Battle Against Climate Change

For more news update about Environmental Action, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Lockdowns and travel restrictions are once again on the rise as new variants of the COVID-19 virus, including the Omicron strain, are sweeping around the globe. In a recent conversation, Dr. Pejman Salimpour summarized the current status of COVID-19.

"Despite some people believing the worst of COVID-19 is behind us, cases in the United States are now doubling every two to three days. The most recent cause for concern is the Omicron variant, which is highly contagious and spreads rapidly. Just as the Delta variant was more contagious than the original virus, the Omicron strain is four to eight times more contagious than Delta. It's already putting a strain on hospitals, particularly in large cities where high population density increases exposure to the virus."

Researchers haven't had time to confirm the impact of the pattern of illness because Omicron has only recently been discovered in the United States. It appears that patients become sicker faster with Omicron and that symptoms start with a sore throat. Hospitals and clinics continue to monitor the spread of Omicron COVID-19 in hopes of better understanding how the virus is evolving and changing.

Dr. Pedram Salimpour, a co-founder of CareNex Health Services, recently wrote his observations about the Omicron variant and how it will affect daily life moving into the new year. "One of the biggest concerns about Omicron and other mutations of the COVID-19 virus is that each new strain responds somewhat differently to the current vaccine. All three of the current vaccines by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson give some protection, but only at about 35%. This isn't enough protection for most people. Getting a booster improves the level of protection to about 75%, which is why we encourage everyone who can get a booster vaccine to get one."

Dr. Pedram Salimpour continued: "Fortunately, monoclonal antibodies seem also to be effective against Omicron, but again not as effective as they are against Delta and other variants. This makes it even more important for everyone to get the original series of two vaccines and get the booster as well. With proper vaccination and continued caution when traveling and interacting with others, individuals can minimize their risk of contracting the new Omicron variant."

Dr. Pejman Salimpour outlined precautions businesses should take in the wake of new variants of COVID-19 and Omicron, including:

Encouraging employees to get the booster vaccine if their doctor advises it.

Considering medical-grade air filters and upgrades to their ventilation systems to minimize transmission of aerosolized COVID virus.

Encouraging or requiring masks in the workplace.

Monitoring employee symptoms and encouraging PCR testing for COVID-19 early

Offering early treatment to employees who test positive.

Offering counseling and support to employees and family members who contract Omicron or any other variant of COVID-19.

Dr. Pedram Salimpour, physician, and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, summarized concerns about the new variant's effect on public health in this recent paper, stating, "There have been multiple variants, including Omicron, that repeatedly have set back our progress toward complete normalization. This is something that will continue. We're already seeing this in the rise in hospital admissions. Bed shortages may be on the horizon if this trend continues, much like we saw last holiday season. There's a possibility that the Omicron variant could overwhelm the healthcare system in the near future because it is so contagious, and our vaccines without boosters are only partially effective against it. Businesses should consider beginning a monitoring program for all employees to help keep them safe and stem the tide of new cases."

Dr. Pedram Salimpour noted that, while the Omicron variant is more contagious, that there seem so far to have been no deaths due to the Omicron variant in the United States. "While any strain of COVID-19 can be serious, this one doesn't seem to be as severe or life-threatening as Delta or the original COVID-19 - or perhaps that is how it appears so far because those who have contracted the disease are among the vaccinated."

Pejman Salimpour, M.D., FAAP, is a managing partner in the health care-oriented private equity group Plymouth Holdings. He is currently on many health care-related boards in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Pejman Salimpour serves as Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine and was previously chief of pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is recipient of the Washington University School of Medicine Alumni Achievement Award. Dr. Salimpour has served on the Board of Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Pedram Salimpour is the co-founder of Pierce Health Solutions, an organization working to create novel health delivery systems for large organizations throughout the United States. His past positions include former president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association and member of the Governor's Healthcare Reform Task Force. He also co-founded Plymouth Health. Dr. Pedram Salimpour has served as a member of the Boston University School of Medicine Dean's Advisory Board, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Board of Directors, and as chairman of the board of Discovery Cube Los Angeles.
The former German Merkel government has approved the delivery of one type 218SG submarine to Singapore. The deal was done under former German chancellor Angela Merkel, along with her Scholz, then vice-chancellor.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

The first Invincible-class Type 218SG Submarine for Singapore Navy was launched in February 2019 at the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' shipyard in Kiel. (Picture source ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems)

According to information published by the Singapore Government on December 20, 2021, the German Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral (VADM) Kay-Achim Schonbach, called on Singapore Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Singapore Ministry of Defence on December 20, 2021. During their meeting, Dr Ng and VADM Schonbach reaffirmed efforts in bilateral defence cooperation such as in submarine training and defence technology. Both sides also discussed Germanys future engagement of the Asia-Pacific region and how the two countries could work together to preserve the international rules-based order at sea.

German frigate Bayern also arrived in Singapore on December 20, 2021, as part of a six-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific region. The warship will be docked at Changi Naval Base for two weeks over the Christmas and New Year period for replenishment and maintenance, as well as rest for more than 200 sailors on board.

During a reception on December 23, 2021, German Ambassador to Singapore Norbert Riedel said, "The stop of the German frigate Bayern shows Germany's intention to strengthen its defence and security cooperation with Singapore.

According to the Military Balance 2020, currently, the Singapore Navy has four submarines including two Challenger-class (ex-SWE Sjoormen) from the Swedish Navy and two 2 Archer-class also former Swedish Navy submarines and known as the Vastergotland-class. According to open sources information, two Invincible-class submarines were procured in November 2013 and another two in May 2017. The Invincible-class, also known as Type 218SG, is a submarine class ordered from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

In July 2020, Navy Recognition had reported that Singapore Navy has launched the first Invincible-class submarine that will be delivered in 2022.

The Invincible-class (also known as Type 218SG) is a class of submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) ordered by the Republic of Singapore Navy from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Type 218SG is based on the design of the Type 216 concept submarine from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft. Four submarines were ordered and the lead vessel RSS Invincible was launched in February 2019.

The Invincible-class submarine has a length of 70 m, a beam f 6.3 m and a maximum displacement of 2,200 tones. She can reach a submerged speed of 15 knots (28 km/h). The submarine has a crew of 28 people and is equipped with eight torpedo tubes.

The Invincible-class submarines are equipped with significantly improved capabilities. They are being fitted with Air Independent Propulsion systems based on Fuel Cell technology, which will allow the submarines to stay submerged about 50% longer than Archer class submarines. They are also carrying a combat system designed by both Atlas Elektronik and ST Electronics.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of one of Florida's largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.

The mayor of Orange County, home to Orlando, said local governments had been forced to figure out on their own, without help from the state, how to respond to the omicron variant that has rapidly overtaken the delta variant as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Florida.

Florida hit a new record for daily cases last weekend, with the state reporting 32,850 new cases on Saturday. The state reported more than 29,000 new cases on Tuesday.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult. A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.

Demings also said the state should help foot the bill for the testing that is being conducted at county sites.

Our residents, all Florida residents, should be outraged and they should ask the question, Where is our state? Where is our governor? Where is Ron DeSantis now?' When is the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing on COVID-19? said Demings, a Democrat.

The governor's office did not immediately responded to an emailed request for comment. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and eyeing a potential 2024 presidential run, has become one of the nations most prominent Republicans through his opposition to lockdowns and other virus rules.

Demings said a third testing site would be opened in Orange County in response to demand following gatherings of family and friends over the Christmas weekend, and as visitors to local theme parks seek tests before heading home. All over the state, testing sites were overwhelmed with people waiting for hours to get a test, and one testing site in Orange County had a five-hour wait.

Dr. Raul Pino, director of Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said even if the county could open five more testing sites, they would still be overwhelmed. If someone believes they have been exposed to the virus, they should assume they are positive and isolate themselves, he said.

A lot of people are wanting to get tested," Pino said.

In Palm Beach County, people were waiting for four hours to get a COVID-19 test at Gaines Park, the West Palm Beach Police Department said in a tweet. At another site in Palm Beach County, dozens of people were in line before the testing site opened.

Officials in Miami-Dade County opened two new coronavirus testing sites and extended hours for testing at Zoo Miami in response to an increased demand. The Zoo Miami site is open for testing 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We are working around the clock to make sure Miami-Dade residents have access to testing to protect themselves and their loved ones during the holiday season, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news release on Tuesday.

She said the county has also distributed 152,000 take-home rapid test kits.

Jackson Health System in Miami said it would not longer offer COVID test to patients without symptoms.

In the state capital, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital said in a tweet that it had been inundated with patients with only mild or no symptoms seeking COVID tests, putting a strain on emergency rooms and delaying care for those with genuine emergencies. Hospital officials urged people with mild or no symptoms to get tests elsewhere and avoid the emergency rooms.

Meanwhile, Demings said Tuesday that all Orange County workers would be required to wear face masks while on the job.

Officials in Hillsborough County, which is home to Tampa, also said that face coverings would be required in all indoor county facilities for workers and visitors regardless of a persons vaccination status starting Wednesday.

The measure is being taken as a precaution for the health and safety of county employees as well as residents, Hillsborough County said in a statement.
WASHINGTON (AP)  About two dozen sailors on a U.S. Navy warship  or roughly 25% of the crew  have now tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the ship sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba Monday, according to U.S. defense officials.

The USS Milwaukee has a crew of a bit more than 100, and it was forced to pause its deployment late last week because of the coronavirus outbreak. The defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the outbreak, said the number of infected sailors is staying relatively constant at this point.

The USS Milwaukee, a smaller, stealthier combat ship, is the first Navy ship this year to have to interrupt its deployment at sea.

It began its deployment from Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 14, and had stopped for a scheduled port visit. The ship was heading into the U.S. Southern Command region.

Another warship, meanwhile, had to postpone its movement out to sea earlier this month due to a separate outbreak. Navy Cmdr. Sean Robertson, spokesman for 3rd Fleet, said the USS Halsey, a destroyer, delayed its homeport move from Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, to San Diego because a significant number of the crew became infected with COVID-19. The ship was finally able to leave Hawaii on Sunday. The move is not a deployment, but a transfer to a new home station for the crew.

A Navy official said roughly one-third of the Halsey crew tested positive for the virus, and most had only mild symptoms or none at all. A destroyer has about 300 crew members. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on the crew impact.

Robertson said the crew was nearly 100% vaccinated and no one was taken to the hospital. Vaccine booster shots were made available for the crew. Robertson also said some of the samples have been tested and all were the omicron variant.

The Navy said in a statement Friday that the USS Milwaukee's crew was 100% immunized and that all of those who tested positive for COVID-19 were being isolated on the ship away from other crew members.

The U.S. officials said Monday that the Navy believes the total vaccination of the crew is the key factor in controlling the outbreak.

According to the Navy's statement, a portion of those infected are having mild symptoms, and the specific variant is not yet known. COVID-19 cases have surged across the country as a result of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Other Navy ships were sidelined during the early months of the virus outbreak last year.

The first major military outbreak of the virus happened early last year on a Navy warship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier that was operating in the Pacific. The Roosevelt was sidelined in Guam for nearly two months, and more than 1,000 of the 4,800 crew members tested positive. One sailor died, and the entire crew went through weeks of quarantine in a rotation that kept enough sailors on the ship to keep it safe and running.

According to the latest data released by the Navy, more than 98% of all active-duty sailors have been fully vaccinated.
SEATTLE (AP)  Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast.

Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens and forecasters said an arctic blast would last for several days. Sundays snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) across the Seattle area.

The National Weather Service said Seattles low Sunday was 20 degrees F (-6.7 C), breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F (-12. 8C), three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County  home to Portland  about a half dozen weather shelters were open. Seattle city leaders also opened at least six severe weather shelters starting Saturday through at least Wednesday.

In West Seattle, Keith Hughes of the American Legion Hall Post 160, said his warming center can welcome about a dozen people  its capacity limited by lack of volunteer staff.

Volunteers, this is a problem for myself as well as everyone else in town, its really hard to get with COVID going on, he said.

Winter weather led to canceled flights in Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed key highways, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeleys Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall has smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches (4.6 meters), set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches (4.9 meters) as more snow is expected.

The Northstar California Resort in Truckee closed its mountain operations on Monday amid blizzard conditions. The ski resort has received more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over the last 48 hours, according to the resort's Facebook post.

Search and rescue crews are looking for a missing skier who was last seen Saturday morning on a lift at the ski resort, KCRA reported.

The snowpack in the Sierra was at dangerously low levels after recent weeks of dry weather but the state Department of Water Resources reported on Monday that the snowpack was between 145% and 161% of normal across the range with more snow expected.

In Nevada, freezing air and blinding snow blasted across the northern part of the state on Monday, affecting travel and business, closing Sierra Nevada highway passes, delaying airport flights and shutting state offices.

Interstate 80 remained closed due to poor visibility and heavy snow from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California. An avalanche blocked a state route that connects Tahoe City to some ski resorts in Olympic Valley and authorities urged motorists to avoid nonessential travel.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered nonessential state workers other than public safety and corrections personnel to remain home due to the storm.

Weather and travel advisories stretched to northeast Nevada and Elko due to the possibility of blowing and drifting snow.

The storms that have been pummeling California and Nevada in recent days also brought rain and snow to Arizona. A record inch of rain in one day was reported at the airport in Phoenix Friday when 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow fell at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort just outside Flagstaff. Another 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow were recorded in the 24 hours ending Monday morning.

More storms are expected to hit the desert state starting Monday afternoon and continuing throughout the week.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm in parts of the Southern Plains, including in Arkansas, where several cities broke records on Christmas Day for daily high temperatures.

But forecasters warned that severe storms were possible midweek when a storm system moves through the Deep South, with Alabama and Mississippi at greatest risk for bad weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Heavy snow will start winding down by Monday evening in Californias Sierra Nevada and the area is expected to get a break from the cold snap by Thursday, said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures in western Washington and Oregon arent forecast to rise above freezing until at least Thursday, and possibly not until the weekend, forecasters said.
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).
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The scene of a head-on collision Tuesday morning on U.S. 150 west of Champaign that sent two people to the hospital.
A study conducted at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Hospital suggests that the APOE4 allele may also increase cerebral microhemorrhages related to COVID-19 and associate with mental fatigue related to long COVID.

Roughly one-third of Finns carry the APOE4 allele, a genetic variant that predisposes carriers to Alzheimer's disease. Globally, researchers have reported observations that show a link between APOE4 and COVID-19, both in terms of increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality. Now, a research group at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) has investigated the link between the APOE4 allele and the severity of COVID-19 in the Finnish population.

The multidisciplinary group also investigated microscopic cerebral changes in cadavers who had suffered from COVID-19, as well as the link between APOE4 and symptoms of mental fatigue, experienced six months after the onset of the disease.

Microvascular brain haemorrhages in RECOVID and AUTOPSY cohorts. an MRI showing cortical microhemorrhages in a case with APOE 4/4. b MRI showing cerebellopontine microhaemorrhages in the same case as (a). c Brain subarachnoidal microhaemorrhages at autopsy in a case with APOE 3/4. d Brain pontine microhemorrhages at neuropathological examination in a case with APOE 4/4. e Histological H&E section showing pontine microhaemorrhages in the same case as (c). f Histological H&E section showing pontine microhaemorrhages in the same case as (d). Red arrows indicate microhemorrhages. Scale bars represent 100 m in (e) and (f)

The new findings were published in the Acta Neuropathologica Communications journal.

"The common 4 allele of the APOE gene appears to be associated with a heightened risk of severe COVID-19 in the Finnish population. The significance of APOE4 is emphasised in the Finnish population, which may be due to its genetic homogeneity," says Liisa Myllykangas, a consultant neuropathologist from the University of Helsinki and HUS.

APOE4 allele more than doubles the risk of severe COVID-19

According to the results, the risk of developing a form of COVID-19 that requires intensive care more than doubled in carriers of the APOE4 allele. Moreover, more microscopic hemorrhages were found in the brain as a result of severe COVID-19 in the study among carriers of this allele, compared to others.

According to Chief Physician, intensivist Johanna Hastbacka, APOE4 may also affect the severity of certain long-term symptoms, especially in cases of COVID-19 that require hospitalization.

"In the study, mental fatigue, which was defined as difficulty in directing attention and concentrating, emerged as one such symptom," Hastbacka says.

More research needed

Myllykangas points out that, in the datasets now studied, the number of COVID-19 patients was relatively small, and the results must at this point be considered indicative.

"To ascertain our findings, these phenomena must be investigated in larger datasets," she notes.

An important question not answered in the study is the connection between COVID-19 and the onset of memory disorders in APOE4 carriers.

"To answer this question, long-term follow-up studies on patients recovered from COVID-19 are needed, as is basic research focused on the combined effects of APOE4 and systemic inflammation on the mechanisms of memory in the brain. Our research group has already launched these lines of further research at the University of Helsinki and HUS," Myllykangas says.

The study utilized research data from the FinnGen project that combines genome data produced from biobank samples with health data compiled from national registries. The results are based on data concerning more than 46,000 individuals, of whom over 2,600 had been diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition, tissue specimens collected from 21 deceased individuals who had suffered from COVID-19 were included in the study for the purpose of investigating microscopic changes in the brain. To investigate mental fatigue symptoms, the researchers utilized the RECOVID dataset in which patients were divided into three groups on the basis of disease severity. The dataset also included a healthy control group. In all, the RECOVID dataset comprised 156 study subjects.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) infects the kidneys and contributes to tissue scarring, as shown by researchers from the RWTH Uniklinik Aachen, Germany, and Radboudumc, The Netherlands. The developed scar tissue in the infected kidneys may suggest a possible impact on kidney outcomes in the long term.

Kidney sections from healthy control (left) and COVID-19 patient (right). Scar tissue is blue. Image Credit: Jitske Jansen and Bart Smeets, Radboudumc

The fact that the Coronavirus can result in severe damage in the human body is known, and also that kidneys can get infected. But what exactly happens in the kidney as a result of the infection, remains elusive until now. In this study, published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers investigated the kidney tissue of COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. They found scarring of the tissue as compared to Intensive Care patients with a non-COVID-19 lung infection and a control group.

Next, the researchers questioned what exactly the cause was of the kidney damage. Could this be a direct effect of the virus, independent of systemic inflammation? To investigate this, the researchers cultured mini kidneys in the lab, called organoids. The kidney organoids are developed from stem cells and contain many different kidney cells, except immune cells. The kidney organoids were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the researchers investigated the direct effect of the virus on the kidney cells, independent of potential secondary effects caused by immune cells or other systemic effects. The researchers found, in line with the COVID-19 patient tissues, scarring of the kidney organoids and accompanied signals that contribute to the scarring process.

The results of this study indicate that the recent finding of another USA-based large cohort study that reported kidney functional decline in over 90,000 COVID-19 survivors (Bowe et al JASN) might be due to direct effects of the SARS-CoV2 virus on the kidney causing scar formation.

Researcher Jitske Jansen (Radboudumc): "In our study, we thoroughly investigated the causal damaging effects of the Coronavirus in the kidneys. The infected kidney organoids show that the virus directly causes cell damage, independent of the immune system. With this work, we found a piece of the puzzle showing the deleterious effects the virus can have in the body". Researcher Katharina Reimer (RWTH Aachen Uniklinik): "Kidney fibrosis, or scarring, is a serious long-term consequence that can occur virtually after any injury to the kidney and correlates with kidney function. Our work shows kidney scarring in COVID-19 patients, which provides an explanation why the virus might cause kidney functional decline as demonstrated in other studies. Long-term follow-up studies will provide further insights into kidney-related pathologies caused by SARS-CoV-2".
Scientists from the US and Germany have recently investigated the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in neutralizing the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The findings reveal that the Omicron neutralizing titers induced by the third vaccine dose are comparable to that achieved against the original Wuhan strain (wild-type SARS-CoV-2) by the two-dose regimen. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

Study: Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pseudovirus by BNT162b2 vaccine-elicited human sera. Image Credit: NIAID

Background

The Omicron variant is the most recently emerged variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was detected for the first time in South Africa in November 2021. Because of significantly increased transmissibility, Omicron soon became the predominantly circulating variant in many countries across the globe. On November 26, the World Health Organization designated Omicron as the variant of concern (VOC).

The Omicron variant is heavily mutated compared to other identified VOCs. It has around 39 mutations in the spike protein, with 15 specifically in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and 8 in the N-terminal domain (NTD). Preliminary studies have found that many of these mutations are located at the immunodominant epitopes of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection or vaccination. This has raised concerns that currently available COVID-19 vaccines may have reduced efficacy against the Omicron variant.

In the current study, the scientists have investigated the neutralizing potency of antibodies induced by the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine against the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and its variants beta, delta, and Omicron.

Study design

The scientists used pseudoviruses expressing the spike protein of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and beta, delta, and Omicron variants for neutralization. They used serum samples collected from vaccine recipients for estimating neutralizing titers against tested variants.

Among recipients, 32 received two doses, and 30 received three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech. The recipients of the two-dose vaccination regimen provided serum samples 21 days post the second dose. The recipients of the three-dose vaccination regimen provided samples one month after the third dose. The recipients received the third dose more than six months after receiving the second dose.

50% pseudovirus neutralization titers (pVNT50) of sera from vaccine recipients collected after two or three doses of BNT162b2 against VSV-SARS-CoV-2-S pseudovirus bearing the Wuhan, Omicron, Beta, or Delta variant spike protein. N=32 sera from participants in study BNT162-01 drawn at 21 days after dose 2, and n=30 sera from participants in the BNT162-14 (n=11) and BNT162-17 trials (n=19) drawn at 1 month after dose 3 were tested. Each serum was tested in duplicate and geometric mean 50% pseudovirus neutralizing titers (GMTs) were plotted. For values below the limit of detection (LOD), LOD/2 values were plotted. Group GMTs (values) and 95% confidence intervals are indicated.

Important observations

Efficacy of two-dose regimen

The antibodies induced by the two-dose regimen showed a 22-fold lower neutralizing efficacy against the Omicron variant compared to that against the wild-type virus. While most of the two-dose-vaccinated serum samples neutralized the beta and delta variants, only 12 out of 32 samples showed detectable titers against the Omicron variant. However, the neutralizing titers were 6-fold and 2-fold lower against the beta and delta variants compared to the wild-type virus, respectively.

Efficacy of three-dose regimen

The third vaccine dose caused a 23-fold induction in neutralizing titers against the Omicron variant compared to that obtained after the second vaccine dose. The titers were comparable to that achieved against wild-type virus after the second dose. Importantly, almost all samples (29 out of 30 samples) showed neutralizing efficacy against the Omicron variant. The third dose also increased the neutralizing titers against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the beta and delta variants.

Cellular immune responses

The scientists analyzed a panel of class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restricted spike-specific T cell epitopes to assess whether the Omicron variant can escape host cellular immune responses induced by vaccination.

The findings revealed that about 85% of tested T cell epitopes remained unaffected by the spike mutations observed in the Omicron variant. This observation indicates that the overall T cell responses induced by vaccination may still be effective against the Omicron variant.

Study significance

The study highlights the importance of the third vaccine dose in effectively boosting neutralizing titers against Omicron infection. Although it effectively neutralizes the beta and delta variants, the two-dose vaccination regimen may have significantly lower efficacy against the Omicron variant.

As mentioned by the scientists, further studies are required to assess immunogenicity and durability of protection provided by the third vaccine dose in real-world pandemic setups.

*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 North Dakota man who murdered four people in a grisly act at a property management firm will spend the rest of his life in prison. Chad Isaak was on Tuesday sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty in August of the murders at RJR Maintenance and Management. Co-owner Robert Fakler, employees Adam Fuehrer and Bill Cobb, and Cobb's wife, Lois, were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019. NBC News reports investigators noted a total of more than 100 stab wounds. Relatives of the victims gave heart-wrenching statements about the impact of the murders on their lives; Isaak said simply, "I can honestly tell you I am not a murderer and thats all I have to say." Our original story from April 2019 follows:

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A North Dakota man charged Friday with killing four people at a business that manages the mobile home park where he lives tried to avoid detection by picking up shell casings, changing his clothing, and cleaning a knife and gun with bleach, according to court documents. Court documents allege that after shooting and stabbing the victims, Chad Isaak, 44, took one of the company's vehicles to drive about one block, then walked to his own truck parked less than a mile away at a McDonald's, per the AP. Authorities traced his steps with help from surveillance video at businesses along the route, the documents say. The affidavit and complaint filed Friday offer the most details yet on a mystery that has gripped the area since authorities found the bodies of four people Monday at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, a town of 22,000 near the capital of Bismarck.

A judge set bond for Isaak at $1 million after a hearing where Morton County Assistant State's Attorney Gabrielle Goter argued that the killings "show a level of preplanning and a level of intent to disguise his actions" that suggested that witnesses could be at risk if he is freed. "It appears that RJR was targeted," said Goter. Isaak's attorney requested $100,000 cash bond, citing "zero criminal history." Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, faces four counts of murder and other charges. The victims were RJR co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; employee Adam Fuehrer, 42; and married co-workers Lois Cobb, 45, and William Cobb, 50. Fakler had multiple stab wounds. Isaak appeared in court Friday in a black-and-white striped jail uniform and showed no emotion. He spoke only to say, "Yes, sir," when the judge asked him whether he understood the charges.

(Read more North Dakota stories.)
(Newser)  New travel restrictions have been placed on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban. If they're going more than 45 miles, they should travel with a close male relative, the BBC reports. If they're not wearing Islamic head or face coverings, drivers should refuse to give them a ride. And music should not be played in the vehicle. The directive was issued Sunday by the Taliban's Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. "I cannot go out independently," said a midwife in Kabul. "What should I do if either I or my child is sick and my husband is not available?"

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Since taking power in August after US forces left the country, the Taliban have encouraged women to stay home. Most secondary schools are closed to them. The Taliban have said the restrictions are just until schools and workplaces are made safe for them. A ban on their appearance on TV dramas went into effect last month. The latest announcement "shuts off opportunities for [women] to be able to move about freely," an official with Human Rights Watch said, per AFP, or "to be able to flee if they are facing violence in the home."

Pakistan issued an unusual public rebuke of its neighbor's rulers, per the Voice of America. "We want to fully help the people of Afghanistan," said Information Minister Fawad Hussain on Monday. "But saying that women can't travel alone or go to schools and collegesthis kind of retrogressive thinking is a threat to Pakistan." The midwife in Kabul described her loss since the takeover. "The Taliban captured our happiness from us," she said. "I have lost both my independence and happiness." (Read more Taliban stories.)
(Newser)  Tributes to Archbishop Desmond Tutu offered a reminder that his influence was felt far beyond South Africa. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who died Sunday, was remembered for his courage, his humanity, and his "impish sense of humor." The tributes came from:

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The Bidens : "His legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages," the couple said, the New York Times reports.

: "His legacy transcends borders and will echo throughout the ages," the couple said, the New York Times reports. Zinhle Gamede : I think that people who fought for our freedom are great people. We are in a better place because of them," said the 16-year-old in Johannesburg, per the AP.

: I think that people who fought for our freedom are great people. We are in a better place because of them," said the 16-year-old in Johannesburg, per the AP. The Dalai Lama : "I am convinced the best tribute we can pay him and keep his spirit alive is to do as he did and constantly look to see how we too can be of help to others," he wrote to Tutu's daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth.

: "I am convinced the best tribute we can pay him and keep his spirit alive is to do as he did and constantly look to see how we too can be of help to others," he wrote to Tutu's daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth. Hanan Ashrawi : "His support for Palestine was an embrace of love and empathy," the former Panestinian official said, per CNN.

: "His support for Palestine was an embrace of love and empathy," the former Panestinian official said, per CNN. Arthur Lenk : "He wasn't a friend of Israel, but that said, he was a man of great achievement, heroism and bravery," said the former Israeli ambassador to South Africa. "And anyone who celebrates democracy knows that he's at the top of the list of people who should be honored, even if he didn't see our issue the way we would have liked him to."

: "He wasn't a friend of Israel, but that said, he was a man of great achievement, heroism and bravery," said the former Israeli ambassador to South Africa. "And anyone who celebrates democracy knows that he's at the top of the list of people who should be honored, even if he didn't see our issue the way we would have liked him to." Joni Madison : Tutu's "powerful allyship will never be forgotten," said the interim president of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group. "We are forever grateful."

: Tutu's "powerful allyship will never be forgotten," said the interim president of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group. "We are forever grateful." The Rev. Bernice King : "A great, influential elder is now an eternal, witnessing ancestor," said the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "And we are better because he was here."

: "A great, influential elder is now an eternal, witnessing ancestor," said the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "And we are better because he was here." Green Matters : "Tutu was a major advocate for transitioning to cleaner means of energy, and worked hard to encourage others to join the fight against climate change," the website posted. "At the 2014 UN Climate Summit, he explained the importance of environmental intersectionality, making others aware of environmental injustices that so many minorities and vulnerable groups face on a regular basis."

: "Tutu was a major advocate for transitioning to cleaner means of energy, and worked hard to encourage others to join the fight against climate change," the website posted. "At the 2014 UN Climate Summit, he explained the importance of environmental intersectionality, making others aware of environmental injustices that so many minorities and vulnerable groups face on a regular basis." Barack Obama : "He never lost his impish sense of humor and willingness to find humanity in his adversaries," said the former president, who also said Tutu was "concerned with injustice everywhere."

: "He never lost his impish sense of humor and willingness to find humanity in his adversaries," said the former president, who also said Tutu was "concerned with injustice everywhere." Tutu van Furth: "My father campaigned for women's ordination," said the Anglican minister, "and so every time I stand at the altar I know that this is part of his legacy."

(Read more Desmond Tutu stories.)
(Newser)  Twice over the past year, China says, its space station has almost been hit by satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The country is now calling on the United Nations to get the US to abide by the treaty that regulates outer space, the Guardian reports. In both July and October, the space station was forced to deploy prevention collision avoidance control measures to avert collisions with Starlink satellites, China says in a report to the UNs Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Whether governmental or non-governmental bodies are carrying out the activities, China argues, the US must "bear international responsibility" for the results. China's complaints have not been independently verified, the BBC reports.

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Experts say the increasing amount of debris and satellites in space (nealry 1,900 Starlink satellites have been launched so far) is leading to more collisions, but one points out that China is not innocent in all this. "It is also fair to say that the US space station has several times over the past 10 years had to dodge pieces from the Chinese military anti-satellite test of 2007," he says. "The biggest debris event ever was the Chinese anti-satellite test." Musk, SpaceX, and the US in general were being criticized on China's Weibo social media site following the news of China's complaint breaking, with some referring to the Starlink satellites as "space junk" or even weapons. (Read more Starlink stories.)
(Newser)  In a horrific Monday afternoon incident in Florida, two children were killed and another four injured, two of them critically, at a bus stop in Wilton Manors. Witnesses tell the South Florida Sun-Sentinel a car swerved in front of a bus in an attempt to get around it as it stopped to let passengers exit, then drove up on the sidewalk and into the group of children. "I dont know if he couldnt control the car because he was going fast, but he drove straight into those kids," says the bus driver. Witnesses and first responders alike described a traumatic scene, with paramedics and police officers crying when they realized it was too late to save the children who died. The driver fled, and police are asking anyone with information to contact the Wilton Manors Police Department. The car involved was believed to be a gray Nissan.

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"This event is a horrific event any time of the year, let alone right after the holidays, said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan. Nearby residents were being urged to inspect doorbell camera footage for any video of the tragedy. The children were between the ages of 1 and 10; those hospitalized are 1, 2, 6, and 9, Local 10 reports. A bystander who jumped out of her car to help saw the two children who died, then realized there were others. "There were four of them, and the oldest one, he was holding a baby, who was maybe about 2, and he was holdingI guess theyre all sisters and brothers," she says. The tragedy took place near an apartment complex, and locals complain drivers frequently speed on the street in question, NBC 6 reports. (Read more Florida stories.)
(Newser)  American Red Cross workers aren't happy these days, at least according to a piece from the Guardian that details their grievances. Chief among them: low pay, inadequate staffing, and a general lack of appreciation. The Guardian's report comes as the Coalition of American Red Cross Unions, which represents just shy of 5,000 workers, is pushing for contract changes ahead of a March 31, 2022, expiration date. Last month, Alexis Zebrowski quit the job she had held for a year with the Red Cross. She says the blood drives she ran were so undermanned that she typically worked at least an hour longer than her scheduled 10-hour shift and was unable to take breaks. And then there's the pay. "I can go work at any fast food restaurant and make more money," Zebrowski said.

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"They dont want to give us a raise or even acknowledge anything we do for the company. Its a slap in the face to work for the amount of money we are working for." An American Red Cross employee in Illinois says the charity has tried to staff up by offering new hires $1,500 sign-on bonuses and higher pay, meaning they're making more than long-time employees. "Thats a major slap in the face to the current staff that have worked through this whole pandemic and not been offered anything but pizza," she says, noting that workers are not always paid when they are forced to quarantine due to COVID exposure on the job. Meanwhile, WJLA reports the Red Cross is currently warning that it's experiencing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade and badly needs donations. (Read the full story for more.)
(Newser)  A man looking for deer antlers in the Missouri woods came across something much more grimthe skeletal remains of a missing amateur MMA fighter. The fighter, David Koenig, was staying at a friends motel in Branson, Missouri, when he texted friends that he might be in trouble, NBC News reports. That was in February 2020. Because the 25-year-old had "gone off the grid before," his mother, Tracy Koenig, wasnt worried enough to report him missing for a few weeks. Police in Branson and surrounding areas stretching into Arkansas followed tips and searched all over. When the man out hunting for antlers made his discovery, the mystery was finally solved. Branson police issued a statement on Dec. 27 saying that a forensic odonatologist had identified the remains as Koenig's.

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"It was not the outcome we were hoping for," Eric Schmitt, an assistant chief with the Branson Police, told KY3. Branson police say they looked for Koenig constantly while he was missing. "It didnt matter what investigation we were on, we were asking about Dave," he said. Still a mystery is what happened to Koenig. His mother said hed struggled with mental health and addiction in the past. And police say there was no apparent trauma, and Koenig was found with his wallet and jewelry. "There did not appear to be any foul play," the statement read, per the Branson Tri-Lakes News. Koenigs mother wrote in a Facebook group dedicated to the search that "Nobody killed Dave. Nobody!" and asked that group members stop passing around conspiracy theories and instead post a memory of her son. (Read more missing person stories.)
(Newser)  Dr. Mehmet Oz is running for the Republican nomination for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, but it's not clear how you'd know it. Olivia Nuzzi writes in New York that five days into the race she found the TV star's campaign headquarters deserted. He doesn't want to be interviewed, at least not by Nuzzi, who recounts calling his wife in search of an interview. Lisa Oz quickly hung up, or so she thought. Lisa Oz hadn't actually done so, "meaning that as [she and her husband] engaged in paranoid conversation and argument for more than four minutes, I remained on the line, hearing every word of it," writes Nuzzi. She recounts the conversation, and it's full of plenty of F-bombs, many in the form of "f---ing girl reporter."

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So she looks at the "political life of Dr. Oz," without speaking with the man himself. She writes that Republicans say he has no winning message and no apparent path to victory in 2022. Not even his friend and mentor Oprah Winfrey is offering to help his campaign. "It's up to the residents of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them," Winfrey said in a statement. But he is a star, the longtime host of the Dr. Oz Show. The daytime program, which Oz quit to launch his campaign, was successful, though the host was criticized by some who said he traded his medical credibility for ratings by endorsing pseudoscience and quack cures.

The 61-year-old has had trouble so far articulating his positions, including his reasons for running for the open Senate seat, which Nuzzi notes are filled with references to his old job and celebrity. Oz said he's merely "stepping forward to help cure our country's ills" because "Americas heartbeat is in a code red in need of a defibrillator to shock it back to life." Asked about his goals, Oz referenced his book series by saying, "It all starts with YOU!" And he's trying to walk fine lines, balancing his previously stated views with those of Trump Republicans on abortion, for example. Pressed on Fox News about when life begins, Oz stumbled and talked in circles, Nuzzi writes. (Read the full piece here.)
(Newser)  With coronavirus cases climbing and the Winter Olympics in Beijing nearing, China is rigorously following its zero COVID policies. Delta Air Lines has blamed one of the strategies at the Shanghai airport after a flight from Seattle turned around, midair, last week, rather than continue on to China, CNN reports. "The new cleaning procedures require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta," an airline spokesperson said. No one has said what the new cleaning procedures are.

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The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco expressed its displeasure without mentioning Delta, per the AP. In a statement, the consulate said many US-China flights have been canceled or delayed recently, including one that was more than halfway there before turning back. Chinese officials "had made a stern representation to the airline," the statement said. China Airlines and EVA Air also have canceled flights recently to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Taiwan media report; the airlines are based in Taiwan.

China's embassy in the US said it and the consulate are "communicating with relevant airlines to actively understand specific technical issues and discuss solutions to avoid similar incidents from happening again." State media reported that the cancellation left Chinese citizens on the Delta flight holding visas and COVID-19 test results that had expired, per People. More than 300 new infections were reported over the holiday weekend in Xi'an, though the city was put on indefinite lockdown last week. The city of 13 million has logged 810 cases in all, per the New York Times. (Read more China stories.)
(Newser)  A New Jersey woman convicted by a jury in 2016 of the murder of her 5-year-old son 15 years earlier had her conviction thrown out on Tuesday. In what the AP calls a "stunning turnaround" for 54-year-old Michelle Lodzinski, New Jersey's Supreme Court decided that prosecutors had failed to present enough evidence that Lodzinski had "purposefully or knowingly" caused the death of son Timothy Wiltsey. The boy's remains were found in 1992, almost a year after Lodzinski reported him missing from a carnival in Sayreville, MyCentralJersey.com reports. Lodzinski, who repeatedly changed her story, was long considered the prime suspect, but she was not arrested and charged until 2014, on what would have been Timothy's 29th birthday.

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Her lawyers argued during the 2016 trial and on appeal that homicide could not be proven because the boy's body had deteriorated too much to determine a cause of death. In May, a 3-3 decision from the state's top court allowed Lodzinski's conviction to stand, but the court unexpectedly decided to reconsider the case in October, the Star-Ledger reports. Appellate judge Jose Fuentes cast the tiebreaking vote in Tuesday's 4-3 decision. Lodzinski attorney Gerald Krovatin praised the decision, noting that she can't be tried again without violating double jeopardy laws. He said it was a great day for the principle that "convictions have to be based on evidence, not on speculation or emotion." Lodzinski had been serving a sentence of 30 years to life. It's now unclear when she will be released.

During Lodzinski's trial, no evidence was offered to show that Timothy "died by the negligent, reckless, or purposeful or knowing acts of a person, even if that person were Lodzinski," Justice Barry Albin wrote in the majority opinion. The three dissenting judges said the acquittal was "unwarranted and unjust" and undermined the role of the jury in the justice system. The Star-Ledger reports Michael Lodzinski, Lodzinski's younger brother, also condemned the decision. "Justice Albin and his group believe they have righted some great wrong today but all they did was rob justice from a little boy, shame on them," he said. (Read more Michelle Lodzinski stories.)
(Newser)  Noam Huppert says that thanks to a quirk in Israeli divorce law, he has been banned from leaving the country for almost 8,000 years. The 44-year-old Australian citizen tells news.com.au that his former spouse moved to Israel in 2011, when one of their children was three months old and the other was five years old. He says he moved to the country the following year to be close to the childrenbut he has been banned from leaving until he pays more than $2 million in future child support payments under a "stay of exit" order a court handed down in 2013. Huppert says the "future debt" consists of payments of 5,000 shekels a month, around $1,600, until both children are 18.

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Huppert, an analytical chemist employed by a pharmaceutical company, says he has not been able to leave Israel for any reason, including work, since the ruling. "Since 2013, I am locked in Israel," he says. The ban on leaving the country until Dec. 31, 9999 appears to have been set because that was the highest date that could be entered in the system, the Guardian notes. It's not clear whether the amount Huppert has been ordered to pay before he can leave the country includes outstanding payments as well as future ones. The US State Department has warned American citizens that they could be "subject to involuntary and prolonged stays" in Israel "if a case is filed against them in a religious court, even if their marriage took place in the United States, and regardless of whether their spouse is present in Israel." (Read more Israel stories.)
The borders are opening back up again, but where can you travel to where you can still have that travelling experience? If you think about Australia, getting into the country at the minute is not as easy as booking a flight. In fact, you can't book a flight and travel there at all unless you are a resident of the country - and even then, it's hard to book a flight and travel.

Europe, on the other hand, is very much open to tourism. There are beautiful cities, beaches, and countryside awaiting you. Read on to see where you should book your flights to.

The Beaches Of Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the best cities in Europe to visit. The vibrant cobbled streets and welcoming atmosphere make it a place you won't want to leave. It's the perfect mix of beach and city, with the city literally lining a beach. And, it's one of the most wheelchair accessible cities in Europe. All of the buses, metros, and streets are very wheelchair friendly - even the beaches are wheelchair friendly. Most of them have wheelchairs adapted to the beach.

A must-see in Barcelona is obviously the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia - or more famously, the Basilica that will never finish. Building work has never stopped, but that all adds to the character. The Gothic Quarter is another beautiful place to roam, and it isn't far from the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. You'll find great bars, restaurants, and back streets to wander down.

The Streets Of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands - it's another vibrant city for a totally different reason. At night, Amsterdam alights with red from the infamous red lights of the Red Light District. In the day, it's brightly lit with neon coffee shop lights, eccentric street art, and beautiful flowers that line the canals.

A must if you go to Amsterdam is the museums. From the sex museum to the Ann Frank House to the Van Gough Art gallery, there are a ton of museums and places to go to explore history and culture in Amsterdam.

The food is another tourist favourite. You'll find stalls selling the best cheesy chips you've ever had and quaint bakeries selling every type of pastry you can imagine, including the best churros you'll ever eat.

The City Of Rome

Rome is a city filled with narrow cobbled streets, tantalising restaurants with scents that draw you in at every corner, and delicious gelato shops selling the creamiest ice cream you can imagine. Most people travel to Italy to experience the delicacies it offers, but Rome does have much more than just great food for you to indulge in.

All you have to do is spend a day walking around Rome, and you'll stumble across the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum without even meaning to. There are so many things to do in Rome - this article goes through them all in more detail.

Europe is an incredible part of the world because it's so diverse yet easy to travel to. Flights to Europe are relatively cheap, especially if you're travelling from within Europe. Do you have time for a winter break in Europe this year?
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has affirmed its solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and support for all the measures it plans to take to maintain its security, stability and territorial integrity.

The Cabinet, during yesterdays weekly meeting chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, strongly condemned the Houthi militias act of terrorism in launching projectiles towards the cities of Najran and Jazan in Saudi Arabia, which took the lives of two civilians and injuring others.

The Cabinet expressed sincere condolences to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives, and wished the injured a speedy and full recovery.

It congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister following the successful launch of the first joint Bahraini-Emirati satellite, Light-1. This significant project is in line with Bahrains efforts in supporting space sciences and exploration, the Cabinet noted.

It offered best wishes to HM the King and HRH Prince Salman, as well as the residents and citizens of Bahrain, on the upcoming new year.

The Cabinet noted its ambition for 2022 to be a successful and prosperous year for Bahrain and the rest of the world. The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism briefed the Cabinet on the restructuring plan of the Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill (GARMCO), which took place under the Reorganisation and Bankruptcy Law that was recently made exercisable in the Kingdoms courts.

The Cabinet highlighted that the restructuring of the company has contributed to its sustainability, and the preservation of 700 jobs.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

By Sreekanth Ravindran

Popular social media tool WhatsApp has emerged as the number one platform to commit social media crimes in the Kingdom, according to statistics provided by the Public Prosecution.

Out of 680 social media abuse cases filed in the Kingdom last year, 357 involved the use of WhatsApp. It was followed by Instagram (187), Snapchat (48), Facebook (44), Twitter (30), TikTok (10), Imo (3) and Kik (1).

The cases handled include defamation on social media, spreading private details on social media, spreading photos of persons without their consent, hate speech as well as cyberbullying. The Interior Ministry has earlier issued many warnings against those who use social media with criminal motives.

According to experts, social media abuse can take many different forms. It can be anything that occurs online and is offensive in nature. From a psychological and ethical perspective, its a behaviour that aims to disturb and upset the targeted person. From a legal point of view, online abuse aims to disturb and threaten the victim.

Hate speech is considered a major social media crime. It encompasses all expressions and speeches aiming to promote hatred against certain groups based on age, gender, race, religion, nationality or political views. Defamation mainly consists of spreading false information on someone across social media platforms. Aside from being false, the information can be disturbing and upsetting for the targeted person.

Examples of defamation include spreading false information that someone has committed a crime or any other wrongdoing, aiming to make the person feel bad by ruining his or her reputation in front of family, friends, and society.

Another usual form of social media abuse is spreading private details, which is nothing but spreading information that is true in nature but without consent.

This could be information about someones family affairs, relations with friends, illnesses he or she would like to keep private from the public, or any other circumstances that are personal in nature and the person wants it kept away from public eyes and ears. This also includes spreading photos of individuals without their consent.

Experts say it could be posting a photo with shaming content for the person, tagging the person in a photo with shameful content, photoshopping or other ways of manipulating the content of the photo with intent of shaming a person, and so on.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Government Hospitals signed a cooperation agreement with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), within the framework of its training strategy aiming to develop the skills of the affiliates of public hospitals.

Government Hospitals Chief Executive Officer Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Ansari said that cooperation with BIBF is in line with the directives of the Board of Trustees to improve the performance and level of medical professionals at government-funded hospitals.

It is part of a strategy based on studying the current needs and meeting them through specialised training programmes delivered by prominent training institutes, according to the latest strategies and methods, which will contribute to enhancing the efficiency of health services and improving the patients treatment experience.

Dr Al Ansari praised the ongoing cooperation with BIBF, within a distinguished strategic partnership aiming to reach the forecast goals.

BIBF Director-General Dr Ahmed Abdulhameed Al Shaikh expressed delight at the cooperation with Government Hospitals to provide specialised training programmes for the health sectors administrative staff and employees to enhance their competence and hone their skills, which will reflect positively on the quality of health services.

He commended the efforts exerted by the medical and administrative staff working in Bahrains health sector, citing their professionalism in dealing with the requirements of the current situation resulting from the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
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.
SHERMAN  The Sherman Playhouse is seeking to fill four roles to complete the cast for its first show of the 2022 season, Whodunnit by Anthony Shaffer, directed by Alexis M. Vournazos of Danbury.

The production is looking for two men and two women to complete the cast, ages 20 to 70. Note that some parts require two accents  Standard British English and regional/international.
Convicted of manslaughter 25 years ago, Andre Pierce is now up for parole. But that parole hearing has been delayed, his attorney said, because of a Connecticut law requiring a full trial transcript.

State statute stipulates that no parole hearing can proceed until the parole release panel is in possession of the complete file for such applicant, including any documentation from the Department of Correction, the trial transcript, the sentencing record and any file of any previous parole hearing.

In response to a request for comment, the parole board said by email that per the parole officer, both the officer and the executive director have advised Mr. Pierce and his attorney we are still awaiting required documents.

Pierces attorney, Alex Taubes, said usually parole hearings are scheduled years in advance, allowing time for required documentation to be unearthed and shared.

But Pierces sentence was reduced in October, making him eligible for parole faster than the system could accommodate, Taubes said.

At first I thought it was the parole board being dastardly, he said. They are, for what its worth, following the law as its written.

Pierce became eligible for parole all of a sudden because a judge in Bridgeport said he should be eligible for parole, Taubes said.

On Nov 27, 1996, Bridgeport police responded to a report of gunshots and approached what they said was a suspicious vehicle where they found a 38-year-old male victim, dead from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

An investigation led to the arrest of then 18-year-old Pierce. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

After more than 25 years, Pierce requested a sentence modification. According to an Oct. 4 ruling by Superior Court Judge Earl Richards, 11 people came forward to testify on Pierces behalf.

Among them were Wesleyan professor Laurie Gruen, who helped Pierce attain a bachelors degree in philosophy while in prison. Richards wrote that Gruen indicated that in her opinion, the petitioner was one of the most intellectually gifted students that she has ever taught.

But Richards also noted that Pierce was convicted of manslaughter and, in this act not only took the life of the victim, but also deprived the victim's wife and daughters of a husband and father.

Richards ruled in favor of a sentence modification, reducing Pierces time behind bars by 18 months, making him eligible for parole.

A month later, on Nov. 17, Pierces parole officer said the hearing was delayed due to the lack of a complete trial transcript. On Nov. 23, the officer told Pierce, we are still waiting for the trial transcript.

Taubes asked the parole board to make an exception, but a letter from Richard Sparaco, executive director of the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, informed the defense attorney that no parole hearing could proceed.

There is no ambiguity in the text with regard to trial transcripts and there is no evidence that the legislature intended trial transcript to mean anything other than a complete trial transcript, Sparaco wrote. Therefore, a hearing for Mr. Pierce cannot be scheduled until the board is in receipt of the complete trial transcript.

When asked how long such requests usually take, the parole board said by email, I cannot give you an exact time frame. The documents have been requested.

Taubes said its the parole boards responsibility to provide that transcript, though they are under no obligation to do so quickly.

You dont have a right to parole in the first place, Taubes said. Parole is a matter of grace that the system bestows upon you.

Taubes and Pierce could request the documentation themselves, after which the state would have 30 days to produce the transcript.

But Taubes said he expects that transcript to be close to 2,000 pages in length, and to cost at least $3 per page.

We could order it from the court system ourselves, Taubes said. They would have to produce it in 30 days if we paid, how much?

As for where the transcript is, Taubes said he would love to have an answer to that question.

Maybe theyre in a storage facility somewhere, he said.
The state reported Monday that nearly 11 percent of all the COVID-19 tests administered over Christmas weekend were positive for the virus, one of the highest rates since widespread testing began in the state.

Testing was up considerably over the holiday. Of 136,857 COVID tests administered since Thursday, 10.7 percent of them  14,654  were positive.

The state said the seven-day average of positive tests is 9.8 percent, the highest its been widespread testing.

The numbers prompted elected officials and public health executives to call for swifter and bolder action, including Gov. Ned Lamont announcing the state will immediately begin sending out 3 million test kits to cities and towns, to be distributed to residents.

It continues to tick up, said Gov. Ned Lamont at a Monday press conference. Unfortunately omicron did not take a break.

Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist Hartford HealthCare, said the omicron variant is a factor but not the only reason cases have increased so dramatically. He called the issue multifactorial.

Its due to waning immunity, its due to colder weather, people cohorting indoors, its due to the unvaccinated, its due to social behaviors where people are just gathering. They are fatigued from COVID, Wu said. We shouldnt attribute this to just omicron.

Hospitalizations, also a key metric, have been on the rise. Through the weekend, the total jumped by a net of 88 patients for 925 across the state.

Were not just looking at percentage positivity, were not just looking at hospitalizations. Were looking at ICUs, were looking at ventilators, were looking at deaths, he said. So all these numbers were looking at and our only baseline is the comparison of the year before. And I dont think its sufficient to say that were doing better than last year because its still out there and were still going through a crisis right now.

Omicron is spreading in Connecticut, but the most recent state data shows that the delta variant is still dominant in the state. Wu suggested the distinction didnt matter although there may be important differences. Both call for more protection and prevention than many residents have done.

On Thursday, the state said there have been 14,284 cases of the delta variant detected in Connecticut along with the 106 omicron cases.

We are all worried about omicron but the issue here is not omicron, Wu said. The issue has always been the boogie-man in the house, which is delta.

Dan Haar contributed reporting
NEW YORK (AP)  Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel, stretched into Monday as airlines called off more than 1,000 U.S. flights because crews were sick with COVID-19 during one of the year's busiest travel periods, and storm fronts added to the havoc.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been common this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and carriers have struggled to make up ground this year, when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected. The arrival of the omicron variant only exacerbated the problem.

During the pandemic, we have seen experienced airline personnel leave the industry and not return across the globe, said John Grant, senior analyst at travel industry research firm OAG. Filling those skill gaps was already a challenge in the recovery before the latest variant.

But airlines' staffing levels are irrelevant when omicron is thrown into the mix, said Atmosphere Research Group travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt. We cant blame the issues were seeing now on airlines not having enough employees to work. What were seeing happen is the employees who were available to work have come down with COVID.

Since Friday, airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights to, from or inside the U.S., according to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations.

Delta, United, JetBlue and American have blamed the coronavirus for staffing problems in the past several days. European and Australian airlines also canceled holiday-season flights because of infected staff, but weather and other factors played a role as well.

Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest led to nearly 250 flight cancellations to or from Seattle on Sunday, according to Alaska Airlines, which expected more than 100 flight cancellations Monday. But the airline said sick crews were no longer a factor.

United said it canceled 115 flights Monday, out of more than 4,000 scheduled, due to crews with COVID-19. Delta expected to cancel more than 200 flights out of its schedule of over 4,100, after scrapping more than 370 on Sunday, citing the effect of COVID-19 on crews and winter weather in Minneapolis, Seattle and Salt Lake City.

SkyWest, a regional airline based in Utah, said it had more cancellations than normal during the weekend and on Monday after bad weather affected several of its hubs and many crew members were out with COVID-19.

Industry analysts said new guidance from U.S. health officials could help airlines better navigate the impact of omicron on staffing levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday cut in half the recommended length of time a person should isolate after getting COVID-19 to five days.

Airlines had called on the Biden administration to shorten the quarantine period to alleviate staffing issues caused by omicron, although the union for flight attendants pushed back, saying the isolation period should remain 10 days.

I definitely think that should help, Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth said of the CDCs new guidance  especially if bad weather subsides.

Delta said it was working to implement the new guidance, which would allow the airline more flexibility to schedule employees.

Representatives for the flight attendants union, other airlines and the industrys trade group did not immediately respond or declined to comment on the CDC change.

Cancellations have snarled holidays that were already complicated this year with the rise of the omicron variant and escalating COVID-19 cases, which caused some to change their plans at the last minute.

But many other people kept their plans.

Transportation Security Administration data shows that the number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints so far during the holiday season went up significantly from last year  on some days double the number of fliers or even more. But the number is generally still short of 2019 levels.

The TSA has predicted that the Monday after New Year's will be one of the busiest days of the holiday season. The CDC's new guidelines could help airlines better navigate the New Year's weekend rush as staffers who got infected are able to come back to work, Harteveldt said.

The U.S. government has issued new rules relating to COVID-19 and travel in recent months, requiring foreigners coming to the U.S. to be vaccinated. It also now requires a negative COVID-19 test for both U.S. citizens and foreigners within a day of flying into the country.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday that the nation should also seriously consider a vaccination mandate for domestic travel as another way to push people to get vaccinated.

The administration has at times considered a domestic vaccination requirement, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test. Such a requirement could face legal challenges.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Stobbe in New York and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
Amid overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests and record high positivity rates, Danbury-area leaders are putting together plans to distribute at-home tests ahead of New Years Eve.

Three million at-home test kits will eventually be disseminated between 169 municipalities and two tribal nations, according to a state distribution list. The first tranche will include 500,000 iHealth test kits and is set to arrive in towns and cities as soon as Thursday. Each kit has two tests. City officials will need to pick them up at a regional site once theyre available.

Danbury leaders have been tasked with getting those tests to their residents with just four days notice, and several have already locked in plans.

Danbury will set up a drive-thru where a maximum of two kits will be distributed to each car on a first-come, first-served basis, said Matthew Cassavechia, the citys emergency management director. Cassavechia, the mayor and other agencies are developing a strategy to distribute the kits in an organized and efficient manner, he said. Theyre still figuring out the location.

Weve identified a number of sites in the city, Cassavechia said. Were assessing those sites to determine the best logistical site from movement of vehicles in a safe and efficient manner to keep traffic in our city moving, and also get the individuals who are coming to get the kits in and out as safely as possible.

The city plans to distribute the kits on the same day they arrive in Connecticut, he said.

These plans are in draft form until the location and date are determined, but the city plans to publicize the details once theyre finalized, Cassavechia said. The city expects to receive around 10,000 kits  the most of any Danbury-area municipality.

The objective is to get as many kits out as we can, as soon as we receive those kits, he said. We will determine this to be a success based on the number of kits that are deployed in the community.

Towns plan for distribution ahead of Thursday

New Milford Mayor Pete Bass called the combination of a local test site and additional tests from the state extremely helpful for our residents.

The town has been allocated 3,600 test kits in its first delivery, and Bass released an online sign-up for at-home test distribution Tuesday morning. The sign-up allowed one time slot per household to come pick up the kit at John Pettibone Community Center on Thursday. Families with minors can get up to two test kits. Those wishing to receive their test will have to show proof of residency at the site, and if they sign up for more than one spot their existing appointment will be automatically canceled.

After hearing news of the governors announcement, Health Director Lisa Morrissey said their office phones started ringing off the hook.

In fairness to the residents, they were ringing off the hook before the governor announced this, she added, referring to the struggle to find COVID testing during the holidays. Our plan is to have them all distributed before the weekend.

In less than three hours after Bass posted the test distribution information on his Facebook page, the online sign-up was full.

Washington, who shares New Milfords health department, will follow a similar distribution plan, with tests available at a first come-first served drive-thru at Town Hall on Friday, according to First Selectman Jim Brinton.

Brookfield plans to begin distribution at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Brookfield High School, according to a COVID update from First Selectman Tara Carr.

Roxbury, Sherman and Bethel have yet to announce concrete distribution plans.

In Bethel, details about acquiring the more than 2,600 test kits the town is set to receive wont be released until Wednesday afternoon, a town Facebook post informed residents.

DO NOT call Town Hall to inquire about the distribution plan at this time. The Town of Bethel will send out a phone and email message via our Everbridge system on Wednesday afternoon with details, the post said.

Special allocations

Several towns have specific plans to use some of their tests for vulnerable or at-risk populations.

Morrissey is setting aside some kits in New Milford for the senior center and social services department to distribute.

It was really important to me that we had an equitable approach to distribution  carve-outs for seniors and carve-outs for folks who may not be able to make it to that site, Morrissey explained.

Bethels First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker is reviewing the allocation numbers with the towns health and emergency management directors to help target these materials where they are needed most urgently, he said.

Some leaders have said theyll prioritize first responders with the states test kits.

Carr said Brookfields primary focus for its 2,250 kits is to get them to first responders, followed by town volunteers and employees critical to continuity of operations as a part of our Emergency Preparedness plan.

Ridgefield is expected to receive 3,150 self-test kits from the state. Members of the police and fire departments, as well as critical people in town government, will get first crack at the distribution, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.

With whats left, we will do some sort of public distribution, he added, but that is yet to be determined.

Roxbury will use most of the states 360 total test kits at local schools, with remaining tests given primarily to first responders. First Selectman Patrick Roy said some kits would be held at Town Hall for residents.

Since Bridgewater is getting so few tests in the first delivery  just 270 kits  the town plans to first cover ambulance and fire department staff.

Once the town gets a schedule for future deliveries, First Selectman Curtis Read said he plans to distribute the remaining tests so they reach our most vulnerable citizens.

Sherman First Selectman Don Lowe did not share distribution plans Tuesday, but said an announcement would be made on Wednesday.

Waiting for more

In some cases, local leaders are left with more questions than answers, and few test kits to cover the demand among their residents.

Before the state announced its test distribution plan, New Milford had already ordered its own at-home tests for residents using state funds. Their local clinic has been overwhelmed in the past two weeks with people seeking tests. And while Morrissey has yet to confirm how many kits are in their personal order, she said she requested substantially more than what the state is allocating. The order is expected some time next week.

Ive never been one to put all of my eggs in one basket, Morrissey said.

New Milfords personal test shipment next week will also be distributed through a sign-up drive-thru.

A truck from Ridgefields highway department is scheduled to pick up the cases from the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Securitys Region 5 headquarters in Litchfield on Thursday. But as of Tuesday, Marconi said he had not received confirmation that the supplies were on the floor.

Even the president is saying he is going to have kits mailed to every single household, Marconi said. When that will happen, we don't know.

Roxburys Roy has yet to announce specific distribution plans publicly because he said the town has only received the preliminary information and have no confirmation that they will be available for pick up.

Additional reporting by staff writers Alyssa Seidman, Julia Perkins, Sandra Diamond Fox and Kendra Baker.
PHOENIX (AP)  The attorney representing the private company that oversaw the Arizona Senates partisan review of Maricopa Countys 2020 election results is trying to quit after a series of losses in cases brought by groups seeking records of the audit.

The move to withdraw by attorney Jack Wilenchik is opposed by American Oversight, a government watchdog group that has for months been seeking records held by Florida-based Cyber Ninjas.

American Oversights lawyer said in a court filing Monday that allowing Wilenchik to quit will just delay resolution of the case and prevent the public from knowing how the Senate and its contractors conducted the review. And it said he has not given the court any reason to allow such delay and has continued his pugnacious approach to defending his client in the face of repeated losses and court orders to hand over the records.

In sum, the jig is up, and Cyber Ninjas longstanding effort to avoid disclosure of public records relating to the audit would seem to be finally coming to an end, American Oversight attorney Keith Beauchamp wrote. But Wilenchiks eleventh-hour maneuver to avoid production could thwart this Courts orders because, of course, Cyber Ninjas cannot appear except through counsel.

Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan has been called to give a deposition to American Oversights lawyers on Jan. 5.

Wilenchik didnt immediately respond Tuesday to calls and emails seeking comment. A spokesman for Logan, Rod Thomson, said he would not comment on legal matters.

The Arizona Republic has a separate lawsuit against the Senate and Cyber Ninjas seeking records the firm holds related to the audit. Wilenchik is also asking a judge to allow him to quit representing them in that case.

The Republics attorneys also oppose Wilenchiks withdrawal, saying it came a day after they sent him a letter informing him that they would seek sanctions against his firm because Cyber Ninjas had not complied with court orders to turn over documents to the Senate.

The Wilenchik Firms attempted ... withdrawal shortly after its receipt of this letter may be its attempt to escape this Courts oversight to avoid such sanctions, attorney Craig Hoffman wrote in a court filing Tuesday. Such an effort should not be facilitated by the Courts granting of the motion.

Hoffman noted that Wilenchik had not served his Dec. 21 notice of withdrawal on the Republics attorney and they were forced to go to the courthouse to retrieve it on Tuesday.

In the American Oversight case, Wilenchik only cited professional considerations as a reason to quit. But he was more explicit in the Arizona Republic case, saying he hadnt been paid.

Cyber Ninjas has argued for months that it is not subject to the public records law because it is a private company. Two different judges and the Arizona Court of Appeals have ruled that records Cyber Ninjas possesses that have a substantial nexus to the audit are public and must be released. They held that the audit done for Senate Republicans after former President Donald Trump lost in Arizona to President Joe Biden was a core government function and that makes the records public.

Cyber Ninjas is asking the state Supreme Court to overrule the Court of Appeals decision, and Wilenchik has not withdrawn from that case. The high court has declined to put the lower court orders on hold and could consider the appeal next month. In the meantime, Cyber Ninjas still has not provided the records to the Senate so it can release them.

Wilenchik told a judge last month that Cyber Ninjas has no money and cant afford to pay for the review or redaction of records.

Cyber Ninjas has released some documents but maintains it is doing so voluntarily. Among them is a financial statement suggesting the ballot review cost nearly $9 million. Cyber Ninjas received $5.7 million from political groups led by Trump allies who have aggressively promoted the former presidents false claims that the election was stolen from him, along with $1 million paid by donors directly to subcontractors. Altogether, Cyber Ninjas reported a net loss of more than $2 million from the audit.

The audit, released in September, found that Biden got 360 more votes in Maricopa County than initially reported out of 2.1 million ballots cast. It produced no proof to support Trumps false claims of a stolen election, and experts described it as riddled with errors, bias and flawed methodology.

A final review of some computer logs has not yet been completed.
BANGOR, Maine (AP)  A Newport man pleaded guilty to the fatal strangulation of his wife and was ordered to serve 12 years in prison on Tuesday.

Frederick Allen Jr., who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, apologized to friends and family in the courtroom, saying he loved his wife with all my heart."
WILTON  While Wilton continues to work in conjunction with the Norwalk River Valley Trail to finish construction on a few sections of the trail within its borders, officials will work with a new executive director starting on Jan. 3.

Andrea Gartner is set to become the NRVTs full-time executive director and will oversee all advancements with the trail starting in the new year.

I am honored and excited to join an organization with such a strong foundation and advance this legacy project, Gartner said in a release announcing her new role. Now more than ever, people understand and appreciate community amenities that enhance our quality of life.

As someone long committed to projects that encourage residents to build sustainable and thriving towns and cities, Andrea is ideally situated to serve as NRVTs first full-time executive director, Charlie Taney, NRVT president, who previously served as its executive director, said in the release.

In September, Wilton made its most recent agreement to support and partner with the Norwalk River Valley Trail in its application for a LOTCIP grant to gain funds to finish a trail section spanning from Skunk Lane north to Pimpewaug Road.

Taney met with the towns Board of Selectmen in September to ask for the grant to finish the portion of the trail before presenting to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, another governing body that First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice sits on.

Town Engineer and Assistant Director of Public Works Frank Smeriglio worked with Taney in the leadup to the construction of the trail section.

Now, Gartner will work alongside Smeriglio, who did not immediately respond for comment Tuesday, to finish connecting the trail sections in Wilton.

The new executive director is a Fairfield County native who has had her hand in various community initiatives throughout her life.

After previously graduating with a bachelors degree in governmennt from Georgetown University, Gartner returned to Fairfield County and has raised her family in nearby Ridgefield.

In the community, Gartner has history volunteering with the Ridgefiled Playhouse and the Ridgefield Historical Society, according to the NRVT release. She has also played a part in expanding the local Boys and Girls Club and served as a commisioner on the towns Historic District Commission for 15 years.

This is not Gartners first foray into an executive directors role either.

Gartner previously served as the executive director of CityCenter Danbury and played a part in revitalizing the downtown area and launching the Danbury Innovation Center, connected to the Danbury Library.

Gartners reach also extends to the Greater Danbury Area Womens Business Council, the Housatonic Habitat for Humanity Advisory Council, the Friends of the Danbury Museum and Historical Society, as a member of the DanburyWORKS Executive Board, Fairfield Countys Community Foundation and even did work with Naugatuck Valley Community College.

In accordance with her new position at the NRVT, she will reprise her role as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut.

Gartner will work to complete what Vanderslice deemed a great project and what she said has support from many town residents.

The work of the Friends (of NRVT) Board has made extraordinary progress and its vision for the Norwalk River Valley Trail is inspiring, Gartner stated of the project that saw its first trail constructed 20 years ago.
DANBURY  State Sen. Julie Kushner is downplaying any connections to the Communist Party after receiving an award earlier this month at an event linked to the party. The same event led to national criticism against U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal for his attendance and he admitted he would not have gone had he known about the ties to the political party.

Kushner, a Democrat from Danbury, was one of three recipients of the Connecticut Peoples World Amistad Awards, which recognized her for her efforts to support labor unions and pass the $15 minimum wage and paid family leave, among other efforts to back workers.

The ceremony, held on Dec. 11, however, celebrated the 102nd birthday of the Communist Party USA and included speeches and videos from union leaders about the role the Communist Party has played in activism for workers. The event included musical performances and speeches related to labor unions, voting rights and the coronavirus pandemic.

I was not aware of the anniversary, Kushner said in a statement to the News-Times. I am familiar with the Armistad Award (sic) and the groups long-standing activity in New Haven, particularly organizing youth around jobs and housing and supporting labor issues.

The Facebook event for the ceremony mentioned the anniversary of the Communist Party.

Mike Safranek, chairman of the Danbury Republican Town Committee, said he was shocked the citys senator would embrace communism and the award.

Im very surprised because most people are fleeing communism ideologies, most people have realized that communism has failed, that human endeavors are pushing past communism, he said.

Communist Party USAs website states that it has championed the struggles for democracy, labor rights, womens equality, racial justice and peace for 100 years.

Kushner said she received the award because she advocated for the CT Paid Family & Medical Leave program.

This program will benefit thousands of Connecticuts working families when it begins to pay benefits January 1st, she wrote.

The Democrat noted other organizations, including AARP, CT Womens Education and Legal Fund, and Family Values At Work, have honored her for the family leave program.

The recognition and endorsements I have received come from a broad spectrum of groups, which I believe demonstrates my ability to bring people together to solve problems and find lasting solutions for Connecticuts working families, Kushner said in the statement.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, faced backlash in national media outlets for speaking at the event. In an interview with the Hartford Courant, Blumenthal said had he known about the ties to the party I wouldnt have gone, adding he thought it was strictly an event tied to labor.

As everyone in Connecticut knows, I am delighted to be invited anywhere in our state and I go almost everywhere, he said in a statement to the News-Times. I was at this event to honor three really impressive people who have given a lot to Connecticut and their communities: a state legislator who has led the fight for paid family and medical leave, a minister on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a restaurant employee who organized her coworkers to win fair working conditions and pay.

Other honorees were Pastor Rodney Wade, of Long Hill Bible Church in Waterbury, and Azucena Santiago, a SEIU, Local 32BJ leader.

I was invited by a local labor union to honor these three individuals  thats why I was there, Blumenthal said. Im a Democrat and a supporter of American capitalism.

In his speech, Blumenthal appeared to try to distance himself from the Communist Party. He focused on the accomplishments of the three honorees, who he said he has worked with.

You dont have to agree with anyone or everyone with any party or any particular union or organization, he said. Im here to honor a great tradition of activism and standing up for individual workers that is represented by the three honorees here.

He called for federal voting rights bills to be passed, the abolishment of the filibuster and a $15 minimum wage.

His speech came after others praised the Communist Party.

We invite you to join the Communist Party in this epic time as we make good trouble to uproot systemic racism, retool the world economy, tax the rich, address climate change, secure voting rights and create a new socialist system that puts people, peace and planet before profits, said Ben McManus, the emcee of the ceremony.

Making good trouble

The award recognizes Kushner for making good trouble and breaking ground in womens equality, workers rights, health and safety, racial and environmental justice, and more.

State Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, who co-chairs the Labor Committee with Kushner, presented her the award and called the Danbury legislator Superwoman and Wonder Woman.

Your hard work, your dedication, your commitment to the labor movement and to the movement of women, and equity, racial justice, you name it, youve been on the forefront with me, said Porter, a former award recipient.

In her speech, Kushner thanked Connecticut Peoples World and the award committee. She praised her fellow honorees, who she called warriors for justice and discussed the recovery for all movement.

The states recovery from the coronavirus pandemic shouldnt be just a recovery for those who have great wealth, Kushner said.

Its not just a recovery for a handful or even the majority, she said. Its a recovery for all. The only way thats going to happen is if we work in coalition.

Before becoming a state senator, Kushner worked as a union organizer, beginning at 24, because she said she wanted to see justice for workers. She collaborated with unions in various industries, including child care, casino and graduate student workers.

Really, it was much more about building a movement, Kushner said. For me, it was about building relationships with people. What I got out of that was decades and decades of friendships and deep bonds that will never go away.
Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has called for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29.

Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has called for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29 in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association(FORDA) will meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at Nirman Bhavan in the national capital today over their demand to expedite NEET-PG counselling, said the FORDA president, Dr Manish.

The Indian Medical Association(IMA) has already written to PM Narendra Modi, requesting his direct intervention in the matter.

Resident doctors across India have been protesting for the past several months against the delay in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test(NEET)-PG counselling. In October, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud asked the Centre to put on hold the counselling for NEET-PG. The apex court passed the order while hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Centres decision to provide reservation for OBC and EWS categories for admission in the NEET for all medical seats.

On November 25, the Centre informed the SC bench about its decision to revisit the limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income fixed for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET admissions. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for January 6, 2022.
The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore. Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest built metro project in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the double engine government at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh are working with double speed, without wasting any time for the development of the State. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project alongside the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project, the Prime Minister said, Today is Tuesday and with the blessings of Hanuman Ji, another golden chapter is being added to the development of UP. Today Kanpur has got metro connectivity and connected to Bina Refinery.

Today, Kanpur has finally got its own metro service. I travelled via the metro and it was truly a memorable experience for me. I congratulate the people of Kanpur on achieving this feat, said PM Modi. He further said that the previous government in Uttar Pradesh did not work towards the development of the region and wasted so many years. But now, we are not wasting a single minute and will take the State to great heights.

The double engine government that is running in Uttar Pradesh today is trying to make up for the loss of time in the past. We are working at double speed, said PM Modi. The completed 9 km long section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore. Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest built metro project in the country.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work of the Kanpur metro project on November 15, 2019, and the trial run took place on the 9 km IIT to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10, 2021, in less than two years. Prime Minister Modi will also inspect the Metro Rail Project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar.

Besides, the Metro Rail Project, Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project. As per the PMO, the 356 Km long Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum. Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go to Assembly polls early next year.
Delhi Police has claimed that a total of seven of its personnel were injured during the protest of resident doctors near ITO.

New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): Resident doctors of major government hospitals in Delhi who have been on a protest in the national capital against delays in holding NEET-PG counseling said that they will continue their agitation until their demands are met.

Weve decided to continue our protest from Safdarjung Hospital until our demands are met As night curfew has been imposed in the city, we returned to Safdarjung and will continue our protest from there, said Dr Kul Saurabh Kaushik, general secretary of Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) on Tuesday.

Delhi Police has claimed that a total of seven of its personnel were injured during the protest of resident doctors near ITO.

An FIR has been registered under Section 188 and other sections for causing obstruction in the duty of police personnel, and damaging public property during the protest, the police said.

Meanwhile, FORDA in a statement alleged police brutality during the march, calling a complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions from Monday onwards.

There will be a complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions today onwards. We strongly condemn this brutality and demand immediate release of FORDA Representatives and Resident doctors, the statement issued on Monday read.

We were protesting against the delay in NEET 2021 counseling when Delhi Police detained several resident doctors who were marching to the Supreme Court, said a protester.

The resident doctors also held a protest march near Safdarjung Hospital here on Monday evening.

On December 24, Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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.

The NEET PG exam was scheduled to be held 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 on the frontline, added the letter.
DERBY  The city is set to welcome the new year with a new chief of staff.

Outgoing Chief of Staff Andrew Baklik, who will resign from his position in January, is being replaced by Walt Mayhew beginning on Jan. 4.

The announcement comes less than a month after Baklik announced his resignation. The mayor said Mayhews hire reflects an effort by the city to hire more professionals due to his experience in business and politics.

In a release issued by the city, Mayor Rich Dziekan said he did his due diligence and felt he hired a capable successor to Baklik after looking at a number of potential candidates for the role.

Out of all of them, I felt Walt brought a skill set and experience both in business, the community and within city government that uniquely qualified him to serve in the role of Chief of Staff, Dziekan said.

Dziekan said Mayhew will be paid more than $78,000 a year.

According to the release, Mayhew has an extensive business background, having worked in the IT industry in New York, including owning his own business. A longtime Derby resident, Mayhew is also the former city treasurer and has had stints as a member of the Board of Alderman, Board of Appropriation and Taxation, and the Board of Education. He is currently an eighth grade math teacher at the Westside Middle School Academy in Danbury. His community involvement includes 20 years as the pastor of Christian Community Church.

Dziekan said Mayhews hire reflects an effort by the city to professionalize its administration. Mayhews appointment comes months after the city hired Agata Herasimowicz as its new finance director in late May. Herasimowicz had extensive experience as a finance director in other towns prior to becoming Derbys finance director.

Before these hires, positions had gone at times to people who didnt necessarily have the qualifications for a role in city hall, Dziekan said.

Mayhews hire was of paramount importance to the city especially as the city continues with its economic revitalization initiatives, Dziekan said.

We got projects starting to step up in the spring, and we cant afford not to have the best people in those positions, he said.

But the mayor was also quick to praise Baklik, who was hired as Dziekans chief of staff soon after his election and had no previous government experience. He said Baklik would continue to stay on in a per diem role after Jan. 4 to wrap up grant applications and other projects he previously worked on.

As for Mayhew, hes expecting to begin work on Jan. 4 after leaving his teaching position. In the citys release, Mayhew said he would act in the best interests of the city.

I am grateful for the opportunity Mayor Dziekan has given me, as his Chief of Staff, to play a significant role in shaping the future of my hometown and working with the various people in city government, regardless of party affiliation, to accomplish what is best for Derby, he said.
Sue Ogrocki/AP

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders said Monday that despite record-high revenue available to spend next year, they expect most state agency budgets to remain flat.

Budget projections presented to the State Board of Equalization, a state panel led by Stitt, show there will be more than $10.3 billion available to spend for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But Stitt and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson said after the meeting they want to keep at least $2 billion in reserves. The Legislature last year appropriated about $8.3 billion and set aside more than $700 million in savings.
BEIRUT (AP)  Lebanons prime minister said Tuesday that his government's talks with the International Monetary Fund are inching closer to a final formula for a draft on an agreement before the end of February.

Najib Mikati said the Cabinet  which has not met since Oct. 12  was doing its homework ahead of talks with the IMF in mid-January.

An IMF delegation will visit Lebanon again in late January or early February to lay out the final formula for the agreement with them and then we will announce to the Lebanese where we stand, Mikati said.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic crisis described as one of the worst in the world in the last 150 years. International financial institutions call it a deliberate depression, blaming Lebanons political elite, in power for decades, of mismanaging the countrys resources.

Speaking at a press conference in Beirut on Monday, Mikati said that Lebanons central bank Gov. Riad Salameh, who is being investigated in at least four countries including Switzerland and France for potential money laundering and embezzlement, would stay in office for the time being.

During wars you dont change officers, said Mikati, who took office in September. He has often described the efforts to resolve Lebanons economic crisis  the worst in its modern history  as a war.

Salameh, 71, once praised as the guardian of Lebanons financial stability, has drawn scrutiny and much criticism since the small countrys economic meltdown began two years ago. But the country's ruling class has largely rallied around him.

An agreement with the IMF will have to be approved by the government. Deep disagreements had divided the Lebanese delegation during last years negotiations with the IMF, with the government on one side and the central bank and local lenders on the other.

Mitaki spoke hours after President Michel Aoun called for an end to the 11-week government deadlock that has undermined state institutions.

The Lebanese government has not been able to meet since mid-October, after the militant Hezbollah group demanded the removal of the lead judge investigating the massive explosion at the Beirut port last year.

Hezbollah accuses the judge of bias and some of its allies in government refused to attend Cabinet meetings until the government finds a way to remove him.

Mikati told reporters that he understands the concerns of some Lebanese regarding the port investigation but that there are constitutional and legal frameworks in place for dealing with it.

The judiciary should be distanced from politics, he said.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The Supreme Court of Virginia said Tuesday that it had unanimously approved maps establishing congressional and state legislative districts under the commonwealth's new redistricting process.

In an order, the court said it had reviewed final redistricting maps  which were put together by two court appointees called special masters  as well as extensive public comment on earlier draft maps.

The special masters fully complied with state and federal law in creating the maps, the court said. The final maps are approved and adopted, effective immediately, according to the court order.

The once-a-decade redrawing of political maps had fallen to the court after a newly created bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on maps for either Congress or the General Assembly.

The special masters who drew the maps, Sean Trende and Bernard Grofman, were nominated by each political party. The process also included public comment both in writing and through hearings before the court.

We drew maps which did not unduly favor either party. These maps came about as part of a partisan and incumbency blind process based on good government map making, Trende and Grofman wrote in a 63-page memo dated Monday that outlines some of the many changes made between the draft and final versions of the maps.

Trende and Grofman wrote in their memo that the maps reflect a true joint effort."

They said they agreed on almost all issues initially, and the few issues on which we initially disagreed were resolved by amicable discussion.

Interested parties were reviewing the maps late Tuesday. None of the General Assembly caucuses had any immediate comment.

OneVirginia2021, a redistricting reform advocacy group that supported the ballot measure creating the new redistricting process, said in a statement that a first glance at the maps and memo showed the special masters went above and beyond to incorporate as many specific public comments as possible."

Trende and Grofman wrote in the memo that under the new Congressional maps, like in their draft version, they would generally expect a 6-5 Democratic edge in Virginia's congressional delegation, compared with the 7-4 advantage the party holds now.

They also acknowledged criticism from some parties who said they had paid insufficient attention to protecting incumbents, either by weakening congressional members' districts or pairing together multiple state lawmakers.

We believe that one reason for employing redistricting commissions, however, is to minimize the power of politicians over the drawing of lines," the memo said.
WEST HAVEN  A city employee of more than 20 years claims she was moved to a different job and forced to take a pay cut after filing a complaint against a coworker.

According to an Oct. 12 complaint, Carlotta Serrini-Bombard, the former administrative secretary for West Havens Chief of Police, filed a complaint of disability discrimination with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in August alleging disability discrimination.

In that complaint, she alleged that a coworker repeatedly and intentionally coughed in her face amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Serrini-Bombard alleged it was a knowing attempt to harass her because of her chronic respiratory disease.

A spokeswoman for the CHRO did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

After making the complaint with the CHRO, it is alleged in the October complaint that the coworker physically assaulted Serrini-Bombard at work. John Williams, the attorney representing Serrini-Bombard, described it as a pushing and shoving incident. The complaint alleges that after Serrini-Bombard filed a formal complaint with the city she was moved to a different location and her pay was reduced and no action was taken against her coworker.

In the complaint, Serrini-Bombard is requesting her position back as well as compensatory payments.

An attorney with Berchem Moses PC, representing the city, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. However, in the response to the allegations, an attorney representing the city said any actions the city took were based on legitimate, non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory reasons. The city also alleges in its response that Serrini-Bombard did not exhaust all administrative remedies. Williams said they received a release of jurisdiction from the CHRO, allowing for them to take the case to court.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
Reno Omokri, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has refuted claims that the latter left behind funds that could last barely fo...

Reno Omokri, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has refuted claims that the latter left behind funds that could last barely for three weeks in 2015.

The claim was made by the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

Omokri who refuted the allegation through his Instagram page, argued that Amaechi had been showing desperation to be the next All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate, a situation that has led him to be pouring lies against the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Reno who was a media aide to Jonathan, described Amaechi as a liar.

He wrote; This is exactly what Jonathan left behind on May 29, 2015, that Amaechi said could not sustain Nigeria for three weeks: Foreign reserve of $28.6 billion, $2.2 billion in the Excess Crude Account, $5.6 billion Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited dividends

and over $1 billion investments via the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.

Responding further to allegation that Jonathan left government with only about three weeks money to run the country, Omokri on his part, alleged that that Amaechi had a slave mentality which he claimed makes him to do anything to please those he described as his slave masters.

He quoted Amaechi as saying in a recent interview on Channels TV that the money left behind by the Jonathans administration, when he left office in 2015, couldnt have sustained Nigeria for three weeks.

Rotimi Amaechi is just a useless liar, who thinks he can get APCs vice presidential slot by attacking former President Jonathan. 2023 is near. The whole of Nigeria will soon see what Buhari will leave behind, apart from N40 trillion debt, he added.

He said Amaechi begun life as Peter Odilis aide, saying inferiority complex had refused to leave him.

Sadly, he has a perpetual problem with self worth and Nigerians are cautioned not to take him seriousl, Omokri added.

He explained that the matter of Amaechi being desperate for the vice-presidential ticket of the APC was based on the thinking that the APC would once more zone its presidential ticket to the north.
Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, says he is optimistic that high-profile insurgents will be taken out before the end of the current ...

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, says he is optimistic that high-profile insurgents will be taken out before the end of the current administration.

Speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, Adesina said with the current efforts on improving security, insurgency could be brought to an end within the 17 months that President Muhammadu Buhari has left in office.

Nothing is impossible, he said.

I always refer to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. That rebellion lasted for 28 years. But one day, the mastermind of that rebellion was taken out and that was the automatic ending of it.

Those who are behind this insurgency will be taken out. They are being taken out one after the other and it will get to a point that the last of them will be taken out, and then well get to the end of it. It can be done within 17 months that remains for this administration.

Adesina also said the president is working to improve the standard of living of citizens.

I recall that the presidents Christmas message spoke about, you know, the president working to actually uplift the standard of living of Nigerians, he said.

And I mean, there will be questions as to how we know that; that is the national development plan 2021 to 2025. But how would you really describe the living standard of the average Nigerian so we can know where we are going? Lets know where we are. First, how do you describe the living standard of the average Nigerian today?





Well, we live in a challenged society  challenged politically, challenged security wise, challenged economically. So, that gives you an understanding of what the government is confronting. Government is confronting severe challenges.





But despite those challenges, it is keeping its head above water. It is doing his best for Nigerians. It may not be what they want; it may not be as good as it has ever been in the days of boom for the country, but then government is keeping its head above the waters.





Nigerians are also looking into the purpose of government as to make life better for the people at any given time. And that is what this government is out to achieve  to make life better.
The Shippers Association of Lagos (SAL) has expressed worry over the scarcity of empty containers to bring cargoes into the country. ...

The Shippers Association of Lagos (SAL) has expressed worry over the scarcity of empty containers to bring cargoes into the country.

Jonathan Nicol, president of SAL, disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Monday in Lagos.

According to him, some cargoes are currently trapped in China due to this development.

He said Nigeria has over 10,000 idle containers that were of no use since they cannot be transported to China and Europe to bring in cargoes.

Industries suffer more because of what most of their materials pass through before they are taken out of port, and the erratic power supply leads to dependency on generators, and this requires a lot of money, he said.

The Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) system of Customs, which is supposed to be an advisory document that has credibility but unfortunately, it is not working effectively.

Nicol stated that for the government to reap benefits from the sector, it should look into maritime problems and proffer lasting solutions to them.

He said that if the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) could generate about N2 trillion, agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency( NIMASA) could equally generate huge sums.

Looking at the income of Nigeria Customs Service, they were able to rake in N2 trillion, it shows how dynamic Nigerian importers and shippers are, he said.

In spite of the enormous challenges, the constant increase in income of the customs remains the same. So we commend the efforts of the trading community, they have done well.

We feel that we should have been able to do more to support the government, but the challenges are enormous. Sometimes we wonder if the country cares because the bills we pay are also enormous.

This is in spite of the fact that we try as much as possible to cooperate with government regulations and keep up with the expectations of the government, he said.

Nicol said that shippers also expect the government to reciprocate their efforts.

He said there are no palliatives for shippers in the country.

He explained that shippers pay too many bills, adding that what they used to spend like N10,000 on before now has gone to about N200,000.

He also decried the slow pace of construction work going on at the Westminster, TinCan Island road, saying that if care was not taken, the TinCan Island port would be affected.

The bad road makes our goods fall off the trucks, and this is a big challenge for shippers because their goods are not guaranteed, he said.

Insurance will say its a natural consequence because the roads are not part of what they insured.

He added that the maritime industry was also battling many agitations from shipping and terminal operators, who increased their prices in 2021.

Nicole urged the government to fine-tune some of the processes in cargo clearance so that it would be a seamless system.
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has discl...

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed that his intention to run is because God has anointed him to turn around the fortune of the state through developmental programmes and policies.

Bamidele made this known during the continuation of his campaign tour of local governments in the state on Monday, 27th December 2021.

While addressing the party faithful in Moba, Ilejemeje, Oye and Ikole local governments, Sen. Bamidele explained that he understands the feelings of the common man on the streets of Ekiti State.

He said that if the party fails to get it well in its January 22 primary, there is no way the party will win the governorship election on June 18, 2022.

I am here to appeal for your votes, am telling you that the anointing of God is upon me that will turn the state around in which elders, men, women, youths and children will experience dividends of democracy.

I have seen a lot in life, I understand what the common man feels on the streets because I have been in that condition before, he said.

He insisted that Governor Kayode Fayemi has not endorsed anybody because he will not do anything that will pull down the party in Ekiti.

Bamidele said, If they are deceiving you, dont deceive yourself. Governor Kayode Fayemi has not endorsed anybody, I have the right to drop Governor Fayemis name because I have been his friend for 40 years, but I dont want to tarnish his good name because it will look as if he wants to impose on the people of Ekiti state, I am here to appeal for your votes during the partys primary in January.

Speaking about his empowerment programme in the state, I have been buying cars for people since 2001, there is no local government in Ekiti state that I have not bought a car for anybody, with what I have achieved in life, God has done well for me the only thing I am pursuing in life is the kingdom of God. Because of my experience in life, I have touched many lives in Ekiti land and I promise to do more when I become the Governor of the State in 2022.
Ekiti State Government has reacted to a footage showing security operatives attached to Governor Kayode Fayemi assaulting a motorist. ...

Ekiti State Government has reacted to a footage showing security operatives attached to Governor Kayode Fayemi assaulting a motorist.

The incident involving the victim, identified as Dayo Oshituyi, occurred in Akure, capital of Ondo State.

A statement by Fayemis spokesman, Yinka Oyebode, told Oshituyi to visit the state authorities to formally complain.

The government empathised with him, adding that no citizen should suffer any form of brutality in contravention of extant laws.

Oyebode vehemently denied his principal was aware of, or present during the assault by his escort.

This is contrary to the allegation that the Governor witnessed the alleged brutalisation of Mr Oshituyi.

We kindly implore Mr Oshituyi to contact the Governors Office, Oke Bareke, Ado-Ekiti, with useful information to help the investigations.

The statement added that the government, in line with its principle of justice and fairness, will be fair in handling the matter.
Forrmer Federal Commissioner for information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark has taken a swipe at the Minister of Information, A...

Forrmer Federal Commissioner for information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark has taken a swipe at the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for saying that if not for President Muhammadu Buhari, terrorists would have declared Nigeria as an Islamic state.

Clark who warned Lai Mohammed against garbing himself with propagandists toga as if he was still the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, urged him to use his office to build bridges among Nigerians, adding that it is not true that President Buhari expelled Boko Haram of 14 Local Government Areas of Borno State.

According to the Elder statesman, it was former President Goodluck Jonathans administration that flushed out Boko Haram insurgents just before the 2015 general elections from the 14 local government areas they held in Borno state as against the claims by the Minister of information, adding that lies are being fabricated against the former President because he was President of Nigeria where some people think they alone have the exclusive right to be that position.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Clark who noted that it was Jonathans administrations action that enabled elections to hold in the areas, said that the ministers recent statement was fallacious and misleading when he declared that Nigeria would have been an Islamic state without President Mohammadu Buhari.

It is a blatant falsehood for Alhaji Lai Mohammed to claim that but for President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria would have been Islamised, that it was President Buhari government that sent Boko Haram out of the fourteen Local Government Areas in Borno State.

The Ijaw leader said that what gave Mohammed the impetus to make the statement is the fact that Nigerians have not dispelled this fraudulent and false claim that it was President Muhammadu Buharis government that expelled the Boko Haram group from the fourteen Local Government Areas of Borno State.

Clark who is the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) quoted excerpts from Jonathans recent book where the former president narrated how the insurgents were flushed out saying: Anyhow, the six weeks served us well, we received the military equipment we were expecting within that period and our Armed Forces commendably, dealt a deserving blow on the terrorists and repossessed all territorial areas of Nigeria previously occupied by terrorists. Boko Haram was deflated up to the point of handing over to my successor on 29th May 2015. We concluded the elections peacefully, even if there were issues raised about the fairness, at least the nation was relieved that the election held peacefully and that there was no post-election violence.

According to Clark, no patriotic Nigerian will believe Mohammeds statement that it was President Buhari that prevented the takeover of Nigeria by Islam, rather, most Nigerians have the strong feeling that it is his government that has given or created the environment for the sect to return and be more daring. With all the menacing activities of this group, no armed herdsmen have been arrested. Is it by coincidence?

He said Mohammed therefore again, decided to garb himself with the propagandist toga, which he used to wear as the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), forgetting that he is today, the Information Minister of the country, a position which he should use to build bridges between the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria, and across all divides in the country.

The Ijaw nationalist recalled that while negotiations were being suggested with the insurgents, they chose then Major Gen. Buhari ad their chief negotiator.

Clark added: Setting the records straight: It is pertinent to reiterate that Boko Haram was expelled from the fourteen Local Government Areas of Borno State by former President Goodluck Jonathans government through the engagement of combined forces who were assisted by hired mercenaries.

Prior to the period the sect was expelled, they were occupying fourteen Local Government Areas in the State. As a matter of fact, it was as a result of this that the elections could not be conducted at the initial scheduled date and had to be postponed.

It was this effrontery of making the state not to hold its functions that made the then government take the bull by the horn and flushed out the Boko Haram group out of Nigeria.

It is, therefore, not true that it was President Mohammadu Buhari that expelled Boko Haram out of 14 Local Government Areas of Borno State.

It must be remembered that some Nigerians believed that the Boko Haram sect will be used to harass and torment President Goodluck Jonathan, getting him out of office.

Even when it was suggested then that there should be a meeting to see the possibility of having negotiations between the Nigerian state and Boko Haram, the sect chose Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, rtd, as he then was, as their Chief Negotiator, even though a few days after the choice, he (Gen. Buhari), rejected the sects choice of him.

There were no accusations the APC did not level against President Jonathan then, including criticising him for killing innocent Northerners through the sponsor of Boko Haram.

Meanwhile all these were fabricated lies from the pit of hell, against an innocent man whose only offence is that he as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Force of a country, where some people think they alone have the exclusive right to be in that position,

Recalling the exchange he had with three former northeast governors including Admiral Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Kashim Shetima of Borno State and Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State, on their accusations of Jonathan as the promoter of Boko Haram to kill northerners, he said it was a case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

Clark also recounted some of the statements made by Mohammed against Jonathan after the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram including accusing his government of being behind the insurgents and Jonathan trying to gain political capital from the release of the school girls.

Chief Clark argued: On the contrary, one can even adduce that it is Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his co-travellers on this voyage of destroying an innocent President Jonathan, that should be the prime suspects.

For instance, the attitude of both the then Borno State Governor, Kashim Shetima of not heeding to the advice of security experts and the Federal Ministry of Education which strongly objected, to relocate the Chibok schoolgirls to another school to write their West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE) examinations based on security reasons, was bluntly rejected by the Governor, who rather stated that he would provide adequate security for the students, but which of course he deliberately he did not do.

Another worrisome aspect about the abduction is how did the abductors get the army uniforms they wore, with which they deceived about 200 school girls that they had come to rescue them. It was reported that the girls thought that the abductors were genuine soldiers because of the uniform they wore. They took away the girls in vehicles, unchallenged.

According to the elder statesman, the gang up against the former president started when former incumbent president Umaru Musa YarAdua fell ill in the office with Jonah as his vice.

Clark stated: The whole gang up against former President Goodluck Jonathan started when the late President Umaru Musa YarAdua took ill and eventually died on 9th May 2010. It was at this stage that some prominent persons from the North have vowed to themselves that they will not want Dr Jonathan to return to power in 2011, and allegedly started orchestrating all manners of evil, including the fuelling of the activities of the monster called Boko Haram.
The Police in Adamawa State, on Monday, denied report that Boko Haram insurgents and bandits attacked the home town of the Secretary to th...

The Police in Adamawa State, on Monday, denied report that Boko Haram insurgents and bandits attacked the home town of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha.

DSP Sulaiman Nguroje, Police Spokesman in the State said there was no truth in the report that the people of Dabna and Kwabre Villages in Dugwaba District of Hong Local Government Area had abandoned their homes as a result of alleged attacks.

Nguroje told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the police command had deployed anti-terrorism and anti-kidnapping squads, as well as undercover agents to the area.

He said so far there has been no report from the security operatives that the area has been attacked.

The command received unverified information that people are fleeing from some villages as a result of alleged Boko Haram attacks.

As security personnel, we do not play with any information that borders on insecurity.

The command immediately deployed anti-terrorism squad and intelligence officers to the suspected areas and so far there has been no report of attack or people fleeing their villages, Nguroje told NAN.
About two months to the fourth-year anniversary of the abduction of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram terrorists, her parents have expressed disa...

About two months to the fourth-year anniversary of the abduction of Leah Sharibu by Boko Haram terrorists, her parents have expressed disappointment in the body language of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), towards her freedom.

Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu said they were tired of speaking, crying and pleading with a government that had remained deaf to every legitimate demand to free their daughter.

They barred their minds in an interview with The PUNCH through the spokesperson for and Executive Director of the Leah Foundation, Dr Gloria Puldu.

Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 female students of the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted on February 19, 2018, by Boko Haram terrorists.

While others were released by the terrorists following negotiations, Leah, then 14 year-old, is still being held captive because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.

Puldu said, Thank you very much for your concern. Let me tell you how the family has agreed to spend this Christmas. They said they were tired of speaking, crying and pleading with the government of Buhari, which is deaf to every call.

So, it is agreed that they should remain silent and just call for continued prayers. They said they were tired of routine calls, which hurt so much that they had to just call on anyone who wished to stand with them to do so only in prayers.

We wish to respect the familys wishes. We have only sent out Christmas greetings by calling for prayers.

Meanwhile, the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, on Sunday, released a video calling for the release of Leah.

A renowned peace advocate and Executive Director of the organisation, Rev Gideon Para-Mallam, appealed to Buhari to facilitate the release of Leah.

He said, Celebrating her fourth Christmas in captivity, I decided as I have always done every Christmas since 2018, to release a video appealing to all in Nigeria and the world to work assiduously for her release and the release of more young girls and women who remain in captivity.

Silence is no answer to this present challenge! Leah is not just a citizen of this nation. She belongs to a family! Oh what pain her parents, father Nathan, mum Rebecca, and brother Nathan, other siblings and the entire family!

Their hearts must be bleeding as Leahs has bled all these years because of this involuntary separation. Oh God, my Ebenezer, arise with healing and deliverance in your wings and set your daughters, Leah, Alice Ngaddah, Grace Tuka, Lilian Gyang Daniel, Praise, Mwanret, Hauwa, Jamaba, Caroline, Christiana, Jummai, the three other Graces, and others too numerous to mention by name, free.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Snow this evening will give way to lingering snow showers late. Low 19F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches. Heavier amounts in persistent snowbands..

Tonight

Snow this evening will give way to lingering snow showers late. Low 19F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches. Heavier amounts in persistent snowbands.
Starting 14 years ago, the Krewe of Joan of Arc has presented New Orleans first Carnival parade each season. The medieval marchers will meander through the French Quarter again on Jan. 6, celebrating the birthday of the 15th-century, teenage, warrior woman who is the citys patron Saint.

Last year, when conventional parades were prohibited because of the coronavirus pandemic, the krewe produced a socially distanced, drive-by series of tableaux in a West Bank park. Though it appears that normal parades will be permitted in 2022, the krewe will still be COVID-conscious.

Some of the groups virus-suppressing safeguards are purely 21st-century. All the knights, angels and bagpipers will be vaccinated or recently tested before the hitting the streets. But the krewe plans to provide some Dark Ages precautions as well.

The 2022 procession will be led by plague doctors wearing those scary, crow-like, beaked masks. The doctors  who are really members of the Skinz N Bonez Mardi Gras marching group -- will sweep away potential disease with brooms and dispense plague repellant to the crowd  actually, tiny bottles of hand sanitizer.

That tension between gravity and irreverence will make the Joan of Arc parade the perfect first act of the 2022 Carnival season. Combining solemnity and satire is what the parade does best, after all.

As the krewes co-captain Antoinette de Alteriis put it, the procession is, in a way, like a book that explains the complicated circumstance of the long-ago, doomed heroine who believed she was instructed by God to lead an army into battle during the Hundred Years War, but was later burned at the stake as a heretic. Which is serious stuff.

But the parade is also an irreverent romp, during which participants ride on hobby horses, shoot off confetti cannons and sardonically pass out Atomic Fireball candy to the crowd. At the gilded, equestrian statue of Joan on Decatur Street, everyone sings happy birthday. All of which is a hoot.

At times, theres a touch of meta self-awareness at play as well. When the marchers reach the actual St. Louis Cathedral, the young woman on horseback costumed as Joan (AKA "Joanie on the pony") receives a blessing from an actual priest. Blending anachronism, feminism, cultural identity, marvelous costuming and a touch of Mardi Gras madness, the Joan of Arc parade is always a masterpiece.

De Alteriis said that she and the other organizers kept the parade lean this year, with roughly 300 participants instead of 400. It made sense to control the procession as much as possible, she explained.

The rolling confetti cannon and giant birthday cake props will be missing this year because they are on display in The Historic New Orleans Collection museum, as part of an exhibition titled Making Mardi Gras, De Alteriis said. Instead, look for a new cake and shoulder-mounted confetti bazookas instead.

New this year is the 25-member Medieval Flag Corps, which will wave and twirl flags commemorating all of Joans military victories. The flag team is composed of members of the NOLA Angels, a Harahan-based, female dance troupe that formed in 2020. Group founder Charlotte Jallans-Daly said that learning a Middle Ages flag routine has been tough, but the groups motto is Were winging it together, cause thats what angels do.

The Maid of Orleans (one of several Joans in the parade) will be portrayed by Washington and Lee University freshman Ava R. Wilkes, who won the honor via the krewe's annual Joan of Arc contest.

Restaurateur extraordinaire Ti Adelaide Martin of Commanders Palace will reign as Queen Yolande. To commemorate her role as the historic figure that paid for Joans military campaigns, Martin will toss chocolate candy.

Joseph Mistrot, president of L'Union Francaise, an organization that supports a French language school, will reign as king.

Speaking of throws, 100 lucky parade-goers will catch handmade flaming heretic dolls.

The Joan of Arc parade, which bridges the gap between the Christmas and Carnival season, will follow the same path as in past years. It will conclude with the ceremonial slicing of a king cake in Oscar Dunn Park (formerly Washington Artillery Park).

The parade begins on Bienville Street near the river and heads into the French Quarter. It turns right on Chartres Street, right on Ursulines and right on Decatur, before ending at Oscar Dunn Park near Jackson Square.

+11 Zulu and Endymion altered, all parades trimmed: Cantrell reveals 2022 Mardi Gras routes The Zulu parade will skip Canal Street next year. Endymion will forgo a jog over to St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street has been pruned fro
Jefferson Parish has reopened the Bonnabel Boat Launch COVID-19 testing site and ramped up staffing at Johnny Bright Playground and the Alario Center in an attempt to blunt the effects of a fifth wave, officials said Monday.

In response to the high demand of testing and the recent uptick in cases due to the highly contagious omicron variant, we are adding an additional drive-thru test site in Jefferson Parish this week, as well as increasing staffing and adjusting the layout at our existing sites located at the Alario Center and Johnny Bright Playground to increase capacity, said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng.

Free drive-thru testing is available at the following times and places in Jefferson Parish:

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to surge in Louisiana in omicron wave of pandemic Coronavirus hospitalizations and cases continued to surge in Louisiana over the holiday weekend, as the state Department of Health reported th

Bonnabel Boat Launch

1599 Bonnabel Blvd., Metairie

Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pre-register via www.accuref.us

Johnny Bright Playground

3401 Cleary Ave., Metairie

Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pre-register via www.accuref.us

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Alario Center

2000 Segnette Blvd. Westwego

Monday  Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

No pre-registration necessary

Vaccines and boosters available

The omicron variant, which now makes up the majority of cases in the state, has led the fifth wave of the virus to spread with nearly unprecedented speed. About 9,800 new confirmed cases have been reported since Thursday, along with another 2,360 probable cases from rapid tests. That's brought the weekly case total to nearly 19,000, nearly triple the rate it was just a week ago.

That's a rate of increase surpassed only once in the pandemic, early in the surge over the summer caused by the delta variant.

About 80% of those hospitalized are not vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. To find a vaccination site, call the Jefferson Parish COVID-19 Hotline at 504-518-4020.

Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.

Omicron spreads global gloom over New Year's celebrations BRUSSELS  After struggling with the coronavirus for far too long, the world understands all too well Belgium's word of the year, "knaldrang!"
Masks are now required in Jefferson Parish government buildings, a rule that applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors and employees.

Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng's office instituted the change Monday amid a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant. The mandate includes courts, libraries and recreation facilities in unincorporated Jefferson.

The rate of serious disease caused by omicron is thought to be less than previous variants of the coronavirus, but it is more transmissible and therefore spreading faster than its predecessors at a time when social gatherings are common. That's driving fears that it could overwhelm an already depleted hospital system.

Jefferson Parish is the first parish in the metro New Orleans area to reinstitute mandatory masks in parish-government buildings. In New Orleans, the city recommends masks inside its buildings, but with the exception of recreation facilities does not require them.

On Monday, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission announced masks are required in all NORD facilities for anyone not engaged in recreational activity.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

New Orleans public schools have continued to require that students, workers and visitors wear masks indoors.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, meanwhile, said Tuesday that it has temporarily suspended visitation and volunteer access to the Orleans Justice Center due to the recent rise in COVID cases.

On Sunday, the Louisiana Department of Health reported the largest increase in hospitalizations since the pandemic began almost two years ago, and lines have snaked in front of testing and urgent care centers since the day after Christmas.

There have been 2,135 new COVID-19 cases reported in Jefferson since Thursday, and positivity rate among tests is 21%, Lee Sheng's office said.
Five people killed in gun violence during the Christmas holidays have been identified by the Orleans Parish coroner. A 7-year-old girl is among the dead.

Here's what we know so far about the homicides and the ongoing investigations.

Girl killed in Algiers shooting

Dillan Burton, 7, was fatally shot Sunday night while riding in a vehicle with her mom and sister, according to the coroner and police.

The shooting happened around 8:40 p.m. on General De Gaulle Drive near Hendee Street, police said.

No suspects have been identified, but authorities are looking for a white and silver Chevrolet pickup truck in connection with the killing.

+2 Police are looking for this pickup truck after 7-year-old girl killed in Algiers shooting The child was in a car with her mom and sister when someone opened fire on their vehicle.

Man killed in shooting outside Hollygrove gas station

Tyrane Forest was killed in a shooting on Christmas Day at a shooting outside a gas station in the Hollygrove area, authorities said. He was 31.

Another man was injured in the shooting, which happened in the 8700 block of South Claiborne Avenue. His condition has not been released.

Police said four men were fighting at the location when one pulled out a gun and fired at the others. No other details were immediately available, including a description of the suspect.

+5 Christmas day shooting in Hollygrove leaves one dead, another injured, police say One man was shot to death and another was injured in a double shooting in Hollygrove at about 1 p.m. on Christmas day, the New Orleans Police 

Man killed on Christmas Day in Plum Orchard

Darian Walker Jr. was killed in a shooting on Christmas Day, the coroner said. He was 19.

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Police said someone heard two men arguing near a home in the 4400 block of Plum Orchard Avenue, followed by several gunshots.

Officers searched the area and found Walker's body in a grassy lot in the 7300 block of Chef Menteur Highway.

Police released a surveillance photo of a person of interest in the case. The unidentified person is wanted for questioning, they said, and is not currently wanted on criminal charges.

Anyone with information about the case or the person in the photo is asked to call NOPD Homicide Det. Jamaane Roy at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

New Orleans Police investigating homicide in Plum Orchard neighborhood New Orleans Police were investigating a homicide in the Plum Orchard neighborhood of New Orleans East on Christmas morning, according to a pre

Man killed on Christmas Eve in Little Woods

Lionel Scott was killed in a shooting on Christmas Eve, the coroner said. He was 22.

They have arrested Juwaine Ashford, 21, in connection with the homicide. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center with a $15,000 bond on one count of negligent homicide, according to police.

Scott, Ashford and another person were in a car on their way to go fishing, police said. When they were on Bullard Avenue, police said Ashford tried to move a gun that was in the vehicle and "inadvertently discharged" the weapon. Scott was shot in the chest and he arrived at a hospital around 11:20 a.m., authorities said. He later died.

Police said the weapon and the vehicle have been recovered as part of the investigation.

Man killed in Central City shooting

Lawrence Algere Sr. was killed in a shooting Dec. 22 in the 2200 block of Washington Avenue, the coroner said. He was 48.

The shooting was reported to police around 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Washington and Loyola avenues.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Stunned and grief-stricken relatives and friends of Dillan Burton  and even strangers who'd never met the sweet 7-year-old New Orleans girl  all had the same question when they learned the news of her tragic shooting death: Why?

"My baby. My baby. My baby. My baby. I need my baby," Dillan's mother, Maquisha Burton, 24, sobbed Monday afternoon. "Why would they do this to my child? Why would they do this to Dillan?"

Maquisha Burton, Dillan and her 6-year-old daughter, Kennedi, were traveling in a car on General De Gaulle Boulevard in Algiers about 8:43 p.m. Sunday when someone opened fire on the vehicle near the intersection with Hendee Street, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

"I was scared," Burton said. "I just heard the sound and tried to get away."

Burton drove into Gretna, stopping in the 1200 block of Milton Street and called police for help. Dillan, who had been sitting on the back seat, had been shot. She was taken to the hospital but died of her injuries.

+2 Police are looking for this pickup truck after 7-year-old girl killed in Algiers shooting The child was in a car with her mom and sister when someone opened fire on their vehicle.

Kennedi suffered some scrapes on her hand from shattered glass. Burton was not injured.

"Dillan didn't deserve this. My baby didn't deserve this," Burton said, crying. "Jesus, why my baby? Why? Why? Why? Why my child?"

New Orleans police are still trying to identify the shooter in the case. Late Monday, authorities released a photo of a white and silver pickup truck they are trying to locate, along with the occupant or occupants.

Just a day earlier, Dillan and her family had gathered at her great-grandmother's house in Algiers for Christmas. She'd received a number of gifts. Her favorites were a pair of Heelys, shoes with built-in wheels for skating, and a cell phone.

"She got her phone. She loved it. Dillan was the happiest person in the world with nobody to call but me and her daddy," Burton said.

Dillan was a quiet and thoughtful little girl who was caring and considerate of other's feelings, according to her family.

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"She just wanted everybody else to be happy," Burton said.

Dillan was a second-grader at Success Prep at Thurgood Marshall in New Orleans. She loved to learn and enjoyed going to school. She eagerly did her homework and was a voracious reader who could sound out any word, according to her mother.

Dillan used the computer to access online learning games as often as she could. Her favorite subject was math.

Dillan had recently joined a dance group and was looking forward to marching in her first Mardi Gras parade, next year, Burton said.

But Dillan's greatest love was for her little sister, Kennedi.

"My baby loved her sister," Burton said. "She loved Kennedi. This was her everything."

The sisters could be often found making Tik Tok videos. Kennedi said they both had equal dance skills.

"She was friendly," Kennedi said of her big sister.

Dillan's relatives don't know who killed her or why, whether it was a horrific mistake or intentional. But they are desperate to see justice.

"I just want them to know they took somebody innocent," Burton said. "Somebody who probably give them the shirt off her back. My baby would do anything for anybody."

A GoFundMe has been established to help Dillan Burton's family cover burial costs. Those who wish to donate may do so at https://bit.ly/3HepuCO

Homicide Detective M. Guirreri is in charge of the investigation and can be contacted at 504-658-5300. Citizens with information that can help solve this crime are asked to call CRIMESTOPPERS at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an indictment.
For months, Richard Suarez says he had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder that began during a nine-month combat deployment in northern Iraq and continued after he returned to Mandeville in October, where his wife and four children noticed a troubling change in the Louisiana National Guard captain.

"I kept thinking, if I could just make it home, it would all be fixed, with my wife and my children, in my own bed, I could get some rest," said the 39-year-old Suarez, whose problems began with sleeplessness when he and and his comrades were under fire from rockets and artillery. As a helicopter pilot, medication options were limited.

He went from fears that his children would never see him again and graduated to suicidal thoughts that they'd be better off without him.

But when Suarez woke up on Dec. 13, there was a terrifying change.

"A threshold had been crossed," Suarez, who is now a patient at a mental health facility, said. "My heart was beating out of my chest, I was sweating, my hands were shaking... I just broke down, like uncontrollable weeping."

But the panic attack was not the worst of what was to come that day.

As he and his wife, Morgan, prepared to leave for the VA Hospital in New Orleans in hopes he would be admitted, they stopped at a busy, crowded Mandeville shopping center where his wife wanted to drop off a Christmas package at a UPS store.

What followed, captured on cell phone video, has been widely circulated on social media. An angry, cursing Suarez is seen in the parking lot yelling at a woman driving a vehicle and then cold-cocking a stranger who scolded him for his behavior.

Suarez can be heard on the recording telling the man, "I can get violent with you because you're a guy," and "I will (expletive) crush you."

His wife came out of the store and found him parked some distance way, shaking. She was afraid to make the drive to New Orleans with him, and ultimately his mother drove him to the VA Hospital where he was admitted.

That's where Mandeville Police, armed with a warrant, came to arrest him and take him back to the north shore. He was ultimately booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on a felony count of second degree battery, and two counts of simple battery, two counts of simple assault and one count of disturbing the peace by language, all misdemeanors.

Margaret Burns, one of his lawyers, said he is scheduled to be arraigned in February.

The man he punched, Mike Pennington, had been at the shopping center that day trying to find out how to send gumbo to friends in Arizona. Pennington said he is healing but still has pain from the assault. His ribs were injured when he fell, making it painful to breathe, and he still has knot on his jaw.

Pennington can't remember what happened immediately before he was struck but when he regained consciousness, people were standing over him, telling him not to try to get up. He was treated at a hospital and released with orders to rest for 10 days before returning to work as a chemist on the south shore.

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Since the attack, Pennington said, he's had problems sleeping. "My mind races. I've caught myself thinking about him, what had happened." He declined to comment on Suarez' claim that he has PTSD.

But the 60-year-old doesn't regret stepping in because he says he thought Suarez was going to hurt someone.

"Everybody's seen the film clips," Pennington said. "He was aggressive."

Suarez said he is also disturbed by what he sees of himself in that video.

"The things I was saying, it's terrifying to me," Suarez said. "Prior to this deployment, I would never had said something like that."

When he went through demobilization, a process where service members are checked out physically and mentally before returning home, he says that he held nothing back concerning his thoughts of impending doom, sleeplessness and hallucinations. He said he was diagnosed with PTSD and put on a 90-day no firearms order. He was sent home and told to contact the VA.

"I did, over and over and over, begging for an in-patient appointment," he said, but due to COVID restrictions, he was only able to get Zoom appointments.

"We knew it wasn't going fast enough," his wife said.

Suarez has since learned from his chain of command that others who were on the deployment have committed suicide.

Suarez, whose bond was set at $250,000, knows that he faces legal issues.

But he said he's finally starting to get rest and treatment. And while this marked the second Christmas in a row that he couldn't be with his family, "I also don't want to die."

He said he's heard second-hand that Pennington is doing better and is expected to make a recovery. "I'm very thankful for that," Suarez said.

Suarez said he decided to talk about what happened partly for the sake of his family, who've been subjected to a social media backlash and threats.

"There's just more to this story than was being told  if not for me, for the next veteran...the 22 that commit suicide per day, I understand that now. I didn't understand before, but I do now."
So as 2021 comes to an end and I look back on 40 years covering Louisianas coastal crisis, what do I think our chances are now for winning this existential fight?

Im cautiously pessimistic.

The pessimism comes from three factors.

The first is the success anti-science politicians had blocking urgently needed regulations to decarbonize our society, the only way to quickly slow the rapidly increasing impacts of climate change.

That ranks No. 1 because the biggest news for the coast in 2021  and perhaps the last 20 years  was the finding that quickly slowing sea level rise is the only way to keep most of whats below U.S. 90 dry beyond 2050.

That verdict came from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the agency in charge of the states $91 billion coastal master plan. The centerpiece for that effort is using billion-dollar controlled river sediment diversions to rebuild our sinking basins.

But this year, the CPRAs computers concluded that at current rates, by 2050 sea levels will be rising so fast the Gulf of Mexico will begin drowning wetlands faster than we can replace them.

We know the sea level is rising quickly mainly because fossil fuel emissions over the past 150 years have been warming the oceans. So reducing those emissions is the only sure way to slow that rise  and save some of Louisianas lower third.

Yet almost every Republican in Congress not only fights those regulations but rejects or downplays the science behind climate change.

The most egregious example is their recent move to kill President Joe Bidens Build Back Better infrastructure plan, much of which is devoted to decarbonizing our economy. If it fails, climate scientists say, the nation likely will miss a chance to significantly slow sea level rise this century.

And that would mean the Gulf would begin swallowing much of Louisiana below U.S. 90 over the next few decades

The second reason for my pessimism is the disinterest the voting public has shown in this emergency by reelecting the same politicians blocking the road to coastal survival.

A prime example is keeping U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish in Congress. His coastal district includes all or parts of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Orleans parishes  a corner of the country that has seen more land loss from hurricanes, subsidence and sea level rise than any other in North America and is forecast to see the highest rates of sea level rise in the lower 48.

Yet even as Scalise continues to deny climate science and block regulations, he keeps getting reelected.

By choosing representatives like Scalise, coastal residents are just voting to drown. Its not a cause for optimism.

The third reason for pessimism is the steady drumbeat of new research and measurements confirming that the causes are growing more severe and the window for enacting changes that could slow the loss has almost closed.

Leading climatologists believe the world has about eight to 10 years left to dramatically reduce emissions if we want to stop serious, lasting impacts this century. That includes the drowning of much of coastal Louisiana. And the recent COP26 meetings showed that the world is not ready to make that move.

So where does the cautiously come from this terribly pessimistic outlook?

Three factors.

First, theres still a crack in that window of opportunity. Its not large and the odds are against it, but its there. It would take dramatic events by governments and some unforeseen positive feedback loops in climate change, but it could happen.

The second reason is less attractive: The impacts could continue racing far ahead of projections, resulting in disasters so severe that humanity would be forced to act.

But perhaps the best hope is that younger people who do care will become a larger voting bloc in the next decade. Seeing their futures limited or destroyed will be enough incentive to take action.

Finally, miracles can happen.

Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on Twitter @BMarshallEnviro.
A Colorado district attorney asked a judge to reduce the sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a trucker convicted in a crash that killed four, from 110 years to 20 to 30 years.

First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said that based on the facts of this case and input from the victims and their families, my office will be asking the court to consider a sentencing range of 2030 years when the Court is prepared to address resentencing.

A status hearing is scheduled for Monday. Defense lawyer James Colgan told CNN Monday that he expects the hearing to be procedural in nature.

The judge, he added, will likely set the sentencing hearing for a later date.

As the jury found, Mr. Aguilera-Mederos knowingly made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, serious injuries to others, and mass destruction, according to Kings statement. This sentencing range reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct, which was not an accident.

Aguilera-Mederos was going 85 mph in a semi tractor-trailer in April 2019 when his brakes went out, he told investigators at the time. The incident caused a 28-car pileup on Interstate 70 that left four dead and injured many others, said the Lakewood Police Department at the time.

The 26-year-old was found guilty on four counts of vehicular homicide as well as 23 other charges, including six counts of assault in the first degree, in the case. Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced earlier this month.

Colorado District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones said on Dec. 13 that he was bound to the mandatory minimum sentencing laws in Colorado when he handed down the 110-year prison term.

But King requested a hearing, according to a motion that was recently filed by her office.

As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances, her motion read (pdf).

Colgan, the defense lawyer, told ABC News that he believes Kings request for a commuted sentence came after a Change.org petition obtained more than 5 million signatures and advocated for a reduced sentence. Public pressure is now playing a role in the prosecutions recent actions, he suggested.

I find it interesting that two weeks ago they were fine with 110 years and only now that public outcry has blown in their face do they not want 110 years, Colgan said. Its just politics.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, also said he is considering an application of clemency for Mederos that is asking for a commutation.

From The Epoch Times
Cuba and China have signed a cooperation plan to push forward construction projects under Beijings controversial overseas infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has saddled many participating countries with heavy debt loads.

The Chinese Embassy in Cuba announced the agreement on its website on Dec. 26, saying that the deal was inked two days earlier by He Lifeng, the head of Chinas top economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, and Cuban Vice Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas.

The agreement implemented a memorandum of understanding the two nations signed in 2018, when Cuba agreed to become a BRI participating nation.

Under the agreement, the two nations aimed to work together on projects in several key sectors, including communications, education, health and biotechnology, science and technology, and tourism, according to the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency,

The Chinese embassy also stated a timetable and a roadmap had been proposed to implement the projects, without elaborating more details.

China launched BRI in 2013 in an effort to build Beijing-centered land and maritime trade networks by financing infrastructure projects throughout Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In recent years, critics have slammed Beijing for using debt-trap diplomacy to lure countries into its initiative.

Many countries have surrendered a piece of their sovereignty after failing to pay off Chinese debts. For example, China Merchants Port Holdings is now running Sri Lankas Hambantota port on a 99-year lease, after the South Asian country converted its owed loans of $1.4 billion into equity in 2017. Seizing the port has allowed Beijing to gain a key foothold in the Indian Ocean.

The Chinese regime has also sought to partner with countries rich in natural resourcessuch as African BRI participants Ghana and Zambiain order to gain access to these raw materials to drive the Chinese economy.

It appeared that China has its eyes set on Cubas natural resources, as a Chinese researcher told Chinas state-run media outlet Global Times on Sunday that the BRI agreement was good because China and Cuba have strong economic complementarity.

The researcher was also quoted as saying that Cuba is rich in mineral and oil resources, and is a major source of nickel ore for China. Cuba has one of the worlds largest nickel deposits in the world.

China has been Cubas important energy partner. Chinese companies have supplied wind turbines to Cubas wind farms, and oversaw the construction of Cubas first biomass-fired power plant at Ciro Redondo.

U.S.-based organization American Security Project, in an article published in March, warned about Cubas energy dependency on China and Venezuela as having serious implications for hemispheric security.

Whats more, the Chinese paramilitary has also provided counter-terrorism training to Cuban military and police forces responsible for suppressing anti-government protesters.

In fact, China has an ambition that goes beyond just Cuba. During a Senate hearing in March, Craig Faller, a retired admiral and a former commander of the U.S. Southern Command, warned (pdf) that Beijing seeks to establish global logistics and basing infrastructure in our hemisphere in order to project and sustain military power at greater distances.

Faller told (pdf) lawmakers at the hearing that China was on a full-court press in order to achieve its ambition.

I look at this hemisphere as the front line of competition, Faller said. Our influence [in this hemisphere] is eroding.  It is important that we remain engaged in this hemisphere.

During a press briefing following the hearing, Faller described the Chinese regimes influence as insidious and corrosive, and corrupt.

Some examples include their pursuit of multiple port deals, loans for political leverage, vaccine diplomacy that undermines sovereignty, state surveillance I.T., and the exploitation of resources such as illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, Faller said.

A month after Fallers warning, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) introduced a bill requiring several U.S. federal agencies, including the State Department, to put together a report for Congress. The report would assess Chinas influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

One of the issues the report would examine was Chinas relationship with Cuba and Venezuela. Another was Chinas efforts to exploit natural resources in the region.

It is critical for U.S. policymakers to understand what China is doing in the region and to have an effective strategy in place to counter Chinas aggressive conduct and to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its actions, Murphy stated, according to a statement from her office.

From The Epoch Times
Northwest Indiana residents should be very, very careful for at least the next few weeks by being sure to drive safely, cook food thoroughly, and avoid any other activities that might land them in the hospital.

That's because the hospitals are full.

According to the Indiana Department of Health, just 19 of the 210 intensive care unit (ICU) hospital beds in Northwest Indiana, or 9%, were vacant as of Sunday night.

While state records show the majority of ICU patients are not infected with COVID-19, the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus is pushing area hospitals nearly to their breaking points.

Altogether, 369 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Northwest Indiana Sunday, including both ICU and standard patients, according to the Indiana Department of Health.

While that's down slightly from the 417 Northwest Indiana COVID-19 patients tallied on Dec. 13, it's nearly identical to the number of COVID-19 patients being treated in Region hospitals just after Christmas 2020 when the COVID-19 vaccine had only just become available.
GRIFFITH  The Town Council has named three people to operate a building corporation for the new town hall/police station facility.

They are Jason Nolasco, Laura Gaby and Nancy Stout.

The $9.5 million project will be financed through a lease with the corporation that will be controlled by the council.

In conjunction, the council recently hired Tonn & Blank to oversee the construction. Work is expected to start next year and finish by June 8, 2023.

Town Hall and the police station will share the 24,000 square-foot, two-story building on Lafayette Street just behind the existing facilities.

The new building will showcase historical features commensurate with the town's history.

The current hall and police buildings sit adjacent to each other on Broad Street just north of Main Street. The old buildings will be demolished when the new construction is completed, Rick Ryfa, R-3rd, said.

In place of the razed buildings would be a new parking lot on Broad Street to serve the dual purpose facility and add spaces for downtown shoppers.
Specifically, despite complying with the notice by publication provisions of Indiana law in effect at the time, the appeals court said the Gary Housing Authority had a further obligation under the U.S. Constitution to make an extra effort to directly contact John Allen, the registered agent for the building owners, prior to taking the property.

While the appeals court noted Allen managed to learn about the two condemnation hearings and attend them anyway, the court said it cannot say with confidence the Gary Housing Authority only would have paid $75,000 for the building had the proper procedure been followed, since Allen did not have an opportunity to present an appraiser's valuation of $325,000 for the property.

"Under the circumstances, the Gary Housing Authoritys use of notice by publication was not reasonably calculated to reach Allen. Rather, the Gary Housing Authoritys use of notice by publication was a mere gesture, which is not due process," Mathias said.

The housing authority is likely to ask the Indiana Supreme Court to review the new appellate ruling and consider overturning it.

Though if the Supreme Court denies transfer, it likely will be up to the trial court to determine an appropriate remedy for the unlawful taking.
CHESTERTON  One person is in custody following a Christmas night stabbing that landed a local man in the intensive care unit of an Illinois hospital, the town police department is reporting.

Officers were called out shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday to the 200 block of Locust Street following a report of a fight, Chesterton police said.

Police found a 31-year-old local man with multiple stab wounds.

"The victim was in serious condition and officers immediately began performing first-aid measures while summoning medics to the scene," the town said.

Police officers from Chesterton, Porter and Burns Harbor searched the nearby area and found the suspect near North Third Street and Grant Avenue, police said. The man, identified as 33-year-old Montrell Thornton of Chesterton, was taken into custody.

The victim was taken to Northwest Health Porter and then airlifted to an Illinois hospital, where he underwent surgery and was reported to be in stable condition, police said.

Thornton faces a felony count of aggravated battery, which carries a potential sentence of three to 16 years behind bars, according to police.
Over the next three years, O'Donnell plans on replacing all the cameras in the district's four buildings. The district's new upper elementary school, slated to open fall of 2022, will be built with the new camera system.

The current system keeps the schools "well-covered," with full-color, infrared cameras posted both inside and outside buildings, some locations even record audio, O'Donnell said. The district uses the cameras "probably on a daily basis," to spot thefts and trace school damage. O'Donnell also uses the cameras to identify strangers seen in a building.

We always stress if you see something, say something, O'Donnell said. "Weve been lucky and we have not needed to use the cameras to locate an intruder  hopefully we will never have to  but if we do have an intruder come in the building we can track where that intruder goes.

Before, following someone's movement was an all-day task. The new cameras' improved analytics means O'Donnell can load a person's face into the system and find every camera that recorded that person in a matter of minutes. The cameras also offer wider angles and record crisper images, with more pixels making zoomed-up shots "much clearer."

Two years ago, Hanover schools struck up a partnership with the Cedar Lake Police Department. The cameras stream footage in real-time, officers have access to the footage and if there is an emergency they will be alerted. Police can then tune into the cameras from their cars, letting them asses the situation before they even arrive.

The new system will stream video even faster.

In the event we do have a situation that requires tracking somebody through a building, police can track it as well," O'Donnell said. "If the situation is ongoing, you can have one officer track it from the camera while other officers are in the building.

The school district plans on starting the project as soon as a bid is approved. O'Donnell said the school will be "pushing for an American-made" system to simplify repairs.

[Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that police only use cameras to track situations from outside schools if an officer is already in the building.]
Because Dec. 31 is a federal holiday, most employees will see their direct deposits on Dec. 30, the same day it normally would have been deposited, Rivas said.

In addition, the premium pay bonuses city employees are expecting in federal American Rescue Plan Act money will be deposited Dec. 30, depending on the financial institution, she said.

Turning 2022 into a payroll leap year will mean smaller biweekly paychecks to spread out the salary across 27 paychecks, Rivas said.

Her Dec. 23 memo included a calendar of 2022 payroll dates for employees.

It appears the assumption that lack of communication with staff on this matter was intentional, inept or lack of care, Rivas said. Although that wasnt articulated well at the Dec. 21, 2021, council meeting, that is not the case.

Among the many scenarios considered was changing to 24 pay dates, paying employees twice monthly instead of biweekly, she said.

On Dec. 7, Czilli and Podgorski questioned the bimonthly payroll schedule, Rivas noted.
But many other people kept their plans.

Transportation Security Administration data shows that the number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints so far during the holiday season went up significantly from last year  on some days double the number of fliers or even more. But the number is generally still short of 2019 levels.

The TSA has predicted that the Monday after New Year's will be one of the busiest days of the holiday season. The CDC's new guidelines could help airlines better navigate the New Year's weekend rush as staffers who got infected are able to come back to work, Harteveldt said.

The U.S. government has issued new rules relating to COVID-19 and travel in recent months, requiring foreigners coming to the U.S. to be vaccinated. It also now requires a negative COVID-19 test for both U.S. citizens and foreigners within a day of flying into the country.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday that the nation should also seriously consider a vaccination mandate for domestic travel as another way to push people to get vaccinated.
Q. Is there any validity to the popular claim that one can sweat out toxins? If so, what toxins can the body sweat out?

A. The body does appear to sweat out toxic materials  heavy metals and bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastics, for instance, have been detected in sweat. But theres no evidence that sweating out such toxins improves health.

The claims for the benefits of saunas and other sweat-inducing treatments are not backed by science, said Dr. Harriet Hall, a retired family physician and former Air Force flight surgeon, who edits the website Science-Based Medicine and is a co-author of Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions.

The concentration of metals detected in sweat are extremely low. Sweat is 99 percent water. The liver and kidneys remove far more toxins than sweat glands.
The cause is a little-known group of 55 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean known as the Chagos Archipelago. For 150 years they were part of the British colony of Mauritius. Then, in 1965, at the instigation of President Lyndon Johnson, Britain decided to separate the islands from Mauritius and, at just the time that the world was agreeing the era of colonialism was over, created a new colony, called the British Indian Ocean Territory. One of the islands, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States for a military base.

Mauritius got its independence in 1968, but without Chagos. The entire population of the islands  about 1,800 Black people, mostly descendants of slaves who lived and worked on copra plantations there  were forcibly removed and transported to other parts of Mauritius, the Seychelles and Britain.

The episode, which the British government itself has since called shameful, had not been widely known  until now, as these events come back to haunt Britain and, indirectly, America.

Mauritius has long sought to get Chagos back, and its effort has been supported by numerous states  including India, the entire African continent, various governments in Latin America and Europe  and the many displaced Chagossians who never gave up on their hope to return to their homes.

Those efforts have borne fruit. In February 2019, the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, ruled that Chagos has been separated from Mauritius illegally, in violation of both the right of self-determination and the territorial integrity of Mauritius. (I represented the government in that case, and continue to in related proceedings.)

The decision, issued at the request of the U.N. General Assembly, is not legally binding on U.N. members  so, neither on Britain nor Mauritius  but it offers an authoritative statement about the law, and the U.N. itself is required to honor that. The U.N.s official maps have been changed to show the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, as belonging to Mauritius, not Britain.

Three months after the I.C.J.s advisory opinion, the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted for a resolution affirming that Chagos was an integral part of Mauritius and called on Britain to withdraw from the islands within six months, by November 2019. The resolution  which Britain and the United States opposed  also said that Chagossians should now be able to return to their homes.
As daily coronavirus cases in the United States soared to near record levels, federal health officials on Monday shortened by half the recommended isolation period for many infected Americans, hoping to minimize rising disruptions to the economy and everyday life.

Virus-related staff shortages have upended holiday travel, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights, and now threaten industries as diverse as health care, restaurants and retail. Yet health experts warn the country is only in the early stages of a fast-moving surge.

The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency had previously recommended that infected patients isolate for 10 days from when they were tested for the virus. But on Monday, it slashed that period to five days for those without symptoms, or those without fevers whose other symptoms were resolving.
LOS ANGELES  A woman clutched at her bloodied face in an aisle splotched with red as she scrambled away from a man who had been pummeling her with a bike lock. A frightened employee at the Burlington clothing store told Los Angeles police officers that a man was going crazy in the store.

I have a hostile customer in my store attacking customers! she told dispatchers in a 911 call. Hes walking around the store looking for people. Someone else called in a report of a guy with a gun.

A scrum of officers mounted the escalators in a diamond formation, weapons drawn. Within moments of spotting the man, later identified as Daniel Elena Lopez, 24, at least one officer opened fire.

As Mr. Elena Lopez lay wounded on the ground, a womans anguished wails could be heard. They seemed to be coming from the dressing rooms nearby, where 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta had been with her mother. In what the police now say was a tragic accident, she too had been fatally shot by an officers bullet.
Sarah Weddington, the young Texas lawyer whose successful arguments before the Supreme Court in the landmark Roe v. Wade case led to the legalization of abortion throughout the United States, died on Sunday at her home in Austin. She was 76.

Rebecca Seawright, a former assistant to Ms. Weddington and a member of the New York State Assembly, said that she had been in declining health but that the cause of her death had yet to be determined.

Ms. Weddington was 26 and had never tried a legal case when she and Linda Coffee, her co-counsel, went before the Supreme Court in 1971. Their legal battle culminated on Jan. 22, 1973, when the court ruled in one of the most consequential decisions in American history that a Texas state law banning abortions except to save the womans life was unconstitutional.

Polls show that Americans are more familiar with Roe than with almost any other Supreme Court decision. That shouldnt be surprising; it has been at the center of political debate for decades and now faces its most serious challenge, with the court seemingly poised to uphold a Mississippi law that could essentially roll back Roe.
But officials were optimistic that the time capsule found on Monday is the one they had sought. The journalist and author Dale M. Brumfield, writing in Richmond magazine in December 2017, described finding references to the Richmond time capsule in historical records, including suggestions that it could contain dozens of Confederate artifacts, like weapons used during the Civil War and a square piece of wood cut from a tree that grew near the grave of Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general.

Devon Henry, the owner of Team Henry Enterprises, oversees the company assigned to remove the statue  a symbol of white power that the governor ordered removed in September after a long legal battle. Mr. Henry said on Monday that after months of tedious excavation, sledgehammering and confusion over where the time capsule was, he finally felt vindicated in his crews efforts.

A lot of folks were like, Yo, you guys thought you had the time capsule and its not it  youve been bamboozled, Mr. Henry said.

He and his crew had searched for the time capsule in September, digging 15 feet below the northeast corner of the statue, where it was reportedly placed in 1887. They found nothing.

Then last week, they found the time capsule with random items such as an almanac and a British coin. But where, people asked him, was the one potentially holding a rare photo of Lincoln?
Image Workers at a recreational-vehicle company last year in LaGrange, Ind., where many residents are Amish. Credit... Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images

In the United States, over 204 million people are fully vaccinated, but thats still only 62 percent of the population, much lower than in most other wealthy countries.

At the county level, vaccination rates range from about 83 percent in places like Montgomery County, Md., a populous area just outside Washington, D.C., to around 15 percent in rural places like McPherson County in northern South Dakota.

As the Omicron variant surges, and experts say that vaccinations strongly protect against severe illness, U.S. public health officials are closely examining ways to reach the least-vaccinated areas. But the roadblocks are not the same everywhere. Some clearly have to do with politics: Republican-leaning areas have generally been vaccine laggards. But pockets of the country can have their own quirks unrelated to partisanship.

Here is a look at the challenges faced by three counties where, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, vaccination rates are among the lowest in the nation. (State figures for those counties may vary from the C.D.C. data because of differences in methodology, reporting lags and other factors.)

LaGrange County, Ind.

Resistance to vaccines is not new in LaGrange County, a rural area along Indianas border with Michigan. Just 22 percent of residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and, according to Dr. Tony Pechin, the county health officer, only 15 percent of children in the county are up-to-date on standard vaccines by the age of 2.

Dr. Pechin said that he had encountered the usual conspiracy theories about vaccines, and that even some longtime patients would not heed his advice to get the shots.

But the most important factor, he said, is that about half the countys 40,000 residents are Amish, a group that overwhelmingly rejects the vaccines. Among non-Amish residents, he said, the vaccination rate is 45 to 48 percent.

Dr. Pechin said that a pharmacy frequented by Amish residents was among the first in LaGrange County to receive doses but had vaccinated just eight people in six months.

The state health commissioner sent a delegation to meet with Amish leaders in the spring, and the C.D.C. sent another over the summer.

When they were done, Dr. Pechin said of the envoys, they called me and just said, Good luck, Tony.

Cameron Parish, La.

When Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron Parish in August 2020, many residents left damaged homes behind and took refuge inland  and have yet to return.

According to the C.D.C., the vaccination rate is just 17 percent. But Louisiana health officials say that those figures do not take account of the population shift.

Although the numbers look awful, theyre not as bad as they appear, because of an outflux of people due to the natural disasters, said Dr. Lacey Cavanaugh, a regional health officer for the Louisiana Department of Health.

Image Sifting through debris of a home damaged by Hurricane Laura in Cameron Parish, La., in August 2020. Credit... Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg, via Getty Images

But if the statistics were calculated to reflect the current populations of Cameron Parish and others ravaged by recent storms, she said, they would probably still show vaccination rates below national averages. Laura destroyed much of the parishs limited health infrastructure, so for months, health officials administered vaccines in a tent in a hospital parking lot. And for residents consumed by the work of repairing homes and businesses, getting vaccinated fell low on the priority list.

State health officials have worked to bring vaccines directly to disaster recovery events, and advised residents that getting sick with Covid-19 could make the road back even harder.

Once youre protected from the virus, Dr. Cavanaugh said, thats one less thing for you to worry about.

Winston County, Ala.

A rural county with a history of going its own way  it refused to join Alabama in seceding from the Union during the Civil War  faces many of the challenges that have hampered the states vaccine uptake.

Vaccine misinformation is still spreading on social media, said Dr. Karen Landers, a regional officer with the states Public Health Department, despite months of efforts with local leaders, faith-based organizations and pharmacies. The countys vaccination rate has stalled at around 21 percent, according to the C.D.C.

Image A meeting of the local Republican Party in October 2020 in Double Springs, Ala. The state hasnt had a mask mandate since April. Credit... Chandan Khanna/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images

Persuading young people that they are vulnerable to the disease and need a vaccine can be a particularly acute problem, she said. But Dr. Landerssaid she remained determined: We know that not everyone will listen to us, but that does not alleviate our responsibility.
The pandemic has strained relationships on all fronts  within our immediate family unit, as well as my husbands siblings and my own siblings. But sharing recipes is a common ground that transcends any pandemic discord. With the interest of gifting my three young adult sons a document of their culinary heritage  but also as a way to bring the family together  I am creating a cookbook that brings together the traditional foods of both families. I have asked every family member on both sides to submit their favorite recipes to me. There has been a lot of fun-loving chatter over the past month as we all work together toward this common goal.  Susan Dichter, Litchfield, Conn.

My mother lives with me, my wife and our 1-year-old daughter. Early in the vaccination push, she refused to get the shot. Instead of arguing with her, we gently asked her to list her concerns and offered to research them on her behalf. When we presented fact-based responses to the issues she raised, she appreciated the gesture and agreed to get vaccinated. Imagine that  addressing legitimate concerns through scientific data and truth. What a concept!  Allen K., North Carolina

Ive stopped trying to reach over the proverbial bridge in the name of friendship or family. Ive become unapologetic about my boundaries: You can come to dinner in our house if youre vaccinated. Mi casa es su casa if you wear a mask while indoors. Ive come to acknowledge that my experience is just that  mine. Ive stopped sharing with those who I feel would not respond in a supportive way, and I have embraced those who have offered support. I drew closer to those who are like-minded and stopped feeling guilty about distanced relationships with those who are not.  Ammura Hernandez, Asbury Park, N.J.

I try to act as a buffer and, with all my strength, I refrain from engaging in debate or discussion. And I have to try to talk down other family members who would prefer to just say what they really feel. So I play the role of reminding everyone that it is completely pointless and wont change anyones mind. Its living in constant tension and completely exhausting.  Josephine Stacey, Staten Island, N.Y.

My husband and I are trying hard to understand where his parents are coming from with their fear of the vaccines. My husband is attempting to mediate between his father and his brother, encouraging them to find common ground and get together soon with precautions in place. I believe he is making headway with a small Christmas gathering, outside, to begin the healing process. Time will tell.  Emily Garner, New Bern, N.C.

I decided to use my heartfelt feelings plus Christmas traditions to change my sons mind. I abandoned science and spoke from my heart. I wept as I told my son that, for the first time in our lives, I could not spend Christmas with him, as I could not risk losing my life, or his fathers or brothers lives, due to his possible exposure to and contraction of Covid-19. He solemnly listened. No debating. Two weeks later, he was vaccinated. A Christmas miracle!  Trish Gallagher, Westchester, N.Y.
The vote that could shape Iraq

Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential but mercurial Shiite cleric, is poised to lead Iraq after a court certified the results of a parliamentary vote in October. Election officials said the turnout Sunday was 41 percent  a record low that reflected a deep disdain toward politicians and government leaders who have made Iraq one of the worlds most corrupt countries.

The Sadrist Bloc, the political movement that takes its name from the cleric, won up to 20 additional seats in Parliament, consolidating its status as the single biggest bloc in the chamber and giving al-Sadr an even more decisive vote over the countrys next prime minister.

The outcome could further complicate Iraqs challenge in steering diplomatically between the U.S. and Iran, adversaries that both see Iraq as vital to their interests. Al-Sadr and his aides have refused to meet with American officials, and he has an uneasy relationship with Iran, where he has pursued his religious studies and which he cannot afford to antagonize.

Analysis: He is using some sharp language against Iran and the resistance groups affiliated with Iran, Gheis Ghoreishi, a political analyst, said of al-Sadrs victory speech. There is a real lack of trust and grievances between Sadr and Iran.
A New York State appeals court on Tuesday temporarily lifted a judicial order requiring The New York Times to turn over or destroy copies of legal memos prepared for the conservative group Project Veritas, in a case that has drawn the focus of First Amendment and journalism advocates.

The stay, issued by the Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court, followed objections by The Times to an order issued late last week in an escalating legal dispute between the newspaper and Project Veritas, which is suing The Times for defamation.

But one major component of that order, issued by a trial judge, Justice Charles D. Wood of State Supreme Court in Westchester County, will stay in place: The Times remains temporarily barred from publishing the Project Veritas documents. The newspaper said it had not sought an immediate lifting of that element of the order but instead had asked for an expedited hearing.

The Appellate Division asked Project Veritas to file its response by Jan. 14, declining the request by The Times for an earlier deadline.
Riot Games, the video game maker behind popular titles like League of Legends and Valorant, said on Monday evening that it had agreed to pay $100 million to settle a gender discrimination suit with more than 2,000 current and former female employees.

The class-action lawsuit, which was filed in 2018, was originally on track for a $10 million settlement. But in early 2020, the women suing Riot changed lawyers, and the new lead attorney, Genie Harrison, determined that the amount was not sufficient.

Two California employment agencies also took the unusual step of objecting to the settlement, arguing that the women could be entitled to over $400 million. Separate of the lawsuit, the state had been investigating the company after claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, unequal pay and retaliation against women.

Im very pleased that we were able to provide what I think is a fair settlement, Ms. Harrison said in an interview, adding that she was honored and proud to have represented the women.
Dr. Dorador, the Constitutional Convention member, walks through a busy market in her hometown, Antofagasta. The Constitution is the most important law in the country, she tells a man selling mangoes.

He listens politely.

Dr. Dorador, 41, describes what the assembly is discussing  water, housing, health care. She explains the timeline: a draft constitution by July, followed by a national vote.

Behind her, a man yells out the price of corn. Another is selling rabbits. One woman vents about shoulder pain. A few tell her they have no time.

Dr. Dorador became drawn to the microorganisms that have survived for millions of years in the salt flats. We can learn a lot of things about climate change studying the salares, because they are already extreme, she said. You can find clues of the past and also clues of the future.

Dr. Dorador is vying to be the conventions president. She wants the constitution to recognize that humans are part of nature. She bristles when asked if lithium extraction is necessary to pivot away from fossil fuel extraction. Of course the world should stop burning oil and gas, she says, but not by ignoring yet unknown ecological costs. Someone buys an electric car and feels very good because theyre saving the planet, she says. At the same time an entire ecosystem is damaged. Its a big paradox.

Indeed the questions facing this Convention arent Chiles alone. The world faces the same reckoning as it confronts climate change and biodiversity loss, amid widening social inequities: Does the search for climate fixes require re-examining humanitys relationship to nature itself?

We have to face some very complex 21st century problems, said Maisa Rojas, a climate scientist at the University of Chile. Our institutions are, in many respects, not ready.

John Bartlett contributed reporting.
Last year at this time, optimistic trend forecasters predicted that the cork would burst from the bottle by summer. With vaccines in arms, food culture would vibrate in a robust economy. American menus would be full of innovation driven by waves of international travel, and a new generation of digital-native cooks would rewrite the rules.

Clearly, the prediction game can be a losing one. But so what if things didnt turn out like everyone thought they would? Trying to forecast food trends is still fun, and sometimes even accurate. (Kudos to those professional prognosticators who in recent years nailed the mainstream rise of quesabirria, souffle pancakes, delivery-only restaurants and CBD. And a special citation for those who saw early on that those ripples of veganism would become a plant-based tsunami.)

So how are things looking for 2022? Not great. The year is starting with a surge of a highly contagious variant of Covid-19 that is only adding to the economic uncertainty. Social-justice concerns remain top of mind for many, as does pressure from a fast-changing climate. All of it will affect how food is grown, cooked and packaged.

But dont despair. Constraint breeds innovation, said Anna Fabrega, a former Amazon executive who recently took over as the chief executive at the meal subscription service Freshly. She and other food industry leaders in the United States say 2022 will be another pragmatic, roll-up-your sleeves kind of year, shaped by the needs of people working from home and by the culinarily-astute-but-fickle Gen Z, whose members want food with sustainable ingredients and a strong cultural back story, prepared without exploitation and delivered in a carbon-neutral way  within 30 minutes.
Were dealing with a community and a population that has a lot of underlying health conditions, he said. Because of disparities in health care, he tries to be there to reassure New Yorkers.

Childrens Aid, another beneficiary agency, has also been working to bolster vaccinations in New York. Through a partnership with the NYC Health + Hospitals, the organization has provided testing and vaccine distribution across the city.

And UJA-Federation of New York, which is also supported by The Neediest Cases Fund, ran pop-up vaccine clinics and helped match social service agencies, schools and community centers with vaccine providers for appointments, resulting in thousands of vaccination appointments, including some for Holocaust survivors. UJA-Federation also made grants to organizations to foster vaccine education and to increase access, particularly in minority communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

In Coney Island, Brooklyn Community Services is also working to improve vaccine equity and awareness by answering questions in front of its community centers and at train stations, where staff members hand out fliers and help people sign up to get vaccinated.

Around the world, the International Rescue Committee, another beneficiary agency, has been working to protect people in refugee camps against Covid-19.

The most important thing is that we really need to meet people where they are, said Mesfin Teklu Tessema, the senior technical director and head of the health unit at the organization. The way to do it is through outreach, breaking the language barrier that exists, making the information easily understandable.
A second New York prosecutor has decided not to pursue criminal charges against former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations that helped prompt his resignation.

Miriam E. Rocah, the Westchester County district attorney, said on Tuesday that her office had investigated accusations of unwanted kisses that two women  one a state trooper  made against Mr. Cuomo. The women said the episodes had occurred within her jurisdiction.

The womens allegations were credible and Mr. Cuomos conduct was concerning, but his conduct was not criminal under state law, Ms. Rocah said in a statement.

The announcement came five days after Joyce Smith, the acting district attorney in Nassau County, on Long Island, reached a similar conclusion after investigating a separate allegation made by the trooper involving an incident at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, N.Y.
Sixteen people have died this year within New Yorks correction system, mainly on Rikers, and the city is moving ahead with plans to shut down the notorious complex and replace it with smaller community-based lockups. In Philadelphia, with a jail population one-third the size of New Yorks, there have been 18 deaths this year, according to the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

It should not be possible for someone to kill another human being in a jail, said Claire Shubik-Richards, executive director of the society, one of the countrys oldest criminal justice advocacy organizations. You have layers of security, in theory, and eyes everywhere.

And it should be really impossible, she added, to kill yourself.

New York plans to close six prisons early next year as the number of people incarcerated in the state continues to decline. New Jersey has closed three, and the governor announced in June that he intended to shut down the states only prison for women after a midnight raid by guards left several women with serious injuries; the violence, which was caught on video, came a year after the Justice Department released a damning report that detailed an entrenched culture of sexual violence by guards there.

Because of drops in the detainee population, several of New Jerseys 21 counties have also moved to close their jails and instead pay to house detainees awaiting trial or sentencing at nearby facilities

The pandemic has added its own complications. To reduce crowding and slow the spread of the coronavirus, roughly 700 people were quickly freed from New Jersey jails.

Legislation later enabled the release of 2,258 inmates from prisons the day after the 2020 presidential election in one of the largest-ever single-day reductions of any states prison population. Since then, nearly 3,000 additional people have been granted early release through the emergency initiative, reducing New Jerseys prison population by 32 percent since 2018, Gov. Philip D. Murphys first year in office.

At the same time, resignations and retirements among guards have increased, according to unions representing prison and jail officers. The unions attribute the attrition rate to pandemic-related fatigue, shifting attitudes toward law enforcement and restrictions in the use of solitary confinement as punishment for infractions, which they believe has contributed to an uptick in violence, including detainees throwing bodily fluids at guards.
Never, never, never in my life  not even during Christmastime before  have I ever seen traffic this bad, said Dharminder Singh, 45, a Long Island construction worker whose round-trip commute time to job sites in Manhattan and the Bronx has doubled to three hours a day.

The return of traffic jams is not just a New York phenomenon. Though traffic volumes nationally remain below prepandemic levels, especially in urban downtown areas, cars are increasingly clogging roads in many cities, including Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas.

But no place is as bad as New York City, which topped a 2021 scorecard of the countrys most congested urban areas, with drivers losing an average of 102 hours annually to congestion, nearly three times the national average, according to INRIX.

The traffic-saturated streets have prompted New York City transportation officials to revive gridlock alert days, on which they warn people to avoid certain parts of the city and use public transit instead.

Several stops along a bus route in Lower Manhattan have been suspended at times because buses cannot get around traffic packed outside the Holland Tunnel. And pedestrian safety managers  a service provided by a local business district that was halted in March 2020  were brought back to help people navigate a busy street near the tunnel.

During the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose time in office ends on Friday, has encouraged people not to drive, and the city has added a significant number of bus and bike lanes. Mr. de Blasios successor, Eric Adams, an avid cyclist, has promised to build on those efforts.
Youd be in a situation, you might have 1,800 students in a high school and all 1,800 would be dismissed once the case count reached a certain threshold, Mr. Horsley said. As you can imagine, sending everybody home when only 10 to 12 other kids might be sick seemed pretty ridiculous.

In New York City, hundreds of classrooms were either entirely closed or partially closed last week because of Covid exposures. The citys previous policy was to quarantine unvaccinated close contacts of infected students for 10 days. Many elementary school children in particular have not been vaccinated, even though they are eligible, and fewer than half of all city children aged 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated.

City officials are expecting Omicron to continue surging in New York over the next few weeks, which will certainly be felt in classrooms. To avoid frequent closures and disruption, the city will provide students with rapid at-home tests to take if someone in their classroom tests positive.

If the students are not showing symptoms and test negative, they will be allowed to return the next day. They will then be given a second at-home test within five days of their exposure. Students or parents will self-report test results to schools.

Students will also receive rapid tests if their classmates or teachers are displaying symptoms. Those who test positive will have to quarantine for 10 days.

New York still plans to close entire schools when there is evidence of major in-school spread.

Schools remain among the safest settings in our communities, Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, the citys health commissioner, said on Tuesday.

He said that even if virus rates continued to rise, we estimate that in schools about 98 percent of close contacts do not end up developing Covid-19.
In this series for T, the author Reggie Nadelson revisits New York institutions that have defined cool for decades, from time-honored restaurants to unsung dives.

It is sometimes said that the oldest extant shop of its kind in New York City is Economy Candy on Rivington Street. Dating to 1937, it sells not only a vast array of sweets  as many as 2,000 different kinds, according to its proprietors, from licorice to chocolate, root beer barrels to jelly beans  but also the nostalgia that comes with finding your favorite childhood treat. The last time I stopped by, on a cold December day, was by this measure a triumph: The owners, Mitchell Cohen, 36, and Skye Greenfield Cohen, 32, had saved me some Bonomo Turkish Taffy. Because this is a shop that stocks so much vintage candy, Cohen and Greenfield Cohen are always under siege by sentimental regulars. Somebody came in asking for Turkish Taffy just yesterday, Cohen told me. But we only had three bars left so we said we were sorry but they were for someone else. I thanked him as if he had set aside the last tins of a rare caviar.
The death of a teenager who lost consciousness after he was handcuffed by personnel at a county juvenile center in Wichita, Kan., while lying facedown was a homicide, according to a Kansas medical examiner.

The finding came several months after the authorities said that a preliminary autopsy suggested that the teenager, Cedric Lofton, 17, had not suffered life-threatening injuries while in custody.

Mr. Lofton was arrested on Sept. 24 when the police were called to a house in Wichita after he began exhibiting erratic and aggressive behavior toward his foster family, according to an autopsy report from the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center.

The police took Mr. Lofton to a county juvenile center, where he fought with correctional staff members, who placed shackles on his ankles, rolled him onto his abdomen and handcuffed his wrists behind his back, the report said. He appeared to calm down and made snoring sounds but when staff members checked for a pulse four minutes later, they could not find one, the report said.
A North Dakota man convicted of stabbing four people more than 100 times during a quadruple murder at a property management company in 2019 was sentenced on Tuesday to four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.

The man, Chad Isaak, 47, maintained his innocence during a nearly 90-minute sentencing in District Court in Mandan, N.D., where relatives of the four victims recounted the suffering that he wrought in a series of killings that remain unexplained.

The victims had also been shot a total of at least eight times. Their bodies were found on April 1, 2019, at RJR Maintenance & Management in Mandan, a city of about 20,000 people across the Missouri River from Bismarck, N.D.

After a three-week trial, a jury found Mr. Isaak guilty in August of the murders of Robert Fakler, 52, the companys co-owner; employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, and William Cobb Jr., 50, and his wife, Lois Cobb, 45.
A gunman killed five people and wounded at least two others, including a police officer, during a series of shootings in the Denver area on Monday that ended when he was fatally shot in an encounter with an officer, the authorities said.

On Tuesday, police officials identified the gunman as Lyndon James McLeod, 47, and said that he had been on our radar. The authorities also said that a fifth victim had died earlier that day.

Paul M. Pazen, the Denver police chief, told reporters that law enforcement officials had investigated Mr. McLeod in mid-2020 and early 2021 but that neither inquiry had resulted in charges. Chief Pazen declined to describe those investigations.

He said the gunman had had personal or business relationships with the three people he appeared to have targeted in Denver on Monday.
Ms. Rogers, who shared the information on her own Instagram account, said she did so to make sure that the officer was not being protected, or sheltered, by the L.A.P.D.

In the footage, released on Monday as part of a 35-minute compilation that also included 911 calls and security video of the incident, an officer with a rifle asks his colleagues to slow down so that he can lead in their search for the man who had been attacking patrons.

Let me take point with the rifle, he says.

The situation seems to escalate when the officers encounter a woman with a bloodied face who was the most seriously injured, and they begin shouting. Slow it down! one officer calls out, and then: Hold up! Hold up!

But almost instantaneously after Mr. Elena Lopez becomes visible around a corner of an aisle, the officer with the rifle opens fire above the head of the injured woman, firing what appear to be three shots in rapid succession with no apparent warning.

The officers had been told that the attacker may have had a gun. One caller to 911 said as much, and said that there had been shots at the store, though a store employee told the police dispatcher, correctly, that the man was attacking people with a bike lock and did not have a knife or gun.

Tom Saggau, a spokesman for the Los Angeles police union, said that there were a number of 911 callers who reported that Mr. Lopez had a gun.
Some of those states are already NATO members.

In a statement, the National Security Council did not say where the meeting would take place, but the most likely site is Geneva, where previous rounds of talks about nuclear weapons have been held. Nor did it say who would lead the delegation. The nuclear talks have been led by the deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, and her Russian equivalent, Sergei Ryabkov.

The National Security Council said that Mr. Bidens approach on Ukraine has been clear and consistent: Unite the alliance behind two tracks, deterrence and diplomacy.

The deterrence side of the equation has included arming the Ukrainians with Javelin anti-tank missiles and other weapons. It has also involved getting European and other allies to agree in advance on a series of economic sanctions if Russia sends its troops across the border to seize parts of Ukraine beyond Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

But the United States and its allies were also unified in our willingness to engage in principled diplomacy with Russia, the White House said, adding that when we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russias activities as well.

American diplomats are struggling to understand whether the diplomatic initiative that would begin next month is a serious effort by Russia to push NATO forces away from its border and end military aid to Ukraine, or a feint intended to provide justification for military action. Intelligence officials say they believe President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has not decided whether to invade Ukraine, but they worry that he might be reluctant to appear as though he is backing down if he begins to pull the forces back in large numbers.
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has agreed to delay or withdraw demands for hundreds of Trump White House records at the request of the Biden administration, out of concern that releasing some of the documents could compromise national security.

The deal, made public on Tuesday, does not represent a major policy shift for the administration: President Biden still rejects former President Donald J. Trumps claim that all internal White House documents pertaining to the riot be withheld on the grounds of executive privilege.

The White House counsel, Dana A. Remus, has been negotiating in recent weeks with the House committee to set aside requests for all or part of 511 documents her staff has deemed sensitive, unrelated to the probe or potentially compromising to the long-term prerogatives of the presidency.

The committee agreed to withdraw or defer its requests for documents that do not appear to bear on the White Houses preparations for or response to the events of Jan. 6, or on efforts to overturn the election or otherwise obstruct the peaceful transfer of power, wrote Jonathan C. Su, the White House deputy counsel, in an outline of the agreement between the committee and the administration drafted on Dec. 16.
Image A drive-thru testing site in Baldwin Park, Calif., on Monday. The Omicron variant became dominant in the United States last week, not the week before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Credit... Bing Guan/Reuters

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the Omicron variant now accounts for roughly 59 percent of all Covid cases in the United States, a significant decrease from the agencys previous estimate. The update shows how hard it is to track the fast-spreading variant in real time and how poorly the agency has communicated its uncertainty, experts said.

Last week, the C.D.C. said that Omicron accounted for approximately 73 percent of variants circulating in the United States in the week ending Dec. 18. But in its revision, the agency said the variant accounted for about 23 percent of cases that week.

In other words, Delta, which has dominated U.S. infections since summer, still reigned in the United States that week. That could mean that a significant number of current Covid hospitalizations were driven by infections from Delta, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, suggested on Twitter. Hospitalizations typically lag several weeks behind initial infections.

Experts said they were not surprised by the revisions, given that the C.D.C.s estimates are rough guesses, with a wide range of possible values known as confidence intervals. Cases of Omicron can only be confirmed by genetic sequencing, which is performed on just a portion of samples across the country.

And Omicron is still spreading extremely fast.

Still, they said the C.D.C. did a poor job communicating the uncertainty of its estimates. The agency has had a series of missteps during the pandemic, including sending out botched tests early on and shifting guidance on masking. On Monday, when it halved the recommended isolation period to five days for those who test positive but show no symptoms, critics objected that there was no requirement to test before returning to work.

Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as the U.S. surgeon general under former President Donald J. Trump, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that while he respected the C.D.C., he disagreed with its decision on isolation periods.

I love the CDC. Grew up wanting to work there and have been one of their most ardent defenders.



I never dreamed the day would come when I would advise people NOT to follow their guidance. Breaks my 



But ask any of them. They wouldnt even follow it for their own family. https://t.co/qm1yD4U7pR  Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) December 28, 2021

He also criticized the new guidances lack of a test-out option or recommendation for higher-quality masks.

David OConnor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said of the Omicron estimate, The 73 percent got a lot more attention than the confidence intervals, and I think this is one example among many where scientists are trying to project an air of confidence about whats going to happen.

Dr. OConnor said he initially thought the initial estimate seemed high. The agency came up with the estimate based on a relatively small number of sequences, he added.

Its like playing Name That Tune, and trying to say, based on just the first note, if the song is Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, or Under Pressure, Dr. OConnor said. Without more data, it can be really hard to know which one its going to be.

The new estimate of 59 percent is also a rough calculation, experts said, and will most likely be revised in future weeks.

I just want people to be very aware that that is an estimate, thats not actually from sequence-confirmed cases, said Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health. With Omicron in particular, its been very difficult to have any sort of projections, because things are changing just so so rapidly.

Dr. Grubaugh, who is tracking probable Omicron samples in Connecticut, said that the variant makes up more than 80 percent of cases there, though he also notes that the country is heterogenous and the variant likely has a different prevalence in different places.

I dont know how the C.D.C. built their algorithm, but human beings made these programs, and humans are fallible, said Massimo Caputi, a molecular virologist at the Florida Atlantic University School of Medicine. At the end of the day you can predict as much as you want but you need to look at the numbers you have in your hand.

Dr. OConnor, who is tracking Omicron in Wisconsin, said the variant made up half of cases on the University of WisconsinMadison campus in just three days. If I was making a betting prediction, it wasnt so much that the number 73 percent was wrong, but the timing to get there was wrong, he said.

These predictions will likely become more accurate over time as more data on Omicron is collected.

More precise numbers will be needed to smartly distribute Covid treatments. One of the great challenges of Omicron is the variants ability to thwart two of the three monoclonal antibody treatments, which can prevent serious illness in Covid-19 patients. As such, some hospitals have begun scaling back these treatments; administrators at NewYork-Presbyterian, N.Y.U. Langone and Mount Sinai all said they would stop giving patients the two treatments that are ineffective against Omicron. But the drugs could still help people infected with Delta.

If you still have those Delta cases, discontinuing monoclonals means all those people who would have benefited from them wont be receiving them at all, Dr. OConnor said.

Dr. OConnor said scientists and health care providers need to do a better job of communicating the uncertainty in the predications they share with the public. Having the humility to acknowledge that theres a lot that no one knows and is unknowable right now is going to be really important.
Last year, the human rights organization Amnesty International shut its India operations in response to a series of government reprisals including the freezing of its bank accounts. The government said at the time that the organization repeatedly violated local laws by circumventing the regulations under which foreign entities can receive donations from abroad.

Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for the Missionaries of Charity in the eastern city of Kolkata, where it is based, expressed confidence on Tuesday that the licensing issue could be resolved. She said the charitys work would not be affected immediately, though it gets a large chunk of its income from overseas donors.

Theres enough locally also thats given, so we can handle that, she said, without explaining how long it would be able to sustain its work with only local donations.

According to government filings, foreign donations accounted for over $13 million of the charitys income in the financial year that ended March 2021. It was not clear what percentage of the total that is, since the charity does not reveal that figure.

Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun, founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 in recognition of her work caring for the poor and the sick, and declared a saint in 2016, 19 years after her death.
While Pakistani law grants citizenship to those born there, the government has long refused to recognize the claims of children of Afghans amid public pressure to stem the tide of refugees from Afghanistan. Recently, Prime Minister Imran Khan introduced an alien registration card system that would allow Afghans and their locally born children to start businesses  but it would still deny them full legal rights, human rights groups warn.

The problem may soon get much bigger.

Politicians and the public alike worry that more refugees will cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan after the Talibans takeover of the country in August, further crowding cities and camps for displaced people. Already, Pakistan officially hosts 1.4 million refugees, according to the United Nations, though experts say hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants live there, too.

The wave of new refugees has been smaller than expected, in part because of Pakistans tighter border controls. However, Islamabad expects an influx once the border is opened as economic conditions and stability worsen in Afghanistan.

Pakistans stateless young people work and live on the edges of society.

Madad Ali, a 23-year-old web developer, has been working through online platforms such as Upwork that connect freelancers with employers. But jobs that pay electronically require identity cards and bank accounts, so he has found under-the-table methods.

Mr. Ali is Hazara, an ethnic group that has been persecuted in Afghanistan and in parts of Pakistan. His parents fled in 1995, a year before the Taliban occupied roughly three-quarters of the country and enforced a harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
LONDON  Regulations governing crossbows in Britain are receiving renewed attention after a man was apprehended with one on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where members of the royal family had gathered for the Christmas holiday.

We are considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows, a spokesman for Britains Home Office said in a statement Tuesday, as part of a continuing review of rules on lethal weapons ordered this year by Priti Patel, the home secretary.

The renewed scrutiny comes days after an intruder breached the castle grounds on Christmas morning. A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon, according to the police, while Queen Elizabeth II was on the premises with other members of the royal family.

The British monarch had celebrated the holiday at Windsor Castle instead of at her estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, as is her usual practice. Buckingham Palace said the decision was a precautionary approach because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A lengthy doctors strike in New Delhi against staffing shortages at state-run hospitals has crippled health services, creating fears of disaster if the Omicron variant overwhelms medical facilities.

Medical students from across India have joined the protests, which intensified two weeks ago and have grown angrier after police officers were seen beating junior doctors during a march on Monday.

The New Delhi government has expressed concern over a rising number of coronavirus cases and announced new measures, including a nighttime curfew, to slow the spread of the virus. While the countrys overall case count remains low, daily infections in the capital region have risen by more than 300 percent over the past two weeks, according to the Our World in Data Project at the University of Oxford. It is unclear how many of the new cases are of the Omicron variant.

As the doctors strike has stretched on, drawing in recent graduates and tens of thousands of the more than 70,000 doctors who work at government medical facilities nationwide, emergency health services have been the worst hit.
Days before the United States had its first confirmed case of the Omicron variant on Dec. 1 in California, health officials in Nebraska began looking into six probable cases of coronavirus infection in one household, among them a 48-year-old unvaccinated man who had recently returned from a conference in Nigeria.

On Dec. 2, the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory identified the Omicron variant as the cause in all six people, who ranged in age from 11 to 48. A study of the group released on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that Omicron may have a shorter incubation period than previous variants: about 72 hours.

It may take as little as three days for people to develop symptoms, become contagious and test positive, compared with four to six days with Delta infections and those caused by original coronavirus, the authors observed.

Only one member of the household was fully vaccinated, and all but one member, including the traveler, had experienced confirmed infections in 2020. No household members reported underlying medical conditions.
A 20-year-old Turkish woman recently sparked a heated online debate after marrying the man who disfigured and almost blinded her with acid after a breakup.

Earlier this month, Berfin Ozek tied the knot with 23-year-old Casim Ozan Celtik, the same man who threw acid in her face two years ago, after they broke up. The two had been dating for some time, but, following a heated argument, they separated, and Casim allegedly decided that if he couldnt have her, no other man would either, so he attacked her with acid. The substance left the poor woman disfigured, almost completely blind in one eye, and in considerable pain. Still, she somehow found the power to not only forgive her assailant but also fall back in love with him and accept his marriage proposal.

Photo: Drew Coffman/Unsplash

After surviving Casims cowardly attack, the 20-year-old woman reported him to the police and he was arrested. However, he soon began bombarding her with messages, asking for forgiveness and confessing his love for her. Believe it or not, Berfin actually gave in to his pleas and at one point decided to withdraw her complaint.

I am not comfortable with him being between four walls there. We have written many letters to each other. I have given myself to him. I love him very much, he loves me very much, the young woman wrote on social media.

Berfin Ozeks decision to withdraw her complaint, which basically allowed her acid-throwing ex-boyfriend to avoid punishment for his crime, attracted a lot of criticism from the general public, and she eventually wrote that she had realized she was wrong and asked her lawyer to reinstate the complaint.

A court in the Turkish province of Hatay convicted Casim Ozan Celtik to 13 and a half years in prison. The two remained in contact, however, and following a change in Turkish law caused by the pandemic, Celtik was released on probation after serving under two years of his prison sentence. He proposed to Berfin as soon as he was released, and she accepted to marry him. They quickly set a date and tied the knot earlier this month.

She married without our knowing. Ive fought for her for years, and now all of this has been in vain, Berfins father, Yasar Ozek, told Turkish journalists.

Following the public outcry at Casims release from prison, lawyer Ramazan Erdogan clarified that technically he is only on leave, and still has to serve the rest of his sentence in an open prison.

Considering the period of his imprisonment, he was entitled to go to an open prison after completing the time he had to spend in a closed prison, Erdogan said. However, due to the pandemic, convicts are considered on leave from open prisons until 31st May, 2022. The defendants release has nothing to do with his marriage to Berfin. The decision is final. If it were not for the pandemic, he would have continued to serve his sentence in an open prison.

Berfins decision to marry the man who caused her so much physical and emotional pain has left her entire country in shock, with a few expressing their disappointment with her and even predicting a short and unhappy marriage.

Her forgiveness shouldnt have prevented him from being punished. Its a pity, I hope not, but this marriage will end in a month or two, and the poor woman will remain with the brutality she experienced, one person commented.
An Offaly man has joined the fight against childhood obesity in Ireland and is urging the public to join the Irish Heart Foundations Stop Targeting Kids drive.

A growing trend in obesity levels in children, especially during Covid, has prompted Connor Dupuits, 23, from Clara, to join the campaign.

The secondary school teacher has a special interest in childhood obesity having studied home economics at St Angelas College in Sligo.

It is clear to me that junk food companies used the opportunity (during Covid) to keep their unhealthy products centre stage in childrens minds, said Mr Dupuits.

We need to break the junk food cycle to improve childrens health. I joined this campaign because I believe a ban on junk food marketing would be a game-changer in tackling childhood obesity.

As an active campaigner, Ive been in touch with the Advertising Standards Authority about irresponsible advertising by brands loved by young people as this marketing is continuing without penalties.

His call comes as the Irish Heart Foundation released the results of a poll which found that almost seven in ten people believe the Government is not doing enough to confront childhood obesity in Ireland.

The Ipsos MRBI research for the charity reveals 69% feel more can be done to tackle the problem.

The people of Ireland are telling the Government very clearly through our poll that they want a much bolder approach to protecting childrens health, said the charitys Childhood Obesity Campaign Manager, Helena ODonnell.

Our manifesto target of halving the childhood obesity rate by 2030 is a reflection of what the public is demanding.

In its poll of 1,044 adults last month, only 20% believed the Government is doing enough on childhood obesity, with 11% saying they did not know.

The majority of those who say more must be done are in the 45-54 age group (73%).

The States own research estimates 85,000 of todays generation of children will die prematurely due to overweight and obesity.

And an ESRI study published in March  a year into the pandemic  showed 29% of 12-year-olds were eating more junk food or sweets since the outbreak.

The current Government target of reducing childhood obesity by just half of 1% per annum up to 2025 is not ambitious enough in the face of a tenfold increase in the rate since the mid-1970s and even achieving the objective will still leave us with a crisis for our childrens future health, said Ms ODonnell.

In 2013, junk brand advertising to children on television was restricted because of its health impact. Meanwhile, there has been an explosion in digital marketing thats more personalised, effective and therefore potentially even more damaging.

The Irish Heart Foundation is now urging everyone to contact their local TDs and Senators, demanding action through a pre-written letter on its website, as part of its Stop Targeting Kids drive.

I encourage other young people to join this campaign to show public demand for increased marketing restrictions, said Mr Dupuits.

Together we can place the spotlight back on healthy eating and protect the future of childrens health.

The pre-written letter is available HERE.
Power 4 Good, an organisation based in Tullamore, were delighted to present a cheque to the the Principal of St Philomenas Primary School for the newly established centre, An Cuan which was set up in 2019 for girls from 3rd to 6th class with a diagnosis of Autism.

Ms Bridget Haverty, the School Principal, said, as we are in the process of setting up our new room, the donation of 500 euros will go towards purchasing additional learning materials suitable for the needs of our girls.

Molly Buckley, Chairperson of Power4Good, said, we are delighted to be able to give this donation, to such a great school. 2021 was not an easy year for us, Our charity shops on Main Street and Kilbride Plaza, Tullamore and Clara, were closed for long periods due to Covid restrictions .However, due to the hard work of our volunteers in our shops and the generosity of our sponsors and customers it has enabled us to give this donation. We also sent a donation to the Flamboyant School in Mazabuka in Zambia, which will help with the cost of transport for children to attend the special school.
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Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who governed the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power both as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (19221952) and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (19411953). Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he ultimately consolidated power to become the Soviet Union's dictator by the 1930s. A communist ideologically committed to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, Stalin formalised these ideas as MarxismLeninism while his own policies are known as Stalinism.
There are plenty of organised events and parties around Melbourne that will prioritise COVID safety while celebrating the arrival of 2022.
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Around 80% of NATO's missions in the past year were in response to flights by Russian military aircraft flying too close to members' airspace, the alliance has said.
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Washington and Moscow are set to discuss nuclear arms control and Ukraine, according to a White House official. Talks between NATO and Russia are expected two days later.
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A health minister has defended the government's decision not to offer the hospitality sector more financial support, saying venues remain "pretty full".
Broomfield CO (SPX) Dec 27, 2021



Ball Aerospace is celebrating the launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) from French Guiana. The Colorado-based company designed and built the advanced optical technology and lightweight mirror system that will enable Webb to detect light from the first stars and galaxies. "It is truly an honor to be such an integral part of the next great space observatory," said Dr. Makenzie
US health officials have cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch coronavirus from 10 days to five, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
Thousands of cancelled global flights disrupted what is traditionally a peak week of Canadian travel because of airline staffing shortages caused by COVID-19.
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Jerusalem Post 28 Dec 2021

A spokesperson for the Biden administration announced the date late on Monday and said Russia and NATO were also likely to hold..
In Germany, Lutheran pastors are offering covid-19 shots inside churches. In Israel's science-skeptical ultra-Orthodox community, trusted rabbis are trying to change minds. And in South Africa, undertakers are taking to the streets...
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests.
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When the Mid-Michigan dams broke in May 2020, it launched many into a state of the unknown, including Derrick Patton and his family, who have been trying to get things in order since, including staying in a garage and now in temporary housing.

Things are starting to look up, said Patton, who has two children, ages 2 and 1, and another on the way.

He may have landed a maintenance job with a local church which includes a house to live in. With construction skills on his resume, Patton feels confident about the job. In the meantime, he and his family are living at a Sanford campground run by the Community of Christ.

While the family is displaced for the holidays, Patton said he is taking some positive steps toward improving conditions.

He is thankful to have a warm place for his family for the winter in the temporary housing. And the children had gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Patton said the flood situation has given him a more positive outlook on life.

It forces you to fight harder rather than take the easy way out, he said.

Following the flood, the family moved to the Alma area and rented a place until they had to leave when the landlords grandson was set to move in. Then they returned to the Sanford area and lived in a garage until about a month ago, when they found the campgrounds temporary housing.

Its been an experience, Patton said. Were happy to settle someplace warm. We just feel thankful for this.

It was also important to the family to have a stable place for the holidays. He said the children knew something was going on, but dont really understand the Christmas concept yet because of their young ages.

For Patton personally, hes been living on his own for nearly his whole life.

I kind of got used to flying by the seat of my pants, he said.

But he wants something solid for his children.

Meanwhile, Midland's Open Door Executive Director Renee Pettinger said the ministry's homeless shelter tries to make the holidays an enjoyable time for guests.

She said this is sometimes a difficult time of year for people, who may feel alone, isolated and may not have a good relationship with their family. So, the shelter offers special activities like decorating, spending time on special tasks like writing notes, and communicating.

The ministry offers meals to shelter guests and Midland area community members over the holiday, which also serves as an opportunity to connect with community neighbors.

During Open Door's lunch and dinner holiday meals this past weekend, Pettinger said volunteers were encouraged to socialize with dining guests to build a relationship over a warm meal.

This year, she said many smiles and laughs filled the dining room as volunteers and guests reconnected once again for Christmas celebrations.

Along with the chances for community connection, Pettinger said one concern around the holiday is recovery from addiction. She said this journey can be difficult year-round, but the holiday season can often be more challenging.

Pettinger said there are therapists to talk to people who are facing a challenging time.

Also in Midland, Shelterhouse is a nonprofit that works to provide safety, shelter, advocacy and counseling. Shelterhouse offers these resources to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Midland and Gladwin counties.

Those who might not be able to leave a troubled situation due to the fear of displacement can find information at shelterhousemidland.org. Some available resources include general safety resources for parents, sexual assault recovery and domestic violence safety resources.

If you or someone you know is in an abuse situation, call Shelterhouse's Crisis Help Line at 877-216-6383, which has professional advocates available 24 hours a day.
BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP)  Yossi Levy has repeatedly booked and canceled his coronavirus vaccine appointment. The 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife. But a combination of lethargy and procrastination has prevented him from following through and getting inoculated.

It isn't something pressing. I'm not opposed to it. It's just laziness," he said.

Levy is among the hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who have yet to receive their COVID-19 shots. The group has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country despite being hit hard by the pandemic.

Facing the new coronavirus variant omicron, officials are now scrambling to ramp up vaccination rates in a population that has so far been slow to roll up their sleeves.

We are going on the offensive with the issue of vaccinations, said Avraham Rubinstein, the mayor of Bnei Brak, the countrys largest ultra-Orthodox city.

It has been one year since COVID-19 vaccines became available, yet vaccine reluctance persists even as deaths mount and the highly contagious omicron variant spreads around the globe. An unconventional cadre of people has stepped up to promote vaccination with efforts that traditionally have been the realm of public health officials.

Israeli officials have appealed to the communitys prominent rabbis, who serve as arbiters on all matters, to promote vaccination. They are deploying mobile clinics. And they are beating back a wave of lies about the vaccine that has washed over parts of the community.

The vaccination rate is low in part because half of the ultra-Orthodox population is under 16 and only recently made eligible for vaccination. Also, many ultra-Orthodox were already infected or believe they were and dont think they need the vaccine.

The outreach effort has had mixed success. Officials hope to raise the vaccination rate with a new mobile-clinic campaign at religious schools and a media blitz stepping up pressure on parents to vaccinate children.

Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population late last year and the first to give booster shots. But the campaign has lagged in recent weeks and hundreds of thousands of people remain unvaccinated or without a booster as the specter of an omicron surge looms.

While vaccination rates for the second dose among the general population hover around 63% and the booster at 45%, in the ultra-Orthodox community the number is around half of that. The community's immunity shoots up somewhat when the 300,000 or so of those who are known to have recovered are included, but Israel's Health Ministry recommends those who were infected to get at least one shot if six months have elapsed since the infection.

The low vaccination rate stands in stark contrast to the heavy price the community paid during the pandemic. The ultra-Orthodox were hit hard from the start, with the community's 1.2 million people often leading the country's morbidity rates and losing hundreds to the disease. The ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's 9.3 million population.

There are societal reasons for the quick community spread. The ultra-Orthodox tend to live in poor, crowded neighborhoods, with large families in small apartments, where sickness can quickly spread. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together to pray and socialize in small spaces.

The particular way of life of the ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredim, has made driving up vaccination rates a unique challenge for health officials.

The cloistered community has long been separate from mainstream Israeli life, with children studying scripture but very little math and English. The community typically shuns the internet, doesnt watch secular TV and tends to live separately from non-religious Israelis. It is suspicious of secular state authorities and many of the trappings of modernity.

For Haredim, there is a double fear: fear of the state and fear of science. There is no basic trust in these entities, said Gilad Malach, who heads the ultra-Orthodox program at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. He said that skepticism has allowed unfounded claims about the vaccines to spread in the community.

Avi Blumenthal, an adviser to the Health Ministry on the ultra-Orthodox, said vaccine information is disseminated to the ultra-Orthodox public through its local media as well as in biweekly messages posted on community notice boards, known as pashkevils. He says these means reach the overwhelming majority of Haredim.

The ultra-Orthodox follow a strict interpretation of Judaism and rely on rabbis to guide them in many life decisions. While some rabbis have actively encouraged vaccination, others have taken a less aggressive approach and their followers have been less enthusiastic about getting inoculated.

Blumenthal, who himself is ultra-Orthodox, said the Health Ministry recently held a conference at the countrys largest hospital, inviting prominent rabbis to converse with doctors about the importance of the vaccine. The head of the governments coronavirus advisory panel has repeatedly met with important religious figures, urging them to spread the word on vaccines.

We go by the Jewish sages, said Dvora Ber, 27, a Bnei Brak resident and mother of four who is vaccinated. What they tell us, we do.
SYDNEY (AP)  Australias Victoria and Queensland states reported record levels of new daily coronavirus infections on Tuesday as pressure on testing centers prompted calls for wider use of rapid antigen tests.

Queensland state reported 1,158 cases, the first time the state has seen more than 1,000 cases in a day, but hospitalizations remained low. The state has more than 4,000 active cases of which 257 are reported to be the omicron variant.

State Health Minister Yvette DAth announced Tuesday that travelers from out of state no longer will have to have a PCR test five days after arrival. DAth said of the tens of thousands who had crossed the states borders recently, only 0.6 percent had tested positive on day five.

Anyone who is waiting in lines now for the day five test . . . will not be required to get day five tests from now, she said. We thank everyone for doing the right thing. We have made sure weve done this in a safe and responsible way but from now, that no longer applies.

Victoria state reported 2,738 new cases Tuesday, beating the previous state record of 2,297 cases in mid-October.

Australias most-populous state, New South Wales, saw a slight fall in case numbers but that corresponded with fewer tests around Christmas Day. The state reported 6,062 new infections Tuesday, down from 6,324 a day earlier.

New South Wales Heath Minister Brad Hazzard said the requirement for travelers to Queensland to have a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure was putting unnecessary strain on testing facilities. He said in enforcing the requirement, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was perverting the purposes of pathology testing.

If Queensland thinks people are arriving free of COVID, thats not necessarily true, Hazzard said. These tests have been done three or four days before arriving. Its counterproductive.

This rule is contributing to the breakdown of the biggest pathology system in the country. We are not getting the turnaround times we need.

Long lines were reported at testing centers around Sydney on Tuesday.

Australian federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has called for rapid antigen tests to replace PCR tests for most interstate travelers, to relieve pressure on testing centers.

Using that rapid antigen test ahead of interstate travel is a better approach than the more expensive and time consuming PCR test, Frydenberg told the ABC. I think thats a sensible balance recognizing that people want some level of surety about their health status before they travel.

But at the same time they want to avoid the long queues and long waiting times coming with the PCR tests.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, said that he would remain in office until the adoption of a constitution for the country and the establishment of an elected authority which he will hand over to
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No need to break the bank

Sure, swanky new laptops and $1,500 graphics cards may capture all the headlines, but on a practical level, the real story is that PCs arent cheap. In the last couple of years, its been particularly difficult to swing a whole new PC due to supply chain issues. Fortunately, theres no reason to rush out and spend hundreds on a fresh system if your computers starting to feel pokey.

Investing small amounts in key new PC hardware can keep your computer running strong for years to come. These upgradesmost costing well under $100breathe new life into slow machines. You just have to be strategic and make sure youre putting your money in the best place for your particular system.

Editors note: This article was last updated December 28, 2021 with current hardware and pricing information.

Speed up your PC with an SSD

Lets start in the most obvious place. If your PC still runs with a mechanical hard drive, swapping it out with an SSD will make it feel like a whole new computer. SSDs inject face-melting speed into a PC, drastically improving boot times, file transfers, and overall system responsiveness.

SK Hynix Gold S31 SATA SSD Read our review Best Prices Today:

This upgrade is incredibly affordable these days, too. Prices have plummeted over the years, sending higher-capacity drives well under $100. You can pick up options like the Samsung 870 EVO (currently $70 for 500GB on Amazon) and the SK Hynix S31 ($53 for 500GB on Amazon), with 1TB drives skirting right around the $100 mark. If youre on a tight budget, you can always dip down to a 240GB SSD and use it as a boot drive alongside your current hard drive. Our guide to the best SSDs can help you find other top options.

A word of warning about SSDs, and all the hardware discussed in this article: You can often find lower prices if you sift through Amazon or Newegg for no-name or lesser-known brands. But youre gambling on reliability and support when you move away from established PC hardware makers. Stick with name-brand gear unless you absolutely, positively cant afford it.

Mass storage is dirt cheap

Good news if your available storage space is filled to the brim: Traditional hard drives are still pretty cheap. A 1TB Western Digital Blue hard drive spinning at a speedy 7,200rpm will only set you back $40 on Amazon, while a 4TB WD Blue drive is just $88 on Amazon (albeit at a slower 5,400rpm).

PCWorlds guide to SSDs and hard drives dives into greater detail about each type of storage. Dont forget to back up your data before swapping out any storage drives!

Add RAM for more multitasking

If your computers having trouble running multiple tasks simultaneously, low memory is a likely culprit. Two gigabytes of RAM is the absolute minimum modern Windows systems need to run smoothly, and even PCs with 4GB of memory can start to feel slow if youre running several programs, keep a dozen Chrome tabs open, or game with some background processes still running.

Like SSDs, memory is affordable these daysits been thankfully unaffected so far by supply issues. Expect to pay about $50 for 8GB of DDR4-3200 RAM (2x4GB) and $70 for 16GB for desktop PCs. Stick to reliable brands like Kingston, G.Skill, and Corsair, even if youre tempted to save pennies by going with a no-name company. For laptops with expandable memory slots, a 4GB SO-DIMM of DDR4-3200 is about $25, while 8GB runs about $40.

Be sure to get the right type of memory for your PC: RAM comes in all sorts of different packages. The easiest way to tell what type of RAM resides in your PC is to download the free, superb CPU-Z software, then open the Memory tab and look for the type option. Our guide to choosing the right RAM for your PC can help.

MAYBE upgrade your CPU

AMD

A sluggish PC may be the result of an outdated processor. Unfortunately, replacing your CPU often means replacing your motherboard too, making the endeavor pretty pricey. But not alwaysespecially if you have an AMD-powered system.

Ryzen 5 5600G Best Prices Today:

AMDs AM4 motherboards have powered AMDs Ryzen CPUs since early 2017. Since many prebuilt AMD systems sport modest processors, upgrading to a modern CPU can give your PC a shot in the arm. If youve already got an AM4 system, you can pop in a newer processor. How much newer is dependent on the chipset of your motherboard, though, so youll need to first make sure the new chip is compatible. Before you buy, fire up CPU-Z and search for the Chipset entry in the main Mainboard tab to see your mobos info. Our guide to the best gaming CPUs can help you find a Ryzen chip thats worth your money.

Intel switches out its motherboards and socket types much more often, and its chips tend to be much more expensive. Replacing Intel chips arent really an affordable upgrade in most cases.

Gaming doesnt have to be expensive

Nvidia

Want to dip your toes into PC gaming? Despite the well-justified complaints on forums and Reddit right now about graphics-card scalpers, gaming doesnt have to cost an arm and a leg.

Nvidias GeForce Now service allows you to stream games you own on Steam, the Epic Game Store, Uplay, etc from the cloud to your PC. It works with a wide variety of devices, including Chromebooks, so you dont need a powerful computer or new hardware for it to work. So long as you meet the minimum internet connection requirements, you should be able to give it a go. (You can improve your experience by following our tips.) The basic tier is free, so it costs nothing to give it a try until prices for graphics cards come back to earthand companies start releasing new budget cards again.

Buy some canned air

No, seriously. If you havent cleaned out your PC in a year or more, mounds of dust and debris can be collected inside. Clogged fans and exhaust ports lead to overheating, which leads to your PC throttling back performance. Single containers of canned air can be relatively pricey; grab a four pack ($28 on Amazon) for a lower price and enough air to clean out your PC for years to come.

New to the idea? Check out PCWorlds guide to PC cleaning before cracking open your case.

Improve your cooling, improve your performance

If your PCs still running hot after blowing out the dust, the thermal paste coating the area where your CPU or GPU touches its cooler could be old, dry, and ineffective, especially if youve had the equipment for several years.

First, install SpeedFan and double check that your CPU or GPU is indeed overheating. If one (or both!) is, grab a syringe of thermal pastewe still like Arctic Silver 5 ($7 on Amazon)then use PCWorlds guides to installing a CPU cooler and refreshing your graphics card to help you apply new thermal paste after scraping off the old stuff.

Still running hot overall? Try adding a case fan or two. Case fans from reputable vendors are shockingly cheap ($8 from Arctic on Amazon, or $12 from Thermaltake on Amazon) and can be installed in mere minutes.

A better monitor

You spend most of your time interacting with your computers input and output devices, so its definitely worth investing in decent peripherals if you spend considerable time at your PC.

Start with your monitor. If youre still using a lower-resolution display or (shudder) a fat CRT display, embracing a high-definition 1080p monitor will provide a huge step up in usability. It wont break the bank either: You can buy a 1080p HP with a 21.5-inch IPS screen for just $130 on Amazon (and often around $100 during sales). IPS screens provide a much more vibrant image than the twisted-nematic panels found in most budget monitors.

Alternatively, if youre a gamer with a Radeon graphics card, consider buying a monitor that supports AMDs FreeSync technology. (Nvidia GeForce cards also support select FreeSync monitors.) FreeSync synchronizes the refresh rate of your graphics card and display to eliminate stutter and screen tearing in games. While monitors with Nvidias competing G-Sync technology fetch steep price premiums, FreeSync adds minimal cost to a display. A 22-inch 1080p FreeSync display by ViewSonic costs just $170 on Amazon, for example.

Aural bliss

Treat your ears, too. The speakers that come bundled with prebuilt PCs tend to be utter garbage. While audio gear pricing can escalate to frightening levels, some of our favorite headsets will set you back less than a Benjamin.

If youre a gamer, one of our favorite all-around gaming headsets is the Kingston HyperX Cloud Alpha ($100 on HyperX.com). The sound quality is second to none in this bracket, the build quality is superb, and its extremely comfortablethough its microphone is merely average.

Dont need a mic? Music lovers will find a lot to love in the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro ($100 on Amazon), which weve personally been using for years now. The comfortably snug cans lack the extreme bass kick of, say, Beats or Monster headphones, but make up for it by delivering rich, accurate, and dynamic audio across the full sound spectrum. Theyre beloved among Amazon buyers for a reason.

Enhance the parts you physically touch

If youre used to crappy bundled PC keyboards, or laptop keyboards, upgrading to a mechanical keyboard will change your life. The well-reviewed Logitech G610 Orion with Cherry MX Red switches only costs $80 on Amazon. Thats probably more than most people have spent on a keyboard before, but its cheap by mechanical standards. Once youve tried it, you wont be able to go back to a rubber-dome board.

Likewise, investing in a decent mouse makes interacting with your PC that much more pleasant. The Razer DeathAdder V2 ($44 on Amazon) is ostensibly a gaming mouse, but its ergonomic design and high DPI sensor help it feel good in your palm and generate nice, smooth cursor movements. Multiple PCWorld staff members have been using one for years, and hate it when forced to use a cheap mouse bundled with a prebuilt PC.

But first

Speeding up your well-loved PC doesnt actually have to cost any money. In fact, before you buy new hardware, take a peek at PCWorlds guide to 10 cheap or free ways to make your old PC run faster. Youll find a few tips repeated from hereseriously, buy an SSDbut for the most part, it focuses on no-cost software solutions for potentially boosting your computers performance. Try those before dropping dough on new gear!

If you do wind up upgrading some of your PCs innards, however, PCWorlds guide to building a PC can help you with step-by-step instructions on how to install each new component. Or if youre looking to bolster a laptop, our guides to installing hard drives and memory in laptops can help you through the basics of the process.
Police have revealed how a man who thought his neighbors music was too loud, shot him in the back.



Zachary Moncada, 31, was arrested Friday, December 24 and charged with the Christmas Eve attempted murder in his quiet Boca Raton neighborhood, in Florida, US according to a police report.



When police responded around 2:30 p.m., they found the victims family holding Moncada on the ground. During the struggle, Moncada was able to fire another round into the lawn.



The wife of the victim, who has not been publicly identified, took him to the hospital. As at press time the victim was in stable condition.



Moncada has been charged with first-degree premeditated attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of battery and a weapons charge for display of a firearm during a felony.



He is being held without bail.









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A blind clairvoyant who allegedly predicted 9/11 and Brexit, has made six terrifying prophecies for 2022.



Some of the prophecies given by Baba Vanga, a Bulgarian mystic who lost her sight at the age of 12, include natural disasters, a water crisis and an alien invasion by the end of next year.



Nicknamed the Nostradamus of the Balkans, her visions are said to be 85% correct and include the Chernobyl tragedy, the death of Princess Diana and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.



Despite a challenging 2021 for the whole world, Baba Vanga's next forecast is full of further doom and gloom.



One of her most easily believable of her predictions for 2022 is a virtual reality takeover with people spending more time than ever in front of screens.



She also envisaged another pandemic, this time discovered in Siberia, caused by a frozen virus that will be released by climate change.



Baba Vanga, whose real name is Vangelia Gushterova, also predicted famine in India where temperatures will supposedly reach 50 degrees causing locusts to attack crops.



More earthquakes and tsunamis are also on the cards, according to the mystic who told of 'intense bouts of floods' in Australia and parts of Asia.



It is believed that Baba Vanga's predictions will continue to come true in spite of her death in 1996.



Her futuristic visions include the Earth's orbit changing in 2023, astronauts travelling to Venus in 2028, Muslims ruling Europe in 2043 and the end of the universe in 5079.



She also predicted that in 2046, people would live for more than 100 years due to organ transplant technology.



From 2100, she believed that the night would disappear and artificial sunlight would illuminate another part of Earth.



Read Full Story .... mirror.co.uk >>> :

















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The Western Regional Police Command in Ghana has arrested three Senior High School students for allegedly setting a Bolt driver ablaze.



Patrick Baidoo, aged 18; Joseph Lord Nii Adjei Odiku, aged 17; and Adolf Eshun, aged 17, lit Naval officer AB1, Boateng Okyere Boateng on fire at Bakano in Sekondi on Wednesday, December 22. The Bolt driver died at the 37 military hospital after he was transferred there from the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital.



According to Police, the three suspects confessed to committing the heinous act following the drivers unwillingness to hand over the keys to them as they tried to snatch the car.



The Public Relations Officer of the regional police command, Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, confirmed the development to journalists on Tuesday.



At about 5 pm on December 24, our team from the Regional Intelligence and Operation Unit, based on some intelligence, conducted an operation and arrested three suspects namely Patrick Baidoo, aged 18; Joseph Lord Nii Adjei Odiku, aged 17; and Adolf Eshun, aged 17," All these three sustained burnt wounds from the December 22, 2021 incident," she noted.



DSP Adiku did not disclose the institutions these students attend due to security reasons.



She said the suspects will be arraigned and charged accordingly, of which the charges are likely to include robbery and murder following the death of the officer they set ablaze.



"Unfortunately, the Bolt driver has passed on. The suspects confessed that they needed money and wanted to rob him of the car. When they got to Baka-Ano, and they asked him to hand over the keys, he refused; hence they poured the petrol on him and burnt him. The three are currently in our custody and would be put before court on the charges of robbery and murder, DSP Olivia Adiku added.









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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.









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Corporate Communication Specialist and Head of Corporate Communications for Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), Mr. Ernest Owusu-Bempah, believes Hard Work pays if one endeavor to deliver or does something extra ordinary when necessary.



Mr. Ernest Owusu-Bempah who is also the Convener for a pressure group affiliated to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for #Fixing the Country Movement, is known of his articulations and vocal on Political, Social and National issues that needs public discourse.



Due to his Communication outputs and footprints, he has been awarded Best Corporate Communication Man of the year 2021, by Corporate Ghana Awards organizers, in Accra.



The Ghana Corporate Awards is a prestigious awards programme that recognizes and rewards individuals and companies that play a significant role in the growth and development of their sector while recognizing the key functions within the sector that promote growth and sustainability.



Mr. Ernest Owusu-Bempah speaking with the media after receiving the Award, says, achievements and the successes of corporate entities and individuals depend on efforts, innovation and excellence stalwarts for their contribution based on their dedications.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Chidwick Headlines Latest Super MILLION$ Final Table

December 28, 2021 Matthew Pitt

The final Super MILLION$ of 2021 is at the final table stage after the 261 starters were whittled down to the final nine on Day 1. Each of the nine finalists is guaranteed to take home $63,611, but one of them will walk away with $508,891 and the title of Super MILLION$ champion.

Israels Ravid Garbi leads the final table players back into battle, but all eyes are on the man in second place, the one and only Stephen Chidwick.

Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 24 Final Table

Place Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Ravid Garbi Israel 6,606,635 94.4 2 Stephen Chidwick Canada 4,469,927 63.9 3 Nenad "O O L" Djukic Croatia 2,784,992 39.8 4 Ognyan "fizoka" Dimov Russia 2,676,968 38.2 5 Lukas "rustyhusky" Hafner Austria 2,081,632 29.7 6 Isaac Haxton Canada 2,011,176 28.7 7 Joshua McCully New Zealand 2,006,855 28.7 8 Artur Martirosian Russia 1,912,221 27.3 9 Gytis Lazauninkas Poland 1,549,594 22.1

Watch This Star-Studded Final Table Unfold Who will win this week's Super MILLION$? Watch the final table action here! Head to GGPoker's Awesome YouTube channel

Garbi sits down at the final table with 6,606,635 chips, the equivalent of 94.4 big blinds. Garbi took full advantage of the in-built staking feature at GGPoker, selling 50% of his action at 1.0 markup. Super MILLION$ regular Daniel Dvoress bought all 50% so receives half of any prize money Garbi reels in.

The Israeli did not play a single Super MILLION$ during Season 1, but has played 13 such tournaments this season. This is his fifth cash and first final table.

Chidwick returns to the action armed with 4,469,927 chips, or 63.9 big blinds if you prefer. The British superstar has only played three Super MILLION$ tournaments this season, and this is his first cash. A second-place finish in August is the deepest Chidwick has gone in this tournament. He won $263,791 that day, third-place of better tonight beats that prize.

Look out for Croatias Nenad "O O L" Djukic when play resumes at 6:00 p.m. GMT on December 28 because he is looking to complete a hat-trick of firsts. This is his first-ever Super MILLION$, his first final table, will it also be his maiden victory? Djukic won the $400 COLOSSUS for $368,421, and is now guaranteed at least his second-largest GGPoker score. Djukics war chest contains 2,784,992 chips, or 39.8 big blinds.

Ognyan Dimov

Returning in fourth place is Ognyan "fizoka" Dimov, who has reached back-to-back final tables. Dimov crashed out in fourth last week, a finish yielding $339,712. Hell need to finish at least second to surpass that score, his 2,676,968 chips (38.2 big blinds) suggest Dimov will be there or thereabouts.

Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 24 Final Table Payouts

1st - $508,891

2nd - $392,409

3rd - $302,588

4th - $233,327

5th - $179,920

6th - $138,737

7th - $106,981

8th - $82,493

9th - $63,611

Austrias Lukas "rustyhusky" Hafner is guaranteed a healthy return on investment in this event thanks to winning his way in via a $1,050 buy-in satellite. This is only the fifth time Hafner has entered the Super MILLION$, but he now has two cashes and a pair of final table appearances. He finished eighth back on Halloween, his 2,081,632 (29.7 big blind) stack suggests Hafner will go a little deeper this time around.

Isaac Haxton

Look down at sixth place when play resumes and you find Isaac Haxton. He has been in superb form during the current Super MILLION$ season, cashing 11 times, and reaching six final tables from 22 entries. Haxton won this event for $393,262 during Season 1. He has plenty of work to do if he is to make it two victories because Haxton has 2,011,176 chips or 28.7 big blinds at his disposal.

New Zealands Joshua McCully is another finalist who won their $10,300 seat via a $1,050 satellite. This is the third final table of Season 2 that McCully has graced with his presence. Fifth place for $118,014 is the deepest the Kiwi has gone, can he turn his 2,006,855 chips (28 big blinds) into his first outright victory?

Those of you who regularly tune into the Super MILLION$ previews and final table recaps are used to seeing the name of Artur Martirosian in them. However, Martirosian tends to reach the final table in a healthier position, but not this time. The Russian, who has more than $19.3 million in GGPoker winnings alone, finds himself in eighth place courtesy of his 1,912,221 (27.3 big blinds) stack. He is a rank outsider in the final table betting markets, but it would take a brave person to bet against Martirosian turning around his flagging fortunes tonight.

Gytis Lazauninkas needs seventh place or higher to reel in his largest GGPoker haul. Lazaununkas took down a $525 Bounty Hunters tournament for $84,487. Finishing at least seventh means he will enjoy his first six-figure score at GGPoker. His main stumbling block is the fact he only has 1,311,383 chips, or 13.1 big blinds, when play gets underway. However, an early double puts him back into contention.
WAGENER  "Bokkeumbap" has entered the vocabulary of some local residents over the past several weeks, with help from Debbie Lawson and several of her family members and neighbors.

The dish, also known as beef-fried rice, is among the regular menu items at 162 Lee Street North, where Lawson, an Army wife, puts her heritage into many of the offerings at Heavenly Seoul and Grill, one of Aiken County's newest restaurants.

Lawson, whose husband, Ray, is based at Fort Bragg, owns the restaurant and also handles the cooking, with heavy emphasis on creations based on Korean and Thai concepts, with Bible-based themes as a major component of the atmosphere.

"We started in mid-October," she said. "My husband's been in the Army for 33 years ... and he'll probably be retired by the middle of 2022, so we decided we wanted to bring something new to our community. We knew this is where we were going to retire, so we felt, 'Well, we don't want to compete with anybody. We support all of our local businesses and restaurants, and we didn't want to bring anything that somebody else already had.'"

That meant calling on Lawson's ancestry. She is a native of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, her mother's native country.

"We have family that are Thai -- from Thailand. Our aunt," she said. "My cousin and I always joked about cooking 'Thai-rean' food, because we've got Thai and Korean in it, but the 'Heavenly Seoul' has always been a name that I've used ...'Heavenly' because I love the Lord. We're a Christian family, and 'Seoul' goes with 'Heavenly,' but I spell it from the country I was born in ... so we decided we're just going to do Thai and Korean foods. It's a small menu, because I'm the main cook and I don't want to overwhelm myself, so I try to make it simple."

Some of the menu's fluctuations come under the label of "Debbie Do" -- as in the concept of Debbie doing this or that to put her creativity into action, she explained. Prices for full-size entrees range from $8.99 to $10.99.

"We wanted our menu to be different," she added, citing the "littles" category, with relatively small portions, from grilled cheese sandwiches to sweet-and-spicy meatballs (with or without rice). Among the extras are cucumber kimchee and specialty rolls (similar to eggrolls), with soy or sweet chili sauce on the side.

Drinks are listed under "for your thirst," and range from traditional soft drinks and bottled water to Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee. Dessert-type options, listed under "add to your sweetness," are Korean pancakes and a "yummy Korean honeydew melon dessert bar."

Lawson noted, "Instead of fortune cookies, we have scripture cookies," with a Bible verse inside.

"We do call-ins and take-out. We do deliver to local businesses, for a small delivery fee, and we recommend, if there's more than one person ordering, split the delivery fee. Decide who it is, and just share it, because we're going to one place ... and they have to call us, to do the delivery."

Schools have been among frequent clients, with several employees placing an order together for delivery, looking to add a little flavor of Bangkok or Busan to their work day. "We're hoping to get our name out there and just have more people come and enjoy, even if it's just a Thai tea," she added, with a laugh.

Entry is via the back porch, near the parking lot, and the eatery is open Sundays and Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The building is the former home of Virginia's Back Porch (also a restaurant).

"We're excited," Lawson said, "because we're finally getting to meet people in the community, and everyone has been wonderful, so I just get more excited every week."

The business has both a Facebook page and a website, and the host building, about 100 yards from First Baptist Church of Wagener, is also home to a bed-and-breakfast operation. Details and call-in service are available at 803-220-4232.
A cadet graduating from The Citadel in May will be the first student at the historic military college to commission as an officer in the newly created U.S. Space Force.

Senior cadet Conor William Deans, whose focus is computer science and cyber security, accepted his commission in November and was informed he will be stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for training.

He immediately called his parents to tell them the news.

"I am really excited that I was selected for the U.S. Space Force, Deans said in a statement. "My parents were happy. My dad made a couple space cadet jokes. My mom was pretty happy for me, too.

Deans is not alone in his Space Force journey at The Citadel. At the beginning of 2021, Col. Matthew Morand became the first Space Force-affiliated staff member at The Citadel.

The ROTC instructor had been in the Air Force for 25 years but moved over to the new branch to become one the first Space Force service members  dubbed by the Pentagon as Guardians  who are dedicated to protecting U.S. and allied interests in space.

Morand had informed Deans of his commission and congratulated him by handing him a Space Force patch, pins and stickers.

Space Force was created when the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019. It is the first new military service in more than 70 years, following the establishment of the Air Force in 1947.

Then-President Donald Trump prioritized creating a Space Force during his term. Following Joe Bidens victory in November, some people were concerned about the longevity of the newly created branch.

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President Trump kind of just said, Hey, were gonna go do this, Morand said. And so there was a concern: How will this go when that transfer, the transition of the presidency, happens? But I think were on stable ground.

The 2019-2020 school year was the first opportunity for The Citadel's cadets to commission into the Space Force. Granted, many already had their career paths lined up, but Morand is optimistic that more students will look into joining the branch this year.

Eventually, I think were going to have more sophomores and even more freshmen, because its going to be this new shiny cool thing, Morand told The Post and Courier earlier this year. Im here because I love what I do in the space business, and I like telling them stories to get them excited about it.

On Dec. 20, 2021, the Space Force celebrated its second birthday as a Pentagon branch. On the anniversary, the service launched a new recruiting website, spaceforce.com.

So far, thousands of airmen, sailors, soldiers and Marines applied to transfer to the new service, and the Air Force Recruiting Service met its goals in 2021 with about 400 enlisted Guardians and roughly three dozen officers from the civilian population, according to Air Force Magazine.

In 2022, the service is expanding its goals to 521 enlisted Guardians and about 70 officers. Space Force is still expected to be the smallest military service branch, overall.

More developments are coming to the Space Force. The defense bill passed by Congress this month requires the Pentagon to examine whether to establish a Space National Guard as the service's reserve component.
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GOOSE CREEK  Aspiring business owners in the city are expected to receive more tools in the coming year to move their ideas forward.

The city of Goose Creek has finalized a two-year partnership with Lowcountry Local First, which supports the economic development of local businesses.

With the partnership will come a series of courses, workshops and resources centered around business management and planning. The goal is to create a pool of resources for local business owners in the Goose Creek area.

"We think this is an excellent opportunity for folks," said Matt Brady, the city's economic development director.

In the coming year, the city and Lowcountry Local First will launch two training programs  one in English and one in Spanish.

There, attendees will receive hands-on training on how to take their existing businesses or ideas for a business to the next level. A minimum of 70 percent of the participants will be low-income community members.

The reason for offering Spanish courses and prioritizing low-income residents is to make sure that everyone gets help. They are also demographics in the most need of resources and advice, Brady said.

Brady gave an example of a local artisan. That person could have the right idea and create an amazing product to be sold. But they've likely never thought about something like navigating a commercial lease.

"That's a topic we could address," he said.

The same could go for things like marketing or attaining a loan.

Lowcountry Local First will also develop four workshops through its Good Business Workshop Series. Those courses will be for local business owners and is expected to help them connect with experts, the city and resources in general to help with their business development.

Other programs in the works with the partnership will include a community storefront challenge where the winner will be given a one-year subsidized lease rate through a property owner working with the city.

They will also be working with business owners in developing their own buy local campaigns.

In a news release, Jacquie Berger, the executive director of Lowcountry Local First, said they were excited about launching the projects with the city.

"This work will build community wealth and enhance the quality of life for Goose Creek residents now and in the years to come," she said.

Over the years Berkeley County has been one of the fastest growing counties in South Carolina. Goose Creek is its largest city.

With all of the growth, Goose Creek staff members said the purpose of putting so much attention on local businesses is to help maintain the city's unique charm.

The city is expected to push the new resources throughout the month of January. Those interested are advised to be on the look out for additional information at businessinthecreek.com as well as the city's social media accounts.
Here we go again.

Joe Dawson was among the highest-paid local government employees in South Carolina when he traded his $421,358-a-year job as Charleston County attorney for a federal judgeship earlier this year. And now  with the aftertaste of his ethically troubling parting gift still stuck in our mouths  Charleston County Council appears to be setting up his successor to follow in his footsteps.

When the council voted in March to hire Natalie Ham, it started her at $225,000. That was already $50,000 (29%) more than she was paid in her previous job as general counsel for the Charleston County School District.

Its true that her current job requires her to work for a divisive group of often cantankerous council members, whose divisions can make the splits on the school board look like a church picnic. But her old job required a much deeper knowledge base than a county attorney needs, because education policy is a convoluted mix of state law and regulations and federal law and regulations and complicated court precedents. And she was working for an entity whose budget and staff size eclipse the countys.

Yet less than nine months into the job, the council has already given Ms. Ham a $25,000 (11%) raise, bringing her salary to $250,000.

If you didnt realize the new county attorney was already up for a raise, youre not alone. The councils Dec. 16 agenda gave no hint that she was the subject of the Personnel Matter to be held in executive session. When Councilman Kylon Middleton asked if the matter could be discussed in public, Chairman Teddie Pryor said doing so would be counterproductive because the discussion would be public even if it turned into something that doesnt pan out.

When the council emerged from its 42-minute closed-door session, Mr. Pryor called on council member Jenny Honeycutt, who said simply: Council has conducted its personnel review; Id like to move to increase the county attorneys salary by the amount discussed in executive session. Thats it. No discussion, no debate and certainly no details before the unanimous vote. The Post and Couriers David Slade had to track down county officials later simply to find out what the amount discussed in executive session was.

Does anyone believe that was an accident?

Now, maybe the high starting salary and the 11% raise less than a year later are all about personality and politics, which would be inappropriate but not the worst possibility. But the way County Council discussed and authorized the raise only adds to our concerns that the main reason the council would pay a county attorney that much is because it expects Ms. Ham to serve the same role that Mr. Dawson served: as a conduit for doing an end-run around the S.C. Freedom of Information Act.

Its a time-honored if dishonorable practice in local governments to give the county or city or school district attorney a super-sized role in policy decisions in order to declare anything she touches subject to attorney-client privilege and thus exempt from public disclosure and debate.

And it extends beyond those usual worst FOI offenders. When the V.C. Summer nuclear construction project started falling apart, Santee Cooper and SCANA hired a law firm to commission the now-infamous Bechtel report. The lawyer clearly was hired to either allow or require Santee Cooper to claim attorney-client privilege and hide the report's contents. When a reporter asked in 2017 for the number of sexual harassment and assault allegations that the S.C. House had received from pages, from staffers and from House members, the House clerk took a similar approach, saying that releasing even the numbers would violate attorney-client privilege, because attorneys had been hired to investigate the complaints.

So we need to remind the County Council what the S.C. Supreme Court said about that sort of subterfuge when The Post and Courier sued the Berkeley County School Board to get a look at school board members evaluations of then-Superintendent Chester Floyd. The district had claimed attorney-client privilege because a law firm compiled the evaluations, based on interviews with board members. The newspaper argued that the law firm was brought in for the sole purpose of fabricating a claim of attorney-client privilege, and a school attorney even admitted that "the evaluations were within the normal course of events, and that attorney involvement was not necessary to the process." (He later changed his story.)

The unanimous high court reversed a lower-court order against the paper, writing that while the law exempts some material from disclosure, "the exemptions should be narrowly construed" to "guarantee the public reasonable access to certain activities of the government." The burden of proving that an exemption is legitimate, the court said, "lies with the government," not the public. It went on to say: "The General Assembly, by the clear language of the statutes, believes FOIA should be broadly construed to allow the public to gain access to public records. The interest in confidentiality expressed through the attorney-client privilege should not trump the publics right to know at this juncture."

If only the County Council would act as expeditiously to follow the spirit of that and similar rulings as it has acted to fork over tax dollars to its top lawyers.
A man wanted by police in Hawaii faces criminal charges on Guam after officers pulled him over for a defective brake light in Sinajana on Monday and found drugs.

Frederico Santos Manglona Jr., 48, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a Schedule II controlled substance as a first-degree felony, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid operators license as a violation.

According to court documents, police smelled a strong odor of marijuana while approaching the suspects car.

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During a search, authorities found four baggies with methamphetamine, marijuana, and $3,300 in cash, documents state.

Police also noted the suspect has outstanding warrants of arrest in Hawaii and possibly on Guam, documents state.
Not long ago, I would have said they are obsessed with it. Thats the most plausible explanation for nominating Joe Biden to run for president.

But the Dems obsession with defeating Donald Trump hasnt seemed to carry over into 2021-22. The most plausible explanation for some of the positions they are taking  both in Congress and at the White House  is that left-wing ideology comes first and second, with winning next year a distant third.

Further evidence comes from Maryland politics. Both Democrats and Republicans are gerrymandering congressional districts wherever they have the power to do so.

In Maryland, its the Dems who have that power. They have used it to try to defeat Andy Harris, a Republican who represents a district in the states rural and conservative Eastern Shore, via redistricting. Harris is the only GOP House member from the state.

According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump carried the district by 20 points in 2020. However, Biden would have carried the district as it will exist next year (absent a successful court challenge) by 0.3 points. Thats how radically the district has been redrawn.

However, Harris won his 2020 race by 27 points. He hasnt won by less than 20 points since 2010.

Thus, even with redistricting, the Democrats face a difficult battle. You might think, then, that they would want to run a candidate with appeal to rural voters.

Instead, the party establishment is backing Heather Mizeur. Shes a lesbian who once represented the socialist enclave of Takoma Park (Montgomery County) in the Maryland General Assembly, and who moved to the Eastern Shore with her wife. In 2014, she was the left-most candidate in the Maryland Democratic gubernatorial primary, quite a distinction.

Has Mizeur moderated her positions since 2014? Not by her account. She says the positions of hers that were considered radical in 2014 are now mainstream.

Thats probably true among Democrats. Its not true on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

This reality hasnt stopped the party establishment from strongly backing Mizeur. She is endorsed, for example, by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and by Rep. Jamie Raskin an increasingly influential Maryland Democrat. And she has raised more than $1 million already.

Mizeur has two Democratic opponents. The main one has raised only $200,000.

He says:

This is still a very, very rural district. Democrats lose 90 percent of rural districts. You know why? Because they run people like Heather Mizeur. They dont know the people and the culture and the issues.

Rep. Harris has some potential political weaknesses. He voted against at least one of the coronavirus relief packages that provided money to many residents of his district. He also objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election (which may or may not be a problem in his newly-drawn district) and opposed awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the police officers who responded to January 6 attack.

But running a far-left candidate against Harris seems like a losing proposition, especially given the headwinds the Dems likely will face next year due to Joe Bidens low standing. Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report seems to think so. He says:

If [Democrats] nominate Heather Mizeur, then itd be possible for Republicans to paint her not only as pretty far on the partys left, but also as a carpetbagger who has no business representing the Eastern Shore. When you put the national environment and that together, I would still consider Harris the favorite heading into 2022.

That the partys leaders favor Mizeur nonetheless tells me they arent all that interested in winning. Not if it means bucking the left.
Graeme Wood profiled Xiyue Wang for the Atlantic earlier this year in The Princeton Historian Mugged by Reality. Last week the Free Beacons Chuck Ross updated the story in Historian Says Princeton Left Him To Rot in Iranian Prison. Adapting the heading of Woods Atlantic profile, the update might be titled The Princeton Historian Mugged by Princeton. That is more or less the story told by Wang in the lawsuit he filed against Princeton last month in New Jersey state court (the subject of Rosss story). I have embedded the complaint below.

Working toward a Ph.D. under the supervision of the eminent Princeton historian Stephen Kotkin, Wang traveled to Tehran for archival research. Woods enraging profile tells the story of Wangs arrest and imprisonment by Iranian authorities in the course of his research. Tortured by the Iranians, Wang confessed to being a spy. After 40 months in Evin Prison, he was sprung by the Trump administration.

Woods profile captures Wangs awakening from the falsehoods and illusions about Iran disseminated on campus at Princeton and elsewhere in the United States. He refers to his time in prison as involuntary fieldwork. The torture to which he was subjected is a disgusting trademark of the regime, although the time in prison was not entirely wasted. He perfected his Farsi and learned French. French must be something like the tenth language he has learned in the course of his studies.

Reflecting on his long stay in Iran prior to his arrest, Wang told Wood that he met no supporters of the regime  unlike his time in the United States. Princeton professors talking with him about his imprisonment wanted to blame it on Trump, even though it occurred under Obama and Trump secured his release. Wood quotes Wang: What are they teaching their students? The facts just dont matter.

Before the Trump administration secured Wangs release, Laura Secor covered Wangs story in a long 2018 New York Times Magazine article. With Wang imprisoned in Evin, Secor reported on Princetons approach to his case:

[T]he universitys public strategy was silence. Experts, whose names Princeton declined to disclose, advised keeping Wangs detention out of the media, in part because then the Iranians could declare the arrest a mistake and release him without fanfare. The advice ran counter to that of many experts with whom I spoke: Iranian human rights specialists, a former Iranian official and at least one State Department official. But as Durkee explained to me, Princeton had determined that publicity and pressure would neither change the Iranians minds nor do more than distract the people in Washington who were already on the case.

This bears on Wangs lawsuit. Ross conveniently summarizes the gist of Wangs 45-page complaint:

In a lawsuit filed last month, Wang accuses Princeton of trying to keep his wife from publicizing his case following his arrest in order to protect its reputation and to maintain political ties in Iran. Wang blasted Princeton and its Iran Center for heeding the advice of pro-regime activists and academics before and after his arrest. Wang alleges that Princeton lawyers and administrators urged him not to seek refuge in the Swiss embassy in Tehran after he began to fear for his safety. Everything Princeton did and abstained from doing was centered around absolving its institutional responsibility, protecting its institutional reputation, and maintaining its political relations with Iran, Wang says in the lawsuit, which has not been previously reported. Wangs lawsuit threatens to reveal Princetons efforts to forge ties with Iran and the schools internal deliberations after his arrest. The historian identifies researchers and scholars at Princeton he says are sympathetic to the Iranian regime who he claims stymied efforts to free him from prison. Wang notes that Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat, serves as a scholar at Princeton. Mousavian was ambassador to Germany when four Iranian dissidents were assassinated on German soil. He attended the funeral of Qassem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader killed by American forces last year. Wang also questions advice he received before and during his trip from a Princeton research director whose father is a former Iranian diplomat. Wangs saga highlights the misplaced optimism that gripped academia and Washington power circles in the wake of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Iran nuclear deal. Wang, who now serves as national security adviser to Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), says his advisers ignored the regimes support for terror organizations and its penchant for arresting Americans on false charges. Its a good time to go [to Iran]looks like they are in a good mood over there. Take advantage of it! Dr. Kevan Harris, one of Wangs advisers at the Iran Center, wrote Wang on Jan. 17, 2016, according to the lawsuit. Anastasia Vrachnos, a Princeton vice provost, told Wang in a Jan. 28, 2016, email, Its an exciting and dynamic time to be there. The then-director of Princetons Iran Center, John Haldon, said Wang studying in Iran would be a boon for the school. He called it a pioneering visit for Princeton that would allow the school to send other graduate students to carry out research there and support Iranian graduates should they wish to work at Princeton. Wangs troubles began as soon as he arrived in Tehran. He says he quickly figured out that Princeton administrators had not laid the groundwork for him to be able to access materials he needed for his research. Princeton University was grossly unprepared to send Mr. Wang to Iran and unable to provide the most basic logistical support for Mr. Wang after his arrival in Iran, which directly contributed to, and resulted in, Mr. Wangs arrest, detention, torture, and physical and mental abuse, the lawsuit reads. Wang was repeatedly blocked from accessing government archives because he was an American. He said he came under surveillance but was not initially concerned that he was in danger. Wangs fortunes took a turn for the worse when Iranian police took his passport and laptop. Wang said Princeton downplayed his concerns. In a July 24, 2016, email, Haldon, the Iran Center director, advised Wang to sit tight and say nothing to anyone outside the small group of people who already know about the situation. Prof. Haldon and Princeton were clearly trying to prevent Mr. Wangs situation from being known beyond the University, Wang alleges. According to the lawsuit, two Princeton lawyers and Vrachnos, the vice provost, advised Wangs wife, Hua Qu, that Wang should not seek sanctuary in the Swiss embassy. He alleges that Mousavian, the former Iranian diplomat, and other Princeton employees with ties to the Iranian government made the intentional decision not to utilize their political capital in Iran to help him. Instead of taking action to assist and accelerate Mr. Wangs release, Princeton chose instead to protect their own reputation over Mr. Wangs health and well-being, the lawsuit reads. Princeton did nothing but try to suppress news about the case.

Jubin Katiraie followed up on Rosss Free Beacon story in Iran Focuss How Princeton Sacrificed Its Scholar To Maintain Ties With Tehran. The story collects quotes from other scholars who have found themselves guests of the Ayatollah, as Mark Bowden titled his 2006 book on the American hostages taken by Iran in 1979.

Neither Wang nor Princeton responded to Rosss requests for comment on the lawsuit. Professor Kotkin did not respond to my request for comment.

Princeton lists Wang as a student in his seventh year of graduate study. He remains a Ph.D. candidate in history. As Ross notes, however, Wang now works on Capitol Hill for Rep. Jim Banks, where he has a great contribution to make.

w Xv s Princeton by Scott Johnson on Scribd
A fire outbreak which occurred on Monday around Mile 50 Layout, Abakaliki, destroyed property worth millions of naira.

A residential building and more than seven shops were gutted in the incident.

Confirming the fire outbreak, the Federal Fire Service, Ebonyi Command, said that the incident occurred at Aliugbala-Eze Street located around Eze and Bros Junction.

Yakubu Zekeri, Assistant Superintendent of Fire in the Command, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that no life was lost and no one was injured.

He pointed out that the quick drafting of firemen to the scene curtailed the spread of the fire.

Mr Zekeri, who led the fire fighters to the scene, said property worth millions of naira were damaged.

For now, we cant really ascertain the cause of the fire but one of the tenants has told us that it was caused by electrical spark.

We are still on a `damping down` and when we are done with it we will know the actual cause of the fire, he said.

Mr Zekeri advised residents to cultivate the habit of switching off their electrical appliances when going out or going to bed.

This will help them to prevent the chances of fire outbreak should there be a power surge in their homes, he said.

He reminded residents that the country was in the harmattan season, a period that is susceptible to fire outbreaks because of its dry nature.

This is dry season and critical period for fire outbreak. I urge the residents to always call on fire fighters whenever there is any sign of fire. Do not wait for it to get worse before calling us, he advised.

One of the victims of the fire incident, a police officer, Calistus Akogu, said he lost all his documents and other valuables to the fire.

I was in the office when my wife called me about the fire, but before I could get home, all my property had already been damaged.

All I have now apart from my children and wife is the cloth on me. I have lost every other thing, Mr Akaogu said. (NAN)
Three months after denouncing the leaked report of a visitation panel on the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as fake, the Federal Ministry of Education has failed to produce the original report.

A leaked report of the panel published by some newspapers in September showed that the vice-chancellor of the university, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, was indicted for corruption and mismanagement.

The report also indicated that the seven-member panel, led by a former Chief of Army Staff, Martin Luther Agwai, backed the actions taken against Mr Ogundipe in 2020 by the Wale Babalakin-led governing council of the institution.

The Agwai panel was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29 this year to probe the affairs and management of the university especially given the crisis that rocked the university in early 2020.

The committee submitted its report to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in June.

The report of the panel came about a year after another special presidential panel, led by a former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Tukur Saad, investigated and submitted a report on the 2020 crisis at the university.

Real or forged?

Months after the Martin Luther Agwai panel submitted its report, some newspapers, in September this year, obtained a leaked copy of the document and published some of the findings and recommendations contained therein.

However, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono, swiftly called a press conference to vehemently deny the authenticity of the leaked report.

He went ahead to accuse the media of forgery.

And even from the content of what is being published in the media, which is 100 percent, not one page is identical, is a complete forgery. It has no bearing whatsoever with this report, Mr Echono said at the press conference in Abuja.

I am surprised that even the editors did not attempt to contact the chairman of the panel or the ministry to say we have this information, can you deny, accept or corroborate it? I would have sought approval to lay this report even before the public, before we even set up the White Paper committee so that Nigerians will see and avoid any allegations about the government modifying or changing the report.

Also, the ministry, in a statement entitled, Re-Presidential Visitation Indicts Unilag VC, Mgt, signed by its Director of Information and Public Affairs, Ben Goong, described the claims in the leaked UNILAG report as false, unfounded, and to say the least, mischievous, as they have no bearing with the report submitted by the panel.

An FOI Request Ignored

Following Mr Echonos claim and that by his ministry, PREMIUM TIMES on October 11 sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the ministry for a copy of the report with a view to verifying the education ministrys allegation of forgery and providing clarity on the findings and recommendations of the visitation panel.

That was against the backdrop of the leaked report indicating the new panel also indicted Mr Ogundipe who has nevertheless continued to hold the position of vice-chancellor despite being accused of corruption.

The Freedom of Information Act stipulates that requests made under the Act should be responded to within seven days, except an extension is requested by the organisation from which the information is requested.

But the ministry of education neither responded to the request nor asked for an extension.

PREMIUM TIMES on November 9 sent a reminder to the ministry. But it did not respond to the reminder too, until November 18.

In a November 18 letter to PREMIUM TIMES, signed by its Assistant Director, Legal Services, Ozoemena Ikechi, the ministry said, I am directed to inform you that your request to the ministry is being looked into and the ministry will communicate to your company in due course.

This newspaper then sent a reporter to follow up for the ministry to give a specific date it intended to provide it a copy of the original report, as stated in the FoI request.

During one of her visits, the reporter met the permanent secretary, Mr Echono, on the matter but he directed her back to the official who wrote the letter.

However, when the reporter spoke to Mr Ikechi (who wrote the letter), he said he could not give an exact date when the report would be made available to PREMIUM TIMES.

The year 2021 is almost ending and this newspaper is yet to hear from the ministry on the matter. Mr Echono did not answer or return multiple calls made to him on Tuesday.

Leaked visitation panel report real  Committee Members

Despite claims by the Ministry of Education that the leaked UNILAG report is not genuine, two members of the visitation panel have confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the contents published by newspapers are entirely consistent with those of the report submitted by their panel to the federal government.

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The sources, who declined to be named because they did not consider it appropriate to speak on the issue until the government publishes its White Paper on the report, said it was embarrassing that the government denied the authenticity of the leaked report.

Asked whether the government had indicated dissatisfaction with the findings and recommendations of the panel, the source said there had been no feedback to the members since the panel submitted its report.

One of the members said, The reason I have not publicly commented on the claim by the permanent secretary of the ministry of education is because he is not the one who gave us the job. He is free to say whatever he wants. I have grown older and more mature and cannot engage a man like that on an assignment the president himself gave us. If the president says our report is fake, we know what to do.

For now, we will not be drawn into the antics of people who have some interests to protect. We have done our job to the best of our ability and have submitted our report. We hope the government will find our report useful and issue a White Paper soon.

Back Story

There was prolonged confrontation between the management of UNILAG and the governing council of the university, which reached its peak in March 2020 when the universitys week-long 2020 Convocation was cancelled just before it started.

The governing council later set up a special panel in August 2020 to investigate allegations of corruption against the management of the university. After the panel indicted the management, the governing council announced the removal of Mr Ogundipe as vice-chancellor. Theophilus Soyombo was immediately named to take his place in acting capacity.

But Mr Ogundipe rejected his removal and was backed by the staff unions of the university who pointed out that only the visitor could remove a university vice-chancellor.

Mr Ogundipe was later reinstated as vice-chancellor by President Buhari after a special presidential panel led by Prof Saad submitted its report. Mr Babalakin resigned in protest.

However, in November 2020, two months after the presidential visitation panel submitted its report, the chairman of the panel, Mr Saad, faulted the governments decision to reinstate the embattled vice-chancellor.

Mr Saad had condemned the report of the panel that he chaired, saying it was one-sided because the majority of the members were biased towards Mr Ogundipe. He said the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the committee were also skewed against the chairperson of the governing council, Mr Babalakin.

Expressing reservation about the decision to reinstate Mr Ogundipe, the panels chairperson, said The recommendation that the VC should be reinstated was limited to the procedure of his termination. It did not mean he should be absolved of all wrong doing.

He said the report of the panel was one-sided because majority of the members were biased towards Mr Ogundipe and the Terms of Reference (ToR) were also skewed against Mr Babalakin.

Mr Saad said although Mr Ogundipe, a professor, was wrongly removed as UNILAG vice-chancellor, the panel did not give him a clean bill of health as he was indicted for some wrongdoings, including contract splitting.

The panel chairman also said he reluctantly signed the report with the understanding that it would first go under the eyes of the chancellor of the university, the Shehu of Borno, before its submission to the federal government.

He said because of a number of anomalies in the administrative processes and sensitivity of the matter, Final recommendation of the panel was that the matter should be referred back to the Chancellor, irrespective of what the panel recommended.

Second Visitation panel indicts Ogundipe

Another visitation panel led by General Agwai, according to its leaked report, also indicted the Prof Ogundipe-led management of UNILAG of financial impropriety. The panel also supported the processes adopted by the Babalakin-led governing council in removing Mr Ogundipe from office in early 2020.

Those recommendations appeared to have faulted the actions taken by the government in reinstating Mr Ogundipe as vice chancellor and dissolving the Babalakin-led council which tried to hold Mr Ogundipe accountable and enthrone sanity in the university.

Insiders at the education ministry said some top officials of the agency who were protective of Mr Ogundipe were jolted by the report of the Agwai-led panel and had continued to work to undermine the document.

EDITORS NOTE: This post has been updated to correct some inaccuracies contained in the earlier version.
President Muhammadu Buharis decision not to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill will save Nigeria from frivolous spendings, his office has said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Buhari recently refused to sign the bill into law, with his major reason being the inclusion of mandatory direct primaries for political parties.

Many Nigerians and civil society groups have called on lawmakers to either veto the president or to remove the contentious clause and re-present the bill to the president. The lawmakers have said they will only deliberate on their next action when they resume from the holidays.

While the bill had the support of the majority of the lawmakers, many state governors opposed the bill, mainly because of the direct primaries clause. Justice minister Abubakar Malami weighed in on the debate Monday, saying signing the bill will lead to political instability and could worsen Nigerias security situation.

Mr Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Tuesday claimed that signing the bill into law would have put Nigeria in a dire financial situation.

  the proposed amendments entail significant legal, financial, economic and security consequences for all Nigerians, principal among which would be a severe spike in the cost of holding primary elections by parties  integral to democracies the world over, Mr Shehu wrote.

Read Mr Shehus full statement below.

IN AMENDING THE ELECTORAL ACT, THE NATION FIRST, ALWAYS FIRST FOR MR. PRESIDENT

The Presidents decision to withhold assent from the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 has come under scrutiny from media and political circles. This is quite correct because it is a decision that will impact all Nigerians. The Presidents Office has decided therefore to issue an official statement to make its position clear.

Nigerias strength as a nation and its status as one of the wealthiest economies in Africa with one of its highest standards of living owes above all to its proud democratic processes, which are enshrined in the Electoral Act of 2010.

It is this act which the new bill seeks to amend. These amendments have been presented as a means to enhance and build upon our democratic processes. After careful review, the Presidents Office has found that the opposite is true.

Rather, the proposed amendments entail significant legal, financial, economic and security consequences for all Nigerians, principal among which would be a severe spike in the cost of holding primary elections by parties  integral to democracies the world over.

And who would shoulder these costs? The Nigerian taxpayer of course. And who would benefit? Only the richest of political parties. At a time when the nation is seeking to extricate itself from the economic mire of the worst global health crisis in living memory, whatever other merits the new bill may have, now is not the time for such frivolous spending of public money.

Inevitably, the usual voices are making themselves heard, with cynical claims of election rigging and so on. This is nothing new. We heard their self-serving cries of fraud in 2015 when we saw the first peaceful transfer of power in independent Nigerias history. Then again in 2019, when President Buhari was re-elected with a lead of over three million. We will hear them again in 2023.

Until then, the President will do whatever he can to protect this countys democracy, and that includes withholding assent from this Bill. It is worth noting that, as one of Nigerias largest political parties, the ruling APC is one of those that stand to benefit from a bill that favours wealthier parties. But it is not the job of this government to protect the APC. It is the job of this government to protect Nigeria, her people and her democracy.

To those that would rather that limited public funds be spent on politicking during this time of global crisis, we say: cease these cynical games. Tell the Nigerian people openly what you want. Put your  or rather their  money where your mouth is.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President
Many bank customers in Ibadan were, on Tuesday, stranded at various automated teller machine (ATM) points in Ibadan.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited some banks at Challenge, Ring Road, Dugbe, Bodija and Iwo Road areas, observed that virtually all banks did not dispense cash.

Also, most banks at Ring Road, including the First Bank and Polaris Bank, were not dispensing cash.

Long queues were also noticed at Access Bank in Challenge, while most customers were seen moving to other banks to see if their ATMs would dispense.

Most of the customers in some of the areas told NAN that poor network might be responsible for the situation, while other machines did not have cash to dispense.

A customer, John Adeyemi, expressed frustration over his inability to access cash through ATM machines since December 24.

I have been moving around since December 24 looking for where to withdraw, but all to no avail.

I dont know why banks should not load their ATM machines, especially at a period like this. We expect better services from our financial institutions, he said.

Another customer, Victoria Ayeni, said she had to drive from Challenge to Ring Road to withdraw money but could not achieve the purpose.

I have been moving from bank to bank. You hardly see any ATM machine dispensing.

The one I met at Zenith Bank at Mobil will dispense once and stop again due to poor network service, she said.

Similarly, David Ogundele, said he had gotten tired of moving around and thus, opted for withdrawal through P.O.S.

He, however, said that most P.O.S operators were also having the same network and dispensing issues.

The one I used debited me without bringing out cash, worsening the already bad situation.

We are tired of this whole thing. Any little thing, people will say government. Is it also government that will come to load ATM machines with money?

However, a security man in one of the banks, who preferred anonymity, however, told NAN that the bankers loaded the ATM machines with money before the holiday.

There is no money again because people keep coming and withdrawing. We hope the situation will be better, as work resumes tomorrow, he said. (NAN)
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged the Africa Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to take immediate action on the recommendation by Gambias Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRCC) that the former president, Yahya Jammeh, be prosecuted.

The TRCC recommends that Mr Jammeh and several of his accomplices be prosecuted for extra-judicial killings of citizens and foreigners, rape, clampdown on the press and opposition among other crimes perpetrated in his 22-year rule in The Gambia.

Describing the recommendation as a turning point for justice in The Gambia, Mr Falana first charged the Equatorial Guinea president, Teodoro Obiang, to not continue to protect Mr Jammeh or shield him from prosecution.

He then called on the AU and UN to act swiftly to ensure Mr Jammeh is extradited to Senegal to face trial before the Extraordinary African Chambers.

A statement he released on Tuesday reads, In view of the fact that the victims were not only Gambian nationals, the Commission recommends that a special international court be set up to try Jammeh and others in West Africa, but outside of Gambia. I call on the leadership of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations to take immediate and effective measures to ensure that Mr Jammeh and senior members of his government are extradited to Senegal to face trial before the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese courts, for the sake of Jammehs victims.

I believe that the recommended trial will not require separate structures and institutions. With the existence of the Extraordinary African Chambers, the AU leaders do not have to reinvent the wheel. Immediately extraditing Mr Jammeh and others to face trial before the Chambers would save time and resources. The Chambers statute gives it competence over crimes against humanity and torture as defined in the statute. The definitions of these crimes generally mirror those used in the Rome Stature of the International Criminal Court and other international tribunals.

Mr Jammeh will be entitled to his fair trial rights before the Extraordinary Chambers, including those guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights both of which Senegal has ratified. These human rights treaties outline the minimum guarantees that must be afforded to defendants in criminal proceedings.

Mr Falana appealed to the European Union and other global bodies committed to the cause of justice and accountability for international crimes in Africa to support the trial with adequate funds.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) went further to explain the workings of the Extraordinary African Chambers and the process Mr Jammehs trial should follow.

The Extraordinary African Chambers have four levels: an Investigative Chamber with four investigative judges, an Indicting Chamber of three judges, a Trial Chamber, and an Appeals Chamber. The Trial Chamber and the Appeals Chamber each have two Senegalese Judges and a President from another African Union member state. The chambers also have an administrator to ensure the smooth functioning of their activities and to handle all non-judicial aspects of the work.

Jammehs victims must be afforded the opportunity to participate in proceedings as civil parties. Should he be convicted of the charges against him, the victims of his crimes must receive adequate compensation, and reparations, including guarantee of non-repetition.

The TRCC after the release of the report had called on individuals who made full and remorseful disclosure before the commission and were not involved in crimes against humanity to apply for amnesty.

The Gambian government promised to release a white paper on or before May 25, 2022, on the commissions report.
Nigeria, with an average score of 47.1 per cent, is 43rd out of the 52 ranked countries on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On the sub-continental level, Nigeria sits in 14th place of the 15 nations in West Africa. Only Guinea Bissau, the regions only Portuguese speaking country, is ranked lower.

Launched in September 2015, the SDGs are 17 global goals and 169 targets, aimed at ending extreme poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and tackling climate change by 2030.

The targets include No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth Industry.

Others are Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life Below Water, Life on Land, Peace and Justice, Strong Institutions, Partnerships to achieve the Goal.

But in the case of Nigeria, apart from its slow movement towards these goals and targets, awareness of the SDGs in the country is generally low.

Lawal Abdullateef, the founder of iDixcover, aims to bridge this gap for SDGs 1 and 8 through advocacy and building the capacity of northern Nigeria youth, women and people with disabilities on alternative means to reach the global targets. He has also translated the goals into different Nigerian languages.

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Yusuf Akinpelu, he explains how Nigeria can move up in its quest to reach these global goals 1 and 8.

PT: What exactly is the content of the SDGs?

Abdullateef: To begin with, SDGs stands for Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 goals and 169 agendas in it. It contains aims for making the world a better place that were signed by world leaders in New York in 2015.

It encompasses all development objectives aimed at improving people, protecting our environment and planet, and safeguarding wildlife and marine life.

PT: Which of the goals should a country like Nigeria prioritise and why?

Abdullateef: Every one of these 17 goals should be a top priority for Nigeria, but if I have to choose, I would say we should focus on targets 1, 4, and 8. (No poverty, quality education, decent work and economic growth). I believe that if these three goals are fully realised, other goals will be realised unconsciously.

PT: Arent these goals, especially the SDGs 1 and 8, not too ambitious or overwhelming for a country like Nigeria?

Abdullateef: For a country like Nigeria, the 17 global goals, particularly targets 1 and 8, are not daunting or too ambitious. To succeed, we must think that we can. We have natural resources, human resources, and a friendly environment, as well as the full support of many international non-governmental organisations like the Gates Foundation, ONE, and Ford Foundation, as well as countries like the United States, the Netherlands, and England, and intergovernmental organisations like the United Nations, European Union and African Union.

If these goals are too difficult for Nigeria, they will be too difficult for most African countries. The objectives are attainable if we all work together to achieve them.

PT: What can be done to ensure that goals 1 and 8 are achieved in Nigeria?

Abdullateef: To attain goals 1 and 8, we must ensure that measures to combat poverty and unemployment are institutionalised in our communities, educational systems, and in the formation of government policy. Our media houses must devise free educational initiatives to help unemployed Nigerian youth, women, and persons with disabilities improve their capacities.

The government must address the root causes of poverty and unemployment, ensure that everyone has access to basic needs, and ensure that people in poverty, women and people with disabilities have equal access to productive resources such as grants, education, and training, as well as employment opportunities.

Community leaders, religious leaders, lecturers and teachers must also ensure that they use their sacred positions to develop long-term plans that will enable their followers or students to work or be self-employed.

Finally, governments and youth organisations should collaborate and help each other in order to eliminate poverty and youth unemployment in Nigeria.

PT: You have mentioned the roles of the government, what must individuals do to achieve SDGs 1 and 8?

Abdullateef: Individuals have a lot on their plates, which is why I founded iDixcover.com, a workforce development social enterprise that uses technology to empower youth, women, and people with disabilities in rural communities across northern Nigeria. We provide technology and vocational education to these underserved communities, as well as free access to mentors and career opportunities.

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Individuals are supposed to be community builders and change agents. Individuals can help to alleviate poverty and unemployment in their communities in a variety of ways.

This can be accomplished by training rural farmers in best farming practices, providing job skills and leadership, educational resources and training to the unemployed, providing financial literacy to entrepreneurs, and forming or joining a network to advocate for policy change that will eradicate poverty and create long-term employment for women and people with disabilities, with a focus on those in rural communities.

There are a number of cultural norms that exclude women and social prejudice that prevents persons with disabilities from being economically included. Individuals can change these norms by leading by example and campaigning for change in their communities.

PT: What must Nigeria do to achieve SDGs 1 and 8 by 2030?

Abdullateef: In order for Nigeria to achieve SDGs 1 and 8 by 2030, all hands must be on deck. All essential parties, including the federal, state, and local governments, civil society, academics, community, religious, and political leaders, the media, and youths, must work together to achieve sustainable development.

We must denounce discriminatory societal norms, improve access to livelihood and entrepreneurial opportunities, provide equal access to economic opportunities to all, develop social programmes to assist those who cannot help themselves, and work with interested donors, local and international organisations to empower people living in poverty in a sustainable manner to increase resources allocation to the attainment of the goals

PT: What are the roles of the ministry of education in making SDGs a national mantra?

Abdullateef: Education is both a fundamental and facilitating human right. To realise this right, the ministry of education must ensure that everyone has equal access to inclusive and equitable quality education and learning, which should be free and mandatory so that no one is left behind. Education promotes mutual understanding, tolerance, friendship, and peace by promoting the full development of the human personality.

The ministry of education must institutionalise vocational education at all levels of education; we must transform our educational system from one that is read to pass to one that is economically productive, in which students are taught not only about literature reviews but also a mandatory job skill educational curriculum.

In order to build solid job skills and entrepreneurial training curriculum for all levels of schooling in Nigeria, the ministry of education must collaborate with the ministries of trade and investment, employment, agriculture, and government organisations such as the Industrial Training Fund.

PT: What do we stand to lose if these goals are not achieved?

Abdullateef: From last year, Nigerias unemployment rate rose to 33.3 per cent, or some 23.2 million people, the highest in at least 13 years and the second-highest rate in the world.

The number is rising, and our population is expanding dramatically, with 43.3 per cent of our people aged 0-14 years classified as out of job. Increased youth employment has resulted in a rise in criminal activities such as terrorism in northeastern Nigeria, banditry, and abduction in the north-west and north-central parts of the country.

Military activities alone will not alleviate the crisis caused by high youth unemployment; instead, sustainable jobs and policies will be needed to establish an enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem for youth, women, and persons with disabilities.

PT: What does Nigeria stand to gain if these goals are reached?

Abdullateef: When we eradicate poverty and reduce unemployment, we will see an improvement in societal consequences such as better access to food, education, and work opportunities, as well as a decrease in crime rates and the complete elimination of terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping for ramson.
Loyalists of the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahadi Ali-Gusau, have accused the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding an attack on the venue of their state congress Monday morning.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that thugs invaded the venue of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congress at Samaru in Gusau, the Zamfara capital. The thugs destroyed some facilities meant for the conduct of the congress.

It took the intervention of security personnel before the thugs left the venue and the congress moved to another venue where it was held.

In a statement immediately after the congress, Aminu Gyangyam, the principal private secretary to the deputy governor, said the APC in the state is afraid of the PDP.

He also said the ruling party in the state and Governor Bello Matawalle have been acting very childish against the major opposition party.

They fear the PDP, and they believed the best way to show their fear is to make sure that they frustrated our state congresses, and you have seen for yourself delegates are more than determined to ensure that the state congresses took place and the party leaders emerged.

Governor Matawalle should know that this party brought him to power, and this should not be the type of reward he should pay the party with.

Mr Gyangyam said the party held its congress successfully and the countdown to the dislodgement of APC in the state has begun.

Responding to the allegation that the attack was orchestrated by the ruling APC, the immediate former spokesperson to Governor Matawalle, who is also the state publicity secretary of the APC, Yusuf Idris, said what happened was an internal affair.

According to him, PDP has a record of internal crises.

They are the architect of their problem. We heard that some powerful persons are planning to enforce candidates on them, especially Col. Bala Mande and Shatiman Rijiya as Chairman and Secretary and some people within the party are pushing for some alternative candidates, so they might be the ones to instigate the crises within their party.

The governor as the chief security officer of the state, issued them clearance to go ahead and conduct their congresses. So, how would he allow his party supporters to go and distract what he has approved. It does not make any sense at all, Mr Idris said.

In an official statement, the APC spokesman said the state government would not tolerate any security breach in the state.

ALSO READ: PDP accuses Gov Matawalle of intimidating members in Zamfara

It is on record that in 2003 the same scenario happened when their anointed party chairman contested the gubernatorial seat under same platform alongside other contestants. During the party congress, they went on rampage, hitting innocent citizens with dangerous weapons where many were hospitalised.

The same scenario happened during the PDP congress in 2010 between late Barr Adamu Umar of Blessed Memory and Alhaji Namadi Ango where the congress ended up in serious crises and division, the spokesperson said.

Governor Matawalle was elected governor on the PDP platform in 2019 after the Supreme Court disqualified the APC from the elections.

He, however, defected to the APC earlier this year. His deputy refused to defect with his principal, preferring to remain in the PDP.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said Nasarawa state has again overtaken other states in the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign in Nigeria.

The North-central state, which was earlier in the lead before it was overtaken by Jigawa, a North-western state, reclaimed its leading position within 48 hours.

The executive director, NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, while providing an update on the countrys vaccination campaign.

Mr Shuaib said that Jigawa State recently took the lead by displacing Nasarawa state, only for a turnaround in less than 48 hours.

The NPHCDA boss added that Zamfara, Delta and Cross River states have also made great strides towards joining the top five performing states as of December 27, 2021.

He added that Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Jigawa and Osun States were the top five leading with high uptake and also contributed 36 per cent to the number of vaccinated persons.

Mr Shuaib added that almost 10 million eligible persons have been fully vaccinated against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He said; As of December 26, 2021, in 36 States and the FCT. 9,765,729 eligible persons targeted for COVID-19 vaccination received the first dose, while 4,363,620 got the second dose (fully vaccinated).

The official added that the proportion of eligible people vaccinated in the country for their first dose were 8.7 per cent, while the proportion of eligible people vaccinated for their second dose were 3.9 per cent as of Dec. 24, 2021.

He explained that vaccines were the best way to protect people from coronavirus and would save thousands of lives.

Three vaccines have now been approved for use in Nigeria and the government has secured early access to more vaccine doses.

The Nigeria COVID-19 vaccine rollout is a big vaccination programme in history. The goal remains to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible, he added.

According to him, the NPHCDA aims to provide advice and information at every possible opportunity to support those getting the vaccine and to anyone who might have questions about the vaccination process.

He said the resources are available to support communications.

For the full list of COVID-19 vaccination sites nationwide, click here, he added.

The executive director further said the agencys website also provides guidelines for persons that have completed two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer Bio-NTech or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

COVID-19 booster shot is given when a person has completed their vaccine doses.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has said he has never sabotaged the interests of the Niger Delta region, maintaining that natural resources found in Nigeria belong to the country and not a part of it.

Mr Obasanjo was responding to an open letter by Edwin Clark, the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, who accused him of acting against the interest of the Niger Delta region.

According to Mr Clark, the former president has continued to push for the marginalisation of the Niger Delta people.

I am not inconsistent, hypocritical, unstatesman, and nor am I anybodys lackey. You use your own yardstick to judge others. I fear God and I respect those who respect themselves and I hope it is about time you change from a tribesman to a statesman of character, said Mr Obasanjo in his letter dated December 28, 2021.

I believe one lesson that we all must appreciate that we have all learned in the last 61 years of our independence is that we all need to be civil to ourselves and occasionally put ourselves in the position of others

Bad language does not show prudence, wisdom and maturity. I hope you will think and adjust. Negotiation achieves better results than dictation. I believe that we should be reformists rather than being pedantic with leave-it or take-it attitude. Together, I also believe Nigeria can be fixed and mended for the benefit of today and tomorrow on the basis of give and take.

If we all demand what we consider as our rights without yielding and with unbending stature, we will be wrong and record failure at the end of the day. Reform is a continuous exercise but relatively slow in achieving results. Revolution for sea-change may rarely happen and then we may continue to languish in frustration and regret with dire judgement of posterity.

Mr Obasanjo said he has never shown any anger or distraught against the Niger Delta region nor with any part or region of Nigeria.

Rather, I have always picked points on leadership performance or policies and I will continue to do so. Even when a particular part of Nigeria decided not to vote for me and their leaders told me that in clear terms, I showed understanding and not anger or distraught and disabused their minds on what I believed they got wrong.

And in subsequent elections, they voted for me. My records before, during and after the civil war in Nigeria Delta Region was without blemish and it was all goodwill to all the people of Nigeria and especially the people of the Niger Delta Region which was my theatre of operation during the Nigerian civil war.

Read Mr Obasanjos letter below:

MY RESPONSE TO THE OPEN LETTER BY CHIEF (DR.) E. K. CLARK

Your letter titled My Disappointment Over Unprovoked Outburst Against The People of the Niger Delta Region came to my attention on my return from the Horn of Africa on Christmas eve. After very careful and close study of your letter, I decided to respond to your letter also openly for general education of all and to clear some misconception and misperception on your part.

First, my visit to you on the evening of Monday, December 13, 2021, was both a condolence and get-well-quick visit to you that had nothing to do with Bishop Sunday Onuoha meeting which I attended the following day. You should remember that I did not discuss in particular the meeting of the Committee for Goodness of Nigeria, CGN, that was coming the following day except to ask if the papers had been received by you. The brief touch on the state of the nation is the normal discussion on the situation which you rightly described as continues to drift to very disturbing levels that evening. Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, who was with me to your house and to all the four people I visited that night, can testify. You were one of the four people I visited. I would have expected my social visit to be excluded from your vituperation on other matters. However, you deserved the visit and that was it.

For me, personally, I have never shown any anger or distraught with Nigeria Delta Region nor with any part or Region of Nigeria. Rather, I have always picked points on leadership performance or policies and I will continue to do so. Even when a particular part of Nigeria decided not to vote for me and their leaders told me that in clear terms, I showed understanding and not anger or distraught and disabused their minds on what I believed they got wrong. And in subsequent elections, they voted for me. My records before, during and after the civil war in Nigeria Delta Region was without blemish and it was all goodwill to all the people of Nigeria and especially the people of the Niger Delta Region which was my theatre of operation during the Nigerian civil war.

I could not have mentioned to you any grievances against the Niger Delta Region during my social visit because there was never anyone and there cannot be anyone. But if you take my holding a constitutional position on federalism and reiterating the position of our past Constitution  1963 Constitution  as I understand it as anger or grievance against the Niger Delta Region or Nigeria Delta people, that will be a very wrong position to take because until I can be legally and constitutionally persuaded otherwise, I will continue to hold my ground. And it is not a matter of emotion or threat or name-calling which do not throw light on the issue or walkout which does not strengthen any argument or debate.

What you call outburst is my own way of calling or attracting attention. I raise my voice or stamp the desk such that those who are sleeping would have to wake up to listen to me. Even in bilateral discussion, I consciously tap the other person to ensure that I am attracting his or her attention. I have had experience that it was when the person I was talking to started snoring that I realised he was not listening to me. But if raising my voice, stamping the desk or tapping is unpleasant to anyone, I tender unreserved apology. If I interjected to either complete a statement or to correct a statement being made that I believe was not the true situation, I have no apology for that. Truth must be stated and upheld no matter how bitter it may be.

Chief Clark, you are right to say that we have known ourselves since we were both in General Gowons administration in 1975. The good thing and maybe the bad one as well is that you havent changed much, if at all, since those days and I havent changed much either. You stated and displayed what you are characteristically known and noted for  Urhobo or Ijaw; and what I am characteristically known and noted for. Let me proceed with the most basic constitutional fact that you cannot have two sovereign entities within a State which is what your position of Niger Delta ownership claim of the crude oil found in that location amounts to.

All those who purchase crude oil from Nigeria enter into contractual relationship with Nigeria not with the Niger Delta. The territory of Nigeria is indivisible inclusive of the resources found therein. No territory in Nigeria including the minerals found therein belongs to the area of location and this remains so until the federation is dissolved.

This is the position of the Nigerian Constitution and international law. If there is a threat of violence to any part of Nigeria today including the Niger Delta it is the Nigerian military backed by any other machinery that can be procured or established at the Federal level that will respond to any such threat. In principle and practice, the position I have taken on the location of mineral resources in any part of Nigeria is the legal and constitutional position.

May I also recall the adjunct position I proposed that equity and justice demand that those domiciled in these locations are entitled to more of the material benefits accruing from the crude oil or other minerals. At the end of the day, it may transpire that our linguistic differences on this matter are no more than semantics. And we stand on the same logic with respect to the criminal mining of gold deposits in Zamfara State today or any other State in Nigeria or any other part of Nigeria.

Since you have selected the 1963 Constitution as your ideal guide, I will now quote the relevant Section 140 for the Nigerian public to arrive at a more informed and balanced understanding of our discourse: The 1963 Constitution Section 140, titled Mining Royalties and Rents, stated thus: (1) There shall be paid by the Federation to each Region a sum equal to fifty per cent of (a) the proceeds of any ROYALTY received by the Federation in respect of any minerals extracted in that Region; and (b) any mining RENTS derived by the Federation during that year from within that Region.

My dear Chief, where in this constitutional provision is it said or implied that minerals located in any part of Nigeria belongs to that location? For emphasis and to further buttress the point, the provision is even in the exclusive list  exclusively reserved to the Federal Government!

You made the unnecessary reference to the appointment of Engr. Funsho Kupolokun as the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, but you conveniently forgot that before Kupolokun, there was Gaius Obaseki and Kupolokun served under Dr. Edmund Daukoru, who was Minister of State for Petroleum.

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I would be the last person to celebrate the civil war (a tragedy of enormous proportions). Needless to say that the war was fought in order to maintain and secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria to which the Niger Delta is integral. I leave you to second-guess what would have become the fate of the Southern minorities and your ownership claims of the crude oil located in your backyard in the event of a contrary outcome. How do we pay homage to the memory of those who gave their lives to ensure the successful outcome of the civil war including the millions who perished on either side of the war?

This is certainly not the best of times for Nigeria and I understand and empathise with your frustrations but we must be guarded and measured in the expressions of such frustrations lest we throw away the baby with the dirty birth water.

In para 13 of your letter, you made reference to the issue of asset sharing between Midwest Region and Western Region in the days of General Adeyinka Adebayo and General Samuel Ogbemudia to which you are an eyewitness, observer or participant. I would not hold brief for either of the two military men or for the two dissolved Regions; but if this will feature in your consideration today, I really wonder where you are getting to. There may be more than meets the eye.

In para 15 of your letter, you tried to compare my Ota Farm with minerals under the soil which are exclusive to the Nigerian Authority as I have earlier shown. But even here, these are issues that must be explained that you wittingly or unwittingly skipped. I have a State Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, for my farmland and if any mineral is found under the ground on my farm, Federal Government will ask the State Government to revoke my C of O for overriding public interest. I could claim for development already carried out on my farmland but the Federal Government would issue licence to any company that had been allocated the right to mine the mineral. It would not matter what I grow on my farm and what development I have carried out. Compensation I could get based on assessed development that I had carried out on the farmland.

The Constitution that affects Niger Delta Region affects Zamfara State where gold is found and if anybody at the Federal level has remised in implementing the Constitution, then that is a different matter. The gold in Ilesha, Osun State, and the lead in Ebonyi State, all come under the same Law and Constitution. There is no part of Nigeria whose interest is not dear to my heart. And stating in your letter that it is only the interest of the North I continuously hold dear to my heart is that type of buka gossip that, knowing you as I do since 1975, I am not surprised that you echoed.

I have always stood for equity and justice in our Federation and, for me, tribe has to be suppressed for the state to emerge. And until the state emerges, Nigeria will not make the desired progress as tribesmen will always sacrifice state for tribe. This has always been my position and it will remain my position until I breathe my last.

There are many important points that you easily or conveniently left out in your letter. When Tin, Columbite in Jos Plateau and Zinc in Abakaliki and Coal in Enugu were discovered in the early 1900s, the ownership was vested in the Colonial Government. Mitigating the hazards suffered by people in any mineral-producing area is legitimate and must be differentiated from the issue of ownership. The mitigation process must go for oil and gas, lead, gold, limestone for cement, etc.

What developed Nigerian Regions in the colonial days and early post-independence days were cocoa and rubber in the West, groundnut and cotton in the North and oil palm in the East.

Your paras 18-23 are tissues of concoctions and outright distortions and lies which may be due to loss of memory on your part or misrepresentation. Let me illustrate with few examples. On resumption of office as President of Nigeria in 1999, the first meeting I held out of Abuja was a meeting on the Niger Delta Region. Without being prompted, I decided the 13% derivation that the new Constitution granted to oil-producing areas should be paid. If you have evidence of a legal action that forced me to implement it, please produce for me to see or publish it.

At the meeting of December 14, 2021 although the recommendation was to go from 13% to 17% to oil-producing areas, Dr. Igali made the case for 18% and we as CGN went up to not less than 18%. Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, bill was my initiative for contribution to be made by State Governments, oil companies and Federal Government. The States lobbied the National Assembly to exclude them. They were excluded and what was passed became the law eventually and I implemented it. You seemed to know little to nothing on LNG generally including efforts made to turn Bonny LNG from three trains to seven trains and surely you are not updated on Brass LNG and I will plead with you to be better admitted on it all.

Let me now separate Global Peace Foundation meeting of December 13, 2021 at the instance of Bishop Onuoha and where I participated from the second meeting of CGN which followed on December 14, 2021. We believe that the Conclusion and the Report of the meeting of December 14, 2021 hold the best position for realistic and pragmatic action for taking the country forward as possible actionable amendment to the Constitution before 2023 elections. Every Nigerian has rights under the Constitution. And no one should exercise his right against the right of another Nigerian. Our Report was only recommendations to those who can take action for implementation.

If at a meeting, singly or collectively with others, you will take action to negate the outcome of another meeting of national interest and importance based on extraneous outcome on issues emanating from another meeting not directly connected with the original first meeting, then how much can anybody take you seriously as a democrat, that smirks of a dictatorship to me? Some of the languages you have deployed to describe me in your letter are offensive, uncouth and I totally and completely rejected them. I am not inconsistent, hypocritical, unstatesman and nor am I anybodys lackey. You use your own yardstick to judge others. I fear God and I respect those who respect themselves and I hope it is about time you change from a tribesman to a statesman of character. That is what Nigeria and indeed the Region you profess to love demand of you at this stage. I believe one lesson that we all must appreciate that we have all learned in the last sixty-one years of our independence is that we all need to be civil to ourselves and occasionally put ourselves in the position of others. Bad language does not show prudence, wisdom and maturity. I hope you will think and adjust. Negotiation achieves better results than dictation. I believe that we should be reformists rather than being pedantic with leave-it or take-it attitude. Together, I also believe Nigeria can be fixed and mended for the benefit of today and tomorrow on the basis of give and take. If we all demand what we consider as our rights without yielding and with unbending stature, we will be wrong and record failure at the end of the day. Reform is a continuous exercise but relatively slow in achieving results. Revolution for sea-change may rarely happen and then we may continue to languish in frustration and regret with dire judgement of posterity.

I wish you well and may the Year 2022 be a great year for you personally and for our country, Nigeria.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

December 28, 2021
The National Assembly has transmitted the 2022 budget to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Amos Ojo, forwarded the letter to the president alongside a letter dated 24 December.

In the letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES and titled Appropriation Bill 2022, the clerk informed the president that the transmission of the budget is in consonance with the provisions of the Acts Authentication Act Cap. A2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

I wish, with due respect, to forward to Your Excellency, the authenticated copies of Appropriation Bill, 2022, for your consideration and assent.

After Your Excellencys assent, one copy of the signed bill should be retained in your office while the other two are to be returned for our further action, please. With my highest regards, the letter read.

The transmission comes about a week after the Senate and House of Representatives passed the budget.

The lawmakers had increased the total expenditure from N16.3 trillion to N17.1 trillion  showing an increase of over N700 billion.

READ ALSO: Senate increases 2022 budget by N700 billion

They also increased the Oil Benchmark Price from $57 to $62 to reflect the current market values of the oil barrel in the international market. While Nigerias daily oil production rate was pegged at 1.86 million per barrel.

In the budget, statutory transfer was put at N869.6 billion, debt service at N3,88 trillion, recurrent (non-debt) expenditure at N6.9 trillion and capital expenditure at N5,46 trillion.

Having returned the annual budget cycle to January-December, both the legislature and the executive have vowed to maintain the pattern.

The president is expected to assent to the 2022 budget on Friday.

The legislature recently approved the implementation of the 2021 budget to March 2022.

Spokesperson of the Senate, Ajibola Basiru, did not respond to a telephone call from this newspaper as of the time of filing this report.
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRCC) has recommended the prosecution of members of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) for ordering the unlawful arrests, detention and torture of prisoners held at Fajara Barracks during the Juntas reign.

The TRCC was set up in 2017 to investigate crimes and abuses perpetrated by The Gambias erstwhile president, Yahya Jammeh, during his 22-year dictatorship rule.

The AFPRC led the July 22, 1994 coup that ousted President Dawda Jawara, who first served as The Gambias prime minister and then president until the coup.

Led by Yahya Jammeh, members of the junta include Sanna B. Sabally, Edward Singhatey and Yankuba Touray.

Others are; Almamo Manneh, Baboucarr Bah, Musa Jammeh (Maliamungu), Sergeant Gomez (Hitler) and Kawsu Camara (Bombardier).

The TRCC report recently released, after over three years of consultations and public hearings, noted that they were all complicit in torturing and subjecting detainees to inhuman and degrading punishment.

However, the TRCC recommends that Baboucarr Bah be considered for amnesty in view of his testimony and the fact that he showed remorse and participated in reconciliation with his victims.

It further recommends that Sergeant Gomez (Hitler) and Kawsu Camara (Bombardier), should not hold any office with the government of The Gambia for a minimum period of ten years. Almamo Manneh and Musa Jammeh are deceased.

The Junta claimed to be soldiers with a difference, promising to end corruption and gaining support at an early stage for that, but the commission found that in practice, they ruled by the barrel of the gun.

The TRCC also recommended the repeal of decrees susceptible to rights violations and abuses.

Review of all laws that are relevant to the granting of bail with a view to establishing a regime that takes into cognisance the value of individual liberty and to balance the same with the need to curb flight from justice taking into account the demands of a modern democratic state, it recommended.

The commission also found Mr Jammeh, Chairman of the AFPRC Junta, jointly and severally culpable for all the tortures, cruel treatment of the detainees and serious human rights violations committed against the detainees.

 The report reads further, According to the evidence of Edward Singhatey, the Commission can draw adverse inference that he ordered these rights violations or at least had reasonable knowledge of them and failed to stop them, the commissions report reads.

The commission noted an evidence of sexual torture on Georgiana Kosso Taylor by kicking her in the crotch, which is corroborated by Sainey Faye and the forced nudity of Malang Fatty.

It also noted that two unidentified women who were close to Sanna Sabally were detained and sexually tortured both at the NIA and Mile II Prison following his arrest to force Sabally to confess to planning a coup against Jammeh with Hydara. This was to give credibility to the State publicised narrative that Sabally and Hydara indeed planned overthrowing Jammeh.

The commission stated that Sadibou Hydara died as a result of the severe and extreme forms of torture that he was subjected to by Alagie Martin (now a general) and his team of torturers.

With regards the detention and torture of political detainees at Fajara Barracks, the commission finds that these are callous acts of barbarity. In particular, the humiliation of an elderly person, in our traditionally conservative society, was not only an aghast behaviour, but it was also reprehensible and abhorrent as well as being cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment, amounting to torture.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported the commissions recommendation for the prosecution of Mr Jammeh for the murder of student demonstrators in 2000 and other crimes.
The Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on State Affairs, Muhammad Shehu, has resigned.

Mr Shehu also announced his defection from the faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano backed by the governor, to the one loyal to Ibrahim Shekarau.

The development comes amidst an ongoing internal crisis bedevilling the partys state chapter.

While Mr Ganduje is backing the executives of a faction led by Abdullahi Abbas, Mr Shekarau, a former governor of the state and currently Kano Central senator, is backing the leadership of the other faction.

After a meeting with his supporters on Tuesday, Mr Shehu told journalists that he took the decision to join the Shekarau faction alongside thousands of his supporters due to a lack of purposeful leadership by the Abbas-led faction.

He said he and his supporters had resolved to join the Shekarau faction with a view to campaigning for Barau Jibrin, a gubernatorial hopeful.

Mr Jibrin is the current senator representing Kano North.

Mr Shehu said Mr Abbas-led faction had not been fair to him and his supporters in Nassarawa Local Government, where he hails from and has grassroots supports.

Mr Shehu is the first government official to publicly announce his support in the aftermath of the court judgment that sacked the executives loyal to Mr Ganduje.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that some members of the APC loyal to Mr Ganduje were secretly registering their loyalty to the Shekarau faction.

The crisis

The crisis got worse and degenerated into a legal tussle after the 18 October parallel congresses that produced two sets of executives loyal to the two leaders.

Mr Shekaraus faction elected Haruna Danzago as chairman while Mr Gandujes faction elected Abdullahi Abbas.

It is against this backdrop that a High Court in Abuja on two different sittings ruled on the matter.

The court, on 30 November and 17 December, ruled in favour of the faction loyal to Mr Shekarau, after the APC headquarters had endorsed the congresses that produced Mr Abbas-led executive.

Mr Shekarau is the leader of the group called G7.

Members of the group include Mr Jibrin and four members of the House of Representatives from the state, namely Nasiru Abdua, Tijjani Jobe, Shaaban Sharada and Haruna Dederi.
The Anglican Church in Nigeria has condemned the police invasion of the church during Sunday service to arrest Uche Nwosu, the son-in-law to a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.

The incident happened on December 26 at the St Peters Anglican Church, Eziama Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State.

Mr Nwosu is a former governorship candidate in the 2019 election in Imo State.

The masked police officers fired gunshots in the air and reportedly assaulted Mr Nwosu, his wife, and others before his arrest.

He was released some hours after without the police informing him why he was arrested, his media aide said on Monday.

It was a black Sunday, the Church Of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, said in a statement issued on Monday by the Archbishop of the Owerri Province, David Onuoha.

Mr Onuoha said the officiating priest had barely concluded the celebration and administration of the Holy Eucharist, ready for the end of year thanksgiving, when armed police invaded the church.

He said what happened was unprecedented in the more than 160 years history of the church in Imo State.

We are gravely worried and disturbed that worshippers were greatly frightened, worried, confused and completely disorganized by the presence of heavily armed security operatives in the church service thereby disrupting the worship of Gods people.

That the police jumped inside the church in a gestapo style when the service was in full session is reprehensible, primitive, and highly condemnable, he said.

The archbishop warned that the police action could worsen the security challenges in the state.

The Church will in the next few days engage the Nigerian Police in a dialogue to truly understand the reasons behind this dastardly act and how to avoid a repeat occurrence.

While this process is on, we urge all Christians to continue in prayers for Gods mercy on all of us and peace in our land, he added.

The police are yet to disclose why Mr Nwosu was arrested.

Imo govts reaction

The Imo State Government has condemned the police invasion of the Anglican Church.

The arrest of Mr Nwosu within the church premises could have been avoided and therefore stands condemned, the state Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, said in a statement on Monday.

While government regrets the manner the arrest was made, we wish to emphasize that since it was purely a security matter, the full reason why such an action was taken will eventually unfold, and perhaps guide the public better.

Government therefore wishes to appeal to those negatively affected by the action to bear with the security agencies, Mr Emelumba said.

The commissioner said Governor Hope Uzodinma holds the Anglican Communion in very high esteem and will never support any act that will disrespect her reverential status as a place of Divine worship.
The Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Monday, declared his interest to contest the Abia 2023 governorship election.

Mr Abaribe made his interest known at a civic reception organised in his honour by Nzuko Ahiaba La Abayi, a sociocultural organisation in Ahiaba in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.

He expressed his readiness to serve and to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people.

As an Igbo man, I respect constituted authority. I believe the number one citizen of the state should know, and I have paid him that respect.

I have let him know and by extension, the people of Abia, and I am telling the people of Abia to look forward to seeing me in charge in Abia state come 2023, he said.

Mr Abaribe said it was time for the residents of Abia to make choices that would facilitate enhanced socio-economic development in the state.

He expressed gratitude to God for divine guidance and thanked his constituents for organising a civic reception in his honour.

This is a special occasion. I have been in politics since 1998. I have been in and out of politics and even gone to DSS custody because of Nigeria.

This is the first time a civic reception is being organised for me.

This occasion is significant because it is coming from my ancestral home and shows that they are saying that they are proud of my antecedents, achievements and that I deserve a title, he said.

In his remarks at the occasion, Adolphus Nwagbara, chairman of the reception, described Mr Abaribe as one that had the interest of his constituents at heart.

Mr Nwagbara urged the senate minority leader to continually give quality representation on issues that would transform the lives of his constituents and Nigerians at large.

Stanley Nwahiwe, a representative of Nzuko Ahiaba La Abayi, commended Mr Abaribe for his contributions to the development of the area, adding that the reward for hard work was more work.

Sincerely, we feel highly delighted and honoured by your actions and style of governance as a vibrant senator, Mr Nwahiwe said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the Senate minority leader was conferred with the title of Maduforo Ndi Ngwa (A man of the people in Ngwa land) at the reception.

Present at the reception were former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, former Minister of Defence, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, and the National Secretary of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Okey Emuche, among other dignitaries.

(NAN)
PHOENIX, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogtopia, the nation's fastest-growing dog daycare, boarding and spa franchise, announced today a partnership with Razzleberries, a content creator on Minecraft Marketplace, to create the Doggie Daycare world. Doggie Daycare for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition will let players take over a realistic dog daycare, inspired by experts at Dogtopia.

The partnership between Dogtopia and Razzleberries allows gamers to download the world from the Minecraft Marketplace on Minecraft: Bedrock Edition. The world will test your skills in four mini-games where you hire your staff, take care of the dogs and discover 16 breeds of dogs. Now more than ever doggie daycare has become a necessity for families who adopted a pup during the pandemic as many people don't have the luxury of working from home as often and need help with their pets.

"When consulting on this content, we worked on provided a window into a Dogtopia location, shared information about each breed type and created real-life scenarios pet parents can face with their dog," said Neil Gill, CEO and President. "We hope Minecraft players get to see what it's like and enjoy caring for a dog in this fun, interactive environment."

This partnership came to life through help from Razzleberries. Their creations have earned more than 115,000 50-star reviews with more than 260 pieces of unique and innovative content that now includes a chance to run your own dog daycare.

With more than 180 locations across North America, Dogtopia is the nation's fastest-growing brand in the pet industry. At Dogtopia, dogs enjoy an open-play environment with protective rubber flooring to ease joints while promoting safe socialization, exercise, and education. Dogtopia's webcams also provide pet parents with peace of mind and the ability to check in on their pups when they are away.

About Dogtopia

Founded in 2002, Dogtopia is an early pioneer and innovator in the pet services industry, offering an experience focused on quality of care, safety and transparency in the market. With an emphasis on education, exercise and safe socialization for dogs, pet parents have the assurance of leaving their beloved furry family members in the hands of trained professionals in an environment created with the safety of dogs in mind. For more information, visit www.dogtopia.com .

Media Contact: Brittany Karlin, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-945-1300

SOURCE Dogtopia
AMSTERDAM, Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoPenguin, the world's first carbon offsetting platform in the cryptocurrency space, is partnering with the non-profit Carbon Offsets to Alleviate Poverty ( COTAP.org), the first carbon offset provider to accept all major cryptocurrencies. Together, they are providing the cryptocurrency community with convenient ways to take responsibility for its environmental footprint and mitigate its climate impacts.

EcoPenguin's mission is to help decarbonize cryptocurrency and build a thriving, eco-friendly crypto community. COTAP's mission is to empower individuals and organizations in developed countries to address climate change and global poverty simultaneously.

Cryptocurrencies are carbon-intensive and have a large climate impact, since they depend on high-powered computers to validate billions of transactions on a blockchain. Bitcoin currently accounts for 1% of global electricity consumption -- as much as entire countries  and it's still in its infancy and growing rapidly. It currently generates 95 Mt of carbon emissions a year, and 1000 kg for a single transaction . Bitcoin miners have even brought disused coal plants out of retirement to meet their energy needs.

Though Bitcoin has by far the largest carbon footprint, the problem is industry-wide. Ethereum has the next largest footprint, with annual emissions of about 46 Mt of CO2, and 100 kg per transaction . Next year it plans to switch from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS) which analysts say could be 99.99% more energy efficient.

"EcoPenguin advocates shifting to PoS as the best near-term path to decarbonization, but it won't happen immediately, and not everyone will do it," said EcoPenguin co-founder Joshua Aakash. "Before long we may also see a carbon tax of $40-$60 a tonne on major energy consumers, which might get reluctant crypto actors to take lowering their emissions seriously. But the regulatory approach would cost large tokens hundreds of millions of dollars and add considerably to the cost of transactions. It remains to be seen how these various approaches will play out. Meanwhile, by partnering with COTAP we're able to offer verified carbon offset solutions for crypto tokens, projects, traders, or anyone in the crypto space who wants to take responsibility for their carbon footprint here and now."

"Crypto is growing explosively, and it's urgent to head off its potentially massive climate impacts," said COTAP founder and CEO Tim Whitley. "Other burgeoning industries have become more efficient and greener as they've matured, and crypto can, too. Switching it to sustainable energy sources is the paramount goal, but that takes time, so in the interim offsetting is an important part of the solution. A lot of cryptocurrency offsetting activity today is speculative, and/or it converts carbon credits into tokens and keeps them tied up on the blockchain for years, as opposed to the tried-and-true approach of permanently retiring credits on existing carbon registries. The EcoPenguin concept really resonated with us because they share our belief that there's a huge crypto/carbon leadership gap, and that crypto can be a force for material good if it adopts the right approaches. So we're excited to be working together to bring the crypto community verified, high-quality offsets that will do tangible good today, creating real-world benefits for the climate and low-income communities."

COTAP's carbon offsets counteract carbon emissions with tree planting, agroforestry, and forest protection operations in Nicaragua, Uganda, India, Fiji, Indonesia, and Mexico. The projects are all located in areas where income levels are less than $2 per day.

COTAP offset projects are certified under Plan Vivo, the world's longest-standing voluntary standard for forest carbon. Plan Vivo stipulates that rural communities must own the carbon offset projects, and also that they must receive at least 60% of the revenues the projects generate. So in addition to verifiably sequestering carbon, COTAP offsets provide livelihoods and generate life-changing income streams in some of the world's poorest communities.

EcoPenguin and COTAP have structured the offset offerings to lower barriers to entry, maximize convenience, create positive incentives, and assure transparency and accountability. The EcoPenguin platform is completely free to use. EcoPenguin is building its own line of eco-friendly NFTs, funkypenguins.io, which automatically counteract their carbon footprint with COTAP offsets, to be launched on the EcoPenguin platform in January 2022. Users who purchase COTAP offsets on the EcoPenguin platform are acknowledged with an EcoPenguin NFT digital certificate. EcoPenguin is also designing a "green swap" mechanism, analogous to a tiny, voluntary crypto carbon tax, which allows users to swap tokens and add a small, fixed amount to each transaction for carbon offsetting. The resulting carbon savings will be tracked and jointly published on the EcoPenguin platform and COTAP.org, to verify that the carbon offset through EcoPenguin match the offsets purchased from COTAP.

In addition, there are potential tax benefits. For example, since COTAP is a non-profit, in the U.S. individuals don't pay capital gains tax on cryptocurrency used to purchase COTAP offsets, and depending on their income level and whether or not they itemize, they may also get an income tax deduction.

EcoPenguin is working with Inevitrade owner and crypto influencer Craig Percoco to inform the crypto community about carbon offsetting opportunities through Inevitrade's discord and youtube channels. "EcoPenguin will help fix a massive problem by working towards decarbonizing crypto," Percoco said, "while also aiming to offer multiple facets of long term utility in the NFT space; something that is mostly yet to be seen."

Among EcoPenguin's crypto partners are Block Ape Scissors , a metaverse token which is offsetting its carbon emissions on the platform, and LGCY Network , a PoS blockchain which which will offset all its carbon emissions through the EcoPenguin platform, so all projects and traders building and trading on the blockchain can trust that their climate impacts have been responsibly countered.

CONTACT: Stephen Kent, [email protected], 914-589-5988

SOURCE EcoPenguin
BANGKOK, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to Thai government's call to boost the economy and tourism sector, ICONSIAM is collaborating with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, the Port Authority of Thailand, the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Boats Association, the Chao Phraya River Trade Association and Prachakom Yan Kadeejeen-Khlongsan Foundation to organize the "Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022" and celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Fantastic festivities coupled with the astounding beauty of Thailand's main river will truly mark ICONSIAM, as a national iconic landmark and global countdown destination. To ensure everyone's safety, ICONSIAM is following the strictest precautions in line with the guidelines issued by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and is limiting the number of people attending the iconic firework countdown festivities. Guests are required to pre-register and take a rapid antigen test (ATK) provided by the organizer before entering.

ICONSIAM Managing Director Supoj Chaiwatsirikul spoke about the upcoming event, saying: "One of our aims is to be able to proudly exhibit and preserve the historic Chao Phraya River while promoting the riverside as a major global tourist attraction. In past years, ICONSIAM has staged stunning firework shows recognized by international media such as CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters and ABC, among others. We are proud to join forces with the public and private sectors, communities and entrepreneurs to hold the 'Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022' event on the banks of Chao Phraya River on 31 December 2021."

Highlights include a dazzling showcase of 30,000 eco-friendly fireworks made from Thai sticky rice. Created by Japanese pyrogenic expert Mr. Oguchi Yoshimasa, these environmentally friendly pyrotechnic novelties will light up the sky over a 1,400-metre stretch of the majestic Chao Phraya River allowing viewers to see the fireworks within a 5-kilometer radius. The spectacle combines light and sound featuring the ICON Pop Orchestra. The firework show will be performed together with Koh Mr. Saxman, the well-known Thai composer and saxophonist, with the theme "Win the World for Thailand", and preserving Thainess. The show will bring back happiness and hope to the hearts of Thai people and the world.

The countdown celebration will be broadcast live on Thai Rath TV 32 HD Channel plus online platforms via the Facebook pages of ICONSIAM, Khaosod, Matichon Online, Prachachat and TrueID so that online viewers can join in conveying happiness, hope and moral support to Thai people's hearts across the country. This is to ensure a safe environment, reduce physical contact and maintain distancing in the New Normal way.

The mega event is organized and sponsored by Charoen Pokphand Group, The ICONSIAM Residences Corporation Ltd., The ICONSIAM Super Luxe Residence Corporation Ltd., Millennium Auto Group Co., Ltd., Zipmex Technology Co., Ltd and Lexus Group, Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd.

ICONSIAM's spectacular fireworks are special in many ways. For the first time, the eco-friendly fireworks will combine light and sound featuring the ICON Pop Orchestra. Created by Mr. Yoshimasa, the incorporation of Thai sticky rice as one of the ingredients for producing fireworks means less smoke, so the show is both an extravaganza for the eyes as well as friendly to the environment. The fireworks display will be the grandest and longest in Thailand stretching 1,400 metres along the river and viewers can see the fireworks within a 5-kilometer radius. The fireworks that will light up the sky and give off a glittering reflection of the river surface will emphasis the Chao Phraya River's long and rich history and its bonds with all Thais, making it an important destination globally. The fireworks show, aiming to convey happiness, hope and moral support to the hearts of Thai people and the world, comprises seven acts, includes 'Love Lights Up the World', 'Igniting Your Spirit', 'Unleash Your Magic', 'Alive Again: Bright Life presented by Charoen Pokphand Group', 'Embracing Diversity', 'Win the World for Thailand', and 'Unity'.

SOURCE ICONSIAM
Beltre shares, "This story was born after two people were united, by destination, through a trip to the Dominican Republic, a country in which one of the largest sources of income is tourism, since many people, from different parts of the world. They usually visit it due to the diversity and beauty that they can find here. Saona Island, Catalina Island, Samana where whales usually come and other places in the country are often very visited by tourists, since in these places they can find many tropical beauties to photograph and enjoy these beautiful landscapes. Here the people who usually come always tend to return for the simple fact that they say that the inhabitants of this country have a very contagious charisma and joy and, for the most part, the treatment they receive is a treatment that captivates them and encourages them to return once again to the country to continue knowing the beaches and hotels, which are the greatest attractions we have here."

Published by Page Publishing, Luiggi Beltre's interesting life journey provides hope to readers. The couple's love proves that as long as God is present, a love that is real, selfless, and unconditional is possible to obtain.

It is a heartwarming read on how God's plans are always perfect; so, just trust the process.

Readers who wish to experience this admirable work can purchase "Un Destino Maravilloso" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors' books, including distribution in the world's largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page's accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1708678/Luiggi_Beltre.jpg

SOURCE Page Publishing

Related Links

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Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd. (Cathay FHC) Chairman Hong-Tu TSAI noted during the Summit that 2022 will mark the Cathay's 60th anniversary, and said he has gained a deep understanding that to ensure long-term survival, a company must attain both sustainability and profitability. Organizing the Summit for the fifth straight year is one of Cathay's sustainability efforts. Cathay has turned the influence of its assets into a force for pressing companies to respond to CDP, the world's largest platform for disclosing information on carbon emissions. As of the end of 2020, Cathay had implemented 670 in-depth engagements with companies, and 65% of the companies successfully engaged by Cathay as the lead investor improved their CDP score the following year.

"Through this Summit as well as Cathay's engagements, we have called for immediate sustainable actions from investees and borrowers. We hope that Taiwan can perform well and this will be recognized by the international community," said Hong-Tu TSAI.

Cathay itself has achieved a number of ESG milestones in Taiwan. Cathay Life Insurance, Cathay United Bank, and Cathay Century Insurance led the way in voluntary compliance with sustainability standards such as the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), and Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI). Cathay is also the only Taiwanese financial firm to participate in a number of international climate-related initiatives, including Climate Action 100+ and the Asian Utilities Engagement Program. Cathay has also applied to join RE100, and committed for all its business operation sites in Taiwan will utilize 100% renewable energy by 2030, and achieve net-zero activities by 2050.

The Summit was enthusiastically received, and the reason was the same as Cathay's reason for proactive promotion for sustainability: for corporations, climate change has become a matter of survival. From the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to COP26 resolutions, this environmental issue has already metamorphosed into an economic, political, and societal challenge, and elevated companies' ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) strategies from one limited to the CSR domain to their entire operations.

Five keys in implementation of a sustainability strategy

During his opening remarks, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Chairman Tien-Mu HUANG stressed that policy implementation is critical to climate change mitigation and sustainable finance, asserting that attention must be given to five key points. First, consistent targets; second, adjustments must be made in response to ongoing change; third, government policy must adhere to principles of fairness and proportionality given that companies differ in scale; fourth, assistance must be given to disadvantaged groups and companies with fewer resources; and fifth, goals must be achievable. Companies must propose workable strategies, and become responsible participants for sustainable finance and climate change mitigation.

"Climate change mitigation or sustainable finance is a high-level policy aspiration, but for individual companies, it is an important opportunity for organizational reform. For example, performing a carbon footprint inventory is an important decision for a corporate board," said Tien-Mu HUANG.

Director-General Brenda HU of the FSC's Department of Planning stated that in order to firmly establish sustainable finance practices, the FSC is studying the EU's approach and drafting a standardized taxonomy of sustainable activities. It will first be tested in three major industries--manufacturing, construction and real estate, and shipping and warehousing--providing the financial industry with a basis for assessing investment and financing opportunities. The taxonomy encompasses six major environmental goals--climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, water and marine resources, circular economy, pollution prevention, and biodiversity--as well as social protections (of human rights, worker rights, and social development). Business activities must satisfy at least one environmental goal and not hinder other goals, while also achieving social protection--only then are they in line with sustainability.

Climate action strategies to leverage companies' transition to green operations

Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Wen-Sheng TSENG said that the Ministry of Economic Affairs will help companies reduce carbon emissions by first designating carbon footprint verification tools. Second, it will formulate regulations on wholesale purchases of commercial renewable energy, which is currently limited to Taiwan's state-owned power utility, so that more companies can buy low-carbon energy. Lin-Yi TSAI, Director of the Climate Change Office at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) stated that in response to the European Union's CBAM, the EPA will simplify administrative procedures to help small and medium-size enterprises to perform carbon footprint inventories. The Climate Change Response Act currently being drafted will include a carbon tax, with rates taking into consideration the level of domestic economic development and using a phased approach to implementation.

International sustainability standards are gradually taking shape. Robert G. ECCLES, Visiting Professor of Management Practice at the University of Oxford, noted that the International Sustainability Standard Board (ISSB) was established during COP26, and will define ESG information disclosure standards for global financial markets, providing a framework for corporate sustainability reports. Rebecca Mikula-WRIGHT, CEO of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), said that companies must set a timetable and approach for achieving net-zeroemissions. Of the 33 companies with the highest carbon emissions in Asia tracked by Climate Action 100+, 14 have made the commitment to achieving net-zero emissions/carbon neutral by 2050. These companies include Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, and China Steel Corporation, which all shared their approaches during the Summit.

From "three leaks" to "three carbons", major carbon emitters accelerate reduction efforts

This year, Taiwan announced that it would achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which means that companies must take action at an accelerated pace. China Steel Corporation President Shyi-Chin WANG relates that since the end of last year, he has been aware of pressure from "three carbons": carbon neutral, carbon taxes, and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. As a result, he has lent greater force to carbon reduction efforts. In the short term, China Steel plans to reduce carbon emissions by 1% every year before 2030. To achieve carbon neutral by 2050, it will collaborate with academia to research and develop necessary technologies, and plan for allocating resources to adopt hydrogen as an energy source. Formosa Plastics Group President Sang-Chih LIN said that as early as the 1990s, Formosa adopted the 5S methodology for workplace organization (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain) and implemented a policy to eliminate three types of leaks (oil, water, and gas). In addition, it has pursued circular economy practices that encompass water, energy, raw materials, and waste recycling across Group companies and production sites. Its carbon emissions in 2020 represented a 15.7% reduction from the peak in 2007, and using 2007 levels as a baseline, Formosa aims to reduce 20% and 35% carbon emissions by 2025 and 2030 respectively, before achieving carbon neutral by 2050.

The representatives of Taiwanese companies who participated in the Summit also shared their experiences with promoting ESG and a transition to low-carbon operations. Chun-Chi CHOU, Founder of Sinyi Realty Inc., said that in addition to continuing the setup of sustainable realty offices, Sinyi purchased a small Malaysian island where it is planting trees and marine algae, and restoring coral reefs to create a zero emissions island. It is providing outstanding carbon credits to the parent company to help achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. TSMC meanwhile is the world's first semiconductor company to join RE100, and has set 2050 for achieving net-zero emissions and create a sustainable supply chain. Hon Hai has likewise set 2050 for achieving net-zero emissions, and also made ESG a key performance indicator for both internal performance assessments and supplier evaluations.

No ESG, no business. No ESG, no money.

As a critical player in the global supply chain, Taiwanese industry sensed customers' high ESG expectations early on. Along with regulatory drivers, the transition to sustainable development is no longer a choice that companies can make, but an inevitability. Hong-Tu TSAI described the global supply chain as declaring "No ESG, no business", while the financial industry calls for "No ESG, no money", both conveying that it is no longer enough for companies to do well themselves, but that all stakeholders must also be enabled to make progress together.

Hong-Tu TSAI provided the best summation of the event's spirit, "No ESG, no Taiwan".

SOURCE Cathay Financial Holdings
Packed into the eye-catching design are cutting-edge photo and video features including the industry's first Bokeh Flare Portrait Video and upgraded AI Highlight Video enable users to create memorable videography content, with a cinematic effect that will capture lasting memories. Available on both the front and rear cameras, the DSR-like Bokeh effects can be applied to videos with just one click.

The Reno6 Pro 5G's ultra-powerful imaging sensor behind the main camera, Sony IMX766, heightens a picture's dynamic range especially in low-light conditions, creating professional-level nighttime shots of the celebrations from fireworks in perfect clarity.

In addition, the phone's advanced auto focusing capabilities ensure that the main subject in video always remains in focus, perfect for group and family photos. The Reno6 Pro 5G also provides creative post-production tools such as AI Palette for easy editing and fine-tuning to bring.

Users need not worry about running out of battery and missing the new year's countdown with OPPO's reliable and incredibly fast SuperVOOC Flash Charge, giving a full charge in just 30 minutes. Heading from celebration to celebration? The sleek design ensures the smartphone is lightweight and dynamic at just 7.99mm thick and weighing only 188grams, the perfect size for a purse or pocket.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global technology brand since 2004, dedicated to providing products that seamlessly combines art and innovative technology.

OPPO is on a mission to building a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity. The smartphone devices have simply been a gateway for OPPO to deliver a diverse portfolio of smart and frontier technologies in hardware, software and system. In 2019, OPPO launched a $7 Billion US Dollar three-year investment plan in R&D to develop core technologies furthering design through technology.

OPPO is firmly pursuing the creation of the best technology products and technological artistry for global users. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology.

For the last 10 years, OPPO has focused on manufacturing smartphones with camera capabilities that are second to none. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marked the launch of the brand's epic journey in exploring and pioneering extraordinary technology. Over the years, OPPO has built a tradition of being number one, which became a reality through inventing the world's first rotating camera smartphone way back in 2013, launching the world's then thinnest smartphone in 2014, being the first to introduce 5X Zoom 'Periscope' camera technology and developing the first 5G commercial smartphone in Europe.

Today, OPPO was ranked as the number four smartphone brand globally. OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through the ColorOS system Experience, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+.

OPPO's business covers 40 countries with over six research institutes and five R&D centers across the world, from San Francisco to Shenzhen. OPPO also opened an International Design Centre headquartered in London, driving cutting edge technology that will shape the future not only for smartphones but for intelligent connectivity.

About OPPO MEA

OPPO started its journey in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2015 after setting up its regional office in Egypt. Following the immense success of the brand's sales centre in Cairo in the first year, OPPO accelerated its expansion plan across the MEA region and inaugurated its country operations in the UAE in 2019. Now OPPO is physically present in more than 13 markets across the region, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the Levant.

To empower its presence in the region in line with its product localisation strategy, OPPO further invested in MENA and set up its very own factory in Algeria in 2017, thus, becoming the first Chinese brand to build a manufacturing premises in North Africa. Based on insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO has evolved the progress of product localisation, taking into consideration several perspectives towards each market, including product localisation, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localisation, to better communicate with local young customers; and talent localisation, to understand local consumers further and provide an optimum customer service.

Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X Series and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series

OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region.

A forward-thinking international technology company, OPPO strives to be a sustainable company that contributes to a better world and have enacted positive change in every way possible through activating local community initiatives and humanitarian, charity campaigns.

drives everything we do. Visit http://www.mediatek.com for more information.

SOURCE OPPO
Already renowned worldwide for its appealing diversity in flavors, Thai gastronomy takes centuries-old local wisdom to a new level in health, well-being, and medicinal care. Thailand is honored to share its knowledge of local dishes from throughout the Kingdom that not only appeal to the taste buds but have healing properties for a number of ailments.

Mr. Chai Nakhonchai, Director-General of the Department of Cultural Promotion, revealed that while Thai food is an intangible cultural heritage praised worldwide for its diverse flavors, the wonder of Thai cuisine doesn't end with great taste. Nearly every dish is bursting with vegetables, herbs and spices containing nutraceutical properties (food containing health-giving additives and having medicinal benefits) which in turn can aid the body to fight off diseases and help maintain a level of health and vitality. It's not an overstatement to refer to Thai cuisine as "The World's Tastiest Medicine".

Sample dishes

Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup with Turmeric, which contains curcumin (helps the immune system work efficiently*). The sharp, tart smoky flavor comes mainly from the garcinia fruit with an overall balanced deliciousness coming from galangal (helps prevent inflammation caused by bacteria and viruses and helps prevent allergic reactions) and lemongrass (contains quercetin which enhances immunity).

which contains curcumin The sharp, tart smoky flavor comes mainly from the garcinia fruit with an overall balanced deliciousness coming from galangal and lemongrass Spicy and Sour Chicken Soup  the bold and delectable Tom Yum dish with juicy chicken meat, herbal aroma, galangal and lemongrass.

 the bold and delectable dish with juicy chicken meat, herbal aroma, galangal and lemongrass. Five-Spice Jungle Curry  a popular spicy dish that does not contain coconut milk, instead containing a host of spices and herbs to balance the strong scent of fish or meat and to enhance appetite. Key ingredients include fingerroot, a kind of ginger, which also contains quercetin (helps relieve cough and cold symptoms*), galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, and peppercorn (helps to relieve nausea, headaches, poor digestion).

For healthy eating, visit www.thaitastetherapy.com for easy-to-follow Thai food recipes and an online directory of where to purchase ingredients.

SOURCE Thai Taste Therapy
HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The economic consequences of the pandemic have had a profound effect on the economy at large but it has had a disproportionate impact on small business owners, self-employed contractors, and gig economy workers who make up nearly 48% of the private workforce.

Millions of these self-employed workers would like to take advantage of historically low mortgage rates but they do not easily fit the standard profile in order to qualify for conforming or government loans.

Instead, these individuals  from dentists to Uber drivers  must rely on the creativity and flexibility of non-QM loan programs that are specifically designed to fulfill their unmet needs.

Given the enormous size of this market and the increasing demand for non-QM loans, there is also a substantial and profitable business opportunity for mortgage loan originators.

Non-QM Mortgage Loan Benefits

Non-QM loans are mortgage loans that permit borrowers to qualify based on alternative factors, instead of the traditional income verification required for most QM loans. Examples of alternative verification might include the use of bank statements or designating assets as income.

Because of these more flexible criteria, non-QM loans make real estate investment opportunities available to a broader group of borrowers which, in turn, is good for brokers.

Unfortunately, many first-time buyers  and even many brokers  are only familiar with QM loans. They aren't aware that non-QM loans are a credible and viable option for many borrowers.

Some of the benefits of Non-QM loans that many lenders allow include:





Greater underwriting flexibility

Wider range of income verification options

No employment history is required (in some cases, such as asset utilization or depletion loans)

As little as 10% down required

Low-income reserves required (in some cases)

Credit scores as low as 620 allowed (580 w/ compensating factors)

Low debt-service-coverage ratio (DSCR) on investment properties

Counting rental income (including Airbnb & VRBO)

As many mortgage loan brokers know all too well, real estate opportunities do not linger on the market for long. They also know that not all borrowers fit into a neat and tidy box.

For many potential homeowners, investors and originators, non-QM loans are the only way to make certain real estate investment opportunities possible.

Unconventional Borrowers

As previously mentioned, non-QM loans are a way for borrowers to secure a mortgage, even if they don't meet the "traditional" borrower profile. Non-QM loans are also valuable to brokers who can benefit from the increased pool of borrowers, while helping their clients to acquire their dream home.

Unconventional borrowers have access to a variety of non-QM loans that fit many different scenarios. For example, a real estate investor may make plenty of money buying, renovating, and selling homes, but they don't record that cash flow on a W-2, which is what many lending organizations require to confirm their income. The lack of a W-2 could cause the real estate investor to be rejected for a conventional loan because it appears they don't have the income to pay back the loan, even though they do.

In response, more financial institutions began offering loans to support borrowers who do not fit the conventional loan limits established by the government. These loans provide higher lending amounts and more flexible terms. As a consequence, there's been an increase in demand from borrowers who are in search of non-QM loans and lenders who want to offer them.

Outlook for Non-QM Loans

Due to the devastating impact that the pandemic had on the entire mortgage industry, some analysts speculated whether non-QM lending would survive the downturn. Liquidity had dissipated, many non-QM aggregators had vanished, and most originators focused exclusively on agency products. The non-QM market had suddenly come to a screeching halt.

But what a difference a year makes! By the 3rd quarter of 2020, non-QM loans were once again gaining traction, investors were returning, and securitization had restarted, and these trends have continued into 2021.

Today, with the uncertainty of the pandemic waning, the non-QM loan market is accelerating rapidly. There continues to be a robust demand for non-QM loans and this results in a more stable market.

It is expected that non-QM lending will finish 2021 with $25 billion in mortgage origination, and some analysts are predicting that the market could double in 2022.

Therefore, it's a perfect time for brokers to enter the non-QM market, and it's easy to understand how they can profit from this favorable opportunity.

Experience Matters

Given that the Non-QM market is an alternative, specialty market within the larger mortgage industry, it is imperative for loan originators and potential borrowers to work with a company that has both experience and expertise in this field.

That company is A&D Mortgage, one of the strongest performers in the Non-QM industry. As a full-service lender, A&D has worked extensively with Non-QM products and is an established leader in this sector.

Some A&D loan program highlights include:

Underwriting turn times under 24 hours

Industry-leading service through knowledgeable Account Executives, Broker Support, and Concierge Services

The lowest required income reserves in the industry

Loan programs that qualify with credit scores as low as 580 or 599

Ability to offer a 0 ratio on DSCR (in some cases)

At A&D Mortgage, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience at your disposal, in addition to the care and concern of an organization that strives to be your most reliable and reputable partner in the Non-QM space.

For more information about A&D Mortgage, visit www.admortgage.com.

About A&D Mortgage

As a premier direct lender, A&D Mortgage offers a full spectrum of conventional, government, and Non-QM loan products with 24-hour turnaround times and some of the most competitive rates in the industry. In addition to their Prime Jumbo loan product, A&D Mortgage offers programs for Prime borrowers, Foreign National borrowers, as well as borrowers with imperfect credit history. Programs with no income verification are also offered for investment property loans. The company offers free concierge services, bank statement reviews, marketing tools and resources, and more to support the brokers they serve.

A&D Mortgage LLC is an Equal Housing Lender. NMLS ID #958660. 1040 South Federal Highway, Hollywood, FL 33020. For important disclosures and state licensing information: https://admortgage.com/important-disclosures/

SOURCE A&D Mortgage
TRENTON, N.J., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Affordable Energy for New Jersey (AENJ) marked the 700th day that the Murphy administration has failed to release a cost estimate for its Energy Master Plan (EMP).

Despite releasing the Energy Master Plan almost two years ago, the Murphy administration continues to stonewall New Jerseyans who deserve to know what the plan will cost them and how it will be paid for. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has yet to release a public estimate of the proposal's costs, even though the plan will dramatically overhaul how New Jerseyans receive and pay for the energy they use every day.

"The EMP isn't just bad policy for New Jersey's hardworking families and businesses  it's going to bleed them dry with new fees, higher energy prices, and dramatic costs to renovate their homes and businesses," said Ron Morano, executive director of AENJ. "We need commonsense energy policy and transparent governance, not shameless pandering to fringe environmental groups that will bankrupt our state and shatter our fragile economy."

AENJ has fought tirelessly to promote balanced energy policy that will keep energy affordable, support our growing economy, and reduce the state's carbon footprint while advocating for transparency and clarity from administration officials tasked with creating our energy future. The organization believes that three questions must be asked of all new energy policy: Is it feasible, is it reliable, and how much does it cost? Unfortunately, the EMP fails on all counts  and continues to leave cost questions unanswered despite public outcry.

AENJ's own research has found that the EMP will cost a family of four over $200,000  and that the costs to the state overall could easily top $500 billion. That's a cost New Jersey simply can't afford.

"We urge BPU and the Murphy administration to release a cost estimate of the EMP so that New Jerseyans can understand how this policy will impact them," said Morano. "We need all parties to come together to build sensible energy policy for our region, not just ram through policies that will dramatically change our state and hamper our competitiveness."

About AENJ:

The Affordable Energy New Jersey Coalition is a dedicated group of business, labor, industry, civic and community organizations in New Jersey who have come together to ensure that families and businesses maintain access to clean and affordable energy.

SOURCE Affordable Energy for New Jersey Coalition
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vectice, the data science knowledge capturing and sharing solution, today announced that the company has hired Remy Thellier as Head of Growth and is promoting Cyril Mathe to Head of Engineering.

Vectice creates a unified view of the data science initiatives across an organization. With Vectice, data science teams can discover previous artifacts and communicate project progress to key stakeholders across an organization.

"After exclusively working with Fortune 2000 enterprises, Vectice has gained significant momentum with key accounts," said Michael Neril, Founder and Managing Partner at Spider Capital, who co-led Vectice's Seed round last year. "The addition of Remy and Cyril to the executive team will enable the Company to take its growth to the next level."

Before joining Vectice, Thellier was Vice President of Sales & Marketing America at Syntony, where he led the delivery of unique technologies to large enterprise customers in the American transportation and aerospace markets. He is an expert in novel technology concepts, having advised executive deep tech clients on B2B marketing and sales strategies at the French Consulate in San Francisco.

"Remy Thellier is a B2B growth swiss-army-knife. He's been hands-on advising numerous deep-tech startups targeting enterprise accounts," said Cyril Brignone, CEO and co-founder of Vectice. "His specialty is to establish business foundations and tackle the variety of bottlenecks startups experience when opening new markets."

Cyril Mathe joined Vectice as Lead Backend in 2020. "Cyril has proven great skills since he joined," explained Gregory Haardt, CTO and co-founder of Vectice. "He successfully led the team developing our core technology to release our software on a tight schedule while ensuring best practices and security standards were met."

"My priority is to grow and drive the team to make Vectice the best solution for impactful AI," said Mathe, now Head of Engineering at Vectice. Mathe has a long history of leading multidisciplinary software teams at various successful companies, including at Wiztivi and Vecteur Plus, the leading solution for public tenders in Europe.

To learn more about Vectice and opportunities to join the Vectice team, visit: https://www.vectice.com/

About Vectice

Vectice 's mission is to revolutionize the way enterprise data science teams index their assets, manage knowledge, and collaborate with the rest of the business. We are building a platform-agnostic AI assets management and documentation software for enterprises to successfully scale their AI initiatives by providing a unified view of data science initiatives across an organization. Enterprises use Vectice to centralize project visibility, share domain knowledge, mitigate data science project risks, and increase their AI initiatives' ROI.

SOURCE Vectice
RAIPUR, India, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new market research report on Aircraft Electrical Systems Market by System Type (Electrical Generation Systems, Electrical Distribution Systems, Electrical Conversion Systems, and Electrical Storage Systems), by Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, General Aviation, Helicopter, Military Aircraft, and UAV), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, & Industry Analysis: 2021-2026.

This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's aircraft electrical systems market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate growth strategies.

Aircraft Electrical Systems Market: Highlights

The increasing need for electric aircraft with the growing usage of power electronics is one of the major drivers for electrical systems in the aircraft industry. The aviation industry has rapidly been adopting advanced technologies to meet the power demands with increased electrical loads. In addition, there is also a need for reducing carbon emissions and improving the fuel economy, which can be achieved to a great extent by developing electric aircraft.

The grounding of the B737Max ended the 16-year growth cycle of the commercial aerospace industry. The industry was on the verge of recovery from the grounding of B737Max, but the sudden burst of the pandemic exacerbated the industry challenges. As a result of that, the aircraft electrical systems market witnessed a colossal decline of over 20% in 2020, quite aligned with the decline in other crucial systems used in an aircraft. The market has already started showing some signs of recovery from 2021 onwards with the recovery, particularly in the narrow-body aircraft segment. In the long run, it is anticipated that the aircraft electrical systems market is likely to rebound at a promising CAGR of 8.1% during 2021-2026 to reach a value of US$ 3.9 billion by 2026.

Click Here and Run Through the Detailed TOC of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/2334/aircraft-electrical-systems-market.html

Based on the system type, power generation system is expected to remain the largest and the fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period, owing to the reason that they are the primary source of electrical power in an aircraft. In addition to that, the development of high-thrust aircraft engines, an increase in the demand for greater efficiency, and the development of highly integrated electrical power generation systems are expected to drive the growth during the forecast period.

Based on the aircraft type, commercial aircraft is expected to remain the dominant as well as the fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period. Commercial aircraft registered an enormous decline in the year 2020 factored by struggling industry paired with the pandemic's impact. Now, it is anticipated that the aircraft type will mark excellent growth to heal up the loss endured during 2020, leading to extraordinary growth in the near future. Upcoming aircraft programs, such as C919 and MC-21, are likely to give an additional impetus to the demand for electrical systems in the coming years.

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In terms of regions, North America is expected to remain the largest market for aircraft electrical systems during the forecast period. This region is home to many aircraft industry stakeholders. Most of the major players are either headquartered in the region or have a manufacturing base in the region to serve the huge demand. Europe, on the other hand, is the second-largest market after North America. The region is the home of Airbus stakeholders. Airbus has already revealed its plans for rapidly increasing the production rates of their key aircraft programs in the near future, asserting the entire region's recovery trajectory in the near future.

Asia-Pacific remains the hotspot of the aerospace industry for all the systems/components. All the leading OEMs and tier players have already moved to some of the preferred locations, especially in China, India, and Japan, for manufacturing/assembly of parts/systems/aircraft. Furthermore, huge efforts exerted by Chinese, Indian, and Japanese conglomerates regarding the development of aircraft indigenously will further drive the demand for electrical systems in the coming years.

The competitive landscape of electrical systems varies from system to system. Also, it is being noticed that all the major players are not into all types of electrical systems, changing the competitive landscape depending on the system type. Overall, it is a convoluted process to manufacture electrical systems and requires huge expertise to supply systems for the aerospace industry. Following are the key players in the aircraft electrical systems market.

Safran Group

Collins Aerospace (Raytheon Technologies Corporation)

Honeywell International Inc.

GE Aviation

AMETEK.Inc.

Thales Group

Skurka Aerospace, Inc

Crane Aerospace & Electronics

Astronics Corporation

Meggitt PLC

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors

This report studies the global aircraft electrical systems market and has segmented the market in three ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the three ways in which the market is segmented:

Aircraft Electrical Systems, by System Type

Electrical Generation Systems (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Electrical Distribution Systems (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Electrical Conversion Systems (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Electrical Storage Systems (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Electrical Systems, by Aircraft Type

Commercial Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

General Aviation (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

, , , and RoW) Helicopter (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

, , , and RoW) Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

, , , and RoW) UAV (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aircraft Electrical Systems, by Region

North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , The UK, Russia , and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan , China , India , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil , The UAE, and Others)

Stratview Research has number of high value market reports in the global aerospace & defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Aerospace-Defense.html

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research, and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

Stratview Research has launched 'Composights', an online portal which offers free thought leadership reports, whitepapers, market report synopsis and much more for Composites and allied industries, worth US$ 20,000 every year.

Click here to sign up (No costs involved): https://www.stratviewresearch.com/composights/sign-in

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SOURCE Stratview Research
PRETORIA, South Africa, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ark Decentralized Cloud was designed not only as a framework for a truly decentralized web 3.0, but also as a core engine to allow for data-heavy NFTs, such as 8k video clips and VR experiences and an ultra-fast decentralized storage solution capable of supporting advanced applications, such as a metaverse.

"The largest barriers to decentralized file storage, file size and data accessibility, are no longer an issue on Ark. Unlike its competitors, Ark can theoretically support files of unlimited size, and data is rapidly accessible. This opens up the real possibility of mass adoption of decentralized storage."

Stephen McCullah - CEO of Apollo Fintech

Currently, Ark Decentralized Cloud functions by allowing users to do one of two things:

Store their Data

Users can encrypt and store their files on Ark, facilitating safe and indefinite storage of files of any size.

Store Data from Other Users

Users can partition their hard drives to store other's files to earn a recurring income.

How Ark Works

Ark Decentralized Cloud works by creating a cloud environment between as many as millions of user devices. When a user stores a file on the network the file is then fragmented into as many as hundreds of individual pieces. Each fragment of the file is then encrypted and stored between dozens of staked user storage devices. Unlike other decentralized storage systems, Ark has an abundance of security fail-safe protocols to prevent data from being lost when a participating user removes their staked hard drive.

2022 Plan

Apollo Fintech is working on utilizing Ark as a core to its web 3.0 infrastructure. Ark will allow truly decentralized web pages and applications because data can be completely stored and quickly accessed from The Ark network. Normally, most "decentralized" websites still host their graphical data on centralized servers. This makes them incredibly Vulnerable to influence from foreign powers and outside entities.

For updates, follow Apollo Fintech:

Website: Aplfintech.com

YouTube: youtube.com/ApolloFintech

Twitter: @aplfintech

Telegram: @apolloofficialannnouncements

Contact: [email protected]

Media contact:

Stephen McCullah

[email protected]

+270799991709

SOURCE Apollo Fintech
Instant & Eternity , an exhibition by Qi Xinghua, a famous street artist sometimes referred to as China's Banksy, marked the official opening earlier this month. Multiple pieces of Qi's pop culture-inspired works are now on display alongside a heart-shaped wire frame from which specially decorated MHD bottles were hung during a VIP launch dinner on November 19.

As part of MHD's Art is for Everyone campaign, a drive to shift art away from exclusive circles and towards the wider community, 2,000 free exhibition tickets have been issued to the public. Through this scheme and others to follow, it is hoped a larger cross-section of Chinese society will benefit from the social interactions, discussions, and connections art inspires.

Going forward, the partners plan to roll out more A4A venues-- which can be utilised as cafes, gift shops, exhibition areas and event spaces for brands -- to other galleries and museums across China. It is hoped that both the Art is for Everyone campaign and A4A venues will enrich the cultural lives of people in China while helping promote Chinese pop culture and showcase the work of young contemporary Chinese artists.

"We are beyond excited about the ARTSforALL platform and what it can do for up-and-coming young Chinese artists and those who may have previously been intimidated felt excluded from the art world. Beauty and creativity are universal languages that we all understand, whatever our background and social standing. We are looking forward to bringing more of both to every corner of China with our partners at ARTSforALL and other brands interested in the vision of promoting young artists in China and making their works accessible to as many people as possible," said Angelito Perez Tan, CEO of RTG's parent company, RTG Group Asia.

ARTSforALL's CEO Eddie Gao added, "Our partnership with RTG Consulting Group and MHD will help luxury brands tap into China's young pop culture and art market through a wide variety of inclusive events and activities. Through art, the great equalizer, these brands, sometimes seen as unreachable to ordinary members of society, can connect on a deeper level with a more diverse range of consumers than ever before."

About RTG Consulting Group

RTG Consulting Group is a leading luxury business consultancy specialized in advising senior executives of the world's most well-known luxury brands and public institutions. RTG comprises of three independent divisions:

RTG Intuition (business intelligence)

RTG Solutions (business strategy)

RTG Inspire (marketing communications)

We are headquartered in Shanghai, with offices in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Our core philosophy is grounded in 'Pursuing Betterment'. As individuals, as teams, and collectively as a company, we strive to make a positive impact not only for our brands, but for the world around us. This philosophy is supported by our three pillars: Purpose, Passion, and Perseverance.

For more information, please visit www.rtgconsulting.com

About ARTSforALL

ARTSforALL is promotional platform created to help young Chinese artists to communicate and market their art creatives to consumers. Simultaneously, the platform was built to connect these young up and coming artists with established brands to reach Generation X and Y consumers. Conceptualized by professionals at the intersection of real estate, art and branding worlds, ARTSforALL has backing from former real estate investors, co-founders of MILK Magazine and RTG Consulting Group.

The first ARTSforALL venue is situated on the second floor of the Museum of Contemporary and Urban Planning, Shenzhen's premier destination for contemporary art located in the Futian Central District of Shenzhen.

Contact

RTG Consulting Group

Press Center

+86 21 5389 5588

[email protected]

www.rtgconsulting.com

SOURCE RTG Consulting Group
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According to the recent market study by Technavio, the Automotive Technologies Market Size is expected to increase by USD 134.06 billion from 2020 to 2025. However, the growth momentum in the market is expected to decelerate at a CAGR of 11.04%. The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, competitive scenario, future market trends, market size & estimations, and major investment pockets.

APAC will register the highest growth rate, occupying 53% of the global market share. China, Japan, and South Korea (Republic of Korea) are the key markets for automotive technologies in APAC. However, the market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions.

Download FREE Sample: for more additional information about the key countries in North America

Vendor Insights-

The automotive technologies market is fragmented with the presence of several regional and international players. Major players are increasing their footprint in the market by expanding their operations. This has increased competition in the market, which is driving small vendors in the market to focus on introducing technologically advanced products and forming strategic alliances with other players.

Continental AG: The company offers various sensors like cameras, lidar, radar, and control units that provide the necessary information for highly automated driving.

DENSO Corp.: The company offers various electronic platforms, port terrain systems, and others.

HELLA GmbH and Co. KGaA: The company offers a range of vehicle electronics solutions such as LED headlamps, intelligent battery sensors for efficient energy management, lane change assistant, and others.

Intel Corp.: The company offers various technologies for the automotive industry such as autonomous driving, in-vehicle experience, functional safety and electric motor controls, power conversion, and battery management systems for electric vehicles.

NVIDIA Corp.: The company offers various automotive technologies such as ADAS, automated driving, in-vehicle experience, ADAS, and others.

Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Free Sample Report

Regional Market Outlook

The automotive technologies market growth in APAC will be significant during the forecast period. The increasing sales of automobiles and the rising demand for electronics-based driving comfort and safety systems will be crucial in driving the growth of the automotive technologies market in APAC. The report also offers detailed insights into the growth of the market across other regions such as Europe, MEA, North America, and South America. Countries such as the US and Germany are identified as prominent markets for automotive technologies.

Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries.

Latest Drivers & Trends Driving the Market-

Automotive Technologies Market Driver:

The rising adoption of ADAS features in vehicles will emerge as the major factor in driving the growth of the global automotive technologies market during the forecast period. In addition, the increasing adoption of electronics-based driving comfort & safety systems and the intervention of innovative technologies for advanced UI will further accelerate the growth of the market.

On the other hand, factors such as lack of standard protocols, lack of connected infrastructure, and the delay in the luxury of ongoing updates and amendments will reduce the growth potential in the market.

Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends mentioned in our FREE sample report .

Related Reports:

Electric Vehicle Motor Market by Power Rating and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Automotive Occupant Sensing System Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Automotive Technologies Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 11.04% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 134.06 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 15.60 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 53% Key consumer countries China, US, Germany, Japan, and South Korea (Republic of Korea) Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Continental AG, DENSO Corp., HELLA GmbH and Co. KGaA, Intel Corp., NVIDIA Corp., NXP Semiconductors NV, Renesas Electronics Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, Xilinx Inc., and ZF Friedrichshafen AG 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 forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis 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 Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
DALLAS, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventiv Technologies today announced that Alex Yeo has joined the organization as its inaugural Chief Product Officer and General Manager. In this role, Yeo will help accelerate the company's multi-year transformation and oversee all Aventiv product offerings across the company's various business lines, including Technology, Media & Communications; Payment Services, Monitoring Solutions; and Post-Incarceration Services. His focus is on enhancing the customer and consumer experience through new product innovation; existing product improvement; and improved affordability and accessibility. He is also charged with expanding touch points for listening to incarcerated individuals and their families.

"Our consumers deserve high quality, reliable products and Alex Yeo has a proven track record of creating outstanding consumer experiences. He has done it in challenging environments while ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and affordable prices," said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies. "We look forward to working with and learning from Alex as we improve services and expand our product portfolio to better serve our customers."

"I am thrilled to be joining Aventiv Technologies and working alongside a talented, forward-looking team," said Alex Yeo, General Manager at Aventiv Technologies. "Our technology is modernizing a previously archaic industry and I look forward to accelerating our focus on the consumer experience. I've already initiated a review of our product portfolio and I'm excited to deliver even more affordable and accessible services for our consumers."

Yeo will work closely with Russell Roberts, leader of Aventiv's correctional agency customer team, to strengthen commitments to both customer and consumer stakeholders. This partnership will help Aventiv continue to increase the affordability of their communication products, while providing correctional agencies with the support they need to protect public safety.

Yeo is a seasoned C-suite executive with over ten years of leadership experience. He was most recently President for Canadian Retail at The North West Company, where he serviced rural and developing communities in Northern Canada.

In a past role, Yeo was responsible for operations strategy across 1,300 restaurants at McDonald's and was key in growing the business through initiatives like online ordering and digital marketing. He also led and delivered multiple large, digital enterprise transformation engagements as an executive consultant at McKinsey & Co.

Yeo is the latest addition to Aventiv's new and increasingly diverse leadership team. Last year, the company added four new executives from a range of industries and backgrounds. Earlier in 2021, the company announced that Yusef Jackson joined the company as a senior executive and advisor to the ownership team. Aventiv has also partnered with Korn Ferry to broaden recruitment efforts for the company's entire workforce.

The leadership changes come amid Aventiv's broader corporate transformation, which is centered on deepening the affordability and accessibility of the company's products and services. In 2021, the company made significant strides against its goals, including:

Providing 95 million free connections between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones since the beginning of the pandemic, increasing accessibility at a time when in person visitation was limited by COVID-19.

Reducing the average per minute cost of calls to an all-time low of $0.13 , down from almost $0.15 per minute one year ago.

, down from almost per minute one year ago. Renegotiating more than 100 contracts with corrections agencies to reduce costs and eliminate the company's highest historic outlier rates.

Offering more cost saving initiatives, such as discounted stamp packages, free eCards, free-reply-Wednesdays as well as free and discounted premium media were provided in 2021 than in any previous year.

Conducting a thorough review of all products and services to ensure that they are aligned with new affordability commitments, resulting in withdrawn patent applications and plans to eliminate outdated services.

Aventiv will announce the full range of transformation achievements reached in 2021, as well as its expanded goals and commitments for 2022, in the coming weeks.

ABOUT AVENTIV TECHNOLOGIES

Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Aventiv is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.

SOURCE Aventiv Technologies
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby Kingdom is a health and hygiene brand on a mission to create the best baby care products that money can buy. The company's development team is well-aware of how difficult it is to come up with hygiene products that are both safe and effective  especially when the end-user is a parent putting the product on their child's sensitive skin.

The naturally high standards that parents have is precisely why Baby Kingdom's entire business philosophy is built around the idea of parents developing products for kids. The brand's formulas aren't made in a lab with theoretical use in mind. Experienced mothers and fathers who are intimately aware of the cares and concerns of parenthood are involved in the development process.

Company spokesperson and Global Sales Director, Katie Roberts, explains this focal point, "Baby Kingdom is passionately developed by parents. The brand has been created using the highest quality ingredients to deliver gentle formulas that cleanse, nourish, and heal." Roberts goes on to detail that "all our products are 97-99% natural and free from SLS, parabens, petrolatum, silicones, mineral oil, PEG's, DEA's, and synthetic colors."

While the avoidance of harmful ingredients is laudable, it's the quality of the ingredients that Baby Kingdom actually uses that really make the brand stand out. For example, three of the company's biggest go-to options are Aloe Vera, Chamomile, and Nettle Leaf Extract. "These extracts possess excellent hydrating, nourishing, and healing properties," Roberts says, adding that "they also offer anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits."

Every time the Baby Kingdom team goes to create a new formula, its goal is to harness the ability of elite ingredients like these to soothe, calm and nurture young skin. This uncompromising use of only the best of the best enables Baby Kingdom to produce efficacious products that can be safely and effectively used. This has led to a robust line of luxury shampoos, body washes, and creams, where each and every SKU is created with the love, attention, and care that only a parent can have for their children.

About Baby Kingdom: Baby Kingdom is a health and wellness brand that operates out of Warwick in the U.K. The company was founded in 2018 as an enterprise created by parents for their children. Since its inception, the brand has seen a rapidly growing demand for its luxury baby products. The Baby Kingdom's product line is proud to be vegan-friendly, recyclable, 97%-99% natural, hypoallergenic, and suitable for sensitive skin. Learn more about Baby Kingdom at babykingdomcollection.co.uk .

Please direct inquiries to:

Teddie Wolf

(954) 673-4634

[email protected]

SOURCE Baby Kingdom
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a reprise of a unique billboard that first appeared nearly 16 years ago on the West Side Highway, the "Moshiach Is Here" sign is back, this time in Brooklyn at 2509 Atlantic Avenue, to the left of the overpass going to JFK.

Rebbe King Messiah Billboard, Brooklyn, NY, posted 12/21/21 by Geulah Generation Inc. Rebbe King Messiah Billboard design, posted 12/21/21, Brooklyn, NY, by Geulah Generation Inc.

The sponsor is The Geulah Generation Inc., a Jewish women's organization, (the same who sponsored the previous billboard under a different name). Geulah is the Hebrew term for Redemption. Geulah Generation publicizes the prophecy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, "the time of the Redemption has arrived," and the Rebbe's identity as the King Moshiach.

They plan to expand the "Moshiach Is Here" billboard campaign to major US cities.

The recognition that the Rebbe is Moshiach is based on 1) the description of Moshiach found in Jewish Law (Halacha) as codified by the great sage Maimonides and 2) the Rebbe's own words in his talks, translated from Yiddish and sent out to Jews worldwide.

The Rebbe has established a worldwide empire of Chabad Houses to encourage Jews to keep their heritage, preparing them for the final Redemption. New emissaries are continually leaving for far-flung lands to pursue the mission of welcoming Jews back to Judaism. Additionally, the emissaries reach out to gentiles to promote the 7 Noahide Laws, laws from the Bible for all people for a sane world (www.7for70.net).

In addition to saying "Moshiach Is Here," the billboard says, "Just add in goodness and kindness." This echoes the words of the Rebbe to a CNN reporter in 1991, "Moshiach is ready to come now. It is only on our part to add something additional in the realm of goodness and kindness."

Said spokeswoman Basha Oka Botnick, "If the billboard encourages one good word, one kind act, one smile, one thought of a better world, it will have accomplished something."

To donate, please visit their website: www.GeulahGeneration.com.

Geulah Generation is a non-profit organization founded in 1994, and based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY. Members include Jewish women across the US and in France, Australia, and Israel.

The designer of the "Moshiach is Here" billboard is Michael Richman. Ephraim Daniel Botnick reconfigured it for the Brooklyn location, with photographic restoration by Yisroel Oradovschi of Studio Or.

Press Contact: Basha Oka Botnick, (347) 277-4094

SOURCE The Geulah Generation Inc.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bundy Group announces that it has advised MR Systems, a leading automation and cybersecurity solutions provider, in a sale to Inframark, an industry leader in the operations, maintenance, and management of water and wastewater facilities. Inframark is a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital, a New York-based private equity group. The transaction was led by Clint Bundy and Stewart Carlin, Managing Directors with Bundy Group.

MR Systems has been a services leader in the water and wastewater segment for nearly 30 years, and it maintains a first-class organization in the form of a skilled base of employees and multiple locations throughout the Eastern U.S.

Clint Bundy commented, "MR Systems has been the industry standard in the automation and cybersecurity solutions segment for municipal water and wastewater operations since 1994, and the company's impressive growth over the past few years further validates the strength and value-proposition to its clients." Clint added, "The partnership with Inframark, one of the largest water and wastewater operators in North America, will offer MR Systems substantial new resources and opportunities as the company continues to grow."

Stewart Carlin stated, "Tom Hopkins and the MR Systems leadership team were outstanding to work with throughout the process." Stewart further added, "From the start, we developed a strong collaborative relationship that enabled us to clearly articulate and support MR System's unique value proposition, inclusive of developing new analytical tools that will benefit management in the long-term. Bundy Group's experience working with companies at the forefront of innovation, coupled with our deep industry relationships, allowed us to deliver an outcome that will be transformative for both MR Systems and Inframark."

Tom Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors for MR Systems, commented, "We engaged Clint and the Bundy Group team because of their relationship building efforts with the MR Systems team and impressive track record in the automation, cybersecurity, and technology segments. The Bundy Group team provided a full commitment to MR Systems, delivered a full rolodex of highly attractive buyers, and managed a competitive sales process, all of which resulted in our selecting a strong-fit partner and receiving an outstanding outcome for the shareholders." Furthermore, Tom added, "Simply put, we could not have been happier with Bundy Group as our investment banking advisor."

About Bundy Group

Bundy Group is an industry-focused investment bank that specializes in representing business owners and management teams in business sales, acquisitions, and capital raises. The team of highly experienced investment bankers leverages extensive industry knowledge and experience to provide hands-on guidance to clients through every phase of the transaction. With more than 250 closed deals over the past 32-years, Bundy Group's primary goals are to provide high quality options, actionable insights, and to deliver an optimal strategic fit at a premium value for our clients. For more information visit www.bundygroup.com.

Bundy Group Securities, LLC, is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA. Check the background of Bundy Group Securities, LLC at FINRA's BrokerCheck.

SOURCE Bundy Group
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Businessolver, a leader in SaaS-based benefits technology and services, announced that the Businessolver Foundation distributed more than $330,000 to 100 nonprofit organizations in 15 communities across the nation in 2021. All funds went to organizations that support the Foundation's mission to positively impact the lives and communities where Businessolver employees and clients work and live. This year, the Foundation adjusted its pillars of giving to focus on supporting initiatives related to advancing mental health, STEM and career education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

"Given the events of the last two years, we felt compelled to change our initiatives to better match our company mission and philanthropic aspirations," said Jon Shanahan, CEO and President of Businessolver. "The Foundation's new giving pillars allow us to make a stronger, more focused impact to the communities in which we live and serve."

The Businessolver Foundation's main 2021 philanthropic activities by pillar:

Mental health

Partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to produce "Sharing Hope," a three-part video series that explores the journey of mental wellness in Black communities through dialogue, storytelling, and a guided discussion.

Granted two full wishes with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to children in Ames, Iowa , and Denver .

, and . Continued partnership with Make-It-Ok, a Des Moines -based initiative committed to ending the stigma around mental health, culminating with an op-ed in the Des Moines Register coauthored by Businessolver Chief Strategy Officer Rae Shanahan .

-based initiative committed to ending the stigma around mental health, culminating with an op-ed in the Des Moines Register coauthored by Businessolver Chief Strategy Officer . Supported Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters in their work to maintain the mental health of their "littles" throughout the pandemic.

STEM and career education

Established a partnership with EverFi, the national sponsor of Endeavor, a STEM career exploration program for middle school students.

Offered technology platform, Benefitsolver, to assist Central Iowa Junior Achievement's Finance Park, a youth program In Central Iowa, teaching middle school students about how employee benefits play a role in everyday budgeting.

Partnered with the American Heart Association to sponsor STEM Goes Red initiatives in Des Moines and Denver .

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Supported programs for Special Olympics athletes.

Celebrated and assisted LGBTQ efforts with Capital City Pride and One Iowa.

Donated funds for fair and equitable housing to Habitat for Humanity.

Supported DEI training for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

"It's heartwarming to see our employees continue to volunteer throughout the pandemic, even participating virtually when that's the safer option," said Carrie Clogg, Businessolver Foundation Director. "It's a joy to come together with our Solvers and clients to make a real difference for real people."

About Businessolver

Since 1998, Businessolver has delivered market-changing benefits technology and services supported by an intrinsic responsiveness to client needs. The company creates client programs that maximize benefits program investment, minimize risk exposure, and engage employees with easy-to-use solutions and communication tools to assist them in making wise and cost-efficient benefits selections. Founded by HR professionals, Businessolver's unwavering service-oriented culture and secure SaaS platform provide measurable success in its mission to provide complete client delight.

Media Contact

Bridget Mortland, Head of Marketing, Businessolver

[email protected]

SOURCE Businessolver
Plug n Play retrofit LED bulbs for dental chairs. Tweet this

"ClearVue LED bulb technology converts halogen light to LED light in the dental chair just like LED light bulbs in the consumer market, removing halogen bulb and plugging in LED bulb. It enables dental practitioners to enjoy the LED benefits instantly, with a high quality light source, lower heat, and lower energy consumption, and the most importance  low cost," said Dr. Densen Cao, PhD, CEO and founder of CAO. "ClearVue LED bulb is an advance for LED light sources that we invented 20 years ago and are now widely adopted in general lighting in the consumer and industrial market."

The patented ClearVue LED bulb offers 15,000 lumen light output, 5000K color temperature and 5-year warranty. The ClearVue can retrofit major brands of dental chairs including A-Deck, Pelton Crane, Midmark, and others.

For more information about the ClearVue LED bulb, please visit www.caogroup.com or call 1-877-877-9778.

About The CAO Group, Inc.

The CAO Group, Inc. (CAO), is a world leading high technology company that develops dental, medical, veterinary, and forensic products and solutions. CAO is a leading innovator in dental materials and devices, with more than 160 issued and pending patents for its products, which focus on methods and results that are easier, faster, and better. Notable world's first innovations are LED dental curing lights, LED light source for general lighting, LED forensic light, modern diode laser system, advanced teeth whitening strips, dental curing laser, advanced hand sanitizer and surface disinfectant, caries risk testing strip and saliva condition adjust mint, plug-n-play retro fit LED dental chair light, and others. CAO founded in year 2000 by Dr. Densen Cao, is headquartered in West Jordan (Salt Lake City), Utah. For more information, visit CAO website at www.CAOGroup.com.

SOURCE CAO Group, Inc.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cates Auction & Realty is pleased to announce a successful end to 2021, which has seen tremendous growth throughout its core business divisions that it believes sets itself up for even greater success in 2022 and beyond.

"The success we've seen from each department this year has been very encouraging, and we're extremely optimistic and encouraged about where we stand going into our 80th year of business in 2022," says Jeff Cates, Chief Executive Officer. "2020 led to a lot of unpredictability in the market, but with the growth we've seen even in spite of the ongoing uncertainty in this country, we believe we are on the right track to keep the trends moving in the right direction."

Get More Information About Cates Auction & Real Estate

The most growth was founded in the company's longest standing divisions. Cates Estate Services, founded 79 years ago, saw a 112% increase in auction volume over projection, and a headcount growth of 366%. Cates' Real Estate Auction division saw a further expansion of its impact with a $1.5-million sale of a luxury outdoor retreat in Sedalia, Missouri that was previously on-market for 18 months, and a successful multi-parcel land sale in Basehor, KS that brought in 43 qualified registered bidders.

"The traditional real estate market notwithstanding, we've seen unrivaled local growth in the auction sector that we believe will continue to soar as the public becomes more familiar with the benefits of selling and buying at auction," says Cates. "As we continue to bring on more personnel and expand our service offerings, including the relaunch of our Transition Services division, we're focused on providing a new and unparalleled approach to serving the greater Kansas City area in 2022 and beyond."

To learn more about Cates Auction & Real Estate, email [email protected] or call 877-781-1134.

About Cates Auction

Founded in 1942, Cates Auction, a fourth-generation family business, is the Midwest's premier real estate auction marketing firm. Their rich history of service offerings includes a Real Estate Auction, Estate Services, Traditional Real Estate Services and Transition Services divisions.

SOURCE Cates Auction

Related Links

https://catesauction.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) today announced that its Maritime Finance business provided $35.5 million to finance four commercial shipping vessels operated by Greenyield Shipping LLC.

Greenyield is managed by Hayfin Capital Management, one of Europe's leading alternative asset management firms, which has employed a multi-disciplined approach towards investments in the maritime sector and has over the last five years invested in more than 65 vessels across the tanker, containerships, dry bulk, LNG and offshore segments.

"Deep water shipping plays a vital role in supporting the global supply chain and we are committed to investing responsibly by utilizing available solutions to assist in the decarbonization of shipping while generating consistent returns for our investors," said Stephen Majeski, Managing Director of Hayfin. "We appreciated CIT's industry knowledge, their complementary approach towards underwriting risk and their agility in arranging financing for these cargo vessels."

"The Hayfin team is respected throughout the industry for their expertise in managing commercial vessels serving a variety of shipping categories," said Evan Cohen, managing director and group head for CIT's Maritime Finance business. "We worked closely to understand their objectives and arrange the financing to help them reach their business goals."

Maritime Finance, part of CIT's Commercial Finance division, offers customized solutions for secured loans to a global client base of vessel owners and operators.

About CIT

CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at cit.com/about.

MEDIA RELATIONS:

John M. Moran

212-461-5507

[email protected]

SOURCE CIT Group Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CityTeam , a non-profit organization serving the low-income and homeless population throughout the Bay Area, announced today it fed an estimated 2,000 homeless and low-income community members in the SOMA neighborhood in San Francisco, Oakland, and in San Jose thanks to donors and supporters. An average of 10,000 daily meals are provided for neighbors in need across the Bay Area. CityTeam expected an increase of visitors based on recent visitor data for resources and food, and so the organization not only served meals out of its dining hall, but also delivered food to local encampments in Oakland and in San Jose with its newly acquired CityTeam food truck called Hope on Wheels.

CityTeam food truck delivered food to homeless encampments in San Jose on Christmas Day.. CityTeam serves local community in San Jose on Christmas..

"Last year, we began hosting social distanced holiday meals and now we're able to modify when needed," said Chef Reynolds Steward who has been serving Christmas dinners at CityTeam the past 10 years. "The food truck we now have has helped us get to unhoused neighbors who are unable to make it to our dining hall. We want every single person in our community to know that we will step out to meet them where they are - rain or shine, pandemic, or not. We thank our donors for helping us make this happen."

In San Jose, Chef Reynolds Stewart cooked up a holiday feast complete with turkey, ham, yams, and his special macaroni and cheese. "We take holiday meals seriously at CityTeam. We want to give our community nutritious food, plus the vital supplies that show each person we all care," said Chef Reynolds Stewart, Food Services Manager at CityTeam San Jose.

Throughout December, children in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose received a Christmas gift thanks to CityTeam in the Neighborhood and hundreds of volunteers. The mobile food pantries were able to accommodate families that registered for its toy drive.

"Our toy drive included a hot cocoa area and a wrapping area, specifically to give parents a sense of pride and ownership of the gift they were giving their child this Christmas. Warm winter coats and clothing were also available," said Hermie Smit, CityTeam in the Neighborhood Program Director at CityTeam. "We hosted families in various neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area and distributed an estimated 7,000 toys this holiday season along with fresh groceries."

In addition to a hot meal, groceries, and toys, more than 1,000 hygiene kits with toiletries and essential items were also distributed. As the pandemic continues, cleanliness and supplies are still in high demand.

This is one of the reasons CityTeam was recently awarded a grant to expand mobile food pantries in San Mateo County by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), which announced it will commit $7 million in grants to 75 local organizations. The CZI Community Fund supports local organizations that are increasing access to the building blocks of social and economic well-being, like housing, healthcare, education, job and career skills, and supporting civic engagement so people have the opportunity to shape their communities. CityTeam's programs and services continue to expand in all these areas, since its founding in 1957, to provide even more immediate help and lasting solutions to the community with support from companies and individual donors. Volunteers, including corporate groups, are welcome all year long.

To learn more or to donate to CityTeam, visit cityteam.org.

About CityTeam

CityTeam, a faith-based, non-profit organization with programs in San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, as well as Chester, Pennsylvania and Portland, Oregon, compassionately serves its neighbors experiencing homelessness, poverty, hunger, and addiction to restore lives and rebuild communities. For more information, visit cityteam.org

Media Contact:

Angela Baldwin, 650-270-3082

Public Relations, [email protected]

Photos and video available here .

SOURCE CityTeam
Current CEO Kevin Clayton sat down with his father Jim Clayton, 89, founder of the company, in an interview to discuss the biggest lessons and accomplishments the organization has achieved over the last six decades. The video interview includes personal stories, leadership principles and how the company will remain successful and true to its purpose.

"We could never have achieved all we have today without the support and dedication of our valued team members and partners throughout the years," said CEO Kevin Clayton. "As the company looks to the next 65 years, we will stay true to our values while being a force for good in our communities. We remain dedicated to moving the industry forward through sustainable building practices and creating positive team member and customer experiences."

In their candid conversation, Jim and Kevin discuss several core values and principles that continue to guide the company's culture:

Democratizing affordable housing for all

The value of family and taking care of people

Building with sustainability in mind

Innovation

Teamwork and collaboration

Jim Clayton first started the company as a "mobile home business" in the 1950s. Back then, it was a small store location that hosted local country music performances and family events. 65 years later, it has grown into a diverse housing provider of both site-built and off-site built homes of almost every price level. In 2021, the company is projected to build more than 60,000 homes for individuals and families of all backgrounds across the country.

Read the interview and watch video clips of Kevin and Jim Clayton here: "65 Years: Kevin Clayton Reflects on Company's History and Innovation".

About Clayton

Founded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing  including modular homes, manufactured homes, CrossMod homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. All Clayton Built homes are proudly designed, engineered and assembled in America. In 2020, Clayton built 56,240 homes across the country. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com .

*CrossMod is a trademark of the Manufactured Housing Institute.

Media Contact:

Caitlyn Crosby

[email protected]

SOURCE Clayton
Bloom further strengthens Curaleaf's presence in the highly attractive Arizona market, expanding the Company's cultivation, processing, and retail assets in the state

Acquisition will be immediately accretive to Curaleaf's adjusted EBITDA margin upon close

Upon close of recently announced acquisitions, the Company's retail footprint increases to 16 dispensaries in Arizona and 128 nationwide

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA /OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bloom Dispensaries ("Bloom"), a vertically integrated, single state cannabis operator in Arizona in an all cash transaction valued at approximately US$211 million (the "Transaction"). The Transaction is expected to close in January 2022, subject to customary approvals and conditions.

The proposed transaction with Bloom includes four retail dispensaries located in the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Peoria, and the only dispensary currently in Sedona, with a combined population of over 2.3 million and drawing millions of tourists every year. In addition, Bloom strengthens Curaleaf's production capabilities in Arizona with the addition of two adjacent cultivation and processing facilities located in north Phoenix totaling approximately 63,500 sq. ft. of space. Finally, Bloom has an attractive financial profile, generating expected 2021 revenue of approximately $66 million and EBITDA margins of more than 40%. Following the close of Bloom and the previously announced acquisitions of Tryke Companies and Natural Remedy Patient Center, Curaleaf's retail footprint will increase to 16 dispensaries in Arizona and 128 nationwide.

Boris Jordan, Executive Chairman of Curaleaf, stated, "We are pleased to continue Curaleaf's expansion in the state of Arizona with the acquisition of Bloom. In addition to bolstering our strong position in this key growth market with an attractive portfolio of retail and cultivation assets, Bloom will be immediately accretive to our adjusted EBITDA margins upon close. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, I look forward to welcoming Bloom to the Curaleaf family."

Joseph Bayern, CEO of Curaleaf, stated, "We are excited to announce the acquisition of Bloom, which shares Curaleaf's mission of delivering the highest-quality products and superior service to patients and customers while striving to make a positive impact in the communities we serve. Bloom has built a strong and profitable business, and we believe the combination of our two companies will enhance our competitive position and ability to continue gaining share in the highly attractive Arizona market."

Under the terms of the agreement, Curaleaf will pay US$51 million in cash at closing, with the remaining approximately US$160 million paid in three promissory notes of $50 million, $50 million, and $60 million due, respectively, on the first, second and third anniversary of closing of the transaction. The notes will be recourse only to shares and assets of Bloom and will not be guaranteed by any Curaleaf entity.

About Curaleaf Holdings

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 117 dispensaries, 25 cultivation sites, and employs over 5,200 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com.

Curaleaf IR Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/Curaleaf_IR

Investor Toolkit: https://ir.curaleaf.com/investor-toolkit

Investor Relations Website: https://ir.curaleaf.com/

Forward Looking Statements

This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the completion of the acquisition of Bloom Companies ("Bloom") and its impacts on the combined business of Curaleaf and Bloom, and the accretive nature of the acquisition of Bloom to Curaleaf's EBITDA margins. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including, amongst other risk factors, the ability of Curaleaf to successfully complete the acquisition of Bloom and successfully integrate the business of Bloom and their respective corporate cultures; the potential delays or failures to receive required regulatory approvals; and the risks that actual financial results of Bloom will not meet expectations. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed April 28, 2021, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at http://www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Investor Contact:

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Carlos Madrazo, SVP Head of IR & Capital Markets

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.
We've witnessed businesses emerging from the pandemic crisis to become leading players in many industries. The common trait that these companies have is that they are armed with remarkable digital technological capabilities.

As having digital prowess makes or breaks businesses in this pandemic era, this year the Digital New Deal -- an initiative that the Korean government has carried out since last year -- played a pivotal role in maximizing the digital capacity of Korean tech companies. Some of the participating companies in the initiative generated great outcomes across many industrial sectors.

More than one year into the national-level policy, the Ministry of Science and ICT selected 27 outstanding Digital New Deal performances and "Eight Key Players of 2021."

The eight key players include Crowdworks, Modusign, Pluxity, Alchera, Douzone Bizon, Wisenut, Ubion, and i-Scream edu. The ministry recognized these companies for their great contributions in enhancing their existing advanced data and AI technologies and applying them across all Korean industries.

Crowdworks revitalizes Korea's data markets

Among the eight key players is Crowdworks, a tech firm that collects and processes data used for AI-powered services. Being part of the Data Dam project, one of the Digital New Deal's core components, the firm established data for AI learning to address "deepfake" technology by identifying fake videos. In the process, it hired around 5,000 people tasked with establishing and examining collected data, which the ministry said led to job creation across the nation.

"Crowdworks played a crucial role in building data infrastructure and revitalizing domestic data markets," said the ministry.

Pluxity digitalizes manufacturing process systems

Another key player Pluxity owns a "digital twin" solution that uses real world data to create simulations that can predict how a product or process will perform. As part of the AI Fusion project, the tech firm set up kiosks at subway stations in Busan, providing digital twin-powered services which help people determine the best routes to their destinations. From January to October this year, the kiosks offered around 7,000 services, especially helping the vulnerable, including those with disabilities and the elderly, to find their way. The technologically empowered system resulted in reducing people's travel time by 25 percent on average.

"Pluxity has contributed to innovating process systems and infrastructure in the manufacturing industry which led to safer and more productive environments for the public," said the ministry.

Alchera disseminates Korean AI technology

Alchera is a leading company in AI-based face recognition. The company developed solutions that identify faces in three-dimensional (3D) images that are recognized and analyzed by AI-powered deep learning technology. They put these solutions in place at facilities such as airports, enhancing the security and efficiency of gate access management.

In December last year, this state-of-the-art technology made Alchera the first AI company to be listed on the KOSDAQ and attracted investments worth roughly KRW 49 billion (USD 41.2 million).

Douzone Bizon makes working environments 'smart'

Douzone Bizon is a developer of AI-powered e-business solutions. Based on the collection and analysis of 1,840,000 data collected from enterprises, the firm provides AI services for strategic enterprise management involving, for instance, accounting, human resources, logistics, and inventory. Its solutions have been installed at more than 20,000 companies thus far and have garnered about KRW 500 billion (USD 421.2 million) from both domestic and foreign investors.

"Douzone Bizon's big data-based platform has improved enterprise process and management in a smart way. Thanks to the technology, businesses enjoy more efficient working environments and safer data management," the ministry said.

The list of 2021 Digital New Deal key players also includes the cloud-based electronic contract company Modusign, the AI chatbot provider Wisenut, and lastly e-learning software developers Ubion and i-Scream edu. The ministry lauded the companies as innovators that fueled non-face-to-face, AI- and cloud-based technology across all Korean industries.

"Next year, the government will continue to support the growth of Korean tech companies in the markets by investing an additional KRW 9 trillion into the Digital New Deal programs," said Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT Cho Kyeong-sik, "We will do our best to accelerate digital transformation and further expand the remarkable outcomes of the Digital New Deal across the nation and to many other sectors," he added.

For more detailed information on Digital New Deal, contact [email protected].

Media contact

Born2Global Centre: [email protected]

SOURCE Born2Global Centre
Establishment of Joint Venture Company named SanPlena in the US

Drug-device combination of EOFlow's smart wearable drug delivery platform and novel peptide derivatives developed by a team led by Prof. Sir Stephen Bloom , world-renowned researcher in the field of obesity and metabolism at Imperial College London (UK)

, world-renowned researcher in the field of obesity and metabolism at Imperial College London (UK) 10-15% weight loss in 2-3 months eyed with the combination product

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EOFlow Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 294090) (EOFlow or the Company), a provider of wearable drug delivery solutions, has announced today that its wholly owned US subsidiary, EOFlow Inc. has signed an agreement to establish a joint venture in the US with the UK biotech firm Zihipp Limited, a spin out from Imperial College London.

The new venture named SanPlena will focus on developing a family of gut-hormone analogues that promise rapid and dramatic weight loss without the common side effects seen with other such agents delivered via daily or weekly injection. Proprietary formulation of the analogues optimizes them for continuous subcutaneous delivery thus allowing the drug dosing to be tailored to a particular patient's metabolism, speeding weight loss while avoiding adverse effects from over-dosing. EOFlow will provide an initial funding and its EOPatch wearable drug delivery platform while Zihipp provides its proprietary peptide analogues and clinical support for SanPlena. EOFlow's founding CEO, Jesse J. Kim, will assume the role as the founding CEO of SanPlena while the rest of the executive team will be rounded out by senior staff from both Zihipp and EOFlow.

Zihipp is a UK biotech firm which spun out from Imperial College London in 2012. Led by the highly respected Prof. Sir Stephen R. Bloom and a world-class research team, the company develops peptide hormones to combat soaring rates of diabetes and obesity. Prof. Sir Stephen R. Bloom is one of the world's leading obesity experts and his research has focused on the gut hormones which control appetite and metabolism. He is well known as a seminal figure in creation of the hormone-based diabetes and obesity treatment market. Professor Sir Stephen Bloom is the head of Drug Development, Department of Metabolism, Digestion & Reproduction at Imperial College London and director of research for North West London Pathology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, serving six major acute hospitals.

Zihipp has developed several new peptide drug candidates optimized for obesity and NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis) treatment analogous to appetite suppressing hormones such as oxyntomodulin and peptide YY which have been proven through clinical trials. These analogues have been optimized for continuous subcutaneous delivery to avoid the common side effects associated with daily or weekly injection of similar agents. SanPlena aims to leverage the advantages of EOFlow's wearable, digital healthcare platform to realize the promise of these agents in driving rapid and dramatic weight loss; up to 15% of one's weight within 2-3 months.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO), in 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years or older, were overweight and of these, 650 million (34%) were obese.[1] Current treatments available for obesity are limited by cost, immediacy, effectiveness and sustainability. For example, existing drug treatments for weight loss can take more than a year to produce 10-15% weight loss coupled with at times severe gastrointestinal side effects. The new SanPlena platform serves a major unmet demand for new and innovative treatment options for weight loss.

Zihipp's Executive Chairman Prof. Stephen R. Bloom said, "The obesity treatment developed by Zihipp and licensed to SanPlena is a powerful game changer that can dramatically shorten the treatment period and increase the success rate compared to existing treatments for obesity."

EOFlow's founding CEO, Jesse J. Kim said, "The adult obese population reaches 650 million worldwide. The obesity treatment market has huge unmet opportunities, and a powerful and rapid treatment for obesity can become a blockbuster product helping to address the global crisis in obesity. We at EOFlow are proud to be partnering with the world leaders in innovative weight loss research."

He added, "EOFlow's wearable, digital drug delivery platform is optimized for the type of combination applications represented by the formation of SanPlena and we hope to announce further partnerships in this area in the near future."

SOURCE EOFlow, Inc.
AUSTIN, Minn., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout 2021, Hormel Foods Corporation, (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company, received numerous awards from publications, including Newsweek magazine (America's Most Responsible Companies), Selling Power (50 Best Companies to Sell For) and Military Times (Best for Vets). Forbes can now be added to that list as the magazine recently announced that the company ranks as one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies.

Hormel Foods has long promoted and supported a female-friendly culture, including employee resource groups such as Hormel Foods Women in Leadership and Women's Insight Network. These groups are focused on continuing the work of the company to advance female-forward opportunities and programs. Additionally, the company recently announced two new female senior leadership appointments, including Jacinth Smiley, who was recently named executive vice president and chief financial officer and Wendy Watkins, named senior vice president and chief communications officer. The company's leadership and officer group includes 11 women; five at the senior leadership level, including Deanna Brady, who leads the company's largest business segment as executive vice president and group vice president of Refrigerated Foods.

"The reputation of Hormel Foods as one of the world's best employers is grounded in the belief that our differences truly make us stronger," said Brady. "Our culture supports inclusion and diversity throughout our global operations, with opportunities, programs and policies that are female-forward. We have a board of directors with great women leaders who serve as mentors and advisors. In addition, we have a leadership team that has some of the brightest and most talented women leaders in the Fortune 500 ranks leading key business and functional areas, and a pipeline of emerging female leaders poised to continue the trajectory well into the future. We are proud to be recognized for our work and are committed to doing even more."

Forbes teamed with market research company Statista to identify companies leading the way when it comes to supporting women inside and outside of their workforces.

To compile the inaugural list, Statista surveyed 85,000 women in 40 countries. Respondents were asked to rate their employers' performance on gender-related criteria and their willingness to recommend their employer to others. They were also asked to evaluate other employers in their respective industries. Respondents rated companies based on their corporate responsibility, marketing campaigns and public perception, as related to gender equality. The final list ranks the 300 companies that received the most recommendations and boast the most gender-diverse boards and executive ranks.

To view the complete list of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies, visit https://www.forbes.com/female-friendly-companies/#17477e4c64ac.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $11 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 12 years, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Contact:

Dean Peters

Hormel Foods

507-434-6352

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GNCC Capital, Inc. ("GNCP.PK", "GNCC" or "the Company" confirms that our Annual Report and the accompanying Attorney Letter was filed on December 27, 2021 and in respect of our Year Ended September 30, 2021.

We confirm that we have filed various Disclosures in respect of Premier Development & Investment, Inc. (PDIV.PK) ("Premier") in respect of Premier shareholdings in GNCC and on December 27, 2021.

As of today, Premier now holds 43% of the outstanding Voting Common Stock of GNCC. We refer you to our Press Release in respect of Premier's shareholding in your Company dated December 21, 2021, a link: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GNCP/news/PREMIER-DEVELOPMENT--INVESTMENT-INC-UPDATE---INCREASE-IN-HOLDINGS-IN-GNCC-CAPITAL-INC?id=336656.

Furthermore, GNCC has eliminated an amount of $3.8 million in liabilities and prior to our Q1 period which ends on December 31, 2021. We can confirm that we will be filing this Q1 Report in January, 2022.

ABOUT PREMIER AND GNCC:-

Premier holds claims to Rare Earth Mining Exploration Properties in New Mexico, has options over Oil & Gas Wells in Oklahoma and holds the largest amount of the outstanding Common Stock of GNCC Capital, Inc. (OTC: GNCP) which gives Premier an indirect exposure to their claims to Gold and Silver Mining Exploration Properties. Premier's Futures Trading Company is extremely active and trades some 16 hours a day; solely in Index linked Futures Contracts. Premier also holds material cash and short term loan/investment deposits.

GNCC holds interests in various Gold and Silver Mining Exploration Claims.

Forward-Looking Statements:-

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "should," "intend," "estimate," "projects," variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file with the OTC Markets Group.

Contact Information:

GNCC CAPITAL, INC.

Telephone: (702) 990-0156

E Mail: [email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:

E Mail: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ gncccapital

SOURCE GNCC Capital, Inc.
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Great Panther Mining Limited (TSX: GPR) (NYSE-A: GPL) ("Great Panther" or the "Company"), a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas, announces the resignation of David Garofalo as Director and Chair of the Board of Directors ( the "Board"), effective immediately, in order to focus on other business commitments. Alan Hair, independent director of Great Panther, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Company.

"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank David for his leadership and service to the Company." stated Rob Henderson, President & CEO of Great Panther. "I am pleased to welcome Alan Hair as our new Chair of the Board. He has served on the Board since April 2020 and will continue to provide valuable operations stewardship."

Mr. Hair is a mineral engineer and senior executive with nearly 40 years of experience in the mining and metals industry. Mr. Hair is the former President and CEO, and previously COO, of Hudbay Minerals Inc. Mr. Hair holds a Bachelor of Science in Mineral Engineering from the University of Leeds and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a Director of Bear Creek Mining Corporation and Gold Royalty Corp.

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther is a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas. The Company owns a diversified portfolio of assets in Brazil, Mexico and Peru that includes three operating gold and silver mines, an advanced development project and a large land package with district-scale potential. Great Panther is focused on creating long-term stakeholder value through safe and sustainable production, reinvesting into exploration and pursuing acquisition opportunities to complement its existing portfolio. Great Panther trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE American under the symbol GPL.

SOURCE Great Panther Mining Limited

Related Links

https://www.greatpanther.com/


ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeremiah's Italian Ice  the hottest brand in the frozen dessert category  continues its unprecedented growth as 2021 comes to a close. The brand is celebrating the opening of 28 new locations and operates in 6 states including, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. The franchise has increased its footprint 172% since the brand started franchising in 2019.

In addition, Jeremiah's Italian Ice was listed on QSR Magazine's 2021 40/40 List as one America's hottest fast casual restaurant concepts and its founder, Jeremy Litwack was recognized by Nation's Restaurant News as one of the most influential restaurant CEOs as part of its 2021 Reader's Picks. Julianna Voyles, Director of Training and Operational Growth, also named by QSR Magazine as one of 28 Young Leaders to Watch. But the achievements do not stop there, Jeremiah's also celebrated its 25th anniversary in August of 2021, as well as, opening its 50th location. Lastly, Jeremiah's Italian Ice was listed as a #3 ranking as a top food franchise in 2021 by Entrepreneur Magazine and its inclusion in Entrepreneur's Top New Franchise List of 2021.

"The resiliency of the Jeremiah's concept has been clear throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which has positioned us for even further growth in 2022," stated Nicole DiPietro, Vice President of Jeremiah's Italian Ice. "Our continued success has attracted a lot of new franchise partners, and we are eager to build on the momentum we built in 2021 and share our delicious Italian Ice and Soft Ice Cream with new communities across the country."

Another new addition to the Jeremiah's franchise system, was the Leap Academy, which is a brand-new Training and Development Center. At LEAP Academy, the paramount focus is to lead through the brand's Core Values, Vision, and Mission that unite the company. Employees will learn the art of making the perfectly layered Gelati and master the skills needed to operate a Jeremiah's franchise. At LEAP Academy, Store Managers, Franchise Owners, and high-potential Frog Squad Members, can also expect to perfect the Jeremiah's Chill Chat, Launch Pad, GX360, and much more.

"As I look back on the last 25 years, I can honestly say I am humbled to be where we are today. This all started out as a high school dream and watching it come to fruition has been truly extraordinary," said Litwack. "I'm so grateful to have had such an incredible opportunity to give back to these communities, but without our customers and franchisees none of this would have been possible."

Jeremiah's is showing no signs of slowing down, awarding 225+ franchise units across more than 90 franchise groups since its launch in 2019 and projecting an additional 45 units open by year's end 2022. Additionally, the brand is looking forward to continuing expanding its presence into new markets, with additional franchise agreements awarded in South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Nevada and Colorado.

"We knew that the concept was poised for growth when we first started working with Jeremiah's," stated Cameron Cummins, Co-Founder of Pivotal Growth Partners and Chief Development Officer for Jeremiah's Italian Ice. "I've been involved in franchising for nearly 25 years, and I have never seen pent up demand resulting in growth like this before. We are proud of our team for all the hard work they have contributed and are eager to share Jeremiah's delicious frozen treats with communities in new markets across the country."

To help guide the brand's rapid expansion, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has partnered with Pivotal Growth Partners  an experienced team of franchise veterans who've led some of the top brands in foodservice to award-winning growth.

Each Jeremiah's location boasts an upbeat atmosphere full of vibrant colors and offers over 40 flavors of indulgent high-quality Italian Ice, as well as creamy Soft Ice Cream. A synthesis of these two core products, the Jeremiah's Gelati is the showcase of the menu with layers of Italian Ice and homemade Soft Ice Cream, offering nearly limitless flavor combinations. Jeremiah's franchisees are embedded in the local community and are crucial to helping keep communities smiling through tough times. Jeremiah's wants to continue to expand its footprint so people across America can taste how amazing their treats are and to help local entrepreneurs make their dreams come true.

To learn more about the Jeremiah's Italian Ice franchise opportunity, please visit: www.jeremiahsfranchise.com/

About Jeremiah's Italian Ice

Founded in 1996 and franchising since 2019, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has come to be known not only for its superior frozen treats, but also its outstanding customer service, community involvement, and an exciting brand image that exudes the Jeremiah's motto - LIVE LIFE TO THE COOLEST. Focused on delivering flavorful experiences to each and every guest, Jeremiah's is committed to serving its vibrant, flavorful treats up with a smile in a lively environment. With 60 locations throughout Florida, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas, Jeremiah's is offering franchises across the Southern United States. To help guide the brand's rapid expansion, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has partnered with Pivotal Growth Partners  a team of franchising veterans who've led some of the top brands in foodservice to award-winning growth. For more information about Jeremiah's franchise opportunity, visit https://jeremiahsfranchise.com/

About Pivotal Growth Partners

Pivotal Growth Partners (PGP) is a full-service Growth & Development Firm with an unparalleled track record of success in growing franchise brands. The experienced team at PGP has awarded & developed more than 5000 franchised businesses across the US and internationally, working with startups and some of the world's largest companies. With a combined 50+ years of experience and a network of growth and development partners, Pivotal Growth Partners creates value, growing small, regional companies into nationally acclaimed brands. PGP deploys proven processes and systems to effectively grow a business, by creating a "Results Focused" Franchise Growth & Support Culture within its brands. For more information, visit www.pivotalgrowthpartners.com.

SOURCE Jeremiahs Italian Ice
BEIJING, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jianpu Technology Inc. ("Jianpu," or the "Company") (NYSE: JT), a leading independent open platform for discovery and recommendation of financial products in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first six months ended June 30, 2021.

First six months 2021 Operational and Financial Highlights:

The credit card volume for recommendation services, was approximately 1.6 million in the first six months of 2021 remaining stable compared with the same period of 2020. The revenue from credit cards recommendation services in the first six months of 2021 was RMB179.8 million ( US$27.8 million ), compared with RMB170.8 million in the same period of 2020.

( ), compared with in the same period of 2020. The number of domestic loan applications was approximately 5.2 million in the first six months of 2021, representing an increase of approximately 58.7% from the same period of 2020. The average fee per domestic loan application decreased to RMB13.0 (US$2.0) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB14.1 in the first six months of 2020. As a result, the revenue from loan recommendation service was RMB75.1 million ( US$11.6 million ), a 60.8% increase from the same period of 2020.

in the first six months of 2021 from in the first six months of 2020. As a result, the revenue from loan recommendation service was ( ), a 60.8% increase from the same period of 2020. Total revenues for the first six months of 2021 increased by 13.7% to RMB343.5 million ( US$53.2 million ) from RMB302.1 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was mainly attributable to the recovery of loan recommendation service and, to a lesser extent, the growth of insurance brokerage business, which was part of advertising, marketing services and other services, in the first six months of 2021.

( ) from in the same period of 2020. The increase was mainly attributable to the recovery of loan recommendation service and, to a lesser extent, the growth of insurance brokerage business, which was part of advertising, marketing services and other services, in the first six months of 2021. Net loss was RMB95.8 million ( US$14.8 million ) in the first six months of 2021, compared with RMB125.2 million in the first six months of 2020. Net loss margin was 27.9% in the first six months of 2021, compared with 41.4% in the same period of 2020.

( ) in the first six months of 2021, compared with in the first six months of 2020. Net loss margin was 27.9% in the first six months of 2021, compared with 41.4% in the same period of 2020. Non-GAAP adjusted net loss1 was RMB90.0 million ( US$13.9 million ) in the first six months of 2021, compared with Non-GAAP adjusted net loss of RMB118.3 million in the first six months of 2020. Non-GAAP adjusted net loss margin1 was 26.2% in the first six months of 2021, improving from 39.2% in the same period of 2020.

First six months 2021 Financial Results

Total revenues for the first six months of 2021 increased by 13.7% to RMB343.5 million (US$53.2 million) from RMB302.1 million in the same period of 2020.

Total revenues from recommendation services increased by 17.2% to RMB254.9 million (US$39.5 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB217.5 million in the same period of 2020.

Revenues from recommendation services for credit cards increased by 5.3% to RMB179.8 million (US$27.8 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB170.8 million in the same period of 2020. Credit card volume for recommendation services in the first six months of 2021 and 2020 were approximately 1.6 million and 1.6 million, respectively. The average fee per credit card for recommendation services increased to RMB109.6 (US$17.0) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB106.8 in the same period of 2020.

Revenues from recommendation services for loans increased by 60.8% to RMB75.1 million (US$11.6 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB46.7 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to the increase in number of loan applications on our platform. The number of domestic loan applications on the Company's platform was approximately 5.2 million in the first six months of 2021, representing an increase of approximately 58.7% from the same period of 2020. The average fee per domestic loan application decreased to RMB13.0 (US$2.0) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB14.1 in the first six months of 2020.

Revenue from big data and system-based risk management services decreased slightly to RMB63.1 million (US$9.8 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB69.2 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to the decrease of revenue in big data services.

Revenues from advertising and marketing services and other services increased by 64.5% to RMB25.5 million (US$4.0 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB15.5 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to the growth of insurance brokerage services.

Cost of revenues increased by 65.7% to RMB92.8 million (US$14.4 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB56.0 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase in direct costs relating to credit card business and insurance brokerage services.

Gross profit increased by 1.9% to RMB250.7 million (US$38.8 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB246.1 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase of our total revenues.

Sales and marketing expenses increased by 6.9% to RMB252.0 million (US$39.0 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB235.7 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to the increase in traffic acquisition costs and payroll expenses.

Research and development expenses decreased by 7.3% to RMB70.1 million (US$10.9 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB75.6 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to continued cost optimization measures, and partially offset by upfront investment in R&D efforts for new businesses.

General and administrative expenses was RMB65.3 million (US$10.1 million) in the first six months of 2021, which remained relatively stable compared with RMB64.1 million in the same period of 2020.

Others, net increased by 800.0% to RMB42.3 million (US$6.6 million) in the first six months of 2021 from RMB4.7 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily from the realized investment gain of RMB40.1 million from the investment in Conflux Global, a decentralized applications blockchain solution provider.

Net loss was RMB95.8 million (US$14.8 million) in the first six months of 2021 compared with RMB125.2 million in the same period of 2020. Net loss margin was 27.9% in the first six months of 2021 compared with 41.4% in the same period of 2020.

Non-GAAP adjusted net loss, which excluded share-based compensation expenses from net loss, was RMB90.0 million (US$13.9 million) in the first six months of 2021, compared with RMB118.3 million in the same period of 2020.

Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA2, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest income and expenses, and income tax benefits from net loss, for the first six months of 2021 was a loss of RMB84.6 million (US$13.1 million), compared with a loss of RMB108.5 million in the same period of 2020.

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and time deposits and short-term investment of RMB868.3 million (US$134.5 million), and working capital of approximately RMB521.7 million (US$80.8 million). Compared to as of December 31, 2020, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, time deposits and investment and short-term investment decreased by RMB127.7 million (US$19.8 million), which was attributable to net cash used in operating activities.

About Jianpu Technology Inc.

Jianpu Technology Inc. is a leading independent open platform for discovery and recommendation of financial products in China. The company connects users with financial service providers in a convenient, efficient, and secure way. By leveraging its proprietary technology, Jianpu provides users with customized search results and recommendations tailored to each user's particular financial needs and profile. The Company also enables financial service providers with sales and marketing solutions to reach and serve their target customers more effectively through integrated channels and enhance their competitiveness by providing them with tailored data, risk management services and solutions. The Company is committed to maintaining an independent open platform, which allows it to serve the needs of users and financial service providers impartially. For more information, please visit http://ir.jianpu.ai.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net (loss)/income, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

The Company believes that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net (loss)/income help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the expenses and gains that the Company include in (loss)/income from operations and net (loss)/income. The Company believes that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net (loss)/income provide useful information about our operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net (loss)/income should not be considered in isolation or construed as alternatives to net (loss)/income or any other measure of performance or as indicators of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net (loss)/income presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before share-based compensation expenses. EBITDA represents net (loss)/income before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.

Adjusted net (loss)/income represents net (loss)/income before share-based compensation expenses.

For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the Company's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its solutions and services; the Company's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with users, financial service providers and other parties it collaborates with; trends, competition and regulatory policies relating to the industries the Company operates in; general economic and business conditions globally and in China; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

.

Jianpu Technology Inc

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands, As of December 31, As of June 30, except for number of shares and per 2020 2021 2021 share data) RMB RMB US$







ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents 549,979 545,348 84,464 Restricted cash, time deposits and investment 391,425 238,938 37,007 Short-term investment 20,000 48,300 7,481 Accounts receivable, net (including amounts

billed through related party of nil and RMB2,811 as of December 31,2020 and June 30,2021, respectively) 240,124 289,107 44,777 Amount due from related parties 872 788 122 Prepayments and other current assets 66,295 70,822 10,969 Total current assets 1,268,695 1,193,303 184,820 Non-current assets:





Property and equipment, net 18,114 14,434 2,236 Intangible assets, net 25,172 24,209 3,749 Goodwill 10,236 10,236 1,585 Restricted cash and time deposits 34,581 35,670 5,525 Other non-current assets 46,936 42,457 6,576 Total non-current assets 135,039 127,006 19,671 Total assets 1,403,734 1,320,309 204,491







LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Short-term borrowings 158,477 165,689 25,662 Accounts payable 185,904 193,769 30,011 Advances from customers 54,275 51,988 8,052 Tax payable 24,059 14,322 2,218 Amount due to related parties 9,495 105,416 16,327 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 220,866 140,409 21,747 Total current liabilities 653,076 671,593 104,017 Non-current liabilities:





Deferred tax liabilities 5,146 4,843 750 Other non-current liabilities 19,874 15,803 2,450 Total non-current liabilities 25,020 20,646 3,200 Total liabilities 678,096 692,239 107,217















Mezzanine equity:





Redeemable noncontrolling interest 1,455 1,012 157 Shareholders' equity:





Ordinary shares 286 286 44 Treasury stock, at cost (88,855) (88,130) (13,650) Additional paid-in capital 1,885,951 1,891,063 292,888 Accumulated losses (1,099,934) (1,193,940) (184,918) Statutory reserves 1,900 1,900 294 Accumulated other comprehensive income 1,002 (6,644) (1,029) Total Jianpu's shareholders' equity 700,350 604,535 93,629 Noncontrolling interests 23,833 22,523 3,488 Total shareholders' equity 724,183 627,058 97,117 Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders' equity 1,403,734 1,320,309 204,491

Jianpu Technology Inc.

Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (In thousands, For the Six Months Ended June 30, except for number of shares and per 2020 2021 2021 share data) RMB RMB US$







Revenues:





Recommendation services:





Loans(a) 46,668 75,094 11,631 Credit cards 170,813 179,804 27,848 Total recommendation services 217,481 254,898 39,479 Big data and system-based risk management services(b) 69,160 63,106 9,774 Advertising, marketing and other services 15,503 25,541 3,956 Total revenues 302,144 343,545 53,209 Cost of revenues(c) (56,046) (92,848) (14,380) Gross profit 246,098 250,697 38,829 Operating expenses:





Sales and marketing(d) (235,659) (251,991) (39,029) Research and development (75,565) (70,060) (10,851) General and administrative (64,126) (65,333) (10,119) Loss from operations (129,252) (136,687) (21,170) Net interest expenses (852) (1,771) (274) Others, net 4,681 42,323 6,555 Loss before income tax (125,423) (96,135) (14,889) Income tax benefits 202 295 46 Net loss (125,221) (95,840) (14,843) Less: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (2,597) (1,834) (284) Net loss attributable to Jianpu's shareholders (122,624) (94,006) (14,559) Other comprehensive income/(loss), net





Foreign currency translation adjustments 11,647 (7,565) (1,172) Total other comprehensive income/(loss) 11,647 (7,565) (1,172) Total comprehensive loss (113,574) (103,405) (16,015) Less: total comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (2,673) (1,753) (271) Total comprehensive loss attributable to Jianpu's shareholders (110,901) (101,652) (15,744) Net loss per share attributable to Jianpu's shareholders





Basic (0.29) (0.22) (0.03) Diluted (0.29) (0.22) (0.03) Net loss per ADS attributable to Jianpu's shareholders





Basic (5.80) (4.44) (0.69) Diluted (5.80) (4.44) (0.69) Weighted average number of shares





Basic 422,860,303 423,645,337 423,645,337 Diluted 422,860,303 423,645,337 423,645,337

[a] Including revenues from related party of RMB580 and RMB270 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

[b] Including revenues from related party of RMB1,716 and RMB2,443 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively. [c] Including cost of revenues from related party of RMB2,371 and RMB372 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

[d]Including expenses from related party of nil and RMB13 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Jianpu Technology Inc.

Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results (In thousands, For the Six Months Ended June 30, except for number of shares and per 2020 2021 2021 share data) RMB RMB US$







Net loss (125,221) (95,840) (14,843) Add: Share-based compensation expenses 6,910 5,834 903 Non-GAAP adjusted net loss (118,311) (90,006) (13,940) Add: Depreciation and amortization 10,488 6,841 1,060 Net interest expenses (852) (1,771) (274) Income tax benefits 202 295 46 Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA (108,473) (84,641) (13,108)

1 Non-GAAP adjusted net loss represents net loss before share-based compensation expenses. There is no income tax impact of the non-GAAP adjustment of share-based compensation expenses. See "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release for more details about non-GAAP adjusted net loss. Non-GAAP adjusted net loss margin equals non-GAAP adjusted net loss divided by total revenues.

2 Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before share-based compensation expenses and impairment loss. EBITDA represents net (loss)/income before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. See "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" for more details.

SOURCE Jianpu Technology Inc.
"When you're intimidated by something, you can choose to shy away from it or you can tackle the challenge head on," said Jessica Yarmey, Chief Executive Officer at KickHouse "This new year, our coaches are ready to introduce you to the calorie-torching benefits of kickboxing and you'll also be introduced to NFTs with our KickHouse NFT collection."

Starting a new fitness routine can be scary. So can learning new technology. KickHouse is helping you navigate both.

The KickHouse NFT collection is minted on Litemint in collaboration with JPEG DAO.

"JPEG DAO was initially created to provide NFTs to our members. We've quickly expanded into a community supporting artists and unique NFT experiences," said Brian Goldberg, Founder of JPEG DAO. "Our partnership with KickHouse is a natural extension of our goals and mission"

The artist who designed the collection is JPEG DAO artist, Nettie Bella.

"Nettie is the perfect artist to collaborate with because her perseverance and confidence is inspiring," said Samantha Salas, Director of Marketing at KickHouse. "She's trail blazing and setting an example for the next generation of female artists and entrepreneurs, and we couldn't be happier to be working with her."

This project is the first of its kind and is built on the Stellar network, supported by Lobstr. The NFT's will be distributed via Lobstr wallets the first week of February. This massive collaboration was facilitated and coordinated by the team at Merchant Media.

"Helping people interact with crypto and the blockchain needs to be both fun and familiar. What's more familiar than fitness?" said Dixie Gilbert, VP of Sales & Marketing at Merchant Media. "At Merchant Media our goal is to help brands and businesses, like KickHouse, design meaningful crypto 3.0 adoption strategies through creative ideas and solutions within the Stellar blockchain."

Get introduced to KickHouse and NFT's today! Your first KickHouse class is free! Find your neighborhood studio and get started by visiting: www.thekickhouse.com/nft

About KickHouse:

Founded in July of 2020, KickHouse is a modern kickboxing studio with resilience in its DNA. The KickHouse mission is to help members and communities take their health and kick it up a level! The brand has quickly grown to over 35 locations across the country and is looking to grow to 100 within the next six months. If you're interested in becoming a KickHouse franchisee and opening your own KickHouse studio, visit: www.thekickhouse.com/franchise

SOURCE KickHouse
TEMPE, Ariz., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Vintage Lasers & Holograms" celebrates the first sixty years of the laser industry by exhibiting over 180 lasers from a dozen countries, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s, along with many related artifacts.

Lasers are an essential component of the STEAM careers of the future, and holography plays a vital role in many of these technologies. Visitors get to look "under the covers" of these beautiful old lasers, to see the craftsmanship of their components and to understand what makes them work.

Twinkling beams from an early '70s red gas laser, an early '90s green solid-state laser, and a modern blue diode laser. These lasers are on on display in the Vintage Lasers & Holograms exhibit in Tempe, Arizona until the end of April. Visitors to the Vintage Lasers & Holograms exhibit in Tempe, Arizona, open through the end of April. To the left is a Xenon laser trimmer from the early '80s. Through the door on the right are the rarest of lasers from "The Right Stuff" years of the 1960s.

Lasers produce beams of pure "coherent" light which can be used for many applications. Modern lasers are mostly made from semiconductor materials. Originally however, lasers were made from delicate ruby crystals and glass rods, or with powerful electrical arcs sparking through special gasses in elaborate plasma-tubes. This exhibit concentrates on these early types, including a rare prototype of the very first commercial laser, and the first laser model with a continuously visible beam. There's also a display of thirty of the earliest laser pointers, a TV-prop laser gun, and the world's oldest working commercial laser.

Holography uses coherent light to store information with encoded patterns called holograms. It's commonly used to record three-dimensional images for artistic purposes, and to secure documents like passports and credit cards. But holography is also used to make special optical components for technical applications, and for consumer products such as the latest virtual reality goggles.

Holograms in this exhibit include life-sized portraits, animated holograms, a hologram of the first laser, built by Ted Maiman at Hughes Aircraft Company in 1960, and one of the starship "Enterprise" made for the opening of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

The exhibit draws from the collection of local holographer Robert Hess, and is hosted by Satori Optics LLC until the end of April 2022 in the Baseline Business Park at Baseline and Ash in Tempe, Arizona. Hours are from noon to 6:00 pm, Saturday to Wednesday (closed Thursdays and Fridays), or by appointment.

For more information, please visit laserhistorymuseum.com.

Contact: Bob Hess, Curator, Vintage Laser Archive, (480) 239-0436, [email protected]

SOURCE Vintage Lasers & Holograms
This designation has already been utilized to completely bar thousands of Iranian nationals from obtaining visas to the U.S. Such bars are founded in the INA's strict bars to inadmissibility to the U.S. under the terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG).

The TRIG bars are extremely broad and can encompass any individual that may have had any type of relationship with a terrorist organization (i.e. the IRCG), including having provided support to such an organization. More importantly, the TRIG bars include little to no substantive exceptions or waivers even in the context of involuntary involvement with a terrorist organization.

In Iran, service in the military is mandatory for males, with limited exceptions. Importantly, those conscripted into service are given no choice as to the branch of the military to which they are assigned. This means that the country's best and brightest youth are often assigned to the IRGC  again without any individual choice in the matter.

In many cases, U.S. citizens have been waiting years for their family members to join them in the U.S. In many circumstances, U.S. visas are being offered to spouses and children of Iranian males with prior IRGC involvement, while these males are refused with no prospects of future relief. This creates impossible decisions regarding life-altering choices while promoting the fracturing of family units.

Additionally, U.S. permanent residents are in danger of severe repercussions from prior IRGC involvement, even if an individual has maintained permanent residency for years and has not had any involvement with the IRGC for years. Any prior involvement with the IRGC may trigger the TRIG bars to admissibility.

Taher Kameli, the Principal of the Law Offices of Kameli & Associates stated that "K&A takes no position regarding the political relationship between the U.S. and Iran and the motivations underlying the U.S. government's designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. However, the implementation of the TRIG bars without substantive waivers relating to involuntary service and/or pre-designation involvement has created confusion and uncertainty and an ever-increasing problem applicable to hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and U.S. employers. The current lawsuit filed by K&A seeks to help mitigate such increasing problems."

About The Law Offices of Kameli & Associates

The Law Offices of Kameli & Associates is a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. We provide a broad range of legal services at a global level to our corporate and individual clients by representing them in litigations related to SEC investigation, EB-5/EB5 issues, business and securities litigations, as well as international legal conflicts. Learn More: kameli.com and kamelilawgroup.com.

SOURCE The Law Offices of Kameli & Associates
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Academy OIC announces the promotion of Leroy West from chief operating officer to president, effective Jan. 4, 2022.

West succeeds Louis J. King II, who held the role for the past 25 years and will be continuing as Summit Academy OIC's CEO until the successful completion of Summit's $12 million comprehensive campaign over the next 18 months.

Summit Academy OIC, a nonprofit located in North Minneapolis, is an accredited vocational school best known for its twenty-week, zero-out-of-pocket construction program and recently expanded Information Technology (IT) and STEM programs. Summit Academy OIC also offers a Medical Administrative Assistant and a 10-week GED program.

Additionally, Summit is a trusted regional leader for employment assistance, advancing equity in employment, including being the top employment resource for some of Minnesota's largest construction projects, like U.S. Bank Stadium.

West has been one of the top minds driving Summit's success since 2003. A graduate of Minnesota State University Mankato, West's roots in the community run deep, and he's passionate about eradicating poverty in the Twin Cities.

"This is an exciting time for Summit as we're positioned to have our greatest impact yet thanks to our expansion into IT. Whether it's exciting new partnerships and programs with the likes of U.S. Bank and Atomic Data, the opportunities the Innovation Center offers, or the continued growth of the STEM District, Summit's future is bright, and it will be an honor to serve as president," said West.

West recently led some of Summit's most impactful initiatives, including launching the IT program run inside the Northstar Innovation Center and developing partnerships with Atomic Data and U.S. Bank to streamline internships and employment for graduates.

"Leroy is the perfect leader for Summit Academy OIC," King said of his successor. King will move to fill the offices of CEO and president of OIC of America in January, in addition to remaining with Summit as CEO for the time being.

"Leroy's extensive leadership background and deep understanding of the core business will help Summit strengthen corporate partnerships, develop new strategic alliances with private and public organizations who are looking for solutions to the labor crisis, and expand our training programs to help even more people move from poverty to the middle class. Leroy is responsible for much of the success Summit has experienced in the last few years, and it's the right time for him to take the helm," King added.

Summit Academy OIC, one of 31 OIC of America affiliates located in 19 States, is one of the fastest-growing affiliates thanks to its expansion into IT and STEM.

"Minneapolis should hold its head up high," said West. "Summit's success is thanks to our amazing donors, corporate partners, government support, passionate staff, and, of course, our driven students who continue to show what happens when barriers are removed and people are given a fair shot at becoming productive members of society. I will proudly continue the legacy King started by promoting the fact that the best social service program in the world is a job."

For more info on Summit Academy OIC in North Minneapolis, visit www.saoic.org.

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12898920



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Summit Academy OIC
HOUSTON, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leslie Doggett Industries, one of the largest family-owned businesses in Houston, expanded its footprint in the Austin region with new dealership acquisitions this week adding $120+ million in annual sales to Doggett's revenues approaching $2 billion.

Through its heavy duty truck division, Doggett acquired dealerships for Freightliner, Western Star and Detroit Diesel from the Austin Freightliner Group of commercial dealerships previously owned by the Jay Hendrix Family. Financial terms of the acquisitions in Austin, Georgetown and Buda, Texas, were not disclosed.

The acquisitions from Austin Freightliner Group complement Doggett's existing footprint of Freightliner dealerships in San Antonio, El Paso and cities in the Rio Grande Valley including Laredo, Pharr and Brownsville.

"Bringing Austin Freightliner into the company culture that has led to all our success will be a win-win for our customers and our team of dedicated folks," said Paul Burk, executive vice president and general manager of the Doggett Truck Group. "Doggett has historically doubled the number of technicians after acquisitions providing best-in-class training, processes, benefits and compensation packages. We plan to dramatically grow Austin Freightliner the same way."

Doggett grew its dealership count to 40 with the additions in the Austin market. The firm has locations or geographic coverage in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico.

In April, Doggett announced acquiring Western Star, Autocar Trucks and Detroit Diesel locations in the San Antonio market from Grande Group in April.

Doggett is the Freightliner, Western Star and Autocar dealer for the state of Arkansas with locations in Little Rock, Van Buren, Searcy and the Springdale/Fayetteville market. The family-owned heavy equipment dealer bought privately held Truck Centers of Arkansas for $103 million in May 2018.

In 2019, Doggett Truck Group acquired Truck Enterprises Inc., an authorized Western Star, Detroit Diesel and heavy duty trailer dealer, which added locations in El Paso and Carlsbad, New Mexico and grew the company headcount. Less than a month later, Doggett picked up the privately held Great Dane Trailer distributor/dealer for El Paso, Laredo and McAllen/Pharr, Texas, with territory stretching to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Doggett is a Houston based diversified heavy equipment dealer/distributor for 7 first-tier manufacturers (www.DOGGETT.com) that are either number 1 or 2 in their respective industries: John Deere Construction and Forestry Equipment (18 dealerships), Toyota Industrial Equipment - forklifts & material handling (7 dealerships), Freightliner On-highway and Vocational Trucks (9 dealerships), Western Star On-Highway and Vocational Trucks (located in most of our Freightliner dealerships), Great Dane On-Highway Trailers (1 dealership), LinkBelt Cranes (4 dealerships), Doggett/Vernon Gene's/Woolford Heavy Duty Truck Diesel Parts Stores (7 stores), and one Ford Auto dealership reported to be the fastest growing Ford store in the nation. Doggett employees approximately 2200 full time employees with 40 dealerships approaching $2 billion in annual sales. Doggett is a family owned business without outside investors.

SOURCE Leslie Doggett Industries
At the 133 rd Rose Parade, one float carries a special message for students who strive to dream, believe and achieve their goals and educators who are committed to ending bullying in their schools. The vibrant Lions Clubs International's "Quest for Kindness" float depicts three boats carrying exceptional students, educators and Lions who are on a quest to help other young people develop their social and emotional learning (SEL) skills through the Lions Quest program.

Lions Quest is an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program for students in grades 1-12 and is supported by the Lions Clubs International Foundation. SEL is a process through which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, achieve goals, show empathy for others, establish positive relationships and make responsible decisions.

Studies have shown that students who participate in an SEL program experienced an 11 percent increase in overall grades and had better attendance. In addition, people who have the skills to deal with problems that affect them personally are better able to navigate the deep waters of adult life and, in turn, be better equipped to help others in need.

"Providing children with a safe and healthy learning environment is one of the many ways Lions serve from the heart," said Douglas X. Alexander, International President for Lions Clubs International. "The Lions Quest program is active in more than 105 countries around the world. By partnering with exceptional educators who understand the value that social and emotional learning plays in a student's overall success and well-being, young people are in a better place to dream, believe and achieve their goals."

The Lions Clubs International Quest for Kindness Float and Notable Riders

Dozens of vibrant flowers and other natural decorating materials adorn the 35-foot "Quest for Kindness" float. Boats equipped with life perseveres rise above waves that symbolize the tumultuous sea of emotions and illustrate how life-changing education can be. A lighthouse serves as a beacon of hope for young people struggling with their emotions and social skills and lights the way forward. Two large Lions flank the lighthouse. One uses nets to capture kindness and positive social and emotional skills, and the other Lion uses a telescope to always be on the lookout for those in need.

Notable riders include:

Douglas X. Alexander , International President for Lions Clubs International

, International President for Lions Clubs International Jim Klipfel , social studies teacher at Saugus High School and 2021 California Teachers of the Year

, social studies teacher at Saugus High School and 2021 California Teachers of the Year Alexandre Widman , 2021 Lions Club Student Speaker contest winner

"I am honored to be joined by these incredible students and teachers who, like our Lions, inspire others and serve from the heart," said international President Alexander. "Because when people serve from their heart, there is nothing we can't achieve."

About Lions Clubs International

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. More than 1.4 million members in over 48,000 clubs are serving in 200 countries and geographic areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects, and we are able to extend our service impact through the generous support of our Lions Clubs International Foundation. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit lionsclubs.org.

1 US Department of Education. (2019, July). Student reports of bullying results from the 2017 school ... Student Reports of Bullying: Results From the 2017 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019054.pdf.

2 UNICEF and Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D'Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of educational research, 83(3), 357-385

SOURCE Lions International
MORAI SIM Cloud is the Software as a Service (SaaS) model of the existing MORAI autonomous driving simulator, MORAI SIM, that will allow users to perform simulation tests in the cloud without the process of installing any software onto local computers. The cloud-based method will play a key role in increasing test efficiency as it enables users to run a large number of simulation tests requiring multiple computers to run, with a single computer simultaneously.

MORAI SIM Cloud will also offer a test automation feature, which automatically distributes test cases in a cloud environment to perform tests and generate finalized results.

"Based on the cloud-based simulation technology we introduce at CES 2022, MORAI will actively expand domestic and global business opportunities," said Jiwon Jung, CEO of MORAI. "We will also leverage in-person engagement at this year's CES as an opportunity to further foster global partnerships and actively engage in sharing autonomous driving simulation technologies."

MORAI is the only developer and distributor of a full-stack autonomous driving simulation platform in South Korea, with more than 100 clients, including Hyundai Mobis, Naver Labs, and Samsung Engineering. In 2021, the company has raised around two billion KRW through a bridge funding round and was nominated as a future unicorn company by the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea and garnered the Hong Dae-yong Award for Patent Technology. MORAI also received additional recognition, such as the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development Award in the Youth Enterprise Sector and the Prime Minister's Commendation.

About MORAI

MORAI (www.morai.ai) was founded in 2018 as a startup by former KAIST autonomous driving researchers dedicated to creating autonomous driving simulation platforms, and has since started to provide simulation software for verifying the safety and reliability of self-driving systems. MORAI is the first Korean company to have independently developed a full-stack self-driving simulation solution which includes the core simulation engine. MORAI currently supplies industry, research organizations, and universities with autonomous driving simulation solutions, and is looking to form partnerships with companies from around the world. With a team of over 70 experts dedicated to their respective fields, Naver, Hyundai Motor Company, Kakao Ventures, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, and other major Korean industry players recognized MORAI's potential by participating in seed and Series A funding rounds. In April 2021, the company completed a bridge funding round with Atinum Investment.

Reference

MORAI Press Contact: Ukbin Lim, [email protected]

MORAI Website: www.morai.ai

MORAI YouTube: www.youtube.com/moraisim

SOURCE MORAI
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Exploring the Wild West of NFTs is scheduled for February 10-13, 2022, and brings together leaders like Arif Khan (Alethea.ai) and Dirk Lueth (Upland) to the Four Seasons Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Bernoulli | Locke, creator of exclusive experiences, designed this future-focused event as it celebrates the natural beauty of Jackson Hole, set in the most crypto-forward state of Wyoming.

Set among the legendary ski slopes this event brings together the pioneers, creators and craftsmen of the NFT community. The goal of the event is that all attendees will be well-versed in digital assets, blockchain, and how NFTs are forging new frontiers in music, art, finance, fashion, sports, brands, collectibles, and more.

The pioneers will be there for this hands-on event. Expect to hear from Arif Khan, the CEO and Founder of Alethea, Dirk Lueth, the Co-Founder of Upland, David Feinstein, of SuperRare, Sinziana Velicescu, Curator of Vellum Gallery, Artist Griffin Loop and many others  all in collaboration with host Shelly Palmer, a recognized technology visionary.

"The NFT space really is the Wild West," said David Palmer, Founder and CEO of Bernoulli | Locke. "For those who attend, this will be an exciting and immersive experience, one that will deeply inform on the metaverse, DeFi, and especially NFTs, all which are shaping up to be the heart of one of the 21st century's most important new environments."

"And immersive is our focus," Palmer continued. "Every guest will leave as a part of the special Bernoulli | Locke community with a freshly-minted, unique NFT. We are designing this to be the most exclusive NFT event in 2022, limited to just 200 attendees" he added, "and where better to immerse ourselves than in the natural beauty of Jackson Hole?"

Attendees have the unique opportunity to ski, dine and attend sessions with the experts, a rare opportunity to enter and understand the trailblazing NFT ecosystem. A White Glove service is offered to personally facilitate each attendee's journey with NFTs.

Stake your claim soon.

Speakers are being added and announced daily. Once the capacity of 200 is reached, the Conference will be closed to the public, and only 60 VIP slots will be available for special admittance to unique, intimate dinners with some of the thought leaders from this burgeoning new technology stage.

More information is available at http://www.14e.com/10450View

For tickets, contact: [email protected] .

Press inquiries, contact [email protected] .

SOURCE Bernoulli | Locke
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OnSeen was recently awarded its second Innovative Technology Grant from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Department. The principal objective of OnSeen's Grant Project is to help mitigate a workforce crisis that has had a devastating impact on the delivery of care to people with disabilities by enhancing its LiveCare Solution to: (1) help Providers more efficiently assign, monitor, and manage their remote resources, (2) increase the operational efficiency of Providers' financial, administrative, and transportation management processes, and (3) reduce the administrative burden on DSPs to improve their job satisfaction and retention.

"Many Ohio providers are struggling with the workforce crisis, which has a direct impact on the essential services people need," said Jeff Davis, Director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. "Technology is one option which is crucial to alleviating the workforce problem, and we are excited to award OnSeen with a grant to pursue technology that can help reduce the administrative burdens of providing care and improving care outcomes."

OnSeen's LiveCare Solution addresses three critical administrative processes in the disabilities community: Consumer Financial Account Management, Transportation Management, and Resource Scheduling and Appointment Management.

The LiveCare Consumer Financial Account Management Module enables Providers to manage Consumer financial accounts (e.g. petty cash, gift cards, EBT cards, savings or checking accounts) in a real-time, paperless and compliant manner, ensuring proper fiduciary oversight of Consumer accounts and reduced administrative errors, Unusual Incidents (UI's) and Major Unusual Incidents (MUI's).

The Transportation Management module helps Providers increase the quality, access, and reliability of transportation services available to people with developmental disabilities, while allowing Providers to efficiently and cost-effectively manage the transport of those Individuals to outside appointments, activities, events and work.

The Resource Scheduling and Appointment Management module streamlines and automates the Caregiver ("DSP") scheduling, assignment, and appointment management processes for service delivery to people with developmental disabilities, connecting Schedulers/Supervisors with in-home Caregivers in real-time to ensure optimal service delivery to Consumers.

"DSP's and Provider staff shouldn't have to spend so much time and energy on manual and paper-based administrative processes," said Mike Lanese, CEO of OnSeen. "OnSeen's LiveCare platform was designed to automate those processes so the caregivers can spend less time on administrative work and more time providing quality care."

About OnSeen:

Founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 2017, OnSeen, Inc provides mobile workforce management software for the government, insurance, and healthcare markets. The OnSeen family of services, including LiveGov, LiveClaims, and LiveCare, are focused on helping organizations manage their remote people, places, and things. OnSeen is a veteran-friendly company.

SOURCE OnSeen, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.onseen.com/


SHANGHAI, Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 23, Regor Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company, announced authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with Regor's Phase 1 clinical development plans for RGT-419B.

RGT-419B is a new generation CDK2/4/6, small molecule inhibitor with an optimized kinase activity spectrum. It is expected to improve the safety of and combat the resistance to currently approved CDK4/6 inhibitors that are given in combination with endocrine-based therapy for treatment of pre/perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

In cell model experiments, RGT-419B has demonstrated single agent activity with greater suppression of ER+ tumor cell growth when compared to abemaciclib and palbociclib. In ER+ breast cancer cells with acquired resistance to currently approved CDK4/6 inhibitors, RGT-419B has demonstrated full suppression of cancer cell proliferation. In these experiments, RGT-419B's tumor cell suppression was further augmented when combined with a selective estrogen receptor degrader or a PI3K signaling pathway inhibitor.

As a single agent and in combination with other approved therapies, RGT-419B will initially be developed for the treatment of patients with HER2-, ER+ breast cancer who have primary or acquired resistance to currently approved CDK4/6 inhibitors. As CDK4/6 inhibitors are widely adopted in clinical practice, refractory and relapsed patients previously treated by CDK4/6 inhibitors are becoming a greater and clinically significant unmet medical need. RGT-419B's clinical development programs will address this resistance to CDK4/6 and other hormone receptor modulation therapy, providing a new opportunity to improve the survival and quality of life in breast cancer patients with advanced disease.

RGT-419B is the first of many innovative oncology drugs being developed by Regor. Dr. Xiayang Qiu, Founder and CEO of Regor Therapeutics, said, "This milestone marks Regor's success in entering into the area of oncology therapeutics. Achieving an optimal selectivity profile against several CDKs by leveraging Regor's proprietary CARD platform, this innovative drug is entering clinical stage development in the U.S. We are excited by this opportunity to bring new and differentiated treatment options to the many patients suffering from breast cancer worldwide.

About breast cancer

HER2-, HR+ breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer. Globally, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting approximately 2.3 million women in 2020 and is the leading cause of death due to cancer in women. In China breast cancer ranks 4th amongst solid tumor types with over 400,000 new cases annually. Breast cancer poses a tremendous healthcare burden in China and across the world as well as having a significant negative impact on patients and their families.

About Regor Therapeutics Group

Regor Therapeutics is a clinical stage company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative and clinically differentiated medicines by leveraging the proprietary CARD (Computer Accelerated Rational Discovery) Platform. The company focuses mainly on three therapeutic areas, oncology, immunology, and metabolic disorders. By seamlessly integrating CARD with structural biology, computational chemistry, therapeutic biology, medicinal chemistry, and clinical development. Regor has successfully assembled a world-class scientific team and established a highly efficient new drug innovation engine to enable the discovery and development of best- and first-in-class molecules. For more information, please click www.regor.com

SOURCE Regor Therapeutics
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Take a few moments right now to imagine a social media company that gives back 2/3 of its profit to its members and their respective pet communities.

Also, imagine that this social media company provides 100% transparency by reporting all activity, including all financial activity and analytics, to its members by providing monthly online reporting.

Fluffygram app

Imagine a social media company that does not employ a restrictive algorithm that limits exposure of your content to your friends or audience.

Now, realize that you don't need to imagine because this company already exists.

Alexander Acuna, CEO of Fluffygram, asked himself before pursuing the idea of a Revolutionary New type of social media platform, "How could Fluffygram set itself apart from the unethical operations of other platforms while also assuring users of a social media community based on safety and personal privacy? How could the company offer financial transparency to its members and also give back to the communities it serves?" As it turns out, Acuna incorporated those answers and more into the Fluffygram app. So, what makes this social media app so different from the others?

1. Fluffygram is a social media app and that's where its similarities with the other "big tech" social media platforms begin and end. If you're concerned about what other platforms are doing with your data and it just so happens that you love pets, Fluffygram is the place to connect and network with others who share the same values. The company's slogan, All Pets All The Time!, underscores that point.

2. Last year, Alexander Acuna, CEO of Fluffygram, founded the company and established it as a national social media app using his own money. According to the Fluffygram website, he had the idea to create a Revolutionary New one-of-kind community of pet lovers that took a hard turn from the standard social media business models which rely on advertising dollars and corporate secrecy. Acuna remains adamant that users not fear a breach of trust of their personal information and usage statistics.

"Our business model is designed to resist corruption and financial greed while providing full accountability and 100% transparency to its members. As part of this, we provide monthly reporting of all company activity, including financial reports that are shared online. Analytics show our members that our community is made up of real users, not click bots that are paid to increase followers."

3. Acuna based Fluffygram on a New way of doing business using the 'ImagineBusinessModel.com (IBM)'. The IBM is a business model that gives two-thirds of its profits right back to its members and its members' local communities. However, the Imagine Business Model is not just designed for social media platforms - it can be used by anyone and is an open-source concept that is free to everyone.

4. Not only does the IBM eliminate restrictive algorithms that limit your exposure to a narrow group of people or interests that support corporate advertising, it also fosters full transparency by reporting all company activity, including financial reports, to its members. This transparency - and the safeguarding of user privacy - is an inherent part of Fluffygram's operating structure.

5. Even though Fluffygram has already proven to be self-sustaining - a rare feat for any start-up, regardless of business type - the reality is that Acuna needs to pursue other fundraising avenues at this point. Although Acuna has underwritten Fluffygram personally to this point, donations and financial support are what's needed to continue Fluffygram's unprecedented growth and take the next steps in further implementing the Imagine Business Model.

Acuna adds, "Converting our users to members is a vital aspect of the Fluffygram community. Its members play the most pivotal role in our being able to give back to the members themselves and their local communities. The fact is that Fluffygram is the perfect opportunity to show that the Imagine Business Model works!"

With 70% (or almost 91 million) [1] of American households owning at least one pet, Fluffygram is a concept which will not find members to be in short supply.

Visit https://www.Fluffygram.com to learn more.

Download the Fluffygram app on Google Play or Apple's App Store.

Video - Fluffygram Official Launch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu3fyzzjcLU&t=182s

For more information about the Imagine Business Model, go to

http://www.ImagineBusinessModel.com

Media Contact:

Alexander Acuna

973-951-4772

[email protected]

SOURCE Fluffygram
BENTON, Kan., Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Russell E. Scheffer, MD is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Distinguished Psychiatrist of the Year for his outstanding achievements in Psychiatry and his professional excellence as a Medical Director with Cigna Healthcare.

Russell E. Scheffer, MD

Russell E. Scheffer, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist with 30 years of academic and clinical excellence. He has garnered a well-deserving reputation among the Best Doctors in America since 2005 for his devotion to his patients. Dr. Scheffer serves as the medical director within Cigna Healthcare, a global health service company, where he consults and reviews policies. Additionally, Dr. Scheffer operates a small private practice specializing in child, adolescent, and family psychiatry, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, ADHD, and more.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Dr. Scheffer completed his undergraduate studies in Biology and Chemistry in 1982. He furthered his Chemistry training at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, from 1983 to 1985. Following this, he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of Kansas in 1987. In that same year, he began the health professional scholarship program with the U.S. Army Reserves until his completion in 1991. He earned a medical degree from Kansas University Medical Center in 1991, followed by a general psychiatry internship and residency at the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center in 1995. Shortly after, he completed a child, adolescent, and family psychiatry fellowship at DDEAMC/Medical College of Georgia in 1996. He is board certified in Child, Adolescent, and General Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Scheffer served the U.S. Army Medical Department at Fort Hood, TX, and Fort Gordon, GA. Highly awarded, he earned the Army Commendation Award, the Army Achievement Award, the Army Superior Unit Award, and the Cold War Victory Award. He served at the Medical College of Georgia as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry from 1996 to 2002 and at A&M Health Science Center as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry from 1996 to 1998.

He maintains memberships with the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, International Early Psychosis Association, International Society for Bipolar Disorders, International Society for Affective Disorders, Kansas Medical Society, Medical Society of Sedgwick County, Kansas Psychiatric Society, International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, and American Association of Physicians. He is a distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a member of the Educational Board Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. An Ad Hoc reviewer, he peer reviews and researches for Schizophrenia Research, Academic Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Bipolar Disorders, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Scheffer has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the KUMC Endowment Association Early Career Award, the Anthony Meyer Best Teacher Award by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Outstanding Teacher Award by the Child Psychiatry Division UT Southwestern Medical Center.

His research can be found at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Russell+E.+Scheffer

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]



SOURCE Continental Who's Who
Lucy Cabral, the Rx-360 Board Chair for 2022 expressed, "On behalf of Rx-360, our Board of Directors and the patients we serve, I am pleased to welcome Jennifer Stone and Anthony Damas to the Board. We are extremely excited about the opportunities for Rx-360 in the upcoming year." Jim Fries, Rx-360 CEO, added, "The experience and commitment that our Board brings to not only the Rx-360 membership, but the pharmaceutical industry truly signals the importance of supply chain security and patient safety. The diversity of our Board is a testament to the dedication of our entire membership."

In 2021 Rx-360 achieved all-time highs in Membership as well as utilization of the Audit Program. The Consortium membership was also able to provide new resources to the pharmaceutical industry through multiple publications on supply chain security and material quality. Rx-360 was also able to launch a new member only interactive database for the audit program, a new website, and multiple new digital opportunities for the membership.

About Rx-360:

Rx-360, an international pharmaceutical supply chain consortium, was formed in 2009 to support an industry-wide commitment to ensuring patient safety by enhancing quality and authenticity throughout the supply chain. The organization's mission is to protect patient safety by sharing information and developing processes related to the integrity of the healthcare supply chain and the quality of materials within the supply chain. To learn more about Rx-360, please visit http://www.Rx-360.org or email [email protected]

SOURCE Rx-360
"The commonly practiced top-down approach to Circular Economy does little to solve environmental justice, income inequality, and cultural diversity. It lacks the crucial development support needed for local community solutions." explains Atrium 916 CEO, Shira Lane, "I believe to induce circular economy acceleration, we should also work with small scale creative makers, and inventors of local communities, those who are motivated to innovate, and understand the local community needs. This creates a bottom-up approach to circular economy innovation, giving rise to local micro manufacturing that is sustainable, culturally diverse and increases neighborhood well-being."

Atrium 916 , the 501c3 nonprofit Up Kindness, Inc., is an accelerator for the circular economy, working closely with independent local maker communities to develop new products that divert waste from the local landfill, and help makers of local products redesign for efficient package return models. Atrium 916 received funding from the City of Sacramento in 2020 to build the circular economy marketplace Sacramento.Shop. Since the inception of the nonprofit covid response program, it has paid local makers over $120K for products made in Sacramento and sold nationwide.

Sacramento.Shop, both an e-commerce marketplace and brick n' mortar store houses Sacramento made products like a mini amazon with an additional layer of free sustainability product development for local makers who are part of the program. All packing of Sacramento.Shop products have been designed for circularity, where product packaging is encouraged to be returned. Packaging can be returned to the retail store, or a front door pick-up service is available when ordering same day delivery in Sacramento County. Sacramento.Shop has supported the rise of eco-friendly small-scale manufacturing in Sacramento and its art cafe has become a community gathering space for eco minded creative individuals.

"Organizing the return of products in a decentralized fashion, like blockchain, with many local hubs offering access to return and re-use of products is how we will fast-track circular economy innovation. Atrium 916 is working on building a re-use facility to test and scale, our conversion of waste to re-useable products. We hope that our pilot project here in the capital of California can be a model to be replicated in other counties and provinces to accelerate the creation of the Circular Economy everywhere."  Atrium CEO Shira Lane.

SOURCE Atrium 916

Related Links

https://atrium916.com


PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SE Ranking, a leading search engine optimization technology company, launches SE Ranking Academyan online learning platform for digital marketers and business owners.

SE Ranking Academy has been created with the goal to make SEO accessible. Right now, Academy offers a comprehensive and well-structured SEO Basics course, that helps students learn the fundamentals of search engine optimization and teaches how to leverage SEO to promote businesses online. The course was prepared by SEO experts and designed to be clear to everyone, regardless of their background and experience in digital marketing. It can be of use for:

SEO wannabes who have no previous experience in SEO and want to start a career in marketing.

who have no previous experience in SEO and want to start a career in marketing. Digital marketers who want to learn more about SEO and find out how to use that data for online marketing

who want to learn more about SEO and find out how to use that data for online marketing Business owners, who run a business and want to start getting traffic from Google

SEO Basic course provides a detailed explanation of all the nuances involved in optimizing websites for search engines and getting them to rank high in search. 6 hours of video are divided into 40+ easy-to-grasp lessons. Users can go through 9 major topics step by step and familiarize themselves with basic SEO concepts and techniques, that can help them achieve their digital marketing goals. The course is currently available for free to everyone. Upon completion of the course, all graduates get a certificate of completion.

"We have put all the knowledge accumulated over the last 8 years into SE Ranking Academy, where we team up with leading experts to provide a detailed step-by-step explanation of all the SEO nuances," - said Bogdan Babyak, CMO at SE Ranking.

For more information about SE Ranking Academy please email [email protected]

About SE Ranking

SE Ranking  is all-in-one SEO software with over 30 tools for every task in search marketing. The platform provides analytical data and monitoring features that help specialists, agencies, marketers and business owners bring their websites to the top of the search engine result pages and stay there. With more than 600,000 users worldwide, SE Ranking has been top-rated by G2 in 2019, 2020, 2021. More information is available on the SE Ranking website .

SOURCE SE Ranking
NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Camber Energy, Inc. ("Camber" or the "Company") (NYSE: CEI) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, and docketed under 21-cv-03574, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise, acquired Camber securities between February 18, 2021 and October 4, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Camber securities during the Class Period, you have until December 28, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Camber is an independent oil and natural gas company that acquires, develops, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The Company's common stock trades on the NYSE American ("NYSE") under the ticker symbol "CEI".

In December 2020, Camber acquired a controlling interest in Viking Energy Group, Inc. ("Viking"), a purported independent exploration and production company. Then, in February 2021, Camber executed a definitive merger agreement with Viking to effect the full combination of the two entities (the "Merger").

Throughout 2021, Camber has failed to timely file required financial statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). As a result, financial reporting services such as Yahoo! Finance and Bloomberg were forced to rely on infrequent and outdated updates in SEC filings to estimate the Company's shares of common stock issued and outstanding. For example, before a recent update by the Company on October 6, 2021, the widely-reported estimate of the Company's shares of common stock issued and outstanding amounted to 104.2 million, which itself was based on a filing the Company made with the SEC on July 12, 2021. When the Company provided an update on October 6, 2021, it reported 249.6 million shares of stock issued and outstanding, a significantly higher figure.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Camber overstated the financial and business prospects of Viking as well as the combined company post-Merger; (ii) Camber failed to apprise investors of, and/or downplayed, the fact that its acquisition of a controlling interest in Viking would exacerbate the Company's delinquent financial statements and listing obligations with the NYSE; (iii) an institutional investor was diluting Camber's shares at a significant rate following the Company's July 12, 2021 update regarding the number of its shares of common stock issued and outstanding; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On May 24, 2021, Viking filed a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the SEC, reporting the Company's financial and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. That quarterly report disclosed, among other results, first-quarter earnings per share ("EPS") of -$0.13 under generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), compared to GAAP EPS of $1.39 in the same quarter the year prior, representing a 109.35% decrease year-over-year ("Y/Y"), and first-quarter revenue of $10.49 million, compared to revenue of $11.79 million in the same quarter the year prior, representing an 11% decrease Y/Y.

Later that day, Camber issued a press release disclosing that, on May 21, 2021, the NYSE had notified the Company that it was not in compliance with the NYSE's continued listing standards because of, inter alia, "issues that have arisen in connection with . . . finalizing the determination of the fair values of both assets and liabilities associated with the Company's acquisition of a controlling interest in Viking . . . in December of 2020[.]"

Following Viking's reported first-quarter 2021 results, Camber's stock price fell $0.02 per share, or 3.17%, to close at $0.61 per share on May 24, 2021. Camber's stock price continued to decline by an additional $0.04 per share, or 6.56%, to close at $0.57 per share the following day as the market continued to digest Viking's first quarter 2021 results, as well as Camber's non-compliance notice from the NYSE.

Then, on August 16, 2021, Viking filed a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the SEC, reporting its financial and operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. That quarterly report disclosed, among other results, a net loss of $9.85 million for the quarter, and that, "[a]s of June 30, 2021, [Viking] has a stockholders' deficit of $15,054,324 and total long-term debt of $95,961,611."

On this news, Camber's stock price fell $0.03 per share, or 6.98%, to close at $0.57 per share on May 25, 2021.

Finally, on October 5, 2021, Kerrisdale Capital released a report alleging, among other issues revealed in earlier disclosures, that the "market is badly mistaken about Camber's share count and ignorant of [Camber's] terrifying capital structure," estimating the Company's "fully diluted share count is roughly triple the widely reported number."

On this news, Camber's stock price fell $1.56 per share, or 50.49%, to close at $1.53 per share on October 5, 2021.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
CALGARY, AB, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Calgary based entrepreneur, Arti Modi has been awarded a nomination for the 30 most inspiring people of 2021, by Silicon Review. This year's nomination list includes the countries smartest and most resilient business professionals, inspiring hundreds of entrepreneurs alike in their own journeys as they strive to build their business. This list of achievers spans a variety of industries, with professionals being recognized for their tenacity, salesmanship, experience, and yearly achievements.

"Thank you to all of the people at Silicon Review that nominated me for this award. To be listed as the 30 most inspiring business people in 2021 is something that I will remember for many years." says Arti. "Marketing and Financial Technology in particular are very challenging fields to excel in, so I am very happy and humbled for the recognition." says Arti Modi, recipient of the nomination.

Arti has been involved in many aspects of the world of Marketing and Technology during the past few years, and like many entrepreneurs has experienced peaks and valleys throughout her business journey. However what sets Arti apart is her positive attitude in all situations and her solution-oriented approach to problem solving. As an entrepreneur and business person, these core traits are crucial to succeed in an ever-challenging business environment that becomes tougher every day for startups and founders. Furthermore, Arti has continued to stick to his commitments to all the people that have supported her in the past and has a bright future ahead of her in the Technology and Fintech sector, having helped build the marketing division for some of Canada's top Fintech platforms.

The Silicon Review is an established and highly trusted online and print community for business & technology professionals. Community members include thought-provoking Founders, owners, entrepreneurs, sales heads and managers. The Silicon Review encompasses nine technology and vertical communities: Software, IT Services, Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Security, Telecommunications, Hot Start-ups and The Best Companies to work for. Each community leader is a proven subject matter expert who collaborates with industry gurus, technology managers, researchers, top technology journalists, consultants and industry analysts. The Silicon Review team strictly focuses on accurate and timely delivery of informative articles that enhances spirited discussions in the future.

Steve Rogers, spokesperson for the magazine says "We are excited to award Arti a nomination for this year's 30 most inspiring leaders. If you have followed Arti's story it's one of success, failure, tenacity, strength and resilience. Like some of the world's most successful founders and entrepreneurs, Arti has experienced many facets of the business world, from success to failure, and back to even greater success. To see what Arti has helped build today is nothing short of astounding," says Steve.

About Arti Modi

Born in London, United Kingdom, Arti Moved to Canada in 1998 and attended the University of British Columbia. After graduating from UBC, Arti went on to establish her own Real Estate company in Alberta. Gaining from that experience and past successes, Arti moved onto a variety of other industries, successfully building upon experience in the Foods Manufacturing, Asset Management, Movie Production, Real Estate, FinTech and Technology Industries. Arti is now focused full time in the FinTech space and has helped build the Marketing division of some of Canada's Top Platforms, building relationships with multiple partners in the Marketing Arena within the FinTech Sector Nationwide.

About Silicon Review

The Silicon Review is an established and highly trusted online and print community for business & technology professionals. Community members include thought-provoking Founders, owners, entrepreneurs, sales heads and managers. The Silicon Review encompasses nine technology and vertical communities: Software, IT Services, Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Security, Telecommunications, Hot Start-ups and The Best Companies to work for. Each community leader is a proven subject matter expert who collaborates with industry gurus, technology managers, researchers, top technology journalists, consultants and industry analysts. The Silicon Review team strictly focuses on accurate and timely delivery of informative articles that enhances spirited discussions in the future.

SOURCE BFC Media Corp.
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartStop Asset Management ("SmartStop") affiliate Strategic 1031 Properties announced today the sale of the Class A student housing property, [email protected], located in Reno, Nevada. SmartStop, through its subsidiary that serves as asset manager, facilitated the sale of the property on behalf of Reno Student Housing DST, a Delaware statutory trust that is one of SmartStop's investment programs.

The sale resulted in a total return of 143% to its DST investors, which was calculated based on the aggregate amount of original capital invested in the property.

"The sale of the [email protected] property proved our student housing investment strategy," said H. Michael Schwartz, founder and chief executive officer of SmartStop Asset Management. "We intentionally acquire Class A, purpose-built and pedestrian-to-campus student housing communities that benefit from our YOUnion Student Living brand, hands-on asset management and relentless resident focus. We purchased the property for the DST in 2016, and by implementing value-add upgrades and offering competitive rent structures, the property averaged 98% leased occupancy over the hold period."

The 186-unit, 709-bed [email protected] property is located at 2780 Enterprise Road, just three blocks from the University of Nevada, Reno campus. The community consists of a mix of student apartments, study rooms, a fitness center, a pool and a clubhouse. During the past five years, SmartStop added 5G, high-speed internet, Amazon Hub lockers, and study areas with powered furniture.

The property was marketed for sale by Raymond James Investment Banking Group, and was sold to an institutional investor.

About SmartStop Asset Management, LLC

SmartStop Asset Management ("SmartStop") is a diversified real estate company focused on student housing and senior housing. SmartStop and its affiliates have a managed portfolio that includes approximately $2.0 billion of assets.

Contact

Julie Leber

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1391

[email protected]

SOURCE SmartStop Asset Management, LLC
"The availability of a grant from the USDA was an important factor in moving forward with the project proposed by Eagle Solar & Light" say David Protiva and Mark Titshaw of Trussville Storage. "We expect to cover about 61% of our energy use with this installation and even can sell power back to Alabama Power at times."

Samuel Yates, CEO of Eagle Solar & Light added "commercial solar in Alabama not only generates exceptional financial returns, as we have utility rates well in excess of the national average, but is also the best step toward achieving corporate sustainability goals. Climate controlled self-storage facilities produce energy consumption profiles that fit daily and weekly solar energy generation parameters very well."

Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said "we welcome the new owners of Trussville Storage, David Protiva and Mark Titshaw, to Jefferson County and to the City of Trussville. I am impressed with their innovative approach of using solar power to partially supply the energy needs at this expanded facility on Highway 11. Jefferson County has come a long way in the last few years and we are excited about the direction in which we are heading. We look forward to other new businesses that will be coming to our county."

Trussville Storage manager, Kelly Epps, said, "The new owners have been working hard since November 2020 to make sure this facility remains the best self-storage facility in the area. Earlier this year, we completed our transition to all LED lighting and now with the solar power, the owners are showing again they want to be responsible corporate citizens."

About Trussville Storage

Trussville Storage is a self-storage facility located in Trussville, AL. The facility offers over 53,000 square feet of rentable storage space, both in climate-controlled units and in non climate-controlled units. The company is currently building an additional building which will offer over 13,000 additional square feet of climate-controlled storage space.

About Jefferson County

Jefferson County is a County in U.S. state of Alabama. Its location includes the city of Birmingham and suburban areas. The population estimate was 658,000 in 2019.

Media: For more information, contact Kelly Epps of Trussville Storage at 205-655-8200 and [email protected].

Related Links

https://www.TrussvilleStorage.com

SOURCE Trussville Storage
US eDirect deployed Esri's technology to deliver a smarter campground reservation process, which virtually places the website visitor on the ground to better understand amenities and recreation opportunities through a more intuitive experience using powerful maps.

US eDirect worked with its customers at state parks in Florida and Ohio to deploy this new interactive technology across all sites available in each state agency's campground system.

The deployment time was significantly reduced by leveraging the state parks' authoritative spatial data and Esri ArcGIS.

US eDirect President & CEO Tony Alex said the Esri integration portends future innovation aimed at enhancing the camping reservation experience.

"We're honored to secure this unique opportunity to work alongside our customers in Ohio and Florida to bring this innovative mapping solution to life for the benefit of millions of campers annually," Alex said. "These are two of the premier park systems in the world, and Esri is the gold standard in mapping excellence so it's a powerful blend of great technologies and incredible human talent that gives the camper nuanced information to make a more informed campsite decision and provides our shared team the opportunity to innovate even further."

The highlights of this new application include:

An interactive map at all levels (parks, campgrounds and units) where users can move around, as well as zoom in and out

The ability to switch campgrounds by clicking on the boundaries of the desired one

The ability to have basemaps, traditional maps, satellite views or any other map relevant to the end user

The ability to add different layers to the map: Customers like Florida and Ohio can decide to add layers such as Trails and Points of interest

"By integrating the customer's authoritative park asset data already in their GIS, US eDirect is able to provide customers with a shorter runway to deploy the reservation system, reducing duplicative efforts to map these reservation assets, and provide guests with a more intuitive way to browse available reservations," said Sunny Fleming, National Solutions Engineer  Environmental, State Government at Esri. "This paves the way for greater insight and analysis."

About US eDirect

US eDirect is a global leader in outdoors recreation and activities software with dozens of public agencies counted among customers. The New York-based technology firm develops, deploys and supports a comprehensive suite of solutions under the Recreation Dynamics brand that support everything from public-facing campsite reservations to agency-facing e-commerce solutions. US eDirect has more than 100 employees based around the globe supporting customers from New Zealand and British Columbia to the Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Florida and California, Virginia and Alabama state park systems.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com .

Media Contact: Bryan Mitchell, [email protected]

SOURCE US eDirect
Rather than inundate potential clients with endless, irrelevant options, ULS offers set, meaningful packages with customizable features to ensure businesses of any size get the attention they need in the areas that matter most.

Whether a business is bouncing back from the impact of the pandemic, beginning to branch out with new branding, or has seen once fail-safe methods begin to decline, selecting a package from ULS is a great way to refocus on meeting goals with refreshing, innovative strategies hand-crafted by a creative team of experts dedicated to seeing clients succeed.

One of the biggest trends to emerge from the pandemic period is influencer marketing. This section of the digital landscape was already growing pre-pandemic, but more people are on social media for more hours in a day as a societal norm. This has led to more outreach options than ever, which means having an expert opinion on how to maximize returns from such a vast potential-profit frontier is crucial to getting started.

Influencer strategies are best accompanied by a brand social media presence. In the same way that more people are online, brands are no exception to being able to offer digitally interactive experiences. In fact, people enjoy connecting with brands the way they do with friends because each customer already invites brands into their home with their purchases. Solidify that connection with an expert-guided social media presence.

However, if even these steps seem too far along in the process of getting started, ULS offers a package aptly named the Start Up Package. Whether you're looking to rebrand and refresh all of your marketing collateral or if you need marketing collateral built to match your new vision, partnering with ULS will help equip you with the tools you need to make your idea a reality.

The ultimate calling card for today's marketplace of internet-savvy consumers is a professional grade website. Since there is so much choice available in any given industry, customers are more likely than ever to do additional research and due diligence before trusting your brand with their hard-earned dollar. Additionally, consumers want to relate to brands on a personal level in a brand's values and philosophies. To help show viewers that you are a valuable partner and problem-solver, designing your website around what matters most to customers and your brand is critical to help convert audiences in an impactful way.

A final issue that frequently troubles small and medium sized businesses is losing valuable search engine placement due to lack of experience with SEO tactics and strategies. Enter ULS with the SEO Package solutions your brand needs to focus on keywords and rank higher than ever. Even if your site is amazing, your social media is full of followers, and people begin to learn about your brand, if they can't find you on Google or other search engines of choice, it will undermine their impression of your brand or mean your brand won't be discovered at all.

For more services ULS offers, visit their website, or join their weekly live social media broadcasts to learn all things small businesses need to know about all things digital marketing.

ULS is passionate about supporting small businesses. If you're ready to transform your small business to meet the new demands of a post-pandemic world, schedule a consultation with USA Link System.

USA Link System is an integrated digital marketing agency based in Glendale, CA. Their expert-led team works with small and medium-sized businesses to create optimized websites, engaging social media, innovative ad campaigns, eye-catching videos and much more under the digital media umbrella!

Their devotion and persistence have been recognized at the 2018 Small Business Expo, where they won Best Marketing Agency and SBE's SBE100 America's Leading Small Business Visionaries.

SOURCE USA Link System, Inc.
Home Audio Equipment Market: Rise in disposable income to drive growth

The rise in consumer disposable income globally will drive the home audio equipment market as it increases the purchasing power of consumers, allowing them to opt for products, which were previously beyond their means. In developed countries, such as the US, household income has been increasing on a yearly basis and not impacted by the decline in the earnings growth rate. The spending capability in emerging nations has also increased with the rise in income levels. With young demographics, rising disposable incomes, improved education, and rapid economic growth, India exhibits a high potential consumer market.

Home Audio Equipment Market: Easy availability of counterfeit products may impede the market growth

The ease of availability of counterfeit products in the global home audio equipment market will be a major challenge during the forecast period. Many unauthorized dealers market and sell fake or impersonated products of reputed brands, such as Sony, JBL, and SAMSUNG. Several vendors offer tutorials and provide blog posts to identify fake products that are easily available in the market. Counterfeiting adversely affects the original ideas and the ability of vendors to generate profits from their licensed products. Hence, the ease of availability of counterfeit home audio equipment will negatively impact the market during the forecast period.

The holistic analysis of the drivers & challenges will help in deducing end goals and refining marketing strategies to gain a competitive edge. This home audio equipment market analysis report also provides detailed information on other upcoming trends that will have a far-reaching effect on the market growth.

To know more about drivers & trends - Request Free Sample Report

Home Audio Equipment Market: Segmentation Analysis

This market research report segments the home audio equipment market by Type (smart speakers, home theater systems, and soundbars) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA).

The home audio equipment market share growth by the smart speaker segment will be significant for revenue generation. Technavio report provides an accurate prediction of the contribution of all the segments to the growth of the home audio equipment market size and actionable market insights on each segment.

Know more about the market contribution of various segments: Download a Free sample report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

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Related Reports:

Wireless Microphone Market -The wireless microphone market share is expected to increase by USD 3.36 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 15.55%. Download a free sample now!



Wireless Audio Devices Market -The wireless audio devices market share is expected to increase by USD 82.47 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 17.07%. Download a free sample now!

Home Audio Equipment Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 10.76% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 14.39 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 9.58 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 41% Key consumer countries US, China, UK, Japan, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Apple Inc., Bose Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, Kripa Electronics India Pvt. Ltd., LG Electronics Inc., Logitech International SA, Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

About 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
Read our Sample Report

Wagyu Beef Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Product

Japanese Breed



Australian Breed



Others

Geography

APAC



North America



Europe



MEA



South America

The wagyu beef market share growth by the Japanese breed segment will be significant during the forecast period. Promotional activities by Japanese authorities have increased wagyu beef consumption. The foodservice industry, especially the fine-dining segment, is a key consumer of Japanese wagyu beef. Premium Japanese wagyu beef products, such as Kobe beef, are popular among several Michelin Star and fine dining restaurants across the world.

Learn more about the factors assisting the growth of the market, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR71738

To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The wagyu beef market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period.

The growing inventory of wagyu beef in Japan is estimated to drive the wagyu beef market during the forecast period. The increase in the production of Wagyu beef can reduce the gap between supply and demand and increase consumption which can drive the market during the forecast period. The increased production is a result of several initiatives by governments to promote wagyu production. In May 2020, the Government of Japan announced that it would issue support payments to Wagyu beef cattle producers under the Beef Livestock Stabilization Program, also known as Marukin. Under the program, the government will pay wagyu cattle producers 90% of the difference between production costs and revenue, which is recalculated monthly. Such initiatives drive the production of Wagyu beef and will drive the market during the forecast period.

Download Free sample Report for insights on the trends & drivers that will help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies for 2021-2025.

Wagyu Beef Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope

Some of the major vendors of the Wagyu Beef Market in Packaged Foods & Meats Industry include Agri Beef Co., AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL Co. Ltd., Blackmore Wagyu, Dolan Foods Inc., GWB LLC, Havel-Wagyu GbR, JAPAN PREMIUM BEEF Inc., Lone Mountain Wagyu LLC, Masami Foods Inc., and Starzen Co. Ltd.

To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the market. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the wagyu beef market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

The report also covers the following areas:

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Wagyu Beef Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist wagyu beef market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the wagyu beef market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the wagyu beef market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of wagyu beef market vendors

Related Reports:

Beef Market in US by Distribution Channel and Cut Type - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The beef market share in the US should rise by USD 8.95 billion from 2022 to 2026 at a CAGR of 3.63%. To get extensive research insights: Download FREE sample report

Beef Market by Distribution Channel and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The beef market share should rise by USD 43.05 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a CAGR of 3.82%. To get extensive research insights: Download FREE sample report

Wagyu Beef Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.15% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 2.43 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.47 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 74% Key consumer countries Japan, US, Hong Kong (SAR, Australia, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Agri Beef Co., AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL Co. Ltd., Blackmore Wagyu, Dolan Foods Inc., GWB LLC, Havel-Wagyu GbR, JAPAN PREMIUM BEEF Inc., Lone Mountain Wagyu LLC, Masami Foods Inc., and Starzen Co. Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
To give companies more specific directions and indicators as well as investors more transparent information concerning ESG implementation performance, TIRI will collaborate with CMoney Technology Co., Ltd. ("CMoney") in the initiation of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index", a new milestone in Taiwan's ESG development.

Although the pandemic remains a threat to countries worldwide, Gary A. LaBranche, the CEO of National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI); Eva Chan, the chairman of Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA); and Tim Human, a senior reporter at IR Magazine, have all congratulated TIRI on the annual conference via video and shared their works in ESG and IR profession. They have also expressed their commitments to deepen cooperation with TIRI on various projects and jointly develop a multinational resource platform for investor relations.

Fu-Fu Shen, the chairman of TIRI, states that as the capital market matures, we would witness growing recognition of IR profession and consequently rapid developments in TIRI affairs. This year, TIRI has hosted or co-organized over a hundred professional courses and forums for directors and supervisors, chief governance officers, and investor relations officers (IROs) with agencies such as TWSE, TPEx, Investor Relations Training Center (IRTC) and the Entrepreneur Club, as well as regularly shared IR professional knowledge through TWSE's bimonthly Securities Services Review, TIRI's official website, and mainstream financial media in Taiwan. It also assists listed companies with performance evaluations of boards of directors and offers professional recommendations on corporate governance enhancement. Starting last year, TIRI and NIRI have joined forces to promote NIRI's Investor Relations Charter (IRC) certification program and online IR courses. This year, the Senior VP of Cathay Financial Holdings' IR Department Ya-Jou Chang has obtained IRC, demonstrating unparalleled professionalism.

TIRI's Vice Chairman Jonny Kuo highlights the three core values of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index" in the collaboration with CMoney: 1. Having the rating based on quantitative information and supplemented by qualitative information, the index strives for fairness and transparency; 2. Using an open platform for listed companies to voluntarily participate in information disclosure; 3. Improving regulatory compliance in Taiwan and complying with international standards. CMoney is a professional financial and economic platform with integrated advantages such as more than 20 million views a month on average, over 2 million active app users and an investment decision system adopted by the majority of investment institutions. On the basis of a broad user group, its participation in the promotion of "Taiwan ESG Rating Index" will allow investors to acquire ESG rating information and relevant discloses more effectively.

TIRI initiated the "TIRI IR Awards" last year, which was highly anticipated by listed companies and partners in the IR profession. Despite the pandemic, TIRI manages to complete the selection criteria for each award this year and schedules to make announcements in the first half of 2022. TIRI endeavors to organize the TIRI IR Awards with the most objective and stringent system so that companies and individuals dedicating to corporate governance, ESG, and IR would be recognized by the highest honor. This year, TIRI and CMoney have jointly selected TWSE-listed United Microelectronics Corporation (2303.TW) and TPEx-listed Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (5347.TW) as winners of the "ESG Special Award", which aims to inspire all listed companies to strengthen their ESG practices and better meet investors' expectations.

Tom Huang, the Senior IR Manager of BizLink Holding Inc. which has yet again been the winner of Best in Sector: Technology in the Greater China Awards 2021 organized by IR Magazine, is invited to address the seminar on ESG practices during the annual conference. His practical experience and professional analyses would give companies a clearer picture on how to bring their ESG to perfection and improve their ratings in various ESG rating agencies. Furthermore, Peter Kurz, the former Managing Director and Head of Research at Taipei Branch of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. shares his personal experience on approaches to enhance the overall corporate value and the best practices for IR implementation from various aspects including IR strategies, the latest development trends, effective processes and the best practices.

Contact Person:

Jonathan Chiou, Secretary General of Taiwan Investor Relations Institute

Phone: +886-2-2381-9248

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Taiwan Investor Relation Institute (TIRI)
SHANGHAI and SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics ("WuXi Bio") (2269.HK), a global company with leading open-access biologics technology platforms, and ImmuneOncia Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage, immuno-oncology company in South Korea, today announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed to form a strategic partnership in the development and manufacturing of IOH-001, ImmuneOncia's therapeutic bispecific antibody targeting PD-L1 and CD47.

Within the partnership, ImmuneOncia will have access to WuXi Biologics' integrated services in cell line development, cell culture development, biologics manufacturing and bioassay development. WuXi Biologics will support ImmuneOncia on the whole CMC studies of IOH-001 for Investigational New Drug (IND) application.

Heung Tae Kim, CEO of ImmuneOncia, commented, "We are excited to collaborate with WuXi Biologics. WuXi Biologics' comprehensive capabilities on bispecifics development and manufacturing will enable us to focus on realizing the therapeutic potential of IOH-001. More importantly, access to WuXi Biologics' world-leading technologies will help ensuring its efficacious and sustainable development. We look forward to expanding collaboration in the future to bring more innovative biologics for patients in South Korea. "

Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, commented, "We are glad to partner with ImmuneOncia to proceed its first bispecific antibody into clinical development through our integrated services and know-how. At WuXi Biologics, we have demonstrated our extensive capabilities for CMC development, analytical method, and quality control by enabling over 60 bispecific projects. We are committed to providing innovative technical solutions, reliable and sustainable manufacturing supply chain for our global partners to benefit patients worldwide."

About ImmuneOncia Therapeutics, Inc.

ImmuneOncia is an immuno-oncology-centric biopharmaceutical company. Established in 2016 as a joint venture company between Yuhan Corporation in South Korea and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. in U.S. ImmuneOncia leverages both companies' expertise in drug development and antibody engineering. The company's mission is to bring safe, effective, and novel immunotherapies to oncology patients world-wide, and its diverse immune checkpoint inhibitor portfolio includes an anti-PDL1 antibody IMC-001 in Phase II, and an anti-CD47 antibody IMC-002 in Phase I. For IMC-002, ImmuneOncia signed a license agreement with 3D Medicines for the Territory of Greater China in March 2021. For more information, please visit www.immuneoncia.com.

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK), a Hong Kong-listed company, is a leading global open-access biologics technology platform offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop, and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. The company's history and achievements demonstrate its commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and strong value proposition to its global clients.

The company is currently conducting on behalf of its clients and partners (as of June 30, 2021) a total of 408 integrated projects, including 212 in pre-clinical development stage, 160 in early-phase (phase I and II) clinical development, 32 in late-phase (phase III) development and 4 in commercial manufacturing. With a total estimated capacity of exceeding 430,000 liters for biopharmaceutical production planned after 2024 in China, Ireland, the U.S., Germany, and Singapore, WuXi Biologics will provide its biomanufacturing partners with a robust and premier-quality global supply chain network.

WuXi Biologics views Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities as an integral component of its ethos and business strategy and aims to become a global ESG leader in biologics manufacturing. We use next-generation clean biomanufacturing technologies and utilize cleaner energy sources. We have also established an ESG committee led by the CEO to increase efficiency while advancing commitment to sustainability. For more information about WuXi Biologics, please visit: www.wuxibiologics.com.



Contacts



Media

[email protected]



Investors

[email protected]

SOURCE WuXi Biologics
More efforts have also been stepped up by Chery to boost sci-tech innovation such as crash test, chips, batteries and man-machine interaction.

In Chery Longshan test center, there are more than 300 real vehicle collisions and more than 500 simulated vehicle collisions every year, which can not only meet the domestic safety standard, but also the European and US standard. Safety is the top priority among other key index of a car, claimed Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile.

At present, Chery automobile has realized multi-mode interaction and multi-dimensional interaction. In the cockpit, intelligent equipment can help realize human-computer interaction through the driver's facial expression, mouth shape and body movements.

In order to better serve overseas customers, Chery also cooperates with IFLYtek, an intelligent speech and artificial intelligence company to enable Chery cars recognize languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Persian, etc.

Beside, Chery has developed products in accordance with the environment, market conditions and consumer behavior in overseas markets.

In South America, Chery engineers improve the power of vehicles due to local poor road conditions and twisting hill roads while in Middle East, engineers strengthen the car sealing to protect the vehicle parts worn by sand floating in the air.

In Russia, Chery has carried out thousands of face-to-face customer surveys and telephone interviews this year. Chery has always been the "national car" in the eyes of local people, and has won the title of "the Most popular Chinese car brand" in Russia for five consecutive times.

Original Link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/325580.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
Cairo, Dec 28 : Senior officials from Egypt, Jordan and Palestine have discussed a number of proposals aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

During a meeting in Cairo on Monday, the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, and the Heads of the three countries' intelligence services held talks to coordinate positions and vision on how to follow-up on the results of the tripartite summit held in Cairo in September, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

On September 2, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II met for a tripartite summit, during which they stressed the importance of reviving the peace process and resuming negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel in accordance with international legitimacy references.

During Monday's meeting, representatives from the three countries discussed the recent developments in the Palestinian cause, ways to improve relations, advances in the peace process, and efforts to consolidate Palestinian national unity, Xinhua news agency reported.

The officials assessed the situation in Palestine in light of the continued measures that undermine the chances of achieving a just peace in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and the consolidation of a comprehensive truce and reconstruction in the Gaza strip, according to the statement.

The meeting also focused on establishing a political horizon for achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which would result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, as per international law and the Arab Peace initiative.

On May 21, Egypt sponsored a truce agreement between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions, led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). The truce ended 11 days of fighting that led to the death of more than 250 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel.

Peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis have been suspended since March 2014, after nine months of talks sponsored by the US that did not yield any achievements.
Ankara, Dec 28 : Turkish and Armenian special representatives will hold their first meeting in Moscow, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said.

"The first meeting will be in Moscow," Cavusoglu told reporters that the representatives will discuss a roadmap for the normalisation of bilateral ties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Asked about a recent proposal by Russia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on security guarantees, the Turkish Foreign Minister added that if Russia has any specific expectation from Turkey regarding reducing tensions between the former and NATO, Ankara would consider it positively.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that eastwards expansion of NATO is unacceptable, and there should be security guarantees in Europe.
Kinshasa, Dec 28 : The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched a massive cholera vaccination campaign targeting 2 million people aged one year and above in three eastern provinces to halt an outbreak of the disease, according to Health officials.

The campaign is being carried out in Haut-Lomami, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, the most-affected areas by cholera since August, and will cover 13 health zones with nearly 4 million doses delivered by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control.

Around 3,600 health workers, including vaccinators and community mobilisers, have been deployed to carry out the campaign which will run for six days, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since the start of the year, the DRC has reported a total of 8,279 suspected cholera cases and 153 deaths in 16 of the country's 26 provinces.

"Cholera is a dangerous infection that can kill within hours if untreated, but it is predictable and preventable. In addition to the vaccines, which are one of the effective measures against the disease, we are also providing clean water and reinforcing hygiene and sanitation to prevent the outbreak from spreading further," said WHO Officer in-charge in the DRC, Amedee Prosper Djiguimde.

The ongoing vaccination is DRC's second massive campaign in 2021. In March and July, more than 1.4 million people were vaccinated against cholera in the southeastern Haut-Katanga province.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease transmitted through contaminated water or food. It causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration that must be treated immediately to prevent death, which can occur in just a few hours, and to prevent the large-scale spreading of the disease in a high-risk environment.

Disease surveillance, improved water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as early detection, treatment and vaccines are crucial in preventing cholera and containing the spread of the infection. Coverage with a two-dose oral cholera vaccine provides up to five-year protection.
United Nations : , Dec 28 (IANS) UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has called for global solidarity to stop infectious diseases.

In his video message for the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which falls on December 27, Guterres said that building global solidarity would "give every country a fighting chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks." Covid-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly "an infectious disease can sweep across the world," pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN Chief added.

"It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others," he said.

"And it reminded us that the world remains woefully unprepared to stop localised outbreaks from spilling across borders and spiraling into a global pandemic," he added.

Noting that infectious diseases remain "a clear and present danger to every country," Guterres maintained that Covid-19 would not be the last pandemic for humanity, Xinhua news agency reported.

Even as the world responds to this health crisis, he spelled out the need to prepare for the next one.

"This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country -- especially the most vulnerable," he said.

"It means strengthening primary healthcare at the local level to prevent collapse... ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions, like vaccines for all people and ... achieving universal health coverage." The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on December 27, 2020, was called for by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.
Nicosia, Dec 28 : Warning of fresh restrictions, Cyprus' health authorities announced a record 1,925 new coronavirus infections.

Cyprus recorded 1,925 new Covid cases on Monday, more than double the number reported on Sunday.

Health Minister Michalis Hadipantelas said possible new restrictions are under consideration. These would depend mostly on the number of new infections, and the number of people admitted into hospitals, he added.

Most restrictions currently in force relate to unvaccinated people, and are meant to force them to receive the jab, Xinhua news agency reported.

Petros Karayiannis, a leading member of the scientific team advising the government, said that the number of infections in the next three days will play a crucial role in decisions over further restrictions.

Karayiannis also expressed concern that nearly 27 infections out of a total of 60 cases attributed to the highly contagious Omicron mutation were found in the community and were not related to travel.

It is only a matter of time before the Omicron variant becomes the dominant one, he added.

The first Omicron cases in Cyprus were related to travelers returning from the UK.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Is the War on Terror over? No, terrorism continues to be a constant worldwide menace that recognises no boundaries, nationalities, or religions. Terrorism, in all its forms, is fundamentally devastating and can never be justified. It threatens development and jeopardises civil liberties, freedom and human rights. The only way to combat terrorism is through the collective working of the international community and building a global consensus in the fight against terrorism.

With similar aims, Usanas Foundation, a security and geopolitical think tank based in Udaipur, is organising an international conference, titled 'Maharana Pratap Annual Security Dialogue', between January 10-13, 2022. The conference's theme is "transitional terrorism in the 21st century and global response to counter-terrorism". This international event is sponsored by prestigious organisations like the Indian Council of World Affairs (think tank of Ministry of External Affairs), Maharana of Mewar Charitable Trust (Trust run by Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, the 76th custodian of the House of Mewar) and Manipal Global Education Services (organisation run by Padma Shri awardee, T.V. Mohan Das Pai). The conference will bring together twenty-five world's best terrorism, radicalisation and counter-terrorism experts from over eight different countries.

This conference will bring the different perspectives of experts who have been working on this subject for several decades, from veteran journalist Praveen Swami, one of the foremost experts on Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, to Rohan Gunaratna from Sri Lanka and Singapore, who has extensive experience on terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). To make this conference truly diverse, it has speakers like Yoram Schweitzer, a legendary counterterrorism expert from Israel who has served under the Israeli Task Force at the Prime Minister's office. Speakers like Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official who has spent time with the Taliban before 9/11 and has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, will bring us the ground reality of terrorism in these regions.

This conference will also be the first mega event on global terrorism discourse in India after the re-capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban. To understand the conflict in Afghanistan, the dialogue will host speakers like Ambassador Amar Sinha, who was appointed as the Indian envoy to Afghanistan in 2013 and has had a diplomatic career spanning 35 years. Ambassador Javid Ahmad, former Afghan envoy to the UAE, will also present his views on Afghanistan and regional security vis-a-vis terrorism post-Taliban takeover.

This event will bring a fresh perspective on terrorism and counter-terrorism discourse, especially when the world perceives that the global war of terror is over after the American withdrawal. This extensive four-day conference will not only be beneficial for military officials and counterterrorism scholars but also for students, scholars and diplomats who are inquisitive to know more about these issues. The first three days of the conference will be held online, and the closing ceremony will be held offline in the city of Udaipur.

This security dialogue will make you understand the decentralised and lethal nature of current-day terrorism and radicalization and how it impacts society. To get a deeper insight on terrorism, register via this link: https://usanasfoundation.com/register-now-maharana-pratap-annual-security-dialogue.
Ludhiana: Police personnel inside a district court complex after a blast, in Ludhiana on Thursday, December 23, 2021. One man killed and five injured in the blast. (Photo: Pawan Sharma/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 28 : Jaswinder Singh Multan, a top member of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has been arrested in Germany for allegedly being the main conspirator of the December 23 blast in the Ludhiana district court complex which killed one person and injured five others, sources said.

He was arrested after India shared evidence to counter-terror agencies in Berlin.

"We shared all the evidence that we gathered from the blast spot and also how the conspiracy by Multan was hatched," said one of the sources.

Multan was conspiring to bring in more explosives from Pakistan in India through the international boundary and was also planning to carry out similar blasts in other parts of the country.

It is also alleged that Multan was also behind pushing arms in the Khemkaran area of Punjab's Tarn Taran district in October this year.

The Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) had recovered a huge cache of weapons near the India-Pakistan border in the Khemkaran area on October 20. They had recovered 22 pistols, 44 magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition and also a kg of heroin.

The source said that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were in touch with Multan.

On December 23, the explosion took place in a washroom on the second floor of the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana at around 12.22 p.m.

The counter-terrorism agencies probing the incident had claimed that it was the former Head Constable of Punjab Police, Gagandeep Singh, who planted the bomb at the court complex and died as it suddenly went off killing him on the spot.

Gagandeep Singh, a former police head constable who was dismissed from the service for having links with durg dealer. He was booked under NDPS act and lodged in jail for two years in this connection in 2019.

The probe agencies have also found that Pakistani's ISI were behind the blast and were in touch with Gagandeep Singh. During the probe, cops found the role of SFJ members Harvinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh Multan, who were based in Germany. They were in touch with SFJ president Avtar Singh Pannu and Harmeet Singh.
San Francisco, Dec 28 : Android 12 has brought a lot of additional features and now a new report claims that the next gen Android 13 platform will offer major improvements in audio streaming through Bluetooth.

Google has merged the LE Audio codec (LC3) and has added it to system settings as a new option. When connecting to an audio device, the codec will take the highest priority, meaning that supported devices will try to establish a LE Audio connection before any other, reports Android Police.

For those unaware, Bluetooth LE Audio is quite notable since it can potentially massively improve battery life while still offering a stable connection that doesn't compromise on audio quality.

In addition, Bluetooth LE Audio would also enable support for multiple streams through more than one pair of headphones.

Google recently announced a preview of Android 12L, which may sound like a new version of Android, but Google calls it "a special feature drop that makes Android 12 even better on large screens".

The idea here is to provide users on tablets, foldables and Chrome OS laptops -- anything with a screen above 600 dp -- with an improved user interface.

The developer preview of Android 12L is now available for developers who want to give it a try, as well as a new Android 12L emulator and support for it in Android Studio.

Google plans to release 12L early next year, "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable".

In addition to Android 12L, Google also announced new features in OS and Play for developers to better support these devices.
Los Angeles, Dec 28 : Actress Issa Rae, whose five-season run with the show 'Insecure' came to a close with a finale this weekend, has dipped more than a toe into the music business.

She's started her own record label, Raedio, and is producing a new show about aspiring rappers, using her existing career to help launch music ones. But rather than come off as thrilled about branching out into another industry, Rae is making it sound like she's entered a den of vipers, reports variety.com.

Asked if the music business is "a place where good ideas flourish", Rae said: "Absolutely not." "It's probably the worst industry I've ever come across," she told the Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood in a Q&A about her personal and professional experiences with music.

"I thought Hollywood was crazy," Rae continued.

"The music industry, it has to start all over again. There are lots of conflicts of interest. Archaic mentalities. Villains and criminals! It's an addiction industry, and I really feel for artists who need to get into it... It was something shocking to discover," she said.

Rae did not get into her dismay with the music business beyond generalities, but indicated her feelings were based on a combination of her own experiences setting up soundtracks and hearing from artists about what they deal with on a regular basis.

"I do not want to be too specific, but even with making our own appointments (for soundtracks) with labels or artists, it would be so intricate. And to find out how artists were treated on other labels ... When I myself am a creator and know what I want in relation to a relationship with a production company or a producer, I would like to think that we are more artist-friendly than much of other brands and companies out there. I want to renew things." Rae also knocked the Grammys in the interview, and singled out one record in particular she thought had been unfairly snubbed.

"What really bums me out -- and this aligns with Hollywood -- is the way that music is rewarded. When I think about the Grammys and these other systems that are designed to reward artistic creativity and uplift artists, I just feel like, 'Y'all don't get it. What are you rewarding?' "This is dumb, but I'll say it anyway: A song like (Wizkid's) 'Essence' -- just absolutely a powerhouse, and yet could not be properly acknowledged by the institution that is supposed to celebrate the best in music -- that trips me out. To see Black people and our contributions to music not celebrated in the way they should be -- I mean, these aren't institutions for us.a Wizkid's 'Essence' was nominated for a Grammy for best global music performance, but not record of the year. Asked about the omission in a recent interview with Billboard, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said: "It is a great record. He's a very talented artist. I can't speak to why it didn't make it, but I do really love the record." Rae had plenty of good words for individual artists in the interview, singling out, naturally, the 2021 successes of Jazmine Sullivan, who recorded a title song for 'Insecure' in Season 2 with Bryson Tiller, saying, "She's just literally pure talent." Rae also cited Don Toliver and Cleo Sol as personal musical favorites from this year.
Lucknow, Dec 28 : The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be on a three-day visit to Lucknow from Tuesday.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, along with other senior officers of the ECI, will review the preparations for the Assembly elections in meetings with state government officers from Tuesday to Thursday.

Principal Secretary (Protocol), ECI, Rahul Sharma said that on Tuesday, the Commission will hold a meeting with the representatives of national and recognised political parties.

Later, there will be a meeting with Chief Electoral Officer (Uttar Pradesh) Ajay Kumar Shukla, state police and central paramilitary forces nodal officers.

There will be a separate meeting with the officers of various enforcement agencies on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the ECI will hold a meeting with divisional commissioners, district electoral officers, commissioners of police, inspectors general of police (zone) and superintendents of police of all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh to discuss the preparedness level for the elections.

On Thursday, the poll panel will hold a meeting with the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of the state and will later address a press conference.
Prayagraj : , Dec 28 (IANS) The Allahabad High Court has acquitted a man who had been awarded death penalty in the rape and murder of a minor.

The high court said that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

While rejecting the reference for affirmation of death sentence and allowing the appeal of Nazil against the order of his conviction and death sentence, a division bench comprising Justice Manoj Mishra and Justice Sameer Jain set aside the judgment and the order of the trial court.

Besides, the high court acquitted the appellant Nazil of all the charges for which he was tried and convicted.

The high court directed to release the appellant from jail forthwith unless wanted in any other case.

Delivering the judgment, the court observed, "In the present case, we find that the prosecution evidence has failed to prove the incriminating circumstances of the deceased being last seen alive with the appellant and the recovery beyond the pale of doubt, and there is no medical / forensic evidence to demonstrate that there was presence of semen or blood stain of the appellant on the clothes of the deceased or on her body." The court held that all orifices and organs of the body of the victim were missing and there was nothing to incriminate the accused for rape except the confessional statement made by him before police which is not admissible.

Unfortunately, the trial court failed to test the reliability and credibility of the prosecution evidence and has accepted the prosecution evidence as gospel truth, which is not the requirement of law, the court stated.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by Nazil, convicted by a trial court on December 13, 2019, and awarded capital punishment for allegedly raping a minor and murdering her.

He was convicted by the court of the additional sessions judge, fast track court (crime against women)/ special judge, POCSO Act, Rampur for offences punishable under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 376AB (punishment for rape of woman under 12 years of age) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

As per prosecution's case, the deceased, aged six years at the time, had gone out to fetch curd on May 7, 2019, but did not return and despite a hectic search, could not be found. More than a month later, her partially-decomposed body was found from a semi-built house in June 2019.

The appellant was later arrested for the crime after an encounter.

The counsel for the appellant submitted that the trial court had not tested the prosecution evidence and without putting the same to scrutiny, accepted the prosecution evidence as the gospel truth.
Seoul, Dec 28 : North Korea has kicked off a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party to decide on "strategic and tactical policies", the country's state media said on Tuesday, amid expectations the session could unveil Pyongyang's major policy directions for the new year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the 4th Plenary Meeting of the Workers' Party's 8th Central Committee held on Monday, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021 and discuss and decide on the strategic and tactical policies," Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying.

The North's previous plenary meetings were held for one to four days.

The KCNA did not provide details on the plenary's agenda items, but the economy is also expected to be high on the list as the North is struggling from crippling sanctions and protracted pandemic-driven border closures The political gathering opened as Seoul, along with Washington, has been seeking to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang that appears to have grown more insular amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The North has remained unresponsive to US overtures for talks after the countries' no-deal Hanoi summit in 2019, demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its regime.

Experts have said this week's gathering could come in place of the North Korean leader's annual New Year's Day address.

Kim has skipped such speeches in the past two years, opting instead to unveil key messages via major party sessions around the turn of the calendar.

Eyes are also on how the North will mark the 10th anniversary of Kim's rise to power, which falls this Thursday on the occasion of the party event.

Kim officially took the helm of the North on December 30, 2011, with the "supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army," 13 days after his father and former leader Kim Jong-il died.
Washington, Dec 28 : US President Joe Biden has signed into law a defense budget bill that calls on his administration to maintain the troop level of US Forces Korea (USFK) at the current level.

The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law on Monday, less than two weeks after the Senate approved it in a 89-10 vote, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The House of Representatives had also approved the bill earlier this month.

According to Biden, "the Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country's national defense".

"On Monday, December 27, 2021, the President signed into law: S. 1605, the 'National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022'," the White House said in a statement.

The law allocates $768 billion in defense spending for the fiscal year 2022, up about 5 per cent from a year earlier.

The amount also marks the highest in US history.

The signed law calls on the US government to strengthen American alliances with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including South Korea, to advance the country's "comparative advantage" over China amid their growing competition.

To this end, it urges the Washington government to maintain "the presence of approximately 28,500 members of the US Armed Forces" deployed to South Korea.

The initial draft of the law had also sought to limit the US government from using its defense spending to reduce the number of USFK troops, but such restrictions were later removed in the deliberation process.

US Congress had identified a lower limit for USFK troop levels in its National Defense Authorization Acts for three consecutive years since 2019.
Chennai, Dec 28 : Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the state will integrate the Indian system of medicine with allopathy for the treatment of Omicron variant of Covid-19 virus.

In a statement on Monday, the minister said that in case of a surge in cases, 77 Siddha Covid care centres with 1,700 beds would be opened.

Meanwhile speaking to IANS, Subramanian said: "We are expecting the Union government's approval for the integrated vaccine complex at Chengalpattu and the Pasteur Institute of India in Coonoor for vaccine production. This will ensure that there is no vaccine shortage in the state." The state health department has already alerted all the district medical officers and the district administrations to take extreme care and caution to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The variant which is considered to multiply exponentially can lead to an increased number of cases leading to the health care facilities becoming overcrowded thus giving rise even to "death-like" situations.

The number of Covid-19 cases has also shown a surge in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, and Erode on Monday and health officials have already conducted a detailed study into the reason for the surge.

A multi-disciplinary team, deployed by the Centre to assess the Omicron situation, is currently on a state tour since Monday.

The team deployed for ten states that have shown a surge in cases has met the state health minister health secretary J. Radhakrishnan besides senior doctors and officials to get a feedback on the prevailing situation.

Health department officials told IANS that the team would inspect the surveillance mechanism of international travellers at the Chennai airport. It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu government has already commenced random tests for 10 per cent of passengers arriving from "not-at-risk" countries after the number of passengers tested for Omicron variant was higher among those who have reached from these countries.

The central team would also inspect the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) at State Public Health laboratory and visit the state vaccination centre and control room. The team would also conduct inspections at the Government Corona hospital at King Institute in Guindy as well as at Government Omandurar Medical College and Hospital.

The special team will also have a detailed study on the state's adherence to Covid protocol and Covid appropriate behaviour of the people of the state, including wearing of masks, social distancing and sanitisation, and regular washing of hands.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, Dec 28 : In a great relief to the Karnataka Health department, which is in a battle mode in taking preventive measures to ensure the new SARS-CoV2 variant Omicron doesn't spread across the state, as many as 15 students affected with the Omicron variant have fully recovered and discharged from the designated hospitals. The data is confirmed by the Union Health ministry.

The rest of the patients are also in good stead and none are showing any severe symptoms. However, the Karnataka state government has already initiated measures to tackle the possible Omicron variant implications in the state. The department has made arrangements for 7,051 ICU beds in the state and 30,000 beds with an oxygen facility. Earlier, the number of ICU beds was 3,860.

Karnataka was the state which reported the first two cases of the Omicron variant in the country. One was a South African national with an international travel history and another was a local doctor without travel history. The case without travel history panicked people and authorities as it gave clues on the presence of the new variant in the community.

However, the doctor recovered from the infection and in fact, he came on live on social media to explain that he is hale and hearty at the designated hospital. Later, as many as seven Omicron variant positive cases were found last Saturday taking the tally to 38 in the state.

According to data available, eight states -- Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka -- have reported 93 per cent of all 538 cases of Omicron reported in India. Maharashtra has seen the most number of discharges at 42. As many as 30 Omicron tested positive patients have recovered and were discharged in Rajasthan, followed by Delhi (23) and Karnataka (15).

The Karnataka government, though relieved that Omicron affected persons are not showing severe symptoms, is taking no chances and imposed a ban on nightlife during the New Year celebrations in the state.
Seoul, Dec 28 : South Korea's oldest coal-powered plant will be shut down this week, in line with the government's plan to shift toward renewable energy and to reduce fine dust, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Tuesday.

Honam Coal Power Plant, located in Yeosu, 450 km south of Seoul, will stop operations from Friday, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

The plant has been in operation since 1973.

he closure is part of the Moon Jae-in administration's plan to phase out 10 aging coal power plants and convert part of them into liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants to reduce coal use.

The nation's 10 coal-based reactors have now all been retired since 2017 as their operational life cycles expire one by one.

A new LNG plant, which generates less fine dust, will be newly built at the Yeosu site, the Ministry said.
Seoul, Dec 28 : South Korea, the US and Japan are negotiating over the possibility of the countries holding trilateral defence ministerial talks, the Defence Ministry in Seoul said on Tuesday.

Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan made the remarks following a report by the Japanese broadcaster NHK that the countries are coordinating over the idea of holding the talks among Seoul's Defence Minister Suh Wook and his US and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, respectively, in Hawaii next month, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"Regarding the issue of holding the trilateral Defence Ministers' meeting, we are currently in consultations with the related countries," Boo told a regular press briefing.

The spokesperson pointed out that through their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul earlier this month and other high-level talks, Seoul and Washington shared the understanding that the allies will seek to hold the three-way defence ministerial talks with Japan at an early date.

The three countries last held a trilateral defence ministerial meeting on the margins of security talks involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in November 2019.

The envisioned trilateral session, if held, would come at a time when Washington is striving to rally its allies and partner countries to counter China's assertiveness amid an intensifying great-power rivalry on multiple fronts, including technology, security and trade.
Houston, Dec 28 : Three teenagers were killed and another one was injured during a shooting incident at a gas station in the US state of Texas over the Christmas weekend, police said.

The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was arrested on Monday afternoon, Xinhua news agency quoted Police Chief Jeff Bryan in the Dallas suburb of Garland as saying.

In a surveillance video of the shooting, which took place on Sunday night, the shooter got out of the passenger side of a pick-up truck, walked up to the front door and opened fire into the gas station convenience store from the doorway.

Police said he fired more than 20 rounds from a .40 caliber pistol.

The shooter then got back into the pick-up and fled with a male driver, whom police said they are still searching for.

The victims were three boys aged 14, 16 and 17, police said.

The youngest, identified as Xavier Gonzales, was ordering tacos for his family when he was killed.

Bryan said it appears Gonzales was just at the "wrong place at the wrong time".

The injured person, a 15-year-old store employee who just started to work in the store last week, was hospitalised and in stable condition, said the police.

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive, according to local media reports.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is a cause for concern, Pajhwok News reported.

Putin voiced his concern at a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in the Russian port city of Saint Petersburg on Monday.

"The situation on the border with Afghanistan now causes some alarm and concern," Putin was quoted as saying by a Russian media outlet.

The Russian leader told his Tajik counterpart that Russia and Tajikistan were developing cooperation on dealing with security issues.

He added some weapons and equipment had been provided to help Tajikistan's armed forces efficiently counter threats emanating from outside, the report said.

Moscow has been trying to fortify its military base in Tajikistan with weapons and other equipment.

On his part, Rahmon said that the two countries closely cooperate in the field of security, and he was ready to discuss international and regional issues, particularly the Afghan problem, with Putin.
New Delhi, December 28: Will the new year bring in new dimensions to India-China relations? The two neighbours have not had the best of relations since the Galwan clash in 2020. But despite that bilateral trade between the two have grown in the last one year. "Boosting China's imports from India is the right way to go, and there is room for coordination between the two sides in this regard, and it should be a joint effort," Global Times in its editorial.

The Chinese state-owned news organization also said that the challenge for both sides "is not who will replace whom but how to work together to strengthen their positions in the global supply chain." "Like it or not, India is already tightly connected to China and embedded in the international supply chain," it said adding that deepening economic ties will go a long way in resolving the current impasse.

Bilateral trade between the two Asian giants crossed $100 billion in the first 11 months of this year to clock a total of $114.26 billion. This is a whopping 46.4 per cent increase over the same period in the previous year. In 2001, trade between the two countries stood at $1.83 billion.

While India's exports to China touched $26.358 billion -- an increase of 38.5 per cent year-on-year imports from Beijing stood at $87.905 billion, a rise of 49 per cent.

Consider this. China which earlier did not import rice from India, has now started sourcing the grain from New Delhi. Its dependence on India for supply of rice has steadily increased in the last two years.

According to S&P Global, "Indian rice has come from representing less than 1 per cent of Chinese rice imports in 2020 to representing 23 per cent so far in 2021, making it the largest supplier of rice to China." In fact China is likely to shift gears in terms of its overall economic policies in the coming year. As several projections have indicated that China's economic growth rate is set to be slower amid stringent regulatory crackdown and a near crisis like situation in its real estate sector, Beijing is set to alter its strategy and focus more on stability to ensure that the economy is allowed to take off once again.

Also read: China slashes its financial commitment to Africa: Instead of $60 bn pledged earlier, Xi cuts it to $40 bn China's economic growth in the third quarter of this year slowed to 4.9 per cent, much below expectations.

In the January to March quarter Beijing had stunned the world with an 18.3 per cent economic growth. However, economic growth has been slowing since then. In the second quarter, China, the first country to come out of the Covid 19 pandemic, clocked a GDP growth of 7.9 per cent.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Amid the renewed thrust on local manufacturing, India must take a lead in manufacturing of semiconductors and display panels to safeguard its economy and livelihoods against the global competition especially from China, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt Limited (SPPL), has stressed, Super Plastronics Pvt Limited (SPPL) is bullish on increasing its production capacity by 100 per cent, producing 1 million TV units, and adding fresh consumer electronics products in 2022 and beyond.

"This pandemic has taught us way too many things, and one of the most important one being that India must take a lead in manufacturing of semiconductors and display panels if we are to safeguard our economy and livelihoods against any other upcoming crises and changes," Marwah told IANS.

Marwah said that Super Plastronics, a Kodak brand licensee, will soon move to a new plant that will increase its production capacity by 100 per cent.

"This will actualise our production targets of 1 million units for the next year and beyond. Come 2022, we will also be adding fresh products with a focus on technology and simultaneously expand our research and development wing for the same," Marwah emphasised.

Just five years ago, Indian industries were centered around trading goods and the maximum that companies came close to creating goods was by assembling raw materials to make products.

Raw materials were entirely almost sourced from China and other bigger manufacturing hubs.

According to him, the move by the Indian government to ban imports of CBUs (completely built up) such as ACs and TVs did set the right example which led the way for local manufacturing in India.

"The new manufacturing goals of the government will change the entire ecosystem for the better. We saw a grim scenario over the past two years since Covid-19 began, when not only did we face a shortage of raw materials but also a price increase for the same and for logistics too," Marwah informed.

The industry has hailed the latest government's decision to set up the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and approved Rs 76,000 crore ($10 billion) for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

The Rs 76,000 crore scheme will be spread across 6 years. As part of the scheme, incentives worth Rs 2.3 lakh crore will be provided to position India as a global hub.

"This will also bring in money from global investors and we do envision for India's manufacturing sector to contribute $3 trillion to the GDP by 2027," said Marwah.

According to him, the Kodak brand has seen a 100 per cent growth in the larger-sized TVs category.

"Our 55-inch TV is priced at Rs 35,999 along with a high user rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. No other TVs in the same category by our competitors are priced that low or rated so high. Our new 55-inch TV models come with an enhanced sound system assisted with Dolby Digital," he informed.

"It is a bezel-less model, thus giving it a sleek and premium look too. In fact, Kodak has seen a 100 per cent growth in the larger sized TVs category.

In 2022, said Marwah, we will also see Google TVs coming into action.

"A new TV unit, packed with fresh features, is set to completely change how our viewers interact with Smart TVs. The new and more sophisticated AI will reduce the time that we spend scouring for the perfect content to sit and watch," he said.

(Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)
New Delhi: New Delhi: Congress flag fells off the pole while being hoisted by partys interim president Sonia Gandhi on the partys 137th Foundation day, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.(Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: New Delhi: Congress flag fells off the pole while being hoisted by partys interim president Sonia Gandhi on the partys 137th Foundation day, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.(Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: New Delhi: Congress flag fells off the pole while being hoisted by partys interim president Sonia Gandhi on the partys 137th Foundation day, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.(Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: New Delhi: Congress flag fells off the pole while being hoisted by partys interim president Sonia Gandhi on the partys 137th Foundation day, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.(Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: New Delhi: Congress flag fells off the pole while being hoisted by partys interim president Sonia Gandhi on the partys 137th Foundation day, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.(Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 28 : Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP of "rewriting" history to give themselves a role they do not deserve in the freedom movement.

She made the observation at the 137th foundation day celebrations of the party.

"Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice and which had no role whatsoever to play in our freedom movement are now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society. They are rewriting history to give themselves a role they do not deserve. They inflame passions, instill fear and spread animosity. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. The Indian National Congress will fight these destructive forces with all might at its command. " she said.

Though there have been electoral losses but the party will fight, Sonia Gandhi said,adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all people of the diverse society.

"Let there be no doubt on our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy, "she said.

One Hundred and Thirty-six years ago today, the Indian National Congress was founded and established. Over the decades, it has confronted several challenges and it has always demonstrated its resilience. The party rededicate itself to the ideals, values & principles of the organisation that have been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest, noblest and most selfless of Indians of the 20th century, she said.

Earlier, the veteran leader hoisted the party flag at the party headquarters with several leaders and MPs in attendance.

According to the party's website, on December 28, 1885, as many as 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the Indian National Union at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. The conference was renamed as the Indian National Congress.

The second session of the Congress took place under the leadership of Dadabhai Naoroji in Calcutta. The number of delegates had increased to 434.

Towards the end of the session, the Congress decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : On December 20, the wire agency IANS put out a sensational report which suggested that yet another diamantaire, like Nirav Modi, had squirreled away a whopping Rs 6,710 crore from IDBI Bank. This was based on an advertisement published by the Bank on December 19 with the photograph of eight promoter-directors of Sanghavi Exports International Pvt Ltd, proclaiming them, the company and 12 other related persons and entities as wilful defaulters.

The Bank rushed to clarify, in a statutory filing no less, that the default was, in fact, just Rs 16.72 crore of principal outstanding and the news report contained 'factual inaccuracies'. It turns out that the Bank's claim itself had 'factual inaccuracies' or half-truths. So, a second correction was made, in a 'corrigendum' advertisement on December 21, where the Bank said the amount outstanding was Rs67.13 crore. IANS, in its follow-up story, points out that there is no mention any more of a sum of $161,088 as amount outstanding, which figured in the first advertisement.

A wilful defaulter is one who does not pay back loans and is suspected to have diverted funds. It is punishable with imprisonment, but no big businessman has ever been punished so far. My feedback indicates that Sanghavi Exports is undoubtedly a defaulter and its annual accounts indicate a diversion of bank loans to group entities. One of the promoters, based in Surat, was also arrogant enough to email an outright denial and threat of legal action against the news agency. While holding no brief for Sanghavi Exports or any other defaulter, it is important to examine this case, to understand how public sector banks (PSBs) follow different recovery tactics against smaller borrowers vis-a-vis large wilful defaulters.

IDBI's Antecedents The problem with IDBI Bank began at inception when it was wrongly classified as a 'private bank', despite its public sector parentage of a development finance institution and all the baggage that came with it. Axis Bank (then UTI Bank) had similar antecedents but was fortunate to get a great start under the leadership of the no-nonsense Dr P.J. Nayak. IDBI Bank, on the other hand, lurched from one controversy to another. The turning point was in 2013 when United Western Bank was merged with it and the Bank never recovered from that operation. Since then, it has been propped up with bailouts by the exchequer in the form of repeated recapitalisation. Finally, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) was asked to start pumping in capital and it now holds 51% of the Bank.

A PTI report of December 22, 2019 quoted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying Rs 21,157 crore had been infused into IDBI Bank since 2015. She further said, "after we came back to power, LIC infused Rs 21,624 crore". Together, this adds up to a stupendous Rs 42,781 crore, to bring it out of prompt corrective action (PCA) that is ordered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to keep failing banks afloat.

The Finance Ministry's future plans for this Bank are more relevant to us because this entire mess will, eventually, land in the laps of retail investors (either directly or through mutual funds) through a mega initial public offering (IPO) by LIC.

As part of the government's disinvestment plan, LIC was to make a mega IPO, which would have helped compensate for the big bailout of IDBI Bank and others. Sitharaman also announced that she proposes to sell the government's 46.5 per cent stake in IDBI Bank to "private, retail and institutional investors through the stock exchange". This would have allowed the government to recover the money it had infused to bailout out the Bank. This was proposed in February 2020. Two years down the line, neither of the plans has materialised, while the capital market has turned turbulent and the silly-season of crazy IPO valuations may also be coming to an end.

After being forced to roll back farm laws, the government also appears to have turned cautious about ramming through a Bill for privatisation of PSBs, titled the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021. If IDBI Bank gives the government an exit with LIC remaining a 51% owner and no change in accountability and transparency, then retail investors (either directly or through institutional investment) would bear the risk and pay the price of all the Bank's lapses. Ideally, IDBI Bank's outrageous 'typo', and the processes leading to it, need to be questioned. Unfortunately, the only questions so far have come from union leaders and a few opposition politicians.

Big vs Small Defaulters In the context of Sanghavi Exports, it is important to contrast how the Bank has treated this firm and how it deals with large defaulters. The advertisement with photographs and details of the Sanghavi family was aimed at publicly humiliating them. Would IDBI Bank have done this, if the loan outstanding was actually Rs 6,710 crore? Have you ever seen any of the mug shots and public notices about really big defaulters? On the contrary, banks across the board zealously refuse to part with any information on defaults above Rs 100 crore to the point that they also stonewall Right to Information (RTI) queries, despite an explicit order from the Supreme Court.

The case of C Sivasankaran and IDBI Bank's eagerness to settle the Rs 5,000 crore default of this notorious promoter is the best example of its policy of different strokes for different folks. As reported by us in June this year (NCLT Grills IDBI Bank over Settlement with Siva Industries: Report), the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) bench of Chennai had grilled IDBI Bank for the alacrity with which it wanted to accept a 95% haircut and a one-time settlement of just Rs323 crore. Importantly, this had been declared a fraud account, which is a step worse than being a 'wilful defaulter'.

The lop-sided recovery process and favoured treatment to large defaulters is also clear from the fact that Videocon Industries was never classified as a wilful defaulter, in complete violation of RBI guidelines. The oil and consumer products group had an admitted outstanding debt of Rs64,838 crore and banks want to give it away to the Vedanta group at a 95.85 per cent haircut.

A top banker tells me, this happens because banks tend to genuflect before large defaulters, while squeezing and humiliating small borrowers. Another view is that they are fully complicit with the loot. A December 15 press release of the Income-Tax (I-T) Department indicates that asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) are also a part of the crooked cabal.

The I-T statement said that raids across 60 premises of the four ARCs had uncovered 'an unholy nexus' where assets purchased by ARCs far below the value of collateral securities, are sold back to the borrowers after layering them through a 'maze of shell/dummy concerns'. ARCs were complicit to the point where one of them was caught maintaining a separate set of accounts for these dubious transactions. Allegations of a nexus between a bank and ARC were also made in the case of a Jaisalmer hotel, Garh Rajwada, which made headlines when the magistrate over-zealously ordered the arrest of State Bank of India's former chairman, Pratip Chaudhuri, for such an undervalued transaction by an ARC, where he is the chairman. The combined outcome of such genuflection and complicity was tabulated by the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) as part of the protest against bank privatisation.

Things will begin to change only when banks are made to treat every corporate default with far more seriousness and equity. The IDBI Bank episode shows we are far away from it.
Bangkok, Dec 28 : Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has issued a nationwide level 3 warning after 514 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected.

The level 3 warning refers to an appeal for public cooperation to implement strict Covid-19 free setting, more antigen rapid test kit (AKT) screening before and after travelling, avoid crowds, as well as issue work-from-home policy if possible, reports Xinhua news agency.

The warning is based on rising concerns over a possible surge in new cases after the holiday season which has seen a high level of people mobility, said Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department from the Ministry of Public Health.

Opas further noted that the Omicron variant can easily surge and is expected to take over Delta variant very soon.

There are five warning levels in Thailand, where the fifth one refers to curfew, strict mobility and public gathering control and quarantine scheme for all travellers.

According to the officials, the number of new Omicron cases has soared five-fold, from 104 on December 21 to currently at 514.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health is still confident that the country still has sufficient hospital beds to handle the situation, citing its low 10 percent occupancy rate at present.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28 : Following a complaint from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), police in Kerala's Palakkad district have arrested six people for conducting an illegal bullock cart race in Malampuzha village.

The animal protection group learned about the incident from a photo in The Hindu newspaper which showed two bulls being forced to run and their nose ropes being violently pulled.

After submitting a formal complaint to the District Police Chief of Palakkad, PETA worked closely with the Deputy Superintendent of Police Palakkad, Haridasan on the matter.

The FIR, registered against the six persons, includes the provisions of Sections 3 and 11(1)(a) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which makes whipping and beating an animal and causing the animal unnecessary pain and suffering punishable offences.

All six accused were arrested and later released on bail.

"The Supreme Court and the High Court of Kerala have made clear that bull races are illegal, and there's no place in civilised society for whipping bulls and twisting and biting their tails, as is common at such events, to force them to run," said a PETA office bearer.

"Bulls used for work already have a hard life without the additional torment of being forced to race. We commend the Palakkad Police for showing that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated," added the official.

During the races, bulls run out of fear, and in an effort to escape pain. They arre commonly yanked by their nose ropes to the starting line, hit with bare hands and weapons like nail-studded sticks, and their tailbones are often broken at the joint in attempts to force them to run faster.

On September 5, 2014, the High Court of Kerala passed an order stating that it is bound by the observations and views of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment that upheld the ban imposed by the Central Government's Notification dated July 11, 2011.

The High Court pointed out that the Supreme Court has categorically stated that bulls are not anatomically suited to racing.
Patna, Dec 28 : A total of 16 persons, majority of them students, are suspected to be Corona positive in a village in Bihar's Seikhpura district, an official said on Tuesday.

Confirming the news, District civil surgeon Dr Prithvi Raj said: "The infected persons of Kataithwa village tested positive in a rapid antigen test. We have sent their samples on Monday evening for RT-PCR and genome sequencing tests to ascertain if they have symptoms of Corona and Omicron variants of virus." The samples have been sent to the microbiology lab in PMCH Patna," he added.

As per the officer, a tuition teacher named Abhishek Kumar(45) turned Corona positive on December 20. Following that, he underwent RT-PCR tests thrice and his report came positive. Despite that he continued to go to his students' houses in the village.

The incident came to light after several students fell ill in the village and approached the primary health centre in the last couple of days.

"We have immediately sent a medical team in the village to ascertain the situation. The team also visited the house of Abhishek. His mother also tested positive in a rapid antigen test. Among the 16 people, some are the students' parents. The students belong to 9-16 age group, Prithvi Raj said.

The villagers informed the medical team that after his students fell ill, Abhishek left for Bangalore.

"Te entire village has been declared a containment zone and the students and their parents are under home isolation," the officer said.
Washington, Dec 28 : Thousands of people in the US' Pacific Northwest were without power after a massive winter storm slammed the region, dumping nearly 30 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada region and leading to road closures in Northern California.

On Sunday afternoon, there were over 20,000 residents without power in Washington state, more than 14,000 in California and some 10,000 in Oregon, Xinhua news agency quoted PowerOutage.US as saying on Monday.

Several mountain roads were shut down on Sunday, including a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line.

The California Department of Transportation tweeted that there was "low or zero visibility on I-80", according to a report by CBS News.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning for greater Lake Tahoe through early Tuesday morning and warned of "widespread whiteout conditions" and wind gusts that could top 45 mph.

The NWS reported 3.8 inches of snow fell in Seattle, the largest city in Washington. Frigid temperatures are expected to last in the region until Thursday.

"Record lows were set yesterday on December 26," the NWS Seattle tweeted on Monday, noting that it was minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, breaking the 1948 record of minus 5.6 degrees.

It was minus 12.8 degrees in Bellingham, where the previous record was minus 11.1 degrees in 1971.

Officials urged residents of the Seattle area to stay inside and off the roads if possible.

The NWS in Reno said snow would remain heavy as the next storm pushes through the region.

The NWS in Sacramento warned that mountain travel would continue to be difficult.
Berlin, Dec 28 : Insurers in Germany had never before paid for such high losses as in 2021 since the 1970s, caused by the devastating flood in July and the hailstorm in early summer, the German Insurance Association (GDV) said.

With insured losses to houses, household goods, businesses and motor vehicles of around 12.5 billion euros ($14 billion), 2021 was "the most expensive natural hazard year since statistics began in the early 1970s", Xinhua news agency quoted Joerg Asmussen, chief executive of GDV, as saying.

The losses were even higher than those in 2002 with floods and devastating storms and in 1990 with a hurricane series, causing losses of around 11.5 billion euros respectively, according to GDV.

The long-term average value per year is 3.8 billion euros.

In mid-December, the insurance group Swiss Re estimated global losses from natural catastrophes this year at $105 billion, the fourth-highest figure since 1970.

The damage caused by the July floods has renewed a debate on compulsory insurance for natural hazards in Germany, as not even half of all homeowners in the country were insured against natural damage by that time.

GDV suggested that there should "only be residential building insurance policies that also cover so-called natural hazards such as flooding and heavy rain", said Asmussen.
Mumbai, Dec 28 : The trailer of medical drama thriller 'Human', which stars Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari, was released recently. The film explores the story of fast-tracked drug trials and their ramifications on public health and human lives.

Directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Mozez Singh, the series, will be released on OTT on January 14.

Shefali Shah, who plays the character of Dr Gauri Nath, gives an insight into the series, "'Human' as a series is extremely relevant and relatable in today's time. When I read the script, I couldn't help but imagine our current scenario, a world of hospitals and vaccine trials. It makes one question humanity and everything that transpires to keep it intact." She added: "Gauri Nath is someone you rarely come across. It's one of the most complicated characters I've ever played, and completely out of my comfort zone. She is unpredictable and indecipherable. 'Human' is a Pandora's box of emotions, actions and consequences. And you'd never know what hit you from the dark depths of its complexities (sic)." Kirti Kulkarni, who plays Dr Saira Sabarwal in the series, said: "It has been an absolute pleasure and thrill to play the role of Dr Saira Sabharwal. It's the first time that I am playing a doctor on screen, a world that I am not completely unfamiliar with as my sister and brother-in-law are doctors. I did get a lot of insight by speaking to both of them and other doctors. During that phase, I would get into a conversation with whichever doctor I met which could help me with my character." She continued: "Apart from that, 'Human' is such a layered and complex story, it immediately pulled me towards it. Also the fact that Shefali Shah would be a part of the same show with me, really excited me. She is someone I really look up to and I have truly enjoyed her work as an actor and I was thrilled to share screen space with her. The show also has other wonderful actors and I also met a psychologist to discuss some aspects of my character." She further added: "I basically got into the mindsets and world of the doctors, speaking to various people and understanding various aspects of how they function in the workspace and outside of it. It's the first time I am playing a doctor and it's a thrilling experience, my fans too are going to really enjoy my role of Dr Saira Sabharwal. Super excited for 'Human'".

Producer and director Vipul Amrutlal Shah said: "'Human' delves into the complexities of human nature with a backdrop of the medical world. It explores the dark and twisted world of unethical human trials in a provocative yet real and gritty manner. It showcases aspects of the unknown medical world laden with suspense at every turn. Mozez Singh and Ishani Banerjee have done a wonderful job with the script and the incredibly talented ensemble star cast makes 'Human' an exciting watch." Sharing his experience of working as the scriptwriter and director, Mozez Singh said: "'Human' is a series that deals with a very unique take on life and death. It questions the value of human life and the extent human beings will go to run away from their grief, guilt and shame. The repercussions of this can have extreme effects on the lives of the people involved, creating escalating drama and conflict between all of them and allowing the narrative to be truly explosive, especially when you throw in the barriers of class into the mix." "Getting to explore all of the above with my co-writer Ishani Banerjee and the rest of the writers room was a true honour and I'm extremely grateful to Sunshine Pictures for giving me the opportunity. This was an intense project for me as it has several elements that resonated with me on a personal level and therefore I was constantly inspired and determined to give my best. I'm proud of what we have delivered," Mozez concluded.

In addition, the series also stars Vishal Jethwa, Ram Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Aditya Srivastava and Mohan Agashe. 'Human', a Disney+ Hotstar Special, will be available to stream from January 14.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Dec 28 : In another heroic effort, the Mumbai Fire Brigade rescued more than 40 persons trapped on the terrace of a building which caught fire here on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The conflagration is said to have erupted in the electric metre room on the ground floor of an old seven-storied MHADA building in Jankalyan Nagar in Kandivali west suburb around 10.15 a.m., according to BMC Disaster Control.

As the flames and smoke spread upwards, many of the panicky residents climbed up and ended up on the terrace while the fire brigade was summoned.

The MFB firefighters hoisted ladders and rescued at least 40 persons trapped on the terrace and others continued battling the blaze.

Another five persons suffered suffocation injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals, while the cause of the fire is being probed, said the officials.
Los Angeles, Dec 28 : Hollywood stars Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Denis Villeneuve have remembered Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee who died on Saturday.

Vallee, who directed films such as 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'Wild' and helmed TV projects including 'Big Little Lies' and 'Sharp Objects', died suddenly at his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada on Saturday. He was 58 years old, reports variety.com.

"I am in shock. Complete and utter shock," 'Big Little Lies' actress Shailene Woodley wrote in an Instagram story.

"I guess somehow I know you will turn it into a grand adventure and one of the books, one I can't wait to read and watch when my time comes. It doesn't make sense though, dude. It doesn't make sense. Maybe when we wake up tomorrow you'll be there laughing saying it was just a satirical short film you made. That it's not real." Canadian director Tanya Lapointe shared a tribute from her husband, fellow Quebecois filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, on Instagram.

"How must I forget these lonesome tears in my eyes? As you told me before: go out there and shine, crazy diamond!" wrote Villeneuve.

"I love you my friend." "Jean-Marc Vallee's passion for his work is equally matched by the care and consideration he showed to everyone he collaborated with," Endeavor Content said in a statement.

The production company had partnered with Vallee's Crazyrose on 'Lady in the Lake' and 'The Player's Table'.

"We are honoured to have worked with him as a producing partner and as a friend. On behalf of our colleagues, our productions, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his sons, family, Nathan Ross and the entire Crazyrose team." 'Big Little Lies' and 'Wild' star Reese Witherspoon wrote: "My heart is broken. My friend. I love you." Laura Dern, who also worked with Vallee on 'Big Little Lies' and 'Wild', mourned the director as "one of our great and purest artistes and dreamers." "It's hard to imagine someone as vital, energetic and present as Jean-Marc being gone. I'm shattered," Nicole Kidman wrote. "He was at the centre of my creative universe and I can't overstate his significance to me." Vallee's publicist Bumble Ward conveyed her own shock over the news.

"What you may not know is that he was sweet and kind, full of gratitude, remembered birthdays and sent awesome mixtapes, while still being a creative genius," Ward wrote.
Seoul, Dec 28 : South Korea will become the ninth-largest contributor to the UN's regular and peacekeeping budgets starting next year, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The UN General Assembly on December 24 approved the budget obligations for 193 member states, setting South Korea's share at 2.57 per cent of the total funding for the 2022-24 period, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The ratio was up from 2.27 per cent for the 2019-21 period, moving the country's rank up two notches from the current 11th place.

The Ministry said South Korea's assessed contribution was set at a higher level in the upcoming three-year period in line with its economic growth in the previous years.

Assessments of the budget obligations for UN member states are based on a complex formula that factors in gross national income and population.

The US and China will remain the world body's top two financial contributors in the next three years.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Sounding an alarming bugle about what may be in store for the humanity with the Omicron surge, the daily global Covid-19 cases at 1.44 million has crossed a prior daily record of infections in December 2020, when Turkey had backdated a significant number of positive cases.

The seven-day average of Covid cases was nearly 841,000 on Monday, a 49 per cent rise from November 24 when Omicron was first identified in Africa.

More than 11,500 international flights have been cancelled across the globe amid reports of record surge in the new cases of the variant.

The UK is currently reporting more than 100,000 new infections a day.

Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris has announced tighter restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the daily number of new cases has surged to an all-time high in the country.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran have announced a series of new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 during the New Year festivities and urged their countrymen to respect the preventive measures during the celebrations.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has issued a nationwide level 3 warning after 514 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected.

The new Omicron variant has driven a winter surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths across the US, with daily infections reaching a record high since January.

The country is averaging more than 176,000 new cases daily, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Monday, a new high since January 8 this year.

Currently, the US is witnessing about 1,200 new deaths from Covid-19 each day, CDC data showed.

The Omicron variant has taken the place of the Delta variant to become the most prevalent variant in the country.

Health officials have been warning that the Omicron variant will continue to overwhelm hospitals and healthcare workers.

The Omicron variant has derailed holiday plans for many Americans who are travelling. Over 1,000 flights in the country were cancelled on Monday amid the Omicron surge.

Canada reported 18,230 new Covid-19 cases, elevating the cumulative total to 2,026,249 cases with 30,172 deaths, according to CTV.

The Omicron infection tally has risen to 653 across India. However, of the total cases, 186 have been discharged from hospitals. So far, 21 states have reported Omicron infections.

Australia reported its biggest daily COVID-19 total on Monday, along with its first known death from Omicron.

In just one month, 108 countries have reported over 151,368 Omicron cases and there have been over 26 deaths.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shortened the isolation time for Americans infected with Covid-19 from 10 to five days.

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 281.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.40 million and vaccinations to over 8.97 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 281,368,071 and 5,406,197, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 8,972,162,735.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Unnao, Dec 28 : Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced that if his party came to power in Uttar Pradesh, he would give a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the families of people killed in stray cattle attack or in cycle accidents.

Addressing a meeting at the GIC ground in Unnao, he also announced that the metro project in Kanpur would be extended to Unnao.

Referring to the recent raids on perfumer Piyush Jain, Akhilesh said: "The BJP wanted to raid Pushpraj Jain, also known as Pampi Jain, who is our MLC but in an apparent mix up, the officials raided Piyush Jain who is close to BJP." He demanded to know how so much cash was found after demonetization because the Central government had claimed that all black money had come back.

"The BJP should tell the people which banks the money was withdrawn from because the currency comprises Rs 2,000 notes that ceased to be legal tender in 2016," he said.
San Francisco, Dec 28 : This December has been a record-breaking month of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in western US, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (CSSL) said.

At the CSSL near Donner Pass in northern Sierra Nevada with an elevation of 2,100 meters, 492 cm of snow has piled up in the final month of 2021, Xinhua news agency quoted the scientists as saying.

"NEW DECEMBER RECORD: 492 cm. With a 24 hour official #snow total of 98.75 cm at the lab, we have smashed the previous record of 455 cm of snow in December set in 1970! Snow rates are still heavy and we could break 508 cms today!" CSSL tweeted on Monday.

"That snow was deep and hard to get through to do the measurement. It took us 40 minutes to get from the front door of the lab to where the measurement is completed 50 yards away!" it tweeted.

The snow has been non-stop for days. Road conditions are treacherous with I-80 and Highway 50 both presently closed.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack is a major source of water for California.

According to the California Cooperative Snow Surveys, the state's average water equivalent is at 13.8 inches as of Monday, putting the state at 49 per cent of its average (through April).
Jaipur, Dec 28 : Zubeida Bano started performing mujra at the tender age of 18. Now 70, chewing her supari and clad in a plain pathani suit, it is difficult to believe at first glance that she is a trained dancer. However, one only need to spend some time in her mujraghar to notice the 'ada' (style) with which she walks, how she sits with authority on her gaddi, and her deep eyes that reflect memories of an age-old tradition, and understand that she has been a part of rich cultural history.

Her mujraghar is one of the 20 at Jaipur's Chandpole Bazaar. Her authority seems to come from three areas: her pride in keeping an old dance form alive, her ownership of the mujraghar, and her own memories.

You know the mehfil is about to begin when you start seeing Bano and many older and former tawaifs (courtesans) step into their mujraghars to begin the performances.

Bano's mujraghar, in one of the most important markets of Jaipur, overlooks the streets that are a rush of houses and tourists buying clothes, savouring food, and haggling with rickshawalas.

A steep staircase leads to the mujraghar on the first floor. Amid the usual din of the market, there's one thing that is exclusive to this street - the chime of ghunghroos and tinkling of music systems at around 7 p.m. in the evening.

The windows get lit up and the tawaifs get ready for the evening show. "We have permission to play music till 11 pm every day. The police are usually downstairs and we can reach out to them if we ever want to," Bano pointed out.

"Mere yahaan sirf mujra chalta hai (I only allow mujra here)," she said, emphasising that her mujraghar has a license and her girls are performers. "That's why the police also do not object to our presence in this prominent market," she explained, adding that mujra should not be equated with prostitution.

"It's either by performances over the years or erstwhile gifts from the then kings that we have earned these mujraghars. I bought this place 10 years ago for Rs 30 lakhs and today it is easily worth Rs 1.5 crore," said Bano, adjusting herself comfortably in her gaddi. Her unapologetic way of speaking reflected the 'rutba' (honour) that a tawaif drew in older times.

The good old days Gulabo* (name changed), a young, practicing tawaif, in a mujraghar next to Bano's reminisces about the older times as well. "Our nani (maternal grandmother) told us that they used to do mujras and even the royalty used to visit. In fact, they used to send young kids to learn 'tehzeeb' (courtesy) and art from them," she recalled, adding that things have changed now.

"Respect for the art form has gone down. We are performers and we want to perform and live a life of dignity. Sometimes, we are seen in a bad light and that should change," she said.

More than anyone, Bano is extremely proud of the fact that she has managed not to succumb to the modern demands of her customers.

"Sometimes an audience demands that the girls perform item numbers, but we refuse right away. As an old tawaif, I have seen a lot of changes but we want to keep the kathak dance form alive in this tradition," Bano explained, while one of her tawaifs, ready for the evening, looked at her from across the room, awaiting the evening's audience to pour in.

Mujra, a dance form brought to India during Mughal rule, means a musical performance by a dancing-girl and paying of respects. Over the years, the art form has seen many variations. As in cities like Delhi and Lucknow, in Jaipur too the mujra is a licensed activity.

Dr Abhimanyu Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Rajasthan University, pointed out that Jaipur has been under Mughal influence given its proximity to Delhi and marriage associations with the Mughal empire.

"That's one of the main reasons behind the presence of mujraghars in the city since the establishment of Jaipur," he said, adding that mujras were also a counter to the native Rajput culture. "The Rajputs preferred their courtesans not being in the public eye. However, the tawaifs were more independent and had their own place to live in and perform," he explained.

Pandemic and the future One of the tawaifs spoke about how the pandemic had affected their lifestyle and art. "We used to have more than ten guests visiting us every evening and showering money. But during the pandemic, we spent the evenings alone. There was no income. Sometimes we resorted to Bollywood music to oblige the audience," she confessed.

The oldest of all the tawaifs in the region was the most unapologetic and confident. "We have been practicing here for ages. Our mothers did too and so did their mothers. With time, we have adapted to the new forms," she said, sporting a beautiful old anarkali.

Explaining their way of life, she said: "We are the same as everyone else at home. Why would it be different?" "Of course, sometimes we are seen in a bad way and maybe that's why a baraat (groom's procession) doesn't knock on our door," she added, hinting at the irony behind their profession being legal but looked down by society.

Terming her performance space as her office, she said, "The women are elder sisters who are paying fees for their brothers and daughters who are running the household. We take money back to the family and it is like any other profession. In the olden times, a tawaif getting gold and silver was the norm, but nowadays we often have to haggle with taxi-drivers to come to our office." A lot might have changed for the tawaifs over the years, but what has remained intact is their authority, and their beautiful mujraghars that stand as pink-walled buildings, with checkered floors, small rooms with artistic doors and the sound of music. They can still transport one to the old world where a tawaif held a position of respect in society.

Santosh Jhanwar, a Jaipurite, observed, "I had no idea that we have this old dance form here. It just adds to our history. I am thankful to the tawaifs for keeping the mujra alive. They deserve more respect for the art they carry in their blood." Yet, Gulabo and her sister, who perform in the same mujraghar, admit with innocent eyes that "I don't think I would want my child to continue this. I would rather have them study." (The author is a Bengaluru-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
Tokyo, Dec 28 : South Korea on Tuesday urged Japan to retract its push to list a former mine linked to wartime forced labour as a Unesco World Heritage Site, calling the move "very deplorable".

Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs has reportedly been pushing to register the Sado mine on the coveted list where Koreans were forced into hard labour during Tokyo's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The move came as Seoul has repeatedly taken issue with Tokyo's failure to properly fulfil its pledge to honour forced labour victims at an information centre on its industrial revolution sites designated in the list in 2015.

"It is very deplorable that (Japan) has decided to push for the World Heritage designation of the mine, another site where Koreans were forced into labour, and we call for the immediate retraction of it," Choi Young-sam, the spokesperson of Seoul's Foreign Ministry, said.

"Our government will sternly respond with the international community to prevent a site where workers were forced into toil against their will from being designated as a Unesco World Heritage site without enough explanation," he added.

Later in the day, Kyun Jong-ho, the Ministry's director general in charge of cultural affairs, called in Kazuo Chujo, director of Public Information and Cultural Centre at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to protest Tokyo's move related to the mine, according to the ministry.' The Sado mine originally operated as a gold mine in the 1600s, but it was turned into a facility to produce war-related materials, such as cooper, iron and zinc, during World War II. It was shut down in 1946.

According to historical documents, at least 1,200 Koreans were forced into labour at the mine under harsh conditions during the war.

The latest move has added to historical tensions between the two neighbours. It remains unclear whether Tokyo will mention the wartime history in its recommendation of the mine for the heritage designation.

If it is selected, the Japanese government is expected to submit a letter of recommendation to Unesco by February 1, after which the UN body will make a decision in 2023.

In addition to calling in the Japanese diplomat, Korea's Foreign Ministry has communicated with Unesco officials on several occasions and plans to form a task force with experts and related agencies to deal with the issue, a Seoul official said.

The Ministry also called on Japan to fulfil an earlier pledge to inform people about the forced labour of Koreans on Hashima Island, also known as Battleship Island, which was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2015.

Upon the 2015 designation of 23 Meiji-era sites, including the island, Tokyo promised to install an information centre to provide sufficient explanations of the forced labour, but it only highlighted achievements of Japan's industrial revolution.
Mumbai, Dec 28 : Malayalam superhero film 'Minnal Murali', which was released recently on OTT to a positive response, is a special film not just for the audience but also for the film fraternity across industries.

It proves how one can make an ambitious superhero film on a limited budget without compromising on the elements of the story or the quality of spectacle that superhero films generally come up with.

The film's lead actor Tovino Thomas and director Basil Joseph recently spoke with IANS over the core idea of the film, its journey, the titular character's progression and the technicalities that went down to sketch the film.

In Tovino and Basil's shared vision, 'Minnal Murali' is a common man, he comes from people and exhibits behavioral patterns of an everyday guy, says Tovino, "'Minnal Murali' is more relatable to the common man. Like, what if Tovino Thomas or Basil Joseph got superpowers? We will not be going out to save people the very next day, we are going to take some time to realise that and once you realise that, you are going to enjoy it for some time." He adds, "We'll be using our superpowers for the silliest of the things which make us happy. But there will be one point where you realise 'with more power, comes more responsibility'. That's what happens to 'Minnal Murali'. So, it's a very gradual graph of the character, his emotional transformation is very gradual as well." Basil has a knack for thinking about a film musically, revealing his process of conceiving a film, he says: "That's a part of the thought process that I have. Music is something that even during the writing phase gets me excited when some music strikes me. So, I tell the writers that we might conceive the sequence in this mood, spacing or rhythm. Music can easily communicate with people." Tovino chimes in, "So, we did a movie together 'Godha'. When he (Basil) came to narrate the script, he brought a small speaker and for every scene, he played the background score from his mobile while he narrated the script. So, that's the kind of music sense he has got." Explaining the essence of the music of 'Minnal Murali', Basil says: "If it's a quirky song, people get to know the kind of humour or drama that sequence is going to have. In the film, there is an Amit Trivedi-style song which Shaan Rehman did and has a folkish essence to it. So, if we listen to that song while writing, you'll get to know that it's a quirky song and something humorous." Steering a film musically during the production, results in a better synchronisation across departments, as the director adds: "Also, for the technicians, actors or cinematographers, when we narrate, they will also get the mood of the thing along with the art director. The producer will also spend money accordingly. The actors also will be more comfortable with the emotion that they want to communicate. Hence, music is a very essential part of it." Basil then gets into the germ of VFX, "For the VFX, we didn't want it to look funny in the movie and we tried our level best. We know it's not a big-budget movie in comparison to DC/Marvel superhero movies. It's a regional movie, after all. But, by the standards of the Malayalam industry, it is big budget." Being mindful of the money spent on a film is what separates a good director from an indulgent one and for Basil, with the power of money, also comes a huge responsibility, "The producer is already investing so much money by trusting us. Like, five times the safe budget of our combination (his and Tovino's combo as director-actor) in the industry. So, there is five times responsibility on us. Instead of depending too much on VFX, we tried to make it as grand as possible with practical effects. So, as an actor, Tovino also made things possible without using VFX." Ask Tovino if the practical effects rendered him with a heightened sense of body mechanisms and movements and he quips, "For this movie, I had to push my limits, a lot. That made me realise what all I am capable of. During the shoot, during lockdown and after lockdown, I got enough time to understand my body better." He continues: "I understood how important core strength is for an actor and how important it is to know about your body as an actor. We cannot compete in terms of budget or facilities with other industries. But working hard is something that anyone can do, the hard work which we have done, that's the maximum in any other industry that anyone can do." The actor sums up their learnings from the film as he says, "In the course of this journey, we learnt a lot of things about ourselves and also about filmmaking. We realised a lot of things about what we were capable of, we would be even more confident to try something new after this which can go a step further." He compliments his director as he signs off, "For Basil, his first movie was 'Kunjiramayanam', followed by 'Godha' and now 'Minnal Murali', over the years, his growth has been exponential, he is a visionary and I trust him and I think great things are going to happen in his life."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Dec 28 : Actor Sivakarthikeyan's silent gesture to an anchor, indicating that he had forgotten to mention two musicians who had participated in a musical performance at the grand pre-release event of 'RRR' in Chennai, is winning hearts on the Internet.

Actor Sivakarthikeyan took part in the special pre-release event that was held in Chennai as part of the promotions of director S.S. Rajamouli's upcoming pan-Indian film 'RRR'.

When a special performance was put up by a bunch of musicians and children at the event, the show's anchor mentioned and thanked some musicians and the children for their performance.

Sivakarthikeyan, who was seated next to director Rajamouli and actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR in the audience, silently indicated through gestures to the anchor that he had forgotten the percussionist who had played an important part in the performance.

The anchor, realising his mistake, then apologised and then turned around to thank the percussionist and the guitarist.

As social media users began sharing a video clip of the actor silently indicating to the anchor about his mistake, Sivakarthikeyan's thoughtfulness has come in for widespread praise.

The video clip caught the attention of director Arun Vaidyanathan, who too was impressed by the actor's gesture. He tweeted, "Very nice of Siva Kartikeyan. This needs a big heart and he has one. God bless."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted searches at 25 premises of two business groups in Maharashtra's Nandurbar and Dhule districts for their alleged involvement in tax fraud.

The preliminary investigation indicated that these two groups have evaded income to the extent of Rs 150 crore. The I-T officials said that they recovered more than Rs five crore in cash and jewellery worth Rs five crore.

A senior income tax official said that these groups were engaged in the business of civil construction and land development.

"The search operation covered more than 25 premises spread across Nandurbar, Dhule and Nashik. During the search and seizure operation many incriminating documents, loose papers, and digital evidence have been found and seized," said the official.

The official said that the seized documents clearly revealed that the firms have resorted to large-scale suppression of taxable income by inflating their expenses, primarily by way of the claim of non-genuine sub-contract expenses and unverifiable old sundry creditors.

The I-T official detected that these subcontracts were awarded to the family members and their employees who have not rendered services in this regard.

Evidence has also been gathered about the unrecorded expenses incurred in cash. The preliminary investigation indicates that this group has evaded income to the extent of Rs 150 crore on account of the above malpractices.

"We also found that a substantial part of the land transactions have been carried out in cash which are not accounted for in the regular books of account. Incriminating documents evidencing receipt of 'on-money' on land transactions and cash loans exceeding Rs 52 crore have been found and seized," said the official.

Further investigations in the matter are on.
Damascus, Dec 28 : A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the commercial seaport of Syria's coastal city of Latakia on Tuesday, state media reported.

The Israelis fired their missiles from the Mediterranean against the commercial port of Latakia, hitting the container terminal and igniting a fire, Xinhua news agency quoted the state media report as saying.

The attack caused big damage as firefighters are working to put out the fire, it added.

It is the second such attack on the port this month.

The previous one was reported on December 7.

Israel usually fires missiles on Syria on the pretext that it targets positions of the Iranian-backed militia, mainly those affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The members of the G-23 group, who wrote the letter of dissent to Sonia Gandhi seeking sweeping reforms in the Congress party, are fighting for survival as team Rahul is taking key party decisions and have full say in the appointments and nominations.

The G-23 has now reduced to a few in numbers but the still evident force are Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Manish Tewari who have been at the forefront and have advocated reforms within the party.

However, many leaders who had signed the explosive letter, have been adjusted within the party or have brought down their opposition and one of the signatory Veerappa Moily had openly said that "there is no G-23", while one of the signatories Jitin Prasada has left Congress to join the BJP.

But on the party foundation day on Tuesday, the presence of Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda at party headquarters are giving mixed signals as the members of this group have been comfortable with Sonia Gandhi but have concerns on the working style of Rahul Gandhi.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, while addressing a meeting recently, had categorically denied of leaving the party, saying, "I am 24 carat Congressman". The former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister is addressing rallies in his home state while his supporters have resigned from the party to push him as CM candidate in the state.

Some of the G-23 leaders feel and privately admit that it's the end of the road for them in the party till Rahul Gandhi is at the helm, but some say they will be in the party and not as a tenant as they have given their prime years to the party.

However, the party is working hard to keep up a good strike rate in upcoming elections but Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday while addressing the party workers said, "Though there have been electoral losses, the party will keep up the fight,", adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all people of the diverse society.

The party has tried to reach out to dissenters and roped in Kamal Nath and for some time Priyanka Gandhi stepped in to resolve the crisis, but the issue has not been resolved yet.

The G-23 wants consultations and prior discussions on the appointment of key posts before any decisions are taken. Though the party is holding elections for the President's post in 2022, the group is unlikely to challenge Rahul Gandhi, but if he pushes a proxy, then the contest is inevitable.

While the G-23 doesn't have enough numbers to push for a change in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision making body of the party, to remove or appoint a new President, as a two-third majority is required for this.

"The CWC shall consist of the President of the Congress, Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament, and 23 other members of whom 12 will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the Working Committee and the rest shall be appointed by the President. The quorum for a meeting of the Working Committee shall be eight," says the party constitution.
Puducherry, Dec 28 : The Union Territory of Puducherry reported its first two cases of Omicron variant on Tuesday.

According to Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr G. Sriramalu, while one of the patients is an 80-year-old person from Kandacrathottam, the second is a 20-year-old woman from Navarkulam, Lawspet, on the border of Puducherry and Villupuram.

The two persons are local residents and got affected by the virus on December 7. The elderly man was admitted to a hospital where he recovered. The 20-year-old woman recovered from home isolation.

Dr Sriramalu said that the health department is now in the process of tracing the contacts of the two and ascertaining how they contracted the disease.

The state health director also said that the samples of all those who test positive for Covid-19 are now being sent for genome sequencing test to find out whether anyone is affected by the Omicron variant.

Notably, Puducherry has shown a fall in Covid cases for the past few months and the presence of the Omicron variant has made the Health department of the territory a worried lot.

Sources in the state health department told IANS that the territory is beefing up the health infrastructure to prevent any overcrowding of hospitals if there is a spurt in cases.

While Omicron is not that lethal compared to other variants, doctors and health department officials are of the opinion that it multiplies exponentially leading to the health infrastructure being filled up and this may lead to patients dying for want of proper treatment.
Kanpur, Dec 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, took a dig at the Samajwadi Party when he referred to the Piyush Jain episode and said that some people always want to take credit for all that is being done.

"Now when suitcases full of cash are coming out one after another, will they take credit for this too? They have spread the 'itr' of corruption," he said while speaking at a rally in Kanpur.

The reference to 'itr' was the launch of 'Samajwadi 'itr' - a perfume launched by perfumer Pampi Jain last month.

The Prime Minister said that the people of Uttar Pradesh now know the truth and watching every incident very minutely.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also mounted a blistering attack on the Samajwadi Party when he said that ABCD for SP meant -'A' for apradh, 'B' for -bhai-bhatija', 'C' for corruption and 'D' for danga.

"BJP has wiped off this ABCD. When Piyush Jain was raided, it was Akhilesh Yadav who felt uneasy. Who does this money belong to?" he asked while addressing a rally in Hardoi.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 28 : More than two crore adults in Odisha are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed on Tuesday.

Odisha has achieved yet another significant milestone in the fight against Covid-19 as more than 2 crore people have received the second dose of vaccine, Patnaik said in a tweet.

"Commend the hard work of our healthcare workers in ensuring swift immunisation to save precious lives," he said.

As per statistics available on CoWIN portal, over 4.92 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the state so far. As many as 2,01,74,795 people in the state have been administered two doses of vaccine while another 2,90,35,201 have received at least one dose.

The data suggests that 2.83 crore people of Odisha in the age group of 18-44 years have received the jab till now while 1.27 crore population in the 45-60 age group and 80.87 lakh beneficiaries aged above 60 years have also been covered under the vaccination programme.

Moreover, 4.37 crore doses of Covishield and 54.58 lakh Covaxin doses have been administered in the state till today.

Meanwhile, director of health services Bijay Mohapatra said all required steps have been taken to ensure sufficient beds, oxygen and medicine to tackle possible third wave of Covid-19.

"We have not faced any health infrastructure issues during the first and second surge of Covid-19. As experts have predicted that the paediatric population is at risk after the second wave, we are strengthening our paediatric care infrastructure," he said.

Odisha was an oxygen surplus state during the second wave of pandemic and now oxygen plants are being installed in various parts of the state, Mohapatra said.

Besides, the state has stored an adequate amount of the required eight medicines identified by the Union government, the director added.
Mumbai, Dec 28 : The Maha Vikas Aghadi government dropped plans to conduct the election to the post of Speaker, on the final day of the weeklong Winter Session which ended here on Tuesday.

The move came amid speculation that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had reportedly rejected the MVA's plea to hold the elections through a voice vote instead of secret ballot.

The Governor is said to have indicated that the amendments in the rules to the effect were in violation of the Constitution, though the MVA leaders have contended that it was within the laws and the government's jurisdiction.

Earlier in the day, the MVA allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress leaders met and decided not to pursue the issue to avoid yet another collision with the Raj Bhavan, besides the possible legal or Constitutional implications.

Now, the MVA leaders have hinted that the Speaker's election may be held only during the Budget Session as the issue remained unresolved despite three letters being sent to the Raj Bhavan.

On the other hand, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has stoutly opposed the amendments to the rules of holding the elections by voice vote instead of secret ballot on various grounds right from the beginning.

Some leaders, including state BJP President Chandrakant Patil, have warned that if the government insisted on going ahead with the polls, it could lead to imposition of President's Rule in the state -- a possibility that the MVA would not exactly relish.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Aluminium Association of India has urged the Finance Ministry not to impose any anti-dumping duty on import of Caustic Soda originating in or exported from friendly nations of Japan, Iran, Qatar and Oman.

The Association in a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that in view of the existing tariff and non-tariff barriers on Caustic Soda imports already in place, and in the best interest of Indian Aluminium Industry, no anti dumping duty be imposed.

"At this juncture with revival of economy and post pandemic industrial activity back on track, any further restriction on one of the major raw materials for Aluminium will hamper the economic viability of Indian Aluminium industry to the extent of closure of operations thereby affecting the overall economy. The burden of any additional tariffs will be detrimental for the sustainability and cost competitiveness of the Aluminium industry as unlike other industries, it cannot pass through the burden of escalated cost to the end consumers as the global Aluminium prices are governed by London Metal Exchange," AAI said.

The AAI said caustic soda imports in India are already restricted through various tariff and non-tariff barriers such as compulsory use of Standard Mark under a licence from the BIS as per Bureau of Indian Standard and conformity to BIS Standards.

Post imposition of mandatory BIS license for Caustic Soda imports, almost 95 per cent of foreign Caustic Soda producers are already eliminated because they have not acquired the requisite BIS license for exporting Caustic Soda to India. The BIS Standards are therefore a significant non-tariff trade barrier in place to safeguard the domestic Caustic Soda industry and reduce imports of Caustic Soda based on the quality standards, AAI said.

The association pointed out that India's Caustic Soda production and consumption centres are in different regions. Majority of India's domestic production of Caustic Soda (Non-Captive) is in the Western region of the country, mainly in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Whereas all major Alumina producers are located in Eastern region of the country (Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, etc.).

"This creates a huge logistics challenge resulting in high freight costs for transportation from western to eastern regions along with unavailability of sufficient rakes and network congestions. The transportation through road mode is also not feasible over such long distances. As a result, the domestic suppliers have concentrated their supplies in the geographies near to their plant location," AAI said.

Moreover, the domestic caustic industry is not able to cater to the bulk requirement of the Aluminium industry requiring large shipment sizes of 8000 DMT to 10000 DMT which domestic suppliers are not able to supply. Thus, the domestic consumers are left with no other option but to import caustic soda to meet domestic requirements, AAI said.
Aligarh/New Delhi, Dec 28 : In the backdrop of recent communal hate speeches, Islamic Information Centre is organising interfaith conferences to spread the message of peace and harmony.

One such conference was organised by the Islamic Information Centre on Sunday in Aligarh, which was attended by various leaders and representatives of different religions.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice President Salim Engineer and other interfaith leaders came together at the Aligarh meet to reject the growing communal hatred, hostility and hate speeches in the country. Some more meets will be organised in due course to cull mistrust within the society.

Addressing the gathering in Aligarh on Sunday, the JIH Vice President asserted that one who commits violence in the name of faith is an enemy of his own religion. Pointing out that religion is not the root cause of hatred and violence in the society as all faiths teach against hatred, oppression and violence. Salim termed the supremacist mentality and the misuse of religion for political gains as its main reason.

He said, "some people and groups think of themselves as superior and see others as inferior. However, Islam considers all human beings as a family of God. At all times and everywhere in the world, prophets and messengers came from God with a message to establish peace and justice on earth." Emphasising on sharing joys and sorrows with each other, he urged people to establish direct and one-one-one relationships instead of social media. Underlining that nothing should be imposed on anyone and everyone should be free to seek truth while no religion should be used to commit violence and atrocity. Salim reminded the people that there can be no peace without justice in a society.

Advocating social equality and justice, Giani Rabhajot Singh of Gurdwara Masoodabad, Aligarh said, there is no caste or community and everyone will depart back to their Lord as they came from their mother's womb. Buddhist Society of India's Jai Singh Suman said that Gautam Buddha always talked about equality and love while Buddhism tried to eradicate untouchability from the society. Hare Krishna Bhakti Kendra's Deepak Sharma has stated that all human beings are the children of the same God, according to the teachings of Sanatan Dharma. Reverend Lawrence Das of the Church of the Ascension Aligarh said, "if we have love, peace and humbleness in our hearts for others, then mutual enmity and hatred cannot arise among us." The organisers say that the Interfaith meet is a counter to communal hatred propagated in Haridwar and Raipur where many speakers spewed venom against a particular community and also on Christmas vandalisation of churches have taken place in various parts of the country.
Imphal, Dec 28 : A giant size national flag will be unfurled atop northeast India's tallest flagpole installed in Manipur's Moirang, where the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour on April 14, 1944, officials said on Tuesday.

Bishnupur district's Additional District Magistrate, H. Bobby Sharma, said that the height of the flagpole is 165 feet, the tallest in the region.

"The national flag will be formally hoisted atop the tallest flagpole in the northeast region at Moirang in the first week of January," Sharma told IANS.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh tweeted: "Tallest Indian national flag in the NE to be hoisted in Moirang. It is a matter of great pride that we have successfully installed the tallest flagpole in the NE at Moirang. It was on April 14, 1944 when the flag of the INA was hoisted for the first time at Moirang." The Chief Minister also inspected the ongoing work for the extension of the INA museum and war memorial at Moirang and interacted with the people residing around the site of the war memorial.

The INA museum at Moirang, 45 km from Imphal, chronicles the movement led by Netaji and INA soldiers for India's Independence.

At the museum, letters, photographs, important documents, badges of ranks and other articles associated with INA and the freedom movement are displayed. There is also a bronze statue of Netaji in Moirang.

A famous tourist destination, Moirang in Bishnupur district is a sacred place for the Manipuri people. It houses an ancient temple of the pre-Hindu deity, Lord Thangjing.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Five Indian companies will manufacture military grade extreme cold weather clothing system aimed at fulfilling the Indian Army requirements and also to export these to other countries.

Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over technology of extreme cold weather clothing system to five Indian companies aimed to export these military grade clothes to other countries.

The three-layered extreme cold weather clothing system is designed to provide thermal insulation between plus 15 degree and minus 50 degree Celsius.

DRDO Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy handed over the technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing system to five Indian companies in New Delhi on Monday.

The extreme cold weather clothing system is required by the Indian Army for its sustained operations in glacier and Himalayan peaks.

The Army, till recently has been importing extreme cold weather clothing and several Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions.

The DRDO designed extreme cold weather clothing system is an ergonomically designed modular technical clothing with improved thermal insulation and physiological comfort based on the insulation required at various ambient climatic conditions in Himalayan regions during different levels of physical activity.

The extreme cold weather clothing system embodies physiological concepts related to reduction in respiratory heat and water loss, unhindered range of motions and rapid absorption of sweat while providing water proof, wind proof features with adequate breathability and enhanced insulation as well as strength features required for high altitude operations.

"Considering the widely fluctuating weather conditions in the Himalayan peaks, the clothing provides an advantage of fewer combinations to meet the required insulation or IREQ for the prevailing climatic conditions, thereby providing a viable import alternative for the Indian Army," DRDO said in a statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Reddy emphasised on the need for developing indigenous industrial base for Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment items, not only to cater to the existing requirements of the Army but also to tap its potential for export.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : Telugu actor Sai Dharam Tej received a legal notice regarding his bike accident that took place on Durgam Cheruvu in Hyderabad earlier in September.

A case under section 912 of CrPC was registered, as per Cyberabad Commissioner of Police Stephen Ravindra, while disclosing the crime report of Cyberabad on Monday.

The Commissioner of Police said that the actor was asked to submit his documents - driving licence, RC, insurance, and pollution papers. The actor failed to submit his documents, which has landed him in trouble.

"So far, we haven't received any response from the actor and a charge sheet will be filed if there is no reaction from the actor," Ravindra said.

Sai Dharam Tej, who has acted in movies like 'Supreme', 'Subramanyam For Sale', 'Winner', and others, had met with an accident in September. The actor managed to survive the near-fatal accident.

The actor landed in a private hospital, and it took him more than a month to recover from the injuries caused by the accident.

The commissioner also conveyed that around 759 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2021.

"However, the number of deaths decreased compared to last year. There were 212 accidents caused by drunk driving, and fines of Rs 4.5 crore were collected during the drunk driving inspection," Stephen said.

"Moreover, 9,981 licences were suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol," the Commissioner informed.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Denying any usage of "force or lathicharge" on the resident doctors protesting across the national capital to expedite the counselling of NEET-PG 2021, the Delhi Police on Tuesday said they have "highest regard for the doctors." "We did not use any force on the protestors. No canes were either used. In fact Delhi Police has highest regard for the doctors," Additional Commissioner (Central Range) Suman Goyal said.

However, the doctors associations alleged that they were brutally thrashed and dragged by the Delhi Police personnel. The resident doctors' ongoing agitation turned violent on Monday when they were taking out a protest March to the Supreme Court. As the Delhi Police did not allow them to continue with their proposed march, they sat in the middle of one of the busiest roads of the national capital near ITO junction at Bahadur Shah Zafar road.

"Due to their protest the road was blocked," the Additional Commissioner said, adding to pacify the protestors, Director Health Services along with Additional Director General reached the spot but still the junction remained blocked for the whole day. Goyal said inspite of repeated appeals by the authorities, some protesters again tried to continue with their march to the apex court.

"It was then that the police detained some doctors as a preventive measure," the senior police official informed. The police said that seven of their personnel were also injured during the chaos. It also said that two buses were damaged at that time. As many as 10-12 doctors were briefly detained by the police.

She said that in the past one year, doctors along with the police force have worked shoulder-to-shoulder relentlessly during the pandemic times. "But keeping in view the inconvenience caused to the general public due to the blockage of traffic on the ITO junction, we were forced to detain some doctors," she underlined.

Meanwhile, the resident doctors have expressed their anguish over the alleged police brutality. Speaking to IANS, one of the doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital, the hotspot of the ongoing stir, demanded a written apology from the Delhi Police.

As per latest reports, talks between the doctors' association representatives and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya are currently underway at the Nirman Bhavan in the national capital.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : US-based fintech startup MetaMap (formerly Mati) on Tuesday announced that it has raised 530 crore in Series B funding led by Tribe Capital, with participation from Craft Ventures, Alameda Research (FTX), Titan Capital and prominent angel investors.

The new capital brings the company's total funding to date to 630 crore and will be used to invest in product development and furthering its international expansion as it furthers its mission to help billions of people unlock online services and experience upward mobility.

"The world continues to gravitate towards a more fluid, borderless economy that fosters greater participation from individuals who have typically been excluded from global commerce. However, the tools needed to make this vision a reality are still missing," Filip Victor, founder and CEO of MetaMap, said in a statement.

MetaMap is building their flagship tech hub in India, with over 30 employees already across offices in Bangalore and Gurugram, and a plan to 5x headcount in India this year. It also announced a number of partnerships with leading Indian fintechs, marketplaces and crypto exchanges in 2022.

MetaMap allows entrepreneurs to vet individuals and assess their risk profile based on a variety of personal merits, validated by hundreds of data points that MetaMap surfaces.

With these merits, entrepreneurs can recognise the whole spectrum of an individual's profile, from basics like legal identity to more sophisticated qualifications such as biometrics and psychometrics.

In turn, users are able to access digital services, often for the first time. Developers using MetaMap can put together custom automated workflows that qualify users on any number of different merits at any stage of their customer journey.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 28 : Physical teaching for the students of Class I to V would resume in Odisha from January 3, School and Mass Education Minister, Samir Ranjan Dash, said here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Dash said, "With the instruction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, we are going to resume classroom teaching for students of Class I to V in about 27,000 schools from January 3, while in the other schools it will start from January 10." The first summative assessment of Class X students would continue till January 9. So, schools having classes for I to X will resume physical teaching for the primary class students from January 10, he said.

Considering the eagerness among the students to attend classes in their schools, the government has taken this decision, Dash said.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) being followed for conducting classroom teaching for other classes will be applicable for these students as well, he said.

While online classes will continue, students can attend offline classes in consultation with their parents/ guardians. This apart, cooked mid-day meal will not be served to the students. Instead, dry ration will be provided to them as was provided earlier, sources said.

Physical classes for Class VI to XII have already resumed in the state.
Bhopal, Dec 28 : The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday said no more Covid-related restrictions will be imposed in the state for now.

A decision in the regard was taken during a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to review the Covid-19 situation in the state.

"A mass campaign to vaccinate the youth between 15 to 18 years will be started soon across the state and they will be administered Covaxin only. Observing the current situation of tCovid-19, the government, as of now, has decided not to impose more restrictions. All activities continued to run at its full length in the state," the state government said in an official communication on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Chouhan directed the officials to ensure people maintain social distancing and wear masks.

He also instructed the police to ensure that people do not gather unnecessarily at any public place.

Following the direction of the Centre, the Madhya Pradesh government has imposed night curfew between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The state has seen an increasing trend of daily Covid cases. In the last one week, Madhya Pradesh has registered as many as 236 new Covid cases.

In December (from Dec 1-Dec 27), a total of 583 Covid cases were registered in Madhya Pradesh of which Indore reported highest cases - 247, and Bhopal reported 205 cases.

As per official reports, on Monday, the state had reported 42 new Covid cases, while the number of Omicron cases remained at nine.

The state has reported nine cases of Omicron on Sunday in Indore.

However, other districts have not reported Omicron related Covid cases so far. Seven persons who were infected with the Omicron variant have reportedly recovered.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Kerala's economy is heavily reliant on tourism and the sector for the past two years was deeply impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the long disruption also gave the state a unique opportunity to re-assess its tourism strategy and explore fresh pathways towards a sustainable future.

Tourism administrators have realised that the road map to the future should be driven by engagement with local communities and supported by policies that raise the profile of domestic attractions with focus on sustainability. The bio-bubble programme of Kerala Tourism and its impetus on total vaccination to make the destinations safe has instilled new confidence in the sector. The state began witnessing an increase in arrival of domestic tourists as a result and the majority of tourism destinations have now achieved set targets.

That Kerala tops the Happiness Index in the recent State of the States Survey 2021 by India Today. This should be seen as an attestation of its special status. Domestic tourists from across India embraced Kerala as their most loved destination in 2021, thanks to the Safe Kerala-Safe Tourism slogan, which seems to have resonated well with them. Kerala Tourism is planning and implementing multiple programmes so that the sector, which is in the path of resurgence, would attain more strength in 2022.

The tourism industry in the state now displays optimism as it walks to embrace the new year with resilience ingrained in its DNA.

One of the major initiatives by Kerala Tourism is the 'Keravan Tourism', which envisages promotion of Caravan Tourism in Kerala, predominantly in the private sector, through incentivising the procurement of caravans and establishing caravan parks. The initiative would help turn hitherto unexplored destinations in the state, where accommodation facilities are minimal. The bubble-like nature of the product also makes it endearing for families who are apprehensive about safety of travel during the pandemic.

The department has already embarked on registering caravans and caravan parks and the scheme has been received well. Around 218 caravans have already registered with Kerala Tourism.

The 'STREET' project to be implemented in select spots in seven districts by the Responsible Tourism Mission would also give an impetus to village tourism. The STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs and would help rural destinations develop their basic infrastructure.

In the initial phase, the project would be implemented in the districts of Kozhikode, Palakkad, Kannur, Kottayam, Kasaragod, Idukki and Wayanad. The project, to be implemented in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, would have local bodies and village residents as stakeholders.

There are also plans to set up food streets to showcase the food diversity of the state. Kerala Tourism is also joining hands with the local self-government department to develop at least one destination in a local body to strengthen domestic tourism. A Destination Challenge programme, aimed at developing historic spots and culturally important locations that tourists may find attractive, has also been launched.

As part of its international marketing strategy, Kerala Tourism is planning to participate in the Trade Fairs and B2B meets in cities like Madrid, Tel Aviv, Milan, Berlin, Paris and Moscow during the year 2022.

We hope that these initiatives would help open up opportunities for local businesses, create new jobs, develop rural infrastructure, and revive traditional art forms, thereby strengthening the economy. Promotion of an agri-tourism network, film tourism and development of niche products like literary tourism and biodiversity circuits are also on the anvil. They also hold the potential to provide new experiences to tourists and increase their length of stay.

(The writer is Kerala's Minister for Tourism and Public Works. He is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.)
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted searches at fifty premises of two business groups of Rajasthan for their involvement in alleged tax fraud. They were hiding undisclosed income of Rs 300 crore.

The search so far has resulted in total seizure of unaccounted cash and jewellery worth Rs 17 crore from both the firms.

A senior income tax official said that one group is engaged in the business of manufacturing electrical switches, wires, LEDs, real estate and hotel business in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, whereas the other group is engaged in money lending business in Jaipur and in nearby areas.

Raids were conducted at fifty locations in Jaipur, Mumbai and Haridwar.

A large number of incriminating documents and digital data were seized during the search operations.

"A preliminary analysis of seized evidence revealed that several entities, engaged in the business of manufacturing switches, wires, LEDs, have been selling such goods which are not recorded in the regular books of account," said a senior income tax official.

During investigation, it was also noticed that the business firms were claiming bogus expenses to reduce taxable income. The trail of receipt of cash component on unaccounted sale of goods has also been found.

"In the first case, the company which deals in electric equipment, the team found that the firm was hiding undisclosed income of around Rs 150 crore. The key person of the group has admitted Rs 55 crore as undisclosed income and has offered to pay taxes," said the official.

The official said that the second firm which deals in loan was also hiding undisclosed income of Rs 150 crore.

"We found that most of the loans were given in cash and a relatively high rate of interest was charged. Neither the loans advanced nor the interest income earned thereon, was disclosed in the returns of income of the persons engaged in this business. They hid income of Rs 150 crore," claimed the official.

Further probe in the matter is on.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : Hyderabad added another flyover under Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP) as Owaisi-Midhani Junction Flyover was thrown open on Tuesday.

The 1.36 km long flyover has been named after former President and father of India's missile programme Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Telangana's minister for municipal administration and urban development K. T. Rama Rao, who inaugurated the flyover, called it a small tribute to a great great man who worked at DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and also lived in the neighbourhood for over a decade.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore, the flyover will facilitate hassle-free traffic movement over Owaisi Junction, a busy intersection near Owaisi Hospital and Research Centre in Santosh Nagar, the area which has several defence research laboratories including DRDO, Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (Midhani) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

Home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, education minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi attended the inaugural ceremony.

The flyover has been constructed under SRDP, an initiative of the state government to improve the infrastructure in Hyderabad. The multilevel flyover will ease traffic congestion and help provide better connectivity between eastern part of the city and the old city.

During the last four years construction of 19 flyovers, underpasses and bridges was completed during the last four years.

These include iconic Durgam Cheruvu cable-stayed bridge is a four-lane elevated corridor which reduces the distance between Jubilee Hills to Hitec City, Gachibowli areas, Mindspace Junction flyover, Mindspace Junction Underpass in the heart of Hitec City, the second level flyover at Biodiversity Junction which provides a conflict-free corridor for the traffic in Hitec City, Madhapur, Gachibowli and IT corridor, Biodiversity Flyover (Level I) which eases the traffic congestion on Old Bombay Highway from Gachibowli towards Raidurg.

Minister KTR had told the state Assembly in September that the government is making all efforts to complete SRDP on priority to ease traffic congestion in the city. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had taken Rs 5,900 crore loan for the project.

He had revealed that of the total 46 projects proposed under SRDP, about 22 were completed and 24 were under progress. The 22 works have been thrown open to traffic.

The remaining 24 works (21 by GHMC and three by NHAI and R & B Department) are under various stages of construction, he had said.
Srinagar, Dec 28 : A local youth, who was among the three civilians also killed in the encounter with a foreign militant in Srinagar's Hyderpora area on November 15, was found to be staying with the militant and in their ranks himself, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Tuesday.

Addressing a media conference at the police control room (PCR) here, DIG, Central Kashmir, Sujit Kumar, gave a detailed presentation about the investigations carried out into the Hydeprora encounter and said that the CCTV footage and other evidences show that building owner, Altaf Bhat was used as a human shield by foreign militant, Bilal Bhai, who was living in Dr Mudasir Gul's chamber along with the youth, Amir Magray.

The DIG, who was heading the SIT into the Hyderpora encounter, said that CCTV footage shows that Dr Gul was travelling with the foreign militant in his vehicle in Srinagar.

"The footage and other evidence show that Magray had accompanied the foreign militant during Jamalata Srinagar attack. Magray would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an angle which is still under investigation," he said.

He said prima facie evidence shows that Dr Gul was shot dead by the foreign militant on the directions possibly from across.

"The investigations reveal that the building owner, Altaf Bhat was made human shield by foreign militant and that he was killed in the crossfire," the DIG said.

Director General of Police, J&K, Dilbag Singh and IGP, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar were also present during the media conference.

The DIG said that Magray was a militant while there were some questions about Bhat too.

"Family of the building owner has not given any satisfactory reply as to who was living on rent, what was their rent payment system, rent deed etc. There are no satisfactory details from Bhat's family," he said.

The police media conference was held on a day when officials said that the magisterial enquiry into the Hyderpora encounter had been completed by the Additional District Development Commissioner, Srinagar and that the District Magistrate has passed on the report to the District Judicial Magistrate.

The contents of the magisterial enquiry have not been made public yet.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : 'Shyam Singha Roy' producer Dil Raju has defended lead star Nani against criticism over the actor's comments on the ticket price issue.

The makers of Nani and Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Shyam Singha Roy' had organised a success event for the movie. Dil Raju, who addressed the gathering, spoke on the movie's success.

Dil Raju also conveyed that Nani is being targeted for no reason. Backing Nani for his comments on the movie ticket issue, Dil Raju said that Nani had spoken on issues faced by the Telugu film industry, but his words had been deliberately twisted.

"Nani was the only actor who gave up two theatrical releases. He understood the situation and allowed the makers to release his movies on OTT platforms. He is a sensible actor," Dil Raju said.

He said, "Some media people are trying to twist Nani's words. Even the YouTube thumbnails are misleading. The forepart is chopped off just to make him bad." Nani had spoken about the ongoing issue of movie ticket prices, which triggered negative reactions against the 'Tuck Jagadish' actor.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested a criminal involved in three murder cases, who was absconding after commiting an armed robbery, an official said here on Tuesday.

The arrested person, who has been identified as Suresh Tiwari, was nabbed from near Lavkush Chowk in Saurabh Vihar.

Furnishing details about the case, Deputy Commissioner (Special Cell) Jasmeet Singh said a tip-off was received abou the presence of Tiwari in south-east Delhi after which a manhunt was launched for over a month.

"Nearly one-and-a-half months after the information was received, Tiwari was located in a rented house in the area under the Jaitpur police station," the DCP said.

Later, the accused was nabbed and one semi automatic .32 bore pistol with two live cartridges were recovered from his possession.

The police said Tiwari is involved in three cases of murder, in which he reportedly killed the victims by repeatedly stabbing them. Presently, he was absconding following a case of murder for extortion-cum-robbery in Bihar.

On October 28, Tiwari went to a clinic of a local doctor at Rivilganj area in Bihar's Saran district and demanded of Rs 1 lakh from him. When the doctor refused to pay the extortion money, Tiwari reportedly stabbed him multiple times at his clinic and stole Rs 20,000 from there. The doctor later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

"After committing the murder, Tiwari came to Delhi and started residing in the Jaitpur area," the official said.

Earlier in April 2016, Tiwari had stabbed his own brother, Mukesh Tiwari, on the day of his marriage in their village when the bride had just stepped into the house of the bridegroom and rituals were going on.

In another case, Tiwari had fatally stabbed a person named Sudhar Rai over division of money collected from gambling in 2005.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid, which has so far been detected in more than 100 countries so far, may help the world get rid of the Delta strain that claimed so many lives across the globe, said health experts on Tuesday.

Omicron, first detected from southern Africa in late November, has become dominant in several countries including the US and the UK, outpacing the previously dominant Delta variant, which was considered to be the dominant strain in many countries until recently.

While Omicron is known to cause only mild disease, Delta has been more lethal leading to increased hospitalisation with drop in oxygen levels, pneumonia, and death.

"Omicron is a milder wave and will replace Delta, and may be good for the world," Dr. Vasant Nagvekar, Covid task force member of Maharashtra government, told IANS.

"Omicron is more transmissible, and it could also be immune-evasive (cause breakthrough infections in previously infected or vaccinated). But so far, there is no proof that it produces more severe infections," added Nagvekar, who is also Consultant, Infectious Diseases at Global Hospital, Mumbai.

The early data from South Africa has shown that most patients are younger and the variant produces milder infections.

"For now the variant also appears to be stable, with high transmissibility but low virulence, which perhaps explains the lack of surge in hospitalisations and deaths where it was earlier reported," Nagvekar said.

Meanwhile, what we need is vigilance, improving border surveillance, genomic sequencing, as well as vaccination cover, he noted.

"The best option for getting out of this phase of the pandemic is to ensure that people everywhere are fully vaccinated. As the virus continues to spread, there remain opportunities for new variants to emerge," Brian Wahl, Assistant Scientist, Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, US, told IANS.

"This is why it is so important to increase coverage of both doses in India and in countries where vaccine coverage is currently low, like in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa," he added.

Meanwhile, with more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, Omicron has the potential of evading vaccines as well as previous Covid infection induced immunity. Several studies have shown that two doses of existing Covid vaccines may not be effective against Omicron, while booster doses have shown promise.

India has also announced the roll out of booster doses, starting with healthcare workers from January next year.

"The protection provided by many vaccines can be reduced over time. Booster doses can help bring protection back up. However, the frequency with which boosters might be required is not known," Wahl said.

However, Nagvekar stated that "a booster dose, even if it works, is just a temporary fix. "We can't keep on taking boosters every six months and for every variant of concern that emerges. Equitable vaccine distribution, especially a vaccine that covers the most recent variant of concern is a possible and practical solution in the long term." India will also start vaccinating children aged 15-18 from January.

While Covid as a whole has been mild for children, Omicron has raised concern with many kids being affected and hospitalised in the US, South Africa and the UK.

"Vaccine for kids is necessary. If Omicron cases rise, it's going to be challenging due to its faster spread," Nagvekar said.

Besides vaccines and booster doses, monoclonal antibodies and anti-Covid pills have been a great aid in the fight against Covid. While India had already approved monoclonal antibodies therapy for treating severe Covid, the country on Tuesday also granted emergency approval for US-based pharma company Merck's Covid pill molunapiravir. The pill has shown efficacy in curbing hospitalisation and death by 30 per cent.

The antiviral drug will be manufactured in India by 13 companies for restricted use under emergency situations for treatment of adult patients with Covid-19 and who have a high risk of progression of the disease.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chandigarh, Dec 28 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday that people across the country, including in Chandigarh and Punjab, are fed up with traditional parties, leaders and old style politics.

People want freedom from corruption, which got reflected in AAP's victory in the Chandigarh civic body elections on Monday, he said.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, Kejriwal said the people of Chandigarh have truly performed a miracle in the municipal elections.

Traditional parties' thrones were shaken by the defeat of some veterans, including the sitting BJP Mayor, two former Mayors and the president of the BJP's youth wing, as people have come to believe in the Aam Aadmi Party and its new faces, he said.

He said the results in Chandigarh had dispelled the myths and misinformation spread by the opposition about AAP.

"I remember when political pundits used to say after the 2017 election results that the Aam Aadmi Party is not supported by the urban voters. But the victory in Chandigarh has proved that this time the urban masses of Punjab will also stand by AAP.

"Today, the entire rural and urban population of Punjab perceives AAP as a great hope, as the traditional parties have disappointed and dismayed the people even after repeated opportunities. The whole of Punjab wants change. Like Delhi and Chandigarh, Punjab wants new faces and honest politics," he said.

Kejriwal added that in honour of the mandate given by the people of Chandigarh, AAP would move forward along with other elected candidates, regardless of the party they belong to.

"The aim is to make Chandigarh a beautiful city again and free it from all the problems it is facing today. That is why AAP will develop Chandigarh by making everyone a partner in this process," he said.

"I bow to the people of Chandigarh. I would like to assure the people of Chandigarh that the trust they have shown in AAP will not be allowed to falter, but will be strengthened by meeting all the expectations," Kejriwal added.

AAP emerged as the single largest party in its maiden civic body elections in Chandigarh, winning 14 seats even as the results threw up a hung House.

The ruling BJP could win 12 seats, while the Congress managed eight seats and the Shiromani Akali Dal one seat.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : After meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday over demands to expedite NEET-PG Counselling, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) said that they will take the final call on ongoing protest after consulting all RDAs.

The representatives of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), FORDA and all RDAs are likely to hold a meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to decide further course of action.

Dr Manish Nigam, FORDA President, said that the strike is still going on. We demand a written apology for police action. "The further course of action will be decided in the meeting tonight," he added.

Earlier, Mandaviya urged protesting resident doctors to call off their strike in the public interest. According to a doctor who was present in the meeting, Mandaviya assured to submit all documents before the court on January 6 when the matter will come up for hearing. He said that the matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. However, he said he was hopeful that the NEET-PG counselling will start soon.

The doctors also demanded an apology from police for action against them during the protest on Monday. Mandaviya expressed regret saying it is an unfortunate incident.

Meanwhile, the ongoing doctors protest for the last 12 days has badly hit services in the capital city. Many other RDA organisations across several states have also joined the protest. The protesting doctors on Monday had called for total shutdown of medical services in the hospitals after the police action which has created a chaos like situation in hospitals.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : In an attempt to spread the work of the Narendra Modi-led Central government, the BJP minority morcha has started appointing social media warriors at the block level, focussing on the five poll-bound states.

"Our target is to appoint social media warriors at the mandal (block) level. To complete the process of appointment at the earliest, all the state units have been asked to appoint social media warriors at block level," Jamal Siddiqui, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minority morcha national president, said.

The social media warriors will discuss and make people aware of the work of the Central government with an emphasis on the minority welfare initiatives.

Five poll-bound states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur have been asked to complete the process by January 15.

BJP minority morcha national media in-charge Syed Yasir Jilani said that the morcha will prepare a strategy to increase its presence on social media following the guidelines issued by the Centre.

"It is the responsibility of social media warriors to spread the work of the Modi government, especially the welfare initiatives for minorities in the country in the last seven years. All the five poll- bound states have been asked to complete the process by January 15. Rest of the state units have asked to appoint social media warriors by the end of January," Jilani said.

A training programme of social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units was held on Monday.

In view of the upcoming elections in five states, the social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units were imparted training about how to reach out to the people by using various social media platforms.

It was learnt that these social media warriors will tell the minority voters about the Narendra Modi government's initiatives to educate and promote economic empowerment of the communities along with other social welfare measures.

The national and state office bearers of the minority morcha will also visit all district and block level to impart training to social media warriors.
Beijing, Dec 28 : In the wake of a worsening outbreak of Covid-19, China on Tuesday shut down another city Yan'an, about 300 km from Xi'an - the first city to go under lock down, the media reported.

Authorities in Yan'an ordered the closure of businesses and told hundreds of thousands of people in one district to stay indoors, The Guardian reported.

China has followed a "zero-Covid" strategy as Beijing prepares to welcome thousands of overseas visitors to February's Winter Olympics.

But authorities have faced a resurgent virus in recent weeks, reporting 209 infections on Tuesday -- the highest single-day tally since March last year, when the virus was only beginning to spread around the world from the city of Wuhan.

Among the 162 domestic cases, 150 were reported in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, under a citywide lockdown since December 23, the Global Times reported.

From December 9 to Monday, the total number of confirmed cases in Xi'an was 635, Zhang Bo, deputy director of Xi'an health commission, told a press conference on Monday.

Xi'an, home to 13 million people, started a new round of nucleic acid testing on Monday, and tightened its lockdown by requiring all of its residents to stay at home to guarantee the accuracy of the test results, according to the Monday press conference.

"For Xi'an, intensified control and screening measures are urgent to block the virus as soon as possible. I estimate the transmission will be cut off in mid-January and the outbreak can be completely put under control in late January. It is very possible," Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"The massive tests are conducive to early detection, quarantine, and interruption of the disease, and it minimizes the possibility of transmission," added He Wenquan, a senior official with the Xi'an municipal government.
Panaji, Dec 28 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee managed to secure a majority in the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls, because she met with an accident and campaigned from a wheel-chair, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale said here on Tuesday.

The Union Minister of State who is in Goa, also said that by winning 77 seats in West Bengal, the BJP had not lost the much hyped state assembly polls and neither could Banerjee claim to have won the elections.

"Mamata Banerjee succeeded (in West Bengal). PM and I congratulated her. Those who are victorious in a democracy, must be congratulated. She won a huge success. The reason for this is Mamata Banerjee met with an accident, she was on a wheel chair. After that BJP lost 99 seats by a margin of 500 to 1500-2000 votes," Athawale told reporters at a press conference in Panaji.

"The reason why BJP won less seats is because the Left Front and Congress there did not get any votes. All the votes went to Mamata Banerjee and TMC and that is why BJP got fewer votes. Otherwise BJP would have won 180-190 seats. BJP now has 77 seats. I feel that it was not BJP's loss nor was it Mamata's win," he also said.

Athawale met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade and later announced the support of the Republican Party of India, which he heads nationally, to the ruling party for the 2022 polls.

"In Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, RPI will align with the BJP. In Goa, RPI will not field a single candidate and will support BJP in all 40 seats. My party's state committee has taken this decision. BJP should come to power here and RPI will be with the BJP wholeheartedly," Athawale said.
Gurugram, Dec 28 : Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg has issued directives to take action against the development of illegal colonies, and the people involved in the practice.

Presiding over a meeting of the District Task Force on Tuesday, Garg directed the District Town and Country Planning Department (DTCP) to take action in two weeks against people involved in developing illegal colonies in the Farrukhnagar area.

He has also asked the relevant authorities to immediately stop the ongoing construction work.

Garg directed all departments related to the enforcement to also strictly deal with illegal commercial activities going on in the licensed colonies.

District Town Planner (DTP), RS Bhatt said that after the permission of the Deputy Commissioner, a drone survey is underway to monitor the illegal construction activities.

"So far, a survey of about 3,000 acres of Garhi Harsaru and Palam Vihar areas has been done. Currently, this survey is being done in Bhondsi area. The survey is to be done on 12,000 acres in the district," Bhatt told IANS.

The DTP also presented a detailed report of the sealing of properties related to commercial activities in Sushant Lok Phase-1 before the Deputy Commissioner.

Bhatt also told the deputy commissioner that a large number of illegal commercial activities are being conducted in Phase 1, 2 and 3 of Sushant Lok including Phase 1 and 2 of DLF, which need to be sealed with immediate effect.

A demolition drive was also carried out at village Mahendarwara and Bhondsi on Tuesday by a team of DTCP led by Bhatt.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The financial intelligence agencies probing the Kanpur/Kannauj raid of around Rs 200 crore have found shocking inputs that a firm linked to Kanpur businessman Piyush Jain was sending raw materials for perfume to Dubai in exchange of which he was receiving gold bars.

The gold bars have been seized by the officials of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). A team from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has also been called to look into the matter.

"On Monday, 23 kg gold and 600 kg sandalwood oil having a market value of about Rs 6 crore were seized from Jain's office and factory premises, which were hidden in an underground storage. Since the gold recovered has foreign markings, the DRI has been roped in to conduct the necessary investigations," said a GST official.

Sources privy to the investigation suspect that this was being done to avoid taxes and Customs duty.

Jain was also sending raw materials for purfume to Singapore-based firms.

"He has links in Singapore too. He used the same modus operandi while sending raw materials for perfume to Singapore. Not only raw materials of perfume, other undeclared items were also being sent abroad," said a source.

A GST official said that the raids are still underway.

"We duly informed the DRI. We are making a new file to send it to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This is also a case of money laundering. The ED will file a case based on our probe," said a GST official.

On Monday, Jain was remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a local court after he was arrested under Section 132 of CGST Act.

"Jain has accepted that the cash recovered from his residential premises is related to sale of goods without payment of GST," said a GST official.
Chennai, Dec 28 : The NEET exemption bill, passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly was under consideration of the Governor, the Raj Bhavan said in a responses to a Right to Information (RTI) query.

The query was filed by P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System, under the RTI Act to know the status of the bill.

Talking to IANS, Gajendra Babu said: "The response to my query on the status of the NEET exemption bill was that it was under the consideration of the Hon Governor of Tamil Nadu." He said that the order was given on December 17 by S. Venkateshwaran, Public Information Officer of Raj Bhavan, and an Under Secretary to the Governor.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and the office of the Chief Secretary are yet to respond to the query.

The bill was passed to the Raj Bhavan to forward it to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Presidential assent while Banwarilal Purohit was the Governor.

The Assembly had, on September 13, passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill 2021, which states to dispense with the requirements for candidates to qualify in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and allied courses.

Tamil Nadu wants the students to be admitted to MBBS and BDS courses through the marks they secured in the plus two examinations.
Kolkata, Dec 28 : A Chinese national, identified as Shiring Dorji, was arrested by the Seema Suraksha Bal personnel while trying to enter India from Nepal in West Bengal's Siliguri, officials said on Tuesday.

Arrested when he was trying to enter India through the Panitanki border in Khadibadi block near Siliguri on Sunday, Dorji, 27, is the sixth Chinese national arrested while they were trying to enter the state through different borders of the state.

After intercepting Dorji, the SSB found fake Aadhaar and PAN cards on him and he was handed over to Khadibadi police.

Police also said that the man had three ATM cards of Indian banks, mobile phones, and some Indian and Chinese currency.

Dorji was produced before a Siliguri court and sent to police custody.

"This entry of Chinese people into India is becoming an alarming trend and we need to be more careful about that. We are also trying to know whether he came alone or if there were some other people who came with him," a senior district police officer said.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : Telangana on Tuesday achieved 100 cent per coverage of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Health Minister T. Harish Rao announced told a news conference that Telangana is the first among states with large population to give first dose of the vaccine to all eligible beneficiaries among the targeted population.

He said so far only states with smaller population or Union Territories had achieved this milestone, and the national average in vaccination of dose is 90 per cent.

The health authorities on Tuesday administered the first dose to 87,039 individuals, reaching the target of 2.77 crore.

The minister cut a cake along with Secretary, Health, S.A.M. Rizvi, Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao and other officials to mark the occasion.

The minister said 66.1 per cent of the targeted population has taken both the doses. and this was three per cent higher than the national average of 63 per cent.

Rao said the Health Department and other departments would now focus on the second dose, as there are nearly 27 lakh individuals who are yet to get it.

He was hopeful that 100 per cent coverage would be achieved in the second or third week of January. "If necessary, health workers will go door to door to administer a second dose," he said.

Rao announced that Covid vaccination for children between 15-18 years will be launched on January 3.

The arrangements for vaccination will be made in primary health centres and government-run hospitals. The state will allow online bookings through Cowin portal in Hyderabad and other municipal corporations. In areas other than municipal corporations, children can walk in and take the vaccine. All the beneficiaries will be given Covaxin. The state has 62.79 lakh children in 15-18 year age group.

The minister announced that citizens above 60 years of age and frontline warriors will be given booster dose from January 10. The state has 41.60 lakh people aged over 60 years while there are 6.34 lakh frontline warriors including health workers, municipal employees, police personnel and media persons.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : While the Congress on Tuesday celebrated its 137th foundation day across the country, the grand old party's presence has been reduced to just three states -- Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Rajasthan -- besides being part of the coalition government in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Alarmingly, the party now has less than 100 MPs -- 87 -- in both Houses of the Parliament.

As per the Lok Sabha website, out of the 542 members in the Lower House, Congress has only 53 MPs as against BJP's 301. In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 34 MPs besides having the leader of opposition status, though the party is completely outnumbered by BJP's 97 members in the Upper House.

The Congress has been decimated in the states too with regional parties taking its place in states where once the party held strong, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala where other parties have gained at Congress' expense.

The Congress is a junior partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra where it had ruled for 15 years as a senior coalition partner with the NCP. Similarly, in Jharkhand it is in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

The Congress has around 764 MLAs across the country, as against around 1,432 of the BJP. Moreover, it has been reduced to single digits in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh (7), while it managed to win just 19 seats in Bihar in 2020. In Odisha, it has 9 MLAs while it failed to open its account in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. Notably, the party was in power in all these states before except for West Bengal.

On the occasion of the party's 137th foundation day, interim party President Sonia Gandhi said in a video message that the Congress is committed to protecting the ethos of the country despite electoral setbacks.

Though the Congress has faced electoral defeats, the party will continue to fight, Sonia Gandhi said, adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable, but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all the people of the country.

"Let there be no doubt over our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy," she said.

Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress has over the decades confronted several challenges. The party rededicated itself to the ideals, values and principles of the organisation that has been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest and most selfless Indians of the 20th century, Sonia Gandhi said.

But the party's humiliating loss in 2014 and 2019 general elections has come as a major jolt, even more than the Emergency in 1975 after which the Congress was wiped out of power in 1977 though it managed to win 154 seats and garnered approximately 34 per cent of the vote share.
Barcelona, Dec 28 : Manchester City forward Ferran Torres completed a permanent move to La Liga side Barcelona, the Spanish club said on Tuesday. However, the financial details of the deal were not disclosed by Barcelona.

"Torres has signed a contract until June 2027 and the Spain international will have a release clause of 1 billion euros," Barca said.

"Hello Culers, I am very happy to announce that today I will join the club. See you soon," Torres said in a video.

Torres joined City from Spain's Valencia in August last year on a five-year deal and made 43 appearances for the English top-flight side in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.

The 21-year-old Spanish forward arrived at Barcelona for a medical on Monday.

Torres, who has been injured since October with a fractured metatarsal picked up on international duty, posted a video on social media on Sunday of him training on his own in a pitch in Valencia. And on Monday morning he was snapped arriving at a Barcelona hospital to undergo a medical with his new club.
Hubballi : , Dec 28 (IANS) In wake of a BJP lawmaker's suggestion that he should take a "brief rest", Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that he had "the energy and inspiration to work tirelessly without rest all 365 days of the year".

"I have the energy to work tirelessly. I have resolved to work atleast 15 hours a day. Bringing the BJP back to power in the 2023 election is my aim. Preparations will be on in this regard," he told media persons on his arrival at Hubballi airport for the two day BJP State Executive Committee meeting that began on Tuesday.

He was responding to BJP MLA M.P. Kumaraswamy's statement that he should take a brief rest.

The two-day meet will have deliberations on issues related to party organisation and political developments, and a few significant decisions would be taken. BJP national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Arun Singh and the state President would decide the agenda for the meeting, Bommai said.

Replying to a question about the recent the ACB raid at the BDA, Bommai said that a request for permission to file an FIR has been received. Permission would be granted without any delay for the request from the Internal Vigilance Cell.

Reacting to Arun Singh's statement that the 2023 election would be fought under his leadership, Bommai said: "The Central leadership has reposed faith in me. BJP believes in teamwork. We will work unitedly. There is good coordination between the government and party."
Patna, Dec 28 : Five children of a family died on Tuesday in Bihar's Banka district after a fire broke out at their house following a leakage in the pipe of an LPG cylinder, the police said.

The incident took place in Rajawar village. The deceased have been identified as Ankush Kumar, Shivani Kumari, Seema Kumari, Soni Kumari and Ansu Kumari.

Senior officials including the district magistrate and the superintendent of police had rushed to the spot along with the firefighters.

Banka Superintendent of Police, Arvind Kumar Gupta said the mishap took place around 6 p.m. at the house of one Ashok Paswan.

"Paswan's wife Sarita Devi was cooking when the leakage appeared in the pipe. Soon, a fire broke out and it spread across the area where the children were present," Gupta told IANS.

Sarita Devi managed to escape to safety but her children were trapped inside. The cylinder, however, did not explode.

"We are taking statements from the victim's family members. The FSL team is also collecting samples from the house to ascertain the actual cause of the incident. The bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem," Gupta said.
Hyderabad, Dec 28 : At a time when several states imposed night curfew and other restrictions in view of threat posed by Omicron, the Telangana government has decided to extend timings for bars, pubs and liquor shops on New Year's Eve.

The state government on Tuesday issued an order, allowing Director, Prohibition and Excise Department to permit license holders of bars, licensees of event permit managements, and in-house licensees of Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) to serve liquor up to 1 a.m. on the intervening night of December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022.

Relaxing the rules, the government also allowed liquor shops to sell liquor till 12 midnight of December 31 on the eve of New Year celebrations.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar issued an order to this effect. This comes at a time when states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh imposed restrictions including night curfew in view of Covid-19 situation.

Telangana on Tuesday reported seven new Omicron cases including three who had no travel history. The new cases pushed the state's tally of the new variant of Covid-19 to 62.

Earlier, Health Minister T. Harish Rao sought to justify the government not imposing restrictions in view of the low positivity rate.

He said the Centre advised only those states who have 10 per cent or higher Covid positivity rate to impose curbs. "Our positivity rate is only 0.6 per cent and in fact it has come down compared to last week," he said.

The state government on December 25 issues orders banning rallies and public meetings in the state till January 2. The orders were issued following the direction of the Telangana High Court to imposing curbs on public gatherings. However, the state has not banned New Year celebrations.

The High Court on December 23 had directed the state government to impose curbs during festivals and New Year celebrations in view of Omicron.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The raids by multiple financial agencies are still underway at the different premises of Kanpur-based perfumer Piyush Jain, who was arrested by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence(DGGI) under the GST Act on Monday.

Cash worth around Rs 200 crore, gold bars and sandalwood oil have been found from his premises in Kanpur and Kannauj, following which more agencies have been roped in to probe the matter. IANS now takes a look at how it all started.

Tip of the iceberg was fake invoices of Rs 50,000 It all started when a special team of the Ahmedabad unit of DGGI found fake invoices of below Rs 50,000, which were issued by Ganpati Road Carriers to avoid Customs duty and taxes. Piyush Jain had connection with Ganpati Road Carriers.

After gathering information about Ganpati Road Carriers and its owners and partners, the DGGI team decided to raid their premises.

The first raid was conducted at the premises of Trimuti Fragrance Pvt ltd (the manufacturers of Shikhar brand pan masala and other tobacco products), which is reportedly owned by Piyush Jain.

The DGGI unit did not stop there, as they had more information about the uncounted cash. Later, another raid was conducted at Ganpati Road Carriers. The products made at Trimuti Fragrance Pvt ltd were being transported to different locations by Ganpati Road Carriers.

The manufacturer (Trimuti Fragrance) was supplying the goods, but was not paying the applicable taxes. Ganpati Road Carriers used to generate fake invoices of below Rs 50,000.

"We intercepted four trucks full of goods. We were surprised as all the invoices were of below Rs 50,000. For products which have value of more than Rs 50,000, you will have to generate e-way bills, otherwise the states will not allow the good-laden truck to enter their territory. This was the reason they created all the bills of below Rs 50,000 to give us a slip. But we got suspicious and discussed the matter with our seniors to conduct raids at the premises of the transporter and the manufacturer," said a source.

Ganpati Road Carriers always generated multiple invoices in the name of nonexistent firms. It also used to collect cash payments against the sale/purchase of the goods and would return them to Trimuti Fragrance after deducting the commission.

On December 22, the DGGI seized four goods laden trucks from outside the factory premises of Trimuti Fragrance, which were cleared from the factory without invoices or e-way bills, confirming the suspicion of the intelligence agencies.

The officials found that all the finished products were being supplied without paying GST. The authorised signatory of the company confessed to this during interrogation.

The GST officials also recovered 200 fake invoices issued by Ganpati Road Carriers.

Recovery of bundles of notes After this, the authorities sent another team to the residential address of Odochem Industries, a private firm which supplied raw materials to Trimuti Fragrance Private Ltd.

During the search proceedings, huge amount of cash was found wrapped in paper.

"It was a heap of cash. We had to take the help of officials from the State Bank of India, who suggested that without note counting machine, it was not possible to count the cash. Around 20 counting machines were then used. We kept on counting the cash for three days, till December 28, which came to around Rs 200 crore," an official said.

The DGGI team then roped in the Income Tax Department as the matter was not just about avoiding Customs duty, but also involved tax evasion.

The interrogation The DGGI team then detained Praveen Jain, the owner of Ganpati Road Carriers. But he did not give satisfactory answers to the probe team and even tried to mislead them. The team found that Piyush Jain, the brother-in-law of Praveen Jain, played a big role in the entire nexus. A team was immediately sent to the residence of Piyush in Kanpur from where he was detained.

"We questioned him about the cash but he tried to avoid our all queries. We then took him to his paternal house in Kannauj to conduct a search and recovered 2.5 kg gold from there," the official said.

How did he hide the cash and gold? Piysh Jain hid the cash in a secret chamber in the basement of his house. The cash was wrapped in paper. There were sacks full of cash, while gold bars were hidden in a cupboard.

The DGCI officials have so far recovered 23 kg gold, sandalwood oil worth Rs 6 crore, 500 keys, 109 locks and 18 lockers. The financial intelligence agencies have claimed that Piyush Jain has four properties in Kanpur, seven in Kannauj, two in Mumbai, and one in Delhi. He also reportedly has two properties in Dubai, which the agencies are probing.

The DGGI has lodged a case under Section 67 of the GST Act. The I-T Department will look into the tax evasion angle of the case. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is also probing the matter as the gold bars were reportedly brought from Dubai.

A comprehensive report is being prepared by the DGGI, which will be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate. The ED can in future file case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Inability to raise money for future unidentifiable acquisitions would impact capital raising plans of some unicorns, experts said after SEBI announced new IPO norms.

Yash Ashar, Partner and Head, Capital Markets, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said the companies impacted are particularly those which may not have any other use of capital and where the existing shareholders are not keen to sell.

SEBI, at its recently-concluded last board meeting for 2021, among other proposals, made certain changes to the issue structure of an IPO in India. These include restricting the quantum of issue proceeds a company can use for unidentified inorganic growth, as well as restricting the number of shares that can be offered by selling shareholders and increasing the lock up of shares subscribed by anchor investors.

"Inability to raise money for future unidentifiable acquisitions would impact capital raising plans of some unicorns, particularly where such companies may not have any other use of capital and where existing shareholders are not keen to sell," Ashar said.

Ashar said large amount of flexibility to use funds is a hallmark of those listing their equity shares on international stock exchanges, and investors vote with their feet when they are not happy with the use of such funds, including any new acquisition which they don't like.

These amendments are mainly a reaction to several IPOs earlier this year and follow after consultation papers were issued by SEBI. These proposed changes to the law could have long-term impact, he added.

"The regulator could have prescribed additional and more detailed continuous disclosures and monitoring, keeping in mind the existing requirements, including shareholder approval for proposed acquisitions. These changes may impact the plans of the issuers planning to list on Indian stock exchanges," Ashar said.

SEBI has prescribed changes in the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) filed on or after notification in the Official Gazette.

In the conditions for objects of the issue, it said where the issuer company in its offer documents sets out an object for future inorganic growth but has not identified any acquisition or investment target, the amount for such objects and the amount for general corporate purpose (GCP) shall not exceed 35 per cent of the total amount being raised.

The amount so earmarked for such objects where the issuer company has not identified acquisition or investment target, as mentioned in objects of the issue in the draft offer document and the offer document, shall not exceed 25 per cent of the amount being raised by the issuer.
Chennai, Dec 28 : The activists in Tamil Nadu have demanded quality check of all flats of the state after a building of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHBD)collapsed in Tiruvattiyoor town.

The activists have demanded a total change in the board's quality control mechanism as well as on the quality of all old residences in the state.

J. Sebastian, Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board Residents Welfare Committee said that the government must have the commitment to conduct quality checks on the slum board flats.

He said that the government had ordered an inspection of all school buildings in the state after the restroom of a school building in Tirunelveli collapsed, killing three children. The activist said that the government should announce a quality check on the buildings it had constructed under the TNUHDB category.

He said that the recently constructed building of the TNUHDB at K.R. Park was of poor quality and so was the old building that collapsed at Tiruvattiyoor.

Venessa Peter, founder-director of Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities, in a statement, said that there was a need for a permanent third party quality check of the TNUHDB tenements and flats constructed across the state.

She said that preference for quality check is given to older tenements across the state with a specific timeline for demolition and reconstruction of dilapidated tenements with community participation.

AIADMK leader Sundara Ramamoorthy told IANS: "The government should immediately take action against all those who are responsible for the failure to conduct quality check in the buildings of TNUHDB and the erring officers be punished in a fitting manner."
New Delhi, Dec 28 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary, among other authorities, to monitor and coordinate the issue related to the protection of ecology in Manali and Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh.

"We hope constant vigil will be maintained for the protection of ecology and review meetings will continue to be held at the level of Chief Secretary periodically," the bench headed by NGT chief, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel (retd) said in a recent order.

Proceedings commenced on the basis of a letter addressed to the Himachal Pradesh High Court's Chief Justice with the grievance that 4,000-5,000 vehicles were making round trips from Manali to Rohtang Pass resulting in huge pollution and damage to the environment.

In the decade-old matter, on October 21, 2010, a division bench of the high court directed the Chief Secretary, to come up with an appropriate proposal in the matter to control the vehicular movement.

In the latest development in the issue, on July 30, 2020, in the light of status report dated June 29 last year under different headings, the direction was issued for taking further steps and filing an updated status report. The matter was last considered on June 8 in the light of a report dated January 21, filed by the state's Principal Secretary, Environment, giving the status of ropeways, sewage treatment plant, parking facilities, eco-friendly market, solid waste management facility, nature park, electric buses, air quality and vehicular emissions, and testing of samples from the STP.

The representative of the Transport Department submitted that there are 25 electric buses that are operated on the Manali-Rohtang stretch by the Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation. Seven charging points have been provided at Manali, four at Kullu and four at Mandi for their smooth operation.

In the latest submission, the Member-Secretary, HPPCB submitted that the Regional Office, Kullu is continuously monitoring the ambient air quality of the Rohtang area at all specified locations, along with the vehicular emission checking-cum-awareness. He further informed that the AAQ parameters such as NOx and SO2 are within prescribed limits.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : Introducing the indigenously developed 'Vehicle-mounted Drain Cleaning System, Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, said on Tuesday that this is the 'beginning of a new chapter in collaborative business model', adding that it forges the specialised expertise of government technology institutions, ministries, manufacturers and agencies to develop a seamless economic framework for time-bound and efficient delivery of impactful products to the society.

CSIR-CMERI on Tuesday handed over the non-exclusive rights for technology know-how of the indigenously developed 'Vehicle-mounted Drain Cleaning System' to MANIAR & CO, Ahmedabad. The system is a mechanised scavenging system consisting of 3 modules -- recycled slurry water unit, closed loop feedback system, and post cleaning inspection system.

Congratulating the initiative, V.K. Chaurasia, Joint Advisor, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said the deployment of the technology in the society through the various civic administration agencies across the nation will resolve the huge challenge associated with 'eradication of manual scavenging' from India.

Chaurasia said the adoption of the technology across the nation will help create 'regional manufacturing hubs', which will consequently help drastically improve the employment scenario and economic prospects across the nation.

Besides, the CSIR-CMERI Municipal Solid Waste Management Technology also holds the potential to be the 'game-changer' in the domain of waste management and help realise the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a 'zero-landfill India'.
New Delhi : Resident doctors of a government medical college hospital stage protest over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi,on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Dec 28 : Soon after resident doctors protesting in front of the Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly roughed up by Delhi Police, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) President Dr Rakesh Bagdi tweeted: "Depressed, exhausted, cheated now arrested.

"Thank you Nation for ur repay for all services we had given in this hard time (sic)." That summed up the mood of the doctors protesting since November 27 but became the talking point across India only when they took to the streets. The doctors, under the banner of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), have been staging protests across India and were soon joined by the FAIMA.

The resident doctors' demands are simple: Conduct counseling for NEET-PG examination, the National Eligibility Entrance Test for entrance to post-graduate courses, so that those selected will add to the strength of existing inadequate number of resident doctors across medical institutions in India.

Since March 2020, it has been the resident doctors that have borne the maximum load of the pandemic with long hours of duties, endless time away from families and, in several cases, facing the wrath of relatives of the patients who succumbed to coronavirus.

The resident doctors were hoping to get additional hands once the NEET PG admissions were done. The examination that was scheduled in April 2021 was postponed due to the second wave that time. In September, finally the written examination was conducted but the interviews/counseling sessions have been pending.

The government has been delaying it as it claimed the matter about Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota is sub judice and hence it cannot go ahead with the admissions.

At a time when India and the whole world is staring at a possible third wave thanks to the Omicron variant, the doctors can always do with additional hands. With the government not relenting, the resident doctors across India started the protests since November 27.

The events that unfolded on the streets of Delhi when the Delhi Police pushed and shoved them, including female doctors, allegedly baton-charged them, bundled them into buses and arrested them - and also lodged an FIR - the doctors became more restless. Delhi Police, however, denied any usage of "force or lathicharge" on the resident doctors and said they have "highest regard for the doctors".

With the government not agreeing to their demands, doctors on Tuesday said they will declare their further course of action soon.
Patna, Dec 28 : BJP MLA Lakhendra Kumar Raushan was forced to leave his native village in Bihar's Vaishali district on Tuesday as local residents strongly protested his lack of concern towards a case of rape and murder there.

Raushan went to his native village Shahpur Bijrauli, under his constituency Patepur (SC), to console the family of rape-cum-murder victim three days after the incident.

But, his tardy arrival evoked resentment, with villagers saying that he hailed from the village but did not come there for three days.

A video of this incident, going viral on social media, shows the villagers shouting "go back" slogans at the MLA, and forcing his convoy to return. There is no place for him in the village, the villagers were saying in the video.

The victim, a Dalit teenager, went missing from her house a week ago, and her family members alleged that she was kidnapped by a strongman of the village.

"We requested the strongman to return my daughter and he assured us to send her back home after couple of days. He did not... Her semi-naked body was found near the pond of the village three days ago," said a family member of the victim.

Following the incident, the villages conducted candle march in the village and also requested the local administration to take action against the accused.

RJD leader Shiv Chandra Ram and RJD MLA from Rajapakad constituency Pratima Kumar had visited the village and consoled the family members after the incident.

"When the victim was kidnapped by that strongman, the incident came in the knowledge of all district administration and public representatives. Raushan is a local MLA and also a native of this village, still, he did not come. If he would have taken initiative earlier, the life of the victim could have been saved," said another relative of the victim.
New Delhi, Dec 28 : An Indian scientist, from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, is leading a research group for the development of efficient next-generation low-cost semiconductor materials, which can contribute to India's technological leadership in this area.

India has recently announced an incentive of Rs 2,30,000 crore to position itself as a global hub for electronics manufacturing with semiconductors as the foundational building block. "Efficient next-generation low-cost semiconductor materials could pave the path towards positioning India as the global hub for Electronic System Design and Manufacturing as per the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," a Science & Technology on Ministry release said on Tuesday.

Large-scale commercially viable electronic applications can be realised by low energy, processible materials such as metal halide perovskite and organic semiconductors. However, in competing with traditional inorganic semiconductors, these materials still lag in electrical conductivity. This lag can be addressed through doping to introduce more numbers of free electrons (or holes) to increase conductivity, or to control the charge injection/extraction properties at the interface of other semiconductors or metals, thus affecting the performance of devices.

Most of the attention of the research community has been in developing electronic dopants systems that are based on highly complex and reactive organic or organometallic complexes, which are largely inefficient and leave behind side products which affect the long-term stability of devices.

"Thus there is a need to look beyond these approaches and beyond the state-of-the-art research in electronic doping," the release said, adding, TIFR Reader, and Swarnajayanti Fellow for 2020-21, Pabitra K. Nayak, is leading the team of researchers that is pushing for development of the efficient next-generation low-cost semiconductor materials.

Nayak pointed out that all these possibilities will improve India's competitiveness in semiconductor materials research and development, which is essential for sustainable socio-economic growth driven by the usage of clean energy.
Centurion, Dec 28 : The credit for India's formidable pace bowling attack should go to every playing member, who have put in all the hard yards in the last 6-7 years feels Mohammed Shami, whose five-wicket haul put India in a commanding position against South Africa on the third day of the first Test of the three-match series, at SuperSport Park, here on Tuesday.

The 31-year old bowled brilliantly and took a five-wicket haul (5/44), helping India bundle out South Africa on a low total. It was his 6th five-wicket haul in Tests.

"Indian pace bowling is a formidable one because each and every member has worked hard and achieved it all with their sheer hard work. They have created their own little niche for themselves and yes they are the ones who have put in an immense amount of hard work in the last 6-7 years. They are here on their own," said Shami in the post-match presentation.

"Yes, credit goes to support staff. They support your skill but it's not fair that you take any particular name. What you should see is what kind of effort that these boys have put in and I give credit to boys who have put in the effort," he added.

Shami's fifer also helped him achieve a personal milestone of 200 wickets. He is now third-fastest among Indian pacers to reach the landmark, achieving it in his 55th Test match.

Overall, he is the 11th Indian bowler to pick up 200 or more wickets and only the fifth fast bowler to reach the milestone. Shami is only behind Kapil Dev (434), Ishant Sharma (311), Zaheer Khan (311), and Javagal Srinath (236), at the moment.

When asked about whether he ever dreamt of picking 200 Test wickets, Shami mentioned that he only believes in working hard and results are part of the process.

"No one can ever dream as to what he can ultimately achieve when you are coming up the ranks and struggling to make a mark. Your dream is to become an India player and play with those whom you have seen on TV," he said.

"All you can do is work hard and if you work hard you are bound to get results," he added.

The pacer feels that a lead of 350-400 in the second innings and at least three to four sessions to bowl at Proteas could be enough for India to register a win in Centurion.

"A lead of 146 is fine but two days are still left. We have to bat for the better part of tomorrow and if we can make around 250 (in second innings) and the lead is close to 400, then we can give them four sessions or maybe a bit more," Shami said.

"But that depends on the captain but a minimum of 350 to 400 runs will be required for sure," he concluded.
WASHINGTON D.C., June 2, 2015 (Xinhua) -- A plane of Delta Air Lines is seen at Ronald Reagon Airport in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 2, 2015. At least five bomb threats were reported on Tuesday against flights of U.S. Airways, Delta Image Source: IANS News

New York, Dec 29 : Airlines continue to cut flights as rising numbers of staff are infected by the Omicron coronavirus variant and bad winter weather disrupts parts of the US.

As of Tuesday morning, 2,182 flights set to depart in the day have been canceled, and the cancellations have amounted to about 13,000 since Friday morning, according to figures from the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Of Tuesday's cancellations, 675 -- just under a third -- were flights within, into, or out of the US. United Airlines has canceled 115 flights or 5 per cent of its total flights for the day. Alaska Airlines has canceled 50 flights scheduled for Tuesday or 8 per cent of its flights, and JetBlue has canceled 75 flights or 7 per cent of its schedule, according to the website's data.

"The highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 has fueled a rising wave of infections across the US and caused significant disruptions to holiday travel," reported CBS News, noting that from Friday to Monday, more than 5,400 flights in the country were canceled and thousands more were delayed, with airlines citing staff shortages caused by Covid-19 infections among pilots, crew and other airline workers out sick.

Meanwhile, Delta, Alaska, and SkyWest said that harsh weather conditions in parts of the US, including heavy snow in Washington state on Sunday, were also to blame for some cancellations, reported Business Insider.

Delta has canceled 81 flights on Tuesday or 3 per cent, and Spirit has canceled 69 or 8 per cent. SkyWest has canceled 139 flights on Tuesday, or about 6 per cent of its scheduled flights.

"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," CNN quoted a United memo as saying.

Delta also said the cancellations are due to multiple issues, including the Omicron variant.

"We apologise to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans," Delta added in a statement.

Airlines were already having trouble finding enough crew to meet the surge in demand for travel, said the report.

"Omicron is making that labor shortage even worse. Staffing shortages are leading to overworked flight crews and most of the canceled flights. Less choice in flights has led to higher ticket prices. And altercations over masks have been the cherry on the top of a miserable year for travel," it added.

Officials with various airline unions said that their members are stressed to the "breaking point" by work conditions because of understaffing. Many pilots and flight attendants said they're having trouble getting the hotel rooms they need to meet the government-mandated rest requirements while working, according to the report.

American Airlines and Southwest blamed service meltdowns in October and November on lacking enough pilots and flight attendants to adjust for weather-related cancellations. Pilots at American Airlines have held informational pickets in recent weeks to complain about work conditions, and the airline unions correctly predicted that the problems would get worse with the pick-up in travel over the holidays, it added.

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, told MSNBC on Monday that "when you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated. If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered." "Omicron is different ... It has extraordinary capability of transmitting very efficiently from person to person," he said.

The US already requires foreign visitors to show proof of vaccination to board an international flight to the country but there is no such rule for domestic travelers.

However, in a CNN interview on Monday evening, Fauci said that he doubted the US administration would call for vaccine mandates for domestic flights "in the reasonable foreseeable future." US President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters on Monday, declined to say whether he endorsed a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel. The President has previously said he did not consider them necessary.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, Dec 29 : Karnataka has become the first state in the country to adopt cashless payment solutions to facilitate education scholarship fee payment for eligible students. e-RUPI allows cashless payment solutions through a digital QR or SMS string which can be easily redeemed at the identified institute.

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), State Bank of India (SBI) and Department of e-governance, Karnataka government, have partnered for enabling and implementing e-RUPI, a cashless and contactless payment solution to students under its scholarship programme.

e-RUPI will be used to ensure a leak-proof delivery of education fee of eligible students by paying digitally to the college or institute by the Karnataka government. The Karnataka government will get e-vouchers delivered on the mobile phones of eligible students. The voucher code can be received on feature phone as well.

The students will be able to redeem e-RUPI at the identified colleges or institutes for the intended purpose of fee payment.

Karnataka government has on-boarded around 176 schemes of 35 departments under it on the Direct Benefit Transfer platform. Apart from the scholarship scheme, other major schemes which have been on-boarded are minimum price support schemes, PM-Kisan state scheme, CM Relief Fund, housing schemes and milk incentive scheme.

Rajiv Chawla, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-governance), Karnataka government, said, "e-RUPI is indeed a very powerful tool for governments to use as it allows direct transfer of the benefits to the targeted beneficiary with safety and security. The instrument ensures that the beneficiary gets the benefit as per the guidelines of the scheme. Under this initiative, each transaction is mapped with the beneficiary and the institution ensuring that the e-voucher can be redeemed by the college where the student has enrolled." For redeeming e-RUPI, the identified institutes will scan the QR code or SMS string displayed by the students using an app or POS machine. The process will remove the requirement of any physical token delivery for the students to avail of the scholarship.

Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, Managing Director, Retail and Digital Banking, SBI, said, "The e-RUPI (UPI prepaid voucher) was launched on August 2 this year by Prime Minister Modi for Covid-19 vaccination as the first-use case. Owing to its hassle-free usage coupled with its secured and cashless features, the government has envisaged to extend the use of e-RUPI to other use cases like DBT, scholarships, kerosene oil distribution, subsidised distribution of foodgrains, donations, grocery. SBI is one of the leading banks in the implementation of e-RUPI for other use cases by providing end-to-end solution to the Karnataka government for distribution of scholarships to the students for their studies." Kunal Kalawatia, Chief of Products, NPCI, said, "We are delighted to offer our e-RUPI solution to the Karnataka government for empowering students with hassle-free scholarships. At NPCI, we are continuously working on harnessing India's technological and digital prowess by constantly developing path-breaking digital products and services. We believe e-RUPI is a revolutionary initiative in the direction of ensuring a convenient and leak-proof delivery of schemes. This is a win-win for both students and colleges. While students receive the voucher, they can redeem it only for payment of fee to colleges or institutes." Following the successful implementation of this pilot project, the state is examining the use of e-RUPI voucher in other schemes such as seed distribution, fertiliser distribution, micro- irrigation schemes, issuing of laptops to students and imparting skilled training.
New Delhi, Dec 29 : The Union government has notified the Consumer Protection Rules, 2021, and asked the direct selling companies to comply with these rules within 90 days.

According to the new rules of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, it will be applicable to all goods and services bought or sold through direct selling, all direct selling companies offering goods and services to consumers in India, including a direct selling entity, which is not established in India, but offers goods or services to consumers.

Under the new norms, all the direct selling companies and sellers are prohibited from promoting a pyramid scheme or enroll any person to such scheme or participate in such arrangement in any manner whatsoever in the garb of doing direct selling business or participating in money circulation scheme in the garb of doing direct selling business.

The new rules direct the state governments to set up a mechanism to monitor and supervise the activities of direct sellers and direct selling entity while it makes a mandatory obligation for direct selling entities such as incorporation under the Companies Act, 2013, or if a partnership firm be registered under the Partnership Act, 1932, or if a limited liability partnership be registered under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.

It is also now mandatory to have a minimum one physical location as its registered office within India and the companies to make a self-declaration that a direct selling entity has complied with the provisions of the direct selling rules.

The entities must have a prior written contract with its direct sellers in order to authorise them to sell or offer to sell its goods or services, and the terms of such agreement will be just, fair and equitable, ensure that all its direct sellers have verified identities and physical addresses, issue identity cards and documents only to such direct sellers and also be liable for the grievances arising out of the sale of goods or services by its direct sellers.

Every direct selling entity must establish a mechanism for filing of complaints by consumers through its offices or branches or direct sellers, either in person or through post, telephone, e-mail or website whereas all direct selling entities must maintain a record of all its direct sellers, including their identity proof, address proof, e-mail and other such information.

Every direct selling entity on the request in writing made by a consumer after the purchase of any goods or services, provide him with the information regarding any direct seller from whom such consumer has made a purchase, and such information must include the name, address, e-mail, contact number and any other information which is necessary for making communication with such direct seller for effective dispute resolution.

The new rules also specified that every direct selling entity must ensure that the advertisements for marketing of goods or services are consistent with the actual characteristics, access and usage conditions of such goods or services while no direct selling entity should directly or indirectly, falsely represent itself as a consumer and post reviews about its goods or services or misrepresent the quality or features of any of its goods or services.

Every direct selling entity must maintain a record of relevant information allowing for the identification of all direct sellers who have been delisted by the direct selling entity and such list must be publicly shared on its website and all direct selling entity must become a partner in the convergence process of the national consumer helpline of the Central government, the new norms added.
Tehran, Dec 29 : The Iranian Foreign Minister has said the talks in Vienna, Austria, on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal are on a "good path." In an address to the media on the sidelines of a Tuesday ceremony, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that "we have a unified and joint text, on which the Iranian negotiating team is focused," Iranian Foreign Ministry reported on its website.

The Iranian top diplomat added that the other parties to the deal are also focused on the issues "we placed in the text," which are those the sides have differences on, Xinhua news agency reported.

Enrique Mora, the European Union Deputy Foreign Policy Chief, has been actively making efforts to play the coordination role, Amir-Abdollahian said.

He added that if the other parties, including France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany continue the negotiations with goodwill, it will be possible to reach a good agreement in the near future.

Iran and the five signatories started the eighth round of talks in Vienna in a bid to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the US quit in 2018 under former President Donald Trump who then reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran.

The US has been indirectly taking part in the Vienna talks which have been held since April.

The 2015 nuclear deal eased the previous US sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's curbing its nuclear program, which the US-led western countries have suspected as an attempt to create nuclear weapons despite Iran's insistence that it is peaceful.
Berlin, Dec 29 : Germany introduced tighter restrictions nationwide for vaccinated and recovered people in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Germany announced the Covid restrictions on Tuesday. Private gatherings of vaccinated and recovered people are limited to 10 people while unvaccinated people can get together with up to two other external people per household. Children under the age of 14 years are excluded from these curbs.

New Year's Eve gatherings and the sale of fireworks during the last days of the year will be banned nationwide, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of confirmed Omicron variant infections in Germany increased by 45 per cent within one day, bringing the cumulative number to 10,443, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Tuesday.

Most of the country's laboratory-confirmed Omicron cases were in the 15 to 34 years age group, followed by 35 to 59-years-old, according to the RKI.

"The goal is to vaccinate in time and quickly so that we keep the coming Omicron wave at bay as much as possible and then build up sufficient protection in the population," a spokesperson of the Ministry of Health said on Monday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Tokyo, Dec 29 : Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the government will consider providing Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for all people in the country as much as possible, Kyodo News reported.

Kishida on Tuesday said in an interview with Kyodo News that the country's anti-virus measures will be made as fully operational so people can feel safe.

Japan has started giving third vaccine shots to healthcare workers since the beginning of December, and senior citizens will follow from February 2022, and then the general public later, Xinhua news agency reported.

The rate of those finishing two shots reached 77 per cent at the end of December.

Infection cases with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has not showed a surge in Japan, but community infection cases have been confirmed in some areas such as Osaka and Tokyo.

The government has offered free PCR and antigen testing in such areas and barred new entries by foreigners from abroad since November.

"Besides 31 million healthcare workers and elderly people, we'd like to consider bringing (the schedule for third shots) forward as much as possible," the Japanese Prime Minister added.
Holy Cow: The Miracle of Lifes First Food My love for Kay, and the desire to help her heal inspired my tenacity to bring bovine colostrum to more people. It is my lifelong dream to educate as many people as I can on the root causes of disease and the healing qualities of mammalians first food source, colostrum.

Today, Douglas Wyatt announces the publication of his debut book, Holy Cow: The Miracle of Lifes First Food. The aim of Wyatts new book is to introduce bovine colostrum to wellness-minded people who may be suffering with leaky gut or facing long-term immune challenges.

In the book, Wyatt explores the historical use of colostrum and milk from Ancient Egypt to present day, and chronicles his unlikely path to the rediscovery of bovine colostrum as he searched for answers for his ailing wife, Kay.

With an exploding crisis of chronic and autoimmune diseases in Western societies, Wyatt highlights colostrum's role in halting leaky gut, preventing the crossover of toxins from the gut to the rest of the body, and curtailing inappropriate inflammatory reactions over time, contribute to disease, debilitation, and premature death.

Desperation is an amazing tool to drive discovery, said Douglas Wyatt, director of research of the Vibrant Life Initiative. My love for Kay, and the desire to help her heal inspired my tenacity to bring bovine colostrum to more people. It is my lifelong dream to educate as many people as I can on the root causes of disease and the healing qualities of mammalians first food source, colostrum.

Bovine colostrum has emerged as an efficacious nutritional supplement with wide-ranging applications, and Wyatts book offers lasting health solutions.

Paperback editions of the novel retail for $19.95 and an e-book edition is available via Amazon Kindle for $6.95.

For more information, visit: holycowbook.org.

About Douglas Wyatt

Douglas Alan Wyatt is one of the United States pioneering authorities on the use of bovine colostrum for human and animal health, having been unofficially named The Modern Father of Colostrum. He is well known for his work promoting the use of bovine colostrum as a gastrointestinal and immune health supplement for the prevention and management of inflammatory-related and autoimmune conditions. He is also responsible for setting the gold standard in colostrum supplement manufacturing and credited with re-introducing bovine colostrum for human consumption. Mr. Wyatt believes that colostrums unique and powerful healing bio-actives show incredible promise for turning the tide on the prevention and treatment of the worlds increasing chronic disease epidemic and may now have a role to play in deadly emerging pathogens. My. Wyatt is also a veteran, having served as a Marine Helicopter Pilot during the Vietnam War.
American Armory Opportunity Zone Fund American Armory Opportunity Fund Launches Seeking Accredited Investors to Invest into Innovative Manufacturers of Firearms, Accessories, R&D, and Training Facilities

American Armory Opportunity Fund launches seeking accredited investors to invest into innovative companies involved in R&D, manufacturing and sales of firearms and accessories. The Fund also targets apparel, outfitters and safety & training facilities for inclusion in its portfolio. The Fund is raising their Series A round of $25,000,000.

The fund looks to support and invest in early-stage, start-up companies founded by passionate entrepreneurs. The focus is on companies that pioneer new approaches, display immense potential in their respective markets, offer disruptive and innovative ideas, target high growth markets, and are led by capable and trustworthy management. The American Armory Funds analysts and management play an active role in each company in which it is invested.

Through partnerships and collaboration, the fund helps start-ups develop sound business models, and the team serves as active partners, mentors, and brand ambassadors, and foster an entrepreneurial community. Having a diversified range of companies is central to the funds portfolio strategy. Which is why the fund invests in speed-ups as well as start-ups. For these growth-stage opportunity zone businesses, capital is the key to more product, more customers, and bigger successes. At the American Armory Opportunity Fund, the aim is to increase and expedite the growth stage of maturing businesses to create long-term, billion-dollar companies. Speed-ups; are well established in their current market and ready to execute clear plans to expand their business.

In this arena, the fund is more focused on the companys proven track record, the size of market and competition, and their barriers to expansion. The American Armory Opportunity Funds portfolio will be dynamic and ultimately be composed of a large number of companies. Many companies will exit and be replaced within the portfolio. As a result, the Management Team will continuously and extensively assess deal flow to reinvest over time.

Mission Statement

The American Armory Funds mission is to invest in innovative firearms and accessory manufacturers, R&D and training facilities that have a strong potential for market dominance. More Americans exercising their 2nd Amendment rights, enjoying sport shooting, hunting and participating in professional continuing education & training is good for our economy, our nation and our shareholders.

Investment Thesis

The American Armory Fund invests in innovative retail and distribution methodologies that embrace the new and future generations of firearms owners. Utilizing state-of-the-art inventory and supply chain management technology, and customer-centric education, training and sales centers, the Funds portfolio has a strong potential for market dominance in the sector. Modern consumers want advanced technologically and innovative products. Modern consumers want customization, knowledge, and personalized training. Younger and first-time purchasers of firearms want and need a more valuable experience than what big box retailers and mom & pop gun shops have been offering.

The Opportunity Zone program is a federal tax incentive established to bring billions of dollars to under-developed areas, creating economic opportunities where they are otherwise lacking. By offering attractive tax benefits to our investors, this program is considered a win-win-win; good for the economy, good for the communities, and good for the investors.

Performing in line with the intent of the legislation, the American Armory Opportunity Fund is focused on both venture partnerships and local economic impact. With this two-tiered strategy at the forefront, the fund invests in companies that not only offer promising returns, but also tangible economic influence in the communities in which they operate.

The American Armory Opportunity Fund brings all three pillars necessary for the long-term economic growth of OZ communities:

Committed, Patient Capital

The Workforce of the Future

Technology Innovation

Funds Investment Criteria:

Addressable Market Growth

Apt to Dominate Market

Distribution/Exit Strategy

Capability to Execute

Trustworthy Management

Measurable Economic Impact on Community

How Each Company Fits in Our Portfolio:

High Financial Returns

Diversification of Risk Across Portfolio

Complements our Ecosystem of Companies

Predictable Portfolio Cash Flows

Tax Efficiency

Impact, in the Zone and Elsewhere

Opportunity Zone Advantage

Opportunity Zones are designed to spur economic development by providing tax benefits to investors. First, investors can defer tax on any prior Capital Gains deposited into a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOF) for up to FIVE YEARS. Then, after five years they will ONLY be required to pay taxes on 90% of the original amount deposited thanks to a 10% Step Up Basis. Additionally, those deferred taxes at 90% will only be assessed at the CURRENT rate of 23.5% and therefore are likely to avoid far higher future capital gains tax rates.

Finally, after a required ten-year minimum term, the initial amount deposited PLUS all of the accrued interest derived from QOF property (real estate and business stock) can then be withdrawn from the QOF entirely TAX FREE.

Investor Opportunity

Initial Investment into the Fund: 0% Tax Due - One Million dollars invested today will appreciate tax free for five years.

5 Year Anniversary  10% Step Up Basis  On Deferred capital gains tax due at 23.5% assessed on $900,000, which is 10% less than the total one million invested.

10 Year Anniversary  Tax Free  If Opportunity Zone investment generates another $9 million in profit over the ten-year term, the entire $10 million can then be withdrawn tax free (Dollar amounts are used for example only).

Qualified Opportunity Zones

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) to provide potentially significant tax benefits to investors who re-invest capital gains into long-term investments into communities designated for economic development. There are over 8,500 QOZs across all US states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. They offer investors the ability to positively impact communities struggling to attract capital to generate sustainable economic opportunity for their communities.

Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds

A Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOF) is an investment vehicle which is organizes as a corporation or partnership for the purpose of investing (at least 90% of its assets) in qualified opportunity zone asset or businesses.

A qualified opportunity zone asset/property can be (so long as acquired after December 31,2017):

Stock in a domestic corporation that is a QOZ business.

Any capital or profits interest in a domestic Partnership that is a QOZ business

Tangible asset used in the trade or business of a QOZ business, where the QOF substantially. improves the asset

QOZF Benefits to the Taxpayer / Investors

Taxpayers may defer paying tax on capital gains, if such capital gains are invested in a QOF, within 180 days from the gain. The deferral period ends the earlier of when the taxpayer sells its interest in the QOF or the 5-year mark. Investments held for 5 years prior to that date will also qualify for a 10% increase in the tax-payers tax basis of the amount of the deferred gain. Any taxpayer that holds its investment for a minimum of 10 years, can achieve no capital gain tax on the appreciation of its investment.

Status: Open to Investors

Series Round A: $25,000,000

Total Fund: $50,000,000

Minimum Subscription: $100,000

Type of Fund: LLC

Asset Classification: Multiple Assets

Active Potential Investments: 3

Fund Administration: OZInvested.com

Anticipated Returns: +20%

Contact: invest@americanarmoryfund.com

For more information, please visit http://www.AmericanArmoryFund.com.

DISCLAIMER:

Articles featured on this website are for informational purposes only. This is not an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy American Armory Fund, LLC. That can only be done by our current Confidential Private Placement Memorandum (CPPM). Securities offered by American Armory Fund, LLC. For accredited Investors only. Limited liquidity. The shares being sold in this offering have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any states securities division. Nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities department passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the CPPM, or the disclosures provided therein. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by American Armory Fund, LLC and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.


As the ARCH team celebrates our 10th anniversary since the formation of the company ... it is appropriate that our 34th acquisition involves such a transformational business as North American Carbide.

ARCH Cutting Tools Corp., an ARCH Global Precision Company (ARCH), today announces the acquisition of North American Carbide (NAC), of Orchard Park, New York. North American Carbide brings a strong reputation, developed over more than 40 years, of providing highly engineered cutting solutions to the medical, aerospace, energy, and automotive industries. This, along with the organizations commitment to its customer relationships blends seamlessly with the ARCH Cutting Tools culture.

I am extremely proud to have the North American Carbide team join the ARCH family, said Jeff Cederstrom, Division President of ARCH Cutting Tools. ARCH Cutting Tools has enjoyed a strong working relationship with North American Carbide for many years. Passion for solving customers most challenging cutting tool applications, dedication to quality and an unyielding entrepreneurial spirit make this a strong cultural fit within the ARCH platform. North American Carbides custom insert capabilities adds a strategic dimension to the ARCH offering and takes ARCHs engineered cutting tool solutions to a new level for our customers. As the industry continues to move toward highly engineered solutions, we are proud to welcome NAC to the ARCH team!

Bob Gralke, CEO of North American Carbide, said, What an exciting time for the customers and employees of North American Carbide. We are all so fortunate to be partnering with ARCH Cutting Tools. Joining the ARCH team is a great cultural fit for our company and will allow us to support our customers and continue to give them the best overall value in our customized engineered cutting tools. Its great to be a part of a world class organization.

ARCH President and Chief Executive Officer Eli Crotzer notes the special significance of this acquisition for both organizations.

As the ARCH team celebrates our 10th anniversary since the formation of the company on December 21, 2011, it is appropriate that our 34th acquisition involves such a transformational business as North American Carbide. The highly engineered specialty inserts that NAC excels at are highly complementary to our operations in both Flushing, Michigan and Mentor, Ohio. I am confident that the combination of NAC and ARCH Cutting Tools will make both businesses stronger and more competitive in the marketplace. I would like to formally welcome all of the NAC employees to the ARCH team, and I would like to personally thank Bob Gralke and the broader Gralke family for the trust they have placed in ARCH to partner with them to take NAC to the next level.

About ARCH Cutting Tools

ARCH, a Jordan Company based in metro Detroit, is recognized as a world leader in high-performance solid round and indexable cutting tools. With manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, the companys engineering and machining facilities are dedicated to the betterment of precision machined parts, products, tools, and related supply chain processes. ARCH Cutting Tools combines the expertise of leading American manufacturing professionals and expanding technologies to serve the medical, aerospace and defense, and industrial markets.
JI_0035.JPG Penetron System helps resist hydrostatic pressure: This aerial view shows the concrete pour of the foundation of the Atlantic Crossing multi-use complex in Delray Beach, Florida. The Penetron System was the optimal solution to ensure the concrete remains impermeable  and provides permanent protection against water penetration.

The Atlantic Crossing in Delray Beach, Florida inaugurated the first two of six buildings in December 2021. These buildings, the projects first phase of construction, include ground floor shops and restaurants topped by offices along a pedestrian promenade. Apartments will be added in later phases.PENETRON ADMIX SB was specified to waterproof all below-grade structures, including the underground parking garage.

Home to about 70,000 people, Delray Beach is located within the Miami metropolitan area  52 miles north of the city. The area was initially a prosperous farming community settled in the 1880s by African Americans. Over the next century, the town became a popular winter enclave for artists and authors, and after the 1960s, a well-known surfing destination centered around the surfboard shops on Atlantic Avenue. More recently, Delray Beach was named America's Most Fun Small Town by Rand McNally and one of the Happiest Seaside Towns in America by Coastal Living.

The Atlantic Crossing multi-use complex, built by Mauw Associates, is part of the revitalization of the towns historic downtown center along Atlantic Avenue. The $300 million project comprises six 3- 4-floor buildings  each with a different architectural design  on a nine-acre site on Atlantic Avenue. The first phase of construction, now completed, includes 83,000 ft2 of office space, and 76,000 ft2 of retail space with 560 linear feet of exposure along the famed Atlantic Avenue for retail shops and restaurants. The planned 82 luxury condos and 261 apartment units are now under construction and will open in the near future. All parking is below ground or in a garage wrapped by residences.

Robust Waterproofing Required

Because of the tropical climate of Delray Beach, with its hot and humid summers, and the proximity of the construction site to the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean, the waterproofing consultants of the Wolf Group needed a robust waterproofing solution for the below-grade concrete structures, adds Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group.

PENETRON ADMIX SB was added to the concrete mix during the batching phase. The roughly 13,000 yd3 of PENETRON ADMIX SB-treated concrete were delivered by Titan America, the projects ready-mix concrete supplier, and used to waterproof the foundation slab of all six buildings, including the retaining walls and the underground parking garage. Spengler Construction, the project builders, also applied PENEBAR SW 55 waterstop strips to seal the resulting construction joints; and PENETRON and PENECRETE MORTAR were applied to specific concrete elements to complete the Penetron System.

Surrounded by Hydrostatic Pressure

The active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX SB, PENETRON, and PENECRETE MORTAR react to moisture to form an insoluble crystal network deep within the concrete matrix. As an integral part of the concrete, it provides permanent protection against deterioration caused by water penetration and the resulting corrosion of the embedded steel reinforcing.

The Atlantic Crossing infrastructure is surrounded by hydrostatic pressure generated by both the nearby Intracoastal Waterway and the generally high groundwater table typical for the area, adds Christopher Chen. The Penetron System was the optimal solution to ensure the concrete remains impermeable  and provides permanent protection against water penetration.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs, and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
DoorDash has thus far failed to implement technology that would prevent Dashers from illegally texting while driving. It turns a blind eye to the corners its drivers are statistically likely to cut in the name of profit.

San Francisco attorney Mark Webb, Esq. is taking on the leading food delivery corporation in America to require safer driving practices. Webb calls for DoorDash to stop texting drivers without mounted cell phones and to implement more safety measures to limit distracted driving overall in a lawsuit filed against DoorDash in the Alameda County Superior Court last week (Case No. RG21108961). This comes after a fatal collision in Berkeley, where a DoorDash driver allegedly killed a female pedestrian in July in plain view of her two children. Webb filed a wrongful death lawsuit asking for injunctive relief, where the court would instruct DoorDash  a multibillion-dollar company and the leading delivery service in the U.S.  to improve its practices after this tragic collision occurred. He also asks for punitive damages in his suit.

The accident occurred on July 26, where DoorDash driver Helen Dale was on her way to pick up a delivery. She allegedly hit 54-year-old Latitia Austin Ahmad on Ashby Avenue, fatally injuring her and Ahmads daughter, 25-year-old Delvonnia Cooper, who survived but sustained major injuries. In August, Webb filed a wrongful death case against Dale, on behalf of Cooper and her brother Sharif Ahmad. On Thursday, Webb updated the paperwork to file the lawsuit solely against DoorDash and Dale was dropped from the lawsuit due to a separate insurance settlement. In addition to injunctive relief, he has asked the court for punitive damages, which seek to penalize a defendant for outrageous conduct.

Webb has asked the court for a jury trial and the case is scheduled for a hearing before a judge in February. Webb hopes that DoorDash, as a leader in its industry, takes this opportunity to bring major changes and implement the necessary safety measures needed to further prevent such collisions from happening again.

Case No. RG21108961

Because the lawsuit was just filed, arguments have not yet been heard in court.

###

About Mark Webb, Esq.

Mark Webb, Esq. (http://www.MarkWebb.com) is a personal injury trial attorney and the leading partner at his private practice specializing in personal injury, business litigation, and elder abuse cases.

After graduating Harvard, Mark moved to San Francisco and began the study of law at Golden Gate University. He was then recruited by the United States Department of Justice to work in the criminal division (Organized Crime and Racketeering Section) in Washington D.C. He was then enlisted by the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco, where he became their most prolific and successful federal prosecutor winning 15 consecutive jury trials including the first RICO trial ever presented to a jury in the district.

After four years of government service, Mark established his own private law practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he applies the trial techniques he had developed as a federal prosecutor, allowing his private law practice flourished. His practice focuses on civil litigation and trial work on behalf of injured clients, including successfully getting Match.com to remove sex offenders from their dating site (Case No. CV 11-03795 SVW JENX).
Simeks is committed to helping busy parents and the communities in which they live to Eat Good. Do Good. Simeks is proud to participate in corporate social responsibility programs that reflect our brands commitment to delivering both better-for-you food as well as a better world for all, said Lindsey Hickey, Simeks president.

Simeks, the women-owned quality frozen food products company known for its frozen lasagnas and fully cooked premium frozen meatballs, today announced its social impact missions in 2021 have actively addressed the problem of hunger in America and the environment. Approximately 1.2 million meals were donated this year through its collaboration with Feeding America for a total of 5.6 million total meals donated since the partnerships launch. In addition to creating feel-good food that is comforting and convenient, a cornerstone of Simeks philosophy is that meals are meant to be shared. For every Simeks product purchased the company donates a meal, in the community where the product was purchased by the consumer, to a local Feeding America food bank.

Simeks also embraces a Plastic Neutral Promise. Through its partnership with RePurpose Global, it removes from the environment the equivalent amount of plastic that is used in the packaging and shipping of Simeks products. More than 17,509 pounds of ocean-bound plastic have been removed from the environment since the launch of the partnership. All of Simeks entree cartons are sustainably sourced by certified organizations who have agreed to make standards, conservation, community and education a top priority in the forestry industry.

Simeks is proud to participate in corporate social responsibility programs that reflect our brands commitment to delivering both better-for-you food as well as a better world for all, said Lindsey Hickey, Simeks president. The problem of hunger in America can only be solved if we work together and our customers have enthusiastically embraced our program with Feeding America. As such, in the past 52 weeks, the number of stores carrying at least one Simeks product has increased by 80% as our social impact mission resonates with more customers. As a Mom and business owner, I feel it is important to provide clean and healthy food to our families, help those who experience food insecurity, and strive to leave the planet a better place for our children through environmental conservation initiatives.

In 2021, Simeks also refreshed its brand identity by featuring a new bright and modern design across its packaging portfolio. The clean look represents the brands commitment to busy parents that are seeking a better-for-you, great tasting and convenient meal. Simeks is known for its cleaner ingredients and its products do not contain preservatives, artificial colors or flavors.

Visit https://www.simeks.com/ to learn more.

*One meal per package is donated to local Feeding America food banks. Visit https://www.simeks.com/impact/ for more information.

About SIMEKS

As a women-owned company, Simeks is committed to helping busy parents and the communities in which they live to Eat Good. Do Good. Through its hunger-relief program, for every Simeks product purchased, the company donates a meal in the community where the product was purchased. To date, more than 5.6 million meals have been donated. Backed by the tradition of providing quality frozen food products since 1972 that Moms can feel good about serving their families, the company offers premium lasagnas and fully cooked meatballs free from artificial colors, artificial flavors, and preservatives. Its latest addition of a new kids food line provides mini meatballs for little fingers that parents can feel good about serving to picky eaters. Look for Simeks lasagna and Simeks meatballs in the frozen food aisle.

Media Contact

Ria Romano, Partner

RPR Public Relations, Inc.

Tel. 786-290-6413
2022 Toyota Tundra A11 After getting the offer, customers are required to bring their vehicle to the dealership along with the cash offer.

Gale Toyota in Enfield, Connecticut, is offering an instant cash offer online to the customers who want to sell or trade-in their vehicle at the dealership.

Customers have to fill out a form on the dealers website, wherein they will have to mention their cars license plate number or VIN or the make, model, and year of the vehicle. Furthermore, they have to disclose to the dealership the specific features and conditions of their car. Once that information is given, customers will get an instant cash offer from the dealership that will be valid for seven days.

After getting the offer, customers are required to bring their vehicle to the dealership along with the cash offer. The dealership staff will ask the same questions to the customers that were asked during the online cash offer was made. Additionally, the staff will inspect the vehicle to make sure that the condition and specifications of the vehicle match with what was disclosed by the customers earlier. Once the inspection is done, the customers will be paid the amount that was promised.

Therefore, all interested parties are encouraged to visit https://www.galetoyota.com/ or call 860-269-3608 for more information. They can also visit the dealership in person.

Gale Toyota Address:

50 Palomba Drive, Enfield, CT
From L to R: Bob Sullivan, President of Travel Group; Jeff Tolkin; Brad Tolkin; David Crooks, SVP Product & Operations, World Travel Holdings; and Arnie Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of Travel Weekly What Jeff and Brad have accomplished is nothing short of amazing: Brands with wide appeal to attract travel advisors, marketing tools that reach consumers effectively in a very competitive space and a business with a heart.

Wilmington-based World Travel Holdings, the nations largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, is honored to announce that its Co-CEO/Chairmen Brad and Jeff Tolkin were recognized with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards Gala in New York.

What Jeff and Brad have accomplished is nothing short of amazing: Brands with wide appeal to attract travel advisors, marketing tools that reach consumers effectively in a very competitive space and a business with a heart, said Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly. Were delighted to have the opportunity to put a spotlight on what they have done and recognize their accomplishments.

The Lifetime Achievement Award pays tribute to individuals whose efforts have led to extraordinary results within an organization and who have also made significant contributions to the industry as a whole. The Tolkins are well respected in the industry and are often sought after for their perspective on the state of the industry. As travel industry leaders, they have remained transparent and optimistic throughout the past two years and have provided unwavering support for the travel advisor community and travel industry as a whole.

I am truly lucky to work in the best industry alongside my brother Jeff and it has been a remarkable journey, said Brad Tolkin. In our 40 plus year careers, we have never experienced such a cataclysmic event that has had such a profound impact on the travel industry. These past two years the travel industry has demonstrated its resiliency and I know that leisure travel will be the best industry to be in in 2022.

The Tolkins each have more than 40 years of experience as an operating executive in the travel industry. In 2005 they co-founded World Travel Holdings, and through a variety of acquisitions, innovative business practices, and launching cruise brands globally in the United Kingdom, they have grown the company into a billion-dollar travel industry powerhouse. Prior to co-founding World Travel Holdings, the Tolkins owned and operated Travel Impressions, one of the countrys most successful privately held travel wholesalers, and Empress Travel, a retail travel agency with 40 stores. As a result of their significant contributions to the cruise industry, in 2014 the Tolkins were inducted into the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame.

We have been fortunate to work with groups of talented and passionate people over the years, said Jeff Tolkin. We may be the ones being recognized today, but we stand on their shoulders. In particular, we thank the employees of World Travel Holdings for their performance over the COVID outbreak. Their attitude and accomplishments have been awe-inspiring. I also thank my brother Brad. He makes me a better leader and better person. It has been quite a joyful ride together, and I know the best is yet to come.

The Readers Choice Awards are presented to the industry's suppliers who led the way in product and service during the past year. For the supplier awards, the winners, one for each of 79 categories, represent the best of the best of the travel industry in the airline, car rental, hospitality, rail, GDS, agent education, tour, cruise, destination and theme park sectors.

For more information about World Travel Holdings and its brands, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.

About World Travel Holdings

World Travel Holdings is the nations largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 40 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, resort vacations, car rentals, resort day passes and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of private-label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, including almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in work-at-home employment. Its global presence includes operating multiple cruise brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Wilmington, Mass.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Chorley, England. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.

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Apple Self Storage opens a new self storage facility in Leamington, Ontario.

Apple Self Storage-Leamington is a newly built facility conveniently located in the Leamington Medical Village at 197 Talbot St. W., Unit 500, Leamington, ON. The brand new construction was purposefully built to provide residents in the area with a state-of-the-art self storage experience.

This new Apple Self Storage location offers 40,000 square feet of indoor, ground-floor self storage space with unit sizes ranging from 5'x5' to 10 x 25 and an indoor loading bay to keep you warm and your belongings covered. Temperature-control throughout the building will keep your belongings exactly as they were the first day stored, and 24-hour surveillance ensures your belongings are secure. For even further peace of mind, each unit is individually alarmed for added protection.

Apple Self Storage-Leamington offers more than just storage. Moving supplies including boxes, locks, and furniture covers can be purchased in the office for any last-minute packing needs. Plus our friendly staff is always ready to serve your unique storage needs, whether personal or business storage, and to provide you an exceptional experience.

Apple Self Storage is very excited to be opening our new state-of-the-art facility in Leamington, shares David Allan, VP Business Development. Were very excited to be a part of the vibrant and growing community and looking forward to getting involved with community events! Were really looking forward to being a contributing member of our new town!

The Apple Self Storage-Leamington facility is open for business and excited to assist with your storage needs. Customers can reserve their own secure space by visiting http://www.applestorage.com, calling 519-419-5959 or emailing talbotst@applestorage.com

COVID protocols are in place to ensure the safety of both staff and customers.

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MORE ABOUT APPLE SELF STORAGE

Known for having the best managed self storage facilities in Canada, Apple Self Storage strives to deliver a genuine and authentically great experience across every one of its 36+ facilities. The family-owned company has established close bonds with the communities in which it operates through regular pursuit of opportunities to assist organizations that enrich them. It has done so since their very first facility opened in 1975. Apple Self Storage is actively looking to expand their third party management platform as well as expanding through acquisitions and new developments.

For more information about Storage Units, please visit http://www.applestorage.com
Susa, Security Automation as Code Susa's open-source framework is based on the best practices obtained from various engagements with top cloud companies using cloud enterprise features. The engine is architected around the concepts of cloud provisioning, security scans, and auditing capabilities.

Prancer Enterprise announces the release of the Cloud Security Automation as Code (Susa) framework to the general public. This Open Source framework helps organizations to deploy secure Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates to the cloud. Prancer Cloud Security Automation as Code (Susa) offering is a cloud provisioning engine with built-in Static Code Analysis (SCA) for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) based on Prancer's popular security platform.

Susa, the Security Automation as Code framework, is introduced to check security requirements during provisioning cloud infrastructure. The Security Automation as Code engine can deploy the resources to the cloud. IaC code can be tested upon the built-in or user-defined Security Policy containing Security Checklists, Security Templates, and Security Procedures. This secure Cloud Provisioning engine is an Open Source solution for automated Cloud Template provisioning and deployments. Susa provides a Command Line Interface (CLI) based on bash scripting technology, enabling users to automate repetitive tasks in DevOps scenarios. Susa framework helps organizations to provide consistency across multiple clouds, projects, and environments deployed via IaC tools such as HashiCorp Terraform.

Prancer Cloud Security Automation as Code (Susa) offering is a cloud provisioning engine with multi-cloud capabilities. Susa can provision secure resources to Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud Platform. This multi-cloud capability gives Susa unique features to implement DevSecOps guardrails through organizations' multi-cloud strategies.

Susa's open-source framework is based on the best practices obtained from various engagements with top cloud companies using cloud enterprise features. The engine is architected around the concepts of cloud provisioning, security scans, and auditing capabilities. Susa allows DevOps engineers to audit their IaC code for potential security hardening before starting the provisioning process.

Prancer Cloud Security Automation as Code (Susa) offering can be used by organizations looking for a step-up start in implementing the DevSecOps process without prior experience with Security Automation as Code concepts. Organizations can utilize existing Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform account(s) to initiate the secure provisioning of IaC templates and automated security scanning against code.

Prancer offers more than 1000 compliance policies for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security in different clouds. Prancer Security engine is pre-integrated to Prancer Cloud Security Automation as Code (Susa) to make sure secure code hits the cloud. Security Audit is an essential step in Security Automation as Code (Susa) to ensure Security Requirements are met. Susa best practices recommend Security Scans should be run automatically upon the unattended cloud provisioning process.

Susa engine is pre-integrated with the popular Prancer's Cloud Security Scanner for Infrastructure as Code (IaC). This integration ensures IaC stacks, templates and blueprints are free of known vulnerabilities identified by the security scanner.

Susa framework is available through Prancer's GitHub account at this address: https://github.com/prancer-io/prancer-susa-framework

About Prancer

Prancer Enterprise (https://www.prancer.io) provides shift-left strategies and tools for cloud security, cloud compliance, and cloud validation. These tools are focused on the developer's empowerment in the DevSecOps process. Prancer provides Security Automation as Code, Static code analysis (SCA) for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Cloud live resources. Prancer Security offers a set of tools and services to automate Security Requirements in the Cloud Provisioning process keeping Security Policy at the center of Security Automation as Code design.


Raleighs Litchford 315 Apartments Projects Being Fully Stabilized by End of 2021 We are both honored and elated to begin leasing yet another stunning apartment community for our client partners at Dewitt Carolinas.

Litchford 315, a class-A community in Raleigh, North Carolina, invites you home to its modernized interior finishes, stainless steel appliances, sleek natural stone countertops, resident clubhouse, resort style swimming pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center with attached private work-out area featuring MIRROR interactive fitness, a fully fenced dog park and resort, and so much more. Offering one, two, and three-bedroom floor plans with contemporary and stylish features, Litchford 315 is situated close to modernly inspired cafes, pubs, restaurants, art, as well as outdoor activities, and boasts more than 14 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds.

DF Multifamily, a division of Drucker + Falk (DF), one of the nations most prominent multifamily management companies, assumed not only the management of Litchford 315, but was also involved during the pre-construction and design period as well as with pre-leasing efforts. DF teamed up with Raleigh, North Carolina-based Dewitt Carolinas, Inc., a real estate development company with 25 years of experience in building large scale residential and commercial properties, and, over the last 40 years, has developed more than 2,500 multifamily units throughout the Carolinas. Litchford 315 marks the third new development that DF has managed for Dewitt in the past five years.

Pre-leasing activity proved to be record-breaking, having more than 70% of the brand-new apartments leased in the first six months and projecting that the community will be 100% leased by the end of 2021, less than nine months from opening in the spring of 2021. Pro forma rents, which were at or above competitors market rates, have been increased up to 15% on several floor plan unit types, exceeding owners budget pro forma.

Kellie Falk, DF Managing Director, says, We are both honored and elated to begin leasing yet another stunning apartment community for our client partners at Dewitt Carolinas. As we always strive to achieve optimum results for our clients, I applaud our amazing DF team on the success this lease-up has shaped up to be and have heard the same feedback from our client as well.

Everett Daniels, President, Dewitt Carolinas, Inc said, We are excited about the opportunity to once again work with Drucker + Falk to lease and manage the luxurious Litchford 315, a wonderful living option for the people of Raleigh. The success thus seen at Litchford 315 is a demonstration of the trust and confidence DeWitt has in the teams at DF. We look forward to continued lease-up and management successes and advancing our relationship with Drucker + Falk.

ABOUT DRUCKER + FALK

Founded in 1938, Drucker + Falk is a full-service real estate and investment firm, managing a diverse portfolio of more than 40,000 apartments in 11 states including Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas. With roots in third party fee management, Drucker + Falk specializes in multifamily management of all asset types, new development construction consultation and lease up, urban revitalization, asset repositioning and stabilization of challenging properties, mixed use management and due diligence services. With more than 3 million square feet under management, Drucker + Falk also offers commercial sales, leasing and management services.


Elizabeth Carr, the first person born in the U.S. as a result of IVF, says Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones were like grandparents to her. She celebrates her 40th birthday today. "SGF Jones Institute is dedicated to all of our patients and is always happy to celebrate the many successes of reproductive medicine."

On this day 40 years ago, the Jones Institute welcomed Elizabeth Carr, the first baby born from in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States, as a result of pioneering reproductive medicine. The Jones Institute's dedication to groundbreaking research, advancement in reproductive technologies, and premier patient care with comprehensive fertility services continue at Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) Jones Institute.

Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones joined the Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1978 to develop IVF in the United States upon news of the worlds first baby to be conceived via IVF, Louise Brown, on July 25, 1978, in England.

In July 2021, the Eastern Virginia Medical School Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine (EVMS Jones Institute) transitioned all patient care to SGF Jones Institute.

Reflecting on the history of Jones Institute brings about such a sense of pride for how many families have been made possible through IVF, shares Tarita Pakrashi, M.D., M.P.H., who was the first physician to offer patient care as part of the SGF Jones Institute transition. SGF Jones Institute is dedicated to all of our patients and is always happy to celebrate the many successes of reproductive medicine.

Carr reflects on the IVF process in a video on the Eastern Virginia Medical School website saying, I remember distinctly Dr. Georgeanna Jones saying, its just a sperm and an egg fertilized in a petri dish and nine months later, out you came. It seems so simple although its highly technical.

She went on to continue about her relationship with Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones, The two of them, separately, were both incredible doctors, but together as a pair, they were really a powerhouse  how can you not feel passionate about a technology that helped you come into the world?

SGF Jones Institute continues innovation in reproductive medicine

Since summer 2021, SGF Jones Institute has become the home base for the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship program, for which Nicole Banks, M.D., is the Associate Program Director. SGF Jones Institute is proud to continue the legacy of Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones, founders of the EVMS Jones Institute, through training the next generation of fertility specialists in innovative, compassionate fertility care.

Treating infertility begins with excellent training in reproductive medicine, shares Dr. Banks. At SGF Jones Institute, we are proud to be at the forefront of bringing up the next generation of leaders in fertility care.

RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association and an SGF partner, is celebrating this important milestone by raising $40,000 in honor of Carrs 40th birthday. To donate and sign a card for Carr, visit the RESOLVE website.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 100,000 babies born. With 43 locations, including new locations in Colorado and Norfolk, VA, as well as throughout CO, FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment more affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
January 2022 issue of "Transformation Journal" Your Conscience is the only Function of the Mind that has the power to decide. When you understand and employ this truth, it will become a profoundly positive influence in determining the kind of life you live. Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)

Leonard Perlmutter, originator of National Conscience Month, asserts that there are Four Functions of every human mind, including the Consciencebut the unerring wisdom of the Conscience is often drowned out by the louder, insistent advice of the Ego, Senses, and Unconscious Mind. The third annual Conscience Month will be observed throughout January 2022 with the goal of educating individuals how to optimize the full, intuitive decision-making potential of the Conscience that enables humanity to unlock limitless wisdom and creativity to solve all of lifes challenges.

In the January 2022 issue of the Transformation Journal, Perlmutter, who is also the founder and director of The American Meditation Institute, warns: The great tragedy of our times is that so many of us do not understand the why or the how of coordinating the Four Functions of the Mind. This is not a moral failing. It is simply a failure of education. We were never taught this critical skill, so during the minds decision-making process, the finer aspects of the Conscience are often overwhelmed by the limited and frequently faulty input of the Ego, Senses and Unconscious Mind. And as a result, we experience pain.

Since 1996, AMI has endeavored to meet this pressing educational need through its life-changing Foundation Course, rooted in the worlds oldest holistic mind/body medicine and based on one revolutionary principle: the human Conscience is the key to reestablishing balance in the human organism. When individuals learn to coordinate all Four Functions of the Mind, the Conscience can reliably reflect the inner wisdom at the core of every human being, and motivate people to think, speak and act in much more creative, compassionate and self-confident ways.

The third annual National Conscience Month observance will raise awareness about the value of using the Conscience as an inspired guide to making better lifestyle choices. Programming begins on Thursday, January 6th from 7 to 8pm ET, when Leonard Perlmutter and a panel of experienced Yoga Scientists will present a FREE New Years webinar entitled, Let the Experiments Begin!

In his new book, YOUR CONSCIENCE, Perlmutter clearly explains how the mind can be trained to harmoniously and rewardingly reduce inner mental conflict, which in effect, will ameliorate external conflict. Insisting on a scientific approach, Perlmutter never asks people to blindly believe him, but rather to experiment with time-tested practices. According to Perlmutter, Todays problems were born in the human mind, and their solutions can only be found in the human mind. When we experiment to allow the minds Conscience to connect us to the Source of our creativity, we will discover answers that will transform our world.

The National Conscience Month January 2022 campaign will:



Remind, educate and raise awareness about the value of using your conscience as a guide to making better decisions.

Build and activate a national movement that embraces the role of conscience-driven choices in experiencing more health, happiness, security, and creating more rewarding lives for our families, communities and nation.

Encourage individual actions through simple experiments that aid in increasing positivity, self-confidence, and self-reliance.

Offer an opportunity for citizens to work more creatively in partnership with governments, school systems, faith leaders, non-profits, community organizations and corporations across the United States.

More resources and information about National Conscience Month are available at ConscienceMonth.org and YourConscience.org.

Leonard Perlmutter is available for interviews.

About the American Meditation Institute

The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, meditation and its allied disciplines as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, the AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of classes, and publishes Transformation a bi-monthly journal of Yoga Science as Mind/Body Medicine. Call 518.674.8714 for a mail or email subscription.

To schedule an interview, please contact:

Media Contact:

Robert Washington

American Meditation Institute

60 Garner Road

Averill Park, NY 12018

Tel: 518.674.8714

Fax: 518.674.8714
Citing the recent spike of Covid-19 coronavirus infections across the United States, the American Booksellers Association has canceled the 2022 Winter Institute, scheduled for February 13-16 in Cincinnati. This is the second year in a row that the event has been canceled; the most recent in-person Winter Institute was held in Baltimore in 2020. The ABA had also planned on offering a virtual retreat, dubbed Snowdays, on March 8 and 9, which would have rebroadcast the recorded events from Winter Institute. The ABA said it will announce new plans for Winter Institute programming in the next few weeks.

In announcing the cancellation of the Winter Institute earlier today on its website, the ABA said:

"We are heartbroken to announce that our in-person Winter Institute event in Cincinnati is canceled.

"We have been full steam ahead with programming, planning, and safety precautions, but the rising number of COVID cases, the contagion of the new variant, and the hospital crisis in Ohio  including the National Guard being called in to assist understaffed hospitals  have forced us to a full stop. Your safety and our staffs safety is paramount and the risk is now too great to host this event.

"We will refund everyone in January, and we will take care of canceling all hotel reservations at ABA hotels (Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, Hilton, and Westin).

"We deeply appreciate your flexibility, understanding, and patience while we determine what our next steps will be and what that means for you, our valued members and partners. We are still very excited to share our incredible programming and we will be announcing our new plan in the coming weeks.

"2022 still holds much to look forward to. We wish you all a very Happy New Year."
Tony Award-winning musical Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations will close on Broadway in January.

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Producers Ira Pittelman and Tom Hulce said in a press release Tuesday that the musical will end its Broadway run Jan. 16, 2022 at Imperial Theatre in New York.

Ain't Too Proud is a jukebox musical featuring music and lyrics by the Temptations and a book by Dominique Morisseau. The show explores the career of the Temptations, a vocal group who signed with Motown Records in the 1960s.

"This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal is set to the beat of the group's treasured hits, including 'My Girl,' 'Just My Imagination,' 'Get Ready,' 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone,' and so many more," an official description reads.

Des McAnuff serves as director, with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Nik Walker, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Matt Manuel and Jelani Remy star.

Ain't Too Proud opened on Broadway in March 2019 and will resume performances Tuesday at Imperial Theatre. The show has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography.

In addition to the Broadway shows, the Ain't Too Proud national tour is underway.
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Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of snow late. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of snow late. Low 24F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch.
WASHINGTON  The Gunn Historical Museum and Pilobolus will present the guest lecture Pilobolus Origins with Renee Jaworski and Matt Kent, Pilobolus Artistic Directors, at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 on Zoom.

Jaworski and Kent will engage in a conversation about Pilobolus, with special guests to be announced. In Origins, viewers will get a glimpse of the nascent and yet unnamed company performing their first piece called Pilobolus, and learn how the company evolved to secure its place in the history books through vintage and rarely seen footage, personal insights, and more, according to the Gunn. This virtual experience, co-sponsored by the Gunn Historical Museum and Pilobolus, includes an interactive Q&A session with the Artistic Directors.

From Pilobolus: In 1970, several young men enrolled at Dartmouth College and took a dance class to fulfill a physical education requirement. With interests as diverse as history, philosophy, and psychology, the idea of standing alone, in front of a class, and moving, was frightening. So they clung to one another for both moral and physical support building dances as a collective while at the same time creating something they thought was cool. Following graduation the company without a name headed to a members dairy farm in Vermont where they continued their movement discoveries; creating choreography that relied on their collective creativity, humor, and interest in telling stories with their bodies. It was here that Pilobolus was born; and audiences loved this new kind of Modern Dance. Today, Pilobolus is known the world over for testing the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies, collaborating with some of the greatest influencers, thinkers, and creators in the world. Author Robert Pranzatelli has been interviewing founders and former dancers and delving into the fascinating and inspiring story behind how Pilobolus came to be. Join Pilobolus Artistic Directors Matt Kent and Renee Jaworski for this unprecedented look into the history of a seriously creative company.

Since 1971, Pilobolus has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and power of connected bodies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pilobolus has drawn on these decades of experience in telling stories with the human form to reach audiences in new ways, from our physically distanced Roving Art Safari to digital performances and classes. Today, Pilobolus is thrilled to return to the proscenium stage, for its 50th Anniversary, performing works that span our half century. This innovative dance company has created and toured over 120 pieces of repertory to more than 65 countries, and collaborated with more than 75 organizations in finance, retail, media, fashion, sports, and more to create bespoke performances for television, film, and live events. Learn more at pilobolus.org.

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for this free virtual Gunn Museum program. Visit the Museum's registration page to sign up: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/gunn-museum/upcoming-programs/

For more information visit www.gunnmuseum.org or contact the Gunn Historical Museum in Washington, CT at 860-868-7756 or info@gunnhistoricalmuseum.org.
MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP)  Two Mississippi men have been charged with kidnapping after they took another man at gunpoint on Christmas Eve and drove him to a home where he was beaten, a sheriff said.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said in a news release Monday that the kidnapping happened about 1 a.m. Friday in Moss Point. He said the 50-year-old victim escaped from the trunk of a car while it was stopped at a traffic light in nearby Pascagoula.
ST. MICHAEL, Minn. (AP)  The former mayor of a Twin Cities suburb is dead after a sheriffs deputy ran him over.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday thta former St. Michael Mayor Harold Welter was lying in the driveway of a home Thursday evening when Wright County Sheriffs Deputy Dustin Hatzenbeller pulled in and ran him over with his squad vehicle.
MADRID (AP)  Spain's left-wing ruling coalition on Tuesday secured its hold on power with the approval of a landmark labor reform backed by both unions and employers and a new national spending plan for next year that includes a hefty disbursement of pandemic recovery funds.

An array of left-leaning and nationalist lawmakers gave the final go-ahead to Spain's 450-billion-euro ($509 billion) budget for 2022, which allocates more than half of the funds to education, health, pensions, subsidies and other forms of social spending.

The budget includes the first 20 billion euros of 70 billion euros ($79.2 billion) total granted to the country from the European Union's COVID-19 recovery funds. The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation bloc, transferred to Spain an initial tranche of 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) earlier this week.

The budget approval is seen as a crucial test of the parliamentary support of the minority coalition of Socialists and the anti-austerity United We Can party. By clearing the hurdle in a 281-62 vote with one abstention, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez dispelled pressure to call an early election and increased his chances to see out his term, which ends in 2023.

His Cabinet also passed Tuesday a decree Tuesday that overhauls the country's labor rules, a commitment by Sanchezs government with the European Commission before the end of 2021 in order to secure the next instalment of EU pandemic funds.

The labor reform reverts business-friendly regulations adopted in 2012 by a previous conservative administration at the height of last decade's sovereign debt crisis.

It limits most temporary contracts that are prevalent in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy to a maximum of three months and brings back collective bargaining with unions as the main channel to negotiate contracts. It also adopts the furlough program used to avoid layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic as a fixed tool for companies to turn to in future crises.

The reform has been sanctioned by workers' unions and trade associations, a rare achievement for the government and a personal win for Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz, a former labor attorney who has become the rising star in United We Can, the coalition's junior partner.

This reform turns a page on the precariousness in Spain," Diaz told reporters during a weekly news conference following the Cabinet meeting, referring to official data that shows that one out of four contracts in Spain is short-term, the highest rate in the EU.

The country's unemployment rate, at 14.5% in October, is also one of Europe's highest.

I dare to say that there are young people and women who have not known a decent contract in their lifetime, the minister added. Now we are going to give them the opportunity to break with the trap of precarious lives.

The new rules take effect Wednesday, although the government will need to find support once again from smaller parties to ratify the changes in a parliamentary vote early next year.

Sanchez's minority coalition controls 155 of the 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and has needed the votes of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties, among others, to pass legislation.
DANBURY  While prepping for family gatherings, cooking for holiday meals, and packing for vacations, residents in the greater Danbury area are clamoring for COVID tests, often to no avail.

Theyre showing up at hospital emergency rooms and clearing out pharmacies in search of rapid tests. Theyre overwhelming local testing systems and seeking advice in Facebook groups. One Danbury Urgent Care saw a Christmas Eve test line that stretched out the building doors. Daily positive cases in Danbury have hit triple digits twice since Dec. 21. Those two times were the first since January.

Connecticut, like the rest of the country, is struggling to meet a surging demand for COVID-19 tests. Its the same story in most towns: limited tests for an ever-growing line. And health providers are expecting even greater volumes searching for tests in the coming weeks as cases continue to surge.

New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said their health departments testing site was seeing unbelievable demand last week and through the weekend. In fact, there were so many people coming to them for tests that it closed the clinic to non-residents, prioritizing testing for New Milford and Washington residents, Health Director Lisa Morrissey said.

And tests that would usually come back in about 72 hours or less are now taking roughly five days to return.

That meant that New Milford residents who tested on Tuesday or Wednesday were still waiting for results on Christmas Day. Morrissey expects to see the impact of those delayed turnaround times in the next few weeks with further positive cases.

We know that people who did not have their results in hand were still gathering, she said.

While New Milford is able to offer their own test site, other towns have to refer their residents to Danbury-based sites or local retail pharmacies.

One Danbury-area health provider, Connecticut Institute for Communities, Inc. (CIFC), reported a large increase in test requests specifically from asymptomatic exposure and travel, as well as an inundation of calls from non-patients. The demand was so great that the health provider set up a recording machine on their phone line to provide information while freeing up the line for patients in need of immediate care, said Katie Curran, CIFC CEO and president.

If our experience last year post-holiday and what is happening in other parts of the country is any indication, demand for testing will most definitely increase in the coming weeks as a result of holiday gatherings and exposures (and additional travel requests), wrote Curran in an email to Hearst Connecticut.

Plan of action

In response to incongruous testing supply and demand, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a plan on Monday to send three million COVID-19 at-home rapid tests across the state, in addition to six million N95 masks. The test kits will start being distributed on Thursday.

There are three simple and effective interventions to fight off the current surge of COVID-19 from the Omicron variant - vaccination, masking, and testing, said Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani in a press release. We will be distributing two of these - masks and tests - so that our communities can work as quickly as possible to get past this surge.

CIFC also expects to receive its first order of about 450 at-home kits for their patients later this week, and about 900 more the following week.

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker experienced first-hand the time it took to schedule a test before gathering with family for the holidays, and said that its important for residents to go ahead and schedule an appointment if they know theyll need a negative test.

Dont wait. Go online and get your appointment, he said. It might take a few days.

But dont go to local hospitals - specifically emergency departments - a Nuvance spokesperson said in a statement Monday. Nuvance runs both Danbury and New Milford hospitals.

Please utilize the emergency department for medical emergencies... There are many convenient and less expensive options now like retail pharmacies and at-home tests. This will help prevent the spread of the virus to others and healthcare workers who want to be available to our communities, they said.

Government exposure

For the most part, town hall functions across the greater Danbury area have not been affected by the sudden rise in cases and holiday surge.

Bethel and New Milford have had some staff put on quarantine, but these have not disrupted the day-to-day town operations, as many employees can effectively work from home, the first selectmen reported. Bethels mask mandate has helped workers in the small office spaces stay healthy, with no cases reported in the offices, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said Monday.

We are thinly staffed to begin with, and we really cant afford to have a lot of people out quarantining because theyve been exposed, Knickerbocker said.

Redding, on the other hand, had to close its town office doors to the public this week due to a high volume of cases among its employees. The offices are available by appointment only as of Monday, and masks are required in town buildings regardless of vaccination status.

Bass showed no indication of implementing a mask mandate, and said that he and Health Director Lisa Morrissey were closely monitoring the situation. The two had a conference call Monday afternoon to discuss the situation and the coming weeks. Anyone who is unvaccinated has to wear a mask in town buildings.

Brookfield still has a mask recommendation but no requirement in town buildings, which drew criticism from members of the Democratic Town Committee last week. First Selectman Tara Carr issued new guidance on Dec. 10 highly encouraging all residents to wear a mask in public buildings, but not requiring them to do so.

Still, Knickerbocker expects some other local leaders to follow suit with their own mandates in the coming days and weeks. He is expecting another COVID case rate increase when the state releases its weekly dataset on Thursday.

Looking ahead

Morrissey is hoping to soon expand testing capabilities for the five towns she currently oversees, as well as purchase additional at-home test kits for residents using state funds.

I know that its a trying and very challenging time, Morrissey said. The fact that people are trying so hard to get tested really speaks to the fact that people are taking this seriously.

She advised those who have any symptoms but are stuck waiting for a test or results to assume theyre positive and isolate.

The number of cases that were seeing, its just been skyrocketing, Morrissey said. We havent seen levels like this since 2020.
East Haven Police / Contributed

EAST HAVEN  Authorities on Monday identified the victim of last weeks fatal crash as investigators continue to probe the crash and seek witnesses.

Capt. Joseph M. Murgo identified the person as 22-year-old Crystal Sedor, of Stannard Avenue in Branford.
Acclaimed director Jean-Marc Vallee passed away on Sunday. The Canadian filmmaker's untimely demise left the celebrities of Hollywood deeply saddened. They paid tributes to him and highlighted his filmmaking legacy.

Among those to pay respects was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Many of those who paid tributes were people who had worked with him in the past. This included Resse Withherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and others, who penned emotional words and lengthy notes.

Tributes pour in for Jean-Marc Vallee; Justin Trudeau, Resse Witherspoon post messages

Justin Trudeau tweeted that Vallee's passion for filmmaking and storytelling and his talent were 'unmatched'. The leader added that the director had left a mark in Quebec in Canada, and also across the world. He extended his condolences to Vallee's loved ones as they mourned his untimely demise.

Jean-Marc Vallees passion for filmmaking and storytelling was unmatched - so too was his talent. Through his work and with his art, he left a mark in Quebec, across Canada, and around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans as they mourn his sudden passing.  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 27, 2021

Nicole Kidman, who was directed by Vallee in Big Little Lies, was 'shattered' by the news and wrote that it was 'hard to imagine' that someone as 'vital, energetic and present' as Jean-Marc had gone. Not only acknowledging his contribution to some of the 'most rewarding professional expreriences' of her career, but she also added that his friendship, love, and kindness was an 'inspiring force' she will carry with her. She dropped heartwarming pictures from their work together, and fun-filled moments and added that he was the centre of her universe and she could not 'overstate his significance.'

The actor said she'd cherish the nights filming above the 'crashing waves of Big Sur' and it couldn't get better than that. 'Forever Jean-Marc' she wrote, adding that she was 'forever grateful' for the time she had spent with the 'extraordinary human.'

Another star from Big Little Lies, Shailene Woodley penned a lengthy note with pictures of the time she visited him and shared how he tried to fix a black-and-white TV and prepared food for her. She called him a 'mad man genius', 'emotional creature' and highlighted how he celebrated women, always took out time for her and was a 'gift' for her.

Reese Witherspoon, who was directed by him in Wild, dropped pictures with him as they shot in the past. She said that she will always remember him and loved him.

Another Wild star Laura Dern called him 'Beautiful Jean-Marc Vallee.' She was heartbroken as she wrote that the world had lost one of the 'great and purest artists and dreamers.' and their 'beloved friend.'

Matthew McConaughey, who had starred in one of Vallee's most acclaimed films Dallas Buyers Club shared a black-and-white photo with Vallee. He said that with a 'gentle heart and heart' the latter was a 'true receiver.' He added that the late filmmaker didn't romanticise life as much as he saw life as romantic, be it the 'struggle to the pain to the wink and the whisper' and that love stories were everywhere in his eye.

'How must I forget these lonesome tears in my eyes," was the message from Dune director Denis Villeneuve.

Jean-Marc Vallee passed away at his home in Berthier-sur-Mer, Quebec. No cause of death was mentioned by his producing partner Nathan Ross.

Jean-Marc Vallee was known for his films like the debut, a thriller Black List, C.R.A.Z.Y, and The Young Victoria, which was nominated in three Oscar categories. Dallas Buyers Club, which was also nominated for the Oscars, and Wild, were critically acclaimed. He also ventured into TV, winning an Emmy for Big Little Lies and also directed Sharp Objects.
Murder, Rape, Extortion, Drug abuse- Every year, there are a number of cases of crimes witnessed, and the year 2021 was no different. From the Mansukh Hiren murder case to the Sakinaka rape case to the Mudra drug haul, listed here are few of the cases that made headlines and kept the investigative agencies like the NCB, CBI, CID on their toes.

Airport Manager of Indigo shot dead

On January 12, Airport Manager with Indigo Airlines in Patna Rupesh Kumar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. The incident took place around 7 pm when Kumar was on his way home from the airport and a gang of bikers opened fire on him.

The Bihar government under CM Nitish Kumar had formed a 5-member SIT to probe into the murder. Three accused, namely Rituraj, Saurabh, and Pushkar have been arrested while one other is on the run.

Mansukh Hirens murder

On March 5, exactly 8 days after a gelatin-laden Scorpio was found outside the Ambani residence, the cars owner Mansukh Hiren was found dead at the Kalwa creek. While his murder was tried to be waved off as suicide, his wife claimed murder.

The case was investigated by the National Investigative Agency (NIA), which in its chargesheet that ran over 1000 pages named dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, dismissed police officer Sunil Mane, dismissed police constable Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor, Santosh Shelar, Anand Jadhav, Manish Soni, Satish Tirupati Mutkari among others.

The chargesheet read, During the investigation, incriminating evidence came to fore against the abovementioned 10 arrested accused involved in various stages of conspiracy of placing gelatin-laden Mahindra Scorpio vehicle, its theft and commission of murder of Mansukh Hiren.

Extortion racket in Mumbai

On March 20, Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh after being shunted to the position of Commandant General, Home Guards wrote a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray accusing the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of asking the disgraced former Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore per month from bars, hotels, and restaurants in the city.

On April 21, the CBI had registered an FIR against Anil Deshmukh. On May 11, the ED filed an ECIR against Anil Deshmukh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification which was based on the corruption case registered by the CBI. Thereafter, the ED summoned multiple summonses to Deshmukh but he avoided appearing, and in fact, moved a petition before the Bombay HC. The Bombay High Court, however, rejected the petition on October 29, and on November 1, he finally appeared before the ED. It is on the same day he was arrested.

Vismaya dowry-death case

On June 25, 24-year-old Ayurveda doctor Vismaya was found dead in her husband S Kiran Kumars house in Sasthamkotra in Kollam district in mysterious circumstances.

Kerala Police initiated an investigation, and later on filed a chargesheet. In the chargesheet, the police stated that Vismaya died by suicide to dowry harassment. According to the police, there are several circumstantial pieces of evidence to prove the guilt of the husband, presently in judicial custody.

Dhanbad judge hit and run case

On July 28, Additional District Judge Uttam Anand posted in the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand was killed after being hit by a vehicle. In the CCTV footage, it was seen that Anand was on the sides of a fairly wide road at Randhir Verma Chowk in Dhanbad when a three-wheeler hit him from behind and fled. He was rushed to the nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

At first, on the instructions of the High Court, the Jharkhand Government had formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. However, later the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The CBI had in October filed a chargesheet, in which it had named the driver of the three-wheeler Lakhan Verma, and his accomplice Rahul Verma. The duo is presently in Judicial custody.

Sakinaka rape case

On September 9, a woman in her 30s was brutally raped, and a rod was inserted in her private parts in Mumbais Sakinaka area. She was found by the police in a tempo, bleeding and was rushed to a hospital. She was on ventilator support until she passed away.

With the help of the CCTV footage, the main accused Mohan Chouhan, a native of Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur district was taken into custody. He was booked under Sections 302, 376, 323, 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

NC leader found dead in Delhi

On September 9, National Conference (NC) leader Tarlochan Singh Wazir was found dead in a flat in New Delhi. As per the police, Wazir had travelled to Delhi on September 2 and thereafter, had gone to meet his acquaintance Harpreet Singh in a rented flat in the Basai Darapur area of West Delhi. He was supposed to stay with Harpreet Singh till his flight to Canada on September 2 but all of a sudden, communication from the side of the NC leader stopped. Worried, his family informed the Jammu Police which in turn approached the Delhi Police, who found him dead.

The Delhi Crime Branch is probing the case. While the team has arrested three people, the main accused Harpreet Singh Khalsa is still on the run.

Mundra Port haul

On September 12, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 2,988.21 kg (almost 3 tonnes) of heroin worth Rs 21,000 crore from two containers at the Mundra port. As per reports, the heroin was imported by a trading company registered in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and was declared as semi-processed talc stones originating from Afghanistan and shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Mundra Port in Gujarat. The heroin that came packed in in plastic pipes painted to resemble bamboos was alleged to be taken to Delhi, and afterwards, to other states, especially Punjab.

A couple- Machavaram Sudhakar and his wife Govindaraju Durga Purna Vaisali, were arrested by the DRI in connection to the case. Also, a Coimbatore resident, Rajkumar P was arrested.

Cordelia Cruise drug bust

On October 2, NCB busted a high-profile drug party on Cordelia cruise ship en route from Mumbai to Goa. As per sources, NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, along with his team, boarded the cruise ship in the guise of passengers after receiving a tip-off about the purported drug party from the CISF and raided it mid-sea.

The central agency seized small amounts of Cocaine, Mephedrone, Charas, Hydroponic Weed, MDMA, and cash Rs. 1,33,000, and arrested eight people - Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra.

On the basis of statements given by those arrested, follow-up operations were conducted, and 12 more people were taken into custody, taking the total number of arrests in relation to the Cordelia cruise case to 20. Of the 20, two were foreign nationals.

Twin Political Murders in Kerala

On December 18, Social Democratic Party of India SDPI Kerala Secretary KS Shan was brutally murdered. Shan was headed home, when a gang of a few unidentified people in a car overtook his bike, stumped it and then stabbed him. He succumbed to his injuries at a Kochi hospital, where he was taken to for treatment. Less than 10 hours later, Ranjith Srinivasan, the OBC Morcha State Secretary and a member of the BJP state committee, was mercilessly killed by a few unidentified people who barged into his house late at night.

A Special Investigation Team under DGP Vijay Sakhare has been formed to probe the twin murders. In the murder of Shan, fourteen persons including the five-member gang that hacked the SDPI leader to death have been arrested. They are allegedly linked to RSS.

No person directly involved in Srinivasans murder has been apprehended. However, five people who had abetted the murder by ensuring logistic support have been arrested. They are allegedly linked to SDPI.

Kanpur businessman who hoarded Rs.193 crore cash at home

On December 24, the Ahmedabad unit of Directorate General of GST Intelligence (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 Ahmedabad team started searches on the manufacturer of Pan Masala and their supplier, and thats how the trail led to Piyush Jain, a perfume manufacturer in Kanpur. In six days of raids at various premises of Jain, 23 kg of gold worth over 11 crores have been found. The raid team also found Rs 193 crore in cash.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is now also monitoring the developments in the Piyush Jain case. As per sources, the financial investigation agency has sought details from GST Intelligence about the cash recovery.
Amid the furore over his insults on Mahatma Gandhi, Kalicharan Maharaj took to his Youtube channel on Tuesday, to insult the Father of the nation again. In his 8-minute video, the Akola-based godman once again claimed that he hated Gandhi and offered his salutations to his assassin Nathuram Godse. An FIR has been registered at Tikrapara police station on the complaint of Pramod Dubey against Kalicharan Maharaj for his abuse against Gandhi.

Kalicharan Maharaj insults Gandhi again

"Due to Gandhi, Sardar Patel did not become PM. If he was PM, India would have become a bigger power than America. Gandhi also promoted dynasty politics and did not stop the hanging of Bhagat Singh," fumed Kalicharan.

Continuing to rant, he opined that Gandhi was not the Father of the nation and that Chhatrapati Shivaji, Rana Pratap or Sardar Patel should have been the 'Rashtra Pita' as they worked to unite the nation. He accused Gandhi of allowing the partition of India in 1947. "If I am to be punished for telling the truth, let me be hanged for it," he concluded.

Dharam Sansad in Raipur abuses Gandhi

In the Dharam Sansad in Raipur, Akola-based Kalicharan Maharaj claimed that Muslims captured Pakistan and Bangladesh via politcs and were aided by Gandhi. Thanking Godse, Kalicharan blames the administration for being mere puppets (of the Muslims). He also stated that Hindus were not prepared to do riots as police were slaves of the administration, govts, politicians.

"Islam captured nation via politics. They captured Pakistan and Bangladesh in front of our eyes. That *expletive* Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi destroyed everything. My salutations to Nathuram Godse ji fro klling him. Oppression is necessary to control these people (Muslims), otherwise, they become cancer," said Kalicharan.

He added, "No one is telling you to do riots. You are not prepared, Muslims are very well-prepared. Even police warn us not to take out saffron rallies in Muslim areas. Police are slaves of administration, administration are slaves of govt, govt are slaves of politicians".

Aggrieved at Kalicharan's blatantly communal speech, another Hindu leader Mahant Ram Sunder Das boycotted the event, walking off the stage. Questioning the audience as to why they clapped for Kalicharan's speech, has asked 'Was Gandhi really a traitor?' to low murmurs of 'No'. Stating that this was not the agenda of Dharam Sansad, he distanced himself from the event. Most politicians have condemned the hate speech.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Haldwani in Uttarakhand on Thursday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore, the PMO said.

The foundation stone will be laid for 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore, and they cover sectors ranging from cross irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation to drinking water supply among others.

Modi will inaugurate six projects, including multiple road widening exercises, a hydropower facility in Pithoragarh and those to improve sewerage network in Nainital. The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

He is also likely to address people during the programme in the poll-bound state.

The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar multipurpose project to be built at the cost of about Rs 5,750 crore. This project was first conceived in 1976 and was stuck before being revived by Modi's vision to prioritise long pending projects, it said.

This project of national importance, will enable irrigation of about 34,000 hectare additional land, produce 300 MW hydro power and supply drinking water to Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In line with his vision to improve connectivity at far flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8,700 crore would be done, the PMO added.

These road projects will improve connectivity of Garhwal, Kumaon and Terai region and also the connectivity between Uttarakhand and Nepal. Improved connectivity will also benefit industrial areas in Rudrapur and Lalkuan besides improving the accessibility of Jim Corbett National Park.

Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna would also be laid by Modi, the PMO said. The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1,157 km at cost of more than Rs 625 crore and construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.

The road widening projects will not only improve connectivity of the remote areas but will also give fillip to tourism, industrial and commercial activities in the region, the PMO said.

The strategic Tanakpur-Pithoragarh road will now have all-weather connectivity that will facilitate the unhindered movement of the army to border areas and improved connectivity for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

As part of the exercise to expand the medical infrastructure of the state and provide world class medical facilities in different parts of the country, Modi will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh.

These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crores and Rs 450 crore respectively. The improved medical infrastructure will not only help Kumaon and Terai regions but also the bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone for the construction of about 2,400 homes for the economically weaker section in the cities of Sitarganj and Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district. These homes will be built at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 170 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban), the PMO said.

To improve tap water supply in the rural areas of the state, he will lay the foundation stone of 73 water supply schemes across 13 districts under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

The schemes will cumulatively cost around Rs 1,250 crore and will benefit more than 1.3 lakh rural households of the state, it said.

Further, to ensure regular supply of quality water in urban areas of Haridwar and Nainital, the prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of water supply schemes for these two cities.

Foundation stones of a 41 acre Aroma Park at Kashipur and a 40 acre Plastic Industrial Park at Sitarganj will also be laid.

The Aroma Park will make use of Uttarakhand's immense potential of floriculture growth and the Plastic Industrial Park will be a step to establish the state's industrial prowess and create employment opportunities for the people.

Modi will also inaugurate two sewage treatment plants of 7 MLD and 1.5 MLD capacity constructed at the cost of about 50 crore at Ramnagar, Nainital, and lay foundation stones of the construction of nine sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Udham Singh Nagar, to be built at the cost of about 200 crore, and a 78 crore project for upgradation of sewerage system in Nainital, the PMO said.

He will also inaugurate the 5 MW capacity Suringad-II run of the river hydroelectric project built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam (UJVN) Limited at Munsyari in Pithoragarh district, built at a cost of about Rs 50 crore. P
Passing the buck to Congress, Chhattisgarh ex-CM Raman Singh on Monday, claimed the controversial 'Dharam Sansad' in Raipur was organised by Congress. He alleged that the program was a result of Congress' internal politics, adding that BJP had no relation to it. Condemning the insult hurled at the Father of India at the event, he said no one had the right to criticise Gandhiji.

EX-CM: "Congress organised Dharam Sansad"

"Who organised the Dharam Sansad? Who attended it? It was not an event organised by BJP. Dharam Sansad program was organized by Congress. It is not right to question BJP. This subject is the result of internal politics of Congress. No one should pass remarks on Bapu," Singh told reporters in Raipur.

Dharam Sansad in Raipur abuses Gandhi

In the Dharam Sansad in Raipur, Akola-based Kalicharan Maharaj claimed that Muslims captured Pakistan and Bangladesh via politcs and were aided by Gandhi. Thanking Godse, Kalicharan blames the administration for being mere puppets (of the Muslims). He also stated that Hindus were not prepared to do riots as police were slaves of the administration, govts, politicians.

"Islam captured nation via politics. They captured Pakistan and Bangladesh in front of our eyes. That *expletive* Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi destroyed everything. My salutations to Nathuram Godse ji fro klling him. Oppression is necessary to control these people (Muslims), otherwise, they become cancer," said Kalicharan.

He added, "No one is telling you to do riots. You are not prepared, Muslims are very well-prepared. Even police warn us not to take out saffron rallies in Muslim areas. Police are slaves of administration, administration are slaves of govt, govt are slaves of politicians".

Aggrieved at Kalicharan's blatantly communal speech, another Hindu leader Mahant Ram Sunder Das boycotted the event, walking off the stage. Questioning the audience as to why they clapped for Kalicharan's speech, has asked 'Was Gandhi really a traitor?' to low murmurs of 'No'. Stating that this was not the agenda of Dharam Sansad, he distanced himself from the event.

Slamming the communal speech, AAP MP Sanjay Singh expressed shock at the insult to the Father of our nation. Similarly, Congress too stated that one may have ideological differences with Gandhiji, but no one has the right to insult him. The party's leaders lauded Das for standing up to Kalicharan stating 'A Hindu cannot remain silent at insult of Gandhi'. An FIR has been registered at Tikrapara police station on the complaint of Pramod Dubey against Kalicharan Maharaj for his abuse against Gandhi.
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that it is not surprising that a clean chit has been given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to security forces in the Hyderapora encounter. She alleged that the probe was conducted to cover up "a botched operation."

"SITs clear chit to armed forces in Hyderpora encounter isnt surprising. It was purely a charade to cover up a botched up operation & absolve those culpable for killing innocent civilians. How can one expect justice when they themselves are judge, jury & executioner? (sic)" Mehbooba tweeted.

SITs clear chit to armed forces in Hyderpora encounter isnt surprising. It was purely a charade to cover up a botched up operation & absolve those culpable for killing innocent civilians. How can one expect justice when they themselves are judge, jury & executioner? https://t.co/TycgIFk7Em  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 28, 2021

It should be mentioned here that the People's Alliance for Gukpar Declaration (PAGD) - an electoral alliance between the several regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir - demanded a judicial inquiry in the Hyderapora encounter, stating that the police briefing was only a repetition of the "old story".

Hyderpora encounter: SIT rules out any foul play by security forces

The SIT formed by Jammu and Kashmir Police said that one civilian was killed by a foreign terrorist, and informed that the owner of the building and a local terrorist died in the "crossfire" after an ultra used them as a human shield.

A Pakistan-backed terrorist and three others were killed in Srinagar's Hyderpora on November 15. The police had stated that all of the deceased had links to terrorism. The families of three, however, had claimed they were innocent and alleged foul play by security forces, prompting the police to order the inquiry.

Giving a clean chit to SIT, DIG Sujith K said that Dr Mudasir Gul was killed by the foreign terrorist 'Billal Bhai'. Building owner Mohammad Altaf Bhat and Ahir were killed in the cross-firing with armed forces as the foreign terrorist used them as a human shield, he added.

"It is substantiated by the fact the Altaf fell (after being hit by bullets) outside the door, while Amir had managed to run a few more steps and the foreign terrorist's body was found 83 feet away," DIG Sujith K added.

The officer said that the SIT examined the CCTV footage and call detail records besides examining more than 20 witnesses so far. "Statements of six of these witnesses have been recorded before the magistrate at well," he added.
After the security forces were given a clean chit in the Hyderpora encounter, BJP leader Nirmal Singh expressed curiosity on the stance of Peoples Democratic Party's Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference's Omar Abdullah. Speaking exclusively to Republic Media Network, Singh reminded how both Mufti and Abdullah raised questions on the forces- 'those who keep their lives at stake to keep terrorism at bay and protect the resident' - and said, "What have you to say now?"

Underlining that it is their responsibility now to talk about how terrorists were using people of Jammu and Kashmir as human shields to fight the forces, and condemn Pakistan, BJP's Nirmal Singh added," Otherwise, it will be very evident that you are a part of Pakistan's toolkit to spread terrorism in the Valley region."

SIT's clean Chit to forces on Hyderpora Encounter

On Tuesday, the head of the SIT, DIG Sujith K, virtually gave a clean chit to the security forces but added that the team was open to reviewing its findings if any other evidence comes to light.

"Our investigation so far has revealed that Dr Mudasir Gul was killed by the foreign terrorist hiding inside the building as his body was recovered from the attic. The security forces did not go to the attic at all during searches or subsequent operation," head of the SIT, DIG Sujith K Singh, told reporters here.

Giving details of the investigations, Singh said the probe has revealed that Amir Magray, the employee of Dr Gul, was closely associated with the foreign terrorist 'Bilal Bhai', who was killed in the operation while trying to flee. "Mohammad Altaf Bhat (building owner) and Amir were killed in the crossfire with security forces as they were used as a human shield by foreign terrorists. It is substantiated by the fact the Altaf fell (after being hit by bullets) outside the door, while Amir had managed to run a few more steps and the foreign terrorist's body was found 83 feet away," he said.

The officer said that besides examining the CCTV footage and call detail records, the SIT has also examined more than 20 witnesses so far. "Statements of six of these witnesses have been recorded before the magistrate as well," he added.

Image: ANI, PTI
Following the mass arrests of Congress leaders in the state, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has now strongly condemned the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government. TPCC President and MP A Revanth Reddy on Monday slammed the TRS government for resorting to arresting of Congress leaders and workers to foil the Rachabanda for Farmers programme at Erravalli in Gajwel constituency in the state. The TPCC leader launched an attack on Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and said that he was hurting the farmers by targeting the Congress.

The TPCC MP was speaking to the media at Amberpet police station where he was lodged after his arrest from his residence in Jubilee Hills on Monday morning. Senior leaders of the Congress party were either taken into custody or placed on house arrest since the early hours of Monday. Following the arrests, Revanth Reddy said that his party was merely working to support the paddy farmers in the state.

The Congress party was conducting the programme to instil confidence among the paddy farmers across Telangana State. Many farmers committed suicide or died due to heart attacks and other reasons as they were upset over non-procurement of their produce by the TRS and BJP governments during the last three months, Reddy said. Furthermore, he attacked the ruling parties at state and Centre and said, Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took any measures to restore confidence among farmers and instead TRS-BJP indulged in a dirty blame game to avoid resolution of the problem.

Since Congress has been fighting to get justice for farmers, KCR foiled the Rachabanda programme at Erravalli by ordering the massive arrests of all important leaders, he added. Revanth Reddy further added that the CM had earlier given a call for the cultivation of paddy on one crore acres of land and failed to make any arrangements for the rainy season. He claimed that the TRS government didnt support the farmers with gunny bags, transportation and stocking to procure over 60 lakh MTs of paddy produced. He added that lakhs of paddy farmers were left struggling due to this, leading them to resort to extreme steps like suicide.

TPCC Chief accuses KCR of illegal farming

The TPCC chief also accused KCR and his family members of cultivating paddy on their 150-acre farm in Erravalli, after issuing a diktat ordering a ban on the cultivation of paddy across states in the Yasangi (Kharif) season. When the Congress exposed that KCR was cultivating paddy on 150 Acres and wanted to take a media team to Erravalli to verify the fact, KCR deployed the entire police force to stop Congress leaders from visiting Erravalli, Reddy said.

Is Erravalli a restricted area? Is it located in Pakistan or China? Do we need to take a visa to go to Erravalli? Is there a hidden treasure in Erravalli which KCR fears will be stolen if people visit there to check paddy cultivation? he further asked. Reddy said that the Congress party, with its Rachaband programme, was looking to instil confidence among farmers and stop them from committing suicide. He also said that there were no laws preventing farmers from cultivating the crop of their choice and getting the Minimum Support Price from the state and Centre. Reddy also claimed that both TRS and BJP were equally responsible for the rising unemployment in Telangana State.

Image: ANI
People in Bamako, the capital of Mali, have "welcomed" the reported deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner Group, reported Africa News. The residents have stated that they welcome anyone who can help them in the restoration of peace and expressed disappointment with France. The decision of Russia to allow the deployment of the Wagner Group, however, has received criticism from more than a dozen western countries.

The western nations have expressed anger over the deployment of mercenaries and alleged Russia of providing material support to the fighters. Kebab Diallo, a Bamako resident told Africa News that they need to ensure that the government takes its responsibility. Diallo further mentioned that the people of the north and central Mali have been suffering due to insecurity. Another Bamako resident expressed disappointment with France and claimed that France has been in Mali for more than a decade but has shown no result.

Resident expresses 'France pisses us off'

She stated, France pisses us off and raised concern over the situation of children and soldiers in the country, as per the news report. The resident further expressed that they welcome the Russian forces if they ensure that everything is in order. A senior national defence council meeting was held on December 24 in Bamako regarding the security situation. The authorities had issued a statement and denied the presence of the Russian company Wagner.

France alleges Russia of funding Wagner Group's mercenaries in Mali

Last week, France had condemned the decision of Mali authorities to permit the deployment of the Wagner Group, according to AP. France even alleged Russia of spending money on the Wagner Group's mercenaries in Mali. The French Foreign Ministry in an email statement alleged the involvement of the Russian government in giving material support to the deployment of the Wagner Group in a West African country. Furthermore, the French Foreign Minister urged Russian authorities to work towards a "to revert to a responsible and constructive behaviour" in West Africa, as per the AP report.

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 as per AP.

Inputs from AP

Image: AP/Representative
As many as 114 anti-coup protestors were arrested on Monday by Sudanese security forces over alleged violations during demonstrations in the capital of Khartoum, State Security Affairs Coordination Committee said in a statement. The detainments came after Sudanese forces dispersed a massive pro-democracy crowd firing tear gas and water cannons to keep them away from gathering in front of the 'sovereign and strategic' buildings in the capital city.

"Some violations were detected, including an attack on the auto inspection building in Eastern Nile, attempted attack on Bahri City police station, smashing of windows of four police vehicles and destruction of laws billboard and traffic signals," Khartoum State Security Affairs Coordination Committee said in its statement.

Despite the widespread attack on protestors calling for the civilian government, Sudanese authorities claimed that the police had dealt with the alleged violations with 'minimal force.' They also added, at least 58 policemen were injured while tackling the rally. In addition, there were some injuries among citizens, who suffered suffocation and stampede.

Sudanese forces fire pellets on anti-coup protestors in Omdurman

Sudanese forces fired pellets at protestors marching towards Khartoum, CP24 reported. As many as five demonstrators were wounded near the Omdurman area and Khartoum's East Nile neighbourhood. "Many others suffer from breathing difficulties due to heavy smoke from tear gas," an activist Nazim Sirag said.

Thousands of pro-democracy supporters rallied from different locations, converging towards the presidential palace to condemn the coup d'etat carried out by Sudan military commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in October this year. The said protests are a trail of the massive movement that began after al-Burhan formed the Security Council deposing Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok. Later in November, the Council released Hamdok from house arrest and reinstated him as the PM. However, the move is believed to be aimed at sidelining the pro-democracy movement.

The Sudanese authorities also shut down the internet in phones in a bid to thwart communication. In addition, military forces closed bridges over the Nile River, which connects Omdurman and Bahri city to the capital. "The mechanism of a similar or identical to that used during the October post-coup blackout," Alp Toker, advocacy group NetBlocks told the Associated Press. As per United Nations, three protestors were killed and another 300 wounded in the Sunday protests. There were also reports of sexual abuse on female protestors.

(Image: AP)
Emergency crews moved in to start clearing the thick blanket of ash covering parts of the Spanish island of La Palma on Sunday after the monthslong eruption of its volcano was declared over.

Spain's Military Emergencies Unit (UME) shared footage of its personnel surveying and digging through the deep black ash laid the island's landscape.

Authorities declared the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano finished on Saturday following 10 days of no lava flows, seismic activity or significant sulfur dioxide emissions. It had begun in September.

But the emergency in La Palma, the most northwest island in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago, is not over due to the widespread damage the eruption caused, the director of the Canaries' volcanic emergency committee said in announcing the much-anticipated milestone.

Fiery molten rock flowing down toward the sea destroyed around 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems and cut off roads.

But no injuries or deaths were directly linked to the eruption.

Volcanologists said they needed to certify that three key variables - gas, lava and tremors - had subsided in the Cumbre Vieja ridge for 10 days in order to declare the volcano's apparent exhaustion.

Since the eruption started on September 19, previous periods of reduced activity were followed by reignitions.

On the eve of December 14, the volcano fell silent after flaring for 85 days and eight hours, making it La Palma's longest eruption on record.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid the growing instability and economic crisis in Afghanistan, Iran has expressed interest in mediating talks between different groups in the war-ravaged Afghanistan to establish peace and stability. The Iranian President's special representative to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said that Teran shares a great rapport with all the groups in Afghanistan and can proceed to discuss stability and peace in Afghanistan.

According to Khaama Press, Qomi held talks with Afghan leader in exile Muhammad Muhaqiq and said that the Iranian government is ready to mediate talks with the Taliban government in Kabul to help them achieve stability and form an inclusive government.

He emphasized that the Taliban-ruled country lacks stability and peace, which can be resolved only through negotiations among all ethnic groups. Meanwhile, it is to be mentioned that the anti-Taliban resistance group led by Ahmad Masoud in Panjshir province is the only group that has not come to any agreement with the terrorist groups, reported ANI, citing the Khaama Press.

Meanwhile, other countries, including Qatar and Turkey, have also shown interest in helping Afghanistan overcome the crisis. Turkey and Qatar have asked the hardline Islamist group to sign an official agreement to start operations at Kabul airport. However, the Taliban government so far has not signed any agreement with any foreign company to run the Kabul airport.

Afghanistan crisis

Ever since the Taliban seized control of Kabul in mid-August, the country has gone through extreme chaos and an economic crisis. The biggest threat that haunts the future of Afghanistan is the transformation from an insurgent force into an administrative body that can run a complex and diverse nation that is currently on the brink of being pushed into famine. The Taliban have often been accused of not having an inclusive government and of selecting people who follow the Sharia law, from their own groups.

International communities, on the other hand, have often blamed the Taliban for ruining the future of Afghan girls and women, who are forbidden from attending schools and work, with their outdoor movement being restricted too. The international community fears that the prevailing situation in Afghanistan is likely to deteriorate and prompt tens of thousands more Afghans to leave the country, while other terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda will have a strong foothold in war-torn Afghanistan.

Image: AP

With Inputs from ANI
As the Iranian military is scheduled to mark the death anniversary of the top military officer Qasem Soleimani, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called his assassination "an act of state terrorism". Khatibzadeh said the country will not rest until those who committed the "blatant" crime are penalised. Notably, Soleimani was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The military officer was allegedly killed by the US forces. According to the Iranian government, he was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020.

According to Iranian military forces, both Washinton and Israeli forces were involved in the deadly drone attack. Subsequently, Iran retaliated the action by firing dozen of ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases containing US troops. The firing resulted in traumatic brain injuries to hundreds of American soldiers. "The US action in assassinating Lt. General Soleimani was a true example of a terrorist attack and state terrorism, organised by the US government and planned and carried out by former President Donald Trump," Iran Press Agency quoted Khatibzadeh as saying during a press briefing on Monday.

"The US administration has an international responsibility for this heinous act, and Iran will not refrain from any action to bring the perpetrators and advisers of this terrorist act to justice," he added.

Ex-intel chief confirms Israels role in Soleimani killing

Further, he noted that Soleimani played a significant role in eliminating terrorism from the area, the rhetoric that the United States always maintain. Taking a dig at the US claims, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Washington maintains "double standards" and falsehood when it comes to terrorism. It is worth mentioning the then US President presented different reasons when asked behind the assignation of the top military commander. Earlier, Israel denied any involvement in the drone attack, but in December this year, the former military intelligence chief confirmed the role of the Israeli army. Notably, the recent confirmation was the first public acknowledgement of Israels role in the operation.

Assassinating Soleimani was an achievement, since our main enemy, in my eyes, are the Iranians, AP quoted ex-Major General Tamir Heyman as saying to a local magazine. According to him, there were two significant assassinations were held during his tenure.

(With input from AP)

Image: AP
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday announced a plan to launch a campaign against Imran Khan's government, saying that the "puppet" leadership must end. Speaking on the 14th death anniversary of his mother and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, Zardari declared that his party will begin the movement from Lahore on January 5, ANI reported.

Zardari was in Larkana, where PPP has finalised arrangements to observe assassinated Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto.

"The end of the puppet government will begin from the city where the foundation of PPP was laid. It is written on the wall, The puppet will have to go," PPP Chairman and son of late Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, as quoted by Samaa TV.

Addressing the event, Bilawal said that PPP cannot see Pakistan reeling under the economic and political crisis. He further stressed that it is only his party that can save the country. Bilawal also sought help from party provincial leadership and workers to gear up to take part in the campaign against the incumbent government.

He also recalled the "struggle" of his mother during her tenure and said, "We fulfilled Shaheed Benazir Bhutto's 30-year struggle for the Restoration of the 1973 Constitution by introducing the 18th amendment and transferring all the powers to the parliament," Samaa TV reported, quoting the politician.

PPP observes 14th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto

PPP on Monday prepared a 60-foot wide stage, decorated with party flags, banners, and life-size portraits of former PM of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, the Dawn reported. Several party leaders garnered the event to pay homage to the stalwart politician and two-time PM of Pakistan. The program was titled 'Yaad-i-Benazir Conference' and addressed by the current PPP Chief Bilawal Zardari.

Benazir Bhutto was born in 1953 in Karachi, Pakistan. She went on to become the first woman to head a democratic government of a Muslim majority country. She served Pakistan as a PM from 1988 to 1990 and later from 1993 to 1996. However, Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, when she was returning from a political rally. The Salafi Jihadi Group, an Al-Qaeda link claimed responsibility for the attack.

(Image: AP)
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday, December 27, criticised the Imran Khan led-government. Addressing a rally in Sindhs Larkana on the 14th anniversary of his late mother and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto asserted that democracy only exists on paper in Pakistan, according to ANI.

He highlighted that during their tenure, PPP had restored the system irrespective of the presence of "ill practices". He lamented that democracy has now been taken away from the people of Pakistan.

We had said that democracy is the best revenge and hence, we restored the system despite all the ill-practices, Geo News quoted Bilawal Bhutto as saying.

Criticising the Imran Khan-led government, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that the people of Pakistan are facing difficulties due to the "puppet government".

The statement of Bilawal Bhutto comes after the Pakistan Peoples Party announced that they have planned to launch a movement to remove the "puppet government", referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government led by Imran Khan. The party has announced to start the campaign from Lahore on the birth anniversary of party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bilawal Bhutto further mentioned that PPP will set up their base in Lahore.

"On January 5, which is the birth anniversary of [party founder] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, PPP's executive committee will set up its base in Lahore," Samaa TV quoted Bilawal Bhutto as saying. "The end of this puppet government will begin from the city where the foundation of PPP was laid," Bilawal Bhutto added.

Bilawal Bhutto claimed that his party is unable to see the people of Pakistan suffering under the ruling government and stressed that only PPP save the country. He told his party leaders and workers to participate in the agitation against the ruling government.

He also remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and highlighted that Pakistan does not have freedom of speech anymore and is in turmoil. He noted that PPP had restored the 1973 constitution and transferred all the powers to the Parliament.

"Shaheed Bibi, your Pakistan is in turmoil, there is no freedom of speech, life or even breath," Bilawal Bhutto said as per ANI.

Inputs from ANI

Image: AP/BilawalBhuttoZardari/Facebook
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) stated on Tuesday that it has scrambled its fighter jets hundreds of times this year in northwest Europe to intercept airplanes, the majority of which were Russian warplanes. According to NATO, the scrambling has been done as these aircraft were hovering too close to its member nations' airspace. NATO added that 290 out of the 370 total operations performed in 2021 were in reaction to the act of Russian planes.

The majority of them occurred in the Baltic area, particularly in Estonia, Latvia, and also Lithuania, where the organisation has an air-policing presence.

"Generally, intercepts occurred without incident as NATO planes take off to identify the approaching aircraft and escort it out of the area. Very few intercepted flights entered allied airspace," citing a statement from the 30-country US-led alliance, the Associated Press reported.

Intercepting of flights by NATO has become a usual routine. Even though the tension between NATO and Putin administration has increased over Russian military' activity near Ukraine's boundaries in recent months, the frequency of intercepts connected to Russia has fallen this year.

Last year, NATO jets had scrambled 350 instances in retaliation to Russian planes. Further, over 60 NATO jets are stationed throughout Europe all the time to react to uninvited military flights or passenger airliners losing contact with air traffic services for any reason, ranging from technical issues to hijacking.

NATO has been preparing for a large-scale armed battle with Russia: Minister Alexander Fomin

In addition to this, NATO's decades-long eastward expansion, and the deployment of western alliance missile systems, troops, boats, and planes along Russia's borders, have worried Moscow, according to Sputnik. NATO has been preparing for a large-scale armed battle with Russia, as per Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, in breach of the Rome Declaration of 2002.

"The bloc's military construction has been completely reorientated toward preparing for a large-scale, high-intensity armed conflict with Russia," Fomin stated on Monday, December 27 at a diplomatic briefing in Moscow for 105 foreign military attaches, which included officials from 14 NATO nations, Sputnik reported.

Furthermore, approximately 13,000 foreign troops are continuously deployed on the land of NATO's Eastern European countries, according to Fomin, with over 600 tanks as well as armoured vehicles, dozens of heavy weapons, and at least 30 aircraft and helicopters.

(Image: AP)
In Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, on Tuesday, the Taliban opened fire on women protestors near a building that housed the ministry of women's affairs, as per the reports of Gandhara News. One of the protestors stated women took to the streets on Tuesday to demand work, food, and freedom. The protestors further stated that the Taliban opened fire on protestors in order to stop and repress the protest. No information about the casualties has been reported as of yet.

The Taliban dismantled the Ministry of Women Affairs and replaced it with the Ministry of Virtue Promotion and Vice Prevention, according to Khaama Press. Last Thursday, the Taliban announced the dissolution of various ministries and electoral agencies, including the ministries of peace and parliament, the independent election commission, and the independent electoral complaints commission.

Taliban's efforts to limit women's rights

The demonstrations came amid the outrage over the Taliban's efforts to limit women's rights. Officials stated on December 26 that women who wish to go more than 72 kilometres should not be granted transportation unless accompanied by a close male relative. According to Gandhara News, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice also advised all vehicle drivers not to play music in their vehicles and not to pick up female passengers who are not wearing an Islamic headscarf. Since seizing control in Afghanistan in mid-August, the Taliban has named an all-male administration led by militants vowing a return to harsh Shari'a law.

The vast majority of women are prohibited from working, and many girls and women are also denied the right to an education. Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry denounced the Taliban on their stance on women on December 27, stating that women cannot travel alone or attend schools and colleges, this type of retrogressive mindset is hazardous, according to Gandhara News.

Taliban ordered stop airing plays starring female performers

Last month, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ordered Afghanistan's television stations to stop airing plays starring female performers and female television journalists were required to wear a headscarf. During the Taliban's prior leadership in the 1990s, women were required to wear the burqa, were only allowed to leave the house without a male escort, and were completely barred from work, education, and sports.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, December 28, asserted that they will firmly protect their national interests during the security talks with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) in January. Lavrov further stated that they will effectively work towards their interests and not indulge in any unilateral concession without taking into account the balance of interests, Russian state-owned Sputnik reported. He made the remarks at the first meeting of the United Russia party's commission for international cooperation and support of compatriots internationally.

The much-awaited talks between the US and Russia on arms control and the situation in Ukraine is scheduled for January 10. On 12 January, the negotiations on security guarantees with NATO are expected to be held in Geneva, Switzerland. A NATO official on Saturday informed that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had decided to hold talks with Russia on January 12, AP reported. The NATO official revealed that they were in contact with Russia about the meeting. After NATO announced its plans to initiate talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik that they would raise proposals that were given by them to NATO.

Russia submits draft security documents

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday, December 27, announced that the talks between Russia and the US on Russias demand for Western guarantees will begin immediately after the New Year holidays, AP reported. Earlier this month, Russia submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. Moscow has called for the removal of deployment of armed forces in Central and Eastern Europe. Even though the US and its allies have not accepted their demands, however, they have agreed to hold talks.

The relations between NATO and Russia have strained as the Western nations claimed that Russia planned to invade Ukraine, as per the news report. The allegations have been denied by Moscow and the Kremlin mentioned that the movement of troops at the border is in defence of NATO's military activity. Furthermore, Russian authorities highlighted that they have the right to move their defence personnel in their country.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)
As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs for the third year with world fearing the Omicron variant, nations across the globe have started reimposing travel bans. Most recently, France announced stricter COVID restrictions in the country while other European nations have reinstated travel limitations. The latest regulations are aimed to stem the drastic surge of coronavirus infections fuelled by the new variant, B.1.1.529 which was termed variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is to note that Omicron is already the dominant version in several European countries.

Even WHOs top official in the European continent, Hans Kluge has warned that the massive increase of COVID-19 cases across the region will push the health systems towards the brink of collapse. He said that another storm was coming and governments should gear up for a significant surge in infections. France started vaccination among children between ages five and 11 while Germany announced new restrictions effective from 28 December.

List of European nations that have imposed travel restrictions

UK-

All individuals aged 12 and over, travelling to the UK amid the Omicron surge are required to take tests before they start their journey and produce proof of a negative test. It is to note that even fully vaccinated travellers will be required to show a negative COVID-19 test before departure and must be taken two days before the flight. After arriving in the UK, the traveller will get two days to take another PCR test and it must be booked before the travel. The COVID-19 PCR test in the UK should be bought privately from a government-approved list of providers. The individuals will be required to self-isolate irrespective of vaccination status while waiting for the test results.

The Netherlands

Amid concerns of the new variant surge, the Dutch government had announced a strict lockdown over the Christmas holidays. It has been termed as the strictest lockdown to have been announced over Omicron so far, reported BBC. Restrictions are imposed over the number of people who can meet a maximum of two guests aged 13 and over will be allowed inside homes and four on New Years Eve and New Years Day. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte sighed that measures were "unavoidable".

From 22 December, the Dutch government announced new entry rules for travellers from outside the European Union (EU) travelling to The Netherlands. The individuals arriving in the European nation are required to produce a negative COVID-19 test and travellers from very high-risk areas must always self-quarantine for 10 days.

France

Public Health measures apply to all the travellers leaving or entering France amid the Omicron scare and some limitations are varying according to travellers country of departure. India is placed under the orange list meaning all travellers 12 years or older in age are required to present upon boarding a negative result of a PCR or antigen test taken less than 48 hours before the flight irrespective of vaccination status.

The French embassy in India said in a statement that the travellers from countries in the orange list could be required to take an antigen test upon arrival. While unvaccinated travellers must have pressing ground to travel to France, immunised people are allowed to enter without stringent reason to enter the European country. France on Saturday announced the banning of British tourists from entering the country with exceptions to French nationals.

Germany

As of 23 December, it is obligatory for all people above the age of six to carry proof of their COVID-19 status upon entering Germany. While India was removed from the list of countries with a significantly elevated risk of infection, the EU-wide travel restrictions remain in place while entering Germany from India or Bhutan, stated the German mission in India.

The statement read, as of 23 December, there is a general obligation to carry COVID proof when entering Germany for persons six years and older. Persons six years of age and older must have proof of testing, proof of recovery or proof of vaccination when entering Germany. In general, COVID tests (antigen tests or PCR tests) may not be older than 48h at the (planned) time of entry. Germany has banned the entry of UK nationals.

Other European nations

Spains COVID-19 cases have risen to a very high risk level but there have not been any additional announcements of an impending lockdown. In the European region, Austria appears to be comparatively in a stable situation with the nation lifting some restrictions on the unvaccinated people. It is to note that Austria was the first European country to impose restrictions last month.

(IMAGE: Unsplash/PTI)


The plans of Israel to double the number of settlers residing in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights are strongly condemned by Syria. According to a statement from the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the nation has criticised the dangerous and unprecedented escalation from the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and its persistence in settlement policies and grave and methodological violations that rise to the level of war crimes.

These comments came from the Syrian ministry when on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has disclosed a multimillion-dollar plan to increase the number of settlers in the territory that Israel annexed from Syria more than 50 years ago. In 2019, the United States acknowledged Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. further, the rest of the world considers the land to be occupied by Israel, according to the Associated Press.

In addition to this, as per the statement, the Syrian government stated that it remained dedicated to the citizens of Syria in the Golan who are unwavering in their struggle against the Israeli occupation and their disapproval of the plan to annex the Golan. Damascus also stated that it would "work to return it completely to the homeland with all available means guaranteed by international law," indicating that the Israeli government's occupation and alleged annexation of the territory violate multiple UNSC resolutions, Sputnik reported.

Israeli govt plans to double the number of Jewish settlers

Meanwhile, on December 26, Israeli PM Bennett called a cabinet meeting in the Golan kibbutz of Mevo Hama, where he declared a $317 million plan to double the number of Jewish settlers in the land. Over the next five years, the plan calls for the construction of two new towns and 7,300 housing units, as well as the expansion of existing settler towns' housing stock.

Furthermore, as per the Times of Israel, the territory's population is over 50,000 people, including 27,000 Jewish Israeli settlers, 24,000 Druze Arabs who stayed after the 1967 capture, and 2,000 Alawites, a Shia Muslim ethnoreligious community. Approximately 100,000 Syrian Arabs evacuated the Golan during the 1967 war and became refugees, when Israel conducted simultaneous stealth assaults on Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and refused the right to return by the Israeli government.

During the 1967 Middle East conflict, Israel took control of the Golan Heights, which it eventually annexed. Bennett claimed that Syria's decade-long civil war made the notion of Israeli control of the region more palatable to Israel's international allies and that the alternative was far worse, Sputnik reported.

Image: AP/ Twitter-@Israelipm
Despite significant improvements in legislation and norms around the world regarding same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights, public opinion on the acceptance of homosexuality in society remains severely split by country, region, and economic development. However, according to a report by the US-based Pew Research Centre, the global acceptance of the LGBTQ community gained momentum around the world this year. Nonetheless, this does not mean that stigma, prejudice, or homophobic violence are no longer present, the report stated. Conservative administrations have stoked anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the name of family values in places like Poland and Hungary, reversing hard-won advances.

The global backsliding on democracy and human rights, and the Coronavirus pandemic have disproportionately impacted LGBTQ communities in many countries. Despite setbacks and abuses, several countries around the world have sparked optimism this year by taking steps to improve LGBTQ rights. This year, Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan kingdom, became the latest Asian country to legalise homosexuality. King Druk Gyalpo signed a law enacted by parliament in February revising a clause in Bhutan's penal code that criminalised homosexuality.

Bangladesh elects its first transgender mayor

In the month of November, Bangladesh elected its first transgender mayor. Nazrul Islam Ritu, a "third gender" won a landslide election to become mayor of Trilochanpur, a small rural town in the western part of the country. Nepal, another Himalayan country, for the first time included a third gender category in its census this year. Meanwhile, in the United States, rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity were restored, which were pushed back by the previous administration led by Donald Trump. President Joe Biden also lifted a prohibition on transgender people serving in the military. He also issued an executive order promising to use US diplomacy and foreign aid to promote and safeguard LGBTQ rights around the world.

Botswana Court upheld a verdict that decriminalised same-sex relationships

In September, Switzerland became one of the last Western European countries to authorise same-sex marriage, with nearly two-thirds of voters supporting it in a referendum. Same-sex couples will be able to marry in civil ceremonies and will have the same privileges as other married couples as a result of the changed law in the country. In June, France enacted a law allowing women in same-sex relationships and single women to receive free fertility treatments such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Meanwhile, in the month of November, Botswana's court of appeal upheld a 2019 verdict that decriminalised same-sex relationships, which was hailed as a landmark victory for African LGBT rights activists. Before the 2019 High Court judgement, homosexuality was a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison in Botswana, the report by Pew Research Centre stated.

Image: AP/Unsplash
Singapore, Dec 28 (PTI) A 65-year-old Indian-origin Singaporean was on Monday jailed for five weeks after he pleaded guilty to three harassment charges and one count of causing annoyance to others while drunk in a public place.

Moorthy Nagappan was drunk when he boarded a bus near Tekka Market in the Little India precinct on March 28 this year. He was seen not wearing his mask properly, The Straits Times reported.

When the driver reminded him to wear it properly, Moorthy became unhappy and hurled vulgarities at the 33-year-old man.

State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Raj Kishore Rai said that the police were alerted about 15 minutes later.

He was fined 1,000 Singapore dollars (USD 738) late last year after he caused annoyance to others while drunk, reoffended just months later.

In separate incidents this year, he used vulgar language to verbally abuse a police officer as well as a bus driver when he was drunk.

Moorthy was on Monday sentenced to five weeks' jail.

For each count of harassment, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to 5,000 (USD 3,692).

He was found to be drunk again near Tekka Market two months later on May 29, according to the Singapore daily report.

The police were alerted after he was seen shouting and hurling obscenities at passers-by.

Sergeant Jayson Chong Jun Kit, 25, and his colleagues arrived at the scene and Moorthy was advised to leave the premises.

The SPO told the court, "Sgt Chong and his colleagues then escorted the accused to ensure that he left the premises.

"While the accused was at the bus stop along Serangoon Road in front of Tekka Market, the accused continued to cause annoyance by raising his voice at one of the police officers around him. He then got more agitated and cursed at the police officer." Moorthy was arrested soon after, the court heard.

He was sitting in the back seat of a police vehicle going towards the Police Cantonment Complex when he abused Sgt Chong with vulgar language and threatened to kill the officer.

Moorthy was undergoing a medical assessment later that day to ensure that he was fit for detention at the Central Police Division when he made an obscene hand gesture at another policeman. PTI GS CPS

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi on December 27, Monday said that his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe has agreed to start operating a hotline between their defence officials as tensions between the two nations escalated over disputed islets in the East China Sea in the recent months. At a state press conference, Kishi said that he held a video conference call with his Chinese counterpart, where the latter acknowledged that peace and stability are vital for Japan's security. Bilateral ties between Japan and China are thwarted as Beijing reasserts territorial claims on the disputed Senkaku Islands. Tokyo on Monday stressed that it will closely monitor developments there, according to Nikkei Asia. "We need candid communication to foster mutual understanding," Kishi said.

"We confirmed that the early establishment of a hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities is important," the Japanese news agency Nikkei Asia quoted Kishi as saying earlier yesterday. The Japanese minister expressed "extreme grave concern over routine incursions by the Chinese coast guard ships in the disputed waters surrounding the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu.

On December 27, #DefenseMinisterKishi held a VTC with Wei Fenghe, Minister for Defense of the PRC. DMK stated that Japan opposes attempts of unilateral change to the status quo by coercion regarding the East China Sea situation and strongly called for self-restraint. pic.twitter.com/gkg9ndS3eB  Japan Ministry of Defense/Self-Defense Forces (@ModJapan_en) December 27, 2021

China will 'firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty', Wei asserted

According to a Chinese Defence Ministry, Minister Wei told his Japanese counterpart, Kishi, that China will "firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty as well as maritime rights and interests" over issues surrounding the Senkaku Islands. He also categorically stressed that the two nations must "jointly manage and control risks as well as lay focus on improving bilateral relations. Maintaining stability in the East China Sea is critically important for both nations, Wei was quoted as saying after the phone call that lasted for about two hours. The establishment of a hotline for defence personnel of both countries will enhance the communication mechanism and will avert any territorial or maritime dispute on the contested island.

"Since there are (unresolved) issues with China, we need to try and keep having candid communication so we can promote exchanges and foster mutual understanding and confidence," Kishi said, according to Nikkei. The Japanese minister also "strongly demanded '' China to give an explanation about its new coast guard law, implemented on Feb. 1 that allows the Chinese coast guard to deploy weapons against foreign ships sailing in Chinese territorial waters. Japan had also earlier pushed for "stable relations" between Washington and Beijing, adding that the Japanese government would keep a careful eye on the growth of relations between the two countries.
The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.

President Daniel Ortega's government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.

Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.

But Ortega's government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.

The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that the attempted donation was a "maneuver and subterfuge to take what doesn't belong to them."

The Central American country said in early December it would officially recognize only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.

"There is only one China," the Nicaraguan government said in a statement announcing the change. "The People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory."

The move increased Taiwan's diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the island has stepped up official exchanges with countries such as Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country. Now, Taiwan has 14 formal diplomatic allies remaining.

China has been poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies over the past few years, reducing the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation.

China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy. The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan depicts itself as a defender of democracy, while Ortega was reelected in November in what the White House called a "pantomime election."

Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in the 1990s, when President Violeta Chamorro assumed power after defeating Ortega's Sandinista movement at the polls.

Ortega, who was elected back to to power in 2007, had maintained ies with Taipei until now.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The Biden administration must consider mandating the COVID-19 vaccination for domestic air travel, suggested US top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, while stressing that "when you make vaccinations a requirement, thats another incentive to get more people vaccinated." In an interview on MSNBCs Morning Joe", Bidens chief medical advisor recommended, if you want to do that with domestic flights, I think thats something that seriously should be considered." He, however, refused to divulge whether he has made such a recommendation to US President Joe Biden, who last week told ABC that a recommendation on the same was made to him, though at the time, the US leader said that "its been considered" but such a rule is not necessary.

Protocols require the US passengers to wear masks to board planes and must keep it on for the entire duration of the flight. Proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test is also needed. President Joe Bidens chief science adviser, however, recommended that vaccination must be mandated to boost the nations lagging vaccination rate and for safety and stronger protection on flights as the highly transmissible and mutated Omicron spreads.

But officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity with the US outlets, stated that mandating the vaccine on planes could trigger a host of logistical and legal concerns for the US travellers. Currently, the US-based airliners require only the foreign nationals travelling to the US to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19. Hawaii requires a vaccine certificate for overseas travellers to avoid getting quarantined.

Recommendation 'under consideration': Biden

On Monday Biden stressed that the subject was under consideration. They asked Dr. Fauci some more questions about everything from whether or not he thought he was going to move to test at home  I mean, on-air flights and that kind of thing, he told reporters at the White House as he departed for a virtual meeting with governors. My message is: If you need something, say something, and were going to have your back any way we can, Biden said. He then lamented long queues for testing, as he stressed: Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do. The White House, as per reports, earlier this week explored a domestic vaccination requirement for flights, or one requiring either vaccination or proof of negative test to ease the hassle and make flying safer for passengers.
The US defence officials stated that almost two dozen sailors on a US Navy warship, nearly 25% of the crew, have now tested positive for COVID-19. This had led the ship to be stationed at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The USS Milwaukee, which has a crew of about 100 people, was forced to halt its deployment late last week due to the coronavirus outbreak. The number of affected sailors is holding pretty consistent at this stage, according to defence officials who spoke to the Associated Press (AP) on the condition of anonymity.

The USS Milwaukee, a smaller, stealthy combat ship, is the first Navy ship that had to cancel its deployment at sea this year. It had started its mission on December 14 from Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, and had halted for a scheduled port visit. The ship was en route to the Southern Command region of the United States. Meanwhile, a separate outbreak forced another vessel to postpone its departure to sea earlier this month. The USS Halsey, a destroyer, had to delay its homeport shift from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to San Diego, according to Navy Commander Sean Robertson, a spokesperson for the 3rd Fleet. On Sunday, the ship was finally able to depart Hawaii. The relocation is not a deployment, but rather a crew transfer to a new home station.

According to a Navy officer, about one-third of the Halsey crew tested positive for the virus, with the majority experiencing relatively minor symptoms. A destroyer usually has at least 300 members on board. According to Robertson, the crew members were completely vaccinated and no one was needed to be taken to the hospital. He further informed that some of the samples were analysed and that they all tested positive for the Omicron variant, reported AP. On Friday, December 24, the Navy released a statement saying that the crew of the USS Milwaukee was "100% inoculated" and that anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 was immediately isolated from the rest of the crew members.

USS Theodore Roosevelt saw first major military outbreak of virus

It is pertinent to mention here that the first huge military outbreak of the virus occurred on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific, early last year. More than 1,000 of the 4,800 crew members had tested positive which had forced the Roosevelt to be grounded in Guam for nearly two months. According to AP, one sailor had lost his life, and the whole crew was quarantined for weeks in a rotation system that kept enough sailors on board to keep the ship safe and operational. More than 98% of all active-duty sailors have been completely vaccinated, according to the US Navy's latest data.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP/Shutterstock
Founded by Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, Mother Nature relies on partners to help protect the countrys forests.

A Cambodian environmental protection group is suspending operations in Cambodia amid concerns for the safety of its activists, many of whom were detained on charges widely thought to be politically motivated, the groups founder said in an interview this week.

Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, a Spanish environmentalist, told RFA in an interview Monday that the Mother Nature NGO still exists, however, and has not closed its doors. Instead, it will wait to see the outcome of court proceedings against six of its activists recently released on bail, he said.

Their case files are now in the hands of the investigating judges pending their cases being brought to trial, Davidson said. We will continue our activities, but not with our youth activist members working inside Cambodia, he said.

If Cambodian courts do not send the six to prison, Mother Nature may go back to working inside the country, where half or more of the population are teenage youths, Gonzalez-Davidson said.

This means that even though Mother Nature has no members or staff, we still have millions of partners, mostly young people, who can cooperate with us to protect the forest and environment, he said.

Therefore, we hope that our new strategy will provide both greater effectiveness and safety for our six activists awaiting decisions by the court. This is how we can reduce their risks while the live in a dictatorial regime, he added.

Gonzalez-Davidson was deported from Cambodia in February 2015 after the government refused to renew his visa. Opposition groups and local NGOs said the Khmer-speaking activist was expelled to prevent him from organizing opposition to the planned Chhay Areng hydropower dam in southwestern Cambodias Koh Kong province.

The U.S. $400 million China-led project backed by a ruling Cambodian Peoples Party lawmaker would have forced hundreds of ethnic minority families off their ancestral land and destroyed the habitats of endangered animals, they said.

Gonzalez-Davidson has been refused re-entry to Cambodia, though on May 5 he was convicted in absentia along with three other Mother Nature activists  Long Kunthea, 22, Phuon Keorasmey, 19, and Thun Ratha, 29  and sentenced to up to 20 months in prison on incitement charges related to their activism.

He was charged again by the same court in June with plotting against and insulting the countrys king when authorities arrested three of his Mother Nature colleagues  Sun Ratha, Yim Leanghy, and Ly Chandaravuth  who were placed in pre-trial detention.

Released from prison on bail on Nov. 12, Phuon Keorasmy vowed to continue her activities to protect Cambodias environment.

For me, even though we are no longer activists of Mother Nature, we will still continue to do our work. We cannot give up our willingness to protect our natural resources, she said.

Keorasmey said that she and her fellow activists were cheered by the international support they received while in prison.

This told us that our work was lawful and good for the country, she said.

Moreover, I see that our country is still destroying our natural resources, is promoting irresponsible and non-transparent development, and has no space for human rights and environmental activists to work freely.

As young people, and as active citizens and masters of our country, we cannot remain silent, she said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Wang Dan's mother dies in China as a decades-old entry ban prevents him from visiting her one last time.

Rights activists are calling on the Chinese authorities to allow exiled dissidents back home to visit ailing loved ones, after a former leader of the 1989 student-led democracy movement on Tiananmen Square announced the death of his mother from the United States.

Wang Dan, a former leader of the 1989 student-led democracy movement in China, announced the death of his mother Wang Lingyun via his social media accounts on Monday.

"The person who loves me the most in this world, the person I loved most in this world, my mother Wang Lingyun, died in hospital on Dec. 28, 2021, Beijing time, after attempts to revive her following a sudden brain hemorrhage were unsuccessful," Wang wrote on his Facebook page. "She was 86."

In a eulogy to his mother, Wang said she had had a happy life as a historian in a national museum after graduating from Peking University with a degree in history.

"Her life would have been very peaceful if it weren't for me, who became a wanted man after the events of June 1989."

He said Wang Lingyun was held in custody for days while the authorities searched for him, sustaining injuries to her legs while in custody, leaving her with a pronounced limp.

"She tried to rescue me, to protect me," Wang wrote. "She endured my grief, protested with courage against the authorities, spoke out for me to the rest of the world, all in the face of huge government pressure."

"I'm the least dutiful son in the entire world, to let my mother bear such a burden for me," Wang wrote. "In my mother's later years, her greatest wish was that I would be able to come back to Beijing to be with her, but in the end, she was unable to wait for me."

"This blood is on the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)," he wrote. "A pillar of my spiritual world is gone."

Wang said he would put his savings into the Wang Lingyun Humanitarian Rescue Fund "to help the families of other political prisoners who have experienced the kind of suffering my mother endured."

Fellow 1989 student leader Xiong Yan, who also lives in the United States, said he had been through a similar experience when his mother died.

"It was so painful to read the news of Wang Dan's mother's death," Xiong said. "I immediately thought of my own mother's death and how I couldn't go back [to see her]."

"They never gave a reason, nor even told me one way or another if I could go, but in the end, it wasn't possible," he said.

Xiong's mother died after he spent years trying to get a visa to go back to visit her in the central province of Hunan, writing open letters to CCP leader Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang.

You Weijie, spokesperson for the Tiananmen Mothers victims' group, called on the Chinese government to relax the travel ban on 1989 exiles, and allow them to come home on a visit.

"From a humanitarian point of view, I hope that the government will ease the ban," You told RFA.

"I think if your mother dies and you aren't allowed to come back and see her, it's going to be a matter of deep and lifelong regret."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
UPDATED at 9:30 A.M. EST on 2021-12-28

Authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong have suspended a local ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) township secretary after audio clips of her apparently threatening a family of petitioners in August went viral.



"Recently, Wang Li, party secretary of Yunshan township, Pingdu city, has been carrying out mass ideological work with crude methods, inappropriate language and a rough way of working, which has had a negative [public] impact," the propaganda department of Shandong's Pingdu city government said via its official account on Weibo.



"The Pingdu municipal party committee is taking this very seriously. Wang Li was suspended on Dec. 26 and ordered to apologize to the parties concerned," the post said. "The Pingdu municipal party committee has set up a taskforce to investigate and deal with the incident."



In the clips, Wang is reportedly heard telling her nephew, who was charged with carrying out "ideological work" with a family who had lodged a petition against the local government, to warn the family not to leave their home "if they want to stay alive."



She also makes a threatening reference to the family's grandchildren, "including one on the way."



Wang goes on to warn that she has "a hundred different ways I could make the son a criminal; I just don't want to use them for the time being."



RFA was unable to confirm the authenticity of the audio clip independently, but multiple Chinese media organizations have reported that they are a recording of Wang speaking to her nephew.



Repeated calls to the Yunshan township government offices rang unanswered late on .



The Paper news website quoted petitioner Xie Xianwu as saying that Wang and fellow officials had turned up at his home, where he and his family are under "residential surveillance," to apologize, but that he didn't accept the apology.



Xie told the website that his troubles started when he filed a report on suspected tax evasion by a local company, Qingdao Blue Tree Valley. The recording of Wang Li's threats dated to Aug. 23, 2021.



It published a photo of a police document showing that Xie was detained on Oct. 25, 2021 on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used to target peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).



His pregnant wife Tian Xuejuan was placed under "residential surveillance" from Oct. 26, while Xie was later placed under "residential surveillance" from Dec. 1, because he didn't have enough money to post bail while awaiting trial, the website reported.



Wang Li, Communist Party secretary of Yunshan township, Pingdu city, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, in an undated photo on the local government website that was removed after her threats to a local family. Petitioners targeted

Petitioners--many of whom have been thrown out of their homes or suffered abuse at the hands of corrupt officials--are frequently targeted by local officials, who subject them to illegal detention, beatings, and harassment, as well as incarceration in "legal study classes" and "ideological work" in their own homes, with the aim of making them drop their complaints.



Public records show Wang Li to be a former propaganda official who is also a leader of the local CCP Youth League.



"This is the behavior we might expect from an evil dictator or of a criminal organization," independent journalist Gao Yu said. "Local governments have basically become local mafias."



"That's basically intimidation, and not the sort of speech we should hear from a public servant."



She said it was inaccurate to think of Wang Li as a "rotten apple," because such behavior is extremely common among local officials.



The Pingdu propaganda department's post garnered a number of disgusted and critical comments.



"Is this really just a matter of crude methods, inappropriate language and a rough way of working, or is it an intentional abuse of power aimed at framing [the petitioner]?" user @Lawyer_Li_Zhiyong wrote.



User @Lawyer_Zhang's_public_voice wasn't optimistic about the outcome. "At the very worst, [Wang Li] will receive a severe warning and punishment from the party, maybe being transferred, but continuing in an official post."



"Unbelievable recording! Really exposes the truth about these officials!" wrote @Lianhuashan_Feelings_2.



User @Peng_Yousheng_D took issue with the mention of the grandchildren. "What kind of talk is that? They could have committed the crime of intimidation."



"You should all resign en masse, and preserve a shred of dignity," @Take_three-quarters_in_one_bite commented, while @Naked nickname quipped: "Wow, so this is what they mean by crude methods. I really learned something!"

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Reports say at least 35 people were dragged from their vehicles, killed, and burned.

The United Nations has condemned an attack against civilians in Myanmars Kayah state in which unknown assailants reportedly forced nearly three dozen people, including at least one child, from their vehicles, killed them and burned their bodies.

According to reports, junta forces killed at least 35 people and set their bodies alight along with their vehicles on the afternoon of Dec. 24 near Moso village in Kayahs Hpruso township. Members of the ethnic Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) told RFAs Myanmar Service that women and children were among those slaughtered.

News of the killings prompted a statement of condemnation on Sunday from Martin Griffiths, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, who said he was horrified by the reports and demanded a probe into the attack.

I condemn this grievous incident and all attacks against civilians throughout the country, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law, he said in a statement.

I call upon the authorities to immediately commence a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident so that perpetrators can be swiftly brought to justice. Moreover, I call upon the Myanmar Armed Forces and all armed groups in Myanmar to take all measures to protect civilians from harm.

Myanmar was thrown into political crisis on Feb. 1 when the military seized power from the countrys democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government in a coup. In the more than 10 months since, the military has killed at least 1,377 civilians and arrested nearly 8,300 others, mostly during widespread peaceful protests of the junta. The military has also launched offensives against several armed ethnic groups and prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force militias in the countrys remote border regions.

Griffiths noted that amid the political chaos, millions of people in Myanmar remain in dire need of humanitarian support, and pledged continued assistance from the U.N. and its humanitarian partners.

As of Monday, 27 of those killed in the attack had been identified, although 14 people reported to be traveling in the area remain missing, including two workers with Save the Children, a U.K.-based aid organization. Save the Childrens Myanmar office confirmed over the weekend that a car used by their group was found burned near Moso village.

Destroyed vehicles in Kayah state's Hpruso township, Dec. 24, 2021. Karenni Nationalities Defense Force Differing accounts

Ko Banya, the director of the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG) told RFA that among the 14 missing are the two aid workers, four people from Hpruso townships Lawgyar village, one from Kho-raku village, and seven from the state capital Loikaw, including a businessman.

He said it was difficult to confirm whether the missing people had been killed in an earlier incident or were among those burned, as the military reportedly tried to destroy evidence of the attack near Moso village.

The sister of a missing man told RFA on condition of anonymity that four people, including her younger brother, went missing while on their way to Loikaw from Lawgyar village to escape fighting between government troops and anti-junta forces.

We had already fled the area. Our father, his younger brother, and his sister  the entire family. And then, they went back, saying they had to help one family that was left behind, she said.

My brother and three cousins went back in two cars and now they are missing.

Junta spokesman and Deputy Information Minister Zaw Min Tun confirmed on Monday that an incident had occurred in the area involving people killed in the crossfire between the military and unidentified gunmen.

Our security forces encountered seven vehicles in the area, so they asked the vehicles to stop, but they refused and started to drive away. When our forces opened fire with small arms, they fired back at us, he said.

A group of about 20 gunmen fired on the security forces from the southwestern side. They even attacked us with an RPG. During the fighting, some vehicles caught fire and some people were shot dead. A total of 25 bodies were found there, 24 men and one woman. They all seem to be between 20 and 40 years of age.

The Karenni State Advisory Council dismissed the account and issued a statement condemning the attack as a crime against humanity committed by the junta, saying it would pursue justice for the incident and urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take up the matter. The Karenni State Police, which operates under the Karenni State Advisory Council, said it was carrying out an investigation of the attack and would let the world know what happened.

Destroyed vehicles in Kayah state's Hpruso township, Dec. 24, 2021. Karenni Nationalities Defense Force Aid workers targeted

The day after the attack, Save the Children issued a statement from its main office in Yangon, announcing that its operations in Kayah state, as well as in Chin state and Magway region, had been suspended because of the incident. The organization did not immediately respond to requests by RFA for more information about its missing workers on Monday.

Care International, a Switzerland-based relief organization operating in Myanmar since 1995, condemned the Moso village attack and called for an immediate end to violence against civilians and aid workers.

An aid worker for war refugees in Kayah state urged the international community and the U.N. to do more than just condemn the killings in the country.

Weve tried to bear the consequences in the fight between Dhamma [good] and Adhamma [evil], as much as we can. We will go on to meet our fate, said the worker, who declined to be named.

But we want to ask: how can the international community get involved with us? Will they really continue to stand by because of a foreign policy of noninterference? Will the EU and the U.N. just go on saying they are concerned and that they condemn such acts? Is that all they will do?

Ya Enna, general secretary of the Dawkalu Network, which helps refugees in Kayin state, confirmed to RFA on Monday that his organization would also be suspending relief efforts due to the Moso village incident and the attack on relief workers.

Its so sad to see all of this. We feel so sorry and just have to pray that this kind of tragedy does not happen in our area, he said.

There was once a young man from our group who was helping refugees. This young man was arrested, tortured, and hospitalized. He later died. Its so terrifying to be caught by the military. We are so worried that our members will be arrested.

An aid worker, who worked in Chin state and Magway region and was nearly arrested by the military, condemned the killings, and told RFA that she would continue her mission, despite her fears.

We cannot stop working because of such tragic events. No matter how hard it is, we must go on, she said.

We have escaped arrest more than four or five times. My husband was once even taken [but released] ... As a woman, Im scared, but the fear always goes away. Im sure Ill be there for the rest of my life. I also want others to be involved until the end.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
At least five Christian leaders have been killed and four others detained since Februarys coup.

At least five Christian clergymen have been killed and four others are in detention in Myanmar since the military seized power in a coup, highlighting how the junta has targeted leaders of the religion over the past 10 months.

Salai Za Op Lin, deputy executive director of the Chin Human Rights Group, told RFAs Myanmar Service that most of the victims were from the Chin state townships of Kanpetlet, Mindat, Matupi and Thantlang.

Our records show there are nine Christian leaders, including pastors, who suffered at the hands of the junta. Five of the nine were killed, he said.

Similar things are happening to those in Magway region outside of Chin state.

Um Kee, a 30-year-old pastor from Kanpetlets Otpo village, was arrested from his home on Dec. 11. Two days later, locals found his dead body near the Pan Laybyay Hotel.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA that Um Kee had been stabbed in the abdomen and shot in the head.

He was said to be taken away for questioning. We knew he was arrested. His body was found on the side of the road the next day, the resident said.

His abdomen was sliced open with knife wounds, and he had a big wound on his head.

Salai Ngwe Kyar, a Christian pastor from Thekkedaung village, in Magways Saetottara township, was arrested on allegations that he belonged to the anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militia on Dec. 6 by soldiers from the local No. 20 Regiment. Locals said he died at Magway Hospital on Dec. 9 from injuries sustained during interrogation.

The military also arrested Naing Kone, a pastor from Ngalai village in Matupi township on Sept. 23. It was not until Nov. 17 that his family was informed of his death, according to residents.

Kyon Byat Hom, a clergyman who went to help put out a fire at a home in Thantlang following clashes between the military and fighters with the Chin Defense Force (CDF) militia, was shot to death on Sept. 19.

Speaking to RFA, junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun denied that any pastors had died during interrogation, adding that reports about a Chin Christian leader having been killed by the military were false and that he had been killed in the crossfire between government troops and the CDF.

One day there was a shootout. A Christian leader came out to the scene of the shooting and was killed. We dont know whose bullets caused his death. He was buried, he said.

Later there was talk that his ring was cut off from his fingers at the burial site. We can prove we didnt do such a thing. The burial was performed by members of the church. These kinds of allegations will always be there. We want to be friends with all religions.

Unacceptable acts against religion

Myanmar was thrown into political crisis on Feb. 1 when the military seized power from the countrys democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government in a coup. Since then, the military has killed at least 1,377 civilians and arrested nearly 8,300 others, mostly during widespread peaceful protests of the junta. The military has also launched offensives against several armed ethnic groups and prodemocracy militias in the countrys remote border regions.

In Chin state, where the military is fighting the CDF, government troops have set up camp in Chin Christian churches and in some cases destroyed religious buildings with heavy artillery or arson, according to residents. The Chin Human Rights Group estimates that more than 30 churches have been destroyed in Chin state in the nearly 11 months since the coup.

Venerable Ngun Htaung Man, the head of the Chin Baptist Association, called it unacceptable that religious leaders have been killed and sacred sites destroyed on the juntas watch.

These things should never have happened. It insults religion and creates racial problems, he said, noting that Buddhist-majority Myanmars Christian population tend to be ethnic minorities.

Religions must be mutually recognized and respected. It is our view that rules and regulations of international law must be observed.

Chin refugees in Yangon region's Hmawbi township, Dec. 20, 2021. RFA Refugee aid dwindles

Meanwhile, members of a group of nearly 250 refugees who fled fighting in Chin states Paletwa township told RFA that they are now facing difficulties, including a shortage of food, as donations have dried up since the February coup.

The refugees, who are mostly ethnic Khumi and Mro, relocated to Yangon regions Hmawbi township after escaping clashes between the ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army (AA) and the military in December 2020. After living in makeshift tents in the Myaung Tagar areas Baytha La village and relying on charity for more than a year, the group is now struggling to survive, they said.

We are not familiar with the land and environment of this region, so we are not able to grow anything here, said Kan Htun, a refugee who fled his home in Paletwas Kyi Lay village with his family to Yangons Hmawbi township.

We dont have jobs. We also dont know how to commute to the downtown area so we cant go out and look for jobs. We just sit in our makeshift tents and now we are having problems making ends meet.

In addition to a food shortage, the refugees in Baytha La village are also struggling with other challenges such as an inability to obtain proper documentation in Hmawbi township because they had to flee without identification cards when they left Chin state.

Donors feel unsafe

Nant Vit, a refugee who fled Paletwa, said that since the coup very few donors had come forward to aid her community. She said the nearby Khumi Emmanuel Church is currently making donations but is already stretched thin.

It has been five months. We are facing hardships surviving every day, she said.

We are living on food provisions from the church, but I am not sure what will happen in future. I dont have any income or job.

Kan Lott, the churchs pastor, told RFA he had been gathering food for the refugees from donors in the Yangon region but said that since the coup, people no longer feel safe traveling to the area.

Previously, donors arrived in large trucks carrying rice, cooking oil and other commodities for the refugees, he said.

The rice bags were big. Now, the rice bags they donate are small if they even come at all.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
China will maintain the high-impact oppression of the mostly Muslim minority group, researcher says.

Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo (L) gets up to leave as Shohrat Zakir (R), chairman of Xinjiang's government, applauds at the end of a meeting of the Xinjiang delegation during the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 12, 2019.

China has appointed the governor of coastal Guangdong province as the new Communist Party secretary of its far-western Xinjiang region, replacing Chen Quanguo, considered the architect of the brutal crackdown on Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Ma Xingrui, 62, who has governed economically dynamic Guangdong since 2017, will become party chief of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the official Xinhua news agency said Dec. 25.

Chen, 66, has been in his current position since August 2016 and has been accused by the West of spearheading the repressive policies and severe human rights abuses against the 12 million Uyghurs who live in Xinjiang.

During his stint as Xinjiangs party chief, China built up a network of detention camps in which as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been held since 2017 in the name of preventing religious extremism and terrorism.

Though Chen has denied widely documented and credible reports of abuse in the camps, he became the highest-ranking Chinese official to be sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2020 in connection with rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The U.S. government and the legislatures of several European countries have declared that Chinas actions in Xinjiang constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.

On Dec. 23, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, blocking the import of goods into the U.S. from Xinjiang without clear and convincing evidence that they were not made with Uyghur forced labor.

In early December, the Uyghur Tribunal, an independent peoples tribunal in London, determined that China has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

The tribunal also found that Chen, Chinese president Xi Jinping, and other senior government officials in the Chinese Communist Party bore primary responsibility for the repression and abuses.

Adrian Zenz, a German researcher who provided crucial evidence to the Uyghur Tribunal about the Chinese governments atrocities against the Uyghurs and efforts to decrease the mostly Muslim population in Xinjiang, said that Chen had been transferred to Xinjiang because of his ability to quickly build up harsh measures against the Uyghurs.

He was the ideal person to very quickly ramp up the police apparatus, very quickly ramp up the internment campaign for re-education from existing initial small scale re-education efforts, and to ramp up all the other measures, he said.

Chens replacement is a change from the high impact, high pressure mode into more of a long-term maintenance mode that will continue to employ oppressive policies in a long-term way, said Zenz, an independent researcher with the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

[With his] replacement by the governor of Guangdong, we can see Beijings strategy of long-term economic development of the region while maintaining the high-impact oppression, assimilation, population optimization, and costs of labor that will all be maintained in a way that is kind of like a slow, slow genocide, he said.

I think this was already mostly planned, added Zenz.

Prior to his appointment in Xinjiang, Chen served as party secretary of the neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region, another ethnic region considered sensitive but not as restive as Xinjiang, from 2011 to 2016.

Chen Quanguo was known for his hard-line approach in Tibet before Xinjiang where he reinforced assimilation by building a security architecture that enabled surveillance, control, and oppression, said Kunga Tashi, an expert on Tibet-China relations.

The change in leadership in Xinjiang would not bring any changes in the repression of the Uyghurs, he added.

Ma Xingrui, who will replace Chen Quanguo as the Xinjiang party chief, has promised to uphold the current state of supervision in Xinjiang as it is now, the Tibetan said. So, I believe this replacement just has to do with a wider reshuffle ahead of next years 20th [National] Party Congress and nothing to do with ending the harsh policies in Xinjiang.

Translated by RFAs Uyghur and Tibetan services. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Chinas sweeping claims in the South China Sea are disputed by other regional countries.

A China Coast Guard ship is seen from an Indonesian Naval ship during a patrol north of Natuna island, Indonesia, Jan. 11, 2020.

Indonesia has invited officials in charge of maritime security from five other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet early next year to discuss how to respond to Chinas assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Head of the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), Vice Adm. Aan Kurnia, was quoted in the Indonesian media as telling reporters that hed invited his counterparts from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam to a meeting in February 2022 to share experiences and foster brotherhood among the countries facing similar challenges posed by China.

Maritime agencies from the six countries took part in an ASEAN Coast Guard Forum last October, signalling willingness to cooperate.

The Jakarta Post quoted Aan as saying that it is important to present a coordinated approach in matters related to the South China Sea, and how to respond in the field when we face the same disturbance. The vice admiral did not mention China by name.

The initiative is being praised by some analysts.

Coast guards in Southeast Asia have a bad history of cooperation - they see each other as their primary challenges, even worse than the navies, which have learned to cooperate amid competition, said Thomas Daniel, a senior fellow at Malaysias Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS).

I think what the Indonesians are proposing is very interesting and bold. At least they are trying something, Daniel said.

Chinas sweeping claims in the South China Sea are disputed by other regional countries and were invalidated by an international tribunal in 2016. However, Beijing continues to harass other countries when they are exploring resources in these waters.

Indonesia is not a claimant in the South China Sea dispute but recently Beijing told Jakarta to stop drilling for oil and gas near the Natuna islands inside Indonesias exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as the block lies within the so-called nine-dash line that China uses to demarcate its expansive claims.

The Chinese coast guard has also been active across the South China Sea.

A meeting similar to the ASEAN Coast Guard forum would be a great opportunity for ASEAN coast guards and maritime law enforcement agencies to talk and cooperate with each other, said Satya Pratama, a senior Indonesian government official and a former Bakamla captain.

It is also a good idea for Indonesia (through Bakamla) to explain Indonesias intention so that others can understand and follow suit, he said.

A crewman from a Vietnamese coast guard ship looks out at sea as Chinese coast guard vessels give chase to Vietnamese ships close to an oil rig in the South China Sea, July 15, 2014. Credit: Reuters Coalition to push South China Sea negotiation?

ASEAN has a checkered history of cooperation on the South China Sea, which has emerged as a source of tension with China. Its also been a source of division in the 10-nation bloc itself as it has tried to negotiate a Code of Conduct (COC) to regulate maritime activities there, with some nations like incoming ASEAN chair Cambodia reluctant to criticize Beijing.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. alluded to those difficulties earlier this month when he addressed a meeting between foreign ministers from ASEAN and Group of Seven (G7) developed countries.

He said that as ASEAN countries and China struggle to agree on the South China Sea issues, recent incidents and the heightened tension  remain a serious concern.

These worrying developments underscore the urgency and importance of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea  But negotiations for the COC, even in our watch, went nowhere, Locsin said.

Observers say that a united ASEAN approach is difficult as not every ASEAN member gives the same weight to the South China Sea dispute.

China has successfully exploited ASEANs decision-making by consensus to ensure that it has greater leverage in statements by ASEAN on the South China Sea, and in the COC negotiation itself, Daniel from Malaysias ISIS said.

Perhaps its time for the most directly involved ASEAN countries - the claimant states - to take the lead and not depend too much on the rest of ASEAN, Daniel said.

Some suggest that a smaller grouping  a coalition of four or five member states  would be more effective.

Antonio Carpio, a former justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, was quoted by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) as saying that five ASEAN coastal states - the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, plus Indonesia - should form a coalition to oppose Chinas hegemony and bullying.

But Daniel warned that getting the four claimant states together is going to be very difficult.

There is a longstanding trust issue between them, as well as fear of retaliation by China, he said.

The Vietnam Coast Guard and the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in strengthening maritime security and safety between the two forces. But overlapping maritime claims have been an irritant in VietnamIndonesia bilateral relations for decades.

The two countries frequently clash over the issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In 2019, for example, Indonesia seized and destroyed 38 Vietnamese vessels for illegal fishing.

A similar situation is observed between Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as between Indonesia and Malaysia, analysts say.
About 50 people are beaten and detained during the burial ceremony of ethnic Hmong Duong Van Minh.

Vietnamese police officers and others wearing medical protective suits beat attendees at the funeral of Duong Van Minh in Ngoi Sen village, northeastern Vietnams Tuyen Quang province, Dec. 12, 2021.

Hundreds of Vietnamese police and others dressed in medical protective suits raided the funeral of the ethnic Hmong founder of an unofficial religious group, beating and arresting nearly 50 of his followers who attended the ceremony, locals said.

Duong Van Minh, 60, died of lymphoma on Dec. 11. His family and followers carried his body from the medical facility where he died to his home in Ngoi Sen village in northeastern Vietnams Tuyen Quang province for a funeral and burial ceremony.

After Minhs body was taken back home, local authorities set up checkpoints in the surrounding area to reportedly curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but in reality meant to prevent his followers from attending the funeral, locals said.

They set up checkpoints surrounding all of the villages where Mr. Minhs followers live and blocked all the paths leading to Mr. Minhs village, said a resident and follower who declined to be identified for safety reasons. When we asked whether there were COVID-19 virus infections in the area, some mobile police officers said no, adding that they had just been asked to block the area.

Authorities asked Minhs family members to take COVID-19 tests, saying that the driver who transported the body had tested positive for the contagious respiratory virus. The relatives, in turn, requested taking the tests on Dec. 13, the day after the funeral, but authorities declined.

Instead, local authorities sent mobile police and staff in medical protective clothing to disrupt the funeral on Dec. 12 to force people to take the test, resulting in the violent crackdown, locals said.

Around 300 mobile police officers and others with shields and batons came to Mr. Minhs house in groups, one after another, said the first resident. They shouted and threatened to arrest people filming them and chased down those holding mobile phones.

About 35 people were arrested except for Minhs family members and others who remained inside the house, prompting police to break windows and demand that they open the door, threatening them with electric batons, he said.

Then a group of nurses came in to examine Mr. Minhs body, he added.

The same day, more than 100 followers of the Duong Van Minh religion named for its founder went to see medical staff and protested what they considered a violation of their religious founders body.

In response, authorities mobilized police and arrested nine more people, followers said.

On Dec. 15, police announced the names of four followers accused of allegedly assaulting officers on official duty via village loudspeakers and called on them to turn themselves in. Four people were later arrested when they showed up at the communes headquarters, they said.

None of those arrested have been released.

I think the authorities treated us that badly just because of our beliefs, said the first resident. The police have seen us many times, and they are very keen on eliminating our religion and not allowing us to follow it. The police have said that in many places.

RFA could not reach the office of the chairman of Tuyen Quang Province Peoples Committee for comment.

It wasnt the first time that some of the followers of the Duong Van Minh religion had been arrested.

Those who have been arrested had been threatened many times before, the resident said. The police said those who taught our fellow villagers to practice the religion would all be arrested, leaving no one on the loose, he said.

Authorities took advantage of the funeral to arrest other believers in a bid to eradicate the unofficial religion, he added.

As of Dec. 20, authorities have informed the relatives of some of the people arrested that their family members would be prosecuted for resisting officers on official duty.

Founded in 1989, the Duong Van Minh religion promotes the removal of old and costly funeral customs that require that killing of cattle for seven days and seek to make Hmong faith customs surrounding funerals and marriages more modern and hygienic.

Followers of the religion have come under severe repression by authorities, and many have been charged with abusing freedom and democratic rights and imprisoned. Over the years, authorities have destroyed dozens of their religious structures used as funeral homes.

Vietnams state-run media has called the belief a false religion, arguing that it leads people to create groups that are not in line with the policies of the central government and the Communist Party of Vietnam and has accused its followers of inciting local people to oppose those guidelines and of trying to establish a Kingdom of Hmong.

Major General Sung Thin Co, a Hmong member of Vietnams national assembly, told fellow representatives at a session on March 26 that local authorities and police had made a hasty decision on the Duong Van Minh religion, causing clashes with Hmong people.

There are roughly 8,000 ethnic Hmong practitioners of the Duong Van Minh religion in four provinces in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam, according to the government.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Abdul Kabir Wakil Khan traveled from Kazakhstan to the Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif in July to help his family members -- all ethnic Kazakhs -- relocate to their ancestral homeland.



Instead, Wakil Khan became stranded in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in the war-torn country in August.



Wakil Khan's parents and several of his relatives were in the process of being cleared for resettlement by the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul, the Afghan capital.



They were among scores of Afghan nationals seeking to relocate through a special Kazakh government program that helps ethnic Kazakhs from abroad immigrate to the Central Asian country.



But the Taliban takeover put those relocation plans on hold. The Kazakh Embassy in Kabul has restricted its operations, passports applications have been disrupted, and most international flights have been suspended.

Unable to leave Afghanistan, Wakil Khan has been trying to secure visas for his family members to travel to Kazakhstan. The 58-year-old, himself born in Afghanistan, moved to Kazakhstan some 15 years ago.



"There is a group of people who gather in front of the embassy these days," Wakil Khan told RFE/RL. "Like me, many of them traveled from Kazakhstan to obtain visas for their relatives."



Kazakh authorities claim there are only around 200 ethnic Kazakhs remaining in Afghanistan. But ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan estimate the number is much higher.



Many members of the ethnic Kazakh community are believed to be the relatives of those who arrived in northern Afghanistan from Central Asia in the 1920s and 1930s.

Many of them speak Dari or Uzbek and live among ethnic Uzbek communities in northern Afghanistan. Most of them live in rural areas and raise livestock.



According to official figures, some 13,000 ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan have immigrated to Kazakhstan since the early 1990s.



Kazakhstan offers citizenship to ethnic Kazakhs who emigrate to their ancestral homeland from abroad.



About 1 million ethnic Kazakhs from Uzbekistan, China, and other neighboring countries have moved to the oil-rich country since the 1990s.



The government offers financial incentives, subsidized housing, and other benefits for them. But those state benefits come with a precondition. They must move to sparsely populated northern regions of Kazakhstan, where there is a shortage of workers.

Not everyone wants to move to the north, which is notorious for harsh winters. Those who stay elsewhere in Kazakhstan do not receive support from the government.



'Documentation Issues'



Kazakh authorities have said they are committed to helping ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan.



Shortly after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on August 15, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev ordered his government to organize the evacuation of ethnic Kazakh Afghan nationals from Kabul.

On September 9, Kazakhstan evacuated 35 ethnic Kazakhs on a special flight from Kabul to Almaty.



But the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said last week that the evacuation of ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan had been "suspended," citing the "political situation as well as documentation issues in Afghanistan."



When the Taliban seized power, dozens of Afghans claiming to be ethnic Kazakhs pleaded with the Kazakh Embassy for help to resettle in Kazakhstan.



The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in late August that it had established a special commission at the embassy to investigate each case.



But Kazakh officials have said many Afghan applicants have difficulty proving their Kazakh roots.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said many applicants were "unable to provide any documents" to prove their Kazakh ethnicity or document when their relatives first moved to Afghanistan.



"Some of them don't even have basic knowledge of the Kazakh language," Smadiyarov told reporters in late August.

Amanullah Nazari, an Afghan who resettled in Kazakhstan in 2019, said many ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan are illiterate and often live in remote areas. He said that many members of the community are probably not even aware of the resettlement program.



The lack of travel documents has also hampered the resettlement of ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan, from where hundreds of thousands of people have fled in recent months due to Taliban repression and a devastating humanitarian and economic crisis.

Passport offices across Afghanistan have frequently suspended their operations since August.



But even those who obtain passports and foreign visas find it difficult to leave Afghanistan. International flights have come to a near-complete halt since the Taliban takeover.



A family of Afghan Kazakhs living in the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent told RFE/RL that their relatives -- a total of 38 people -- were set to relocate from the Afghan province of Faryab to Kazakhstan in July.



After their resettlement documents were approved, they were making travel plans when the Taliban seized power.



"We sent them money [for their flights], but it won't be enough anymore," said Hangama Abdul Karim, a Kazakh citizen who has relatives in Afghanistan. "We can't afford to pay for their travel with connecting flights [through other countries]."
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said he is not opposed to a good nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, although he expressed skepticism that the talks that resumed this week can result in such an outcome.

"At the end of the day, of course there can be a good deal, Bennett told Israeli Army Radio on December 28. Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed."

Israel is not a party to the talks and opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that curbed Iran's controversial nuclear program, saying it was not tough enough.

In the past, Israel has accused its archenemy Iran of using "nuclear blackmail" as a bargaining chip that allowed it to inch closer to developing a nuclear weapon.

The eighth round of negotiations aimed at reviving the deal, which stalled after the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018, opened in Vienna on December 27.

Iran, which claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, reacted to the U.S. withdrawal by gradually ramping up its nuclear program and enriching uranium well beyond the thresholds allowed in the original agreement.

Tehran has said that the current negotiations should focus on lifting sanctions on the Islamic republic and obtaining "guarantees" that Washington, which is participating the talks indirectly, will return to the accord.

"The most important issue for us is to reach a point where, firstly, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without hindrance, Iranian media quoted Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying in Tehran before negotiations resumed this week.

The 2015 agreement limited Irans nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, but sanctions were reimposed after the United States backed out of the deal under former President Donald Trump.

Diplomats from the parties that remained party to the deal -- China, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia -- are directly taking part in the efforts to restart the accord.



The seventh round of talks, the first under new hard-line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, ended on December 17 after Tehran added some new demands to a working text, including that U.S. sanctions be lifted.

Diplomats from the three European countries directly involved in the negotiations said after that round ended that negotiators 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."

Russia's envoy in the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said on December 28 that the working group was making "indisputable progress."

"Sanctions lifting is being actively discussed in informal settings," he wrote on Twitter.

U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that current diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving the deal may be exhausted within weeks," while U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned of a "period of escalating crisis" if diplomacy failed to restore the agreement.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Diplomats from the three European countries directly involved in the negotiations to breathe new life in a faltering nuclear deal with Iran have stressed the "urgent" nature of talks.



The eighth round of negotiations aimed at reviving the agreement, which unraveled after the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran, opened in Vienna on December 27.

The 2015 agreement limited Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Iran, which claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, reacted to the U.S. withdrawal by gradually ramping up its activities and enriching uranium well beyond the thresholds allowed in the original agreement.

"This negotiation is urgent.... We are clear that we are nearing the point where Iran's escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out the JCPOA," negotiators from Britain, France, and Germany said in a statement, referring to the deal's official name by its acronym.

"That means we have weeks, not months, to conclude a deal before the JCPOA's core nonproliferation benefits are lost."

Beside negotiators from the three European powers, diplomats from the other two countries that remained party to the deal -- China and Russia -- are also directly taking part in the efforts to restart the accord.

Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian envoy to the talks, said on December 29 that he had met with his U.S. counterpart, Robert Malley, in Vienna.

"Close consultations and coordination between the Russian and the U.S. delegations in the course of the Vienna talks constitute an important prerequisite for progress towards restoration of the JCPOA," Ulyanov said on Twitter.

The seventh round of talks, the first under new hard-line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, ended on December 17 after Tehran added some new demands to a working text, including that U.S. sanctions be lifted.

Tehran has said that it wanted "guarantees" that Washington, which is participating in the Vienna talks indirectly, will return to the accord.

"The most important issue for us is to reach a point where, firstly, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without hindrance," Iranian media quoted Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying in Tehran before negotiations resumed this week.

Russia's envoy to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said on December 28 that the working group was making "indisputable progress."

"Sanctions lifting is being actively discussed in informal settings," he wrote on Twitter.

However, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington thinks it is too soon to say how substantive this progress is, and told reporters the United States has not yet seen sufficient urgency demonstrated by Iran.

Also on December 28, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he is not opposed to a "good" nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but expressed skepticism that the talks can result in such an outcome.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
A Russian court has blocked a website that connects detained protesters with lawyers who are willing to represent them, accusing it of promoting terrorism and extremism. OVD-Info was set up after mass protests 10 years ago and has provided legal support to thousands of people who were detained after attending street protests. One lawyer who works with them says this was just the beginning of a "coordinated and organized" attack on lawyers by the Russian state.
MOSCOW -- Russia's Supreme Court has ordered the closure of Memorial International, one of the countrys oldest and most respected human rights organizations, capping a year of what critics called the states systematic dismantling of the countrys civil society.

The decision by the court at a hearing in Moscow on December 28 was condemned by the United States and other Western governments as well as human rights groups.

It came in a year during which Kremlin critics, their associates, independent news outlets, and rights organizations have been either muzzled, jailed, closed or forced to flee the country.

Maria Eismont, one of the lawyers in Memorials legal team, told the court that closing the rights organization, which counts Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov as one of its founders, would "throw the country back and increase the risk of total repression."

Yan Rachinsky, Memorial's chairman of the board, said the decision would be appealed and that the organization's work would not stop since parts of it are not legal entities.

"The decision of the Supreme Court once again confirmed that the history of political terror organized and directed by the state authorities remains for Russia not an academic topic of interest only to specialists, but an acute problem of our time," Memorial said in a statement.

"Our country needs an honest and conscientious reflection on the Soviet past; this is the guarantee of her future. It is ridiculous to believe that the judicial liquidation of International Memorial will remove this issue from the agenda. The entire Russian society needs to remember the tragedies of the past. And not only Russian: the memory of state terror unites all the former Soviet republics," it added.

Dozens of people were at the court building in support of Memorial, which was launched shortly before the Soviet collapse in part to document Soviet repression. In the decades since, it has produced hallmark indicators of the rights situation and documented historical and ongoing injustices.

The case was initiated by prosecutors under the controversial "foreign agent" law, which increasingly is being used by officials to shutter civil society and media groups in Russia.

Judge Alla Nazarova said that Memorial International breached its designation as a "foreign agent" by not marking all its publications with the label as required by law.

In a separate case, the Moscow City Court will hold a hearing on December 29 over a prosecutor's request to shut down sister organization Memorial Human Rights Center as well for violations of the "foreign agent" legislation.

The U.S. State Department condemned the ruling on Memorial International and said it was following with concern Russia's ongoing efforts to close Memorial Human Rights Center.

"We urge Russian authorities to end their harassment of independent voices and human rights defenders and stand in solidarity with those who have been targeted for repression for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Germany's Foreign Ministry called the decision "more than incomprehensible," adding that it went against international obligations to protect fundamental civil rights.

"Justified criticism from organizations like Memorial should be listened to. The decision causes us great concern, not least because it deprives victims of oppression and repression of their voice," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

Rights activists say there are no legal grounds to liquidate the organization, which also has been devoted since the late 1980s to promoting human rights in Russia and the former Soviet republics. They say the demand by the Prosecutor-General Office to shut down Memorial International is "a politically motivated decision."

"The closure of International Memorial represents a direct assault on the rights to freedom of expression and association. The authorities' use of the 'foreign agents' law to dissolve the organization is a blatant attack on civil society that seeks to blur the national memory of state repression," said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Eastern Europe and Central Asia director.

"The decision to shut down International Memorial is a grave insult to victims of the Russian gulag and must be immediately overturned," she added.

Memorial said it would appeal the ruling "in all ways available to us."

Russia's so-called "foreign agent" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly.

It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance, and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits.

"Memorial is the heart and soul of the Russian human rights movement," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

"It is an utter outrage that the Kremlin is now moving to shut Memorial down. It speaks to the fears of the Russian government that it is no longer willing to tolerate the honest and objective recounting of its conduct that Memorial provides."

"This is bitter, as Memorial -- an island of free thought and one of the last bastions of democratic civil society in Russia -- will be liquidated. Internal authoritarian harmonization and aggressive external politics go hand in hand," said Ralf Fuecks, managing director of the Center for Liberal Modernity and a former politician in Germany.

The forced liquidation of the highly respected human rights organization International Memorial is another step in the deplorable degradation of human rights in Russia."

Memorial International, the umbrella organization under which the Memorial Human Rights Center and several other activist groups operate, is among several news outlets and rights organizations to have been labeled "foreign agents" in what is seen as a historic crackdown on civil society and critics of the government.

"The forced liquidation of the highly respected human rights organization International Memorial is another step in the deplorable degradation of human rights in Russia," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said.

"I call on Russia to protect human rights defenders, independent media, journalists, and opposition figures," he added.

"We fear its [Memorial International's] companion organization focusing on contemporary repression is next," HRW's Roth said.

With reporting by Interfax and Reuters
Russian police have taken three former regional coordinators of Aleksei Navalny's campaign team in for questioning amid continued pressure against the imprisoned opposition leader's associates.

The home of Zakhar Sarapulov, who headed the Irkutsk headquarters of Navalny's network of regional campaign groups, was searched early on the morning of December 28 and Sarapulov was detained by Russia's Investigative Committee.

The same morning, the offices of the banned Navalny movement's Tomsk headquarters were raided and its former head, Kseniya Fadeyeva, was detained at her cottage and taken in for questioning.

In Saratov, regional coordinator Andrei Gorodetsky was also detained, according to Siberia.Realities of RFE/RL's Russian Service.

It is unclear if a reported raid carried out against a fourth Navalny associate, Vadim Ostanin, the Navalny campaign's former Barnaul office head, has resulted in his detention or charges.

Leonid Volkov, who is among several Navalny associates who have fled Russia this year amid pressure from the Russian authorities, described the situation as a "huge disaster" in a post on his Telegram channel on December 28.

Volkov wrote that both Sarapulov and Fadeyeva, a representative in the Tomsk city council, had earlier refused his advice for them to leave the country.

RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities reported that both detainees have been allowed access to lawyers, who were not allowed to reveal details of their clients' cases.

Fadeyeva is suspected of using her official position in relation to the organization of an extremist group, according to Tomsk's TV2 information agency, a charge punishable by up to two years in prison.

TV2 also reported that Fadeyeva is likely to be transferred to Moscow for interrogation and is also suspected of participation in a nonprofit organization that infringes on the personality and rights of citizens, which is also punishable by prison.

Sarapulov and Gorodetsky have also reportedly been detained on suspicion of using their official positions to create or participate in an extremist community.

Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and his political movement were declared extremist organizations by the Russian authorities in June and disbanded.

In November, a criminal case was opened against the head of Team Navalny's Ufa regional office, Lilia Chanysheva, who was charged with the creation and management of an extremist community.

Chanysheva was ordered last week to remain in pretrial detention until April 9.

Navalny himself has been in prison since February after he was arrested the month prior upon returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been undergoing treatment for a near-fatal poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent that he says was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning.

Several of the opposition leader and Kremlin critic's associates have been charged with establishing an extremist group. Many of his close associates, including lawyer Lyubov Sobol, have fled the country amid pressure from the Russian authorities.

With reporting by TV2, Irkutsk Insider, and OVD-Info
A Russian inmate who complained to a watchdog group about being tortured, raped, and humiliated by prison guards said he was retaliated against, and went on a 22-day hunger strike in protest, according to his lawyer and relatives.

The claims by Marsel Amirov, who is serving a 14-year sentence on a murder conviction, were the latest in a series of revelations and allegations pointing to widespread abuse of inmates in Russia's sprawling prison system.

Earlier this year, a rights group began publishing videos that were secretly taken from prison computer networks by a former inmate at another facility. Those videos have struck a chord in Russian society, shining a spotlight on torture in jails and prisons, a problem largely ignored by the authorities.

In November, Amirov, an inmate at a prison in the Kirov region, 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow, met with a government-sanctioned public commission charged with monitoring human rights.

He told one member that he had been tortured: He said that his head was pushed repeatedly into a bucket of human excrement and that he had been beaten, strangled, and raped with a mop handle, according to a written statement he provided later to his lawyer.

Amirov was then transferred to a nearby prison medical ward after the visit, but 11 days later, on November 30, he was sent back to the main Kirov facility where he has been held since May 2018. He told his lawyer later that he was again tortured by guards and pressured to recant his earlier statement.

He then went on a hunger strike, resulting in his transfer back to the medical facility on December 13.

Ten days later, while in the prison medical facility, Amirov resumed his hunger strike. He later told his lawyer that he was again punished for his actions, and placed in a special punishment cell that was rat-infested and unheated.

On December 23, while in the prison medical facility, he met defense lawyer Tatyana Shabanova, and provided her with the written statement documenting the earlier abuse.

"At first, when I saw him, he was like a wounded animal," Shabanova told RFE/RL. "He looked around, he shuddered, he was afraid of everything, his eyes were haunted. But after realizing that he was not being left [in danger], he calmed down a bit."

Amirov had previously written letters to relatives in which he reported on what he described as the inhuman treatment of inmates. "I will say one thing: For the [prison guards], prisoners are not people, but just animals that you can do whatever you want with. And there is no one to complain to," Amirov's sister, Lilia, told RFE/RL.

The regional division of the federal prison service did not immediately respond to requests for comment from RFE/RL.

The Kirov prison administration and its practices have already been under scrutiny by the regional Investigative Committee for alleged inmate abuses. However, the investigation found no evidence of inmate abuse.

Andrei Babushkin, a member of the government commission who met with Amirov in November, has publicly called for Amirov to be given proper medical treatment, and for prison officials to be investigated for abuse.

For years, human rights activists have warned of and documented the problem of torture and rights violations at Russian prisons, a system that is a legacy of Soviet-era prison and labor camp practices.

But little has been done in the way of reform, and prison guards and officials are rarely punished or prosecuted. At his annual press conference last week, President Vladimir Putin said prison torture is a world problem and suggested without evidence that it is no worse in Russia than in the United States or France.

The leak of videos, which was published by the group Gulagu.net, prompted federal investigators to open a probe at one facility, in the central Saratov region.

In a rare case of prison officials being punished, the federal prison service in October announced it had fired five senior prison officials, including the director of the prison where the alleged abuse captured on video took place.

Written by Mike Eckel based on reporting by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities
A Canadian company has dismantled one of its multimillion-dollar solar investments in Ukraine following a dispute with a powerful tycoon believed to be close to the presidential administration in a case that has underscored the former Soviet state's troubled investment climate.

TIU Canada completed the removal of its 10.5 megawatt power plant in Nikopol, a city about 500 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kyiv, in mid-November after failing to be reconnected to the electricity grid, company spokesman Brian Mefford told RFE/RL on December 28. The plant contained more than 32,000 solar panels

TIU Canada commissioned the $12 million plant on the territory of the Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant in January 2018 amid much fanfare, with representatives from the local government, foreign embassies, and business community in attendance.

TIU's solar plant symbolized foreign investors' interest in the country's burgeoning alternative-energy industry. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy even highlighted TIU's investment in a pitch to Canadian investors during a visit to Toronto in July 2019.

However, on March 1, 2020, the Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant disconnected TIU Canada from the electricity grid on the pretext of needing to make repairs to the power substation on its territory, the solar company said.

Almost two years later, the solar power plant remained idle, costing TIU Canada millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The decision to dismantle the plant follows an unsuccessful, two-year legal, media, and lobbying campaign against Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant and its main owner, Ihor Kolomoyskiy.

TIU hired Washington-based Blue Star Strategies late last year to lobby on its behalf before the U.S. government on "sustainable energy investments in Ukraine."

TIU has accused Kolomoyskiy of cutting the company off from the grid in an attempt to purchase it at a knockdown price. Such ruthless business practices were common in the 1990s and early 2000s in many former Soviet states but have since subsided.

Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant, meanwhile, accused TIU Canada of blackmail and preventing it from carrying out urgent repairs.

However, Yurkovich told Voice of America he didn't see anyone doing repairs. Instead, Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant had sent offers to buy the solar power plant at rock-bottom prices, he said.

Ukrainian business ombudsman Marchin Svenchintskiy told Voice of America that even if Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant had to urgently carry out repairs, the work "couldn't last that long."

Ukrainian law requires power stations to give their permission to be disconnected, making Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant's actions illegal, TIU has argued.

However, the company has failed to win over a court system that is widely considered highly corrupt and its Nikopol project has become the latest poster child for the dangers of doing business in Ukraine.

Two court cases have failed to deliver any results for TIU. Several judges recused themselves from hearing the case, something that Yurkovich has attributed to their fear of crossing Kolomoyskiy.

"There are not many judges willing to take on the oligarchs, particularly Kolomoyskiy, and adhere to the rule of law," Mefford said.

CEO Yurkovich "saw no solution to that situation" and decided to dismantle the project, Mefford said. TIU is storing the recoverable assets -- at least temporarily -- in Ukraine, he said.

TIU Canada has two other solar plants in Ukraine. Mefford declined to comment on the company's future plans.

Ukraine has struggled to attract significant foreign investment since achieving independence from the Soviet Union 30 years ago due to its weak rule of law.

Ukraine's economy is dominated by a handful of tycoons like Kolomoyskiy, who exercise outsized influence over the government and courts.

Nowhere is that dominance more evident than in the country's energy and metals industries.

Banned By United States

Kolomoyskiy, a billionaire who made his wealth in the 1990s scooping up former state assets, is known for his aggressive business practices, which have included sending armed men to take over companies.

The State Department in March officially banned him and his immediate family from entry into the United States due to accusations of corruption that he denies.

Political analysts and members of civil society have expressed concern over Kolomoyskiy's ties to Zelenskiy.

The tycoon's media assets backed Zelenskiy's presidential campaign and are credited with helping the former comic and political novice win the April 2019 election in a landslide.

A month later, Kolomoyskiy returned to Ukraine following several years of self-imposed exile over fear of prosecution for bank fraud.

Zelenskiy promised during his campaign to take on the tycoons and improve Ukraine's investment climate.

While he has passed a law to reduce their influence and gone after several of the wealthiest individuals, he has largely left Kolomoyskiy alone, analysts say.

Yurkovich told Voice of America he removed the solar panels, a costly process, so that Kolomoyskiy would not get them for free.

Neither Nikopol FerroAlloy Plant nor the president's office responded to Voice of America's request for comment on the situation.
U.S. and Russian officials will hold security talks on January 10 amid mounting tensions over Ukraine.



The bilateral talks will focus on nuclear arms control and Ukraine, a spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council told the AFP and Reuters news agencies on December 27.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," the White House spokesperson said. "There will be areas where we can make progress and areas where we will disagree. That's what diplomacy is about."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed the date of the talks in comments to the TASS news agency on December 28, saying they will be held in Geneva and expressing hope that a raft of proposed "security agreements" sent to Washington earlier will be discussed.

Russia's proposals, which came amid heightened tensions stemming from a massive Russian troop buildup on the country's border with Ukraine, included demands that NATO halt its eastward expansion and end military cooperation with countries such as Ukraine and Georgia, among other things.

Russia and NATO are also likely to hold separate talks on January 12, while Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States and its European allies, will meet on January 13, the U.S. spokesperson said.

Russia has called the meeting with NATO "important" but has insisted on the inclusion of military officials and has yet to confirm the date. Those talks are expected to focus on the Russian troop buildup, which Washington and its European allies have said could be a prelude to a possible invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.



If the NATO-Russia Council meets as proposed by the alliances chief, Jens Stoltenberg, it would be the first such gathering of the council in 2 1/2 years.

Moscow's participation in the council was suspended after Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Russia is also backing separatists in eastern Ukraine fighting a nearly eight-year war against Kyiv's forces.

Russia has denied an intention of launching an invasion, instead accusing Ukraine and NATO of provocations. The United States and its European allies have threatened Moscow with harsh consequences and economic sanctions in the event of a military escalation in Ukraine, while also offering to hold negotiations.



U.S. officials have said that some of Russia's demands are either unworkable or impossible, and that no decisions would be made about Ukraine without Ukraine.

Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Reuters
A new principal and two new assistant principals took over at Rincon Middle School in Escondido this week, after a video circulated on social media Friday showing two students fighting in front of an administrator who doesnt intervene.

Escondido Union School District Superintendent Luis Rankins-Ibarra announced the changes in a letter to district parents Monday night.

He said Juniper Elementary School Principal Jason Wrzeski is now the interim principal at Rincon, and administrators Chris Harris and Johnnie Landreth have become assistant principals there. All three had worked at Rincon in the past.

Former Rincon Principal Beth Crooks, who been at the school since 2012, will take over as principal at Juniper, school board president Zesty Harper said.

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Rankins-Ibarra said he made the changes to address the current school climate at Rincon Middle School and to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for your children.

The reassignment followed a video in which a male student can be seen repeatedly punching another boy, as an adult  who parents later said was assistant principal Mike Brinkley  appeared to stand nearby with his hands in his pockets. The victim picked up his hat and walked away, but the other boy followed him and began pummeling him again, knocking him to the ground.

In the letter, Rankins-Ibarra stated that district policy calls for administrators to step in to break up fights when a student or staff member is in danger.

There were questions that arose regarding the response of the assistant principal that was in proximity to the altercation, Rankins-Ibarra wrote, noting that the district trains administrators to de-escalate dangerous situations.

Administrative staff is definitely taught to physically intervene if there is an immediate threat to student or staff safety, he said.

Brinkley could not be reached for comment this week. Crooks could also not be reached for comment about her new job at Juniper.

The district did not indicate which of the three assistant principals at Rincon were being reassigned to other campuses. The district did not respond to questions about whether any child was injured in the fight.

Wrzeski previously served as a Rincon assistant principal for two years, Rankins-Ibarra said in the letter. Hes well prepared for his new role at the school, said Harper, the board president.

The new principal has a lot of experience working with behavior issues, Harper said. I think it was just time for a new face at the campus to try and make more improvements.

She said fights such as the one that occurred Friday arent typical for Rincon, but that there has been an increase in students ditching class or roaming the hallways during school hours. She said changes in disciplinary policy make it harder to impose penalties for misbehavior.

We have had willful defiance of children, she said. Youre not allowed to suspend them anymore for that, so were seeing the defiance ramp up, and thats what were trying to curtail.

Some parents, however, said their children have had persistent problems with bullying at the campus.

Nancy Elizabeth Gonzalez said her son, now a freshman at San Pasqual High School, suffered verbal and physical assaults last year when he was attending Rincon. She said other students taunted him for a disability, made ethnic slurs and beat him with a shoe, causing hematomas on his back and neck.

She said she eventually filed for a restraining order against some students to keep them away from her son.

I went that far, because the school doesnt do (anything), she said. They have (their) hands tied.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan


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A Bay Area man who told then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an anonymous 2018 email, that the resistance is coming to DC to slash your throat can be charged with making a criminal threat, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The charge against Howard Weiss had been dismissed last year by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco, who said the email and other messages to McConnell were vile and repugnant but were not direct threats, just predictions that someone else would harm the Republican leader. But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a jury could reasonably conclude that Weiss himself was threatening McConnell.

The 2018 message was likely to engender a fear of violence by describing when and how the threat would be carried out, the three-judge panel said. It said the email, sent through a form on McConnells website, was personally directed at McConnell, whose staff reported the message to law enforcement as a threat.

Weiss later messages to McConnell in 2018 and 2019 contained profanities and predictions that the Kentucky Resistance says they are going to cut your throat but did not say what role Weiss would play or what his motives were. Further information about him was not available, and his lawyers from the Federal Defenders office could not be reached for comment.

The ruling contrasts with previous decisions rejecting criminal-threat charges involving violent messages to political leaders.

In 2011, a Ninth Circuit panel overturned the conviction of a Southern California man who had posted an online message, two weeks before the 2008 presidential election, saying then-candidate Barack Obama will have a 50 cal in his head soon and urging readers to shoot the n.

Secret Service agents later found six guns in Walter Bagdasarians home. But the court said Bagdasarians words did not express an intent to personally attack Obama.

Similarly, the Supreme Court in 1969 overturned the conviction of Robert Watts, who was an 18-year-old facing the military draft when he said at a protest against the Vietnam War that if they ever make me carry a rifle, the first man I want in my sights is L.B.J., referring to President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was a crude statement of political opposition rather than a direct threat, the court said in a 5-4 ruling.

In Mondays ruling, the appeals court said that although Weiss later said his intent was to harass McConnell rather than assault him, he also said he wanted to affect the senators actions. The court also said Weisss email address suggested he was part of the Resistance that was out to get McConnell.

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.

That implies that the attack would be taken by the defendant or the defendants buddies, said Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor who was not involved in the case but has written extensively on free-speech issues. Although the line between criminal threats and noncriminal predictions of violence can be a fine one, Volokh said, the 2018 email, sent directly to McConnell, looks at the very least like a borderline threat.

The panel consisted of Judges Richard Paez, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, and Paul Watford and Michelle Friedland, both appointed by Obama.
Like so many mothers, Latoya Foskey hit a major child care crisis during the pandemic. Yet hers didnt start until the beginning of this year.

When the Oakley single parent of two started a nursing job at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez in January, things were working pretty well at first. Her younger child, Amare Anthony, then 4, was in preschool during the day. When she worked nights, a child care provider would pick him up at 5 p.m. and take care of him until Foskey got off work at around 11 p.m.

But as her hours increased, Foskeys schedule began changing from week to week and it became impossible to continue the nighttime child care arrangement.

She was willing to help me but she has a kid also, and it was so inconsistent, said Foskey, 36, whose older child, Tamya Anthony, 13, is now in eighth grade. Plus, she said, My son was gone all day and I barely saw him.

She could find no other options for her sons care, as day care centers typically close in the evening, and she quit the job in May.

Her situation is not unique. During the pandemic, child care has become even more difficult to find, forcing many parents out of work.

That is a huge issue, said Eugenia Hidalgo-Malacas, Foskeys caseworker at Contra Costa County Volunteer and Emergency Services. Even when its available, she said, Some (clients) have minimum wage jobs and they just find day care is very expensive.

During the months of unemployment, Foskey had more time to spend with Tamya  a typical teenager her mother said, who loves TikTok, fashion and Bath and Body Works  and Amare, who is obsessed with Spiderman and Mario Brothers. The family got by on Foskeys savings, including from pandemic stimulus checks she had set aside, but that only lasted so long.

I was managing with that for a while, she said. Then it started becoming tough.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

She applied for unemployment benefits, but there were major delays in payment. The silver lining was that she finally had time to devote to getting her nursing license, which would provide better opportunities and pay than her previous work as a certified nursing assistant. It was goal shed first set her sights on when her daughter was very young but that kept getting interrupted by the need to work.

In all honesty, Ive been trying to finish school for nursing probably for over 10 years, she said.

Then, many things came together at once. Unemployment payments started coming in, and Season of Sharing provided funds to cover her August and September rent.

They helped me tremendously, because I was already falling behind, she said. They helped me to get back on track so I didnt have to go check to check.

With her new license, she started a job in August as a school nurse at the same elementary school she attended as a child, Belair Elementary in Bay Point. Because the position is part time, she also works as an on-call nurse at a skilled nursing facility. Neither position requires working at night.

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.

Foskeys next goals are to get a full-time nursing position and to go back to school to become a registered nurse. She told her caseworker she hopes to get her own house one day.

I believe she will, said Hidalgo-Malacas. If she stays focused, and thats something that she really wants and she can manifest, shell get there.

Foskey said much more could be done to support working parents, such as having more day care options open at night, or at least longer in the evening. During the pandemic, she noticed many day care centers closing for the day at 5 p.m. instead of the usual 6:30.

Thats kind of odd because everyones back to work now, she said. I know from my own experience and from other people that they find that very challenging.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Tuesday, Dec. 28, and one Sierra Nevada spot smashed a snowfall record this weekend. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

At this point in the holiday surge, everyone seems to know someone whos caught the omicron variant. Parts of the Bay Area are seeing a vertical wall jump in cases, and experts say those places that arent yet seeing surges should expect to soon.

Hospitalizations in the Bay Area remain low, however, and health officials are signaling that omicron appears to be associated with less severe infections. Meanwhile, California is cutting down the time needed for isolation and quarantine for people who catch the virus, following new guidance from the CDC.

It may prompt a certain fatalism among some: Why even try to avoid an infection?

Dont be fooled by the milder label, health editor Kate Galbraith writes. She says there are still many good reasons to do your best not to get infected.

 If you walk into a room with 25 or 30 people, you can be about 95% sure that someone in there has COVID, says UCSFs Dr. Wachter.

 Face masks and omicron: Should you upgrade to N95s? Is it time to break out the second mask?

 Get live updates from The Chronicles health team at our blog.

A redemption harvest

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

For years, Napa and Sonoma vintners have worried about how lengthy wildfire seasons would affect their harvests. Even if their vines were safe from flames, there was always the fear of smoke taint.

But not in 2021. This was the year with no wildfires.

This year has been the most normal a wine harvest has been since 2016. There are the occasional marks of climate change and worries about what future harvests will look like. But for now, estate owners are breathing a sigh of relief that they will pick all the grapes on their vines this year.

Read more from Esther Mobley.

What to eat

Provided by Yenci Orellana

During this winter week, food editor Serena Dai takes over the Bite Curious newsletter. As the Food + Wine teams harshest critic, you can bet that if she actually likes something, its bound to be good. Her suggestions on where to go for truly impressive food in the Bay Area include fluffy pastries and decadent Barhi dates.

Other sweets are also enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Latino Jell-O cakes, artfully done up to resemble flowers, ice cream cones and even Frida Kahlo, have been a longtime staple of many Bay Area tables. Theyre now blooming into prominence on social media, where the most creative iterations generate tons of likes and sales.

Around the Bay

Courtesy Chelsea Leibow

 Weather watch: The deluge of snowfall in the Sierra smashed a 51-year record in one part of the mountains.

 Deadly holiday: Oakland saw a Christmas Eve fraught with violence, including a man shot and killed near Lake Merritt, a non-fatal police shooting and gunfire erupting outside Childrens Hospital.

 Moving forward: One year in, President Biden has been slow to undo the Trump administrations immigration policies.

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.

 Redistricting woes: Silicon Valley legislators had to figure out how to proceed in a newly drawn district where two incumbents might have to face each other.

 Demographics: Whats the most common country of birth outside the U.S. in the Bay Area? This map breaks it down by ZIP code.

 Sporting Green: How do Chronicle Hall of Fame voters stand on Barry Bonds?

 Season of Sharing: A Morgan Hill mother struggled to pay rent after losing all of her housekeeping clients. A grant helped her family stay in their home.

What to read

Mike Kai Chen/Special to The Chronicle

On a gray day, you may feel like putting the kettle on and indulging in a good book.

The Chronicles data team put together the ultimate San Francisco reading list using Goodreads data based on the most popular reads featuring the City by the Bay.

The list spans 130 years of books  how many of them have you read?

Browse the list created by developer Nami Sumida.

Bay Briefing is written by Gwendolyn Wu and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writer at gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com.
Over the fall, a pair of middle school teachers from the Salinas Valley traveled to Palm Springs for the California Teachers Associations annual LGBTQ+ Issues Conference. There, on a Saturday afternoon, Lori Caldeira and Kelly Baraki spoke to a few dozen people about a subject they knew well: the difficulty of running a GSA, or gay-straight alliance, in a socially conservative community.

Speaking about recruiting students, Baraki said, When we were doing our virtual learning  we totally stalked what they were doing on Google, when they werent doing schoolwork. One of them was Googling Trans Day of Visibility. And were like, Check. Were going to invite that kid when we get back on campus.

Shortly after the October conference, a surreptitious recording of the presentation was handed to a conservative writer known for asserting that transgender adolescents are part of a dangerous craze. She published a story Nov. 18 headlined How Activist Teachers Recruit Kids, criticizing Caldeira and Baraki for actions they had seen as proper: keeping club members identities confidential from parents and finding a couple of potential members by viewing their online activity in class.

One day after the article came out, Caldeira and Barakis presentation on the difficulties of running their GSA would prove prophetic: Leaders of the Spreckels Union School District suspended the club. Four days later, the district opened an investigation and placed the teachers on administrative leave.

The controversy has roiled the small district south of Salinas and east of Monterey, alarming advocates for LGBTQ youth and marking one of several recent incidents in which influential conservative voices have forced the hands of local officials.

The episode raises broader questions about educators growing ability to monitor what students do online, which accelerated during the pandemic, and about what responsibility schools have to provide safe spaces such as gay-straight alliances for LGBTQ students who may not have support from peers and parents.

Caldeira and Baraki, who said they have received violent threats since the story went viral in some circles, said they are worried about their students. Both teach at Buena Vista Middle School, which has an enrollment of about 360.

Can you imagine? Seriously, we have kids in our club right now who are out at school, (but) theyre not out at home. The only two teachers that they have ever spoken to have been taken away, said Caldeira, her voice and hands shaking as she spoke at a Monterey coffee shop in her first interview since the district suspended the GSA. Im sure theyre terrified, because where are they going to go, and who are they going to talk to, you know?

Caldeira said the club  called UBU (You Be You)  had for more than six years allowed students to ask questions they might not be ready to bring up with their families.

Our conversations were always student-led, which is why they frequently surrounded LGBTQ topics. Because the kids have questions, she said. Their parents think we start that conversation, but we dont. TikTok starts it, Snapchat starts it, Instagram starts it or their classmates start it, and then we just try to answer the questions as honestly and fairly as we can.

The district has started a third-party investigation into the actions of the teachers. Officials declined to be interviewed by The Chronicle, but Superintendent Eric Tarallo, school board President Steve McDougall and Buena Vista Principal Kate Pagaran released a statement Nov. 19 apologizing to parents while promising that the district would exert tighter control over student clubs and bar teachers from monitoring students online activity for any non-academic purposes.

At the school boards Dec. 15 meeting, member Michael Scott said, I am hopeful a third-party investigation will provide a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding the UBU club and how it was run, that any subsequent action should be responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of the Spreckels community.

The Palm Springs presentation by Caldeira and Baraki was similar in many ways to talks theyve given for four or five years, they said. For an hour and 15 minutes, they spoke informally to about 40 people.

Caldeira, who in 2017 won an award for her work with special-needs students, said she requested that the presentation not be recorded. We do deal with middle schoolers, she said, and it can be sensitive content at times.

But the secret audio made its way to Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, which has been criticized as unscientific and inflammatory. On Nov. 18, she published the first of four stories about the Spreckels teachers on her Substack newsletter, the Truth Fairy, where she has argued that transgender women are not women and that gender-affirming school policies abuse parents rights.

Shrier focused heavily on Barakis comment about seeing a students Google search for Trans Day of Visibility, characterizing this as surveillance of potential recruits into the GSA.

The Chronicle could not obtain audio of the presentation, but Caldeira confirmed she and Baraki had been accurately quoted by Shrier. However, she said many of the comments were misconstrued and taken out of context.

According to the newsletter, the two teachers said in the presentation that they do not keep roll of who comes to the club and do not tell parents whether their child attends a meeting, actions that were not required by the school. California law protects students right to privacy in gender identity and any activities they participate in based on that.

For those paying attention, Shrier wrote, the educators who guide California teachers in the creation of middle school LGBTQ clubs asserted the following: they struggle to maintain student participation in the clubs; many parents oppose the clubs; teachers surveil students electronically to ferret out students who might be interested, after which the identified student is recruited to the club via a personal invitation.

Reaction to Shriers post was immediate: Several conservative outlets picked up the story, and parents inside and outside the community inundated the school district with complaints. The districts statement called the teachers comments as quoted by Shrier alarming, concerning, disappointing.

Caldeira said she and Baraki were blindsided. While the district stressed in its statement that it didnt know in advance what Caldeira and Baraki would talk about in their presentation, school officials were well aware of what the club was all about, Caldeira said.

Our superintendent has attended our meetings. Hes attended our events, she said. Our club has been used as part of our suicide-prevention plan, saying that we have these spaces available for students in crisis.

Lisa Gardiner, a spokesperson for the California Teachers Association, declined to comment specifically about the case, citing the ongoing personnel investigation, but said, We are concerned about a political climate right now in which outside political forces fuel chaos and misinformation and seek to divide parents, educators and school communities for their own political gain.

Caldeira said she did not monitor student activities on her own initiative. With the onset of virtual learning, Buena Vista Middle School began using GoGuardian, a software that is usually installed on school-provided devices and allows teachers to see what students are doing on their computers while they are in class. The software is designed to flag words or behaviors identifying children at risk of harming themselves or others.

According to its website, GoGuardian is used in 30,000 schools with over 22 million K-12 students, helping teachers communicate with students and keep them on task. Caldeira said her school uses the software for suicide and violence prevention as well, but that individual teachers do not have access to that information. The district declined to answer questions about its use of GoGuardian.

Caldeira said she didnt intend to track her students activities online  My theory is: If you were off task, the consequence is a poor grade, she said  but that one day, as she used the software to chat with students, she noticed one student on a website about the Transgender Day of Visibility.

I see a site thats emblazoned with rainbows, she said. How am I not going to notice that? After class, she said, she made a mental note to invite the student to the UBU club.

Baraki had a similar experience, Caldeira said, once noticing a student on an LGBTQ website. She said the two shared these anecdotes at the conference, but that was it.

As for the we totally stalked what they were doing on Google comment, Caldeira said, It was tongue in cheek. She said teachers do not have access to students private social posts, messages and emails.

If the schools investigation finds that Caldeira and Baraki had taken action based on students online activity during class through GoGuardian, there is probably no law preventing what they did, privacy experts said.

Amelia Vance, vice president of youth and education at the Future of Privacy Forum, explained that, legally speaking, an educator seeing something a student is doing through GoGuardian is not any different from a teacher walking around a classroom and noticing students behavior or what they had visible on their screens.

Vance said there are no laws barring teachers from approaching students about a GSA. And under California law, teachers cannot tell parents anything about their childs sexual orientation or gender identity without the childs permission, with rare exceptions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Still, Vance said, shes not sure she would have done what the two teachers did. Perhaps, she said, she might have made a general announcement to the class about the GSA and hoped that the student would come. Kids dont necessarily remember theyre being monitored, and in a way, this sort of becomes a forced outing, no matter how good the teachers intentions were, she said.

California bars educators from monitoring the social media of students without notifying students and parents, which Caldeira said she never did. I do not know if part of the investigation will include checking to see if we have in fact gone into a students emails, Google Drive accounts or monitored their social media, she said, but it will come up with nothing.

Its not clear how long the investigation of the teachers will take. The district has said only that it selected Sacramento law firm Van Dermyden Makus to conduct the probe.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In the meantime, supporters of the UBU club are concerned about the loss of what they see as a welcoming space for some students to discuss whatever they are going through, and they worry the controversy will create stress and potential stigma for vulnerable youth.

The work that LGBTQ+ student groups, their advisers and allies do to foster community and safety among students takes lifesaving importance, 38 local elected and community leaders wrote in an open letter to the district. It is also why so many of us have watched the events unfold in the Spreckels Union School District that have led to the disbanding of the You Be You LGBTQ+ student group with alarm.

Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew, whose office produced the letter, said the districts response was concerning, especially the clubs suspension, and pledged to fight for their fundamental human rights. But she pointed out that shes also a parent of a young child  who attends another district  and understands how sensitive and complicated the issue can be for families.

I know that I want my child to be safe at school, and I also know that I have expectations that Im not going to be left in the dark about whats happening on campus, she said. But the bottom line is the data tells us that our LGBTQ youth are at significantly higher rates of self-harm. If we care about the protection and well-being of our kids, we have to follow the data and ensure that they have safe places and safe people at school, at home and in the community.

Jacob Agamao, the LGBTQ+ services coordinator at the Epicenter, a Salinas youth resource program, called the districts actions heartbreaking.

I know the value and the importance of these clubs to students who really have nowhere else to go as far as acceptance of who they are, or maybe theyre afraid, he said. Its sort of painful to see people speaking as though theyre speaking in defense of children when really theyre speaking in defense of their personal ethics, their religious beliefs  things that have nothing to do with the safety of the child themselves.

Like Askew, Agamao said he understood why parents would be worried that they might not know whats going on in their childs life at school, but that that doesnt mean they have a right to it.

I think our students have a right to certain privacies simply out of self-preservation, he said. If your child feels loved and accepted in their home, theyll have no problem telling you these things.

At the Dec. 15 public meeting, Spreckels school board members said they wanted to focus on community members being kind to one another as the investigation progressed.

I want this board and the community to know that the author of this article frames issues facing transgender youth in terms of a war, Scott said, referring to Shrier. We are not at war. Everyone loses in a war. War is completely contrary to our core values of compassion, kindness and respect.

Yet amid posters designed by students urging community members to Color the world with kindness and Be a buddy not a bully, board members had to repeatedly remind those packing the room to heed the slogans. The warnings went only so far, and people yelled at each other and the trustees.

Some speakers talked of the importance of granting space and support to LGBTQ students, and praised Caldeira and Baraki. A former student, Catherine Beck, told the gathering that during her time in the club, We discussed a wide range of topics, always student-selected, from racism to disabilities to, yes, LGBTQ issues. However, this was never a secret to the school board, nor to the school administration.

Some parents said it was the district that overstepped when it announced that school clubs in the future would be required to keep sign-in sheets, have parents sign permission slips and share sensitive materials with parents before showing them to students.

Others, though, said the teachers were grooming their students using invasive surveillance tactics and expressed frustration that the GSA had been secretive. Some people veered into rants about religion, critical race theory and mask mandates.

One parent, Jessica Konen, said Caldeira had kept her in the dark when her daughter wanted to start using different pronouns and a new name. You took away my ability to parent my child, even before I had any knowledge, Konen shouted. I didnt even get to show support. You asked for support. I didnt get the chance.

As she was pulled off the microphone by security enforcing the meetings three-minute time limit for speakers, Konen shouted, I dont care! Meet me outside! as some in the crowd cheered her on.

Whatever their viewpoint, those at the meeting seemed united in their anger at the school district  either for taking too much action or not enough.

As they await the outcome of the investigation, Caldeira and Baraki said they now avoid leaving their homes. They are afraid that people in their small community might recognize them and berate or even attack them  a fear that Caldeira sees as ironic, given that their goal in the first place was to protect LGBTQ kids in a conservative community.

We just try to provide simple, clean, straightforward answers without  shocking  judgment, she said. And look where it got me.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
California winemakers love to talk about the influence of the Pacific Ocean on their wines. The cool breeze, the salty air, the minerally sea shells  its an evocative scene that, when associated with wine, conjures thoughts of something refreshing, seductive, as aromatic as a stand of coastal live oaks on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Most of the time, though, thats just marketing copy. Relatively few California wines actually summon the tastes and smells of the sea, and many that claim to be grown in a coastal region actually come from vineyards located a few dozen miles inland.

So it was a delightful, oceanic surprise to discover the wines of Haliotide, a new label in San Luis Obispo County. Haliotide, which means abalone in French, makes small quantities of Champagne-method sparkling wines from vineyards between 1 and 3 miles from the coast. They show it: Haliotides Blanc de Blanc smells like oyster shells, the rose like strawberries sprinkled with sea salt. Even more, the wines have an exhilarating freshness to them, with bubbles that feel as invigorating as a shock of cold ocean wind.

Its a unique and delicious expression of California terroir, and one different from many of the other sparkling projects that have recently launched in the state. Champagne-method is arguably one of the hardest ways to make bubbly wine, and while many creators are experimenting with nontraditional grape varieties like Chenin Blanc, Haliotode is making something classic, more directly modeled on Champagne. Theyre sticking with tried-and-true Champagne grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Theyre looking for the intricate flavors, the honey and marzipan and biscuit and hazelnut, that come from a long, patient tirage.

And though there isnt much Haliotide to go around right now  the winery released just 250 cases this year, and you have to sign up for a mailing list to get them  these sparklers are well worth seeking out.

Courtesy Nicole Joy Kirckpatrick

The brand comes from winemakers Nicole Bertotti Pope and Lucas Pope, who are making the Haliotide wines pretty much entirely by hand, without the high-tech equipment thats common in larger sparkling-wine facilities.

The couple started this journey five years ago, initially assuming that sparkling wine production would just be a hobby, on the side from their day jobs at Stolo Vineyards in San Luis Obispo County, a winery that has a strong following among Central Coast wine tourists. Champagne-method wines like these can take many years from the time the grapes are harvested until the time the wine is sold.

It wasnt like I was making it with the goal of having sparkling wine become my fulltime job, because its hard to imagine that, said Bertotti Pope, who was Stolos winemaker from 2011 until fall 2021. It takes a few years to even know if the wine you made is any good.

Sparkling wine begins like any wine: Grape juice ferments, its sugar converting into alcohol. But the processes quickly diverge. In the Champagne method, a winemaker puts this base wine into individual bottles and throws in a little yeast to kickstart a second fermentation, which produces the bubbles. Then, the winemaker waits. At this point, the longer the wine rests  a stage known as tirage  the more complex it will potentially become, as the yeast in the bottle interacts with the wine to create savory flavors that are often compared to toasted nuts and warm brioche.

The big, established Champagne houses can afford to let bottles rest in extended tirage if they want to. For a bootstrapping operation like Haliotide with more immediate financial realities, it becomes a tricky calculation. But the 40 months that the Popes kept their initial wine, the 2016 Blanc de Blancs  which tells you the wine is entirely Chardonnay  was enough. Its a gratifying wine, with a fruity pop of bitter grapefruit peeking through those rich flavors of bread dough and hazelnuts.

Courtesy Nicole Joy Kirckpatrick

In a sense, Bertotti Pope has been working up to a wine like this for her whole career. Her first wine-industry job was at Domaine Carneros, the Napa sparkling-wine producer thats owned by the famous Champagne house Taittinger. While she worked there, sparkling wine became her and Popes favorite thing to drink, and her behind-the-scenes exposure to Domaine Carneros helped them develop an appreciation for this precise, elaborate winemaking process. Its a very technical kind of wine, Bertotti Pope said of the Champagne method. I liked that about it.

When she relocated to San Luis Obispo, however, there werent any winemaking jobs available dedicated to sparkling wine. Instead, she landed at Stolo, an estate located 3 miles from the ocean in Cambria. She made the wines and Pope, a viticulturist, farmed the vineyards.

The couple developed Stolos reputation for reds like Pinot Noir and Syrah, two grapes that benefit from colder temperatures. We knew that this was a good place to make cool-climate wines, Bertotti Pope said. They suspected that sparkling wine, which depends on the high acidity levels that a cold climate can produce, would thrive here. But no one in the area was doing it yet.

In 2016, the Popes bought some Chardonnay grapes from their employer and made it into a base wine, tucking the barrels away into an unused corner of Stolos winery. They chose grapes from a section of the vineyard that seemed well suited to sparkling wine: a high-yielding block, less exposed to harsh winds, where the Chardonnay ripened more slowly, allowing it time to develop deeper flavors.

Courtesy Nicole Joy Kirckpatrick

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Quietly, over the next few years, they continued picking grapes, making base wines, and putting bottles into tirage  all the while crossing their fingers that the finished product would turn into something they could sell. This fall, after a decade at Stolo, the Popes left their jobs there, and signed a lease on a small barn where they could make the Haliotide wines on their own. (Raj Parr, a well known winemaker and onetime San Francisco sommelier, took over as Stolos consulting winemaker.)

In addition to the Stolo Chardonnay, in 2018 they started buying Pinot Noir grapes from the Topotero Vineyard in Avila Beach, about a mile from the ocean. They released that wine, a brut rose, for the first time in November, after 30 months of tirage. Unlike the Blanc de Blancs, the rose has a light dosage  the French term for a sugar solution thats added to sparkling wine before release, in order to counter a wines high acidity. (If youre wondering, the roses dosage is 3 grams of sugar per liter, which is not a lot.) The result is a creamy, balanced wine that mixes savory, saline notes with juicy fruit.

These bottles stand out among other California sparklers, both for their stubborn adherence to the classic French archetype and for the complex flavors and textures that can only come with such extended, patient aging.

Most important, the Haliotide wines embody the very old-fashioned ideal of terroir  the idea that wines can express some distinctive, one-of-a-kind imprint of the place where the grapes are grown. In this case, that place is the sea.

Esther Mobley is The Chronicles senior wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @esther_mobley
Go here for latest live updates on the omicron surge in California.

California public health officials said the state would align with new CDC recommendations shortening quarantine times for people who test positive for COVID-19. Parts of the Bay Area have seen a near vertical wall jump in coronavirus cases over the past couple of weeks as the highly infectious omicron variant spreads widely  and those places that arent yet seeing surges should expect to soon. The omicron variant appears to be wildly contagious, but milder than previous variants. There are still many good reasons to avoid an infection.

Latest updates:

Bay Area counties not leaping to new guidelines: A day after the federal government and California adopted less restrictive isolation rules for people infected with the coronavirus, only Marin, Napa and San Mateo counties in the Bay Area have confirmed to The Chronicle that they are falling in line. The new guidelines shorten the isolation period for people whot test positive but have no symptoms, and the quarantine period for people who are exposed to the virus. San Francisco and Contra Costa counties said they are waiting for full details from the CDC. Dr. Nicholas Moss, health officer for Alameda County, said hes reviewing it but worries that the focus on asymptomatic people could confuse the many people who have symptoms. Read more here.

Try to be low key for New Years celebration: Contra Costa Countys deputy public health officer, Ori Tzvieli said Tuesday that people should cut down on big New Years Eve plans to keep from getting and spreading COVID-19, and assess risk and transmissibility likelihood in making their plans. This is maybe one of the New Years to take it easier, maybe stay at home, he told a news briefing. That means reducing or canceling plans for large gatherings, he said, and taking rapid antigen tests to make sure you are negative before venturing out. I recommend trying to be low key this New Years, he said.

No New Years fireworks for S.F. The New Years Eve fireworks show on the Embarcadero in San Francisco is canceled this year, Mayor London Breed and public safety leaders announced Tuesday. They cited the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases rapidly climbing in the city and California. Enacting proactive measures that will best protect San Franciscans and essential front-line workers as the omicron variant is increasingly prevalent remains the city's top priority, said a statement from the officials. They said the citys public safety agencies are experiencing reduced staffing levels due to public health isolation and quarantine requirements brought on by COVID-19. The fireworks show would need substantial deployment of police and other public safety personnel. Canceling it not only reduces the risk of omicron exposure, but also minimizes impacts on critical safety systems like 9-1-1, allowing dispatchers to remain available to those in most critical need, said Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of emergency management.

Sonoma County urges boosters for work: Sonoma County employers should immediately require all workers to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, if eligible, or get tested at least twice weekly, county health officials said Tuesday. The voluntary but strongly recommended guidelines are aimed at fighting the winter surge intensified by the omicron variant. COVID-19 cases are increasing again in Sonoma County, but we can keep both our community and our economy healthy if employers require workers to get a booster shot as soon as they are eligible for one, said county health officer Dr. Sundari Mase. Employers also should consider requiring unvaccinated and unboosted employees to wear surgical masks or respirators in indoor work settings, the county said. Given how contagious the omicron variant is proving to be, cloth masks are just not as effective in stopping the spread of the virus, said Mase.

Numbers confirm states winter surge: California numbers released Tuesday underscored the accounts of local health officials: that most if not all of the state is well into a new winter surge, fueled by the highly infectious omicron. Over four days a total of 13,454 new coronavirus cases were reported in the nine-county Bay Area and 86,027 for all of California. Were already seeing case numbers in excess of our worst days over the summer, and I think were going to keep right no climbing to the kinds of numbers we at least saw last winter, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, the Alameda County health officer. About 4,400 people were hospitalized with COVID in California as of Monday  including 435 in the Bay Area  for a 37% increase from the start of the month.

Contra Costa County clamps down further on masking: Contra Costa County is now requiring that people wear face masks in all public indoor places including gyms, offices and workplaces, even if vaccinated, health officials announced Tuesday. The county is doing away with exceptions that had previously allowed uncovered faces for groups of 100 or fewer people where all were fully vaccinated. The new order is effective Wednesday. The county joins other Bay Area counties that already have taken this step in the face of the fast-spreading omicron variant. We now know that anyone, regardless of vaccination status, can spread this variant to other people, said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, county deputy health officer. We anticipate the case rate and hospitalization numbers to increase over the coming weeks. To reduce spread, cases and hospitalizations, we all need to wear masks anytime we are in an indoor public setting. The countys average number of daily new COVID-19 cases has increased 149% over the last week and hospitalizations have risen 31%, officials said.

A rundown of the numbers as California cases skyrocket: California recorded enormous jumps in coronavirus cases over the Christmas holiday weekend, but hospitalizations remain manageable so far. Read this story for the latest figures and analysis from Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday.

Big leap in Bay Areas daily new cases: Data reported Tuesday shows the Bay Areas coronavirus case numbers jumping significantly just in the past few days as the omicron variant takes hold. The 7-day average of new daily cases was at 38 per 100,000 population on Tuesday, according to The Chronicles tracker based on numbers reported to the state. Thats up from just under 24 for the 7-day average reported on Friday, ahead of the holiday weekend.

Flight cancellations build: Continuing disruptions by weather and coronavirus-related staff shortages saw more than 1,000 flight cancellations in the U.S., and to and from the country, according to FlightAware, as many holiday travelers still were trying to get home. The COVID-19 surge driven by both the omicron and delta variants began to overwhelm airlines just before Christmas. Tuesdays cancellations were down somewhat from Mondays more than 1,400 flights canceled. At San Francisco International Airport, 3% of outbound flights and 5% of inbound flights had been canceled as of midday on Tuesday.

California positive test rate way up: The rate of positive COVID-19 tests lept significantly over the holiday weekend, California health officials reported Tuesday. The positivity rate  the percent of coronavirus tests that come back positive  averaged 9.7% over the past seven days, the state health department said. Thats far higher than the 3% reported just one week ago. And since both figures are weekly averages, the daily rate is undoubtedly much higher due to the omicron variant's ubiquity.

NYC shifts school protocols: The nations largest school system will no longer quarantine entire classrooms exposed to Covid, and will instead use a ramped-up testing program to allow asymptomatic New York City students who test negative for the coronavirus to remain in school, the New York Times reports. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Stay Safe, and Stay Open policy on Tuesday, to take effect on Jan. 3, when the citys nearly 1 million public school students return from holiday break as the omicron coronavirus rages.

U.S. lifts travel ban on African nations: President Biden on Tuesday revoked the travel restrictions that were placed last month on eight southern African nations, including South Africa, after the omicron variant erupted there. The repeal takes effect Friday. Administration officials had said that banning nearly all residents of those nations was needed to give the U.S. time to understand the variant and its spread. Tuesdays proclamation noted evidence that vaccination against COVID-19 enables protection against severe disease and hospitalization from the Omicron variant. It also noted that omicron is now prevalent in the US.

CDC downgrades estimate of omicron prevalence in the U.S.: The omicron variant made up about 59% of all cases in the United States last week, according to new estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. The CDC also sharply downgraded its estimate for omicron prevalence the week before, from about 73% to 23%. Delta still makes up about 41% of all cases, the CDC said.

Mask up at indoor New Year bashes: In light of the fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus, people should refrain from gathering indoors in groups of more than 10 unless they are wearing face masks, Santa Clara Countys health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, said Tuesday. This New Years its not the time to go to a large gathering, she said at a briefing. The only exeption would be if youre going to spend the entire gathering outdoors. The county in strong recommendations on Tuesday also urged businesses to move operations outdoors again when possible, and called on employers to immediately implement mandatory vaccination requirements for all personnel that require up-to-date vaccination as quickly as possible, including booster shots. Places where people remove their masks indoors  namely restaurants and bars  should require patrons to show proof of vaccination and boosters for entry, the county urged.

Santa Clara County mandates staff boosters in high-risk settings: Santa Clara County on Tuesday announced it is requiring that eligible workers in high-risk settings get booster shots by Jan. 24, in addition to their COVID vaccinations, ahead of a similar state directive with a Feb. 1 deadline. That includes medical first responders and workers in hospitals and health care settings, nursing and long term care facilities, homeless shelters and jails and correctional facilities, county health officials said. The county says such workers must be up to date on their vaccines, meaning getting a booster as soon as they are eligible in terms of the time thats passed since they received their vaccinations. People who have a religious exemption from vaccination will not be allowed to work in those settings and must be reassigned, the order stated. Less than two weeks ago, we noted that the Omicron variant was about to bring a deluge of new COVID-19 cases to Santa Clara County. Unfortunately, that deluge is now here, said Dr. Sara Cody, the county health officer.

Positive test rate rising fast: As Californians flock to get tests to learn if they are infected with the coronavirus, the rate of positive results is rising sharply. State health officials on Monday reported a 7-day average at 5.4%, a jump from 2.8% a week earlier. In both cases the Monday figures were likely underrepresentations because weekend numbers typically lag in getting recorded. For weeks before this past week, the positive test rate had been hovering between around 2.2% and 3%. A negative test result has become a sought-after barometer enabling people to engage with others in person.

Bay Area expected to surpass summer surge this week: Bay Area coronavirus cases, now increasingly driven by the highly infectious omicron variant, are quickly approaching the peak of the delta surge in early September. They likely will pass the summer peak this week, and may have already once cases not yet reported from the holiday weekend are recorded. The all-time peak was mid-January, with 4,700 cases a day in the Bay Area and 45,000 a day for the state. Ahead of the holiday, the Bay Area was reporting on average about 1,800 new cases a day  more than double from just the week before. California was reporting about 11,000 cases a day, an increase of about 90% from the week before.

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.

A quarter of UCSF patients with symptoms are COVID-infected: As parts of the Bay Area see a near-vertical jump in coronavirus cases over the past couple of weeks, with surges expected in other places as well, hospitalizations have begun to climb too. But the hospitalizations still remain overall low and manageable, health officials said, likely due to the regions overall high vaccination rates and the omicron variant causing milder illness. At UCSF, nearly 25% of patients admitted to the hospital with symptoms are testing positive for the coronavirus, compared to around 4% two weeks ago, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chief of medicine.

UCSFs Wachter says omicron surge could last into March: Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at UCSF, tweeted that, given the average lengths of previous COVID-19 surges, the U.S. and Bay Area can expect to endure rising coronavirus infections for the next several months. So if you are hunkering down with the current surge, its likely well be coming out of it by March, he said.

Navy says 25% of warships crew has COVID-19: U.S. defense officials said roughly 25% of the crew of the USS Milwaukee  or about 24 sailors  tested positive for COVID-19, enough to keep the ship waylaid at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The crew was 100% immunized, Naval officials said.

Child hospitalizations spike in New York City: State officials in New York said Monday that the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 nearly quintupled in a matter of weeks this month. New York City hospitals admitted 22 kids with COVID-19 in the week starting Dec. 5. By Dec. 19, that number had risen to 109.

Face masks and omicron  Should you upgrade from cloth to N95s? Double mask?: With a statewide indoor mask mandate underway and the rapid spread of the omicron variant, many people are wondering whether its time to double down on their masking habits  and upgrade their face coverings. So is now the time to buy a supply of N95 masks? Can double masking protect against the omicron variant? Heres what Bay Area experts say you should know. Read the full story here.

UCSF doctor says one in 20 asymptomatic people may be infected as omicron spikes: Federal and state health officials on Monday shortened the time that people infected with or exposed to the coronavirus must isolate themselves from others, amid an enormous surge in cases nationwide, including unprecedented spikes across the Bay Area. Read the full story here.

California follows new CDC quarantine guidance: Public health officials said Monday that the state would follow recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortening isolation and quarantine times for people who test positive for COVID-19. The new guidance shortens the isolation time from 10 days to five days for people infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic. After the five days, those individuals can leave isolation if they continue to mask for an additional five days. Read the full story here.

Omicron is everywhere and seems milder. Heres why you still dont want to get it: As omicron sweeps the Bay Area, were getting a better sense of it. Its insanely contagious  everyone knows someone who has it  but also appears, for most people, to be milder than past variants. This combination of traits has raised an inevitable question: Whats the point in trying to avoid it? People are going to get it, and it probably wont be too bad or land you in the hospital, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted. So why not just give up and let it get you? Read the full story here.

Cruise ship outbreaks probed: The CDC said Monday it is investigating potential COVID-19 outbreaks of the virus on 68 cruise ships, Reutersreports. A handful of U.S. cruise ships have been denied entry into foreign ports due to reported outbreaks, according to ABC News. Last Thursday, Holland Americas Line ship the MS Koningsdam was turned away from Puerto Vallarta after 21 crew members tested positive for the virus.

More than 77% have at least one shot in U.S.: Across the nation, 77.3% of vaccine-eligible Americans, those 5 and older, now have received at least one shot, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. But the number fully vaccinated is just 65.6% of those eligible  just shy of 205 million people. And of the fully vaccinated adults, just over a third have received booster shots, which have become crucial over time as the effectiveness of a persons initial vaccination wanes, the national data shows. Those under 18 are not yet eligible for boosters.

New isolation advice tied to wide omicron spread: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases, but shortening the recommended isolation time should not be a problem. Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic, she told the Associated Press. The shortened isolation period guidance  that people without symptoms isolate for five days instead of the previously recommended 10  is less stringent than loosened rules for health care workers that CDC announced last week.
NEW YORK  The Broadway revival of The Music Man has been one of the hottest tickets in town and it has limped along without co-star Sutton Foster. But now the show is being shuttered until the new year because Hugh Jackman has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jackman took to social media Tuesday to announce that he had tested positive. He says that although his symptoms are mild with only a scratchy throat and a runny nose, he needs to quarantine.

Some Broadway shows have closed for several days and some have folded completely because of virus cases Thoughts of a Colored Man joined Waitress and Jagged Little Pill as shows that have closed this winter due in part to rising infection rates.

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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

 Undertakers, rabbis join global fight promoting COVID shot

 US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine

 Fauci: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel

 In eastern Germany, pastors push for shots despite protests

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Louisiana officials are urging residents to go online for Office of Motor Vehicles services, and say 12 offices are temporarily closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The department said Tuesday that Louisiana residents should only visit OMV field offices if its absolutely necessary."

Louisiana, officials reported Monday that hospitalizations of people infected with the coronavirus had doubled over the course of a week.

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ORLANDO Fla.  The mayor of one of Floridas largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.

The mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, said local governments had been forced to figure out on their own, without help from the state, how to respond to the omicron variant that has rapidly overtaken the delta variant as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Florida.

Florida hit a new record for daily cases last weekend, with the state reporting 32,850 new cases on Saturday.

Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult.

A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.

The governors office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

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MADRID  A recent sharp surge in coronavirus infections in Spain gave no signs of abating Tuesday with nearly 100,000 cases reported in the previous 24 hours, a new all-time pandemic high.

Health Ministry data showed that the 14-day infection rate soared to 1,360 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 1,206 new cases on Monday, nearly twice the level from a week earlier and five times the incidence rate at the beginning of December.

Authorities reported a total of 99,671 new positive cases, a new daily record for the seventh consecutive day.

But the sharp increase in contagion is not replicating the flow patients requiring hospital care that strained Spains public health system in previous surges, something that experts partially explain because of a vaccine uptake of more than 80% of the total population. Intensive care unit occupation with COVID-19 patients remained at an average of 18.7% of the national capacity.

With 114 new casualties, the pandemics confirmed death toll is 89,253 in the southern European country.

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ATLANTA  Georgia is setting new records for the number of test-confirmed COVID-19 cases.

An extremely rapid rise in cases pushed totals on Tuesday beyond peaks previously set in January. The state recorded nearly 14,000 positive tests in its report released Tuesday, a combination of molecular PCR tests and rapid antigen tests.

The seven-day average of positive tests in Georgia roe to nearly 10,000. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose to nearly 2,200 statewide on Tuesday.

Rising cases led the city of Atlanta to cancel its New Years Peach Drop. Emory University says it will begin spring semester classes online. And some public schools say they will require students to again wear masks in January.

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SEATTLE  The Washington state Department of Health has reported a new record number of cases tallied in a single day.

The Seattle Times reports state officials confirmed 6,235 new cases on Dec. 24. The states previous single-day record number of cases was 5,526 cases on Dec. 7, 2020.

Dec. 24 also marked the first time Washington state reported over 6,000 cases in a single day.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The spike in cases mirrors that of other U.S. cities as the highly contagious omicron variant has become dominant.

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HONOLULU  The University of Hawaii will conduct mostly online classes for the first two weeks of the spring semester as the state watches a surge in omicron coronavirus cases.

Hawaii has had all-time record high daily COVID-19 numbers in recent days. University of Hawaii officials say that campuses across the islands will temporarily move many classes to online instruction.

In an email to students and staff, University of Hawaii President David Lassner says only classes that can be effectively taught online will change.

Other classes will be taught in person but with physical distancing, mask wearing and health screenings in place

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ATLANTA  Emory Universitys president said Tuesday the school is switching to virtual classes to start the spring semester because of a national surge in COVID cases fueled by the omicron variant.

In a letter to the university community, President Gregory Fenves said Emory will transition back to in-person learning on January 31 if conditions permit that.

The switch to remote learning applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional courses. Residence halls will remain open, though students are encouraged to delay their return to campus.

COVID-19 infections in the Atlanta area, where Emory is located, are climbing rapidly.

The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in Georgia rose to nearly 8,700 a day on Monday, according to the state Public Health Department. Thats nearing the peaks that Georgia saw in infection numbers in early January and early September.

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LONDON  The U.K. has reported another record number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a further 129,471 infections on Tuesday.

The data was incomplete because of the Christmas holidays, and did not include figures from Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A further 18 people had died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the government said.

Officials have said some 90% of cases in the country are now the omicron variant.

Despite the high daily infections Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has said it is not imposing further virus restrictions in England before the new year. Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, began shuttering nightclubs and limiting social gatherings from Boxing Day.

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RENO, Nev. (AP)  Winter storms blasted freezing air and blinding snow across northern Nevada on Monday, affecting travel and business, with Sierra Nevada highway passes closed, airport flights delayed and canceled and state offices shut down.

Nevada State Police reported several crashes in the Reno and Lake Tahoe area, and Interstate 80 remained closed due to poor visibility and heavy snow from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California.

Washoe County Emergency Management raised the avalanche danger to high for areas north of Lake Tahoe.

Several flights were affected Monday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport due to weather and COVID-19 staffing shortages across the country, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

Airlines also canceled or delayed some departures at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where skies were clear but forecasts said rain could come later in the week. Chain requirements were lifted for vehicles driving into snowy areas of Mount Charleston.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak issued an order late Sunday telling nonessential state workers other than public safety and corrections personnel to remain home Monday.

Tire chains or four-wheel drive were required for vehicles on California and Nevada state highways and on U.S. 6 and U.S. 50.

U.S. 395 was closed in Washoe Valley after at least two wrecks sent at least six people to hospitals, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District said.

Weather and travel advisories were in place on most roads across northern Nevada, with the National Weather Service in Elko warning of difficult driving due to wind gusts greater than 40 mph (64 kph) and the possibility of blowing and drifting snow.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College canceled on campus in-person operations and classes.

The National Weather Service in Reno extended a weather advisory in Nevada to 7 p.m. Monday.

Frigid cold was expected to remain for most of the week, with high temperatures in the Reno area in the 20s and lows in the teens. Low temperatures in northeast Nevada were expected to be in the single digits.
I take great issue with the way Nancy Pelosi so callously said that members of Congress should be able to invest in individual stocks because it is a free market. Members of Congress have access to substantial insider information that is confidential to the general public. Insider trading is illegal for company insiders and should be for Congress, too.

Pelosi's comments also disregard the large portion of the United States who cannot afford to trade on the stock market, while she has so much money that she can afford to buy stocks even on a taxpayer-funded salary. I urge Rep. Pelosi strongly to reconsider her position on senators trading individual stocks, and to publicly apologize for her callous and classist comment.

Rashi Abramson, San Francisco

We pay our share

I just read Solar Reform Needed (Letters, Dec. 24) and want to voice my opinion as a solar customer.

We purchased our solar panels in 2005 and were delighted with the results on our PG&E bills. Over the years these panels got weaker, so this year we upgraded them and have been very happy.

WE paid for these expensive panels, PG&E did not give us any money to upgrade. We did this because it is the right thing to do for the planet. This letter assumes that everyone who has solar is ripping off everyone else because we pay less for our energy. Excuse me, but we are retired, we saved up to do this, it was not inexpensive, but was the right thing to do.

The CPUC shouldnt make solar customers pay extra. We have already paid!

Karen Cappa, Rohnert Park

Plan before spending

Regarding Funding to boost homeless housing (Bay Area & Business, Dec. 25): Since my arrival in San Francisco in 1971, getting the homeless into housing has been a concern or a priority for every administration. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem.

Currently, there are more than 8,000 without housing in San Francisco. San Francisco has allocated more than $1 billion for homelessness and related services from 2018 to 2021. Yet, homelessness persists.

Before San Francisco spends more money on the problem, we should ask whether our City leadership and the nonprofits are up to the task and, if not, what should be done about it.

Ralph Stone, San Francisco

Tiny Tim rode the bus

Wonderful editorial about making car-free JFK permanent (Opinion, Dec. 26). The voices calling for even more space to zip around in private cars are too grumpy for this time of year. I hear Bah humbug. I suspect the truth is that Tiny Tim cant afford a car. He takes the bus, which is now faster thanks to car-free JFK. Bob Cratchit probably bikes to work to save money on gas, maintenance, insurance and parking.

Many people depend on bus and bike because they cannot afford a car. They need safe spaces to get to work, play and school. Lets create a few safe places to walk, stroll, roll and bike, particularly in our park.
Engineers are proposing a new fix for the sinking, tilting Millennium Tower that they hope will avoid exacerbating the buildings settlement like during prior efforts.

The plan calls for installing 18 piles to relieve weight from the foundation, far fewer than an earlier plan that called for 52, which was paused after the 60-story tower sank further during the summer.

Engineers believe each pile can handle greater weight than the prior design and the new plan will speed up construction, project engineer Ronald Hamburger of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger wrote Tuesday in a letter to the city and homeowners that was reviewed by The Chronicle. The piles are expected to relieve pressure on the towers existing foundation and mitigate the sinking and tilting. Piles would be installed to connect the buildings foundation to rock along its Mission Street and Fremont Street-facing sides.

The fix could resolve a five-year saga that led to lawsuits and recrimination at one of San Franciscos most prominent luxury towers, whose residents have included Joe Montana and Hunter Pence. The tower at 301 Mission St. was completed in 2009 as one of the most luxurious buildings in the city, but five years later the building became notorious: Engineers monitoring its settlement discovered it had sunk 18 inches and was leaning 14 inches to the west.

Construction stopped over the summer after more sinking was found and engineers went back to redesign the fix. The new plan, if approved by the city, is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, with sidewalk restoration by January 2023. The Millennium Tower condo association board has approved the plan and engineers plan to apply for an updated building permit.

The plan to install 52 piles dates to 2018 and is funded by a confidential settlement with an affiliate of tower developer Millennium Partners. The new plan falls within the $100 million budget of the original plan, Hamburger wrote.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Engineers have been testing piles since the summer and believe soil vibration and unintentional removal of excess soil during installation could have caused more sinking than expected, Hamburger wrote. Different piles have been tested since the summer and havent caused as much sinking, though the building has continued to settle even with work paused.

Engineers want to increase the weight load per pile to 1 million pounds, up from the earlier proposal of 800,000 pounds, after stress tests showed the piles could handle more weight.

City officials and the buildings engineers have concluded that the building remains safe, even in the event of a major earthquake and residents continue to live there.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The tower was not attached to bedrock and has settled onto clay soil, a movement that engineers believe will eventually stop even if construction doesnt happen, but the towers board wanted to stop the movement sooner.

Construction started in November 2020 and halted in August 2021 after six piles were installed.

Engineers believe the tower will not settle more than half an inch before construction is completed. After work is completed, the buildings design team will monitor the building for another decade, along with the citys Department of Building Inspection and its expert panel.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
The search for a skier who went missing at Northstar California Resort during a blizzard on Christmas Day entered its third day on Tuesday. But even as intense storm conditions that have been pummeling the Sierra with snow began to abate, the likelihood of finding the man alive after 72 hours in extreme cold and deep snow is remote, officials said.

Even with proper gear and equipment it would be extremely unlikely for anyone to survive those elements for this long, said Sgt. Mike Powers of the Placer County Sheriffs Office, which is coordinating the search. But were not giving up.

Authorities mobilized a search for 43-year-old Rory Angelotta after friends reported to Northstars ski patrollers that he hadnt shown up for Christmas dinner. Angelotta, an experienced mountaineer, had moved to Truckee from Colorado in October and worked as a manager at a ski shop in Northstars base village, according to authorities.

On Christmas Day, amid a snowstorm that would ultimately dump upwards of 5 feet of snow on some Tahoe mountaintops, Angelotta drove to Northstar alone, authorities said. He scanned his pass at a base chairlift at 11:30 a.m. Five minutes later, he attempted to make a phone call. Shortly thereafter, his phone shut off and searchers havent found a trace of him since.

The last message I had from him was, Im closing up shop and going for a few runs, Kelsey Angelotta, Rorys sister, told CBS Sacramento.

Dozens of first responders and volunteers have scoured the resorts sprawling 3,170 acres of ski terrain. Because Angelotta scanned in at Comstock Express, Northstars premier chair that runs to the top of 8,610-foot Mount Pluto, searchers say he could be just about anywhere on the mountain, even out of bounds.

Its extremely easy to get lost in these whiteout storms because you lose all bearing of where you are, said Logan Talbott, a Truckee mountain guide who assisted in the search for two days.

Calls about missing skiers in Tahoe are somewhat common, authorities say. In Powers jurisdiction, which includes four ski areas in North Tahoe, typically two or three missing-person calls come in during a busy ski weekend. Often they are found alive and rescued, but not always. For example, two years ago, Northstar ski patrollers recovered the body of a 40-year-old snowboarder from Vallejo who had fallen into a tree well and died.

Talbott got the call about Angelotta at 1 a.m. on Sunday. He is on the board of directors of Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, a local volunteer unit of about 80 mountain experts initially formed in the 1970s after a missing child died in the snow at Northstar.

Upon receiving the call early Sunday morning, Talbott and other searchers drove straight to Northstar to begin searching in the dark.

But the conditions were brutal.

Wind gusts that knock you over. Snow so deep you can barely move. Temperatures in the single digits. High avalanche danger, Talbott said. Operating chairlifts in those conditions is impossible, and responders mobilized snowcats and snowmobiles to carry them up the mountain. Even our snowcat was struggling to get through the deep snow drifts, Talbott said.

Without any information to narrow the search area, responders churned up the slopes and looked for obvious traces of Angelotta. But several feet of freshly fallen snow had blanketed the terrain in deep, treacherous powder, erasing any possible ski tracks or boot prints. Also, wind blasted the mountaintops with gusts up to 100 mph, and the relentless snow severely limited visibility.

Logistically, its been an absolute nightmare, Powers said.

Some searchers wore night vision goggles and dug into tree wells with avalanche probes, but found no signs. Foot patrols of the mountain were risky on Sunday and Monday, Powers said.

The snow was so deep in places that skiers and snowshoers could potentially fall in over their heads. There was a suffocation issue, he said. These volunteers are tremendous people and we dont want to put them at risk.

Ski brands often equip jackets, pants and other pieces of gear with lightweight, passive transponders called RECCO reflectors that are designed to help locate lost or buried skiers and snowboarders. Searchers at Northstar wielded specialized detectors up and down the slopes but couldnt find a ping.

The weekends storm had forced road closures in and out of Tahoe on Sunday and Monday, leaving locals to carry out the search without the aid of state agencies that might have offered more manpower and helicopter support. Over three days, dozens more from across the Truckee-Tahoe region had chipped in: Northstar ski patrollers and avalanche mitigation experts; Northstar Fire Department; Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue; Placer County Sheriffs Office; and Nevada County Search and Rescue.

On Tuesday, 35 searchers and support staff were combing the ski area for Angelotta even as the resort reopened some of its lifts to skiers and riders. Vail Resorts, which operates Northstar, said in an email that it is assisting the search with ski patrollers and mountain operations staffers. Powers said guests on the slopes wouldnt interfere with the search effort.

Every area in bounds, and the borders of the ski area, have been thoroughly and repeatedly searched, he said.

With the storm tapering off, authorities hoped for a weather window that would allow for helicopter flyovers above the mountain. They will also search the backcountry around Mount Pluto when conditions allow, Powers said.

The hope is that Angelotta is holed up alive in a snow cave. But the window on his safe return is narrowing quickly.

Even if theres a 1% chance, we want to give him that chance, Powers said. Thats why were still trying. But at some point, we cant search indefinitely. Hard calls have to be made, and well have to make it if we dont find him very, very soon.

Gregory Thomas is The Chronicles editor of lifestyle & outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas
A mountain lion was spotted in a backyard in Pacifica, gorging on a pet chicken, police say.

Pacifica police arrived at a home on Valencia Way on Sunday morning just after 7:30 a.m., according to a police press release, and found an adult mountain lion approximately 30 yards behind the home, standing in the backyard, eating the pet chicken after stealing it from the homeowners coop.

After the mountain lion had consumed the chicken, police monitored the animal for at least two hours, according to the release. An officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also reportedly arrived to speak with the homeowner. The mountain lion fled the area at about 9:45 a.m., police said.

The mountain lion did not appear to pose a threat to human life, said police in the release. Still, neighbors were urged to avoid their backyards and not bring pets near the area.

Mountain lions are a constant in Pacifica and throughout the Bay Area, with at least three other confirmed sightings in Pacifica alone this year. In 2020, a viral video showed a mountain lion cub seemingly keeping an eye on a group of children biking outside in Pacifica. Another mountain lion cub was also believed to have killed three marsupials  two wallaroos and a red kangaroo  at the San Francisco Zoo in 2020.
MIAMI (AP)  The owner of a Miami-based payday loan company bilked hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars and repaid others with money he acquired from a Ponzi scheme, according to a newspaper report and federal regulators.

About 500 investors, many from South Floridas Venezuelan American community, were taken in by Efrain Betancourt Jr.'s sales pitch of high-interest returns on their investments in his short-term loan operation Sky Group USA, the Miami Herald reported.

The Securities and Exchange Commission in Miami filed a lawsuit against Betancourt, 33, and his company in September, the report noted. The agency accuses Betancourt of committing securities violations in a scheme that authorities describe as affinity fraud.

In addition to the SEC complaint, a half-dozen other lawsuits and arbitration cases have been filed against Betancourt, according to the newspaper. He has not been criminally charged.

Betancourt spent a portion of the $66 million raised from promissory notes on a lavish lifestyle that included a Miami waterfront condo and a wedding to his fourth wife in Monaco, the SEC complaint charges. It also accuses him of transferring money to his ex-wife and friends and of using at least $19 million from a Ponzi-style scheme to make interest payments to some investors to keep them at bay.

The SEC complaint says Sky Group and Betancourt falsely told investors that the company would use investors money solely to make payday loans and cover the costs of such loans. They were promised annual rates of return as high as 120% on the notes.

We continue to caution investors to be wary of any investment that promises returns that are too good to be true, Eric I. Bustillo, director of the SECs Miami Regional Office, told the Herald.

The SEC is seeking permanant injunctions and financial penalties.

The scheme lasted from January 2016 to March 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the complaint, which says that when countless borrowers defaulted on their payday loans, Sky Group incurred a severe cash-flow problem and was unable to make interest payments on investors promissory notes.

Court records and legal documents state that Betancourt also falsely claimed to have law and computer engineering degrees in the United States.

Betancourt repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a deposition earlier this month with a lawyer representing former clients, the Herald reported. In a deposition with the same lawyer in May, he did admit that he didnt have law and computer engineering degrees in the United States. But he insisted his payday loan business was legitimate, and called the investors lenders who were involved in financing short-term, high-interest loans, which he called business transactions.

I made it very clear that they were investing into a payday portfolio, Betancourt told attorney Rick Diaz.

In a motion to dismiss the complaint, Betancourts defense attorney Mark David Hunter argued that promissory notes are loans, not securities, such as stocks and bonds. Therefore, Hunter said, Betancourt and Sky Group did not break the law when they failed to pay back the lenders.

Diaz described Betancourt as a mini-Madoff, a reference to the late New York financial adviser, Bernard Madoff, who ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history.

Ive handled and deposed and defended Ponzi schemers over the years, he told the Herald. Efrain Betancourt is the smoothest, cruelest and most arrogant, selfish and narcissistic of them all.

Diazs client Andres Zorrilla told the newspaper he became suspicious when Betancourt wouldnt take his calls and ignored his emails when he tried to withdraw $30,000 from his investments in the company to help cover the costs of his mothers medical expenses. One of his emails included a photo of his mother showing the surgical stitches from brain surgery.

The guy was just stealing money, said Zorilla, 38, who added that he also referred his wife, her brother and several other business associates to Betancourt's company. All together, Zorrilla and his immediate family invested $150,000 in the company. They received some interest payments, but lost all of their principal.

He made a lot of money and went a little crazy with the money, Zorrilla said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create more confusion and fear among Americans.

To the dismay of some authorities, the new guidelines allow people to leave isolation without getting tested to see if they are still infectious.

The guidance has raised questions about how it was crafted and why it was changed now, in the middle of another wintertime spike in cases, this one driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Monday's action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the recommended isolation time for Americans who are infected with the coronavirus but have no symptoms. The CDC similarly shortened the amount of time people who have come into close contact with an infected person need to quarantine.

The CDC has been under pressure from the public and the private sector, including the airline industry, to shorten the isolation time and reduce the risk of severe staffing shortages amid the omicron surge. Thousands of flights have been canceled over the past few days in a mess blamed on omicron.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the virus are most infectious in the first few days.

Louis Mansky, director of the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Minnesota, agreed there is a scientific basis to the CDCs recommendations.

When somebody gets infected, when are they most likely to transmit the virus to another person? he said. Its usually in the earlier course of the illness, which is typically a day or two before they actually develop symptoms and then a couple of days to three days after that.

Research, including a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in August, backs that up, though medical experts cautioned that nearly all of the data predates omicron.

The CDC released a report Tuesday on a cluster of six omicron cases in a Nebraska household and found the median incubation period  the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms  was about three days, versus the five days or more documented earlier in the pandemic. The six people also experienced relatively mild illness.

But other experts questioned why the CDC guidelines allow people to leave isolation without testing.

Its frankly reckless to proceed like this, said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Using a rapid test or some type of test to validate that the person isnt infectious is vital.

Theres no evidence, no data to support this," he added.

Mansky said CDC probably didnt include exit testing in its guidelines for logistical reasons: There is a run on COVID-19 rapid tests amid the spike in cases and the busy holiday travel season. In many places, at-home tests are difficult or impossible to find.

The CDC is driven by the science, but they also have to be cognizant of the fact of, you know, what are they going to tell the public that theyll do, Mansky said. That would undermine CDC if they had guidance that everybody was ignoring.

Qamara Edwards, director of business and events for Sojourn Philly, which owns four restaurants in Philadelphia, said about 15% of its employees are out sick with COVID-19, and staffing is tight.

The CDC changes are great for businesses, they do allow people to return to work sooner than theyve expected, Edwards said, though she understands why workers might be resistant and worried about their safety.

In Los Angeles, King Holder, who runs the StretchLab Beverly fitness business, likewise said omicron has caused ample disruption to his company, and he welcomed the more relaxed guidelines.

The possibility of five days compared to 10-14 days is huge for our business and allows us to stay afloat, he said.

But Dana Martin, a 38-year-old Philadelphia teacher and educational consultant, said: The looser COVID guidelines make me nervous. Im more hesitant to participate in holiday activities because of the omicron variant and the seemingly more lax protocols.

Marshall Hatch, senior pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Church on Chicagos West Side, said he is bracing for some confusion in his congregation. The church has been a strong advocate for testing, vaccinations and booster shots.

Hatch said the CDCs latest guidance is confusing and a little incongruous.

Either were in a surge that we need to take very seriously or are we winding down the pandemic and thats why were shortening the isolation and quarantine times, he said Tuesday. They might want to give us a little more information to go with.

Hatch said some members of the largely Black congregation, particularly senior citizens, are skeptical of information from government.

The CDC move follows global efforts to adjust isolation rules, with policies differing from country to country.

England last week trimmed its self-isolation period for vaccinated people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to seven days in many cases, provided two negative lateral flow tests are taken a day apart.

The French government said Monday that it will soon relax its isolation rules, although by exactly how much isnt yet clear.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said the rule changes will be aimed at warding off paralysis of public and private services. By some estimates, France could be registering more than 250,000 new infections per day by January.

Italy, meanwhile, is considering doing away with a quarantine altogether for those who have had close contact with an infected person as long they have had a booster shot. Projections indicate as many as 2 million Italians could be put in quarantine over the next two weeks as the virus spreads.

The U.S. airline industry applauded the CDC move.

The decision is the right one based upon science, said the lobbying group Airlines for America.

But the head of a flight attendants union criticized the change, saying it could lead businesses to pressure sick employees to come back before they are well.

If that happens, we will make clear it is an unsafe work environment, which will cause a much greater disruption than any staffing shortages, warned Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International.

___

Associated Press writers Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky; Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy; Paul Wiseman in Washington; and Tali Arbel and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed.
Editor's note: This story originally ran in May 2021.

I am bad at seeing otters. Or they are good at avoiding me. Or maybe both.

Although they are sometimes spotted at Lassen Volcanic National Parks Manzanita Lake, my hike there last summer was fruitless. And on a Lost Coast trek shortly thereafter, a fellow hiker spotted one by the Punta Gorda Lighthouse, but it scrambled into some coastal vegetation and out of my life forever.

In fact, the only place Ive ever seen an otter is the zoo, which doesnt count.

I again attempted to rectify the situation with a kayaking trip this past winter on Big Lagoon up near Redwood National Park, where Kayak Trinidad guides regularly encounter and photograph the creatures. As we paddled through the calm, glassy water, guide Hallie Heath said there was a chance wed find one, but because it had recently rained and the water level was on the high side, it might be more challenging than usual.

As she started to talk more about the character and behavior of otters though, I began to wonder if maybe it was better that I hadnt met one. As adorable as they are, it turns out that otters can be surprisingly vicious.

Talia Rose

Before I paint all otters with a blood-red brush, though, lets back up and acknowledge the different species. Members of the Mustelidae family and Lutrinae subfamily, otters are divided into 13 species (though one of those, the Japanese river otter, was declared extinct in 2012 due to loss of habitat and overhunting). The two kinds found in California are American river otters and sea otters, and there are some important distinctions, Heath explained.

Sea otters weigh about 50 to 70 pounds, they float on their backs and they spend most of their lives in the ocean. River otters are two or three times smaller, they swim with their bellies down and they live mostly on land but travel by water to find food. Sea otters nearly went extinct in the early 1900s because of the fur trade. River otters are common and of least concern in California, but are threatened or endangered in some other states.

But Heath offered a warning. Theyll hiss at you if you get too close, she said. Theyre vicious little critters.

That information wasnt a complete surprise, as I had heard about the river otter attack at Manzanita Lake last summer that sent a visitor to the hospital with severe wounds to the face. I told Heath about it, and she nodded.

They go for your eyes, for your eyeballs, she said.

I didnt realize that was their strategy, I said, scanning the water nervously. I thought Manzanita Lake was a fluke.

Ashley Harrell

Oh no, she said. And sea otters are just as evil. Theyll rape baby harbor seals, take down birds for fun and play with them, rip their throats out. Theyll take sharks off the bottom, flip them up, tear their organs out, eat the organs, leave the rest of the shark.

She kept going: They rape each other. The males will basically drown and exhaust the female and then rape her and leave her. A lot of the females, their noses get red and bloody from the male biting them. The Monterey Bay Aquarium actually has a plastic surgery facility to repair otter faces.

I contacted the Monterey Bay Aquarium to check on that, and while waiting to hear back did some internet research. I was shocked to find a 2014 Vox Media story about otters that referred to them as necrophiliac, serial-killing fur monsters of the sea.

There comes a point at which rational people have to put adorable hijinks aside and recognize otters for what they are: disease-ridden, murderous, necrophilic aqua-weasels whose treachery knows few bounds, author Dylan Matthews wrote. ... They're merciless hellspawn who use their intellects for great evil.

The article mentions a 2011 study that found 39 reports of river otter attacks in North America, which often involved rabies and are apparently on the rise. It also echoed much of what Heath shared: that sea otters are known to rape baby seals. That their mating is synonymous with trauma. That they sometimes hold other otters pups under water until they receive a food ransom. One scientist even observed a serial necrophiliac otter.

Arthur Morris/Getty Images

When I finally got Monterey Bay Aquariums Director of Veterinary Services Mike Murray on the line, I felt nervous about what else I would learn. And while Murray did confirm that otter mating is violent, he also helped put things in perspective.

During copulation, the male does grab the female by the nose with his mouth and teeth, and females frequently will sustain some degree of injury to the muzzle and the nasal pad, he said. Thats the way otters have been breeding for millions of years.

Murray performs plastic surgery on otters occasionally, reconstructing their noses as a treatment for injury. Sometimes the nasal passage becomes restricted and Murray opens it back up to help the animal breathe. Other times, newly created holes in the nasal passage need closure.

Asked to describe the character of sea otters, Murray said: Theyre pugnacious. Theyre mischievous in some ways, like most mustelids. Theyre bullheaded like dachshunds. When they make their mind up, theyre going to do what they want to do, and theyre incredibly powerful.

Murray is grateful that he can outrun them on land, he said, and was once chased out of the aquariums otter exhibit by a male named Roscoe. Periodically the males will give me the look and I know its time to exit stage left, he said.

For the record, Murray really enjoys working with otters. Theyre pretty amazing creatures, he said.

Ashley Harrell

River otter expert and enthusiast Jeff Black, a professor with Humboldt State Universitys department of wildlife who has been monitoring river otter numbers for decades, said the public neednt be overly concerned about otter attacks.

Black recently spearheaded a public art project, commissioning local creatives to adorn more than 100 3-foot-tall otter sculptures to help educate about the charismatic critters important role in their ecosystems. The initiative has been delayed by the pandemic, but soon the otter likenesses will appear in shops, galleries and schools around Californias North Coast. Some may be on display by the last Wednesday in May: World Otter Day.

So what about incidents like the one at Manzanita Lake? Those are very, very rare, Black said. Every once in a while, a dog will get nipped  I think everybody just needs to give wild animals space, right?

According to Lassen Volcanic National Park ranger Shanda Ochs, Manzanita Lake is back open now for swimming, though visitors are encouraged to respect river otters by observing them from shore rather than getting near them in the water.

Ashley Harrell

River otters are very curious and will not hesitate to approach you in the water, Ochs said. Signs of aggression include hissing and rapidly swimming toward and around an individual in the water. Though they are sometimes just curious, it is best to play it safe and exit the water when being approached by a river otter.

Kayak Trinidad owner Jason Self agrees. He loves otters, he said, but also considers them the cutest vicious devils youll ever see.

Im never really sure if they want to play or are going to attack me, but they always come in close to check us out, Self said. I think they learned who I was because I fish there so much. Theyll just follow me around and eat the fish I release.

Self feels comfortable around them until one starts to climb on his boat, he said, and then he starts to worry. But theyre all different personalities  like people, he said. They are generally respected by people at Big Lagoon, and otters seem pretty comfortable around people. We see a lot of them in the summer.

Heath and I didnt end up finding a river otter that day, and I was feeling OK about it as we paddled back to shore. But then she ended our discussion with a very good point.

Theyre wild animals, Heath said. So yes, they have the capability of being very vicious. But they have to survive in nature and they have to be able to defend their young. One of the coolest parts of being out here is being able to witness how theyre able to do those things.

And just like that, I really wanted to see an otter again.
Jeff Chiu / Associated Press 2016

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan recently bought 110 more acres on the island of Kauai. This is an addition to the 700 acres he bought in 2014 for nearly $100 million and the 600 acres he bought in April for $53 million.



Zuckerbergs properties are on Kauais north shore in portions of the ahupuaa Pilaa, Waipake and Lepeuli. The Koolau Ranch, which is what Zuckerberg and Chan call their Hawaii estate, currently has cattle and horses, a nursery, organic ginger farm and turmeric farm. Ben LaBolt, Chan-Zuckerberg family office spokesperson, said the majority of the land is dedicated to sustainable farming and ranching operations.



According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Zuckerberg bought the 110 acres through his Kaloko LLC company for $17 million. The former sugar plantation land includes most of the Ka Loko Reservoir, which was previously owned by the Pflueger family. The familys patriarch, the late James Jimmy Pflueger, was a prominent auto dealer and opened the United States first Honda dealership in Hawaii.



In 2006, the Ka Loko Reservoir dam broke, sending 300 million gallons downhill and killing seven people. At the age of 87, Jimmy Pflueger pleaded no contest and was sentenced to seven months for reckless endangering. He died in 2017.



The dam has remained unrepaired since the tragedy, but LaBolt said in a statement that the couple is committed to safety.



Mark and Priscilla continue to make their home at Koolau Ranch. They are committed to preserving the land at Pilaas beauty and rural character and the agricultural dedication has been extended as part of their efforts to prevent future development, LaBolt said in the statement.



Mark and Priscilla have worked closely with a number of community partners to operate a working ranch, promote conservation, produce sustainable agriculture and protect wildlife and look forward to expanding their efforts to include this additional property.



This property includes a portion of the Kaloko Reservoir, which currently has a storage capacity of about 50MG as compared to the 450MG at the time of the 2006 dam breach, LaBolt continued. Mark and Priscilla are committed to doing their part to fulfill the legal requirements regarding the reservoir and promote safety.

Ron Kosen/Associated Press



Zuckerberg previously faced backlash for filing lawsuits to gain ownership of several small parcels of land, called kuleana lands, in a quiet title dispute  a legal process that lets a judge decide ownership and can sometimes result in an auction to the highest bidder.



Kuleana lands were designated in the 1850s to makaainana (citizens who worked the land) and were intended to be passed down to their descendants. However, these lands produced generations of descendants, resulting in land being divided into fractions, some without a clear ownership title, and some descendants not knowing they have ownership rights. This leaves many kuleana lands vulnerable to the quiet title process, resulting in much of the kuleana lands being controlled by large landowners.



Zuckerberg later apologized, claimed cultural ignorance and withdrew the lawsuits. He wrote an op-ed in the local Kauai newspaper, stating, We reached out to families on Kauai and off island to discuss this directly. After that, we initiated the quiet title process to identify any other partial owners so we could also pay them their fair share.



Upon reflection he continued, I regret that I did not take the time to fully understand the quiet title process and its history before we moved ahead. Now that I understand the issues better, its clear we made a mistake.



In recent months, Zuckerberg donated $4.85 million to the Kauai Habitat for Humanity for the construction of affordable housing units. He also helped to save the 102-acre Alekoko Fishpond, aka Menehune Fishpond, by giving a $4 million donation to The Trust for Public Land to purchase. The fishpond was then turned over to local nonprofit Malama Huleia (unaffiliated with Zuckerberg) which will continue stewarding it in perpetuity.
LOS ANGELES  The frantic 911 calls started coming in late Thursday morning from a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood. Multiple callers said a man was threatening people inside the shop, either with a bicycle lock or a gun. At least one caller reported that shots had been fired.

Los Angeles police were dispatched, and by noon a small group of officers with guns drawn filed up the double escalator to the second floor, where they encountered and quickly shot 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez, as depicted in bodycam footage released by the LAPD on Monday.

An officers bullet killed Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year-old trying on clothes in a dressing room nearby. A relative said she died in her mothers arms at the store. The officer opened fire as Elena-Lopez appeared to be moving away from a bloodied woman he attacked. It is unclear whether the officers knew the suspect didnt have a gun.

While the exact tactics used by police Thursday remain under review, they were in many ways using a playbook that has come to define police responses to active shooter situations in the 22 years since the Columbine High School shooting, which left 13 dead in Colorado.

In a mass-shooting scenario, officers rushing in to kill or arrest a shooter can reduce the potential death toll of a heavily armed assailant. But in cases such as the one at Burlington, where suspects turn out not to be armed with a gun, the tactic raises serious questions.

The tragedy has sparked outrage and debate over how police should respond to such incidents  especially when it is unclear whether a suspect is actually armed and firing.

For years, the standard approach was for police to surround an active shooting scene, assess the situation and attempt to negotiate in hopes of avoiding a violent showdown. Today, police are trained to kill or arrest any shooters before taking other actions, including helping victims.

The thinking, experts say, is that by neutralizing threats, officers minimize additional casualties while allowing EMTs and medical professionals to help the wounded.

Although that approach can be beneficial when confronting an active shooter, it has serious drawbacks. Last week, Valentinas death raised serious questions about the costs and benefits of what some advocates call shoot first policing.

Todays tactical doctrine is best summarized as stop the killing before we stop the dying, said Sid Heal, a retired L.A. County sheriffs commander and current chairman of strategy development for the National Tactical Officers Association.

We have gone proactive. The general practice is we take [an active shooter] under fire at the earliest opportunity, he said. Its our nature to go to the wounded. But the problem is he can kill them as fast as we can save them.

Its still not clear whether the officers followed LAPD protocols in how they handled the incident, and that will be the subject of further investigation by the department.

Travis Norton, leader of the California Association of Tactical Officers after-action review team, said officers need to be better educated about the decisions they face in active-shooting situations.

Its all training and education. Training is the how, and education is the why. Were well trained and poorly educated. We know how to do things but we arent great at explaining why, said Norton, who has traveled widely to analyze law enforcement response to about 20 active-shooter incidents, including the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., the San Bernardino attacks and the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

He said that while it may be more obvious how officers should respond to incidents in which there is live gunfire when they arrive on the scene, its not so cut and dry when there is no gunfire taking place upon their arrival.

Everybody wants a checklist  they want 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  but thats not how these things work. You have to assess the situation and act based on the context of that problem youre faced with, said Norton, who is pursuing doctoral studies at USC focused on law enforcement response to such incidents.

And yet, he said, his research has found time and again that breakdowns in several key areas contribute to less effective law enforcement responses. Most critical is leadership problems, which arise in 93% of active-shooting incidents, Norton said.

But perhaps most important is decision-making. The initial choice about how to respond to a suspected active-shooter situation can have more of an effect on the outcome than almost anything else, he said.

Its great that youre a good marksman, but what about the decision if you should even shoot in the first place? Norton said. We should be spending as much training time on decision-making as we are on learning how to shoot.

Valentinas killing sent shockwaves across not just Los Angeles but also Chile, where the girl was from. And in many corners there were angry questions about police tactics.

How can they shoot crazy like that? asked Graciela Cornejo, 70, who lives near the store, in an interview Friday. Theyre trained for all of this. I just cant understand.

Ron Gochez, a veteran community organizer and high school history teacher in South Los Angeles, said he believes the incident would have been handled differently in a more affluent, white neighborhood, with police less likely to quickly open fire in a store filled with holiday shoppers.

I realize it was a dangerous situation, Gochez said, but the way the police do their business in our communities shows a total disregard for our life.

In addition to Valentinas shooting, he cited the LAPDs botched detonation of illegal fireworks in South L.A. this summer, sparking an explosion that injured 17 people and damaged or destroyed dozens of residential properties, businesses and vehicles.

The behavior of the police is just night and day, depending on what ZIP Code they are in, Gochez said. Their conduct would not be the same in more affluent communities.

In a statement Monday, the League of United Latin American Citizens called for an immediate and thorough investigation of the shooting.

Everything in their academy training is supposed to teach them to consider the worst-case scenario before drawing their service revolvers, said Domingo Garcia, national president of the league. Equally troubling is that this incident is only the latest in a rash of recent LAPD shootings involving Latinos.

Both the LAPD and California Department of Justice have opened investigations into the Burlington shooting. Several Los Angeles City Council members have also called for a review.

The tragedy comes at a time when LAPD shootings are under growing scrutiny. Shootings by Los Angeles police officers increased this year after years of declines.

An LAPD estimate earlier this year, when police had shot 30 people, indicated about a third of them were exhibiting signs of mental illness at the time. Officers in recent years have also shot suspects at much farther distances than they perceived them to be in relation to themselves, and when they were unarmed, according to investigations.

Chris Grollnek, a retired SWAT officer and tactical expert, who was involved in a 2010 incident in McKinney, Texas, in which an attacker fired more than 100 rounds outside a police station, said that the increase in active shootings in recent years has helped spur a shift in tactics and realization that police have to deal with the aggressor and stop him as soon as possible to minimize casualties.

According to Grollnek, studies of active-shooter incidents have shown that an attacker can kill as many as four victims in a minute. The average police response time in major cities is about two to three minutes, he said, creating a difficult scenario in which officers have little time to react after arriving at the scene.

Theyre in a near-impossible situation, he said of the responding officers.

____

(Times staff writers Richard Winton, Nathan Solis and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Health officials on Tuesday urged people to take precautions, such as wearing masks and getting booster shots, after the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests more than doubled over the last week.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said in a news release that the state positivity rate for COVID-19 tests had more doubled over the past week to reach 22.1%. All but six counties are classified as having high levels of community transmission.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Police in Sioux Falls say a bystander used a stun gun on a shoplifter who assaulted store employees.

Police said the 38-year-old man tried to steal from a convenience store the afternoon of Dec. 22. The man assaulted two employees before police arrived. The bystander stunned the man to stop him, the Argus Leader reported.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's governor must soon decide whether to free one of America's most notorious assassins, a decision he has said evokes one of the darkest periods in the nation's history.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until sometime next month to allow or block the parole recommendation for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

The recommendation by a two-person panel of parole commissioners in August split the iconic Kennedy family more than a half-century after the 1968 slaying of the U.S. senator from New York moments after he claimed victory in Californias pivotal Democratic presidential primary.

More than that, it tore open decades-old wounds lingering from the murders of RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

This is very raw and emotional for people," said Newsom, who keeps RFK photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father.

People arent just giving an opinion about yes or no, theyre expressing their memories of that time ... and connecting the dots to the '60s and that stress and anxiety and the wounds, Newsom said after the panel made its recommendation.

And in a way that makes this decision even that much more powerful, because of the impact that has on opening up those memories, many memories that people want to suppress, understandably, said the Democratic governor, who called RFK his political hero" in a victory speech after he beat back a recall election in September.

Fifteen times, parole panels rejected freeing Sirhan, now 77, before deciding that he is no longer a danger to public safety.

New laws since his last previous parole hearing in 2016 meant the panel had to consider that Sirhan committed the offense at a young age, when he was 24; is now an elderly prisoner; and that the Christian Palestinian who immigrated from Jordan had suffered childhood trauma from the conflict in the Middle East.

Also, for the first time, Los Angeles County prosecutors weren't at the parole hearing to object, under District Attorney George Gascon's policy that prosecutors should not be involved in deciding whether prisoners are ready for release.

And two of RFKs sons supported releasing him, including Douglas Kennedy, who told the parole panel that Sirhan was worthy of compassion and love. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to the panel urging that Sirhan be freed, citing his impressive record of rehabilitation.

But six of Kennedys nine surviving children urged Newsom to block the release of a man who "took our father from our family and he took him from America. The statement was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.

Ethel Kennedy, RFK's wife, said Sirhan "should not have the opportunity to terrorize again.

Sirhan has consistently said he doesn't recall shooting Kennedy and wounding five others the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. But he told parole commissioners that he takes responsibility killing a man he called the hope of the world.

He was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

Sirhans attorney, Angela Berry, said in a written argument for his release that he suffers a heart condition and has survived prostate cancer, Valley Fever and having his throat slashed by another prisoner in 2019.

If freed, Munir Sirhan says his older brother can live with him, if he is not deported to Jordan. Sirhan Sirhan waived his right to fight deportation.

We are just two old brothers who wish to live out the rest of our lives together, he wrote to the parole board.

After the parole panel's decision, corrections officials released 101 pages of those documents and letters from across the nation, all but one supporting Sirhan's release.

Some compared him to a political prisoner or advanced various conspiracy theories around Sirhan's involvement or the assassinations of both Kennedy brothers. Many were clearly part of an organized effort, with similar wording or fill-in-the-blank responses.

Others were more personal.

One man recalled how, as a 19-year-old college student, he traveled by bus to an inner-city neighborhood to get out the vote for Robert Kennedy.

He was a person who I loved and respected and in whom I had deep confidence that he would put a quick end to that unjust and immoral war in Vietnam, wrote the man, whose contact information was redacted.

Instead, the man was drafted in 1971.

Sirhan's involvement in RFK's murder changed my life, he wrote. But looking at life from this end, I forgive him.

The lone writer who opposed Sirhan's release said in a handwritten note that he still remembers details of the god-awful assassination a half-century later.

Sirhan has caused the death of a man with a great political future," he wrote, and "along with that has taken away the innocence of people of my generation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The question of whether Ohio's new congressional map was unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor the Republicans who controlled the mapmaking process drew strong pushback Tuesday among justices of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Oral arguments in two lawsuits challenging the new 4-year map showing boundaries for 15 U.S. House districts were pushed online by a new COVID-19 surge.

Justices asked how the new lines were fair to Democrats and minority voters, why opponents must prove it was gerrymandered beyond a reasonable doubt and if Ohio voters' decision to overhaul the state's redistricting procedures with a 2018 constitutional amendment effectively overruled legal arguments drawn from the battle over Ohio's current map, drawn in 2011.

Why would we use that as the starting point, the 2011 map, when clearly the the intervening factor was the vote of the people that demanded that you scrap that kind of analysis and you go with, (that) your guidepost is not to unduly gerrymander the elective maps? asked Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a potentially key swing vote.

Phillip Strach, an attorney for Republican legislative leaders, said the people wanted less partisan districts "and that's absolutely what they got.

The districts are a win for the people of Ohio," he said. They got more competitive districts. Seven out of 15  that's a plurality of the districts  are now legit competitive districts, even the experts agree.

Strach said Republicans' expert found Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown would have won eight or nine of them.

Lawyers for voting-rights and Democratic groups argued its indisputable that the map unduly favors the Republican Party, which would be unconstitutional. The two suits were brought by the National Democratic Redistricting Commissions legal arm, as well as the Ohio offices of the League of Women Voters and the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The latter two groups surmise the map includes 13 Republican districts  10 safe seats and three arguably competitive ones that also favor the GOP  and only two safe Democratic districts. Thats 67% of seats for Republicans, despite their candidates receiving only about 54% of votes in statewide races over the past decade, the two groups lawsuit said.

Meanwhile, the NDRCs constitutional challenge contends the map leans 12-3 in favor of Republicans, although the GOP describes it as 6-2, with the remaining seven districts being competitive.

Ohio and other states were required to redraw their congressional maps to reflect results of the 2020 census, under which Ohio lost one of its current 16 districts due to lagging population.

Ben Stafford, representing the NDRC, pointed to the new map's efficiency gap, a measure of votes wasted because lines strongly favor one party or the other. A Democrat's vote in a slam-dunk Republican district, for example, or vice versa.

The 2011 plan was struck down by a federal district court as a partisan gerrymander," he said. The efficiency gap of that plan was 11%. The efficiency gap of this plan is about 23%. It's worse.

Stafford said Republicans who drew the new map cherry-picked which statewide elections results they used to determine competitiveness," and that that line of argument was flawed.

So competitiveness and partisan fairness are not the same concept, he said. If Ohio State every year has to spot Michigan a two-touchdown lead, it might make the game more competitive (but) the rules are set up to favor one team over the other, and that's exactly what they've done here.

The plan in dispute sprinted through the Ohio Statehouse last month and passed without Democratic support. It was signed days later by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who son, Pat, is one of four GOP justices on the seven-member court.

Because the map got no backing from Democrats, it will hold for just four years, rather than the typical 10.

Both lawsuits target DeWine and the other members of the powerful Ohio Redistricting Commission, rather than the Legislature.

Voters empowered the commission with a potentially pivotal role in approving Ohios legislative and congressional district maps, but the panel missed its deadline for approving a congressional map without taking a vote. That punted the process back to the GOP-led Legislature, which approved the map despite Democrats' objections.
At Northern Virginia Community College, a preliminary fall count of students showed enrollment slid 5% since just before the coronavirus pandemic began. At Prince George's Community College, it fell 10%. At Montgomery College, it plunged 19%.

These schools, major gateways to higher education in the Washington suburbs, reflect a challenge that has emerged in sharp relief since fall 2019: The public health crisis and economic and social upheaval of the past two years have led to significant enrollment declines at community colleges around the country.

The trend, pronounced last year, deepened in many places in 2021. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found nearly 15% fewer students at the nation's public two-year colleges in the fall compared with two years earlier. That has profound ramifications for the education and career prospects of people from low-to-moderate-income families because these are the nation's least expensive colleges, dedicated to open access and social mobility.

"We are certainly concerned," said Charlene Dukes, interim president of Montgomery College. The school reported 17,284 students as of October, down from 21,260 two years earlier. It has not laid off anyone, Dukes said, but it has slowed hiring to cut expenses. It also has intensified efforts to recruit and retain students, through financial help in some situations as well as dual-enrollment programs with local high schools, among other measures.

To be sure, the college in Maryland's most populous county, with campuses in Rockville, Takoma Park and Germantown, has weathered declines in other periods of demographic and economic flux. But this time seems different. "The way this was exacerbated by the pandemic was certainly even much more than we expected," Dukes said.

The recent emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant of the virus poses even more volatility for schools everywhere. Montgomery College had planned to offer about 70% of its classes in person during the spring term, a much larger share than in the fall. Now it is weighing whether that will be possible.

Community colleges are accustomed to enrollment ebbs and flows. The rule of thumb, experts say, is that many adults, young and old, tend to surge into colleges during an economic downturn but leave when jobs are plentiful.

Enrollment didn't follow that pattern during the economic shock at the outset of the pandemic. It fell sharply.

This year's economic rebound, with wages rising and unemployment falling, could be influencing many to stay away from college. But continuing public health troubles and other factors - including disparities in Internet access and unexpected family caregiving obligations - may also be in play.

Walter Bumphus, president and chief executive of the American Association of Community Colleges, said the situation is perplexing. "I've never seen anything quite like the last few years in community colleges," he said. "The pandemic raised its ugly head in a number of ways for our colleges."

There are about 950 community colleges across the country. Bumphus said their presidents are tracking student head counts closely.

"Everybody's concerned about enrollment," he said. "No doubt about it." But he said educators are hoping the numbers will pick up in coming months as students seek short-term career training or courses that could help them transfer to universities.

Enrollment declines have emerged in many parts of the Washington region.

The University of the District of Columbia has 1,344 community college students in the capital city. That is down 29% since 2019. UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. said the school is mounting an all-out push to reverse the trend. "We're doing everything we can," he said, to retain students and "reconnect with the ones that didn't make the transition to us and try to get them back on track."

At Northern Virginia Community College, the decline is much smaller. The largest community college in the state counted 49,363 students as of December, according to an analysis by the Virginia community college system. That represented a 5% decline from the pre-pandemic total in 2019.

"Community college enrollment typically runs countercyclical to the economy, and the current tight labor market offers our students more opportunities for employment than they have experienced in years," Anne Kress, the college's president, said in a statement. "Some are stopping out for a short period to take advantage of the strong economy, and others are enrolling only part-time."

Statewide, Virginia's community college enrollment is down about 9% compared with fall 2019. In Maryland, enrollment fell 14% during that time.

"The pandemic has shown just how vulnerable our student-going population really is," said Brad Phillips, executive director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. He said colleges will push for state lawmakers in Annapolis to help ensure funding remains stable.

Federal pandemic relief has provided some financial support in the past couple of years. The colleges typically rely on local and state funding, in addition to tuition revenue, to operate. In some places, Phillips said, the budget "is held together by asterisks."

At Prince George's Community College - with 10,577 students this fall, down 10% over two years - officials are focused in part on finding and recruiting those who graduated from high school during the pandemic but didn't go to college. Many were from low-income families - a "target population," said President Falecia Williams.

"They opted out," Williams said. "It is a tremendous issue."

At Harford Community College, northeast of Baltimore, the fall head count of 4,596 was down 19% over two years. Theresa Felder, the college's president, said those numbers don't include an important group who take various kinds of classes that are not for college credit.

Felder wants to expand workforce development classes. "We have to have more opportunities for our working adult population," she said. "Can we attract and retain them and meet their needs?"

Like Williams, she also wants to find recent high school graduates who bypassed higher education. "We reach out to them," she said. "We reach out to their parents. Our message is come back - or come. Community college is the right choice. Start with us, finish with us, if that's your choice. We have what you need."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The Marion County coroner's office budget has been strained from deaths from COVID-19, drug overdoses and rising homicides in Indianapolis.

Funding started to run low in October and the office needed to ask for more money to make it through the end of the year, The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday.

Right at the end of the first quarter, we were seeing some startling numbers, Chief Deputy Coroner Alfie McGinty told the newspaper. And it would essentially be a miracle if trends started to decrease, where we were seeing fewer deaths each and every month.

Earlier this month, the Indianapolis City-County Council agreed to send $385,000 to the coroner's office.

McGinty said the office predicted as early as April that it would need more money after three mass shootings claimed the lives of 17 people and an unborn child. The office sought more funds from the city, saying the number of death investigations had become unmanageable at current staffing levels between the number of homicides and overdoses, which require autopsies or toxicology exams.

A simple death investigation can cost, on average, $1,100 to $1,600. McGinty said the more complex investigations, such as someone who has died from multiple gunshot wounds, can cost upward of $1,700.

There are so many things that go into a death investigation that cost, she said. The little things add up so quickly.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana officials are urging residents to go online for Office of Motor Vehicles services, and say 12 offices are temporarily closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The office posted a list of those locations on its website and said reopening dates will be posted when available.

Louisiana residents should only visit OMV field offices if its absolutely necessary. Our online services are always open and we encourage guests to visit expresslane.org before going to a field office, office commissioner Karen St. Germain told WDSU.

The surging omicron variant has been leading to closures across the country as businesses scramble to fill gaps created by employees testing positive. Airlines canceled flights because crew members had the virus.

In Louisiana, state officials said on social media Monday that hospitalizations of people infected with the coronavirus had doubled over the course of a week.

In the New Orleans area a steady stream of businesses have posted on social media that they were temporarily closing to test employees after a staff member tested positive. On Monday the storied Preservation Hall in the French Quarter canceled all performances through Dec. 31, saying that one of their members had tested positive.

What matters most to us right now is that our team member gets well soon, and we continue to do everything in our power to keep our commitment to our team and guests during this pandemic to be transparent, safe, and compassionate, the organization said in a social media post.

Long lines were being reported at coronavirus testing facilities across the state. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana health officials said they had set up two new drive-thru testing locations.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women  including a state trooper  that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks, a suburban prosecutor said Tuesday. It's the latest in a series of decisions about whether a raft of sexual assault and harassment claims against Cuomo will end up in criminal court.

Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, she couldn't bring criminal cases over it.

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, Rocah said in a statement.

Cuomo had no immediate comment on the decision. The Democrat has denied sexually harassing anyone or touching anyone inappropriately and has said he doesn't recall touching the trooper.

A number of prosecutors around the state launched investigations after state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, chronicled accusations from 11 women against Cuomo. The August report led to his resignation from office, although he has attacked the findings as biased and inaccurate.

In October, the Albany County sheriffs 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 district attorney said the sheriffs 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 governors mansion in late 2020, was potentially defective.

At the prosecutors request, a court delayed Cuomos scheduled arraignment until Jan. 7.

Last week, a Long Island prosecutor said Cuomo wouldnt face criminal charges after the same trooper as in the Westchester investigation said she felt completely violated by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park in September 2019. Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said the allegations were credible and troubling but not criminal under state law.

The alleged Westchester County incident involving the trooper happened outside Cuomo's then-home in Mount Kisco, according to the district attorney's office. The trooper told investigators that while stationed in the driveway as part of Cuomo's security detail in summer 2019, she asked the governor if he needed anything, and he responded by asking her whether he could kiss her.

I remember just freezing, being  in the back of my head, Im like, Oh, how do I say no politely?' Because in my head, if I said no, hes going to take it out on the detail. And now Im on the bad list, she told investigators, according to James' report.

So, she said, she told him, Sure. He kissed her on the cheek, while saying something like Oh, Im not supposed to do that, or Unless thats against the rules, she told investigators.

A male colleague told investigators he witnessed the episode, the attorney general's report said.

The trooper hasn't been publicly identified. A message seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for her.

In the other incident that Westchester prosecutors examined, Cuomo allegedly greeted a woman by grabbing her arm, pulling her toward him and kissing her on the cheek without asking whether that was OK. She was attending a press conference he gave at White Plains High School in June 2018.

I smiled nervously afterward. I had to endure comments from people in attendance, the woman, Susan Iannucci, told reporters at a virtual news conference in August.

Iannucci, a school office manager, said she came forward because she was appalled to see Cuomo use a photo of the encounter in a compilation video that he released to argue that he commonly greeted people with kisses, touches and hugs to convey warmth.

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said Tuesday that Iannucci had spoken to the DA's office knowing that criminal charges weren't legally possible. Nonetheless, Iannucci was gratified that prosecutors found her and her allegation credible, her attorney said.

We thank the district attorney's office for their serious consideration of this matter," Allred said in a statement.
A Los Angeles woman is facing a federal assault charge after she allegedly punched and spit on a man aboard a recent Delta Air Lines flight following a mask dispute.

Patricia Cornwall was detained Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after passengers told authorities that she had caused a disturbance on Flight 2790 from Tampa. Video shared to social media appears to show Cornwall, 51, slapping a male passenger across the face during an argument over masks. The man told investigators that the maskless woman, who mockingly compared herself to Rosa Parks and told him to put on his mask as he was eating and drinking, also spit on his face and head, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday.

"This disturbance led to the injury of fellow passengers and Delta employees," the Atlanta Police Department said in a news release.

The complaint, filed in the Northern District of Georgia, accuses Cornwall of "assault by striking, beating, or wounding" the male passenger, who is identified only as "R.S.M." Cornwall, who made her first court appearance Monday, could face up to a year in prison and a fine up to $100,000 if she is found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor. She did not submit a plea during her initial court appearance.

Cornwall declined to comment Tuesday but said she and her attorney, Millie Dunn, would issue a public statement in the coming days. Dunn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I appreciate you reaching out to me as I do feel my side needs to be told," Cornwall wrote in a text message to The Washington Post.

Drake Castaneda, a Delta spokesman, confirmed to The Post that "Flight 2790 from Tampa to Atlanta was met by law enforcement after an unruly customer disturbance during flight."

"Situations like these are rare for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft," he said in a statement.

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top federal infectious-disease expert, recently indicated that mask-wearing on planes could be here to stay during a time when the coronavirus is surging in the United States again because of the rapidly spreading omicron variant. Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that he would welcome a requirement that airline passengers be vaccinated. But he stressed that masks and air filtration have made it safe for people to be on airplanes. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly argued in a Senate hearing this month that masks "don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment."

Even with the extension of the federal mask mandate on transportation until at least March 2022, aviation authorities continue to battle a wave of disruptive passengers - specifically confrontations stemming from disputes over mask-wearing. The Federal Aviation Administration says it has received 5,553 reports of unruly behavior in 2021, the vast majority of them related to incidents over mask regulations on flights. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo last month directing federal authorities to prioritize the prosecution of crimes on planes.

On Thursday, Cornwall was returning from the restroom when she saw a flight attendant conducting beverage service and blocking the aisle, according to the complaint. After Cornwall asked the flight attendant to help her find her seat, the flight attendant requested that she find an available seat until the conclusion of the beverage service, the complaint says.

"What am I? Rosa Parks?" said Cornwall, who is White, according to the complaint.

Upon hearing the comment, the complaint says, the male passenger sitting in seat 37C told Cornwall "it was an inappropriate comment and that she 'isn't Black . . . this isn't Alabama and this isn't a bus.'" He then called her a catchall term popularized in recent years to describe an entitled, demanding White woman who polices other people's behavior.

"Sit down, Karen," he said to Cornwall, according to the complaint.

Video posted to Twitter from @ATLUncensored appears to match the description of the incident involving Cornwall. Authorities declined to confirm that Cornwall is the woman seen in the video, which has been viewed 8.6 million times as of Tuesday.

After the man calls the woman a "Karen," the female passenger yells at the man to put on his mask as he is eating and drinking, the video shows. The woman, who has her mask pulled below her chin, calls him a sexual slur, which is then repeated by the man toward her.

When a flight attendant asks the woman to mask up, she ignores the order and asks the flight attendant to tell the male passenger to "mask up." The man, who still has his mask off, calls the woman another derogatory term, according to video - and that is when she slaps his face.

"Now you're going to jail! That's assault," the man exclaims, according to video. "You're going to jail as soon as we get to Atlanta."

The woman then appears to spit in the man's face.

The two passengers were separated only by the beverage cart, but they continued to lob expletives at each other as other passengers stood up during the chaotic situation.

"I will put my mask on when you put your mask on!" the woman says, according to video.

Toward the end of the video, one passenger is heard saying that the woman "went crazy on the airplane."

Federal Magistrate Judge Christopher Bly on Monday set Cornwall's bond at $20,000 but allowed her to fly home to Southern California if she followed the judge's requirements, CNN reported. However, Cornwall won't be flying home on Delta. The airline placed the woman on its no-fly list.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Gov. Tony Evers says voters should decided whether Milwaukee Countys top prosecutor keeps his job.

A group of Milwaukee taxpayers has filed a complaint with Evers demanding he remove District Attorney John Chisholm from his post. Chisholm has taken intense criticism for allowing his office to recommend $1,000 cash bail for Darrell Brooks after he allegedly ran over the mother of his child with his SUV in November. Days after he posted the bail he allegedly drove the SUV through a Waukesha Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others. Republicans say the low bail enabled the parade attack.

Chisholm has acknowledged the bail was too low but called it an oversight." He said the assistant prosecutor handling the case was overworked and inexperienced.

Evers told WDJT-TV for a story published Monday that his office is reviewing the complaint and committed to launching an investigation if the complaint did indeed come from Milwaukee taxpayers. But he said he'd rather see voters decide Chisholm's fate instead of kicking someone out of office.

Both Evers and Chisholm are Democrats.
She became a vaccine celebrity by accident.

Since being hailed as the first person in the United States to get a COVID-19 vaccine, New York nurse Sandra Lindsay has become a prominent face in the country's biggest-ever vaccination campaign.

She has been promoting the shots on panels, in Zoom town halls and at other events.

I encourage people to speak to experts who can answer their questions, to access trusted science. I let them know that its OK to ask questions, said Lindsay, who has spoken at events in the U.S. and Jamaica, where she is from.

Lindsay got her shot in a widely televised moment on December 14 of last year as the U.S. was kicking off its vaccination effort. After getting emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration just days earlier, the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines had been arriving at hospitals for high-risk health care workers.

It was a tough time for Lindsay, who saw the impact of COVID-19 up close at Northwell Healths Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

I just felt broken, defeated, just tired and burned out, said Lindsay, director of critical care nursing at the hospital. Witnessing the overwhelming loss of lives, loss of livelihoods.

Northwell Health said it asked for volunteers to get the shots, and that Lindsay happened to go first" among those who raised their hands. The moment was aired on TV, and she became widely regarded as the first American to get the shot outside of a clinical trial.

Since then, Lindsay has been recognized by President Biden as an Outstanding American by Choice, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services program that recognizes citizens who have been naturalized.

With the arrival of the omicron variant and new surges around the country, Lindsay's still addressing fears and misinformation. Some mistakenly believe the shots aren't needed if they eat well and exercise, Lindsay said. Others say the vaccines are a way for the government to track people, or an experiment on Black people.

She said she acknowledges the mistrust in communities of color, which stems from past history. But she reassures people by noting she did her own research before getting her shot, and that there are safeguards in place.

Weve had millions and millions of people around the world get vaccinated without any significant adverse event, she said.

She also stresses that getting a shot will help protect others.

Some worries, like fear of needles, can be easier to address, she said.

After children became eligible for the vaccines, Lindsay offered comfort to a 9-year-old girl getting her shot at the hospital. She had to decline the girl's request to vaccinate her since she's not a pediatric nurse, but offered to hold her hand  and did.

Later, Lindsay got a letter from the girl saying how much the gesture had meant.

Looking back, Lindsay said she's grateful for the role she's been able to play: Its very rewarding to hear people come up to me and say, Thank you very much. Youve inspired me to get vaccinated'."

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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.
WILTON MANORS, Fla. (AP)  Authorities have found the car that plowed into a group of children, killing two and injuring four, but detectives are still searching for the man who was driving.

The Broward Sheriffs Office said two girls who were 5 and 6 died at the scene outside an apartment building in Wilton Manors, Florida, on Monday. Two 9-year-old girls, a 10-year-old boy and a 2-year-old boy were taken to a hospital with severe injuries, but their conditions were unknown Tuesday.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  A former Linn County sheriff's deputy and his lawyers will receive more than $500,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed claiming that he was harassed and discriminated against because he took paternity leave.

Scott Becker filed a federal lawsuit against the county last year. He said co-workers who didn't want to cover his shifts while he was on paternity leave in 2018 said he should feel guilty and ashamed for taking time off to care for his newborn son, The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported Tuesday.
WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia man shot and killed his mother and stepfather before leading police on a brief chase ending in his arrest, officials said.

Oconee County sheriff's deputies said they found Ashley Schutza and Benjamin Smith in their Watkinsville home just after midnight Tuesday, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Two children were found unharmed. Oconee County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Wasdin told the Athens Banner Herald that one of the children called police.
BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged two Afghan brothers with murder over the July killing of their sister, whom they allegedly wanted to punish for her Western way of life.

The men, aged 26 and 22 and identified only as Sayed H. and Seyed H. in line with German privacy rules, are accused of luring their 34-year-old sister to a meeting in Berlin on July 13, then choking and strangling her and cutting her throat.
PALU, Indonesia (AP)  Five people suspected of smuggling 29 kilograms (64 pounds) of methamphetamine into Indonesia from Malaysia have been arrested, Indonesian police said Tuesday.

The five are part of an international drug smuggling network and include a Malaysian citizen, Central Sulawesi Police Chief Rudy Sufahriadi said at a news conference.

An initial suspect, who was arrested Saturday, told police where the methamphetamine was hidden, and said it originated in China and was smuggled from Malaysias Sabah state to Central Sulawesi on a fishing boat, Sufahriadi said.

Further investigation after his arrest led to the arrests of four other people suspected of involvement in the smuggling, Sufahriadi said.

Police also seized a fishing boat, five cellphones and a gun from the suspects.

They face a possible death penalty if found guilty of drug smuggling under Indonesia's Narcotics Law, among the world's strictest.

Over the past two decades, easily manufactured methamphetamine has replaced opium and heroin as the dominant illegal drug in the region..

Methamphetamine is smuggled across much of Southeast Asia, China and Australia, part of a multibillion-dollar illegal trade in the drug.

The Golden Triangle, a remote jungle area where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, was once a major source of the worlds opium and heroin. In recent years it has become a major source of methamphetamine.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said late last year that the value of the methamphetamine market in Asia is more than $60 billion.
FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP)  Authorities said they're investigating the Christmas Eve escape of two inmates who used a water hose to rappel down the side of a western Arkansas jail.

Jeremiah Slavens, 39, of Fort Smith, and Dustin Smith, 36, of Muldrow, Okla., escaped Friday from the Sebastian County jail in Fort Smith, a city near the Oklahoma border about 130 miles (210 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. Slavens was captured later that night and Smith was captured in Oklahoma at midday Saturday, authorities said.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he is not opposed to a good nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced skepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations.

Bennett spoke a day after negotiators from Iran and five world powers resumed talks in Vienna on restoring Tehrans tattered 2015 nuclear deal. He reiterated that Israel was not bound by any accord, leaving it room to maneuver militarily.

At the end of the day, of course there can be a good deal, Bennett told Israeli Army Radio. Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed.

Meanwhile, negotiators from the three western European countries negotiating with Iran to revive the nuclear deal said theyre not setting any artificial deadline for an agreement but stressed anew that there are weeks, not months in which to reach one.

Bennett also denied claims by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had agreed to a policy of no surprises with Washington, meaning that it would be frank about its military intentions regarding Iran with its prime ally and thus be potentially hobbled.

Israel will always maintain its right to act and will defend itself by itself, he said.

Israel has watched with concern as European nations, Russia and China have restarted talks with Iran in recent weeks. Tehran has taken a hard stance in the negotiations, suggesting everything discussed in previous rounds of diplomacy could be renegotiated and demanding sanctions relief even as it ramps up its nuclear program.

Bennett has urged negotiators to tow a firmer line against Iran. Israel is not a party to the talks but has engaged in a blitz of diplomacy on the sidelines in an attempt to sway allies to put more pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear program.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV that a quick and proper agreement in the near future" is possible if the other parties to the negotiations demonstrate seriousness alongside goodwill.

Tehrans landmark 2015 accord granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran. The other signatories have struggled to keep the agreement alive.

The latest round of talks in Vienna, the eighth, opened Monday, 10 days after negotiations were adjourned for the Iranian negotiator to return home for consultations. The previous round, the first after a more than five-month gap caused by the arrival of a new hard-line government in Iran, was marked by tensions over new Iranian demands.

Iran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and it strongly opposed the 2015 deal.

It says it wants an improved deal that places tighter restrictions on Irans nuclear program and addresses Irans long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies along Israels borders.

Israel also says that the negotiations must be accompanied by a credible military threat to ensure that Iran does not delay indefinitely.

Negotiators from Britain, France and Germany said Tuesday they are not setting an artificial deadline for talks but stressed that this negotiation is urgent.

We are clear that we are nearing the point where Irans escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out the agreement, they added. That means we have weeks, not months, to conclude a deal before the (deals) core non-proliferation benefits are lost.

The negotiators said they take note of comments by the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran that the Islamic Republic will not enrich beyond 60% purity.

However, it is still the case that enrichment at 60% is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons, they said. Its increasing 60% stockpile is bringing Iran significantly closer to having fissile material which could be used for nuclear weapons.

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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  A federal judge has rejected claims by two white men who said they were the victims of illegal retaliation after objecting to how the Michigan State Police was trying to diversify its workforce.

Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker in Grand Rapids on Monday dismissed the lawsuits filed in May 2020 by Michael Caldwell and Robert Hahn, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Caldwell, a captain, was demoted and Hahn, an inspector, was fired in March 2020 after the state police determined they had improperly interfered in the handling of a transfer request.

Both claimed that was only a pretext and that they were really singled out for discipline because they spoke out against the agencys diversity initiatives. Both said they objected after state police Director Joe Gasper in 2019 told command officers that the department was way too white and way too male.

Caldwell and Hahn said racial and gender preferences in public employment violate the state and U.S. Constitutions, especially a 2006 state referendum. The lawsuits named Gasper and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as defendants.

Jonker said there was scant evidence that Gasper had any involvement in their discipline and they had not shown they were subjected to reverse discrimination based on their gender or race, or that they were retaliated against.

Hahn and Caldwell plainly disagree as a policy matter with the priorities of the Michigan State Police, Jonker wrote in a 35-page opinion. And at bottom, this is all they have shown.

Jim Fett, their attorney, told the newspaper he plans to appeal the ruling.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A 21-year-old Kansas lawmaker has not been criminally charged a month after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving because the testing to determine whether he was under the influence has not been completed.

Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City, was to have a hearing Tuesday in Douglas County District Court, but it did not occur. A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper arrested him Nov. 27 on Interstate 70 near Lawrence.
The Los Angeles Police Department on Monday released video footage from a shooting Thursday in which an officer killed a teen girl inside a clothing store after firing at an assault suspect, who also died.

Valentina Orellana-Peralta, 14, was fatally shot while inside a North Hollywood Burlington clothing store's dressing room with her mother, trying on dresses for her quinceanera, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officers fatally shot the suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Daniel Elena Lopez, and struck the wall behind him. Orellana-Peralta was on the other side.

On Monday, the LAPD released body-camera footage of the shooting, as well as store surveillance video and the 911 calls.

One 911 call is from a store employee who described Lopez as a "hostile customer" who was going around the store, searching for people to attack with a bike lock. The caller said the man may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Another 911 caller said Lopez had a gun; others were unsure, according to the calls.

The Burlington footage shows Lopez entering the store about 11 a.m. on a bike, wearing a black sleeveless top and shorts and looping his bike lock around one of his shoulders. Later, he is wearing a coat, pants and different shoes.

Lopez paces near second-floor escalators, growing increasingly erratic and twice holding his bicycle aloft as people walk near the entrance below.

Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

He attacks objects in the store before employees confront him, then he assaults shoppers with what a police officer narrating much of the footage calls a "heavy-duty cable lock."

Store and body-camera footage show at least 11 officers responding to the scene with weapons drawn shortly after 11:45 a.m. as Lopez attacked shoppers, according to Capt. Stacy Spell, a spokesperson for the department.

As police climb the escalator, calling for witnesses to come to them and yelling that a person was down, body-camera footage shows an officer asking his peers to move out of the way so he can get by with his rifle.

"He's hitting her now on the right side," one of the officers calls out.

Within seconds, the officer with the rifle raises his weapon as a trail of blood enters view, leading to a woman on the floor.

"She's bleeding! She's bleeding," he tells his colleagues.

That woman was the third whom Lopez had attacked, according to Spell.

Video shows Lopez approaching the unidentified woman from behind as she pushes a shopping cart, then he repeatedly strikes her head with his bike lock. The woman tries to get away, but Lopez pulls her arm and brings her down into a walkway. As the woman lies on the ground, Lopez unleashes more blows before dragging her into the aisle where he would be shot by police.

Lopez, at the end of an aisle filled with picture frames and calendar items, ducks to his side as the officer fires three shots, causing him to fall to the ground.

Muffled screaming is heard almost immediately after the shots; Lopez remains on the ground with officers commanding him to roll onto his stomach.

Members of Orellana-Peralta's family could not be immediately reached for comment Monday. A representative for Burlington Stores did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said in a statement Friday that he was "profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life." He added: "I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family."

The officer who fired the fatal shot, who has not been identified, has been placed on paid leave pending a review, the department said.

The shooting outraged many, hitting especially hard in the North Hollywood Latino community where Orellana-Peralta's death echoed that of another young Latina woman killed by police less than four years ago.

When Orellana-Peralta's death was reported Thursday, Albert Corado, whose sister was killed by a police officer in July 2018, told The Washington Post that friends and family members immediately circulated the information. "My dad texted me to say, 'Look, this is what happened to Mely,' " said Corado, who called news of the 14-year-old girl's death "traumatic and triggering."

Melyda Corado, 27, was fatally shot by an LAPD officer outside the Trader Joe's grocery where she worked as police were pursuing a shooting suspect who later took hostages in the store.

"To be transported back to what happened, and then think about now what this family is going through - I feel for [Orellana-Peralta's] family," Corado said Monday, before the Burlington footage was released. "Not one thing has changed from the moment Mely was killed to the moment Valentina was killed."

Last December, an investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office determined that the officer responsible for Melyda Corado's fatal shooting acted "lawfully" and would not face charges. In May, Gene Evin Atkins, the shooting suspect being pursued by police during the 2018 incident, was charged with murder after prosecutors deemed him "criminally responsible" for Melyda Corado's death.

Corado fears the Orellana-Peralta family will endure what he deemed a lack of accountability for police officers who use deadly force. Prosecuting Atkins for his sister's death allows police to "wash their hands" of responsibility to change or reexamine policies regarding use of force or de-escalation, Corado said.

"We're living in a post-George Floyd world. For this to happen still and for police to take the same line is absurd," Corado said. "They think it's the price to pay for having police: in their efforts to keep us safe, sometimes people die. That's not good enough."

More than 900 people have been killed by police in 2021, according to data tracked by The Post. LAPD officers have shot more people in 2021 - 37 people, 17 fatally - than in either of the past two years, according to the L.A. Times.

Corado said Moore, the police chief, had assured the family that the department would do everything to get to the bottom of what happened in Melyda Corado's death but never pledged policy changes. Corado said communication dropped off once the family filed a wrongful-death claim against the city.

Corado, who is running for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, said police are eager to give a platform to victims - so long as they're not victims of police violence.

"Police love nothing more than to trot out victims of crime to have their say," Corado said of residents affected by thefts and burglaries. "But families like ours have never gotten that. And we need to have that conversation."
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A man who dropped a gun and ran naked from police before being shot by an officer outside a church in 2017 has accepted a $525,000 settlement to end a federal lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and police officers, both sides said Monday.

Jason Funkes lawyer, Joshua Newville of Minneapolis, confirmed a Las Vegas Review-Journal report about the Nov. 3 agreement and U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware IIs finding in June that Officer Mark Hatten unlawfully used excessive force against Funke when he shot the then-25-year-old in August 2017.

Attorney Craig Anderson, representing the department, also confirmed the settlement in the case alleging violations of Funkes constitutional rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act and unlawful assault and battery. Anderson and police Officer Larry Hadfield, a department spokesman, declined additional comment.

Newville noted Hatten was at the center of a $500,000 settlement the police department reached in 2018 with the mother of a 44-year-old man who died in December 2010 after Hatten shocked him with an electronic stun gun 10 times for more than 90 seconds during a struggle after a traffic stop.

The day Funke was shot, police were summoned to a church where Funk had sought counseling just days earlier about his mental health, including feelings of suicide, according to court records.

A church leader told a 911 dispatcher that Funke was sitting naked in a meditation pose with a handgun in front of him and money on the ground in front of the church.

He told the dispatcher, Yeah, this man is suicidal. I talked to him; hes not making sense, Boulware noted in his June ruling granting summary judgment on Funkes excessive force claim against Hatten.

At least six police officers arrived, with a police helicopter overhead, before Funke stood, picked up the gun and began pacing.

Hatten, armed with a rifle in a position near other officers, announced: Hes starting to move. ... Im gonna take a shot.

It is undisputed that Funke had not directly or verbally threatened anyone with the gun, and that he committed no serious crime, Boulware wrote. He had not raised the weapon toward others or himself.

Another officer yelled at Funke to drop the gun and he did, putting his hands in the air, and walking toward Hatten and another officer, the judge said.

A K-9 officer struggled to control a police dog, which was barking and pulling at its leash when officers ordered Funke to lay on the ground.

Funke ran, the police dog was released and attacked another officer," and Hatten shot Funke in the back left shoulder when Funke was about 30 feet (9 meters) from the dropped gun. The police dog then reached Funke and bit his arm.

The parties dispute whether Funke was running to retrieve the gun or simply running away, Boulware wrote.

Hatten is still employed by the Las Vegas police department, assigned to the criminalistics bureau, which includes crime scene investigations, the Review-Journal reported.

Officer Aden OcampoGomez, a department spokesman, declined to tell the newspaper if Hatten was disciplined for shooting Funke and declined to comment on the settlement.

Funkes mother, Theresa Funke, told the newspaper her son suffered physical and emotional scars, and that having to fight criminal charges was almost as bad.

Funke was initially charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure and possession of a dangerous weapon on a school or child-care property, court records show.

He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced to probation.

Essentially, he said, Im being punished for having a mental breakdown, his mother said.

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This story was updated to correct the spelling of attorney Joshua Newville's name.
MARENISCO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)  A Pennsylvania man has been charged with murder in the fatal Christmas Eve shooting of a man at a cabin in Michigans Upper Peninsula.

Nicholas Millard, 30, of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, was arraigned Sunday by a judge in Gogebic County's 98th District Court on charges of first-degree premediated murder, assault with intent to murder and felony firearm.
BOSTON (AP)  A man was killed and two women were injured in a shooting in Boston that authorities described as a possible case of domestic violence.

Police responded to a home in the city's Roxbury neighborhood at abour 2:30 p.m. Monday where they found the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and the two women, who were both taken to the hospital with gunshot injuries considered serious.
DETROIT (AP)  A Detroit man wanted in connection with the Christmas Day slayings of his 57-year-old wife and her 13-year-old daughter has been fatally shot by police searching for him.

Dwayne McDonald, 62, was killed Tuesday in an apartment a few miles north of downtown, Police Chief James White told reporters.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Police in Sioux Falls are searching for two men and a woman who robbed a lost hitchhiker.

The Argus Leader reported the 20-year-old hitchhiker was walking along Interstate 29 in Sioux Falls early Tuesday morning when the men and the woman pulled up in a gray Nissan and offered him a ride. Police said the hitchhiker agreed to pay them gas money if theyd take him to Brookings.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will review a ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals that provided environmental protections for Renville Countys last free-flowing stream.

The October appeals court decision called for an environmental review to determine whether a proposed drainage ditch improvement could harm the stream in the heavily agricultural western county.
COLUMBIA, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi man has died after being shot in Marion County over the weekend, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies say they found Chadrick Daniels, 26, of Columbia unresponsive after receiving a 911 call about a shooting in the Lampton community.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  More Oregonians have signed up for private health insurance through the state-run exchange this year than had at this point a year ago.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that heading into 2022, officials say 142,783 people in the state have enrolled so far on the Oregon health insurance marketplace. Thats more than the 141,089 enrolled at the same time last year for 2021 coverage.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea opened a key political conference Monday to review past projects and discuss new policies amid the pandemic and a diplomatic deadlock with the United States.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un presided over a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party. The report did not carry any remarks by Kim.

The meeting approved unspecified agenda items and went into the discussions of them, KCNA said.

The report said the meeting would review major polices this year and decide on the strategic and tactical policies and practical tasks for dynamically guiding the struggle of our party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory.

The plenary meeting is one of the highest-level decision-making bodies in North Korea. Kim has previously used plenary meetings to announce his positions on relations with the United States and South Korea or his countrys nuclear program.

Its not known how long this weeks meeting may last. In 2019, a plenary meeting was held for four days.

The meeting comes as Kim is marking 10 years in power. Since his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Ils death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has established absolute power at home and fortified North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals. The economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, U.N. sanctions and mismanagement, but few experts still question his grip on power.

After a torrid run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, Kim Jong Un participated in a series of landmark summit talks with then-President Donald Trump to discuss the future of his weapons arsenals. Those talks collapsed in 2019 over disputes about how much sanctions relief North Korea would get in return for steps toward partial denuclearization.
CHICAGO (AP)  An off-duty Chicago police officer shot and critically wounded a man during an exchange of gunfire after the man tried to rob him on the city's South Side, police said.

The man approached the officer about 5:45 p.m. Monday in the Calumet Heights neighborhood and tried the rob the officer, said Tom Ahern, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.
WILSON, N.C. (AP)  A pregnant U.S. Navy veteran was fatally shot in a North Carolina club during a Christmas event, authorities said.

Precious Vernetta Dyer was pronounced dead early Sunday morning at a music hall in Wilson, news outlets reported. The Wilson County Sheriffs Office said the 29-year-old was an innocent patron and that there wasnt evidence of her being involved in an altercation.

Her mother, Tijuana Locus, told WRAL-TV she saw on Facebook that there was a shooting at the event and began frantically messaging her daughter. The sheriffs office later called to inform her that Dyer died. Locus said she believes her daughter was caught in the crossfire.

Its been terrible, she said. For me, I know that Christmas will never be the same.

Dyer served in the Navy for seven years and was four months pregnant, according to the station. She planned to marry the father of her baby in January.

Due to the large number of people at the club, authorities and Dyers family are seeking help from the public to find out more information about the shooting.

Someone knows who did it. Tell, call, Locus said. If it was your daughter ... youd like to know who shot them, who took their life.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A prosecutor in Las Vegas told a judge Tuesday that a man jailed after police found the severed head and body parts of an acquaintance in the truck he was driving has prior felony and federal criminal convictions dating to the 1980s in states including California, Texas and Nevada.

Eric Holland stood in court flanked by heavily armed security guards and an attorney temporarily appointed to his case for a brief hearing at which a Las Vegas judge ordered him held without bail pending another court appearance next week.

Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia set a preliminary hearing of evidence for Jan. 27.

Holland, 57, was not asked to enter a plea to the murder charge against him, and his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Sarah Hawkins, declined outside court to comment on his behalf.

Prosecutor Giancarlo Pesci listed Hollands three-state criminal history under names including Eric John Holland and Eric Allen Holland, and told the judge that Holland represents a danger to the community and should not be allowed out on bail.

Holland's alleged victim was identified Tuesday as Richard P. Miller of Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner said Miller died last Thursday from multiple gunshot wounds and his death was a homicide.

The victim is literally cut into pieces, Pesci said in court. His head is cut off.

Holland fled from police in an allegedly stolen truck and then got into another allegedly stolen vehicle before he was arrested, the prosecutor said.

Police later found receipts in the vehicles for items purchased from a home improvement store where Pesci said Holland was seen on security cameras pushing a cart with a saw in it.

This is an individual who literally had the body cut up into pieces in that car that he flees from the police (in), he told the judge, who has felonies spanning four decades and a current case pending.

Outside court, Pesci said Holland and Miller knew each other, but he didn't know the extent of their acquaintance.

Holland had been sought since May 2019 on an arrest warrant in a 2018 case in Las Vegas accusing him of embezzlement, identity theft, issuing false checks and theft, according to court records. He had posted $5,000 bail in that case.

KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported that court records showed Holland was accused in 2018 of stealing a truck and selling it.

Holland served prison time in Nevada for a felony conviction in Las Vegas on theft charges stemming from a forgery case filed in 2000. Prison records say he used names including John Carl Hall, Phil Whidden, Robert Daniel Lauer and Steven Tauber.

His previous convictions as an adult date to 1987 in California for embezzlement, property theft and false identification, Pesci said, and Holland also had a conviction in federal court in Texas in a counterfeiting case.

Pesci said Holland was found guilty in California in 1997 of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest causing substantial bodily harm, and records show Holland also was convicted in 1991 in U.S. District Court in Texas of attempted escape and aiding in an escape. His post-prison supervision was transferred to Nevada in 2014.

Hollands arrest Thursday came after he drove away from police trying to stop him in an allegedly stolen truck. Police said he then switched to another truck that he tried to abandon before he was captured.

Holland threw various items at officers in an attempt to flee, but he was taken into custody, police said in a statement.

Officers searching the second truck discovered the dismembered human remains in ice chests, homicide Lt. Ray Spencer told KLAS-TV.

I mean, you can imagine the horror when you open up an ice chest and you find a human head inside, Spencer said.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  Prosecutors have now charged more than 60 people in connection with offenses committed during protests against police brutality and racism in Kenosha last year.

The Kenosha News reported Tuesday that Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveleys office has filed more than 90 separate charges, including 70 felonies and 18 misdemeanors. Six cases involved juveniles. The felony counts include burglary, making threats against police or National Guard troops and destroying an ATM.
BANGKOK (AP)  The humanitarian group Save the Children said Tuesday it has confirmed that two of its staff were among at least 35 people, including children, who were killed in eastern Myanmar on Christmas Eve in an attack it blamed on the country's military.

It said the two staff members were caught up in the attack in Kayah state as they were traveling back to their office after conducting humanitarian activities in a nearby community.

Violence against innocent civilians including aid workers is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law, the group's chief executive, Inger Ashing, said in a statement.

This is not an isolated event. The people of Myanmar continue to be targeted with increasing violence and these events demand an immediate response, Ashing said.

The army seized power in February, ousting the elected government and arresting top officials. Its action was met by nonviolent nationwide demonstrations, which security forces quashed with deadly force, killing nearly 1,400 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Peaceful protests have continued, but an armed resistance has also grown amid the severe crackdown, to the point that U.N. experts have warned the country could be sliding into civil war.

Save the Children called on the U.N. Security Council to respond to the army violence with steps including an arms embargo. It also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to press for the implementation of an agreement reached in April with Myanmar's leader calling for the cessation of violence in the country and mediation by an ASEAN special envoy.

Photos of the attack have spread on social media in Myanmar, fueling outrage against the military.

The photos show the charred bodies of over 30 people in three burned-out vehicles who were reportedly shot by government troops as they were fleeing combat.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar said it was appalled by the barbaric attack in Kayah state that killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children.

We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma, it said, using Myanmar's previous name.

A villager who said he went to the scene told The Associated Press that the victims had fled the fighting between armed resistance groups and Myanmars army near Koi Ngan village, which is just beside Mo So, on Friday. He said they were killed after they were arrested by troops while heading to refugee camps in the western part of the township. His account could not be immediately verified.

A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Saturday said the fighting near Mo So broke out on Friday when members of ethnic guerrilla forces, known as the Karenni National Progressive Party, and those opposed to the military drove in suspicious vehicles and attacked security forces after refusing to stop.

The newspaper said the seven vehicles they were traveling in were destroyed in a fire. It gave no further details about the killings.

Earlier this month, government troops were also accused of rounding up villagers, some believed to be children, tying them up and slaughtering them. An opposition leader, Dr. Sasa, who uses only one name, said the civilians were burned alive.

Save the Children said it has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing healthcare, food, education and child protection services. It said it has suspended operations in the region of the attack.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Severe thunderstorms will be possible across parts of the Deep South as a new weather system moves into the region.

A few tornadoes will be possible as storms develop Wednesday in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, the national Storm Prediction Center is forecasting.
NASHUA, N.H. (AP)  A company that owns and operates offices and apartment complexes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire agreed to pay $35,000 to a tenant in Nashua who was denied permission to keep an emotional support dog, federal prosecutors say.

The John J. Flatley company was accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to accommodate the tenant's disabilities of anxiety and depression, acting U.S. Attorney John Farley said Tuesday.
CAPE TOWN (AP)  Desmond Tutu's family members gathered at his Cape Town home on Tuesday in preparation for his funeral this weekend as South Africans honored his life.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial equality and LGBT rights died Sunday at the age of 90.

Tutu's wife Leah is being joined by the couple's four children, grandchildren and other family members.

Mommy is maintaining ... She is being surrounded with love, daughter Nontombi Tutu told The Associated Press in front of the family home in the Milnerton area of Cape Town.

In a time like this, there are times where we are laughing, sharing stories, and there are times where we are crying, as we come to terms with life without daddy," she said.

He has not quite left us and yet he has left us. And so as a family we are supporting one another, she said. "We are loving one another, we are fighting one another, as families do. And we are feeling the love and support from people all over the country and all over the world.

The period when Tutu will lie in state at St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town has been extended to two days, Thursday and Friday, to allow all mourners to pay tribute by filing past his coffin, his trust announced Tuesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Tutus requiem Mass Saturday will be a Special Official Funeral Category 1. His ashes will later be interred at the cathedral's mausoleum, according to Tutu's instructions.

The archbishop was very clear on his wishes for his funeral. He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending, the Tutu trust said in a statement. He asked that the coffin be the cheapest available and that a bouquet of carnations from his family be the only flowers in the cathedral.

Tutu's supporters have left flowers at the Cape Town cathedral and also in front of Tutu's historic home in Soweto, Johannesburg. Prayers were said and candles lit at St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg Tuesday evening.

An interfaith service will be held in the capital, Pretoria, on Wednesday and the City of Cape Town is also planning to hold a service in honor of Tutu. Cape Town's landmark Table Mountain, the Cape Town Civic Center, and an arch at the cathedral are all being lit up each night this week in purple in honor of Tutu's purple bishop's robes.

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AP journalist Andrew Meldrum contributed to this report from Johannesburg.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

A defense official said Tuesday that the change in the schedule of the USS Harry S. Truman, and the five American warships accompanying it, reflects the need for a persistent presence in Europe. It is necessary in order to reassure U.S. allies and partners in the region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military deployment details.
Airlines struggled to recover Monday from pockets of wintry weather and an omicron-driven surge in caseloads that triggered staffing shortages and another 1,200 flight cancellations.

The misery was shared broadly across the industry, but two smaller carriers - Alaska Airlines and SkyWest Airlines - were hit the hardest, according to aviation data provider FlightAware. The two carriers had canceled 476 flights as of Monday afternoon.

Airlines began preemptively canceling flights shortly before Christmas as employees called out sick after testing positive, mirroring a national surge in coronavirus cases. Carriers might have a chance to regain footing as travel eases between Christmas and New Year's, but the latest figures - while down from Sunday's peak - suggest more cancellations are likely in the days ahead.

Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents crews at American Airlines, said the industry is experienced in resetting after bad weather, but the compressed timeline of so many virus cases creates a challenge that could sideline airline employees for days.

"The system is under duress," he said. "The weather's going to hit, these events are going to hit. It's a question of how you recover from it that is a sign that you've got your operation together."

The wave of disruption began Christmas Eve, according to FlightAware, when 613 flights were canceled. Christmas Day saw 861 cancellations, with another 1,400 on Sunday - equivalent to nearly 7% of domestic flights that day.

The rounds of cancellations are the latest chapter in the airline industry's efforts to recover from the early stages of the pandemic. After hobbling through much of 2020 with the help of tens of billions of dollars in federal aid, some airlines were left unprepared for a rapid return in demand from passengers this year.

When Thanksgiving passed smoothly at the nation's airports, it looked as though airlines had survived their biggest test, only for Christmas to become turbulent.

Despite the struggles, there are few signs that the latest surge in coronavirus cases and flight disruptions are deterring people from boarding planes. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened more than 2 million people Sunday, which is about 80% of 2019 levels.

"People want to travel," said Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. "We are tired of being stuck at home. We have missed being able to celebrate holidays with family or friends."

Harteveldt said it's difficult to blame carriers for the effects of a variant that poses a challenge to their highly vaccinated workforces. While cancellation figures appeared to be trending downward Monday, he said "no one, absolutely no one, can tell you when this will end for certain."

United Airlines said it canceled 115 flights Monday because of staffing issues related to the virus. Spokeswoman Maddie King said half of passengers who had to reschedule arrived early or within four hours of their original landing time.

SkyWest, a regional carrier that works with major airlines on shorter routes, said weather at some of its hubs and virus cases were to blame for its cancellations. Delta Air Lines said it expected to cancel more than 200 of its scheduled 4,166 flights Monday after canceling 374 a day earlier.

"Canceling a flight is always Delta's last resort," said John Laughter, the carrier's chief of operations. "The result is not only difficult for customers, but for our people who want nothing more than to take care of them - especially over the holidays. We sincerely apologize to everyone impacted."

Last week, airlines asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the isolation period for fully vaccinated employees from 10 days to five, which would allow crew members to resume work more quickly. The agency announced the change as the national standard on Monday.

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, also suggested Monday that a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel could help control the virus.

"When you make vaccinations a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated," Fauci said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered."

Airlines for America, a trade group, said Monday it had been informed that the Biden administration had no plans to pursue such a policy, which the industry opposes because of logistical concerns. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the spike in coronavirus cases has left some airlines struggling to get planes into the air, Southwest Airlines and Alaska said the more familiar problem of winter weather was affecting their operations.

Alaska Airlines said a snowstorm in the Seattle area, where it is headquartered, led to almost 250 cancellations Sunday and more Monday.

"We apologize for the inconvenience our guests are experiencing due to flight delays and cancellations," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "We realize it's incredibly frustrating when travel doesn't go as planned."

Bob Mann, an airline industry consultant, said the number of cancellations was higher than usual but not in "meltdown" territory as some carriers experienced this year, when rising demand for travel collided with low staffing levels.

"If it's your flight, it's a disaster," Mann said, adding that the industry is holding up, considering the challenges.

Problems should ease Jan. 1 with the start of a new month for staff scheduling, but Mann said the virus still presents an unknown heading into the new year. It's hard to determine the level of uncertainties, he said, because airlines haven't disclosed how many employees are sidelined because of positive tests.

The TSA said Monday that 1,147 of its employees had active infections, but an agency spokesman said it is operating like normal. That figure represents more than 9% of all coronavirus cases the TSA has logged since the start of the pandemic.

Earlier in the year, several airlines saw bad weather spiral into days-long waves of cancellations as crews were stuck out of position. Analysts and union leaders said the industry had cut staff too deeply during the early stages of the pandemic, leaving carriers vulnerable to lengthy disruptions.

There are indications in recent days that airlines have learned from those problems. Canceling flights proactively has given passengers time to adjust plans and helped to avoid the kind of chaotic scenes that played out at airports this summer and fall.

Other modes of transportation also were feeling the effects of the omicron surge Monday, with transit agencies facing staffing problems similar to those of airlines.

Many transit agencies, such as Metro in the D.C. region - which already face driver and operator shortages due to national labor constraints - have made service adjustments over the past week because of workers who tested positive for the coronavirus.

Metro on Monday reported a bus driver shortage was affecting 21 routes, down from about 60 last week.

"The rise of the omicron variant has adversely affected the public transportation industry, as it has virtually all sectors of society," said Paul Skoutelas, president of the American Public Transportation Association. "Anecdotally, we have heard from many of our member systems that they've had to modify service and routes due to a lack of operators during this new wave of the pandemic."

Officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, the nation's largest transit system, said subway service was running on a normal schedule with few exceptions, despite a "dramatic" surge in infected employees.

"By managing our workforce, by inviting retirees to come back to work, by creating incentives for people to delay vacations during the holiday season and taking other steps, we've been able to continue to provide pretty solid service. The system is running," Janno Lieber, the MTA's acting chief executive, said during a radio interview Monday.

Amtrak officials said the nation's passenger rail was holding up well, with no trains canceled because of the pandemic.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan developers with transformational plans to redevelop brownfield sites can continue to seek tax incentives after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature extended the program for an additional five years.

The state's economic development board can approve new projects through 2027, instead of 2022, under a bill signed last week. The law, which was enacted in 2017, lets developers keep income and withholding taxes from people who live and work at the sites along with sales taxes associated with construction.

Brownfields are contaminated, blighted, functionally obsolete or historic properties.

The state in 2018 awarded Bedrock, a commercial real estate firm owned by Dan Gilbert, $386 million of the tax breaks for a multibillion-dollar development project in Detroit that includes a 58-story building on the site of the iconic former J.L. Hudson department store. The state in 2019 authorized $30 million in incentives to redevelop a long-closed paper mill in Vicksburg.

An overall $1 billion cap on incentives remains intact. But legislators amended the law to let the Michigan Strategic Fund approve a transformational brownfield plan that captures up to 100% of income taxes instead of 50%, if there is a written, binding affordable housing agreement with the municipality.

Other changes waive requirements that a project be for mixed-use development only, that officials determine the plan will result in an overall positive fiscal impact to the state and that there is a third-party underwriting analysis if a project captures more than $10 million in income and withholding taxes in any year.

Those changes and others likely will ease the approval of plans and increase their size, making it more likely the $1 billion cap will be reached than under the old law, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency. The legislation was approved 28-7 and 78-26 in the Senate and House.

The incentives program was very palatable, very transparent but virtually unusable, the bill sponsor, Republican Sen. Ken Horn of Frankenmuth, told a House committee this month. Potential projects in Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Petoskey did not qualify, he said, and the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the need for new office space.

The point of this rewrite is to make sure that it is usable statewide for smaller projects in all of our districts, Horn said.

Critics who voted against the bill said the program should not be lengthened.

To me, it always felt like we were creating a little fiefdom in some ways where the tribute, instead of being collected by the state, was collected by the landlord. That system always made me scratch my head, said Rep. Yousef Rabhi, an Ann Arbor Democrat who questioned the impact on state revenues.

Supporters said the school aid fund is healthy and countered that if not for the incentives, it would be too expensive to redevelop abandoned properties.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP)  A southeast Missouri woman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, who was stabbed with a sword.

Brittany Wilson, 32, of Cape Girardeau, entered the plea Monday in a video court hearing. She was charged with killing 34-year-old Harrison Stephen Foster at a Cape Girardeau home on Christmas Eve.
Click here for the latest Tuesday updates on Tahoe road closures.

Days after getting her picture-perfect white Christmas, San Francisco-based surgeon Dr. Karen Horton is just waiting  waiting to go out skiing with her family in Lake Tahoe, waiting to reschedule the dozens of appointments she was forced to cancel this week, waiting to go back to the bay.

Shes just one of the likely thousands of travelers stranded in Lake Tahoe after they arrived during the holidays, enduring punishing winds and snowfall so heavy it smashed Tahoe's December snowfall record set in 1970. The storm has left all major roads shuttered indefinitely, visitors scrambling to find last-minute accommodations and Tahoe residents struggling to get back into town after leaving the area. At least six people were hospitalized because of car crashes on the roads leading to Tahoe, KTVU reported.

On her way up, Horton recalled a fair bit of dangerous driving due to how seemingly ill-prepared some out-of-towners were for the trip. She noted that during her six-hour trip from San Rafael to Incline Village, she was delayed for an hour  twice  waiting at the chain checkpoint.

On the sides of the road, especially at the chain checkpoint, there are a lot of drivers that are not prepared, she said. They're driving their Priuses or driving their Teslas, they don't have chains and they're still driving the same speeds that you would if the roads weren't covered in snow and ice. It's really scary.

Horton also recalled lending another traveler, driving what she called a non-SUV, a shovel  noting how unprepared this person seemed for this snowstorm. He wasn't wasn't wearing proper snow attire, and he looked really shell-shocked, she said.

Demand for room and board in Tahoe also appears to be high. A call made by SFGATE to Harrahs Lake Tahoe was put on hold for 15 minutes before it was seemingly hung up. As of Monday afternoon, only a few dozen last-minute properties are available for Monday and Tuesday on Airbnb. Most major ski resorts, including Heavenly and Sierra-at-Tahoe, are also closed.

Horton had anticipated a snowy holiday, but did not quite anticipate the severity of this snowstorm.

There are worse places to be stuck, Horton said, calling from her short-term lease in Incline Village, where shes holed up with her husband, her 11-year-old twins and her dog.

She appears better prepared than many other Bay Area visitors. She just finished burning 3,000 calories shoveling off our steps and walkway, she joked during a call to SFGATE, but was able to go grocery shopping Sunday before her place was snowed in. She also came equipped with board games, portable chargers and other resources to keep her family busy and entertained. ("They obviously have their iPads and they're happy, you know, just like any tween," she said.)

For what it's worth, she might be something of an exception among the many travelers in town. Horton grew up in Toronto, and she said she has "a lot of experience driving in snowy conditions." Their short-term lease also runs through May, meaning shes not scrambling to find a place last minute.

But more than anything, the storm  and this most recent trip up to Tahoe  was a reminder to her to be extra-prepared for future journeys. Her advice to other visitors is sound: Bring an emergency kit with food, water, candles and a match and gear to tackle the snow.

"Think of yourself as a survivalist, even though it's Lake Tahoe," she said. "Your health and safety comes first and everything else can wait."
A cold weather system from western Canada pushed across the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday night into Tuesday, delivering a dusting of snow to the region's highest peaks.

Mount St. Helena in the North Bay, Mount Diablo in the East Bay, Mount Hamilton in the South Bay and the hills surrounding these peaks all saw accumulations of snow, the National Weather Service said.

Lick Observatory Webcam

CalFire

"As far as any measurable snow, it's going to be above 2,000 feet to 2,500 feet, for this storm," said Eleanor Dhuyvetter, a forecaster with the weather service. "Some people's windshields in the North Bay had snow at 2,000 feet."

Intermittent snowfall is expected on the highest peaks through Wednesday, and the weather service is projecting about a foot of snow accumulation on Mount Hamilton by tomorrow.

Dhuyvetter said snow flurries, light snow with no accumulation, were reported at elevations as low as 500 to 1,000 feet early Tuesday before sunrise.

A weather service spotter in San Francisco just north of Twin Peaks reported a flurry.

"He said he was at around 200 feet, but he also was in a favorable position on the southeast side of a hill. ... We had storms coming from the northwest and there would have been some uplift setting up a more favorable situation where he was on the southeast side to see snow," Dhuyvetter said.

Snow levels are expected to rise to about 3,000 feet late Tuesday morning and through the afternoon, as another wave of precipitation moves across the region. Dhuyvetter said they may drop back down as low as 2,500 feet overnight.

The Bay Area's peaks have seen intermittent snowfall since Sunday, but late Monday into early Tuesday morning, temperatures dropped as a blast of cold air moved into the region, bringing the highest chances for snow the region has seen this season.

A spell of dry weather is forecast to begin Thursday and continue through the weekend.
As the world has witnessed an impressive grown of Indian brands in almost every segment, here are some of the enclosed views of the industrial experts from recognized brands like Skillshare, Tenable, Celcius, 75F, SnapBizz, Strawfit, Fristbase.io, Ennoventure, Celcius, AFour Technologies, Evolve Back, CGF, NowPurchase and eXp India.

5G roll-outs in APAC will bring with them an exponential increase in our ability to interconnect intelligent devices reliably and at high speed. This will lead to a rapid acceleration of e-commerce and the emergence of intelligent cities and infrastructures. Within Australia, we also see intelligent devices being connected to utilities - for example, solar cells reporting to the operator how much power they are injecting into the grid. The benefits are very tangible, as are the enhanced risks. 5G increases our dependence on our digital infrastructures, amplifying the negative impact on society when this infrastructure malfunctions or is the victim of a cyberattack. As we embrace 5G, we must also carefully consider the resilience and security of the systems that will utilise this game-changing technology.

2021 changed the course of

education across the world, but it has especially been a year of change for online learning. This year proved that blended learning, video classes and upskilling are not just temporary trends but will continue to grow and evolve in the years to come. The online learning industry in India is expected to reach US$ 4 billion by 2025. This growth will largely be driven by the rising demand for non-academic classes from tier II & III cities in India. The Indian governments National Education Policy too calls for mandatory skill development training starting at school-level and online learning platforms have a huge opportunity to work towards creating top of the line content for upskilling.

Heading into 2022, community-based learning is expected to grow exponentially as new learners are looking for a sense of community since most people have remained indoors over the last two years. Learners are looking for platforms that help them form a network of peers they can learn from. Besides, thoughtful, creative video-based content and micro-learning are likely to become more popular as millennials and Gen Z are forging the gig economy, making it important to discover inspiration, learn new skills, and put their talents to work in ways they care about. In India particularly, mobile-friendly online learning platforms are expected to grow due to the fast-paced smartphone and internet penetration. The drastic changes over the last two years taught us that lifelong learning and upskilling is crucial, making online learning platforms pivotal to young professionals looking to harness their creativity.

2021 provided the cold chain industry with the opportunity to grow at a significantly high rate. The APAC cold chain market is predicted to be valued at US$254.90 Billion by 2026 and the Indian cold chain market is predicted to grow 20% each year until 2025. This rapid transformation has enabled cold chain entities to expand their services and to invest in advanced cold chain technologies. In 2022, much of the industrys efforts and resources will continue to go towards facilitating safe and successful vaccination drives across the country. This will further nudge cold chain businesses to adopt a technology-forward approach, enabling a wider reach of vaccines and other cold chain products across the country. Steady growth of the industry will also invite more investments towards the segment which could go towards curbing shortage of infrastructure like reefer trucks, cold storage units, and GDP compliant warehouses. The industry could also look into investing in electric vehicles and venturing further in imports and exports to operate on an international level if investments continue to trickle in. At Celcius, we are looking to expand our cold chain network on a larger scale in 2022 and we look forward to teaming up with budding entrepreneurs looking to venture into the cold supply chain sector.

"As the world adjusts to the new normal, businesses are considering digital transformation as a strategic tool to evolve, scale, and adopt agile practices. In the post-COVID era, a significant acceleration of digitalization has been observed, which results in favorable tailwinds for revenue in the current fiscal year and the years to come. A recent study stated that the global digital transformation market size is expected to grow from USD 499.8 billion in 2020 to USD 1009.9 billion by 2025.

This is quite a staggering number, and it shows just how important digitalization is for businesses of all sizes. The next few years will witness emerging technologies  such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence  that will play a significant role in shaping our future. At AFour Technologies, we aim to establish dominance in cloud platforms, big data, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and next-gen data center technologies. In order to deliver a greater range of offshore services to our clients, we are also focusing on drawing talent from Indian metros and non-metro cities."

"In today's one-click digital world, consumer behaviour has changed drastically. The vast majority shop online now, even for basic necessities like food and medicines, and brands have amped up their e-commerce presence to meet this need. Consumers themselves are much more savvy, and research products in detail before choosing what to buy. The best way to combat the mounting wave of counterfeiting, therefore, is to empower consumers with the technology they need to check the authenticity of a product at the time of purchase.

At Ennoventure, we help businesses ensure the authenticity of their products. We employ technologies like blockchain, AI, and cryptography to create an encrypted signature on products that are invisible to the naked eye and can only be retrieved using a smartphone. This way, consumers need not worry about fraudulent and potentially harmful products, and brands can rest assured about their market reputation as providers of genuine goods. Measures like these, in addition to stricter guidelines for consumer protection, will rout out counterfeiters and enable brands to compete and flourish in an ethical manner."

"India has emerged as the third largest startup ecosystem in the world adding over 51 unicorns in the last year. Entrepreneurs are making a mark not only in India, but also in the West. Studies also show that 26% of the estimated 7300 immigrant-led US start-ups and one-third of Silicon Valley start-ups are helmed by Indians, whether as Founders or CEOs. From Robinhood and Clubhouse to Freshworks and Instacart, some Indians in the United States have launched notable firms with a global influence. Adding to Indian businesses' success, reports have also shown that US start-ups founded by first- or second-generation Indians are among the most highly valued private tech companies in the country.

In fact, 2021 has relatively been a good year as we witnessed IPOs and listings of home grown companies both in India and overseas. This is a positive sign for the startup ecosystem in the country and we expect the same momentum to continue in 2022 as well.

At Firstbase, we are helping startups set up and scale their businesses in the US market. Our product, Firstbase Start, has already been trusted by over 9000 startup companies from 180 countries and we expect these numbers to increase in the coming year."

Despite being a tumultuous year, Indian real estate has witnessed growth in both the residential and commercial segments. With lockdown restrictions easing, and the festival season gaining some sense of normalcy, real estate investments have also seen an increase of over 20% in some cities. This is also spurred on by the low home loan rates, coupled with festival season and year end offers. NRI Investments have also seen an uptick, with Bangalore being the most favoured region, followed by Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Goa, and Delhi.

Year 2022 promises to bring in heightened growth to the sector with the worst of the pandemic behind us. Thanks to PropTech becoming more widely used during the pandemic, investors have discovered the ease and convenience of digital house hunting. This is sure to act as a precedent for a number of new trends in 2022. For instance, we can see an increase in flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid models and hot desks. Real estate agents will also evolve into a more tech savvy workforce, by expanding their skill sets and embracing technology.

eXp Realty met with a warm welcome during our first year of India Operations in India. We have on-boarded over a 1000 agents in less than a year, and this shows that both agents and customers are more open to adopting our virtual and transparent method of transacting. With covid making it difficult for investors to physically see properties and interact with their agents, our virtual office where agents are available anytime and anywhere has accelerated our growth in the market. Not to mention with Facebook announcing its Metaverse, virtual reality in professional environments will lead to work models similar to ours becoming more mainstream. Moreover, as one of the most technologically progressive agencies in the country, we are also looking forward to implementing many new PropTech solutions to support our agents with their business in 2022.

2021 has been a year of significant transformation in consumers tastes, preferences and buying patterns. With the Coronavirus seemingly under control, thanks to lockdowns and vaccination efforts, this years festive season saw some sense of normalcy. Shops had an increase in footfall, as compared to the same time last year. There was an increase of 36% in the FMCG sales this year as compared to the last two years. Online shopping continues to be preferred, due to the convenience of shopping and ease of payment.

Approximately, 10 million small kiranas serve the entire population of the country and are the backbone of the retail ecosystem. With consumers having a median basket size of less than ?200 and shopping for up to 3 to 5 times per week, it has become very important to help these small businesses survive the digitisation era.

The government continues to discourage large gatherings, and festivals as a preemptive measure, so we can expect this trend to carry on well into 2022. On the business front, this has paved the way for even small businesses to make the switch to online payments to limit social contact. This trend will only flourish with digital payments being adopted increasingly by rural sectors, and leading to the millennial mindset becoming more prevalent. Furthermore, value based buying will see an increase in 2022.

The financial inclusion of small and medium businesses is led by various fintech companies. Digitising Kiranas have led these small entrepreneurs to be able to reach their customers in a more streamlined and safe manner. SnapBizz, for example, maps store performance indicators like median basket size, footfall, merchandise, stock turnover ratios, profile of shoppers and much more. Tools like this can make it easy for these businesses to strategize and make the most of their transactions. In my opinion, 2022 is sure to see the role of online and digital payments play a crucial role in the marketing success of brands.

"As 75F specialises in Smart Building Technology, our IoT solutions focus on employees health and safety. This has become a hot topic no doubt in recent times, with the entire world slowly emerging from the pandemic. There is also the need to maintain ambient conditions, most conducive to work, including air, lighting and temperature. Looking back, we see that the entire HVAC industry is undergoing a technological revolution to keep up with the evolving demands of home buyers and builders. New, eco-friendly buildings are being designed to use minimal energy to balance the heat and cold inside the building.

Indoor air quality has become a priority in the Covid era as the risk of catching viruses is particularly high in an enclosed space shared by multiple people. And hence, businesses that are planning to bring back their employees have a clear obligation to safeguard employee well-being by ensuring that indoor air is both clean and optimally balanced for productivity.

Also, this pandemic emerged as the year giving rise to digital transformation across functions including facility management services, regardless of the nature and size of businesses. The main objective of any facility manager is to ensure that the employees are able to work efficiently within the office environment. Tenants are expecting an office environment that gives a connected workplace experience to collaborate with multiple teams. I think Facility management in 2022 will witness trends such as an increased number of shared workplaces and increased adoption of technology to optimize operations and to increase energy efficiency."

"With the majority of the population being vaccinated and industries returning to normalcy, the hospitality, travel and tourism industries are well equipped for a period of revival. Bringing in the new year, we believe that the worst is behind us, and the sector will witness heightened growth and activity. We have observed that revenge travel and work-from-anywhere culture due to remote work opportunities were emerging trends during the pandemic. Longer stays, a preference for private experiences and an emphasis on sustainable tourism were also more commonplace this year. We foresee these trends to continue into 2022, with rising demand for immersive cultural experiences, a strong focus on wellness during holidays and sustainable tourism. Travel bookings are bound to increase, and we are optimistic that the upcoming years will usher in needed growth and stability. And as always, our team will continue to follow government mandates and guidelines with stringency for the safety of customers and our staff."

"We've spent 2021 crafting pathways to prosperity for workers & micro-entrepreneurs by collaborating with companies, multilateral and bi-lateral agencies, foundations, and civil society organisations. We have also been focused on protecting the protectors  healthcare, sanitation and frontline workers. While an immediate need to respond to the crisis brought these diverse partners together, they are now deeply committed to ensuring the recovery, resilience and prosperity of their vulnerable stakeholders. Together, we are all creating a "Better Normal" for our citizens."- Mrs Priya Naik, Founder, Samhita-CGF

"2021 was certainly a year like never before, but the FMCG sector has seen a significant amount of growth. As compared to the last two years, there was a 36% increase in FMCG sales in 2021. With people becoming more health conscious, products that are easy to prepare, but still healthy saw an increase in demand.

The Food & Beverage industry in 2022 is expected to see a number of positive twists and turns, especially with plant based and immunity boosting foods. Functional foods will see a surge, with consumers consciously choosing foods that possess an additional function. This projection is a reason why we, at Strawfit, are optimistic and excited about the months ahead. Our product, with added colostrum, will be considered not just functional, but also a healthy and fun way to drink milk for children.

In this age where transparency in food labels is paramount, the F&B industry is working hard to show consumers they produced the food sustainably and humanely. With industry leaders now more experienced with the customers' tastes and preferences during the pandemic, the 2022 focus is anticipated to shift towards products that are healthy not just for the consumers, but also for the earth.
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In eucalypt woodlands not far from Darwin, a team of workers is clearing vegetation and preparing to blast an open pit that will soon become Australias newest lithium mine  a future source of the vital material in batteries, smartphones and electric cars. To either side of the Cox Peninsula, where works will start in January, there are pristine waters well-known for fishing and postcard views of mangrove-lined beaches. But for mining company Core Lithium, its the promise of what lies beneath the ground further inland thats most alluring. Exploratory drilling suggests up to 7.4 million tonnes of high-grade lithium-bearing rock are locked up in the Bynoe Pegmatite Field. Australia is the worlds biggest producer of lithium, one of the key ingredients in electric car batteries. Were aiming for the start of plant construction in March, which should have us producing high-quality lithium concentrate out of Darwin by the end of 2022, Cores chief executive Stephen Biggins tells The Age and the Herald. If all goes according to plan, says Biggins, by 2022, the ASX-listed companys new mine  the Finniss Lithium Project  is likely to become one of the first stops in a far-flung value chain supplying raw ingredients that end up in the lithium-ion batteries of plug-in vehicles manufactured by Elon Musk's Tesla. By building the first significant new mining project in the NT for many years, ourselves and the Territory will be contributing to the reduction of emissions from cars in big cities around the globe in the future, Biggins says. The project feels good at a number of levels  and there are a lot of very happy shareholders.

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In the fight against climate change, the transport sector matters. Our use of petroleum-based fuel accounts for an estimated one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions  so powering vehicles with batteries instead will have a meaningful impact in avoiding catastrophic global warming. Loading But not everyone is as happy as investors in lithium stocks or Tesla, who have witnessed stunning share-price rallies this past year. The natural resources needed for electric-vehicle technology like cobalt, copper and lithium will have to come from somewhere; and the reality is the vast majority will have to be extracted by mining, which comes with unavoidable impacts even when it is done responsibly. Increasingly among some communities in areas tagged for new mine development, worries are surfacing about the cost to their land, and questions are being asked about an often-overlooked trade-off of the clean-energy revolution: that manufacturing climate-friendly electric vehicles still takes a toll on the environment. Rio Tinto, one of the worlds biggest miners, is finding this out first-hand amid an intensifying backlash against its plan to develop the $US2.4 billion Jadar lithium mine in Serbia. In recent weeks, campaigners have filled Belgrades streets in protest, leading to local authorities suspending an allocation of land for the project. Theres absolutely no doubt a need for lithium and other minerals as we transition to a renewables-based economy, says Dr Kirstey Howey of Environment Centre NT, which has voiced concerns about the Finniss mine. But we would just say its imperative that all the safeguards that have been so hard-fought-for by generations of environmental groups for mining shouldnt be dispensed with, and companies should be held to the highest environmental standards to ensure there isnt environmental damage that could tarnish the social licence of the renewable energy sector.

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Powering the EV revolution After a bumpy start, analysts in 2021 said its now safe to call it: the era of electric vehicles has finally begun to dawn. Electric vehicles or EVs  might account for just 3 per cent of new sales today, but uptake is building strongly in China, the US and Europe. More governments are setting deadlines to phase out combustion-engine vehicles. Some investment banks are betting EV sales will rise from 3 million to 30 million a year by 2030, comprising 40 per cent of new sales. And the global markets for the raw materials needed to make the batteries that will power them are deeply under-supplied. The pace of EV adoption in 2021 has beat even our above-consensus forecast  especially with regard to Europe and China, says Lachlan Shaw, an analyst at investment bank UBS. US sales are also likely to rapidly accelerate with potential federal subsidies currently in the legislation phase. From Tesla to Volkswagen, car-makers worldwide are racing to secure reliable supplies of a range of key metals: nickel, cobalt, graphite and, most importantly, lithium. Light enough to float on water, soft enough to cut with a butter knife, the silvery-white metal is firmly in the throes of an unprecedented boom. Prices for lithium products more than tripled during 2021 to end the year at record highs.

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Lithium is in such high demand that some have taken to calling it white gold. All of this means good news for Australia, says Keith Pitt, Federal Resources Minister in the Morrison government. Loading Weve got about 30 per cent of demonstrated [lithium] resources in the world ... and we are already the worlds biggest producer, Pitt says. And there is a significant number of new mines in the pipeline  some more advanced than others  that will mean more jobs particularly in regional areas. Lithium resources occur in two categories: lithium minerals, which come mainly from lithium-rich hard-rock spodumene; and lithium from salts, largely brines in salt lakes. All of Australias lithium resources and production are from minerals, with several mines in WA, including Greenbushes, Wodgina, Pilgangoora and Bald Hill, sending exports to China and elsewhere in Asia for further processing. Today, most of the lithium mined in Australia is loaded onto cargo ships and exported as spodumene concentrate, rather than as a refined product suitable for battery cells, called lithium hydroxide. The price of spodumene cargoes delivered to China, which averaged $US420 a tonne in 2020, are now expected to fetch an average of $US1185 in 2022, government trade data suggests. One cargo delivered to China during the September quarter by ASX-listed Pilbara Minerals sold for a staggering $US2240 a tonne.

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With the value of Australias lithium export earnings forecast to rise nearly 300 per cent from $1.1 billion during 202021 to $4.2 billion in 202223, Pitt says this a good start but he wants Australia to seize more opportunities to grow its lithium-hydroxide refining capacity that could open the door to even greater economic prosperity. There are expectations around the battery sector of an up to 100-fold increase in the next 10 years, he says. Well want to get as big a part of that into the Australian economy as possible. Its not the first time there has been such buzz around lithium. Back in 2015, prices more than tripled in three years as the EV transition picked up pace and showed signs of taking off amid a shortage of lithium. However, as a relatively small and highly speculative market, it went from boom to bust in 2018 as a rush of new mines came on too soon and tipped the sector into oversupply, while reductions in Chinese subsidy programs put a pause on the electric vehicle revolution. Lithium mines were mothballed. Some companies even collapsed into administration. But this time, a consensus across the industry is that things are decidedly different. Producers are exercising greater discipline now, and the EV market is much bigger. Industry players and analysts note that there are simply not enough future sources of supply to meet demand to 2030, and there are expectations the market will consistently be in deficit until then. The [lithium] supply side has taken two or three decades to get to this level of supply, but, based on demand-growth rates, the supply side needs to grow another three times in the next four years, Biggins explains. Then it needs to grow eight times by 2030 to meet EV demand because we are now dealing with a much larger sector. Approvals and social licence The EV mega-trend is not going unnoticed by Australias three biggest mining companies  BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue  all of which are increasingly pushing into what they call future-facing commodities that include nickel, copper and lithium.

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Early in the second season of the locally produced comedy-drama Bump, teen parents Olympia Oly Chalmers-Davis (Nathalie Morris) and Santiago Santi Hernandez (Carlos Sanson jnr) companionably tag-team the care of their baby Jacinda through a school day. They congratulate each other that theyre nailing this as they juggle the feeding and nappy-changing responsibilities with their timetables.

Its a happy exchange, although anyone who watched the vibrant, astute and addictive first season will be aware that the serene sense of accomplishment is unlikely to last. Domestic life, love and parenting are not destined to be seamless and the bumps, and how theyre negotiated, form the warmly beating heart of the production.

Angus Sampson with his on-screen partner Claudia Karvan in Bump. Credit:John Platt

Events continually intrude to disrupt the characters best-laid plans. And with the shock arrival of Baby J in the first episode, the co-creators, journalist and fledgling TV writer Kelsey Munro and producer and star Claudia Karvan, loudly signalled that life involves all manner of upheavals. One of the shows many pleasures is the variety of ways in which its affectionately rendered characters surprise us with their responses.

Angus Sampson, who plays Olys dad, Dom, describes the arrival of Baby J as the series inciting event. From there, its blossomed into a multi-layered tale of the young couple, their families and a high-school community. Avoiding the cliches, its brought a fresh eye to familiar territory.
This weeks polling by the Resolve Political Monitor (RPM) for the Herald has cast a spotlight on one of the most vexed areas of election analysis: the personal approval enjoyed by individual politicians, from the best performers to the worst.

After the Coalitions victory in the 2019 election, which confounded most polling, questions were raised about the efficacy of such analysis and the Herald decided a new approach was necessary. While poll after poll indicated a Labor victory, there were persistent rumblings about the personal approval of then opposition leader Bill Shorten.

Voters will often tell pollsters that personality, especially that of potential prime ministers, doesnt matter as much to them as policies. The 2019 Australian Election Study by the Australian National University found only 7 per cent of voters named party leaders as considerations in their voting decisions compared to 66 per cent for policy issues; 19 per cent for parties as a whole; and 8 per cent for candidates in their electorate.

Whether this is an accurate reflection of sentiment or a case of voters being reluctant to give a superficial reason for their choices, what the latest RPM polling shows is that even our most liked politicians are on a declining trend:
Private pathology companies have warned that NSWs rising coronavirus cases are creating a bottleneck in the testing system as more people who catch COVID-19 are being directed to manage their infections from home.

On Tuesday, NSW Health updated its advice for people who are COVID-positive, directing that most people aged 65 and under are considered able to recover from the virus without medical involvement.

COVID-19 testing at Blacktown on Tuesday. Credit:Dean Sewell

Under the new rules, people in this age group who have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic conditions and are not pregnant are considered able to safely manage an infection at home.

Previously, this was only the case for people aged under 50.
Dr Chant said she expected case numbers to jump around a little bit over [the] coming days, as we reflect testing numbers that have been performed over the Christmas and Boxing Day period. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said some cases included in Wednesdays count go back, because of the time it is taking now to return those tests. We apologise for any inconvenience with those long queues, he said. Rest assured we are doing everything we can to put downward pressure on those queues right across the state. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet apologised on Wednesday for the long COVID-19 PCR testing queues. Credit:James Brickwood Hospital admissions increased to 625, up by 68 on the 557 reported on Tuesday. Of the 61 patients in ICU, 23 require ventilation.

Were continuing to see mostly unvaccinated people admitted to ICU, NSW Healths Dr Michael Douglas said on Wednesday. Two of the three deaths reported on Wednesday were women who died at Newcastles Warabrook aged care facility, where they acquired their infection. One woman, aged in her 90s, had received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine while the other woman, in her 70s, had received two doses. A man in his 80s from Sydneys inner west died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and had been given two doses. All three had underlying conditions, NSW Health said. Of the 11,201 new cases reported on Wednesday, 2181 cases are from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, 1855 from South Western Sydney LHD, 1744 from Sydney LHD, 1654 from Western Sydney LHD, 1359 from Northern Sydney LHD and 775 from Hunter New England LHD. Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Wednesday morning the state would scrap its requirement for PCR tests before arrival in the state.

Loading From January 1, travellers into Qld from interstate hotspots can use a negative rapid antigen test to satisfy border pass requirements, she said on Twitter. Mr Perrottet responded, labelling it a good move by the Queensland government. PCR tests should be reserved for close contacts and those feeling unwell - not healthy tourists looking forward to a well-earned summer holiday, he said on Twitter. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, NSW Health said people who attend testing sites seeking results to travel interstate are unlikely to receive their results within 72 hours.

Loading The delay means NSW travellers who intend to holiday in Queensland will not get their result before its January 1 changes to PCR swab requirements come into effect, the department said. Holidaymakers are now urged to avoid testing queues to help ease pressure on laboratory testing. The NSW government announced on Tuesday it had placed an order for 20 million rapid antigen tests, which were expected to arrive by the end of January and would be provided free of charge. Long lines have formed at PCR testing clinics over the festive season, with most clinics open over the Christmas and new year period but some closed or operating on reduced hours, NSW Health said.

Loading Despite numerous facilities closing at midday, particularly over the public holidays this week, Mr Perrottet claimed they were operating at full capacity. Many of those clinics were not going to be open because they need to get their testing results back as quickly as possible. We have ensured and worked incredibly hard with both the private companies and NSW Health to have them operating at maximum capacity, and they are, he said on 2GB radio on Tuesday afternoon. In a direct plea, Mr Perrottet asked people who are not unwell and who have not been asked to get a PCR test by NSW Health to please dont do so. I know this runs counter to everything weve been saying over the last two years in relation to testing, so I know were going through an adjustment phase ... but there are many people who are lining up for tests who do not need them, he said.

Before the Queensland Premiers announcement, NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said tourism testing was clogging up the system and called for consistency across the states, noting South Australia was now also allowing rapid antigen tests pre-arrival. The most important thing is that people only turn up to get tested if theyre symptomatic, Mr Ayres said on Sevens Sunrise program on Wednesday morning. If you dont need to get tested, please dont go and line up in one of those queues. Mr Perrottet also defended his decision to ease restrictions on December 15, including allowing the unvaccinated into hospitality venues and non-essential shops. Indoor masks and QR codes in settings such as supermarkets have been reintroduced in the past week.

Asked on 2GB whether he regretted dropping restrictions, Mr Perrottet replied: No, not at all. Weve always said as we open up, case numbers will increase, he said. These are the difficulties well go through ... but I think NSW, despite this, is in a very strong position, and Im very confident about 2022. St Vincents Hospital Sydney pathology service SydPath on Tuesday said it had closed its East Sydney Arts Centre and Rushcutters Bay Park testing clinics until further notice, and its Bondi Beach drive-through clinic would open from 8.30am to noon. Loading Its current test processing time is up to four days, according to its website.
Rather than taking out their angst against government officials, respondents to the letters page should direct their rage at those who refuse to vaccinate. George Fishman, Vaucluse It seems to be a trait of the incompetent to try to blame someone else. So it is that Brad Hazzard and Dominic Perrottet seek to blame the Queensland Premier for the shambles they created on December 15. Try to get a PCR test now if you have a day to spare and four days to wait for a result. Try to find a retailer that has rapid antigen test kits in stock. Stephen Rayner, Westleigh Has any modelling been done to look at whether testing is needed for a fully vaccinated population? If, as Health Minister Hazzard says, we are all going to get COVID, we will all be positive at some stage, including the Australians yet to be vaxxed. If notmandate, why not compulsory? Why not then open state borders to freely travel and share the hospitals if needs be. Les Reedman, Cooranbong It just shows how badly the testing regime is managed when a heavily pregnant woman has to stand in a queue (Women at full term stuck in PCR queues, December 28) for hours for PCR testing. Surely, it doesnt need too much management to take care of exceptional cases to be prioritised for testing. Decades ago, Singapore introduced laws that required young people to vacant seats on public transport for the elderly and disabled, a discipline that needs to be enforced here for PCR testing. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill If the NSW governments failure to competently plan for a predictable surge in testing requirements is Queenslands fault, then who or what will the current bunch of economic and health illiterates find to blame for the equally predictable collapse of NSW business activities and mounting NSW COVID hospitalisations? Janette Hvistendahl, Currumbin Waters (Qld)

What personal responsibility are the PM, Premier and Health Minister taking for this catastrophe in NSW? Paul Dolan, Concord West Day to remember who we are Brendan Nelsons plan floats my boat (Nelson floats proposal for Indigenous memorial place, December 28). It should be led by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the Healing Foundation, who have a similar plan. The association with Australia Day might not be such a good idea. A separate day recognising the devastating disruption wrought by white settlement and commemorating the many Indigenous leaders who fought against colonisation. Steve Johnson, Elizabeth Beach Dr Nelson brings a solemn yet refreshing suggestion to acknowledge the great injustice in our society  that of recognising our ancestors forced themselves onto land they did not have any right to take possession of and of the brutality of the expansion of the land theft over the intervening 233 years. The discomfort of the facts surrounding interaction between Indigenous people and colonisers is still very much evident in our society. Until we have a common acknowledgement of the past and a strong statement of recognition, such as the place Dr Nelson has envisaged, we will be stuck in a time warp of uncertainty and moral emptiness. James Allison, Vaucluse Thank you, Dr Nelson, for championing a monument for the recognition of First Nations Indigenous dispossession and contribution  importantly, within Canberras parliamentary triangle. The centrepiece should be a memorial representative of the unknown custodians, linking the reverence given to the unknown soldier. It is not a new concept, nor considers whether linking this with Australia Day is appropriate. However, since John Howard commissioned the Reconciliation Place in 2000 there has been little, if nothing, substantial done to recognise an important part of Indigenous history. This could be a monumental step (no pun intended) in reconciliation with our past and looking into the future. Christina Foo, Wahroonga

Drink drives profit Blaming life-saving earlier last drinks laws is an illegitimate excuse to justify a dangerous booze-led financial recovery (Parramatta to consider late trading, December 28). What is consistently missing in this debate is the erosion of residents safety and amenity legal rights, including the relative quiet, liveability and good order of their neighbourhood. The disempowered residents and families, in many instances, represent one of the largest groups of investors in their local area. Tony Brown, Newcastle Time to cover up I found Professor Russells article (Omicron: whats going to happen next?, smh.com.au, December 28) very informative, but was dismayed that the only public health measure she advocated as not being too onerous was ventilation. As a teacher working in well-ventilated classrooms I know that it is no easy measure to get right. Extra jackets were the order of the day in our unpredictable climate change classrooms in December, and who knows how hot classrooms will be in February and March? Surely normalising mask wearing as a show of respect for others is a good public health measure that will help to reduce the transmission of all airborne viruses? Putting it in the unpalatable basket is unhelpful. Louise Fox, Erskineville Better luck next year

I also normally make new years resolutions to help overcome my lack of willpower (How to set resolutions that stick, December 28). For next year, here they are. One, double alcoholic intake. Two, triple takeaway meals. Three, quadruple sport watching couch-time. Four, start gambling on internet sports apps. Then, Ive added a number five: join Clive Palmers party and attend six of his marches. For my annual assessment, if I dont achieve the goals, I reconcile myself that it is our species fault and that it is important to keep trying. Tony Cartwright, Drummoyne A man of God It is worthwhile remembering (Letters, December 28) that Archbishop Desmond Tutus belief in human dignity and equality was based on his belief in God. This same faith formed the foundation for pursuing truth and reconciliation, rather than retribution, as the means of peace and healing. A fitting tribute for Tutu would be to follow the same principles in dealing with the racial divisions and injustice in this country. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls I have a photo on my wall of Archbishop Tutu with Father Austin Day taken after he preached at the Christ Church, St Laurence in Sydney (1993). He gave a blessing in an African clicking language and also preached at the Uniting Church in Pitt Street. Nola Lawrence, Coogee Thanks to your correspondent for the reminder of the Sydney Anglican Cathedrals exclusion of Desmond Tutu in 1993. This would be the same anachronistic church that prevents women being ordained to the priesthood 29 years later. Kate Lumley, Hurlstone Park

South Africa has now lost two men who broke down the apartheid barriers, former President F.W. de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. May they both Rest In Peace. Ron Field, Bermagui Tastes like freedom We had a small family gathering for the traditional Boxing Day barbie. Prior to the glorious gluttony, we raised our right hands and solemnly pledged that, from the time the first prawn was peeled and the first beer cracked, there would be no mention of COVID-19. What a delightful day it was. George Manojlovic, Mangerton Dog act If Amber Heard sneaks into Australia again (Meet Barnaby Joyce, the new top dog, December 28), its likely that Barnaby Joyce will have to be put down. Charles Hargrave, Elizabeth Bay
NSWs new Transport Minister David Elliott will not commit to building the second stage of the multibillion-dollar Parramatta light rail line, arguing he wants to focus on resolving problems with ferries and other existing services.

The news prompted Labor to accuse the government of breaking an election promise, while residents and business groups say it is a blow to a project that has major support from communities lacking public transport.

A week after he was sworn in as Transport Minister, Mr Elliott said he was certainly not committing himself to proceeding with the second stage from Camellia to Olympic Park because he had enough challenges with the current projects under way in NSW.

Transport Minister David Elliott says he will not commit to the second stage of the Parramatta light rail line. Credit:Gaye Gerard

Im not going to go out and announce brand new projects while our current projects are facing challenges. That would be treating commuters like idiots, he told 2GB on Tuesday.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size She had already hiked thousands of kilometres up Australias east coast solo, but Sacha Wynters biggest challenge was yet to come at Queenslands border. There were deep and treacherous water crossings, the difficulties of isolation in the middle of the bush, and walking on a trail originally designed for horses, all while carrying a backpack sometimes loaded with 14 days worth of food. Queenslander Sacha Wynter hiked the National Trail from Victorias Healesville to Queenslands Cooktown, a journey of more than 5000 kilometres. At the start of the year the 29-year-old junior doctor from Brisbane had embarked on the National Trail, stretching from southern Victoria to Cooktown in Queenslands far north, in a bid to replace a cancelled trip to the US for the Appalachian Trail. Not least among the difficulties on the trek ahead were border closures. I started in February and I hiked from Healesville up to Glen Innes and then NSW started to have about 30 COVID cases, and I was so close to the border, I thought they were going to shut it any day, she says. So I decided to make the most of the winter and that time and fly up to Cooktown and start hiking down from there ... and swapped to a bike for a bit for most of Queensland.

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It was a big concern. This last border I ended up having to take about a month off because I got to the Queensland border and it was still shut. I was almost done. If I was just going to keep going, it would have been OK because I know a few other people who just kept going with the knowledge they wouldnt be able to get back into Queensland, but for that, I ended up having to take a month off and waiting. When it was announced the borders would reopen, Wynter jumped at the opportunity. That was part of the reason I ended up going north because I was really worried they would shut the borders when Id been hiking for two weeks in the bush and to then come across a shut border, would have been pretty tricky, she says. I would not have had enough food to turn around ... and then Id be stuck.

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The journey was lonely at times, Wynter says, especially being by herself in the bush for weeks. Definitely some days were a bit lonely but I talk to myself a lot and sound a little bit crazy, she laughs. Or listen to lots of podcasts and my friend leant me her Kindle, so that was good at night. In the Kroombit Tops National Parks. Youre happy enough to do long days because when you set up camp at the end of the night, theres no one really to talk to, so that can sometimes get a bit lonely. But Wynter says shes seen so much more of Australia than she would have otherwise, talking to local people, seeing different animals, and camping at creeks she discovered. Youll get, you know, the local farmer who probably doesnt ever see a stranger on his road just seeing this random person walking down and theyre always lovely. Theyll stop and check youre OK and offer you water or give you treats along the way.

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Meeting all the people has definitely been the best part of it. One of her favourite new acquaintances is 80-year-old Girly Goody in Queenslands rural town of Monto, near Bundaberg. Wynter during the Omeo-to-Scrubby Creek 22 kilometre hike in Victoria during backburning. Wynter stayed with the cattle farmer during her hike south towards NSW to meet back up where she left off before the border predicament. She was telling me, because she was a single lady, she had to get her brother to co-sign a loan with the bank because when she was growing up as a cattle farmer they refused to give a single woman a bank loan to be a cattle farmer but shes done it her whole life, Wynter says. Its amazing to hear peoples stories on how resilient people are and everyone faces their own challenges. Carneys Creek to Condamine Gorge, Queensland.

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Wynter completed the trail a few weeks ago, returning to Brisbane in time for Christmas, after lugging around a backpack sometimes laden with two weeks worth of food. She never weighed the backpack. Not particularly helpful, she says, with a laugh. Wynter focused on planning her meals ahead of time, packaging food in bigger towns and sending it ahead for herself. In a few spots that were a bit bigger, like when I went through Canberra, I stopped again and did another huge shop and then made boxes up for myself and shipped them forward to the really small places that just had a general store, she says. Wynters pack would sometimes include up to 14 days worth of food. If it was slightly bigger and I knew there were supermarkets, I would just buy food. My mum also got a dehydrator, so I borrowed that and made up a few meals and included that in the parcels as well. The most I had to carry was 14 days of food and thats pretty heavy when you get up to that much food.

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This is not the first time the minister has tried to take out the trash. Who could forget the time Robert was forced to refund $721 million to victims of Robodebt? That too was dropped late on a Friday. Heres what happened this time.

Once again, universities have suffered at the hands of political interference, this time from the acting Minister for Education Stuart Robert who decided to reject six approved research projects. The rejected grants, he said, do not demonstrate value for taxpayers money nor contribute to the national interest. All were in the humanities : two on climate, two on China, two more on literature.

Normal weekends are bad enough, but last Friday clashed with COVID Christmas Eve, so there was a good chance shameful announcements would be missed in the avalanche of everything else. And so it was last Friday when hundreds of Australians got some very bad news.

Politicians and their courtiers have so many bad habits: deception, pork-barrelling, promise-breaking, taking out the trash. All are commonly understood but the last  Friday night, maybe Saturday, and theres a press release from a department or agency revealing bad news. Might just be a one pager, might just be one sentence. But news outlets have deadlines and late Friday is past bedtime.

Every year, thousands of Australian researchers apply for funding through the Australian Research Council (ARC), about the only organisation in Australia which gives money for all kinds of projects. Applications are Herculean labours and there is so little money only about 20 per cent of grants ever get funded. You have to be smart, skillful and cunning to get through the 200-strong College of Experts. Jobs rely on these grants but, much more importantly, the future of Australia relies on the outcomes of these grants.

This late Friday drop was Roberts first show of force in his acting portfolio since Alan Tudge dropped off the perch  Robert demonstrated that only he would decide what was in the national interest and the manner in which it would be funded. He utilised a ministerial veto despite absolutely no qualification to judge any kind of research or even what constitutes the national interest. The last time this happened, back in 2018, the entire ARC should have resigned in protest. This time, one highly regarded mathematics professor resigned from the ARCs College of Experts. Western Sydney Universitys Andrew Francis tweeted: Resignation is the only means I have to indicate my fury over this situation, and to send any kind of signal. And is the university sector responding as one? Only the excellent yet necessarily anonymous @ARC_Tracker serves as a national forum for the anger and grief felt by many in the community.

There must be some poignancy for Robert in his rejection of two projects researching China. It was only five minutes ago his poor understanding of what our relationship with China should look like got him into hot water. Malcolm Turnbull ditched him from the ministry after Robert made a private trip to Beijing to oversee a mining deal involving a major Liberal donor and meet a Chinese vice-minister. That looked like self-interest so he had to go.

Now as Australias relationship with China is perilously bad, Robert decides Australians dont need research that might make it better. I cant imagine why you would not want to know more about one of the rejected grants: China stories under Xi Jinping: popular narratives. It might help our winemakers at least.
A toddler is in a critical condition after she was pulled unresponsive from a pond at a park in Melbournes inner-west.

Emergency services were called to Footscray Park at Maribyrnong Boulevard, Footscray, about 8pm on Monday following reports the two-year-old girl was found in the water, about 20 metres behind a gated playground.

Police at the scene after a toddler was found unresponsive in a pond at Footscray Park. Credit:Nine News

Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before she was taken to the Royal Childrens Hospital, where she remained in a critical condition on Tuesday morning.

Victoria Police said they were investigating the circumstances of the incident, but they did not believe it was suspicious.
The events sector, in particular, had been looking forward to the New Year period as an opportunity to make up significant lost revenues over the past two years. Mr Rodwell said many businesses involved in the events sector were small or family-run, meaning there was a risk of people losing homes if their operations fell into administration. Opposition small business spokesman Steve Thomas echoed the chambers calls and said the WA government should dip into its surplus to help out. At a time of massive windfalls from iron ore, largely as a result of COVID stimulus spending around the world, the McGowan Government can afford to put in place a standardised compensation program for businesses that are damaged by government-imposed closures, he said. The arts, tourism and events industries in particular face another bleak Christmas and New Year period and should not be left to carry the burden alone.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said a financial assistance package would be developed and more information about the scheme released soon. Taylor Rule is an event promoter for Seasons, which was due to throw a large New Years Eve celebration at Wellington Park only to find out on Monday it would have to be cancelled because of a ban on events like his being extended until January 4. He told 6PR on Tuesday it had been a rough 24 hours knowing the event could not go ahead and there was a lot of staff out of pocket. Its massive for the entire industry, Mr Rule said. Its the biggest night of the year. Even more broadly speaking, the past week is the biggest, you know, time of the year for our events industry and now its been shut down. Mr Rule said it was annoying the events had been cancelled without an opportunity to discuss alternatives with the Department of Health.

Its frustrating over the past two years, you know, our industry, I guess [is] the first to shut down, the last to open up, he said. Loading Mr Rule said he did not know what would happen after February 5, when the state is set to open its borders to the rest of Australia and live with COVID-19, when it came to the events industry. We pretty much have all decided ourselves that we wouldnt be running any events after Feb 5 because theres too much uncertainty, he said. The Perth COVID-19 community cluster, which was made up of 10 mostly young people with the Delta-variant, sparked the most recent restrictions on December 23 which were extended on Monday.

Dr Armstrong recommended on December 23 that large music events and dancing not be allowed given the backpacker who spread the virus had attended high-risk transmission sites like nightclubs and raves. I believe that we may see more cases of COVID-19 in the next few days in people who have been at the higher risk social events, such as the nightclubs and the music event attended by the case, and these measures are to prevent further transmission in this cohort of people who may themselves be infected and attend similar events, he said. Events at which there is dancing in public venues pose a particular risk to transmission, as people are not socially distanced and generally not wearing masks. Large public and private music events with more than 500 people involving dancing are not allowed under current restrictions except The Wizard of Oz musical at Crown Theatre which has an exemption. The Perth Cup has also been allowed to go ahead, which has seen some New Years Eve event organisers claim there is a double standard from the government, with 8000 people expected at the event on January 1.

Attendees at the cup will need to be fully vaccinated and will have to follow strict seated food and drink service rules. Public fireworks events around the city will also be able to go ahead on New Years Eve. So far there have been 655 close contacts identified from the COVID-19 cluster in Perth with 46 people yet to be tested. On Monday there were 86 close contacts who had not been tested yet with 39 of them attending the Perth Mess Hall, which has become a hot-spot for the cluster, on December 19. There are also 1109 casual contacts of which 243 have not been tested. Mr McGowan said in a social media post on Tuesday he wanted to get the number of close contacts yet to be found down as low as possible to provide confidence the virus had been squashed in WA.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size You might not expect recruiting nurses to work at one of WAs most popular tourist hot spots would be a challenging task. The opportunity to work on an island playground, oozing with natural eye candy, dozens of balmy beaches and bays to take your breath away. For the past decade, Claire Parsons has been the senior nurse in charge at the Rottnest Island Nursing Post. A jack-of-all-trades, she and her small medical team are armed and ready to treat anything from a shark attack to a quokka bite, or an inebriated schoolie falling off his bike. We dont just stick bandaids on people. Claire Parsons Its not a job for the faint of heart, said Ms Parsons. With no road access to the mainland, nurses are often on their own when it comes to aiding the ailing.

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On average more than 3000 patients who have suffered a myriad of mishaps require treatment by staff from the nursing post. I came to Rottnest in 2011, initially just for a few years after working in Exmouth for 10 years, she said. Its a complicated place to treat people. Often there is only one pair of hands and you can be dealing with multiple incidents. We often dont have a doctor on the island so nurses that work here need advanced skills. We dont just stick bandaids on people. Its quite confronting at times and quite difficult to find staff happy to work in an environment where they are unsupported.

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Ms Parsons said there is a specially equipped ambulance on the island but no St John Ambulance drivers, so it is up to the nurses to retrieve patients. The nurses run the post, she said. We do all of the ordering and unpacking of our stores, we change the gas bottles, we put fuel in ambulances. Rottnest Island Nursing post staff treat more than 3000 people a year. Credit:SMHS Corporate Communications We dont get a lot of people applying for jobs, but the people who stay here love it. Its a very small community and you get to know people well. Ms Parsons said the island nursing team is supported by a Fiona Stanley Hospital emergency department consultant over the busy summer school holidays and Easter holiday weekends.

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When we have international tourists we see a lot of nasty bike accidents because they are on wrong side of road or have no experience, she said. We still get a lot of bike accidents, we get a lot of children with minor injuries, a lot of fractures, wounds or older people who have had a heart attack or stroke. We usually treat two to three snake bites each season. Anything you can think of  it happens on Rottnest. The holiday island has experienced its fair share of tragic events with nursing staff playing a key role in helping to stabilise and transfer seriously injured patients to the mainland. Ms Parsons said about 60 patients a year are airlifted by helicopter from the island. On October 24, 2018, three people crashed into the water after the jetty they were fishing on gave way.

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A woman with a broken ankle was forced to tread water, holding her unconscious sons head above the surface. The pair, visiting from the United Kingdom, were fishing with a Perth relative at the Army Jetty at the southern end of Thomson Bay around 6.30am, when part of the concrete structure gave way underneath them. Bikes are the preferred way to get around the island. Credit: The Perth woman was trapped in the water for about one hour when her leg became pinned by crumbled concrete. Nurses raced to the scene in their ambulance and helped stabilise the visiting mother and son before they were flown to hospital. It comes with the territory that marine accidents are common at Rottnest. Just 19 kilometres off the coast of Perth, its a popular swimming, fishing, and diving destination.

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Australian government debt has increased the most of any major economy this century, more than doubling over two decades, with the nation facing at least another 10 years of budget deficits.

Government and household data collated by the International Monetary Fund show federal government debt has grown by 221 per cent since 2000. At 44.1 per cent of GDP, federal debt is at its highest share of the economy since Sir Robert Menzies was prime minister in 1964.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Simon Birmingham. Government debt has climbed 221 per cent since the start of the century, the most of any G20 nation. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Australia is the only member of the G20, the worlds 20 largest economies, to have increased debt by more than 200 per cent over a period that includes the dot.com recession, the global financial crisis and now the coronavirus recession.

Other nations that have driven up their debt include the United States (188 per cent), Britain (185 per cent), South Korea (174 per cent) and Spain (121 per cent). But some have managed to reduce their debt levels, including Switzerland (down 40 per cent), Indonesia (down 55 per cent) and Turkey (down 3 per cent).
States are struggling to secure supplies of rapid antigen tests and have to compete in a tight global market as the federal government refuses to buy kits for widespread use despite public health experts saying they are vital in fighting the pandemic.

The countrys leaders are also yet to outline national guidelines for using rapid antigen tests after committing to work on a plan in November as pathology systems around the country continue to buckle under the strain of PCR testing demands.

A stockpile of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests on display at Southons Chemist in Sydney. Credit:Cole Bennetts

The NSW state government announced on Tuesday it had placed an order for 20 million tests, which were expected to arrive by the end of January and would be provided to people free of charge. The Victorian state government put in a large order for rapid tests before Christmas but has not confirmed the number of tests requested or when they are expected to arrive.

It has been very challenging to find supply, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.
New York: The judge presiding over the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell cited an astronomical spike in the number of coronavirus cases in New York City before telling jurors when she sent them home after the fourth full day of deliberations that they were expected to work toward a verdict the rest of the week.

Judge Alison Nathan said aloud what had largely gone unmentioned in her previous requests to get the jury to work an extra day last week and longer hours this week as it decides whether Maxwell recruited and groomed teenage girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. The jury declined to work an extra day last week.

We now face a high and escalating risk that jurors and trial participants may need to quarantine, Nathan told lawyers out of the presence of the jury. We are simply in a different place regarding the pandemic than we were a week ago.

Late on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), the judge told jurors they should expect to deliberate until at least 6pm the next day rather than stopping at 5pm, as they had earlier.

At 5pm on Tuesday (9am Wednesday AEDT), the jury asked to stop for the day, saying in a note that deliberations are moving along and we are making progress.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, December 27th, 2021 a report of Missing person was filed at the Philipsburg Police Station by the grandmother of Jurmain Ishmael Jozef DAMENIE born in Suriname on the 8th 0f January 2008.

Jurmain was last seen a few days ago by his grandmother and left the house after having an argument with her. He left and has not returned home since, nor contacted his grandmother or any other family member.

Jurmain is a slim build, dark brown complexion, brown eyes, and black hair and is 13 years old but will be 14 in the next few days. He was last seen wearing blue pants and had no shirt on.

The police department is seeking assistance from the community to help locate Jurmain Ishmael Jozef DAMENIE

If you have any information about the whereabouts of this person, please contact the Police Force: 54-22222 or the emergency number 911.

KPSM Press Release
~ Is Michel Hyman being made a scapegoat for Dutch Takeover~



PHILIPSBURG:--- The Princess Juliana International Airport Holding Company has ordered an independent audit after a shareholders meeting was held on December 23rd, 2021, and suspended Chief Operations Officer Michel Hyman was heard.

SMN News learned in that meeting Hyman agreed to remain on two months administrative leave pending the outcome of the audit. The SBOD of PJIAE wanted to dismiss Hyman since he was arrested on October 22nd in the Mitte Investigation which is related to fraud post-Irma.

Questions are now being raised by many since the arrest and release of Michel Hyman, they said that Hyman is being made a scapegoat five years after Hurricane Irma and the cleaning of the Princess Juliana International Airport. The concerned citizens that have contacted SMN News said that they believe the arrest of Michel Hyman is a distraction to the alleged cover-up of other misdeeds.

With the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria, it is no secret that all prices in construction skyrocketed simply because demand for labor and material grew tremendously in all territories that were hit, including Puerto Rico, Florida, Antigua, Dominica, BVI, Anguilla.

It should therefore not come as a surprise that as the key gateway to St. Maarten PJIAE had significant pressure to demand clean-up and reconstruction services. Hyman was the interim CEO but was always functioning under the strict supervision of an SBOD while a CFO was hired shortly after the hurricanes in 2017.

One cannot make the argument that Supervisory board members were off-island or otherwise occupied with pressing matters since the only pressing point for the following 4 years and counting was the reconstruction of PJIAE.

The arrest and detention of Hyman in isolation of a broader investigation can only make one wonder how big a conspiracy it really is to have Schiphol get its way in taking control of this countrys biggest economic asset.

We simply cannot ignore the information out there about the numerous consultants and their high fees, the long drawn out insurance claim and the perceived willful neglect with speedy cleanup and recovery efforts, the change of multiple supervisory board members, the sudden departure of Ravi Daryanani, the firing of Brian Mingo, the firing of Dexter Doncher, the hiring of Leo van der Meiden as CFO instead of Ms. Lake who worked for many years on-the-job and specifically trained to become the next CFO, the new hiring of yet another CFO are just a few reasons the public begs for clarity and transparency in what is really happening at PJIAE.

If the real intention was to facilitate Schiphol and those in a subjective position, where no resistance is given to the takeover, then it can be logically concluded that while Hyman is out battling his allegations all skeletons can now disappear with the co-signing authorities of the new COO also from Schiphol.

The public is looking critically at these developments and has lost the belief that the Government of Sint Maarten has any factual influence at PJIAE.

PJIAE management clarified that Mr. Flores Tammes is not employed as the Chief Operations Officer of PJIAE but was hired as a trainer from Rotterdam, The Hague Airport. CEO Brian Mingo said that Tammes left a director's position in the Netherlands to take up a six month contract to train some much needed staff at PJIAE. Mingo also assured that Tammes is not from Schipol and he is certainly not a COO at PJIAE because that position is not vacant.
HONOLULU (AP)  Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has purchased more property in Hawaii, including most of a reservoir that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago.

Property records show Zuckerbergs Kaloko LLC bought a 110-acre (44.5-hectare) site on Kauai last month for $17 million from a company owned by the Pflueger family, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
DARIEN  The shelves at Griebs Pharmacy last week held 14,000 at-home COVID-19 testing kits. But now they are bare.

And that hasnt stopped the demand.

If we had them, thered be droves of people coming in, said Tim Harvey, Griebs pharmacy manager. Were definitely still receiving hundreds and hundreds of phone calls every day.

As the need for COVID testing skyrockets during the holiday season due to the highly contagious omicron variant, the town and state expect to assuage it with a new influx of home tests in the coming days. Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that Connecticut will distribute 500,000 home test kits through the National Guard starting Thursday, with 1 million more to arrive in January.

Darien will receive 2,700 test kits in that first batch, according to a list provided by the state. Each kit is free and includes two tests and instructions.

The town will distribute two kits per family on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a Code Red message from First Selectman Monica McNally.

The rollout will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at Darien High School, she said. Proof of residency will be required to pick up the kits.

Residents must enter from Noroton Avenue and exit on Nutmeg Lane, because High School Lane will be blocked, McNally said. Residents will be notified via alert once all the tests have been given out.

But until those kits arrive, residents are relying on their local connections for at-home testing kits. And the cupboard there is nearly bare.

The independent Darien pharmacy said they banked a shipment at the start of last week of 14,000 at-home test kits, all of which flew off the shelves in the days leading up to Christmas.

Now, the store does not have any testing kits left in stock  a symptom of high demand as municipalities across the state, including Darien, experience a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Harvey said he first noticed a surge in demand after Thanksgiving, when case counts began to rise. The pharmacy was able to find a wholesaler that could expedite a shipment of the 14,000 testing kits last week.

All of a sudden, Christmas came around, and people were purchasing tests, obviously to see their families for one and then also because people were sick, Harvey said. The demand just skyrocketed all at once.

The pharmacy sells Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests, produced through ACON Laboratories. The testing kits start retailing at $14.99.

Much of the demand seemed to be driven by Darien residents, Harvey said, although he said he noticed some customers coming from nearby Stamford and New Canaan.

Currently, none of the wholesalers the store has contacted have any testing kits in stock, Harvey said.

But personnel are attempting to secure another shipment as soon as possible, while gauging future demand to determine how many testing kits they should order.

After the holiday rush, that large need could go away very quickly, Harvey said. Were hoping whatever we order will have expiration dates as far out as physically possible. Thats something that people can stock up on, versus just needing it right now.
CHEMNITZ, Germany (AP)  The pastor opened the wrought-iron doors of St. Petri Church in the German city of Chemnitz and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold for shots against the coronavirus.

Together with the parish council, the Rev. Christoph Herbst had invited in a relief organization and volunteer doctors to conduct a Sunday vaccination clinic at the Lutheran church. The act of community outreach, the pastor knew, might not go over well in a part of Germany prone to vaccine resistance, including sometimes violent protests.

I was very insecure about how people would react to our offer, Herbst said as he welcomed the waiting crowd into his neo-Gothic house of prayer. In our region, there are very different and very polarized views about the coronavirus measures in general, about how to fight the pandemic, and especially about the vaccinations.

Saxony state, where Chemnitz and the city of Dresden are located, has the lowest vaccination rate among Germanys 16 federal states, and one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. Only 60.1% of residents were fully vaccinated by Christmas, compared to the nationwide average of 70.8%. At some points in the pandemic, local hospitals had to transfer patients out of state because all the intensive care beds were full.

Lutheran pastors across Saxony have used their sermons to promote vaccines as the most efficient way to prevent severe illness and to end the pandemic. Like Herbst, many opened their churches for clinics this month, hoping that offering jabs in a familiar environment and without advance registration might persuade some holdouts.

We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves, and that we should do something for society with the resources we have, Herbst explained. Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this.

Chemnitz, a city of about 247,000 residents, was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt when it and the rest of Saxony were part of the former communist East Germany. Many of the local vaccine refusers cite concerns of possible side effects, but also feeling overwhelmed by what they see as too much pressure from authorities or general opposition to any measures endorsed by the government, according to Herbst.

Among those who patiently sat in a pew waiting to roll up their sleeves at Herbst's church were Hannelore and Bernd Hilbert, a retired couple from the nearby village of Amtsberg. They came to get booster shots because some of their five grandchildren are too young to be vaccinated, and the Hilberts hoped to see them for Christmas.

Last year's Christmas was really sad. We were all alone, Hannelore Hilbert, 70. said.

We're grateful for the church to offer these shots, added her 72-year-old husband, who said they had waited unsuccessfully for shots at a hospital a few days earlier.

The vast majority of the church's vaccine recipients on a recent Sunday turned out to have more in common with the booster-seeking couple than the skeptical or frightened community members Saxony's pastors are trying to reach.

Of the 251 vaccines administered during St. Petri's daylong clinic, 18 went to individuals receiving their first dose. None of them wanted to speak with The Associated Press about why theyd changed their minds and decided to get shots almost one year into Germany's mass immunization campaign.

A loud minority in Germany has opposed any kind of anti-virus measures since the start of the pandemic. The resistance grew angrier and more aggressive in recent weeks after the national parliament this month passed a vaccine mandate for some professions and most of the country's regions resumed some form of restrictions in response to the latest wave of infections.

With mass demonstrations banned in several parts of the country due to the pandemic, vaccine opponents have gathered for protest walks - unauthorized marches organized quickly via social media. Around 30 protesters showed up with torches outside the home of Saxony state Health Minister Petra Koepping one night, shouting slurs until police arrived.

The protests swelled in recent days, sometimes drawing thousands of people. Police detained several participants for attacking officers and journalists. Some Lutheran pastors received criticism and personal threats for their efforts to encourage vaccination.

Herbst said he thinks the majority of Saxons back the country's immunization campaign and that far-right groups intent on undermining democracy have coopted anti-vaccine sentiment, fueling an already present sense among residents of Germany's east of feeling left behind 30 years after the country's reunification.

When parishioners confront him with their opposition to vaccines, the pastor says he tries to listen instead of judge.

And I listen to things that are sometimes difficult to hear," he said. "I also listen to things that I think belong in the realm of conspiracy theories. I dont confirm those. But its important that theres a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation.

However, the pastor wonders if at this point all the arguments for and against vaccination have been exchanged and the decision of whether or not to get immunized no longer should be left as a matter of personal choice.

There are people who say what is needed now is a democratically legitimized decision by parliament on a general vaccine mandate," Herbst said. "That would be a decision that does not work on moral pressure, but rather on the basis of a set of rules that applies to everyone.
A federal judge refused to dismiss an indictment charging four alleged leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to attack the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on Tuesday rejected defense attorneys' arguments that the four men  Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Charles Donohoe  are charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

Kelly said the defendants had many nonviolent ways to express their opinions about the 2020 presidential election.

Defendants are not, as they argue, charged with anything like burning flags, wearing black armbands, or participating in mere sit-ins or protests," Kelly wrote in his 43-page ruling. Moreover, even if the charged conduct had some expressive aspect, it lost whatever First Amendment protection it may have had."

Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe were indicted in March on charges including conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding. All four of them remain jailed while they await a trial scheduled for May.

Defense lawyers also argued that the obstruction charge doesn't apply to their clients' cases because Congress certification of the Electoral College vote was not an official proceeding." Kelly disagreed.

Earlier this month, another judge in the District of Columbia's federal court upheld prosecutors use of the same obstruction charge in a separate case against two riot defendants.

The case against Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe is a focus of the Justice Department's sprawling investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection. More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as Proud Boys leaders, members or associates, including at least 16 defendants charged with conspiracy.

Last Wednesday, a New York man pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol with fellow Proud Boys members. Matthew Greene is the first Proud Boys member to publicly plead guilty to conspiring with other members to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. He agreed to cooperate with authorities.

Other extremist group members have been charged with conspiring to carry out coordinated attacks on the Capitol, including more than 20 people linked to the antigovernment Oath Keepers.

Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, was a Proud Boys chapter president and member of the groups national Elders Council. Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, is a self-described Proud Boys organizer. Rehl was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia. Donohoe, of Kernersville, North Carolina, also served as president of his local chapter, according to the indictment.

Lawyers for the four men declined to comment on Tuesday's ruling.

On the morning of Jan. 6, Proud Boys members met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before President Donald Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House.

Just before Congress convened a joint session to certify the election results, a group of Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who breached barriers at a pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, the indictment says. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol building itself after the mob smashed windows and forced open doors.

More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. At least 165 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses punishable by a maximum of six months' imprisonment.
The first phase in Connecticuts plan to distribute 1.5 million at-home test kits for COVID-19 is expected to be completed within days, though local officials said Tuesday that even a seamless delivery effort is unlikely to stave off the states insatiable demand.

A day after announcing the $18.5 million purchase of at-home testing kits using federal funds, Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday called upon 100 members of the Connecticut National Guard to assist in distribution efforts.

A spokesman for the governor said the first phase in that delivery  about 500,000 kits  will involve officials from every municipality in the state picking up their allotment of kits from distribution hubs in each of the states five emergency management regions.

Subsequent distributions of another million testing kits, as well as 6 million N95 masks, will follow a similar model developed by emergency management officials in early pandemic efforts to get masks and personal protective equipment to communities.

Theyve all done this before, so in a lot of ways its dusting off the paybook and executing, said the spokesman, Max Reiss.

A conference call between state and local leaders was held on Monday, after which several municipal officials told Hearst Connecticut Media they anticipated being able to pick up their allotment of kits starting Wednesday. Once in hand, they planned to be able to hand out the tests within a few days or even a few hours.

Meanwhile, Connecticut on Tuesday surpassed its highest single-day positivity rate since broad testing started in the spring of 2020, with more than one-in-seven people testing positive for the virus.

Concern over the highly infectious omicron variant, coupled with desire among many people to continue with their holiday plans after nearly two years of the pandemic, is fueling a demand for testing that has swamped availability, officials said.

I think its going to lead to frustration for a lot of residents who are going to want them, because there is not nearly enough, said Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna said of the states distribution plans, which otherwise praised as a good effort, a start.

Each testing kit comes with two rapid antigen tests, enough to complete nearly 3 million tests throughout the state. However, many experts  including the makers of one of the at-home testing kits, Abbott Labs  recommend that users take both tests, spaced more than day apart, reducing the number of people that can be effectively tested.

The number of tests sent to each municipality ranged from a few hundred in smaller towns to more than 18,000 in the cities, according to a copy of the allotment list obtained by Hearst. Each of the states two federally recognized Native American tribes were also set to receive 90 kits, though officials advised on Tuesday that the numbers were subject to change before final distribution.

The largest allocations are going to Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford and Stamford, which will each receive more than 15,000 test kits, according to the state.

A spokesman for the states Department of Public Health did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday inquiring how the state determined its allotment figures. The list provided by the state highlights that allocations are based on population data.

After reviewing their allotments, several local leaders said that the latest effort was unlikely to keep up with a surging demand that has cleared stocks of store-bought kits and brought long lines to public testing sites  though it could relieve some short-term pressure.

This distribution is intended to alleviate some of the lines youre seeing at the urgent care center  and at the local pharmacies, said Robert Rubbo, the director of health at the Torrington Area Health District. People want to get tested before they travel or go to a family gathering, for example.

Reiss said local leaders would have broad leeway in determining how to distribute their allotted tests and that some may choose to set aside a certain number of kits for emergency responders.

Without strict guidelines in place, many town leaders and local health officials said they would distribute the kits on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Such a method will be used in Westport, where Operations Director Lynn Scully announced plans to begin distributing kits at 1 p.m. Thursday at Staples High School, with a limit of two kits per vehicle.

In New London, Mayor Michael Passero announced a similar delivery system beginning Thursday at 2 p.m. at the C.B. Jennings School parking lot  with participants having to show a proof of residence to receive a test.

Throughout the day on Tuesday, muncipalities across Connecticut started posting locations for test pickups at facilities operated by local governments. Each came with the caveat that supplies will be limited.

In a statement distributed along with the announcement of the purchase of the tests on Monday, Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani acknowledged the limits of the supply by encouraging residents to help ease the demand by taking other precautions.

I strongly encourage people to limit gathering sizes during this holiday week, Juthani said. Because of the scarcity of these kits, I am asking the residents of our state to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the omicron curve.
BRIDGEPORT - The Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr. has withdrawn his appeal of the federal foreclosure action on his Union Avenue cathedral.

The appeal to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals was voluntarily withdrawn, according to a filing in the case.

Reached by telephone on Monday, Moales confirmed that the appeal had been withdrawn but said he would have a big announcement later this week. He did not elaborate.

Moales has previously claimed publicly that he was in talks with a private developer to buy all the property.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Meyer had ruled that Moales had to vacate the Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love on Union Avenue and several other church-owned buildings in the citys East End by Jan. 7. The judge denied a stay while the appeal was pending.

I conclude that Prayer Tabernacle has not established grounds to warrant a stay pending appeal. It does not have a likelihood of success and probably lacks standing even to maintain the claims it proposes to advance on appeal, said the judge.

Moales, a former chairman of the citys Board of Education, is senior pastor of the Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and chief executive of CREAM Enterprises, a construction and management company.

In September 2017, according to court documents, after a more than four-year legal battle that initially began in state court, Judge Meyer issued a foreclosure order against Moales for failure to pay a debt of $12,630,230 to his bank, Foundation Capital Resources. That amount has since increased to more than $15 million.

Following numerous court hearings, the judge on May 29, 2020, ordered the eviction of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Union Avenue along with the Kingdoms Little Ones daycare, a summer camp, and Love Christian Academy (a private school), all at the Union Avenue address and other operations owned by Moales on Stratford Avenue.

The lawyer for Foundation Capital Resources was unavailable for comment.
STAMFORD  After demand for COVID-19 tests crushed providers ahead of Christmas, a nearly identical situation has unfolded in the days after.

Long lines and delays plagued the testing facility at Cove Island Park in Stamford throughout Monday, replicating the same patterns residents saw just before the holiday when officials had to close the site early on multiple occasions.

But in the days before New Years Eve, those in power have embraced a new strategy in ramping up Connecticuts testing capabilities: distributing as many rapid tests as possible.

The city and state expect to assuage the crippling need for more tests with a new influx of home tests in the coming days. Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that Connecticut will distribute 500,000 home test kits through the National Guard starting Thursday, with 1 million more to arrive in January. Each kit includes two tests.

The mayors office said they expect to have information on the citys distribution plan Wednesday.

Stamford will receive 17,010 kits from that first batch, according to a list provided by the state. Only Bridgeport will obtain more rapid test kits  18,630  according to the document.

City health officials and care providers agree that at-home COVID tests must be part of the solution during this viral wave.

The home test can be useful for people who have symptoms, acting Director of Health Jody Bishop-Pullan said Monday evening. The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) say ... if you need to go to a gathering or something like that, they will tell you if youre infectious at that time.

More importantly, distributing rapid tests keeps people away from the long lines, like the ones that have plagued the Cove Island Park testing facility.

Multiple bouts of stop-and-go ended in Sema4, the company offering testing at Cove Island through a contract with the state, closing the waterfront to additional patients due to vehicle capacity, according to a tweet from the city. Though the location shuttered just after 4 p.m. Monday, it was initially slated to take additional patients until 7 p.m.

There has been a significant surge in demand for testing over the last two weeks, which is the primary challenge, a Sema4 spokesperson said in an email. Both our on-site team at Cove Island and our other teams supporting COVID-19 testing are working as expeditiously as possible to keep up with the high demand.

Despite the difficulties for the team at Cove Island, Sema4 said it plans to keep operating the site as-is, even given the massive traffic jams along Weed Avenue near the clinic. On top of that, the company will wind down its testing operations statewide starting in January.

We are supporting the state of Connecticut with COVID-19 testing until Jan. 31, the spokesperson said. We dont have a last day officially locked in for the Cove Island site but currently anticipate providing testing there through the latter part or very end of January.

The hurdles preventing residents from getting a test at the Sema4 drive-through typify the obstacles to getting a COVID diagnosis across the region. At pharmacies, at-home antigen tests are scarce as the masses search for alternatives. Likewise, appointments at doctors offices are few and far between as people try to beat back the holiday surge.

Despite the pending supply influx, the city isnt the only entity tasked with giving out COVID tests. Community Health Center, one of the states federally qualified health centers, received its second shipment of COVID tests Monday, which it will hand out to patients as needed, according to CHC Vice President Amy Taylor.

Our first delivery is fully distributed to our patients, Taylor said. And Im sure these will be gone within a day.

While both experts agree that at-home tests are vital for the current moment, they realize demand will still be high even with more tests in the marketplace.

Because of that, Bishop-Pullan emphasized that active communication with the state and federal government is necessary to create new testing options in Stamford, especially as Sema4s last day approaches.

Bishop-Pullan and Mayor Caroline Simmons suggested that the city could get another testing facility in the next month. However, the health director and mayor added that conversations about another high-capacity site are preliminary.

Were hopeful that they see that the demand is there and that people need it right now because of the infectiousness of omicron, Bishop-Pullan said.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
During the holidays, families are gathering to reconnect and talk about their pasts, presents and futures. As often happens, those at the table who are in or about to enter college will be asked which studies they are pursuing. And if tradition holds, there will be no misers at the table when it comes to doling out opinions and advice.

So when Uncle Harry asks you, What on earth are you going to do with a history degree? Who needs the liberal arts? Be ready with this answer: We all do.

As someone who goes to work every day with the incredibly talented professionals at Connecticut Public Television and Radio  the home of Media for the Curious  take it from me: Society needs all the critical thinking, curiosity and creativity that degrees in the liberal arts can muster, from sociology to history, the classics, art history, philosophy, theology, political science, theater, economics, psychology, mathematics and physics. Yes, math and physics are liberal arts, too.

Connecticut is a shining beacon of educational institutions that prize the liberal arts, yet the cost is high  so high that for many, its almost out of reach. As a result, the value of traditional liberal arts degrees is being derided, with some colleges and universities feeling pressure to focus on so-called practical degrees that will supposedly render their graduates immediately employable. This is a false choice.

Connecticuts high-technology, insurance, financial and manufacturing companies need hard skills to thrive, and many hiring managers seek people with the critical thinking skills honed by the liberal arts. After all, no challenge can stand against the examination, analysis, curiosity and sharpness of a mind whose gaze is lifted and view is broadened by a liberal arts education.

Albert Einstein put it best, The value of an education in liberal arts  is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned in textbooks. The solution, therefore, is not to drive first-generation college students away from the liberal arts, but toward them.

I come at this question from an extremely pragmatic point of view.

On any given day at Connecticut Public, we create stories about some our worlds seemingly intractable problems: climate change, democracy under stress, continued income inequality, unresolved struggles with racial divides, unequal access to housing and bile-filled politics that encourages the narrowing of the mind, not an expansion of it.

Think about it: In a world of alternative facts, where a social media post can spark an angry mob, we should be producing people whose minds and perspectives are trained to be broad, perpetually curious and equal to the task of analyzing and solving these problems.

People who have changed the course of history often developed and sharpened their minds through a liberal arts education. A few of these are Alexander Hamilton, who studied literature and law; Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, economics and sociology; Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt, history; and Jawaharlal Nehru, natural sciences.

Martin Luther King Jr. studied sociology; Justice Sonia Sotomayor, history; Harriet Beecher Stowe, classics, languages, mathematics; Booker T. Washington, agriculture; Harvey Milk, mathematics; Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi and Frances Perkins, physics.

Oprah Winfrey studied communication; Reed Hastings, mathematics; Audre Lorde, library science; David Brooks, history; and Diane Sawyer, English.

While a liberal arts degree wont guarantee that youll change the world the same way others have, the world needs more problem solvers who dare to think, engage, observe, analyze, understand and express themselves.

As the leader of an organization that provides media for the curious, there are few better ways to support curious people than advocating for the expansion of the liberal arts in our state.

Hoping that your holidays have been full of joy and  particularly this coming year  curiosity.

Mark G. Contreras is president and CEO of Connecticut Public.
Romanian Agriculture Minister Adrian Chesnoiu discussed with Israel's Ambassador David Saranga about intensifying the collaboration between the two countries in the field of irrigation and about the accreditation of kosher slaughterhouses, according to a ministry release issued on Tuesday to AGERPRES.

Minister Adrian Chesnoiu had a meeting with ambassador David Saranga on Monday, December 27, 2021. The dialogue of the two officials was centered on intensifying the collaboration between Romania and Israel in the field of irrigation and combating desertification, sectors in which Israel has a vast experience.Adrian Chesnoiu expressed his openness for a collaboration in this field between the specialists from the two states, stressing that modernization works are needed both at the level of the existing land improvement infrastructure and for the extension of the irrigation system on new agricultural areas."The growth of irrigated areas, in parallel with the investments to combat desertification, is a priority of my mandate. We have allocated the necessary funds, in the 2022 budget, to accelerate investments in irrigation infrastructure, as well as in the anti-hail system and increasing rainfall, essential objectives for increasing agricultural production," the Agriculture minister said.David Saranga expressed his readiness that, in the next period, exchanges of experience and best practices will take place at the level of experts, by organizing online seminars and working visits to Israel and Romania.Another topic addressed during the meeting was aimed at simplifying the procedure for accrediting some kosher slaughterhouses, in order to increase the access to the Israeli market of meat and agri-food products from Romanian farms."For me it is important to reduce the deficit of the trade balance with agri-food products. Romania produces more raw material than it consumes and I believe that a clear strategy for processing is needed, so that we export more quality finished products and less raw material," Chesnoiu said.Digitisation in the agricultural sector, collaboration in agricultural research and mitigation of the effects of climate change on agriculture and the countryside were other topics addressed in the discussions.
The man who entered the Parliament Palace building, after breaking a window, will be investigated at large, after he had previously been detained by the Bucharest Police.

"During this day, the man was presented to the Prosecutor's Office attached to the District 5 Court, the magistrate ordering the continuation of the investigations with the defendant at large. The investigations are being carried out under the aspect of committing crimes of violation of the professional headquarters and destruction," informs the press office of the General Directorate of the Bucharest Police (DGPMB).

A drunken Irishman entered the Parliament Palace building on Sunday night after breaking a window, being caught by the gendarmes guarding the institution, Agerpres.ro informs.

"On the morning of December 27, around 4.00 am, the gendarmes guarding the interior of the Parliament Palace notified the 17th Police Station that they had found a drunken citizen inside. The first checks established that he entered the yard by climbing the fence, and later he broke a window and entered the building," informed Bucharest Police.

According to the quoted source, the man was taken to the 17th Police Station.
The Government adopted on Tuesday an emergency ordinance stipulating that family doctors in contractual relations with health insurance houses will receive 50 lei for each person tested to detect the SARS-CoV-2 infection, announced the spokesperson for the Executive, Dan Carbunaru.

"An emergency ordinance has been passed allowing family doctors in contractual relationships with health insurance companies to perform rapid antigen tests on the nasopharyngeal sample to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Family physicians will be able to purchase the rapid antigen tests that are included in the list approved by the European Commission, posted on the website of the Ministry of Health," stated Dan Carbunaru, after the meeting of the Ciuca Cabinet.

The amount of 50 lei includes the value of the test, labor, materials and protective equipment necessary for testing, Carbunaru explained, Agerpres.ro informs.

According to him, the people eligible for testing are those who are suspected of being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus according to the methodology of monitoring the acute respiratory syndrome with the new coronavirus developed by the National Institute of Public Health.
The Ministry of Labour will contract technical assistance services from the World Bank to implement the reform of the public pension system as provided in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), according to a memorandum approved by the Government on Tuesday.

"A memorandum initiated by the Ministry of Labour has been approved. It is part of the commitments made under the PNRR and, based on this approval of the memorandum in the Government, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity will contract technical assistance services from the World Bank to implement the reform of the public pension system as mentioned in the PNRR," said Government Spokesman Dan Carbunaru at the Victoria Governmental Palace, Agerpres.ro informs.
TESA (technical, economic, scientific, administrative) health personnel have been eliminated from the categories that will receive salary increases in 2022, after not having received any salary increases in 2021, the co-president of the Steering Committee of the Solidaritatea Sanitara Federation in Romania, Radu Vasile, told AGERPRES on Tuesday during the rally organized in front of the Government headquarters by the trade union organization, agerpres reports.

"Our main problem is the non-enforcement of Law 153/2017, on 2021 and 2022, the fact that we were not awarded the two quarters (of wage growth, ed. n.). And the greater dissatisfaction is the ordinance that was given a few days ago regarding the salary increases for the auxiliary staff in the health, from where the TESA staff was removed. TESA staff is the staff without which a hospital cannot function. Starting from plumber, electrician, economist, lawyer, engineer and so on. Not only they feel frustrated, but they feel stolen, they feel duped. The medical team is never made up of only two professional categories, doctors and nurses; the medical team consists of all the medical staff, including the nurse, the caregiver, the stretcher, the TESA staff and so on. According to the Wage Law, all employees of the system, including TESA staff (they were supposed to receive in 2022 the increases provided by law, ed.n.), but the TESA staff were eliminated. We do not have a logical explanation why they were left outside," Radu Vasile said.The representative of the Solidaritatea Sanitara Federation said that the last salary increase granted to TESA staff was in 2020, according to Law 153, and this category does not benefit from bonuses.Radu Vasile added that hospital unionists will hold protest actions on Tuesday during the lunch break, where possible, without interruption of work.The union leader also pointed out that due to the low salaries, TESA staff members leave the budget system to work in the private sector.Several dozen members of the Solidaritatea Sanitara Federation participated on Tuesday in a protest in front of the Government headquarters, demanding the granting of legitimate salary rights - the payment of the basic salary at the level provided by Law 153/2017 for 2022 for all health workers, including non-medical staff (TESA), but also the reporting of all increases to the basic salary mentioned above for all categories of salaries and the calculation of the hourly rate of on-call periods through reporting to the hourly rate of the basic salary.The health unionists also request the recognition of the shift exchange as working time and the recognition of the additional contribution period performed by the health professionals; the renegotiation of the health-related part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the inclusion within it of all the action strategies set out as annexes to the collective labour agreement at sector level.After 12:30 p.m., demonstrators are due to attend similar rallies in front of the Presidency and Parliament.
A conference with the participation of researchers from the Romanian Academy and from the university environment in Romania and abroad will be organised next autumn by the Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust Study Group within this forum, agerpres reports.

"For 2022, the calendar of activities includes, among others, the initiation, in Bucharest, in autumn, of an annual conference with the participation of researchers from the Romanian Academy and from the university environment in the country and abroad, the organisation of round tables as part of scientific events with national coverage, the establishment of an editorial collection, which would bring together the studies carried out within the Group," the Romanian Academy informs on Tuesday.The Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust Study Group was established in early 2021.It currently brings together 14 researchers from the institutes of the Romanian Academy working in the social-human fields: "Nicolae Iorga" Institute of History - Bucharest, "AD Xenopol" Institute of History - Iasi, Centre for Transylvanian Studies - Cluj-Napoca, "Gheorghe Sincai" Institute for Social-Human Research - Targu Mures, National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism - Bucharest.The group operates under the patronage of the president of this forum, within the Department of Historical Sciences and Archeology of the Romanian Academy, and is coordinated by Dr. Viorel Achim, principal researcher with the "Nicolae Iorga" Institute of History in Bucharest, a specialist in ethnic minorities in Romania in the 19th-20th centuries, population policy in Romania in 1940-1944, the Holocaust, the history of gypsies / Roma in Romania and south-eastern Europe.Its purpose is to stimulate research in the institutes of the Romanian Academy on the two topics, so that they become within a reasonable time a place that counts in the landscape of international research on the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.An important direction is the stimulation of doctoral students from the School of Advanced Studies of the Romanian Academy, as well as doctoral students from various universities coordinated by members of the Group to address topics dedicated to anti-Semitism and the Holocaust or related topics.Among the public activities organized by the Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust Study Group in the ending year is the collaboration with the "George Baritiu" Institute of History in Cluj-Napoca in the organisation of the round table "Memory of the Holocaust," on January 27, an internal workshop, carried out on December 15-16, in which the research strategy and the planning of the activities were presented and approved.The group is open to collaborating with other research centres and specialists in the country and abroad who study anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, in order to establish a solid and coherent direction for research on this topic.
Save Romania Union (USR, opposition) complaint on the unconstitutionality of the State Budget Law for 2022, was rejected on Tuesday by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR).

According to a CCR release sent to AGERPRES, on Tuesday, the plenum of the Constitutional Court changed, ex officio, the trial term for this complaint, originally set for Wednesday."Following the deliberations, the Constitutional Court, unanimously: rejected, as inadmissible, the objection of unconstitutionality of the provisions of art. 6 para. (2) of the State Budget Law for 2022. It rejected, as unfounded, the objection of unconstitutionality and found that the provisions of art. 54 of the State Budget Law for 2022 are constitutional in relation to the criticism of extrinsic unconstitutionality formulated only to the extent that their application is achieved after a possible amendment or completion of the Law no. 334/2006 on the financing of the activity of political parties and electoral campaigns. It rejected, as unfounded, the objection of unconstitutionality and found that the provisions of art. 56 of the State Budget Law for 2022 are constitutional in relation to the criticisms formulated," it is specified in the press release.Last Friday, USR had filed a complaint of unconstitutionality regarding the 2022 state budget law.The USR representatives invoked the violation of the constitutional provisions on equality before the law ("by not allocating financial resources proportional to the needs in Bucharest's Sector 1, without applying the mechanisms and the allocation algorithm provided for in Law no. 273/2006 on local public finances") and the right to education ("by not allocating the necessary money for local and county transport of students to school, contrary to the National Education Law no. 1/2011").According to the signatories of the complaint, the principles of legality have also been violated ("by adopting an amendment that lacks any motivation and which profits exclusively from the party to which the initiators belong (PPU-SL, Humanist Power Party - Social Liberal), bicameralism ("by adopting in the joint edition of an amendment that circumvents Law no. 334/2006 on the financing of political parties, an organic law that can only be amended and completed separately, first by the Senate, the 'Chamber of Reflection', and then by the Chamber of Deputies, the 'Decision-making Chamber') and the principle of the quality of the law ("by the unclear, imprecise and interpretable nature of numerous provisions").
Weve seen hundreds of movies where the world is about to end, whether its Marvel movies or James Bond or the 70s disaster movies, and it always works out, McKay said recently. I think its not crazy to say that maybe thats part of the reason were not taking the collapse of the livable atmosphere seriously. Elon Musk was asked about climate change and basically said, I know that technology will take care of it. That sounds like someone whos seen a lot of movies where you know that in the third act its going to work out.  For people to see a movie that ends where people dont work to get the happy ending  hopefully some people will have a reaction to that.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, who play a pair of obscure astronomers who discover the comet and struggle to get the world to take the threat seriously, were drawn to the project not just by the sharp-edged comedy but by the very bleakness of the ending.

The end of this movie gets really dark, and had it not had that tonal shift, I dont think we would have been as excited as we were to do it, said DiCaprio, who has been working for years to raise alarms about climate change. You can never tell what a movie is going to do culturally, but the end of this film is really a smack in the face.
Republicans, meanwhile, touted success in blocking an effort to add women to the draft, as well as the inclusion of a provision that bars dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bill includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan, measures intended to counteract Chinas influence in the region.

It also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a show of support in the face of Russian aggression, as well as $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative.

In his statement, the president also outlined a number of provisions his administration opposes over what he characterized as constitutional concerns or questions of construction.
Once again this pandemic is surging and threatening the health of Illinoisans, Pritzker said.

The state is adding 100 people to regional vaccine sites, to help prepare and administer doses and assist with data entry. Starting next week, the states free testing sites will move from operating four days a week to six.

In St. Louis, demand for COVID tests was high: The line at a testing site in The Hill neighborhood on Monday afternoon snaked across the parking lot and down to the street corner, occupying the right lane of Hampton Avenue for a full city block.

The state-run site is located in the parking lot of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1, 5850 Elizabeth Avenue.

Whitney Vails, 30, of St. Louis, said she had tried to get an appointment through a CVS pharmacy, but when she looked online, the first one available was days away.

Its ridiculous, Vails said. It needs to be better organized.

At the same time, case rates are rising across the region.
Northwell Health said it asked for volunteers to get the shots, and that Lindsay happened to go first" among those who raised their hands. The moment was aired on TV, and she became widely regarded as the first American to get the shot outside of a clinical trial.

Since then, Lindsay has been recognized by President Biden as an Outstanding American by Choice, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services program that recognizes citizens who have been naturalized.

With the arrival of the omicron variant and new surges around the country, Lindsay's still addressing fears and misinformation. Some mistakenly believe the shots aren't needed if they eat well and exercise, Lindsay said. Others say the vaccines are a way for the government to track people, or an experiment on Black people.

She said she acknowledges the mistrust in communities of color, which stems from past history. But she reassures people by noting she did her own research before getting her shot, and that there are safeguards in place.
As I look back on 2021, it was the very beginning of the year, most specifically the Jan. 6 insurrection, that, along with the ongoing pandemic, will have the most lasting impact on our lives.

America's unique democratic experiment was under attack that day, and continues to be by those pushing former President Donald Trump's Big Lie that he won the election instead of the true winner, President Joe Biden.

Missouri's own Josh Hawley, a Republican U.S. Senator, created one of the lasting images of that day, raising his fist in support of the men and women who would go on to violently attack the U.S. Capitol and the police officers who protected it.

There were moments, that seem forgotten by some Republicans already, in which it seemed Jan. 6 would unite the nation in understanding that our democracy was under attack. Perhaps in time. Here are the columns I wrote, focusing on Hawley's role, and also that of Attorney General Eric Schmitt, in pushing the Big Lie:
In the St. Louis office, where they do 200 to 300 fugitive investigations a year, it normally it takes days, weeks or maybe a month to find someone, the investigator said. Its rare for it to take longer than a year.

Hogan, the lawyer for one of Hunters girlfriends, Temne Hardaway, said Hunter must have had a lot of friends to stay hidden for so long.

Hunter was both charming and intelligent, Hogan said. Anyone who rises to their top of their business world, whether its legal or illegal, has to be pretty intelligent or charismatic. And he was both.

He also wasnt afraid to take advantage of others, including Hardaway, Hogan said.

He had a lot of people who believed in him and cared about him because they risked a lot by sheltering him all this time, the lawyer said. You dont stay out on the lam without a lot of friends.

Investigators in Los Angeles struck out. But in April 2018, DEA agents discovered that Hunter had somehow obtained a real Georgia drivers license with his picture and someone elses name. That July they raided a girlfriends apartment and found the passport pictures that were used in the ID. Then nothing.
This story just a few days into her administration highlighted the shift in outlook she planned to bring to the city and profiled two people she's tasked with carrying out her plans: Former St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom and former St. Louis police Sgt. Heather Taylor.

2. St. Louis 911 manager says understaffing a danger to public safety, despite improvement. Read the story.

Through a series of stories this year I discovered that it was common for 911 callers to be put on hold for minutes at a time in St. Louis before ever speaking to someone for help. A witness to a crime told me about the delays first and, when I looked into it, I found the city was far below national standards for its 911 response times.

This story stands out to me in the series because a current 911 dispatcher spoke to me in depth to expose failures in the system. I then tracked down years of attempts to address problems in city 911 dating back to at least 2008 that had gone nowhere.
ST. LOUIS  Its the ubiquitous question that dogs college English majors: What are you going to do with that?

The answer, increasingly, is coming from alumni of Washington Universitys Department of English, where the number of majors has grown in the last three years despite a national downward trend.

Were into myth-busting about dying under the heavy engine of STEM, said Vince Sherry, department chair. That is just not true. The English major is eminently usable.

Washington U. is better known for producing doctors and engineers than creative writers and critical thinkers. But the English departments graduates can be found in boardrooms and newsrooms at Google, Knopf Doubleday Publishing and CNN. Nearly one-quarter are working in the business field, followed by law and education as the top three employers, according to the alumni directory.

Sophomore Margaret Dresselhuys of the San Francisco Bay Area said she gets a lot of comments from friends like, This is a really expensive English major. But her mother, a Russian literature major, tells her to Study what you love. Read your books.
Finally, the weekend could bring snow to the area, although Sieveking said theres still uncertainty about the track of that storm and how much cold air will enter the equation. As of Monday afternoon, he said that models were predicting two main paths the storm could take: one that stays farther north, and another that dips more to the south. If the storm stays on a more northern course, St. Louis is likely to see rain and thunderstorms. But if the southern track wins out, the area could see its first accumulation of snow, with the most significant snowfall likely to stay north of Interstate 70.
He pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes in September after the Justice Department said it wouldnt seek the death penalty. Defense attorneys and prosecutors recommended a life sentence, plus 30 years.

That same month, Earnest received another life term under a plea agreement with state charges that spared him the death penalty. His conviction for murder and attempted murder at the synagogue and arson for an earlier fire at a nearby mosque brought a life sentence without parole, plus 137 years in prison.

Minutes after the shooting on the last day of Passover, Earnest called a 911 dispatcher to say he shot up the synagogue to save white people. Im defending our nation against the Jewish people, who are trying to destroy all white people, he said.

The San Diego man was inspired by mass shootings at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shortly before he attacked Chabad of Poway, a synagogue near San Diego, on April 27, 2019. He frequented 8chan, a dark corner of the internet, for those disaffected by mainstream social media sites to post extremist, racist and violent views.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's governor must soon decide whether to free one of America's most notorious assassins, a decision he has said evokes one of the darkest periods in the nation's history.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until sometime next month to allow or block the parole recommendation for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan.

The recommendation by a two-person panel of parole commissioners in August split the iconic Kennedy family more than a half-century after the 1968 slaying of the U.S. senator from New York moments after he claimed victory in Californias pivotal Democratic presidential primary.

More than that, it tore open decades-old wounds lingering from the murders of RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

This is very raw and emotional for people," said Newsom, who keeps RFK photos in both his official and home offices, including one of Kennedy with his late father.

People arent just giving an opinion about yes or no, theyre expressing their memories of that time ... and connecting the dots to the '60s and that stress and anxiety and the wounds, Newsom said after the panel made its recommendation.
A statement from Benjamin Briere's Paris-based lawyer, Philippe Valent, said the feeling of abandonment and distress" has led him "to embark on a hunger strike in order to alert Iranian authorities and French authorities about the absurdity of his detention.

Briere has never been brought before a judge and no date for a trial has been set, the statement said. He is not a spy nor a criminal, but a tourist whose travel is continuing in an aberrant and unfair way in Iranian prisons, it added.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that French officials in Paris and Tehran have been very closely monitoring the situation and that Briere has been contacted by the French Embassy on Monday.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

Rights groups accuse hard-liners in Irans security agencies of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West. Tehran denies it, but there have been such prisoner exchanges in the past.

In March 2020, Iran and France swapped French researcher Roland Marchal for Iranian engineer Jalal Ruhollahnejad.
Transportation Security Administration data shows that the number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints so far during the holiday season went up significantly from last year  on some days double the number of fliers or even more. But the number is generally still short of 2019 levels.

The TSA has predicted that the Monday after New Year's will be one of the busiest days of the holiday season. The CDC's new guidelines could help airlines better navigate the New Year's weekend rush as staffers who got infected are able to come back to work, Harteveldt said.

The U.S. government has issued new rules relating to COVID-19 and travel in recent months, requiring foreigners coming to the U.S. to be vaccinated. It also now requires a negative COVID-19 test for both U.S. citizens and foreigners within a day of flying into the country.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said Monday that the nation should also seriously consider a vaccination mandate for domestic travel as another way to push people to get vaccinated.
The gravitational force that has warped much of this years politics in Missouri was the March announcement by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., that he wouldnt seek reelection in 2022. The temptation of an open Senate seat came just as Republicans here, as around the country, were succumbing to two big, dangerous lies: that ex-President Donald Trump was wrongly expelled from office by vote fraud, and that the pandemic was effectively over.

In fact, Trump lost reelection by 7 million votes and a clear Electoral College margin in the most diligently monitored and thoroughly reviewed election in U.S. history. And new variants of the coronavirus, combined with an anti-vaccination/anti-mask movement that has spread across red-state America like a cancer, have not only kept the pandemic going but have contributed to some of the highest infection rates yet seen in some regions.

Yet most of those who announced that they are vying for the GOP Senate nomination in next years primary  Schmitt, Greitens, gun-toting lawyer Mark McCloskey, a half-dozen others  have embraced those lies, believing the Republican base demands it.
DIXON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- First Northern Bank (OTCQB: FNRN) announced today its membership in Alloy Labs Alliance, a consortium of innovative community banks working together to drive innovation and change for community banking. First Northern Bank is the only member bank from California.

Included in this announcement is the partnership Alloy Labs Alliance has created with Payrailz to create the open payments network, CHUCKTM. The CHUCKTM network will accommodate multiple technology partners and transaction types that will enable community banks to offer more options to their customers, many of whom wish to send money to people using accounts at other banks.

Alloy Labs Alliance chose Payrailz, a digital payments company, as their partner in launching this new payment network. CHUCKTM provides a holistic approach to delivering personalized payments for consumers and businesses in a differentiated, cost-effective way. With the introduction of CHUCKTM community banks will now have a choice when it comes to providing instant payment capabilities and no longer must settle for more expensive, restrictive, and closed networks.

Louise Walker, President & CEO of First Northern Bank, stated, Being a part of Alloy Labs Alliance has been a game changer for First Northern Bank. CHUCKTM is an innovative approach to peer-to-peer (P2P) payments and allows community banks to strongly compete within the digital payments space. This open-payments network is the first of many innovative applications on the Alloy Labs Alliance roadmap that will give community banks a solid leg up in the digital environment that has quickly become a preferred delivery channel for day-to-day financial transactions. First Northern Bank looks forward to its launch of CHUCKTM in the first quarter of 2022. The members of Alloy Labs Alliance are committed to dispelling the myth that community banks cant be cutting edge.

Alloy Labs Alliance community bank members:

American State Bank, Sioux Center, IA

Capital City Bank, Tallahassee, FL

Chesapeake Bank, Kilmarnock, VA

Citizens & Northern Bank, Wellsboro, PA

First Financial Bank, Cincinnati, OH

First Northern Bank, Dixon, CA

Mercantile Bank of Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI

Reading Co-Operative Bank, Reading, MA

Savers Co-Operative Bank, Southbridge, MA

South State Bank, Winter Haven, FL

About First Northern Bank

First Northern Bank is an independent community bank that specializes in relationship banking. The Bank, headquartered in Solano County since 1910, serves Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, Placer and Contra Costa Counties, as well as the west slope of El Dorado County. Experts are available in small-business, commercial, real estate and agribusiness lending, as well as mortgage loans. The Bank is an SBA Preferred Lender. Non-FDIC insured Investment and Brokerage Services are available at every branch location, including Dixon, Davis, West Sacramento, Fairfield, Vacaville, Winters, Woodland, Sacramento, Roseville, Auburn and Rancho Cordova. The Bank also has a commercial lending office in Walnut Creek. Real estate mortgage and small-business loan officers are available by appointment in any of the Banks 11 branches. First Northern is rated as a Veribanc Blue Ribbon Bank and a 5-Star Superior Bank by Bauer Financial for the earnings period ended September 30, 2021. For more information, visit thatsmybank.com.

About Alloy Labs Alliance

Alloy Labs Alliance is a member-driven, shared innovation lab that helps banks innovate effectively and efficiently to reduce risks, lower costs, and shorten the time between ideas and results. Alloy Labs leverages the network effects of more than 40 institutions working together to share information, develop proprietary insights, develop partnerships and benchmark return on investment. Alloy Labs also operates The Concept Lab, a reverse accelerator that helps banks cement relationships with startups accepted into the program, and a Strategic Investment Group that invest in startup partners. For more information, visit alloylabs.com.

About Payrailz

Payrailz is a digital payments company offering advanced payment capabilities and experiences including consumer and business bill pay, external and internal transfers, new account funding, P2P, B2B, and B2C and other related solutions to banks and credit unions. Payrailz creates smarter payment experiences for the financial services industry that are predictive and more engaging than currently available alternatives. Financial institutions can confidently embrace Payrailz API-first and cloud-native technology engine, to offer unique payment solutions to their consumers and businesses. Payrailz helps financial institutions meet the payment expectation of today and the payment innovation needs of tomorrow. For more information, visit payrailz.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211227005109/en/

Kimberly A. DeBra

EVP/Chief Communications Officer

First Northern Bank

P.O. Box 547

Dixon, California

(916) 570-1231

Source: First Northern Bank
ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully integrated solar project developer, today announced that it entered an agreement to sell a 12MWp portfolio of projects in Spain. The portfolio consists of two ground-mounted projects (collectively known as "the Caravaca Project" or the "Project") located in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz in the southern region of Murcia. The sale will be consummated at the "ready-to-build" stage, which is planned for early 2022.

The Caravaca Project is the most advanced project in ReneSola Power's over 300 MW pipeline of projects at different development stages in Spain.

The transaction is structured as a share purchase agreement with the aream Group ("aream"), a successful international solar investment company headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Caravaca Project is being developed by ReneSola Power and a partner; and the Project is owned by a special purpose vehicle ("SPV") which in turn is jointly owned by ReneSola Power and its partner. In this agreement, aream will purchase the Company's ownership position in the SPV.

Mr. Patrick Lemcke-Braselmann, Managing Director of aream, commented, "ReneSola Power is a prestigious global solar project developer doing excellent work in Europe. This new partnership enabled ReneSola Power to contribute to our non-profit PowerOneForOne Foundation that supports selected rural electrification projects in developing countries. We are excited to grow our portfolio exposure to solar energy by adding the Caravaca Project in Spain. This is a high quality project that will offer us attractive returns over the life of the installation. This transaction can definitely serve as a role model for further joint transactions."

Ms. Chloe Durieux, Country Director for Spain and France at ReneSola Power, noted, "We are thrilled to sell our first project in Spain to an international investor. This achievement is the first of many we expect from our effort to build our Spanish presence over the past couple of years."

Mr. Josef Kastner, CEO of ReneSola Power European Region, said, "We are excited to partner with aream, and look forward to future collaboration. I am proud of our team's achievement and appreciate the support of our M&A advisor Capcora."

Capcora, a German consulting company, acted as M&A advisor to ReneSola Power in this transaction.
In a memo to the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Reps. Barbara Lee and Earl Blumenauer wrote that the growing bipartisan momentum for marijuana reform show that Congress is ready for progress next year, noting that they were close to making its marijuana laws and policies align with the views of Americans.

This comes after several proposals were introduced, including federal initiatives that will expunge criminal records of cannabis offenders and

Read More>>

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SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Born2Global Centre released an article that highlights the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT)'s Korean Digital New Deal. As part of the Korean government MSIT, Born2Global Centre has played a crucial role by connecting Korean startups with various opportunities worldwide.

As the COVID-19 pandemic halted most in person economic activities, we now live in an era where digital transformation based on cutting-edge technologies is a necessity.

We've witnessed businesses emerging from the pandemic crisis to become leading players in many industries. The common trait that these companies have is that they are armed with remarkable digital technological capabilities.

As having digital prowess makes or breaks businesses in this pandemic era, this year the Digital New Deal -- an initiative that the Korean government has carried out since last year -- played a pivotal role in maximizing the digital capacity of Korean tech companies. Some of the participating companies in the initiative generated great outcomes across many industrial sectors.

More than one year into the national-level policy, the Ministry of Science and ICT selected 27 outstanding Digital New Deal performances and "Eight Key Players of 2021."

The eight key players include Crowdworks, Modusign, Pluxity, Alchera, Douzone Bizon, Wisenut, Ubion, and i-Scream edu. The ministry recognized these companies for their great contributions in enhancing their existing advanced data and AI technologies and applying them across all Korean industries.

Crowdworks revitalizes Korea's data markets

Among the eight key players is Crowdworks, a tech firm that collects and processes data used for AI-powered services. Being part of the Data Dam project, one of the Digital New Deal's core components, the firm established data for AI learning to address "deepfake" technology by identifying fake videos. In the process, it hired around 5,000 people tasked with establishing and examining collected data, which the ministry said led to job creation across the nation.

"Crowdworks played a crucial role in building data infrastructure and revitalizing domestic data markets," said the ministry.

Pluxity digitalizes manufacturing process systems

Another key player Pluxity owns a "digital twin" solution that uses real world data to create simulations that can predict how a product or process will perform. As part of the AI Fusion project, the tech firm set up kiosks at subway stations in Busan, providing digital twin-powered services which help people determine the best routes to their destinations. From January to October this year, the kiosks offered around 7,000 services, especially helping the vulnerable, including those with disabilities and the elderly, to find their way. The technologically empowered system resulted in reducing people's travel time by 25 percent on average.

"Pluxity has contributed to innovating process systems and infrastructure in the manufacturing industry which led to safer and more productive environments for the public," said the ministry.

Alchera disseminates Korean AI technology

Alchera is a leading company in AI-based face recognition. The company developed solutions that identify faces in three-dimensional (3D) images that are recognized and analyzed by AI-powered deep learning technology. They put these solutions in place at facilities such as airports, enhancing the security and efficiency of gate access management.

In December last year, this state-of-the-art technology made Alchera the first AI company to be listed on the KOSDAQ and attracted investments worth roughly KRW 49 billion (USD 41.2 million).

Douzone Bizon makes working environments 'smart'

Douzone Bizon is a developer of AI-powered e-business solutions. Based on the collection and analysis of 1,840,000 data collected from enterprises, the firm provides AI services for strategic enterprise management involving, for instance, accounting, human resources, logistics, and inventory. Its solutions have been installed at more than 20,000 companies thus far and have garnered about KRW 500 billion (USD 421.2 million) from both domestic and foreign investors.

"Douzone Bizon's big data-based platform has improved enterprise process and management in a smart way. Thanks to the technology, businesses enjoy more efficient working environments and safer data management," the ministry said.

The list of 2021 Digital New Deal key players also includes the cloud-based electronic contract company Modusign, the AI chatbot provider Wisenut, and lastly e-learning software developers Ubion and i-Scream edu. The ministry lauded the companies as innovators that fueled non-face-to-face, AI- and cloud-based technology across all Korean industries.

"Next year, the government will continue to support the growth of Korean tech companies in the markets by investing an additional KRW 9 trillion into the Digital New Deal programs," said Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT Cho Kyeong-sik, "We will do our best to accelerate digital transformation and further expand the remarkable outcomes of the Digital New Deal across the nation and to many other sectors," he added.

For more detailed information on Digital New Deal, contact tech.press@born2global.com.

Media contact

Born2Global Centre: tech.press@born2global.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-new-deal-key-players-pioneer-industrial-innovation-in-2021-301450844.html

SOURCE Born2Global Centre
Mark Gooch, a U.S. airman arrested on April 21, 2020, in the death of Sasha Krause, a Mennonite school teacher whose body was found off a forest road in northern Arizona, will be sentenced in January 2022, authorities announced on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Maricopa County Sheriffs Office)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  A U.S. Air Force airman who was convicted of killing a Mennonite woman after kidnapping her in New Mexico and taking her to Arizona will be sentenced next month.

An Arizona judge during a status hearing on Tuesday scheduled Mark Gooch's sentencing for Jan. 19. His attorney and the prosecution agreed they were ready to proceed and asked the judge to schedule the sentencing as soon as possible.

Gooch, 22, faces up to life in prison.

Jurors in October found Gooch guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder in Sasha Krause's killing. The two didn't know each other and lived hundreds of miles apart but shared an upbringing in the Mennonite religion. Krause committed to the church, while Gooch did not.

Krause, 27, was last seen in January 2020 at the church in her tight-knit Mennonite community outside Farmington, where she was gathering material for Sunday school.

Her body was found more than a month later in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff, nearly 300 milesaway. A camper collecting firewood spotted Krause face-down among pine needles near a national monument. Krause's wrists were bound, and she had been shot in the head.

During the trial last fall, jurors heard 10 days of testimony from those who knew Krause and investigated her disappearance. They heard from ballistics experts who disagreed on whether the bullet taken from her skull was fired from a .22-caliber rifle Gooch owned.

Gooch's attorney, Bruce Griffen, tried to raise doubt by pointing to a lack of forensic evidence and to testimony about another car seen in the Mennonite community the day Krause went missing. He said Gooch was peaceful and volunteered information to a detective who interviewed him at Luke Air Force Base in metropolitan Phoenix, where he was stationed.

Authorities used cellphone and financial records as well as surveillance video to tie Gooch to the crimes.
German and American firefighters battle flames at an agricultural storage area in Delkenheim, Germany, early Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. U.S. Army firefighters from Wiesbaden helped extinguish the fire, which broke out in a large manure heap. (Wiesbaden Fire Department)

A blaze in a manure pile the size of an Olympic swimming pool was extinguished Tuesday in Wiesbaden, Germany, with help from a U.S. Army fire crew.

The fire broke out about 5 a.m. at an agricultural companys depot in Delkenheim, a part of Wiesbaden, said Fabian Kiefer at the city fire station headquarters. The burning dung heap measured 2,750 cubic yards.

A firefighter extinguishes flames at an agricultural storage area in Delkenheim, Germany, early Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. U.S. Army firefighters stationed at Wiesbaden helped their German counterparts. (Wiesbaden Fire Department)

Kiefer did not have a damage estimate. The fire did not appear to have been set intentionally and was likely caused by the piles own heat, a Wiesbaden police spokesman said.

The military sent a special truck usually used on fires at airfields because of its large-capacity water tank, the fire station said. The truck was very helpful at the beginning, as up to 45 firefighters battled the blaze at its peak, fire officials said.

A U.S. Army firetruck at the scene of a fire in Delkenheim, Germany, early Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. About 2,750 cubic yards of dung at an agricultural facility caught on fire. A police spokesman said the manure piles own heat likely was the cause. (Wiesbaden Fire Department)

The scene was near the military airfield at Clay Kaserne and the American crew arrived quickly, Kiefer said.

U.S. and local German fire crews train together frequently, Kiefer said. The fire station has a good idea of what equipment the military operates and what to request, though the base is not required to send it.

Hours later, the Wiesbaden fire brigade was still pulling apart the huge pile of dung to make it easier to extinguish, but Kiefer said the fire was under control, and only a few firefighters remained by the afternoon.

German and American crews extinguish a fire in Delkenheim, Germany, early Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. U.S. Army firefighters from Wiesbaden provided assistance with their airfield firetruck, which has a large-capacity water storage tank. (Wiesbaden Fire Department)

The Wiesbaden garrison did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails about the blaze.

The fire department at Clay Kaserne is staffed by some Germans, such as Karin Morrell, who the garrison said last year became the first woman in Europe to earn the title of assistant fire chief for prevention.

Crews use heavy equipment to extinguish hot spots at the scene of a fire at an agricultural storage area in Delkenheim, Germany, early Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Wiesbaden Fire Department)

The Americans build relationships with local fire departments because theyre likely to be the first on scene if military aircraft have off-base emergencies, Fire Chief Daniel Corzelius said in a 2019 statement.

We rely on each other, he said.

Stars and Stripes reporter David Edge in Wiesbaden contributed to this report.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, calls for President Joe Biden to declare Castner Range a national monument. (Anthony Jackson, El Paso Times/TNS)

EL PASO, Texas (Tribune News Service)  U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, coauthored a letter with two high ranking House members urging the U.S. Army to collaborate with other federal departments on the environmental remediation of Castner Range.

Escobar coauthored the letter with Democratic U.S. Reps. Raul Grijalva and John Garamendi. Grijalva represents a portion of southern Arizona and is chair of the House Natural Resources Committee; Garamendi represents a portion of northern California and is chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.

The letter was sent Dec. 16 to Jack Surash, deputy assistant secretary of the Army.

The authors said the Army entering into a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management would be an "important initial step" to facilitate the transfer of the land to the Department of the Interior.

"Given the potential for creation of a national monument, we believe that Bureau of Land Management participation at this stage would be prudent," the letter read. "Working in concert from the initial stages of the process will allow the Army and BLM to work efficiently and avoid the cost of rework, as well as identifying and prioritizing areas for remediation based on public access and cultural, historic, and natural resources."

According to the letter, if the lands were transferred to the DOI, the department could provide public access to the land as well as supporting conservation of the site's natural, historical and cultural values.

The proposed Castner Range National Monument has received support from the El Paso City Council, El Paso County Commissioners Court, El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board and numerous local organizations like the Exercise, No Extra Fries hiking group and the Frontera Land Alliance.

"The community surrounding the Range has expressed support for the creation of Castner Range National Monument that would provide permanent protection and appropriate recreational access to portions of Castner Range," the letter read.

On April 19, Escobar introduced H.B. 2752 to designate Castner Range as a national monument.

Between 1926 and 1966, the site was used as a firing range for small arms, assault weapons, and field and air-defense artillery.

Since 2017, the Bureau of Land Management and the Army pledged to collaborate on reviewing historical, cultural, and natural resource values, as well as providing public access opportunities.

"The community has worked for decades to see these lands protected and opened to the public, and we urge the Army to use all the tools at its disposal, including entering into an MOU with the BLM, to make progress towards those goals," the letter read.

To sign a petition asking President Joe Biden to designate Castner Range as a national monument, visit CastnerRangeNationalMonument.org.

ADJackson@elpasotimes.com

2021 www.elpasotimes.com.

Visit elpasotimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A tunnel inside of the Red Hill underground fuel storage facility in Hawaii, Jan. 26, 2018. (Shannon Haney/U.S. Navy)

HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  A top official with the Department of the Navy has apologized to Hawaii residents for comments made during a contested case hearing last week on the Navy's Red Hill fuel facility.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Balocki said during the hearing that the petroleum contamination within the Navy's drinking water system that serves about 93,000 people in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam didn't constitute a crisis. He also testified during the hearing that he was not aware of anyone who had gotten sick from the water contamination.

Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele in a letter sent last week to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro as "insulting and offensive."

In response, Under Secretary of the Navy Meredith Berger apologized in a letter to Kahele, sent Friday.

"On behalf of the entire Department of the Navy, we are sincerely sorry," she wrote. "We will work tirelessly until the drinking water contamination situation at Red Hill is resolved. Our team remains in critical response mode to ensure we are effective, swift, and comprehensive in all of our lines of effort, from support to families and residents to remediation."

Berger said she had personally spoken to Balocki and that "he is remorseful for his choice of words during the hearing."

"Jim fully appreciates the pain his words have caused, and he regrets that he did not reflect empathy or understanding for the substantial impact of this situation on both people and the environment," she wrote.

Balocki, a civil service employee, serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy and assistant Secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment. He was sent to Hawaii to assist with the response to the contamination in the Red Hill shaft and was on Oahu for two weeks, beginning Dec. 1.

Several thousand military families have been relocated to hotels, primarily in Waikiki, as the Navy continues the work of flushing its distribution lines to remove petroleum contamination. The underground Red Hill facility is believed to be the source of the contamination.

Users of the Navy's water system began reporting a fuel smell from their tap water toward the end of November, along with symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes and headaches that are associated with exposure to petroleum contamination in water.

(c)2021 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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By tradition, the communique at the end of every Gulf Cooperation Council summit meeting is a bromide about friendship among the member states - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. The joint declaration is usually long on promise but short on any real purpose beyond concealing discord.

Even by that low standard, the document released at the end of the latest gathering of Gulf leaders in Riyadh on Dec. 14 was the wispiest of fig leaves. The usual invocation of unity did little to hide the growing rivalry between the groups two most important members, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

For me, the widening divergence of economic, security and foreign-policy interests between the kingdom and the confederation of emirates was one of the most important stories of 2021. How the contest plays out will have a large bearing not only on the affairs of the Arabian Peninsula but on the geopolitics of the wider Middle East. In particular, it poses a challenge for the U.S., which has long relied on the friendship between the two states as a bulwark against Iran.

Some of the differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE stem from economic choices made by their leaders, others from contrasting security calculations and still others from ideological considerations. These havent yet added up to open antagonism between them, certainly nothing in the nature of the naked hostility they jointly directed at Qatar during a three-year economic embargo that ended at the start of 2021.

The Saudi-Emirati rivalry is certain to sharpen, however. Eventually, the deepening tensions will put businesses and investors in the awkward position of having to choose between them for political rather than economic reasons.

The two countries, which share a 300-mile border, have a long history of amity. They drew exceptionally close to each other after the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, when monarchs on both sides recognized the threat posed by popular pro-democracy movements.

The bonds deepened in the middle of the decade, with the emergence of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the power behind the throne in Riyadh. MBS, as he is commonly known, developed a close friendship with his opposite number, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, known as MBZ. The Emirati, arguably the Arab worlds most influential leader, became a mentor to the young Saudi. By 2017, when MBS was formally named crown prince, their two countries were allies in a war in Yemen as well as the embargo of Qatar.

In both conflicts, it was widely assumed that the older man had guided the hand of his protege. MBZ had persuaded MBS that their countries were imperiled by Dohas support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that regards the Saudi and Emirati royal families as enemies. He had also brought the Saudi prince around to the view that Iran and its network of proxy militias, including the Houthis in Yemen, represented the greatest threat to them both.

Together, the Saudis and Emiratis lobbied the Trump administration to ratchet up its so-called maximum pressure campaign of economic sanctions against the regime in Tehran and welcomed the 2018 American withdrawal from the nuclear deal the Islamic Republic had struck with the world powers.

To a lesser degree, the two countries were wary of Turkeys growing influence in the Muslim world. When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested MBS had been behind the assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the UAE endorsed the Saudi explanation for the death.

There were other signs of Emirati influence on the Saudi crown prince. MBSs ambitious plans for social reform, including some freedoms for women and curbs on religious authority, seemed designed to bring the conservative kingdom closer in its mores to the relatively liberal UAE. His Vision 2030 project to wean the Saudi economy from its dependence on oil revenue was inspired at least in part by the UAEs successful diversification into areas like tourism and transportation logistics.

But the two princes couldnt remain joined at the hip forever. By 2019, MBZs security calculus was turning away from a confrontation with Tehran and its proxies. The UAE began to pull out of the war in Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels had proved impossible to defeat. The Saudis were unhappy to be left carrying the can, but MBS didnt publicly criticize his mentor.

The following year, when the UAE broke from the Arab boycott of Israel and signed the Abraham Accords, inspiring three other countries to follow suit, the Saudis made it clear they wouldnt be joining the pack. Then it was Riyadhs turn to withdraw from a common effort: Toward the end of 2020, MBS decided unilaterally to end the embargo of Qatar. The Emiratis grumbled, but went along.

In 2021, it was the economic competition between them that took centerstage. MBZ accelerated the process of ending the UAEs geopolitical disputes - notably with Turkey and Syria - to focus on economic challenges at home. MBS, likewise, stepped up his quest to make Saudi Arabia the Arab Peninsulas leading destination for business and investment.

The two sides then broke long tradition by openly bickering over oil production quotas in July; the UAE demanded the right to sell more even as the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel wanted to curb output. A compromise was eventually reached, but a miffed Riyadh banned flights to the UAE - the Covid pandemic was cited as the reason, but nobody was fooled.

The Saudis ratcheted up the tension by challenging GCCs preferential tariff arrangements. Hardest hit were the companies operating in the UAEs free zones, which use their proximity to the much larger Saudi market to attract businesses. Riyadh was already pressuring foreign companies to move their regional headquarters to the kingdom, threatening to cut off state contracts for those that failed to relocate. The Saudis also approached thousands of companies around the world with tax breaks and other incentives to use their desert capital as a global business hub.

Acutely aware that its own market is much smaller, the UAE responded to the Saudi challenge by playing up its strengths, such as the relatively liberal lifestyle foreigners can enjoy in cosmopolitan cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It introduced new visa rules to attract foreign talent. And for good measure, the UAE announced it would switch to a Monday-Friday work week to bring its economy in line with international norms.

The intensifying economic competition coincided with a diplomatic surge from both MBS and MBZ. Ahead of the GCC summit, the Saudi prince conducted a whirlwind tour of the member states; among other things, he was reportedly seeking a consensus on how to deal with Iran. Although they have held some backchannel talks with the Iranians, brokered by Iraq, the Saudis remain anxious that Tehrans accelerated uranium enrichment program is bringing it ever closer to nuclear weapons capability.

The Emiratis, meanwhile, are pursuing more open diplomacy with the Islamic Republic. MBZ sent his brother and national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, to Tehran in early December. Irans hardline President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to visit the UAE, possibly in early 2022.

The Emiratis seem to have decided they can no longer depend on the U.S. for protection against Iran. Among other things, this calculation may have informed the UAEs recent decision to suspend talks with the Biden administration over the purchase of F-35 jets and other weaponry. And they arent persuaded that their deepening friendship with Israel will make up for the loss of the American security umbrella. The Iranians will play on these anxieties to try to widen the gap between the UAE and its allies, both next door and further West.

The regime in Tehran will have been delighted to hear a top Emirati diplomat advocating against more economic sanctions even as the U.S. was warning of tighter restraints if the nuclear program isnt reversed. But the change in the UAEs tone wont have been welcome in Riyadh; Saudi cities and oil installations remain under constant threat of Iranian-made missiles fired from Houthi positions in Yemen. The latest round of talks between the world powers and Iran began on Monday, but arent likely to roll back Tehrans nuclear program.

For the Biden administration, any deepening of divisions between the Arab Gulf allies potentially weakens American pressure on Iran, as well as presenting a diplomatic headache in and of itself. And it would bode ill for the next GCC summit, in Oman, next year.

Not that you would be able to tell from the communique, of course.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and Africa.
Muhammad Fahim Salimi throws a comforter over his bed in his Northampton, Mass., apartment. He is one of 68 Afghan evacuees resettled to the Pioneer Valley by Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. (Don Treeger, The Republican/TNS)

REFUGEES-COMMENT 1341 words U.S. communities that welcome Afghan refugees will be glad they did Special To The Washington Post  Steve Tobocman, Alan Mallach  OPINION, OP-ED  Dec 28, 2021 - 9:54 AM In September, the Biden White House announced that the United States would welcome 95,000 people from Afghanistan over the next year. Not since the mass immigration of Cubans and Haitians to Miami over 40 years ago has the nation welcomed so many new arrivals in such a short period of time. Despite our countrys political polarization, most Americans have joined in welcoming these new residents. Elected officials across both sides of the political aisle and the governors of red and blue states alike have offered to help resettle Afghan families.

While federal policies dictate who enters the United States and the level of short-term resettlement support, cities and towns across our nation will help their new neighbors adjust and integrate, and the effects - both positive and negative - of immigration are typically felt at the local level. As these communities prepare to welcome Afghan refugees and asylum seekers as a measure of gratitude for their support of U.S. troops and concern about their future safety, people who already live here undoubtedly have concerns about what it will take to integrate these arrivals and how theyll affect long-term residents and local economies as we recover from a global pandemic.

Our recent research on rapid immigration in two Detroit neighborhoods suggests that communities welcoming Afghan immigrants have much to look forward to, and that their arrival could particularly benefit other postindustrial cities faced with depopulation and job loss, as well as other struggling communities. Despite pockets of revitalization, Detroit is still struggling: Septembers census figures confirmed that, for the fifth decade in a row, the citys population had declined. While the citys mayor, Mike Duggan, is contesting the count, the continued exodus is undeniable, as is its toll: poverty, abandoned homes and storefronts, and a shrinking tax base for too many Detroit neighborhoods.

The two neighborhoods we studied - Banglatown, straddling the border of Detroit and the city of Hamtramck, Mich., and Chadsey Condon, on the citys southwest side - look very different from the rest of the area despite having the same income levels and decades of population loss that plague so much of Detroit. Thats because the number of immigrants - mostly from Bangladesh, Yemen, Mexico and Central and South America - in these two neighborhoods has grown by nearly 50% over the past 20 years, from around 12,000 to 17,500, while the citywide population plummeted more than 25% over the same period.

Population growth is just the beginning of the story. Tax foreclosures, evictions, crime and vacant houses - problems plaguing large swaths of Detroit - were all lower in these two neighborhoods and declining faster than elsewhere. While homeowners have been increasingly replaced by absentee investors across Detroit, homeownership increased in these two neighborhoods, despite immigrants modest incomes. More than 100 new businesses have opened along Conant Street in the heart of Banglatown: A strip plagued by vacancies a decade ago now bustles with activity and energy with spice shops, halal restaurants and butchers, Bangladeshi restaurants and clothing stores, doctors, dentists and cellphone outlets.

Our study found that residents of these neighborhoods - immigrant and nonimmigrant alike - were more satisfied with and more optimistic about their neighborhoods. They felt safer than people in the rest of the city. And these benefits occurred without the downsides of gentrification.

In Detroit, immigrants are no more affluent than their neighbors. As homeowners and renters, they are largely replacing residents who are leaving and filling up vacant properties, rather than displacing those who wished to stay. The storefronts they are moving into are often empty or underutilized. This experience should prove instructive for other postindustrial cities looking to stabilize neighborhoods without displacing the longtime residents and businesses that have remained through thick and thin.

Cities can learn from the promising practices new immigrants may bring. Our study found that real estate activity in Banglatown and Chadsey Condon was occurring outside the formal banking and mortgage financial systems, as immigrants leveraged their own financial resources and community capital networks to buy and fix up homes. Cities can boost homeownership and property improvement by building on these nontraditional methods of financing. They might help immigrants acquire vacant property from government and public land banks, as well as provide housing counseling services in immigrants native languages. Local governments must be careful, however, not to quash the organic ways immigrants will find to thrive in their new communities, with the creation of new, unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.

The impacts of rapid immigration are most profound in communities with larger immigrant and refugee clusters than the 250 or 500 new Afghan arrivals that most communities will see. Still, the profound impacts observed in our research were centered in Banglatown, where the Bangladeshi community grew from 2,000 foreign-born residents to 6,000 over 18 years, suggesting that even small numbers of new arrivals can lead to benefits.

Historically, when refugee groups have been settled in small numbers in many different places, over the subsequent years, they tend to cluster in a smaller number of those places, creating larger ethnic nodes. We suspect the same thing will happen with Afghan refugees, which only further underscores the benefit to communities pursuing welcoming policies - they likely will attract additional Afghan families as secondary migrants.

These new Afghan neighbors will not likely squeeze U.S. workers out of jobs. In fact, the economist David Card, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on real-world labor markets, found that the labor impacts from the Mariel boatlift - in which 150,000 Cubans and Haitians arrived in South Florida between May and September 1980 - suggest the opposite.

Cards research found that this large influx of lower-skilled labor had virtually no effect on the wage rates of less-skilled non-Cuban workers, nor evidence of an increase in unemployment among less-skilled Black residents or other non-Cuban workers. The same was true for Cuban workers already in Miami. Simply put, immigration is not a zero-sum game between immigrants and the people who are already here.

Successful integration efforts must consider the social, as well as the economic, issues that will arise. While our focus groups, surveys and interviews found no open hostility between Detroits immigrants and their U.S.-born neighbors, we also found little interaction between the groups, and we turned up a degree of suspicion and misunderstanding between them.

Communities welcoming large numbers of Afghan arrivals should make intentional efforts to build social cohesion between immigrant and longtime community members, such as inviting new immigrants to block club meetings and other community planning efforts or using the arts as a way to build bridges between cultures. The challenges involved in connecting long-term residents and new immigrant communities are real, but also are surmountable, as were the tensions between immigrants and their neighbors going back to the 19th century.

Welcoming America and scores of official welcoming cities and counties across America have shown how to build bridges between immigrants and longtime residents and develop mutual trust and understanding. States and cities are creating offices of immigrant affairs, multi-sector nonprofit initiatives, small business support centers and workforce development entities that help immigrants navigate their new hometowns while recognizing the value immigrant inclusion brings to all members of their communities. This infrastructure, which already exists, can be tapped to assist communities with their new Afghan arrivals.

We can make welcoming Afghan arrivals part of our recovery from the health and economic crises of the past 18 months. The same benefits and opportunities we observed in Detroit are happening across the American heartland, including neighborhoods revitalized by Bosnians in St. Louis, Ahiska Turks in Dayton, Somalis in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Burmese in Buffalo. Immigration is good for cities and neighborhoods, and an immigrant welcoming strategy is good for America.

Steve Tobocman is the executive director of Global Detroit and a former Michigan state legislator from Detroit.

Alan Mallach is a senior fellow with the Center for Community Progress and author of The Divided City: Poverty and Prosperity in Urban America.
Navy personnel prepare massive carbon filter systems on Dec. 18, 2021, that will be used to flush contaminated water from military communities near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. (Luke McCall/U.S. Navy)

HONOLULU  A Hawaii state official on Monday agreed that the Navy should be required to remove fuel from massive fuel tanks it owns near Pearl Harbor, saying they pose a metaphorical ticking time bomb threatening the water supply of the state's most populous island.

Deputy Attorney General David Day led two days of hearings for the Department of Health last week before making his recommendation. The Navy had appealed an earlier order from Gov. David Ige to defuel the tanks.

The evidence shows that the Red Hill Facility is simply too old, too poorly designed, too difficult to maintain, too difficult to inspect, along with being too large to prevent future releases, wrote Day in his recommendation.

Department of Health Deputy Director Marian Tsuji will consider Days recommendation when making a final decision. The Navy, the Sierra Club of Hawaii and Honolulus water utility have until Wednesday to object to Days recommendations.

The Navy didn't immediately comment on the substance of Day's findings.

We are aware of the proposed decision and have no further statement at this time, said Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, the Navy's chief of information.

The governor ordered the Navy to remove the fuel after fuel leaked from the facility last month and contaminated the Navy's tap water system serving some 93,000 people in and around Pearl Harbor.

Starting in late November, about a thousand people in military housing complained their water smelled like fuel, and hundreds complained of nausea, rashes and other physical ailments.

More than 3,000 military families have had to move to hotels or other alternative housing for the past several weeks because they have been unable to use the water in their homes.

Day included his recommendations in a 32-page report that said the Red Hill facility poses an imminent threat to human health and safety or the environment.

He said there have been at least 76 fuel-releasing incidents involving nearly 200,000 gallons since the tanks were built in the early 1940s.

The evidence presented at the hearing indicated more releases of fuel are basically inevitable, he said.

During the hearing, he said, the Navy offered a working theory regarding how its water system became contaminated last month. That theory posited that jet fuel released during the refilling of Tank 20 on May 6 got into the facility's fire suppression system. This fire suppression system then leaked the liquid in November, according to the theory.

The Navy did not state with any exacting reliability a full picture of what happened, or why and how the release occurred," Day wrote.

He said the November release demonstrated that the problems within the Red Hill Facility, as it is currently situated, are beyond the Navy's ability to control.

Day wrote the tanks threaten more than the Navy's own water system, noting the Navy and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply share the aquifer that sits under the fuel tanks.

This aquifer, Day said, supplies 77% of Oahu's overall water supply. The island has no alternative drinking water source, or combination of sources, that could supply 50% or more of Honolulu's drinking water, he said.
Sailors man the rails as the amphibious assault ship USS America arrives in Sasebo, Japan, Dec. 6, 2019. (Vincent Zline/U.S. Navy)

A person from Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, who died in the past week of unknown causes was afterward confirmed positive for the coronavirus, according to a base spokesman on Tuesday.

The deceased was affiliated with the Navy, but the base did not specify in what capacity.

That person was tested prior to receiving care at a Japanese hospital and subsequently died there, base spokesman Aki Nichols told Stars and Stripes in a phone call Tuesday. He said the test came back positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, after the persons death.

The cause is unknown, Nichols said. Its circumstantial as far as were concerned that the person was positive, we found that out after his death.

He said no further information about the cause of death is forthcoming.

Nichols said he could not confirm any of the persons details, including gender, military unit or organizational affiliation or position under the status of forces agreement, which outlines rights and responsibilities of U.S. service members, civilian employees and family members in Japan.

Another 16 people tested positive in the same period, eight after showing symptoms of COVID-19 and eight during medical screening, according to a base announcement Tuesday on its Facebook page. Sasebo Naval Base has 17 active cases.

The spike in new cases comes after three months of relative quiet at Sasebo, where a U.S. expeditionary strike group is located on the southern island of Kyushu. The 16 cases reported Tuesday are the most Sasebo has confirmed since 14 on Sept. 14.

Other bases in Japan are experiencing similar COVID-19 spurts after months of relatively few or no confirmed cases.

So far in December, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima has reported 16 new cases of COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, 13 of them since Friday, according to news releases from the base.

Of the 13, three tested positive while in restricted movement, a less strict version of quarantine, according to the base. Eight tested positive over the weekend and five since Monday, according to base news releases Monday and Tuesday.

One person, a Japanese employee of the base, tested positive for the rapidly spreading, month-old omicron variant, according to a response by the MCAS Iwakuni public affairs office to a Facebook comment Dec. 24. All that persons close contacts tested negative, according to the base response.

MCAS Iwakuni is home to the Navys Carrier Air Wing 5, fighters and other aircraft attached to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan; Marine Aircraft Group 12, which includes fighters and aerial refuelers; and Fleet Air Wing 31 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

A spokesman for the base, 2nd Lt. Aaron Ellis, on Tuesday said by email he could not immediately provide further information.

On Okinawa, a cluster of cases at Camp Hansen, a Marine Corps base, grew from 260 on Monday to 277 on Tuesday, according to Okinawa prefecture. The Marine Corps has not stated whether any of those cases, which arose in a recently arrived Marine rotational unit, are of the omicron variant.

At Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, a Japanese employee tested positive for the omicron variant, according to a spokesman for the prefectural Department of Public Health and Medical Care on Tuesday.

Since Dec. 17, Okinawa authorities have reported eight Japanese employees at Marine bases have tested positive for omicron.

Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan, reported 14 active cases on Dec. 22.

Yokosuka Naval Base, homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet south of Tokyo, confirmed 10 cases so far in December, six of them on Thursday, according to base news releases.

Stars and Stripes reporters Jonathan Snyder, Alex Wilson, Hana Kusumoto and Matthew M. Burke contributed to this report.

Ditzler.joseph@stripes.com Twitter: @JosephDitzler
U.S. Army Gen. Robert B. Abrams, U.S. Forces Korea commander, is shown here in November 2018. (Alexandria Craw/U.S. Air Force)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  South Koreas Ministry of National Defense on Monday pushed back against remarks by a former commander of U.S. Forces Korea who said wartime plans against North Korea must account for Chinas militaristic influence in the region.

North Koreas weapons testing demonstrates that it persists as a threat, but the Chinese military also has to be accounted for in the war plan, retired Gen. Robert Abrams, who led USFK and U.N. Command until July, said on Voice of America on Saturday.

Its not a secret that they have increased their presence in and around the Korean Peninsula since 2010, Abrams said, referring to Chinas military.

These are indications of things that have to be accounted for in the war plan that the current [guidance] does not contain, he said.

Abrams was talking about the next version of the Strategic Planning Guidance, a joint U.S.-South Korean military plan for a potential war with North Korea.

However, South Korean Ministry of Defense spokesman Boo Seung-chan on Monday described Abrams remarks as his personal opinion and his reference to China as very surprising.

During a news conference, Boo recalled that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Suh Wook agreed to update the decade-old war plan to address emerging threats and situational changes.

In his VOA interview, Abrams referenced the many times in which Chinese aircraft entered South Koreas air defense identification zone  a buffer between a countrys airspace and international airspace in which approaching aircraft are expected to identify themselves.

Two Chinese and seven Russian military aircraft flew into the South Korean zone on Nov. 19, prompting South Korea to scramble fighter jets and a refueling tanker, according to a statement from the countrys Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time.

The Defense Department has described China as its pacing challenge and in February launched a 15-member China Task Force to assess the U.S.s current strategy.

China is seeking to overturn the current rules-based structure, which has benefitted all nations in the Indo-Pacific region, the Defense Department said in a news release Feb. 10. The United States and its allies seek to continue the free and open environment in the region. China is using all elements of national power to bend the nations to its will.

South Korea continues to balance its diplomatic relationship with neighboring China and its longtime ally in Washington, D.C. Envoys from South Korea are still in discussions with China, North Korea and the U.S. over a possible declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Dec. 13 said the three countries have agreed in principle to formally end the war and that he hoped it would generate significant dialogue momentum. choi.david@stripes.com Twitter: @choibboy
The USS Porter transits the Black Sea on Nov. 12, 2021. The Porter and other U.S. Navy vessels operated in the U.S. 6th Fleets area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. (Andrew Eder/U.S. Navy)

Any new Russian invasion of Ukraine that might be in the works likely would include a land grab in the south designed to give the Kremlin a greater stranglehold on the Black Sea, some analysts are warning.

As the world eyes the buildup of troops and military equipment along Ukraines eastern border, Russian President Vladimir Putin could take advantage of the distraction to position forces needed to seize additional Ukrainian coastline along the Sea of Azov, said Jim Townsend, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

But that slice of littoral territory, which includes the port city of Mariupol, might not be enough for Putin, Townsend and others say. The southern port of Odessa, Ukraines biggest and one of the largest on the Black Sea, also could be on the list.

Analysts including Townsend arent convinced that Moscows recent actions and demands are just about bringing the U.S. to the negotiating table to exact certain promises, among them a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Putin knows that wont happen, Townsend said.

Ensign Crystal Barnes stands on the USS Arleigh Burke as it returns to Rota, Spain, on Dec. 23, 2021. The ship completed a patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleets area of operations. (U.S. Navy )

Hes not going to have any other choice but to go in (to Ukraine), and if he goes in, hes going to make sure he gets what he wants, said Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy. And I think (the Sea of Azov and Odessa) are some of the things he wants.

But recent developments seem to be making an invasion less of a certainty.

The U.S. and Russia have agreed to security talks in Geneva on Jan. 10, and a top Russian government official said Monday that the country has never had any intention of invading Ukraine, the Russian news agency Tass reported.

Over the weekend, Moscow announced the withdrawal of more than 10,000 troops involved in monthlong military exercises near Ukraine.

Another strategist, James R. Holmes, said nothing can be ruled out when it comes to determining Putins intentions, but he thinks its unlikely that taking additional Ukrainian land is a serious objective.

Russias need to ensure a power position in the Black Sea was accomplished with its annexation of Crimea in 2014, he said.

Sailors aboard the USS Ross watch as the ship pulls into Odessa, Ukraine, on June 27, 2021. Some military analysts think Russian President Vladimir Putin would have his sights set on Odessa if he sends Russian forces into Ukraine. (Claire DuBois/U.S. Navy)

Moscow probably just covets deference if not subservience from Kyiv, much as it wants the dominant say-so in the near abroad, or former Soviet Union, said Holmes, a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Influence need not demand ownership.

While it wouldnt be front and center, the Black Sea would play an important role in any Russian military campaign, Holmes and others said.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet and ground forces from Crimea would offer critical protection of the campaigns rear and flank and prevent the Ukrainian navy or NATO countries ships from interfering in the land campaign. Blockading the Sea of Azov also is a possibility, analysts say.

Holding off hostile navies would isolate the battlefield while simplifying the problem for Russian ground commanders, Holmes said. After all, the more they can fend off outsiders, the easier time they will have defeating an outmatched Ukrainian army.

Its also likely that the Russians would have multiple invasion routes, said Townsend, adding that Russias air defense web in the Black Sea would come into play as well.

Staking a claim to additional Ukrainian coastline along the Sea of Azov would give Russia a highly desired land bridge connecting it to Crimea, said James G. Foggo III, dean of the Arlington, Va.-based Center for Maritime Strategy.

Russia already harasses ships in the Sea of Azov and has closed off 70 percent of the sea to shipping.

The USS Ross sails in the Black Sea on July 9, 2021. It was taking part in an exercise that has been co-hosted by the U.S. 6th Fleet and the Ukrainian navy since 1997. The exercise took on added importance this year as tensions in the region rose along with Russian aggression. (Damon Grosvenor/U.S. Navy)

In a Dec. 7 commentary published in Defense News, authors Hans Binnendijk and Barry Pavel said actions to control the Sea of Azov are the second-likeliest of four possible objectives of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The West would probably be less likely to send in military force to support the Ukrainian military directly since the activity is not near NATOs borders and is primarily in Russian-speaking areas, Binnendijk and Pavel wrote. Massive Western sanctions and arms shipments to Kyiv would be likely.

Foggo, who led U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples., believes a more robust U.S. and NATO presence in the Black Sea is needed. Responsibility for coordinating and achieving a nearly constant presence there shouldnt fall solely on the U.S., he said.

Other countries with strong navies, such as France and the Netherlands, should send warships to the region, he said. The strategy would be that  we maintain a steady drumbeat and a steady presence there to show solidarity, not just with the NATO allies but the partners in the region, and that includes Georgia and Ukraine.

But Holmes said that if Russia invades, the use of NATO ships would be limited given the aggressiveness of the Black Sea Fleet and the shore-based antiship weaponry that overshadows the theater.

The most likely primary weapon, should NATO intervene, would be the U.S. Air Force, Holmes said.

If air power could make the theater relatively safe for surface warships, then you might see NATO navies play a bigger part, he said.

Foggo said Russias actions cant be explained away as simply an intimidation tactic. Russias methodical, visible preparation is reminiscent of the American buildup outside Kuwait in 2003 in advance of the invasion into Iraq, he said.

Nobody has a crystal ball into Vladimir Putins head, but he is biased towards action, he said.
In this May 23, 2021, file photo, the Syria national flag is displayed at a gathering at Omayyid Square in the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

DAMASCUS, Syria  Israeli missiles fired from the Mediterranean struck the Syrian port of Latakia early Tuesday, igniting a fire in the container terminal, Syrian state media reported, in the second such attack on the vital facility this month.

It is also a rare targeting of the port handling most imports for Syria, which has been ravaged by a decade-old civil war and western-imposed sanctions.

The state news agency SANA quoted a military official as saying that Israeli missiles fired from the west of Latakia hit the port's container terminal, igniting fires that caused major damage. The unidentified official said firefighters were battling the flames for nearly an hour after the attack.

Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariyah TV ran footage showing flames and smoke rising from the terminal. It reported damage to residential buildings, a hospital, shops and some tourist sites near the port.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the missile attacks, which activated Syrian air defenses, according to SANA.

A similar attack was reported on Dec. 7, when Israeli warplanes targeted the container terminal, causing fires and explosions.

An Al-Ikhbariyah TV reporter in the area said Tuesday's attack appeared to have been larger and the explosions could be heard in Tartus, another coastal city more than 80 kilometers (nearly 50 miles) away. The reporter said ambulances were rushed to the scene but it remained unclear if there were any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said at the time that the Dec. 7 airstrike hit arms shipments for Iran-backed fighters.

There was no comment from the Israeli military, which has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria during its 10-year civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Some past strikes have targeted the main airport in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Israel has acknowledged that it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanons militant Hezbollah group, which has fighters in Syria. It says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for the militias.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Abir Sultan, Pool via AP)

TEL AVIV, Israel  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he is not opposed to a "good" nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced skepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations.

Bennett spoke a day after negotiators from Iran and five world powers resumed talks in Vienna on restoring Tehran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal. He reiterated that Israel was not bound by any accord, leaving it room to maneuver militarily.

"At the end of the day, of course there can be a good deal," Bennett told Israeli Army Radio. "Is that, at the moment, under the current dynamic, expected to happen? No, because a much harder stance is needed."

Meanwhile, negotiators from the three western European countries negotiating with Iran to revive the nuclear deal said they're not setting any "artificial deadline" for an agreement but stressed anew that there are "weeks, not months" in which to reach one.

Bennett also denied claims by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had agreed to a policy of "no surprises" with Washington, meaning that it would be frank about its military intentions regarding Iran with its prime ally and thus be potentially hobbled.

"Israel will always maintain its right to act and will defend itself by itself," he said.

Israel has watched with concern as European nations, Russia and China have restarted talks with Iran in recent weeks. Tehran has taken a hard stance in the negotiations, suggesting everything discussed in previous rounds of diplomacy could be renegotiated and demanding sanctions relief even as it ramps up its nuclear program.

Bennett has urged negotiators to tow a firmer line against Iran. Israel is not a party to the talks but has engaged in a blitz of diplomacy on the sidelines in an attempt to sway allies to put more pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear program.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV that a "quick and proper agreement in the near future" is possible if the other parties to the negotiations demonstrate "seriousness alongside goodwill."

Tehran's landmark 2015 accord granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran. The other signatories have struggled to keep the agreement alive.

The latest round of talks in Vienna, the eighth, opened Monday, 10 days after negotiations were adjourned for the Iranian negotiator to return home for consultations. The previous round, the first after a more than five-month gap caused by the arrival of a new hard-line government in Iran, was marked by tensions over new Iranian demands.

Iran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and it strongly opposed the 2015 deal.

It says it wants an improved deal that places tighter restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and addresses Iran's long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies along Israel's borders.

Israel also says that the negotiations must be accompanied by a "credible" military threat to ensure that Iran does not delay indefinitely.

Negotiators from Britain, France and Germany said Tuesday they are not setting an "artificial" deadline for talks but stressed that "this negotiation is urgent."

"We are clear that we are nearing the point where Iran's escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out" the agreement, they added. "That means we have weeks, not months, to conclude a deal before the (deal's) core non-proliferation benefits are lost."

The negotiators said they "take note" of comments by the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran that the Islamic Republic will not enrich beyond 60% purity.

"However, it is still the case that enrichment at 60% is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons," they said. "Its increasing 60% stockpile is bringing Iran significantly closer to having fissile material which could be used for nuclear weapons."

___

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
A Yemeni man who was severely injured when a ballistic missile and an explosive-laden drone fired by Yemens Houthi rebels hit a fuel station in the Rawdha neighborhood of Marib, Yemen, receives treatment at a hospital in Marib, on June 21, 2021. (Nariman El-Mofty/AP)

CAIRO  The Iran-backed rebels in Yemen said Tuesday they are temporarily allowing U.N. humanitarian flights to land at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, following a weeklong halt in flights into the northern, rebel-held territory.

The rebel Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of Yemen's north, had barred U.N. and other humanitarian flights from landing at the airport amid heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the capital and Houthis' cross-border missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

At the time, the U.N. food program said the Houthis claimed the airport had become "unserviceable due to technical issue."

The rebels accused the Saudi-led coalition of blocking the arrival of new air traffic control equipment. The coalition has been fighting to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government to power and maintains an air, land and sea blockade of Sanaa and the north.

The Sanaa airport "is ready to receive flights" from the U.N. and other international humanitarian agencies, the Houthis said Tuesday. They also urged the United Nations to help facilitate the arrival of the air control equipment from Djibouti.

Yemen's war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sana and forced the government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The coalition entered the conflict in March 2015.

The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, denounced the latest uptick in fighting in Yemen, particularly the continued Houthi offensive on the government-held city of Marib.

"The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing," he said.

Grundberg also voiced concerns over deadly coalition airstrikes on Sanaa and the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and urged the waring sides to engage with U.N. efforts to de-escalate the violence, address urgent humanitarian needs and launch a political process to end the conflict.

Also Tuesday, two U.N. agencies revealed that the Houthis arrested two of their employees in Sanaa in early November. UNESCO and the U.N. human rights office said no legal grounds were given for their detention. Both agencies expressed concern for their employees' well-being and called for their immediate release.

A Houthi spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Over the past years, the war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. More than half of the Yemen's population of 16.2 million people faces acute hunger, with 2.3 million children at risk of malnutrition, according to the U.N. food agency.

The World Food Program said earlier this month it would reduce its assistance to 8 million people starting from January due to lack of funds. It said those people would receive barely half of what they currently get from the agency, while 5 million others who are "at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions" would continue receiving WFP's full rations.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to stretch our limited resources and prioritize, focusing on people who are in the most critical state," said Corinne Fleischer, WFP's regional director.

She said the agency's stocks "are running dangerously low," urging donors to step up their contributions "to avoid this looming hunger catastrophe."

The WFP said it needs $1.97 billion in 2022 to continue to deliver vital food assistance to families on the brink of famine in Yemen.
An information sign is displayed as a child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11-years-old at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh)

(Tribune News Service)  Although early data hints the now-dominant omicron variant is associated with more mild illness compared to other versions of the coronavirus, we still dont have solid answers, especially regarding how the mutant affects different age groups.

But emerging evidence shows children are getting infected with the coronavirus and being hospitalized at alarming rates relative to pre-omicron days, particularly those who are unvaccinated. As a result, kids younger than 5 years old, who are not yet eligible for vaccination, are making up large portions of pediatric COVID-19 surges across the globe.

Still, many experts advise heightened caution rather than panic.

Nationwide, more than 900 children with COVID-19 have been admitted to a hospital as of the week of Dec. 20, up from 800 the week prior, according to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Thats about 1.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 children, which is still lower than the rate of admission during a typical flu season (about 3 to 5 hospitalizations per 100,000 kids).

While its still early, weve not yet seen any data from the omicron variant to make us worry that the risk of severe illness among children has changed, Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The New York Times.

These relatively low risks and our ability to lower them further may help ease some anxieties over the next few months.

As scientists learn more, experts suggest adults get vaccinated, especially those around kids too young to get shots, avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear masks around young children and try to take rapid COVID-19 tests before gathering with others.

On Christmas Eve, the New York State Department of Health issued a health advisory to health care workers warning of surging pediatric hospitalizations tied to COVID-19 in New York City and surrounding areas where omicron is prevalent.

Health officials said there was a four-fold increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations among people 18 and younger from the week of Dec. 5 until Christmastime. A news release said none of the 5- to 11-year-olds in the hospital with the disease were fully vaccinated, and only a quarter of those between 12 and 17 had all their shots.

The risks of COVID-19 for children are real, Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said in the release. Protect your children who are five years and older by getting them fully vaccinated and protect children under five by making sure all of those around them have protection through vaccination, boosters, mask-wearing, avoiding crowds and testing.

In Philadelphia, a study of more than 7,500 K-12 students who tested positive for COVID-19 found a nearly five-fold increase in positive tests beginning about Dec. 13. Most of those who tested positive were unvaccinated.

These data support the fact that transmission is now increasing disproportionately among children compared to adults, three doctors with the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia wrote in a blog post. Nevertheless, we are seeing cases of moderate to severe disease among hospitalized children, including otherwise healthy children, particularly those who have not been vaccinated.

The spikes in pediatric hospitalizations are beginning to worry health officials in states that have yet to see omicron surges.

However, experts say some children in the hospital with COVID-19 were initially admitted for other reasons and learned they were positive upon admission testing. The same trend is occurring in South Africa, where the omicron variant was first detected.

The U.S. is only starting to experience what other countries have been facing for weeks, particularly South Africa, where kids under 12 are not eligible for vaccination.

Research based on 211,000 COVID-19 test results in South Africa found children have a 20% higher risk of hospitalization when infected with omicron. Most diagnoses involve bronchiolitis and pneumonia, often coupled with severe gastrointestinal symptoms and dehydration.

Still, kids were 51% less likely to get infected with omicron compared to adults, and, overall, the risk of children being admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 complications remains low, Shirley Collie, chief health analytics actuary at Discovery Health, South Africas largest private health insurance administrator, said in a news release.

Most kids experience mild illness with short-lived symptoms such as headache, fever, sore throat and nasal congestion.

Dr. Rudo Mathivha, head of the intensive care unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa, told the South African Broadcasting Corporation that the trends shes seeing among kids and young adults there are concerning.

In the past, children [under 12 years old] used to get a COVID infection  and it wouldnt really put them down, it wouldnt really send them to the hospital in big numbers to be admitted, Mathivha said.

We are now seeing them coming in with moderate to severe symptoms needing supplemental oxygen, needing supportive therapy, needing to stay in the hospital for quite a number of days.

She said a 15-year-old with no other health conditions literally deteriorated in front of our eyes once admitted after experiencing just two days of fever and failing to respond to treatments.

Mathivha said the pattern of pediatric hospitalizations is going to be a major problem for us. Our hospitals were not built to house a lot of children. Because naturally children do not get that sick in multitudes.

We will not be able to accommodate them, and Im not saying this to make people panic, Mathivha said. I am saying this to say, all these preventive measures we take to interrupt transmission of COVID, let them be applied to the children as well.



2021 McClatchy Washington Bureau. Visit at mcclatchydc.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A snow plow travels down a street in Tenino, Wash., on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. (Steve Bloom/Olympian via AP)

SEATTLE (AP)  Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast.

Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens and forecasters said an arctic blast would last for several days. Sundays snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches across the Seattle area.

The National Weather Service said Seattles low Sunday was 20 degrees F, breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F, three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County  home to Portland  about a half dozen weather shelters were open. Seattle city leaders also opened at least six severe weather shelters starting Saturday through at least Wednesday.

In West Seattle, Keith Hughes of the American Legion Hall Post 160, said his warming center can welcome about a dozen people  its capacity limited by lack of volunteer staff.

Volunteers, this is a problem for myself as well as everyone else in town, its really hard to get with COVID going on, he said.

Winter weather led to canceled flights in Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed key highways, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeleys Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall has smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches, set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches as more snow is expected.

The Northstar California Resort in Truckee closed its mountain operations on Monday amid blizzard conditions. The ski resort has received more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over the last 48 hours, according to the resort's Facebook post.

Search and rescue crews are looking for a missing skier who was last seen Saturday morning on a lift at the ski resort, KCRA reported.

The snowpack in the Sierra was at dangerously low levels after recent weeks of dry weather but the state Department of Water Resources reported on Monday that the snowpack was between 145% and 161% of normal across the range with more snow expected.

In Nevada, freezing air and blinding snow blasted across the northern part of the state on Monday, affecting travel and business, closing Sierra Nevada highway passes, delaying airport flights and shutting state offices.

Interstate 80 remained closed due to poor visibility and heavy snow from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California. An avalanche blocked a state route that connects Tahoe City to some ski resorts in Olympic Valley and authorities urged motorists to avoid nonessential travel.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered nonessential state workers other than public safety and corrections personnel to remain home due to the storm.

Weather and travel advisories stretched to northeast Nevada and Elko due to the possibility of blowing and drifting snow.

The storms that have been pummeling California and Nevada in recent days also brought rain and snow to Arizona. A record inch of rain in one day was reported at the airport in Phoenix Friday when 11 inches of snow fell at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort just outside Flagstaff. Another 6 inches of snow were recorded in the 24 hours ending Monday morning.

More storms are expected to hit the desert state starting Monday afternoon and continuing throughout the week.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm in parts of the Southern Plains, including in Arkansas, where several cities broke records on Christmas Day for daily high temperatures.

But forecasters warned that severe storms were possible midweek when a storm system moves through the Deep South, with Alabama and Mississippi at greatest risk for bad weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Heavy snow will start winding down by Monday evening in Californias Sierra Nevada and the area is expected to get a break from the cold snap by Thursday, said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures in western Washington and Oregon arent forecast to rise above freezing until at least Thursday, and possibly not until the weekend, forecasters said.
A Shields of Strength dog tag featuring the U.S. Marine Corps logo on one side and a Bible verse on the other side. A years-long dispute over the use of licensed military logos on religious-themed replica dog tags has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department. (Image from lawsuit)

A years-long dispute over the use of licensed military logos on religious-themed replica dog tags has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department. The decision to deny the use of licensed logos alongside Christian Bible verses is religious discrimination, according to the lawsuit.

Shields of Strength, a Christian jewelry company based in Beaumont, Texas, filed the lawsuit Dec. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler. Named defendants include the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as the trademark offices and related leadership for the service branches.

The products in question are replica dog tags that feature faith-based, inspirational phrases or Christian Bible verses on one side and the logo of a military service branch on the other side. Shields of Strength owner Kenny Vaughan began making the tags in 1998 and received a trademark license in 2011 from the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, which is when the military began requiring them, according to the lawsuit. At that time the Navy did not grant the license because of the religious nature of the products.

The company lost its agreements in 2019 after a group that advocates for the separation of religion from the military, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, submitted complaints to Defense Department trademark offices, according to the lawsuit.

In the years since, the company has been trying to navigate a new agreement, but ultimately felt it had to file a lawsuit, said Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute and attorney for Shields of Strength. The Plano, Texas-based, nonprofit law firm focuses on cases regarding religious freedom.

The Defense Department denial of a trademark license is purely because of the religious content, Berry said.

Its a cruel insult to our service members to deny them a source of inspiration, hope and encouragement simply because it contains a religious message, Berry said. DOD officials caved to the empty threats of those who make their living by being offended. Theres no legal reason for the military to discriminate against Shields of Strength.

A Shields of Strength dog tag featuring Army Mom on one side and a Bible verse on the other side. A years-long dispute over the use of licensed military logos on religious-themed replica dog tags has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the Defense Department. (Image from lawsuit)

The lawsuit asks for the court to recognize the violation of constitutional rights under the first amendment, and for the Defense Department to allow the company to return to their previous agreement to use the licensed logos on its products. The lawsuit also calls for a financial reward related to damages, attorneys fees and expenses.

When contacted about the lawsuit, an official with the Defense Department said the department does not comment on ongoing litigation.

The replica dog tags became popular among Christian service members deployed during the wars following Sept. 11, 2001, and were even sold for several years in Army and Air Force Exchange stores.

The first soldier killed during the war in Iraq, Capt. Russell Rippetoe, wore a Shield of Strength which has since been placed in the Smithsonian Museum of American History along with his uniform, according to the lawsuit.

The company estimates that before 2011, it sold or donated about 3 million different dog tags that featured military-related words or insignia. It is often contacted by service members or chaplains to make customized products with specific unit logos to mark special occasions such as deployments or graduations, Berry said.

At one point, [Shields of Strength] was sending 500 to 1,000 dog tags per month to the Pentagon Chaplains office for Pentagon leadership and military guests, according to the lawsuit.

Even Austin, now the defense secretary and a defendant on the lawsuit, contacted Shields of Strength for unit-specific products while a commander within the 3rd Infantry Division and 10th Mountain Division, according to the lawsuit. The court document also included a photo of the tags provided to the 3rd Infantry Division for a deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force JAG officer and current founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has said that to put military logos onto religious-themed products is a violation of the licensing agreement. He said he initially sent a letter to the Defense Department about Shields of Strength because his organization received numerous complaints, including from many people who identified themselves as Christian.

While the company is allowed to continue to sell its products without the logos, Berry said most troops who contact Shields of Strength with a specific request ask for a military logo alongside a Bible verse. They now have to decline the orders, most of which Shields of Strength would have donated, Berry said. Products without the combination just arent as popular.

It's denying our service members and their loved ones something that they're requesting. They're asking for these, Berry said. It's this weird conundrum where the military is asking, Hey, will you provide this to us? And then a different office of the military is telling [Shields of Strength], No, you can't do that.
(Tribune News Service)  A Camp Pendleton Marine was arrested on suspicion of smuggling undocumented immigrants in the San Diego backcountry on Christmas Day, according to a federal complaint filed Monday.

Angel Morales Gaitan, a Marine assigned to Camp Pendleton, was arrested just after 1 p.m. Saturday in Campo. A Border Patrol agent in an unmarked car said the Kia Optima was driving "suspiciously" and its driver appeared to not know where he was going, the complaint states.

The agent called for a marked car to make a traffic stop, and two people were found in the car's backseat apparently trying to hide, the complaint states. Morales was arrested on suspicion of transportation of undocumented immigrants.

Morales told law enforcement he was hired after responding to an advertisement on Instagram for drivers offering $1,000 per trip, the complaint says. He told agents he was to drive the couple to Los Angeles.

The two migrants, both Mexican nationals, told authorities that they climbed the border fence using a rope and were directed to a pick-up location north of the border, according to the complaint. The migrants were being held as material witnesses in Morales' criminal prosecution.

Morales is assigned to 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, according a Marine Corps headquarters spokesperson. Lt. Col. Roger Hollenbeck, a 1st Marine Division spokesperson, said Morales' rank, age and time in service were not immediately available Monday.

Instagram did not immediately respond to questions about the purported advertisement.

This is not the first time Camp Pendleton Marines have found themselves embroiled in alleged human-smuggling activities.

The 2019 arrest of two Marines near Jacumba Hot Springs with undocumented immigrants in their vehicle kicked-off a wide-ranging investigation into smuggling and drug offenses in the 1st Marine Division. Three weeks after the arrests military law enforcement agents arrested 16 more Marines on Camp Pendleton within the entire 800-person 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment watching on in formation.

The stunt, captured on video by the division's communication strategy office, was later ruled illegal by a Marine Corps judge. Military prosecutors went on to drop charges against many of those arrested and their cases were dealt with administratively. At least 13 were separated from the Marines. Six pleaded guilty to smuggling or drug charges at court-martial, the Marines said at the time.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

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The main gate at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base on June 16, 2006, in Oceanside, Calif. ( Sandy Huffaker, The Los Angeles Times/TNS )
Chad Isaak, of Washburn, N.D., appears at his murder trial in Mandan, N.D., on Aug. 4, 2021. Isaak, a Navy veteran, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)

MANDAN, N.D.  A man convicted of killing four people at a North Dakota property management company was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

South Central District Judge David Reich sentenced Chad Isaak, 47, to life for each of his four murder convictions.

Before he learned his fate, Isaak briefly addressed the court, saying "I can honestly tell you I'm not a murderer, and that's all I have to say."

A Morton County jury in August found Isaak guilty of killing RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42; Bill Cobb, 50; and his wife, Lois Cobb, 45.

The four were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019, in the company's building in Mandan, a city of about 20,000 people across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Investigators said the victims were stabbed more than 100 times, total.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours at the end of the nearly three-week trial before it convicted Isaak of murder, burglary, unlawful entry into a vehicle, and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, lived at a Washburn property that the company managed, but a motive for the slayings was never established.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged during his opening statement. But he maintained that investigators didn't seriously consider other possible suspects, including people who had either been evicted, sued or fired by RJR.

The defense also argued that police failed to check out the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Fakler.

Prosecutors showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaak's white pickup truck from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the killings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer had planned out the attack.

Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers matched fibers taken from Isaak's clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaak's truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his washing machine and gun parts found in his freezer.
(Tribune News Service)  A Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employee living in Beavercreek, Ohio, is accused of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during a riot on Jan. 6.

Jared Samuel Kastner, 24, was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building, according to federal court records.

Luke Faulkner, who lives in Blanchester, on the Clinton and Warren counties border, also faces the same charges.

Kastner is an employee with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, according to a AFLCM spokesman. He remains employed there as of Tuesday.

He was arrested in Beavercreek on Dec. 8 after a search warrant was filed for his Glen Meadow Way residence. He has since been released from jail.

While investigating the riot, the FBI identified a gmail account and phone number that was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and associated with Kastner. Records from Google placed the device associated with the account inside the Capitol from 2:14 to 2:52 p.m., according to court records.

FBI agents reportedly used Kastner's driver's license photograph to compare to images and videos from the Capitol. Kastner's former supervisor identified Kastner in two images from Jan. 6, according to federal court documents.

An investigator also identified Kastner in surveillance footage from inside the Capitol walking through the Senate Wing door at 2:17 p.m., according to court records. Kastner was reportedly with Faulkner, who was also charged with illegally entering the Capitol.

Phone records matched a number associated with Faulker as one of Kastner's most frequent contacts, according to documents.

Another video reportedly showed Kastner, Faulker and a third, unidentified person inside the Capitol's Crypt.

Location information obtained via Google records showed Kastner traveled from Beavercreek to Wilmington, Ohio, on Jan. 4, according to federal court documents. After approximately an hour, he reportedly left and traveled to an apartment complex in North Beach, Md.

The FBI interviewed a resident of the apartment, who confirmed Kastner and another person stayed at their apartment.

"On Jan. 6, Kastner and the second individual notified [the resident] that they were traveling into Washington D.C. to attend the Trump rally," court records read.

Around 5:20 a.m. on Jan. 6, Kastner left the apartment complex and went to Washington, D.C. He left the city around 4:15 p.m.

Kastner reportedly stopped at the Wilmington address around 12:15 a.m. Jan. 7 and left around 8:30 a.m. Around 11:40 a.m. he went to an address in Blanchester that matched Faulkner's residence, according to court records.

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At 108 years old, Warren Bussey, sits for a portrait in the driveway of his home in Santa Ana on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Bussey, who is a WWII veteran, is believed to be the oldest African American in Orange County. (Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG/TNS)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (Tribune News Service)  Warren Bussey, looking decades younger than his years, recently reflected on his long life.

When I was a young man, I never thought I would grow to be the age I am today.

Few would. The Santa Ana resident and Army veteran is 108.

Mr. Bussey, as hes known to generations of neighbors and friends, is believed to be the oldest Black man living in Orange County. Earlier this month, he was celebrated by friends and recognized by city officials with a proclamation.

Ive seen a lot of things happen, he said. Ive lived through thick and thin.

Born on Nov. 21, 1913, Bussey grew up on a farm in a tiny East Texas community called Bobo, where he remembers working on a cotton compressing machine. He was one of 12 children.

During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. That took him to Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, where Black soldiers were segregated from white soldiers and treated very differently. They werent just excluded from amenities like the local pool; they also were not given the supplies needed to stay safe, he said.

Bussey recalls one particularly horrific incident while he was a rifle instructor training his troop: Most of my crew froze to death. Of 12 men in the company, only four survived, he said.

Suffering from frostbite on his hands and feet, Bussey was transferred from Missouri to Victorville, Calif. At the time, he had a brother living in Fullerton. So in 1946, after receiving an honorable discharge, Bussey moved to Orange County. A few years later, he met the woman who would become his wife, Mamie Eva Johnson Bussey, who went by Jimmie.

Orange County, where the Ku Klux Klan was once active, was not hospitable to its Black community.

In the 2009 book of oral histories, A Different Shade of Orange: Voices of Orange County, California, Black Pioneers, Bussey said this about the community of that era: Orange County was prejudiced.  Living in California at that time, it was more prejudiced than it was in Texas.

Until the late 1960s, when he walked into a white familys home for work, he had to do it via the back door. And he said Fullerton, where he and other Black families lived on two blocks, was more prejudiced than Santa Ana, so he moved to Santa Ana, which at the time was home to Orange Countys largest Black population.

I was working, and she was working, and we doubled up, over doubled up, on the house payment. And we had twenty-five years to pay for it, and in less than six years we had the house paid for, he said in the book by Charlene Riggins and Robert A. Johnson. We didnt do nothing but work, go to work, go to church, and back home.

Bussey had numerous businesses at different times, including a shoe shine business, an upholstery shop and a soul food cafe he ran with his wife in Santa Ana. He was most proud of a cleaning business, Bussey Maintenance, which he owned for some 44 years.

As an employer, Bussey was known for offering jobs to many when they needed it most.

If you lived in the neighborhood and needed help, you could knock on his door, said Santa Ana resident Dwayne Shipp.

You could always go to Mr. Bussey and get a few words of encouragement or you could go over there and he would have a job for you, said Shipp, president of the Orange County Heritage Council, a non-profit dedicated to the countys Black community.

Bussey said he worries about todays youth and whether theyre taking advantage of opportunities afforded them, like an education.

Shipp said: One thing I got from him growing up; he always encouraged us that anything we want we could have as long as we worked for it. And he was a prime example of it. Everything he had he built from the ground up.

He said, When you wake up, we all have the same thing  we have a chance and a choice  to do something. He always said: You have the same 24 hours. You just have to make it happen.

Bussey made it happen even when times were difficult.

Im one of the lucky ones to be living today. I think so many Black men are killed for nothing. I thank God for sparing me.

Longevity runs in Busseys family. His mother lived to 106 and one of his sisters lived to 102. His sole remaining sister is 90 years old. (His wife passed away in 1984.) He has one daughter and five surviving godchildren, as well as many friends, including some from the citys Black-majority Masonic lodge, which he helped open in the 1950s and where hes now the last living founding charter member.

Bussey, looking dapper recently in a three-piece suit and snap brim hat, still lives in the same Santa Ana house thats been his home for decades. He walks with a cane and has a hard time hearing, so at times he speaks slowly, and thoughtfully.

Among the things Bussey shared: He was proud to see Barack Obama become the first Black president of the United States; he has participated in Orange Countys Black history parade since it first began; he was the first black businessman to place an ad in the Orange County Register.

And because hes a centenarian, hes used to sharing one more thing  his secret to living such a long life.

Bussey doesnt even hesitate when asked. He just smiles and says: Hard work and soul food.

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U.S. Senate candidate and veteran Mike Durant said President Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate on federal contractors would force him to fire about 80 employees from the aerospace defense company he founded if it survives court challenges. (Facebook)

(Tribune News Service)  U.S. Senate candidate and veteran Mike Durant said President Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate on federal contractors would force him to fire about 80 employees from the aerospace defense company he founded if it survives court challenges.

Durant was a guest Sunday on the Black Rifle Coffee podcast and talked about how the mandate would affect the workforce at Pinnacle Solutions, a company the former Army aviator started after retiring from the military in 2001. Durant said Pinnacle Solutions, based in Huntsville, has about 600 employees in 16 locations around the world.

A federal judge in Georgia issued a stay to block the federal contractor mandate on Dec. 7.

Until that happened here recently, I was going to have to fire people that didnt want to get the vaccine, Durant said. And Im vaccinated. Im not anti-vax. But I am anti-mandatory vax because people, it shouldnt be forced on them.

The fate of Bidens mandate on federal contractors will likely be decided in federal appeals courts, possibly the U.S. Supreme Court. Alabama and other states have challenged the federal contractor mandate, as well as the mandates for companies with 100 or more employees and for health care workers.

Speaking to Black Rifle Coffee podcast host Evan Hafer, Durant noted that the mandate on federal contractors does not allow the option of letting workers stay unvaccinated if they are willing to submit to regular COVID tests.

Thats the ridiculous part of that rule for federal contractors is I dont even have a testing option, Durant said. I cant let them work from home. Its just such a ridiculous overreach and I think one of the best examples of how incompetent the current leadership we have in the White House is in this, their ignorance about what the implications of these decisions actually are.

Durant flew a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the 1993 battle depicted in the book and movie Black Hawk Down. Durant announced in October he is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that Sen. Richard Shelby is leaving after his retirement next year.

Others in the race are Congressman Mo Brooks of Huntsville, Katie Britt, former chief of staff for Shelby and former head of the Business Council of Alabama, and businesswoman Jessica Taylor Prattville. Former President Trump has endorsed Brooks. The primary is May 24.

Durant is making his first run for public office.

Alabama Political Reporter reported on Durants appearance on the Black Rifle Coffee podcast.

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MCALLEN, Texas (Tribune News Service)  A 40-year-old Marine veteran filed a lawsuit against the city of McAllen and a police officer who shot him in the foot nearly two years ago while he suffered a mental health crisis.

Attorneys for Falcon Rivera Jr. filed the federal complaint Wednesday, alleging that the city negligently trained and supervised officer Daniel Cruz, who they say used excessive force when he fired five shots at Rivera, who was handcuffed.

Rivera had elbowed Cruz in the face before running away.

The shooting happened Jan. 14, 2020, outside of the South Texas Behavioral Health Center where Cruz was transporting Rivera for mental health treatment.

Rivera is a Marine veteran who saw combat and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the petition.

"As a result of his condition Rivera was and is under the care of a psychiatrist and is treated with medication for his condition," the lawsuit said.

Prior to the shooting, McAllen police responded to Rivera's residence in the 5200 block of North 25th St. in McAllen after receiving a call from an unknown person indicating there was a suicidal person at Rivera's residence.

In a news release at the time, police said Rivera was suffering from a "psychotic break."

When Cruz arrived at the home, Rivera was already in custody and police had found a firearm that he had in his possession when officers arrived, according to the lawsuit.

"Cruz testified in his pre-suit deposition that there was no indication the gun had been fired and that when he arrived Rivera was still not in custody," the lawsuit said.

Rivera had previously filed a petition to investigate claims, which resulted in Cruz's deposition.

The lawsuit notes that Cruz was not involved with taking Rivera into custody but that the officer in charge at the scene ordered Cruz to transport Rivera to the emergency room at South Texas Health Systems.

"Rivera was already secured in Cruz's vehicle and was restrained, meaning his hands were cuffed but not his feet," the lawsuit said.

While at the hospital, Cruz adjusted Rivera's handcuffs so they were in front of him to assist the doctors in their medical evaluation, but when they left the facility, Cruz did not return the handcuffs to the back of Rivera's body, according to the petition.

"The doctors at the ER made the decision that Rivera needed to be transported to the South Texas Behavioral Center and Cruz was again designated to transport Rivera," the lawsuit said. "Rivera was placed in the police car wearing a medical gown, his pants and socks, no shoes."

Rivera's attorneys say their client was cooperative and non-aggressive during the ride and never tried to hurt himself or Cruz.

Upon arrival at South Texas Behavioral Health Center, Cruz let Rivera out and allowed him to walk in front of him as they approached the entrance.

At some point, Rivera stopped walking either because of a limp he has or because he stepped on something while only wearing socks, according to the petition.

"When Cruz bumped into him Rivera actually turned to face Cruz and then elbowed Cruz in the face," the lawsuit states. "Cruz fell to the ground and Rivera began running across an open field toward a convenience store. He was still handcuffed, wearing only socks, pants and a medical gown."

Cruz, who was bleeding from his nose and a cut on his face, began to chase Rivera, who was running northwest toward a convenience store more than a half-mile away.

"Cruz did not attempt to call in for back up. Once Cruz cleared the vehicles in the parking lot, he saw Rivera running in the open field and determined he could not catch him," the lawsuit said. "Cruz described himself as incapacitated, and his eyes had the sensation of being tear gassed."

Instead of calling for backup, Rivera's attorneys say Cruz determined his only option was to shoot at Rivera.

The petition indicated that Cruz said he fired before Rivera could reach the convenience store, grab a vehicle and escape.

"This is a salient point. Here is a man who is handcuffed, has no shoes, wearing pants and a medical gown who Cruz admitted posed no threat to anyone, no longer posed a threat to Cruz, and based on Cruz's testimony was out of range," the lawsuit said.

This was the first time in Cruz's two decades of service that he fired his weapon in the line of duty, according to the petition.

"Cruz fired five times, he struck Rivera in the foot causing severe damage to the foot," the lawsuit said. "Cruz testified when he fired that no one was in danger, there was no threat to Cruz, a third party or Rivera. In his own words he fired to apprehend Rivera."

The lawsuit said that Cruz agreed under oath that he used deadly force on a man who was simply running away and had his back to him.

"Mr. Rivera's foot took approximately 5 months to heal but never completely healed," the lawsuit said.

Rivera had to be transported to the emergency room twice because of a severe infection and he had to undergo three months of physical therapy, according to the petition.

"Mr. Rivera continues to suffer chronic pain and soreness from having to walk unevenly to compensate for his injured foot. He is currently walking without the assistance of a walker or cane, but he cannot put full pressure on his foot," the lawsuit said.

Neither the city nor Cruz have responded to the federal lawsuit, but both parties denied all the allegations in filings in Rivera's previous petition to investigate the claims.

Edinburg police had charged Cruz with escape from custody and aggravated assault against a public servant, while McAllen police also charged him with aggravated assault against a public servant and possession of marijuana.

The Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office dismissed the misdemeanor complaints of escape from custody and possession of marijuana against Rivera, citing a mental health commitment.

Rivera hasn't been indicted on the aggravated assault against a public servant charges, court records indicate.

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CHICAGO - The family of a woman who a police oversight organization says hanged herself while in custody claims there are inconsistencies in the police account and that the department is hiding facts. Ten days after the incident, the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department have yet to release any public statement.

Irene Chavez, 33, was arrested in the early morning hours of Dec. 18 at Jeffery Pub, a gay bar on Chicagos South Side. She was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center at 11:30 a.m., after police said they found her nearly eight hours earlier, hanging by her shirt while in custody. Late Monday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), an agency investigating Chavezs death, said that it was reviewing body cameras of officers who made the arrest but that there were no cameras installed in the police facility where Chavez was held. Officers wear body cameras, but it was not clear whether any were on when they found her body.

Friends and relatives of Chavez suggest the lack of building cameras is intentional.

There is no video anywhere in the district office, nowhere - nothing in the room, nothing at the entrance, nowhere in the office, said Crista Noel, a family friend. So well never know what happened. Its the police narrative against someone who is dead.

The Chicago Police Department directed all inquiries about the incident to COPA.

Chavez, a Black and Puerto Rican woman who her family said identified as queer, served a combined six years in Army tours of Kuwait and Afghanistan before returning to Chicago, where she worked for Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Iris Chavez, her sister, said that they had discussed post-traumatic stress disorder but that Irene Chavez had never received a diagnosis and that her case manager at the local veterans hospital told the family she had no signs of any struggle. Iris Chavez said both sisters talked around Thanksgiving, when Irene told her she would be with the family for Christmas.

The family said its distrust of the police grew within hours of receiving notification of the death.

The responding officer was inconsistent in his story about Irene Chavezs arrest, her sister said. At first, the sister said, he told the family that Irene Chavez was not handcuffed while in custody because she was a veteran. The next day, he reportedly said she was handcuffed. That was the first red flag. It made even less sense for someone to hang themselves while bound, Iris Chavez said.

The three-page incident report police gave to the family is heavily redacted, specifying little more than the nine officers involved in Irene Chavezs arrest and detention. The family had not received her possessions, including a cellphone, as of Monday night.

Jamal Junior, manager of Jeffery Pub, said he is just finding out about the details of the case and would not comment further.

The family is comparing the case to that of Sandra Bland, the Black woman found hanging in a Texas jail cell in 2015 after she was arrested in an investigation of a minor traffic violation.

We have strong suspicion this is another Sandra Bland situation, said Jessica Disu, Chavezs friend. The police have nothing to corroborate their narrative that she kills herself.

Ephraim Eaddy, a COPA spokesperson, said the incident details are being shared with the state attorneys office and the FBI for possible criminal review.

Unlike in officer-involved shootings, Eaddy said, the Chicago Police Department is not required to notify the public of deaths that occur while the person is in custody. Though COPA is under no obligation, he said, we will review [that policy] because we understand it is part of the public interest.

Noel, the family friend, said Illinois needs its own version of the Sandra Bland Act, which became law in Texas in 2017 and mandates that law enforcement ensure the safety and security of inmates who may have mental illness.

How is it that, if Im shot by a police officer, everyone knows it, but if I die while in custody in a police station with a bunch of police officers around me, no one is notified? No one, Noel said.

According to a 2019 report by the Illinois Deaths in Custody Project, prisons in the state have a reported suicide rate of 16 per 100,000 incarcerated people, which is nearly double the suicide rate for the general public.

Eaddy said COPA had no discussion about the incident with the mayors office.

A spokesperson for Lightfoot, a Democrat, did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment about whether the mayors office was aware of Chavezs death.

On Dec. 16, two days before Chavezs death, a law firm hired by the city released a report that found failures in oversight and accountability by the mayors office, the Chicago Police Department, the citys law department and COPA in their combined response to a botched police raid of the home of Anjanette Young, a Black social worker who was handcuffed while naked in front of 15 male police officers in 2019. On Dec. 15, the City Council approved a $2.9 million settlement with Young. The investigation said there was no evidence that the mayor or the police tried to conceal evidence of the raid.

Sheila Bedi, a professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, said Chavezs death demands action from the mayors office because of the police departments history of using violence on people who are noncompliant.

The Chicago Police Department continues to be under a federal consent decree established in early 2019. The outlined changes cover how the department handles training, use of force, accountability, and the relationship between officers and the community. Bedi said a U.S. Justice Department report from 2017 showed the departments systemic shortcomings in treating gay people fairly, particularly when they come from communities of color.

You cant read that investigation and not walk away with the sense that the CPD has a deep-seated problem with misogyny and gender-based violence, she said. Being a Black and Puerto Rican woman who identified as queer made Chavez incredibly vulnerable when interacting with the police, Bedi said.
The Providence VA Medical Center is allowing visitors to see patients only if they're in end-of-life care. (Kris Craig, The Providence Journal/TNS)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Tribune News Service)  The Providence VA Medical Center is no longer allowing visitors in response to the rapid spread of the highly infectious omicron variant of coronavirus.

Dr. Larry Connell, director of the Veterans Administration Providence Health Care System, said the hospital is allowing visitors to see their loved ones if they are in end-of-life care. The latest guidance has been in effect for the last two weeks, at the onset of the omicron variant.

Five of the hospital's patients have tested positive for COVID. All staff have received at least two shots of vaccine, a hospital spokesman said Monday.

The veterans hospital has not been plagued by the staffing shortages that have challenged other hospitals in Rhode Island.

Nursing shortage

"What's unique about the VA in New England is that we have eight hospitals," Connell said. "If we need to, we can reach out to our sister facilities. We can borrow a few nurses from New Hampshire, for example. The VA has the ability to reach out to hospitals down South ... and throughout the nation.

"The whole nation is having trouble with staffing," he said. "One of the big problems is they are offering incentives to come to other hospitals. They are competing with each other. We haven't had that experience yet."

The Providence VA Medical Center has a new eight-bed intensive-care unit. Currently, only two of the beds are occupied. The ICU has two negative pressure rooms designed to prevent contagious viruses like COVID from dispersing outside the room.

Visits to the VA's outpatient clinics are down, largely because of the holidays, but Connell expects those numbers to rise in January.

"We're OK for now," Connell said. "We have a little bit of capacity. I can handle a few more ICU patients. I suspect this is the calm before the storm."

RI Veterans Home in Bristol visitor policy

Visitors are still permitted at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol, according to Meghan Connelly, spokeswoman for the R.I. Office of Veterans Services.

"We've had full visitation for almost the entire year," she said.

Visitors do have to go through a screening process that includes having one's temperature taken. Masks are required. The facility also offers rapid testing on site, but it is not required.

Connelly said the home, which has 127 residents, hasn't had a resident test positive since February.

2021 www.providencejournal.com.

Visit providencejournal.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
It is only a matter of time until there is community transmission of Covid-19's new Omicron variant in South Auckland, says a Pacific public health expert.

There has been a surge in case numbers around the world since the variant was first detected last month, including in South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Data from South Africa suggests the numbers of people hospitalised, or dying from the new variant are lower than Delta, but the new strain of the virus is far more contagious.

Auckland University associate professor of public health Collin Tukuitonga says the potential impact of the new strain of the virus in South Auckland is a growing concern.

"There's a lot we don't know about Omicron, but one of the things we do already know is that it is highly transmissible."

He says as a result, areas like South Auckland were likely to be hit hard in an outbreak, because more people were likely to live in overcrowded and multi-generational households where the threat of transmission was greater.

"Omicron is likely to have a significant impact on those communities. I would say it's a no-brainer that that's what's going to happen," Dr Tukuitonga says. "And with this variant it's a matter of when, not if, we get it."

A Counties Manukau District Health Board spokesperson says it's still too early to carry out accurate modelling to say what might happen if, or when, Omicron finally emerged.

They say the data is not yet available to make an educated prediction on possible numbers.

"We expect this to become clearer later in January 2022."

The spokesperson says there are many variables that could influence the impact of Omicron in South Auckland, including the rate of transmission, the severity of infections, the impact on hospital and ICU-level care and how responsive it was to treatment.

University of Auckland epidemiologist Rod Jackson says while we did not yet have any community transmission of Omicron in New Zealand, it appears to be more infectious and therefore the chance of it escaping from managed isolation and quarantine facilities is quite high.

He says if New Zealand got the high case numbers modellers are predicting in other countries like Australia, the threat of it spreading would be that much greater.

"And we know Omicron is a lot more contagious," Prof Jackson says. "So even if the vaccine is preventing 95 percent of deaths, some cases will get through."

He says it's purely a numbers game.

"The good news for us is we were late to the party in terms of the national vaccine roll out and we've vaccinated virtually everyone," Prof Jackson says. "And at the moment that is stopping a lot of cases."

But he agrees with the Counties Manukau DHB that it is too early to make concrete predictions on Omicron.

"At the moment, we just don't know," Prof Jackson says.

He says the fact the new variant was first identified in late November means it is still relatively new.

Prof Jackson says while there are plenty of reports coming out on Omicron in South Africa, there are major demographic differences between countries that needed to be taken into account.

"People are doing their best to make sense of it. But you can't tell until it has worked its way through a complete demographic of a population."
Police can confirm the vehicle involved in last night's serious crash involving five children had been stolen from Hamilton.

Enquiries also suggest the vehicle was linked to a burglary on Monday evening in Matamata.

"This information, together with other lines of enquiry, are being assessed by Police staff investigating this crash," says Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird.

"It is too early to provide detail on the cause of the crash itself other than to say speed appears to be a likely factor."

Police are not looking to locate anybody else in relation to the crash, and police had no interaction with the vehicle prior to it.

Four children remain in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

One of these children is expected to be transferred to Starship Children's Hospital later today.

A fifth child remains stable in Waikato Hospital.
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Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 6,902 Thanked: 12,029 Times

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How you coped up with the winds of change? Bajaj/Lambretta to Indo-Jap bikes to non-geared scooters



Come the Vijai Super in 1975 and soon in its various avatars (state branded avatars) the Lambretta glitter faded and by 1987 API had to wind up scooter production. Bajaj continued its winning spree eclipsing the glory of the Vijai brands by the early 1990's. Piaggio Vespa launched its models since 1982, claiming that they are well ahead of the competition with newer designs, but they had to satisfy their market hold with sales figures that didn't come close to Bajaj. Mr Rahul Bajaj was ultimately crowned as the "Scooter King" by the media.



By 1985, the Indo-Japanese 100 cc commuter bikes made inroads and the four brands viz. Ind Suzuki AX 100, Hero Honda CD 100, Yamaha RX 100 and the last entrant Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 jointly made an impact on the market scene. But the Bajaj Super, Cub, Priya and Chetak continued to be sold in decent numbers. The Indo Japanese bikes upped their games with 110/125/135 cc variants/upgrades and enticed the young crowds who would prefer these any day over the scooters. Come 1987, Kinetic Engineering threw a googly at the two wheeler market with their 100 cc Kinetic Honda. Popularly called the KiHo, it won the hearts of lots and lots of customers, reigning our market for about 14-15 years. Ladies and the elderly preferred this scooter as among the best daily commuter, two wheeled prodigy. Mr Dilip Bam, who coined the term KiHo also in his road test for the Indian Auto Journal had said that this scooter wins my heart as it can carry a gas cylinder hassle-free on its footboard. Incidentally, Mr Bam owned one till his passing way recently.



But despite such headwinds, Bajaj Auto's scooters continued to sell, though they were feeling jittery along with their only surviving competitor LML Vespa (later only LML) due to the inroads made by the 100-135 cc bikes. The Kinetic Honda continued to sell decently though as it's niche was defined. And the Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 /RTZ/125 sold the least among the foursome for pretty long. Bajaj entered soon with their four stroke bike engine to capture a market slice.



By the 1990's, Bajaj and LML attempted to introduce quite a few variants of their best selling scooters with nearly the same mechanicals to attract more customers. In fact, Bajaj had brought in the Cub (125cc) in 1985 and had four models on offer incl the Priya by PSU Maharashtra Scooters that was soon after bought by Bajaj Auto.



The newer scooter models for Bajaj ( like the Stride/Bravo/Legend/Saffire) and LML (like the Select/Supremo/Sensation/Pulse/Star) gained limited buyers, though only some of these models were popular then. But the fading glitter of owning a scooter had come full circle after the turn of the millennium. The 100-150 cc (some with higher engine displacements like the Pulsar 180) bikes continued their market winning spree post 2000.



With successive failures of their three to four offerings of four stroke scooters, Bajaj Auto exited the scooter market. Papa Scooter King Mr Rahul Bajaj though was displeased with his son Rajiv's decision but the latter decided to hang on only to the bike market. TVS came and disappeared with its four stroke scooter, the Spectra.



By 2001, the Honda Activa was launched and soon it took the market by storm and created its own niche, very soon reigniting the passion signalling a restart of the pleasant years of scooter ownership. In fact, it soon dented the commuter bike market to become a dominant player. Others like Suzuki, TVS, HeroMotoCorp and Yamaha soon followed to get a slice in this non geared scooter market dominated by Honda but had to satisfy themselves with their "lesser than Honda" sales.



Back to the title of this thread, we would like opinions from members about coping up with ownerships of the older generation Lambrettas/Vespas to the later 100 cc or more commuter bikes and to the market created by the non geared Honda Activa and its peers.



As for me, I learnt scooter driving with my Dad's Lambretta as he owned three of these during different years. I had a 1985 Bajaj Super too and had also bought a Ind Suzuki AX100 in 1986. Replacements happened and I bought a Yamaha RX 100 in 1990 (still with me). Also, by 2003 I bought a Honda Activa (still with me).



My experiences with the older generation of scooters is that no doubt these were tough and enduring but had niggles that had to be attended to on a regular basis. But overall ownership was always a pleasure. The Ind Suzuki AX 100 with some 7 plus bhp felt a bit underpowered but was extremely reliable. The engine was silk smooth and kick starting it was so easy. After driving the old generation bikes and scooters this change was very perceptible. It delivered 50-55 kmpl and that was too good. It's wheelbase was smaller than the competition and hence balancing it was not as easy as it's peers. All the 100 cc bikes made a great difference in driving as long drives never tired me and I could always hanker for more. The Yamaha RX 100 won my heart and has now done 31 years of ownership with me. It's so tough, brute and quick even today. These command a very good resale value today. The opaque, grey smoke from the exhaust is though a turn off as today, Greens are having their say everywhere. Coming to the Activa, it's extremely reliable for crowded market commutes and carries anything one needs to carry with its two wheeler limitations.



Lately, I have bought a 1963 Lambretta in 2016 just to keep the old memories alive. One can never till the last breath forget his or her first love and first encounter in metal. More so if he or she is a teambhpian. The commuter two wheeler scenario has seen drastic changes though on a long term basis only. It was only bikes earlier, but come the mid 1950's scooters from Automobile Products of India Ltd (API) viz Lambretta and from Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) viz Vespa started making inroads into our two wheeler market scape. Vespas and Lambrettas ruled the markets in the 1960's and 70's. Royal Enfield's Fantabulus and Escorts' Rajhans with some lesser players like Gujarat Narmada and a few others made almost no impact on the Big Two's sales and were sooner or later consigned to history.Come the Vijai Super in 1975 and soon in its various avatars (state branded avatars) the Lambretta glitter faded and by 1987 API had to wind up scooter production. Bajaj continued its winning spree eclipsing the glory of the Vijai brands by the early 1990's. Piaggio Vespa launched its models since 1982, claiming that they are well ahead of the competition with newer designs, but they had to satisfy their market hold with sales figures that didn't come close to Bajaj. Mr Rahul Bajaj was ultimately crowned as the "Scooter King" by the media.By 1985, the Indo-Japanese 100 cc commuter bikes made inroads and the four brands viz. Ind Suzuki AX 100, Hero Honda CD 100, Yamaha RX 100 and the last entrant Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 jointly made an impact on the market scene. But the Bajaj Super, Cub, Priya and Chetak continued to be sold in decent numbers. The Indo Japanese bikes upped their games with 110/125/135 cc variants/upgrades and enticed the young crowds who would prefer these any day over the scooters. Come 1987, Kinetic Engineering threw a googly at the two wheeler market with their 100 cc Kinetic Honda. Popularly called the KiHo, it won the hearts of lots and lots of customers, reigning our market for about 14-15 years. Ladies and the elderly preferred this scooter as among the best daily commuter, two wheeled prodigy. Mr Dilip Bam, who coined the term KiHo also in his road test for the Indian Auto Journal had said that this scooter wins my heart as it can carry a gas cylinder hassle-free on its footboard. Incidentally, Mr Bam owned one till his passing way recently.But despite such headwinds, Bajaj Auto's scooters continued to sell, though they were feeling jittery along with their only surviving competitor LML Vespa (later only LML) due to the inroads made by the 100-135 cc bikes. The Kinetic Honda continued to sell decently though as it's niche was defined. And the Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 /RTZ/125 sold the least among the foursome for pretty long. Bajaj entered soon with their four stroke bike engine to capture a market slice.By the 1990's, Bajaj and LML attempted to introduce quite a few variants of their best selling scooters with nearly the same mechanicals to attract more customers. In fact, Bajaj had brought in the Cub (125cc) in 1985 and had four models on offer incl the Priya by PSU Maharashtra Scooters that was soon after bought by Bajaj Auto.The newer scooter models for Bajaj ( like the Stride/Bravo/Legend/Saffire) and LML (like the Select/Supremo/Sensation/Pulse/Star) gained limited buyers, though only some of these models were popular then. But the fading glitter of owning a scooter had come full circle after the turn of the millennium. The 100-150 cc (some with higher engine displacements like the Pulsar 180) bikes continued their market winning spree post 2000.With successive failures of their three to four offerings of four stroke scooters, Bajaj Auto exited the scooter market. Papa Scooter King Mr Rahul Bajaj though was displeased with his son Rajiv's decision but the latter decided to hang on only to the bike market. TVS came and disappeared with its four stroke scooter, the Spectra.By 2001, the Honda Activa was launched and soon it took the market by storm and created its own niche, very soon reigniting the passion signalling a restart of the pleasant years of scooter ownership. In fact, it soon dented the commuter bike market to become a dominant player. Others like Suzuki, TVS, HeroMotoCorp and Yamaha soon followed to get a slice in this non geared scooter market dominated by Honda but had to satisfy themselves with their "lesser than Honda" sales.Back to the title of this thread, we would like opinions from members about coping up with ownerships of the older generation Lambrettas/Vespas to the later 100 cc or more commuter bikes and to the market created by the non geared Honda Activa and its peers.As for me, I learnt scooter driving with my Dad's Lambretta as he owned three of these during different years. I had a 1985 Bajaj Super too and had also bought a Ind Suzuki AX100 in 1986. Replacements happened and I bought a Yamaha RX 100 in 1990 (still with me). Also, by 2003 I bought a Honda Activa (still with me).My experiences with the older generation of scooters is that no doubt these were tough and enduring but had niggles that had to be attended to on a regular basis. But overall ownership was always a pleasure. The Ind Suzuki AX 100 with some 7 plus bhp felt a bit underpowered but was extremely reliable. The engine was silk smooth and kick starting it was so easy. After driving the old generation bikes and scooters this change was very perceptible. It delivered 50-55 kmpl and that was too good. It's wheelbase was smaller than the competition and hence balancing it was not as easy as it's peers. All the 100 cc bikes made a great difference in driving as long drives never tired me and I could always hanker for more. The Yamaha RX 100 won my heart and has now done 31 years of ownership with me. It's so tough, brute and quick even today. These command a very good resale value today. The opaque, grey smoke from the exhaust is though a turn off as today, Greens are having their say everywhere. Coming to the Activa, it's extremely reliable for crowded market commutes and carries anything one needs to carry with its two wheeler limitations.Lately, I have bought a 1963 Lambretta in 2016 just to keep the old memories alive. One can never till the last breath forget his or her first love and first encounter in metal. More so if he or she is a teambhpian. Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 25th December 2021 at 14:22 .
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In brief: Chinas first homegrown GPUs are impressive on paper, but the company that makes them doesnt appear too keen on selling them to consumers. Instead, its pitching them as power-efficient compute accelerators for cloud systems, even though the spec sheet says they support DirectX and Vulkan.

In November, we learned that a Chinese company called Innosilicon had been developing a GPU that could be a similar success story as that of YMTC and its 128-layer 3D NAND memory. The new graphics card  dubbed Fenghua 1  didnt receive a flashy announcement like Nvidia and AMD are known for, but what caught our eye was that it was designed to support the DirectX and Vulkan APIs used in many modern PC games.

This week, TechNodes Stewart Randall shared a short video on Twitter of what appears to be proof that Chinas first homegrown GPU isnt just a mirage. The video shows a mini-tower PC equipped with Innosilicons Fenghua 1 graphics card running the GFXBench T-Rex benchmark. Theres no frames-per-second counter on the screen, and we dont get to see the test result, but since this is more of a mobile-oriented benchmark, it would be unfair to draw comparisons to existing graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia.

At least on paper, the Fenghua 1 should match low-mid range graphics cards. There are two variants, a Type-A capable of delivering up to five teraflops of FP32 performance and a Type-B that can double that thanks to a dual-chip architecture. Theyre both based on PowerVR IP from Imagination Technologies, which should make them relatively power efficient despite being manufactured using a 12 nm process node. They also support DirectX 11, DirectX 12, and Vulkan 1.2.

For reference, Nvidias GTX 1660 SUPER can deliver a bit over five teraflops of FP32 performance, and the non-Ti RTX 2080 provides just a hair over 10 TFLOPS. However, the specifications provided by Innosilicon dont seem to add up. On the one hand, the Fenghua 1 cards use 19 Gbps GDDR6 and GDDR6X memory for up to 304 GB per second of bandwidth, and the company says the pixel fill rate of the Type-A configuration is a respectable 160 GPixels per second. On the other hand, the typical power consumption rating is a diminutive 50 watts, and theres no way to tell how these specs translate into gaming scenarios.

Innosilicon says it will sell different variants with 4, 8, and 16 gigabytes of VRAM, and the marketing materials indicate these are primarily aimed at the enterprise market. Not much is known about retail availability, but we may learn more about these mysterious graphics cards next year.
What just happened? Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology have developed an adaptive transistor designed to provide more flexibility during run-time. The revolutionary new transistor was produced using germanium, an element on the periodic table with an atomic number of 32. To explain how it works, one needs to start with a basic understanding of an ordinary transistor.

As SciTechDaily highlights, a transistor is a tiny component that either allows current to flow, or blocks its flow, based on whether or not electric voltage is applied to a control electrode. This structure allows for the creation of simple logic circuits, and when you squeeze billions of them into a single package, you get something akin to a modern processor (in the simplest terms, of course).

In standard single-electrode transistors, free-moving electrons carry a negative charge. Individual atoms with an electron removed are positively charged. The researchers prototype works a bit differently.

We connect two electrodes with an extremely thin wire made of germanium, via extremely clean high-quality interfaces, said Dr. Masiar Sistani, one of the researchers that worked on the project.

Above the germanium segment, we place a gate electrode like the ones found in conventional transistors. What is decisive is that our transistor features a further control electrode, which is placed on the interfaces between germanium and metal. It can dynamically program the function of the transistor, Sistani added.

The researcher further explained that germanium was chosen due to its special properties.

When you apply voltage, the current flow initially increases, as you would expect. After a certain threshold, however, the current flow decreases again  this is called negative differential resistance. With the help of the control electrode, we can modulate at which voltage this threshold lies.

The design, Sistani said, enables new degrees of freedom that can give the transistor the exact properties it needs at any given time.

Professor Walter Weber, another member of the team, said an arithmetic operation that previously required 160 transistors is now possible with just 24 transistors thanks to the new design. At that rate, it doesnt take much imagination to envision how this breakthrough could be scaled to significantly impact efficiency and operating frequency.

We dont want to completely replace the well-established silicon based transistor technology with our new transistor, that would be presumptuous, said Sistani. The new technology is more likely to be incorporated into computer chips as an add-on in the future.

More information on the new transistor can be found in a recently published paper on the American Chemical Societys website.

Image credit: Miguel A. Padrinan
Motorola RAZR 3 gets an announcement from the General Manager of Lenovo via a post made by the executive on behalf of the smartphone company. The leak shows the new RAZR and it is the third generation of the flip device, with many left wondering why it tried again for the third time, despite the initial ones not having that appeal to the public.

Motorola RAZR 3: Leaks from Lenovo's General Manager

A Weibo post by Lenovo General Manager Chen Jin focuses on the many features of the company's upcoming smartphone device. The main reason for its early reveal is the innovation of the products from the company, focusing on its growth and upcoming projects that will soon continue afterward, after this release.

Read Also: Motorola Razr 2020 Specs, Pre-orders Update: Users Won't Get the Latest Handset Until Feb. 18





The release date remains unknown as it was not revealed by Jin, but the executive guarantees that it would not be a Chinese market release when it comes out.

Android Authority first spotted the post by Jin and it says a lot for the specs of the smartphone, claiming to be the most advanced version of it yet.

Motorola: Why is it trying again for the RAZR 3

Motorola is trying again with the RAZR 3.

The previous versions of the RAZR flip phone are not bad, but it also remains as something which focuses on the innovation of Motorola for new devices and revamping old ones. Good thing is that RAZR 3 will feature a lot of new technology inside it, instead of being a glorified RAZR 2 that can almost do the same things.

Are Flip Phones the Up and Coming Devices?

Flip phones and foldable devices have been popular since 2020 and from that year on, several companies started to release an annual update for the smartphone. Samsung is one of the most notable companies to have their take on flip or fold phones that focuses on a touch screen interface and Android, something like the Galaxy Fold 3 and the Z Flip.

However, these are not the only folding devices in the market now, and one includes the one from Motorola, one of the first to release a flip phone with its modern classic RAZR from the early 2000s. The nostalgia of the device is what made it popular to the public nowadays, but it did not receive as much of the revenue or success it aims for.

Huawei is also a part of the revolution to foldable devices with the Mate V that was released earlier this year.

Despite the many ventures of the public to the not-so-popular smartphone foldable, there are still coming from different manufacturers this upcoming year. That may be a waste of assets and creation, especially as people are not that into foldable.

Nevertheless, Motorola is releasing a RAZR 3, packed with the top-tier specs it has.

Related Article: Nokia 2720 Flip Phones With Google Assistant is Coming to Verizon on May 20





This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung Galaxy Store users beware of these malware-spreading apps on the app marketplace of the South Korea-based phone maker, which have already been booted out of the Google Play Store of Android.

Samsung Galaxy Store Malware Spreading Apps

As per the report by PhoneArena, the Samsung Galaxy Store comes pre-installed with all of the latest smartphones of the South Korean tech giant, giving its users access to tons of apps that may now be found on the Play Store.

However, it also appears that the official app marketplace of Samsung has been home to numerous malware-spreading apps that could potentially be dangerous to its users.

According to the report by a mobile security expert, known as the linuxct, threat actors have gone the extra mile to develop multiple clones of a defunct streaming app that goes by the name Showbox.

On top of that, one of the writers of Android Police, Max Weinbach, also found that Showbox clones are also flooding the Galaxy Store, just like the app store of the Chinese phone maker Huawei.

The writer of the news outlet further noted that the said malicious apps on Galaxy Store have already triggered the Play Protect warning of the Google app marketplace when its users are trying to install it.

The warning carries a headline "Block by Play Protect," which further noted that "This app may be harmful." However, it is to note that Google Play still provides an option to "Install anyway."

Meanwhile, some of the clone apps on the Galaxy Store are nowhere to be found on the Google app marketplace.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to Have Better Video Stabilization? Camera Shake Reduced 4x!

Clone Apps and Malware Spreading Features

Linuxct, the mobile security analyst, went on to run through the malicious clone apps that Weinbach found on the Galaxy Store.

As such, the analyst said that the said apps turn out to have a feature that could force its users to download malware and, later on, execute it on their devices.

Meanwhile, PhoneArena was also intrigued with these several clone apps on the app marketplace of Samsung. Thus, the news outlet examined the potentially malicious apps in an online virus scanning platform, Virustotal.

The scanning tool revealed that some of the Showbox replicas are asking for too much data permission from its users, such as call logs, which has nothing to do with a streaming app service.

The app store of Samsung Galaxy debuted way back in July 2014, and since then all of the mobile devices of the South Korean tech conglomerate have had the marketplace pre-installed.

Related Article: 5G Samsung Galaxy S22 Series Accessories Revealed on UK Retailer's Website | 66 Case Options and More

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Windows 11 now has Android integration, but in 2022 it will add more to the service as it brings more apps to work on the computer interface, something which Microsoft promised in its release. The feature is a "best of both worlds" kind of thing, and it is bringing both of Microsoft and Google's best-operating systems to work together in one.

Windows Android 2022: Will It be a Success In Its Coming Releases?

Chromebooks already features Android on its operating system and allows it to run on the computer OS. However, this is integration within the company's products. According to Android Central, big names are coming to bring almost the same features as what Microsoft is doing, and the integration of Windows may have a tough road ahead of it.

Microsoft is going big or going home, and it is through the improvement of the Android OS in its Windows landscape.

The integration marks one of the first times that Microsoft has worked with Google to feature its work, despite being tech giant rivals in the industry.

Nevertheless, Microsoft is looking forward to its integration and availability to bridge apps from smartphone to desktop.

Read Also: How to Change Your Mouse Cursor in Windows 10, Also for Windows 11? [GUIDE]

Windows 11 and Android: More Apps for 2022

Windows promises to bring more apps for Android in its collaboration for 2022.

The expansion will bring a lot more to the table than what 2021 brought the public, and it is for the best of the company, especially as its users expect a lot with this crossover.

Windows and Android Challenges

Windows 11 was released last June 24 and became available around October, bringing one of the most popular operating systems this 2021 to date. Now that the year is about to end, there are now talks of how it would continue its service in the coming year, especially as it faces a lot of challenges to its operations.

Android 12 is the latest operating system from Google and it is slowly coming to different devices, with a full blast of release this 2022. One of the boldest moves by Microsoft for this year is the announcement of the integration of the smartphone OS to the computer OS, and that is by making Android available on Windows 11.

One of the largest challenges it will face is the Xbox Cloud Gaming, also coming from Microsoft, which is a known rising star for gamers. However, it also faces the threat of Apple Arcade that is available to both iOS and macOS devices.

Microsoft is gearing up to better its Windows 11 integration of the Android, and it is coming in 2022. People are expecting a lot from it, as it is something they wish to see with full integration.

Related Article: How to Use Windows 11 to Find Forgotten WiFi Password! Use This Options Now

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SpaceX Starlink's satellite has been installed and mounted on top of the WordPress founder's RV or recreational vehicle.

The founder and CEO of WordPress and its parent firm, Automattic, Matt Mullenweg, revealed that he recently discovered how to mount the Starlink dish antenna on top of his EV, as per the report by Tesmanian.

SpaceX Starlink Satellite and WordPress Founder's RV

The WordPress founder told Protocol in an interview that the early days of the pandemic had forced Mullenweg to buy himself an RV, wherein he drove it himself around the United States.

His journey includes numerous stops in tons of national parks as he goes back and forth from San Francisco and Houston.

The road trip around the country was made possible by the RV that he customized for his liking.

The internet entrepreneur enthusiastically told the news outlet that "I really love networking equipment" as he was about to delve deep into the customization of his RV.

Mullenweg narrated that by the time that he had already bought himself an RV, he went on to tinker on the internet service for the vehicle.

The founder of Automattic said that he "set up a multiple-cell phone modem router," which allows him to connect to the three biggest carriers in the US. However, despite that, he has made the connection into a single Wi-Fi network.

SpaceX Satellite Mounted on RV

Just recently, the online businessman discovered a much faster way to connect to the internet remotely.

"What we recently figured out was how to mount a Starlink on top," he said, noting that the satellite dish of SpaceX is now giving him much faster internet speeds.

But still, he said that the Starlink dish still carries some limitations as it appears to be Geo-locked in the Wyoming region. As such, the American web developer said that "you can't drive around it."

Nevertheless, he said that his RV is now getting internet quality the same as a broadband connection after installing the Starlink disk.

Read Also: SpaceX Starship is 'Next-Level,' But Has a 'Long Way to Go; Says Elon Musk for Interstellar Explorations

Starlink Mobile?

What's more, the American entrepreneur disclosed in the same interview that he is still waiting for his next internet upgrade.

Mullenweg noted that SpaceX just unveiled its plans to roll out a mobile version of Starlink, which should let him drive around with it.

It is worth noting that Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of SpaceX announced last April 16 that Starlink will be fully mobile by late 2021.

Related Article: SpaceX vs. Airbus: Jean-Marc Nasr Flexes on SpaceX CEO About Mars in 2026, Elon Musk Accepts Challenge

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX's Starlink satellites are now in trouble after Beijing claimed that the agency's cube sats allegedly endangered Chinese astronauts in orbit.

This was revealed in the report of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. In U.N.'s document, the international peace agency said that "between 16 May and 24 June 2021, the Starlink-1095 satellite maneuvered continuously to an orbit of around 382 km, and then stayed in that orbit."

The Chinese government explained that the two encounters endangered the life of the astronauts currently stationed at the China Space Station.

SpaceX's Starlink Satellites Endanger Chinese Astronauts

According to CNN Business Edition's latest report, China filed the complaint to the United Nations earlier in December. Although this is the case, the space issue could still gain some massive attention among the Chinese citizens.

Also Read: NASA's James Webb Telescope Reached Space, But Will it Replace the Hubble In Its Deep Space Scans?

In U.N.'s latest report, the Starlink-2305 cube sat went too close to China's space laboratory. Because there was an unknown maneuver, orbital errors were detected.

This leads to the collision risk between SpaceX's cube satellites and the China Space Station. To avoid deaths or other accidents, the Chinese space agency decided to perform an evasive action on the same day.

If you want to see more details about the recent space issue, you can visit this link.

China's Residents Bash SpaceX

Since the recent collision risk is quite serious, The Strait Times reported that the Chinese citizens shared their disappointment on various social media platforms, especially Twitter.

As of the moment, Elon Musk's space agency hasn't released any comment regarding the issue. But, you can still expect some announcements from SpaceX in the following days or months.

SpaceX Dragon Capsule brought some treats to the astronauts stationed at the ISS in other news. Meanwhile, Seti's new laser network is expected to find other life forms near the solar system.

For more news updates about SpaceX and other giant space agencies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: SpaceX Starlink Satellite Mounted on Top of Wordpress Founder's R.V.

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Japan has started to bolster its pace in the automated driving sector with the likes of well-known brands, including Mazda, Toyota, and even Lexus implementing the technology into their vehicles.

Since September, as reported via Bloomberg, Japan has slowly begun integrating self-driving cars to suit rural areas and the elderly better. By 2022, several automobile manufacturers will seek to invite level 2-based self-driving mechanics to their vehicles to assist the country's overall endeavors.

There are a total of five main levels of automated driving technology for self-driving cars. At the fifth level, the automobile is fully automated and drives itself. At the second level, the vehicle still requires attention depending on the situation, specifically allowing for hands-free driving on highways.

For Toyota, the Crown model of cars will see an advanced upgrade in this form of self-driving technology in its 2023 rendition. After successful research and development with the tech installed, Toyota will move to further implement the self-driving mechanic across all major models in Japan. The company will also seek to explore options of installing the tech in more affordable models if parts are available.

Mazda likewise sees the impetus in the technology, aiming to bring either level 2 or even 3 to their vehicles starting no later than 2022. The automobile manufacturer will stick to implementing these self-driving features in its sport utility and medium-sized sedans.

Lexus already has the technology installed in the Mirai model and its high-end offerings. Subaru, on the other hand, intends to bring self-driving functionality to all of its cars worldwide for the purposes of hands-free highway excursions.

Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities are thus far prohibited for use in Japan, thus Levels 2 and 3 are the main target going into 2022. Yano Research Institute, a business and market research firm based in Tokyo, insists that 62% of self-driving vehicles in Japan will have level 2-based tech installed by 2030.

Self-driving Cars In The United States

Meanwhile, the U.S. already boasts a record number of self-driving cars, including Elon Musk-led Tesla and its base level 2 self-driving tech in all models. Additionally, Alphabet's own self-driving vehicle, the Waymyo, implements level 4 into its features and plans to introduce level 5 after fully researching.

Driverless Car Debate

Not all people are fans of self-driving cars, as the innovation of transportation is not perfect. Self-driving cars' pros and cons include a number of varying factors. For Japan, the government wants to reinvigorate rural parts of the country and allow the elderly more feasible transportation methods. There are, however, myriad risks pertaining to the safety and potential for mechanical error.

With nearly 6 billion yen ($55 million) invested in the Road to the L4 project, Japan hopes to bring autonomous driving every day by 2025.

RELATED ARTICLE: Tech Times Exclusives #21: Toyota Motor Europe Tech Manager Mark Van Loock Discusses How Human Support Robot Can Help Patients

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Riot Games, the studio behind the well-established "League of Legends" online battle arena game, has accepted a $100 million settlement regarding a Los Angeles-based class-action lawsuit filed in 2018.

The suit, made in conjunction with several previous female employees of the company, alleged the studio of various workplace discrepancies, main among them being sexual harassment, unequal pay, and myriad degrees of discrimination. These internal workplace issues became a major topic of debate following the mass Kotaku article, which highlighted not merely the issues plaguing Riot but the industry writ large.

Riot Games Former Employees Come Forward

Melanie McCracken and Jess Negron, two former employees under Riot Games, took their issues with their employer's workplace culture to court following the Kotaku piece.

In 2019, Riot Games accepted a $10 million settlement to the aforementioned suit yet was denied the possibility due to California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The DFEH cited the potential for up to $400 million in restitution to the victims, which sent the suit back into litigation.

This new settlement not only calls for the $100 million to be dispersed amongst the victims of the suit but will likewise charge Riot Games with the institution of workplace policy reformations and ground-up diversification. The agreement states the studio must be monitored for up to three years, wherein the workplace standards will be regularly reviewed. Of the $100 million, $80 million will be going straight into plaintiffs' pockets, whereas the remaining $20 million will be utilized to fund their legal fees.

Read Also: How Does Netflix's 'Arcane' Introduce 'League of Legends' to Non-fans?

Other Riot Games Victims

Genie Harrison, legal representation of the victims, explained in a Washington Post report published on Monday, Dec. 27, "This is a great day for the women of Riot Games - and for women at all video game and tech companies - who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimnation."

The so-called "bro culture" and misogynistic workplace conditions have become a major topic of discussion in the gaming industry, specifically centered at some of the biggest studios and publishers on the block.

Ubisoft saw various issues stemming from 2020, with a survey showing 25% of employees experiencing or seeing sexual misconduct in the office. Issues still plague the company internally even into this year. More recently, Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in an ongoing workplace environment dispute with the state of California. It will now be paying its own $18 million in settlement fees.

Riot Games explains in an email delivered to employees on Monday, Dec. 27,

"We want to acknowledge that the timing of this announcement isn't ideal. The final details of the agreement came together quickly, and we wanted you to hear about it from us directly rather than read about it in the news while on break."

CEO of Riot Games, Nicolas Laurent, is also situated in his own discrimination suit. Sharon O'Donnell, the CEO's prior executive assistance, filed a lengthy harassment suit in January 2021, alleging the Riot Games head of sexual advances and another grotesque verbiage. This suit, however, has gone into arbitration with no substantial evidence found of any wrongdoing.

With the settlement signed and the ink still drying, the $100 million agreement still awaits final approval via a judge and hearing. No date has yet been made.

Related Article: 'Call of Duty: Warzone,' 'Modern Warfare' Now Unplayable; Mass Developer Walkout Could Be the Reason

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Daniel Estebans first idea for a business in his new hometown was a bakery.

But the costs quickly became an obstacle. So then the native of Colombia thought it over and asked a simple business question: What could he sell that no other local business was offering?

Thats when the idea hit him: churros. That fried dough treat is prevalent in Hispanic communities. But could it work in Lafayette, an area where boudin and cracklins can be found at just about every corner store?

That was about three years ago. Esteban and his wife, Melissa, set up in a kiosk in the Acadiana Mall, a small space on the floor in the wing headed to JCPenney, and branded it as The Churro's Boutique.

Churros, turns out, were the right move.

+2 Lafayette Parish population up 26.9%; Youngsville fastest-growing municipality in the state Lafayette Parish was the only parish in the Acadiana region that grew in population in the past decade and the growth in some areas in the sou

Its been great. The first year was really good," he said. "That was the boom. Ive been in this country 10 years. It was always on my mind to have my own business. Everybody comes with the American dream. I was putting money on the side  save your money to fund the right opportunity. 

His churros have become popular with customers regardless of race, but lately there have been a lot of new Hispanic faces buying his treats. In Lafayette Parish, the number of Hispanic residents has been steadily shot up in the 2020 census released earlier this year. Residents who identify as Hispanic now total nearly 16,000 in the parish, nearly five times the number there were 20 years ago.

The total population of Lafayette Parish increased by 20,000 during the last decade, and about a third of that increase was attributable to growth in the Hispanic population. The percentage of White residents in the parish, meanwhile, dropped to 62%, from 67% in 2010 and 72% in 2000.

Lafayette Parish has the fifth-highest population among the states 64 parishes and the largest outside of the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro areas. Jefferson and Orleans parishes continue to have the highest percentage of Hispanic populations since the area began rebuilding following Hurricane Katrina.

Its been that rebuilding effort that has brought more Hispanic residents to Acadiana in recent years, said Pablo Estrada, president of the Asociacion Cultural Latino-Acadiana. The new census figures, he opined, likely undercount the actual number of Hispanic people living in Lafayette.

The construction industry is being led by Hispanics, whether we want to agree to it or disagree, he said. We know theres a high influx of Hispanics working in the construction industry. In the last five to 10 years, how many storms have we had in the South? Theres a high need for skilled labor in the construction field. We are contributing positively, I believe, in putting the South back together.

Other Acadiana parishes also reported significant gains in Hispanic residents, including St. Mary Parish, which was 9% Hispanic as of 2020, the fifth-highest rate in the state. Hispanics now make up 7% of the states population. That rate remains low compared to other states, but it is up significantly from 2010, when Hispanics were just 3% of the population.

The Hispanic migration to Acadiana, Esteban noted, has resembled that of earlier immigrants  it's just a group with a different language and distinct surnames. Like many in the heavily Catholic region, Hispanics are very family-centric, he noted, including his. His dad first came to Louisiana about 20 years ago from Colombia and began working as a welder at the Port of Iberia.

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Esteban arrived in Louisiana after high school. Now 28 and with his own family, including daughters ages 8 and 5, he is likely here to stay.

Lafayette has grown up a lot, he said. I can see everything with more business eyes, and I can see a lot of opportunities here. The only difference is the language, to be honest. Everything is about family.

In 10 years, Ive never had a complaint of, Why are you speaking your language? Of course, we speak both. We have to be ready. We are in America. We have to speak both languages.

The influx has nudged the Hispanic enrollment at schools in Lafayette Parish upward as well, data shows. In the current school year, Hispanic students made up 9.1% of students parishwide, up from 7.2% four years ago.

Its something teacher Gabriela Rio Hernandez has seen firsthand in her 13 years with Lafayette Parish schools  especially during the last five, teaching second grade at Charles Burke Elementary School as part of its dual-language program. Things were different when she arrived in Louisiana 13 years ago, after being hired as a teacher.

These days, she says, fewer students are arriving in Louisiana from Mexico.

There are more people coming from Central and South America, she said. I dont see a lot of immigration coming from Mexico, especially in big numbers anymore like it used to be. A lot from Central America are coming for a safe place to live and trying to avoid the danger in their countries. But there are people who are coming to work here.

The move for families, she noted, can be challenging. Theres documentation necessary to find a place to live. She finds herself helping a lot of the international teachers who arrive in Lafayette, assisting them in finding housing and other issues.

The process takes longer than it used to, she said, because there are fewer staffers to assist in the process.

When I did it, (it took) two months to have everything ready, Rio Hernandez said. Now its four to six months to have everything ready. When I arrived, it was hard. I cant imagine now.

Estrada with ACLA noted that many of the new immigrants are branching out beyond construction and teaching, with some finding success as entrepreneurs. Those businesses include the often-busy Hispanic markets on Ambassador Caffery Parkway, with their different condiments and sodas, as well as the restaurants that no longer offer simple Tex-Mex but instead feature authentic food from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala.

+7 This Lafayette suburb more than doubled its population since 2010. Could it be the next Youngsville? Brody LeBlanc threw out a wide net when he began looking for a home in the Lafayette area over the summer. A physician hired on with Our Lady 

Back at The Churros Boutique, Esteban makes his authentic churros right in front of the customer, offering them in a number of styles. People in Louisiana are all about food  Lafayette is almost like a miniature New York with the number of restaurants it has per capita, he said  which makes for better business.

Now he is looking into expanding his business. Maybe a location in Youngsville or Broussard. Or Baton Rouge, and eventually New Orleans.

I always say to the people, 'We want to be the Starbucks for churros,' he said. Hopefully we can have locations outside the mall next year, and then have one in Youngsville and Broussard. But my main thing is to stay here in Louisiana. I like this state.
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Its hard to lose Joan Didion. I never met her, but she was always in the background, an elfin woman with an unflinching eye, teaching me about writing.

A very young Jennifer Byrne, just back from a stint as San Francisco correspondent for The Age, introduced Didion to me. I was a young reporter finding my feet as a writer of what were called colour pieces. I knew a bit about the New Journalism that had turned conventional reportage upside down, and its male heroes: the flamboyant Tom Wolfe, the possibly unhinged Hunter S. Thompson. But where were the women in this exciting movement?

There was just one. At that time shed written three novels and two books of extraordinary essays. Ive just reread one of her earliest, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (later the title of her 1968 essay collection), about the hippies in San Francisco. My jaw drops all over again. For the most part, all she does is hang around the Haight-Ashbury district, meeting the renegades and runaways, watching them take drugs, fall sick, go on bad trips and bounce back again. The girls do a lot of macrobiotic baking. They accept Didions presence in a condescending way. She tells one boy she is 32. Dont worry, theres old hippies too, he says.

Joan Didion mingles with a crowd of hippies in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park in 1967 while researching her essay Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Credit:Ted Streshinsky/Corbis/Getty

They are all very young, vague, sweet and dangerous to each other. By the time I get to one of Didions rare comments  We were seeing the attempt of a handful of pathetically unequipped children to create a community in a social vacuum  I know exactly what she means. She ends the essay calmly and unsensationally, with a three-year-old who sets himself on fire and a five-year-old on acid. Her mother has been giving her acid and peyote for a year.
Sadly, Melbourne has been remembered this year more as the worlds most locked-down city than as a vibrant centre of engaging art music. But while ducking and weaving around four lockdowns, various curfews and other restrictions that could change at the drop of a hat, Victorias classical musicians and arts organisations revealed incredible resilience and ingenuity at no little cost to their emotional and financial wellbeing.

Launched in 2020, Melbourne Digital Concert Halls star continued to shine this year.

The farsighted and timely establishment of the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall last year has continued to bear prodigious fruit. Its national reach is being acknowledged with rebranding as the Australian Digital Concert Hall, together with well-deserved federal government funding and the accolade of Limelight magazines Australian Artist of the Year.

In these difficult times ADCHs role as financial and artistic lifeline, especially for cherished local artists and small ensembles, cannot be underestimated.

ADCH heralded several changes of focus concerning artists and presentation that are now common to the classical scene. With international borders closed or severely restricted, there has been a welcome celebration of the wealth of Australian talent.
A defamation case surrounding a painting by Archibald Prize-winning artist Del Kathryn Barton is set to return to court after a judge refused to enforce a $50,000 settlement deal, finding a Sydney businessman misrepresented a key detail.

Art collector Damien Vass, who sells luxury blinds and window furnishings, bought Ms Bartons The Heart Land  a 2.4-metre high, 9-metre long artwork consisting of five panels  for $252,000 in August 2014.

The Heart Land, a five-panel painting by Del Kathryn Barton, is at the centre of a defamation case. Credit:Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

One of the conditions of sale allegedly was that the pentaptych would not be split up and sold separately, a condition which was to be passed along to anyone who bought the painting.

In March 2015, an art collector contacted Ms Barton requesting she sign one of the panels, which had been sold to him on its own. She refused, and her lawyer sent a letter to Mr Vass demanding to know what happened.
New York: Prince Andrew says a US lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault may need to be thrown out because the alleged victim probably lives in Australia.

In a new filing in Manhattan federal court, Andrew said a finding that Virginia Giuffre lived in Australia would remove the courts jurisdiction over the case. He asked US District Judge Lewis Kaplan to force Giuffre to answer questions about her residency under oath.

Giuffre sued Andrew in New York in August, claiming he sexually abused her on multiple occasions when she was 17, after Jeffrey Epstein lent her out to the British royal and other powerful men. Andrew has denied her allegations.

Prince Andrew has always denied the allegations that he abused Virginia Giuffre. Credit:AP

In Tuesdays filing, Andrew said recently discovered evidence showed that Giuffre has lived in Australia for all but two of the last 19 years, despite claiming in her suit that she was a resident of Colorado. Giuffre hasnt lived in Colorado since at least 2019, Andrew said, and had an Australian drivers licence and lived in a $1.9 million Perth home with her family when she filed the suit.
New York City: People who have COVID should isolate for five days if they arent experiencing symptoms, US health officials said, cutting the previously recommended period in half.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) that following the five-day isolation period, people diagnosed with COVID-19 should wear a mask for five days when they are around other people. The new guidance supplants previous recommendations that said people who have tested positive for the virus should isolate for 10 days.

Cases are expected to soar in the US following the Christmas-New Year holidays, threatening to upend the lives of workers and students who are infected or exposed to the virus.

Dr Anthony Fauci says the US should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel. Credit:AP

The shorter isolation and quarantine periods will allow people to return to work or school sooner than previously permitted.
In a year chockfull of great performances across the boards, it was hard to single out  near impossible  to pick our favorites. After much deliberation (and a lot of residual guilt), we've narrowed our lengthy list down to the following 5.

Andy Grotelueschen in Assassins

( Julieta Cervantes)

Andy Grotelueschen

Assassins

The Classic Stage Company revival of Assassins is stacked with one of the most impressive casts in New York City. But even among this all-star company, Andy Grotelueschen's performance as Richard Nixon's attempted assassin Samuel Byck stands out. He proved comedy to be his strong suit when he earned a Tony nomination for his performance as the nebbishy Jeff in the musical adaptation of Tootsie in 2019. Now he takes on two of the greatest monologues John Weidman wrote for Assassins, pouring out his heart to Leonard Bernstein in tape recorded diatribes about political dishonesty and socioeconomic hierarchies. Each speech is a master class in weaving drama into comedy and comedy into drama, as Grotelueschen reels in his audience with laughter and then shocks them with rage. He makes it seem effortless but never underestimate the skill it takes to fill that iconic Santa suit.  Hayley Levitt

Francis Jue in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

( Joan Marcus)

Francis Jue

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992

Anna Deavere Smith's attempt to turn her classic solo documentary play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 into an ensemble piece for the recent Signature Theatre off-Broadway revival was only half-successful at best. There was one standout among its cast of five, however: Francis Jue, who portrayed characters ranging from a white, male, Los Angeles police officer to an Asian female academic with equal aplomb. But it was Jue's channeling of the late, great mezzo-soprano Jessye Norman that astonished the most. Norman's regal yet passionate manner came roaring back to life through Jue for one brief monologue. It was the closest anyone in the ensemble came to matching Smith's own uncanny gift for thrilling, empathetic mimicry.  Kenji Fujishima

Patti LuPone and Katrina Lenk in Company

( Matthew Murphy)

Patti LuPone

Company



After War Paint (and two new hips later), Patti LuPone swore off musicals. Then Marianne Elliott offered her the chance to play Joanne in Company on the West End, which is an offer she couldn't refuse. Now on Broadway with the show, LuPone, typically, blazes just by walking out on stage. But she also proves why she's one of the theater's greatest actors, writing every syllable out of that small-ish role, finding devastating nuance and withering comedy in George Furth's dialogue, and imbuing the Stephen Sondheim classic "The Ladies Who Lunch" with a very stern warning for the now-female protagonist: do not become like me. It's LuPone's best performance since Gypsy, and if this really does become her farewell to musical-theater, what a way to go out.  David Gordon

Ruben Santiago-Hudson in Lackawanna Blues

( Marc J. Franklin)

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Lackawanna Blues



Ruben Santiago-Hudson premiered his solo play Lackawanna Blues off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 2001. Twenty years later, audiences were privileged to see him perform the work on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman  and what a performance. The play tells the story of a young Ruben growing up in Lackawanna, New York, under the care of Nanny, a boarding house owner. Santiago-Hudson takes on not only the character of his caregiver but also that of every other denizen of Lackawanna whom he came into contact with, each one a memorable individual he embodied with distinct voice and mannerisms. On top of his acting prowess, his musical abilities were on full display as he cranked out one number after another on the harmonica with guitar accompaniment by the magnificent Junior Mack. It was an unforgettable, tour-de-force performance from a Tony-winning Broadway legend.  Pete Hempstead

Kristina Wong shoots PPE at the audience in Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord.

( Joan Marcus)

Kristina Wong

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

Kristina Wong is the first person to truly make me laugh about the pandemic  an impressive feat considering how miserable the whole experience has been. Her solo show, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, is about a circle of aunties who sew masks for those in need. Wong tells their story (which is really her story, since she organized the group) with the superhuman energy of a cartoon character escaped from the TV. She shoots masks into the audience like she's GI Jane. Later, she ruminates on her relationship with her mother while doing a Pilates routine that made me sweat just watching it. Most astoundingly, with her special mixture of frivolity and heart, she took me on a stroll through the last 21 months that I actually enjoyed. One of the most incredible physical performers I've ever encountered, Wong has a special gift for connecting with an audience that makes even the most unpalatable subjects seem delightful.  Zachary Stewart
With children returning to school in a few days, Safe Kids Laramie County wants to remind the community about the importance of pedestrian safety.

Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the fifth-leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 19, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.

In Wyoming there were 380 pedestrian-involved crashes from 2016-2020, averaging about 75 per year, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportations latest Highway Safety Report.

Teenagers are at greatest risk, said Victoria Ingerle, Safe Kids Laramie County coordinator. Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths.

Whether children are walking or biking to school or just going outside to stretch and play, Safe Kids is encouraging all parents and caregivers to share and demonstrate the following tips for walking to school or to other locations safely, Ingerle said.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low near 20F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low near 20F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%.
Photo as posted on the GoFundMe page of alleged murder victim and her three children.
1619 Projects Nikole Hannah-Jones Says Parents Shouldnt Decide What Schools Teach

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the leading author of The New York Times revisionist 1619 Project, says that parents shouldnt decide what is being taught in schools.

During an interview on NBCs Meet the Press, Hannah-Jones was asked about the debate on how much control parents should have over what their children learn in school. The issue became prominent in this years Virginia gubernatorial race, which, as host Chuck Todd noted, was arguably decided on the strength of how influential should parents be on curriculum.

I dont really understand this idea that parents should decide whats being taught, Hannah-Jones replied, adding that she isnt a professional educator, nor does she have a degree in social studies or science. We send our children to school because we want them to be taught by people who have expertise in the subject area. And that is not my job.

She then spoke sympathetically of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat whose failure to secure another term has been widely attributed to his stance on education.

McAuliffe in 2016 vetoed what was known as the Beloved bill, a measure that would have made Virginia the first state to require schools to warn parents when assigned books include sexually explicit content and to provide an alternative book at a parents request. When his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, brought the matter up during a debate, McAuliffe defended the veto, saying, I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

When the governor or the candidate said he didnt think parents should be deciding whats being taught in school, he was panned for that, but thats just the fact, Hannah-Jones said, referring to McAuliffe.

This is why we send our children to school and dont homeschool, because these are the professional educators who have the expertise to teach social studies, to teach history, to teach science, to teach literature, she said. I think we should leave that to the educators. Yes, we should have some say, but school is not about simply confirming our worldview.

Although she said teachers should decide what to teach in history classes, Hannah-Jones has suggested on many occasions that U.S. history has been taught in a biased way that downplayed the role of slavery in the nations founding.

Everyone in high school knows about the Mayflower, but nobody has been taught about the other ship, the White Lion, she said in a December 2019 event at Harvard University, referring to the ship that brought African slaves to the British colony of Virginia in 1619. She repeated that talking point in a more recent NPR Fresh Air interview, saying that the absence of the White Lion story in history classes is symbolic of how history is shaped by people who decide whats important and whats not.

A K12 curriculum based on the 1619 Project is meant to change that. According to the curriculum, the primary reason the Revolutionary War was fought was to preserve slavery, and that the Founding Fathers were frauds who didnt believe the words they wrote in the founding documents to be true.

Despite overwhelming criticism by prominent scholars from across the political spectrum who say the project has many flaws and historical distortions, the 1619 Project curriculum has been embraced by at least 4,000 classrooms across the nation, where students examine what it would mean to reframe U.S. history by considering 1619 the countrys founding date and learn about the ways in which slaverys legacy persists in U.S. systems.

The 1619 Project and the curriculum derived from it have been explicitly banned from public school classrooms in a handful of states, including Texas and Florida. Under the latest guidelines by the Florida Board of Education, teachers arent allowed to utilize materials from the project, because it describes the American founding as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.
Officers gather in the street in Lakewood, Colo., on Dec. 27, 2021, in this still image taken from a social media video. (Hawk Hawkins/via Reuters)

5 Dead After Shooter Opens Fire Across Denver and Lakewood, Colorado

Five people, including the gunman, were killed on Monday following a series of shootings in Denver and Lakewood, Colorado, police confirmed.

Lakewood Police Department confirmed that they were working with the Denver Police Department on a large-scale, active shooter incident that ended in Lakewood late Monday evening.

Law enforcement in Lakewood received a call of shots fired at a business just before 6 p.m., Lakewood Police spokesman John Romero said during a news conference.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, Romero said. Police were able to get a description of the vehicle and the shooting suspect. A while later, authorities found the vehicle but when they attempted to make contact with the driver, the driver opened fire on agents who returned fire, Romero said. The driver was able to get away.

The suspect, who has not been identified, fled on foot to a nearby shopping area where he allegedly felony menaced another business with a firearm before then retreating to the Hyatt Place, according to Romero.

At that point, he did allegedly shoot one of the clerks there and that person was taken to the hospital. We do not know the extent of the injuries there or exactly how that person is doing, Romero continued.

The suspect fled the area, at which point he then ran into police and fired at an agent, Romero said.

That agent is currently at the hospital undergoing surgery right now. Fire was then exchanged again with our agents  and the shooter, in this case, was taken down.

Romero added that authorities are still unsure as to whether the suspects death was as a result of police shooting or not but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. A SWAT team was sent to the area.

There is no longer a threat to the community, authorities said.

Officials believe the incident initially began in Denver with a series of violent incidences, the first of which occurred a little after 5 p.m., when three people were shot, leaving two adult women dead and one adult male injured, according to Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen.

Shortly after, one adult male was shot and killed at a second location near 12th Avenue and Williams Street. At a third location in Sixth Avenue and Cherokee Street, a gun was fired, but no injuries were reported, Pazen said.

Also, Denver police officers identified a vehicle associated with this incident, there was a pursuit that ensued, there was an exchange of gunfire between the individual, the suspect, and our officers. Fortunately, our officers were not injured as a result of this incident. We believe that the individual, after disabling the police car, fled into Lakewood at that time.

To recap, we have four significant locations where gunfire took place in the City and County of Denver, Pazen said.

In total, five people were killed, including the suspect, police said, adding that they have reason to believe the instances in Denver and Lakewood are connected.

Late Monday evening, Colorado State Patrol Troop said on Twitter that troopers were assisting Lakewood in the Belmar area.

Numerous businesses have customers and employees still inside. SWAT teams are clearing a very large area inch by inch. Stay inside and stay safe until area cleared by law enforcement, Colorado State Patrol wrote.

One woman told CBS4 Denver that they heard popping outside an Xfinity store before staff took customers to safety.

We were just in there, my husband and I. You could hear the popping outside. It was like one shot and then maybe five or six more, and a couple more after that.

Xfinity did an awesome job, she said. They swooped us right inside, got us in the back room and got the gates down. Fortunately, we didnt see too much, she said, adding that employees at the store were hit with shrapnel.

Police do not yet have a motive for the shooting.
Abigail Adams was an amazing woman. Nothat compliment cuts in half her talents and her ardor. She was an amazing human being.

Faced with the unfamiliar task of providing financially for her children while her husband was in Europe for four years, Abigail used her imagination and discovered talents she hadnt realized she possessed to accomplish her goal, Natalie S. Bober wrote in the Foreword to her 1995 biography of this heroine.

Bober noted that Adams must be viewed as a woman of her times, and in her own context.

She spoke out strongly for education for women and for legal status equal to that of men, but she valued the domestic role as the greatest in her life, Bober wrote. For her, a woman who spoke with wisdom was not inconsistent with one who cheerfully attended to her household.

In her constancy to her country and to her husband and children, Adams was one of the great figures in U.S. history. Even today, long after her death, she offers us a shining example of an ardent patriot, a loyal and loving companion in marriage, a devoted mother, and an educator.

The birthplace of Abigail Adams in Weymouth, Mass. (Daniel M. Silva/Shutterstock)

She was born Abigail Smith, the daughter of a New England Congregationalist Minister William Smith and his wife Elizabeth.

But we know her today as Abigail Adams (17441818), the wife of John Adams and the first lady during his presidency, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams, our sixth U.S. president.

And it was in her early life, in ways often hidden from herself, that she acquired the tools and gifts that would make her such a remarkable person.

Wild Colts Make the Best Horses

So said the beloved grandmother of Abigail Adams.

Though raised by a mother deeply concerned with the proprieties of society, Abigail was a headstrong, independent child who often fought to go her own way. She worked alongside her father during lambing season, despite her mothers belief that a womans place was in the home and not a barn. She enjoyed shelling the peas that she would later eat at a table serviced with silver and linen.

This penchant to follow her own path and hold strong opinions came to the fore during her courtship with young attorney John Adams. At one point, he sent Abigail a Catalogue of your Faults, which contained such criticisms as her lack of skill at cards, her failure to learn to sing, her poor posture when seated, and even her habit of sitting with her legs crossed.

Abigail answered these charges.

I thank you for your Catalogue, but must confess I was so hardened as to read over most of my Faults with as much pleasure, as [another] person would have read over their perfections, she wrote back humorously.

Peacefield, the home of John and Abigail Adams, Adams National Historical Park, Braintree, Quincy, Mass. (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock)

Getting Herself an Education

To her lifelong regret, Abigail never attended any formal school. In her later life, she attributed this neglect to the prejudices of her time against female education. However, to be fair to her parents, there were a few schools in Massachusetts that admitted females, and Abigails parents were worried about their daughters susceptibility to disease had she studied away from home.

Despite her misgivings, by todays standards, we would regard Abigail as highly educated, assisted in her schooling by a number of others. When older, she credited her grandmother as one of her early great teachers, someone who possessed the happy method of mixing instruction and amusement together. Once when she implored her father to send her off to school, he reminded her that the family had access to three fine libraries: their own and those of her Grandfather Quincy and Uncle Isaac Smith. And in fact, Abigail plundered these libraries to deepen her knowledge of subjects such as literature, history, and politics.

A few tutors also played a hand in her education. One of these was Richard Cranch, an amateur theologian, lover of literature, and watch repairman. As Natalie Bober tells us in Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution, Cranch was probably the first man (other than Parson Smith and young Isaac) to take Abigails passion for learning seriously. Abby adored him.

Letters

In her teenage years, Abigail also broadened her education and writing skills by corresponding with friends about books and poems they had read. These young women deliberately conducted these exchanges of letters as a means of furthering their education, especially in regard to literature, as well as fostering the intimacies of friendship.

During this time, Abigail pushed herself to become a better writer. Faulting her lack of formal education and her unfamiliarity with the classics in their original Greek and Latin, she worried about her handwriting, her spelling, and her pointing [punctuation], and apologized to her friends for being a very incorrect writer,' according to Bober.

She hoped she wouldnt be thought stupid, she wrote.

The Pay-Off

Despite her fretful concerns over her academic shortcomings and her letter writing, which was considered an art form in the 18th century, Abigails upbringing molded her into one of the most outstanding women in U.S. history.

The willfulness she exhibited as a girl evolved into the willpower that carried her through the long years of her husbands absence from their home. While John was attending to politics in places such as Philadelphia and Europe, Abigail relied on her earlier education to run the farm, oversee their childrens upbringing and education, and barter goods to help make ends meet. She disliked performing these tasks alone, but she never flagged or faltered in her duties.

Abigails dismay over her education led her to become an early advocate for womens rights in both education and in the political realm. She famously wrote to her beloved husband John to remember the ladies when he and others were creating the framework for the Revolution in the spring of 1776. Other letters urged him to grant rights to women both in marriage and in politics.

Her correspondence with her husband, with patriots such as Thomas Jefferson, and with family members and friends remains one of the hallmarks of our past. Historians have found in her letters thousands of details ranging from the days before the American Revolution to her time as first lady. Her prose is sharp and lively, raising a question: Would the lost education she so lamented have enhanced these letters or reduced their fervor and pith?

A statue of Abigail Adams and her son John Quincy Adams at Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Mass. (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock)

Takeaways

The adolescence of Abigail Adamsand for that matter, hundreds of other renowned Americansoffers some lessons for todays parents, grandparents, and mentors of young people.

Abigail might easily have slipped into an entirely different life, a different destiny. Her mother was unhappy with John Adamss courtship of her daughter, regarding him as a struggling country lawyer whose lack of grace and polish, rude outbursts, and moody silences were not a fit match for her fragile but gifted middle daughter. Abigail might have succumbed to her mothers demands, but her determination to make John her husbandtheres that adolescent willpower coming to the foreeventually changed Elizabeths mind.

Abigails early life offers this major reminder of human development: We acquire gifts as we mature that may someday give birth to unexpected bounties. The training and education Abigail received, some of which she regarded as stumbling blocks, actually worked to her advantage and made her a success in her later years.

The same criteria might apply to our own young people. By their play and education and even by their bitter disappointments, they may later find themselves, like Abigail, inadvertently equipped with the tools they need for triumph and success.

Inside Peacefield, the home of John and Abigail Adams at Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Mass. (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock)

For More Information, See:

Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober (Simon Pulse, 1998, 272 pages)
Students wearing black graduation gowns and masks stand in front of the Goddess of Democracy statue at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus as they hold up black balloons in Hong Kong, China on Nov. 19, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Artist Speaks Out After Hong Kong Universities Remove Tiananmen Massacre Monuments

After the University of Hong Kong secretly demolished the Pillar of Shame Tiananmen memorial on the evening of Dec. 22, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Lingnan University also removed statues and sculptures commemorating the pro-democracy protests on Dec. 24.

The bronze Goddess of Democracy that had stood at CUHK for 12 years was removed by workers dispatched by school authorities in the early morning. On the same day, Lingnan University removed a memorial relief sculpture and covered a Tiananmen Massacre mural.

Both were created by Chen Weiming, a New Zealand citizen, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. When the 6.4-meter tall bronze statue of Goddess of Democracy was shipped to Hong Kong for exhibition on June 2, 2010, it was received by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. At that time, the Hong Kong government impounded the statue twice with the excuse of drug investigation and obstruction of the streets. Some Hong Kong Alliance members were charged and arrested. Chen was also denied entry into Hong Kong when he arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport.

After several twists and turns, the Goddess of Democracy statue was finally displayed at the June 4th candlelight vigil that year. Then, in the early morning of June 5, more than 2,000 CUHK teachers, students, and citizens escorted it to the university campus, where it was erected on the green grass field next to the MTR University Station.

In that same year, the Lingnan University Student Union sought the permanent placement of the Tiananmen Massacre relief sculpture on campus, which was approved by Lingnan University at the time.

Chen merged more than 10,000 Tiananmen Massacre pictures into the sculpture, including tanks chasing students who were about to leave Tiananmen Square, the Tank Man standing in front of a tank to block it, and Beijing citizens riding bicycles carrying the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals. The relief sculpture was sent to Hong Kong together with the bronze statue of the Goddess of Democracy in 2010, and it was also confiscated by the police for investigation.

In response to the removal of his artwork from Hong Kongs universities, Chen Weiming told The Epoch Times that he felt very sorry about the incident. Chen pointed out that the two universities accepted the sculptures on campus back then, but he was completely uninformed ahead of the removals, which was improper and may have violated the law. He also emphasized that the sculpture was only loaned out for the exhibition, and he is still the owner of the art pieces. He would consult with a lawyer on how to further handle the incident, including considering legal action. He also hopes that the two universities can keep the sculptures properly and transport them back to the United States for exhibition.

This is likely the fate of such sculptures in Hong Kong. Under the National Security Law, there is no place for reasoning in Hong Kong, and the citys rule of law is dead, Chen said. The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] does not even recognize the Sino-British Joint Declaration. I believe that the removals are a result of pressure from Beijing. If Hong Kong still has the freedom of Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong, the school will never take such actions, he said.

The statues were removed at midnight. Chen said the people who removed them were as sneaky as thieves.

Why didnt they dare to do this in the daytime, in a noble and dignified manner? It indicates that they know it is inappropriate. They fear that they would incur public outcry, Chen said.

He pointed out that the Chinese communist regime almost always arrests and tries dissidents before holidays when foreign media are taking vacations. This is the CCPs usual tactic, he said.
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Australian Prime Minister Joins TikTok Despite Warnings Around Apps Beijing Ties

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has uploaded two Christmas videos on hugely popular, yet controversial, music app TikTok despite warnings about its connections to Beijing.

Gday, TikTok. Merry Christmas from me and Bud and all of our family here to you and all of yours, Morrison said in his first video on the Chinese owned video-sharing social networking platform.

Stay safe. Think of those obviously doing it a bit tough. Buddys going off to wrap some presents. Ill catch you later.

The video shows him holding his pet with a Jingle Bells soundtrack in the background.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Merry Christmas video on TikTok. (Screeshot)

ByteDance, the Beijing-based company which owns TikTok, has sparked concerns over its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the potential sharing of user data.

In turn, this sparked a ban on transactions with the company by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020, and saw the Australian Department of Defense to ban downloading the app on devices used by military personnel.

Morrison, though ruling out a general ban on TikTok, said at the time that the line connects right back to China and people should exercise their own judgment about whether they should participate in those things or not.

Despite these earlier warnings, the prime minister launched his official TikTok account pm_scomo on Christmas Eve.

In the second video uploaded on Christmas Day, Morrison reflected on the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic during the past year.

Well, Merry Christmas Australia. Yeah, its been a tough year. Theres no doubt about that. Weve faced many challenges together and were doing it again with this Omicron variant, but well get through that too, he said against the background of a Christmas tree.

The prime minister also praised Australians volunteering to work during the holiday season.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Merry Christmas video on TikTok. (Screenshot)

The comment section is turned off under Morrisons account.

With Australias federal election coming soon in 2022, TikTok, which has a major following among the two youngest generations in the countryaround 1.7 million userscan be seen as a way to reach and communicate with newer voters.

Fergus Ryan, an analyst at Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), warned about propaganda, censorship of anti-CCP opinions, and mass surveillance of users on TikTok.

Theres no question that the Chinese Communist Party has a hold, Ryan told The Herald Sun. They even have Communist Party cells inside the company.

Last month, TikTok temporarily blocked Australian human rights activist and Senate candidate Drew Pavlou from posting on the platform.
The Norwegian Jewel cruise ship shown during a lockdown on Feb. 14, 2020, in Sydney Australia. A passenger was tested for the CCP virus but tested negative. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Australian Travel Industry Launching Protests Against Spider Web of COVID-19 Restrictions

Australian travel agents are planning a series of protests next month over continuing restrictions imposed on the tourism industry, which has been devastated over the course of the pandemic.

Belle Goldie, owner of iTravel Penrith in the west of Sydney, told 2GB radio on Dec. 24 that since the announcement of the rallies, she has received an outpouring of support from the industry, with some agents calling her in tears.

We were told to wait until the vaccines arrived, or told to wait till we reached herd immunity which moved from 70 to 80 to 90 percent, she said.

Now were here we still dont have a restart plan, and theres really no reasonable justification.

Goldie said the government has imposed a spider web of restrictions which discouraged Australians from travelling.

Agents across Australia and around the world are left scratching their heads on a daily basis on what today is going to bring, whats going to change, she added, pointing in particular at the recently extended ban on cruise ships from entering the country until Feb. 17, 2022.

For us, its frustrating, and its also very confusing. So imagine what its like for our customers.

The first rally is set to kick off in Sydney on Jan. 9, 2022, followed by a second protest in Brisbane two weeks later on Jan. 23, 2022.

The news also comes days after three major airlinesJetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantascancelled and rescheduled dozen of flights on Christmas Eve as management tried to cope with COVID-19 restrictions.

For example, a Jetstar spokesperson said its cancellations were the result of many several staff being forced to test and isolate as close contacts.

According to a survey of 1,500 people conducted by the Tourism and Transport Forum, Western Australia and Queensland topped the list of states most likely to shut their borders at short notice citing concerns with the potential for more lockdowns, lack of consistency of rules between jurisdictions, and fear of not being able to return home.

John Sharp, deputy chairman of Regional Express Airlines said on Dec. 20, the risk of flight cancellation is very much up to state premiers, who have proven in the past that they are very keen and willing to close borders and introduce travel restrictions.

People had been persuaded to get the COVID-19 jab to not only protect themselves against getting the virus, but also to travel freely, he said.

I think it would be a breach of trust between governments and the public if state premiers were now to say, despite the fact that we have got the highest vaccination rates anywhere in the world, we are going to close borders and restrict your ability to travel, he told the Today program.

Keep your nerve and dont break that trust.

Once a driver of Australias economys growth, generating AU$60.8 billion (US $43.9 billion) in GDP in 2018-19, the travel industry suffered a $50 billion loss in domestic overnight travel from Mar. 2020 to Sep. 2021, according to data from the National Visitor Survey monthly snapshot by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship departs from Port Kembla on April 23, 2020 in Wollongong, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Joel Katz, managing director of Cruise Lines International Association, said Australia was the only major cruise market in the world without an agreed plan to resume cruising.

The suspension of cruising has been devastating for the 18,000 Australians who depend on cruise tourism, including travel agents, tour operators, food and produce providers, entertainers, port workers and many other industry suppliers, Katz said in a statement on Dec. 10.
President Joe Biden speaks about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Getty Images)

Biden Says Theres No Federal Solution to COVID-19 Pandemic

President Joe Biden now says there is no federal solution to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This gets solved at the state level, Biden said at a meeting on Dec. 27 with the National Governors Association (NGA), and the White House COVID-19 response team. It ultimately gets down to where the rubber meets the road and thats where the patient is in need of help or preventing the need for help.

He continues to refer to the recently emerged Omicron variant as a source for concern, not a source for panic.

The nation has seen an uptick of COVID cases in recent weeks among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations as a result of the variant, which is now the dominant strain of COVID in the United States.

Biden, who had vowed during the 2020 campaign to beat the virus and get it under control, also continues to assert that the nation isnt in the same place it was in March 2020, when the pandemic began. He, along with federal health officials, continues to tout vaccines as being effective protection from hospitalization and death from COVID.

In recent days, Biden has moved to increase the number of vaccine sites around the nation and increased spending on COVID tests by $3 billion.

He conceded on Dec. 27 that it was still tough for some folks to get a COVID test over the Christmas weekend. saying theres still more work to do.

Biden also referenced the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment and expressed concern over a rise in hospitalizations, saying the federal government is prepared.

Following the presidents public comments, the group discussed a range of topics, including the latest science on the Omicron variant, the use and distribution of COVID-19 treatments, expanding federal partnerships and resources on testing, and keeping the nations schools open, according to a White House readout of the meeting.

Following the meeting, Biden told reporters the bipartisan group of governors didnt tell me theyre worried, but they thanked me for the cooperation theyre getting. They said theyve gotten all that they need. They just want to know what we think is going to happen from here.

Biden added there were questions from governors for White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci about new rules around domestic air flights.

Fauci has said recently the U.S. government should consider vaccine requirements for domestic air travel.
Biden Signs $768 Billion Defense Spending Bill Into Law

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a nearly $770 billion defense bill, setting policy for the Pentagon on a number of areas, the White House announced.

The sweeping National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022 authorizes a 5 percent increase ($25 billion) in military spending from last year and includes a 2.7 percent pay raise for most military service members.

Congress earlier this month scrambled to pass the annual legislation, with the Senate and the House of Representatives voting overwhelmingly in favor of the bill after several hurdles over China and Russia policy.

The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our countrys national defense, Biden said in a statement after approving the policy.

The $768.2 billion bill was passed by the House in early December in a 363-70 vote, while the Senate passed the NDAA by a 88-11 vote.

The NDAA is closely watched by a broad swath of industry and other interests because it is one of the only major pieces of legislation that becomes law every year and because it addresses a wide range of issues. The NDAA has become law every year for six decades.

It sets policy for the Pentagon on a wide range of areas, and this years legislation includes more aircraft and Navy ship purchases to meet the increasing threats directed at Taiwan from Chinas ruling communist party, and outlines strategies with a particular focus on strategic competition with China and Russia.

On China, the bill triples funding for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative in the Indo-Pacific at a cost of $7.1 billion and outlines a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan. It also includes a ban on the Department of Defense procuring products produced with forced labor from Chinas northwestern Xinjiang region.

Biden had requested a lower figure of $5.1 billion for efforts in the Indo-Pacific. The $7.1 billion will support the Pentagons plans to further disperse and supply U.S. forces across the first island chain, from the Philippines to Taiwan and Japan, to make them less vulnerable to missile attacks from China.

The United States may also be playing catch up with China and Russia on hypersonic weapons, with the Pentagon being directed to compare its capabilities.

This years legislation also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides support to Ukraines armed forces, $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative, and $150 million for Baltic security cooperation.

It creates a 16-member commission to study the war in Afghanistan. Biden ended the conflict in August after he withdrew all remaining U.S. troops from the country before a self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline. The Biden administration has received widespread criticism for how it handled the pullout.

The measure also lays out policy for the Department of Defenses COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is compelling a large portion of the U.S. military to receive a vaccine in order to remain in the service. It states that members who are discharged for failing to meet a deadline to get vaccinated receive at least a general discharge under honorable conditions, which would allow those affected to qualify for re-enlistment.

Biden in his statement also highlighted certain provisions that he opposed, including policy that bars the use of funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United States or to the custody of certain foreign countries unless certain conditions are met.

It is the longstanding position of the executive branch that these provisions unduly impair the ability of the executive branch to determine when and where to prosecute Guantanamo Bay detainees and where to send them upon release, the president said.

Biden also said he was against a provision that will effectively require executive departments and agencies to submit reports to certain committees.

This will include highly sensitive classified information, including information that could reveal critical intelligence sources or military operational plans, he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The Stanton Inn, a Project Roomkey location will transfer over to longer-term homeless housing under Project Homekey by the end of the year. Stanton, Calif., October 08, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

California Awarded $113 Million for 5 Homeless Housing Projects

SACRAMENTO, Calif.Five additional supportive housing projects were approved after the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) awarded $113 million to expand Homekey, the states effort to provide housing options for the homeless population.

This is what Homekey is all about  providing Californians in need with not just quality housing, but quality housing with the supportive services they require, located near the amenities they need, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Dec. 21 statement.

According to the web page, the Homekey program purchases and rehabilitates hotels, motels, and vacant properties into permanent, long-term housing for the homeless, or those at risk of homelessness.

Last year, HCD awarded approximately $23.1 million in funding to the County of Orange and Jamboree Housing Corporation under Homekey.

Through the funding, the City of Stanton was the first in Orange County to transform two locations into Homkey projects: the Stanton Inn and Suites on Katella Avenue and the Tahiti Motel on Beach Boulevard.

Its worked very well in my city because the facilities and programs are already there, Mayor David Shawver told The Epoch Times. You cant wait forever to build a home or an apartment complexthe problem is here and now.

A Project Roomkey participant stands outside her door at The Stanton Inn in Stanton, Calif., on October 8, 2020(John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Shawver, who has spent the last decade combating the homelessness issue within the County and State, said the programs success relies on good management.

Before Homekey, city officials would spend at least $500,000 per year on police and fire services in response to crime, drugs, prostitution, and homelessness, Shawver said.

However, according to Shawver, those numbers have been greatly reduced because of the facilities.

All the local governments who are afraid of having Homekey in their cities, you can tell them that  it only helps their communities, he said.

Between the Stanton Inn & Suites and the Tahiti Motel, the program made 132 rooms available for the homeless and those at risk.

The Homekey Program has successfully transitioned 62 percent of the programs exits to permanent housing placements, Douglas Becht, acting director of Orange Countys Office of Care Coordination, told The Epoch Times.

Becht said the program gave over 700 life skills opportunities such as budgeting, self-care, and physical and mental health services.

Moreover, the program placed approximately 20 support groups onsite to help individuals with goal setting, behavioral health, housing navigation, and housing retention.

Additionally, the City of Stanton recently purchased the Riviera Motel on Beach Boulevard for supportive housing, which gives homeless and those at risk a place to stay with some services.

The Laguna Hills Inn has its sign removed as it participates in Project Roomkey, in Laguna Hills, Calif., on July 24, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The five cities or counties set to receive funding include San Francisco, Kern County, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, and Sacramento.

The City and County of San Francisco were awarded a combined $54.7 million for creating 160 permanent housing units with onsite supportive services.

Kern Countys housing authority was awarded more than $7.7 million to convert an existing office building and church in Bakersfield.

The project will provide 34 permanent and interim units with onsite supportive services for homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness.

The City of Rohnert is set to receive more than $14.6 million for constructing 60 new modular units on a city-owned vacant lot with onsite supportive services.

The City of Healdsburg is set to receive more than $7 million to rehabilitate 22 interim housing units with motel-type amenities and both on-and-off site supportive services.

The Housing Authority of the City of Sacramento is set to receive $29 million to acquire and rehabilitate an existing hotel with 116 permanent and interim housing units and onsite supportive services.

According to the report, the average cost per unit amounts to approximately $129,000depending on the geographic location within the state.

From a modular project in Rohnert Park to a project inside of a converted church in Bakersfield serving homeless youth, the State is proud to partner with local communities to prevent and end homelessness with the flexibility provided by Homekey, Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez said in a Dec. 21 statement.

Travanda Barns, a pregnant homeless woman sleeping on an Anaheim bus stop, looks through a list of Orange County homeless outreach telephone numbers she has called in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Earlier this year, Newsom announced a $2.75 billion program expansion.

According to the Sept. 9 statement, the funding was made available through his California Comeback Plan and will be used for up to 42,000 new homeless housing units and treatment beds.

Homekey housed over 8,000 homeless people, or those at risk, established 120 project sites, and created almost 6,000 units between July 2020 to April 2021, according to a report (pdf).

In 2020, the state reported approximately 161,000 people experienced homelessness.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness in California increased by 31 percent over the last decade, while the rest of the country saw an 18 percent decline.

Four other developments in Victorville, Kern County, and San Mateo County were announced in early December.

According to HCD, Homekey can expect additional awards in the coming weeks.

Homekey has already touched thousands of lives, removing barriers and providing people with new opportunities for success, HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez said in a statement. Thats why we continue to operate with a sense of urgency to get resources out to jurisdictions across the state so we can assist even more Californians.
California Doctor Says Valid Vaccine Medical Exemptions Are Desperately Needed

For months, Dr. Michael Huang, a private medical practitioner in Roseville, California, has been writing medical exemptions to help qualified front-line workers and others retain their jobs.

His patients come from all over the country to be fully examined in order to see if they qualify for a medical exemption from the vaccine.

Weve gotten calls from people in Idaho, Texas, Florida, Huang told The Epoch Times. People are flying from all over the country to see us, even from Canada.

Huang said he and his assistant have worked with each patient, requesting they discuss their individual situation with their immediate supervisor or human resources department to confirm that a medical exemption would be accepted before coming to see him.

Even though many of these patients have legitimate reasons for an exemption, Dr. Huang says they have had trouble finding a doctor who will offer it to them.

There are very few medical professionals that are willing to give medical exemptions because they are afraid, Huang said. If they work for a large health care provider or network, they are afraid they will lose their license if they grant too many medical exemptions.

I can give you hundreds of examples of patients, whether they are Kaiser, UC Davis, Mercy, or for example in Southern California, USC, UCLA, who have come to me and said, My specialist or my physician said I should not get the COVID vaccine. But then they tell the patient they cannot help, that their hands are tied, or they are afraid to lose their license, Huang said.

In addition to many nurses and other medical staff, Huang said his office has helped more than 400 firefighters keep their jobs, from Northern California to Fresno.

While Huang has received criticism for writing so many medical exemptions, he said that he believes vaccine exemptions are often being denied unfairly.

After a group of employees with Oakland-based health care company Kaiser Permanente recently received medical exemptions from him, he said Kaiser denied them, claiming the employees had missed the submission deadline.

If someone has a legitimate medical reason to justify an exemption from the vaccine, there should be no deadline. How can you put a deadline on a medical condition? Huang said.

Dr. Michael Huang, whose private practice is based in Roseville, Calif., in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Dr. Michael Huang)

Job Loss at Kaiser

In early December, Kaiser Permanente terminated 352 of its unvaccinated employees, and the company says 1,500 more face potential termination in early January.

According to spokesperson Terry Kanakri, as of Dec. 8, more than 200,000 employees have been vaccinated, and another 9,833 received a medical or religious exemption.

All of our employees are important to our mission of delivering excellent care to our members, patients and communities. It was always our hope that no one would choose to leave our organization as a result of our vaccination policy. We appreciate the years of service they provided to our community and our organization, Kanakri told The Epoch Times via email.

One Kaiser ICU charge nurse, who wished to remain anonymous and is using the pseudonym Jamie, was denied an exemption, placed on unpaid leave, and given 30 days to get vaccinated or be terminated after the first of the year.

Jamie also said that some traveling nurses being used to fill key positions at Kaiser were granted either medical or religious exemptions by the employment agencies for which they work.

To my dismay, I just found out there are several travelers working right now in the hospital who were approved for exemptions by their agencies, so they are able to work anywhere they like, the nurse told The Epoch Times. They are actually working in my unit right now with an exemption that was approved, and Im being removed by Kaiser and replaced by someone who has not been vaccinated. Thats the hard part for me.

Jamie said if the health care provider is using traveling nurses, there must be a dire need for employees.

Therefore they spare no expense to get nurses to come in, the nurse said. I know some travelers who make $10,000 to work five twelve-hour days at a time. But what is more disturbing than the cost of these nurses is that while Kaiser is [focused] on making sure their employees get vaccinated, its OK for unvaccinated travelers to come in, because technically they are not employed by Kaiser.

Jamie reached out to a traveling nurse agency and found out that the contract allowed their nurses with exemptions to work for Kaiser as a traveler wherever needed.

So, I could go back to work for Kaiser as a traveler with an approved exemption with the agency, because that way Kaiser would not be my immediate employer, Jamie said. I was very dismayed; it was very disheartening.

The idea of starting my career all over, its certainly doable, and Im more than capable, the nurse said. But its the principle of whats causing (this situation) and forcing me in that direction, its criminal.

The Epoch Times asked Kaiser about its use of traveling nurses, and the company did not confirm or deny if those nurses were required by their agencies to be vaccinated. Kaiser sent the following response:

Kaiser Permanente is pleased to announce that 98 percent of its workforce have answered the call to protect their communities, patients and co-workers by becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 or securing a qualified exemption to vaccination. Kaiser Permanente was one of the first large companies in the U.S. to require its workforce to be vaccinated and has been a leader in urging and assisting members of the community to step up and get their shots. In addition to employees, the company also required that all contractors and vendors visiting its facilities be vaccinated and led efforts to get vaccine to the underserved population in the communities we serve. In addition to focused efforts to increase vaccine access into neighborhoods, Kaiser Permanente also stood up large mass-vaccination sites in underserved communities and promoted them heavily in ethnic media.

Vials and syringes of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are seen in Culver City, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

This is Very Important

Having immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, Huang said hes concerned about the negative impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates on American society. He believes that helping qualified employees preserve their employment is part of upholding peoples freedoms.

Were doing everything we can to help hold our society together, Huang said. These large companies dont care if the foundation of our health care and our society crumbles. I think its just a shame.

Huang said the vaccine mandates are being used to frighten and intimidate people by threatening their livelihoods, and to him it looks very similar to repression in other parts of the world.

Keep in mind, my background is why I am doing this. My family are from China. My grandparents fought the Japanese during World War II, and the Communist Chinese at the same time, Huang explained.

I know what socialism is. And what were facing now, it is socialism. Ive seen firsthand the injuries that socialism can bring to a society, and how it can destroy the fabric and the integrity of the community.

Were not going to stop fighting, Huang said. This is very important.
California Education Equity Official Living in Texas Resigns

A high-ranking California education official has resigned after it was revealed that she lives in Texas.

Pamela Kadakia served as the equity project manager for the California Department of Education while residing in her Dallas-area home, reported Politico, citing public records it obtained and her LinkedIn profile.

Under California law, state employees must live in-state unless the nature of their jobs requires otherwise. In addition, Texas is on a list of 18 states to which state-funded employee travel is banned because they have enacted a law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

According to the education departments website, Kadakia was working on a project aimed at providing social isolation support to children who are at increasing risks of anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies due to repeated school closures during the pandemic.

Kadakia resigned around Dec. 23, according to Politico. Her departure was confirmed to the outlet by Californias education department.

We sought to ensure that all our personnel were in line with the new guidance, a department spokesperson said. In doing so, we accepted Ms. Kadakias resignation.

The department updated its guidelines after Politico reported that Daniel Lee, Californias first-ever deputy superintendent of equity, lived and operated a business in Pennsylvania while being paid a wage up to nearly $180,000. Lee resigned earlier this month following the revelation.

According to the Politico report, Lee is a long-time close friend to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who appeared to have played an important role in Lees hiring. The job was never publicly posted, nor were the education officials able to tell whether anyone else had applied, although they defended the decision to hire Lee, a Pennsylvania-based psychologist who has no previous experience in working with Californias schools.

Politico also found that the Superintendent of Equity position and salary was initially funded through a $700,000 grant from the non-profit organization William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for support of equity and research efforts across the state of California. The foundation identifies as non-partisan, although its donations in recent years went overwhelmingly to the Democrats.

The Hewlett Foundation awarded the grant to the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, a nonprofit that partners with the state Department of Education and preceded Thurmonds tenure, according to Politico. The CDE Foundation describes itself on its website as a trusted partner with state education leaders and entities to create, resource, and implement solutions that result in a strong and valued public education system that serves every student in California.
Shoppers wear protective face masks at an outdoor shopping mall and residential complex in Glendale, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

CDC Shortens COVID-19 Quarantine Guidelines for General Population

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a reversal of a previous recommendation, cut the number of days of isolation for Americans who contract COVID-19 from 10 days to five days regardless of vaccination status.

The agency similarly shortened the time that close contacts of COVID-19 need to quarantine. Authorities with the CDC said that its latest guidance is in line with more and more evidence suggesting that those who contract the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus are the most infectious two days before and three days after symptoms emerge.

Meanwhile, the CDC said that a surge in the Omicron variant across the United States propelled the latest guidance change. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told The Associated Press on Monday that the United States will experience significantly more Omicron cases.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic, she told the newswire service. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

Since the emergence of the new strain in southern Africa last month, only one Omicron death has been reported so far in the United States. Officials in Texas said a Harris County man apparently died from the variant last week.

According to a recent analysis of U.S. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the hospitalization rate for Omicron appears to be far lower than previous strains.

Around 64,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Christmas Day, or Dec. 25, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That represents an increase of about 3 percent from the week prior, when around 62,000 people were hospitalized on Dec. 18.

However, thats much lower than peak hospitalizations that were seen during the Delta surge and about half that of the record-high hospitalizations in January 2021. On Sept. 1, some 98,000 people were hospitalized around the United States amid the Delta surge, and at around Jan. 14, more than 133,000 were hospitalized, federal data show.

But Walensky, in a statement published on the CDCs website on Monday, warned that Omicron has the potential to impact all facets of our society and called on people to either get vaccinated or take a booster shot. She also recommended people to wear a mask inside public indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status.

The CDC last week also loosened its recommendation for healthcare workers to stay out of work for about 10 days if they test positive for the CCP virus. New recommendations suggest that healthcare workers can head back to work after seven days if they produce a negative test result and have no symptoms.

The isolation time, the CDC added, can be shortened to five days if there are staffing shortages at facilities.
China, Mind Control Weapons, and the Future of Warfare

Commentary

The Biden administration took action this month against 34 Chinese entities with close ties to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

The 12 Chinese research institutes and 22 Chinese tech firms in question have a history of weaponizing biotechnology and enabling human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The Biden administration, clearly concerned by the threats posed, chose to impose a whole host of trade and investment restrictions on the highly-questionable entities.

According to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, although the scientific pursuit of biotechnology and medical innovation can save lives, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) instead chooses to use these technologies to pursue control over its people and its repression of members of ethnic and religious minority groups. We cannot allow U.S. commodities, technologies, and software that support medical science and biotechnical innovation to be diverted toward uses contrary to U.S. national security.

Most worryingly of all, many of the aforementioned institutes and tech firms use biotechnology processes to support Chinese military end uses and end users, to include purported brain-control weaponry, she added.

Talk of brain control weapons might sound unrealistic, even ludicrous, but it really shouldnt. This type of technology is very real. In China, were told, it already exists.

Today, warfare is less about boots on the ground and more about technological prowess. In the not so distant future, as technology dominates more of the landscape, computers wont be the only things being hacked. Our minds will, too. And theres plenty of reason to believe that China, home to some of the savviest hackers in the world, will be the ones doing the majority of the hacking.

Of course, China isnt the only country exploring futuristic-sounding weaponry. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, more commonly referred to as DARPA, is also developing mind-bending machines.

Sophia, a robot integrating the latest technologies and artificial intelligence developed by Hanson Robotics is pictured during a presentation at the AI for Good Global Summit at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, June 7, 2017. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

For a number of years now, DARPA has been working on ways to read soldiers minds. The end goal, according to authors at Live Science, is thought-controlled weapons, like swarms of drones that someone sends to the skies with a single thought or the ability to beam images from one brain to another.

Mark Hunt, a mixed martial artist from New Zealand, once called the mind the most powerful weapon we have. When he uttered these words, one assumes that he wasnt talking about literal weapons. However, as you can see, the weaponization of the human mind is fast becoming a reality, and the world is ill-prepared for the threats that await us.

Hacking the Human Brain

The futurist Ray Kurzweil imagines a future where humans merge with computers, nanotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. This is what he calls the Singularity, the point at which machines and humans form a symbiotic bond. By 2045, according to the American inventor, the Singularity will be here.

If you are wondering what exactly a Kurzweilian world will look like, look no further than Neuralink, a company founded by Elon Musk back in 2016. According to the companys website, Neuralink is busy designing the first neural implant that will let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go. Micron-scale threads are inserted into areas of the brain that control movement. Each thread contains many electrodes and connects them to an implant, the Link, a sealed, implanted device that processes, stimulates, and transmits neural signals.

For an individual suffering from paralysis, for example, this device could prove to be a lifesaver. However, there is just one problemand its a significant one. This device can be hacked. And, as we know by now, anything that can be hacked will be hacked.

As the Geneva Center for Security Policy warns, Neuralink-type devices open up the door (or mind) to the threat of malicious brain-hacking. This includes the possibility of co-opting brain-computer interfaces and other neural engineering devices to access or manipulate neural information from the brain of users.

And its not just our minds that will be vulnerable to hacking; our cars will also be at risk. By 2030, 1 in 10 vehicles will be self-driving. Autonomous vehicles, its important to note, can be hacked. You know what else can be hacked? Your home. More specifically, smart homes.

For the uninitiated, smart homes are places overflowing with technologythink smart fridges, CCTV cameras, computerized garage doors, talking door bells, etc. All of these devices can be controlled remotely by devices like smartphones, for example.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) security cameras with facial recognition technology are seen at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2019, a Milwaukee-based couples home was hacked by unknown intruders. According to the traumatized couple, the attackers played disturbing music from the video system at high-volume while talking to them via a camera in the kitchen, and also changed the room temperature to 90 degrees Fahrenheit by exploiting the thermostat.

Three years from now, according to authors at Digital Market Outlook, the United States will have more than 77 million smart homes. If our minds, cars, and homes can be hacked, where can we hope to find sanctuary?

Although discussions surrounding the future of warfare, including mind control weapons, are of the utmost importance, discussions surrounding our very existence mustnt be ignored. The battlefields of tomorrow will be located in our minds and in our homes. How can we protect ourselves from the threats that await us? This is a question with very few obvious answers.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
This photo illustration shows Chinese 100 yuan notes in Beijing on Jan. 14, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

China Tightens Scrutiny of Offshore Listings in Certain Sectors

SHANGHAIThe Chinese regime will require that domestic firms in sectors off-limits to foreign direct investment, such as Internet news and publishing, receive clearances from regulators before they can list their shares outside the mainland.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced the new rules on the clearances on Monday in a statement that also included an updated annual Foreign Investment Negative List that outlines business sectors where foreign direct investment is banned or restricted.

The new rules now apply that list to companies issuing shares overseas for the first time, and come as the Chinese regime is tightening scrutiny over offshore share sales.

Chinese companies in sectors prohibited for foreign investment should get clearance from relevant Chinese regulatory bodies, if they seek share sales and list in overseas markets, the NDRC said, plugging a regulatory loophole.

In addition, foreign investors must not participate in the operation and management of the companies and their holdings are to be capped at 30 percent, in line with the rules regulating locally-listed companies.

The latest Negative List includes prohibited sectors such as compulsory education institutions, news organizations, and rare earth minerals.

Additionally, overseas investment in industries ranging from publishing, nuclear power stations, and telecom is restricted.

Many Chinese companies use a so-called variable interest entity (VIE) structure to float overseas, skirting the foreign investment restrictions in areas such as media and education.

The NDRC statement comes just days after Chinas securities regulator published draft rules requiring filings by companies seeking offshore listings to ensure they comply with Chinese laws and regulations.

Under the new filing system, VIE-structured companies will still be allowed to list as long as they are compliant.

The NDRC statement goes hand in hand with the filing system, and will likely restrict the use of VIEs, said Zhan Kai, a lawyer at East & Concord Partners.

However, Chinas Ministry of Commerce framed the new rules as a gesture of policy relaxation.

China is exploring ways to allow companies in sectors off-limits to foreign investment to list overseas under certain conditions, expanding investment channels for foreign investors, the ministry said in a separate statement.

Investors had previously feared that Beijing could ban all overseas listings using the VIE structure, after Didi Global Incs U.S. floatation in July sparked a major regulatory backlash from Chinese officials that were concerned over national security.

The NDRC statement also formally scrapped foreign ownership restrictions in carmakers and removed a previous cap limiting the number of vehicle joint ventures a foreign investor can set up in China.
Delta airplanes sit on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York City on Jan. 31, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Chinas New COVID-19 Rules Force Delta Flight to Turn Back

An American Delta Air Lines flight turned back to Seattle in midair due to the new COVID-19 rule that Chinas Shanghai airport launched, the airline stated on Dec. 27.

A Delta staff member told The Epoch Times on Dec. 26 that Chinas arbitrary and unreasonable pandemic prevention policy not only sets an insurmountable threshold for Chinese passengers who are eager to go home, but is also unbearable for foreign airlines.

The majority of the passengers of the Delta flight were Chinese citizens, some of whom didnt have a valid visa to reenter the United States.

Shanghais newly launched rule also caused other foreign airlines to change their flight schedules.

On Dec. 26, two Taiwanese airlines Eva Air and China Airlines both cut down on flights heading to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. They complained that Chinas new disinfection procedures will hold their airplanes in Shanghai for a long time.

Lin Shu-hung, Eva Airs chief representative of East China, told Taiwans semi-official Central News Agency that the Shanghai airport ruled on Dec. 24 that airplanes from overseas must be disinfected once it has passengers. All seats on the airplane must be disinfected no matter if they were sat in or not.

It needs about one minute to disinfect one seat. For a small plane that has over 100 seats, the disinfection procedure will be two to three hours. For a bigger plane, which has over 300 seats, the disinfection needs four to five hours to finish, Lin said. Disinfection can only be done by professionals. Because of limited human power [in the Shanghai airport], the plane cant be disinfected immediately after all passengers take off.

To avoid disinfection, Eva Air announced on Sunday that all flights to China would be empty until Feb. 3, 2022, when the new policy will be ended. In the next weeks, the flights will only ship passengers out of China.

The Delta staff, who asked to remain anonymous, explained that the Chinese regime asked all flight crew from overseas to be quarantined at a local hotel for two weeks if the airplane stays in China for over three hours. Now, the foreign airplanes have to stay in China for a long time due to the new disinfection procedures, so then the flight crew are required to be quarantined in Chinas hotel, together with passengers after they arrive.

Travelers check a departures list at the ticketing level of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, on Nov. 24, 2021. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)

Delta DL287 flew toward Shanghai via Incheon International Airport in South Korea, from Seattle. However, the flight didnt arrive in Shanghai on Dec. 22 but turned back after flying for about six hours.

The flight was planned to take off on the evening of Dec. 21. However, a passenger fell ill after boarding and had to exit the plane. Then the plane needed to fill its gas and have some parts checked, and the weather became too bad to fly.

The plane was delayed for one day and finally took off on the evening of Dec. 22 under flight number DL9891. However, the plane didnt get the chance to arrive at Incheon nor Shanghai, but turned back when it was in the air space of Russia.

After the flight arrived in Seattle, the Chinese consulate in San Francisco sent people to the airport, led the Chinese passengers to protest against Delta Air Lines, and organized the media to report the situation of these Chinese passengers. The protest caused chaos, and local police arrived to dispel the passengers.

The consulate blamed Delta Air Lines, but didnt mention the Chinese regimes new policy is the real reason which caused the flight to be unable to fly to China, the Delta staff said. Because of the policy, Delta couldnt arrange other flights to ship the passengers to China.

Starting Dec. 24, Delta has refunded passengers. However, the Chinese consulate posted on its official website in Chinese-language on Dec. 25 encouraging Chinese to avoid choosing Delta.

The Chinese consulate in San Francesco did not reply to The Epoch Times request for comment.

Pudong airport workers in protective clothing help arriving international passengers as they prepare to board buses to be taken to quarantine hotels in Shanghai on Aug. 13, 2021. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Since the pandemic began, foreign airlines have had difficulty operating flights to China because of the Chinese regimes COVID-19 rules.

China also suspends foreign airlines flights for four to eight weeks if there are more than five passengers on a flight who were diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

In the past few months, a large number of Chinese citizens couldnt go back home due to lack of flights, and the flight tickets from other countries to China became expensive.

On flight booking websites, there are few options to buy a flight from a foreign country to China. For example, therere 14 flights flying to Shanghai on Dec. 28, but none of them had available tickets on Dec. 27. To buy a flight ticket from New York to Shanghai on Dec. 28, only the one operated by Japan Airlines via Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan, and another city had tickets on Dec. 27. The lowest price for economy class was $9,545.

Before the pandemic, a direct flight economy class ticket from New York City to Shanghai was around $700 with promotion.
A nonagenarian couple who first laid eyes on each other as teens in a rural high school in Kentucky never imagined they would one day celebrate 75 years of marriage together. As theyve stepped into their golden years together, the high school sweethearts love for each other has grown deeper.

Bobbie Creasey, 91, who was born in Providence, Kentucky, first saw Douglas, now 93, when she was a freshman at Dalton High School in 1944.

(Courtesy of Gwen Hicox)

I thought, golly, hes really good looking, Bobbie told The Epoch Times. She then solicited the help of her friends in order to make Douglas aware that she was interested in him.

I had to get somebody to help me meet him, she said.

Meanwhile, Douglas, who was a junior, had noticed Bobbie too and wanted to get to know her as well.

But I was bashful, so I didnt make contact. And I didnt have a car, said Douglas. The war was going on and gas and tires were rationed.

However, when he learned of Bobbies interest in him, he decided to find a way to transport them on a date. A friend of Douglass borrowed his older sisters car and Douglas and Bobbie went on a double date with the friend and his girlfriend.

Gradually, their relationship blossomed as they got to know each other more. He was interesting and when he set his mind to do something, he always followed through. There was no one else like him, Bobbie said.

Douglas, who was born on his familys farm in Caldwell County, said of Bobbie, She was pretty and had a good personality.

After Douglas graduated from high school, he joined the Army Air Corps and was stationed at Scott Field near St. Louis. Almost every day, the couple wrote letters to each other and kept in touch. Whenever Douglas had more time, he would hitchhike home in order to see Bobbie. During one of his leaves, Douglas proposed to Bobbie.

(Courtesy of Gwen Hicox)

In November 1946, Douglas received orders to report within the next 10 days to California in order to board a ship to Japan. Instead of heading straight to California, Douglas took a detour and visited Kentucky to marry the love of his life.

He just pulled up in a taxi completely unexpected, said Bobbie. We didnt have a telephone so he couldnt let me know he was coming. We had planned on getting married but I didnt know exactly when it would happen.

Bobbie wasnt prepared but it didnt take her long to get everything together.

The couple went to Morganfield, the nearest town that allowed a blood test and marriage on the same day, and they received the necessary license. They even found a parsonage next to a church, and the preacher married them on the spot, on Nov. 23, 1946.

I had no doubts she was the girl for me. She was my first steady girlfriend, and I was delighted she wanted to be my wife, Douglas said.

(Courtesy of Gwen Hicox)

A few days later, Douglas left for California and then Japan. It was one whole year before the couple could reunite. Meanwhile, Bobbie went back to school and kept her marriage a secret, as she feared she wouldnt be allowed to graduate.

After Douglas got discharged from the Army Air Corps, the couple spent some time in Chicago so that Douglas could graduate from electrical school. The couple welcomed their first child in December 1950 amid a snowstorm.

I wasnt sure I was going to make it to the hospital in time. Having that new little baby was something Ill never forget, Bobbie said.

The couple then went to Lexington so Douglas could earn his degree at the University of Kentucky. Douglas took up a job with Indiana Bell and worked there as a toll testman until he retired. Over the years, they lived in different cities, and Bobbie went to nursing school and became a licensed practical nurse.

Bobbie and Douglas went on to have four children: Mike, Gary, Gwen, and Janica. As they raised their children together they shared a passion to explore and thus traveled a lot. One year we took all four children on a three-week camping trip out west  We saw so many national parks and sites. That was quite an experience, Bobbie said.

Life has been an adventure, said Bobbie. Its been a wonderful adventure, Douglas added.

Reflecting on the best part of their journey together, Douglas says it was giving birth to each child and seeing them become Christians. That was really special, Douglas added.

However, it wasnt always smooth; the couple not only had different upbringings, but also really different personalities.

That was a challenge, Douglas said. We had to learn to give a little and take a little. But we were determined to make it work.

After Douglass retirement, the couple returned to rural Kentucky and built an energy-efficient earth-sheltered house.

(Courtesy of Gwen Hicox)

Douglas said that their secret to a long-lasting marriage is trusting in God and being active in church. Bobbie agreed, saying, The Lord has blessed us. Hes brought us through some tough times. We relied on Him.

Additionally, Douglas believes that, no matter what the circumstances, loving your spouse is another key to achieving wedded bliss.

Witnessing them together, the couples eldest daughter, Gwen, 67, a retired assistant news editor, said: They have a great deal of respect for each other. Its been awesome to watch their love grow deeper as they enter their golden years.

As Douglas and Bobbiewho are grandparents to 9 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and numerous great-great-grandchildrencelebrated their 75th anniversary this year with their friends and family at a well-loved local restaurant, they glowed. Douglas said he is now more in love with Bobbie than when they first got married.

Sharing their relationship advice with the younger generation on how to maintain a healthy and happy marriage, Douglas said: Marriage is a give and take. It cant be all your way.

Bobbie added: Just hang in there. Dont give up. Dont be set in your ways. You have to give a little.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at: TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
COVID-19 Will Become Just Another Cause of Common Cold: UK Professor

COVID-19 will become just another cause of the common cold and people who test positive will have to be allowed to go about their normal lives as they would do with any other cold, a British medical professor has said.

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, told BBC Breakfast on Dec. 28: COVID is only one virus of a family of coronaviruses, and the other coronaviruses throw off new variants typically every year or so, and thats almost certainly whats going to happen with COVIDit will become effectively just another cause of the common cold.

Hunter said that, at some point, the daily reporting of COVID-19 case numbers will no longer be warranted.

Were not going to be doing daily reporting on cases of the different causes of the common cold going forward, of which COVID is one, he said, adding that restrictions could be scaled back once the Omicron variant has been dealt with, possibly after Easter.

Hunter said: Were going to have to let people who are positive go about their normal lives as they would do with any other cold.

He said the self-isolation rules will have to be relaxed at some point, because this is a disease thats not going away.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Dec. 27 that no further CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions will be introduced in England, at least before the new year.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said on Dec. 28 that, though infection rates from the new Omicron variant are rising, there was evidence it was not resulting in the same level of hospital admissions as previous waves.

There is early encouragement from what we know in South Africa that you have fewer hospitalisations and that the number of days that they stay in hospital if they do go into hospital is also lower than in previous variants, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

At the moment we dont think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we have done, he said, adding that the government keeps it under very close review.

Also talking to the Today programme, Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, backed the governments decision not to impose new restrictions.

The horrific scenes that we saw a year agointensive care units being full, lots of people dying prematurelythat is now history in my view and I think we should be reassured that thats likely [not] to continue, he said.

Lily Zhou and PA contributed to this report.
Defendants in Whitmer Kidnapping Case Move to Have Charges Tossed

Five defendants accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have filed a motion to dismiss the charges against them, claiming that the hand that FBI informants had in directing the failed scheme amounts to entrapment.

The trial of Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta is set to begin March 8, 2022, for allegedly conspiring throughout 2020 to kidnap Whitmer. A sixth person, Ty Garbin, pleaded guilty to the allegations in August and was sentenced to six years in prison while agreeing to serve as a witness against his co-defendants.

Fox, Croft, Franks, Harris, and Caserta have maintained throughout the proceedings that the government set them up. They formalized those arguments in a Dec. 25 motion to dismiss, saying the evidence in the case demonstrates egregious overreaching by the governments agents, and by the informants those agents handled.

When the government was faced with evidence showing that the defendants had no interest in a kidnapping plot, it refused to accept failure and continued to push its plan, the motion states. A Buzzfeed News investigation from July found that the FBI used at least 12 informants involved with the kidnappingsuggesting that the scheme might not have started in the first place without the FBI.

Because the government overreached and committed serious acts of misconduct against defendants who had repudiated the governments suggested wrongdoing, the defense can establish entrapment as a matter of law, the motion states.

The defendants 20-page motion offers numerous examples to support their claim.

For instance, multiple defendants and others were allegedly together on July 7, 2020, when someone suggested kidnapping Whitmer. According to the motion, someone in the group immediately said they were not cool with offensive kidnappinga sentiment echoed by Franks and Harris.

On July 18, 2020, Garbin purportedly rebuffed an FBI informants suggestion of kidnapping a public official.

Garbin said, So, I think an objective to go for is not the kidnapping, the motion states. Three weeks later, on August 9, 2020, defendant Daniel Harris told the lead [FBI informant] and others: No snatch and grab. I swear to [expletive] God.

The defendants motion also includes testimony from an FBI agent who allegedly said during discovery that defendants had a negative reaction to proposals from informants to kidnap Whitmer.

Additionally, the motion included examples of what defendants say was emotional manipulation by FBI informants to entice them into staying involved with the scheme.

One FBI informant allegedly used his untreated hernia as a device to gain sympathy with Fox and others.

He claimed that the V.A. [Department of Veterans Affairs] would not provide him proper treatment after his years of combat service in the Army.  [The FBI informant] would tell Adam Fox that he was waiting to die, the motion states.

Feeling the emotional pull of such a confession, Adam Fox told Dan that Dan needed to get surgical treatment as a priority over any of the mission plans Dan, in his [FBI informant] role, was pushing.

These examples and others are more than enough to meet the entrapment threshold, the defendants argue. Their motion includes examples where other cases were dismissed.

In Jacobson v. United States, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a conviction against a man who was repeatedly solicited by government agents about child pornography in the mail over a period of 26 months.

In that case, the Supreme Court said government agents may not originate a criminal design, implant in an innocent persons mind the disposition to commit a criminal act, and then induce commission of the crime so that the Government may prosecute.

Defendants in the Whitmer case argued that the FBI agents conduct was more egregious than the Jacobson case.

In the case at hand, in sharp contrast, informants, of course, not only contacted the defendants face to face but also coaxed, persuaded, cajoled, played on sympathies, cultivated friendships, took advantage of the defendants financial conditions, and suggested that the offense they proposed would further a greater good, the motion states.

The defendants did not engage in any activity for profitanything they did with respect to the [FBI informants] was based on friendship and admiration and the [informants] assiduous cultivation of a sense of patriotism and right-doing.

The government has until Jan. 24, 2022, to respond to the defendants motion. A final pretrial conference is set for Feb. 18.
Evidence Does Not Support More COVID-19 Interventions: UK Minister

Current evidence doesnt support imposing further CCP virus restrictions in England, a government minister said on Tuesday.

Environment Secretary George Eustice acknowledged that infection rates from the new Omicron variant were rising but said there was evidence it was not resulting in the same level of hospital admissions as previous waves.

There is early encouragement from what we know in South Africa that you have fewer hospitalisations and that the number of days that they stay in hospital if they do go into hospital is also lower than in previous variants, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

At the moment we dont think that the evidence supports any more interventions beyond what we have done, the minister said, adding that the cabinet will keep it under very close review.

If it is the case that we started to see a big increase in hospitalisations then we would need to act further, he added.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Monday that no more restrictions will be imposed, at least before the New Year.

The decision was welcomed by the hospitality industry in England as a lifeline to the heavily battered sector while their counterparts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been put under stringent restriction since Sunday or Monday.

William Lees-Jones, a hospitality boss who previously wrote on Twitter that First Ministers for Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, are barred for life from his pub chain JW Lees Brewery, wrote on Tuesday that he was looking forward to pubs being open on New Years Eve in England without any further restrictions.

A man drinks a pint at a pub in Battersea, south London, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Dr. Sarah Pitt, a lecturer specialising in virology at the University of Brighton, said she doesnt think it makes sense to have different CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions across the four nations.

If people cant go to a New Years Eve party in Wales or Scotland, theyll just tip over the borders into England, wont they, thus potentially taking the virus and spreading it  and then taking it back home, Pitt told LBC radio, adding it makes sense to have some measures to try and stop the spread of the virus at this point.

But Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said that the increase of COVID-19 case number appears to have slowed down than it did a week ago.

Cases are increasing in older people and of course, people over 60. Of course, this is the group that is more likely to go into hospital and hospitalisations are also rising, but so far nothing obvious such as people on intensive care units. he told BBC Breakfast, adding, the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to have the booster, which made a big difference.

The professor also said COVID-19 will eventually have to be treated as the common cold and people who test positive should be allowed to go about their normal lives, adding, Maybe not quite just yet.

So personally, I think it would be unlikely that we are going to do anything like that whilst were still coping with Omicron, but once were past Easter, perhaps, then maybe we should start to look at scaling back, depending on, of course, what the disease is at that time, he said.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson wrote in a string of tweets on Monday that while its still too early to tell how Omicron had affected older people during Christmas gatherings, hospitals are not currently reporting large numbers of patients with severe COVID type respiratory problems needing critical care.

He also said that many people in hospital with COVID-19 now are incidental COVIDpeople hospitalised for other reasons and then tested positive for CCP virusand the hospitals are not currently overstretched by rising COVID-19 cases, but by the current combination of staff absences, very busy urgent care pathway, planned care cases that can no longer be delayed & extending booster campaign.

Asked if healthcare workers infected with the CCP virus should eventually be able to go about their normal lives, Hopson said the idea clearly wont apply and shouldnt apply to people who work inside the NHS, where vulnerable patients are treated, but is something that we need to look at for the wider society.

PA contributed to this report.
Spc. Kailee Soares prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during a drive to vaccinate Hawaii National Guardsmen assigned to the COVID-19 task force response on Kauai Island, Jan. 12, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard /Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson)

FAA Vaccine Policy Violates Its Own Rules, Attorneys and Doctors Say

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is breaking its own rule that states pilots should not fly after having taken medications that have been approved for less than a year, according to a group of attorneys, doctors, and other experts; including a pilot who says his career ended due to adverse reactions from a vaccine.

Airlines, which are government contractors, are affected by President Joe Bidens order from September that states all employees of those companies have to be vaccinated against the CCP virus.

The group of attorneys and doctors wrote a letter directed at the FAA, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice, as well as several airlines, demanding that they medically flag all vaccinated pilots and have them re-examined for blood clotting problems as well as their cardiac health.

The Federal Aviation Agency is charged with ensuring the safety of the flying public. Instead, as we speak the FAA, as well as the commercial airline companies, are acting in contravention of their own federal aviation regulations and associated guidance which tells medical examiners to NOT issue medical certifications to pilots using non-FDA approved products, human rights attorney and primary author of the letter, Leigh Dundas, told The Epoch Times via email.

The title of the section Im talking about literally says Do Not IssueDo Not Fly and then instructs medical examiners to not issue medical certifications to pilots using products that the FDA approved less than 12 months ago.  The pilots are flying with products which are not even recently approvedin violation of the above wordingthey are flying with injections in their bodies which were NEVER approved by the FDA at all (as no COVID vaccine which is commercially available in the U.S. has received FDA approval), Dundas said.

Amid widespread confusion about the availability of the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine, The Epoch Times did an investigation in October and discovered that the approved Comirnaty version of the vaccine was still not commercially available in the United States. Pfizer says its the same vaccine that originally received emergency use authorization.

Another one of the signers is Cody Flint, whose career ended after voluntarily taking the jab and experiencing adverse effects. He was told by an FAA medical examiner that his injuries were so severe that he would be denied for renewal of his pilots license. He is a father of two with no underlying conditions.

The 34-year-old agricultural pilot doesnt remember how he landed after nearly blacking out in mid-flight.

He was flying his aircraft when tunnel vision started to kick in and a headache he had developed after getting the jab worsened.

About two hours after having taken off, he decided to pull up the plane to go back and felt an extreme burst of pressure in his ears, then immediately nearly blacked out, [and felt] dizzy, disoriented, nauseous, and [was] shaking uncontrollably, Flint told The Epoch Times.

As a commercial pilot, Flint was concerned when he first saw FAAs 48-hour no-fly rule after a COVID-19 vaccination.

The FAA has stated that pilots and air traffic controllers may receive the COVID-19 vaccine, with appropriate precautions.

I find it hard to comprehend how the FAA justified moving the goalposts of safety from one full year of post-marketing safety review to only two days. The dangers associated with a pilot experiencing a severe adverse reaction from an mRNA-type Covid vaccine while at the controls of an airplane can be horrifying and deadly to say the least.

As a pilot that experienced a tragic and career-ending adverse reaction to the Pfizer COVID vaccine while actively flying an airplane, I feel I can honestly and creditably speak out about the dangers associated with pilots returning to flight duties too early following COVID mRNA type vaccination, he added.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Chief Steve Dickson pilots a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on return from an evaluation flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., on Sept. 30, 2020. (Mike Siegel/File Photo/Pool via Reuters)

Another signer, Dr. Pete Constantine Chambers, D.O. has been practicing medicine for 25 years, 16 of which he served as a Flight Surgeon attached to Special Operations.

Unfortunately, several of my soldiers have experienced hospitalizations for serious diagnoses to include brain hemorrhages, myocarditis, anaphylaxis, pulmonary emboli, and vertigo. These were all post-vaccination. Army Regulations state we should be tracking these cases post-immunization. Other concerns stem from the recent rash of suicides amongst soldiers serving on the mission. The added deployment stressors placed upon the young heroes paired with the unknowns of experimental medications concerns me, Chambers told The Epoch Times.

He made clear that his opinions are personal and dont reflect those of the State Military Department, the Medical Command, or the Department of Defense.

Chambers believes he might get criticized for speaking out, but just as he is perfectly willing, to lay down my life for fellow soldiers, also, he is perfectly willing to risk professional scrutiny to protect my soldiers with the same zeal and love for their very existence.

I had warned the medical command and leaders to pay strict attention to these stressors as I was conducting an initial study early in the deployment. My study was cut short when I was ordered to focus only on convincing soldiers to take the vaccine and not to administer informed consents, Chambers added.

I also believe as a provider in the first stanza of the Hippocratic Oath; First of all, do no harm.'

Aerospace Occupational Medicine Specialist LTC Colonel Theresa Long, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Ryan Cole, and Mary Holland from Childrens Health Defense also signed the letter.

Mary Holland (R) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (C) and Kevin Jenkins (L) speak at Broadway Rally For Freedom in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 16, 2021. (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)

Upon The Epoch Times request for comment to the FAA about the potential violation of the 12-month regulation, the agency referred to an FAQ page on its website.

The Federal Air Surgeon determined that FAA medical certificate holders may not act as pilot in command, or in any other capacity as a required flightcrew member, for 48 hours after each dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The Federal Air Surgeon made this determination after evaluation of available medical information about these COVID-19 vaccines and potential side effects. As a result of this determination and consistent with 14 CFR  61.53(a), each person subject to part 67 who receives the vaccine must wait 48 hours after each dose before acting as pilot in command or as a required flightcrew member, it states.

The Epoch Times reached out to the U.S. Army and Pfizer for comment.
Labour Minister Seamus ORegan Contracts COVID-19

Federal Labour Minister Seamus ORegan confirmed on Dec. 27 that he tested positive for COVID-19.

ORegan wrote on Twitter that, following the diagnosis, he will remain in isolation and follow public health guidelines.

The minister said that he is grateful for having received three vaccine doses, while thanking the thousands of health care workers who are keeping Canadians safe.

Took a rapid test and tested positive for COVID. Ill stay in isolation and continue to follow public health guidelines. Im grateful for my three vaccine doses, for the thousands of health care workers keeping us safe, and for vigilance of millions of Canadians. Hold fast .  Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) December 28, 2021

ORegan did not say how or where he became infected with the coronavirus, or provide any details about his symptoms or current state of health.

On Dec. 20, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also announced on social media that, following a rapid test, she was positive for COVID-19.

Federal and provincial governments have been ramping up COVID-19 restrictions in the face of the highly infectious Omicron variant and increasing case counts. Data from areas with more advanced Omicron infection rates, including South Africa and Denmark, show the rate of hospitalization and deaths due to Omicron to be much lower than other variants of concern. Data so far show the same trend in Canada.

A recent study from the UK Health Security Agency showed that a person infected with Omicron is 70 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital compared to someone with the Delta variant. Another study conducted by South Africas national public health institute shows that the risk of hospitalization due to Omicron is estimated to be 80 percent lower than with Delta. COVID-19 cases in Canada on Dec. 27 shot up to over 15,400, setting a new record, while death count continued its downward trend at 16, down from a daily peak of 50 in October, and the highest daily peak of around 200 in 2020. Daily hospitalizations on Dec. 27 were at 1,733, down from an October peak of 2,500, and highest peak of 4,800 in early 2021.
An apartment building on 2417 N.W. Ninth Ave., Wilton Manors, Fla., in February 2021. Two children were killed and another four children were hospitalized with injuries when a car plowed into the apartment building on Dec. 27, 2021. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

2 Children Killed, 4 Injured in South Florida Hit-and-Run

WILTON MANORS, Fla.Two children were killed and another four children were hospitalized with injuries when a car plowed into them and fled the scene in South Florida on Monday, authorities said.

The Broward County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that it was investigating what happened outside an apartment building in Wilton Manors, Florida, along with the Wilton Manors Police and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

The sheriffs office didnt immediately provide ages for any of the children. Steven Gollan, a battalion chief with the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, said at a news conference Monday night that the hospitalized children were severely injured.

This event is a horrific event any time of the year, let alone right after the holidays, Gollan said.

The Wilton Manor Police Department tweeted that a family reunification center was set up at the City Hall Emergency Operation Center. Wilton Manors is located just outside of Fort Lauderdale.

The car drove up on a sidewalk to get around a bus before hitting the children, said Shaunta Adams, who had just driven away from her apartment.

By the time I looked up, I saw him going around the bus and I see him hit the damn kids, Adams told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. I jumped out my car, my car was still running, I ran up and saw the first girl on the ground. I knew she was dead. I go to the second kid and I see him dead.

Wallene Johnson, who lives across the street, came outside when she heard screaming and saw two bodies in the parking lot and another child lying on the ground down the road.

How can you sleep? she told the Sun Sentinel. And theyre babies. They wont be going back to school.
Fiji's Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on May 16, 2017. (Damir Sagolj-Pool/Getty Images)

Former Fijian PM Revives Political Career to Counteract Beijings Pacific Ambition

Former Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced he will enter the election race next year for the Pacific nation in a pledge to counteract Beijing influence.

The 73-year-old politician, best known as the instigator of two military coups in 1987, told The Australian newspaper on Dec. 27 that Fiji needed to determine its own future and decide how to manage its natural and national assets, rather than allowing people to come in and buy them.

Rabuka warned that current Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama could sell out Fijis ports and airports due to accumulating debt, saying the country could one day find itself enslaved by the friendly Chinese aid it was now receiving.

The spread, although not aggressive in the sense of military thinking, is aggressive in the sense of economic exertion of power, he said. China is the only one that is really doing that emphatically.

Rabukas decision is the latest move in reaction to Beijings increasing soft power push in the South Pacific region.

In July, newly-elected Samoan PM Fiame Naomi Mataafa vowed to cancel a China-backed $100 million port development after winning power, describing it as an excessive expense for a country that was already indebted to Beijing.

Fishing boats moored near the Apia Fish Market in Apia, Samoa on September 13, 2015. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Fiames stance is in stark contrast to that of former leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, whom the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had counted on as a close friend over his 20 years as prime minister.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Solomon Islands, Daniel Suidani, the premier of Malaita provincethe most populous province in the nationhas insisted on keeping his province free of CCP influence.

His stance is at odds with the national government, which switch diplomatic ties in 2019 from Taipei to Beijing. Suidani, however, has stood firm on his relations with Taiwan, much to the chagrin of current Solomons PM Manasseh Sogavare.

Meanwhile, Rabukas Peoples Alliance Party, which was founded two months ago, has reportedly begun generating support from the public.

On the 23rd of November, I went with a few representatives of @alliancefj to present a sevusevu (i dola ni katuba) to the Vanua of Kubuna in general and the Vanua of Bau in particular. pic.twitter.com/I00kgwfDnd  Sitiveni Rabuka (@slrabuka) December 4, 2021

But even if he wins the election, Fijis military could still play a rolelike it has previouslyand intervene to keep the current PM in power, Rabuka said, noting that neighbouring democracies would be reluctant to intervene directly.

Australia probably is trying to still mend the fence [following the 1987s coups], so they would not do anything to further antagonise the Pacific, particularly Fiji, he said.

Rabuka has previously apologised for organising the two coups that year to reassert ethnic Fijian supremacy over Fijians of Indian descent, stating on Dec. 18 that the Rabuka of then has gone, he is remade as the man before you today.

Australia imposed sanctions on Fiji after the coup, which Rabuka believes allowed China to step in and fill the void.

They bring development, they bring aid and we are partners in our own development, which Australia and New Zealand turned away from after 1987, he said.

Chinas relationship with Fiji has become increasingly cozy since Dec. 2006 when Bainimarama staged his military coup.

Fergus Hanson, director of the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Chinese aid to Fiji jumped seven-fold one year after the Bainimarama takeover, from US$23 million in 2006 to $161 million in 2007.

Dwarfing the rather miserly aid package of US$1 million in 2005.

Chinas huge increase in aid certainly represents a successful attempt by Fiji to circumvent Western pressure. Some will also see it as an attempt by China to take advantage of a Western withdrawal to enhance its standing, Hanson said in an op-ed on Sydney Morning Herald.

Victoria Kelly Clark contributed to this report
A health worker checks a box of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States, during a booster vaccination drive at the Zainoel Abidin hospital in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Aug. 9, 2021. (Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images)

Goldman Sachs Asks Employees to Get Booster Shots to Enter Offices

Goldman Sachs has informed U.S. employees who are returning to offices they will have to get a COVID-19 booster shot, if eligible, by Feb. 1 in order to enter company premises as Omicron spreads throughout the country, while New York registers one of the highest infection rates.

Workers must also get tested twice a week starting Jan. 10, according to the recent directive by the finance firm, first reported by Bloomberg. Goldman was one of the main companies pushing for employees to return to their offices.

Its an aberration that were going to correct as quickly as possible, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told Credit Suisse analyst Susan Katzke during Goldmans Virtual Financial Services Forum, referring to remote work.

This is not a new normal, he added as he discussed how the company was doing everything it can to prevent no-direct-contact remote work.

Meanwhile, JPMorgans CEO Jamie Dimon shared his viewpoint during the forum: Banks are basically an apprenticeship model where you learn by sitting next to people and going on a trip with them or seeing mistakes being made. Very often you need a lot of collaboration in the room.

Youre not going to learn that way by sitting at home, Dimon added.

The pivot comes as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant becomes the dominant strain in the United States, with New York City, where Goldman is based, accounting for 22,743 new cases on Dec. 25, one of the highest 7-day averages on record.

The global response to Omicrona much milder variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that has resulted in significantly fewer hospitalizations and deathshas disrupted flight and rail transportations during the holiday season. Many Wall Street firms have cancelled company gatherings during the holidays season owing to the spread of Omicron.

Other than Goldman, Wells Fargo delayed its return to offices due to the rise in case numbers. Jefferies Financial Group has asked employees to continue working from home and get a booster shot before February. The investment back has designated Jan. 17 as a tentative date to get people back in the office.

Citigroup and Bank of America informed workers that they could work remotely through the holidays, while Morgan Stanley requested staffers to wear masks when moving away from their desks and discouraged large gatherings. Companies across the country are struggling to get employees back to work.

Goldman Sachs representatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
A video photo showing various of ambulances at the port of Paros, in Greece, after a boat with rescued migrants arrived. (AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Greece: 3 Charged With Murder After Migrant Boat Deaths

ATHENS, GreeceThree people have been charged with murder in Greece following the death of 16 migrants who were killed when a boat transporting them from Turkey to Italy capsized, authorities said Monday.

The suspects were among 63 people rescued following the tragedy Friday when the vessel carrying migrants from Turkey to Italy overturned near the Greek island of Paros. They were charged with causing an accident at sea, intentional manslaughter and membership in a criminal organization, the coast guard said.

At least 30 migrants died at sea in three separate incidents in Greece last week and more than 160 were rescued, including the capsizing near Paros. Smugglers are now seeking to avoid Greek islands near the Turkish coast which are heavily patrolled by the coast guard and European Union border protection agency Frontex.

Over the weekend, Merchant Marine Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis described the smugglers as ruthless killers who are cramming people onto unseaworthy boats and failing to hand out life vests, even to underage passengers.

Two of the suspects arrested Monday were 31 years old and the third was 40.
Hong Kong Files Sedition Charge Against Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong prosecutors on Tuesday filed a seditious publications charge against Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, adding to the charges he already faces under Beijings draconian national security law for his participation in a Tiananmen vigil in June 2020.

The additional sedition charge accuses Apple Daily founder Lai, 74, of conspiracy to print, publish, sell, distribute seditious publications between April 2019 and June 24, 2021.

The same charge has also been leveled against three Apple Daily companies. Prosecutors allege that the publications could bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, according to the charge sheet.

Disapproval of Hong Kongs pro-Beijing government figures has spilled over after brewing for the past decade, due to Beijings pushing of bills to cement its control over key policies in the former British colony, seen by many residents as a violation of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agreed to leave self-ruled Hong Kong alone until at least 2047.

Lai appeared in West Kowloon Magistrates Court alongside six other former Apple Daily staff on Monday. The daily pro-democracy tabloid ceased publication in June after Hong Kong authorities raided the the newsroom, froze millions of the papers assets and arrested staff on Beijings national security grounds.

It comes just weeks after Apple Daily founder Lai, 74, was found guilty of unauthorized assembly charges over the banned Tiananmen Square vigil.

Hong Kong for three decades has held the worlds largest annual vigil on June 4 to commemorate the hundreds or potentially thousands of innocent lives lost on June 3 and 4, 1989, after the CCP ordered its troops to open fire on pro-democracy activists at and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Lai and others had pleaded not guilty to having incited others to participate in the event. Thousands of locals had defied the ban and gathered for the June 4, 2020, vigil.

The event was banned in 2020 and 2021 by Hong Kong police, citing restrictions related to the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. In 2021, the CCP imposed a ban on all Tiananmen Square massacre commemorations in Hong Kong or Macau.

Lai had already been serving prison terms under Hong Kongs national security law, which was imposed by Beijing in mid-2020 following large-scale democracy protests in the Chinese-ruled territory.

The six former Apple Daily staffers to be hit with the same sedition charge include chief editor Ryan Law; deputy chief editor Chan Pui-man; Cheung Kim-hung, the CEO of Next Digital, Apples parent media company; columnist Yeung Ching-kee; English edition editor Fung Wai-kong; and senior editor Lam Man-chung.

They have also been accused of conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country or with external elements.

Magistrate Peter Law adjourned the case against Lai and six of his former staff until Feb. 24, and the defendants will remain in custody until then. The case against the three Apple Daily companies has been adjourned until Feb. 10.

Mimi Nguyen Ly and Reuters contributed to this report.
How The New York Times Abuses the Publics Right to Know

Commentary

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the independence of the press from any restrictions imposed by Congress, which shall make no law abridging press freedom. The principle of unfettered free expression has since been incorporated into state constitutions and has been widely accepted on both the left and the right as a cornerstone of our republican democracy for centuries, dating all the way back to the time of Thomas Jefferson.

The 1971 Supreme Court decision that allowed The New York Times and The Washington Post to publish the so-called Pentagon Papersclassified documents about the Vietnam War purloined by Daniel Ellsberg, an anti-war analyst working at MITs Center for International Studies, and thus stolen propertycodified proscriptions against prior restraint. The court ruled that the government couldnt prevent the publication of anything, no matter how illegally obtained. This was defended as the publics right to know.

At the time, the newspapers hailed the decision (of course)no law means no lawwhile downplaying the corollary: that the act of publishing the illicitly obtained material didnt retrospectively make the theft legal, and there still could be consequences.

In his dissent, then-Chief Justice Warren Burger questioned whether the NY Times or any other newspaper had the right to decide whether it was the sole arbiter of the publics right to know.

The newspapers make a derivative claim under the First Amendment; they denominate this right as the public right to know; by implication, the Times asserts a sole trusteeship of that right by virtue of its journalistic scoop. The right is asserted as an absolute, Burger wrote.

To me, it is hardly believable that a newspaper long regarded as a great institution in American life would fail to perform one of the basic and simple duties of every citizen with respect to the discovery or possession of stolen property or secret government documents. That duty, I had thought perhaps naivelywas to report forthwith, to responsible public officers. This duty rests on taxi drivers, Justices, and [The] New York Times. The consequence of all this melancholy series of events is that we literally do not know what we are acting on.

Now, the shoe is on the other foot, and it couldnt happen to a nicer bunch of journalists: A judge in the New York State Supreme Court (despite its name, not the top court in the state) has ruled against the newspaper in its ongoing attempt to destroy independent journalist James OKeefe and his media outlet, Project Veritas, by publishing private communications he had with his attorneys regarding a lost diary purportedly belonging to President Joe Bidens daughter, Ashley. The NY Times and Project Veritas have been locked in legal combat since OKeefe filed a 2020 defamation suit against the Times.

In the suit, OKeefewho first came to public attention in 2009 with his sting videos against the leftist community-organizing group Acorn, now defunct, which put Andrew Breitbarts Big sites on the national mapalleges that the Times defamed him by claiming that he has a long history of releasing manipulated or selectively edited footage and that his methods were deceptive and a coordinated disinformation campaign (Full disclosure: I was the founding editor of Breitbarts Big Journalism in 2010. That site has long since been folded into Breitbart.com).

Well, nothing says deceptive like fencing stolen property that serves your ideological needs under the guise of freedom of the press, but here we are. The NY Times and other legacy media have abused the Pentagon Papers decision for years, often by hiding behind another errant Supreme Court decision involving the Gray Lady: New York Times Co. v Sullivan (1964), which essentially gave newspapers carte blanche to slander their enemies without fear of legal penalty.

The judge in the Ashley Biden diary case, Justice Charles D. Wood, has forbidden the NY Times from publishing the Project Veritas documentsprotected attorney-client material, it should be notedthat it mysteriously obtained. He also ordered the return of all of the physical copies to OKeefe and the destruction of any and all electronic copies it may have (Woods order to return or destroy the material was temporarily stayed late on Dec. 28 by the states Appellate Division, although the superior court left the ban on the publication of the Project Veritas documents in place).

This brought an immediate bleat from NY Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger, the latest in the long line of Sulzbergers who control the family-run paper.

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, Sulzberger said. 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.

Well, thats rich. Just how it got the material the newspaper, of course, wont sayso much for the publics right to know. Most likely, it was leaked to the newspaper by the FBI, which conducted an intimidating November raid on Project Veritas, including on OKeefe himself, during which he was reportedly handcuffed.

But why was the FBI acting like the Bidens private Praetorian Guard in the first place? No one alleges that Ashley Bidens diary was stolen, and even if it was, so what? A lost diary, even one belonging to yet another troubled Biden offspring, isnt a federal case. And in any event, Project Veritas never published the contents of the diary. The FBI investigation was concerned with how a diary stolen from President Bidens daughter, Ashley, came to be publicly disclosed a week and a half before the 2020 presidential election.

As it turns out, the diary was simply left behind in Florida by a rehabbing Ashley, where it was found by a third party and offered around to various media outlets.

So, on the one hand, the NY Times is trying to use its (transient?) victory in the Pentagon Papers case to justify publishing legally protected correspondence concerning, among other things, OKeefes lawsuit against the NY Times, as well as the legal boundaries of his undercover methods of collecting information. At the same time, it was acting as an agent of the Democrat-controlled U.S. government in collecting and publishing dirt on a rival and political opponent to smear and destroy him.

A final irony is that the NY Times holds freedom of the press to an absolute, Mosaic standard while, at the same time, attacking freedom of assembly and freedom of religion, not to mention the entire Second Amendment, and supporting imaginary hate speech laws that clearly abrogate freedom of the press itself.

In other words, the publics right to knowwhich, by the way, is nowhere to be found in the constitutionis for me, but not for thee. The old NY Times motto was all the news thats fit to print. Now, its letat cest moi.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
In Building Transit Projects, Canada Should Aim for Practicality Not Grandiosity

Commentary

As a general rule, if you see a shiny new transit megaproject approaching your town, you should get into a private automobile and drive slowly away. But Canadians should hit the gas hard, because even in a world where politicians and contractors manage to overestimate benefits and underestimate costs with uncanny precision, we are overachievers.

A Dec. 26 Canadian Press story says a kilometre of urban subway worldwide in 2019 typically cost $300 million. What a bargain, you may exclaim, before considering that real subways are very big; Londons Tube has 400 km of track whereas New Yorks has 399 and no nickname. And unfortunately, the story adds, in the Great White North its more like $700 million and rising.

The story cites a study for the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, whose neutral name, appealing slogan Constructing Ontarios Future, and emphasis on constructive, non-partisan collaboration makes me assume it has a hidden agenda. But if it involves not wasting money in dumb ways, I can think of worse plots.

I actually find subways cool. But as Dirty Harry once said, a mans gotta know his limitations. For instance, I am not cool. And unless your city is big and rich enough to need a central circular subway line like Londons creatively named Circle line, and hundreds of stations (Londons 272 or New Yawks 472), you cant afford and dont need a train set like the cool kids have.

Fortunately, the rule against eating ingredients you cant pronounce does not extend to reading and authors. So I have been ranting about infrastructure overreach for years thanks to Bent Flyvbjerg, Nils Bruzelius, and Werner Rothengatter, whose names I cannot even spell let alone say, but whose 2003 book Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition exposed the public choice problem that created an amazingly consistent pattern of cost overruns on bridges, subways, and so on worldwide for many decades. (And neglect of boring sewers and potholes.)

Hey, wake up. I know their title was bad enough and then there was that thing about public choice. But its going to cost you billions. Already did, in fact. Because projects that dazzle the eye bring big rewards to politicians who back them and contractors who build them. And by the time we realize they cost way more than promised and delivered fewer benefits, the politicians have moved on to higher office or retired with cushy pensions and the contractors keep cashing cheques because the only thing worse than an over-budget subway is a half-built one. As for penalty clauses, multinational construction firms are savvy enough to embed such expenses in the gravy train budget, possibly under PR.

The situation Megaprojects and Risk pointed to 20 years ago has not improved since, and it has not improved because economics is boring and progressivism is exciting. Why, you can be a world-class city, environmentalist, modern, and sophisticated, because all the experts favour intensification or urban density and public rather than private transit. It even fights climate change. Rubes may want their own house where they can park on their own driveway next to their own lawn. But sophisticates prefer high-rises and buses for other people.

So dangle a gleaming infrastructure project before a politician and watch them rise to the bait. As CP noted, in Canadas 2021 federal election, the two leading candidates in the battleground riding of Kanata-Carleton, a suburb of our national capital, both pledged to dump money into a Phase 3 expansion of our new LRT. Yes, the light rail system with the huge cost overruns and wheels that arent quite round that was tested against the wrong kind of snow. Whats not to love?

Yeah, yeah, you may say. But why Canada specifically? You might even claim the cost of subways is higher here partly because many places have lower labour costs and standards. In these enlightened times I cant actually name countries where you might reasonably be afraid to ride any form of mass transit, let alone through a tunnel. But luckily you can easily think of them yourself.

On the other hand, with many places too poor to build subways, to some extent youre comparing Canada with Singapore not Durtistan. So why are we, um, special?

We have, CP noted, a problem with fussiness. The cheapest way to build subways is cut-and-cover but as its noisy, dusty, and disruptive, we select the super-deluxe tunneling option. And we promise voters fancy stations that dont make economic sense. But again, such things are potentially universal. I claim Canadians go especially off the rails because, as with public health care, we tolerate mediocrity because we know were world-class so we cant possibly be mediocre.

Let people with low standards worry about public sector efficiency and accountability. We have trains to catch.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and members of the Iranian delegation wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 29, 2021. (EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via Reuters)

Iran Demands Full Economic Concessions for Going Back to Nuclear Deal

Iran demanded world powers allow it to resume selling crude oil as negotiations continued Monday on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration withdrew from.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian shifted the focus of negotiations on economic sanctions and asked for all embargoes on Iranian oil to be lifted. He wants to reach a point where Iranian oil is being sold easily and without any barriers and its money arrives in Irans bank accounts, Amirabdollahian said while in Tehran. As oil remains the lifeline of the economy, Amirabdollahian said the country wanted to be able to enjoy full economic concessions under the nuclear deal.

Guarantee and verification (of the removal of sanctions) are among topics that we have focused on, he said.

The eighth round of talks, happening in Vienna, was convened when the Iranian negotiator came back after leaving to consult with the regimes leaders. Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, wants Western nations to remove sanctions first before moving forward on the nuclear deal.

According to the Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and allow international inspectors access to nuclear sites in the country. Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.

President Trump in 2018 withdrew the United States from the pact, citing failure from the Iranian leadership to uphold critical requirements as it bolstered military prowess. In 2017, the Islamic regime announced a 150 percent increase in its military budget and Trump criticized it for funding terror groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

Moreover, Israeli intelligence had uncovered secret documents that revealed Iran had never stopped developing nuclear weapons.

Trumps sanctions had a severe effect on the Iranian economy, leading to popular uprisings against the regime and international oil companies canceling deals with Tehran. Crude exports dropped from almost 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) to as low as 200,000 bpd.

President Joe Biden has claimed that he will return to the JCPOA agreement, signed during the Obama-era, as long as Iran keeps up its end of the deal.

As for current negotiations, European diplomats are reportedly getting tired of the constant delays and Irans noncompliance, and expressed concerns for a timely successful conclusion of the ongoing talks.

If we work hard in the days and weeks ahead, we should have a positive result, Enrique Mora, the European Union diplomat who chaired the talks, said after the opening session. But its going to be very harddifficult political decisions have to be taken.

Iran has now apparently enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, 20 to 30 percent below the purity needed for building weapons, although the country insists it will use the materials only for peaceful purposes.

Our targets related to enriching uranium are meeting our industrial and production needs  and those of our people, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran director Mohammad Eslami said on Saturday, insisting that Iran will not cross the 60 percent mark even if the talks in Vienna fail.

Regional powers like Israel are wary of Irans intentions. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of Israel has repeatedly claimed that Iran will not possess a nuclear weapon as it would prove to be an existential threat to the Jewish state.

Certainly we prefer to act through international cooperation, but if necessarywe will defend ourselves, by ourselves, Lapid said on Monday.

Iran has also adamantly refused to meet directly with U.S. officials, which further complicates and delays the process of negotiations.
Migrants wait to be rescued by members of the German NGO Sea-Watch during a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the Mediterranean Sea on Christmas day, on Dec. 25, 2021. (Max Brugger/Sea Watch/Handout via Reuters)

Italy Gives Safe Port to 558 Migrants Rescued at Sea

CATANIA, ItalyItaly on Tuesday allowed a charity boat carrying hundreds of migrants rescued at sea to dock in the Sicilian port of Augusta, with another vessel waiting offshore for permission to bring 440 more to land.

The Geo Barents ship, run by charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), took onboard 558 people, mainly Africans, in eight separate operations off the coast of Libya in the last 11 days, the charity said.

They include 174 minors and a woman who is eight months pregnant.

Migrants are rescued by members of the German NGO Sea-Watch during a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the Mediterranean Sea on Christmas day, on Dec. 25, 2021. (Max Brugger/Sea Watch/Handout via Reuters)

The German charity boat Sea Watch 3 is also seeking a port to disembark 440 migrants it rescued in recent days in the Mediterranean, including women and young children.

The weather deteriorates  Everyone has the right to disembark, now, Sea Watch wrote on Twitter.

Italy has seen a sharp increase in boat migrants in recent months with the government struggling to secure an agreement with European Union partners over how to deal with the influx.

As of Dec. 28, 66,482 migrants have reached Italy so far this year against 34,134 in the same period of 2020, interior ministry data show.
Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) speaks to the members of the media after he inspected the British Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, back, at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on Sept. 6, 2021. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

Japan Tells China It Opposes Unilateral Attempts to Alter Status Quo in East China Sea

Japans Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo spoke to his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe via video conference on Monday, conveying Japans opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea by coercion.

Kishi voiced concerns about the situation in the East China Sea, particularly the Senkaku Islands where China has been making repeated intrusions, urging China to self-restraint, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

The Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea have mostly been administered by Japan since 1895, but Beijing began asserting its rights over the islands in the 1970s. In China, the islands are called the Diaoyu Islands.

Japan has strongly protested repeated intrusions by Chinese vessels into the seas for decades. On Nov. 19, four Chinese ships reportedly entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands, the 37th case of Chinese patrol vessels entered into the territorial waters of Japan this year.

Wei told Kishi that China would firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in Senkaku Islands. He also emphasized the need for both countries to make joint efforts to maintain stability in the East China Sea, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.

Japan must face history squarely and learn from history, and this is the correct attitude and wise choice, Wei said.

The discussion also covered the importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait, where tensions between the self-ruled island of Taiwan and China have been rising. China claims the democratically-elected country as part of its territory and has threatened to bring the island under its control by force if necessary.

Wei pointed out that China and Japan should strengthen high-level exchanges and jointly control risks to prevent escalation of conflicts between the two countries.

The two ministers have also agreed to start operating a hotline between their defense officials by the end of next year.

We confirmed that the early establishment of a hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities is important, Kishi told reporters after the video conference, reported Kyodo News.

Last month, Japan held a drill on uninhabited Tsutara Island in Goto, Nagasaki prefecture, under the assumption that foreign forces had taken over the Senkaku Islands, reported Kyodo News, citing several government sources.

The two-day drill, which involved the Self-Defence Forces, coastguard, and police, was not intended for a specific island or a country but rather to improve Japans response to emergency situations in the countrys island areas, the government said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The logo for LinkedIn Corporation is shown in Mountain View, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2013. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)

Judge Dismisses Claims That LinkedIn Overcharged Advertisers

A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corp.s LinkedIn of inflating the number of people who watched video ads so the networking platform could overcharge hundreds of thousands of advertisers.

In a decision on Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen said that while some LinkedIn statements may have been misleading, the plaintiffs failed to show their legal remedies were inadequate before suing under two California laws that offered only equitable relief such as restitution.

The San Jose, California-based judge also said LinkedIn had no implied duty to provide accurate ad metrics, citing its disclaimer that it was not responsible for click fraud or illicit third-party activity that could affect ad costs.

Advertisers in the proposed class action accused LinkedIn of inflating its metrics by counting video ad views from users LinkedIn apps, even when videos played only off-screen because users scrolled past them.

The lawsuit began after LinkedIn said in November 2020 that its engineers had fixed software bugs that may have led to more than 418,000 overcharges, most under $25. LinkedIn said it provided credits to virtually all affected advertisers.

Judge van Keulen had in August dismissed some of the advertisers claims while letting others proceed.

Mondays dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the lawsuit led by advertisers TopDevz Inc. of Sacramento, California, and Noirefy Inc. of Chicago cannot be brought again. LinkedIn is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Lawyers for the advertisers did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment. LinkedIn and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The case is In re LinkedIn Advertising Metrics Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-08324.

By Jonathan Stempel
Shipping containers are stacked after being offloaded from a boat in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 4, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Just 3 Percent of CEOs Say COVID-19 Is Their Top Worry: Report

While the fear of getting fired has risen sharply among C-suite executives due to various disruptive forces buffeting their businesses, a mere 3 percent identified COVID-19 as their top worry, according to the CEO of management consultancy AlixPartners.

In a Dec. 27 interview with Yahoo Finance, AlixPartners CEO Simon Freakley previewed some of the topline findings of the forthcoming 2022 AlixPartners Disruption Index, which surveyed over 3,000 senior executives globally across multiple industries to find out what keeps them awake at night.

Freakley told the outlet that AlixPartners third annual disruption survey, due for release in January, will show that nearly three-quarters of CEOs feel their jobs are at risk.

The 72 percentalmost three-quartersof CEOs feel that their jobs are in jeopardy, a massive 20 point jump since last year, is really significant, Freakley said.

Last years disruption index showed that 51 percent C-suite executives worried about losing their jobs due to the disruption facing their industries, while 25 percent identified COVID-19 as their top concern. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2.

When we asked people what was keeping them awake at night, COVID didnt even make the top 10, Freakley said of this years findings, adding that pandemic anxiety came in at number 13.

In the top 10 were issues like the impact of artificial intelligence in their sectors, governance issues coming from new regulation, environmental issues, how they were responsible but still profitable, all of these concerns are in the top 10, he added.

The prior 2021 disruption index showed that new or evolving competition or business models was the main worry (34 percent), followed by technological advances as well as data privacy and security issues (33 percent each), and automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics (32 percent).

Freakley said that, while it remains a concern, COVID-19 has been relegated to a more routine disruptive force.

I think the learning from this has been that COVID, whilst an enormous disruption in our times, is just another disruption, Freakley told Yahoo Finance. There are many, many disruptions hitting businesses being managed by executive teams. This is just another one.

At the same time, a whopping 94 percent of CEOs told AlixPartners for the 2022 survey that they feel their business models must fundamentally change over the next three years for them to stay relevant in their respective markets.

While there has been no shortage of concern expressed by policymakers and public health officials about the pandemic generally, and the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant specifically, Freakleys remarks suggest executives have become more adept at managing the disruptive impact of the outbreak.
The First United Methodist Church is seen destroyed at sunrise in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., in this picture taken with a drone, on Dec. 13, 2021. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

Kentucky Tornado Death Toll Rises to 77, Infant Latest Fatality

An infant has been confirmed as the latest fatality in the aftermath of devastating tornadoes that struck Kentucky earlier this month, bringing the states official death toll to 77, Gov. Andy Beshear said on Monday.

Beshear told reporters that the infant, from hard-hit Graves County in the western part of the state, died last week. Dozens of children were killed in the storms that raked a five-state region, including one twister that plowed a 227-mile path of destruction through western Kentucky.

This is one that rips at the very fabric of who we are, Beshear said during a news briefing, joined by Kentucky first lady Britainy Beshear. Britainy and I ask everyone to join us in lifting up this family and their friends and the community in prayer.

Mayfield, in Graves County, bore some of the greatest damage and loss of life from the storms, with much of the city laid to waste. Eight people were killed at a candle factory in the city of about 10,000 in the states west when the tornados struck.

Beshear at the time described the devastation as unlike anything I have seen in my life.

Sixteen counties in western Kentucky have been included in a federal disaster declaration, making residents there eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Beshear on Monday said that debris removal in affected areas is starting to ramp up.

Rebuilding these homes and structures and lives is going to take years and weve got to make sure when support is needed down the road that we have it  and we can deploy it there to help these families, the governor said.

Kentucky State Parks were continuing to provide housing and food services for more than 600 residents displaced by the disaster, state officials said.

Insured property losses from the storms could total up to $5 billion, according to industry experts.

The weekend tornadoes and storms killed approximately 90 people across five states. There were least 41 tornadoes in total, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service.

President Joe Biden on Dec. 15 said that his administration would cover all emergency work costs in the state for 30 days, adding, I intend to do whatever it takes as long as it takes.

You will recover and you will rebuild. The scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief, the president told reporters at Dawson Springs after he visited several areas among the worst hit.

Biden also praised community efforts to rebuild and recover in the aftermath of the devastating storms.

Thats what youre supposed to be doing, the president said. Thats the way its supposed to be. Theres no red tornadoes or blue tornadoes. Theres no red states or blue states when this stuff starts to happen.

U.S. President Joe Biden greets Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear after speaking to the press in an area damaged by Fridays tornado in Dawson Springs, Kentucky on Dec. 15, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

An organization made up of military veterans from Arkansas earlier this month traveled across state lines to assist in clean up efforts, including clearing paths, cutting down trees, and assisting with search and rescue.

I remember a tornado in Beebe, I think it was 1999 and there was all of sudden people showing up from all over the United States helping us, Clint Roe, a member of the Sheep Dog Impact Assistance Central Arkansas told FOX16.

Roe told the news outlet that he believes Kentucky will recover if communities come together to help each other and restore hope.

To put that back into people is just magical, Roe said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun meets with leading businessman Najib Mikati at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, on July 26, 2021. (Dalati Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanons President Aoun: Imperative Cabinet Meets as Hezbollah Continues to Block Assemblies

Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Monday appeared to criticize ally Hezbollah for blocking the countrys cabinet meetings for the past two months, which have further added to ongoing economic woes plaguing the country.

The countrys government was formed in September 2020 amid financial troubles following the devastating explosion at the Beirut port in August 2020. The government of 24 ministries is being led by Hezbollah-backed Prime Minister, Najib Mikati.

However, the governing body has not met since Oct. 12. after Hezbollah and its allies demanded the removal of the lead judge investigating last years devastating explosion.

Tarek Bitar, a Lebanese judge and the head of Beiruts criminal court, is investigating the blast that ripped through the capital.

But Shia Islamist political party Hezbollah and its allies have refused to attend cabinet meetings until the judge is removed, claiming that Bitar is politicizing the investigation, singling out politicians allied with Hezbollah for questioning.

Efforts by Bitar to interrogate former ministers have been plagued with legal challenges. Earlier this month, Bitar resumed his investigation following a one-month standstill after the Beirut Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by former Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos, who had been charged and summoned for questioning by Bitar.

Fenianos and three other former senior government officials have been charged by Bitar with intentional killing and negligence in the explosion. On Thursday, the investigation was paused for the fourth time after ex-ministers filed a lawsuit against Bitar when he summoned them for investigation, as per The Jerusalem Post.

Bitar is known for having no history of bias or affiliations to any political party.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said the issue falls outside the cabinets authority.

In a televised speech on Monday, Aoun did not specifically name the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah but warned the state was falling apart, and people are suffocating before questioning why the cabinet meeting was being blocked.

Not tomorrow, today, it is imperative that the cabinet meets and remedies the problems in the Council of Ministers, Aoun said, as per The Post. By which law, by which logic, by which constitution is the Council of Ministers blocked, asked to make a decision that does not fall within its powers and have its action frozen over an issue that does not represent a pact-related disagreement?

A view of damaged cars at the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on April 9, 2021. (Joseph Eid /AFP) (via Getty Images)

Fire burns in the port in Beirut, Lebanon on Sept. 10. 2020. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

The president demanded that the unjustified, deliberate, and systematic blockage which dismantles the State and drives it to its demise be ended.

Aoun also indicated that he wanted to improve ties with Gulf Arab states following comments made by then information minister George Kordahi which appeared to support the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Kordahi resigned from his post shortly after making the comments which led to weakened diplomatic ties between Lebanon and Persian Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia.

I am keen on the best relations with the Arab States, and precisely with the Gulf countries, and I ask: what is the reason for tautening the relation with these countries and meddling in affairs that are none of our business? said Aoun.

I do not want to quarrel with anyone, neither people nor parties, and I do not want to dismantle the unity of any sect, said Aoun. Yet, we have to be candid: marking time is fatal, and I shall not accept to watch silently as the State is falling apart and people are suffocating. I shall keep striving till the last day of my presidential tenure and the last day of my life to prevent that.

The Lebanese president stressed that the state is built by respecting the laws, not by transgressing authority, nor by the domination of one authority over another. The state means law and stability at the same time, and no one may give the Lebanese a choice between one of the two matters.

Aoun also took to Twitter on Monday, where he wrote, When the collapse occurred, I called for dialogue with those who took to the streets, but they also refused, and hid behind the slogan All means all. Today, I renew my call for dialogue, to every Lebanese woman and man who desires the salvation of the nation. He did not specifically reference Hezbollah in the post.

The eruption of stockpiled ammonium nitrate last year killed at least 217 people of numerous nationalities, including Canada, Germany, France, Australia, and the United States, as well as Lebanese nationals, and wounded 7,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

According to the World Bank, the explosion caused an estimated $3.8-4.6 billion in material damage.
Since the third quarter of 2021, China's land market has cooled, demand has fallen, and local land sales revenue has plummeted. Some provinces and cities in China have reportedly cut civil servants' salaries. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

Local Authorities in China Face Huge Revenue Drops as Land Sales Plummet

After the outbreak of the CCP virus in 2020, Chinas economic growth has been declining rapidly. Various structural problems in the Chinese economy began to erupt visibly in 2021. Among them, the slow sales of real estate have resulted in a sharp drop in the revenue of local governments at and below the provincial level.

China implemented a tax-sharing system reform in 1994, after which the central regime enjoyed an increase in tax revenue, while the local governments fiscal revenues fell sharply. A few years later, the increase in land prices driven by the real estate market became a major part of Chinas local government revenue.

According to a research report issued by China Yuekai Securities Co., Ltd. on Nov. 2, the tax revenue from Chinas real estate industry in 2019 reached 2.6 trillion yuan ($408.8 billion), and the national land transfer revenue stood at 7.1 trillion yuan ($1.12 trillion). The sum of the two is equivalent to 35.2 percent of the sum of the general public budget and the budget of government-managed funds.

Since the third quarter of 2021, Chinas land market has cooled down, local land transfer revenue has plummeted, land auctions in less developed cities have been cold, the percentage of land unsold and withdrawn from the market has increased, and the land premium rate has dropped rapidly.

In the third quarter of this year, residential land transfer fees in 300 Chinese cities fell by 36.6 percent year-on-year, and land transfer revenue nationwide fell by 9.6 percent year-on-year. The withdrawal rate of the second round of centralized land sales in 20 key cities was as high as 31.8 percent, an increase of 25.3 percentage points from the first round. Even in Beijing and Guangzhou, where property prices are the highest and the most popular for investment, the percentage of failed land sales has reached 60.5 percent and 52.1 percent, respectively.

Salary Cuts Take Place in Regions Highly Dependent on Land Sales

The provinces and cities reportedly have cut salaries for civil servants are all areas with high dependence on land sales which previously had low debt liabilities.

According to Yuekai Securities report, Chinas provinces and cities in 2020 are divided into four categories according to the degree of financial dependence on land sales and their debt ratio. If the median land transfer income dependency is higher than 24 percent median, it is referred to as high land dependency, and if the debt ratio is higher than 100 percentthe international warning lineit is defined as a high debt ratio.

The first category is areas with high land dependence and high debt ratios, represented by Tianjin City, Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi, and Fujian provinces.

The second category is areas with high land dependence and low debt ratios, which are typically represented by coastal provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, and the city of Shanghai. These are the areas where the news of civil servants pay cuts has been reported recently. The land sales revenue in these areas is more directly used for urban infrastructure construction or capital injection to establish local financing platforms. Therefore, the impact of the cooling of the land market on these provinces is mostly reflected on the investment side.

The third category is areas with low land dependence and low debt ratios, with Tibet, Jiangxi, Gansu, and Shanxi as typical representatives. These provinces are relatively less affected by the cooling of the land market.

The fourth category is areas with low land dependence and high debt ratios, represented by western and northeastern provinces such as Qinghai, Ningxia, Hainan, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia.

Local Governments Land Dependence and High Debt

Chinas dependence on land sales for its fiscal revenues at different levels has its historical background, and the tax-sharing reform in 1994 was a watershed.

According to data from Zhongda Securities, before 1994, Chinas local fiscal revenue accounted for 78 percent of Chinese regimes revenue. By 2019, the central regimes revenue accounted for 46.9 percent, while local fiscal revenue fell to 53.1 percent. The fiscal deficits of local governments are covered by the issuance of bonds and fiscal subsidies from the central regime. The central regime has thus greatly increased its control over localities.

On the other hand, local governments also need to find other sources of income to gain greater freedom, and land finance, that is, relying on land sales to generate income, arises at that time.

In addition, the real estate and construction industries were the main sources of business taxpayers at that time, while the business tax was exclusive to local governments before the VAT reform, and other taxes and fees were also incurred in the process of land development and operation. Land finance therefore became the key to the operation of the local fiscal system and the foundation for credit expansion.

With the disappearance of Chinas demographic dividend, risks in the real estate market have intensified, and high levels of local government debt have also aroused concerns from the outside world.

In a recent article, Bloomberg cited Goldman Sachss report, saying that as of the end of 2020, the total debt of Chinese local government financing platforms has increased from 16 trillion yuan ($2.51 trillion) in 2013 to approximately 53 trillion yuan ($8.2 trillion). This is equivalent to 52 percent of Chinas GDP and is higher than the debt balance announced by the CCP.

Proposal of Real Estate Tax Meets with Strong Opposition

The income from the sale of land is ultimately limited by market demand. Therefore, the Chinese authorities are planning to implement a new policy to impose property tax all over the country.

In an interview with NTDTV, Cheng Xiaonong, an economist residing in the United States, said that the CCPs sudden roll-out of real estate tax has two purposes: one is to squeeze the real estate bubble and avoid the predicament of the entire economy being hijacked by the real estate bubble; the other is to provide local finances with a stable new income source to replace land sale as the main revenue source.

The Wall Street Journal quoted insiders as saying that Xi Jinpings idea of levying real estate taxes comprehensively has encountered strong resistance within the CCP. Many high-ranking officials own multiple properties. Xis new policy would force them to make major adjustments to their asset management.

As a matter of fact, urban homeowners in China own the dwelling but not the land, and they only have 70 years of land use rights. Considering that most of the property appreciation is the appreciation of land value, the majority of Chinese people oppose the authorities plan to levy real estate asset taxes.

Yuekai Securities said in its research report that in the future, local governments in China will no longer compete based on the amount of land they can sell and the favorable policies for different regions, but their overall governance ability and the ability to energize enterprises and high-skilled populations.

But in any case, when Chinas economy continues to decline and the real estate market bubble bursts, the Chinese regime, especially those local governments with total expenditure as high as 85 percent of their total revenues, will be under great financial pressure. The salary cuts for civil servants may only be the beginning of the governments reduction of expenditure. In the future, local governments that are short of money will face huge challenges in how to guarantee grass-roots operations.

Epoch Times reporter Ellen Wang contributed to this report.
A roadsign in Tijuana, Mexico lpoints drivers to the USA/Mexico border city of San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 6, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Man Charged With Smuggling, Assault in Fatal Christmas Day Crash

SAN DIEGOA man who allegedly crashed a car while fleeing from Border Patrol agents on Christmas Day, killing one of his passengers, was charged by federal authorities Dec. 27 with human smuggling and assaulting a federal officer.

Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, 22, of Lake Forest, allegedly crashed into a tree after speeding away from Border Patrol agents just before 6 p.m. Saturday.

According to a probable cause statement attached to a criminal complaint filed against Quevedo-Moncada in federal court, the defendant drove erratically through the Thousand Trails campground, striking a Border Patrol agents vehicle, then later crashed off Otay Lakes Road.

One of his passengers died at the scene, while two others sustained critical injuries and were hospitalized, the document states. In a statement, the California Highway Patrol identified the deceased passenger only as a 52-year-old man, and the injured passengers as a 19-year-old man and a 29-year-old man.

The CHP said the driver was the only one wearing a seatbelt.

After the crash, Quevedo-Moncada allegedly climbed out of the car through the front windshield and fled, but was arrested.

He later told authorities that he was phoned by someone who instructed him to drive to Chula to pick up a package, which he believed would contain weed and stuff, the complaint states.

When he arrived at the designated location, three people jumped into his car and one said, Lets go, run! in Spanish, he told law enforcement, which indicated to him that they were illegal immigrants and that he was doing something illegal.

He was to be paid $2,000 for the endeavor, the complaint states.
Japan Airlines (JAL) planes sit on the tarmac at New Chitose Airport, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, on May 4, 2021. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

More Than 100 Japan Flights Cancelled Due to Heavy Snow

TOKYOMore than 100 domestic flights in Japan were grounded on Sunday due to heavy snow in the northern and western parts of the country, Japans two biggest airlines said.

ANA Holdings had halted 79 flights as of 4 p.m. (0700 GMT), affecting about 5,100 passengers, said Hiroaki Hayakawa, an operations director for the airline.

Japan Airlines Co. had cancelled 49 flights as of 4 p.m. (0700 GMT), affecting 2,460 passengers, a representative with the airlines operations division said.

Worldwide, thousands of flights have been cancelled over the Christmas weekend because of the rapid spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

Japan, which tightened border controls to counter the threat from Omicron, has reported only about a dozen cases of community spread of the new variant and 231 total Omicron infections, including overseas arrivals, according to the health ministry.

By Kantaro Komiya
Flags fly outside the Diplomatic Quarter, a building in Taipei which houses most of nations which still retain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, on Dec. 10, 2021, after Nicaragua inked a deal switching diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Nicaragua Seizes Former Taiwan Embassy to Give to China

Taipei said it strongly protested Nicaraguas seizure of Taiwans former embassy that was given to Beijing, after the Central American state severed ties with the self-governed island in favor of China.

Regarding the Nicaraguan governments illegal seizure of our embassy properties and unlawful transfer of them to the Peoples Republic of China, it is totally unacceptable to our government and for this, we express our strong protest, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Dec. 27.

The protest followed an official statement from Daniel Ortegas government on late Dec. 26, released by Nicaraguas newspaper La Prensa. It said that the embassy compound and other assets belong to and will be handed over to the Chinese regime, without citing which law supports the decision.

Nicaragua had unilaterally terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier this month, declaring that it recognizes only the mainland government and Taiwan as part of the Chinese territory.

Upon the severance, Ortegas regime asked Taiwan to recall all diplomats and staff from Nicaragua by Dec. 23. The limited timeframe pushed the democratic island to sell office premises to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua, for the symbolic amount of $1.

It did so for the purpose of serving the public interest, the Taiwanese ministry said. The Catholic Church promised to make good use of the assets.

Yet such an attempt was blocked by Nicaraguan authorities, with the state-controlled Attorney Generals Office calling it a maneuver and subterfuge to take over Beijings belongings, which also includes furniture and facilities stationed there, La Prensa reported.

MOFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] reiterates that Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], the ministry condemned the recent moves in a Dec. 27 statement, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reserves no right to inherit its state-owned property.

The Nicaraguan government is obliged to protect the premises of the Republic of China [Taiwan] Embassy, together with its property and archives, the MOFA said, citing Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

It added that the two-week withdrawal deadline is also gravely unlawful for violating international norms, which would normally grant countries at least a month to recall their personnel following the severance.

Taipei called on international support on Dec. 27 to call out the illegal acts and to help the Catholic diocese secure its rightful assets.

Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan as part of China and must be brought into its fold, by force if necessary.

The more successful Taiwans democracy and stronger the support for Taiwan from the international community, the larger pressure from the authoritarian rule camp comes, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Dec. 10, following Nicaraguas announcement of severing ties with the island.

Taiwan has now 14 formal diplomatic allies, most of them in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, raise their fists during the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of the Pancasan guerrilla campaign in Managua on Aug. 29, 2018. (Inti Ocon/AFP/Getty Images)

Taiwans foreign minister later said Nicaraguas decision to cut ties with Taiwan was part of a deliberate move by the Chinese regime targeting the islands diplomatic allies, as Taiwan, not China, was invited to attend the U.S.-led democracy summit that was held on Dec. 910.

Washington criticized the Central American nations decision, saying it did not reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people, due to its unfree, unfair election. Ortega secured a fourth term in Novembers election after jailing 40 opposition figures, including seven potential presidential candidates.

This is the second time that Nicaragua has cut ties with Taiwan under the president. Ortega first ended a 55-year recognition of Taipei in 1985 before switching back in 1990 under then-President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.

Nicaragua has so far received two batches of China-made COVID-19 vaccines in a month, since it switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid passes a Christmas wreath as he leaves from 10 Downing Street in London on Dec. 15, 2021. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

No New Restrictions in England Before New Year, Health Secretary Confirms

No further CCP virus restrictions will be introduced in England, at least before the new year, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Monday.

The decision comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was briefed on the impact Christmas mixing had had on CCP virus infections and hospital admissions.

Speaking to Sky News on Mondy afternoon, Javid said ministers had continued to look at the data on a daily basis and decided there wasnt any need for any further measures until the new year.

Of course people should remain cautious as we approach New Years celebrations, and take a lateral flow test if that makes sense, celebrate outside if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can. Please remain cautious, the health secretary said.

And when we get into the new year, of course, we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures, but nothing more until then at least, he said.

Sajid said the ministers believe some 90 percent of the COVID-19 cases across England had the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, suggesting the fast spread may offset some of the benefits of the variant being milder.

He added that the UK is very focused on vaccinationswith three-quarters of the eligible adults already boosted with a third doseand has started the antivirals program, both of which he said would contribute to limiting the spread of the virus.

But well watch the situation very carefully, and should in the future we need to act, of course, we wont hesitate to do so, Javid added.

The UK government, which is responsible for public health policy in England, introduced mandatory NHS COVID passes in nightclubs and large events, and reintroduced mask mandates in most indoor settings after the Omicron CCP virus variant was found in the country, but the government has resisted calls for further restrictions, while Conservative backbenchers ramped up resistance against more lockdowns.

All other nations across the UK have announced more restrictions before Christmas that came into effect on Sunday and Monday.

In Wales, a maximum of six people are allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas, and restaurants, and a total of 30 people are allowed at indoor events while 50 people will be allowed at outdoor events.

Two-metre social distancing is being required in public premises and offices, and nightclubs have been ordered to close.

In Scotland, large events will require one-metre physical distancing and will be limited to 100 people standing indoors, 200 people sitting indoors, and 500 people outdoors.

One-metre physical distancing is also in place in all indoor hospitality and leisure settings, where table service is required where alcohol is being served.

Nightclubs have also been ordered to shut for three weeks from Monday.

In Northern Ireland, indoor standing events are no longer permitted and nightclubs will be closed on New Years Eve.

People must remain seated for table service, while table numbers will be limited to six.

Alexander Zhang and PA contributed to this report.
No Survivors as Small Plane Crashes Into House in San Diego County

A small plane crashed in a neighborhood near the city of El Cajon, San Diego, on Monday night before bursting into flames, officials said.

The plane crashed at around 7 p.m. local time near Pepper Dr. and N. Mollison Ave, a few miles east of Gillespie Field airport, San Diego County Sheriffs Department said on Monday.

The plane was scheduled to land at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, it added.

Firefighters said no survivors were found at the crash scene. Officials have yet to reveal how many people were on the plane.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported on the ground, with at least one house damaged. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.

Officials are investigating the incident and roads surrounding the area have been closed. Local residents were being asked to avoid the area.

The crash reportedly took down power lines, and San Diego Gas & Electric reported that 350 residents were without power. Power is expected to be restored to customers again on Tuesday around 6 a.m.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that a California Highway Patrol incident log indicated the aircraft may have struck a home.

Multiple videos of the crash were shared on Twitter. They show flames erupting from the area where the plane reportedly fell, while firefighters tackle the fires. Debris from the crashed plane can be seen on the ground nearby.

Local reports have identified the crashed plane as a Learjet 35, which was flying from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Gillespie Field in El Cajon, although authorities have not officially confirmed this.

Audio footage of air traffic radio from Learjet N880Z was shared on Twitter in which a pilot can be heard requesting clearance to land but seconds later, he can be heard screaming before the transmission cuts off.

San Diego County Sheriffs Department confirmed late Monday that the fire had been put out in the area, adding that it will take time to process the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration along with the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating, the Sheriffs Department said.

The Epoch Times has contacted San Diego County Sheriffs Department for further comment.

One resident in the area described hearing the plane crash before seeing fire and smoke.

We were outside and basically, we heard the plane getting closer. Normally they get loud because we live right by the airport, but it got really, really loud and all of the sudden, we think it couldve hit our power lines above our house, but we just saw bright blue and orange flashing lights and we heard the electricity running, Lauren Watling, a resident in the area, told NBC San Diego.

And then after that, we heard the plane actually crash. We ran out immediately and there was a ton of smoke everywhere. All we saw was fire and smoke, the resident said.
A hiring sign for servers in front of Bolt's Sports Cafe, in Englewood north of Dayton, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Michael Sakal/Epoch Times)

Ohio Lowers Serving Age for Alcohol

Eighteen-year-olds can vote and join the military.

They soon will be able to serve alcohol.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 102 last week, a bill that lowers the alcohol serving age from 19 to 18.

The law, which also includes other alcohol-related regulations, will go into effect on March 22, 2022, or 90 days after DeWine signed it. The bill is aimed at helping bolster the number of servers in restaurants and bars as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus persistsas does the workforce shortage in the service industry across the United States.

Sen. Kristina Roegner (R) sponsored the bill.

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Ohio has lost more than 3,100 restaurants and bars. The Ohio Restaurant Association has continued to see a decrease in workers as this year comes to a close.

At Milanos Pizza and Subs, a popular establishment near the University of Dayton that has servers ranging from 19 to 30 years old, its manager told The Epoch Times that the new law really shouldnt be a big deal.

I dont see much difference between an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old, said Larry Adkisson, general manager of Milanos. Its not going to hurt, its going to help keep our numbers up. We had some work shortages early last winter, but were getting back to being a little better staffed now.

Milanos Pizza and Subs General Manager Larry Adkisson pictured in the popular eatery and watering hole in Dayton, Ohio, on Dec. 27, 2021. (Courtesy of Larry Adkisson)

Adkisson said that its a good, common sense law because the 18-year-olds would be serving and not tending bar.

To tend bar, one has to be 21 years old.

Whenever we hire new people, we put everyone through training, Adkisson said. The training involves working with and serving alcohol.

In 1984, the Federal Government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act and established 21 as the national minimum legal drinking age. Today, all 50 states require one to be 21 or older to purchase alcohol.

To be considered an alcoholic beverage, the federal government has established that a drink has 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol in it. Therefore, one drink is: 12 ounces of beer, eight ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor (40 percent alcohol), according to www.worldpopulationreview.com.

The 21st Amendment to the Constitution clarifies that the states determine the laws regarding the sale and distribution of alcohol, and the states can delegate responsibilities to local jurisdictions. The states have the power to set the age as they see fit within their own borders.

Liz Zajovits of Dayton has been a waitress for 40 years, mostly at two of Daytons top-tier restaurants. She waitressed at the Pine Club for 12 years and now, at the iconic Jays Seafood restaurant in the citys historic Oregon District for the last four years.

Zajovits said she supports the new law. She told The Epoch Times that if the state or United States is faced with a lockdown or states have to endure another 14-day shutdown, Jays likely would close, because it is more difficult or nearly impossible to provide carry-out for fresh seafood.

The restaurant is known for its ornate bar that once was inside Jake Rittys Saloon in downtown Dayton. Ritty invented the cash register, and later sold the rights to John Patterson, a leading industrialist in the city who founded the National Cash Register (NCR) Company.

If a 19-year-old can serve alcohol, why cant an 18-year-old?, Zajovits said. It makes sense to allow 18-year-olds to be allow to serve. We didnt have a problem with servers because fine-dining restaurants usually need people with more experience. What we had problems with were finding dishwashers and bussers. Everybody wants to make 1520 bucks an hour, but nobody wants to be a dishwasher or busser.

SB 102 also comes with other caveats.

The bill also permits cities to expand Designated Outdoor Drinking Areas (DORAs) depending on whether the size of a city or township is larger or smaller than a population of 50,000. More DORAs were established outside of establishments that served alcohol during the pandemic when indoor seating was limited.

Municipalities with more than 50,000 people will be able to designate 640 acres for DORAs (twice the amount currently allowed), they can spread that acreage across six different locations instead of four. Municipalities with less than 50,000 people will be able to designate 320 acres for DORAs.

Also under the forthcoming law, if municipalities would like to seek Sunday liquor sales, they would only need to collect 50 signatures of registered voters who voted in the last governors election instead of 35 percent of the voters as previously required.
Omicron Disrupts New York City Subway Services

New York City subway services will be curbed starting this week as another wave of COVID-19 infections hits the city resulting in rescheduled stops, longer passenger waiting times, and staff shortages.

This Monday through Thursday, trains will run less frequently than usual, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in a tweet on Monday. Like everyone in New York, weve been affected by the COVID surge. Were taking proactive steps to provide the best, most consistent service we can. That means you may wait a little longer for your train.

The transit authority has requested passengers to check their website or message them before heading out to ensure train timings and scheduled stops in specific stations.

COVID-19 cases have recently surged in New York City from Dec. 1, when the 7-day average of new cases was less than 2,000, to Dec. 23 which saw nearly 22,000, based on official data. Hospitalizations have also surged, but deaths remain steady.

The surge comes despite the fact that 80.5 percent of the citys population has received at least one dose, and 71.7 percent are considered fully vaccinated as of Dec. 28.

Omicron, the new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus variant, is the dominant strain in the country at the moment. Observations by international scientists show that Omicron poses mild symptoms, requiring fewer hospitalizations than the Delta variant.

MTA has not elaborated on the infection rate within the organization that led to the rescheduling of trains. The MTAs policy requires workers to provide proof of vaccination or take weekly COVID-19 tests.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said at least 80 percent of MTA employees are fully inoculated, CNN reported.

The organization has reported staff shortages as a reason for train delays. Some crews are expected to get reallocated as well.

By reducing scheduled service, were able to re-allocate train crews where theyre needed, rather than cancel individual trips. Were also working quickly to implement New York States revised quarantine guidelines for essential workers, which will help with staff shortages, MTA added to the earlier tweet.

Some of the replies for the tweet include one from Evan Taylor who said, Wouldnt less trains mean more people on each train? How is this preventing the spread of COVID when people need to take the train regardless to go to work.

Another Twitter user, Maria BYNC, commented, So you will provide less service to those of us who still have to get to work on time and you will raise the fare next year. Your service is always delayed, every single day. The worse, mediocre service, yet you expect us to pay your salary.

Daily subway ridership has also gone down from about 5.5 million people using the service during pre-pandemic in 2019 to a post-pandemic high of 3.3 million in October 2021.

On Monday, the MTA launched its free COVID-19 testing program at Grand Central Terminal and the Times Square-42nd Street subway stations. The tests are available seven days a week, with more stations scheduled to be providing the service soon.

Besides the subway, shortages have been reported for ambulances within New York City. Some people had to wait hours for an ambulance, so its dangerous to the public. Its dangerous to our men and women because they are being overworked, Oren Barzilay, who heads Local 2507, the union representing EMTs and paramedics, said to CBS New York.

The famous New Years Eve celebrations have also been curbed from the typical 60,000 crowd to below 15,000, and all participants will be required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result.
Pennsylvania Candidates Line Up to Replace Sen. Toomey

Pennsylvanias Republican U.S. Senator Pat Toomey is not seeking reelection and a wide field of candidates want to fill that seat. Already, candidates are spending campaign money on billboards, radio, and television advertising and that is going to intensify. Most will spend well over $174,000, the annual salary of a U.S. senator.

These months, now until the May 17 Pennsylvania primary, are a short window for candidates to introduce themselves to the public, lay out their platforms, and convince their party to put them on the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election.

At least 18 candidates are running for Pennsylvanias open U.S. Senate seat. At one point there were at least 30, but some have dropped out, and others have little or no internet presence or budget. Here is a look at the 18, organized by party affiliation and then by the amount of campaign money raised, according to the Federal Election Commission:

Republicans

Carla Sands ($3.6 million): Chiropractor, appointed to President Donald Trumps Economic Advisory Council and later served as an ambassador to Denmark in the Trump administration.

Jeff Bartos ($2.9 million): Ran for lieutenant governor in 2018. Bartos owns a contracting company and several real estate acquisition and development companies.

Kathy Barnette ($809,000): Author of Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America. She is a veteran, former adjunct professor of corporate finance, and a political commentator.

Everett Stern ($99,000): Founder and intelligence director of Tactical Rabbit, a private intelligence agency that provides clients with legal, business, and national security intelligence. Previously ran for Senate.

Robert Bobby Jeffries ($41,000): A self-described proud millennial. Works in warehousing and logistics.

Sean Gale: ($22,000): An attorney. His brother Joe Gale is running for governor.

Martin Rosenfeld ($9,000): Worked as a county deputy sheriff, state constable, co-owner of a gun shop; handled accounting and tax preparation for 40 years.

James Edward Hayes ($6,000): Semi-retired from a career in engineering and construction.

David Xu ($1,300): A self-described redneck, Xu served in the Army for 30 years and is a small business owner.

Mehmet Oz (no data reported): Dr. Oz is a celebrity doctor and was a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Democrats

John Fetterman ($9.3 million): Pennsylvanias lieutenant governor.

Conor Lamb ($2.6 million): U.S. Representative in his second term.

Val Arkoosh ($2.1 million): A doctor and elected county commissioner.

Malcolm Kenyatta ($1.2 million): A state representative from

Kevin Baumlin ($580,000) A doctor and chair of emergency medicine at a Pennsylvania hospital.

Sharif Street ($367,000): A Pennsylvania state representative from Philadelphia.

Alexandria Khalil ($9,426): A former small business owner, educator, community organizer; and member of the Pennsylvania Department of Healths Health Equity and COVID-19 Rural Healthcare Taskforce.

Larry Johnson (no data): Teacher, attorney, and author of several books, including Expositions on the Divine Nature, Progressive-conservatism and a new America, and Bronx Boy.

In Pennsylvania, independents dont vote in the primary election; only those registered as Democrat or Republican may vote. Sometimes voters will switch parties just to vote for or against a candidate in the other party. At the polls, Republicans get a ballot with Republican-only candidates; Democrats get only Democrat candidates. The parties pick the candidate at the top of the ticket and these top vote-getters in each party advance to the general election ballot where everyone, including independents, can vote for any candidate.

Last year was considered an off year election with judicial races being the main statewide Pennsylvania races, plus many local races including school board, mayoral, and township supervisor seats.

This year will include an open-seat battle for governor as sitting Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs second and final term is up at the end of 2022.

State legislators are trying to put the finishing touches on new congressional and legislative district maps, but there are some disagreements about district boundaries that still need to be ironed out.

While it is not a requirement to live in a congressional district to represent it, it is preferable. Candidates considering a run for Congress and legislative candidates are anxious for the maps to be approved.

Because the U.S. Census showed Pennsylvanias population is growing more slowly (up 2.4 percent) compared to other states, it lost one congressional district and will now have just 17 districts and 17 U.S. representatives in Washington.

Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid has indicated that the May 17 primary election may have to be moved back if the maps are not done soon. House congressional candidates need time to collect enough signatures to get on the primary ballot, and those signatures must be from voters within the district map boundaries, which currently are not known.
Police Seek Sun Valley Parents Under Investigation for Alleged Child Neglect

LOS ANGELESPolice asked the public for help Dec. 27 in finding a Sun Valley couple who are under investigation for alleged neglect of their three children and narcotics abuse.

The couples youngest child, Legend Avalos, tested positive for cocaine along with the babys mother when the child was born on Dec. 2, accoridng to the authorities.

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services sought a court order to place the children of Luis Avalos and Arely Anaya in protective custody. The couples other two children are 4-year-old Prince Anaya and 5-year-old King Anaya.

Police asked the public for help Dec. 27, 2021, in finding a Sun Valley couple, Luis Avalos (L) and Arely Anaya (R), who are under investigation for alleged neglect of their three children and narcotics abuse. (Courtesy of Los Angeles Police Department)

According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the parents were made aware of the departments intention to remove their children from the home and no longer responded to phone calls, nor answered their door for social workers.

On Monday, the department spoke with detectives from the LAPDs Foothill juvenile division and said they were seeking a court order and an arrest warrant for the parents. The LAPD responded to the familys residence in the 8900 block of Haddon Avenue in Sun Valley, but neither the parents nor the children were located.

Witnesses told authorities that the parents fled with the children on Thursday with a possible destination of Reno, Nevada.

Anyone who has seen the family or has any information regarding their whereabouts was asked to contact the LAPDs Foothill division at 818-756-8861.

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 877-527-3247. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.
John Earnest, accused in the fatal shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue, stands in court near public defender John O'Connell (L) and a San Diego County Bailiff during an arraignment hearing in San Diego, California, U.S., April 30, 2019. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/Pool via Reuters)

Poway Synagogue Shooter Gets Second Life Sentence in San Diego Federal Court

SAN DIEGOA young man who carried out a hate-motivated shooting at the Chabad of Poway that killed one woman and injured three other people was sentenced by a San Diego federal judge Dec. 28 to life in prison, plus 30 years.

John Timothy Earnest, 22, pleaded guilty in parallel state and federal prosecutions for the April 27, 2019, shooting, as well as for setting fire to the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque in Escondido about a month prior to the shooting.

Earnest was also sentenced earlier this year to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder, and arson counts, sparing him a potential death sentence. He later pleaded guilty in the federal case to 113 federal counts related to hate crimes, civil rights, and weapons violations.

U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia opted to run Earnests federal life sentence consecutively with the state sentence. Battaglia referenced government sentencing documents indicating that a consecutive sentence would be merely symbolic, but said, However, symbols are important. We have several. We have our flag. We have our government seal.  Hate is something that has to be addressed and must be held up as an example to all that it will not be tolerated.

Prosecutors said 54 people were inside the synagogue when Earnest opened fire on the last day of Passover.

Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, was shot in the synagogues lobby and died of her injuries. The congregations rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, lost a finger, while two othersAlmog Peretz and his then-8-year-old niece, Noya Dahanwere also injured.

Earnest was chased out of the synagogue by several congregants, then escaped in his car. He drove a short distance away and called 911, confessing that he had just shot up a synagogue.

In an online open letter posted shortly before the shooting, Earnest espoused flagrant anti-Semitic sentiments, a need to protect the European race, and wrote, I can only kill so many Jews and I only wish I killed more.

In the arson incident, seven missionaries were asleep inside the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque at the time but were able to extinguish the flames and escape injury. Graffiti left outside the mosque paid tribute to a white supremacist who shot and killed more than 50 people in New Zealand earlier that month.

In court papers, Earnests defense attorneys request that he be housed in California, so that the former Rancho Penasquitos resident can be more easily visited by his family, whichhis attorneys saidcan ultimately help him continue the path of reconciliation and redemption.

Earnests attorneys wrote that he is remorseful and has condemned his own actions in this case.

The defense sentencing memorandum states that Earnest was on course to lead a productive, meaningful, and law-abiding life prior to his rapid online radicalization.

The document states, The online world that John Earnest looked to for these self-identifying answers ultimately consumed him, leading to this tragic end.

Battaglia said he would recommend that Earnest be housed in a federal facility, but noted it would be up to the Bureau of Prisons as to whether it would accept housing him.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement underscoring the governments commitment to prosecuting hate crimes.

All people deserve to live and worship peacefully. This defendants conduct was an attempt to damage what makes our nation so greatour diversity, Garland said. The Department of Justice stands with our Jewish and Muslim community members, we reject hate in all forms, and we are committed to prosecuting bias-motivated violence to the fullest extent.
Priti Patel Orders Review of Crossbow Laws Following Windsor Castle Security Breach

The UKs Home Secretary Priti Patel has instructed her department to look for ways to tighten controls on crossbows, the Home Office said.

It comes after a security breach at Windsor Castle, where a 19-year-old man was allegedly caught with the weapon on Christmas day.

Crossbows are subject to controls and legislation is in place to deal with those who use them as a weapon, a spokesperson for the Home Office said in a statement.

At the Home Secretarys request, we are considering options to strengthen controls on crossbows. Work on this has been ongoing throughout the year, and we keep all relevant laws under review to maintain public safety, the spokesperson added.

Under current legislation, it is an offence for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow and for anyone to sell a crossbow to someone aged under 18.

Crossbows may also be considered offensive weapons and are prohibited from being carried in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

Laura Sugden, a 31-year-old local government worker who campaigned for tighter control of crossbow ownership since April, said the news felt bittersweet to her.

Sugden was shot in the head while she was pregnant after her neighbour Anthony Lawrence broke into her home in East Yorkshire with a crossbow. Her partner Shane Gilmer was killed in the same incident.

The Shanes Law campaigner told the PA news agency that she was thankful no one was hurt at Windsor Castle and delighted to hear the home secretary will review the rules, but saddened that other deaths, including Gilmers, were not enough for her to look into it.

Sugden said the Home Secretary had responded to her request earlier this year saying that the law wouldnt be reviewed.

At around 8:30 on Christmas morning, police arrested a 19-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon.

The Metropolitan Police said the security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and that officers recovered a crossbow after searching the man.

The man has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and remains in the care of medical professionals.

In most cases, UK police do not identify suspects before they are charged.

Police are also investigating a video that appears to show a masked figure in a dark hoodie holding a crossbow and addressing the camera with a distorted voice, saying they wanted to assassinate the Queen in a revenge mission.

PA contributed to this report.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath speaks after the announcement of a three-day lockdown for the Greater Brisbane area in Brisbane, Australia on Mar. 29, 2021. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Queensland Scraps Day 5 PCR Test Requirements for Travellers

The Queensland government has done away with the requirement for travellers entering the state to receive a PCR test on the fifth day of their visit.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the states Health Minister Yvette DAth said that based on data received in the past 24 hours the chief health officer has advised that the tests were no longer required.

Anyone who is waiting in lines for their day five tests can leave, she said.

The decision came after the recent data showed that only 0.6 percent of positive cases were being picked up by the test.

Previously, travellers entering Queensland from a COVID-19 hotspot (which includes the entire states of New South Wales and Victoria) were required to be fully vaccinated, apply for and receive a border pass, return a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to arriving in Queensland, and take another PCR test on day five of their trip.

DAth said that although the day five test has been scrapped, travellers filling in their border pass would still need to agree to take a test because the system had not been updated yet.

She said the government could have held off on announcing the change until the system was cchanged but said people should be getting on with their holidays. The move could take some pressure off health system resources.

The Queensland government is also considering going further by replacing PCR testing with rapid antigen testing (RAT), a move that should reduce pressure on facilities.

State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that in a meeting on Dec.22, the Cabinet had discussed the potential use of RAT.

We need to see how they would be administered, she said. Were looking at bringing those in on the first of January.

An announcement is expected in the next few days, and comes as tens of thousands of prospective Christmas travellers were caught up in long queues and longer-than-usual wait times for PCR test resultsimpacting travel plans.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has also indicated his preference for RAT to take over from PCR testing for travellers, saying they were less expensive and faster.

I think thats a sensible balance recognising that people want some level of surety about their health status before they travel,  he told the ABC on Tuesday.

But at the same time they want to avoid the long queues and long waiting times coming with the PCR tests.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr. John Gerrard said in a press conference on Monday that RAT was suitable for screening but was not as sensitive as PCR.

But if were using it for this specific purpose, as a screen from a high incidence state, then its appropriate, he said.

Its still being reviewed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, but I support it and it will be an appropriate test.
Santa Ana to Potentially Ban Flavored Tobacco Sales

SANTA ANA, Calif.To keep flavored tobacco products away from minors, Santa Ana is considering a complete ban on flavored tobacco sales or stricter measures to limit product access.

Councilwoman Nelida Mendoza brought forth the agenda item that was originally intended to either be adopted as an urgency ordinance or approved as a first reading.

However, after discussing the ban at the Dec. 21 meeting, councilmembers voted to continue the discussion at a later date where adjustments to the ordinance will be made.

Mendoza issued a recommendation for the ordinance to be more specific with the definition of flavored tobacco products and whether it also encompasses products without nicotine.

I dont want any loopholes so that we can protect our youth, Mendoza said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Vicente Sarmiento urged for the consideration of the citys diverse communities that utilize flavored tobacco products as part of their heritage.

We have a large and very important Muslim community here in the city, Sarmiento said. I want to make sure that were respectful of their cultural traditions as well  I think theres a way that we could be respectful and make sure that we protect kids.

Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan voiced her opinion in favor of the ban prior to proposing stricter tobacco sale security measures, such as the photo I.D. scanning required at cannabis retailers.

While the rest of the council agreed to come back for more discussion in the next meeting, Councilman Phil Bacerra spoke against moving forward without approving the prohibition of flavored tobacco products.

This is literally a life-or-death situation, Bacerra said. Im disappointed that here we are talking about a ban, but then now were really just talking about limiting access to it, but access will still be available here in Santa Ana.

Organizations and retailers for and against the ban came forward to voice their opinion during the meetings public comment session.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kidsa non-profit organization aiming to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences according to its websitesubmitted public comments in favor of the ban for the protection of youth.

We commend Santa Ana for being a national leader in its commitment to reducing the death and disease from tobacco use, said Lindsay Freitas, the campaigns regional advocacy director. Prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products in all tobacco retailers is a critical step that will help protect children living in Santa Ana from the unrelenting efforts by the tobacco industry to hook them to a deadly addiction.

The California Licensed Beverage Association (CALBA), Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and California Retailers Association, all submitted public comments for the councilmembers to oppose the ban.

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are adult-only products for purchase for those over 21 years old, CALBA President Beverly Swanson wrote. Banning the sale of flavored tobacco products inadvertently creates a public health risk by taking these options away from adult consumers who are trying to scale back or quit altogether.

The conversation on the potential ban and alternative measures to balance cultural sensitivity and youth protection will continue on Jan. 18.
Senators Ask Why Mayorkas DHS Withheld Visa Overstays, Afghan Evacuee Vetting Reports

Two vital Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reports were not given to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs (HSGAC) despite being required by law to do so, according to two Republican senators.

The 2020 Entry/Exit Overstay Report on visas held by foreign individuals residing in the United States has been published on the DHS web site for each of the past five years. But Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) want to know why DHS did not do so for the 2020 report.

As you may be aware, the FY 2021 funding package mandated that this report be sent to our Committee, which has oversight over DHS and over the Entry/Exit system. DHS also failed to meet a November 30 deadline to submit a congressionally mandated report over its vetting of Afghan evacuees, Lankford and Hawley told DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a Dec. 21 letter that was made public Tuesday.

These reports hold vital information for our oversight work of your department and for the public as the American people seek to assess the impact of the Biden Administrations immigration enforcement efforts. Your continued delay in providing these reports violates the law and raises significant questions about your commitment to uphold the laws Congress enacts, the senators told Mayorkas.

The senators said they are concerned that Mayorkas is witholding the report from the HSGAC for partisan political reasons.

We are concerned that DHS did not publish the FY 2020 Entry/Exit Overstay Report on a public website out of concerns that this report would complicate the conversation around the Plan C amnesty proposals in the Democrats partisan reconciliation package, the letter said.

As you are aware, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Presidents Build Back Better (BBB) proposal on a party-line vote. This bill would offer parole to illegal immigrants who have continuously resided in the United States since January 1, 2011.

This parole would put these illegal immigrants on the path to citizenship. The bill passed by the House and currently under consideration in the Senate would offer this parole benefit to illegal border crossers and to visa overstaysthe same population included in the Departments missing report.

The Plan C parole provision of President Joe Bidens proposal is at the center of controversy within the Senate as the Senate Parliamentarian has ruled it cannot be included in a version of BBB that may yet be considered by the Senate because it does not satisfy Senate rules for budget reconciliation legislation.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that over 6.5 million illegal immigrants would receive amnesty under the Build Back Better plan. The DHS estimates in the FY 2020 Entry/Exit Overstay Report may complicate existing estimates about the number of illegal immigrants who would receive parole under the Build Back Better plan, the senators wrote, and we are concerned that the departments efforts to hide this number from the public are nothing more than a political cover for the Build Back Better plans radical, open border policies and provisions.

The two senators asked Mayorkas to answer three questions:

Why did DHS not post the FY 2020 Entry/Exit Visa Overstay report on the public website where it has posted the five prior years reports?

Why did DHS not include the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs as a recipient on this report, even though Congress mandated that HSGAC receive this report?

Did DHS not share this report with the public out of concerns that it would impact the debate around the partisan amnesty provisions in President Bidens reconciliation bill?

A spokesman for Mayokas did not respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on the Lankford-Hawley letter.

Even without the roadblock put up by the Senate Parliamentarian to the Plan C provision of the BBB reconciliation package, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has all but killed the proposals chances for passage this year.

The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote. But with Manchin opposing the BBB package, the vote would be 51-49 against, meaning Harris would not be able to cast the deciding vote in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Senate Democrats have pledged to seek alternative approaches in 2022 to getting the BBB before the Senate for a vote, either as one proposal or as a series of piecemeal proposals.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of President John F. Kennedys administration. When he took office in January 1961, he ushered in a new sentiment for the country. That sentiment was all about youth.

At 43, JFK was the nations second-youngest president, and he was good-looking to boot. The First Lady was also young and good-looking, and their two young children were adorable. It was all about youth.

JFK succeeded President Dwight D. Eisenhower. While both had served in the military during World War II, they were from opposite ends of the age spectrum. Eisenhower, known as Ike, was a career soldier, and had reached the rank of five-star general in the U.S. Army by the end of his military career. JFK, while an officer in the Navy, was far younger, and only rose to lieutenant during the war.

What had happened in 1960 was that the junior ranks of the military in World War II replaced the generals, said James Piereson, a historian and fellow at the Manhattan Institute. That was part of the generational change that happened. Kennedy was, of course, quite pro-military, he said. JFK gave luster to military service, he added, having very much campaigned on his war record in 1960.

So, what was it like being young and in the service during the Kennedy administration?

Bob Hogan was a gunnery officer and lieutenant junior grade on active duty in the Navy from 1960 to 1963, essentially the entire duration of JFKs time in office. He was commissioned at age 22. I was blown away by JFKs Navy war record, his charisma, style, and wit, he said. I was immensely energized by his call to service, and really believed in it. His seeming idealism, his patriotic valuesI was completely taken in.

Tom Fryer had the thrill of a lifetime when JFK handed him his diploma and commission. They shook hands at Fryers graduation ceremony from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1963. I felt so honored, so humbled, said Fryer, who was also 22 at the time.

The American president is also commander-in-chief of the nations military. In October 1962, JFK had to make some difficult decisions in that role. The United States and the USSR were fighting the Cold War. Nikita Khrushchev was JFKs counterpart in communist Russia. A U-2 reconnaissance photo of Cuba confirmed that Khrushchev had placed nuclear missiles on the island, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

JFK responded by ordering a naval blockade around Cuba, and essentially told Khrushchev that the missiles had to go. If they didnt, there would be war. A nuclear war.

This period, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, was essentially a naval operation. But the entire military, worldwide, was ready for deployment, including a possible invasion of Cuba.

Harry Moritz was at Morse Intercept School at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, at the time. One day, we marched back to our barracks and were held for an announcement. We were asked if anyone spoke Spanish. Several guys raised their hands. They were pulled to one side, told to pack their gear, and they were sent on a special assignment TDY (temporary duty station). They disappeared and were never seen again, he said. We non-Spanish folks stayed in Morse school, and in the dark, like the rest of the USA, crapping our pants.

Gary Mahone was a Morse interceptor, stationed in Hakata, Japan. During that time, we were on red alert and worked 12-hour shifts, 24/7, he said. All leaves and terminations were canceled. Very tense times.

The Air Force Academy that Fryer attended was in Colorado, not far from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (called NORAD), which conducts aerospace warning and control for the United States. If the Russians would have come after us, that was a prime target, said Fryer.

However, according to Fryer, Soviet missiles werent all that accurate at the time, so if they fell 15 miles short of their target, the academy could easily be hit. In preparation for that, we held some drills, he said. The academy was built with underground tunnels that distributed its utilities. Top brass decided the safest place for the cadets was in these tunnels, which no one really knew about.

Hogan was on a destroyer, which was part of the task force that was going to invade Cuba. His ship was the submarine screen and would provide shore bombardment should the invasion happen.

Hogan spotted a Russian submarine tailing them. I heard his torpedo doors open, he said. That meant the Soviets were preparing to attack. Hogan had his hand on the trigger, let his captain know he had positive identification, and requested permission to fire.

Had permission been granted, this very action would have kicked off a nuclear war. However, he was in a system and the system has its rules; you follow the rules. He would have obeyed the order to fire if it had been given.

I was (expletive) my pants, Hogan recalled. There was a long pause, and the captain said, Classify your contact as a whale, instead of an enemy submarine. I was really glad when the captain chickened out.

With a nuclear war between the two superpowers looming, Khrushchev eventually gave in and agreed to remove the missiles.

Joe Schmidt was a 21-year-old signalman on a destroyer in the blockade. His job was to directly communicate with the Russian merchant ships as they removed the missiles from Cuba. With a flashing light, we would send a message to them, and we had to ask them, What is your cargo? he said. The expected reply was, Missiles. Schmidt would relay that message to the captain, who would relay it to the naval air station in Key West, Florida.

It was understood by everyone involved that the Soviet merchant ships were carrying the missiles and nothing else. Anything coming out of Cuba at that point was only coming out with missiles on it. They werent bringing cigars, said Schmidt with a laugh.

Key West would then dispatch a P2V Neptune anti-submarine aircraft to fly over the Russian ship to photograph its cargo. The only time Schmidt was in contact with a Soviet ship, it was after midnight and completely dark.

They had these huge searchlights on the wingtips, he said. And they lit that ship upthat plane lit it upit looked like it was 12 oclock in the afternoon with those lights. Even though the two sides spoke entirely different languagesones that dont even share the same alphabetthere was a code that both understood, which made communication possible.

JFKs presidency is fondly referred to as Camelot, and the consensus among those who served in the military during his administration is that, for different reasons, it was an exciting time. As Hogan put it, Best and worst experience of my life.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Steve Cooley, former LA County District Attorney, in an interview with EpochTV's "California Insider" in Dec. 22, 2021. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Soft on Crime Policies Lead to Increasing Crime in Los Angeles: Former District Attorney

The District Attorneys woke policies are contributing to the increase of not only the smash-and-grab robberies but other violent crimes in Los Angeles County as well, a former district attorney told the EpochTVs California Insider program.

In many cases, if they had a real prosecutor in Los Angeles, those crooks would be in prison. They would not be out committing these crimes, Steve Cooley, the former three-term Los Angeles County District Attorney from 2000 to 2012, said in an interview that premiered last week. So a lot of them have been released.  Theyre taking advantage of the situation.

The current Los Angeles County District Attorney is George Gascon, who took office in December 2020, pledging to reform the criminal legal system.

Gascon was endorsed by then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Senators Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Governor Gavin Newsom, and Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. His largest donor was billionaire George Soros who contributed $2.5 million for Gascons race.

Every category of crime is up. And some categories, its way up, like homicides, Cooley said.

I think the public has become very aware very quickly how bad things are in Los Angeles in terms of crime, and their vulnerability for [being] potentially victimized, Cooley said, referring to the new wave of smash-and-grab robberies.

A series of smash-and-grab robberies left stores with boarded-up windows on Nov. 22, 2021. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times)

As of the end of November, there had been 359 homicides in Los Angeles, up 46.7 percent compared with 2019, and more than the 355 during the whole year of 2020. Shooting victims and car thefts are up 51.4 percent and nearly 53 percent, respectively, compared to 2019. Robbery is up 3.9 from 2020 and car thefts are up 53 percent from 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Theyre smart enough to realize that the chances of them being caught are greatly reduced. And the chances of them being punished significantly, are greatly reduced under Gascon, Cooley continued. If you walk into a jewelry store, in three minutes, you can gather tens of thousands of dollars of jewelry. And they go after high-end beauty products, designer purses, things of that nature, these are valuable. And they go on the internet, and otherwise, and they sell them for a lot of money. So its profitable, not being deterred, and theyre getting away with it.

They all know about Gascon and the soft policies. They all know that juveniles, even if they commit multiple murders, will never, ever be tried in adult court, even though theyre age 16 or age 17. They know this, and they take advantage of it, Cooley said.

In the yearly review (pdf) released early this month, Gascon listed some bold steps that hes proud to have taken toward reforming the criminal legal system, such as no longer charging children as adults; eliminating many sentencing enhancements; ending the death penalty in Los Angeles County; removing cash bail for misdemeanor or nonserious or nonviolent felony offenses; and holding accountable law enforcement officers who violate the law.

At the time, Gascon told news outlets there were many complexities to the crime increase, adding his policies absolutely [do] not have any responsibility for the higher homicide rate and a rash of smash-and-grab robberies.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Thats why in Beverly Hills, theyve had a spate of robberies by juveniles, gunpoint armed robberies, and the juveniles are put out there by adults because theyre not going to suffer any punishment. They will not even be charged with armed robbery under Gascons policies, Cooley said.

Cooley pointed out that one restaurant in Beverly Hills went to the U.S. Attorneys Office to file charges because they didnt think Gascon would hold the suspects accountable. Thats never happened in the 171-year history of Los Angeles County.

Cooley also criticized Gascons zero-bail policy.

Zero bail impacts all crime, Cooley said. That means those people are not brought into court arraign and then asked to post a certain amount of bail, so they will return and face the system.

Early this month, 14 suspects allegedly involved in 11 smash-and-grab robberies in November were arrested but quickly released hours later because of zero-bail policies. They remain free while awaiting their cases to play out in court.

But more importantly, Gascon files the least charge he can, and it is the charge that determines the amount of bail, Cooley continued.

If you go out and commit a robbery and you use a gun, and you shoot somebody in great bodily injury, and you have a prior robbery, serious or violent offense, since he doesnt file those additional enhancements, no matter how serious that robbery is, the bail is going to be same as the guy who just committed robberydid not inflict bodily injury, did not have a criminal history, did not use a gunbecause its the enhancements and the charge itself that determined the amount of bail.

The solution is to recall Gascon, Cooley suggested.

Recall this guy and recall him in a way that is overwhelming and sends a message: We reject your philosophy towards crime punishment, said Cooley.

In October, the first attempt to recall Gascon failed because it didnt gather enough signatures. A second-round recall petition started early this month.

That is the only way were gonna be able to get back to where we werewhen I was District Attorney, which was fair and accurate justice according to the law, and the lowest crime rate in 60 years, said Cooley.

The way you get to a low crime rate is selecting those very bad, dangerous people who have committed crimes, and then put them in prison according to the law.

In his race for California Attorney General in 2010, Cooley narrowly lost to Kamala Harris, then-San Francisco District Attorney. Gascon succeeded Harris before he ran for Los Angeles District Attorney.

Gascons office hasnt responded to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.
The courthouse in lower Manhattan where a jury is deliberating the verdict in the sex crimes trial of Ghislaine Maxwell in New York on Dec. 27, 2021. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Still No Verdict in Ghislaine Maxwell Trial

NEW YORK CITYThe jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking trial in federal court had its third full day of deliberations on Dec. 27 after a Christmas break, with no verdict reached.

The jurys day began at 9 a.m. EST and at about 10:30 a.m., a note was sent to Judge Alison Nathan requesting different colored Post-It notes, different colored highlighters, and a poster board.

The jury additionally requested the transcript of the testimony of Matt, a former boyfriend of Janethe first alleged victim to testify in the trial.

In this courtroom sketch, assistant U.S. attorney Alison Moe questions an unidentified victim Jane about her experiences with Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, in New York, on Nov. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

The jury also requested the definition of the word enticement. That word is used in two of the six sex-trafficking charges against Maxwell and her alleged role in aiding in her ex-boyfriend and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in his sexual abuse of girls.

Nathan looked up legal precedent for the word and both teams of attorneys agreed to it.

At about 11:05 a.m., the jury sent another note, requesting the transcript of the testimony of Gregory Parkinson, of the Palm Beach Police Department. Parkinson was the crime scene manager when the search warrant for Epsteins Florida residence was executed in 2005.

Just before 3 p.m., the jury asked for the transcript of the testimony of David Rodgers, the second of Epsteins two pilots who testified.

Each time Maxwell was in the courtroom, two U.S. Marshalsone male and one femalewere seated nearby.

At 4:30 p.m., the jury sent another note with a detailed question about one of the elements in one of the charges. Each team of lawyers huddled at their respective tables to come up with an answer.

While awaiting proposals from the teams, another note arrived from the jury, asking to end the day at 5 p.m. Nathan agreed.

Eventually, each team submitted their answer, which had opposing views and a debate ensued for 20 minutes, including the defenses questionable placement of commas in the note.

Nathan was a bit befuddled by the question asked by the jury. I cannot answer this ambiguous question, she said.

Ultimately, Nathan agreed to the prosecutions request that the jury follow the specific instructions they were given previously.

At the end of the day, Nathan instructed the jury that, if they dont reach a verdict on Tuesday, they should be ready to work until 6 p.m. each night from here on in, unless there proves to be hardship.
Tchaikovsky appears to be the victim of the epidemic of the Music of the Future that wallows in torpor and time and time again collapses in dissonant convulsions. (Wiener Fremdenblatt, Nov. 28, 1876)

Tchaikovskys First Piano Concerto, like the first pancake, is a flop. (Novoye Vremya, St. Petersburg, Nov. 13, 1875)

Difficult, strange, wild, ultra-modern is the composition of Peter Tchaikovsky, a young professor at the Conservatory of Moscow. (Dwights Journal of Music, Boston, 1875)

Thus was the young Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovskys music generally regarded around the time he finished his six-year-long reworking of his Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, subtitled Winter Dreams (sometimes called Winter Daydreams). Remarkably, todays fans of Tchaikovskys much more famous Nutcracker will find this symphony nearly as delightfully tuneful and easy on the ears.

Tchaikovsky started the symphony in 1866 as a 26-year-old professor of harmony at the newly opened Moscow Conservatory. He had only composed a handful of shorter orchestral works and was ready to make his mark with his first major work, a symphony. It went on, indeed, to become his first important work.

At that time, Russia was not particularly known for its symphonies or for what we think of as a distinctively Russian style. His teacher at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Anton Rubenstein, had written three symphonies, but they were very much in the older German mold and its formal conventions. Perhaps that accounts for the harsh reviews, above, from those who were accustomed to that style.

The general consensus was that Tchaikovsky was talented but had too strange a style to amount to much as a composer. The composer and music critic Cezar Cui, in a scathing review of Tchaikovskys graduation piece (a cantata), called his music utterly feeble. When Tchaikovsky showed some of this new symphony in progress to his former teachers, Anton Rubenstein and Nikolai Zaremba, they both criticized it severely and refused to endorse a performance of it. So he went back to work on it, at great mental cost.

Suffering for His Art

In his biography of the composer, his brother, Modest Tchaikovsky (18501916), wrote:

No other work cost him such effort and suffering.  Despite painstaking and arduous work, its composition was fraught with difficulty, and while pressing ahead with the symphony, Pyotr Ilyichs nerves became more and more frayed. As a result of this exceptionally hard work he began to suffer from insomnia, and the sleepless nights paralyzed his creative energies. At the end of July all this erupted into a terrible nervous attack, the like of which he never experienced again during his lifetime.  The most distressing symptoms of this illness were dreadful hallucinations, which were so frightening that they resulted in a feeling of complete numbness in all his extremities.

The result was that all his life he abstained from working at night. After this symphony, not a single note from any of his compositions was written at night.

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (18501916), brother of the composer. (PD-US)

It had already been a hard road before this. With doubts about his ability to have a successful career in music, Tchaikovskys childhood music teacher and parents had advised him to take the safer route of law school. He then worked as a government clerk for three years. Eventually, the pull toward music drew him to quit law, and he enrolled in the first class of the new St. Petersburg Conservatory.

After that, based upon his musicianship skills (not his composing) Tchaikovsky was appointed as a teacher at the newly opened Moscow Conservatory.

All of this would seem to paint a portrait of a composer determined to persevere and succeed against all odds, even while plagued with discouragement and bouts of depression. It might lead us to wonder how many other such talents may be alive today and struggling against all opposition to have a breakthrough.

Tchaikovsky dedicated his first symphony to the Russian pianist, conductor, and composer Nikolai Rubinstein, the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Tchaikovsky.

Gradual Success

Tchaikovskys breakthrough did happen, but over a period of time, in the more open climate gradually engendered by the so-called mighty handful of young composers: Mily Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. These five had joined forces in opposition to the old style, searching for a truly Russian sound, yet within the mainstream of European classical music.

After some revisions, two movements of Tchaikovskys original version of the symphony were performed in 1866 and 1867, but according to the composers brother Modest, these werent well received. The full symphony in its original version was performed at the Russian Musical Society in Moscow in 1868 and was more successful, though Tchaikovsky was still dissatisfied with it and began an extensive reworking.

Finally, the revised version was ready, the version we now know, and premiered in Moscow in the fall of 1883, followed by performances in St. Petersburg in 1886, at New Yorks Carnegie Hall in 1896, and in London in 1902. It remained one of Tchaikovskys favorites among his own works, in spite of such an unhappy existence, as he wrote to his publisher Pyotr Jurgenson.

In another letter to his friend Karl Albrecht he wrote, Despite all its huge shortcomings, I still nourish a weakness for it, because it was a sin of my sweet youth. And in another letter to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, he wrote, In many respects it is very immature, although fundamentally it is still richer in content than many of my other, more mature works.

The symphony consists of four movements, lasting in total from 45 to 50 minutes. In spite of the first two movements pictorial titles, the work as a whole is in keeping with a coherent (if looser than his conservative teachers would have preferred) symphonic form rather than a collection of tone poems:

Dreams of a Winter Journey. Allegro Tranquillo Land of Desolation, Land of Mists. Adagio cantabile ma non tanto Allegro scherzando giocoso Andante lugubreAllegro maestoso

A few bars from Dreams of a Winter Journey, Allegro tranquillo (G minor). (Public Domain)

The title of the work as a whole took its subtitle Winter Dreams from the title of the first movement, and even then, one can only imagine the suggestion of the music actually sounding like winter. The frequent tremolo chords in the strings and woodwinds does give an effect of sleigh bells jingling, and so it seems fitting for this time of year.
Security guards walk past a screen displaying the logo of Spanish Telecom company Telefonica at its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, on May 12, 2021. (Sergio Perez/Reuters)

Telefonica Reaches Agreement to Cut About 2,700 Jobs in Spain

MADRIDSpains Telefonica has reached an agreement with labor unions to cut some 15 percent of its domestic workforce via voluntary redundancies in a plan estimated to cost it 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) this year, the telecoms group said on Tuesday.

The plan to cut around 2,700 jobs in an increasingly competitive market in early 2022 will yield annual savings of more than 230 million euros from 2023, Telefonica said in a filing to the stock market regulator.

The impact on cash flow generation will be positive in 2022 as will the booking of savings, since the employees will leave during the first quarter of 2022, the company said.

The program, open to all those born in 1967 or earlier and with at least 15 years of employment at the company, will limit the percentage of departures from some areas, the company said.

Telefonica had initially intended to spare business units dedicated to cybersecurity, marketing, and artificial intelligence, though unions opposed. The company intended at first to offer a package to about 1,800 workers.

The company is Europes third-largest telecoms firm and employs 18,500 people in Spain. The redundancies follow similar moves by rivals Vodafone and Orange in recent months.

Globally, Telefonica employs nearly 114,000.

Telefonica has been grappling with intense competition in an increasingly low-cost Spanish market as well as pressure from investors at a time when it needs funds to finance 5G infrastructure.

($1 = 0.8826 euros)
Ethnic Karen villagers displaced from Myanmar's Day Pu Noh village are seen in an unknown location in Karen state, after fleeing Burmese army air strikes, in this picture obtained from social media, Burma, on March 27, 2021. (Free Burma Rangers/via Reuters)

Thailand Says Burmese Military Aircraft Did Not Breach Airspace Amid Airstrike in Karen State

The Royal Thai Airforce said the Burmese military aircraft did not breach Thailands airspace, following reports of the military junta launching airstrikes on a rebel-controlled region near the Thai border last week.

The military regime ousted a civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup, sparking protests and clashes between the army and ethnic minority insurgents such as the Karen National Union (KNU), in border areas of Burma, also known as Myanmar.

Armed conflicts between the KNU and the military regime had recently escalated, prompting thousands of villagers to flee and seek shelter in Thailand. About 3,400 people sought shelter in Thailand last week, with thousands more stranded on Burmas border, Thai authorities said.

The KNU alleged that the military launched two airstrikes and fired artillery rounds on an area controlled by the KNU near the Thai border, calling for the international community to establish a no-fly zone along the Thai border to ensure the safety of the civilians.

These airstrikes wont target military bases but civilian bases as in schools, hospitals, houses, and villages, the head of the KNUs foreign affairs department, Saw Taw Nee, said on Dec. 24.

ACM Napadej Dhuphtemiya, commander of the Royal Thai Airforce, confirmed that movements of military aircraft were detected near the Thai-Burma border, but added that the military aircraft did not cross the border.

When asked if Thailand would issue a warning to Burma due to the military aircraft spotted near its border, Napadej said the airforce would protect Thailands airspace, but it wouldnt engage in actions that could provoke the military regime in Burma.

The conflict in Burma, according to Napadej, had nothing to do with Thailand, and that it would be best for Thailand not to get involved, reported state media Bangkok Post.

On Dec. 16, Thailands authorities reported that an artillery shell landed on the Thai side of the border during a clash between the army and the KNU, which prompted the Thai military to fire two smoke bullets into Burma as a warning shot.

However, Thailand stated that the warning shot was not intended to provoke the military regime in Burma.

The United Nations Security Council issued a statement last month expressing deep concern over the recent violence across Burma and called for an immediate cessation of violence to ensure the safety of civilians.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also issued a statement on Dec. 10 that Gen. Min Aung Hlaings forces had repeatedly failed to respect their obligations under international law as more than 1,300 people have been killed, and 10,600 detained in Burma since the military seized power in February.

In recent weeks, we have received multiple reports of villages being burned, including protected structures such as places of religious worship, and residential buildings, OHCHR stated, calling for a unified and resolute international response to restore the countrys democracy.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The Charter at 40: How Canada Got Re-Colonized

Commentary

We are regularly treated to surveys of public opinion about Canadas 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadians love it, though the vast majority have never read it. Not a word. The real story of the Charter, the reasons for it, and its political and moral consequences are widely ignored.

Prior to our founding, settlers in the colonies that became Canada lived under English law according to English Parliamentary legislation and common-law precedent. Laws made by Parliament were considered the voice of the people, evenVox Populi, Vox Deias the voice of God, and therefore the supreme law of the land. This is still the case in England, which to this day has no written Charter or Constitution. The overarching message of this long, hard-won British tradition is that the elected Representatives of the people are free to make or unmake the laws of the realm without fear of dictation or limit by any higher power.

In the rising democratic spirit prior to Canadas founding, however, colonists became fed up with control over them by British colonial officials and by bewigged judges of the English Privy Council 6,000 kilometres away. So they periodically revolted to achieve responsible government. They wanted those who made their laws to answer to the people governed by them.

It wasnt until the British North America Act of 1867 creating the Confederation of Canada that we got fully responsible government, and Canadians began growing their own British-style parliamentary and common-law tradition. The only exception was the civil law in Quebec which continued to rely on the French Code Napoleon. At last, Canadians could hire and fire their own lawmakers.

This hopeful regime lasted a mere 115 years. In October of 1980 on CBC Television Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had already announced his lifelong intention to constitutionalize a Bill of Rights, and he was prepared to try this unilaterally. But the Supreme Court insisted on consent of the provinces, and after intense federal-provincial deal-making, the passage of The Canada Act 1982 made it very clear Trudeau had succeeded in muscling into existence a French-style Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Why? Because he despised and publicly mocked the English concept of government by a Parliament of changeable Representatives cobbling together laws from their debates, absent any higher guiding principles. And he was unsettled by the idea of ten provincial legislatures making their own sovereign laws which in one province might be in conflict with those of another.

In his first book, Federalism and the French-Canadians (1968), Trudeau displayed a Machiavellian awareness that although our founding BNA Act of 1867 was designed precisely to block heavy-handed rule from the top, what he pejoratively called our checkerboard federal system might serve as a valuable tool which permits dynamic parties to plant socialist governments in certain provinces, from which the seeds of radicalism can slowly spread. But who said Canada wanted socialist government? Who said Canada wanted to be radical?

As if blind to the grotesque and bloody evils of national and international socialism that had so recently caused the deaths of millions, Trudeau persuaded himself that there is a greater need than ever for an enlightened socialist approach  But what kind of enlightened socialism was he thinking of? In January of 1969, in response to a question from British students, What kind of country would you like to make Canada? he replied: Labour Party socialist, or Cuban socialism, or Chinese socialismsocialism from each according to his means. So here, barely a quarter century after World War II, we had Canadas Prime Minister striding forth boldly under the red flag of socialism in a nation that had just sacrificed 45,400 of its own citizens fighting against socialism. No one blinked.

Trudeau understood that the sovereign right of unrestricted law-making by elected representatives was a mark of the glory and freedom of the English system. But to a francophone intellectual, the very idea of a nation without a single supreme legal Code that like a magnet orients all political and moral iron-filings below, so to speak, was abhorrent. He couldnt get out of his mind the mocking observation of Voltaire who, when travelling in England had famously said, You English change laws as often as you change horses!

Attorney General Jean Chretien signs the proclamation repatriating Canadas constitution while Queen Elizabeth II watches, in Ottawa on April 17, 1982. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is standing behind Chretien. (The Canadian Press/Ron Poling)

That was true. For the English have always felt local law should reflect local interests. Hence the strict division of central from provincial powers enshrined by the Founders in our BNA Act. But Trudeau disliked British legislative localism, and one day his dislike boiled over when he declared that our elected representatives, once 100 yards from Parliament, were just a bunch of nobodies. It was a disgraceful thing for a Prime Minister to say about his own Ministers. Ugliest of all to him was the fact that elected nobodies had the unfettered right to create statutes in the name of the people which stood as the supreme law of the land. Too many horses to change. What he wanted instead was a sparklingly clear Charter of precise logical principles from which all national policy and law would follow, as the night the day.

Trudeaus lifelong intellectual motto was read every day on a wall-hanging created by artist Joyce Wieland for his home at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, on which were embroidered the words La raison avant la passionreason before passion (or above, or over, passion). It was a pithy rendering of his personal Cartesian passion for the crimped belief that the good life can only flow from clear reasoning. Just before he began his personal political campaign to change Canada, he declared: Reason over passionthat is the theme of all my writing. (Federalism and the French Canadians, p. 127.)

Trudeau seemed unaware that for the English, this notoriously limiting and controlling Gallic conception of the best way to live had long since been stood on its head by the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume, who shook all confidence in mere human reason by arguing persuasively that reason is the slave of the passions. Its a tool that can be turned to any purpose and therefore gives a false confidence. A century and a half later, G.K. Chesterton, another Englishman, expressed the same distrust in mere reason when he wrote that the madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason. They were both warning that rational arguments are usually simplifying and circular justifications for underlying passions and motives. Trudeau was never able to admit this sobering and very practical English truth about himself.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms he all but single-handedly created and dropped on our nation as the new Supreme Law of Canada on April 17, 1982, fell on our political system like a guillotine, ending the supremacy of the people in their own Parliament. With the same stroke, and because abstract terms such as equality, freedom, rights, and so on are never self-interpreting, he set in motion a long and continuing stream of judge-made personal interpretations of those terms (themselves often conflicting), the sum of which is now described by every lawyer in Canada as Charter law. In effect, this is law made by unelected judges, each with his or her own personal political and moral persuasion and passion, who are never directly responsible to the people and cannot be removed by any power in the land. To this extent, and specifically because elected Parliamentarians today will not presume to create or change a law they fear might be in conflict with some principle of the Charter (OMG, what will the judges say? Will this survive Charter scrutiny?), Canadas Parliament has been infantilized.

Most judges have taken this new quasi-dictatorial Charter role deeply to heart. One example will do. Here is the Right Honourable Madam Beverley McLachlin reflecting on her 17-year role as Canadas Chief Justice: My job is to think about whats best for Canadian society on the particular problem thats before us, and give it my best judgement  (National Post, May 23, 2015). But that is entirely untrue. It was her job to rule on the facts of the cases before her according to the pertinent law of the land, not to ponder whats best for Canadian society. Thats the job of the Representatives we send to Parliament. But she considered herself a progressive politician as much as a judge and ruled accordingly. Had she been of conservative temperament, she would likely have ruled another way. But either way is to be a political activist more than a judge.

The reality of such judge-made Charter law means that with one stroke, Trudeau shoved us back into the political condition under which we suffered prior to 1867. In effect, Canadians got re-colonized. Not by a foreign power, but by their own hand. Trudeau was not citing Magna Carta, Locke, Blackstone, or Burke as his intellectual teachers. No. He embraced instead the writings of the main French architect of totalitarian socialism Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the inspiration of Marat, Robespierre, and Dantonmurdering revolutionists allwho justified all their actions according to Rousseaus conception of the General Will (la volonte generale).

The Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

It was an idea that became Trudeaus personal political and moral mantra. In one of his last publications, Pierre Trudeau Speaks Out on Meech Lake (1990), he used the phrase volonte generale repeatedly, and inaccurately. He urged Canadians to create a national will  une volonte generale, as Rousseau had called it. But he didnt understand that a National Willa simple idea born with modern liberal democracyis something quite different from Rousseaus notion of a General Will which is at the theoretical root of all totalitarianism. It was the latter Trudeau wanted to put in place in Canada, and with his Charter, arguably did.

What is the difference? A National Will of the people is a headcount of the majority that emerges bottom-up, so to speak, after the heat of debate, and is accepted by winners and losers alike with exceptions, compromises, and disagreements tolerated. A National, or majority, Will may be as low as 50 percent plus one vote, but there is agreement in advance that the losers in such a vote accept the will of the majority. Thats what happened in 1995 during the so-called Quebec Referendum on separation. The No side won by a slim margin, and the Yes side went home without starting a civil war. Practical British tradition at work.

A General Will is different. Its a wholly abstract, totalizing concept created from the belief that for any problem concerning all the people, there must berationally speaking, can only beone best solution, one General Will for the Common Good. Therefore the General Will is always correct and for the good of all, and once discerned and decided it requires total rule issued as a command from the top by an official Rousseau called the Supreme Legislator (in our case, the Supreme Court). So logically compelling was this idea that in his widely influential Social Contractthe Bible of French RevolutionistsRousseau advocated the death penalty for all who opposed the General Will. It is a notion utterly alien to the British way of life and inherited political history, and in the hands of German and Russian totalitarians of the 20th century it nearly ended Western civilization. Despite these historical facts, Trudeau flirted his entire political life with how to create a single General Will in a Confederation such as Canada, a union structured precisely by our Founders to block the very idea of total rule from the centre. They wanted to block social engineers like Trudeau.

But Trudeau pummelled our Founders. By means of his Charter, Canada has been changed, uprooted, altered beyond recognition from its noble beginnings in British liberty. The English under General Wolfe won the Battle of the Plains of Abraham against the French General Montcalm in 1759. But in what must be considered The Revenge of Montcalm, the French have won the ideological and juridical war for the Canadian mind and soul.

That is the real significance of our Charter.

Editors note: This article was updated on Jan. 6 to add more details about former prime minister Pierre Trudeaus initial discussions of a Bill of Rights in the early 1980s.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters fly alongside two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned before joining up with two Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-15J fighters in Japanese airspace near Kyushu, Japan, on Aug. 31, 2017. (Japan Air Self-Defense Force)

The Japan-US Taiwan Contingency Plan: Less Than Meets the Eye

Commentary

The Kyodo News reported on Dec. 23 that the U.S. and Japanese militaries have written a draft plan for a Taiwan contingency and may soon draw up an official plan. The uninitiated might think the Americans and the Japanese are finally going to buckle down and develop a real joint operational plan to handle a Taiwan contingency.

However, after spending a few decades of observing the trajectory of Japans defensive capabilities, its easy to become a glass half-empty kind of guy. And a closer look at the plansomething that should have been in place years agodoesnt exactly inspire excitement.

The news account is admittedly fragmentary and confusing.

According to the report, the plan would be set in motion once the Japanese government declares the situation around Taiwan to be serious enough to undermine the peace and security of Japan.

Once that happens, U.S. Marines are allowed to set up an attack base somewhere along the Nansei Shotoalso known as the Ryukyu Islands chain, which includes the island of Okinawathat stretches from Kyushu almost to Taiwan. This would be a first as the Marines are barely allowed to operate on Okinawaeven in peacetime.

Whats Japans role? According to the news story, the Japanese will provide logistical support, including ammunition and fuel. If so, Japan will need to start buying HIMARS missiles of the sort the Marines use. One suspects the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) hasnt received that order yet.

So Tokyo permits the Marines to sally forth to do battle with the Chinese threatening Taiwanwhen the Japanese decide it is time. And Japan apparently doesnt have to join the fighting.

Such a deal.

Capabilities, Training, Goals, and Laws

Almost inadvertently, the Kyodo report raises fundamental questions about the impediments to what actually needs to be done for Japan and the United States to defend Taiwan, each other, and themselves.

For example, sending out a U.S. Marine missile battery or two isnt a contingency plan for dealing with a Chinese move against Taiwan.

Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies alongside a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force H-6K bomber in the western Pacific, one of the Chinese military aircraft that reportedly flew over Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait near Japans Okinawa island chain on May 11, 2018. (Taiwan ROC Air Force)

Rather, a proper operational plan requires melding the full resources and capabilities of U.S. forces and the JSDFnot just sending out the Marines. And even a detailed plan is still just a plan. If forces dont train and exercise for the plan, then they might as well not bother.

The U.S. side is well aware of this. Whether the Japanese side is, is another question.

Additionally, one imagines that if and when serious planning takes place, the U.S. and the Japanese militaries may come at the problem from two completely different directions.

Whereas the Americans are interested in stopping the Chinese invasion of Taiwanand that means killing Chinese troopsthe Japanese may be more concerned with defending the Nansei Shoto and Japanese territory, and avoiding as much harm to anyone as possible.

And other reasons not to hold ones breath about the plan having real world effects anytime soon is the Japanese still need to study revising laws to permit the Marines to deploy. And then they will have to actually pass the laws.

And Tokyo also needs to study and pass laws and/or regulations that lay out when an event involving Taiwan threatens Japans peace and security enough to let the aforementioned laws kick in.

And dont forget the debating that will take place over all thisslowed by lobbies of all sorts.

Such things do not move quickly in Japan at the best of times.

One fears the Taiwan matter may be resolved one way or another before Japan has the legal structures in place that allow an operational plan to be implemented.

And if the Chinese dont cooperate and patiently wait for Tokyo to get things in order before making their move, the U.S. and Japanese response will be haphazard and ad hoc. Not exactly a winning approach.

One retired Marine who is well aware of how things work in Japan noted on reading the Kyodo report: Imagine the hand wringing that will ensue just to provide (the Marines with) some battle space, some fuel, and moral support.

Another former Marine who worked closely with the Japanese military for many years noted: This plan seems a good start, but it falls far short of the operational command structure required for the U.S. and Japan to properly fight together in a Taiwan or other contingency.

What is he talking about?

Wheres the Alliance Coordination Mechanism?

The Japan-U.S. Defense Guidelines were revised in 2015 and allow Japan and the United States to do whatever is necessary to establish genuine operational linkagesfor both planning and peacetime and wartime operations.

Specifically, the Guidelines call for an alliance coordination mechanism (ACM), but dont actually say what one is. One fairly thinks an ACM is at least a building with people in it who do alliance coordinating.

But six years after the Defense Guidelines revision (and 60 years after the Japan-U.S. defense treaty was signed), is there a standing, permanently staffed joint headquarters in Japan where the JSDF and U.S. forces handle the defense of Japanto include a potential Taiwan contingency?

No. Not yet.

Now that would be newsand maybe even more momentous than drafting a plan full of caveats.

In fairness, 10 years ago nobody in Tokyo would have dared to talk about an operational plan for Taiwanor hardly even one for Japan. But overall U.S.-Japan defense preparations are still nowhere near where they need to beother than between the two navies.

One suspects that the Kyodo News story is part of a messaging effort by some part of the Japanese government rather than a sign of a serious desire to improve urgently needed bilateral operational capabilities. Such is the Japanese approach to things. The pro-forma over the substantial.

Tokyo is sort of saying,Ive got this really big friend wholl hurt you if you come after me (or my neighbor). There is, of course, no reason Japan cant send away for the Charles Atlas bodybuilding course.

There are Japanese who understand this. They wont mind if the Americans point this out.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
It's more than just a nice idea. University research shows that the family that eats together, stays together.

Imagine if there was one, simple thing parents could do for their children that would lead to the following results: better mental and physical health, higher self-esteem, less risky behavior, better academic performance, better communication skills, and a better relationship between parent and child.

The family meal: 20 years of research has shown that this tool does, indeed, exist.

Anne Fishel, professor of psychology at Harvard University and co-founder of the Family Dinner Project, is an advocate for family meals.

So many of the things that I try to do in family therapy actually get accomplished by regular dinners, Fishel said.

Leonard Sax, a psychologist with 30 years of experience and the author of some very insightful parenting books, in his advice for parents says that the family meal should be a constant.

Research shows having a family meal at home without distractions is important. Every day, Sax said. Not doing that indicates that time spent at home with parents is the least-important priority. It doesnt matter. It can be overlooked and forgotten. By communicating that time at home as a family is our highest priority, you are sending the message that family matters.

Getting children to help with dinner duties gets them more invested in the family ritual. (Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

Communication

Communication is the antidote to so many issues that may afflict our children. Healthy communication is most effective in a relaxed, convivial setting. There are other occasions in family life that meet this requirement, but none of them top the family meal.

At the dinner table, family members get to know one another better, and interestingly, they get to know themselves better. Through encountering the family as a group, as well as through the one-on-one interactions that occur, each persons individuality blossoms before their own eyes.

Effective communication lies in allowing each person to express their own ideas and feelings without fear of condemnation. If the subject is truly inappropriate, parents can guide the conversation in the right direction, speaking the truth without criticizing the individual.

As G.K. Chesterton once said, The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.

Parents want to find ways of communicating that suit what each person needs and to bring the family emotionally together during the meal. Periodic conversations between spouses are a great way of coming up with ideas of how to make some regular meals possible, to identify areas of difficulty or needed growth, to set goals, and even to come up with conversation ideas.

For a change of routine, taking a child out for a meal can allow for more one-on-one time. (CandyBox Images/Shutterstock)

Creative Parents

Make regular occasions for the whole family to gather. This may be impossible every day. The good news is that research shows that even if only one parent is present, the whole family will reap the benefits of mealtime. This is important because often both parents have to work and may have conflicting schedules. Lunch, breakfast, or snacks can be highlighted as opportunities to eat together.

The point is that the parent who is on duty must try to set the tone of cheerfulness and togetherness for the meal. If it happens regularly that only one parent is at the meal, then the other can find ways to talk together about the aha moments that arise. Research has shown that the more frequently the family eats together, the greater the benefits are for the children.

However, whats needed isnt perfection, but effort. Start with one meal per week if necessary, and most likely the meal frequency will increase from there.

Informality

Family meals are informal, often lively, full of antics and spontaneity. Sometimes its good to be proactive in dinner conversation to steer away from too much bathroom humor or squabbling. The Family Dinner Project (TheFamilyDinnerProject.org) has lists of conversation starters and mealtime games. Stories about our family members are also a good ideaimmigrating, falling in love, overcoming adversity, childhood memories, or funny real-life stories: All of these connect us to something bigger.

Another idea is a gratitude journal in which one person writes down something for which each family member is grateful. Current events, jokes, upcoming family outings, and the highs and lows of our day are all ways to get the conversation flowing. Children also learn much from watching their parents converse with each other about their day and about whats happening in the community and world. Try to engage each child.

You can enlist the help of the older children in drawing out their young siblings. With teens, sometimes simple ideas are bestmaybe antics about the family pet or another subject in which theyre interested.

Managing Conflict

Conflict is inevitable in a family of any size. Irene Freundorfer, a mother of 10, suggested going easy on teaching manners. Rather than speaking, she uses hand signals to remind the children to eat with their mouths closed, to keep their legs down, and to keep their elbows off the table. Avoid contentious topics. Use humor to change the mood. Play some music and light some candles once in a while. Compile a list of the familys favorite foods to cut down on the complaining. Good food does help!

As for those little ones who keep getting up from the table, dont worry. Even a short meal together is still a meal together. Just being together, eating, and talking together for a short time puts you on the path to a happier, healthier family.

Cooperation

Children helping with the family meals is another way of getting them to be invested in the meal ritual. One survey of 1,000 children showed that helping with dinner duties correlated with having good feelings. Have a child plan and make a meal with a parent one night. A weekly rotating schedule is one idea. Discuss this with the children. They often come up with good suggestions.

Special occasions help cement the family bond. The usual holidays are importantChristmas, birthdaysbut also those other ones that arisesomeone got their drivers license after three tries, special anniversaries in the family, or weekly Sunday dinners. On these occasions, the special plates can be brought out and a little extra decoration can be added to the table. One of the kids can learn how to fold napkins or make a dessert or appetizer.

Another way to breathe life into the daily meal routine is to take the oldest child or children out for a meal. This changes the dynamic and can allow for deeper communication. We took our oldest child to a restaurant that serves pizza while diners play board games. Perfect for teens who view questions with suspicion! Or you could have your own game night at home, playing cards while eating. A high tea to show the grandmas how much theyre appreciated allows the children to plan, execute, and participate in a special meal.

Having guests over for dinner occasionally can help the children to be better behaved and to interact in new ways. This is good for any age and may be especially good for teens as they pull away a bit and are in need of other, external good influences.

In the words of Irene Freundorfer:

Supper time is an excellent occasion for everyone to review their day. Try to eat together as often as possible. Try not to eat in the car, on the run, or separately. Coming together around one table is very important. Share, talk, laugh, joke, enjoy. Your children are home for only a short time in your life. Build the memories. Plug into the power of family meals. Whether you talk about your work, the news, family lore, plans for vacations  you are helping your kids develop criteria, values, identity, sense of belonging, and family intimacy.

Too often the fast pace of todays life erodes this special family ritual. Try to take care of it more. Keep extra-curriculars to a minimum. Safeguard mealtimes. They are sacred family occasions. Take the phone off the hook while you are eating. Get rid of distractions, [such as] newspapers, iPods, toys, and TV screens. Make the event a moment of interaction, presence, and relationship.

Set a nice table. Use proper serving dishes. Linger over the meal as the kids get older and have more to say. Learn to relax, slow down, and savor the moment. I cannot stress this enough. Dont allow the rush of life to encroach upon this valuable family time. You have the power to really make a difference in your familys well-being by this simple daily ritual. Dont be quick to let it slip through your fingers. Grab it while you can. You will be so much stronger for it.

This article was originally published on MercatorNet.
Travelers wait in line to verify their COVID-19 vaccination status as they check-in for a flight to Sydney, Australia on Qantas Airways Ltd. inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Thousands More Flights Canceled as COVID-19 Continues to Disrupt Holiday Travel

Thousands more flights were canceled across the United States on Monday amid the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus nationwide surge in Omicron variant cases.

Around 3,259 flights were canceled in total globally yesterday, of which around 1,474 were in the United States, according to the flight-tracking website, FlightAware.

Of the 1,474 flights, 136 were pulled by Delta airlines, 108 were scrapped from United, 172 from Alaska airlines, and 93 were pulled from American airlines. Globally, 16,026 were delayed.

Thousands of flights, both national and international, have been canceled during the peak holiday season amid a surge in COVID-19 cases which airlines say have affected employees and flight crew, leading to staffing issues.

A spokesperson from United Airlines told ABC News last week that the company had been forced to cancel some flights after employees had called in sick with the virus, and said that they had notified customers in advance of them arriving at 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, the spokesperson said.

Delta Air Lines said in a statement that 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.

Alaska Airlines attributed its cancellations and delays to snow and freezing weather conditions that are disrupting operations at its largest hub, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

On Monday, we had to, unfortunately, cancel 214 mainline and regional flights. With forecasts calling for bitter cold temperatures throughout the week and snow on Thursday more flights could be canceled throughout the next several days, the airline said in a statement.

Were deeply sorry to our guests for the delay in their holiday travel plans and are working hard to reposition aircraft and crews back to the West Coast to get everyone where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible, said Constance von Muehlen, chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said the Omicron variant accounted for more than 90 percent of COVID-19 cases in the South, Midwest, eastern Atlantic, and northern Pacific regions of the United States.

But on Monday, the CDC cut the number of days of isolation for Americans who contract COVID-19 from 10 days to five days, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others, regardless of their vaccination status, reversing its previous recommendation. The agency also shortened the time that close contacts of COVID-19 need to quarantine to five days.

The agency said the decision to cut the isolation time is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.

However, Walensky told The Associated Press on Monday that the United States will experience significantly more Omicron cases.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic, she said. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

So far, one death associated with Omicron has been reported in the United States. Officials in Texas said a Harris County man in his 50s with underlying health conditions apparently died from the variant last week.
Air travelers walk through a terminal as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, at New Yorks JFK International Airport in New York, U.S., May 15, 2020. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

US Airline Stocks Claw Back Losses From Omicron Travel Hit

U.S. travel stocks took an initial hit on Dec 27, but recovered most of the losses on Dec. 28, amid a surge in Omicron cases that is affecting the airline, casino, and cruise industries.

A spike in Omicron cases, staff shortages at airlines, and weather-related problems forced the latest round of massive flight cancellations, leaving travelers stranded across the country during the holiday travel season, which lasts from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2.

This follows the disastrous Christmas weekend, which left the airline industry struggling at its peak profit season with over 3,000 flight cancellations in the United States alone.

The three major U.S. Airlines have been cancelling or delaying hundreds of flights a day at a time when more than 109 million Americans travel long distances to see loved ones.

Over 1,000 flights covering the United States were canceled on Dec. 27 alone, along with 3,300 delays, and with more than 2,600 flights being scrapped worldwide.

American Airlines Group, United Airlines Holdings, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines saw declines, but rose by an average of 1.5 percent by Dec 28 after the initial loss.

Airline stocks were rallying this Fall before Omicron hit, in the expectation of a holiday travel boom after the industry suffered from last years pandemic-related restrictions.

Departures from the largest airports in North America are 13 percent below pre-pandemic levels in January 2020, with the United States down 12 percent.

Analysts say that as long as quarantine restrictions over the Omicron variant remain in place, air travel will expect to face long standing staffing shortages. Since its discovery in southern Africa last month, Omicron has proven to be more contagious, but far less virulent than previous variants, with fewer hospitalizations and only a handful of deaths.

Further cancelations are expected this week as airlines struggle to get commuters home, which is likely to cause further volatility in airline stocks.

The suffering cruise line industry is being burdened with new concerns of tougher restrictions after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Dec. 27 that it was investigating nearly 70 cases of the Omicron variant aboard cruise ships.

The industry had been ravaged during the pandemic after service was suspended in the United States for about 15 months.

Carnival, the worlds largest cruise operator, said it had isolated a small number of Omicron positive passengers on board one of its Carnival Freedom cruise ships.

All passengers from the cruise trip were disembarked on Dec. 26 following the discovery.

It was further reported over the holiday weekend that at least four ocean cruise ships were turned away from ports of call including the Koningsdam, of the Holland America Line, a Carnival subsidiary, which was attempting to dock in Mexico, according to CNN.

Shares of Carnival initially fell, but jumped 1.7 percent on Dec 28, with rivals Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Cruises, also witnessing losses that were recovered the following day.

Arnold Donald, the CEO of Carnival said to analysts on Dec. 20, that Omicron had led to a little spike in near-term cancellations but booking patterns are strong.

The casino resort industry, which has seen a decline in business since the pandemic, saw the shares of major chains like MGM Resorts International down around 1.8 percent from last week. The hotel and lodging industry took less of a hit, with Airbnb and Hilton Worldwide Holdings recovering after initial losses, while Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International had an increase in the value of their stock.
Workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach after an oil spill in Newport Beach, Calif., on Oct. 6, 2021. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo)

US Coast Guard Reports Oil Cleanup Done, Shoreline Back to Normal Condition

SAN PEDRO, Calif.The U.S. Coast Guard Dec. 28 announced that Southern California shoreline segments affected by an oil spill have been returned to their original condition.

The spill response will now enter a transition period; the Unified Command will monitor tarball and oiling incidents along with associated sampling results to determine the source of the oil, according to a statement released by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The United Command consisted of the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFFOSPR), the County of Orange, the County of San Diego, and the responsible party.

Once the Unified Command determines the transition period should end, the response will officially conclude and the U.S. Coast Guard and CDFWOSPR will return to their standard pollution response posture as natural resource trustees, according to the statement.

The multi-agency response began on Oct. 2, after reports of an oil release began impacting Southern California.

The U.S. Coast Guard urged the public to report any sizable sightings of oil or oily debris by contacting the National Response Center Hotline at 800-424-8802.
(L) President Joe Biden waits to speak as he visits the Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va., on May 28, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) (R) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Council of Legislators of the Federal Assembly, at the Tauride Palace, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 27, 2021. (Alexei Danichev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Russia to Hold Security Talks Over Ukraine, Arms Control, on Jan. 10

Russian and U.S. negotiators will begin bilateral talks on Jan. 10 to discuss ongoing tensions over Ukraine and a rise in military activity near its Western border, a White House official confirmed late on Monday.

The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia, a spokesperson for the National Security Council told news agency AFP on condition of anonymity. When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russias activities as well.

The spokesperson added that representatives of both Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are also expected to meet for a meeting on Jan. 12, while representatives for Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) may meet on Jan. 13.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also previously offered to resume dialogue with Moscow over the military build-up around Ukraine and proposed the formation of a NATO-Russia Council in mid-January.

Sergey Ryabkov, Russias deputy foreign minister, confirmed with news agency TASS on Tuesday that the Jan. 10 talks are scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ryabkov stated that he hopes the bilateral Russian-American consultations will develop into negotiations on draft agreements previously offered by Moscow.

Russias Deputy Foreign Minister and head of delegation Sergei Ryabkov attends a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) conference in Beijing, China, on Jan. 30, 2019. (Thomas Peter/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, Russia unveiled a wishlist of security proposals it wants to negotiate, including a promise NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

The United States and Ukraine say Russia may be preparing for an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor, an accusation Russia has repeatedly denied. Instead, Moscow claims it is Ukraines growing relationship with NATO that has caused the standoff to escalate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 23 that he wants to avoid conflict but an immediate response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees is urgent.

The administration of President Joe Biden has said some of Russias security proposals are unacceptable, but that Washington will respond with more concrete ideas on the format of any talks.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated last week that the bilateral talks will likely continue, though no details are finalized yet.

There have been proposals put forward by the Russianssome we would agree with, some we certainly wouldnt agree with, Psaki said during a press briefing on Dec. 23. We also agree diplomatic conversations are the right path forward, she added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
A Chinese missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in the waters near south China's Hainan Island and Paracel Islands on July 8, 2016. (Zha Chunming/Xinhua via AP)

US Should Sanction China for Jamming and Laser Attacks on Pilots

Economic sanctions would send the right message

News Analysis

The Chinese military is building stronger electronic warfare facilities in the South China Sea.

Rapidly expanding Chinese electronic warfare (EW) facilities were revealed by the Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Dec. 17. The facilities, near Mumian on Chinas Hainan Island, are in the South China Sea region close to Vietnam.

The facilities serve as protection for the strategic island, on which are based nuclear submarines and future planned aircraft carriers for global power projection. The placement of the facilities near the eastern coast of the island helps Beijing electronically dominate the entire Gulf of Tonkin, located between China and Vietnam, as well as the northern half of Vietnams coastline.

The Mumian facility is home to satellite tracking and communication (SATCOM) platforms and appears to possess systems that could be used in EW, according to the CSIS authors, who are part of the think tanks China Power Project and iDeas Lab.

The site also likely plays a role in collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT), which includes any intelligence gleaned from intercepting and analyzing foreign signals or communication from satellites, radars, weapons platforms, and other electronic systems, wrote the authors, Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart, and Joseph S. Bermudez. Mr. Bermudez is a senior fellow for imagery analysis with CSIS.

The revelations about the facilities recent expansion are from comparing satellite imagery from 2020 to those taken about a month ago. The facilities have apparently operated, according to satellite imagery, since at least 2018.

That year, news about likely Chinese military electronic and laser attacks on American and Australian planes increased. There was no significant American response, and the laser attacks continued in 2019 and 2020.

The new facilities at Mumian could be used to electronically buttress such attacks on U.S. and allied planes, or for the gathering of intelligence.

Many assets in the vicinity appear dedicated to gathering communications intelligence (COMINT), a subset of SIGINT that includes the collection of communications between individuals and organizations.

The latest installations include a SATCOM/COMINT complex with four dish antennas (three 14 meters wide and one 4 meters wide) for SATCOM and tracking, and at least four tall tower antennas suitable for communications or EW, according to the report.

Distributed throughout the enlarged facility are at least 90 vehicles and trailers of various types, including a sizeable number featuring mounted antennas (configured as either a single large antenna or two smaller antennas).

The Chinese militarys expansion of capabilities on Hainan, including EW, is already having negative effects on American pilots in the South China Sea.

According to Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the U.S. quest for electronic intelligence regarding Chinas military buildup on Hainan Island was at the center of the April 1, 2001 EP-3 Incident in which a Chinese Naval Air Force J-8II fighter collided with a U.S. Navy EP-3 electronic intelligence gathering aircraft. At that moment, China was in the early stages of building a new nuclear missile submarine base at Yalong Bay on Hainan Island.

U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets multirole fighters and an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (2nd R) on board USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) aircraft carrier as it sails in the South China Sea on its way to Singapore on Oct. 16, 2019. (Catherine Lai/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese military fully disassembled, and presumably attempted to copy, the EP-3s electronic intelligence capabilities after it was downed.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army has and will continue to constantly upgrade its electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signals intelligence (SIGNIT) capabilities on Hainan Island due to its overall strategic importance for the power ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote Fisher in an email.

Hainans security is crucial for the CCP as it protects most of its nuclear ballistic missile submarines, will soon host multiple aircraft carrier battle groups for global power projection, and the Wencheng Satellite Launch Center on Hainan will be key to CCP power projection ambitions to the Moon and Mars.

According to Australian reporting, the Chinese claimed in 2018 that a U.S. combat aircraft lost control over the South China Sea. The Chinese report said: All the instruments in the cabin were chaotic. The fighter planes were completely out of control and could not communicate with the outside world, but they did not know what happened.

Jamie Seidal at news.com.au wrote that Chinas claim appears to relate to a 2018 incident in which [a] US Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt reported jamming of their equipment.

Instead of public retaliation as a show of strength, the U.S. government apparently just meekly took the blow and allowed American pilots to explain away the aggressive incident.

Pilots said they were never put in any danger, according to Seidal.

Grant Newsham, a former U.S. Marines colonel with extensive experience in Asia, commented that the USA had better get serious about all thisand be ready to hit China hard.

Newsham said that the Chinese military would push the limits just enough to bother usand even humiliate us while disguising and brazenly denying the attack origin.

Unfortunately, they get away with their denialsor at least we do nothing in response, he said.

Newsham noted that after the Chinese military wounded American pilots with lasers near Djibouti and over the Pacific in 2018, the United States did nothing. He called this a failure in American strategy.

A former Morgan Stanley banker, Newsham advised a correction to the failure by banning U.S. investment in China for 6 months, or pull Bank of Chinas banking license for a year.

Newsham is right. Chinas military expansion and increasing international influence both depend on its economy. So for the United States and allies to maintain a preponderance of power in the coming century requires the rapid deceleration, with the risk of collapse, of Chinas growing economy.

The same strategy has been used through major economic sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

The pin-prick economic sanctions on China that America has imposed so far are clearly not doing enough and need to be increased to have the necessary effect.

The United States cannot impose sanctions aloneor else Beijing would simply divert its trade and investments to Europe and the rest of the world, thus isolating the U.S. economy. The sanctions or tariffs must be agreed on a global level. Only the United States, with its powerful military, can lead these global sanctions today.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
An Air Canada plane prepares to land at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., December 26, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Weather, Not Omicron, Taking the Biggest Bite out of Canadian Airline Schedules

CALGARYCanadian air travelers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19.

According to airline data company Cirium, Canadas largest airlines canceled hundreds of flights between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26 of this year.

Flair Airlines canceled nine percent of its scheduled flights during the period while WestJet Airlines Ltd. canceled seven percent of its flights.

Air Canada canceled four percent of its scheduled flights during the period.

The proportion of canceled flights was significantly higher than earlier in December, when the cancellation rate for major carriers hovered around one to two percent, and also higher than the same period during 2019s pre-pandemic holiday season.

South of the border, U.S. airlines have reported canceling significant numbers of flights in the past week because of staff shortages tied to the Omicron variant. Both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said the nationwide spike in cases this week has impacted flight crews and left carriers short-staffed.

But in Canada, airlines say weather has caused more holiday travel disruptions than COVID-19 so far this year.

The last few days were some of our busiest since pre-pandemic, carrying nearly 50,000 guests a day on more than 500 flights at peak, said WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell in an email.

We are not seeing similar issues to our U.S. counterparts and the large majority of our posted cancellations are weather related.

Frigid temperatures and arctic air have left most of the western provinces shivering this week with wind chills dipping down as low as -55C.

Environment Canada says all of Alberta and most of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, along with parts of Manitoba and Ontario are under extreme cold weather warnings.

Air Canada, which cancelled 171 flights from Dec. 22 to Dec. 26, said adverse winter weather was the major factor.

We have the crews to operate our schedule so we have not been impacted as some other carriers have been by COVID-19, a statement from the airline said.

Porter Airlines spokesman Brad Cicero said flights have operated generally well over the last week. He said the limited cancellations that have occurred are due largely to weather and aircraft maintenance, though a small number have been related to staffing.

Flair Airlines acknowledged it has seen an uptick in sick calls from staff and crews, but said that is typically expected this time of year.

Currently, the biggest challenge for us, and likely most airlines, is that the ups and downs of the pandemic have caused staffing issues on the ground and at the airport due to long lines and increased passengers, said Matthew Kunz, Flairs vice-president of business transformation and operations.

Air Transat spokesman Pierre Tessier said the company has not canceled any flights in the last few days due to staffing issues related to the rising Omicron variant, and does not expect any cancellations at this time.

Several Canadian airlines reported they have seen travelers cancel holiday plans because of rising case numbers, though they said they also continue to see demand for new bookings.

The federal government requires both Canadian airline employees, as well as passengers departing from Canadian airports, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

By Amanda Stephenson
President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 response and vaccinations, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Were Going to Have Your Back, Biden Tells Governors as Omicron Cases Rise

President Joe Biden told U.S. governors that his administration will do everything it can to assist their efforts to mitigate the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

My message to the governors is simple: if you need something say something, and we were going to have your back in any way we can, Biden told a bipartisan group of governors on Monday.

This was the first time Biden had joined a weekly virtual meeting between state leaders and members of his COVID-19 response team. The National Governor Associations chair, Governor William Asa Hutchinson (R-Arkansas), praised Bidens team for its cooperation.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP virus.

Thank you for your comments designed to depoliticize our COVID response. I think that was helpful. As we face Omicron the governors and your administration must be working together more closely than ever, said Hutchinson. I particularly appreciate your comments about increasing the supply chain on rapid COVID tests.

Your taskforce, led by Jeff Zients, has been responsive and has kept us informed every step of the way, Hutchinson added.

Biden said that the real work of fighting the pandemic was going to be led by state leaders, rather than the federal government, but added that his administration needs to ramp up its COVID-19 testing efforts and supplies across the country.

Its clearly not enough, said Biden, adding, Were now able to purchase 500 million at-home rapid tests to be sent to the American people for free.

But we have to do more. We have to do better, Biden said about long lines for testing that were reported in many states right before Christmas.

Last week, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Omicron variant accounts for more than 90 percent of COVID-19 cases in the South, Midwest, eastern Atlantic states, and northern Pacific regions of the United States. At the same time, data so far suggests Omicron is less virulent than previous variants and has resulted in fewer hospitalizations and far fewer deaths.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the president, told CNN on Monday that the shortage of COVID-19 tests is in large part due to the Omicron variant and the new testing kits Biden mentioned will be made available in January.

It has been compounded by the situation of the high demand, said, adding, We should have had tests available, but hopefully now, as we get into the first couple of weeks in January, thatll get much better.

People queue at a street-side COVID-19 testing booth in New Yorks Times Square on Dec. 20, 2021.(Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden told the governors that private insurance companies will soon be required to reimburse their clients for any COVID-19 tests.

He also ran through some of the other measures that his team is putting in place for any potential surge in hospitalizations, including stockpiling personal protective equipment and readying military personnel via FEMA to assist in hard-hit states.

Weve already deployed emergency response teams in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New Mexico and are ready to provide more hospital beds as well, Biden said. The bottom line is we want to assure the American people that were prepared, we know what it takes. And, as this group of bipartisan governors shown, were going to get through it by working together.

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
While California Issues New Mask Mandate, Colorado Says No More

Commentary

My 89-year-old father, who lives in mandate-free Arizona, recently explained he chooses to wear a mask when he goes to the store, not for others, for me. His comment epitomizes two opposing government approaches to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic: require all to comply with mandates for the good of the collective or allow individuals to decide how to protect themselves.

Two Democrat-run states have recently gone in opposite directions. California implemented a new, statewide mask mandate, while the Colorado governor announced that the COVID-19 mandates are over.

Californias mandate comes from Dr. Tomas Aragon, the director of the California Department of Public Health. This is an unelected position given power to issue such edicts due to the state of emergency declared by Governor Gavin Newsom nearly two years ago. California has been in an ongoing state of emergency since, despite vaccines available to all and dramatic drops in infection rates.

Before becoming director earlier this year, Dr. Aragon was the health officer for the City and County of San Francisco. He was also involved in public health research at University of California, Berkeley and an adjunct professor. He has degrees from Berkeley and Harvard.

According to his biography, he became the state director earlier this year with a mission of striving to embody and promote the universal values of dignity, equity, compassion and humility, he works through collaborative partnerships to mobilize communities and institutions to transform policies and systems towards a culture of equity, antiracism, healing and health for all people and our planet. (Yes, he worked equity twice into the same sentence!)

The new edict begins by noting that the vaccines remain effective in preventing serious disease, hospitalization, and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Nonetheless, it goes on to state the Department is requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public settings, irrespective of vaccine status, for the next four weeks (December 15, 2021, through January 15, 2022).

The Order states the mandate is necessary because, Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 47% and hospitalizations have increased by 14%.

But it ignores the fact that mask mandates have already long been in place in many counties in the state. The order expands the rule to all counties. Yet, it provides zero analysis of or report on the spread of COVID-19 in counties with the mandate versus those without it! Should this not be the most basic due diligence to conduct before issuing an order infringing on individual liberty and which overrides decisions of local governments and impacts people from Bakersfield to Barstow and Modesto to Tahoe?

Compare this to Coloradosame virus, same human specieswhere Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, just announced: The emergency is over.  Frankly, people who want to be protected [have gotten vaccinated]. Those who get sick, its almost entirely their own darn fault.

No new mask mandate in response to another new variant. Rather, Polis said, Our top goal is always to follow the science, and there was a time when there was no vaccine, and masks were all we had, and we needed to wear them. The truth is we now have highly effective vaccines that work far better than masks You dont tell people to wear a jacket when they go out in winter and force them to [wear it]. If they get frostbite, its their own darn fault.

Finally, a Democrat leader applying common sense and personal responsibility! Americans should be free to take whatever measure they wish to stay healthy. Control their immunity through nutrition, exercise, and taking vitamins, or not. Go out to restaurants or eat at home. Go to the movies or watch Netflix. Wear a mask, or two masks, or not. Get vaccinated or not. Get boosted or not.

When I was a kid my favorite thing to say to someone who told me not to do something was, Why not? Its a free country! You do not hear that much today. But at least for now in Colorado, it still applies. But in California, Americans freedom depends upon the whims of a woke Berkeley professor.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A flight attendant wears a protective face mask as the CCP virus pandemic continues, aboard a Delta flight to HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Ga., on May 19, 2020. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Woman from LA Faces Federal Charge Over Alleged Airplane Outburst

LOS ANGELESA Los Angeles woman is facing a federal assault charge Dec. 28 for allegedly hitting and spitting on another passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

Patricia Cornwall, 51, an actress who according to the New York Post was a Raiders cheerleader when the team played in Los Angeles, made her first appearance in federal court in Atlanta on Monday.

She is accused of assault by striking, beating, or wounding a fellow passenger during the Thursday flight, according to the criminal complaint obtained by CNN.

The confrontation on Flight 2790 occurred while Cornwall was returning to her seat after visiting the restroom, but became irritated because a beverage cart was blocking her path. She exchanged words with a male passenger, then allegedly hit him in the head with a closed fist, according to the complaint.

At one point, the man shouted at Cornwall, Sit down, Karen, according to video of the confrontation posted online.

The man told an FBI investigator the woman then spit on his face and head area, the complaint states.

In a statement to NBC News, Delta said: Flight 2790 from Tampa to Atlanta was met by law enforcement after an unruly customer disturbance during flight. Situations like these are rare for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft.

Cornwall was not required to, and did not submit a plea in court during her appearance. If found guilty of the class A misdemeanor, Cornwall faces up to one year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, CNN reported.

Cornwall, who was an actress and appeared in episodes of Baywatch and Married  With Children under the stage name Patty Breton, was arrested by police at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was later taken into custody by the FBI, the New York Post reported. A judge ruled during her arraignment that Cornwall can only fly to return home to Los Angeles. She reportedly posted a $20,000 bond at her arraignment.

Cornwall most recently worked as a realtor. The Post reported she received her real estate license in California in 2013 and it expired in 2017. She reportedly has an active profile with Coldwell Banker Realty that lists her as an agent.
A police trooper walks on the rubble of a building destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes at Sanaa Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

Yemens Houthis Say Allowed Temporary Resumption of UN Humanitarian Flights to Sanaa Airport

CAIROThe aviation authority run by the Houthi administration in Yemen has allowed temporary resumption of flights by the United Nations and other organizations to Sanaa international airport on Monday, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement said earlier this month that the capitals airport had been put out of operation after air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

The coalition said it only attacked military targets at the airport, from where drone strikes have been launched against Saudi targets.

The coalition said that the strikes it had carried would have no effect on operational capacity, airspace management, air traffic, or ground handling operations.

The airport has been closed to civilian flights since 2015, after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa, although U.N. planes have been permitted to land there.

The Houthis have at times claimed that Saudi Arabia was enforcing a blockade on Yemen ports and Sanaa airport, worsening the growing humanitarian crisisclaims which Saudi Arabia has denied.

The Houthi-run aviation authority said in a statement on Monday it allowed the resumption of the U.N. aid flights after the malfunctions in communications and navigational devices were temporarily fixed, the agency report said.

The authority complained that it could not guarantee the long-term continuity of these old devices, and urged the U.N. to help the entry of new devices that it had purchased, it added.
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.
Two members of the Fairfield-based nonprofit Save the Children were among the 35 people killed in the attack in Myanmar on Christmas Eve, the international humanitarian group said Tuesday.

One of the staff members was a 32-year-old man with a 10-month-old son. He had worked at the nonprofit for two years training teachers. The other staff member, a 28-year-old man, had a 3-month-old daughter and joined the nonprofit six years ago.

The two staff members were both new fathers who were passionate about educating children, Save the Children said in a press release.

The organization said it will not identify the men for security reasons. It has not said if the two staff members are from Connecticut.

At least 35 people, including women and children, were killed Dec. 24 in an attack by the Myanmar military in the eastern part of the country at Kayah State. The nonprofit said the military forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed many and burnt the bodies.

At the time of the attack, the two staff members were making their way back to their office after working on a humanitarian response in a nearby community. The nonprofit said the staff members were caught up in the attack.

We have confirmation that their private vehicle was attacked and burned out, Save the Children said in a press release Christmas day.

Inger Ashing, the CEO of Save the Children, called the news absolutely horrifying.

Violence against innocent civilians including aid workers is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law, Ashing said. We are shaken by the violence carried out against civilians and our staff, who are dedicated humanitarians, supporting millions of children in need across Myanmar.

The nonprofit has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing healthcare, food, education and child protection programs across the country. After the incident, Save the Children is temporarily suspending its operations in portions of the country including Kayah, Chin and parts of Magway and Kayin.

However, we remain fully committed to helping the most vulnerable children in Myanmar, especially during this time of conflict and crisis, the nonprofit said in a press release.

Save the Children is a Fairfield-based nonprofit that provides health, education and protection programs for kids around the world. The organization also advocates for childrens needs during disasters and delivers emergency care during these crises, according to its website.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the attack was horrifying and a blatant breach of international law and humanitarian standards.

The senseless, tragic murders of these innocent civilians are only the most recent tragedies among horrific waves of violence and human rights abuse in the region, he said.

Blumenthal also said he will demand that the culprits be held accountable by international officials like the United Nations Security Council, as well as the United States.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com
EDWARDSVILLE  Three people have been charged with felony battery after allegedly attacking police officers in three separate incidents.

Tabitha K. Crossno, 37, listed as homeless out of Granite City, was charged Dec. 27 with two counts of aggravated battery, both Class 2 felonies. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department.

According to court documents, on Dec. 26 Crossno allegedly kicked a Granite City in the head and chest, and hit the officer on the arm. Bail was set at $50,000.

Anthony L. Miller, 49, of Detroit, was charged Dec. 27 with aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Glen Carbon Police department.

On Dec. 24 Miller allegedly shoved a Glen Carbon police officer. Bail was set at $45,000.

Also on Dec. 26, in an unrelated incident, David Z. Campbell, 24, of Bethalto, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, on Dec. 26 Campbell allegedly threw his head back, striking an Alton officer on the chin. Bail was set at $45,000.

Other felony charges filed Dec. 27 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Lawrencsha L. Morgan, 22, of Alton, was charged with aggravated battery on Dec. 27. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Dec. 23 Morgan allegedly hit a 14-year-old male juvenile in the arms and legs, causing bruising. Bail was set at $60,000.

 Jarell D. Dillon, 30, of Collinsville, was charged with unlawful violation of an order of protection (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On Dec. 23 Dillon allegedly went to the home of a person with a valid order of protection against him. He has a 2019 Madison County conviction for violation of an order of protection. Bail was set at $53,000.

 Travis A. Skinner, 27, of Moscow Mills, Missouri, was charged with possession of a firearm with a revoked firearm owners ID card, a Class 3 felony; and aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On Dec. 24 Skinner allegedly was found to have a Ruger handgun while having a revoked FOID card while carrying the handgun loaded and accessible without a concealed carry permit. Bail was set at $40,000.

 Elisabeth G. Adkins, 33, of Lawrenceville, was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Edwardsville Police Department. On Dec. 23 Adkins allegedly was found to have a stolen Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 handgun. Bail was set at $40,000.

 Lamont A. Taylor, 38, of St. Louis, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Dec. 25 Taylor allegedly was found to have a loaded and accessible Hi-Pointe 9 mm handgun without a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card or concealed carry permit. Bail was set at $45,000.
EDWARDSVILLE  For the second year in a row, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of a popular New Years Eve event co-hosted by the Edwardsville YMCA.

The Glen-Ed Last Night Celebration, which is normally held on New Years Eve at the Edwardsville YMCAs Meyer Center at 7348 Goshen Road, is a joint effort of the YMCA and the Metro East Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

The event was last held in 2019, which was the 17th year for the celebration.

In the past, weve been a partner with the FCA to host the Last Night Celebration, but we decided earlier in the year that we would have to cancel it again, largely because of COVID, Edwardsville YMCA President and CEO Brandon Bell said.

It takes a lot of a long-term planning for an event like that, and with the rising (virus) numbers, we just didnt feel comfortable doing it. Its unfortunate, but we believe its the right call.

Glen-Ed Last Night is a New Years event for the entire family, with proceeds donated to the FCA and the Edwardsville YMCA. It normally draws 400 to 500 people each year.

The event features inflatables, games, music, food and beverage, and a live DJ. There are also balloon artists, rock wall climbing, free skating, and bingo.

There is also a door prize raffle with plenty of giveaways, including gift cards to local restaurants, and the YMCA typically donates a basic membership and a fitness membership each year.

Over the past 17 years prior to last years cancellation, the event has raised more than $125,000 for charities such as Faith in Action, Womens Christian Center, Glen-Ed Pantry, YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Rick Marteeny, who is the chairmen of the Last Night Celebration, is uncertain about the future of the event.

Its a fun event for kids and families and its disappointing to have to cancel it for the second year in a row," Marteeny said. "With the event having things like bounce houses and younger children who may not be vaccinated, we felt it might be problematic.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has enjoyed partnering with the YMCA for the last several years. Were hopeful for future events to be put on, but were unclear at this point what direction it will take.

As usual, both locations of the Edwardsville YMCA will be closed on New Years Day (Saturday).

This year, the Niebur Center, located at 1200 Esic Drive, will be open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on New Years Eve (Friday), while the Meyer Center will be closed.

On Christmas Eve, the Meyer Center was open, while the Niebur Center was closed.

Thats COVID-related, but its also related to staffing shortage and staffing appreciation, said Bell, who replaced former President and CEO Tom Verheyen on April 1.

Were still looking for more staff, but we are able to keep one of the two facilities open on those days. Our staff has been working tirelessly, so we want to give them a break as well.
CINCINNATI (AP)  Nancy Keating, a charitable volunteer and matriarch of a large family with deep and philanthropic ties to the Cincinnati area, has died. She was 94.

She died peacefully at her home Friday, son Mike Keating said in an email.

Keating was the wife of the late William J. Keating, who after leaving Congress in the 1970s spent three decades as an Ohio newspaper executive and served on the board of The Associated Press. Her brother-in-law Charles Keating was a finance executive who was a key figure in the 1980s national savings and loan crisis.

Mom was very kind, very wise and had a wonderful sense of humor," Mike Keating wrote. "She was always patient and calm with us. As they say, you cant pick your parents, but we were so blessed and so fortunate to have mom and dad as our parents.

Nancy Keating was president of her senior class and valedictorian at St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati. She attended the University of Cincinnati, where she was active in student politics.

She christened the submarine USS Cincinnati in 1977 and served on the commission that marked Cincinnatis 200th birthday. She was a longtime soup kitchen and Meals on Wheels volunteer, her son wrote.

Her husband was a founding partner of a major law firm, was an assistant Ohio attorney general, judge and city council member, and was elected to the U.S. House in 1971 as a Republican. In 1974, he gave up his seat to run the Cincinnati Enquirer. Increased circulation and profits, a Pulitzer Prize and acquisition by the Gannett Co. followed.

He served on the AP's board for 15 years from 1977 to 1992 and chaired the global news cooperative for the last five of those years. He held executive positions at Gannett, where he served as general counsel, a regional newspaper president, and architect of the joint operating agreement that combined the business operations of Detroits two competing daily newspapers.

Keating for decades was a key civic leader in Cincinnati. His great-nephew Gary Hall Jr. won swimming gold medals in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. The University of Cincinnati aquatic center is named for William Keating, while he and his brother helped fund St. Xaviers natatorium, named for their father Charles H. Keating.

William J. Keating attributed his success to his wife and her support, Mike Keating wrote.

He would often say 'Its always Nancy and Bill Keating. I put her first because she was first to me in everything I ever did. She made me a better man, her son wrote.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2020 and her son Bill Jr. in 2017. Survivors include six other children, 28 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. The family plans private services but no visitation. Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

___

This story was published Dec. 26, 2021. It was updated Dec. 27, 2021, to correct what years William J. Keating served on the board of The Associated Press. He served from 1977 to 1992, not 1987 to 1992.
ALTON  OSF Health Care on Monday announced it is pausing asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at Saint Anthony's Health Center in Alton and its other locations because of patient volume.

The current rise of COVID-19 infections are primarily among the unvaccinated, according to hospital officials.

Right now all across the nation, were seeing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases, said chief operating officer Dr. Michael Cruz, FACEP. We are equipped to handle COVID testing for patients who are sick, injured or who are preparing for a procedure. But our patient volume is currently so great that we need the publics cooperation to ensure proper usage of our health care resources.

Cruz noted there is a variety of options for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including community testing sites, at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that hospital emergency departments should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.

He said OSF Care Station, OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19.

The most recent figures from the Madison County Health Department, reported Thursday, listed 24 COVID-19 related deaths for December and a total to date of 642. The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday was reporting 648 COVID-19 related deaths to date in Madison County.

No Madison County figures from over the Christmas weekend were available at presstime Monday.

On Monday the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 630 confirmed inpatient hospitalizations, up from 574 on Friday, for the four major health systems: BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St. Lukes Hospital. Of the 630 hospitalized COVID patients, 166  or 26 percent  were fully vaccinated.

Monday's staffed bed hospital capacity was at 85% across task force hospitals, with intensive care units at 78% of their total staffed bed capacity.

Also on Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker directed the IDPH and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to "enhance its partnerships with local health department mass vaccination operations."

The state is more than doubling personnel, Pritzker said, and adding at least 100 people to regional sites to help administer vaccinations, prepare vaccine doses for clinic personnel and data entry.



Starting Jan. 3, the states free Community Based Testing Sites will begin operating six days a week to increase COVID-19 testing availability across the state.

Pritzer said the "surge staffing" will support local health departments "to vaccinate and boost tens of thousands more Illinoisans.

"We are also increasing testing and continuing to distribute monoclonal antibodies, anti-viral pills and any treatments or personal protective equipment communities need," he said. "I will continue to do everything possible to protect all the people of this state, whatever your vaccine status. But what kind of year 2022 turns out to be depends on all of us doing what is best for all of us.



IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the state is seeing a demand for booster doses, but it was critically important for those who have yet to receive even one dose of vaccine to get vaccinated.

"The vast majority of cases, hospitalization, and deaths are among those who are not vaccinated," she said. "COVID-19 can be prevented through vaccination so get vaccinated and get boosted.

One of the 10 community testing sites is in St. Clair Square Mall in Fairview Heights. The site is now open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Anyone 12 and older in need of a first or second dose may also use the free clinics. While adults have the ability to mix-and-match their booster vaccine, 16- and 17-year-olds are only authorized to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech booster.

Madison County is offering COVID-19 vaccinations for people 5 and older at its office, 101 E. Edwardsville Road in Wood River. Vaccinations are by appointment only; people can visit www.madisonchd.org and click the green Appointments for Vaccines are Open button, or call 618-692-8954 x 2.

The CDC also has a vaccine finder that lets people select which vaccine they are looking for and provides the locations that currently have it. For details visit www.vaccines.gov, call 800-232-0233 or text your ZIP code to 438829.




TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey's Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the 2016 conviction of a Florida woman for killing her 5-year-old son 25 years earlier, ruling that despite the jurys verdict, prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to prove she had purposely caused the boys death.

It was a stunning turnaround in one of New Jersey's most infamous cold cases, which had remained unresolved for years even though Michelle Lodzinski was considered a prime suspect from the outset after she gave varying accounts of what happened on the day Timothy Wiltsey was last seen.

It also means Lodzinski cannot be tried again, which would violate a prohibition on so-called double jeopardy or being tried twice for the same matter, her attorney Gerald Krovatin said.

This is a great day for the rule of law and for the proposition that convictions have to be based on evidence, not on speculation or emotion, he said. Michelle is enormously grateful to everyone who has stood by her throughout this long ordeal.

Appellate Judge Jose Fuentes  called up to the Supreme Court to serve as a tiebreaking vote after the justices split 3-3 while upholding Lodzinskis conviction in May  cast the deciding vote in favor of acquittal Tuesday.

After reviewing the entirety of the evidence and after giving the state the benefit of all its favorable testimony and all the favorable inferences drawn from that testimony, no reasonable jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposefully or knowingly caused Timothys death, the court wrote in its majority decision.

The prosecutor's office that tried her declined comment.

Lodzinski was a single mother in central New Jersey in May 1991 when she told investigators Wiltsey had disappeared while they were at a carnival in Sayreville. She later gave conflicting accounts describing strangers she had seen who could have kidnapped the boy. Wiltseys body was found nearly a year later, in a marshy area near an office complex where Lodzinski had once worked.

As time passed and no charges were filed, Lodzinski went on with her life and had two other children. She was living in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in 2014 when authorities in New Jersey charged her with killing Wiltsey. Investigators said a break in the case had come when Wiltseys former babysitters identified a blue blanket, found along with the boys body, as belonging to Lodzinski.

During her 2016 trial and on appeal, Lodzinskis lawyers argued that no forensic evidence tied her to the blanket and that prosecutors didnt produce enough evidence to show Lodzinski purposely caused the boys death. A cause of death couldnt be determined because Wiltseys body had deteriorated in the time between when he died and when the body was found.

If you cant find a cause of death, I submit you dont have a homicide by definition, Krovatin told the court during arguments in October.

Prosecutors, who had portrayed Lodzinski at trial as a struggling young mother who felt burdened by the boy, argued on appeal that the totality of the evidence, including her evasive answers during initial questioning, was enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. An appeals court agreed in 2019 when it upheld Lodzinskis conviction.

The plot thickened after a deeply split state Supreme Court ruling in May upheld the appeals courts decision. With Chief Justice Stuart Rabner not participating, the court split 3-3, but it was enough to leave the conviction undisturbed.

Writing at that time for the three dissenters, Justice Barry Albin wrote, In the modern annals of New Jersey legal history, to my knowledge, no murder conviction has ever been upheld on such a dearth of evidence.

In a dissenting opinion as part of Tuesday's ruling, the three justices that voted to convict said, In our view, the majority does the opposite of what our law requires.

In October, the state Supreme Court took the rare step of agreeing to rehear the case, conceding it had made a procedural mistake by ruling on an appellate court decision that had applied an incorrect legal standard. For the rehearing, the court added an appellate judge to serve as a tiebreaking vote.

Even if the evidence suggested that Timothy did not die by accident, no testimony or evidence was offered to distinguish whether Timothy died by the negligent, reckless, or purposeful or knowing acts of a person, even if that person were Lodzinski, the majority decision read.

___

AP writer David Porter in Newark contributed to this report.
The Minister of Justice and attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, says the electoral amendment bill which was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari has the tendency to worsen insecurity in the country.

The president had declined assent to the bill, citing concerns over the recommendation of direct primaries for political parties.

According to him, such a recommendation violates the spirit of democracy.

Speaking during a phone-in programme on Radio Kano, Malami said the bill is discriminatory as the legislators only considered the political gains and not the interest of all Nigerians.

The job of the president is that of politics, economy, business, security, legislations, politicians and non-politicians, he said.

This is because the leadership of the country is not for the politicians alone, it is a leadership that affects social life of the people, their religion, economy, security, and others.

He is after satisfying the interest of the over 200 million Nigerians he is serving and not a particular sector.

This is contrary to the leadership of the legislators which is solely political.

The minister also added that the electoral bill was not signed by the president owing to its excessive cost implications.

He said: Today INEC requires N305 billion for the 2022 general elections. Now if the general election, which is not the newly proposed electoral system, will cost this much, how much will it cost to do the same election in the APC? It might cost at least N200 billion because it will involve everyone.

Although the good side of the law is that INEC is required to monitor it.

Therefore if it is assumed that every political party will spend N200 billion, how much will then be spent in conducting the same primary election in 18 political parties just to produce a qualified candidate?

Lets assume there are about 60 million politicians in the country, what about the remaining over 160 million Nigerians who have nothing to do with politics? Are you fair to them?

All the people want are good projects, good road from Abuja to Kano, portable drinking water, good education, school feeding programme and the rest of them.

Are you fair to the 160 million Nigerians using their wealth just to conduct primary election to produce a party candidate, despite other demands by the public?

My answer to this is that to spend this N305 billion that will be given to the INEC and the about N200 billion to be given to the political parties is not fair to the remaining 160 million Nigerians who have no business about politics and political appointments.

Their business is just a better life in Nigeria. This is the issue of cost implications.
A tidal wave of Covid 19 Omicron infections is spreading everywhere in the world including Nigeria.

As COVID-19 outbreak hit Aso Rock and some of its presidential staff the Nigerian people are concerned about President Muhammadu Buhari especially, as we know he has battled unspecified life-illnesses for some time now.

As to whether Buhari is obligated to tell the public details of his health, the short answer is not really, at least from the point privacy rules globally.

Although every patient by way of privacy is shielded by principle, presidential health is everyone's interest because the health of the president is very important.

We all know that with Buhari concealment has been his mantra.

But President Buhari is not alone here. On July 1, 1893, US President Grover Cleveland boarded the yacht Oneida, supposedly for a pleasure cruise along New York's East River. In fact, the yacht became an operating room for hidden surgery to extract a cancerous growth. He secretly had the surgery and returned to the presidential quarters.

A major type of cover-up occurs when the public realizes a president is not well, but the full extent of medical problems is concealed, as in the case of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.

There are various reasons why administrations chose to conceal presidential ailments? As no one knows how news of a serious presidential illness might impact the economy, international relations, or other critical issues.

My guess is that Buharis ailments has long affected him in many ways in terms of full-blown presence and active functioning as a president. I believe a presidents health status can positively or negatively drive and affect policies.

In our current age of social media, it is increasingly difficult to deceive the public about a president's health. In recent times administrations have been more transparent and many presidents annual physicals are made public.

In Nigeria, President Buharis health has come under the microscope which is a matter of legitimate public interest.

From the angle of support and sympathy, many Nigerians are not happy that his media advisors have kept the Nigerian public in the dark about his chronic ailments and medical conditions.

I think the public has every right to have a basic knowledge about Buharis medical situation.

Many of us remember when in 2017, President Buhari departed Nigeria for London for a so called vacation and medical tests only to spent months on at least two different occasions with the people left anxious and in darkness about what was wrong about his health. His Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would exercise presidential authority during his absence. I believe that has only happened one time for reasons best known to Buhari who continues to go overseas for medical touch up and treatment.

This type of lack of transparency and concealment as well as confusion surrounded the illness of President Umaru YarAdua, who died in 2010 after a long period of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.

The Nigerian people realizes that as humans we all get sick, but the lack of transparency is what gives them anxiety. The president once denied that he had died and replaced by a clone.Incredible!

From 2017 to date, President Buhari had continuously travelled to London, United Kingdom especially, spending some months for medical check-up for undisclosed illnesses.

Buhari and his advisers despite vigorous press and spirited opposition parties questions, concealment has been an issue.

At a time when the world is ignited with ravaging covid-19 and its current omicron variant, President Buhari and his workers seem not to be very careful. At this moment of uncertainty for a man who is chronically reportedly ill Buhari received the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Aso Rock amid concerns of the new Omicron variant first identified in South Africa.

The South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa had contracted the virus after visiting Nigeria during the West Africa tour.

President Buhari recently received his son Yusuf who was turbaned Talban Daura by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Dr. Umar Farouk Umar. There are media reports that the recent spread of the virus at the Aso Rock could be traced to his son, Yusufs coronation ceremony in Katsina.

Under these types of scary reports Buhari who should be placed under close observation needs to address the public about the quality of his health without any details given or authorize his doctors to do it. If he has the virus, he will not be the first as world leaders like former US President, Donald Trump and UKs Prime Minister, Boris Johnson have contracted the virus have made their status public.

The Nigeria people needs to understand that the president is not just an individual; he is the chief executive of the nation.

To an extent, the president loses some degree of privacy because of his public status, as such our governmental system demands he let us know something.

As the president must always be available regarding the economy, and military, it means that his state health is a matter of national security. All Buhari needs to do is tell his doctors to state of his health status it doesnt have to be in details, and this is needed, at least for public reassurance.

As we know health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being of an individual and we live in a period when the COVID-19 pandemic, a public health crisis is generating economic catastrophe plus our security concerns.

Strengthening the economy and security and safeguarding the nation's democracy calls for a healthy style of presidential leadership.

Just last month, President Biden, a 78-year-old male as publicly reported by White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor undertook a successful detailed neurologic exam to caution against any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or ascending lateral sclerosis O'Connor wrote. Biden reportedly weigh 184 pounds and "works out at least five days per week," O'Connor noted.

The president's physical included a colonoscopy  he temporarily transferred his power to Vice President Kamala Harris while he was under anesthesia for the procedure. The brief transfer of power  was one hour and 25 minutes. The colonoscopy showed he had one benign-appearing polyp, which was removed with no difficulty.

With all the back-and-forth medical evaluations and treatments by Buhari to London or other places, we should at least know how many times he was under anesthesia for medical procedures? Each time he went under or was temporarily not alive, did he transfer temporary power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as required by law?

Nigerians must understand that democracy is about healthy institutions and not about personality, as Africans are known to be conditioned to believe. So, it is important that those who lead our institutions are fit, transparent and reassuring in all they do. We will get there, and I hope it is soon. Long live our President.

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. A Virtual Professor 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]
No fewer than 10,000 widows, orphans and other indigent persons in Ikwo/Ezza South federal constituency, Ebonyi state, benefited from empowerment programme of the member representing the constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Ogah.

The empowerment programme which took place in his Item Amagu, Ikwo hometown, saw the beneficiaries receiving bags of rice, wrappers worth N7,000, food condiments, other items and cash from the lawmaker.

Ogah said the high level of hunger in the constituency propelled him to launched the empowerment tagged stomach infrastructure.

We have a research and we sent some of your committee members who is here and we discovered that the major problem in this constituency is hunger. This is why we tagged this empowerment stomach infrastructure.

Some of our women that benefited from this empowerment have no wrapper. We gave each of them branded wrapper which is almost N7,000 each. We gave them food condiments, rice and many other items and that that is why we tagged this empowerment stomach infrastructure, he said.

He called on the constituents to remain united, respect all leaders in the constituency, the state and Nigeria and contune to do just things in the year 2022.

My message to my constituency as we are entering 2022 is that we should be united, we should live in peace and support government in power and all the leaders we have. We should support our Governor, support our President, support journalists that are reporting what is good and make sure we do what is right, he stated.
Australia retain Ashes after crushing humiliated England

CRICKET: A relentless Australia spearheaded by debutant Scott Boland skittled England for an embarrassing 68 today (Dec 28) to win the third Test by an innings and 14 runs and retain the Ashes with two matches still to play.

Cricket

By AFP

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 09:06AM

Englands batsman Mark Wood (centre) leaves the field after his dismissal as Australian players celebrate on day three of the third Ashes cricket Test match between Australia and England in Melbourne today (Dec 28). Photo: AFP

The tourists resumed in Melbourne on 31 for four, still 51 runs behind, after a disastrous final hour yesterday against some outstanding fast bowling that left their Ashes dreams in tatters.

Their survival rested on skipper Joe Root, but when he fell for 28, it was just a matter of time before the rest followed.

Boland, called up as injury cover, was invincible on his home ground at the MCG, taking 6-7 off four overs, equalling the record for the fastest five-wicket haul in 19 balls.

Mitchell Starc ended with 3-29 as Englands misery was complete.

It is pretty insane. Just an awesome few weeks, everything clicked and everything worked out, said Australian skipper Pat Cummins.

Thrilled for Scott Boland. We have been relentless.

Ben Stokes resumed on two but his poor tour continued when he has clean-bowled by Starc for 11. Jonny Bairstow made five and when Root was out it was all over, with the tailenders quickly following.

It is what it is. We have come to dealing with this sort of an environment for a while now, said a dejected Root.

Credit to Australia, they blew us away. We have a lot of hard work to do now and come back hard in the next two matches.

COVID threat

Whether there would be play at all was in doubt after four members of the England party - two support staff and two family members - tested positive for coronavirus yesterday.

But all players from both teams underwent PCR tests after stumps and returned negative results this morning with the first ball bowled on schedule.

England headed to Melbourne knowing they must win to keep the five-Test series alive after heavy defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide, with Australia only needing a draw to retain the urn as holders.

And they fleetingly hauled themselves into contention on the back of a vintage bowling effort from veteran seamer James Anderson, which restricted Australia to 267 in their first innings in reply to the tourists 185.

But it was only an 82-run lead and any dreams England had of staying in the Test, or even winning it, fell apart in the face of an intense fast bowling blitz yesterday from Starc, Cummins and Boland.

In an hour of mayhem, they removed hapless openers Zak Crawley (five) and Haseeb Hameed (seven), Dawid Malan for a golden duck and nightwatchman Jack Leach (0), leaving England staring into the abyss on 31 for four after another stunning collapse.

Clueless

Once again, their hopes rested with Root, who resumed on 12, and star all-rounder Stokes, still 51 runs behind.

Stokes has failed to fire this series but flogged Starc for four to show intent, only for the New South Welshman to respond in devastating fashion two balls later with a fuller, tighter delivery that clattered into the stumps.

Root took a nasty blow in the groin area off Cummins on 23 and eventually went for 28, caught by David Warner at slip off Boland.

Despite the dismissal it capped an incredible 12 months for Root with the bat, ending the calendar year with the third most Test runs (1,708) in history, surpassed only by Pakistans Mohammad Yousuf (1,788 in 2006) and Viv Richards (1,710 in 1976).

Englands miserable batting late yesterday, which followed collapses in Brisbane and Adelaide, was castigated by the British media.

Gutless England batsmen deliver full spectrum of ineptitude, screamed The Daily Telegraph while The Sun slammed Clueless England.
Belgian man in care after cutting own throat

PHUKET: A 50-year-old Belgian man living in Tambon Thepkrasattri, in central Phuket, has been taken into care after suffering a self-inflicted knife wound to the throat.



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 04:13PM

Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Col Teerayut Suksanguan, Deputy Chief of the Thalang Police, was notified of the incident at 11:06am today (Dec 28).

Officers arrived at the scene, a house at Baan Pa Krong Cheep, in Moo 9, Thepkrasattri, to find the man holding a knife and bleeding profusely from his neck.

The man was described as in a state of anxiety. His clothes were soaked in blood, police reported.

Rescue workers from Thepkrasattri Tambon Administration Organisation took the man into care and provided immediate first aid before rushing him to Thalang Hospital.

Rescue workers expressed concern over the volume of blood the man had lost.

Police have yet to reveal what may have prompted the man to cut his own throat.

The Belgian embassy in Bangkok has been notified of the incident so that the mans relatives can be informed of his current conditio, police reported.

If you or anyone you know is in need of emotional support and counselling, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02-713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).
Myanmar actor famous in Thailand jailed for 3 years

MYANMAR: A leading Myanmar actor, singer and model who was on a junta celebrity wanted list for supporting pro-democracy protests has been jailed for three years, his legal team said yesterday (Dec 27).

crimeMyanmar

By AFP

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 03:52PM

In this file photo taken on Feb 17, 2021, model, actor and singer Paing Takhon attends a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. Photo: AFP file

Paing Takhon, 25 - a star in both Myanmar and Thailand - had been active in the mass protests that rocked the country following the February coup, at rallies and through his massive social media following.

He was arrested during a dawn raid at his mothers home in Yangon in April, his sister said, as the junta hunted more than 100 celebrities for supporting the movement.

Yesterday, he was jailed for three years with hard labour, at a court in Yangon, his legal advisor Khin Maung Myint told AFP.

The family is deeply saddened about his sentence, he said, adding they were considering whether to appeal.

In February, Paing Takhon - who had more than a million followers on Facebook and Instagram - posted pictures of himself in a white tracksuit with a megaphone, hard hat and a white fluffy dog strapped to his chest at a protest.

Help us stop crime against humanity, he posted on Instagram.

Paing Takhon is also famous in Thailand and has appeared in TV commercials and shows.

In January, he shaved his head and briefly joined the Buddhist monkhood, posting pictures of himself in burgundy robes.

Soon after the coup, the junta published a list of some 120 celebrities wanted for arrest.

Several are still on the run.

In May, celebrity beauty queen Htar Htar Htet posted a photo on Facebook showing her dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying an assault rifle.

The time has come to fight back, wrote the gymnastics instructor.
Phuket officials detect 74 Omicron cases

PHUKET: Phuket health officials have identified 74 people who have arrived in Phuket and are suspected of being infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

COVID-19healthtourism

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 06:27PM

Image: PPHO

The news came via a notice issued by the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) today (Dec 28).

The notice gave a breakdown of the cases as follows:

Dec 15 - 4 cases detected

Dec 16 - 1 case detected

Dec 17 - 4 cases detected

Dec 18 - 4 cases detected

Dec 19 - 7 cases detected

Dec 20 - 7 cases detected

Dec 21 - 12 cases detected

Dec 22 - 5 cases detected

Dec 23 - 9 cases detected

Dec 24 - 21 cases detected

The notice marked, Almost all of them are tourists who have been diagnosed with the virus since Day 0 at Phuket International Airport.

The notice did not explain how many were identified after Day 0 of the tourists stay in Phuket.

Phuket officials have yet to recognise any local transmissions of Omicron. PPHO Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon held a press conference Monday last week (Dec 20) to specifically announce that so far there had been no community infections of Omicron in Phuket.

Phuket health issues have been silent on the issue since.

Dr Kusak told The Phuket News Thai-language sister-newspaper Khao Phuket earlier today, For all 74 infected people, there is a high probability that they are infected with the Omicron variant, but we are still waiting on confirmation from the Department of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, which will take approximately seven days for the test results to be known.

However, Dr Kusak, and the notice, gave no indication of whether any of the 74 have actually been confirmed as infected with Omicron  despite test results of all arrivals who were detected on Dec 15-20 already taking more than seven days to be confirmed.

Also of note, the notice issued today made no account of the five cases already confirmed after infected arrivals landed on the island before Dec 15
Runaway Israeli tourist returned to Bangkok

SURAT THANI: An Israeli tourist arrested on Koh Samui after leaving his Bangkok quarantine hotel without a COVID-19 clearance was flown to Bangkok last night (Dec 27) for legal proceedings.

CoronavirusCOVID-19crimehealthtourism

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 03:39PM

Israeli tourist Ohad Baruch, in black T-shirt, with Ko Samui tourist police prior to being flown from Koh Samui to Bangkok for legal proceedings. Photo: Supapong Chaolan

Ohad Baruch, 29, arrived in Thailand on Dec 17 on a Test & Go travel package. He quarantined overnight at a hotel in the Sukhumvit area, pending an RT-CPR test result, but did not wait for the result. He left the hotel and went to Koh Samui in the South, reports the Bangkok Post.

Thong Lor police in Bangkok obtained a warrant from the South Bangkok District Court for his arrest on Dec 21.

On Dec 22, Mr Baruch surrendered to police at a restaurant at Bang Rak beach in tambon Bo Phut.

He was given three RT-CPR tests on Koh Samui and the results were negative. Regradless, he had since been kept in quarantine at Koh Samui Hospital.

Around 6pm yesterday, Koh Samui tourist police took him from the hospital to Samui airport.

Mr Baruch was flown in police custody from Samui on Bangkok Airways Flight PG 172, which departed at 9:40pm and landed at Suvarnabhumi airport about 10pm. He was handed over to Thong Lor police.

He is charged with violating COVID-control measures issued under Section 9 of the 2015 Executive Decree for Administration in Emergency Situations. The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and/or fine of B40,000.
Side effects cost government B1bn

BANGKOK: Almost B1 billion in compensation has been paid out to Thais who suffered adverse side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine over the past eight months, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO).

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 28 December 2021, 08:49AM

People queue up for their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at a shopping mall in Pathum Thani province on Dec 24. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

About B927 million in compensation was approved between April 5 and Dec 26, it said.

Out of the 11,707 people who filed a claim with authorities, 8,470 people, or 72.3% of all claimants, have been compensated, said Atthaporn Limpanyalert, spokesman and deputy secretary-general of the NHSO.

The claims were grouped into three categories, the first being claims filed by vaccine recipients who reported mild to moderate side effects after receiving their COVID-19 jab, reports the Bangkok Post.

In total, there are 6,298 people in this category, Dr Atthaporn said, noting they are eligible to receive no more than B100,000 in compensation from the government.

The second category, Dr Atthaporn said, comprises claims filed by those who experienced temporary paralysis and/or loss of other bodily functions after they were vaccinated, noting the 210 people in this category will receive up to B240,000 in compensation.

The final category is made up of individuals who were left permanently paralysed or died after receiving their COVID-19 shot. The 1,962 people in this category are eligible to claim up to B400,000 in compensation.

Out of the 11,707 claims filed, 1,752 were rejected because the claimants failed to meet the criteria set out - 615 of whom have lodged an appeal.

Claimants are entitled to seek the compensation for themselves and/or relatives without having to prove without doubt that their health condition was indeed caused by receiving the COVID vaccine.

Dr Atthaporn said the NHSO has set up 13 committees throughout the country to process the compensation claims, adding compensation will be paid within five days of the petition being approved.

Meanwhile, the NHSO transferred an additional B31.3bn to 1,942 medical facilities and hospitals nationwide in October and November to help the fight against COVID-19, said NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-aree.
Today

Mostly cloudy with snow showers around before midnight. Low 4F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with snow showers around before midnight. Low 4F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%.

Tomorrow

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 41F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
BRUZGI, Belarus (AP)  On a sunny but freezing morning in a forested area of Belarus at the border with Poland, hundreds of migrants line up to receive hot food and water.

They have been stuck here for over a month in the hopes of entering the European Union. Despite several failed attempts to storm the frontier amid the frigid temperatures, many still hope they will be allowed in.

I dont want to stay in Iraq because life there is difficult, even our life is dangerous. Our life there isnt safe, as you see about ISIS and everything else, Iraqi migrant Ahmad Rebaz, 27, told The Associated Press, referring to the Islamic State group. He said his wife had recently given birth to their second child in the nearby Belarusian city of Grodno.

Since Nov. 8, a large group of migrants, mostly Iraqi Kurds, has been stranded in Belarus at a border crossing with Poland. Most of the migrants are fleeing conflict or hopelessness at home, and aim to reach Germany or other Western European countries.

The EU has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of waging a hybrid attack against the bloc. Officials say he is luring thousands of migrants to Belarus with the promise of help to get to Western Europe to use them as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation EU in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian government. Belarus has denied engineering the crisis.

About 600 migrants, according to the Belarusian Red Cross, are living at the Bruzgi logistics center as of late December. It is a warehouse facility where they have set up a makeshift camp, placing mattresses and tents in the rows that once housed shipping containers. Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian Red Cross have provided them with food and other necessary supplies.

Poland took a tough stance against the migrants illegal entry, reinforcing the border and pushing those attempting to get in back into Belarus. The Polish approach was largely met with approval from other EU nations, who want to stop another wave of migration, but has also been criticized by human rights groups.

Belarusian authorities have also criticized Poland and other European nations for mistreatment of the migrants, while playing up their own efforts to return them to their home countries and to create decent living conditions for those staying at the border crossing at Bruzgi.

But as temperatures fall below freezing, life at the border becomes more and more challenging. In the heated warehouse, its still so cold that people inside are keeping their outerwear on.

The migrants need immediate help because the weather is getting more and more cold, said Zanyar Dlshad, an 18-year-old from Iraq living at the logistics center who hopes to make it to Europe to reunite with his brother and to study at a university.

Its so cold and I dont believe people can keep up with this, he said.

While most migrants say they want to travel on to Germany, some say they are willing to settle in any country to avoid having to return to Iraq.

If Belarus, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, or any other country gives us citizenship Ill accept. For me theres no difference. But (Ill) never ever come back to Iraq, said Farhad Mahamad, a 34-year-old migrant from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Several hundred Iraqi migrants have already left Belarus on evacuation flights organized by the Iraqi government, and more are beginning to agree to return home with the help of the U.N.s International Organization for Migration.

Last Wednesday, about 10 people at the Bruzgi logistics center filed documents to the IOM representatives on site to arrange their return to Iraq.

Mohamed Refaat, senior operations coordinator of the IOM, told the AP that they would be taken to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, by bus before continuing their travel to their home countries.

The site of dramatic clashes between Polish border guards and migrants at the Kuznica-Bruzgi border crossing, in the meantime, is empty of the crowds of people that gathered here last month.

However, some migrants say that they arent willing to wait at the warehouse much longer and are ready to brave the cold temperatures of what they call the jungle  the forested areas at the border  with the hope of finally making it through to Poland.

___

Daniel Kozin and Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow.

___

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Kuwait's ruling emir announced the formation of a new Cabinet on Tuesday, breaking a weekslong deadlock with the nomination of 15 new government ministers who will have to address a series of political and financial difficulties.

The new Cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah represents the Gulf Arab state's fourth government over the last year and a half alone.

Kuwait has struggled to defuse a standoff between members of the Gulf's only elected parliament and a government appointed by the emir. The dispute has delayed an overhaul of Kuwait's welfare system and prevented the sheikhdom from taking on debt  leaving it with little in its coffers to pay bloated public sector salaries.

In recent weeks, however, 84-year-old Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah has ramped up efforts to resolve the political paralysis, granting amnesty to members of the self-exiled opposition.

It remains uncertain the new Cabinet can take swift action to appease the public, especially with the ministers representing such starkly different bases and backgrounds according to the state's established appointment system.

(The government) is a cocktail. Its a victim of a quota system. I have one Shiite, I have one woman, I have a few tribal members. ... It should be merit-based, said Bader al-Saif, a Kuwait University professor. How can you follow the same manual and expect different results?

A few new, young faces from civil society stood out among the appointees. Three members from the parliament's so-called opposition bloc landed government positions, including the young and popular lawmaker Hamad Rouhaddeen, who took over the Information Ministry from a supporter of the royal family.

The new finance minister Abduwahab al-Rushaid is another outspoken, young figure with substantial support from merchant families  shaking up a Cabinet typically filled with older bureaucrats.

Kuwaiti analysts on social media suggested that the appointments could weaken the sway of opposition lawmakers in parliament who have blocked government reforms. More parliamentarians now have tribal representation in the new Cabinet and may be persuaded to support the government.

Sheikh Nawaf wished the prime minister luck from his palace and expressed hope that the executive and legislative branches would cooperate for the sake of Kuwait's development and welfare, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  Police in North Macedonia said on Tuesday they had found 53 people crammed into a truck, and arrested the vehicle's driver.

Police said in a statement the migrants  34 from India and 19 from Cuba  were discovered during a routine control at a highway toll station near the northern town of Kumanovo late Monday.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico's hourly minimum wage is set to increase by a dollar to $11.50 at the start of 2022.

The Workforce Solutions Department on Monday issued a reminder to employers and workers of the increase.
CARROLLTON  Information about recent arrests in Greene and Calhoun counties have been released.

Sheriff's Office

 Dustin A. Schnelten, 45, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:05 a.m. Dec. 18 on a Greene County warrant accusing him of violating an order of protection.

 Donald G. Dawson, 53, of Hardin was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:02 a.m. Dec. 7 on a charge of violating bond.

Greene County

Sheriff's Office

 Zachary J. Beiermann, 18, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:35 a.m. Dec. 18 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Josie C. Jones, 45, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:35 p.m. Dec. 14 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Jason W. Piper, 36, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:20 p.m. Dec. 3 on charges of vehicle theft conspiracy and aggravated fleeing or eluding police and on an Illinois Department of Corrections warrant accusing him of violating parole.

 Konner L. Jones, 18, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:44 p.m. Dec. 1 on a charge of consumption of liquor by a minor.

Carrollton Police

 Sarah M. Balunas, 23, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:31 p.m. Dec. 16 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Joseph J. Balunas, 22, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:59 p.m. Dec. 16 on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Adam L. Gideon, 33, of Waverly was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:38 a.m. Dec. 10 on a charge of vehicle theft conspiracy.

 Coty M. Newingham, 32, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:51 a.m. Dec. 9 on charges of mob action and aggravated battery.

Greenfield Police

 William B. Goluba, 33, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:29 p.m. Thursday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 William W. Lancaster, 44, of Beardstown was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:56 p.m. Dec. 19 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Nathaniel N. Barnes, 42, of New Berlin was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:48 p.m. Dec. 17 on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of another person's debit card and driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Alexa D. Brickey, 30, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:50 a.m. Dec. 14 on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Lendyl A. Richey, 28, of Greenfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:11 a.m. Dec. 6 on a theft charge.

 Henry L. Hammack, 40, of East Alton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:44 p.m. Dec. 1 on charges of obstructing identification and driving while license is revoked or suspended and on warrants from Bethalto and Macoupin County accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Roodhouse Police

 Jason K. Sprague, 44, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:21 p.m. Dec. 17 on a Greene County warrant accusing him of contempt of court.

 Thomas C. Edwards, 37, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:23 p.m. Dec. 15 on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic needle.

 Brandi J. Dobson, 40, of Winchester was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:16 a.m. Dec. 9 on charges of mob action, theft, aggravated battery and driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Amy R. Tuttle, 29, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:51 p.m. Dec. 8 on a Morgan County warrant accusing her of violating probation.

 Matthew T. Farris, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:18 p.m. Dec. 3 on a charge of violating bond requirements.

 Alexandria R. Wickenhauser, 37, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:39 p.m. Dec. 2 on charges of driving under the influence and obstructing justice.

 Matthew T. Farris, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:25 p.m. Dec. 1 on a domestic battery charge.

White Hall Police

 Steven B. Hoots, 48, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 3:06 p.m. Friday on a charge of violating an order of protection.

 Hunter E. Neff, 18, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:07 a.m. Thursday on charges of driving under the influence, resisting a peace officer, fleeing or eluding police and unlicensed driving.

 Donald E. Cox, 51, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:01 p.m. Wednesday on a contempt of court charge.

 Steven B. Hoots, 48, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:42 p.m. Dec. 21 on a charge of violating an order of protection.

Illinois State Police

 Christopher T. Hartley, 24, of Elsah was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:35 p.m. Dec. 2 on a charge of violating bond.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africa is planning a week of services and events to honor Desmond Tutu's life of activism for racial equality and LGBT rights. Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, died Sunday at the age of 90.

___

Monday, Dec. 27:

 Bells ring at noon for 10 minutes at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town and other churches across South Africa. The bells will ring for 10 minutes each day this week and people are asked to pause and reflect on Tutu's life.

 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visits Tutu's home in the Milnerton area of Cape Town to pay his respects to Tutu's widow, Leah, and the family.

 Cape Town's landmark Table Mountain, the Cape Town Civic Center and the arch at St. George's Cathedral is being lit up in purple in remembrance of Tutu's bishop's robes. The lights will be on the landmarks each night this week until Tutu is laid to rest.

___

Wednesday, Dec. 29:

 Ecumenical service to be held in Johannesburg, where Tutu had served as the first Black Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985.

 The City of Cape Town to hold an interfaith service for Tutu.

___

Thursday, Dec. 30:

 Interfaith service to be held in the capital, Pretoria, at St. Alban's Cathedral.

 The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust will host a gathering in Cape Town.

___

Friday, Dec. 31:

 Tutu's body to lie in state at St. George's Cathedral as members of the public file past his coffin, which will reflect the simplicity with which he asked to be buried, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba said in a statement.

 Tutu's body will stay alone overnight in the cathedral, a place which he loved, according to Makgoba.

___

Saturday, Jan. 1:

 Requiem Mass at St. George's Cathedral after which Tutu's body will be cremated and his ashes interred at the cathedral's mausoleum, according to his wishes.
WEDOWEE, Alabama (AP)  The Rev. Athanasius Chidi Abanulo  using skills honed in his African homeland to minister effectively in rural Alabama determines just how long he can stretch out his Sunday homilies based on who is sitting in the pews.

Seven minutes is the sweet spot for the mostly white and retired parishioners who attend the English-language Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the small town of Wedowee. If you go beyond that, you lose the attention of the people, he said.

For the Spanish-language Mass an hour later, the Nigerian-born priest  one of numerous African clergy serving in the U.S. -- knows he can quadruple his teaching time. The more you preach, the better for them, he said.

As he moves from one American post to the next, Abanulo has learned how to tailor his ministry to the culture of the communities he is serving while infusing some of the spirit of his homeland into the universal rhythms of the Mass.

Nigerian people are relaxed when they come to church, Abanulo said. They love to sing, they love to dance. The liturgy can last for two hours. They dont worry about that.

During his 18 years in the U.S., Abanulo has filled various chaplain and pastor roles across the country, epitomizing an ongoing trend in the American Catholic church. As fewer American-born men and women enter seminaries and convents, U.S. dioceses and Catholic institutions have turned to international recruitment to fill their vacancies.

The Diocese of Birmingham, where Abanulo leads two parishes, has widened its search for clergy to places with burgeoning religious vocations like Nigeria and Cameroon, said Birmingham Bishop Steven Raica. Priests from Africa were also vital in the Michigan diocese where Raica previously served.

They have been an enormous help to us to be able to provide the breadth and scope of ministry that we have available to us, he said.

Africa is the Catholic churchs fastest-growing region. There, the seminaries are "fairly full, said the Rev. Thomas Gaunt, director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducts research about the Catholic church.

It's different in the U.S. where the Catholic church faces significant hurdles in recruiting home-grown clergy following decades of declining church attendance and the damaging effects of widespread clergy sex abuse scandals.

Catholic women and married men remain barred from the priesthood; arguments that lifting those bans would ease the priest shortage have not gained traction with the faith's top leadership.

What we have is a much smaller number beginning in the 1970s entering seminaries or to convents across the country, Gaunt said. Those who entered back in the 50s and 60s are now elderly and so the numbers are determined much more by mortality.

From 1970 to 2020, the number of priests in the U.S. dropped by 60%, according to data from the Georgetown center. This has left more than 3,500 parishes without a resident pastor.

Abanulo oversees two parishes in rural Alabama. His typical Sunday starts with an English-language Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lanett, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Birmingham along the Alabama-Georgia state line. After that, he is driven an hour north to Wedowee, where he celebrates one Mass in English, another in Spanish.

He just breaks out in song and a lot of his lectures, he ties in his boyhood, and I just love hearing those stories, said Amber Moosman, a first-grade teacher who has been a parishioner at Holy Family since 1988.

For Moosman, Abanulos preaching style is very different from the priests shes witnessed previously. There was no all of a sudden, the priest sings, nothing like thatIt was very quiet, very ceremonial, very strict," she said. Its a lot different now.

Abanulo was ordained in Nigeria in 1990 and came to the U.S. in 2003 after a stint in Chad. His first U.S. role was as an associate pastor in the diocese of Oakland, California, where his ministry focused on the fast-growing Nigerian Catholic community. Since then, he has been a hospital chaplain and pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, and a chaplain at the University of Alabama.

Amid the U.S. clergy shortage, religious sisters have experienced the sharpest declines, dropping 75% since 1970, according to the Georgetown center.

When Maria Sheri Rukwishuro was told she was being sent from the Sisters of the Infant Jesus order in Zimbabwe to West Virginia to work as a missionary nun, she asked her mother superior, Where is West Virginia?

She was scared, worrying about the unknowns.

What kind of people am I going to? Im just a Black nun coming to a white country, Rukwishuro told The Associated Press from Clarksburg, West Virginia, where she has been teaching religious education to public and Catholic school students since arriving in 2004.

Rukwishuro vividly remembers that at her introduction, a little girl walked to her and rubbed her finger on my fingers all the way, then she looked at her finger and she smiled but my heart sank...She thought I was dirty. Despite that, Rukwishuro says most people have been very welcoming. She's now a U.S. citizen and says, It feels like home.

One of her first culture shocks was an overnight snowfall. I really screamed. I thought it was the end of the world, she said. Now I love it. I do my meditations to that.

During their integration into American life, it is commonplace for newly arrived clergy to face culture shocks.

For Sister Christiana Onyewuche of Nigeria, a hospital chaplain in Boston administering last rites for the dying, it was cremation. She recalled thinking, Like really? ...How can they burn somebody? I cant even imagine.

She came to the U.S. 18 years ago and previously served as the president of African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious, a support group for African missionaries serving in the U.S.

Onyewuche said African clergy can face communication challenges with the Americans they serve. To address this, many dioceses have offered training to soften accents, she said. Abanulo, who went through the training in Oakland, says it helped him slow down his speech and improve his pronunciations.

Abanulo, who moved to Alabama in 2020, admits he was initially apprehensive about his latest posting, which meant exchanging a comfortable role as university chaplain for two rural parishes.

People were telling me Father, dont go there. The people there are rednecks, he said.

But after a year, and a warm reception, he says he now tells his friends, There are no rednecks here. All I see are Jesus necks.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.


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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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Historic insurer LV was one of the few firms to escape the clutches of private equity earlier this year, following a vigorous Daily Mail campaign.

The 178-year-old life insurer looked set to fall into the hands of US buyout barons Bain Capital for 530m.

But LV's bosses who had pushed for the deal, encouraged by the lure of more generous pay, underestimated the company's members. Around 90 per cent of LV's 1.2m customer-owners refused to vote the deal through, by abstaining or rejecting Bain's advances.

Making a stand: Around 90 per cent of LV's 1.2m customer-owners refused to vote the deal through, by abstaining or rejecting Bain Capital's advances

The collapse of the deal was a victory for member democracy and for this paper. LV was one of the country's largest mutuals, meaning it is owned by its customers and run for their benefit.

This had always been important to the business. Modern-day members were worried what might happen to LV and its values if it was snapped up by a profit-hungry investor.

Bain declined to reveal how many jobs might be lost and members felt that the promise of just 100 was a poor substitution for giving up their ownership of LV and its years of mutuality.

So LV lives to fight on as a mutual. It is back in talks with other buyers, including Royal London, which wants to keep the firm as a mutual.
Raids on British defence companies have sparked fears a crucial industry will be hollowed out.

The UK has the second-biggest aerospace and defence sector in the world. But swoops on firms including Ultra Electronics and Meggitt have increased fears that this is in jeopardy with jobs, intellectual property and cutting-edge technology at risk of going overseas.

Concern: Swoops on firms including Meggitt have increased fears that the aerospace and defence sector is in jeopardy

US private equity giant Advent International offered 2.6billion for Ultra in July, upsetting politicians and experts. They pointed out the supplier to the armed forces also makes submarine-hunting kit  and that Advent bought Cobham for 4billion in 2020, selling more than half of it in 18 months.

A 6.3billion move on Meggitt by US rival Parker-Hannifin also hit opposition. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng decides on both cases next year.

The new National Security and Investment Act means the Government must study deals in 17 industries, which could halt Viasat's 5.4billion move on satellite firm Inmarsat and Nvidia's 30billion swoop on Arm Holdings.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that Israel would not automatically oppose a nuclear deal with Iran but world powers must take a firmer position.

We are not the bear who said no, Bennett said in an interview with Israels Army Radio, referring to a popular naysaying character from childrens literature.

Israel prefers a more result-oriented approach, he said.

For sure there can be a good agreement. For sure. We know the parameters. Is that expected to happen now in the current dynamics? No. Because there needs to be a much firmer position, he said.

Iran is negotiating with a very weak hand. But unfortunately the world is acting like Iran is at a strong point.

Bennett declined to comment on Israels military strike capabilities against Iran, saying he preferred the approach of speak little and do a lot.

On Monday, Iran and the United States resumed indirect talks in Vienna on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with Iran focused on one side of the original bargain, lifting sanctions against it, despite what critics see as scant progress on reining in its atomic activities.

SOURCE: REUTERS
TROY  Anyone who has lived in these parts for more than a few trips around the sun will likely know about Rensselaer County's bipartisan history of political corruption.

There was, to name one notable example, Troy's infamous ballot fraud scandal of 2009, which led to several Democratic officials and operatives pleading guilty to participating in a scheme to cast sham votes. Those with longer memories might recall the 1994 corruption conviction of former county Democratic Chairman Edward McDonough.

On the Republican side, former Legislature Chairman Martin Reid in 2016 pleaded guilty to stealing unemployment benefits. And, of course, we shouldn't overlook the 2009 conviction of former State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, for decades the most powerful force in county politics.

Yes, Bruno's conviction was later overturned after the U.S. Supreme Court limited the law under which he was prosecuted, and the Brunswick lawmaker was subsequently acquitted in a second trial. Still, Bruno's saga and many other cases contributed to the widespread view that "public service"  hee-hee, har-har  was a dirtier business in Rensselaer County than in most other places.

If the county's bad reputation had started to fade in recent years given a relative dearth of newer allegations, the ignominy has now returned with a vengeance. Where does one even begin?

Well, let's start at the top, with County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

Fresh off a commanding reelection victory, McLaughlin this month was indicted on two felony counts alleging that in 2017 he used $3,500 from his campaign account to settle a personal debt, then falsely reported the expense to the state Board of Elections.

County Minority Leader Peter Grimm, a Democrat from Troy, says McLaughlin should resign  but that's an overreach. Innocent until proven guilty is a principle worth honoring, and prosecutors shouldn't have what would amount to veto power over elections.

Plus, it's odd that McLaughlin is now being charged for something that allegedly happened four years ago, when he was still a member of the state Assembly. What took so long? The delay by Attorney General Letitia James seems unfair both to McLaughlin, who did not return a request for comment, and to voters who should have known about the allegations long before his reelection.

That aside, common sense and basic propriety would suggest this is a kooky moment to hand McLaughlin a big raise  but that's what the Republican just received. With seemingly little public notice or debate, the county Legislature last week boosted his pay from $121,300 to $142,000.

Merry Christmas, Steve! (And for county taxpayers, a big middle finger.)

"We figured he deserved the raise," said Mike Stammel, chairman of the Republican-controlled Legislature, who cited McLaughlin's record of accomplishment and pay relative to other county executives as reasons for the boost. Stammel noted that the increase was only about half of what McLaughlin had wanted.

But what about the indictments? Doesn't it look bad to reward a person facing criminal charges?

"I didn't think it was our place to look at the accusations," Stammel said, adding that to forgo the increase would be akin to presuming McLaughlin's guilt.

Stammel may have good reason to take an especially dim view of prosecutors, given that his phone was recently seized as part of a metastasizing ballot fraud investigation being conducted by the FBI, state police and the New York attorney general's office.

So far, the probe has stretched from Hoosick Falls, where the village police chief was suspended after being questioned by investigators, to Lansingburgh, where a public housing complex is an apparent focus of the investigation, to Rensselaer, where a voter who alleged fraud says his tires were slashed. What a mess.

Stammel, though, derided the investigation as politically motivated, adding that prosecutors could just as easily be looking into ballot machinations by county Democrats but are instead focusing only on Republicans.

"I truly believe that this is an orchestrated attempt to make me look bad," Stammel said Monday. "There's more to this story than meets the eye, and I hope it comes out."

Rensselaer County's history does offer reasons to withhold judgment. In addition to Bruno's acquittal, several accused in the 2009 fraud scandal had charges dropped or were subsequently acquitted, and former County Executive Henry Zwack was among those acquitted after patronage bribery allegations in 2002.

Still, it's hard not to view all that's been happening in recent weeks, the charges filed and the potential for more yet to come, as a return to the shameful days of yore, when the stink from certain elected officials threatened to taint what's wonderful about Rensselaer County.

It feels like old times, and not in a good way.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
After more than five years, Tim Lake is leaving WTEN/WXXA. The journalist joined the station in January 2016 as a reporter and anchor.

When not at the news desk Lake, like his colleague John Gray, is an author. He has written several fiction and non-fiction books.

Lake will finish up at WTEN/WXXA in early January.

Filling the vacancy created by the long-time journalist's departure will be a name familiar to many Capital Region TV news viewers: Solomon Syed.

We are very excited to announce Solomon Syed will be joining our esteemed anchor lineup," says Ryan Mott, the news director at WTEN/WXXA. "As a Capital Region native and familiar face to local viewers, it is a great opportunity to bring him back to the anchor desk here with the WTEN and WXXA family. We welcome his energy, experience, and knowledge to our team.

Syed, who we featured as a "20 things you don't know about me" as well as "20 Things +" was at Spectrum News for more than 10 years. He left the station in September 2020 to take a job as the assistant vice president for communications, marketing and government relations at SUNY Empire State College.

I am beyond excited and humbled to be telling the Capital Regions stories once again. Reporting the news in your hometown is a privilege and honor," says Syed, who will also anchor Empire State Weekly which airs Sunday mornings on WTEN. The show is a political affairs program that airs across all of Nexstars upstate channels. It covers public policy topics of statewide importance and impact.

Syed goes on to say he's grateful to SUNY Empire State College for entrusting him with overseeing their communications and marketing efforts for the past year. His departure was amicable. Syed stresses he loves the college, but simply missed news. This was an opportunity that presented itself that drew on his passion.

"My time as a higher education executive was rewarding and will make me a more well-rounded journalist," he adds.

Look for Syed on NEWS10 ABC and FOX23 starting at the end of January.
FAYETTE, Miss. (AP)  Seven people were shot and wounded during a Christmas party at a small town in southwestern Mississippi.

The shootings happened early Sunday at the Fayette Community Center. Five of the wounded were taken to Merit Health hospital in Natchez.
TROY  A water main believed to be more than a century old broke Monday shutting down Northern Drive, a major commuter route through the citys north end, city officials said.

City crews dug down about eight feet under the road to reach the cracked 12-inch iron water main to make repairs.

Public Utilities Superintendent Chris Wheland said the biggest difficulty in fixing the main is dealing with traffic. Wheland estimated the pipe dated back to the early 1900s. Its just west of the citys water treatment plant.

The cause for the break in the water main was not immediately known.

The city issused a boil water notice to customers who had low water pressure Monday as a result of the break in the main. The streets impacted are Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth avenues, M, N, O and R streets and Corliss Park Apartments. Anyone with questions about the boil water advisory should contact the Department of Public Utilities at 518-237-0611.

Northern Drive was closed to traffic between Fifth and Eighth avenues in Lansingburgh Monday. The road is a major route for commuters traveling back and forth from Washington County and northern Rensselaer County to Troy and other communities in the core of the Capital Region.

The Eighth Avenue entrance to the Troy Housing Authoritys Corliss Park Apartments was shut with Northern Drive being closed. Access to the apartment complex was available through Ninth Avenue.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Traffic delays are expected. Vehicles will be detoured via Cemetery Road and Gurley Avenue. Motorists are asked to reduce speed and utilize the posted detour route. Local emergency services have been notified of traffic restrictions, the city said in a statement issued Monday.
ALBANY  The omicron variant of COVID-19 continues its march across the greater Capital Region and New York state.

On Tuesday, County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced 277 new confirmed coronavirus cases in Albany County, almost double the 141 reported on Monday. Meanwhile, the statewide seven-day COVID-19 test positivity rate hit 13.4 percent and in the Capital Region it rose to 10 percent, based on the newest data released Tuesday afternoon.

For context, public health officials have been concerned when an area's average test positivity rate climbs above 5 percent, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In May 2020, for example, the World Health Organization recommended local governments weighing when to reopen after the initial coronavirus-forced shutdowns should wait to do so until their locality's test positivity rate remained below 5 percent for at least two weeks.

Now in the eight-county greater Capital Region, the seven-day average test positivity rate ranges from 8.2 in Schenectady County to percent to 12.9 percent in Greene County, with Albany County at 9.9 percent.

Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen noted in an email that the test-positivity rates, and other data points such as the "record-high number of cases" indicate that "(w)e are seeing a sharp uptick in cases likely due to the highly transmissible omicron variant."

The full impact of the omicron variant and holiday get-togethers, she said, won't be known until later this month. "It is therefore likely that the steep upward trajectory of cases will continue through the first few weeks of January and possibly beyond that," she said.

She also repeated the call of public health officials for people to get vaccinated, including receiving booster doses where appropriate.

"If you have not received the first dose, it is not too late to start the vaccine series  some immunity is conferred even days after the first dose," she said, adding that "the best protective levels for immunity are in those who are fully vaccinated, two weeks after completion of the final dose."

She said vaccination can stop transmission of the virus and decrease the likelihood of severe infection, hospitalization, and death.

In Albany County, McCoy reported that of the 61 people hospitalized Tuesday with the virus  an increase of 7 from the previous day  59 percent were not vaccinated.

We know that getting the shot helps fight COVID-19 and if there are breakthrough cases, symptoms are often less severe and may keep you out of the hospital, McCoy said.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In addition to vaccines, Whalen said it's essential to continue masking indoors, handwashing, staying home when sick, and testing if you you have symptoms.

For those making plans for New Year's Eve on Friday and other holiday celebrations, she urged prudence.

"I would continue at this time to caution against large social gatherings, as we are seeing so much transmission," she said.

In the greater Capital Region, seven-day average positivity rates by county currently range from 8.2 percent to 12.9 percent, according to the latest New York state data, as follows:

County Seven-day average test positivity rate
The number of children and teens hospitalized with COVID-19 outside of New York City reached a new peak on Monday, but the numbers are still relatively insignificant compared to pediatric hospitalizations downstate, according to the most recently available data from the state Department of Health.

Of 190 children and teens hospitalized in New York on Dec. 27, just 57 were located upstate or in the suburbs of New York City.

The latest COVID-19 surge, driven by the highly contagious but less lethal omicron variant, has had little impact on pediatric hospitalizations in the Capital Region. Local hospitals are currently treating about five pediatric cases, according to the latest figures.

A spokesperson for Albany Medical Center, which has the largest pediatric ward in the region, said Tuesday that so far there has not been an uptick in pediatric cases and there isn't enough data to determine how omicron is behaving in people under age 19.

Across the state, pediatric hospitalizations jumped 9 percent from Sunday, when they were at 174, to Monday, according to the data. In New York City, pediatric cases jumped 11 percent overnight.

Hospitalization rates and deaths are now the preferred metrics for measuring omicron's impact as most people who are infected with the COVID-19 variant report mild symptoms. The availability of untraceable at-home tests has also made the state data on lab-based tests less useful.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said that schools will remain open as students return to classes next week with ramped-up testing.

The governor and acting state Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said that more than 30 million testing kits are being delivered to New York and many of those will be distributed to school districts to help them screen for coronavirus cases.

"Most cases are not being transmitted in schools," Hochul said. "Children are wearing their masks. We want more vaccinated. We want them boosted at some point as soon as possible, but we understand that it's not a good option to say children are going to be returning home again."

Hochul said her administration would meet with school superintendents on Tuesday to manage the distribution of the testing kits and the plans for children to return to school. The opening of schools remains subject to change, Hochul added. Bassett noted that hospitalizations of children infected with COVID-19 continue to climb, although the omicron variant is considered less dangerous.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"Children become infected and some will be hospitalized, the immunization coverage in this group, the vaccination coverage, remains too low," Bassett said.

The governor reiterated New York's need to boost the numbers of vaccinations of nursing home residents and with children, specifically those aged 5 to 11 years old. The biggest hurdle for nursing home residents, Hochul said, continues to be family members declining vaccinations for relatives who couldn't consent to them.

Vaccinations were first made available to children aged 5 to 11 on Nov. 3.

Bassett said that within the 5-to-11 age group, about 27 percent have received one vaccination dose, while 75 percent of the general population has received the same amount of protection against COVID-19.

Both Hochul and Bassett encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated during the holiday season. In the first three weeks of December, the state saw 358 pediatric hospital admissions attributed to the virus. Bassett said none of those children had been vaccinated.

"Many people continue to think children don't become infected with COVID-19," Bassett said. "This is not true."
SARATOGA SPRINGS  With one lawsuit filed and another one pending, incoming city Mayor Ron Kim promises greater transparency on police accusations of misconduct - and he said he will terminate the current city attorneys to get it.

The action comes amid a filing of an Article 78 by former executive editor of the Saratogian and Troy Record Barbara Lombardo, who since August 2020 has sought copies of excessive use of force complaints. But the request has been blocked by City Halls legal department for 16 months.

Another resident, John Schroeder, also can't get his request for all disciplinary records of current city police and employees fulfilled either. He, however, is waiting to file a suit, pinning his hopes on Kim's transparency promise.

Kim said he will open up the documents residents have requested.

We are going to release (the records), Kim said. Right now, its we are following the law, but not really following the law. There are clear reasons why the city wouldnt release them, personnel reasons or ongoing litigation. But we are just going to try to get the information out.

The release of police records to the public is a result of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos repeal of 50-a, a state Civil Rights Law that for decades blocked public view of police disciplinary files. The repeal in June 2020, coming after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, was considered a win for those fighting for civil rights and against police brutality.

Yet a change in the city's handling of Freedom of Information requests, Kim said, will require a reassessment of the citys legal department that has been issuing the denials for the information. That means city attorneys Vincent DeLeonardis and Anthony Izzo, who work at the pleasure of the mayor, will be out of a job at some point in 2022, the incoming mayor said.

Im an attorney. My deputy, Angela Rella, is an attorney, Kim said. We wont skip a beat advising the city.

He also said that taxpayers will save on unnecessary legal expenses that require hiring a litigation lawyer like Glens Falls attorney John Aspland, who is arguing against fulfilling the Freedom of Information requests.

Aspland said the city has a right to deny the requests for complaints against an officer if an internal investigation shows the complaint to be unfounded. He also said its important to balance the publics right to know with a personal right to privacy.

Basically, there is a difference of opinion on the interpretation of the requirements of the law, Aspland said. Even with the repeal of Civil Rights Law section 50-a, police still have certain protections  The repeal of 50-a didnt abrogate the right to privacy that public employees still possess.

Lombardo said she was astounded that could even be considered an argument.

It goes against the spirit of the Freedom of Information Law," she said. "The public has the right to know the city followed its own rules for investigating complaints. If the complaints are unfounded there is a way to protect the officers identity. But there is a way to let the public know a complaint was received, how it was acted on and what the disposition was.

Lombardo is interested in this information as she has written extensively on the death of Darryl Mount Jr., the young biracial man who died after a 2013 foot chase with police. She said the information should be made public after former Police Chief Greg Veitch lied to a Saratogian reporter about an internal investigation into the death of Mount. That, she said, puts into question all that the police say about efforts to stave off misconduct.

What Im looking for is transparency in police misconduct, including how complaints against officers are handled, Lombardo said. And thats a matter of public importance.

Moreover, she said she took all the steps that the Freedom of Information Law lays out and she only received two of 18 excessive use of force records she requested. She also said she received an advisory opinion endorsing her stance from the state's Committee on Open Government.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Still, the only thing she received from the city was disciplinary records on an officer sleeping on the job, one using a personal cell phone at work, another getting a cruiser stuck in the mud and another calling someone a f-er

My only option was to file the lawsuit, she said.

As for Schroeder, he said he's not "asking for anything special."

"Im just asking them to follow the law," he said.

Lombardo agreed, but said added she doesnt want to have to depend on who is in office and then hope they will follow the law.

As a citizen, I appreciate any elected officials willingness to be transparent, she said. Also as a citizen, I dont want any of us to have to rely on the good will or whim of a politician at a given time.

Kim said he gets that and that transparency will be key to his administration.

Its been very difficult to get information out, Kim said. This isnt the citys information, its the taxpayers information. They are paying our salaries. We have to do what is right.

Saratoga Springs police Chief Shane Crooks did not respond to a Times Union request for comment on the matter on Monday afternoon.

Note: The story was amended on Wednesday, Dec. 29, to include mention that two of 18 excessive use of force complaints were received by Barbara Lombardo.
While the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, its important not to lose focus on other large, vital health issues. Every year, 4,380 Americans die while waiting for a kidney transplant, including over 400 New Yorkers. There are not enough cadaver donations to help them.

Most of these people could be saved and go on to lead longer, healthier lives by receiving a kidney from a living donor. Its long been known that if just a small fraction of Americans donated their kidneys, the 100,000- person organ waitlist might be eliminated. It stands to reason, then, that we should enact some sort of legislation to incentivize kidney donation, but many have argued against paying Americans to sell their kidneys, and federal law prohibits such sales.

However, there is another way to proceed that preserves core transplant donation values while seeking to increase living kidney donation. A new bill in the state Legislature would fully compensate New Yorkers for the costs associated with living donation, and another would offer free health insurance to anyone who donates.

Other countries have taken bold steps to increase donations. Israel, to combat one of the lowest cadaver donation rates in the world, passed legislation that includes five years of medical and life insurance. Since then, donation rates have quadrupled. We need to be as creative in New York.

What the New York legislation understands is that kidney donation is an act of commendable public service, one that deserves all the honors that we give to public servants like soldiers, nurses, EMTs, and firefighters. Instead of trying to pay donors in a market system that would treat donation as a transaction, we should properly treat donors as what they are: heroes trying to help those in dire need.

In 2019, President Donald Trump issued an executive order meant to promote American kidney health through increased donation, but it didnt go far enough. We need sweeping legislation to support and promote donation  a kind of GI Bill for living donors. After donation, donors should receive the best health care we have, for life, at no cost to them. Any expenses related to their donation, from lost wages to day care to travel, need to be fully covered.

Throughout this pandemic, weve seen the fiscal extent to which the government can go to save thousands of lives. Providing for donors would actually save taxpayers money. Because dialysis treatments to treat kidney failure are extremely high-cost, a single transplant saves $121,000 every year. Since Medicare carries most of this cost, legislation that facilitates living donations could save $12 billion annually.

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The idea of payment for expenses and insurance is not new. The United States is one of only a few countries that pays for blood plasma donations. As a result, we supply more than 70 percent of the worlds plasma products. We ask Americans to be marrow donors for strangers but we try to ensure the donors have their health and insurance costs covered. In a similar light, we must recognize and protect kidney donors.

Theres a real opportunity for New York to lead the nation in stamping out death and disability due to kidney disease by taking bold steps to increase living kidney donation. As a bioethicist and a kidney donor, we recognize that now is the time to act. State lawmakers should prioritize these bills and provide a safety net for those willing to be donors. You should not lose money or risk debt to be a hero.

Arthur Caplan is the director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University. Sammy Beyda is a kidney donor and a student at Columbia University.
Something about this season echoes the imperative to welcome the stranger, but humankind has proved impervious to the message. We seem unable to extend welcome  or even simple goodwill  to those outside the magic circle of tribe or church or tongue.

Even this nation that revels in its mythology of the melting pot  a place of refuge for the poor, the tired, the huddled masses  has not been welcoming to those masses. Every wave of poor immigrants brings a xenophobic backlash. Now that so many would-be immigrants are Black or brown, the backlash borders on hysteria  an existential crisis for the whites who fear losing their status.

That aggrieved group of reactionary whites  a minority, but a loud and substantial one  is putting the nation in peril of demographic decline. If we cannot welcome Mexicans, Hondurans and Haitians, we will start the slide toward a narrowing future. There wont be enough younger Americans to pay taxes, fight wars, build houses or care for the elderly. There wont be enough healthy adults to fill the ranks of firefighters, police officers and paramedics.

In 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the United States grew at the slowest rate in its history  just 0.1 percent. There were only 148,000 more births than deaths.

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly played its part. Official statistics record about 800,000 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began, but medical experts say that undercounts the death toll, which is more likely closer to 1 million.

Moreover, there is a deeper trend that demographers have pointed to for years: American families are simply having fewer children. In 2020, the U.S. birthrate dropped by 4 percent over the previous year, the sixth consecutive year that the number of births declined, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The agency, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the U.S. birthrate has been generally below replacement  the number of children required to keep the population stable  since 1971.

That is a trend in many countries, especially in the more developed parts of the world, where women have ready access to contraceptives. Already, the populations of Japan, Russia and several Western European countries, including Germany, have begun to shrink.

The U.S. has been saved from that fate, in part, through immigration. As recently as 2016, net migration (which includes American citizens moving back into the country) totaled about 1 million persons per year. Immigrants often bring young families and have more children. They reinvigorate communities and start businesses. They join the U.S. armed forces and fight for their new country.

But Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency on a platform that denigrated immigrants of color, and he won  elevating xenophobia, rewarding bigotry, embodying nativism. He had babies ripped from their mothers arms at the southern border and had children locked in cages. He tried to ban all Muslims from entering.

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The number of immigrants has declined precipitously. President Joe Biden has been cognizant of the nativism emerging in the land, so he has kept many of Trumps malicious policies in place. Haitians trying to enter the U.S. were sent back to a country many of them hardly knew. Mexicans, Guatemalans and Hondurans are stuck in squalid camps south of the border.

Thats not good news for our nation. While we are unlikely to see the apocalypse portrayed in the novel (and film) Children of Men, we will see decline. Schools and universities will close across the country. The economy will suffer. As demographer Lyman Stone told FiveThirtyEight, What happens to mortgages in a country where real estate depreciates like a used car because the population is falling and we need fewer and fewer houses all the time?

The solution is staring us in the face if we can see beyond our prejudices. We cannot take in every desolate, suffering sojourner trying to enter, but we can start, again, to invite in a million or so a year.

And we can surely allow the Dreamers to stay. That group of young adults has already proved that they are an asset to this country. They think of themselves as Americans. Handing them an official welcome  citizenship  shouldnt be difficult.

Cynthia Tucker won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2007. She can be reached at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.
Art of the finding and taking

William Jaeger, visual arts writer

Through this diabolical pandemic, only resourcefulnessor pure luckmade it possible to see art in the flesh. Frankly, the gallery and museum scene has been chaotic.

There was the Tang, closed to the general public while still putting on bang-up shows for the Skidmore community. There was Massry Gallery at the College of Saint Rose, which shuttered for good this year, though not directly because of Covid. Albany Airport Gallery was forced to relocate and downsize, though it resurrected without skipping a beat, now with a view of the runways. Many spaces, especially weighty institutions like the New York State Museum, reined in their ambitions and accessibility, but now are regrouping.

Then there were the stalwarts, the steadfast venues that mostly stuck it out and showed art  with precautions in place  through thick and thin. Im thinking of Albany Center Gallery, Collar Works Gallery, and Opalka Gallery to name three. Kudos to all the hard, often unsung, work behind the scenes everywhere.

By the summer of 2021, things were bouncing back. The annual outdoor sculpture show at Chesterwood, which showed the same work for both 2019 and 2020, pulled off a brand new event for 2021 with large sculptures by John Van Alstine.

There were other outdoor art installations closer to Albany, and I dont mean the holiday lights in Washington Park, which are aesthetic in some wonderfully kitchsy way (and are in their last showing in that location). Im thinking of Summit, a huge cutout image of a mountain on top of Opalka Gallery, an upbeat disruption to the area skyline by Adam Frelin. There was also the collaboration between Albany Center Gallery and Albany Barn (with help from the Albany Parking Authority) for a number of mural projects which most of us have enjoyed and maybe wondered who was behind it all.

The Sarah Cain one person show at the Tang was certainly a clearly delineated statement about this womans colorful work. And the group show about Black and Latinx representation at Opalka Gallery, Shifting Gaze, was remarkable  and its still up for those who can make it. Both the Tang and Opalka have been reliably pertinent and rich in their exhibitions for years, so keep them at the top of your list. Likewise, the unusual Jack Shainman Gallery outpost in Kinderhook called The School is a must-see every time. The summer show for 2021, Feedback, careened through a whole range of contemporary styles and intentions.

William Jaeger

For me, easily the best single show of 2021 was Cross Pollination, the collaboration between the Thomas Cole House and Frederick Churchs house, Olana, that included artworks inside and out, contemporary and traditional. It repositioned how we see the houses themselves with art interceding in those historic interiors, and it brought little known art to light on both sides of the Hudson.

All the shows Ive pointed to in this overview have rich online accessibility, from drone video footage to interactive 3D walkthroughs. All the links are still active and ready for you to virtually stop by.
Video released Monday shows Los Angeles police firing at an assault suspect last week at a clothing store, a shooting that also killed a 14-year-old girl who had been hiding in a dressing room and was struck by a bullet that went through a wall
Desmond Tutus family members have gathered at his Cape Town home in preparation for his funeral this weekend as South Africans honored his life
Health officials are urging people to take precautions, such as wearing masks and getting booster shots, after the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests more than doubled over the last week
DA: No charges for Cuomo from allegations by 2 women

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wont face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks
The main highway from San Francisco to Reno remains closed for a third day due to record-setting snow in the Lake Tahoe area after a winter storm blasted across northern California and Nevada
Digne could head to Italy but Chelsea talk brews

| Tuesday, 28 December 2021



The Frenchman appears to have been frozen out by the Spaniard after what was said to have been a training-ground disagreement; the arrival of the young Ukrainian left-back could pave the way for a significant change in that area of the Blues' team.

Digne, who was signed from Barcelona for 18M three years ago, might not have a way back into Benitez's good graces and is being linked with Chelsea, Inter Milan, Napoli and Juventus.

Indeed, a report by Tutto Juve suggests that Everton and Juventus could swap Digne and Aaron Ramsey in reciprocal loan deals until the summer.

Reports in England, however, are centring around Chelsea's interest given their need to draft in a replacement for Ben Chilwell who may need surgery to correct an ACL injury, with talk of Ross Barkley possibly coming back the other wayUpdated .

There have been suggestions that the Londoners want to take Digne on loan until the end of the season but the Daily Star claim that the Blues will only listen to offers that include an obligation to buy in the summer.

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This dude is in custody after a multi-state rampage that concluded with what MIGHT be a confession.



Here's the word . . .

While being interviewed at the sheriff's office, the authorities say he "implicated himself in the incident that left a minor child dead in Independence" earlier that day. The sheriff's office says he also implicated himself in an additional shooting that's being investigated in Missouri.



That sheriff's office booked him into jail for local charges of theft, criminal mischief, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Man 'implicated himself' in Independence shooting that left 3-year-old dead, authorities in Nebraska say OMAHA, NE (KCTV) -- We are learning more about a man who was arrested in Nebraska following a fatal accidental shooting in Independence, Missouri, that left a young child dead. The Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff's Office says they had received information about a man who was involved in a shooting and left to avoid being arrested in Independence.

Developing . . .
Despite heated political debate, the pandemic persists and locals struggle to deal with the new normal amid constant public health threats.

Accordingly, here's a glimpse at the ongoing struggle to persevere amid plauge . . .

"The World Health Organizations leader is speaking out, saying he believes the worldwide pandemic has a good chance of ending in the coming year. Physicians and public health leaders in the Kansas City metro are hopeful, but uncertain."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Kansas City health officials optimistic as COVID hospitalizations remain stable KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When it comes to COVID-19, there's guarded optimism in the public health community. The World Health Organization's leader is speaking out, saying he believes the worldwide pandemic has a good chance of ending in the coming year. Physicians and public health leaders in the Kansas City metro are hopeful, but uncertain.

A Kansas City business owner prepares for COVID to keep disrupting work: 'It's no joke' As the U.S. ends its second calendar year of the COVID-19 pandemic, KCUR wanted to hear from members of the greater Kansas City community about their experiences and reflections. Fahteema Parrish is the owner of Parrish & Sons Construction, based in Kansas City, and is one of the industry's rare Black women leaders.

Curative Kansas City testing sites temporarily close KANSAS CITY, Mo. - All Curative COVID-19 testing sites in Kansas City have temporarily closed until Dec. 29, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department. Testing site update: All Curative KC COVID-19 testing sites are closed. They will reopen 12/29.

Missouri health officials: Presence of omicron variant rising quickly throughout state Missouri health officials say the presence of the omicron variant is rising quickly throughout the state.In a news release Monday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said that more than half of community sewershed samples tested during the week of Dec. 20 showed the presence of the omicron variant.

Over 6,900 new coronavirus cases reported since Wednesday in Kansas by: Ryan Newton Posted: / Updated: WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has updated its coronavirus data following the Christmas holiday. The state reported 6,939 new cases, 119 new hospitalizations and 14 new deaths, bringing the state's death toll to 6,964.

COVID-19 testing sites see high demand after holiday weekend KANSAS CITY, Mo. - COVID-19 testing sites around the Kansas City metro are experiencing high demand after the holiday weekend. The site at the Heavy Construction Laborers Union at 7820 Prospect Ave. had cars lining down the street throughout all of Monday.

Three more Chiefs players cleared off reserve/COVID list; others could follow, Reid says KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After the team was hit hard by a COVID-19 outbreak, three more Kansas City Chiefs players were cleared from the reserve/COVID list on Monday. Linebacker Nick Bolton and offensive linemen Lucas Niang and Kyle Long have all been removed from the team's COVID list.

COVID virus can spread to heart, brain days after infection, study says The virus that causes COVID-19 can spread to a patient's heart and brain days after infection - and survive for months in organs, according to a new study that may shed light on the so-called "long COVID."

Fauci says U.S. should consider vaccine mandate for domestic air travel The federal government should consider requiring Covid-19 vaccines for domestic flights, the nation's top infectious disease expert said Monday. "When you make vaccinations a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

COVID delays holiday travel for thousands: "Omicron is the Grinch that stole Christmas" CBS News It was a difficult Christmas weekend for thousands of Americans because of the latest COVID surge. Twice as many people traveled for Christmas this year compared to last year, reports correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti, with many people arriving at homes impacted by COVID.

Developing . . .


In this collection of local news we take a peek at the ongoing drug crisis across the nation along with community outcry amid the current deadly crime spree . . .



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

The DEA is raising the alarm about the increased flow of fentanyl across the country According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there is an overdose death in the United States every five minutes. A majority of those come at the hands of fentanyl, which the DEA says is flowing across the country at unprecedented levels.Fentanyl is most commonly found in the form of fake prescription pills.

Family mourns 16-year-old gunned down in KCK The family of a 16-year-old boy is planning his funeral after a fatal shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, last week.Carlos Ambriz Garcia attended Wyandotte High School."He was just a loving kid, a big teddy bear," said Amapola Garcia, Carlos' mother.The teen's family said he loved his family and siblings.

Family still hoping for answers in Kansas City, Kansas mother's 1998 killing KANSAS CITY, Kan. - It's been over two decades, but the family of a Kansas City, Kansas homicide victim is still hoping that her case can be solved. Family members of Christina Ranae King gathered near North 27th Street and Sewell Avenue for a balloon release and prayer vigil Monday evening.

Family and KCK community leaders call for justice after grandmother killed in shooting KANSAS CITY, Kan. - On Christmas Eve, Kansas City, Kansas police say an 85-year-old grandmother was killed in a drive-by shooting while she was sitting at home with her husband. Patricia Panijan was watching TV in the living room when a car drove past her home and senselessly opened fire.

Olathe man charged in November fatal crash KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An Olathe man was charged with second degree murder Monday in a Nov. 18 crash that killed a motorcyclist. Ruben Rodriguez, 35, was held Monday in the Johnson County Adult Detention Center. A judge set his bond at $250,000.

Mother warns of dangers of pills after losing son to fentanyl overdose Rebecca Everitt has a warning for parents.She never expected a pain pill could have taken her son's life."Anything I can do to get this out in the open and make aware of how horrible this drug is, I'll do," she told KMBC 9 Investigates.Taylor Everitt, 24, died of a fentanyl overdose in October of 2020.

A sign of hope . . .

Man Arrested in KC Killing After Residents Alerted Police KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man has been arrested in a Kansas City, Missouri, killing after residents came forward to tell police of the man's possible involvement in the crime. The fatal shooting happened Monday evening. The Kansas City Star reports that officers called to the scene found a man fatally shot on the front porch of a home.

Developing . . .
Again, we don't want to get caught on some kind of wacko anti-corporate rant. The local acquisition is good news for Oracle stockholders.

But again . . . The typical corporate takeover comes at a cost of 30% of the workforce deemed redundant by new bosses. In Kansas City, this will mean that THOUSANDS OF JOBS ARE SOON TO BE ELIMINATED.

Meanwhile, the push is on to ignore or obfuscate the hardship going forward . . . Here's today's example:

Oracle is not currently in the medical space, so that usually bodes well for the saving of jobs in that type of transaction, John Hense Jr., managing director of CC Capital Advisors, told the Kansas City Business Journal."

If that's the last remaining shred of hope locals want to cling to . . . Good luck!!!



Meanwhile . . .

The smart money might want to think about polishing up that resume and realizing the corporate loyalty has evolved along with the global economy.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
Once again the Internets served to mostly MISINFORM BROKE-ASS SHOPPERS and the plebs this evening.

Thankfully, the plebs and local news are helping to slow down the rumor mill.

Read the latest . . .



Reports began circulating shortly after 7 p.m. that a shooting had occurred at a Walmart north of the river in KCMO along North Boardwalk Avenue.



In response to questions, the police department stated "no shots were fired" and that "there is no active shooter."

To be fair, it's always pretty chaotic and depressing at just about any local Walmart. So we can understand the distress.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

KCPD says 'no active shooter,' 'no shots were fired' at Walmart on Monday night KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- According to the Kansas City Police Department, there was no shooting at a Walmart in the city on Monday night. Reports began circulating shortly after 7 p.m. that a shooting had occurred at a Walmart north of the river in KCMO along North Boardwalk Avenue.

KCPD: 1 in custody after disturbance at Northland Walmart SOURCE: KMBC Kansas City police said one person was taken into custody after a disturbance Monday evening at a Walmart north of the river.Police said officers were called at 6:42 p.m. to the store at 8551 North Boardwalk Avenue.Authorities have not released any other details about what happened.Refresh this page for updates.

Developing . . .
The local murder spike persists but there's reason for hope tonight . . .



After reports of the latest deadly shooting, there's also news of an arrest. Check the report:



Homicide 6000 block of Agnes

This evening just after 6:45pm, officers were called to the 6000 block of Agnes Ave in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, an adult male, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. EMS responded to the scene and pronounced the victim deceased.



Officers have detained a subject of interest at this time.



Detectives and Crime Scene Personnel have responded to the scene. They will be processing the scene and speaking to witnesses.



Detectives are asking anyone with information to call them at 816-234-5043. Or if you would like to remain anonymous you can do so by calling the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

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MSM coverage so far . . .



Man shot to death Monday night in KCMO KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the 157th time this year in Kansas City, Missouri, police are trying to solve a homicide. The latest homicide occurred at about 7 p.m. at East 60th Street and Agnes Avenue, police said. A man was found shot to death. No other information was immediately available.

Kansas City police investigating after man, shot, killed near 60th and Agnes by: Brian Dulle Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Detectives with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department are investigating after one person was shot and killed Monday night. The incident was reported just before 7 p.m. near E. 60th Street and Agnes Avenue.

Kansas City police investigate homicide Monday near 60th, Agnes Hide Transcript Show Transcript AND WE HAVE MORE BREAKING NEWS IN KANSAS CI.TY POLICE ARE INVTIESGATING A DEADLY SHOOTING AT 60TH AND AGNES. OFFICERS FOUND A MAN DEAD FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND JUST BEFORE 7:00.

Developing . . .
And there is news of another collaboration...this time the Air Guard working with the Prison
Russian-backed forces launched five attacks on Ukrainian positions on December 24, two of them involving weapons banned under the Minsk agreements, the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation has said in a morning report on Facebook.

"In the direction of Novozvanivka, the enemy fired from man-portable anti-tank grenade launchers. Near Marinka, the enemy fired 120mm mortars. In the direction of Katerynivka, Russian mercenaries opened fire from under-barrel and automatic grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. In the vicinity of Novoluhanske, the occupiers fired small arms," the report said.

In addition, in Luhansk region, the Ukrainian military spotted an enemy UAV, probably Orlan-10, crossing the line of contact.

One Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling. The soldier is in a medical institution. He is in fair condition.

"Ukrainian defenders returned fire and forced the enemy to cease fire. As of 07:00 on December 25, no violations of the ceasefire by the Russian occupation forces have been recorded," the JFO HQ added.

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In the past 24 hours, on December 27, the Russian occupation forces committed 10 ceasefire violations, one of which involved weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense, according to Ukrinform.

In the direction of the village of New York, the enemy opened fire three times using automatic easel-mounted grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and other small arms.

The occupiers used anti-tank missile systems outside Novozvanivka.

Not far from Hnutove, Russian mercenaries flew an unmanned aerial vehicle to drop VOG-17 shots.

In the area of Novoluhanske, the enemy fired automatic easel-mounted grenade launchers and near Maryinka  120-mm mortars.

On the outskirts of Krasnohorivka and Travneve in Donetsk region, Russias armed formations opened fire using automatic easel-mounted grenade launchers.

In Luhansk region, near the village of Lobacheve, the enemy fired grenade launchers of various systems and small arms.

As a result of the enemy attacks, two servicemen with the Joint Forces sustained combat injuries. The soldiers are now undergoing treatment in medical facilities, remaining in serious condition.

Ukrainian defenders returned fire without using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements, forcing the enemy to cease shelling.

As of 7:00 on Tuesday, December 28, no new ceasefire violations were recorded.

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Ukrainian servicemen have detained on the line of contact a militant with the so-called "LPR" terrorist organization as he was heading toward Ukraines defense positions in a state of intoxication.

This was reported by the press center of the Joint Forces Operation HQ, Ukrinform reports.

"On the morning of December 27, 2021, a member of the illegal armed formation of the Russian occupation forces was detained in Luhansk region near the observation post manned by one of the units performing combat missions to repel and deter armed aggression by Russia. The violator sporting a Russian uniform, being a state of heavy drug intoxication, was moving across the line of contact towards the Ukrainian positions," the statement reads.

It is noted that Ukrainian defenders detained the militant and handed him over to SBU operatives.

It was established that the mercenary, 40, had been contracted by one of the units that is part of the Russian occupation forces illegal armed formations. The detainee holds a passport of the so-called "LPR."

It was also found that the detainee in the past had served a prison sentence, from 2006 to 2012, on murder charges.

The inquiry is underway to establish all the circumstances of the detainee's illegal activity.

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The Ministry of Defense has pointed to the need for local governments to act within their competence and prevent steps and statements contradicting the national resistance law.

This was stated by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Ministrys press service.

"I appeal to all heads of local governments and other elected officials. I urge you to refrain from actions and statements that politicize the setup of territorial defense. We are talking about the most important thing  our countrys protection. This is not a place for PR and manipulation. We must all work together for the interests of Ukraine, each within their powers  to strengthen defenses, not harming them by breaking the balance of the process. There is a clear vertical of the Territorial Defense Forces. It is formed by the military. Community leaders do not lead the process of shaping up the Territorial Defense Forces and they must act within their competence," said the defense chief.

The Ministry recalled that the Law "On the Fundamentals of National Resistance" stipulates that the functions of organizing and implementing territorial defense tasks lie with the Territorial Defense Forces as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while direct command of territorial defense shall be conducted by the Army Commander-in-Chief through the Territorial Defense Forces Commander

The stages and procedure for the creation and development of the Territorial Defense Forces shall be defined by the Army Commander-in-Chief. No structures established by local officials shall be part of the Territorial Defense Forces. Local state administrations do take part in creating territorial defense headquarters, while they shall not do so on their own, the report said.

"We are entering the practical stage of implementing the provisions of this fundamental law. And it is important that everyone understands where their competence begins and where it ends. There can be no ambiguity in defense matters. Therefore, the first and only thing that everyone must remember is that the creation of the Territorial Defense Forces as a separate powerful component of comprehensive defense within the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the exclusive competence and function of the military," Reznikov said.

He explained that the Army forms the structure of the Territorial Defense Forces, drafts plans, sets tasks, appoints commanders, and provides weapons. Meanwhile, city mayors and village chiefs, as well as local self-government bodies in general, contribute to ensuring the proper material base.

Last week, the relevant government committee approved drafts of 14 Cabinet acts. After the government approves these decisions, which we expect will be done in the near future, the necessary basis will be created for the practical implementation of the law on the foundations of national resistance of January 1, 2022. There will be no pauses, so systematic work will be accelerated, where everyone should do their job," Reznikov concluded.

As reported earlier, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko held a meeting with deputy heads of the Kyiv City State Administration, heads of the Municipal Security Department, the capital's territorial defense brigade, the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office, the SBU, the Armed Forces Main Command, and the capital's police.

The meeting focused on the announcement that the capital was creating a territorial defense headquarters.

Kyiv's territorial defense system is set to be deployed in the near future. Also, territorial defense drills have been scheduled to be held in January.

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During December, the command of the Russian Armed Forces has continued to step up the combat capabilities of the operational grouping of the Russian-occupation forces in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

As the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs, the occupiers secretly brought fuel, military equipment, weapons and ammunition, electronic warfare, and unmanned aerial vehicles by rail and road from the territory of the Russian Federation to the units and divisions of the 1st (Donetsk) and 2nd (Luhansk) army corps.

The occupiers also used so-called "humanitarian convoys" to covertly supply military equipment.

Also, according to intelligence data, Russia has significantly increased the delivery of armored combat vehicles, both new and restored or modernized at Russian repair plants, to the units and divisions of the occupation forces.

In addition, Russian military personnel and mercenaries are sent to the enemy's units to fill vacancies in certain military specialties, primarily intelligence, snipers, artillerists, liaison officers, specialists in electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare.

As reported, over the past day, December 27, the occupiers violated the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine ten times, wounding two Ukrainian soldiers.

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As of December 23, 72,367 agricultural land purchase and sale agreements were registered in Ukraine with the total area of sold plots reaching almost 185,000 ha.

"The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine informs that 72,367 agreements within the land market have been concluded as of today," the Ministrys press service reports.

From July 1 to December 23 this year, the total area of agricultural land sold is 184,862 ha. The largest areas of agricultural land were sold in Kharkiv region (26,573 ha), Kirovohrad region (18,301.5 ha), Dnipropetrovsk region (16,346.2 ha), Kherson region (14,719 ha), and Poltava region (14,605.3 ha).

As reported, on July 1, 2021, the land market was officially launched in Ukraine. Until 2024, only natural persons and citizens of Ukraine will be able to buy agricultural land with a limit of 100 ha. The land market law prohibits foreigners from buying land. The issue of selling land to stateless persons and foreigners will be decided on a national referendum.

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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Hungary could pump 700 million cubic meters of gas to Ukraine in the first three months of 2022, according to Hungary Today.

The report quotes Szijjarto as saying that in 2020 and 2021, the largest amounts of gas imported by Ukraine from the west had traveled through Hungary, and this trend is expected to continue during the first three months of next year, with a total capacity of 700 million cubic meters.

According to him, the Hungarian government has worked a lot to ensure energy supplies for the country and increase Hungary's role in supplies for the region.

Szijjarto said that out of its seven neighbors Hungary now had gas links to six, while "the number of electric links will soon increase."

He also believes that "2022 will be a better year in terms of Hungary-Ukraine ties than this one."

Ukraine's Gas Transit System Operator and Hungary's FGSZ last week signed an agreement providing for the supply of a guaranteed amount of natural gas from Hungary to Ukraine from January 1, 2022.

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Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna signed the agreement on financing the Annual Action Program for 2020 on Nuclear Safety Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission.

The total value of the program is EUR 6.5 million, of which the EU will provide EUR 5 million, while Ukraine's contribution is EUR 1.5 million. Funds will be used to develop recommendations on possible options and technological solutions for the future management of the radioactive waste disposal site Pidlisny, as well as the management of waste contained therein. Funding will also help improve the system of radiation monitoring of water resources in the exclusion zone," the Government portal informs.

Stefanishyna also signed the additional agreement No.1 between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on amendments to the agreement on funding the Technical Cooperation Program 2019.

The additional agreement provides for the redirection of funds to enhance the capability of public authorities to implement the Association Agreement provisions in the field of transport. In particular, the assistance will improve the connectivity and compatibility of different modes of transport, the efficient use of available capacities, as well as reduce the cost of transport services to boost trade.

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Polish authorities do not rule out any developments on Ukraine's border with Russia and maintain close cooperation with Kyiv.

Thats according to Pawe Szrot, chief of the Cabinet of the Polish President, who spoke with Radio Poland, Ukrinform reports.

According to the official, Andrzej Duda receives information about the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border both from the national agencies and from Poland's allies.

"We are not ruling out any options now. The situation is serious. We work closely with Ukraine. Before the holidays, the president met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Lublin Triangle format. For the near future, these are not the last contacts as the cooperation is very intensive," Szrot said

He gas stressed that the president of Poland strongly supports Ukraine "when it comes to preserving its territorial integrity and democratic system."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Jakub Kumoch, Secretary of State in the Polish Presidents Chancellery, Head of the International Policy Bureau, said that in 2022 Andrzej Duda would be more pro-active in relations with Ukraine and Lithuania.

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The White House announced the date of the upcoming talks between the United States and Russia, where the security situation around Ukraine and NATO's activities in Europe will be discussed.

Thats according to the Voice of Americas Ukrainian service referring to an official with the U.S. National Security Council, Ukrinform reports.

"The United States expects to participate with Russia in the Strategic Security Dialogue Platform on January 10. In addition, as far as we understand, Russia and NATO intend to hold a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on January 12, while the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council is scheduled for the 13th," the official said, according to a report posted in Ukrainian.

The administration added that President Biden's approach to Ukraine is a combination of deterrence and diplomacy. "As the Alliance, we are united as for the consequences that Russia will face should it launch an offensive against Ukraine. But we are also united in our readiness to partake in fundamental diplomacy with Russia," the U.S. National Security Council said.

Representatives of the United States and Russia are expected to discuss the security situation around Ukraine and NATO's activities in Europe.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, while we will also put on the table our concerns about Russia's actions. We will adhere to the principle of nothing about our allies and partners without our allies and partners, including Ukraine. There will be areas where we can make progress and areas where we will have differences. That's what diplomacy is about," the Ukrainian service of the Voice of America was told.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on December 23 that talks with "American partners" on security issues can be expected early next year. According to the Russian leader, "representatives from both sides have been appointed."

Earlier, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried announced the possibility of a substantive dialogue with Russia to kick off next month. She stressed that the United States is considering negotiations in three formats: a bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, the NATO-Russia Council, and the OSCE.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington has not been planning talks of U.S. and Russian leaders. According to Blinken, some diplomatic progress must be made prior to that, along with de-escalation on the part of the Russian Federation and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

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International partners know that it is useless to even try to put pressure on Ukraine on issues that do not meet the interests of the state, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

According to Ukrinform, he stated this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"The possibility of 'insistently asking for' something or putting pressure on Ukraine regarding something that does not meet its interests - such an option is not on the table, it has been removed from the agenda. Our partners know that you shouldn't even try to do that," Kuleba said.

He noted that Ukraine is now an active subject and an active participant in international politics.

"Sometimes we even literally impose our vision, our position. Russia is also in this situation now, because it is not able to break Ukraine without such an escalation, as other means do not work. It is the inability to deprive Ukraine of support from partners that forces Russia to raise the stakes," Kuleba said.

When asked what Ukraine's proactive position in the story with security guarantees is, Kuleba recalled that U.S. Department of State official Karen Donfried was in Kyiv before traveling to Moscow and receiving these documents there, and the United States was the first to discuss the content of those documents with Ukraine.

As an example of such a position, he noted that giving Russia any role in relations between Ukraine and NATO is a priori impossible.

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Ukraine has not heard a single message from the United States about any compromises with Russia.

We have never heard the word compromise from our American partners when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. There have been also no conversations with us about reducing support or training. On the contrary: the United States and Ukraine are looking for a diplomatic solution to the problem, but we clearly understand who is the aggressor in this situation and whose sovereignty must be protected, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova told LB.ua Ukrainian online media outlet in an interview.

Commenting on rumors circulating inside Ukraine that the United States may agree to the scenario of Finlandization of Ukraine, the Ambassador noted that the only purpose of such experts is to sow panic among Ukrainians.

I repeat once again, we have not heard a single message from our strategic partner, the United States, about any compromises with Russia. And its not just words  we have the relevant documents signed from the United States over the past six months, which enshrine support for Ukraine, the development of Ukraines defense and economic capabilities, Markarova said.

The diplomat also stressed that Ukraine had heard several clear signals of support from the United States. In particular, the first: nothing will be decided on Ukraine without Ukraine. Second, the relations between Ukraine and NATO are exclusively a matter of Ukraine and the Allies. Third, the United States is ready for dialogue, but Europes security cannot be resolved without Europe.

According to the Ukrainian Ambassador, the United States is currently actively appealing to Russia to reach a diplomatic settlement, while at the same time showing Russia that there is another way.

For the United States and the entire civilized world, war is not a desirable scenario. At the same time, there is an understanding that there is a threat to Ukraines sovereignty, and the United States is not ready to give it up, Markarova said.

As reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 23 that talks with American partners on security issues can be expected at the beginning of the year. According to him, representatives from both sides have been appointed.

The White House said on December 28 that talks between the United States and Russia, which will address the security situation around Ukraine and NATO's activities in Europe, could take place on January 10.

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Each of the latest fake stories may open a gateway to hell just for a moment.

The latest security crisis in Eastern Europe revolves around a single question: will Putin resort to a large-scale invasion of Ukraine? No one, perhaps not even the Kremlin chief himself, is ready to give an unequivocal answer.

Since late October, Russia has been doing its best to prove it is able to defeat the Ukrainian Army in the near future. Under the formal pretext of exercises, more than 100,000-strong strike groupings have been amassed near Ukraines borders. At the same time, the threat looms from several directions: traditionally from the east and the ORDLO (occupied parts of Donbas), the sea, and Crimea, and recently also from Belarus, which is rapidly giving up to Russia whats left of its sovereignty.

The invasion bluff looks like blackmail to impose Russias agenda: a hypothetical "new Yalta", i.e. the distribution of spheres of influence in Europe, as happened at the end of World War II. However, diplomatic blackmail can also be a smokescreen for preparing for a real invasion of resilient Ukraine.

Since 2014, Ukrainians have become accustomed to living in conditions of permanent military and political confrontation with Russia. The tensions that have arisen this fall made them recall their anxieties of 2015, 2018, and the spring months of 2021. However, the determination to resist never wavered. In the end, most experts agreed that the actual combat use of the Russian armada assembled at our borders remains unlikely.

Simple logic and experience of recent years suggest that a significant military advantage is not enough for Russia to escalate. However, Ukraine is not inclined to create a casus belli  a formal reason for an act of aggression.

Therefore Russia is inspiring such pretexts by itself.

On December 1, Russian media outlets spread a fake allegation claiming that a group of peaceful migrants crossing the Belarusian-Ukrainian border had been shot dead by either Ukrainian border guards or military. In a little over a week, the Russians were preparing to "defend" the Kerch Strait from the Ukrainian Navy vessel Donbas, which did not really intend (and neither was it able) to break through from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

Ukraine Navy's Donbas vessel

And then it was time for incidents in the Russia-occupied Donbas. On December 21, at an extended meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense, chaired by Vladimir Putin, the head of the ministry, Sergey Shoigu, complained about the military beef-up of Ukraine, to which NATO Allies have been contributing. The Minister saw a threat in the supply of helicopters, combat drones, and anti-tank guided missile systems to Ukraine, but among other things, he made the following surprising statement:

We have established the presence of over 120 employees of American private military companies in the localities of Avdiyivka and Pryazovske in Donetsk region. They are equipping firing positions in residential buildings and critical infrastructure facilities, preparing Ukrainian special operations forces and radical armed groups for active hostilities. Tanks with an unidentified chemical agent were delivered to the cities of Avdiyivka and Krasnyi Lyman to carry out provocations. The number of shellings of residential neighborhoods in Donbas and positions of the People's Militia of the LPR and DPR by the Ukrainian military is not decreasing.

Russian disinformation channels instantly turned "tanks with an unidentified chemical agent" into "proven facts" of chemical weapons available to Kyiv and Ukraines alleged readiness to actually use them. Allegedly, this was supposed to happen with the help of American mercenaries Shoigu has mentioned.

Sergey Shoigu

Each of these fake stories  about the gunned down refugees, the naval provocation, and the American mercenaries carrying chemical weapons  may open a gateway to hell just for a moment. And then theres a single person who would decide, whether or not to let the demons of war through this gate. It seems that producing such news pieces is the same routine for the Kremlin's propaganda machine as it is for Russian tanks to take part in live-fire drills at training grounds near our borders.

Does Ukraine need to respond to Russia's accusations, which may justify its aggressive moves? Yes, we have to do it no matter how absurd the allegations. If Moscow chooses to pose as a victim or peacekeeper to set up an invasion, we are forced to expose them.

So, lets analyze the statement in detail.

Firstly, it is the Russian occupation forces in the ORDLO who systemically violate the ceasefire on the line of contact. Every day, the Ukrainian side records five to 10 cases of enemy fire, of which 30% involve 100-mm weaponry, proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

Although Moscow does not recognize itself as a party to the conflict in Donbas, it interprets the agreements reached in Minsk as legitimizing its right to intervene in favor of the so-called republics. On December 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once again threatened Ukraine over the alleged violations of the Minsk agreements. Such unsubstantiated accusations of Ukraine by the Russian leadership may be enough to justify a new round of escalation.

Secondly, we do not need services of private military companies - American or other. Ukraine's cooperation with the United States is pursued at the official bilateral level and is carried out openly, within the framework of existing treaties, national legislation, and international law. This also applies to the participation of the United States military in joint exercises in Ukraine.

The mention of private military contractors is nothing but projection on the United States of similar accusations that Washington has brought up against Moscow in connection with the activities of the infamous Wagner PMC, including in Donbas.

Third, Ukraine complies with its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Our country has never had chemical weapons, which it officially declared within the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Russian fake news about "tanks with an unknown chemical agent" may serve as an excuse for the attempts to engage targets in the territory controlled by Ukraine. Here, too, we are dealing with a projection of another situation, or even retaliation. We should recall that on April 7, 2017, the United States launched a strike on Syrias Shairat airfield, in response to the use of sarin (combat poison) bombs by Putins ally Bashar al-Assad.

On December 24, the international intelligence community InformNapalm published the Report on information countermeasures aimed at informing the population of Ukraine and residents of the territories of the Donbas temporarily controlled by Ukraine for 2021, which may be a document for internal use drawn up by the so-called ministry of information of the DPR.

In the paper, propagandists admit they are the ones behind the fake story involving chemical weapons. The most recent of the 54 information subversions in 2021, on which Donetsk Goebbelses report to their Russian handlers, is preparation for the publication ( once a special order is issued ) of disinformation and staged photographs on the shipment of chemical weapons to the area near the contact line by Ukrainian military servicemen together with American and NATO specialists.

The media attack carried out through Russias Defense Minister Shoigu, which is already being further spread by Russian propaganda mouthpieces as usual, is likely to fade away pretty soon and vanish from the agenda as rapidly as all earlier media products given their limited shelf life. It will have a chance for a longer use only under one condition  if it is actually used as justification for further aggression.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has postponed its meeting from December 29 until December 30 due to the expansion of the meeting agenda, the council's press service has said on Facebook.

"Due to the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expanded the list of issues included in the agenda of the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the meeting will take place on December 30, 2021," the statement said.

On December 24, after hearing a report by NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, President Zelensky decided to hold a meeting of the Security Council on December 29.

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On December 27, more than 28 tonnes of humanitarian aid from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner were delivered to the temporarily occupied territory through the entry-exit checkpoint Shchastia.

"The trucks were transporting construction materials, medical supplies, and computer equipment," the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed.

"Humanitarian cargo is an indispensable aid that provides support to the civilian population affected by the armed aggression," the Service said.

As noted, the movement along the road corridor through entry-exit checkpoint Shchastia for citizens, who intend to cross the contact line, remains blocked by the occupiers.

As reported, humanitarian aid from Latvia  seasonal clothes for adults and children, shoes and medical supplies  was recently delivered to Donetsk region.

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About Anna

Anna Drijver is a well-known Dutch actress. Her projects include the international series Heirs of the night and the Belgium-Dutch Netflix series Undercover. Besides acting, she is a podcast maker and writer. In November 2011 her first novel You Stay was published.

Anna draws attention to social topics, such as climate change, sustainability, and refugees. Anna has been involved with UNHCR since 2018 and became a high profile supporter in 2021.

Involvement with UNHCR

In June 2020 and 2021, Anna supported the World Refugee Day partnership between UNHCR and Cinetree, a platform with refugee-themed movies that draws attention to the plight of forcibly displaced people.

Anna said: I'm very honoured to be able to support UNHCR. The stories of refugees in all parts of the worlds never fail to touch me. These are resilient people, hopeful people, that deserve our attention. In my work, I tell stories, whether it be on film, in books or on stage. I feel a responsibility to listen to the stories of refugees, and help to create awareness that we are all, in the end, human beings.

In 2019 UNHCR launched a campaign to combat statelessness in the Netherlands. Anna was the voice of an animation video series and called on the Dutch public to end statelessness by signing UNHCRs petition.

On World Refugee Day 2018, Anna supported the forcibly displaced through the UNHCR Stand #WithRefugees petition.

She said: My special attention goes out to women and girls and their right to education and freedom, as this is still not a given. I will put all my efforts into empowering other women, mothers and girls.
Greece's Aegean coast.  UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply distressed by the recent tragic death toll in Greeces Aegean Sea. At least 31 people lost their lives in three separate shipwrecks between 21 and 24 December, while an unknown number are still missing.

More than 160 people were rescued by the Hellenic Coast Guard, with support from the countrys navy and air force, as well as merchant and private vessels. UNHCR commends the efforts of all those involved in bringing survivors to safety.

It is heart-rending that, out of despair and in the absence of safe pathways, refugees and migrants feel compelled to entrust their lives to ruthless smugglers. More resolute action is needed to curb people smuggling and stop those who exploit human misery and despair. It is disheartening to see preventable tragedies like these repeating themselves. We should not get used to seeing bodies being recovered from the sea, said Maria-Clara Martin, UNHCR Representative in Greece.

The first shipwreck took place off Folegandros island on 21 December, with 13 people rescued and the bodies of three men recovered. One survivor told the Hellenic Coast Guard that as many as 50 people may have been onboard the boat that carried them without any safety equipment.

The second shipwreck, north of Antikythera island, resulted in the loss of 11 lives, while 88 people were rescued. In addition, on Christmas Eve, a boat carrying at least 80 people capsized off the island of Paros, claiming the lives of 17 people, including a baby. Sixty-three survivors were rescued and brought to Paros island, where local authorities and island residents rushed to assist them with blankets, food and clothes.

UNHCR estimates that from January until the end of November this year, more than 2,500 people have died or gone missing at sea in their attempt to reach Europe, through the Mediterranean and the northwestern African maritime route.

For more information please contact:
Texas State exercise and sports science major Sarah Clements (right) talks to Curative site lead Louis Espinoza (left), Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, at a COVID-19 testing booth by the Texas State Quad. Clements finished her test in under five minutes.
Malaysia's exports in November rose 32.4 percent to 112.2 billion ringgit (26.82 billion U.S. dollars) from a year earlier on higher electrical and electronic (E&E) shipment, official data showed Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 28 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :Malaysia's exports in November rose 32.4 percent to 112.2 billion Ringgit (26.82 billion U.S. Dollars) from a year earlier on higher electrical and electronic (E&E) shipment, official data showed Tuesday.

The export expansion was underpinned by strong exports of E&E products, petroleum products as well as palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's exports to major markets notably ASEAN, China, the United States, the European Union and Japan recorded double-digit growth, it said.

According to MITI, Malaysia's trade in November expanded 34.9 percent to 205.5 billion ringgit from a year ago.

Its imports in November climbed 38 percent year-on-year to 93.3 billion ringgit and trade surplus increased by 10.5 percent to 18.9 billion ringgit.

For the period of January to November 2021, Malaysia's trade surpassed the 2-trillion-ringgit mark for the first time, expanding by 24.6 percent to 2.01 trillion ringgit from a year earlier.

Exports increased by 25.7 percent year-on-year to 1.12 trillion ringgit while imports rose 23.3 percent year-on-year to 894.

42 billion ringgit.

Meanwhile, its trade surplus for the period edged up by 36.2 percent to 221.53 billion ringgit.

In November 2021, Malaysia's trade with China, which accounted for 18.5 percent of Malaysia's total trade, climbed by 26.1 percent year-on-year to 37.92 billion ringgit, the 12th consecutive month of double-digit growth.

Malaysia's exports to China for the month grew 20.5 percent year-on-year to 17.14 billion ringgit, the third consecutive month of double-digit expansion since September 2021, driven by strong exports of manufactures of metal, liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as chemicals and chemical products.

Malaysia's imports from China also increased by 31.2 percent year-on-year to 20.78 billion ringgit.

As for the 11 months of 2021, Malaysia's trade with China edged up by 27.2 percent to 378.95 billion ringgit from a year ago.

Malaysia's exports to China rose 19.7 percent year-on-year to 171.99 billion ringgit, led by higher exports of manufactures of metal, LNG, E&E products as well as chemicals and chemical products.

Its imports from China also increased by 34.2 percent year-on-year to 206.96 billion ringgit. (1 U.S. Dollar equals 4.18 ringgit)
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The Philippines has ordered two new warships from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday, modernising Manila's navy as it faces a dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea

Manila, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :The Philippines has ordered two new warships from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday, modernising Manila's navy as it faces a dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The Philippine Navy had become run down in recent decades -- even featuring US craft from World War II -- until President Rodrigo Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, began a modest modernisation programme in 2010.

Tuesday's 28 billion pesos ($556 million) deal with the South Korean shipbuilding giant comes five years after the firm also won a contract to build two new frigates for the Philippine Navy.

Corvettes and frigates are small, fast warships mainly used to protect other vessels from attack.

"This project will give the Philippine Navy two modern corvettes that are capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare missions," Lorenzana said in a speech at the signing ceremony in Manila.

The deal "will ensure commonality and interoperability with our existing assets," he added, as well as "ease of maintenance and repairs".

Manila has since acquired two former US Coast Guard cutters and three landing craft from Australia, as well as coast guard patrol vessels from Japan, in an effort to bolster its presence in the South China Sea, where it faces a dispute with Beijing.

China claims almost all of the waterway, through which trillions of Dollars in trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing has ignored a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that its historical claim is without basis.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Dec, 2021) Dubai Investments has announced the winners of its "Young Investors Competition". Aimed at generating long-term value and supporting rewarding opportunities for youth, the competition aimed at strengthening financial and stock market investment literacy among young minds.

The Competition witnessed participation of 330 group entries inclusive of 1,200 students globally. The impressive jury including Dubai Investments senior management comprising of Mushtaq Masood, Group Chief Financial Officer, Dubai Investments, Sanjay Vig, Managing Director, Al Mal Capital PSC and Vineet Gupta, Director at Investcorp Holdings shortlisted 3 winners along with a best speaker for the competition.

ABM Analytics Group from APL Global School, India was ranked at first place, followed by Bulls of BSAK Group from The British school of Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi at second place and The Disruptors Group from Colegio Santo Antonio, Brazil at the third position respectively. Anwesha Nath from GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai was announced as the best speaker at the competition.

"The "Young Investors Competition" is a step forward in enriching financial literacy, unblocking pre-conceived assumptions and taking a leap into the evolving investment environment.

For Dubai Investments, being a part of the investment industry for 25+ years, associating with such competitions, encouraging young minds to explore the investment world and outline creative, intelligent, and insightful practices, seamlessly integrates with the Companys outlook and creates a platform for young talents to promote ideas impacting the future investment industry. Dubai Investments congratulates all the talented students in showcasing their financial literacy knowledge and foresight," said Mohammed Saeed Al Raqbani, Head of Sustainability Committee, Dubai Investments & General Manager, Dubai Investments Industries.

Young Investors Competition is part of the Financial Freedom Program (FFP), a global student-run non-profit dedicated to promoting financial education and over the years has inspired 5,000 participants via 30 student leaders, event promoters and managers in 25 schools across the UAE, India, USA and Saudi Arabia.

The organisers of the program including Ahad Khot - the Founder and Director of the Financial Freedom Program (FFP) appreciated the support extended by Dubai Investments and reiterated the importance of such competitions towards enhancing and lifting the spirits of the young investors towards progressing successfully in their financial investment literacy.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Dec, 2021) DP World's flagship Jebel Ali Port received MV Atlantic Pioneer, the first vessel from Kaiso Line, an Indonesia-based shipping company at its container terminal.

The vessel left Jakarta on 26th November 2021 and reached the UAE on 11th December 2021. The call demonstrates how Jebel Ali Port is a vital link in the global trade network, connecting markets in the middle East, the Indian Subcontinent (ISC) and South-East Asia (SEA). The vessel and its crew led by Captain Tsyganenko Ruslan were welcomed by DP World officials, who handed over a plaque to the Master of the vessel.

The new KPG liner is the first direct service by Kaiso Line from Indonesia to ISC and Arabian Gulf ports. The service will call Jakarta (Indonesia), Nhava Sheva (India), Karachi (Pakistan), Jebel Ali (the UAE) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia), offering direct connectivity to and from Indonesia, with Jebel Ali Port being the transshipment hub. The shipping line is scheduled to deploy more vessels in 2022 to reach a weekly departure within every single port and further expand the connectivity of key markets in South East Asia to the Middle East.

Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director, DP World UAE and Jafza, said, "As the Middle East's largest transshipment hub, Jebel Ali has become one of the most preferred ports of call for several shipping companies. The arrival of the first vessel from Kaiso Line reflects the confidence of our stakeholders in our capabilities and our growing portfolio. The new service will not only strengthen ties between the UAE and Indonesia, but will also support traders in SEA and ISC, giving them access to economies in the Middle East.

"

Bin Damithan added, "DP World recognises Indonesias potential as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This development will further boost our efforts in supporting the logistics sector in the country and we are confident that it will help to eliminate port inefficiencies and foster a robust shipping network. Furthermore, the new line and the departures scheduled for 2022, will support the UAEs recent economic agreement with the country, aiding economic development and recovery from the pandemic."

Billy Iskandar, Managing Director of Kaiso Line, stated, "Indonesia is growing at a rapid pace, given the opportunities and favourable investment policies by the government, along with several bilateral ties the country has globally. With Kaiso Line, we connect Indonesia and South-East Asian countries to the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East through our direct service. The Jebel Ali Port is our hub in the Middle East, given the first-class infrastructure and the connectivity and access that DP World provides at their terminals."

Connecting to 150 ports globally, Jebel Ali Port has regional market access to 60 weekly connections to the Middle East and ISC. With its service innovation, disruptive logistics technologies, safety principles and expansive global network, the Port has consistently built on its position as a global maritime hub and one of the fastest-growing ports in the region. The port is strengthened by its high degree of specialisation in the storage and handling of all kinds of cargo including bulk, breakbulk, and RoRo.
Los Angeles, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :Bodycam footage of the "chaotic" police shooting of a teenager in a California department store was released Monday, as critics claimed officers were all-too-ready to open fire.

Fourteen-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta was in a changing room when a stray bullet fired by a policeman came through the wall and hit her, killing her instantly.

Valentina was shopping in a Los Angeles store with her mother in the pre-Christmas rush, buying clothes for her "quinceanera", the coming-of-age ceremony celebrated by Latin Americans.

Police say they were called to the Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood on Thursday because of reports of a possible shooting.

CCTV Images from the scene show a clearly agitated man roaming the store with a bike lock in his hand before police arrive.

He lashes out at several people before repeatedly beating one woman about the head and body with the heavy-duty cable lock.

Police bodycam footage shows a number of officers arriving at the scene with guns drawn.

Seconds after they locate the suspect, one of them opens fire with a long barrelled gun.

He falls to the floor and is handcuffed.

A police commentary shows a freeze-frame that it says shows one of the rounds the officer fired skipping off the floor and hitting the outside wall of the changing room where Valentina was hiding with her mother.

Police Chief Michel Moore said he had ordered a full investigation of the incident.

"This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved," he said.

"I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl's life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family." Hispanic civil rights group LULAC said responding officers had acted recklessly.

"It is indefensible that trained Los Angeles police officers could open fire in a crowded store at the height of Christmas shopping without first knowing for sure if the suspect was armed," said president Domingo Garcia.

The shooting is the latest in a country where law enforcement readily resorts to deadly force when confronting criminal suspects.

There is no official national record of fatal shootings by US police officers, and reporting of incidents by police departments is voluntary.

A tally by the Washington Post published Monday shows more than 900 people have been shot and killed by police in the last year.
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Greek Ambassador Andreas Papastavrou paid a farewell call to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa here at General Headquarters (GHQ) and appreciated Pakistan's role in Afghan situation, special efforts for border management and role in regional stability

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :Greek Ambassador Andreas Papastavrou paid a farewell call to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa here at General Headquarters (GHQ) and appreciated Pakistan's role in Afghan situation, special efforts for border management and role in regional stability.

Speaking on the occasion, the COAS said Pakistan remained committed to cooperate with its international partners for peace in the region and ensuring a stable and prosperous future for Afghan people.

During the meeting matters of mutual interest, regional security situation especially current situation in Afghanistan and cooperation in various fields were discussed, said an Inter Services Public Services (ISPR) media release.

The COAS stressed upon the need for global convergence on Afghanistan and sincere efforts to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe.

He also thanked visiting dignitary for his services in Pakistan and acknowledged his contributions for fostering strong ties between the two countries.

The visiting dignitary pledged to keep working for better relations between the two countries.
Afghanistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar has told Sputnik that resistance forces against the Taliban (under UN sanctions over terrorist activities) exist not just in thePanjshir province, but also in Kandahar and in the Andarab region of the Baghlan province

DUSHANBE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) Afghanistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar has told Sputnik that resistance forces against the Taliban (under UN sanctions over terrorist activities) exist not just in thePanjshir province, but also in Kandahar and in the Andarab region of the Baghlan province.

"Nobody has expected that Taliban will take over Kabul and the country so fast. The country had the well-prepared and equipped military with more than 50,000 personnel, and the agreement with the US which had to protect us but has not fulfilled (the agreement). (Former Afghan President Ashraf) Ghani who had a secret agreement with the Taliban has run away, he has betrayed the people which elected him president," the diplomat said.

The ambassador reminded that, apart from the Panjshir, 33 Afghan provinces have surrendered to the Taliban .

He noted that no one expected "such a development of events and was not ready for war, because for the last 20 years the Panjshir has been a tourist gorge, there was a place for rest."

"The resistance have not had a prepared army nor weapons to resist the Taliban, nevertheless the Panjshir is waging hostilities, it does not surrender. The people stood there for two days protesting and vouching 'Down with the Taliban!.' The protests are being held not only in the Panjshir, people stood up in Kandahar and Andarab. I am sure that very soon the whole country will stand up against the Taliban, and it will be not only political and military resistance, but the all-people resistance from all parts of the society," Agbar said.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) US President Joe Biden on Monday called on the US Congress to eliminate existing restrictions concerning the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees in comment while signing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022.

"The limitations in section 1032 of the Act constrain the flexibility of the executive branch with respect to its engagement in delicate negotiations with foreign countries over the potential transfer of (the Guantanamo) detainees and thus may in some cases make it difficult to effectuate the transfer of detainees in a manner that does not threaten national security. I urge the Congress to eliminate these restrictions as soon as possible," Biden said.

The US president noted that sections of the NDAA are banning the use of funds to transfer the Guantanamo Bay detainees to certain foreign countries.

"It is the longstanding position of the executive branch that these provisions unduly impair the ability of the executive branch to determine when and where to prosecute Guantanamo Bay detainees and where to send them upon release.

 In some circumstances these provisions could make it difficult to comply with the final judgment of a court that has directed the release of a detainee on a writ of habeas corpus," Biden said.

Established by the Bush administration in 2002, the Guantanamo Bay detebntion facility has long been criticized for mistreatment and abuse of prisoners, with human rights activists and international organizations calling that it be closed. Former US President Barack Obama vowed to shut down the detention center, but faced strong opposition from Congress. His successor, Donald Trump, signed an order to keep the detention camp open indefinitely, while incumbent Joe Biden has promised to close it.

The US authorities have since shut down the secretive Camp Seven, where highly classified prisoners were kept, and transferred them to other blocks. In July, the White House announced that the Biden administration is aiming to close the detention facility for good and working to transfer its remaining prisoners out, but no date has been set.
Denmark and Iceland on Monday reported record daily coronavirus cases as the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes Europe the global hotspot for infections and deaths

Copenhagen, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Dec, 2021 ) :Denmark and Iceland on Monday reported record daily coronavirus cases as the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes Europe the global hotspot for infections and deaths.

Both Nordic nations had some of Europe's lowest infection rates before Omicron's arrival.

Europe recorded the most Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past seven days, according to statistics compiled by AFP and drawn from official sources.

The five countries with the highest case rates over the last seven days were all European.

Denmark's daily infection total exceeded 15,000 for the first time, with health authorities registering 16,164 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours.

The country of 5.8 million people has the world's highest infection rate, with 1,612 cases per 100,000 people.

Although hospital admissions are rising, they remain below the level seen in January's wave largely thanks to the protection of vaccines, with only seven deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.

Early studies also suggest Omicron causes less severe disease than previous strains such as the Delta variant first identified in India.

Denmark closed cultural attractions and limited opening hours in bars and restaurants in mid-December to fight the latest wave of infections as Omicron became the dominant strain.

Iceland registered a record 672 cases in the past 24 hours, despite never having reported more than 200 daily cases until mid-December.

During last year's autumn wave, daily infection totals in Iceland never exceeded 100.

In neighbouring Norway, Omicron has become the dominant variant in the capital Oslo.
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Denmark is honouring its most famous writer, Hans Christian Andersen, with a revamped museum that aims to immerse visitors in the fantasy worlds he created

Odense, Denmark, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :Denmark is honouring its most famous writer, Hans Christian Andersen, with a revamped museum that aims to immerse visitors in the fantasy worlds he created.

Visitors have expressed delight with the new museum, which reopened in the summer and saw renovation work completed this month before it was shut as part of Denmark's efforts to fight a Covid resurgence.

From "The Little Mermaid" to "The Snow Queen", Andersen's works -- which the author called his "children" -- have inspired countless Disney films, ballets, songs and books.

The old Hans Christian Andersen museum in the writer's hometown of Odense in central Denmark was a "traditional biographical museum" filled with "a lot of artefacts and text", said Lone Weidemann, marketing coordinator for Odense museums.

But visitors "were looking for his fairytales, because that's what they know".
India's National Capital Territory of Delhi is entering the "yellow" level of restrictions due to a rising number of new COVID-19 cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) India's National Capital Territory of Delhi is entering the "yellow" level of restrictions due to a rising number of new COVID-19 cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Indian capital registered 331 new cases, the highest in six months.

"It is directed that in the territory of NCT of Delhi (outside Containment Zones), the permitted/ prohibited/ restricted activities shall be as specified at Level-1 (Yellow) in DDMA Order No. 460 dated 08.08.2021 enclosed with this order (Annexure-1) with immediate effect till further orders. As per GRAP, there shall be Night Curfew on movement of persons during 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM (16:30 to 23:30 GMT) throughout the NCT of Delhi," the authority said in a statement.

Under the new restrictions, Delhi will close schools, colleges, theaters, movie theaters, gyms and amusement parks, as well as prohibit public gatherings and limit the number of people at weddings to 20.

In August, Delhi adopted a new system for introducing lockdown measures, with levels of alert, depending on infection rate, cumulative new cases or average oxygenated bed occupancy within a certain period. The yellow level is the lowest one of the four.

Since March 2020, the total number of infected people in India exceeded 34.7 million with more than 34.2 million recovered. The death toll reached more than 480,000.
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Iraq's top court on Monday ratified the country's October parliamentary election results after rejecting a complaint of irregularities filed by the pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi former paramilitary alliance

Baghdad, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Dec, 2021 ) :Iraq's top court on Monday ratified the country's October parliamentary election results after rejecting a complaint of irregularities filed by the pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi former paramilitary alliance.

The long-awaited ruling will allow parliament to meet and pave the way for the election of a president who will then appoint a prime minister tasked with forming a new government.

Iraq is trying to recover from years of war and jihadist violence but remains hobbled by political divisions, corruption and poverty.

The ratification follows a delay of more than two months since the October 10 legislative polls won by Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, a political maverick and former anti-US militia leader who opposes all foreign interference.

Sadr's movement won more than a fifth of the seats -- 73 out of the assembly's total 329, well ahead of the 17 seats of the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance, the political arm of the pro-Iran Hashed.

That was sharply down from the Alliance's 48 seats in the outgoing assembly. Hashed leaders rejected the result as a "fraud".

They took their case to court seeking "to have the results annulled" because of "serious violations", their lawyer said earlier in December when the hearing began.

Judge Jassem Mohamed Aboud of the Federal Supreme Court on Monday said the tribunal "rejects the request of the plaintiffs... not to ratify the final results of the election".

He declared the judgment "binding on all authorities".

Later the court media officer announced that the body "has ratified the results of the legislative elections".

The Hashed had also organised protests over the preliminary election results. Political tensions soared, and in November at least one protester was killed and more than 100 injured when police clashed with demonstrators.

The Fatah Alliance alleged the electronic voting system had failed to recognise the fingerprint identification of many voters.

On Monday, Fatah Alliance leader Hadi al-Ameri reiterated "the profound conviction that the electoral process was tainted by fraud and manipulations." He said he would accept the court's verdict but accused it of coming under "heavy pressure." Iraqi analyst Ihsan al-Shamari said that was not the case.

"The most important thing about the verdict is that the judiciary did not bow to pressure from the losing parties," he said.

- Complex negotiations - Judge Aboud, reading out the verdict, said the court also decided to make the plaintiffs bear the costs of the appeal.

In multi-confessional and multi-ethnic Iraq, the formation of governments has involved complex negotiations ever since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

The prime minister tasked with forming a cabinet line-up will be, according to tradition, chosen by the largest parliamentary coalition.

Sadr, a self-styled defender against all forms of corruption, has repeatedly said that the next prime minister will be chosen by his movement.

He has also demanded that the new government include members of political parties and blocs which scored highly in the October polls.

The scion of an influential clerical family who led a militia against the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, has distinguished himself from other Shiite factions by seeking to distance himself from both Iranian and US influences.

The Hashed alliance which helped defeat the Islamic State group holds opposing views.

It has said that the choice of a new prime minister should be made through compromise.

Backed by Iran and supported by 160,000 fighters who are now integrated into the regular armed forces of Iraq, the alliance remains a force to be reckoned with despite its losses in the October vote.

Aboud said the new parliament should amend Iraq's electoral law and opt for a manual count of ballots in order to protect the credibility and transparency of future elections.
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NATO is planning military containment of Russia, while earlier it paid more attention to joint projects of interest to NATO, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2021) NATO is planning military containment of Russia, while earlier it paid more attention to joint projects of interest to NATO, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said.

"The current deplorable state of relations between Russia and NATO can be explained by the fact that the alliance has often resorted to using 'hybrid methods' to contain Russia, combining dialogue with a build-up of military preparations. In recent years, the emphasis has been on military deterrence, while in the past more attention has been paid to cooperation projects of interest to the alliance," Fomin said on Monday at an unscheduled briefing for military attaches and representatives of foreign embassies accredited in Moscow.

At the same time, he noted that the deterioration of relations between Russia and NATO had begun earlier than 2014.

"Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has repeatedly made attempts to find new forms of interaction with NATO, to create a stable, equal system of European security for all. It would be wrong to believe that the deterioration of Russia-NATO relations began in 2014," Fomin said.

According to the deputy minister, "the declared goals of equal cooperation by the alliance were not fulfilled much earlier, in fact, immediately after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact."

"At the same time, Russia was then unprecedentedly open to constructive partnership with the West and carried out a voluntary demilitarization of the country on its western borders.

An unprecedented withdrawal of troops from the Warsaw Pact countries was also carried out," he said t.

He recalled that on May 27, 1997 in Paris, the "Founding Act Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation" had been signed, which declared that Russia and NATO no longer perceived each other as adversaries.

"The document contained political guarantees of military restraint. In particular, the alliance committed to carry out its collective defense with the available means, without additional deployment of 'significant combat forces.' It was confirmed that NATO member states had no intentions, plans or reasons for deployment nuclear weapons on the territory of the new members and do not need to change any aspect of building NATO's nuclear forces or NATO's nuclear policy," Fomin recalled.

"They also declared their readiness to develop a long-term partnership with Russia, to seek to strengthen stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic region on the basis of common interests," Fomin said.

He noted that the current meeting was conditioned by the need to bring the Russian Defense Ministry's assessments of the state and nature of interaction between Russia and NATO over the past two decades.

"We believe that such a review is now more than ever needed to understand why Russia has now sent the United States and NATO drafts of legally binding agreements on security guarantees," Fomin said.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) There is no point in Washington's sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project as the construction of the gas pipeline has been completed, Dmitry Birichevsky, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Economic Cooperation, told Sputnik.

"To be honest, we see no point in Washington's sanctions policy in conditions when the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has already been built," the diplomat said.

Birichevsky added that the US actions against the project are "contrary to the interests of most European countries."

"We believe that the certification of the gas pipeline, its commissioning and further use will be carried out on the basis of the legal norms in force in the EU," the diplomat added.
Almost 2,500 flights have been canceled and nearly 5,200 flights have been delayed worldwide on Tuesday as a result of health officials' and airlines' concerns about the coronavirus Omicron variant, according to the tracking website FlightAware

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2021) Almost 2,500 flights have been canceled and nearly 5,200 flights have been delayed worldwide on Tuesday as a result of health officials' and airlines' concerns about the coronavirus Omicron variant, according to the tracking website FlightAware.

A day earlier, a total of 12,528 delayed flights and 2,959 canceled flights were reported with airlines and airports in the United States, accounting for nearly a half of all the delays and cancellations worldwide, Flightradar24 data showed.

Similarly, air travelers in the United States saw a rash of flight disruptions with 2,513 flights canceled on Sunday and 2,850 on Saturday as a significant number of staff called in sick.

US media reported that Monday was "horrible" for air travelers amid the Holidays celebrations during the Christmas weekend, when airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights worldwide on Saturday.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current seven-day moving average of daily new cases reached 122,297 - an increase of 1.5% compared with the previous period.

However the health authorities in the United States and throughout the world have acknowledged that the Omicron variant cases are mild and no deaths have so far been reported.
The United States and Russia will hold much-anticipated talks in January on European security and the Ukraine conflict after Moscow listed demands including to end NATO's expansion

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2021 ) :The United States and Russia will hold much-anticipated talks in January on European security and the Ukraine conflict after Moscow listed demands including to end NATO's expansion.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council told AFP on condition of anonymity late Monday that the talks with Russia will take place on January 10.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday confirmed the date and said that they will take place in Geneva, where US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met for their first summit in June.

The Kremlin has grown increasingly insistent that the West and NATO are encroaching dangerously close to Russia's borders.

Moscow earlier this month presented the West with sweeping security demands, saying NATO must not admit new members and seeking to bar the United States from establishing new bases in former Soviet republics.

"The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia," the National Security Council spokesperson said.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well." Moscow and NATO representatives are then expected to meet January 12, while Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States, will meet January 13, the spokesperson added.

The talks come after weeks of heightening tensions, with Washington accusing Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops around ex-Soviet Ukraine and plotting a winter invasion.

The January 10 meeting will be held as part of the Strategic Security Dialogue initiative launched by Biden and Putin at their June summit.

While that format is mostly consecrated to resuscitating post-Cold War nuclear arms control treaties, the talks will also cover the standoff over Ukraine, where Russia has deployed a large combat force on the border, a senior White House official said, also on condition of anonymity.
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South Africa on Monday began a week of mourning for revered anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Johannesburg, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Dec, 2021 ) :South Africa on Monday began a week of mourning for revered anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The Nobel Peace prize laureate passed away on Sunday aged 90, stripping the world of a towering moral figure and the last great protagonist of a heroic South African era.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the family in Cape Town on Monday, called Tutu a man of "extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid".

His funeral will be held on New Year's Day at St George's Cathedral in his former Cape Town parish, his foundation said, although ceremonies are likely to be muted because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Dozens of people braved rain to gather outside the cathedral on Monday, leaving flowers and messages.

The widow of South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, on Monday mourned "the loss of a brother".

Tutu "is the last of an extraordinarily outstanding generation of leaders that Africa birthed and gifted to the world", she said in a statement.

"He masterfully used his position as a cleric to mobilise South Africans, Africans, and the global community against the brutalities and immorality of the apartheid government," she said.

"He stood resolute and fearless, leading demonstrations cloaked in his flowing clerical robe with his cross as his shield -- the embodiment of humankind's moral conscience." The bells of St George's will ring for 10 minutes from noon each day until Friday. The cathedral has asked those who hear the sound to pause in their daily work and think of Tutu.

A memorial service will be held in the capital Pretoria on Wednesday. Family and friends will gather on Thursday evening around Tutu's widow, "Mama Leah".

On Friday, his remains will be placed in the cathedral on the eve of the funeral, although attendance at his farewell will be capped at 100, according to the archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba.

Around 400 people have already expressed their intention to attend the event.

But Makgoba told a press conference: "Only a fraction of those who want to be there can be accommodated in the cathedral. So please don't get on a bus to Cape Town." Music at the ceremony will also have to be moderated because of Covid curbs, officials said.

Tutu's remains will be cremated and his ashes will stay in the cathedral.

- A 'shield' - Crackling with humour and warmth, Tutu will be most remembered for fearlessly speaking out against white minority rule, which garnered him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

He was appointed archbishop in 1986 and used his position to advocate tirelessly for international sanctions against apartheid.

He coined the term "Rainbow Nation" to describe South Africa when Mandela became the country's first black president in 1994.

He retired in 1996 to lead a harrowing journey into South Africa's past as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of apartheid in terrible detail.

Panyaza Lesufi, a senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), which swept aside apartheid and remains in power, said Tutu had acted as a "shield" during protests.

"When we were young activists we knew as long as Archbishop Tutu is there the police and the army will not shoot at us," he tweeted.

However, Tutu's fight against injustice continued long after racial segregation ended.

He excoriated the ANC for fostering cronyism, corruption and incompetence after it was voted into office.

- 'A truly meaningful life' - Tributes poured in from across the globe, including from heads of state and religious leaders, with US President Joe Biden saying he was "heartbroken" by the news.

Barack Obama, the first black US president, hailed Tutu as a "moral compass".

Tutu's great friend the Dalai Lama, who is expected to speak at his funeral, said in a statement that "we have lost a great man, who lived a truly meaningful life".

Anglican leader Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Tutu "was a great warrior for justice who never stopped fighting".

"When you were in parts of the world where there was little Anglican presence and people weren't sure what the Anglican Church was, it was enough to say 'It's the Church that Desmond Tutu belongs to'," Welby said in a statement.

Tutu was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and repeatedly underwent treatment.

He had been in a weakened state for several months and died peacefully at 7 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, according to several of his relatives interviewed by AFP.

In his final years, Tutu's public appearances became rarer. This year, he emerged from hospital in a wheelchair to get a Covid vaccine, waving but not offering comment.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act of 1993 established guidelines for the inclusion of racial/ethnic minorities and women in clinical research. However, the reporting rate of such patient demographic data in clinical trials for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is not well characterized.

We identified published clinical trials of all phases (I -III) for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer conducted in the US and/or Canada. We calculated the proportion of studies reporting patient gender and race/ethnicity, tabulating these data when present. We compared reported trial participant race, ethnicity and gender with the number of new bladder cancer cases and deaths using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) U.S. Cancer Statistics data from 2013 -2017.

We identified 27 trials published from 1998 -2021 enrolling a total of 1673 patients. While all trials included data on patient gender (22% women overall), only 40.7% included any data on patient race/ethnicity. Among those that did, trial participants were reported as white (94%), Black (2.1%), Hispanic (0.6%), Asian (0.9%), and Other (2.3%). Racial/ethnic minorities were underrepresented in clinical trials relative to their proportion of new bladder cancer cases and deaths.

Most clinical trials that have been conducted for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer do not report data on patient race or ethnicity despite NIH guidelines advocating for inclusion of such data. Racial/ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in these trials relative to the burden of bladder cancer prevalence and mortality faced by these groups.

Urologic oncology. 2021 Dec 20 [Epub ahead of print]

Sean A Fletcher, Trinity J Bivalacqua, Otis W Brawley, Max Kates

The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: ., Division of Urology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA., Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD., The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute and Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34949513
The Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, who is also the spokesperson of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference has said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 90, who died on Sunday, gave South Africans hope when they needed it the most.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City.

I was once a student of Desmond Tutu at the university in Lesotho. I then worked briefly with him at the South African Council of Churches  I was always present when, for over a decade, he spoke each year at the Regina Mundi (Catholic parish in Soweto) on June 16  So, I have observed him closely, reminisces the Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, Buti Joseph Tlhagale, O.M.I.

Archbishop Buti was speaking in an interview with Vatican News collaborator Sheila Pires, on Monday -the day South Africans began a week of mourning Tutu, the anti-Apartheid icon and first Black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

Took on the leadership mantle

According to Buti, Archbishop Desmond Tutu emerged as a leader when he was General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches between the years 1978 to 1985.

Desmond Tutu describes himself as a leader by default when most political organisations had been banned, (Black) leaders thrown in prison. There was a huge political vacuum in the country and thats when Archbishop Tutu emerged  From then onwards, he put on the mantle of being a 'political leader,' as it were: Very visible in the country, opposing the Apartheid regime, said Archbishop Buti.

Calling for sanctions

Archbishop Tutu was not only confrontational with the regime. He constantly engaged government officials directly to talk to them about the suffering of the ordinary people, especially those in the Bantustans.

The Bantustans, also known as Bantu homelands for Africans, were native reserves organised, by the Apartheid government, based on ethnic and linguistic groupings. In effect, they were impoverished and overpopulated rural areas put together for purposes of segregation.

He (Archbishop Tutu) was different. I have actually not been able to figure this out. He confronted Apartheid government officials directly even when they, no doubt, looked down on him, said Archbishop Buti. Buti explained that Apartheid leaders condescendingly looked down on almost all non white persons.

Archbishop Tutu was not deterred. He continued to speak out about the plight of the majority and increasingly became a spokesperson of the Black people, oppressed people, overseas -especially in North America, said the prelate of Johannesburg.

Tutus call and support for sanctions against South Africa was heavily criticised in the country. It was seen by the Apartheid government as a betrayal and treason.

An inconvenient peacemaker

Apart from his forthright voice against Apartheid, Archbishop Tutu was never afraid to take on unpopular positions such as against necklacing, a gruesome form of mob justice used by Black communities during Apartheid, to punish suspected spies and perceived collaborators of the government.

Archbishop Tutu intervened and calmed local Black communities when they wanted to necklace those who were considered collaborators. Some in the communities did not like that peacemaking role of Archbishop Tutu, remarked Archbishop Buti.

Forgiveness as the way forward

As chairperson of South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Archbishop Tutu was tasked with reviewing crimes committed during Apartheid.

The Commission is an emotive and controversial topic to this day in South Africa. Some in South Africa think that the Commission fell short of expectations. By the end of the Commissions mandate, many in the former Apartheid regime received amnesty. Yet some Apartheid generals and commanders are said to have avoided the Commission and have never been made accountable. Some blame Archbishop Tutu for this.

Many criticise the Commission saying perpetrators got off scot-free. But that was the nature of the deal. That if you came forward, you would be forgiven but if you didnt, you would be pursued and imprisoned  so there is a lot of unhappiness about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, stated Archbishop Buti.

A deeply contented person

In a nutshell, Archbishop Buti describes Archbishop Tutu as someone who followed his thought. A convincing leader. A deeply contented person even in the midst of so much pain. He was jolly. An emotional person who was not afraid to cry in public. A very noble person  someone who lived for the purpose of giving hope to others, concluded Archbishop Buti.

New Years Day funeral

Archbishop Desmond Tutus funeral is set for 10am on Saturday, New Years Day, in Cape Towns Anglican Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr.

Due to covid-19 restrictions, the Funeral Mass will be limited to 100 persons only. The Archbishops remains will be cremated, and his ashes interred at the Cathedral.
Ethiopian bishops have focused their recent Plenary Assembly on the humanitarian crisis caused by the 13-month war in the country, calling on the faithful to pray for and foster peace. They have also pledged to raise US$2 million to support people in the crisis.

By Lisa Zengarini

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) has announced it will raise US$2 millions, with the aid of Church partners, local Catholic Institutions and Catholic faithful, to support people enduring the consequences of the ongoing war and other crises in the country. The announcement was made in the final message of its Plenary Assembly held before the Christmas festivities at Modjo Consolata Fathers pastoral center. The meeting was focused on the the conflict which has recently entered its second year and on the Church's response to the humanitarian crisis. Bishops also discussed the synodal process.

War erupted on November 4, 2020, after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) following an alledged attack against federal military bases in the northern region. Ahmed promised a swift victory, but the fighting has escalated into a widespread conflict involving ethnic-based militias as well as Eritrean armed forces, with reports of grave human rights violations on both sides.

"Heart-breaking" atrocities

In their message, the Ethiopian bishops recall that from the outset of the war they have been issuing statements pleading with all actors to understand its consequences and urging parties to choose dialogue instead. War always brings devastation, loss of life, loss of property, breaking up of communities, displacement and other related: human crisis. It brings emotional, social, economic crisis to the society and this is what is happening in Ethiopia, they say. Many have lost their lives, many are displaced, many have lost their properties, many are imprisoned, many girls and women are raped, social harmony which has existed between people have been seriously affected. Many people live in fear and uncertainty, the bishops add, describing the atrocities as heart-breaking and sources of great sorrow and sadness.

Praying for peace

The message goes on to say that bishops have been intensely praying for peace in the country , highlighting the importance of prayer in these difficult times. Prayer is definitely one of the most powerful instruments for bringing about change, as it opens up our hearts to God and to one another; it instills hope; it helps us to avoid hate speech and helps us to see a brother/a sister in the person, they explain.

We certainly need prayer at the moment: prayer for our country, prayer for those who take decisions that matters the lives of the citizens of this country, prayer for those who are suffering hunger, thirst, illness, rejection, lack of basic necessities, for those who are displaced and imprisoned, CBCE members write.

Fostering peace through dialogue

Ethiopian bishops further call on the faithful to actively foster peace through dialogue in their country. As Christians, as Catholics, each and every one of us should be able to stand up and declare unreservedly and unconditionally, like the Psalmist, I am for peace. The way of peace reconciles conflicts and regenerates the beauty of fraternity, which heals all wounds, they say. A culture of dialogue should be encouraged within the society and the Church will play her role in an eventual inclusive national dialogue in Ethiopia, bishops add.

Church suffers with people who suffer

The message also highlights the Catholic Churchs contribution to address the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia saying that the Church will "continue to scale up her efforts as her mission calls her to suffer with people who suffer, share the pains and the anxieties of humanity. As part of this effort the CBCE announces it will raise Eth. Birr 100,000,000 (US$2 million) to support people in the crisis.

Hope

Ethiopian bishops finally call for hope: Let us ask for the grace of hope, since hope revives our faith and rekindles our charity. It is for this hope that the deserts of today's world are thirsting. It is our responsibility as Ethiopians to heal the wounds of one another. May God protect Ethiopia and bless the people with grace and peace!, the message concludes.

Possible ceasefire

On December 20 TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael announced to the UN he had ordered its forces to pull out from the Amhara and Afar regions and to withdraw to the borders of Tigray, suggesting terms of a potential ceasefire. The central government has subsequently regained full control of the two federal states and on December 24 announced that it had ordered its troops not to advance further in Tigray while awaiting further developments. Only sporadic clashes have been reported since, which analysts say could be sign of the willingness of both parties to start negotiations.
An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2022, the latest publication from Dezan Shira & Associates, is out now and available for complimentary download through the Asia Briefing Publication Store.

Vietnam persevered through a difficult 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on its economy and people. The country went through a strict lockdown in the middle of the year, which lasted almost five months, forcing businesses to halt production and disrupting global supply chains.

Residents, particularly in commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces, were forced to stay at home and only go out for emergencies. The result was that Vietnams GDP suffered a sharp decline by 6.17 percent in Q3  the first time its economy recorded negative growth since 2000. This was a sharp contrast to 2020 when Vietnam managed to keep the pandemic at bay and with economic activities largely operating in normal capacity. But the Delta COVID variant incapacitated traditional strategies of containment.

Nevertheless, things are looking up. Economic activity resumed in October as Vietnam opted for a living with the pandemic approach. Government authorities also announced a phased plan to reopen the economy to ensure pandemic prevention policies are in line with mandates from health authorities. Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has targeted an annual average GDP growth rate of 6.5-7 percent during the 2021-2025 period.

While the country suffered setbacks, AmCham has noted that Vietnams role in global supply chains is only expected to grow. The business chamber also noted that Vietnam remains an attractive investment destination, including for further relocations out of China. As with last year, Vietnams market fundamentals remain strong, and its economy appears resilient to overcome the recent disruption to production due to the pandemic.

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Vietnam has already fully vaccinated more than 50 percent of its population. Foreign investors remain bullish on Vietnams long-term prospects. Businesses remain confident though there are challenges regarding a shortage of labor force, border restrictions, and compliance issues. Designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in Vietnam, this publication is compiled by the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist practice providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence, and nancial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia.

Doing Business in Vietnam 2022 covers the following:

Special Edition  Pandemic Management Measures and Fiscal Policies Benefiting Business in 2022

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Tax, Audit, and Accounting

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Within these chapters, we discuss a range of different topics that affect doing business in Vietnam, including market entry considerations, investment models, key taxes and incentives for foreign companies, as well as upcoming accounting changes. Special focus is also given to Vietnams reopening measures and fiscal policies for the new year.
New South Wales (NSW), the Australian state with the largest population, is reporting a sharp spike in COVID-19 infections. On Dec. 25, state authorities reported 6,394 infections, up from 6,288 cases the previous day. When it came to hospitalizations, there were 458 active cases, up from 388 a day earlier. 52 people were admitted to the ICU. On Dec. 1, NSW had reported just 271 cases.

Over 70 percent of new infections in some states are now exclusively dominated by the Omicron variant that originated in South Africa. However, the dominant variant in NSW is unknown since the state does not carry out routine genomic testing to determine the strain. According to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Omicron is widespread in the state.

We would expect that pretty well everybody in New South Wales at some point will get omicron If were all going to get omicron, the best way to face it is when we have full vaccinations including our booster, Hazzard said in a statement. He asked citizens not to go to hospitals or call an ambulance unless there are signs of severe COVID-19 symptoms, citing the enormous pressure facing the states healthcare system.

The increase in COVID-19 infections is happening despite high vaccination rates. As of Dec. 23, 95 percent of NSW citizens aged 16 and above had received at least a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 93.5 percent are considered fully vaccinated.

Among 12 to 15-year-olds, these figures stood at 81.6 percent and 78.3 percent respectively. Despite this scenario, NSW authorities urged fully vaccinated people to take a third booster shot.

Masks are now compulsory in all indoor, non-residential settings, including for hospitality staff and in offices, unless eating or drinking From today, QR code check-ins are also compulsory. Hospitality venues including pubs, clubs, restaurants, and cafes have moved to 1 person per 2 square meter rules indoors. There are no density limits for outdoor settings. All settings will remain in place until Thursday 27 January 2022, the NSW government said in a Dec. 27 update.

Thousands of citizens have been isolated at home due to contacting someone who was infected with the COVID-19 virus. Pharmacists and doctors in the state said that they were running out of vaccine doses as there has been a rush to get vaccinated due to concerns over the spread of Omicron.

Complicating the situation is a botch-up made by a COVID-19 testing lab that mistakenly classified over 400 people as having tested negative for the virus when in reality these people were infected. The notification was sent to patients via St. Vincents Hospital pathology service SydPath.

An emergency response team is now investigating the cause of this mistake, which is believed to be human error We sincerely apologized to those impacted, the hospital said in a statement.

According to Anthony Dodds, medical director at SydPath, the botch-up took place as the lab was burdened with a very large volume of tests in recent days. As soon as they came to know about the mistake, SydPath immediately began to contact the affected individuals.

In Victoria, the second-most populous state after NSW, 1,608 new cases were reported on Dec. 26, with 374 people admitted to hospitals and 77 in ICU. Over 30,000 people in the state were isolated at home during Christmas time, with around half of them reported to be active cases.
Community members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have formed a Free Speech Alliance to counter the rising liberal intolerance at the institution. The group is advocating to strengthen protections for academic freedom.

MIT Free Speech Alliance accuses the institution of having turned hostile towards free speech like many universities recently. It cited the example of censorship slapped on geoscientist Dorian Abbott.

In October, MIT canceled a speaking invitation to Abbott as he had expressed a personal opinion that merit should not be superseded by identity politics. MIT was forced to take such a stand after heavy negative press coverage of Abbot by the extreme left.

Following the incident, MIT held two faculty forums at which time the faculty chair Lily Tsai polled attendees on two questions: firstly, whether they felt their voices or their colleagues voices were being constrained at the institution on a daily basis; and secondly, whether they are worried that their voices are increasingly in jeopardy given the current atmosphere of society. While 50 percent responded yes to the first question, the number went up to 80 percent for the second question.

The fact that a large majority of polled faculty at MIT feels that their voices are being restricted reveals a crisis demanding decisive action, the group says.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has also joined the MIT Free Speech Alliance in condemning the institutions failure to protect freedom of expression. A survey conducted by FIRE showed that only 21 percent of MIT students feel their administration makes it very or extremely clear that they protect free speech at MIT. Less than 17 percent believed that the administration is very or extremely likely to uphold free speech rights if a controversy over free speech was to erupt.

FIRE urges MIT to adopt a free speech policy statement in the model of the Chicago Statement With 13 of the schools ranked in the top 25 of FIREs College Free Speech Rankings having endorsed the Chicago Statement  FIRE, faculty, and alumni are determined to bring academic freedom back to MIT. Now the administration just needs to remember what it stands for, the organization said in a press release. The Chicago Statement is a commitment to protecting free speech in academics.

Two MIT alumni have also written open letters in which they announced stopping donations to the institute after it bowed down to woke pressure.

The current MIT administration has caved repeatedly to the demands of wokeness, treating its students unfairly, compromising the quality of its staff, and damaging the institution and academic freedom at large. We object to MITs politically correct measures, the open letter stated. The duo suggested MIT adopt principles of fairness to redeem itself.
Yet another cold snap is sweeping through most of China. Nearly 70 percent of the country has been covered in snow, with blizzards and icy roads in many areas, causing massive shutdowns of roads, rails, and airplanes and paralyzing traffic. Publicly listed companies have also been affected.

According to Chinese financial media, chnfund.com, as of Dec. 26, 18 major cities have set new lows for this winter. Shanghai, Hangzhou, Changsha, and other major cities fell into the freezing point for the first time in the second half of the year.

By Dec. 26, five highways and sixteen national and provincial roads in multiple provinces (Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou) were closed due to snowfall and road icing.

Chinas National Emergency Early Warning Information Release System showed that as of Dec. 27, 1,029 warnings were issued nationwide, including 517 for road ice, 137 for cold snaps, and 115 for snowstorms.

Many local education departments have issued notices of school closures and school holidays.

According to the Guangdong weather news, on December 26th, Guangdong Province issued 14 cold red warnings, 64 cold orange warnings and 24 cold yellow warnings. It was the first time in the second half of 2021 that Guangdong had issued the highest level of cold warning.

Publicly listed companies affected

On Dec. 26, Roshow Technology announced that due to blizzard and extreme weather in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the companys solar power plants had collapsed to varying degrees. At present, its working with the insurance department to verify property losses and claims.

According to the announcement, the company is taking measures to resume normal production and operation and is trying to minimize the adverse impact of the snowstorm. The specific amount of loss is still unknown but its expected to impact the companys performance this year.

Previously, COFCO Sugar announced that due to extreme weather as a result of a La Nina, the economic loss of the company would reduce the net profit for the year by an estimated amount ranging from RMB180 million to RMB300 million. The loss ranges were calculated by considering direct loss, other contingent losses caused by the reduction of sugar production, cost increases, and the abnormal wear and tear of harvesting machines.

As seen in the case of COFCO Sugar, agricultural companies in regions affected by the cold snap may face greater difficulties. In addition, industries such as infrastructure and engineering in the north may experience a brief halt as a result and may also be affected to some extent.
A new class of opioids is spreading havoc across the United States, worsening the opioid abuse that is already killing thousands of Americans annually. The new nitazene class of opioids is said to have an even stronger effect than the popular fentanyl opioid that is responsible for a majority of overdose deaths in the country.

Nitazenes were created roughly six decades ago as a medication to relieve pain. However, these drugs never received approval in the United States. Of late, nitazenes have been cropping up in various cities like Maryland and Washington D.C. According to experts, netizene class opioids are two to ten times more fatal than fentanyl.

Theres probably about five to 10 drugs that make up this medicine class right now that have been identified on the market Theyre really spread through all areas throughout the U.S. Usually, we see them epicentered around places in the Midwest and then, they sort of proliferate out from there, Alex Krotulski, an expert in nitazenes at the Center for Forensic Science, told the Washington Examiner.

In places like New York, Indiana, Texas, New Jersey, and Ohio, the most commonly found nitazene class drugs are protonitazene, isotonitazene, and metonitazene. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing have created the perfect environment for a spike in opioid use.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 93,300 fatal drug overdoses were registered in 2020, which is around 30 percent more than the previous year. The majority of these deaths were linked with opioid use in every single state. Between 2019 and 2020, fatal opioid overdoses rose from 50,963 to 69,710.

According to CDC data from November this year, drug overdose deaths between May 2020 and April 2021 were the highest in a 12-month period at over 100,000. Roughly 64 percent of these deaths were synthetic opioid deaths. Though fentanyl is the largest killer among opioid users, nitazenes could soon take that place as people suffering from substance use disorders seek out drugs with more potency.

Since most nitazenes are largely unregulated, they are not subject to the same scrutiny by law enforcement officials as other controlled substances. This, along with the fact that they can be made inexpensively from legal substances, makes them very appealing for drug traffickers, Rebecca Donald, assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, told Healthline.

Efforts to control the opioid crisis are being undertaken at various levels. In an interview with Healio, Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said that a common factor in many such strategies is increasing physician and patient access to buprenorphine. Citing several studies, Volkow stated that buprenorphine is one of the most effective and safest drugs that have been proven to treat opioid use disorder.

If concerns about the potential for misuse of buprenorphine are keeping clinicians from prescribing medications for opioid use disorder, I would point out that a NIDA-funded study found that in 2019, nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults reporting buprenorphine use did not misuse the medication in the past 12 months Buprenorphine misuse among people with opioid use disorder trended downward between 2015 and 2019, even though more people received buprenorphine treatment during this time, Volkow said.
With the Omicron variant showing no signs of abating and bad weather in the Pacific Northwest, several U.S. airlines have been forced to either cancel or delay their flights leading to major disruptions during the holiday season.

According to FlightAware, which provides real-time flight data, more than 1,000 flights were canceled on Monday, Dec. 27. Since Dec. 24, over 4,000 flights into, from, or inside the U.S. have been canceled.

The problem was experienced throughout the industry, with Spirit, JetBlue, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines all blaming cancellations on the rising COVID-19 infections. As many pilots and other crew members fell sick, they were put in quarantine, thus affecting flight schedules. Alaska Airlines and SkyWest Airlines were impacted the most. Together, both airlines saw more than 400 cancellations on Monday.

SkyWest canceled 297 flights on Dec. 27, which accounted for roughly 12 percent of its total flights. SkyWest teams are working to recover after weather impacting several hubs, as well as increased COVID cases and quarantines amongst crewmembers, have resulted in higher than normal flight cancels through the weekend and todayWe apologize for the inconvenience and are working to resume normal operations as quickly as possible, the company said to Fox Business.

Delta Air Lines, which was one of the hardest-hit carriers during the Christmas weekend with over 370 cancellations on Sunday, said that winter weather and the Omicron variant will continue affecting its operations.

Canceling a flight is always Deltas last resort. The result is not only difficult for customers, but for our people who want nothing more than to take care of them  especially over the holidays. We sincerely apologize to everyone impacted, John Laughter, Deltas COO, said in a statement on Dec. 27.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines, which is headquartered in Seattle, reported that cancellations were not driven by sick crews. The snowstorms in the Pacific Northwest led to nearly 250 flight cancellations on Sunday and more than 100 on Monday. Out of its more than 4,000 scheduled flights, United Airlines canceled 115 flights on Monday due to its staff calling in sick. Southwest Airlines saw 67 cancellations but none of them were related to COVID-19.

Apart from the weather and the spike in Omicron infections, there were also technical issues that led to cancellations. A temporary third-party network system outage prompted Sun Country Airlines to cancel all of its domestic flights before 8 a.m. Central Time on Monday.

In order to address the staffing issue, major airlines have requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shorten the period of isolation for fully vaccinated employees who test positive for COVID-19 to five days from ten. However, the suggestion was opposed by the flight attendants union which insisted that the matter should be decided by public health officials, not airlines.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations top infectious-disease expert, suggested that a vaccine mandate for domestic travel would push more people to get vaccinated, thereby controlling the spread of the virus.

Bob Mann, an airline industry consultant, expects the chaos in the airlines to subside from Jan. 1, as a new schedule for staff would be implemented. He said to The Washington Post that it is difficult to determine by how much the troubles would ease as many airlines have not revealed the number of employees sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.

There are also signs that airlines have learned from the chaotic situations which have occurred before. Many airlines are now informing customers in advance and canceling flights proactively, to prevent the kind of disorderly scenes that were witnessed this summer and fall.
Fast-food chain McDonalds will now begin rationing French fries at all outlets in Japan due to a shortage of potato imports. It will affect 2900 stores in Japan and will be in effect between Dec. 25 and 30.

In a statement, McDonalds blamed large-scale flooding near the Port of Vancouver in Canada and the COVID-19-triggered global supply crunch for delays in the supply of potatoes.

The restriction on the sale of French fries comes amidst the festive Christmas and New Year holidays. During this period, many Japanese eat out in large numbers at outlets like McDonalds and KFC. The company is also securing potatoes through alternate measures, such as air freight. However, the fast-food chain admitted that ensuring stable procurement was proving to be a challenge.

McDonalds Japan will temporarily limit sales of Medium- and Large-sized French Fries as a proactive measure to ensure customers can continue to enjoy McDonalds French Fries Customers will still be able to order Small-sized French Fries at all of our restaurants. To date, there have been no breaks in supply, the company told the BBC.

In mid-November, the Canadian province of British Columbia was hammered by storms that caused damage to rail lines and roads around Vancouver. This cut off Vancouver from the rest of the province for several days, which disrupted port activities. The Vancouver port is the third-largest in North America. Potatoes from the United States account for roughly 70 percent of Japans overall potato imports.

Whether from Idaho or Washington, every French fry a Tokyo resident pops in their mouth has spent weeks on refrigerated shipping containers known as reefers. When a reefer full of French fries arrives in Vancouver waiting for a ride to Japan, it needs to be plugged in. But with containers piling up at ports, space for even a regular sea can is hard to find, according to Vancouver is Awesome. Moreover, there are only a small number of ships at sea that can plug in a refrigerated container, complicating the problem further.

As a result, the mid-November storm disrupted the supply chain to the extent that potato shipments from the Vancouver port to McDonalds in Japan were affected. According to Bloomberg, the two major freight railways that carry two-thirds of the cargo transported to the Vancouver port by land had fixed the damaged lines and had restarted operations.

This isnt the first time that McDonalds Japan is facing a potato shortage. In Dec. 2014, the company faced a similar problem. A dispute had broken out between terminal operators and 20,000 dockworkers. Consequently, shipping lines at 29 ports along the U.S. west coast delayed the shipment of potatoes to the Asian nation.

McDonalds had to sell small-sized French fries to its Japanese customers for some time. The company imported more than 1,000 tons of frozen fries via air freight to help the shortage at the time.

Last August, at its UK outlets, McDonalds faced supply shortages of bottled drinks and shakes. One of the main reasons blamed for the supply crunch was the shortage of shipping truck drivers. McDonalds also blamed the aftermath of Brexit for the crisis.
In a report published in Dec. 2021 by AlgorithmWatch, a nonprofit organization based out of Germany, it has been revealed how automated decision-making (ADM) systems, driven by advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, were deployed by numerous governments across the globe to clandestinely track and monitor its populations.

In the report titled Tracing the Tracers 2021 Report: Automating COVID Responses AlgorithmWatch details how numerous countries including, Greece, and Poland, among others, adopted with almost no transparency, no evidence of their efficacy, no adequate safeguards, and insufficient democratic debate, ADM systems to track its populations citing public health concerns as justification.

Greece

In Greece, authorities utilized simple SMS services to advanced data analytics tools and machine learning (ML) algorithms, during two lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021.

During these times people were only authorized to leave their homes for specific reasons and were required to notify authorities if they left their homes by sending an SMS to 13033, a service run by the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection.

More than 885 million SMSs were sent during the two lock down periods. The increased surveillance prompted the civil society organization, Homo Digitalis, to file a complaint against the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection via the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (DPA).

The complainant asserted that the SMS service was not in compliance with the GDPR, and that inadequate information was provided as to how authorities were utilizing and protecting the personal data it was collecting,

Greece also implemented an advanced machine learning (ML) algorithm dubbed Eva.

Upon entering the country, travelers were required to complete a questionnaire which collected information such as the travelers name, age, and gender as well as information about the travelers permanent country of residence and previously visited countries, that was then fed into the Eva algorithm. Greek authorities justified the collection of data as a means to screen incoming travelers so that Greek authorities could assess whether the traveler should be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.

The Hellenic Union of Computer Scientists raised concerns about the use of the algorithm. Eva was supplied to the Greek government pro bono by a group of scientists who wanted to assist the Greek authorities. The union argued that the adoption of Eva was not a result of an open public procurement procedure [and] without prior evaluation and no guarantee that it would be effective at an operational level. Despite these concerns Greek authorities forged ahead with the untested technology.

Poland

In Poland one of the first responses to the challenges of the pandemic was the use of technology, the report reads.

Like other governments around the world, Poland implemented quarantine requirements for close contacts and people infected with the COVID-19 virus. The government financed the development of applications to monitor people staying in quarantine as well as a tracking program to control entrepreneurs who received government support because their ability to work was restricted

In the Polish city of Gdynia, authorities went as far as to implement a city monitoring system that included rapid identification of large concentrations of people.

The code was placed on Github (a popular code sharing platform) however following a test phase the monitoring function was abandoned.

Polish authorities also authorized the development of an app called the Home Quarantine app and made the installation and use of the app a legal obligation for those who have to undergo quarantine.

The use of the app was to unburden police officers who were tasked with checks on people quarantining at home.

Police in Northern Poland said that, Every day police officers in the Pomeranian province have to supervise the course of quarantine of more than 24,000 people, which is a really demanding and time-consuming challenge.

The app was plagued with problems resulting in the app receiving a one star rating on popular app depositories like the Google Play Store.

Canada

Absent from AlgorithmWatchs report, Canadas public health agency admitted that it tracked 33 million mobile devices during a COVID-19 lockdown in the country without authorization from the users.

The Public Health Agency of Canada accessed location data from 33 million mobile devices to monitor peoples movement during lockdown, The National Post Reported.

Canada has a population of just over 38 million people.

A spokesperson for Canadas health agency told the National Post that due to the urgency of the pandemic, (PHAC) collected and used mobility data, such as cell-tower location data, throughout the COVID-19 response.

The agency said it used the data to ascertain the effectiveness of public lockdown measures and to allow the Agency to understand possible links between movement of populations within Canada and [the] spread of COVID-19.

The Agency intends to track population movement in Canada for the next five years citing other public health issues such as other infectious diseases, chronic disease prevention and mental health.

Privacy advocates were quick to raise concerns.

David Lyon, author of Pandemic Surveillance and former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queens University, said in an email to the National Post, I think that the Canadian public will find out about many other such unauthorized surveillance initiatives before the pandemic is overand afterwards.

Alarmingly Lyon warned that PHAC uses the same kinds of reassuring language as national security agencies use, for instance not mentioning possibilities for re-identifying data that has been de-identified.

Lyon urged the need for more information regarding exactly what was done, what was achieved and whether or not it truly served the interest of Canadian citizens.

Martin French, an associate professor of Concordia University noted in an email to the National Post that Evidence is coming in from many sources, from countries around the world, that what was seen as a huge surveillance surge  post 9/11  is now completely upstaged by pandemic surveillance.
A dangerous trend has emerged on TikTok that involves mixing chemicals to create homemade bombs. Recently, a Swedish youth who participated in this trend ended up damaging his eyesight.

The youth was a student of the Dalsjoskolan school in the city of Boras. He suffered serious injuries to his face and there are chances that his vision could be permanently impaired. The name and age of the youth have not been disclosed.

Its serious, even though we dont really know the consequences yet, Dalsjoskolan principal Maria Persson said, according to SVT. Persson believes that parents need to be informed about how their kids are using social media so as to prevent such incidents.

This is not the first time that youth in Sweden has been injured while trying to participate in this viral trend. Samuel Tinglof Bjelkmark, a 13-year-old from the municipality of Salem in Stockholm County, also experimented with the trend two weeks ago. The bottle in his hand exploded, resulting in injuries that put him in a hospital.

The homemade bomb isnt the only dangerous trend that is being promoted on TikTok. There are numerous other challenges and pranks that have led to severe injuries and even death.

The skull breaker challenge, which originated in Venezuela, is one such challenge. It involves three individuals jumping next to each other as the bookending buds kick the middle guys feet out from under him. The action sends the person crashing to the ground, landing on their back and hitting their head in the process, according to the New York Post. This has led to serious injuries across the U.S. Two high school teens have been charged with misdemeanor battery in Florida due to this trend.

Then there is the Benadryl challenge that involves consuming a substantial amount of cough syrup until one hallucinates. It eventually led to the death of a 15-year-old girl in Oklahoma last year.

A couple in New York recently blamed the Lug Nut Challenge for the wheel of their jeep coming off while they were driving. The challenge involves TikTok users filming themselves while removing the nuts of cars. The couple believes some individuals must have removed the lug nuts from their vehicle.

In another incident, a teenager in Louisiana punched her 64-year-old disabled teacher in what police officers claim is linked to the slap a teacher challenge. The teenager could face up to 10 years in prison.

School students across the U.S. have also participated in the devious licks challenge that encourages them to record a video of themselves stealing stuff or vandalizing property at schools. This has led to thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Some are worried that TikTok has become a platform that encourages youngsters to indulge in dangerous and illicit acts. While teens may not give a thought to how dangerous the consequences of their acts can be, many are demanding that TikTok take the responsibility of ensuring that any content that promotes violence or reckless acts is banned on the platform.
An investigative journalist for the BBC's Russian-language service in Moscow said in a video released on Monday that he had felt compelled to leave Russia for self-imposed exile in Britain due to what he called unprecedented surveillance.

Russian authorities designated Andrei Zakharov a "foreign agent" in October, a decision the British broadcaster said at the time it strongly rejected and would try to overturn.

The designation was the latest twist in a crackdown on media outlets that the authorities in Moscow see as hostile and foreign-backed. Separately, BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford left Russia in August after Moscow refused to extend her permission to work in what it said was a tit-for-tat row with Britain over the treatment of foreign media.

The foreign agent designation has Cold War-era connotations and requires those so labelled to prominently indicate in all their content that they are "foreign agents," something which can hurt advertising revenue.

Zakharov said in the video posted from London on YouTube that he had felt compelled to leave Russia after noticing what he called "unprecedented surveillance" of his activities in Moscow.

He did not say who was watching him and added he wasn't sure if he was being followed because of his foreign agent designation or because of a recent investigation he had carried out into alleged Russian hackers.

The Russian interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said that journalists and media outlets designated as foreign agents can continue their work in Russia.

The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks from Zakharov, who has investigated topics ranging from President Vladimir Putin's personal history to Russian disinformation factories.
A 22-year-old white supremacist was sentenced Tuesday to life in federal prison for killing a woman and injuring three others when he burst into a Southern California synagogue in 2019, adding to a life sentence he received three months earlier in state court.

John T. Earnest declined to speak in a courtroom full of victims, families and congregants. In state court, his attorney said he wanted to speak but a judge refused, saying he didn't want to give a platform for his hate-filled speech.

Earnest's attorney, Ellis Johnston III, said his client acknowledged his actions were "inappropriate," a statement that was greeted with skepticism by prosecutors. Peter Ko, a federal prosecutor, said Earnest's expression of regret came shortly after the shooting in a phone call to someone else.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia said the federal and state life sentences would run one after the other instead of concurrently, acknowledging it was symbolic but that it was meant to send a strong message. The judge denied a defense attorney's request to have Earnest stay in state prison.

"Obviously this is as serious as it gets," Battaglia said near the end of a two-hour hearing during which Earnest, tied to restraints, looked straight ahead without expression.

Earnest pleaded guilty to federal charges in September after the Justice Department said it wouldn't seek the death penalty. Defense attorneys and prosecutors recommended a life sentence, plus 30 years.

That same month, Earnest received another life term under a plea agreement with state charges that spared him the death penalty. His conviction for murder and attempted murder at the synagogue and arson for an earlier fire at a nearby mosque brought a life sentence without parole, plus 137 years in prison.

Minutes after the shooting on the last day of Passover, Earnest called a 911 dispatcher to say he shot up the synagogue to save white people.

"I'm defending our nation against the Jewish people, who are trying to destroy all white people," he said.

The San Diego man was inspired by mass shootings at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shortly before he attacked Chabad of Poway, a synagogue near San Diego, on April 27, 2019. He frequented 8chan, a dark corner of the internet, for those disaffected by mainstream social media sites to post extremist, racist and violent views.

Earnest legally bought a semi-automatic rifle in San Diego a day before the attack, according to a federal affidavit. He entered the synagogue with 10 bullets loaded and 50 more on his vest but fled after struggling to reload. Worshippers chased him to his car.

Earnest killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was hit twice in the foyer, and wounded an 8-year-old girl, her uncle and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was leading a service on the major Jewish holiday.

Gilbert-Kaye's husband, daughter, two sisters and others spoke about how the victims brightened their lives and called Earnest a coward, an evil animal and a monster.

Earnest's parents issued a statement after the shooting expressing shock and sadness, calling their son's actions a "terrifying mystery." Their son was an accomplished student, athlete and musician who was studying to be a nurse at California State University, San Marcos.

"To our great shame, he is now part of the history of evil that has been perpetrated on Jewish people for centuries," they said.


Cameroon's military has released health workers detained for several days who were working for the aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. The military says the workers were helping a wounded rebel leader, who also was detained, and they are still being investigated. MSF has condemned the detentions, the latest incident between the group and Cameroon's military.

Cameroon's military alleged that MSF this week deliberately engaged in a clandestine operation to exfiltrate armed rebels.

In a statement, the military says Mbu Princely Tabe and Bessong Eugene, two self-proclaimed separatists generals contacted MSF Sunday to help fighters wounded in a battle with Cameroon government troops in Tinto, a southwestern farming village.

The statement by military spokesperson, Army Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo, says after a tipoff, an ambulance belonging to MSF was intercepted by the military in Nguti with Mbu Princely receiving treatment inside the ambulance. Nguti is a commercial town in Cameroon's English speaking Southwest region.

The military said one of the rebel generals, Bessong Eugene, died and was buried in the bush before MSF arrived to save the lives of wounded fighters.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, the governor of Cameroon's Southwest region, says he is surprised that MSF decided to help a dreaded self-proclaimed separatist general who was wounded in an armed battle with government troops. He says the dangerous fighter has killed many civilians and destroyed a great deal of property, including public edifices. Bilai says MSF was helping the criminal known by the Cameroon government troops as a terrorist to escape from the military.

Bilai said two MSF staff held by the military for questioning were released after two days but gave no further details.

MSF has denied it was helping any rebels to escape from the military. In a statement, MSF said Sunday the aid group contacted Cameroon military authorities and informed government troops of plans to transfer a wounded patient for medical assistance at Mutengene, another English-speaking southwestern town.

MSF says its ambulance was intercepted by government forces and taken to a different location. In the statement, MSF says it treats people based on medical need, regardless of their background or affiliations.

Felix Agbor Balla, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, says MSF is working in accordance with the Geneva conventions, which require people wounded in conflicts to be treated humanely without any adverse distinction based on sex, race, nationality, religion, political opinions, or any other similar criteria.

Balla says MSF cannot give the identities of all the people it is treating to the military as requested by the government.

"If Doctors Without Borders starts informing the government in detail of each and every patient, then the independence, the confidentiality is no longer there. Government is trying to put Doctors Without Borders in harm's way," said Balla. "I would recommend that Doctors Without Borders and the government should sit down and have a discussion. Government can criticize Doctors Without Borders, but we should not forget the wonderful work that Doctors Without Borders has been doing in this country."

MSF has been in Cameroon since 1984. The aid group gives medical assistance to people suffering Boko Haram atrocities in Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria. MSF provides surgical care, malaria treatment and treatment for COVID-19 patients in Cameroons restive English-speaking southwest region. The group says it treated more than a million patients in Cameroon in 2020.

In 2020, Cameroon suspended MSF from carrying out activities in the English-speaking northwest region. The government accused MSF of having close relations with separatists who are fighting to create an independent English-speaking state. The aid organization strongly denies the accusations and says its only goal is to save lives.

The U.N. says the separatist crisis that began in Cameroons English-speaking regions in 2017 has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced 750,000, both internally and to neighboring Nigeria.
Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Tiangong, China's new space station, had to maneuver to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station."

"The U.S. ... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the U.S. military and civilian space agency, NASA.

But China said in its note to the U.N. that members of the Outer Space Treaty  the foundation of international space law  are also responsible for actions by their nongovernment entities.

Addressing reporters, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price declined to respond specifically to the Chinese accusations.

"We have encouraged all countries with space programs to be responsible actors, to avoid acts that may put in danger astronauts, cosmonauts, others who are orbiting the Earth or who have the potential to," Price said.

SpaceX has not responded to a request for comment.

Evasive maneuvers to reduce the risk of collisions in space are becoming more frequent as more objects enter Earth's orbit, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"We've really noticed the increase in the number of close passes since Starlink started getting deployed," he told AFP.

Any collision would likely "completely demolish" the Chinese space station and kill everyone on board, McDowell added.

The core module of China's station Tiangong  meaning "heavenly palace"  entered orbit earlier this year, and it is expected to become fully operational next year.

'Prepare to boycott Tesla'

Beijing's complaint about Starlink prompted criticism on Chinese social media of SpaceX's billionaire founder Musk, who is widely admired in China.

One hashtag about the topic on the Twitter-like Weibo platform racked up 90 million views Tuesday.

"How ironic that Chinese people buy Tesla, contributing large sums of money so Musk can launch Starlink, and then he (nearly) crashes into China's space station," one user commented.

Musk's electric car maker Tesla sells tens of thousands of vehicles in China each month, though the firm's reputation has taken a hit this year following a spate of crashes, scandals and data security concerns.

"Prepare to boycott Tesla," said another Weibo user, echoing a common response in China to foreign brands perceived to be acting contrary to national interests.


Having a college degree might do more than potentially boost your bottom line; higher education might also lead to a more fulfilling family and social life. A recent study finds that people who graduated from college are more likely to have more friends and are less lonely than their counterparts with a high school diploma or less.

Overall, Americans in general are experiencing a "friend recession," according to Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

"Americans have fewer close friends today than we did in the early '90s. But some groups were particularly affected in that they seem to have experienced a much more dramatic decline over that time period," Cox says. "And there are two groups that really stood out. The first is men. And the second one is people without a college degree."

The Survey Center of American Life interviewed 5,054 people this past summer and found that Americans with a college degree feel more socially connected and civically engaged and are more active in their communities than people who didn't attend college. As a result, college graduates report feeling less lonely or isolated.

"If you look at the traditional institutions supporting Americans without a college degree, they were  in no particular order  religion, marriage and unions," Cox says. "Unions were primarily financial, but they also offered a lot of social support and social connection and feelings of belonging as well. The decline of unions, the decline of marriage and the decline of religion have all disproportionately affected the noncollege group.  I feel pretty strong that those three things are at the heart of this story."

Previous research shows that people who didn't go to college are less likely to marry. A 2013 survey of people born between 1957 and 1964 found that both men and women who didn't finish high school were less likely to marry than their counterparts with more education.

A 2012 study found that college-educated women were much more likely to get married than women who dropped out of high school.

Cox points to research that shows that people who are married tend to have larger social networks and more close friends and report feeling lonely less often.

Today, 65% of college-educated Americans over age 25 are married, while 50% of people with a high school diploma, or who dropped out of high school, have put a ring on it. There was a much smaller educational divide in 1990, when marriage rates among the college educated were at 69%, compared with 63% for those who didn't attend college, according to a Pew research poll.

Pew also finds that Americans are less religious overall. The percentage of Americans who say they're "religiously unaffiliated" rose from 17% in 2009 to 26% in 2018 and 2019. It's the continuation of a trend first documented by Pew in 2007.

When it comes to union association, the percentage of workers who belong to a union has almost halved since 1983, when 20% of U.S. workers were union members. Union membership had dropped to 10.8% by 2020.

The loss of religious, associational and marital connections hits people who didn't go to college the hardest, according to Cox. The American Community Life Survey found that about 1 in 10 (9%) college graduates say they have no immediate social connections. That number rises dramatically among Americans without a degree, where almost 1 in 4 (24%) say they have no close friends.

"They are becoming increasingly socially isolated; their social networks are shrinking," Cox says. "We found the number of close friends that they have  if you look back to where they were in the '90s, there wasn't much of a disparity between those with a degree and those without. But now there's a pretty large disparity in the number of close friends that they have."

This social and civic decline among those without degrees can be mitigated by finding alternative social outlets to offset the decline in religious participation, associational life and marriage, Cox says.
Gambia's Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to President Adama Barrow's recent election victory on Tuesday, ruling that the petition had not followed proper procedure, court documents showed.

Barrow won the Dec. 4 poll with 53% of the vote. Runner-up Ousainou Darboe, who got about 28%, and two other candidates refused to accept the results, citing alleged problems at polling stations without providing evidence.

Darboe's United Democratic Party (UDP) petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the results the following week despite election observers having said the poll was conducted fairly.

The court dismissed the petition on the grounds that Darboe's party had failed to serve Barrow within five days of filing it, which violated the Gambia's fair trial procedures, judicial sources said.

"The UDP failed to comply with the requirement of Rule 11 of the Election Petition Rule, which required that you file a motion of petition and security," Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow wrote in the judgment.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Darboe said that he did not consider the court's decision a personal loss, since the petition was dismissed on a procedural technicality rather than on the merit of its claims.

"We have not lost anything because the petition was not dismissed based on merit but a mere technicality," Darboe said. "We should be Proud of ourselves for what we have done and will continue to do for Country."

Supreme Court decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Darboe did not indicate whether he or his party would continue to challenge the election results.
Prominent historians and human rights activists were shocked by a Russian Supreme Court ruling Tuesday to close Memorial International, which chronicled historical abuses of the former Soviet Union and identified victims of former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's purges.



The human rights group, which has long drawn the ire of Russian officials, was found guilty of breaking a law requiring nongovernmental organizations and other groups to register as foreign agents if they receive foreign donations. Kremlin critics said the organization was targeted for political reasons.



Memorial Internationals sister organization, the Memorial Human Rights Center, which campaigns on behalf of political prisoners in modern-day Russia, is also under legal threat. Prosecutors in Moscow Wednesday will call for its closure on claims it has been justifying terrorism and condoning extremism in its publications.

The persecution of International Memorial and Memorial Human Rights Center is an affront to their noble missions and to the cause of human rights everywhere, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement late Tuesday.The people of Russia  and the memory of the millions who suffered from Soviet-era repression  deserve better.

Blinken further expressed U.S. solidarity with those in Russia who have been targeted for exercising rights to expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

A power that is afraid of memory, will never be able to achieve democratic maturity, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum director Piotr Cywinski tweeted on Tuesday. Other historians said on social media that the ruling capped a year of crackdowns on Kremlin critics not seen since the Soviet days.



In a joint statement, the German branch of Amnesty International, the Heinrich Boll Foundation, and the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation decried the ruling, saying the Russian government wants to monopolize individual and collective memory.

Uncovering atrocities



Memorial International has chronicled the horrors of the Communist era since it was co-founded in 1987 by Nobel laureate and Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, four years before the end of the Soviet Union. Memorial historians located execution sites and mass graves of Stalin's Great Terror, also known as the Great Purge, and tried to identify as many victims as possible.



Several historians associated with Memorial International have been imprisoned in recent years, including Karelia-based gulag chronicler Yury Dmitriyev, who this week was sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony for allegedly abusing his adopted daughter.

Other historians say the charge against Dmitriyev was trumped up and leveled to silence him. Two other Gulag chroniclers also have been jailed on sex-related charges.



Historical memory



Kremlin authorities repeatedly have accused Memorial International of distorting history. Before Tuesdays ruling, state prosecutor Alexei Zhafyarov said, It is obvious that Memorial creates a false image of the USSR as a terrorist state. Zhafyarov claimed the extensive lists of victims of Stalinist repression compiled by the organization also included Nazi offenders with blood of Soviet citizens on their hands.



This is why we, the descendants of (WWII) victors, are forced to watch for attempts to rehabilitate traitors of the motherland and Nazi collaborators, he added.





Stalins image has slowly been rehabilitated since Vladimir Putin came to power in the late 1990s, a rehabilitation that has included new statues and memorials being built, and officials no longer embarrassed to hang Stalins portraits.



Memorial historians say they are on the front line in a battle over history and the chronicling of the communist past.



The very act of remembrance is frowned on, St. Petersburg-based historian Anatoly Razumov told VOA in a recent interview. He said officials under Putin see the memorializing as unpatriotic, an act undertaken by fifth columnists to the benefit of Western foes.



Razumov said researching the Great Terror has always been difficult, even during the thaw years (the period after Stalins death in 1953) of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, Putins predecessor. He said 1997 marked the beginning of the end of the thaw when it comes to the history of the Great Terror. In a presidential decree, Yeltsin declared 1997 as the Year of Reconciliation.



After 1997, the topic was meant to go quiet. As far as the authorities were concerned, the topic was finished, Razumov told VOA.



Memorial historians say Kremlin-backed academics have put a lot of effort into adding details to the story of the horrors that Russia endured during World War II at the hands of the German Nazis.



Last year, Russian prosecutors summoned surviving Red Army veterans to recall their battlefield experiences to help identify Nazis and their collaborators who carried out war atrocities in the Soviet Union.



The probe was linked by some observers to Putins renewed interest in historical memory. The Russian leader and former KGB officer has complained loudly that the Soviet Unions huge wartime role and its losses have been downplayed for propaganda purposes by Western politicians and historians.



Putin has asserted Western popular culture overlooks Soviet sacrifices and focuses instead on events such as the Normandy landings of 1944. Some Western historians sympathize with Putins claim and his insistence the Soviet sacrifice in lives and treasure was much greater than the Western allies. But they question Putins rigid selectivity.



Timothy Snyder, a Yale University historian and author of The Road to Unfreedom, has accused Putin of taking certain points from the past to portray them as moments of righteousness while everything in between those moments is discarded.



Last year, Putin labeled those who disagree with the Kremlins version of history as Western collaborators. And the Investigative Committee of Russia has established a department to investigate falsifications of history, which rights campaigners and historians fear will be used to further stifle free inquiry.



United Nations Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor warned last month any dissolution of Memorial would be a new low for human rights defenders in Russia, whose criticism of historical and contemporary human rights abuses has for many years made them the target of a government that is ever diminishing the space for public debate.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is being hailed as a national hero in Canada after publication of an article about an obscure 1952 incident in which a Carter-led team helped prevent the worlds first nuclear accident from becoming a much worse disaster.

A recounting of the incident appeared this month on the Facebook page of the Historical Society of Ottawa and quickly went viral across Canada. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the countrys national broadcaster, followed up with its own version soon after.

The Historical Society of Ottawa has been telling the great stories of the Ottawa areas past for over 123 years, the societys outreach officer, Ben Weiss, told VOA. No story, however, has resonated like this one.

I had learned of this amazing story reading Jimmy Carters memoirs many years ago. Yet I had no idea my post would go viral as it did. Almost 1 million views on Facebook so far  and that many again reshared on Twitter.

Carter, a young U.S. Navy lieutenant in 1952, was in in nearby Schenectady, New York, training to work aboard Americas first nuclear submarine at the time of the accident at a reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, just 180 km from Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

According to a Canadian government website, mechanical problems and operator error led to overheating fuel rods and significant damage to the core of the reactor, prompting officials to turn to the United States for help in dismantling the device.

A total of 26 Americans, including several volunteers, rushed to Chalk River to help with the hazardous job. Carter led a team of men who, after formulating a plan, descended into the highly radioactive site for 90 seconds apiece to perform specialized tasks.

Carters job, according to the CBC recounting, was simply to turn a single screw. But even that limited exposure carried serious risks; Carter was told that he might never be able to have children again, though in fact his daughter Amy was born years later.

For Weiss, the story and the reaction to it are a fitting tribute to Carter, who has devoted much of his post-presidency to public service but who at age 97 is in failing health.

To learn of Carters action hero exploits as a young naval officer (here in Canada of all places!) just seemed a fitting final puzzle piece to complete the story of this remarkable mans life, Weiss told VOA in an email exchange.

I think many Canadians  and Americans  share a heartfelt fondness for Jimmy Carter. At least those of us of a certain generation.

That view is shared by Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada. The recent story of President Jimmy Carter and his heroic activity to prevent a nuclear disaster in Canada is one of many stories that tell us about one of Americas great citizens, he said in an interview.

VOA reporter Kane Farabaugh, who has interviewed Carter more than 20 times and is researching a book on the Chalk River incident, believes the former president would be quick to deflect any credit for his role in averting a catastrophe.

He did not do this by himself, Farabaugh said. He did this with a group of Navy men who were all tasked with the same job. I am sure what he would say is that he has to share the credit.

Lets think about how humble Jimmy Carter is about all this, Farabaugh added. Nobody has really heard about this story almost 70 years past the incident. For almost 70 years, this is an event which has existed in obscurity. President Carter, when he was running for president, didnt really discuss this. Could you imagine today?

Robert A. Strong, author of a book on Carters foreign policy, attributes the surge of interest to a kind of revival of academic and popular interest in Carter, who was defeated in his bid for a second term as president in 1980.

On reflection, Carter is a far better president than was recognized at the time, said Strong, author of Working in the World: Jimmy Carter and the Making of American Foreign Policy.

Recent reappraisals of Carters presidency include an Al Jazeera article titled, Jimmy Carters legacy seems to improve with age, and PBS a report titled, Why Jimmy Carter may be the most misunderstood president in American history.

What I want to remind people of, is the Jimmy Carter who we have come to respect and admire post-presidency, is the same Jimmy Carter who was in the White House, Strong said.
Lawsuits, killings and intimidation of journalists in India are contributing to the country faring poorly in the eyes of media watchdogs.

In its latest report, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted that India was on a par with Yemen for the number of journalists killed in relation to their work in 2021.

The head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk, Daniel Bastard, told VOA it was part of a "longtime trend."

Four journalists were killed in 2021, making India the third-most deadly country. But, says Bastard, in the past five years at least 18 journalists have been killed.

"In many cases, Indian journalists are generally the victims of targeted murders after trying to cover local organized crime activities, like trafficking in alcohol, illegal gambling or the exercise of illegal medicine through fake clinics," Bastard said.

India's media have also seen a growing trend of judicial harassment and intimidation against those who do not toe the line of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party, Bastard believes.

"Censorship and self-censorship have grown steadily in the past few years," Bastard said.

India has rejected RSF's findings.

In a written reply to parliament's lower house, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said that the government did not agree with the watchdog's conclusions and that RSF used a small sample size, did not weigh "fundamentals of democracy" or provide a "clear definition of press freedom."

VOA sent emails to the Ministry of Information requesting comment but as of publication had not received a response. The BJP did not reply to emails sent to its spokesperson's office requesting comment.

Common accusations against reporters include sedition or anti-state charges, with media rights groups saying the charges are often related to coverage deemed critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party or policies.

In November alone, the official body the Press Council of India registered 51 complaints filed against the media, including accusations of false or defamatory news. It also received 13 complaints from journalists that their rights had been curtailed.

Digital fight

Social media is also coming under pressure from the government, with thousands of takedown requests filed to Twitter. Most requests were related to critical reporting or satire about the Modi administration, a media researcher found.

Paroma Soni, a data journalist from Mumbai who is currently in New York as a Columbia Journalism Review fellow, found that in 2020, the Indian government asked Twitter to remove nearly 10,000 tweets, up from about 1,200 the prior year.

The journalist acknowledged that the data has some limitations, including what she said was a lack of transparency from the government. But she told VOA her investigation "reveals thousands of legal orders, given to Twitter by the government, to remove critical tweets, some of which are the basis for the arrests or legal proceedings as well."

New legislation and guidelines on digital and social media have made it easier for the state to control online speech, Soni said.

Laws meant to address offensive social media posts are being used to remove reporting from online news websites, with little to no recourse for those affected, Soni said.

In the past few years, India has seen a sharp increase in the number of journalists formally or informally targeted for their work, she added.

"The police, acting at the behest of the government, has been known to intimidate and arrest journalists whose work has been critical of the government, deemed 'anti-national' or generally negative towards Hindutva ideology," Soni said.

Recently, Assam-based journalist Anirban Roy Choudhury, who owns the news website Barak Bulletin, was charged with sedition after publishing an editorial that authorities deemed "objectionable."

The charge is related to a November 28 editorial opposing authorities imposing Assamese in the Barak Valley. Issues of language and identity have long been a sensitive topic in the area, which is populated by Assamese and Bengalis.

Sedition cases have gone up by a third since the BJP came to power, Soni said.

"I think what's more alarming is that the battle is not just between the government and the media that criticize it; it is also about how public opinion is shaped. The BJP is in power on a Hindu nationalist platform, but the vast majority of India prescribes to those ideologies as well," Soni said.

As well as lawsuits and attacks, "this manifests perhaps as harassment and threats made by online trolls," she said.

The impact of such an environment is self-censorship, said Pushparaj Deshpande, series editor of Rethinking India. The 14-volume series on socioeconomics and policy is published by Penguin India and the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, an organization set up to promote progressive ideas and policy.

"A vast majority of media houses are coerced into submission. Editors are subtly forced to self-censor, journalists are denied access to legislatures or incarcerated on spurious cases for demanding accountability from governments," Deshpande said. "Frankly, freedom of press in India has become a constitutional value more honored in the breach than its observance."

Global issue

However, Nayanima Basu, the diplomacy editor at ThePrint, believes the experiences of India's media are being reflected globally.

"Press freedom has been under threat in every democracy ever since media became the fourth pillar of democracy. It is only aggravating now and getting more visible due to emergence of social media," Basu said.

"Every populist government believes in curbing press freedom and perpetuating propaganda. Having said that, it is true that journalists today need to be firm and perfect in verification of facts and not indulge in theatrics. Do reporting, do journalism, not activism or advertisement," she added.

Editor's note: The reporter for this article has previously contributed to RSF but was not involved in research for report cited in this piece.


Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, and Hezbollah have shaped Lebanons politics for 16 years. He warned that an 11-week parliamentary boycott has kept the government from meeting and undermined state institutions amid the countrys economic meltdown. But he fell short of directly criticizing his ally Hezbollah and the Shiite Amal party in his televised speech on Monday night.

Both have blocked Cabinet meetings since October over their demands for the dismissal of Judge Tarek Bitar, who is investigating the Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people in August 2020.

So far, no one has been held accountable for the incident, which was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Hezbollah and Amal accuse Bitar of bias, but observers say he is just doing his job by questioning ministers responsible for the port at the time. The probe has been suspended for a fourth time.

Lebanese analyst Dania Koleilat Khatib with the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut told VOA that Aoun failed to convince the Lebanese people he can effectively confront Hezbollah and Amal.

Theyre trying to sideline Bitar, so he doesnt have any power to question ministers. Aoun has a dilemma. His political position by supporting Hezbollah is costing him a lot of popularity. But if he breaks with Hezbollah, who will finance him? Where will he get money? He doesnt have any sources to get money. So, he tries to make this speech where he says: I want law, I want the state, but he gives the country to Hezbollah on a silver plate, Khatib said.

Hezbollah wields considerable political and military influence in Lebanon. Its the only militia to have held on to its weapons since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Aouns presidency ends in 2022. His unpopular son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement party, or FPM, wants the job.

"The FPM is stuck between a rock and a hard place today, Karim Emile Bitar, of Beirut's Saint Joseph University, told the Reuters news agency. They certainly realize that the Christian street no longer condones any form of acquiescence to Hezbollah's demands," said Bitar, who directs the universitys Institute of Political Science.

"But they simply cannot afford to completely let go of this alliance because it would ruin Bassil's presidential ambitions and would certainly prevent them from getting a significant parliamentary bloc," he said.

Analyst Khatib said many Lebanese Christian voters are now anxious to support independent civil society candidates or Samir Geagea, who leads the Lebanese Forces political party, and opposes Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement.
Mali's military government has denied hiring Russian mercenaries from the controversial Wagner Group, which has been sanctioned by the European Union for rights abuses. France and 15 other Western nations last week condemned what they said was Russia's deployment of Wagner fighters to Mali. Mali's transitional government says it is only engaged with official Russian military trainers. Analysts weigh in on Russia's military involvement in Mali as French troops are drawing down.

Malis transitional government this month denied what it called baseless allegations that it hired the controversial Russian security firm the Wagner Group to help fight Islamist insurgents.

Western governments and U.N. experts have accused Wagner of rights abuses, including killing civilians, in the Central African Republic and Libya.

The response came Friday after Western nations made the accusations, which Malis military government dismissed with a demand that they provide independent evidence.

A day earlier, France and 15 other Western nations had condemned what they called the deployment of Wagner mercenaries to Mali.

The joint statement said they deeply regret the transitional authorities choice to use already scarce public funds to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting its own armed forces and the Malian people.

The statement also called on the Russian government to behave more responsibly, accusing it of providing material support to the Wagner Groups deployment, which Moscow denies.

The Mali government acknowledged what it called Russian trainers were in the country. It said they were present to help strengthen the operational capacities of their defense and security forces.

Aly Tounkara is director of the Center for Security and Strategic Studies in the Sahel, a Bamako-based think tank.

He says its hard to tell if the Russian security presence is military or mercenary but, regardless, would likely be supporting rather than front-line fighting.

This could allow the Malian army to have victories over the enemy that will be attributed to them, says Tounkara, which was not the case with the French forces. He says the second advantage is that victories over extremists could allow Malis military to legitimize itself. We must remember, says Tounkara, that one of the reasons for the forced departure of President Keita, was that the security situation was so bad.

Malis President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown in an August 2020 coup led by Colonel Assimi Goita after months of anti-government protests, much of it over worsening security.

Goita launched a second coup in May that removed the interim government leaders, but has promised to hold elections in 2022.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been pushing Malis military government to hold elections.

ECOWAS in November expressed concern over a potential Wagner Group deployment to Mali after unconfirmed reports that the military government was in talks with the mercenary group.

Popular protests in Bamako have called for French forces to leave Mali and last year some protesters were seen calling for Russian ones to intervene.

Since French forces first arrived in Mali in 2013, public opinion on their presence has shifted from favorable to widely negative.

The French military has been gradually drawing down its anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane forces from the Sahel region.

French forces this year withdrew from all but one military base in northern Mali, saying the Malian armed forces were ready to take the lead on their own security.

But analysts say one consequence of the French leaving is that the Malian army is seeking other partners.

Boubacar Salif Traore is director of Afriglob Conseil, a Bamako-based development and security consulting firm.

"Official Russian cooperation would be very advantageous for the Malian army in terms of supplying equipment," he says. "Mali, and many African countries, notably the Central African Republic, have concluded that France does not play fair in terms of delivering arms. Every time these states ask for weapons, either theres an embargo or there is a problem in procuring these weapons. Russia can provide these weapons without constraints and its precisely that which interests Mali."

In September, Mali received four military helicopters and other weapons bought from Russia.

The Malian transitional governments statement Friday did not elaborate on what the Russian trainers would be doing in Mali.

When asked to comment, a government spokesman would not elaborate and referred questions to the ministry of foreign affairs, which does not list any contact numbers on its website.
The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.

President Daniel Ortega's government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.

Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.

But Ortega's government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.

The attorney general's office said in a statement that the attempted donation was a "manuever and subterfuge to take what doesn't belong to them."

Taiwan's Foreign Relations Ministry condemned the "gravely illegal actions of the Ortega regime," saying the Nicaraguan government had violated standard procedures by giving Taiwanese diplomats just two weeks to get out of the country.

It said Taiwan "also condemns the arbitrary obstruction by the Nicaraguan government of the symbolic sale of its property to the Nicaraguan Catholic church."

Monsignor Carlos Aviles, vicar of the archdiocese of Managua, told La Prensa newspaper that a Taiwanese diplomat had offered the church the property, saying, "I told him there was no problem, but the transfer was still in the legal process."

The Central American country said in early December it would officially recognize only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.

"There is only one China," the Nicaraguan government said in a statement announcing the change. "The People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory."

The move increased Taiwan's diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the island has stepped up official exchanges with countries such as Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country. Taiwan has 14 formal diplomatic allies remaining.

China has been poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies over the past few years, reducing the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation. China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy. The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan depicts itself as a defender of democracy, while Ortega was reelected in November in what the White House called a "pantomime election."

"The arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation rigged the outcome well before election day," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement in November.

Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in the 1990s, when President Violeta Chamorro assumed power after defeating Ortega's Sandinista movement at the polls. Ortega, who was elected back to power in 2007, had maintained ties with Taipei until now.
New York City's sweeping mandate requiring nearly all private-sector businesses to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace took effect Monday amid a spike in coronavirus infections, leaving some employers grappling with thorny personnel decisions.

Workers at roughly 184,000 businesses were required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Monday. Businesses that do not comply could face fines starting at $1,000, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said imposing penalties will be a last resort.

The Democratic mayor said during a news conference Monday that mandates have worked to get people vaccinated.

"We have got to double down because one thing we can all agree on ... COVID is bad for humans, it's bad for our health, but it's also bad for business. And if we want to avoid shutdowns, and I believe we must, we need more and more people vaccinated," de Blasio said.

Christopher Taylor, the co-owner of Li-Lac Chocolates, agreed vaccinations are paramount in combatting the pandemic but said the mandate left him in a difficult situation.

"It's a moral quandary. You have obligations to employees, and you have obligations to your customers. How do you know what's the right answer?" Taylor said.

His company employs about 70 workers at six retail outlets and a chocolate factory in New York City. He estimated that as many as a quarter of his employees, most of them factory workers, have yet to be vaccinated.

"We've encouraged them, we've pushed them, but we don't like to force them," Taylor said.

"My primary obligation is to my employees," he said. "I just think it's immoral to fire somebody because of a personal medical choice."

Some business owners and workers are planning a legal challenge, said Louis Gelormino, a Staten Island attorney. He said they'll argue the city is violating the constitutional rights of business owners and workers to make a living, and that New York City has no authority to impose vaccine mandates on private-sector companies, although such requirements already exist for restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms and other indoor gathering places.

The new rules cover private places where work is performed in the presence of another worker or a member of the public. That includes not only stores, but shared workspaces and taxis, according to the requirements.

It's not clear whether Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who takes office Jan. 1, will keep or change the mandate.

Fueled by the super-contagious omicron variant, new coronavirus cases in the city have rocketed from an average of about 3,400 a day in the week that ended Dec. 12 to 22,000 in the week that ended Sunday. Hospitalizations also have risen, but not as sharply.

Under the city's new rules, many more private employers will have to verify and keep a record of each worker's proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Workers who have received only one shot must get a second within 45 days. Companies must display a sign affirming they're complying with the rule "in a conspicuous location," under the city's mandate.

Businesses aren't required to discipline or fire non-compliant workers, but they must keep them out of the workplace. Workers seeking an accommodation on religious grounds can come to work while their request is pending.

"My hope is that the city goes light on the enforcement of this because it's a new mandate  it certainly is going to require some transition  and employers are dealing with a myriad of other challenges right now," said Randy Peers, the president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Kathryn Wylde, the president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group representing some of the city's larger employers, said city inspectors might be hard pressed to enforce the edict. She said she hopes the Adams administration will show flexibility on enforcement.

"Larger employers I have heard from  literally dozens and dozens of other major employers  have been concerned about meeting the mandate. The timing was very short," Wylde said.

Vaccinations are already required in the city for hospital and nursing home workers and for city employees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters.

Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that people who test positive should isolate themselves for five days, rather than 10, provided their symptoms are gone and they continue wearing a mask for another five days.

The CDC says evidence is growing that people are most infectious in the two days before and three days after COVID-19 symptoms develop. The agency trimmed its isolation guidance for health care workers from 10 to seven days last week.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, applauded the CDC's move. On Friday, she had set a five-day isolation period for health care and other essential workers who are fully vaccinated, don't have symptoms and wear masks at work.

State officials said they were trying to avoid staff shortages in critical jobs while also trying to halt the virus' spread.

"This is not about sending people back to work who are sick," state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said at a news briefing Monday. "People who are sick, at all times, should not be at work, and in these times in particular."
More than 20 sailors on a U.S. Navy warship  roughly 25% of the crew  have now tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the ship sidelined Monday in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, according to U.S. defense officials.

The USS Milwaukee has a crew of a bit more than 100, and it was forced to pause its deployment late last week because of the coronavirus outbreak. The defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the outbreak, said the number of infected sailors is staying relatively constant at this point.

The USS Milwaukee, a relatively small, stealthy combat ship, is the first Navy ship this year to have to interrupt its deployment at sea.

It began its deployment from Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 14, and had stopped for a scheduled port visit. The ship was heading into the U.S. Southern Command region.

Another warship, meanwhile, had to postpone its movement out to sea earlier this month due to a separate outbreak. Navy Commander Sean Robertson, spokesperson for the 3rd Fleet, said the USS Halsey, a destroyer, delayed its homeport move from Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, to San Diego because a significant number of the crew became infected with COVID-19. The ship was finally able to leave Hawaii on Sunday. The move is not a deployment, but a transfer to a new home station for the crew.

A Navy official said roughly one-third of the Halsey crew tested positive for the virus, and most had only mild symptoms or none at all. A destroyer has about 300 crew members. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details on the crew impact.

Robertson said the crew was nearly 100% vaccinated and no one was taken to the hospital. Vaccine booster shots were made available for the crew. Robertson also said some of the samples have been tested and all were the omicron variant.

The Navy said in a statement Friday that the crew of the USS Milwaukee was "100% immunized" and that all those who tested positive for COVID-19 were being isolated on the ship away from other crew members.

The U.S. officials said Monday that the Navy believes the total vaccination of the crew is the key factor in controlling the outbreak.

According to the Navy's statement, "a portion" of those infected are having mild symptoms, and the specific variant is not yet known. COVID-19 cases have surged across the country as a result of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Other Navy ships were sidelined during the early months of the virus outbreak last year.

The first major military outbreak of the virus happened early last year on a Navy warship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier that was operating in the Pacific. The Roosevelt was sidelined in Guam for nearly two months, and more than 1,000 of the 4,800 crew members tested positive. One sailor died, and the entire crew went through weeks of quarantine in a rotation that kept enough sailors on the ship to keep it safe and running.

According to the latest data released by the Navy, more than 98% of all active-duty sailors have been fully vaccinated.


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week opened a key ruling party meeting, state media reported on Tuesday, a forum he has previously used to make major New Year policy announcements.

The 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was convened Monday, state news agency KCNA said.

The gathering of party and government officials comes as North Korea grapples with compounding economic crises caused by an anti-pandemic lockdown, international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program and natural disasters.

It also comes as North Korea marks the 10th anniversary of Kim assuming supreme command of the military after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

"The plenary meeting is to review the implementation of main Party and state policies for the year 2021," the report said.

At the meeting, officials would also discuss and decide on strategic and tactical policies and practical steps for "dynamically guiding the struggle of our Party and people to usher in a new period of the development of socialist construction to the next stage of victory," KCNA said. Kim has often made major policy announcements around the new year, including in 2018, when he announced a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and in 2019, when he discussed his desire to continue talks with then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Kim has used speeches around the new year holiday in the past to make friendly overtures to the U.S. and South Korea, but also to reveal nuclear weapon developments and other military plans," NK News, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, said in a report on Monday.

North Korea has said it is open to resuming talks, but only if Washington and Seoul take steps to end "hostile policies" such as sanctions and military drills.

South Korea's unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said on Monday it hoped North Korea "will start the new year by opening the door for dialogue with the international community, and take a step forward for engagement and cooperation."


With the arrival of winter in Europe and energy prices soaring, tensions are running high over the provision of gas from Russia  especially through the Yamal-Europe pipeline that runs through Poland and Belarus.

But the Yamal pipeline is just one part of a complex gas infrastructure network shaped not only by energy needs but also wider economic interests and politics, including strife between Russia and Ukraine.

The pipeline, opened in 1994, runs over 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) to Germany from the city of Torjok in central Russia, transiting through Belarus and Poland.

It delivers 30 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe each year, making it one of the most important vehicles for the provision of Russian gas to the continent.

Russia sells Germany gas at a cheaper rate than it does to Poland, in part to make up for the higher transit fees through the longer delivery distance.

But this means that it is more cost efficient for Poland to buy Russian gas from Germany.

Some of the gas sold by German traders to Poland flows directly into Polish territory, or if that is not sufficient, the pipeline can also operate in reverse to send more to Germany's eastern neighbor.

Since December 21, the pipeline has been operating in reverse, with gas flowing east back into Poland from the German border, according to data from management company Gascade seen by AFP.

This means that over the last days, Germany itself has not been receiving gas via Yamal.

Meanwhile, Russian gas continues to flow to Europe through other major pipelines such as Nord Stream I and TurkStream.

It is not unusual for the Yamal pipeline to operate in reverse for short periods, but this latest about-turn comes against a backdrop of political tension over fears that Russia may invade Ukraine.

Political pressure

In Germany, the government has said that in the event of any "escalation", it will put the brakes on another gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, which is still awaiting the green light from the authorities.



Some European states, such as Poland and Ukraine, have accused Moscow and Russian energy company Gazprom of cutting gas supplies to Europe to exert political pressure over these tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the change in gas flow through the Yamal pipeline is purely down to fluctuating orders and denied any political motive.

Gazprom, for its part, has called accusations that it is failing to deliver enough gas to Europe "absolutely groundless and unacceptable" and blamed Germany for dipping into its reserves to supply neighboring Poland.

Berlin on Monday denied any intervention on its part. "It is not the government that decides on gas flows, but the market, the traders," the Economy and Climate Ministry said.

According to George Zachmann, a specialist in energy issues for the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank, Gazprom may also be "favoring its own pipelines" over those it does not 100% control, such as the Yamal pipeline.

Low reserves

A spokeswoman for the German Economy and Climate Ministry told AFP that "security of supply is still guaranteed."



But Berlin, which has "relatively low" gas reserves with its tanks just 53 percent full, could soon have "difficulties", according to Christophe Bonnery, president of the Association of Energy Economists.



"If contracts are adhered to there will be no problems until at least March," said Zachmann. But "if Russia cannot or will not deliver gas for technical or other reasons, then supplies could fall short."



The wrangling comes amid an explosion in gas prices, which are up to seven times higher than at the beginning of the year.



The surge is thought to be partly down to a particularly cold winter and an increase in activity linked to the post-coronavirus economic recovery.



With 40% of gas consumed in Europe coming from Russia, Moscow is suspected of taking advantage of the tensions on the world market to reduce supply and drive up prices.



The International Energy Agency (IEA) in September called on Russia to be a "reliable supplier" and send more gas to Europe.
Somalia's opposition presidential candidates have called on President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, popularly known as Farmajo, to leave office after he attempted to force the prime minister from power.

The council of the presidential candidates in Somalia issued the call one day after Farmajo suspended Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, accusing him of corruption and failure to conduct elections. The prime minister has denied the allegations, accusing the president of orchestrating a coup.

The opposition candidates called for an investigation into what they termed treason, and for the national consultative council, consisting of federal and other leaders from five states, to immediately address grievances about already delayed parliamentary elections.

There has been no comment from Farmajo on the latest developments, which have escalated a dispute between the two politicians over the delayed vote and who will lead the country. Critics say the president is looking to stay in power by any means necessary. Farmajo took office in February 2017. His term formally ended in February.

The international community, including the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, has since urged Somali leaders to avoid violent actions and initiate dialogue to resolve their differences in order to expedite the vote.

Parliamentary elections were supposed to conclude before the end of the year but are nowhere near complete with just more than 50 members of parliament out of 275 selected so far by tribal delegates.
The Taliban on Tuesday released a prominent Afghan TV station owner who was detained for two days, according to the independent media monitoring group Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC).

The Taliban did not say why Mohammad Arif Noori, the founder and owner of Noorin TV, was detained.

AFJC in a statement said it condemns the arbitrary detention of Mr. Noori, calling it an infringement of press freedom.

Noori was taken from his home in Kabul on Sunday afternoon, according to his son Roman Noori.

The younger Noori accused Taliban forces of "raiding" and searching his family's house without a warrant before taking his father to an unknown location.

The motive for the elder Noori's arrest remains uncertain. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) that the arrest was not related to Noori's media activities, AIJA said in a statement sent to VOA.

The Committee to Project Journalists had called for Mohammad Arif Nooris immediate and unconditional release.

In a statement, CPJ said dozens of armed men who identified themselves as members of a militia affiliated with Taliban-controlled police district in Kabul stormed Noori's house and detained him.

The detention of media owner Aref Noori by a Taliban-affiliated militia marks a serious attack on the independent media in Afghanistan, CPJ Asia Coordinator Steven Butler said in a statement, referring to Mohammad Arif Noori.

Citing Kashif Noori, another son of the TV executive, CPJ said Noorin TV had operated for the past decade but paused programming this week due to technical issues.

Mohammad Arif Noori is a known supporter of an anti-Taliban group headed by Ahmad Massoud, who fought off Taliban forces in his native Panjshir valley north of Kabul before being overrun in early September.

At least 31 journalists have been detained or arrested by the Taliban since they took over in mid-August, according to the journalists association.

Photojournalist Mortaza Samadi was arrested in September while covering a women's protest in the western city of Heart and spent several weeks in Taliban detention.

Last week, Jawed Yusufi, a reporter for the independent outlet Ufuq News, was stabbed and badly wounded by three unidentified men in western Kabul, according to his employer and local media advocates.

The Taliban takeover has decimated Afghanistan's media. A joint survey by AIJA and Reporters Without Borders released last week found that at least 40% of the country's media outlets have disappeared and more than 80% of Afghan women journalists have lost their jobs over the last four months.

Ayaz Gul contributed to this report from Islamabad.
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The ride-sharing company Uber has joined with the Swedish-Kenyan electric vehicle group Opibus to deploy 3,000 electric motorcycles in Kenya and the region in 2022. The switch to electric vehicles could significantly reduce air pollution as motorcycle taxis employ millions across the continent. Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi. Videographer: Jimmy Makhulo.
The Rev. Athanasius Chidi Abanulo  using skills honed in his African homeland to minister effectively in rural Alabama determines just how long he can stretch out his Sunday homilies based on who is sitting in the pews.

Seven minutes is the sweet spot for the mostly white and retired parishioners who attend the English-language Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the small town of Wedowee. "If you go beyond that, you lose the attention of the people," he said.

For the Spanish-language Mass an hour later, the Nigerian-born priest  one of numerous African clergy serving in the U.S.  knows he can quadruple his teaching time. "The more you preach, the better for them," he said.

As he moves from one American post to the next, Abanulo has learned how to tailor his ministry to the culture of the communities he is serving while infusing some of the spirit of his homeland into the universal rhythms of the Mass.

"Nigerian people are relaxed when they come to church," Abanulo said. "They love to sing, they love to dance. The liturgy can last for two hours. They don't worry about that."

During his 18 years in the U.S., Abanulo has filled various chaplain and pastor roles across the country, epitomizing an ongoing trend in the American Catholic church. As fewer American-born men and women enter seminaries and convents, U.S. dioceses and Catholic institutions have turned to international recruitment to fill their vacancies.

The Diocese of Birmingham, where Abanulo leads two parishes, has widened its search for clergy to places with burgeoning religious vocations like Nigeria and Cameroon, said Birmingham Bishop Steven Raica. Priests from Africa were also vital in the Michigan diocese where Raica previously served.

"They have been an enormous help to us to be able to provide the breadth and scope of ministry that we have available to us," he said.

Africa is the Catholic church's fastest-growing region. There, the seminaries are "fairly full," said the Rev. Thomas Gaunt, director of Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducts research about the Catholic church.

Falling numbers

It's different in the U.S. where the Catholic church faces significant hurdles in recruiting home-grown clergy following decades of declining church attendance and the damaging effects of widespread clergy sex abuse scandals.

Catholic women and married men remain barred from the priesthood; arguments that lifting those bans would ease the priest shortage have not gained traction with the faith's top leadership.

"What we have is a much smaller number beginning in the 1970s entering seminaries or to convents across the country," Gaunt said. "Those who entered back in the '50s and '60s are now elderly, and so the numbers are determined much more by mortality."

From 1970 to 2020, the number of priests in the U.S. dropped by 60%, according to data from the Georgetown center. This has left more than 3,500 parishes without a resident pastor.

Abanulo oversees two parishes in rural Alabama. His typical Sunday starts with an English-language Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lanett, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Birmingham along the Alabama-Georgia state line. After that, he is driven an hour north to Wedowee, where he celebrates one Mass in English, another in Spanish.

"He just breaks out in song and a lot of his lectures, he ties in his boyhood, and I just love hearing those stories," said Amber Moosman, a first-grade teacher who has been a parishioner at Holy Family since 1988.

For Moosman, Abanulo's preaching style is very different from the priests she's witnessed previously. "There was no all of a sudden, the priest sings, nothing like that.  It was very quiet, very ceremonial, very strict," she said. "It's a lot different now."

Abanulo was ordained in Nigeria in 1990 and came to the U.S. in 2003 after a stint in Chad. His first U.S. role was as an associate pastor in the diocese of Oakland, California, where his ministry focused on the fast-growing Nigerian Catholic community. Since then, he has been a hospital chaplain and pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, and a chaplain at the University of Alabama.

Amid the U.S. clergy shortage, religious sisters have experienced the sharpest declines, dropping 75% since 1970, according to the Georgetown center.

Culture shocks

When Maria Sheri Rukwishuro was told she was being sent from the Sisters of the Infant Jesus order in Zimbabwe to West Virginia to work as a missionary nun, she asked her mother superior, "Where is West Virginia?"

She was scared, worrying about the unknowns.

"What kind of people am I going to? I'm just a Black nun coming to a white country," Rukwishuro told The Associated Press from Clarksburg, West Virginia, where she has been teaching religious education to public and Catholic school students since arriving in 2004.

Rukwishuro vividly remembers that at her introduction, a little girl walked to her and "rubbed her finger on my fingers all the way, then she looked at her finger and she smiled but my heart sank.  She thought I was dirty." Despite that, Rukwishuro says most people have been very welcoming. She's now a U.S. citizen and says, "It feels like home."

One of her first culture shocks was an overnight snowfall. "I really screamed. I thought it was the end of the world," she said. "Now I love it. I do my meditations to that."

During their integration into American life, it is commonplace for newly arrived clergy to face culture shocks.

For Sister Christiana Onyewuche of Nigeria, a hospital chaplain in Boston administering last rites for the dying, it was cremation. She recalled thinking, "Like really?  How can they burn somebody? I can't even imagine."

She came to the U.S. 18 years ago and previously served as the president of African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious, a support group for African missionaries serving in the U.S.

'Jesus necks'

Onyewuche said African clergy can face communication challenges with the Americans they serve. To address this, many dioceses have offered training to soften accents, she said. Abanulo, who went through the training in Oakland, says it helped him slow down his speech and improve his pronunciations.

Abanulo, who moved to Alabama in 2020, admits he was initially apprehensive about his latest posting, which meant exchanging a comfortable role as university chaplain for two rural parishes.

"People were telling me 'Father, don't go there. The people there are rednecks,'" he said.

But after a year, and a warm reception, he says he now tells his friends, "There are no rednecks here. All I see are Jesus necks."


The United States and Russia will hold talks in January about nuclear arms control and tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told reporters the two sides would meet January 10, followed by Russia-NATO talks on January 12 and a meeting on January 13 with Russia, the United States and other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

"When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia's activities as well," the spokesperson said."There will be areas where we can make progress, and areas where we will disagree. That's what diplomacy is about."



Western governments have been alarmed by the buildup of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, expressing concern about potential plans for a Russian invasion.Russian leader Vladimir Putin has denied any such plans and has demanded guarantees against NATO expansion close to its territory.

The National Security Council spokesperson said in respect to Ukraines own interests, the U.S.-Russia talks will not reach any decisions about Ukraine.

"President Biden's approach on Ukraine has been clear and consistent: unite the alliance behind two tracks  deterrence and diplomacy. We are unified as an alliance on the consequences Russia would face if it moves on Ukraine," the spokesperson said.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters
Archbishop Desmond Tutu's legacy is reverberating among young South Africans, many of whom were not born when the clergyman battled apartheid and sought full rights for the nation's Black majority.

Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for those efforts.

Even though they did not know much about him, some young South Africans told The Associated Press on Monday that they understood his role as one of the most prominent figures to help their country become a democracy.

Zinhle Gamede, 16, said she found out about Tutu's passing on social media and has learned more about him over the past day.

"At first I only knew that he was an archbishop. I really did not know much else," Gamede said.

She said Tutu's death had inspired her to learn more about South Africa's history, especially the struggle against white minority rule.

"I think that people who fought for our freedom are great people. We are in a better place because of them. Today I am living my life freely, unlike in the olden days where there was no freedom," she said.

Following the end of apartheid in 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that documented atrocities during apartheid and sought to promote national reconciliation. Tutu also became one of the world's most prominent religious leaders to champion LGBTQ rights.

"As a gay person, it is rare to hear people from the church speaking openly about gay issues, but I found out about him through gay activists who sometimes use his quotes during campaigns," said Lesley Morake, 25. "That is how I knew about him, and that is what I will remember about him."

Tshepo Nkatlo, 32, said he is focusing on the positive things he hears about Tutu, instead of some negative sentiments he saw on social media.

"One of the things I picked up on Facebook and Twitter was that some people were criticizing him for the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) because there are still many issues regarding the TRC," Nkatlo said, referring to some who say Tutu should have been tougher on whites who perpetrated abuses under apartheid and should have ordered that they be prosecuted.

South Africa is holding a week of mourning for Tutu. Bells rang at midday Monday from St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town to honor him. The bells at "the people's cathedral," where Tutu worked to unite South Africans of all races against apartheid, will toll for 10 minutes at noon for five days to mark Tutu's life.

"We ask all who hear the bells to pause their busy schedules for a moment in tribute" to Tutu, the current archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said. Anglican churches across South Africa will also ring their bells at noon this week, and the Angelus prayer will be recited.

Several services in South Africa were being planned to honor Tutu's life, as tributes came in from around the world.

Tutu's coffin will be displayed Friday at the cathedral in Cape Town to allow the public to file past the casket, "which will reflect the simplicity with which he asked to be buried," Makgoba said in a statement. On Friday night Tutu's body will "lie alone in the cathedral which he loved."

A requiem Mass will be celebrated Saturday, and, according to Tutu's wishes, he will be cremated and his ashes placed in the cathedral's mausoleum, church officials said Monday.

In addition, an ecumenical and interfaith service will be held for Tutu on Thursday in South Africa's capital, Pretoria.

South Africans are laying flowers at the cathedral, in front of Tutu's home in Cape Town's Milnerton area and in front of his former home in Soweto.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Tutu's home Monday in Cape Town where he paid his respects to Tutu's widow, Leah.

"He knew in his soul that good would triumph over evil, that justice would prevail over iniquity, and that reconciliation would prevail over revenge and recrimination. He knew that apartheid would end, that democracy would come," Ramaphosa said Sunday night in a nationally broadcast address.

"He knew that our people would be free. By the same measure, he was convinced, even to the end of his life, that poverty, hunger and misery can be defeated; that all people can live together in peace, security and comfort," Ramaphosa said and added that South Africa's flags will be flown at half-staff this week.

"May we follow in his footsteps," Ramaphosa said. "May we, too, be worthy inheritors of the mantle of service, of selflessness, of courage, and of principled solidarity with the poor and marginalized."
1931 - Oct. 7 - Desmond Mpilo Tutu is born in Klerksdorp, near Johannesburg.

1947  Contracts tuberculosis, as he recuperates, he is visited by Trevor Huddleston, a British Anglican pastor working in South Africa.

1955  Marries Nomalizo Leah Shenxane and begins teaching at a secondary school in Johannesburg.

1961 - Is ordained as a minister in the Anglican church, after quitting teaching in disgust at South Africa's apartheid government's inferior education for Blacks.

1962  Studies theology at King's College London.

1966  Returns to South Africa to teach at a seminary in the Eastern Cape.

1975  Becomes the Anglican Church's first Black dean of Johannesburg.

1976 - Serves as Bishop of Lesotho and voices criticism of apartheid in South Africa.

1978 - Becomes general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches and achieves global prominence as a leading opponent of apartheid, supports economic sanctions to achieve majority rule in South Africa.

1984 - Wins Nobel Peace Prize - "There is no peace in southern Africa. There is no peace because there is no justice. There can be no real peace and security until there be first justice enjoyed by all the inhabitants of that beautiful land," Tutu says in his acceptance speech.

1985  Becomes the first Black bishop of Johannesburg.

1986 - Is ordained the first Black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

1989 - Leads anti-apartheid march of 30,000 people through Cape Town.

1990 - Hosts Nelson Mandela for his first night of freedom after Mandela is released from prison after being held for 27 years for his opposition to apartheid. Mandela calls Tutu "the people's archbishop."

1994 - Votes in South Africa's first democratic election in which all races can cast ballots.

1995 - President Nelson Mandela appoints Tutu to be chairman of the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

1996 - Tutu retires as prelate, the Anglican Church gives him the title of Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town.

1997 - Is diagnosed with prostate cancer and announces it to help with public awareness of the disease.

1998 - Truth and Reconciliation Commission publishes its report, putting most of the blame for abuses on the forces of apartheid, but also finds the African National Congress guilty of human rights violations. The ANC sues to block the document's release, earning a rebuke from Tutu.

2009 - Aug. 12 - Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama.

2010 - July 22 - Retires from public life, tells press: "Don't call me, I'll call you."

2013 - Launches international campaign for LGBTQ rights in Cape Town. "I would not worship a God who is homophobic."

2014 - July 12 - Urges the British parliament to allow assisted dying, saying, "The manner of Nelson Mandela's prolonged death was an affront."

2021 - Oct. 7 - Frail, in a wheelchair, Tutu attends his 90th birthday celebration at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town.

2021 - Dec. 26 - Tutu dies in Cape Town.
South Africa has started a week of mourning for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90. Cape Town's St George's Cathedral will toll its bells every day at noon through Friday in honor of the anti-apartheid hero before a Saturday funeral service.

The bells at St. Georges Cathedral rang out for 10-minutes on Monday. It was here that Archbishop Tutu gave refuge to many during the dark days of apartheid.



His non-violent campaign won him international recognition including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He was also greatly loved by his countrymen and women. Veteran journalist Ayesha Ismail explains.

You know as a South African and as a journalist when I think about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I think about love, I think about justice, I think about peace and I think about compassion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the one who opened the doors of this cathedral when we were fighting the apartheid regime during the height of apartheid and during the state of emergency, we were teargassed, we were sjambokked and it was the archbishop who opened these doors for us to come and seek refuge. He will be deeply missed and I think I can safely say that South Africa has lost its moral compass, said the journalist.

Once democracy was established in South Africa in 1994, Tutu continued to campaign for human rights, championing all kinds of causes around the world.

In recent years, he also spoke out against the African National Congress which is in power in South Africa. He was outraged by the unchecked corruption within the party.

Children and young people were close to his heart. He was a patron of many trusts. The CEO of one of them, Jason Falken, said even when Tutu was ill, the archbishop was in email contact with him so they could work out a plan to ensure funding came in after he passed on.

Not only for the trust but for our beneficiaries the Tygerberg Childrens Hospital its been immense. You know the arch and Ma Leah their many visits to the hospital were always filled with joy and laughter and the kids really look out for that. But over and above that, the arch was also very instrumental, especially in the early years of the trust in raising significant funds specifically for the purpose of much-needed medical equipment which ran into the hundreds of thousands of rand, he said.

The assistant priest at St. Georges Cathedral, Marcus Slingers, said it was a great privilege to have visited Tutu at his home in Milnerton, a Cape Town suburb, for about 40 minutes each day.

We are all saddened by this great loss. The dean and I and others, you know in these last few months, had the opportunity of celebrating the eucharist with him every day and that was part of his life and Ive just been privileged to have been part of it. And what a man of God and humble, he said.

The archbishops 66-year marriage to Leah Tutu was admired by many. They had four children: Trevor, Thandeka, Naomi and Mpho. Father Marcus said on his visits to Tutu, Mrs. Tutu would tell him stories over cups of tea about how they supported each other.

And how the two of them had just done things together. Everything that theyve done, theyve done together and our hearts and our prayers, our thoughts are with her and the rest of the family, he said.

A number of events are planned for this week, including a memorial service which the South African Council of Churches will host on Wednesday.

Archbishop Tutus body will lie in state at St. Georges Cathedral on Friday. His funeral will take place there on Saturday.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Malaysia has lifted a travel ban on eight southern African countries that had first reported the Omicron variant of the coronvirus, citing the greater spread of the variant worldwide, its health minister said on Tuesday.

The eight countries, which include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, will remain on a list of nations deemed as high-risk, with travellers from those nations subject to additional restrictions upon arrival, minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Ed Davies)
Reese Witherspoon had led the tributes to Jean-Marc Vallee following his sudden death.

According to Deadline, it is believed that the 58-year-old director - who was "a fitness fanatic and a teetotaler" - passed away following a heart attack at his cabin outside Quebec City in Canada on Christmas Day (12.25.21) and Reese is among the many stars who have shared their shock and sadness.

She posted a picture of herself with her 'Wild' and 'Big Little Lies' director on Instagram and wrote: "My heart is broken. My friend. I love you."

Shailene Woodley posted: "I am in shock. Complete and utter shock. My f****** god death is the worst. But I guess somehow I know you will turn it into a grand adventure, one for the books. One I cant wait to read & to watch when my time comes.

"It doesn't make sense though dude. It doesn't make sense. Maybe when we wake up tomorrow you'll be there laughing saying it was a satirical short film you made. That it's not real."

And their 'Big Little Lies' co-star Laura Dern said: "Beautiful Jean-Marc Vallee. The world has lost one of our great and purest artists and dreamers. And we lost our beloved friend. Our hearts are broken."

Actress Rosanna Arquette replied to her post, saying: "Im so sad to hear this news laura ,I know how much you love and respect him. What a loss. Such a gifted man. Love you."

Director Paul Feig shared his shock, writing: "My god, this is so unbelievably sad. What a huge loss. He was an incredibly talented filmmaker. Sending much love and condolences to his family. #RIPJeanMarc" and Josh Gad wrote: "Oh my God. This is so horrible. Absolutely loved his work. RIP #Jeanmarkvallee."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter: "Jean-Marc Vallees passion for filmmaking and storytelling was unmatched - so too was his talent. Through his work and with his art, he left a mark in Quebec, across Canada, and around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans as they mourn his sudden passing."

The Canadian writer, producer, editor and director's breakthrough feature film was 'C.R.A.Z.Y.', which he wrote and directed and in 2014, he was nominated for the Best Editing Oscar for 'Dallas Buyers Club', which also saw Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto take the lead and supporting actor gongs at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild awards.

Jean-Marc followed that movie with 'Wild', which led to Oscar nominations for Witherspoon and Dern, and reunited with both actresses when he directed and produced the first season of HBO's 'Big Little Lies'.

He scooped two Emmy Awards for directing and producing the mini-series, contributing to the total of eight Emmys and four Golden Globes won by the show.

Jean-Marc - who later directed and executive produced another HBO limited series, 'Sharp Objects' - is survived by his sons, Alex and Emile, and siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephanie Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A winter storm made life in North Dakota and Minnesota tough Monday morning.

The Bismarck Tribune reported the storm dumped 6 inches of snow on Bismarck on Sunday. Authorities closed Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Fargo and Interstate 29 from Grand Forks to the South Dakota border. The entire interstate system in the state had reopened by 4 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for much of the southeastern portion of North Dakota and a winter storm warning for the eastern and central parts of the state through Monday evening.

Authorities were still advising people not to travel across much of the state and complained that motorists were getting stuck on secondary roads that were not plowed. Many county offices were closed expect for emergency services.

Most flights at the Bismarck Airport were still on time but most of the flights at Fargo's airport were either canceled or delayed.

Forecasts call for frigid temperatures after the storm moves through, with Friday highs in Bismarck expected to top out at minus 10.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported snowfall totals ranging from less than 2 inches to almost 3 inches in the Twin Cities. Freezing temperatures and drizzle have glazed the new snow with ice, making for slow going on roads and treacherous footing on sidewalks.

Other areas in central and northern Minnesota got more snow. Little Falls reported 5 inches and Grand Marais reported 13 inches.

Highs in the Twin Cities are expected to range from 10 degrees to minus 10 the rest of the week.
Yellowstone All I See Is You Season 4 Episode 3 Editors Rating 3 stars * * *  Previous Next Photo: Paramount

Before Monica appears near the end of All I See Is You, what would you imagine her demeanor to be? What have the last two months been like for her, and whats the state of her and Kayces marriage? Are she and Tate still living in the lodge?

We finally learn what Monica and Tate have been up to near the end of All I See Is You, and it turns out the answer is not much, besides lying in bed completely miserable and traumatized. Its not an unreasonable reaction, necessarily; after all, the last time we saw them, Tate killed his first man to protect his mom. That would fuck up any kid.

So, on the one hand, Monica is right when she points out the ways the Dutton ranch has corrupted them all, normalizing violence and cold-blooded murder as a tool to maintain the status quo. On the other hand  wheres the consistency here? Tate was traumatized once before, when he was kidnapped by the Becks in season two and thrown in a cell, his head shaved. When Kayce saved him, it even took him a moment to stop screaming and recognize his dad. But a quick trip with his mom and some time on the ranch seemed to fix him right up. Trauma affects everyone differently, of course, but even allowing for that, why are the reactions so different this time around? And why does Kayce get all the blame? If Monica really does hate him as she says, why not take Tate and leave?

Monica reminds Kayce that she never wanted their family to stay at the ranch to begin with. But after Tate was kidnapped before, she seemed thankful to John and Kayce for keeping him alive, even though all of this happened (and keeps happening) because John is a target. She even explicitly asked Kayce to kill the men who took her son.

Theres fertile ground to explore in that contradiction if the show wanted to; after all, Monica uses the word we when she talks about whom the ranch has turned evil, recognizing her own degree of complicity in the cycle. But its always unclear what exactly were supposed to think of Monicas position. She has a point, but the show often makes her sound like an annoying hypocrite by limiting her to her distrust of John and her frequent petulance toward her husband. Shes the character with the most potential of the show, but shes often grouped together with Tate in the general wife and children category while Kayce gets to run around town doing the fun stuff.

Throughout the episode, you wouldnt necessarily know anything was wrong from Kayces behavior. Sure, hes more comfortable with vigilante justice than ever: in the opening montage, he and his SWAT team pick off the remains of the militia, and he later throws a man under a cattle guard, handcuffed, to teach him a lesson for making a local ranchers job harder. The first real sign that Kayces use of force is a dangerous crutch is that scene with Monica and Tate when Tate refuses to come out from under the bed and Kayce drags him out by his feet. But its still a little unclear what were supposed to think of all this: Is Kayce helping his own family become evil by surrounding them with so much violence? Is he dooming his family to a life of fear by keeping them here?

Jimmy is certainly about to find out if he can handle himself outside the Yellowstone. He burns his remaining bridges this week, unintentionally pushing Mia away by venting about how he has nobody here anymore, how moving to the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas is his only option. Nobody is really forcing him to leave, but I think even Jimmy knows deep down he needs a change of scenery and a change of perspective. After all, Walkers description of the Four Sixes is pretty enticing: Its like God just froze everything in this one place and just let it be.

Walker describes a simple place with fewer big egos and presumably fewer unexplained disappearances. But both are alive and well at the Dutton Ranch, between Lloyds envious resentment of Walker and Johns private investigation into his own shooters. He meets up with Chief Rainwater and Mo, who deliver him intel about the man in state prison who wanted him dead. They also deliver him Chester Spears, the man who hired the militia and put the job together. John, ever the principled one, takes Chester to a field and tosses a gun nearby, teasing him with the possibility of a fair fight. Of course, one of these characters is played by Kevin Costner, and I cant remember the others name without looking it up, so we know from the beginning who will win that fight.

A smaller-scale argument erupts this week between Beth and Carter, who she takes shopping. He spots a nice shirt he wants, but Beth sticks to her guns and says no, remembering Rips warning about spoiling him. Back in the car, she puts Carter in his place, explaining that there are four ways to get rich: inherit, steal, work, or learn how to suck a dick like you lost your car keys in it.

The script makes a bit too much of a fuss about Carter tricking Beth  youd think, from the way she describes the shopping trip to Rip later, that Carter tried to steal the shirt or something. But it continues to be rewarding to see Beth apply her tough attitude and straightforwardness to parenting, although Rip doesnt see Carter as theirs. Hes not our son, he reminds her at the end. No matter what he becomes, hell never be that.

All I See Is You may not have the focus of this seasons premiere, but its a step up from the last episode in the way it balances stories. If only Yellowstone would put in the work to make Monica as well-rounded as everyone else.

The Last Round-Up

 One of my favorite moments of the episode is when Rip refers to Carter as Beths pet, and she replies, Fuck you. I love you, Ill see you at the house, but fuck you. Its nice to see these two have their little spats without blowing anything out of proportion  Rip ends the scene laughing. I also love how he leaves a drink at her place for when she gets home.

 Okay, so let me get this straight: episode one introduces us to Chester, who organized the Dutton hits. He whispered who hired him to Mo. In episode two, he was missing entirely. And then in episode three, we finally learn who hired him  and its his old cellmate whos in state prison, who was hired by somebody else? Come on, Yellowstone, dont tease answers if youre just going to give us nesting dolls of assassins.

 Obviously, Beths unknowing sterilization was a tragic event, a violation of bodily autonomy that nobody should go through. But unless Im forgetting something, its strange the show completely ignores the possibility of her and Rip adopting one day, something that has become more glaring since the reveal of Jamies adoption. Then again, Jamies on the outs with his family and bonding with his wife-murdering biological father, so maybe hes not the best example.
The past year saw a shift in consumer habits that was broadly helpful to the retail sector: Not only did we go to restaurants again and buy more glamorous attire, we also continued to spruce up our homes and shop online. This meant that even with supply chain snarl-ups, most consumer companies had a pretty good 2021. This coming year, well face another big adjustment  but this time it may not be so welcome. Even without the threat of retrenchment due to the omicron variant, shoppers face having to pay more for what they need and not being able to afford what they want. Inflation is ticking up. Borrowing costs are set to rise. And lockdown savings are bound to dwindle. This makes for a much more challenging backdrop when it comes to consumer spending.
Not so fast. Israeli Covid experts, who have usually fallen in line with the governments vaccination policies, sounded a note of concern and skepticism this time. They conceded that it might work, but that it could also prove ineffective or worse, dangerous. The public, too, was unenthusiastic. Israelis who thought they were fully vaccinated discovered that they were not. Bennetts announcement raised the possibility that they were going to be used as guinea pigs (or pioneers in the prime ministers phrase). Bennett was forced to postpone the fourth jab.
Chinese companies have insisted theyve minimized the risks associated with the VIE structure, although no Chinese regulatory body has officially approved one. For years China largely ignored them. But in introducing new anti-monopoly rules in February 2021  part of a broader effort to curb the power of increasingly pervasive Big Tech companies  the Chinese government made reference to the need for official approval for deals involving VIEs. A week after Didis IPO, the State Council, Chinas cabinet, said rules for overseas listings would be revised and regulators would step up oversight of companies trading in offshore markets, which sent shares in Didi and other Chinese tech companies plummeting. At the end of the year China unveiled sweeping regulations governing overseas share sales that stopped short of a ban on IPOs by companies using VIEs, but will make the process more difficult and costly. All this is playing out as U.S. exchanges become more hostile to Chinese companies, which may face delisting if they refuse to hand over financial information to American regulators, and Beijing encourages them to list back home. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July paused approvals for new Chinese IPOs, in part over a lack of disclosure around VIEs.
The Emiratis seem to have decided they can no longer depend on the U.S. for protection against Iran. Among other things, this calculation may have informed the UAEs recent decision to suspend talks with the Biden administration over the purchase of F-35 jets and other weaponry. And they arent persuaded that their deepening friendship with Israel will make up for the loss of the American security umbrella. The Iranians will play on these anxieties to try to widen the gap between the UAE and its allies, both next door and further West.
Under current rules, executives and directors can largely avoid charges of illegal insider trading by setting up a predetermined schedule of sales or purchases, known as a 10b5-1 plan. Yet if they know that their company is about to do a big deal or report some bad news, there are still plenty of ways they can use such plans to act on the information. They can set one up for a single trade and act on it the next business day. They can set up multiple plans, then cancel the disadvantageous ones at any moment. Its hard for the public to understand whats going on, because many of the relevant details of the plans typically arent disclosed or are hard to find.
If Trump were to run and lose the 2024 election, yet be declared the winner by Republican-controlled state legislatures, we could find ourselves in a constitutional crisis that a delegitimated Supreme Court could not resolve. If he were to win the electoral vote in 2024 lawfully while losing the popular vote, as he did in 2016, progressives and liberals might take to the streets in protest of the undemocratic Electoral College  and the protests, if met with violent police reaction, might become violent themselves.
Informed by his studies at Skowhegan  the artist retreat in Maine, near where hed later establish a studio  Driskell explored natural imagery, including the pine tree, a lifelong motif. Trips to Africa fueled his desire to keep African cultural symbols alive in his work, which includes homages to artists Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. This well-studied perspective comes through in such works as Frost and Ice, Maine, in which the artist takes on the short, staccato-brushstroke style of Alma Thomas, a friend he met in D.C. (and the subject of her own Phillips Collection show Everything is Beautiful, on view upstairs through Jan. 23). You can see both the art historian and artist in action  wrapping his head and hand around anothers distinctive style, while simultaneously crafting his own.
If fully vaccinated people decide that their desire to return to pre-pandemic activities outweighs the possible consequences of contracting the virus, we are never going to be through with this pandemic. With the omicron variant rampant, coronavirus cases are rising at an alarming rate in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. If we get lax now, infections of this variant will soar, overwhelming our hospitals and ruining any possibility of normality. We must continue to stay vigilant and do our duty to protect ourselves and everyone around us.
We are all appalled when we read about how most girls in Afghanistan cannot safely go to school under Taliban rule. But we seem to be indifferent to the fact that girls and boys in the United States cannot safely go to school, not just when there is a current threat but also every day that adolescents can get high-powered guns easier than they can buy cigarettes or alcohol.
Fayad said about 650 million cubic meters (22.95 billion cubic feet) of gas will be brought to Lebanon through the pipeline annually to the Deir Ammar power station in the north. He said the amount will lead to the production of 450 megawatts of electricity adding three to four hours of electricity supplies a day.
The 53 people, who are believed to have entered North Macedonia illegally from neighboring Serbia, were transferred to a migrant shelter pending deportation back to Serbia. This was the third large group of migrants to have been apprehended over the past three weeks in North Macedonia.
The more conservative capital of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday ramped up virus checks on the highway from Dubai to make sure all vaccinated drivers also had tested negative within the last two weeks. The city capped house parties at 30 people and announced all schools would switch to remote learning for the first half of January.
The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after, the agency said in a statement that also flagged people who had received a vaccination booster shot may not need to quarantine if exposed to a COVID-positive person. The Health Protection Principal Committee is also reviewing the level of exposure required for a person to be defined as a close contact, as it looks to tweak COVID-19 protocols to minimise disruption to peoples lives as the spread of COVID-19 is normalised. The review of isolation rules was confirmed on a day when Victoria recorded 2738 new cases on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 2297 cases in mid-October. NSW recorded more than 6000 new cases. Several testing facilities in Melbourne were forced to close within minutes of opening on Tuesday morning, as Victorians again waited in hours-long queues and the pathology laboratory scientists union complained of understaffing.

Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton urged people who needed pre-travel tests to do so after midday to ease the load on test sites. The [Department of Health] reiterates that PCR testing for interstate travel is not the most efficient use of testing resources in the current environment, Professor Sutton said. University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely said people could be let out of quarantine after five days if they tested negative to a rapid test. He said an advantage rapid tests had over PCRs is that at-home tests were good at detecting whether a person was infectious, whereas people can test positive on a PCR test long after they have stopped being infectious. If someone has COVID and they test negative on day five, let them go; theres no point keeping them in there, he said. In the world where were living with COVID, the marginal benefit of keeping people in isolation when they test negative is small.

Grattan Institute health economist Stephen Duckett said the isolation stint should probably be reduced and this would help cut the number of healthcare workers in isolation  a growing problem in Victoria and NSW. The number of days by which authorities could cut the time would depend on how much risk they were willing to take about a small fraction of people potentially leaving quarantine while still infectious, he said. Theres always been a probability distribution about what the optimum time is. Is the threshold 99 per cent chance you dont still have COVID [when you exit isolation] or 90 per cent? he said. Professor Catherine Bennett, chair in epidemiology at Deakin University, said Australia should also cut isolation times if the data showed people were not testing positive after a certain period.

Hopefully that might provide more incentive for people to get tested earlier, Professor Bennett said. Hassan Vally, an associate professor in epidemiology at Deakin University, agreed that it made sense to cut the isolation period. He said that in the first year and a half of the pandemic there was a need to ensure people isolated for longer to make sure the incubation period was completely covered. However, he said now the population was highly vaccinated, there were options for treatments and it seemed Omicron was less severe. We have to be a little bit more pragmatic about how long we ask people to isolate for, because the implications of someone getting an infection are not the same, he said. As the threat the virus poses to the community reduces we can start to be a bit less restrictive in terms of those cut-offs.

Professor Mike Toole, an honorary epidemiologist with the Burnet Institute, said the US CDCs decision was made based on the observation that people with Omicron were infectious for a shorter time than those with the Delta variant. He said the decision was something Australia should also consider. Loading It does give people three days more freedom, he said. But it should come with advice to strongly adhere to mask laws. You cant just say, Oh, Ive had COVID, it brought me immunity, I dont need to worry. You have to worry about the other people. The Medical Scientists Association of Victoria, the union that represents medical scientists performing pathology testing, said understaffing was a huge problem across private pathology services processing PCR tests. My members working in those areas that are doing COVID testing are overwhelmed, they are exhausted, secretary Paul Elliott said.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The sound of crashing waves. The smell of fish and chips. The taste of seawater. The sight of a classic catch. The touch of raw sunburn. The Australian summer break is a collection of sensations, as much as it is a period of time, each one with the power to transport us to a particular moment. The foundation of this nostalgia is routine. Year after year, many of us do the same thing in the same place at the same time. This familiarity allows us space to forget what is going on elsewhere  and just relax. Yet while a holiday break is a given for many Australians, it has not always been the case (and some workers may not get one at all). Where did the idea of taking time off come from? How have summer holidays evolved in Australia? And how are we holidaying now, in a "COVID-19" world? Holiday time at Sydney's Coogee, circa 1900. Credit:Swain & Co, Getty Images Where did the concept of holidays come from? The word holiday comes from the Old English "halig daeg", which translates to holy day. That's a singular: the sole weekly day of rest was for religion. Christians didnt work Sundays, while Jews observed the sabbath on Saturdays. The holy day of Islamic prayer was on Fridays, a day that still marks the start of the weekend in Muslim-majority countries. Most cultures also held additional religious events throughout the year, offering more chances for piety (and leisure).

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In ancient Rome, there were no weekly breaks but life would grind to a halt for regular festivals such as Saturnalia in mid-December when gods such as Saturn were celebrated with food and wine as well as the sacrifice of a pig, sheep and bull. Loading For most of history, travel was basically restricted to religious pilgrimages as well as trade, exploration and war. That changed when the "grand tours" of Europe became a rite of passage for young British aristocrats keen on cultural self-improvement (and partying) in the 18th century. The lower classes needed more time off before they could join in the fun. The weekend was first introduced during the Industrial Revolution after various campaigns highlighted the impacts of increased labour on workers. Larger numbers of people could take advantage of what was becoming the archetypal working-class holiday. In the mill towns of northern England, near cities such as Manchester and Leeds, a forerunner to summer holidays was "wakes week". Originally church feasts, these weeks became mandated shutdowns. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement: factory owners did maintenance while workers took an unpaid break. At the same time, steam was making travel easier. "What that meant was that larger and larger numbers of people could take advantage of what was becoming the archetypal working-class holiday, which was to go to the seaside," says Eric Zuelow, a professor of European history at the University of New England and author of A History of Modern Tourism.

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The English seaside town of Blackpool was a favourite destination, with dozens of trains each day ferrying workers to the coast, many lured by the Victorian-era belief that seawater was a cure-all for maladies. Day trips evolved into week-long holidays  whole towns decamped en masse to the gender-segregated beaches  with workers starting savings clubs to help fund their getaways. Wakes week continued until the middle of the 20th century, when the factory chimneys stopped smoking with the decline of manufacturing. By then, the summer holiday was an established part of working life. A picnic at Freshwater Beach in Sydney, c. 1890s. Credit:Tyrell Collection: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences How did the idea of leisure become popular? In the 19th century, "environmental determinism"  a now-debunked school of thought  argued that climate, among other things, affected racial characteristics. It was posited that colder places produced more complex and highly evolved civilisations than tropical and hot areas. The concept played into white supremacy and the colonisation of Indigenous people. After the white settlement of Australia, this attitude was also applied to the first generations born here outside Britain. Up for debate was the idea that the colonials were affected by the heat, which made them less keen to work. Scottish travel writer Robert Foster Fraser noted in 1910 that the people lacked "vim" and showed signs of having been drained by their climate. The "doggedness" of the first settlers was disappearing. "Of people of British origin, the Australians are the most pleasure-loving I have come across," he also observed. "But what effect is this having on the development of the nation?"

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It was a desire to develop as citizens, as well as fathers and husbands, that was one reason given by 19th-century workers for campaigning for more time off; in a world first, the eight-hour day was achieved in Melbourne in 1856 by striking stonemasons, who wanted eight hours' labour, eight hours' rest and eight hours' recreation. This so-called "workers' paradise", with its "Mediterranean" climate (relative to Britain) and endless beaches, offered the perfect conditions and some time for leisure. In 1859, The Sydney Morning Herald proclaimed: "We are the children of the sunny south, and we borrow from the clear skies above us, and from the general clime, much of that lightness of heart and of that vivacity, which so eminently distinguish us as holiday-making people." Businesses complained that Australians didnt work hard enough, they were thinking about their holidays all the time. As University of Sydney associate professor Richard White, a tourism historian, puts it, there was an attitude among Australians of "working to live, rather than living to work". But there were concerns from those worried about their profits. "A lot of people complained," he says. "Businesses complained that Australians didnt work hard enough, they were thinking about their holidays all the time. Its probably a better way to live." By the end of the 19th century, White notes, many Australians were taking recognisably modern holidays. Wealthy people had substantial holiday homes in places such as Mount Macedon (for Victorians), while others could enjoy the guest-houses or hotels that sprang up in new coastal resorts such as Manly (for Sydneysiders).

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In the 1930s, Australians were enjoying annual leave for the first time after the printers union paved the way for other workers to take paid holidays. That led to a boom in leisure over the next few decades, with entitlements rising steadily to four weeks by the 1970s. Northern beaches glamour circa 1935, at Palm Beach, Sydney. Credit:Getty Images How did holiday styles change over time in Australia? Surf culture took off in the 1920s, as the "bronzed Aussie" lifesaver became a national stereotype. The nation's reputation for egalitarianism was reflected in the observation of journalist John Douglas Pringle (another Scotsman) that "you cannot tell a mans income in a pair of swimming trunks". Around the same time, the car was helping people get to new hard-to-reach spots away from the heaving crowds, who were limited to travelling by rail to places such as Frankston, or by tram to beaches like Coogee. Initially, these car holidays were seen as a form of individual expression  of going anywhere you wanted. It was the beginning of the weekender bolthole, with rudimentary beach shacks offering an escape from city life. A family camping trip to Tambo River, Victoria, in December 1938. Credit:Museum Victoria As the road trip caught on, automobile clubs began to publish maps of noted destinations. Roads and parking were improved, along with other travel infrastructure such as camp grounds. Soon after, the caravan was born.

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The NSW Health Minister has asked the federal government to consider removing COVID-19 test requirements for international arrivals, as he continues to blame tourism testing for the pressure on the states pathology labs.

There were 557 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals on Tuesday, including 60 in intensive care, and an additional 6062 cases reported. Testing clinics have braced for another round of public holiday queues, with healthcare worker isolation rules eased on Monday night to relieve some pressure on the stretched system.

Mr Hazzard said he had asked the federal government and NSW Health to review whether international arrivals needed to have two PCR tests in their first week in the state.

Obviously everything weve done in the last two years in relation to this pandemic has been a challenge of balancing risks, he said. And the risks here are we have a lot of people now who are positive.
But scientists have been trying to promote an office of research integrity for years. In late 2017, it was discussed at a meeting that involved representatives from the Australia Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Chief Scientist and the office of Health Minister Greg Hunt. People with close knowledge of the meeting said although major research bodies supported the proposal, it was actively opposed by Universities Australia and later shelved. Professor Chubb said the current model was developed after fellows of the academy raised the issue in May last year. Cases would have to be triaged so the office would only handle the most serious matters, and it was expected to cost around $5 million, though it was uncertain how many cases would emerge. Among those who raised their concerns was University of Melbourne scientist Peter Brooks, who was commissioned by UNSW in 2013 to investigate a complaint of research misconduct against a senior researcher. The terms of reference were incredibly tight, so we couldnt deviate from those, Professor Brooks said. Professor Brooks concluded the professor had committed misdemeanours that fell short of research misconduct, but unearthed other issues during his investigation that the university chose to refer to separate committees, none of which were allowed to make findings about a pattern of behaviour.

It was a very, very disappointing and unfortunate situation, Professor Brooks said. Each of the five committees cleared the professor of research misconduct, finding the breaches were the result of genuine error or honest oversight. UNSW said in a statement the findings were later considered together by a further external independent panel and still found not to constitute research misconduct. Loading Professor Brooks, who has conducted several investigations into academic misconduct, said the tertiary education system was so reliant on overseas students and research funding that universities could ill afford to lose senior researchers. At the same time, there were financial and career incentives to researchers who publish prolifically or publish in journals that are classified as high impact. This created conditions for academics to perform sloppy or even fraudulent research. Other scientists then read the papers and spend years trying to reproduce the experiments or develop them further.

The opportunity costs are enormous because that costs money that could have been used for legitimate research, Professor Brooks said. And often theyve been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, so its a really serious issue. Simon Gandevia, a senior scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia who has also been agitating for an office of research integrity, said the system was not working. The system in which academic misconduct is dealt with in-house is inappropriate and we need a transparent system where we know who is being investigated and what they are being investigated for, and an external body is what we need for that. The process of investigating an academic for research misconduct can be expensive and legally fraught for universities. Allegations of scientific misconduct against UNSW Professor Bruce Hall in 2001 took more than two years and four separate inquiries to resolve, with lawyers involved at every step. Professor Hall was found guilty of misconduct but vice-chancellor Rory Hume allowed him to keep his job. However, Professor Humes handling of the matter was heavily criticised, and he resigned under pressure from the council in 2004. There is also a perception among academics that correcting the record might damage their reputation, as cellular genomics researcher Joseph Powell found in 2014. The then University of Queensland researcher discovered after one of his papers had been published in Nature that the statistical test he had used  a standard methodology  gave a higher than expected false positive rate, and asked the journal to retract the paper. Nature then published the new results.

But the decision to retract was not unanimously accepted by his co-authors. One felt a retraction would unduly punish the team when they had acted in good faith. It was a really challenging scenario for us, said Professor Powell, who now works at the Garvan Institute for Medical Research. At the time I was an early career researcher and there was a potential that this would have a damaging effect on my reputation. But interestingly, its been almost the exact opposite. Ive had a lot of colleagues reach out and show enthusiasm and Ive not had one negative reaction. Professor Chubb said the national oversight body would still allow people to make mistakes, but it would sort out genuine errors from serious misconduct. It would also be responsible for issuing sanctions, either to the individual or to the institution if it did not take the recommended action. Institutions that chose not to join would lose public funding. Professor Brooks said it was incumbent on the universities to accept an independent commission for research integrity. The risk is, just like if politicians keep lying and dont show any integrity, we start not to take any notice of them, Professor Brooks said. Its a great shame. That would be awful if people start not to believe science. Weve seen what happens when that occurs, with anti-vaxxers.
Bangkok: The humanitarian group Save the Children says it has confirmed that two of its staff were among at least 35 people, including children, who were killed in eastern Myanmar on Christmas Eve in an attack it blamed on the countrys military.

It said the two staff members were caught up in the attack in Kayah state as they were travelling back to their office after conducting humanitarian activities in a nearby community.

Violence against innocent civilians, including aid workers, is intolerable, and this senseless attack is a breach of International Humanitarian Law, the groups chief executive, Inger Ashing, said in a statement.

Vehicles smoulder in Hpruso township, Kayah state, Myanmar, on Friday. Villagers, some believed to be women and children, were fatally shot. Credit:KNDF/AP

This is not an isolated event. The people of Myanmar continue to be targeted with increasing violence and these events demand an immediate response, Ashing said.
New York: Jurors in British socialite Ghislaine Maxwells sex trafficking trial deliberated for a third full day without reaching a verdict, after reviewing the testimony of one of the late financier Jeffrey Epsteins personal pilots.

As they resumed their work after a Christmas break, they signalled they had a great deal to debate as they requested office supplies: a whiteboard, post-it notes and highlighters.

The jury also requested transcripts from two witnesses as well as a definition of the word enticement, an element in two of the six charges Maxwell faces.

Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, is accused of recruiting and grooming four teenage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, her ex-boyfriend and employer, between 1994 and 2004. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP)  Construction is expected to begin Monday on a FedEx Ground distribution center in south Parkersburg, West Virginia, according to a published report.

A 250,000-square-foot facility is planned to be operational at the site in 2022, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Cloudy with snow developing between 9pm and midnight, then steadier snow from midnight to sunrise. A few inches of snow for everyone, with a widespread 1-3" with most getting closer to 3". Higher 3-6" amounts closer to the I-95 corridor..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow developing between 9pm and midnight, then steadier snow from midnight to sunrise. A few inches of snow for everyone, with a widespread 1-3" with most getting closer to 3". Higher 3-6" amounts closer to the I-95 corridor.
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Cloudy with snow developing between 9pm and midnight, then steadier snow from midnight to sunrise. A few inches of snow for everyone, with a widespread 1-3" with most getting closer to 3". Higher 3-6" amounts closer to the I-95 corridor..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow developing between 9pm and midnight, then steadier snow from midnight to sunrise. A few inches of snow for everyone, with a widespread 1-3" with most getting closer to 3". Higher 3-6" amounts closer to the I-95 corridor.
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Snow this evening will diminish to a few snow showers late. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow this evening will diminish to a few snow showers late. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
CAPE TOWN (AP)  Desmond Tutu's family members gathered at his Cape Town home on Tuesday in preparation for his funeral this weekend as South Africans honored his life.

A woman places a floral tribute outside the St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. The funeral service for Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, will be held on New Years Day. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

CAPE TOWN (AP)  Desmond Tutu's family members gathered at his Cape Town home on Tuesday in preparation for his funeral this weekend as South Africans honored his life.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial equality and LGBT rights died Sunday at the age of 90.

Tutu's wife Leah is being joined by the couple's four children, grandchildren and other family members.

"Mommy is maintaining ... She is being surrounded with love," daughter Nontombi Tutu told The Associated Press in front of the family home in the Milnerton area of Cape Town.

"In a time like this, there are times where we are laughing, sharing stories, and there are times where we are crying, as we come to terms with life without daddy," she said.

"He has not quite left us and yet he has left us. And so as a family we are supporting one another," she said. "We are loving one another, we are fighting one another, as families do. And we are feeling the love and support from people all over the country and all over the world."

The period when Tutu will lie in state at St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town has been extended to two days, Thursday and Friday, to allow all mourners to pay tribute by filing past his coffin, his trust announced Tuesday.

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Tutus requiem Mass Saturday will be a Special Official Funeral Category 1. His ashes will later be interred at the cathedral's mausoleum, according to Tutu's instructions.

"The archbishop was very clear on his wishes for his funeral. He wanted no ostentatiousness or lavish spending," the Tutu trust said in a statement. "He asked that the coffin be the cheapest available and that a bouquet of carnations from his family be the only flowers in the cathedral."

Tutu's supporters have left flowers at the Cape Town cathedral and also in front of Tutu's historic home in Soweto, Johannesburg. Prayers were said and candles lit at St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg Tuesday evening.

An interfaith service will be held in the capital, Pretoria, on Wednesday and the City of Cape Town is also planning to hold a service in honor of Tutu. Cape Town's landmark Table Mountain, the Cape Town Civic Center, and an arch at the cathedral are all being lit up each night this week in purple in honor of Tutu's purple bishop's robes.

___

AP journalist Andrew Meldrum contributed to this report from Johannesburg.
CHEMNITZ, Germany (AP)  The pastor opened the wrought-iron doors of St. Petri Church in the German city of Chemnitz and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold for shots against the coronavirus.

A doctor gives a man a vaccination against coronavirus inside the St. Petri church in Chemnitz, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Pastor Christoph Herbst at St. Petri church is one of several Lutheran leaders who have been promoting vaccinations in a region that is among the hardest hit by the virus. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

CHEMNITZ, Germany (AP)  The pastor opened the wrought-iron doors of St. Petri Church in the German city of Chemnitz and sighed with relief when he saw the long line of people waiting in the cold for shots against the coronavirus.

Together with the parish council, the Rev. Christoph Herbst had invited in a relief organization and volunteer doctors to conduct a Sunday vaccination clinic at the Lutheran church. The act of community outreach, the pastor knew, might not go over well in a part of Germany prone to vaccine resistance, including sometimes violent protests.

"I was very insecure about how people would react to our offer," Herbst said as he welcomed the waiting crowd into his neo-Gothic house of prayer. "In our region, there are very different and very polarized views about the coronavirus measures in general, about how to fight the pandemic, and especially about the vaccinations."

The Karl Marx monument is illuminated in Chemnitz, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Chemnitz, a city of about 247,000 citizens which was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt during Communist times, is located in southern Saxony. The state has the lowest vaccination rate against the coronavirus in the entire country and it's also currently one of the regions with the highest number of virus infections and so many COVID-19 patients that some of them had to be transferred to other parts of Germany because the local hospitals did not have enough intensive care beds anymore. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Saxony state, where Chemnitz and the city of Dresden are located, has the lowest vaccination rate among Germanys 16 federal states, and one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. Only 60.1% of residents were fully vaccinated by Christmas, compared to the nationwide average of 70.8%. At some points in the pandemic, local hospitals had to transfer patients out of state because all the intensive care beds were full.

Lutheran pastors across Saxony have used their sermons to promote vaccines as the most efficient way to prevent severe illness and to end the pandemic. Like Herbst, many opened their churches for clinics this month, hoping that offering jabs in a familiar environment and without advance registration might persuade some holdouts.

"We believe that we have a responsibility that goes beyond ourselves, and that we should do something for society with the resources we have," Herbst explained. "Were not doctors and were not professionals. But we have the space and we have volunteers who can organize something like this."

Chemnitz, a city of about 247,000 residents, was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt when it and the rest of Saxony were part of the former communist East Germany. Many of the local vaccine refusers cite concerns of possible side effects, but also feeling overwhelmed by what they see as too much pressure from authorities or general opposition to any measures endorsed by the government, according to Herbst.

A doctor gives a man a vaccination against coronavirus inside the St. Petri church in Chemnitz, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. From South African undertakers to ultra-Orthodox Israeli rabbis, an unconventional cadre of people has joined global efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates. Launching campaigns that traditionally have been the realm of public health authorities, theyre opening church doors, going door to door, village to village, touting the benefits of vaccination, sometimes making shots available on the spot. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Among those who patiently sat in a pew waiting to roll up their sleeves at Herbst's church were Hannelore and Bernd Hilbert, a retired couple from the nearby village of Amtsberg. They came to get booster shots because some of their five grandchildren are too young to be vaccinated, and the Hilberts hoped to see them for Christmas.

"Last year's Christmas was really sad. We were all alone," Hannelore Hilbert, 70. said.

"We're grateful for the church to offer these shots," added her 72-year-old husband, who said they had waited unsuccessfully for shots at a hospital a few days earlier.

The vast majority of the church's vaccine recipients on a recent Sunday turned out to have more in common with the booster-seeking couple than the skeptical or frightened community members Saxony's pastors are trying to reach.

A doctor vaccinates a man against coronavirus inside the St. Petri church in the center of Chemnitz, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Chemnitz is located in southern Saxony, the state with the lowest vaccination rate in the entire country and it's also currently one of the regions with the highest number of virus infections. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Of the 251 vaccines administered during St. Petri's daylong clinic, 18 went to individuals receiving their first dose. None of them wanted to speak with The Associated Press about why theyd changed their minds and decided to get shots almost one year into Germany's mass immunization campaign.

A loud minority in Germany has opposed any kind of anti-virus measures since the start of the pandemic. The resistance grew angrier and more aggressive in recent weeks after the national parliament this month passed a vaccine mandate for some professions and most of the country's regions resumed some form of restrictions in response to the latest wave of infections.

With mass demonstrations banned in several parts of the country due to the pandemic, vaccine opponents have gathered for protest "walks" - unauthorized marches organized quickly via social media. Around 30 protesters showed up with torches outside the home of Saxony state Health Minister Petra Koepping one night, shouting slurs until police arrived.

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The protests swelled in recent days, sometimes drawing thousands of people. Police detained several participants for attacking officers and journalists. Some Lutheran pastors received criticism and personal threats for their efforts to encourage vaccination.

Herbst said he thinks the majority of Saxons back the country's immunization campaign and that far-right groups intent on undermining democracy have coopted anti-vaccine sentiment, fueling an already present sense among residents of Germany's east of feeling left behind 30 years after the country's reunification.

When parishioners confront him with their opposition to vaccines, the pastor says he tries to listen instead of judge.

"And I listen to things that are sometimes difficult to hear," he said. "I also listen to things that I think belong in the realm of conspiracy theories. I dont confirm those. But its important that theres a space where we listen to each other without immediately lapsing into condemnation."

However, the pastor wonders if at this point all the arguments for and against vaccination have been exchanged and the decision of whether or not to get immunized no longer should be left as a matter of personal choice.

"There are people who say what is needed now is a democratically legitimized decision by parliament on a general vaccine mandate," Herbst said. "That would be a decision that does not work on moral pressure, but rather on the basis of a set of rules that applies to everyone."
EDMONTON - The Opposition in Alberta hopes to build on a buoyant 2021 during which the New Democrats outpaced Premier Jason Kenneys United Conservatives in popularity polls and fundraising.

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley speaks at a news conference in Calgary on Monday, March 15, 2021. The Opposition in Alberta hopes to build on a buoyant 2021 during which the New Democrats outpaced Premier Jason Kenneys United Conservatives in popularity polls and fundraising. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

EDMONTON - The Opposition in Alberta hopes to build on a buoyant 2021 during which the New Democrats outpaced Premier Jason Kenneys United Conservatives in popularity polls and fundraising.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the goal for 2022 is to provide ideas on how to build the economy while continuing to demand answers, data and accountability from the government on how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The hole Jason Kenney has dug is deep and we need to get out of it," Notley said in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press.

"We need to get our province moving forward on economic diversification, energy transformation, ensuring we're keeping our young people here (and) restoring our post-secondary institutions."

Notley's NDP spent much of 2021 demanding information and answers from Kenney's government about its delayed response to COVID-19's fourth wave that pushed ICU capacity and health care to the breaking point in September.

Kenney had removed all but a handful of health restrictions as of July 1, announced the pandemic was over and said no contingency plan was needed in case the Delta variant took hold.

"The single biggest mistake and the breach of trust and betrayal of Albertans happened behind closed doors and Albertans didn't even see it happen," said Notley. She noted that case numbers were rising at an alarming rate in August while both Kenney and then-health minister Tyler Shandro were on vacation. They said they were in touch with staff daily.

"They did not act to make any kind of serious efforts to protect Albertans from the fourth wave until the middle of September, long after they should have," said Notley. "In so doing, they brought about the worst fourth wave in the country ... damage to our health-care system as well as ... losses to Alberta families that were entirely preventable.

"It was a profound failure."

The NDP was among critics who led and rode waves of outrage that prompted Kenneys government to reverse course on multiple files: coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, a proposed Grades K-6 education curriculum, and planned wage cuts for nurses.

Notley said the goal is to have all her party's candidates for the 2023 election in place by next fall as well as contingencies in case Kenney calls one earlier. The interest is encouraging, she said.

"It's fair to say that we will end up with more contested nominations in this election than probably the last 20 years combined  and not just contested between two people, but three and four people."

Early in 2022, Ariana Mancini will carry the NDP standard in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection. Kenney must call it by mid-February to replace former UCP legislature member Laila Goodridge, who successfully ran for the Conservatives in September's federal vote.

Brian Jean, who lost to Kenney for the UCP leadership, won the party's nomination on a promise to push Kenney out as party leader. Jean says the premier's top-down leadership and failure on key files have left the party ripe for a return to an NDP government.

Kenney had promised to sign Jean's nomination papers if he won the nomination, and Jean is stumping the province encouraging others to help him dump Kenney.

Notley said Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is a microcosm of Alberta politics: the NDP focused on helping the constituency; the UCP focused on internal gamesmanship.

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"The UCP is chronically drawn to their own internal drama. They are an organization that was built for politics, not for governance, and as a result they're failing at leading the province."

Notley, who was premier from 2015 until 2019, aims to be ready if she returns to the premier's chair. The party has begun consultations and offered proposals on building the economy through diversification and job growth. There are already policy positions on hydrogen and geothermal development, infrastructure and high-tech.

Political scientist Duane Bratt said the NDP doesn't need to change its game plan. He said Notley's strength is positioning former cabinet ministers as effective critics and letting them share the spotlight while scoring hits on government climbdowns and controversies.

"One of the things that is quite striking is Notley is not the only spokesperson of this party. Their bench strength is stronger now than when they were in government," said Bratt with Mount Royal University in Calgary.

"They (just) need to stay out of the way and look like a credible government in waiting."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2021.
PARIS (AP)  The French government announced new COVID-19 measures on Monday in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, yet stopped short of imposing drastic restrictions before New Years Eve.

France's President Emmanuel Macron leads a special cabinet meeting from the Fort de Bregancon presidential holidays residence, in Bormes-les-Mimosas, southern France, Monday, Dec. 21, 2021. Macron held a special virus meeting on Monday with some key ministers via video call from his holiday residence at Fort de Bregancon, on the French Riviera, after the country recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic. (Nicolas Tucat, Pool Photo via AP)

PARIS (AP)  The French government announced new COVID-19 measures on Monday in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, yet stopped short of imposing drastic restrictions before New Years Eve.

Starting from next week, big events will be limited to 2,000 people indoors and 5,000 people outdoors. People will be requested to sit down during concerts and customers wont be allowed to stand up in bars, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

Eating and drinking will be banned in cinemas, theaters, sport facilities and public transportation, including on long-distance routes. Working from home will be mandatory at least three days per week for employees whose job makes it possible, he added.

The new rules will be in place for at least three weeks, he said.

The move comes after France recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic. President Emmanuel Macron held a special virus videoconference with key government members from his holiday residence at Fort de Bregancon on the French Riviera.

The new measures remain less strict than those put into place last December, when a nightly curfew was imposed across the country.

Castex made basic recommendations for New Year's Eve, including avoiding big parties and dinners, wearing a mask, ventilating the room and getting a COVID-19 test  all common-sense actions," he said.

He confirmed that schools will reopen as scheduled on Jan. 3 and said political rallies wont be affected by the new rules for democratic reasons before Aprils presidential election.

The French government appeared to be trying to strike a balance between measures needed to relieve hospitals and keep the economy running at the same time, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the situation.

We are in a race against the clock," Castex said.

More than one in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days.

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Macron is also wary of the impact on public opinion of potential harsh measures less than four months before the presidential election, in which he is expected to run.

Castex stressed that hospitals intensive care units aren't saturated because of over 90% of Frances adults being fully vaccinated  in sharp contrast with the situation last year.

The government hopes to speed up the nation's booster campaign by reducing the delay in getting the shot from four to three months after the previous vaccine shot.

The government on Monday also presented a bill aiming at creating a vaccine pass, which will allow only vaccinated people to enter public places, including restaurants, bars and cinemas. The measure will be debated at Parliament next month.

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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
NEW YORK  The Broadway revival of The Music Man has been one of the hottest tickets in town and it has limped along without co-star Sutton Foster. But now the show is being shuttered until the new year because Hugh Jackman has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Visitors wearing face masks walk down Main Street USA at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

NEW YORK  The Broadway revival of The Music Man has been one of the hottest tickets in town and it has limped along without co-star Sutton Foster. But now the show is being shuttered until the new year because Hugh Jackman has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jackman took to social media Tuesday to announce that he had tested positive. He says that although his symptoms are mild with only a scratchy throat and a runny nose, he needs to quarantine.

Some Broadway shows have closed for several days and some have folded completely because of virus cases Thoughts of a Colored Man joined Waitress and Jagged Little Pill as shows that have closed this winter due in part to rising infection rates.

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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

 Undertakers, rabbis join global fight promoting COVID shot

 US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine

 Fauci: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel

 In eastern Germany, pastors push for shots despite protests

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A woman walks past cordoned-off benches in a shopping centre in Freital, Saxony, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. Saxony has the lowest vaccination rate among Germanys 16 federal states, and one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. It also has seen angry and aggressive anti-vaccine protests in recent weeks. (Daniel Schaefer/dpa via AP)

Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

BATON ROUGE, La.  Louisiana officials are urging residents to go online for Office of Motor Vehicles services, and say 12 offices are temporarily closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The department said Tuesday that Louisiana residents should only visit OMV field offices if its absolutely necessary."

Louisiana, officials reported Monday that hospitalizations of people infected with the coronavirus had doubled over the course of a week.

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ORLANDO Fla.  The mayor of one of Floridas largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.

The mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, said local governments had been forced to figure out on their own, without help from the state, how to respond to the omicron variant that has rapidly overtaken the delta variant as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Florida.

Florida hit a new record for daily cases last weekend, with the state reporting 32,850 new cases on Saturday.

Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult.

People wearing protective face masks walk in Plaka, district of Athens, on Tuesday, Dec 28, 2021. Greek authorities are blaming the rapid spread of the omicron variant for a record level of infections and have announced new restrictions that will take effect early on the new year. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.

The governors office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

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MADRID  A recent sharp surge in coronavirus infections in Spain gave no signs of abating Tuesday with nearly 100,000 cases reported in the previous 24 hours, a new all-time pandemic high.

Health Ministry data showed that the 14-day infection rate soared to 1,360 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 1,206 new cases on Monday, nearly twice the level from a week earlier and five times the incidence rate at the beginning of December.

Authorities reported a total of 99,671 new positive cases, a new daily record for the seventh consecutive day.

But the sharp increase in contagion is not replicating the flow patients requiring hospital care that strained Spains public health system in previous surges, something that experts partially explain because of a vaccine uptake of more than 80% of the total population. Intensive care unit occupation with COVID-19 patients remained at an average of 18.7% of the national capacity.

With 114 new casualties, the pandemics confirmed death toll is 89,253 in the southern European country.

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ATLANTA  Georgia is setting new records for the number of test-confirmed COVID-19 cases.

An extremely rapid rise in cases pushed totals on Tuesday beyond peaks previously set in January. The state recorded nearly 14,000 positive tests in its report released Tuesday, a combination of molecular PCR tests and rapid antigen tests.

People queue, wearing masks against the coronavirus, outside a theatre for a performance of Les Miserables in London, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. Many European countries have started further restrictions on their populations as the number of Omicron related COVID-19 case rise, and they aim to contain the spread of the virus. In England the government has said that there will be no new restriction before the New Year. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

The seven-day average of positive tests in Georgia roe to nearly 10,000. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose to nearly 2,200 statewide on Tuesday.

Rising cases led the city of Atlanta to cancel its New Years Peach Drop. Emory University says it will begin spring semester classes online. And some public schools say they will require students to again wear masks in January.

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SEATTLE  The Washington state Department of Health has reported a new record number of cases tallied in a single day.

The Seattle Times reports state officials confirmed 6,235 new cases on Dec. 24. The states previous single-day record number of cases was 5,526 cases on Dec. 7, 2020.

Dec. 24 also marked the first time Washington state reported over 6,000 cases in a single day.

The spike in cases mirrors that of other U.S. cities as the highly contagious omicron variant has become dominant.

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HONOLULU  The University of Hawaii will conduct mostly online classes for the first two weeks of the spring semester as the state watches a surge in omicron coronavirus cases.

Hawaii has had all-time record high daily COVID-19 numbers in recent days. University of Hawaii officials say that campuses across the islands will temporarily move many classes to online instruction.

In an email to students and staff, University of Hawaii President David Lassner says only classes that can be effectively taught online will change.

Other classes will be taught in person but with physical distancing, mask wearing and health screenings in place

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ATLANTA  Emory Universitys president said Tuesday the school is switching to virtual classes to start the spring semester because of a national surge in COVID cases fueled by the omicron variant.

In a letter to the university community, President Gregory Fenves said Emory will transition back to in-person learning on January 31 if conditions permit that.

The switch to remote learning applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional courses. Residence halls will remain open, though students are encouraged to delay their return to campus.

COVID-19 infections in the Atlanta area, where Emory is located, are climbing rapidly.

The seven-day average of COVID-19 cases in Georgia rose to nearly 8,700 a day on Monday, according to the state Public Health Department. Thats nearing the peaks that Georgia saw in infection numbers in early January and early September.

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LONDON  The U.K. has reported another record number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a further 129,471 infections on Tuesday.

The data was incomplete because of the Christmas holidays, and did not include figures from Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A further 18 people had died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the government said.

Officials have said some 90% of cases in the country are now the omicron variant.

Despite the high daily infections Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has said it is not imposing further virus restrictions in England before the new year. Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, began shuttering nightclubs and limiting social gatherings from Boxing Day.

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DENVER (AP)  A gunman who went on a shooting rampage through several business districts in and around Denver, killing five people and wounding two others, was targeting at least some of his victims, authorities said Tuesday.

A bouquet of flowers is placed outside the door of a tattoo parlor along South Broadway Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 in Denver, one of the scenes of a shooting spree that left five people deadincluding the suspected shooter Monday eveningand left three more people wounded. The spree spread from the core of Denver to the western suburb of Lakewood where the suspect was shot and killed by police near a busy intersection in a bustling shopping district. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER (AP)  A gunman who went on a shooting rampage through several business districts in and around Denver, killing five people and wounding two others, was targeting at least some of his victims, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspect also died after exchanging gunfire with officers in a shopping area in the Denver suburb of Lakewood Monday night. Police identified him Tuesday as Lyndon James McLeod, 47.

Those wounded included a police officer who confronted McLeod.

Matt Clark, commander of the Denver Police Departments Major Crimes Division, said the gunman knew some of his victims.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said during a news conference that McLeod was on the radar of law enforcement and had been investigated in both 2020 and 2021. He said charges were not filed against McLeod, but he declined to say what he was investigated for.

A customer walks away from the closed entrance to an Xfinity store Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 in Lakewood, Colo., one of the scenes in a shooting spree that left five people deadincluding the suspected shooter Monday eveningand left three more people wounded. The spree spread from the core of Denver to the western suburb of Lakewood where the suspect was shot and killed by police near a busy intersection in a bustling shopping district. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The shootings started shortly after 5 p.m. in central Denver along Broadway, a busy street lined with shops, bars and restaurants, where two women were killed and a man was injured, Pazen said. On Tuesday, candles and flower bouquets rested in the doorway of a nearby tattoo shop.

A short time later, a man was fatally shot in another location, Pazen said. Gunshots were also fired along another busy street near Denver Health hospital, but no one was injured.

Later, Denver police chased the vehicle believed to have been involved in the shootings and exchanged gunfire with the person inside, but the suspect was able to get away after "disabling" the police car, Pazen said. The suspect then fled into Lakewood.

A sign in the window of an Xfinity store advises customers of a closure Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Lakewood, Colo., near one of the scenes of a shooting spree that left several people deadincluding the suspected shooter Monday eveningand left a few more people wounded. The spree spread from the core of Denver to the western suburb of Lakewood where the suspect was shot and killed by police near a busy intersection in a bustling shopping district. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Just before 6 p.m., the Lakewood Police Department received a report of shots fired at a business in the city, said John Romero, a spokesman for that department.

A gunshot victim was later found and pronounced dead at the scene.

When officers found the car suspected of being involved in the Belmar shopping area, the suspect opened fire and officers shot back. The suspect ran away and allegedly threatened someone in a business with a gun before going into a Hyatt hotel and shooting a clerk, who was taken to the hospital, Romero said.

A Honda Civic parked along Alaska Drive has a bullet hole through the hood and a flat, left-front tire Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 in Lakewood, Colo., as it sits near one of the scenes of a shooting spree that left five people deadincluding the suspected shooter Monday eveningand left three more people wounded. The spree spread from the core of Denver to the western suburb of Lakewood where the suspect was shot and killed by police near a busy intersection in a bustling shopping district. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The hotel clerk, identified Tuesday as Sarah Steck, has since died.

The suspect also shot and wounded a Lakewood police officer in the abdomen after leaving the hotel, Romero said. The officer shot back, and the suspect was killed.

The wounded officer, whose name has not been released, underwent surgery Monday night. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Two people sit at a table in a Jamba Juice store Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 in Lakewood, Colo., near one of the scenes of a shooting spree that left five people deadincluding the suspected shooter Monday eveningand left three more people wounded. The spree spread from the core of Denver to the western suburb of Lakewood where the suspect was shot and killed by police near a busy intersection in a bustling shopping district. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

On Tuesday, in Lakewoods Belmar shopping district, where shops line sidewalks in a modern version of a downtown, plywood covered some of the windows of a wood-fired pizza restaurant where workers were cleaning up inside. Investigators also were checking the aluminum window frame of a store for bullet holes. Nearby on the street, which was decorated with large, silver holiday ornaments, sat an older two-door Honda Civic with a bullet through the hood and a flat front tire.

Family members identified one of the victims Tuesday as Alicia Cardenas, 44, who was killed in the initial shooting.

Alfredo Cardenas told KMGH-TV that Alicia Cardenas, his only daughter, owned her first tattoo shop when she was 19 and had worked in the Broadway location in Denver for 15 to 20 years.

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"Very gregarious, very friendly, but she was a very determined person," he said. "She knew where she was going."

Alicia Cardenas is survived by her 12-year-old, Alfredo Cardenas said.

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Associated Press photographer David Zalubowski contributed to this report.

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This version has been updated to correct the spelling of the suspect's last name.
CALGARY - When Alicia Dempster started her maternity leave in June 2019, she never dreamed that she would still be at home two and a half years later.

Alicia Dempster poses for a photograph at her home in Stouffville, Ont., on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. Dempster anticipated she'd return to her work in events after her maternity leave ended, but has yet to do so as a result of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

CALGARY - When Alicia Dempster started her maternity leave in June 2019, she never dreamed that she would still be at home two and a half years later.

The Stouffville, Ont. woman fully intended to return to her job as an event planner for an area municipality after 15 months at home caring for her baby son and his toddler brother.

But COVID-19 derailed those plans. When her planned return-to-work date rolled around, the complete absence of public events meant the job she once had no longer existed. The alternative work her employer offered her  cutting grass and picking weeds with the parks department  seemed a poor match for her skills, so she opted to stay home "just a little longer."

Now, her sons are five and two and a half and the Omicron variant is on the rise.

Like many Canadian women, Dempster is not only concerned about how long she's been out of the workforce, but should she find a job, she knows she'll be juggling the demands of work and parenting, including COVID tests and mandatory isolation every time one of her children gets a cough or the sniffles.

While recent data suggests a jobs recovery for working age women, the statistics fail to capture the whole picture, one in which many women are still struggling to balance work and family life.

Early in the pandemic, much was written about the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on the finances and career prospects of Canadian women. Female-dominated industries like accommodation and food services were the hardest-hit by restrictions and lockdowns, and many women also suffered from a lack of child care as daycares and schools shut down in the pandemic's early months.

Even one year on, in March of 2021, employment among women remained about 5.3 per cent below where it sat in February 2020, compared to a drop of about 3.7 per cent for men, according to a report from the Labour Market Information Council.

But as the economy gradually reopened over the summer and fall, women's prospects improved. Canada as a whole caught up with its pre-pandemic job numbers in September of this year, and according to Statistics Canada, the only age group of women that has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic employment level is the 55-plus category.

Now if you look at younger women, their employment rate is higher than it was before the pandemic. A little more than one percentage point higher," said University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe. "It's the same story for the 25-54 age group  their employment rate is one percentage point higher."

But Armine Yalnizyan, a Toronto-based economist and the Atkinson Foundation's Fellow on the Future of Workers, cautions against declaring the "she-cession" over. She pointed out that statistics offer an aggregate look at a population, and many individual women are still struggling with the impacts of the pandemic on their careers and finances.

In addition, Yalnizyan said, it's crucial to remember that Statistics Canada employment data only looks at the "quantity" of jobs, not "quality"  a key part of the story when it comes to COVID-19 and its affect on gender and the workforce.

The quality of work question is really, really important to the question of whats been happening to women," she said. "For the Im not able to get a promotion, Ive had to change jobs or I have stress about possibly losing my job, Im barely hanging on because my kids are home half the time,' the binary of are you employed or arent you employed isnt a very good metric.

Before the pandemic hit, Stephanie Bakker-Houpf of High River, Alta., was excited to finally have time to focus on getting her creative consultancy and content management business off the ground after years of putting her own career dreams on the back-burner to raise her two now-teenage daughters.

But not only did her bread-and-butter contracts with musician and entertainer clients dry up in the absence of live performances last year, the divorced Bakker-Houpf found herself sacrificing precious work time as she helped her daughters with home-schooling and supported them through all of the disruptions and anxieties that go along with being a kid in a pandemic.

"Kids today are constantly dealing with uncertainty and their lives being interrupted. And yet, we as moms are still supposed to be able to function the same way and show up at our jobs the same way," Bakker-Houpf said.

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Jennifer Hargreaves, founder and CEO of diversity recruitment organization Tellent  which aims to help women in career transition find new opportunities  said while it's true that as many women may be working now as before the pandemic, the numbers don't tell the whole story.

In fact, Hargreaves said she worries Canadian working women may be heading into another crisis in 2022, as employers begin to urge employees to come back to the office on at least a part-time basis even as schools and daycares continue to struggle with COVID cases and children under 5 remain unvaccinated.

"What's frightening is some employers seem eager to say, 'we're going back to normal this year,' " Hargreaves said. "Because what I actually see on the ground is more and more women reaching out and getting mental health support, because they've just got to a tipping point with burnout. And women are taking stress leave."

If women have one thing working in their favour, Hargreaves said, it's the fact that employers across a wide range of industries are struggling with systemic labour shortages right now. She said she hopes that will spur employers to recognize that the way to retain talent is to continue to prioritize flexibility.

"I hope employers can take the lessons learned during COVID-19 and start implementing them and doing that culture shift," Hargreaves said. "I think theyre absolutely going to need to do that in order to stay agile in this new economy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create more confusion and fear among Americans.

FILE - People wait in a long line to get tested for COVID-19 in Times Square, New York, Dec. 20, 2021. U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create confusion among many Americans. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create more confusion and fear among Americans.

To the dismay of some authorities, the new guidelines allow people to leave isolation without getting tested to see if they are still infectious.

The guidance has raised questions about how it was crafted and why it was changed now, in the middle of another wintertime spike in cases, this one driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Monday's action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the recommended isolation time for Americans who are infected with the coronavirus but have no symptoms. The CDC similarly shortened the amount of time people who have come into close contact with an infected person need to quarantine.

The CDC has been under pressure from the public and the private sector, including the airline industry, to shorten the isolation time and reduce the risk of severe staffing shortages amid the omicron surge. Thousands of flights have been canceled over the past few days in a mess blamed on omicron.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the virus are most infectious in the first few days.

Louis Mansky, director of the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Minnesota, agreed there is a scientific basis to the CDCs recommendations.

When somebody gets infected, when are they most likely to transmit the virus to another person? he said. Its usually in the earlier course of the illness, which is typically a day or two before they actually develop symptoms and then a couple of days to three days after that.

Research, including a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in August, backs that up, though medical experts cautioned that nearly all of the data predates omicron.

The CDC released a report Tuesday on a cluster of six omicron cases in a Nebraska household and found the median incubation period  the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms  was about three days, versus the five days or more documented earlier in the pandemic. The six people also experienced relatively mild illness.

FILE - DeMarcus Hicks, a recent graduate of nursing school who is working as a contractor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gives a person a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, Dec. 20, 2021, on the first day of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Federal Way, Wash. U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create confusion among many Americans. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

But other experts questioned why the CDC guidelines allow people to leave isolation without testing.

Its frankly reckless to proceed like this, said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Using a rapid test or some type of test to validate that the person isnt infectious is vital.

Theres no evidence, no data to support this," he added.

Mansky said CDC probably didnt include exit testing in its guidelines for logistical reasons: There is a run on COVID-19 rapid tests amid the spike in cases and the busy holiday travel season. In many places, at-home tests are difficult or impossible to find.

The CDC is driven by the science, but they also have to be cognizant of the fact of, you know, what are they going to tell the public that theyll do, Mansky said. That would undermine CDC if they had guidance that everybody was ignoring.

Qamara Edwards, director of business and events for Sojourn Philly, which owns four restaurants in Philadelphia, said about 15% of its employees are out sick with COVID-19, and staffing is tight.

The CDC changes are great for businesses, they do allow people to return to work sooner than theyve expected, Edwards said, though she understands why workers might be resistant and worried about their safety.

In Los Angeles, King Holder, who runs the StretchLab Beverly fitness business, likewise said omicron has caused ample disruption to his company, and he welcomed the more relaxed guidelines.

The possibility of five days compared to 10-14 days is huge for our business and allows us to stay afloat, he said.

But Dana Martin, a 38-year-old Philadelphia teacher and educational consultant, said: The looser COVID guidelines make me nervous. Im more hesitant to participate in holiday activities because of the omicron variant and the seemingly more lax protocols.

Marshall Hatch, senior pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Church on Chicagos West Side, said he is bracing for some confusion in his congregation. The church has been a strong advocate for testing, vaccinations and booster shots.

Hatch said the CDCs latest guidance is confusing and a little incongruous.

Either were in a surge that we need to take very seriously or are we winding down the pandemic and thats why were shortening the isolation and quarantine times, he said Tuesday. They might want to give us a little more information to go with.

Hatch said some members of the largely Black congregation, particularly senior citizens, are skeptical of information from government.

The CDC move follows global efforts to adjust isolation rules, with policies differing from country to country.

England last week trimmed its self-isolation period for vaccinated people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to seven days in many cases, provided two negative lateral flow tests are taken a day apart.

The French government said Monday that it will soon relax its isolation rules, although by exactly how much isnt yet clear.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said the rule changes will be aimed at warding off paralysis of public and private services. By some estimates, France could be registering more than 250,000 new infections per day by January.

Italy, meanwhile, is considering doing away with a quarantine altogether for those who have had close contact with an infected person as long they have had a booster shot. Projections indicate as many as 2 million Italians could be put in quarantine over the next two weeks as the virus spreads.

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The U.S. airline industry applauded the CDC move.

The decision is the right one based upon science, said the lobbying group Airlines for America.

But the head of a flight attendants union criticized the change, saying it could lead businesses to pressure sick employees to come back before they are well.

If that happens, we will make clear it is an unsafe work environment, which will cause a much greater disruption than any staffing shortages, warned Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International.

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Associated Press writers Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky; Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy; Paul Wiseman in Washington; and Tali Arbel and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed.
CALGARY - Canadian air travelers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19.

A worker checks the temperature of a traveler departing from Pearson International Airport, in Mississauga, Ont., Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. Canadian air travellers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

CALGARY - Canadian air travelers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19.

According to airline data company Cirium, Canada's largest airlines canceled hundreds of flights between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26 of this year.

Flair Airlines canceled nine per cent of its scheduled flights during the period while WestJet Airlines Ltd. canceled seven per cent of its flights.

Air Canada canceled four per cent of its scheduled flights during the period.

The proportion of canceled flights was significantly higher than earlier in December, when the cancellation rate for major carriers hovered around one to two per cent, and also higher than the same period during 2019's pre-pandemic holiday season.

South of the border, U.S. airlines have reported canceling significant numbers of flights in the past week because of staff shortages tied to the Omicron variant. Both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said the nationwide spike in cases this week has impacted flight crews and left carriers short-staffed.

But in Canada, airlines say weather has caused more holiday travel disruptions than COVID-19 so far this year.

"The last few days were some of our busiest since pre-pandemic, carrying nearly 50,000 guests a day on more than 500 flights at peak," said WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell in an email.

"We are not seeing similar issues to our U.S. counterparts and the large majority of our posted cancellations are weather related."

Frigid temperatures and arctic air have left most of the western provinces shivering this week with wind chills dipping down as low as -55C.

Environment Canada says all of Alberta and most of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, along with parts of Manitoba and Ontario are under extreme cold weather warnings.

Air Canada, which cancelled 171 flights from Dec. 22 to Dec. 26, said adverse winter weather was the major factor.

"We have the crews to operate our schedule so we have not been impacted as some other carriers have been by COVID-19," a statement from the airline said.

Porter Airlines spokesman Brad Cicero said flights have operated "generally well" over the last week. He said the limited cancellations that have occurred are due largely to weather and aircraft maintenance, though a small number have been related to "staffing."

Flair Airlines acknowledged it has seen an uptick in sick calls from staff and crews, but said that is typically expected this time of year.

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"Currently, the biggest challenge for us, and likely most airlines, is that the ups and downs of the pandemic have caused staffing issues on the ground and at the airport due to long lines and increased passengers," said Matthew Kunz, Flair's vice-president of business transformation and operations.

Air Transat spokesman Pierre Tessier said the company has not canceled any flights in the last few days due to staffing issues related to the rising Omicron variant, "and does not expect any cancellations at this time."

Several Canadian airlines reported they have seen travelers cancel holiday plans because of rising case numbers, though they said they also continue to see demand for new bookings.

The federal government requires both Canadian airline employees, as well as passengers departing from Canadian airports, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

 With files from The Associated Press

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HONOLULU (AP)  Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has purchased more property in Hawaii, including most of a reservoir that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago.

HONOLULU (AP)  Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has purchased more property in Hawaii, including most of a reservoir that unleashed a deadly flood 15 years ago.

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Property records show Zuckerbergs Kaloko LLC bought a 110-acre (44.5-hectare) site on Kauai last month for $17 million from a company owned by the Pflueger family, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

The purchase includes most of a reservoir that flooded in 2006, killing seven people, after a section of a dam burst following 40 days of near-constant rain. James Pflueger was held responsible for the tragedy for his management of the dam.

Pflueger was sentenced by a state judge to seven months in jail in 2014 and was released in 2015. He died in 2017 at the age of 91.

Zucerkberg and wife Priscilla Chang are committed to doing their part of fulfilling legal requirements and promoting safety of the reservoir, said Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the couple.

The reservoir remains unrepaired and on the state's list of high-risk dams.

The couple plan to extend farming, ranching, conservation and wildlife protection work on the land, LaBolt said. They already had 1,300 acres (526 hectares) on the island.
A Winnipeg investment adviser has been awarded nearly $1.7 million in damages, after a judge ruled the CBC and a former reporter defamed him in a series of decade-old news stories prompted by a disgruntled client.

A Winnipeg investment adviser has been awarded nearly $1.7 million in damages, after a judge ruled the CBC and a former reporter defamed him in a series of decade-old news stories prompted by a disgruntled client.

Ken Muzik testified the TV and online reports had a devastating impact on his personal life and ability to earn an income for several years.

"I am satisfied that Mr. Muzik was truthful in his evidence as to how his personal and professional life spiraled out of control and that all of this was caused by the defamatory expression in the news stories," Queens Bench Justice Herbert Rempel said in a written decision released earlier this month.

Rempels ruling included special damages of nearly $610,000 for income Muzik lost since the stories first aired in June 2012.

"I do not accept the arguments of CBC that there was no cause-and-effect relationship between the defamatory expression and the devastating deterioration of Mr. Muziks professional and personal life that followed almost immediately after the first broadcast," Rempel said.

"It is far-fetched and fanciful for the CBC to argue that Mr. Muzik was the author of his own misfortune."

The reports at issue focused on the allegations of William Worthington, a former client who claimed he commuted his $675,000 Canadian Pacific Railway pension on Muziks advice, converting it in 2006 to an investment plan Muzik devised, only to see it lose half its value.

The first report included allegations Muzik inflated the value of Worthingtons income in order to justify higher-risk investments that would not otherwise be permitted. CBC also reported Muzik was under supervision by the Manitoba Securities Commission after being fined $15,000 for actions contrary to the public interest.

The report suggested Worthington and his wife were being forced to sell their home to make ends meet and concluded with a comment by reporter Gosia Sawicka saying the couple were "hoping they can retire again one day."

Links to the news stories remained available on the CBC website throughout the trial, which concluded in May.

Rempel said he found Muzik a more credible witness than Worthington, whose "memory was clouded by bitterness tied to his buyers remorse about an investment that did not work out the way he had hoped."

The judge said he did not accept a claim by Worthington and his wife, Leslie, their decision to approach CBC was motivated by a desire to inform the public about the risks of commuting a defined benefit pension.

"I am satisfied on all of the evidence that their joint plan was to inflict as much negative publicity on Mr. Muzik in order to achieve a favourable financial settlement from (National Bank Financial), who had terminated its contract with Mr. Muzik not long after the first broadcast," Rempel said.

Muzik testified at trial he informed Worthington about the risks of an economic downturn that would reduce returns and the value of his portfolio, in which case "belt-tightening" and a return to part-time work might be required, Rempel said.

"I believe Mr. Muzik offered this advice and I do not believe Mr. Worthingtons evidence that he did not hear one single cautionary word from Mr. Muzik about the potential risks inherent in a private investment plan," Rempel said.

As the Worthingtons became increasingly dissatisfied with Muzik, they came up with a "cloak-and-dagger plan" to have him admit his wrongdoing at a meeting in late 2011, while secretly recording the audio of their two-hour conversation, Rempel said.

Only excerpts of the conversation were provided to the CBC. At trial, the couple testified they had no memory what kind of device they used to record the conversation and it was lost when they moved houses.

"It is probable in my view that the disclosure of the entirety of the audio recording would have been damaging to the Worthingtons narrative that Mr. Muzik was dishonest and that he deceived them," Rempel said.

"Since they wanted to achieve a financial settlement with (National Bank Financial), the Worthingtons had a motive to make sure evidence that did not fit their narrative as victims of Mr. Muzik disappeared."

Prior to approaching CBC, the Worthingtons filed complaints against Muzik with National Bank Financial and the Manitoba Securities Commission, both of which were dismissed.

"The investigation by Ms. Sawicka fell below the journalistic standard that demands an objective and thorough investigation, by relying almost entirely on documentation provided by the Worthingtons and dismissing the conclusions of (National Bank Financial and Manitoba Securities Commission)," Rempel said, noting both organizations viewed any of Muziks conduct shortcomings as "relatively minor."

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The CBCs reporting gave the impression the Worthingtons sold their home because of a dramatic drop in the value of their investments, when in fact they moved to become full-time caregivers to Leslie Worthingtons ailing mother, the judge said.

Also misleading was the claim the couple was "hoping they can retire again," when William Worthington returned to work only for a short time after the first story aired.

The CBC made no mention in its initial stories it knew National Bank Financial and the Manitoba Securities Commission had dismissed the Worthingtons complaints or that William Worthington had expressed no dissatisfaction with Muzik prior to the bear market of 2011.

"In doing this, the CBC and Ms. Sawicka created a one-way street of information against Mr. Muzik that exclusively reflected the narrative advanced by the Worthingtons that they were victimized by Mr. Muzik," Rempel said.

The CBC, in a story posted on its website, said it plans to appeal Rempels decision.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
SHORTAGES of home-care workers in rural Manitoba have pushed vacancy rates as high as 30 per cent in some regions, and remaining front-line workers say surging COVID-19 transmission rates and a lack of sick pay puts them and their clients at risk.

SHORTAGES of home-care workers in rural Manitoba have pushed vacancy rates as high as 30 per cent in some regions, and remaining front-line workers say surging COVID-19 transmission rates and a lack of sick pay puts them and their clients at risk.

Home-care services have been under the most strain in northern and southern parts of the province, but vacancy rates are high across the board this month: 32 per cent in the Northern health region, 29.5 per cent in Southern Health, 22 per cent in Prairie Mountain, 21 per cent in Interlake-Eastern, and 12 per cent in the Winnipeg region, show figures provided to the Free Press from Shared Health.

Officials havent revealed how many of the vacancies stem from unvaccinated workers taking unpaid leave or quitting rather than undergoing regular COVID-19 testing, but a Shared Health spokesperson said that is not the "main driver" behind the vacancy rates anywhere in Manitoba.

Instead, the problem has been pinned on "the same long-term historical challenges other sectors of the workforce face  both health and non-health-related  in finding qualified staff to work in primarily rural communities."

Shared Health stated health regions are still trying to recruit and retain home-care workers.

Two home-care workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they feared for their jobs, said the shortage means clients are missing out on their regularly scheduled home-care visits  sometimes losing multiple visits each week.

On top of administering medication, bathing clients, changing bandages and getting them dressed, workers are responsible for household duties such as laundry and meal preparation. If the worker who was scheduled to be there in the morning or afternoon doesnt show up, theres more for the evening worker to do, and vice versa.

Shortages worsened in the wake of the policy implemented in the fall that requires workers to be fully vaccinated or submit to regular testing, said one home-care worker who sees clients in the Southern Health region.

"Ive never seen it so bad," she said, saying some clients have become "verbally aggressive" when she arrives because theyve missed visits from other workers.

Although she is fully vaccinated, the home-care worker said she is constantly worried about contracting the virus and transmitting it to vulnerable clients.

"Im afraid of getting COVID at work. Every time I go to work, theres always that risk," she said, adding she worries especially when she goes into homes where several family members are gathered and none are wearing masks.

She said she often thinks about quitting, but feels for clients who rely on her.

"To a lot of these people, we are the only people they see every day."

The worker said she hasnt been given rapid tests and is expected to self-isolate while awaiting PCR test results if she has any symptoms of COVID-19. She said workers dont have adequate sick-time benefits to cover the time they would have to be off work, creating a financial burden. Another home-care worker in Winnipeg said she struggled to pay bills because she had to self-isolate.

"If you even have as much as a sniffle, you could be off for a week (without) pay," she said.

"We have to choose between going into work sick or not paying our car payment."

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Instead of paid sick days, home-care workers receive a credit that reimburses them for about 66 per cent of the wages they missed while out sick. They only receive the credit for partial pay if they have already banked a certain number of hours.

"They really do have a raw deal" that was negotiated while home-care workers were still represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, said Debbie Boissonneault, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 204.

About 1,500 home-care workers in Manitoba are represented by CUPE. The union has been in bargaining for 10 months, with upcoming sessions set for January, as it tries to secure a new deal for health-care support staff, including home-care workers, whove been without a contract since 2017.

Clients in the Winnipeg region were warned Monday that the recent snowfall might prevent their home-care workers from getting to them. The WRHA urged clients to use backup plans and cautioned that weather-related cancellations or delays might be inevitable.

As of last week, 125 direct-care staff were on unpaid leave from various positions across Manitoba, Shared Health confirmed. Twenty-seven additional staff resigned after initially going on leave, and 38 others have returned to work.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE  Elvis Presley and the Four Seasons were topping the music charts when Wayne Wall lost his wallet almost 60 years ago.

An apprentice plumber found Wayne Walls wallet, which contained a photo, cash, some ID and a receipt. (Supplied)

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE  Elvis Presley and the Four Seasons were topping the music charts when Wayne Wall lost his wallet almost 60 years ago.

At the time, he was a 16-year-old apprentice plumber, and his wallet was always in his pocket when he went to job sites and social clubs where Portage la Prairie teenagers would sip soft drinks and dance to records.

Wall dropped the wallet in a crawlspace while he was working as an apprentice plumber at the age of 16. (Supplied)

But the wallet disappeared one day in 1962 and Wall, now 75, had no memory of it until the relic turned up on his doorstep.

He was shocked when it was handed to him on Dec. 20 by, fittingly, a plumbing apprentice who found it in a crawl space at a commercial building on Saskatchewan Avenue East in Portage.

"I, obviously, had been working in that crawl space 59 years ago when I lost it," said Wall, a Portage city councillor. "I dont remember losing it at all. Its been a lot of life between then and now.

A black-and-white photo of Wall and his younger brother James. (Supplied)

"I was taken aback because I even forgot to ask him his name. I thanked him profusely."

Wall was surprised the wallet had been untouched all those years. He had no idea what he would find when he opened it.

"I was excited to see it and find out what was inside of it," he said Monday. "Im really grateful that he found it. The wallet itself was kind of brittle, but everything in the wallet was in great condition."

Wall was reunited with a drivers licence, plumbing apprenticeship card and other personal documents, four $1 bills printed in 1956 and a receipt from a jewelry store for a ring that cost $18.75 at the time.

"Im still not sure what ring that was," said Wall. "It was $18 and some cents. It certainly wasnt an engagement ring."

He was delighted to find a black-and-white photo of him and his younger brother, James, who was three years old when they posed in front of a car.

Membership cards for two social clubs were also tucked inside the wallet.

One was for the 350 Club, which was in a back room at a cafe called Nicks. Located near Portage Collegiate Institute, it was where teenagers would gather after school and dance as a jukebox blasted their favourite songs.

The other membership certificate was for a youth club at the citys First Presbyterian Church. Both clubs have been gone for decades.

Wall became a journeyman plumber in the years after he lost his wallet.

Later in life, he became a businessman, manager of Portages wastewater treatment division and president of the Western Canada Water and Wastewater Association.

Dillon Vrooman, 28, was the apprentice plumber who found the wallet while doing work inside a building that is being prepared for a new business.

He took a look at the contents to see if he could identify the rightful owner and dropped off the wallet at Walls house that night.

Vrooman, who works for Portage-based Shewfelts Plumbing & Heating Ltd., said it was by far the most interesting find of his career to date and he was surprised the wallet was still in good condition.

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"We were doing a bunch of work in the crawl space and it was just laying there," said Vrooman. "I was shocked when I saw how old it was. Its pretty cool to see something that old not be chewed up or wet.

"Well find old pop bottles or stuff like that, but this was the coolest thing weve found, just to be preserved like that."

Wall stopped by the companys office the following day and left a bottle of whisky as a thank you to Vrooman.

"Im so pleased that Dillon brought it to me," said Wall. "Its been the source of a lot of smiles and good memories."

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching
OTTAWA  The Manitoba government temporarily took down some of its websites this month as it worked with Ottawa to boost protection against ransomware attacks  a threat cyber experts say is on the rise.

OTTAWA  The Manitoba government temporarily took down some of its websites this month as it worked with Ottawa to boost protection against ransomware attacks  a threat cyber experts say is on the rise.

"Canada is among the top countries impacted by ransomware," said Sami Khoury, head of the government-run Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

RYAN REMIORZ / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Canada is among the top countries impacted by ransomware attacks, say experts. During the pandemic, hackers have honed in on systemvulnerabilities in the shift to at-homework.

"The bar keeps going up in terms of sophistication, and we need protect ourselves accordingly."

Khourys centre works with Canadas spy agency to monitor cyber threats as it helps all levels of government and critical industries protect themselves. That work has ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic, as hackers have honed in on system vulnerabilities in the shift to at-home work.

The consequences of a large hack can be devastating, such as the attack on Newfoundland and Labradors online health care operations in October. Multiple systems were taken offline, forcing doctors and nurses to use a paper system for the first time in decades and postponing surgeries that were already backlogged because of the pandemic.

The attack, which has put virtually every resident in the province at higher risk of identity fraud, has been widely reported to involve ransomware. Thats when hackers take over a digital system and steal the data. They demand a payout to either unlock the system or for a promise not to publish the information.

Federal data show the average ransomware payment by public and private bodies soared to $300,000 in fall 2020 from $25,000 in early 2019  likely related to the shift to working at home. It levelled off to about $175,000 this fall.

"Were definitely not concerned enough," said Manitoba cyber-security expert Eddie Phillips.

"Not enough companies are paying attention; not enough companies are investing in (preventing) it," said Phillips, who co-founded Rosenort-based Shield Networks Inc.

He said ransomware schemes often start through phishing, which is when someone gets an email that impersonates a trusted source.

That message can direct someone to log into a site that appears to be from their company or a government agency, but instead gets a hold of their username and password. It can also include an attachment that appears to be a resume or invoice, but instead contains a virus.

In either case, hackers try to steal as much data as possible and then encrypt it, locking out the original owner. Hackers then threaten to sell the data unless the victim pays an expensive sum, often using cryptocurrency to obscure the recipient.

As for the public sector, Phillips said stolen databases from health and foster-care authorities could easily be sold online as they would reveal home addresses, family make up and medical history.

A month ago, Khourys federal group issued guidance to prevent ransomware attacks and outline who to deal with them. That came after a series of recent attacks, such as on rural municipal governments and transit systems near Ottawa.

"(As) the frequency (of) these events goes up worldwide, we know the number of incidents is under-reported," said Khoury.

Phillips said companies and government departments must have a recovery-time objective, which is a set amount of time that a firm can experience a system outage before it starts to damage operations. Tabulating that timeline can be the first step to identifying gaps that can draw down that stretch of time, such as firewalls, workstation software and reporting protocols.

He said large firms need a disaster-recovery plan that includes back-up databases to be used when officials get locked out of their own systems.

Shared Health and the Manitoba government both said they have back-ups in place, as well as recover targets that vary by division within departments.

Both bodies said theyve ramped up cybersecurity since the pandemic resulted in thousands of public servants working online, including software that helped expand the secured network to hundreds more internet connections.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security advised governments on how to shore up its defences for what has been called the Log4j bug, which forced Quebec to temporarily take down roughly 4,000 of its websites. Manitoba took down a few dozen sites, including the court registry and the COVID-19 restrictions tip line.

The Manitoba government says it regularly conducts simulations of a major hack to assess its response, while both the province and Shared Health say staff have mandatory training on how to avoid viruses, ransomware and phishing.

Phillips said that training is crucial. Often, its low-ranking staff who accidentally provide the point of entry for hackers, who can leverage their access to any internal email address or phone number to target higher-profile staff.

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"The misconception is that someone at maintenance or a clerk is not as much a target as the manager or minister," he said.

Gaining any type of a foothold in any type of an organization could be devastating."

Phillips said people should be wary of messages that demand immediate replies, such as ones boss saying they might lose a client who was unpaid, and needs a cash transfer immediately.

"The idea is to engage that emotional part of someones brain so they help out with that stressful situation, and the best way to do that is to do whatever theyre being asked to do," Phillips said.

"Things that just seem even slightly out of context or out of character, when it comes to email  its being not afraid to pick up the phone and just call and confirm."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said her work responding to the COVID-19 crisis continues behind the scenes, after her absence at a hastily called news conference Christmas Eve was decried by critics and the public.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said her work responding to the COVID-19 crisis continues behind the scenes, after her absence at a hastily called news conference Christmas Eve was decried by critics and the public.

On Monday, Stefanson joined chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin to announce new pandemic restrictions, after they were teased Dec. 24 at a media event with Health Minister Audrey Gordon, Roussin and vaccine task force lead Dr. Joss Reimer.

"Ill continue to do my part in all of this, whether Im in front of the camera or behind the scenes, I will continue to work on behalf of Manitobans as the premier of this province," Stefanson said, when asked why she wasnt at the event leading into the holiday weekend.

"Minister Gordon was here at that press conference on Friday, along with Dr. Roussin. I have tremendous confidence in both of those individuals, as well as I believe Dr. Reimer was there, as well," the premier said. "So, certainly, we work together as a team and I cant be everywhere at every time."

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The premiers absence at the Dec. 24 public address  where a record-setting number of new COVID-19 infections were announced as the testing backlog grew to 10,000 samples  was criticized by the Opposition NDP.

"There is no good reason for the premier not to appear publicly today," NDP Leader Wab Kinew had posted to Twitter.

Stefansons absence also led to speculation on social media she had left the province for the holiday weekend, after a picture of her family from November was posted with a Christmas greeting.

Previously, Stefanson told the Free Press she would not be travelling during the holidays.

In the lead up to the weekend, Stefanson sat down with a number of media outlets for year-end interviews.

Her last public announcement was Dec. 15, when funding was committed for more nursing education seats.
If former premier Brian Pallister was planning to retire from politics before the next provincial election, the COVID-19 pandemic  or perhaps his handling of it  hastened his decision in 2021.

Editorial

If former premier Brian Pallister was planning to retire from politics before the next provincial election, the COVID-19 pandemic  or perhaps his handling of it  hastened his decision in 2021.

It was a dramatic year in provincial politics, one that included the sudden departure of a premier, but also the swearing in of Manitobas first female premier.

Speculation began before the pandemic that Mr. Pallister might be looking to serve two short terms before calling it quits prior to a scheduled election in October 2023.

If Mr. Pallister did have a retirement timeline in mind, the pandemic changed it this year.

COVID-19 has not been kind to most political leaders in Canada. However, it was particularly punishing to Mr. Pallister, whose abrasive and autocratic leadership style did not lend itself well to governing during a public health emergency.

Nowhere was that more pronounced  nor were the consequences more severe  than in May when Mr. Pallister refused to heed the advice of medical experts who urged government to take more drastic action against a rapidly spreading Delta variant.

It was a turning point in the final chapter of Mr. Pallisters political career. Within weeks, hospitals were overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, forcing health officials to airlift dozens of them to other provinces for treatment.

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Mr. Pallisters approval rating was already on the decline, owing to a string of pandemic blunders and a myriad of policy proposals that were out of sync with many Manitobans, including governments controversial plan to eliminate English-speaking school boards (which has since been shelved). The failure to act during the third wave of the pandemic was the final nail in Mr. Pallisters coffin.

By June, the Progressive Conservative party dropped to an all-time low of 29 per cent support in a Winnipeg Free Press/Probe Research public opinion poll. With a political comeback out of reach, Mr. Pallister  who eight months earlier vowed to stay on at least until the end of the pandemic  announced his resignation Aug. 10, an abrupt exit that left the PC party scrambling to organize a leadership convention.

The partys handling of that contest was mired in controversy from the start. Its refusal to allow adequate time for potential candidates to mobilize support and organize their campaigns drew accusations that party officials were attempting to coronate Tory MLA Heather Stefanson, who entered the leadership race only a week after Mr. Pallisters announcement. With Tory MLA Kelvin Goertzen installed as interim leader and premier, there was no need for an accelerated leadership process. Mr. Goertzen was widely praised for his capable and even-handed approach to the job and could have stayed on longer if required. There was little doubt the rushed timeline discouraged others from entering the race.

Former Conservative MP Shelly Glover injected competition into the leadership contest. The former Winnipeg Police Service officer announced her candidacy a week after Ms. Stefanson. However, her opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and her attempt to appeal to anti-vaccine voters cast a pall over her campaign.

Ms. Glover ultimately lost the contest, but came within a whisker of defeating her opponent, winning 49 per cent of the vote to Ms. Stefansons 51 per cent. The drama did not end there. Ms. Glover refused to concede and claimed there were irregularities in how ballots were counted. She took her fight to court and lost, but not before the party was faced with another public relations setback.

There was no evidence ballots were tampered with as alleged, court ruled. Nevertheless, the rushed timeline of the leadership race and the manner in which it ended  coupled with Mr. Pallisters clumsy handling of the pandemic  did not make 2021 a stellar year for Manitobas PC party.
MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

Chad Isaak, of Washburn, N.D., appears during the third day of his murder trial at the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan, N.D., on Aug. 4, 2021. Isaak is scheduled for sentencing Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in the stabbing and shooting deaths of four people at a North Dakota property management firm last year. Isaak is facing life in prison without parole. A jury in August found him guilty in the grisly deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and three employees. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File)

MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history was sentenced Tuesday to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole.

South Central District Judge David Reich sentenced Chad Isaak, 47, to consecutive life terms for each of his four murder convictions. One of Isaak's lawyers had asked Reich to allow for the possibility of parole.

Isaak, wearing a blue mask, stood still and stared straight ahead as the judge delivered his verdicts. Before learning his fate, Isaak briefly addressed the court, saying, "I can honestly tell you Im not a murderer, and thats all I have to say."

A jury in August found Isaak guilty of killing RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42; Bill Cobb, 50; and his wife, Lois Cobb, 45.

The four were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019, inside the property management companys building in Mandan, a city of about 20,000 people across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Investigators said the victims were stabbed more than 100 times, total.

Before Reich sentenced Isaak, family members of the victims were allowed to address the court.

Robert Fakler's wife, Jackie Fakler, called Isaak "a coward" who didn't give the victims a chance to flee or fight.

"You have made me hate," she said.

Jackie Fakler also read victim impact statements from the Cobb family, who couldn't make the hearing because of bad weather.

Jamie Binstock, a daughter of Robert and Jackie Fakler, told the court that Isaak is a "heinous individual" who should spend the rest of his life in prison and experience a "lifetime of suffering" and nightmares.

"I do not want your life to end. Your family does not need to suffer the same way we did," Binstock said.

North Dakota doesnt have the death penalty.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours at the end of the nearly three-week trial before it convicted Isaak of murder, burglary, unlawful entry into a vehicle, and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, lived at a Washburn property that the company managed, but authorities never established a motive for the killings.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged during his opening statement. But he maintained that investigators didnt seriously consider other possible suspects, including people who had either been evicted, sued or fired by RJR.

The defense also argued that police failed to check out the ex-husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with Fakler.

"I wanted you to know that these four individuals were wonderful people," Jackie Fakler said to Isaak. "I thoroughly loved my husband and I forgive him."

In asking the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole, prosecutor Gabrielle Goter said Isaak is a danger to the community who hasnt shown any remorse for the crimes, which she said were "preplanned and premeditated." The judge agreed.

Prosecutors during trial showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup truck from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the killings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer had planned out the attack.

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Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers matched fibers taken from Isaaks clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaaks truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his washing machine and gun parts found in his freezer.

___

This story was updated to correct that the prosecutor who asked the judge to deny Isaak the possibility of parole was Gabrielle Goter, not Karlei Neufeld.

___

Associated Press writer Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, contributed to this report.
LA CROSSE  In recent weeks, a series of threats against Coulee Region schools materialized, leading one to close for a day and others to increase police presence on the premises. Thankfully, no acts of violence have followed  but after the shooting at a Michigan school three weeks ago, mental health experts are on high alert.

The 15-year-old assailant in the Michigan attack, which left four dead, carried out the shooting using a gun gifted to him by his parents, which authorities stated was not securely stored. His parents are also facing charges.

If the gun had been locked up, rather than loose in a drawer, as reported, maybe the shooting wouldnt have happened, says Dr. Emily Rae, psychiatrist and behavioral health specialist at Gundersen Health System.

While gun control is a frequently publicized, hot-button topic, far less emphasis is put on proper storage and handling.

Maybe we dont agree on gun control laws or what kind of guns we should have, but we all seem to agree on gun safety and keeping our kids safe, Rae says.

Rae works with teens struggling with mental and behavioral health, the majority with suicidal ideations or tendencies, and a routine discussion with parents revolves around secure storage of firearms. A suicide attempt by gun, Rae says, is far more likely to be lethal than other forms. Suicides among youth and teens overall are on the rise, and guns suicides are also increasingly common. From 2007 to 2018, suicides among those age 10 to 24 increased by 57%, and from 2008 to 2018 gun suicides in the 15 to 24 age group rose by 50%.

We really know that a home without a gun is the safest, says Rae. But lets face it, people enjoy their guns ... so theyre going to be in the home. But there are ways (to own) them safely.

Guns in the home should be unloaded, with ammunition and the gun itself locked up separately. Youth may know where keys to a gun safe are stored, and a combination lock with a random code  not a birthdate or other easily guessed sequence  is safer. Locks which go directly on the gun can also be affixed prior to storing and locking it.

Parents might hide the gun, but most kids know where the gun is hidden, Rae says. Adults should always be in charge of the firearm, even if the child has had hunter safety or other gun handling courses.

Rae also emphasizes that not having a gun in the home doesnt mean there is no access.

Its important to remember the majority of the gun suicides and in youth (involve a) gun from home or from a relatives home. Kids shouldnt be able to buy guns themselves, so theyre finding somebody elses gun that they know, Rae says.

Greg Head, therapist at Gundersen and part of the behavioral health team, advises keeping guns stored at a gun range or locked at the home of a friend or relative where no minors live. Head also says parents should inquire about guns in the house before letting their child visit a friend.

Over a third of all unintentional accidental shootings of children that occur in the United States happen in a friends home or a neighbors home or another relatives home, Head says. So we would recommend that if your child is going to someone elses house, you inquire (just as you would) ask about food allergies or other sort of issues of safety.

The inquiry doesnt need to be confrontational, and if parents feel awkward broaching it they could put it on (themselves): Im a worrywart. Theres just been so much in the news. Most responsible parents and gun owners will understand the idea that it is better to be safe than sorry, and that it only takes one time for a childs life to be lost, Head says.

Keeping an eye on mental health, warning signs

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Childrens Hospital Association in October declared youth mental health a national emergency, and Head says the psychological effects of the pandemic are evident on the population he works with.

COVID-19, the way our world has been over the last two years, has really changed a lot of things, Head says. The experts that I work with, we are seeing things that we have never seen in our careers before. We are seeing things that even in the research literature shouldnt be happening. I think thats one of the factors that people need to take into consideration  COVID may have affected these children, the children in your community and in your childs school in ways that you cant imagine. So its best to take every precaution.

Physical isolation during the pandemic, Head says, seems to be one of the underlying causes of psychological distress in teens.

Both suicide and threats, whether made to attract attention or with actual intent to act, are often impulsive decisions. The teenage brain, Rae notes, is not fully developed, and one bad day can spark an undoable action.

Says Head, The adolescent brain, the prefrontal cortex, does not fully develop until sometime between 21 and 25. (At that age) we really learn to identify true risk versus benefit. And so your child will think differently at 25 than they do now.

Parents need to actively check in with their children and recognize possible signs of mental distress, such as irritability, altered mood and behaviors, slipping grades or even giving away their personal effects.

The key is looking for a change from from a pattern. And then instead of just brushing it off, asking yourself, Well, what else could be going on there? Rae says. Most kids out there that are suffering, they do want help. They act out and put out signs, like leave me alone, but they actually do want help from their parents and the adults around them.

Being bullied could increase the chance of suicidal tendencies, or the issuance of threats or acts of violence, and Head says bullying needs to be taken more seriously, especially by schools.

Every day we work with individuals who identify themselves as being bullied. Despite the fact that there are laws in the state protecting students from that, we still often hear the same thing: that schools are telling the students to just ignore them, to just walk away, dont stand around and dont be around them. And thats not enough, Head says. The schools are mandated to proactively protect the children, and now considering how many guns are on the streets and how much chaos is going on across our country because of societal influence  I think thats a real risk. These kids should not be told to just ignore this. They should not be ignored.

Looking at the recent sequence of threats in school threats in the area as a trend could be dangerous, Head says. Dismissing any threat could be detrimental, and Rae says if any sort of threat is made, whether written, verbal or in other form, parents should have their child assessed by a primary care or mental health provider. A recent nationwide viral TikTok challenge to threaten school violence on Dec. 17 didnt materialize into any actual shootings, but led to several arrests. Schools in the Coulee Region did not close, but some issued messages to families and stated there would be enhanced police presence on school grounds. If a threat is traced back to an individual, consequences can range from expulsion to criminal charges. A 17-year-old Central High School student is currently facing charges following an emailed threat.

Mental health conditions could factor into the making of threats or carrying out of violence, and Rae cautions not all are diagnosed or obvious. People may assume This person is mentally healthy. Theyre no risk at all, just because we dont know lot of the times what people are dealing with.

Head urges parents to talk to their children about the seriousness of threats and the dangers of guns. At Gundersens inpatient psychiatric unit, it is a daily discussion with families.

Most of us go through life just assuming those things wont happen. And unfortunately, what we are asking people to do is to change that and assume the worst. Assume that you may not always know whats going on with your child because that could be a fact. Assume that their friends and media are very influential because thats a fact. And so it is better to take every precaution and and not need it, then not to take precautions and regret it later, Head says.

We tend to think if we bury our heads in the sand, the best will happen or it wont happen to us. Be proactive. It wont increase the risk. We know that a responsible conversation with your children about gun safety will decrease the risk of an unintentional shooting.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

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Hospitals slammed by COVID urge vaccination to blunt omicron surge in Sauk, Columbia

DELLS EVENTS ARCHIVE Volunteer Jeremy Olson, a registered nurse at UW Health, puts an adhesive bandage on a Wisconsin Dells students arm after injecting it with Pfizers pediatric COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic for children ages 5-11 Nov. 17 at Spring Hill Elementary School. DELLS EVENTS ARCHIVE Volunteer Jeremy Olson, a registered nurse at UW Health, vaccinates a Wisconsin Dells student against COVID-19 during a vaccination clinic for children ages 5-11 Nov. 17 at Spring Hill Elementary School. DAILY REGISTER ARCHIVE Tim Robson, a pharmacy technician with SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, prepares pediatric doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine Nov. 10 during a clinic for the 5-11 age group at Lodi Elementary School.

In anticipation of a highly-contagious COVID-19 variant soon fueling a local surge in cases, hospitals that have been slammed this month with coronavirus patients are urging people to do their part by getting vaccinated.

Baraboo, Portage and Reedsburg hospitals have all issued advisories or news releases in recent weeks asking more people to seek vaccination as their facilities and staff are stretched beyond their means.

Theres no beds

Maureen Murphy, vice president of medical affairs at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital, said the Baraboo facility has been at capacity for most of the last two weeks after COVID numbers really started to pick up, now accounting for 40-50% of St. Clare admissions. While its emergency room remains fully staffed and open to the public, she said SSM moved its urgent care services to Lake Delton to free up space to board the sickest patients in Baraboos ER.

When were full, whether because of full beds or because our staffing cant take any more patients, we are boarding patients in our emergency room until we can find beds somewhere, Murphy said. Our staff in the emergency room are calling 13, 14, 15 hospitals  theres no beds.  Patients are getting treated appropriately in consultation with an appropriate specialist, but they are sitting in our emergency room for hours if not days at a time, waiting to be transferred.

COVID hospitalizations on the rise in Baraboo, Portage As positive COVID-19 cases rise again throughout the state and region, patients being hospitalized in Sauk and Columbia counties also are increasing to heights not seen since December of last year.

The hospital is still providing elective surgeries as of Monday, but Murphy said officials hold at least two meetings per day to assess whether they can go ahead with elective surgeries that require an overnight stay, given capacity issues.

Its very unfortunate. People who wait months and have arrangements to have their hip or knee replaced, so it is not something we do lightly at all, but for patient safety and being able to take care of those who are acutely ill, we have had to cancel some overnight elective surgeries, she said.

A nationwide shortage of nurses, especially in rural areas, has contributed to the problem, she said, adding that St. Clare has been working with SSM Health partners and nursing schools to draw more staff.

Reedsburg Area Medical Center President/CEO Bob Van Meeteren told the Reedsburg School Board last week that the center has been full or nearly full since late November. He also sent the message to the News Republic Monday, saying the number of COVID patients has been rising like never before, coinciding with an increase in seasonal flu cases.

Like St. Clare, RAMC regularly postpones and limits overnight surgeries and struggles to transfer its sickest patients, sometimes needing to send them to other states hundreds of miles away, Van Meeteren said.

Last week was our worst yet, he said, noting the facility had six patients in its four-bed ICU and more who needed to be admitted. It cancelled surgeries, moved essential services like infusions, including monoclonal antibody treatment, to make room for more beds, called in extra staff and ran out of ventilators until an ambulance service could provide more.

Our hearts were heavy as we proactively began scoring our patients per our Scarce Resource Policy to see who would have the least chance of survival in the event we needed to convene our medical staff to choose who would and would not get scarce lifesaving equipment, Van Meeteren said.

Omicron surge expected

The last couple of days have been slightly lighter on St. Clares staff, Murphy said, but they expect to see a surge in about a week resulting from Christmas gatherings. She said shes also concerned about an anticipated rise in hospitalizations as the omicron variant takes hold in this area, likely within a week or two.

Three weeks ago, omicron represented about 13% of all COVID cases in the U.S., up from less than 1% the week before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the following week it became the dominant strain, accounting for an estimated 73% of cases nationwide.

Omicron has been detected in Wisconsin, and is anticipated to cause a rapid increase in disease activity in the coming weeks, the state Department of Health Services said in a public health advisory Dec. 20. In the most recent data available from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, the variant accounted for nearly 38% of sequenced cases in the state.

Urging vaccination

Aspirus Health, which includes Portages Divine Savior Hospital, is also warning about the dangers of omicron and encouraging vaccination against COVID-19.

An Aspirus news release last week said natural immunity  obtained by becoming infected with something, rather than being vaccinated  is not an effective or wise strategy against COVID-19, though it remains a common reason Aspirus patients have for not getting vaccinated. Natural immunity from COVID can be spotty and fades quicker than acquired immunity from a vaccine, it said.

Omicron, which has many more mutations in the spike protein than previous variants, making it extra contagious, has already demonstrated that (n)atural immunity doesnt work, according to the release.

I have never seen anyone die from a vaccine-related complication, Aspirus Hospitalist Adam Clements said in the release. I see people die of COVID every single day at this hospital.

Murphy said omicron seems to cause mild or moderate illness most of the time. But its increased transmissibility could still result in many severe cases, especially among the unvaccinated, needing medical attention by an already strained health care system.

The good news is that at present, theres really no data to suggest that the current vaccines are not working against the omicron  especially if people have had the booster, Murphy said, so our big message is continuing to urge people if they are not yet vaccinated to call the clinics, the hospital to get information on where they can get vaccinated. That is our very best tool.

She said the virus will continue to be active and mutate into new variants until the immunization rate is high enough  estimated at about 75% of a given population. Nearly 60% of Sauk County residents and 62% of Columbia County residents have been fully vaccinated, according to state DHS data.

Wearing masks in public places, washing your hands and social distancing also continue to be recommended by local health agencies as additional layers of protection.

Murphy encouraged community members to try to influence their friends and family to follow public health advice.

She also encouraged them to thank the health care workers they know for showing up every day.

This is not easy, and anything (anyone) can do to express their appreciation goes way beyond what you can even imagine, she said.
When the person asked what they could do to help, Robeson allegedly said he needed a vehicle. The person eventually agreed to buy a white 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, and donate it to Robeson and Race to Unite Races. The vehicle purchased on Wisconsin Surplus was valued at $3,500 and signed over the Race to Unite Races on Sept. 3, 2020.

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The other person identified in the criminal complaint told police they were asking questions about the organization and said Robeson would become upset and change the subject when asked tough questions about Race to Unite Races.

The pair said they felt pressured into donating to Robeson and began researching him and the organization on Facebook and online. Race to Unite Races Facebook page did not show any activity in over two years and the website link did not work.

They did not realize the business was not a non-profit until after they had signed over the title to Robeson. A receipt for the donation was signed by Stephen Robeson and his wife Kimberly Robeson.

The pair who donated the vehicle contacted a financial advisor to located more information on the alleged non-profit but this person was unable to find the business as a non-profit.
Omicron, which has many more mutations in the spike protein than previous variants, making it extra contagious, has already demonstrated that (n)atural immunity doesnt work, according to the release.

I have never seen anyone die from a vaccine-related complication, Aspirus Hospitalist Adam Clements said in the release. I see people die of COVID every single day at this hospital.

Murphy said omicron seems to cause mild or moderate illness most of the time. But its increased transmissibility could still result in many severe cases, especially among the unvaccinated, needing medical attention by an already strained health care system.

The good news is that at present, theres really no data to suggest that the current vaccines are not working against the omicron  especially if people have had the booster, Murphy said, so our big message is continuing to urge people if they are not yet vaccinated to call the clinics, the hospital to get information on where they can get vaccinated. That is our very best tool.
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The ARPA funds would be used to get the appraisal completed and to be able to move forward with the next steps of the CDBG-CV application process.

Council Member Dave Hansen asked whether the property owner is bound by the appraisal. Schacht said the owner is not obligated to sell the property, but said I think were all working in good faith.

After lengthy discussions by council members, the council approved hiring MSA Professional Services for acquisition services and appraisals related to the right-of-way acquisition by the city of the Madison Street parcel for a total estimated fee of $18,000, which will be paid from the ARPA funds previously approved by the Administrative Committee. The funds to acquire the property will be contingent upon receiving the CDBG-CV funds.

The roll call vote was 12-2, with council members Ken Anderson and Mick Fischer voting no.

The Beaver Dam Common Council will hold a public hearing regarding its proposed application for Community Development Block Grant COVID Program funds on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in the council chambers, 205 S. Lincoln Ave.
HORICONAlain Fougere was born in Paris, France, on Dec. 14, 1937. He came to the U.S. after the war with his mother and step-father, at 17 ye
KENOSHA  In the immediate aftermath of the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, 2020, many areas of Kenosha became a battleground for rioters and looters who left a wake of mass destruction in their paths.

But in the social media age, there wasnt any shortage of video or other types of surveillance footage that recorded those who ran the streets that week with bad intentions.

A little more than 16 months have passed, and many of those identified by police or through other means have been charged, convicted and sentenced for their roles that week.

But the work continues for the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office.

Through last week, more than 60 people have been criminally charged, according to District Attorney Michael Graveley, with more than 90 separate charges being filed. Among them, 70 were for felony crimes, six involved juveniles and 18 were misdemeanor cases.

Among the felony counts, 56 were for burglary/looting, eight for some kind of assaultive behavior, two for destruction of an ATM and one for making a threat against the police and national guard.
DOLGEVILLE, N.Y.  The stabbing suspect who was fatally shot by a state trooper in Dolgeville allegedly attacked his mother prior to his death, according to the state attorney generals office.

State police were called to Mers Way in Dolgeville on Dec. 24 for a reported stabbing. Carson Dobson, 24, had allegedly broken into the home and assaulted his mother.

When troopers found Dobson, he had a knife and a sword and was advancing on law enforcement. At that time, Trooper Andrew Gorinshek fatally shot Dobson.

Because this was an officer-involved shooting, the AGs office has opened an investigation into Dobsons death.

The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries police say are not considered life-threatening.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY (WLFI)  Indiana's corn and soybean yields continue to look promising, even after the challenges 2021 brought for farmers.

"If you look at the most recent crop report that came out for November, we're still sitting at a projected 189 bushels per acres," said

Purdue Extension Corn Specialist, Dan Quinn. "That's tied for a state record corn yield compared to 2018."

Tar Spot continued to impact Indiana's corn crop, specifically in the northern part of the state.

"If you look at the Southeast part of the state and Northern part of the state, there maybe some areas that weren't as good as they hoped," said Quinn. "Whether it be they had dry conditions, tar spot issues or delayed harvest, some folks did have some issues with corn falling down and delayed harvest."

As News 18 previously reported, the month of October brought a lot of rain which delayed harvest.

Purdue Extension Soybean Agronomist, Shaun Casteel, says soybean harvest started off great in September.

"In September we actually progressed to the point that we had a lot of beans get harvested in the last week of September, which is a nice spot for us," said Casteel. "October hit and we had about four hours of harvest it seemed like, so it was very difficult to get any soybean harvest in the month of October."

Casteel said October is the prime-time to harvest soybeans.

"Whether it's rainfall or just heavy dues, soybeans are a little finicky with the harvest side of things," said Casteel. "With corn you withstand a little bit of variability in terms of humidity and rain. So soybean harvest was pretty well delayed through the whole month of October."

As News 18 previously reported, soybean fields throughout the state were also impacted by green-stem syndrome.

Because of this, Casteel said he was optimistic soybean yields would be recording breaking as anticipated.

"I've always been kind of down on the crop this year because about of the mid-June to mid-July wet feet," said Casteel. "Those beans were off-color and they were highlighter green. I just didn't see the yield there, but they were still yielding well. "

Casteel said he's pleased to see how the soybean yields are tracking so far.

"By this point we've got a pretty good indicating of where we're at," said Casteel. "If you look at August, September and October the USDA's forecast for Indiana was 60 bushels, which would've been a record, but in November they dropped it to 57 bushels. That's still great yielding for the state but it wasn't the record. The record was in last year in 2020 where we were at 59 bushels."

Considering the challenges 20-21 brought, particularly delayed harvest, Casteel and Quinn are pleased with projected yields.

"A lot of farmers are pretty happy with their corn yields and where they ended up at," said Quinn. "You look at the western part of the state and down in the Southwest part of the state those are areas that farmers, I've been told, had some of the best yields they've ever had."

The USDA is set to release the next crop report in January, which will indicate if Indiana's corn and soybean yields beat previous records.

In the meantime, farmers are already planning ahead for 2022 with a lot on their minds.

"With the issues we're seeing with the supple chain and these fertilizer issues, farmers are preparing even more so than they have in the past," said Quinn.

While preparing for 2022 planting, Quinn says fertilizer prices are continuing to rise.

"The big issue next year on everybody's mind is the fertilizer issues," said Quinn. "One, they're worried about if they can even get some nitrogen fertilizer. So one, can they get it and two with prices it was double and now it's potentially triple at the moment and still increasing."

Casteel says not only is fertilizer on growers minds, but also herbicides.

"I probably have a little bit more concern on the herbicide side of things," said Casteel. "If things don't turn around in the supply chain for the herbicides -a typical glufosinate and glyphosate type system that most people are use to having two applications they might just have to pick one."

Casteel and Quinn said as you prepare for next year with all of this in mind, Purdue is there is help you.

"We're trying to help farmers do what they can and maximize their fertilizer program for next year," said Quinn. "So they can actually hopefully make some money next year."
Zhou Yibing poses for a photo during her graduation ceremony at the Affiliated High School of Shanghai Jiaotong University. [CCTV News]

Zhou Yibing, a post-00s undergraduate from Tsinghua University in Beijing, inspired netizens nationwide after realizing her academic dream in June.

Zhou, who scored 613 out 660 in the 2021 national college entrance exam, or gaokao, was admitted by Tsinghua University's Weiyang Academy this fall, a school she had longed to study at since childhood.

She fulfilled her dream despite being unable to participate in the 2020 gaokao due to undergoing two spinal surgeries.

"We saw the persistence of chasing after one's dream in Zhou," said Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University, during the 2021 fall semester opening ceremony.

After careful consideration, Zhou chose to major in instrumentation and control systems technology. She is eager to devote herself to serving her country's development and innovation.

"In the future, I want to use what I have learned to contribute to my country's scientific development and break through technological barriers," Zhou said.

Apart from her studies, Zhou has recovered well enough to participate in the college volleyball team. She felt comfortable and energetic on the court.

"The girl who used to teeter can now hop, jump and spike," Zhou said.

Last April, Zhou suddenly felt her body go numb, with no more than two months left before the gaokao.

Zhou Yibing plays volleyball at Tsinghua University. [CCTV News]

At first, she did not pay much attention. But a piercing pain in her lumbar spine quickly became noticeable.

"It hurt so much a 40-minute-class would make me break out in a cold sweat," Zhou said.

Zhou was diagnosed with a congenital isthmic fissure. The resulting lumbar spondylolisthesis, a displacement of vertebrae, disrupted her nerve functions.

Doctors suggested Zhou leave school for surgery, stating the worsening condition may affect her ability to perform daily tasks in the future.

"I thought my dream was within my reach, but it was suspended due to my illnesses," Zhou said.

Z hou Yibing strikes a victory pose while in the hospital. [CCTV News]

"I have to repeat all the nights I stayed up studying and all the tests I've taken before the entrance exam. Can I still maintain my original mentality?" Zhou asked, as she questioned herself while receiving treatment in hospital.

In May 2021 Zhou underwent surgery, believing a single operation would be enough to solve her spinal problems.

However, post-surgery complications caused her to experience various side effects such as neurogenic pulmonary edema.

One month later, Zhou returned to the operating room. The surgery was a success and she was no longer bed-bound after two weeks of recovery.

Zhou Yibing studies. [CCTV News]

She immediately immersed herself in rehabilitation and seized every opportunity to catch up on her studies.

Three months later, Zhou returned to her senior classroom at the Affiliated High School of Shanghai Jiaotong University.

She regained her confidence and started making preparations for the 2021 gaokao with the support of her teachers and classmates.

"As long as you haven't lost the courage to live, everything can start from zero," Zhou said.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
The Xiongnu Empire was an empire that extended through what is now Mongolia, northern China, and Central Asia, as far west as the Caucasus Mountains. The Empire lasted from approximately the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The origins of the Xiongnu are unclear. Even their language is a mystery. It is generally believed that they were a heterogeneous group of nomadic tribes. At first, these tribes were separate, but in the 3rd century BCE, they all united behind one leader. This unity, however, did not last. By the 1st century BCE, the Xiongnu began to splinter. Eventually, some were absorbed into Chinese society, while the rest disappeared in the regions west of China.

Who Were The Xiongnu?

A horserider of probable Xiongnu origin hunting a boar. Image credit: ALFGRN, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Most of what we know about the Xiongnu comes from Chinese historical sources, which are usually depicted negatively. It is not surprising as the Xiongnu and the Chinese had a history of conflict with each other. According to Chinese historian Sima Qian, the Xiongnu are the descendants of a person named Chunwei, who may have been a son of Jie, the last ruler of Chinas first dynasty, the Xia Dynasty. There is no direct evidence, however, to support this theory. Furthermore, historical evidence of the Xia Dynasty itself is limited. The Xiongnus origin is in the Ordos Desert, located in the northern parts of present-day China.

As for the language of the Xiongnu, scholars are divided. Some believe that the Xiongnu spoke a Turkic language, while others believe their language was of Mongolic origin. One reason that it is so difficult to ascertain what language the Xiongnu spoke is that they left almost no evidence of writing. The only writing attributed to the Xiongnu is rock art consisting of petroglyphs and a few painted images found in present-day northern China. Some scholars have compared the petroglyphs to the Orkhon script, the earliest known Turkic alphabet, and have suggested that the two are connected. There is also no agreement on the ethnic origins of the Xiongnu. However, the latest scholarly research on the subject points to the likelihood that they were heterogeneous, meaning that they were composed of various groups.

What is certainly known about the Xiongnu is that they were generally nomadic, though, by the 1st century BCE, some of their population did live in permanent settlements. Herding was the mainstay of the Xiongnu economy, though they also grew millet, barley, and wheat. The Xiongnu were excellent horsemen who excelled in using the bow and arrow. These two qualities helped them expand their empire. The Xiongnu worshiped heaven, Earth, the sun, the moon, and their ancestors in terms of religion. They had a shamanistic culture in which shamans could exert great influence among their people.

Modu Shanyu And The Birth Of The Xiongnu Empire

Sculpture of Modu Shanyu. Image credit: Vikicizer, via Wikimedia Commons

Before the unification of the Xiongnu tribes, the Xiongnu were already a formidable threat to China in the south. In fact, Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, who was the first emperor to unify China, had the Great Wall of China built to protect the country from Xiongnu raids. However, the birth of the Xiongnu Empire is largely attributed to one man, who was named Modu. In 209 BCE, Modu united the various Xiongnu tribes under his rule. He took the title of shanyu (Supreme Ruler) and was henceforth known as Modu Shanyu. Modu Shanyu established a state with a dual political system, establishing the left and right branches of the Xiongnu on a regional basis while keeping control of the central territory for himself. The de facto capital of the Xiongnu Empire was known as Longcheng and was located in present-day Mongolia.

After unifying his people, Modu Shanyu proceeded to expand his new empire on all sides. He conquered the nomadic people of Siberia to the north, the Donghu of eastern Mongolia and Manchuria to the east, and the Yuezhi to the west. In 200 BCE Modu Shanyu fought a pivotal battle with Chinese Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty known as the Battle of Baideng, during which 300,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen supposedly ambushed the latter. Gao narrowly avoided being captured himself after the battle. This devastating defeat and another subsequent defeat at Pingcheng persuaded the Chinese emperor to give up on a military solution to the Xiongnu threat and pursue peace. The peace that Han China sealed with the Xiongnu came in the form of a tributary relationship. China agreed to give the Xiongnu a Han princess as a bride to Modu Shanyu and periodic gifts of silk, liquor, and rice. This arrangement paved the way for similar agreements between Han China and the Xiongnu Empire for the next 60 years. Eventually, however, the Chinese found this tributary arrangement costly and ineffective. Although it was supposed to guarantee peace, the fact was that Xiongnu raids into China continued.

Ongoing Conflict With China And The Division Of The Xiongnu Empire

In 129 BCE, the Xiongnu Empire was once again at war with Han China. The Chinese launched a series of military campaigns into Xiongnu territory. Some of these campaigns were successful, while others were not. Intermittent violent conflict between the Xiongnu Empire and Han China would continue for a century. Meanwhile, by the 1st century BCE, divisions among the leaders of the Xiongnu Empire began to appear. These divisions were especially evident when local kings refused to attend annual meetings with the shanyu. The deepening divide among the Xiongnu boiled over in the mid-1st century BCE, when the empire was divided into two parts. One was the Eastern Xiongnu, under the leadership of Huhanye Shanyu. The other was the Western Xiongnu, led by Huhanyes brother, Zhizhi Shanyu.

The Eastern Xiongnu pursued a tributary relationship with Han China, but unlike the last tributary arrangement between the Xiongnu and the Chinese, this arrangement would favor the latter. Huhanye Shanyu was compelled to pay homage and present tribute to the Chinese emperor. Upon hearing of this arrangement, Zhizhi Shanyu also tried to broker tributary arrangements with China, but since he was unwilling to pay homage to the Chinese emperor directly, preferring to send envoys instead, the Chinese refused to accept him and the Western Xiongnu into the tributary system. Finally, in 36 BCE, the Chinese captured and killed Zhizhi Shanyu, ending the Western Xiongnu Empire.

Fall Of The Xiongnu Empire

Another conflict over succession in the mid-1st century CE led to the division of the Eastern Xiongnu, based mainly in Outer Mongolia, into northern and southern parts. The southern Xiongnu pursued a tributary relationship with China. Eventually, they were resettled on Chinas northern frontier, and mixed communities of Xiongnu and Chinese began appearing in northern China. In the late 1st century CE, the Northern Xiongnu were driven out of Outer Mongolia by another nomadic steppe people, the Xianbei, who were of Tungusic/Mongol origin. These Xiongnu fled west to Dzungaria, in what is now the northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang, but eventually, the Xianbei drove them from there as well. There is no more mention of the Xiongnu who fled from Dzungaria past the year 170 CE. It has been suggested that they eventually became the Huns that settled on the frontiers of Europe around 370 CE. Some scholars have accepted this theory, including some from China, though it is certainly not universally accepted. As for the Xiongnu left in northern China, references to them do not show up in Chinese sources past the 5th century CE.
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New York City Sublease Space Slowly Declines

According to new data from CBRE, Manhattan ranked third among the 12 largest cities in the country for office market recovery in November 2021 with multiple measures of demand showing steady progress. Manhattan experienced an increased volume of leasing activity as companies actively searched for new space, along with a decline in the amount of sublease space put on the market.

To gauge the pace of recovery, CBRE's monthly report tracks the three leading indicators of office market activity: tenants-in-the-market (TIM), which quantifies the amount of office space that companies are actively seeking; leasing activity in the form of finalized lease agreements; and the availability of sublease space.

"With space requirements at 99% of the pre-pandemic level and signed leases surpassing the pre-Covid number, companies demonstrated clear confidence in the Manhattan office market during November," said Nicole LaRusso, CBRE Senior Director of Research & Analysis. "A slow but steady decline in sublease space also shows that the Manhattan office market is continuing to improve."

For each index, a reading of 100 equates to the pre-pandemic levels of 2018 and 2019.

Manhattan's Tenants-in-the-Market (TIM) Index was 99 in November, a one-point gain month-over-month and 14 points above the U.S. average of 85. Manhattan's TIM Index ranks third among U.S. cities. It has shown a steady pace of improvement since August.

Manhattan's Leasing Activity Index registered 102 points, increasing 11 points in November to a pandemic-era high. Manhattan's Leasing Activity index was two points above the pre-pandemic level and two points above the U.S. average. Manhattan had the fourth-highest ranking among the 12 markets in the study.

Manhattan's Sublease Availability Index fell once again, to 186, three points lower than the October figure and the sixth consecutive monthly reduction. While available sublease space was 86% above the pre-pandemic level, the improvement was the result of solid subleasing activity and above-average withdrawals outpacing sublease space additions.

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Weather Alert

...VERY COLD TONIGHT... ...BLACK ICE LIKELY OVER MUCH OF THE REGION... 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 range from 5 above zero to around 10 below zero, making for a very cold start to the day Friday. In addition, the very cold temperatures will cause moisture on area roadways to freeze up into black ice, resulting in very slick and hazardous driving conditions. The slick conditions will continue well beyond daybreak Friday morning, as temperatures rise very slowly. Be extremely cautious if you must travel tonight or Friday morning.
Plans to extend services offered in pharmacies welcomed by Wrexhams MS

Wrexhams Member of the Senedd has welcome plans to extend the services offered in pharmacies across Wales from next spring.

Last week the Welsh Government announced that the changes would be introduced following re-negotiation of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework with Community Pharmacy Wales, the representative body for community pharmacies in Wales.

The agreement will introduce a national clinical community pharmacy service enabling all pharmacies to provide treatment for common minor ailments, access to repeat medicines in an emergency, annual flu vaccinations, and some forms of emergency and regular contraception.

It means that patients will have accessible and convenient NHS services closer to home which aims to free up GP and other NHS services for patients with more complex needs.

The agreement also includes plans to rollout a Wales-wide pharmacy prescribing service which will allow appropriately trained pharmacists to treat an extended range of conditions that currently require people to visit their GP.

The changes are set to be introduced from April 2022.

Lesley Griffiths MS said: During the pandemic, pharmacies have played a key role in not only helping the general public, but also supporting NHS services such as GP practices and hospitals.

This new framework will bring about a significant change in the way pharmacies operate. Every community pharmacy in Wrexham will be able to provide an extended range of clinical services, offering convenient and accessible NHS services to more people, closer to their homes.

I am pleased the Welsh Government has sought this innovative solution and is investing in these services when funding for community pharmacies in England has been cut.
Just before the Christmas holiday, with Omicrons dominance confirmed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorization (EUA) to two new oral antiviral medications, Pfizers Paxlovid and Mercks Molnupiravir. These are intended to treat people with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease confirmed by SARS-CoV-2 testing and who are considered high-risk for progression to severe illness, including hospitalization and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected to endorse these recommendations soon.

First, on December 22, the FDA announced Pfizers Paxlovid, a two-drug regimen consisting of two tablets of Nirmatrelvir and one tablet of Ritonavir, taken twice daily for five consecutive days (30 tablets in total). The treatment would be available to patients 12 years and up, by prescription only, after the diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days from the onset of symptoms.

This colorized transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. (Source: NIAID-RML)

Primary data supporting the FDA EUA comes from the EPIC-HR [Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients] trial that enrolled participants 18 years and older, but was extended to include high-risk pediatric patients. The active ingredient Nirmatrelvir is a protease inhibitor that stops the virus from replicating. The second drug Ritonavir helps slow the metabolism of Nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain in the body at higher concentrations.

Then, on December 23, the FDA granted Mercks Molnupiravir an EUA with similar parameters for initiating treatmentwithin five days of symptoms and confirmation of infection with viral testing. A prescription from a medical provider is also required. However, the medication is only authorized for those 18 or up due to the drugs potential impact on bone and cartilage growth. Like Paxlovid, the treatment has not received approval for use before exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or for patients after exposure if they have not tested positive. The regimen for Molnupiravir requires four tablets taken twice daily for five consecutive days (40 pills total).

The two oral antiviral treatments against COVID-19 have different mechanisms of action.

Molnupiravir works by introducing errors into the SARS-CoV-2s genetic code. The active ingredient, a molecule called N4-Hydroxyctyidine (NHC), once it has been incorporated into the viruss RNA, can undergo a chemical reaction called tautomerization, allowing it to rapidly flip back and forth between two nucleotides, Cytidine and Uracil. When the virus attempts to replicate again, multiple errors are incorporated because of the change in forms of NHC during RNA strand replication, leading to a lethal mutation that leaves the virus unable to infect or reproduce.

Pfizers medicinal chemists designed their drug against the viruss main protease enzyme known as Mpro or 3CLpro, with the caveat that it be given orally. After the virus creates a long polyprotein chain, the protease enzyme cleaves the chain into functional proteins used to assemble itself and multiply. Speaking with Chemical and Engineering News in March 2020 , Professor Matthew Todd, chair of drug discovery at University College London, said, The protease is essential [for the virus], but has no human homologs [a gene related to a second gene by descent from a common ancestral DNA sequence].

The implication is that viral protease inhibitors would have little chance of affecting human protease enzymes. Additionally, the protease of the Omicron variant is similar to the protease of the ancestral strain, meaning current mutations of SARS-CoV-2 remain susceptible to this line of treatment.

After initiating a phase one trial in late March 2021 on healthy adults to assess safety and tolerability profiles for their new drug, Pfizer unveiled their oral SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor to the public in April 2021 at the American Chemical Societys spring meeting. By the end of July, the Pfizer pill had demonstrated both tolerability and more than adequate concentration levels needed to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication. This prompted a phase 2/3 clinical trial with the plan to enroll 3,000 participants in a randomized double-blinded study.

On September 1, Pfizer told regulators that the first participant in their trial had been enrolled. They also indicated they were adding a low dose of Ritonavir to the treatment regimen. Ritonavir is an antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV/AIDS. It helps slow the metabolism of Nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain at higher concentrations in the body for a more extended period.

Then, more than a month after Mercks interim findings demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in risk of hospitalization and death among COVID-19 positive high-risk patients treated with Molnupiravir, Pfizer announced on November 5 an interim analysis showing a remarkable 89 percent reduction in hospitalization and death as compared to those taking the placebo pills. Only three out of 389 participants (0.8 percent) taking Paxlovid were hospitalized, and no deaths occurred among those receiving the investigational drug. By comparison, in those receiving a placebo, 27 out of 385 participants (7.0 percent) were hospitalized, with seven subsequent deaths.

At the recommendation of the independent Data Monitoring Committee and in consultation with the US FDA, further enrollment into the study was discontinued so that the drug could be put into general use more rapidly. Based on the overwhelming efficacy of the data, Pfizer requested emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Subsequently, at the end of November, Merck announced the discouraging results of their final analysis from their final trial. They had to revise downward to 30 percent their estimates on Molnupiravirs ability to prevent hospitalization among high-risk COVID patients (68 out of 699 (9.7 percent) in the placebo group versus 48 out of 709 (6.8 percent) in those receiving Molnupiravir). On a brighter note, they highlighted that while there were nine deaths among the placebo group, only one participant died taking the investigational drug, suggesting it is highly beneficial in preventing deaths.

By contrast, Pfizers recent final analysis results remained unchanged, suggesting that Paxlovid can prevent far more hospitalizations than Mercks Molnupiravir. The two drugs appear to have similar efficacy in preventing deaths, though the numbers were too small to offer a cross-study comparison. In the last Pfizer study, 12 people died in the placebo group while no one died taking Paxlovid.

However, concerns have been raised that the use of Paxlovid in people with uncontrolled or undiagnosed HIV-1 infections could lead to possible HIV-1 drug resistance. Those with pre-existing liver or kidney disease or who use medications that could interact with Paxlovid should consult their physician to ensure the treatment is suitable.

According to CNN last month, on news of positive results for Paxlovid, the Biden administration announced it would purchase 10 million treatment courses for $5.3 billion. This is on top of 3.1 million treatment courses for Mercks Molnupiravir, at a cost of $2.2 billion. Biden promised that more than 250,000 courses of Paxlovid would be available in January, and both giant pharmaceuticals are intending to ramp up production to meet continued demands for the treatment of symptomatic COVID-19.

With $36 billion in worldwide sales of its COVID-19 vaccines this year and a projected $18 billion in sales for Paxlovid next year, Pfizer is in a position to enrich their investors with obscene sums of money. The spread of Omicron and the White House opposition to any form of lockdown or other significant public health effort have assured Wall Street that pandemic profiteering will continue unabated. The White House has guaranteed it will not lift a finger to prevent the spread of infection, while SARS-CoV-2 enjoys a wide berth in finding new ways to mutate continuously.

The development of these treatments is without doubt a testament to the scientific ingenuity and collaborative effort that have made possible designing, testing and producing these drugs in a few short months. However, they also underscore the criminal negligence and failures of governments to implement broad public health measures that could have ended the pandemic once and for all, instead of ensuring dependence on such treatments to save just a fraction of lives that could have been saved through an elimination strategy.
As the countrys new daily COVID-19 cases surged past 10,000 during the Christmas breakfar exceeding any previous high during the pandemicgovernments in Australia openly declared that mass Omicron infections were inevitable, even necessary.

There is shock and outrage among health workers, medical experts and workers as governments wash their hands of the rapidly developing disaster. Soaring case numbers are already overwhelming testing facilities and producing rising hospitalisations, deaths and aged care outbreaks.

Masked pedestrians in Sydney CBD in October 2021 (Source: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Were all going to get Omicron, Brad Hazzard, the health minister in New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state, insisted, speaking on behalf of that states Liberal-National Coalition government.

This has produced legitimate public anger toward that government, headed by Premier Dominic Perrottet and toward the federal Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but this is a bipartisan, business-driven policy.

In neighbouring Queensland, state Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said the spread of COVID-19 was necessary. Standing alongside Queensland Labor Party Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, he stated: In order for us to go from the pandemic phase to an endemic phase, the virus has to be widespread.

To willingly expose the population to mass infection with a virus that causes potentially deadly or lifetime Long-COVID illness flies in the face of all public health principles. It displays criminal indifference to human life, determined by the profit demands of the corporate ruling class.

There is nothing inevitable, let alone necessary, about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was entirely predictable, and predicted, and the virus can still be eliminated. But governments in Australia and internationally have repeatedly opposed the necessary safety measuresmass testing and contact tracing, mask-wearing and the closure of non-essential workplaces, combined with universal vaccination and temporary lockdowns.

Moreover, as is now painfully obvious, governments ran down the chronically underfunded and understaffed public healthcare systems for years and then refused to adequately ramp up the testing, tracing and hospital services needed to protect the population.

Even the corporate media, which has bombarded the population with misleading government claims that Omicron is milder than the Delta mutation, cannot hide the worsening outcomes. People are queuing for hour after hour to get tested, often to be turned away, then waiting for up to five days for the results. If sick, they have to rely on ambulance and hospital systems that are already overburdened.

Yesterday, this supposedly less severe mutation officially claimed its first life in Australia. The man in his 80s acquired his Omicron infection at the Uniting Lilian Wells aged care facility in North Parramatta, a Sydney suburb, despite being classified as fully vaccinated.

On the official government figures, Australia passed the 10,000 daily new cases mark for the first time on December 27, when 10,186 cases were confirmed. The majority of the infections are in NSWover 6,000and Victoriaover 2,700but the surge is growing quickly in the states that had previously largely suppressed the pandemic for nearly 18 monthsQueensland, South Australia and Tasmania. Reported new daily cases in Queensland rose above 1,100 for the first time today.

Moreover, the positivity ratethe ratio of positive test results to the total test figurehad shot up to 6.5 percent as of Sunday from 1.73 percent a week ago and 0.71 percent a fortnight ago.

Epidemiologist Alexandra Martiniuk told the Guardian: Early in the pandemic, the World Health Organization set 5 percent test positivity and below as the marker of having infections and transmission relatively under control.

Given the testing and tracing delays, health experts estimate that these statistics understate the true level of infection by a factor of three to ten. That means the daily infections already could be between 30,000 and 100,000.

The spread across the continent is clearly going to become even more serious in coming weeks. Modelling suggests 25,000 cases a day in NSW and 40,000 nationally by late January if no effective action is taken. That will swamp the already inundated health systems.

The breakdown of the COVID-19 testing systems is an early indicator of that looming catastrophe. Inadequate resources and staffing have led to people either waiting for days over the Christmas break for positive test results or being wrongly informed that their results were negativeas happened with 1,395 people tested by Sydneys St Vincents Hospital.

Far from being inevitable, this disaster is the direct result of the federal, state and territory governmentsworking hand in glove in the Labor Party-majority National Cabinetdismantling even their previous limited safety measures over the past three months at the behest of big business.

Increasingly, these governments are using this historic political and public health failure as a pretext to scrap basic precautions. Because of the endless queues, people are being told not to get tested, unless they are already symptomatic, if they are travelling or visiting family and friends. That will only lead to people who are asymptomatic infecting others.

NSW Health Minister Hazzard sought to demonise people trying to get tested, deriding tourism testing, even as NSW Premier Perrottet urged people to travel to boost tourism industries.

This provoked further dismay and objection among health experts. Leading epidemiologist Professor Marylouise McLaws said people coming forward to get tested should be applauded. There should have been some planning to understand that Australians would want to go out and get tested before they went to see their families, because they are very responsible people, she told the media.

Perhaps even more dangerously, NSW Health said on December 26 that because more than 2,000 healthcare workers were furloughed statewide due to COVID infection or contact, workers would return to shifts in 7 days, even after being a close household contact, not the previous 14 days, if they had a single negative PCR test. Those deemed a social contact would return after just 2 days.

Employer groups such as the Australian Industry Group are demanding that shortened isolation periods likewise apply to workers in all industries, to stop hobbling the economic recovery. This amounts to a blatant demand for workers health to be sacrificed for the sake of generating profits.

Among the many other indices of the deepening dangers:

Despite governments asserting that Omicron is producing fewer hospitalisations, the number of in-patients has doubled in NSW in a week, reaching 557 yesterday, with 60 in intensive care units (ICUs). As of December 20, another 8,356 people were receiving care outside the hospital setting. Nationally, the number of people in hospital stands at 1,084, up from 824 one week ago.

By December 27, the number of infections in aged care homes nationally had risen to 998, up from 821 in just over a week, nearly all in NSW and Victoria. By December 23, the last report, 105 nursing homes were in lockdown because of outbreaks, a doubling in a week. That means more deaths are likely.

The number of COVID-19 deaths has more than doubled in three months from just under 1,000 at the end of August, when government safety measures began to be dismantled, to just under 2,000 by December 26.

On Christmas Eve, facing rising public consternation, the Morrison government suddenly reversed its policy on booster vaccines. It said the interval between the second and third vaccine doses would be reduced from five months to four on January 4, and from four months to three on January 31. Only a day earlier, Health Minister Greg Hunt had denounced calls for such a shift as irresponsible, even though double vaccination provides no effective protection from Omicron.

Yet, that revised timetable still means that the vast majority of the population will remain unprotected against the Omicron variant until early February, by which time the effectiveness of the third jab would protect recipients. That is far too late to avert mass infection. Moreover, as the worldwide surge in cases demonstrates, vaccination alone is not enough to protect against infections and deaths.

The governments latest empty PR manoeuvre, one of many throughout the pandemic, is another indication of a mounting political crisis for the unstable government, despite the Labor Partys bipartisan backing for its policies throughout the emergency.

The Omicron crisis is also shattering the governments claims to be producing a world-beating economic recovery. It handed down a mid-year budget review on December 16 that was predicated on no major safety measures being implemented to combat the soaring infections.

That plan embodied the demands of the corporate elite for a full reopening of the economy, in the interest of profit, regardless of the human cost in illness, hospitalisations and deaths.
Nearly 3,000 flights were canceled around the world Monday, including nearly 1,000 to, from or within the United States, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware. The cancellations, as well as nearly 11,000 delays that same day, were largely due to shortages of flight crews and ground support workers caused by the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Travelers check in for flights at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Globally, airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas Eve, Christmas and the day after Christmas. This included at least 2,800 US flights over the weekend as pilots, flight attendants and other airline workers called off sick.

Told by the Biden administration that air travel was safedespite the explosive spread of the Omicron variantmillions of air travelers piled into packed airports over the holiday weekend. This included a peak of 2.19 million passengers who passed through US airport security checkpoints on December 23 alone.

A flight attendant from Southwest Airlines told the World Socialist Web Site that she had been forced to work during the holidays after being infected with COVID-19. I worked on December 21 and the 22, which I believe is when I was exposed because there were several passengers not wearing their masks correctly. All we are supposed to do now is make one announcement [about wearing masks] and that is it, she said.

I was feeling symptoms on the night of the 24th. I went to work on the 25th but as the day went on, I got sicker and sicker, she continued. The flight attendant, who asked that she be identified by a pseudonym Jodi to protect her from management retaliation, said that if she hadnt been traveling with co-workers who assisted her, I dont think I would have made it.

I did everything I was supposed to do, I got vaccinated, I had the booster, I was vaccinated three times, she said. Due to her COVID-19 infection, Jodi has been pulled from the rest of her weeks schedule, meaning that she has effectively lost holiday triple pay for the year.

I called the [Transport Workers Union] today, they didnt answer, and I was on hold forever. I will find out tomorrow if I will get my premium pay. For me, that is $6,000 lost.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday announced it was shortening the recommended time infected people should isolate from 10 days to five days if they are asymptomatic. The quarantine period for someone exposed to an infected person was also reduced to five days if they are vaccinated, the CDC said, and people who are fully vaccinated and boosted may not need to quarantine at all.

The CDC made its decision after direct requests from the airlines. As CNBC reported, Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky [on December 21], urging the agency to cut that time in half to just five days, saying the longer quarantine time could hurt the airlines operations. JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes followed with a similar request to the CDC on Wednesday.

Airlines for America, a trade group for US air carriers, wrote to Walensky on December 23, requesting that the agency update its current 10-day isolation guideline, Barrons reported. As with healthcare, police, fire and public transportation workforces, the Omicron surge may exacerbate personnel shortages and create significant disruptions to our workforce and operations, wrote Airlines for America CEO Nicholas Calio.

On NBC Nightly News Monday, reporter Kristen Welker asked Bidens top COVID-19 advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, What do you say to people who might be concerned that the revised quarantined guidelines are being driven solely by workers shortages and not necessarily in the best interests of public health? Fauci responded, No, actually we feel it is safe to do that. If you look at the chance of getting a transmission in that second half of that 10-day period it is considerably less than in those first few days. So, on balance, if you look at the safety of the public and the need to have society not disrupted this was a good choice.

Walensky echoed the administrations talking points, saying, We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

The CDC guideline changes, which follow similar measures for staff in chronically short-staffed hospitals, have nothing to do with public health considerations. On the contrary, they will only increase the danger of mass infections, long-term physical and mental debilitation and death. Saving lives, as opposed to keeping society functioninga euphemism for keeping the economy open producing profits for Wall Streetwould require the temporary suspension of non-essential travel, business activity and in-person schooling to cut off the transmission of the virus as a part of a strategy to finally eliminate it and eradicate it.

What the White House is concerned with is keeping profit-making going, regardless of the cost in lives. The CDC action is aimed at shoring up the positions of American, United and other US airlines whose stocks continued to fall Monday in tandem with the number of flights they were forced to cancel.

The labor shortage in the airlines as in other industries has been largely driven by mass retirements encouraged by big business to cut costs and boost profits. Millions of nurses, teachers, transit workers and airline workers and others decided to quit rather than risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones by working in unsafe workplaces.

Since the pandemic began, the US Congress has handed over $54 billion to the US airlines, more than any other single industry. This included a $25 billion bailout through the March 2020 CARES Act, $15 billion in the December 2020 relief bill and another $14 billion in the 2021 American Rescue Plan. Another $5 billion was paid to contractors who do food service, janitorial work, maintenance and other work for the airlines.

While much of the money was paid through the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which was ostensibly designed to prevent layoffs, the airlines nevertheless forced tens of thousands of workers to take voluntary buyouts and early retirements. Over 80,000 airline workers were furloughed or lost their jobs, and as of November, airlines have 24,000 fewer workers than they did in 2019.

Far from opposing the attack on workers, the airline unions have blocked any unified struggle to shut the industry down and protect lives. After the CDC decision, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants and a leading member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), said it was less than reassuring that the CDCs guideline change aligns with the number of days pushed by corporate America

However, she praised the CDC for adding caveats that recognize concerns raised by our union, pointing to the reduction of quarantining to five days only if asymptomatic and with continued mask wearing for an additional five days. Knowing this would not impress any airline workers, Nelson went on, If any business pressures a worker to return to work before they feel better, we will make clear it is an unsafe work environment, which will cause a much greater disruption than any staffing shortages.

This is empty bluster. The AFA, the TWU and other airline unions have colluded in the attack on jobs, the piling up of more tasks on workers and the continued life-threatening working conditions in the industry. That is why airline workers should join the growing network of national and international rank-and-file committees to take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of the pro-company unions and fight to end the continued sacrifice of workers lives and livelihoods to corporate profit.
At least 41 people have died and over 200 were injured early on Friday after a packed three-storey ferry, the MV-Abhijan 10, caught fire on the Sugandha River about 250 kilometres south of Dhaka. In addition to those who died from burns, some drowned after jumping into water to escape the fire. Several others are reported missing. Those with bad burns are currently undergoing treatment at local hospitals.

Ferry fire survivors receive treatment at a government medical hospital in Barishal, Bangladesh, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. (Source: AP Photo/Niamul Rifat)

The blaze reportedly broke out in the engine room around 3.00 a.m. and rapidly engulfed the ferry, which was carrying over 800 passengers from Dhaka to the town of Barguna. Many of the passengers were travelling to visit family and friends for the weekend. The disaster is being reported as the countrys worst ferry fire. The capsizing of ferries and other related water-transport accidents occur with sickening regularity in Bangladesh.

Survivors of Fridays fire described the horrifying situation. One passenger, an elderly grandmother, told the AFP that most people had been sleeping when the fire broke out. My nine-year-old grandson, Nayeem, was with me, he jumped into the river. I dont know what happened to him, she said.

Another woman, who was travelling with her father, sister and six-month-old nephew, said the young child was still missing. When the fire broke out, I gave the baby to a man. He was trying to save the baby. But now we cant find them, she said.

The true extent of the disaster is not yet clear but with rescue teams still searching for the missing the death toll is likely to rise.

A case has been filed in the Barguna Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the ferry owner Hamjalal Sheikh and 24 others in connection with the deadly fire. The owner has denied the blaze was caused by a mechanical fault, telling a local news outlet that there was an explosion on the ferrys second storey with the subsequent fire spreading to the engine room.

However, survivors told the Daily Star that there were indications of trouble as the journey began but they were ignored. According to the newspaper, workers on the ferry noticed problems with the engine but kept the vessel going while trying to fix them.

A number of passengers said that the engine was making strange loud noises from time to time, black smoke was emanating from the engine room, and that flame flashed from the exhaust pipe on several occasions. The ferry was carrying nearly three times its approved capacity of 310.

Ferry disasters in Bangladesh have resulted in many deaths over the years and mounting public anger at the criminal negligence of government authorities over unsafe conditions in the countrys water transport system. Successive Bangladesh governments have failed to minimise the dangers associated water transport, which is cheap and widely used by workers and the poor.

A number of tragedies have already taken place this year. These include the collision in March of a speedboat travelling from Munshiganj to Madaripur with a sand-laden bulk carrier resulting in the death of at least 26 people. In April, the ML Sabit Al Hasan ferry capsized in the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj district killing 34.

In June 2020, 34 people died when the MV Morning Bird, which was carrying up to 60 passengers, sunk in the Buriganga River after colliding with a larger ferry, the Mayur-2.

According to Statista, a German-based data analysis company, 9,886 people have died in ferry accidents in Bangladesh between 1966 and 2017the second highest death toll in the world and just behind the Philippines where 10,855 died during the same period.

Many of these incidents were the result of poor ferry design, inadequate maintenance, poor crew training, inadequate weather information and passenger overloading. The government authorities responsible for enforcing basic safety standards in the ferry transport system turn a blind eye to these conditions, certifying badly maintained and unsafe vessels as seaworthy. Bribery of inspectors and officials is commonplace.

The Daily Star has reported that a preliminary investigation into Fridays disaster has revealed that the owner changed two of the ferrys engines without getting permission from authorities. The engine room was also reportedly modified to install a larger-than-approved engine. In addition, the master and crew at the time of the incident were not authorised to operate the vessel.

Although the two government authorities, the Department of Shipping and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), were supposed to check such illegal practices, both of them have failed to do their job, a transport expert told the newspaper.

As in previous disasters, the governments response has been routine and callous. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who were visiting the Maldives at the time, issued perfunctory statements of condolence. The prime ministers office said she had asked officials to ensure there was appropriate treatment of the wounded and compensation for the victims.

The Bangladeshi ministry of shipping has formed a seven-member committee, which includes the police, fire service, and district administration, to investigate the fire and submit a report within 15 working days. This report, like many previous ones, will be a whitewash. At most, a few scapegoats will be arrested and punished in an attempt to dissipate public anger.

Following an inquiry into the Pinak 6 tragedy in 2014 in which more than 100 died, government authorities sacked three staff members of the BIWTA and punished four others. Nothing was done, however, about the reports recommendations in relation to vessels structural and technical defects, uncertified changes in vessel design, overloading of passengers and goods, irresponsible piloting, and ignoring meteorological department advisories.

Bangladesh has the largest inland water network in the world, with about 700 rivers and tributaries. Ferry owners put passengers lives at risk in order to maximise their profits by violating basic safety regulations and conspiring with government authorities, which ignore the dangers, or, in the event of a public outcry, make a few cosmetic gestures.
Florida has become a major flash point in the pandemic surge that is ravaging the entire nation, sparked by the more infectious and dangerous Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Winston Wallace, 9, raises his hand in class at iPrep Academy on the first day of school in Miami, Florida, on August 23, 2021 (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Coronavirus cases in the state rose astronomically in a matter of days, reaching record-breaking heights within just a month of the first Omicron case being detected in the US. Last week, new cases jumped 332.9 percent as more than 125,000 cases were reported in the week ending December 26, compared to just 28,841 cases the week prior. According to Johns Hopkins University data, Florida is ranked ninth among the states where the now-dominant Omicron variant is spreading the quickest.

The data in the Johns Hopkins analysis confirmed that Florida is far from the only state that is seeing a spike in cases in the US. In the latest week, US cases increased 47 percent from the week prior, with more than 1.38 million cases reported. Nationwide there are at least 26 states that had more cases in the latest week than they did the week before. Although Florida has just 6.54 percent of the countrys population, it accounted for 8.99 percent of the countrys confirmed cases last week.

In the face of the current surge, significant efforts are being made by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to recklessly downplay the deadly consequences from Omicron while rejecting scientific public health measures. Opposing all restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, above all shutting down non-essential businesses and schools, DeSantis declared at a news conference last Friday that we are not going to indulge in any of the insanity that you see starting to happen again.

Like virtually every governor in the US, there is little difference between policy pursued by DeSantis and the line being dictated by Democratic President Joe Biden, who reiterated in the lead-up to the Christmas festivities that there would be no departure from the vaccine-only approach to Omicron. Governor DeSantis sought to present sickness and death from Omicron as the fault of individuals not taking proper health precautions instead of the criminal indifference of the government, which has allowed the virus to spread. DeSantis said residents should make sure youre doing things to keep yourself healthy and improve your health during the latest wave.

On Christmas Day, Florida health officials reported the largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Approximately 32,850 new coronavirus cases were reported on December 25.

This shattered the previous record, which was set just a day before, of 31,758 cases. The previous single-day record was 27,802 cases in August, during the height of the Delta wave in Florida and as children and teachers were being sent back into schools for in-person learning, fueling the growth of community transmission.

The rapid spread of the virus has also begun to significantly disrupt the tourist industry in the state. The Florida-based cruise ship Carnival Freedom became the third ship this week to be hit with a COVID outbreak after two Royal Caribbean cruise ships got struck with outbreaks earlier last week. The Carnival Freedom vessel, carrying nearly 4,000 passengers and crew members, was scheduled to return to Miami Sunday following an 8-day journey but was denied entry into Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

In contrast to the soporifics being offered by the capitalist parties and corporate media to chloroform the masses to the danger of Omicron, the increase in testing for the coronavirus points to widespread alarm and fear over the surge in infections. Demand for COVID-19 tests in Florida swelled in the latter half of last week leading up to Christmas as hundreds flooded testing sites.

Just hours before a testing site was scheduled to open in Tropical Park in Miami, dozens of cars could be seen lined up along a road leading to its entrance. The testing site was open from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, with two other sites in Miami-Dade County open on Christmas Day. County workers distributed some 12,500 at-home COVID tests kits on Friday to help alleviate demand as supplies had begun to run out. Aside from Tropical Park, long lines were reported on Monday morning at sites in Zoo Miami, Mills Pond Park and C. B. Smith Park.

Regions in Southern Florida are seeing the highest test positivity rates in the state. The positivity rate in Broward County, the home of Fort Lauderdale, was a staggering 19.1 percent, while Palm Beach County registered 17.1 percent, Miami-Dade 16.6 percent and Monroe 15.3 percent.

According to the Florida Department of Healths weekly COVID-19 data report, released Friday evening, the statewide new-case positivity rate rose to 13.8 percent last week, up from 5.3 percent a week prior and 2.6 percent the week before that. With 6,472 deaths and 702,309 cases, Miami-Dade County is ninth in the country for counties with the highest number of deaths associated with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, an analysis at Johns Hopkins University found.

There is also a glaring shortage of tests in the most populous areas of the state in the face of rising demand. One resident from Tampa, Melody Engle, told WFLA News Channel 8 she spent six hours on Sunday trying to find a testing site or an at-home test. Everywhere I go theyre out. I spent three hours on the phone. I tried to register on websites that failed, she said.

She drove nearly an hour from Tarpon Springs to stand in a long line at a Community Resource Center after several attempts to find tests near her. Reflecting the sentiments of the broad masses, Engle was scornful about the astounding lack of preparedness for the health crisis. She acknowledged: For the country with allegedly the best health care in the world, here you are and you cant even find out if you have COVID. Its tragic.

Press reports and health experts have highlighted the fact that hospitalizations in the state remain low despite the dramatic spike in infections, adding to the illusion that Omicron causes relatively mild cases of COVID-19 and is supposedly less harmful than the wild version and the Delta variant. The data that is emerging from other states, particularly those in the Midwest and Northeast which have seen a tsunami of cases over the past month, has refuted these claims.

The reality is that a soaring number of cases will inevitably result in a significant number of the population with severe illness and symptoms, which will lead to hospitals being inundated statewide.

New York state COVID hospitalizations skyrocketed over the Christmas holiday, topping 5,500 for the first time since the last winter surge in late February. As of Monday, statewide hospitalizations stand at 5,526, the highest total since February 23 and a near 190 percent increase since November 1. More troubling than the overall hospitalization spike is the rise in severe pediatric infections. According to data from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, COVID admissions for children are now up to 184 statewide, 109 of them in New York City. Two weeks ago, there were 70.

After a temporary plateau, admissions of COVID-19 patients in hospitals near Louisville, Kentucky, are also climbing. At hospital conglomerate Norton Healthcare, COVID-19 admissions have more than doubled from 87 on December 1 to 176 patients on Monday, 12 of whom are children.

Nothing will be done on the part of capitalist politicians to even stem the disaster that is now unfolding, with the more fascistic layers doubling down on the policy of herd immunity, that is, allowing the virus to spread uninterrupted. Rather than embarking on the approach of preventing mass death, something the vast majority of epidemiologists and public health experts say are necessary to curb transmission, Governor DeSantis is promoting inadequate monoclonal antibody treatments and has encouraged vaccine skepticism.

After spending several days ignoring the Omicron variant even while cases began piling up in South Florida, DeSantis said in his Friday news conference, Fortunately, we have the ability to combat it with a variety of these tools, referring to his insistence on relying on insufficient antibody treatments.

Stressing his contempt for public health restrictions, DeSantis complained of universities outside Florida that force students to do vax, force them to mask, probably force them to booster, and theyre still shutting down. Two weeks ago, DeSantis denounced Bidens chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci for supporting mask mandates for air travel, deriding such measures as Faucism and the outlook of COVID authoritarians.

In an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News on Sunday, DeSantis refused to clearly answer whether he had received a booster shot for COVID, saying, At the end of the day it is peoples individual decision about what they want to do. He then pointed out that Florida has banned vaccine mandates. Such a declaration is criminally irresponsible given the nature of Omicron in contrast to Delta and previous variants, as it is proven to be far more infectious for individuals who have received just one or two doses of the vaccines.

Floridas Democrats have seized on the health crisis to criticize DeSantis for aligning himself with anti-vaccination backwardness but have gone no further than promoting mitigation measures like mask mandates.

Representative Charlie Crist, a Democratic frontrunner for the governors race next year, posted a comment on Twitter writing: What @GovRonDeSantis wont tell you is that the booster shot is effective against the omicron variant. Ron is once again SOFT on COVID and its costing lives. Not one Democrat, however, has called for lockdowns, closing non-essential production and schools, in addition to other stringent health precautions like contact tracing and mass testing to stop the transmission of COVID-19, end the pandemic and eliminate the virus.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran delivered a joint press conference yesterday evening in response to skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in France and internationally, propelled by the Omicron variant. They made clear that despite the record and rapidly rising case numbers, the Macron governments policy of rejecting lockdowns and social distancing measures would be maintained.

The seven-day average of coronavirus cases is now at over 70,000, almost 50 percent higher than the previous high in November 2020. More than 104,000 cases were recorded on Christmas Day, equivalent to approximately half a million cases in the United States in a single day. More than 16,000 people are currently hospitalised, 3,299 of them in intensive care. The Pasteur Institute has warned that at current trends, hospitalisations will reach 1,000 per day by the beginning of January, with more than 250 new intensive care patients a day.

Castex and Veran themselves described a situation of the utmost urgency and danger. What we have observed for the past three weeks, notably in Britain and Denmark, justifies at once prudence and vigilance, said Castex. If we do not yet see at this stage the same hospital levels tied to Omicron, the strong contagiousness, the speed at which it propagates, must lead us beyond promotion of vaccination.

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

We are faced with two simultaneous waves, said Veran. Omicron is circulating so quickly that, unlike the previous variants, we do not have enough delay in relation to the countries that have been hit before us to have a full understanding of the impact of the variant. The variant is spreading travelling the entire planet. Spain and Italy, which were relatively spared by the Delta variant, are experiencing epidemic spikes dwarfing what they have seen since the beginning of the pandemic.

Veran added that an unknown is: Can Omicron be stopped by completely classic measures, such as those that have been put in place in our country so far? To this point, Denmark which has put in place some measures, has not recorded a breaking impact on the epidemiological dynamic because Omicron is so contagious that besides a completely general lockdown, nothing seems capable of blocking its path.

In other words, the government openly states that only a lockdown policy, similar to that adopted in March 2020, involving the closure of schools and non-essential production, would be able to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Yet it has rejected these measures out of hand.

In fact, the governments announcements involve a significant loosening of restrictions. Predicting an explosion of cases, it is reducing or eliminating the period of mandatory isolation for positive and contact cases. We are going to adjust our doctrine on the period of isolation, Castex stated. We will fix these new rules by the end of the week. According to FranceInfo, contact cases will have no period of mandatory isolation if they are fully vaccinated, compared to seven days at present, despite the fact that they can catch and transmit the disease. Positive cases will reportedly be required to isolate for seven days, not 10.

Castex announced only that indoor gatherings would be limited to 2,000 people, that patrons in bars and cafes must be seated and not standing, and that where it is possible employees are to switch to working from home for three days per week. Masks are to be made mandatory outdoors in larger cities.

Castex and Veran presented the response to the coronavirus as almost exclusively based on the expansion of third booster vaccine doses throughout the population. The health pass, which previously could be satisfied by a negative test, will now only be satisfied by a complete vaccination schedule. Vaccines are also being extended to children aged 512.

Even if it were the case that vaccination provided a guarantee to not catch and transmit the virus (which it does not), the governments own timeline makes clear that its policy is predicated on an unprecedented surge of cases and mass death. More than 20 percent of the population is currently totally unvaccinated, while only just over 22 million people have received a third booster dose, less than one-third of the French population. It is established that two vaccine doses provide insufficient protection against the Omicron variant.

Moreover, a policy of vaccination alone is incapable of preventing the continued spread of the virus and the flooding and breakdown of hospital systems and deaths on a mass scale.

The governments focus on vaccination is driven solely by corporate profit interests. Shutting down of non-essential production and switching to online learning are rejected because these measures would involve a reduction in corporate profits.

That is why Veran announced that the government would not postpone the reopening of schools after the Christmas break, despite a skyrocketing of cases among children, with more than 190 currently hospitalised and 35 in intensive care. While the incidence rate nationally is at almost 700, it is at more than 900 among children.

His comments were aimed at cutting across growing calls from medical professionals for the closure of schools to protect children and prevent schools from functioning as transmission vectors for the pandemic. On Sunday, the Journal du Dimanche published an open letter by more than 50 medical professionals demanding the postponing of the school reopening.

Since the beginning of November, they write, more than 300,000 children and adolescents have tested positive to COVID-19. The hospitalisation of children in regular and intensive care have surpassed the peaks of all the precedent waves, with more than 800 children under 10 and 300 adolescents from 1019 hospitalised in six weeks, and these figures continue to rise.

We are anticipating an unprecedented wave in the weeks to come with incoming patients of children hit by multisystem inflammatory syndrome, and other consequences tied, in certain cases, to Long COVID.

They noted that recent studies showed that the virus circulates more in school establishments, in primary as in secondary, than in the community over the same period, showing that contacts in schools increase the potential transmission of the virus for the community. In numerous departments, the epidemic acceleration clearly began in the autumn with clusters in school settings. One of the first clusters of the Omicron variant was in a school setting We note a suffocation of pediatric hospital services, a marked tension in hospitals and an increase in cases in city medical clinics.

The Macron government is determined to proceed with a policy of mass infection and social murder in order to protect the interests of the corporate and financial elite. The working class must intervene independently and fight for a scientific response to the pandemic, for the international elimination of COVID-19. Schools and non-essential production should be temporarily closed, with full payments provided to workers and small businesses impacted, and massive resources allocated to online learning so that every child has a comfortable environment in which to learn, while vaccines can be provided freely to all of humanity.

The development of such a policy requires a political struggle to organize the working class independently of the union bureaucracies and establishment parties, in a struggle for socialism against the subordination of the lives of billions of people on an international scale to the profit interests of a tiny financial elite.
As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens around the world, Japan appears to be enjoying a respite. Appearances, however, are deceptive. In fact, Tokyos policy towards the pandemic is preparing a new wave of infections as the first cases of community transmission of the highly infectious Omicron variant are recorded.

A nurse protests being sent to the Tokyo Olympics holding a sign that says: We are not expendable pawns. (Source: Twitter/Irouren)

Throughout the course of the pandemic, more than 1.7 million people have been infected and more than 18,300 people have died in Japan. Infections reached a peak of more than 20,000 a day in August but have since plunged. On Sunday the number of new infections was just 263 across Japan. The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients was 38, up by one from the previous day. No deaths were reported.

Scientists are investigating various hypotheses to explain the sharp drop in cases and deaths. However, as Taro Yamamoto, professor of global health at Nagasaki Universitys Institute of Tropical Medicine, told the Washington Post, Honestly, we do not know the exact reason behind the sudden drop in COVID deaths in Japan.

Part of the explanation lies in the limited character of testing and contact tracing in Japan. Michinori Kohara, a researcher at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, published a study last month on underreported and asymptomatic positive cases. He told the Post that the official figures probably only recorded a quarter to one tenth of the actual number of cases up until recently when testing became more widely available.

Another factor was the response of ordinary people to the very high numbers of infections following the Summer Olympics when case numbers hit a record high of 26,184 on August 22 and the hospitals were overwhelmed. The crisis led to widespread support for social distancing and mask wearing.

Medical professor Yoshiaki Katsuda told News Post Seven, There has been a decrease in people visiting high-risk areas with a history of breakouts like the mall. The percentage of those vaccinated increased. And air ventilation efforts have been enforced. All of these factors could have led to the decrease in case numbers.

Opinion polls reveal that people are taking precautions. In a poll reported on December 20, FNN Prime Online news revealed that 87.4 percent of respondents expressed concern about another wave of COVID-19 and nearly 80 percent stated they would avoid traveling or visiting family during the holiday season due to the new Omicron variant threat.

Nearly 80 percent of the population intended to receive the third dose of the vaccine. At this stage, however, less than 1 percent of the population has received a booster shot.

Large COVID-19 outbreaks are continuing. The Okinawa prefectural government stated on December 22 that over 223 people tested positive during an eight-day period at Camp Hansen, a United States Marine Corps base. This includes five confirmed cases, including two Japanese workers, of the Omicron variant. An employee at another US base, Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa, also tested positive for the Omicron variant. Dozens of factory workers in Ota, Gunma Prefecture have also tested positive for the virus in December.

As of December 23, there are over 200 confirmed infection cases of the Omicron variant throughout Japan, including two workers at Kansai Airports quarantine facility. Four cases of Omicron infection have been reported in Osaka, a prefecture that was the epicenter of Japans fourth wave of COVID-19 infection in May, resulting in a devastating healthcare crisis. This includes a school teacher, a woman in her 30s and a child under ten, all of whom were hospitalized. In addition, untraceable Omicron infections have been discovered in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

Professor of infectious disease Kazuhiro Tateda at Toho University warned in an interview with national broadcaster NHK, Considering that there will be increased interaction and gatherings with the holiday season and the decreased efficacy of the vaccine with more than six months after the vaccines were administered, there are minimal factors that would reduce the infection.

According to research by the Nagoya Institute of Technology, it is estimated that daily infections will rise to 3,000 by the end of January 2022 and more than 3,700 cases by mid-February.

Koji Wada, a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare and member of the governments COVID response panel, told the Japan Times, The central government remains focused on protecting the border but it needs to shift to a different response under the assumption that the [Omicron] variant will spread domestically. But, he added rather ominously, that shift has not been made yet.

In response to reports of the Omicron variant, the Japanese government has shut its borders. On November 27, it imposed an entry ban on people coming from six countries including South Africa. It then extended the ban to three more African nations the following day before expanding the restrictions to include all foreigners on November 30.

The border controls have been bound up with attempts by the ruling class to paint the pandemic as a foreign problem. In June last year, then Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso declared that the Japanese mindo protected the population from COVID-19. The term evokes Japanese nationalism and ethnic superiority and implies that Japans cultural standards are more advanced than barbaric foreigners.

In September as the latest wave began to subside, Aso boasted, The coronavirus has been resolved in some way or another, and the international communitys evaluation [of Japan] is extremely high. His comments are part of the governments efforts to lull the population into a false sense of security and to herd people back to work so as to boost profits for big business.

While the government last week revised its growth estimate for the 2022 fiscal year upwards to 3.2 percent, the revised economic data for the third quarter this year showed the economy shrank by 3 percent on an annualized basis.
The following statement was issued in French by Quebec special-needs educator Laurent Lafrance on Friday, December 24. To get in touch with the Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (CERSC), email cersc.csppb@gmail.com.

***

As a special needs educator, I have experienced first-hand the impact of the Quebec governments disastrous policies in schools since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But what has happened in the last few daysespecially since the emergence of the Omicron variantis a total fiasco.

By keeping COVID-19-infested schools open for weeks before the holiday break, the right-wing Coalition Avenir Quebec government of the ex-corporate CEO Francois Legault has put hundreds of thousands of children and school staff at risk and facilitated the virus spread throughout the population.

Teachers at Westmount High School in Montreal demonstrated against the Quebec government's decision to reopen schools last January in the midst of the pandemic's the 2nd wave . (Photo: Robert Green)

The last-minute cancellation of the last day of school before the holidays was a desperate measure that only demonstrated the governments lack of preparedness and neglect of the health of workers and youth.

My experience, which thousands of others have shared, illustrates the authorities indifference toward our health.

For the past two weeks, cases of COVID-19 have been spreading like wildfire in schools. Last Sunday, I learned that there were two cases in the classroom where I work most of my days. The class was closed, but no one warned me. Why? Apparently because staff are not considered at risk because we wear surgical masks. This is despite the fact scientists have shown that with an airborne virus like SARS-CoV-2, these masks are utterly inadequate. So, I was ordered to be at work the next day, without even being tested.

In the end, I had to stay home the next day. Not because there were two additional cases reported in my classroom, but because my own childrens school had to close entirely after six teachers and several students tested positive. The union, which has completely abandoned workers in this pandemic and submitted to all the directives of the Legault government, informed me that my forced absence would have to be drawn from my regular sick days and no longer from the COVID ones (which have been virtually eliminated).

There is no doubt that transmission in schools has strongly contributed to the Omicron variants meteoric rise in the community. While there were about 500 cases daily in early November, Quebec recorded 5,000 new cases last Tuesday, more than 6,300 new infections on Wednesday, 9,300 on Thursday and over 10,000 on Friday. The recording of more than 10,000 daily cases Friday took place almost a week ahead of the estimates from experts that 10,000 daily infections would be recorded by early January.

According to the Quebec Ministry of Education, as of December 17, 1,555 elementary and secondary schools had at least one case of COVID-19, representing more than half of all schools in the province. At that time, there were more than 7,500 active cases in schools, the highest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. Since September, more than 20,000 students and staff have become infected.

Deaths are up, as are hospitalizations, which have jumped 80 percent in three weeks. Many hospitals, already struggling with staffing shortages and patient overload, are planning to cut back on surgeries deemed non-emergency by 50 percent. According to Dr. Gaston De Serres, medical epidemiologist at the Quebec National Institute of Public Health, the 800 beds reserved for COVID cases could be exceeded. In the meantime, test centers are overwhelmed, and public health authorities are unable to trace contacts.

While Quebec has become the epicenter of the new wave of the pandemic in Canada, the situation is similar for school staff and all workers in other provinces, including neighboring Ontario. It is only a matter of time before the entire country, as well as the entire globe, is overwhelmed by the new variant.

This situation was entirely predictable, and it was foreseen by scientists. In September, even before Omicron appeared, Public Health Canada warned that the peak of the next wave of the Delta variant would arrive in January. Instead of taking preventive measures, government officials lifted the remaining health measures, allowing the virus to circulate freely in schools and workplaces.

The current crisis is not the result of poor judgment or bad choices by policymakers, but the result of the profits before life policy adopted by all levels of governmentfederal and provincial.

In light of the urgency of the situation, the program advanced by the Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (CERSC) has taken on added significance. As we reiterated in our last statement, The only way to prevent the horrendous levels of infection and death threatened by Omicron is through the adoption of an elimination strategy, which demands the immediate shutdown of all in-person learning and nonessential production with full compensation for all workers until new cases are reduced to zero.

This strategy is scientifically possible, as demonstrated by the case of China, where the pandemic has been controlled for more than a year by rigorous testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment of cases. The improvised decision in some Canadian provinces to postpone the resumption of face-to-face classes for a week or two after the holidays is only a desperate half-measure that will prove ineffective in the long term.

Like the Biden administration in the US or Boris Johnsons government in Britain, the ruling class in Quebec and Canada is determined to reopen schools as quickly as possible so that parents can get back to work and generating profits for big business. Their chief priority is not public health, but corporate profit-making. If there are deaths, hospitalized people, Long COVID victims or other dire consequences related to the virus, so be it!

The working class, including teachers and school staff, must reject this policy of malign neglect and advance its own independent solution to the health and social crisis.

Working people must also reject the vulgar attempt to place the blame for the government fiasco on refugees. Last Monday, in a tweet reeking of racism, Labour Minister Jean Boulet urged the Trudeau government to close the Roxham Road through which irregular migrants fleeing the United States attempt to find refuge in Canada. We must all mobilize in the face of the rising number of COVID-19 cases [due to] Omicron [sic] so as not to overload our health care system! he wrote.

An elimination strategy is only possible if workers organize independently of the moribund union apparatuses. Instead of protecting us by fighting to close schools, unions are working hand in hand with the government and big business to keep schools and companies open in the midst of a pandemic. They accept that we work with inadequate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and parrot the governments liesthat schools are safe and must be kept open to insure the mental health of young people.

The unions have also greenlighted the elimination of limited measures such as ten days of COVID-related absences, which will only discourage workers from getting themselves tested for fear of using up their regular sick days. The president of my union even refused to allow workers to discuss the pandemic at a meeting on contract negotiations.

I call on all my colleagues to organize themselves into rank-and-file committees in their schools and to join the CERSC, which will support them in organizing these independent committees to impose a science-based response to the worst public health crisis in a century. I also urge you to participate fully in the World Socialist Web Sites Global Workers Inquest on the pandemic.

Governments are playing with peoples lives in a vicious cycle of lifting coronavirus restrictions, followed by minimal measures when hospitals overflow. Workers can only rely on themselves. The international working class is the most powerful social force and the only one capable of imposing a progressive solution to the COVID-19 pandemic!
On December 26, 1991, the Stalinist regime headed by Mikhail Gorbachev formally dissolved the Soviet Union. The end of the USSR and the restoration of capitalism were the culminating acts of 70 years of the Stalinist bureaucracys betrayal of the revolution whose heritage it had usurped.

Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev, second from right, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, second from left, shake hands outside the Hofdi at the start of a series of talks, Oct. 11, 1986, Reykjavik, Iceland. The other men are unidentified. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

The 30th anniversary of this event has heard a chorus from both the mainstream media and academic publications, all insistently repeating a single note: No one saw this coming. In his recently published book, Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union, Professor Vladislav M. Zubok of the London School of Economics writes: Nobody, including the most sagacious observers, could predict that the Soviet Union, which had survived the epic assault of Hitlers armies, would be defeated from within, by its internal crises and conflict.

The claims that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was unforeseen exclude any reference to the analyses of the final years of the Soviet Union by the Trotskyist movement. It was not caught up in the giddy euphoria of Gorbymania that dominated the bourgeois media and academic Sovietology following the accession of Gorbachev to the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985. The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) repeatedly warned that Gorbachevs policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) expressed the drive of the Stalinist bureaucracy to reintegrate the Soviet economy with the world market through the restoration of capitalism.

The World Socialist Web Site is publishing today an extensive collection of historical documents and statements by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) that meticulously traced the inner logic of Gorbachevs policies and warned that the imminent trajectory of Stalinism was the dissolution of the workers state.

In March 1987, the ICFI wrote in What is Happening in the USSR? Gorbachev and the Crisis of Stalinism, The shortage of technology and continuing contradictions between industry and agriculture can only be resolved through access to the world market. There are only two roads to the integration of the Soviet Union into that marketthat of Gorbachev leading towards capitalist restoration and that of the world socialist revolution.

In August of 1987, speaking on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Leon Trotsky by an agent of the Stalinist GPU, David North, national secretary of the Workers Leaguethe predecessor to the Socialist Equality Party (US)explained that in moving to restore capitalist property relations, Gorbachev does not represent the repudiation of Stalinism, but arises inexorably out of the putrefaction of the bureaucracy, which is preparing actively to renounce and reject those social conquests of the October Revolutionthe establishment of state ownership and the monopoly of foreign tradewhich it had previously not dared to attack. (Trotskyism versus Stalinism)

In 1989, North published Perestroika Versus Socialism: Stalinism and the Restoration of Capitalism in the USSR, which consisted of a series of articles published in the Workers Leagues Bulletin newspaper between March and May of that year. North demonstrated that the opening up of glasnost was not a restoration of Soviet democracy for the working class but an attempt to forge an alliance of the most privileged and politically articulate strata of Soviet society: from the managerial elite within the most prosperous sections of state industry and the farm collectives, to the technocrats, the intelligentsia, and the avaricious petty bourgeoisie, whose numerical growth and enrichment is among the principal goals of the Stalinist regime.

Perestroika, he continued, entailed the implementation of free market policies, the liquidation of the monopoly of foreign trade, and the legalization of private ownership of the means of production. It was through these measures, North argued, that the counterrevolutionary logic of the Stalinist theory of socialism in one country finds its ultimate expression in the development of a foreign policy aimed at undermining Soviet state property and reintroducing capitalism within the USSR itself.

The correctness of these insights, their formulation borne out by historical developments, is a powerful vindication of the scientific Marxist analysis of the class character of the Soviet Union and the role of the Stalinist bureaucracy developed by Leon Trotsky and elaborated by the ICFI.

The Russian working class, led by the Bolshevik Party and supported by a broad mass of peasants, took power in October 1917, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, and established the worlds first workers state. It was a transitional social form, no longer capitalist but not yet socialist.

The October Revolution was the most progressive event in human history, bringing about not only a tremendous advance in the conditions of the Soviet masses. The establishment of the first workers state in history and the overthrow of capitalism provided a powerful impulse to the struggles of the working class and oppressed masses in every part of the world. It was, however, wracked by contradictions arising from the historically rooted backwardness of Russia and the economic devastation caused by a decade of world war, revolutionary upheavals and civil war. Most fundamental, the development of socialism depended upon the extension of the revolution beyond the borders of the Soviet Union, into the advanced centers of capitalism in Western Europe.

But the failure and betrayal of revolutions in the early 1920s, most tragically in Germany in 1923, extended the isolation of the Soviet Union and deepened its contradictions. The inadequacy of production necessarily entailed inequality. In his masterful 1936 book on the nature of the Soviet Union and Stalinism, The Revolution Betrayed, Trotsky wrote,  The state assumes directly and from the very beginning a dual character: socialistic, insofar as it defends social property in the means of production; bourgeois, insofar as the distribution of lifes goods is carried out with a capitalist measure of value and all the consequences ensuing therefrom.

The bureaucracy overseeing this bourgeois distribution became a privileged caste, whose relationship to social property was entirely parasitic. Joseph Stalin emerged as the leading representative of this social layer. The workers state degenerated under the weight of the bureaucracy, which oriented the foreign policy and economic planning of the Soviet Union behind what it conceived to be its national interests.

Stalin cloaked his policies in the claim that he was building socialism in one country, spinning over the bureaucracys interests the cobwebs of nationalism, but his autarkic policies undermined ever more acutely the immense potential contained within the social relations the bureaucracy fed upon.

In service to these ends, Stalinism transformed Communist Parties internationally into the foreign policy apparatuses of the bureaucracy. It deployed a consciously counterrevolutionary strategy of instructing workers around the globe to embrace a section of the capitalist class as progressive, dressing up the diplomatic interests of the bureaucracy as the first stage of a two-stage revolution.

The slaughter of the Communist Party in China in 1927 and, most catastrophically, the rise to power of Hitler in Germany in 1933 weakened the Soviet working class and strengthened the bureaucracy. The foreign policy of the Soviet regime was determined, to an ever greater extent, by Stalins appraisal of the national interests of the bureaucracy. The defense of bureaucratic privilege drove the Kremlin into alliances with imperialism and bourgeois regimes. The formation of Popular Front alliances of Soviet-backed Communist Parties with bourgeois parties in the mid-1930s and in 1939 Stalins entry into an alliance with Hitler established the counterrevolutionary character of Stalinism.

Trotsky fought against the growth of bureaucratism from its earliest stages in 1923, opposing Stalinist nationalism with the perspective of Permanent Revolution. By 1933, when Stalins policies facilitated the rise to power of the Nazis in Germany, Trotsky reached the conclusion that the bureaucracy could not be reformed and had to be overthrown. To this end he organized the Fourth International.

In The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International (the Transitional Program) written at its founding in 1938, Trotsky argued, The USSR thus embodies terrific contradictions. But it still remains a degenerated workers state. Such is the social diagnosis. The political prognosis has an alternative character: Either the bureaucracy, becoming ever more the organ of the world bourgeoisie in the workers state, will overthrow the new forms of property and plunge the country back to capitalism; or the working class will crush the bureaucracy and open the way to socialism.

Trotskys perspective was the continuation of the program of the October Revolution, summoning the Soviet working class to a political revolution to overthrow the Stalinist bureaucracy in defense of socialist property relations and world socialist revolution. Stalin responded with lies, purges, show trials and mass murder.

Soviet historian Vadim Rogovin, in his seven-volume series Was There an Alternative?, painstakingly documented the mechanisms of repression that Stalin deployed to crush Trotskyism. Stalin systematically executed hundreds of thousands, an entire generation of revolutionaries, in what Rogovin termed political genocide. This bloody wave of murder culminated in the assassination of Trotsky himself, in exile in Coyoacan, Mexico, on August 20, 1940, by Stalinist agent Ramon Mercader.

The impact of these crimes on the cultural and intellectual life of the Soviet Union, its political climate and vitality of spirit, was incalculably devastating. The ferocity of murdera five-minute trial, a bullet to the back of the head and a bill to the next of kinhad a fascistic character to it. The bureaucracy sought simultaneously to exterminate the germ of revolution and to grind the culture of the Soviet working class down to the level of their own philistinism.

Stalin died in 1953. Three years later, Nikita Khrushchev delivered a secret speech to the 20th Congress of the CPSU, denouncing some of Stalins excesses and the cult of personality. An opportunist tendency that had broken with Trotskyism, led by Michel Pablo and Ernest Mandel, hailed these developments, claiming that Stalinism could be pressured to evolve in a progressive direction. De-Stalinization would render Trotskyism unnecessary. They abandoned the perspective of Permanent Revolution and any orientation to the worlds working class, in favor of tail-ending the Stalinist bureaucracy and pressuring it to the left.

Reality repeatedly shattered the illusions cultivated by Pabloism. Within months of his secret speech, Khrushchev sent tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution.

The International Committee of the Fourth International was founded in 1953 on the basis of the principled defense of Permanent Revolution, in opposition to these Pabloite betrayals, sharpening its insights into the nature of Stalinism. The ICFIs understanding of Permanent Revolution was deepened yet further in the struggle it waged in the early 1980s against the Pabloite tendencies in the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), the leadership of which adapted to bourgeois nationalism and opportunist politics.

The henchmen who eventually inherited Stalins mantleBrezhnev, Andropov, Gorbachev and their ilkhad no memory of October 1917. They bore the stamp of the apparatus, were marked by its unscrupulousness and mendacity, and presided over a country politically lobotomized by Stalinism. The restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union would not have been possible were it not for the political disorientation of the working class, who had been systematically deprived of knowledge of their own history and, above all, of Trotskyism.

In November 1989, in a speech at the Moscow Historical Archival Institute, David North had warned that Gorbachevs policies meant capitalist restoration and a horrifying decline in the cultural and social level of the Soviet Union. Behind the backs of the Soviet working class, the apparatchiks of Gorbachev stripped away the gains of the October Revolution, securing fortunes by exposing workers to the predations of international capitalism. The outcome for the Soviet working class was a catastrophe. Every metric of social well-being, including average life expectancy, plummeted.

The restoration of capitalism and the liquidation of the Soviet Union were the final betrayals carried out by the Stalinist bureaucracy. These crimes confirmed every urgent warning issued by Trotsky and the Fourth International.

When the red flag was lowered on December 26 and the Tsarist Russian emblem raised in its stead, the Gorbymania which had gripped the Western media and much of academia gave way to bourgeois triumphalism. Unable to foresee the restoration of capitalism, now that it had come about, they ignored its deeper causes. The Western capitalist powers celebrated the dissolution of the USSR as the beginning of a new era of capitalist democracy, freedom and progress.

The ICFI, based on the Trotskyist movements analysis of and opposition to the Stalinist betrayal of the Russian Revolution, understood that the end of the Soviet Union would not bring with it a period of peaceful capitalist development. All the contradictions of world capitalism that gave rise to the Russian Revolution not only persisted, but they would emerge ever more explosively. The central problems that confronted the working class in the 20th century would have to be resolved in the 21st.

On the basis of this perspective, the sections of the ICFI formed the Socialist Equality Parties beginning in 1995. In 1998, the ICFI launched the World Socialist Web Site, which is today without question the authoritative voice of international socialism.

The past three decades have been characterized by endless war, the growth of social inequality to historically unprecedented levels, a series of economic crises, the putrefaction of bourgeois democracy and the rise of fascism. For the past two years, a devastating pandemic has led, due to the criminal policies of the capitalist oligarchs, to the death of millions of people and is fueling a growing mood of anger and opposition in the international working class.

The perspective elaborated by the ICFI prior to, during and in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union has been vindicated. It is this perspective, rooted in the entire heritage of the Trotskyist and Marxist movement, that is the necessary foundation for the building within the working class of a political leadership that will put end to capitalism and realize, on a world scale, the program embodied in the Russian Revolution.
The Solomon Islands government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare last week announced that it was accepting Chinas offer of assistance in bolstering the countrys riot police capacity. In a statement last Thursday, the Sogavare government explained that it is mindful of the urgent need to strengthen Royal Solomon Islands Police Force capability and capacity to respond to future unrest

The government has agreed to accept the Peoples Republic of Chinas offer of riot equipment and six police liaison officers to equip and train Royal Solomon Islands Police Force with the skill sets complementing ongoing training received under existing bilateral assistance. This riot equipment that will be flown into the country includes shields, helmets, batons and other non-lethal gear that will further enhance Solomon Islands Police ability in confronting future threats.

Burning buildings in Honiaras Chinatown, November 25. (Photo: Twitter / @Nrg8000)

On November 24, anti-government forces attempted to storm the parliament and overthrow the government. When they were beaten back by riot police, they burned and looted much of the capital, Honiara, for three days, especially targeting Chinese-owned businesses.

The violence was the culmination of a US-backed anti-government campaign spearheaded by the premier of Malaita province, Daniel Suidani.

After the government switched the countrys diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China in 2019, Suidani declared, on anti-communist and Christian fundamentalist grounds, that he would not recognise the decision. The premier subsequently declared that Chinese nationals were barred from Malaita, and that Chinese investment and aid would not be permitted in the province. He insisted that he would maintain an independent foreign policy, and has since welcomed Taiwanese aid that has been unlawfully delivered to the island.

Washington rewarded these provocations with a delivery of $US25 million in so-called aid, as well as the promise of additional capital for infrastructure projects in Malaita. USAID officials and others with the Republican Party-connected International Republican Institute are active on the ground in Malaita, including providing political training to Suidanis supporters.

Suidani and his supporters are Malaitan separatists. Washingtons support for them threatens the breakup of Solomon Islands and the reignition of the 19982003 civil conflict between rival Malaitan and Guale militias that had a devastating impact on the country.

US policy in the Solomons is extraordinarily reckless. It represents a case study in imperialist realpolitikthe potential consequences of a violent breakdown of a small and impoverished country count for nothing when weighed against the prospect of undermining Chinas influence.

The Australian government deployed more than 100 soldiers and federal police to Solomon Islands last month, part of a regional intervention force requested by Sogavare. Last week most of the soldiers were withdrawn from the country, leaving around 15 troops and 40 federal police. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that the intervention force will last only weeks and is not a reprise of the 20032017 Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), the Australian-led operation that cost nearly $3 billion.

The move has triggered alarm in Australian ruling circles. Ever since World War II, Australian imperialism has regarded the South Pacific as its exclusive sphere of influence, despite this stance having no basis in international law.

Canberra has enjoyed US backing for its predatory operations in the region, based on the understanding that Australian forces would be primarily responsible for shutting out rival powers. Now Chinas growing economic and diplomatic presence is threatening to undermine this status quo.

Several foreign policy commentators both in the US and Australia have accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of undermining the drive against the Solomons government. Pressure is clearly building within the Australian foreign policy establishment for the launching of a regime change campaign aimed at removing Sogavare.

ABC News reporter Andrew Green reported that while the government has made little public comment on the Chinese riot police deployment, privately officials are fuming, fearing Beijings security assistance could pave the way for a Chinese military presence in a fragile nation right on Australias doorstop.

The Australian ran an editorial, Beijings Solomon Islands Foothold, declaring the riot police invitation disappointing and adding that few would be surprised if the half-dozen Chinese officers are soon joined by others to help train local police in the riot equipment and gain influence in the country.

The Murdoch outlet added that Sogavare is very much Beijings man, and concluded by warning: Given its port facilities, the Solomon Islands is a strategic target for Beijings expansionism.

The New Zealand foreign affairs ministry issued a statement, formally acknowledging that the Sogavare governments acceptance of Chinese aid was a sovereign decision for the government to make. This, however, was immediately followed by the declaration that we are not convinced a deployment of Chinese personnel is needed in the current context and that we are mindful of the long-standing approach of Pacific Islands Forum members in supporting each others security needs.

The last time Sogavare was in office, 20062007, he was perceived by the Australian government as a threat to RAMSI and was subjected to a protracted destabilisation campaign. Australian officials working in Canberra and Honiara waged a series of provocations, including the illegal arrest and rendition of the countrys then attorney general, Julian Moti. There is a very real danger that a similar campaign is now being prepared in the impoverished Pacific state.
Xavier Anderson, a worker at Stellantis Sterling Stamping Plant north of Detroit, died recently, according to a Facebook post by United Auto Workers Local 1264. While the cause of death was not made public, one worker confirmed to the World Socialist Web Site that Anderson died of COVID-19.

Xavier Anderson (source: UAW Local 1264 via Facebook)

The confirmed COVID-19 death toll during 2021 inside the plant now stands at five. Two other workers, Kevin Railey and Omie Smith, died earlier this month, Blair Alexander Braden in October, and skilled tradesman Mark Bruce in April. A sixth worker, Terry Garr, also died in April from an accident in the plant.

COVID-19 cases at Sterling Stamping are continuing to rise. Thirty-five infections have been confirmed in December, close to Novembers record high of 42 infections. These two months have by far the highest reported infections at the plant during the pandemic and account for more than 40 percent of total confirmed cases. This is all the more significant given that the plant has been working with a reduced workforce for much of the fall and winter.

Over 830,000 Americans have died during the coronavirus pandemic. Worldwide, the real death toll is estimated to be over 15 million. But those who died were not statistics to those who knew them but family members, friends and coworkers whose lives were tragically cut short.

Top row: Xavier Anderson, Kevin Railey, Blair Braden. Bottom row: Omie Smith, Mark Bruce, Terry Garr

This is the human cost of the disastrous pandemic policies carried out by capitalist governments in the United States and around the world, whose refusal to close down workplaces and schools or implement other critical publish health measures have allowed the virus to engulf much of the worlds population.

Last week, with the hyper-infectious Omicron variant already spreading out of control in the US, President Biden declared in a televised address that there would be no new shutdowns of schools or nonessential businesses, instead focusing his remarks on encouraging vaccinations. Biden claimed, falsely, that lockdowns were unnecessary because the country is in a better position than it was in March 2020, when limited lockdowns were carried out amid popular pressure, above all, a wave of wildcat strikes in the auto industry.

In a presentation which bore no relationship to reality, Biden claimed that the countrys hospital system was better prepared to handle a surge and claimed, falsely, that new information has demonstrated that lockdowns of schools and workplaces are unnecessary. Biden even encouraged those who are vaccinated not to cancel Christmas travel plans, even though they are not fully protected from becoming infected or transmitting the virus to others.

In fact, government figures have shown consistently that schools and workplaces are the principal vectors of transmission. While the precise extent of COVID-19 in the auto plants is not knowndue to coverups of cases and deaths by management and the UAWthe situation at Sterling Stamping is by no means unique.

At the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, at least six workers died in 2020, and unconfirmed reports from workers suggest that at least that many have died this year. At the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, the largest auto factory in Michigan with over 7,000 workers, approximately 300 are currently out for COVID-19-related issues, and a worker and her husband are believed to have recently died of COVID-19.

Lockdowns, quarantining, income support for those affected and other measures have been rejected out of hand by the capitalist ruling class as an intolerable drain on profits and share values, which have surged throughout the pandemic. Stellantis itself has reported a net revenue of $13.5 billion through three quarters and is on track to make a profit margin for the year of 10 percent, even in spite of a sharp fall in production due to the global semiconductor shortage.

Meanwhile, even as modeling predicts millions of new infections a day in the US by the end of January, remaining restraints on profit-making are being abandoned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that it was halving the isolation period for workers exposed to COVID-19 from 10 to five days, a move whose sole purpose is to prevent a labor shortage in the coming weeks as much of the country becomes infected.

An indication of the scale of the social crime being committed in the US and other developed countries is illustrated by the fact that China, a still relatively poor country, has been able to quickly identify and suppress outbreaks through a regime of targeted lockdowns, contact tracing and vaccinations. These measures have limited the human impact of COVID-19 to such an extent that since January of 2021, only two people have died in a country of 1.4 billion, according to Worldometer.

(source: WSWS Media)

In other words, Sterling Stamping, with a total workforce of 2,151, accounts for more than twice as many deaths this year as the worlds most populous country. On a per capita basis, mortality due to COVID-19 at this single auto plant is roughly 1.3 million times higher than in China.

China is a dictatorship, ruled by the venal and corrupt bureaucracy of the Chinese Communist Party. Contrary to its claims to be communist, it presides over a capitalist economy with extreme levels of inequality, with the second most dollar billionaires in the world, behind only the United States. But the Zero COVID policy which its government has pursued has been guided by the long-established and accepted science for suppressing and eliminating the coronavirus and enjoys wide support in the Chinese population.

Moreover, the furious attacks by the American corporate press on Chinas COVID-19 policies cannot disguise the fact that the dictatorship of finance capital in the United States has caused hundreds of thousands of needless deaths during the pandemic.

In comparison to China, where public health measures are still strictly observed, the piecemeal, mostly theatrical measures implemented at Sterling Stamping have been almost entirely dismantled. Even masking requirements, never seriously enforced, were until recently essentially abandoned. A phone app for self-reporting symptoms has gone increasingly unmonitored.

In China, the location and size of outbreaks are widely reported in the news and on the internet in order to facilitate testing and quarantining, and to inform as many as possible who may have been exposed. At Sterling Stamping, on the other hand, workers are not even toldneither by the UAW nor managementwhich of their coworkers have died of COVID-19. The union will not disclose whether a death was due to COVID-19 on their own, but if you ask them directly, they will usually tell you, one worker observed.

As for the Michigan state government led by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, it has stopped reporting on outbreaks in factories since Thanksgiving.

(source: WSWS Media)

Inside Sterling Stamping, a combination of factors has created an ideal scenario for the spread of COVID-19. According to notifications sent to workers and obtained by the World Socialist Web Site, four departments have accounted for roughly two-thirds of new cases since the summer.

These departments are skilled trades and hi-lo operators, mostly in the pressroom. There are no masks, PPE is not enforced; it is very loud and hearing protection is mandatory. The noise forces workers to conduct close and loud conversations without distancing, accelerating COVID-19 ... the perfect storm, a worker told the WSWS.

One worker sent photos of the entrance to the plant showing stanchion posts, formerly used to enforce social distancing measures, sitting bunched up and unused in the middle of the hallway. Weathered signs on the walls instruct workers to self-regulate. One sign even instructed workersafter they have already entered the facilityto stand near it while putting on their masks.

Stanchions at SSP

Tattered signage, broken safety promises by the company and UAW, the worker commented. Broken lives for UAW families. I believe this is criminal neglect [by] the UAW and company.

While managers and UAW officials around the country retreat to the safety of their own homes in the face of Omicron, no serious measures are offered to protect workers. Last week, management at the plant announced an extra 10-minute break the day before Christmas, and the union called for a moment of silence for the workers who have died.

Workers must draw up a balance sheet of the last two years. In announcing the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic last month, the WSWS explained, Drawing upon the research of scientists, the knowledge of public health experts and the real-world experience of working people and students, the Inquest will investigate and document the disastrous response of governments, corporations and the media to the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It will seek to expose the political and economic forces and interests that drove the policies that allowed the uncontrolled transmission of the virus and its development into a catastrophic pandemic that has killed millions worldwide.

The situation at Sterling Stamping and other auto plants must be exposed. To contact the World Socialist Web Site about conditions in your plant, email us at autoworkers@wsws.org.
As the Omicron variant of coronavirus surges exponentially and out of control, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Monday afternoon a radical change in its isolation and quarantine guidelines, not to defend the American people from this impending disaster but to preemptively capitulate to it.

Elementary school students on the first day of classes in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The CDC is cutting its recommendation of a 10-day isolation period for positive casesitself an arbitrary reduction from the 14 days recommended by epidemiologiststo five days of isolation, followed by five days of mask-wearing, for those without symptoms.

For those in contact with a positive case but not infected themselves, there was a similar cut in the recommended isolation period from 10 days to five days for those who are fully vaccinated, and to zero for those who have received booster shots.

Since asymptomatic people can be infectious for 10 days or even longer, this means that hundreds of thousandsand soon millions, given the exponential spread of Omicronwill be sent into workplaces to infect their co-workers.

Even those fully boosted have only 75 percent protection against Omicron. That means that if 60 million people who have received booster shots come into contact with a COVID-19 case and are sent back to work without even a day off, 15 million of them would be carrying the infection with them to spread.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky openly admitted that an enormous surge in Omicron cases was taking place and that it was necessary loosen quarantine and isolation rules, which would otherwise take too many people out of the economy for too long.

Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic, she told the Associated Press. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.

The reference to following the science is mere pretense. As for society functioning, this means only one thing under capitalism: maintaining the flow of profits to the capitalist class. Public health is being subordinated to corporate profit. Science is being junked to appease the howls of American business interests over the exodus of workers under the combined impact of the spread of Omicron and the perfectly justified fears of infection from the new variant.

The AP report, which cited Walenskys remarks, made no effort to disguise the economic motivation, declaring, The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant  the sheer number of people becoming infectedand therefore having to isolate or quarantinethreatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

The CDC action was announced amid reports of a nationwide increase in the contagion and a particularly ominous rise in infections and hospitalizations among children, who appear to be more affected by Omicron than by previous variants of COVID-19. In New York City, child COVID-19 hospitalizations have quadrupled over the past three weeks, rising from 22 to 109. Nationwide, child infections rose to 170,000 last week, a rise of 28 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

CDC figures showed that an average of 200 children a day were being admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, while a Washington Post analysis showed a total of 1,987 pediatric COVID-19 patients hospitalized nationally, a 31 percent jump in 10 days.

The average daily number of new cases is approaching 200,000, surpassing the worst of the summer outbreak driven by the Delta variant and approaching last winters horrific levels when, in January 2021, 3,000 people a day were dying of COVID-19 in the United States. The daily death toll last week averaged 1,408, a rise of 17 percent over the previous week, and this still largely reflects the impact of Delta, not yet the surge in Omicron. Hospitalizations, also a lagging indicator, rose to an average of 71,000.

In New York state alone, the daily case rate has reached 50,000, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday. Hochul appeared at a press conference with her health director Mary T. Bassett, who was masked and distanced because she herself is the victim of a breakthrough case of Omicron, despite being double-vaccinated and boosted.

Bassett warned, Many people continue to think that children do not become infected with COVID. This is not true. Children become infected with COVID, and some will become hospitalized.

Local and state health officials report dramatic increases in cases and hospitalizations from coast to coast. In Los Angeles County, the most populous in the country, new coronavirus cases rose from 3,052 on Tuesday, December 21; to 6,509 on Wednesday; to 8,633 on Thursday; to 9,988 on Friday; and to 11,930 on Saturday, Christmas Day.

The state of Ohio has the highest rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations, and ICUs are running out of beds, even at the Cleveland Clinic, long a national leader in medical services. Major Ohio hospitals published a joint appeal last week for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated, warning they were being inundated with new, serious infection cases, mostly among the unvaccinated.

These reports conform to the dire projection last week from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, which forecast that at its present exponential rate of transmission, the Omicron variant would infect 3 billion people worldwide in the next three months, and 140 million in the United States.

In the face of this looming emergency, the US government is effectively declaring an open door to a disease that will potentially take millions of lives and have incalculable consequences on the long-term health of millions more.

Last week, the CDC lowered the isolation requirement for health care workers from 10 days to seven days for infected workers who have no symptoms and then test negative and suggested this could be cut to five days, or even less, for health facilities with severe staffing shortagesa description that applies to virtually every hospital, clinic and nursing home.

This step was ostensibly justified by health concerns, to prevent the collapse of the health care system under the impact of the pandemic. But now even looser rules are being proposed for all business operations. There is no health consideration involved in herding factory and office workers back to their jobs while still infected or contagious. Just the opposite: Public health is being sacrificed for profit interests.

Under capitalism, a functioning society doesnt mean a society where all people are fed, clothed and housed, their children properly educated and other social needs met. Even American capitalism, the wealthiest in the world, can hardly claim to meet that standard. A functioning society means just one thing: A society in which the working class is exploited in the labor process to produce surplus value and profit for the class of capitalists.
25 years ago: Tanzania ejects hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees

The Tanzanian government followed through on a deadline of December 31, 1996 for the forced return of nearly a half million Rwandan Hutus out of refugee camps in Tanzania, where they had been living since 1994. The refugees were forced back across the border by Tanzanian soldiers in a military operation that had begun December 15.

Refugees on forced return to Rwanda

Tanzanian soldiers halted an effort by Hutu militiamen and exiled leaders of the ousted Rwandan government to move the refugees further north and east, away from the Rwandan border. It was the second mass return of refugees to Rwanda, following the November 1996 liquidation of most refugee camps in Zaire, where Hutu militias had been routed by armed Zairean Tutsis in rebellion against the government of Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko.

Rwandan government troops searched most of the returning Hutus for weapons or for evidence linking them to the massacres of the minority Tutsi population in 1994. Thousands of the returning refugees were arrested on charges relating to the 1994 events.

Officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who administered the four huge camps on Tanzanian territory, admitted that they had abandoned their longstanding policy of opposing forced repatriation of refugees and were bowing to what one senior official called the new realities in Africa. He was referring to pressure from the major imperialist powers, including the United States, to close the camps and curb expenditures on feeding and housing the refugees.

In November, more than 600,000 refugees left camps in Zaire and crossed into Rwanda after a rebellion broke the hold of the Hutu militants in the camps there.

The Benaco camp, one of the largest in the region, which once held 165,000 people, was effectively cleared out within days of the December 15 operation. Some refugees who refused to leave the camp were violently evicted by police, and many sick and elderly had to wait for transportation to the border.

50 years ago: Former Nazi officer becomes United Nations Secretary-General

On January 1, 1972, Austrian Kurt Waldheim became Secretary-General of the United Nations. He replaced U Thant of Burma, who had held the office of the UNs chief administrator since 1961. While this fact was not widely known at the time of his election as UN Secretary-General, Waldheim had been a high-ranking Nazi officer during the Second World War and complicit in some of the greatest crimes of the Wehrmacht forces.

Kurt Waldheim

Waldheim first became a supporter of the Nazi regime shortly after the German annexation of Austria, joining the National Socialist German Students Federation (NSDStB) in 1938. Not long after he joined the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, where he was promoted to the Mounted Corps. In 1941 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht army and participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union. After being wounded, he was transferred to Yugoslavia where he served as an aide to Nazi General Alexander Lohr, who was found guilty and executed in 1947 for war crimes carried out against the Yugoslav partisans and civilian population.

Waldheim was highly decorated by the Nazi regime, including being given the Zvonimir medal, an honor bestowed by the fascist Ustase regime in Croatia which collaborated with the Nazis and carried out massive extermination campaigns of its own. His name also appears on the Wehrmachts honor list of those who contributed to successful military operations.

Managing to escape arrest at the end of the war, Waldheim used his connections to join the Austrian diplomatic service. In 1956 he was appointed ambassador of Canada and then later Austrias permanent representative to the United Nations.

Waldheim held the office of UN Secretary General for 10 years. He ran for a third term in 1981 but lost. It was later, in 1985, when he ran for election as president of Austria, that more details of his Nazi past became known, and an investigation was conducted. In its final report, the commission conducting the investigation wrote:

The commission has received no knowledge of any case in which Waldheim raised an objection or protested against an injustice which he clearly would have known about or undertook any sort of countermeasure to prevent such an injustice or at least to make its implementation more difficult. On the contrary, he participated repeatedly in illegal procedures and thus facilitated their execution.

For more extensive details, the author recommends: Kurt Waldheim (1918-2007): Ex-UN chiefs Nazi past covered up

75 years ago: US and Britain merge their occupation zones of Germany

On January 2, 1947, the zones of occupied Germany controlled by Britain and the United States were formally merged, after an agreement between the governments of the two nations the previous month. The resulting entity, dubbed Bizonia, was to be economically and administratively integrated, including through the creation of a new currency.

Map of Bizonia

The formation of Bizonia effectively overturned arrangements that the Allied powers, including the Soviet Union, had set in place in the concluding stages of their war against Nazi Germany. At the Potsdam Conference of 1945, the Allied leaders had agreed that postwar Germany would be administered through the creation of separate occupation zones of France, Britain, the US and the Soviet Union. These were to oversee a protracted process supposedly aimed at demilitarization, denazification, decentralization and democratization.

Over the course of 1946, as the US and Britain turned to aggressive Cold War policies, tensions with the Soviets grew. US government representatives condemned the Soviet Union for continuing to extract agreed-upon reparations from Germany. With anti-communist propaganda, they claimed that the Soviets intended for Germany to remain impoverished while the US would support the countrys reindustrialization and prosperity.

The creation of Bizonia was angrily denounced by Soviet leaders. Basing themselves on the Stalinist program of seeking an accommodation with imperialism to advance the interests of the Soviet bureaucracy, they bitterly condemned it as a betrayal of the agreements reached at the Potsdam Conference. France initially rejected offers to merge its occupation zone with Bizonia, fearful that its own imperialist interests would be undermined by growing US influence and a unified Germany.

100 years ago: Miners revolt in South Africa

On December 28, 1921, South African gold miners in what is now Gauteng Province began a strike that became a virtual insurrection over the next few months. Known as the Rand Rebellion or the General Strike of 1922, the uprising was suppressed by military force, assassination, and judicial frame-up by the South African state.

A contemporary photograph of a South African miners demonstration, published in a bourgeois newspaper hostile to the strikers

The strike began after a drop in the price of gold on international markets caused the mine owners to cut wages for white mine workers, who were better paid than black workers. The Chamber of Mines, the employers organization, deliberately fomented racial divisions and threatened to give black workers access to jobs held by white workers. As the white miners began their strike, they made no effort to appeal to black workers. The uprising consisted overwhelmingly of white workers and the slogan for a white South Africa was widespread. Consequently, it did not attract the support of the African nationalist movement, including the African National Congress, which had been founded in 1912.

Leaders of the newly formed South African Communist Party, which had been founded based on the unity of black and white workers, played a leading role in the strike, but the party adapted to the chauvinistic sentiments of many white workers. Nevertheless, when white workers attacked black workers, the Communist Party issued leaflets with the slogan Hands off the black workers!

By early January, the entire South African mining industry and most related industries had been shut down. Because of the intransigence of the mine owners, workers began to organize paramilitary self-defense units. The government declared martial law and troops, police and armed citizens militias of the middle class were mobilized. By March 10 a full-scale insurrection took place. The workers paramilitaries seized railway stations and controlled the city of Johannesburg.

They were met with brutal force by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Jan Smuts. Aerial bombardments killed hundreds, including Communist Party leaders. Miners were forced to surrender, and thousands were taken prisoner. Four strike leaders were subsequently hanged in the repression that followed.
On Friday, New York Republican trial judge Charles Wood issued an order preventing the New York Times from publishing legal memoranda its reporters had acquired pertaining to Project Veritas, a right-wing publication which is presently suing the Times for libel.

The New York Times building in 2010 (Wikimedia Commons)

The order is an exercise in prior restraint and constitutes an extreme form of state censorship. The order requires the Times to remove references to the memos in question from its website, refrain from publishing any references to them in the future, and also orders the Times to immediately delete/destroy any copies of the documents. The documents shall not be shown, transmitted, or disseminated in any manner to any persons absent written order of this Court, the order states.

The memos in question were authored several years ago by outside counsel Benjamin Barr in response to inquiries from Project Veritas staff as to how the organization can conduct its operations without breaking the law. Project Veritas routinely publishes videos captured from hidden cameras which it heavily edits to promote right-wing conspiracy theories. The prior restraint order stems from a libel lawsuit brought by Project Veritas against the Times in 2020 after the Times called two Project Veritas videos deceptive and reported that Project Veritas has a long history of releasing manipulated or selectively edited footage. The videos in question dishonestly purported to show Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omars campaign engaging in election fraud.

Woods order drastically widens the states censorship powers by giving the government the authority to block publication of documents that could be used in ongoing or future lawsuits. Although there is no evidence that the Times acquired the legal memos in question through any illegal means, and although the memos predate the pending libel suit, Wood ruled that the First Amendment does not protect the Times because the documents in question are protected by attorney-client privilege.

The fact that documents are subject to a privilege does not vitiate the First Amendment interests. In the most famous prior restraint case of the 20th century, New York Times v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that the Nixon administration violated the First Amendment by attempting to prevent the Times and the Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers. Nixon had claimed the documents, which related to the conduct of the war in Vietnam, were subject to state secrets privilege. But Justice Hugo Black, writing for the majority, ruled, The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.

Wood, however, referenced a legal test normally used in the context of public employee free speech cases, ruling that the First Amendment only applies if the memoranda pertained to a matter that falls within the realm of public concern. He ruled that the legal memos did not: The memoranda themselves are not a matter of public concern.

Undoubtedly, every media outlet believes that anything it publishes is a matter of public concern, Woods ruling reads. The state of our nation is that roughly half the nation prioritizes interests that are vastly different than the other half. Our smart phones beep and buzz all day long with news flashes that supposedly reflect our browsing and clicking interests, and we can tune in or read the news outlet that gives us the stories and topics that we want to see. But some things are not fodder for public consideration and consumption.

The argument that the internal machinations of a far-right organization are not of public concern is preposterous. Project Veritas works with figures within the Trump administration as well as spies recruited by far-right paramilitary executive Erik Prince. It has argued that coronavirus vaccinations are dangerous and falsely promotes videos alleging the government is engaged in a cover-up of the vaccines negative side effects. Such videos have been viewed millions of times. Woods own ruling acknowledges that the public concern test includes any matters that can be fairly considered as relating to any matter of political, social or other concern to the community or is the subject of legitimate news interest.

The Times responded to Fridays order with a December 24 statement from the editorial board titled A Dangerous Court Order Against the New York Times. The statement called the order a highly unusual and astonishingly broad injunction against a news organization. The editorial board wrote:

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.

The World Socialist Web Site opposes the New York state court order against the Times, which will have a chilling effect on free speech across the country. But this does not make the New York Times a defender of free speech.

On the contrary, the Times has played a pivotal role in facilitating state censorship. The Times has never opposed the censorship of the World Socialist Web Site, despite reporting on the censorship of the site in a September 27, 2017, article by Times reporter Daisuke Wakabayashi. The Times provided cover for the Obama-Trump-Biden prosecution of Julian Assange, helping the intelligence agencies slander him as a Russian agent, a sexual criminal and an unsavory character. In a May 2019 editorial board statement ostensibly opposing the criminal charges against Assange, the Times wrote, There is much to be troubled by in Mr. Assanges methods and motives, which remain murky.

The Times published lies of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and dutifully withheld publication of evidence that the Bush administration was spying on the worlds population. Former Times editor Bill Keller said, Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity.

The predecessor of the World Socialist Web Site was itself subject to a prior restraint order. In 1979, Alan Gelfand, a member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), sued the SWP on the grounds that the organization was so thoroughly penetrated with government agents that his expulsion at the hands of those agents violated his First Amendment right to belong to a party of his choosing. District Court Judge Marianna Pfaelzer issued a prior restraint order on the WSWSs predecessor publication, the Bulletin, ordering it refrain from publishing certain details of the case. Ultimately, Pfaelzer recognized such an order was entirely without legal merit and she was forced to reverse herself.

The prior restraint order against the New York Times is an anti-democratic attack on free speech, but the Times itself is responsible for creating conditions for the state to expand its censorship powers. The Times has indicated it will appeal the decision through the state court system.
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Washington state is deepening the crisis in public education and threatening to provoke an independent movement of educators and parents to close schools in order to prevent further COVID-19 infections.

Jazlyn Collins, an elementary substitute teacher, waits in line to get the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Monday, March 15, 2021, at a Seattle Indian Health Board clinic in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Last week, as Seattle Public Schools headed into winter break, the district wrote to parents, Uncertainty at any time is challenging, but no more so than now, after the stress and anxiety of the last several weeks. It added, We are sharing this information with you now so you can be as ready as possible should your child need to switch to remote learning. Similar messages were sent to families in other districts in the state, and local press ran multiple articles on this theme.

Last Thursday, there were 5,214 official COVID-19 cases across Washington, the third-highest figure during the entire pandemic and the highest since December 7, 2020. King County reported 2,879 cases that day, more cases than has ever been recorded in the county in one day. Scientists have determined that the Omicron variant is now causing 80 percent of new cases in the Seattle area and is dominant statewide, as across the United States.

The University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) predicts that daily new cases in Washington could surpass 38,000 in February 2022, more than 20 times the current seven-day average of daily new cases.

For the week of December 1117, there were 135 COVID-19 cases recorded in Seattle schools, an increase of 69 from the week prior, the largest one-week increase since the start of the pandemic.

The districts and teachers unions uncompromising insistence on in-person learning, regardless of the rate of infection, has led to teachers and staff independently struggling for their own lives and safety.

Two weeks ago, three separate Seattle-area schools were forced to close for two days, primarily due to the pandemic but also after threats of violence directed at the school. At Cleveland High School, which experienced its largest one-week increase in COVID-19 cases among students and staff, teachers organized a wildcat sickout strike that forced the school to close.

One month before, on November 12, the Bellevue, Seattle and Kent school districts closed due to widespread staffing shortages that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Conditions in the schools were crisis-ridden before Omicron was announced. Staffing shortages, lack of funding, insufficient pay in one of the most expensive regions in the US and numerous infections of students and staff in the schools have emotionally and physically exhausted educators.

The Kent, Seattle and Bellevue Education Associations have not initiated any of the school closures or endorsed the independent actions of educators. In fact, the Bellevue Education Association seeks to normalize educators experience of dangerous and traumatizing working conditions, tweeting on December 4 a Learning for Justice Toolkit, which aids educators in the exploration of the fatigue, burnout and even the trauma they may experience when helping students who are suffering.

On November 12, the Seattle Education Association (SEA) posted nothing on its Facebook page, website or Twitter account indicating why educators were not coming to schools that day, instead claiming that the closure was caused not by SEA educators but by a statewide shortage of substitutes. The union demanded that educators do the impossible and provide COVID-safe, quality services and learning for all of our students.

In the aftermath of the horrific November 30 school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, students issued threats of violence at Cleveland, Bothell and Franklin High Schools, all of which are in the Seattle area.

Franklin High School closed December 15 after a violent threat from a student was discovered on social media. Administration closed the school on Wednesday, December 15, but Seattle Public Schools demanded that staff remain in the building as normal the next day. Teachers and staff were determined to remain safe, and closed the school by calling in sick en masse, since the source of the threat had not been identified. Educators who took part in the sickout wrote a statement that reads in part: The message was clear that it was more important to Seattle Public Schools that they can monitor the staff than it was to protect them, even when there are no students present in the building.

Tragedies such as the Oxford High School shooting are becoming ever more frequent in the US and exacerbating the deep-going crisis of public education. In 2021, there have been 222 school shootings, double the figure in 2019 and 10 times higher than a decade ago. Conditions of perpetual war, growing inequality, massive social displacement, the under-funding of schools, and now the pandemic have all contributed to the rise of school shootings.

While teachers and staff have taken the initiative to defend their lives, the unions have refused to support them. In fact, after colluding with the districts to unsafely reopen schools at the start of the semester, they have concealed the catastrophic situation faced by educators from every other section of the working class in the US and internationally.

The independent actions Washington teachers have taken to defend themselves reflect what is taking place across the US. Teachers and staff at The School at Marygrove, a public school in Detroit, engaged in a sickout December 8 to demand improved safety measures in the aftermath of the Oxford school shooting, and to stop the spread of COVID-19.

At Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia, educators organized to force the school to switch to remote learning. They did so in the immediate aftermath of the tragic death of Alayna Thach, a 17-year-old senior at the school, who died on December 13 from COVID-19. Among those who have organized in Philadelphia include members of the Pennsylvania Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, who have been pushing for the scientifically necessary return to virtual learning for over a year.

In the face of mounting opposition among educators, the Biden administration continues to make clear that all schools must remain in-person, and that no meaningful policy would be implemented to slow the spread of the virus. This is the policy that is dictated to the teachers unions, which they dutifully enforce. Unions such as the SEA and Bellevue Education Association will work with the districts and the state government to attempt to prevent remote-instruction regardless of the level of transmission of the Omicron variant.

The measures necessary for eliminating COVID-19 are well-known to scientists and have been successfully implemented in China. To stop the pandemic and save millions of lives, workers must demand such policies as the temporary shutdown of all non-essential production, fully virtual learning, mass testing, and robust contact tracing.

The coming Omicron wave is predicted to cause more cases and deaths than at any time in the history of the pandemic, but teachers and staff across the US and internationally are taking action independent of administration and the official unions in defense of human life. It is essential that these struggles become an internationally organized movement of the working class against the homicidal pandemic policies of the ruling class.

The Washington Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee has been built to coordinate the fight for remote learning, and to unite with workers in every industry. This committee must be expanded in every school, factory and office, to carry out a struggle to place human life above profits. We urge all educators, parents and students in Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest region who wish to become involved to sign up here today.
The members of the House Select Committee on Investigation started their meeting Tuesday by raising their arms and swearing an oath.

Then, they promptly voted to go into executive session, forcing reporters and a couple members of the public out of the committee room at the state Capitol.

Thus started their review of evidence gathered into Attorney General Jason Ravnsborgs fatal accident on Sept. 12, 2020, when Ravnsborg struck and killed Joe Boever near Highmore.

The nine-member committee will review the evidence and decide whether to recommend to the full House whether Ravnsborg should be impeached for his conduct. In August, the attorney general pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors related to the accident.

House Speaker Spencer Gosch takes a break following a closed-door meeting of the House Select Committee on Investigation on Dec. 28, 2021. Gosch is leading the nine-member committee to determine whether it thinks Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg should be impeached.

Seven of the nine members were at the Capitol Tuesday, including House Speaker Spencer Gosch, who had named the committee. They were joined by Rapid City lawyer Sara Frankenstein, who had been named special counsel in the proceeding. Frankenstein is a law partner to former Attorney General Marty Jackley, who has announced he will seek the office again starting with the Republican convention in June.

Tuesdays hearing was scheduled to be in executive session throughout the day. Wednesday morning is also scheduled to be in executive session, followed by an open discussion Wednesday afternoon.

Gosch told reporters during a break Tuesday that the committee was discussing the framework for a path forward. And while he has promised transparency in the process, there are some areas that need to be handled out of the public eye to ensure fairness.

Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, holds a copy of the oath that members of the House Select Committee on Investigation took on Dec. 28, 2021. The committee is reviewing whether Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg should be impeached following his fatal accident.

We will be as transparent as humanly possible, said Gosch, a Republican from Glenham.

Earlier: South Dakota House Speaker sued for keeping attorney general special session vote secret

Nick Nemec, Boevers cousin, has been a presence throughout the ordeal. He was one of the members of the public who had to leave when the committee went into executive session. He said he was annoyed the committee went behind closed doors.

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Im not surprised, he said. Its standard operating procedure for South Dakota government.

More: South Dakota senator defies House Speaker, releases Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg impeachment petitions

Nemec said he hoped to testify before the committee. There are a number of items about the accident that have never been public. His cousins right leg was amputated from the impact of Ravnsborgs car, showing that the attorney general was driving at a high rate of speed when he hit Boever on the shoulder of Highway 14.

Members of the House Select Committee on Investigation take their oath on Dec. 28, 2021: From left is Rep. Ryan Cwach D-Yankton Special Counsel Sara Frankenstein, House Speaker Spencer Gosch, Rep. Mike Stevens R-Yankton and Rep. Jon Hansen R-Dell Rapids.

That it was Boevers right leg also is evidence that Boever was walking into traffic, which is required of pedestrians by state law. Boever, 55, was also carrying a flashlight that was on and laying in the ditch after the accident, and he said Boevers body was only two feet from the side of the road.

Nemec also said that Ravnsborgs conduct after the accident should also be considered impeachable.

He has shown no contrition, no remorse for his actions, Nemec said.

Following the conclusion of his criminal trial in August, Ravnsborg settled a civil case brought by Boevers wife.

This is a developing story. Stay with ArgusLeader.com for more on this story.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota attorney general Jason Ravnsborg impeachment work starts
Millions of people in the U.S. were subject to airport chaos over the past weekend while trying to travel home after visiting loved ones for Christmas. As if busy airports weren't already hectic enough, thousands of flights have been delayed and canceled in the past five dayspresenting a new nightmare for travelers. As these delays and cancellations continue, many travel experts say it's not clear when things will get better. But some airlines are facing worse problems than others. Read on to find out which major U.S. air carrier is dealing with the most flight cancellations right now.

RELATED: Never Do This When Your Flight Is Canceled, Travel Expert Warns.

Thousands of flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve.

A surge of recent flight cancellations has stretched from Christmas Eve into the new week. Globally, airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas, according to CNN. The news outlet said that more than 1,200 U.S. flights were canceled on Dec. 26.

And according to Bloomberg, about 1,160 U.S. flights were canceled just as of midday on Dec. 27, while more than 2,800 nationwide flights had been canceled over the weekend. Furthermore, 1,065 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. had already been canceled by midday on Dec. 28, per data from Flight Aware.

But Alaska Airlines has canceled the most flights recently.

While flight cancellations are affecting pretty every major U.S. airline at the moment, one stands above the rest. Data from FlightAware shows that Alaska Airlines had to cancel 144 flights on Dec. 27 and 103 so far on Dec. 28, which accounts for 21 and 28 percent of its total schedule, respectively. This has made it the hardest hit airline, according to Bloomberg.

The news outlet reported that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the airport hub for Alaska Air Group, Inc. which operates Alaska Airlines, has been heavily affected by snowfall and some of the region's coldest temperatures in years. And while Alaska Airlines had previously said it was struggling with crew members calling out sick for COVID, it said this was not a factor in its most recent flight cancellations, per Newsweek.

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"Snow and wintry conditions are creating a bit of a bah-humbug for our operations to and from Seattle. To adjust for the difficult weather conditions and impacts at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, we've had to cancel some of our flights," a spokesperson for the airline told Fox Business. "We apologize for any potential flight delays and cancellations that could take place due to the weather. We realize it's incredibly frustrating when travel doesn't go as planned."

RELATED: For more travel news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Many airlines have been hit by the recent surge of cancellations.

While Alaska Airlines has been hit the hardest, it's certainly not alone. On Dec. 27, American Airlines had to scrap 3 percent of its flights, while Delta expected to have around 200 mainline and regional flights canceled, according to Bloomberg. But in contrast to Alaska, many of these airlines have pointed to COVID as one of the main factors in recent flight cancellations. United Airlines said about 2.9 percent of its scheduled flights were canceled on Dec. 27 due to Omicron-related staffing issues.

"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," a spokesperson for JetBlue told Fox Business. "The health and safety of our crewmembers and customers remains our top priority as we work through this pandemic, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that these schedule changes bring during the holidays."

Experts say new CDC guidance might help mitigate flight cancellations.

With the Omicron variant surging across the U.S., it might feel as if COVID-related flight cancellations are unlikely to improve. But some flight experts say new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could help soon. Major U.S. airline CEOs recently urged the agency to shorten the isolation period for fully vaccinated individuals who contract asymptomatic cases of COVID so that they could reduce the number of crew members unable to work.

"Swift and safe adjustments by the CDC would alleviate at least some of the staffing pressures and set up airlines to help millions of travelers returning from their holidays," Derek Dombrowski, a JetBlue spokesman, told The New York Times.

And on Dec. 27, the CDC did just that. The agency has now reduced its recommendation on the isolation period of people with asymptomatic COVID breakthrough infections from 10 days to five days. "The new CDC guidelines should be helpful to airlines and travelers," aviation expert Henry Harteveldt told ABC News. "The shorter isolation time will allow asymptomatic employees to return to work sooner, increasing the number of crew members available to work, and reducing the risk that flights will have to be canceled."

Delta Air Lines, which was one of the first in the U.S. to ask the CDC to revise their isolation guidelines, told ABC News that it is already working to implement the new guidance. "The updated guidance allows more flexibility for Delta to schedule crews and employees to support a busy holiday travel season and a sustained return to travel by customers," the airline said in a statement.

RELATED: Delta Air Lines Is Cutting These Flights for the Next Two Months.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 29: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting with his COVID-19 response team, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Anthony Fauci (R), Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, at the White House on November 29, 2021, in Washington, DC.

One of the most pressing issues that the United States faces in 2022 is voting rights. Republicans have unveiled maps that squarely put elections in their favor in places like Ohio. If thats not enough, an avalanche of anti-voting rights legislation have hit places like Lincoln County, Georgia. Many have been shouting from the rooftops about this issue, but its the people at the top need to echo their sentiments.

Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took to the airways this past week to give the battle for voting rights a national forum. In an interview with ABC World News Tonight, anchor David Muir asked President Biden about making changes to rules in the Senate to move voting rights legislation through.



Read more

Are you prepared to support fundamental changes in the Senate rules to get this done? Muir asked Biden on Wednesday during a sit-down interview at the White House. Yes, Biden replied. What does that mean? Muir asked. That means whatever it takes, the president said.

However, theres something to the tail end of that. Muir asked about a special carveout of the filibuster, and President Biden noted yes if its the last resort.

I dont think we may have to go that far, the president said, but I would be if thats, if its  the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed and not getting passed is the filibuster, I support making the exception of voting rights for the filibuster.

Well, President, we are in the last resort scenario. You will not get 60 votes. Senate Republicans will never vote to approve it, and Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have opposed doing away with the filibuster. So, the only way forward is a carveout if you dont do away with the whole thing.

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Sunday, on CBS News Face the Nation, Vice President Harris stated that democracy itself would be at risk if voting rights legislation werent passed in the U.S.



From USA Today:

We have been a role model saying, You can see this and aspire to this and reject autocracies and autocratic leadership, Harris said. Right now, were about to take ourselves off the map as a role model if we let people destroy one of the most important pillars of a democracy, which is free and fair elections.

Vice President Harris also conceded that this issue might not be at the forefront of peoples attention at the moment. Nevertheless, its an urgent matter.

Given the daily grind that people are facing, this may not feel like an immediate or urgent matter, when in fact it is, the vice president said. And the more we have the opportunity to talk about it, the more I think people will see, Yeah, I dont want an America of the future for my kids to be in an America where we  are suppressing the right of the American people to vote.

Listen. Indeed, people are rightfully worried about another surge of COVID, lack of testing, and the instability that sickness will bring. But, they also can focus on different things at one time. A record amount of people voted during the 2020 election where there were no vaccines available. Most in part because things like mail-in voting were widely available. We dont know how the pandemic will look in the fall when midterms come around. There needs to be options and protections for everyone to get a fair shot in choosing the candidate they think best serves them.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Pablo Carlos Budassi, Getty

About a year ago, a team of astronomers working in Hawaii glimpsed something in the night sky. A four-minute-long flash of light.

Depending on who you ask, that flash was either a powerful explosion from 13.4 billion years agoa virtual snapshot of the universe as it existed just 400 million years after its formationor a reflection from a hunk of space junk lazily looping around Earth. Scientific treasureor garbage.

Despite a year of heated debate and a flurry of studies, its possible we may never know what caused this mysterious flash, dubbed GN-z11-flash for the faraway galaxy where it may have originated. But this is high-stakes astronomyeither a landmark, career-defining discovery, or the type of embarrassment people spend their whole lives trying to avoid.

As astronomers stretch the limits of technology and scholarship to peer farther and farther into space, they run into more and more obstacles. Our telescopes arent good enough. Our computers are too slow. Our data is too thin. Distant observations are so delicate and shrouded in uncertainty that a passing piece of space garbage can spoil everything.

Back in 2017, a team of astronomers led by Linhua Jiang, from Chinas Peking University, was peering through the Keck I telescope in Hawaii, observing GN-z11. They were using an infrared spectrometer attached to the telescope, expecting to scrutinize the galaxywhich at 13.4 billion light-years away is the oldest and most distant object humanity has ever observedfor clues about the early history of the universe. GN-z11 like many very old, very faraway galaxies is only visible in infrared.

They didnt expect to witness an explosion. But if you believe the teams subsequent analysis, thats exactly what happened. For 245 seconds, Keck I registered what appeared to be a possible gamma-ray burst from the universes infancy.

Observing a 13.4 billion-year-old gamma-ray burst, or GRB, would be a profound stroke of luck with equally profound implications for the study of, well, everything. GRBs and their associated emission can be used to probe the star-formation and reionization history in the era of cosmic dawn, Jiang and his team wrote in their initial paper, which appeared in the science journal Nature Astronomy in December 2020.

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Reionization refers to the eons half a billion years after the Big Bang when the hydrogen making up most of the atoms in the universe ionized and murky space became transparent. Its a mysterious erathe first eons of light following a period of hundreds of millions of years during which space was swirling with opaque gases.

Witnessing an explosion from that timeframe would be a scientific coup. This means that gamma-ray bursts can be efficiently produced at a very early time, Jiang told The Daily Beast. In other words, the explosions we associate with the deaths of stars, and the creation of black holes, started happening really early. If gamma rays were bursting as long ago as 13.4 billion years, it means the universeits structure and galaxy-forming mechanismsevolved fast into what we see around us today.

But other astronomers werent convinced Jiang and his team had seen anything remotely interesting. The odds of glimpsing a gamma-ray burst 13.4 billion light years away are infinitesimally slim, a team led by Micha Michaowski, an astronomer at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland, explained in Nature Astronomy in October.

In astronomy, a redshift is the change in a faraway galaxys infrared signature that helps us to determine its age. GN-z11 naturally has a very high redshift, which suggests its ancient. But astronomers havent confirmed any other galaxies remotely this old. The next oldest, galaxy EGSY8p7, has a redshift of 8.7, meaning its probably hundreds of millions of years younger than GN-z11.

U.S. and Chinese Astronomers Are Teaming Up to Hunt for Alien Lights

Astronomers would need to find a lot more galaxies in GN-z11s age range and spend a lot more time pointing telescopes at them in order to be sure what a gamma-ray burst from these old galaxies even looks like, Michalkowski and his team noted. A larger sample of very high redshift galaxies is needed to detect such distant GRBs.

It was way, way more likely that Jiang and his team caught a reflection from the castoff Breeze-M upper stage of a 6-year-old Russian Proton rocket. We searched Space-Track, the largest publicly available database of Earth satellites and space debris for an object close to the position of GN-z11-flash at the time of observations, Michaowskis team wrote. We found the Breeze-M space debris.

This particular argument comes down, in part, to common sense, Michaowski told The Daily Beast. The conclusion is that either it was an extraordinary discovery of something we have not seen yeta gamma-ray burst at redshift 11or an obvious explanation with a well-identified space debris, which we are certain went either through the field of view of the Keck telescope or just outside of it with all properties consistent with being a flash.

Everybody can pick the explanation they prefer, but I dont have doubts myself, Michaowski added. He said he considers the controversy settled.

Jiang and his team disagree. We looked into our records and found that this satellite was ruled out in our original analysis, they explained in a new paper, a preprint of which appeared online last week but has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Jiang et als calculations put the Russian rocket shell and the potential GN-z11-flash inches apart in the telescopes field of viewa distance they claimed should preclude any confusion between the rocket and a gamma-ray burst from the distant galaxy. Besides, they added, the rockets reflection was much fainter than what was needed to produce the flash.

The yearlong back-and-forth, which included two other major criticisms of the Jiang teams conclusions, has so far ended in impasse, with no resolution in sight. We will never know the true nature of this flash, Jiang said.

If we had a lot of good data on confirmed gamma-ray bursts from billions of light-years away, we might be able to compare them to the GN-z11-flash and see if they match. Jiang said he looked and couldnt find anything to form a comparison. I spent lots of time searching, he explained. Unfortunately we didnt get such data.

That could change in the future. Better telescopessuch as NASAs new James Webb Space Telescope, launched on Dec. 25 as a Christmas treatcombined with very powerful computers could help us spot and categorize faraway explosions. With time, luck and new technology, we might eventually be able to reassess the GN-z11-flash.

But Bing Zhang, a University of Nevada astronomer and a member of Jiangs team, is urging patience. A lot of it. One needs very powerful telescopes to continuously monitor many distant but faint galaxies to constrain the event rate of GN-z11-flash-like events, he told The Daily Beast.

Its possible that, a year ago, astronomers caught a fleeting glimpse of the universes infancy. Its also possible they caught a fleeting glimpse of Russian space trash. For the foreseeable future, we probably wont know which it was.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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What should you do if you suspect COVID-19 caught up to you this holiday season?

Perhaps you attended a party and have learned someone there has tested positive. Or maybe you were among the thousands of passengers who spent extra time at an airport Christmas weekend in the midst of flight cancellations and delays, and are worrying about potential exposure.

The highly contagious omicron variant accounted for more than 73 percent of new cases in the United States as of Christmas day and health experts have warned of a new resurgence in cases and hospitalizations.

Adding to the challenges, omicron appears to be resistant to antibody treatments that were effective against earlier strains and more effective at defeating vaccines currently in use, increasing the possibility of breakthrough infections among those who are vaccinated.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that data from South Africa and the United Kingdom measure 35 percent effectiveness against infection by the omicron variant of two-dose mRna vaccines such as those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. That effectiveness increases to 75 percent with a booster dose.

The vaccines also offer protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death in the event of breakthrough infections.

Although booster doses afford more protection against the new variant, as of Monday just 32 percent of the U.S. population and 33.3 percent of New Mexico adults had received the additional dose.

This "what now?" guide is based on current guidance from the CDC and the New Mexico Department of Health.

Quarantine and test

Were you in close contact with someone who tested positive? The CDC considers "close contact" to be at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period within six feet of someone who has COVID-19.

On Dec. 27, the agency announced it was shortening its recommended quarantine and isolation periods for those without symptoms, based on findings that "the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after."

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If you are not fully vaccinated and have had close contact with a positive case, the CDC recommends quarantining at home for five days starting from the last contact with that person. This means avoiding household members and, in particular, those with risk factors for more serious disease, while waiting for test results and watching for symptoms. After five days of quarantine, the CDC recommends an additional five days of consistent mask-wearing around other people.

That guidance also applies to people who completed a primary vaccination course more than six months ago (or two months following the Johnson and Johnson vaccine) but have not received a booster.

If the five-day quarantine "is not feasible," the updated CDC guidance calls for 10 days of strict mask use.

NMSU grad student Joe Bahder self-administers a nasal swab test at a new COVID-19 testing site on the New Mexico State University campus in Las Cruces on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020.

New Mexico's health department largely follows CDC guidance, but on Monday had not updated its recommendations in response to the federal changes.

For those who have completed a primary vaccination course, no quarantine period is indicated unless you are showing symptoms of illness; but consistent mask use is advised for a 10-day period.

Regardless of vaccination status, the CDC recommends getting tested five to seven days after the suspected exposure, preferably five, and masking up indoors in public. (Note: New Mexico has a mask mandate for all residents ages 2 and up for indoor public spaces in effect through Jan. 7, unless it is extended.)

If symptoms typical of COVID-19 disease develop  including fever, cough or shortness of breath  the CDC instructs you, as of Monday's advisory, to isolate yourself from others for five days beginning from the onset of symptoms and to contact your healthcare provider.

More: Omicron may resist treatments that reduce hospitalizations

Depending on the circumstances, you might be a candidate for monoclonal antibody treatments, which state health officials say have been highly effective at cutting down the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals. One such treatment in use in New Mexico, sotrovimab, reportedly remains effective against the omicron strain.

Supplies of sotrovimab are in short supply, however.

PCR vs. antigen tests

New Mexico considers lab-confirmed PCR tests as the standard for a true positive result. If you are symptomatic and get a negative result from a rapid antigen test, the DOH recommends following up with a PCR test.

Home COVID-19 Antigen self test kit Monday, December 27, 2021.

The antigen tests deliver quick results but can miss the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Additionally, antigen tests administered in the home without professional supervision may be compromised if the individual does not carefully follow the directions.

The New Mexico health department's directory of testing sites across the state is online at http://cvprovider.nmhealth.org/directory.html. President Joe Biden has promised to send a half-billion coronavirus test kits to U.S. households as well as open federal testing centers.

Although the CDC suggests the quarantine period can be shortened to seven days if a test administered five days after exposure comes back negative, the New Mexico health department states: "A negative COVID-19 test should not be used to end quarantine early."

My PCR test was positive. Now what?

The state health department features a page on its coronavirus website, http://cv.NMhealth.org, with detailed guidance for what to do if you test positive. New Mexico generally follows CDC guidance following review by the state's medical advisory team.

Luke Garcia, 6, shows off his Baby Yoda bandage after getting his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 was the first day of distributing COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 in Las Cruces.

No symptoms? Following CDC guidance, stay home and isolate yourself from others for five days starting from the day of your positive test followed by five days of wearing a mask around other people.

Got symptoms? The isolation clock begins when symptoms appeared, rather than when you got tested. Isolation is for at least 10 days from that date, plus at least 24 hours after fever has passed without medication and symptoms have improved.

Hospitalized? A 20-day isolation period applies if you were in an intensive care unit, are undergoing chemotherapy, or have been diagnosed with uncontrolled HIV virus or a severe immunocompromising condition. Additionally, as above, at least one day should have passed since fever abated without medication and symptoms have improved.

I'm negative! How about that New Year's Eve party?

You're kidding, right?

On CNN Monday, Fauci recommended smaller gatherings among people you know are fully vaccinated but discouraged larger gatherings including individuals whose vaccination status is unknown to you.

When you are talking about a New Year's Eve party  where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of the vaccination  I would recommend strongly, stay away from that this year," he said.

New Mexico offers a number of outdoor events on New Year's Eve, and it might feel safer, rather than attending an indoor party, to celebrate at an outdoor event around the state, such as the Las Cruces Chile Drop (which is back this year after being held virtually last year).

Still, large outdoor gatherings that bring you in close proximity to others can still present risks. Notably, El Nuevo Dia recently reported that a two-day concert event at an outdoor stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico earlier in December is suspected by local health officials of having led to the infections of more than 2,000 attendees. Proof of vaccination was required for admittance to the show.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Exposed to COVID-19 at a Christmas party? Here's what to do next
One day after posting a photo to commemorate the fifth anniversary of her mother Carrie Fisher's death, actress Billie Lourd shared another Instagram tribute to the Star Wars icon  this time in the form of a song.

Joined by Booksmart costar Kaitlyn Dever, and her sister Mady Dever, Lourd sings Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide," explaining in the caption how she and her mother Fisher "loved to sing. We loved Fleetwood Mac. We loved this song."

She jokingly adds, "It echoed in our living room throughout my childhood, playing slightly too loudly as she scribbled her marvelous manic musings on yellow legal pads (google them if you don't know them - they're the iPads of the past and are still pretty damn hip if you ask me)."

As she referenced in her last post, Lourd is currently in Australia filming Ticket to Paradise, a comedy starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. In the caption to her Instagram video, she says "I'm working away from home right now and one night when I was having a particularly grief-y moment ["Landslide"] came on and the lyrics spoke (well actually sang) to me more than they ever had before."

Pointing specifically to the lyric "Well I've been afraid of changing cause I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder," the American Horror Story star concludes the caption by writing "I didn't know who to be or what to do after my mom died. I was afraid of changing because I had built my life around her. Then she was gone. And I had to rebuild my life without her."

Carrie Fisher, Billie Catherine Lourd

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd arrive at the 2015 Governors Awards.

Lourd admits "it wasn't (and still isn't) easy. But time has made me bolder. I never stop missing her but I have gotten stronger with each passing year," and tells followers "if you're going through something similar, time will make you bolder too."

Related content:
Vermont reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 1,570 new cases. That's down 44.8% from the previous week's tally of 2,846 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Vermont ranked 26th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 47% from the week before, with 1,388,833 cases reported. With 0.19% of the country's population, Vermont had 0.11% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 26 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

COVID in Canada: Rising COVID case counts leads Quebec to close bars, gyms and cinemas

Christmas significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some cases and deaths that would have been reported last week might be reported in the coming week, which itself will have testing and reporting disrupted by New Year's. Consequently, week-to-week comparisons will be skewed and these numbers will be unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.

COVID testing in Vermont: Looking for antigen tests? Here's where to find them in Vermont.

COVID cases in Chittenden County

Chittenden County reported 426 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 667 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 15,062 cases and 136 deaths.

COVID cases in Addison County

Addison County reported 64 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 123 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 2,404 cases and 10 deaths.

COVID cases in Franklin County

Franklin County reported 130 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 297 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 5,007 cases and 55 deaths.

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COVID cases in Lamoille County

Lamoille County reported 46 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 107 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 2,039 cases and 11 deaths.

COVID cases in Grand Isle County

Grand Isle County reported 12 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 35 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 521 cases and three deaths.

COVID cases in Orleans County

Orleans County reported 39 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 87 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 3,778 cases and 28 deaths.

COVID cases in Vermont

Across Vermont, cases fell in 14 counties, with the best declines in Chittenden County, with 426 cases from 667 a week earlier; in Windsor County, with 97 cases from 338; and in Rutland County, with 196 cases from 368.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Vermont ranked 3rd among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 88.7% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 72.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Thursday, Vermont reported administering another 30,191 vaccine doses, including 6,092 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 32,612 vaccine doses, including 5,972 first doses. In all, Vermont reported it has administered 1,229,068 total doses.

Within Vermont, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Bennington County with 431 cases per 100,000 per week; Rutland County with 337; and Franklin County with 263. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Chittenden County, with 426 cases; Rutland County, with 196 cases; and Bennington County, with 153.

In Vermont, eight people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 20 people were reported dead.

A total of 60,265 people in Vermont have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 460 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 52,280,854 people have tested positive and 816,609 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Vermont's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Dec. 26.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Last week: 128

The week before that: 107

Four weeks ago: 122

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Last week: 99,084

The week before that: 90,677

Four weeks ago: 76,315

Hospitals in 18 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 28 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 29 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Chittenden County's COVID cases fall as COVID reporting interrupted
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.

The app industry continues to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. App Annie says global spending across iOS and Google Play is up to $135 billion in 2021, and that figure will likely be higher when its annual report, including third-party app stores in China, is released next year. Consumers also downloaded 10 billion more apps this year than in 2020, reaching nearly 140 billion in new installs, it found.

Apps arent just a way to pass idle hours  theyre also a big business. In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus. In 2020, investors poured $73 billion in capital into mobile companies  a figure that was up 27% year-over-year.

This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and suggestions about new apps and games to try, too.

Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters

This Week in Apps is taking a vacation over the holidays, so this week's update is briefer than usual!

Top Story

900+ app publishers will see their first $1 million in 2021

Image Credits: Sensor Tower

Sensor Tower is forecasting that the number of publishers set to see their first $1 million (or more) in annual net income in 2021 has nearly doubled since 2016. This year, more than 900 publishers will reach this milestone, up nearly 91% from the 475 who hit the milestone in 2016. This 900+ breaks down to 581 on iOS and 325 on Google Play, it notes.

Image Credits: Sensor TowerBroken down by category, mobile game publishers continued to account for the largest percentage of iOS apps that hit the $1 million milestone in 2021, with a 32% share of the overall total. Social networking apps followed with an 11% share, then Entertainment, Health & Fitness and Productivity apps, at 7%, 7% and 6%, respectively. On Google Play, games also led but accounted for even more of the milestone-achieving apps, with a 43% share.

Story continues

However, the figure represents a decline from last year, when 1,003 publishers hit their first net $1 million in global revenue -- a change that Sensor Tower chalks up to a normalization of consumer behavior after the pandemic drove installs up during 2020 to outsized levels. Consumers in 2021 experimented with fewer new apps than during the height of the pandemic, the report noted.

Image Credits: Sensor Tower

China's laws impact the number of available apps

The South China Morning Post this week reported on how China's big tech crackdown is playing out across the Chinese app stores. According to its findings, the number of available mobile apps has fallen 40% over the past three years as new data laws and other clean-up campaigns went into effect. By the numbers, Chinese app stores had 4.52 million apps in December 2018, but as of October 2021, that had dropped to just 2.78 million. It also noted the biggest declines took place over the course of this year, as Beijing further cracked down on big tech with its new data privacy laws.

The Netherlands orders Apple to allow dating apps to offer alternative payments

The Netherlands is the latest country looking to regulate the app stores with a new ruling, as reported by Reuters, that says Apple has violated the country's competition laws via its in-app purchase policies. However, the case in this market is unique because it's only applying to a segment of the app store -- specifically, dating apps. (Match, of course, has been a significant Apple critic and has been pushing for new payment policies both in the U.S. and abroad.) The Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) says that Apple has until January 15 to implement App Store changes. If the company fails to comply, it could be fined up to 50 million ($56.6 million), the report notes. Apple has appealed the ruling.

Weekly News

Platforms: Apple

An unconfirmed leak by a French site claims iOS 16 will not support the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus and the iPhone SE 2016.

Apple stopped signing iOS 15.1.1, meaning there will be no more downgrading options available now.

Platforms: Google

Google announced the number of users engaging with Android apps on Chrome OS devices was up 50% year-over-year in 2021 , while Chrome OS grew over 92% YoY.

Amazon finally fixed its broken Amazon Appstore on Android 12 devices, which had been preventing users from using its app -- or apps installed via its app -- for over a month.

The Google Play Store added filters that let you narrow down searches by devices, like Android TV or Wear OS.

Social

Image Credits: Insider Intelligence

A 2022 forecast notes TikTok is the world's third-largest social network, on track for 755 million monthly users next year. This estimate comes from Insider Intelligence (formerly eMarketer), which uses its own system for counting MAUs to be more consistent across companies, while also weeding out fake accounts.

TikTok will launch a delivery-only restaurant business across the U.S. in March to promote some of the most viral food dishes on its app, posted by TikTok influencers and creators. The company said it's not going into the food business itself, but is partnering with Virtual Dining Concepts and Grubhub on the TikTok Kitchen promotion.

Messaging

Image Credits: Meta

Facebook Messenger rolled out holiday features, including new AR effects from beauty influencers like Bretman Rock and Ashley Strong; plus holiday-themed word effects; a New Year's Eve chat theme; various seasonal soundmojis, backgrounds and "gift wrap" on Messenger using Facebook Pay on Android. Messenger Kids is launching a Santa chat experience and other games and AR effects.

WhatsApp is testing a new interface for voice calls and other features on iOS and Android. The site WABetaInfo spotted the new interface under development, which offers some UI tweaks and new indicators for end-to-end encryption.

Streaming & Entertainment

TikTok is being accused of violating open source licenses in its new Live Studio Windows app. The app is allegedly using code from the Open Broadcaster Software project's OBS Studio app and other open-source projects without following the licensing terms.

The Verge wants to know what happened to Spotify HiFi? The high-end version of the streaming service was supposed to roll out this year, but never did. What gives?

Government & Policy

Apple is seeking a dismissal of an India apps market antitrust case, citing its small market share in the country where the Android mobile OS is dominant.

Funding and M&A (and IPOs)

 Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app operating in India, raised $100 million in Series C funding, led by Y Combinator's Continuity Fund. With the round, the app has now more than doubled its valuation to $570 million, up from $225 million in less than two months ago.

 Rocket Companies, maker of Rocket Mortgage, acquired Truebill, a personal finance app that helps consumers manage their bills, subscriptions and budgets. The deal was for $1.275 billion, up from Truebill's final private valuation of $530 million following its last round.

 Amsterdam-based tennis and padel court booking app Playtomic raised 56 million in Series C funding led by GP Bullhound after its monthly bookings surpassed 1 million in November 2021, up nearly 3x from a year ago. The app reaches 1+ million users across 34 countries.

 Taptap Send raised $65 million in Series B funding led by Spark Capital to further grow its cross-border remittances app, which now covers 20 countries, including those in less developed markets.

 Lapse, a Dispo-like app that lets users take photos that "develop" 24 hours later, raised $11 million in seed funding led by Octopus Ventures and GV.

 Gaming company Rec Room raised $145 million in funding led by Coatue Management, for its cross-platform game that runs on mobile, PC, game consoles and VR headsets. The company has grown its user base from 2 million in March to now 37 million, and is valued at $3.5 billion.

 Spotify acquired podcast tech company Whooshkaa, which turns radio programming into on-demand podcasts. The tech will be integrated with Spotify's Megaphone.

 Vietnam-based MoMo, a super app offering money transfers, insurance, investments, donations and more, raised $200 million in Series E funding led by Mizhuo Bank. The round values the business at $2+ billion.

 Stockholm-based Voi, an app offering e-scooter and e-bike rentals, raised $115 million in Series D funding led by Raine Group and VNV Global. The company, which has scooters in 80 European cities, will next begin preparing for an IPO.

 Triller, a one-time TikTok rival turned live events app, announced plans to merge with adtech company SeaChange to take the two companies public at a ~$5 billion valuation.

 Indian e-commerce startup Snapdeal filed for an IPO, which seeks to raise $165 million. The 11-year-old company, which offers its services online and via app, competes with Amazon and Flipkart in India, and has shifted its focus in recent years to serve consumers in smaller towns and cities.

Downloads

Wombo Dream

Image Credits: Wombo

Known for an AI-powered lip-syncing app, Wombo's latest app, Dream, is tapping into AI to create art. (Read TechCrunch's review by Natasha Lomas here). To use the app, you type in what you want to create a picture of, then choose a style -- like vibrant, pastel, dark fantasy, steampunk, etc. Dream will then spend a few seconds making the finished composition -- some of which look better than others. You can repeat the process until it delivers a result you like. The app has already seen over 10 million images created by users and has been downloaded over 1 million times across iOS and Android.
Dawid Malan walks off in Melbourne after scoring a second-innings duck (Jason OBrien/PA) (PA Wire)

England equalled an unwanted record for the most Test ducks in a single year after more batting failures in the third Ashes Test against Australia in Melbourne.

Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson were the latest players to be dismissed without score in what has become a damaging habit for Joe Roots team. After four noughts in the innings and five in the match, Englands tally of ducks for the year has now increased to 54, levelling the class of 1998.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at Englands glut of ducks during 2021.

Tale of woe

Haseeb Hameed has been dismissed for ducks in successive Tests (Jason OBrien/PA) (PA Wire)

The rot has well and truly set in for England since Sam Currans first-ball dismissal against Sri Lanka in Galle in January  and Dom Besss shambolic scoreless run-out in the following over.

There was more trouble during the second innings of the second Test defeat to India at Lords in August  with Rory Burns Dominic Sibley, Sam Curran and tailender James Anderson all out for nought as England were dismissed for just 120.

It was the fourth time this year that four England batters in the same innings have been dismissed without scoring.

The same happened in the second-innings 81 all out in Ahmedabad in February, the first innings of Junes draw with New Zealand at Lords and the first innings of the India series at Trent Bridge.

The culprits

Dan Lawrence, left, and Rory Burns have frequently fallen without scoring (Mike Egerton/Tim Goode/PA)

Englands recognised batters have been largely responsible for the alarming number of ducks  in contrast to 1998, when tail-enders Alan Mullally, Andy Caddick and Phil Tufnell did their bit to inflate the figures.

This time around, opener Burns has six ducks, Robinson has pocketed five, while Haseeb Hameed Jonny Bairstow, Dan Lawrence and number 11 James Anderson all have four.

Joe Roots duck in the first Test against Australia was his first of the year and saw the captain become the 19th different England batter to fall without managing a run on the board  Malan has since made it 20.

Joe Roots duck saw the captain become the 19th different England batter to fall without managing a run on the board (Jason OBrien/PA) (PA Wire)

Sam Curran and tail-ender Stuart Broad have failed to trouble the scorers on three occasions each.

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Two each from Zak Crawley, Jos Buttler, James Bracey  in just three innings  and bowlers Jofra Archer, Wood and Leach have added to the tally.

The 1998 figures show five ducks each for Mike Atherton, Mark Butcher and Mullally, four from Caddick and three each for Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Graeme Hick, Jack Russell and Tufnell, with a dozen other batters dismissed without scoring at least once.

How they compare

Australias Scott Boland celebrates the wicket of Englands Jack Leach during the third Test (Jason OBrien/PA) (PA Wire)

England are out in front of all other Test playing nations when it comes to making ducks.

South Africas worst tally in a year is only 29, while Pakistan and Zimbabwe have each never surpassed 30.

The West Indies collectively made 44 ducks in 2000  the closest to England  with Australia in 1999 the only other team to reach 40 in a single year. Indias worst figures were 39 in 2018 and 37 in 2002.
FALL RIVER  When it comes to tourist attractions, Manhattan has its skyscrapers and theater district.

And while the much smaller Fall River is lacking in that regard, it can boast the unique distinction of being home to the house where Lizzie Borden allegedly used a hatchet in 1892 to murder her father and stepmother.

Since opening as a bed and breakfast in 1995, the circa-1845 three-story dwelling on Second Street continues to attract a steady stream of visitors who have an abiding interest in so-called dark tourism.

The Spindle City can also lay claim to its waterfront war memorial Battleship Cove maritime museum, berth to World War II-era battleship, the former USS Massachusetts  fondly referred to as Big Mamie  and recognized for comprising the single largest collection of historic naval ships in the world.

'Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity': Fall River's most unique museum has a new director

And dont forget Al Macs Diner, which was built in 1953 and continues to sling hash and pour coffee at the bottom of President Avenue in a plaza now known as Broadway Crossing.

Battleship Cove CEO expects an uptick in tourism

The nonprofit Battleship Cove, which is run by the USS Massachusetts Memorial Committee, took a financial hit in 2020 as result of the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 21,500 people paid admission to visit the Water Street maritime site in 2019 from Jan. 1 through the second weekend in July, chief financial officer Chris Nardi told The Herald News in the summer of 2020.

For the same six-month period in 2020, he said, that number fell to no more than 3,600.

Nardi also said at least 62,000 admission tickets were sold in 2019.

Battleship Cove CEO Meghan Rathbun, right, is seen here on the deck of the USS Massachusetts with Chrisanne Tyrrell, her director of strategic partnerships.

Meghan Rathbun, who took over as Battleship Coves CEO in September, said shes confident tourism at Battleship Cove  whether its touring the site or even renting part of the battleship for a party or private event  will eventually return and even surpass pre-COVID levels.

Rathbun says one bright spot during the past year has been the popularity of Nautical Nights, an overnight youth program that was reinstated after an extended hiatus in 2020.

Story continues

She said the program remains a main revenue driver for the Battleship Cove organization.

Rathbun said because of concerns over the continued threat of COVID-19, the maximum number of attendees for a Nautical Nights evening still remains at 250, as compared to 500 before the emergence of the global pandemic.

Everyone is more spread out, she said, referring to sleeping accommodations.

Fortunately, Rathbun said, theres been a steady and growing demand for the educational and fun-time sleepover.

Were booking three months out. Theres a lot of interest, which is fantastic, she said.

Rathbun said she feels fortunate to have been able to hire Sydney Valentine part-time to manage the Nautical Nights program, which she hopes will eventually become a full-time job position.

Im very gratified we were able to steal her away from Mystic, Rathbun said with a smile, referring to Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut where Valentine previously worked.

Tickets for Battleship Cove, which is open all year from Friday through Sunday, are valid for two consecutive days.

In addition to either a guided or self-guided tour of the Big Mamie and its surrounding wartime naval vessels and helicopters, ticket holders are entitled to visit the separate Maritime Museum that stays open April to September.

Exhibits in the museum building include a 28-foot model of the doomed RMS Titanic and various artifacts from the old Fall River Line that ran luxury passenger steamboats to Manhattan until 1937.

Battleship Cove, which is located on the Taunton River underneath and adjacent to the Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge, also has a well-stocked gift shop.

Pearl Harbor connection: How much do you know about Charles Braga and Pearl Harbor?

Rathbun said a Halloween childrens event held on the battleship in October was a success. And she expects a large turnout next May when Big Mamie turns 80.

Were going to have a weekend event for her birthday, she said, adding that the USS Massachusetts is one of only eight existing battleships, all of which are in the United States, with steel hulls.

Rathbun is also excited about a new tourism-friendly project to create a permanent exhibit for the Cobra and Iroquois, the museums two Vietnam war-era helicopters.

She said Battleship Cove has been awarded two grants from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to be used for the helicopter project.

These include a $25,000 grant for marketing and an $85,000 capital matching grant for construction of the exhibit.

And Rathbun is especially pleased that Battleship Cove will receive $1 million from a bill passed by the legislature and signed into law in December by Gov. Charlie Baker  to distribute $4 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act money throughout the commonwealth.

She said the funding will go a long way toward restoring the battleship and the other vessels berthed at the cove.

Lizzie Borden fan base

Lance Zaal has made some changes and alterations since buying the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum business and real estate last May for just under $1.9 million.

First of all the Richmond, Virginia, entrepreneur did an extensive overhaul of the businesss gift shop.

The shop occupies a two-story, converted barn in the parking area behind the circa-1845, three-story house where 70-year-old Andrew Jackson Borden and his second wife Abby Durfee Gray Borden, 64, were dispatched by someone with a hatchet the morning of Aug. 4, 1892.

Lizzie Borden, who was 32 at the time, was acquitted of murder at trial and lived to age 66.

Special events: How the new owners of the Lizzie Borden House will mark the murder anniversary

In addition to some extensive housecleaning inside the historic house at 230 Second St., Zaal has been offering walking ghost tours of downtown sites that were decimated by three major fires  one in which 23 factory workers died  from the mid-1800s to the early 20th century.

The ghost tours are nothing new for Zaal, who in recent years has been running an online business called U.S. Ghost Adventures. The walking tour service is available in cities throughout the country.

Jared Robinson, general manager of Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum, is seen here in the gift shop with visitors Kristie Lesleman, left, and her daughter Corie Brundage.

The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum recently hosted a two-day event featuring the mythical Krampus  a horned, Central European, folklore figure whose purpose during the Christmas season is to scare children who have misbehaved and reward them with pieces of coal.

Jared Robinson, who last July took over as general manager of the bed and breakfast and gift shop, said a total of 80 children and adults visited Krampus during those two days.

They loved it, loved it, loved it, he said.

Robinson said there are now 10 part-time tour guides who bring individuals and groups through the Borden house where overnight stays are also booked.

Its a yearly pilgrimage for some people, he said, many of who come from various parts of the country.

Kristie Lesleman of Binghamton, New York, and her daughter Corie Brundage of Boise, Idaho, came to Fall River for a tour of the famous double-murder house after first spending two nights in Salem  where 19 people were hanged in the late 1600s after being accused of engaging in witchcraft.

I guess you could call it morbid curiosity, Lesleman said.

She said she learned about the Lizzie Borden case from podcasts, books and movies.

Robinson said Zaal is working on other future plans that will be rolled out in 2022: He definitely wants to go, go, go.

Robinson said the Borden house is something of a second home to him.

He says when he was a boy his grandmother gave tours after it was turned into a bed and breakfast by then-owner Martha McGinn  whose grandfather, John, bought the property in 1948  and her partner Ronald Evans.

Robinson says his mother helped McGinn restore the house and that one of his aunts did carpentry and wallpaper work and painted some portraits of Lizzie and her sister Emma that now adorn the walls.

When I was growing up, it really was a family affair, he said.

Before becoming general manager last summer, Robinson had worked off and on for nearly 10 years at Al Macs Diner.

He said during that time he often spoke to customers from outside the New England area who told him they had made a point to visit the Fall River diner.

Robinson says during a visit to Orlando he ate in a diner where a reproduction of a publicity photo of Al Macs Diner that had run in a magazine was on the wall.

Al Macs Diner has its own following

Cliff Ponte Sr. manages Al Macs Diner and its newer counterpart Al Macs On-The-Go  both of which are owned by his son Cliff, who presides as Fall Rivers City Council president and last November lost an election bid against incumbent Mayor Paul Coogan.

Ponte said the photo to which his former employee Jared Robinson was referring  showing a group of classic 1950s cars parked in front of the diner  has also been turned into a poster.

You can see it in diners all over the country, he said.

This photo of Al Mac's Diner in Fall River has been seen in magazines and has been reproduced as a poster.

Ponte says so-called diner chasers from other states have made a point of eating at Al Macs, which was built in 1953 by a New Jersey company.

Its not unusual to get customers from New York passing through on their way to the Cape, he said.

Ponte said the states $112 million project to reconfigure and redesign Route 79 and Davol Street in front of Al Macs is itself going to be a huge tourist attraction.

Not so many decades ago the waterfront (on the west side of Route 79) was an industrial wasteland, he said.

Here at the diner we look forward to when the road becomes a boulevard. Its going to be thriving with businesses," Ponte said.

Charles Winokoor may be reached at cwinokoor@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism and subscribe to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Battleship Cove, Lizzie Borden museum Fall River expect more tourists
Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Acre

Four of the worlds five largest car manufacturers have not signed a deal to eliminate new car emissions by 2040.

The offending quartet - Volkswagen, Toyota, the Renault-Nissan alliance, and Hyundai-Kia  have not showed their support to the pledge which is to be announced at COP26 today, despite months of pressure from the UK.

By signing the agreement, the signatories have pledged to end the sale of new cars that produce emissions in leading markets by 2035, and globally by 2040.

Hundreds of city and regional authorities have signed the deal which covers a quarter of the worlds cars and is backed by manufacturers including Daimler, Ford, General Motors and Chinas BYD, as well as governments including Canada and Chile.

China, the worlds largest car market, did not sign, while the US, the second largest, was also absent from the agreement by Tuesday evening. However, individual states including California, New York and Washington backed the deal, as well as cities such as Dallas, Charleston, Atlanta and Seattle. Sao Paulo in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina have also signed the pledge.

LeasePlan, the worlds largest car leasing company, has also signed the agreement, while Uber has also joined, committing to make its entire fleet zero emission by 2030.

Ola Kallenius, Daimler chair, told the Financial Times: Each company has to make their own choice, but all the colleagues I know are all moving forwards at a very fast pace.

There are very few countries putting as much money, resources or brain power into the transformation than the German auto industry.

Mercedes-Benz has already committed to selling only electric cars by 2035 where feasible, and will only launch battery models after 2025, which means backing the deal will cost it very little.

Other automotive supporters such as Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo Cars had also already set out electric plans that fall within the timeline.

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Nigel Topping, who represents the UK on climate change at the UN, said: We are getting to the end of the internal combustion engine, the only question is when.

Juan Pablo Osornio, head of the Greenpeace delegation at COP26, said: For this announcement to have credibility all major auto manufacturing countries need to be part of it, including Germany and the US.

This week is crunch time, and its vital leaders send a signal that fossil fuels are on the way out and are no longer a viable investment.

Truck manufacturers at COP26 including Scania and fleet operators including DHL also pledged to make all new vehicles zero-emission by 2040, in a separate deal. However, despite being supported by the UK, Chile, Turkey and New Zealand, the deal has again lacked the backing of the US government.

Tanith Allen, Director, Infrastructure & Manufacturing, Sustainable Business commented:

COP has never been more visible than at this year's event and sustainability increasingly plays a part in the way many people choose to live, travel and consume. Paired with financial incentives linked to policy (such as ULEZ) and disruptive sustainability focused start-ups challenging what is industry best practice, we're expecting 2022 to be a defining year for many automotive businesses in terms of their legacy in sustainability."

Operating globally from our hubs in London, New York and Amsterdam, Acre is supporting the world's leading organisations, along with the most innovative start-ups, to build resilience, adapt and manage the risks involved with taking pragmatic action to tackle climate change. If COP26 has left you feeling inspired to address sustainability and climate change within your business, please contact us at mail@acre.comto learn more about how we can support you.

Tanith leads Acres permanent and contract hiring across Infrastructure, Packaging and Professional Services. Since joining the business, Tanith has developed Acres executive consultant platform the Acre Bench, providing flexible support to clients facing some of the most challenging materiality, strategy and responsible value chain issues in sustainability, and managed Acres contract and interim desk before taking on her current market. Her track record includes placing senior professionals within corporate sustainability with clients such as LyondellBasell, Ball Corporation, easyJet and The Crown Estate, as well as with leading industry bodies. She is an experienced project manager and holds a Masters degree from the University of St Andrews.

About Acre

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/four-out-of-five-major-carmakers-fail-to-support-cop26-emissions-pledge-856509708
This Week in Indiana History

1816 - Governor Jonathan Jennings appointed John Johnson to be Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. He and Justices James Scott and Jesse L. Holman held their first session in May of 1817. Johnson died during the court's first recess before any major decisions were made.

1916 - The John Philip Sousa band played two New Year's Eve concerts at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis. The program included many of the Sousa favorites, including "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "The Washington Post March." Earlier in his career, Sousa had been director of the Marine Band, known as "The President's Own." He directed the White House Band under five Presidents, including Indiana's Benjamin Harrison.

100 YEARS AGO

1922 - H. D. McClelland, manager of the state automobile department, announced that the new 1922 license plates would be easier to read than those from years before. This was due to the change in size of the plates and numbers embossed on the plates. Ed Jackson, Secretary of State, had selected the colors for the new issues. Letters and numbers were white on a dark blue background.

1930 - Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard died at his home on North Meridian Street in Indianapolis. A journalist, cartoonist, and humorist, his most famous creation was Abe Martin, a cracker-barrel philosopher who lived in Brown County, Indiana. Abe Martin's short, comical, and topical quips appeared daily in over 200 newspapers across the country. Will Rogers described his friend Hubbard as "America's greatest humorist."

1934 - The Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso, opened in 1885, was severely damaged by fire. In subzero temperatures, the city fire department was assisted by firemen from Gary and LaPorte as flames rose through the 168-foot tall tower. The building was repaired but the tower was not restored. (Photo by Gary Smith.)

1960 - The Ben Davis High School band presented a concert on Monument Circle in Indianapolis to raise funds to travel to Washington, D.C. The group had been invited to perform in the inaugural parade for incoming President John F. Kennedy. The goal was met. The Indianapolis Star reported that, on inauguration day, the band, "smartly uniformed in purple and white," was a big hit with the crowd.

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* * * *

HOOSIER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"If everbuddy thought before they spoke, there wouldn't be enough noise in the world t' scare a jaybird."

- - - Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

From Abe Martin's Almanack, Abe Martin Publishing Company, Indianapolis, 1909

* * * *

Indiana quick quiz

1. According to the National Weather Service, what is the coldest month in Indiana? a/ December b/ January c/ March

2. What was the original name of Santa Claus, Indiana? a/ Santa Cruz b/ Santa Fe c/ St. Louis

3. The first session of the Indiana Supreme Court took place in what city? a/ Indianapolis b/ Corydon c/ Madison

Answers

1. b; 2. b; 3. b

* * * *

Did you know?

When Santa Claus paid a visit to the office of Governor Edgar Whitcomb in 1971, he was actually Jim Yellig, from Santa Claus, Indiana. Yellig, born in the village of Mariah Hill, was one of the most famous "Santa Clauses" of all time. The official resident St. Nick in the Hoosier town of Santa Claus, he also appeared in Christmas parades in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. A charter member in the Santa Claus Hall of Fame, he played the jolly old elf for a total of 54 years. It has been said that no Santa, before or since, has had as many children visit him in person.

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hoosier History Highlights: December 26-January 1
Ten seasons in, Letterkenny still hasnt found a character it cant make fun of.

The cult favorite comedy, which returned Sunday on Hulu, thrived first as a YouTube series, then on video-streaming platform Crackle, as a quick-witted, quicker-tongued slice-of-life story of a tiny Canadian town of 5,000 people where everyone knows everything.

Its unapologetically itself, K. Trevor Wilson, the 40-year-old stand-up comedian who plays Squirrely Dan.

Its not trying to be any other show. It doesnt bend or flow with the trends. It is what it is what it is, Wilson told the Daily News.

What it is is a peek at people getting by: the hicks (farmers), the hockey players, the skids (druggies) and the natives from the reservation up the road.

At the center is Wayne (creator Jared Keeso), his sister Katy (Michelle Mylett) and two best friends, Squirrely Dan (Wilson) and Dary (Nathan Dales). For large chunks of episodes, they sit outside at their fruit stand, on wooden crates and a beach lounge chair, just talking.

Its small town life. Its this no-fs-given energy, Mylett, 32, told The News.

People roast each other. They cant take themselves too seriously because if they do, theyll get roasted even more. But at the same time, theres this unwritten code of ethics in this small community: you dont kick someone when theyre down.

Usually the villains come from outside Letterkenny  such as their French-speaking doppelgangers from Quebec who ruin a fishing trip, or Katys slimy ex-boyfriend.

Residents of Letterkenny  which is based on Keesos hometown of Listowel, Ontario  have a sense of loyalty, even when they drive each other bonkers.

Letterkenny is good-spirited. Even the cruelest jokes are well-meaning, aimed only at subjects who can not just take it but give it back just as good.

Each season, Mylett joked, Keeso and co-creator Jacob Tierney try to one-up the last with faster jokes, wordier tongue twisters, and more obscure references to the backwoods of Canada.

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The cold opens take on a Game of Thrones-themed rap, a litany of wrestling references, the worst use of the word moist and just how disgusting the urinals at the local bar are.

Some of the most confusing language of all comes from the hot dummy hockey players, Reilly (Dylan Playfair) and Jonesy (Andrew Herr).

More often than not they forget which ones which, and which girl theyre supposed to be wooing. It takes a lot of rehearsal, Herr said, tossing their ridiculous, rapid-fire slang back and forth.

On set the day after an award show several seasons ago, Herr said, he and Playfair were slower than usual, dragging the fast-paced dialogue to a halt. When they cant keep up, everyone notices.

Wilson has given up on memorizing his lines, due to Keesos tendency to change up or even throw out his own scripts just before filming. Now, he laughed, he just learns the gist of the scene and waits for the final version of his speeches.

Above all, Letterkenny just tells simple stories about the simple residents of a simple town.

You roast the ones that you love. What we do on this show, its the age-old tradition of taking the p--s and you cant take the ps out of something unless you truly care for it. But we also take the ps out of ourselves, Wilson told The News.

Thats part of the joy of it, and thats something you have to do in comedy: you have to take yourself down a few pegs before you take anything else down.


Saylor

Name: Saylor

Breed: Hound/Shepherd mix

Age: 3

Gender: Female

Color: Brown brindle and white

Meet Saylor. This beautiful brindle gal is a 3-year-old Hound/Shepherd mix who's excited to find a loving, patient forever home. Saylor came to Kitsap Humane Society all the way from Hawaii and is looking forward to living life in the Pacific Northwest. Saylor may not have spent much time living indoors before, so she has been spending time in one of our dedicated foster homes learning to adjust to the luxurious life of an indoor pup. Shy at first, Saylor has grown to love and trust her fosters. She is affectionate, loves to cuddle, and sticks by your side. A patient adopter who earns her trust will feel immensely rewarded in knowing that Saylor has chosen them to be her person. While Saylor takes time to warm up to humans, she adores other dogs. She would love a home with a dog friend to run and play with. Having another dog in her home will help Saylor bond with her new owner, learn routines, and really encourage her to blossom. While in foster, Saylor has been making great progress with house training and crate training and can't wait to build on these skills. Saylor is working on her leash manners too and will need a fenced yard to keep her safe while she learns. Saylor is a sweetheart and can't wait to build a loving relationship with her forever family. You can meet Saylor and our other adoptable animals at Kitsap Humane Society, open for walk-up appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. For more, visit www.kitsap-humane.org.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Pet of the week: Meet Saylor
Sean Green, center, a South Florida Instagram and TikTok dance star, leads a family-friendly dance session at Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach in early December.

From trending dances such as "Renegade" to "Say So," Sean's Dance Factory owner and choreographer Sean Green teaches TikTok choreography from the video app through his individualized classes to Palm Beach kids and adults.

Parents can sign up their kids, and themselves, for a private dance session with Green, who breaks down the popular moves into easy steps for anyone to learn. He has taught classes via TikTok to kids, teenagers and adults in Palm Beach, New York, Miami and London.

The idea began as a result of the pandemic

The idea began as a result of the pandemic when town resident Rachel Uchitel reached out to him about teaching her daughter TikTok dances for a week.

"I would teach her two to three dances because of how quick she catches on, Green said.

After posting the dance lesson with Uchitel and her daughter on the social media platform, Greens video went viral. He received messages asking for TikTok lessons and birthday parties.

In the Hamptons, he started teaching four students and, by the end of July of this year, he had 28. He started getting requests to teach entire families.

"Last Thanksgiving, I had family in town and we had three generations dancing with Sean. Everybody in the house, boys, girls, men, and women of all ages from five to 80," said Ann DesRuisseaux, owner of Palm Beach restaurant LeBar, whose kids participate in the classes.

Resident Emilia Pfeifler had Green host a TikTok-themed birthday party for one of her daughters after seeing his dance videos on Instagram. She describes Green's teaching style as uplifting, motivational and inspiring to kids.

"My girls and their friends think of Sean as a very cool mentor and he has a lot of positive energy," she said.

Pfeifler recalls moms who attended the birthday party wanted to participate in the dance class as well.

Sean Green leads a dance session at Rosemary Square. Green runs a West Palm Beach business called Sean's Dance Factory.

Sean Green shares his love of dance with his audience

With the 200.6K followers and 1.6 million likes on his TikTok profile, plus 14.6K followers on Instagram (@seangreensdf), Green shares his love of dance with his audience. Green believes the interest in learning TikTok dances has grown because they are easier moves and fun to do. The format of the app with videos under a minute lends itself to scrolling for a few seconds or hours.

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The app is designed for a kid, teenager or adult to be creative, follow a trend where theres lip syncing, dancing or creating your own dance. These kids are so obsessed with it, might as well make it a positive thing because its still a form of expression, he said.

When he teaches, Green's goal is to build confidence and self-esteem as well as manage anxiety and depression.

"Dancing is therapeutic. It helps students step out of their comfort zone, he said.

Green is a self-taught dancer. He remembers mimicking dances from MTV, BET and VH1 music videos in his backyard when he was just 11 years old. While attending Suncoast High School in West Palm Beach in 1994, he submitted his first audition tape to MTV for a dance contest. He and two colleagues won first place  and $25,000.

He also performed at Showtime at the Apollo in college and won first place with the dance team Strikers All Stars. Green also choreographed the pregame dance for Super Bowl XXIX in Miami, as well as worked with the Miami Heat dancers and Miami Dolphins cheerleaders. He graduated from Florida A&M in Tallahassee with a bachelor's of science education degree in 2000.

Having all that experience under my belt, never taken a class. Remember we couldnt afford dance classes, I had to dance in the backyard. There were no hip-hop schools in my time in 1994, 1995, he said.

One of Sean Green's clients describes his teaching style as uplifting and motivational.

In 2003, he was inspired to start Seans Dance Factory, his West Palm Beach dance studio that specializes in hip-hop, popping, locking and foundational dance styles. His purpose with the studio is to help kids express themselves through dance, give them something positive to do after school and keep them out of trouble.

According to Green, dance is not only therapeutic but students can make a living out of it either by becoming a dance teacher, studio owner or a professional dancer. Some of his past students include Mikey Pesante, tour dancer for Britney Spears and Rihanna, and choreographers Ben Faustino and Michelle Griffith.

"It just shows that what I did was well worth it, he said. The students that came out of Seans Dance Factory are the reason why I do what I do.

Sean Green choreographed the pregame dance for Super Bowl XXIX in Miami, and has worked with cheerleaders for the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins.

Sean's Dance Factory student Lauryn Garcia has been taking dance classes with Green since 2019.

"He finds a way to teach so that we understand the choreography and also have a great time," she said. "It's not only a studio or a place where you can go dance, but its also a family. Its a place where people support each other throughout their journey of becoming the greatest version of themselves."

Sean's Dance Factory is located at 435 6th St. in West Palm Beach.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: West Palm Beach dance studio owner Sean Green creates Tik Tok trending dance lessons
cloth face mask

Getty

With the omicron variant of COVID-19 continuing to spread at an alarming rate, some medical experts are urging everyone to reassess what masks they're choosing to wear.

"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of omicron," CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, said last week.

"We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask," she also said, referring to the standard disposable face covering available at most pharmacies and general goods stores. "You can wear a cloth mask on top of that, but do not just wear a cloth mask alone."

The call to nix cloth masks conflicts with the mask-wearing recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which encourage masks that "have two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric" for the general public.

RELATED: Moderna Booster Shot Found to Increase Antibody Levels Against Omicron Variant of COVID

Those recommendations were last updated on Oct. 25, about a month before the first cases of omicron were detected in South Africa.

Wen added that ideally, "you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask," which also is in conflict with the CDC  who still says that masks "specially labeled 'surgical' N95 respirators ... should be prioritized for healthcare personnel."

While that prioritization was recommended early on in the pandemic last year, it has "been many months since supply of N95s (has been) an issue," Wen said.

RELATED VIDEO: Doctor Says Fully Vaccinated People Are Going to Test Positive with Omicron: 'Our New Normal'

"If we're going to go as far as to say that masks are required  when we don't come from a mask-wearing culture and people don't like wearing masks  at least recommend that they wear the most effective mask," Wen said.

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Erin Bromage, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said, per CNN, that while cloth masks can filter and block large droplets from an infected person's respiratory tract, more effective masks such as N95s can filter both large droplets and smaller aerosols and particles that have been proven to transmit COVID-19.

"Unfortunately there's been so much misinformation that's come out about masking that it's become so polarized," Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, told The Atlantic in October. "People are just divided into either you're masked or you're not. And that would be like saying everything that has wheels"  including a tricycle and a jetliner  "is the same."

Other professionals in the field agree: Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech researcher who studies how viruses transmit in the air, told NPR this month that "cloth masks are not going to cut it with omicron," per CNBC.

A request for comment from the media relations department at the CDC about the most updated mask-wearing recommendations was not immediately returned to PEOPLE.

RELATED: Omicron Is Moving Fast  but a Booster Shot Offers Significant Protection from Infection

Wen also noted that various countries including Germany and Austria have "switched their standard to say that a face covering in public must be at least a medical-grade surgical mask" in certain settings.

In a separate study, the CDC did note that "the filtration effectiveness of cloth masks is generally lower than that of medical masks and respirators; however, cloth masks may provide some protection if well designed and used correctly."

Additionally, a science brief published on Dec. 6 by the CDC said that "upwards of 80 percent blockage has been achieved in human experiments, with cloth masks in some studies performing on par with surgical masks as barriers for source control."

"We need to be promoting better high-quality masks everywhere, because right now a single-layer cloth mask just isn't cutting it against omicron," said former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams Thursday on CNN's AC360. "We need more testing. We need better masking. That's how we get through this."

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
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The hotels and restaurants association Mszesz expressed dismay about the government decree published on Friday, according to which the SZEP card, invented to boost domestic tourism, can be used to buy food in shops between February 1 and May 31, 2022.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the change in a Facebook post on December 23.



Mszesz president Csaba Baldauf told website Turizmus.com that the announcement came as a complete surprise to the industry.



He said that the tax relief attached to the SZEP card last year contributed greatly to boosting domestic demand in 2020 and 2021, as well as to the survival of rural, often family-run accommodation and restaurants that have been hit hard by the epidemic.



Baldauf had expected 2022 to be a year of recovery, so he is concerned that people will prefer to spend their SZEP card benefits on food under the new regulation.



At the same time, Mszesz would maintain the preferential tax conditions for SZEP cards next year, and is asking for an exemption from paying the tourism development levy until July 30, 2022.
Germanys new federal government has to respect Hungarys sovereignty, Justice Minister Judit Varga said in an interview published by German daily Die Welt.

Varga said that although there were fundamental ideological differences between Hungarys government and the new German ruling coalition comprising the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), those differences shouldnt prevent us from working together.



Asked if the disagreements around the enforcement of rule-of-law principles and the issue of migration would have a negative effect on the two governments ties, the minister said the conflict concerning the rule of law was ideological in nature and not about specifics.



These kinds of disagreements, she said, were only a means for taking action against Hungary. We demand that the new federal government respect our sovereignty, Varga said, underlining that this included Hungarys migration and family policies as well.



She said Germany should not expand its policies to other countries, adding that it was in Germanys right to decide that it wanted to become a country of immigrants, but this doesnt apply to us.



Put to her that the infringement procedures against Hungary were not being pursued by the German government, and that the ongoing disagreements were between the Hungarian government and the European Commission, the minister said Berlin was using the issue of the rule of law as an excuse to criticise the Hungarian government, and was accusing Hungary of not respecting EU laws when it comes to migration.



She also said there was no proof to back up allegations made by Germanys Greens and Liberals that there were problems with the enforcement of the rule of law in Hungary.



Varga said Hungary had never talked about going against EU law, adding, however, that the blocs legal system needed to be adjusted to reality.





MTI Photo: Marton Monus
Your Excellency, You gave recently an ample picture about your country on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its independence. Tell us please about Your diplomatic career, that was greatly enriched by Your experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.

I have joined the diplomatic service in 2016 as Ambassador of Republic of the Moldova to Hungary, also to Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and permanent representative to the Danube Commission which headquarters in Budapest.



I arrived in Hungary with a clear objective to further strengthen the good relations between our countries even more, to boost cooperation in the fields of mutual interest. The fact that since 2020, Republic of Moldova and Hungary are bonded with a Strategic Partnership I take as an evidence of my success. P Your Ministership coincided with the hardest period of COVID-19 pandemic.



How did You tackle this unprecedented situation?

For nine months in 2020, I had the honour to serve in the capacity of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, starting my mandate in very dramatic circumstances of March 2020. The first two months of my term as Minister were marked by a full mobilisation and involvement of our entire diplomatic service in efforts to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.



First, it is about the central role of the Ministry in solving thousands of cases of Moldovan citizens stranded in difficulty abroad and in managing an unprecedented operation to repatriate our compatriots.



In fact, at the time I took office on 16 March, most European countries had already taken exceptional measures with a direct impact on restricting free movement. In just two or three days, the countries, where we have the large communities of Moldovan citizens, stopped regular flights, and the countries through which our citizens could return home by land  Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine  banned the entry of foreign nationals, suspended or severely restricted transit through its territory.



Therefore, practically overnight, thousands of Moldovan citizens found themselves stranded between borders. In these conditions, being aware of the responsibility of the diplomatic service, we had to manage thousands of humanitarian cases simultaneously and to find ad-hoc quick and practical solutions for each of them. And when such solutions could not be found at the level of the interaction of our embassies with the authorities of the respective states, I simply picked up the phone and called my counterparts asking for the assistance to unblock the created situations.



Probably, the first week was for me, but also for my colleagues in the Ministry, a real test of fire and one of the biggest challenges. Once this first phase was over, in which we had to act as firefighters, together with the Crisis Cell set up within the Ministry, we managed to lay the foundations for institutional actions and processes, establishing effective mechanisms for cooperation with national transport authorities to provide our citizens opportunities for safely home return.



This helped to reduce the agiotage, even the panic, that existed in the initial period and allowed us, for the most part, to cope with a huge wave of requests for assistance. Thus, with modest human resources, so far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has facilitated the return to Moldova of approximately 36,000 citizens by organising for this purpose over 200 repatriation missions, of which 75 by air and over 130 by land.



But even if the repatriation process was the most visible side of the ministry`s activity in that period, we have made also our contribution to mitigating the consequences of the pandemic crisis manifested itself in many other directions such as resolving deadlocks and streamlining the movement of freight carriers, ensuring special transit corridors through many states (primarily Romania, Ukraine, Hungary and Bulgaria), mobilising external humanitarian assistance bilaterally and multilaterally, addressing issues related to export restrictions on medicines and medical equipment adopted by several states, assisting our partners in repatriating their citizens from the Republic of Moldova, the constant updating of information on travel restrictions imposed by other states and, of course, the permanent interaction with our citizens and the provision of urgent consular assistance.



These exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have proved how important is the solidarity and the good relations at bilateral level. Moldovan-Hungarian cooperation is a good example of this; in the first weeks of the global pandemic, last year, Hungary was among the first countries to offer its assistance in combatting the effects of the epidemiological crisis.



What was the most challenging in Your position?

There are several aspects that I would consider challenging, I will outline two of them. First is switching to videoconferencing diplomacy".



The pandemic introduced significant corrections into our work, including well-established mechanisms of interaction on governmental level where face-to-face meetings and in-person gatherings are fundamental. We have all seen how prestigious international structures, such as the UN Security Council, the OSCE or the European institutions, started to hold their meetings exclusively by teleconference.



However, we managed well during this turbulent period to maintain a dynamic bilateral and multilateral dialogue on a high level. Of course, virtual diplomacy has some positive sides as well. It allowed more frequent and dynamic interaction with my counterparts. It is cost effective. The virtual meetings are well-focused and not too time consuming, they allow to go straight to the kinds of discussions you want to have. Still, it is important what the outcome of those meetings is.



And here I sensed that sometimes it is not the best platform for negotiation. Numerous virtual discussions were generally inconclusive. It was mostly been about exchanging views, but the question of how to move forwardhow to move into actionis much more difficult.



The second aspect that I would like to outline, was the task of quickly adapting the capacities of the Moldovan diplomatic service to respond efficiently to an unprecedented wave of requests for consular assistance, keeping, at the same time, my team safe.



From the very beginning, we have ordered the adoption of measures to protect diplomatic personnel, both in the ministry and in our diplomatic and consular missions abroad, many of which, let us not forget, were in the states where the coronavirus was very aggressive. So, we had to consider risks related to the spread of coronavirus and implement necessary protective measures to ensure safety of our personnel, as well as safety of our visitors.



Resetting the new way of working of the Ministry and adapting the communication mechanisms to the conditions of the crisis was, in itself, an additional challenge, especially because it was quite difficult to foresee how the pandemic situation will evolve.



What did You learn from this unique experience, that You could share with Your fellow diplomats?

Our mission as diplomats is to build bridges between our countries so that our people can enjoy a long-lasting mutually beneficial relation. The pandemic has demonstrated once again how interdependent we are in today's world, but also the fact that such global challenges require coordinated responses, based on international cooperation and solidarity.



Of course, international relations and diplomacy are greatly influenced by personal engagements. It is true, that the coronavirus slowed down the diplomatic process. It also fragmented diplomatic methods and introduced discontinuity in the diplomatic order. The biggest lesson learnt is that changes in response to immediate crises can create to new norms, also new opportunities.



The virtual diplomacy practiced during the pandemic induced new working trends, both complex and promising. A new hybrid diplomacy which fuses traditional face-to-face meetings with organised online participation, and ad-hoc online meetings, is emerging quickly with a new task for diplomats to find the right balance between virtual and physical diplomacy, in order to better understand the distinct stages of the diplomatic process and how to use time and expertise more efficiently.



By Anna Popper



Republished with permission of Diplomatic Magazine'
It sounds like the young man has enough to keep himself busy these days.

Good luck Mary Jo

My go-to-person at the Central Valley Ag office here in York, Mary Jo Uphoff, is down to her last week with the CVA office. She has been my contact there for work for I dont know how many years.

She is kind of the Swiss Army Knife for the office. Over the years when I have gone there, Ive found her doing any number of tasks including fixing food in the kitchen.

She is retiring this week along with her husband, Mike, who is ending his work relationship with the Cross County Schools. Mary Jo said she will be using her time off from work doing some tasks around the house. I need to get some things done, she said. That way well be ready to do more camping this next summer.

CVA is hosting a reception on Wednesday, Dec. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. to allow employees and customers to thank her for her service to the coop.

Cornerstone Bank announces promotion

The Board of Directors of Cornerstone Bank announced the promotion of the following officer of the bank at their recent meeting:
Authorities have not released a motive. Both teens attended Grabers Spanish class at Fairfield High School, where she had taught since 2012.

Moulding argued trying Goodale as an adult is the only appropriate plan because he would be released at age 18, less than 24 months, if he is tried and convicted in the juvenile court system.

This prosecuting attorney cannot fathom any combination of programming at any Iowa juvenile facility which could appropriately treat or rehabilitate the defendant if adjudicated as a juvenile, he said.

Millers attorney has made a similar request and Moulding resisted for many of the same reasons.

Miller and Goodale are being held on $1 million cash bond in juvenile detention facilities awaiting trial. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Moulding charged them as adults with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The sentence in Iowa would be life in prison for first-degree murder as an adult, although a 2016 Iowa Supreme Court ruling requires juveniles to have a chance of release when given life sentences.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
At a special meeting April 26, Minden Board of Education members approved the resolution to remove Sinsel from her seat on the board.

Sinsel pleaded not guilty to both charges and the case was dismissed in June in Kearney County Court. In August, Kearney County Attorney Melodie Bellamy refiled the same charges against Sinsel in district court. The charges were dismissed later that month.

In the lawsuit, Sinsel claims she attended but was wrongfully prevented from participating in the April 12 meeting by Widdifield and the school board members, and the resolution to remove Sinsel from the school board was both injurious to her reputation and demonstrably untrue.

Reed was appointed to replace Sinsel at a special meeting on May 27.

The lawsuit claims that the school board lacks statutory authority to unilaterally remove one of its members from their duly elected position. It also states that the board violated the open meetings act by not notifying Sinsel of the May 27 special meeting.

According to the lawsuit, the appointment of Reed to take Sinsels seat is unlawful, invalid and ineffective.
New Delhi: Serial entrepreneur Pankhuri Shrivastava, founder of a women-focused social community platform called iPankhurii and startup Grabhouse passed away on December 24 at the age of 32.

Shrivastava previously founded rental startup Grabhouse which was sold to online classifieds company Quikr in a cash and equity deal in 2016.

"Yesterday, it came as a shock to me when I found out that @pankhuri16 is no more. I remember her as a vivacious bright woman full of ideas and full of life. She was confident. That was something you noticed about her immediately," Vani Kola, founder of Kalaari Capital, tweeted on Sunday.

"Her demise is a loss for our startup ecosystem. We lost a bright and young founder, but I know her legacy will live on. It was truly a privilege to know Pankhuri," Kola posted in the tribute on US-based microblogging platform Twitter.

32-year-old serial entrepreneur is credited for creating a brand 'Pankhuri' for women members to socialise.

Kola added, "My heart reaches out to her family at this untimely tragedy."

Pankhuri graduated with an engineering degree from RGTU in Bhopal. She also taught in municipal schools in Mumbai under the fellowship programme of Teach for India.

"Deeply saddened and shocked by this sudden loss. Pankhuri was so full of life, ideas and passion and had missionary zeal. We loved having Pankhuri in our Surge family and we will miss you so dearly. Thoughts and prayers are with her family in this very difficult time," Ranjan Anandan, Managing Director of Sequoia India mentioned in a tweet.
New Delhi: Months after Sidharth Shukla's sudden demise, close friend Shehnaaz Gill was seen finally making an appearance and slowly getting back to normalcy. Her fans and friends supported the young star through thick and thin. Recently, Shehnaaz was clicked at her manager's engagement bash.

Several other stars including Hina Khan, her beau Rocky Jaiswal among others were also spotted at the party. A few inside videos of Shehnaaz dancing to the famous Zingaat song went viral. Soon after that, former Bigg Boss 13 finalist Asim Riaz posted a cryptic tweet and it looked like a sly dig at Shehnaaz.

His tweet read: Just saw few dancing clips  seriously people get over loved ones so soon Kya baat kya baat... #Newworld

Just saw few dancing clips  seriously people get over loved ones so soon

Kya baat

kya baat... #Newworld  Asim Riaz (@imrealasim) December 27, 2021

However, this wasn't liked much by Shehnaaz fans, who trolled Asim online for calling out the actress. 'SHAME ON ASIM RIAZ' trended big time on Twitter.

Sidharth Shukla's sudden demise on September 2, 2021, sent shock waves to the entire nation. He was 40.

The ocean of fan following, his family members and friends mourned Sid's sudden death.

Besides Sidharth's mother and other family members, who were the most struck with this unforeseen tragedy, it was Shehnaaz Kaur Gill, whose first appearance at his funeral left all heartbroken.

Shehnaaz, his Bigg Boss 13 fellow contestant and close friend was inconsolable and stayed throughout the last rites rituals with family. She was accompanied by brother Shehbaz Badesha.

Also, Asim Riaz along with a few others was seen at the Crematorium and looked inconsolable.

Several celebrities from the television and film industry came to offer condolences at Sidharth Shukla's residence and later at the Oshiwara Crematorium. Sidharth's mother was accompanied by family members as she performed her son's last rites.
Mumbai: Giving a sneak peek into the dark world of human medical trials, the makers of Human unveiled the intriguing trailer of the upcoming medical thriller on Tuesday.

The suspense thriller, Human, based on the dark world of human drug trials in India, unravels unexpected secrets of the world of medicines and their effect on people with a gripping tale of murder, mystery, lust, and manipulation.

The fictional series enunciates the collateral damage due to fast-tracked drug trials for financial gains in a gripping tale that involves innocent lives lost to greed. Touching compelling themes like the value of human life, medical malpractice, class divide and ramifications of a fast-paced medical science; Human brings forth the greed to make money in a compelling tale of power struggles, secretive pasts, trauma and murders.

The two-minute trailer shows a pharma giant using Indias lax clinical trial rules to fast track the development of a new drug, despite lethal side effects.

Meanwhile, 35-year-old Dr Saira Sabharwal lands a dream job in Bhopal`s premier hospital under the mentorship of the iconic 45-year-old Dr Gauri Nath.

Saira grows under Gauris tutelage and as the two women start to form a deep bond over their commitment to the medical cause. However, a shocking discovery throws their life into chaos as their story becomes intertwined with that of a young migrant worker, Mangu (20 years), who is all set to wreak havoc on the medical system.

Directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Mozez Singh, the Disney+ Hotstar Specials series has been penned by Mozez Singh and Ishani Banerjee.

Vipul, who has also served as a producer of the series, said, "Human delves into the complexities of human nature with a backdrop of the medical world. It explores the dark and twisted world of unethical human trials in a provocative yet real and gritty manner. It showcases aspects of the unknown medical world laden with suspense at every turn."

Sharing his experience of working on the script of Human, writer and director, Mozez also said, "Human is a series that deals with a very unique take on life and death. It questions the value of human life and the extent to human beings will go running away from their grief, guilt and shame. The repercussions of this can have extreme effects on the lives of the people involved, creating escalating drama and conflict between all of them and allowing the narrative to be truly explosive, especially when you throw in the barriers of class into the mix."

He added, "This was an intense project for me as it has several elements that resonated with me. On a personal level and therefore I was constantly inspired and determined to give my best. I'm proud of what we have delivered."

The series boasts of a stellar cast headlined by National award-winning actor Shefali Shah and versatile actor Kirti Kulhari along with Vishal Jethwa, Ram Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Aditya Srivastava and Mohan Agashe amongst others.

Shefali, who plays the lead character of Dr Gauri Nath in the series said, "Human as a series is extremely relevant and relatable in todays time. When I read the script, I couldn't help but imagine our current scenario, a world of hospitals and vaccine trials. It makes one question humanity and everything that transpires to keep it intact. Gauri Nath is someone you rarely come across. It's one of the most complicated characters Ive ever played, and completely out of my comfort zone. She is unpredictable and indecipherable. Human is Pandora's box of emotions, actions and consequences. And you'd never know what hit you from the dark depths of its complexities."

Kriti who plays Dr Saira Sabarwal in the series also shared her experience about the series and said, "It's the first time that I am playing a doctor on screen, a world that I am not completely unfamiliar with as my sister and brother in law are doctors. I did get a lot of insight by speaking to both of them and other doctors."

"Human is such a layered and complex story, it immediately pulled me towards it. Also, the fact that Shefali Shah would be a part of the same show with me really excited me. I also met a psychologist to discuss some aspects of my character. I basically got into the mindsets and world of the doctors, speaking to various people and understanding various aspects of how they function in the workspace and outside of it," she added.

The forthcoming medical thriller drama is set to release on Disney+ Hotstar on January 14, 2022. It will also be available on Hulu.
NEW DELHI: A team of the Election Commission of India will be on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh from Tuesday (December 28, 2021) to take stock of the poll preparedness ahead of the State Assembly elections in 2022.

As per reports, the chief election commissioner (CEC) and fellow election commissioners will visit Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the poll preparedness in the state from today.

An Allahabad High Court bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav had on Thursday last urged the government and the poll panel to consider postponing the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for a month or two and banning all political rallies amid the fears of an impending third wave of Covid.

When asked about the observation, CEC Sushil Chandra had said in Dehradun on Friday that the EC would be visiting Uttar Pradesh soon and "an appropriate decision as required by the situation will be taken after we review it."

The commission has already visited Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand as part of its pre-poll stock-taking exercise.

The Election Commission had on Monday asked the government to expedite the COVID-19 vaccination programme in five poll-bound states in a meeting with the Union health secretary, amid indications that polling may be held in time.

Separately, the Union Health Ministry issued a statement later in the day, saying the Centre has reviewed public health response measures and vaccination status with the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.

The ministry has advised ramping up vaccination of all eligible population through a district-wise weekly plan with daily review, according to the statement. During its meeting with Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the commission noted that the percentage of those administered the first dose of coronavirus vaccine was still less in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, while it was nearing 100 per cent in Uttarakhand and Goa.

The poll panel also asked the top health official to expedite administering of the second dose to those eligible in these five states, highly-placed sources said. The health ministry statement said testing is to be "exponentially accelerated" to curb the sudden surge of Covid cases.

"While Uttarakhand and Goa have reported vaccination coverage for the first and second doses higher than the national average, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur have COVID-19 vaccination coverage numbers below the national average," it said.

The states, the statement said, have been advised to speedily ramp up COVID-19 vaccination of all eligible population for the first dose and ensure that those who were due for the second dose are administered the dose.

The poll-bound states have been also advised to exponentially increase testing to ensure that infected cases are identified promptly for timely initiation of public health response measures, and to ensure there is no sudden upsurge in numbers due to low testing.

State authorities have been strongly advised to ensure that recommended Covid-appropriate behaviour is strictly followed and adequate measures are undertaken for their effective enforcement, the health ministry said.

In a separate meeting with enforcement agencies and central forces, the Election Commission (EC) asked the top brass of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to check the influence of drugs in elections.

The poll panel pressed upon top officials of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for maintaining strict vigil on international borders some of the poll-going states share.

Sources aware of the meetings said Health Secretary Bhushan briefed the poll panel for nearly an hour on the Covid situation in the country, especially in poll-bound Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP of "rewriting" history to give themselves a role they do not deserve in the freedom movement. She made the observation at the 137th foundation day celebrations of the party.

"Divisive ideologies anchored in hate and prejudice and which had no role whatsoever to play in our freedom movement are now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society. They are rewriting history to give themselves a role they do not deserve, she said.

Divisive ideologies anchored in hate & prejudice & which had no role whatsoever to play in our freedom movement now causing havoc on the secular fabric of our society: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi during 137th Foundation Day address pic.twitter.com/TX9ltIZVIQ  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2021

They inflame passions, instil fear and spread animosity. The finest traditions of our parliamentary democracy are being deliberately damaged. The Indian National Congress will fight these destructive forces with all might at its command. " she added.

Though there have been electoral losses, the party will fight, Sonia Gandhi said, adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable but what is enduring and lasting is her party`s commitment to the service of all people of the diverse society.

"Let there be no doubt on our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy, "she said.

One Hundred and Thirty-six years ago today, the Indian National Congress was founded and established. Over the decades, it has confronted several challenges and it has always demonstrated its resilience. The party rededicate itself to the ideals, values & principles of the organisation that have been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest, noblest and most selfless Indians of the 20th century, she said.

Earlier, the veteran leader hoisted the party flag at the party headquarters with several leaders and MPs in attendance.

Congress president Smt Sonia Gandhi ji Joins Congress foundation Day Ceremony at AICC HQ, New Delhi.#CongressFoundationDay pic.twitter.com/vKFIEN0FZ4  NSUI (@nsui) December 28, 2021

According to the party`s website, on December 28, 1885, as many as 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the Indian National Union at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. The conference was renamed as the Indian National Congress.

The second session of the Congress took place under the leadership of Dadabhai Naoroji in Calcutta. The number of delegates had increased to 434. Towards the end of the session, the Congress decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country.

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New Delhi: AIIMS Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) on Tuesday (December 28) cancelled its strike to be held on December 29, ANI reported.

In an official statement, AIIMS Delhi RDA said, "Assuring the NEET PG 2021 counselling to be held at the earliest...AIIMS Delhi RDA has decided to take back the decision of strike on December 29. All services to be continued as normal."

"...Assuring the NEET PG 2021 counselling to be held at the earliest...AIIMS Delhi RDA has decided to take back the decision of strike on December 29. All services to be continued as normal...," reads the official statement released by AIIMS Delhi RDA pic.twitter.com/LDNiD9HCag  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2021

Further, the AIIMS RDA said, "The RDA continues to support the cause of the protesting doctors and will act with haste in this regard if the authorities do not stick to their promise."

Earlier today, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met a delegation of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) to hear their issues and urged them to call off the strike in the larger interest of the public. I held a meeting with all resident doctors. We're not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court. The hearing will take place on Jan 6. I hope that NEET PG counselling will start soon, Mandaviya said.

The resident doctors' protest on Monday took a violent turn after face-off with the Delhi police. The doctors had alleged that they were brutally thrashed and dragged by the Delhi Police personnel. However, the police on Tuesday denied using "force or lathicharge" against the doctors.

FORDA president Dr Manish said earlier that the strike was underway and a final call will be taken after meeting with all RDAs at 8pm today. "The strike is still underway. We demand a written apology for police brutality during yesterday's protest of resident doctors at ITO. We will hold a meeting with all RDAs at 8pm today to decide the future course of action," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

AIIMS Resident Doctors` Association, Federation of Resident Doctors` Association (FORDA) and Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had called for a complete shut down of health services of all services including emergency services across the country from December 29.

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New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday (December 28, 2021) announced that a yellow alert has been sounded in Delhi under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

He said that step was taken as the COVID-19 positivity rate has been above 0.5% for the past few days in the national capital.

In view of this, cinema halls and multiplexes have been shut till further orders.

Here's what's open and closed due to 'Yellow' alert in Delhi

Shops in malls and shopping complexes will open based on an odd-even formula from 10 AM to 8 PM.

Only one weekly market per zone with 50 per cent of vendors will be allowed to open.

Restaurants can function with 50 per cent capacity from 8 am to 10 pm.

Bars can also operate with 50 per cent capacity from 12 noon to 10 pm.

Cinema halls, banquet halls, spas, gyms, outdoor yoga activity, amusement parks, stadia, swimming pools, schools, colleges and educational institutions are not allowed to function.

Private offices can function with up to 50 per cent of the staff.

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New Delhi: Union Health Ministry on Tuesday (December 28) informed that persons aged above 60 years and those with co-morbidities will not be required to produce or submit any certificate from the doctor for the administration of precaution dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, the Health Ministry said that such persons are expected to get advice from their doctor on the matter of getting a precautio dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Notably, the precaution dose will be available for citizens above 60 years of age and people with comorbidities on the advice of their doctor from January 10, 2022.

The administration of precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare and frontline workers will also begin from January 10. Children aged 15-18 will also start receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations from January 3, 2022.

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New Delhi: The central government offices in Delhi will function according to the orders released by the Indian government, however, the offices belonging to private firms will function with 50% of the staff.

The decision comes after Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal issues Yellow alert for the national capital after COVID-19 positivity remains above 0.5% for the past few days in Delhi.

In view of this, cinema halls and multiplexes have been shut till further orders. Only one weekly market per zone with 50 per cent of vendors will be allowed to open.

Restaurants can function with 50 per cent capacity from 8 am to 10 pm. Bars can also operate with 50 per cent capacity from 12 noon to 10 pm.

Cinema halls, banquet halls, spas, gyms, outdoor yoga activity, amusement parks, stadia, swimming pools, schools, colleges and educational institutions are not allowed to function.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing protest of resident doctors over delay in NEET-PG counselling, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday (December 28) met a delegation of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) to hear their issues and urged them to call off the strike in the larger interest of the public.

Heres a cheat sheet of what has happened so far:

Why are resident doctors protesting?

The resident doctors have gone on a strike over the postponement in NEET-PG 2021 counselling which has created a 'shortage of 45000 doctors on the frontline'. The NEET PG exam, earlier scheduled to be held in January 2021, was postponed in view of the first and second wave of COVID-19 and held on September 12, 2021. In a statement, AIIMS RDA had said, This extreme delay has led to a shortage of manpower in medical colleges all across India. The Supreme court, which is hearing petitions challenging the EWS quota in the All India Quota (AIQ) for the NEET PG 2021 counselling, has scheduled the next hearing on January 6, 2022, leading to further delay in the counselling process.

What did the Health Minister say?

Following his meeting with a delegation of protesting resident doctors at Nirman Bhavan in Delhi, Union Health Minister Mandaviya urged them to call off their strike which has hit services in government hospitals like Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia in Delhi.

I held a meeting with all resident doctors. We're not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court. The hearing will take place on Jan 6. I hope that NEET PG counselling will start soon, Mansukh Mandaviya was quoted as saying by ANI.

Delhi police deny using force against doctors

The Delhi police on Tuesday denied using "force or lathicharge" against the doctors during the protest march on Monday. "We did not use any force on the protestors. No canes were either used. In fact Delhi Police has highest regard for the doctors," Additional Commissioner (Central Range) Suman Goyal was quoted as saying by IANS. The doctors as well as police claimed that several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee between the two. The doctors had alleged that they were brutally thrashed and dragged by the Delhi Police personnel.

The future course of action

After the meeting with Union Health Minister, Delhi RDAs are currently in a meeting to decide the further course of action, ANI reported. Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), FORDA and all RDAs likely to hold a meeting at 8 pm today. Earlier, FAIMA had called for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29 "in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors."

The effect of protests

The outpatient department treatment (OPD) services were closed in all major government hospitals in Delhi leading to people facing difficulties. However, OPD services at Safdarjung Hospital, Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital resumed today with senior doctors and consultants attending to the patients, as per ANI. Further, the resident doctors` association of AIIMS also withdrew all non-emergency work from Tuesday.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Today is the 137th anniversary of India's oldest party, Congress. To mark this occasion, today when Congress President Sonia Gandhi tried to hoist the Congress flag, it did not flutter in the sky, instead, it fell directly into her hands.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Tuesday (December 28) analysed the 136-year history of Congress. He explained how dynasty and nepotism, along with the injustice with the tall leaders of the party deteriorated it.

History of Congress

Congress was founded by a British man named AO Hume. He came to India from Scotland in 1849 as an officer of the Indian Civil Service.

AO Hume was the administrative officer of Uttar Pradesh when the revolt of 1857 - also known as first war of independence - took place.

Hume founded the Congress Party in India in the year 1885. It is said that Congress was established with the purpose to give maximum rights to Indians under the British Rule.

However, some historians believe that the real purpose of forming the Congress was to quell the fire of the rebellion that started from the year 1857.

After Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru, in one of his speeches himself expressed how nepotism can destroy a country. In one of his speeches from the rampart of Red Fort on 15 August 1960, Nehru had said that if the people of India put their caste, community, or family before the country, then it would destroy the nation.

Disrespect to tall leaders

Other than the Nepotism that deteriorated the Congress, the party's injustice to its tall leaders is also one of the reasons for its present situation. Congress always did injustice with its stalwarts except for Nehru. Four tall leaders - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Chaudhary Charan Singh - were the top leaders who were not given their due respect in the party.

The first of these leaders is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. In the year 1939, when Subhash Chandra Bose had submitted his claim to be the President of the Congress again, an alliance of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru was formed against him, which gradually declined his importance in the party and he had to resign in the end.

Similarly, the country's first law minister, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, was also ignored by the party. In 1951, when Jawaharlal Nehru withdrew the Hindu Code Bill, Ambedkar resigned from his ministerial post and later left the Congress.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel also did not get the respect he deserved in the Congress party. In the year 1946, a year before independence, when elections were held in the Congress for the post of President, it was certain that the leader who would lead the party will become be the first Prime Minister of India.

At that time, there were a total 15 committees of Congress in India, out of which 12 chose Sardar for the post of president. Three committees did not participate in it. But despite this, Nehru first became the President of the Congress and then became the Prime Minister, because Mahatma Gandhi convinced Sardar Patel to withdraw his name.

Congress has never did justice to the fifth Prime Minister of the country, Chaudhary Charan Singh. He served Congress for 40 years, but during this time he was not even allowed to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh because Nehru was not very fond of Chaudhary Charan Singh. He left the Congress in the year 1967 with tears in his eyes.

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Srinagar: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday (December 28) gave a clean chit to the security forces in the Hyderpora encounter.

Jammu and Kashmir police DIG Central Kashmir Sujit Kumar, who was made SIT in-charge for the investigation of Hyderpora encounter, held a press conference in Srinagar police control room. Apart from the DIG, Jammu Kashmir police DGP Dilbagh Singh, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar and SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal were also present.

In a detailed press conference, Sujit Kumar giving clean chit to security forces who were part of operation said, Amir Magray was a terrorist and he had links with foreign terrorists. Bilal Bhai and building owner Altaf Bhat was made a human shield and was killed in crossfire, while Dr Mudasir was killed by terrorists."

Kumar said Amir Magray was an associate foreign terrorist, he lied about the presence of a foreigner in the building as he knew that the foreign terrorist was using Dr Mudasir Guls apartment as his hide-out.

A detailed presentation was given about the investigations carried out into the Hydeprora encounter. He said that the CCTV footage and other evidence show that building owner Altaf was used as a human shield by the foreign terrorist Bilal Bhai, who was living in Mudasir Guls chamber along with Amir Magray.

CCTV footage showed that Mudasir Gul was traveling with the foreign terrorist in his vehicle in Srinagar city, he added, The footage and other evidence show that Amir Magray had accompanied the foreign terrorist during Jamalata Srinagar attack. Amir would often travel to Bandipora and Gurez, an angle which is still under investigation.

He said that prima-facie evidence showed that Mudasir Gul was shot dead by the foreign militant on the directions possibly from across. The investigations reveal that building owner Altaf Bhat was made human shield by foreign militant and that he was killed in a crossfire,. He added that Amir Magray was a terrorist. Two pistols and four magazines were recovered from the encounter site." However, he said that investigation is still on and many aspects are being investigated still. "We have around 25 witnesses so far in this case. 6 of them have given statement in front of Magistrate The investigation is till on."

In the meantime, a magisterial probe report is also submitted by the additional district magistrate. An official handout said, "An inquiry to ascertain the fact and circumstances and the cause of death regarding the iring incident at Hyderpora in Srinagar during the intervening night of 15-11-2021 and 16-11-2021 was ordered to be conducted by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Srinagar vide order no DMS/Jud/Inquiry/2828-2845/2021 dated 18-11-2021 issued by District Magistrate Srinagar".

Hyderpora operation was carried by security forces on November 15 and one foreign terrorist and three locals were killed. the J&K police had said that among 4 killed one was foreign terrorist Bilal bhai and one was his associate a hybrid terrorists Amir Wagay and other two others-- Dr Mudasir was OGW and Altaf Bhat, the house owner, died in the crossfire.

Soon after the operation which happened late evening, all four dead bodies were taken to Nougam area of Handwara in north Kashmir and were buried during night hours.

On November 16 morning, protests erupted in Srinagar press enclave when Dr Mudasir and Altaf Bhat's families alleged that both killed were innocent and demanded their dead bodies. The operation was questioned by all political parties too. Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdulla staged protest and showed solidarity with protesting families.

After that LG Manoj Sinha ordered a magisterial probe while Jammu and Kashmir police constituted a SIT ( special investigation team ) to investigate the operation it was headed by DIG central Kashmir Sujit Kumar.

Meanwhile, PAGD (Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration) said its a repetition of the old story and only judicial probe can clear the doubts. In a statement issued through their spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, PAGD said, Todays press briefing of J&K police about last months Hyderpora tragic incident is only a repetition of old story. It does not even slightly give any objective picture of this shocking incident.

There is a strong public perception that the civilians killed in the incident were made human shields by the security forces and the latest statement of the police seems to be a concocted cover up story. it will not suffice the legitimate concerns of the people at large and family of the slain victims.PAGD firmly believes that nothing short of a credible judicial probe will clear the doubts. The administration must, without any further delay, order a time-bound judicial probe."

Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, SITs clear chit to armed forces in Hyderpora encounter isnt surprising. It was purely a charade to cover up a botched up operation & absolve those culpable for killing innocent civilians. How can one expect justice when they themselves are judge, jury & executioner?"

Its to mention here that after the two days' protest by Dr Mudasir and Altaf Bhat's families, which was supported by all political parties of Kashmir, the administration exhumed their bodies and handed over them to their families. However, Amir Bhat whose family lives in Gool area of Ramban still demands his body.

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Hyderabad: City-based Biological E. Limited (BE), one of the worlds largest vaccine manufacturers, is upbeat while welcoming DGCI approval that its CORBEVAX, Indias first indigenously developed protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19, received the approval.

CORBEVAX is a recombinant protein sub-unit vaccine, developed from the receptor biding domain (RBD) of the spike protein on the viruss surface combined with Dynavaxs CpG 1018 adjuvant with alum, which helps the body build the immune response against the virus.

The vaccine has been developed by Biological E. Limited in collaboration with Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Childrens CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) in Houston, Texas, USA.

According to B.E., the vaccine will be effective both in scale and affordability, providing sustainable access to low-and middle-income countries.

Clinical Basis & Vaccine Characteristics:

CORBEVAX has completed two phase III clinical trials involving more than 3000 subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 at 33 study sites across India. The vaccine was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic.

 In the pivotal phase III study conducted with an endpoint of immunogenic superiority, CORBEVAX demonstrated superior immune response in comparison with COVISHIELD vaccine when assessed for Neutralising Antibody (nAb) Geometric Mean Titers (GMT) against the Ancestral-Wuhan strain and the globally dominant Delta variant. CORBEVAXTM vaccination also generated significant Th1 skewed cellular immune response.

 CORBEVAX nAb GMT against Ancestral-Wuhan strain is indicative of vaccine effectiveness of >90% for prevention of symptomatic infections based on the Correlates of Protection assessment performed during Moderna and Astra-Zeneca vaccine Phase III studies.

 CORBEVAX nAb GMT against the Delta strain indicates a vaccine effectiveness of >80 percent for the prevention of symptomatic infections based on published studies.

 While none of the subjects who took CORBEVAX or COVISHIELD had serious adverse events, CORBEVAX had 50 percent fewer adverse events than COVISHIELD.

In the continuous monitoring of phase II studies, CORBEVAX showed high persistence of immune response as indicated by <30% drop in nAb GMT till six months second dose as compared to >80% drop observed with majority of the vaccines.

Vaccine Rollout Timeline:

Biological E. Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses per month, anticipating 100+ million doses per month from February 2022. These capacities will enable the Hyderabad-based company to deliver 300 Million doses as promised to the Government of India.

Soon, the company plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses globally.

Our scientists at the Texas Childrens Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are thrilled to help in the development of this vaccine, possibly the first covid vaccine specifically designed for global health, said Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of the Texas Childrens Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development.

Mahima Datla, managing director, Biological E. Limited, said, Over the years, we have worked to make quality vaccines and pharmaceutical products accessible to families around the world. With this as our backdrop, we resolved to develop an affordable and effective COVID-19 vaccine. It has now become a reality."

Mahima further added, "The journey of CORBEVAX has been eventful and any words will fall short to appreciate and acknowledge the contribution of all our collaborators and their continued support in this endeavour. We would like to take the opportunity to especially thank our Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi ji for making vaccination a national mission. His vision and the advance commitments we received towards CORBEVAX were instrumental in our ability to scale-up and manufacture at such huge capacities."

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday (December 28, 2021) morning informed that India reported 6,358 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

The Health Ministry said that the country's active coronavirus caseload now stands at 75,456.

6,450 recoveries and 293 deaths were also recorded across the country in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of recoveries have increased to 3,42,43,945, while the death toll has jumped to 4,80,290.

COVID-19 Omicron cases in India

The Health Ministry stated that the COVID-19 Omicron case tally in the country currently stands at 653. Maharashtra (167), Delhi (165), Kerala (57) and Telangana (55) have recorded the most number of cases of the new COVID-19 variant.

Here's a statewise break-up of Omicron cases in India:



142 crore vaccine doses administered

The Health Ministry said that 142.47 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across India so far and that more than 16.80 crore balance and unutilized doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.

Centre reviews vaccination status in poll-bound states

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Monday held a high-level meeting with the five poll-bound states of Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to review the public health response measures for containment and management of COVID-19, and the vaccination status in these states.

The poll-bound states were advised to speedily ramp up the vaccination of all eligible population for the first dose and ensure that those who were due for the second dose are administered the second dose. The states were also advised to exponentially increase the testing to ensure that the infected cases are identified promptly for timely initiation of public health response measures, and to ensure that there is no sudden upsurge in numbers due to low testing.
Srinagar: Defence minister Rajnath Singh dedicates 24 bridges and 3 Roads to the Nation. Among them, 9 were in Jammu Kashmir. He e-inaugurated these roads and bridges including nine bridges at various roads in J&K which were constructed by Project Beacon. Shri Manoj Sinha Honble Lt Governor, J & K also attended the e- inauguration.

The bridges which were inaugurated are located on roads Sonmarg Bypass, Z-Gali-Machhal, Puldoda - Bhaderwah, Bandipur - Gureiz, Payarpora - Guthamdori, Dul  Galhar and at Udhampur.

The Machhal inauguration was attended at the site by DDC Vice Chairman, Kupwara Mr Haji Farooq Ahmad at Machhal, who inaugurated Capt Ashutosh Kumar SC (P) Memorial Bridge at Asthan Nala, Macchal.

The bridge is named after Capt Ashutosh Kumar to pay homage to the valiant officer. Capt Ashutosh Kumar was martyred in Anti - infiltration operations in Macchal Sector and was awarded Shaurya Chakra ( Posthumous) for his bravery and ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation.

The bridge is a 45 m length bridge constructed in a total cost of  6.8 Crores. Defence minister Rajnath Singh today dedicated 24 bridges and three roads completed by the Border Roads Organisation in four states and two Union Territories of India. In a centralized event held in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath Singh lauded BROs commitment towards establishing connectivity in far-flung areas by ensuring timely completion of these roads and bridges.

He re-affirmed the Governments resolve to ensure better infrastructure development in border areas keeping in view the nations security needs. He expressed his confidence in BRO, contributing to nation building by strengthening their crucial role and promoting economic development in border states through improved connectivity.

Construction of these bridges by Project Beacon in J&K will ensure better connectivity to local population therefore meeting the aspirations of people along with the strategic requirements of Defence Forces.



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New Delhi: The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on Tuesday (December 28, 2021) called for a 'complete withdrawal' from all healthcare services across the country 'in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors'.

The statement came after a protest by a large number of resident doctors in Delhi over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling took a dramatic turn on Monday, as medics and police personnel faced off in the streets, with both sides claiming several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee.

Delhi | Protesting resident doctors of various hospitals march near Safdarjung Hospital, over delay in NEET-PG counselling pic.twitter.com/SnPyrbIYoC  ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021

In a press statement, the FAIMA said that resident doctors were protesting peacefully and alleged that female doctors were brutally thrashed and lathi-charged by male police personnel during the demonstration.

"This is to inform that the medical fraternity stands absolutely shocked at the sheer display of unprovoked brute force by Delhi police on our colleague who have been peacefully protesting in Delhi and many other states since the last month, with their genuine demand for the immediate declaration of NEET PG 2021 counselling schedule. However, the lathi charge on our resident doctors and manhandling of many female residents by the male police personnel during their peaceful demonstration is a pathetic display of the shameless attitude of the authorities, who we could believe would stoop so low," the statement read.

Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) calls for complete withdrawal from all healthcare services across the country from 8 am on December 29 "in protest against brute force by Delhi Police against doctors." pic.twitter.com/lOPaGcx2oz  ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021

This is noteworthy that the stir, led by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), has been going on for several days.

Black day

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association in a statement called it a "black day in the history of the medical fraternity". It also said that resident doctors were protesting "peacefully" and alleged that they were "brutally thrashed, dragged and detained by the cops."

"There will be a complete shutdown of all Healthcare Institutions today onwards. We strongly condemn this brutality and demand immediate release of FORDA Representatives and Resident doctors," the statement issued on Monday read.

In a statement issued, FORDA claimed "police brutality" and called it a "Black day in the history of the medical fraternity". It condemned police action and announced that all healthcare institutions would be completely shutdown from today pic.twitter.com/Er2J2xrw5O  ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021

Meanwhile, AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has also called for a strike on December 29 including the shutdown of all non-emergency services if no "adequate" response from the government is received over alleged police brutality in the protest march. The AIIMS RDA also demanded immediate release of detained doctors with an apology from the government and the police over alleged police brutality in the protest march.

Delhi: AIIMS RDA "condemns manhandling of doctors by Police; demands immediate release of all detained doctors with an apology from the govt & police. If no response from govt within 24 hrs, AIIMS RDA to go on a strike on Dec 29 including shutdown of all non-emergency services." pic.twitter.com/SloTJ8Au9l  ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2021

Earlier on December 24, Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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 45,000 doctors in the frontline, added the letter.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The resident doctors strike over delay in NEET-PG counseling 2021 will continue, for now, President of Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) Dr Manish said on Tuesday (December 28).

As of now, the strike against the delay in NEET 2021 counselling will continue, Dr Manish was quoted as saying by ANI.

As of now, the strike against the delay in NEET 2021 counselling will continue, says President of FORDA, Dr Manish after holding a meeting with all RDAs. pic.twitter.com/5Kg41YVMh3  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2021

The decision comes after a meeting with all Resident Doctors' Association (RDAs) was held at 8 pm today.

Earlier today, AIIMS Delhi RDA cancelled its protest to be held on December 29 after assurance from Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. "Assuring the NEET PG 2021 counselling to be held at the earliest...AIIMS Delhi RDA has decided to take back the decision of strike on December 29. All services to be continued as normal," AIIMS Delhi RDA said in a statement.

A delegation of the FORDA had met Mandaviya in the afternoon today. I held a meeting with all resident doctors. We're not able to do the counselling because the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court. The hearing will take place on Jan 6. I hope that NEET PG counselling will start soon, Mandaviya said after the meeting.

AIIMS Resident Doctors` Association, Federation of Resident Doctors` Association (FORDA) and Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had called for a complete shut down of health services of all services including emergency services across the country from December 29.

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New Delhi: The Omicron continues to spread as Maharashtra on Monday (December 27, 2021) reported 26 fresh cases of the new COVID-19 variant, taking the state tally of those infected with this strain to 167.

Of the 26 fresh cases, all have a history of international travel barring two who are their high-risk contacts, the state health department said in a bulletin.

Giving the break-up of 26, the health department said that Mumbai reported 11 cases, Raigad (Panvel Municipal Corporation) - five, Thane Municipal Corporation - four, Nanded - two.

Nagpur, Palghar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (in Thane district) and Pune rural reported one case each.

Among the new cases - 14 males and 12 females - four are below the age of 18 and two are above 60 years.

The bulletin added, "Barring four minors and three others, all 19 remaining have received full vaccination. Twenty-one are asymptomatic, while five have mild symptoms."

Out of the 167 cases, as many as 72 patients have been discharged following a negative RT-PCR test.

Meanwhile, a member of the Maharashtra government's COVID-19 task force has said that curbs for a short duration of time would have to be considered if cases of the new coronavirus variant continue to rise in the state.

Dr Vasant Nagvekar, who is also a consultant for infectious diseases at a city-based hospital, said a rapid rise in the cases of Omicron, classified as a 'variant of concern' by the WHO, will definitely pose challenges.

"If Omicron cases rise (further), it's going to be challenging due to its faster spread. We will have to deal with the prevailing situation and take decisions appropriately.

"If cases rise, may be temporarily we may have to consider closure for a small period of time till the storm settles," he said.
Kanpur /Hardoi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the Samajwadi Party(SP) over the large cash seizure from a Kanpur-based perfume trader, saying the 'Ittar'(perfume) of corruption that it had sprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh before 2017 is there for everyone to see.

As the cash seizure triggered a fresh political war of words ahead of the Assembly polls in the state, Home Minister Amit Shah also used this issue to allege that the SP's lexicon starts with 'Apraadh' (crime), 'Bhaai-Bhatijavaad' (nepotism) and 'Corruption'. Modi also mockingly said this was the "achievement and reality" of the opposition party.

In multiple raids by the Income Tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs recently, around Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver were seized from Piyush Jain's house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj, according to an official. A Kanpur court on Monday remanded Piyush Jain to 14-day judicial custody.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav categorically denied any links between his party and Jain and mockingly said the ruling BJP got "its own businessman" raided "by mistake".

Modi also accused the political parties that ruled UP in the past of spreading crime, which ruined all the businesses in the most populous state of the country.

"Boxes filled with notes have stumbled out. I was thinking they will say that this was also done by us. The people of Kanpur understand business and trade well. Before 2017, the perfume of corruption that they had sprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh is there for everyone to see," Modi said without taking any name. The SP was in power from 2012 to 2017.

Modi was addressing a rally in Kanpur after inaugurating a metro rail project and the 356-km long Bina-Panki multi-product pipeline project.

"But now, they are sitting with their mouths shut. They are not coming forward to take credit for the mountain of currency notes seen by the entire country. This is their achievement and their reality.

"The people of Uttar Pradesh are seeing and understanding everything and hence, they are with those who are working to take the state forward," he added.

BJP leaders have been attacking the SP over Piyush Jain's arrest, claiming that the perfume trader had links with Yadav's party. The SP, however, has been denying any link with Piyush Jain.

"By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Piyush Jain raided," Yadav told reporters before the start of the "Samajwadi Rath Yatra" in Unnao.

Addressing a rally at Hardoi, Shah took a swipe at the SP over the Kanpur raids. ''The A, B, C, D of Samajwadi Party is itself all wrong where 'A' is for 'Apraadh aur Aatank' (crime and terrorism), 'B' is for 'Bhaai-Bhatijaavaad' (nepotism), 'C' for 'Corruption' aur 'D' means 'Danga' (riots).

"The Bharatiya Janata Party has wiped out this A, B, C, D," the former BJP president said at the Jan Vishvas Yatra.

This prompted a sharp reaction from Akhilesh Yadav, who coined a similar Hindi acronym and claimed BJP supporters are now saying that it is time to leave the saffron party.

"Due to incidents in Hathras, Lakhimpur (Kheri), Gorakhpur, Agra, even the BJP supporters are standing against it, and are saying ABCD, which means 'Ab BJP Chor Do' (now leave the BJP)," the former chief minister said.

Hardoi has been a stronghold of the SP and the family of Naresh Chandra Agarwal, who joined the BJP in 2018.

"A few days ago, there were income tax raids. Why was (SP chief) Akhilesh having an upset stomach over raids, and he said that the raids were done with political malice," Shah said.

"Can anyone tell me whose Rs 250 crore were found at the place of the person making Samajwadi Attar? Today, they (SP) are unable to give an answer," Shah said.

While seeking to link Jain with the SP, BJP leaders have claimed he had launched the 'Samajwadi Attar (perfume)' with Yadav's support recently. But Yadav claimed that 'Samajwadi Attar' was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain.

He also wondered that "when all the resources are with the BJP today, who else can have such a huge amount of cash" and claimed that the CDR (call detail record) of the businessman's phone would reveal the names of several leaders of the saffron party, "who were in touch with him".

The details of cash withdrawal from banks would bring out the truth, the SP president said.

Taking a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, "Due to the mistake of Digital India, it got its own businessman raided."

Stressing the importance of sound law and order, Modi said in his speech at the Kanpur rally that for the development of any state or improving its investment and industry scenario, the rule of law is the most important aspect.

"The previous government had spread the tree of mafiawad so much that all industry and businesses got ruined. Now, the Yogi Adityanath government has brought the rule of law back and so investment is increasing and criminals are going back to jails," he said.

The "double-engine" government of the BJP is encouraging an industrial culture in Uttar Pradesh, the prime minister said, citing the projects already sanctioned for Kanpur as well as other schemes that will benefit the locals.

"Political parties with a policy of corruption and honouring bahubalis cannot develop Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, they have a problem with every move that strengthens the society. They also oppose moves that are aimed at empowering women, whether stern laws against triple talaq or bringing the age of marriage for women at par with men," he said in an apparent dig at the SP.

Modi also said the opposition parties claim credit for the projects conceived and implemented by the current government. Citing various projects like the Kanpur Metro and the Purvanchal Expressway, he claimed that the BJP government laid the foundation stones as well as inaugurated those.

Yadav has often attacked the Adityanath government for allegedly claiming credit for projects conceived by the SP government.

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New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (December 28) denied any connection between his party and Kanpur-based perfume trader Piyush Jain, who was arrested by GST officials over tax evasion charges.

In an exclusive interview with Zee News, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister claimed that the BJP has links with Jain.

Here are the key points from Akhilesh Yadavs interview:

1. SP has no link with Piyush Jain. BJP leaders have a relationship with Piyush Jain and he funds the saffron party.

2. Piyush Jain has nothing to do with Samajwadi perfume. Samajwadi Attar (perfume) was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain and not Piyush Jain.

3. There is no bigger liar than the BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Prime Minister and Home Minister are also lying.

4. SP had laid the foundation stone of Kanpur Metro, Venkaiah Naidu and Murli Manohar Joshi were present on the stage in Kanpur with me. Pictures do not lie, if PM cannot trust SP, he should ask Naidu.

5. BJP wants to defame SP before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

6. Reacting to Amit Shah's ABCD remark on SP, Yadav said that Yogi did not do any work in UP, he should be taught ABCD.

7. SP will form government in the upcoming polls with absolute majority.

8. If the SP government is formed, those people who have died due to animal attack will get a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be provided to the family of the victims of cycle accident.

9. Remove the officials with BJP mindset before the elections, many officers work as BJP workers, without removing such officers, fair elections are not possible.

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New Delhi: Vikram Misri, who served as envoy in China amid the border dispute, has been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council secretariat.

Who is Vikram Misri?

Misri is a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. He is a seasoned diplomat and an expert on India-China matters. In his capacity as the new Deputy NSA, he will now report to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

Past assignments of Vikram Misri

Vikram has served in various capacities at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as well as in the Prime Minister's Office. Misri has also served in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. At present, Rajinder Khanna, Pankaj Saran and Dattatray Padsalgikar are serving as deputy NSAs.

He was the Private Secretary to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2012 to 2014 and continued in the post when Narendra Modi took charge in 2014. Misri also served as Private Secretary to PM Modi from May to July 2014. In 1997, he was the Private Secretary to then Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.

Role in India-China border talks after Galwan clashes

Misri was a part of several talks held with China after the troops of both countries violently clashed in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, resulting in the first casualties from skirmishes in the region in four decades.

Srinagar-born Vikram Misri attended the Scindia School before graduating from Delhi's Hindu College. He also holds an MBA degree. Before joining the civil services, he had worked in advertising and ad film-making for three years.

Who succeeds Vikram Misri?

Pradeep Kumar Rawat, a 1990 batch IFS officer, has succeeded Misri as Ambassador to China earlier this month. The appointment of Rawat, who was serving as the Indian envoy to the Netherlands before being given this sensitive post, comes in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff.

For Rawat, who speaks fluent Mandarin and had earlier served in Hong Kong and Beijing, resolving the dispute that India and China have been engaged in for the last 20 months, will be the top priority.

The last Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) meeting took place in November this year.

After the meeting, both the countries agreed on the need to find an early resolution to the remaining disputes along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols so as to restore peace and tranquillity.

"The two sides also agreed that both sides should, in the interim, also continue to ensure a stable ground situation and avoid any untoward incident," the External Affairs Ministry had said. In the meantime, both countries have made enhanced deployment even during winters to thwart any threat.

Indian troops are deployed at a height of around 17,000 feet along the borders and all logistics are in place. The force is ready to sustain the enhanced troop deployment in the harsh winter at friction points where temperatures will soon start dipping beyond minus 20 degrees.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today (December 28, 2021) visit Kanpur and inaugurate the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project.

The Prime Minister will inspect the Kanpur Metro Rail Project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar.

This completed 9 km long section is from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Metro Rail Project in Kanpur is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore.

"Improving urban mobility has been one of the key focus areas of the Prime Minister. The inauguration of the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is yet another step in this direction," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

During the programme which is scheduled to begin at around 1:30 PM, Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project. The 356 km long project has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum. Extending from the Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh to Panki in Kanpur, the project has been built at a cost of over Rs 1,500 crore and will help the region access petroleum products from the Bina refinery.
The state capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, has got its first batch of electric buses available for commuters. Deputy Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai launched the city's first batch of electric buses. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will operate these buses, developed by JBM Auto. In the coming months, the company will deliver 50 more electric buses. The company had previously agreed to provide 90 electric buses to BMTC.

JBM spoke person said, "This e-bus service marks the first ever rollout of electric buses in the state of Karnataka. These buses shall be operated from the Kengeri, Yeshwantpur and KR Puram bus depots,"

Furthermore, the spoke person said, "The JBM ECO-LIFE electric buses will be running under the metro feeder services in the Smart City initiative. Earlier this year, JBM Auto had received an order of 90 non-AC electric buses for the city of Bengaluru.

Read also: Kanpur Metro: 10 points to know about the Rail Project inaugurated by PM Modi

In addition to Real Time Passenger Information Systems (PISs), Panic Buttons for emergencies, CCTV cameras, Automatic Bus Vehicle Locators, stop request buttons, Public address systems, and electric buses have various additional features.

JBM Auto's electric is capable to go 120 kilometers on a single charge at a speed of 70 km/h. The non-AC buses are equipped with six battery packs composed of Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC), JBM said, pointing out that 34 passengers including the driver can sit on these buses.

JBM's ECO-LIFE electric buses are also at service in other parts of the country, such as 30 electric buses in Navi Mumbai under the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport Corporation (NNMT). JBM also supplied 105 electric buses to Ahmadabad and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands earlier this year.

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#mute
Noida: The Gautam Buddh Nagar police has invited suggestions from residents of Noida and Greater Noida for effective law and order measures, which include increasing police patrolling and pickets. The police initiative is to improve women safety this ongoing winter season, said a PTI report.

According to an official spokesperson, Police Commissioner Alok Singh has issued instructions to launch a campaign for women safety.

The Noida and Greater Noida residents can put forth their suggestions on Twitter at the police handle @noidapolice via e-mail at "mailto:dcp-polws.Gb@up.Gov.In" dcp-polws.Gb@up.Gov.In and at the women's cell helpline 9870395200, the official said.

"A campaign will be carried out over the next few days for taking suggestions and feedback from the resident's vis a vis increasing police patrolling, setting up more pickets etc for women safety under the supervision of Women and Child Safety unit head Deputy Commissioner Vrinda Shukla," the police spokesperson is quoted as saying by the PTI report.

The spokesperson added, "Based on the feedback, patrolling and pickets would be increased on all such sections and wherever deemed necessary for preventive action by the police."

According to the police commissionerate, several working women face inconvenience at desolate or unlit road stretches while returning from work in the evening, as the sun sets early during winters and sometimes due to foggy weather conditions.

The campaign will continue for the next few days and the Mahila Swayam Siddha team, a specialised bike-borne team of women police personnel, will take effective measures on the basis of the suggestions.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad account for one-third of active Covid cases in UP

More than one-third of the active coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh are concentrated in the two districts of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, according to official data.

Currently, Uttar Pradesh has 324 active COVID-19 cases, according to the data shared by the state health department on Monday. It further said that Ghaziabad has 57 active cases, while Gautam Buddh Nagar has 56 and the two districts account for 34.87 per cent of the active coronavirus cases in the state.

(With Agency Inputs)

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NEW DELHI: Its that time of the year when most of the Bollywood celebrities leave the country for their annual vacation after their busy schedule.

Post Christmas all the celebs start leaving for the holidays to celebrate their New Year. Now the airports are filled with celebs flying away from Mumbai to their holiday destination.

Earlier in the day, rumoured celebrity couple Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani has headed out of Mumbai to ring into the New Year together. The pictures of the duo arriving at the airport in stylish avatars have been going rounds on the internet.

And now Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were spotted at the Mumbai airport as they jetted off for their New Year's vacation to an undisclosed location.

For their latest outing, the couple chose to twin in different shades of brown and also posed for the paparazzi.

Recently, the lovebirds were spotted for a dinner date on the Christmas eve along with mom Neetu Kapoor and with their Brahmastra director Ayan Mukerji.

The duo will be next seen together in Brahmastra which will release on September 9, 2022.

For the unversed, Ranbir and Alia came close to each other on the sets of 'Brahmastra' and soon started dating. The two have been with each other since 2018 and rumour mills is abuzz with reports of them tying the knot the next year. However, there has been no official confirmation on the same.
NEW DELHI: Soon after getting married to Katrina Kaif, actor Vicky Kaushal is finally back on the sets of his upcoming untitled film and is currently busy shooting for it in Madhya Pradesh.

In his next outing, he will be seen with Sara Ali Khan as the shots of the film from the busy streets of Indore has gone viral on social media.

In the recent released video, Vicky Kaushal can be seen riding a bike while Sara Ali Khan can be seen seated behind on the bike.

The viral video shows a couple of a nominal family with simple lifestyle and dressing sense.

Clad in a yellow saree with floral print along with an olive green sweater, Sara looked like a housewife with a simple living. She also carried a handbag. While Vicky could be seen in a teal coloured T-shirt paired with jeans and a maroon half jacket, along with a helmet.

Post the marriage, Vicky has been sharing his day to day update to his fans through his social media posts.

Recently, the actor celebrated his first Christmas with his wife Katrina at their new home and also shared a picture on his Instagram.

VicKat has been extremely popular among their fans. Their chemistry is loved by their fans and are surely taken one of the strongest couples of Bollywood.

On the workfront, Vicky was last seen in Sardar Udham. His acting skills were extremely appreciated by one and all.

While on the other hand, Sara was last seen in Atrangi Re which also starred Akshay Kumar and Dhanush in lead roles.
NEW DELHI: A 23-year-old obsessed fan has been arrested outside Kylie Jenner's Los Angeles home after he violated a restraining order.

As per E! News, the man is currently being held on USD 20,000 bail.

The law enforcement sources told TMZ that a man was arrested outside the beauty mogul's Los Angeles home on Sunday, December 26, after buzzing her gate.

The outlet reported that a security guard spotted the man and called the police, who arrested him for violating a restraining order Kylie was granted against him for showing up to her house "numerous times" in recent months.

A legal document obtained by E! News confirmed that the 23-year-old man, named Jrue Mesgan, was arrested on a misdemeanour charge.

However, not letting the weekend vibes pass by, Kylie, who is pregnant with her and Travis Scott's second baby, took to her Instagram stories to share videos of her family's new kitten.

In the video posted to social media on Christmas, the family's new furry orange-and-white coloured friend--whose name has not been revealed--could be seen making itself comfortable on Kylie's baby bump while the expecting star sat alongside daughter Stormi Webster.

The makeup mogul announced her pregnancy to fans in early September.

Recently, the two have stopped posting to social media and making public appearances since the Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, Texas on November 5, in which hundreds of concertgoers were injured and 10 people, including 9-year-old Ezra Blount, ultimately died.

The couple later condemn the tragedy and consoled the families of the victims.
New Delhi: The mega IPO of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is all set to be out by the end of the current fiscal, however for policyholders of LIC, it is very important to link it with their respective PAN Card.

LIC had recently issued a public notice to all the policyholders of LIC of India regarding subscription of the companys upcoming IPO stating that its upcoming IPO can be subscribed by the policyholders only if their PAN Card is updated in the company's records.

In the interests of our policyholders, LIC said that it has been running advertisements calling upon policyholders to update PAN in LIC records.

The insurance behemoth added that in order to participate in any such public offering, policyholders will need to ensure that their PAN details are updated in the Corporation's records. Further, subscribing to any public offering in India is only possible If you have a valid DEMAT account - accordingly, policyholders should ensure that they have an active DEMAT account in place.

If you have not yet provided this Information to the Corporation, LIC has urged policyholders to do it at the earliest because it is very important from from a KYC perspective, as well as your ability to participate in the proposed public offering by the LIC, as and when it takes place.

Here is the process for updating your PAN details with the LIC online

1. Visit the Corporation website www.licindia.in OR https://licindia.in/Home/Online-PAN-Registration

2. Keep ready your policy number, PAN, date of birth and e-mail ID, which needs to be filled in while updating your PAN.

3. You may update the records for all of your LIC policies using the above link.

4. You can also check whether your PAN Is registered in your policy or not by visiting the Corporation's website www.licindia.in OR https://linkpan.licindia.in/UIDSeedingWebApp/getPolicyPANStatus?

Alternatively, you may also contact your LIC Agent for assistance.

The LIC, a statutory Corporation constituted under the LIC Act 1956, is a leading life insurer of India wholly owned by the government.

It has three branches outside India - in the UK, Fiji and Mauritius, a wholly-owned subsidiary in Singapore and Joint Ventures in Bahrain, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh.

Its subsidiaries in India include LIC Pension Fund Ltd, and LIC Cards Services Ltd.

Its associates include the IDBI Bank Ltd, the LIC Mutual Fund and the LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

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New Delhi: Several rules pertaining to banking, financial and other sectors are changing from January 1. Since these new rules are set to impact the day-to-day lives of a common man and hence it is important to know more about these changes in detail.

Here are 5 major rules impacting common man that will change from January 2022

New ATM withdrawal charges from January 1, 2022

From January 1, ATM withdrawal beyond a certain limit is going to pinch the customer's pocket as banks will levy higher ATM withdrawal charges from next month. Bank customers will have to pay Rs 21 per transaction, instead of Rs 20, with effect from January 1, 2022, if they exceed the monthly limit of free transactions. However, customers will continue to be eligible for five free transactions (inclusive of financial and non-financial transactions) every month from their own bank ATMs. They would also be able to do three free transactions from other bank ATMs in metro centres and five in non-metro centres.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) deposit/withdrawal charges from January 1, 2022

Customers of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) are in for some sad news starting next month. Account holders of this bank will have to pay a charge for withdrawing and depositing cash amounting to Rs 10,000. The new rule will come into effect from January 1. There are three types of savings accounts for India Post Payments Bank customers: (a)Basic Savings Account, (b) Savings (other than Basic SA) & Current Accounts, and (c) Savings (other than Basic SA) & Current Accounts. IPPB has informed all the concerned that charges of on Cash Deposit & Cash Withdrawal transactions as mentioned below will be effective from 01 January, 2022 at the below mentioned rates. Check out the new rate/fee table on Cash Transaction Charges

Account Type Transaction Type Free Limit Charges Basic Savings Account Cash Withdrawal Free, up to 4 transactions per month Post free limit, 0.50% of the value subject to minimum Rs. 25 per transaction Basic Savings Account Cash Deposits Free N A Savings (other than Basic SA) & Current Accounts Cash Withdrawal Free, up to Rs. 25,000 per month. Post free limit, 0.50% of the value subject to minimum Rs. 25 per transaction Savings (other than Basic SA) & Current Accounts Cash Deposits Free, up to Rs. 10,000 per month. Post free limit, 0.50% of the value subject to minimum Rs. 25 per transaction

The above prices are exclusive of GST/ CESS which will be levied at the applicable rates, said IPPB.

ICICI Bank service charge from January 1, 2022

Private sector lender ICICI Bank has announced that it is going to revise the Service charge on the ICICI Bank Savings Accounts with effect from 01 January 2022.

Non-filers of monthly GST return to be barred from filing GSTR-1 from January 1, 2022

Businesses that default on filing summary return and paying monthly GST will not be able to file GSTR-1 sales return of the succeeding month from January 1 next year. The GST Council in its Lucknow meeting on September 17 has decided to take a host of measures to streamline compliance, including mandatory Aadhaar authentication for businesses to file refund claims. These moves would help prevent revenue leakage due to evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST), which was launched on July 1, 2017.

LPG Cylinder Prices

Oil marketing companies revise the prices of LPG on the first day of every month depending on the crude rates in the international markets. It is by and large expected that the OMCs will make announcement on revision of LPG Cylinder Prices.

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New Delhi: The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Man Dhan Yojana (PM Shram Yogi Man Dhan Yojana) is an excellent scheme for unorganised sector workers. Street sellers, rickshaw drivers, construction workers, and others in the unorganised sector will be helped to plan for their retirement. Under this scheme, the government guarantees the labourers a pension. You can obtain a pension of Rs 36,000 per year by saving just Rs 2 per day in this scheme.

You must make a monthly deposit of Rs 55 to begin this scheme. That example, if you start saving around Rs 2 per day at the age of 18, you can retire at the age of 18 with a pension of Rs 36000 per year. If a person begins this scheme at the age of 40, he will be required to make monthly deposits of Rs 200. After 60 years of age, you will be eligible for a pension and you would receive a monthly pension of Rs 3000, or Rs 36000 per year.

You must have a savings bank account and an Aadhar card to participate in this scheme. The person's age should not be less than 18 years old and should not be more than 40 years old.

To do so, go to the Common Service Center and register for the scheme (CSC).

Workers can create an account on the CSC center's site. For this scheme, the government has also built a web portal. All information collected online through these facilities will be forwarded to the Indian government.

Your Aadhar card, savings or Jan Dhan bank account passbook, and mobile number will be required for registration. Apart from that, a consent letter must be issued, which must also be given in the bank branch where the worker has a bank account, in order for money to be deducted for pension from his bank account on time.

Any unorganised sector worker under the age of 40 who is not enrolled in any government scheme is eligible to participate in the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Pension Scheme. Let us tell you that the person applying for this scheme must have a monthly salary of less than Rs 15,000 per month.

The government has designated the Labor Department, LIC, and EPFO offices as Shramik Facilitation Centers for this scheme. Workers can learn more about the initiative by going here. The government has established a toll-free hotline for the scheme, 18002676888. This number can also be used to obtain information about the scheme.

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New Delhi: Retirement fund body EPFO has been constantly reminding its subscribers to file their e-nomination before the December 31 deadline. The name of the nominee mentioned in the latest PF nomination will be treated as final, whereas after fresh nomination by the account holder, the earlier nomination will be treated as cancelled, says the EPFO.

However, as the deadline to file e-nomination is nearing, several users have been complaining regarding error in e-nomination filing.

I have been trying to file my e-nomination for the past 2 days but i keep getting this error. How can someone complete e-nomination by 31st Dec if the website doesn't work ? pic.twitter.com/4m4hAPVU4r  Dedhphool (@vishalthebachus) December 24, 2021

Unable to file e-nomination. Always getting error: "Error while fetching nomination details. Please try after some time." @socialepfo Please get this fixed. pic.twitter.com/vcKVAbBapQ    (Web Developer) (@nishu20) December 25, 2021

There's an error in fetching eNomination details at all times I log in to the site to add mine whether morning, noon or night. I use the latest version of the Chrome browser. Can @socialepfo advise accordingly please?  Nagesh Rajan (@NageshTheRajan) December 24, 2021

Not able to file e nomination. Shows error. Trying for last three days. Every time this message comes. Am I missing something??? pic.twitter.com/KrOtmByJUw  Sanjay (@sanjay_teenu) December 24, 2021

Meanwhile, we advise that you keep trying the process of e-nomination on EPFO website. You can follow the below mentioned steps to do so.

Here is the online process on how you can file e-nomination for your member account by sitting at home.

1.Visit EPFO website https://www.epfindia.gov.in/site_en/index.php and click on the SERVICE option

2. Click on For Employees section. After being redirected, you will have to click on the Member UAN / Online Service option.

3. Now, login with the your UAN ID and password.

4. Now go to the MANAGE tab in the drop down menu and select E-Nomination.

5. Now select YES option and update the family declaration.

6. Click on Add Family Details and select Nomination Details from which you can declare the total amount to be shared.

6. Now click on Save EPF nomination.

7. On the next page, click on e-sign option.

7. You will receive an OTP on your mobile number which is linked to your Aadhar card

8. Once you furnish the OTP and click on SUBMIT button, your nomination process will be completed.

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New Delhi: Lakhs of Indian farmers are eagerly waiting for the disbursal of 10th installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Though several dates in the month of December were speculated regarding the date of disbursal of PM KISAN money, it has now been confirmed that the 10th installment will be transfered on 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. (Also read: Aadhaar linking a must to get Rs 6,000 annual benefit? Know here)

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.

Here is how to check your name via PM Kisan website using the direct link

Log on to pmkisan.gov.in website

On the right hand side, you will see Farmers Corner

Click Farmers Corner

Now from the option, click Beneficiary Status

You will have to furnish a few details like your Aadhaar number, bank account and your mobile number to see your status

After you complete the above procedure, you will find your name if it is there in the list

How to check your name in PM KISAN via mobile App

To check your name via Mobile App, you will have to first download PM Kisan Mobile App. Once you have downloaded the App, you will have access to all the details.

Is PM-KISAN Scheme for only Small and Marginal Farmers' families?

ln the beginning when the PM-KISAN Scheme was launched (February, 2019), its benefits were admissible only to Small & marginal Farmers' families, with combined landholding upto 2 hectare. The Scheme was later on revised in June 2019 and extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings

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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Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has courted controversy while praising two party members, allegedly saying that they are capable of making policemen wet their pants.

Former chief minister Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema slammed him over the purported remark and a Chandigarh police officer sent him a defamation notice. "I have sent a defamation notice to him for humiliating the police," Chandigarh Deputy Superintendent of Police Dilsher Singh Chandel said.

A sub-inspector also issued a video message condemning the remark. Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu has backed the policemen and praised them for their role during militancy and COVID-19 times.

The controversy erupted after Sidhu, at a recent rally in Sultanpur Lodhi while pointing towards sitting MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, said he can "make a 'thanedar' (policeman) wet his pants".

He repeated the remark at a rally in Batala on Sunday while praising local leader Ashwani Sekhri who was standing by his side. When reporters asked him about his remark, Sidhu indicated that it should not be taken literally.

He said it's a way of saying the Congress "wields authority". A video clip of Sidhu making the remark went viral on social media inviting a sharp reaction from some police officials and political leaders.

Punjab Lok Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh said it was sad that the men in uniform were being disrespected. "Sad to see our men in uniform being disrespected. 1700 @PunjabPoliceInd personnel sacrificed their lives to bring the state out of the dark days and now they are being mocked by @INCPunjab leaders & above all their President. Shameful! A leader must give respect to earn respect," Amarinder Singh said in a tweet.

SAD's Daljit Singh Cheema questioned the "silence" of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Home minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa over Sidhu's remark. He asked both of them to tell Sidhu that he should refrain from making such a remark and ask him to withdraw his statement and seek an apology from the police.

Chandigarh DSP Chandel dubbed Sidhu's remark as "shameful". "It is very shameful that such a senior leader uses these words for his own force and humiliates them," Chandel said. "This is the same force which protects him (Sidhu) and his family," he said in a video message. He even dared Sidhu to return his force deployed for his protection.

"Without (security) force, even a rickshaw puller will not listen to him," he said. "I strongly condemn this remark and he (Sidhu) should not use such words for his force. The force has its own dignity and respect and it is our responsibility to maintain this dignity," he said.

In a video message, Sub-Inspector Balbir Singh, posted in Jalandhar (Rural), said, "Such language was used by a senior leader against us, I strongly condemn it." He also requested the Punjab DGP not to allow the image of police to be affected.

"We live with our families in the society and our children question us why such language is being used against us," Balbir Singh said.

He said this remark was not against any 'thanedar' but against the entire police force.

"I want to tell Sidhu Sahib that we are not cowards. We are brave and the whole country knows about the tales of our bravery," he said as he recalled the role of police against militancy. Without caring for their own lives, the personnel of the Punjab police provided food to the needy at their homes during the COVID-19 outbreak, he added.

Commenting on the videos of the Chandigarh DSP and the sub-inspector, Ludhiana MP Bittu lauded the Punjab police for its role in eliminating terrorism from the state.

Bittu, whose grandfather and the then chief minister Beant Singh died in a bomb blast in 1995, said, "Some videos of a DSP and sub-inspector have gone viral. First of all, whatever has been said about the police, I seek apology," he said.

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Chennai: In line with his philosophy of delivering grand, pan-India cinema, Director SS Rajamouli said that all actors had to be seen as Indian actors rather than those of Tamil, Telugu or Hindi film industries. The director was speaking at the pre-release event of his upcoming big-budget film RRR, which stars Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt among others.

The film, which is a fictional tale based on real-life characters, set in the early 20th century, is slated to hit screens worldwide on January 7, 2022.

Elaborating on the mega project that he had been working on for the last four years, Rajamouli said that it was a tale of Indian emotion, revolution, culture that is endemic only to this country.

He added that the story was portrayed in a magnified and larger-than-life perspective by casting Ram Charan and Jr NTR, as the protagonists. Making a reference to his record-breaking, highest-grossing directorial venture Baahubali, Rajamouli said, if you liked Baahubali, youd like this (film)too.

When asked about his wish to direct two big stars from the Tamil industry, the director responded thus -"All are Indian stars; No Tamil, Telegu, Hindi..."

On his shooting experience with Ram Charan, Jr NTR said that he wanted to do every shot one more time, just to share that time with the former. He added that Rajmouli broke the barriers of regional cinema and that RRR would bring back the glory of two big stars being in a film. Hinting that this combine(Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Jr.NTR) wasnt a rare instance, he cryptically said, this is just the beginning.

Thanking his core team for their efforts over the last three years, the director took the analogy of the five Pandavas from the Mahabharata epic, referring to his Production designer, Director of photography, Visual Effects Supervisor Editor and Costume designer.

He said that except for his wife and Costumer Designer Rama, all the other four members of the core team were from different parts of India and made it a pan-India film in the true sense.
New Delhi: Cyber pirates are back with new strategies for phishing attacks to steal users' information, and this time they're going for the popular instant messaging programme WhatsApp and others. Over 39,000 websites meant to steal user data via bogus login pages have been discovered, according to the Meta-owned company. They're all fake! The login pages of these bogus websites are designed to get victims to input sensitive information such as passwords and email addresses, which cybercriminals will later use to steal data and other information. There are bogus websites on Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger in addition to WhatsApp. To be scammed, all a user has to do is log into WhatsApp on a bogus website. It's easy to make a mistake because these phoney WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram websites look so authentic!

Not only WhatsApp, but other widely used social media networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger are being leveraged to launch phishing attacks to deceive users into exposing their login credentials on false login pages, according to a blog post published by Facebook. In light of this occurrence, Facebook filed a federal lawsuit in a California court to ascertain the identity of the cyber pirates responsible for the phishing attempt.

How it is done

Cybercriminals commonly transmit links to your actual WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts, as well as emails with links. When a user clicks on these links, they will be taken to a false website that looks identical to WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram. However, it is a forgery, and if people do not recognise it, they will attempt to login, accidentally disclosing their identities and passwords to hackers.

As part of the attacks, cyber criminals used a tactic that allows them to reroute internet traffic to phishing websites while hiding their attack infrastructure. They were able to conceal the true location of the phishing websites, as well as the identities of their online hosting providers and defendants, as a result of this. Beginning in March 2021, when the amount of phishing attacks increased, Facebook collaborated with the relay service to suspend hundreds of URLs to phishing websites.

Though social media behemoths are working hard to apprehend the perpetrators of these phishing assaults, you can prevent them with a few easy measures and vigilance. If you receive any strange emails, texts, or text messages on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, or Messenger that ask you to check in using your Facebook login and password, disregard them and do not click on them or supply any personal information. Before you do anything on a website, you should be completely confident in it.

Even if you receive an email claiming to be from WhatsApp or Facebook-owned social media networks, don't click on any of the links or attachments.

What you must do if you clicked on these fake links and attempted to do a WhatsApp login

Still, if you believe you may have supplied any of your personal information inadvertently or that your account is in jeopardy, follow these guidelines.

Above all, immediately update your WhatsApp login password. If you still have access to your account, change your password and log out of any devices that you don't own.

If you can't get into your account because your username or password isn't working, you'll need to know how to recover it.

Examine recent activities and recent Facebook emails to see if anything out of the ordinary has occurred with your account.

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New Delhi: For a few days now, Rediroff.ru, a deadly WhatsApp scam, has been circulating. Using social engineering tools, fraudsters can gain access to a WhatsApp user's personal data as well as financial information such as bank and card details. With Rediroff.ru in the URL, the spam link can infect Windows PCs as well as iOS and Android smartphones.

It's unclear when the WhatsApp fraud began, but it impacted a huge number of people throughout the holiday season by luring users with promises of pricey gifts.

WhatsApp's payments functionality is currently being rolled out across India's heartland in a big way.

Scammers send a link to WhatsApp users, and when they click on it, they are directed to a website that claims they may win a prize by completing a bogus survey.

They are taken to another website after answering the questions, where they are requested to fill out some personal information such as their name, age, address, bank information, and other personal data.

These details could be utilised in fraudulent transactions or sold on the dark web to criminals.

This information can also be used by fraudsters to send people spam and harmful emails. PUAs (potentially unwanted programmes) can also be installed on the user's device.

Phishing websites analyse the user's IP address to determine their area, then change the page's language and display a variety of fraudulent schemes appropriate for their region.

If a person receives a spam link with Rediroff.ru in the URL, they should report it as spam and delete it as soon as possible. They should scan their devices for any virus or potentially undesirable software if they mistakenly click on it.

When people see adverts in locations where they shouldn't be and are referred to dubious sites when searching for something on a browser, malware has already infiltrated their devices. They should delete the suspicious programmes from their smartphones at this point.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attended the 54th Convocation Ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and said that the ''knowledge and expertise'' of the students who pass out from this renowned institution will benefit the entire world.

"Today is a day of double happiness for Kanpur. On one hand, Kanpur is getting a metro rail facility and on the other hand, the world of technology is also getting priceless gifts from IIT Kanpur,'' PM Modi said while addressing the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur.

Today, I congratulate the successful students of the IIT-Kanpur. You must have joined here with a certain fear of the unknown. But as time passed, it changed your personality. In the classroom, your thoughts and ideas expanded and, outside the classroom, your personality expanded,'' PM Modi told IIT-Kanpur students.

IIT-Kanpur has strengthened your foundation, the PM said. With whatever you have gained from here, wherever you go, you will provide value addition. The whole world, the entire human society will benefit from what you gained here, the PM said.

The PM went on to say that the 21st century is "technology-driven" and technology will play a key role in transforming India. "We are entering a phase of comprehensive opportunities to make a 'Modern India'," the PM told the gathering amid a huge round of applause from students.

"Earlier we thought of working, now we think of results from the work,'' said PM Modi, adding that the ''attitude of Indians has changed now.'' PM Modi also mentioned the Aatmanirbhar Bharat project. He likened the project to each graduate's struggle to stand on their own feet and be independent.

PM Modi also referred to a report that ranked India in the 3rd position among world unicorn startups, behind US and China. He said the government will always back the Indian entrepreneurs.

He even advised the students to choose challenge if they ever have to choose between comfort and challenge. ''We always face challenges in our lives. Become such a person who chooses to find solutions to problems,'' the PM said.

The PM began his speech by asking the IIT-Kanpur students "is it necessary to look so serious during the convocation." At the convocation, all the students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the Institute under the National Blockchain Project.

PM Narendra Modi attends the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/Dfjz7CSvMD  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2021

The Prime Minister also launched launch the blockchain-based digital degrees. These digital degrees can be verified globally and are unforgeable.

Kanpur Metro Rail Project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also later inaugurate the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project at around 1.30 pm. According to Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), improving urban mobility has been one of the key focus areas of PM Modi. The completed 9 km long section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel.

The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and is being built at a cost of over Rs 11,000 crore. Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest built metro project in the country.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work of the Kanpur metro project on November 15, 2019, and the trial run took place on the 9 km IIT to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10, 2021, in less than two years.

Prime Minister Modi will also inspect the Metro Rail Project and undertake a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. Besides, the Metro Rail Project, Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project.

As per the PMO, the 356 Km long Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum.

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